College Football Week – Preseason 1: Hold on, it’s comin’
The ol’ offseason it ain’t what it used to be
Ain’t what it used to be
Ain’t what it used to be
Anymore

There was a time when college football’s offseason was almost as interesting and exciting as the season itself. Think Johnny Manziel or Jameis Winston.  From February to August there was never a dull moment. Think Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer.

Whether it was positive or negative, we were always being entertained. Think SEC Media Days or Mike Price. There was always something popping.  Think Bobby Petrino or G.A. Mangus.

There was always something to talk about. Think Nathan Shapiro or Jerry Sandusky. And it helped pass the time while we were waiting for the season to start. Think Manti Te’o or Damon Evans.

But not this year.  The offseason was quiet. It was downright B-O-R-I-N-G. About the most exciting thing to happen was Steve Spurrier opening a Twitter account.   

Prior to 2015, there was nothing B-O-R-I-N-G about the offseason.

“I think he’s an arrogant little prick.”  That was former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer once commenting on Johnny Manziel.  Yes, Manziel sure kept us entertained – from casinos, to champagne, to angry and frustrated tweets about College Station, to the Mardi Gras, to Cabo San Lucas, to parking tickets, to music videos, to being sent home from camp, to fraternity parties, to alcohol counseling, to autographed memorabilia – all in one offseason.   

The next year, Jameis Winston took center stage – using apartment windows for target practice, diving for crab legs at Publix, delivering a speech at the student union, among other miscellaneous activities.   

Steve Spurrier used to always keep us entertained during the offseason, taking pot shots at Florida State, Georgia, former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, former Alabama coach Mike DuBose, among others.  At the Pepsi 400 at the Daytona International Speedway one summer Spurrier said that NASCAR drivers could never be the coach at Tennessee because they aren’t fat.

Speaking of Fulmer, he used to contribute to the drama at the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.  If he wasn’t feuding with Spurrier, he was at odds with Alabama.  One year, Fulmer failed to show up for the Media Days.  That was after he supposedly gave information to the NCAA who was investigating violations at Alabama.

The following year, when Fulmer walked into the hotel at Media Days, he was handed a subpoena by an Alabama fan. A group of Alabama fans were suing the NCAA over the investigation and they wanted to question Fulmer about what he told the NCAA.

This year, the SEC Media Days were B-O-R-I-N-G.  Four days of B-O-R-I-N-G.  The SEC Media Days used to be a three-ring circus.  But gone are the days when the press asked Tim Tebow, “Are you a virgin?” “Do you masturbate?” 
    
Gone are the days when all the women wanted to touch Mike Shula. Gone are the days when former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin called Nick Saban – “Nicky Satan.” Then there was the year Missouri participated in its first SEC Media Days.  When asked what he liked better about the SEC over the Big 12, Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe said, “The girls are prettier, the air is fresher and the toilet paper is thicker.” Huh?

And when SEC fans chided the Big Ten for not knowing how to count (Big 10, but 14 teams), then Ohio State president Gordon Gee said, “You tell the SEC when they learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we’re doing.”

Speaking of Ohio State, there was the offseason when the Buckeyes hired Urban Meyer to be their new coach.  After which Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said, “Ohio State has a new coach and it’s different.  I would say it’s pretty unethical.”

And speaking of Urban Meyer, there was his on-again, off-again and on-again soap opera in Gainesville when he was going to take a sabbatical from coaching for several months only to return in a few weeks.  Then a year later, he did step down from coaching saying he needed to spend more time with his family only to sign a contract with ESPN that had him away from home, traveling all over the country.    

Then there was the offseason when Alabama hired Mike Price to be its new football coach.  A few months after he was hired, Price was partying one night at a strip club in Pensacola.  The party moved to a hotel room where one of the strippers was heard yelling, “Roll Tide, Roll!” And Price was heard responding, “It’s rollin’ baby, it’s rollin.’” The next morning, one of the strippers reportedly had a big time with Price’s credit card which belonged to Alabama.  Price never made it to Media Days that summer.

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino had an interesting offseason a few years ago when he was the coach at Arkansas.  One day, Petrino decided to take his then mistress, Jessica Dorrell, on a motorcycle ride.  Unfortunately for Petrino, he was no Steve McQueen.  He wrecked the bike.  After lying to his boss about the incident, Petrino was soon dismissed from his job at Arkansas. 

At South Carolina one offseason, Steve Spurrier had a tough time with both his quarterback and his quarterbacks coach. The quarterback, Stephen Garcia, was suspended from the team on five different occasions.  Around the time of his fifth suspension, Spurrier also suspended his quarterbacks coach, G.A. Mangus.  Mangus had been arrested for intoxication and urinating in public.     

In 2011, Miami (Florida) captured our attention during the offseason.  One scandal after another surfaced in the football program.  A big Hurricane booster, Nathan Shapiro, was responsible for the scandals that involved recruits and active players.

The following offseason, Penn State captured the country’s attention, as the investigations into the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal played out.  Several Penn State officials lost their jobs and Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of 48 counts.    

The imaginary world of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o made for an interesting offseason in 2013.  That’s when the public learned that Te’o’s girlfriend, who supposedly died, not only didn’t die, but didn’t exist.  The whole affair was a hoax, possibly spawned to help Te’o win the Heisman Trophy.  (Note: Te’o finished second in the Heisman voting.)  

During the summer of 2010, there was nothing imaginary about Georgia athletic director Damon Evans being pulled over for a DUI.  And there was nothing imaginary about the mistress or prostitute who was in the car with Evans.  Nor was there anything imaginary about her red panties on Evans’ lap.  When the police officers refused to take Evans and his companion back to their motel, the Georgia athletic director broke down crying. Evans later resigned from his job.     

No, there never used to be a dull moment during offseason.  One summer then Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill took his players to a farm near Starkville to watch a bull get castrated. Sherrill felt it would make his team play stronger.  Illinois coach, and former Florida coach, Ron Zook led the Wrigley Field crowd in singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch of a Cubs’ game. That’s when we learned that Zook sings as bad as he coaches.       

Lane Kiffin created a little anger when he abandoned Tennessee after only one season to become the coach at USC.  The “Mouth of the South” became the “Jest of the West.” Not only did Kiffin leave, but also he took a number of assistant coaches and recruits with him.  A few months later when USC was put on probation for past violations, celebrations in Tennessee registered 3.7 on the Richter scale.

The following year, UCLA coach Jim Mora jumped at the opportunity to get his knocks in on USC when he said, “I mean, we don’t have murders one block off our campus.”  Ouch!  And then back when Nebraska announced it was leaving the Big 12 for the Big Ten, a restaurant in Austin, Texas, put up a big sign that read “Take Your Big Red and Shove It.”

But gone are those days.  Gone are the offseasons.

Even Rockledge Gator doesn’t generate the excitement he once did.  There was the time he set his microwave on fire.  After that, Bootsie banned him from the kitchen.

Then, there was the time, all in one offseason, that Rockledge Gator dumped Paris Hilton for Britney Spears, only to ditch Britney for Fergie.  Then he shoved Fergie aside for Lady Gaga, before ultimately dropping Gaga for Pink.  Not even Johnny Manziel could do that.  And all the while, during “Dancing with the Stars,” he was drooling on his TV over Erin Andrews and Pamela Anderson. I’m not sure Johnny Manziel would want to do that. 

But like the offseason, Rockledge Gator ain’t what he used to be. These days, he dumped Barbara Bush for Betty White.

Never have I known a quieter offseason than this one.  Let’s get on to the season.

Touchdown Tom
August 17, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Quotes of the Off Season

“I didn’t know it was that big a deal,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, on generating a buzz after opening a Twitter account.

“We fall back on our rich tradition.  We’re not going to take the field in 13 different uniforms,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian, knocking Oregon at the PAC-12 Media Days.

“Nebraska is a flip phone and Wisconsin is an iPhone,” Wisconsin running back Corey Clement.

“The Pac-12 South is better than the SEC West,” ESPN analyst Danny Kanell.

“If you got two who can help you win, and there’s not much difference between them, why not play both of them? It’s no different than any other position. At least, it never has been for me. There’s nothing in the rulebook that says you have to play just one,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, on playing two quarterbacks.

“When you’re 80, the only people who want to be 80 are 79,” ESPN College GameDay commentator Lee Corso, on turning 80 this year.

And finally, spotted over the summer – An Alabama license plate on the back of a car that read: TN LOL.


The Quarterbacks – 2015

Quarterbacks rule in college football.  Or at least they have for 13 of the past 14 seasons.  Since 2000, quarterbacks have dominated the Heisman Trophy. (Note: The Trophy was vacated in 2005). The coveted Trophy has been won by a quarterback in all but one of the past 14 years.  The lone exception was Alabama running back Mark Ingram who won the Heisman in 2009. 

Five quarterbacks – four seniors and one junior – are leading the pack at preseason.  Of the five, two are way out in front of the pack – TCU senior Trevone Boykin (6-2, 205) and Ohio State junior Cardale Jones (6-5, 250).

Some consider Boykin to be the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Last year, he threw for 3,901 yards and 33 touchdowns, while completing 61% of his passes.  Boykin also rushed for 707 yards.  He led TCU to a 12-1 record, including an impressive 42-3 win over Ole Miss in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.      

Should Boykin win the Heisman, he would become only the second player from TCU to collect the Trophy – the other being Davey O’Brien, also a quarterback, in 1938.     

Meanwhile, Jones, alias “12-Gauge,” is primed to lead Ohio State to another National Championship.  A third-string quarterback at the beginning of last season, Jones didn’t start for the Buckeyes until the 13th game of the season.  That’s when he took over for the injured J.T. Barrett and led Ohio State to a 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game.  Jones then went on the lead the Buckeyes to impressive playoff wins over Alabama and Oregon for the national title. 

Like Boykin, Jones is also a threat, running the ball.  But, where Boykin is a finesse runner, Jones is a power runner. 

The other three quarterbacks attracting major attention at preseason are Mississippi State senior Dak Prescott (6-2, 230), USC senior Cody Kessler (6-1, 215) and Michigan State senior Connor Cook (6-4, 220).

In 2014, Prescott passed for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns, completing 62% of his throws.  He also rushed for 986 yards, scoring another 14 touchdowns.  Prescott led the Bulldogs to a 10-3 season last year. 

USC’s Kessler led the Trojans to a 9-4 record in 2014, including a 45-42 win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.  He threw for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns, completing 70% of his lobs.  In 452 passes, Kessler only threw 5 interceptions.  

Cook completed 58% of his passes, throwing for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.  He led Michigan State to an 11-2 season in 2014. In the finale, Cook rallied the Spartans to a 42-41 win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl.  

Boykin, Jones, Prescott, Kessler and Cook are rated the five best at preseason, but there are a slew of other talented and capable quarterbacks around the country anyone of whom could steal the show in 2015.

For starters, Ohio State sophomore J.T. Barrett (6-2, 225) could easily overtake Cardale Jones and resume authority at the quarterback position in Columbus.  Prior to his injury in the Michigan game last year, Barrett had passed for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns, completing 65% of his throws.  Also in the Big Ten, Penn State has a solid quarterback in junior Christian Hackenberg (6-4, 236).  The Nittany Lion signal caller passed for 2,977 yards in 2014.

Nebraska has a dual-threat quarterback in junior Tommy Armstrong Jr. (6-1, 220).  Last season, Armstrong passed for 2,695 yards and rushed for 705 yards. Two other sturdy quarterbacks in the Big Ten are Wisconsin senior Joel Stave (6-5, 220) and Indiana senior Nate Sudfeld (6-5, 240).
    
The Pac-12 always has a troop of good quarterbacks and this year is no exception. Along with USC’s Cody Kessler, five other Pac-12 signal callers have impressive credentials. 

California junior Jared Goff (6-4, 210) and Arizona sophomore Anu Solomon (6-2, 205) should have strong seasons.  Last year, Goff passed for 3,973 yards and 35 touchdowns, while completing 62% of his throws.  Just as impressive, Goff only threw 7 interceptions. Solomon completed 60% of his passes, throwing for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Stanford senior Kevin Hogan (6-4, 225) and Utah senior Travis Wilson (6-7, 233) are strong, talented leaders who should excel this season. And finally, Colorado junior Sefo Liufau (6-4, 230) is an outstanding quarterback looking for better support from his lineman and running backs.  Last year, Liufau threw for 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 65% of his passes. 

At preseason, the SEC is not overflowing with experienced and marquis quarterbacks.  Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is the exception.  But that could all change once the season gets going.  After Prescott, the highest touted quarterback in the SEC is Auburn junior Jeremy Johnson (6-5, 230). 

Tennessee is expecting big things from junior Josh Dobbs (6-3, 212). Missouri junior Maty Mauk (6-0, 200) brings experience to the Tiger program. A number of schools in the SEC are waiting to see who their starting quarterback will be, including Florida, Kentucky and Texas A&M.
But all odds indicate it will be freshman Will Grier (6-2, 197) at Florida, junior Patrick Towles (6-5, 241) at Kentucky and sophomore Kyle Allen (6-3, 205) at Texas A&M.  All three have potential.  

The ACC has a number of good quarterbacks with Clemson sophomore Deshaun Watson (6-2, 205) and Georgia Tech junior Justin Thomas (5-11, 189) receiving the most laurels at preseason.  Two more with impressive credentials are North Carolina senior Marquise Williams (6-2, 220) and Miami sophomore Brad Kaaya (6-4, 209).  Last year, Williams passed for 3,073 yards, completing 63% of his lobs.  Kaaya threw for 3,198 yards, completing 59% of his passes.

Four more quarterbacks to keep an eye on in the ACC are NC State senior Jacoby Brissett, Virginia Tech senior Michael Brewer (6-0, 200), Pitt junior Chad Voytik (6-1, 205) and Wake Forest sophomore John Wolford (6-1, 205).  Last but not least, watch out for Florida State senior and Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson (6-0, 200). But first, Golson has to win the starting position in Tallahassee.   

Like the SEC, the Big 12 is entering the season without a strong list of quarterbacks.  The exception, of course, being TCU’s Trevone Boykin. Next to Boykin, Baylor junior Seth Russell (6-3, 220) is the most celebrated quarterback in the Big 12 at preseason. 

West Virginia junior Skyler Howard (6-0, 206) is capable of leading the Mountaineers to a solid season.  Iowa State senior Sam Richardson (6-2, 214) and Texas junior Tyrone Swoopes (6-4, 248) have potential.

In the AAC, three quarterbacks standout at preseason.  They are Cincinnati junior Gunner Kiel (6-4, 208), Navy senior Keenan Reynolds (5-11, 195) and Memphis junior Paxton Lynch (6-7, 220). In 2014, the Bearcats’ Kiel passed for 3,254 yards and 31 touchdowns, completing 60% of his throws.  The Middies’ Reynolds rushed for 1,191 yards, scoring 23 touchdowns, and the Tigers’ Lynch threw for 3,031 yards, completing 63% of his passes.   

Two more strong quarterbacks in the AAC are UCF junior Justin Holman (6-4, 213) and Temple junior P.J. Walker (6-1, 200).

Utah State senior Chuckie Keeton (6-2, 210) is the best quarterback in the MWC at preseason. Keeton just needs to stay injury free in 2015.

Western Kentucky senior Brandon Doughty (6-3, 216) enters the season with the best credentials in C-USA. Last year, Doughty threw for 4,830 yards and an amazing 49 touchdowns, completing an impressive 68% of his passes.  Louisiana Tech is hanging its hat on senior Jeff Driskel (6-4, 234).  Driskel is a transfer from Florida.

Rice senior Driphus Jackson (6-0, 210) returns for the Owls.  Jackson saw lots of action in 2014 when he passed for 2,842 yards, completing 58% of his lobs.  Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss are expecting good things from senior Jaquez Johnson (6-1, 225) and junior Nick Mullens (6-1, 196) respectively.

In the MAC, Western Michigan junior Zach Terrell (6-1, 204) enters the season with the most laurels.  In 2014, Terrell passed for 3,443 yards, completing 60% of his throws. Massachusetts has a solid quarterback in senior Blake Frohnapfel (6-6, 229).  Frohnapfel threw for 3,345 yards last season.

Also looking strong in the MAC is Central Michigan junior Cooper Rush.  Last year Rush tossed for 3,157 yards, completing 64% of his passes.  Two more capable quarterbacks in the MAC are Buffalo senior Joe Licata (6-2, 227) and Akron senior Kyle Pohl (6-3, 217).  

The Sun Belt has one of the country’s most dynamic and exciting quarterbacks in Arkansas State senior Fredi Knighten. Last year Knighten threw for 3,277 yards, completing 62% of his tosses.  He also rushed for another 779 yards.  

Another good quarterback in the Sun Belt is Georgia State senior Nick Arbuckle (6-1, 215).  Arbuckle passed for 3,283 yards and completed 60% of his throws last season.  Idaho sophomore Matt Linehan (6-3, 202) should have a strong season.

And finally, among the Independents, the best quarterback at preseason is BYU senior Taysom Hill (6-2, 232).  The Cougars should have a good season under Hill.


TT’s Top Ten Favorite Quarterbacks at Preseason:

1. Trevone Boykin – TCU
2. Cardale Jones – Ohio State
3. Dak Prescott – Mississippi State
4. Cody Kessler – USC
5. Connor Cook – Michigan State
6. Jared Goff – California
7. Christian Hackenberg – Penn State
8. Brandon Doughty – Western Kentucky
9. Paxton Lynch – Memphis
10. Keenan Reynolds – Navy

And keep an eye on:

Justin Thomas – Georgia Tech; Taysom Hill – BYU; Gunner Kiel – Cincinnati; Josh Dobbs – Tennessee; Brad Kaaya – Miami (Florida); Kevin Hogan – Stanford; Seth Russell – Baylor; Anu Solomon – Arizona; Fredi Knighten – Arkansas State; J.T. Barrett – Ohio State, and Maty Mauk – Missouri. 


The New Coaches – 2015

During and after the 2014 season, 11 schools saw fit to either fire or force their head coach to resign.  Four more schools saw their coach head coach leave on his own volition for a head coach opening at another school.

New Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst left the head coaching position at Pitt to take the Wisconsin job.  Chryst, who was 19-19 in three years at Pitt, is a native of Madison, Wisconsin, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he played football. 

The Wisconsin job was open because then Badger coach Gary Andersen left of his own choosing to become the head coach at Oregon State.  Andersen, who was 19-7 in two years at Wisconsin, is a graduate of Utah.  He was the head coach at Utah State for four seasons (26-24), before going to Wisconsin.  Andersen was the defensive coordinator of the undefeated 2008 Utah team that beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and finished the season at No. 2 in the nation.    

The Oregon State job was open because then Beaver coach Mike Riley left of his own choosing to become the head coach at Nebraska.  Riley, who was 93-80 in 14 years (two stints) at Oregon State, played football at Alabama under Bear Bryant.  He was the head coach of Winnipeg in the Canadian Football League for four seasons, before his first stint at Oregon State. 

After two years in Corvallis, he became the head coach of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers for three seasons.  Riley then returned to Oregon State for 12 more seasons. 

The Nebraska position was available for Riley because the Cornhuskers had fired Bo Pelini.  Now if Pelini had moved on to take the Pitt position, the cycle (Pitt-Wisconsin-Oregon State-Nebraska-Pitt) would have been complete. But the Nebraska to Pitt link never came to fruition.  Instead, the new coach at Pitt is Pat Narduzzi.  He was the defensive coordinator at Michigan State.  Ironically, Narduzzi is a graduate of Youngstown State, where Bo Pelini is the new head coach.

The only other school to lose, and not fire, its coach was Colorado State.  Jim McElwain left Fort Collins to become the head coach at Florida.  McElwain, a graduate of Eastern Washington, was 22-16 in three seasons at Colorado State.  Prior to Colorado State, he was an offensive coordinator at Alabama.  Colorado State, in turn, hired Mike Bobo to be its new head coach.  Bobo, a former Georgia quarterback, was the offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs.
    
The most talked about hiring after the 2014 season was Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.  The Wolverines worked long and hard to secure the San Francisco 49ers coach.  Harbaugh, a former quarterback at Michigan, was 44-19 in four seasons with the 49ers. Prior to that, he revived the program at Stanford, going 29-21 in four seasons in Palo Alto.  His final season at Stanford, the Cardinal were 12-1, capped off by an Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech.  Harbaugh is credited with recruiting Andrew Luck to Stanford.       

Four offensive coordinators became head coaches.  SMU hired former Clemson OC Chad Morris. Ohio State’s former OC Tom Herman is the new coach at Houston. Former Baylor OC Philip Montgomery is the new coach at Tulsa, and Troy hired former Kentucky OC Neal Brown.

David Beaty, the former receivers coach at Texas A&M is the new head coach at Kansas. Central Michigan went to the NFL, hiring John Bonamego, the Detroit Lions’ special teams coach. Former Wisconsin-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold is the new head coach at Buffalo. UW-Whitewater has been a powerhouse in Division III football. 

And finally, in an interesting hire, UNLV reached down to the high school ranks, hiring Tony Sanchez.  Sanchez has been the head coach of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School, a powerhouse in Nevada high school football. 


Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2015

A number of coaches are on the hot seat entering the 2015 season.  Among the Power Five Conferences, the Big Ten could potentially lose the most coaches – five.  The three coaches in the Big Ten most in danger of losing their jobs are Indiana’s Kevin Wilson (14-34 in 4 years), Illinois’ Tim Beckman (12-25 in 3 years) and Purdue’s Darrell Hazel (4-20 in 2 years).

Two other Big Ten coaches skating on thin ice are Maryland’s Randy Edsall (20-30 in 4 years) and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (115-85 in 16 years).  

The most endangered coach in the ACC is Virginia’s Mike London (23-38 in five years).  London is definitely living on the edge.  Two more ACC coaches feeling the heat are Miami’s Al Golden (28-22 in 4 years) and North Carolina’s Larry Fedora (21-17 in 3 years).

In the Big 12, the only coach seriously in trouble is Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads (29-46 in 6 years).  But West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen (28-23 in 4 years) could be seeing pink, as in slip, if the Mountaineers don’t show a marked improvement in 2015.  After all, there is a new athletic director in Morgantown these days.

Washington State’s Mike Leach (12-25 in 3 years) is the only coach in trouble in the Pac-12.     

It’s hard to believe a school would get rid of a coach after only two seasons, not that it hasn’t happened before, but it could happen to Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason (3-9 in 1 year).  Mason is not the most popular coach around Nashville these days.  No other coaches in the SEC are on shaky ground, unless you think Georgia’s Mark Richt (136-48 in 145 years) is.  Some think he is.  Some think anything short of an SEC East title would be curtains for the Richter.   

Among the Group of Five Conferences, the Mountain West, American Athletic and the Mid-American stand to lose two coaches each in 2015.  In the MWC, Hawaii’s Norm Chow (8-29 in 3 years) and New Mexico’s Bob Davie (11-26 in 3 years) are treading water.

The coaches feeling heat in the AAC are South Florida’s Willie Taggart (6-18 in 2 years) and Tulane’s Curtis Johnson (12-25 in 3 years).  And in the MAC, Akron’s Terry Bowden (11-25 in 3 years) and Kent State’s Paul Haynes (6-17 in 2 years) are sitting precariously.   

In Conference USA, North Texas’ Dan McCarney (22-27 in 4 years) is the only coach sweating the heat.  Likewise, Louisiana-Monroe’s Todd Berry (27-34 in 5 years) is the only coach in the Sun Belt Conference sweating the bullets.

In all, 20 coaches (21 if you include Mark Richt) are endangered species this season.  But a handful of them will survive.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . It appears that West Virginia and Florida State will open their 2019 season against each other in Jacksonville, Florida….  Notre Dame has added New Mexico to its 2019 schedule.  The game will be played in South Bend.  New Mexico is currently coached by former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie.

When Notre Dame plays Boston College this season on November 21 in Fenway Park, the Irish will be decked out in green uniforms….  UCLA wide receiver Cordell Broadus, the son of rapper Snoop Dogg and a four-star product out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, has quit the Bruins’ football team.

The Big Ten will begin playing nine conference games in the 2016 season.  The Big Ten joins the Pac-12 and the Big 12 who already play nine conference games a season.  The ACC and SEC play eight conference games a season….  Alabama will open the 2018 season against Louisville in Orlando.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “Sentimental Journey” by Les Brown

…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole

…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Learning The Blues” by Frank Sinatra

…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” by Brian Hyland

…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” by Herman’s Hermits

…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Make It With You” by Bread

…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Jive Talkin’” by The Bee Gees

…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John

…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “Shout” by Tears for Fears

…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “Vision of Love” by Mariah Carey


Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Julian Bond

Julian Bond, a figure of the 1960s civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War campaign and chairman of the NAACP, died Saturday in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was 75. He also served for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly. Horace Julian Bond was born on January 14, 1940, in Nashville, Tennessee.  He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. In later years he taught at Harvard, Williams, Drexel, Penn, American U. and Virginia.