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Teddy Bridgewater and the top 2014 NFL Draft American Athletic Conference prospects

Dan Kadar — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:00:07 -0000

It seems no one wants to be a part of the American Athletic Conference, formerly the Big East. First, there was the exodus of Miami and Virginia Tech. Then West Virginia. This year, there's no more Pitt or Syracuse. Next year, Louisville and Rutgers will be out.

Even talented running back Charles Sims decided to transfer out of the conference, leaving Houston.

After that, there's little to be excited about in the conference aside from Cincinnati and Louisville, at least in terms of NFL Draft prospects. Of the top-15 players eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft, eight are from Louisville or Rutgers. Leading the way, of course, is Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater enters his junior season as arguably the best quarterback prospect in the nation. While he's not flawless, he's a better player than any quarterback from this year's draft.

Top-15 AAC prospects

(* denotes junior)

1. Teddy Bridgewater | 6'3, 218 pounds | Quarterback | Louisville *
Although he has yet to play a down of his junior season, Bridgewater's virtues are already known. His arm strength is good, he plays tough and can read a defense. Instead of going on too much about him, just read his preseason scouting report from Matthew Fairburn right here.

2. Brandon Coleman | 6'6, 220 pounds | Wide receiver | Rutgers *
There is a lot to like about Coleman, aside from the obvious plus-size he has for a wide receiver. But it's his speed and ability to beat the jam that gives him the look of a potential No. 1 target in the NFL. But Coleman is behind as a route runner, because he's often asked to just run vertical routes. But he can play inside or outside and has an undeniable skill set.

3. Yawin Smallwood | 6'3, 244 pounds | Middle linebacker | Connecticut
There isn't a particular area where Smallwood is a standout player, he's just solid across the board. He's a read-and-react linebacker who can get into the backfield in a hurry. Smallwood is capable of getting off blocks and he is a sound tackler.

4. Hakeem Smith | 6'1, 197 pounds | Strong safety | Louisville
Going into his fourth year as a stater, Smith is among the most experienced defensive backs in the nation. Smith is at his best when he can make a play on the ball. In deep zone coverage, Smith holds up well. He's not the most physical of safeties, but is a good athlete.

5. Austen Bujnoch | 6'5, 285 pounds | Left guard | Cincinnati
Surprisingly powerful despite being a listed at 285 pounds, Bujnoch enters his third year as a starter for Cincinnati. Bujnoch, who has good length for the position, should only benefit from the Bearcats' transition into a pro-style offense.

6. Preston Brown | 6'2, 257 pounds | Middle linebacker | Louisville
For the past two seasons, Brown has been a dependable linebacker for the Cardinals. He's not a dynamic player who will make plays behind the line of scrimmage, but he's solid in the middle of the field. He's athletic enough to drop in short coverage, and strong enough to handle ball carriers on his own.

7. Greg Blair | 6'2, 252 pounds | Middle linebacker | Cincinnati
In his first season as a starter, Blair registered 138 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Blair was granted a sixth year of eligibility, which should only help his draft stock. He profiles as a solid backup linebacker who can make a few spot starts.

8. DeVante Parker | 6'3, 204 pounds | Wide receiver | Louisville *
Bridgewater's top receiver a season ago, Parker has a penchant for big plays. Despite being 6'3, Parker is at his best when he can make a play after the catch. He uses a stutter step at the line of scrimmage to beat man coverage. It's a good move, but Parker tends to rely on it too often. With a loaded receiving corps in Louisville, Parker will have to continue fighting for targets.

9. Kaleb Johnson | 6'4, 300 pounds | Left tackle | Rutgers *
With experience playing left and right tackle and a possible NFL future at guard, Johnson will have good value because of his versatility. He's strong at the point of attack and a solid technician.

10. Storm Johnson | 6'1, 217 pounds | Running back | Central Florida *
Johnson ran for just 507 yards in his first season at Central Florida, but it's impossible not to be intrigued by his combination of size and speed.

11. Kenneth Acker | 6'0, 195 pounds | Cornerback | SMU
Acker has developed into SMU's best cornerback, and this season he may get to prove himself as a receiver as well. He obviously has solid hands, and possesses good timing skills to break up passes. His size is intriguing as well.

12. Ryne Giddins | 6'3, 253 pounds | Defensive end | South Florida
A season ago, Giddins clearly wasn't the same player he was as a sophomore in 2011. A shoulder injury meant Giddins had issues getting off blocks. But he's poised for a bounce back senior year.

13. Jamil Merrell | 6'4, 255 pounds | Defensive end | Rutgers
In his first season as a full-time starter, Merrrell showed a fair amount of ability to get into the back field. He may have to shift out to linebacker in the NFL, but he's a solid combination of quickness and strength. His brother, Jamal, starts at outside linebacker for Rutgers and is worth noting as well.

14. Jimmy Bennett | 6'9, 306 pounds | Left tackle | Connecticut
Injuries initially marred Bennett's career at Connecticut, but he was healthy all of last season. Granted a sixth season of eligibility, Bennett's size alone will get him a shot in the NFL.

15. Antwan Lowery | 6'5, 305 pounds | Left guard | Rutgers
Lowery is Johnson's line mate at Rutgers and made the shift from the right to the left side last season. Lowery was a first-team all-conference player in 2012. He doesn't have the quickest feet, but he's strong in a phone booth.

Top transfers to note:

Aaron Lynch | 6'6, 244 pounds | Defensive end | South Florida **
- Notre Dame transfer

Realistically, Lynch showed enough as a freshman at Notre Dame to slot into the second spot among AAC players. Despite only being listed at 244 pounds, he's already advanced in the art of block shedding. His hand work is superb and he can close quickly. South Florida has two experienced ends in Giddins and Tevin Mims, but Lynch should start at USF straight away.

Jeff Luc | 6'1, 248 pounds | Outside linebacker | Cincinnati *
- Florida State transfer

A top recruit out of high school, Luc never got much of an opportunity at Florida State. At Cincinnati, he should get plenty of opportunity to stand out on the UC defense.

Robert Clark | 5'9, 182 pounds | Wide receiver | Louisville *
- Florida transfer

Along with DeVante Parker and Eli Rogers, Louisville adds receiving threats in Clark and tight end Gerald Christian this season. Clark can stand out because he's a speedy threat out of the slot and can be a factor on special teams.

Under the radar player to watch

Richie Leone | 6'3, 215 pounds | Punter | Houston
Choosing a punter as the under-the-radar player to watch is a little bit of a cop out. But that's the state of the AAC in regard to NFL Draft prospects. At Houston, Leone handles punting and kickoff duties. He was a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2012 after averaging 45.5 yards per punt and dropping nearly a third of his punts inside the 20 yard line. On 71 kickoffs, Leone forced 25 touchbacks. Leone's versatility will get him a shot in the NFL.

Victor Evans scouting report: High-upside 2014 defensive end

Wescott Eberts — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:47:05 -0000

Name: Victor Evans

School and hometown: Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas

Position: Weakside defensive end

Height and weight: 6'3 and 225 pounds

Ratings: A consensus three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Evans is the no. 46 weakside defensive end nationally and the no. 131 player in the state of Texas, though 247Sports gave him a bump in the rankings after a strong performance at the June 2 Texas camp.

Offers: Evans holds offers from Houston, Kansas State, MIchigan State, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech, Tulsa, and UTSA.

Highlights: Hudl

Scouting Report:

For positions like defensive end, the top prospects are typically pretty easy to spot -- they just look different from everyone else. In a camp setting like the Dallas NFTC, it wasn't hard to spot Victor Evans, though that was in no small part because of his high-top fade.

Evans has an ideal frame for the weakside defensive end position and will probably be close to a size to contribute as a pass rusher when he enrolls at the college of his choice roughly a year from now. And though his SPARQ 40 time (4.96) and shuttle (4.65) in Dallas seem like they undersold his athleticism, his 36-inch vertical seems like a more true indicator of his explosiveness, which is more evident on film than it is in testing.

While out in Allen for the Dallas NFTC, he was excellent in a couple of high-profile reps late in one-on-ones against Texas A&M commit Kealvin Davis. On the first, Evans used a speed-to-power stab move and put Davis on his backside with one hand, impressively winning the second as well. It was an exchange on a pretty big stage that left Davis visibly shaken afterward.

On his junior film, there are also some impressive moments, just not as many as there should have been. Against the run he comes off the ball with good pad level and clear lower-body strength, with the athleticism to open up and run. His strength is evident in reaching out and grabbing a running back headed for the corner and tossing him to the ground one-handed, with merely a grasp of jersey and perhaps a bit of shoulder pad.

Another unfortunate opponent, a scrambling quarterback, got clotheslined as Evans pursued a play all the way across the field when he saw his opponent vacate the pocket to the other side of the field. Despite those moments, he's the type of player whose film leaves one wanting just a little bit more, like a run-the-arc sack.

He seems like the type of player who possesses significant untapped ability, it's just a question of if or when the light comes on. A strong performance at the Texas camp and his weight gain from his junior season (about 15 pounds or so) both bode well for a strong final high school campaign that could continue to elevate Evans' stock.

All the tools are there, he just needs to translate them to film on a more consistent basis. If he does that, his projection to college becomes much more favorable because it heightens his floor, while further illustrating the height of his ceiling.

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Seton Hall loses out on SMU transfer Blaise Mbargorba to Boston University

Chris Mcmanus — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:46:16 -0000

After a month of Seton Hall being in pole position to land SMU transfer Blaise Mbargorba, the 6-foot-11 forward committed to Boston University over the Pirates today.

Blaise, a Hightstown, N.J. native and Peddie School graduate, was considered all but a done deal to Seton Hall for at least a week. Sources close to Seton Hall had indicated that Mbargorba was a strong Seton Hall lean as far back as a month ago. Some had pegged his likelihood of committing to Seton Hall as high as 95%.

Mbargorba was offered by Seton Hall out of high school, but was heavily recruited by George Mason, Georgetown, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech before committing to former SMU head coach Matt Doherty. "Blaise is long, athletic and skilled," said Doherty in 2011. "He can pass, handle and shoot it as a 7-footer. As he gets stronger, he will become a great all-around player for us."

Blaise averaged 15 ppg, 11 rpg and 4 bpg as a senior at Peddie, good enough for second-team All-Prep for the Class of 2012. Mike Tobey (Virginia) and Melvin Johnson (Miami, VCU) were selected over Blaise.

Here is Peddie head coach Joe Rulewich's evaluation of Blaise in November of 2011:

He can score in a number of ways both at the basket and from the perimeter. He has worked extremely hard to continue to develop his back-to-the-basket moves and Blaise shoots it from 15-18 feet as well as any other player in the country with his size.

Blaise's skills as a passer, ball handler and screener are also getting better and he will fit in very well in the Princeton style offense that Doherty has implemented at SMU. Defensively, Blaise is one of the best at his position for his ability to block and change shots. That part of his game is ready for the college stage and with those skills, Blaise will have the opportunity to contribute immediately to a program that has been improving each year.

Jay Gomes of NJHoops.com has compared Mbargorba to former Rutgers center Hamady N'Diaye, who played briefly with the Washington Wizards after college. "He was kind of like Hamady N'Diaye coming out of high school. A little different, but if everything comes together, he has the chance to be a legit shot-blocker and a fringe NBA player."

WHAT SOJ THINKS:

From an objective standpoint, Boston University is a perfect fit for Blaise Mbargorba, who clearly values academics. Away from the classroom, BU only has one player that stands taller than 6-foot-7 on their roster, Justin Alston. Justin averaged just 6.4 MPG last season as a freshman. The Terriers do have a commitment from 6-foot-11 post-grad Dylan Haines of St. Thomas More (Conn.) There is clearly plenty of time available at center at the Patriot League school.

From a Seton Hall prospective, this is yet another example of failing to close on a recruit for Kevin Willard and his staff. What's worse is that Seton Hall was competing against two low-majors for the New Jersey native's services. Boston has not won a post-season game since head coach Joe Jones took over for Pat Chambers in 2011. Unlikely to suit up until 2014-15, Blaise would have only had to compete against Kevin Johnson and any potential forward recruit in the Class of 2013 or 14. In short, the competition was nearly as light as BU's front court depth. There are no excuses here.

Looking ahead, 2013 PF Billy Magarity Jr. now sits firmly in Seton Hall's crosshairs as a candidate for the 13th and final scholarship. Also standing at 6-foot-11, Magarity just concluded a visit to Seton Hall that took place on Sunday and Monday. He is slated to visit Boston College and then Temple later this week before making a decision.

Big 12 Scheduling: The 2013 Pre-Season Report Card

HawkeyedFrog — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:50:30 -0000

Ever since TCU was expelled from the comfy confines of the Southwest Conference the Frogs have been happy to take on all comers, as evidenced by the first game of the WAC era being a visit to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. TCU's take-on-all-comers attitude is actually even older than that, however, as you'd have to go all the way back to 1979 to see a TCU team that didn't play at least one team from a current BCS AQ conference in the out of conference schedule. Though there was an occasional schedule where only Kansas or Vanderbilt saved the schedule, not all Automatic qualifiers are created equal after all, but by and large you see a lot more Oklahomas and Georgias on the schedule than Vanderbilt (and when we played Northwestern they went to the Rose Bowl). Despite the new nine game conference slate of the Big 12 the Frogs don't seem to be backing away from that, arranging the Minnesota and Ohio State home and homes after the Big 12 move was assured and not backing out of dates against LSU or Arkansas unlike some Texas schools- and that's with only 8 conference games to sort out. This announcement from A&M got me thinking, so stay tuned as we investigate whether the rest of the conference schedules like Tarzan or Jane.

Baylor Bears

Bears Football Schedule

Wofford	Sat 08/31	TBA
Buffalo	Sat 09/07	TBA
ULM	Sat 09/21	TBA
West Virginia	Sat 10/05	TBA
@ Kansas St.	Sat 10/12	TBA
Iowa St.	Sat 10/19	TBA
@ Kansas	Sat 10/26	TBA
Oklahoma	Thu 11/07	TBA
Texas Tech	Sat 11/16	TBA
@ Oklahoma St.	Sat 11/23	TBA
@ TCU	Sat 11/30	TBA
Texas	Sat 12/07	TBA

Starting off on a low note, as Baylor is one of the worst in the conference in scheduling out of conference games- not a good look for the bears on the national stage. In 2013 the bears will have three home games against the likes of Buffalo, Louisiana-Monroe and Wofford. To be fair to Baylor they did have SMU scheduled, only to have the new Conference USA 2.0 (now with even more America!) bound Mustangs beg out of the game to keep their games against Tech and us safe instead, so we can give them a bit of leeway on this one. Not so much in the future, as it will take the Bears until 2018 before they play an away game outside of Texas... against Duke. I'm not mad, Baylor, I'm just disappointed.

Good scheduling: Home and homes with former SWC buddies SMU and Rice, giving fledgling UTSA a home and home
Bad scheduling: Not leaving the state until 2018, SMU is the marquee out of conference foe.

Iowa State Cyclones

Cyclones Football Schedule

Northern Iowa	Sat 08/31	TBA
Iowa	Sat 09/14	TBA
@ Tulsa	Thu 09/26	6:30 PM CDT
Texas	Thu 10/03	TBA
@ Texas Tech	Sat 10/12	TBA
@ Baylor	Sat 10/19	TBA
Oklahoma St.	Sat 10/26	TBA
@ Kansas St.	Sat 11/02	TBA
TCU	Sat 11/09	TBA
@ Oklahoma	Sat 11/16	TBA
Kansas	Sat 11/23	TBA
@ West Virginia	Sat 11/30	TBA

The Cyclones, like their Big 10 brethren are somewhat stymied in out of conference scheduling by the nine game conference schedule paired up with an annual in-state grudge match. Still the Cyclones keep a good AQ opponent on the schedule every year, which is to be commended, and although they don't have other teams from AQ conferences scheduled I'm inclined to argue that that's more their location's fault than anything else. The Cyclones don't have the natural advantage of being in Texas, a place where major programs really love to strut their stuff, to lure in games against the Ohio States and Notre Dames of the world, and playing in Ames- where dream seasons go to die- isn't the most appealing thought. Still, ISU is playing the part of the big program that will schedule home and homes with the lesser lights, even the out of state ones, as the Cyclones have home and homes with Tulsa, Toledo, San Jose State and Akron lined up. Not exactly a murderers row, but Iowa State is doing one for ones, not one for cash or two for ones. Not exactly king of the jungle, but not bad either, especially compared to the next team up.

Good Scheduling: Annual game with AQ team, home and homes with non-AQ teams
Bad Scheduling: Only one game per year against AQ conference teams, but that may have more to do with bigger teams not wanting to play Iowa State.

Kansas State Wildcats

Wildcats Football Schedule

North Dakota St.	Fri 08/30	7:30 PM CDT
Louisiana	Sat 09/07	TBA
UMass	Sat 09/14	TBA
@ Texas	Sat 09/21	TBA
@ Oklahoma St.	Sat 10/05	TBA
Baylor	Sat 10/12	TBA
West Virginia	Sat 10/26	TBA
Iowa St.	Sat 11/02	TBA
@ Texas Tech	Sat 11/09	TBA
TCU	Sat 11/16	TBA
Oklahoma	Sat 11/23	TBA
@ Kansas	Sat 11/30	TBA

If there's a knock against Bill Snyder (other than giving Baylor its biggest win ever) it's that he rarely comes up with a decent out of conference schedule. Last year was an interesting one for Kansas State, as they actually faced a Miami team from outside Ohio, but 2013 sees the wildcats return to form with an FCS patsy, Louisiana-Lafayette and Umass. Looking ahead the Wildcats are also giving UTSA a game in San Antonio, but unlike Baylor are getting two home games in return for it. Future schedules are a bit sparse for the wildcats, as they typically wait to secure their FCS teams and MACrifices while games with AQ-level schools typically require several years notice. As a result the only AQ team on K-State's future schedule is Auburn, a return game for the 2007 K-State visit to Auburn (scheduled and played during the Snyder-less era). You can't count out a Bill Snyder team, but it's going to be difficult to justify a one or two loss K-State's spot in the BCS when their out of conference slate is so dreadful.

Good Scheduling: They're playing at least one away game at some point in the next six years
Bad Scheduling: They're playing one confirmed away game in the next six years and just one AQ school.

Kansas Jayhawks

Jayhawks Football Schedule

South Dakota	Sat 09/07	TBA
@ Rice	Sat 09/14	6:30 PM CDT
Louisiana Tech	Sat 09/21	TBA
Texas Tech	Sat 10/05	TBA
@ TCU	Sat 10/12	TBA
Oklahoma	Sat 10/19	TBA
Baylor	Sat 10/26	TBA
@ Texas	Sat 11/02	TBA
@ Oklahoma St.	Sat 11/09	TBA
West Virginia	Sat 11/16	TBA
@ Iowa St.	Sat 11/23	TBA
Kansas St.	Sat 11/30	TBA

The Jayhawks aren't in a great position in scheduling for the simple reason that the Jayhawks aren't a very good team and scheduling wins that might help KU to a bowl game is more important to the program than putting together a slate that would help boost poll rankings. Still, the Jayhawks are much more willing to hit the road than the Big 12 contenders in their state, regularly putting together home and homes against not just AQ level teams, but also high level non-AQ teams like last years Orange Bowl Participant Northern Illinois and perennial MAC contender Ohio. Kansas is doing the two-for-one program with Central Michigan, but also has games against current AQ America Conference Woo member Memphis and future Big Ten 14th(!) member Rutgers. Overall the schedule is pretty good for a program of Kansas' level, but not likely to win it any adulation for scheduling in the conference, as the next program does.

Good Scheduling: Home and homes with AQ teams and good non-AQs
Bad Scheduling: No high level AQ teams

Oklahoma Sooners

Sooners Football Schedule

ULM	Sat 08/31	TBA
West Virginia	Sat 09/07	TBA
Tulsa	Sat 09/14	TBA
@ Notre Dame	Sat 09/28	2:30 PM CDT
TCU	Sat 10/05	TBA
@ Texas	Sat 10/12	TBA
@ Kansas	Sat 10/19	TBA
Texas Tech	Sat 10/26	TBA
@ Baylor	Thu 11/07	TBA
Iowa St.	Sat 11/16	TBA
@ Kansas St.	Sat 11/23	TBA
@ Oklahoma St.	Sat 12/07	TBA

Say what you will about Bob Stoops- I'll start. He's a shameless politician in the BCS system, his "Big Game Bob" reputation is pretty funny if you remove his record against Mack Brown coached teams, his best bowl win of the past decade was against an 8-4 Stanford team, etc. What must also be said about him is he's a good guy under all that and he has no fear in making a schedule. To be sure, there's almost always a Sun Belt team on it to get the pollsters talking when there's an absolute blood bath, but Oklahoma doesn't go into conference play without a high profile out of conference test. Notre Dame last year and this year, Tennessee the year after, Notre Dame and Tennessee the year after, Ohio State in 2016/2017 and LSU after that. Oklahoma is even doing a home and home with Army, which I have the utmost respect for even if the games are likely to be atrocious. The Sooners also have games with littlest brother, a nice change from big state schools who refuse to schedule games with their in-state brethren unless they're demonstrably awful.

Good Scheduling: An AQ team every year, and always a big name (even if they've fallen off a bit lately like Tennessee), playing a home and home with Army.
Bad Scheduling: No marquee game in 2020 yet? Get it together, Sooners.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Cowboys Football Schedule

Mississippi St.	Sat 08/31	TBA
@ Texas-San Antonio	Sat 09/07	11:00 AM CDT
Lamar	Sat 09/14	TBA
@ West Virginia	Sat 09/28	TBA
Kansas St.	Sat 10/05	TBA
TCU	Sat 10/19	TBA
@ Iowa St.	Sat 10/26	TBA
@ Texas Tech	Sat 11/02	TBA
Kansas	Sat 11/09	TBA
@ Texas	Sat 11/16	TBA
Baylor	Sat 11/23	TBA
Oklahoma	Sat 12/07	TBA

On the one hand, kudos to the Cowboys for arranging a home and home with Boise State starting in 2018. On the other hand, there are teams out there to play home and home with, guys. The Cowboys did conclude a home and home with Arizona last year, but will not be doing a one and one again until 2018, loading the schedule with two-fers against Central Michigan, UTSA (a common name on this list), and South Alabama. The Cowboys do have marquee matchups in each of the next two seasons, with neutral field-type affairs with Mississippi State and Florida State, but I'd much prefer to see games in Tallahassee and Starkville than the neutral site affair that's becoming more common (Yes, I'd much rather be playing LSU home and home as well). Coach Gundy is well renowned for being a man, but I'm sure folks in other states would like to see his masculinity on display as well.

Good Scheduling: Big game against FSU is a treat, and MSU will be okay as well, playing top non-AQ team Boise State is very respectable
Bad Scheduling: No home and homes with major conference teams anywhere on future schedules.

TCU Horned Frogs

Horned Frogs Football Schedule

LSU	Sat 08/31	8:00 PM CDT
SE Louisiana	Sat 09/07	TBA
@ Texas Tech	Thu 09/12	TBA
SMU	Sat 09/28	TBA
@ Oklahoma	Sat 10/05	TBA
Kansas	Sat 10/12	TBA
@ Oklahoma St.	Sat 10/19	TBA
Texas	Sat 10/26	TBA
West Virginia	Sat 11/02	TBA
@ Iowa St.	Sat 11/09	TBA
@ Kansas St.	Sat 11/16	TBA
Baylor	Sat 11/30	TBA

Yes, I know that we are quite fortunate to be located in Texas, where teams from opposing conferences love to strut their stuff for recruits. That said, TCU is at worst second best in the state in non-conference scheduling and that's something to hang your hat on with the huge number of programs in our state. In addition to the perpetual home and home with (currently) AQ USA #1 Conference member SMU, the Frogs also have games against many of the big namess of college football lined up- LSU, Minnesota, Arkansas and Ohio State going along with the SMU series to give the Frogs at least two games against AQ conference teams a year until 2018- until the SMU series is almost inevitably renewed. If, in a fevered dream land, TCU went through another year undefeated it would be extremely difficult to keep them out of a position in the title game/playoff.

Good Scheduling: Two games against AQ teams a year, all home and home bar LSU
Bad Scheduling: I wanted to go to Death Valley and will be disappointed about that for a while yet.

Texas Longhorns

Longhorns Football Schedule

New Mexico St.	Sat 08/31	TBA
@ BYU	Sat 09/07	TBA
Mississippi	Sat 09/14	TBA
Kansas St.	Sat 09/21	TBA
@ Iowa St.	Thu 10/03	TBA
Oklahoma	Sat 10/12	TBA
@ TCU	Sat 10/26	TBA
Kansas	Sat 11/02	TBA
@ West Virginia	Sat 11/09	TBA
Oklahoma St.	Sat 11/16	TBA
Texas Tech	Thu 11/28	TBA
@ Baylor	Sat 12/07	TBA

The other contender for the title of "Best OOC scheduler in Texas" is the state's flagship program, who will also be conducting home and homes with some fairly famous programs. Our old friends in Provo will be hosting the horns this year, as Texas gets the home end of their Ole Miss home and home, while future schedules involve both Notre Dame and Cal in the same year, Maryland and USC in the same year and more Notre Dame and Ohio State in the far future. The Horns have scheduling worked out well, with one big name from an AQ conference a year paired up with another decent AQ program that shouldn't be quite as challenging mixed in with cash money games against the smaller schools- your North Texas Eagles and Rice Owls. The best thing about the longhorns schedule though is no neutral site games- every marquee team on the schedule will be coming into Austin, which is what fans and ticket holders deserve to see.

Good Scheduling: Marquee AQ team every year mixed in with another AQ level (BYU isn't technically AQ) team in home and homes.
Bad Scheduling: I know Kennedy mentioned it, but I'm personally kind of over Rice playing Texas. Beyond that, massive respect to the horns schedulemakers.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Red Raiders Football Schedule

@ SMU	Fri 08/30	7:00 PM CDT
Stephen F. Austin	Sat 09/07	TBA
TCU	Thu 09/12	TBA
Texas State	Sat 09/21	TBA
@ Kansas	Sat 10/05	TBA
Iowa St.	Sat 10/12	TBA
@ West Virginia	Sat 10/19	TBA
@ Oklahoma	Sat 10/26	TBA
Oklahoma St.	Sat 11/02	TBA
Kansas St.	Sat 11/09	TBA
@ Baylor	Sat 11/16	TBA
@ Texas	Thu 11/28	TBA

Tech is tough to evaluate in non-conference scheduling, because even though they have a well deserved reputation for putting together cushy non-conference slates they do appear to be getting better. At present, Tech hasn't played an AQ-conference team in out of conference play since N.C. State in 2003. That streak ends in 2013 due to SMU's unexpected elevation to the If-you-love-America-give-us-a-BCS-bid conference, but Tech is actually putting together decent slates in the future with a home and home against Arkansas played opposite a home and home with UTEP. Right now Tech is still firmly on the Jane side of non-conference scheduling, but they may be taking their first steps towards Tarzan-hood, something to be proud of.

Good Scheduling: Breaking the no AQ conference opponent drought of nine years, home and home with UTEP
Bad Scheduling: Every year from 2003-2013, bar 2004 and 2006 where they get a pass for playing us. They did ask out of that second home and home though, which helped make our 2011 home slate dreadful.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Mountaineers Football Schedule

William & Mary	Sat 08/31	TBA
@ Oklahoma	Sat 09/07	TBA
Georgia State	Sat 09/14	TBA
@ Maryland	Sat 09/21	TBA
Oklahoma St.	Sat 09/28	TBA
@ Baylor	Sat 10/05	TBA
Texas Tech	Sat 10/19	TBA
@ Kansas St.	Sat 10/26	TBA
@ TCU	Sat 11/02	TBA
Texas	Sat 11/09	TBA
@ Kansas	Sat 11/16	TBA
Iowa St.	Sat 11/30	TBA

West Virginia did commit the sin of begging out of their Florida State series late, once their Big 12 berth was secured, but generally the mountaineers do all right in scheduling. The Mountaineers have a long running home and home with the Big 10 bound Maryland Terrapins and will help kick off the season against Alabama in 2014, so it's clear that the mountaineers aren't in the habit of ducking folks. Also to their credit, they're doing a four game series with a top level non-AQ school in East Carolina- which is a proud member of team purple. The best thing about West Virginia's scheduling though, is that unlike so many rivals who have been driven apart by the conference shift West Virginia is in talks to resume rivalry series with three good-to-great level programs. You're doing good work Oliver Luck, I want to see the Black Diamond Trophy back in your case.

Good Scheduling: An AQ conference team every year through 2017, four game series with a good non-AQ team, Neutral site games with Alabama and BYU.

Bad Scheduling: I know Alabama and BYU love neutral site games, but I want to see those games in Mountaineer stadium. Also, if you're only going to hold on to one rival through conference realignment, Maryland was the wrong one- and this is coming from the son of a Terp.

So there's our little conference all laid out for you. Who do you think is the best non-conference scheduler in the bunch? If you're a fan of Baylor or K-State, do you want the scheduling to improve or do you just want the wins? Discuss.

College basketball 2013-14 schedule: Baylor vs. Colorado reportedly included for opening day

Bryan Kilpatrick — Sat, 25 May 2013 19:26:44 -0000

The 2013-14 college hoops season will reportedly tip off with a four-game slate on Nov. 8 in Dallas, highlighted by a meeting between a pair of schools expected to begin the season in the top 25.

The Baylor Bears and Colorado Buffaloes will square off in the marquee game on the opening-day schedule, which also includes Texas against LSU, SMU versus TCU, and Alabama taking on Oklahoma, according to ESPN.com's Jason King.

For more on this story, head over to Our Daily Bears and Ralphie Report.

The event is being put on by bd Global, which plans to run similar events in Final Four cities in future seasons if the inaugural version is successful, company president Brooks Downing told ESPN.com. The 2014 Final Four will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with Indianapolis and Houston playing host in 2015 and 2016.

Baylor won the NIT a year ago after its disappointing exclusion from the NCAA Tournament. Colorado was ousted in the second round of the Big Dance by Illinois in a thrilling contest which saw the Buffaloes overcome a 16-point halftime deficit only to have the game slip away down the stretch.

Oklahoma also appeared in the NCAA Tournament, suffering a second-round loss to San Diego State. Like Baylor, Alabama narrowly missed the Big Dance and settled for the NIT, where the Crimson Tide lost to Maryland in the quarterfinals.

Texas was ousted in the opening round of the CBI Tournament while LSU, SMU and TCU missed postseason play altogether.

Football Schedule First Look; Southern Methodist Mustangs

Matt Opper — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:18:53 -0000

The Basics

Name	Southern Methodist University
Location	University Park, TX
Head Coach	June Jones
Career Record	107-75
2012 Record	7-6

2012 In Four Sentences Or less

No team on the Bearcats 2013 had a more eventful year than the SMU Mustangs. The season opener saw Nick Florence and Baylor pick up at the same level that RGIII left off, the third game saw the launching point of the Johnny Football. They lost the Iron Skillet with an utterly incompetent offensive performance against TCU, and three weeks later produced one of the box scores of the year, beating Houston 72-42 despite being out gained by 200 yards. SMU made the Hawaii Bowl where they obliterated a rudder and coach less Fresno State team.

Who Is Coming Back?

Not Margus Hunt, thankfully. Garrett Gilbert will run the show under center for SMU. He had an up and down year in his first year in Dallas. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards and ran for another 350, but his completion percentage was 53 per cent and he had just as many INT's as TD's and his 105 QB rating would have been last in the Big East among regular starters (yes even lower than Mucnhie's). They return 5 of their top 8 from their receiver rotation a year ago, but they will not be returning their top receiver a year ago in targets, catches, yards and TD's; Darius Johnson. Also gone is Mike Allstot impersonator/running back Zach Line who generated 74 per cent of the Mustangs rushing offense behind a senior led offensive line. The leading returning rusher is Gilbert, but that won't actually matter that much (more on that in a minute). The line returns 7 of the top 10, though it is losing three multi year senior starters. The best of the bunch up front is probably Taylor Lasecki a center, one of just five sophomores named to the Rimmington watch list.

SMU had an effective defense last year, but they are starting over again this season. The 3-4 base will be the same, but the faces will be really different. Not only do they lose Hunt, but four of their top 6 defensive linemen from a year ago have moved on. The top returning linemen are Beau Barnes, Spencer Conley and Gareth Riley-Ayers who between them tallied 4.5 TFL's, and 2 sacks in 22 games of action. The Linebackers will actually be in much better shape than the DL. 5 of the top 8 are back. Randal Joyner and Stephon Sanders will lead the linebackers, Joyner is the headliner. The secondary returns everyone from the Hawaii Bowl depth chart, so Deion Sanders Jr. and his luxurious sheets will probably be red shirting.

What Will They Run?

Its that good stuff, the Air Raid. Hal Mumme is back in Division 1 after being relegated to Division III/II McMurray for a couple of seasons after failing at New Mexico State like so many before him. That is why the loss of Zach Line isn't as acute as it would have been had June Jones kept the offense in place. There is voluminous material on the Air Raid, but I would start with this. Presumably you bring in Hal Mumme to play the hits.

The defense will be the same 3-4 that they ran a year ago. It is nominally a 3-4, but they use a lot of different looks both in the front and the secondary. They show quite a lot of 4 man fronts for a 3-4 team, particularly against three or more wide receiver sets, but they will also go the other route and play 2 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers at times. They almost always send four rushers, but they will occasionally go to three men in obvious passing situations. This video from the Hawaii Bowl shows some of that variation in fronts. In the back end it is predominately zone coverage, with a pretty good mix of cover 2, and 3 and all their iterations.

Can You Wrap This Up? I Have Things To Do

June Jones has resurrected the Football program from a long slide in the wake of the death penalty. They have slowly but surely rebuilt the program back to respectability. SMU has had four straight winning seasons, something that hasn't been done since the early 80's. Now the Mustangs step into another conference, and a different set of challenges. SMU has the resources to be a long term success in the AAC, and they have more tradition than anyone in the conference, even if some of it is bad. I don't know that they have the pieces in place to be immediately successful like Central Florida. More than likely there will be an adjustment period.

Chris Banjo's 2nd chance at a 1st impression

Adam Stites — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:00:07 -0000

The last weekend of April annually features hundreds of rookies added to NFL rosters with the daunting task of outplaying and replacing a veteran to earn a roster spot. For a majority of these players, it's their only chance at the NFL and if the opportunity slips through their fingers, it's often the end of the line for their time playing football.

Former-SMU Mustangs safety Chris Banjo never earned that opportunity in his rookie season though, as tryouts at rookie camps with both the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers ended with the four-year collegiate starter on the outside of the NFL, looking in.

"I understood, I knew what the chances were and I knew it was a long shot."

Banjo didn't receive his first NFL contract until a year later, when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in April after impressing the team at veteran mini-camp. The contract gave Banjo his first spot on an NFL roster and came after a year of determination to beat the odds stacked against him after a year away from the game.

"I understood, I knew what the chances were and I knew it was a long shot," Banjo said in a phone interview on Friday. "Being in my situation when I was coming out and everything, I knew it would be harder."

With rosters loaded with rookies during the 2012 offseason, Banjo held out hope that he'd be able to fill in for a team due to an injury or other circumstance, but the phone never rang. By the end of the summer, it was necessary for Banjo to get a job so he could pay the bills, but that didn't stop him from continuing to try to chase his dream.

"My schedule was really weird," Banjo said. "I'd wake up at around 4:15 or 4:30 to go work out, I'd work out from about 5 until 7 and then I would go to work from about 8 until about 5:30, or 6 with traffic, and then I would go work out again. It would be late night, but I'd try to get on a field to do footwork or anything like that from 7 to 8. I'd just continue to work on my skills, in terms of my movement skills and my footwork."

During the 2012 regular season, Banjo continued this grueling pace before taking a three-week break from football at the end of the year.

"I took three weeks off to re-charge myself, because I was really starting to doubt things at that time," Banjo said. "I never did lose faith in it, I never lost my hope, in terms of knowing what I'm capable of doing, but I did at times, start to doubt if this is really for me, but I was fortunate to have people around me that really encouraged me and helped me know this was something I could continue to fight for."

The fight paid off, as Banjo attended the 2013 SMU Pro Day and managed to cut his 40-yard dash time after being clocked at 4.5 in the year prior. "Multiple teams clocked me in the mid-4.3's, so that was beneficial for me, and I also did a regional combine in Houston that I performed well at, which allowed me to get invited to the Super Regional, where a lot of the scouts that were at my pro day were at that one as well. They were allowed to see me do well at that one as well."

"Regardless if they drafted seven safeties or they didn't draft any at all, I know I was going to have come every day and compete against myself."

Of the teams that took notice were the Jaguars, and they invited Banjo, along with 17 others to tryout for roster spots, at voluntary mini-camp in mid-April. At the conclusion of the three-day camp, Banjo and defensive end Pannel Egboh were the only two to earn spots. A week later, the Jaguars drafted Jonathan Cyprien, Josh Evans and three cornerbacks to rebuild the secondary, but that's not something that Banjo is worried about.

"Last year it probably would've freaked me out a little bit, but coming in this year after being out a whole year, I just really realized how it hard it was to get here, I just wouldn't expect it to get any easier," Banjo said. "The way I look at it, this is just another part I have to work hard for and something I have to compete at."

"What Coach [Gus] Bradley talks about all the time is 'constant competition,' so regardless if they drafted seven safeties or they didn't draft any at all, I know I was going to have come every day and compete against myself."

Now the challenge for Banjo has switched from chasing a contract to keeping a spot on an NFL roster as the Jaguars will have to cut the roster from 90 to 53 by the end of the summer. But for now, Banjo says he's taking it one day at a time and appreciating the journey that led him to the NFL. He also appreciates being part of a team that is in the midst of a re-birth of its own.

"I love it, I genuinely love it," Banjo said of Jacksonville. "With Coach Bradley, I get the sense that he's not only a great coach, but he's a great individual as well, and I just thank God for the opportunity just to be a part of this."

"Coming from SMU, it's kind of similar to me coming to Jacksonville, I feel like. Going to SMU, they were a program that was rebuilding, trying to eliminate the perception for how the team was in the past, not making a bowl game and things of that nature and I kind of feel myself coming into that same type of situation."

As the Jaguars enter the 2013 year with the odds stacked against them, Banjo will look to continue to beat those odds. Odds that haven't stopped him yet.

"I'm better from a physical standpoint, and mentally I'm a lot more humble. Not that I wasn't humble before, but just being a year out of it just makes you look at things from a much different perspective. So I just thank God for the opportunity every day I'm here. I've just been given a tremendous blessing and I'm taking it a day at a time."

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Early Mountain West Bowl Projections

Hank Corless — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:00:05 -0000

Yes, the first national bowl projections are out. One was released Wednesday in a bold move to sort out the college football expectations for all 70 bowl-eligible teams and where they will end up at the end of the season based on a few spring scrimmages and scraps of information gleaned from sports writers and coaches around the nation.

Jerry Palm has actually done a fairly good job evaluating the teams for an early season forecast, but a lot of it seems a rehash of the 2012-13 season. But understandably, he had to start somewhere and many of those teams are going to repeat last season's performances in 2013-14. Not surprisingly, all the usual suspects are there: Ohio State and ‘Bama will battle for the National Title; Florida State vs. Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl; Texas A&M and Clemson in the Sugar; the Longhorns vs. Louisville in the Fiesta; and the Rose pitting Nebraska against Stanford.

The Mountain West teams were not neglected in the predictions and six were projected in some interesting post-season scenarios:

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona State

New Mexico Bowl: Air Force vs. Utah

Hawaii Bowl: Utah State vs. Rice

Poinsettia Bowl: Fresno State vs. Arkansas State

Armed Forces Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio

With Palm slotting the Broncos into the Vegas bowl he must be figuring that Boise State will take the Mountain West crown. Arizona State will have to end up 5th best in the PAC12, which won’t make them happy to see that prediction already. Looks like it would be a rematch of 2011.

Air Force barley made it to a bowl last year. They went into the Armed Forces Bowl where they were manhandled by Rice and finished the season 6-7. So they couldn’t complain too loud about a trip down to the New Mexico Bowl to take on old MWC rival Utah.

So that would set up San Diego to replace the Falcons in the Armed Forces Bowl this season. And why not? It would put them up against their old foe, Navy, and that would be fun for the Aztec fan base.

And leave the job of filling seats in Qualcomm Stadium up to Fresno State. That’s a bowl their fans could drive to---if they wanted to see the ‘Dogs taking on Arkansas State. Last year the ‘Dogs traveled out to the Islands to faced off with SMU. That 43-10 drubbing at the hands of the Mustangs injured a lot of pride but beating Arkansas State would not get it back.

And how much pride could Nevada generate pounding Ohio in Boise after playing Arizona in the New Mexico Bowl last year? The Pack suffered a 1-point loss, 49-48, in a great contest. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl wouldn't have the prestige of New Mexico. But it is close enough for fans to drive to from Reno. It also has one other advantage: the Boise fans turn out petty well to support a rival team member. In 2012, Utah State was on the Blue Turf and 29,243 fans showed up. In 2011, they were cheered on in front of 28,076. Even rival Fresno State who played in the bowl in 2010 had a Boise crowd on hand of 25,449.

Sure, I know. The 2013 season is still months from getting under way and lots of water will go under the bridge between May and November and speculating on bowl games this early is almost ludicrous. But Palm’s early forecast is something to think about.

2015 DT Daylon Mack closing in on Texas A&M commitment

Wescott Eberts — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:09:57 -0000

Twice now, Gladewater (Texas) defensive tackle Daylon Mack has almost left College Station as the first Texas A&M commit of the 2015 class.

Both times he opted to prolong his recruitment just a little bit longer.

Next week, the 6-3, 300-pounder plans to end it officially. And the choice will be Texas A&M.

A trip to Texas for the spring game didn't produce enough of a boost for the Longhorns to move ahead of the Aggies and a visit to College Station only confirmed why he had almost pledged previously.

Now, all that likely remains is a trip to SMU ($) to check out the Mustangs, though it's hard to imagine that journey changing the school atop his leaderboard. He had mentioned wanting to see Oklahoma and TCU as well ($), but those plans appear to have fallen by the wayside, along with any chance for the Longhorns.

Why A&M?

The fact that they play in the SEC ($) has always been a reason cited prominently by Mack, who also wouldn't mind staying close to his home in Gladewater to play his college football:

I feel that if Texas A&M wouldn't have been in the SEC, then Texas would have been my top choice. Playing in the SEC is a really big deal for me and Texas can't beat that. I also liked the fact that Texas A&M was the first school to offer me and they showed me they truly wanted me from early on.

And so the looming first commitment of the 2015 class for the Aggies will be a monster one as the change in conference once again appears to be a gamechanger for Kevin Sumlin and his program.

A childhood Texas fan, Mack is now set to head to the greatest conference in the land.

Look through SB Nation's many excellent college football blogs to find your team's community.

Follow @SBNationCFB Follow @SBNRecruiting

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American Athletic Conference reportedly new name of former 'Big East' Conference

Craig Powers — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:15:17 -0000

The new Big East will reportedly become the American Athletic Conference this year, according to ESPN's Brett Murphy. The conference was forced to look for new branding after the "Catholic Seven" basketball schools bought the rights to "Big East" when departing to form a new league.

The confirmation comes via McMurphy's Twitter account:

American Athletic Conference is new name for former Big East, sources told @espn
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) April 3, 2013

Yes, that's the "AAC." Yes, there's already a conference called the ACC. This will be confusing, and we might as well get it out of our system now. On the plus side, it will never be a misnomer, unlike so many of its fellow conferences which feature geography and numbers. Unless they go international, I guess.

It was among several that were reportedly discussed. "America 12" was a popular choice at one point. "The Metro" and "The United" were also among the list of names considered.

The conference has faced instability for much of the past decade, but it ramped up in recent years. The league sought to improve its football standing by adding TCU, Boise State, and San Diego State, but all those agreements fell through as other top programs began leaving the conference.

West Virginia started the exodus in 2011 by announcing its move to the Big 12. Pittsburgh and Syracuse followed by heading to the ACC. Those two schools will be gone in 2013, with Louisville following in 2014. Rutgers is headed to the Big Ten the same year, and that spurred the the next big fracture of the league.

The "Catholic Seven" basketball schools (Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, and DePaul) will be leaving and taking the Big East name with them next season. Notre Dame basketball will also be gone to the ACC.

With the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12, and SEC snatching up any major power, there wasn't much left for the old Big East to add after the departures. Tulane, Memphis, Houston, SMU, East Carolina, Central Florida, Navy, and Tulsa are scheduled to join the league in the next three years. Those additions weren't enough for the conference to maintain its status as a major-conference in college football, and all the money that comes with the designation.

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