College Football Notes: Gearing Up for Spring Ball

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz gets a contract extension through 2012? Am I watching the same Iowa team as everyone else?

I know the guy is a “great teacher,” a “diamond in the rough recruiter,” and a “high character guy,” but his team just went 6-6, including a 4-4 conference record in the average Big Ten.

And with a bowl game riding on their last game of the season, the Hawkeyes lost at home to Western Michigan.

The two years prior, you ask? 6-7 and 7-5. In his nine years at Iowa, Ferentz’s teams are 61-49 overall.  Ferentz makes close to 3 million a year.

I know there are publications saying the Hawkeyes will be back next year—especially with their extremely favorable schedule—but handing out literally millions of dollars to reward a three-year win-loss record of 19-18 seems like more than a stretch to me, even if next year’s schedule is devoid of Ohio State and Michigan.

Methinks the good folks at Iowa could have held out on this one. 

Is the Big 12 on the rise? 

Missouri and Kansas both return a ton of talent. Oklahoma and Texas are always loaded and dangerous. Colorado looked to turn the corner last season—and in addition to returning eight players on both sides of the ball, the Buffs just hauled in a great recruiting class.

Bo Pelini takes over at Nebraska. Ron Prince got things moving at Kansas State last season and looks to build on that. Mike Gundy continues to bring in talent to Oklahoma State’s program, and Trooper Taylor should give the offense a new sense of toughness.  

This has the making of a great conference race.

***

If Ryan Perrilloux is gone from LSU this year (odds are 100,000-1 of that happening, if you ask me), then the Tigers are instantly mediocre. Yes, Jarrett Lee is a stud redshirt freshman from TX, but first-time QBs rarely—if ever—have consistent success against SEC defenses. 

And Andrew Hatch transferred from Harvard. Sure, there is some good ball being played in the Ivy League, but…well, I guess I don’t know how to finish this sentence. The guy came from Harvard.

As for Tigers’ fans jumping to Perrilloux’s defense: The kid has a proven track record of being in trouble. Four suspensions in three years is a pattern—not isolated incidents. 

***

Florida head coach Urban Meyer has been given an unflattering nickname by opposing fans:  Darth Meyer. Most fans have taken umbrage with Meyer’s recruiting tactics, which seem to specialize in getting kids to “flip”—committing to a one school before then switching over to the Gators.  Some have gone as far as labeling Meyer’s recruiting as “ruthless.”

To his credit, though, Meyer has stayed away from any violations, and the latest investigation turned out to be a false alarm. For now, we have to assume jealousy is bringing about the negative comments.

***

Yes, the Georgia Bulldogs are going to be a great team next season.  But their schedule is brutal—perhaps the hardest in the country. 

Georgia plays at South Carolina, at Arizona State, vs. Alabama then Tennessee, at LSU, vs. Florida in Jacksonville, at Kentucky, at Auburn, then home vs. a revamped Georgia Tech team. 

If they make it through that, then they have to play the SEC Championship game.

Georgia may start the year at number one, but I don’t see anyway they can end it that way.

***

Game to put on your calendar:  Clemson vs. Alabama in Atlanta on August 30th.  Clemson returns 18 of 24 starters, including both specialists, and Alabama has all kinds of momentum after a bowl game win and the best recruiting class in the nation.