Big Day for Auburn, Oregon, Sooners, Hokies and Connecticut

College Football Week 15 – It’s Auburn-Oregon for the Marbles

Big Day for Auburn, Oregon,
Sooners, Hokies and Connecticut

Saturday was a big day for Auburn in the SEC and Oregon in the Pac-10. Both won their respective conferences, both finished the season undefeated and most importantly for the Tigers and the Ducks, they are headed to the national championship game.

Saturday was a big day for Oklahoma of the Big 12 and Virginia Tech of the ACC. After both suffered a couple of loses during the season, they came back and won their respective conferences and the Sooners and the Hokies are headed for a BCS bowl.

And, Saturday was a big day for the Huskies of Connecticut. After a 3-4 start, UConn came back and won five straight games to finish the season at 8-4, win a piece of the Big East crown, and most importantly for the Huskies, they are headed to their first ever BCS bowl.

But more about Auburn, Oregon, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Connecticut later.

We had no sooner come off Thanksgiving Week and rumors were swirling like crazy on Monday morning about the status of Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Was he about to be canned? Or would he be retained for another year in Ann Arbor?

“Everyone needs to take a deep breath,” Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said, when asked about Rodriguez’s status.

And the rumors were just as strong about his potential replacement. Would it be LSU’s Les Miles? Would it be Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh? Or would it be someone else.

Rodriguez has three years remaining on his six-year contract that pays him about $2.5 million per season. If Brandon and school officials decide to fire Rodriguez before 2011, it would cost $4 million. On January 1, the buyout drops to $2.5 million.

One school announced a new coach, while another lost its coach. It’s official in Denton, Texas. Dan McCarney, a former head coach at Iowa State and most recently the defensive line coach at Florida, is the new head coach at North Texas. It’s interesting who McCarney beat out for the position. The other two finalists for the job at North Texas were former TCU, Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione and former Tulsa and Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe.

Meanwhile, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Arkansas State football coach Steve Roberts resigned after back-to-back 4-8 seasons. It was an obvious forced resignation. Roberts was 45-63 in nine seasons at the school. Arkansas State became the 10th school that will have a new head coach next season. Most likely there will be more. Stay tuned!

Perhaps the biggest news last Monday came out of Fort Worth, Texas. TCU announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Big East Conference. And, the Horned Frogs are joining the Big East as an all-sports member – not just for football. TCU becomes a member of the Big East on July 1, 2012.

Some have commented on the distances TCU will be traveling for games, meets and contests. But people don’t realize that Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Hartford, Tampa, etc. are no further from Fort Worth than San Diego, Fresno, Boise, Reno, Las Vegas, Laramie, etc. And, on away trips, TCU will be playing in the earlier Eastern Time Zone as opposed to the later Mountain and Pacific Time Zones. It makes life a little easier when traveling home after the games.

TCU becomes the third school within the year to announce its departure from the Mountain West Conference. Last summer BYU and Utah announced they are leaving the MWC. Utah is headed to the Pac-12 and BYU is becoming an Independent in football and joining the West Coast Conference for its other sports.

Like the old gray mare, the MWC ain’t what she used to be. TCU, Utah and BYU were the conference’s best football programs. With Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada joining the remains of the MWC, and Hawaii and Utah State knocking on the door, the conference is becoming a blend of the MWC and WAC.

Speaking of old and gray, The Donald got involved in Miami’s search for a new coach. And I’m not talking about The Duck; I’m talking about The Trump. Donald Trump sent a note to Miami president Donna Shalala last week, suggesting the Hurricanes hire former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to lead their football program. Trump wrote the note on a copy of The Palm Beach Post’s sports section, scrawling it over the newspaper’s story about Randy Shannon’s firing.

“You made a big mistake when you did not take my advice and hire Mike Leach of Texas Tech ... and you can now get him for the right price,” Trump wrote to Shalala.

Trump lobbied Miami to hire Leach in 2006, when they ultimately chose Shannon.

Reports have six potential candidates for the Miami job. They are are Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, former NFL coach Jon Gruden, former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, Arizona coach Mike Stoops, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Of the six, Mullen may be the top candidate.

While we’re on the topic of candidates, Temple coach Al Golden and fired Miami coach Randy Shannon are candidates for the Vanderbilt job.

Thursday morning, The Denver Post reported that former Colorado tight end Jon Embree has been offered the head coaching job at CU. Embree is currently the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins. According to the Post, if Embree accepts, Colorado hopes he will hire former Buffaloes running back Eric Bieniemy as his offensive coordinator. A few hours later, the Colorado athletic department denied this report.

Speaking of offensive coordinators, Texas coach Mack Brown fired his offensive coordinator – Greg Davis. Brown and Davis have coached together for 16 years at three schools – Texas, North Carolina and Tulane.

Arkansas State announced that Hugh Freeze, the school’s offensive coordinator under former and fired coach Steve Roberts, is the new head coach of the Red Wolves.

Thursday afternoon, Jon Gruden officially bowed out as a candidate for the Miami job. Gruden said he is happy as a broadcaster for ESPN.

This is definitely not the best time of the year to be a placekicker. Last week, Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman missed a short field goal as time expired that would have won the game for the Broncos. Then, to add insult to injury, Brotzman missed a short field goal in the first overtime that would have tied the score and forced a second overtime. Boise State lost to Nevada, 34-31.

Thursday night, Arizona placekicker Alex Zendejas had his extra point attempt blocked by James Brooks of Arizona State. Had Zendejas made the kick, Arizona would have won the game, 21-20. Then, to add insult to injury, Zendejas had his extra point attempt blocked in the second overtime, again by Brooks. Had Zendejas made the kick, Arizona would have tied the score and forced a third overtime. Arizona lost to Arizona State, 30-29.

Speaking of Arizona, I would think by now that Wildcat fans would have lost their patience with Mike Stoops. Stoops just finished his seventh season at Arizona and all seven of his teams have been bad to mediocre at best. Stoops has never produced a good team in seven years. This year, Arizona started out 7-1 but then proceeded to lose its final four games to finish 7-5.

Friday night, Miami (Ohio) stunned Northern Illinois, 26-21 to win the Mid-American Conference championship game. A sparse crowd of only 12,031 attended the game at Ford Field in Detroit. It makes no sense to me why a conference would have its championship game in Detroit. I can’t imagine anybody having anything in Detroit. I can’t imagine anybody going to Detroit and obviously nobody did.

Later that night, Fresno State beat Illinois, 25-23. Ron Zook finishes his sixth season at Illinois with a 6-6 record. He is 27-45 overall with the Banned Indians. Zook had a young team this year which has a lot of promise for next season.

Championship Saturday arrived and first up were a couple of Big East games. Both had implications on who could be representing the Big East in a BCS bowl. In a snowstorm in Cincinnati, Pitt knocked off the Bearcats, 28-10. The win gave the Panthers a piece of the Big East title.

Perhaps most memorable from the Pitt-Cincinnati game was the Cincinnati mascot. The Bearcat was tossed out of the game and arrested for throwing snowballs. The second string Bearcat mascot was brought in for the remainder of the game.

Then West Virginia, in spite of three fumbles, beat Rutgers, 35-14. WVU’s win gave the Mountaineers a piece of the Big East title. The win also knocked Pitt out of a BCS bowl possibility. But the Mountaineers were in the running.

In Orlando, UCF beat SMU, 17-7, to win the Conference USA championship. The win put the Knights in the Liberty Bowl.

Time for two of the country’s three undefeated teams to play – Oregon and Auburn. In the Civil War in Corvallis, Oregon, the Ducks culminated an undefeated season, beating Oregon State, 37-20.

In the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the Auburn-South Carolina game for the SEC championship looked like it was going to be a good one – and a high-scoring affair. Both teams scored on their opening drives. But by the end of the first quarter, Auburn led 21-7.

With 0:16 left in the second quarter, South Carolina scored and was back in the game. The Gamecocks trailed the Tigers, 21-14. It looked like it was going to be a good game again. But that “looked-like” was short lived. As time expired in the first half, Auburn’s Darvin Adams caught a 51-yard “Hail-Mary” pass from Cam Newton. Just like that, in 16 seconds, Auburn went from what appeared to be a 21-14 halftime lead to a 28-14 halftime lead.

That score took the wind out of Cocky’s feathers. South Carolina was never in the game after that. The Gamecocks were literally a no-show in the second half. What started out in the opening minutes to be a high-scoring game ended up only being a high-scoring affair for Auburn. The Tigers beat the Gamecocks 56-17.

Five games down, three to go. Three games Saturday night would determine the ACC and Big 12 conference champions and the Big East’s representative to a BCS bowl. In Charlotte, North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech fought for the ACC title. It was a good game for two quarters. The Hokies led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter and 21-17 at the half.

In the third quarter, the superiority of the Hokies began to show. Virginia Tech scored twice and led 35-17. The Hokies pretty much maintained an 18-point lead after that and went on to win, 44-33. FSU scored a “who cares” touchdown with 0:06 left in the game.

In Tampa, Connecticut kicked a 52-yard field goal with 0:17 left in the game and beat South Florida for the first time in Tampa, 19-16. The win sends UConn to the BCS bowl from the Big East. Had the Huskies lost, West Virginia would have represented the Big East in a BCS bowl. Connecticut, Pitt and West Virginia finished in a three-way tie for the Big East championship. But UConn beat both Pitt and WVU during the season.

Finally, in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma provided the most exciting contest of the conference championship games. But at first, it looked like Nebraska was going to run away with the game. The Huskers led 17-0 early in the second quarter.

Then the Sooners came roaring back, scoring 17 unanswered points. Nebraska kicked a field goal with 0:06 remaining in the second quarter and led at the half, 20-17. After all the scoring in the first half, the second half was a defensive battle. Oklahoma added a field goal in each of the third and fourth quarters for the second half’s only scores. The Sooners skunked the Huskers, holding Nebraska scoreless in the second half. OU won the game, 23-20.

Compared to recent years, this was one of the dullest championship Saturday’s. There were no upsets. Everything pretty much played out as predicted.

In some other games Saturday, Boise State, Hawaii and Nevada all won, finishing in a three-way tie for the WAC championship. Boise State beat Utah State, 50-14, Hawaii downed UNLV, 59-21, and Nevada defeated Louisiana Tech, 35-17.

In the Pac-10, USC won the cross-town rivalry, beating UCLA, 28-14, and Washington won the Apple Cup, beating Washington State, 35-28.

Late Saturday, it was confirmed Jon Embree is the new head coach at Colorado and Eric Bieniemy will be the offensive coordinator. News also broke that Miami (Florida) may come after Nebraska coach Bo Pelini to fill the Hurricane’s vacancy.

Then word leaked that Boise State’s Chris Petersen is a strong candidate for the Minnesota job. Petersen better look before he leaps. The two previous Boise State coaches – Dirk Koetler and Dan Hawkins, who did well with the Broncos, left for greener fields and flopped. Koetler was a failure at Arizona State, as was Hawkins at Colorado.

Shortly after the news on Petersen was released, news came out that Minnesota had hired Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill as the new head coach of the Gophers. In three seasons at NIU, Kill went 6-7, 7-6 and 10-3 – a combined record of 23-16. Prior to NIU, Kill was the head coach at Division I-AA Southern Illinois.

Auburn-Oregon will be a great championship game – the two most exciting offenses in the country. You’ll need a seat belt to watch the game.

Rockledge Gator has been incognito recently. That may have something to do with his posing for a photographer in the bathtub with bubble bath. Sounds like a great idea for a 2011 calendar.

Touchdown Tom
December 6, 2010


Weekend Review

GAME OF THE WEEK: Chicken Little – Auburn 56, South Carolina 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, South Carolina 33). When South Carolina is good, the Gamecocks are very, very good. When South Carolina is bad, the Gamecocks are very, very bad. Saturday in Atlanta, the Gamecocks were very, very bad. Vanderbilt would have made a better showing against Auburn. But, I guess the Gamecocks were just happy to be there. South Carolina probably will not make it to another SEC title game for a good 20 years or so. Pure and simple, it came down to the fact that the Gamecocks couldn’t stop Cam Newton. Newton had a hand in six of Auburn’s eight scores – passing for four touchdowns and running for two more. Auburn’s defense is improving and South Carolina’s defense didn’t show up. A crowd of 75,802 attended the game in Atlanta.

RUNNER UP: Ducks dam the Beavers – Oregon 37, Oregon State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 32, Oregon State 19). It’s called the Civil War and some thought the intensity of the rivalry would give Oregon State a chance for the upset. But it wasn’t to be. It’s hard to stop Oregon. A crowd of 46,469 attended the game in Corvallis.

BEST OF THE REST: Sooners pop the Corn – Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Nebraska 28). Four turnovers and very poor play by the Nebraska offense in the second half were the Huskers downfall. Landry Jones passed for 342 yards as Oklahoma won its seventh Big 12 title game. A crowd of 78,802 attended the game in Arlington.

No Turkey feathers for the Noles – Virginia Tech 44, Florida State 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Florida State 17). Pure and simple, Florida State had no running game. The Hokies held the Noles to 53 yards rushing. An injured Christian Ponder was held out of the game, as E.J. Manuel quarterbacked for the Noles. A crowd of 72,379 attended the game in Charlotte.

Huskies grab the Bulls by the horns – Connecticut 19, South Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: South Florida 19, Connecticut 16). UConn’s only touchdown was scored on a pass interception. Aside from that, the Huskies kicked four field goals. The game was mostly a defensive battle. A crowd of 41,809 attended the game in Tampa.

Mounties dew Guido – West Virginia 35, Rutgers 14 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 28, Rutgers 13). WVU held Rutgers to 11 first downs and 63 yards rushing. Mountie quarterback Geno Smith had his best game passing, completing 82 percent of his passes for 352 yards. WVU finished the season with a four-game winning streak. A crowd of 48,386 attended the game in Morgantown.

Panthers snow ’em over – Pitt 28, Cincinnati 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Cincinnati 26). Pitt’s Dion Lewis rushed for 261 yards. The game was played in a snowstorm. A crowd of 27,496 attended the game in Cincinnati.

Knights pin the tail on the Pony – UCF 17, SMU 7 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 32, SMU 28). I thought this game would be a high-scoring affair. UCF led SMU 17-0 at the end of three quarters. The Knights defense stymied the Mustang attack. A crowd of 41,045 attended the game in Orlando.

RedHawks make NIU RedFaced – Miami (Ohio) 26, Northern Illinois 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 25, Miami 18). In a wild finish, the RedHawks upset the Huskies in the MAC Championship Game. After a so-so 4-4 start, Miami won its last five games to finish the season 9-4. A crowd of 12,031 attended the game in Detroit.

Sun Blocker – Arizona State 30, Arizona 29 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 31, Arizona State 30). ASU’s win gives the Sun Devils a 6-6 record, but they are not bowl eligible because ASU played two Division I-AA teams. Is Mike Stoops ever going to have a good team at Arizona? Seven years and Stoops is still not getting the job done. A crowd of 56,253 attended the game in Tucson.

Life’s a holiday on… – USC 28, UCLA 14 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 24, UCLA 23). After sitting out with an injury last week, USC quarterbacked Matt Barkley returned to lead the Trojans. USC running back Allen Bradford rushed for 212 yards. The Trojans led 28-7 near the end of the game. UCLA scored a “who cares” touchdown with 0:23 left in the game. It was a tough year for Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins were 4-8. A crowd of 71,105 attended the game in Pasadena.

Bulldogs beat the Boys in the Banned – Fresno State 25, Illinois 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Fresno State 35, Illinois 34). Fresno State jumped out to a quick 16-0 start and held on to beat the Banned Indians. The Bulldogs finish 8-4, while the Zookers end up 6-6. A crowd of 30,625 attended the game in Fresno.

Pack attack – Nevada 35, Louisiana Tech 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nevada 32, Louisiana Tech 25). Nevada’s Val Taua and Colin Kaepernick combined for 317 yards rushing. The Wolf Pack completed a great season at 12-1. A crowd of 18,562 attended the game in Ruston.

Mr. Ed puts the Aggies to bed – Boise State 50, Utah State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 41, Utah State 18). Boise State held Utah State to 41 yards passing. The Broncos finish 11-1. A crowd of 32,101 attended the game in Boise.

A Husky crown in Cougar town – Washington 35, Washington State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 26, Washington State 19). Washington scored with 0:44 remaining to win the game. With the win, the Huskies became bowl eligible. In spite of the loss, Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel passed for 298 yards. A crowd of 30,157 attended the game in Pullman.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Punched – Hawaii 59, UNLV 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Hawaii 47, UNLV 21). Hawaii passed for 423 yards and UNLV only had 295 yards total offense. The Warriors – 10-3 – had their best season since June Jones left for SMU. It was a tough year for UNLV at 2-11. A crowd of 37,820 attended the game in Honolulu.

Comment: A good final week at 13-3, which brings my season total to 238-97 (71.1 percent).


AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic lost to Troy, 44-7. A crowd of 11,368 attended the game Fort Lauderdale…. Florida International fell to Middle Tennessee, 28-27. A crowd of 16,628 attended the game in Miami…. Bethune-Cookman stumbled to New Hampshire, 45-20, in the Division I-AA playoffs. A crowd of 5,738 attended the game in Daytona Beach.

In the only other Division I-A game played over the weekend, Idaho beat San Jose State, 26-23 (OT). A crowd of 8,011 attended the game in Moscow.


Superlatives

Impressive Passers: Hawaii’s Bryant Moniz – 29-43-1 for 380 yards; West Virginia’s Geno Smith – 23-28-0 for 352; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 23-41-1- for 342; Auburn’s Cam Newton – 16-27-0 for 330; Miami of Ohio’s Austin Boucher – 27-46-0 for 321; San Jose State’s Jordan La Secla – 30-41-2 for 309, and Troy’s Corey Robinson – 22-31-0 for 305.

Also, Fresno State’s Ryan Colburn – 18-26-0 for 304 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Jeff Van Camp – 21-41-1 for 302; Washington State’s Jeff Tuel – 25-35-1 for 298; Florida State’s E.J. Manuel – 23-31-2 for 288; Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish – 15-29-0 for 280; Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor – 18-28-0 for 263, and Arizona’s Nick Foles – 22-36-0 for 262.


Impressive Rushers: Washington’s Chris Polk – 284 yards; Pitt’s Dion Lewis – 261 yards; USC’s Allen Bradford – 212 yards; Nevada’s Val Taua – 186 yards; Utah State’s Kerwynn Williams – 147 yards; Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick – 142 yards; Illinois’ Mikel LeShoure – 142 yards, and Hawaii’s Alex Green – 136 yards.


TT’s Annual Picks

My choice for coach of the year from each of the Division I-A Conferences.

ACC: Ralph Friedgen – Maryland; Runner-up: Tom O’Brien – N.C. State
Big East: Randy Edsall – Connecticut; Runner-up: (tie) Doug Marrone – Syracuse and Charlie Strong – Louisville
Big Ten: Mark Dantonio – Michigan State; Runner-up: Bret Bielema – Wisconsin
Big 12: Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State; Runner-up: Mike Sherman – Texas A&M
C-USA: George O’Leary – UCF; Runner-up: June Jones – SMU
MAC: Mike Haywood – Miami (Ohio); Runner-up: Jerry Kill – Northern Illinois
MWC: Brady Hoke – San Diego State; Runner-up: Troy Calhoun – Air Force
Pac-10: Jim Harbaugh – Stanford; Runner-up: Chip Kelly – Oregon
SEC: Gene Chizik – Auburn; Runner-up: (tie) Steve Spurrier – South Carolina and Dan Mullen – Mississippi State
Sun Belt: Mario Cristobal – Florida International; Runner-up: Larry Blakeney – Troy
WAC: Chris Ault – Nevada; Runner-up: Greg McMackin – Hawaii
Independents: Kim Niumatalolo – Navy; Runner-up: Rich Ellerson – Army


If I had a vote for the Heisman, my ballot would be cast as follows:

1. Cam Newton – Auburn
2. Andrew Luck – Stanford
3. Kellen Moore – Boise State


My choice for the most disappointing team of the year in each of the FBS (Division I-A) conferences:

ACC: (tie) Clemson and Miami
Big East: (tie) Cincinnati and Rutgers
Big Ten: Iowa
Big 12: Texas
C-USA: Houston
MAC: Central Michigan
MWC: Wyoming
Pac-10: Oregon State
SEC: (tie) Alabama and Florida
Sun Belt: Middle Tennessee
WAC: Idaho
Independents: Notre Dame


Quotes of the Week

“It’s a two-headed thing now for coaches. The schools, they want you to do all the right things, the kids not getting in trouble, the kids doing well in the classroom. And Randy was doing those things. But if you don’t win enough games, well, I guess that’s what matters most,” Bobby Bowden, on the firing of Randy Shannon at Miami (Florida).

“So Nebraska plays in a conference title game, then bolts for the Big Ten when it’s over. That makes for an interesting trophy ceremony with the conference commissioner if the Cornhuskers win. But they won’t,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Florida State was impressive last week against Florida, but who wasn’t impressive this year against Florida, except, well, you know. Arf,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“In the Reggie Bush case, when the parent did something inappropriate the kid and the school suffered,” USC athletic director Pat Haden, on the NCAA’s decision regarding Cam Newton.

“Auburn fans love their team. Almost nobody else does,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley.

“If Cam Newton wins the Heisman, the trophy should be recast in honor of Cam’s dad. The guy on top of trophy shouldn’t have his arm out; he should have his hand out,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“The United States gets beaten out for the 2022 World Cup by Qatar? This might be the lowest point in American sports since the inception of the Motor City Bowl,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


Hottest Game of the Week

Army (6-5) vs. Navy (8-3) – (Ind. vs. Ind.) – It’s the annual battle between the two service academies. This year the game is in Philadelphia. And this year, for the first time in many years, Army should be competitive in the game. Rich Ellerson is turning around the Black Knights’ program – in a positive way. The Goat has a chew of a day – Navy 25, Army 16.


Saturday’s Television Schedule – December 11

Alabama State vs. Texas Southern – 2:00 p.m. ET – ESPN Classic
Army vs. Navy – 2:30 p.m. ET – CBS


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … North Texas is opening a new $78 million stadium next season…. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas, Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and Stanford offensive coordinator Greg Roman are the five finalists for the Broyles Award. The Broyles Award is presented annually to the best assistant coach in the country. The award will be presented tonight in Little Rock, Arkansas. Last year’s winner was Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

Georgia has added Florida Atlantic to its 2012 schedule. The game will be played in Athens…. The three finalists for the Walter Camp Award are Stanford quarterback Oliver Luck, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Oregon running back LaMichael James. The award is presented to the player of the year in college football.

Tulane and Syracuse have signed a contract for a two-game home-and-home series to be played in 2011 and 2012…. Louisiana Tech and South Alabama have agreed to a two-game home-and-home series to be played in 2017 and 2018…. Delaware State fired football coach Al Lavan…. Gardner-Webb fired football coach Steve Patton.

And on a sad note, Marvin Bass, a former head football coach at South Carolina who posted three wins in five seasons against Clemson, died last week. He was 91. Nicknamed “Moose,” Bass was an All-American at William & Mary. He served in the Navy during World War II. During his stint at South Carolina from 1961-1965, Bass had a record of 17-29-4.


2010 Conference Champions

ACC: Virginia Tech
Big East: Connecticut, Pitt and West Virginia
Big Ten: Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin
Big 12: Oklahoma
C-USA: UCF
MAC: Miami (Ohio)
MWC: TCU
Pac-10: Oregon
SEC: Auburn
Sun Belt: Florida International and Troy
WAC: Boise State, Hawaii and Nevada


Extra Points

AP Poll – 1. Auburn, 2. Oregon, 3. TCU, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Stanford, 6. Ohio State

Coaches Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Stanford, 6. Ohio State

TT’s Poll – 1. Auburn, 2. Oregon, 3. TCU, 4. Stanford, 5. Wisconsin, 6. Michigan State

BCS Rank – 1. Auburn, 2. Oregon, 3. TCU, 4. Stanford, 5. Wisconsin, 6. Ohio State


On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

On the Radio – Listen live to Touchdown Tom every Friday morning from 8:05 to 8:40 ET on the Bill Mick Live show, talking college football with Bill Mick on NEWS TALK 1240 and 1350 WMMB AM. The show streams on HUwww.wmmbam.comUH. To listen, go to the Web site and click on “Listen Live.”

Touchdown Tom’s annual preview of the bowl games will be posted Friday morning, December 10. Stay tuned!

Touchdown Tom


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but with the gray skies of early December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. As the fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1935 was “Red Sails in the Sunset” by Guy Lombardo

…70 years ago this week in 1940 was “Only Forever” by Bing Crosby

…65 years ago this week in 1945 was “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Bing Crosby with Les Paul

…60 years ago this week in 1950 was “The Thing” by Phil Harris

…55 years ago this week in 1955 was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford

…50 years ago this week in 1960 was “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley

…45 years ago this week in 1965 was “Turn! Turn! Turn! By The Byrds

…40 years ago this week in 1970 was “The Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

…35 years ago this week in 1975 was “Fly, Robin Fly” by Silver Convention

…30 years ago this week in 1980 was “Lady” by Kenny Rogers

…25 years ago this week in 1985 was “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister

…20 years ago this week in 1990 was “Because I Love You (The Postman Song) by Stevie B


Not directly college football related, but on a sad note, there were three passings of mention last week – Gil McDougald, Ron Santo and Marvin Bass (mentioned above).

Gil McDougald, the New York Yankees’ versatile All-Star infielder who played on five World Series championship teams but was remembered as well for a single at-bat resulting in one of baseball’s most frightening moments, died last week at his home in Wall Township, New Jersey. He was 82. McDougald was the American League’s rookie of the year in 1951, playing third base and second base and hitting .306. Playing with the Yankees for 10 seasons, McDougald was a five-time All-Star and a gifted fielder, appearing mostly at second and third but also at shortstop. On the night of May 7, 1957, at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, McDougald drilled a line drive off a pitch from the Indians’ brilliant young left-hander Herb Score that struck Score in the face. Score was carried off the field, having sustained a severe injury to his right eye and a broken nose. A native of San Francisco, Gilbert James McDougald was born on May 19, 1928, and played on eight pennant-winning Yankees teams. A timely hitter, he twice hit better than .300 in a season and had a career batting average of .276. He retired after the 1960 season. McDougald coached baseball at Fordham University from 1970 to 1976.

Ron Santo, a star third baseman of the Chicago Cubs and their longtime broadcaster who became a revered figure for his exploits on the field and his battle against juvenile diabetes, died last week in a hospital in Arizona. He was 70. Playing for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973, then for a final season with the Chicago White Sox, Santo hit 342 career home runs, won five Gold Glove awards for fielding and was named an All-Star nine times. When he took a routine physical in 1959, on the brink of making his Cubs debut, Santo was found to have juvenile diabetes. He began taking insulin within two years, but kept his diabetes a secret from the Cubs until being named to his first All-Star team in 1963. After his playing days ended, Santo raised millions of dollars for diabetes research, and for more than two decades he sponsored an annual walk-a-thon to help seek a cure. The disease took a heavy toll on him. He had heart attacks, went through quadruple-bypass surgery, then underwent amputation of his legs, in 2001 and 2002, but continued as a Cubs color commentator with WGN, using prostheses. He also underwent surgery for the bladder cancer. Santo was a native of Seattle.