Billy Paultz Reconsidered

Let’s see…. Utah beat Alabama, which beat Ole Miss, which beat Florida… and Ole Miss also beat Texas Tech, which beat Texas, which beat Oklahoma. AND Utah beat Oregon State, which beat USC.

It’s all on this handy chart.

I know, every year you can create a chart of “so-and-so beat so-and-so, which beat so-and-so, which beat….” that will eventually arrive at the conclusion that Memphis or Yale or Kevin Bacon is No. 1.

But you can’t, this year, make such a chart that gets you around Utah.

Vegas says the Utes would be somewhere around a two-touchdown underdog against Florida or Oklahoma. But Alabama’s two biggest games of the year came back-to-back (although with a three-week break in between), against Florida and Utah, and Utah beat the Tide worse than Florida did.

Ah, you say, but Bama looked at the Sugar Bowl as a consolation prize, while Utah saw it as a crusade. Much different levels of motivation, you say. And that’s no doubt true.

But it’s true to some degree in a lot of bowls. Most bowls, I’d argue. We tend to acknowledge that factor selectively, meaning we ignore it when it would unsettle our prejudices.

There seems to be general agreement that the Big Ten stinks. But if a Big Ten team had Utah’s exact resume - six wins over bowl teams, four over top 25 teams, including the resounding defeat of Alabama - they’d be playing for the marbles Thursday.

On the other hand, anybody who saw the Fiesta Bowl last night knows Ohio State gave Texas that game, by playing defense in the last minute (crowding the line of scrimmage and even mass-blitzing) as if four points behind, not four ahead.

So did the stinky Big Ten go 1-6 in the bowls or come within a minute of dumbness of going 2-0 in the bowls against the Big 12 and SEC, supposedly the clear-cut two best leagues in the country?

OR does Texas’ struggle with the stinky Big Ten, coupled with Texas Tech’s 14-point loss to Ole Miss, suggest the Big 12 wasn’t as great as everybody thought? No? What if you stack on top of those two a Florida blowout of Oklahoma Thursday?

The point? Not sure there is one, but there might be at least three: 1. The conclusions we draw about leagues, every single year, are way too grand for the evidence, 2. Plenty of teams have won this sport’s so-called championship based on flimsier cases than Utah’s, 3. Somebody will get a crystal football Thursday, but no one will get to honestly call themselves champion.

One more Rose Bowl anecdote before blowing out of La-La early tomorrow morning: The Kodak Theatre here employs people dressed as familar stars or characters (Wonder Woman, the Joker, and the like) to hang around in front of the theatre, pose for photos, etc.

So Elmo, of Tickle Me fame, is standing there, and a small group Penn State fans walks by in full Nittany regalia.

Elmo (in longshoreman’s voice): “Hey Penn State, how bout a picture?”

Penn State: “No thanks, we’re good.”

Elmo: ”No you’re not. You lost.”

Penn State: “Take a walk, Elmo.”

Happy New Year.

Sanchez in the second quarter: 14-17 for 225 yards and two TDs. USC has 341 total yards at the half against what’s supposed to be one of the best defenses in the country.

The decisive matchup has been USC’s big receivers against Penn State’s little DBs. Didn’t see that coming, but neither did anyone else. What’s weird is the Lions seem to be reacting by blitzing, not dropping extra folks into coverage.

It’s gonna be tough to Tom Bradley to put a positive spin on this.

On the plus side: Plenty of time to write.

That’s about it.

Now USC goes 80 yards and scores on a QB draw. Mark Sanchez, the Trojans’ QB, started a little slow but is rolling now.

Penn State goes 80 yards in 7 plays, despite a crushing illegal shift call that amounts to a 46-yard penalty. Have to say, the play-calling has been excellent so far- the QB draw for Daryll Clark’s 9-yard TD was perfect, and oh by the way one of about four plays, so far, that Pat Devlin probably doesn’t make.

Nits geting some traction here, and their fans are going flat-out ape****.

USC goes 86 yards for a TD after Aaron Maybin knocks the ball loose from QB Mark Sanchez, but is panelized for offsides.

Nits had better move the rock here, or the landslide could start.

On Penn State’s first snap, they went with tight end Andrew Quarless split wide, tailback Evan Royster in the slow and Derrick Williams in the backfield. Don’t remember seeing that much in the regular season.

And starting the Rose Bowl….. Manheim Central Baron Graham Zug.

We’ve got color and pageantry coming out our ears. Fireworks during the anthem, a flyover by a stealth bomber, and theopening toss flipped by… wait for it…. Miss Cloris Leachman.

She’s older than Joe, for God’s sake.

There’s an incredible number of Penn State fans here. I’d day it’s 45 percent to 55 for USC. And I think the Pen State contingent made more noise when the teams ran out.

Just FYI- temp at kickoff, 70 degrees. Sorry.

More to come.

It’s a beautiful day in a beautiful place. Hard to imagine a better setting for a football game. I’m about even with the 10-yard line on the end of the field with Penn State written in the end zone (for reference when you’re watching on TV later), and it almost feels like you can reach out and touch the San Gabriel Mountains from the Press Box.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that much of the Penn State media party, including your correspondent, was horribly stricken last night by, we’re not sure what, food poisoning or a flu bug or something in the water.

I won’t be graphic, but 12 hours ago I was pretty sure I’d have to miss the game. At least one writer is missing it.

I’m on no more than two hours of sleep. There might be more playing hurt in the press box than on the field.

One more Rich Ohrnberger tidbit: Somebody asked him what celebrity he’d most like to run in to out here, and Ohrnberger didn’t hesitate: “Wilford Brimley.”

You’re just not gonna beat that.

The lineup of former Penn State and USC greats who’ll receive coveted sidelines passes is now complete.

For USC: Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott, Willie McGinnest, Keith Rivers and Cedric Ellis.

For Penn State: John Cappelletti, Don Abbey, Michael Robinson, Ki-Jana Carter and Tamba Hali.

The Lions are doing their customary playing surface stroll, although bowl oficialls are only letting them on the sidelines. Kickoff now less than two hours away.

More later.

On Tuesday the Rose Bowl brought both teams, in their entirety, to the media hotel for interviews. The players filed into a large ballroom, in their jerseys, and sat at round tables in groups of 6-8.

Penn State came first. The Lions mostly sat quietly unless being interviewed. USC followed and looked hopelessly bored, talking on cell phones, lost in music on headphones. A couple actually fell asleep.

The session was strictly timed, 30 minutes exactly, on a large digital clock. As the clock wound down, a number of players chanted, “3….2….1….Happy New Year!”

The point is that if you believe in body language and amateur psychology, Penn State is happier to be here. And it is generally true that bowl games favor the team that’s happier about being there.

That, plus Joe Paterno and staff’s record in bowls and with extra time to prepare, is the argument for Penn State, and it’s not a bad argument.

The argument for USC can be found in the Trojans’ media guide, in the entries for each player, under High School:

“Parade All-American… USA Today All-USA first team…EA Sports All-American first team… Super Prep Elite 50… Prep Star Dream Team… Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year….

On and on and on, for player after player after player. Talent is the argument for USC. Penn State has a number of blue-chippers. USC, at least among guys making sizable contributing, has almost nothing but.

USC will be coming off a 26-day layoff. Penn State’s is 40. Both teams come from so-so leagues, and the argument has been made that given its schedule, we don’t know how good USC is. Maybe, but the Pac-10 is 4-0 this bowl season.

Penn State played two games this year against truly athletic, fast, aggressive, attacking defenses, Iowa and Ohio State. The Lions struggled against both, and almost never successfully threw the ball down the field. And Iowa’s and Ohio State’s defenses are pale copies of USC.

Finally, a few of the Lions have admitted they enjoy watching USC on TV, and one, Lydell Sargeant, acknowledged being a USC fan. This is dipping into amateur psychology again, but Penn State doesn’t seem fiesty enough. You’d like to see them even a little mad and defiant, and I’ve been out here since Sunday, and I don’t see any of that.

USC 21, Penn State 10.