December College Football

Duke plays Saturday in New York City in the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium.  They will be playing Indiana who can put points on the board.  For them can they hold Duke down?  Duke hasn't shown over much of the season to be able to out score anybody.

Through the end of the regular season got 91 correct picks on college games while missing 27.  Duke will be missing Jeremy Cash lost to season ending surgery will be a big hole for the Duke defense.  Indiana 38 Duke 28

The state  of North Carolina is off to a great start in bowl games.   North Carolina  A&T won the Celebration Bowl beating Alcorn  State  41-34.  Appalachian State after winning three straight National Championships playing as Division two school won their very first bowl game since their rise to D1.  They kicked a field goal to beat Ohio 29-28 to win the Camillia  Bowl after trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter.

NC State plays next week and the Tar Heels  on New Years Day.  We will pick those next week.

Now to the strange story at ECU.  There is no doubt the Pirates football season was not what anyone in the purple and gold wanted.  They led late in several games only to give up the lead and lose and finished 5-7.  They announced almost immediately that they wanted no part as being considered for a bowl game.  That was very noble considering I for one am against any team with a 6-6 record getting into a bowl.


Bowls were suppose to be for reward for a good season not to just play one more game.  That one more game most of the time does not have enough pay out to even pay to take your team to the game and stay several days in what ever city the bowl game is in.  The 6-6 teams supporters stay home not really happy to follow a team that was at best average and almost all those 6-6 games are played before or just after Christmas where it is hard for supporters to fit it in around Christmas.

Shocking Pirate nation ECU athletic Director Jeff Compher fired Ruffin  McNeil who had averaged eight wins a season in Pirate Nation until this year.  Compher stated that ECU needed a coach who could get the Pirate nation to the next level.

There are many in Greenville that think the SEC or Big XII will call whenever the next big movement comes to go to eight team playoff.  I personally think the Pirates need to stick where they are because if and when The playoffs move to eight the top five power conferences will not get all eight spots.


Compher understanding they need to be a power in the AAC wants a coach to push the Pirates to the top level of their conference.  He found out quickly in order to get that brand name coach the Pirates didn't have the money to get a proven coach.  Did he pull the trigger too soon?  If you are going to try to get a named coach you need to have him your back pocket before you get rid of the coach you already have.

The bottom line is Pirate Nation has lost a popular coach.  Brought in a rookie head coach Scottie Montgomery who has no track record to show he can lead the Pirates to the Promised land. He may be the next great coach but I doubt we will find that out next year.