2007-08 CFB Bowl Picks and News

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Could Joe Tiller Lose His Job?

Posted Dec 11th 2007 2:25PM by Tom Fornelli
Filed under: Big 10, Purdue Football, NCAA FB Coaching

This is the first I've heard of this, but apparently there's a growing sentiment in West Lafayette that it could be time for Purdue head coach Joe Tiller to go. Boilermakers fans aren't happy with the way the team lost it's last three games to finish 7-5, and they aren't happy with the performance of the program as a whole the last few years.

I guess the idea of spending a couple of days in Detroit during the winter for the Motor City Bowl isn't the type of reward Purdue fans were waiting for.

The question was asked of Purdue AD Morgan Burke if there was any thought about replacing Tiller, and unfortunately for Joe, Burke didn't come right out and deny it.

"The hardest decision for any AD is when to decide if the program will benefit from new leadership," Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke replied via e-mail. "It is not a science, and there are times you may go too fast or too slow, but if you keep in mind the obligation to the kids and remain willing to be objective, more often than not you will make the right decision at the right time.

"Unfortunately, that will make the AD unpopular at times, but I would prefer that to a short-term, ill-advised fix that carries short-term pats on the back, only to be followed by a significant and long-term decline in performance."

I don't think Purdue will fire Tiller after this season, even if the team loses in the Motor City Bowl, but if Purdue doesn't improve next season, Tiller may find himself out of a job then.

Maybe Michigan will still be looking for a coach?

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Postmortem: It's Gone, Homer
By SMQ
Posted on Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 11:07:40 AM EDT

It's just a little dirty! It's still good, it's still good!
It's just a little slimy! It's still good, it's still good!
It's just a little airborne! It's still good, it's still good! - Homer Simpson, "Lisa the Vegetarian," 1995
- - -
Miami and Florida State will reassert themselves as national players. It's hard to believe the talent level at either of these once-proud bastions of bigger stronger faster NFL factories has dwindled to the point that fresh, competent blood on the coaching staff can't revive a whiff of the old dominance.
- SMQ, Lo, How a Season E'er Blooming, Aug. 31, 2007
- - -

In my defense, I saw the problems with jumping on the FSU-Miami rejuvenation wagon, and I wasn't the only one who thought this. For pretty good reason, too, I think, according to Scout, Phil Steele and Rivals:
<table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"> <caption align="top">ACC Recruiting Rankings</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(164, 74, 74) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">Miami</td> <td align="center">S</td> <td align="center">PS</td> <td align="center">R</td> <td align="center">•</td> <td align="center">FSU</td> <td align="center">S</td> <td align="center">PS</td> <td align="center">R</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2003</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">•</td> <td align="center">2003</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">3</td> <td align="center">4</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2004</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">•</td> <td align="center">2004</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">1</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">2005</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">•</td> <td align="center">2005</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">2006</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">3</td> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="center">•</td> <td align="center">2006</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">1</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
- - -
* Miami's 2003 rankings are in the Big East but would have led the ACC across the board based on national rankings Those very good results added up to, uh, well:

<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">ACC Rank, 2007</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(164, 74, 74) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Miami</td> <td align="center">FSU</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Offense</td> <td align="center">4</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Offense</td> <td align="center">9</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Offense</td> <td align="center">11</td> <td align="center">4</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Scoring Offense</td> <td align="center">11</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Defense</td> <td align="center">8</td> <td align="center">7</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Defense</td> <td align="center">10</td> <td align="center">9</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Defense</td> <td align="center">6</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Scoring Defense</td> <td align="center">10</td> <td align="center">7</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">ACC Record</td> <td align="center">2-6 (11th)</td> <td align="center">4-4 (T-6th)</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Jimbo Fisher did not produce appreciably better results than Jeff Bowden - quite the opposite, actually, as FSU was second in the ACC in scoring offense in 2005 and 2006. Drew Weatherford and Kyle Wright had the best games of their disappointing careers in wins over Boston College and Texas A&M, respectively, but otherwise did not find their accuracy nor their ever-maturing minds, could not stay off the bench and were all the more frustrating for the fleeting success. Kirby Freeman and Xavier Lee made precious few plays with their feet and fewer with their arms; Freeman delivered the most stunning statistical game in history in the Canes' home loss to N.C. State, a 1 of 14, three-interception disaster in which the one completion was good for an 84-yard touchdown and the defense was good enough to stave off defeat into overtime. The U was outscored by 92 points in three games after that, completing the worst two-month stretch - 1-6 after a 4-1 September that was itself most notable for the Baylor-like beatdown administered by Oklahoma in Norman - since Miami became Miami. The one win? Over Florida State, a victory of disclipline for Randy Shannon's charges: Miami turned the ball over only four times to FSU's truly reckless five.
Florida State had ts ever-ready excuse, for the sixth year in a row: youth! Every year, an insurgency of promising Bowden youth replaces its ineffective, stagnating elders, and so the tradition marches on - by mid-November, via injury or desperation, the Seminoles had sacked their entire starting defensive line, three of them seniors, for a pair of sophomores in the middle and little-used juniors at the ends. The linebackers were inexperienced all year. Two freshmen and a sophomore bubbled to the front on the offensive line, and the best runner at the end of the year was a sophomore who was still listed most places as a wide receiver. So come back next year, and the great plan will be revealed.
The other perpetual problem at FSU has more meat: the Noles have no offensive linemen. Not of the old, championship variety, anyway: since 2003, according to Scout, FSU has only signed three guys up front rated four stars or better, none of whom have developed into a regular starter (Oklahoma, by contrast, signed four in one year, 2004, and all have contributed), and they went one recruiting season (2005) without signing a single offensive lineman of any stars. Nine different linemen played in at least eight games, but at the end of the year, they wound up with this lineup (PS# is Steele's aggregate position rank out of high school, used here as a shorthand for "talent"):

<table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3"> <caption align="top">ACC Rank, 2007</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(164, 74, 74) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="center">
</td> <td align="center">Miami</td> <td align="center">FSU</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Offense</td> <td align="center">4</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Offense</td> <td align="center">9</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Offense</td> <td align="center">11</td> <td align="center">4</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Scoring Offense</td> <td align="center">11</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Defense</td> <td align="center">8</td> <td align="center">7</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Defense</td> <td align="center">10</td> <td align="center">9</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Defense</td> <td align="center">6</td> <td align="center">8</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(234, 234, 234) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Scoring Defense</td> <td align="center">10</td> <td align="center">7</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">ACC Record</td> <td align="center">2-6 (11th)</td> <td align="center">4-4 (T-6th)</td> </tr> </tbody></table> Outside of the expected routs of Duke and UAB, the Seminoles were really impressive on offense once, at Boston College, and inconsistency up front - not necessarily but possibly born of outright neglect - was the same old culprit. That, Fisher couldn't fix.
Miami had no such problems as far as experience or hype on its line (three starters were seniors and the other two were both well-regarded four-star recruits; all five regulars had at least a half season of starting experience), but didn't perform much better, and was doubly hampered by the complete dysfunction of both ends of its passing game. What Wright and Freeman could hit, Sam Shields and Darnell Jenkins were determined to drop, leading to an embarrassing five games under 100 yards passing, a midseason stretch in which Wright and Freeman lobbed up 15 picks in six games and the complete inability to answer defensive breakdowns at Oklahoma (51-13), Virginia (48-0) and Virginia Tech (44-14), all three humiliating losses, the first two each broken open in the first half by direct or quick turnaround scores off Cane turnovers. Javarris James? Nice games against Marshall, Florida International and N.C. State. He averaged 2.7 per carry against everyone else.
Nothing at this point could be more appropriate or telling for the ACC than the necessity of moving its title game from Jacksonville, where it was presumably positioned three years ago for the inevitable, gargantuan FSU-Miami championship clashes every December. The reigning power in the conference is Virginia Tech; the up-and-comer is North Carolina, which did in fact beat Miami in Chapel Hill with a reshirt freshman quarterback and finish one game ahead of the Canes at 3-5 in-conference. Boston College and even Clemson have demonstrated better prospects over the last two years, and the Tigers appear at least as talented. Florida State's current peers are Wake Forest and Georgia Tech; Miami's is Maryland, NC State and UNC. Face it, ACC: your would-be powerhouses are gone, and they're not coming back any time soon.

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX 12/11/07

<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="590"><tbody><tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/left.jpg" width="31">
</td> <td width="528"> Washington State has gone local and hired Paul Wulff, the head coach of Eastern Washington University, as their head coach. Wulff is a Wazzou alum, has compiled a 53-40 record as a head coach at EWU, possesses a deep knowledge of the local football scene, and will shit himself on the field to demonstrate his commitment to his team.

HurrrrrnnnnnngggggghhhHhhhhhhh!!!!
Hey Jenny Slater’s Doug points out an interesting ballot from the Heisman voting: Steve Spurrier’s.
Spurrier left off Darren McFadden completely, a fascinating move since the Gamecocks allowed McFadden to rush for 321 yards against them in their matchup this season. This may seem like “a dick move,” according to Doug, but that reveals his lack of coursework in Ol’ Ball Coach studies: Spurrier has no idea what happens when his defense is on the field, meaning he may not even know who McFadden is. Forgive him for the oversight, but it’s one of those neurological quirks you’d find in an Oliver Sacks book on his part.
Al Borges is out as offensive coordinator at Auburn, per Al.com. (HT: The Wiz.) Borges peaked with his work with Jason Campbell, Cadillac Williams, and Ronnie Brown in 2004, but worked the Auburn offense into 101st place nationally in 2007. Whoever Tuberville hires will be good, because Tuberville’s some kind of David Copperfield resume magnet wizard, minus the David Copperfield sexual assault accusastions, of course.
In praise of veteran hatchet-men. Paul Finebaum takes out the good axe and swings at Florida State:

“I bought the argument several years ago that Bowden had earned the right to set the terms of his retirement. But that’s when he was barely 70. Now, he’s knocking on the door of 80 and this once proud program can’t be identified even with DNA samples.”
And the first person to set a particularly set of arty Florida football clips of Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow crashing through defenses to this song gets a free t-shirt. Nothing’s better than a song called “Bodysnatchers” which is, in fact, about bodysnatchers.

<object height="355" width="425">

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mSas9DzBA5U&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object></p> 

</td> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/right.jpg" width="31">
</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Tuesday Question - Looking Ahead To The Bowls </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Virginia DE Chris Long
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 11, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

What are you most looking forward to from the upcoming bowl season?
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
<table id="table2" align="right" border="0" cellspacing="4" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc"> Past TQs
- Did the BCS get it right?
- Who deserves a spot more, OSU or WVU? - What BCS matchups do you want? - LSU, Oregon or Kansas - The leading 5 for the Heisman - Early Pick It: LSU vs. Ohio State - Three BCS sleepers - Midseason Bests - 3 Big Calls for the Second Half - The biggest disappointment - 5 most overrated teams - I was dead/on right/wrong about ... - USC, LSU or Oklahoma?l - Was the App St win good or bad for college football?
- 3 Sleeper Teams
- Predicting the Season - 3 things we're sure of - What to look for on Signing Day
- Bears or Colts? - Early bowl surprises and trends - 3 things to look for from the bowls - Do you want the Alabama job? - What are the 3 best non-BCS bowls? - Who's 2nd in the Heisman race? - Michigan-OSU rematch? - Michigan or Ohio State? - Should Louisville be No. 3? - The nat'l title game will be ... - The best one-loss team - Rule changes to help the flow - The Midseason Stuff - The real top five ranking - The early coach of the year is ...? - These three teams are for real, these three aren't
- After 2 weeks, who's better, who's worse?
- 10 Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Defensive Players of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Regular Season Games of All-Time
- 10 Greatest Playmakers of All-Time
- 10 Worst Heisman Winners
- 10 Greatest Bowl Games
- All-Time Offensive Team
- All-Time Defensive Team </td> </tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Pete Fiutak [/SIZE][/FONT]<o

>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/FONT]</o

> Q: What are you looking forward to this bowl season?[/SIZE]
A: To be honest, I'm looking forward to more college football. The regular season was so fantastic that I'm ready for more good matchups. It might take a few games to get everyone's bowl feet wet, but after the first seven, the Arizona State - Texas Holiday Bowl on the 27th should be fun.

I'm looking forward to seeing LSU, Michigan and Wisconsin as healthy as they've been since early in the season, and I'm looking forward to seeing Hawaii's offense get is shot against Georgia on the big stage.

More than anything else this bowl season, I'm looking forward to the Big Ten - SEC matchup, along with seeing if Illinois can do anything against USC. The Big Ten has taken such a huge public relations hit since Ohio State got crushed by Florida and Michigan got blasted by USC in the last BCS, I want to see what will happen when Michigan and Florida square off in the Capital One, Wisconsin and Tennessee battle in the Outback, and of course, Ohio State vs. LSU in the national title. These three games, more than any other, will stoke the message boards and the fires throughout the offseason.
Richard Cirminiello [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/FONT] <o

> </o

><o

> </o

> [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o

> </o

><o

>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o

> Q: What are you looking forward to this bowl season?
A: I realize this is an unconventional viewpoint, but for me, the 2007 season basically ended when the bowl pairings were announced. The conference champions have been decided. Individual awards have been handed out. Save for determining who’ll be crowned national champion, it’s already 2008. And with that in mind, I’m most interested in getting a real good look at those freshmen, sophomores, and juniors that we’ll be talking about plenty as soon as the last piece of confetti hits the Superdome carpet on Jan. 7. You know, the kind of look that isn’t always possible on a Saturday that’s jam-packed with 50-60 competing games.

I want a better look at that young Georgia offensive line because it might be blocking next fall for the second sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy. I want to see for myself what makes Indiana DE Greg Middleton so doggone tough to block. I want an opportunity to really lock into Ball State QB Nate Davis for four quarters. I want to decide for myself if LSU S Chad Jones really is the second-coming of LaRon Landry in Baton Rouge. I want to see UCLA WR Dominique Johnson teaming up with a quarterback that actually received a scholarship to play the position at this level. In other words, I’m using the next 32 games, the final 32 games of 2007, to do some advanced scouting of the teams and players that’ll dominate discussions and debates throughout 2008. The National Championship game aside, the outcome of the next few week’s bowl games have little or no bearing on the 2007 season. We might as well milk what we can from them in order to get a head start on the next season, which is already upon us.

John Harris<o

>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT]</o

> Q: What are you looking forward to this bowl season?[/SIZE]
A: Ten Things that I’m looking forward to, in no particular order 1. Michigan futilely trying to stop, not only, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, but quicksilver Percy Harvin and the rest of the Florida offense
2. The SEC – Big Ten Challenge – Bowl style
3. The Cotton Bowl, which should be one of the best games of bowl season
4. UVA’s Chris Long’s pass rush all day long against pass happy Texas Tech
5. Hawaii’s Colt Brennan facing an SEC defense in the Sugar Bowl
6. Teams with interim coaches and those about to lose a coach
7. Florida Atlantic in its first bowl in New Orleans
8. Nick Saban in Shreveport, because he won’t be spending many more Holidays in such exotic locales
9. USC and Georgia in the Rose Bowl, oh, wait, that didn’t happen in the name of tradition. Rock on, Rose Bowl, enjoy the parade.
10. LSU fan and Ohio State fan making acquaintances in the French Quarter<o

>
</o

>
Matthew Zemek [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/SIZE][/FONT] <o

> </o

><o

> </o

><o

>[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2][/FONT]</o

> Q: What are you looking forward to this bowl season?[/SIZE]<o

></o

>
A: I'm looking for bowl outcomes that will embarrass the sport of college football and its power brokers, so that we get a plus-one, pronto (and so that the BCS bowls will, in the short run, be allowed to mix and match teams without being constrained by artificial tie-ins that no longer possess much of any meaning).

I'm looking for USC to beat Illinois by 50 in the Rose Bowl so that the Tournament of Roses will be properly shamed for not picking Georgia and giving college football fans a good matchup.

All in all, these bowl matchups stink with the exceptions of the Fiesta, Capital One, Holiday, and Cotton. There's just not much to look for... it would be a lie to say this year's bowl lineup is even remotely exciting. The only thing to look for is embarrassment that will shame various power brokers into action (action that isn't likely, but which can always be hoped for).

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Cavalcade of Whimsy - Why OSU Could Beat LSU </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap" width="3">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td nowrap="nowrap" valign="middle">By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 11, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

LSU is being handed the national title by many, but Ohio State is actually good. Ten reasons why the Buckeyes could win the championship, reaction to Tim Tebow winning the Heisman, and more in the latest Cavalcade of Whimsy.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's Cavalcade of Whimsy[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances [/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]

By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... E-mail with your thoughts
Past Whimsies [/SIZE][/FONT] 2006 Season | Preseason Part One, Part Two | Week 1
Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11, Part 1 | Week 11, Part 2 | Week 12
Week 13 | Week 14
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … God doesn’t like me as much as He/She likes Tim Tebow, who was “blessed with so much stuff.”

"And this one time, at band camp…" … Tebow made more history than just being the first underclassman to win the Heisman and being the first player to run and throw for both 20 scores in a season; he also set the record for the most consecutive words spoken without taking a breath, followed up by the most consecutive men hugged.

“ … and for having the divine wisdom to bless my girlfriend with the most spectacular, next-level rack ever created.” … (It’s one of the more interesting clean photos going around. Google Tim Tebow girlfriend. Yeah, I know, but you’re Tim Tebow, starting quarterback at the University of Florida. The standards need to be set at an otherworldly level. I say they should be even bigger, and there should be three of them.)

Kudos to Tebow, who makes a big deal out of religion, for not thanking God for the Heisman (since it was me, along with 461 other first place voters, who gave it to him), which would then imply the other finalists weren't worthy in the eyes of a Supreme Being. Instead, he did it the right way by thanking his “Lord and savior” for his family and the support group around him.

Yeah, you instantly lose a sizeable segment of the audience once you start going churchy, but faith is a big part of who Tebow is and he handled it reasonably well. With that said, for all those happy with Tebow praising Jesus Christ and God, and don’t find anything wrong with it, think about your instant unfiltered inner-monologue if an athlete instead used the public forum to praise Mohammed and Allah. Now you know how a lot of people feel.

Tebow sounded like I do after firing down a large with Butterfinger topping … So Tebow joined the fraternity of Heisman winners. Big deal. Last Saturday I joined the more exclusive club of 49 annoying 14-year-old girls and a 350-pound guy named Stu by being able to fill up a free frozen yogurt punch card in one week.

Oh sure, now Michigan will actually try … I was front and center in the Tebow For Heisman campaign, but I’ll freely and openly admit that I’ll want to change my vote if he stinks it up in the Capital One Bowl against Michigan and if Darren McFadden rips up Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. I wished I could’ve changed my Troy Smith vote after last year’s bowl season to Colt Brennan. I wished I could’ve changed my Reggie Bush vote after 2005 to Vince Young. The Heisman voting needs to be done after the bowls to get a true indicator of college football's player of the year.

“Spread your love, let’s spread our love together/Spread your love, I can feel it getting better”… Don’t get too comfortable with Tebow’s phenomenal statistical season being special for too much longer. Now that the spread offense has had a few years to get ingrained in the fabric of high school football, and coaches have had time to groom and train quarterbacks and players to shine in the attack, there will be more and more Tebows coming up through ranks and shining at the collegiate level. And then, very soon, everyone will wake up and realize the quarterbacks get killed in the offense and the skills don’t translate to the NFL. Then there will be a 180-degree turn the other way back to tall passers with mobility in the pocket.

Hi-fives to the sports world for not using the April tragedy for storylines throughout the season … I’m sort of stunned there hasn’t been more of an uproar over Virginia Tech not playing for the national championship. When we ran the numbers for the CFN Historical Rankings, our way of figuring out how good a season a team has had, and Virginia Tech ended up No. 1 for this year with LSU two. Just when that seemed like it might have been wacky, the BCS rankings came out with the computers putting the Hokies one and LSU two with three of the six formulas putting Frank Beamer’s squad first and a fourth putting it second. Considering fans of several other schools are beefing about the BCS outcome, and the BCS bowl matchups, the Hokie fans have been strangely silent.

Reason number one why it’d be better: no Billy Packer … I’ll be happy to end this debate right now. A college football final four would obliterate the college basketball Final Four in terms of national popularity. People don’t care about the college basketball national title (quick, name the teams in last year’s Final Four) because by then their brackets have been destroyed. Everyone cares about the first two rounds because it gives them something to do and something to gamble on instead of working on a mid-March Thursday and Friday. A college football final four would be the second biggest sporting event in America behind the Super Bowl, and it wouldn’t even be close.

I prefer the term Plus-Sized … For those of you believing a Plus One would solve all the problems, you'd still get people ticked off this year. Say you only took the top four conference title winners, which just so happen to be the top four BCS teams. You’d have Ohio State vs. Oklahoma, and LSU vs. Virginia Tech. Let's just say USC fans wouldn't be pleased, and Georgia and West Virginia would be heard from. However, at the end of the day, USC lost to Stanford, Georgia didn't play in its conference title game, and West Virginia choked at home against Pitt. Ohio State, LSU, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma would make for a worthy, easy playoff format.

“Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? Will you take us to Mount Splashmore? … The line is dead even on who’s whinier, my three-year-old when she wants another episode of the gripping, biting theater known as Max & Ruby, or media people asking for a college football playoff. I talked with the college football bigwigs and they’ve decided to cut a deal. They’ll think about coming up with a playoff format if everyone would just SHUT UP about it for 24 hours.

“We'll put the band back together, do a few gigs, we get some bread. Bang! Five thousand bucks.”… One of the hot rumors going around has June Jones leaving Hawaii after the Sugar Bowl and going back to the NFL to give his run ‘n’ shoot another go-round. While this might sound insane considering the ceiling the chuck ‘n’ duck teams had at the next level in the 1990s, watch the New England Patriots; with a little tweaking, they’re basically running the Warrior attack. Considering NFL defensive backs can’t breathe on a receiver after five yards, another try for Jones in the big league might yield wildly successful results.

That’s why pencils have erasers … Oh sure, Les Miles is a die-hard LSU lifer. He’s so firmly committed to the Tiger program that he put in a $1.25 million buyout clause (pocket change in the world of elite college coaches) allowing him to bolt for Michigan. Until Michigan actually hires a new head man, and as long as it believes coaches should work for less than market value for the honor of being the Wolverine head man, don’t quite put the story to bed. Don't be shocked if January 8th rolls around and Miles, armed with a national title and a win over Ohio State, suddenly becomes a must-hire for Michigan AD Bill Martin.“Won’t somebody please think of the children?” … One of the more misguided rants that just won’t go away continues to come from LSU fans angry that the Kirk Herbstreit report of Miles leaving for Michigan was timed just so the players would be screwed up. Welcome to the big-time world of college football. It’s a big, big business, and these players aren’t babies. They know there are rumors swirling around their head coach, and they don’t really care as much as fans think they do.
“I aint, I aint, I aint/A buyin into your apathy/I’m gonna learn ya my philosophy/You wanna know about atrocity, atrocity?” … Two women were awarded $2.85 million in settlement payouts from the University of Colorado stemming from a sexual assault lawsuit against former Buffalo football players in a 2001 incident. If you’re a fan of a program undergoing a coaching change because the former head man didn’t win enough, just remember, you didn’t have Gary Barnett.

The C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
Does anyone, anywhere outside of Columbus actually believe Ohio State is going to beat LSU and win the national title? Dennis Kucinich is being given more of a shot at being the next president than the Buckeyes are of being the next national champion. Here are ten reasons why The Ohio State University will win the BCS Championship. (Relax Tiger fans, next week will be the ten reasons why LSU will win.)

10. 2006 Florida Gators, 2005 Texas Longhorns, 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes
Three of the past five national champions were given next to no shot whatsoever to win the title beforehand. This was partly because those three teams were really good, and it was partly because they were able to play the disrespect card. The 2006 Buckeyes, 2005 Trojans and 2002 Hurricanes were being considered among the greatest teams of all-time, and while the Tigers are only a 5-point favorite, playing in the Superdome, almost no one is coming out and picking against them. Teams in the big show tend to play better when the pressure, for the most part, is off.

9. Coaching
Les Miles isn’t Urban Meyer. For all the wins and all the good things he’s done since taking over as the Tiger head man, Miles isn't considered a high-brow X and O guy as much as he’s considered a great motivator and gutty game manager. Jim Tressel’s reputation might have suffered a hit after the Florida loss, but he’s still an amazing 73-15 (83%) with four straight bowl wins before the 2007 BCS Championship debacle. This is a big game head coach with a big game staff who’s been in the biggest of the big game spotlights for several years. Miles came through strong in his first BCS game appearance with the 41-14 Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame, but this is the national championship and his defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, has his head already half-focused on the Nebraska job.
8. The nation’s No. 1 defense is …
Yeah, It’s Ohio State. Dog the Big Ten all you want, but the conference has some solid offenses with six ranking in the top 50, and while there aren’t any high-octane killers, Michigan and Wisconsin have tremendous rushing attacks that were held in check by the Buckeye D, Northwestern’s 11<sup>th</sup>-ranked passing offense was held to 120 yards, no one threw for more than 269, and only Illinois ran for more than 161. OSU gave up four surprising touchdown passes to Juice Williams and the Illini, along with a soul-crushing fourth quarter march, and that was about it. As good as the overall stats are, they’re actually even better considering the offense gave up some scores, including two to Michigan State.

7. Yes, Ohio State can run with LSU, and any other team in the SEC
You don’t get 59 players drafted in seven years without having a ton of speed and athleticism flowing through the program. Despite how things looked against Florida, that Ohio State team could run with anyone, and this one certainly has the overall team speed to stay with LSU. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Buckeyes will play fast, but if it’s a question of running, no one other than Trindon Holliday will run past this group.

6. The OSU offensive line
If it’s not the best in the game, it’s a close second behind the Oklahoma line. It hasn’t faced a defensive front like LSU’s, but tackles Alex Boone and Kirk Barton are each Outland caliber talents who’ll be stalwarts on NFL lines for several years to come, Steve Rehring is a solid left guard, and Jim Cordle is coming into his own at center. The front five has allowed a mere 14 sacks on the year and just 100 tackles for loss. LSU is way too good up front to get shoved around too often, but the Buckeye front five will win its share of battles.

5. The OSU defensive front should be able to get into the backfield
The LSU O line is strong when it comes to powering the ball, but it struggles at consistently protecting the passer. All year long, teams have been able to get to the Tiger quarterbacks, and OSU should be able to pin its ears back and get at least four sacks. Vernon Gholston can get past any tackle in America.

4. LSU’s defense might not be quite as good as advertised
The talent is breathtaking. Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson have Pro Bowl tools. Craig Steltz was probably the best defensive back in the country, Ali Highsmith might have been the best linebacker in the SEC, and Chevis Jackson is one of the nation’s premier cover-corners. And there’s more NFL talent where that came from. So why did the Tigers struggle so much when pressed? Darren McFadden might be a transcendent talent and Andre Woodson might be a first round draft pick, but a defense as good as LSU’s shouldn’t have allowed 50 points to Arkansas and 43 to Kentucky, even if both games went to three overtimes. The Tiger D wasn’t nearly as dominant as it should’ve been over the second half of the season, but that’s because of …

3. Injuries.
The time off will help LSU as much as any team in the bowl season, but there’s still a variety of bumps and bruises to get over. For a team that went through a tumultuous season, and with all the coaching drama, DT Glenn Dorsey’s knee, LB Darry Beckwith’s ankle, QB Matt Flynn’s shoulder, QB Ryan Perrilloux’s finger, and a variety of other issues could contribute to next month being as much about healing as it is about preparing.

2. It’s not like LSU has been all-timer special since September
Injuries can only be partly to blame for LSU not blowing teams out over the second half of the season. The standards might be a little high considering the Tigers won the SEC title and is in the national title, but a team this talented probably shouldn’t have struggled so much with Alabama and Ole Miss, and it shouldn’t have lost to Kentucky and Arkansas. It took a miraculous play to beat Auburn, a trick play to get by South Carolina earlier in the year, and four wins came by a touchdown or less. If the LSU that showed up at the beginning of the year against Mississippi State and Virginia Tech is in the Superdome, it’s uh oh time for the Buckeyes. If the LSU that showed up over the last two months of the season gets off the bus, this could be a classic.

1. Florida 41 … Ohio State 14
Talk about motivation, how sick is Ohio State of hearing about the clunker in Glendale? Florida might have come into last year’s national championship with a great game-plan and a mega-chip on its shoulder, but the Buckeyes also came into it off the banquet circuit and figuring the game was a mere formality. Ohio State didn’t get to be Ohio State by not being able to adapt and adjust. This was the nation’s No. 1 team for a good portion of the season, and technically, it’s in the top spot right now. The team really is that good.

Nuggets and tidbits, now made with white meat, at participating restaurants …
- The Heisman has NOTHING to do with pro potential. Because Eric Crouch, Jason White, Danny Wuerffel, Gino Torretta, etc. weren’t NFL stars means absolutely nothing to what they did in college.
- There is no stigma to being a “stat guy.” Many wanted to criticize Tim Tebow and Colt Brennan for just being about the statistics, but great numbers are great numbers for a reason. Yes, being a stat guy implies that the numbers were achieved either in garbage time or against lousy teams, or both, but when it comes to this year’s Heisman lot, that’s just not true.
- The post-season awards and voting are always interesting. In the Sun Belt, Troy QB Omar Haugabook won the Offensive Player of the Year, but Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith was named the Player of the Year. The MAC named Toledo punter Brett Kern the Special Teams Player of the Year, and named Ball State’s Chris Miller the league’s All-MAC First Team punter with Kern on the Second Team.
- The best part of the NFL Network? It's certainly not my appearances on College Football Now. It's Deion Sanders on NFL GameDay. He's now the second best sports studio analyst behind Charles Barkley, and he makes Emmitt Smith and Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN look like ill-prepared amateurs.

C.O.W. shameless gimmick item … The weekly five Overrated/Underrated aspects of the world
1) Overrated: Mike Ditka ... Underrated: The complete and total opposite opinion, viewpoint, or stance of any opinion, stance or viewpoint held by Mike Ditka.
2) Overrated: Reggie Bush … Underrated: Mario Williams
3) Overrated: Mike Price ... Underrated: Paul Wulff
4) Overrated: Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech ... Underrated: Paul Johnson at Navy
5) Overrated: Appalachian State after beating Michigan ... Underrated: Appalachian State playing in its third straight national championship game but not getting one vote from the pretentious AP who made a big deal out of including FCS teams

Sorry this column sucked, but it wasn’t my fault … I’m allowed to write the column for another year or so if I want, but Jimbo Fisher has been named columnist-in-waiting while moving in his motivational WINNERS and PERSEVERANCE pictures into my office.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

HOMERUN! Arkansas Hits One Out of the Park with Petrino Hire

Posted Dec 11th 2007 7:38PM by Ryan Ferguson
Filed under: SEC, Arkansas Football, NCAA FB Coaching

(Note: it's still speculation as of 7:15PM ET on December 11th, 2007, but it looks damn likely that former Atlanta Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino will be the next head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.)

If this is the result after being jilted at the altar, I say line 'em up and knock 'em down the same way every time. Bobby Freakin' Petrino to Arkansas? That's genius.

Of course Petrino, like all too many other college coaches (ahem! Spurrier... *cough* Davis) found the NFL to live up to its 'No Fun League' designation. Our own MDS concisely sums up the Petrino/Falcons experiment:

Petrino's one and only year as head coach of the Falcons has been a disaster, from his starting quarterback going to prison to the players all despising him. And now it's over.

Aye! It's over... the Atlanta Falcons website is now announcing that Petrino is resigning. Arkansas isn't mentioned, but a 2:00PM press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Initial reaction? Wow... just, wow. Arkansas is set. That's a fantastic hire. What's funky is the repeat from hoops to pigskin. Last year, Dana Altman said toodles to Creighton to accept the b-ball job, then left Arkansas hanging, causing them to go to Plan B, which was one John Pelphrey... a huge upgrade in my opinion. Now, they've gone from Jim Grobe, a respectable hire, saying "Yes... wait! No" to Bobby Petrino. Bobby Freakin' Petrino! Amazing!

Can the SEC get any more competitive? In the west, you have Nick Saban at Bama, Les Miles at LSU, Tommy Tuberville at Auburn and now Petrino at Arkansas. In the East, you have Spurrier at South Carolina, Meyer at Florida, Richt at Georgia and Fulmer at Tennessee.

Every single one of those coaches have either a) won a national championship or b) fielded a Top 5 team more than once.

The HogBlogger is already sending his ardent thanks to Chuck Neinas, a "super head hunter" hired by Arkansas Chancellor Jeff Long.

Congratulations on the home run, Arkansas. Now don't screw it up.

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Ok, so is it Muschamp or Petrino?

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Muschamp apparently staying put at Auburn

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 11, 2007 7:24 PM

Categories: Football
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is apparently not moving to Arkansas.
Bobby Petrino resigned Tuesday as Atlanta Falcons head coach and, according to a source close to the search, is expected to be name Arkansas coach as early as Wednesday morning.
Earlier Tuesday, reports out of Arkansas indicated Muschamp was on the verge of replacing Houston Nutt at Arkansas. But sources close to Muschamp said he was never interviewed nor asked to interview.
Muschamp is expected to coach Auburn's defense against Clemson in the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl and to return for his third season in 2008.
More to come later.

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Riley says Moevao will start in the Emerald Bowl
By Jake Section: Football
Posted on Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 08:37:30 PM EDT

In a smart move by Riley, it was announced Monday that Moevao will start on Dec. 28. Some are saying it's a shocker... but I think it's the right move. Moevao's 3-0, he's got the team rolling in the right direction, and inserting Canfield into the mix now would be an unnecessary change.

That's simply my opinion. If you're still riding the Canfield train, state your case in the thread below.
GO BEAVERS!

RJ Esq · Dec 11, 2007

Scouting The Aggies - Jorvorksie Lane
By Mike Section: Football
Posted on Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 09:01:38 PM EDT

No doubt you've heard about him by now. Two Hundred and ninety pounds of rumbling mass that is the Texas A&M running back, Jorvorskie Lane.

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="center_content" valign="top"><embed src="http://www.veoh.com/NCAAPrototypesingle.swf?isVlog=true&player=NCAAembedded&type=v&query=%28metadata%3A%28%22player%253DJorvorskie%2520Lane%252011%22%29%29&id=4014306&affiliateId=2" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="438" width="540">
NCAA Football Highlights on Veoh.com
<table align="center" border="1" width="90%"><caption align="top">Jorvorskie Lane Season Statistics</caption><tbody><tr bgcolor="#7e2217"> <th align="center">Carries</th> <th align="center">Rush Yards</th> <th align="center">Rush TD</th> <th align="center">YPC</th> <th align="center">YPG</th> <th align="center">Catches</th> <th align="center">Rec. Yards</th> <th align="center">Rec. TD</th> <th align="center">YPC</th> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffffff"> <td align="center">159</td> <td align="center">746</td> <td align="center">16</td> <td align="center">5.0</td> <td align="center">62.2</td> <td align="center">9</td> <td align="center">82</td> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="center">9.1</td> </tr></tbody></table> Good God. Does anyone else have terrifying visions of Dan Connor and Sean Lee hanging on this guy as he marches ahead for six yard gains all day?
Lane reminds me a lot of Jerome Bettis. Not particularly fast, but he has quick feet and he gets his momentum going forward quickly. It's only nine plays but from the highlights it looks like A&M uses him almost exclusively up the middle. So I suspect like Bettis if you can get him going sideways he'll fall like a house of cards.
This is why it's important that the defensive tackles clog the middle. Just park there and eat up blockers and don't give up ground. I bet Phil Taylor is eating a second cheesesteak right now. But even if they do stuff the middle I don't think they will get Lane to run sideways. He only lost nine yards on the ground all season. So that tells me even if the middle is jammed he's going to run it straight ahead anyway.
If the defensive tackles can't stand up to the offensive line we're going to be in for a long day. But if they can stand them up and force Lane to lose his momentum it's up to Dan Connor to bring him down. If he can't and we have to depend on Scirrotto or Justin King to bring him down...well, let's not think about that. The defensive ends and outside linebackers will be occupied looking for the fake handoff to Lane to set up the outside option plays. This will leave Connor one-on-one in the middle quite often. How well he does or doesn't do will be a key factor in the game.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

Haywood to Houston?
By Rob Section: Football
Posted on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 08:03:04 PM EDT

From the Houston Chronicle:

UH narrows coaching candidates to Pardee, Haywood By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
For University of Houston athletics director Dave Maggard, the hunt goes on for a football coach to replace Art Briles. But a person with knowledge of the situation says that the search has been narrowed to two candidates -- former NFL and Cougars coach Jack Pardee and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood.
Pardee said Tuesday that he had not been offered the job, and Haywood could not be reached for comment. Maggard would not comment on the situation, saying only that "there is still a lot of work to do."

Could get pretty interesting if true. I do believe Haywood is still on the road recruiting, so it could be some time before we hear anything definitive.

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

Bobby's sincere, heartfelt and refined goodbye
By Mike Section: News
Posted on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 05:43:10 PM EDT

This. Is. Hilarious.

He's the Rick Blaine of the 21st century.

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

BLOGTOBERFEST:ONE TO GROBE ON EDITION

Blogtoberfest: Sometimes, we do one.
Jim Grobe is jowly enough for tradition at Michigan, who plan on getting one of those fax dealy-bobs in the office as soon as they get off the belt massager at the gym.
Rick Neuheisel at Duke? You betcha, per da Fanhouse.
Kyle notes in just one, just one we say, of his ongoing and superb series of bowl previews that it was a bad year to be a morbidly obese offensive genius. Sir, Mark Mangino disagrees vehemently! And is eyeing that tasty samosa you left in the Indian take-out bag!

Two entered. One left.
Colorado State quietly replaces the retired Sonny Lubick with CSU alum and former assistant Steve Fairchild, current offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
3rd Saturday in Blogtober has the proper name for Bobby Petrino now: Pignocchio.
Cocktails, distributed in great and indiscriminate quantities in your direction, sir.
Gerry Dorsey lightens the whole nervous, boiler-room feel of the Coaching Tilt-a-Whirl by pointing us toward this LSU performance artist, who is actually a superb dancer.

<object height="355" width="425">

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3nFKNl_g8Z8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object></p>

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

Southern Miss hires Fedora as coach

Oklahoma st. offensive coordinator will replace Bower

Posted: Wednesday December 12, 2007 10:20AM; Updated: Wednesday December 12, 2007 5:25PM

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -- Hoping for a boost on offense and at the box office, Southern Miss hired Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora as its new coach Wednesday.
Fedora replaces Jeff Bower, who was forced to resign last month after 17 years and 119 wins. He told about 1,000 fans, media and pep band members that he believes he can squeeze more from a program that's already a proven winner and Conference USA contender every season.
"I believe we can make the nation realize there's a force to reckoned with here at Southern Miss," Fedora said between ovations.
Fedora had been considered a front-runner for the job after he visited the Southern Miss campus last week.
The 45-year-old just completed his third season as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator and has 16 years of college coaching experience, including a stint as Florida's offensive coordinator. This will be his first job as head coach.
Athletic Director Richard Giannini said he was looking for a way to fill seats when he began searching for Bower's replacement.
Fedora's single-back, no-huddle offense may be the solution. The Cowboys averaged 33.4 points and 484.1 yards per game on the way to a 6-6 record and an Insight Bowl berth.
Oklahoma State had the nation's seventh-ranked rushing offense at 245.3 yards per game, and overall the offense was ranked ninth.
"We wanted someone that had incredible energy and incredible passion for the game of football and tremendous passion to be successful," Giannini said. "And there's no question we got the No. 1 guy. From Day 1, he was on our list."
Giannini said he conducted dozens of interviews in the 16 days since Bower resigned under pressure Nov. 26.
Fedora's hiring must still be approved by the state College Board. Giannini said Fedora's contract will be for four years. He did not want to discuss financial terms until the board approved the contract, but said Fedora will be paid more than the $550,000 in public and private money Bower earned.
Fedora was the offensive coordinator at Florida in 2004 and has coached at Air Force, Baylor, Middle Tennessee State and Austin College, where he went to school.
Under Fedora in 2004, the Gators led the Southeastern Conference in six offensive categories and the school was the first to feature the conference's top passer, rusher, receiver and total offense leader in the same season.
"Larry is one of the best coaches I have worked with in my time in college football," said Illinois coach Ron Zook, who was Fedora's boss at Florida. "He has a great offensive mind and the ability to motivate his players."
Fedora will be under pressure to win immediately. Bower had 14 straight winning seasons and bowl appearances in 10 of the last 11 years. The team was favored to win the C-USA title after finishing second last season. But the Golden Eagles stumbled to a 2-3 start and needed two wins at the end of the year to extend both streaks.
Bower came to Southern Miss as a transfer quarterback in 1972 and was a player and assistant coach with the school for 12 seasons before taking over in 1990 as head coach after serving a year as Oklahoma State's offensive coordinator. His last game as coach will be the Papajohns.com Bowl on Dec. 22 in Birmingham, Ala., against No. 20 Cincinnati.
Then it's Fedora's turn.
"I knew this was just going to be a golden opportunity," Fedora said. "I think Southern Miss is getting ready to explode and I wanted to be the next guy here to just push it over the top."

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/12/07

<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="590"><tbody><tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/left.jpg" width="31">
</td> <td width="528"> Note: almost entirely Petrino-related this morning, and that is the story.
Let’s show coach Petrino how to call the hogs! Even the journalists! All of you!

<object height="355" width="425">

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p7x3x6QHlrA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object>
</p> Everything’s subjective. Take leaving your spouse for a mistress. Oh my god, you’re the biggest asshole ever…but she maxed out three credit cards, ate breakfast in bed and left the dishes in the bed, and screamed at you several hours a day while only wanting to talk about her vapid friends and the crazy lives they lead–and we mean the kind of crazy that’s not really “crazy,” but so boring (”She’s taking karate with her kids! Isn’t that CRAZY?”) it made you want to stab yourself in the eyes with an old-fashioned fountain pen.
And your mistress! She’s so accomodating. Not as good-looking, sure…but the day-to-day stuff is so, so much easier for you. She’ll bend herself in knots to please you. She’ll give you anything and will drop to her knees any time you say so….if you’ll only come and stay, if only for a little while. Go ahead and call her angel of the morning, whatever.
And there’s your Petrino story, Rashomon-style. He totally quit the Falcons job before even finishing a complete single season of work. He’s totally bailing out the Razorbacks, who got denials from Jim Grobe and were headed to exhaust pipe/garden hose territory coach-wise before they landed a 41-9 record and a brilliant, brilliant offensive mind to go with it. It only cost them 2.85 mil a year, shelled out by either the Waltons or Jerry Jones, and the long-term stability of the program, since Petrino’s a great hire, a very good coach, and a terrible bet for the long run because he is to coaching slots what Ted Turner is to monogamy. In a perfect world, he really would coach several teams at once via video-conferencing and XBox style playcalling with a stingray-shaped controller.
Pat Forde brings out the cold dental implements and will not even give Petrino the courtesy of novacaine with his commentary:
In the coming days and weeks, the disingenuous drifter will say what Arkansas fans want to hear.
He’ll look at them with blank shark eyes and tell them, in a monotone voice, how excited he is to be the coach of the Razorbacks. He will tell them how impressed he is by the tradition and the fan base. He will tell them that the Southeastern Conference is the place he always wanted to coach (and that might be the one true thing he’ll say, given how many times he’s tried to land a job in the league).
It will be a trumped-up stump speech, as sincere as a politician’s pledge to cut taxes. It will simply be the latest pack of lies in a career full of them.
It’s accurate and fair. Kind, no–but fair, because Petrino has lied. Especially the bit about the shark eyes. They’re a bit frightening, along with the human-esque ability to bare teeth and turn the corners of his mouth up into a gesture you and ourselves might recognize as a “smile.” At no point can anyone question his talent. His commitment to anyone he works with in a job is perfectly valid material for skeptical thinking. An Arkansas fan taking any other approach is being delusional, since he’ll be fun, he’ll score shitloads of points, and he’ll leave.
He is Dennis Erickson without the jolly drinking stories. And he’s the second Lou Holtz the program has hired.
Ed Orgeron has been connected with the open defensive coordinator position at South Carolina, meaning he mailed a fine pelt he caught behind the power plant in Oxford–a beautiful groundhog pelt still fresh with blood–to Steve Spurrier. Spurrier is said to be horrified, washing his hands, and interested.
Oh, and not-Terry-Bowden OK State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora to Southern Miss. He’s good. We’re really just publishing this to mollify SMQ, a USM grad stunned by the firing of Jeff Bower and terrified that, for an instant, his program might have considered bringing Terry Bowden back to the college game under his alma mater’s banner. Sleep well, sweet prince of a blogger: Bowden stays in the booth for another year.

</td> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/right.jpg" width="31">
</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part IV)
By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Wed Dec 12, 2007 at 07:46:22 AM EDT

These are crazy, crazy times in the Southeastern Conference. Bobby Petrino has accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas, a move so bizarre on his part that there can be only one explanation: a Razorback athletic official, using a corner pay phone to skirt the inevitable F.O.I.A. request for his cell phone records, called Coach Petrino to offer him the job, and, because of the poor connection, Coach Petrino heard "Auburn" instead of "Arkansas" and leapt at the job after asking, "Are you sure he's really fired this time?"
Football fans were left poleaxed by the announcement, so much so that we scarcely noticed the fact that Al Borges, who totally shifted the S.E.C. paradigm with his revolutionary West Coast offensive innovations, resigned after guiding the Plainsmen to a 2007 season in which Auburn was 101st in the country in total offense. Offensive Chic, where is thy sting?

<center>

It was a bad year to be a morbidly obese offensive genius.
</center> Fortunately, there are some constants in the college football universe, even in this topsy-turvy season, among them being my complete inability to predict successfully the outcomes of gridiron games. My bowl picks already are underway, so I will get right down to the next round of prognostications after offering you the gentle reminder . . . Don't Bet On It!:
Liberty Bowl: Central Florida v. Mississippi State (December 29): You have to be pretty darned cynical not to consider Sly Croom's success in Starkville the feel good story of the 2007 season. It was nice to see M.S.U. bounce back to earn its first bowl bid of the 21st century, but now the Western Division squad is looking to cement its resurgence with a postseason win in Memphis. Are the Golden Knights up to the challenge of preventing that from happening? Well, let's see . . . will U.C.F. be fielding multiple academically ineligible athletes and benefiting from obvious blown officiating calls regarding key fourth-quarter fumbles? No? Well, then, picking this game is easy, since there's no evidence to suggest that a George O'Leary-coached team is capable of beating a band of Bulldogs without one or both of those things occurring, now, is there?

<center>

Still, a Liberty Bowl win would look good on his resume. . . .
</center> Alamo Bowl: Penn State v. Texas A&M (December 29): The Nittany Lions' bowl trip should be an emotional one for Joe Paterno, who hasn't been back to San Antonio since Penn State lost a postseason date there following the 1835 campaign, when Santa Anna outcoached the young P.S.U. skipper in just his third year as the head man in Happy Valley. Although I believe the Lions aren't as good as the record they compiled against a diluted Big Ten, I have even less faith in the Aggies after the damage done to the Texas A&M program by the scourge that is Dennis Franchione. Besides, when it comes to games played at the Alamo, I know better than to pick the Texans to win, so I'm going with Penn State in this one, if only because JoePa paid $1,200 a year to get Fran's secret injury update e-mail newsletter.
Independence Bowl: Alabama v. Colorado (December 30): The world has turned a few times since the Crimson Tide capped off an 11-1 campaign to springboard a 1992 national title run with a win in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl over the defending national champion Buffaloes. Colorado is a marginal bowl team at best and 'Bama failed to contend in the Sun Belt. All that is at stake for either team is a winning record, but Dan Hawkins has less to lose than his counterpart, as the Tide faithful are acutely aware---and their head coach is acutely aware of their awareness---that his predecessor was fired for the unpardonable sin of going 6-6, falling to Auburn, and losing a minor bowl game in Shreveport. If the Red Elephants come up short in this one, the message boards will light up with the inevitable observation that, if you look at the name "Nick Saban" and squint, it starts to look an awful lot like "Mike Shula." Despite Coach Saban's dubious record of success in bowl games, he'll win this one because he can't afford not to win this one, which will translate to an Alabama victory. This brings us to the most ironic postseason pairing on this year's bowl schedule. . . .

<center>

</center> After learning that some students from the University of California had been called upon to participate in the Armed Forces Bowl alongside Air Force Academy cadets, undergraduates at Berkeley burned their draft cards in protest.
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force v. California (December 31): It could have been worse, I suppose; this game could have pitted a service academy against Kent State. In the alternative, this matchup might have occurred while Fisher DeBerry was still in charge of the program in Colorado Springs, in which case he might have noted that tree-hugging hippies "can run very, very well." As it stands, though, the emblematic educational institution of the antiwar protest movement of the 1960s will be sending its student-athletes to tussle with the future flyers of the American military. Something about this pick doesn't quite seem right, but I have a hard time believing that the pilots from Air Force are the only ones capable of pulling out of a tailspin, so I like Cal to end its disappointing season on a high note by emerging victorious from Fort Worth. All the Bears are saying is give peace a chance.
We now find ourselves officially halfway through the postseason lineup and we are on the verge of getting into the meat of the New Year's Eve bowl schedule. My greater familiarity with some of the teams whose games are upcoming, however, should not be taken as an indication that I am any more likely to predict the outcomes of their showdowns correctly, so my regular disclaimer still stands: Don't Bet On It!
Go 'Dawgs!

<table align="center" width="40%"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 12, 2007

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part V)
By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 07:51:19 AM EDT

Already, it has been a busy bowl season here in the blogosphere, so much so that I just flat forgot about Mark Mangino when maligning his fellow morbidly obese offensive geniuses. Truly my bad, Coach Mangino. Let me make it up to you; here's a tray full of fried peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches, just like Elvis used to make.

<center>

In my defense, I've been doing my best to forget about Kansas all season long!
</center> If you've been reading my bowl picks, you know already that my postseason prognostications should be taken with a grain of salt. The Unknown Stuntman has been kind enough to set up a Dawg Sports ESPN bowl mania group and, while you are more than welcome to participate in it, I must encourage you not to rely on my predictions when you do so. In fact, when it comes to the following forecasts, the only suitable rule is . . . Don't Bet On It!
Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State v. Georgia Tech (December 31): Since the turn of the new millennium, Pat Hill's Golden State Bulldogs have replaced the since-fired Jeff Bower's Southern Miss Golden Eagles as the most noteworthy of college football's mid-major giant killers. Although Coach Hill never has won an outright conference title, his teams have beaten Colorado, Kansas State, Oregon State (twice), U.C.L.A., Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and (in the 2002 Silicon Valley Classic) Georgia Tech since the start of the 2001 season. However, the Bulldogs left it all on the field in a 50-42 loss at Rose Bowl-bound Southern California in November 2005 in which Fresno State very nearly threw the national championship chase into complete chaos. (Well, complete chaos by pre-2007 standards, at any rate.) Coach Hill's squad came into the Coliseum trailing a 14-1 record from the previous fifteen games, but the Bulldogs spiraled out of control after that demoralizing setback, losing eleven of their next twelve outings before righting the ship late last year. Prior to posting a win over Kansas State last month, Fresno State had not beaten a B.C.S. conference opponent in its last seven tries and the Bulldogs have not defeated a major league team outside of the Raisin Capital of the World since the 2004 MPC Computers Bowl. Does the West Coast F.S.U. have what it takes to get by a Yellow Jacket team in the midst of a transition being led by an interim coach? With defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta's attentions divided by his temporary head coaching duties, will a Fresno State offense that has put up 30 or more points in seven of its last eight outings, including four in a row, be able to score on a Ramblin' Wreck D that has given up 24 or more points in seven of its last ten games, including each of the last four? Uh, yeah. Don't be surprised if the Golden Tornado gives up 38 postseason points for the third year in a row as another bunch of Bulldogs hands the Yellow Jackets a loss.

<center>

</center> Uga understands that, in the binary code of Peach State athletics, No. 1 is in Athens and the zeroes are all at The Flats.
Sun Bowl: Oregon v. South Florida (December 31): If I had told you on October 14 that these two teams were going to meet up in a bowl game, you never would have believed the Bulls and the Ducks would be squaring off on New Year's Eve. Oregon stood at 5-1, sporting a road win over Michigan in the midst of a series of impressive offensive performances and hampered only by the narrowest of losses to a California team that had frittered away its national title shot in a home loss to Oregon State the day before, shortly after No. 1 Louisiana State had fallen on the road against Kentucky. U.S.F. was undefeated and the Bulls' 6-0 record was buoyed by wins over Auburn and West Virginia. Then the bottom fell out for both teams: South Florida lost its next three outings against Rutgers (by three), Connecticut (by seven), and Cincinnati (by five), while the Ducks waited a little later to collapse, beginning a three-game skid when Dennis Dixon was lost for the autumn in a loss at Arizona. The Bulls, however, have had some time to regain their swagger, ending the season by beating Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt by a cumulative tally of 144-64. Granted, it's just Syracuse, Louisville, and Pitt, but dropping a gross of points on a trio of conference opponents is nothing to take lightly, particularly when two of those three wins were over the Cardinals, who hung tough on the road against West Virginia and upset bowl-bound Rutgers in their other November outings, and the Panthers, who ended the campaign in Morgantown with what would have been the upset of the season in any other season. Short of a miraculous recovery by Dixon, whichever third-rate backup winds up taking snaps for the Ducks will be shaking like a Leaf (sorry) at the prospect of having to match Matt Grothe yard for yard and point for point. Without their star playmaker, the Ducks simply do not have the firepower to keep up with the Bulls. If they gave out the Heisman Trophy when they ought to give out the Heisman Trophy, this game might have turned the tide for Dixon's candidacy---if one player singlehandedly makes the difference between a team being an 8-1 national title frontrunner and being an 0-4 disaster, that player is, by definition, the best player in college football---because Oregon's season will reach its ignominious end in a loss to South Florida.
Music City Bowl: Florida State v. Kentucky (December 31): I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Bobby Bowden's and Rich Brooks's pregame conversation at midfield includes a discussion of bran recipes and at least one non-ironic asking of the question, "Are you gellin'?" Despite their common membership in a generation known alternatively as "active seniors" (in the parlance of A.A.R.P. advertisements) and as "those young upstarts" (in the Pennsylvanian argot known as Paternese), though, Coach Brooks has the edge on Coach Bowden in at least three important areas. First of all, Coach Brooks possesses the capacity for using actual curse words, dadgum it. Secondly, Coach Brooks's anointed successor isn't looking down on him from the press box. Finally, Coach Brooks knows who his starting quarterback is, which partly is a tribute to Coach Brooks's superior short-term memory and partly is an indictment of Florida State's inconsistency under center. The Seminoles are a spent volcano; there is no rule that says F.S.U., a former all-girls' school that did not win its first football game until the year after Bear Bryant won his first bowl game as the head coach at Kentucky, has to be good. After winning ten or more games in each of the fourteen seasons between 1987 and 2000, the 'Noles have lost three or more games in each of the seven seasons since, posting a record of 15-15 in their last 30 outings. Although the Wildcats have lost four times in the five games since their upset of top-ranked L.S.U. in mid-October, Andre Woodson led U.K. on an 11-2 run prior to the Blue and White's late-season fade and I am confident that, after five weeks of preparation to face Florida State in an S.E.C. town, Kentucky will be ready to win its second straight bowl game over an A.C.C. opponent.

<center>

It's just too bad the Wildcats can't field a competitive team in sports other than football. (Image from Newspaper Hack.)
</center> Insight Bowl: Indiana v. Oklahoma State (December 31): The Hoosiers will tip off . . . er, I mean kick off . . . in Tempe just two hours after the Wildcats take the court . . . uh, that should be field . . . in Nashville. Couldn't we have gotten the two basketball border rivals together in a bowl game if Indiana and Kentucky both earned New Year's Eve berths? The last perennial cellar-dweller left in the Big Ten hasn't made it into postseason play since 1993, hasn't won a bowl game since 1991, and has never won a game after Christmas Day that wasn't against either Baylor or South Carolina, neither of whom has much of a reputation as a tough out in the postseason. The Hoosiers (who finally fulfilled the dream of their late coach, Terry Hoeppner, to see I.U. play in a bowl game) are just happy to be there, whereas the Cowboys have something to prove. Oklahoma State's supposedly stellar offense often sputtered, managing 23 or fewer points in losses to Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Troy, and the Pokes routinely were torched by the opposition, surrendering 35 or more points seven times. O.S.U. went 0-4 outside of Stillwater in games against teams with winning records. Although Indiana proved to be a scrappy opponent in nailbiters against Northwestern, Penn State, and Purdue, I just don't think the Hoosiers have it in them to outduel the Cowboys in the desert, so I like Oklahoma State to end the season by making a statement, much as the squad did in 2006.
The intensity of bowl season is beginning to heat up and, for those of us who do not count ourselves among the advocates of tradition-rejecting solutions, New Year's Day annually represents the greatest day on the sports calendar. We'll be getting to January 1 in the next installment of my bowl forecasts, but, ere you get caught up in the excitement of the arrival of 2008, I must caution you once again: Don't Bet On It!
Go 'Dawgs!

<table align="center" width="40%"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=+2]Sugar Bowl draws surprising interest[/SIZE][/FONT]   <table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="2" width="400"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="15">

</td> <td>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana][SIZE=-1]StoryChat:[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana][SIZE=-1]Comment on this story[/SIZE][/FONT]</td> </tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana][SIZE=-2] [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana][SIZE=-2] By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer[/SIZE][/FONT]
[/SIZE][/FONT]
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1">     <tbody><tr> <td>
</td> <td> <table class="subHeadline" bgcolor="#f0e8d9" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td>PRICIEST BOWL TICKETS ONLINE
1. BCS Championship: LSU vs. Ohio State, Jan. 7, Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Average price of tickets purchased: $1,615 (previous year, $1,489)
2. Rose Bowl: USC vs. Illinois, Jan. 1, Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. Average price of tickets purchased: $522 (previous, $542)
3. Sugar Bowl: Hawai'i vs. Georgia, Jan. 1, Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Average price of tickets purchased: $263 (previous, $279)
4. Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia, Jan. 2, University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Average price of tickets purchased: $206 (previous, $214)
5. Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida, Jan. 1, Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Average price of tickets purchased: $200 (previous, $189)
6. Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas, Jan. 3, Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Average price of tickets purchased: $188 (previous, $212)
7. Cotton Bowl: Arkansas vs. Missouri, Jan. 1, Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. Average price of tickets purchased: $147 (previous, $139)
8. Gator Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Virginia, Jan. 1, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla. Average purchase price of tickets: $104 (previous, $133)
9. Outback Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee, Jan. 1, 2008, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Average price of tickets purchased: $101 (previous, $130)
Source: www.TicketsNow.com
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr height="10"> <td width="10">

</td> <td width="188">

</td> </tr>     <script language="JavaScript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript">  </script><tr><td>
</td> <td>
</td></tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Tickets for the Sugar Bowl matching Hawai'i against Georgia are among the most coveted of this year's bowl game tickets and are selling online at an average price approaching last season's Sugar Bowl between Louisiana State and Notre Dame.
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] "That does surprise me, that does offer some level of surprise for most people," said Mark Hodes, senior vice president for Illinois-based TicketsNow.com, a leading online inventory of sports, concert and theater tickets. "I'm sure the folks at the Sugar Bowl are quite happy."
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Hodes said the average online price for the Jan. 1 game is $263, ranking behind only the Bowl Championship Series title game (LSU vs. Ohio State) at $1,615 and the Rose Bowl (pairing Southern California and Illinois) at $522.
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Last season, Hodes said, tickets for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, featuring LSU playing in its home state, sold for an average of $279.
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] By comparison with this season's Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl (Oklahoma vs. West Virginia) and Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Kansas) are selling for an average of $206 and $188 apiece.
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Initially, Hodes said, the expectation for the UH-Georgia Sugar Bowl was that ticket demand "would probably be in the lower tier next to the Orange Bowl, below $200 in average ticket price, but that obviously doesn't seem to be happening."
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] "Hawai'i having not been in a BCS bowl in their history is one of those uncertain dynamics that came into the market" but, Hodes said, "the demand, I think, is indicative of the draw that is coming from Hawai'i and the fact they had a quarterback in the Heisman race. That is obviously a big draw. That and the record that Hawai'i is boasting this year is speaking for itself. And Georgia is in close proximity to New Orleans, relatively speaking, but you would think the ability for Hawai'i to be a strong travel team would be kind of depressing the market, but that doesn't seem to be happening."
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Hodes said he expects both TicketsNow's supply and the game to be sellouts.
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] TicketsNow, which said it buys its inventory from licensed ticket brokers, had 350 Sugar Bowl tickets remaining yesterday afternoon. Hodes said those ranged in price "from $150 to nearly $1,000."
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1] Also available was a luxury box seating 44. The price: $70,000.
[/SIZE][/FONT]

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Slow ticket sales worries UVa

Doug Doughty

Virginia AD Craig Littlepage expressed concerns about Gator Bowl ticket sales in a letter that boosters received via e-mail Tuesday.

Virginia (9-3) will meet Texas Tech (8-4) on Jan. 1 in the Gator Bowl.

As of Monday, Littlepage said that UVa had sold 8,451of the Cavaliers’ allotted 13,500 tickets.

"A school’s ability to sell out its ticket allotment is an important factor in the selection process for future bowl games," Littlepage wrote, "so it’s important that the tickets allocated to us are sold."

Littlepage noted that Virginia sold more than 20,000 tickets for the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. UVa sold more than 25,000 tickets when it returned to Charlotte in 2003.

"As you may recall, we had hoped to return to Jacksonville on several occasions during the last 15 seasons, but a perception that Virginia fans didn’t ‘travel’ well hurt us in the bowl selection process," Littlepage said. "We have collectively worked hard to overcome that reputation."

Fans unable to attend the game may purchase proxy tickets that will be given to the Jacksonville Children’s Commission to benefit area youth identified as at risk. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and each proxy ticket ordered is tax deductible.

Tickets also be purchased by phone or in-person at the UVa athletics ticket office. For more information, call 800-542-UVA1.

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Bowl tickets go slow at Purdue
School officials hope fact that game is within driving distance will help walk-up sales
 By Tom Kubat
Lafayette Journal and Courier
December 13, 2007

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Motor City Bowl might not be such a neutral site after all.
Central Michigan, which plays Purdue in the Dec. 26 bowl game at Detroit's Ford Field, has sold about 7,500 tickets and is on pace to match last season's figure of 15,000, associate athletic director Nick Williams said.
Purdue has sold just over 4,000 tickets, but that includes an estimated 1,500 complimentary tickets for players and guests, band members and those in the official traveling party.
Ticket manager George Ade said it will be more difficult to predict how many tickets will be sold this year because the bowl site is within driving distance.
"For (Purdue's) other bowls, people had to make airline arrangements, so they ordered (game tickets) in advance," Ade said. "It might get a lot (busier) as we get closer to the game. If I had to guess, I'd guess that we'd end up close to 5,000, hopefully more.
"But I really don't know because it's so close, it's an easy driving distance for many of our fans. Normally, some wouldn't go to a bowl game because of the distance and the cost. From that standpoint, this is really kind of an attractive bowl."
Purdue estimated it sold 9,000 to last year's Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. The Boilermakers had about 5,000 fans at their three appearances in the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas (in 2004, '02 and '01).
Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke is hoping the fact that there are 250,000 alumni within a five-hour drive of Detroit will translate into more ticket sales.
"This, to me, is a working man's bowl," Burke said. "It gives those folks the opportunity to get in their vehicles and have a chance to see the team in the postseason. The stadium is beautiful, and I like playing in special venues."
<script> if (!window.print) { document.write('
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
'); } else { window.print(); } </script><script type="text/javascript"> if(typeof gcion_enable_bt != 'undefined') { if(gcion_enable_bt) { document.writeln('<script type="text/javascript" src="http://js.revsci.net/gateway/gw.js?csid=J06575" charset="ISO-8859-1"></s' + 'cript>'); } } </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">  </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://content.gannettonline.com/global/s_code/s_code.js"></script>

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Interesting....

UCLA search turns to Chow, Mendenhall

<script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><iframe name="google_ads_frame" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-0237893561790135&dt=1197561665430&lmt=1197561664&format=300x250_as&output=html&correlator=1197561665430&channel=0603066557%2B5452098552%2B3119009114&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanblogs.com%2Fucla%2F007390.php&color_bg=FFFFFF&color_text=333333&color_link=003399&color_url=999999&color_border=FFFFFF&ad_type=text_image&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&ui=rc%3A10&cc=100&ga_vid=700325724.1194291038&ga_sid=1197561665&ga_hid=2053632919&ga_fc=true&flash=9&u_h=1024&u_w=1280&u_ah=1024&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_tz=-480&u_his=1&u_java=true&u_nplug=18&u_nmime=67" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" width="300"></iframe> According to reports in the LA Times and ESPN, the UCLA coaching search is turning to Tennessee Titans OC Norm Chow. Chow is expected to be interviewed by the end of the week.
In addition to his offensive track record, Chow is highly sought after by the Bruins because of his working relationship with current UCLA interim coach, DC DeWayne Walker. Walker and Chow worked together at Southern Cal.
ESPN is also reporting that UCLA is trying to guage the interest of BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe told the Deseret Morning News that UCLA has not asked permission to interview Mendenhall, so any conversations at this point are likely through intermediaries.
Mendenhall, the 2006 Mountain West Coach of the Year, has led the Cougars to two straight undefeated conference championships. He signed an extension to stay with BYU in August 2007, at an estimated $1 million per year and a $250,000 buyout clause.

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Am I a Bowl Team?
By SMQ
Posted on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 10:07:22 AM EDT

For decades, Big Ten powerhouses were shut out of the postseason by the league's strict prohibition against such reward for all but the conference champion. Well screeeeewww that! In the 21st Century, everyone gets rewards! Live! On ESPN Classic!
So much so, in fact, it can be difficult to determine just who is and is not going bowling these days. Below is the detailed resume of a Bowl Subdivision program which may or may not have accepted a gracious invitation to a postseason contest. Your challenge, knowledgable reader, is to put yourself to the test: can you tell whether or not the program described below is scheduled for a bowl game, without looking? Give it your best shot, then click 'Read More' to reveal the secret identity of today's contestant. Good luck!
- - -
<table> <caption align="top">My Resumé</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Avg. MOV +/-</td> <td align="center">-6.39</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Offense</td> <td align="center">130.7 (85)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Offense</td> <td align="center">109.1 (102)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Offense</td> <td align="center">366.9 (78)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Rush Defense</td> <td align="center">168.5 (76)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Defense</td> <td align="center">123.8 (59)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Total Defense</td> <td align="center">375.4 (55)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">TO Margin</td> <td align="center">-3 (78)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Wins over >.500</td> <td align="center">One</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Best Win</td> <td align="center">+33 vs. JS#80</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Worst Loss</td> <td align="center">-7 vs. JS#129</td> </tr><tr> <td align="right">Best Streak</td> <td align="center">W3 (9/29-10/13)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Worst Streak</td> <td align="center">L3 (9/08-9/22)</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Am I a conference champion? No, but close: I finished tied for the third-best conference record in my league and for fourth in wins overall. This is a huge improvement over my 11th-place finish in 2006, my worst season since 1988. Although losing my starting running back for the season in September and my starting quarterback in early October – I finished the final eight games with a three-man rotation and an untested sophomore in the backfield – I tripled last year’s win total and entered the final weekend of the season with a good chance to secure the conference championship before falling just short. Was I humiliated on multiple occasions? Yes. After losing a road upset bid in a four-and-a-half-hour, two-overtime heartbreaker in the second game of the season, I came back home to lose by 37 to my most hated nearby rival and then went on the road the following weekend to get hammered by 42 while yielding the highest single-game yardage total my opponent – a team that’s been to four conference championship games and a BCS bowl since 2001 – had gained in at least a decade. In-conference, I lost to two non-bowl teams that finished behind me in the standings.
The high point: Coming off two straight wins in early October, I ambushed the team that would finish with the conference’s best overall winning percentage in a true beatdown, easily the biggest win of my season and the worst loss of my otherwise accomplished opponent’s. After the earlier struggles on defense, I delivered this time with four sacks and three forced turnovers and pounded out a 237-yard advantage on the ground. The game was far out of reach by halftime.
The low point: It was a win, but I also served as half of probably the ugliest nationally televised game in history in November, a contest that ended with 726 yards on 18 punts, nine turnovers and zero points scored by either offense. That one Dolphins-Steelers game in a Monday night monsoon was a titanic display of skill by comparison, and we didn’t even have the weather as an excuse. At one point, I was intercepted on three consecutive possessions, and only won with a seven-yard fumble return for a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter.
Close calls: I’d be nowhere without them – my first win of the season was a dramatic comeback for the winning touchdown with 17 seconds to play, and four other wins were by seven points or less. Prior to the 7-0 thriller recounted above, I won games 17-14, 20-13 and 31-28, though it should be noted that two of those games were only close because of my own recklessness (turnovers!) and late, ultimately meaningless scores by my vanquished foes.
The previously mentioned loss in double overtime was the only game I close to winning but didn’t.
So: you have the facts. Am I a bowl team?
NO!

(Lonely tuba: wump-wump-waaaaaaah)
Miami, Ohio, opened the season 1-3 with losses to Minnesota (the Gophers' only win), Cincinnati and Colorado, but rebounded to finish 5-2 in the MAC - technically, because of the bizarre scheduling "quirks" of a 13-team conference, this was a half-game behind East Division rival Bowling Green, which finished 6-2. But since the Redhawks blew the Falcons off the field, 47-14, in October, Miami drew the tiebreaker bid to the MAC Championship, where they were routed in the second half by Central Michigan and barred from the postseason at 6-7 overall.

They'd have taken you if they could, guys! Better luck next time! 
<table align="center" width="40%"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/13/07

<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="590"><tbody><tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/left.jpg" width="31">
</td> <td width="528"> “Disloyal…cancer…” Lawyer Milloy crossed out the name “Bobby Petrino” on the farewell letter the coach left in Atlanta and inserted his own edit:

Milloy also called Petrino “a cancer,” which is going a bit far. Cancer sticks around! Ah, cancer jokes. You never let us down. Also: everyone’s lying, or half the people are telling the truth: Arthur Blank accuses Petrino’s agent of telling “a fucking lie” in the AJC.
Speaking of terminal diseases, the Michigan coaching search metastasizes into…Delaware? Michigan is reportedly very, very interested in Blue Hen coach K.C. Keeler, who may soon do what Michigan did not do this year: beat Appalachian State. The Blue Hens (we just like typing that name) face App State in the D-1AA (proper terminology) Championship Friday night, and Keeler says the game isn’t a matter of an audition for the Michigan job, or even that of simply winning a game. IT IS ABOUT CHEATING THE GRIM REAPER AND SLIPPING THE SURLY BONDS OF THIS MORTAL COIL.
“I said this and I’ll repeat it again,” Keeler said. “I didn’t come here [to Delaware] to leave here. I love this place. It is, obviously, an honor to ever be mentioned for a job of any magnitude, especially one like that.
“However, I am trying to get immortality, and immortality is a national championship. There’s nothing more important to me than that. And that’s all the kids care about, too.”
So, there’s that Michigan fans. We understand there’s an emphasis on longevity in Michigan coaching searches, but eternity’s a bit of a stretch, right?
Mississippi State is bringing much cowbell to the Liberty Bowl: they’ve already bought 30,000 tickets to the game, ensuring that the bowl game will be sufficiently CR00mXoR3D.

Horrific pun alert: Oregon State has signed a deal to play Penn State in 2008. The Oregon State Beavers. At Beaver Stadium. Beavers.
June Jones is busy handing out cash to his assistants–a mere $100,000, mind you, scarcely enough to <strike>buy a recruit</strike> upgrade your weight room in the SEC. Perhaps he should save some of the cash for a priest, if LSUFreek’s vision of a Georgia cheerleader is close to accurate in describing the outcome of the game.

</td> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/right.jpg" width="31">
</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Report: Houston to hire OU's Sumlin

Posted: Thursday December 13, 2007 3:38PM; Updated: Thursday December 13, 2007 3:38PM

HOUSTON (AP) -- Oklahoma assistant coach Kevin Sumlin will be hired by as Houston's football coach, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Houston athletic director Dave Maggard told the Houston Chronicle he was prepared to hire Sumlin, who has spent the last five years on Bob Stoops' staff at Oklahoma, on Friday.
Chris Burkhalter, Houston's associate athletics director, confirmed to The Associated Press a news conference had been scheduled for noon Friday but didn't elaborate. A call to Maggard by the AP was not immediately returned to the AP.
Sumlin would replace Art Briles, who resigned Nov. 28 and took over at Baylor. Sumlin has worked at Washington State, Wyoming, Minnesota, Purdue, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. He has been co-offensive coordinator for the Sooners for the last two seasons.
Others who'd been considered for the Houston job included former Cougars and NFL coach Jack Pardee, Notre offensive coordinator Michael Haywood, Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and current interim coach Chris Thurmond.

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Cards' Allen granted transfer release

Posted: Thursday December 13, 2007 3:27PM; Updated: Thursday December 13, 2007 4:13PM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Louisville running back Anthony Allen has been granted a release from the program and will transfer.
Allen set the school's single-game rushing record with 275 yards against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 6.
Louisville spokesman Rocco Gasparro says Big East Conference rules prohibit Allen from transferring to another school in the conference. Gasparro also says Louisville will not release him to any school on its schedule in the next three years or to Arkansas.
Former Louisville coach Bobby Petrino is now the head coach at Arkansas.
Allen, who played for Jesuit High School in Tampa., Fla., led the Cardinals in rushing this past season with 696 yards.
Gasparro says Cardinals coach Steve Kragthorpe has no comment about Allen's departure.

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Postmortem: The Worst, One Way or Another
By SMQ
Posted on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 03:56:16 PM EDT

This is not merely bad. This is ineptitude on a staggering, world-historical scale. Such a performance would be prima facie evidence for firing the coach even at a doormat program like Indiana. At a school like Notre Dame, well ... it's simply impossible to describe how awful this performance is. - Jonathan Chait, The Worst Football Coach In the Universe, Oct. 25
- - -

The ghastly numbers that preceded Chait's broadside against Charlie Weis then only marginally improved over the Irish's last four games, two of them losses to service academies: ND was not the least productive offense of the decade, after all, but it was the least productive in the nation this season, and allowed the most sacks while averaging national-lows in yards pass attempt and yards per completion; ND's offense was the only unit in the nation to average less than four yards per snap, and that only after improving dramatically against weaker competition in the last month. These are only the areas in which the Irish were the absolute worst in the country - they were also 110th or worse (in the bottom ten) in rushing offense, passing offense, pass efficiency offense, scoring offense, yards per carry and, on defense, tackles for loss. The nine losses plunged below the briny depths of the virtually all-white, 2-8 squads in 1956 and 1960 for most defeats in school history.
Still, the universe is quite a large place for adjectives like "worst." My instinct is to be somewhat forgiving, partially because - anti-ND, anti-Weis schadenfreude being what it is - that's a somewhat contrarian stance, partly because the numbers have from the beginning of the disaster told as dismal a story of competitive suffering as can be told, nullifying the usual hyperbole, and partly because some of us kind of saw this coming before Jimmy Clausen took his first awkward snap:

Notre Dame will endure two full months of pain. It will be better by November, when the many youngsters have developed some chops and the schedule reads Navy-Air Force-Duke-Stanford. The first two months, though, are destined to be a painful, angst-ridden coming of age. It's not only the new quarterback, which is a common enough affliction, but the most experienced positions on the team are linebacker and defensive back, the same collection of guys who have been flatly terrible against decent competition the last two years. Nowhere is any element that looks remotely like a strength. There are no guaranteed wins in the first eight, maybe only two (Michigan State and Purdue) that seem "probable," and as much faith as the partisans are willing to grant Herr Weis, his performance this fall might be his best yet if the Irish are still looking at a bowl game by that closing stretch.
- - -

Wait, wait. Do-over, please. I'd like a do-over.
- - -
Right-o. In August, with an historically young, inexperienced squad staring down the schedule it was set to face - Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Boston College and USC, all currently preparing for bowl games, half of them topping eight wins - a 1-7 start was not only not inconceivable, but perhaps, if you could be honest about the odds in any given game, it was even likely. As it happens, Navy and Air Force their own selves won eight and nine games, too, though the taint of "service academy" hardly allows such considerations to serve as balm at "a school like Notre Dame," which through thick and thin and everything in between could at least count on surviving the annual clash of minimalist nostalgia with the Midshipmen. But based on winning percentage alone, the Irish's schedule ranked as the 22nd toughest in the country; minus the wretched salvation of 1-11 Duke and 4-8 Stanford at the tail end, those first ten games would represent easily - at .650, a good three percentage points ahead of the "tough schedule" champ, Oklahoma State, whose opposition was collectively .621 - the most daunting slate in the country. And, well, hell, at least the Irish beat the worst of them: 3-0 against teams at or below .500. If you were so inclined, that could easily be spun into a claim for mediocrity rather than outright ineptitude. After the relative recruiting disasters of the late Willingham Era, this was The Year We All Saw Coming Eventually, etc.
But we all know better. Overall, there is still top 20 talent. It was never just that Notre Dame was winless for so long, but, as Chait says, that it was so helplessly, hopelessly bad in its losses, and equally bad in its only pre-November win, against an anchor-less team down to a third-team walk-on at quarterback dedicated to reckless incompetence on a stunning level, even by Notre Dame standards. It was never just the record that made Weis the hot-seated, overpaid laughingstock he will be for at least the next nine months, but the apparent lack of preparation, lack of execution, indecision at quarterback, failure to adjust gameplans, regression from the few veterans, demoralization, and general noncompetitiveness - the marks of a coach that didn't realize the challenges of wholesale inexperience and a team that didn't know what it wanted to do offensively, much less how to execute it - that has Weis so quickly in "win-or-else" mode entering Year Four.
It was pretty clear by midseason that this year was really all about 2008 and 2009, anyway, and it is assured that the very glaring "growing pains" of Clausen, Armando Allen, late blooming back Robert Hughes and receiver Duval Kamera will be considered this offseason as a temporary cost to much greater benefit in short order. The schedule got easier, yes, but the team did get better over the last month and a half, and my guess is that's what you can expect from assessments of Notre Dame going forward, the ongoing line problems, complete lack of a downfield threat and hemhorraging of the entire not-terrible half of the defense be damned. The team probably has to win seven games just to keep Weis afloat next year, and there's a good chance these now-battle scarred rooks will be expected to do so.
The clear-headed will see the overwhelming truth, though, and won't let overtures to optimism obscure the obvious: 2007 was the worst team in Notre Dame history, if not the universe, and such fates are never inevitable.

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Pickin' On the Big Ten: Bowl Game Blowout!

Posted Dec 13th 2007 3:40PM by Mark Hasty
Filed under: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC, BCS, Bowl Games

Every Thursday, Pickin' on the Big Ten breaks down action across the conference.

From the moment all the bowl matchups were announced, the outcry has been loud, proud, and undeniable: The Big Ten is completely doomed in this year's bowl games. I mean, seriously, the last time we all heard such unshakable predictions of impending destruction, they were coming from the mouth of Baghdad Bob, the former Iraqi information minister. Remember when we all couldn't wait for his latest statement about what wasn't happening in Iraq?

Failed Ba'athist propaganda artists aside, it's certainly true that at least two Big Ten teams head off to their bowl games totally overmatched. And who, of course, can forget what happened last year when Ohio State went off to the BCS Title Game ranked #1? But how dire is the situation for the rest of the conference's bowl teams? Probably not as bad as most might think, so long as their message board handle isn't something like SCFan53 or Perriloux4Heisman08.

Besides, you have to admit, watching the Michigan coaching search has been some of the best entertainment available to college football fans at the moment. Now that Les Miles has stopped issuing non-denial denials of interest in the job, it's sort of fun seeing the names getting tossed around in the maelstrom of trepidation centered on Ann Arbor. (However, this has to be the longest coaching search at a major college in the past decade which has not involved the name "Terry Bowden" in any way. What is the matter with you, Michigan fans? There is a protocol to follow in these situations! Before you fire off that next post about how Urban Meyer just isn't good enough to coach at Michigan, or how Jim L. Mora* just might be the next Pete Carroll, you owe it to all of us to take a serious look at Bowden. Him, or Bob Davie.)

Right. The games. You're not dying to know who I think are the two overmatched Big Ten teams; you're more curious who I think actually stands a chance, despite coming from the consensus Worst Football Conference in the Universe. After the jump, people.

We'll take these games in chronological order.

THE ... sigh ... MOTOR CITY BOWL: Purdue vs. Central Michigan

I know it makes sense, from a public relations point of view, for the Big Ten to have a tie-in with the Motor City Bowl, but really, I don't see how it's good for the conference. No team, nor any fanbase, gets all that geeked about going to Ford Field to play a MAC team. Moreover, the MAC team has absolutely nothing to lose, while the Big Ten team had better win and win big. They make movies about games like these, and those movies usually star people like Kadeem Hardison and Bobcat Goldthwait.

A Purdue loss could make things interesting, as the Boiler Nation is growing increasingly restive towards Joe Tiller. Sure, he took them to the Rose Bowl in 2001, but that is so six years ago.

Anyway, there are two tremendous offenses in this game, along with maybe half of a good defense. Oh, and these teams played each other back in September. Purdue won, 45-22. Maybe they could just show a tape of that game instead. When bowl games wind up becoming rematches from Purdue's non-conference schedule, that's a good sign there are too many bowl games.

GLENN ROBINSON U 42
DAN MAJERLE U 35

THE IRONICALLY NAMED CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL, SINCE IF EITHER OF THESE TEAMS WERE CHAMPS THEY WOULDN'T BE PLAYING IN IT: Boston College vs. Michigan State

Okay, how did this happen? Boston College makes it to #2 during the regular season, loses a couple but still plays for the ACC title and winds up in the Champs Sports Bowl against the Big Ten's seventh-place team? Me no dig.

Of course, the story line in this bowl is interesting, as it matches two first-year coaches. Jeff Jagodzinski descended from the NFL and immediately made BC a factor again, while Mark Dantonio has brought a little more discipline and consistency to Sparty's sidelines. However, stats and trajectory tell the whole story here. Michigan State depends on its pass rush to create opportunities. No ACC team allowed fewer sacks than BC. Michigan State scores a lot of points and emphasizes a balanced attack. BC is like Imodium against the run, forcing teams to throw if they want to win. (Of course, you can throw pretty much at will against BC.) Winding up in this bowl is a treat for the Spartans; for the Eagles, it's got to be just a bit of a disappointment. I hate the thought of going against an up-and-coming coach like Jags, but I think MSU will put up enough points to make it happen.

WE THOUGHT THIS WAS BAWSTON'S YEEAH 28
SOMETHING TO BUILD ON FOR '08 41

REMEMBER THE ALAMO BOWL?: Penn State vs. Texas A&M

When somebody writes the book "Legends of Interim Coaching," Gary Darnell will have to have a long chapter. He kept the Florida seat warm while the Gators were waiting for Steve Spurrier, and now he returns to the sidelines while new Aggies coach Mike Sherman is otherwise occupied sending plays in to Sage Rosenfels.

Darnell's Aggies are thoroughly average in every respect save an excellent rushing attack, while Penn State's traditionally stout defense is still around. A&M's best hope in this game is that they can get their playmakers to break open a few holes in that defense. However, I don't think they will. You don't ever want to bet against a Tom Bradley defense.

NITTY KITTY DIRT NAP 24
SHERMAN, SET THE WABAC MACHINE 17

THIS BOWL WAS MORE INSIGHTFUL WHEN IT WAS PLAYED IN A BASEBALL STADIUM: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State

Just for the record, Bill Lynch is also a man, and I think he's older than forty.

As great a story as IU football has been this year, and as wonderful as I'm sure it feels for the Hoosiers to be back in a bowl for the first time since "Cheers" was still on the air, they don't have nearly enough defense to stop the Cowboys. Likewise, OSU has faced a much better spread attack than IU runs (Texas Tech, ironically enough) and prevailed against them, 49-45. All this goes out the window, though, if Kellen Lewis and James Hardy get into a rhythm early. They are the best QB-WR tandem in the Big Ten. IU will run with the Pokes for most of this game, but in the end, I like Mike Gundy's team just a little bit more. (Now please let go of my throat, Coach.)

BIG TEN BASKETBALL SCHOOL, 42
BIG XII BASKETBALL SCHOOL, 49

CRIKEY! IT'S THE ETHNICALLY CURIOUS STEAKHOUSE BOWL! RECKON!: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee

Because this is a Big Ten-SEC matchup, I am officially required to write the following: "mumble mumble SLOW bloop bloppy ARCHAIC argle-bargle hubbub NO ANSWER FOR THEIR SPEED sussura sussura OVERRATED yaggle tribble WEAK CONFERENCE etc., etc." All I know is this: If a coach is 37 years old and has already forced one NCAA rule change, dismiss him at your own peril. You might recall that his slow, fat, plodding Badgers beat an SEC team last year.

DERE'S NO BUTTER ON DIS STEAK, HEY? 23
BEEF? PEOPLE EAT THAT? 20

YOU CAN'T SPELL 'CAPITAL ONE BOWL' WITHOUT 'COIN PLOW': Florida vs. Michigan

You might be thinking that this is one of the bowl games where the Big Ten team is totally overmatched. You might be right. In the back of my head I can't help but think that Wisconsin and Penn State did everything they could to avoid getting invited to this game.

JORTS SET OFF YOUR FLABBY ARMS, 45
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS, 12

THE SNORING, DYSPEPTIC GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL (THE ROSE BOWL): Illinois vs. Southern Cal

Uh, this would be the other game where the Big Ten team is totally overmatched. Of course, Illinois has a more impressive win (over Ohio State in Columbus) and a less-humiliating worst loss (to Iowa in Iowa City) than USC. I mean, we all know the talent gap between USC and Illinois is like the language gap between Isaac Asimov and a fire hydrant, but still, don't you think it's at least possible that Ron Zook has become a pretty good coach? I don't think Illinois can actually pull off the huge upset, but they could make it interesting.

PRETTY SOON THIS WILL BE A HOME GAME FOR US, 37
CHAMPAIGN CAUSES HANGOVERS, 17

THE BCS "CHAMPIONSHIP": LSU vs. Ohio State

Here's what I think: The first team to get a two-score lead wins this game. If nobody gets a two-score lead, LSU wins. I think either defense, given a little cushion to work with, can hold on, but LSU's offense is just plain better than Ohio State's. OSU's defense has been excellent , of course, but the one rap you can have against them is that they don't create turnovers. LSU does. Still, if lightning strikes and OSU can go up even 10-0 early, I think the Bucks can hold on.

Now if only I could see that happening. But take heart, OSU fans: This won't hurt you nearly as much as it hurts Michigan.

LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULEZ, 34
NOW EVERYBODY WILL KNOW THE NEW CODE FOR OUR BUILDING, 30

(Now, which will be greater: the number of Big Ten bowl losses, or the number of NFL jobs Kirk Ferentz's name will be linked to? Stay tuned ...)

*: Because Mora the Elder and Mora the Younger have different middle names, the former Atlanta coach is NOT "Jim Mora Jr." no matter how many times you may have heard him called that. Now, aren't you glad you read all the way to the end?

RJ Esq · Dec 13, 2007

Duke Offers Job To David Cutcliffe

Posted Dec 13th 2007 7:42PM by Ian Cohen
Filed under: ACC, BCS, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Rumors, NCAA FB Coaching, Duke Football

Up until now, it appeared as if the Duke's coaching vacancy was going to be filled by a retread (Dorrell, Gailey, OG Bobby Johnson) or a rogue (Neuheisel). Or someone with an internet connection and time on his hands.

But there was one possibility that flew a bit under cloak of darkness, which is saying something considering it's the DUKE HEAD COACHING JOB. Not to mention that stickball story that's got everyone in an uproar. But according to some inside alumni sources, it might actually turn out to be the best candidate of all: Tennessee OC David Cutcliffe, also known as the guy whose completely unjustified termination at Ole Miss at least gave us the chance to witness The Orgeron: Head Coach while it was still a reasonably good idea.

First and foremost, there was always the sentiment that Ole Miss screwed up royal by getting rid of the one guy who made them (and Eli Manning! and Heath Shuler if you really think about it!) look even remotely competitive on a national level over the past decade or so. The guy deserved another shot, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he landed at a place with more cachet than that of "ACC doormat." Moreover, this is indicative of Duke not playing down to their image by trying to go after whatever moderately successful BCS has-been willing to work with them. If this turns out to be the real deal, this is a grand slam hire for Duke and an instant infusion of credibility to a program that hasn't had any since the days of high top fades and halfbacks wearing midriff jerseys.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Georgia Fans Deliriously Happy that Cutcliffe is Leaving Vols for Duke

Posted Dec 14th 2007 10:14AM by Ryan Ferguson
Filed under: Georgia Football, Tennessee Football, ACC, SEC, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Coaching, Duke Football

David Cutcliffe to Duke is good news for the Blue Devils and bad news for the Vols. Cutcliffe's arrival coincided with a resurgence in the Vols' formerly stagnant offense. As quarterback coach, he turned the mercurial Erik Ainge into a steady performer and notched his NFL draft hopes up from 'hopeless' to 1st or 2nd round.

So why is it also good news for Georgia fans? Georgia Sports Blog explains:

Phil Fulmer's record vs. Georgia when he doesn't have David Cutcliffe on staff is 2-5. However, Fulmer and Cutcliffe together have produced a staggering record of 9-0 against the Dawgs.

If he should accept the position at Duke, no one will be happier than [defensive coordinator] Willie Martinez. Hell, Willie could've provided a reference for the guy.

Losing to Tennessee this past season likely cost the Dawgs their shot at an SEC title, not to mention a national championship berth. So, uh... congrats, Georgia. And Duke.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/14/07

<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="590"><tbody><tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/left.jpg" width="31">
</td> <td width="528"> David Cutcliffe has allegedly taken the job of being Chernobyl firefighter and volunteered for dangerous People’s glory! Meaning that he’s taken the job of Duke head coach, leaving Tennessee looking for an offensive coordinator. Joel’s thinking Gus Malzahn, a pick that would tickle us blind–especially if they rip up shit in the SEC East when Houston Nutt clamped him into a run-first shell and tamped down the no-huddle.
Cutcliffe will lose many games at Duke. That’s what Duke coaches do, dangit, regardless of their qualifications, because this is Duke, and there’s no easy way out, shortcut home, grunty male vocal about to blow o-ring exhortation.
(There’s at least one team delighted to see Cutcliffe go: Georgia is 0-9 versus Tennessee with Cutcliffe in the booth.)
Forgive him, he lives in Michigan. Andy Moeller, offensive line coach for Michigan and likely a job-shopper in the coming month or so, had no blocking scheme for the drinks that rushed him sometime last Saturday afternoon: pulled over for DUI, he refused a breathalyzer because that’s precisely what Barry Zuckercorn would advise you to do. The important question is not whether Moeller might have an alcohol problem (remember, dad Gary was tossed out of a restaurant for a drunken tirade during his tenure as Michigan coach,) but whether he was driving an Amurrican car at the time.
Bumpkin Booster Bolt BCS to Board, Bring ‘ball to Brontosauran Backwater Status! The Wiz has a nice article that the tradition, respect, and all those other crap words people trot out to defend indefensible things certainly apply to the bowl system: the head of the Emerald Bowl makes six figures for putting on the goddamn Emerald Bowl.
In 2002, Gary Cavalli earned $90,000 as executive of a new postseason game in San Francisco. In 2006, his compensation package was $362,018 for the game now called the Emerald Bowl.
While Chan Gailey certainly appreciates his hard work, remember that 362K in San Fran converts to 16 grand anywhere else. We’d be surprised if he doesn’t sleep in a mission and mug tourists for spare change in his spare time. We’re not playoff soldiers as we used to be, but don’t look for us to look to the West and get weepy thinking about the glories of the bowl system, especially when a miserable Maryland team gets bowl coin.
Jim Tressel has encouraged 13 of his juniors to fill out paperwork testing the waters in this year’s NFL draft.
It’s brilliant for recruiting, and ballsy in a smart way, not ballsy in that “I’ll-go-for-it-from-my-own-thirty-something-in-the-2nd-quarter-way.” OOOOOHHH BURRRRRRN we can only use for a few more weeks, since the expiration date on gloating is precisely one year and one year only. Please take note, Nebraska and Notre Dame fans.
It’s been a while since we’ve done Iron Maiden on Friday, and with Christmas around the corner, our thoughts turn naturally to the reason for the season: Satan.

<object height="355" width="425">

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/icAzyx8EsKU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object></p> </td> <td background="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/almanac/right.jpg" width="31">
</td> </tr> <tr width="590"> <td colspan="3" width="590">

</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Am I a Bowl Team?
By SMQ
Posted on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 07:49:50 AM EDT

For decades, Big Ten powerhouses were shut out of the postseason by the league's strict prohibition against such reward for all but the conference champion. Well screeeeewww that! In the 21st Century, everyone gets rewards! Live! On ESPN Classic!
So much so, in fact, it can be difficult to determine just who is and is not going bowling these days. Below is the detailed resume of a Bowl Subdivision program which may or may not have accepted a gracious invitation to a postseason contest. Your challenge, knowledgable reader, is to put yourself to the test: can you tell whether or not the program described below is scheduled for a bowl game, without looking? Give it your best shot, then click `Read More' to reveal the secret identity of today's contestant. Good luck!
- - -
<table> <caption align="top">My Resumé</caption> <tbody><tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Avg. MOV +/-</td> <td align="center">+3.34</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Rush Offense</td> <td align="center">147.3 (65)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Offense</td> <td align="center">131.2 (45)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Total Offense</td> <td align="center">350.6 (88)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Rush Defense</td> <td align="center">136.7 (45)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Pass Eff. Defense</td> <td align="center">121.4 (50)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Total Defense</td> <td align="center">355.9 (42)</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">TO Margin</td> <td align="center">+7 (24)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Wins over >.500</td> <td align="center">Three</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right">Best Win</td> <td align="center">+7 vs. JS#18</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Worst Loss</td> <td align="center">-3 vs. JS#68</td> </tr><tr> <td align="right">Best Streak</td> <td align="center">W2 (9/29-10/06)</td> </tr> <tr></tr><tr style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <td align="right">Worst Streak</td> <td align="center">L3 (10/20-11/03)</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Am I a conference champion? No. Not even close. I finished in a tie for eighth in the conference with a losing league record, and only managed that by beating one of the other eighth-place finishers on the last day of the season. Over eight conference games, I beat three teams with better records and only lost once to a team with an equal or worse record and still almost finished near the bottom of the conference, which should say something for my schedule – I faced eight teams with at least seven wins, four teams that finished in the final polls and had a strength of schedule ranked in the top 30 by everyone who bothers with such things. Was I humiliated on multiple occasions? No. My worst loss of the season was by 17 points, to a team that finished in the top ten, and only one other defeat was by double digits (also to a final top 20 team). When things went bad, it wasn’t by much.
The high point: There were the nice back-to-back wins over seven-game winners in September, after I found my quarterback (neither of the guys competing for the job in the preseason, of course), but it wasn’t until November – my last chance – that I finally knocked off a ranked team, the seventh year in a row I’ve bounced at least one team in front of me in the polls. This time, I had my best offensive output of the season (against the top-ranked defense I faced) and passed for over 300 yards for the first time in two years, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was also only the second time I’ve topped 40 points in a game in the last three years.
The low point: Maybe ironically, the high point came amid the low: four conference losses in a five-game, month-and-a-half streak that ended a week after the aforementioned triumph with a lackluster road loss in which I allowed 133 yards rushing to a converted wide receiver.
Close calls: Things were great for me in close games last year, and terrible this time: I lost one-score games in overtime, by a single point in the final 20 seconds, by three points despite a big advantage in total yards and by eight points thanks to a big first half deficit. Only one very close game went my way, and I had to give up nine points in the fourth quarter to make it look that close.
So: you have the facts. Am I a bowl team?
AFFIRMATIVE!

Maryland was only 3-5 in the ACC, but used non-conference wins over Villanova, Florida International and Rutgers, an upset of temporarily reeling Boston College and a season-ending, winner-take-all blowout of N.C. State to finish 6-6 overall and grab the last bid out of the ACC, to play Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl on a baseball field in San Francisco on Dec. 28. A win would give the Terps their fifth winning season in seven years, the school's best streak in more than 20 years.

Fear the Turtle, Beavers!

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Tuberville Talks About New Offensive Strategy

by auburn91 Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 07:00:07 AM EDT

<table align="center"><tbody><tr><td>

</td></tr></tbody></table> By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com
The big question among Auburn fans seems to be whether or not Tommy Tuberville is really going to let new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin run a full fledged spread offense.
Tuberville has always been a coach that would rather run first and let the defense control field position and win the game. That’s probably not a 100 percent accurate statement, but it comes pretty close to describing his philosophy.
Admittedly, I’m still having a hard time picturing a Tuberville coached team running a no-huddle, spread offense for the entire game. You have to give Tuberville props for getting out of his comfort zone and rolling the dice to help Auburn get better.
"The biggest difference in his (Franklin’s) philosophy and mine is he’s going to set up the run by passing the ball," said Tuberville during Thursday’s Chick-Fil-A Bowl luncheon in Atlanta.
"We’ve set up the pass by running the ball. I don’t think there’s any doubt it will work. We’re still going to be a physical team.
"We’ll run the ball more than we’re going to throw it. We’re going to have a lot of backs in the game. I think the backs will like it because we’re going to throw the ball to them more. They’re going to have more passing yards."
That should put a lot of minds at rest. Many fans have wondered how the running game fits into this new scheme. You can bet the Auburn backs will be working on their catching skills in the off season.
Tuberville was asked point blank Thursday why he thought the spread offense would work better.
"The problem we were having was people kind of ganged up on us," said Tuberville. "We were having a little bit of a problem recruiting receivers because we didn’t use but two a game, not 6 or 7 or 8 like some of these teams. This will allow us to broaden our recruiting base in terms of personnel.
"It will allow us to spread the field and put pressure on defenses. We didn’t put a lot of pressure on defenses in terms of getting the ball down the field, spreading people out, making people miss in the open field. What we did was line up and run it and run some play-action. That was the extent of what we were able to do."
Franklin’s role the next few weeks will be to get to know his offense and size up his personnel. Don’t look for a lot of changes on offense when Auburn faces Clemson.
"The whole thing with his system is that the terminology is going to be totally different from what we’re doing," said Tuberville. "It’s like learning a different language. You can’t learn a different language in a couple of weeks. It’s just impossible.
"We want to get a head start on spring practice and let him understand what we’re doing and what guys can do and their limitations, strengths, weaknesses."

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part VI)
By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 06:20:39 AM EDT

We here at Dawg Sports are picking every last bowl game, and now we're starting to get to the good ones, so buckle up and hang on, 'cause here we go.

<center>

Time is short, so, like Ricky Bobby, we're going to go fast.
</center> By the way, if you want to know my confidence level regarding these forecasts, I'll be happy to run through that at the end. For the moment, though, all you need to know is that I have no faith whatsoever in my abilities as a prognosticator, so much so that I will remind you once again that there is one overarching principle by which you ought to be guided when perusing the following predictions: Don't Bet On It!
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Auburn v. Clemson (December 31): I'm going with the Tigers in this one. You know, the ones who wear orange. You know, the ones who are coached by that guy named Tommy. You know, the ones who used to be coached by John Heisman. Since I live in the metropolitan Atlanta area, the Georgia Dome is a little too close to home for me to declare this one a meteor game, but showdowns like this one make me wish the overtime rule could be repealed so I could root for the tie that would prevent either of these teams from winning and provide a fitting tribute to former Auburn head coach Pat Dye. Although the Plainsmen's offense performed inconsistently in 2007, the War Eagle D was dominant in every outing that did not require the Tigers to play on the road against an S.E.C. opponent bound for a Bowl Championship Series berth. In the meantime, Clemson closed out the campaign on a tear, going 5-1 down the stretch while outscoring its final six opponents by a combined 231-92 margin. That looks pretty impressive, until you consider that the five wins were over Central Michigan, Duke, Maryland, South Carolina, and Wake Forest. Against the quality defenses fielded by Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech, the Tigers from Fort Hill were unable to score enough points to win. Why would I believe they will be able to do so against the Tigers from the allegedly Loveliest Village? Since the onetime Peach Bowl became an annual A.C.C.-S.E.C. affair a decade and a half ago, the two leagues have swapped streaks with one another, as the Atlantic Coast Conference won four straight from 1992 to 1995 before allowing the Southeastern Conference to claim five in a row from 1996 to 2000. The league that presently plays its de jure conference championship game in Jacksonville went back on top from 2001 to 2004, then the league that is about to begin playing its de facto Eastern Division championship game in Jacksonville posted wins in 2005 and 2006. Given those trends, I look for Auburn to chalk up a win in Atlanta.

<center>

I hate Auburn.
</center> Outback Bowl: Tennessee v. Wisconsin (January 1): If there's one thing I've learned about the Volunteers over the years, it's that they never are willing to oblige me under any circumstances. Take this year, for instance. When we needed the Big Orange to roll over and play dead, they turned in by far their best performance of the year against the Red and Black in a game so demoralizing that it later became the subject of a country song. Later, when we needed U.T. to stumble, Phillip Fulmer's crew maddeningly pulled out nailbiters over South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky squads whose field goal kickers all seemed to think they were re-enacting famous Florida State-Miami endings. Finally, when it would have done the 'Dawgs some good for the Vols to have upset the Bayou Bengals in the Georgia Dome, they came out looking like a fired-up box of Crayola crayons yet lost, anyway. Now that we need Coach Fulmer to put his money where his mouth is by beating the Badgers, he simply won't do it. Tennessee is going to lose this game out of sheer spite, I just know it. Wisconsin will win, which will annoy me to no end.
Cotton Bowl: Arkansas v. Missouri (January 1): Even though the question already has been asked this week, it bears repeating. What happened to the Cotton Bowl? How did this historic contest---one of the traditional major postseason affairs, alongside the Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls---allow its top-tier status to be usurped by a late-arriving onetime excuse to give Arizona State an extra home game brought to you by corn chips? Rather than being a source of disappointment, this game ought to represent an admirable achievement. Mizzou had the best season in the living memory of the vast majority of the Tiger faithful and the Razorback fans who hounded Houston Nutt into fleeing for the Magnolia State ought to have been more appreciative of what they had. The Hogs, who finished above .500 in just one of the eight seasons immediately preceding Coach Nutt's arrival in Fayetteville, were guided to two S.E.C. championship games and eight bowls (including a Capital One Bowl, a Citrus Bowl, and three Cotton Bowls) in his ten-year tenure. Houston Nutt may be crazier than Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted"---or, heck, crazier than Angelina Jolie, period---but the dude could coach, so Bobby Petrino and the Arkansas fan base may be in a race to see which can more quickly remind the other that life in the Natural State is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, this is not the same Missouri team the Hogs defeated in Shreveport on New Year's Eve 2003 and Arkansas has had little luck of late in postseason play, as the squad from Fayetteville has lost eleven of its last thirteen bowl games, dating back to the 1986 season. The Razorbacks have won in January just once in the last 30 years and that trend won't change as Missouri curbs the enthusiasm of a fired-up fan base that has no idea how much buyer's remorse is coming its way.

<center>

</center> As soon as Bobby Petrino finished calling the Hogs, Bill Clinton officially became the second-least trustworthy state employee in Arkansas history.
Gator Bowl: Texas Tech v. Virginia (January 1): Is there a more stark stylistic contrast between bowl opponents this year than the one separating the Red Raiders from the Wahoos? Staid, gruff Al Groh has guided the Cavaliers to wins in wars of attrition, going 6-1 in contests decided by margins of five or fewer points and winning three one-point ballgames in a four-week period. Outspoken, boisterous Mike Leach lets it all hang out in his wide-open passing attack, leading Texas Tech to a 5-2 record in games in which the squad from Lubbock scored 42 or more points. (Yes, that's right . . . the Red Raiders have lost twice in games in which they scored at least 43 points and the Hoos have won twice in games in which they scored only 17 points. Go figure.) Ordinarily, I count myself strongly in the offense-sells-tickets-but-defense-wins-games camp, but even I can't bring myself to argue that a plodding Virginia squad that slogged its way through the soporific morass that is the Atlantic Coast Conference will be able to keep up with the piratical pinball of the Texas Tech attack. When Coach Leach's Xbox 360 offense takes the field, Coach Groh's Atari 2600 approach will have no adequate answers, rendering a Red Raider victory all but inevitable.
That's how the bowl lineup looks to me, but, then, what do I know? My propensity for calling games incorrectly truly can be breathtaking to behold, so you should know better by now than to put any stock in my forecasts. For the experiential learners among you, though, let me put it in no uncertain terms: Don't Bet On It!
Go 'Dawgs!

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Seminoles start bowl practices in limbo
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER Florida State football coaches begin preparation for the Music City Bowl today not knowing exactly which of their players will be available for the Dec. 31 game.
FSU will declare an undetermined number of players ineligible for the bowl game. The school's decision relates to academic misconduct involving student-athletes and a former tutor who provided improper help on an online test.
"Oh, yeah. We don't have a choice," FSU President T.K. Wetherell said Thursday. "When we know without a shadow of a doubt, or that a kid admits he has done something, we don't have a choice. NCAA rules tell us that."
Football players are being re-interviewed about their involvement in a case that has already involved 23 student-athletes. That process is winding down.
Players who admit wrongdoing will be suspended for multiple games. FSU is still waiting for written confirmation from the NCAA regarding the percentage of missed games it will demand. One scenario is that underclassmen could miss close to four games depending on what the NCAA determines.
The number of football players involved won't be known until the interview process is complete.
Players who admit to wrongdoing will be suspended for games. Those who deny involvement and are later determined by the NCAA to have received improper help could lose their athletic eligibility.
Wetherell said FSU could also be subject to forfeiting games if a player who is later determined to be involved participated. That means FSU must closely scrutinize the interview process.
FSU coaches enter today's practice with the understanding all players will be available for practices held in Tallahassee before the team breaks for the holiday on Dec. 22. But suspended players are not expected to make the trip to Nashville.
A committee appointed by Wetherell and chaired by university provost Larry Abele is also completing a final report on the academic misconduct cases that will be delivered to the NCAA. Wetherell would like that to be completed before Christmas.
The committee includes FSU's NCAA faculty representative Joe Beckman, general counsel Betty Steffens and The Compliance Group, a consulting firm from Kansas that is putting together the report.
Noteworthy
FSU prospects on their official visits will be among those watching Saturday morning's practice. The group includes four commitments, running backs LaGarrette Blount and Tavares Pressley, linebacker Vincent Williams and safety Nick Moody. Running back Jamie Harper of Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy is also visiting FSU.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Les Miles is SexPanther

December 14, 2007 — TideDruid 60% of the time, his 4th down calls work every time. I just wish he had a mustache 20 years ago. Picture of football player Les Miles found on MVictors.com

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Andy Moeller Will Not Be Michigan's Next Coach

Posted Dec 14th 2007 1:34PM by Tom Fornelli
Filed under: Michigan Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB Police Blotter

While we still have no idea who's going to be hired as the next head coach at Michigan, I think there's one name we can definitely scratch off the list. That's assistant coach Andy Moeller. It's not because Moeller's done a bad job running the offensive line or anything, because he's actually done a very good job, it's just that getting busted for a DUI isn't the best way to get a job.

University of Michigan assistant football coach Andy Moeller was arrested early Saturday evening at the scene of a two-vehicle accident and has been charged with refusing to submit to a preliminary breath test.

Ann Arbor Police Lt. Angella Abrams said Thursday the arrest came after police responded to a crash near the intersection of Stone School and Ellsworth roads at about 7 p.m.

Police arrested Moeller on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to Abrams. After Moeller refused a breathalyzer test, police asked for and received a warrant to have his blood drawn, a procedure that took place at the University of Michigan Medical Center, she said.

Yeah, so Andy's chances to be the next head coach at Michigan just went from .01% to 0% because his blood alcohol level was over .08%.

The school has not punished Moeller as of yet because the results of his blood test have not come back yet. Moeller played at Michigan, and started for two years, in the early 80's and has been coaching at his alma mater since 2000.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

SN exclusive: WVU's Rodriguez, Michigan meet

E-MAIL

PRINT
COMMENTS 6

WATCH THIS TOPIC

Posted: December 14, 2007
Sporting News staff reports

There's a new twist in Michigan's ongoing search for a head coach: University officials are meeting with West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, according to Sporting News Radio correspondent Michael Bradley.
Rodriguez and his agent are in Toledo today to negotiate with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and university president Mary Sue Coleman.
Michigan has been looking for a head coach since Lloyd Carr announced his retirement Nov. 19 after 13 seasons leading the program.
It was assumed LSU coach Les Miles was Michigan's top target. But Miles denied he was going to Michigan at a press conference before the SEC championship game, and signed an extension to stay at LSU. He also issued a statement earlier this week saying he as not a candidate for the Michigan job.
Greg Schiano was contacted about the job last week but decided to stay at Rutgers.
Rodriguez has been head coach at West Virginia since 2001. He has a 60-26 record with the Mountaineers, who face Oklahoma next month in the Fiesta Bowl.

Tide High · Dec 14, 2007

enjoyed your threads all year!

loved the UA video, as much as it sucks.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Thank you, sir. We aims to pleaz!

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

They Will Burn Wolverines In Effigy

...if this actually transpires:

There's a new twist in Michigan's ongoing search for a head coach: University officials are meeting with West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, according to Sporting News Radio correspondent Michael Bradley.

Rodriguez and his agent are in Toledo today to negotiate with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and university president Mary Sue Coleman.

Schwing. Coleman being there, if true, would be a further signal Martin was being gently guided. For the stalkers in the crowd, FlightAware turns up a Morgantown-to-Toledo flight... but it's a Piper.

Rodriguez gets a hearty thumbs-up from these parts, but I expect in about two days he'll scoff at these rumors and sign a contract extension.

Update: News has it independently, citing "sources with knowledge of the search"; Free Press has two people at UM confirming, also mentions Rodriguez' hefty $4 million dollar buyout.

WVU's AD has no idea what's goin' on:

"I don't know anything about it," WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong told the Gazette. "The only person who can clarify that is Rich Rodriguez. "We recently put a strong contract in place with Rich. We made a strong commitment to him and he made a strong commitment to us."

Come on, Martin, pull the Danny Ainge here and back your way into a winner.

Update II: a reader emails that the Piper Cheyenne is a plausible aircraft for a RR journey, as it's a short haul corporate transport that cruises at 250kph.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Tebow practices without cast

Heisman winner says non-throwing hand is 'fine'

Posted: Friday December 14, 2007 7:53PM; Updated: Friday December 14, 2007 7:53PM

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow had the cast removed from his broken right hand Friday and practiced without any problems.
Tebow sustained a non-displaced fracture in his non-throwing hand Nov. 24 against Florida State and wore a cast for three weeks, even picking the color to match the suit he wore to the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York.
"I was able to do everything," Tebow said. "It's weird, obviously, for the first time using it and being able to move the wrist and everything. It'll be back to normal. It was fine."
The other Heisman finalists -- Arkansas' Darren McFadden, Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Missouri's Chase Daniel -- signed the cast before the ceremony, and Tebow said he planned to keep it.
Tebow wore a small brace on his hand and wrist, but he hoped to have it removed before the ninth-ranked Gators play Michigan in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day in Orlando.
Tebow said he was starting to get back in a groove after missing a week because of two awards shows.
"The more you're out here, the more comfortable you're going to get," Tebow said. "I feel back right where I was when we played Florida State. It's nice to get out here and play after a week off. I love playing football, so coming out here, I was having fun running around and getting to play again."
Tebow also added to his growing list of congratulatory messages following the Heisman.
He got a text message from country music star Kenny Chesney -- the two met at a small concert in Gainesville last summer, and Chesney invited Tebow to sing with him on stage -- and a handwritten letter from President Bush.
"That was cool," Tebow said. "He wrote me a really nice letter, thanking me for having my priorities right and putting God first and congratulations, all that stuff. That was a huge honor for me. It was great."
The letter was dated Dec. 9 and read:
"Dear Tim, Congratulations on winning the Heisman Trophy. More importantly, I appreciate your priorities as stated in your speech! Faith, family, academics and sport. If your mission was to allow the Almighty to shine brightly, it worked. I appreciate the love and pride that your parents obviously felt last night. Please give them my best. Sincerely, George Bush."
Also Friday, Florida coach Urban Meyer said senior fullback Eric Rutledge had been dismissed from the team and will not play in the bowl game. Meyer said freshman tight end Aaron Hernandez fill Rutledge's role against the Wolverines.

RJ Esq · Dec 14, 2007

Petrino hires brother as Arkansas OC

Posted: Friday December 14, 2007 7:12PM; Updated: Friday December 14, 2007 7:12PM

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas has a new pair of sibling coaches.
Paul Petrino will be the Razorbacks' offensive coordinator next season under his older brother Bobby Petrino, who was hired as Arkansas' coach Tuesday after leaving the Atlanta Falcons.
Paul Petrino worked with his brother during Bobby Petrino's 13-game stint as Atlanta's coach. The younger Petrino was the Falcons' receivers coach.
"I am really excited to be at Arkansas and be part of this great program," Paul Petrino said. "I'm looking forward to competing for championships."
Paul Petrino, 40, is six years younger than his brother.
Arkansas is no stranger to sibling coaches. Danny Nutt was the Razorbacks' running backs coach for nine seasons under coach Houston Nutt before stepping down this past summer with health problems.
Houston Nutt resigned as Arkansas' coach Nov. 26, but defensive coordinator Reggie Herring was named interim coach. Herring will coach the 25th-ranked Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl against No. 7 Missouri, and most of Nutt's staff has been kept around for that game.
Arkansas said Friday it received a waiver from the NCAA that allows the Razorbacks to add Paul Petrino without dropping anyone from the bowl staff. Paul Petrino will recruit for Arkansas but won't be part of bowl preparation.
Paul Petrino was an offensive coordinator and receivers coach under his brother at Louisville for four years before the two went to the Falcons. Louisville went 41-9 under Bobby Petrino.
"I am pleased to have Paul joining our staff at Arkansas," Bobby Petrino said. "He is a talented offensive mind and a valuable coach on the field and in recruiting. He was instrumental in the success we had at Louisville. I know he is excited about this opportunity and he will hit the ground running."

RJ Esq · Dec 15, 2007

Rodriguez: Mum, With Vinegar
By SMQ
Posted on Sat Dec 15, 2007 at 01:11:50 PM EDT

Rich Rodriguez tells gossip-hungry reporters at the Mountaineers' Fiesta Bowl press conference this morning, 'Thanks for the interest, go to hell":

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez again refused to discuss Michigan's vacant coaching job on Saturday. At the opening of a previously scheduled news conference about No. 11 West Virginia's trip to the Fiesta Bowl, Rodriguez said he would only talk about the game against No. 3 Oklahoma.
"I'm not going to address the rumors or anything of that nature," Rodriguez said. "If any questions are asked about that, the press conference will be over."
- - -

I hold in my hand an absurd sum of money. From...
- - -
This attitude should make link-to-the-program concerned Wolverine partisans feel at home, as it nostalgically echoes Lloyd Carr's own notorious, often hilarious terseness in front of microphones. Reporters like to think of themselves as bold, irreverent types, but this is not always the case. Hardly ever, really. Information junkies can't afford to have that plug pulled by an alienated source. So presumably, on Rod's order, no questions were asked "of that nature." Ergo, we know today what we knew Friday: Rodriguez flew to Toledo on a very perfect aircraft for this sort of thing and met with, at minimum, his agent and "chief financial advisor," and in all rumor and anonymously-sourced likelihood with Michigan bosses "Sailboat" Bill Martin and Mary Sue Coleman. West Virginians, relieved over his rebuff to Alabama last year, are kinda pissed.
All we need now is a firm report that a deal is done, Wolverine jubilation, an eleventh hour, bank-breaking reversal in the name of home and hearth and alma mater, etc., and finally the curtain can rise on the inevitable Hoke/DeBord era in Ann Arbor. Do not fight your destiny, Michigan.*
- - -
* Unless Rod can convince Terrelle Pryor to move north with him to run circles around Michigan's quarterback statues in the spread option Rodriguez made his own at Tulane, Clemson and WVU years before Pat White came into his life, in which case all bets are off. Or is Antonio Bass' leg feeling better these days?

<table align="center" width="40%"><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 15, 2007

Adding:

UW-Whitewater +19' ($100)

Pure degenerate play and hopefully will get me warmed up for the bowls. Look at the D-3 thread for discussion.

RJ Esq · Dec 15, 2007

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part VII)
By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Sat Dec 15, 2007 at 08:45:11 PM EDT

The final weekend before the beginning of the bowl games is here, so I had better be quick about completing my postseason forecasts. If you've been following the predictions I've offered so far, you know to be wary of placing faith in my prognostications, but, just to be on the safe side, I should warn you again: Don't Bet On It!

<center>

</center> How unreliable is my judgment? Well, I totally didn't see that "Pink Lady and Jeff" cancellation coming! (Note: If you're younger than I am, substitute "Emily's Reasons Why Not" and you have the same joke, only with Heather Graham instead of two Japanese ladies who don't speak English. In retrospect, not going with that joke instead was another misjudgment on my part, wasn't it?)
Capital One Bowl: Florida v. Michigan (January 1): By January 8, one of these two teams will be able to say that it lost to the eventual national champion. Actually, one of these two teams can say that already. At the Division I-A level, however, the Wolverines have lost four straight bowl games, five of their last six postseason berths, and every Rose Bowl they have attended since their national championship year in 1997. Since going through a bad patch of five bowl losses in a six-season span between 1999 and 2004, the Gators have won two straight bowls over Big Ten teams, scoring at least 31 points in each of them. (Also, for what it's worth, according to Brian, Florida knows how to hire a head coach but Michigan, like, does not, though, really, that is neither here nor there as far as calling this game is concerned.) Ordinarily, I would pick against the team that boasted the Heisman Trophy winner, since guys who take home the stiffarm trophy tend to fare poorly in bowl games, for a variety of reasons, but the Maize and Blue are banged up, physically and emotionally, and they will be facing a Saurian squad that has scored at least 30 points in six straight games, ringing up 45 or more in five of them. Nothing about the Wolverines in their present state of disarray suggests that they are capable of hanging with the Gators.
Rose Bowl: Illinois v. Southern California (January 1): The Fighting Illini have won the Tournament of Roses three times, most recently at the end of the 1963 season and only once since the end of the 1951 campaign. The Trojans have won the Tournament of Roses 22 times, most recently last January. Illinois attended its first Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 1947. U.S.C. attended its first Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 1923. The Big Ten representative in Pasadena is coached by Ron Zook. The Pac-10 representative in Pasadena is coached by Pete Carroll. Yeah, the Men of Troy are going to destroy the Illini, aren't they?

<center>

</center> Also, Southern California never caved in to the forces of political correctness in order to avoid appearing insensitive to the hypersensitive.
Sugar Bowl: Georgia v. Hawaii (January 1): 'Twas the eve before New Year's and, throughout New Orleans, Warrior fans hoped to cap off their season of dreams by denying the Bulldogs their well-deserved bones with a run and shoot offense designed by June Jones. Colt Brennan was nestled all snug in his bed while visions of the Sugar Bowl danced in his head. Then inside the Superdome arose a wild howl from Georgia fans cheering, then Uga did growl as thousands of boosters got to their feet, awaiting the chance to see the big 'Dawg eat. What into their wondering eyes should stare back but a passel of players wearing red and black? With S.E.C. speed, swiftly they came as the P.A. announcer called each one by name: "Now, Asher! Now, Chandler! Now, Stafford for the first down! On, Owens! On, Atkins! On, Moreno and Brown!" Evil Richt grinned with a menacing laugh as the defense took over in the second half and the Georgia offense continued to amaze as backs and receivers made numerous plays. When the bowl game was over and the Bulldogs had won, Mark shook June's hand and told him, "Well done" . . . then Jones heard Richt exclaim, with unbridled joy, "Go 'Dawgs!" while cranking dat Soulja Boy.

<center><object height="355" width="425">

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ANZHXJUlUsc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object> The Warriors will play well on New Year's Day, but you cannot spell "Sugar" without U-G-A.
</center> Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma v. West Virginia (January 2): The Sooners return to the scene of last year's most memorable bowl game, where Boise State cemented its stature in the national college football consciousness with the Statue of Liberty play that brilliantly exploited Bob Stoops's scrupulous film study by tricking him into believing the Broncos were running the conventional two-point conversion play they had broken out earlier in the season. The Mountaineers, who similarly transformed their reputation with a Sugar Bowl win one year earlier, are going back to the game in which they frittered away their first chance at nationwide respect with a 34-21 loss to Notre Dame in Sun Devil Stadium on January 2, 1989. It is open to debate whether West Virginia's coaches and players will be distracted by the fact that, for the second straight season, Rich Rodriguez apparently is in play, but "Big Game Bob" rehabilitated his slightly saggy reputation with wins over Miami (Florida), Texas, Missouri twice, and Oklahoma State by an average margin of a little over three touchdowns. It has to gnaw at a perfectionist like Coach Stoops, though, that, after going 3-1 in his first four bowl games at Oklahoma (with a win in the 2001 Orange Bowl to claim the national championship), he has gone 1-3 in his last four (with losses in the 2004 Sugar Bowl and the 2005 Orange Bowl that cost the Sooners the No. 1 final ranking). After holding the Cowboys and the Big 12 North champion Tigers to 17 points apiece, Oklahoma appears to be hitting its stride and, irrespective of whether West Virginia is distracted by all the talk of Coach Rodriguez's possible departure, I expect the Sooners to assert themselves rather forcefully in Glendale.
We are closing in on the final four bowl games, including the big ones. (That's right . . . I'm talking about the GMAC Bowl in Mobile and the International Bowl in Toronto!) As we head into my last set of postseason prognostications, however, I must caution you, as always, that, if you take nothing else away from what I have written here, you must remember this one thing: no matter what you do . . . Don't Bet On It!
Go 'Dawgs!

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

This is interesting. All starting LBs COULD BE out for Clemson:

Legal, academic troubles disrupt Clemson bowl preparations

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 16, 2007 9:20 AM

Categories: Football
Clemson could be without all of its starting linebackers when it plays Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.
Two - Tramaine Billie and Nick Watson - are in danger of being academically ineligible. Another - Cortney Vincent - was arrested last week and charged with DUI.
Billie and Watson's status won't be known until they finish exams Monday. Offensive lineman Christian Capote is also in danger of being academically ineligible. After Vincent was arrested, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden seemed to indicate he would play.
"We will evaluate his status with the team and determine any disciplinary action after the legal process runs it course," Bowden said in a prepared statement last Thursday. Saturday, Bowden said he never said Watkins would play.
For details, follow the link.

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Rodriguez to UM and looks like he will leave WVU before the Fiesta Bowl:

Rodriguez leaving West Virginia to coach Michigan

ESPN.com news services



  Updated: December 16, 2007, 3:36 PM ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan has hired West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez as its next football coach following a search that featured two other top prospects deciding to stay put.

Rodriguez

 Rodriguez, whose Mountaineers (No. 9 BCS, No. 11 AP) are preparing for their second BCS game in three seasons, will take over Michigan's program from Lloyd Carr, Michigan athletic department spokesman Bruce Madej said Sunday.
"I am thrilled to have Rich Rodriguez as Michigan's new coach," athletic director Bill Martin wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Sunday. "Rich brings an exciting brand of football to Michigan Stadium. We welcome the entire Rodriguez family to Ann Arbor."
Rodriguez, who informed his players at a 1:30 p.m. ET meeting Sunday that he was leaving for Michigan, will formally be introduced by the Wolverines at a news conference on Monday morning at the Junge Family Champions Center on campus.
Rodriguez was extremely emotional in the meeting with his West Virginia players that lasted less than 10 minutes Sunday, a person at the meeting told ESPN. He had difficulty telling his team, "Others have contacted me but this one I had to listen."
A source close to Rodriguez told ESPN that the Michigan deal will average in the range of $2.5 million per year, which would be more than a half-million per year raise from his West Virginia salary.
"The players are upset because he said he's going to leave before the bowl game," James Dykes, the father of West Virginia defensive tackle Keilen Dykes told ESPN's Joe Schad. "At least coach them in the bowl game. James just called to tell us and I know he is very upset about this."
Rodriguez, who has a 60-26 record at West Virginia, led the Mountaineers (10-2) to their fourth Big East title in five seasons.
Carr plans to coach the Wolverines in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 against No. 9 Florida.
Rodriguez's West Virginia contract, which runs through the 2013 season, has a $4 million buyout clause if he leaves before next September.
When Michigan lured basketball coach John Beilein away from West Virginia last April, Beilein's contract had a $2.5 million buyout clause. Under an agreement with West Virginia, he agreed to pay $1.5 million to the WVU Foundation.
During Michigan's search, LSU's Les Miles and Rutgers' Greg Schiano both said they were staying put at their schools.
Rodriguez met with Martin on Friday to talk about the Wolverines' coaching job.
Rodriguez, 44, was back in Morgantown on Friday after taking a flight from Ohio, and unwilling to talk about any possible interest in the Michigan job.
"Going to practice. I'm going to practice," he told The Associated Press on Friday, getting into his car after a trip to Toledo.
Rodriguez again refused to discuss Michigan's vacant coaching job on Saturday.
At the opening of a previously scheduled news conference about West Virginia's trip to the Fiesta Bowl, Rodriguez said he would only talk about the game against Oklahoma (No. 4 BCS, No. 3 AP).
"It may be disappointing to you, but I am not going to talk about any rumors or innuendo or jobs or what else is floating out there," Rodriguez said.
"I'm not going to address the rumors or anything of that nature," Rodriguez said. "If any questions are asked about that, the press conference will be over."
The questions about Michigan persisted, and Rodriguez fired back.
"You all have not understood what I just said. One more question and this conference, unfortunately, and you all have been super, but if the questions persist outside of that then this thing will be over," he said.
A reporter then asked whether Rodriguez would coach the team in the Fiesta Bowl.
"You're a tricky guy," Rodriguez said.
Some players indicated Rodriguez hadn't spoken to them about Michigan and that they were under orders to keep quiet.
"I'm not supposed to talk about that. I'm sorry," offensive lineman Ryan Stanchek said Saturday.
West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong spoke with Rodriguez on Saturday.
"We talked about general issues within the football program," Pastilong told The Charleston Gazette, declining to be more specific.

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Rich Rodriguez to Michigan, for Really Real

Posted Dec 16th 2007 2:12PM by Brian Cook
Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Coaching, Breaking News

This is breaking all over the place now:

The Rich Rodriguez era at West Virginia ended early Sunday afternoon, not with a bang, but with a whimper. In an early afternoon meeting with his football team, Rodriguez announced he was leaving to become the head coach at Michigan.

West Virginia fans: pissed. Michigan fans: Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

No numbers are out yet but the package is expected to be in the $2.5-3 million range; Rodriguez, of course, nearly took the 'Bama job last year before backing out. Michigan's manic-depressive rollercoaster of a month ends with a near best-case scenario and for the second time in a year West Virginia is looking for a coach after Michigan poached a respected offensive innovator.

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Adding:

OU -7 (-110)
Cincy -11 (-110)

Believe WVU has to be depressed after losing their HC to Michigan and RRod won't coach in the bowl. I was already making the number OU -3 and believe that line is about right to abit low at -7. I also think WVU may have packed it in after knocking themselves out of the MNC game and losing RRod. On the other hand, OU may want to prove that the BCS fucked up yet again and should have included them in the MNC game.

Cincy just seems too easy, but I'll bite. USM may deliver a helluva performance as a sendoff to their beloved HC. But I think that Cincy will deliver a message here and will dominate. USM is a good team, but outclassed here.

2007-08 CFB Bowl Picks and News

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

p90sex

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Similar threads