SB Nation - Mark Ingram

SEC 2000-10: The Best Player -- Tim Tebow

Year2 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:00:18 -0000

by Mark Humphrey - AP

Tim Tebow hugging then offensive coordinator Dan Mullen after the BCS Championship NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Miami.

View full size photo »

Thanks to a lot of reasons—big time recruiters inhabiting the coaching ranks, the general population shift southward, a disproportionately large number of storied programs, etc.—the SEC has seen a lot of fantastic players at every position over the last decade. One stands out from all the rest though: Tim Tebow.

It's difficult to say whether then-UF co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison was correct in saying during the recruiting process that Florida's program would be set back 10 years if it didn't sign Tebow. It certainly would have made things a lot different had he chosen to go to his runner up school, Alabama. Mike Shula might still be in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban would be at some other place, and Florida would have gone into 2006 spring practice with Chris Leak as the only scholarship quarterback. It's one of the conference's greatest what ifs.

However, he did end up in Gainesville and things would not be the same. Florida definitely does not win the 2006 national championship without him as DeShawn Wynn and Kestahn Moore were not picking up all those crucial third downs that season. He became the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy in his 2007 campaign, paving the way for Sam Bradford and Mark Ingram to win it the following two years. He led the 2008 Florida squad to one of the best seasons ever in the SEC, as no team has won as many in-conference games by 28+ points (seven) or by 30+ points (six) as that one did. In 2009, it didn't end the way it was expected but he still helped get Florida to its second ever 12-0 start and pushed the school's record winning streak to 22 in a row.

That 2007 Heisman winning season was easily his best individually. He passed for 3,286 yards at a 66.9% completion rate, both career highs. He accounted for three or more touchdowns in 12 of the team's 13 games, including a ridiculous seven against South Carolina. He about single-handedly won that year's Ole Miss and Kentucky games. He became the first player ever to score 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns in a season. He had 51 touchdowns by the time Heisman ballots were in...

...and he tacked on four more in the Capital One Bowl to push his season total to 55. If Florida had a reasonable semblance of a defense, the Gators would have been in the thick of the national title race.

TUESDAY: What a Decade It's Been; Mike Price's Trip to Pensacola

WEDNESDAY: The Zook Experiment; Georgia Hires Mark Richt

THURSDAY: The Best Game; Auburn's Rise and Fall; Rivalry of the Decade

FRIDAY: The Worst Game; The Rise of the Nicktator; The Promise

TODAY: Exit Phil Fulmer

In 2008 his yardage and scoring totals came down a bit, but the team success was up. It took a couple of games to get going, but once all the pieces were in place around Tebow (and after a loss and The Promise refocused things), the scoring began to increase at a frightening pace. The regular season was capped off by Tebow's signature game, the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. He three three touchdown passes, all on third down and two of which were in the fourth quarter. It was a tour de force and the sort of game where you could tell that he would not let his team lose.

Tebow returned in 2009 to win another championship, but ghastly levels of attrition at wide receiver, a new offensive coordinator, problems with blitz protection, and an inexplicable defensive collapse at the worst possible time kept it from being the season to remember that everyone figured it would be. Urban Meyer put nearly all the load on him in the SEC title game rematch with Alabama, as 45 of the Gators' 49 plays were either passes or Tebow rushes. He came through to the tune of nearly seven yards per play on Bama's great defense and five trips inside the Tide 30 on nine possessions. Without any defensive support whatsoever, it was like 2007 all over again. There's only so much one man, even Tim Tebow, can do by himself.

Even so, he's the only quarterback to play in three SEC Championship Games and two national title games this decade. He brought back the jump pass, invented the one-man play action, and added "Tebow smash" to our lexicon.

He was 11-1 as a starter against Florida's big three rivals and 15-1 overall against them (not to mention 3-1 against LSU). He delivered Mark Richt and Steve Spurrier their worst losses as head coaches, Rich Brooks' second worst loss as a head coach, Les Miles' worst loss at LSU, and Bobby Bowden's worst loss to Florida since 1983. He's been the face of college football for two seasons. And as much as Tebow fatigue wore on people around the conference and nation, he still received the highest of compliments from about all rival fans: they have warned for almost two years now that they'd get Florida just as soon as Tebow leaves. Once he's gone, they say, watch out.

That is why Tim Tebow is the SEC player of the decade.

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown - and It Smells Delicious

hmlee — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:35:18 -0000

Hello Rivalry readers!

If you've read this site before, you know me as the Northwestern writer. You probably also know that I am currently a law student at Northwestern. What you may not know, though, is that in addition to making my home in the windy city I am also a born and bred Chicagoan. Okay, okay, that's not that shocking. Now anyone who knows Chicago knows that we loooove our food. Perhaps it's the bitterly cold winters or just the midwestern sensibilities, but we here in Chicago love all things culinary at least as much as (and probably way more so) than any other city or region in the United States.

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I've always been amused by that peculularily Chicago tradition of betting food on sports games. You see, up here, our mayor likes to engage in friendly wagers with opposing mayors whenever a Chicago team makes it into the playoffs. The terms of the bets he makes are simple. The loser sends the winner a heaping pile of food unique to their region after the game or series is decided. Over the years, that's resulted in some quite amusing show downs complete with spreads fit for Mayor Dale - er, a king - and amusing televised posturing.

Sports, egoism, and food. What could be better?

Now, granted, I'm no city mayor. But I am an amateur sports blogger, and that's pretty close, right? To that end, I decided to see if I could rope another SB Nation blogger into such a bet. I tracked down Jay from the SBN blog for the Auburn Tigers, Track 'Em Tigers. I sent him an e-mail proposing that we wager regional goodies on the outcome of the Outback Bowl between Northwestern and Auburn. Fortunately for me, Jay loves food just as much as I do and was extremely excited about the prospect of such a tasty wager. Of course, he foolishly thinks he's going to be the one enjoying food this year, but I digress...

The terms of our bet and some friendly smack talk from Jay after the jump...

Law Buck takes a look at what the Big 10 faces come this bowl season...

Bama Hawkeye interviews the Alabama Blog, Roll Bama Roll, for their take on the Outback bowl...

So once Jay agreed to our bet, I faced the daunting task of attempting to choose some food that would represent Chicago adequatley enough for a bet. This is a lot harder than you may think. Yes, Chicago has a lot of food to choose from... but that's just it. We have a lot of food. How is one supposed to pick from all the culinary awesomeness that is the Windy City? Deep dish pizza... cheesecake... gigantic chocolate cookies... italian beef sandwiches... pickled hot peppers... It's almost too much! But, then via some sports inspiration, it hit me. The perfect thing to bet on a sports game?

The Chicago hot dog. Of course.

I am huge fan of the Chicago hot dog. Trust me, you do not want to engage me in an argument on the merits of the Chicago style hot dog vs. other so called "hot dogs" in the country. It will not be pretty. I even wrote a college entrance essay many years ago on these such hot dogs (seriously).

Luckily enough for me, there are apparently enough ex-pat Chicagoans home sick for Chicago food that there is a whole cottage industry just ready to ship packages of hot dogs with all required to turn them into Chicago style dogs at your command. One of the restaurants willing to ship such goodness? Portillos, a name that should be instantly familiar to any Chicagoan. Should the Auburn Tigers somehow manage to pull out a victory over my Northwestern Wildcats, I will be sending Jay a box containing everything he needs to enjoy a Chicago hot dog feast... namely:

10 specially packed all-beef hot dogs, 10 popy-seed buns, mustard, onions, tomatos, pickles, sweet relish, sport peppers, and celery salt. Of course, there will be no ketchup within a mile of this box of awesome.

Now, as I mentioned above, Jay somehow believes that Auburn will go out on the field and score him some that box of goodies. I was rather suprised by this confidence of his, but he was kind enough to talk to me and provide some enlightenment as to why he thinks the wrong kind of feline will be victorious come January 1st... Jay said,

"First off, Auburn players and fans are pumped up to be playing Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Having played Wisconsin in bowl games twice in the past six years, the Wildcats are a welcome opponent. To Southerners, Northwestern is viewed as the Vanderbilt of the Big Ten - smart students, but not so much on the football field.

However, it's also widely acknowledged that we'll likely all work for a Northwestern grad before our careers are over. In fact, I can check that box. I worked for an NU MBA grad for several years and have to say he was awesome. I'm not sure how well he played football though.

This game is a dangerous one for Auburn. They are expected to win because of tradition and the tough SEC. Tiger fans are finding out that these purple Wildcats are a great football team. They certainly closed the season much better than Auburn. While my Tigers lost to Georgia and collected a "moral victory" over top-ranked Alabama, Northwestern was perhaps the hottest team in the Big 10 coming down the stretch.

Auburn will win a very close game because of running back Ben Tate. While Alabama's Mark Ingram got most of the attention, Tate quietly became one of the most dominant backs in the nation. Quarterback Chris Todd has solid senior leadership and rarely makes mistakes. On defense, Auburn is led by All-SEC defensive end Antonio Coleman. He's a sack master and loves to apply the pressure.

So, I like Auburn to win and deliver to me some of the finest hot dogs in all of Chicago and America. As I take each bite, I'll think of each and everyone of you. See you in Tampa!"

While I think Jay is completely and utterly wrong, I admire his confidence. At this point, you're probably all asking, "Hilary... what do YOU get if the entirely predictable result of a Northwestern victory happens?" (Okay so maybe I was the only one thinking that but uhm... still...) Well, you'll just have to mosey on over to Track 'Em Tigers to find out what I'll be feasting on come the new years....

SEC Power Poll All-SEC Team Ballot

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:56:05 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2009, file photo, Alabama running back Mark Ingram (22) runs past Mississippi defenders for a second quarter 36- yard touchdown run during an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss. Ingram won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Browse more photos »

No frills or arguments here, just the ballot. It's pretty straightforward and will be compiled amongst the other blogs ballots to reach an SEC blogosphere All-SEC squad. Comment and criticize our selections, please.

QB - Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

HB - Mark Ingram, Alabama

HB - Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss

FB - Tim Tebow (lololololololol), Florida

WR - Shay Hodge, Ole Miss

WR - AJ Green, Georgia

TE - Colin Peek, Alabama

OL - Ciron Black, LSU

OL - Michael Johnson, Alabama

OL - Mike Pouncey, Florida

OL - James Carpenter, Alabama

OL - Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

DE - Carlos Dunlap, Florida

DE - Antonio Coleman, Auburn

DT - Terrence Cody, Alabama

DT - Jerrell Powe, Ole Miss (why the hell not?)

LB - Eric Norwood, South Carolina

LB - Rolando McClain, Alabama

LB - Brandon Spikes, Florida

S - Eric Berry, Tennessee

S - Chad Jones, LSU

CB - Joe Haden, Florida

CB - Patrick Peterson, LSU

K - Leigh Tiffin, Alabama

P - Drew Butler, Georgia

RET - Javier Arenas, Alabama

We're All Americans, But We're Not All All-Americans

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:51:28 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa's Pat Angerer (43) celebrates with teammates Allen Reisner and Dace Richardson, right, after Iowa blocked a Northern Iowa field goal on the final play. Iowa won 17-16. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

View full size photo »

As is usually the case after a 10-win season, the accolades are beginning to pour in for the Iowa Hawkeye football team. Everyone and their mom has an all-conference or All-American team, but the two that actually matter--Walter Camp and the AP--are now out. And for the 33th year in a row, the unanimous selection for player of the year is Frank Stallone*.

More importantly, the AP named three Hawkeyes to their All-American teams. While nobody made it onto the first team, thanks to Ricky Stanzi's ankle injury--come on, you know if he stays healthy and Iowa goes 11-1 and finishes at #5 or so, even the guys on defense get a little bit more of a bump--both Bryan Bulaga and Pat Angerer made it to the second team, while Tyler Sash made third-team AA as a sophomore. A fine moment for all three players (two of whom, as we insular and provincial types are quick to point out, are native Iowans).

Meanwhile, the Walter Camp Foundation agreed with the AP, naming Bulaga and Angerer to their second team as well and effectively establishing the two as the de facto MVPs of their respective sides of the ball. We have a little beef with each designation, but for wholly different reasons.

First, though Bulaga is by far the best pro prospect on the line as of right now and was utterly dominant in 2008, the reality is that even notwithstanding the 3-week absence as he recovered from thyroid issues, he struggled in 2009. Brandon Graham and O'Brien Schofield manhandled Bulaga. And while those are two very good defensive ends, so was Aaron Maybin, the 11th pick of the 2009 by the Buffalo Bills and Bryan Bulaga's personal prison bitch after Iowa-PSU 2008. There was a substantial dropoff in play by Bulaga in 2009, and voters just didn't notice it when it came time to hand out awards.

Meanwhile, Dace Richardson was actually very good in his return to the line, and he got a fair amount of media attention when mid-season awards were being handed out. Then his ankle was rolled up on against Michigan State, and he disappeared from both the depth chart and voters' attention. But why should he have been punished for an ankle injury while voters looked past Bulaga's absence of a similar length? It's all past reputation, and that's not really fair to guys who come from nowhere and work their butts off--especially in their senior year, where there's no chance for any payoff in the "rewarded in Year X for play in Year X-minus-1" system that's come to be when it comes to honoring offensive linemen.

What this comes down to is that if the AP were to select an Iowa lineman for All-American this season, we'd have preferred it be Dace--though we'll certainly "settle for" Bulaga instead. If both men are playing their last game for Iowa next month, as lots of speculation suggests, then they've both had stellar careers in the black and gold and we wish them well.

On defense, on the other hand, Pat Angerer didn't really establish himself as the most dominant player for that Iowa defense, but that's hardly through any fault of his own. After all, one usually does so by being simply better than his teammates, and the talent level on the Iowa defense this year was both so high and so consistent that it was hard to see Angerer as someone who was the best player on defense. After all, you could always come back with, "well why not Sash? Or Adrian Clayborn? Or Amari Spievey? Or A.J. Edds? Or, hell, Jeremiha Hunter?" We're not saying that Angerer was the 6th best player on the Iowa defense by any means--just that ranking the top 5 or 6 or so would be impossible, because the gaps would be so miniscule that personal preference could easily mean a 3- or 4-spot swing here or there and it wouldn't even be objectionable.

Angerer's accolades, then, come from two areas: 1) his name, which is everything you could ever hope for times infinity; 2) and his stats, which sort of sneak up on you for the same reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. As mentioned before, he was 5th in the nation in tackles at 11.3 a game. That's pretty outstanding, especially since--as TRE noticed during the season--Angerer's real strength might have been in pass coverage, not run support.

Still, absent game-changing plays, it's somewhat difficult to notice the overall impact a player has on a game. And all of those game-changing plays seemed to happen to other players--most notably Sash and Clayborn, and to a lesser extent Spievey.

Thus we have a weird ambiguity about how we look at Angerer's standing as the most highly-lauded member of the 2009 Iowa defense. It's not that he didn't deserve it--far from it--but with a defense like Iowa's, you could basically pick a name out of a hat and feel relatively confident that you made a good choice. It was that kind of year. Effectively singling out Angerer for praise, then, seems unusual and almost a little unfair. Oh well. There are worse problems to have.

Full AP All-American teams are after the break.

First team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Colt McCoy, senior, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Texas.
	   Running backs -- Toby Gerhart, senior, 6-1, 235, Stanford; Mark Ingram, sophomore, 5-10, 212, Alabama.
	   Tackles -- Russell Okung, senior, 6-5, 301, Oklahoma State; Trent Williams, senior, 6-5, 318, Oklahoma.
	   Guards -- Michael Johnson, senior, 6-6, 305, Alabama; Mike Iupati, senior, 6-6, 330, Idaho.
	   Center -- J.D. Walton, senior, 6-3, 305, Baylor.
	   Tight end -- Aaron Hernandez, junior, 6-2, 250, Florida.
	   Wide receivers -- Golden Tate, junior, 5-11, 195, Notre Dame; Jordan Shipley, senior, 6-0, 190, Texas.
	   All-purpose player -- C.J. Spiller, senior, 5-11, 195, Clemson.
	   Kicker -- Leigh Tiffin, senior, 6-2, 212, Alabama.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jerry Hughes, senior, 6-3, 257, TCU; Derrick Morgan, junior, 6-4, 272, Georgia Tech.
	   Tackles -- Ndamukong Suh, senior, 6-4, 300, Nebraska; Terrence Cody, senior, 6-5, 365, Alabama.
	   Linebackers -- Rolando McClain, junior, 6-4, 258, Alabama; Greg Jones, junior, 6-1, 228, Michigan State; Eric Norwood, senior, 6-1, 252, South Carolina.
	   Cornerbacks -- Joe Haden, junior, 5-11, 190, Florida; Javier Arenas, senior, 5-9, 198, Alabama.
	   Safeties -- Eric Berry, junior, 5-11, 203, Tennessee; Earl Thomas, sophomore, 5-10, 197, Texas.
	   Punter -- Drew Butler, sophomore, 6-2, 201, Georgia.
Second team
	   Quarterback -- Tim Tebow, senior, Florida.
	   Running backs -- Ryan Mathews, junior, Fresno State; Dion Lewis, freshman, Pittsburgh.
	   Tackles -- Bryan Bulaga, junior, Iowa; Chris Marinelli, senior, Stanford.
	   Guards -- Rodney Hudson, junior, Florida State; Mike Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Center -- Maurkice Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Tight end -- Dennis Pitta, senior, BYU.
	   Wide receivers -- Mardy Gilyard, senior, Cincinnati; Danario Alexander, senior, Missouri.
	   All-purpose player -- James Rodgers, junior, Oregon State.
	   Kicker -- Kai Forbath, junior, UCLA.
Defense
	   Ends -- Von Miller, junior, Texas A&M; Brandon Graham, senior, Michigan.
	   Tackles -- Gerald McCoy, junior, Oklahoma; Jared Odrick, senior, Penn State.
	   Linebackers -- Pat Angerer, senior, Iowa; Brandon Spikes, senior, Florida; Sean Weatherspoon, senior, Missouri.
	   Cornerbacks -- Perrish Cox, senior, Oklahoma State; Kyle Wilson, senior, Boise State.
	   Safeties -- Taylor Mays, senior, Southern California; Rahim Moore, sophomore, UCLA.
	   Punter -- Zoltan Mesko, senior, Michigan.
Third team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Kellen Moore, sophomore, Boise State
	   Running backs -- LaMichael James, redshirt freshman, Oregon; Jacquizz Rodgers, sophomore, Oregon State.
	   Tackles -- Dennis Landolt, senior, Penn State; Ciron Black, senior, LSU.
	   Guards -- Brandon Carter, senior, Texas Tech; Jeff Byers, senior, Southern California.
	   Center -- Chris Hall, senior, Texas.
	   Tight end -- Dorin Dickerson, senior, Pittsburgh.
	   Wide receivers -- Freddie Barnes, senior, Bowling Green; Demaryius Thomas, junior, Georgia Tech.
	   All-purpose player -- Dexter McCluster, senior, Mississippi.
	   Kicker -- Hunter Lawrence, senior, Texas.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jeremy Beal, junior, Oklahoma; Brandon Sharpe, senior, Texas Tech.
	   Tackles -- Brian Price, junior, UCLA; Dan Williams, senior, Tennessee.
	   Linebackers -- Sergio Kindle, senior, Texas; Cody Grimm, senior, Virginia Tech; Navorro Bowman, junior, Penn State.
	   Cornerbacks -- Brandon Harris, sophomore, Miami; Alterraun Verner, senior, UCLA.
	   Safeties -- Tyler Sash, sophomore, Iowa; Mark Barron, sophomore, Alabama.
	   Punter -- Matt Reagan, senior, Memphis.

*Did you know he was in Tombstone, a.k.a. the SINGLE GREATEST MOVIE IN HISTORY? And in a phenomenal scene, to boot.

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Thursday (12/17/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:09:10 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and entertainment. Today we're being brought to you by Solera in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

First, it seems that former WVU wide receiver Chris Henry has passed away. He was an amazing talent that we all hoped would get his life together and now it seems to have been tragically cut short. The other news today has shifted from Big Ten expansion to the loss of Doc and any other assistants he may take with him (mostly regarding the recruiting effects). The tips, suggestions and requests are always welcome. Now updated with Gazette articles. See you after the jump...

What You May Have Missed:

Bengals wide receiver dies after Charlotte accident - WCNC.com
R.I.P. Chris Henry

Gold and Blue Report for Thursday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Hol(l)iday Break - BlueGoldNews.com
4 big points about next years football team inside

News of Note (FB):

Holliday on track for Marshall position - Times West Virginian

Doc has gone back to ties at WVU to start filling positions at Marshall - WVIllustrated.com
IMHO, losing Seider and Beatty would be the biggest losses.

What's up with Doc gone? - Charleston Gazette

Manchin on Doc; WVU hoop recruits on display - Charleston Gazette
Vingle's hodgepodge

Mark Ingram, Jerry Hughes lead SI.com's 2009 All-America teams - SI.com
Brandon Hogan and Scott Kozlowski get Honorable Mention status.

Jarrett Brown vs. the world - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

News of Note (BB):

Kentucky and Syracuse most likely to stay undefeated longest - SI.com
He figures we'll drop our first at Purdue on Jan 1.

Elite Eight | 2005 NCAA tournament - 2000s: Top 10 College Hoops Games - Photos - SI.com

BIG EAST Hardwood Slate - WVIllustrated.com

Recruiting:

Doc or no Doc - WVIllustrated.com
Millines is still committed to WVU

Around the League (and Beyond):

Bearcats suffer setback at UAB - Cincinnati Enquirer
64-47?!?!?

High expectations for Jones - Cincinnati Enquirer

Following Pitino challenge, Louisville basketball gets real in rout of Oral Roberts, 94-57 - Courier-Journal

Do you want to please Jim Boeheim? Expand the NCAA Tournament and watch him beam - syracuse.com

USF's Miller: Leavitt didn't strike me - Tampa Tribune

Jones scores 27 as USF men top UCF, 69-65 - Tampa Tribune

Jasper Howard stabbing suspect pleads not guilty - SI.com (AP)

Lawyer: Ex-Connecticut Huskies student manager at center of recruiting allegations has not spoken to NCAA - ESPN

Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti on Big Ten conference expansion plans: 'We are a proud member of the Big East Conference' - Star Ledger

Briefly on Big 11 Expansion Talk - Pitt Blather

Big East expansion - looking at some numbers - Card Chronicle

Four Things The Big East Conference Needs To Do Right Now - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
"The four things the Big East Conference should begin doing in order to quell the Big Ten's overtures."

Report: Arizona's Mark Stoops heading to FSU - Tampa Tribune

Pac-10 will consider expansion - ESPN

Video of Interest:

Yes, he was troubled, but he was a Mountaineer. Rest in peace Chris.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

I'm a little behind with this video, but it's worth it. Warning: Strong Language.

Year in Review Gallery of the Week:

This is a double bonus gallery. Everything inside is basically SFW, but I'm guessing the linked galleries inside aren't, based on the URL's.

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is an unbelievable combination of Italian and Venezuelan hotness. This is Carolina Marconi. (Scroll down inside the link a bit for the gallery)

via multimedia.quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com

This one is only 7 seconds, but....oh, my!

Warning: A little bit of NSFW in this one:

Solera image via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Gearing up for the Northwestern Wildcats!

Acid Reign — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:25:00 -0000

This highlight clip comes directly to you from the Northwestern Athletic Department. What a refreshingly modern approach to video! (As opposed to the SEC's antique model...)

War Eagle, everybody! It's time now for a look at Auburn's 2010 Outback opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats. Trying to imagine what will happen in this contest has NOT been easy. Auburn and Northwestern have never played each other in football. There are NO common opponents on the two teams' schedules. Both teams feature wide-open offenses that try to push the tempo. Auburn's spread attack has been more run oriented. Northwestern, without a feature back, has aired it out more. Both teams have tended to favor the 4-man rush on defense, and zone coverage. Both Auburn and Northwestern have had up and down periods, losing games they shouldn't have, and beating ranked teams. For those who are expecting a media-bandwagon "SEC is superior to the Big 10" post in this space, you are going to be disappointed. I think bowl history in the past ten years shows the two leagues to be remarkably even.

Northwestern began the season looking like a lower echelon Big-10 team. After blowing out Towson, the Wildcats struggled to a 27-24 win over Eastern Michigan. Losses on the road to Syracuse and Minnesota followed. The Wildcats appeared to be headed for a third road loss at Purdue, trailing 21-3 in the second quarter. The Wildcat D stepped up, forcing six turnovers. Northwestern would rally to beat Purdue 27-21, salvaging the season. A defensive win over Miami of Ohio followed, but then the Wildcats were shut down in East Lansing, falling to Michigan State 24-14. If you thought the 21-3 deficit was huge against Purdue, Northwestern fell behind 28-3 to Indiana at home. 26 unanswered points provided a miraculous 29-28 win over the Hoosiers. Northwestern appeared to be on the way to a major upset hosting Penn State. The Wildcats led 13-10 at the half, but quarterback Mike Kafka was hurt, the dam broke in the 4^th quarter, and Penn State won going away, 34-13. With a 5-4 record, and games left against Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, it looked like Northwestern was in dire trouble. In Iowa City, quarterback Mike Kafka was limited with a leg injury, and gave way to backup Dan Persa. Then Persa hurt his hand. Kafka limped back on the field, and led Northwestern to a stunning 17-10 upset of the BCS-bound Hawkeyes. In Campaign Illinois, again with Kafka hobbling, the Wildcats downed Illinois 21-16. A huge underdog in their home finale against Wisconsin, Northwestern led much of the day, behind a 326-yard passing effort by Kafka. In the end, it was the Wildcat defense turning the Badgers away again and again. Northwestern won it, 33-31. The Wildcats finished 8-4, 5-3 in the Big Ten.

Offensively, the Wildcats try to run a balanced spread attack. This year, with a young offensive line and a variety of backs, rushing totals have been down. Fireplug freshman Arby Fields is the team's leading rusher, with 294 yards. Quarterback Mike Kafka is close behind with 265. Many of the big Wildcat rushing plays have been on quarterback scrambles, which happens to be one of Auburn's defensive weaknesses. The Tigers have been plagued all year by 3^rd and long plays in which the quarterback pops through the middle for big yards. Auburn will have to contain Kafka, who should be 100% healthy after battling leg ailments in the latter half of the regular season. Northwestern's passing attack is dangerous, if Kafka gets time to throw. Senior H-back Zeke Markshausen has caught a whopping 79 passes, and lanky senior wideout Andrew Brewer has added 49 more. Five Northwestern receivers have at least 23 or more catches, and 8 receivers have ten or more catches. The Wildcats are averaging 266 passing yards per game, and 386 total yards per game. By comparison, Auburn is averaging 214 rushing, and 219 passing, for 433 total yards per game.

Defensively, Northwestern has a stout front seven that has weathered brutal Big-10 trench warfare well. A banged up patchwork Wildcat secondary has managed 15 interceptions. The bad news for Auburn is that all 4 starters should be healthy for the Outback Bowl. Lockdown senior corner Sherrick McManis has 4 interceptions and 7 pass breakups, and I'd expect to see him matched up on Auburn's Darvin Adams for much of the morning. Auburn's Chris Todd will have to be careful airing the ball out, as Northwestern's defensive backs all seem to play the ball well. Where Northwestern has had problems is against pounding running games, and against screens. On the line, the Wildcats look to senior defensive end Corey Wootton. Wootton suffered a major knee injury in last year's Alamo Bowl, and has battled a high ankle sprain all year. Despite that, he's still managed 6 tackles for loss and 4 quarterback hurries. All in all, a pretty salty Wildcat defense has tallied 62 tackles for loss and 27 sacks. By comparison, Auburn has 71 TFLs and 25 sacks. Defensively Northwestern gives up 344 yards and 23.3 points per game. Auburn gives up 354 yards per game and 26.9 points per game.

On special teams, Auburn has a few advantages, although a couple of glaring holes remain. Auburn has yet to locate a punt returner who doesn't drop the ball. While this has yet to cost the Tigers meaningful points off a turnover, it has seriously impacted field position. Auburn also has a porous kick coverage unit. Northwestern covers kicks and punts pretty decently, but their returns are only average. Auburn has struggled punting the football with only a 35.4 yard net, but Northwestern is worse, managing only 31.7. Both teams have good placekickers. Auburn's Wes Byrum only missed one field goal all year. Northwestern junior Stefan Demos has hit 18 of 23.

Unit matchups, after the jump!

Auburn defensive line vs. Northwestern offensive line: Auburn enters this bowl with a veteran line anchored by senior All-SEC defensive end Antonio Coleman, who led the SEC in sacks despite ligament damage in his arm. Northwestern is young on the offensive line. The veteran is junior guard Keegan Grant. There are three sophomores: center Ben Burkett, guard Doug Bartels, and left tackle Al Netter. Right tackle Neal Deiters is a redshirt freshman. Auburn has a pair of bullrushing tackles in Jake Ricks and Mike Blanc. And Auburn can bring Nick Fairley off the bench for a breather. Coleman against Netter is a good matchup to watch, but a better matchup will be on the other side, where junior Antoine Carter takes on a freshman tackle. Carter spent the early part of the year injured, but came on against Ole Miss and beyond. The combination gives Auburn speed rushers on both edges, and creates protection problems. Auburn's biggest problem on the D-line has been quarterback contain, and the Wildcats have the guy to exploit it in Mike Kafka. On the other hand, Northwestern has given up 29 sacks. Auburn has 25 on the season. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn linebackers vs. Northwestern runners: Auburn has absolutely been ravaged by injury in the linebacker corps. Juniors Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens have had to play every snap in most games, and have had difficulty holding up as Auburn played 11 games in a row without a break. After a week off, the pair STONED Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, holding the Tide great to 30 yards. Weakside linebacker has been a rotating cast. Sophomore Eltoro Freeman is perhaps Auburn's most talented linebacker, but injuries have held him back. He's trying to recover in time for the Outback Bowl, and is practicing. The only other scholarship linebacker available is true freshman Jonathan Evans. Northwestern runs the ball by committee. Quarterback Mike Kafka seems like the biggest threat, running the zone read with aplomb. The likely bowl starter at running back will be sophomore Scott Concannon, who averaged 3.6 yards per carry on the season. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn corners vs. Northwestern receivers: Auburn's Walter McFadden, a senior, will likely spend the day matched up with Northwestern's Andrew Brewer. McFadden has handled a number of dangerous SEC wide receivers well, good for 4 interceptions and 8 pass breakups. Where Auburn may struggle is on the other side. Sophomore Neiko Thorpe has been suspect from time to time, although he does have 1 interception and 8 pass breakups. The battle between Thorpe and Northwestern junior Sidney Stewart will be interesting to watch. Both are tall and athletic. Advantage: Even.

Auburn safeties vs. Northwestern secondary receivers and quarterback: Auburn will need SERIOUS help here from the linebackers and corners. The Tigers start true freshman Darrin Bates at one safety, and sophomore JUCO Demond Washington at the other side. Washington has only started 3 games. Both guys have lots of speed and are hitters, but are short on experience. Redshirt freshman T'Sharvan Bell is first in off the bench in nickel situations. Northwestern has OPTIONS in the slot. As mentioned above, Zeke Markshausen is a mainstay. The Wildcats can go heavy with "superback" sophomore Drake Dunsmore, a 235-pounder with 38 catches. Northwestern is particularly good at running "clear-outs," where the corners are pinched in on slants and posts, and the slot guys go out and up. Quarterback Mike Kafka has the arm to make all of the throws. Huge Advantage: Northwestern.

Punting: Auburn senior Clinton Durst dropped two yards in his punting average this year, finishing at 40.7. In Durst's defense, special teams coordinator Jay Boulware has revealed upon occasion that Durst was instructed to kick the ball out of bounds rather than test our suspect coverage unit. Junior Stefan Demos has struggled likewise for Northwestern, averaging only 35.3 yards per punt. Coverage for the Wildcats has been shaky, giving up 9.9 yards per return. Auburn's been downright bad on coverage, giving up 13.8 yards. Northwestern's 6.6 yard per punt return average won't impress anyone. Auburn has gone through a merry-go-round of return men, and has probably dropped a dozen punts on the ground over the course of the season. The Tigers' 4.5 yard punt return average is among the worst in the nation. It's been a miracle that the punt teams' woes haven't resulted in a loss. This may be the game! Advantage: Northwestern.

Kickoffs: Auburn is slightly better on kickoff distance, averaging 62.0 yards to Northwestern's 59.9. Auburn coverage has been worse, giving up 23.6 yards per return, to Northwestern's 21.1. Auburn has kicked 5 balls out of bounds, to Northwestern's 1. Lately, we've cheered kickoffs out of bounds, because the other team usually does BETTER than the 40 on returns! Northwestern averages 20.4 yards on returns. Auburn averages 23.6. The thing to note about the Tiger kick return game is that they discovered sophomore Demond Washington's talents late. Washington wasn't used on returns till late in the season, and he's averaging 32.2 yards per return. Slight Advantage: Auburn.

Placekicking: Auburn junior Wes Byrum has had a nearly flawless season, hitting on all of his 49 extra points, and 14 out of 15 field goals. Northwestern's Stefan Demos has a good year, too. Demos has hit on 31 of 32 extra point attempts, and 18 of 23 field goal attempts. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn offensive line vs. Northwestern defensive line: This is a strength vs. strength matchup. The Tiger line has held its own all year, and was only really beaten against Georgia and LSU. Auburn placed junior left tackle Lee Ziemba and junior center Ryan Pugh on some second-team All-SEC units. Auburn runs an array of traps, draws, and misdirection plays. Pulling guards Mike Berry and Byron Issom have been used almost like fullbacks, and have been very effective blocking on the corner. Despite playing in a spread offense, the Tigers have only given up 18 sacks this season. Where Auburn is weakest is handling the speed rush at right tackle. Senior Andrew McCain is a solid run blocker, but has trouble with speed off the edge. I look for Northwestern to at times move senior defensive end Corey Wootton to the right to try and get a mismatch. Wootton vs. Ziemba should be a good battle. Wootton vs. McCain worries me. Wootton is big, at 280, and fast. Wootton isn't the only capable lineman Northwestern has. Junior tackle Corbin Bryant and senior Adam Hahn are solid. Sophomore defensive end Vince Browne is tied for the lead on the team with 4 sacks. There is Wildcat depth in front four, too. Slight Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. Northwestern linebackers: Auburn's backs have done well most of the year, and should benefit from weeks of rest. Running back Ben Tate made second-team All-SEC. H-back Mario Fannin was a blocking force and caught 39 balls. Backup H-back Eric Smith is a threat, too. Freshman tailback Onterrio McCalebb is a speed-demon. He's been battling ankle injuries in the last 8 weeks of the season, but should be healthy for the bowl. Juniors Nate Williams and Quentin Davie anchor the Wildcat defense. The pair combined for 160 tackles, including 14 for loss. Davie has been dangerous as a pass rusher too, with 4 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries, and 4 forced fumbles. These are prototypical Big 10-sized linebackers at around 235-240, and they won't be bowled over easily! Advantage: Even.

Auburn receivers vs. Northwestern corners: For the Tigers, this is the Darvin Adams show. Left out of All-SEC balloting, Adams finished in the top five in the league in every category, including a spiffy 17.8 yards per catch average. Terrell Zachary holds down the number two spot, and is a threat on the end around. Zachary only has 24 catches on the year, but is averaging 19.4 yards per reception. Northwestern will counter with senior Sherrick McManus and sophomore Jordan Mabin. Mabin has only two passes defended on the season in 12 games, so look for Auburn to try to test him. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. Northwestern safeties: Auburn will go with senior quarterback Chris Todd and a battle tested bunch. Blocking tight end Tommy Trott has been off and on as a receiver, and Chris Todd has struggled to get him the ball late in the season. The main receiving threat of the secondary receivers is Mario Fannin. That bubble screen to Fannin is probably our single most popular pass play, and I look for Northwestern to have the short zone dialed up for that. With a pair of seniors deep for Northwestern, Auburn may have trouble in the middle. Brad Phillips and Brendan Smith are solid, and sophomore Brian Peters are all among the leaders on the team in tackles. Advantage: Northwestern.

Auburn is not going to wow anyone on special teams, but they MUST minimize mistakes! When Northwestern has the ball, Auburn must really run to contain Kafka and the spread. If Auburn loses the battle at the line of scrimmage, it will be a long day of chasing Wildcat receivers. When Auburn has the ball, they have to continue to be multiple. If the Tigers have to rely on either the run or the pass too much, Northwestern has the scheme and players to shut it down. Chris Todd needs to have an accurate game in his Auburn finale, for the Tigers to win.

Prediction: With an El Nino pattern firmly in place, the gulf coast is seeing wave after wave of low pressure systems, mixed with waves of cold air from the northwest. It's been one of the wettest years on record, in the Southeast. Expect rain, for this year's Outback Bowl. Both teams will struggle with the conditions, and Auburn's running game is the difference in this one. Auburn wins, 27-20.

Gators Fans: Guilty By Association

aramnath — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:53:10 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

This was taken before Tebow burst into tears and college football fans around the country rejoiced. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Browse more photos »

To be honest I haven't met too many Gators fans and the ones I have met seemed nice enough. I know a few people that went down to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl a couple of years ago for the Michigan-Florida match-up and said they had a great time and that for the most part Gators fans treated them well.

The reason most college sports fans hate the Florida Gators has little to do with their fans and more about the combination of their amazing recent success in football and men's basketball and two of the most nauseatingly hyped up college athletes in recent memory; Tim Tebow and Joakim Noah.

I respect that Tebow's a great guy and is one of the great college players of all-time, but I could have done without the close-ups of him during every game followed up by announcers inevitably spending 25 minutes talking about how he's such a winner, how intense he is and how there's never been a leader like him. Then he had that speech after Ole Miss ran the Gators at the Swamp last year and that was probably the most overplayed segment in the history of sports. To sum it up imagine every single reason you hate hearing about Brett Favre (i.e. he's a kid out there, he just loves playing, he's a gunslinger etc.) and now you understand why everybody but Gators fans were ecstatic when Alabama stomped on you in this year's SEC Championship and we got to see Tebow cry.

While I think most of the vitriol towards the Gators related to Tebow stems from the non-stop media coverage of the guy more than anything he ever did, Joakim Noah is a completely different case. Noah's middle-school antics, the fact that we had to hear about his energy and hustle non-stop during two national championship runs when he wasn't even the best player his team was more than I could bare.

This guy was an absolute clown what made it worse was how ESPN and the media ate this shit up. It was as if we were witnessing the de-evolution of mankind in front of our eyes and it was being celebrated and praised as if it was something we should all strive for. It was bad enough that Florida won back-to-back national championships , but couldn't they have had Al Horford or somebody more human and likeable receive the accolades and attention?

There's unbridled joy and raw emotion, like Mark Ingram's Heisman speech and then there's that. The fact that he looks like Sideshow Bob is bad enough, but when you combine it with behavior more often found in our relatives in the ape family it becomes unbearable. I mean when you can't respond normally during interviews it really makes it hard for anybody to be able to relate to you.

Gators fans take heart in the fact that almost every other college wishes they could duplicate the success you've had in the latter part of this decade in capturing a pair of national titles in football and men's basketball. I can tell you that my sporting experience is no match for that, but please don't chalk up the hate for your school to plain, old jealousy. We wish we could win like you guys did, but that's not the main reason we hate you. You have Tebow, Noah and the media that transformed them into cult figures to thank for that.

Poll

Which Gator do you dislike most?

All-SEC Ballot: Draft

Gamecock Man — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

The SEC Power Poll is hosting an All-SEC poll. Here is a draft that reflects my first impressions--let me know what you think, and we may revise a bit if necessary.

Offense

QB: Ryan Mallett (Arkansas Razorbacks)

RB: Mark Ingram (Alabama Crimson Tide)

RB: Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss Rebels)

OG: Mike Johnson (Alabama Crimson Tide)

OG: Mike Pouncey (Florida Gators)

OT: Ciron Black (LSU Tigers)

OT: John Jerry (Ole Miss Rebels)

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida Gators)

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Florida Gators)

WR: A.J. Green (Georgia Bulldogs)

WR: Shay Hodge (Ole Miss Rebels)

Defense

DE: Cliff Matthews (South Carolina Gamecocks)

DE: Antonio Coleman (Auburn Tigers)

DT: Terrence Cody (Alabama Crimson Tide)

DT: Malcolm Sheppard (Arkansas Razorbacks)

LB: Eric Norwood (South Carolina Gamecocks)

LB: Rolando McClain (Alabama Crimson Tide)

LB: Rennie Curran (Georgia Bulldogs)

CB: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

CB: Patrick Peterson (LSU Tigers)

S: Eric Berry (Tennessee Volunteers)

S: Joe Haden (Florida Gators)

Special Teams

PK: Blair Walsh (Georgia Bulldogs)

P: Drew Butler (Georgia Bulldogs)

RS: Javier Arenas (Alabama Crimson Tide)

You've got some explaining to do...

Many of these choices go without questions; nobody, for instance, will disagree with me about Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain, or Eric Berry. However, I do have a few bones to pick with conventional wisdom. Here's how I see such cases:

Ryan Mallett / Tim Tebow

As most people around here know, I'm a pretty big Tebow fan. The guy has had a great career, and although his sanctimonious, humble-but-really-not attitude can get to you sometimes, overall I don't have too many problems with him as a media phenomenon. It is what is. However, while I've been as guilty as anyone when it comes to giving Tebow confidence by inertia, I've come to believe it has to stop somewhere: Mallett was just better this year.

By the way, Ryan, if you're reading this, go to the NFL.

Dexter McCluster / Anthony Dixon

OK. I believe Anthony Dixon had a better year than McCluster at RB. However, I also believe that McCluster was one of the best and most valuable players in the SEC. I'm talking about on a par with Tebow, Ingram, you name it. So, I think we have to get him on the list somewhere. This is where I'm putting him. Unfortunately for him, McCluster was probably never used in the right way enough; this guy really was a minor Reggie-Bush-like talent.

Cliff Matthews / Carlos Dunlap

Dunlap is a jackass that showed his true colors when he signed with Florida instead of Sou...wait, when he drunkenly fell asleep at the wheel before the biggest SECCG ever. He failed his team. Despite his talent, that failure will always make him worse than Matthews in my mind.

Rennie Curran / Brandon Spikes

What can I say? I know it's surprising to see an UGA player on the defensive first team, but I think Curran is a great player. That might have something to do with his success against USC, but whatever. If this guy had a halfway decent DC, he'd be the talk of the nation. Spikes is a great player, but he's also a cog in a machine to some degree.

Well, that's a wrap on this draft. Let me know what you think.

Haden, Hernandez Are Your AP All-Americans

mlmintampa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:25:47 -0000

The Associated Press All-American teams announced today included Joe Haden as first team cornerback and Aaron Hernandez as first team tight end. Maurkice Pouncey gets shafted and sent to second team at center. Also on the second team was Mike Pouncey at guard and Brandon Spikes at linebacker. Tim Tebow was named second team, behind Colt McCoy, upsetting the fanboys that worship at the altar of golden boy Jimmy Clausen and new Pac-10 poster boy Jake Locker. They must be really upset that Kellen Moore, another quarterback of a BCS team, was the third team quarterback. I guess winning games means something to the AP. Your unanimous selections were Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart, Ndamukong Suh and Rolando McClain.

Sprints Plans on Never Getting Bud Foster a Better Deal // 12.15.09

cocknfire — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:09:21 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

Not going anywhere. Once again. But he's truly thankful to yet another school for helping him get a better contract.

Browse more photos »

Georgia gets Bud Foster another contract improvement
You would think schools would learn their lesson when dealing with Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster. Georgia apparently hasn't.

"Some of it was just conversation and then the Georgia deal -- obviously he’s very interested and it was something that could have been an interest on my part," Foster told the Roanoke (Va.) Times. ...

Foster said he talked to Virginia Tech officials starting Saturday about a new deal that will add an annuity to his current five-year rollover contract. ...

"The thing is here, Coach (Frank) Beamer has been extremely good and I want to ride this thing out with him," Foster said. "I do. He’s been extremely good to me. We’ve been doing this for a long time together and there’s no reason to stop now, let’s go finish this thing. It’s a good deal all the way around, I’m extremely pleased."

Foster also heard from Florida and Florida State. At this rate, he's going to have a better contract than Beamer.

McElwain reportedly turns down San Jose State offer
But since he can't talk, we don't know for sure. (HT: Roll Bama Roll)

You do have to specify that it's Paul that's leaving, don't you?
Arkansas Expats expects the other Petrino's departure to have little effect on the offense.

Garrick McGee is the new offensive coordinator
That didn't take very long.

McGee, a former starting quarterback at Booker T. Washington and Oklahoma, becomes the Razorbacks’ first black coordinator.

He joined head coach Bobby Petrino’s first Arkansas staff as quarterbacks coach in 2008 after serving as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2006-07 and receivers coach in 2004-05.

"His accomplishments as an assistant coach, including as an offensive coordinator in the Big Ten, demonstrate his ability and his outstanding leadership," Bobby Petrino said in a statement.

But how will he deal with ESS EEE SEE SPEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!?

Maybe that was a high three-star ranking
Roll Bama Roll takes a look at Mark Ingram as a recruit. Let's just say that I don't think Nick Saban is a Scout.com subscriber. Ingram was a three-star coming out of high school.

Specifically, it tells you that the "experts" are in many cases so utterly unqualified and incapable of doing what they purport to do that at times they literally cannot read the writing on the wall, and that many times outside factors that should have no effect whatsoever on a recruit's ultimate rating do in fact have an impact after all.

outsidethesidelines notes that the recruiting rankings are still useful for getting a sense of which teams are drawing the best talent. But another reminder that sometimes the exception is the most important part of the rule.

Not that the Heisman is that much better at player evaluation
As someone who still thinks there's some inherent value in awards like the Heisman, it's hard to defend that view when you have people out there saying things like this voter did.

"The reason that I voted for Ingram, Tebow and McCoy was because I saw them play the most. I never saw Gerhart play an entire game (we work all day Saturday and Saturday night) and only saw a few minutes of Suh’s game against Texas. I refused to vote for somebody based on highlights. And I think you have to represent your part of the country; in fact, there used to be fine print on the paper ballots that instructed balloters to vote "with regard to your region." However, I think it’s wrong to leave a player off your ballot completely just to help a player from your region, as apparently the case with some Big 12 voters on Tebow year. So I, too, an still unhappy about that injustice."

If only there were some device on which the Nebraska games were transmitted, like the device that transmitted the Florida and Texas games. Wait -- there is! That "television" you apparently have also broadcasts the games from Lincoln the same way it does games from Gainesville and Austin. (HT: SBNation.com)

Tebow prayed with Ingram before Heisman ceremony
I have nothing cynical to say about this one. I think it's a touching moment between two players who were competitors a week earlier but fellow human beings on that night.

And so when they say no one is likely to be fired, it means heads will roll
Vanderbilt Sports Line takes another look at the vote of confidence for Bobby Johnson from the Commodores administration.

This is the right way to do it
There are plenty of administrators at major college football schools -- including South Carolina -- that want more stringent admissions standards to try to keep up with NCAA rules on academics. That misses what I believe the point of the new rules are (or should be). Instead, we should be pushing for schools to have more Eric Norwoods.

It was a satisfying moment for a three-time All-SEC player who was denied admission to USC three times in 2006 before being accepted on appeal. On Monday, Norwood became the first member of his family to earn a college degree.

"It came down to this last class. But he dedicated himself and he pushed himself just like he does in football" said USC academic services director Raymond Harrison, who was the first to greet Norwood when he walked off the riser. ...

Norwood also got a push from his mother, Anna Norwood, after he initially announced he was giving up his senior season to enter the NFL draft. While Norwood thought returning to school would improve his draft prospects, his mother was more concerned with her son finishing what he started. ...

"She stayed on me," Norwood said of his mother. "Just from the fact that this (football) isn't going to last forever."

A student who might never have gone to college now has a degree that will help even when his NFL career is over. Isn't that what this sport is supposed to be all about?

Why the argument for a playoff is hurt by continuing expansion
One of the reasons I don't want a four- or six-team playoff for the FBS, even though I would like the idea in concept, is that it's almost impossible to think that it won't eventually turn into an eight- or sixteen-team monster that will destroy the regular season. And when you start adding more teams beyond that, as the FCS will next year when it goes to 20 ...

Montana coach Bobby Hauck, whose Grizzlies are in the championship game for the second straight year and seventh time overall, has a much different opinion.

"It's a disastrous decision on every level," he said. ...

"When we assessed it from our point of view at the University of Montana, we figured it was probably going to cost us another $100,000 to keep the kids over Christmas," [AD Jim] O'Day said. "The dorms are closed, the dining services at the university are closed, so we'll have to be (living) off campus and eating off campus." ...

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach Russ Huesman said he liked the 16-team format because with only a few exceptions every team in the field had a chance to win the title.

"I think every team that's in the tournament should have a chance to win the tournament, and that's not the case (with the expanded field)," he said. "They're adding four teams that have no shot to win the thing."

So it's more expensive for some of the schools and the coach of a team who hasn't been to the playoffs since 1984 doesn't want to field to expand because he thinks teams that get in under the larger format don't belong.

You want this?

Not good
I might not be the biggest basketball fan out there and I'm truly puzzled by the RPI, but even I know this is bad.

Out of 347 Division I teams, Arkansas ranks 305th. To put that into some unpleasant context, that's behind all of the state's other four Division I teams (UALR is no. 149, ASU is no. 164, Central Arkansas is no. 266 and UAPB is no. 279).

The good news: At the rate the tournament is growing, that would make Arkansas a bubble team in a few years.