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.”