Bleacher Report - Articles by Tony Guadagnoli

Decision on LeGarrette Blount Will Define Oregon's Season

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:27:51 -0400

LeGarrette Blount finally made good on his promise. The Oregon running back said the Ducks owed Boise State an "ass-whuppin" and he delivered. Too bad it came after the game and possibly ended Blount's college football career.

Blount clocked Boise State's Byron Hout with a right cross to the jaw after the defensive end approached him, said something and tapped him on the shoulder pads after the Broncos' 19-8 victory over Oregon Thursday night.

Boise State coach Chris Peterson immediately tried to grab Hout after he touched Blount, who later also punched teammate Garrett Embry. As he was being led to the locker room, Blount got into it with Boise fans and had to be restrained by coaches and security personnel.

Blount said he thought one fan was ready to throw a chair at him and said he was hit on the chin by another fan.

“When I walked over there the guy with the chair kind of backed up,” Blount told the Eugene Register-Guard. “And then the other guy came out of nowhere and struck me.”

Blount was not widely known outside of the Pac-10 despite rushing for 1,002 yards and scoring a school-record 17 rushing touchdowns last season. The senior was a preseason All-American candidate and on the Doak Walker watch list for best running back in the country.

Blount is a big, power back, at 6'2", 240 pounds. He was was named Oregon's impact player of the year in 2008 after transferring from East Mississippi Community College.

Now his "impact" has become the season's biggest story after the first day of play for all the wrong reasons

He finished with minus-5 yards rushing on eight carries, was part of a bad exchange that cost his team a safety, failed to convert on 4th-and-1 in a key fourth-quarter drive, and then cold-clocked Hout after the game.

A much cooler-headed Blount talked to reporters after the game saying, “I lost my temper, and I apologize. I apologize in general, to everybody that was watching this—ESPN national TV, I apologize to our fans, all the Boise fans. It was just something I shouldn’t have done. I lost my head, and I shouldn’t have taken it that far.

“I don’t know what kind of disciplinary action Coach (Chip) Kelly has in store for me. Whatever it is, I’m ready to take it in full force.”

Ah, yes, Chip Kelly. Rich Rodriguez is no longer having the worst week of any major college football coach.

Has any coach of a Top 25 team had a worse overall debut than Kelly? His team looked ill-prepared to handle Boise Borah High let alone the Broncos. The Ducks, who averaged 465 yards per game in 2008, did not get their initial first down until midway through the third quarter. They finished with 152 yards and will tumble out of the polls.

Kelly not only has the problem of how to get his team ready for Purdue next Saturday, but he also has to make his first major decision. A decision much more important than going for it or punting on fourth and short.

His handling of whether to boot Blount for the season (which I personally favor), suspend him indefinitely, or not even do that much will stay with this team and with Oregon fans and alumni much longer than the sting of Thursday's disaster.

Of course Kelly won't make this decision by himself as Mike Bellotti, his predecessor and now Oregon AD, will have a strong say in what is done to Blount. New Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott also was at the game.

“I’ll talk with our conference commissioner and our university president and I think, obviously we’re not very proud of that and I think it’s not something to be condoned and we’ll take steps to correct it,” Bellotti said.

Kelly will have to consider that Blount is his best running back, was taunted by Hout, had his worst college game, and was caught up in the heat of the moment. He also must consider Blount was suspended in the spring for poor grades and missing some offseason workouts.

Taken as a whole, it seems Blount has played his last game for Oregon. Good luck, coach. The Ducks host Utah on Sept. 19 in another ESPN game, and you would have to think Blount will be gone from that game as well.

Blount told the Eugene Register-Guard: “As the game went on, it just got more and more frustrating. Me in general, I was kind of fed up. I should have just took it to the locker room. I shouldn’t have said anything, I shouldn’t have did anything, I should have just came to the locker room. I shouldn’t have taken it to that level.”

But because he did, he might have cost himself a chance to take his football career to another level as well.

For more on Oregon-Boise State

Let's Just Say He Was Not Notre Dame's Whiz Kid

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:59:58 -0400

Lordy be! Did you see the headline out of South Bend, Ind?

Nah, nothing to do with Hawaii coach Greg McMackin's homosexual slur against Notre Dame. Not even news that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had no comment about McMackin's reference to a little "dance" before last year's Hawaii Bowl.

This news was stunning and hurtful.

To wit, in the South Bend Tribune: "Man accidentally shoots leg while urinating in South Bend alley."

Truly there are bigger idiots in South Bend than we previously thought. You can't make this stuff up.

According to the newspaper report, apparently a 21-year-old man had stopped in an alley "just before 3:30 a.m., when his gun accidentally discharged."

Um, this gives a whole new meaning to the term whizbang, or as a commenter named LeftyK said: "Let's see...public indecency...public ridicule....and now a limp...that is a bad night."

The report further stated: "The man, who has a permit to carry the gun, took himself to the hospital, where police were called.

"Police say the gun was apparently in the man’s pocket, as there was no bullet hole on the outside of his jeans.

"The bullet went through the man's upper thigh and exited below his knee. The injury is not expected to be life-threatening."

So, other than to be totally embarrassed and possible having to leave the state of Indiana, the man is expected to get over this. Imagine the nice greeting he will get on his next visit with friends or co-workers. "Hey guy, is that a gun in your pocket or are you just ...no, no—it's a gun."

Or a quick explanation to the girlfriend or wife from the hospital. "Hey, honey, yes it's me. I'm at the hospital and I, well...you won't believe what happened. It's kinda funny really."

In a dozen years or so, he will have a very interesting little tale to tell when friends start reminiscing about dumb things they've done.

"Well, I have one. Um, yeah...so one night I was going to work, yeah really I was just going to work at 3:30 in the morning, no drinking involved or anything like that.

Anyway, I was in a hurry and I had to go to the bathroom, see. But there were no public restrooms around, see. So I had to go really bad and I went into this alley and I unzipped my fly and you know was relieving myself and yeah, sometimes you just gotta go.

Yeah, yeah, but that's not the best part of the story. Anyway I kinda forgot I was carrying a loaded weapon. Yeah, really, a real loaded weapon. What? It was legal...Anyway, I... well, let's just say that almost peeing myself was not my biggest problem."

Note to self: Gun is in holster, thing that is not a gun is not in holster.

Back to your regularly scheduled football madness.

Here's how BYU can play for the national title

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:33:02 -0400

Lots of talk, in case you hadn't heard, about Utah and the Mountain West this offseason. OK. whining moaning, old-fashioned politics. In other words, college football business as usual.

I've said the Utes can buy some T-shirts and celebrate as national champs after being the only unbeaten team, capping it off with a Sugar Bowl trouncing of Alabama. Wear those shirts and march right through downtown Gainesville if you want, who's going to care? You will get laughed out of town but, hey you did what was asked and won every game. Wear em proudly I say.

Photo courtesy of Flashbackhumor

Give us the title and nobody gets hurt, see.

This year the state of Utah might have a more legitimate claim to the BCS title. That's because BYU actually has a chance, a snowball's chance in Gainesville perhaps, but a chance nonetheless to gain a berth in the BCS title game.

Crazier things have happened already this offseason. A zebra - yes I said a zebra - was responsible for ending a Pittsburg (Kan.) State linebacker's season. Oh, and Nick Saban smiled at least three times at SEC Media Days. I told you it was a crazy offseason.

Anyway, the Cougars open with Oklahoma in Jerry Jones' sparkling new palace in Arlington, Texas. They also host Florida State a few weeks later and get TCU and Utah at home as well. Preseason MWC favorite TCU plays at Clemson and at Virginia.

Since we are still 41 days away from kickoff, let's do a little dreaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5-95uKfo7c

Let's say the Cougars pull a shocker and upset the Sooners in the Dallas Cowboys' new home. Then let's say Sam Bradford makes like Tim Tebow and leads the Sooners to a sweep the rest of the way. Oklahoma would have wins at Miami, plus the rest of the Big 12, but a loss to BYU.

The Big Ten, Pac-10, ACC and Big East champs all have at least one very bad league loss. Top-ranked Florida is unbeaten and cruising, but loses its season finale against Florida State. The Gators rebound to squeak out a win in the SEC title game.

What do the polls and computers do?

Oklahoma would seemingly get a berth because it went unbeaten in the Big 12 and would be forgiven for its opening loss to BYU. It certainly was forgiven for losing to Texas on a on a neutral field in 2008.

But does SEC champ Florida, with a recent loss to Florida State, still go over unbeaten BYU, which would have beaten Oklahoma and FSU?

“If BYU shocks Oklahoma then the sky is the limit and more impressive than TCU’s possible accomplishments,” BYU beat writer Dirk Facer of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City told me when I asked him about that scenario. “Question is, would the powers that be actually allow and outside to crash the BCS’s biggest party?”

That is the $18 million or so dollar question Dirk. My guess is that Florida still would get most of the votes. BYU would be deserving, but coaches and Harris poll voters would be hesitant to see a BYU-Oklahoma rematch. Most fans wouldn't like it much, either. Plus the BCS would be in a bigger tailspin than Auntie Em’s house by allowing the Cougars in.

Ah, but that’s what these dream sequences are for, at least until kickoff.

Pope Urban Meyer Could Use Some Air Miles

Tony Guadagnoli — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:30:05 -0400

While waiting for Commissioner Thompson to call me back ...

The pope of college football was on display Thursday. No, not Beano Cook. Pope Urban Meyer, Florida Gators coach. Meyer, a Catholic, was named after Pope Urban of which there were eight at last count.

Meyer and his immensely popular quarterback, Tim Tebow, were the big names for Day 2 of the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

The Sun Belt Conference, in an effort to save money, held its entire media days by teleconference earlier this week. It did well, drawing a record 50 media through electronic communications.

While Pope Meyer was in Hoover on Thursday, the pauper (Lane Kiffin) shows up Friday. Kiffin will be the final coach on the docket and the one most of the 900-plus (yes 900 media credentials) are in Hoover to see. The SEC Media Days are so popular and esteemed that even Nick Saban is not a cranky pants and downright friendly.

You think the Super Bowl draws attention, you should see what Al.com, everything Alabama, is doing with these three days. When they say college football is religion in Alabama, they ain't just whistling Dixie. The real pope could land in Birmingham and it wouldn't get this kind of coverage.

These are heady days indeed for the SEC—Meyer, Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators in particular. The SEC has $2 billion worth of TV money coming its way in the next 15 years thanks to deals with ESPN and CBS. The new ESPN "SEC Network" will go into non-South markets such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and New York.

That's why it's too bad Florida refuses to follow suit and travel anywhere outside of its state for nonconference games. The last non-SEC, non-Florida road game for the Gators was Syracuse in 1991. That was Steve Spurrier's first non-SEC, non-Florida State loss, mainly because 4-year-old Tim Tebow was only the seventh-best all-time NCAA quarterback back then. Just kidding, but Tebow is one of the best of all time.

"We have some great rivalries within the state," Meyer said Thursday. "We're going to do that. There's not a whole lot of discussion about going out. Once again, our scheduling philosophy is we want to play at least one big-time program. That's built in our schedule every year. Sometimes when you see USC play Ohio State, that's their big one."

I can certainly understand Meyer's reason to play other Florida teams and maintain the traditional game with Florida State. The Gators also have their game with Georgia in Jacksonville every year.

But the Gators have won two of the last three national titles, are favored to win again this year and also will be a major part of the burgeoning SEC Network, so don't you think their national fan base has grown?

Doesn't it make sense to reward your fans in other parts of the country with one game near them? Wouldn't some or many of the alumni travel to a game at a Big 12, Big Ten—hell even Big East, school. Don't you think some of the Gators would, oh I don't know, like to maybe see something other than citrus groves and cane fields in their careers? Heck, maybe even stare into Bevo's big brown eyes.

Meyer is from Northeastern Ohio and should perhaps remember his background a bit. Those fans might actually want to see a team like Florida. One non-conference BCS game outside of the Sunshine State once every 10 years isn't too much to ask is it? I think Ohio State or Penn State, certainly Notre Dame, would probably give you a home-and-home series. Pretty sure the pope would even help pay for expenses.

For more on college football.

It's Official: Army-Notre Dame Meet at Yankee Stadium

Tony Guadagnoli — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:51:44 -0400

What was widely reported last week became official Monday. Notre Dame and Army will renew their storied rivalry Nov. 20, 2010, in the first college football game at new Yankee Stadium. No kickoff time has been announced.

"We could not be more excited about bringing ‘big-time’ college football back to Yankee Stadium,” said Army AD Kevin Anderson in a news conference at Yankee Stadium. “I think it’s very fitting that one of the most historically significant rivalries in the history of college football ushers the sport back to Yankee Stadium. At one time, the Army-Notre Dame game at Yankee Stadium was one of the most anticipated matchups in every college football season.”

Army and Notre Dame played every year at Yankee Stadium from 1925 to 1946, the 1946 game being hailed as "The Game of the Century" with No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame playing to a scoreless tie. That was the only game to feature four Heisman Trophy winners - Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard of Army and Johnny Lujack and Leon Hart of Notre Dame.

The teams played at New York's Ebbets Field in 1923. In 1924 they played at the Polo Grounds in New York in one of the most famous games in college football history, when writer Grantland Rice immortalized "The Four Horsemen."

The 2010 Army-Notre Dame matchup will mark the first college football game at the home of the Yankees since Grambling hosted Central State in the Whitney M. Young Urban Classic on September 12, 1987 at the original Yankee Stadium.

"As a longtime Yankee fan, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity for Notre Dame to be a part of this event. I think this will be the kind of game that our players will remember long after it's over," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said at the news conference.

Army and Notre Dame have also played neutral-site games at old Soldier Field in Chicago, the old JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Shea Stadium in New York, and the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

Army will be returning to Yankee Stadium in 2011 to play Rutgers, media outlets also reported Monday.

The Newark Star-Ledger reported that another major news conference had been scheduled for Wednesday morning at Yankee Stadium.

Syracuse also could play Army at Yankee Stadium in future years.

Tony Guadagnoli is the National College Football Examiner. E-mail him at tonyguad@yahoo.com

Notre Dame Plans to Stay In Neutral

Tony Guadagnoli — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:45:52 -0400

Lots going on today with the start of football media days, starting with the Sun Belt Conference, which is conducting its media days via video teleconference.

This could be a move that you may see other conferences make to save some money. We’ll get back to the Sun Belt later today.

From Mr. College Football, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tony Barnhart, who was just inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., comes this story:

"Gary Stokan, the much traveled president of the Atlanta Sports Council, was here over the weekend talking to Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick. The subject? Trying to get the globetrotting Fighting Irish to consider Atlanta for one of their neutral site games.

"Notre Dame likes to play neutral site games in order to help recruiting. The Irish are playing Navy at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. in 2010, Baylor in New Orleans in 2012, and Arizona State in Arlington, Tex., in 2013. Today the school will announce that it will play Army at the new Yankee Stadium in 2010.

"Stokan made the pitch for Notre Dame to consider Atlanta for one of these trips. The word I got here is that the Irish might consider it for a chance to play a Georgia Tech or an Alabama.

“For what Notre Dame wants to do with its schedule, this just makes sense,” said Stokan."

Notre Dame also will play Washington State this Halloween in San Antonio, Texas, another home game for the Irish in one of the nation's most populated Catholic areas. The game also gives Notre Dame exposure to the rich Texas high school recruiting base.

Kind of interesting that the Irish already had a game against Navy in the New York area for next season and also will add the Army game at Yankee Stadium. You can probably bet the Irish will add future games at the new Giants Stadium.

Again I think Notre Dame is smart in making these neutral site games. Most big stadiums will bend over backward to accommodate Notre Dame, whose name still brings cache despite modest on-field success recently.

Tony Guadagnoli is the National College Football Examiner. Contact him by e-mail at tonyguad@yahoo.com.

What Say? Ohio State Fan Wants Captioning

Tony Guadagnoli — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:15:05 -0400

An Ohio man, who is hearing-impaired, is suing Ohio State saying the school should offer captioning on its scoreboards because he cannot hear the announcers.

Vincent Sabino said he doesn't have the same access as other fans to radio broadcasts when he goes to the restroom or concessions.

''When I go to a game, I'm never able to follow the game,'' Sabino told the Akron Beacon Journal. ''It takes away from being a fan. It's a game experience thing.''

Being at a college football game (or any live sporting event), soaking up the atmosphere with eyes and ears, makes it different than watching on TV, but as the story says, "Sabino said he can hear with the help of hearing aids, but has trouble understanding words when there is background noise."

I don't think most fans at an Ohio State game or any other stadium can understand the PA announcer and still are easily able to follow the game on the field. When you have more than 100,000 people at a stadium, you're going to have background noise. And guess what? Part of the experience of attending a football game is the noise, especially after a big play or touchdown.

I can see Sabino's point about taking a break in the restroom or maybe concession area, but even there it is difficult to understand the broadcast. The story didn't say if Sabino has tried to bring a small portable TV with closed-captioning to the game. He could also probably bring earphones and listen to the radio broadcast like many fans. Short of this, maybe the school can try to get him a seat in a private booth that is less noisy.

An Ohio State spokesman told the Beacon Journal the school is working with Sabino's attorney and considered several options, including captioning on the scoreboards.

I think putting captions on the stadium scoreboards actually would be a distraction for most fans. Not to be cruel, but closed captioning becomes annoying on TV after a few minutes. The suit also says Sabino wants "captioning for everything from referee calls to song lyrics."

I'm not sure what other hearing-impaired fans do, but the lawsuit seems frivolous and there seems to be several other options.

Tony Guadagnoli is the National College Football Examiner. Contact him by e-mail at tonyguad@yahoo.com.

Troy Aikman's Lack of Rose Was Only Regret

Tony Guadagnoli — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:08:39 -0400

Troy Aikman, who starred at UCLA, Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State) and coach Lou Holtz will lead the College Football Hall of Fame inductees Saturday night in South Bend, Ind.

Others who will be inducted are Roger Brown (Maryland-Eastern Shore); Billy Cannon (Louisiana State); Fred Dean (Louisiana Tech); Jim Dombrowski (Virginia); Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern); Wilber Marshall (Florida); Rueben Mayes (Washington State); Randall McDaniel (Arizona State); Don McPherson (Syracuse); Sam Mills* (Montclair State, N.J.); Jay Novacek (Wyoming); Dave Parks (Texas Tech); Ron Simmons (Florida State); Rod Smith (Missouri Southern State); Arnold Tucker (Army); and coaches Volney Ashford* (Missouri Valley); John Cooper (Tulsa, Arizona State, Ohio State); Jim Donnan (Marshall). Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will also be inducted as part of the Football Writers Association of America Hall of Fame.

Aikman, who helped Oklahoma to the 1985 national championship before transferring to UCLA, said his only regret as a Bruin is that he could not help the team reach the Rose Bowl.

"The one I regret I have on any level is that I didn't lead a team to the Rose Bowl," Aikman told the Associated Press. "I think a lot of times in the NFL a quarterback is measured by whether or not you lead a team to a championship. For me at UCLA, it was whether or not you led your team to the Rose Bowl. I failed to do that."

Find a link of the inductees' bios here

In other news:

As I and many outlets wrote Friday, the New York Yankees will make an announcement Monday that Army and Notre Dame will play the first college football game at new Yankee Stadium in 2010. Possible dates, according to the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y., for the game are Nov. 23 or Oct. 30.

Army also could play Rutgers or Boston College at Yankee Stadium in 2011, 2012 or 2103.

-- Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was in Nevada to give a keynote speech at the Governor's Dinner in Carson City on Friday night. He is friends with Nevada coach Chris Ault and assistant coach Jim Mastro.

Leach has some advice for the Wolf Pack when Big 12 member Missouri travels to Reno Sept. 25.

"The one thing I would say is get those clacker things out," Leach told the Reno Gazette-Journal of the plastic thundersticks that were given out at Missouri last year. "Whatever those plastic things (were) that you slap together like penguin's fins. Bring those things and have them carefully orchestrated. I really do think that that was quite a deal (last season)."

-- Paul Myerberg of The New York Times Quad Blog has Auburn at No. 46 in his countdown to No. 1.

Myerberg writes that the Tigers should finish 10-2, but expects LSU to win the SEC West.

--Here is the Saturday replay schedule courtesy of LSUfootball.net. All times Eastern.

Saturday, July 18
Northwestern at Minnesota	6 a.m.	BTN
Ole Miss at Alabama	6 a.m.	CBSC
Michigan at Purdue	8 a.m.	BTN
Marshall at East Carolina	9 a.m.	CBSC
2007: Fresno State at Texas A&M	9 a.m.	FCS Central (cable)
Oregon at Purdue	10 a.m.	ESPNU
Penn State at Iowa	10 a.m.	BTN
2006: Air Force at UNLV	10 a.m.	MTN
Navy at Notre Dame	Noon	CBSC
Iowa at Illinois	12:30 p.m.	BTN
Holiday Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon	1 p.m.	ESPNU
Iowa State at UNLV	2 p.m.	MTN
Central Michigan at Purdue	3p.m.	BTN
Marshall at East Carolina	3 p.m.	CBSC
New Mexico at UNLV	4:30 p.m.	MTN
Cal Poly at Wisconsin	5 p.m.	BTN
Alabama at LSU	6 p.m.	CBSC
Iowa at Michigan State	7 p.m.	BTN
Wyoming at UNLV	7:30 p.m.	MTN
Northern Illinois at Minnesota	9 p.m.	BTN
2007: Utah at UNLV	10 p.m.	MTN
Michigan at Purdue	Midnight	BTN
Iowa State at UNLV	12:30 a.m.	MTN
Marshall at East Carolina	12:30 p.m.	CBSC

Why Notre Dame-Army Makes Perfect Sense

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:14:30 -0400

OK. Call me a dinosaur, an out of touch retch looking to rekindle the good old days of college football. I really don't care. I'm thrilled that Army and Notre Dame will play at Yankee Stadium as early as next season.

An official announcement is expected to come Monday, with Army also announcing possible future dates at Yankee Stadium against Rutgers, Syracuse and perhaps another opponent.

This game will sell out and be one of the most hyped of the season. And if you think this game was just thrown in wily-nilly with Notre Dame seeking an easy win, then you have no sense of college football history.

And if you think this is just another way for Notre Dame to try to restore and enhance its national image, you are absolutely correct. Why not? What exactly is the downside for Notre Dame playing in the biggest city in the country? The Fighting Irish are smart to make a move like this. The game will be a home one for Notre Dame, meaning it will be on NBC, and Army won't get this kind of media coverage, well ... ever.

I'm not gonna question the SEC and its brutal weekly encounters and I love the high-scoring battles the Big 12 provides each week, but if you think Florida or Alabama or LSU or Oklahoma or Texas wouldn't jump at a chance to play in New York City, you are wrong.

Bash the Fighting Irish all you want, just don't call them stupid.

The first college football game at new Yankee Stadium couldn't be anyone other than Notre Dame-Army.

Notre Dame became Notre Dame because of its series with Army. Think I'm kidding? For almost three decades, starting in the 1920s, this was the best rivalry in the country. Then as now, the Irish and Cadets were seeking big crowds and big paydays. Notre Dame Stadium held about 55,000 and Michie Stadium less than 20,000. They would get 75,000 to 80,000 at Yankee Stadium.

Knute Rockne's "Win one for the Gipper" speech. Yes that was Notre Dame beating an unbeaten Army team in 1928 at Yankee Stadium.

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again." Yes that was Grantland Rice's famous lead when Notre Dame beat Army in 1924 at the Polo Grounds in New York.

The 1946 Army-Notre Dame game was the end of an era and came the same year the way the Rose Bowl, and indeed the BCS, is structured to this day.

It wasn't just your three yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type of teams, either when No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame played to a scoreless tie at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 9, 1946. Both schools averaged more than 30 points. Army had a 25-game winning streak, last losing to Notre Dame in 1943. Tickets priced at less than $4 were fetching up to $250.

The Black Knights had dominated the previous two games, whipping the Irish 59-0 and 48-0 and had won back-to-back national championships. Army had the defending Heisman Trophy winner, "Mr. Inside" Doc Blanchard, and the back who would win the Heisman that year, "Mr. Outside" Glenn Davis. Notre Dame had quarterback Johnny Lujack, who would win the Heisman the next season and Leon Hart, the 1949 Heisman winner. Four Heisman Trophy winners in one game. Never done before, never done since.

Notre Dame limited the two Army backs to 79 yards and Lujack tackled Blanchard to help preserve a tie. No, it wasn't on an interception, Lujack, like many, played both offense and defense. The game was then known as the "Game of the Century."

That same year, the Pacific Coast Conference, forerunner to the Pac-10, and the Big Nine Conference, which would become the Big Ten, had agreed to have their champions play in the 1947 Rose Bowl. Neither Army nor Notre Dame accepted bowl bids, perhaps the Fighting Irish, were smart in that move as well because they were awarded the national championship. Instead, No. 5 Illinois, which had lost to Notre Dame, crushed No. 4 UCLA 45-14 in the Rose Bowl.

After the tie, Notre Dame went undefeated for 33 games until 1950, producing two more national titles.

So love or hate Notre Dame, its lore came mostly through its encounters with Army in New York City. Thanks to some insight those two again will produce one of the season's most-talked about games.

Tony Guadagnoli is the National College Football Examiner. Contact him at tonyguad@yahoo.com

Boise State Has No Shot at 2010 BCS Title

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:02:44 -0400

Boise State just might be a title contender.

I read that recently and figured it must be to repeat as WAC champion. But no, it was a national title contender. Boise State. This season.

A few folks must be trying to smoke some of Bronco Stadium's artificial blue turf.

No way, no how, Boise State has a shot at the BCS title game. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Did I mention they have no chance?

Look, the City of Trees is a fine place, and Boise State has dominated the WAC like few teams have dominated their conference this decade. The Broncos have been to eight bowl games since 2000. Their 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma was the most exciting game of the season.

But sorry, the Broncos won't be a BCS title contender in 2009. If Utah's 2008 team had no chance, Boise's shot is a little bit worse, and that's even if the Broncos are perfect, which they very well could be.

The Broncos open with their toughest game Sept. 3, hosting Oregon, a team they beat last year.

That's the apex for the Broncos as far as tough games go.

Even if they wipe out the Ducks and waltz to a 13-0 regular season, the Broncos have no chance to play for the BCS title, and a BCS bowl might be pushing it. Their other non-conference games are Miami of Ohio, at Bowling Green, Cal Davis, and at Tulsa on a Wednesday night in mid-October.

That is not the schedule of national title contender. In fact, it is the weakest schedule in the WAC and one of the weakest in the nation. That September win over the Ducks would be long since forgotten.

In recent years, Boise State has sprinkled in a few BCS teams—namely Georgia, Washington and Oregon State, but future schedules are not any better for the Broncos, who added Mountain West powers Utah and BYU. After Oregon, Oregon State is the only BCS team on a future schedule.

Until we get playoffs (yeah, that should be coming any day now) or until Boise State toughens its schedule, the Broncos must be content with being one of the winningest programs in the country, as well as one that is not taken seriously by most of the nation.

Media Days Mean College Football Not Far Away

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:52:47 -0400

With the major college football season 48 days away, most conferences are less than two weeks away from conducting media days.

Here is a schedule of all 11 conference media days.

ACC: July 26-27, Grandover Resort, Greensboro, N.C.

Big East: Aug. 3-4, Hotel Viking, Newport, R.I.

Big Ten: July 27-28, Hyatt Regency, Chicago

Big 12: July 27-29, Westin DFW North, Irving, Texas

Conference USA: July 27, Memphis; July 28-31, electronically

Mid-American Conference: July 30-31, Marriott Renaissance Center, Detroit

Mountain West: July 21-22, Green Valley Ranch Resort, Las Vegas

Pac-10: July 30, Los Angeles

SEC: July 22-24, The Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover, Ala.

Sun Belt: July 20-21, Conducted electronically

WAC: July 28-30, Hilton Salt Lake Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah

Here is a schedule for the next week for ESPN's College Football Live 50 states tour:

Today, South Carolina; July 20-21, Texas; July 22, Hawaii/Idaho; July 23, West Virginia; July 24, Washington.

Also today's TV replay schedule, courtesy of LSUfootball.net. All times Eastern

Friday, July 17
Ole Miss at Alabama	9 a.m.	CBSC
TCU at Utah	Noon.	CBSC
1986 Cotton Bowl: Auburn vs. Texas A&M	1 p.m.	ALT
1981: Texas A&M at California	2 p.m.	CST (cable)
Temple at Navy	3 p.m.	CBSC
Marshall at East Carolina	6 p.m.	CBSC
Ohio State at Wisconsin	7 p.m.	BTN
Navy at Notre Dame	9:30 p.m.	CBSC
Marshall at East Carolina	12:30 a.m.	CBSC

Links for a Friday morning:

—Washington sophomore offensive lineman Skyler Fancher ran down a 14-year-old on campus earlier this week. OK that doesn't seem like a big deal. Thing is the kid stole a purse and Fancher had a broken leg and was in his flip-flops. Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer has the, er, run down here.

—Former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald, chimed in with his opinion on whether Nebraska can return to prominence in the Big 12. He is not so sure.

"The Nebraska job, I've always said, is a tougher job, because of the proximity to talent. (Oklahoma Coach Bob) Stoops is fortunate," Switzer told the paper. "He's got the Red River, which has got Texas south of there, 1,600 high schools that play football, great high school football...

"You've got to import players. Nebraska doesn't produce enough players to compete every year consistently. Oklahoma doesn't; that's why they have to go to Texas."

Switzer also said he would be on message boards and probably excel in social networking if he were still coaching today.

Find more on Media Days here.

Urban Meyer Says Utah Among Those Who Can't Handle SEC Grind

Tony Guadagnoli — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:03:29 -0400

Florida coach Urban Meyer had to step carefully when asked about the effort by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and the Mountain West Conference to join the BCS party. Meyer, after all, led Utah to a 12-0 season in 2004 and then went to Florida.

Meyer, speaking to high school coaches and others at an Alabama All-Star Sports week in Huntsville (yes they allow him across the state line on occasion), was asked by Paul Gattis of the Huntsville Times what he thought about Utah's quest.

"I know Orrin Hatch," Meyer said. "They're doing what they're supposed to do. They're fighting for their team and their state and I can't argue with them. The Utah team (last) year and the Utah team we had in '04, I don't think they can survive the grind of the SEC.

"But there are other conferences out there who can't survive the grind, either. I can't disagree. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not. I certainly listen to them because I know them and I know their coach (Kyle Whittingham). To tell me he's not a BCS coach or those aren't BCS players, that's not true."

You might say Meyer forgot where he came from by giving a little dig to the Utes, but what did you expect him to say? He couldn't completely bash Utah or pour on too much love for the Utes even though they soundly defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. He has to respect his own conference, so the "I don't think they can survive the grind of the SEC" response was probably truthful and also satisfying to his audience in Huntsville, Ala.

Meyer also said the tete-a-tete between him and new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin really is no story.

"I don't know Lane...it's Florida vs. Tennessee. That's the way it is," Meyer told the Huntsville Times.

Meyer didn't broach the subject of Notre Dame, and I think his statement that he will never ever coach at Notre Dame was done almost exclusively for recruiting purposes. Meyer should be smart enough to know there are no "never-evers" in the coaching profession. Notre Dame still carries cache in college football. Although most of its success is decades old it remains a coveted job. Yes, Meyer took Florida over Notre Dame in 2004, but who's to say he might not take Notre Dame in 2014 or 2016 or get an offer from the NFL that is too hard to resist.

As coach of the defending national champion and what is likely to be a near-unanimous preseason No. 1, Meyer will continue to face questions on all fronts.

In other news:

-Former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell signed with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders. Harrell was undrafted and never got an offer from any NFL team.

-Utah is selling tickets at a record pace, with 42,000 season tickets (or 93 percent) sold at 45,017-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Tony Guadagnoli is the National College Football Examiner. You can e-mail him at tonyguad@yahoo.com.

Replaying College Football Every Day

Tony Guadagnoli — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:34:10 -0400

College football is a year-round obsession for some fans and thanks to an extensive replay schedule, you can see nearly as much football leading up to August camps on as you can on nearly any given fall Saturday.

Here is Monday's replay schedule, courtesy of LSUfootball.net All times are Eastern.

Game	Time EDT	Network

UCLA at California	7:30 a.m.	ESPNU
2006: Air Force at UNLV	8 a.m.	MTN
1999: Minnesota at Penn State	8 a.m.	BTN
USC at Washington State	10 a.m.	FCS Pacific (cable)
2007: Utah at UNLV	11 a.m.	MTN
Georgia at South Carolina	Noon	CBSC
Minnesota at Illinois	1 p.m.	BTN
Iowa State at UNLV	1:30 p.m.	MTN
Stanford at California	2 p.m.	ESPNU
2002: Texas at Nebraska	2 p.m.	FCS Central (cable)
Rutgers at Navy	3 p.m.	CBSC
New Mexico at UNLV	4 p.m.	MTN
SMU at Tulane	6 p.m.	CBSC
Wyoming at UNLV	6:30 p.m.	MTN
Louisiana-Monroe at Tulane	8 p.m.	CST (cable)
Stanford at California	8:30 p.m.	ESPNU
Tennessee at Auburn	9 p.m.	CBSC
2006: Air Force at UNLV	9:30 p.m.	MTN
1986 Cotton Bowl: Auburn vs. Texas A&M	10 p.m.	ALT
1996: Nebraska at Arizona State	10 p.m.	CSNB
Minnesota at Illinois	Midnight.	BTN
SMU at Tulane	Midnight	CBSC
2007: Utah at UNLV	12:30 a.m.	MTN

Other Interesting Links...

—Paul Myerberg continues his exhaustive countdown of the 120 major college teams with No. 52 UCLA in The Quad blog in The New York Times. That's means the Top 50 is almost at hand. Gosh, only like 53 days til the first games kick off.

—Every Day Should Be Saturday, one of my favorite blogs, has a tribute to one of the all-time tough guys, actor Oliver Reed, who did One Hundred and One Bottles of Beer on The Wall three better, saying he once drank a mind-bending 104 pints of beer.

—Neill Woelk of the Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera says a SuperLiga, er Super League of college football is in order with 64 teams competing. See his preliminary detailed plan here.

Nebraska Cornhuskers and Early Betting Lines

Tony Guadagnoli — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:22:21 -0400

What to do when you are jonesing for college football in the July heat? Look ahead at the betting lines, of course.

NFL lines are easier to get, but the knowledgeable and comical Blatant Homerism has posted the early lines for some of college football's "big games" from Las Vegas' Golden Nugget Casino. Gotta love a casino posting lines for games in November when fall camps have yet to begin.

The Huskers, who have variously been listed as 50-1 to win the BCS championship in January, have been favored by many to win the Big 12 North. The two games that appear to be the key (going by these way-too-early lines) come Thursday, Oct. 8 in Columbia against Missouri and Nov. 14 in Lawrence against Kansas.

The Huskers are a pick-em at Mizzou, which actually means the Huskers are favored by three or so.

Kansas is favored by two and a half over Nebraska, making that game basically even in the oddsmakers' minds.

Nebraska is a six-point underdog at Virginia Tech, which opens as a four-point underdog to Alabama in its Sept. 5 game in Atlanta.

In the other games listed, the Huskers are favored by seven over Mike Leach's Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma is favored by nine and a half over the Huskers in Lincoln and NU is a six-point favorite over Colorado on Nov. 27

Some of the other lines: Texas is a three-point favorite over Oklahoma; Oklahoma State is a three-point favorite against Georgia; Oklahoma is favored by 10 at Miami. The Sooners are also favored by nine at Texas Tech and by 10 1/2 at home against Oklahoma State.

Florida, considered by almost everyone as the preseason No. 1, is an 11-point favorite at LSU.

For more on Cornhuskers football.

Rose Bowl Goes Cable, Will Be on ESPN in 2011

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:07:08 -0400

It was bound to happen—sure as Wrigley Field got lights.

The Rose Bowl will leave its home on ABC and be televised on ESPN starting in 2011.

"Monday Night Football" made the move from ABC to ESPN a couple of years ago.

ESPN had already announced it would televise 15 other Bowl Championship Series games, including the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, and BCS National Championship, as part of a new, multi-year agreement also beginning in January 2011.

ABC will televise the 2010 Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA on Jan. 7. The Rose Bowl has a separate contract from the other BCS bowls.

“Having all BCS matchups on one home, especially within ESPN’s year-round college football environment, is the very best scenario,” said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and acquisitions, in a news release.

“Fans will welcome ESPN's all-encompassing approach, and the additional opportunities and value resulting from our multi-platform presentation will benefit the college football community and our business partners.”

For more on the Rose Bowl, click here

Rose Bowl will be on ESPN in 2011

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:55:00 -0400

It was bound to happen sure as Wrigley Field got lights.

The Rose Bowl will leave its home on ABC and be televised on ESPN starting in 2011. "Monday Night Football" made the move from ABC to ESPN a couple of years ago.

ESPN had already announced it would televise 15 other Bowl Championship Series games, including the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and BCS National Championship, as part of a new, multi-year agreement also beginning in January 2011.

ABC will televise the 2010 Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7. The Rose Bowl has a separate contract from the other BCS bowls.

“Having all BCS matchups on one home, especially within ESPN’s year-round college football environment, is the very best scenario,” said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and acquisitions, in a news release. “Fans will welcome ESPN's all-encompassing approach, and the additional opportunities and value resulting from our multi-platform presentation will benefit the college football community and our business partners.”

Remembering Real Football Heroes on Memorial Day

Tony Guadagnoli — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:25:00 -0400

Football is rooted in militaristic terms: the blitz, bomb, cannon arm, shotgun, and trenches, among others.

Game strategy is often likened to battle strategy: the offensive, the defensive, and the audible.

But football is football—ultimately my favorite game and spectator sport.

This story is personal. My father was a Marine in World War II in the Pacific on islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was one of the first ground troops into Hiroshima and Nagasaki mere weeks after atomic bombs were dropped.

Those days, he said, were among his toughest.

He was one of the lucky ones who came home. As he and almost every war veteran says, "The real heroes are still over there."

My son, 19, is now in the Marines and at Camp Pendleton for his first permanent duty station. He chose this path of his own volition and as a complete surprise to everyone who knows him.

But on this Memorial Day, we remember all those who died serving their country, specifically the nameless and faceless heroes.

Here are some famous football players who died in service.

Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin Says He was Only Joking

Tony Guadagnoli — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:12:00 -0400

Lane Kiffin said he meant no harm to fellow SEC coaches with his shenanigans since taking over for Phil Fulmer as Tennessee football coach. He was merely trying to stoke the embers on Rocky Top and get people talking about his Volunteers. Okay Lane, the ploy worked—man, did it work.

At the SEC meetings in Destin, Fla. on Tuesday, Kiffin even joked that he requested a joint room with Florida coach Urban Meyer.

Meyer was Kiffin's main focus when he accused Meyer of cheating in the recruitment of Pahokee standout Nu'Keese Richardson, a Tennessee signee. The SEC reprimanded Kiffin, who publicly apologized to the Florida athletics department.

When you become a head coach, you take a specific plan into that job. Each job is different," Kiffin told The Gainesville Sun. "As I looked at this one, we needed to have a spark immediately as far as national exposure."

"There aren't six-year plans anymore. We had to make an immediate impact and get players immediately. We couldn't sit back and take it easy and say we'll have a top 10 recruiting class next year. Do I love everything I had to do to get us to this point? No, I don't."

"But my job is not to love everything I do. My job is to do the best thing for our university and the best thing for our people, our fans, and our players."

Kiffin also told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Mark Smith, the strength and conditioning coach, is still on the Volunteers' staff.

"We have not parted ways," Kiffin told the News Sentinel. "There has been nothing done. I evaluate him like I would anyone else on our staff."

Smith has been rumored to be on his way out. Aaron Ausmus, a former Volunteer track star and the Mississippi strength and conditioning coach is the leading candidate to replace Smith.

For more on Lane Kiffin, click here.

College Football's Ultimate Neutral Fields

Tony Guadagnoli — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:32:03 -0400

Notre Dame and Army are interested in playing games, perhaps against each other, at Yankee Stadium. Here are other football fields of dreams that ww would love to see. Army-Navy? Perhaps the Liberty Bowl in Memphis may consider switching to the gateway of the nation at the Statue of Liberty. The Jets and Giants could also be part of a doubleheader.

Begin Slideshow

Tennessee Volunteers Coach Lane Kiffin: I Was Just Joking, Fellas

Tony Guadagnoli — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:20:31 -0400

At the SEC meetings in Destin, Fla. on Tuesday, Kiffin even joked that he requested a joint room with Florida coach Urban Meyer.

Meyer was Kiffin's main focus when he accused Meyer of cheating in the recruitment of Pahokee standout Nu'Keese Richardson, a Tennessee signee. The SEC reprimanded Kiffin, who publicly apologized to the Florida athletics department.

"When you become a head coach, you take a specific plan into that job. Each job is different," Kiffin told The Gainesville Sun. "As I looked at this one, we needed to have a spark immediately as far as national exposure."

"There aren't six-year plans anymore. We had to make an immediate impact and get players immediately. We couldn't sit back and take it easy and say we'll have a top 10 recruiting class next year. Do I love everything I had to do to get us to this point? No, I don't."

"But my job is not to love everything I do. My job is to do the best thing for our university and the best thing for our people, our fans, and our players."

Kiffin also told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Mark Smith, the strength and conditioning coach, is still on the Volunteers' staff.

"We have not parted ways," Kiffin told the News Sentinel. "There has been nothing done. I evaluate him like I would anyone else on our staff."

Smith has been rumored to be on his way out. Aaron Ausmus, a former Volunteer track star and the Mississippi strength and conditioning coach is the leading candidate to replace Smith.

For more on Lane Kiffin, click here.

Remember the Real Football Heroes on Memorial Day

Tony Guadagnoli — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:42:14 -0400

Football is rooted in militaristic terms: the blitz, bomb, cannon arm, shotgun, trenches, and many others.

Game strategy is often likened to battle strategy: offensive, defensive, the audible.

But football is football—ultimately my favorite game and spectator sport. War is...well, hell, as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman famously said.

This story is personal. My father was a Marine in World War II in the Pacific on islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was one of the first ground troops into Hiroshima and Nagasaki mere weeks after atomic bombs were dropped.

Those days, he said, were among his toughest.

He was one of the lucky ones who came home. As he and almost every war veteran says, "The real heroes are still over there."

My son, 19, is now in the Marines and at Camp Pendleton for his first permanent duty station. He chose this path of his own volition and as a complete surprise to everyone who knows him.

But on this Memorial Day, we remember all those who died serving their country, specifically the nameless and faceless heroes.

Here are some famous football players who died in service.

Pat Tillman

The most well-known soldier in this generation, the former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinal linebacker decided along with his brother Kevin to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Tillman gave up his multimillion-dollar NFL contract to serve his country and ultimately lost his life in the mountains of Afghanistan to friendly fire.

Tillman's death was both shocking and controversial, as evidence suggests he was murdered by his own troops even though he was always considered one of the most popular soldiers in his unit.

His death was part of a government cover-up and an investigation that is ongoing.

For more information, read Gary Smith's riveting portrayal of Tillman's story at SI.com.

Hobey Baker

A football and hockey star at Princeton (the annual award for the nation's top college hockey player is named for him), Baker served as a pilot and died on a test flight in France just a month after the symbolic end of World War I.

Jack Lummus

A football and baseball star at Baylor University, Lummus played at end for the 1941 New York Giants. On March 8, 1945, serving as a lieutenant with the Fifth Marine Division, he led his platoon against entrenched Japanese positions on Iwo Jima despite being wounded by hand grenades.

Lummus engaged in what his citation calls a heroic one-man assault before he was killed by a land mine. He was awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation's highest citation for military valor.

Nile Kinnick

An Iowa back who won the 1939 Heisman Trophy, Kinnick was a naval aviator. Kinnick's plane developed an oil leak on a routine training flight, and he could not land on the aircraft carrier Lexington on June 2, 1943.

He followed standard military procedure and executed an emergency landing in the water, but died. His body was never recovered. Iowa's Kinnick Stadium is named after him.

Al Blozis

An outstanding tackle for Georgetown and the New York Giants, Blozis died serving with the Army in the Vosges Mountains of France in January 1945.

Bob Kalsu

Kalsu played guard for the Buffalo Bills in 1968 and was killed July 21, 1970 in Vietnam serving as a lieutenant with an Army artillery unit.

Don Steinbrunner

An end from Washington State who played offensive tackle in 1953 for the Cleveland Browns, Steinbrunner was killed in Vietnam when his plane was shot down on July 20, 1967.

Don Holleder

An All-American for Army, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955 and was drafted by the New York Giants. He never played pro but stayed in the service, where he was killed during the Battle of Ong Thanh in 1967.

Here's a list of NFL players who have died serving in war since World War II.

Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin Meets His Peers

Tony Guadagnoli — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:58:48 -0400

This Tuesday at the Sandestin Hilton in Destin, Fla., the mood for a season could be set when newcomer Lane Kiffin meets his fellow coaches at the SEC spring meetings.

Kiffin will either get a reprieve for coming in with guns blazing as the new kid on the block, or he will get a cold shoulder from the coaches he has called out.

Kiffin has been a lightning rod for controversy since being hired to replace Phil Fulmer as Volunteers coach. He has accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of violating NCAA rules, told Alabama that he stole Nick Saban's top recruiter and caused other rifts.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive also is expected to talk to coaches about sportsmanship.

It should be interesting to see the reception Kiffin gets. Most likely there will be no hard feelings, but Kiffin has to make the most of his first impression in person.

The SEC's new 15-year TV agreement, supposedly worth $2 billion, will be discussed as well as future bowl agreements and ways the conference can cut costs.

Links for a Sunday morning:

-- Nebraska coach Bo Pelini told the Lincoln Journal Star that early signing day proposals are not all they are cracked up to be.

-- The New York Times continues its countdown from No. 120 to No. 1 with Miami of Ohio at No. 101.

-- Oregon coach Chip Kelly has granted quarterback Justin Roper his release and he is free to transfer. Roper was expected to be the backup to Jeremiah Masoli.

More on the SEC and Lane Kiffin

Army Looking at College Football Games at Yankee Stadium

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:41:31 -0400

Notre Dame has expressed interest in playing football at Yankee Stadium, and athletic director Jack Swarbrick said a possible opponent is Army. Seems the Irish are not the only ones feeling that way.

In a report in Newsday, Army officials say they have been talking to the Yankees since March about playing football games at the new Bronx facility.

"We've had preliminary discussions with the Yankees about playing there, and we do have interest in playing a game or games in Yankee Stadium," Bob Beretta, the academy's associate athletic director for communications, told Newsday. "We met with them on a couple different occasions, toured the new facility. There's significant interest in forming a partnership to play there."

Beretta said Army has not had discussions with Notre Dame about playing a game at Yankee Stadium.

"It's a big part of the tradition of college football to have Army games at Yankee Stadium," Beretta told Newsday. "We can't say right now that it's going to happen. But we would like it to happen, and we hope the Yankees feel the same way."

The Yankees have said nothing about hosting college football games.

Earlier this week, Army and Hawaii agreed to a four-game series starting in 2010 with two games in West Point and two games in Honolulu. The schools are nearly 5,000 miles apart. Army coach Rich Ellerson is a former Hawaii player and assistant coach.

And some links for a Friday morning:

-- The New York Times continues its countdown of all 120 Football Championship Subdivision teams with Southern Methodist at No. 102.

-- A chance meeting in Phoenix by Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was the impetus for a possible home-and-home series between the two schools, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

-- Tennessee could be losing Mark Smith, the team's strength and conditioning coach.

For more on Army football at Yankee Stadium

Notre Dame and Yankee Stadium: Two American Idols

Tony Guadagnoli — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:38:12 -0400

In a plan to revive Notre Dame's national stage, the Fighting Irish are hoping to be the first team to play college football games at the new Yankee Stadium, according to The New York Times.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says the Yankees are amenable to playing college football games, and the Irish would like to be first in line. Swarbrick said Notre Dame has talked with Yankees officials, but gave no possible dates and said talks are very preliminary. Swarbrick told the Times that Army would be a preferred opponent.

The Irish and Black Knights have played some of college football's most historic games at old Yankee Stadium, including a 0-0 tie in 1946, when Army was No. 1 with Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis and Notre Dame was No. 2 and led by quarterback Johnny Lujack, who won the Heisman in 1947.

The teams also played perhaps the most famous game in the series at Yankee Stadium in 1928, when Notre Dame trailed Army at halftime and Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne delivered his "Win one for the Gipper" speech at halftime. The Irish rallied for a 12-6 victory.

“It would be of great historical significance for us if it would be Army,” Swarbrick told The New York Times, adding, “We would love that. Some of the most significant games in the history of college football involve those two schools and Yankee Stadium.”

Regis Answers a Million Dollar Question

Tony Guadagnoli — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:13:42 -0400

OK. Short but sweet.

Television icon, host of his daily TV show and host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Regis Philbin answered some questions, including whether his precious Notre Dame Fighting Irish will reach a BCS Bowl this season.

Regis didn't need to phone a friend on this one.

In addition to analysis and interviews, this week’s College Football Live features a special week-long focus on Notre Dame.

NCAA Will Squawk as Sports Betting Bill Comes to Roost in Delaware

Tony Guadagnoli — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:37:24 -0400

You never know where a big controversy in football will turn up—it could be anywhere from Gainesville, FL, to Oakland—but you almost never expect it to come from the Delaware State House of Representatives.

Yet today that's where some controversial news is coming from, Dover, DL, as the House, in the wee hours Friday morning, approved legislation for sports betting and table games.

The bill passed 30-4 only two days after a similar bill was not approved. The latter bill gives the state's three racinos (Delaware's combo race tracks and casinos) added table games and an even split in sports lottery revenue, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has said the bill would give his state much-needed revenue (estimates are between $52 million and $55 million) for the upcoming fiscal year and is part of his overall economic plan.

The Wilmington News Journal gave some details of the debate and long night:

Little word was given about the closed-door discussions, except at 7:30 p.m., when Markell’s chief of staff, Tom McGonigle, left to grab a pizza and later when House Minority Leader Richard Cathcart, R-Middletown, came out to have pizza ordered for the rest of his caucus, signaling it was going to be much longer.

Because of a brief and unsuccessful experiment with a sports lottery in the late 1970s, Delaware is one of only four states, along with Nevada, Montana and Oregon, grandfathered in under a 1992 federal law banning sports betting.

Exactly how sports betting would work in Delaware is not set, but you can bet the NFL and NCAA will weigh in on this as they (along with the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball) already are opposed to Nevada's legal books.

If the bill does become law, the NCAA would bar the state's universities from holding NCAA championships. To which the Delaware legislators and Markell have said kiss our Blue Hen butts. After all, when was the last time Delaware hosted a major NCAA championship?

Markell has said Delaware needs to try to enhance ways to generate money as neighboring Pennsylvania and Maryland already have slot machines and New Jersey is considering a similar bill on sports betting.

More notes on a Friday morning

Lame, er Lane Kiffin continues to make some interesting, OK mind-numbing moves before coaching a down at Tennessee. His latest move was to sign defensive lineman Daniel Hood, who was convicted of raping his cousin when Hood was 13. Most coaches avoided Hood, but Kiffin felt he deserved a second chance. We shall see about this one.

ESPN.com college football writer Ivan Maisel will have a chat at 2 PM Eastern today.

Read more about sports betting in Delaware.

Tim Brown Leads College Football Hall Of Fame Inductees

Tony Guadagnoli — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:48:36 -0400

Heisman Trophy winners Tim Brown and Gino Torretta are among 16 former players and two coaches elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Brown, 42, won the 1987 Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame, as a wide receiver. The two-time first team All-American set 19 Notre Dame records. He is fourth in NFL history with 1,094 receptions.

Torretta, 38, won the 1992 Heisman after leading the Miami Hurricanes to a national championship. He played briefly in the NFL, throwing 16 career passes, and now works as a manager of institutional sales for Gamco Investors Inc. in Miami.

Also elected were: Pervis Atkins, HB, New Mexico State (1958-60); Chuck Cecil, DB, Arizona (1984-87); Ed Dyas, FB, Auburn (1958-60); Major Harris, QB, West Virginia, (1987-89); Gordon Hudson, TE, Brigham Young (1980- 83); William Lewis, C, Harvard (1892-93); Woodrow Lowe, LB, Alabama (1972-75); Ken Margerum, WR< Stanford (1977-80); Steve Mitchell, DT, Texas (1976-79); Chris Spielman, LB, Ohio State (1984-87); Larry Station, LB, Iowa (1982-85); Pat Swilling, DE, Georgia Tech (1982-85); Curt Warner, RB, Penn State (1979-82); Grant Wistrom, DE, Nebraska (1994-97) and coaches Dick MacPherson, Syracuse 111-73-5 (.601) - Massachusetts (1971-77), Syracuse (1981-90) and John Robinson, 132-77-4 (.629) - USC (1976-82, 1993-97), Nevada-Las Vegas (1999-2004).

In addition to the two Heisman Trophy winners, the class represents seven unanimous First Team All-Americans (Brown, Hudson, McMichael, Spielman, Station, Torretta, Wistrom); five consensus First Team All-Americans (Cecil, Lowe, Margerum, Spielman, Station); seven multiple-year First Team All-America honorees (Brown - 2, Hudson - 2, Lowe - 3, Margerum - 2, Spielman - 2, Station - 2, Wistrom - 2
The class will be inducted at the National Football Foundation awards dinner in New York Dec. 8. They will officially be enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in summer 2010
For more info: National Football Foundation.

These People Should Be First In Line For Swine Flu Vaccines

Tony Guadagnoli — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:33:45 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen it has come to our attention that a vaccine for swine flu will be available soon and list of those most likely to contract the virus has been compiled, so these folks should go the front of the line.

Kevin Bacon, actor and dancer, to the sixth degree; Jack Ham, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker; Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle; any former member of the Washington Redskins offensive line circa 1980s aka The Hogs; anyone closely associated with the Arkansas Razorbacks and most residents of Jim Hogg County, Texas.

Ham Radio Operators and Sarah Ferguson, formerly known as the Duchess of Pork before her Weight Watchers diet, are thought to be OK, but should be on the waiting list.

Of course all of this is hyperbole and done in jest.

Speaking of someone who likes to hog attention, Mel Kiper Jr. spoke on a few of the players and prospects taken in the NFL draft.

"You can look at the history of the draft over the last five years and a lot of guys make it," Kiper said. "A lot of free agents will beat out the fifth, sixth and seventh round picks. There is a very fine line between being a free agent and a fifth-round pick."

Of Tampa Bay taking quarterback Josh Freeman of Kansas State, Kiper said: "Josh, we know he has risk vs. reward. We know there is boom or bust with him. Coach him, let him have a chance to learn. You’ve got two veteran quarterbacks there to battle it out. He should sit his rookie year and not play. Watch, learn from Byron (Leftwich), learn from (Luke) McCown. Adapt to the system and by year two he can be the starting quarterback.”

Bowl updates

The EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C., will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at RFK Stadium with a 4:30 p.m. (EST) national telecast on ESPN. The game matches Army against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. If Army is not bowl eligible, a Conference USA opponent will face the ACC invitee. The St. Petersburg Bowl will be Saturday, Dec. 19, at Tropicana Field, in prime time at 8 p.m. (EST) on ESPN. The game pits Big East vs. Conference USA opponents. The Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte is set for Saturday, Dec. 26, at 4:30 p.m. (EST) on ESPN and matches teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big East at Bank of America Stadium.

Spring's the thing

With three spring games remaining, Ohio State has set the standard for attendance with 95,722 followed by Alabama with 84,000 and Nebraska at 77,670. The 111 NCAA FBS squads have drawn 1 million-plus fans for the third year in a row during their spring games. Last year's total of 1,403,527 in 112 contests, an average of 12,996, set a record for total turnout.

The Crimson Tide also have agreed to a home-and-home series with Michigan State. The first matchup is Sept. 3, 2016, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama will visit Spartan Stadium on Sept. 2, 2017.