Bleacher Report - Articles by Ed Medina

For Mike Stoops and the Arizona Wildcats, Reality Can't Come Soon Enough

Ed Medina — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:57:02 -0500

Last Sunday I did an article breaking down the top 10 teams and showing why pretty much all of them have flaws and no one really deserves the No. 1 ranking.

Consider this article an extension to that, as I'm about to let you know why Arizona doesn't deserve their "lucrative" position at No. 18 in the latest BCS standings.

You see, Arizona is about to be torn a new one in their next four games: at California, No. 14 Oregon, at No. 11 USC, and at Arizona State. They will likely go 1-3 in those next four games.

Why? Because the 'Cats have no defense.

This "juggernaut" UA team has allowed 27 or more points in half of their games this year and 30 or more in three of their eight. Keep in mind that they played such powerhouse offenses as NAU, WSU, Central Michigan, and UCLA in the games that they didn't.

So essentially, every time the Wildcats play someone halfway decent on offense, they get a hole burned in them. I wonder what Danny Sullivan would do to them...

Wildcat fans should thank god Nick Foles is there to bail out their porous defense that boasts seven seniors and two underclassmen. Look out for that D next year! (To allow 60 points a game, that is.)

This weekend Arizona will face California, in Berkeley, who boast one of the top running games in the country (even without Jahvid Best, they still have Shane Vereen, who is averaging a yard less than Best per carry).

Also, Kevin Riley gets better at passing when California opens up a lead, so all the Golden Bears have to do is take a small lead and watch it grow vs. the vaunted Arizona Wildcat defense.

If Arizona manages to pull out that game due to Cal's awful pass defense, then things will most certainly come to pass when they have the No. 14 Oregon Ducks come to town, and I don't have to tell you about that Oregon offense.

Look for the Ducks to avenge the 2007 loss in Tucson and put up 40 or even 50 points on the 'Cats in what will become a shootout due to the Duck defense not knowing how to stop the run (as seen vs. Stanford); but rest assured, Oregon will win that game and with it probably clinch the Pacific Ten.

To sum things up, and prevent this article from dragging on, I will just say that the 'Cats will be cut to ribbons by USC, regardless of who is injured for the Trojans that day (as long as they have Matt Barkley), and they potentially have a loss waiting for them when they go to Tempe to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils and their phenomenal defense (as long as Brock Osweiler starts).

Reality is a tough thing to swallow, but believe me, all of Tucson will be force-fed a steaming bowl of it in the next four weeks here.

Let's Face It: No College Football Team Is Very Good This Year

Ed Medina — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:23:34 -0500

With all the controversy over polls, like Team A should be ahead of Team B, but not Team C because they haven't played anyone, but Team D looked good but not better than Team E and all that going on, I just have to say it: no one is that good this year.

Now, I don't care if you're a team from Gainesville with the most over-hyped quarterback in the country, or if you're a certain team from Austin who hasn't played a (currently) ranked team all year, or if you're a Blue Turf playing mid major that barely scraped by Louisiana Tech and Fresno State: you don't deserve to be number one. No one does.

Let's break down the BCS Top 10, and expose the obvious flaws with everyone's records, and the teams themselves.

1. Florida (9-0) —Where do I start? Here we go: you're only good win was over an overrated LSU team. Now, I know it was in Baton Rouge and at night, but LSU will suck until they get a real quarterback, and rid of Les (with more) Miles. Also, you would have dropped the Arkansas game had it not been for the worst officiating to ever grace the earth. To go on, you have the easiest schedule besides maybe Texas, with a whopping four road games. But don't discredit the Gator Schedule just yet. After all, they still have to play Mighty FIU (at home no less) before going to Atlanta. One more thing: Tim Tebow is severely overrated. I can think of at least 20 other quarterbacks I'd rather have on my team than him.

2. Alabama (9-0) —I love my Tide, but they're not a great team. First of all, the offense is almost non-existent. If I see one more dropped ball I am going to explode. The wins aren't overly impressive either, as the Tide struggled to beat a bad Tennessee team, an average South Carolina team, and had to come from behind to beat Virginia Tech and LSU (both of which are overrated). Good thing the Defense is an overly dominant force and can bail out that inept-at-times offense, or the Tide would likely have three or more losses.

3. Texas (9-0) —Texas was easily the most complete team I saw yesterday. But then again, they played none other than UCF. Their schedule is a joke; no one on it is currently ranked. Four of their current nine wins also came against mid majors—all of which suck. Their only quality win was against Oklahoma (without Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham, and everyone else) by three points. However, their offense is decent, even though they haven't played a real defense (Oklahoma is as close as they got). The Longhorn defense is actually pretty good but the day the Longhorns play a good team, they will get curb-stomped. Don't mess with Texas alright.

4. TCU (9-0) —I'm going to find it hard to find much wrong with TCU. They've looked great in every game they've played minus their match against Air Force, but the weather was a clear factor in that one. The only real thing I can say is, can they do this every week in a BCS conference? Good for you TCU; you look like the only team that looks dominant every week.

5. Cincinnati (9-0) —Gotta give Cincinnati props, even though they haven't beaten anyone currently ranked and did struggle against an average UCONN team at home in their last game. However, Cincinnati has won all of their games. The only problem now is scheduling, and they are in the Big East which isn't exactly a power conference. I don't think Cincinnati would have that 9-0 mark if they played somewhere else, to be honest.

6. Boise State (9-0) —How long can they live off of that Oregon win? Boise State hasn't looked very impressive since that day. First off, their schedule is a joke, (not really their fault since no one agrees to play them) and they're a WAC team—but it's a joke nonetheless. They should've been knocked off at Tulsa, had it not been for dumb mistakes, and also at Louisiana Tech and Fresno State. The fact is, they are still unbeaten, but definitely wouldn't be if they played a real team (not an unprepared Oregon team with a UFC running back) every once in a while. One more thing, Boise needs to learn to put away games. They've had good sized lead over Fresno, LA Tech, and Tulsa squandered away. Come on Boise.

7. Georgia Tech (9-1) —I feel bad exposing Tech since I like watching them play, but eventually they will play another team that learns to get penetration on them, and they will lose again. Miami did it, why don't people follow suit? Also, Tech's quarterback is pretty awful, so I guess stopping Jonathon Dwyer might be enough to stop the Ramblin' Wreck. In all honesty, if officials got it right, then the Clemson game would have been a loss. The ACC is also pretty bad this year (more like every year) so that 9-1 mark isn't that impressive. Have fun getting demolished in your bowl game against a real team Tech, but before that happens please beat Georgia like an old blanket.

8. LSU (7-2) —Yes, that was a missed interception yesterday that should have went your way, but it didn't. But you weren't going to win anyway, with Pick-Six Lee guiding your offense. LSU can simply not play offense, never mind the 31 they put up on Auburn; Ball State did too. As a matter of fact, when it comes down to it, the Tigers don't look good in big games at all. They had horrible officiating win them the Georgia game, they struggled badly against Washington, and they lost the two games that mattered the most: Alabama and Florida. This isn't a Top 10 team at all, not with this coaching. The good news is that their defense is fairly decent and that will win them more games than they will lose down the stretch. But believe me, the Tigers are liable to lose one or two more games down the stretch. When that happens, they will be right out of the Top 10.

9. USC (7-2) —What the hell is this? You lost to WASHINGTON, a team that didn't win last year, then you got flat out embarrassed by 27 points last week to Oregon who got cut to ribbons yesterday. I don't understand this. Had it not been for Danny SUCKivan as the ASU QB you wouldn't have won yesterday. You barely edged out an average Notre Dame team, and an average Oregon State team at home. It is just amazing to me how USC could be moved to the top 10. Gotta love the BCS. My prediction of the week is Stanford over USC by the way.

10. Iowa (9-1) —Finally you get exposed. After playing badly the entire way, yet scraping by FCS Northern Iowa, a sub-par Michigan State team, a bad Michigan Team, a one in a million comeback vs. Indiana, and Arkansas State by three at home (hahaha...) you finally lost to Northwestern at home yesterday. Why you were ever put in the Top 10 shows just how flawed the system is. However, I won't even worry about it as I know Terrell Pryor and his below average (for OSU) Buckeye team are going to tear you a new one this weekend in Columbus.

So, as you see, it doesn't matter if you're a fan of a team from Gainesville with a certain player who likes to gouge people's eyes out, a Mid-west team who was barely getting by in the Big Ten, or a certain team in Austin whose fans have a superiority complex about their state (that in reality is no better than any of them). If you say your team deserves to be number one then you are wrong. You are all wrong.

Roll Tide! Fork 'em Devils!

Arizona State Loses To USC 14-9 But Hope Shines Through

Ed Medina — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:48:27 -0500

Goodbye Danny Sullivan! Thanks for your effort, and thanks for trying! Now, Meet Brock Osweiller, the future of Arizona State football.

After a dismal first half which included a Cameron Marshall fumble that undoubtedly cost us points, a Danny Sullivan pick six, and another Danny Sullivan interception in which he attempted a Tim Tebow jump pass that had me rolling, Brock Osweiller was brought into the game, down 14-3, to a large ovation and a sigh of relief from the Arizona State faithful.

Shortly after entering the game, Brock Osweiller led the Devils on an eight play/80 yard drive that culminated in a Touchdown pass to WR Chris Mcgaha and effectively earned him the starting spot as Quarterback for Arizona State. This closed the gap on USC to 14-9 but no other points would be scored and Arizona State would fall to USC later.

Now, how could I, and other Devil fans, be so optimistic after a 10th straight loss to USC?

Well, if you have been following ASU this season you would have gotten a chance to see how inept the offense was with Danny Sullivan at the reins. Three and Out was the name of the game every time the offense took the field.

Now, with Brock Osweiller at Quarterback things started to happen, new dimension were added. Instead of taking a sack or throwing it out of bounds as Danny Sullivan would have done, Osweiller used his feet to make plays and scrambled for first downs and extra yardage.

Another observation that I had while watching was that the entire offense seemed to be rejuvenated and get a lot faster with Osweiller at Quarterback. The offense was also mistake free, something that it never was under Danny Sullivan.

There is also tremendous depth at the Quarterback position for next year, as Steven Threet, Brock Osweiller, and Samson Szakacsy all set to duel it out for the Quarterback position. Couple that with an amazing defense brewing at ASU and good offensive recruits, and times look to be pretty good in the future at ASU.

On a side note, congratulations to the Defense for absolutely playing their butts off last night! Allowing seven points to Matt Barkley (who they made look like a fool) and USC is no small task at all. By far they are the most under rated defensive unit in college football.

Fork 'em Devils!

Deception In the Desert: Why The Dennis Erickson Era Needs To End at Arizona St.

Ed Medina — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:38:01 -0500

Blown leads, blown coverages, poor discipline, and blown games. All of these things have unfortunately become synonymous with ASU for the past 13 years. Every year it has been one disappointment after the other, and Dennis Erickson is continuing the tradition of mediocrity like no other Arizona State coach before him.

"I was looking for competitive traction on a higher notch and where we struggled in big games this year became problematic. Therefore, it led me to make the decision that I have made"—Lisa Love after firing Dirk Koetter (2006)

What are the odds those same words will be used against Dennis Erickson at some point soon? After this season ends with a second consecutive losing record (for the first time in a long time) they should be.

Now, a lot of ASU fans would disagree with me on this matter of firing the coach who brought us a 10 win season just two years ago for reasons varying from apparently good recruiting to the notion that Dennis is building a program that will compete with anyone in the PAC 10. Now do these hold water? Not really...

Since Erickson has arrived, recruiting has never been anywhere near the level that it should be in order to become a PAC 10 power, and in fact is showing a pattern of regressing

ASU Recruiting: overall rankings in nation and PAC 10 since 2008 class

2008: 17th in Nation, 4th overall in PAC 10
2009: 36th in Nation, 6th overall in PAC 10
2010 (so far): 43rd Overall in Nation, 7th in PAC 10

As you see, those aren't necessarily Eye-popping numbers, and not in the least bit the kinds of numbers that will build a program that can compete with anyone.

Now, for the hot button Issue at ASU this year: Danny Sullivan

ASU's offense in the last two years has been a joke. I say that because every time I watch Sullivan throw the ball I literally laugh at his incompetence. This man has added whole new meaning to the term "Telegraphing your receivers" as he stares down his go to receiver for 10 seconds, points to him, yells "Im going to throw it to you, ok!?!", and then throws it 10 yards above the guys head, if he is lucky enough to not have thrown another interception.

Why would a coach even start such a man? Better yet, who even offered him a football scholarship in the first place?? Sullivan probably shouldn't even be watching football, let alone starting for a division one team with a long history of good quarterbacks. It is absolutely baffling to me how Erickson doen't start someone, anybody else. The excuses I hear are "Oh, well Osweiller (freshman quarterback) isn't ready." Well Tate Forcier (Michigan) sure as hell was, and Matt Barkley (USC) also was, and these are two very competent quarterbacks.

The ineptness of Danny Sullivan, who is a senior, and the unreadiness of Brock Osweiller are two staggering accounts of the fact that Dennis Erickson can not develop players.

In a nutshell, here are some other problems at ASU that would have probably been addressed by now, if we didn't have Dennis as our coach:

Stupid Penalties (How many personal fouls do I have to watch a game? ASU is the most penalized team in the Pac 10 by the way)
Slow Starts (This has been a problem since 2007)
Offense (Was bad last year, is nightmarish this year)
Lack of Player Development (Kyle Williams/Omar Bolden Anyone?)

These are just a few of the problems that have arisen under the Dennis Erickson regime, and in a way are a continuation of the same old problems we have had under other coaches in the past, when we were more competitive than we are today.

I am a fan, and I just want to see us do better. I am tired of spending money to go watch a mediocre team lose to teams we haven't in 40 years at home (Oregon state) or watch an inferior "Quarterback" throw incompletion-interception-to the wrong receiver in that order. I can no longer stay quiet about this situation. We need change, positive change, and that change is not ever going to come with Dennis Erickson and his flawed ways.

Fork 'em Devils...

Not So Spicy: Five College Football Rivalries That Have Lost Their Zest

Ed Medina — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:03:37 -0400

Rivalries are what make college football worth watching, what make it fun. Sometimes you have rivalries that are nice and competitive, with both teams eking out wins pretty consistently. But sometimes you have broken rivalries; Completely one sided affairs. This slideshow will cover five rivalries that have become so one sided that I question their viewing credibility.

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What Does a College Football Jersey Mean These Days Anyway?

Ed Medina — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:59:55 -0400

It's not how you look; it's how you play.

Well, for some schools it is how you look apparently...

It's getting a little old with some schools pumping out brand new uniforms every few years (Oregon comes to mind). I mean, nothing was wrong with them (well most of them) in the first place, so why the change?

Simple, really. Some schools are controlled by companies that make these changes, and make them often. I mean, of course they're going to switch it up so that the die-hard fan will have to keep buying a new jersey every couple of years to keep up with the team thus making these companies more money.

Look at it this way: I am an Alabama fan, I own one jersey (a No. 8 Crimson Jersey) and that is all I will own since 'Bama never switches up their jersey. Now, I consider myself quite a die-hard fan, so if 'Bama switched it up (god forbid) I would go out and purchase that one as well thus giving my money to the Nike/Adidas/Whoever else machine.

With all the change, what significance does the jersey have these days? Is it to represent a certain class of kids coming in? Is it to look cool and impress teens? Is it to out-fashion the opposition?

Well, it could be any number of those, but I look at teams like Penn State, USC, Alabama, Tennessee, and others who don't change their jerseys and realize the significance in that.

You see, the jersey should represent tradition, your program, and nothing else. A College Football jersey isn't something you deck out with Silver embroidery and space age material, it's something you put on before you go out and make some big plays, or big hits.

Something that is interesting to note is that all of the teams that don't change their jersey every year are the ones who have had sustained success over time, the powerhouses of football. The teams that do? Well, those schools are rarely full of tradition like the powerhouses.

It's not how you look; it's how you play.

What Does College Football Mean To You?

Ed Medina — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:02:17 -0400

College Football is a sport unlike any other. The passion, the pride, the pageantry is unmatched in all other sports. However, that is just my opinion. For me, I view college football as one of the most important things in my life, however good or bad that may be. But just how much does it mean to me?

Well, College Football is something for me to look forward to. Something to give me hope, something to think about. As I sit in my assigned desk at my local High School my thoughts often stray. Sometimes I'll think about music, sometimes my social life, but most of the time it's College Football.

Sometimes I'll sit there and smile like an idiot when I think of the upcoming season and only realize it when someone says "Hey Ed, what are you smiling about?" or something of that nature. Do I really care? No. I mean, I know I could do much better for myself in school if I decided to focus more on it, rather than think about Alabama football or something.

That's not the half of it though. I've found alot of time to kill in my summer break this year, and I fill that time by memorizing depth charts, reading the "Lindys" College Football magazine (my personal favorite), and reading endless books about College Football. It may seem nerdy, even to me it is, but it's what I do. It is a part of my life.

On weekdays when I'm not working or socializing, I spend endless hours on the Rivals.com College Football Soundoff Board sharing my opinion with other die-hard fans who have it as bad as me. I know I could do other things with that time, constructive things, but I choose College Football because that is what I know. That is what I live on.

In conclusion, College Football is essentially one of the most important, if not the most important thing in my life, As damaging as it may actually be compared to what else I could be doing. But, honestly I don't care all that much for those things, after all, it is what I love, and isn't some temporary deal.

How much does college football mean to you?

Lane Kiffin at It Again, This Time By Signing a 13 Year Old: Ed's Take

Ed Medina — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:47:15 -0400

I figured this might be old news around here, but I decided since I love to write about Tennessee, I might as well take a whack at it.

Seriously everyone, Lane Kiffin is my hero. Well, no, he isn't. He is still the coach at Tennessee BUT he does make the offseason very, very interesting.

This time Mr. Kiffin decided it would be a good idea to get a verbal commitment out of Evan Berry, the brother of star Volunteer Eric Berry. Apparently brother Evan is further along in his development than Eric was at his age.

Oh yeah, his age...Well you see, Evan is 13. Now I'm not a historian or anything but I don't think a football school has ever gotten a commitment out of a middle school kid ever. If you ask me it's a bit outlandish, but that's Kiffin.

So what does all this mean? Well, for starters, Mr. Kiffin is probably on the side of an early signing day. Also, he obviously is trying to outdo Texas with the whole early commit thing, and he also thinks he will be at Knoxville through at least four or five seasons.

But anyways, none of this is important. What does this mean for Evan? Well, for one, he is probably the studliest player on his middle school football team. And second, if he has already pulled in an offer then the kid can't be that bad and will probably be recruited hard by others in the future, if he pans out that is.

So for now, let's treat this as a publicity stunt by Kiffin, One in a string of many. I mean, after all, this is just a verbal commit, the kid didn't actually sign a letter of intent or anything...

Let's all hope for the best for Evan in the future, and hopefully he looks at more options in the recruiting process.

Consistency Is Key: Five College Football Games That Need to Be Played Every Year

Ed Medina — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:35:07 -0400

College Football is a near perfect sport, let's just forget about that thing called the BCS. Let's start over, the College Football regular season is a near perfect thing, every week you got student athletes battling it out on the gridiron for 60 minutes to be called the victor and maybe move closer to a bowl game, conference title, or even a national championship. However, from what I have observed, College Football is missing something. Something that it should have without asking. Five more annual rivalry games.

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Where Were You When...College Football Edition

Ed Medina — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:46:06 -0400

So, earlier tonight I was frequenting the Rivals.com college football message board, as I often do when I came upon a thread titled "Where were you when..." which had a lot of interesting events (including the recent death of pop icon Michael Jackson) and asked posters to reply where they were when these events occurred and it got me thinking. Where was I when college football history was made?

I can't claim to have really followed college football a lot before the 2007 season (I'm 16, FYI), but of course I was still a sports fan before that time, and I do remember a lot of things related to college football.

Where was I when....

Ohio State upset Miami in the thrilling fiesta bowl?

I was around the age of nine, I think. I was at my best friends house and his parents were watching the game on the big screen in their loft, and me and my friend came just in time (about five minutes left in the fourth quarter) to watch the dramatic ending unfold. I can't claim to remember many names or exactly what happened, but I knew greatness when I saw it.

Vince Young lead Texas to victory over USC?

Again, I didn't follow much football around this time. I did see the "Bush Push" earlier that year though. Anyways, I was at my grandpa's house, which was packed with USC fans, and due to the fact that I despise USC, I decided to watch the game in my room by myself.

I'll never forget how eerily quiet it was when Vince went in, and how loud I was with excitement and celebration that USC had finally lost a game. The envy I harbored for the Trojan's at the time was unbelievable, but over time it diminished.

Appalachian State beat Michigan?

This was the first real day of my college football fanhood. I'll never forget watching some game on ESPN then getting bored and switching over to ESPN news and getting that report of Appy State over Michigan, I rushed to my phone to dial my dad (A de facto Michigan fan) and told him the news.

Neither of us could really believe it, and to this day I'm still confused as to how that could ever happen.

Crabtree went in for the Score?

I had acting rehearsal earlier that day (I was an officer in "A Comedy of Errors") so I couldn't organize a viewing party, so I watched the game at home alone. I got pretty bored with it fast as Tech jumped out to the lead, but just as I suspected Texas came back and took the lead.

I remember thinking the same thing that the TV said: "They may have left too much time on the clock" and sure enough, I was right. I exploded with joy as Crabtree (my favorite receiver) caught the pass and shook off two defenders to score. It was a great moment for me, as a fan, to see that.

Oklahoma got the nod over Texas?

This is something that, when it happened, or rather the night before it happened, I knew would be talked about for years and years. I was in my computer room on Rivals.com, the College Football Soundoff board, just reading the threads of peoples opinions and had it tuned to the local sports radio station for the hours leading up to the decision.

The debate raged on heavily and when OU finally got the nod I couldn't help but feel sorry for Texas, who I felt deserved it. Now that I remember, I skipped a nice trip to go to beautiful Northern Arizona just to hear about this first.

A lot of these events are pretty entrenched in my memory, and they will always be there as long as I like the great sport of College Football.

So where were you when some of these happened? and feel free to comment on your own events.

All Things Must Pass: Five Streaks that may come to an end in the Pac 10 in 2009

Ed Medina — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:58:36 -0400

All good things must end. It's a well known saying, and one that speaks truth in the Pac 10 in 2009. Eventually someone else will win the Pac 10, eventually... but when? This year? In this slideshow I will show you five hard built streaks in the Pacific 10 that have the best chance of happening in 2009.

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Hate Beyond Words: The Five CFB Rivalries That Need To Be Taken More Seriously

Ed Medina — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:36:23 -0400

College Football is packed with passion. Passion for one's school, for the team's, for the tradition. Another thing College Football is packed with is hatred. College Football has arguably the most hatred of any sport, Hatred for another school, for another coach, for another player. Some of these hatreds are well known, like Ohio State and Michigan, or The Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, but some aren't, and in this slide show I would like to shed light on rivalries I feel need to get a little more pub.

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Forecasting Pac-10 Football's Future

Ed Medina — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:27:56 -0400

Forecasting the future of sport's is an extremely foggy business, with there being so many variables and so unpredictable, but it is indeed big business, as proven by the $8 Preseason magazines many college football addict's find themselves buying every year. In this slideshow, I decided to take a crack at forecasting the future of the Pacific 10 football conference with a team by team breakdown using a few variables that I feel are essential in success.

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Are Tennessee Fans Too Lenient with Kiffin?

Ed Medina — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:46:14 -0400

If I were a young, brand new head coach headed into the SEC, and one of America's most prominent football programs, then I think that I would play it safe before my first real test by keeping a bit of a low profile. Obviously, Lane Kiffin and I don't think alike.

The antics of Mr. Kiffin include

Many recruiting violations
Calling out Florida for cheating they never committed
Telling a South Carolina recruit that if he attended USC he would end up pumping gas for a living
Antagonizing the family of a recruit that did not pick Tennessee
Using a fog machine...yes, a fog machine, to introduce a recruit
Many other things, some I'm not sure of the credibility of, so I won't include them, although they may be true

Now, let's say this happened at ASU, or Alabama. Well, I wouldn't be too happy with my coach, and you'd think that maybe Vol nation wouldn't be too happy about all of this negative publicity, but amazingly the majority of them are taking the "any publicity is good publicity" stance when it comes to Kiffin.

Kiffin calls out Florida for cheating. Vol response: "Well they probably are, I love the energy he brings at his FIRST public engagement!"

Kiffin uses a fog machine (I still can't get over this) to introduce a recruit. Vol response: "Wow! That never happened under Fulmer! I love this guy!"

Kiffin tells a recruit he will pump gas for a living if he goes to USC: "You gotta love how spices things up! Go Vols!"

And on, and on, and on...

Now, this doesn't include all of the Tennessee fans, but frequenting message boards and reading "Rocky Top Talk", it's clear that this is the train of thought of a lot of Volunteer's. My Question is simple: Why?

Why support a coach who flies off the handle accusing people of cheating that never did? Why support a coach who is so outlandish he will use a fog machine to introduce a recruit? Why support someone who rips their shirts off in front of recruits and encourages the recruits to do the same? It doesn't make sense.

If this happened at ASU or Alabama, I sure wouldn't support it, would you? And why do the vols?

Jack Elway Leaves ASU Football Team

Ed Medina — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:31:41 -0400

Jack Elway, son of legendary quarterback John Elway, has left the Arizona State football program.

This from an ESPN article:

Jack Elway, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, has decided to leave the Arizona State football team.

Elway, a redshirt freshman quarterback, will remain at Arizona State as a student, however.

"He's just tired of football and wants to do something else with his life," Sun Devils coach Dennis Erickson said Monday, according to The Arizona Republic. "He made a decision, and we all understand it. He would have played here eventually."

Elway, who was in a five-way battle for the starting quarterback job this fall, was considered to be behind senior Danny Sullivan and redshirt sophomore Samson Szakacsy on the depth chart, with sophomore Chasen Stangel and freshman Brock Osweiler also in the mix.

Elway, out of Cherry Creek (Colo.) High School, did not play in a scrimmage last weekend."

This comes as the quarterback battle at ASU tightens to see who will lead the Devils in 2009.

As an ASU fan, this bothers me a bit. Seeing an Elway play in an ASU jersey was a bit of a dream of mine, and when Jack selected ASU it was a great moment. But now that won't ever happen.

I wish Jack the best in life, and hope that he does not end up regretting this decision someday.

The 10 Greatest Performances in Alabama Football

Ed Medina — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:17:27 -0400

The Crimson Tide. It is a name that college football fans keep synonymous with Elite. A name that rings through the generations of football fans. A name that represesnts more than just the football team for a university in western Alabama. It is what millions of fans identify with, something they are born into. It represents a link back home for many displaced Tide fans. The Tide are more, and will forever be more to those people, in ways other fans just couldn't understand. The following performances are both of different nature. Some were flat out superb performances where a player seemed to single handedly win a game, and some are important ones, where one player may have saved the season.

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Just Another Day in the Fall: A Routine Saturday for a College Football Addict

Ed Medina — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:19:37 -0400

There is nothing quite like a good Saturday in the fall to me. A day when I wake up early, stay up late, and, at the end of the day, look back and think about what an incredible experience it was.

I like to think I'm like the usual football fan, and I'm gonna give you a recount of what those special Saturdays are like, for me.

Saturday

12:00 AM

Cookout begins. Hamburgers are thrown on the grill while I sit on the computer and carefully look over the schedule for the next day. A schedule of my own is created highlighting the best games of the day.

1:00 AM

Finish eating various grilled goodies from my cookout and play my schools fight song on Ihome. Homework from my classes is completed in this hour

2:00 AM

Beaming with excitement I finally lay down and shut my eyes while thinking about the action that will begin in roughly seven hours. Eventually fall asleep.

8:00 AM

Watch Gameday on ESPN and blurt out various expletives as Lee Corso hates on my team. Accuse ESPN of being biased against Alabama and Arizona State. Take note of all the clever signs in the background of Gameday and laugh a bit.

9:00 AM

Watch the first slate of action, usually some Big Ten games and a Big East game. Take note of how slow the Big Ten game seems to be. Get hungry for the first time so have a breakfast sandwich and some juice.

10:00 AM

Around half-time of the first slate of action, sneak over to Walgreen's to buy enough Mountain Dew to quench the thirst of a small country, come back home, and get upset that I let myself miss two whole minutes of football action.

Scoff at the fact that the Big Ten game seems to be going very slowly.

11:00 AM

Get hungry at about this time and begin preparing food for later in the day while keeping my eyes glued to the screen. A mess usually ensues and I get upset about it, even though it was expected. Start thinking about the later games.

12:00 PM

Big Ten games end and once again I swear that I will never see a more boring style of football. Get about a 30 minute break and throw some burgers on the grill, before the CBS crew comes on the screen with the SEC broadcast of the day

1:00 PM

SEC game of the day kicks off, and once again I think about how this is real football. Watch intently with surround sound all the way up and try to make as much noise in my isolated viewing room as possible. React to everything that goes on in the game, and take any mention of another team as a direct insult to Alabama and Myself.

2:00 PM

Watch the SEC game and occasionally flip to other games in the second slate of things. Always wonder if the surround sound is broken when I flip to another game, but then realize it's just the fact that other games aren't as loud as the SEC.

4:00 PM

Second slate ends, allowing me an hour break. Make more food and prepare for the prime time game, which is usually the game of the day. Read into the game as much as I can in this hour, and perform social duties.

6:00 PM

Game of the day kicks off and I choose sides in it. After all, it's no fun being neutral. Watch all the hard hitting action and criticize every play call that I deem to be "not the way the Bear would do it" and scoff at every coaching move that "Saban wouldn't do".

Get really into the game and am told many times that the TV will never respond, no matter how many times I yell at it. House pets begin avoiding me.

7:00 PM

Watch Pac 10 games and prime-time game interchangeably. Wonder why ASU can never have a football following like those I see on TV. Make Traditional 7 PM Smoothie which I call "The Crimson Tide", a smoothie with lots of strawberry's and Cherry's.

9:00 PM

Last slate of games usually ends. Look back on the day with satisfaction and jump on the computer to check all the scores and devise my own poll after that.

Listen to talk radio shows about the games and sometime, anytime, that night, I drift off to sleep hearing radio broadcasts where fans call in and give their two cents, and dream about what is to come the next Saturday.

Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry: Why I Don't Really Care

Ed Medina — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:32:33 -0400

I don't care about the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry, at all. I barely care about the Yankees and Red Sox as individual teams.

The truth is, and I hate to break it to you Boston and New York fans, no one outside of New England cares about your "rivalry."

There are far better rivalries out there.

When the NL West isn't so down, the Arizona-San Francisco matchup is always much richer with animosity than any given Boston Bandwagon vs. New York Bankees game is.

Unfortunately though, rivalry doesn't really exist in baseball anymore, thanks to constant trades.

I find it hard to really call the Red Sox and Yankees a rivalry. I mean, how many former Sox do the Yankees have now?

And players that were once established players somewhere else are playing for both teams and really didn't have the time to hate each other (Mark Teixeira, John Smoltz)

I simply don't care for either of these teams, nor do I care about any of the players from either Boston or New York. To me, when a player I like becomes a member of the Sox or Yanks, I just stop liking them, as do many others.

Gimme a Cubs-Cardinals game any day over the Yankees and Sox and I'm set.

I'm sure the majority of sports fans feel the same about this overrated "rivalry."

Lane Kiffin on South Carolina: The Bottomless Pit Deepens

Ed Medina — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:12:29 -0400

I love that loose cannon up in Knoxville. I mean, why not? Lane is my dream come true. The man provides me with much to write about and discuss and he never fails to say something more antagonizing than he did before.

Well, ol' Lane is at it again! This time he went after fellow SEC East team South Carolina.

This taken from an ESPN article:

"According to Jeffrey and Wilson, Kiffin told Jeffrey that if he chose the Gamecocks, he would end up pumping gas for the rest of his life like all the other players from that state who had gone to South Carolina."

ESPN Article

Well, Lane, you've done it again. Now the "Ol' Ball Coach" is gonna come after you, but I guess you've already antagonized everyone in the SEC, so it was gonna happen anyway.

I'm Thinking Lane's next task should be to tell recruits that if you go to Vanderbilt you'll end up eating at soup kitchens, or something to that effect.

Lane Kiffin is one in a million, and I look forward to his next asinine statement.

Less with More: 10 of College Football's Perennial Underachievers

Ed Medina — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:54:25 -0400

When you say elite, there are some names that come to mind, these teams are the likes of USC, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Texas. A little further from them are the nations perennial winners, teams that put out eight, or nine win teams every year, like Oregon, Oregon State, Texas Tech, and pre-2008 Arkansas. Then there are the cellar dwellers after that. College football has some teams that should just be better. Some of these teams are in college football's cellar, some in the elite, but all of them have one thing in common: They should all be much better than they are.

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Ranking the Toughest Places To Play in Pac-10 Football

Ed Medina — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:24:00 -0500

The Pac 10 is one of the nation's elite conferences, and rightfully so. It is the home to ten unique stadiums spanning all the way from rainy Seattle, Washington, down to scorching Tucson, Arizona. In this slide show the stadiums will be ranked in terms of toughest places to play, all the way from 1-10.

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Urban Meyer Comments on Kiffin

Ed Medina — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:52:36 -0500

Lane Kiffin is in for the "Richt Treatment" this September in Gainesville.

If you don't know what the "Richt Treatment" is, then go look at the box score for last years Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville.

When asked about the Lane Kiffin controversy, Urban Meyer had this to say to the Orlando Sentinel:

Sentinel: Not sure if you’ve publicly commented about the Lane Kiffin controversy, does that maybe seem a little silly or humorous now in hindsight:

Meyer: “I didn’t find it humorous.”

Sentinel: Not then, I’m sure, but perhaps now?

Meyer: “It’s not humorous. I can think of a few other words that I’m not going to say, but certainly not humorous.”

Sentinel: Have you talked to Kiffin, or has he reached out and apologized?

(Meyer shakes head no).

Sentinel: For the fans, though, that certainly adds a little spice to the rivalry

Meyer: “I’m not going to comment on it any more than I just did. I guess you could say that.”

Kiffin has given Meyer and his Gators fuel in which to go out and beat them with....and that's the last thing you want to give Urban Meyer.

Mark it down, Meyer will have his Gators ready to go out and embarrass Tennessee this September and properly welcome Mr. Kiffin to the SEC.

Sabanized: The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide

Ed Medina — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:08:49 -0500

Alabama was lost. Gone were the glory days of the bear, and Tide nation was in shambles. Coming off the heels of a 7-6 season, the Crimson Tide entered 2008 preseason #22, but no one expected much. Little did anyone know that 2008 was the year Nick Saban was to be unleashed once again on the SEC, this time in the crimson of Alabama.

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The Rise and Fall of Tennessee Football

Ed Medina — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:06:27 -0500

Once upon a time, in 1998, the Tennessee Volunteers ruled the world. They were BCS champs, completing a 13-0 season capped with a victory over Bobby Bowden's Seminoles in the fiesta bowl. That proved to be the height of Fulmer's success at UT, and the Volunteer football program began its descent into mediocrity, culminating in the hire of one Lane Kiffin.

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College Football 2009 Season: Five Facts

Ed Medina — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:58:50 -0500

Every college football season is a wild one. Every college football season is unpredictable. However, there are some things I can state about the 2009 college football season that I can deem to be absolutely certain. I have compiled a list of 5 things that will happen next year, and you can bet the house on them.

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A Recipe for Disaster: The 2009 Tennessee Volunteers

Ed Medina — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:31:35 -0500

You'll be hard-pressed to find a time when a coach, so inexperienced, so fresh, was chosen to run one of the nations elite, or close to it, football programs. That happened this off season when the Tennessee Volunteers chose Lane Kiffin to be their 21st Head Coach, Succeeding Phil Fulmer. Many Tennessee Fans were disappointed by the Hire, some confused. One thing I can say, It was an interesting hire indeed, one that has sparked controversy after controversy.

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