2007-08 CFB Bowl Picks and News

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

What's Behind Rodriguez Leaving for Michigan

Posted Dec 16th 2007 3:39PM by John Radcliff
Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

What's worse? The sudden impact of your pro coach resigning to take over a college program, or your coach taking all weekend to decide if he is coming back or taking another job? I'm leaning pretty heavily on the latter. It certainly had more shock value in my neck of the woods. Not to mention the constant highs and lows of waiting for something to break.

Since everything was so quiet, the only real source of reliable information was from message boards. Did I just say that? And if you followed that it seemed Rodriguez was leaning toward staying most of the weekend, until this morning when everything seemed to change or become less obvious. And then, around 2pm word started to filter out that Rodriguez had a meeting with the team at 130pm where he announced that he was leaving the team. It was apparently a very quick meeting.

And while we're still in the middle of this, neither the president or athletic director at West Virginia has been given the official word from Rodriguez. I don't mention that as a way to give anyone false hope, because I'm certain this is a done deal. It just seems to me that it was never handled in the proper manner. And it continues to be bungled by everyone involved. And I'm looking at you administration. Not necessarily you Bob Garrison, but the athletic department. Listening to what Antonio Lewis had to say, I don't think this was about money. It seems it was more about facilities and things of that nature.

Let's face it, think back to the years before Pat White and Steve Slaton were in gold and blue. Good teams? Yes, but not near the type of teams West Virginia has produced over the last three years. West Virginia has been lucky to an extent. And it would be hard if not impossible to maintain this level of success without constant improvements. You can't hope you keep finding diamonds in the ruff like White and Slaton. It just doesn't work that way. You can be lucky some of the time, but it's better to be good in the long run. And without that commitment, it seems Rodriguez was willing to go.

So who coaches the bowl? Yeah, there's still that Fiesta thing in Arizona at the beginning of the year. And who is on the list to replace Rodriguez? At this time I don't have any information about what coaches are staying or going. But I would like to go on record as saying that I think that Calvin Magee would be a great choice to replace Rodriguez. Yes he is a fine coach of the spread offense. Also, he is African American. And in case you haven't noticed, there aren't too many African American head coaches in college football. I'm not saying hire him for that reason only, but I am saying that he is a good fit for this job. And when you have that combination out there you need to give him a chance. It's just the right thing to do.

Other names that are coming up: Terry Bowden- Ask an Auburn fan before you get too excited about that one. Jimbo Fisher-You only get him until Bobby Bowden retires. Nick Saban- Just kidding. I'm sure there are other names out there, but at this point I'm more interested in Magee. And I'll be waiting anxiously to see what happens in the athletic department as far as any changes.

B.A.R. · Dec 16, 2007

Good to asee you on Cincy

I added OU at right about the same time.

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Yeah, I saw your thread seconds before I made the play. As soon as I saw RRod not coaching, I made that the deciding factor.

Still might add:

Utah -8
FAU -2.5

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Rodriguez: Rich
By SMQ
Posted on Sun Dec 16, 2007 at 07:59:59 PM EDT

Well, yes, he was already quite wealthy. And already clad in the ol' maize 'n blue, whether he thought about it that way or not. Neither of those facts, technically, is changing.
Rodriguez will, however, be coaching in Michigan next season:

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.
Rodriguez walked into a scheduled 1:30 p.m. meeting with his team and emerged 10 minutes later without comment and walked briskly back to his office. Shortly thereafter the players began to file out of the meeting room, somber-faced and generally without comment.
Rodriguez reportedly met with Michigan officials this past Friday in Toledo, Ohio
- - -

Superprep.com teased further confirmation via sought-after Pennsylvania QB/Slash/Pure Terror Terrelle Pryor, now the potential bridge to Rodriguez's preferred spread option at Michigan, which has never put anyone under center - and certainly not in the shotgun! - who doesn't obviously fit in the categories "lumbering" and "white":

"I just spoke to Coach Rodriguez about 10 minutes ago and he told me he is going to Michigan," the QB, Terrelle Pryor, told Superprep.com. "He said they made him an offer he can't refuse."
- - -

Terrible Godfather Photoshopping opportunities passed up for this:

No good numbers on the money, though there is speculation Rod will make $2.5 million, and won't coach the Mountaineers in the Fiesta Bowl.
Quick spin: Michigan averted complete disaster. Fallout: now what the hell does West Virginia do? You know, I hear a certain alum is looking to get back in the business...

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Zachery finally ready for his chance

Posted by Phillip Marshall December 16, 2007 7:20 PM

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Terrell Zachery is set to make his Auburn debut in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Clemson on Dec. 31.
Zachery was redshirted in 2006 and was academically ineligible for the regular season. But he has made his grades and been cleared to play, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said Sunday.
"It's about time," Zachery said after Sunday's practice. "I had some academic stuff I needed to take care of. I busted my butt this semester. It was a big turnaround. There was gone grade I needed and I didn't get it, but I made up for it this semester."
Zachery, a slot receiver, said he has been rotating with other wide receivers and playing on special teams in practice.
NOTES AND QUOTES
Barnes is in school at AU
Safety Deshaun Barnes of Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla., has been admitted to school, Tuberville said.
Barnes originally signed with Tennessee but failed to qualify. He is fully qualified and will participate in spring practice as a true freshman.
Something old and something new
Tuberville said the Tigers worked on their old offense Sunday after concentrating on the new one in the first two days of bowl practice.
"We got as much of that as we are going to put in after yesterday," Tuberville said. "We went back to our other stuff today to make sure we have a good balance. I think the newness of some of the things we've put in kept everybody's attention. We have to find the happy medium and combine it all."
Tuberville said there was more focus on Clemson on Sunday.
"I thought the guys had a lot of energy, considering we've gone pretty hard for three straight days," Tuberville said.
Dunlap, Field sit out practice
Senior defensive tackle King Dunlap and junior quarterback Blake Field missed Sunday's practice. Dunlap twisted a knee in Saturday's practice. Field is dealing with apparent muscle spasms in his neck.
Academics not an issue in bowl prep
Though some grades are still not in, Tuberville said he expects no academic problems for the bowl game.
"Anybody we were concerned about, it looks like it's not going to be a problem," Tuberville said. "It looks pretty good."

Blue_Chip · Dec 16, 2007

LSU down to -4; I can only hope the line keeps getting bet down, although I will still pound it at the 4-5 range...

I see no reason LSU does not replicate last year's performance against Notre Dame. Now, I mean replicate their effort when I say this, as Ohio St is a much better team than last year's ND team. But with virtual home field advantage, and the motivation Steltz, Dorsey, Hester (25 seniors in all) will play with, I cannot see LSU leaving the Superdome with anything less than a doube-digit victory and the crystal football.

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part VIII)
By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Sun Dec 16, 2007 at 10:36:42 PM EDT

At last we are down to college football's final four. I have picked each of the first 28 games of the upcoming postseason and, without further ado, I now turn to the task of predicting the handful of remaining contests, offering only at the outset my usual disclaimer: Don't Bet On It!

<center>

</center> How little trust should you place in my forecasts? Well, I am the guy who believed beforehand that "Highlander II: The Quickening" would totally rock!
Orange Bowl: Kansas v. Virginia Tech (January 3): Believe it or not, the Jayhawks are on the verge of attending their third bowl in a five-year period, but their previous postseason engagements during the Mark Mangino era---the 2003 Tangerine Bowl and the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl---don't quite measure up to this citrus-themed classic in the Sunshine State. As a matter of fact, K.U. hasn't played a football game after Christmas Day since 1981 and hasn't been in action after New Year's Eve since the close of the 1968 campaign, when Pepper Rodgers was coaching in Lawrence and I was two months old. Admirers of Kansas State's Bill Snyder have to credit the Jayhawks with adopting their in-state rival's Sunflower State strategy of using sorry scheduling to produce an inflated record in order to earn---well, receive, at any rate---a better bowl bid than the invitee deserves. In practical consequence, Kansas has scheduled the same sort of "paycheck game" that defined the squad's September slate, which consisted entirely of home games against the likes of Central Michigan, Florida International, Southeastern Louisiana, and Toledo. This time, though, the Jayhawks are the schedule fodder being paid the big bucks to accept a whipping from a superior squad. V.P.I. will put its offense in, pick up no first downs, put its defense in, and smack the 'Hawks around, giving a Hokie beatdown to an overrated team. That's what it's all about for a squad that will give new meaning to the term "bleeding Kansas" after Virginia Tech gets done asserting its (old) dominion over the Jayhawks.
International Bowl: Ball State v. Rutgers (January 5): The university that produced David Letterman squares off with the university that produced Kristin Davis in the country that produced Alan Thicke. Although I previously proclaimed that the Scarlet Knights were a team on the rise, the State University of New Jersey did little of note in 2007, compiling a 7-5 record that included wins over Army, Buffalo, Navy, Norfolk State, Pitt, and Syracuse. Aside from a three-point home win over South Florida, Rutgers lost to every halfway-decent team it faced, falling by double-digit margins to Cincinnati, Connecticut, Maryland, and newly coachless West Virginia. The team last seen losing to hapless Louisville ought not to present too much of a challenge to any team worthy of a post-New Year's Eve bowl berth, but, fortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they drew Ball State instead. On what planet does a 7-5 record in the Mid-American Conference get you a bowl bid? When the Cardinals crossed the border, did the exchange rate give them credit for 9.2 wins in Canadian football? B.S.U. beat Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Navy, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Western Michigan, for crying out loud! When the majority of your wins are over schools with directional indicators in their nomenclature and two-thirds of your remaining victories came against universities named after cities other than those located in Coral Gables, Fla., or the so-called Loveliest Village, you have no business participating in postseason play. The result of this bowl will prove two things: first of all, that a mediocre B.C.S. conference team is significantly better than a team from a non-B.C.S. conference with an identical record, and, secondly, that Brian Cook was absolutely right about Brady Hoke, on whose behalf the best endorsement that may be offered is the fact that he was Miss Daisy's best friend. Rutgers will win a bowl staged by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Don't get me wrong, though . . . I plan on watching every minute of it!

<center>

</center> Personally, I'm more of a Waffle House guy, but, at the bowl game played in Toronto, I'm pretty sure they prefer IHOP.
GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green v. Tulsa (January 6): Some of you may think I made this one up, but trust me when I tell you I didn't. Heck, I couldn't make this one up, inasmuch as I simply lack the imagination to pair these two teams in an obscure bowl game named for a mortgage company. (Presumably, points scored in the first three quarters will be applied to interest and points scored in the final stanza will reduce the principal balance of the loan.) The Falcons finished the season on a hot streak, going 4-0 in the month of November by an average final margin of 38-20, but that only looks impressive until you pause to consider that B.G.S.U.'s late autumn run came against Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo. Sure, the Falcons beat Minnesota . . . but, then again, who didn't? The Golden Hurricane likewise attained a winning record against a forgettable schedule, winning nailbiters over such questionable competition as Army (by ten), Marshall (by seven), Rice (by five), S.M.U. (by six), and U.A.B. (by eight) while dropping decisions to Oklahoma (by 41) and Central Florida (twice, surrendering 44 points both times). Remember what I said about a mediocre Big East team and a M.A.C. team with the same record? Well, the same goes for a decent M.A.C. team and a Conference USA team with an equal number of losses, which is why Bowling Green will win.
B.C.S. Championship Game: Louisiana State v. Ohio State (January 7): Saurian Sagacity endured its share of scoffing from Sunday Morning Quarterback for being so sure of the S.E.C., but the better argument lies with the side of the Southeastern Conference upon this point. I agree with Sunday Morning Quarterback that supposedly foregone conclusions have proven to be anything but in the Bowl Championship Series era, which has seen championship games in which everyone knew Florida State would beat Oklahoma in 2000, everyone knew Miami (Florida) would beat Ohio State in 2002, everyone knew Southern California would beat Texas in 2005, and everyone knew Ohio State would beat Florida in 2006. Those, though, were situations in which the underdogs all at least had a credible claim to a spot in the game, even if other candidates had equally good arguments. When one team rather obviously has had no business being in contention---say, Nebraska in 2001 or Oklahoma in 2003---the results have been precisely what everyone predicted, without much in the way of drama. (Yes, I know the final margin of the 2004 Sugar Bowl was only a touchdown. No one who watched that game, no matter how rabid a Sooner partisan, ever entertained any illusions about the outcome.) Since I believe the Buckeyes have no serious claim to a spot in the title game, I'm not expecting much of a contest. Yes, Les Miles will get outcoached, but Ohio State will get outmanned by the Bayou Bengals, who will win because they simply are the better team.

<center>

I still think there is no national champion this year, though.
</center> There you have them . . . prognostications for all 32 bowl games. It remains to be seen just exactly how many of them I will have erred in predicting, but you may rest assured that the number will be a large one. Consequently, I must caution you for the final time this autumn that, where my picks are concerned, there is one rule to which you must adhere above all others: Don't Bet On It!
Go 'Dawgs!

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

RJ Esq · Dec 16, 2007

Cox's Auburn finale won't be what he expected

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 16, 2007 9:50 PM

Categories: Football
It isn't what senior quarterback Brandon Cox envisioned for the final game of his Auburn football career.
Cox thought he and the only Auburn coach who has called a play for him would be together one last time against Clemson in Atlanta's Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31. Instead, there's a new offensive coordinator and elements of a new offense.
Al Borges left the Auburn staff last week. He was replaced last Wednesday by Tony Franklin, who will install his version of the spread offense.
"Things changed pretty fast," Cox said Sunday. "I didn't expect it. It's been a tough transition for my last game. We are putting in a little bit of (Franklin's) offense, doing some things. It hasn't been too bad, but it's definitely different."
Borges called Cox and gave him the word shortly after the decision was made. Cox was shocked.
"He was really the only coordinator I played for here," Cox said. "When I found out, it was pretty tough to know he wasn't going to be around for my last game. It was definitely tough times."
But Cox said he looks forward to dabbling in Franklin's offense, even if it's for just one game.
"The offense he runs is very similar to what I ran in high school, throwing it 60 percent of the time," Cox said. "It's definitely going to be a fun offense to be part of. It's going to be different, though."
Cox said it's not clear how much of Franklin's offense will be in the plan for Clemson. Younger quarterbacks, he said, are getting most of the attention from Franklin in practice.
"He sat me down and talked to me," Cox said. "He told me that since it's only going to be one game, he's going to coach me, but footwork and things like that, he's not going to try to change it in one game. He said 'Just do what you have to do.' He's going to focus on the young guys and get them ready for next year."

B.A.R. · Dec 16, 2007

Good stuff on Auburn...thanks

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

TERRY BOWDEN IS COMING AND YOU KNOW YOU LIKE IT

The rumor du jour–and the only food group this time of year is rumor, so double servings all around–is that Terry Bowden is pleading himself into contention for the West Virginia head coaching job. Or he’s making enough noise to be considered. Or he’s from West Virginia, doesn’t currently have a coaching job, once did in fact have a coaching job, and wants to get back into coaching, so using some vocational trigonometry BLAMMO!!! He must be in the running for the West Virginia job.
Anyone wanting to hire him should remember the curious case of Bowden’s departure at Auburn: Bowden fled the Opelika/Auburn metro area six games into the 1998 season after a 1-5 start and a near uprising by Auburn fans and boosters. It was not one of those quick little departures with a tasteful press conference and lots of jovial back-slapping, either: Bowden pulled the original midnight run move, leaving town literally overnight and leaving Bill Oliver to grit out the rest of the season. Bowden was there one minute….and then he wasn’t.

Go down, sun! Dammit, go down! I gotta pack!
We know Auburn’s boosters have roving packs of robotic dogs ready to kill at the drop of their master’s cap, but that’s pushing the logical fear envelope for a coach in trouble. The real shame in Bowden getting another job is that Yahoo would lose one of their more entertaining writers–Bowden’s column is shockingly good, and we’re not just grading on the former coaches’ scale, either; it’s legitimately good and often so.

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

Hahaha Ha Ha Ha Ha Haha. Ha. Saban. West Virginia. Ha

Posted Dec 17th 2007 2:20PM by Brian Cook
Filed under: Alabama Football, West Virginia Football, NCAA FB Coaching, Breaking News

I love Nick Saban. I love Nick Saban to teeny eeny pieces. Even if what follows is an outright lie, the mere fact that Nick Saban exists and can be accused of doing the following and have it be even the slightest bit plausible is reason enough to adore this man.

From West By God Virginia:

Sources close to University President Mike Garrison have informed WBGV that Nick Saban's agent has contacted WVU regarding our vacant head-coaching position.
These sources tell us that Saban is extremely unhappy in Tuscaloosa and has failed to recapture the situation he had in Baton Rouge with LSU. The purpose of the agent's call was to express initial interest in the position and to have WVU athletics put together a compensation package enough to lure Saban from Alabama.

WBGV adds that the staff at WVSports.com, the WVU Rivals site, has confirmed the WBGV scoop. Which is the awesomest scoop in the history of awesome scoops. Petty, vindictive... brilliant. Ed Pastilong may not be able to keep Michigan's greasy paws off WVU's coaches -- their women's soccer coach just interviewed at Michigan, seriously -- but if he pulls this off he will be my hero forever.

I cannot wait for Orson to tackle this in his ongoing "Coaching Carousel as sleazy bar scene" metaphor.

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

Boilers Prepare For Chips (mmmm, chips)

I was working on my Bowl Pick 'Em this morning and found myself less-than-confident about my alma mater's chances in Detroit. Funny thing though, many others are pretty sure Purdue will beat CMU. In fact, 86% of the Yahoo Bowl Pick 'Em participants believe Purdue will beat CMU. Here's why I tend not to agree with them...

-Purdue's poor Big Ten finish was not something that instilled confidence in me. In a four-week span, my favorite team went from a potential Jan. 1 bowl to barely making a D-level bowl. One of Tiller's calling cards over the past few seasons was beating teams that were bad and mediocre. Our Boilers couldn't even do that down the stretch of the '07 regular season.

-The second half of the CMU game at Ross-Ade showed me that Purdue is not the easy pick that the uneducated fan seems to think they are. Despite Purdue's sizable cushion in that contest, CMU got within one score during the second half. Plus, Lefevour's shaky first half was one of, if not his worst half of football during the season.

-CMU's coach was just getting to know his team when they played Purdue previously. As the season progressed the team seemed to get better and better...conversely...

Big Ten Network.com interviewed Tiller about his bowl preparation...I'm glad to hear that Joe and Co. seem to have changed their tune about the importance of trying to win bowl games...but I'm not sure if that will mean Purdue will be victorious in a little over a week from today.

<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1079049493" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=1332210258&playerId=1079049493&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://services.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="277" width="286">Labels: Motor City Bowl, Purdue prepares for Detroit

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

Why Yes, I Might Be Interested In Coaching West Virginia
By SMQ
Posted on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 10:54:05 AM EDT

By Bobby Petrino, Head Coach, That One Place
- - -
Well, it's interesting you should ask. I wasn't going to say anything. I wasn't really sure how it might come off, you know, under the circumstances. But since you asked: yes, I might be interested in coaching West Virginia. I mean, not that I am interested, of course. I'm very happy where I am and plan on spending a very long time here in this wonderful town with its fine people and own peculiar charms. But then, I could theoretically be happy any place where I have better players than all the other teams my team plays.
Surprised? I can't see why. Pat White? Steve Slaton? Noel Devine? Man, I've had to go up against those guys, and believe me, any coach would jump at the chance to have a triptych of fury like that in his backfield. You have to take advantage of the chance to be a part a team with that sort of ability, if it were to come along, I mean, while the window's open, which it is for someone else, and the iron's hot, which mine definitely is not. You don't wait when a great opportunity avails itself - you strike! That is, if you're not just completely thrilled to be a part of the horrible, melodramatic backwater to which you've previously, hastily commited yourself before you knew the McFadden kid was going pro early, and obviously that's me these days. But no harm in a little look-see, though, am I right, my man?
I know what you're thinking - Bobby, Bobster, baby, Bubala, you just left a great job, a lucrative dream job with that one fantastic organization for that wonderful place you're at now. You can't move again. I know that. I'm just saying, West Virginia would sure be one hell of a place for a coach who really liked to put up points, really just loved the thrill of running up the score, running it up until their ears pop. If you were that kind of coach, West Virginia might be a really attractive place that caught your attention. If you knew any coaches who taste blood like that, you should maybe give them a call. Maybe they're a long shot, but you never know. If you just call them. You never know what might happen.
But me? I'm settled down, man. I'm buckling up. It's been a fast ride, bro, but I'm getting snug in my Volvo this time. But you never stop hearing that engine rev down the street, though, do ya?

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

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/17/07

<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"> Shoot the messenger. Rich Rodriguez told his players of his resignation before he told school officials–benefit of doubt given, as coach/player/bond/teary-manful things dictate that you might want to do this before talking to the checkwriting types who manage the unemotional, accounting side of the sport. Getting a grad assistant to hand in your letter of resignation? Personal foul, 15 yards, Coach DickRod.
Sources confirmed that finally, later in the day, when Mountaineer athletic director Ed Pastilong went to meet with the assistant coaches, a graduate assistant, Mike Parrish, walked up to the AD. And presented him with Rodriguezâ€™s short letter of resignation.
A grad assistant.
Rodriguez also told Robb Report item and luxury recruit extreme Terelle Pryor of his departure before he told officials.
If you wonder why someone might do that, please gawk at the video below of Terelle Pryor, who has worn out the “next Vince Young” tag already with recruitniks. The soundtrack, too, may prove to be ironic given what just happened over the weekend.

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

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oE-TH096R-8&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object></p> Put your O’s in the air…um, we mean Ms! Revise! Pryor was one of the early leaks for the Rodriguez story on Rivals.com.
Trooper Taylor, largely regarded as the spark on the Tennessee coaching staff and revered as a recruiter by Vol fans, has been offered the offensive coordinator job at Baylor, meaning that Phil Fulmer can promote him to offensive coordinator, or hire him back in three years when Art Briles is fired and Baylor is looking for another coach, because this is Baylor, Jake. Let it go.
Yes, that describes it perfectly, we think. Alabama is prepping for the PetroChemInternationalTetrahedronCorp Independence Bowl and continuing their conditioning program, which Wallace Gilberry describes in gory fashion:
“Gruesome” is how defensive end Wallace Gilberry described it. “It was the total package. We’d go out and do some simulated training. We bench hard, squat hard, power-clean hard, we grunt hard. Throw up hard, when it’s over.”
Throw up hard describes the last two years of Alabama football with great accuracy, Wallace. We’re working on the t-shirt as we type.
Norm Chow interviewed for the UCLA job on Saturday, meaning that our source may have been premature or merely psychic in saying Chow had been outright offered the job. Either way, we can’t understand not wanting the best offensive mind in college football and architect of something like seven of the top ten scoring offenses of all time working in tandem with, say, someone like Dewayne Walker. Chow’s been around Carroll, Fisher, and Edwards, and even had the good sense to leave the management of Chuck Amato, further testament to his intelligence as a man.
</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 17, 2007

Auburn working overtime in bowl practice

Posted by Charles Goldberg, Birmingham News December 15, 2007 3:35 PM

Categories: Football
Two days of bowl practice has made defensive end Quentin Groves realize Auburn isn't fooling around.
The Tigers are installing new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's playbook, and that means extra work for offensive and defensive players alike.
``This is probably the longest bowl practice I've been apart of,'' Groves said after Saturday's workout.
Auburn is working behind closed doors (as it did all season) as it experiments with Franklin's spread offense.
(Hey, want to see Franklin's offense in action this season? Click here to see Troy's upset of Oklahoma State, as posted by an unhappy Cowboys' fan.)
Groves says he doesn't mind the extra practice time.
``It's good. We need to get back to the fundamentals,'' he said.
Offensive players have been careful not to say how much of the spread offense is being installed.
``There's nothing drastic that's changing,'' said wide receiver Robert Dunn. ``We're still going to throw the ball and run the ball. We've still got the same Auburn team.''
The notebook
Offensive lineman King Dunlap twisted his knee, but is expected back Sunday. Quarterback Blake Field didn't practice because of a sore neck. Starting quarterback Brandon Cox returned after missing Friday's practice to attend a funeral.
**Tight end Tommy Trott says he plays to shed his tight end weight to become a more nimble receiver in Franklin's passing offense.
``There's no point in being 255, which is what they wanted me at all year, if I'm not going to be in there blocking all the time,'' he said. ``I'm definitely going to try to drop some weight.
``Right now, I'm not going to lie, I've already tried to start dropping some weight. I'm probably around 250.''
**Auburn is entertaining a few recruits this weekend, including quarterback Chris Todd, a junior college player from Kansas. Franklin recruited Todd to Troy, but now Todd is looking at Auburn. He spent two years at Texas Tech, one in which he redshirted and another in which he played in five games. He can enroll at Auburn, or Troy, or someplace else, in January.
**Auburn practiced two hours Saturday in cool and often rainy conditions.
**Having trouble leaving comments? Try it. If there's a problem, tell me at cgoldberg@bhamnews.com.

RJ Esq · Dec 17, 2007

The Orange Bowl that wasn't

Proposed Oklahoma-Va. Tech game busted by BCS

Posted: Monday December 17, 2007 7:02PM; Updated: Monday December 17, 2007 7:02PM

<table style="clear: both;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td width="10">

</td><td class="cnnimgadpad" width="100%">

A proposed matchup would have pitted Sam Bradford, Allen Patrick and the No. 4 Sooners against third-ranked Virginia Tech.
June Frantz-Hunt/Icon SMI

</td></tr></tbody></table><table style="clear: both;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td width="10">

</td><td width="100%">
</td></tr></tbody></table><table style="clear: both;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td width="10">

</td><td class="cnnimgadpad">

</noscript>
</td></tr><tr><td width="10">

</td><td class="cnnstoryclpad">
</td></tr></tbody></table>In the chaotic hours following the final, upset-laden night of the 2007 regular season, coaches and fans from as many as seven different teams made their case to earn one of the two spots in the BCS National Championship Game.
The BCS ultimately selected consensus No. 1 and 2 teams, Ohio State and LSU, but many followers -- myself included -- were left disappointed that none of the other highly ranked contenders (Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia Tech or USC) were pitted against each other in bowl games.
As it turns out, an 11th-hour agreement had been reached that would have allowed the No. 3 and 4 teams in the final BCS standings -- Virginia Tech and Oklahoma -- to meet in the Orange Bowl, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. The conference commissioners who oversee the BCS, however, shot it down -- and several of the affected parties are still wondering why.
According to the official BCS selection process, the Hokies, as ACC champions, and the Sooners, as Big 12 champions, were "contractually committed" to their conference's host games -- Virginia Tech to the Orange Bowl and Oklahoma to the Fiesta Bowl.
However, there's also a written clause -- one that has yet to be invoked during the BCS' 10-year history -- that allows the commissioners to "adjust the pairings ... after the completion of the selection process." Among the circumstances that can be taken into consideration are "whether the same team will be playing in the same bowl game for two consecutive years" (Oklahoma played Boise State in last year's Fiesta Bowl) and "whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans ..."
Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione confirmed Monday that on the morning of the Dec. 2 BCS selection show -- before the results of the final BCS standings were known -- he spoke with Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker about the possibility of invoking that clause to allow the Sooners to face "the highest-ranked team available."
"If we weren't going to be in the 1 vs. 2 game, we wanted to know if there was a possibility to play the highest-ranked team out there," said Castiglione. "At that point, we didn't know which team that would be."
According to sources involved in the discussions, Junker, along with Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, began contacting officials from the other bowls to see what could be worked out. It was well known by then that the Rose Bowl intended to take Big Ten at-large Illinois to meet Pac-10 champ USC and that automatic entrant Hawaii was heading to the Sugar Bowl, leaving the Fiesta and Orange bowls as the only games with any flexibility.
According to those same sources, the Fiesta and Orange bowls worked out an agreement to "swap" Oklahoma for the Orange Bowl's anticipated at-large choice, Kansas, creating an attractive No. 3 vs. 4 matchup in Miami while also allowing the Fiesta to host a Kansas team it had coveted throughout the Jayhawks' surprising 11-1 season.
Any such "adjustment" to the written placement rules, however, must be requested and then approved by the BCS commissioners following the conclusion of the formal selection process. Beebe said he made the request on behalf of his league's school but was met by resistance.

1 of 2

</td><td class="cnnimgadpad" width="100%">

BCS coordinator Mike Slive has declined to say why the request to adjust the pairings was rejected or which commissioners blocked the move.
Greg McWilliams / Icon SMI

</td></tr></tbody></table><table style="clear: both;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td width="10">

</td><td width="100%">
</td></tr></tbody></table><table style="clear: both;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td width="10">

</td><td class="cnnimgadpad">

</noscript>
</td></tr><tr><td width="10">

</td><td class="cnnstoryclpad">
</td></tr></tbody></table>"There was a lengthy discussion, I made my case for it, and others made a case against it. It didn't prevail," said Beebe. "I don't necessarily agree, but I respect the views of those who were against it."
According to SEC commissioner and current BCS coordinator Mike Slive, "A request was made [to adjust the pairings]; it was considered and rejected.
"After thinking about it, the commissioners exercised their discretion to leave the pairings the way they were. There was a clear consensus."
Both Slive and Beebe declined to say which commissioners blocked the move -- though multiple sources said that ACC commissioner John Swofford and Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese did not oppose it.
Slive, who in his role as coordinator acts as a spokesman for the other commissioners, declined to elaborate on why the request was rejected. Pointing out that similar requests to adjust the pairings have been denied in the past (including in 2003, when the Fiesta Bowl's at-large selection of Ohio State stuck the Orange Bowl with a Miami-Florida State regular-season rematch), Slive said such an override would require "a very high threshold."
"My sense was that the reason wasn't compelling enough given the fact that on two prior occasions -- including the Miami-Florida State year -- the commissioners had set a very high threshold and felt that this did not meet the threshold," said Slive. "There weren't such compelling circumstances as to merit a change."
Two sources not directly involved in the decision speculated that the commissioners feared such a matchup might damage the legitimacy of the Ohio State-LSU title game.
The second-ranked Tigers have the same 11-2 record as both the Hokies and Sooners. Theoretically, a decisive victory by Oklahoma -- which is ranked No. 3 in the AP and Coaches polls -- combined with a less decisive LSU victory over the Buckeyes could have opened the door for a split national championship. (Unlike the coaches, AP voters are not obligated to select the BCS title-game winner No. 1).
"We certainly recognize the rules provide for the top two teams playing in the BCS national championship, and from that a winner will be named BCS national champion," said Oklahoma's Castiglione, whose team routed then-No. 1 Missouri 38-17 in the Big 12 title game. "There could be an argument for a split national champion, and that may be stated by any number of people. The AP is a very reputable poll. We just wanted to play the highest-ranked team. That was our goal all along."
Asked whether the split possibility played a factor, Slive insisted, "It never came up."
Asked why the opportunity to see the No. 3 and 4 teams play would not qualify as a game with "greater appeal to college football fans," as the BCS manual spells out, Slive replied, "Everybody looked at that, and knowing that, still came to the same conclusion. In any such consideration of something like this, you have to look at the question of what precedent does it set -- particularly when there have been more compelling requests that have not been granted -- and what are the unintended consequences?"
Castiglione stressed that Oklahoma is still pleased to be facing West Virginia in the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl ("This discussion had nothing to do with our eventual matchup," he said), and apparently Sooners fans are as well. As of last Friday, the school had sold all but about 2,000 of its 17,500 allotted tickets.
Meanwhile, Kansas on Monday sold out its allotment (also 17,500) for the Jan. 3 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech.
The timing of the rejected Sooners-Hokies request is interesting, however. Over the next six months, BCS officials are expected to formally discuss the possibility of adding a "plus-one" game beginning with the 2010 season. Under the most commonly discussed model, in which the top-four teams would be "seeded" into semifinal bowl matchups, both Virginia Tech and Oklahoma would remain in contention for the national championship.
Slive has expressed his openness to the possibility on numerous occasions, as has Swofford, the ACC commissioner who will take over as coordinator following this year's title game. Such a plan would meet considerable resistance, however, from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen, due to its potential effect on those leagues' relationship with the Rose Bowl.
Castiglione said the foiled OU-Virginia Tech matchup, "is a real interesting element worthy of further exploration."
"I just hope at some point in time we can hear an explanation of why this wasn't possible given the fact the rules provided that opportunity if it was in everybody's best interest. Clear-thinking, well-intentioned minds would like to know whether something like this is possible."

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

In the interim

A look at how interim coaches have fared in bowl games after the head coach leaves.
Alabama
Interim coach: Joe Kines for Dave Shula in the 2006 Independence Bowl
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://promos.newsok.com/adx.js"></script> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://promos.newsok.com/adjs.php?n=256388386&what=zone:915&exclude=,&referer=http%3A//newsok.com/article/3182014"></script><object classid="clsid

27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0" height="250" width="300">

<embed src="http://promos.newsok.com/adimage.php?filename=300x250_inform.swf&contenttype=swf" quality="high" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="250" width="300"></object>

</noscript> <table width="300"> <tbody><tr> <td> <script type="text/javascript">adsonar_placementId=1298127;adsonar_pid=64749;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=300;adsonar_zh=190;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com';</script><script language="JavaScript" src="http://js.adsonar.com/js/adsonar.js"></script><form id="qas_frm" name="qas_frm" method="get" action="" target=""><input name="ie52_mac_only" value="" type="hidden"></form><iframe name="adsonar_serve763426" id="adsonar_serve763426" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" src="http://ads.adsonar.com/adserving/getAds.jsp?previousPlacementIds=&placementId=1298127&pid=64749&ps=-1&zw=300&zh=190&url=http%3A//newsok.com/article/3182014/%3Fprint%3D1&v=5" frameborder="0" height="190" scrolling="no" width="300"></iframe>
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Result: Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31

Boston College
Interim coach: Frank Spaziani for Tom O'Brien in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl Result: Boston College 25, Navy 24

Central Michigan
Interim coach: Jeff Quinn for Brian Kelly in the 2006 Motor City Bowl Result: Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee 14

Cincinnati
Interim coach: Brian Kelly for Mark Dantonio in the 2006 International Bowl Result: Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24

Colorado
Interim coach: Mike Hankwitz for Gary Barnett in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl Result: Clemson 19, Colorado 10

Florida
Interim coach: Charlie Strong for Ron Zook in the 2004 Peach Bowl Result: Miami 27, Florida 10

Nebraska
Interim coach: Bo Pelini for Frank Solich in the 2003 Alamo Bowl Result: Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3

Notre Dame
Interim coach: Kent Baer for Tyrone Willingham in the 2004 Insight Bowl Result: Oregon State 38, Notre Dame 21

UCLA
Interim coach: Ed Kezirian for Bob Toledo in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl Result: UCLA 27, New Mexico 13

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Receiver suspended after arrest
UPDATED, 3:45 p.m.: Missouri senior wide receiver Greg Bracey was suspended for the Cotton Bowl after his arrest early Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana and failure to signal a turn. He will not play in the Jan. 1 bowl, meaning his playing career at MU is over.
Bracey was arrested at 2:50 a.m. Friday by University of Missouri police after a traffic stop downtown, MU police Capt. Brian Weimer said. An officer stopped the Mazda MX3 Bracey was driving, which bears a Wisconsin registration, after observing the Mazda turn from eastbound Broadway onto Hitt Street without signaling, Weimer said. The vehicle was later stopped on Cherry Street east of Ninth Street. Bracey, who was the only person in the car, cooperated with police, Weimer said.
Bracey was released from the MU police department after posting a $500 bond. The three offenses are all listed as municipal violations and he was given a court date for next month, Weimer said.

</td></tr><tr><td class="photocaptionbold" align="center">Bracey</td></tr></tbody></table>

In 11 games this year, Bracey had just three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, which came in the second week at Mississippi. He played sparingly when conference play began and didn’t catch a pass in Big 12 action. Always one of the fastest players on the roster, Bracey’s speed never translated into much production on the field. For his career, he caught just six passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He moonlighted as a sprinter with the MU track team and finished as high as fifth at the Big 12 Conference meet in the 2006 100 meters.
Bracey’s suspension and Alexander’s injury leaves the Tigers with five available receivers who have caught a pass this year: Jeremy Maclin, Will Franklin, Tommy Saunders, Jared Perry and Jason Ray. With Alexander out, senior walk-on Lucas Null is next in line behind Maclin on the depth chart at the H-receiver spot. Redshirt freshman walk-on Forrest Shock is next up behind Saunders and Ray at the Z-receiver.
Speaking of injuries, backup safety Kevin Rutland sprained his right foot during Sunday’s practice and is wearing a boot. … Also, backup offensive tackle Mike Prince suffered a lower left leg injury. … Tailback Tony Temple (sprained neck) and tight end Chase Coffman (sprained ankle) both practiced.
Check out ESPN's Ivan Maisel's All-American offensive team and defensive team, each of which includes a Missouri player.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Notes: Hill might be up and running for Outback Bowl

By JEFF POTRYKUS
jpotrykus@journalsentinel.com

Posted: Dec. 17, 2007

Madison - Less than two weeks ago, it appeared tailback P.J. Hill would not be healthy enough to play in the 2008 Outback Bowl.
His prognosis has changed dramatically and on Monday University of Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema sounded optimistic that Hill could give UW three viable tailback options against Tennessee.
"P.J. really, the last two practices, has been as good as we've seen him since the time of the injury," Bielema said after practice. "We're excited about that."
Bielema's revelation came with a caveat. He wants to see Hill, who missed 13 of the last 15 quarters of the regular season because of a leg injury suffered in the first quarter against Indiana in Week 9, stay on the practice field for an extended period of time.
UW is set to practice twice more this week before leaving on Christmas Day for Tampa. The Badgers are scheduled to hold five practices and a walk-through in Tampa.
"P.J. just has to be able to put through a consistent amount of work for a long time," Bielema said.
Freshman Zach Brown, who started the last three regular-season games and rushed 76 times for 421 yards and four touchdowns in those games, remains the leading contender to start against Tennessee in the bowl game.
"Zach has got the upper hand there," Bielema said. "He has continued to do a lot of good things."
Sophomore Lance Smith played well in the home finale, rushing 10 times for 52 yards before suffering a shoulder injury late in the first half. He has been practicing and is expected to play in Tampa. His average of 6.2 yards per carry is No. 1 among the team's tailbacks.
Hill has rushed for 1,080 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, his only action since suffering the injury to his left leg came in the second half against Michigan when he rushed five times for 14 yards and clearly wasn't at full strength. Hill initially broke the leg during preseason camp in 2005 and doctors inserted a plate in the leg.
"It was something that needed time to heal," Bielema said of the latest injury. "He is the only guy that went through that surgery. He is the only one who has got that plate in his leg.
"The biggest thing is, he has been able to survive it."
Hill has not been made available for interviews during bowl practices.
Don't mess with success

Junior right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel, who missed the final two games after suffering a foot/ankle injury at Ohio State, is back at practice. However, he is working with the second unit and has also been getting work at right guard. When Vanden Heuvel was out, the staff shifted Kraig Urbik from right guard to right tackle and went with John Moffitt at left guard and Andy Kemp at right guard.
That trio, along with Gabe Carimi at left tackle and Marcus Coleman at center, played well against Michigan and Minnesota, and the staff doesn't see the need to change back.
"We've just expanded our depth a little bit," Bielema said. "It wasn't so much what Kraig did, it was what Moffitt did at guard. He gave us a little bit more athleticism and the biggest thing is it gave us more depth."
Knowing that Coleman must be replaced after the bowl game, the staff has also given Moffitt time at center.
Beckum progressing

Tight end Travis Beckum, who suffered a shoulder injury in the regular-season finale at Minnesota, is practicing without restrictions. He had been wearing a green "no-contact" jersey.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Tuesday Question - 3 Big Bowl Questions </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Michigan QB Chad Henne
</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 18, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

The CFNers give their three big bowl questions before the post-season gets started in the latest Tuesday Question.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
<table id="table2" align="right" border="0" cellspacing="4" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc"> Past TQs
- What are you most looking forward to from the bowls? - 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: The three big questions of the bowl season ...[/SIZE]
A: 1. Which conference will get the bragging rights? The SEC and Big Ten square off in three big games (LSU vs. Ohio State in the national title, Michigan vs. Florida in the Capital One, and Wisconsin vs. Tennessee in the Outback). The message boards will be buzzing for a full seven months over these three games alone. Now throw in the Pac 10, which needs to save face after an awful second half of the season, and there will be plenty of scrutinizing. The Las Vegas Bowl (UCLA vs. BYU), the Holiday (Arizona State vs. Texas), the Armed Forces (Cal vs. Air Force), and the Sun (South Florida vs. Oregon) are must wins for the league.

2. How healthy will everyone be? Having several weeks off kills the momentum for some, making some top teams rusty, while it allows for a rebirth for other teams. Will the time off be enough to make LSU, Wisconsin and Michigan, three of the most battered and bruised big-name teams at the end of the year, look like the teams they were supposed to be?

3. Where are the griping matchups? After an all-timer of a regular season that captured the imagination each and every week, it'll take a little poking and prodding to get the world interested in most of the non-BCS bowl games. Are the average sports fans going to care about Purdue vs. Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl? How is anyone supposed to be into the GMAC Bowl pairing Bowling Green and Tulsa when there will be 14 people in the stands? The pressure will be on Utah and Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl and Memphis and Florida Atlantic in the New Orleans Bowl, the first two bowls of the season, to get everyone into college football again.
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: The three big questions of the bowl season ...
A:1. Will last year’s debacle against Florida serve as motivation for Ohio State, or a stark reminder that those SEC teams can be pretty scary? The Buckeyes will almost certainly put on a better show than last year, but will it be enough against a healthy and very deep LSU program? A slow start, especially in Baton Rouge, is one thing that Ohio State can ill-afford if it’s going to sidestep back-to-back losses in the national championship game.

2. Which programs will use their bonus game as a national launching pad for the 2008 season? The postseason is a perennial forum for a handful of upstarts to make a splash in front of a captive audience, gaining early momentum long before preseason Top 25 ballots are cast. A monster showing from, say, Georgia, Oklahoma, or Florida could leave an imprint on the minds of voters that lasts all the way to next summer.

3. Can Michigan’s three senior stars, QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, and OT Jake Long win their first bowl game in Lloyd Carr’s final game as head coach? It’s a feel-good thought, but it won’t be easy for the Wolverines, which play a Florida team with something to prove after losing three games in the regular season. For years, Michigan has struggled to stop athletic offenses that spread things out, putting the onus on Ron English’s defense to step it up if there’s going to be a storybook ending to the Capital One Bowl.

John Harris<o

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

> Q: The three big questions of the bowl season ...[/SIZE]
A: 1. What team doesn’t want to be here? Pick any reason, but invariably a team doesn’t want to be at a bowl game for location or prestige purposes. Some teams don’t want to go to the Smurf Turf up in Boise. Some teams can’t handle playing in Dallas when it feels it should be playing in Miami. No matter the reason, there’s going to be a team out there that doesn’t want to be here. Or, there. 2. Can a team handle bowl chaos – also known as a post-regular season coaching change? This question is becoming more prevalent by the year and there are a number of teams having to deal with this chaotic situation this winter. Now, add West Virginia to that mix. At least the Mountaineers have three more weeks to prepare. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have five days.
3. What player and/or team will have the transcendent moment of bowl season? On January 1, 2005, Iowa’s Warren Holloway catching his first and only touchdown in a four year career to beat LSU with no time left. Vince Young became “VY” after one of the greatest performances ever in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Last year, Boise State became a household name after one of the greatest bowl wins ever. Could it be Hawaii? Could it be Todd Reesing? And, Kansas? Someone. Some team. Which one?

<o

> Matthew Zemek</o

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

> </o

><o

> </o

><o

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

>[/SIZE] Q: The three big questions of the bowl season ...<o

></o

> A: In reverse order of importance:

3) Will any BCS bowl game satisfy? Now that Rich Rodriguez is out of Morgantown, it's likely that the one attractive BCS bowl--the Fiesta--will become an Oklahoma rout. Will any of these five games be worth a warm bucket of spit? Stay tuned.

2) Will snubbed teams care? Missouri in the Cotton, Arizona State in the Holiday, Georgia in the Sugar--three teams that might not care about playing their bowl games. Will teams display the maturity needed to avoid the "grumble factor" and play their best ball? We'll see what teams are mentally made of this bowl season.

1) Underdog urgency or Superdome serenity? Historically, national title games are won by the teams that are written off before kickoff (edge, Ohio State). However, it's a rare yet huge advantage for a team to play a home game for the national championship (edge, LSU; see "S" for "Sugar Bowl, 2004"). The answer to this question will determine your winner on the night of January 7.

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

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Cavalcade of Whimsy - Was Petrino Right? </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Bobby Petrino
</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 18, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Why Bobby Petrino might have done the right thing, steroids and football, ten reasons why LSU will win the national title, coaches bailing early from the bowls, and much, much more in part one of the holiday edition of the 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 | Week 15
December 18 Cavalcade Part Two ... Every Team's Holiday Wish List
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I was involved in the breeding and training of dogs so they could tear each other’s flesh apart for sport, and despite being sent away for 23 months, some of the Atlanta Falcons had FREE FIU written on their undershirts. Then I decided to leave because I’d rather be coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks, and now I'm a horrible human being.

At least he’ll get another job if he doesn’t fatten up on fried chicken … Let’s see if I got this right. Atlanta Falcon owner Arthur Blank, for all intents and purposes, canned former head coach Jim Mora because of a joking comment about the University of Washington head coaching gig being a “dream job,” but Bobby Petrino is a jerkweed for leaving a dead team for another job. Makes sense.

All that was missing was the Howard Dean “yeea” … Petrino could win ten national titles at Arkansas, leave to become President of the United States, become a two-time Oscar winner, win People’s Sexiest Man alive three years in a row, and when he dies, the nightly news will open with that Woo Pig Sooey press conference.All coaches are liars, and Petrino might have taken things to another pondscum sort of level, but all the weeping and gnashing of teeth over the midnight run from Atlanta was misguided and flat-out weird.

Rich Rodriguez bailed on West Virginia before the Fiesta Bowl. No big deal. Houston Nutt ducked out on Arkansas before the Cotton Bowl. Whatever. Petrino leaves the Falcons in a meaningless season, and at the end of the day, gave Blank more time to find a new head man, and he’s considered history’s greatest monster.

When a college coach leaves his program for another opportunity, then you could argue he screwed over the players. After all, every coach goes into living rooms and tells the parents and families of 16-to-17-year-olds that he’ll take care of their sons for the next four or five years. When a pro coach leaves a sinking ship with three games to go in a dead year, it doesn’t matter. You just go get another coach.

The whiny Atlanta Falcons are supposed to be professionals. As the man said, you play to win the game. It shouldn’t matter whether it’s Bobby Petrino, Bobby Bowden or Bobby Brady coaching them, it’s their job, and a very, very well-paid one, to go out and prepare and give their best effort no matter what. Players get cut all the time and life goes on. Coaches get fired all the time and the world keeps spinning. Do you really want a coach who doesn't want you? Move on.

And all their fans expect an SEC title right now … With Petrino entering the mix, the SEC coaching arms race has gone nuclear. Urban Meyer, Phil Fulmer, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier, Tommy Tuberville, Les Miles, Houston Nutt, Nick Saban, and Petrino. It’s not like Sylvester Croom, Bobby Johnson and Rich Brooks are exactly chopped liver. Try to find a better conference of coaches in the history of the game.

Remember, Belichick was the New York Jet head coach for one day … Enough of the “college coaches can’t handle the NFL” garbage. Steve Spurrier is a punchline when it comes to star college head men and their NFL experiences, but last I checked, Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since coming back to the Redskins.

NFL coaches don’t retire, they get canned. A lousy team fires its coach, it gives the gig to a big-name college guy who’s used to being able to turn things around by recruiting the right players, he can’t do that in the pros, the team continues to stink and has no reasonable hope to win a Super Bowl in the near future, and suddenly, the college world seems like more fun. It’s that simple.

It’s the players, stupid.

That Bill Belichick sure is a genius. How in the world does he get it done while shackled with Tom Brady and a Randy Moss who’s actually deciding to try? How does he possibly fire up a defense with unmotivated dogs like Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison? There are a whole lot of coaches out there that could do epic things with this group.

The difference between Cam Cameron and Norv Turner is LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates. Give Bobby Petrino Peyton Manning and give Tony Dungy a starting quarterback who likes to watch dogs eat each other and see what happens. Romeo Crennel can't coach worth a lick, and all of a sudden he's Coach of the Year material now that Kellen Winslow Jr. is healthy, Derek Anderson became a star, the light went on for Braylon Edwards, and Jamal Lewis came over from Baltimore.

In college, a coach matters. The great recruiter and/or a coach with a great scheme can do wonders by getting the right players to fit the right roles. At the pro level, it’s all about the general manager and the head of player personnel. The difference between the good head coaches and the great ones isn't that much.

Frank Solich is a Nebraska guy, too … Is someone at Nebraska asking the good doctor Tom Osborne if he even considered throwing a phone call over to Rich Rodriguez, who would’ve been a better instant fit for the Huskers than the Wolverines, instead of insisting things had to stay in the family with the hiring of Bo Pelini? It's more important to hire the best person possible for a job, whether he's familiar with the school or not.

“Wake up pal, if you're not inside you're outside. And I'm not talking a $200,000 a year working Wall Street stiff flying first class and being comfortable, I'm talking rich pal, rich enough to fly in your own jet, rich enough not to waste time, 50-100 million, a player, Bud, or nothing.” … Exactly why is it considered part of the deal for a coach like Rich Rodriguez or Houston Nutt to abandon their teams for a new job before a bowl game, while players like Steve Slaton and Darren McFadden would get crucified if they chose to skip out on the extra game to save themselves for the pros?

Yeah, if you’re going for a national championship, you play or coach the game, but if a coach can leave before a non-championship bowl game for a greener pasture, then surely it should be acceptable for a sure-thing top 50 draft pick to avoid risking tens of millions of dollars by leaving school as soon as possible to train and prepare for the NFL combine and the draft.

If McFadden had declared he was leaving Arkansas before the Cotton Bowl because he didn’t want to risk blowing out his knee, you’d be reading article after article and hearing every talking head cry about how this was the end of sports as we know it. After all the negative press, where would No. 5 go in the draft? Top three. If it’s a business for the coaches, it has to be considered a multi-million dollar business for the top players, too.

"I was buying them for my wife, Morgan Fairchild, yeah, that's the ticket.” … First of all, if you actually believe the fat load of bull muffins that Andy Pettitte is cooking up, then stop reading this column, go put pads on the corners of your tables and chairs, and hide all the pieces of string and shiny metal objects that might distract you from walking and thinking at the same time. However, there is something to Pettitte’s claim that he just used steroids a few times to quickly get back on the field when it comes to football.

Someday, some Washington-type hell bent on committing political suicide is going to start asking questions about the role of steroids and human growth hormones in the world of football, and it'll make the Mitchell Report look like, well, the Mitchell Report. Let me help everyone before it costs another $60 million to interview two clubhouse attendants and surf the Internet. There’s an easy way to tell which NFL players are shooting up, popping pills or applying some cream, legal or not: they’re playing.It’s almost impossible for fans to understand just how mangled and destroyed an average NFL body becomes. How do most football players recover as a long season goes on? Lots and lots of Advil, way too much alcohol, and yeah, some are all over an undetectable HGH to help muscles heal faster, play with broken bones, dislocated joints, and an assortment of other ailments that would force the average human being to understand what those AFLAC ads are for. Remember, NFL contracts aren't guaranteed, so if a player can't play because of injury, he might be gone.

Of course I’m not going to be irresponsible enough to fire off just a few of the names that I’m 101% certain would be on a list of some sort, but let me put it this way, if an older player is doing something superhuman on a football field, and especially if he's magically playing like nothing is wrong despite suffering a variety of seemingly serious injuries, your mental alarm had better be going off. If a college player goes from being 220 pounds to a faster 250-pound pass rushing terror over the course of an offseason, you had better believe that things might not exactly be kosher.

Whether you actually care or not is another issue, but don't bury your head in the sand about what's going on.

Certainly T. Boone can do something to cook the books a bit … I’m a huge Kevin Smith fan, but the UCF star really isn’t 180 yards behind Barry Sanders for the all-time single season rushing record. In one of the most bizarre of NCAA rulings, the bowl game numbers have only counted in the record books since 2003. Therefore, add 222 yards to the Sanders’ 1988 total for his epic Holiday Bowl performance against Wyoming to raise his total to 2,850 yards for the 12 games he played in, while Smith really won't come that close in 14 games. It’s not as hard as you think to find the stats for most bowl games and change up the record book.

The C.O.W. airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
It’s over. LSU has been handed the national title in the court of public opinion, so go on about your lives everyone. Find something else to do on January 7th. In case they actually do decide to go through the motions, here are ten reasons why LSU will win the national title. (Buckeye fans, look at last week’s COW for the ten reasons why Ohio State will win.)

10. Get into the backfield, screw up the Buckeyes
Penn State can rush the passer, had no luck in doing so against Ohio State, and lost big. Michigan State can rush the passer, got to QB Todd Boeckman several times, sacked him twice, and forced two big turnovers to make it a game in a 24-17 Buckeye win. Illinois forced three interceptions in its win partly because Will Davis, Jerry Brown and company generated consistent pressure. LSU hasn’t been as good at getting into the backfield as it should’ve been, with Tyson Jackson having a surprisingly mediocre season, but with a month to prepare, the dogs will be turned loose with the sensational Tiger corners left on an island against the OSU receivers. If Boeckman is rushed consistently, he’ll throw at least two picks.

9. Confidence, if things start to turn bad
What happens if LSU gets up 14-0 after its first two drives? There’s certain to be a sort of “it’s happening again” thing happening in the Buckeyes’ heads. It’s not just about trying to win the national title for OSU; it’s about not getting blown out like last year. LSU has been in several tight battles with six of the final eight games decided by seven points or fewer, and one of the other ones, a 41-24 win over Ole Miss, was tighter than the final score. Ohio State has only been in one really tough battle, and it lost it to Illinois. Can the Buckeyes handle pressure? We'll find out.
8. Time
By the end of the year, LSU was as banged up as any bowl team and wasn’t nearly the same powerhouse it was at the beginning of the season. The time off should do wonders for all the bumps and bruises, and the month-plus since beating Tennessee for the SEC championship also allowed the Les Miles saga to play itself out. With Michigan hiring Rich Rodriguez and Miles secure in Baton Rouge for the foreseeable future, this is no longer an issue or a distraction in any way.

7. Power running game
Ohio State, meet Jacob Hester. The Buckeyes have faced one true power back this season, Michigan State’s Jehuu Caulcrick (Wisconsin’s P.J. Hill missed the game in Columbus), and shut him down, but LSU isn’t going to stop blasting away with the running attack as it tries to control the game early on. If Hester has any sort of success, the Buckeye safeties will have to take their attention off Early Doucet and the speedy Tiger wideouts.

6. Pass protection
LSU isn’t great at it. For most teams, having problems protecting the quarterback is a really big deal since it throws off the timing of the entire offense, but it doesn’t seem to affect the Tigers all that much. Matt Flynn will take his shots, and there will be times the offense bogs down because of the issues from all parts of the Tiger front five, Ohio State should be able to get into the backfield from inside and out, but again, it hasn’t really mattered much so far. Why? LSU is fabulous on third downs. When the focus is there and the offense tightens up, the line is fine.

5. The Ohio State best win was over …
Michigan? Whoopee. Penn State? Yawwwwn. Wisconsin? Probably, but that was a banged up Badger team that had a lead going into the fourth quarter. Ohio State was able to win that game, and plenty of others, by letting its great offensive line wear down the defense, but that’s not going to happen against the Tiger defensive front. No, Ohio State didn’t play a bunch of cupcakes, it played the 34th toughest schedule, but it didn’t have to deal with LSU’s slate and it certainly wasn't in the weekly wars the Tigers were.

4. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
For having such a great defense, Ohio State doesn’t force a lot of turnovers with a pedestrian 18 takeaways, good for 97th in the nation. Overall, the turnover margin isn’t too bad since the Buckeyes are stingy when it comes to giving away the ball, but to pull off the win, they’ll likely have to be plus-two. That could be tough against an LSU defense that’s fourth in the nation in takeaways with 33 and 11th in giveaways with 15. If LSU wins the turnover battle, forget about it.

3. Ohio State vs. the SEC
41-14 vs. Florida in the 2007 BCS Championship. 31-28 vs. South Carolina in the 2001 Outback Bowl. 24-7 vs. South Carolina in the 2000 Outback Bowl. 20-14 vs. Tennessee in the 1996 Citrus. 24-17 to Alabama in the 1995 Citrus. 21-14 to Georgia in the 1992 Citrus. 31-14 to Auburn in the 1989 Hall of Fame. 35-6 to Alabama in the 1977 Sugar. Eight of Ohio State’s 19 bowl losses have come to SEC teams, with no wins. Other Big Ten teams have had success against the SEC, but when one of the league’s big dogs has so many problems, it feeds into the whole slow Big Ten speed myth. Even so, you never mess with a streak.

2. Home cooking
It’s LSU in the Superdome. Ohio State fans will represent, but it’s still LSU going roughly 75 miles down the road to play in a home field atmosphere from the time it arrives in New Orleans. This isn’t a team that needs any extra advantages.

1. LSU is better
Ohio State can absolutely pull off the win. The defense is terrific, the offense is full of NFL players, and the offensive line is strong enough to neutralize Glenn Dorsey and the Tiger defensive front. LSU is better. Jim Tressel is a better coach than Les Miles. He’s been in the biggest of the big games before, he and his staff will learn from the mistakes of Glendale, and they know how to slow a game down and control it enough to keep it close for a full sixty minutes against anyone. LSU is better. OSU can use the us-against-the-world mantra for the first time since it late won the national title over a juggernaut Miami team, it can play the disrespect card, and it can play far looser than the Tigers. LSU is better. This isn’t going to be the Florida debacle by a long shot with both teams almost certain to bring their A games in a fun defensive battle. I picked LSU in the Staff Picks for the confidence pool, but to be honest, I haven’t quite made up my mind yet on who’s actually going to win.

C.O.W. shameless gimmick item … The weekly five Overrated/Underrated aspects of the world
1) Overrated: The Pips ... Underrated: Tara Guelig
2) Overrated: Jessica Simpson … Underrated: Tony Romo
3) Overrated: Submitting the paperwork to get evaluated by the NFL ... Underrated: The NBA rule that allows players to be drafted, but can go back to school if they don’t hire an agent.
4) Overrated: Empty seats ... Underrated: Bowling Green asking Ohio State fans to help out with GMAC Bowl ticket sales
5) Overrated: "Let's Go Mountaineers" ... Underrated: "Let's Go Drink Some Beers"

Sorry this column sucked, but it wasn’t my fault … apparently, a Michigan man needed to write it.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle"> Cavalcade Part 2 - Every Team's Holiday List </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">

Oklahoma LB Curtis Lofton
</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 18, 2007
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Part Two of the Cavalcade of Whimsy, the Holiday Wish List for all 119 teams.
</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 | Week 15

December 18 Cavalcade Part One
Part Two of this week's Cavalcade of Whimsy ... Every team's holiday wish list. Since Christmas is next Tuesday, the Cavalcade will be back in two weeks. Have a great holiday. Enjoy the nog.
The 4th Annual Christmas/Festivus/Hanukkah wish list for all 119 teams this holiday season. To ...Air Force: Troy Calhoun to stick around at least half as long as Fisher DeBerry did.
Akron: QB Chris Jacquemain to be able to throw with some semblance of consistency.
Alabama: Nick Saban to start to coach like Nick Saban and not Mike Shula.
Arizona: The offense to play all of 2008 like it did in the first half of the Oregon win.
Arizona State: Dennis Erickson to realize just how much coaching in the NFL sucks.
Arkansas: Bobby Petrino to last at least one year before interviewing for another job.
Arkansas State: A defensive lineman who can get into the backfield, and an offensive lineman who can prevent the quarterback from getting blasted.
Army: Carson Williams to throw more like Carson Palmer than Carson Kressley.
Auburn: Seven in a row against you-know-who.
Ball State: Nate Davis to live up to the growing buzz.
Baylor: Art Briles to bring the first winning season since 1995 (back in the Southwest Conference days).
Boise State: Chris Petersen to enjoy where he’s at.
Boston College: Head coach Jeff Jagodzinski to be able to work his quarterback magic on Matt Ryan’s replacement.
Bowling Green: Tyler Sheehan to have just scratched the surface on how good he can become.
BYU: An undefeated September.
Buffalo: Nebraska to be the only one to give Turner Gill an honest shot at a bigger gig.
California: An extra time out vs. Oregon State.
Central Michigan: To play half as well out of conference as it does in the MAC.
Cincinnati: That new contract extension for head coach Brian Kelly signed to actually mean something.
Clemson: To play up to the talent level from the start of the ACC season to the finish.
Colorado: To be as good as Boise State.
Colorado State: A defense that doesn’t get steamrolled over and can get into the backfield.
Connecticut: An offense that doesn’t need its defense to score.
Duke: David Cutcliffe to have the same success he had at Ole Miss before being unfairly dumped.
East Carolina: A lockdown cover-corner.
Eastern Michigan: The baby steps taken this year to be the launching pad to the first winning season since 1995 and the second since 1989.
Florida Atlantic: Miami players who want to stay at home to start to realize Da U is a dead program walking.
FIU: A remotely efficient passer and more Golden Dazzlers with FIU on their chests (oh wait, that's my holiday list)
Florida: A running back so Tim Tebow doesn’t have to carry the ball 194 times again.
Florida State: Jimbo Fisher to unearth some semblance of a consistent running game.
Fresno State: June Jones and Chris Petersen to move on to bigger and better things.
Georgia: A fifth overtime in the Tennessee-Kentucky game.
Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson to not scrap the triple-option.
Hawaii: Georgia to take the Sugar Bowl as seriously as Oklahoma took the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Houston: The program to be half as good as new head coach Kevin Sumlin thinks it can be.
Idaho: A defensive stop.
Illinois: Satan to wait a few years before soul payment is due.
Indiana: A donation to be made to the American Brain Tumor Association http://www.abta.org/
Iowa: A wee bit of pass defense against Western Michigan.
Iowa State: Gene Chizik to not be Greg Robinson.
Kansas: The schedule to remain as soft and squishy as (too easy … it’s the holidays so I'll let it go).
Kansas State: An emergency brake to prevent another second half of the season train wreck.
Kent State: A healthy Julian Edelman for a full season.
Kentucky: For the program to not wake up and realize he’s still Rich Brooks.
UL Lafayette: A wee bit of a passing offense to keep the heat off the running game.
UL Monroe: To play as well over the first two months of the season as it does in November.
Louisiana Tech: A conference with a better geographical fit.
Louisville: The Tulsa version of Steve Kragthorpe.
LSU: A fourth overtime.
Marshall: Bob Pruett to be sick of retirement.
Maryland: The team to play up to its talent level for more than two games in a row.
Memphis: A punt of more than 30 yards.
Miami: An invite back to the Big East.
Miami University: An offense that can score more than 20 points a few games in a row.
Michigan: Rich Rodriguez to be better than he was at West Virginia.
Michigan State: Mark Dantonio to stick around long enough for the program to challenge for the Big Ten title.
Middle Tennessee: A clutch Sun Belt win.
Minnesota: For Tim Brewster to work that supposed recruiting magic to field a night-and-day better defense.
Ole Miss: Darren McFadden to transfer to play for the Nutt for one more year.
Mississippi State: An offense that doesn’t need the defense to save the day time and again.
Missouri: Curtis Lofton to turn pro.
Navy: Ken Niumatalolo to be half as good as Paul Johnson.
Nebraska: A return to the good old days, “enhanced” linemen and all.
Nevada: Chris Ault to start coaching like the Hall of Famer he is.
New Mexico: A really, really big win, preferably in a bowl game, under Rocky Long.
New Mexico State: The Hal Mumme experience to actually start to work.
North Carolina: At least one really, really big year before Butch Davis bails.
NC State: To be as good as Boston College.
North Texas: Some semblance of a defense and the passing game to consistently do what it did against SMU and Navy.
Northern Illinois: For Jerry Kill to make Northern as good as Southern.
Northwestern: Better lines and one late defensive stop against Duke.
Notre Dame: An offensive line that doesn’t get its quarterbacks killed.
Ohio: Three more years of eligibility for Kalvin McRae.
Ohio State: All SEC football and basketball teams to go on probation.
Oklahoma: To play up to its talent level for a full season.
Oklahoma State: More Jenni Carlson articles that tick off Mike Gundy and a bucket of Bobby Reid’s mom’s chicken (oh wait, that’s my Christmas list again).
Oregon: A strong anterior cruciate ligament, and a heart once that ACL tears.
Oregon State: A donation to the National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/
Penn State: Joe Paterno to follow the lead of Barry Alvarez and Bobby Bowden on how to have an easy transfer of power.
Pitt: A passing attack to take the heat off LeSean McCoy.
Purdue: A win over someone with a pulse.
Rice: Chase Clement’s efforts to not go to waste.
Rutgers: For the program to live up to half the expectations Greg Schiano has for it.
San Diego State: Chuck Long to be better, faster.
San Jose State: The 2006 version of the Dick Tomey defense.
South Carolina: The Florida version of Steve Spurrier, not the Washington Redskin kind.
South Florida: More No. 2 rankings where that came from.
SMU: The boosters to say, “Ah screw it,” and go back to what made the program great in the 1980s.
Southern Miss: Larry Fedora to actually get a win or two against anyone, any place and anytime.
Stanford: A few Pac 10 players for Jim Harbaugh to work with.
Syracuse: The Paul Pasqualoni era to not be remembered as the good old days.
TCU: To play as well when there are a few expectations as it does when no one is paying attention.
Temple: Just a little more time. This might be another Rutgers waiting to happen.
Tennessee: That one Erik Ainge throw back.
Texas: That old recruiting magic to kick back in again and some coaches to figure out how to stop someone from chucking the ball at will.
Tulsa: Gus Mahlzahn to be around for one more year to keep the offense going.
Texas A&M: The rest of the Big 12 to not use “It’s Mike Sherman” in recruiting.
Texas Tech: Graham Harrell to start to receive the same respect for his numbers that Colt Brennan got for his.
Toledo: A defensive play made in the backfield.
Troy: A redo of the third quarter against Florida Atlantic.
Tulane: Production from the next three starting running backs to equal Matt Forte’s 2007 season.
UAB: A single stop against a halfway decent running team.
UCF: Kevin Smith to decide another year in Orlando is better than jumping early to the league of mercenaries.
UCLA: A healthy skill position player, and for the entire program to be half as good as the fan base thinks it should be.
UNLV: More defensive players like Beau Bell.
USC: All the top recruits to start playing like top recruits week in and week out.
Utah: A better defensive scheme on fourth and 18.
Utah State: The two-game winning streak at the end of 2007 to be the start, and not an aberration.
UTEP: A November win of significance.
Vanderbilt: A sixth win.
Virginia: The magic pixie dust in every close game this year to carry over to 2008.
Virginia Tech: The BCS types to retroactively decide that the computer rankings should count for 90% of the formula.
Wake Forest: Jim Grobe to really, really like Winston-Salem.
Washington: Two completed passes in a row from Jake Locker.
Washington State: Eastern Washington’s offensive success.
West Virginia: Heimlich maneuver lessons.
Western Michigan: The team that showed up against Iowa to do the same thing in the MAC.
Wisconsin: A healthy wide receiver.
Wyoming: The September of 2007 and the October and November of 2006.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/18/07

<center> <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"> I will only fire my coach if he is demonstrably terrible. And Kent Baer, long term Willinghambulist and member of his staff for 13 years, met that criterion more than adequately this year as Washington’s defense allowed 31.6 yards and was the worst in the history of the school. And for meeting that illustrious standard, Baer wins a copy of Unemployment, The Home Game!, a sure sign of some pressure Willingham must be under at Washington. Willingham has been extremely loath to fire assistants at any point in his career, as any currently bald Notre Dame fan knows. (The hair disappearing thanks to their frustration with what they perceived as Willingham’s cronyism.)
U-Dub Dish suggests that this combined with the recent <strike>firing</strike> amicable resignation of AD Todd Turner means Willingham is on (groan) “a short leash.” Abominable and unintentional puns aside, he’s right.
Miami’s in need of some badass. And a defensive coordinator, having just fired Tim Walton. Miami is down in the chips, fighting an opponent it can’t see, and in need of pulling off a split-kick to the balls to return to its former greatness. One man and only one man will do as a replacement. Kumite! Kumite!

Awesomely enough, it’s within the realm of possibility that this could happen. Seriously. Non-Orgeron-worshipping media outlets are reporting that it’s a possibility. We want this to happen for so many reasons, the recruiting line “305! It’s what I live and what I bench, motherfucker!” only being one of them. (HT: RCR)
Whaddya mean you can’t take Confederate muhnay? Bobby Bowden has a million dollar bonus waiting for him when he retires. Note that it doesn’t say what kind of dollars, though. Never fear: all the investment in the Confederate bond market will pay off. Steve Bowden’s been telling him that for years.
Pretty ladies like Tim Tebow. Is wrong that we looked at Tebow’s massive, cut frame before we looked at the girl? That’s just a huge slab of white man-monster there, and while the girl’s quite nice enough, she’d be laughed out of the burlesque clubs we prefer our women to walk out of wearing nothing but fans and sequins. If it does make us Yag, then gosh darnit, it’s a clean, Evangelical Christian kind of Yag then, isn’t it? And like with Mormons and English guys, it’s hard to tell with them, so we’ve got natural camouflage built right in.
(Note to DC Trojan: look! We said English guys. Not Scottish. That would be preposterous, as there are no Yag Scottish men, only men lucky enough to made love to by Scotsmen in need of some quick lovin’ in a sheep-deprived area. Hello, requisite sheep joke!
God damn you, Wizard of Odds. He found this picture, so we naturally must share the curse with you.

In case you’re wondering, you have blown this man to hell with a shotgun in both Resident Evil and in several other fine zombie-themed video games.
</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> </center>

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

[SIZE=+2]Sources say UT's Charles, Finley file NFL draft paperwork

[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Players trying to gauge where they might be taken in 2008
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]05:02 PM CST on Sunday, December 16, 2007

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
chipbrown@dallasnews.com [/SIZE] AUSTIN – Texas junior running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Jermichael Finley have filed paperwork to an NFL advisory committee to gauge where they might be taken in the 2008 NFL draft, according to two sources close to the players.
Charles, the Big 12's leading rusher with 1,458 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Finley, who has 43 catches for 563 yards and two touchdowns, could not be reached for comment, although Finley said last week he would be returning for his senior season.
One of the sources said junior Quan Cosby, the team's second-leading receiver with 59 catches for 625 yards and five touchdowns, was still considering filing the paperwork to the NFL committee. Cosby, who will turn 25 next week, spent three years in professional baseball.
Junior defensive tackle Roy Miller (37 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack) said last week he would definitely be back for his senior season.
Texas coach Mack Brown would not confirm the actions of Charles and Finley but said, "We always try to help our guys get as much information as possible when it comes to the NFL. We encourage and help them go through the process.
"All of our underclassmen have told us they will be coming back, but if you're playing well enough to be considered an NFL prospect, going through the process can only help you better understand it and realize what you need to work on to improve your status."

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Noles Won’t Burn Redshirts For Bowl Game

Tue, Dec 18, 2007 at 8:54 am Posted in FSU Athletics, Football

While we continue to wait to find out how bad the suspensions are for the Music City Bowl and the beginning of next season, Offensive Coordinator / HCIW (Head Coach In Waiting) Jimbo Fisher flat out said that FSU will not burn any red shirts just to fill holes for the game, since the coaches feel that it’s not good for the players.
I say good move coaches.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

How Bad Will The FSU Suspensions Be?

Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 7:45 am Posted in FSU Athletics, Football 11 Comments EMail This Post

And how much will we find out?
Rumors have circulated all weekend about the number of suspended FSU football players for the Music City Bowl and into the 2008 season. The numbers range from the not-so-scary to the very scary, especially when a 3 game suspension to start next season is factored in. Will FSU announce names today or tomorrow, or just numbers? How far reaching is the situation when considering all FSU sports? And will the NCAA intervene? The Tallahassee Democrat doesn’t have any answers yet, just some estimates. Brace yourselves fans, it’s going to be a rough week.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Scandal threatens Florida State

Cheating incident could sideline 25 players for bowl

Posted: Tuesday December 18, 2007 2:42PM; Updated: Tuesday December 18, 2007 4:03PM

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- An academic cheating scandal could leave Florida State without as many as 25 players when the Seminoles go against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31.
"We have some players not traveling for one reason and some for another, including those who are ineligible for the bowl because of academic issues," coach Bobby Bowden said in a statement released by the university Tuesday."
Bowden put the number of players involved in the 25-player ineligible for some games next season for their connection to the cheating scandal earlier this year.
Federal privacy laws prohibit the school from releasing names.
"We want to make sure that we have complete information, and that we have dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's," said Lee Hinkle, vice president of university relations. "It is premature to say anything at this point."
Bowden had previously not answered questions following the team's practices on the scandal that resulted in one full-time academic adviser, Brenda Monk, and a student tutor losing their jobs this summer.
The university reported its findings in a letter to the NCAA in September after a six-month investigation by the school revealed at least 23 athletes in various sports were implicated for cheating on tests.
At least two Seminole football players already have been penalized for their involvement. Defensive end Kevin McNeill missed the season and wide receiver Joslin Shaw missed the first four games.
"Kentucky would be a tough opponent when we are at full strength so clearly this will make things more difficult," Bowden said. "Our staff is in the process of determining what adjustments we must make for the game."
Bowden said he would not use any players redshirted this season in the bowl game.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Academic, legal problems hit Clemson's linebackers, offensive line

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 18, 2007 3:51 PM

Categories: Football
Clemson be missing all three of its starting linebackers and a starting offensive tackle in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Auburn on Dec. 31.
For details, follow the link.
http://www.thestate.com/tigers/story/260831.html

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Franklin expects immedaite success for Auburn offense

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times December 18, 2007 2:36 PM

Categories: Football
New Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin isn't interested in a long-term building project. That's not his style.
Once Auburn's offense makes its way through the Chick-fil-A Bowl, presumably running its old West Coast offense with some of Franklin's spread mixed in, he'll be full-speed ahead. The Tigers, he says, look to have what it takes.
"No. 1 is talent," Franklin said after the Tigers practiced at home for the final time before breaking for Christmas on Tuesday. "They have really good talent. No. 2 is they have really good football coaches here that have been here a long time and have done a great job. To me, there's no reason not to be a great offense here, and immediately. I don't believe in long-term, you know, have three years to recruit our guys and all that. From the day I get here, I expect them to be good."
Other highlights from Franklin's meeting with reporters:
On who has stood out to him in practice
"I don't even know their names. No. 1 (tailback Brad Lester) really stands out. All three of the tight ends really flash out. The offensive line is extremely talented. Brandon (Cox) is just a good, steady leader that I admire as a human being very much. I just hope he goes out in a blaze of glory."
On who will call plays against Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl
"We are just going to do mainly what these guys have been doing. I guess all three (offensive assistants will call plays). They haven't told me yet. Not me. I might give an idea every now and then."
On Auburn's running backs
"The running backs are incredibly talented. That's been the fortress of this university. (Running backs coach) Eddie Gran and I have been friends since we met in 1998. I've always thought he's the best running backs coach in the country, and after being here, I know why. No. 1, he's a great teacher. He's extremely tough and hard-nosed and he has an eye for talent."
On how many quarterbacks are likely to play against Clemson
"Brandon is the guy. He's going to play 99 percent of the time, probably."
On value of arriving in time for bowl practice
"It's extremely valuable just in the fact they get to know me. They get to hear me, see my mannerisms, know my personality a little bit. They've gotten a taste of that already. They understand expectations are growing every day."
On needs for his spread offense
"With what we do, you always have to have a great receiver. We've done it with average receivers, with below average receivers, and still been successful. When you have a great one, it sure helps. We need to develop these guys and find a dynamic one.
"You need to have a dynamic quarterback. Either he's dynamic throwing and can run a little or he's dynamic running and can throw at least average. I think the guys we have coming in, hopefully they'll be able to do those things."
On his recruiting philosophy
"Take the best players we can get, regardless of position. You never bypass a great player."

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Did You Get Suspended By Florida State?

Posted Dec 18th 2007 11:44AM by Ian Cohen
Filed under: Florida State Football, ACC, BCS, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Rumors, NCAA FB Scandal

Seriously, check your voicemail: Florida State's gone on a suspension spree two weeks out from their Music City Bowl tilt with Kentucky, with as many as 20 Seminoles missing out on Nashville in December and possibly the first three games of next year. This all stems from an alleged online cheating scandal that's already claimed the jobs of two academic assistants (they were only trying to assist!). I mean, all things considered with online classes, I'm amazed this doesn't happen more often.

To be honest, it seemed that Florida State was getting better at keeping its nose clean as of late, at least in the public view. Granted, the exit strategy for the Bowden Dynasty and the recent resignation of the AD has been a bit sloppy, but when was the last time you heard Free Shoes University jokes?

But the last thing FSU needed was an embarrassment on a national stage, and while Kentucky isn't quite the Top Ten team they were fronting as earlier in the season. Seriously- this is something along the lines of losing one out of five players, and from what I've heard none of them are Drew Weatherford, so you can imagine this won't be a case of addition by subtraction.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Adding:

Utah -7 (-115)

Thanks to Dr. Bob I got a good price on Utah at The Greek. I made the line -11 myself. Utah is the #2 team in the MWC and has a solid defense. They will give up plenty to the run (Navy averages 340 ypg or so) but can bring up their safeties to help. Alot has been made of big running games allowed by Utah, most notably Oregon St and AFA. Keep in mind that those were during the first two games of the season while Utah was struggling due to injuries and trying to find itself. Utah has come back strong and been a solid team since upsetting UCLA at home in Week 3. Utah will also be able to pass at will against Navy's porous defense.

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Stewart named WVU interim coach

Posted: Tuesday December 18, 2007 11:02PM; Updated: Tuesday December 18, 2007 11:02PM

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia associate head coach Bill Stewart has been named interim football coach, the school announced Tuesday night.
Stewart will take over the team as it prepares for the Fiesta Bowl and WVU's administration starts sifting through a list of candidates to permanently replace Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez told his players Sunday that he was leaving for Michigan. His resignation date originally was Jan. 3 but was moved up to midnight Tuesday, said WVU football spokesman Mike Montoro, who added that he did not know the reason.
Montoro said Mountaineers Athletic Director Ed Pastilong named Stewart as interim coach. Stewart will also take over recruiting.
Stewart is the second-longest serving assistant coach in the program.
"I'm just an old ball coach trying to keep the herd together, I guess," Stewart said earlier Tuesday before his appointment was announced. "We've had three really good days, and I am very proud of the effort that our young men have put forth. It's been fun, and it's been really good. Very enjoyable."
Stewart was retained by Rodriguez when he replaced Don Nehlen for the 2001 season. Stewart was promoted to associate head coach this season and coached special teams and tight ends. He relinquished his role as quarterbacks coach, which he held since 2000.
"We've had sharp, crisp practices," Stewart said. "We have not had any young men late, or blowing off meetings, which is great. I think that day one, Sunday, was a shock for them. Some of them were very sad, but they have bounced right back and gotten to work. That's nice to see, the maturity."
West Virginia departs Morgantown on Dec. 26 and will face No. 3 Oklahoma in the Jan. 2 game in Glendale, Ariz.
Stewart is well liked because he's talkative, honest and personable with the players and the media.
"I can't tell you about a nicer guy that I've ever met in my life," fullback Owen Schmitt said Tuesday before Stewart was named interim coach. "He'll get after you on the field. He's really doing a tremendous thing right now with holding the team together and bringing us together as a family."
Stewart graduated in 1975 from Fairmont State where he was a three-year letter winner. His assistant coaching stints include Marshall, William & Mary, Navy, North Carolina, Arizona State and Air Force. He became head coach at VMI in 1994 and went 8-25 over three seasons.
After a stint in the CFL, he joined the West Virginia staff for Nehlen's final season in 2000.
Under Stewart's tutelage, quarterback Pat White was named the Big East offensive player of the year in 2006 and Rasheed Marshall earned the same honor in 2004.
Rodriguez introduced two of his WVU assistant coaches at his Michigan news conference Monday and said he would like to bring more from Morgantown.
Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee declined comment at the news conference on his immediate plans and didn't immediately return a message Tuesday.
Secondary coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Gibson, whose WVU contract runs through June, said he planned to remain with the Mountaineers for the bowl game.
"I don't see it as any adversity, but I do think that these young men are finding out that sometimes there are things in life that change," Stewart said. "They are not life shattering. There has been no passing here or anything like that. It's just moving on. Nobody is hurt or harmed.
"They're waiting to see what happens. Once the unknown has been solved, and the dust settles, it won't be a problem. Young people are so resilient."

RJ Esq · Dec 18, 2007

Boise State practices without top WR

Posted: Tuesday December 18, 2007 11:11PM; Updated: Tuesday December 18, 2007 11:11PM

HONOLULU (AP) -- Boise State was greeted by a big banner that read "Western Athletic Conference champions" as it opened practice in preparation for Sunday's Hawaii Bowl.
The banner was proudly displayed at the University of Hawaii, where the Broncos are practicing this week.
"They have the right to put that up there. They earned that. But all that does for us is to put a bitter taste in our mouth," Broncos senior quarterback Taylor Tharp said. "Hopefully the young guys, that motivates them for next year."
Boise State's five-year stranglehold on the WAC was snapped this year by Hawaii, which won its first outright conference title and earned a Bowl Championship Series berth to face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The Warriors are basically trying to repeat the Broncos' season from last year, which was highlighted by a stunning victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Broncos coach Chris Petersen said he hopes the Warriors' sign will serve as motivation for his team, which finished the regular season 10-2 and faces East Carolina (7-5) in the Hawaii Bowl.
"Right now, we're concerned with East Carolina and trying to do a good job this week and take care of business, but I'm sure they all saw it," he said.
As if the banner didn't sting enough, the Broncos practiced for about 20 minutes next to the Warriors' workout. The two WAC powerhouses glanced at each other, but didn't exchange any pleasantries.
"It was interesting watching those guys over there," Petersen said.
The Broncos ended the regular season Nov. 23 with a 37-27 loss to the Warriors. When asked if he wanted a rematch on the practice field, Petersen replied: "Next year."
Petersen also announced that the team's top receiver, Jeremy Childs, and two other backup players did not make the trip and will miss Sunday's game for violating team rules.
Besides Childs, who set a school record for receptions this season, cornerback Keith McGowen and linebacker Ben Chandler were suspended for the game.
"Unfortunate, but we'll move forward," Petersen said. "Somebody has always stepped up, carried the flag and we expect no different."
He did not provide details of the violations other than to say they were unrelated.
Childs, a sophomore, was voted first-team all-WAC after finishing the season with 82 catches for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns.
"Initially, I was devastated," Tharp said.
He called Childs his "go-to guy" this season.
"To not have him out there, I feel like a part of myself is missing," Tharp said. "But like coach Pete said, we have young talent on this team and a lot of guys have been stepping up. That's what we're going to need."
Without Childs, the Broncos will rely on freshmen Titus Young and Austin Pettis, who combined for 74 catches and 11 TDs this year.
Tharp said it will be a chance for the youngsters to shine, but the team cannot afford to lose any more players to injuries or disciplinary problems.
"We had an incident last year with someone being sent home, so we know our coaches are serious about the team rules and taking care of business the right way," he said. "We can enjoy this thing, but we have to enjoy it the right way."

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

Bring on the Poinsettia Bowl!

By Tony Barnhart | Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 08:46 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The bowl season starts Thursday and, except for LSU and Ohio State in the BCS championship game, these match-ups are about setting the table for next season. Coaches want to win their bowl games in order to send their players into the off-season workouts with a positive memory and their coaches on the recruiting trail with something good to sell.
With that in mind, here are my top five story lines among the non-BCS, non-New Years Day games. I’ll come back with the best BCS and NYD story lines after Christmas.
1. Bring on the Poinsettia Bowl!: Thursday’s Poinsettia Bowl between Navy and Utah just picked up a lot of new viewers: Georgia Tech fans who want to get a glimpse of what life will be like under Paul Johnson, the Yellow Jackets’ new coach. Now Georgia Tech’s offense won’t be exactly like the triple option you’ll see in the Thursday’s bowl game, but some of the principles will be the same. This team has led the nation in rushing four of the last five seasons. You’ll also see that Navy is a well-coached team from top to bottom. Then you’ll imagine what Johnson could do with ACC caliber athletes.
2. Auburn and the spread offense: You have to give Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville credit for this: He is not afraid to think outside the box. Offensive coordinator Al Borges is nudged out the door and he hires Tony Franklin, a spread offense guru from Troy. And Tuberville’s not waiting until spring practice to begin installing the new offense. He’s doing it while getting ready for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Clemson on Dec. 31. Franklin won’t be the OC for the bowl game, but knowing Tuberville he’ll want to try some things out against Clemson in order to be able to hit the ground running next spring.
3. Kevin Smith versus an SEC defense: Kevin Smith of UCF, the nation’s leading rusher, has announced that he’ll return for his senior season. He should have gotten more support for the Heisman Trophy in 2007 but by the time he reached everybody’s radar this season it was too late. He’ll get a chance to start next season in the Heisman discussion if he puts up some good numbers against Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29. The Bulldogs were No. 8 in the SEC in stopping the run (159.0 ypg) but it is an SEC defense and that is what potential voters will remember.
4. Will Florida State get embarrassed? Reports out of Tallahassee reveal that as many as 25 Florida State players could miss the Music City Bowl against Kentucky because of an academic cheating scandal. The last thing Bobby Bowden’s program needed was a week of bad PR leading up to the bowl game. If this team is uninspired and gets blown out by Kentucky, it will be a very unpleasant off-season for Bowden and the calls for him to retire will increase.
5. How interested is Georgia Tech in Boise? When an interim coach is running the show for the bowl game, a team usually goes one of two ways. Either it plays with reckless abandon and has a lot of fun or the guys just pack it in due to a lack of interest. My sense is that this Georgia Tech team will do the former under Jon Tenuta in the Humanitarian Bowl against Fresno State. You might as well play hard because there is nothing to lose and for some of the seniors on this team, this will be the last football game they will ever play. But this has been a hard team to read.

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

Who’s In, Who’s Out For the Music City Bowl?

Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 8:14 am Posted in FSU Athletics, Football

23 Suspensions on the football team, 25 total will not play.
Among those that WILL play, Drew Weatherford, Preston Parker, Antone Smith and Greg Carr on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, Geno Hayes and Derek Nicholson will play. Who won’t? At least 11 players with starting experiences and others that we’ve seen in plenty of games, plus some walk-ons and scout team guys. Names will not be released, but it will be obvious long before the team boards the plane to go to the MCB who’s in and who’s out.
So what do the readers think? Who is responsible? Has Bobby Bowden lost control, or is it the players’ responsibility to stay out of this kind of trouble? Do you think FSU did the right thing by self reporting these infractions, in an era where the NCAA doesn’t have the resources to investigate many of these cases? And how many other Seminole sports will be affected?

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

Lobos back Rodney Ferguson won't play in New Mexico Bowl

By James Staley (Contact)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The University of New Mexico football team will have to try to keep up with Nevada's high-scoring offense without one of its biggest weapons.
Lobos coach Rocky Long said after today's practice that running back Rodney Ferguson has been declared academically ineligible. The bruising, first-team All-Mountain West Conference back is prohibited from playing in Saturday's New Mexico Bowl. He also can't practice or participate in the bowl game's multiple activities.
Ferguson missed Monday's practice. Long said Ferguson asked for personal time and the coach granted it. Long learned of Ferguson's grade issues this morning.
Ferguson, a Manzano graduate, had 61 more carries than any back in the MWC. He ranked third in total yards (1,177).
Long said it won't change his game plan.
“We anticipate that (backup running back) Paul Baker will have a great game,” Long said. “If (fullbacks) Matt Quillen and Josh Fussell have to play running back, they can. This has been a team since day one. We've overcome other obstacles. We'll overcome this one.”
Baker, a 5-foot-7, 195-pound junior, has averaged 7.25 carries per game. His most productive game came in the season opener against UTEP when he ran for 54 yards on 13 carries.
Fussell and Quillen have three carries between them for 38 yards. Most of that (33 yards) came on one Quillen carry against Sacramento State.
Long also said running back Mike Love is academically ineligible. Love hasn't played all season.

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

Tigers lose three starters for bowl game

Billie, Watkins and Capote will miss the Chick-fil-A Bowl for academic reasons

By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com

CLEMSON — As Clemson players filed out after Tuesday’s practice, senior linebacker Tramaine Billie drove up to the ramp leading to the locker room.
Billie slapped hands and offered a ride to sophomore Kavell Conner, acting as if the two had not seen each other in some time.
It had been more than a week since Billie last practiced with his teammates, but Tuesday brought the separation the former Dreher High standout had been dreading.
Clemson announced that three senior starters — Billie, fellow linebacker Nick Watkins and right tackle Christian Capote — will be academically ineligible for the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl against No. 22 Auburn.
“It will be tough to watch the bowl game, but those guys are going to play well and do what they’ve got to do,” Billie said. “Everything will be good.”
As coach Tommy Bowden intimated, the academic casualties allow No. 15 Clemson (9-3) to get a good look at its potential 2008 lineup.
The Tigers have been left with three scholarship seniors on their two-deep depth chart, all starting offensive linemen.
Two of the three casualties will be replaced with young but talented players. The only concern is whether the lack of experience will come at a cost.
“They’ve been in my office telling me they’re as good as the starters anyway,” Bowden said. “Now we’ll find out.”
Freshman Scotty Cooper is slated to replace Billie at strongside linebacker.
Redshirt freshman Chris Hairston, the heir apparent at right tackle, will make his first career start in place of Capote.
The biggest shoes likely will be filled by Conner and junior linebacker Antonio Clay, who will play at Watkins’ weakside linebacker spot.
Watkins, a three-year starter, has led the Tigers in tackles each of the past two seasons and finishes his career seventh on the school’s all-time tackling list.
Bowden said he does not know when a decision will be reached regarding the availability of junior middle linebacker Cortney Vincent, who was charged with DUI on Dec. 9.
If there is a silver lining to losing three veterans with a combined 77 career starts, Bowden said Clemson’s younger players have an example of what happens when academic duties are not fulfilled.
One player did not meet the school’s requirement of six credit hours earned toward his major. Another did not complete the terms of an internship, his only requirement for graduation.
“Just disappointed those guys didn’t qualify,” Bowden said. “They were surely given every opportunity.
“I think they’re learning about accountability, which is one thing even some adults don’t understand. With responsibility goes accountability. They’re learning firsthand exactly what that is.”

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

BSU suspends Childs, two others for bowl game

 HONOLULU - Jeremy Childs, who set a school record this season for the most receptions in a season, is among three Broncos suspended for Sunday's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl duel with East Carolina.Childs, backup cornerback and special-teamer Keith McGowen and redshirting linebacker Ben Chandler were suspended for the game for unspecified, separate violations of team rules, the school announced Tuesday.
The three players did not make the trip to Hawaii.
Childs, a sophomore, will be the most significant loss. The All-WAC first-teamer has 82 receptions for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns. He would have had a chance to break the record for receiving yards in a season, too.
"Initially, I was devastated," senior quarterback Taylor Tharp said. " To not have him out there, I feel like a part of myself is missing. But like (coach Chris Petersen) said, we have a lot of young talent on this team. A lot of guys have been stepping up. That's what we're going to need - no hesitation and stepping right in there and doing the job we ask of them."
Without Childs, the Broncos will lean heavily upon true freshman wideouts Titus Young (37 catches, 592 yards, five TDs) and Austin Pettis (37 catches, 376 yards, six TDs), who are tied for second on the team in receptions. The only other receiver with at least 10 catches is Julian Hawkins (18 catches for 173 yards).
"We've kind of had an interesting season in terms of injuries and those things," Petersen said. "Someone has always stepped up and carried the flag. We expect no different here in a few days."
McGowen's suspension thins an already shallow defensive backfield. The Broncos only have six healthy players in the secondary after losing safety Jeron Johnson and cornerback Rashaun Scott to injuries late in the regular season.
Chandler is redshirting and won't play until next year.
CLADY EARNS CONSENSUS HONOR
Junior left tackle Ryan Clady has been named the Broncos' first consensus All-American. The consensus team is a compilation of five NCAA-recognized All-American teams, produced by the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation.
Clady is the WAC's first consensus All-American since TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson in 2000.
MIDNIGHT CURFEW
Petersen said the rules for the Broncos in Hawaii are simple.
"They're the rules we always have - represent your university and family with class, do the right thing, be on time for curfew," he said.
Curfew starts at midnight and tapers back as the game creeps closer. The Broncos practice at 9:30 a.m. and the redshirts have conditioning at 6 a.m., so getting the players to hit the sack shouldn't be a problem.
"We're not going over there on vacation," Petersen said before the Broncos left Boise.
TICKET SALES IMPROVE
The Hawaii Bowl has sold more than 25,000 tickets, executive director Jim Donovan said Tuesday. That total includes about 8,000 tickets that were allotted to Boise State and East Carolina but given away to local military, first-responder and non-profit organizations.
That puts the bowl about 5,000 tickets sold ahead of 2005, Donovan said, when only 16,134 fans showed up to watch Nevada play UCF. And, he said, tickets are still selling at a higher rate than two years ago.
Boise State distributed about 600 tickets to its fans and through complimentary player tickets.
East Carolina has sold 2,688 tickets through a Tickets for Troops promotion that has garnered national attention. The Pirates expect several hundred other fans to make the trip.
BSU LANDS RECRUIT
The Broncos have received a verbal commitment from Faraji Wright, a 6-foot-3, 273-pound left tackle from Berkeley High in California, according to the Oakland Tribune.
Wright also received interest from San Jose State, Sacramento State, UNLV, Utah State, Montana State and Portland State, according to the paper.

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

The RBR Bowl Blitz: Poinsettia
By Todd Section: Football
Posted on Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 10:39:48 AM EDT

<table align="center" width="400"><tbody><tr><td align="center">

8-4</td><td align="center">

Thursday, 12/20/2007
Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, CA
8pm CST - ESPN</td><td align="center">

8-4</td></tr></tbody></table> Food Network Programming Interest Level: Iron Chef America. It might not be that compelling of a matchup: I haven't seen Utah play all year, and without Paul Johnson on the sidelines for Navy, meh, but it's the first bowl game of the season and therefor deserves my full, undivided attention after wandering lost in the football-less wilderness for several weeks.

<table align="center" width="400"><tbody><tr><td align="center">

Battle Ute might not be as interesting to us Bama fans as, say, Battle Buffalo, but you know you'll be watching.</td></tr></tbody></table> The Season So Far:

<table align="center" width="450"><tbody><tr><td align="center">

8-4 (5-3)</td><td align="center">

8-4 (0-0)</td></tr> <tr><td align="left"> 08/30 at Oregon State (L) 7-24
09/08 vs Air Force (L) 12-20
09/15 vs UCLA (W) 44-6
09/22 at UNLV (L) 0-27
09/29 vs Utah State (W) 34-18
10/05 at Louisville (W) 44-35
10/13 vs San Diego State (W) 23-7
10/18 at TCU (W) 27-20
10/27 at Colorado State (W) 27-3
11/10 vs Wyoming (W) 50-0
11/17 vs New Mexico (W) 28-10
11/24 at BYU (L) 10-17</td> <td align="left"> 08/31 at Temple (W) 30-19
09/07 at Rutgers (L) 24-41
09/15 vs Ball State (L) 31-34
09/22 vs Duke (W) 46-43
09/29 vs Air Force (W) 31-20
10/10 at Pittsburgh (W) 48-45
10/20 vs Wake Forest (L) 24-44
10/27 vs Deleware (L) 52-59
11/03 at Notre Dame (W) 46-44
11/10 at North Texas (W) 74-62
11/17 vs Northern Illinois (W) 35-24
12/01 vs Army (W) 38-3</td> </tr></tbody></table> Do they deserve their bowl bid?
Navy: Of course. With all the restrictions and limitations the service academies face, if they can get to .500, let 'em play somewhere.
Utah: Again, of course. The Utes played some good football this season, embarassing both UCLA and Louisville in season when both had high expectations, and should have contended for the MWC if not for a couple of early season (and head scratching) losses to Air Force and UNLV.
Who does Todd think will win?
Navy generally plays a shoot out type of game, with the team that gets the extra stop holding the advantage once the game clock starts to wind down. The only two teams with decent defenses they faced this season, Wake and Rutgers, were able to outscore them handily, while everyone else was busy trying to keep up with their triple option attack. Likewise, Utah has piled up some points on a few teams (50 against Wyoming, 44 at Louiville, and 44 vs UCLA), and has the nominal defensive skill to stymie the Midshipmen. I'm picking the Utes to win.
Who does Todd hope will win?
Navy, of course. You can't pull against a service academy, commie.

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

View attachment 14754

RJ Esq · Dec 19, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/19/07

<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"> And you thought it would be the guy named “Penn Wagers.” Get your perjoratives right: SEC officials are homers, Pac-10 officials are buffoons, and Big 10 officials are corrupt. An exaggeration, sure: but an investigation into Stephen Pamon, who worked the crew at the Illinois/Ohio State game among others, sprays stink all over the league’s officiating. Yahoo! Sports (the excalamation point is for actual! investigative! reporting!) has the full report, but in summary:

A Big Ten football officiating team that came under scrutiny for its performance in two conference games last month was led by a crew chief with a history of bankruptcy, casino gambling, child abuse and allegations of sexual harassment, a Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed.
Meaning that your hopes of becoming a Big Ten referee aren’t dashed forever, friend! Because who hasn’t gotten at least a couple of those on the record, especially the bankruptcy/casino gambling combo. They go together like herpes and Hedonism 2, man.
SMU to get the Dork Penalty? Southern Methodist University is talking to Dennis Franchione. Whatever comes your way is completely deserved, SMU, if you let Dennis Franchione have the stick. A damnable idea by any standards, especially when you consider you’ll have to pay for a newsletter now, Mustangs fans. (HT: Dave and David.)
Ohio State swears they’re not slow. It’s just the pants, really. Austin Murphy’s article explaining how Ohio State is looking to minimize the impact of the fifty day layoff, stay focused, and avoid a repeat of last year’s 41–14 demolition at the tails and teeth of the Florida Gators. (Apologies–no matter how we type that, it comes out in bold type.) One extremely irrational thought: that Ohio State, allegedly distracted by Arizona’s nightlife, will be better focused by spending only five days
in New Orleans, a place known for wholesome living and early bedtimes.
No, a thousand times, no: Neuheisel to UCLA: a desperation play? Rick’s taking odds on his own hire, and has some awesome teasers if you’ve got the coin to back them up.
We’re slaves to a good “They Live” reference. LSUFreek, again.

</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 20, 2007

Per Jump's thread:

Per tOSU insiders...for violation of team rules...assume will be announced tomorrow...

If you like LSU, I'd buy now as it may rise a point or so...not sure what they'll value a starter at..

One player (the starter) is Donald Washington...boundary corner opposite of Malcolm Jenkins...he's had a very good year and it's a loss unfortunately....CB may be our deepest position though on D (or LB)....but a RS frosh (Chikwa) will get the start...w/ Andre Amos playing Nickel and some Jamario O'Neal..

The biggest deal is Heacock sometimes likes to bring in Chikwa for Jenkins in passing situations that aren't long yardage and move Jenkins to safety...that won't be an option this game....takes away some versatility...

The other play is rumored to be true frosh Eugene Clifford, who's a bigtime prospect but been slowed by injury and ineffectiveness this eyar...so no loss there.

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

[SIZE=+2]College football: Travel costs have little effect on brisk bowl ticket sales

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Web Posted: 12/19/2007 11:22 PM CST

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Tim Griffin
San Antonio Express-News[/SIZE] So much for hard economic times — at least when it comes to college football. The bowl season kicks off tonight, when Navy faces Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl. It's the first of 32 games over the next 19 days, capped off by the BCS national title game on Jan. 7.
While energy prices have continued to soar across the country, fans are digging deeper into their pockets to pay for bowl trips. Despite those economic hardships, some non-Bowl Championship Series games are thriving this season.
The Valero Alamo Bowl announced its fastest sellout in the bowl game's 15-year history for the Dec. 29 game between Texas A&M and Penn State at the Alamodome.
<script src="http://www2.mysanantonio.com/global-includes/rminclude.cfm?file=/news/includes/sidebars/mailbag/big12.html" language="javascript"> </script><table align="right" width="250"><tbody><tr><td><form name="mailbag" action="http://www2.mysanantonio.com/scripts/SendFormFields.ashx" method="post"><input name="sff_param_to" value="wgriffin@express-news.net" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_from" value="notifyme@mysanantonio.com" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_cc" value="mhowell@mysanantonio.com" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_subject" value="Mailbag: Big 12" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_redirect" value="http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA081706.thanks.EN.ba5fef5.html" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_required" value="sff_send_name, sff_send_fromemail, sff_send_question" type="hidden"><input name="sff_param_order" value="sff_send_name, sff_send_fromemail, sff_param_from, sff_send_hometown, sff_send_question" type="hidden"><table class="sidebarcat" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="250"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebarcattitle">Big 12 </td></tr><tr><td>Got a question about the Big 12? Use the form below and fire away!</td></tr><tr><td>*Your name
<input name="sff_send_name" size="25" type="text"></td></tr><tr><td>*Your e-mail
<input name="sff_send_fromemail" size="25" type="text"></td></tr><tr><td>Your hometown
<input name="sff_send_hometown" size="25" type="text"></td></tr><tr><td>*Your question
<textarea name="sff_send_question" cols="30" rows="4"></textarea></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><input name="sff_ignore_Submit" value="Send" type="submit"></td></tr><tr><td align="center">

*Required

</td></tr></tbody></table></form></td></tr></tbody></table> Alamo Bowl president and chief executive officer Derrick Fox said he wasn't surprised with the strong demand for tickets, considering the traditional support for both schools.
"We had a pretty good indication they were both eager about coming to the bowl game," Fox said. "The teams and fan bases were excited about the matchup."
Parity in college football resulted in 13 top-five teams in the Associated Press poll losing to unranked foes this season. LSU will become the first team with two losses to play for the national championship in the modern BCS era.
That trend has helped boost attendance and cumulative television ratings to the highest levels in history. It has resulted in a golden era of college football in many respects.
"By any means you want to measure it — attendance, demographics or viewership, college football has never been hotter than it is now," said Rick Horrow, a Jupiter, Fla.-based sports consultant who teaches sports business at Harvard Law School and is an analyst for CNN, MSNBC and Fox Sports Network.

That resulting surge is making the bowl business very good this season.
Seven non-BCS bowls have already reported sellouts. None of them has a team ranked higher than sixth in the final BCS standings.

"I can't think of season in the last 10 years or so that I've been involved with bowl games that we've seen so many cities selling out so quickly," said Scott Ramsey, executive director of the Music City Bowl and chairman of the Football Bowl Association. "It's been a good year so far."

Ramsey's game in Nashville, Tenn., is among the quick sellouts along with the Alamo Bowl. Others include the AT&T Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., the Las Vegas Bowl and the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Horrow noted that 2007-08 bowl teams combined for 244 losses this season — more than 20 combined losses above last season. Twenty-two teams with 6-6 or 7-5 records are playing in bowl games this season.

But fans are still clamoring for tickets for some regional matchups with unprecedented fervor.

"The paradox is that the more mediocre the records, the more interesting the story of the growth of the mid-level bowls," Horrow said. "Frankly, the supporters of these schools have the resources to galvanize support and the means to travel. They save money for bowl trips. And that's meant some good things for a lot of those bowls."

The Alamo Bowl will produce its fourth sellout in the past seven seasons, despite neither A&M nor Penn State being ranked since October. The game has been intriguing to fans even though A&M switched coaches at the end of a disappointing 7-5 season. Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell will serve as an interim coach for the Aggies (7-5) in place of Dennis Franchione, who resigned under pressure.

Penn State wasn't much better in an 8-4 season that saw the Nittany Lions lose four of their last nine games.

The Liberty Bowl, pitting Mississippi State against Central Florida, is headed to the game's first true sellout since 1982. Bulldogs fans are expected to gobble up more than 30,000 tickets for the school's first bowl trip since 2000.

The Capital One Bowl recorded its fastest sellout in 62 years, just 13 hours after the Michigan-Florida matchup was solidified. Temporary bleachers were added after the sellout was announced, and those seats quickly sold out, too.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl has notched its 12th-straight sellout for its Dec. 31 game between Auburn and Clemson. It's the longest sellout streak of any non-BCS bowl.

Two of the bowls are selling out despite having teams playing in the same bowl game for the second-straight season.

The Las Vegas Bowl announced a sellout even before BYU and UCLA were chosen. BYU played in the game last season and the meeting with UCLA will be a rematch from earlier in the season — traditionally a difficult sell for any bowl in most seasons.

Kentucky played in the Music City Bowl last season. But Wildcats fans are excited about their game against traditional power Florida State, which will be making its 26th-straight bowl appearance under coach Bobby Bowden.

"Kentucky and Florida State might not mean a lot to everybody in the country, but it does mean a lot to our community and those schools' fan bases," Ramsey said. "And the bowl system has truly never been more than that. What we're trying to do is appeal to fans of the schools and our local communities and then try and build that support outside the area."

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

Nevada has only sold 95 of their 6,000 tickets for the New Mexico Bowl:

Ticket sales, interest slow-going for bowl game
Justin Lawson (JLAWSON@RGJ.COM)
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
December 20, 2007
Recent history has made Nevada fans want to travel to see the Pack football team play in a bowl game.
Nevada played in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl two years ago. Last season, the weather wasn't as nice, but the competition certainly was. Nevada played Miami down to the wire in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise.
But this year's game, the New Mexico Bowl against New Mexico, might have left some fans looking for reasons to go.
At least, if ticket sales were any indication.
Nevada had only sold 95 of its 6,000 allotted tickets at the beginning of the week, according to Keith Hackett, Nevada's associate athletics director. However, the Pack expect to have about 1,000 fans in Albuquerque, N.M., for today's game, Hackett said.
"Of the three bowl games we've gone to, we found out this date the latest and it's the earliest game we've played in," Hackett said. "It's been pretty tough (to make travel arrangements), but I think we're in pretty good shape with regard to our travel plans."
The Pack's bowl game wasn't announced until Dec. 2.
Nevada coach Chris Ault wasn't surprised by the ticket sales, and simply said, "That's typical."
Nevada (6-6) finished fourth in the Western Athletic Conference and wasn't assured of going to its third bowl game in as many years until Hawaii beat Washington in the last game of the season to earn a BCS at-large bid to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1. The Lobos (8-4) also finished fourth in their conference (Mountain West).
Hawaii, which will play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, sold out its allotment of 15,000 tickets.
Some bowls force participating teams to cover the cost of all of their allotted tickets. The New Mexico Bowl does not.
If Nevada's allotment of tickets is not sold -- and it appears it won't be -- the tickets are returned to the bowl, which will try to sell them. If the additional tickets cannot be sold, they will be given away.
This year's bowl game seems to lack the excitement that previous bowl games have given fans. When the Wolf Pack played Central Florida at the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, it was the first time the Pack reached a bowl game since it went to the Las Vegas Bowl in 1996. Last season, when Nevada played Miami in the first-ever contest between the two schools, there was a buzz around the game itself. And since Boise is a day's drive from Reno, it made travel easier.
"Many last year drove to Boise," Hackett said. "We had a great turnout. I think we had upwards of 1,500 fans. I think with Albuquerque it's a little bit of a different story because you have to get on an airplane to go. Timing is just tough too, with Christmas just two days after."
Nevada students will be on winter break, and back home for the holiday because dorms will be closed. In the past, the Flipside, a student organization, has sponsored trips to other games, like UNLV. But the group will not do so for the New Mexico Bowl.
"There hasn't been a trip down to a bowl game in very, very long time," said Eli Reilly, Flipside director of programming. "It's very expensive to do that. Last year I was in charge of coordinating a trip to Las Vegas for the UNLV football game and even that trip cost us somewhere in the neighborhood of $13,000-15,000. For a student-run organization it's really hard for us to put that kind money forward because that takes away part of our budget."
Regardless of where students are for the game or how Nevada got in, Reilly said that students are excited for the bowl game.
"I think it's a bowl game so we're always interested in it," he said. "Our record may not show it, but we have had a great season just because we've had so many good games against so many good opponents. The students have a lot of faith in Colin Kaepernick. Here he is, a redshirt freshman, (leading the Pack to score) 67 points against Boise State. We have the utmost faith that they're going to go down there and kick the crap out of New Mexico."

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

This was a REALLY interesting article from thewizardofodds.blogspot.com which shows how much, and how little the conferences and teams travel. The conference that travels the least? The SEC. Might have something to do with their "dominance".

Who Travels, Who Doesn't

When the NCAA Board of Directors voted to add a 12th regular season game in major college football starting in 2006, the hope among fans was that it would rekindle intersectional rivalries.

Who could forget USC-Alabama of the 1970s or Notre Dame-Miami of the 1980s?

Instead, the 12th game merely exacerbated a disturbing trend of big-time teams scheduling home victories against lesser opponents. Nowhere is this more the case than in the Southeastern Conference, whose teams have traveled the fewest number of miles in the past 10 years. Check out the above chart.

Today, in the first of three parts, we are going to provide you a look at who travels and who doesn't.

This is made possible by Richard of Map Game Day. All of this data is available through a new section on his site titled the Travel Map.

The site contains road game data for regular season games from the 1998 through the 2007 seasons. Bowl games and games at neutral sites are not included and the mileages are direct distances calculated from the home team stadium to the away team stadium.

This is one incredible piece of work. You'll be able to access any conference or team from drop-down menus on the left-hand side of any page and an info box will give you percentages as to how a conference or team have fared in road games.

On the right-hand side of any page, you'll be able to access all the scores by season. And if you click the dots on a Google Map, it will provide you with how the conference or team fared at that venue.

Here are some of our findings:

Georgia has traveled a total of 358 miles for nonconference road games since 1998. By comparison, Hawaii has traveled 72,918 miles.
Teams from the Southeastern Conference hold down seven of the top eight spots for teams having traveled the fewest miles. This includes Florida, which last played a nonconference road game outside of the Sunshine State on Sept. 21, 1991, at Syracuse.
The Western Athletic Conference is the most traveled conference, having covered 327,521 miles. The SEC is last at 42,141.

On Friday, we will break down we each of the BCS conferences. On Saturday, we will display data for the non-BCS conferences. Dive in and let us know what you think.

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

ASU's Wooten to miss Holiday Bowl

Posted: Thursday December 20, 2007 1:33AM; Updated: Thursday December 20, 2007 1:33AM

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona State linebacker Morris Wooten will not play in the Holiday Bowl because of an unspecified team rules violation, coach Dennis Erickson said.
Wooten, the team's sixth-leading tackler with 47, will be replaced by sophomore Mike Nixon. Wooten is a transfer from Glendale Community College.
The 12th-ranked Sun Devils play No. 17 Texas in the San Diego bowl game on Dec. 27.

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

CURIOUS INDEX, 12/20/07

<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"> You took his job, so he’ll take yours, too. Tennessee assistant Trooper Taylor’s departure from the University of Tennessee is not good news for the Vols. Taylor was largely regarded as the best recruiter on the staff and a great golden god of a coach, and his new job at co-offensive coordinator for OK State leaves the Vols down two spots on the offensive coaching staff (OC David Cutcliffe took the head job at Duke, meaning that if the Vols just wait two years, they can have him back.)
The Trooper story gives us yet another excuse to post Iron Maiden. Pardon us while we get out the stretchy pants and lean over our amp to tell you a story of gunsmoke, glory, and death.

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

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jgqxQmAbTBc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></object></p> The latest installment of Dan Hawkins’ “Bloggin’ with Hawk” may contain the most motivational material per pixel we’ve ever seen in a single website. We counted: nine boxes of motivational quote and a whole long piece we imagine Colorado players are forced to recite while Coach Hawkins goes around with a wireless headset mike clapping and screaming “SI SE PUEDE! SI SE PUEDE!!!” This doesn’t even mention the crypto-Marxist definition of a “blue-collar player” outlined at the top.
A blue-collar worker is an idiom referring to a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar workers are distinguished from white collar workers, whose jobs are not as physically demanding or considered manual labor. The term blue-collar occasionally carries a persona based on historical perspective. The blue-collar worker in the United States is an embodiment of the American mythos of a work ethic and the dignity of labor.
Football players of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your jockstraps. Under that definition, we think Colt Brennan qualifies as some kind of glorified postmaster or FedEx employee.
In case you think you have something to complain about, you do not. Darrell Mack doesn’t, and he’s got as big a beef with the universe as anyone we can think of, Andy Dick excepted, of course.
Gupta, bitches. Gupta. Michigan can claim another double victory: not only can they claim one of the most recognized fake doctors on the planet, House, they claim Sanjay Gupta, as well, who says he’s already renewed his season tickets thanks to the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. The fact that House went to Michigan means that Peter King just put Rich Rodriguez fourth on his rusty trombone list for the week, just behind Favre, Romo, and Peter Laurie.
Don’t ever change, angel-eyes. Because you can’t. [NAME REDACTED], caught attempting to talk and think at the same time:
â€œYou use history to understand what has happened in the past,â€ Zook said.
If you go home, smoke three or four bowls of Kryptonite, and then reread that, you will wake up on your couch and see the very seams of the universe, grasshopper.
</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 20, 2007

Introducing the 2007 SMQ Bowl Blitz: My Favorite Bowl Things
By SMQ
Posted on Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 11:17:17 AM EDT

I will argue for the fundamental necessity of a playoff until I'm blue in the face, but diligent readers will never see in this space any argument against bowl games or the unseemly promulgation thereof. Quite the contrary. The standing policy recommendation of SMQ re: bowl games has been pile `em on.

Once, you had to want the Independence Bowl.
- - -

Much of this irrational affection derives from blatant, willfully distorted nostalgia, whose effects have canonized the forgotten virtues of frozen 2000 Independence Bowl participants Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Back then, at least, Wayne Madkin could lead his team on a heroic struggle from two touchdowns behind for an overtime win in a heroic Louisiana snow storm and there was no global warming or inconvenient truth or PapaJohns.com. Those were the days. In the spirit of nostalgic bowl love, of conceding that if you are participating in a bowl game, you are <strike>good</strike> at least not worthy of merciless ridicule, dammit, SMQ presents the second annual edition of a few of his favorite bowl things. Ridicule, rest assured, will follow on a daily basis throughout the rest of the month.
Ready? O-KAY!
(Cue Rogers and Hammerstein...)

Shreveport and Boise
And that game in Mobile
Memphis and Detroit
Our toes white with no feel
Why don't they schedule
A bowl in Beijing?
These are a few of my favorite bowl things Interim coaches and
Slipshoddy gameplans
Commemorative jerseys
On backs of the true fans
A hundred believers
The fight song they sing
These are a few of my favorite bowl things
Exiting seniors
So inconsequential
Freshmen just hitting
Their stag'ring potential
Offseason hopes
Off the charts through the Spring
These are a few of my favorite bowl things
When the drive stalls
When the grass dies
When the trophy's second place
I simply remember a few of those 4-8 teams
And then I don't feel so disgraced

Enjoy the games, everybody.

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

358 MILES

I ain’t goin’ ta Atlanta. Thass a whole utha countrah!
It should surprise no one to find that Georgians do not like to travel–after all, why do you think the place got torched by the Union Army? Mostly because Georgians just kept sending notes to the Union Army reading “Hey, it’s cold out. Come on down here and we’ll tussle.” It’s also scientific fact that 42% of Georgia fans are fat white guys who only leave the confines of Gwinnett County to go to Georgia games and for heart surgery, so the immobility isn’t surprising.
What is surprising is seeing it quantified, especially in terms of mileage traveled.
Georgia has traveled a total of 358 miles for nonconference road games since 1998. By comparison, Hawaii has traveled 72,918 miles.
Not that Florida, or any other SEC team may complain about his, since Tom Tancredo himself envies the xenophobic tendencies fo the conference as a whole:
Teams from the Southeastern Conference hold down seven of the top eight spots for teams having traveled the fewest miles. This includes Florida, which last played a nonconference road game outside of the Sunshine State on Sept. 21, 1991, at Syracuse.
But there’s auslanders out there! And Jamba Juice stores, which we just know are a front for the homosexual atheist agenda! And also, more logically speaking, SEC teams can sit on their front porch and watch the money roll in without even getting their shoelaces dirty from hitting the road for longer than a few hours at a time.
(And go ahead and anthropomorphize the argument if you want, because you’re illogical and will do it anyway: SEC teams are skurred! They don’t want none! No, they just make shitloads of money shuffling around the block, and have no incentive to get wanderlust thanks to mountains of cash on the local circuit. Plus: strangers frighten and confuse us!)
Hawaii, however, has spent more time in the air than a John Kitna post route or Venus Williams’ buttocks.

RJ Esq · Dec 20, 2007

Reports: 2 OSU CBs suspended

Washington, Clifford allegedly violated team rules

Posted: Thursday December 20, 2007 11:14AM; Updated: Thursday December 20, 2007 11:14AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Top-ranked Ohio State will be without two cornerbacks -- one a starter and the other a top reserve -- who have been suspended for the Buckeyes' national championship game against LSU, according to media reports.
Donald Washington, a sophomore who has started every game this season for the Buckeyes (11-1), and backup Eugene Clifford were suspended for violating team rules, WCMH-TV and The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Athletic director Gene Smith declined Thursday to confirm the suspensions and said there was "work to be done" before he could confirm them.
Washington, in particular, played a key role in an Ohio State defense ranked among the best in the nation. He had 34 tackles, tied for seventh-best on the team with second-team All-American lineman Vernon Gholston, and also had two tackles for minus yardage, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Washington, 21, started at nickel back a year ago and moved into the starting spot at field corner this spring. In a 48-3 win over Kent State on Oct. 13, the Indianapolis native returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown and recorded his first career sack.
With him out of the lineup, redshirt freshman Chimdi Chekwa will most likely move into the starting position.
Clifford was a prized recruit last spring after receiving all-state and several national honors during his days at Colerain High School.
He was listed as Malcolm Jenkins' backup at border corner on the Buckeyes' latest two-deep chart.
Clifford had played in four games, totaling eight tackles.
The Buckeyes' final workout before the holidays was on Wednesday. They will be off until returning on Dec. 26, then will practice for a week before flying to New Orleans on Jan. 2.

2007-08 CFB Bowl Picks and News

Prick Since 1974

CTG Partner

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Money Addict

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

CTG Partner

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

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Prick Since 1974

Similar threads