CFB Bowl Season News, Picks, and T&A
- Thread starter RJ Esq
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RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Lake Travis QB Gilbert Named Texas AP Player of Year
from Burnt Orange Nation by PB @ BON
Lake Travis QB Gilbert Named Texas AP Player of Year
More accolades for the Texas standout commit who just broke Graham Harrell's state passing records en route to his second straight state title. The Texas AP Player of the Year is voted on by the Associated Press' sports writers and editors throughout the state; last year's winner (Jacquizz Rodgers, Lamar Consolidated) was the Pac 10 Freshman of the Year at Oregon State.
from Burnt Orange Nation by PB @ BON
Lake Travis QB Gilbert Named Texas AP Player of Year
More accolades for the Texas standout commit who just broke Graham Harrell's state passing records en route to his second straight state title. The Texas AP Player of the Year is voted on by the Associated Press' sports writers and editors throughout the state; last year's winner (Jacquizz Rodgers, Lamar Consolidated) was the Pac 10 Freshman of the Year at Oregon State.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Everyone Remembers the Sweaters
from Double-T Nation by Seth C
Thanks to Spencer Hall, this wonderful picture of quarterback Graham Harrell, receiver Eric Morris and receiver Landon Hoefer was unearthed:
Enjoy.
from Double-T Nation by Seth C
Thanks to Spencer Hall, this wonderful picture of quarterback Graham Harrell, receiver Eric Morris and receiver Landon Hoefer was unearthed:
via i.tsn.com
Now we have it from the players themselves, that this picture is for-realz (part of a themed Christmas Party), and much thanks to Fox34 for following up on this hugely important story, where there's plenty of reaction from a number of players. Enjoy.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Bowlin': Underlying literary themes between Troy and Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
The individual in society: Social influences determine a person's final destiny.
DeAndre Brown was recruited alongside the likes of Julio Jones and A.J. Green as one of the best high school receivers in the country, and played like it down the stretch: The Southern Miss freshman had 40 catches for 692 yards and nine touchdowns in the Eagles' last six games and ranked well ahead of his hyped counterparts for the season in catches, yards per catch and touchdowns. But where Jones and Green quickly became household names at Alabama and Georgia, Brown's staggering numbers and talent may never overcome the stigma of choosing to play in Conference USA. Alienation: Through alienation comes self-knowledge.
Troy quarterback Levi Brown has come to know himself with piercing clarity in the pocket, where he's spent the season virtually alone thanks to the senior-laden Trojan offensive line. Troy is second nationally in sacks allowed with nine, only four of them in the seven games since Brown assumed the job in mid-October. By contrast, Southern Miss' formerly aggressive front is 104th nationally with all of 15 sacks for the season.
Growth and initiation: A person grows only in so far as he or she must face a crisis of confidence or identity.
Through its 2-6 start, Southern Miss' defense allowed 31 points and 434 yards per game, and never allowed less than 21 points or 380 yards in any single game; at the end of October, USM ranked in the bottom 20 nationally (100th or worse) in every major defensive category. In its four-game winning streak to close the year, the Eagle defense allowed less than nine points and 236 yards per game, and didn't allow more than 14 points or 260 yards in any game. USM finished ranked between 53rd and 71st in the major defensive categories and in the top four in C-USA.
An individual's relation to the gods: The gods mock the individual and torture him for presuming to be great.
Troy safety Tavares Williams, thou name art hubris:
In non-literary news, the Doc will be in the Dome tonight nodding enthusiastically for his alma mater (USM) while huddling to stay warm in an edifice air-conditioned for 65,000 bodies. If you yell really loudly during a timeout, I'm sure I'll be able to hear you over the popcorn popping at the concession stand.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
DeAndre Brown was recruited alongside the likes of Julio Jones and A.J. Green as one of the best high school receivers in the country, and played like it down the stretch: The Southern Miss freshman had 40 catches for 692 yards and nine touchdowns in the Eagles' last six games and ranked well ahead of his hyped counterparts for the season in catches, yards per catch and touchdowns. But where Jones and Green quickly became household names at Alabama and Georgia, Brown's staggering numbers and talent may never overcome the stigma of choosing to play in Conference USA. Alienation: Through alienation comes self-knowledge.
Troy quarterback Levi Brown has come to know himself with piercing clarity in the pocket, where he's spent the season virtually alone thanks to the senior-laden Trojan offensive line. Troy is second nationally in sacks allowed with nine, only four of them in the seven games since Brown assumed the job in mid-October. By contrast, Southern Miss' formerly aggressive front is 104th nationally with all of 15 sacks for the season.
Growth and initiation: A person grows only in so far as he or she must face a crisis of confidence or identity.
Through its 2-6 start, Southern Miss' defense allowed 31 points and 434 yards per game, and never allowed less than 21 points or 380 yards in any single game; at the end of October, USM ranked in the bottom 20 nationally (100th or worse) in every major defensive category. In its four-game winning streak to close the year, the Eagle defense allowed less than nine points and 236 yards per game, and didn't allow more than 14 points or 260 yards in any game. USM finished ranked between 53rd and 71st in the major defensive categories and in the top four in C-USA.
An individual's relation to the gods: The gods mock the individual and torture him for presuming to be great.
Troy safety Tavares Williams, thou name art hubris:
"When you think about it, that’s the only downfall about New Orleans. The trip is great, but we’d play a Conference USA team that we feel like we could dominate. They don’t send their No. 1 or No. 2 team to New Orleans. We get one of the mid (fifth or sixth place) teams that really can’t compete with us, but they’re just in a bigger conference.
"It would be nice to play a team that people would think are better than us."
Record of Sun Belt teams vs. C-USA teams in 2008: 1-7. Record of current Sun Belt teams vs. C-USA since 1996 (when C-USA formed): 13-49 (.210). Isn't this sort of thing what did in the actual Trojans in Homer? "It would be nice to play a team that people would think are better than us."
In non-literary news, the Doc will be in the Dome tonight nodding enthusiastically for his alma mater (USM) while huddling to stay warm in an edifice air-conditioned for 65,000 bodies. If you yell really loudly during a timeout, I'm sure I'll be able to hear you over the popcorn popping at the concession stand.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Three UM football players suspended for bowl game
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<!-- id="storyAssets" --> BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD and SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
<!-- begin /production/story/credit_line_format.comp --> sdegnan@MiamiHerald.com
<!-- end /production/story/credit_line_format.comp --> Three more University of Miami football players have been suspended for the Emerald Bowl, UM coach Randy Shannon said Saturday after practice.
Shannon said junior tight ends Richard Gordon and Tervaris Johnson and freshman linebacker Jordan Futch violated a team rule, resulting in a one-game suspension for each.
UM quarterback Robert Marve was suspended Thursday for a team violation related to missed classes. It is unknown if the newest three suspensions are academically related.
Gordon's is the most significant suspension. The 6-4, 260-pounder, a graduate of Miami Norland High, had three catches for 24 yards this season. He returned one punt for 13 yards. He played in all 12 games.
Johnson played in 12 games on special teams.
Futch, who sustained a concussion earlier this season, was not expected to play in the Emerald Bowl.
The bowl game is Dec. 27 at At&T Park in San Francisco. UM departs Miami on Monday for California.
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- <!-- Start: /pubsys/production/story/assets/story_link.comp --> UM's Robert Marve voices displeasure with high school coach <!-- End: /pubsys/production/story/assets/story_link.comp -->
- Eye on The U | HS coach says Marve is 'Frustrated'
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<!-- id="storyAssets" --> BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD and SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
<!-- begin /production/story/credit_line_format.comp --> sdegnan@MiamiHerald.com
<!-- end /production/story/credit_line_format.comp --> Three more University of Miami football players have been suspended for the Emerald Bowl, UM coach Randy Shannon said Saturday after practice.
Shannon said junior tight ends Richard Gordon and Tervaris Johnson and freshman linebacker Jordan Futch violated a team rule, resulting in a one-game suspension for each.
UM quarterback Robert Marve was suspended Thursday for a team violation related to missed classes. It is unknown if the newest three suspensions are academically related.
Gordon's is the most significant suspension. The 6-4, 260-pounder, a graduate of Miami Norland High, had three catches for 24 yards this season. He returned one punt for 13 yards. He played in all 12 games.
Johnson played in 12 games on special teams.
Futch, who sustained a concussion earlier this season, was not expected to play in the Emerald Bowl.
The bowl game is Dec. 27 at At&T Park in San Francisco. UM departs Miami on Monday for California.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Va. Tech might be missing three starters for Orange Bowl
Posted to: College Football Sports
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By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2008
BLACKSBURG
Just when Virginia Tech's young football team was starting to grow up, the Hokies' experience took another major hit this week. Coach Frank Beamer announced Saturday that starting left guard Nick Marshman is academically ineligible for the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, while starting linebacker Brett Warren and defensive end Jason Worilds are both questionable for the game because of injuries.
Marshman's absence has caused a major shake-up on the offensive line. Junior right guard Sergio Render will switch sides to replace Marshman, a fifth-year senior. Redshirt freshman Jaymes Brooks will replace Render at right guard. Brooks has been the back-up all season but has played just four snaps.
Marshman had started 26 consecutive games and his 917 snaps this season were third-most on the team. He was an honorable mention All-ACC selection and had already received an undergraduate degree from Tech.
But Beamer said the team found out Friday that Marshman failed to pass six hours of graduate classes.
"We knew he needed to do some things during exam week, but you're talking about a guy that's already graduated... and never been to the point of an issue with eligibility," offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said. "Very few things surprise you anymore, but every now and then, there's a shock value.
"We did not feel that things weren't going to be OK."
Beamer and Stinespring said the decision to move Render was an effort to let Brooks, the less-experienced of the two, stay on the side where he has been practicing all season.
So far, they said, Render looks comfortable switching sides. He has started 39 games at right guard for the Hokies.
"Somebody was going to have to move, so this is the way we felt like we'd have the least amount of learning curve," Stinespring said. "The biggest difference is just who you've been accustomed to work with, how you communicate to the guy beside you."
Left tackle Ed Wang is familiar with working next to - and communicating with - Render, because they started together on the right side of the line last season.
"The chemistry is already there," Wang said. "We'll be fine."
Brooks, though, is now starting beside right tackle Blake DeChristopher, also a redshirt freshman. While DeChristopher has started eight games, Brooks has largely been learning from the sideline.
The rookie from Denbigh High in Newport News was rated the No. 36 guard prospect in the country by Rivals.com in 2007. Brooks - who at 6-foot-2, 304 pounds, is 3 inches shorter and 35 pounds lighter than Marshman - had scholarship offers from Maryland, N.C. State and South Carolina.
"Brooks has been coming along," Beamer said. "We'll see if he's ready for this, but I think he's got the makings of being a really good player. Whether he'll be a really good player against Cincinnati, we'll see."
The same can be said for fellow redshirt freshman Barquell Rivers, who could be called upon to replace Warren.
Warren, a senior who is second on the team in tackles and has started every game, is questionable for the Orange Bowl with a left knee injury. He hurt the knee originally against Miami on Nov. 13 and re aggravated it in the ACC championship game.
Rivers has played just 28 defensive snaps this season, along with 26 special teams plays, and has eight tackles.
"He's kind of like Brooks: We think he's going to be good," Beamer said. "Just lack of experience is the key."
The Hokies won't be in quite the same pinch i f Worilds can't play because of continuing left shoulder problems.
The shoulder has popped out of place several times this season - sometimes during games - but he's played through it.
He'll have surgery the week after the bowl game. If he can't play against Cincinnati, junior Nekos Brown will take his place. Brown started one game this season and has played significant minutes in the other 12. He has 54 tackles and five sacks in his career.
Notes: Senior DE Orion Martin was excused from Friday's practice to attend his rehearsal dinner. Martin was married Saturday. His brother, LB Cam Martin, was also excused to attend. Both brothers will be back at practice today.... Beamer announced RB Jahre Cheeseman, a junior who was a co-starter in spring but fell back on the depth chart this fall, will not travel to the bowl. He plans to leave the team, but will graduate from Tech in the spring.
Posted to: College Football Sports
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By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2008
BLACKSBURG
Just when Virginia Tech's young football team was starting to grow up, the Hokies' experience took another major hit this week. Coach Frank Beamer announced Saturday that starting left guard Nick Marshman is academically ineligible for the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, while starting linebacker Brett Warren and defensive end Jason Worilds are both questionable for the game because of injuries.
Marshman's absence has caused a major shake-up on the offensive line. Junior right guard Sergio Render will switch sides to replace Marshman, a fifth-year senior. Redshirt freshman Jaymes Brooks will replace Render at right guard. Brooks has been the back-up all season but has played just four snaps.
Marshman had started 26 consecutive games and his 917 snaps this season were third-most on the team. He was an honorable mention All-ACC selection and had already received an undergraduate degree from Tech.
But Beamer said the team found out Friday that Marshman failed to pass six hours of graduate classes.
"We knew he needed to do some things during exam week, but you're talking about a guy that's already graduated... and never been to the point of an issue with eligibility," offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said. "Very few things surprise you anymore, but every now and then, there's a shock value.
"We did not feel that things weren't going to be OK."
Beamer and Stinespring said the decision to move Render was an effort to let Brooks, the less-experienced of the two, stay on the side where he has been practicing all season.
So far, they said, Render looks comfortable switching sides. He has started 39 games at right guard for the Hokies.
"Somebody was going to have to move, so this is the way we felt like we'd have the least amount of learning curve," Stinespring said. "The biggest difference is just who you've been accustomed to work with, how you communicate to the guy beside you."
Left tackle Ed Wang is familiar with working next to - and communicating with - Render, because they started together on the right side of the line last season.
"The chemistry is already there," Wang said. "We'll be fine."
Brooks, though, is now starting beside right tackle Blake DeChristopher, also a redshirt freshman. While DeChristopher has started eight games, Brooks has largely been learning from the sideline.
The rookie from Denbigh High in Newport News was rated the No. 36 guard prospect in the country by Rivals.com in 2007. Brooks - who at 6-foot-2, 304 pounds, is 3 inches shorter and 35 pounds lighter than Marshman - had scholarship offers from Maryland, N.C. State and South Carolina.
"Brooks has been coming along," Beamer said. "We'll see if he's ready for this, but I think he's got the makings of being a really good player. Whether he'll be a really good player against Cincinnati, we'll see."
The same can be said for fellow redshirt freshman Barquell Rivers, who could be called upon to replace Warren.
Warren, a senior who is second on the team in tackles and has started every game, is questionable for the Orange Bowl with a left knee injury. He hurt the knee originally against Miami on Nov. 13 and re aggravated it in the ACC championship game.
Rivers has played just 28 defensive snaps this season, along with 26 special teams plays, and has eight tackles.
"He's kind of like Brooks: We think he's going to be good," Beamer said. "Just lack of experience is the key."
The Hokies won't be in quite the same pinch i f Worilds can't play because of continuing left shoulder problems.
The shoulder has popped out of place several times this season - sometimes during games - but he's played through it.
He'll have surgery the week after the bowl game. If he can't play against Cincinnati, junior Nekos Brown will take his place. Brown started one game this season and has played significant minutes in the other 12. He has 54 tackles and five sacks in his career.
Notes: Senior DE Orion Martin was excused from Friday's practice to attend his rehearsal dinner. Martin was married Saturday. His brother, LB Cam Martin, was also excused to attend. Both brothers will be back at practice today.... Beamer announced RB Jahre Cheeseman, a junior who was a co-starter in spring but fell back on the depth chart this fall, will not travel to the bowl. He plans to leave the team, but will graduate from Tech in the spring.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Outback tickets: USC faces uphill sales job
Bowl officials hope for 15,000 Gamecock fans, but local ticket sales are half that so far
By JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com Eric Hyman has a suggestion for anyone looking for a last-minute Christmas gift idea: Outback Bowl tickets.
The elves in the South Carolina ticket office have plenty.
“It’d be a great gift for someone to give their children,” Hyman said, laughing. “That would be a great stocking stuffer.”
With the country gripped by recession, ’tis the season to be melancholy at many schools trying to sell bowl tickets.
As of Friday, USC had sold about 9,000 of its 11,000-ticket allotment for the Outback Bowl, according to Hyman, the school’s athletics director. But that figure includes as many as 1,500 seats the athletics department has purchased for the band, cheerleaders, athletics personnel, university officials, trustees and comps for the coaches and players.
“The slowdown has impacted everyone, except maybe Florida and Alabama,” Hyman said.
Hyman attended an SEC meeting last week in Birmingham, Ala., where he heard reports of slow ticket sales at LSU and Kentucky, which are headed to the Chick-fil-A and Liberty bowls, respectively.
Not all of the non-BCS bowls are hurting. Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl between BYU and Arizona was a sellout. There are no seats left for the Cotton (Texas Tech-Mississippi) and Continental Tire (North Carolina-West Virginia) bowls, either.
Clemson and Nebraska have gone through their initial allotments for the Gator Bowl, which as of last week had only 3,000 tickets remaining.
But other schools are feeling the financial pinch, including USC’s opponent in Tampa.
Iowa knocked Penn State from the unbeaten ranks in November and won five of its final six games to earn its third Outback bid. Hawkeyes’ fans gobbled up 18,000 and 20,000 tickets for the school’s Outback appearances against Florida following the 2003 and ’05 regular seasons. This year Iowa has sold 12,700 tickets.
“It’s down a lot,” Iowa ticket director Pam Finke said. “We were out of tickets last time.”
While getting to Tampa from Iowa City is a two-day drive, part of the reason Outback officials picked USC was its proximity to the Tampa-St. Pete region.
Gamecock fans bought 25,000 and 20,000 tickets, respectively, to watch USC beat Ohio State in consecutive Outback bowls following the 2000 and ’01 regular seasons.
But after regular-season ending losses at Florida and Clemson, USC does not appear poised to approach those turnouts.
“We think South Carolina fans can be some of the best,” Outback Bowl president Jim McVay said. “I still think they’re going to buy tickets.”
McVay and Hyman appeared on talk-radio shows in Columbia the past two weeks, trying to create interest. Hyman also sent e-mail blasts to potential buyers.
Hyman hopes for a repeat of 2005, when a strong contingent of USC fans attended the Independence Bowl after an initial, lukewarm response for the game in Shreveport, La., against Missouri.
McVay would be happy if USC brought 15,000 fans to the Outback, the fifth time the school has played in a bowl on New Year’s Day or later.
If the Gamecocks fall short, McVay said USC fans’ reputation for loyalty could take a hit.
“Everyone’s going to say, wait a minute, that’s not the reputation of the Gamecock fans,” McVay said.
Bowl officials hope for 15,000 Gamecock fans, but local ticket sales are half that so far
By JOSEPH PERSON
jperson@thestate.com Eric Hyman has a suggestion for anyone looking for a last-minute Christmas gift idea: Outback Bowl tickets.
The elves in the South Carolina ticket office have plenty.
“It’d be a great gift for someone to give their children,” Hyman said, laughing. “That would be a great stocking stuffer.”
With the country gripped by recession, ’tis the season to be melancholy at many schools trying to sell bowl tickets.
As of Friday, USC had sold about 9,000 of its 11,000-ticket allotment for the Outback Bowl, according to Hyman, the school’s athletics director. But that figure includes as many as 1,500 seats the athletics department has purchased for the band, cheerleaders, athletics personnel, university officials, trustees and comps for the coaches and players.
“The slowdown has impacted everyone, except maybe Florida and Alabama,” Hyman said.
Hyman attended an SEC meeting last week in Birmingham, Ala., where he heard reports of slow ticket sales at LSU and Kentucky, which are headed to the Chick-fil-A and Liberty bowls, respectively.
Not all of the non-BCS bowls are hurting. Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl between BYU and Arizona was a sellout. There are no seats left for the Cotton (Texas Tech-Mississippi) and Continental Tire (North Carolina-West Virginia) bowls, either.
Clemson and Nebraska have gone through their initial allotments for the Gator Bowl, which as of last week had only 3,000 tickets remaining.
But other schools are feeling the financial pinch, including USC’s opponent in Tampa.
Iowa knocked Penn State from the unbeaten ranks in November and won five of its final six games to earn its third Outback bid. Hawkeyes’ fans gobbled up 18,000 and 20,000 tickets for the school’s Outback appearances against Florida following the 2003 and ’05 regular seasons. This year Iowa has sold 12,700 tickets.
“It’s down a lot,” Iowa ticket director Pam Finke said. “We were out of tickets last time.”
While getting to Tampa from Iowa City is a two-day drive, part of the reason Outback officials picked USC was its proximity to the Tampa-St. Pete region.
Gamecock fans bought 25,000 and 20,000 tickets, respectively, to watch USC beat Ohio State in consecutive Outback bowls following the 2000 and ’01 regular seasons.
But after regular-season ending losses at Florida and Clemson, USC does not appear poised to approach those turnouts.
“We think South Carolina fans can be some of the best,” Outback Bowl president Jim McVay said. “I still think they’re going to buy tickets.”
McVay and Hyman appeared on talk-radio shows in Columbia the past two weeks, trying to create interest. Hyman also sent e-mail blasts to potential buyers.
Hyman hopes for a repeat of 2005, when a strong contingent of USC fans attended the Independence Bowl after an initial, lukewarm response for the game in Shreveport, La., against Missouri.
McVay would be happy if USC brought 15,000 fans to the Outback, the fifth time the school has played in a bowl on New Year’s Day or later.
If the Gamecocks fall short, McVay said USC fans’ reputation for loyalty could take a hit.
“Everyone’s going to say, wait a minute, that’s not the reputation of the Gamecock fans,” McVay said.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
More Expert Advice From the WWL
from The Wiz of Odds by Jay Christensen
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="never" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mt5rv2-b8M&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="470" height="375">PopoutColorado State is "not a very good running team," eh? Tell that to Gartrell Johnson, who ran for 285 of the Rams' 362 rushing yards. And about that Fresno State pick ...
from The Wiz of Odds by Jay Christensen
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="never" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mt5rv2-b8M&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="470" height="375">PopoutColorado State is "not a very good running team," eh? Tell that to Gartrell Johnson, who ran for 285 of the Rams' 362 rushing yards. And about that Fresno State pick ...
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
TCU might be without LB Henson in Poinsettia
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
THE 10 HOTTEST CELEBRITY BIKINI PHOTOSHOOT VIDEOS 
TWO-PIECE MEALS
THE 10 HOTTEST CELEBRITY BIKINI PHOTOSHOOT VIDEOS
While bikinis do look great on females, they're actually an evil creation. They cover the best parts of a woman when we're so close to seeing what we really want to see and they're currently the only thing preventing women from having to be completely naked at the beach. This is why I think we should start having bikini burning protests in America. I'm here to tell you that one man and some lighter fluid with no sense of purpose can really make a difference in this country if he puts his mind to it.
#9 Vida Guerra's Power Booty Bikini Photoshoot - I often wonder what it must be like to have your butt be more famous than you are. I bet your butt gets really cocky and starts talking shit to you all the time and the shit talk really stinks like actual shit.
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TWO-PIECE MEALS
THE 10 HOTTEST CELEBRITY BIKINI PHOTOSHOOT VIDEOS
While bikinis do look great on females, they're actually an evil creation. They cover the best parts of a woman when we're so close to seeing what we really want to see and they're currently the only thing preventing women from having to be completely naked at the beach. This is why I think we should start having bikini burning protests in America. I'm here to tell you that one man and some lighter fluid with no sense of purpose can really make a difference in this country if he puts his mind to it.
#10 Jessica Burciaga's Spicy Bikini Photoshoot - Jessica's the kind of girl I'd love to eat hot wings with in bed with and communicate purely in caveman grunts for a period of at least 24 hours.
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#9 Vida Guerra's Power Booty Bikini Photoshoot - I often wonder what it must be like to have your butt be more famous than you are. I bet your butt gets really cocky and starts talking shit to you all the time and the shit talk really stinks like actual shit.
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZDP6RT6N_LI&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="445" height="364"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZDP6RT6N_LI&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
#8 Catherine Bell Puts Her Bikini Top To The Test For FHM - Catherine has Manofest's favorite type of boobs otherwise known as "floobs." That means they're big a little floppy.
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#7 Heidi Klum Does What She Does Best - It's a little known fact that Heidi is one of the only babies in the human history who came out of her mother's birth canal already wearing a bikini.
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2WeIIIJfG0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
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#6 Stacy Keibler And Bikinis Are BFF's - Stacy is one of the few female celebs who is so hot that you don't even care that she has absolutely no boobs.
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#5 Brooke Burke Bikini And Hand Bra Photoshoot - We're very happy for Brooke that she looks so fantastic in a bikini, but she really needs to get back to doing more of that topless stuff again.
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S_Z_Vl8u9g4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="445" height="364"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S_Z_Vl8u9g4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
#4 Jessica Alba's GQ Bikini Photoshoot - Jessica Alba wearing a white bikini with liquid pouring out of her mouth. Waiter ... check please!
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#3 Keeley Hazell Rocks The Bikini For FHM - Keeley's boobs must break about 8-10 bikini tops a year on average.
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#2 Megan Fox's Infamous GQ Photoshoot - I think Megan's next bikini photoshoot should somehow involve mayonnaise. I don't know why but I think they'd be something really awesome about Megan covered in mayonnaise.
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#1 Marisa Miller's Obviously Awesome Bikini Photoshoot - I wonder if it's actually true that all men who have fornicated with Marisa spontaneously combusted minutes later?27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="445" height="364"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jVDa6EZRRRs&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8XCIQ_8Xcyg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="445" height="364"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8XCIQ_8Xcyg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="445" height="364"></object>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Merry Christmas! The Ultimate Sexy Christmas Gallery
<!-- Gunaxin: Add a breadcrumb trail --> <!-- Breadcrumb NavXT 3.0.2 --> Gunaxin > Girls > Merry Christmas! The Ultimate Sexy Christmas Gallery
<!-- Gunaxin: End modification --> By Zach on December 21st, 2008
<!-- Gunaxin Modification: Add sociable icons -->
<!-- Gunaxin: End modification -->
We’re just a few days away from Christmas, so to get you into that Christmas spirit and distract you from the idiots that only seem to come out this time of year and make driving anywhere impossible, Gunaxin provides you a gallery of sexy Santas, elves, and other assorted helpers. Enjoy! As Larry Flynt might say, “This is what I’ve got to ho-ho-ho about.”
<!-- Thumbnails -->
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<!-- Gunaxin: Add a breadcrumb trail --> <!-- Breadcrumb NavXT 3.0.2 --> Gunaxin > Girls > Merry Christmas! The Ultimate Sexy Christmas Gallery
<!-- Gunaxin: End modification --> By Zach on December 21st, 2008
<!-- Gunaxin Modification: Add sociable icons -->
<!-- Gunaxin: End modification -->
We’re just a few days away from Christmas, so to get you into that Christmas spirit and distract you from the idiots that only seem to come out this time of year and make driving anywhere impossible, Gunaxin provides you a gallery of sexy Santas, elves, and other assorted helpers. Enjoy! As Larry Flynt might say, “This is what I’ve got to ho-ho-ho about.”
<!-- Thumbnails -->
<!-- Pagination -->
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
New Orleans Bowlin', Part One: My least favorite play of all-time
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Last week, the exact budget line for my "report" from the New Orleans Bowl read, "... will probably include heavy mockery and over-dramatization," because how else do you manufacture interest in an exhibition between Southern Miss and Troy? Instead, the trip ended with the Doc awash in sincere, giddy enthusiasm about his alma mater's genuinely dramatic win in overtime. It's always wonderful to be reminded how this game can still surprise you. But it can surprise you in horrible ways, as well, and in the long run, the excitement of the end of the game is probably going to fade long before the memory of the queasy depression of its beginning. I don't think I've ever been to a game where one play cast such a pall over the proceedings (for one sideline, at least) as what happened to Southern Miss freshman DeAndre Brown in the first quarter, a true disaster that graphically and personally ranks as the most terrible thing I've ever seen on a football field (readers are advised to take extreme caution before clicking 'play' on the following video, which I cannot bring myself to watch):
Still, sitting in the Dome without a replay of his injury, it didn't even strike me as unusually serious when the cart came out; they drove it onto the field so quickly, it seemed automatic, like procedure. Just to be safe, right? No, it wasn't until the phone calls started coming in from people watching on TV that the terrible reality became clear. These were conversations filled with nightmares. Tyrone Prothro. Joe Theismann. Multiple reports of bones breaking the skin. Definitely career-threatening. Absolutely sickening. His high school coach was in the crowd, and it seemed like he should pay a visit to the locker room, or wherever. But DeAndre wasn't still in the locker room, was he, if it was that bad? What could anyone do here but sit and stare grimly at the field at an irrelevant game, while cursing the demons of stolen promise?
The irrelevant game, as it turned out, was actually brilliant on its own terms, about which I'll elaborate more in the morning. A couple credible-sounding updates behind paywalls on USM message boards are enormously optimistic about Brown's chances of recovering and playing again as soon as next year; so is a doctor quoted in this morning's Clarion-Ledger, who diagnoses a "clean break" but says he's "seen the injury many times before" and predicts a full recovery in six months, enough time to play in 2009.
But I still haven't watched that clip up there at the top of this post, and not only because it's physically sickening. I can deal with that. Personally, the image I can't get out of my head is Brown in high school, so confident in his body and so frustrated that no one on the team had anywhere near the arm to take advantage of it. It's the thought of a kid with the whole world at his feet going down like a racehorse in midstream, just as years of obvious potential was blossoming into the real thing, that really tore me up for the rest of the night.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Last week, the exact budget line for my "report" from the New Orleans Bowl read, "... will probably include heavy mockery and over-dramatization," because how else do you manufacture interest in an exhibition between Southern Miss and Troy? Instead, the trip ended with the Doc awash in sincere, giddy enthusiasm about his alma mater's genuinely dramatic win in overtime. It's always wonderful to be reminded how this game can still surprise you. But it can surprise you in horrible ways, as well, and in the long run, the excitement of the end of the game is probably going to fade long before the memory of the queasy depression of its beginning. I don't think I've ever been to a game where one play cast such a pall over the proceedings (for one sideline, at least) as what happened to Southern Miss freshman DeAndre Brown in the first quarter, a true disaster that graphically and personally ranks as the most terrible thing I've ever seen on a football field (readers are advised to take extreme caution before clicking 'play' on the following video, which I cannot bring myself to watch):
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/daABZ3EbLI4&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
I don't actually know DeAndre Brown -- I've never had a conversation with him -- but I've been watching him for so long, I might as well. We share a hometown, of which he was quickly becoming the pride this year, and I'm well acquainted with his high school coaches and program. He's been destined for stardom since very early on, and was well on his way to achieving it with a truly sensational debut at Southern Miss: All-Conference USA, freshman All-American, school record for catches in a season, all that. He's completely bona fide, easily a future millionaire.
The irrelevant game, as it turned out, was actually brilliant on its own terms, about which I'll elaborate more in the morning. A couple credible-sounding updates behind paywalls on USM message boards are enormously optimistic about Brown's chances of recovering and playing again as soon as next year; so is a doctor quoted in this morning's Clarion-Ledger, who diagnoses a "clean break" but says he's "seen the injury many times before" and predicts a full recovery in six months, enough time to play in 2009.
But I still haven't watched that clip up there at the top of this post, and not only because it's physically sickening. I can deal with that. Personally, the image I can't get out of my head is Brown in high school, so confident in his body and so frustrated that no one on the team had anywhere near the arm to take advantage of it. It's the thought of a kid with the whole world at his feet going down like a racehorse in midstream, just as years of obvious potential was blossoming into the real thing, that really tore me up for the rest of the night.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Tim Tebow’s Biggest Fan Shows Off New BCS Jersey, Bare Skin And Her Blue Underwear
Published by J Koot at 5:38 am under Some other School
Visited 261 times, 261 so far today
Not sure what to get that Florida Gator fan in your life?
Still haven’t gotten anything for dad?
Gator Girl is here to help you with that last second holiday gift. She has just released several new photos of her in a new 2009 BCS Tim Tebow jersey and barely anything else.
Now you can buy these photos and think of what life might have been if you hit the gym and didn’t drink 20 beers a week.
Gator Girl has been doing her thing on Flickr for about a year now and this might be her best collection of photos - ever.
While her Sexy Santa collection held our interest for about 30 seconds, there is just something about a hot chick in a Tebow jersey that does it for us. Maybe it’s that orange and blue against a Floridian tan?
Just two days of shopping. Get dad some heart attack material.
He’ll be so proud of his son.
[Buy Gator Girl Prints- Flickr Her]
Published by J Koot at 5:38 am under Some other School
Visited 261 times, 261 so far today
Still haven’t gotten anything for dad?
Gator Girl is here to help you with that last second holiday gift. She has just released several new photos of her in a new 2009 BCS Tim Tebow jersey and barely anything else.
Now you can buy these photos and think of what life might have been if you hit the gym and didn’t drink 20 beers a week.
While her Sexy Santa collection held our interest for about 30 seconds, there is just something about a hot chick in a Tebow jersey that does it for us. Maybe it’s that orange and blue against a Floridian tan?
Just two days of shopping. Get dad some heart attack material.
He’ll be so proud of his son.
[Buy Gator Girl Prints- Flickr Her]
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Erin Andrews Put On Notice, Turner Broadcasting Signs Melanie Collins For NBA On TNT
Published by J Koot at 6:25 am under Celeb-Gasm, Penn State
Visited 204 times, 204 so far today
This news is going to shake up the world of hot chicks who work professional sports sidelines.
Remember how we introduced you to Melanie Collins (a former Tempe12 bikini model) who was working the Penn State beat for the Big Ten Network?
That was October. It is now December and the meteoric rise of Ms. Collins in the sideline community is unprecedented.
Through extensive research and working our contacts, Busted Coverage has learned that you’ll soon be seeing this former Penn Stater (’08 grad) working for TBS, TNT, NBA.com, MLB on TBS and even NASCAR.
She is now the property of Turner Broadcasting.
Take that ESPN (but this is a similar path taken by EA).
That is right, Erin Andrews officially has competition in the “Hottest Sideline Reporter” competition.
We’ve learned that MC will have interviews with such luminaries as T.I., Robin Thicke and even Kayne this week. It’s unclear if this will be at some basketball game and really, we don’t even care.
BC is too busy readjusting our “Hottest Sideline Reporter Under 25 List.”
It appears we have a new #1.
[Buy Melanie Collins iPod Skins]
[Creating The 6-Tool Sideline Reporter]
[Melanie Collins Was A Bikini Model]
Published by J Koot at 6:25 am under Celeb-Gasm, Penn State
Visited 204 times, 204 so far today
Remember how we introduced you to Melanie Collins (a former Tempe12 bikini model) who was working the Penn State beat for the Big Ten Network?
That was October. It is now December and the meteoric rise of Ms. Collins in the sideline community is unprecedented.
Through extensive research and working our contacts, Busted Coverage has learned that you’ll soon be seeing this former Penn Stater (’08 grad) working for TBS, TNT, NBA.com, MLB on TBS and even NASCAR.
She is now the property of Turner Broadcasting.
Take that ESPN (but this is a similar path taken by EA).
We’ve learned that MC will have interviews with such luminaries as T.I., Robin Thicke and even Kayne this week. It’s unclear if this will be at some basketball game and really, we don’t even care.
BC is too busy readjusting our “Hottest Sideline Reporter Under 25 List.”
It appears we have a new #1.
[Buy Melanie Collins iPod Skins]
[Creating The 6-Tool Sideline Reporter]
[Melanie Collins Was A Bikini Model]
(Left)
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Wisconsin LB Jonathan Casillas to Miss Champs Sports Bowl; UW Career Over
from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Bruce CiskieFiled under: Florida State, Wisconsin, ACC, Big 10, NCAA FB Injuries, Bowl Games
In 2007, I said Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas was one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten. I saw a ton of potential unrealized, and I didn't think it would take long before everyone saw him become an impact player.
As it turns out, we're still waiting. And we'll never see it happen at the college level.
Casillas, now a senior, suffered through a somewhat disappointing 2007 season, and his injury-riddled 2008 season is over.
He will miss Saturday's Champs Sports Bowl after undergoing surgery on a knee that has caused him problems since preseason camp. Casillas posted 67 tackles in ten games, but while he played his heart out, he was never physically healthy.
Jaevery McFadden will start in Casillas' place against Florida State Saturday. As for the offseason, Casillas will likely miss the Senior Bowl, but should be available for the NFL Combine in February.
I'd be shocked if a completely healthy Casillas didn't impress the scouts. Despite his problems this year, he still has a future playing on Sundays.
from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Bruce CiskieFiled under: Florida State, Wisconsin, ACC, Big 10, NCAA FB Injuries, Bowl Games
As it turns out, we're still waiting. And we'll never see it happen at the college level.
Casillas, now a senior, suffered through a somewhat disappointing 2007 season, and his injury-riddled 2008 season is over.
He will miss Saturday's Champs Sports Bowl after undergoing surgery on a knee that has caused him problems since preseason camp. Casillas posted 67 tackles in ten games, but while he played his heart out, he was never physically healthy.
Jaevery McFadden will start in Casillas' place against Florida State Saturday. As for the offseason, Casillas will likely miss the Senior Bowl, but should be available for the NFL Combine in February.
I'd be shocked if a completely healthy Casillas didn't impress the scouts. Despite his problems this year, he still has a future playing on Sundays.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
SF Chronicle: Cal's Riley ready for another go around at QB
from California Golden Bear Football News by Dave
Kevin Riley slowly hobbled off the Cal practice field Saturday afternoon, trying to stretch out his back and showing an obvious limp. "I'll be fine," Riley said. "I'm just a quarterback, so I get beat up every day." Literally and figuratively. Riley, who has been part of the Bears' merry-go-round at quarterback this season, will have to compete for the starting gig again next season, this time with Brock Mansion, who's currently a redshirt freshman. "It's nothing new," Riley said. "Absolutely, it's tough, but this is a frustrating sport. It's just something you cope with. "You try to get it out of your head, compete, play your best and be there for your teammates."
Riley, a sophomore, is 7-2 as a starter and is still competing with senior Nate Longshore to start in the Emerald Bowl against Miami. Riley has completed 50.7 percent of his passes for 1,360 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions for an efficiency rating of 117.85. He says that his play has been sporadic. "It seems like a couple of things haven't gone the right way," Riley said. "One time, I'll throw a bad ball when someone is wide open, and the next time, there's a drop. It's just the way it has worked, and I know I've got to overcome that and make more plays." That's where Mansion could enter the picture. The 6-foot-5, 229-pounder is 3-for-6 in mop-up duty and has been inaccurate at times in practice. At least once a week, though, he does something with his legs or his arm that wows observers. "He has a bright future and will compete for that position," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He's big, athletic and has a nice arm. He's smart and a good leader. He has a lot of really fine qualities and has made a lot of progress in understanding of the offense."
The Dallas native said he hasn't minded the wait, because he came to Cal with the understanding that he'd be sitting behind Longshore. Of course, Mansion is looking forward to his opportunity. "Having the chance to compete will bring out the best in both of us and is the best situation for this team," Mansion said. "The more we're competing and fighting, the more skills we're establishing."
Briefly: Reserve running back Tracy Slocum has been suspended for the Emerald Bowl for a violation of team rules, Tedford said. ... Cal got a verbal commitment from Charles Siddoway, one of the nation's top-20 offensive tackles and the No. 1 recruit from the state of Oregon.
from California Golden Bear Football News by Dave
Kevin Riley slowly hobbled off the Cal practice field Saturday afternoon, trying to stretch out his back and showing an obvious limp. "I'll be fine," Riley said. "I'm just a quarterback, so I get beat up every day." Literally and figuratively. Riley, who has been part of the Bears' merry-go-round at quarterback this season, will have to compete for the starting gig again next season, this time with Brock Mansion, who's currently a redshirt freshman. "It's nothing new," Riley said. "Absolutely, it's tough, but this is a frustrating sport. It's just something you cope with. "You try to get it out of your head, compete, play your best and be there for your teammates."
Riley, a sophomore, is 7-2 as a starter and is still competing with senior Nate Longshore to start in the Emerald Bowl against Miami. Riley has completed 50.7 percent of his passes for 1,360 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions for an efficiency rating of 117.85. He says that his play has been sporadic. "It seems like a couple of things haven't gone the right way," Riley said. "One time, I'll throw a bad ball when someone is wide open, and the next time, there's a drop. It's just the way it has worked, and I know I've got to overcome that and make more plays." That's where Mansion could enter the picture. The 6-foot-5, 229-pounder is 3-for-6 in mop-up duty and has been inaccurate at times in practice. At least once a week, though, he does something with his legs or his arm that wows observers. "He has a bright future and will compete for that position," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He's big, athletic and has a nice arm. He's smart and a good leader. He has a lot of really fine qualities and has made a lot of progress in understanding of the offense."
The Dallas native said he hasn't minded the wait, because he came to Cal with the understanding that he'd be sitting behind Longshore. Of course, Mansion is looking forward to his opportunity. "Having the chance to compete will bring out the best in both of us and is the best situation for this team," Mansion said. "The more we're competing and fighting, the more skills we're establishing."
Briefly: Reserve running back Tracy Slocum has been suspended for the Emerald Bowl for a violation of team rules, Tedford said. ... Cal got a verbal commitment from Charles Siddoway, one of the nation's top-20 offensive tackles and the No. 1 recruit from the state of Oregon.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Head Huntin': The final coaching board of the year?
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
I don't know about you, but as we look at probably the final coaching board of the season, all I can envision is flight tracker showing six different private planes crashing into one another somewhere over the Missouri/Arkansas panhandle:
There's still another three weeks' worth of bowl games, but with Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads to Iowa State and Louisville defensive coordinator Ron English to Eastern Michigan breaking over the weekend, only three I-A jobs (New Mexico State, Army and Miami, Ohio) remain open going into Christmas. Of those, there are only two really interesting possibilities: One is the chance at New Mexico State that Joe Lee Dunn, rumpled coordinator extraordinaire, will be promoted to replace Hal Mumme, while Wake Forest assistant Steed Lobotzke remains in the running to fulfill his onomastic destiny as head coach at Army. The fact that the name "Steed Lobotzke" actually exists within the profession at the same time the academy has an opening should be enough to close that deal.
As for English, his hiring pushes the number of black head coaches back to five, though four of them (English at EMU, Turner Gill at Buffalo, Mike Locksley at New Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Sumlin at Houston) are at traditional outposts. Eastern Michigan has had one winning season since 1990 (6-5 in 1995), so while he faces the prospect of a Gill-esque miracle to turn the Eagles into winners, English -- best known as the coordinator of the hellish Michigan defense that led the nation in everything for most of 2006, then was shredded by Appalachian State to open 2007 -- should at least be given an extraordinarily long leash.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
I don't know about you, but as we look at probably the final coaching board of the season, all I can envision is flight tracker showing six different private planes crashing into one another somewhere over the Missouri/Arkansas panhandle:
As for English, his hiring pushes the number of black head coaches back to five, though four of them (English at EMU, Turner Gill at Buffalo, Mike Locksley at New Mexico and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Sumlin at Houston) are at traditional outposts. Eastern Michigan has had one winning season since 1990 (6-5 in 1995), so while he faces the prospect of a Gill-esque miracle to turn the Eagles into winners, English -- best known as the coordinator of the hellish Michigan defense that led the nation in everything for most of 2006, then was shredded by Appalachian State to open 2007 -- should at least be given an extraordinarily long leash.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Sexiest cheerleaders ever?
No idea what team these girls represent, but if I ever find out I am becoming that team's #1 fan.
<object width="425" height="344">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RMfXkqurYNY&color1=0xd6d6d6&color2=0xf0f0f0&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object>
H/T: Hottest Girls of Cheerleading</p>
No idea what team these girls represent, but if I ever find out I am becoming that team's #1 fan.
<object width="425" height="344">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RMfXkqurYNY&color1=0xd6d6d6&color2=0xf0f0f0&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object>
H/T: Hottest Girls of Cheerleading</p>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
We've Found the Hasselhoff Las Vegas Bowl National Anthem Video
Posted Dec 22nd 2008 2:11PM by Brian Grummell (author feed)
Filed under: Arizona, Brigham Young, NCAA FB Video, General CFB Insanity
You can now rest easy safely ensconced in your wintry bed, we've found the video that delights young and old alike in wonderment and awe. We're talking of course about last week's National Anthem performance by the one and only David Hasselhoff at the Las Vegas Bowl.
In a better world, we all would have seen it nearly live with just a seven second tape delay. Unfortunately there's college basketball and the world isn't as awesome as it would seem. ESPN was set to show the Las Vegas Bowl, but a college basketball game scheduled before it ran entirely too long and some cutting had to be done to the early part of the football broadcast. That meant no discussion of OMG SNOW IN LAS VEGAS until the third quarter. No lengthy pregame table setting by Joe Tessitore. No Hoff Anthem. Sad faces everywhere, we know.
Fear not, what was taken from us can be at least partially restored, thanks to the Las Vegas Sun which put together the video, which is after the jump.
<object width="480" height="295">
<embed name="s_media_1_0" id="s_media_1_0" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKUgvSGuHl4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="295"></object>
Tags: celebrities+gone+national+anthem, CelebritiesGoneNationalAnthem, Las+Vegas, LasVegas, weird
Posted Dec 22nd 2008 2:11PM by Brian Grummell (author feed)Filed under: Arizona, Brigham Young, NCAA FB Video, General CFB Insanity
In a better world, we all would have seen it nearly live with just a seven second tape delay. Unfortunately there's college basketball and the world isn't as awesome as it would seem. ESPN was set to show the Las Vegas Bowl, but a college basketball game scheduled before it ran entirely too long and some cutting had to be done to the early part of the football broadcast. That meant no discussion of OMG SNOW IN LAS VEGAS until the third quarter. No lengthy pregame table setting by Joe Tessitore. No Hoff Anthem. Sad faces everywhere, we know.
Fear not, what was taken from us can be at least partially restored, thanks to the Las Vegas Sun which put together the video, which is after the jump.
<object width="480" height="295">
<embed name="s_media_1_0" id="s_media_1_0" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKUgvSGuHl4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="295"></object>
Tags: celebrities+gone+national+anthem, CelebritiesGoneNationalAnthem, Las+Vegas, LasVegas, weird
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
New Orleans Bowlin', Part Two: Maybe you had to be there
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
I don't know how exciting Southern Miss' field goal block to beat Troy in overtime Sunday night looked on TV. But in person, trust me: It was very exciting.
Well mea culpa, folks: I had a genuinely great time at the New Orleans Bowl. It was the first time I'd seen my alma mater in person in more than two years, and once the nausea from DeAndre Brown's horrible injury gave way to the drama of the game, it was the greatest crappy bowl game ever. The Eagles came back from 10 down in the final seven minutes, first on a death-defying, 35-yard touchdown pass to little-used tight end Jonathan Massey on a crucial 4th-and-1, then on a tying 46-yard field goal by Britt Barefoot, by far the longest in a five-year career consisting mainly of people rhetorically asking, "The kicker's name is actually Barefoot?" A few minutes later, he hit the second-longest kick of his career, the winning points before Troy's attempt to push the game into a second OT was blocked. Believe it or not some people were really thrilled about this:
The crowd was great -- the massive Superdome is an unfair venue for a Southern Miss-Troy game of any stripe, but the lower two sections were largely filled and the place was genuinely loud at a few points. The important thing is that at no point after halftime did a disposable exhibition feel like a disposable exhibition. At 6-6, Southern Miss had its 14-year streak of consecutive winning seasons on the line (a noble goal for a team that was 2-6 at the end of October under a new head coach), but the players didn't streak onto the field after the winning block chanting, "56.85 percent! 56.85 percent!" They were excited because they'd rallied for another winning record when it would have been much easier to give up on a dead-end transition season and a pointless exhibition game, and because the crowd was excited and managed to create a tense atmosphere even in mostly empty space.
This isn't to say anything about the bowl system or its attendant politics. It's just good to be reminded how much fun it can be to watch two evenly-matched teams and two fan bases who really want to win a football game for nothing more than the sake of winning a football game.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
I don't know how exciting Southern Miss' field goal block to beat Troy in overtime Sunday night looked on TV. But in person, trust me: It was very exciting.
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EaPJdI1S5OI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="never" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
I was all set Sunday night to take a few cheesy pictures and throw up the predictable "I actually went to the New Orleans Bowl" post with the usual snark. Nothing in particular was at stake. Nobody in particular would show up. Hell, I'm from Southern Miss, and even I saw no good reason this game was being staged in the first place. Well mea culpa, folks: I had a genuinely great time at the New Orleans Bowl. It was the first time I'd seen my alma mater in person in more than two years, and once the nausea from DeAndre Brown's horrible injury gave way to the drama of the game, it was the greatest crappy bowl game ever. The Eagles came back from 10 down in the final seven minutes, first on a death-defying, 35-yard touchdown pass to little-used tight end Jonathan Massey on a crucial 4th-and-1, then on a tying 46-yard field goal by Britt Barefoot, by far the longest in a five-year career consisting mainly of people rhetorically asking, "The kicker's name is actually Barefoot?" A few minutes later, he hit the second-longest kick of his career, the winning points before Troy's attempt to push the game into a second OT was blocked. Believe it or not some people were really thrilled about this:
This isn't to say anything about the bowl system or its attendant politics. It's just good to be reminded how much fun it can be to watch two evenly-matched teams and two fan bases who really want to win a football game for nothing more than the sake of winning a football game.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
[SIZE=+2]TCU loses starting linebacker Henson
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Academic issues keep all-conference selection out of game
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:31 AM CST on Monday, December 22, 2008
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By MERCEDES MAYER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE] SAN DIEGO – No. 11 TCU will be without its second-leading tackler when it faces No. 9 Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl on Tuesday.
Senior linebacker Robert Henson did not make the trip to San Diego because of academic issues.
Henson, who earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors, had 73 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and a forced fumble this season. But what the Horned Frogs might miss more than anything is his leadership.
With Henson gone, junior Daryl Washington will start and redshirt freshman Kris Gardner will be the backup.
Washington was fourth on the team with 57 tackles, 4 ½ tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
"Daryl Washington gives you the speed to run with their backs and everything else they do," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "We don't lose any ground on that part."
Also not traveling with the team was backup safety Tekerrein Cuba, who suffered a knee injury that will require surgery.
Redshirt freshman Greg McCoy, a backup cornerback, made the trip but will miss the game with an injury.
■ Same ol' Gary: One thing hasn't changed since Patterson was the linebackers coach at UC Davis – he likes to send his linebackers after the quarterback.
"I think he tried to do that [to me]," said Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, a former UC Davis quarterback. "That hasn't changed."
Patterson made an immediate impression on Petersen when they were at UC Davis together in 1986.
"He had tremendous energy, was a really good recruiter," Petersen said. "All the things that he is now, you could see way back when we were at Davis.
"He knows his scheme inside and out, its strengths and weaknesses. He's done the same thing for a long time, so he's really an expert in what he does."
■ Briefly: The Frogs had their last practice of the season Sunday. They'll only have a walkthrough today. ... Boise State is the fourth undefeated top-10 team TCU has faced this season, joining Oklahoma, BYU and Utah.
[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Academic issues keep all-conference selection out of game
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]02:31 AM CST on Monday, December 22, 2008
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By MERCEDES MAYER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News[/SIZE] SAN DIEGO – No. 11 TCU will be without its second-leading tackler when it faces No. 9 Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl on Tuesday.
Senior linebacker Robert Henson did not make the trip to San Diego because of academic issues.
Henson, who earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors, had 73 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and a forced fumble this season. But what the Horned Frogs might miss more than anything is his leadership.
With Henson gone, junior Daryl Washington will start and redshirt freshman Kris Gardner will be the backup.
Washington was fourth on the team with 57 tackles, 4 ½ tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
"Daryl Washington gives you the speed to run with their backs and everything else they do," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "We don't lose any ground on that part."
Also not traveling with the team was backup safety Tekerrein Cuba, who suffered a knee injury that will require surgery.
Redshirt freshman Greg McCoy, a backup cornerback, made the trip but will miss the game with an injury.
■ Same ol' Gary: One thing hasn't changed since Patterson was the linebackers coach at UC Davis – he likes to send his linebackers after the quarterback.
"I think he tried to do that [to me]," said Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, a former UC Davis quarterback. "That hasn't changed."
Patterson made an immediate impression on Petersen when they were at UC Davis together in 1986.
"He had tremendous energy, was a really good recruiter," Petersen said. "All the things that he is now, you could see way back when we were at Davis.
"He knows his scheme inside and out, its strengths and weaknesses. He's done the same thing for a long time, so he's really an expert in what he does."
■ Briefly: The Frogs had their last practice of the season Sunday. They'll only have a walkthrough today. ... Boise State is the fourth undefeated top-10 team TCU has faced this season, joining Oklahoma, BYU and Utah.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
No Surprise Here: Illinois CB Vontae Davis Declares for the NFL Draft
from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Chris BurkeFiled under: Illinois, Big 10
A year after losing star running back Rashard Mendenhall early to the NFL, Illinois is dealing with another premature departure. Junior cornerback Vontae Davis announced that he will turn pro.
Respected draft site WalterFootball.com ranks Davis as the No. 2 corner in the draft, behind only Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins. DraftCountdown.com, meanwhile, projects Davis as the No. 15 overall pick by New England.
from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Chris BurkeFiled under: Illinois, Big 10
"It has been a goal of mine for a long time to have the opportunity to play in the NFL," Davis said. "I thank (Illinois) Coach (Ron) Zook and all my teammates at Illinois who have helped me get to this place. Because I was able to get on the field early at Illinois and because Coach Zook believed in me so much, I think I am ready for the new challenge that professional football brings."
Illinois had to expect this decision from Davis -- he's coming off a strong year where he piled up 78 tackles a pair of interceptions. For the second straight season, Davis also earned a spot on the semifinal list for Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back.Respected draft site WalterFootball.com ranks Davis as the No. 2 corner in the draft, behind only Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins. DraftCountdown.com, meanwhile, projects Davis as the No. 15 overall pick by New England.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Shipley gets sixth year
from Bevo Beat by Alan Trubow
Jordan Shipley got his sixth year.
As expected the Texas wide receiver was granted a sixth year of eligibility Monday which means the senior will return for the 2009 season.
“It is definitely a blessing to be able to play one more season at Texas,” Shipley said. “This is such a great place, and I’ve had an unbelievable experience. Obviously, it started slow due to the injuries, but I couldn’t be happier with the NCAA’s decision to give me one of those years back.”
Shipley gets a sixth year because he missed two season with injuries. In 2004 he had a knee injury and in 2005 he had a hamstring injury. He didn’t play a down either season.
Shipley made up for his missed time this season. He was selected a third-team All-American after hauling in 79 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown, becoming just the fourth Longhorn to do so in a career.
“We’re really excited for Jordan and our team that he’s been granted a sixth year,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “It was so disappointing for him as he fought through injuries and wasn’t able to play his first two years, but he never wavered. He continued to work hard and stayed positive through it all and has become a tremendous player for us. His efforts should inspire those who are going through tough times, that if you stick with it, you can overcome that adversity.
from Bevo Beat by Alan Trubow
Jordan Shipley got his sixth year.
As expected the Texas wide receiver was granted a sixth year of eligibility Monday which means the senior will return for the 2009 season.
“It is definitely a blessing to be able to play one more season at Texas,” Shipley said. “This is such a great place, and I’ve had an unbelievable experience. Obviously, it started slow due to the injuries, but I couldn’t be happier with the NCAA’s decision to give me one of those years back.”
Shipley gets a sixth year because he missed two season with injuries. In 2004 he had a knee injury and in 2005 he had a hamstring injury. He didn’t play a down either season.
Shipley made up for his missed time this season. He was selected a third-team All-American after hauling in 79 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown, becoming just the fourth Longhorn to do so in a career.
“We’re really excited for Jordan and our team that he’s been granted a sixth year,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “It was so disappointing for him as he fought through injuries and wasn’t able to play his first two years, but he never wavered. He continued to work hard and stayed positive through it all and has become a tremendous player for us. His efforts should inspire those who are going through tough times, that if you stick with it, you can overcome that adversity.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Don't Bet On It!: Bowl Edition (Part V)
from Dawg Sports by T Kyle King
My performance in my first set of bowl picks having been predictably poor, I turn now to my next installment of postseason prognostications with more than my usual level of trepidation, which makes it all the more imperative that I reiterate, and you take to heart, my oft-repeated admonition: Don’t Bet On It!
These are the next five bowl games to be coming your way:
Insight Bowl: Kansas v. Minnesota (December 31): It’s the battle of the cupcake-scarfing parvenu programs previously coached by Glen Mason! (As a Georgia fan, I naturally have a deep-seated disdain for Coach Mason, for two reasons. First of all, his eleventh-hour defection produced the Jim Donnan <strike>era</strike> error at Georgia. Secondly, if your choice of places to live is between Lawrence, Kans.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Athens, Ga., and the Classic City is your third choice, you’re a moron.) This is the game that separates the pretenders from the even bigger pretenders, which makes it tough to call, but, in the end, the Big 12 simply is better than the Big Ten, so I’m going with the Jayhawks to beat the Gophers in perhaps the silliest mascot battle this side of the Orange Bowl.
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I mean, really, what the heck is a Bearcat? And don’t even get me started on that whole Hokie nonsense. . . .
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia Tech v. Louisiana State (December 31): I’m siding with the Tigers. Yeah, I know. The Yellow Jackets shredded our defense and L.S.U.’s defense is even worse than ours, so this is purely wishful thinking on my part. Even though Les Miles’s teams have posted some pretty impressive bowl wins and the Pelican State Prowlers have been weak primarily against the pass rather than against the run, I can’t back up this prediction with anything more than my own heartfelt desire to see the Golden Tornado faithful given some reason---any reason---to shut the heck up after a solid month of posturing and crowing. Such is the distinction between one Peach State program that considers 9-3 cause for celebration and another that deems it a dismal failure.
Outback Bowl: Iowa v. South Carolina (January 1): It’s funny how the passage of time can change your whole attitude towards the past. Well, the passage of time and the advent of intervening S.O.B.s who make previous S.O.B.s seem slightly less bad. Readers of my Red and Black columns during the 1990s know that I was no fan of Charles B. Knapp, but certain subsequent University of Georgia presidents I could name have tempered my disdain for Dr. Knapp. Likewise, the arrival of Urban Meyer in Gainesville has made me appreciate just how relatively low Steve Spurrier scored on the obnoxiometer. Heck, I’ve even gotten to where I almost sort of border a little bit on something vaguely resembling kind of not altogether hating the Evil Genius, which makes it much easier for me to pick the Gamecocks to beat the Hawkeyes in what may or may not be a clash of avian mascots.
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Ah, who am I kidding; I still can’t stand the pompous jerk, but I’m rooting for his team in the bowl game. If I’m going to have to put up with trash talk from other fan bases, I at least want it coming from people who don’t talk with a funny accent.
Capital One Bowl: Georgia v. Michigan State (January 1): Shades of Andre Rison! It’s the 1989 Gator Bowl all over again . . . with a similar result. I’ll get back to you on the details next week, but you didn’t think I’d be picking against the ’Dawgs, did you?
Gator Bowl: Clemson v. Nebraska (January 1): Shades of Danny Ford! It’s the 1982 Orange Bowl all over again . . . except for there not being a national championship implication in sight, of course. I understand that the pregame introductions ("Bo, Dabo . . . Dabo, Bo") will be conducted by Eiffel 65. (Honestly, I spent more time on that last joke than I did on this entire pick, as I nearly went with the coaches’ surnames and a Scritti Politti reference for the "pregame introductions" joke.) The Country Gentlemen have been a new team since Tommy Bowden’s ouster and I look for that trend to continue in Jacksonville, a city in which it usually is a good bet to pick the team wearing orange to beat the team wearing red. The question isn’t whether the Tigers will win, but whether Bo Pelini will punch a Clemson defender after the game-sealing interception.
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Oh, don’t act like it would surprise you in the slightest if he totally blew a head-gasket on live T.V. (Photograph from Reuters Pictures.)
We’re now all the way to New Year’s Day, with a couple of more January 1 tilts to go before we get into the historically anomalous January 2 showdowns. (Don’t worry; we’ll be getting to your January 3 International Bowl and January 6 GMAC Bowl soon enough. Patience, grasshopper.)
I’ll be back with the next five bowl prognostications shortly, but, in the meantime, take a look at how lousy a job I did with my first set of forecasts and follow the only responsible course of action; namely . . . Don’t Bet On It!
Go ‘Dawgs!
from Dawg Sports by T Kyle King
My performance in my first set of bowl picks having been predictably poor, I turn now to my next installment of postseason prognostications with more than my usual level of trepidation, which makes it all the more imperative that I reiterate, and you take to heart, my oft-repeated admonition: Don’t Bet On It!
These are the next five bowl games to be coming your way:
Insight Bowl: Kansas v. Minnesota (December 31): It’s the battle of the cupcake-scarfing parvenu programs previously coached by Glen Mason! (As a Georgia fan, I naturally have a deep-seated disdain for Coach Mason, for two reasons. First of all, his eleventh-hour defection produced the Jim Donnan <strike>era</strike> error at Georgia. Secondly, if your choice of places to live is between Lawrence, Kans.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Athens, Ga., and the Classic City is your third choice, you’re a moron.) This is the game that separates the pretenders from the even bigger pretenders, which makes it tough to call, but, in the end, the Big 12 simply is better than the Big Ten, so I’m going with the Jayhawks to beat the Gophers in perhaps the silliest mascot battle this side of the Orange Bowl.
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I mean, really, what the heck is a Bearcat? And don’t even get me started on that whole Hokie nonsense. . . .
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia Tech v. Louisiana State (December 31): I’m siding with the Tigers. Yeah, I know. The Yellow Jackets shredded our defense and L.S.U.’s defense is even worse than ours, so this is purely wishful thinking on my part. Even though Les Miles’s teams have posted some pretty impressive bowl wins and the Pelican State Prowlers have been weak primarily against the pass rather than against the run, I can’t back up this prediction with anything more than my own heartfelt desire to see the Golden Tornado faithful given some reason---any reason---to shut the heck up after a solid month of posturing and crowing. Such is the distinction between one Peach State program that considers 9-3 cause for celebration and another that deems it a dismal failure.
Outback Bowl: Iowa v. South Carolina (January 1): It’s funny how the passage of time can change your whole attitude towards the past. Well, the passage of time and the advent of intervening S.O.B.s who make previous S.O.B.s seem slightly less bad. Readers of my Red and Black columns during the 1990s know that I was no fan of Charles B. Knapp, but certain subsequent University of Georgia presidents I could name have tempered my disdain for Dr. Knapp. Likewise, the arrival of Urban Meyer in Gainesville has made me appreciate just how relatively low Steve Spurrier scored on the obnoxiometer. Heck, I’ve even gotten to where I almost sort of border a little bit on something vaguely resembling kind of not altogether hating the Evil Genius, which makes it much easier for me to pick the Gamecocks to beat the Hawkeyes in what may or may not be a clash of avian mascots.
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Ah, who am I kidding; I still can’t stand the pompous jerk, but I’m rooting for his team in the bowl game. If I’m going to have to put up with trash talk from other fan bases, I at least want it coming from people who don’t talk with a funny accent.
Capital One Bowl: Georgia v. Michigan State (January 1): Shades of Andre Rison! It’s the 1989 Gator Bowl all over again . . . with a similar result. I’ll get back to you on the details next week, but you didn’t think I’d be picking against the ’Dawgs, did you?
Gator Bowl: Clemson v. Nebraska (January 1): Shades of Danny Ford! It’s the 1982 Orange Bowl all over again . . . except for there not being a national championship implication in sight, of course. I understand that the pregame introductions ("Bo, Dabo . . . Dabo, Bo") will be conducted by Eiffel 65. (Honestly, I spent more time on that last joke than I did on this entire pick, as I nearly went with the coaches’ surnames and a Scritti Politti reference for the "pregame introductions" joke.) The Country Gentlemen have been a new team since Tommy Bowden’s ouster and I look for that trend to continue in Jacksonville, a city in which it usually is a good bet to pick the team wearing orange to beat the team wearing red. The question isn’t whether the Tigers will win, but whether Bo Pelini will punch a Clemson defender after the game-sealing interception.
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</center> Oh, don’t act like it would surprise you in the slightest if he totally blew a head-gasket on live T.V. (Photograph from Reuters Pictures.)
We’re now all the way to New Year’s Day, with a couple of more January 1 tilts to go before we get into the historically anomalous January 2 showdowns. (Don’t worry; we’ll be getting to your January 3 International Bowl and January 6 GMAC Bowl soon enough. Patience, grasshopper.)
I’ll be back with the next five bowl prognostications shortly, but, in the meantime, take a look at how lousy a job I did with my first set of forecasts and follow the only responsible course of action; namely . . . Don’t Bet On It!
Go ‘Dawgs!
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Weis to call Notre Dame's plays in Hawaii Bowl
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Kneecap injury keeps USC's Stafon Johnson out of practice
from L.A. Times - USC Trojans
X-rays reveal no major damage, and the tailback says he will play in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.
USC tailback Stafon Johnson did not practice Monday because of a kneecap injury, but the junior said he would play in the Rose Bowl against Penn State on Jan 1.
from L.A. Times - USC Trojans
X-rays reveal no major damage, and the tailback says he will play in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.
USC tailback Stafon Johnson did not practice Monday because of a kneecap injury, but the junior said he would play in the Rose Bowl against Penn State on Jan 1.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
'Twas three days before Christmas, and all through the house . . .
from Hey Jenny Slater. by Doug
. . . aw, the hell with it, I don't have time to write a whole frickin' "The Night Before Christmas" parody. I do, however, have time for Hey Jenny Slater's annual tribute to the Sexy Santa costume.
This year, instead of Alessandra Ambrosio, we kick off with Heidi Klum singing "Santa Baby."
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8ePvfxnab30&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
As I'm typing this, it's 29 degrees in Birmingham. So she'd be very cold if she was wearing that right now.
Michelle Monaghan in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," which I've never actually seen but meant to because I heard it was good (and not just because of the Sexy Santa-ing).
An Arizona Cardinals cheerleader who looks a hell of a lot better than her team did last Sunday.
A Carolina Panthers cheerleader, ditto.
And I guess this is kind of stretching the definition of "Sexy Santa costume," but Lucy Pinder (left) gets special dispensation. And it's my blog, so lay off.
Merry Christmas, dorks -- drive safe if you're traveling this holiday season, but once you get where you're going, eat too much and get fucking wasted. Do it for the children.
from Hey Jenny Slater. by Doug
. . . aw, the hell with it, I don't have time to write a whole frickin' "The Night Before Christmas" parody. I do, however, have time for Hey Jenny Slater's annual tribute to the Sexy Santa costume.
This year, instead of Alessandra Ambrosio, we kick off with Heidi Klum singing "Santa Baby."
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8ePvfxnab30&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
As I'm typing this, it's 29 degrees in Birmingham. So she'd be very cold if she was wearing that right now.
Michelle Monaghan in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," which I've never actually seen but meant to because I heard it was good (and not just because of the Sexy Santa-ing).
An Arizona Cardinals cheerleader who looks a hell of a lot better than her team did last Sunday.
A Carolina Panthers cheerleader, ditto.
And I guess this is kind of stretching the definition of "Sexy Santa costume," but Lucy Pinder (left) gets special dispensation. And it's my blog, so lay off.
Merry Christmas, dorks -- drive safe if you're traveling this holiday season, but once you get where you're going, eat too much and get fucking wasted. Do it for the children.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">The Daily Cavalcade - 2008 Holiday Wish List </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
West Virginia QB Pat White
</td> <td width="3" nowrap="nowrap">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 23, 2008
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
It's the new feature for the site going into the off-season ... The Daily Cavalcade of Whimsy with a thought or two on the college football world coming every day. It begins with the 5th Annual Holiday Wish List for every team, including a Pat White for Michigan.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's DAILY Cavalcade of Whimsy ... Dec. 23[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances
a.k.a. The obvious attempt to keep readers coming to the site on a regular basis during the off-season.[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... Fire off your thoughts [/SIZE][/FONT]
<table id="table3" align="right" border="0" width="120"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc">[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Past Whimsies
[/SIZE][/FONT] - 2008 Season
- 2008 Preseason Cavalcade
- 2007 Season
- 2006 Season</td> </tr> </tbody></table> If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I've bought 12 Christmas gifts so far with 11 of them for me.
Instead of the Cavalcade going on an eight-month hiatus, from here on throughout the off-season this will be a daily column of sorts with one or two musings, blurbs, thoughts, or madcap moments of reflection every Monday through Friday, or whenever the mood strikes, starting out with the annual holiday wish list for every team.
Up next this week, more on the situations with Gene Chizik, Joe Paterno, the bowls and more. In the meantime, have a happy holiday. Thank you so much for continuting to read this and for all of your kind words this season. Once again, a donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund.
The 5th Annual Christmas/Festivus/Hanukkah wish list for all 119 teams this holiday season. To ...
Air Force: At least one win against the Mountain West’s Big 3.
Akron: DT Ryan Bain to heal up and be the player he was in 2008 spring ball.
Alabama: Gene Chizik … wait a minute Bama, you’re not supposed to open your presents early.
Arizona: The Las Vegas Bowl as the jumping off point for the Mike Stoops era, and not the plateau.
Arizona State: An offensive tackle who can protect the passer, and a deep tissue massage for Rudy Carpenter.
Arkansas: A Matt Ryan jersey.
Arkansas State: A seventh win. (At the D-I level, the program hasn’t won seven games since 1978.)
Army: Rich Ellerson (the Cal Poly head coach whose offense led the FCS averaging 44 points and 487 yards per game).
Auburn: The next five years to go by very, very quickly.
Ball State: Nate Davis to stick around one more year and for a few more dollars to be able to keep a coach like Brady Hoke the next time around.
Baylor: A few more finds like Robert Griffin.
Boise State: 108 wins in ten seasons to bring a bit more respect from the BCS.
Boston College: Anyone but Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
Bowling Green: The Falcon offense to be better than 115<sup>th</sup> in the nation (what Tennessee’s offense was with Dave Clawson, the new head coach, in charge of the attack).
BYU: A new pair of pants after soiling the ones worn against TCU and Utah.
Buffalo: Another season with three overtime wins, a Hail Mary to pull out a victory, and for more fumbles in the biggest game of the year.
California: For the NCAA to take five minutes off from its treasure bath and understand why the words Reggie and Bush and New Era Sports & Entertainment all go together.
Central Michigan: A pair of lock-down cover-corners.
Cincinnati: Butch Jones in the waiting room to be ready when Brian Kelly inevitably bolts.
Clemson: Dabo Swinney to be worth not going after an A list head man.
Colorado: Chris Petersen.
Colorado State: A sack or a tackle for loss.
Connecticut: Donald Brown to not wake up and realize he belongs in the NFL.
Duke: Another Michael Tauiliili for the defense and a healthy Thaddeus Lewis for the offense.
East Carolina: Charlie Weis to stay at Notre Dame and for Skip Holtz to wait a few more years for the gig to open up.
Eastern Michigan: The headlines to quickly turn from race to how Ron English has the program on track for its first winning season since 1995.
Florida Atlantic: Howard Schnellenberger to open up the new stadium in 2010 with a Sun Belt powerhouse … and a sponsor for the building.
FIU: Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, Bose computer speakers, and a size-too-small Golden Dazzler cheerleader outfit for the wife … oh, wait, Florida International, not me? Fine. As big a jump in production from 2008 to 2009 as there was from 2007 to 2008.
Florida: The NFL advisory board to give Tim Tebow a 5<sup>th</sup> round projection, and for the Cleveland Browns to not want to go the college coaching route after the Butch Davis fiasco.
Florida State: Another Myron Rolle and fewer of the 17 players who got nailed for academic cheating last year at this time.
Fresno State: To realize the season isn’t over even after a loss to a team from a BCS league.
Georgia: A crowbar to open up the slammed shut window of national title opportunity the program had with future Detroit Lion QB Matthew Stafford under center and Knowshon Moreno in the backfield.
Georgia Tech: For Paul Johnson to get the type of next-level athletes who can make this beautiful precision offense really sing.
Hawaii: For all the teams that book the Hawaii game as a sort of reward trip to get a bumpy flight, a crying kid, the Sudoku in the in-flight magazine to be half finished, and for the regular, dry roasted peanuts and not the honey roasted variety. Upon arrival, 80 degrees and bikinis as far as the eye can see.
Houston: Head coach Kevin Sumlin to remain under the radar when the coaching openings come up.
Idaho: Linemen, linemen, linemen.
Illinois: A faster rowboat to catch up to the ship that sailed.
Indiana: A healthy and focused Kellen Lewis.
Iowa: Jewel Hampton to have taken good notes to be ready when Shonn Greene jumps to the NFL.
Iowa State: A quick and convenient end to the Gene Chizik era with some mind-numbed program stepping in to take him away. Wait, you got that? Then shoot for the stars and ask for the Red Rider BB gun.
Kansas: Bill Snyder to come back from the cobwebs to take over again at Kansas State … Santa visited early.
Kansas State: The right JUCO transfers to come in and mesh with all the other JUCO transfers.
Kent State: A healthy Eugene Jarvis for a full season.
Kentucky: The incoming quarterback recruits to be good enough to allow Randall Cobb to be used in a variety of positions.
UL Lafayette: Quick and talented replacements for QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy.
UL Monroe: An offensive lineman who can protect the passer and a defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback.
Louisiana Tech: Derek Dooley, son of the legendary head coach, Vince Dooley, to not be in line for the Georgia job if and when Mark Richt continues to fail at getting the program over the hump.
Louisville: Todd Graham.
LSU: A damn strong football team and a quarterback whose favorite receiver isn’t wearing the other team’s colors.
Marshall: A head coach with a defensive coaching background. No, another one.
Maryland: More close wins (five of the seven were by eight points or fewer).
Memphis: Even stronger quarterback play to take the pressure off RB Curtis Steele.
Miami: All the superstar recruits to be superstar players sooner than later.
Miami University: An offense that can score, a defense that can stop the run, an offense that can stop turning the ball over, a defense that can get into the backfield, an offense that can run the ball ...
Michigan: Pat White, Steve Slaton, Darius Reynaud, Owen Schmitt, Ryan Stanchek, Greg Isdaner, Keilen Dykes, Reed Williams, Johnny Dingle, and a Big East schedule.
Michigan State: Rich Rodriguez to get an extension.
Middle Tennessee: Some semblance of a running game.
Minnesota: Eric Decker to come up with that catch against Northwestern.
Ole Miss: Ed Orgeron to come back as the recruiting coordinator.
Mississippi State: Dan Mullen to show right away that his offense consists of more than Tebow right, Tebow left, Tebow right.
Missouri: More players named Chase.
Navy: Ken Niumatalolo to continue to show he can keep the Paul Johnson success going for at least a few more years before taking the offense to a BCS program.
Nebraska: The defense to have Bo Pelini’s temper.
Nevada: A corner, a safety, another corner, and maybe another safety for the nation’s worst pass defense.
New Mexico: Mike Locksley to have gone to the Ron Zook school of recruiting.
New Mexico State: The Hal Mumme offense to be able to score more than two points against Utah State and the defense to be able to keep someone’s running game to under 200 yards.
North Carolina: Five minutes without hearing the name Tyler Hansbrough. Sorry, that’s a gift for the world this college basketball season. For the football team, one year when the key parts stay healthy and the head coach stays put.
NC State: A decent start (The Pack started 2-6 this year and 1-5 in 2007).
North Texas: The supposedly high-octane Todd Dodge passing attack to at least be above-average, and for a defense that can keep someone under 483 yards and 48 points.
Northern Illinois: A move from the brutal MAC West to the light and breezy MAC East, and 14 more points (The Huskies lost to Minnesota, Western Michigan, Tennessee and Central Michigan by four points or fewer.)
Northwestern: More games against mediocre teams that didn’t end up in a bowl. (Only two of the seven wins came against FBS teams that finished with a winning record.)
Notre Dame: A schematic advantage to figure out how to bring Urban Meyer to South Bend.
Ohio: More players named Boo.
Ohio State: Youngstown State: Sit Beanie and start Terrelle.
Oklahoma: A double-digit Texas loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to put an end to the Longhorn whining/rock-solid talking point.
Oklahoma State: A defection to the Big 12 North, with the story to be reported by Jenni Carlson.
Oregon: A quarterback who doesn’t have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer.
Oregon State: An instruction manual: 1) Ask the choking team to stand if it is sitting. 2) Place yourself slightly behind the standing victim. 3) Reassure the victim that you know the Heimlich maneuver and are going to help. 4) Place your arms around the victim’s waist. 5) Make a fist with one hand and place your thumb toward the victim, just above his or her belly button. 6) Grab your fist with your other hand. 7) Deliver five upward squeeze-thrusts into the abdomen. 8) Make each squeeze-thrust strong enough to dislodge a foreign body. 9) Understand that your thrusts make the diaphragm move air out of the victim's lungs, creating a kind of artificial cough. 10) Keep a firm grip on the victim, since the team can lose consciousness and fall to the ground if the Heimlich maneuver is not effective. 11) Repeat the Heimlich maneuver until the run defense proves it can stop the Oregon running game.
Penn State: Joe Paterno to coach as long as he damn well wants to if his teams continue to go 11-1 on the way to the Rose Bowl.
Pitt: A masseuse to ease the back problems of LeSean McCoy and Scott McKillop after they carried the team for key stretches.
Purdue: An offense that can score more than seven points against a team that doesn’t suck.
Rice: Jarett Dillard to go one day without having his first name spelled wrong.
Rutgers: Mike Teel’s second half of the season to join forces with his first half.
San Diego State: Brady Hoke to be on the same career path as Urban Meyer, who went from a MAC program, to a Mountain West program, to a superpower. At this point, the Aztecs will take a rent-a-coach if it finally means a little bit of success.
San Jose State: An offense that’s half as good as the defense.
South Carolina: An interception that Gamecock quarterbacks don’t like to throw.
South Florida: To be sheepish about only getting to go to the St. Petersburg Bowl against a mediocre team like Memphis.
SMU: Greg McMackin.
Southern Miss: Stacy and Clinton to raid the team’s closet and take care of those New Orleans Bowl uniforms. Also, for DeAndre Brown to come back better and stronger than ever.
Stanford: A manicure after scraping the nails on Pete Carroll’s chalkboard.
Syracuse: Drew Brees to come and run the Doug Marrone offense.
TCU: A Ross Evans kick that goes about three feet to the left.
Temple: A freakin’ break after going 5-7 with a loss to Buffalo on a Hail Mary, losses to Navy and Connecticut by three in overtime, a 7-3 loss to Western Michigan, and a 41-38 loss to Kent State.
Tennessee: Lane Kiffin’s wife to not be the only aspect of the program that’s smoking hot.
Texas: A case of Stickum for Blake Gideon.
Tulsa: The David Johnson of the first 12 games of the season.
Texas A&M: R.C. Slocum.
Texas Tech: Taylor Potts to Detron Lewis to become the new Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree.
Toledo: Tim Beckman’s defense to be better than his Oklahoma State defense that didn’t generate a pass rush and was awful against the pass.
Troy: Someone to block Michael McGee.
Tulane: Health for at least one of the key skill players.
UAB: A nickname change to the UAB JoeWebbs.
UCF: A quarterback who can complete a throw. (UCF quarterbacks completed 43% of their passes on the season and went 48-of-124 for 541 yards in the final five games.)
UCLA: A healthy alternative to Kevin Craft.
UNLV: A defensive lineman who can stop the run and another who can get into the backfield.
USC: A year’s supply of Focus Factor with a double order for the games when no one’s really paying attention.
Utah: Alabama to assume Utah is just some team from a non-BCS conference … like Hawaii of last year.
Utah State: New head man Gary Andersen is half the recruiting for the Aggies that he was for Utah.
UTEP: A win in the final two games of a season. UTEP hasn’t won any of its final two games in a season since 1999 and since 1996 is 1-24 after November 15<sup>th</sup>.
Vanderbilt: A quarterback who can throw half as well as Jay Cutler and an attack that can score more than 14 points on a consistent basis.
Virginia: Former Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon to be good enough with the Virginia offense to get a new head coaching gig somewhere else.
Virginia Tech: The redshirt to be taken off Tyrod Taylor from day one.
Wake Forest: The defense to have held Boston College to 233 yards of total offense instead of 234.
Washington: To have gotten the right ex-USC offensive coordinator.
Washington State: A run defense, a passing attack, a takeaway, a drive without a turnover, a pass rush, an offensive lineman who can protect the passer, a punt returner, and a running back.
West Virginia: The 2008 Michigan Wolverine highlight video.
Western Michigan: More games against Big Ten teams
Wisconsin: The ability to sit still on a two-point conversion attempt against Michigan, the ability to defend the option in the final moments against Ohio State, the ability to complete a pass against Penn State, the ability to tackle Iowa’s Shonn Greene, and the ability to get one more first down against Michigan State.
Wyoming: A completed pass and the occasional touchdown for the nation’s worst scoring team.
</td></tr></tbody></table>
West Virginia QB Pat White
</td> <td width="3" nowrap="nowrap">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Dec 23, 2008
</td> <td nowrap="nowrap">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
It's the new feature for the site going into the off-season ... The Daily Cavalcade of Whimsy with a thought or two on the college football world coming every day. It begins with the 5th Annual Holiday Wish List for every team, including a Pat White for Michigan.
</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="3">
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's DAILY Cavalcade of Whimsy ... Dec. 23[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances
a.k.a. The obvious attempt to keep readers coming to the site on a regular basis during the off-season.[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... Fire off your thoughts [/SIZE][/FONT]
<table id="table3" align="right" border="0" width="120"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc">[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Past Whimsies
[/SIZE][/FONT] - 2008 Season
- 2008 Preseason Cavalcade
- 2007 Season
- 2006 Season</td> </tr> </tbody></table> If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I've bought 12 Christmas gifts so far with 11 of them for me.
Instead of the Cavalcade going on an eight-month hiatus, from here on throughout the off-season this will be a daily column of sorts with one or two musings, blurbs, thoughts, or madcap moments of reflection every Monday through Friday, or whenever the mood strikes, starting out with the annual holiday wish list for every team.
Up next this week, more on the situations with Gene Chizik, Joe Paterno, the bowls and more. In the meantime, have a happy holiday. Thank you so much for continuting to read this and for all of your kind words this season. Once again, a donation has been made in your name to the Human Fund.
The 5th Annual Christmas/Festivus/Hanukkah wish list for all 119 teams this holiday season. To ...
Air Force: At least one win against the Mountain West’s Big 3.
Akron: DT Ryan Bain to heal up and be the player he was in 2008 spring ball.
Alabama: Gene Chizik … wait a minute Bama, you’re not supposed to open your presents early.
Arizona: The Las Vegas Bowl as the jumping off point for the Mike Stoops era, and not the plateau.
Arizona State: An offensive tackle who can protect the passer, and a deep tissue massage for Rudy Carpenter.
Arkansas: A Matt Ryan jersey.
Arkansas State: A seventh win. (At the D-I level, the program hasn’t won seven games since 1978.)
Army: Rich Ellerson (the Cal Poly head coach whose offense led the FCS averaging 44 points and 487 yards per game).
Auburn: The next five years to go by very, very quickly.
Ball State: Nate Davis to stick around one more year and for a few more dollars to be able to keep a coach like Brady Hoke the next time around.
Baylor: A few more finds like Robert Griffin.
Boise State: 108 wins in ten seasons to bring a bit more respect from the BCS.
Boston College: Anyone but Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
Bowling Green: The Falcon offense to be better than 115<sup>th</sup> in the nation (what Tennessee’s offense was with Dave Clawson, the new head coach, in charge of the attack).
BYU: A new pair of pants after soiling the ones worn against TCU and Utah.
Buffalo: Another season with three overtime wins, a Hail Mary to pull out a victory, and for more fumbles in the biggest game of the year.
California: For the NCAA to take five minutes off from its treasure bath and understand why the words Reggie and Bush and New Era Sports & Entertainment all go together.
Central Michigan: A pair of lock-down cover-corners.
Cincinnati: Butch Jones in the waiting room to be ready when Brian Kelly inevitably bolts.
Clemson: Dabo Swinney to be worth not going after an A list head man.
Colorado: Chris Petersen.
Colorado State: A sack or a tackle for loss.
Connecticut: Donald Brown to not wake up and realize he belongs in the NFL.
Duke: Another Michael Tauiliili for the defense and a healthy Thaddeus Lewis for the offense.
East Carolina: Charlie Weis to stay at Notre Dame and for Skip Holtz to wait a few more years for the gig to open up.
Eastern Michigan: The headlines to quickly turn from race to how Ron English has the program on track for its first winning season since 1995.
Florida Atlantic: Howard Schnellenberger to open up the new stadium in 2010 with a Sun Belt powerhouse … and a sponsor for the building.
FIU: Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, Bose computer speakers, and a size-too-small Golden Dazzler cheerleader outfit for the wife … oh, wait, Florida International, not me? Fine. As big a jump in production from 2008 to 2009 as there was from 2007 to 2008.
Florida: The NFL advisory board to give Tim Tebow a 5<sup>th</sup> round projection, and for the Cleveland Browns to not want to go the college coaching route after the Butch Davis fiasco.
Florida State: Another Myron Rolle and fewer of the 17 players who got nailed for academic cheating last year at this time.
Fresno State: To realize the season isn’t over even after a loss to a team from a BCS league.
Georgia: A crowbar to open up the slammed shut window of national title opportunity the program had with future Detroit Lion QB Matthew Stafford under center and Knowshon Moreno in the backfield.
Georgia Tech: For Paul Johnson to get the type of next-level athletes who can make this beautiful precision offense really sing.
Hawaii: For all the teams that book the Hawaii game as a sort of reward trip to get a bumpy flight, a crying kid, the Sudoku in the in-flight magazine to be half finished, and for the regular, dry roasted peanuts and not the honey roasted variety. Upon arrival, 80 degrees and bikinis as far as the eye can see.
Houston: Head coach Kevin Sumlin to remain under the radar when the coaching openings come up.
Idaho: Linemen, linemen, linemen.
Illinois: A faster rowboat to catch up to the ship that sailed.
Indiana: A healthy and focused Kellen Lewis.
Iowa: Jewel Hampton to have taken good notes to be ready when Shonn Greene jumps to the NFL.
Iowa State: A quick and convenient end to the Gene Chizik era with some mind-numbed program stepping in to take him away. Wait, you got that? Then shoot for the stars and ask for the Red Rider BB gun.
Kansas: Bill Snyder to come back from the cobwebs to take over again at Kansas State … Santa visited early.
Kansas State: The right JUCO transfers to come in and mesh with all the other JUCO transfers.
Kent State: A healthy Eugene Jarvis for a full season.
Kentucky: The incoming quarterback recruits to be good enough to allow Randall Cobb to be used in a variety of positions.
UL Lafayette: Quick and talented replacements for QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy.
UL Monroe: An offensive lineman who can protect the passer and a defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback.
Louisiana Tech: Derek Dooley, son of the legendary head coach, Vince Dooley, to not be in line for the Georgia job if and when Mark Richt continues to fail at getting the program over the hump.
Louisville: Todd Graham.
LSU: A damn strong football team and a quarterback whose favorite receiver isn’t wearing the other team’s colors.
Marshall: A head coach with a defensive coaching background. No, another one.
Maryland: More close wins (five of the seven were by eight points or fewer).
Memphis: Even stronger quarterback play to take the pressure off RB Curtis Steele.
Miami: All the superstar recruits to be superstar players sooner than later.
Miami University: An offense that can score, a defense that can stop the run, an offense that can stop turning the ball over, a defense that can get into the backfield, an offense that can run the ball ...
Michigan: Pat White, Steve Slaton, Darius Reynaud, Owen Schmitt, Ryan Stanchek, Greg Isdaner, Keilen Dykes, Reed Williams, Johnny Dingle, and a Big East schedule.
Michigan State: Rich Rodriguez to get an extension.
Middle Tennessee: Some semblance of a running game.
Minnesota: Eric Decker to come up with that catch against Northwestern.
Ole Miss: Ed Orgeron to come back as the recruiting coordinator.
Mississippi State: Dan Mullen to show right away that his offense consists of more than Tebow right, Tebow left, Tebow right.
Missouri: More players named Chase.
Navy: Ken Niumatalolo to continue to show he can keep the Paul Johnson success going for at least a few more years before taking the offense to a BCS program.
Nebraska: The defense to have Bo Pelini’s temper.
Nevada: A corner, a safety, another corner, and maybe another safety for the nation’s worst pass defense.
New Mexico: Mike Locksley to have gone to the Ron Zook school of recruiting.
New Mexico State: The Hal Mumme offense to be able to score more than two points against Utah State and the defense to be able to keep someone’s running game to under 200 yards.
North Carolina: Five minutes without hearing the name Tyler Hansbrough. Sorry, that’s a gift for the world this college basketball season. For the football team, one year when the key parts stay healthy and the head coach stays put.
NC State: A decent start (The Pack started 2-6 this year and 1-5 in 2007).
North Texas: The supposedly high-octane Todd Dodge passing attack to at least be above-average, and for a defense that can keep someone under 483 yards and 48 points.
Northern Illinois: A move from the brutal MAC West to the light and breezy MAC East, and 14 more points (The Huskies lost to Minnesota, Western Michigan, Tennessee and Central Michigan by four points or fewer.)
Northwestern: More games against mediocre teams that didn’t end up in a bowl. (Only two of the seven wins came against FBS teams that finished with a winning record.)
Notre Dame: A schematic advantage to figure out how to bring Urban Meyer to South Bend.
Ohio: More players named Boo.
Ohio State: Youngstown State: Sit Beanie and start Terrelle.
Oklahoma: A double-digit Texas loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to put an end to the Longhorn whining/rock-solid talking point.
Oklahoma State: A defection to the Big 12 North, with the story to be reported by Jenni Carlson.
Oregon: A quarterback who doesn’t have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer.
Oregon State: An instruction manual: 1) Ask the choking team to stand if it is sitting. 2) Place yourself slightly behind the standing victim. 3) Reassure the victim that you know the Heimlich maneuver and are going to help. 4) Place your arms around the victim’s waist. 5) Make a fist with one hand and place your thumb toward the victim, just above his or her belly button. 6) Grab your fist with your other hand. 7) Deliver five upward squeeze-thrusts into the abdomen. 8) Make each squeeze-thrust strong enough to dislodge a foreign body. 9) Understand that your thrusts make the diaphragm move air out of the victim's lungs, creating a kind of artificial cough. 10) Keep a firm grip on the victim, since the team can lose consciousness and fall to the ground if the Heimlich maneuver is not effective. 11) Repeat the Heimlich maneuver until the run defense proves it can stop the Oregon running game.
Penn State: Joe Paterno to coach as long as he damn well wants to if his teams continue to go 11-1 on the way to the Rose Bowl.
Pitt: A masseuse to ease the back problems of LeSean McCoy and Scott McKillop after they carried the team for key stretches.
Purdue: An offense that can score more than seven points against a team that doesn’t suck.
Rice: Jarett Dillard to go one day without having his first name spelled wrong.
Rutgers: Mike Teel’s second half of the season to join forces with his first half.
San Diego State: Brady Hoke to be on the same career path as Urban Meyer, who went from a MAC program, to a Mountain West program, to a superpower. At this point, the Aztecs will take a rent-a-coach if it finally means a little bit of success.
San Jose State: An offense that’s half as good as the defense.
South Carolina: An interception that Gamecock quarterbacks don’t like to throw.
South Florida: To be sheepish about only getting to go to the St. Petersburg Bowl against a mediocre team like Memphis.
SMU: Greg McMackin.
Southern Miss: Stacy and Clinton to raid the team’s closet and take care of those New Orleans Bowl uniforms. Also, for DeAndre Brown to come back better and stronger than ever.
Stanford: A manicure after scraping the nails on Pete Carroll’s chalkboard.
Syracuse: Drew Brees to come and run the Doug Marrone offense.
TCU: A Ross Evans kick that goes about three feet to the left.
Temple: A freakin’ break after going 5-7 with a loss to Buffalo on a Hail Mary, losses to Navy and Connecticut by three in overtime, a 7-3 loss to Western Michigan, and a 41-38 loss to Kent State.
Tennessee: Lane Kiffin’s wife to not be the only aspect of the program that’s smoking hot.
Texas: A case of Stickum for Blake Gideon.
Tulsa: The David Johnson of the first 12 games of the season.
Texas A&M: R.C. Slocum.
Texas Tech: Taylor Potts to Detron Lewis to become the new Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree.
Toledo: Tim Beckman’s defense to be better than his Oklahoma State defense that didn’t generate a pass rush and was awful against the pass.
Troy: Someone to block Michael McGee.
Tulane: Health for at least one of the key skill players.
UAB: A nickname change to the UAB JoeWebbs.
UCF: A quarterback who can complete a throw. (UCF quarterbacks completed 43% of their passes on the season and went 48-of-124 for 541 yards in the final five games.)
UCLA: A healthy alternative to Kevin Craft.
UNLV: A defensive lineman who can stop the run and another who can get into the backfield.
USC: A year’s supply of Focus Factor with a double order for the games when no one’s really paying attention.
Utah: Alabama to assume Utah is just some team from a non-BCS conference … like Hawaii of last year.
Utah State: New head man Gary Andersen is half the recruiting for the Aggies that he was for Utah.
UTEP: A win in the final two games of a season. UTEP hasn’t won any of its final two games in a season since 1999 and since 1996 is 1-24 after November 15<sup>th</sup>.
Vanderbilt: A quarterback who can throw half as well as Jay Cutler and an attack that can score more than 14 points on a consistent basis.
Virginia: Former Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon to be good enough with the Virginia offense to get a new head coaching gig somewhere else.
Virginia Tech: The redshirt to be taken off Tyrod Taylor from day one.
Wake Forest: The defense to have held Boston College to 233 yards of total offense instead of 234.
Washington: To have gotten the right ex-USC offensive coordinator.
Washington State: A run defense, a passing attack, a takeaway, a drive without a turnover, a pass rush, an offensive lineman who can protect the passer, a punt returner, and a running back.
West Virginia: The 2008 Michigan Wolverine highlight video.
Western Michigan: More games against Big Ten teams
Wisconsin: The ability to sit still on a two-point conversion attempt against Michigan, the ability to defend the option in the final moments against Ohio State, the ability to complete a pass against Penn State, the ability to tackle Iowa’s Shonn Greene, and the ability to get one more first down against Michigan State.
Wyoming: A completed pass and the occasional touchdown for the nation’s worst scoring team.
</td></tr></tbody></table>
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Which Teams Had the Easiest Paths to the Postseason
from The Wiz of Odds by Jay Christensen
With six new bowl games since 2005, including two more this year, the postseason contains more teams with less merit than ever before. Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News examined what this postseason brings and it's not pretty, with six teams — Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Troy — without a victory over a winning I-A team.
The chart above shows the teams with the fewest victories over I-A opponents. An example: Notre Dame gets a trip to the Hawaii Bowl after defeating San Diego State, Michigan, Purdue, Stanford, Washington and Navy. The combined record of those teams: 22-50 (.306).
On the other end we have BCS title game participants Florida and Oklahoma. The Gators have beaten I-A opponents who have combined for 79 victories, topping the Sooners by one.
After the jump, a ranking and list of all the bowl games and participants.
The ranking of the bowls is based on the participating teams' combined ranking in the Sagarin ratings, which include Division I-AA teams. Listed in parentheses is the combined record of the Division I-A opponents each bowl team defeated.
1. BCS Title Game
No. 3 Florida (79-55) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (78-56)
2. Rose
No. 5 USC (61-72) vs. No. 6 Penn State (57-63)
3. Fiesta
No. 10 Ohio State (56-52) vs. No. 2 Texas (75-59)
4. Sugar
No. 8 Utah (63-69) vs. No. 7 Alabama (66-78)
5. Poinsettia
No. 9 Texas Christian (45-63) vs. No. 11 Boise State (63-70)
6. Cotton
No. 23 Mississippi (43-42) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (56-52)
7. Holiday
No. 12 Oklahoma State (41-57) vs. No. 18 Oregon (38-71)
8. Orange
No. 28 Cincinnati (57-64) vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech (52-45)
9. Capital One
No. 16 Georgia (49-47) vs. No. 30 Michigan State (49-59)
10. Sun
No. 21 Oregon State (44-54) vs. No. 26 Pittsburgh (60-49)
11. Gator
No. 19 Clemson (31-30) vs. No. 29 Nebraska (41-55)
12. Alamo
No. 13 Missouri (44-53) vs. No. 38 Northwestern (38-58)
13. Meineke Car Care
No. 34 West Virginia (38-46) vs. No. 20 North Carolina (49-36)
14. Emerald
No. 31 Miami (33-40) vs. No. 27 California (40-57)
T-15. Chick-fil-A
No. 43 Louisiana State (27-45) vs. No. 17 Georgia Tech (48-37)
T-15. Outback
No. 36 South Carolina (34-38) vs. No. 24 Iowa (39-45)
17. Champs Sports
No. 14 Florida State (41-32) vs. No. 50 Wisconsin (31-41)
18. Las Vegas
No. 42 Arizona (24-61) vs. No. 25 Brigham Young (36-72)
19. EagleBank
No. 32 Wake Forest (42-42) vs. No. 40 Navy (37-47)
20. Music City
No. 53 Vanderbilt (37-35) vs. No. 22 Boston College (51-46)
21. Papajohns.com
No. 46 N.C. State (35-26) vs. No. 39 Rutgers (34-38)
22. GMAC
No. 56 Tulsa (34-74) vs. No. 37 Ball State (53-79)
23. International
No. 55 Buffalo (42-55) vs. No. 41 Connecticut (33-40)
24. Insight
No. 35 Kansas (33-40) vs. No. 66 Minnesota (30-42)
25. Humanitarian
No. 47 Maryland (39-33) vs. No. 62 Nevada (30-42)
26. Armed Forces
No. 63 Houston (31-43) vs. No. 49 Air Force (30-53)
27. Liberty
No. 65 Kentucky (21-39) vs. No. 51 East Carolina (52-58)
28. Texas
No. 61 Rice (35-73) vs. No. 57 Western Michigan (36-61)
29. Hawaii
No. 58 Notre Dame (22-50) vs. No. 85 Hawaii (28-45)
30. New Orleans
No. 80 Southern Mississippi (30-43) vs. No. 67 Troy (31-53)
31. St. Petersburg
No. 101 Memphis (19-41) vs. No. 48 South Florida (32-40)
32. New Mexico
No. 87 Colorado State (22-38) vs. No. 86 Fresno State (28-56)
33. Independence
No. 83 Northern Illinois (18-42) vs. No. 96 Louisiana Tech (25-47)
34. Motor City
No. 113 Florida Atlantic (22-50) vs. No. 75 Central Michigan (38-47)
from The Wiz of Odds by Jay Christensen
With six new bowl games since 2005, including two more this year, the postseason contains more teams with less merit than ever before. Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News examined what this postseason brings and it's not pretty, with six teams — Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Troy — without a victory over a winning I-A team.
The chart above shows the teams with the fewest victories over I-A opponents. An example: Notre Dame gets a trip to the Hawaii Bowl after defeating San Diego State, Michigan, Purdue, Stanford, Washington and Navy. The combined record of those teams: 22-50 (.306).
On the other end we have BCS title game participants Florida and Oklahoma. The Gators have beaten I-A opponents who have combined for 79 victories, topping the Sooners by one.
After the jump, a ranking and list of all the bowl games and participants.
The ranking of the bowls is based on the participating teams' combined ranking in the Sagarin ratings, which include Division I-AA teams. Listed in parentheses is the combined record of the Division I-A opponents each bowl team defeated.
1. BCS Title Game
No. 3 Florida (79-55) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (78-56)
2. Rose
No. 5 USC (61-72) vs. No. 6 Penn State (57-63)
3. Fiesta
No. 10 Ohio State (56-52) vs. No. 2 Texas (75-59)
4. Sugar
No. 8 Utah (63-69) vs. No. 7 Alabama (66-78)
5. Poinsettia
No. 9 Texas Christian (45-63) vs. No. 11 Boise State (63-70)
6. Cotton
No. 23 Mississippi (43-42) vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (56-52)
7. Holiday
No. 12 Oklahoma State (41-57) vs. No. 18 Oregon (38-71)
8. Orange
No. 28 Cincinnati (57-64) vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech (52-45)
9. Capital One
No. 16 Georgia (49-47) vs. No. 30 Michigan State (49-59)
10. Sun
No. 21 Oregon State (44-54) vs. No. 26 Pittsburgh (60-49)
11. Gator
No. 19 Clemson (31-30) vs. No. 29 Nebraska (41-55)
12. Alamo
No. 13 Missouri (44-53) vs. No. 38 Northwestern (38-58)
13. Meineke Car Care
No. 34 West Virginia (38-46) vs. No. 20 North Carolina (49-36)
14. Emerald
No. 31 Miami (33-40) vs. No. 27 California (40-57)
T-15. Chick-fil-A
No. 43 Louisiana State (27-45) vs. No. 17 Georgia Tech (48-37)
T-15. Outback
No. 36 South Carolina (34-38) vs. No. 24 Iowa (39-45)
17. Champs Sports
No. 14 Florida State (41-32) vs. No. 50 Wisconsin (31-41)
18. Las Vegas
No. 42 Arizona (24-61) vs. No. 25 Brigham Young (36-72)
19. EagleBank
No. 32 Wake Forest (42-42) vs. No. 40 Navy (37-47)
20. Music City
No. 53 Vanderbilt (37-35) vs. No. 22 Boston College (51-46)
21. Papajohns.com
No. 46 N.C. State (35-26) vs. No. 39 Rutgers (34-38)
22. GMAC
No. 56 Tulsa (34-74) vs. No. 37 Ball State (53-79)
23. International
No. 55 Buffalo (42-55) vs. No. 41 Connecticut (33-40)
24. Insight
No. 35 Kansas (33-40) vs. No. 66 Minnesota (30-42)
25. Humanitarian
No. 47 Maryland (39-33) vs. No. 62 Nevada (30-42)
26. Armed Forces
No. 63 Houston (31-43) vs. No. 49 Air Force (30-53)
27. Liberty
No. 65 Kentucky (21-39) vs. No. 51 East Carolina (52-58)
28. Texas
No. 61 Rice (35-73) vs. No. 57 Western Michigan (36-61)
29. Hawaii
No. 58 Notre Dame (22-50) vs. No. 85 Hawaii (28-45)
30. New Orleans
No. 80 Southern Mississippi (30-43) vs. No. 67 Troy (31-53)
31. St. Petersburg
No. 101 Memphis (19-41) vs. No. 48 South Florida (32-40)
32. New Mexico
No. 87 Colorado State (22-38) vs. No. 86 Fresno State (28-56)
33. Independence
No. 83 Northern Illinois (18-42) vs. No. 96 Louisiana Tech (25-47)
34. Motor City
No. 113 Florida Atlantic (22-50) vs. No. 75 Central Michigan (38-47)
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Boxing just got sexy
I have no idea who Alice Goodwin and Bianca Knight are but if they want to take their tops off and lace up some boxing gloves for Maxim UK then I'll pay 100 times more for that than what I'd pay to see a 7-foot goof rope-a-dope a 46 year-old dope.
I think that Alice Goodwin and Bianca Knight are perhaps the pound-for-pound sexiest boxers on the planet.
I have no idea who Alice Goodwin and Bianca Knight are but if they want to take their tops off and lace up some boxing gloves for Maxim UK then I'll pay 100 times more for that than what I'd pay to see a 7-foot goof rope-a-dope a 46 year-old dope.
I think that Alice Goodwin and Bianca Knight are perhaps the pound-for-pound sexiest boxers on the planet.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
In news that should surprise no one, Michael Crabtree's last college game will be Jan. 2 in the...
from Double-T Nation by Seth C
from Double-T Nation by Seth C
In news that should surprise no one, Michael Crabtree's last college game will be Jan. 2 in the last Cotton Bowl played in Dallas. No official announcement, but I hear the Texas Tech All-World receiver and two-time Biletnikoff Award winner is making plans for the future.
And they include more Dallas than Lubbock.
Dallas - Sportatorium - BREAKING NEWS: Michael Crabtree Coming (to Dallas) and Going (to the NFL)And they include more Dallas than Lubbock.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
"This Is for Gene Chizik!"
from Double-A Zone
Chris Weber had some fun with Charles Barkley the other night on TNT's "Inside the NBA"
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KpR9s35n8w0&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
Enjoy!
from Double-A Zone
Chris Weber had some fun with Charles Barkley the other night on TNT's "Inside the NBA"
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KpR9s35n8w0&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344">Popout
Enjoy!
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Pat Devlin to Delaware
from The Nittany Line by Galen
Somewhere Joe Flacco nods in agreement.
from The Nittany Line by Galen
Somewhere Joe Flacco nods in agreement.
Following in Joe Flacco's footsteps, Pat Devlin became the latest high-profile recruit to transfer out of a Division I-A program and onto the roster of Division I-AA Delaware when the former Penn State quarterback committed to the Blue Hens yesterday.
With this move, the redshirt sophomore is hoping to repeat Flacco's success at Delaware. A transfer from Pittsburgh, Flacco wound up being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of April's NFL draft.
Thus ends all the speculation and rumor that has permeated the message boards since Devlin left Penn State. It's no surprise and although the timing of his transfer was somewhat undesirable for Penn State fans, we still wish him well for the rest of his career, the move makes all the sense in the world; he wasn't going to see meaningful playing time until his senior yeaWith this move, the redshirt sophomore is hoping to repeat Flacco's success at Delaware. A transfer from Pittsburgh, Flacco wound up being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of April's NFL draft.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Bobby Bowden on blinking first in the great octogenarian standoff of our age
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Every time I write about the fact that Joe Paterno and/or Bobby Bowden is still coaching, someone says, "Neither one's going to stop until the other does," for the sake of their four-decade race to the all-time wins record. Au contraire, Papa Bowden told reporters at Florida State's first Champs Sports Bowl practice in Orlando: He might be willing to blink first in the octogenarian standoff when the time comes. And, if necessary, he's not afraid to break out a pop culture reference so dated and obscure it would fly by Seth MacFarlane's head to justify it:
That, as David Whitley notes in the Orlando Sentinel, is a "time-bomb-in-waiting" -- assuming Florida State is determined to install Fisher on its current timeline, existing contracts obligate Paterno for three more years while limiting Bowden to two. Bowden "didn't know how to answer" the question of what happens if he's not ready to step aside at the end of the 2010 season. For his sake, I hope the record doesn't mean that much to him; unless Penn State goes in the tank the next two years, it's going to get a little awkward when Bobby's still on the hunt and Florida State is helpfully noting the time on his gold watch.
That is, assuming the NCAA continues to recognize Bowden's 31 victories against what would today be classified as I-AA competition at Howard College (now Samford) from 1959 to 1962 while denying the courtesy to Eddie Robinson's untouchable 408-win mark against the same level of competition for more than 50 years at Grambling. All hail the arbitrary distinctions of bureaucracy.
- - -
And one more, unrelated note on the Seminoles' postseason fun: Both FSU and Wisconsin were given a free run at an Orlando Best Buy up to $400 as part of their Champs Sports swag. Funny: When Peter Warrick did the same thing, he got arrested.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
[At] his team's first on-site practice for Saturday's Champs Sports Bowl against Wisconsin, Bowden compared himself to rental car company Avis, which once launched an advertising campaign celebrating its second-place status behind Hertz.
''I won't lose sleep one way or the other,'' Bowden said. 'Would I love for it to be me? Yes. But will I lose a drop of sleep if it isn't? No I will not lose a minute of sleep. I'll just be happy to be here. They always call me 'Avis' anyway.''
Coach Avis, currently two career victories behind Paterno, didn't explain exactly what he meant when he also said Coach Hertz was "kind of a guideline" for how to resurrect a wobbly program in your golden years. But if that guideline includes signing a three-year extension, it's going to be an expensive proposition: Jimbo Fisher's "Coach-in-Waiting" bounty quietly doubled in May, from $2.5 million to $5 million, if he's not the head coach at Florida State by January 2011.''I won't lose sleep one way or the other,'' Bowden said. 'Would I love for it to be me? Yes. But will I lose a drop of sleep if it isn't? No I will not lose a minute of sleep. I'll just be happy to be here. They always call me 'Avis' anyway.''
That, as David Whitley notes in the Orlando Sentinel, is a "time-bomb-in-waiting" -- assuming Florida State is determined to install Fisher on its current timeline, existing contracts obligate Paterno for three more years while limiting Bowden to two. Bowden "didn't know how to answer" the question of what happens if he's not ready to step aside at the end of the 2010 season. For his sake, I hope the record doesn't mean that much to him; unless Penn State goes in the tank the next two years, it's going to get a little awkward when Bobby's still on the hunt and Florida State is helpfully noting the time on his gold watch.
That is, assuming the NCAA continues to recognize Bowden's 31 victories against what would today be classified as I-AA competition at Howard College (now Samford) from 1959 to 1962 while denying the courtesy to Eddie Robinson's untouchable 408-win mark against the same level of competition for more than 50 years at Grambling. All hail the arbitrary distinctions of bureaucracy.
- - -
And one more, unrelated note on the Seminoles' postseason fun: Both FSU and Wisconsin were given a free run at an Orlando Best Buy up to $400 as part of their Champs Sports swag. Funny: When Peter Warrick did the same thing, he got arrested.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Mike Haywood to Miami of Ohio
from Rakes Of Mallow by Rob
Several outlets are reporting that Miami of Ohio is set to announce their new head football coach and it will be Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood. We have been hearing (well before the Syracuse game) that Weis and Haywood himself were trying to get him a head coaching job somewhere. We know he interviewed at a number of places, including Washington, Bowling Green, and now Miami of Ohio. Miami is a decent job, although I don't think it's going to be a huge payday for Mike but it gives him a nice opportunity as the head guy.
Keep watching for more Irish coaching moves. I think we could see a new offensive line coach and defensive line coach in the next few weeks. Stay tuned...
from Rakes Of Mallow by Rob
Several outlets are reporting that Miami of Ohio is set to announce their new head football coach and it will be Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood. We have been hearing (well before the Syracuse game) that Weis and Haywood himself were trying to get him a head coaching job somewhere. We know he interviewed at a number of places, including Washington, Bowling Green, and now Miami of Ohio. Miami is a decent job, although I don't think it's going to be a huge payday for Mike but it gives him a nice opportunity as the head guy.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Four Owl starters ineligible for Motor City Bowl
By TOM D'ANGELO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 22, 2008
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic, already headed into Friday's Motor City Bowl as an underdog, must face Central Michigan without four starters who were declared ineligible Monday.
Senior linebacker Andre Clark, senior offensive tackle Brandon Jackson, junior offensive guard Kevin Miller and senior kicker Warley Leroy were not "certified by the university" to play against the Chippewas, according to coach Howard Schnellenberger.
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Gary Nord may have one title _ offensive coordinator _ but he has two jobs, two offices and ...
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</td></tr></tbody></table>"It's unfortunate that they won't be with us," Schnellenberger said. "They will definitely be missed."
Clark, a three-year starter, was the Owls' fourth-leading tackler with 71 and had five tackles for loss. Senior Ted Czepiga will replace Clark in the starting lineup. Czepiga has 19 tackles and made the key hit that allowed FAU to recover the on-side kick against FIU in the regular-season finale that led to the game-tying touchdown with 18 second remaining. FAU (6-6) won 57-50 in overtime to become bowl eligible.
Jackson has started every game this season, the first five at left guard before moving to left tackle, and Miller filled in for injured center Nick Paris before starting the last seven games at right guard.
The line will have three players starting at different positions compared to the lineup that faced FIU. Sophomore Ryan Wischnefski will replace Miller and make his first start since the season opener at Texas. Sophomore Lavoris Williams will move from right tackle to left tackle and senior Vinnie Henderson will start at right tackle.
Leroy is the only player on the roster who has attempted a field goal. He is 10-of-13 this season and leads the team with 64 points. Junior Ross Gornall of Jupiter will handle the field goals and extra points. Gornall was given kickoff duties during the second half of the season.
Pierre closing in on 1,000 yards: Charles Pierre, who holds several FAU rushing records, is 63 yards from another coveted milestone - FAU's first single-season 1,000-yard rusher.
"The milestone would definitely represent what I was about and where the program is going as a whole," he said.
Pierre's 194-yard game against Western Kentucky on Oct. 18 is the team's single-game rushing record. He is also tied with wide receiver Cortez Gent for the team lead in touchdowns with eight.
Southern Mississippi 30, Troy 27, OT: Michael McGee blocked a potential game-tying field goal in overtime, and the Golden Eagles beat Troy 30-27 in the New Orleans Bowl on Sunday night to close their season on a five-game winning streak. Southern Miss (7-6) needed the first four wins to qualify for a bowl and the last one to extend the school's streak of consecutive winning seasons to 15.
Troy, like FAU, is a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
By TOM D'ANGELO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 22, 2008
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic, already headed into Friday's Motor City Bowl as an underdog, must face Central Michigan without four starters who were declared ineligible Monday.
Senior linebacker Andre Clark, senior offensive tackle Brandon Jackson, junior offensive guard Kevin Miller and senior kicker Warley Leroy were not "certified by the university" to play against the Chippewas, according to coach Howard Schnellenberger.
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Gary Nord may have one title _ offensive coordinator _ but he has two jobs, two offices and ...
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</td></tr></tbody></table>"It's unfortunate that they won't be with us," Schnellenberger said. "They will definitely be missed."
Clark, a three-year starter, was the Owls' fourth-leading tackler with 71 and had five tackles for loss. Senior Ted Czepiga will replace Clark in the starting lineup. Czepiga has 19 tackles and made the key hit that allowed FAU to recover the on-side kick against FIU in the regular-season finale that led to the game-tying touchdown with 18 second remaining. FAU (6-6) won 57-50 in overtime to become bowl eligible.
Jackson has started every game this season, the first five at left guard before moving to left tackle, and Miller filled in for injured center Nick Paris before starting the last seven games at right guard.
The line will have three players starting at different positions compared to the lineup that faced FIU. Sophomore Ryan Wischnefski will replace Miller and make his first start since the season opener at Texas. Sophomore Lavoris Williams will move from right tackle to left tackle and senior Vinnie Henderson will start at right tackle.
Leroy is the only player on the roster who has attempted a field goal. He is 10-of-13 this season and leads the team with 64 points. Junior Ross Gornall of Jupiter will handle the field goals and extra points. Gornall was given kickoff duties during the second half of the season.
Pierre closing in on 1,000 yards: Charles Pierre, who holds several FAU rushing records, is 63 yards from another coveted milestone - FAU's first single-season 1,000-yard rusher.
"The milestone would definitely represent what I was about and where the program is going as a whole," he said.
Pierre's 194-yard game against Western Kentucky on Oct. 18 is the team's single-game rushing record. He is also tied with wide receiver Cortez Gent for the team lead in touchdowns with eight.
Southern Mississippi 30, Troy 27, OT: Michael McGee blocked a potential game-tying field goal in overtime, and the Golden Eagles beat Troy 30-27 in the New Orleans Bowl on Sunday night to close their season on a five-game winning streak. Southern Miss (7-6) needed the first four wins to qualify for a bowl and the last one to extend the school's streak of consecutive winning seasons to 15.
Troy, like FAU, is a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
OU Coach Bob Stoops denies ineligibility rumors
LOADHOLT, HOLMES STUNNED BY REPORTS
BY JAKE TROTTER
Published: December 22, 2008
NORMAN — Last week, rumors were widespread on Internet message boards that offensive tackle Phil Loadholt and free safety Lendy Holmes were academically ineligible and would miss Oklahoma's national championship football game with Florida.
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops takes questions about the upcoming BCS championship game during a press conference in Hollywood, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
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Both players heard the same rumors.
And it was news to them.
“Somebody told me that the other day. I didn't know what was going on,” Loadholt said. “But I just graduated with my bachelor's in multi-disciplinary studies Saturday.”
Monday, OU coach Bob Stoops quashed any speculation that Loadholt, Holmes or any Sooner player would be ineligible for the national title game.
Last season, Holmes was declared academically ineligible before the Fiesta Bowl, which motivated him in the classroom this year.
“Last year, it wasn't so great to let the team down. I couldn't go through that again, letting the team down,” Holmes said. “I used that as motivation.
“Now, I can say I'm here for the team.”
That's why Holmes was irritated when rumors swirled that he was ineligible again.
“It ticked me off a little bit, but people don't know what's going on,” he said. “They're going to talk regardless. I pay no mind to them. I already knew the truth.”
LOADHOLT, HOLMES STUNNED BY REPORTS
BY JAKE TROTTER
Published: December 22, 2008
NORMAN — Last week, rumors were widespread on Internet message boards that offensive tackle Phil Loadholt and free safety Lendy Holmes were academically ineligible and would miss Oklahoma's national championship football game with Florida.
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops takes questions about the upcoming BCS championship game during a press conference in Hollywood, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
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<noscript>Both players heard the same rumors.
And it was news to them.
“Somebody told me that the other day. I didn't know what was going on,” Loadholt said. “But I just graduated with my bachelor's in multi-disciplinary studies Saturday.”
Monday, OU coach Bob Stoops quashed any speculation that Loadholt, Holmes or any Sooner player would be ineligible for the national title game.
Last season, Holmes was declared academically ineligible before the Fiesta Bowl, which motivated him in the classroom this year.
“Last year, it wasn't so great to let the team down. I couldn't go through that again, letting the team down,” Holmes said. “I used that as motivation.
“Now, I can say I'm here for the team.”
That's why Holmes was irritated when rumors swirled that he was ineligible again.
“It ticked me off a little bit, but people don't know what's going on,” he said. “They're going to talk regardless. I pay no mind to them. I already knew the truth.”
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Frogs meet Broncos in Poinsettia Bowl tonight
from Block U by JazzyUte
If ever there was a statement game by the two biggest non-BCS conferences, this is it. In what many are calling a BCS worthy bowl, the Boise State Broncos take on the TCU Horned Frogs tonight at six on ESPN.
For Boise State, who is 12-0 and once again snubbed from the BCS because of Utah, it offers them a chance to prove their standing. A victory over TCU goes along way toward making the case they deserved a shot at the BCS. A loss and all that talk amounts to nothing more than just hype.
Not as much is on the line for the Frogs, who were eliminated from BCS contention after their loss to Utah last month. However, it is still an important game, since they will be carrying the Mountain West banner and there is huge momentum to be gained from a game like this.
So what should we expect tonight? Well the Broncos aren't nearly as explosive on offense as they were two seasons ago when they stunned Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Sure, they have the ability and weapons to burn up the scoreboard, but this has generally been a defensive first team. The same can be said for TCU, as well, since the Frogs have one of the best defenses in the country. That tells me this will be a fairly low scoring game and I've got to think that favors the Frogs, but we'll see.
With all that said, who do you think wins tonight and by what?
I'll say TCU by ten, 20-10.
from Block U by JazzyUte
If ever there was a statement game by the two biggest non-BCS conferences, this is it. In what many are calling a BCS worthy bowl, the Boise State Broncos take on the TCU Horned Frogs tonight at six on ESPN.
For Boise State, who is 12-0 and once again snubbed from the BCS because of Utah, it offers them a chance to prove their standing. A victory over TCU goes along way toward making the case they deserved a shot at the BCS. A loss and all that talk amounts to nothing more than just hype.
Not as much is on the line for the Frogs, who were eliminated from BCS contention after their loss to Utah last month. However, it is still an important game, since they will be carrying the Mountain West banner and there is huge momentum to be gained from a game like this.
So what should we expect tonight? Well the Broncos aren't nearly as explosive on offense as they were two seasons ago when they stunned Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Sure, they have the ability and weapons to burn up the scoreboard, but this has generally been a defensive first team. The same can be said for TCU, as well, since the Frogs have one of the best defenses in the country. That tells me this will be a fairly low scoring game and I've got to think that favors the Frogs, but we'll see.
With all that said, who do you think wins tonight and by what?
I'll say TCU by ten, 20-10.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
Clemson player arrested for suspended license
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
from SI.com - NCAA Football
Read full story for latest details.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Fiu's DAILY Cavalcade of Whimsy
Chizik, Gill, and the Race Card ... Dec. 24[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances OR ... The obvious attempt to keep readers coming to the site on a regular basis during the off-season.[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... Fire off your thoughts
This Week's Whimsies: Tuesday - Holiday Wish List For All 119 Teams[/SIZE][/FONT]
Instead of the Cavalcade going on an eight-month hiatus, from here on throughout the off-season this will be a daily column of sorts with one or two musings, blurbs, thoughts, or madcap moments of reflection every Monday through Friday, or whenever the mood strikes.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
<table id="table3" align="right" border="0" width="120"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc">[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Past Whimsies
[/SIZE][/FONT] - 2008 Season
- 2008 Preseason Cavalcade
- 2007 Season
- 2006 Season</td> </tr> </tbody></table> "I'm used to seeing people promoted ahead of me ... friends, co-workers, Tibor. I never thought it'd be my own wife." ... If you want to fire on Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik, fine. The guy was 5-19 as the Iowa State head coach and has done absolutely nothing to show that he deserves to get the bump up to a higher-profile gig like Auburn. But if you’re going to throw race into the mix and say that Chizik got hired, and current Buffalo head man Turner Gill didn’t, because of skin color, then step up and fire. Don’t insinuate and don’t imply; man up and actually use the word racist, and take the consequences that come with it.
It’s one thing to wonder aloud whether or not race turned out to be a factor in Chizik’s hiring, it’s the media’s job to openly question every aspect of an outside-the-box move like this, but it’s another to call Auburn racist without actually calling the program racist. Several columnists, talking heads, and talk show hosts are doing everything to imply that race had something to do with this, but no one outside of Charles Barkley is actually being held accountable for making the accusation despite not saying the words needed to actually make the accusation.
Whether or not you believe Barkley was out of line with his criticisms, at least he came out and said what he felt. It’s not that he originally said that Chizik was hired over Gill because “race was the No. 1 factor,” it’s that he didn’t have any proof, despite having an inner knowledge of Auburn athletics like few do, and that he felt the need to backtrack. For Barkley and several other media types to blame Auburn for not hiring Gill because of skin color is the epitome of irresponsible journalism without diving into the situation to see if AU President Jay Gouge has a history of hiring based on race, or if there have been any other instances remotely comparable to this one. It's sort of like the steroid issue. If Barry Bonds, and others accused of juicing up, are clean, then where are the defamation of character lawsuits? If Auburn didn't hire Gill because of skin color, then someone will start filing the motions yesterday.
Of course, figuring out whether or not Gouge hired Chizik because he’s white is impossible to do without a lie detector and a shot of sodium pentothal, but If you're going to make the claim that skin color was a factor, then you have to have enough conviction to say or write the words, “Auburn University hired Gene Chizik because he is white, and it didn’t hire Turner Gill because he isn’t. Therefore, the people who hired Chizik are racists, and the University should take the proper action to rectify the situation.” But no one’s going to do that, although Barkley came close.
Race is always going to be in the equation in a case like this considering the shameful past of many SEC programs once used football as a tool to promote an agenda of hate and ignorance. That's why everyone and anyone who continues to write and talk about this situation has to be extremely responsible to all the parties involved. Auburn, and the rest of the SEC, have come a long, long way from where things were at not all that long ago.
Is this fishy? Absolutely. This is one of the most bizarre hires in recent college football history at almost every level. Do I think race had anything to do with Gill not being hired? No, but considering the woeful lack of minority college football head coaches it wouldn't be a shocker. However, every insider I’ve talked to insists that this whole controversy was a perfect storm of tough and ill-timed coincidences with race having nothing to do with the final decision.
Had Auburn hired Texas Tech’s Mike Leach, or a big-name head coach or a top coordinator over Gill, there would be no controversy. Isn’t it possible that Gill, who has done wonders for Buffalo but whose team wasn't that great, plain and simply got beaten out for the job, even though by all accounts Gouge came away from the interview impressed? Isn’t it possible that Auburn wanted someone with Auburn ties and that Chizik, who’s known for being able to run great defenses, was what Gouge was looking for? Isn’t it possible that race has nothing to do with the reason that Syracuse, Nebraska, the team Gill played for, and others haven’t hired Gill yet, and that Auburn just so happened to be in the center of the controversy because it made a surprise hire? You don’t think that hiring Gill would’ve been the far easier thing to do?
The race angle is important to discuss and explore as the current hot button issue, and hard questions need to be asked. But find the story. Keep pressing Gouge and Gill until a satisfactory answer is found. Don't get lazy with such an important topic.
Chizik, Gill, and the Race Card ... Dec. 24[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
a.k.a. Frank Costanza's Festivus Airing of the Grievances OR ... The obvious attempt to keep readers coming to the site on a regular basis during the off-season.[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
By Pete Fiutak
What's your beef? ... Fire off your thoughts
This Week's Whimsies: Tuesday - Holiday Wish List For All 119 Teams[/SIZE][/FONT]
Instead of the Cavalcade going on an eight-month hiatus, from here on throughout the off-season this will be a daily column of sorts with one or two musings, blurbs, thoughts, or madcap moments of reflection every Monday through Friday, or whenever the mood strikes.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
<table id="table3" align="right" border="0" width="120"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffcc">[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2] Past Whimsies
[/SIZE][/FONT] - 2008 Season
- 2008 Preseason Cavalcade
- 2007 Season
- 2006 Season</td> </tr> </tbody></table> "I'm used to seeing people promoted ahead of me ... friends, co-workers, Tibor. I never thought it'd be my own wife." ... If you want to fire on Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik, fine. The guy was 5-19 as the Iowa State head coach and has done absolutely nothing to show that he deserves to get the bump up to a higher-profile gig like Auburn. But if you’re going to throw race into the mix and say that Chizik got hired, and current Buffalo head man Turner Gill didn’t, because of skin color, then step up and fire. Don’t insinuate and don’t imply; man up and actually use the word racist, and take the consequences that come with it.
It’s one thing to wonder aloud whether or not race turned out to be a factor in Chizik’s hiring, it’s the media’s job to openly question every aspect of an outside-the-box move like this, but it’s another to call Auburn racist without actually calling the program racist. Several columnists, talking heads, and talk show hosts are doing everything to imply that race had something to do with this, but no one outside of Charles Barkley is actually being held accountable for making the accusation despite not saying the words needed to actually make the accusation.
Whether or not you believe Barkley was out of line with his criticisms, at least he came out and said what he felt. It’s not that he originally said that Chizik was hired over Gill because “race was the No. 1 factor,” it’s that he didn’t have any proof, despite having an inner knowledge of Auburn athletics like few do, and that he felt the need to backtrack. For Barkley and several other media types to blame Auburn for not hiring Gill because of skin color is the epitome of irresponsible journalism without diving into the situation to see if AU President Jay Gouge has a history of hiring based on race, or if there have been any other instances remotely comparable to this one. It's sort of like the steroid issue. If Barry Bonds, and others accused of juicing up, are clean, then where are the defamation of character lawsuits? If Auburn didn't hire Gill because of skin color, then someone will start filing the motions yesterday.
Of course, figuring out whether or not Gouge hired Chizik because he’s white is impossible to do without a lie detector and a shot of sodium pentothal, but If you're going to make the claim that skin color was a factor, then you have to have enough conviction to say or write the words, “Auburn University hired Gene Chizik because he is white, and it didn’t hire Turner Gill because he isn’t. Therefore, the people who hired Chizik are racists, and the University should take the proper action to rectify the situation.” But no one’s going to do that, although Barkley came close.
Race is always going to be in the equation in a case like this considering the shameful past of many SEC programs once used football as a tool to promote an agenda of hate and ignorance. That's why everyone and anyone who continues to write and talk about this situation has to be extremely responsible to all the parties involved. Auburn, and the rest of the SEC, have come a long, long way from where things were at not all that long ago.
Is this fishy? Absolutely. This is one of the most bizarre hires in recent college football history at almost every level. Do I think race had anything to do with Gill not being hired? No, but considering the woeful lack of minority college football head coaches it wouldn't be a shocker. However, every insider I’ve talked to insists that this whole controversy was a perfect storm of tough and ill-timed coincidences with race having nothing to do with the final decision.
Had Auburn hired Texas Tech’s Mike Leach, or a big-name head coach or a top coordinator over Gill, there would be no controversy. Isn’t it possible that Gill, who has done wonders for Buffalo but whose team wasn't that great, plain and simply got beaten out for the job, even though by all accounts Gouge came away from the interview impressed? Isn’t it possible that Auburn wanted someone with Auburn ties and that Chizik, who’s known for being able to run great defenses, was what Gouge was looking for? Isn’t it possible that race has nothing to do with the reason that Syracuse, Nebraska, the team Gill played for, and others haven’t hired Gill yet, and that Auburn just so happened to be in the center of the controversy because it made a surprise hire? You don’t think that hiring Gill would’ve been the far easier thing to do?
The race angle is important to discuss and explore as the current hot button issue, and hard questions need to be asked. But find the story. Keep pressing Gouge and Gill until a satisfactory answer is found. Don't get lazy with such an important topic.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]The Ten Teams That Most Need To Win
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]What teams are on the hottest seat this bowl season?[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By Pete Fiutak
[/SIZE][/FONT] 10. Northwestern
Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri, Dec. 29
This will be the program’s sixth bowl game since the breakout 1995 season, and it’ll be a tough task to come up with the first bowl win in that span. Northwestern is 1-5 all-time in bowl games with the lone victory coming over Cal in the 1948 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats battled hard in the 1996 Rose Bowl loss to USC, but they got destroyed by Peyton Manning and Tennessee the following year in the Citrus Bowl. The other three losses were 66-17 embarrassment against Nebraska in the 2000 Alamo Bowl, a 28-24 loss to Bowling Green in the 2003 Motor City Bowl, and a 50-38 loss to UCLA in the 2005 Sun Bowl. This year’s team outkicked its coverage a bit with a nice nine-win season, but it has a tall task against a high-powered Missouri team that’s looking to close out the Chase Daniel era on a high note. Northwestern, technically, deserves to be playing on New Year’s Day, having beaten Outback bowl-bound Iowa and finishing with a better record, but the respect from the bowl types, who’d much rather take a team that brings in the big fans, needs to be earned. A win over Missouri would do wonders for Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats; it might prove they can hang with the bigger boys.
9. East Carolina
Liberty Bowl vs. Kentucky, Jan. 2
For the non-BCS conferences, respect is hard to come by. The Mountain West has Utah in the BCS for the second time, and the WAC saw Boise State and Hawaii get their time in the spotlight. Conference USA hasn’t been close. That’s why a win for East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl over a middling Kentucky team is vital. If the Conference USA champion can’t even beat the SEC East’s last place team (especially in a down year for the SEC), then how is the league supposed to be taken seriously by the pollsters? Of course, every team and every year has to be judged on its own merits, but after East Carolina started out with big wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, it needs to win this game in a walk to prove this year wasn’t a fluke.
8. Georgia
Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State, Jan. 1
By most reasonable standards, this has been a solid season. Going 9-3 with a New Year’s Day bowl appearance isn’t anything to sneeze at, but Northwestern is 9-3, too. So is Western Michigan. So is Oregon. Georgia is supposed to be playing for the national title, not hanging out in the Capital One against an above-average, but flawed, Michigan State. There was the loss to Georgia Tech to close things out, but the other two defeats were to Florid and Alabama. While there’s little shame in losing to those two, this has still been a disappointing year, and next year will be about rebuilding with QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno almost certain to be off to the next level. Head coach Mark Richt isn’t on any sort of a hot seat, but if the Bulldogs lose this game, there might be some buzzing this off-season. Losing to the Gators is one thing, losing to a hated rival like Georgia Tech is another, and losing to a Big Ten team is at whole other level for SEC fans. Georgia needs to win this game or else that preseason No. 1 ranking will seem 1,000 miles away.
7. Texas
Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State, Jan. 5
Alright, Longhorns. You want to whine about the system? You want to complain about being left out of the party? You want to flash fliers, make T-shirts, and created a website devoted to a 45-35 score? Then go out and obliterated Ohio State and then you can start thumping your chests. If Texas beats the Buckeyes convincingly, then the message board debates will start to roll. If Oklahoma beats Florida, then the Longhorns can point to the head-to-head win in the Red River Rivalry as the reason why they should be No. 1 (at least theoretically). If Florida beats OU, then the Longhorns can beef that they would’ve been the better representative from the Big 12. However, a loss to OSU ends any and all debates. Texas is already starting to buzz about 2009 with Colt McCoy saying he’s returning or his senior year and with WR Jordan Shipley getting a sixth year of eligibility, and it can all kick off in Glendale.
6. Penn State
Rose Bowl vs. USC, Jan. 1
The Big Ten has been lacking in the respect department, and it hasn’t exactly represented itself well in the high-profile bowl games over the last few seasons. The Rose Bowl has been especially unkind with USC having its way with Illinois last year and Michigan in the 2007 and 2004 games, contributing to the Big Ten’s Rose Bowl drought. It wasn’t always like this. The Big Ten had won seven of eight Rose Bowls from 1993 to 2000, and oddly enough, the one loss in the bunch was to … yup. USC only played in one game in that span, and it beat Northwestern. Penn State isn’t just some second-place team getting the nod while the league’s better team is off playing in the BCS Championship. This is the Big Ten champion with the defense to play with the decent, but hardly overwhelming USC offense, and the veteran offense that isn’t going to be fazed by the nation’s leading statistical D. Combine the Big Ten’s need for a Rose Bowl win, the need for respect, and the discussion over 82-year-old Joe Paterno signing on for another few years, and Penn State needs to come up with this win, or make it very, very close.
5. Virginia Tech
Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 1
Start the discussion about which conference should lose its automatic bid into the BCS, and most of the time the Big East will often come up first in the debate. However, the Big East has represented itself well in the spotlight, while the ACC has been awful. Since the Big Ten and Pac 10 officially joined the BCS mix ten tears ago, the ACC has yet to put two teams in the dance. Making matters worse, the last win by the conference in BCS play was Florida State’s national title win over Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. The league is 1-9 in the last ten years with Virginia Tech, both as a member of the ACC and previously in the Big East, losing in all three of its trips. To put the ACC’s woes into perspective, the Mountain West and WAC also have a BCS win, and the Big East has six. The Hokies have to prove that they deserve to be considered among the nation’s top programs, and they also need to show that the ACC really is a BCS-worthy league.
4. Utah
Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama, Jan. 2
Is anyone outside of Salt Lake City giving Utah a chance against the mighty Tide? Utah is unbeaten and disrespected after not being within 100 miles of playing for the BCS title game and it wants to prove that it belonged in the discussion. An automatic qualifier as the highest ranked non-BCS league team that finished in the top 12, the Utes earned their spot here and now they have to prove they belong. After the debacle in last year’s Sugar Bowl, a 41-10 Georgia win over Hawaii, Utah has to win one for the little guy. Another SEC blowout over a non-BCS league team and the big bowls will continue to shy away from taking the higher ranked “mid-majors” over the more established big names. Boise State was ranked higher than Ohio State, and it proved itself with the win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, but it still got left out in the cold by the Fiesta Bowl. The only way the non-BCS leagues can start to get two teams in is to win these types of games.
3. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas, Jan. 5
Boise State No. 9, Ohio State No. 10. The Broncos were ranked higher than OSU and got left out of the big money game for a program that clanked its last two appearances in the BCS. Granted, the Buckeyes lost the national championship, two of them, and it’s not like they got blasted by Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but the team has to show up in a big game and produce. To be fair, OSU lost at USC and to Penn State. Roughly 110 other teams, including Boise State, likely would’ve lost those two games, but that still doesn’t matter much for a team that’s lacking in the national respect department. An elite team doesn’t lose 35-3 to anyone, including the Trojans. An elite team scores more than six points at home, even if it’s against Penn State. Texas is going to want to come out roaring, but an Ohio State win over a team that many believe should be playing for the national title would do wonders for the program and the Big Ten.
2. Oklahoma
BCS Championship vs. Florida, Jan. 8
West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42. USC 55, Oklahoma 19. LSU 21, Oklahoma 14. There was a time when Oklahoma was the baddest big boy on the block with a national title win over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl and a dominant 2003 Rose Bowl win over Washington State; there was a reason the head coach was nicknamed Big Game Bob Stoops. Coincidence or not, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left to take over the Arizona head coaching job, OU got destroyed 35-7 by Kansas State in the 2003 Big 12 title game, and the program has never been quite the same. While things haven’t exactly fallen off the map with four Big 12 titles in five years, it’s now prove-it time on the biggest of stages. It’s not fair to demand a win over a team as good as Florida, but the Sooners can’t clunk, especially with half the college football world believing Texas should be in Miami instead of Glendale. Beat the Gators, and the recent BCS sins are erased.
1. Notre Dame
Hawaii Bowl vs. Hawaii, Dec. 24
Technically, the pressure is on next year as the BCS-or-Bust edict has come down from up high. Head coach Charlie Weis was given a stay of execution, but he’s gone if his team doesn’t come through with a big 2009. While the focus will mostly be on next year’s team, the next eight months could be very, very testy if Weis doesn’t come back from Honolulu with a win. Notre Dame has lost nine straight bowl games with the last win coming in the 1994 Cotton Bowl over Texas A&M, and after last year’s disastrous season and this year’s rough ending, coming away with a bowl win would be a major plus. However, it’s not like the Irish are playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl; this is Hawaii. Yes, the Warriors play tough at home and yes, Notre Dame really isn’t all that great, but to lose to a WAC also-ran would be disastrous. This is a decent matchup for the Irish with its solid pass defense likely to give the above-average, but not devastating, Warrior passing game under wraps, however, this is Hawaii. Notre Dame is supposed to be playing on New Year’s Day against a big name program with the national spotlight on, not on Christmas Eve with a losing season looming with a defeat. Weis has to show that his team’s “schematic advantage” is enough to come away with the win … or else.
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]What teams are on the hottest seat this bowl season?[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By Pete Fiutak
[/SIZE][/FONT] 10. Northwestern
Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri, Dec. 29
This will be the program’s sixth bowl game since the breakout 1995 season, and it’ll be a tough task to come up with the first bowl win in that span. Northwestern is 1-5 all-time in bowl games with the lone victory coming over Cal in the 1948 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats battled hard in the 1996 Rose Bowl loss to USC, but they got destroyed by Peyton Manning and Tennessee the following year in the Citrus Bowl. The other three losses were 66-17 embarrassment against Nebraska in the 2000 Alamo Bowl, a 28-24 loss to Bowling Green in the 2003 Motor City Bowl, and a 50-38 loss to UCLA in the 2005 Sun Bowl. This year’s team outkicked its coverage a bit with a nice nine-win season, but it has a tall task against a high-powered Missouri team that’s looking to close out the Chase Daniel era on a high note. Northwestern, technically, deserves to be playing on New Year’s Day, having beaten Outback bowl-bound Iowa and finishing with a better record, but the respect from the bowl types, who’d much rather take a team that brings in the big fans, needs to be earned. A win over Missouri would do wonders for Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats; it might prove they can hang with the bigger boys.
9. East Carolina
Liberty Bowl vs. Kentucky, Jan. 2
For the non-BCS conferences, respect is hard to come by. The Mountain West has Utah in the BCS for the second time, and the WAC saw Boise State and Hawaii get their time in the spotlight. Conference USA hasn’t been close. That’s why a win for East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl over a middling Kentucky team is vital. If the Conference USA champion can’t even beat the SEC East’s last place team (especially in a down year for the SEC), then how is the league supposed to be taken seriously by the pollsters? Of course, every team and every year has to be judged on its own merits, but after East Carolina started out with big wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, it needs to win this game in a walk to prove this year wasn’t a fluke.
8. Georgia
Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State, Jan. 1
By most reasonable standards, this has been a solid season. Going 9-3 with a New Year’s Day bowl appearance isn’t anything to sneeze at, but Northwestern is 9-3, too. So is Western Michigan. So is Oregon. Georgia is supposed to be playing for the national title, not hanging out in the Capital One against an above-average, but flawed, Michigan State. There was the loss to Georgia Tech to close things out, but the other two defeats were to Florid and Alabama. While there’s little shame in losing to those two, this has still been a disappointing year, and next year will be about rebuilding with QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno almost certain to be off to the next level. Head coach Mark Richt isn’t on any sort of a hot seat, but if the Bulldogs lose this game, there might be some buzzing this off-season. Losing to the Gators is one thing, losing to a hated rival like Georgia Tech is another, and losing to a Big Ten team is at whole other level for SEC fans. Georgia needs to win this game or else that preseason No. 1 ranking will seem 1,000 miles away.
7. Texas
Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State, Jan. 5
Alright, Longhorns. You want to whine about the system? You want to complain about being left out of the party? You want to flash fliers, make T-shirts, and created a website devoted to a 45-35 score? Then go out and obliterated Ohio State and then you can start thumping your chests. If Texas beats the Buckeyes convincingly, then the message board debates will start to roll. If Oklahoma beats Florida, then the Longhorns can point to the head-to-head win in the Red River Rivalry as the reason why they should be No. 1 (at least theoretically). If Florida beats OU, then the Longhorns can beef that they would’ve been the better representative from the Big 12. However, a loss to OSU ends any and all debates. Texas is already starting to buzz about 2009 with Colt McCoy saying he’s returning or his senior year and with WR Jordan Shipley getting a sixth year of eligibility, and it can all kick off in Glendale.
6. Penn State
Rose Bowl vs. USC, Jan. 1
The Big Ten has been lacking in the respect department, and it hasn’t exactly represented itself well in the high-profile bowl games over the last few seasons. The Rose Bowl has been especially unkind with USC having its way with Illinois last year and Michigan in the 2007 and 2004 games, contributing to the Big Ten’s Rose Bowl drought. It wasn’t always like this. The Big Ten had won seven of eight Rose Bowls from 1993 to 2000, and oddly enough, the one loss in the bunch was to … yup. USC only played in one game in that span, and it beat Northwestern. Penn State isn’t just some second-place team getting the nod while the league’s better team is off playing in the BCS Championship. This is the Big Ten champion with the defense to play with the decent, but hardly overwhelming USC offense, and the veteran offense that isn’t going to be fazed by the nation’s leading statistical D. Combine the Big Ten’s need for a Rose Bowl win, the need for respect, and the discussion over 82-year-old Joe Paterno signing on for another few years, and Penn State needs to come up with this win, or make it very, very close.
5. Virginia Tech
Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati, Jan. 1
Start the discussion about which conference should lose its automatic bid into the BCS, and most of the time the Big East will often come up first in the debate. However, the Big East has represented itself well in the spotlight, while the ACC has been awful. Since the Big Ten and Pac 10 officially joined the BCS mix ten tears ago, the ACC has yet to put two teams in the dance. Making matters worse, the last win by the conference in BCS play was Florida State’s national title win over Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. The league is 1-9 in the last ten years with Virginia Tech, both as a member of the ACC and previously in the Big East, losing in all three of its trips. To put the ACC’s woes into perspective, the Mountain West and WAC also have a BCS win, and the Big East has six. The Hokies have to prove that they deserve to be considered among the nation’s top programs, and they also need to show that the ACC really is a BCS-worthy league.
4. Utah
Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama, Jan. 2
Is anyone outside of Salt Lake City giving Utah a chance against the mighty Tide? Utah is unbeaten and disrespected after not being within 100 miles of playing for the BCS title game and it wants to prove that it belonged in the discussion. An automatic qualifier as the highest ranked non-BCS league team that finished in the top 12, the Utes earned their spot here and now they have to prove they belong. After the debacle in last year’s Sugar Bowl, a 41-10 Georgia win over Hawaii, Utah has to win one for the little guy. Another SEC blowout over a non-BCS league team and the big bowls will continue to shy away from taking the higher ranked “mid-majors” over the more established big names. Boise State was ranked higher than Ohio State, and it proved itself with the win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, but it still got left out in the cold by the Fiesta Bowl. The only way the non-BCS leagues can start to get two teams in is to win these types of games.
3. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas, Jan. 5
Boise State No. 9, Ohio State No. 10. The Broncos were ranked higher than OSU and got left out of the big money game for a program that clanked its last two appearances in the BCS. Granted, the Buckeyes lost the national championship, two of them, and it’s not like they got blasted by Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but the team has to show up in a big game and produce. To be fair, OSU lost at USC and to Penn State. Roughly 110 other teams, including Boise State, likely would’ve lost those two games, but that still doesn’t matter much for a team that’s lacking in the national respect department. An elite team doesn’t lose 35-3 to anyone, including the Trojans. An elite team scores more than six points at home, even if it’s against Penn State. Texas is going to want to come out roaring, but an Ohio State win over a team that many believe should be playing for the national title would do wonders for the program and the Big Ten.
2. Oklahoma
BCS Championship vs. Florida, Jan. 8
West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42. USC 55, Oklahoma 19. LSU 21, Oklahoma 14. There was a time when Oklahoma was the baddest big boy on the block with a national title win over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl and a dominant 2003 Rose Bowl win over Washington State; there was a reason the head coach was nicknamed Big Game Bob Stoops. Coincidence or not, defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left to take over the Arizona head coaching job, OU got destroyed 35-7 by Kansas State in the 2003 Big 12 title game, and the program has never been quite the same. While things haven’t exactly fallen off the map with four Big 12 titles in five years, it’s now prove-it time on the biggest of stages. It’s not fair to demand a win over a team as good as Florida, but the Sooners can’t clunk, especially with half the college football world believing Texas should be in Miami instead of Glendale. Beat the Gators, and the recent BCS sins are erased.
1. Notre Dame
Hawaii Bowl vs. Hawaii, Dec. 24
Technically, the pressure is on next year as the BCS-or-Bust edict has come down from up high. Head coach Charlie Weis was given a stay of execution, but he’s gone if his team doesn’t come through with a big 2009. While the focus will mostly be on next year’s team, the next eight months could be very, very testy if Weis doesn’t come back from Honolulu with a win. Notre Dame has lost nine straight bowl games with the last win coming in the 1994 Cotton Bowl over Texas A&M, and after last year’s disastrous season and this year’s rough ending, coming away with a bowl win would be a major plus. However, it’s not like the Irish are playing Alabama in the Sugar Bowl; this is Hawaii. Yes, the Warriors play tough at home and yes, Notre Dame really isn’t all that great, but to lose to a WAC also-ran would be disastrous. This is a decent matchup for the Irish with its solid pass defense likely to give the above-average, but not devastating, Warrior passing game under wraps, however, this is Hawaii. Notre Dame is supposed to be playing on New Year’s Day against a big name program with the national spotlight on, not on Christmas Eve with a losing season looming with a defeat. Weis has to show that his team’s “schematic advantage” is enough to come away with the win … or else.
RJ Esq
Prick Since 1974
The Poinsettia Bowl's not-ready-for-primetime players
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
TCU 17, Boise State 16. You have to give Boise State this: The Broncos do all the little things right. Not that they execute perfectly all the time, but almost every game I've watched BSU play under Chris Peterson, including the epic Fiesta upset of Oklahoma and tonight's loss to TCU, has followed the same pattern: A fast, aggressive start; some key bit of opportunism on defense; a big gain off a well-timed trick play; and a strong counterpunch when the momentum begins to turn. It seems like a very well-coached team with a killer instinct and a lot of resiliency. At the very least, they know how to hang around.
Because physically, it's just not there. TCU is hardly the first team to manhandle the Broncos, and hardly the most physically overwhelming in the process. But after taking Boise's initial jab in the first quarter, the Frogs were clearly in control of the line of scrimmage on both sides by the second quarter, and when they were determined to run (which, with Andy Dalton throwing 35 times, probably wasn't as often as it should have been until the fourth quarter), there wasn't much Boise could do about it. This is evident in the team numbers, where TCU had a 247-yard rushing advantage and three individual players with double-digit carries, all of them averaging at least 4.6 yards per. Boise, by contrast, had one run longer than five yards all night -- and Ian Johnson, who broke the 20-yard touchdown sprint to put the Broncos up 10-0 in the first quarter, totaled -1 yard on his other seven carries. BSU had two rushing first downs to TCU's sixteen.
I think it says a lot that the Broncos were able to lead for nearly the entire game following their opening 10-0 surge, after which nearly half of their total offense for the final three-and-a-half quarters came on one death-defying, 65-yard catch-and-run from Kellen Moore to Vinny Perretta out of their own end zone. They hung in on defense, keeping TCU off the board on six different trips into Boise territory; when the offense was in a straitjacket, they manufactured first downs -- five of Boise's 15 total first downs for the night were by penalty, including two crucial pass interference penalties (one on third down, one on 2nd-and-17) that set up both of the Broncos' field goals. They came up with the big turnover. But when BSU failed to make it 17-0 after Bryon Hout's surprisingly nimble interception return in the second quarter, settling for a field goal and 13-0, it lost the edge it needed to make up for the fact that TCU was just physically better.
Hand it to the Broncos: They're tough, they're smart, they're gamers. They "know how to win," in coaching parlance. If this game was partially to determine which of these perennial overachievers is really ready for the bigger stage, though, there's no doubt: It's the Frogs.
from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
I think it says a lot that the Broncos were able to lead for nearly the entire game following their opening 10-0 surge, after which nearly half of their total offense for the final three-and-a-half quarters came on one death-defying, 65-yard catch-and-run from Kellen Moore to Vinny Perretta out of their own end zone. They hung in on defense, keeping TCU off the board on six different trips into Boise territory; when the offense was in a straitjacket, they manufactured first downs -- five of Boise's 15 total first downs for the night were by penalty, including two crucial pass interference penalties (one on third down, one on 2nd-and-17) that set up both of the Broncos' field goals. They came up with the big turnover. But when BSU failed to make it 17-0 after Bryon Hout's surprisingly nimble interception return in the second quarter, settling for a field goal and 13-0, it lost the edge it needed to make up for the fact that TCU was just physically better.
Hand it to the Broncos: They're tough, they're smart, they're gamers. They "know how to win," in coaching parlance. If this game was partially to determine which of these perennial overachievers is really ready for the bigger stage, though, there's no doubt: It's the Frogs.
