College Football's Best Press Conference Sound Bites from 2012

In a season filled with all the twists and turns of an old episode of Knots Landing the 2012 college football campaign brought us more than mere on-field drama.

Indeed, for every fantastic play, well-timed turnover or late scoring drive there was an off-field comment or statement that padded the headlines normally dedicated to impressive stat lines.

The following slideshow pays tribute to what happened in the postgame this season and proudly presents eight of the best press conference sound bites from 2012.

It’s a sampling that will partner well with your leftover giblet gravy and Yule Log, and it might prove just the thing to soothe your nerves and lift your weary spirit after 48 hours of full-contact holiday cheer.

Les Miles’ Postgame Press Conference vs. Ole Miss

In one of the most openly emotional pressers of the season, Les Miles managed to use a variation of the word “freaking” and talk about kissing people directly on the mouth as an effective response to a question about “flops.”

The expressive dialogue came after LSU engineered 21 fourth-quarter points to beat a pesky Ole Miss team on Nov. 17 by the score of 41-35.

Nick Saban Speaks Wisely in the SEC Title Postgame Presser

Even if you hate Alabama’s Nick Saban, it’s difficult to argue against his logic regarding Georgia’s bowl possibilities in this clip from his press conference after this season’s SEC title game.

Saban is spot-on about the Bulldogs deserving a BCS bid, and you have to like the fact that he makes this kind of strong statement without even being directly asked about the topic.

Bob Stoops Gets Riled After the Red River Rivalry

In the press conference following Oklahoma’s 63-21 blowout of Texas in the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners' Bob Stoops takes exception to a reporter’s question about toughness.

Whether the dialogue was meant to be about mental or physical toughness, Stoops is totally peeved at the line of questioning.

The highlight of this clip is when the coach quips “don’t include me with you” in response to the reporter’s attempts to assert that he and Stoops were on the same page after Oklahoma’s loss to Kansas State.

John L. Smith…Motivational Press Conference

The video to the left is a tribute to Arkansas’ John L. Smith’s bizarre press conference following the Hogs' 52-0 loss to Alabama. This clip makes you wonder if Smith understands how seriously folks take college football.

The idea that everyone should “Smile!” after watching the home team get destroyed by a divisional rival after falling to Louisiana-Monroe in overtime the week before is frankly wacky.

Mark Richt Gets Miffed After the SEC Championship

In this clip from the press conference following Georgia’s narrow loss to Alabama in the SEC title game, Mark Richt responds to a reporter asking about an opinion that Richt and Georgia QB Aaron Murray can’t win the big game.

Richt is understandably misled by the query and turns the tables on the reporter, asking him if he’s specifically asking the question or instead if he’s just asking on behalf of “others.”

The clip ends nicely with Richt delivering a closing shot to anyone who might think Bulldog players underplayed in the championship game.

Jimbo Fisher Calls the BCS Out

In this snippet, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher expresses his doubts about the BCS being a viable system for identifying the top teams in the nation.

Fisher’s views are obviously spurred along by the fact that in November the ‘Noles were a one-loss team that was suffering in the BCS standing due to a relatively weak 2012 schedule.

Regardless, Fisher’s open opposition and willingness to say that even a mini-playoff system wouldn’t really fix the problem made big news in 2012.

Mark Dantonio's Speed Round

In this clip, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio turns the presser following the Spartans' 23-7 win over Eastern Michigan into a fast-paced speed round.

Dantonio does pre-warn the press corps by saying that “he doesn’t have much time in front of the cameras,” but once the questions ensue, it’s obvious that he’s not fooling around.

Dantonio’s patent response in this tour de force is “No, next question,” and it’s worth watching this all the way to the end when he comments on the quality of the questions being asked.

Lane Kiffin Makes an Early Exit

This golden nugget comes via a post-practice informal presser with USC’s Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin seems quite amiable and positive until a reporter asks him about an injured player, which causes him to change his entire demeanor in a bizarre fashion.

Things get even more fantastic when the miffed Kiff makes an abrupt exit from the press corps.