So I’m just now getting back into the swing of things now that I’m back from the SXSW conference. The yearly Music/Film/Interactive conference can take a toll on your body and even though I got back Monday, I’m still feeling the effect. The drive there uses I-35 and actually hits up a couple of college towns. Big 12 wise, we sped through Oklahoma’s home in Norman and landed in Austin, the home of the Texas Longhorns. Which one is better? It’s not fair, really. The conference was in Austin and I only drove through Oklahoma. Now here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
Speaking of Texas, apparently they are hitting the eiquette skills as well as the plyometric skills down in Austin. If you are going to be a football dignitary, the I guess you would need to know how to flaunt elitist like chops. Do they really need to know how to hold a fork right when tearing into some ribs from the Salt Lick, however?
Weakened and ill coach Urban Meyer returned to the Florida Gators and practice last week. If you remember he quit the team due to health reasons but then came back when he realized that he could get better. Or at least put on some poundage. This year will be a nice off year for Meyer so he can reload next year, both on football and his health.
Just like when baseball’s Chicago Cubs shocked everyone and had its first ever night game a decade or two ago, now the Big House in Michigan will be doing the same. What better way to do so than against the Notre Dame Fighthing Irish? This should be a close game, with a new coach on one side and another almost on the hot seat.
Expansion or not, the Pac 10 may be looking into instituting a conference title game. Commissioner Larry Scott mentioned that when going over all expansion possibilities with CBS Sports. There’s an NCAA rule that states you need to have 12 teams to have a conference title game. So if they do want to do it without expansion, then they need to change that rule.
Hey, I trucked down to SXSW here in Longhorn Country and Austin, Texas. So who would’ve thunk that we would actually be diligent enough to post another Crib Sheet? Well, we did. Here’s this week’s shortened Crib Sheet:
Speaking of legal issues, Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli was suspended by head coach for the entire season because of a massive five finger discount. Will his lessoned be learned and will he play again this year? Tune in.
Okay it’s not as exciting as signing day or the first day of summer practice, but it’s enough to get us here at the KCCGD excied for some more college football! This week’s Crib Sheet dives into cracks and pulls up some loose change and football news. It doesn’t matter, it’s great to see the kids on the field getting ready for another season. We’re saving the change for stadium popcorn. On to the Crib Sheet:
We’re heard stories about college players getting arrested for drug and/or alcohol related crimes, but we haven’t heard the story about other players removing student newspapers that feature such crimes on the front page. Welp, it happened in Texas and the coach is backing his players for the removal. Is it suppression of free speech? Or is it a team rallying together? We don’t know, but we do that a campus full of students walked into class that morning without a crossword puzzle to distract them and that’s just wrong. At any rate, the coach later apologized.
Dan Beebe told everyone to chill about the permanent championship homes for the Big 12. At least not until June. It looks as though the rumor was Football in Jerryville, Baseball in OKC, and Basketball at the Sprint Center in KC. Maybe he’s holding out for more money from Jerry Jones, but my guess is that the Big 12 can get more from each city in the Big 12 area when putting the location up for grabs each year.
The Notre Dame athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, let slip the possibility that the Fighting Irish may have to join a conference and lose its independence if expansion happens all around them. This could be a bad thing for the Irish and a great thing for the conference that nabs them.
Coaches in Texas and Maryland get a one year reprieve from the new rule that limits successors in waiting to recruit for the team. The gates are open, boys, take as much as you can before the clock runs out!
Speaking of Notre Dame and Maryland, they will be playing each other at FedEx field in 2011. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the home team. Huh? FedEx field is IN Maryland. Okay now we see why this independence is going away for the Irish. That’s just ridiculous.
President Barack Obama honored the Alabama Crimson Tide at the White House this week for winning the BCS National Championship. It must be be tough for a Big 10 guy to honor an SEC team, but hey, he’s a politician and he rolls with the tide.
Most of the news of the week for college football revolved around the NFL Combine. We will not talk about the NFL Combine for this week’s Crib Sheet. All of those stories revolve around kids entering the NFL. We like to talk about what’s coming up for next year’s college football season. It was hard to find some related items, but we juiced the news fruit hard and got some drops of tasty college football to pour down your throat. So open wide, here comes the Crib Sheet:
So we told you last week that Colonel Reb is gone and they started a new search for a mascot at Ole Miss. Welp, this week the students are putting their name down for another rebel. Admiral Ackbar. Yes, that’s right, the leader of the Rebel Alliance from the Star Wars universe is the leading candidate for the kids. It’s a trap!
Texas and Boise State are getting together. Not to play, but to talk shop! Apparently Mack Brown wants to try some trick plays to mix things up. We’re not sure what Boise State is getting in return.
Boise State has another run for their money. The Broncos are known for have a blue turf field, but now Eastern Washington will have a red turf field. No matter what it’s called, we sure many a headache will crop up around the nation when they watch their games on television. Also, if some one has a Broncos game on one TV and an Eastern Washington game on the other in the same room, can you watch it in 3D with the proper glasses?
Texas head coach Mack Brown’s mom lost a battle to cancer. Our condolences goes out to Mack Brown and all involved.
Nebraska’s Jacob Hickman will not play in NFL. Not because he’s not good, but because he has no desire for a professional football career. We always get the upside of going to the NFL but we rarely see why some players opt out of the NFL.
The Crib Sheet returns! We’re in the first lull of the year as Spring Practice is right around the corner. The second lull is the summer, of course. We here at the KCCGD find many things to pass the time. Dodgeball for instance. It’s not exactly football, but it is alot of fun. We think that colleges should catch on to this trend and officially support dodgeball in their athletic programs. It can work. We all just have to will. DUCK! Here comes the Crib Sheet:
The rumor mill was hot that Texas or Notre Dame could join the Big 10. Not anymore. The Big 10 has hired a firm to assist with their expansion plans. They reportedly have a list of about 15 school. Our money is on Nebraska, Iowa State, and Missouri from the Big 12 being on the list.
The Dayton Daily News has a great story about a one handed safety from their area succeeding in division III football. There’s nothing like a little inspirado to make your week go by faster.
Joe Paterno’s glasses were auctioned off for charity at $9000. JoePa recently opted for Lacik surgery so he doesn’t need them anymore. What other iconic college football items could go this high for charity? We’re thinking maybe Rich Rodriguez’s tear catcher, Mark Mangino’s blanket-sized bib, or Pete Carroll’s recruiting cloaking device.
The big talk the last week or so has been conference expansion. Well, never fear, because here at the KCCGD headquarters, we are perfectly happy with out size. Now there have been some talks of expanding out to St. Louis or up into Omaha, but does KC St. Louis Omaha College GameDay sound great? We say no. Granted, the barspots might be a little more glorious if we end up at an Old Chicago in St. Louis, but for now we are perfectly satisfied with what KC has to offer in bars and feel no pressure to hitch up and roll out every week. That said, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
What is the deal with other conferences wanting to poach schools from the Big 12? First it was the Big 10 and Missouri and now it’s the Pac 10 and Colorado. Yes it makes sense for both side to get the television markets. What this will signal is some massive changes (and payouts) to all the schools in the Big 12. Do you honestly believe Nebraska will go to the Big 10?
So we know about Missouri, but the Big 10 talking with Texas? Huh? Okay, no we’re thinking other conferences want to consolidate into just one big conference with all of the television markets. That’s the only way that makes sense. Texas won’t have an easier challenge up there. Just strange.
Goodbye Tim Griffin. We used his quick news on the goings on for news here at the KCCGD headquarters and we’re sorry to see him go. We wish him the best and we hope to see him or hear from him real soon.
The NCAA rolled out a rule severely limiting recruiting by coaches who are deemed as the successor in the head coach line at colleges. Naturally, Texas is not happy with this. What are they worried about? They are Texas. They get the best kids in Texas. Recruits do not need to promise of some other coordinator to tip scales for them.
JoePa will get lasers shot into his eyes. Yup, no longer will we see the iconic, thick-framed, bespectacled Joe Paterno, but now we will see the I big nosed, mega old dude on the sidelines. Hey, it just goes to show that you’re never too old to get procedures done to your body. Let’s hope he doesn’t get pectoral implants next.
The NCAA wants to take away touchdowns for taunting. Okay, we get it. Sportsmanship is truly a noble attribute. But doesn’t it say something about society as a whole when we have to legislate it? Why take a away a touchdown? A penalty assessed on the kickoff or extra point should be enough. Those are kids out there and they have a hard time controlling their emotions. The NCAA needs to focus on making the kids safer first.
Bo Pelini got yet another raise. He goes up to $2.1 million per year through 2015. Congrats to everyone’s favorite gum chewing Cornhusker. That’s gonna buy him a load of Bubble Yum.
Here’s this week’s police blotter: Frosh Mizzou quarterback Tyler Gabbert got the Owen Wilson treatment and broke his nose in a fight inside a Gumby’s Pizza. The ladies still find Owen hot, somehow, so he should be good. Meanwhile, LaMichael James, the Frosh offensive player of the year for the Pac 10, is in jail for strangulation, assault, and menacing. Welp, we might have a LeGarrate Blount situation here. Only difference was one was on a field against a dude and the other was off the field against lady. Oregon should kick this guy off the team.
Here we go with another week of the Crib Sheet. Signing Day is gone so we are looking toward spring practice as the next big event. Spring practice. In spring. We got a long way to go to get there. So the news will trickle out until then. Never fear, however, we’ll dig up any dirt with our ninja shovel and flick the dust specs of college football news in your face. Bring some goggles, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
You know how they call Kansas State’s stadium the Bill Snyder Family Stadium? Ever wonder why? Welp, signing day gave us another reason why when Bill Snyder 2.0’s grandson Tate Snyder accepted a scholarship offer from the Wildcats. Tate’s dad, Sean, was a punter for Bill Snyder early in his first run and is now an associate in the athletic department. The little apple does not fall far from this tree.
So signing day is over but we have many more to come. The 2015 class, for example has its first commitment in the form of 13 year old quarterback David Sills as he verbally committed to USC last week. Huh? That’s a little young. His personal coach worked with current USC field general Matt Barkley. How much are this kid’s parents paying this guy? Seems like alot of hype for such a young’un.
The Texas college stars beat the national squad of stars last Saturday to prove once again that best college football players come from Texas. For this game. Yeah it’s the Big 12 area, but why did the SEC win the national title again? Welp, maybe just the scrubs play this game. They gotta show off in front of NFL scouts somewhere.
Darrell Scott has come crawling back to the Colorado program. Okay well, maybe not crawling. If he sits out this year, Hawkins might be fired by then and he could compete for the job with a new coach. We guess UCLA wasn’t all that it’s hyped up to be.
It looks like the students at Missouri are looking for a live Tiger mascot. We’d like to think our profile of Truman spurned this movement, but it’s probably more of matching the live mascots that already dot the Big 12 plain. Yeah, we’re talking Bevo, Ralphie, Boomer, Sooner, and the rest of the gang. Hopefully, they will pull this one off. Those live mascots are treated like kings.
Signing Day is upon us! Today is the day of the year when high school kids across the country pick their football mates and spurn others. The ritual goes on for years, sometimes, and the final chapter only begets a new book in life. So congratulations to all the kids across the USA who not only get to play big time football, but also get a big time scholarship. Maybe they can become meterologist or study something failry easy like communications. Here’s our communications thesis, the Crib Sheet:
A new award for the most versatile college football player was announced last week. It’s the Paul Hornung Award, named after the former all around guy and Notre Damer. We doubt any lineman will be getting this one.
Due to the open records act for state of Texas and Texas Tech University, we now find that Craig James threatened to sue Texas Tech if Mike Leach’s actions taken for his son Adam were not investigated. So now it is confirmed that Craig James was trying to pull some weight around there. On the other hand, it is his kid and he was worried about his kids health. Any father would want to protect his kid from injury. The problem here is the action taken was just sending him away from the team. Nothing physical. Nothing really mentally debilitating. Fathers take note: don’t be a douche like Craig James.
We now know that Turner Gill will be making about $2 million per year from his contract, gathered from the release of they detail of his contract. He’ll have a tall order to rebuild (already) a busted up Kansas team. Hey, if he can do it he deserves and then some.
Speaking of Kansas, the Gridiron Club plans appear to be dead in the water. The initial project fulfills the need to stack some rich people high up in new luxury suites and toss free food and drink down their throat. Too bad the team tanked this year, as if they had actually been competitive, they might have had a shot of following through on this thing.
The much ballyhooed Senior Bowl came and went. Nothing happened. Okay, well, Tim Tebow played really bad and we’ll see him running the ball or holding the clipboard next year in the NFL. LeGarrette Blount ran for a touchdown so his draft stock went up. Outside of that, just another football game. Hey, at least those kids were trying versus the big boys in the Pro Bowl.
The recruiting trail is heating up and there’s one big commitment that new Kansas coach Turner Gill just landed. Brandon Bourbon was going to go to Stanford, but Gill influenced the four star recruit to become a Jayhawk. This was much needed for Gill as he lost a couple of four star guys when Mark Mangino got fired. We wonder what type of whiskey Brandon drinks.
ESPN blogger Tim Griffith points to an article breaking down hometowns of the nation’s football recruits. While he finds most of the kids that play in the Big 12 come from Texas, the more surprising stat is that Kansas City is number 3. Way to go, local kids, now stay in the local area schools.
The Senior Bowl is coming this week and the NFL Network has LIVE coverage…..of the practices. Okay, so up to the minute updates on who practiced well and who practiced crappy is fine, but non stop coverage of weigh-ins and such? You gotta be kidding me. I guess we live in a day and age where picking through a player’s stool and reporting on what he had for lunch is considered news. Plus we have enough cameras out there to film it. Please, just read the Crib Sheet:
The East beat the West last week. No, it was another exciting game of Axis and Allies, but it was the East-West Shrine Game! Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka tossed a late touchdown to help the East win. Alrighty, then.
Boise State is celebrating another undefeated season and complaining that they don’t have a shot for the top BCS honors. Never mind the fact that they turned down a 2-1 proposal from Nebraska on their scheduling. If you remember, earlier this year, Boise State complained that they could never schedule big time opponents including Nebraska. So now this time around they turn away from an invite from the Huskers? That’s small-time mentality there.
Tim Tebow’s planning on doing a pro-life commercial during the Super Bowl and, naturally, some women’s groups are urging CBS not to air. It is a very political issue but we’re thinking since organization backing Tebow’s appearance paid for the spot, CBS could use more green than urging to bump the commercial.
Another week of the Crib Sheet and we are finally starting to see things calm down around the college football landscape. There’s still some action here and there but we envision the news will be trickling out here in there for the offseason. There’s still some loose ends that need to be tied up and we will stay there to make sure the granny knot is tight. So keep in step with this week’s Crib Sheet:
Skip Holtz is your new South Florida head football coach. After USF tanked Jim Leavitt, they pick up on East Carolina prodigy and son of former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz. Admittedly we’ve seen more of Lou than Skip and we can only hope that the kids down there can actually understand him when he talks. The kids up in East Carolina apparently did so it looks like a good hire.
Christopher Tritto from the St. Louis Business Journal breaks down the money situation for Missouri if they leave the Big 12 for the Big 10. Basically, they will make about $10 million more annually than the position they are in now. Tritto also points out that recruiting would be hurt as they pull alot of their kids from Texas. So do they give up being competitive to get paid more? Tuned in next year.
Tim Tebow is fresh out of college and ready to hock Christian morality. He’ll be in a Super Bowl commercial that will take an anti-abortion stance. However long his NFL career may be, you can be sure that he will be making a push into politics after he’s done.
Coaches come and coaches go, but we can’t believe how things are getting turned around in the very start of this off season. Coaches leaving. Coaches coming. Some with long tenures, some with short. The heads at the KCCGD headquarters are still a little scrambled. Fortunately, we have this week’s Crib Sheet to help sort things out. We’re sure you are about as confused as we are so let’s get right to it:
Missouri apologized for its band playing over the Navy’s fight song during their bowl game earlier. It was the only thing they had over Navy in that game. Navy’s still tooting their horn over the thumping they gave the Tigers.
South Florida fired Jim Leavitt after allegations of Leavitt beating up some kids. The hammer is falling fast on tough coaches and it looks as though it will continue. It almost seems like that’s enough for colleges to get out from under big contracts. Either that or in this time and age you tell you assistant coach to rough up a kind instead of yourself. So, Jim, take a deep breath and come back home to K-State. Or hire a lawyer.
Meanwhile, on the fired coaches trip, Mike Leach accuses Texas Tech of slander and libel due to the fallout from his firing as head coach. Leach’s camp states that the allegations from his treatment of Adam James hurts Leach’s reputation and his ability to get another job. This legal battle will play out for a long time. As you guessed it, Texas Tech asked the court to throw the case out.
In the meantime, Texas Tech already hired Tommy Tubberville as their new head coach. He’s been trolling around for a new job since he got canned from Auburn. He was displaying interest in Kansas when that job opened up. Looks like Tech found a good replacement.
While we are in Texas, the Longhorns trainer officially told the press that there was no way Colt McCoy could continue to play in the BCS National Championship. A pinched nerve and a dead arm is a serious thing. Apparently, Colt tossed the ball to his high school coach dad and could only muster 7 yards in the locker room. This will seal the deal on the mystery of Colt and what could of happened.
Nick Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, returns to Notre Dame this year after a year away at community college. It wasn’t because of grades, it was because he was not physically in shape for college ball. We don’t think he’ll be a starter quick but it’s nice to see that a former Domer’s kid can make the same team.
Pete Carroll is your new NFL Seattle Seahawks head coach. He talked about the process earlier this week. The rumor mill was all over the place since Friday and Monday confirmed it. There’s going to be a huge hole at USC and we’re still not sure who can fill it next. Tune in next week.
When rumors of a coach leaving a school pops up, you tend to see other schools scramble to keep their coach. Such is the case with Oregon State and Mike Riley. He’s been really good with the Beavers and even the faintest rumor of a USC job got him a 3 year extension.
So who did USC get? Well, Lane Kiffin, of course! Rumors were flying all over about new candidates, but the former NFL Oakland Raiders head coach and now former Tennessee Volunteers head coach will take over. Kiffin was an alumni for USC and a former Offensive Coordinator under Pete Carroll. The time was really short for Kiffin’s tenures at both the pros and the college ranks. We’re thinking that this is a ‘coming home’ type situation and that he’ll be there at least 3 years. Hopefully.
So who’s number one for Tennessee now? (Getting kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?) Welp, Texas Defensive Coordinator and head coach heir Will Muschamp. He was on the list last year when the Vols needed a coach so this will be the same kind of dance again. Wethinks that Will’s getting another massive pay raise.
Bowl season and, well, the whole college football season is almost over. We have one more HUGE game left. No, not the GMAC Bowl tonight, but the BCS National Championship game! We here at the KCCGD promise you that we will keep the hype to a minimum as the other outlets have that way covered. So, in lieu of that, we will have another exciting rendition of the Crib Sheet. Some emotional coaching moments happened in the last week, both high and low, so let’s get right to it:
So Mike Leach up and got fired. Apparently the officials at Texas Tech didn’t like how he handled Adam James. We’re thinking they are getting back at him for the contract dispute they had earlier this year. All they needed was an excuse and they got one from Craig James. Mild concussion or not, the fact that they had a trainer there with ice and water for the kid doesn’t show that he’s been treated poorly. If any mistreatment is happening, it’s from Papa James thinking his son has talent. This one is far from over, folks.
The 911 call from Urban Meyer’s wife reveal that he was having massive chest pains after his Florida Gators lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. This guy puts everything he has into coaching. Funny how all it took was one practice and he came back to coaching, with 2 days removed from retirement. It’s truly inspiring and we hopes he recovers.
Bobby Bowden won his last game ever against West Virginia , a team he once coached, in the Gator Bowl. He even got to plants the spear on the filed. A tradition held by the the team’s mascot. Our question: when is Joe Paterno next? Not soon, as his Penn State team whupped up on LSU.
Domino’s CEO David Brandon has accepted the athletic director position at the University of Michigan. What does pizza have to do with college sports? Usually during the games in the stadiums its hot dogs and cotton candy. Who knows? Brandon did play for Bo Schembechler, however. So it looks like pizza will send for Rich Rodriguez if he doesn’t make a bowl this year.
ESPN will unveil a 3D channel next year and show the BCS National Championship game on it in 2011. What could be better than seeing that goofy mascot head pop onto Lee Corso’s body in glorious 3D? Okay, lots of things. But now all we need are glasses and a tv equipped with 3D technology and we can enjoy it all together!
…will not be discussed here. We’ve seen enough on the other websites so we are just going to say this was the best decade evar. All due to the KCCGD. Plus we’re still drying off from all of the snow that’s still dumping outside. Fortunately, there’s a bowl game on every night to keep us warm and cozy. New Year Eve and Day will be packed full of bowls as well. It’s the last huzzah of the college football season and the decade, help us celebrate in in style! Until then, here’s this week’s crib sheet:
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is your AP Head Coach of the Year. The former Kansas State alum took a mid-con team undefeated and in the top ranks of the BCS. This guy deserves it. Now only if he rides out the contract a couple of years and takes over for Bill Snyder 2.0 in a couple of years. Heck, they may be a part of the Big 12 in a couple of years anyway. Congrats, coach.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon took some pot shots at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State while trumping up support for the rumored Missouri move to the Big 10. Basically he said those schools housed dumb people. Boy if the Tigers stay in the Big 12 after all of this, look out for some revenge to be had in the next couple of seasons.
Sarah Thomas was the first female official to game a bowl Saturday at the Little Caesars Bowl. Some true ground was broken and word has it, she’s being eyeballed by the NFL. So now all we need to see are some ladies on the field competing. But not a Kathy Ireland type thing.
He’s in, he’s out, he’s somewhat both. Last weekend, Urban Meyer resigned from the team, announced he was coaching the Sugar Bowl, then announced he was coming back next year. Apparently this all was due to health issues. We think that many Florida fans and alums are experienced some heart related health issues upon hearing this set of news.
Welp last week was a big rush. This week, all is calm and all is bright. Christmas is in a couple of days and we are expecting some major snow. So we can chalk up the lack of news to that and everyone getting ready for bowls. We are done with Christmas shopping and got our Topsy’s popcorn, so we will be taking a few days off ourselves. We’ll probably do something around Christmas, but look for a Bowl Pick It update Monday. Until then here is this week’s meek little Crib Sheet:
Former Kansas coach Mark Mangino gets a $3 million settlement from the university for his resignation and termination fo his contract. He had about $9 million left to go. Welp he doesn’t have to work for a couple of more years and gets a fat holiday check. Mangino made out pretty well.
It looks like Bill Snyder 2.0 and the Wildcats are looking to pick up scraps leftover from new Kansas head coach Turner Gill’s blowout of the staff. They are interviewing former defensive coordinator Clint Bowen to fill the vacancy left by Vic Koenning’s departure to Illinois. This has happened before. Joe Bob Clements went to Kansas as a defensive line coach even though he played for Kansas State. He went back home to Snyder 2.0 though and we won’t be surprised if Bowen doesn’t do the same thing.
Even though he didn’t come home with a Heisman, Ndamukong Suh has been picking up plenty of awards. The latest one happens to be the AP Player of the Year. This is the first time a defensive player ever won the award. I’m sure his Nebraska head coach, Bo Pelini, congratulated him while chewing gum openly.
After a well deserved week off, we are back to bringing you some tasty college football. Alot happened during our mini hiatus so we are playing catch up with the Crib Sheet. We have alot to get to here with the start of bowl season this weekend. Tune in soon for a couple of year end reviews, bowl picks, and some bowlspots. Until then, here’s a very chunky Crib Sheet:
Alabama took the high road when it announced that they will cancel classes for the BCS National Championship. That’s nice for football fans, but the last time I remembered there are people who actually don’t like football AND go to college. It seems kinda chintzy to lob off classes for everyone during the bowl game. Then again, this is South and it is football.
Congress will crack the whip on the BCS soon and vote on a bill to ban promotion of the NCAA division I football series unless they get a playoff. The argument against it is that they have better things to do (health care bill, anyone). The argument for it is that the NCAA is a business and they should treat the conferences like companies in an industry. Problem with that one is that then the argument will come up that the students should get paid then (on top of free college). The slippery slope just got some juice.
Charlie Strong is you new Lousiville head coach. This guy was rumored for the Kansas job, but right now the hot note is Buffalo’s Turner Gill. Anywho, back to Strong. This guy was co-defensive coordinator for Florida and looks to be a real good hire. Good luck to Cardinals.
Tennessee confirms that there is an investigation into their Orange Pride group and possible recruiting violations. Basically, the Orange Pride comprises mostly of very attractive Volunteer females that drive around and persuade recruits to join the program. They would even friend them on Facebook. Did they break any rules? Who knows? This has been going on for a long time, however. The power of gender persuasion is a might force, my friends.
Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh hired his dad Jack to be interim running backs coach for the Sun Bowl. It’s nice to see that the Harbaughs like to keep in the family. His dad won some titles in Division II and his brother John just happens to the head coach of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Notre Dame took the plunge and finally hired a head coach. His name? Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. It’s a good fit for the Domers. They guy won the Big East the last two years and has won at least 10 games the last three. Let’s hope the boosters expectations aren’t too high this time around, otherwise we’ll be seeing this dance again in three years.
Mack Brown from Texas is getting an extra $2 million per year on the rest of his contract for doing such a great job. The guy now will make about $5 million per year. Meanwhile, an Iowa senator complains that coaches are being paid too much. Nevermind that Texas brings in about $100 million a year via the athletic department. Oh and don’t let Kirk Ferentz or Paul Rhoads hear this guy. They might go somewhere else and the voters will vent on their frustration in the voting booth.
Colt McCoy wants a bowl playoff. He’s thought about long and hard. Did he think about it while he almost blew the game for the Longhorns at the Big 12 Championship? Maybe that’s why he wants playoff. It would’ve covered up his mistake. Doh!
A handful of awards were handed out on ESPN last week to college football players. We’re not going to go through the whole list but we will say that Big 12 was represented very well. Congrats to Colt McCoy and Ndamukong Suh.
So Kansas ended its coaching search over the weekend. Some people thought it was Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, but that was denied big time. So the Jayhawks fell to their 2nd choice, Turner Gill. This guy turned around Buffalo from perennial losers to a decent MAC team, even winning the title last year. Some people have overlooked that and started a fire-this-guy website. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.
Mark Ingram won the Heisman over the weekend as well. The race ended up being the closest ever with Ingram taking it over Gerhart, McCoy, Suh, and Tebow respectively. The sexy pick leading up to it was Suh, but that’s why it was sexy. No chance of winning and you get to appear smart. That said, there was no clear leading guy running up to it, so it’s no surprise it was this close.
Kansas State special teams stand out Brandon Banks was released from jail after beating a women while stoked on some stimulants. Ruh Roh. At least there’s no bowl to damage for the Wildcats. Hopefully this guy will get his act together and salvage his draft status, if there’s any left.
Looks like Illinois will hire Kansas State co-defensive coordinator Vic Koenning to be their sole defensive coordinator. He was with Clemson for a couple of years before his one year stint with the Wildcats. Hopefully the Wildcats defense won’t suffer that much.
Looks like the Big 10 will finally come into the century and explore a possible 12th team and conference championship. Who will it be? Some say Missouri or Iowa State. We know Missouri would listen. Others are point toward the Big East and Syracuse, Rutgers, or Pittsburgh. Let’s hope they keep it Big East for the east coast television money too.
The NCAA, following the lead of the NFL, will recommend keeping an athlete out of the game if they lose consciousness or show signs of a concussion. Head trauma is big news nowadays and the NCAA is quickly stepping in to cover their own heads with this rule. Now I get the old folks harping about leather helmets and poor pads being a better sport. We’ll be talking like that in a c0uple of years.
