College Football Week 21 – Hit the pause button until August 28
‘Ain’t it funny, how time slips away’

“Well, hello there. 
My, it’s been a long, long time”

Remember back to preseason?  The weather was a little warmer.  The topic of conversation was hot too.  All the buzz was about – who else – Johnny Manziel, 2012’s Johnny Football.  But instead of Johnny Football, Manziel had gathered a number of other nicknames over the summer.

Yeah, everybody was talking about Johnny Manziel alright.  The Texas A&M quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy holder had quite an off-season.  It was about as far off as you can get.  From January to August, Manziel was constantly into one thing or another.  And none of it was good.

Most recently, Manziel was accused of selling his autograph – a violation of NCAA rules, if true.  Folks were wondering if Manziel would have to sit out the first few games – or even if he would play at all.  Yeah, instead of Johnny Football, he was being called Johnny Goofball, Johnny Freefall, Johnny Airball, Johnny Outlaw and Johnny Paycheck.

In the preseason polls, Alabama was No. 1 and Ohio State was No. 2.  The Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes were solid picks for the Top 2 spots.  No one else was real close, but Oregon, Stanford and Georgia were breathing down their necks – according to the polls. 

And where was Florida State, you might ask?  Well, the Seminoles were a consensus No. 10 in the preseason polls.  And how about Auburn?  Don’t laugh, but the Tigers were a consensus No. 46.  If you are looking for a laugh – the preseason polls had Florida a consensus No. 9. 

On the Thursday night before Labor Day weekend, North Carolina at South Carolina got the season started in Week One.  The Gamecocks beat the Tar Heels, 27-10, but Jadeveon Clowney was a no show.  Clowney was winded – gasping for air.  He spent much of the game on the bench. 

That weekend, Johnny Football got yet another nickname or two – Johnny Halfgame and Johnny Halftime.  In the Aggies opener, Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin pulled Manziel from the game at halftime for rude behavior.  Meanwhile, we learned that a dynasty might be coming to an end, as Washington downed Boise State, 38-6. 

Saturday night, Clemson beat Georgia, 38-35.  So much for Uga breathing down Alabama’s or Ohio State’s neck.  Labor Day night, we were properly introduced to Jameis Winston.  The Florida State quarterback was nothing short of impressive, as the Seminoles beat Pitt, 41-13.    

And it was also the week that those of us over 60 learned a new word – “twerk.”

“How am I doing?
Oh, I guess that I’m doing fine”

Week Two, Swamp Mama went on a date with her boss to Florida Tech’s inaugural football game, including a pregame dinner at Hardee’s.  I stayed home to watch West Virginia on television.  Florida Tech beat Stetson, 20-13.  WVU lost to Oklahoma, 16-7.  I guess Swamp Mama got the better end of that deal.  Well, maybe not the dinner.

Uga was resuscitated as Georgia beat South Carolina, 41-30.  Jadeveon Clowney was a no show again, blaming his coaches for his poor play this time.  Michigan beat Notre Dame, 41-30, and Miami beat Florida, 21-16.  Washington State stunned USC, 10-7, while BYU pounded Texas, 41-20.  Longhorns coach Mack Brown fired his defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, the next day. 

Week Three, Sports Illustrated published a scathing story on Oklahoma State, scandalizing the football program.  Okie State officials denied all the charges in the story.  Alabama beat Texas A&M, 49-42, but the Aggies racked up 628 yards of offense on the Tide, scoring six touchdowns and averaging 5.1 yards a carry in the game.  A well-behaved Johnny Manziel passed for 464 yards, completing 72 percent of his passes.  But Manziel threw two interceptions.   

Michigan almost lost to Akron.  The Wolverines escaped with a 28-24 win over the Zips.  UCLA blasted Nebraska, 41-21, and UCF beat Penn State, 34-31.  Grambling State fired its coach, Doug Williams.  And it was becoming apparent to me that I was going to be watching a lot of Texas Tech football games on TV during the season.  Swamp Mama was developing a long-distance love affair with Kliff Kingsbury.

The slate of games was so unappealing in Week Four that ESPN chose to broadcast its College GameDay show from Fargo, North Dakota, home of North Dakota State.  But instead of locating the show’s set on the North Dakota State campus, the GameDay show was broadcast from the streets of downtown Fargo.  That left us wondering:  Is North Dakota State’s campus that ugly?  Or does North Dakota State even have a campus?

It wasn’t a good week for Nebraska coach Bo Pelini.  A video of Pelini ranting about Nebraska fans surfaced.  In the video, which was made two years prior after a Nebraska-Ohio State game, Pelini uses the F-word nine times in eight sentences.  Later in the week, Pelini verbally bashed former Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier, after Frazier said that changes need to be made at Nebraska.   

Then at Alabama, word leaked that Nick Saban’s agent Jimmy Sexton was talking to Texas about Saban becoming the Longhorns coach.  Apparently Sexton had been contacted by a University of Texas regent.  As expected, Tide fans got a little upset.  At a press conference, Saban vented his displeasure about the gossip. 

Stanford beat Arizona State, 42-28, and Notre Dame edged Michigan State, 17-13.  Tyler Murphy came on to quarterback Florida to a 31-17 win over Tennessee, after Jeff Driskel broke his leg early in the game.  In Blacksburg, Virginia Tech struggled to beat Marshall, 29-21, in three overtimes.  And LSU beat Auburn 35-21.  Little did we know then that it would be Auburn’s only loss during the season.

“It’s been so long now,
But it seems now, that it was only yesterday
Gee, ain’t it funny, how time slips away”

Week Five turned out to be a good Saturday to be a couch potato from noon to the wee hours of Sunday morning.  There were several good games on TV.  First, South Carolina escaped UCF, beating the Knights, 28-25.  But Jadeveon Clowney didn’t play.  He said his ribs were sore.  West Virginia upset Oklahoma State, 30-21.  Then Georgia beat LSU 44-41.

Boston College gave Florida State fits, leading the Noles 17-3 in the second quarter and trailing by only four points in the third quarter – 24-20.  FSU went on to win, 48-34.  Oklahoma downed Notre Dame, 35-21, and Texas A&M beat Arkansas, 45-33.  Ohio State got by Wisconsin, 31-24, while Nevada beat Air Force in a thriller, 45-42.  And finally (in the wee hours of Sunday morning) Arizona State beat USC, 62-41.  As soon as the Trojans arrived back at the airport in Los Angeles after the game, Lane Kiffin was fired.

Meanwhile, sales of t-shirts depicting Jameis Winston as Jesus Christ and calling him the “chosen one” were banned on the Florida State campus.  And former LSU, Army and South Carolina coach Paul Dietzel died.  Dietzel was famous for his “Chinese Bandits” defense.   

In Week Six, Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom spent the weekend in Gainesville, attending the Arkansas-Florida game.  The foursome began tailgating at 11 a.m. for a game that didn’t start until 7 p.m.  It was a long day.  Florida beat Arkansas, 30-10.  In other games that week, Stanford beat Washington, 31-28, and Georgia escaped Tennessee, 34-31 in three overtimes.  Also, Notre Dame downed Arizona State, 37-34.  

Meanwhile, Connecticut fired Paul Pasqualoni and Miami (Ohio) fired Don Treadwell.  Former Texas quarterback James Street died.  Street led the Longhorns to the national championship in 1969.

Week Seven turned out to be a “Shakedown Saturday.”  There were lots of upsets in the Top 25.  Texas shocked Oklahoma, 36-20, and Utah stunned Stanford, 27-21.  Penn State outlasted Michigan, 43-40, in four overtimes, while Missouri surprised Georgia, 41-26.  Boston College was at it again.  This time the Eagles gave Clemson a scare.  But the Tigers rallied to beat BC, 24-14.  USC won its first game under interim coach Ed Orgeron, beating Arizona, 38-31. 

It was the week that David Pollack, Pat Dye and Bobby Bowden said that Condoleezza Rice shouldn’t be on the committee to select the four teams for the playoff next season.  Pollock’s comment drew an angry response from Fox’s Erin Andrews. 

Déjà vu, as Week Eight turned out to be like Week Seven – a repeat of “Shakedown Saturday.”  Four teams lost for the first time – Clemson, Houston, Louisville and UCLA.  Florida State blasted Clemson, 51-14, while BYU edged Houston, 47-46.  UCF rallied to beat Louisville, 38-35, and Stanford dumped UCLA, 24-10.

Then there were five shockers in the SEC.  Vanderbilt stunned Georgia, 31-27.   Tennessee surprised South Carolina 23-21.  Missouri easily beat Florida, 36-17.  Auburn stunned Texas A&M, 45-41, and Ole Miss beat LSU, 24-21.

In two other games, Arizona State beat Washington, 53-24, and Notre Dame edged USC, 14-10.  Meanwhile, improving its record to 5-2, Duke was beginning to catch the country’s eye.   

“Seems like it was just the other day
Gee, ain’t it funny, how time slips away”

In Week Nine, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom went to Florida Tech’s homecoming game.  The Panthers beat Warner, 37-3.  Earlier in the week, Swamp Mama participated in the Florida Tech Homecoming 5K in downtown Melbourne, while Touchdown Tom drank beer with her boss and a friend at Meg O’Malley’s.   

South Carolina rallied from a 17-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri, 27-24, in two overtimes.  Duke knocked off Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, 13-10.  The Dookies improved to 6-2.  Minnesota stunned Nebraska, 34-23, and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, 38-30.  Oregon pounded UCLA, 42-14, while Ohio State downed Penn State, 63-14.  And, in a press conference, Nick Saban complained about Alabama fans leaving at the end of the third quarter. 

Bobby Bowden returned to Doak-Campbell stadium for the first time since he retired in 2009.  Before the game, Bobby even got to plant the flaming spear in the ground.  But he didn’t ride the horse.  Florida State beat NC State, 49-17.   

By Week 10, we were coming down to the final stretch and the race was on between Oregon, Florida State, Baylor, Ohio State and Alabama.  Stanford, Clemson, Oklahoma, Missouri and Auburn were still in the chase.  Fresno State and NIU weren’t in the chase but they were still in the running for a BCS bowl spot. 

Florida State beat Miami, 41-14, and Georgia beat Florida, 23-20.  It was Will Muschamp’s third loss to Georgia in three tries.  Nebraska beat Northwestern, 27-24, on a 49-yard Hail-Mary pass as time expired. 

Florida Atlantic coach Carl Pelini was fired for smoking crack and marijuana.  And former Arkansas and Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt applied for the Connecticut vacancy. 

In Week 11, Stanford knocked off Oregon, 26-20, and Alabama beat LSU, 38-17.  Baylor bested Oklahoma, 41-12, while Pitt beat Notre Dame, 28-21.  In Morgantown,   Texas beat West Virginia, 47-40, in overtime, and in Gainesville, Vanderbilt surprised Florida, 34-17.  Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan fired Ron English.  School officials said he had a potty mouth.  He also couldn’t win games. 

“I gotta go now
I guess I’ll see you around”

Week 12 was the week for miraculous catches – two of them.  First, J.J. Worton made a big catch for UCF in a game against Temple.  It was a one-handed, diving catch in the corner of the end zone, with less than two minutes left in the game.  UCF beat Temple, 39-36.

The second miraculous catch became known as the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare.”  It occurred in Auburn’s game against Georgia.  On fourth-and-eighteen, with less than a minute on the clock Auburn trailed Georgia, 38-37.  That’s when Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall heaved a desperation pass down the field.  The ball was coming up short of its intended receiver, but the Georgia defender – attempting to intercept the pass – deflected the ball into the hands of the Auburn receiver.   The Tigers Ricardo Lewis, briefly bobbled the ball, but held on to it and ran into the end zone for a touchdown.  Auburn beat Georgia, 43-38. 

Elsewhere that week, Northwestern lost its sixth-straight game after beginning the season 4-0.  Michigan beat Northwestern, 27-19.  And Texas Tech, who began the season 7-0, lost for the fourth-straight time.  Baylor beat Texas Tech, 63-34.  Maryland beat Virginia Tech, for the first time since 1990, 27-24 in overtime.  Duke beat Miami, 48-30, for first time since 1976.  And Michigan State beat Nebraska for the first time ever, 41-28. 

Boston College’s Andre Williams rushed for 339 yards, as the Eagles beat NC State, 38-21.  And out west, USC beat Stanford, for the first time since 2008, 20-17, and UCLA downed Washington, 41-31.   

In Week 13, Andre Williams added another 263 yards rushing, as Boston College downed Maryland, 29-26.  Trying to outscore their basketball teams, North Carolina beat Old Dominion, 80-20, while South Carolina downed Coastal Carolina, 70-10. 

It took them three overtimes, but Navy hung in there to beat San Jose State, 58-52.  Oklahoma State upset Baylor, 49-17.  Arizona State downed UCLA, 38-33, while Florida got a big time surprise from Georgia Southern.  The lower-division Eagles beat the Gators, 26-20.  Gator fans were calling for Will Muschamp’s ouster.  Meanwhile, Duke won again, but Northwestern lost its seventh straight.

There were wild parties and wild games in Week 14 – Thanksgiving week.  The Friday after Thanksgiving, LSU had to rally in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas, 27-21.  In California, San Jose State handed Fresno State its first loss of the season.  The Spartans beat the Bulldogs, 62-52.  The loss knocked Fresno State out of a potential BCS bowl spot. 

In the Civil War, Oregon just got by Oregon State, 36-35.  Bowling Green won the MAC East Division, beating Buffalo, 24-7.  Iowa gave Nebraska a whipping, spanking the Huskers, 38-17.  After the game, Huskers coach Bo Pelini dared Nebraska officials to fire him.     

On Thanksgiving weekend Saturday, Michigan gave Ohio State a scare.  The Buckeyes escaped with a 42-41 win, as Michigan’s two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game failed.  Duke beat North Carolina, 27-25.  The win gave the Blue Devils the ACC Coastal Division title and a 10-2 season record.

Auburn had another miraculous finish at Jordan-Hare.  The Tigers returned a failed field goal attempt for a touchdown as time expired to beat Alabama, 34-28.  The win gave Auburn the SEC West Division title.  The SEC East Division title went to Missouri, as the Tigers knocked off Texas A&M, 28-21.

In other games on Thanksgiving weekend, South Carolina beat Clemson, 31-17, and Georgia got by Georgia Tech, 41-34 in two overtimes.  Penn State upset Wisconsin, 31-24, and Stanford downed Notre Dame, 27-20.  Rice beat Tulane, 17-13, to win the C-USA West Division title.  UCLA beat USC, 35-14, and Texas Tech lost its fifth-straight game.

In a week for being thankful, Nick Saban’s wife Terry told the Wall Street Journal that Alabama fans weren’t thankful for Nick.   “They don’t appreciate him.”  But Terry assured everyone that Nick was not going to Texas.  Will Muschamp, Bo Pelini and Brady Hoke should have been thankful.  The athletic directors of Florida, Nebraska and Michigan announced that their respective coaches would be back next year.

But everyone wasn’t thankful.  Wake Forest fired Jim Grobe and Wyoming fired Dave Christensen.  Meanwhile, Florida fired offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis.  

“Don’t know when though
Never know when I’ll be back in town”

The circus came to Tallahassee during Week 15.  In a carnival-like atmosphere on the lawn of the Leon County Courthouse, state attorney Willie Meggs announced that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston would not be charged for rape.  Meggs said there wasn’t enough evidence.

Michigan State knocked off Ohio State, 34-24, in the Big Ten Conference title game, and Auburn downed Missouri, 59-42, in the SEC championship game.  Auburn’s Tre Mason rushed for 304 yards in the game.  Oklahoma kept Oklahoma State from winning the Big 12 Conference, beating the Cowboys, 33-24.  As a result, Baylor won the Big 12, beating Texas, 30-10.  In the MAC title game, Bowling Green upset Northern Illinois, 47-27.  The loss knocked the Huskies out of a BCS bowl.  
 
In Week 16, Navy beat Army for the 12th-straight year, 34-7.  Florida State’s Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy.  Winston was followed in the voting by Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch, Boston College’s Andre Williams, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Auburn’s Tre Mason.

Texas fired Mack Brown.  But it was a big week for hiring.  Wake Forest hired Dave Clawson, Boise State hired Bryan Harsin, Connecticut hired Bob Diaco, Eastern Michigan hired Chris Creighton, Florida Atlantic hired Charlie Partridge, USC hired Steve Sarkisian and Washington hired Chris Petersen.
  
During Week 17, anticipating the BCS National Championship game, Florida State fans were showing up everywhere, coming out of the woodwork and out of the closet.  Army fired Rich Ellerson, but Arkansas State hired Blake Anderson.  An Alabama couple named their new-born son, Krimson Tyde.  And the first four bowl games were played.   

Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom traveled to the “north country” – north Florida, in Week 18.  College football and the country celebrated Christmas.  Army hired Jeff Monken and Will Muschamp found his new offensive coordinator – Duke’s Kurt Roper.  Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick was sent home prior to the team’s bowl game in Hawaii for urinating off a balcony at the team’s hotel.

South Carolina’s Jeremy Clowney got his second speeding ticket in three weeks.  Tim Tebow left the unemployment ranks as ESPN hired the former Gator quarterback.  Fifteen more bowl games were played.  Of note, Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had his best performance of the season, as the Cardinals pounded Miami, 36-9.   

And finally, in Week 19, Bill O’Brien resigned from his position at Penn State to become the coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans, and Louisville’s Charlie Strong was named the coach at Texas.  The last 16 bowls were played.  In the finale, Florida State beat Auburn, 33-31, in a thrilling game to win the BCS National Championship. 

“But remember, what I tell you
In time, football has another day
Ain’t it surprising, how time slips away”

If anything, the 2013 college football season was the year of the underdog.  For the most part, it was not the year of the favorite.  Alabama and Ohio State were the favorites to win their respective conferences and play for the national championship.  They didn’t.

Instead, Florida State and Auburn played for the national championship.  Florida State wasn’t even supposed to win its division in the ACC.  Clemson was.  And Auburn was picked to finish at or near the bottom of West Division in the SEC.  So was Missouri, for that matter, who won the SEC’s East Division.  And Duke?  Yes, the Dookies!  The Blue Devils were picked to finish at the bottom of their division in the ACC.

Baylor, who won the Big 12, was only considered to be a dark horse – at best – to win the conference.  Michigan State was only considered to be a contender for the Legends Division title in the Big Ten Conference.  Michigan and Nebraska were the favorites.

Boise State, Louisville and Northern Illinois were the favorites to win their respective conferences – the MWC, AAC and MAC.  None of them did.  It was supposed to be East Carolina vs. Tulsa for the C-USA championship.  Instead, it was Rice vs. Marshall.

The only favorites that won their conferences in 2013 were Stanford in the Pac-12 and Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt.      

2013 also was the season where we wondered: What happened to the famous SEC defenses?  It seems that most SEC teams forgot how to play defense in 2013.  It was the year that Georgia State played its first season at the FBS level.  A season the Panthers may want to forget.  Georgia State finished 0-12.

And it was the year that Charlotte and Florida Tech played football for the first time, while Stetson and Mercer resumed football after a long absence. 

2013 was the last year for the Leaders and Legends Divisions in the Big Ten.  (I always called them the Losers and Laggards Divisions.)  Next season, the Big Ten will use logic, offering us the geological East and West Divisions.  Now, if only the ACC would use common sense and follow suit, changing to North and South Divisions.  Enough of this Atlantic and Coastal nonsense.  That sounds more like a magazine. 

And speaking of sounds like, Louisville’s hiring of Bobby Petrino sounds more like a case of hiring the devil you know versus the devil you don’t know.  Meanwhile, Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is the new ‘Paterno wanna-be’ at Penn State.  LaVar Arrington can't be a happy camper.  And Lane Kiffin may be the next offensive coordinator at Alabama.  Then again, maybe not.  Stay tuned! 

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury started out hot at the beginning of the season – hot with the victories and hot with the women.  Then he cooled off with the victories – and with the women.  Even Swamp Mama kicked him out of bed.…..I mean……out of her head.  That is until December 30 when Texas Tech beat Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl.  The next day, Swamp Mama wanted to go on a holiday to Lubbock. 

My, how time slips away.

Well, it’s about that time to put my alter ego to bed.  Hopefully, when Touchdown Tom awakens in August, we’ll meet up again.  Here’s hoping you have nothing but happy trails during the off-season. 

Yes, ain’t it funny how time slips away?

Good night college football fans.  It’s been a pleasure.

Touchdown Tom
January 13, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S. “Funny How Time Slips Away” is a song written by Willie Nelson in 1959 and first recorded by Billy Walker in 1961.  Since then it has been recorded by 27 other artists, including Jimmy Elledge, Willie Nelson, Johnny Tillotson, Arthur Alexander, Joe Hinton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Joe Royal, The Supremes, Georgie Fame, Terry Reid, Joe Tex, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Lulu, Bryan Ferry, Narvel Felts, Dorothy Moore, The Spinners, Linda Ronstadt, Lyle Lovett, Cybill Shepherd, Francine Reed, George Jones, B.B. King, Juice Newton, Mario Biondi and Hanne Boel.




One Last Look at the Bowls

Won/Lost Records of the Conferences

Sun Belt – 2-0
SEC – 7-3
Pac-12 – 6-3
Ind. – 2-1
Big 12 – 3-3
C-USA – 3-3
MWC – 3-3
ACC – 5-6
AAC – 2-3
Big Ten – 2-5
MAC – 0-5



Bowl Game Attendance

Rose Bowl (Michigan State-Stanford) – 95,173
BCS National Championship Bowl (Florida State-Auburn) – 94,208
Cotton Bowl (Missouri-Oklahoma State) – 72,690
Orange Bowl (Clemson-Ohio State) – 72,080
Sugar Bowl (Oklahoma-Alabama) – 70,473
Chick-fil-A Bowl (Texas A&M-Duke) – 67,946
Alamo Bowl (Oregon-Texas) – 65,918
Fiesta Bowl (UCF-Baylor) – 65,172
Gator Bowl (Nebraska-Georgia) – 60,712
Liberty Bowl (Mississippi State-Rice) – 57,846
Capital One Bowl (South Carolina-Wisconsin) – 56,629
New Orleans Bowl (UL Lafayette-Tulane) – 54,728
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Kansas State-Michigan) – 53,284
Holiday Bowl (Texas Tech-Arizona State) – 52,930
Music City Bowl (Ole Miss-Georgia Tech) – 52,125
Outback Bowl (LSU-Iowa) – 51,296
Russell Athletic Bowl (Louisville-Miami) – 51,098
Sun Bowl (UCLA-Virginia Tech) – 47,912
Pinstripe Bowl (Notre Dame-Rutgers) – 47,122
Belk Bowl (North Carolina-Cincinnati) – 45,211
Compass Bowl (Vanderbilt-Houston) – 42,717
Las Vegas Bowl (USC-Fresno State) – 42,178
Armed Forces Bowl (Navy-Middle Tennessee) – 39,246
Heart of Dallas (North Texas-UNLV) – 38,380
AdvoCare Bowl (Arizona-Boston College) – 36,917
Go Daddy Bowl (Arkansas State-Ball State) – 36,119
Fight Hunger Bowl (Washington-BYU) – 34,136
Texas Bowl (Syracuse-Minnesota) – 32,327
Military Bowl (Marshall-Maryland) – 30,163
Hawaii Bowl (Oregon State-Boise State) – 29,106
New Mexico Bowl (Colorado State-Washington State) – 27,104
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Pitt-Bowling Green) – 26,259
Poinsettia Bowl (Utah State-Northern Illinois) – 23,408
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (San Diego State-Buffalo) – 21,951
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl (East Carolina-Ohio) – 20,053




Quotes of the Week

“I think it is a kick in the face,” Texas billionaire booster Red McCombs, on Texas athletic director Steve Patterson hiring Charlie Strong.

“I don’t have any doubt that Charlie is a fine coach.  I think he would make a great position coach, maybe a coordinator.  But I don’t believe he belongs at what should be one of the three most powerful university programs in the world right now at UT Austin.  I don’t think it adds up,” Texas billionaire booster Red McCombs, on the hiring of Charlie Strong.

“There are going to be statements made.  You can’t worry about that.  You just move on.  You have a job to do.  You can’t worry about what people say or think.  Once you win some football games, you’re going to change a lot of people’s attitudes,” new Texas coach Charlie Strong, responding to the negative comments from some Texas boosters.

“When I was a child, I remember who won the Sugar Bowl, who won the Orange Bowl, who won the Cotton Bowl, who won the Rose Bowl.  It was a big deal to go.  We act like that’s not a big deal now.  That’s one of the great things you have in college football.  We’re so involved in winning a championship that we’re forgetting the tradition and history of doing things,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on moving from the BCS format to the four-team playoff.

“And how many times was the BCS ever wrong?  How many times did they ever get it wrong at the end?  We’ve still got the same problem.  You’re going to argue over who’s four and five or who’s two or three.  What’s the difference,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, on moving from the BCS format to a four-team playoff.

“This is an extremely young football team.  Got a couple of guys that possibly could leave early.  But those guys are having a good time here, and we have some great young players coming in behind those guys.  So I think we’ll look very, very similar to the team you just saw,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, after winning the national championship, on next season’s team.

“Because you learn the biggest lessons in life through adversity.  But I’m going to tell you, when everybody looks back on this team, they’re going to remember that it’s the biggest turnaround in college football history,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, after the loss to Florida State in the national championship game.

“I’ve made mistakes professionally and personally.  Something I’m not going to do again.  My first mistake was leaving Louisville.  I want everyone to know this is my destination job,” new Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.

“I believe Bobby Petrino’s a changed man.  Bobby has convinced me he’s a changed man,” Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.

        
In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston announced he will play baseball again this spring for the Seminoles.  Winston was a member of the FSU baseball team last year….  Meanwhile, the lawyer for the woman who accused Jameis Winston of rape announced that a civil lawsuit will be filed against Winston, the Tallahassee Police Department and maybe Florida State University.

Western Kentucky coach Bobby Petrino was named the new coach at Louisville….  Vanderbilt coach James Franklin is the new coach at Penn State….  Former NFL executive Ray Anderson is Arizona State’s new athletic director….  UAB coach Garrick McGee has been hired to be Bobby Petrino’s offensive coordinator at Louisville….  Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier has left the Tide to become the new offensive coordinator at Michigan….  Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm is the new coach of the Hilltoppers.

And finally, those from the world of football who departed us during the past football season included Art Donovan, 89 (Baltimore Colts player); Frank Tripucka, 85 (Notre Dame and Denver Broncos quarterback); Rick Casares, 82 (running back for the Chicago Bears); Paul Dietzel, 89 (college football coach); James Street, 65 (Texas quarterback), and L.C. Greenwood, 67 (Pittsburgh Steelers defenseman).

Also, Gordon Polofsky, 82 (Tennessee football player); Bum Phillips, 90 (NFL coach); Don James, 80 (coach of the Washington Huskies); Ace Parker, 101 (NFL player); Bobby Thomason, 85 (NFL quarterback); Todd Christensen, 57 (NFL tight end), and Mike McCormick, 83 (NFL player and coach).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com




P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in mid January as college football fans closed the lid on another great season and shifted their attention to college basketball, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1944 was “Paper Doll” by The Mills Brothers

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “All I Want for Christmas
(Is My Two Front Teeth)” by Spike Jones

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “Rags to Riches” by Tony Bennett

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” by David Seville and the Chipmunks

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “There! I’ve Said It Again” by Bobby Vinton

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “The Joker” by The Steve Miller Band

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “Too Much Heaven” by The Bee Gees

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Say Say Say” by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “Hero” by Mariah Carey




Not directly college football related, but those from the other sports who left us during this past football season included Dean Meminger, 65 (NBA player); William C. Campbell, 90 (U.S. amateur golf champion); Zelmo Beaty, 73 (NBA player); Ken Norton, 70 (boxer); Gates Brown, 74 (Detroit Tigers outfielder); Bob Kurland, 88 (basketball player), and Andy Pafko, 92 (major league baseball player).

Also, Bill Sharman, 87 (NBA player and coach); Johnny Kucks, 81 (MLB pitcher); Walt Bellamy, 74 (NBA player); Vern Mikkelson, 85, (NBA player); Lou Brissie, 89 (MLB player); Mike Hegan, 71 (MLB player and broadcaster); Paul Blair, 69 (MLB outfielder); Andy Granatelli, 90 (racecar entrepreneur); Johnny Orr, 86 (college basketball coach), and Jerry Coleman, 89, (San Diego Padres broadcaster).

Not directly college football related, but those from the world of entertainment who passed away during the 2013 football season included Karen Black, 74 (actress); Eydie Gorme, 84 (singer); Tompall Glaser, 79 (country musician); Marian McPartland, 95 (jazz pianist and NPR radio show host); Julie Harris, 87 (actress);
David Frost, 74 (British television broadcaster); Marvin Rainwater, 88 (country music singer/songwriter); Jane Connell, 87 (actress), and Marta Heflin, 68 (actress); Patricia Blair, 80 (actress).

Also, Ed Lauter, 74 (actor); Noel Harrison, 79 (actor and singer); Marcia Wallace, 70 (actress); Lou Reed, 71 (singer/songwriter); Jane Kean, 90 (Trixie on “The Honeymooners”); Tony Musante, 77 (actor); Paul Walker, 40 (actor); Dick Dodd, 68, (lead singer for the Standells); Eleanor Parker, 91 (actress); Don Mitchell, 70 (television actor); Peter O’Toole, 81 (actor); Joan Fontaine, 96 (actress); Tom Laughlin, 82 (actor); Ray Price, 87 (country music singer); Audrey Totter, 95 (actress), and Phil Everly, 74 (singer/songwriter).

And finally, not directly college football related, but well-known folks from other walks of life who passed on during the 2013 football season included Jack Germond, 85 (political columnist); Elmore Leonard, 87 (author); Christopher Koch, 81 (author); Tom Clancy, 66 (author); Scott Carpenter, 88 (astronaut); Auline Robinson, 92 (Swamp Mama’s mother), and Charlie Trotter, 54 (chef).  Peace!