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:
Continue reading Crib Sheet: Here We Go Again On Our Own, Maybe →
Man I don’t even know where to start. The reports are spinning right round, baby right round about anything and everything related to conference alignment. Everyone knows what’s going on as of now. I would dump here in the Crib Sheet, but going over my starred items in Google Reader is proving to be a fruitless endeavor. Stuff as new as earlier this afternoon is now wrong. I just can’t drop it in here as a developing item when it will more than likely be false. The Crib Sheet is just too good for that. The only thing I can say is that the Big 12 is in huge trouble and will more than likely go away next week. That’s about it. No links or nothing. There’s plenty out there to read from. If you’re looking for something other than conference Armageddon then check out this week’s Crib Sheet:
- A booster from Ohio State admitted that he helped give some cash to Ohio State players that missed the first two games of the season. You know, if there were more legitimate ways to pay players, we wouldn’t be seeing this kind of stuff.
- Okay, is everyone getting on the uniform bus. Maryland had some crazy ones and now Michigan State is getting some snappy ones. It’s too much. Just look at the dude covering it for ESPN. He’s the uniform watch columnist. Yes, there is a position like that. I just threw up in my mouth a little.
- Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill left the hospital last Thursday, after suffering a seizure on the field last weekend. I think he coached the game. I wish him all the best.
- The College Football Hall of Fame flooded its basements over the weekend due to an improper sprinkler fitting. Doh! It’s located in South Bend, Indiana so I guess bad luck is going on all over around there.
- This is how rivalries should be between fans: A Notre Dame fan had a heart attack at the Michigan game and was revived via CPR by another fan in the stands. Take note, everybody, it’s just game. Rivalries should be held in high respects but not to the point where you wish damage on the other.
- How fans should not act: The kid who wore the Iowa State mascot uniform known as Cy fell from the stands an broke his arm. He didn’t say anything happened to the cops, but he posted on Facebook that some Uconn fans pushed him. Wow, not cool people. Not cool.
- A Texas associate athletic director Cleve Bryant was canned for sexually harassing someone. Yup, you can’t go and do that even when you think you run the state, partner.
- So Nevin Shapiro apparently ponzied Miami and now Luther Campbell, former 2 Live Crew kid and Miami booster, wants to sue him. The charge? Defamation. Apparently the guy who rapped about being so horny doesn’t like other people raking his name through the mud.
- Osceloa, Kansas wants the University of Kansas to drop the name ‘Jayhawk’ because of its Civil War connotations. Too early? Um, too late. The response was hilarious though. I mean come on, they need to keep that name. How else can I call them Chickenhawks?
- So you know how War Eagle flew into a window during Auburn’s pre game last week? Welp, PETA assembled and is scratching for some publicity by calling out against having any eagles during Auburn’s pre game. What a shocker. Go back to funding your porno website PETA, nothing to see here.
- A former Northern Illinois student sued the NCAA for its concussion rules. Apparently he suffers from the classic chronic symptoms of concussions and blames the NCAA for not doing a good job. You think conference alignment is going to change football, wait until the concussion stuff bubbles up. 7 on 7 two hand touch, I’m not kidding.
- Oklahoma State linebackers coach Glenn Spencer left the team during the three hour weather delay to be with his family. His wife died shortly after the game started. My condolences go out to his friends and family.
- South Carolina athletes were accused by the NCAA for receiving over $55,000 in impermissible benefits. Again, it’s getting to the point that ESPN (and Disney really) is pumping money out the yang for television. These players are the ones doing all the work. This kind of stuff would go away if they actually got paid.
- Bob Stoops got a seven year, $34.5 million extension Monday. He’s sitting prettier than alot of the schools in the Big 12 right now.
- The Sugar Bowl revealed that they may have made a couple of illegal donations to a politician in the mid 2000s, and the Playoff Pac jumped all over it. That’s right, the almighty complaint to the IRS will strike down on the Sugar Bowl and slowly but surely ruin any chances for the current BCS system to service. Check and Mate for the Playoff Pac.
- The New York Times has an interesting article about a South Korean kid named Seung Hoon Choi who started for the Nebraska Cornhuskers over the weekend. I usually thought it was Samoans from across the seas that get line work. South Koreans? I didn’t know. Fascinating.
- Ho man, chalk one up to Texas A&M and the creative billboard they dumped in Waco, the home of the Baylor Bears. Now as much as it sucks for the Big 12, it still is pretty funny.
Only this time it’s smaller. Presidential hopeful Rick Perry open his mouth and pulled a Jay Nixon by saying that there are talks between Texas A&M and the SEC for a big move. Next thing you know, the whole damn college football world is on fire. Red fire! I’ve chosen to stay out of this one over the weekend. If I learned anything last year, it’s that nowadays rumors are 95% of the ‘reports’ out there and the other 5% has a shred of truth to it. So as of right now, the SEC is staying chill, The Texas A&M president has power to explore realignment as well as take his time, the NCAA may get involved, and Rick Perry now says he doesn’t expect Texas A&M to leave. If you’re asking me what will happen, I’m saying that A&M is out at the end of the BCS contract (2014). Why? The Big 12 will blow up after the restructure of the BCS and somehow, sadly, Texas finds the vacated ‘Notre Dame Automatic Bid’ and dumps the conference. The rest of the teams fill out the Mountain West, Big 10, and SEC.
The bowl season ended Monday and there was a ton of news that happened over the last week. It’s mostly who’s coming and who’s going. It’s what I like to call the Carousel Hell. So put your seatbelt on get ready to go round and round, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
- Mike Leach’s legal battle with Texas Tech may have cost him the Maryland job. He said that he thought he was the frontrunner, but the Terps went with UConn coach Mike Edsall. He hasn’t been contacted by other schools at the moment.
- RichRod is officially out of Michigan now. Blow up the program part two. It makes me warm inside to think the same thing that happened to Nebraska a couple of years ago with Bill Callahan is now happening with another team I dislike immensely. Good days.
- It’s even better for Brady Hoke. The former Michigan alum and former San Diego State head coach is now your new Michigan head coach. They wanted a Michigan man and they got one. I give it about another 3 years before a turnaround happens.
- After showing up Michigan’s Denard Robinson and holding the team to 14 points, Manny Diaz will take his talents to Texas as defensive coordinator. He leaves Mississippi State and will be belting buckles in Austin. Let’s hope he didn’t fall for that ‘coach in waiting’ stuff.
- No surprises here. Fox has the rights to the Pac 12 Championship Game. They already show conference games on Fox Sports Net so it makes sense they do the title game.
- The Playoff PAC is looking to stir up some smoke on the BCS. They are filing a complaint with the IRS regarding a cruise the Orange Bowl put on for college athletic directors over the summer. Shady or not, this seems like arrows instead of missiles for the Playoff PAC people. If there’s going to be a change, they can’t dink and dunk it.
- Stanford’s Andrew Luck is staying behind for another year of college. This will make Blaine Gabbertt a sexier pick for the NFL Draft coming up in a couple of months. He’ll have to battle for the top quarterback spot with Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet, though. Gabbert may see his Aldon Smith in the NFL as well.
- So TCU won the Rose Bowl. Someone then paid for a billboard congratulating the team. Except it was in Columbus, Ohio. Yeah someone with big pockets wanted to rub it in the Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee’s face. He was running his mouth earlier about the mid-con teams not being worthy and now I guess he gets to eat crow.
- Speaking of the Horned Frogs, head coach Gary Patterson notched himself a 2 year extension with the program. You go undefeated in two regular seasons, you deserve that and a ham sandwich.
- Stud Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles will be coming back for another year.
- A Boise State assitant coach is going to big time. By big time I mean Texas Offensive Coordinator. It seems Mack Brown and company lured Bryan Harsin away from the Broncos to infuse the team with a flashier offense.
- Texas Tech told the NCAA that they texted too much. That’s alliteration. And that’s the news!
- Head BCS Honcho Bill Hancock reminded everyone that a playoff is way below in priority for the college bowl partners. He said that even the old way of bowls would be considered first. Seriously, he does a great job of stirring the pot.
- Kansas State athletic director John Currie also gets a two year extension to his contract chock full of some tasty incentives. He’s done an alright job. The goal now is to maintain it.
- The BCS Championship Game happened Monday and it garnished the best cable ratings ever. Yet, the actual viewership is down. This is what happens when the biggest game of the year ends up on cable. Seriously, why didn’t Disney toss the game on ABC instead of ESPN? Television is becoming more live sport driven than anything else. Still, until I can replicate the experience of a sports bar in my basement, I will be going out for the games.
- LSU’s Les Miles went to Michigan to talk about an open job but decided to stay with the Tigers. Listen up childrens, this is the classic strategy head coaches employ to get them off the hot seat or get a raise.
- Man we feel for UGA VIII, the mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs. He didn’t make the trip to the bowl game last week and now we know why. UGA VIII has lymphoma. Jinkies, is the team as cursed as this dog is?
- Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt settled out of court for some extra cash from the school. He was canned for reportedly striking a walk on student. He’s a defensive guy and because of that, the rumors are now flying about Leavitt coming back to Kansas State to take a defensive coordinator position. Tune in next week, this is getting hotter.
We are knee-deep in some serious day job related stuff but fortunately we build the Crib Sheet piece by piece, day by day. Here ya go:
- Much of the details of last week’s agreement between the Big 12 and outgoing schools Nebraska and Colorado came out. Dan Beebe talked about why Nebraska has to pay $9 million and Colorado has to pay $6 million. Also, don’t look for expansion anytime soon. They haven’t decided on how to divvy out the cash, but chances are it will be the same formula used for the revenue sharing in general.
- Irish eyes will be smiling when Notre Dame will play Navy in Ireland 2012. We’re not sure where they will play but more than likely there’s a good chance they’ll all go out together after the game and get drunk.
- In preparation for last week’s game against Boise State, Oregon State coaches had their practice field painted blue. That’s some great thinking there. It’s almost like using loud speakers to emulate crowd noise except messier.
- Communication issues have tormented Turner Gill and the Kansas Jayhawks. His solution? Yanking cell phones from players the day before the game and then giving it back in the locker room after the game. How will the players wake up in the morning or talk to their mothers? I guess that’s what computers are for. We wonder how many more losses it will take for Gill to yank computer privileges too.
- The NCAA leaped to action regarding the issue of sports agents and collegiate players by writing a letter. A letter. They asked for cooperation. Nothing else. Just another reason the NCAA needs to upgrayedd or just disband. These guys are getting real irrelevant.
- The Playoff PAC, the special interest group formed to blow away the BCS and instill a college football playoff, will file a complaint with the IRS regarding the tax status of the Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange Bowl. They used a load of lawyers and one accountant to pick apart the tax returns and public documents of the BCS bowls and found that some loans and director salaries were just too much. Whether the IRS will remove the tax status, we won’t know. But we do know that the Playoff PAC is digging into every crook and cranny to blow away the BCS.
- Meanwhile, the PAC 10 is thinking about having their title game in Las Vegas. Okay that’s a little crazy as there is no team in the Pac 10 from Nevada. It is centrally located, but they need to have it in California.
- Texas is signing up another (somewhat) tough opponent in Maryland for the 2017 and 2018 season. Will this be the game on the Longhorns Network?
- Because of past troubles, USC will be barred from playing the Pac 10 Championship Game in 2012, if they are good enough to get there. Bide your time Trojan fans. Once Lane Kiffin blows up your program and you rebuild, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of the title game.
- It seems Landry Jones of Oklahoma will have a higher calling after he is done calling plays. Jones says he’s 98% sure that he wants to become a pastor after football. Just goes to show you all walks of life come to play football. We wonder how many Hail Marys he’s tossed compared how many he’s recited.
- He’s just hanging with Tim Brewster. He’s not going for the head coaching job. That’s what Minnesota is saying after Mark Mangino was spotted on the sidelines of a game, supporting his buddy. Minnesota should’ve gotten right out in front of this. There is no way no one would not recognize Mark Mangino hanging out on the sidelines. The nose bleeder seats would’ve been able to see him.
- Apparently along with the no cell phone rule for players, Turner Gill’s Kansas Jayhawks can’t be with the ladies after 10 pm. That’s a harsh rule. It’s on any night. Do mothers count? Like as in visit and talk to. Keep your mind out of the gutters, people.
- Nick Saban said his Alabama team should be set to face Michigan in the Jerry Jones Super Mega Cowboys Stadium Dome in 2012. It sounds like more college games will be played there than pro games. It’s good for Dallas we suppose.
- Looks like Kansas backup, and former starter, Kale Pick will be out a couple of weeks with a leg injury. Not sure if he will ever see a snap again.
- Bill Snyder 2.0 is starting to look alot like the first version. The Wildcats snagged a top ranked junior college quarterback Justin Tuggle from Blinn, much like another former one by the name of Michael Bishop. This looks to be the next year.
- The NHL’s Stanley Cup showed up at the Notre Dame game last week. It will be awhile before the Fighting Irish will see another title of any kind down in South Bend.
- Strange things are afoot for Missouri. First off, cornerback Munir Prince left the team due to the transient quadriplegia he suffered in the preseason. If he plays anymore it could get permanent. Next up, senior safety Jasper Simmons has been suspended indefinitely from the team. He had knee surgery after the Illinois game. Are they just trying to drop a scholarship or something? At any rate, some very unusual things are going down in Columbia.
This week marks the middle of the college football season. What have we learned so far? The top teams are still at the top. Texas and Florida hold destiny in their hands. Florida might have a rougher road but the coarse has been set for the predicted title match up. The rest of pack? Not so much. Especially in the Big 12. Oklahoma fell off the map big time, with Sam Bradford getting knocked out early with a shoulder injury. Kansas State is first in the Big 12 North, which punctuates the mediocrity thriving up there. The BCS busters are hanging around, except for the teams from Utah thankfully. The KCCGD crew is batting over .500 for hitting up good sports bars. Let’s hope the last half of the season is as exciting as the first half. Here’s the crib sheet :
- Former Penn State running back Austin Scott filed suit against all of the people involved in the rape charge against him that was eventually dropped a couple of years. There was not enough evidence to bring to jury. Scoot claims that everyone involved injured his career and is seeking damages. Rape is a serious charge and if someone gets wrongly accused and is ousted because of that, then the people involved should get punished.
- Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount is on the campaign trail to revive his status with the team, this time talking in front of teens with other current players. It’s going to be a long road back but the more work he does, the better chance he will have at getting back on the field. Let’s hope he makes it.
- Dennis Dodd for CBS clearly points out the writing on the wall of Oklahoma Sooners fans, Sam Bradford’s college career is over. After going down again against Texas, we doubt he’s gonna come back and try to re injure the shoulder or something else. Landry Jones will be your guy from now on.
- On the BCS front, we have a new political action committee started to fight the BCS. Yup it’s the Playoff PAC! A bunch of Belt Way people will get together and try to elect Congressmen to vote on playoffs for the BCS. Never mind that the guy running it just happens to be a Utah alumnus. Seriously, people from Utah suck.
- Maryland and South Carolina will wear camo uniforms for their game November 14th for Veterens Day. Sweet! Now if Army could only buy a clue and bring back the sweet camo garb they sported last year. Bring it back!
- Jasper Howard, a Connecticut cornerback, was fatally stabbed after their homecoming game Saturday as well as another player. Head coach Randy Edsell claims that there wasn’t any fighting but some ‘verbal jostling’ that started it. So far there are two arrests made but they may not be connected directly to the stabbing. Our thoughts go out to the Uconn players and Jasper Howard’s family.
College Sports, Kansas City style
