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.  

I know it’s only football, but I like it

On a slow Friday afternoon at work, some 20 years ago, my creative writing juices began to flow. If memory serves me correct, it was the Friday before Labor Day weekend. Sitting at my desk, I began to write on my PC. Struck with a wild and crazy inspiration, I wrote a brief, but substantial, commentary on seven college football games being played that weekend. Each game commentary was sprinkled with dose of humor – maybe more than a dose.

After completing my analysis, I emailed my seven-game commentary to 12 friends – mostly fellow workers – all of whom were college football fans. Not only college football fans, but more specifically, they were graduates and/or dedicated fans of Duke, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas or West Virginia – the seven teams whose games I analyzed.

Little did I realize what I was conceiving on that slow Friday afternoon. As a result of the prodding and encouragement from my 12 friends, I continued to write weekly previews and analysis of the games of those seven teams for the remainder of that football season. Not only that football season, but every football season since then. What began 20 years ago continues today – but on a much larger scale.

The weekly commentaries grew from about a page and a half of text to several pages. It grew from those original seven teams to many more teams. It grew from commentary on seven football games to everything about college football – and then some. The email recipients also grew from the 12 friends in 1995 to more than 700 by 2009, along with countless, unknown others that it was forwarded, and forwarded and forwarded to. Since 2010, several thousand more readers have come aboard when my weekly college football commentary went online via my blog – www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

Along the way, what began in 1995, eventually took on the name “College Football Week.” My wife became Swamp Mama and Swamp Mama gave me the name Touchdown Tom. For 13 seasons, beginning in 1998, Touchdown Tom co-hosted a 30-minute, weekly college football radio show on WMMB (Melbourne, Florida). Originally working for six seasons with radio host Larry Brewer, the show continued for another seven seasons with radio host Bill Mick. The past two years, Touchdown Tom made several guest appearances on “The Mark Moses Show” on WSJZ Sports Radio 95.9 – The Fan.

This coming Monday – August 17 – College Football Week will begin its 21st season. For the next five months, come aboard for a thorough, in-depth and fun-filled weekly look at college football as seen through the eyes of Touchdown Tom and his accomplices Swamp Mama, Rockledge Gator and Bootsie. CFW is simply everything college football and then some. You can follow it all each week at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com. So sit back with your cold pizza, chili dogs and beer and get ready for CFW 2015.

Twenty-one days to the first game. Four days to the first CFW.

I said, it’s only football, but I like it….like it, yes I do.

Touchdown Tom
August 13, 2015

College Football Week 22 – Ohio State and TCU in 2015?
‘Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over’

Before we take a trip down memory lane, recounting the 2014 season, I must first take a break and consume some undesirable food.

You may remember – and some of you undoubtedly do – College Football Week 3, back on September 8? It was titled “And it’s all over now, Big Ten.” My opening words were as follows:

“After Saturday’s action, I’m convinced that no team from the Big Ten Conference deserves to be selected for the Four-Team Playoff at the end of the season.”

After only two weeks of football, I admit it was a bold and brazen statement to make, but it sure seemed like a safe statement at the time. After all, just two days earlier Ohio State had lost to Virginia Tech, 35-21. Michigan State lost to Oregon, 46-27. Michigan fell to Notre Dame, 31-0.

Two other Big Ten teams lost to non-Power 5 conference teams. Nebraska and Iowa struggled to beat a couple of cream puffs. All on the same day. And just a week earlier, Wisconsin lost to LSU, 28-24.

We knew one of the Power 5 conferences was not going to be represented in the four-team playoff. On September 8, I was convinced it was the Big Ten. Bob Dylan’s “And It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” was swirling through my head. Only I was singing, “It’s All Over Now, Big Ten.”

“But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning”

Yes, I know. It’s never over until the fat lady sings. Well, she sang on December 7 when Ohio State made the playoffs. She sang again on January 1 when the Buckeyes beat Alabama, 42-35. And she sang, yet again, last Monday night as Ohio State won the national championship, beating Oregon, 42-20.

When Ohio State made the playoffs, my friend Steve Klingberg sent me a message, reminding me of what I said on September 8 – “No team from the Big Ten Conference deserves to be selected for the four-team playoff.” Steve always did have a good memory.

Then, on the morning following Ohio State’s win over Oregon, College Football Week 3, with the blaring headline “And it’s all over now, Big Ten,” was sitting in my mail box. My friend Gary Schwartzkopf sent it back to me with the message:

“Tom: you told me many, many years ago that you have to wait until the end to see who the real players are. You can’t count anyone out.”

You’re right Gary. And to paraphrase Bob Dylan again, “Ah, I was so much smarter then; I’m dumber than that now.”

So, to my friend Steve, a Purdue graduate, and to my friend Gary, a diehard Husker fan who was born and raised in Nebraska, and to all you Big Ten fans, I am eating crow. And it tastes awful.

There.

And as the crow flies, let’s travel back to August during the weeks of preseason. Florida State, Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma were the Top 4 teams in the country in the AP and Coaches Polls. Ohio State was 5th in one poll and 7th in the other. TCU wasn’t even in either poll’s Top 25.

The two hottest seats in the country were in Gainesville, Florida, and Morgantown, West Virginia – Will Muschamp and Dana Holgorsen.

The Princeton Review said that Syracuse, Iowa, UC Santa Barbara and West Virginia were the Top 4 party schools in the country. Florida was 10th and Florida State was 12th.

“Let’s be glad we had some time to spend together”

Oregon’s Marcus Mariota was the top-rated quarterback in the country, Texas A&M named sophomore Kenny Hill its starting quarterback and Florida coach Will Muschamp said the Gators “are more talented on offense than we have ever been since I’ve been at Florida.”

Georgia’s Todd Gurley and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon were the top-rated running backs in the country, while Louisville was about to begin its first season in the ACC and Maryland and Rutgers were about to begin their first season in the Big Ten.

Miami (Florida) named true freshman Brad Kaaya its starting quarterback and West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett revealed that growing up, Nick Saban’s daughter Kristen was the first girl he kissed.

And so the season began.

Week 1 and Texas A&M found its thrill on Kenny Hill. The Aggie quarterback passed for 511 yards, as A&M stunned South Carolina, 52-28. Georgia’s Todd Gurley rushed for 198 yards, as the Dawgs beat Clemson, 45-21.

Debuting in its brand new stadium, Baylor beat SMU, 45-0. Nebraska’s Jordan Westerkamp made an amazing behind-the-back catch, as the Huskers opened with a 55-7 win over Florida Atlantic.

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator got wet watching Auburn beat Arkansas, 45-21, in the rain in Jordan-Hare Stadium. And Swamp Mama rock ‘n’ rolled and partied all night as Kliff Kingsbury’s contract was extended through the 2020 season.

Alabama and Florida State didn’t win as big as expected. The Crimson Tide beat West Virginia, 33-23, in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, while FSU got by Oklahoma State, 37-31, in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Opening Saturday began with breakfast in Dublin where Penn State beat UCF, 26-24, on a game ending field goal. The night finally ended when, after several hours of delay, the Idaho-Florida game in Gainesville was declared a washout – canceled.

Week 2 saw the Big Ten have a disastrous day. However, I don’t think I need to elaborate on that any more than I already have. Not to mention that the crow left a bad taste in my mouth.

“For the good times”

In Palo Alto, during the USC-Stanford game, Trojan athletic director Pat Haden left his seat in the press box and rushed to the sideline where he got into an animated argument with one of the officials. Haden was irate over targeting and unsportsmanlike penalties called against USC. The Trojans beat Stanford, 13-10. Meanwhile, BYU pounded Texas 41-7.

Florida State, Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma remained the Top 4 teams in the polls. But Ohio State fell to 18th in the Coaches Poll and 22nd in the AP Poll. TCU still was not ranked in either poll.

Week 3 and Florida beat Kentucky for the 28th-straight year, but just barely, 36-30 in three overtimes. West Virginia’s Josh Lambert kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired and the Mountaineers beat Maryland 40-37.

In three surprises, South Carolina beat Georgia, 38-35, East Carolina beat Virginia Tech, 28-21 and Boston College stunned USC, 37-31. In another surprise, SMU fired coach June Jones, after only two games.

After the third overtime in the Kentucky-Florida game, Kris Hansen texted: “I need a Xanax.”

Week 4 saw Touchdown Tom attending his 50th high school reunion in Huntington, West Virginia. Auburn got by Kansas State, 20-14, and Mississippi State surprised LSU, 34-29. Speaking of surprises, Indiana beat Missouri, 31-27.

Without Jameis Winston, Florida State beat Clemson, 23-17, while East Carolina pelted North Carolina, 70-41. Texas quarterback David Ash announced he was giving up football after suffering another concussion, and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah rushed for 229 yards, as the Huskers beat Miami (Florida), 41-31.

Florida State, Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma continued to top the polls. Ohio State sat at 20th in the Coaches Poll and 22nd in the AP Poll. TCU still was nowhere to be seen.

Week 5 and Brady Hoke became a dead man walking when Minnesota beat Michigan, 30-14, in Ann Arbor. Arkansas took Texas A&M to overtime before the Aggies finally own 35-28. Tennessee almost upset Georgia in Athens. The Dawgs beat the Vols, 35-32. Todd Gurley rushed for 208 yards.

Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah also rushed for 208 yards, as the Huskers cleaned up on Illinois, 45-14. Air Force stunned Boise State. The Falcons beat the Broncos, 28-14. In Beantown, Colorado State surprised Boston College. The Rams beat the Eagles, 24-21.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech coach Watson Brown, brother of Mack Brown, became the first coach in NCAA history to lose 200 games, as Northern Iowa beat Tennessee Tech, 50-7. And Kansas fired Charlie Weis.

“I’ll get along, you’ll find another”

Week 6 saw the State of Mississippi become the capital of college football in the United States. ESPN’s College GameDay was in Oxford for the Alabama-Ole Miss game. The SEC Network’s GameDay was in Starkville for the Texas A&M-Mississippi State game.

In Oxford, Katy Perry appeared with the GameDay gang as the week’s “guest picker.” Before making her picks, she asked Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight to give her a call. It was a great day for Mississippi – Miss State beat Texas A&M, 48-31, and Ole Miss beat Alabama, 23-17.

While Saturday was a good day for the State of Mississippi, it was a bad day for the City of Los Angeles. Utah beat UCLA, 30-28, and Arizona State beat USC, 38-34. Week 6 was a bad week in Ann Arbor and Tallahassee. In Ann Arbor, students and faculty were protesting and demanding the resignation of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and football coach Brady Hoke.

In Tallahassee, students and faculty were marching and protesting. They were upset with the selection of the new president of Florida State – a sleazy, crooked state politician with no academic credentials.

In other big games, Arizona upset Oregon, 31-24, in Eugene, and TCU beat Oklahoma 37-33. Also, Auburn flattened LSU, 41-7, and Michigan State beat Nebraska, 27-22. In a strange and shocking comment, Johnny Manziel announced he would like to advise and counsel Jameis Winston. Meanwhile, Troy coach Larry Blakeney announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season. Troy was 0-5.

Florida State and Auburn were the Top 2 teams in the country. Ole Miss was 3rd and 4th. Baylor was 3rd in the Coaches poll and Miss State was tied for 3rd with Ole Miss in the AP Poll. Alabama fell to 7th in both polls, and Oregon fell to 11th and 12th. Ohio State was 15th in both polls. TCU was 9th in the AP and 12th in the Coaches.

Week 7 and the State of Mississippi was still looking good. After beating Auburn, 38-23, Mississippi State became the top team in the country in both polls. And after beating Texas A&M, 35-20, Ole Miss was 3rd in both polls.

Trailing 58-37 early in the fourth quarter, Baylor scored 24 unanswered points to beat TCU, 61-58. In other action, Duke beat Georgia Tech, 31-25, and Georgia stomped on Missouri, 34-0. Also, USC edged Arizona, 28-26, and Alabama squeaked by Arkansas, 14-13.

Week 8 saw Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom in Gainesville for the Missouri-Florida game. And what an awful game it was. Mizzou beat the Gators, 42-13. It was so bad that the Florida fans were chanting, “Fire Muschamp. Fire Muschamp.” It was so bad that Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley wrote that Florida’s performance smelled like “rotten milk and burnt hair poured into a dirty diaper and left in the sun for a month.”

In Morgantown, West Virginia handed Baylor its first loss. WVU beat the Bears, 41-27. Florida State survived Notre Dame, beating the Irish, 31-27. Also, Kansas State slipped by Oklahoma, 31-30, and Alabama clobbered Texas A&M, 59-0.

“Don’t say a word about tomorrow”

Buffalo fired coach Jeff Quinn, and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced he was retiring at the end of June 2015.

Mississippi State, Florida State, Ole Miss and Alabama were the Top 4 teams in the country in the AP and Coaches polls. Oregon was 6th and 7th in the polls, and Ohio State was 12th and 13th. TCU was 10th in both polls.

Week 9 and Will Muschamp’s position at Florida was posted on Craigslist, with the restrictions that you can’t be a Georgia grad and you can’t have the last name of Zook. Meanwhile, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said the Gators are “lacking in leadership on offense.”

Along with our neighbors Deb and Dieter Gum, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom went to Florida Tech’s homecoming game. The Panthers beat Mississippi College, 44-9. I couldn’t help but call Mississippi College, “Lil Miss.”

LSU handed Ole Miss its first loss. The Tigers beat the Rebs, 10-7. Ohio State had a close call with Penn State. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions, 31-24 in overtime. Out West, Utah beat USC, 24-21.

Three days later, the first College Football Playoff Rankings were released. Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Ole Miss, in that order, were the Top 4 teams in the country. Oregon was 5th, TCU was 7th and Ohio State was 16th.

Week 10 was called Knockout Round 1 as it was the first week that teams could start knocking each other out of playoff contention. Sure enough, Auburn beat Ole Miss, 35-31. Miss State survived, beating Arkansas, 17-10, and Florida State survived, beating Louisville, 42-31.

ESPN’s College GameDay was in Morgantown, West Virginia. In a donnybrook, TCU kicked a field goal as time expired to beat West Virginia, 31-30. In Jacksonville, at that cocktail party, Florida stunned Georgia, 38-20. Dawg fans began calling for Mark Richt’s head.

In State College, Pennsylvania, the Maryland captains refused to shake hands with the Penn State captains after the coin toss. The Terps went on to beat the Lions, 20-19. The following day, Maryland coach Randy Edsall apologized for the actions of his players. There were no apologies in Ann Arbor, as Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon resigned.

“Let’s just be glad we had some time together”

In other games, Arizona State beat Utah, 19-16 in overtime. UCLA downed Arizona, 17-7, and Temple surprised East Carolina, 20-10. And, just nine weeks after Texas A&M found its thrill on Kenny Hill, the Aggies lost their thrill on Kenny Hill. Hill was suspended from the team.

The Top 4 teams in the Playoff Rankings became Miss State, Florida State, Auburn and Oregon, in that order. Alabama was 5th, TCU 6th and Ohio State was 14th.

Week 11 and it was musical chairs as the teams competed for one of the four playoff spots. Texas A&M upset Auburn, 41-38, and Alabama got by LSU, 20-13 in overtime. Ohio State established its dominance in the Big Ten, as the Buckeyes beat Michigan State, 49-37.

TCU beat Kansas State, 41-20, and Arizona State knocked off Notre Dame, 55-31. Baylor squashed Oklahoma, 48-14.

After the dust settled, Miss State, Oregon, Florida State and TCU were the Top 4 in the Playoff Rankings. Alabama was 5th and Ohio State was 8th.

Week 12 and Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom were back in Gainesville for the South Carolina-Florida game. We were gluttons for punishment. Trailing 17-10, after Florida blew a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, South Carolina scored a touchdown with 0:12 left on the clock and tied the score at 17-17. The Gamecocks went on to win 23-20 in overtime.

Back at the Laurel Oak Inn, our mood became brighter as the Inn hosts, Peggy and Monta Burt, threw an informal dinner party for the guests. As we drank and ate, we all talked about who the next Florida coach would be. We also watched the Miss State-Alabama game on TV. The Crimson Tide won, 25-20.

In other big games, Wisconsin downed Nebraska, 59-24. The Badgers’ Melvin Gordon rushed for 408 yards. Georgia Tech beat Clemson, 28-6, while Virginia Tech knocked off Duke, 17-16. Arkansas got its first SEC win under Brett Bielema. The Razorbacks beat LSU, 17-0.

Northwestern surprised Notre Dame, 43-40, and Ohio State got by Minnesota, 31-24. In Miami, Florida State edged the Hurricanes, 30-26.

On Sunday, Will Muschamp was fired.

“For the good times”

When the weekend’s smoke had cleared, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Miss State were the Top 4 teams in the Playoff Rankings. TCU was 5th and Ohio State was 6th.

Week 13 and it was rivalry week. Harvard and Yale met for the 131st time. Before a standing room only crowd in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard beat Yale, 31-24. Lafayette and Lehigh met for the 150th time. Before a sellout crowd in Yankee Stadium, Lafayette beat Lehigh, 27-7. In the 116th meeting between Stanford and California, the Cardinal beat the Golden Bears, 38-17.

In some other games, UCLA downed USC, 38-20, and Louisville edged Notre Dame, 31-28. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin got by Iowa, 26-24, while Minnesota downed Nebraska, 28-24. In Morgantown, Kansas State held off West Virginia, 26-20.

Just a week after Melvin Gordon rushed for 408 yards, Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine rushed for 427 yards in the Sooners crushing of Kansas.

And the Playoff Rankings said Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Miss State are the Top 4 teams. Again, TCU was 5th and Ohio state was 6th.

Week 14 saw a Turkey Week shakeup, as Ole Miss knocked off Miss State in the Egg Bowl. The Rebs beat the Bulldogs, 31-17. At the post-game presser, Miss State coach Dan Mullen blamed the loss on his defensive coordinator.

Marshall lost its first game of the season. Western Kentucky outlasted Marshall, beating the Herd 67-66 in overtime. Nebraska beat Iowa, 37-34 in overtime, but the next day Husker coach Bo Pelini was fired. Before leaving Lincoln, Pelini, in a profane-riddled rant, called Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst a cunt.

Ohio State beat rival Michigan, 42-28. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle. Cardale Jones replaced Barrett. Also in the Big Ten, Wisconsin beat Minnesota, 34-24.

Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom went to Punta Gorda, Florida, for Thanksgiving. Traveling down to the southwest coast of Florida, Swamp Mama learned that Yee Haw Junction, Florida is so named because it used to be Jackass Crossing, Florida.

In the SEC, Alabama won the Iron Bowl, beating Auburn, 55-44. Missouri secured the SEC East title, beating Arkansas, 21-14, and LSU downed Texas A&M, 23-17. In a couple of ACC-SEC affairs, Florida State beat Florida, 24-19, and Georgia Tech surprised Georgia, 30-24 in overtime. Again, Dawg fans called for Mark Richt’s head.

In the West, Arizona beat Arizona State 42-35, and Stanford beat UCLA 31-10. Air Force downed Colorado State, 27-24. Colorado State coach Jim McElwain was surfacing as the leading candidate for the Florida job. Michigan fired Brady Hoke.

“But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning”

In the next to the last Playoff Ranking, the Top 4 teams were Alabama, Oregon, TCU and Florida State, in that order. Ohio State was 5th.

Week 15 was conference championship week. With the final Playoff Rankings coming out after the games, the week definitely had an edge to it.

Most of the title games were bores. Ohio State rolled over Wisconsin, 59-0, for the Big Ten title. Oregon blasted Arizona, 51-13 for the Pac-12 crown. Alabama tumbled Missouri, 42-13, to take the SEC title. Northern Illinois surpassed Bowling Green, 51-17, for the MAC crown.

In the only two close championship games, Florida State got by Georgia Tech, 37-35, for the ACC title, and Marshall edged Louisiana Tech, 26-23, for the C-USA crown. In the last of the seven conference title games, Boise State downed Fresno State, 28-14, for the MWC championship.

In a regular season game, UCF beat East Carolina, 32-30, on a Hail-Mary pass as time expired. And Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma, 38-35 in overtime.

The next day, the final Playoff Rankings were released – 1. Alabama, 2. Oregon, 3. Florida State, 4. Ohio State. Baylor was 5th and TCU was 6th. The Playoffs were set – Alabama vs. Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, and Oregon vs. Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The winners to meet in the championship game. The other bowl spots were filled as well.

Sure enough, Colorado State’s Jim McElwain was named the new coach at Florida. In a surprise, Oregon State’s Mike Riley was named the new coach at Nebraska.

Week 16 saw Navy beat Army for the 13th-straight year and the 16th time in the last 18 games. The Middies beat the Cadets, 17-10.

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy. Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon came in second in the voting, followed by Alabama receiver Amari Cooper.

Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen was named the new coach at Oregon State, and Will Muschamp was named the new defensive coordinator at Auburn. Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman won the Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s best assistant coach.

“Let’s be glad we had some time to spend together”

Week 17 and Christmas was fast approaching. Pitt coach Paul Chryst was named the new coach at Wisconsin, while fired Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was named the head coach at Youngstown State. Meanwhile, Michigan was doing everything under the sun to get Jim Harbaugh.

West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck was named the Vice President of the NCAA. In the first of 38 bowl games, Louisiana-Lafayette beat Nevada, 16-3, in the New Orleans Bowl. While Jim McElwain was busy in Gainesville, hiring Miss State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins as the Gators new DC, his former team lost badly in the Las Vegas Bowl. Utah beat Colorado State, 45-10.

Meanwhile, TCU coach Gary Patterson was winning most of the Coach of the Year awards.

Week 18 saw Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo named head coach at Colorado State. It was the second consecutive time Colorado State chose a SEC offensive coordinator to be its head coach. The other one was Jim McElwain.

In the week’s first bowl game, a fight erupted at the end of the game after Memphis beat BYU, 55-48, in the Miami Beach Bowl. The fight was no small-time shoving match. It was a big-time, fist-throwing, bloody brawl.

While Michigan was still working hard to get Jim Harbaugh, Pitt named Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi its new coach. Yes, we were in the thick of bowl season and I was in the thick of eating my homemade Chex party mix, Karlene Tuttle’s bourbon balls and Deb Gum’s stollen. Great diet for watching bowl games.

Two quarterbacks were in the news. West Virginia announced that Clint Trickett would not play in its Liberty Bowl game against Texas A&M – too many concussions. And word broke that Florida’s Jeff Driskel would transfer to another school for his final season. Obviously, Jim McElwain told Driskel, “You’re not in my game plan. Take a hike.”

All-in-all, 13 more bowl games were played. And Harbaugh to Michigan was looking good.

Week 19 began with a bad day for the Big 12 – a very bad day. Three Big 12 teams – West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas – lost their bowl games. The Sooners and the Longhorns were embarrassing – very embarrassing.

“I’ll get along, you’ll find another”

Speaking of bad, Texas A&M graduate assistant coach Michael Richardson was bad during the Aggies bowl game with West Virginia. Whenever momentum carried a WVU player onto the A&M sideline after a play, Richardson would haul off and hit the Mountaineer. At halftime, Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin sent Richardson packing, back to College Station. A day later, Sumlin fired Richardson.

Success at last in Ann Arbor – Michigan announced it landed Jim Harbaugh for a cool $5 million, plus various bonuses and incentives. Georgia’s Nick Chubb rushed for 266 yards as the Dawgs crushed Louisville, 37-14, in the Belk Bowl.

Meanwhile, the bowls were shaping up to be bad for the SEC West. The SEC division that put all seven of its teams into bowl games finished 2-5. TCU plastered Ole Miss, 42-3, in the Peach Bowl. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was a joke. That night – New Year’s Eve – Georgia Tech stunned Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets won, 49-34. Not sure who Dan Mullen blamed for this loss. Think it might have been his quarterback – Dak Prescott.

New Year’s Day was a big day for the Big Ten and another bad day for the SEC. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon rushed for 251 yards, as the Badgers beat Auburn, 34-31, in the Outback Bowl. Then Michigan State put on a big 4th-quarter rally to beat Baylor, 42-41, in the Cotton Bowl.

Finally, Ohio State upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, 42-35. Nick Saban is now 0-3 in Sugar Bowls. In the Rose Bowl, Florida State showed us why the Seminoles should not have been in the playoffs. FSU was be-puddled by Oregon, 59-20.

In one of the most amazing finishes ever in a football game, Houston scored three touchdowns, capitalized on two successive onside kicks and made a two-point conversion all in the final 3:41 of the game to beat Pitt, 35-34, in the Armed Forces Bowl.

“Don’t say a word about tomorrow”

The week ended with a number of announcements. Jeff Driskel said he was transferring to Louisiana Tech. Texas A&M hired LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis to be the Aggies new DC. Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik was named defensive coordinator at North Carolina. Former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon was named assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Florida.

And finally, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston said he was entering the NFL draft. I’m sure this announcement was followed by the folks in Tallahassee saying, “Don’t let the door knob hit you in the butt on the way out of town.”

Week 20 and we all know what happened. Ohio State won college football’s first playoff national championship. The Buckeyes beat Oregon, 42-20, as Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 246 yards.

Afterwards, folks began speculating on 2015, wondering what will become of all those Buckeye quarterbacks – Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones.

On a lesser note, Brian Schottenheimer was named the offensive coordinator at Georgia, and Manny Diaz was named the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State.

And so it came to an end.

“Don’t look so sad. I know it’s over.”

Looking back at the beginning, the forecasters were pretty spot-on this season. In the consensus of the various preseason Top 25 and Top 40 polls Florida State was 1st, Alabama 2nd, Oregon 3rd, Oklahoma 4th and Ohio State 5th. The only miss-call there was Oklahoma. The Sooners failed to live up to their billing.

Baylor was 8th. That’s pretty close to where the Bears finished. The only other big faux pa was TCU. The Frogs were a consensus 33rd at preseason. Phil Steele was the keenest on TCU. He had the Frogs rated 14th in his preseason poll. At the other end of the spectrum, USA Today ranked TCU 57th at preseason.

The pundits were spot-on in three of the conference forecasts. In the Big Ten, Ohio State and Wisconsin were picked to win their divisions, with the Buckeyes chosen to win it all. Check. In the MWC, Boise State and Fresno State were predicted to win their divisions, with the Broncos picked for the title. Check. And in the MAC, Northern Illinois and Bowling Green were picked to win their divisions, with NIU favored to take the crown. Check.

In five of the conferences, the forecasters were two-for-three. In the SEC, Alabama and Georgia were favored to win their divisions, with the Tide chosen to win it all. Georgia finished 2nd. Missouri, who won the East, was picked to finish 4th in its division. In the Pac-12, Oregon and UCLA were forecast to win their divisions, with the Ducks picked for the crown. Arizona, picked to finish 4th, won the South Division. UCLA was 2nd.

In the ACC, Florida State and Miami were picked to win their divisions, with the Noles favored to take the title. Miami finished near the bottom. Georgia Tech, who won the Coastal Division, was picked to finish 6th and next to last in its division. In the AAC, Cincinnati and UCF were equally favored to win the conference. The Bearcats and Knights tied for the conference title, along with Memphis (three-way tie). The Tigers had been picked to finish seventh. In C-USA, Marshall and UT San Antonio were favored to win their divisions, with Marshall chosen to take the championship. Louisiana Tech, picked to finish 4th, won the West Division. UTSA was 4th.

The forecasters were most off the mark in the Big 12 and the Sun Belt. In the Big 12, Oklahoma was the favorite to win, with Baylor being a strong contender. Baylor and TCU tied for the Big 12 crown. TCU was picked to finish 6th. Oklahoma wound up 4th. And finally, in the Sun Belt, Louisiana-Lafayette was the favorite. Georgia Southern, picked to finish 7th, won the Sun Belt. Louisiana-Lafayette finished 2nd.

And what can we expect next season? Well, I suspect we have plenty of time to talk about that come August. But I will say that in all of the “way too early” 2015 preseason polls that I have seen, Ohio State and TCU are the Top 2 teams in each of them. Stay tuned!

And to my friend Richard Nadolny, your answer is 210 days. Yes, 210 days until the next College Football Week, and 227 days until the first kickoff of 2015 – South Carolina vs. North Carolina.

It’s time to put my alter ego to bed for a much-needed nap – TT goes back to TC.

“Let’s just be glad we had some time together,
For the good times”

Yes, we had some good times!

Peace, my college football friends.

Touchdown Tom
January 19, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P. S. “For the Good Times” was written by Kris Kristofferson and made famous by Ray Price. Kristofferson began writing the song in 1968. He put it aside, picked it back up two years later and finished it in 1970. That was the year Price recorded the song. It went to No. 1 on all the U.S. country music charts and was named the “Song of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music. It crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100, becoming Price’s only release to hit the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot 100. “For the Good Times” was on the Hot 100 for 24 weeks, throughout the fall of 1970 and winter of 1971. Perry Como recorded the song in 1973. Como’s version reached No. 7 in the U.K. on the British Pop Chart. It is one of the most covered songs in American music history. More than 30 singers have recorded “For the Good Times.”


Quotes of the Week

“He promised us that after we beat Bama in the locker room that if we won the next one, he’d get a tattoo,” Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman, on his coach Urban Meyer.

“We have core values, and honesty is one of them, so he better not be lying,” Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, on Urban Meyer promising to get a tattoo if the team beat Oregon.

“We’ll be very good,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, when asked about the Buckeyes next year.

“It was a disappointing season for all of us, some dark days. But that’s history now and away we go. I think everybody knows now that I’ve still got four or five more years in me,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . LSU has hired Alabama assistant coach Kevin Steele as its new defensive coordinator…. Virginia Tech and Rutgers have agreed to a home-and-home series to be played in 2023 and 2024…. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota announced he will enter the NFL draft.

Princeton will play its spring game on March 21 at Kincho Stadium in Osaka, Japan, against the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters. The Fighters are Japan’s current national college football champions…. Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is the front-runner to become the San Francisco 49ers OC.

And finally, notables from the world of football who departed us during the past football season included Goose Gonsoulin, 76 (original Denver Bronco player); Jimmy Feix, 83 (former Western Kentucky coach); Harley Clark, 78 (creator of the “Hook ’em Horns” hand signal); Tommy Lewis, 83 (former Alabama football player), and Jack Cristil, 88 (voice of the Mississippi State Bulldogs).

Also, Clay Stapleton, 93 (former Iowa State football coach); John “Mr. Mizzou” Kadlec, 86 (Missouri sports icon); Marvin “Whitey” Helling, 91 (former North Dakota football coach); Jim Swink, 78 (former TCU running back); Fuzzy Thurston, 80 (guard for the Green Bay Packers); Allie Sherman, 91 (former New York Giants coach), and Jethro Pugh, 70 (of the Dallas Cowboys).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in the waning days of January as college football fans began to dream about the next season, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “Don’t Fence Me In” by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” by The Andrews Sisters

…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Let Me Go, Lover” by Joan Weber

…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “Running Bear” by Johnny Preston

…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Downtown” by Petula Clark

…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” by B.J. Thomas

…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Mandy” by Barry Manilow

…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson

…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner

…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “How Am I Supposed to Live without You” by Michael Bolton


Not directly college football related, but notables from other sports who left us during this past football season included Pete Van Wieren, 69 (Atlanta Braves broadcaster); Jerry Lumpe, 81 (major league baseball player), and Jack Kraft, 93 (Villanova basketball coach).

Also, Carol Vadnais, 68 (NHL player); Marvin Barnes, 62 (college and NBA basketball player); Bob Suter, 57 (member of 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team);
Wally Hergesheimer, 87 (NHL player); Oscar Taveras, 22 (St. Louis Cardinals outfielder); Brad Halsey, 33 (major league pitcher), and Ernie Vandeweghe, 86, (New York Knicks player).

Also, Alvin Dark, 92 (New York Giants shortstop and MLB manager); Ray Sadecki, 73 (major league pitcher); Jean Beliveau, 83 (NHL player); Stuart Scott, 49 (ESPN sportscaster); Stu Miller, 87 (major league pitcher); J.P. Parise, 73 (NHL player), and Roy Tarpley, 50 (NBA player).


Not directly college football related, but notables from the world of entertainment who passed away during the 2014 football season included Robin Williams, 63 (comedian and actor); Ed Nelson, 85 (actor); Lauren Bacall, 89 (actress); Don Pardo, 96 (“SNL” announcer); Richard Attenborough, 90 (actor and director); Joan Rivers, 81 (comedian); Bob Crewe, 83 (songwriter), and George Hamilton IV, 77 (singer).

Also, Polly Bergen, 84 (actress and singer); Don Keefer, 98 (actor); Paul Revere, 76 (of Paul Revere & the Raiders); Jan Hooks, 57 (comedy actress); Tim Hauser, 72 (singer with the Manhattan Transfer); Paul Craft, 76 (country songwriter); Jack Bruce, 71 (guitarist for Cream); Marcia Strassman, 66 (actress), and Tom Magliozzi, 77 (“Car Talk” co-host).

Also, Acker Bilk, 85 (clarinetist, “Stranger on the Shore”); Carol Ann Susi, 62 (unseen voice on “The Big Bang Theory”); Jimmy Ruffin, 78 (soul singer); Mike Nichols, 83 (movie and stage director); Bobby Keys, 70 (rock ’n’ roll saxophonist); Ian McLagan, 69 (keyboardist for the rock band Faces); Mary Ann Mobley, 77 (former Miss America), and Virna Lisi, 78 (movie actress).

Also, Joe Cocker, 70 (singer); Edward Herrmann, 71 (actor); Luise Rainer, 104 (actress); Donna Douglas, 82 (Elly May on “The Beverly Hillbillies”); Little Jimmy Dickens, 94 (country singer); Bess Myerson, 90 (Miss America, TV personality and public affairs official); Rod Taylor, 84 (actor), and Anita Ekberg, 83 (actress).


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 James Brady, 73 (Reagan White House press secretary); Jim Jeffords, 80 (former senator from Vermont), and Steven Nagel, 67 (astronaut).

Also, Stan Goldberg, 82 (Archie comics artist); Bruce Morton, 83, (CBS news reporter); Jean-Claude Duvalier, 63 (former president of Haiti); Oscar de la Renta, 82 (fashion designer); Ben Bradlee, 93 (Washington Post editor); Frank Mankiewicz, 90 (political strategist), and Thomas Menino, 71 (Boston mayor).

Also, Ben Aycrigg, 88 (Orlando TV news anchor); P.D. James, 94 (author of the Adam Dalgliesh series of mysteries); Richard Hottelet, 97 (CBS news reporter); Mario Cuomo, 82 (former governor of New York), and Edward Brooke, 95 (former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts).

College Football Week 21 – Et tu Brute
Puddles couldn’t quack the Nuts

The Ohio State Buckeyes won college football’s first Playoff Championship.  The Bucks beat the Ducks, 42-20. It’s Ohio State’s first national championship since the 2002 season, when the Buckeyes beat Miami (Florida) 31-24 in the BCS Championship.

Oregon received the ball on the opening kickoff.  The Ducks marched down the field in near perfection to take a 7-0 lead on their opening drive – 75 yards in 11 plays.  That turned out to be the best Oregon looked in the entire first half – the entire game for that matter.  The Ducks proceeded to put on a punting exhibition for the remainder of the half.

In spite of two fumbles, Ohio State went on to score 21 unanswered points by halftime.  Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott overpowered the Oregon defense.  The Ducks managed a field goal late in the second quarter and trailed the Buckeyes 21-10 at halftime. Twice in the first half, Oregon got in the red zone and failed to score a touchdown.  

After the Buckeyes received the second half kickoff, Oregon intercepted an Ohio State pass on the Buckeyes first drive. On the ensuing series, Oregon scored on a 70-yard pass from Marcus Mariota to Byron Marshall.  The Ducks’ touchdown cut Ohio State’s lead to four points.

On the Buckeyes next series, Ohio State fumbled and the Ducks recovered.  But again, Oregon failed to score a touchdown in the red zone and settled for a field goal.  The Buckeye lead was cut to 1 – 21-20.  Then Jones and Elliott took over, bulldozing their way down the field, flattening Oregon players as they went.  Ohio State scored on a nine-yard run by Elliott as time expired in the third quarter.  The Bucks were up, 28-20.

After that, Oregon ran out of steam, while Ohio State put up 14 more points in the fourth quarter to cap the score at 42-20.  The Buckeyes suffered four turnovers to one for Oregon and still won by 22 points.  Oregon’s one turnover came on the last play of the game.

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 246 yards.  In the semifinal game against Alabama, Elliott rushed for 230 yards. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota was 24-37-1 for 333 yards passing. The contest drew a crowd of 85,689 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

Not even TCU would beat Ohio State. But the Frogs would beat Florida State. In the final AP Poll, Ohio State was No. 1, Oregon finished second, TCU third, Alabama fourth and Michigan State and Florida State were tied for fifth.

Party hardy, Buckeyes!

In some after thoughts, there was too much time between the playoff semifinals and the championship game – 11 days.  People lost interest. The game should have been played on Friday, January 9 or Saturday, January 10.  My friend Sally Kirk Adkins said, “The process has been very NFLish.” I agree.

And what about next year?

Oregon will be good again, probably very good.  Ohio State will be good again too – like really good.  The Buckeyes will be the No. 1 team at preseason.  That’s my bet.

Both teams are reloading – not rebuilding. Oregon’s biggest reload will be at quarterback.  That’s assuming Marcus Mariota enters the NFL draft.  Most likely he will.  In the other positions – on offense and defense – the Ducks have most of their starters back.

Unlike Oregon, Ohio State won’t be looking for a new quarterback.  The Buckeyes biggest problem will be deciding which one to start – Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett.  And that’s assuming Braxton Miller transfers out.  If Miller stays, Ohio State has a bigger problem – but what a nice problem to have. Should Jones choose to enter the NFL draft, Miller may be prompted to stay.

Elsewhere, the Buckeyes will have half or more of their starters back on both offense and defense. The defense really should be strong.  It was a young group this season.  The offense looks scary.  When you combine running back Ezekiel Elliott with Jones or Barrett (or Miller) it’s downright frightening – for opponents.

The big difference on offense for Ohio State next year will be the coordinator.  The man who has driven the offense during Urban Meyer’s three years in Columbus – Tom Herman – is off to Texas.  In fact he may not be flying back to Ohio with the team.  Herman is the new head coach of the Houston Cougars.

Herman’s replacement at Ohio State – Tim Beck – is familiar with the Big Ten.  Beck has been Bo Pelini’s offensive coordinator at Nebraska since 2011.  A native of Youngstown, Ohio, he is essentially coming home.   

Meanwhile at Houston, Herman already has picked Major Applewhite to be his offensive coordinator.  Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback, has been an offensive coordinator at Rice under Todd Graham (2006) and at Alabama under Nick Saban (2007).  He was forced out after one season at Alabama.  Applewhite joined the Texas staff under Mack Brown in 2007 and became co-offensive coordinator for the Longhorns in 2011. He was out of coaching this past season.

Beck and Applewhite are just two of the many stories involving the movement and resurfacing of coordinators at the close of this season.  And it is extremely intertwined.  Let’s take a trip.

Before leaving Texas, two former Longhorn defensive coordinators – Gene Chizik and Will Muschamp – will be back directing defenses next season after each got a taste of being a head coach – brief as it was.  Chizik left the DC position at Texas after the 2006 season to become the head coach at Iowa State.

Following two losing seasons in Ames, he was hired to be the head coach at Auburn.  The Auburn gig lasted four years before Chizik was fired.  In the second of those four years, Auburn, with Cam Newton, won the national championship.  Out of coaching for two seasons, Chizik was named the defensive coordinator at North Carolina in December.  This could be a short gig too as Larry Fedora will enter the 2015 season on one of the hottest seats in the country.

Muschamp, the Florida coach for the past four seasons, will be the defensive coordinator at Auburn under Gus Malzahn in 2015.  Known as Will Mustake, Dawgchump and Baby Fat at Florida, Muschamp already has picked up a nickname at Auburn – Guschamp.

There’s a story going around that Steve Spurrier tried to get Muschamp to be the defensive coordinator at South Carolina.  But Muschamp wanted more money than was being offered.  If he couldn’t get more money, then he wanted it in his contract that he would replace Spurrier when the Head Ball Coach steps down.  South Carolina wouldn’t agree.  So, Muschamp signed with Auburn for $1.6 million plus bonuses and incentives. 

Another former Texas defensive coordinator is returning to one of his old stomping grounds.  In 2010, Manny Diaz became the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State under Dan Mullen.  The next season, Diaz became the DC at Texas when Muschamp left to become the coach at Florida.  Two games into the 2013 season, Mack Brown fired Diaz.  After a stint at Louisiana Tech under Skip Holtz this past season, Diaz returns to Miss State, again under Mullen, as the DC in 2015.

Diaz is back at Miss State because Geoff Collins left Starkville to become the defensive coordinator at Florida under new coach Jim McElwain.  This after Mullen threw Collins under the bus in his post-game presser, following Miss State’s season-ending loss to Ole Miss.  Mullen blamed the loss on the defense.

Joining Collins at Florida as the offensive coordinator is Doug Nussmeier.  He was the OC at Alabama, under Nick Saban (2012-2013), and at Michigan (2014), under Brady Hoke.    

And while on Florida and Michigan, D.J. Durkin, the Gators defensive coordinator the past two seasons is Jim Harbaugh’s new DC at Michigan.  Durkin was Florida’s interim coach in their 28-20 Birmingham Bowl win over East Carolina 10 days ago.  Meanwhile, Harbaugh named USC offensive line coach Tim Drevno the Wolverines new offensive coordinator.

Jim McElwain’s former school Colorado State hired Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to be its new coach.  Bobo is a former quarterback at Georgia.  In turn, Mark Richt hired Brian Schottenheimer as the Dawgs new OC. Schottenheimer, a former quarterback at Florida under Steve Spurrier, has most recently been the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.

Elsewhere in the SEC, LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis up and left Baton Rouge to become Kevin Sumlin’s DC at Texas A&M.  This after Sumlin fired Mark Snyder. Sumlin also picked up Utah offensive coordinator Dave Christiansen to be the Aggies running backs coach and running game coordinator.  Back in Baton Rouge, word has it that Les Miles is going after Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators at the end of the season.  Mason hired Wisconsin offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig as Vandy’s new OC.  Meanwhile, Mason decided, what the heck, to coach the defense himself.

Brett Bielema is hurting at Arkansas and has some shoes to fill.  The Razorbacks offensive coordinator Jim Chaney left for the same position at Pitt.  Bielema’s linebackers coach – Randy Shannon – is the new assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Florida.  Shannon is a former head coach at Miami (Florida).

Kentucky hired West Virginia offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson when Neal Brown, the Wildcats’ OC, left to become the head coach at Troy. Baylor promoted Kendall Briles to offensive coordinator when Philip Montgomery left the Bears to become the head coach of Tulsa. Kendall is the son of Baylor head coach Art Briles.

Also in the Big 12, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops fired his two offensive coordinators – Jay Norvell and Josh Heupel.  Heupel is a former Sooner quarterback.  Stoops then hired East Carolina’s Lincoln Riley to be the new OC in Norman. Back in the SEC, Missouri hired Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom when Dave Steckel, the Tigers’ DC, left to become the head coach at Missouri State.

Clemson’s heralded offensive coordinator Chad Morris left the Tigers to become the head coach of SMU.

And back to the Big Ten where this all started, new Nebraska coach Mike Riley named New York Giants quarterbacks coach Danny Langford as the Huskers offensive coordinator.  Langford was Riley’s OC at Oregon State prior to last season. On the other side of the ball, Riley named his DC at Oregon State – Mike Banker – to the same position at Nebraska.

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi left East Lansing to become the head coach at Pitt. And former Purdue coach Danny Hope is the new offensive coordinator at South Florida.

So far, the only loser in this migration of coordinators is Kurt Roper – Florida’s offensive coordinator this past season.  It was a dangerous move when Roper left Duke last year for Florida, knowing that Will Muschamp was on the hottest seat in the country.  But, stay tuned! 

More and more, coordinators – offensive and defensive – are becoming key to the success, or lack thereof, of head coaches.  And they are being paid more and more too.

Meanwhile, out in College Station, Texas A&M lost its thrill on Kenny Hill.  The Aggie quarterback has been granted his request to transfer.

And Braxton Miller? After the championship game, Miller said he hasn’t decided whether he will return to the Buckeyes next season.  While Cardale Jones said he may enter the NFL draft.

The final issue of College Football Week for this season will be posted Monday, January 19.

Touchdown Tom
January 13, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Review

FCS Championship Game

North Dakota State 29, Illinois State 27


Quotes of the Week

“Jameis Winston declared himself eligible for the NFL draft, meaning college football’s problem just became the NFL’s,” USA Today columnist Christine Brennan.
        
“Georgia always has a whole bunch of good players.  They’ve probably been the most consistent team in the East.  Well, maybe they haven’t been. Heck, we’ve beat them four out of five years, haven’t we?,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Oklahoma fired co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. OU’s other co-defensive coordinator – Jay Norwell – was fired earlier….  Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is the new DC at Mississippi State.  Diaz was previously the defensive coordinator at Miss State before leaving for Texas after the 2011 season to replace Will Muschamp.

Georgia hired Brian Schottenheimer as its new offensive coordinator….  Former Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is Jim Harbaugh’s DC at Michigan….  Major Applewhite is the new offensive coordinator at Houston. The former Texas quarterback has coached at Rice, Syracuse, Alabama and Texas.  Applewhite was out of coaching this past season.

Vincent Testaverde, the son of Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde, is transferring from Texas Tech to his father’s school – Miami (Florida).  Vincent, also a quarterback, can play immediately because he was a walk-on at Texas Tech….  Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney is leaving the Razorbacks to become the OC at Pitt….  East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley is the new OC at Oklahoma….  LSU and BYU will meet in their 2017 season opener in Houston.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.
Not directly college football related, but in mid-January as college football fans were about to put the lid on another great season and shift their attention to college basketball, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “Don’t Fence Me In” by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” by The Andrews Sisters

…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes

…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “El Paso” by Marty Robbins

…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “I Feel Fine” by The Beatles

…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” by B.J. Thomas

…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by Elton John

…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes

…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “Like a Virgin” by Madonna

…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were seven passings of note last week – Bess Myerson, Allie Sherman, Stu Miller, Jethro Pugh, Rod Taylor, J.P. Parise, and Anita Ekberg.

Bess Myerson, a New York favorite who basked in the public eye for decades, as Miss America in 1945, as a television personality in the 1950s and 1960s, as a force in public affairs and finally as a player in a shattering municipal scandal, died four weeks ago at her home in Santa Monica, California.  She was 90. Myerson was one of a select group of American figures to parlay pop culture celebrity into positions of influence in the public square. Bess Myerson was born in New York City on July 16, 1924. She graduated from Hunter College with honors. For eight years, she appeared on the TV game show “The Big Payoff.” Then for nine years she was on “I’ve Got a Secret.” She was the first and only Jewish Miss America.

Allie Sherman, a left-handed quarterback in college who went on to coach the New York Giants to three consecutive title games (1961-1963) in his first three seasons as their coach, died last week at his home in New York City. He was 91.  Alex Sherman was born in New York City on February 10, 1923.  He graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College where he played football – first as a tailback, then as a quarterback.  Following college, he was the backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles for five years. Sherman coached the Giants from 1961 through 1968, but his best seasons were the first three. 

Stu Miller, a former New York/San Francisco Giants pitcher who committed perhaps the most famous balk in baseball history at windy Candlestick Park in San Francisco, died last week at his home in Cameron Park, California.  He was 87. In the 1961 All-Star Game, Miller relieved Sandy Koufax.  Just as he was ready to pitch, a strong gust of wind came along and caused him to wave back and forth like a tree.  The entire American League bench hollered balk.  Miller, knowing it was a balk, went ahead and pitched.  Rocky Colavito swung and missed.  But the umpire signaled a balk and motioned the runners on first and second to advance to the next base. Still, the National League managed to win the game in the 10th inning and Miller got the victory.  But a headline the next day proclaimed “Miller Blown Off Mound.” Stuart Leonard Miller was born on December 26, 1927, in Northampton, Massachusetts.  He played 16 years in the majors for the Giants in both New York and San Francisco, as well as the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves. He led the National League in earned run average in 1958, had the most saves in the National League in 1961 and the American League in 1963 and won a World Series title with Baltimore in 1966.      

Jethro Pugh, a durable lineman for the Dallas Cowboys who played in four Super Bowls as part of a famed unit nicknamed the Doomsday Defense, died last week.  He was 70. Tall and athletic at 6 feet-6 inches and 260 pounds, Pugh was a fine pass rusher who led the Cowboys in quarterback sacks from 1968 to 1972.  Jethro Pugh Jr. was born on July 3, 1944, in Windsor, North Carolina.  He graduated in 1965 from Elizabeth City State College and was drafted by the Cowboys in the 11th round.  Two years later he was the Cowboys’ starting defensive tackle.

Rod Taylor, the Australian-born actor who fended off attacks from above in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and helped an 8,000th-century people escape a monster race in “The Time Machine,” died last week at his home in Los Angeles.  He was 84.  Taylor was only the second Australian actor, after Errol Flynn, to achieve major Hollywood stardom. He made more than 50 films.  In his last film, he played Winston Churchill in “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).  Rodney Sturt Taylor was born on January 11, 1930, in Sydney Australia.  He grew up in Lidcombe, a Sydney suburb.  Some of his early movies were “Long John Silver” (1954), “The Virgin Queen” (1955), “Hell on Frisco Bay” (1955) and “The Catered Affair” (1956). Later movies included “The V.I.P.s” (1963), “Sunday in New York” (1963), “Young Cassidy” (1965), “Do Not Disturb” (1965), “The Glass Bottom Boat” (1965) and “Hotel” (1967), among others.

J.P. Parise, an All-Star left wing for the Minnesota North Stars who was traded mid-season to the New York Islanders in 1975 and went on to help them win their first playoff series, died last week at his home in Prior Lake, Minnesota.  He was 73.  Parise scored 238 goals and had 356 assists in 14 seasons in the National Hockey League.  Jean-Paul Parise was born on December 11, 1941, in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario.  After retiring as a player, Parise became an assistant coach for the North Stars and later was the hockey director for a school in Faribault, Minnesota. His son Zach was the captain of the United States hockey team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.  

Anita Ekberg, who became an international symbol of beauty and sensuality in the 1960 Federico Fellini film “La Dolce Vita,” died last week in Rocca di Papa, Italy, southeast of Rome.  She was 83. Ekberg won a Golden Globe Award in 1956 for most promising newcomer. She shared the award with Dana Wynter and Victoria Shaw. When she traveled overseas to entertain the American troops in the 1950s and 1960s, Bob Hope used to introduce her as “the greatest thing to come from Sweden since smorgasbord.” Hope also joked that her parents won the Nobel Prize for architecture.  Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born on September 29, 1931, in Malmo, Sweden.  She grew up to become Miss Sweden and competed in the Miss Universe pageant. Her films included “Abbott and Costello Go to Mars” (1953), “Blood Alley” (1955), “Hollywood or Bust” (1956), “War and Peace” (1956), “Boccaccio 70” (1962) and “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” (1969), among others. But it was “La Dolce Vita” that made her famous.

College Football Week 20 – Bucks vs. Ducks
Bowl Mania Week II: Never a dull moment

From Bad Day at Big 12 to Michigan gets its man to what’s up (or down) with the SEC West and more – Bowl Mania Week II was full of revelations, big news and excitement. There was never a dull moment.

Bowl Mania Week II began on December 29. Remember the movie “Bad Day at Black Rock?” Well, the first day of Bowl Mania Week II was “Bad Day at Big 12.”

Three Big 12 teams – West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas – played on December 29. All three lost – two got their clocks cleaned. The day began in Memphis with West Virginia losing to Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl. The Mountaineers lost to the Aggies, 45-37.

WVU’s eight-point loss to A&M turned out to be the best performance by the Big 12 on December 29. It all went downhill from there. Next up, Oklahoma was humiliated by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Sooners lost to the Tigers in the Orlando bowl, 40-6. The score was 40-0 at the end of the third quarter.

Not to be outdone, Texas added to the Big 12’s doldrums in the nightcap. In the Texas Bowl in Houston, the Longhorns lost to Arkansas, 31-7. Texas not only lost to the Razorbacks, but the Longhorns only managed 59 total yards in the game – only 2 yards rushing. Yes, December 29 was a bad day – a very bad day – for the Big 12.

Little did we know it at the time, but Arkansas’ win would be the last by a team from the SEC West. Stay tuned.

Interestingly, it was a Texas A&M assistant coach who stole the show on December 29. Michael Richardson, a graduate-assistant coach and former player for the Aggies, was caught, not once but twice, hitting two West Virginia players, each on separate instances, during the WVU-A&M game.

Richardson struck the West Virginia players on the sideline as momentum carried them off the field at the end of a play. Both incidents occurred in the first half. It was apparent to viewers watching the game on TV. But for some reason the officials – who else but ACC – failed to flag Richardson.

At halftime, when the incidents were reported to Kevin Sumlin, the Texas A&M coach sent Richardson packing – back to College Station. The graduate assistant did not return to the field for the second half. A video of Richardson striking the West Virginia players went viral on the internet. Sumlin later issued an apology to WVU and the Mountaineer players involved. That may have been the nicest thing to happen to the Big 12 on December 29.

The next day, after weeks of speculation, Michigan finally got its man. The Wolverines introduced 51-year-old Jim Harbaugh as the school’s new coach. Harbaugh had been Michigan’s No. 1 target ever since Brady Hoke was fired on December 2.

Harbaugh, however, did not sign a contract with Michigan for $8-10 million a year as had been speculated. Instead, his contract is $5 million annually, plus bonuses and incentives. Not bad.

Harbaugh is a former quarterback for the Wolverines. As a fifth-year senior in 1986, he led Michigan to the 1987 Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines lost to Arizona State, 22-15. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing third. After playing in the NFL for 14 seasons, Harbaugh has been a head coach at the University of San Diego, Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers.

The first bowl game on December 30 was between two teams who had disappointing seasons – LSU and Notre Dame. One turned their disappointment around while the other remained disappointing.

LSU came into the Music City Bowl a big favorite over the Irish. But the Tigers left Nashville a 31-28 loser to Notre Dame. It’s no wonder Michigan didn’t want Les Miles. LSU’s problem during the season carried over to the bowl game – the Tigers didn’t have a quarterback. Also, little did we know it at the time, but LSU’s loss was the first of a five-game losing streak for teams from the SEC West.

In Charlotte, Georgia beat Louisville in the Belk Bowl, 37-14. The Dawgs’ Nick Chubb ran for an amazing 266 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Next, on a windy night in Santa Clara, Stanford ran over Maryland in the Old MacDonald…..I mean…..Foster Farms Bowl, 45-21. The Terps only managed 17 yards rushing. Maryland coach Randy Edsall will enter the 2015 season on the hot seat – a very hot seat.

That evening, Swamp Mama and I went to see “The Imitation Game,” followed by dinner out. It was our second movie in seven days. The other one was “The Theory of Everything.” Both were excellent choices.

New Year’s Eve began with a stunner – the first of three. In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, TCU plastered Ole Miss, 42-3. The score was 42-0 at the end of the third quarter. The Rebel Black Bear, Landshark, Hotty Toddies only had 9 yards rushing and weren’t much better passing.

A friend of mine said he thought Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace looked like he was drunk, or on drugs. I had to agree. The streaks running down from his eye black made Wallace look like something out of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Not sure what that was all about. TCU was about the only bright spot for the Big 12 in the bowl games; while Ole Miss made it loss No. 2 for the SEC West.

You don’t ever want to have to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos upped their Fiesta Bowl record to 3-0 with a 38-30 upset of Arizona. Boise State finished its season on a 9-game winning streak. The nightcap on New Year’s Eve was another stunner. Georgia Tech surprised Mississippi State – and everyone else – in the Orange Bowl, 49-34.

Tech’s Synjyn Days rushed for 171 yards. Quarterback Justin Thomas added another 121 yards rushing. Wonder who Dan Mullen blamed for this loss? The Bulldogs became the third-straight SEC West victim.

Reports have Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller making inquiries to Florida State and a half dozen other schools about transferring. It’s difficult to see Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones all three on the Ohio State roster next season – too much talent at the same position on one team.

You know all three want to play. As a graduate transfer, Miller would be eligible to play right away at another school. In addition to Florida State, Miller has put out feelers to Duke, Florida, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas and Michigan – yes Michigan.

Texas coach Charlie Strong fired two of his assistants – the tight ends and receivers coaches. Can’t say I’m surprised after the 31-7 shellacking from Arkansas.

New Year’s Day was a great day for the Big Ten and another bad day for the SEC West. Up first, Auburn fell to Wisconsin in Tampa’s Outback Bowl, 34-31 in overtime. The Badgers’ Melvin Gordon rushed for an incredible 251 yards.

Interestingly, Auburn lost to two teams this season – Texas A&M and Wisconsin – who each suffered a 59-0 loss. A&M who beat Auburn 41-38 on November 8 had earlier lost to Alabama 59-0 on October 18. Wisconsin lost to Ohio State, 59-0, in the Big Ten championship game on December 6.

Next, Michigan State shocked Baylor, 42-41, in the Cotton Bowl. Shocked, because Baylor led the Spartans 41-21 early in the fourth quarter. The game was reminiscent of Baylor’s 61-58 win over TCU during the season. In that game, TCU led Baylor 58-37 early in the fourth quarter. Baylor scored 24 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes of the game. In the Cotton Bowl, Michigan State scored 21 unanswered points in the final 12 minutes of the game.

At the end of the season, Baylor coach Art Briles mouthed-off like crazy when his Bears weren’t selected as one of the four playoff teams. He went bananas. He went berserk. Meanwhile, fellow Big 12 coach Gary Patterson kept his mouth shut. I think Briles should have kept his mouth shut.

In Orlando’s Citrus Bowl, Missouri beat Minnesota, 33-17. It was the Big Ten’s only blight on the day. The Missouri win improved the SEC East to 3-0 in bowl games.

In the first of the two playoff games, it was curtains for Jameis Winston and his Seminoles, as Oregon flattened Florida State, 59-20, in the Rose Bowl. Oregon finished the game scoring 34 unanswered points. Hindsight is 20/20, but hindsight says TCU should have been in the playoffs instead of FSU.

Then in the nightcap on New Year’s Day, Ohio State stunned the nation’s No. 1 team, beating Alabama, 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl – the other playoff game. The Buckeyes’ running back Ezekiel Elliott ran over Alabama to the tune of 230 yards. Bucks’ quarterback Cardale Jones out-performed Bama quarterback Blake Sims. It was a sad night for Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. The Crimson Tide defense was a no show. Under Nick Saban, Alabama is 0-3 in Sugar Bowls.

On January 2, Houston rallied to beat Pitt in a wild game with a wild finish. The Cougars won the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, 35-34. Late in the fourth quarter, Houston trailed Pitt, 34-13. The Cougars proceeded to score 22 points in the final 3:41 of the game. The last two scores for Houston were aided by two successful onside kicks. Both Houston and Pitt were coached by interim coaches.

Tennessee kept the SEC East perfect in bowl games with the Vols 45-28 win over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. Watch out for Tennessee in 2015.

The final two games on January 2 matched the Pac-12 against the Big 12 in both games. The Pac-12 won the first game when UCLA downed Kansas State, 40-35, in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. The Big 12 won the second game when Oklahoma State beat Washington, 30-22, in the Cactus Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

In the Birmingham Bowl on January 3, Florida got by East Carolina, 28-20. The Gators were coached by a lame duck – defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Durkin is not being retained by new Florida coach Jim McElwain, who attended the game.

Reports have ex-Florida offensive coordinator (under Will Muschamp) Kurt Roper interviewing for the OC position at Georgia. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has fired his co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell. Pardon me, but shouldn’t Stoops be firing his brother – defensive coordinator Mike Stoops?

Earlier reports had Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel potentially transferring to Duke. But the latest word has Driskel transferring to Louisiana Tech. As a graduate transfer, Driskel can play for Louisiana Tech next season. Stay tuned.

At last, after 16 days of bowl games, Toledo beat Arkansas State, 63-44, in the Go Daddy Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The teams combined for 35 points in the first quarter and 34 points in the fourth quarter. The Rockets’ Kareem Hunt rushed for 271 yards.

Two SEC coaches got their start at Arkansas State. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze coached the Red Wolves for one year in 2011 before leaving for Oxford. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn coached Arkansas State for one year in 2012 before leaving to coach the Tigers.

So after all 38 bowl games, Conference USA (4-1) and the Pac-12 (6-2) were looking good. On the downside, the ACC (4-7) and the Big 12 (2-5) were looking bad. The other conferences were at or near 500.

The biggest embarrassment in the bowls was the West Division of the SEC. The SEC West was billed during the season as the best group of seven teams in the country. No other conference or division in a conference could touch the SEC West. All seven teams played in bowl games. With the help of ESPN, Paul Finebaum, etc, most everyone fell for the hype.

Well, after the dust had settled, the SEC West was a wussy 2-5. Meanwhile, the SEC East – the stepchild of the SEC – finished 5-0 in its bowl games.

And after 28 games, I finished 20-18 in my picks.

The Oregon-Florida State and Ohio State-Alabama playoff games were the two highest rated cable TV shows ever since the dawn of cable television. Oregon-FSU drew 28.2 million viewers, while Ohio State-Bama drew 28.3 million viewers.

North Dakota State (14-1) will play Illinois State (13-1) this Saturday for the FCS national championship. The game will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

And finally, there is the city of Oregon, Ohio, which plans to officially change its name for 24 hours on January 12. Prior to January 12 the mayor of Oregon, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo will issue a proclamation with the name change. Suggestions for the brief name change include Ohio City, Buckeye Town and Brutusville. Stay tuned.

Along with the city’s name change, the high school in Oregon, Ohio, whose colors are green and gold also officially will change it colors for 24 hours on January 12. You guessed it – red and gray.

Touchdown Tom
January 5, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Bowl Game Review

Dirty (in the Liberty Bowl) – Texas A&M 45, West Virginia 37 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 35, Texas A&M 34). West Virginia took a 17-7 lead late in the first quarter, but it was pretty much all Texas A&M after that. The Aggies outscored WVU 38-20 during the remainder of the game. The teams combined for 1,001 yards of offense. The Mounties had 346 yards passing, while A&M had 235 yards rushing. The Aggies’ Tra Carson rushed for 133 yards. Texas A&M was charged with five personal fouls in the game. The Aggies escaped being called for three more personal fouls – a targeting hit on WVU quarterback Skyler Howard and two separate attacks on WVU players by an A&M assistant coach on the sideline. Attendance in Memphis: 51,282

Stooped (in the Russell Athletic Bowl) – Clemson 40, Oklahoma 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 28, Clemson 16). This game was over before it began. Clemson jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead. The Tigers led 40-0 in the third quarter. OU finally scored midway through the fourth quarter. Clemson won the game with only 68 yards rushing. But Tigers’ quarterback Cole Stoudt passed for 319 yards. The Sooners’ Samaje Perine rushed for 134 yards. OU had five turnovers to none for Clemson. Attendance in Orlando: 40,071

59 (in the Texas Bowl) – Arkansas 31, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 17, Arkansas 16). That’s how many total yards Texas had – 59. And only 2 of those yards rushing. Meanwhile, Arkansas racked up 351 total yards, roughly half passing and half running. The Razorbacks had 20 first downs to only 7 for Texas. Arkansas dominated time of possession, 41:10 minutes to 18:50. Attendance in Houston: 71,115

No wonder Michigan didn’t want Les Miles (in the Music City Bowl) – Notre Dame 31, LSU 28 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 23, Notre Dame 20). The game was tied four times before Notre Dame’s Kyle Brindza kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Irish the win. The teams were pretty even in the stats. Michigan State played two quarterbacks – Malik Zaire and Everett Golson. LSU’s Leonard Fournette had 143 yards rushing. Attendance in Nashville: 60,149

Uga is a joker, he’s a Dawg (in the Belk Bowl) – Georgia 37, Louisville 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Louisville 23). Tied 7-7 at the start of the second quarter, Georgia went on to score 20 unanswered points to take a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Leading 27-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Dawgs added two more touchdowns in the final period, while shutting out the Cardinals. The Georgia defense held Louisville to 62 yards rushing, while the Dawg offense racked up 292 yards on the ground. Georgia’s Nick Chubb rushed for an amazing 266 yards. Louisville’s Kyle Bolin passed for 300 yards. Attendance in Charlotte: 45,671

Tree farm (in the Foster Farms Bowl) – Stanford 45, Maryland 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, Maryland 14). The game was tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter before Stanford reeled off 35 unanswered points. The Cardinal led 42-7 early in the fourth quarter. Stanford had 414 total yards to 222 for Maryland. The Terps only had 17 yards rushing. Attendance in Santa Clara: 34,780

Freeze frozen (in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl) – TCU 42, Ole Miss 3 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 23, Ole Miss 16). TCU led 28-0 at the half and added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Ole Miss’ only points – a field goal – came midway through the fourth quarter. The Frogs held Ole Miss to only 9 yards rushing. TCU outgained Ole Miss 423 yards to 129. The Frogs had 24 first downs to10 for the Rebel Bears. The game was marred with 8 turnovers – 4 by each team. Attendance in Atlanta: 65,706

The Rod wasn’t rich – (in the Fiesta Bowl) – Boise State 38, Arizona 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 37, Boise State 29). Boise State jumped out to a 21-0 lead before Arizona got its first touchdown late in the first quarter. The Broncos led at the half 31-17. Arizona scored with 6:11 to go in the game to close the gap to 8 points – 38-30. But that was as close as the Wildcats could get. The teams were pretty even in the stats, all the way down to turnovers – 2 each. Both quarterbacks Grant Hedrick (Boise State) and Anu Solomon (Arizona) passed for more than 300 yards each. The Broncos’ Jay Ajayi rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in Glendale: 66,896

Honey, honey! (in the Orange Bowl) – Georgia Tech 49, Mississippi State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 29, Georgia Tech 27). Georgia Tech scored early in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead and the Yellow Jackets never trailed for the rest of the game. But Miss State kept is close at times. Tech led by 1 at the half – 21-20. Then the Jackets outscored the Bulldogs 21-0 in the third quarter. It was curtains for the Bulldogs. The teams combined for 1,182 yards of offense. Miss State had 453 yards passing (Dak Prescott). Tech had 452 yards rushing – 171 yards by Synjyn Days and 121 yards by quarterback Justin Thomas. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 58,211

On Bucky (in the Outback Bowl) – Wisconsin 34, Auburn 31 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, Wisconsin 26). There were no less than six lead changes in this game. That’s how close it was. Wisconsin took the first lead at 7-0 just 4 minutes into the game. And it was Wisconsin who tied the game, 31-31, with 0:07 on the clock to put it into overtime. The Badgers won the game on the ground with 400 yards rushing – 251 of those by Melvin Gordon. Gordon averaged 7.4 yards per carry. The Badgers won in spite of having 3 turnovers to none for Auburn. Attendance in Tampa: 44,023

Was Mike Leach coaching Baylor? (in the Cotton Bowl) – Michigan State 42, Baylor 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, Michigan State 19). This was a close game in the first half. Baylor led at the break, 24-14. Then the Bears outscored the Spartans 17-7 in the third quarter and built up a 41-21 lead. More than 2 minutes into the fourth quarter, Baylor still led 41-21. But shortly after that, Michigan State scored the first 7 of its 21 unanswered points. The Spartans scored their final 7 points with only 0:17 left in the game. The teams combined for 1,135 total yards. Baylor had 603 yards passing, but -20 rushing. MSU had a balanced attack. The Spartans Jeremy Langford rushed for 162 yards. Attendance in Arlington: 71,464

No Gold in that Gopher (in the Citrus Bowl) – Missouri 33, Minnesota 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 26, Minnesota 23). This was a close game for three quarters. Mizzou led 19-17 at the start of the fourth quarter. Then the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points to put it away. Mizzou only had 97 yards passing, but the Tigers had 337 rushing. Mizzou’s Marcus Murphy had 157 yards rushing. Attendance in Orlando: 48,624

No means no (in the Rose Bowl) – Oregon 59, Florida State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, Florida State 27). Anybody’s ball game until midway through the third quarter. Oregon led at that point 25-20. Then the Ducks went on a roll, scoring 34 unanswered points. The teams combined for 1,167 total yards. But Oregon was balanced – 338 yards passing, 301 rushing. FSU wasn’t. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota passed for 338 yards and rushed for 62. The Ducks’ Thomas Tyner rushed for 124 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 91,322

Kirby dumb (in the Sugar Bowl) – Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, Ohio State 28). Or is it Kirby stupid? It’s definitely not Kirby Smart. About 7 minutes into the second quarter, Alabama scored to take a 21-6 lead. The Tide didn’t score again until the final minute of the third quarter. In between, Ohio State scored 28 points. The game remained close until the Buckeyes scored a touchdown with 3:24 on the clock to take a 14-point lead. Ohio State dominated the stats, outrushing and out-passing Alabama. Both teams had three turnovers. The Buckeyes’ Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 230 yards. Attendance in New Orleans: 74,682

Pitt ate shit (in the Armed Forces Bowl) – Houston 35, Pitt 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 30, Houston 27). With 4 minutes to go in the game, Pitt led 34-13. Houston then scored 22 points (3 touchdowns) in the final 3:41 of the game. Houston capitalized on two onside kicks. Both teams were playing under interim coaches. Attendance in Fort Worth: 37,888

The Vols are back (in the TaxSlayer Bowl) – Tennessee 45, Iowa 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Iowa 20). Three minutes into the second quarter, Tennessee had a 28-0 lead. Then the Vols went into cruise control for the rest of the game. Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd rushed for 122 yards. Iowa’s Jordan Canzeri rushed for 120 yards. Attendance in Jacksonville: 56,310

Too little too late (in the Alamo Bowl) – UCLA 40, Kansas State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, UCLA 29). UCLA controlled the first half of the game. The Bruins led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-6 at halftime. But Kansas State outscored UCLA 29-9 in the second half. K-State was the passing team with 338 yards, while UCLA was the running team with 331 yards rushing. The Wildcats only had 31 yards rushing. Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley passed for 136 yards and rushed for 96 yards. UCLA’s Paul Perkins rushed for 194 yards. K-State receiver Tyler Lockett had 13 receptions for 164 yards. Attendance in San Antonio: 60,517

Back in the saddle again (in the Cactus Bowl) – Oklahoma State 30, Washington 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 31, Washington 30). The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Okie State led 24-0 at halftime, 27-7 late in the third quarter and 30-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Cowboys’ quarterback Mason Rudolph passed for 299 yards and running back Desmond Roland rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Tempe: 35,409

Taking care of business (in the Birmingham Bowl) – Florida 28, East Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 33, East Carolina 30). Florida took a 21-7 first half lead and basically went into cruise control in the second half. ECU’s Shane Carden passed for 427 yards. Attendance in Birmingham: 30,083

Basketball? (in the Go Daddy Bowl) – Toledo 63, Arkansas State 44 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 35, Arkansas State 33). Toledo led 35-17 at halftime and built the lead to 42-17 early in the third quarter. The teams combined for 1,009 yards of offense. But Arkansas State only had 65 yards rushing. Toledo’s Kareem Hunt rushed for 271 yards. Ark State’s Fredi Knighten passed for 403 yards. Attendance in Mobile: 36,811

Last Week’s Bowl Game Picks: 9 correct, 11 wrong (45 percent)
Running Total Bowl Game Picks: 20 Correct, 18 Wrong (52.6 percent)


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 36-51-1 for 550 yards; Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott – 33-51-1-453; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 34-66-2-427; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 23-31-0-403; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 29-45-1-348; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 26-36-1-338, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 31-48-1-338.

Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 28-49-2 for 335 yards; Clemson’s Cole Stoudt – 26-36-0-319; Michigan State’s Connor Cook – 24-42-2-314; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 24-34-1-309; Louisville’s Kyle Bolin – 20-40-2-300; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 17-26-1-299, and Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen – 22-35-1-294.

Impressive Runners:

Toledo’s Kareem Hunt – 271 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 266 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 251 yards; Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 230 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 194 yards, and Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days – 171 yards.

Also, Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford – 162 yards; Missouri’s Marcus Murphy – 157 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 143 yards; Boise State’s Jay Ajayi – 134 yards; Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 134 yards, and Texas A&M’s Tra Carson – 133 yards.

Also, Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 126 yards; Oregon’s Thomas Tyner – 124 yards; Oklahoma State’s Desmond Roland – 123 yards; Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd – 122 yards; Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas – 121 yards, and Iowa’s Jordan Canzeri – 120 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“It pisses us off,” Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, on not being one of the four playoff teams.

“I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed. His behavior reflected poorly on our program. I removed him from the sideline at halftime of yesterday’s game after being informed of the incidents, after further review, have permanently dismissed him from our football program,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

“Throughout my life I have dreamed of coaching at the University of Michigan. Now I have the honor to live it,” new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

“I don’t think I have to say anything,” TCU coach Gary Patterson, after the Frogs beat Ole Miss, 42-3, in the Peach Bowl.

“America hates Florida State. There’s a decent argument that Florida State is the most hated team in the history of college football. Hell, FSU might be the most hated team in the history of American sports,” Outkick the Coverage editor and college football journalist Clay Travis.

“Nick Saban is writing checks that his team can’t cash,” Albert from Columbus, Ohio, on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show.’

“TCU over either Ohio State or Oregon by 10 for the mythical national championship,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“The SEC West just turned into the SEC Jest,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football…. New York Giants quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf is the new offensive at Nebraska. Langsdorf was Mike Riley’s offensive coordinator at Oregon State before joining the Giants’ staff this year…. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is the new DC at Texas A&M…. Alabama deputy athletic director Shane Lyons will be announced today as the new athletic director at West Virginia, replacing Oliver Luck who is leaving to become vice president of the NCAA. Lyons has been at Alabama since 2011. Prior to that he was the associate commissioner of the ACC.

Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik is the new defensive coordinator at North Carolina…. Wisconsin offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is the new OC at Vanderbilt…. Jim Harbaugh has named USC offensive line coach Tim Drevno as his offensive coordinator at Michigan…. Former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon is the new linebackers coach for Florida.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were seven passings of note last week – Luise Rainer, Edward Herrmann, Mario Cuomo, Donna Douglas, Little Jimmy Dickens, Edward Brooke and Stuart Scott

Luise Rainer, who left Nazi Germany for Hollywood and soared to fame in the 1930s as the first star to win back-to-back Oscars, then quit films at the peak of her career for occasional stage work and roles as a wife, mother and mountain climber, died last week in London. She was 104. Rainer won her first Best Actress Oscar for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936). The next year, she won the Best Actress Oscar for “The Good Earth” (1937). Luise Rainer was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, on January 12, 1910.

Edward Herrmann, an actor who became familiar across a spectrum of popular entertainment, from movies and television to plays, audio books and advertisements, died last week in New York City. He was 71. He played Nelson Rockefeller in the 1995 Oliver Stone film “Nixon.” His best known role was Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1970s made for television movies “Eleanor and Franklin” and “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.” He played Roosevelt again in the 1982 movie “Annie.” Lately, he played the grandfather in the television series “Gilmore Girls.” He appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows. Edward Kirk Herrmann was born in Washington, DC, on July 21, 1943. He grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and graduated from Bucknell University. He made his Broadway debut in 1972 in “Moonchildren,” and won a Tony in 1976. Some of his movies included “The Paper Chase” (1973), “The Great Gatsby” (1974), “Reds” (1981) and “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985).

Mario Cuomo, the three-term governor of New York died last week at his home in New York City. He was 82. Cuomo was governor of New York from 1983 through 1994. He delivered the keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. Cuomo’s son Andrew is the current governor of New York. Mario Mathew Cuomo was born on June 15, 1932, in New York City. He graduated from St. John’s University where he played baseball.

Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett, the shapely, blue-eyed daughter, on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” died last week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was 82. “The Beverly Hillbillies” ran for nine seasons on CBS. The show premiered on September 26, 1962, and ran until 1971. Doris Smith was born in Pride, Louisiana, in September 1932. She was crowned Miss New Orleans and Miss Baton Rouge in beauty contests. Douglas appeared in two movies – “Lover Come Back” (1961) with Rock Hudson, and “Frankie and Johnny” (1966) with Elvis Presley. She appeared on several television shows over the years.

Little Jimmy Dickens, the diminutive country singer best known for his novelty recordings, died last week. He was 94. A fan favorite at the Grand Ole Opry – and still active there into his 90s – Dickens stood 4-foot-11. His nickname was Tater. Hank Williams is attributed with giving him that name. Dickens had seven singles in the country Top 10 and 13 in the Top 40. One of his hits was “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the country charts in 1965 and crossed over to the pop Top 20. James Cecil Dickens was born on December 19, 1920, in Bolt, West Virginia. He began singing on the radio in the late 1930s. Roy Acuff recognized his talents in 1947 and got him introduced to the Grand Ole Opry, which Dickens joined in 1948. Dickens was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.

Edward Brooke, who in 1966 became the first African-American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote, died Saturday at his home in Coral Gables, Florida. He was 95. Brooke, a Republican, was re-elected in 1972. He remains the only black senator ever to have been returned to office. Brooke was twice elected attorney general in Massachusetts, the first African-American to be elected attorney general in any state. Edward William Brooke III was born on October 26, 1919, in Washington, DC. He graduated from Howard University. Brooke served in the Army during World War II.

Stuart Scott, a prominent ESPN sportscaster who was known for infusing his reports with a blend of pop culture references, slang and exuberant phrases that made him a popular figure, died yesterday in Hartford, Connecticut. He was 49. “Booyah” was his signature expression. Scott joined ESPN in 1993, working on ESPN2, but soon moved to “SportsCenter.” Stuart Scott was born on July 19, 1965, in Chicago. His family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when he was seven. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he majored in speech communication.