Bleacher Report - NCAA

Auburn's Tyrik Rollison Suspended

Brooks Webb — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:10:13 -0500

The future is bright for the Auburn Tigers for a variety of reasons heading into bowl season and onto 2010.

Recruiting is one the biggest reasons for that, and one of last years biggest recruiting coups for the Tigers, quarterback Tyrik Rollison, has been suspended by head coach Gene Chizik.

While the violation of team rules is unspecified, Coach Chizik issued a prepared statement to the media. “We have high standards that we have set and fully expect our team to meet. When these expectations are not met, I will make decisions based upon what is best for the entire football team and the Auburn Family,“ said Chizik.

Rollison was considered for the starting job this season, and is no doubt in the running to be next year's starter. There is no indication that this will have any bearing on that, but it is something to pay attention to in the future.

As for Rollison, he has handled it well, stating on his Facebook page, "To the Auburn faithful, I'm sorry. I will get this issue corrected. I want all yall to know I expect more of myself and things will turn around. WAR EAGLE!!!"

Rollison was highly touted quarterback prospect out of Sulphur Springs, TX who many weren't sure would qualify to play for the Tigers in 2009. He was cleared to play, and after a year of learning Gus Malzahn's high potent offense, should be ready to thrive when called upon.

Malzahn praised his mentality in early November and was very encouraged by his play in practice.

What can we take from this? We know Gene Chizik instills respect and discipline in his players, and one should expect Rollison to come out of this like it never happened, and won't let it happen again.

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Clemson: Four Burning Questions Heading Into the ACC Championship Game

ACC SEC Blog — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:56:47 -0500

The Clemson Tigers will be fighting for many things on Saturday. A chance to bounce back after a loss to South Carolina last week. A chance to get revenge against a Georgia Tech they lost to back in September. But most importantly, Clemson can win its first ACC title since 1991.

To get that title they must answer these questions on Saturday.

1. Can Clemson Mount Multiple Scoring Drives?

The guys over at From The Rumble Seat did an interesting analysis of Clemson scoring drives .

I won’t go much into the details because they do a much better job explaining than I could. But the gist is that the Tigers have had difficulty putting the ball in the end zone when they don’t get a kick return.

In the first game this season, the Tigers only had two drives both coming in the third quarter netting 10 points. The other scores were on a one-play, 63-yard pass and three plays, 80 yards with 77 of those yards coming on third down.

2. Can Clemson Stop The Zone Read Option?

Georgia Tech doesn't run the exact same zone read option that South Carolina ran from the shotgun, but the reads by the QB are very, very similar.

It has been much discussed how the Tiger Defense slowed down Ga Tech last time, but the Yellow Jackets still got over 300 yards rushing.

Shakin The Southland has been profiling Paul Johnson’s spread option offense all week and has some stuff on ways to defend it.

But it will come down to how much penetration the defensive line can get and how well the Tigers tackle.

3. Can DeAndre McDaniel Take Away The Deep Ball?

Clemson’s safety intercepted Josh Nesbitt twice back in September and has continued his ball hawking play all season.

The real test here will be if Clemson needs McDaniel to play in the box to stop the run.

If he does, then the deep ball will be open. If not, then expect GT to throw short much more which goes against their passing game philosophy.

4. What is Clemson's Mental State After Losing To Arch Rival South Carolina?

I thought Dabo Swinney had a good perspective on the loss last week and the game this weekend. Swinney said the Tigers have beaten the Gamecocks many, many times, but haven't won an ACC title in a long, long time.

But can he get that mentality through to his team? It is a lot easier said than done.

Georgia Tech: 4 Questions Heading Into The ACC Championship Game

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Georgia Tech: Four Burning Questions In The ACC Championship Game

ACC SEC Blog — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:53:11 -0500

Georgia Tech doesn't have to look far to find someone who is in their shoes. Just looking across the field they will see a Clemson team who lost to their arch rival last weekend to break a winning streak.

But Tech can still win an ACC title, something that has not been done this decade. Here are four questions Georgia Tech must answer to hoist the ACC trophy:

1. Can Georgia Tech Convert Touchdowns In The Red Zone?

GT scored three touchdowns in the first quarter of the last meeting, but they came off an 82 yard run, an 85 yard punt return, and a 34 yard pass from kicker Scott Blair.

Their first field goal came after a 68 yard drive. The second field goal came after going for 69 yard drive. And the final field goal came from a 47 yard drive.

So you can see the Yellow Jackets had some good drives, but all of them stalled in the red zone.

I think they will have to convert these to touchdowns more often to win the rematch.

2. Will Clemson Push Georgia Tech Around Like Georgia Did?

The Bulldogs ran for 339 yards rushing last week against the Yellow Jackets, an all-time high under Mark Richt.

UGA’s staring offensive line averages 304 pounds with the smallest guy tipping the scales at 290 pounds. Clemson is even bigger averaging 310 pounds with the smallest guy a mere 300.

Georgia Tech’s defensive line averages 292, but that is bolstered by 353 pound T.J. Barnes who hasn’t played like 353 most of the season. Also, GT is missing two D-line starters for the Clemson game.

3. Will Jonathan Dwyer Get More Involved This Week?

The first team All-ACC back had just 33 yards on 14 attempts last week against Georgia, his worst game of the season outside of Miami (which GT also lost).

The junior did better against Clemson in September with 73 yards, but that wasn’t one of his best games either.

Georgia Tech has to get Dwyer going in this game, especially up the middle, to keep the Clemson linebackers off the pitch where GT did have success last week and back in September.

4. What is Georgia Tech’s Mental State After Last Weekend?

This one applies to both teams. Tech was at home and favored by a touchdown over in-state rival Georgia but lost by six. They missed out on a chance to beat their rival two straight seasons something they haven’t done since 2000.

There is precedence for this back in 2006 when GT lost at Georgia and then lost to Wake Forest in the ACC Championship.

This is a different coaching staff and nearly all different players, but you have to wonder how much missing out on the opportunity last week carries over.

Clemson's questions are here .

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Alabama: Four Burning Questions In The SEC Championship Game

ACC SEC Blog — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:42:11 -0500

Alabama is at the same point they were last year at this time—undefeated with the Florida Gators standing between them and a BCS Championship bid. The Tide fell 31-20 to Florida last year after leading 20-17 after three quarters. To get over the hump and win this year, Alabama has four big questions to answer.

1. Can The Tide Put Pressure On Tebow?

They tried to last year with the blitz, but Tebow led two scoring drives down the field in the fourth quarter to win. Florida had trouble early with protecting Tebow, but have improved as the season has gone on with a revamped lineup.

Nick Saban knows how accurate Tebow is when given time. I fully expect Alabama to bring pressure just as much as last year with an improved defensive line this year.

If the Tide can get pressure from their front four alone that would be huge in stopping the Florida passing game.

2. Can Greg McElroy Repeat His Performance From Last Week?

I fully expect Charlie Strong to try and make McElroy beat the Gator Defense through the air, especially after seeing what Auburn did last week in slowing down the Alabama running game.

For the game, McElroy was 21 of 31 for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. But on the most important drive of his career, he was 7 for 8 including the game winning score.

If he can use that performance as a spring board this weekend, Alabama will be very hard to stop.

3. Can Javier Arenas Be Special on Special Teams?

Arenas has one punt return for a touchdown this season and is averaging over 16 yards per return. On kickoffs, he is getting nearly 30 yards per return.

The Gators have only had four punts returned on them all season with a grand total of 13 yards netted. Florida is very good at covering kicks as well allowing just 20 yards per return with zero touchdowns.

4. Can Alabama Stop The Dive Play?

Florida's spread option offense starts with the dive play up the middle by either the running back or Tebow. The Gators ran this play with great success against LSU, who has a defense nearly as talented as Alabama's.

If the dive opens up, it forces Alabama's linebackers to stay home and not be able to cover the edges or go into pass coverage as much. And that means a long day for the Tide front seven.

Florida: 4 Questions For The SEC Championship

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Florida Gators: Four Burning Questions In The SEC Championship Game

ACC SEC Blog — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:38:22 -0500

The Florida Gators are going for a second straight SEC Championship and a third in four years. But to get that title and a spot in the BCS Championship Game, the Gators have four big questions to answer before they can beat Alabama for a second straight year.

1. How Does Florida Gain A Mental Edge?

Florida won this game last year. They ruined Alabama's perfect season and shot at their first national title since 1992. And we know how seriously Alabama takes national championships— they got 12 of them.

You know Nick Saban has his team focused and out for revenge. Most of the season they have been out of the limelight with much of the focus on the No. 1 ranked Gators' quest for a repeat and Tim Tebow's final season.

I think Tebow has to be at an all-time best from a leadership standpoint on Saturday.

2. Can Brandon James Finally Break Out?

James was a serious threat for Florida last year anytime the opponent kicked the ball.

This season, he is averaging just seven yards per punt return with no touchdowns. He has taken one kick return to the house, but that came in the first game against Charleston Southern.

If the St. Augustine native who was thought to be small for FBS can give the Gators a score, it would be a huge lift for an offense that has struggled at times.

3. Can The Florida Receivers Strike Fear Down The Field?

This has been the knock on the Gators offense all year that they can't stretch the field vertically. I think this is a bit of a misnomer since Florida has 21 pass plays over 25 yards on the season.

I think Alabama is going to bring pressure on Tebow and not let the down-field routes develop. I also think the Tide will stack the line and make Tebow beat them with his arm down the field.

The key for Florida will be in pass protection allowing Tebow, who is very accurate with time, to find guys like Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper down the field. If a guy like Deonte Thompson can step up then that would be big for Urban Meyer's offense.

4. What Is The Impact Of Not Having Carlos Dunlap?

You didn't think I was going to leave out the 290-pound future first rounder who won't be in uniform on game day, did you? Dunlap leads the team in sacks and is second in tackles for loss this season.

In last year's game, Florida was able to tilt their blitzes away from Dunlap knowing he could beat his man one-on-one. That won't be the case this year unless Justin Trattou and William Green play out of their minds.

But I also wonder what the impact is on the team's preparation. Was this just one guy not focused on this game, or are their others?

Alabama: 4 Questions For The SEC Championship

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The Pac-10 Deserves a Cease and Desist Letter Right Now

Jameson Fleming — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:04:05 -0500

You would have thought the night that Oregon lost to Portland, Oregon State lost to Sacramento State, and Southern California lost to Loyola Marymount would have been the night the Pac-10 hit rock bottom.

Especially since Loyola Marymount and Sacramento State won a combined five games last year, or the fact UCLA had already lost to Cal-State Fullerton, Oregon State went down to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Stanford couldn't beat Oral Roberts earlier in the year.

But that night wasn't rock bottom for the Pac-10.

Neither was two days later when Montana knocked off Oregon and Wisconsin defeated Arizona.

Rock bottom might just be what happened during Wednesday and Thursday night's action.

California had a chance to redeem itself and go on the road to the Pit and beat New Mexico. Washington State held a double-digit lead against a ranked Gonzaga team. Arizona had two overtimes to knock UNLV from the ranks of the undefeated.

Unfortunately for the Pac-10, the Golden Bears couldn't win in a hostile environment. The Cougars collapsed down the stretch in Spokane, and the Zags escaped with a win. The Wildcats didn't have the grit to take out the Rebels on their home court.

The scoreboard at the end of the night should have read "Mountain West and West Coast Conferences 3, Pac-10 0."

You would think with a night of spectacular fireworks of futility, that Wednesday night would be the Pac-10's finale of failure.

But right now, the only thing the Pac-10 is excelling at is failing, and that finale would only be a tease.

Current Pac-10 favorite Washington managed to do the unthinkable. In the process of losing to a team picked to finish ninth in the Big 12, the Huskies remarkably lost in a way that allowed Texas Tech's students to rush the court not once, but twice.

After the referees waived off a basket that left the hands of Michael Singletary after the buzzer, Washington couldn't ride that momentum to an overtime victory.

Lorenzo Romar's team was supposed to be the ONE glimmer of hope during this bleak season of Pac-10 basketball.

Now, that's gone.

Outta here as fast as the Huskies left the floor to avoid the Red Raiders' second floor stormin'.

With Southern Cal's loss to Texas, the Pac-10 will have 24 losses among 10 teams. The Big East has 16 schools, and they've lost half as many games. The Atlantic 10 has 30 losses among 14 teams—that's 2.14 losses per team—and the Pac-10 is at 2.4.

Remember the A-10 has a team, Fordham, that won three games all last season and three others that finished 200th or worse in the RPI.

Last year, the Pac-10 had only three that finished outside the top 100—this year there are three outside the top 200.

It's not even that early in the season anymore where those numbers are that skewed. Most schools have played about half of their non-conference games. Most Pac-10 schools only have about a half-dozen remaining games out of conference to prove themselves, or really in their case, not further embarrass the league.

The way things are setting up, the Pac-10 might actually only receive one bid to the big dance.

What happens if Washington proves to be the dominant team and only losses one or two games in the league, no one else separates itself, and everyone else loses at least seven conference games?

You think the committee should be picking a nine or 10-loss Pac-10 team?

I don't think so.

Of course that part is just hypothetical, and one other team should separate itself to give the Pac-10 a second, maybe a third bid.

Right now though, you've got to think that the WCC with Gonzaga and Portland or the Mountain West with UNLV, BYU, and New Mexico might actually garner more bids than the Pac-10.

We all knew the Pac-10 might be bad this year. But who thought it would be this bad?

For more updates on college basketball, follow Jameson on Twitter.

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A Terrible Place to Assemble, Illinois's Assembly Hall

Paul Swaney — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:51:19 -0500

Review originally published on www.stadiumjourney.com

I do want to say at the outset that this trip was a lot of fun, and the low score should only be indicative on my experience inside the arena. My friend Chris was my tour guide for the town combo that is Champaign-Urbana, and it really was a nice little town and lovely campus. That being said, Stadium Journey is about the stadiums, so let’s begin there.

The walk was less than ideal from downtown Champaign, but certainly not unreasonable. Assembly Hall is next to Memorial Stadium, and neither would be described as picturesque, but at least the football stadium looks like it has a bit of history (translation: looks old). Assembly Hall was probably seen as futuristic when it was built in 1963, with its silver dome-like structure. It has one major drawback besides it’s unappealing look. You see, in the winter, we tend to have snow in Illinois. And you know what? The snow on that silver backdrop can create some sliding ice when the sun comes out. Well, it just so happens that we got some sun on the day that I visited. That meant they closed all, but one entrance—more on this later.

Silver Dome of Assembly Hall

FANFARE Score: 14

F ood & Beverage: 3

There are a few interesting food options, but many of the lines are long, and slow moving. I had some candied almonds, which smelled great in the concourse and tasted great as well. I was disappointed that there were no souvenir cups available—always an inexpensive way to get something to remember your trip.

A tmosphere: 2

The inside of the arena is also unremarkable. Large slabs of concrete are the only noticeable feature. Once in your seat, there is nothing compelling or different other than a slew of retired numbers (seemingly too many numbers). I also found myself excessively bored by both the pep band and the chants of the crowd.

N eighborhood: 3

Like I said at the beginning of the entry, I did enjoy my time on this trip overall. Illinois has a beautiful campus, and I was lucky to have my friend as a very competent tour guide. I learned about the Foreign Language Building, which houses the first super-computer, and was designed to topple safely around that computer if there ever was some natural disaster. Also, I walked into Lincoln Hall and rubbed Lincoln’s nose—a tradition for students prior to taking exams—Chris used it to bestow luck upon his beloved Illini.

Bust of Lincoln

We went to several bars the night before and prior to the game, and I’ll make special mention of a few that I particularly liked

Mike & Molly’s—Although we arrived around 4:30pm and the bar was nearly empty, there was still a great energy to the place, and they have an amazing beer selection.

Jupiter’s—Definitely my favorite place on the trip. Good beer, amazing pizza, and plenty of pool tables. The bartender, who chose to remain nameless and only be identified by his name badge of 286, created a drink that was dubbed I-L-L. Working with a difficult color combination—blue and orange, he poured a little blue Curacao with absolut mandarin, and then gave a double squirt of lemonade and sprite, followed by a shot of orange juice. Frankly, it was ugly, but decent. It would have been especially good sitting by a pool.

F ans: 3

While the game itself against Iowa was never compelling, the crowd was only able to drum a good cheer when prompted by the scoreboard. Let me be clear, it was still an ok place to see a game, but there was nothing at all that drew me in.

A ccess: 1

So with all security personnel available to man the one entryway, we had the reassurance to have my camera bag scrutinized. According to the security personnel, it’s against NCAA rules to bring a camera with a detachable lens. I challenged that given that I had taken my camera into several arenas without issue prior to this trip. After an unnecessary five-minute debate, he generously let me take it in. Bad start. Why harass someone only to let him take it in? What’s the point in making me engage in the debate? All it accomplished was to make me uneasy and put me in a bad mood.

When the game ended, it was time to confirm my displeasure. Remember the one entryway? Well, it was now, the one exit, and 15,000 people we’re leaving at once. It took us 37 minutes to get from our seat to the door. Thirty-seven minutes for a game that lasted less than two hours. And the narrow concourses with the drab concrete did not help matters. It took me another 20 minutes or so after leaving to shake off the anxiety of being stuck in that damn building.

Traffic Jam

R eturn on Investment: 2

While the experience wasn’t expensive, I feel like the hassle of getting into and out of the arena makes this not worth the trip. I recommend the town and the university, just not the basketball experience.

E tc.: 0

There is nothing extraordinary worth mentioning about a trip to Assembly Hall.

Paul Swaney is the co-founder of Stadium Journey

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How a Nebraska Upset of Texas Would Rock the BCS Projections

Michael Huckstep — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:34:46 -0500

Show of hands. How many of you thought that Nebraska would play in the Big XII Championship?

A few of you?

Duly noted. The Huskers or the Jayhawks were the preseason favorites to win the North. Though I doubt that many of you thought Nebraska would punch their ticket the way they did, winning against Oklahoma and losing versus Iowa State.

Another show of hands. How many of you thought that if Nebraska made it to the Big XII title match and won, it would send the BCS world spinning off of its axis?

Neither did I.

But that's exactly the scenario that the BCS bigwigs fear the most.

Forget for a moment the improbability of it all. In the event of a Nebraska win, no matter how unlikely, the much-maligned BCS system might very well implode.

If everything goes according to Hoyle, and virtually everyone believes it will, Texas should dispatch Nebraska with relative ease and then face the SEC Champion for the BCS National Title.

The BCS fat cats would get the marquee match-up they crave between two undefeated powerhouses replete with rich histories and long-standing traditions. They'll be able to pat one another on the back and claim that the system actually worked, that it delivered a showdown worthy of the sacred cow that is the BCS.

Never mind that the possibility will exist that, when the dust settles, there might be three more undefeated teams still standing, each of them arguing that the whole debate should have been settled on the field, not by crunching numbers.

The only number that will matter to the "also-rans" is the zero in their loss columns.

A Texas win will not come without an additional price, however. At least to the Big XII.

Oklahoma State had a chance to stake their claim to a second Big XII BCS berth by winning this year's installment of the Bedlam Series. However a 27-0 thrashing by the Sooners quickly put any of the Cowboys' BCS dreams to bed.

Therefore, the Longhorns will most likely be the lone Big XII representative at the BCS party, ultimately costing their conference $4.5 million in additional revenue had a second Big XII team secured a BCS bid.

However, don't expect the fans from the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10, Big East or ACC to shed any tears for the Big XII.

Far from it.

The Big XII's failure to secure two BCS bids will only throw more gasoline on the fiery, annual debate between fans of the various "major" conferences concerning overall supremacy.

Every year, even before the first touchdown is scored, supporters of the six BCS conferences argue their cases, each claiming, some more vociferously than others, that their conference is best.

Nowhere is this conference unity more prevalent than the SEC. While they are bitter rivals on the field, they will quickly defend each other for sake of the bigger picture, routinely claiming that the middle-of-the-pack SEC teams are superior to the best teams that the Big Ten, Big XII and Pac-10 have to offer.

In fact, one of Sports Illustrated's recent cover stories examined the SEC's conference pride more closely, their headline essentially agreeing with SEC fans that "Nobody Does It Better."

It's not hard to see why SEC fans feel this way, considering the mess in the Big XII North Division, the stranglehold that USC had over their Pac-10 rivals and the lackluster performances by both Oklahoma and Ohio State in their recent BCS bowls, especially against SEC foes.

All of that withstanding, what exactly would a Nebraska win in the Big XII Title game mean?

Plenty.

Plenty of chaos, that is.

First off, it would give Nebraska an automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl, per the Big XII's contractual commitment with that event. Texas would then receive a BCS at-large bid and the Big XII would get that extra $4.5 mil after all.

Secondly, it would give No. 4 ranked TCU a shot at facing the SEC Champion for all the marbles. The Horned Frogs are clearly pulling for the Huskers, despite the fact that, even with a Nebraska win, they might not reach the promised land.

Working against the Frogs are a couple of factors.

Although TCU completed a perfect regular season, No. 5 Cincinnati will have the final opportunity to make an impression on voters this weekend as they face a Top 15 Pittsburgh Panther squad in the Big East Championship. In addition, the fact that TCU hails from a conference without an automatic BCS bid might make voters reluctant to give them the nod.

So, if the Bearcats scratch out a win over Pitt, they could leapfrog the Frogs.

But even then, it's not that simple.

Cincinnati, not traditionally viewed as one of the nation's elite programs, could be passed over by voters in favor of a "sexier" matchup, paving the way for the first rematch in BCS Championship history.

Yes, college football lovers, all hell could break loose.

Brace yourselves for Florida vs. Alabama II, especially if their first meeting lives up to its billing or is decided by a few points in the game's final seconds.

I can already hear the rebel yell rising up from SEC country.

If you remember correctly, this was a possible scenario in 2006. Number-one ranked Ohio State prevailed over number-two ranked Michigan in an epic 42-39 battle, prompting many analysts to make the case for a rematch in the BCS Championship game.

Instead, one-loss Florida got the bid to the BCS title game, by a margin of .0101 points, and promptly crushed the Buckeyes, 41-14.

So essentially, we'd be left with three options, each sure to spark yet another round of BCS controversy. Take your pick.

The one thing I believe I can say with absolute certainty is that Boise State will not be rooting for the Cornhuskers. As mentioned in the above scenario, a Texas loss would still result in them getting an at-large BCS bid and the undefeated Broncos (providing that they take care of business this weekend vs. 3-9 New Mexico State) would be busted, relegated to a second-tier bowl game.

So while they'll be chanting "GO BIG RED" in Fort Worth, they'll be shouting "NO BIG RED" in Boise.

Having said all this, I feel that I should remind everyone that this whole chaotic mess would only occur if (and it's a BIG if) Nebraska manages to pull off the one of the greater upsets in recent history.

So please save your emails; I already have tired-head just thinking about all of this.

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College Football Predictions Championship Week: Who's on Upset Alert?

Sportscaster007 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:25:09 -0500

There are many great slate games this weekend! Championship Week is finally upon us, as the Civil War, the SEC Championship, and the BIG XII Championship is finally here, with everything on the line. We'll also find out who will be playing in the National Championship. It will be Florida or Alabama aagainst TCU or Texas. Cincinnati still has a chance, but it's that chance is very limited. This week the No. 1 Gators take the field against the No. 2 Tide in a rematch from last season's Championship in the most anticipated game of the season! Texas will have to deal with the pesky Cornhuskers from Nebraska in a BIG XII defensive slugfest, while the fourth ranked Texas Lizards sit idle, just hoping for havoc to fall into place. The fifth ranked Bearcats still remain unblemished and will face the Pitt Panthers in another huge battle. The winner will take the Big East Title and make their appearance in a BCS Bowl Game. There are a few seemingly cucpake games this week, but I'll assure you no one is safe in Champuionship Week. The possibilities are endless, and in a Championship Week Special, you get just the picks! Well, I'll offer some insight and add my tough on it, but it's going to be short and sweet! There are only ten Top 25 matchups this week, leaving little room for error. As you may know, Brandon Buell and I have enjoyed comparing our picks and challenging each other every week. Last week, I finished up the Intriguing Picks, so now I'm caught up with him for being absentee in the first week of the season. We'll see if he decides to duel it out in the bowls, in the case of a tie, because needless to say, our records are extremely close. In perhaps the last week of the season, we'll find out who came out with the better overall record. But I've already made my Big Ten and Big XII Bowl picks, we'll see if he joins in on the action. Last Week: 14-6 Overall: 214-55

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How Close Did Vegas Get This Spring Picking Top College Football Teams

Larry Burton — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:06:08 -0500

Hope springs eternal, especially in the spring, when all the college football teams are undefeated and prospects look good. But in Las Vegas, it's all business, setting the odds for the winner and the other teams.

So let's go back to May 4th, 2009, a time when I was in Las Vegas to do an article on sports gambling, and picked up the "official" odds of teams winning the BCS National Championship.

They had Florida as the favorite as they should, they were a 2/1 favorite. Then things went horribly wrong.

The next two names on the list were Oklahoma and USC who fell apart this season. Oklahoma is not even in the top 25 and USC is still over rated at 18.

Oklahoma proved that they are simply a supporting cast to Sam Bradford, and without their star, they just an average team. The pendulum simply caught up with USC. After so many years on top, they were bound to fall sooner or later, however Las Vegas does love it's usual front runners.

Next was Texas and that was a safe pick from last year's season, but next came Ohio State, who wile still rated number eight is perhaps the most over rated team in the top 10 today.

The next was Florida State and you have to wonder what they were thinking. Was Bobby Bowden really going to fix all the problems and put them back in the top 10? Apparently they thought so. However, they are not in the top 25 now.

Apparently Vegas came to their senses too. Florida State started off at 18 to one odds on 3-6-2009 and by 5-4-2009 they went to 30 to one.

Then comes Alabama. I bought a $20 ticket at ten to one odds. I'm feeling better about that every week. Alabama started off at 20 to one and two months later dropped to 10-1.

Next was Va. Tech holding steady the whole time at 20 to one. They have been in and out of the top 10 all season and are presently 12th.

Miami was next as apparently the odds makers felt Randy Shannon would finally get everything put together. They had them at number nine, but with 25 to one odds. Today they are rated 17.

The final Top 10 team was LSU, also at 25 to one odds. They are presently 13th.

So to recap the the top 10 and where they are now:

Pos. Team Opening odds Odds on 5-4-09 Today's BCS Ranking+

1. Florida 2/1 2/1 1

2. Oklahoma 6/1 6/1 N/A

3. USC 6/1 6/1 18

4. Texas 10/1 6/1 3

5. Ohio State 12/1 10/1 8

6. Florida St. 18/1 30/1 N/A

7. Alabama 20/1 10/1 2

8. Virginia Tech 20/1 20/1 12

9. Miami 25/1 25/1 17

10. LSU 25/1 12/1 13

Therefore you can see that they only correctly picked four of the top 10 teams if the season ended today. With bowl wins, Virgina Tech and LSU could sneak in. An Ohio State loss would put them out of the top ten.

So where were the teams that are in the top 10 at the beginning of the betting season?

Present BCS Ranking and team Preseason Odds

4. TCU not listed—no odds given

5. Cincinnati 27th place 60/1

6. Boise State 39th place 80/1

7. Oregon 14th place 45/1

9. Iowa 24th place 60/1

10. Georgia Tech 29th place 65/1

Overall you can see that Las Vegas is not a much better guesser that the rest of us, after all, who didn't see Florida being at the top after returning almost the whole national championship team?

The moral of this story is to not listen to Las Vegas, if you're so inclined, bet on the team you root, in a nice a legal place and for and hope for the best. After all you know as much as they do.

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Where Is Tommy Tuberville Heading?

Ben Gibson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:05:14 -0500

He may be the brass ring in the coaching carousel, yet Tommy Tuberville remains silent as Louisville, Virginia, and Notre Dame all begin their searches for a new coach and a new direction.

Sure, the rumor mill is in full circle, connecting for the former Auburn coach with all three jobs at one time or another, but those wild predictions remain just that.

Tuberville has yet to speak to the media nor has a program even publicly announced an interview with the potential candidate.

It may be early, but honestly, what are they waiting for?

After all, Tuberville is one of the few potential candidates that is ready right now. While other hot names like Chris Petersen, Brian Kelly, Charlie Strong, and Skip Holtz all have games remaining on their respective schedules, Tuberville has been sitting at home for a year waiting to break back into his coaching gear like Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden.

Programs hate transitions, the best college football teams need consistency at the top. It is this time of uncertainty that blue-chip recruits get nervous about the commitments they made to the recently deposed coach. It is when donors and fans need to feel inspired and confident in their new choice.

Everyone hates uncertainty and patience is not always seen as a virtue. As long as the office of the head coach remains empty, doubt begins to creep in. Ultimately, the biggest responsibility of these athletic directors is simple: get it right.

There are many reasons to think that Tommy Tuberville can get it right.

Tuberville's record speaks for himself, the long-time SEC coach has a career record of 110-60, an undefeated season under his belt and a dominating record over rivals school in his time at Ole Miss and Auburn.

Indeed, Tuberville is 5-2 in his career against top 5 teams and won 9 of his last 15 games against the top 15 in his last few years before a struggle in 2008.

In total, Tuberville has done a solid job in recruiting and developing talent in his 14 seasons. 34 players under Tuberville earned All-SEC honors and two SEC Players of the Year.

So then, what's the problem?

Well, for all the good qualities Tuberville has, there are some question marks. Granted, he may still be the best candidate, but is he really as much of a sure thing as people think?

After all, Tuberville has been recruiting in the SEC his entire career. It is easy to get kids to come play in the premiere conference in football, it might be quite harder when it comes to the Big East or the ACC.

Also, Tuberville would have to recognize where football stands on the totem pole for both Louisville and Virginia.

Obviously, both of these schools would like to be good at football, but it is not the No. 1 priority for either administration.

Whatever transpired at the end of Tuberville's career at Auburn, it certainly has to raise a red flag with potential employers. That is not to say it should stop them from hiring him, but it may be a concern that needs to be dealt with in the interview room.

While all these things swirl around Tuberville, the question remains where will he land?

If Tuberville becomes the next coach at South Bend, it will be a surprise to the fans.

It is clear that Notre Dame have their Irish eyes set on Brian Kelly, head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. If he were to turn them down (which he won't), Tuberville very well could be considered but by that point his name may be off the board.

If Tuberville were to go to Virginia, he would have to deal with tougher academic standards and an atmosphere quite different from what he experienced in the SEC.

Now granted, Auburn obviously has academic standards as well and Virginia has proven to have a strong home field advantage when the product is good, but this would be quite a different challenge for Tuberville.

Will he have the patience and the passion to turn a program around like he was about to do at Ole Miss when the school was coming off scholarship sanctions?

More importantly, if Tuberville were Virginia's first choice, why no movement? Former coach Al Groh was pretty much a lame-duck after a season opening loss to William & Mary. They must have spoken to him at least informally during the season to gauge interest.

Perhaps Virginia would like to speak with Mike London first and if the former coordinator said yes, the Cavaliers may make him the new head of the football program.

Then there's Louisville and now Kansas, who just recently let go of their coach Mark Mangino. Both of these schools are basketball schools, and if Tuberville were to go there, he would have to become accustomed to playing second fiddle to Rick Pitino or Bill Self.

The Big East proposes an interesting challenge because it is wide open. Were Cincinnati to lose Brian Kelly, the vacuum of power would allow the Cardinals to reassert itself in the conference and perhaps even the national championship picture.

The Big XII is loaded with Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State and a resurgent Nebraska team with the always fun-to-watch Texas Tech Red Raiders thrown in for good measure.

Kansas may be a good program but it is also in a highly competitive conference, much like the one Tuberville has his prior coaching experience in.

Ultimately, there are pros and cons towards all the options and the decision of what will happen to Tuberville depends on the man as much as it does the programs with the recent openings.

At this point, Virginia is probably still the favorite to land Tuberville if anyone does. He brings the instant name recognition and credentials needed to jump start a program in apathy. Yet the rumors have remained just that and Virginia fans no better than to get their hopes up.

Earlier this year, Virginia basketball fans dealt with rumors that Athletic Director Craig Littlepage would hire Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. This was the second time those rumors had come about and both times they proved to be completely false.

Will Tuberville be a similar mirage? The problem is that no one really knows. The situation is being kept extremely quiet, that way if there were a rejection from Tuberville that Virginia can save some face. Silence is far from golden for Virginia fans who desperately want a big name hire this off-season.

It may be quiet in Charlottesville, Va., but is it the calm before the storm?

Tuberville is the brass ring, hopefully Virginia is reaching because this may be the season they can finally reach it.

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Bowling Green-Savannah State: Falcons Get Back to Even on the Season

Drew Gatewood — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:01:42 -0500

Bowling Green evened its season record to 3-3 with its 59-51 victory over Savannah State. The Falcons led by two at half, but outscored the Tigers 31-25 in the second half.

Joe Jakubowski had 14 points leading the Falcons in scoring, most of which were in the second half. Otis Polk and Erik Marschall had 10 points apiece as the only other Bowling Green players in double figures.

The Falcons shot 48 percent from the field, but struggled mightily from behind the arc only shoot a dismal 29 percent.

This lack of perimeter shooting allowed for the Tigers to stay within reach for most of the second half even though they were out-rebounded 37-28.

Tracy Rankins had a game high 24 points and was assisted by Arnold Lewis’s 13 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers shot 40 percent from the field including 36 percent from three-point range.

Savannah State had 15 turnovers nine of which were in the second half of the game and hindered an already uphill comeback.

Bowling Green (3-3) will face Fordham (1-4) on Saturday at 7:00pm. This will begin a five-game road streak as the Falcons have had their last home game of 2009.

This road stretch will pit them against very beatable opponents, and should give the coaching staff a good look at how this team will perform on the road for the rest of the season.

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Brian Kelly: Put Cincinnati Out of Its Misery

Eric Ball — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:08:04 -0500

Every December reminds me why I love to hate college football. And I’m not here to talk about the insane BCS “play-off” system either. It’s the process of coaching changes and the destruction it leaves the school that gets dumped.

Why does the NCAA condone a system in which its top coaches are forced to make career decisions in early December, when they should be attending to the business of winning big games? Does all the hard work and team camaraderie that has been achieved since August get lost in the dollar signs?

It’s all about recruiting. It’s about National Signing Day, which for some reason occurs in February. Not having a coach for a long enough time period can lead an athletic director to pull the trigger in panic and drop the ball (see Notre Dame for the past three coaches).

Cincinnati's Brian Kelly has been a winner everywhere. No need to barrage you with stats but the guy has never had a losing season. He has taken the UC football program and given it an extreme makeover winning addition. The excitement for UC football has never been so high. Prior to his arrival, the Bearcats had only one season with double-digit wins (1951).

The team is undefeated and ranked No. 5, a year after getting to their first ever BCS bowl. Kelly has assumed the throne in the Queen City and is as beloved a figure as Pete Rose right now. The guy can rob a bank in the Nati' and get a slap on the wrist. He is the savior, the one that did the unthinkable.

All this excitement is now being transformed into paranoia and depression.

Once Notre Dame started going down the tubes the rumors began to swirl. Kelly is Irish, he is Catholic, he's an east coast guy, he can handle the media pressure because his dad was a politician were all reasons he could fit the job description.

Forget the fact that Kelly had once told the media how much he loved the Cincinnati school system and his kids told him they don't want to ever move. That was waaaay back in September, ancient news now.

As Cincinnati's historic season rolled on, so did the rumors of their coach. Once Notre Dame lost to Navy, it turned into a Kansas size tornado of speculation. As Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, John Gruden, Gary Patterson, and Kirk Ferentz all publicly declined, Kelly's name crept farther and farther up the list.

This week alone there has been a report on Irishcentral.com that a so-called “Irish expert” already confirmed he will sign a contract on Monday. Another report says that Kelly announced he was staying put on a Cincinnati radio station.

The No. 5 Bearcats (11-0, 6-0) play for a Big East title and possible berth in the BCS National Championship Game on Saturday at Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1). The players and their coach have been forced to talk about a team they might never play more than the team they play for a Big East Championship this week.

Kelly isn’t being vocal about it to his players either.

"He hasn't addressed it," tight end Ben Guidugli said. "We would have liked for him to address it, but he didn't. It's not taking anything away from this game. All the work we have done, we are not going to let anybody take away from this game we got coming up."

An 18th-straight regular season victory, combined with a Nebraska upset of Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game, could deliver a spot in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 8 against the winner of the SEC title. At the very least it would be back-to-back BCS Bowl appearances to match consecutive Big East titles.

But Kelly could be the next Irish coach as early as Sunday or Monday. Kelly’s even familiar with the awkward situation. After Mark Dantonio left Cincinnati in the dust to go off to the Big Ten to coach Michigan St, Kelly came in to lead the Bearcats to a win in the International Bowl.

The bottom line is that the Irish will flash enough dough to get their man and the Bearcats will revert to the norm. A season that should be so memorable, a season that could end with a perfect record just leaves fans with the depressing knowledge of knowing that it’s team is nothing more than a pit stop on the coaching carousel.

Kelly was on the verge of owning the city. He was inching toward the Bob Huggins stratosphere of king of the city. He could have signed a 15-year contract extension if he wanted.

Instead he will take the money and slowly get beaten to a pulp by the Notre Dame media. Every year will be like sticking your head in a pressure cooker and hoping for the best. At first he will be loved, but look how far Charlie Weiss fell after taking the Irish to a BCS game in his first season.

Good luck getting to a BCS bowl with that defense BK.

“It’s not comfortable for me,’’ Kelly said Tuesday. “It’s not comfortable for those involved. (But) it’s the reality of it. The only thing I can control is the message every day to our football players, how we can become champions. I can’t handle all these other things out there.’’

Yes you can actually. Do what so many others have done and say thanks, but no thanks. Instead, the most legendary year of an entire program has been overshadowed by a 6-6 team’s interest in their coach. This is the way college football works in 2009. Loyalty is drowned by fame and fortune.

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Mark Mangino Resigns: Edsall, Harbaugh, Strong All Potential Candidates

J.D. Schaller — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:58:58 -0500

In a meeting that took place just minutes ago, Mark Mangino resigned (it was probably suggested...) from his position as head football coach at the University of Kansas.

He has reportedly reached an agreement that will not financially weigh down the University's athletics department. Rumors are already flying around campus concerning potential successors Lew Perkins may have his eye on.

I don't claim to know that much about the world of coaching, or that there is any truth to these rumors whatsoever, but here's a run-down of the main names people seem to like the most up here on the hill...

Brent Venables (Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator)

This coordinator will be at the top of every major job opening in the NCAA next year, so it's hard to imagine him coming to Kansas.

Had Bob Stoops left or should he, for whatever reason, change his mind and head to South Bend, Venables would be the Sooners' head honcho.

As long as Stoops is in town, however, Venables could be searching for another venue, and Kansas wouldn't be an awful spot for a first prime-time coaching gig.

However, I think waiting another year at Oklahoma may ultimately result in better opportunities elsewhere. Besides, if players think Mangino's rough, wait til they get a load of this guy.

Outlook: There will be greener pastures for Venables.

Robb Akey (Idaho Head Coach)

The Idaho Vandals' head coach has been on a 20-year trip that has taken him everywhere throughout the west, and he has been successful at every pit stop.

In just two years, he has turned Idaho from a nobody to a contender. However, this is still the WAC we're talking here, and his Vandals are currently just 4-4 in conference play.

I think he's a good enough coach for a job like Kansas, but is still a bit unproven and would be a risky pick-up. Another improved season for the Vandals next year will mean big, BCS-style bucks for Akey in 2011.

Outlook: There are far more qualified candidates.

Jim Harbaugh (Stanford Head Coach)

Harbaugh seems really intriguing to me. The window is open in the Pac 10 with USC on a bit of a decline, and Stanford is a pretty quality school to coach football for. It's hard to argue with BCS football on the west coast, isn't it?

Only two things push me to put Harbaugh on this list. First, a source tells me that his wife is from Kansas City, and that he's familiar with and enjoys the area.

Secondly, despite being out west, the recruiting at Kansas provides stronger opportunities than Stanford due to the Cardinals' stringent academic requirements.

Hey, I like him, and he seems like the kind of guy Lew Perkins would be interested in as well.

Outlook: I can't say I'd argue with a hire like this if he's interested.

Charlie Strong (Florida Defensive Coordinator)

Strong is a fantastic recruiter and manages to compile supremely athletic and talented defenses year in and year out.

He promotes tough, disciplined football, and would be a welcome addition to any coaching opportunity in the country.

Once again, however, therein lies the problem. Louisville has him on the radar already, and while I think Kansas provides a much more enticing offer for potential football coaches, I only wonder who else might be eyeing him already.

For now, I'll put him in the same category as Venables, as he hasn't had a major head coaching gig yet, but could and should have one soon.

Outlook: I'm appalled that more noise hasn't been made surrounding Strong, but don't doubt it will come soon; if not this year, then next.

Randy Edsall (Connecticut Head Coach)

In reality, I think Edsall makes the most sense. Lew Perkins hired him once already, to a very similar 'basketball school' situation none the less, and he has been consistently successful there since.

He's a tough, classy, Perkins kind of guy and Kansas could probably offer him a little more potential (in both financial and football terms) than UConn would likely propose. He even brought UConn from the subdivision into the BCS football world.

However, his team hasn't gone far since, and his win column is scattered with some random 3's and 4's over his tenure at UConn. He'd fit right in at Kansas, but could he bring our football team anywhere?

Outlook: He'd be ludicrous not to look at Kansas, but I'm not sure I want Kansas looking at him.

Will Muschamp (Texas Defensive Coordinator), Brian Kelly (Cincinnati Head Coach)

For all of you hopefuls throwing these two names around, I'm going to give you some advice.

Stop.

Mack Brown needs a successor at potentially the best football venue in America (Texas, people), and Brian Kelly is the hottest item on the coaching market right now. No offense, Kansas, but we should probably set our sights down just a hair.

I know I've barely scratched the surface of potential coaches, though.

Leave your comment at the bottom and let me know about the names you've heard, what you think of them, and who you'd ultimately enjoy seeing as the head football coach for the University of Kansas! I'm interested to hear!

In the meantime, I'm going to sit back, relax, and let a very experienced athletic director take care of business.

I'd also like to wish Mark Mangino the best in whatever he decides to do, because he is still what made Kansas football great.

Retirement, a smaller head coaching gig, or an assistant job somewhere seem like the ideal spots for the big fella. Anyone think Bill Snyder would like to have him around?

Anyway, I'd also like to say that while I have enjoyed having Mangino around and that he's still a great football coach, I also think that due to recruiting, potentially recurring issues, and both his and the school's image, the coach did the best thing he could've done for himself and the University of Kansas.

Read more NCAA news on BleacherReport.com

The Bull Hits the Fan Part II: Anthony Crater Suspended

Drew Gatewood — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:47:45 -0500

Anthony Crater, the former Ohio State Buckeye who transferred last December, has been suspended for failing his second drug test as a USF Bull, according to a report on Fan House.

Crater who failed a drug test at Ohio State before transferring was also named as a potential robbery suspect earlier in the year when former Bulls players Gaby Belardo and Jesus Verdejo’s apartment was broken into.

Crater would be able to make his debut during the Central Michigan game next week, but is now facing a four to six game suspension for the failed drug test.

Neither Stan Heath of USF Athletic Director Barry Clements would comment on the situation.

The NCAA has also sent a probe to investigate the allegations brought up two weeks ago about Augustus Gilchrist's possible tampering during his transfer and the alleged robbery that may have involved Crater.

I wrote about it in this article here .

Once again, USF gets into the news in a less than commendable reason.

Crater has been the focus of the most recent trouble for the program but was also arrested a month into his tenure at USF when he and current Bull, Mike Mercer, were picked up for marijuana possession on January 23, 2009.

That was Mercer’s second arrest as a Bull. The charges were later dropped in June for Crater but not Mercer. Both remained on the team with no repercussions.

The Bulls next game will be against Central Michigan on December 13 at the Sun Dome.

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Mangino Resigns: Is The Future Bright Or Did Kansas Pull a Baylor?

Denny K. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:45:11 -0500

Mark Mangino, two wins shy of being the winningest football coach in school history, has resigned his position as head football coach at the University of Kansas after reaching a financial settlement with the university. Athletic director Lew Perkins met with Kansas players and assistant coaches at the Jayhawks’ football complex to break the news. Mangino is not believed to have been present.

We can only imagine what the emotions and tension must have been at that meeting between the players and coaches and Perkins.

Along with the scrutiny brought by the investigation, which began after Mangino allegedly grabbed, yelled at and poked senior linebacker Arist Wright, the Jayhawks this season endured a bitter seven-game losing streak after starting the season 5-0. Regardless of which factor played a larger role in his resignation, either the losing streak or the investigation, Mangino was forced out from Kansas today.

Mark Mangino is going to leave behind him an undeniable legacy in Kansas football history. For the most part there were more highs than lows under Mangino the last eight years in Lawrence. Against great odds Mangino took the Kansas Jayhawks to four bowl games, including back to back bowls, nothing the traditional Big 12 cellar dweller had ever accomplished before. Most impressively, in the era of the Big 12 Mangino took the Jayhawks to the 2008 Orange Bowl and won it against Virginia Tech capping a school best 12-1 season.

Mangino built a football program from scrap in his own image- and for this he was widely loved by Jayhawks fans. His teams took on his personality. They were plucky, focused, disciplined and resilient. Mangino's players would often repeat in interviews one of his favorite expressions, no matter what happens you just have to "keep sawing wood." Many of the players, some now in the NFL, that bought into Mangino's system made emotional defenses for him the last few weeks.

The divorce between Kansas and Mangino was messy, to say the least.

It was always known in Lawrence that athletic director Lew Perkins and Mark Mangino did not get along. Their mutual dislike, or coldness, became blatantly apparent this season first with the much publicized feuding between the football and basketball teams and then later with the allegations of mistreatment. Lew Perkins did not hire Mangino and this fact was always apparent. Mangino was not Perkins' guy and therefore he was expendable.

One thing is clear now though, the next football coach Lew Perkins brings in will be his guy. Rumors are circulating that Turner Gill, Jim Harbaugh, Art Briles, Larry Fedora, Randy Edsall and Phil Fulmer all may be canidates. Whoever the eventual hire will be, Lew Perkins should know that his future at Kansas is tied with the success of the next Kansas football coach. If that coach bombs in three or four years, he and Perkins may very well be standing in the unemployment line together. Perkins has no big hire under his belt at Kansas yet. He did not hire either Mangino or the basketball National Championship winner Bill Self. The stakes for Perkins are high.

On top of all this, Perkins recently began a controversial project to build a 3,000 seat luxury club-level addition to the Jayhawks' Memorial Stadium. Priced at $34 million, so far Perkins has only been able to raise $3.5 million towards the project, a figure that is only slightly more than the 10 percent necessary to begin work. If Perkins misses on this hire, or if the new coach struggles in his first few years, its hard to see fans and donors supporting Perkins with money to build luxury boxes to watch a bad team play.

As the coaching search now goes forward, it is interesting and ironic to note that Mark Mangino has made the Kansas football job more attractive than it was before he took it. In doing this he has placed great expectations upon the next coach who lands in Lawrence. Kansas isn't Texas or Nebraska or even Missouri, but Mangino won the Orange Bowl so why shouldn't the next guy be able to replicate his success? Sounds like pressure to me.

In 1996 the Baylor Bears fired Chuck Reedy after he had found success similar to that of Mark Mangino during his time there. For the athletic director, it simply was not good enough so he was let go. What happened to Baylor's football program after that firing should be any Kansas Jayhawk fan's worst nightmare. Reedy had taken Baylor to the Alamo Bowl, but after he left Baylor never went to a bowl again and posted a winning percentage from 1996 to 2009 in Big 12 play that was decidely under twenty percent. That is ugly. And what is worse, it is a possible future for Kansas.

The new Kansas football coach is going to have to face a Big 12 North division that took major steps forward in 2009. Under Bo Pelini, Nebraska looks like it is close to reclaiming its national power status. At Missouri, Gary Pinkel has built a consistent year to year bowl team and title contender that also happens to have one of the more talented young quarterbacks under center in Blaine Gabbert. Kansas State, which seemed to be a mess when Ron Prince was coach, has now been resurrected under the remarkable coaching genius of Bill Snyder and should be expected to be a division title contender. Finally, even Iowa State appears to have a bright future after making a bowl game in Paul Rhodes' first season in 2009 and returning lots of talent for 2010. And this is just mentioning the teams from the Big 12 North, and not the traditionally stronger teams of the South division like Oklahoma and Texas who Kansas will have to play too.

If Kansas' football program is going to have a chance, Lew Perkins needs to act quickly to find a coach that can win at Kansas. This is not an easy task, but it is possible as Mark Mangino showed. Thanks to the drawn out and controversial firing of Mark Mangino by Perkins, the next coach is going to have an even harder time of it. Many fans and alumni are not happy that Mangino is no longer leading Kansas and if the next coach stumbles out of the gate things could get ugly fast in Lawrence.

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College Coaching Rumors: Who's Replacing Al Groh?

Dumont Walker — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:28:26 -0500

Virginia wasted no time in firing head coach Al Groh, which is a good thing for this program. The University of Virginia football program is at rock bottom, and they need to bring in new blood, someone who can hit the ground running. Everyday the Cavaliers go without a head coach is a lost day of recruiting and building for the future.

Last week we took a few moments out to examine some of the potential coaches that Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage would look at to replace Al Groh. Now with Groh off campus and most teams through the regular season, a full out search can begin. Let's take a look at who Littlepage has actually reached out to.

Brian Kelly : We've already discussed this, and it is official. Craig Littlepage has received permission to reach out and speak with the Cincinnati Bearcats head coach.

However, one has to think Coach Kelly is keeping his options open until the door is completely closed on the Notre Dame deal. Anything more than a courtesy conversation between Brian Kelly and Craig Littlepage would be surprising.

Skip Holtz : The son of the legendary...err infamous Notre Dame and South Carolina coach Lou Holtz, has made a name for himself over the past few seasons at ECU.

It was just two seasons ago when the Pirates where a ranked and tearing up the polls. Skip Holtz is a good coach and he has plenty going for himself. However, I'm of the belief that Skip Holtz's best days may already be behind him.

Mike London : As we've mentioned before, the former UVA assistant has a great program down in Richmond. However, the word from the Virginia donors is they are not ready, and do not want Mr. London returning to town next season.

Derek Dooley : The current Louisiana Tech head coach and one time Virginia walk-on is just the latest in the group of former Virginia players looking for employment.

Is this for real? If Mike London is not yet ready, Derek Dooley is not ready either.

Troy Calhoun : The Air Force head coach creates an interesting wrinkle in the Virginia coaching search. Calhoun has made some serious strides rebuilding the Air Force football program. He brings a load of experience, and an exciting offense. Calhoun could make for an interesting pick as the next Virginia head coach.

Philip Fulmer : It was only a matter of time before the former Tennessee head coach found himself thrown into the UVA coaching search. While things went horribly sour in his final days as head coach of the Vols, Fulmer is a good coach, and would be an asset to the Virginia program. He has also expressed extreme interest in getting back to coaching in the 2010 season.

Tommy Tuberville : The rumors swirling around the former Auburn coach may be louder than any other coach on this list. Several sources reported that Tuberville was in Charlottesville as recently as last week.

While there is no confirmation to that rumor, it is a fact that Tuberville announced on the radio that he had a strong feeling he would be coaching in either the ACC or the Big-12 in 2010. Remember, Tuberville never had less than a 9 win season while at Auburn, including an undefeated, 13 win season.

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Boise State BCS Hopes Are Thriving In Only Their Sophomore Year

Lace Banachek — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:09:03 -0500

At the conclusion of last season, there were not many who imagined Boise State would be undefeated and ranked sixth in the BCS. For that matter, it seemed like the early polls were throwing the Broncos a bone putting them in the top twenty-five at all.

After all, Boise State graduated pretty much all of the team worth mentioning. Plus, there was Jeremy Childs who sought to jump ship in hope of landing in the NFL (he missed his landing). Albeit, there was still hope for Boise State as long as the Broncos sophomore quarterback was healthy.

Kellen Moore is indeed healthy, his touchdowns are up, interceptions down, has passed for over 3,000 yards, and is the number one quarterback in the nation with a passer rating of 168.7 (only Tony Pike from Cincinnati has the next highest rating at 162.2).

Indeed, Kellen Moore achieved all of that with a depleted offensive line, and a new set of receivers, which must be remembered that Ian Johnson, the Broncos all-everything running back, was also a favorite target of Moore’s out of the backfield—and he graduated as well.

It is not easy to come back quickly when a team graduates so much talent. The Broncos did not lose just offensive talent; they graduated pretty much everybody but their secondary off of last season's defensive unit. Thus, in some minds, Boise State would most likely give up the conference title as they had in 2007. It didn’t happen!

Boise State held on to the Governor's Cup one more time when they defeated Nevada Friday evening. The Wolf Pack had just came off an eight game winning streak and proved to be a formidable foe once again, losing to the Broncos 44 to 33.

The Broncos' new defense is very young, but they will only be better next season. Boise State loses two cornerbacks Kyle Wilson and Garcia Day, a fullback/tight end Richie Brockel and reserve wide receiver Michael Choate.

Of these four, only Wilson and Brockel were first team starters. However, Boise State has had many injuries this season; Brockel (lost for the season) was among them. They will be missed, but the Broncos will have considerable depth at all positions (the redshirt scout team is jammed to the hilt).

Next season, the Broncos will be stronger and deeper than they have ever been, but not just in body count—there are numerous potential all-star caliber and select potential NFL candidates.

This season the Broncos surprised everyone, even many of their fans when they assembled such a powerful team in one year. There is no doubt that Boise State's final regular season game against New Mexico State will not be a terrific challenge. However, the challenge will be in replacing their number one receiver Austin Pettis who was hurt in last weeks game against the Wolf Pack.

Austin Pettis is an elusive receiver with strong hands and fingers like glue—he catches just about everything and is already missed. There is hope he may be back for the Bowl game, and this year that Bowl game appears to be a BCS Bowl.

The Broncos got the attention this year of the BCS and they have rewarded them kindly all season. It appears the Broncos need only to finish their NMSU game respectfully and for the University of Texas to beat Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Barring that upset, Colt McCoy’s Texas team is headed for a national championship title game with the winner of Florida and Alabama.

There is talk of the Broncos going to the Sugar but it seems most likely that TCU will do that due to their higher ranking—the Broncos will head to the Fiesta Bowl to match up against Iowa or Penn State.

My opinion? Boise State will be primed for either one.

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College Football Pick'em: Conference Championship Week

Dumont Walker — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:07:31 -0500

The 2009 college football season is almost done. Beginning on Thursday the BCS conferences kick off their conference championship games. Of course, we have to talk about the big BCS games because there are going to be some very good ones. That being said, let's not waste any time and jump right into predicting some games. There is going to be a big payoff this week folks.

Oregon-Oregon State

The Civil War is one of the most underrated rivalries in all of college football. This is mainly because the majority of us writers live on the East Coast and if your name is not USC we don't care about what happens out on the left coast. Nonetheless, this rivalry has delivered some great moments. This year, the Civil War is on Thursday night at prime time, no excuse for missing this one.

Last year, the Oregon State Beavers had the opportunity to backdoor their way into the Pac-10 Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. However, thanks to injuries, the Beavers fell flat on their face and were drubbed by rival Oregon.

This year the Beavers are out for redemption. The key for Oregon State will be keeping this a close game. If they can keep this game manageable going into the fourth quarter, then it can go either way.

One stat to look at is third down efficiency. The Beavers are ninth in the nation in third down conversations. This is a key stat in both keeping drives alive, coming back from a deficit, and chewing up clock. Oregon State's best defense will be their offense, and they need to keep drives alive and keep the Oregon Ducks' high scoring offense off of the field.

Who would have thought the Oregon Ducks would be in a position to win a trip to the Rose Bowl? This was a team once left for dead. But they have resurrected themselves, and the Ducks' offense is leading the way.

Jeremiah Masoli is a stud quarterback who accounted for six touchdowns last week again Arizona. He has been on a tear all season and hopes to keep it up tonight. He is big, he can move, and he has a reliable arm. The Ducks score points in heaps, and they like to keep the game moving with a very uptempo style. It will be key for them to establish their high flying offense early, and to try to avoid getting into a shootout like they did last week against Arizona.

The spread on this game favors the Ducks by 10 points. This is not surprising considering the way Oregon has been playing as of late. Plus, when you throw in home field advantage, you have the potential for a recipe for disaster. At the end of the day, the big question is how long can the Oregon State Beavers control Masoli, and the answer is not very long. The Oregon offense is just too much to handle.

Winner: Oregon wins the game and covers the spread .

Cincinnati-Pittsburgh

The Cincinnati Bearcats are on pace for a magical season. Brian Kelly's bunch has a chance to go undefeated and to have the opportunity to play in their second consecutive BCS bowl game.

There's just one problem, the Pittsburgh Panthers are standing in the way, and they are a good team. After last week's upset loss in the Backyard Brawl, you can bet they are hungry to win. The Big East doesn't have a conference championship game, but there is a BCS game bid at stake in this one.

At 9-2, the Pitt Panthers 9-2 are a very talented team. Dave Wannstedt is finally living up to the hype, and for once he is not on the hot seat. Now that Wannstedt has brought his team to the mountain top, it's time to take them to the promise land.

Pitt has a dynamic offense, that while not being high scoring, it is very talented and they can put up points in a sneaky way. Running back Dion Lewis has eight 100 yard rushing games this season. Combine that with wide out Jonathan Baldwin who has caught a pass for 40 or more yards in seven games this season and you have a team that can put up points when they have to.

The Cincinnati Bearcats have been a fun team to watch this season. They have not one, but two talented quarterbacks. Each guy gives them a different look, but both can knife a defense if given an opportunity. There was a time when I thought the Bearcats were the best team in the country, but that is no longer the case.

My main concern with Cincinnati is their defense. Cincinnati gives up far too many points to be considered an elite team. In the last month, Cincinnati has played in way too many close games. Pitt is not a team that the Bearcats can spot 20 or 30 points to. That young Cincinnati defense must step up and come up with some big stops and force a few turnovers.

Another distraction Cincinnati must deal with this weekend are the rumors regarding coaching vacancy at Notre Dame and Bearcat head coach Brian Kelly. There is no doubt this will be a distraction to deal with.

The spread on this game favors the Cincinnati Bearcats by two points. This is a fair enough spread, which is why I am taking the upset this week. The Cincinnati defense not up to par and they cannot stop anyone. Pittsburgh is solid and they can control the clock with their running game.

Winner:Pitt pulls the upset, wins the game, and covers the spread.

Florida-Alabama

This is the big one. The Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide will square off in the SEC Championship with a trip to the BCS National Championship Game at stake. According to the rankings, Florida and Alabama are ranked first and second respectively, and with the new rules in the BCS, the loser of this game has no chance of playing in the BCS Championship.

Alabama has waited a year for this game. Last season, the Gators played an exceptional game and the Crimson Tide fell short. As a result, the Tide went to the Sugar Bowl, where they were then annihilated by Utah.

In many ways, a win in the 2009 SEC Championship would serve as redemption for a year of frustration. Receiver Julio Jones has really come into his own late this season and he has help create a balanced attack on offense so that the Tide can control the clock and keep Tim Tebow off the field.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alabama must get pressure from their defensive line. The Tide defense has to keep Tebow in check, especially during the fourth quarter.

The Florida Gators have been on a mission all season. The defending national champions are stacked and have plenty of talent returning from last season. However, despite going wire-to-wire ranked atop college football, the Gators have looked human all season.

The Gators have played in plenty of close games all season. Lane Kiffen and Tennessee gave the country a blueprint on how to beat Florida. Go figure, rough up Tebow and you can slow down that offense. However, the Gators appear to be reaching their stride. Last week was a Tim Tebow love fest against Florida State, and the "Chosen One" put on a show. There is no doubt that he will be ready to perform on the big stage once again.

The spread on this game favors the Florida Gators by six points, that's after taking into account Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap being out for the game. This is going to be a great game just like last season. However, unlike last season, I believe Alabama can cover the six points.

Winner: Florida wins the game, Alabama covers the spread.

Georgia Tech-Clemson

The ACC Championship took a major hit last week when both Georgia Tech and Clemson lost their regular season finales. However, despite those lackluster showings, one team still has to earn the right to make it to the 2010 Orange Bowl.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have the best rushing attack in the country. The triple option is tough to defend, because teams cannot duplicate the speed of the attack. A key to the Yellow Jackets attack will be the health of quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Last week he injured his leg against Georgia and the Rambling Wreck's offense was stifled. If he cannot go at 100 percent, it could be a long day.

The Clemson Tigers have been quietly successful all season. C.J. Spiller is one of the best backs in the country, and frankly he was screwed for not being included in the Heisman conversation. Nonetheless, the Tigers march on and have a chance to show the nation exactly how good they really are.

One major advantage Clemson holds going into this game is that they played Georgia Tech earlier this season. They have seen the option attack, and they are well aware of how it functions.

The spread on this game favors Georgia Tech by a point, essentially making it a pick'em game. When it's all said and done, Georgia Tech's offense is just too talented to be slowed down two weeks in a row.

Winner: Georgia Tech wins the game and covers the one point spread.

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College Coaching Rumors: Chris Peterson Still in the Mix at UVA?

Dumont Walker — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:03:46 -0500

We brought this story to you just over a week ago and it caught like wildfire for a brief moment. The rumor was that University of Virginia officials had reached out to and made contact with Boise State head coach Chris Peterson.

After some talks it appeared the rumor was false. Chris Peterson compared the UVA rumor to similar rumors that put him at Mississippi State. Rumors which were obviously proved to be false.

However, this morning, the Chris Peterson to UVA rumor reared it's head once again. For the second time in a week, Mac McDonald, the former UVA play-by-play man, announced on his radio show that a deal was in place between Chris Peterson and the University of Virginia.

This comes on the heels of McDonald announcing that a deal was already in place between the two parties. While many have discredited Mac McDonald for being erroneous in the past, perhaps there is a bit of life to this rumor. As the University of Virginia continues it's search for a new head coach, one can only assume this rumor will continue to grow.

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Willie Martinez: "Thanks" For The Memories

Alex Ferguson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:00:46 -0500

In the last few days we've spent an awful lot of time saying goodbye to Bobby Bowden, Charlie Weis, and, er, Al Groh.

Now, Willie Martinez and the Georgia defensive coaching staff is out of a job after Georgia's bowl game.

And you know what? It's no surprise.

Some friends and I were having drinks in a bar in Athens the day after the LSU loss and a guy said this:

"You have no idea how powerful the Georgia Bulldogs alumni are around here. They wanted Willie Martinez out last year and Mark Richt pleaded to keep him. At the end of the year, he'll be out."

And this was before the horrific performances against Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky.

We'd already seen the potential for Georgia's defense to be absolutely dreadful against South Carolina and Arkansas when the guy in the bar made the comment, but he couldn't have foreseen the lack of tackling against Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky.

It was absolutely horrible.

In fact, we'd like to argue that we saw more fight at Michigan State than Georgia's defense this year.

Yes, we realise that Martinez's defense picked its butt up against Georgia Tech in a game that everybody (well, us anyway) thought they lose—heavily. But let's not call Martinez' firing unwarranted or the least bit undeserved.

And while we're at it, can we suggest someone else to coach the wide receivers who, apart from AJ Green, couldn't catch a cold this year?

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College Football Bowl Predictions: BIG XII Edition

Sportscaster007 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:56:44 -0500

My colleague and I are counting down the Bowl Games Conference by Conference. We’ve already covered the ACC, Big Ten, Big East, and now the BIG XII comes out the gate. I hope you enjoy reading this piece as I did writing it.

So, without further ado, here are the picks:

Independence Bowl (No. 7 Big XII v No. 8 SEC) – Dec. 28, Shreveport, LA

Texas A&M is one of the most simultaneously elusive and lackluster teams this season. I wrote about their rollercoaster season in last week’s predictions for Rivalry Week, and the rollercoaster is still going.

After what looked to be a great 3-0 start for the Aggies, they lost three straight to Arkansas (47-19), Oklahoma State in shootout fashion, and then to Kansas State in a dismantling 62-14. But A&M quickly shattered their losing ways, blowing out Texas Tech 52-30, before taking the Cyclones for a spin as well, in a 35-10 steamroll.

Over the next two weeks A&M lost to Colorado by one point and were torn limb from limb by Oklahoma, 65-10. But the Aggies were resilient, handling Baylor 38-3 and giving Colt McCoy and the Longhorns all they could handle in a Thanksgiving thriller.

The Gamecocks created havoc for the No. 1 Gators, kept Alabama close, took down the Mississippi Rebels when they were ranked in the Top Five, and also took down Clemson last week.

Arkansas beat A&M by 28 points. The Razorback also beat South Carolina by 17 points. Coincidently, South Carolina beats the Aggies by 11 points: 31-20.

Holiday Bowl (No. 3 BIG XII v No. 2 PAC-10) – Dec. 30, San Diego, CA

The Holiday Bowl will be a matchup between the O-States, who came very close to making it to a BCS Bowl Game.

Oklahoma State “are not who we thought they were”. Actually, they were just the team I expected them to be - a pretender. The media bought into their seemingly tough competition, but most of their schedule was filled with cupcakes; the only wholesome teams they dealt with, they lost to.

The Cowboys only have two solid victories against this season – against Georgia and Texas Tech, neither one a ranked opponent. Okey State blew a gasket against Texas, fell to pieces against the Sooners in shutout fashion, and lost to a very solid Houston team in a shootout. Oklahoma State also had trouble against ‘A&M, Colorado, and Rice.

Oregon State should be favored in this intriguing matchup. The Beavers haven’t done much about style points, but they do a great job of moving the football. The Dam Workers struggled early in the season, losing to Cincinnati and Arizona, but they are on a four-game winning streak. However, they’ll lose to the Ducks.

This is why the Beavers will come out firing with resilience, trying to prove they are a legitimate team. This game could get out of hand early. The Beavers win by two touchdowns, 38-24.

Sun Bowl (No. 5 BIG XII/No. 2 BIG EAST/ND v No. 3 PAC-10) – Dec. 31, El Paso, TX

California will have a tough bowl game against the 7-5 Sooners of Oklahoma.

The Sooners have an exceptional passing game and limit their opponents to less than 14 points per game. The headline used to be their one-point blemishes, but it seems it’s moved to their inconsistent destructive wins and losses.

The new era began in the last week of October, when they had a drastic lead over K-State but allowed a huge comeback. Oklahoma held onto the win, but they lost a week later in a defensive slugfest to Nebraska.

But the Sooners answered with a 65-10 blowout over A&M. However, the next week their astonishing inconsistency continued as they lost to the Red Raiders 41-13.

And last week the Sooners took away their arch rival’s spot for a BCS game, shutting out Oklahoma State, 27-0. But their inconsistency has an easy explanation.

Oklahoma puts up 46 points and allows less than 8 points per game on their turf. The Sooners give up 21 points and only put up 17 on the road. And on a neutral site, the Sooners average only 13 points, allowing a total of 30 points to Texas and Brigham Young.

California started the season off well, blowing out cupcakes, but were taken for a ride by Oregon and USC. The Golden Bears gave up 62 points in both games and only put up a messy six.

But if Cal survives the pesky Huskies from Washington, the Golden Bears will end the season with a win in six of their last seven games. Make it six out of eight.

Sooners win on a neutral site for the first time this season, 27-17.

Texas Bowl (No. 8 BIG XII v Navy) – Dec. 31, Houston, TX

Iowa State will take on Navy in the Texas Bowl. The Cyclones are 6-6 and have put up a good fight all season. Their signature win happened in Week 8 on the road, upsetting Nebraska. But IA State suffered a few blows along the way against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Iowa.

The Midshipmen average less than 75 passing yards a game, but they make it up with an exceptional running attack and an 8-4 record. Navy played Pitt tough on the road, gave the Buckeyes all they could handle, took down Notre Dame, and have one game left on December 12^th against Army.

The Cyclones give Navy a tough battle, but the Midshipmen will put together a last-minute scoring drive to get the comeback victory. Navy wins, 25-23.

Cotton Bowl (No. 2 BIG XII v No. 3-4 SEC) – Jan. 2, Dallas, TX

Last year’s Cotton Bowl was predicted to be a blowout, at least on paper. It was a game between No. 7 Texas and the 25^th ranked Rebels from Mississippi. Red Raiders fans were not pleased at all with the matchup. But the result was beyond anyone’s imaginable dreams. A 47-34 wild thriller was the end result, but for most of the game it was a blowout. The Rebels took the victory in a shocker.

This year’s Cotton Bowl will almost be home game for the Longhorns from Austin. This obviously means Texas will lose to the Cornhuskers in the BIG XII Championship. Facing the brilliant, exceptionally talented Longhorns will be the Rebels from Mississippi, who stunned Texas Tech in last year’s Cotton Bowl.

Texas only has one victory over a ranked team – Oklahoma State, who won’t be ranked at the end of the Bowl season. But without question, the Longhorns are still among the elite teams, and will give the Rebels all they can handle.

The Longhorns have allowed less than 16 points a game (even with the Texas shootout against A&M) and have put up 43 points per game. Texas barely beat A&M. Arkansas destroyed A&M. Mississippi beat Arkansas by two touchdowns. But this has no relevance to Mississippi beating Texas.

Ole Miss also has a great defense, allowing less than 19 points per game against many talented offensive powerhouses with Arkansas, Auburn, and LSU. The Rebels will play Texas tough, but Colt McCoy’s intangibles will be too much.

Texas wins a good one, 37-26.

Alamo Bowl (No. 4 BIG XII v No. 4 BIG TEN) – Jan. 2, San Antonio, TX

The Alamo Bowl will be very memorable with the tough Red Raiders from Texas Tech and the Wisconsin Badgers. Both are teams that came very close to winning the conference, were it not for a few mistakes here and there in the games that really mattered.

Texas Tech could have been thought of as the No. 2 team in the BIG XII, having wins over Nebraska and Oklahoma both in blowout fashion. Texas Tech also put a few cupcake teams out to dry and knocked off Kansas State in what was supposed to be another close game, 66-14. TTU’s three losses came to Oklahoma State, Texas, and Houston – all on the road, by a combined 18 points.

Unlike the fearless Red Raiders, Wisconsin strays from style points. Five victories have come from eight points or less. Two out of three of their blemishes occurred on the road against Ohio State and Northwestern in shootout fashion. Looking back on their season, they haven’t been as productive as advertised.

Texas Tech should dominate most of this game. The Red Raiders will prove they’re a force to reckon with, in a 44-21 blowout.

Fiesta Bowl (BCS v BCS) – Jan. 4, Glendale, AZ

Not many expected this matchup. The 10-3 Cornhuskers will take on the unblemished Broncos from Boise in what should be a very good game that will come down to the wire. Boise State didn’t get the chance to play for the Title, with four other teams finishing unblemished. But they did get a well-deserved BCS Bowl Game against the BIG XII Champs.

These teams practically meet in the middle, so it’s hard to say anyone has the home field advantage, which plays out in the Cornhuskers’ favor. Whenever you have Boise away from Smurf Turf, you always have a better chance of coming out on top.

Boise State hasn’t faced even an average defense this season, so their offense won’t be hitting on all cylinders, like they’re used to. Boise State had a great season, but Nebraska will have a six-game winning streak coming in, and they’ll come out with seven.

Nebraska shocks the world with a 31-21 victory over Boise State, after beating Texas.

The Insight Bowl was left out, because the game has already been covered.

I apologize for the recent changes, moving Wisconsin from the Champs Sports Bowl to the Alamo Bowl and moving Mississippi from the Outback to the Cotton Bowl. But they were necessary changes and were caught for the other matchups that Caleb and I will cover later in the week, for a more accurate outlook.

Be sure to check out our other predictions on the other top conferences including the ACC - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300198-acc-bowl-predictions-can-georgia-tech-still-make-it-to-the-orange-bowl

Big Ten - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300728-college-football-bowl-predictions-big-ten-edition

Big East - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/301092-big-east-bowl-predictions-six-bowls-two-wins-how-good-is-the-big-east

PAC-10 - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/302145-pac-10-bowl-predictions-it-all-comes-down-to-the-civil-war.... with more to come!

Read more NCAA news on BleacherReport.com

Cameron Newton Gives MSU High Marks

Brad Locke — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:46:15 -0500

Give Cameron Newton credit for this: Wherever he decides to play football next season, he’ll be 100 percent sure it’s the right place. The highly touted junior college quarterback, a dual-threat guy who began his career at Florida, is taking a very deliberate and open-minded approach to choosing his next school. One of the schools he’s considering is Mississippi State.

Newton (6-foot-6, 247 pounds), who played his high school ball at Westlake in Atlanta, visited Starkville on Saturday and watched the Bulldogs dismantle Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, 41-27. During a lengthy conversation I had with Newton on Wednesday night, he said he was very impressed with what he saw that day.

“The crowd was charged up, great atmosphere,” he said. “That was everything I was expecting and more from the Mississippi State environment. Since my first step on campus, I received much love and warming hospitality. That was a major deal with me.”

MSU was just the second school he’s visited this fall. He’s also been out to Arizona, and he’s planning to visit Oklahoma next weekend. He might also visit North Carolina.

Newton’s been pretty busy at his current school. He’s leading Blinn (Texas) College up against top-ranked Fort Scott (Kan.) CC on Sunday in the JUCO national title game. Once that’s done with, he’ll really be able to hone in on his decision. His plan is to enroll in January, and he hopes to make his choice by the week of the 15th.

The signing period for JUCO transfers begins Dec. 16.

Newton said he doesn’t have a frontrunner. “It was an eye-opening experience at Mississippi State, and I’m taking everything into consideration. But my next frontrunner will be the school that I commit to.”

So what does MSU have going for it? Dan Mullen , for starters. He was Newton’s position coach at Florida, so the two are close. Newton said they didn’t actually talk a whole lot about the recruiting side of things last weekend, mostly just catching up with each other.

“The difficult thing for me to digest was how he just transformed into this idol, this American idol in Starkville,” Newton said. “That was amazing for me to see that.” He added that his relationship with Mullen won’t necessarily be a tipping point, but it sure can’t hurt.

The quarterback situation won’t be a big factor either, he said. Tyler Russell has been the anointed one, but he’s still got four years left. And you’ll have Chris Relf and probably Daniel Stegall in the mix, too.

“I feel that if I come on campus, I don’t want nothing given to me,” Newton said. “I want to work for everything, because I feel that that’s how you get the respect from your teammates, to work for everything you get.”

Newton was impressed with what Mullen’s done with the offense, especially considering the talent shortage. “One of the added dimensions is you’ve got a young team, a young, hungry team, and you’ve got a fan base at Mississippi State that is hungry for victory."

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Report: Mark Mangino Out as Kansas Football Coach

Lisa Horne — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:41:31 -0500

A source close to the Kansas football program has told ESPN's Joe Schad that Mark Mangino will not be retained by the school. The team is reportedly scheduled for a team meeting Thursday night and will be informed of the school's decision.

Schad broke the news with this tweet:

"Mark Mangino out at Kansas. Team meeting in minutes."

Mangino had been under intense scrutiny for allegedly mistreating some football players and AD Lew Perkins had been investigating the claims made by several players.

With recruiting kicking into high gear, the school presumably had to make a quick decision on whether or not they would retain Mangino so as not to affect some potential commits. Mangino reportedly resigned from his position and has agreed to a financial settlement.

The Kansas Jayhawks started the season with a blistering 5-0 record, but dropped seven straight. Mark Mangino's overall record is 50-48.

More updates as they become available.

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Pac-10 Bowl Predictions: It All Comes Down to the Civil War

Caleb M. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:35:45 -0500

For anyone following myself and Sportscaster007's predictions here, this is day three of our conference-by-conference preview.

The ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and Big East predictions are out. Tonight, I make my Pac-10 predictions (again, like version 2.0) while SC makes the SEC predictions.

Wow. It's been a while, a very long while, since the Ducks and Beavers Civil War game meant this much.

It will decide who goes to the Rose Bowl, and the toilet bowl...er, the Las Vegas Bowl, against BYU.

Only the top six teams get in, the rest are left in the dark. Let's see where each team is most likely headed.

Rose Bowl (Pac-10 Champion vs. Big 10 Champion)—January 1st, Pasadena, California

Oregon will go here, after beating out the Beavers in a Civil War for the ages. OSU will have to go all the way down to the Vegas Bowl to play lowly BYU.

But for the Ducks, they take on a hard team in the Ohio State Buckeyes. Another OSU team, how about that.

And they'll have just as much success. With Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James plowing the way, it'll be a high-scoring, thrilling game that might just come down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

However, the Buckeyes can't stand up to the powerful Ducks offense, even if they do put up five touchdowns.

Oregon 41, Ohio State 35

Holiday Bowl (Pac-10 two vs. Big 12 three)—December 30th, San Diego, California

In second place (although the Beavers deserve it) are the USC Trojans. That is, assuming they can take care of Arizona this weekend.

USC has had one of its worst years ever in history, suffering their two biggest losses in Pete Carol's history, and both are in the top five worst losses ever for USC.

That being said, they have a good team. The rest of the Pac better soak it up now, because you know he'll be back and Matt Barkley will be better than ever; and he'll only improve every year.

Against the Trojans will be the third place finish from the Big 12—Oklahoma State. Oh, snap! They've accepted a Cotton Bowl bid. That results in Nebraska coming here guaranteed.

Nebraska is a strong team, especially on defense, led by freshman Ndamukong Suh. They are capable of pulling off a win.

However three of those wins came against Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette. Complete butt-hole-of-college-football teams.

The 'Huskers lost to Iowa State in a pathetic 9-7 game, just after getting blown out by Texas Tech 31-10.

I think USC will hang on for the win, but barely. I mean it really should be a close, defensive game.

USC 24, Nebraska 21 (OT?)

Sun Bowl (Pac-10 three vs. Big 12 five)—December 31st, El Paso, Texas

Now on to the Sun Bowl with the third place finish in the Pac-10, Cal.

I know, what the heck, right? That's how messed up the Pac-10 standings are. Assuming there are no upsets, this is how it finishes.

Oregon, USC, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona...and then the losers of the Pac-10.

See, USC beat Cal, who beat Stanford, and Oregon State is down there because they can't go to a Sun Bowl again. That pushes them down to the Las Vegas Bowl.

In any case, the most likely candidate for the Sun Bowl is Cal right now. They match up against the fifth place finish for the Big 12. This is Oklahoma. And wow, talk about a roller coaster!

In the pre-season polls they were ranked among the top three in the nation. Then they became the first team since I've been alive to be 2-2 in the top 25. Ridiculous.

They have fallen so far below expectation it's incredible. Yet, seemingly out of the blue, they curbstomp Oklahoma State 27-0.

You don't know what to expect out of either of these teams.

Cal was looking like a potential Rose Bowl, or better, candidate until being punished by Oregon 42-3. Then they got creamed again by USC 30-3. Their season was practically over.

They lost once more to Oregon State 31-14 before earning some respect back with victories over Arizona and Stanford.

I just don't think Cal has the guns to shut down Oklahoma. Traditionally the Sooners win big, or lose by a little. Cal gets shut out, or ends up in a shootout.

Oklahoma will "upset" the Golden Bears and, yes, in shootout fashion.

Oklahoma 38, Cal 28

Emerald Bowl (Pac-10 four vs. ACC six)—December 26th, San Francisco, California

Stanford is next in line and will go to the Emerald Bowl. The Cardinal have really impressed me and the rest of the college football nation, being ranked as high as 14th at one point this year.

Now I know in my ACC predictions I had OSU here. However, for whatever reason, I'm assured by several sites (CBS, ESPN, and Scout.com) that they won't land here and rather Stanford will.

That said, my ACC pick stays the same. Boston College comes out all the way from, well, Boston, obviously. Stanford has home field advantage and they'll use it.

Boston College, as stated Monday, is not impressive. After a "great" start against some unimpressive teams they really have been pathetic. They lost to Notre Dame, and barely escaped Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia, and Maryland.

Stanford will run away with this one and never look back.

Stanford 48, Boston College 16

Las Vegas Bowl (Pac-10 five vs. MWC champ)—December 22nd, Las Vegas, Nevada

BYU is a lock for the Las Vegas Bowl. All they need to do is make it public.

Against them will be a hardcore, pissed off, talented Oregon State team. They've been cheated out of every bowl before them since losing to Oregon in the Civil War.

BYU will have never seen so much rage and hatred channeled into defeating them.

Jacquizz Rodgers will have a field day; James Rodgers will get some good yardage through the air as well.

BYU may talk tough, and they looked good, I'll admit, after beating Utah. But there's just no way the Cougars can win this one.

There isn't much to it. Oregon State is Holiday, Sun, or Emerald Bowl caliber. They would win any one of those. But they get ripped off, and end up here.

Oregon State 35, BYU 20

Poinsettia Bowl (Pac-10 six vs. MWC two)—December 23rd, San Diego, California

In second place for the Mountain West (with TCU going to a BCS bowl game) is Utah. They would be "first" if they hadn't lost the Holy War to BYU.

That said, they match-up against Arizona, assuming they lose this weekend to USC.

Arizona has been up and down all year, being ranked as high as 16th in some polls. Then they fell on a losing streak, and actually played a superb game against Oregon on College Gameday, going into double overtime—but they still lost.

Utah has a stronger offense, more weapons, and a more solid team, I feel. Arizona got up there but as I said before, let's be real—they aren't that good.

Utah 44, Arizona 38

Look for the Mountain West and WAC picks tomorrow!

Read more NCAA news on BleacherReport.com

SEC, ACC, And Big 12 Expansion: What Worked and What Didn't

Donald Fincher — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:05:59 -0500

This is conference championship week. Prior to the mid-90's, we didn't even have such a thing. Then the SEC expanded and used an NCAA rule that allowed for conference championships and the rest is history. So, since there aren't many games this weekend and there is enough talk already about the actual SEC championship game (and I'm kind of over all the Tiger Woods talk), I thought I would take a look at what led to these championship games...conference expansion. Specifically, I intend to compare the SEC, the ACC, and the Big 12 in these areas: divisional alignment, expansion team selection, championship game site selection, and overall success of expansion.

In 1991, The SEC was the first league to expand by adding Arkansas from the Southwest Conference (SWC) and South Carolina from the ACC. The exodus of Arkansas put the SWC in serious trouble. Arkansas was the second winningest program in that league and the only non-Texas school. It gave the league the cover and appearance of being a major conference when in actuality, it was the Texas league plus one. And the bottom of the conference had gone downhill over the two decades leading up to the split.

The Big 8 then set their sites on taking four of the remaining eight schools so they too could expand to 12 teams and have a title game and two divisions. They wanted Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech and a fourth. SMU was on probation, Houston and Rice were furthest away (Rice was no good and Houston's best days were thought to be behind them). So it came down to TCU and Baylor. TCU was closest but Baylor had better political connections. In 1996, the expansion of the Big 8 to the Big 12 was completed.

Several years later, in 2003, the ACC decided to raid Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College from the Big East. The ACC had the advantage of there being two conferences that had previously expanded. So, in theory, they would be able to model what worked and avoid what didn't based on others having blazed the trail, right?

Not so fast. The ACC expansion has been the least successful of the three in nearly every phase while the SEC, who didn't have the benefit of someone else's history, has been the most successful. Sometimes life is funny that way.

Divisional Alignment

SEC
The SEC has appeared to have gotten the conference alignment the most correct. They did a geographical split between east and west. They divided the existing 10 up into two sets of five and added Arkansas in the West and South Carolina in the East. This made sense from a travel standpoint, traditional rivalry standpoint, new member standpoint, and divisional strength standpoint.
Grade: A+

Big 12
The Big 12, as with most metrics in my estimation, did better than the ACC but not quite as well as the SEC. The Big 12 did wisely split along easy to understand geographic lines. Unlike the SEC, one could have made an argument for going North and South or East and West given that the footprint is much bigger. However, it was mostly a sound plan.

The North has been weaker than the South for sure. However, at the time it was being laid out, Nebraska and Colorado were traditionally strong programs. Around the time of expansion, Kansas State had also become pretty good under Bill Snyder. But, that should have been seen as temporary as these things tend to swing back to the power players over time.

It was obvious that there were structural advantages in the Big 12 South. However, had Nebraska and Colorado not fallen off the map for a little while, the differences wouldn't seem as stark. Nebraska seems to be coming back and Missouri has been a recent power up until this year. If Nebraska, Colorado, and Missouri can get back to winning ways, the North will at least provide something other than a speed bump for the South.
Grade: B-

ACC
The ACC really botched the divisional alignment up. First, they came up with these stupid names that must have been decided by marketing people. Imagine being in that room at the time and some suit says "Let's push our "brand" by having one division called the Atlantic and one called the Coastal." Nobody knows who is in which division without looking it up in the conference standings.

This was a big mistake.

It was also a mistake to try to divide Miami and Florida State. Doing so killed the geographic alignment option. While it is understood that they were trying to balance power, as we have now seen, power comes and goes and swings to/from teams. Florida State is around seventh place in this year's standings. Miami has yet to appear in the conference title game. So while it could be anything but certain that these two teams would stay conference powers, it could have easily been foreseen that this poor divisional format would and has caused travel problems and has disengaged the fan bases as schools within the same division are too far away in many cases.
Grade: F

Team Selection
I realize that this is somewhat subjective and that the teams available or willing to move have as much or more to do with this than how "well" the conferences did in picking these teams. However, the results are still worth noting.

SEC
I have never read anything on it but it would appear that the SEC already knew they wanted East and West divisions when they chose Arkansas and South Carolina. Based on that assumption, it's not hard to see why their plan worked best.

The SEC created a plan first and then executed it.

The Big 12 took advantage of some teams that were going to need a new home.

The ACC just thought it was becoming irrelevant. In other words, it's easy to see that the more proactive rather than reactive the conference was, the more success the expansion brought.

Also, the SEC was already very strong and adding Arkansas and South Carolina simply allowed the existing teams the ability to split into divisions and host a title game because the expansion gave them 12 teams. The SEC would be almost as well off if they could have done what they did with the existing ten teams. But the expansion certainly hasn't hurt.
Grade A

Big 12

The Big 12 is a better conference than the Big 8 was. Therefore, the teams added were certainly a success. Besides giving every team access to the sizable Texas recruiting marketplace, the television footprint and viability was increased big-time by adding the Texas schools. One can quibble as to whether the 12th team should have been Baylor or one of the others but it really doesn't matter because this was a home run.
Grade A+

ACC
As I said before, the ACC appears to have decided to expand out of fear of falling further behind the SEC rather than out of any sound strategy. As such, it was botched. Miami added next to nothing in fan base, alumni base, or tv (the fans down there follow pro ball much more than college). Virginia Tech was solid. Boston College is in an area that is also more pro than college oriented not to mention that it's also an area more baseball oriented than football. So two of the three teams were not that great of additions. Furthermore, the same two that didn't make much sense from a fan following standpoint just happened to be geographically the furthest away from the mid-Atlantic area. Realistically, West Virginia would have been the best addition from a fan following and geographic standpoint and should have replaced Boston College. Miami at least allows more inroads into recruit-rich Florida for the other schools. And at the time expansion was being considered, Miami was very recently a power program. Had West Virginia been substituted for Boston College, my grade would have been an A. However, they weren't.
Grade: C-

Conference Championship Game Site Selection

SEC
Again, the SEC got this right. They made an event out of it and they decided at the very beginning that it was going to be in Atlanta. There are other markets in the SEC footprint that have hotel accommodations and the stadium for it. New Orleans, Nashville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Birmingham all come to mind. But they wanted it in the middle of the footprint. That and the fact that Atlanta was the largest city in the South made it the host city. And the SEC wanted to create an event and build it up. They wanted to nurture their event in the same area and embed it as part of that community's sports culture and happenings. They wanted to give teams a place to aspire every year when the season started. That's been accomplished.
Grade: A+

Big 12
The Big 12 has had their title game in San Antonio, Kansas City, Houston, and this year it is in Dallas. Jerry Jones is trying to get the conference to host the game at the new Cowboys Stadium every year. Making it a constant place would be a plus...at least from the success we've seen with the SEC and failures of the ACC. And the conference is studying it and will likely do that. Having it in Oklahoma City would be better geographically. However, short of that, Dallas is the next best option. The games have not been as competitive while the Big 12 North has been down but that can't be blamed on the site selection. They don't always sell out. That could be cured if they planted it and nurtured it in the community like the SEC. Grade: B-

ACC
The ACC made their championship game in Florida (it's been in Jacksonville and is now in Tampa) because they expected Florida State or Miami or both to be playing for it every year. Given that Miami hasn't and Florida State has only done it a couple of times, that was poor planning. Because for Virginia Tech or Boston College (the last two years participants) to go to Florida, that's not drive-able for the fans. This game moves to Charlotte next year with chatter about it staying there. That would be best. Miami, isn't going to travel well even if the game is in Jacksonville. And Florida State previously weren't big travelers because they were a bit spoiled. Their fan base has toned that back and would be happy to be in it in the future. But if this game was planted in North Carolina (where four of the fan bases are located and 3 more are within 200 miles), the local attendance could really help this game. Last year, in Tampa, the actual "butts in seats" count was around 27,000. That's incredibly bad.
Grade: F

Overall

SEC
The SEC did it all right. And they are reaping the rewards now and will for the foreseeable future. They have positioned their league as some sort of hybrid that falls between the NFL and the rest of college football. What is there to argue with.
Grade A+

Big 12
The Big 12 is a much better conference than the Big 8. They have more, bigger, and better TV markets than they had before. They are tweaking their conference championship game. If the North strengthens up, it could be really great. There's a reason this conference is regarded right behind the SEC.
Grade: A

ACC
It's truly sad to see what could have been in the ACC. Had they invited West Virginia instead of BC, put their title game in Charlotte and built it up there, and had either Miami or Florida State (just one) not fallen off the map, they could be a player for an at-large bid in the BCS most years. But, as it stands, the ACC has fallen short in nearly every measurable category. Truly, they should start all over. For legal reasons, it's too late to boot Boston College and invite West Virginia. However, they should immediately scrap the unrecognizable division alignment names and plant the conference title game in Charlotte to stay. Oh, and it would help if they didn't lose to the SEC in nearly every head to head matchup and if they had won more than one BCS bowl since their expansion.
Grade: F

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Razorback Spotlight: Did Michael Washington Kiss The NBA Goodbye?

Blake Stansbery — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:50:25 -0500

The Razorbacks had a tough 2008-2009 season, and hopes and expectations were that the Hogs would have a better 2009-2010. A big reason everyone believed the Hogs would make progress this season was because of the return of Micheal Washington.

Washington was the highlight of last season. He had been a role player the previous season, and nobody knew how good he could be once given the starting role.

He did not disappoint becoming a double-double machine; he had the most in a season since Derek Hood. Washington earned second team All-SEC honors following his junior season, and entered his name into the NBA Draft. Hog fans nerves shored as everyone believed he would head to the NBA after his breakout season.

As Washington tested the waters his feedback varied from source to source. Many believed he would go in the late first round, while some boards had him in the second. There were also boards that did not have Washington on their list at all.

After taking all of his NBA feedback into consideration Washington decided with his family to withdrawal his name from the draft and return to Arkansas for his senior season, and at the time things looked like they could only get better for Arkansas.

The Hogs returned all five starters from a year ago, and would be adding much needed depth with their incoming recruiting class. It was believed that the Hogs could be a much-improved team, and make a run at the NCAA tournament. Washington was named a preseason first team All-SEC player.

As it turns out the Razorbacks are relying heavily on those incoming players while they have had only one of the returning starters in Rotnei Clarke consistently in the lineup. Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh have been on suspension most of the season, while Welsh has recently returned. Fortson is back in practice but is not expected to play in a game until after the first semester ends.

Washington was having a slow start to his senior year, and his numbers are down considerably from a year ago. He is now listed as day-to-day after injuring his back, which also plagued him a year ago. Not much has been said on his injury, but many Hog fans and myself believe Washington played through the injury because of the depth issues the Hogs have had to start the season.

Another starter Michael Sanchez just returned after missing the first of the season with foot troubles. Sanchez has had very little impact so far in his career, and helps the Razorbacks merely with depth at this point.

So the Hogs are hobbled to say the least, and off to one of the worst starts in program history. All this begs the question: Did Michael Washington make a mistake returning for his senior season? Will this cost him a chance at an NBA career?

All early indications are that it did.

Like I stated his numbers are down, and the team is worse off than a year ago. Washington also has not garnered near the hype from analysts that he did a year ago. In the Razorbacks game against Louisville Bob Knight made a comment that Washington should stay in school a few more years. Well this is his senior season and his last chance to impress, but we all get what Knight was saying.

He does not think Washington is ready for the NBA.

On the bright side it is possible that Washington has been trying to be a team player, and has been playing through injury, which could be the cause of his numbers decline. If that is the case, and he makes a strong return for the remainder of the season, it is possible he could play his way back into the draft board talks.

This is a subject that usually you hear the other way around; he should have stayed another year. It is not all that often that the tables are turned, but in the case of Michael Washington it appears that he should have forgone his senior season and entered the NBA Draft. The current state of the Hogs team and their struggles very well may have caused Washington an NBA career.

While Washington may or may not have made it to the NBA in the draft last year, odds were on him being drafted. Now it appears Washington will have to come back and have a monster remainder of the season to have any chance at the NBA, but hindsight is always 20/20.

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It's Finally Game Day: The Biggest Civil War Ever

Keith Becker uosportsdude.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:22:13 -0500

Before this year, Abraham Lincoln must have rolled in his grave at the thought of two Oregon football teams making light of our country’s most historic moment to promote a rivalry game.

But this year, good ol’ Uncle Abe understands.

Never before in the history of this game—all 112 years—has this game carried so much weight. The winner goes to the Rose Bowl and the loser, well, the Holiday Bowl isn’t much of a consolation.

Seeing as this is the biggest sporting event of my life—and in the history of Oregon—it’s truly unfortunately I couldn’t spend more time previewing this game. But I’m a student first and a football fan second, err, well, at least that’s what I lead my dad to believe.

Professors really should know better than to assign final projects, essays, exams the week of the Civil War. One even scheduled a final exam review for 4 p.m. this afternoon. Seriously. Let’s see who shows up for that one.

But I will give you a prediction, and more links, so I help satisfy you football fix before kickoff.

I honestly just can’t see the Ducks losing this game. Not with how the Ducks steamrolled OSU last year in Reser, not with how explosive Oregon’s offense has been, not when I just found out Oregon State actually has a homosexual Sheep Center on campus (seriously!), and most importantly, not in Autzen.

The one thing that does worry me though, is Jacquizz Rodgers.

I don’t like him. You don’t like him. No Duck fan likes him. But he is a fantastic football player, and a threat that Oregon State didn’t have last year. He is a total game-changer.

Fortunately, Oregon’s front seven is much improved and stopping the run has turned from a weakness last year, to a strength this year.

This is going to be one of those nail-biting, cover your eyes at the finish, down to the wire games that makes football so great.

And I can only expect one thing: A Duck victory.

Prediction: Oregon 45, Oregon State, 38

Here are some more links you definitely need to check out:

ESPN’s Ted Miller examines the importance of this game for both teams, the fan bases and even conference awards.

OregonLive’s Bob Rickert has some videos to get you fired up, including – you guessed it- I Love My Ducks.

Sports Illustrated’s Austin Murphy weighs in with his thoughts on the Civil War.

The AP breaks down the differences between a Duck and a Beaver. It won’t just be anatomically, I promise.

And finally, the Oregonian’s John Canzano says the fans need to their part to make this Civil War epic. Shouldn’t be a problem, Johnny boy.

And there you have it, Go Ducks!

What’s your final score?!?!

Heisman Winners Who Couldn't Hack The NFL

Colin Linneweber — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:14:02 -0500

The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club at an annual ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 12.

In recognition of college football’s greatest individual accolade, I decided to rank the five Heisman winners who ultimately had the smallest impact playing in the National Football League (NFL) over the course of the past 25 years.

1) Jason White - White, 29, won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 as a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

White finished his collegiate career as the Sooners all-time leader in passing yards (8,012) and touchdown passes (81).

Despite his stellar achievements in Norman, White garnered very little interest from the professional ranks and he was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.

To compound the frustration of not being selected, White was further disrespected when he was not even invited to tryout for any NFL squad after he was snubbed in the draft.

The Tennessee Titans eventually threw White a bone and signed the former superstar Sooner as an undrafted free agent before the start of the 2005 season.

White’s stint as a Tennessean was extremely brief and he prudently decided to quit football altogether because of his balky knees.

2) Gino Torretta - Torretta, 39, was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1992 because of his stellar play at the quarterback position for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Torretta, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame this past year, played on the Canes National Championship teams of 1989 and 1991.

Although Torretta consistently ignited the “Sunshine State” with his brilliant performances in South Beach, scouts did not believe that his quarterbacking skills would translate well into the professional ranks.

As a result, Torretta was not selected until the Minnesota Vikings finally rescued him in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft.

Torretta was employed in the NFL from 1993 until 1997 by the Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.

Torretta’s lone action in the NFL occurred in 1996 when he actually abandoned the pine and tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass that helped lead the Seahawks to a victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Torretta permanently stashed his pads and called it a career after the conclusion of the 1997 season.

3) Eric Crouch - Crouch, 31, flourished under center as a dual threat for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers and he rightfully won the Heisman Trophy in 2001.

Crouch, one of only three quarterbacks in Division 1-A history to rush for 3,000 and pass for 4,000 yards in a career, is the Huskers all-time leader in total offense.

Still, professional scouts remained largely unimpressed by the diminutive Crouch.

In fact, many onlookers anticipated that Crouch would need to utilize his athleticism and transition to wide receiver to have an opportunity to play on the next level.

Somewhat predictably, Crouch was drafted by the St. Louis Rams as a receiver.

Crouch begrudgingly accepted his newfound role with the Rams.

Nevertheless, he swore that he ultimately would fulfill his dream to play quarterback in the NFL.

Sadly, Crouch suffered a serious injury in a preseason contest and he never accomplished his goal of becoming a starting professional quarterback.

Crouch was out of the NFL entirely by the end of the 2004 season and he is currently waiting to make his debut for the postponed All-American Football League (AAFL).

4) Andre Ware - Ware, 41, became the first black quarterback to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 1989 when he starred for the University of Houston Cougars.

Ware, who in 2004 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was eventually picked by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall selection in the 1990 NFL Draft where he teamed with fellow Heisman winner Barry Sanders.

Ware played porously as a Lion and his tenure in Motown was extinguished by the end of the 1993 season.

Ware tried to revitalize his dormant career in 1994 when he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a practice squad member.

The legendary male Cougar finished his NFL career with a measly five touchdown passes, in comparison to eight interceptions, and a paltry 63.5 quarterback rating.

Subsequently, Ware roamed aimlessly for years throughout Canada and Europe hoping that he could again shine on the gridiron like he once did in the “Lone Star State.”

Once he finally realized he didn’t have the ability to play football professionally, Ware officially retired from the sport in 1999.

5) Rashaan Salaam - Salaam, 35, was a spectacular running back in college who won the Heisman Trophy in 1994 as a junior at the University of Colorado.

That autumn, Salaam rushed for a school-record 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns.

More importantly, he helped lead the Buffaloes to an 11-1 record and a No. 3 finish in the final Associated Press poll.

The Chicago Bears picked Salaam with the 21^st overall selection in the 1995 draft.

Initially, Salaam excelled in the “Windy City” as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns as a rookie.

Unfortunately, Salaam’s strong inaugural campaign proved to be an aberration.

BY 2001, Salaam was employed by the now-defunct XFL where a colleague of his went by the moniker “He Hate Me.”

After the rasslin’ football league inevitably folded, Salaam unsuccessfully tried to secure work with both the 49ers and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Salaam ingloriously walked off the gridiron as a player for the final time in 2004.

Needless to say, this is an article based on my opinions.

I genuinely look forward to the thoughts of my readers.

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Louisville's Edgar Sosa Showing Signs of Maturation

Jonathan Lintner — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:28:59 -0500

Who is Edgar Sosa?

Had you asked Louisville coach Rick Pitino, a Cardinal fan, or any half-attentive college basketball fan last season, they would have told you Sosa is that head case of a Louisville point guard.

This season, he’s working to dismiss that stereotype.

Sosa scored 15 points and was perfect from three-point range in Louisville’s 80-48 win over Stetson Wednesday night, pushing his season three-point accuracy to more than 45 percent.

He did it without a lot of help, too.

Sosa’s backup, freshman guard Peyton Siva, was sidelined with a wrist injury and could be for some time, according to Pitino. The senior is also batting injury—a bruised knee—but isn’t letting it show.

He’s scored in double figures in each of Louisville’s six games despite never playing more than 29 minutes in a single contest. His assist-to-turnover ratio is actually on the positive side. He’s finding success on defense.

And coming into the season, it was up in the air as to who would start at point guard for Louisville: Sosa, or an up-and-coming Siva? Oh, how that position battle has quickly dissolved.

But Sosa’s decent numbers and clear head didn’t come easily, and didn’t come without the passage of time.

Sosa found minor success with major minutes in his freshman season at Louisville, breaking out to score 31 points against Texas A&M in the Cardinals’ final game of the 2006-2007 season. Then a sophomore slump followed, and it spilled into his junior season.

Sosa’s name hit the national scene last season when Pitino called his starting point guard’s defense out before the Cardinals’ rivalry game against Kentucky. Beforehand, then-senior guard Andre McGee was challenging Sosa for the starting point guard spot.

The response was an 18-point performance capped by a three-point buzzer beater.

Such signs of brilliance were few and far between, even after the Kentucky game. Now they’re a regular commodity.

Soon, Sosa could earn a new reputation among college basketball fans—one as a consistent scorer, a scrappy point guard, and a hard worker.

It's just what was expected after he put up 31 points against Texas A&M, and he has since been waiting to match.

Having to live up to that kind of a game would make anyone a headcase.

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