And all through the house, pumpkin pie was baking and I was aroused (with hunger). Yup, it’s that time of year again. This year, I’m planning on laying back and actually watching some competitive football. For once it will be both for the NFL and college football. So there’s been a feast of news leading up to turkey day and I wrapped it up in a big ole slice of Crib Sheet. It’s kinda like fish and chips, but with college football news and less of stink. I hope. Here is this week’s fresh Crib Sheet:
It’s ever so toasty down here in Austin, so I will keep this intro short and then grab some water. I broke a sweat already. Here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
Another week of Mascot Monday and I’m getting into the groove of going over mascots from schools that have been in the news recently. It’s admittedly hard to come up with wacky mascots when you’ve been eyeballing costumed characters for as long as I have. So this week’s big news is the buyout of West Viriginia’s Bill Stewart so coach in waiting Dana Holgorsen can take over. If you remember, Holgorsen was in trouble for some casino incident but it was later found out that Stewart or a Stewart supporter started a smear campaign against him. This week we’ll let the story of The Mountaineer teach us something about competitive respect.
Baseball’s right around the corner and I figured the news would be super quiet for college football. Boy was I wrong. There’s tasty chunks of news going around all over the place. I’m done salivating you taste buds, time to feast on this week’s Crib Sheet:
We’re still tucked away with snow here at KCCGD headquarters and it’s time to finally wind things down, college football wise. Spring practices and the draft is coming up, but that won’t be for a couple of months. This week’s Crib Sheet surely reflects that. Now I could waste a couple items with arrests and dismissals, but that happens every couple of weeks anyway. So grab yourself some hot cocoa, sit right back, and enjoy a nice little Crib Sheet:
Freshly signed Kansas State quarterback Daniel Sams opened up his tenure dropping the bomb that Collen Klein will move back to wide receiver. How does that bode for the Wildcats? Maybe Sims is that good that the best quarterback from last year gets bumped to wide receiver. Either that or the recruiters told him a fib. At any rate, Sams will be running some laps for opening his mouth.
Apparently transfer hungry Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier is looking at Kansas State as well as other schools. Will the Wildcats get this former Wolverine? You know, the other transfers from RichRods epic fail went on to do wonders for their team (think Ryan Mallet). Because of that, however, I’m thinking Forcier will head to a bigger school for his second chance. Still, it’s fun to dream.
This Purple Yeti is too busy chopping wood for the fire to bring you much for the rest of January. Look for some new giblets starting February. In the meantime, I have the Crib Sheet to you warm. Check it out:
So ESPN’s David Ubben points us to the overall bowl record for conferences. The Big 12 finished at the bottom, tied with the Big 10. It’s pretty bad for the conference when they notch the same record as an overrated conference that needed to expand to stay relevent.
Michigan contacted Gary Pinkel’s agent to ask for an interview. Pinkel turned it down. One dis from the Big 10 deserves a dis right back. That and Missouri already competes for the title now. It will take Michigan a couple of years before they get back on track.
RichRod dumped about 430 maize and blue gear on the Salvation Army on his way out of Michigan. At least he did one good thing while he was up there. I wonder if he cried on his way out of the store.
That said, things are looking up for Michigan, now that they’ve replaced RichRod with Brady Hoke. The ‘Predator’ Denard Robinson decided to stay and Hoke landed the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison. I swear this is the last Michigan news for a long, long time.
Texas Tech was so impressed with Tommy Tuberville’s first year that they’ve already given him an extension. Can he keep it up? It’s doesn’t matter now because his buyout will probably be sweeter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s the middle of the bowl season and we’ve had some great games so far. What’s cool about this time right now, is that coaches are making jumps left and right, either to the NFL or back down from the NFL. Players are also declaring their intentions for the big time as well. So while we try to keep up with who’s going where and who’s staying, we get some great bowl action left. Well, at least through Monday. Until then, here’s the Crib Sheet:
So Kansas State got burned on an excessive celebration penalty in their loss in the Pinstripe Bowl to Syracuse. A simple salute to the fans cost the Wildcats 15 yards and a missed shot for a 2 point conversion to tie the game up. The officials had some lame-o explanation and because of that it may be reviewed next year. Overall the game was pretty sloppy for the Wildcats but you can’t end the game on a penalty.
One of our favorite mascots, Georgia’s UGA (number VIII this time), missed the Liberty Bowl trip due to a sickness. Let’s wish him a good recovery. If you remember this UGA took over duties because to previous died at a very early age.
Florida’s on a rampage. We know they got Will Muschamp from under Texas as their new head coach. Now they signed up Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss. I figured Weiss was a short termer for the Chiefs but leaving so soon to go back to college is kind of a scratcher. Maybe he will have free reign?
Another regular season over and another bowl season is set. I like the matchups for the Big 12 this year. Yes, no two teams are in BCS bowls but there is a chunky 8 teams going bowling. I don’t want to hear the yipping from Missouri fans this year as their game against Iowa is way bigger than the game Nebraska has against Washington. Kansas State’s in the first ever Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse. That should be a fun one too. We have the Army vs Navy game and then the week after is all bowls. Right now, it’s the Crib Sheet:
I was ignoring it but, but now I can’t help but comment on the Miami coaching situation. Randy Shannon was canned and a couple of candidates have cropped up. That’s not exciting. What IS exciting is that Donald Trump wrote a letter to Miami to hire Mike Leach. The U might just become pirates.
Beano Cook is the 2011 recipient of the 38th Bert McGrane Award, which I guess goes to football sports writers each year. I listen to him on the ESPN College Football Podcast each week and has quickly become one of my favorite sports media personalities. Congrats to him too.
Cam Newton is cleared of any allegations by the NCAA. Looks like his dad can’t hang around the program now, though. It looks like the sabotage job by Mississippi State didn’t work too well. I’m now pegging Auburn as the favorite to win the BCS title game.
I didn’t pay attention to the RichRod situation at Michigan until now. He’s crying again and this time it’s about how happy he is being the head coach for the Wolverines. I ignored the talk before because I thought he was pretty much safe, but this latest crying makes me wonder if he’s in trouble. He may be.
It’s one thing when an undefeated non-AQ conference team doesn’t make a BCS Bowl, but it’s another when a 6-6 AQ conference team like Arizona State gets denied a bowl appearance. I thought the slots were so abundant this year that there might have been a 5-7 team in a bowl? Oh well, it looks like they needed one more game.
The site for a new College Football Hall of Fame will be by Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. It will open around March of 2013. Make plans now!
The Cincinnati Bearcat was citied for starting a snowball fight during the Pitt game last Saturday. It’s a good thing they had a backup mascot ready for the rest of the game.
The Bowls are set! Here’s the Big 12 version. I wonder how many Missouri Tigers fans will complain. Oh I know Nebraska fans will, but they are gone after this game so their voice is a little quieter.
Rob Long of Syracuse has a benign brain tumor and will undergo surgery. He will not play the Pinstripe Bowl. As being someone who’s had someone close go through the same thing, all I can say is that my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.
Alrighty, I’m about halfway through my scotch and water, I blasted out another Crib Sheet, and I’m jacked up for some football tomorrow night. It’s prediction time! The offseason sucked. Period. Being in Big 12 land was not easy on this college football lovin’ Yeti and especially not easy on Kansas City. We weathered the storm and now we are here ready for some pigskin play. What will we see in this year’s volume of football? Let’s take a look in our crystal ball shaped glass full of scotch and water.
Mike Leach will lose his CBS announcing job for making Gus Johnson stand in the bathroom with no light.
Mark Ingram will not be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, thanks to the fresh knee injury.
The Oregon Ducks will win the Pac 10, both for best dressed and actual gold.
Colorado loses a bunch of games and Dan Hawkins stays on because the school is too broke to fire him out of his contract.
Caoch Brian Kelly will talk NBC into going into commerical breaks for opposing teams’ offensive drives only. Oh and the Fighting Irish will make a bowl.
Missouri will win the North, only because Nebraska’s ego and farewell tour will fall flat.
Daniel Thomas will be a Heisman finalist, thanks to a solid offensive line and the fact that he will get his yards with the whole defense keying on him. Thanks, Carson Coffman.
Boise State will go undefeated and not make the dance. People are saying its the weak schedule, but it will be because of an undefeated team in the Big 10 and one other conference. Look for Orrin Hatch to have an aneurism over this one.
This will be Lee Corso’s last season for ESPN College GameDay. It’s been a hell of a ride, Lee, just please don’t put on the Grim Reaper’s head when it’s your time to go.
This will be the fastest season ever for the Kansas Jayhawks. By fast, we mean the fans will be ready for basketball season about 2 games in. Turner Gill’s rebuilding starts this year, he’s got at least 3 before some magic happens.
Iowa State will be in the bottom of the league again, but they will get an upset some big team because of a massive rain storm. Hey their practice field flooded over the summer, they should be ready.
Texas just missed the mark in the Big 12 South. Not because of the competition, but for the cliffhanger they want to leave for next season’s Longhorns Network debut. Stay Tuned! Same horn time! Same horn channel!
Big Game Bob goes to a BCS game but will not be game as the Sooners bob and weave from some other big team beaming game time bashings. Probably against Virginia Tech and Frank BEAMER.
The Big East has a seasson. No one really cares.
RichRod makes a valiant effort and gets the Wolverines into a bowl game. It will be the weakest one from the Big 10 and it will be enough to get him fired. He will then go on and make real estate deals with everyone in the Ann Arbor region.
USC doesn’t get close to a Pac 10 championship and Lane Kiffin leaves after just one season. The Kiffin world tour moves on!
Florida misses Tim Tebow and will miss being in the running for the SEC. Urban Meyer gets sick and dies from the piss poor play on the field.
Kansas City sports bars will stay the same this year. No one will get 3D TVs because the mixture of 3D and beer will make everyone puke. Some new bars will crop up and the KCCGD crew will eventually puke in those anyway.
We’re going back to our 2008 prediction about Joe Paterno dieing on the field. Now that Bobby Bowden is out, this one should get much easier. Or will he be in the booth this year?
Okay, we called the BCS National Championship game two years ago with Florida and Oklahoma, we were halfway right with Texas last year in the big game. What will happen this year? Well, the trend says we will get it all wrong so there’s nothing to lose. I’m thinking the offseason hype for the Big 10 will lead a team to a title contention. Since the only team that’s worth a damn up there is Ohio State, then that’s our pick. Chances are the SEC will be mega tough again this year and barring any late push by an Oregon or a Big 12 team, we are going the easy route and picking SEC. Whose turn is it? Let’s go LSU. Why not. Can you say 2007 rematch?
It’s time to go camping! The teams are gearing up and we geared up for our own camp adventure last week. :
The two biggest movers and shakers from the off season’s expansion bonanza might actually play each other. There was the talk of Notre Dame and none other than Texas will play each other in a couple of years. Good for both programs. If the Longhorns end up with an exclusive television station, this game might only be played on Longhorns TV and NBC.
Assistant coach Bruce Walker from Missouri was arrested last week on a DWI. The coaches and some of their wives were coming back from a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. Now we’ve been down there many times and we can say that more than likely you will be coming back drunk from down there. A cab was called, he should’ve taken it. But hey, Missouri’s used to making bad choices, right?
Meanwhile, in Ames, Iowa State defensive back David Simms plead guilty to the credit card fraud charge. He sits out the first game against Northern Illinois. See kids? Crime doesn’t pay (kinda).
Not only does Kansas have to deal with Holden Tharp’s year ending injury, but now they have to change the fight song! Colorado and Nebraska are somehow featured in the song and since they are high tailing out of the conference, new words must be had.
So while Boise State’s head coach Chris Peterson banned Twitter use for players, the player who incited the haymaker from LeGarrette Blount spoke up and let us know what he said. “How ’bout that (expletive)-whuppin?” So Blount was talking smack before the game and this guy threw it in his face afterward.
The Bill Snyder 2.0 magic is in effect. The Kansas State Wildcats reported record contributions for the last year. It also helps that a very public blunder by Bob Krause fed the anxiety of said contributors.
The USA Today Top 25 pre season poll is out! Top five in order are Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Texas, and Boise State. Yes, a mid major is up there and TCU is not far behind. Big 12 wise we have Oklahoma and Nebraska at 8 and 9 respectively. How much will this change in the next couple months? We can’t wait for the season to get here.
UCLA is falling apart right before Kansas State’s eyes. The middle game is gone with two season ending injures and an academically ineligible tag. We think Daniel Thomas is drooling just a little bit more at this rushing opportunity.
Okay, we talked about the Big 10 expansion with all of the goodbits on the business side of things, but what about us? What about the fans? How will the average stool jockey be affected if and when the Big 10 decides to expand out beyond its current bounds? From the Trojan sporting LA type to the gator chomping tanned Floridian, the effect could be small. Or it could be big. The closer the proximity to the Big 10, the more the fans will experience change, especially right here in Kansas City. Let’s see what can happen as we narrow the focus down to right here at the KCCGD headquarters.
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.
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!
It was a different day Saturday afternoon. The cold spilled in over the midwest, the clouds filled the sky, and we were actually making the set of night games for the barspot. We huddled ourselves in the late afternoon/evening around the big bar in the sports bar section of Nick and Jake’s. Sports bar section you say? Yup, that’s different too. Nick and Jake’s really isn’t a sports bar. But yet, it is. Bar or not, the games on the television screens kept us nice and cozy.
