Man I don’t even remember what I was talking about. The drugs kind of knocked me out. Oh wait, I think it was something about the NFL Draft, Kansas State, the BCS, The Rose Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, and Bo Pelini. Something else is in there but I dig through the discarded facial tissues to get it. Continue reading Purple Yeti Roar 15: Cold Drafts Help Make Me Sick→
I barely made it through this week’s roar. It’s turned into a meow. I’m fighting a cold and will now go back to my lair and recover. In the meantime check out my takes on the Mountain West merging with Conference USA, North Dakota State’s fightin’ name issue, and some playoff/expansion menagerie. Oh it’s quite the trist. It’s okay to watch, I washed my hands. Just be sure to get plenty of fluids and rest.
It’s that time of year again. The time to hand out awards for special play by special players. The Big 12awardspoppedout and there were a couple surprises. The one that jumps out at me is the ‘All-purpose’ award for Kansas State’s Collin Klein. Was that ever used before in the past? It seems like they cooked it up just for Klein. I mean, he’s no Heisman winner, but he was the most important person on the team for the Wildcats. I guess as a Kansas State fan, I’ll take what I can get. You have to take what you can get with this week’s Crib Sheet as well, so lets’ get doling:
Oh man after a rough week, it was nice to get back to some simple pleasures. Beer, football, greasy food, and great looking service. Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill had it all and it was the perfect medicine. The games were bunched together nicely but the outcomes didn’t really matter with me so much. I was there just to get away from the week and enjoy some time away from the real world. Ah yes, barspotting has returned.
Last week it was reported that West Virginia was going to Big 12, and now it is official. There was some late swinging by Louisville to take their place but in the end West Virginia won out. I guess when politicians get involved, it can turn ugly. Louisville isn’t out the race yet. When the Big 12 looks to expand here in a couple of years, they will be next on the list. The next best thing to politicing is lawyering (he says sarcastically). West Virginia won the former and is now pushing the latter by suing the Big East on the grounds that the conference and their commissioner is crappy. I say they have a case. On to the Crib Sheet:
Sometimes having this tasty looking Crib Sheet in the middle of the week can be a curse. Sometimes it can be blessing. It’s a little bit of both right now. So last Friday Missouri pretty much said that they were leaving the Big 12 (again) and snuck out the back door to wash their cold feet. This week it appears that West Virginia is leaving the Big East for the Big 12, with some contingencies attached. I think when this is all over, everyone will have a ‘win-win’ situation, except for Kansas City. The soul is slowly being sucked away from that town, and this kind of conference nonsense stretches that hole out for a faster escape. I guess that’s part of why I left. Hey, it’s all about ups and downs, blessings and cursing. Here’s this week’s pre-Halloween creepy Crib Sheet:
Once we thought we were safe, but anybody who knew their history and knew about the psyche of Missouri understood it was not over. And with that, Missouri last night gave chancellor Brady Deaton the power to pursue other conferences. They could be like Oklahoma and stay or they could be like Texas A&M and go. Time will tell. Although, they were first on the block last year so I’m pretty sure they are out the door. Nevermind the fact that Tier 1 and Tier 2 rights are officially equal in the Big 12, provided everyone commits to the league. Yup, so expect some announcements early next week about conference affiliation so they don’t bother with the actual games being played on the field. In the meantime, check out this week’s Crib Sheet:
Here we go on my annual predictions for the upcoming college football season. I peer into my crystal viking horn and blow out what I think will happen for the year 2011. From the BCS Championship Game to what color socks Oregon will wear in week 10, I throw it all on the board and see what makes triples and doubles. So what do I think will happen? Let’s find out:
Going big, the BCS Championship Game will be between Alabama and Oregon. Alabama’s avoided the NCAA cartel but Oregon hasn’t as much. I’m taking a risk on Oregon, but I don’t see any other team outside of the SEC that is title worthy. Sure there’s Oklahoma but man I’ve been burned by them before.
Texas A&M will leave the Big 12 to go the SEC. The SEC will poach and ACC, probably Florida State. The Big 12 stays in Texas and nabs either SMU or Houston.
Mike Leach will show up in a pirate outfit on Halloween. I’m not sure where, but it will be damn scary.
The NCAA hires enough people for them to actually do their job. This is a big guess.
The first ever Big 10 Championship Game will feature new member Nebraska and current NCAA crosshairs, Ohio State. Ohio State wins it and causes everyone to freak out.
Like I said before, Oregon will win the inaugural Pac 12 Championship Game against Arizona State.
Tyler Gabbert will not be a starting quarterback.
In my Big 12 preview, I picked Oklahoma to win the Big 12 but they will not be undefeated and will choke against somebody.
Super recruiter Willie Lyles will be paid even more money by selling recruiting tapes of a young breakout by the name of Hershel Walker.
I have no friggin’ clue who will win the Heisman this year. Probably LaMichael James, he was a finalist last year. Yeah, so was Andrew Luck but I’m picking the Ducks over the Trees this year.
Notre Dame gets on the winning track this year by displaying a tall video tower at the end of the opponents field for each home game. They may, by the grace of God, make a BCS bowl this year.
Penn State head coach Joe Paterno will NOT die on the field this. I’ve tried hard with this in the past but I need my prediction average to go up.
Kansas fans will start asking about basketball season after the 1st quarter of the first football game this year.
The Longhorn Network will not be successful to begin with. Texas finishing in the middle of the Big 12/10/9 will force ESPN to dump a bunch of infomercials on it. Hook ‘Em Horns Turbo Snakes anyone? There’s already Snuggies.
TCU will step on Boise State’s neck the only year they are together in the Mountain West Conference.
This whole mess with players not getting enough resources to go through college will stop. We’ll see at cost scholarships show up so the players can get a stipend to pay for laundry and lap dances.
One of the Brown brothers will do good, the other one will be mediocre for Kansas State. Still, the Wildcats make a bowl.
Craig James will still be a douche.
Erin Andrews will get bumped off the top sideline hottie list. At least there’s naked pictures of her online.
The Ivy League, after limiting collision practice and targeting head injuries, will be the first conference to go all flag football. No one will care.
And finally, I will get used to being in a different town. Kansas City was nice and Austin is turning out to be pretty cool. I also predict that I will not miss the snow but will miss the snow days.
Media days are about done and that means practices are right around the corner. I’m almost ready to ring the cowbell for a new season. In the meantime, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet: Continue reading Crib Sheet: Ramping Up For Another Year→
Two things this week made me realize college football is right around the corner. First, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview for 2011 went on sale yesterday. Second, the Crib Sheet has over 15 news items this week. It’s coming, so get ready. But first the Crib Sheet:
It’s warmed over, too. This week’s Crib Sheet celebrates Easter by dropping news eggs all over the place. Grab your basket and find them buried in the grass of the Crib Sheet. Don’t get your fingers messy:
It looks like Texas new defensive coordinator’s had a weird upbringing in coaching terms. He’s been at ESPN first, then a video guy at Florida State, and then on to coaching positions. It also looks like he takes inspiration from other sports, too. Will this shake things up enough for the Longhorns and turn the defense around? We’ll find out.
The Big 12 Conference announced a mega-deal with Fox for broadcasting rights. Dan Beebe was right. They reportedly negotiated a $90 million a year deal through the next 13 years. The big plus? Every home game will be on some form of television starting in 2012. Well that and each school has a the chance to kick up their own network.
The officer who shot and killed the Pace University football player, Denroy Henry Jr., received the Officer of the Year Award from the police union where he works. Their reasoning is that the officer showed bravery through that time and all of his time working for the department. This angered alot of folks. It depends on who you believe on what happened. I just don’t like that it’s a union that gets to dole out the award.
Not to be outdone by fellow conference fashionistas Oregon, Arizona State unveiled their new uniforms for the year. They will be changing colors left and right. On top of that, their helmets are new, with big giant pointy tridents. The Ducks did this and they won but they also hired the right coach. That’s the kind of makeover the Sun Devils could really use.
In another case of me-too’s, Auburn will build statues for their Heisman Trophy winners, like what Florida did. The only difference is that there’s a darker cloud hanging over Cam Newtan than there is hanging over Tim Tebow. I wonder if they’ll add that to the design. Oh, and Nick Saban had his own statue erected, too.
Dennis Dodd of CBS has an interesting article on 7-on-7 leagues in high school. It seems they are the AAUs of football. Jay Paterno is correct about how coaches can’t tell if a kid can take a hit. I hope something gets down soon about these because I don’t want football to turn into a ballet. We could use a couple of big hits in a game.
A couple of rule changes are coming down the pike for next year. The NCAA approved more stringent below the waist penalties and gave the option for teams to run 10 seconds off the clock on penalties within the final minute of the half. Nothing earth shattering but an improvement indeed.
Notre Dame released the investigation report relating to Declan Sullivan’s death earlier this year. They found the no single person was responsible but there was a lax in safety. Apparently the weather data was out of date. This does seem kind of fishy, I hope the school pays tons of money to parents of Sullivan to avoid a lawsuit.
There was a tussle online about the Boise State’s AD, Gene Bleymaier, and his fiery words about the BCS. That’s just talk. What’s more important to me is that the school trademarked the blue turf and will protect the likeness of the field in FBS terms, while allowing it to happen to divisions below. Since when is a blue field trademarkable? That seems a little too much to me. At least one coach in the Mountain West Conference, sees it as an unfair competitive advantage as well. San Diego State’s Rocky Long hates it and I suggest the Aztecs change their field to candy striped or fractal like patterns.
So while the NCAA is busy messing up student athletes and their lack of scholarship funding, they find time to make some even dumber team name penalties. North Dakota passed a state law to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname but it will not stop the NCAA from administrating penalties because of their perception of the name. The NCAA considers it offensive and will take money away from the school. The deeper issue is that two tribes in the area are split over the decision. Why is the NCAA trying to influence an issue that clearly doesn’t involve them? Let the tribes and the state figure it out and get out of the way.
The coaching carousel is almost at a stop and now we are getting closer to signing day. Who will go where? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is the Crib Sheet will keep you updated with all of the latest commitments and decommitments:
Jim Leavitt is going to the big time. Not Kansas State Defensive Coordinator, but San Fransisco 49ers linebackers coach. It stinks for Wildcats fans as they were hoping Leavitt would come in and fix the defense. Maybe Bill Snyder 2.0 has something else up this sleeve? Meanwhile, defensive backs coach Keith Burns is taking his show back to Ole Miss.
ESPN and the Texas Longhorns reached a 20 year, $300 million deal for a Longhorns Network. The school will be up for a tasty profit while the broadcast network will food the technical bills. Is this the end of the Big 12? Check back here in about 2 years.
Speaking of the Red Raiders, a Texas judges tossed out a portion of Mike Leach’s suit against the university, only allowing non-monetary claims for the firing of Leach over Adam James’ concussion. If you’re wondering why Leach has yet to be yired, look no further than here.
It seems Kansas is picking up the trail on the recruiting side of things. Turner Gill’s stealing recruits from neighboring states. I’m guessing his pitch is like this, “I’m a Nebraska guy that’s still in the Big 12. Kansas will be the new Nebraska of the Big 12.” That can seal some kids right there.
Fired sportscaster Ron Franklin is suing ESPN over the incident where he called a woman, “Sweetheart” in a production meeting. She objected and he called her an a-hole. I don’t know what to think about this. In the workplace, you can’t trust anyone when you say something because they may be out to get you canned, especially if it’s gender-related. I would say it’s safer to just be quiet and act professional. That said, “sweetheart” and “a-hole” is a pretty weak case to get fired over.
Here’s your BCS payout sheet. So the Big 12 was on the lower tier of payouts for the 6 BCS Conferences. Not bad, but if they had 2 teams in the BCS bowls then they would’ve been up higher. Notre Dame gets a pretty good chunk for being independent. The argument against the BCS right here is that the small guys are getting the smaller piece of the pie. I will merely point to TCU and how they are moving up by winning.
Some donors have high expectations. Take Robert G. Burton, major booster for UConn. Apparently he doesn’t like the athletic director and wants his $3 million in donations back and his name taken off the stadium. I’m pretty sure once you donate something, you can’t expect to get it back. But then again, if I had that kind of cash then I’d feel like I can run anything, too.
Ex Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins agreed to a $4,000 fine for improperly receiving exercise equipment as a gift. This should be the last we hear of this guy.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Happy holidays from KC College GameDay! It’s bowl season and I’ll do a couple of recaps in the next couple of days as well as run down some bowls I’m in to. In the meantime, we have a fat Crib Sheet so let’s get to it:
Meanwhile, the Nebraska Huskers suspended defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler for getting a DUI last week. He’ll be out of the Holiday Bowl and the Husker’s rematch against Washington.
Even though I think Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is evil incarnate, I do agree with him on holding back the college football playoff. His reasons come from a wealth of ego. Delany says that the Big Ten sacrificed enough by letting other conferences play in the Rose Bowl. There’s enough ego around other commissioners that there would be no way a playoff would bubble up.
Let’s take a look at how some Big 12 coaches voted in the final coaches poll of the year. Interesting stuff here, especially the one where Bo Pelini ranked his Cornhuskers #8 even though they lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Speaking of coaches, the USA Today has a break down of some interesting contract provisions for some of the coaches out there. Bill Snyder 2.0 gets a free ride and tickets to basketball games. If Mack Brown resigns, he’ll be reassigned to another a part of the school. Mike Sherman gets a cool $100K for appearing or being named a national champion.
Keeping with Bo Pelini, he had to shoot down rumors of taking the Miami job that’s up for grabs now. Usually, when rumors like that happen, it means that something is ticking. It makes sense, too. Miami got rid of an upstanding Randy Shannon because he wasn’t winning games. Shannon did turn around the program in terms of class act athletes. Bo Pelini coaches the opposite way.
Ho boy do we have a feast of news for you to munch in this Thanksgiving edition of the Crib Sheet. There should be enough left over to keep you fed over the whole weekend as there is college football on pretty much all of the time. Grab a bib and get ready for some Crib Sheet:
