College Football Week One – Mama mia, here we go again!
Swann Song for the WAC,
WVU to the Heartland,
Can it get any Wackier?
Yeah, just wait until next year – San Diego State to the Big East.
But that’s next year. For now, let’s just stick with this year. It’s wacky enough. And speaking of wacky, we won’t be able to say the Wacky WAC much longer. The conference disbands next summer at the end of the academic year.
For 50 years, whenever folks talked or thought about the Western Athletic Conference, otherwise known as the WAC, they always thought of the Wacky WAC. It was wacky because that is exactly what its offenses were – wacky.
It was nothing for WAC teams to score 50, 60, 70, even 80 points a game – mostly on passing and a lot of wacky plays. And the defenses were just as wacky. There weren’t any – defenses. And when WAC teams played each other, the scores were often 70-56 or 65-63.
The WAC was founded in 1962. Charter members were Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Along the way, some teams left and others joined. Over the years WAC members also included, at any given time, Colorado State, UTEP, San Diego State, Hawaii, Air Force, Fresno State, UNLV, Rice, SMU, TCU, Tulsa, Nevada and Boise State.
Today the WAC consists of Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Texas State, UT San Antonio and Utah State. But next summer, Louisiana Tech and UT San Antonio depart for C-USA. San Jose State and Utah State leave for the Mountain West. Texas State joins the Sun Belt. And Idaho and New Mexico State….well….the Vandals and the Aggies aren’t going anywhere.
The WAC totally disintegrates next summer with five of the remaining seven members moving on to other conferences. Idaho and New Mexico State asked to join the MWC, C-USA and the Sun Belt. But the two schools were turned down by all three conferences.
Idaho has since announced that it will become an Independent in football and join the Big Sky Conference for all other sports. At last report, New Mexico State plans to follow a similar route. Football will compete as an Independent and the school is looking for a conference for its other sports.
Sixteen years ago if someone told me West Virginia would be competing in the Big 12 Conference in 2012, I would have told them they were crazy.
But here we are in 2012 and, sure enough, West Virginia is in the Big 12. I’m not sure stranger things have happened. After years and years of encounters with Pitt, and Syracuse, and Rutgers and a few other schools, WVU is abandoning its neighborhood for the Heartland. It’s abandoning the hills, the valleys, the trees and the mountains of the East for the farms, the tumble weeds, the plains, the sage brush and the prairies of the Midwest.
It’s a new life and a new beginning for the Mountaineers. It’s also a new life for TCU who has joined the Big 12, along with WVU. But in some ways, it’s a renewal for the Horned Frogs who are reconnecting with some of their old Southwest Conference companions – Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor.
In all, seven of the 11 FBS conferences have changed their appearances for the 2012 season – the Big 12, SEC, Big East, Mountain West, Mid-American, WAC and Sun Belt. Only the Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and C-USA enter the 2012 season looking the same as they did last year.
Here’s the rundown: The Big 12 lost Missouri and Texas A&M and added TCU and West Virginia. The SEC added Missouri and Texas A&M. The Big East lost West Virginia and added Temple. The Mountain West lost TCU and added Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada. The Mid-American lost Temple and added Massachusetts. The WAC lost Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada and added Texas State and UT San Antonio. And the Sun Belt added South Alabama.
That gets us up-to-date on the status of the conferences for the start of the 2012 season.
Yes, it’s here. We don’t have to wait much longer. College football is back!
We don’t know how, but we suddenly lose control
There’s a fire within our soul
Just one game and we can hear a bell ring
One more game and we forget everything, o-o-o-oh
Mama mia, here we go again
My, my, how can we resist you?
Mama mia, does it show again?
My, my, just how much we’ve missed you
But before we go any further, let’s get up-to-date on the new rules for the 2012 season. They are:
1. Kickoffs will be moved to the 35-yard line from the 30-yard line.
2. Touchbacks will move from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line on kickoffs and free kicks after a safety. Touchbacks on punts rolling into the end zone or fumbles into the end zone will remain at the 20-yard line.
3. Players will be forbidden from leaping over other players when blocking punts.
4. Players who lose their helmets during a play (except when caused by grabbing the face mask) will have to sit out the next play.
5. Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap who are not in motion are allowed to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with some exceptions (i.e. blocking straight-on).
Yes, we’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the last game ended
Why, why did we ever let you go?
Mama mia, now we really know
My, my, we could never let football go
And just to get our sites fixed for the season, one team – California – is back in its home stadium, following a year’s absence, while two teams – Washington and Massachusetts – will vacate their home fields for awhile.
Out in Berkeley, the renovations are complete at California Memorial Stadium, home of the Golden Bears. The stadium even received a seismic retrofit. Cal Memorial sits on the Hayward Fault. The capacity of the stadium was actually reduced from 71,800 to 62,700, but it is a much nicer (and earthquake safer) facility to watch a football game in now. Last year, Cal played its home games in Candlestick Park and AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, up Interstate 5 from California, Husky Stadium, home of the Washington Huskies, will be undergoing renovations this season. Washington will play its home games in CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders FC. The Huskies will be back in Husky Stadium for the 2013 season.
And finally, Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, home of the Massachusetts Minutemen will be undergoing renovation work for two seasons – 2012 and 2013. The Minutemen won’t return to their stadium until the 2014 season. In the meantime, Massachusetts will play its home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Gillette Stadium is home of the New England Patriots. Even though UMass will be back in its stadium in 2014, the Minutemen will continue to play one home game a season in Gillette Stadium from 2014 to 2016.
Speaking of Massachusetts, the Minutemen are one of four schools competing in FBS football for the first time this season. The other three are South Alabama, Texas State and UT San Antonio. All four have stepped up from the FCS level. That brings the FBS to a total of 124 teams.
We think you know that you won’t be away too long
You know that we are not that strong
Just one game and we can hear a bell ring
One more game and we forget everything, o-o-o-oh
Mama mia, here we go again
My, my, how can we resist you?
Mama mia, does it show again?
My, my, just how much we’ve missed you
So, now we know who will be playing in what conferences, what the new rules are, what stadiums have been or are undergoing renovations and what teams are new to the FBS. The only thing left to do is get the season started.
College football 2012 kicks off at 7 p.m. (EDT), Thursday, August 30, in Nashville, Tennessee – Vanderbilt hosting South Carolina. And that’s just the beginning. It’s five-straight days of football, covering the full Labor Day Weekend from Thursday through Monday. It doesn’t get any better than that.
There are several big games on the lineup for opening weekend, including Michigan vs. Alabama (in Arlington, Texas), Boise State at Michigan State, Clemson vs. Auburn (Atlanta, Georgia), Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, Washington State at BYU and NC State vs. Tennessee (Atlanta, Georgia).
South Carolina at Vanderbilt (August 30) is one of six crucial, early season SEC games that are going to tell us a lot about how the SEC will pan out in 2012. Florida is involved in two of those games and both are on the road for the Gators – Florida at Texas A&M (September 8) and Florida at Tennessee (September 15). The other three games are Auburn at Miss State (September 8), Georgia at Missouri (September 8) and Alabama at Arkansas (September 15). Those are the only six SEC conference games played during the first three weeks of the season. But those six games may define the season for some if not all of those teams involved. Stay tuned!
Yes, we’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the last game ended
Why, why did we ever let you go?
Mama mia, now we really know
My, my, we could never let football go
The biggest game this weekend has to be the Michigan-Alabama game. Both teams are ranked in the Top 10, in the various preseason polls. It’s been a while since the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide last played. And I have to tell you, it sure brings back memories.
The last meeting occurred on January 1, 2000. It was the Orange Bowl. I watched the game on TV with my future son-in-law. But I didn’t know he was to be my future son-in-law when the game started. Little did I know what he had in mind. But he knew. He knew to ask me for my daughter’s hand when I was most vulnerable – when I was watching a college football game. How could I say no?
Michigan beat Alabama in that game, 35-34 in overtime. Michigan overcame a couple of 14-point deficits to win the game. Tom Brady quarterbacked the Wolverines. Michigan wide receiver David Terrell was named the game’s most valuable player.
Overall, Michigan is 2-1 against Alabama. In addition to the Orange Bowl, the Wolverines beat the Tide in the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl. Alabama beat Michigan in the 1997 Outback Bowl.
Did I mention that Rockledge Gator suffered an injury a while back? He was injured trying to fold-up his grandson’s stroller. Fortunately, for Rockledge Gator, he wasn’t on the disabled list too long. Hopefully, he never has to fold up his grandson’s portable play pen. That could be disastrous. And speaking of Rockledge Gator, the poor guy is back on kitchen appliance probation again – something about oatmeal in the microwave this time. Bootsie’s about to lose her wits.
Now, if the football players at West Virginia only could play football like the WVU students can party, then West Virginia, hands down, would be national champions every year. Yes, the Princeton Review released its annual Top Party School list last week and West Virginia was the No. 1 party school again. The Mountaineers were followed by 2. Iowa, 3. Ohio, 4. Illinois, 5. Georgia, 6. Florida, 7. UC Santa Barbara, 8. Florida State, 9. Miami (Ohio) and 10. Syracuse.
Mama mia, here we go again
My, my, how can we resist you?
It’s time for chili dogs, cold pizza and beer for breakfast on Saturday mornings.
Mama mia, does it show again?
My, my, just how much we’ve missed you
Touchdown Tom
August 27, 2012
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)
Quotes of the Week
“Joe Paterno comes across as sort of a stuffed mascot, monstrously indifferent to all around him. The former Penn State coach comes across as a self-mythologizing monster, consumed by his legacy of winning on the football field,” Wall Street Journal writer Tim Marchman, reviewing the book 'Paterno' by Joe Posnanski.
“I’m just ready to explode,” Florida running back Mike Gillislee.
“The biggest difference between Alabama of last year and this year is not the seven new defensive starters. It’s the schedule,” CBSSports.com writer Tony Barnhart.
“We’re feeling pretty good about 10 teams. We’re also feeling good we brought in two ranked football teams in exchange for the two that moved out,” Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
“Do you expect anyone to take you seriously, Graham Spanier?,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyel, on the former Penn State president.
“The Dolphins have named rookie Ryan Tannehill as their starting quarterback. Is this a reward or a sentence?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“He needs to be more consistent as far as his assignments are concerned, finishing plays down the field, and continue to work at those things,” Florida coach Will Muschamp, on the inconsistent play of Gator receiver Andre Debose.
Opening Weekend’s 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Michigan vs. Alabama – (Big Ten vs. SEC) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – Alabama will be facing tougher quarterbacks on the road this season and Michigan’s Denard Robinson is the first one. Robinson and Wolverine running back Fitz Toussaint will test the Alabama defense. But the Tide will do some testing of their own. It’s the No. 1 team in the Big Ten against the No. 2 team in the SEC, or so the preseason polls say. The SEC comes out on top – Alabama 18, Michigan 16.
RUNNER UP: 2. Boise State at Michigan State – (MWC vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN, 8 pm ET, Friday) – Last year, Boise State went into Atlanta and whipped up on Georgia in its season opener. It was worse than Sherman marching through the Peach State. But that was last year. This is this year. Boise State ain’t the Broncos they were last year. Le’Veon finds a rose – Michigan State 30, Boise State 19.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Clemson vs. Auburn – (ACC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Make no mistake about it, Dabo Sweeny needs this game more than Gene Chizik. Chizik is still basking in the glory of Auburn’s national championship – even though it’s been two years. But Sweeny never really has cut the mustard at Clemson. And that 70-33 smashing the Tigers took from West Virginia in the Orange Bowl still has Clemson fans gnashing their teeth. Sweeny breathes a sigh of relief – Clemson 26, Auburn 24.
4. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 8 pm ET, Monday) – The five-day Labor Day Weekend closes out with this contest Monday night. It should be a good one. Either team could win. But on paper, the Tech from Virginia should win. And the game is in Blacksburg. Logan’s run – Virginia Tech 27, Georgia Tech 22.
5. South Carolina at Vanderbilt – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 7 pm ET, Thursday) – The upset alert is out on this game. Vandy has a history of playing Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks tough. South Carolina comes into the game flying high – ranked in the Top 10 and Marcus Lattimore is back. But Vandy is flying below the radar with Zac Stacy and Jordan Rogers. Commodore coach James Franklin has been busy tuning up Vandy. Commodores are henpecked – South Carolina 26, Vanderbilt 22.
6. Washington State at BYU – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) (TV: ESPN, 10:15 pm ET, Thursday) – Middle-aged women will be out in full force at this game – it’s the Cougars against the Cougars. It’s also the return of Mike Leach to college football. To his liking, Leach has a good quarterback at Washington State – Jeff Tuel. But to his disappointment, he doesn’t have much else. Still, BYU isn’t all that much better. BYU throws the book at Wazzu – BYU 32, Washington State 26.
7. NC State vs. Tennessee – (ACC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPNU, 7:30 pm ET, Friday) – Both coaches need this win in a bad way. One – Derek Dooley – is definitely on the hot seat. It couldn’t be any hotter. The other – Tom O’Brien – is only on a warm seat. But he could use a big win. O’Brien has been okay in Raleigh, but not great. Dooley’s seat gets hotter – NC State 28, Tennessee 27.
8. Southern Miss at Nebraska – (C-USA vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – There was a time, in recent years, when Southern Miss could have come into Lincoln and knocked off the Huskers. But there is no chance of that now. The Eagles have a new coach – Ellis Johnson – and first games under new coaches don’t always go well. Johnson is a defensive genius, but Nebraska’s offense shouldn’t have any problems. It could be a big day yardage wise for Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. But will Husker coach Bo Pelini miss his brother Carl, running the defense? Only John Papuchis can answer that. We don’t need no stinkin’ helium to raise our Corn – Nebraska 38, Southern Miss 16.
9. Texas A&M at Louisiana Tech – (SEC vs. WAC) (TV: ESPNU, 7:30 pm ET, Thursday) – This contest has the makings of an upset. Texas A&M is going through a transition – new coach, new quarterback, new conference. Meanwhile, La Tech is a veteran team. The Bulldogs have had the Aggies in their sights since spring practice. And if La Tech wins, Sonny Dykes won’t be long for Ruston. Aggies in a squeaker – Texas A&M 26, Louisiana Tech 25.
10. Marshall at West Virginia – (C-USA vs. Big 12) (TV: FX, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – If Marshall has any hopes of beating WVU, the Herd better get it done in this game. The two schools aren’t scheduled to meet again anytime soon – in fact not at all. Oh, they will eventually get back together one of these days, but it probably won’t be for a long, long time. Let the party begin in Mo’town – West Virginia 35, Marshall 14.
11. Kentucky at Louisville – (SEC vs. Big East) (TV: ESPN, 3:30 pm ET, Sunday) – Louisville is considered to be the best team in the Big East, while Kentucky is considered to be the worst team in the SEC. This game shouldn’t be close. And it may not be. But the Joke is on the Wildcats – Louisville 27, Kentucky 21.
12. SMU at Baylor – (C-USA vs. Big 12) (TV: FSN, 6:30 pm ET, Sunday) – Under June Jones, SMU has been trying to turn the corner. But the corner has been mighty big. Baylor provides the Mustangs yet another chance to get around the bend. A win would be big for SMU. But it won’t happen. The Bears get the job done even without RG3 – Baylor 34, SMU 24.
13. Ohio at Penn State – (MAC vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s Michael Buble. No, no, it’s Bill O’Brien. O’Brien is the man who has been charged with putting the Happy back in Unhappy Valley. With Larry, Moe and Curley (Graham, Gary and Tim) still hanging around spewing their sickening denials, that may take a while. But football Saturday’s in State College should gradually get the school back into the partying spirit. After all, Penn State only fell to 11th on Princeton Review’s Top Party School list – just barely out of the Top 10. Ohio is supposed to be the premier team of the MAC so the Bobcats may cause some problems for O’Brien’s debut. Nittany bobs the Cats – Penn State 24, Ohio 19.
14. Navy vs. Notre Dame – (Ind. vs. Ind.) (TV: CBS, 9 am ET, Saturday) – And ‘tis from Dublin, Ireland, no less. It will be Breakfast at Aviva. I know….it doesn’t have quite the ring to it that Breakfast at Wimbledon does. But that is the name of the stadium in Dublin – Aviva. And what better excuse than this to be having beer for breakfast back in the States. Well, as long as it is Guinness. Or rum if you are a Navy fan. Bottoms up. The Middies forget to kiss the Blarney Stone – Notre Dame 30, Navy 15.
15. Miami (Ohio) at Ohio State – (MAC vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – The Urban Meyer era begins in Columbus. Will the spread work on the banks of the Olentangy? If it doesn’t, the Urban Meyer era will be over in Columbus. Urban spreads the RedHawks – Ohio State 38, Miami (Ohio) 14.
16. Miami (Florida) at Boston College – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – These two coaches need to have a good season. Frank Spaziani is barely hanging onto his job at BC. And Al Golden has not been all that golden in Miami. In fact he is rather tarnished. Both teams could suffer through the season, but one has to win this game. Frank pawns the Golden one – Boston College 22, Miami 20.
17. Toledo at Arizona – (MAC vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPNU, 10:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Rich Rodriguez must be the Horace Greeley of college football coaches – “Go West young man, go West.” From West Virginia to Michigan to Arizona, Rich Rod has made his trek. He’s gone from the mountains to the rusted out assembly plants to the desert. Maybe he will find his way in the desert. Perhaps not this season, but he will in this game – but it won’t come easy – Arizona 30, Toledo 20.
18. Florida International at Duke – (Sun Belt vs. ACC) (TV: None, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – What? The Dookies aren’t opening against Richmond. Don’t they always open against Richmond? I mean, if it’s opening weekend of college football, Duke must be playing Richmond. I guess the Spiders were too tough for the Dookies. Well, let me tell you, the Dookies are jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, switching from Richmond to FIU. If they thought Richmond was tough, boy are the Dookies in for a surprise – a big surprise. FIU loves Devil’s Food Cake – FIU 25, Duke 19.
19. UCF at Akron – (C-USA vs. MAC) (TV: None, 7 pm ET, Thursday) – The return of Terry Bowden to FBS football. Speaking of the diminutive Bowden, have you seen Terry lately? Man, has he ever put on some kind of weight. I believe he is now as wide as he is tall. He won’t be running onto the field with his Zips…..he’ll have to waddle onto the field. And with Chuck “Chuckles the Clown” Amato, his defensive coordinator. Those two will be some sight to see. This could be George “Resume” O’Leary’s last season at UCF. There are a number of issues and problems with the program. But not enough to keep the Knights from winning – UCF 32, Akron 17.
20. Texas State at Houston – (WAC vs. C-USA) (TV: CSNC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – This is Texas State’s debut game as an FBS team. The Bobcats decided to kick it up a notch. But the Cougars take them down a notch. Houston baptizes the Bobcats – Houston 42, Texas State 17.
…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
21. UT San Antonio at South Alabama – (WAC vs. Sun Belt) (TV: None, 7:30 pm ET, Thursday) – This is the first FBS game for these two teams. Both only started playing football recently – UTSA last year and South Alabama in 2009. The Roadrunners, that’s UTSA, are coached by former Hurricane coach Larry Coker. The Jaguars make Road Kill out of the Roadrunners – South Alabama 26, UTSA 23.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Bowling Green at Florida – (MAC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – So this is how Florida gets back at Urban Meyer. The Gators go beat up on the school where Meyer first coached. And that is exactly what the Gators will do regardless of character issues in the locker room. Make no Mustake about it, Muschamp will win – Florida 38, Bowling Green 12.
Buffalo at Georgia – (MAC vs. SEC) (TV: SEC Network, 12:20 pm ET, Saturday) – Last year, Georgia began the season 0-2. That won’t happen this year. The Dawgs will be at least 1-1. Uga shuffles off the Buffaloes – Georgia 49, Buffalo 9.
Eastern Kentucky at Purdue – (Ohio Valley vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Purdue is playing EKU because Boiler coach Danny Hope used to be the head coach there before he came to West Lafayette. He may be back there next year. Hope is running out for oh Danny boy. He’s 16-21 after three years at Purdue. The fans will be there in sunshine, but not in shadow. Hope springs – Purdue 33, Eastern Kentucky 16.
Wyoming at Texas – (MWC vs. Big 12) (TV: LHN, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – Mack Brown begins his 15th season herding the Bovines in Austin. And the last two weren’t any fun – not for Mack or the Texas fans. The Cows lost seven games in 2010 and five last year. But they did end the 2011 season on a positive note, beating California in the Holiday Bowl. Smackwater Mack lets it all hang loose – Texas 37, Wyoming 12.
AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State opens at home against Murray State…. South Florida entertains Chattanooga…. Florida Atlantic hosts Wagner…. Florida A&M travels to Tennessee State…. Bethune-Cookman is home against Alabama State…. Jacksonville U. is on the road at Georgia Southern.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . Texas named sophomore David Ash the starting quarterback for the Longhorns’ opener against Wyoming. Ash beat out Case McCoy…. Stanford named junior Josh Nunes the starting quarterback for its opener against San Jose State. Nunes beat out sophomore Brett Nottingham…. Auburn named sophomore Kiehl Frazier the starting quarterback for the Tigers’ opener against Clemson. Frazier beat out Clint Moseley.
Oregon named redshirt-freshman Marcus Mariota its starting quarterback for the Ducks opener against Arkansas State. Mariota beat out third-year sophomore Bryan Bennett…. Mississippi State is undergoing NCAA investigation for potential recruiting violations…. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley predicts that Georgia will finish the regular season at 11-1, losing only to South Carolina.
Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)
P.S.
Not directly college football related, but as the Labor Day weekend approached and college football fans were stoked for the start of another great season, the number one song in the country…
…70 years ago this week in 1942 was “Jingle Jangle Jingle” by Kay Keyser
…65 years ago this week in 1947 was “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” by Tex Williams
…60 years ago this week in 1952 was “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart” by Vera Lynn
…55 years ago this week in 1957 was “Tammy” by Debbie Reynolds
…50 years ago this week in 1962 was “The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva
…45 years ago this week in 1967 was “Ode To Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry
…40 years ago this week in 1972 was “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass
…35 years ago this week in 1977 was “Best Of My Love” by The Emotions
…30 years ago this week in 1982 was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor
…25 years ago this week in 1987 was “Who’s That Girl” by Madonna
…20 years ago this week in 1992 was “End Of The Road” by Boyz II Men
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were eight passings of note last week – Phyllis Thaxter, William Windom, Scott McKenzie, Tony Scott, Phyllis Diller, Steve Van Buren, Don Raleigh and Neil Armstrong.
Phyllis Thaxter, who got her start in the movies during World War II and had her final role as Superman’s mother, died last week in Longwood, Florida. She was 92. Thaxter made her movie debut in the 1944 film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” (Van Johnson). Her movies included “The Sea of Grass” (Spencer Tracy), “Blood on the Moon” (Robert Mitchum), “She’s Working Her Way Through College” (Ronald Reagan), “Springfield Rifle” (Gary Cooper), “Jim Thorpe – All American” (Burt Lancaster) and “The Breaking Point” (John Garfield and Patricia Neal). She made TV appearances on “Wagon Train,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The Fugitive” and “Murder She Wrote.” Thaxter was born on November 20, 1919, in Portland, Maine.
William Windom, who won an Emmy Award and appeared on “Star Trek” and “Murder She Wrote,” died last week at his home in Woodacre, California. He was 88. He also appeared on “The Twilight Zone,” “The Streets of San Francisco” and “The Rookies.” Windom was born September 28, 1923, in New York City. He also appeared in the movies “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Americanization of Emily,” “Brewster McCloud” and “She’s Having My Baby.”
Scott McKenzie, who performed the 1967 ballad “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair),” died last week at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73. “San Francisco” was written by John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas. McKenzie and Phillips were good friends. McKenzie later wrote “Kokomo” for the Beach Boys. McKenzie was born Philip Blondheim in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 10, 1939.
Tony Scott, director of exuberant action films, including “Top Gun” (1986), died last week. He was 68. He also directed “Enemy of the State” (1998), with Will Smith and Gene Hackman and “Days of Thunder” (1990), with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Phyllis Diller, whose stand-up comedy helped open the door for generations of funny women, died last week at her home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was 95. Phyllis Ada Driver was born on July 17, 1917, in Lima, Ohio.
Steve Van Buren, the Hall-of-Fame running back who led the Philadelphia Eagles to NFL titles in 1948 and 1949 died last week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was 91. The former LSU star, nicknamed “Wham-Bam” for his quick and punishing running style, joined the Eagles in 1944 as a first-round pick. Van Buren was born in La Ceiba, Honduras. His parents died when he was 10, and he moved to New Orleans to live with his grandparents.
Don Raleigh, a New York Rangers All-Star center in the 1950s who became the first NHL player to score sudden-death overtime goals in two consecutive games of a Stanley Cup final series, died last week in Kingston, Ontario. He was 86. Raleigh played 10 seasons in the NHL, all with the Rangers. James Donald Raleigh was born on June 27, 1926, in Kenora, Ontario, and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Neil Armstrong, the U.S. astronaut who was the first man to walk on the moon (July 20, 1969), died last week. He was 82. Neil Alden Armstrong was born August 5, 1930, on his grandfather’s farm near Wapakoneta, Ohio. He flew combat missions over North Korea during the Korean War. Armstrong graduated from Purdue in 1955. He made his first space flight in 1966 on Gemini 8.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
College Football Week – Preseason 2, suffering Olympics withdrawal
From LSU to North Carolina
Another side of the off-season
LSU was in the news as the off-season got underway back in January – not once, but twice. First, there were reports that LSU players clashed with their coach Les Miles in the locker room prior to the start of the national championship game against Alabama. Miles named Jordan Jefferson the starting quarterback for the game, but the players apparently wanted Jarrett Lee to start.
Lee was the starting quarterback for the Tigers at the beginning of the season, but he was benched for Jefferson during the first Alabama game. From the outset of the championship game it was obvious that Jefferson was shaken. He was plagued throughout the game with butterfingers, bad passes and poor judgment. Ultimately, Jefferson blamed the loss to Alabama on poor play calling by the LSU coaches.
Then, we learned that LSU lost its commitment from the No. 1-ranked high school quarterback in the country – Gunner Kiel. Kiel, of Columbus, Indiana, had committed to the Tigers in December. But in mid-January, he changed his commitment to Notre Dame. This marked the second time Kiel reneged on a commitment. In the summer of 2011, he originally committed to Indiana.
And talk about political correctness gone too far: We learned in January that Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, had to dispense with “Cougars” as the school’s mascot. The local school board informed Corner Canyon High that “Cougars” was offensive to middle-aged women. Pardon me, but isn’t BYU the Cougars?
Still in January, Johnny Otis died. Otis, 90, sang the 1958 hit “Willie and the Hand Jive.” He also wrote “Every Beat of My Heart” for Gladys Knight and the Pips. Joe Paterno also died. It was probably best.
Rumors that “Dancing with the Stars” was trying to land Tim Tebow for its spring season never materialized. Nor did the rumors that Oregon coach Chip Kelly was going to become the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables did leave the Sooners to become the DC at Clemson. And Rutgers coach Greg Schiano became the Tampa Bay Bucs coach.
Navy announced it would join the Big East Conference as a football only member in 2015, and Trey Griffey, son of baseball player Ken Griffey Jr., committed to Arizona. The younger Griffey is a wide receiver. Meanwhile, Pat Sajak and Vanna White revealed that in the 1980s they used to get soused on margaritas at a nearby Mexican restaurant while taping episodes of “Wheel of Fortune.”
In early February, Swamp Mama, Bootsie, Rockledge Gator and I went to a Florida basketball game in Gainesville. Swamp Mama and I hadn’t been to a Gator basketball game since Princess Gator was in school at UF in the late 1990s. And Bootsie and Rockledge Gator had never been.
We made a weekend of it, staying at our favorite resting spot in Gainesville – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com). Visiting with the proprietors – Monta and Peggy Burt – is always a treat. Florida beat Vanderbilt, 73-65, in a good game. And we each got a “Rowdy Reptile” T-shirt, compliments of UF. Saturday night, we went to a play at the Hippodrome Theater, compliments of Monta and Peggy.
The four of us rushed home Sunday so we could rest up before going to Randy and Ellen Duerr’s Super Bowl party that evening. Randy and Ellen throw the best Super Bowl party. But one thing caught my attention this year. Everyone at the party was having such a good time socializing, talking, laughing, eating and drinking. And no one was watching the game.
The only time anyone was paying attention to the game was when one of the teams was on the verge of scoring. However, at halftime when Madonna was about to make her appearance, all eyes were on the TV. You could hear a pin drop. Best quote following the game: “Tom Brady was 3-0 before he met Gisele Bundchen. He’s 0-2 since meeting her.”
A week after the Super Bowl, Whitney Houston died. Among other things, she will always be remembered for her stunning performance singing the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl in Tampa.
Temple and Memphis announced they were joining the Big East Conference as all-sports members – Temple in 2012 and Memphis in 2013. Former UCF football coach Mike Kruczek was named the offensive coordinator at Massachusetts. Kruczek was the Knights’ coach from 1998 to 2003. And everyone had a touch of Linsanity.
After national signing day in February, two Big Ten coaches – Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema and Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio – accused new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer of dirty recruiting. The comments became embarrassing for Bielema when his own athletic director Barry Alvarez came out and called Bielema a “cry baby.”
Princess Gator called me one Saturday in February while Swamp Mama was out shopping. Shopping is Swamp Mama’s favorite pastime on Saturdays. Anyway, she told me she was cooking a Boston butt in the crock pot. And she told me to be sure and tell mom. But forgetting to pass messages onto Swamp Mama is one of my pastimes.
Well, that evening, Swamp Mama got a text message from Princess Gator that said, “My butt is awesome.” As Swamp Mama was freaking out, thinking someone had hacked Princess Gator’s cell phone, I moaned, “Uh-h-h, honey, I forget to tell you something. Princess Gator called earlier today and said she was cooking a Boston butt.”
Former New York Mets and Montreal Expos catcher Gary Carter died at the age of 57. Carter helped to propel the Mets to the 1986 World Series championship. Born in Culver City, California, Carter was a star quarterback at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California. He originally planned to play football at UCLA where he had a scholarship offer, but when he was drafted by the Expos, Carter decided to go the baseball route.
In late February, Swamp Mama and I attended the wedding of Jamie Maggiore and George Valle in Naples, Florida. Jamie, a Florida graduate, is the daughter of Patti and Larry Maggiore. The wedding ceremony was an outdoor service held in Rogers Park in Naples. The Reception was at the Inn on Fifth, a grand ol’ hotel in Naples. Jamie’s sisters, Casey and Suzanne (both CFW readers) were members of the wedding party.
At the reception, Swamp Mama and I became acquainted with Collins and Sherry Reed of Athens, Georgia. We had an enjoyable time talking to them in spite of the fact they are Bulldog fans. Unfortunately, on the very day of the wedding, Florida lost to Georgia in basketball.
Anyway, Collins and Sherry shared some interesting information about a “blast from the past.” Some of you may remember the syndicated radio show that aired during football season – “Leonard’s Losers.” Collins and Sherry were acquaintances of Leonard – Leonard Postero – the voice of “Leonard’s Losers.” The show began airing in 1958 and continued on the radio until 1999 when Leonard retired.
On the show, Leonard would predict the outcome of various college football games in his unique, down-home, humorous way. I remember hearing the show on the radio when I was in high school, in college, in Europe on Armed Forces Radio, even when I moved to Florida in 1976. Leonard was a native of Athens and a graduate of Georgia. He died in 2001 at the age of 79.
Former Monkees band member Davy Jones died at the end of February, and in early March, former New York Giants running back Alex Webster died. He was 80. Webster played for the Giants in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He helped propel the Giants to six division titles and one NFL championship. Webster played college football at NC State.
In April, things got very interesting out in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That’s when Razorback coach Bobby Petrino thought he was Steve McQueen and took his mistress on a motorcycle ride. Unfortunately for Petrino, he was no Steve McQueen. Petrino wrecked the motorcycle and he and his mistress – Jessica Dorrell – suffered minor injuries.
Petrino, married with four children, tried to hide the fact that Dorrell was involved and lied to his boss – Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. It turns out Dorrell, a former volleyball player at Arkansas, was recently hired by Petrino as the Assistant Director of the Razorback Foundation. At the time of the accident, Dorrell was engaged to the swimming coach at Arkansas. A few days later Long fired Petrino.
Watching the Florida spring game on TV, it became very obvious that Will Muschamp was going to have a tough time deciding which quarterback would start in the fall – Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel. Both looked very good.
Meanwhile, in Augusta, a Bulldog named Bubba won the Masters. That’s better than a Bulldog named Uga winning the Masters.
Things got a little heated for Urban Meyer in April. Sports Illustrated magazine published an article that trashed the Ohio State coach. A recruit from Maryland who was being wooed by both Florida and Ohio State said that Meyer told him that Florida had character issues in its locker room. Sports Illustrated reported that it was Meyer who was responsible for the character issues in Gainesville.
SI went on to report that while Meyer was coach at Florida, he gave star players preferential treatment and overlooked positive drug tests. The story also reported an incident during the 2008 season involving Percy Harvin and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales. According to multiple sources, Harvin physically attacked Gonzales, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground.
The sources for the various accusations were former Florida players, some indentified and some not in the article. Gonzales later denied that the Harvin incident ever happened and Meyer also denied all the accusations.
Levon Helm died in April. Helm, a member of the Band, was a giant in the rock music scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. He was a tremendous influence on so many other musicians. Helm, a multi-instrumentalist and even an actor, was best known as the drummer and lead and backup vocalist for the Band. His featured songs were “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” He had roles in the movies “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “The Right Stuff.” He will be missed.
In May, the Big East Conference presidents fired Big East commissioner John Marinatto and former West Virginia coach Bill Stewart died from a heart attack while playing golf. Stewart coached WVU during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, compiling a 27-12 record. He was also the interim coach of the Mountaineers at the end of the 2007 season when WVU beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Talk about timing, no sooner had the Sports Illustrated story about Urban Meyer appeared and two players at Ohio State were arrested. But I’m sure that can be blamed on the character issues in the Ohio State locker room left over from the Jim Tressel days. After all, at Florida, Meyer blamed all his player problems on Ron Zook. However, to Meyer’s credit, he dismissed the two players from the team at Ohio State.
The commissioners of the 11 FBS conferences, along with the athletic director of Notre Dame got together in June to talk about the future of the BCS and the possibility of a playoff. At first, it appeared the gathering would not come away with any agreements. Then, at the last minute, a four-team playoff was loosely agreed upon.
Basically, some new poll, as yet to be defined, will rank the teams from week-to-week during the season. At the end of the season (starting at the end of the 2014 season), the Top-4 teams in the poll will participate in a playoff for the national championship. On or around January 1, No. 1 will play No. 4 and No. 2 will play No. 3. About a week later, the winners of those two games will meet for the championship.
Most likely, but not definite, the two semifinal games will be played in existing bowls. The championship game will be played anywhere around the country and cities will bid to host the game. Stay tuned.
Andy Yawn and Kristine Hainsel were married in June in a beautiful service conducted by Ann Fuller. Swamp Mama and I had a most enjoyable evening – wedding, reception and all.
In July, new Arkansas coach, John L. Smith (let’s hope he doesn’t ride a motorcycle), announced that he would be declaring bankruptcy. It’s not that Arkansas isn’t paying him enough. It seems that ol’ John L. made some bad investments on property in Kentucky. Just goes to show you, don’t ever buy land in Kentucky.
Here in the South, we used to look forward to the SEC Media Days every year in late July. What entertainment! With coaches like Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer (And the feuds with Steve Spurrier and Alabama); Steve Spurrier (When he was at Florida); Kentucky’s crazy Hal Mumme; Alabama’s Mike DuBose (He didn’t like Spurrier either); Alabama’s Mike Price (Oh, that’s right…..he never made it to Media Days); Alabama’s Mike Shula (All the women wanted to touch him); Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin (Looking for USC tradition in Knoxville); Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson (He looked like Steve Martin); South Carolina’s Lou Holtz (Dementia strikes again); Mississippi State’s Jackie Sherrill (Let’s watch a bull get castrated); Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville (Is Bobby Loudermilk hiding in the audience?), and Florida’s Tim Tebow (Are you still a virgin?) the SEC Media Days used to be a riot. They were better than any comedy or soap opera on TV. Those were the days.
But today the SEC Media Days are boring. They’re dull. I mean, Nick Saban, Gene Chizik, Will Muschamp, Les Miles, Joker Phillips, Derek Dooley, Dan Mullen and an older Steve Spurrier are decent coaches, but they are about as exciting as turnip greens. And word is that more than half the people who attend SEC Media Days now are not even from legitimate media.
However, Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe made a comment at the recent SEC Media Days that may have stuck with his coach Gary Pinkel. When asked what’s better about the SEC than the Big 12, Moe said, “The girls are prettier in the SEC.”
Last week at the start of a Missouri practice session in Memorial Stadium, two hot-looking co-eds were working out, running the steps in the stadium. Pinkel had security remove the girls from the stadium, believing they were spies from Georgia (Missouri’s first SEC opponent on September 8). Pinkel must have thought girls that good looking couldn’t be from Missouri.
And that brings us to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Chapel Hill may become the latest State College. No, not a sex scandal…..an academic scandal…..possibly the biggest academic scandal in NCAA history.
For 11 years, or longer, athletes at North Carolina – football and basketball – have been receiving grades from 54 (or more) classes that didn’t exist. They were given grades for fake classes. Some were meeting their foreign language requirement by taking Swahili. There was no Swahili class. An investigation is underway.
Already some are saying that a number of officials at North Carolina could be fired, including chancellor Holden Thorp and basketball coach Roy Williams. North Carolina may have to vacate its 2005 and 2009 national basketball championship titles. And the university could lose its academic accreditation. Stay tuned.
What an off-season!
Here’s wishing for a full and speedy recovery to Patti Maggiore, who recently underwent surgery. The Gators need all your energetic support this fall, Patti.
Ryan and Lena Yawn (Auburn fans) of Birmingham, Alabama, are the proud parents of Savannah Leigh Yawn. Savannah, born on August 16, is Ryan and Lena’s second child. Ryan is the son of Bootsie and Rockledge Gator. Savannah is their third grandchild and first granddaughter.
Speaking of Rockledge Gator, and speaking of another side of the off-season, did I mention that Rockledge picked up a new nickname a few months back? Rockledge, you, see, drives a big Ford F-150. And most days, he drives that F-150 to the nearby Starbucks to get his caffeine fix. He always uses the drive-thru.
Well, he goes there so often that the girls working the drive-thru window at Starbucks got to know him. Every time they saw his F-150 driving up to the window, they would look at Rockledge Gator and say, “Want your usual today, Big Truck?” And as Rockledge drove away, the girls said, “See you tomorrow, Big Truck.”
So the next time you see Rockledge Gator, just say, “How you doin’ there, Big Truck?”
I have to tell you, I was suffering from Olympics withdrawal last week, as I’m sure many of you were too. Swamp Mama was suffering from Ryan Lochte withdrawal. One day, you may have seen it, there was a full-page head-and-shoulder picture of Lochte in the USA Today. It was a Gillette ad or something.
That night, while Swamp Mama was taking her pre-bedtime shower, I placed the full-page picture of Lochte on her pillow. Then I stretched-out on the other side of the bed with my head on the other pillow. When Swamp Mama finished with her shower and walked into the bedroom, I said, “Take your pick.”
Today, the picture of Lochte is hanging on the wall in her office. Me, I’m just hanging on. Maybe I should get a Speedo.
And Rockledge Gator…..I mean…..Big Truck, he’s suffering from Spice Girls withdrawal.
Touchdown Tom
August 20, 2012
The Teams – 2012
Every year, I gather all the preseason polls I can get my hands on. Then I mesh them together to come up with my Top 40. This year, I mustered 13 preseason polls – Coaches, AP, CBS, ESPN, SI, Fox Sports, etc, etc.
My compilations and computations say that (1) LSU is the No. 1 team in the country. The Tigers are first in six of the 13 polls and never worse than third in any of the polls. Second place goes to (2) USC. The Trojans are first in four of the polls. (3) Alabama, (4) Oklahoma and (5) Oregon are third, fourth and fifth respectively. The Crimson Tide are first in two of the polls.
The remainder of the Top 10 are (6) Florida State, (7) Georgia, (8) South Carolina, (9) Michigan and (10) Texas in that sequence. The Seminoles are actually first in one of the polls.
There is a tie for the 11th spot in my poll between (11) Arkansas and (11) Wisconsin. The next three places are taken up by (13) Michigan State, (14) West Virginia and (15) Virginia Tech. The rest of the Top 20 are (16) Ohio State, (17) Clemson, (18) Nebraska, (19) Oklahoma State and (20) TCU.
The next group is led by (21) Florida, followed by (22) Stanford and (23) Kansas State. The Top 25 is completed by (24) Boise State and (25) Louisville. The highest ranked Independent in my poll is (26) Notre Dame. The Irish are followed by (27) Auburn, (28) Utah, (29) Texas A&M and (30) Georgia Tech.
The final group of 10 in my Top 40 are led by (31) NC State. The Wolfpack are just ahead of (32) Washington, (33) North Carolina, (34) Mississippi State and (35) Missouri. Rounding out the Top 40 are (36) Rutgers, (37) South Florida, (38) Virginia, (39) BYU and (40) UCF. Just failing to make the Top 40 are Baylor and Cincinnati.
The SEC is definitely the power conference in my poll, placing 10 teams in the Top 40, four of those in the Top 10. The ACC had seven teams in the Top 40 (one in the Top 10), followed by the Big 12 with seven teams (two in the Top 10). The Big Ten and Pac-12 each landed five teams in the Top 40, while the Big East managed to get three teams on the list. The MWC and C-USA led the non-BCS conferences with one team each in the Top 40.
The MAC, WAC and Sun Belt placed no teams in the Top 40. The highest-ranked WAC team was Louisiana Tech at 57. Ohio, the best from the MAC, is 58th. Among the Sun Belt teams, Florida International is the highest-ranked at 68. There are two Independents in the Top 40.
Taking a look at each of the conferences around the country:
In the SEC East Division, Georgia is the favorite of most, but South Carolina is a close second. Florida is slotted to come in third in the division, but some think the Gators could do better. Tennessee and Missouri are the mystery teams in the East. Vanderbilt could surprise and Kentucky is the division doormat.
Everyone is pretty consistent about first, second and third in the SEC West Division – LSU, Alabama and Arkansas respectively. Fourth in the West is a tossup between Auburn, Texas A&M and Miss State. Ole Miss will be everyone’s candy. LSU is the odds-on-choice to win the SEC championship.
Oklahoma is the solid choice to take the Big 12 title, while West Virginia and Texas are picked to contend for the bridesmaid spot. Oklahoma State and TCU will be breathing down the backs of the Mountaineers and Longhorns. Kansas State is the sleeper and could surprise everyone. Baylor and Texas Tech could cause some trouble, but won’t be serious contenders. Iowa State hopes to show some signs of life, while Kansas will be on life support – with barely a heartbeat.
In the Legends Division of the Big Ten, all signs point to Michigan. But if the Wolverines stumble, Nebraska and Michigan State are equally favored to stake their claim to the title. Iowa and Northwestern will cause some problems, but too weak to compete with the top three. Minnesota will be everyone’s Gopher.
Over in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten, Ohio State and Wisconsin are neck-and-neck for the top spot. Penn State is a distant third. Illinois and Purdue are trouble makers, but not threats. Indiana is just waiting for basketball season. Michigan is the pick to win it all.
There appears to be no doubt about first, second and third in the ACC Atlantic Division – Florida State, Clemson and NC State in that sequence. Wake Forest, Boston College and Maryland will squabble with each other to stay out of the cellar. Odds are Maryland will lose out.
The ACC Coastal Division has been handed to Virginia Tech on a platter. The drama will be for second place between North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Virginia and Miami will make some noise, but neither will be loud enough to contend. And Duke…..well, what else can you say about the Dookies? Duke is doomed. Florida State is the favorite to represent the conference in a BCS bowl.
The Pac-12 North Division looks like a carbon copy of last year – at least for the top two spots: Oregon first and Stanford second. California and Washington will make it tense, battling for third place. Likewise, Washington State and Oregon State will make it tense, trying to stay out of the basement.
USC, Utah and UCLA are the top three picks respectively in the Pac-12 South Division. Arizona and Arizona State will duel for the fourth spot. Colorado is fodder for the rest of the division. The
Trojans are favored to take the conference championship.
Most have settled on Louisville to win the Big East. It becomes somewhat confusing after that, as South Florida, Pitt and Rutgers are all expected to contend for second place. Cincinnati is the mystery and could surprise. Connecticut and Syracuse are question marks – but weak question marks. Temple will get bullied by everyone.
Who else but Boise State is favored to win the MWC. The big question is who between Nevada and Fresno State will finish second. Both are given equal odds. San Diego State, Wyoming and Air Force are all contenders for fourth place. Colorado State and Hawaii are the mystery teams and could cause some issues. UNLV and New Mexico are destined for the basement, with the Lobos the weaker of the two.
UCF is the big favorite in the C-USA East Division, with Southern Miss knocking on the door. East Carolina and Marshall are the mystery teams and either one could surprise. UAB is a hurtin’ Blazer, and Memphis is downright hapless.
Over in the C-USA West Division, it’s a tossup between Houston, Tulsa and SMU for the division title. The Cougars are a slight favorite. Rice and UTEP are in a fight for fourth place and Tulane is hopeless. UCF is figured to be the C-USA champion, but if the Knights lose their appeal to the NCAA, they won’t be eligible for division or conference titles.
In the last ever season for the WAC, Louisiana Tech is slated to take the laurels. Should the Bulldogs slip up, Utah State is waiting in the wings. San Jose State appears destined for third place, but the Spartans could surprise. New Mexico State and Idaho are in a dog fight for fourth place. Newcomers Texas State and Texas-San Antonio will be in a dazed state at the bottom.
Ohio is the hands down favorite to win the MAC East Division – no question about it. The question is who will come in second – Bowling Green, Miami and Kent State are in a tossup for the spot. Not much expected out of Buffalo and Akron who will settle it out for fifth place. Newcomer Massachusetts is the cellar dweller.
In the MAC West Division, Western Michigan is a slight favorite to come out ahead of Northern Illinois. The mystery team is Toledo who could surprise them all. Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Central Michigan figure to be in a three-way fight to stay out of the basement. Ohio is the overall favorite to win the MAC title.
The race for the title of the Sun Belt figures to be a contest between three teams – Florida International, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, with FIU a slight favorite. The three mystery teams are Troy, Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe. Any of those three could be a surprise contender. Middle Tennessee and North Texas appear to be the best of the bottom four teams. Florida Atlantic is suffering and newcomer South Alabama will be abused.
Among the four Independents, Notre Dame is in the best shape. BYU is the mystery team of the bunch and could be a surprise. It figures to be a down year for Navy. Army may not be much better.
The Running Backs – 2012
I’m sure it will all change once the season gets going, but right now 2012 is not shaping up to be the year of the running back. It’s an opportunity for a number of unknown runners to step up and make a name for themselves.
Three runners stand out from all the rest at preseason. They are Monte Ball (5-11, 212, senior) of Wisconsin, Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 218, junior) of South Carolina and Knile Davis (6-0, 226, junior) of Arkansas. Last year, Ball rushed for 1,923 yards, averaging 137 yards per game. He scored 33 touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Ball’s participation in a fight or two in Madison has gotten his preseason off to a precarious start.
Lattimore was off to a great start last year, but seven games into the season, he suffered torn ligaments in his left knee, during the Gamecocks 14-12 win over Miss State. Prior to the injury, Lattimore had rushed for 818 yards, averaging 117 yards per game. His return in Columbia is highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Davis is returning from a broken ankle that wiped out his 2011 season. In 2010, he stepped in at mid-season for the Razorbacks and had games of 110, 182, 187, 152 and 139 yards each, finishing with 1,322 yards. Davis was All-SEC in 2010.
Among the conferences, the SEC seems to be in the best shape for running backs. In addition to South Carolina’s Lattimore and Arkansas’ Davis, there are at least seven more running backs in the conference that are highly regarded at preseason. Two of the best are Zac Stacy (5-9, 210, senior) of Vanderbilt and Christine Michael (5-11, 213, senior) of Texas A&M.
In 2011, Stacy rushed for 1,193 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry. He averaged 92 yards per game. Meanwhile, Michael, who didn’t get going until the fourth game into the season last year, averaged 100 yards per game, while rushing for 899 yards total. He averaged 6 yards per carry.
Three more strong running backs in the SEC are Alabama’s Eddie Lacy (6-0, 220, junior), Florida’s Mike Gillislee (5-11, 201, senior) and Auburn’s Onterio McCaleb (5-11, 174, senior). Then there is LSU’s entire backfield, including Spencer Ware (5-11, 223, junior) and Kenny Hilliard (5-11, 240, sophomore), to mention a couple. The Tigers have one of the strongest groups of running backs in the country.
The Pac-12 has a number of good running backs of note. Leading the group are Kenjon Barner (5-11, 195, senior) of Oregon and Stepfan Taylor (5-11, 208, senior) of Stanford. In 2011, Barner rushed for 939 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry; while Taylor rushed for 1,330 yards, averaging 103 yards per game.
Right up there with Barner and Taylor is Utah’s John White IV (5-8, 186, senior). Last season, White rushed for 1,519 yards, averaging 117 yards per game. Before this season is over he may become known as JW4. The other runners in the Pac-12 who need to be mentioned are Curtis McNeal (5-7, 190, senior) of USC and Isi Sofele (5-8, 183, senior) of California.
In addition to Monte Ball, the Big Ten has its share of solid runners. Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead (5-11, 210, senior) rushed for 1,357 yards last year, averaging about 104 yards per game. Two more backs to watch out for in the Big Ten are Fitz Toussaint (5-10, 195, junior) of Michigan and Le’Veon Bell (6-2, 238, junior) of Michigan State.
The ACC has three runners to keep an eye on. They are North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard (5-10, 205, sophomore), Clemson’s Andre Ellington (5-10, 190, senior) and Virginia’s Perry Jones (5-8, 185, senior). In 2011, Bernard rushed for 1,253 yards and Ellington totaled 1,178 yards.
Likewise, the MWC has three running backs of note. The three are led by Robbie Rouse (5-7, 185, senior) of Fresno State. Rouse had an amazing year last season, rushing for 1,549 yards, averaging 119 per game. Colorado State’s Chris Nwoke (6-0, 214, junior) rushed for 1,130 yards in 2011. And keep an eye out for Wes Cobb (5-9, 196, senior) of Air Force.
The top back in the Big 12 entering the season is Oklahoma State’s Joseph Randle (6-1, 194, junior). Randle accumulated 1,216 yards rushing last year, averaging 94 yards per game. Meanwhile, Big 12 newcomer West Virginia is hoping for big things from Dustin Garrison (5-9, 166, sophomore).
In the Big East, Pitt’s Ray Graham (5-9, 195, senior) and Connecticut’s Lyle McCombs (5-8, 166, sophomore) lead the conference at preseason. Graham was off to a great season in 2011, before tearing his ACL in the eighth game. McCombs rushed for 1,151 yards, averaging 96 yards per game last year.
The top returning rusher in C-USA is Zach Line (6-1, 230, senior) of SMU. In 2011, Line rushed for 1,224 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry and 123 yards per game. The best runner in the Sun Belt is Florida International’s Kedrick Rhodes (5-11, 190, junior). Last season, Rhodes rushed for 1,149 yards. At preseason, there are no running backs of note in the MAC, WAC or among the Independents.
TT’s Top Ten Favorite Running Backs at Preseason:
1. Montee Ball – Wisconsin
2. Marcus Lattimore – South Carolina
3. Knile Davis – Arkansas
4. Kenjon Barner – Oregon
5. Stepfan Taylor – Stanford
6. Rex Burkhead – Nebraska
7. James White – Utah
8. Giovani Bernard – North Carolina
9. Robbie Rouse – Fresno State
10. Zac Stacy – Vanderbilt
And keep an eye on:
Joseph Randle – Oklahoma State; Zach Line – SMU; Christine Michael – Texas A&M; Andre Ellington – Clemson; Fitz Toussaint – Michigan; Le’Veon Bell – Michigan State; Ray Graham – Pitt, and Chris Nwoke – Colorado State.
The Other Positions – 2012
Starting with the wide receivers, five teams each have a pair of receivers who are among the best in college football. The best tandem of the five may be at USC with Robert Woods (6-1, 190, senior) and Marqise Lee (6-0, 190, sophomore).
Two of those five teams met in the Orange Bowl last season – West Virginia and Clemson. The Mountaineers’ talented pair are Tavon Austin (5-9, 174, senior) and Stedman Bailey (5-10, 193, junior). The Tigers counter with Sammy Watkins (6-1, 200, sophomore) and DeAndre Hopkins (6-1, 200, junior). Watkins, however, will be sitting out the first two games as punishment for failing a drug test.
The other two teams each with a pair of celebrated receivers are from the SEC – Tennessee and Georgia. The Vols are looking good with Justin Hunter (6-4, 200, junior) and Da’Rick Rogers (6-3, 208, junior). Meanwhile, Georgia should be set with Malcolm Mitchell (6-1, 184, sophomore) and Tavares King (6-1, 191, senior).
Three more star receivers are California’s Keenan Allen (6-3, 206, junior), Washington State’s Marquess Wilson (6-4, 183, junior) and Duke’s Conner Vernon (6-1, 195, senior). The Big 12 boasts talent at the receiving position in Kenny Stills (6-1, 189, junior) of Oklahoma, Terrance Williams (6-3, 205, senior) of Baylor and Josh Boyce (6-0, 203, junior) of TCU.
And finally, three gifted receivers all from the SEC are Arkansas’ Cobi Hamilton (6-3, 209, senior), Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope (6-0, 206, senior) and Auburn’s Emory Blake (6-2, 197, senior).
Among the best tight ends in the country are Tyler Eifert (6-6, 251, senior) of Notre Dame, Philip Lutzenkirchen (6-5, 256, senior) of Auburn and Jacob Pedersen (6-4, 242, junior) of Wisconsin. Four more highly-rated tight ends are Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins (6-6, 258, sophomore), Ohio State’s Jake Stoneburner (6-5, 245, senior), Arkansas’ Chris Gragg (6-3, 236, senior) and UCLA’s Joseph Fauria (6-7, 258, senior).
College football’s top centers are Barrett Jones (6-5, 302, senior) of Alabama, Dalton Freeman (6-5, 285, senior) of Clemson and Khaled Holmes (6-4, 305, senior) of USC. Also, Oklahoma’s Ben Habern (6-4, 292, senior), West Virginia’s Joe Madsen (6-4, 310, senior) and South Carolina’s T.J. Johnson (6-6, 319, senior). Three other good centers are Travis Swanson (6-5, 305, junior) of Arkansas, Braxston Cave (6-3, 304, senior) of Notre Dame and Travis Fredrick (6-4, 328, junior) of Wisconsin.
The nation’s best guards include Alabama’s Chance Warmack (6-3, 320, senior), Georgia Tech’s Omoregie Uzzi (6-3, 300, senior) and Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard (6-4, 295, junior). Still others are Alvin Bailey (6-5, 312, junior) of Arkansas, Larry Warford (6-3, 333, senior) of Kentucky and Jonathan Cooper (6-3, 310, senior) of North Carolina. Three more at the top are Michigan State’s Chris McDonald (6-5, 299, senior), Oklahoma State’s Lane Taylor (6-3, 328, senior) and BYU’s Braden Hansen (6-6, 313, senior).
Three schools have a pair of the highest-ranked offensive tackles. They are LSU with Alex Hurst (6-6, 340, senior) and Chris Faulk (6-6, 325, junior); Texas A&M with Luke Joeckel (6-6, 310, junior) and Jake Mathews (6-5, 305, junior), and Virginia with Oday Aboushi (6-6, 310, senior) and Morgan Moses (6-6, 335, junior).
Other top offensive tackles are Ricky Wagner (6-6, 322, senior) of Wisconsin, Taylor Lewan (6-8, 302, junior) of Michigan, D.J. Fluker (6-6, 335, junior) of Alabama and Justin Pugh (6-6, 292, senior) of Syracuse.
On the defensive side of the ball, three schools have six of the best defensive ends. They are LSU with Sam Montgomery (6-4, 245, junior) and Barkevious Mingo (6-5, 240, junior); Texas with Alex Okafor (6-4, 260, senior) and Jackson Jeffcoat (6-5, 250, junior), and South Carolina with Jadeveon Clowney (6-6, 256, sophomore) and Devin Taylor (6-8, 267, senior).
But there are a slew of other excellent defensive ends, including Brandon Jenkins (6-3, 260, senior) of Florida State, William Gholston (6-7, 275, junior) of Michigan State, Joe Vellano (6-1, 285, senior) of Maryland and Stansly Maponga (6-2, 265, junior) of TCU. Also, Virginia Tech’s James Gayle (6-4, 260, junior) and Auburn’s Corey Lemonier (6-4, 240, junior). And finally, John Simon (6-2, 260, senior) of Ohio State, Dion Jordan (6-7, 240, senior) of Oregon and Jamie Collins (6-4, 239, senior) of Southern Miss.
Among the cream-of-the-crop of the defensive tackles are Purdue’s Kawaan Short (6-3, 310, senior), Utah’s Star Lotulelei (6-4, 325, senior), Ohio State’s Jonathan Hankins (6-4, 317, junior) and Georgia’s John Jenkins (6-3, 351, senior). Additionally, Aaron Donald (6-0, 270, junior) of Pitt, Jesse Williams (6-4, 319, senior) of Alabama, Bennie Logan (6-3, 287, junior) of LSU and Nikita Whitlock (5-11, 260, junior) of Wake Forest.
Last but not least, Nebraska’s Baker Steinkuhler (6-6, 290, senior), Penn State’s Jordan Hill (6-1, 298, senior), Florida’s Sharrif Floyd (6-3, 305, junior) and North Carolina’s Sylvester Williams (6-3, 320, senior).
Alabama has two of the best inside linebackers in the country. They are C.J. Mosley (6-2, 234, junior) and Nico Johnson (6-3, 245, senior). Others are Manti Te’o (6-2, 255, senior) of Notre Dame, A.J. Klein (6-2, 244, senior) of Iowa State, Chris Borland (5-11, 250, junior) of Wisconsin and Arthur Brown (6-1, 228, senior) of Kansas State.
Five more good inside linebackers are North Carolina’s Kevin Reddick (6-3, 240, senior), Georgia’s Alec Ogletree (6-3, 236, junior), Iowa’s James Morris (6-2, 230, junior), Stanford’s Shayne Skov (6-3, 251, senior) and Virginia Tech’s Bruce Taylor (6-2, 253, senior).
The premier outside linebackers are Jarvis Jones (6-3, 241, senior) of Georgia, Gerald Hodges (6-2, 233, senior) of Penn State, Chase Thomas (6-4, 245, senior) of Stanford, Khaseem Greene (6-1, 235, senior) of Rutgers, and Jonathan Brown (6-1, 235, senior) of Illinois. Also, Wisconsin’s Mike Taylor (6-2, 222, senior), Iowa State’s Jake Knott (6-3, 239, senior), Florida’s Jelani Jenkins (6-0, 233, junior), Michigan State’s Denicos Allen (5-11, 232, junior) and Texas A&M’s Sean Porter (6-2, 230, senior).
Four additional top outside linebackers are Kenny Tate (6-4, 220, senior) of Maryland, A.J. Johnson (6-3, 244, sophomore) of Tennessee, Dion Bailey (6-0, 215, sophomore) of USC and Shaun Lewis (5-11, 222, junior) of Oklahoma State.
The top-rated corner backs in the country are NC State’s David Amerson (6-3, 194, junior), Michigan State’s Johnny Adams (5-11, 175, senior), Kansas State’s Nigel Malone (5-10, 185, senior), Mississippi State’s Jonathan Banks (6-2, 185, senior) and USC’s Nickell Robey (5-8, 165, junior).
Additionally, Micah Hyde (6-1, 190, senior) of Iowa, Brodrick Brown (5-8, 183, junior) of Oklahoma State, E.J. Gaines (5-10, 190, junior) of Missouri, Merrill Noel (5-10, 180, sophomore) of Wake Forest and Demontre Hurst (5-10, 181, senior) of Oklahoma. Last but not least, Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes (6-2, 209, junior), Alabama’s Dee Milliner (6-1, 196, junior), Oregon State’s Jordan Poyer (6-0, 190, senior) and Texas’ Quandre Diggs (5-10, 200, sophomore).
College football’s ranked safeties are T.J. McDonald (6-3, 205, senior) of USC, Eric Reid (6-2, 208, junior) of LSU, Robert Lester (6-2, 210, senior) of Alabama and Bacarri Rambo (6-0, 218, senior) of Georgia. Throw in Oregon’s John Boyett (5-10, 200, senior), Oklahoma’s Tony Jefferson (5-10, 199, junior), Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro (6-1, 215, senior) and Florida’s Matt Elam (6-1, 201, junior).
More good safeties are Lamarcus Joyner (5-8, 193, junior) of Florida State, Hakeem Smith (6-1, 183, junior) of Louisville, Earl Wolff (6-0, 207, senior) of NC State and C.J. Barnett (6-1, 202, junior) of Ohio State.
The cream-of-the-crop placekickers are Florida’s Caleb Sturgis (5-11, 187, senior), Florida State’s Dustin Hopkins (6-2, 190, senior), Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp (6-1, 205, senior) and Nebraska’s Brett Maher (6-0, 185, senior). Also, Drew Alleman (5-11, 183, senior) of LSU, Zach Hocker (6-0, 180, junior) of Arkansas, Michael Hunnicutt (6-0, 175, sophomore) of Oklahoma and Andre Heidari (5-10, 210, sophomore) of USC.
And last but not least, the pick of the punters are LSU’s Brad Wing (6-3, 184, sophomore), Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Allen (6-2, 215, senior), Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp (6-1, 205, senior) and Oregon’s Jackson Rice (6-3, 225, senior). The remaining top punters are Tress Way (6-1, 218, senior) of Oklahoma, Brian Schmiedebusch (6-4, 214, junior) of Bowling Green, Ian Campbell (5-11, 175, senior) of UTEP, Dylan Breeding (6-1, 211, senior) of Arkansas and Jeff Locke (6-1, 214, senior) of UCLA.
Quotes of the Week
“I’ve watched him run and I’m pretty sure I can beat him in the 40-yard dash,” Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
“When Rick Stockstill played at FSU, we used to call him Rick Standstill,” FSU grad and CFW reader Tom Sharpe, on the Middle Tennessee coach.
“With the London Olympics done, is it Tebow time?,” Wall Street Journal sportswriter Jason Gay.
“He is permanently ineligible to play football at LSU. That’s definite,” LSU associate athletic director Bo Bahnsen, on Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu.
“North Carolina cheated and prospered and now it’s time for reckoning. This may be the ugliest academic scandal in NCAA history,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyel, on the developing academic scandal at North Carolina.
“And did you see where former Georgia football coach Jim Donnan was charged in a Ponzi scheme? What, did he convince investors that he could be the Gators?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“Have you been reading the stories about the 18-foot Burmese python that was caught and killed in the Everglades? This is believed to be the biggest snake the State of Florida has seen since Urban Meyer left for Ohio State,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“The key to Georgia’s season is going to be the play of Aaron Murray. He runs hot and cold,” CBS broadcast commentator for the SEC Gary Danielson.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . CBS executive vice president for programming Mike Aresco has been named commissioner of the Big East Conference. The previous commissioner John Marinatto was fired by the presidents of the Big East schools in May.... Georgia State coach Bill Curry will retire at the end of the season. Curry was hired by Georgia State in 2008 to launch the football program at the school which began playing in 2010. Curry turns 70 in October…. Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo is retiring, effective September 30, 2012.
Extra Points
Reverse Play – Redshirt freshman Jared Fagnano is transferring from Akron to Penn State. Fagnano will have to sit out a year before he will be eligible to play for the Nittany Lions. Fagnano’s older brother Jake, a senior, is a starting safety for Penn State.
On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Web site and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were two passings of note last week – Helen Gurley Brown and Ron Palillo.
Helen Gurley Brown, author of the best-seller “Sex and the Single Girl” and former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, died last week. She was 90. She was Cosmopolitan’s editor from 1965 to 1997. Helen Marie Gurley was born February 18, 1922 in Green Forest, Arkansas.
Ron Palillo, who portrayed the goofy high school underachiever Arnold Horshack in the hit 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter,” died last week in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 63. The cause was a heart attack. Palillo, a University of Connecticut graduate, was born April 2, 1949 in Cheshire, Connecticut. After “Welcome Back Kotter,” he made appearances on “The Love Boat,” The A-Team” and the daytime drama “One Life To Live.”
From LSU to North Carolina
Another side of the off-season
LSU was in the news as the off-season got underway back in January – not once, but twice. First, there were reports that LSU players clashed with their coach Les Miles in the locker room prior to the start of the national championship game against Alabama. Miles named Jordan Jefferson the starting quarterback for the game, but the players apparently wanted Jarrett Lee to start.
Lee was the starting quarterback for the Tigers at the beginning of the season, but he was benched for Jefferson during the first Alabama game. From the outset of the championship game it was obvious that Jefferson was shaken. He was plagued throughout the game with butterfingers, bad passes and poor judgment. Ultimately, Jefferson blamed the loss to Alabama on poor play calling by the LSU coaches.
Then, we learned that LSU lost its commitment from the No. 1-ranked high school quarterback in the country – Gunner Kiel. Kiel, of Columbus, Indiana, had committed to the Tigers in December. But in mid-January, he changed his commitment to Notre Dame. This marked the second time Kiel reneged on a commitment. In the summer of 2011, he originally committed to Indiana.
And talk about political correctness gone too far: We learned in January that Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, had to dispense with “Cougars” as the school’s mascot. The local school board informed Corner Canyon High that “Cougars” was offensive to middle-aged women. Pardon me, but isn’t BYU the Cougars?
Still in January, Johnny Otis died. Otis, 90, sang the 1958 hit “Willie and the Hand Jive.” He also wrote “Every Beat of My Heart” for Gladys Knight and the Pips. Joe Paterno also died. It was probably best.
Rumors that “Dancing with the Stars” was trying to land Tim Tebow for its spring season never materialized. Nor did the rumors that Oregon coach Chip Kelly was going to become the coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables did leave the Sooners to become the DC at Clemson. And Rutgers coach Greg Schiano became the Tampa Bay Bucs coach.
Navy announced it would join the Big East Conference as a football only member in 2015, and Trey Griffey, son of baseball player Ken Griffey Jr., committed to Arizona. The younger Griffey is a wide receiver. Meanwhile, Pat Sajak and Vanna White revealed that in the 1980s they used to get soused on margaritas at a nearby Mexican restaurant while taping episodes of “Wheel of Fortune.”
In early February, Swamp Mama, Bootsie, Rockledge Gator and I went to a Florida basketball game in Gainesville. Swamp Mama and I hadn’t been to a Gator basketball game since Princess Gator was in school at UF in the late 1990s. And Bootsie and Rockledge Gator had never been.
We made a weekend of it, staying at our favorite resting spot in Gainesville – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com). Visiting with the proprietors – Monta and Peggy Burt – is always a treat. Florida beat Vanderbilt, 73-65, in a good game. And we each got a “Rowdy Reptile” T-shirt, compliments of UF. Saturday night, we went to a play at the Hippodrome Theater, compliments of Monta and Peggy.
The four of us rushed home Sunday so we could rest up before going to Randy and Ellen Duerr’s Super Bowl party that evening. Randy and Ellen throw the best Super Bowl party. But one thing caught my attention this year. Everyone at the party was having such a good time socializing, talking, laughing, eating and drinking. And no one was watching the game.
The only time anyone was paying attention to the game was when one of the teams was on the verge of scoring. However, at halftime when Madonna was about to make her appearance, all eyes were on the TV. You could hear a pin drop. Best quote following the game: “Tom Brady was 3-0 before he met Gisele Bundchen. He’s 0-2 since meeting her.”
A week after the Super Bowl, Whitney Houston died. Among other things, she will always be remembered for her stunning performance singing the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl in Tampa.
Temple and Memphis announced they were joining the Big East Conference as all-sports members – Temple in 2012 and Memphis in 2013. Former UCF football coach Mike Kruczek was named the offensive coordinator at Massachusetts. Kruczek was the Knights’ coach from 1998 to 2003. And everyone had a touch of Linsanity.
After national signing day in February, two Big Ten coaches – Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema and Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio – accused new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer of dirty recruiting. The comments became embarrassing for Bielema when his own athletic director Barry Alvarez came out and called Bielema a “cry baby.”
Princess Gator called me one Saturday in February while Swamp Mama was out shopping. Shopping is Swamp Mama’s favorite pastime on Saturdays. Anyway, she told me she was cooking a Boston butt in the crock pot. And she told me to be sure and tell mom. But forgetting to pass messages onto Swamp Mama is one of my pastimes.
Well, that evening, Swamp Mama got a text message from Princess Gator that said, “My butt is awesome.” As Swamp Mama was freaking out, thinking someone had hacked Princess Gator’s cell phone, I moaned, “Uh-h-h, honey, I forget to tell you something. Princess Gator called earlier today and said she was cooking a Boston butt.”
Former New York Mets and Montreal Expos catcher Gary Carter died at the age of 57. Carter helped to propel the Mets to the 1986 World Series championship. Born in Culver City, California, Carter was a star quarterback at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California. He originally planned to play football at UCLA where he had a scholarship offer, but when he was drafted by the Expos, Carter decided to go the baseball route.
In late February, Swamp Mama and I attended the wedding of Jamie Maggiore and George Valle in Naples, Florida. Jamie, a Florida graduate, is the daughter of Patti and Larry Maggiore. The wedding ceremony was an outdoor service held in Rogers Park in Naples. The Reception was at the Inn on Fifth, a grand ol’ hotel in Naples. Jamie’s sisters, Casey and Suzanne (both CFW readers) were members of the wedding party.
At the reception, Swamp Mama and I became acquainted with Collins and Sherry Reed of Athens, Georgia. We had an enjoyable time talking to them in spite of the fact they are Bulldog fans. Unfortunately, on the very day of the wedding, Florida lost to Georgia in basketball.
Anyway, Collins and Sherry shared some interesting information about a “blast from the past.” Some of you may remember the syndicated radio show that aired during football season – “Leonard’s Losers.” Collins and Sherry were acquaintances of Leonard – Leonard Postero – the voice of “Leonard’s Losers.” The show began airing in 1958 and continued on the radio until 1999 when Leonard retired.
On the show, Leonard would predict the outcome of various college football games in his unique, down-home, humorous way. I remember hearing the show on the radio when I was in high school, in college, in Europe on Armed Forces Radio, even when I moved to Florida in 1976. Leonard was a native of Athens and a graduate of Georgia. He died in 2001 at the age of 79.
Former Monkees band member Davy Jones died at the end of February, and in early March, former New York Giants running back Alex Webster died. He was 80. Webster played for the Giants in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He helped propel the Giants to six division titles and one NFL championship. Webster played college football at NC State.
In April, things got very interesting out in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That’s when Razorback coach Bobby Petrino thought he was Steve McQueen and took his mistress on a motorcycle ride. Unfortunately for Petrino, he was no Steve McQueen. Petrino wrecked the motorcycle and he and his mistress – Jessica Dorrell – suffered minor injuries.
Petrino, married with four children, tried to hide the fact that Dorrell was involved and lied to his boss – Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. It turns out Dorrell, a former volleyball player at Arkansas, was recently hired by Petrino as the Assistant Director of the Razorback Foundation. At the time of the accident, Dorrell was engaged to the swimming coach at Arkansas. A few days later Long fired Petrino.
Watching the Florida spring game on TV, it became very obvious that Will Muschamp was going to have a tough time deciding which quarterback would start in the fall – Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel. Both looked very good.
Meanwhile, in Augusta, a Bulldog named Bubba won the Masters. That’s better than a Bulldog named Uga winning the Masters.
Things got a little heated for Urban Meyer in April. Sports Illustrated magazine published an article that trashed the Ohio State coach. A recruit from Maryland who was being wooed by both Florida and Ohio State said that Meyer told him that Florida had character issues in its locker room. Sports Illustrated reported that it was Meyer who was responsible for the character issues in Gainesville.
SI went on to report that while Meyer was coach at Florida, he gave star players preferential treatment and overlooked positive drug tests. The story also reported an incident during the 2008 season involving Percy Harvin and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales. According to multiple sources, Harvin physically attacked Gonzales, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground.
The sources for the various accusations were former Florida players, some indentified and some not in the article. Gonzales later denied that the Harvin incident ever happened and Meyer also denied all the accusations.
Levon Helm died in April. Helm, a member of the Band, was a giant in the rock music scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. He was a tremendous influence on so many other musicians. Helm, a multi-instrumentalist and even an actor, was best known as the drummer and lead and backup vocalist for the Band. His featured songs were “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” He had roles in the movies “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “The Right Stuff.” He will be missed.
In May, the Big East Conference presidents fired Big East commissioner John Marinatto and former West Virginia coach Bill Stewart died from a heart attack while playing golf. Stewart coached WVU during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, compiling a 27-12 record. He was also the interim coach of the Mountaineers at the end of the 2007 season when WVU beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Talk about timing, no sooner had the Sports Illustrated story about Urban Meyer appeared and two players at Ohio State were arrested. But I’m sure that can be blamed on the character issues in the Ohio State locker room left over from the Jim Tressel days. After all, at Florida, Meyer blamed all his player problems on Ron Zook. However, to Meyer’s credit, he dismissed the two players from the team at Ohio State.
The commissioners of the 11 FBS conferences, along with the athletic director of Notre Dame got together in June to talk about the future of the BCS and the possibility of a playoff. At first, it appeared the gathering would not come away with any agreements. Then, at the last minute, a four-team playoff was loosely agreed upon.
Basically, some new poll, as yet to be defined, will rank the teams from week-to-week during the season. At the end of the season (starting at the end of the 2014 season), the Top-4 teams in the poll will participate in a playoff for the national championship. On or around January 1, No. 1 will play No. 4 and No. 2 will play No. 3. About a week later, the winners of those two games will meet for the championship.
Most likely, but not definite, the two semifinal games will be played in existing bowls. The championship game will be played anywhere around the country and cities will bid to host the game. Stay tuned.
Andy Yawn and Kristine Hainsel were married in June in a beautiful service conducted by Ann Fuller. Swamp Mama and I had a most enjoyable evening – wedding, reception and all.
In July, new Arkansas coach, John L. Smith (let’s hope he doesn’t ride a motorcycle), announced that he would be declaring bankruptcy. It’s not that Arkansas isn’t paying him enough. It seems that ol’ John L. made some bad investments on property in Kentucky. Just goes to show you, don’t ever buy land in Kentucky.
Here in the South, we used to look forward to the SEC Media Days every year in late July. What entertainment! With coaches like Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer (And the feuds with Steve Spurrier and Alabama); Steve Spurrier (When he was at Florida); Kentucky’s crazy Hal Mumme; Alabama’s Mike DuBose (He didn’t like Spurrier either); Alabama’s Mike Price (Oh, that’s right…..he never made it to Media Days); Alabama’s Mike Shula (All the women wanted to touch him); Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin (Looking for USC tradition in Knoxville); Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson (He looked like Steve Martin); South Carolina’s Lou Holtz (Dementia strikes again); Mississippi State’s Jackie Sherrill (Let’s watch a bull get castrated); Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville (Is Bobby Loudermilk hiding in the audience?), and Florida’s Tim Tebow (Are you still a virgin?) the SEC Media Days used to be a riot. They were better than any comedy or soap opera on TV. Those were the days.
But today the SEC Media Days are boring. They’re dull. I mean, Nick Saban, Gene Chizik, Will Muschamp, Les Miles, Joker Phillips, Derek Dooley, Dan Mullen and an older Steve Spurrier are decent coaches, but they are about as exciting as turnip greens. And word is that more than half the people who attend SEC Media Days now are not even from legitimate media.
However, Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe made a comment at the recent SEC Media Days that may have stuck with his coach Gary Pinkel. When asked what’s better about the SEC than the Big 12, Moe said, “The girls are prettier in the SEC.”
Last week at the start of a Missouri practice session in Memorial Stadium, two hot-looking co-eds were working out, running the steps in the stadium. Pinkel had security remove the girls from the stadium, believing they were spies from Georgia (Missouri’s first SEC opponent on September 8). Pinkel must have thought girls that good looking couldn’t be from Missouri.
And that brings us to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Chapel Hill may become the latest State College. No, not a sex scandal…..an academic scandal…..possibly the biggest academic scandal in NCAA history.
For 11 years, or longer, athletes at North Carolina – football and basketball – have been receiving grades from 54 (or more) classes that didn’t exist. They were given grades for fake classes. Some were meeting their foreign language requirement by taking Swahili. There was no Swahili class. An investigation is underway.
Already some are saying that a number of officials at North Carolina could be fired, including chancellor Holden Thorp and basketball coach Roy Williams. North Carolina may have to vacate its 2005 and 2009 national basketball championship titles. And the university could lose its academic accreditation. Stay tuned.
What an off-season!
Here’s wishing for a full and speedy recovery to Patti Maggiore, who recently underwent surgery. The Gators need all your energetic support this fall, Patti.
Ryan and Lena Yawn (Auburn fans) of Birmingham, Alabama, are the proud parents of Savannah Leigh Yawn. Savannah, born on August 16, is Ryan and Lena’s second child. Ryan is the son of Bootsie and Rockledge Gator. Savannah is their third grandchild and first granddaughter.
Speaking of Rockledge Gator, and speaking of another side of the off-season, did I mention that Rockledge picked up a new nickname a few months back? Rockledge, you, see, drives a big Ford F-150. And most days, he drives that F-150 to the nearby Starbucks to get his caffeine fix. He always uses the drive-thru.
Well, he goes there so often that the girls working the drive-thru window at Starbucks got to know him. Every time they saw his F-150 driving up to the window, they would look at Rockledge Gator and say, “Want your usual today, Big Truck?” And as Rockledge drove away, the girls said, “See you tomorrow, Big Truck.”
So the next time you see Rockledge Gator, just say, “How you doin’ there, Big Truck?”
I have to tell you, I was suffering from Olympics withdrawal last week, as I’m sure many of you were too. Swamp Mama was suffering from Ryan Lochte withdrawal. One day, you may have seen it, there was a full-page head-and-shoulder picture of Lochte in the USA Today. It was a Gillette ad or something.
That night, while Swamp Mama was taking her pre-bedtime shower, I placed the full-page picture of Lochte on her pillow. Then I stretched-out on the other side of the bed with my head on the other pillow. When Swamp Mama finished with her shower and walked into the bedroom, I said, “Take your pick.”
Today, the picture of Lochte is hanging on the wall in her office. Me, I’m just hanging on. Maybe I should get a Speedo.
And Rockledge Gator…..I mean…..Big Truck, he’s suffering from Spice Girls withdrawal.
Touchdown Tom
August 20, 2012
The Teams – 2012
Every year, I gather all the preseason polls I can get my hands on. Then I mesh them together to come up with my Top 40. This year, I mustered 13 preseason polls – Coaches, AP, CBS, ESPN, SI, Fox Sports, etc, etc.
My compilations and computations say that (1) LSU is the No. 1 team in the country. The Tigers are first in six of the 13 polls and never worse than third in any of the polls. Second place goes to (2) USC. The Trojans are first in four of the polls. (3) Alabama, (4) Oklahoma and (5) Oregon are third, fourth and fifth respectively. The Crimson Tide are first in two of the polls.
The remainder of the Top 10 are (6) Florida State, (7) Georgia, (8) South Carolina, (9) Michigan and (10) Texas in that sequence. The Seminoles are actually first in one of the polls.
There is a tie for the 11th spot in my poll between (11) Arkansas and (11) Wisconsin. The next three places are taken up by (13) Michigan State, (14) West Virginia and (15) Virginia Tech. The rest of the Top 20 are (16) Ohio State, (17) Clemson, (18) Nebraska, (19) Oklahoma State and (20) TCU.
The next group is led by (21) Florida, followed by (22) Stanford and (23) Kansas State. The Top 25 is completed by (24) Boise State and (25) Louisville. The highest ranked Independent in my poll is (26) Notre Dame. The Irish are followed by (27) Auburn, (28) Utah, (29) Texas A&M and (30) Georgia Tech.
The final group of 10 in my Top 40 are led by (31) NC State. The Wolfpack are just ahead of (32) Washington, (33) North Carolina, (34) Mississippi State and (35) Missouri. Rounding out the Top 40 are (36) Rutgers, (37) South Florida, (38) Virginia, (39) BYU and (40) UCF. Just failing to make the Top 40 are Baylor and Cincinnati.
The SEC is definitely the power conference in my poll, placing 10 teams in the Top 40, four of those in the Top 10. The ACC had seven teams in the Top 40 (one in the Top 10), followed by the Big 12 with seven teams (two in the Top 10). The Big Ten and Pac-12 each landed five teams in the Top 40, while the Big East managed to get three teams on the list. The MWC and C-USA led the non-BCS conferences with one team each in the Top 40.
The MAC, WAC and Sun Belt placed no teams in the Top 40. The highest-ranked WAC team was Louisiana Tech at 57. Ohio, the best from the MAC, is 58th. Among the Sun Belt teams, Florida International is the highest-ranked at 68. There are two Independents in the Top 40.
Taking a look at each of the conferences around the country:
In the SEC East Division, Georgia is the favorite of most, but South Carolina is a close second. Florida is slotted to come in third in the division, but some think the Gators could do better. Tennessee and Missouri are the mystery teams in the East. Vanderbilt could surprise and Kentucky is the division doormat.
Everyone is pretty consistent about first, second and third in the SEC West Division – LSU, Alabama and Arkansas respectively. Fourth in the West is a tossup between Auburn, Texas A&M and Miss State. Ole Miss will be everyone’s candy. LSU is the odds-on-choice to win the SEC championship.
Oklahoma is the solid choice to take the Big 12 title, while West Virginia and Texas are picked to contend for the bridesmaid spot. Oklahoma State and TCU will be breathing down the backs of the Mountaineers and Longhorns. Kansas State is the sleeper and could surprise everyone. Baylor and Texas Tech could cause some trouble, but won’t be serious contenders. Iowa State hopes to show some signs of life, while Kansas will be on life support – with barely a heartbeat.
In the Legends Division of the Big Ten, all signs point to Michigan. But if the Wolverines stumble, Nebraska and Michigan State are equally favored to stake their claim to the title. Iowa and Northwestern will cause some problems, but too weak to compete with the top three. Minnesota will be everyone’s Gopher.
Over in the Leaders Division of the Big Ten, Ohio State and Wisconsin are neck-and-neck for the top spot. Penn State is a distant third. Illinois and Purdue are trouble makers, but not threats. Indiana is just waiting for basketball season. Michigan is the pick to win it all.
There appears to be no doubt about first, second and third in the ACC Atlantic Division – Florida State, Clemson and NC State in that sequence. Wake Forest, Boston College and Maryland will squabble with each other to stay out of the cellar. Odds are Maryland will lose out.
The ACC Coastal Division has been handed to Virginia Tech on a platter. The drama will be for second place between North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Virginia and Miami will make some noise, but neither will be loud enough to contend. And Duke…..well, what else can you say about the Dookies? Duke is doomed. Florida State is the favorite to represent the conference in a BCS bowl.
The Pac-12 North Division looks like a carbon copy of last year – at least for the top two spots: Oregon first and Stanford second. California and Washington will make it tense, battling for third place. Likewise, Washington State and Oregon State will make it tense, trying to stay out of the basement.
USC, Utah and UCLA are the top three picks respectively in the Pac-12 South Division. Arizona and Arizona State will duel for the fourth spot. Colorado is fodder for the rest of the division. The
Trojans are favored to take the conference championship.
Most have settled on Louisville to win the Big East. It becomes somewhat confusing after that, as South Florida, Pitt and Rutgers are all expected to contend for second place. Cincinnati is the mystery and could surprise. Connecticut and Syracuse are question marks – but weak question marks. Temple will get bullied by everyone.
Who else but Boise State is favored to win the MWC. The big question is who between Nevada and Fresno State will finish second. Both are given equal odds. San Diego State, Wyoming and Air Force are all contenders for fourth place. Colorado State and Hawaii are the mystery teams and could cause some issues. UNLV and New Mexico are destined for the basement, with the Lobos the weaker of the two.
UCF is the big favorite in the C-USA East Division, with Southern Miss knocking on the door. East Carolina and Marshall are the mystery teams and either one could surprise. UAB is a hurtin’ Blazer, and Memphis is downright hapless.
Over in the C-USA West Division, it’s a tossup between Houston, Tulsa and SMU for the division title. The Cougars are a slight favorite. Rice and UTEP are in a fight for fourth place and Tulane is hopeless. UCF is figured to be the C-USA champion, but if the Knights lose their appeal to the NCAA, they won’t be eligible for division or conference titles.
In the last ever season for the WAC, Louisiana Tech is slated to take the laurels. Should the Bulldogs slip up, Utah State is waiting in the wings. San Jose State appears destined for third place, but the Spartans could surprise. New Mexico State and Idaho are in a dog fight for fourth place. Newcomers Texas State and Texas-San Antonio will be in a dazed state at the bottom.
Ohio is the hands down favorite to win the MAC East Division – no question about it. The question is who will come in second – Bowling Green, Miami and Kent State are in a tossup for the spot. Not much expected out of Buffalo and Akron who will settle it out for fifth place. Newcomer Massachusetts is the cellar dweller.
In the MAC West Division, Western Michigan is a slight favorite to come out ahead of Northern Illinois. The mystery team is Toledo who could surprise them all. Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Central Michigan figure to be in a three-way fight to stay out of the basement. Ohio is the overall favorite to win the MAC title.
The race for the title of the Sun Belt figures to be a contest between three teams – Florida International, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette, with FIU a slight favorite. The three mystery teams are Troy, Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe. Any of those three could be a surprise contender. Middle Tennessee and North Texas appear to be the best of the bottom four teams. Florida Atlantic is suffering and newcomer South Alabama will be abused.
Among the four Independents, Notre Dame is in the best shape. BYU is the mystery team of the bunch and could be a surprise. It figures to be a down year for Navy. Army may not be much better.
The Running Backs – 2012
I’m sure it will all change once the season gets going, but right now 2012 is not shaping up to be the year of the running back. It’s an opportunity for a number of unknown runners to step up and make a name for themselves.
Three runners stand out from all the rest at preseason. They are Monte Ball (5-11, 212, senior) of Wisconsin, Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 218, junior) of South Carolina and Knile Davis (6-0, 226, junior) of Arkansas. Last year, Ball rushed for 1,923 yards, averaging 137 yards per game. He scored 33 touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Ball’s participation in a fight or two in Madison has gotten his preseason off to a precarious start.
Lattimore was off to a great start last year, but seven games into the season, he suffered torn ligaments in his left knee, during the Gamecocks 14-12 win over Miss State. Prior to the injury, Lattimore had rushed for 818 yards, averaging 117 yards per game. His return in Columbia is highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Davis is returning from a broken ankle that wiped out his 2011 season. In 2010, he stepped in at mid-season for the Razorbacks and had games of 110, 182, 187, 152 and 139 yards each, finishing with 1,322 yards. Davis was All-SEC in 2010.
Among the conferences, the SEC seems to be in the best shape for running backs. In addition to South Carolina’s Lattimore and Arkansas’ Davis, there are at least seven more running backs in the conference that are highly regarded at preseason. Two of the best are Zac Stacy (5-9, 210, senior) of Vanderbilt and Christine Michael (5-11, 213, senior) of Texas A&M.
In 2011, Stacy rushed for 1,193 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry. He averaged 92 yards per game. Meanwhile, Michael, who didn’t get going until the fourth game into the season last year, averaged 100 yards per game, while rushing for 899 yards total. He averaged 6 yards per carry.
Three more strong running backs in the SEC are Alabama’s Eddie Lacy (6-0, 220, junior), Florida’s Mike Gillislee (5-11, 201, senior) and Auburn’s Onterio McCaleb (5-11, 174, senior). Then there is LSU’s entire backfield, including Spencer Ware (5-11, 223, junior) and Kenny Hilliard (5-11, 240, sophomore), to mention a couple. The Tigers have one of the strongest groups of running backs in the country.
The Pac-12 has a number of good running backs of note. Leading the group are Kenjon Barner (5-11, 195, senior) of Oregon and Stepfan Taylor (5-11, 208, senior) of Stanford. In 2011, Barner rushed for 939 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry; while Taylor rushed for 1,330 yards, averaging 103 yards per game.
Right up there with Barner and Taylor is Utah’s John White IV (5-8, 186, senior). Last season, White rushed for 1,519 yards, averaging 117 yards per game. Before this season is over he may become known as JW4. The other runners in the Pac-12 who need to be mentioned are Curtis McNeal (5-7, 190, senior) of USC and Isi Sofele (5-8, 183, senior) of California.
In addition to Monte Ball, the Big Ten has its share of solid runners. Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead (5-11, 210, senior) rushed for 1,357 yards last year, averaging about 104 yards per game. Two more backs to watch out for in the Big Ten are Fitz Toussaint (5-10, 195, junior) of Michigan and Le’Veon Bell (6-2, 238, junior) of Michigan State.
The ACC has three runners to keep an eye on. They are North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard (5-10, 205, sophomore), Clemson’s Andre Ellington (5-10, 190, senior) and Virginia’s Perry Jones (5-8, 185, senior). In 2011, Bernard rushed for 1,253 yards and Ellington totaled 1,178 yards.
Likewise, the MWC has three running backs of note. The three are led by Robbie Rouse (5-7, 185, senior) of Fresno State. Rouse had an amazing year last season, rushing for 1,549 yards, averaging 119 per game. Colorado State’s Chris Nwoke (6-0, 214, junior) rushed for 1,130 yards in 2011. And keep an eye out for Wes Cobb (5-9, 196, senior) of Air Force.
The top back in the Big 12 entering the season is Oklahoma State’s Joseph Randle (6-1, 194, junior). Randle accumulated 1,216 yards rushing last year, averaging 94 yards per game. Meanwhile, Big 12 newcomer West Virginia is hoping for big things from Dustin Garrison (5-9, 166, sophomore).
In the Big East, Pitt’s Ray Graham (5-9, 195, senior) and Connecticut’s Lyle McCombs (5-8, 166, sophomore) lead the conference at preseason. Graham was off to a great season in 2011, before tearing his ACL in the eighth game. McCombs rushed for 1,151 yards, averaging 96 yards per game last year.
The top returning rusher in C-USA is Zach Line (6-1, 230, senior) of SMU. In 2011, Line rushed for 1,224 yards, averaging 6 yards per carry and 123 yards per game. The best runner in the Sun Belt is Florida International’s Kedrick Rhodes (5-11, 190, junior). Last season, Rhodes rushed for 1,149 yards. At preseason, there are no running backs of note in the MAC, WAC or among the Independents.
TT’s Top Ten Favorite Running Backs at Preseason:
1. Montee Ball – Wisconsin
2. Marcus Lattimore – South Carolina
3. Knile Davis – Arkansas
4. Kenjon Barner – Oregon
5. Stepfan Taylor – Stanford
6. Rex Burkhead – Nebraska
7. James White – Utah
8. Giovani Bernard – North Carolina
9. Robbie Rouse – Fresno State
10. Zac Stacy – Vanderbilt
And keep an eye on:
Joseph Randle – Oklahoma State; Zach Line – SMU; Christine Michael – Texas A&M; Andre Ellington – Clemson; Fitz Toussaint – Michigan; Le’Veon Bell – Michigan State; Ray Graham – Pitt, and Chris Nwoke – Colorado State.
The Other Positions – 2012
Starting with the wide receivers, five teams each have a pair of receivers who are among the best in college football. The best tandem of the five may be at USC with Robert Woods (6-1, 190, senior) and Marqise Lee (6-0, 190, sophomore).
Two of those five teams met in the Orange Bowl last season – West Virginia and Clemson. The Mountaineers’ talented pair are Tavon Austin (5-9, 174, senior) and Stedman Bailey (5-10, 193, junior). The Tigers counter with Sammy Watkins (6-1, 200, sophomore) and DeAndre Hopkins (6-1, 200, junior). Watkins, however, will be sitting out the first two games as punishment for failing a drug test.
The other two teams each with a pair of celebrated receivers are from the SEC – Tennessee and Georgia. The Vols are looking good with Justin Hunter (6-4, 200, junior) and Da’Rick Rogers (6-3, 208, junior). Meanwhile, Georgia should be set with Malcolm Mitchell (6-1, 184, sophomore) and Tavares King (6-1, 191, senior).
Three more star receivers are California’s Keenan Allen (6-3, 206, junior), Washington State’s Marquess Wilson (6-4, 183, junior) and Duke’s Conner Vernon (6-1, 195, senior). The Big 12 boasts talent at the receiving position in Kenny Stills (6-1, 189, junior) of Oklahoma, Terrance Williams (6-3, 205, senior) of Baylor and Josh Boyce (6-0, 203, junior) of TCU.
And finally, three gifted receivers all from the SEC are Arkansas’ Cobi Hamilton (6-3, 209, senior), Texas A&M’s Ryan Swope (6-0, 206, senior) and Auburn’s Emory Blake (6-2, 197, senior).
Among the best tight ends in the country are Tyler Eifert (6-6, 251, senior) of Notre Dame, Philip Lutzenkirchen (6-5, 256, senior) of Auburn and Jacob Pedersen (6-4, 242, junior) of Wisconsin. Four more highly-rated tight ends are Washington’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins (6-6, 258, sophomore), Ohio State’s Jake Stoneburner (6-5, 245, senior), Arkansas’ Chris Gragg (6-3, 236, senior) and UCLA’s Joseph Fauria (6-7, 258, senior).
College football’s top centers are Barrett Jones (6-5, 302, senior) of Alabama, Dalton Freeman (6-5, 285, senior) of Clemson and Khaled Holmes (6-4, 305, senior) of USC. Also, Oklahoma’s Ben Habern (6-4, 292, senior), West Virginia’s Joe Madsen (6-4, 310, senior) and South Carolina’s T.J. Johnson (6-6, 319, senior). Three other good centers are Travis Swanson (6-5, 305, junior) of Arkansas, Braxston Cave (6-3, 304, senior) of Notre Dame and Travis Fredrick (6-4, 328, junior) of Wisconsin.
The nation’s best guards include Alabama’s Chance Warmack (6-3, 320, senior), Georgia Tech’s Omoregie Uzzi (6-3, 300, senior) and Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard (6-4, 295, junior). Still others are Alvin Bailey (6-5, 312, junior) of Arkansas, Larry Warford (6-3, 333, senior) of Kentucky and Jonathan Cooper (6-3, 310, senior) of North Carolina. Three more at the top are Michigan State’s Chris McDonald (6-5, 299, senior), Oklahoma State’s Lane Taylor (6-3, 328, senior) and BYU’s Braden Hansen (6-6, 313, senior).
Three schools have a pair of the highest-ranked offensive tackles. They are LSU with Alex Hurst (6-6, 340, senior) and Chris Faulk (6-6, 325, junior); Texas A&M with Luke Joeckel (6-6, 310, junior) and Jake Mathews (6-5, 305, junior), and Virginia with Oday Aboushi (6-6, 310, senior) and Morgan Moses (6-6, 335, junior).
Other top offensive tackles are Ricky Wagner (6-6, 322, senior) of Wisconsin, Taylor Lewan (6-8, 302, junior) of Michigan, D.J. Fluker (6-6, 335, junior) of Alabama and Justin Pugh (6-6, 292, senior) of Syracuse.
On the defensive side of the ball, three schools have six of the best defensive ends. They are LSU with Sam Montgomery (6-4, 245, junior) and Barkevious Mingo (6-5, 240, junior); Texas with Alex Okafor (6-4, 260, senior) and Jackson Jeffcoat (6-5, 250, junior), and South Carolina with Jadeveon Clowney (6-6, 256, sophomore) and Devin Taylor (6-8, 267, senior).
But there are a slew of other excellent defensive ends, including Brandon Jenkins (6-3, 260, senior) of Florida State, William Gholston (6-7, 275, junior) of Michigan State, Joe Vellano (6-1, 285, senior) of Maryland and Stansly Maponga (6-2, 265, junior) of TCU. Also, Virginia Tech’s James Gayle (6-4, 260, junior) and Auburn’s Corey Lemonier (6-4, 240, junior). And finally, John Simon (6-2, 260, senior) of Ohio State, Dion Jordan (6-7, 240, senior) of Oregon and Jamie Collins (6-4, 239, senior) of Southern Miss.
Among the cream-of-the-crop of the defensive tackles are Purdue’s Kawaan Short (6-3, 310, senior), Utah’s Star Lotulelei (6-4, 325, senior), Ohio State’s Jonathan Hankins (6-4, 317, junior) and Georgia’s John Jenkins (6-3, 351, senior). Additionally, Aaron Donald (6-0, 270, junior) of Pitt, Jesse Williams (6-4, 319, senior) of Alabama, Bennie Logan (6-3, 287, junior) of LSU and Nikita Whitlock (5-11, 260, junior) of Wake Forest.
Last but not least, Nebraska’s Baker Steinkuhler (6-6, 290, senior), Penn State’s Jordan Hill (6-1, 298, senior), Florida’s Sharrif Floyd (6-3, 305, junior) and North Carolina’s Sylvester Williams (6-3, 320, senior).
Alabama has two of the best inside linebackers in the country. They are C.J. Mosley (6-2, 234, junior) and Nico Johnson (6-3, 245, senior). Others are Manti Te’o (6-2, 255, senior) of Notre Dame, A.J. Klein (6-2, 244, senior) of Iowa State, Chris Borland (5-11, 250, junior) of Wisconsin and Arthur Brown (6-1, 228, senior) of Kansas State.
Five more good inside linebackers are North Carolina’s Kevin Reddick (6-3, 240, senior), Georgia’s Alec Ogletree (6-3, 236, junior), Iowa’s James Morris (6-2, 230, junior), Stanford’s Shayne Skov (6-3, 251, senior) and Virginia Tech’s Bruce Taylor (6-2, 253, senior).
The premier outside linebackers are Jarvis Jones (6-3, 241, senior) of Georgia, Gerald Hodges (6-2, 233, senior) of Penn State, Chase Thomas (6-4, 245, senior) of Stanford, Khaseem Greene (6-1, 235, senior) of Rutgers, and Jonathan Brown (6-1, 235, senior) of Illinois. Also, Wisconsin’s Mike Taylor (6-2, 222, senior), Iowa State’s Jake Knott (6-3, 239, senior), Florida’s Jelani Jenkins (6-0, 233, junior), Michigan State’s Denicos Allen (5-11, 232, junior) and Texas A&M’s Sean Porter (6-2, 230, senior).
Four additional top outside linebackers are Kenny Tate (6-4, 220, senior) of Maryland, A.J. Johnson (6-3, 244, sophomore) of Tennessee, Dion Bailey (6-0, 215, sophomore) of USC and Shaun Lewis (5-11, 222, junior) of Oklahoma State.
The top-rated corner backs in the country are NC State’s David Amerson (6-3, 194, junior), Michigan State’s Johnny Adams (5-11, 175, senior), Kansas State’s Nigel Malone (5-10, 185, senior), Mississippi State’s Jonathan Banks (6-2, 185, senior) and USC’s Nickell Robey (5-8, 165, junior).
Additionally, Micah Hyde (6-1, 190, senior) of Iowa, Brodrick Brown (5-8, 183, junior) of Oklahoma State, E.J. Gaines (5-10, 190, junior) of Missouri, Merrill Noel (5-10, 180, sophomore) of Wake Forest and Demontre Hurst (5-10, 181, senior) of Oklahoma. Last but not least, Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes (6-2, 209, junior), Alabama’s Dee Milliner (6-1, 196, junior), Oregon State’s Jordan Poyer (6-0, 190, senior) and Texas’ Quandre Diggs (5-10, 200, sophomore).
College football’s ranked safeties are T.J. McDonald (6-3, 205, senior) of USC, Eric Reid (6-2, 208, junior) of LSU, Robert Lester (6-2, 210, senior) of Alabama and Bacarri Rambo (6-0, 218, senior) of Georgia. Throw in Oregon’s John Boyett (5-10, 200, senior), Oklahoma’s Tony Jefferson (5-10, 199, junior), Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro (6-1, 215, senior) and Florida’s Matt Elam (6-1, 201, junior).
More good safeties are Lamarcus Joyner (5-8, 193, junior) of Florida State, Hakeem Smith (6-1, 183, junior) of Louisville, Earl Wolff (6-0, 207, senior) of NC State and C.J. Barnett (6-1, 202, junior) of Ohio State.
The cream-of-the-crop placekickers are Florida’s Caleb Sturgis (5-11, 187, senior), Florida State’s Dustin Hopkins (6-2, 190, senior), Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp (6-1, 205, senior) and Nebraska’s Brett Maher (6-0, 185, senior). Also, Drew Alleman (5-11, 183, senior) of LSU, Zach Hocker (6-0, 180, junior) of Arkansas, Michael Hunnicutt (6-0, 175, sophomore) of Oklahoma and Andre Heidari (5-10, 210, sophomore) of USC.
And last but not least, the pick of the punters are LSU’s Brad Wing (6-3, 184, sophomore), Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Allen (6-2, 215, senior), Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp (6-1, 205, senior) and Oregon’s Jackson Rice (6-3, 225, senior). The remaining top punters are Tress Way (6-1, 218, senior) of Oklahoma, Brian Schmiedebusch (6-4, 214, junior) of Bowling Green, Ian Campbell (5-11, 175, senior) of UTEP, Dylan Breeding (6-1, 211, senior) of Arkansas and Jeff Locke (6-1, 214, senior) of UCLA.
Quotes of the Week
“I’ve watched him run and I’m pretty sure I can beat him in the 40-yard dash,” Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
“When Rick Stockstill played at FSU, we used to call him Rick Standstill,” FSU grad and CFW reader Tom Sharpe, on the Middle Tennessee coach.
“With the London Olympics done, is it Tebow time?,” Wall Street Journal sportswriter Jason Gay.
“He is permanently ineligible to play football at LSU. That’s definite,” LSU associate athletic director Bo Bahnsen, on Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu.
“North Carolina cheated and prospered and now it’s time for reckoning. This may be the ugliest academic scandal in NCAA history,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyel, on the developing academic scandal at North Carolina.
“And did you see where former Georgia football coach Jim Donnan was charged in a Ponzi scheme? What, did he convince investors that he could be the Gators?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“Have you been reading the stories about the 18-foot Burmese python that was caught and killed in the Everglades? This is believed to be the biggest snake the State of Florida has seen since Urban Meyer left for Ohio State,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“The key to Georgia’s season is going to be the play of Aaron Murray. He runs hot and cold,” CBS broadcast commentator for the SEC Gary Danielson.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . CBS executive vice president for programming Mike Aresco has been named commissioner of the Big East Conference. The previous commissioner John Marinatto was fired by the presidents of the Big East schools in May.... Georgia State coach Bill Curry will retire at the end of the season. Curry was hired by Georgia State in 2008 to launch the football program at the school which began playing in 2010. Curry turns 70 in October…. Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo is retiring, effective September 30, 2012.
Extra Points
Reverse Play – Redshirt freshman Jared Fagnano is transferring from Akron to Penn State. Fagnano will have to sit out a year before he will be eligible to play for the Nittany Lions. Fagnano’s older brother Jake, a senior, is a starting safety for Penn State.
On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Web site and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were two passings of note last week – Helen Gurley Brown and Ron Palillo.
Helen Gurley Brown, author of the best-seller “Sex and the Single Girl” and former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, died last week. She was 90. She was Cosmopolitan’s editor from 1965 to 1997. Helen Marie Gurley was born February 18, 1922 in Green Forest, Arkansas.
Ron Palillo, who portrayed the goofy high school underachiever Arnold Horshack in the hit 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter,” died last week in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was 63. The cause was a heart attack. Palillo, a University of Connecticut graduate, was born April 2, 1949 in Cheshire, Connecticut. After “Welcome Back Kotter,” he made appearances on “The Love Boat,” The A-Team” and the daytime drama “One Life To Live.”
Sunday, August 12, 2012
College Football Week – Preseason and the livin’ is easy
The unappealing off-season
that culminated with appeals
As the sun set on the 2011 college football season, Florida Gator fans were chanting “Urban Liar! Urban Liar!” Georgia coach Mark Richt bragged that the Dawgs would be knocking on heaven’s door…..I mean…..the championship door in 2012.
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was scratching his head, thinking, “How did we ever lose that Sugar Bowl?” Yeah, how did the Hokies lose that game? They dominated the statistics and totally controlled the contest. And to top it off, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was terrible. Beamer still might be scratching his head today.
Penn State was trying to find a coach, while the school’s recently fired coach was trying to find an excuse for not putting a stop to the monster that was Jerry Sandusky. “I didn’t know which way to go. I didn’t know exactly how to handle it,” muttered Joe Paterno.
Sandusky, Paterno, Penn State and the whole scandalous mess in State College seemed to dominate the picture at the close of the 2011 season. And, sadly, it continued to dominate the scene throughout the off-season. It was all very unappealing – unappealing to college football fans, and most of all, unappealing to Penn State fans.
Just two months earlier, Paterno said he was “shocked” when the charges were levied against Sandusky. Then in January he acknowledged that he didn’t know what to do and didn’t know how to handle it. So he really wasn’t shocked. He knew all along, for 14-15 years or more, what Sandusky was up to. And yet, he failed to stop it.
Not only did Paterno fail to stop it, but also quarterback coach Mike McQueary, athletic director Tim Curley, vice-president Gary Schultz and president Graham Spanier failed to put a stop to Sandusky. And McQueary and Curley had been mentored by Paterno. What does that say?
I think it says that power corrupts. After 62 years at Penn State, 46 as head coach, Paterno had become the most powerful man at the school. When Paterno said, “jump,” everyone else at Penn State, including Spanier, said, “How high?” It was an unhealthy situation. It was a situation that, sadly, corrupted Paterno. He became a cold-hearted, self-centered dictator. And a lot of little boys suffered as a result.
But, if nothing else, it is important that we understand one thing from this disturbing scandal. What happened at Penn State could have happened just as easily at any big-time sports school – Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, etc. It didn’t, but it could have.
And let’s keep something else in mind too. We should never erect statues of people until they are dead – long after they are dead.
The Sandusky-Paterno-Penn State mess remained with us throughout the spring and summer, with new developments surfacing on a weekly basis. In late June, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts against him.
By mid-July former FBI Director Louis Freeh released the results of his investigation. Freeh concluded that Paterno, Curley, Shultz and Spanier were complicit in concealing Sandusky’s activities, saying the four men failed to protect children from the harm of a sexual predator for 10 years or more.
Later in July, the NCAA announced sanctions against Penn State, which, among other things, put the school on five years’ probation, banned the school from bowl games for four years, vacated Paterno’s wins from 1998 to 2011, fined Penn State $60 million and reduced the number of scholarships until 2017.
By August, what had been unappealing for so long spawned a ration of appeals against the NCAA. Paterno’s family, a Penn State trustee and former Penn State football players filed appeals against the sanctions. The NCAA responded, “The sanctions are not subject to appeal.”
Stores in State College were selling T-shirts with messages attacking the NCAA, calling the NCAA communist, etc. And now, there are reports that Sandusky was involved in a much larger child pornography ring. What a mess.
Penn State wasn’t the only news during the off-season. And all the news wasn’t unappealing. Next week, we’ll review some of the other things related to college football and more that caught our attention during the off-season.
Meanwhile, I can report that as we come to the end of the off-season, Rockledge Gator is no longer on kitchen appliance probation at his home – something to do with a tea bag catching fire in the microwave. Bootsie had placed him on probation, banning him from the use of appliances in the kitchen. Of course that was about like a coach banning a player from reading the books in the library. The microwave may be the only kitchen appliance Rockledge Gator knows how to operate.
And then there’s Swamp Mama. She woke up the other morning with this pain in her hip. She could hardly get out of bed. She said it must have happened during the night, while she was sleeping. I told her she had to stop playing beach volleyball with Ryan Lochte in her dreams.
Touchdown Tom
August 13, 2012
The Quarterbacks – 2012
As a rule, there is never a shortage of good quality quarterbacks in college football and this year is no exception. Among the slew of talented signal callers, five clearly stand out at preseason – and they are all seniors. They include Matt Barkley (6-2, 230) of USC, Geno Smith (6-3, 214) of West Virginia, Landry Jones (6-4, 229) of Oklahoma, Tyler Wilson (6-3, 220) of Arkansas and Denard Robinson (6-0, 195) of Michigan.
Of the five, Barkley is the highest rated and well he should be. Last year, he threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns, completing 69 percent of his passes. Barkley led the Trojans to a 10-2 season. Right behind Barkley is West Virginia’s Smith. In 2011, the Mountaineer quarterback passed for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns, while completing 66 percent of his tosses. Smith guided WVU to a 10-3 season, culminating with the 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson.
The Sooners’ Jones was no slouch in 2011. The OU signal caller threw for 4,463 yards and 29 touchdowns. Jones completed 63 percent of his lobs. He led Oklahoma to a 10-3 season, including a 31-14 win over Iowa in the Insight Bowl. Arkansas’ Wilson is the No. 1 returning quarterback in the SEC. Last season, he passed for 3,638 yards and 24 touchdowns, competing 63 percent of his tosses. The Razorbacks finished the season at 11-2, including a 29-16 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State.
And finally, among the Top-5 quarterbacks, Michigan’s Robinson is as big a threat as a runner as he is a passer. In 2011, Robinson threw for 2,173 yards and rushed for 1,176 yards. He was responsible for 36 touchdowns – 16 rushing and 20 passing. Robinson guided the Wolverines to an 11-2 season, which ended in a 23-20 (OT) win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.
Looking at the conferences around the country, the ACC may be loaded with the best group of quarterbacks from top to bottom. Heading the list in the ACC is Clemson’s Tajh Boyd (6-1, 225, junior). In 2011, Boyd passed for 3,828 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to the ACC championship. Challenging Boyd for ACC honors will be Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas (6-6, 262, junior). Thomas was responsible for 3,482 yards total offense last season – 3013 passing and 469 rushing.
NC State is loaded at the quarterback position with Mike Glennon (6-6, 232, senior) returning. Bryn Renner (6-3, 215, junior) of North Carolina, the most efficient passer in the ACC in 2011, makes the Tar Heels dangerous. E.J. Manuel (6-5, 238, senior) is one of the reasons Florida State is favored to win the ACC in 2012. Backing up Manuel at FSU is another top signal caller in Clint Trickett (6-2, 180, sophomore).
Five more quarterbacks to be reckoned with in the ACC are Tanner Price (6-2, 205, junior) of Wake Forest, Sean Renfree (6-5, 230, senior) of Duke, Tevin Washington (6-1, 205, senior) of Georgia Tech, Stephen Morris (6-2, 214, junior) of Miami and Mike Rocco (6-3, 225, junior) of Virginia. Any of those five are capable of guiding their team to an upset or two in 2012.
Next to the ACC, the SEC may have the best overall array of quarterbacks, led of course by Tyler Wilson of Arkansas. Wilson will be challenged for conference honors by Georgia’s Aaron Murray (6-1, 211, junior). Last year, Murray passed for 3,149 yards and 35 touchdowns. Another good signal caller, if he can stay focused and out of trouble, is Tyler Bray (6-6, 213, junior) of Tennessee.
Missouri has a strong quarterback in James Franklin (6-2, 225, junior), as does Alabama with A.J. McCarron (6-4, 210, junior). Connor Shaw (6-1, 207, junior) is capable of having a great season at South Carolina. Vanderbilt is hoping for good things from Jordan Rodgers (6-1, 205, senior) in 2012. Florida had two potentially good quarterbacks in Jacoby Brissett (6-3, 229, sophomore) and Jeff Driskel (6-4, 232, sophomore). The problem for the Gators is deciding which one should start. Brissett and Driskel could end up being platooned.
The Big Ten will not be short of good quarterbacks in 2012, led by the already mentioned Denard Robinson of Michigan. Pacing Robinson for conference laurels could be Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez (6-1, 200, junior). Like Robinson, Martinez can run as well as he passes. Another quality quarterback is Nathan Scheelhaase (6-3, 195, junior) of Illinois. The problem for Scheelhaase is he is a good quarterback on a so-so team.
Watch for Ohio State’s Braxton Miller (6-2, 210, sophomore) to have a breakout season. He’s capable of delivering the marbles. James Vandenberg (6-3, 212, senior) of Iowa was just behind Michigan’s Robinson in passing efficiency and total offense in the Big Ten in 2011. Three other returning signal callers to watch for in the Big Ten are Purdue’s Celeb TerBush (6-5, 225, senior), Minnesota’s MarQueis Gray (6-4, 245, senior) and Penn State’s Matt McGloin (6-1, 199, senior).
In addition to Geno Smith (West Virginia) and Landry Jones (Oklahoma), the Big 12 has several quarterbacks who could be setting some records in 2012. Two of those are Collin Klein (6-5, 226, senior) of Kansas State and Seth Doege (6-1, 205, senior) of Texas Tech. Klein can run and pass. He scored 27 touchdowns rushing for 1,141 yards in 2011. Doege passed for 4,004 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 68.5 percent of his throws last year.
TCU’s Casey Pachall (6-5, 226, junior) is capable of making some noise in the Big 12. Texas has two promising quarterbacks. One or both signal callers could come through for the Longhorns. They are David Ash (6-3, 222, sophomore) and Case McCoy (6-2, 200, junior).
The Pac-12 has some good talent at quarterback in addition to Matt Barkley (USC). Two of the best are Keith Price (6-1, 195 junior) of Washington and Jeff Tuel (6-3, 223, senior) of Washington State. Price was second to Stanford’s Andrew Luck in passing efficiency in the Pac-12 last year. He threw for 3,063 yards and 33 touchdowns, completing 67 percent of his tosses.
Utah and California have capable quarterbacks in Jordan Wynn (6-2, 207, junior) and Zach Maynard (6-2, 185, senior). The Utes’ Wynn has a solid team to back him up. Cal’s Maynard may or may not have that luxury.
The most experienced, and possibly the best, quarterback in the Big East is South Florida’s B.J. Daniels (6-0, 215, senior). Daniels has been starting for the Bulls since his freshman season. Last year, he was second in total offense in the Big East behind WVU’s Geno Smith. Challenging Daniels for quarterback honors in the conference this year could be Teddy Bridgewater (6-3, 208, sophomore) of Louisville. As a freshman, Bridgewater came on strong last year, finishing second in the Big East in passing efficiency.
Three other quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the Big East are Pitt’s Tino Sunseri (6-2, 215, senior), Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib (6-2, 229, senior) and Cincinnati’s Munchie Legaux (6-4, 203, junior). Nassib has the best credentials of the three.
Conference USA has four quarterbacks of note, led by Marshall’s Rakeem Cato (6-1, 180, sophomore). Cato had a solid season last year as a freshman. The remaining quarterbacks of note in C-USA are David Piland (6-3, 200, sophomore) of Houston, Nick Lamaison (6-1, 215, senior) of UTEP and Ryan Griffin (6-5, 218, senior) of Tulane.
Six quarterbacks lead the pack in the MAC, led by Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton (5-11, 210, junior). Last year, Tettleton passed for 3,302 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 64 percent of his tosses. Three of the remaining top five quarterbacks in the MAC are Alex Carder (6-2, 224, senior) of Western Michigan, Matt Schilz (6-2, 211, junior) of Bowling Green and Zac Dysert (6-4, 219, senior) of Miami. Toledo comes with the double threat of Terrance Owens (6-4, 180, junior) and Austin Dantin (6-2, 200, senior). Both will see action.
The MWC has three notable quarterbacks, led by Derek Carr (6-3, 205, junior) of Fresno State. Last year Carr threw for 3,544 yards and 26 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his lobs. Competing for conference honors with Carr will be Wyoming’s Brett Smith (6-3, 195, sophomore) and Nevada’s Cody Fajardo (6-2, 205, sophomore).
The Sun Belt Conference has three of the most exciting quarterbacks in the country. They are Ryan Aplin (6-1, 205, senior) of Arkansas State, Blaine Gautier (6-0, 212, senior) of Louisiana-Lafayette and Corey Robinson (6-2, 209, junior) of Troy. Combined, those three signal callers accounted for 9,957 yards through the air last season. And Aplin and Gautier are as dangerous running as they are passing.
There are not a bountiful number of good quarterbacks in the WAC at preseason, but two worth noting are Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron (6-2, 205, senior) and Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton (6-2, 198, sophomore).
And finally, among the Independents, two quarterbacks deserving mention are Riley Nelson (6-0, 196, senior) of BYU and Trent Steelman (6-0, 207, senior) of Army.
TT’s Top Ten Favorite Quarterbacks at Preseason:
1. Matt Barkley – USC
2. Geno Smith – West Virginia
3. Landry Jones – Oklahoma
4. Tyler Wilson – Arkansas
5. Denard Robinson – Michigan
6. Colin Klein – Kansas State
7. Aaron Murray – Georgia
8. Tajh Boyd – Clemson
9. Logan Thomas – Virginia Tech
10. Keith Price – Washington
And keep an eye on:
Taylor Martinez – Nebraska; Seth Doege – Texas Tech; Derek Carr – Fresno State; Mike Glennon – NC State; Bryn Renner – North Carolina; Ryan Aplin – Arkansas State; Jeff Tuel – Washington State; James Franklin – Missouri; Nathan Scheelhaase – Illinois; E.J. Manuel – Florida State; B.J. Daniels – South Florida, and Rakeem Cato – Marshall.
The New Coaches – 2012
There are no less than 28 new head coaches in FBS college football this season. That’s almost 25 percent of the schools in the FBS. Seven of the new coaches are “blasts from the past,” rejoining the head coaching ranks in FBS after a year or more absence. And believe me each one is a blast from the past.
The biggest blast, or the one who has been gone the longest, is Terry Bowden. Remember him? We haven’t seen the likes of Terry on the sidelines of FBS football since he stepped down at Auburn during the midst of the 1998 season. Bowden has been gone for 13 seasons. Well, he is back in FBS football – the head coach at Akron. Bowden most recently was the coach of North Alabama, a Division II school.
The next longest case of AWOL is 10 seasons. That would be Bob Davie, the new coach of New Mexico. Davie was last seen on the sidelines at Notre Dame where he was fired after the 2001 season. Since then, Davie has been a college football analyst and commentator for ESPN.
Another blast from the past fell into his new position. John L. Smith was named the new coach of Arkansas just a couple months ago after Bobby Petrino took his mistress on a Steve McQueen motorcycle ride and ended up getting fired. Smith, who has been a head coach at Idaho, Utah State and Louisville, was last the coach at Michigan State where he was fired following the 2006 season. Smith was on Petrino’s staff at Arkansas last season, but had left to take the head coaching position at FCS Weber State, his alma mater. He quickly returned to the Razorbacks when the opportunity arose.
Two new coaches have been gone for two seasons each and both are blasts in their own right – Mike Leach and Charlie Weis. Leach, the former coach of Texas Tech is the new head man at Washington State. Weis, a former head coach at Notre Dame is the new coach of Kansas. Weis spent two seasons as an offensive coordinator – first for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and last season in Gainesville at Florida.
And that brings us to Rich Rodriguez and Urban Meyer, each out of action for a season. Rodriguez, the former head coach at West Virginia and Michigan, is the new coach of Arizona. Meyer, a former head coach at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida, is the new head man at Ohio State. Both Rodriguez and Meyer spent the past season as college football analysts and commentators at CBS and ESPN respectively.
The rest of the new coaches are basically head coaches who moved up from one school to another or coordinators and position coaches who became head coaches for the first time.
Hugh Freeze is the new coach of Ole Miss. Last year, Freeze was the head coach at Arkansas State. Larry Fedora, previously the coach of Southern Miss, is the new coach of North Carolina. Todd Beckman left the head coaching job at Toledo to become the coach of Illinois. Likewise, Todd Graham left the top job at Pitt to become the head coach at Arizona State. And finally, Kevin Sumlin, the head coach at Houston last season, is the new coach of Texas A&M.
Nine offensive coordinators last year are head coaches this season. Bill O’Brien, the OC of the New England Patriots, takes over as the new head man at Penn State. Garrick McGee ran the offense at Arkansas last season. This season, McGee is the coach of UAB. Justin Fuente gave up the OC position at TCU to become the head coach at Memphis.
Jim McElwain is the new coach of Colorado State. Last year he was the OC at Alabama. Long-time offensive coordinator Norm Chow is the new head coach at Hawaii. Chow was Utah’s OC last year. Matt Campbell remains at Toledo, moving up from OC to head coach.
Gus Malzahn, previously the OC at Auburn, is the new coach of Arkansas State. Paul Chryst makes the move from Wisconsin OC to Pitt head coach. And finally, Charley Molnar is the new coach of Massachusetts. Last year, Molnar was the OC at Notre Dame.
Three defensive coordinators have become head coaches. Carl Pelini leaves his brother’s staff at Nebraska to become the coach of Florida Atlantic. Tim DeRuyter, the DC at Texas A&M last season is the new coach of Fresno State. And finally, Ellis Johnson, a long-time defensive coordinator in the South, is the new head man at Southern Miss. Johnson was most recently the DC at South Carolina.
The new coach of Tulane is Curtis Johnson. Last season, Johnson was the wide receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints. Jim Mora, who was retired from coaching (or taking a sabbatical), is the new coach of UCLA. Previously, Mora has been the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Tony Levine moves up the ladder at Houston, from special teams coach to head coach. Likewise, Kyle Flood moves up at Rutgers to be the Scarlet Knights coach. Last season, Flood was the offensive line coach at Rutgers.
Ten of the 11 conferences have new coaches this season. Only the WAC returns all of its head coaches in tack. C-USA has the most new coaches with five (Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane and UAB). The Pac-12 (Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State) and the MWC (Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii and New Mexico) each have four new coaches.
Three conferences each have three new head coaches – the Big Ten (Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State); the SEC (Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M), and the MAC (Akron, Massachusetts and Toledo). The Big East (Pitt and Rutgers) and the Sun Belt (Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic) each have two new head coaches. And two conferences each have one new coach – the ACC (North Carolina) and the Big 12 (Kansas).
Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2012
Year-in and year-out, the Hot Seat Coaches is always an interesting and sizeable list. But there is barely anyone on the hot seat this year, especially compared to recent years.
That is partly, if not entirely, due to the large number of new coaches who have been hired the past two or three years – 28 new coaches this year, 24 last year and 23 the year before. That’s 75 new coaches. That doesn’t leave many FBS schools that have not hired a new coach in three years.
If you want to know where the hottest seat in the country is, look no further than Knoxville, Tennessee. After two years at the helm of the Vols, Derek Dooley is feeling the heat on Rocky Top. With an 11-14 record, no bowl game last year and a loss to Kentucky last season, Dooley is hurtin’ – big time. Not even Mama can save Derek’s hide if Tennessee is disappointing in 2012. But believe me, she’ll try.
If Kentucky’s Joker Phillips were at any other school, he would be feeling the heat. Like Dooley, Phillips is 11-14 after two seasons. But Kentucky really doesn’t care about football. In Lexington, a bad record would get a basketball coach fired after only one season. But a football coach can generally hang on for eight or more years with a poor record.
In Gainesville, Will Mustake….I mean….Muschamp is on the hot seat. But it’s not the termination hot seat – not yet. Muschamp finished his first season with the Gators at 7-6. Even a poor season in 2012 won’t get him fired – not yet. Florida won’t fire Muschamp after only two seasons. But his seat is pretty warm.
The only coach on the hot seat in the ACC is Frank Spaziani of Boston College. The Eagles’ coach is 20-19 after three years. If Spaziani has a losing record in 2012, it will be his swan song season in Chestnut Hill. Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville, 13-12 after two seasons, stands to be the only coach on the hot seat in the Big 12. The former Auburn coach has tumbled like the weeds in Lubbock. If the Red Raiders aren’t productive this year, you may see Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes coaching Texas Tech next season.
In the Pac-12, Mike Riley of Oregon State is the only coach on the serious hot seat. Riley, 72-63 after 11 seasons in Corvallis, has not produced in recent years. This could be his last one with the Beavers. Cal coach Jeff Tedford is mildly on the hot seat. Tedford, 79-48 after 10 years, started off hot in Berkeley. But the Bears have been only fair to midland in recent seasons.
The only conference with more than one coach on the serious hot seat is C-USA, where Rice’s David Bailiff and UTEP’s Mike Price are feeling the heat. Bailiff is 23-38 after five years with the Owls. He needs a winning season to save his job. Meanwhile, Price is 45-52 after eight seasons in El Paso. He had a good thing going early in his tenure with UTEP, but has been on the downward slide in recent years.
In the MAC, Bowling Green’s Dave Clawson is on the hot seat. Clawson is 14-23 after three years with the Falcons. Dave Enos may be in trouble at Central Michigan. Enos is 6-18 after two seasons. The Chippewas enjoyed several years of success under Brian Kelly and Butch Jones before Enos arrived. But CMU may give Enos a fourth season if he shows improvement in 2012.
Rick Stockstill of Middle Tennessee could be seeing a pink slip if the Blue Raiders falter in 2012. Stockstill is 35-40 after six years coaching in Murfreesboro. This could be his last one. Ever since Rich Ellerson arrived at West Point in 2009, he has been a popular coach at Army. He took the Cadets to a bowl game after the 2010 season. But Ellerson is only 15-22 after three years. Even worse, he is 0-3 against Navy and 0-3 against Air Force. Another season without a win against either Navy or Air Force won’t be good.
Four conferences have no coaches on the hot seat – the Big East, Big Ten, MWC and WAC.
Quotes of the Off Season
“I was savaged by many in November when I suggested Penn State should decline a bowl bid. Turns out I may have been right as the lead-up to the Ticket City Bowl included a locker-room fight involving the starting quarterback and the game was a lackluster defeat in front of a bunch of empty seats,” Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Dufresne.
“Every adult has a responsibility for every other child in our community. We have a responsibility for ensuring that we can take every effort that’s within our power not only to prevent further harm to that child, but to every other child,” Penn State trustee Kenneth Frazier, on Joe Paterno failing to act as he should have.
“Yes, he coached Penn State for nearly half a century and won 409 games. Yes, he donated millions of dollars of his salary back to the university. But Paterno will be remembered for overseeing perhaps the biggest scandal in college football history more than he will for all of his goodwill and great victories,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“All those big-name guys usually don’t make it anyway. If you go back and look at it, all those four- and five-star guys are working somewhere at McDonalds,” UCF coach George O’Leary on not recruiting any four-star and five-star players.
“Ohio State has a new coach and it’s different. I would say it’s pretty unethical,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, accusing Urban Meyer of dirty recruiting.
“They have prettier girls, the air is fresher and the toilet paper is thicker,” Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe, on the benefits of the SEC over the Big 12.
“The SEC Media Days have turned into an absurd 72-hour circus,” SI.com blogger Lars Anderson.
“Penn State should donate Joe Paterno’s statue to the Vatican,” TheSkunk.org.
“As to the Penn State students seen crying as the news was announced, I would like to offer some motherly advice: Don’t pick your college on the basis of its football team,” Susie Madrak of Orange County, Florida.
“Now the world knows that lovable ol’ JoePa wasn’t the only cold-blooded Paterno. Turns out, it runs in the family,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyel.
“I mean, we don’t have murders one block off our campus,” UCLA coach Jim Mora, knocking cross-town rival USC.
“I really don’t think that’s something to joke about,” USC coach Lane Kiffin, responding to Jim Mora’s comment.
“It’s time to stop the dour attitude. It’s a new beginning. It’s time to start anew. It’s time to move forward,” new Penn State coach Bill O’Brien.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . Former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon is the new linebackers coach at TCU…. Phil Neel, the artist who created Auburn’s tiger mascot Aubie passed away recently. Neel, a former artist for the Birmingham Post-Herald, was 84…. Bud Riley, the father of Oregon State coach Mike Riley, has died. He was 86…. Clemson announced the retirement of athletic director Terry Don Phillips, effective July 1, 2013.
Extra Points
Duke rocks! – Hud Mellencamp, the son of rocker John Mellencamp, is on the football team at Duke. Hud is a walk-on. The 5-11, 165-pound freshman is a defensive back.
On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not directly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…
…70 years ago this week in 1942 was “Jingle Jangle Jingle” by Kay Keyser
…65 years ago this week in 1947 was “Peg o’ My Heart” by The Harmonicats
…60 years ago this week in 1952 was “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart” by Vera Lynn
…55 years ago this week in 1957 was “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” by Elvis Presley
…50 years ago this week in 1962 was “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” by Neil Sedaka
…45 years ago this week in 1967 was “Light My Fire” by The Doors
…40 years ago this week in 1972 was “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
…35 years ago this week in 1977 was “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb
…30 years ago this week in 1982 was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor
…25 years ago this week in 1987 was “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
…20 years ago this week in 1992 was “This Used To Be My Playground” by Madonna
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were two passings of note last week – Marvin Hamlisch and Judith Crist.
Marvin Hamlisch, a decorated music composer of Broadway plays and movies, died. He was 68. Hamlisch, a 12-time Academy Award nominee, won four Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards and one Tony Award.
Judith Crist, one of America’s most widely-read film critics for more than three decades and a presence in millions of homes as a regular reviewer on the “Today” show, died last week at her home in New York City. She was 90. She was a morning fixture on the “Today” show from 1963 to 1973. She also wrote for TV Guide, Saturday Review and Ladies Home Journal, among other publications.
The unappealing off-season
that culminated with appeals
As the sun set on the 2011 college football season, Florida Gator fans were chanting “Urban Liar! Urban Liar!” Georgia coach Mark Richt bragged that the Dawgs would be knocking on heaven’s door…..I mean…..the championship door in 2012.
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was scratching his head, thinking, “How did we ever lose that Sugar Bowl?” Yeah, how did the Hokies lose that game? They dominated the statistics and totally controlled the contest. And to top it off, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was terrible. Beamer still might be scratching his head today.
Penn State was trying to find a coach, while the school’s recently fired coach was trying to find an excuse for not putting a stop to the monster that was Jerry Sandusky. “I didn’t know which way to go. I didn’t know exactly how to handle it,” muttered Joe Paterno.
Sandusky, Paterno, Penn State and the whole scandalous mess in State College seemed to dominate the picture at the close of the 2011 season. And, sadly, it continued to dominate the scene throughout the off-season. It was all very unappealing – unappealing to college football fans, and most of all, unappealing to Penn State fans.
Just two months earlier, Paterno said he was “shocked” when the charges were levied against Sandusky. Then in January he acknowledged that he didn’t know what to do and didn’t know how to handle it. So he really wasn’t shocked. He knew all along, for 14-15 years or more, what Sandusky was up to. And yet, he failed to stop it.
Not only did Paterno fail to stop it, but also quarterback coach Mike McQueary, athletic director Tim Curley, vice-president Gary Schultz and president Graham Spanier failed to put a stop to Sandusky. And McQueary and Curley had been mentored by Paterno. What does that say?
I think it says that power corrupts. After 62 years at Penn State, 46 as head coach, Paterno had become the most powerful man at the school. When Paterno said, “jump,” everyone else at Penn State, including Spanier, said, “How high?” It was an unhealthy situation. It was a situation that, sadly, corrupted Paterno. He became a cold-hearted, self-centered dictator. And a lot of little boys suffered as a result.
But, if nothing else, it is important that we understand one thing from this disturbing scandal. What happened at Penn State could have happened just as easily at any big-time sports school – Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, etc. It didn’t, but it could have.
And let’s keep something else in mind too. We should never erect statues of people until they are dead – long after they are dead.
The Sandusky-Paterno-Penn State mess remained with us throughout the spring and summer, with new developments surfacing on a weekly basis. In late June, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts against him.
By mid-July former FBI Director Louis Freeh released the results of his investigation. Freeh concluded that Paterno, Curley, Shultz and Spanier were complicit in concealing Sandusky’s activities, saying the four men failed to protect children from the harm of a sexual predator for 10 years or more.
Later in July, the NCAA announced sanctions against Penn State, which, among other things, put the school on five years’ probation, banned the school from bowl games for four years, vacated Paterno’s wins from 1998 to 2011, fined Penn State $60 million and reduced the number of scholarships until 2017.
By August, what had been unappealing for so long spawned a ration of appeals against the NCAA. Paterno’s family, a Penn State trustee and former Penn State football players filed appeals against the sanctions. The NCAA responded, “The sanctions are not subject to appeal.”
Stores in State College were selling T-shirts with messages attacking the NCAA, calling the NCAA communist, etc. And now, there are reports that Sandusky was involved in a much larger child pornography ring. What a mess.
Penn State wasn’t the only news during the off-season. And all the news wasn’t unappealing. Next week, we’ll review some of the other things related to college football and more that caught our attention during the off-season.
Meanwhile, I can report that as we come to the end of the off-season, Rockledge Gator is no longer on kitchen appliance probation at his home – something to do with a tea bag catching fire in the microwave. Bootsie had placed him on probation, banning him from the use of appliances in the kitchen. Of course that was about like a coach banning a player from reading the books in the library. The microwave may be the only kitchen appliance Rockledge Gator knows how to operate.
And then there’s Swamp Mama. She woke up the other morning with this pain in her hip. She could hardly get out of bed. She said it must have happened during the night, while she was sleeping. I told her she had to stop playing beach volleyball with Ryan Lochte in her dreams.
Touchdown Tom
August 13, 2012
The Quarterbacks – 2012
As a rule, there is never a shortage of good quality quarterbacks in college football and this year is no exception. Among the slew of talented signal callers, five clearly stand out at preseason – and they are all seniors. They include Matt Barkley (6-2, 230) of USC, Geno Smith (6-3, 214) of West Virginia, Landry Jones (6-4, 229) of Oklahoma, Tyler Wilson (6-3, 220) of Arkansas and Denard Robinson (6-0, 195) of Michigan.
Of the five, Barkley is the highest rated and well he should be. Last year, he threw for 3,528 yards and 39 touchdowns, completing 69 percent of his passes. Barkley led the Trojans to a 10-2 season. Right behind Barkley is West Virginia’s Smith. In 2011, the Mountaineer quarterback passed for 4,385 yards and 31 touchdowns, while completing 66 percent of his tosses. Smith guided WVU to a 10-3 season, culminating with the 70-33 Orange Bowl win over Clemson.
The Sooners’ Jones was no slouch in 2011. The OU signal caller threw for 4,463 yards and 29 touchdowns. Jones completed 63 percent of his lobs. He led Oklahoma to a 10-3 season, including a 31-14 win over Iowa in the Insight Bowl. Arkansas’ Wilson is the No. 1 returning quarterback in the SEC. Last season, he passed for 3,638 yards and 24 touchdowns, competing 63 percent of his tosses. The Razorbacks finished the season at 11-2, including a 29-16 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State.
And finally, among the Top-5 quarterbacks, Michigan’s Robinson is as big a threat as a runner as he is a passer. In 2011, Robinson threw for 2,173 yards and rushed for 1,176 yards. He was responsible for 36 touchdowns – 16 rushing and 20 passing. Robinson guided the Wolverines to an 11-2 season, which ended in a 23-20 (OT) win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.
Looking at the conferences around the country, the ACC may be loaded with the best group of quarterbacks from top to bottom. Heading the list in the ACC is Clemson’s Tajh Boyd (6-1, 225, junior). In 2011, Boyd passed for 3,828 yards and 33 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to the ACC championship. Challenging Boyd for ACC honors will be Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas (6-6, 262, junior). Thomas was responsible for 3,482 yards total offense last season – 3013 passing and 469 rushing.
NC State is loaded at the quarterback position with Mike Glennon (6-6, 232, senior) returning. Bryn Renner (6-3, 215, junior) of North Carolina, the most efficient passer in the ACC in 2011, makes the Tar Heels dangerous. E.J. Manuel (6-5, 238, senior) is one of the reasons Florida State is favored to win the ACC in 2012. Backing up Manuel at FSU is another top signal caller in Clint Trickett (6-2, 180, sophomore).
Five more quarterbacks to be reckoned with in the ACC are Tanner Price (6-2, 205, junior) of Wake Forest, Sean Renfree (6-5, 230, senior) of Duke, Tevin Washington (6-1, 205, senior) of Georgia Tech, Stephen Morris (6-2, 214, junior) of Miami and Mike Rocco (6-3, 225, junior) of Virginia. Any of those five are capable of guiding their team to an upset or two in 2012.
Next to the ACC, the SEC may have the best overall array of quarterbacks, led of course by Tyler Wilson of Arkansas. Wilson will be challenged for conference honors by Georgia’s Aaron Murray (6-1, 211, junior). Last year, Murray passed for 3,149 yards and 35 touchdowns. Another good signal caller, if he can stay focused and out of trouble, is Tyler Bray (6-6, 213, junior) of Tennessee.
Missouri has a strong quarterback in James Franklin (6-2, 225, junior), as does Alabama with A.J. McCarron (6-4, 210, junior). Connor Shaw (6-1, 207, junior) is capable of having a great season at South Carolina. Vanderbilt is hoping for good things from Jordan Rodgers (6-1, 205, senior) in 2012. Florida had two potentially good quarterbacks in Jacoby Brissett (6-3, 229, sophomore) and Jeff Driskel (6-4, 232, sophomore). The problem for the Gators is deciding which one should start. Brissett and Driskel could end up being platooned.
The Big Ten will not be short of good quarterbacks in 2012, led by the already mentioned Denard Robinson of Michigan. Pacing Robinson for conference laurels could be Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez (6-1, 200, junior). Like Robinson, Martinez can run as well as he passes. Another quality quarterback is Nathan Scheelhaase (6-3, 195, junior) of Illinois. The problem for Scheelhaase is he is a good quarterback on a so-so team.
Watch for Ohio State’s Braxton Miller (6-2, 210, sophomore) to have a breakout season. He’s capable of delivering the marbles. James Vandenberg (6-3, 212, senior) of Iowa was just behind Michigan’s Robinson in passing efficiency and total offense in the Big Ten in 2011. Three other returning signal callers to watch for in the Big Ten are Purdue’s Celeb TerBush (6-5, 225, senior), Minnesota’s MarQueis Gray (6-4, 245, senior) and Penn State’s Matt McGloin (6-1, 199, senior).
In addition to Geno Smith (West Virginia) and Landry Jones (Oklahoma), the Big 12 has several quarterbacks who could be setting some records in 2012. Two of those are Collin Klein (6-5, 226, senior) of Kansas State and Seth Doege (6-1, 205, senior) of Texas Tech. Klein can run and pass. He scored 27 touchdowns rushing for 1,141 yards in 2011. Doege passed for 4,004 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 68.5 percent of his throws last year.
TCU’s Casey Pachall (6-5, 226, junior) is capable of making some noise in the Big 12. Texas has two promising quarterbacks. One or both signal callers could come through for the Longhorns. They are David Ash (6-3, 222, sophomore) and Case McCoy (6-2, 200, junior).
The Pac-12 has some good talent at quarterback in addition to Matt Barkley (USC). Two of the best are Keith Price (6-1, 195 junior) of Washington and Jeff Tuel (6-3, 223, senior) of Washington State. Price was second to Stanford’s Andrew Luck in passing efficiency in the Pac-12 last year. He threw for 3,063 yards and 33 touchdowns, completing 67 percent of his tosses.
Utah and California have capable quarterbacks in Jordan Wynn (6-2, 207, junior) and Zach Maynard (6-2, 185, senior). The Utes’ Wynn has a solid team to back him up. Cal’s Maynard may or may not have that luxury.
The most experienced, and possibly the best, quarterback in the Big East is South Florida’s B.J. Daniels (6-0, 215, senior). Daniels has been starting for the Bulls since his freshman season. Last year, he was second in total offense in the Big East behind WVU’s Geno Smith. Challenging Daniels for quarterback honors in the conference this year could be Teddy Bridgewater (6-3, 208, sophomore) of Louisville. As a freshman, Bridgewater came on strong last year, finishing second in the Big East in passing efficiency.
Three other quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the Big East are Pitt’s Tino Sunseri (6-2, 215, senior), Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib (6-2, 229, senior) and Cincinnati’s Munchie Legaux (6-4, 203, junior). Nassib has the best credentials of the three.
Conference USA has four quarterbacks of note, led by Marshall’s Rakeem Cato (6-1, 180, sophomore). Cato had a solid season last year as a freshman. The remaining quarterbacks of note in C-USA are David Piland (6-3, 200, sophomore) of Houston, Nick Lamaison (6-1, 215, senior) of UTEP and Ryan Griffin (6-5, 218, senior) of Tulane.
Six quarterbacks lead the pack in the MAC, led by Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton (5-11, 210, junior). Last year, Tettleton passed for 3,302 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 64 percent of his tosses. Three of the remaining top five quarterbacks in the MAC are Alex Carder (6-2, 224, senior) of Western Michigan, Matt Schilz (6-2, 211, junior) of Bowling Green and Zac Dysert (6-4, 219, senior) of Miami. Toledo comes with the double threat of Terrance Owens (6-4, 180, junior) and Austin Dantin (6-2, 200, senior). Both will see action.
The MWC has three notable quarterbacks, led by Derek Carr (6-3, 205, junior) of Fresno State. Last year Carr threw for 3,544 yards and 26 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his lobs. Competing for conference honors with Carr will be Wyoming’s Brett Smith (6-3, 195, sophomore) and Nevada’s Cody Fajardo (6-2, 205, sophomore).
The Sun Belt Conference has three of the most exciting quarterbacks in the country. They are Ryan Aplin (6-1, 205, senior) of Arkansas State, Blaine Gautier (6-0, 212, senior) of Louisiana-Lafayette and Corey Robinson (6-2, 209, junior) of Troy. Combined, those three signal callers accounted for 9,957 yards through the air last season. And Aplin and Gautier are as dangerous running as they are passing.
There are not a bountiful number of good quarterbacks in the WAC at preseason, but two worth noting are Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron (6-2, 205, senior) and Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton (6-2, 198, sophomore).
And finally, among the Independents, two quarterbacks deserving mention are Riley Nelson (6-0, 196, senior) of BYU and Trent Steelman (6-0, 207, senior) of Army.
TT’s Top Ten Favorite Quarterbacks at Preseason:
1. Matt Barkley – USC
2. Geno Smith – West Virginia
3. Landry Jones – Oklahoma
4. Tyler Wilson – Arkansas
5. Denard Robinson – Michigan
6. Colin Klein – Kansas State
7. Aaron Murray – Georgia
8. Tajh Boyd – Clemson
9. Logan Thomas – Virginia Tech
10. Keith Price – Washington
And keep an eye on:
Taylor Martinez – Nebraska; Seth Doege – Texas Tech; Derek Carr – Fresno State; Mike Glennon – NC State; Bryn Renner – North Carolina; Ryan Aplin – Arkansas State; Jeff Tuel – Washington State; James Franklin – Missouri; Nathan Scheelhaase – Illinois; E.J. Manuel – Florida State; B.J. Daniels – South Florida, and Rakeem Cato – Marshall.
The New Coaches – 2012
There are no less than 28 new head coaches in FBS college football this season. That’s almost 25 percent of the schools in the FBS. Seven of the new coaches are “blasts from the past,” rejoining the head coaching ranks in FBS after a year or more absence. And believe me each one is a blast from the past.
The biggest blast, or the one who has been gone the longest, is Terry Bowden. Remember him? We haven’t seen the likes of Terry on the sidelines of FBS football since he stepped down at Auburn during the midst of the 1998 season. Bowden has been gone for 13 seasons. Well, he is back in FBS football – the head coach at Akron. Bowden most recently was the coach of North Alabama, a Division II school.
The next longest case of AWOL is 10 seasons. That would be Bob Davie, the new coach of New Mexico. Davie was last seen on the sidelines at Notre Dame where he was fired after the 2001 season. Since then, Davie has been a college football analyst and commentator for ESPN.
Another blast from the past fell into his new position. John L. Smith was named the new coach of Arkansas just a couple months ago after Bobby Petrino took his mistress on a Steve McQueen motorcycle ride and ended up getting fired. Smith, who has been a head coach at Idaho, Utah State and Louisville, was last the coach at Michigan State where he was fired following the 2006 season. Smith was on Petrino’s staff at Arkansas last season, but had left to take the head coaching position at FCS Weber State, his alma mater. He quickly returned to the Razorbacks when the opportunity arose.
Two new coaches have been gone for two seasons each and both are blasts in their own right – Mike Leach and Charlie Weis. Leach, the former coach of Texas Tech is the new head man at Washington State. Weis, a former head coach at Notre Dame is the new coach of Kansas. Weis spent two seasons as an offensive coordinator – first for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and last season in Gainesville at Florida.
And that brings us to Rich Rodriguez and Urban Meyer, each out of action for a season. Rodriguez, the former head coach at West Virginia and Michigan, is the new coach of Arizona. Meyer, a former head coach at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida, is the new head man at Ohio State. Both Rodriguez and Meyer spent the past season as college football analysts and commentators at CBS and ESPN respectively.
The rest of the new coaches are basically head coaches who moved up from one school to another or coordinators and position coaches who became head coaches for the first time.
Hugh Freeze is the new coach of Ole Miss. Last year, Freeze was the head coach at Arkansas State. Larry Fedora, previously the coach of Southern Miss, is the new coach of North Carolina. Todd Beckman left the head coaching job at Toledo to become the coach of Illinois. Likewise, Todd Graham left the top job at Pitt to become the head coach at Arizona State. And finally, Kevin Sumlin, the head coach at Houston last season, is the new coach of Texas A&M.
Nine offensive coordinators last year are head coaches this season. Bill O’Brien, the OC of the New England Patriots, takes over as the new head man at Penn State. Garrick McGee ran the offense at Arkansas last season. This season, McGee is the coach of UAB. Justin Fuente gave up the OC position at TCU to become the head coach at Memphis.
Jim McElwain is the new coach of Colorado State. Last year he was the OC at Alabama. Long-time offensive coordinator Norm Chow is the new head coach at Hawaii. Chow was Utah’s OC last year. Matt Campbell remains at Toledo, moving up from OC to head coach.
Gus Malzahn, previously the OC at Auburn, is the new coach of Arkansas State. Paul Chryst makes the move from Wisconsin OC to Pitt head coach. And finally, Charley Molnar is the new coach of Massachusetts. Last year, Molnar was the OC at Notre Dame.
Three defensive coordinators have become head coaches. Carl Pelini leaves his brother’s staff at Nebraska to become the coach of Florida Atlantic. Tim DeRuyter, the DC at Texas A&M last season is the new coach of Fresno State. And finally, Ellis Johnson, a long-time defensive coordinator in the South, is the new head man at Southern Miss. Johnson was most recently the DC at South Carolina.
The new coach of Tulane is Curtis Johnson. Last season, Johnson was the wide receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints. Jim Mora, who was retired from coaching (or taking a sabbatical), is the new coach of UCLA. Previously, Mora has been the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Tony Levine moves up the ladder at Houston, from special teams coach to head coach. Likewise, Kyle Flood moves up at Rutgers to be the Scarlet Knights coach. Last season, Flood was the offensive line coach at Rutgers.
Ten of the 11 conferences have new coaches this season. Only the WAC returns all of its head coaches in tack. C-USA has the most new coaches with five (Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane and UAB). The Pac-12 (Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State) and the MWC (Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii and New Mexico) each have four new coaches.
Three conferences each have three new head coaches – the Big Ten (Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State); the SEC (Arkansas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M), and the MAC (Akron, Massachusetts and Toledo). The Big East (Pitt and Rutgers) and the Sun Belt (Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic) each have two new head coaches. And two conferences each have one new coach – the ACC (North Carolina) and the Big 12 (Kansas).
Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2012
Year-in and year-out, the Hot Seat Coaches is always an interesting and sizeable list. But there is barely anyone on the hot seat this year, especially compared to recent years.
That is partly, if not entirely, due to the large number of new coaches who have been hired the past two or three years – 28 new coaches this year, 24 last year and 23 the year before. That’s 75 new coaches. That doesn’t leave many FBS schools that have not hired a new coach in three years.
If you want to know where the hottest seat in the country is, look no further than Knoxville, Tennessee. After two years at the helm of the Vols, Derek Dooley is feeling the heat on Rocky Top. With an 11-14 record, no bowl game last year and a loss to Kentucky last season, Dooley is hurtin’ – big time. Not even Mama can save Derek’s hide if Tennessee is disappointing in 2012. But believe me, she’ll try.
If Kentucky’s Joker Phillips were at any other school, he would be feeling the heat. Like Dooley, Phillips is 11-14 after two seasons. But Kentucky really doesn’t care about football. In Lexington, a bad record would get a basketball coach fired after only one season. But a football coach can generally hang on for eight or more years with a poor record.
In Gainesville, Will Mustake….I mean….Muschamp is on the hot seat. But it’s not the termination hot seat – not yet. Muschamp finished his first season with the Gators at 7-6. Even a poor season in 2012 won’t get him fired – not yet. Florida won’t fire Muschamp after only two seasons. But his seat is pretty warm.
The only coach on the hot seat in the ACC is Frank Spaziani of Boston College. The Eagles’ coach is 20-19 after three years. If Spaziani has a losing record in 2012, it will be his swan song season in Chestnut Hill. Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville, 13-12 after two seasons, stands to be the only coach on the hot seat in the Big 12. The former Auburn coach has tumbled like the weeds in Lubbock. If the Red Raiders aren’t productive this year, you may see Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes coaching Texas Tech next season.
In the Pac-12, Mike Riley of Oregon State is the only coach on the serious hot seat. Riley, 72-63 after 11 seasons in Corvallis, has not produced in recent years. This could be his last one with the Beavers. Cal coach Jeff Tedford is mildly on the hot seat. Tedford, 79-48 after 10 years, started off hot in Berkeley. But the Bears have been only fair to midland in recent seasons.
The only conference with more than one coach on the serious hot seat is C-USA, where Rice’s David Bailiff and UTEP’s Mike Price are feeling the heat. Bailiff is 23-38 after five years with the Owls. He needs a winning season to save his job. Meanwhile, Price is 45-52 after eight seasons in El Paso. He had a good thing going early in his tenure with UTEP, but has been on the downward slide in recent years.
In the MAC, Bowling Green’s Dave Clawson is on the hot seat. Clawson is 14-23 after three years with the Falcons. Dave Enos may be in trouble at Central Michigan. Enos is 6-18 after two seasons. The Chippewas enjoyed several years of success under Brian Kelly and Butch Jones before Enos arrived. But CMU may give Enos a fourth season if he shows improvement in 2012.
Rick Stockstill of Middle Tennessee could be seeing a pink slip if the Blue Raiders falter in 2012. Stockstill is 35-40 after six years coaching in Murfreesboro. This could be his last one. Ever since Rich Ellerson arrived at West Point in 2009, he has been a popular coach at Army. He took the Cadets to a bowl game after the 2010 season. But Ellerson is only 15-22 after three years. Even worse, he is 0-3 against Navy and 0-3 against Air Force. Another season without a win against either Navy or Air Force won’t be good.
Four conferences have no coaches on the hot seat – the Big East, Big Ten, MWC and WAC.
Quotes of the Off Season
“I was savaged by many in November when I suggested Penn State should decline a bowl bid. Turns out I may have been right as the lead-up to the Ticket City Bowl included a locker-room fight involving the starting quarterback and the game was a lackluster defeat in front of a bunch of empty seats,” Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Dufresne.
“Every adult has a responsibility for every other child in our community. We have a responsibility for ensuring that we can take every effort that’s within our power not only to prevent further harm to that child, but to every other child,” Penn State trustee Kenneth Frazier, on Joe Paterno failing to act as he should have.
“Yes, he coached Penn State for nearly half a century and won 409 games. Yes, he donated millions of dollars of his salary back to the university. But Paterno will be remembered for overseeing perhaps the biggest scandal in college football history more than he will for all of his goodwill and great victories,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.
“All those big-name guys usually don’t make it anyway. If you go back and look at it, all those four- and five-star guys are working somewhere at McDonalds,” UCF coach George O’Leary on not recruiting any four-star and five-star players.
“Ohio State has a new coach and it’s different. I would say it’s pretty unethical,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, accusing Urban Meyer of dirty recruiting.
“They have prettier girls, the air is fresher and the toilet paper is thicker,” Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe, on the benefits of the SEC over the Big 12.
“The SEC Media Days have turned into an absurd 72-hour circus,” SI.com blogger Lars Anderson.
“Penn State should donate Joe Paterno’s statue to the Vatican,” TheSkunk.org.
“As to the Penn State students seen crying as the news was announced, I would like to offer some motherly advice: Don’t pick your college on the basis of its football team,” Susie Madrak of Orange County, Florida.
“Now the world knows that lovable ol’ JoePa wasn’t the only cold-blooded Paterno. Turns out, it runs in the family,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyel.
“I mean, we don’t have murders one block off our campus,” UCLA coach Jim Mora, knocking cross-town rival USC.
“I really don’t think that’s something to joke about,” USC coach Lane Kiffin, responding to Jim Mora’s comment.
“It’s time to stop the dour attitude. It’s a new beginning. It’s time to start anew. It’s time to move forward,” new Penn State coach Bill O’Brien.
In the Huddle
Elsewhere around college football . . . Former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon is the new linebackers coach at TCU…. Phil Neel, the artist who created Auburn’s tiger mascot Aubie passed away recently. Neel, a former artist for the Birmingham Post-Herald, was 84…. Bud Riley, the father of Oregon State coach Mike Riley, has died. He was 86…. Clemson announced the retirement of athletic director Terry Don Phillips, effective July 1, 2013.
Extra Points
Duke rocks! – Hud Mellencamp, the son of rocker John Mellencamp, is on the football team at Duke. Hud is a walk-on. The 5-11, 165-pound freshman is a defensive back.
On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not directly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…
…70 years ago this week in 1942 was “Jingle Jangle Jingle” by Kay Keyser
…65 years ago this week in 1947 was “Peg o’ My Heart” by The Harmonicats
…60 years ago this week in 1952 was “Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart” by Vera Lynn
…55 years ago this week in 1957 was “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” by Elvis Presley
…50 years ago this week in 1962 was “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” by Neil Sedaka
…45 years ago this week in 1967 was “Light My Fire” by The Doors
…40 years ago this week in 1972 was “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
…35 years ago this week in 1977 was “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb
…30 years ago this week in 1982 was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor
…25 years ago this week in 1987 was “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
…20 years ago this week in 1992 was “This Used To Be My Playground” by Madonna
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were two passings of note last week – Marvin Hamlisch and Judith Crist.
Marvin Hamlisch, a decorated music composer of Broadway plays and movies, died. He was 68. Hamlisch, a 12-time Academy Award nominee, won four Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards and one Tony Award.
Judith Crist, one of America’s most widely-read film critics for more than three decades and a presence in millions of homes as a regular reviewer on the “Today” show, died last week at her home in New York City. She was 90. She was a morning fixture on the “Today” show from 1963 to 1973. She also wrote for TV Guide, Saturday Review and Ladies Home Journal, among other publications.
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