Know your Bulls is a countdown to the kick off. If will look at every single UB football player on the roster. When the players number matches the number of days remaining then it's his turn in the spotlight.

Position: Linebacker

From: Decatur, Georgia

Played in five games last season

Roberson, signed in 2010, came from Avondale high school. His senior season he notched 66 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and an interception. His effort was a big part of the Blue Devils run into to the playoffs.

He has not had a chance to really show his ability to create turnovers yet. He used his red shirt in 2010 and played in only a hand-full of games last season. With the depth on UB's line backing corps it's likely he will once again be on the scout team and get spot duty as needed.

He's 6-1 and 231, a good enough size for an outside line backer but the only big change this year will be Scott Pettigrew taking over for Fred Branch, on the inside. There is definitely a need for a ball hawk on special teams, if he gets more time this season that's where it will be.

For more on Georgia don't forget to check out SBNations Georgia site "Dawg Sports"

Why Play this Game:

I'm not going to sugar coach this, this game looks like nine hundred thousand in blood money. While I prefer the home and home agreements with teams from the Big East and ACC this game I would still rather play on the road in a home opener against an SEC power than host an FCS school.

Not only does a mid major get paid several times what they might make on a bowl game but they get a big stage. They also get to show up in one of their recruiting hot beds. Several Bulls players are from the state of Georgia, it seems to be one of the only deep south states UB tries to recruit in. So it's a good practice for the team to show their face, even if they risk getting their teeth kicked in.

Continue reading this post »

Know your Bulls is a countdown to the kick off. If will look at every single UB football player on the roster. When the players number matches the number of days remaining then it's his turn in the spotlight.

Position: Defensive Line

From: Williamsville, New York

Walked on in 2011 and used a red shirt

Therrien played both defensive and offensive line for Williamsville East High School.In 2009 he was named to the All-League 2nd Team as a defensive lineman. In 2010 he was nominated for the "Trench Trophy" which is awarded to the most outstanding lineman in Western New York.

Despite a respectable career with the flames he drew little interest from division one schools so, at just 260 pounds, he decided to walk on at UB. He made the team, and has bulked up to near 300 pounds, on a six foot frame.

It's doubtful he will challenge for a significant role on the defense this season but depending on who things go through the year he may find his way on the depth chart. In a season where UB has so much experience on the line it's far more likely he will be used on special teams.

Getting to know a bit about the new guys in the MAC, via Hustle-Belt

Getting To Know UMass: The Four Best Seasons In Minutemen History - Hustle Belt
MAC fans: I know you are all hesitant about accepting UMass into your exclusive club. And let's just acknowledge for a second that the MAC is most certainly that. Every other current member of the conference has been there since 1998. Excluding their newest member, this is something they can claim over every other FBS conference in the nation: they have been the most stable top-tier football conference in the country since the BCS was implemented.

Speaking of the Belt

The 2008 Bulls get their first win in his dream season. They took on, and beat, the 2003 Huskies in Dekalb!

MAC Dream League: Week 3 Simulation - Hustle Belt
DEKALB — Possibly an upset, but it wasn't the result I imagined. Running back James Starks combined for FOUR touchdowns: three rushing, one receiving, and 198 yards overall. Naaman Roosevelt had seven catches for 100 yards even and Drew Willy's numbers were 21-for-26, 267 yards and a TD. Additionally A.J. Principe went 4-for-4 on field goals, long of 50. For NIU, Michael Turner ran for 154 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, adding another 37 yards receiving. Just a gentle reminder that the 2008 Buffalo team was a harmonious balance of lucky and good.

The BCS Champions stops rotating

BCS Championship Will No Longer Rotate Among Bowls, According To Report - SBNation.com
There will be many shake-ups in college football over the next several years, not least of which will center around the changes to the postseason as the current bowl system is phased out and replaced by a new era of playoffs to determine a national champion every year.

Baldock's Big Tournament

Earned him all tourney honors

Alex Baldock Named to MAC All Tournament Team - Buffalo Athletics
The UB first baseman hit .375 (6-16) with seven runs batted in and a walk. He played the hero in the team's first ever tournament win over Ohio on Thursday, hitting a solo home run and driving in the walk off game-winning run on a double in the bottom of the tenth inning to help eliminate the Bobcats. He followed that up with an even bigger game the next morning to help send Buffalo to the semifinal round of the tournament.

Golabek gets back to back trips

Golabek Earns Another Trip to National Finals - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo shot putter Rob Golabek earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday as he was one of 12 qualifiers to advance in the men's shot put as the East Region Preliminary came to a close at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

Know your Bulls is a countdown to the kick off. If will look at every single UB football player on the roster. When the players number matches the number of days remaining then it's his turn in the spotlight.

Position: Defensive Line

From: Tempe, Arizona

Played in all 12 games as a backup to Ritchie Smith

Cahill was a Juco transfer from Scottsdale Community College. As a lineman for the Fighting Artichokes (yes the "Fighting Artichokes") Cahill racked up 30 tackles, nine for losses, and four sacks, in just eight games. His 2010 work caught the attention of Coach Oliver and Cahill was offered a scholarship.

Wyatt had originally committed to Army after graduating Corona del Sol, where he earned a spot on the All-Regional Team.

Last year Cahill was a key role player on defense. As a backup for Senior Richie Smith Cahill saw action in every game put together 15 tackles and a pass deflection. He also had a key fumble recovery in the season opener against Pittsburgh.

This year he is the favorite to end up the as the Bulls first team nose tackle.

Know your Bulls is a countdown to the kick off. If will look at every single UB football player on the roster. When the players number matches the number of days remaining then it's his turn in the spotlight.

98 days until kickoff: Rashad Jean (#98)

Position Full Back

From Spring Valley, New York

Appeared in three games as a run blocker in the red-zone

When coach Quinn brought in the spread offense from Cincinnati UB full backs found themselves without anything to do. Rather than be moved to the line Nick Sizemore, a highly sought full back recruit, followed coach Turner Gill to Kansas.

When the offensive coaching staff changed after a terrible year the new angle was a run oriented spread offense, enter the need for a full back.

Jean, who walked on as a defensive lineman in 2011 may have never played a down at Buffalo had it not been for the offensive changes. Rashad found himself as a role player for the Bulls and saw action in three games last season. This year he looks to battle Boomer Brock for the first spot on the full back depth chart.

Ok... Now I'm on board with baseball. Not because I think UB is going to win the tournament they are one loss away from getting the boot. It's also not because the Bulls are likely to turn into a conference power, unless director white turns into a fund raising machine.

Nope it's because the MAC's tournament is double elimination, which rocks, and because the number eight Bulls Baseball just send number four Ohio packing.

UB gets historic baseball win; Griffs start MAAC Tournament off strong - Colleges - The Buffalo News
UB junior Alex Baldock hit a two-out double in the 10th to score Matt Pollock, allowing the Bulls to advance in the double-elimination tournament.

Ohio Vs. Buffalo, 2012 MAC Baseball Tournament: Bobcats Drop 2nd Straight, Knocked Out By Bulls - SB Nation Cleveland
The Ohio Bobcats were promptly knocked out of the 2012 MAC Baseball Tournament in Avon on Thursday afternoon, losing 6-5 to the No. 8 seed Buffalo Bulls. Kent State shut out the Bulls late last night but, undeterred, they rallied back for an early afternoon game to survive with an extra-innings win. Alex Baldock came through with the clutch hit, driving a double to right center with two outs that brought home Matt Pollock for the winning run.

So now we have to cover baseball next season. Now all I need is someone to come along and manage it ;)

Hustle Belt Looks at UB Basketball's Greatest Ever Tourney

MACsketball Greatest of All Time Tourney: Buffalo - Hustle Belt
After his collegiate career ended, Battle spent the 2005-06 season playing professionally both locally (with the Buffalo Rapids) as well as around the world in Estonia, France and Sweden. After an arm injury put a halt to his playing time, Battle spent time in Buffalo close to the Bulls’ program, while also getting his coaching career started at Sweet Home High School. Battle is now heading into his sixth season as an assistant on the UB staff.

Conrad got in touch with his inner nerd and did a rough statistical analysis of how much the Bills might be hurting, or helping, the Bulls. There was nothing earth shattering in his piece but it did a great job quantifying what we all know. Buffalo, as a pro sports town, tends to overlook college Athletics and that may cost UB in the win column due to attendance. Fans in the seats means noise at the right time, it also means money in the pockets of the Athletics Department and perhaps even an more impressive environment for visiting recruits.

The Attendance issue has created something of a chicken and egg problem for UB football. The perception is that the game day experience is lacking so the school only has 13 to18 thousand fans a game. And because the stadium is only at 50% capacity the game day experience seems to be lacking.

The really frustrating thin is that attendance could be the one thing really holding down the perception of UB among conference looking to realign.

Director white had talked about developing a synergy with Buffalo's pro sports base, not "beating it". This years football schedules, both the Bulls and Bills, give him an opportunity to do just that.

Continue reading this post »

Survey Says... X

So the guys at the mothership have decided to "Rank" every team in division one, and teams moving up according to how attractive of an expansion candidate they might be.

What's Your College Football Program Worth? Introducing Realignment Value Rankings - SBNation.com
Here's an attempt at assigning a Realignment Value to every school in or close to joining FBS, so we can figure out exactly which conferences are winning (and by how much) and how big the remaining moves are.

Buffalo sits at #97, pulled down mainly by the attendance. On the plus side there are only two MAC schools ahead of us. Miami, who's academics pull them up, and OU who is an all around strong team pulled down only by their market.

Who might be looking that deep for candidates?

The Big East, if they survive.

HOW THE BIG EAST DIED AND WAS DEAD ALL ALONG - Every Day Should Be Saturday
The conference's downfall was sealed more than 20 years ago as it rejected Penn State when the NIttany Lions asked to join the conference. Even post-Sandusky it's hard to imagine any conference turning down Penn State today. But the Big East figured that its basketball operations were going so smoothly that there was no reason to add football. Basketball is the Big East's Maginot Line; it was so busy fighting the old war they had no idea what the new one would be.

EDBS had the best one liner to sum up the mess that is the Big East that has ever been written (bold above).

ESPN coverage may have just improved a bit

Breaking: Pam Ward out of ESPN's college football coverage | May
Losing Craig James AND Pam Ward in one offseason is a victory for people that happen to enjoy college football while not having to mute the television or ram your head into the nearest wall ala Gus Frerotte. Maybe we'll all look back at this day as a win for the internet and tell ourselves somebody that makes these decisions is actually listening to college football fans. But, it is a bittersweet day for us as well. Have no fear, the Pammies will always be a part of AA, but they will certainly never be the same again.

And the there were two (jobs to be filled)

John Astudillo Retires as UB’s Men’s Soccer Coach - Buffalo Athletics
One of the most distinguished coaches in Western New York history, John Astudillo has announced he will retire after 22 years as head coach of the University at Buffalo men's soccer team. Astudillo, Buffalo's all-time wins leader, will be retiring as the architect of one of UB's most consistent and successful teams.

Now Director white, who starts in June, will have to hire coaches for Rowing and Men's Soccer. He may also have to find a new Woman's basketball coach if he decides that the recent history does not warrant a contract renewal.

Batter up!

Bulls Hope to Make a Splash in MAC Tournament Debut - Buffalo Athletics
Getting the start for UB will be senior Cameron Copping, who has thrived under pressure thus far and has given up just six earned runs over his last 31.1 innings. In his start against Kent State on April 6, he was on point, allowing just two runs over his seven innings while striking out five batters. The Golden Flashes came back to win the game in the ninth inning of that game and also scored six unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth inning to win 6-3 the next day.

I might break my own unwritten rule and watch or listen to this one...

Base-Bull finally hits the MAC Championship

This is the second baseball post of the season on Bull Run... Bringing our three year running total to... two!

UB Baseball is sort of the step child of UB Athletics. It's a MAC requirement to carry the sport even though playing baseball February though May, outdoors, in the North East, does not make a ton of sense. In fact the only other conference that *requires* the sport SEC which is obviously a better geographical choice for spring baseball.

So the leadership at UB has never fully gotten behind the team. The Base-Bull's reportedly are running with just seven scholarship players and have some of the most modest facilities in the conference. So it's no surprise that the team has not met with a whole lot of success.

This season has been the season of Tom Murphy who has been turning heads all year. This past weekends Murphy's work, and a boat load of Bowling Green fielding errors, were enough lock up the eigth seed in MAC Championship tournament.

At Last! Bulls Clinch MAC Tournament Berth in Season Finale - Buffalo Athletics
At long last, the Buffalo baseball team has made it. For the first time since joining the Mid-American Conference for baseball in 2000, the Bulls earned a trip to the conference tournament Saturday afternoon thanks to an 8-5 win over Bowling Green. The win, coupled with an Akron loss at Kent State, helped Buffalo clinch the eighth and final spot in the tournament, which starts May 23.

Eighth is the highest UB has finished in the MAC and unless Danny White brings in his SEC baseball love it's doubtful this happens too often.

Still given the challenges that this program faces beating out four other teams, who have more scholarships and better digs, is an accomplishment.

Continue reading this post »

When Director Danny White takes over Buffalo Athletics later this summer he will inherit one of the large budgets in the MAC, yet its a budget that is barely half of what he was used to working with at Mississippi.

The Rebels sported one of the smaller budgets in the SEC, but even with hardly any institutional support (7%) the Reb's spent 49 Million dollars last season. Buffalo, on the other hand, calls on institutional support for nearly 80% of their 26 million dollar budget.

But it's not all bad news, Buffalo is second in MAC in total spending, fourth in ticket sales, and second in licensing revenue. Contrary to popular belief our coaches are pretty well paid usually near the top of conference.

Miami of Ohio is the big spender and EMU tops the revenue. Toledo earns a cap tip for using the least amount of institutional support.

For those of you who follow the NBA, and the NBA draft, you may have noticed that Mitchell Watt is climbing up the draft boards. He followed up a great season with a standout showing at the Portsmouth Invitational. During the competition Watts name started popping up on several NBA draft sites.

First he was an also ran, then someone who might get picked up after the draft, and most recently he was tagged as the NBA's version of "Mr Irrelevant".

Draft Experss Notes:

DraftExpress: Finding a Niche For: Mitchell Watt
Looking forward, Watt has an intriguing package of tools for a potential role-playing big at the next level, boasting good athleticism, solid size, a potent jumper, ability to finish around the basket, and decent defensive potential. His lack of significant experience against high-level competition, unimpressive rebounding, and the fact that he has just one season of noteworthy production under his belt are all concerns, but a team may find him to be an attractive developmental option late in the draft or in free agency, and one can certainly make the argument he shows more promise than some of the other big men teams have taken flyers on in recent years.

The only consistent 'knock' I see against Watt was the level of his competition. This both ignores the fact that the MAC has some squads who are far better than perceived and that Watt crushed at the Portsmouth Invitational.

Continue reading this post »

I have no words... Why in the hell did he risk any trouble over softball when you know Alabama wants *nothing* to do with you!

Harvey Updyke Ejected From SEC Softball Tournament, Led Away By Police - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
On Friday, world-famous Alabama Crimson Tide fan and tree-poisoner Harvey Updyke was ejected from an SEC softball tournament on the University of Alabama campus. This turn of events was first reported to us by Brian Rice, who was in attendance at the tournament. Updyke was led away by police. You can see photos after the jump

Stop me if you heard this one before

So a Big East team walks into a layers office.....

Pittsburgh sues Big East in hopes of moving exit date up a year - ESPN
PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh is going to court in hopes of expediting its exit from the Big East. The school filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County on Friday claiming the Big East has waived its right to enforce a 27-month withdrawal notice and the Panthers should be allowed move to the ACC without further penalty by the 2013-14 conference year

You can't really blame the Panthers. Right now they have a "gentleman's agreement" to leave after this season, the same one that the Syracuse Orange have. Now the commissioner is gone and two football adds appear to be getting cold feet. If Boise has second, third, and then fourth and final thoughts the Big East could very well try to force Pitt and/or Syracuse to stay.

Most of Pitt's reasons for the suit or ironic. They cite the unstable membership (which they and Syracuse created) as a reason they should not be bound by the contract.

Chances are that this never sees a court and the parties negotiate a *written* exit agreement but this is the Big East.... You never really know.

End of a UB Era

UB Rowing Head Coach Rudy Wieler to Retire - Buffalo Athletics
After leading the University at Buffalo rowing program to national prominence and a handful of hardware, head coach Rudy Wieler announced Wednesday evening that he will retire, wrapping up an 11-year reign over a program he helped build from its infancy and a 45-year career in the sport he loves.

For about a decade the Rowing team has been UB's most consistent success. Now when Director White comes on board he will have to replace the man who built it from the ground up.

Things we know you can do in the ACC and get away with it:

ACC vote to fine North Carolina Tar Heels comes up short
The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced in March that it found North Carolina had committed academic fraud, allowed impermissible agent benefits, played ineligible players and failed to monitor the program. The NCAA placed the North Carolina football program on probation for three years, banned it from the postseason this fall, and penalized the Tar Heels five scholarships per year for each of the next three years.

So if you're an ACC program you can play ineligible players, allow agents to get way the heck too close to the program, and make up joke courses for players (then change their grades when they cant pass those). The NCAA might bring down the hammer on you but in a fine academic institution like the ACC we will let this slide.

Read these next stories to the sounds of Judas Priest:

West Virginia's Darwin Cook, Terence Garvin Arrested For Shoplifting - SBNation.com
May 10, 2012 - Two West Virginia Mountaineers players were arrested Tuesday, according to the Dominion Post. Defensive backs Darwin Cook and Terence Garvin have been charged with shoplifting, a misdemeanor, for hauling three Gatorade bottles, two bags of Doritos and two bags of pretzels from a Sheetz on April 12.

Sources -- ACC vote to fine North Carolina Tar Heels $100,000 comes up one vote short - ESPN
The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced in March that it found North Carolina had committed academic fraud, allowed impermissible agent benefits, played ineligible players and failed to monitor the program. The NCAA placed the North Carolina football program on probation for three years, banned it from the postseason this fall, and penalized the Tar Heels five scholarships per year for each of the next three years.

Gas station snacks! Really? You're throwing away free college for snacks for some zingers and an iced tea?

When we last left our hero:

Ever see someone try to do "the right thing" and in the middle of it take a horribly wrong turn?

Terrelle Pryor says he accepted money for memorabilia to help family, according to report - ESPN
"It was humbling," Pryor told Sports Illustrated. "A mistake I made when I was a freshman by selling my pants for $3,000 just took away everything from me.

...

"The reason why I did it was to pay my mother's gas bill and some of her rent,"

So when you're humble you decide to minimize what you did, point at others, and say they "They did it too"?

1) You sold more than one pair of pants for 3K

2) You also got tats with it! I don't care what receipts you manufacture you sold tons of things including your "sportsmanship award", your championship rings....

Just cop to what you did, explain that maybe it started because you were helping your family but grew bigger than that. I'd have more respect for a reformed Terrell Pryor than one who is still ducking and weaving a s candle that cost people their jobs and humiliated an entire team.

The Buffalo news is reporting that UB has picked up their first verbal commitment of the season. Coach Quinn has begun to address the future needs at wide receiver with Kyvaune Brammer, a wide receiver from Brooklyn Tech.

Brammer, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver/LB at Brooklyn Tech, is saying he will attend the University at Buffalo beginning in 2013, sources tell me. The Bulls had an in on this one. The principal at Brooklyn Tech, Randy Asher, is a UB grad. Brammer is the first known verbal in UB's 2013 recruiting class. -- - Bob DiCesare, Buffalo News

Ill try to outdo DiCesare's informational tid-bit and point out Brooklyn Tech is the sister school of Buffalo's Hutch Tech. The Hutch Tech Engineers gave UB Basketball a point guard named Rodney Pierce.

The all Brooklyn Wide receiver has a 34 inch vertical and benched a healthy 215 pounds. His time in the pro shuttle is a 4.13 and he can run the 40 down in the 4.6 range.

During his Junior Season he racked up 16 receptions for 365 yards and six touchdowns, his six touchdowns led the Public School Athletic League. He also doubled as a linebacker and picked up 19 solo tackles.

Video and updates after the jump:

Continue reading this post »

SBNation is kicking off their blog poll early this year, and I am honored to have a voice in it, even if I used that voice to throw a vote at Princess Kiffin.

The sad fact is just *one* mid major is getting love from my brethren in the blogosphere. Boise, who has one foot out of the door, is the only non AQ team seen as worth of a spot in the top 25.

Aside from Boise the first mid major is Lousiana Tech at #40....

Shame on you bloggers... Shame! I expect this from ESPN but not you...

You broke my heart... I am done...

Results for Week 18

#	School	Points/blog	SD	Delta
1	LSU Tigers (13)	24.09	0.89	1
2	USC Trojans (14)	23.88	1.32	-1
3	Alabama Crimson Tide (6)	23.03	1.40	--
4	Oregon Ducks (1)	21.35	2.40	--
5	Oklahoma Sooners	19.82	4.00	--
6	Georgia Bulldogs	19.00	2.34	1
7	Michigan Wolverines	17.32	3.07	1
8	Florida St. Seminoles	15.91	3.67	1
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	15.21	4.79	1
10	Arkansas Razorbacks	14.56	5.68	-4
11	West Virginia Mountaineers	14.56	3.41	--
12	Wisconsin Badgers	12.09	4.47	2
13	Michigan St. Spartans	11.85	5.30	-1
14	TCU Horned Frogs	11.50	5.31	-1
15	Kansas St. Wildcats	9.68	4.53	3
16	Clemson Tigers	9.44	4.78	--
17	Virginia Tech Hokies	8.97	4.38	-2
18	Nebraska Cornhuskers	7.76	3.88	-1
19	Stanford Cardinal	6.74	5.71	3
20	Ohio St. Buckeyes	6.32	5.56	1
21	Texas Longhorns	6.12	3.83	-2
22	Boise St. Broncos	6.00	5.22	-2
23	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	4.76	4.78	--
24	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2.74	3.30	1
25	Washington Huskies	2.50	4.18	-1
Others Receiving Votes: Florida Gators | Louisville Cardinals | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Missouri Tigers | Utah Utes | Auburn Tigers | Texas A&M Aggies | Cincinnati Bearcats | Penn St. Nittany Lions | Illinois Fighting Illini | Baylor Bears | Iowa Hawkeyes | BYU Cougars | South Florida Bulls | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Central Florida Knights | Southern Miss. Golden Eagles | Syracuse Orange | Toledo Rockets | Virginia Cavaliers | Fla. International Golden Panthers | Vanderbilt Commodores | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | SMU Mustangs | Miami Hurricanes | California Golden Bears | Purdue Boilermakers
Updated: May 9, 2012 9:37 AM PDT

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Rankings 2011

Everything wrong with College Sports

If there is one thing that really grinds my gears it's when a department develops a disconnect between its academic and it's athletic missions. It's even worse when the academic side is complicit. North Carolina is now one of the most clear examples of how this happens.

North Carolina Tar Heels football players made up 36 percent of enrollments in suspect classes - ESPN
Julius Nyang'oro resigned as chairman last year and will retire in July. His name is on the grade rolls or he was listed as instructor for 43 courses considered aberrant or taught irregularly from 2007-09. He was also the instructor for the only two classes that qualify as taught irregularly after 2009, according to the report.

Classes not taught, grades changed, ... This just ticks me off too much to make a joke, I just can't make light of it.

Then there is this, we don't want presidents weighing on on athletics /sarcasm

John Marinatto Big East resignation proof presidents too involved - Stewart Mandel - SI.com
Over the past decade, university presidents and chancellors have exercised a more hands-on role in major athletics decisions, and while the intent is noble, it's hard to see how athletics has benefitted. Having a bunch of distinguished physics professors and English scholars help negotiate billion-dollar television packages makes about as much sense as having conference commissioners deliver physics and English lectures.

Maybe if university presidents get more of a voice then things like underwater basket weaving at North Carolina.

Need another reason to be disgusted? How about skeevy fans hanging out with recruits

SB Nation Recruiting Investigation Leads To Sex Offender Arrest - SBNation.com
Ohio State lost a top linebacker recruit during a saga that led to the arrest of an overzealous fan whose story was first reported by SB Nation's Land-Grant Holy Land.

Of course the death of mid major FBS progams is a downer.

Big Sky commissioner on Idaho's situation: Top of FCS is healthier than bottom of FBS | Voices.IdahoStatesman.com
Now — with the Vandals' current league crumbling — Fullerton just might get his chance at convincing Idaho that the Big Sky is the best place for its athletic department. Fullerton and Rob Spear, Idaho's athletic director, have spoken and, Fullerton said, will talk again this week. Spear said last week that he is considering four options, including a return to the Football Championship Subdivision, but said the ideal situation was to remain at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

But it's not enough to ban college football... is it?

Debate On Banning College Football: Largely Amusing Waste Of Time - SBNation.com
Tuesday night, Malcolm Gladwell led a debate on banning the United States' second most popular sport. That'll totally happen!

Personally I think the answer is to change some of the rules around head to head contact and define a set of test after every game which will determine if they can play the next week.

The first of two "Talking Bull's" today. There is a ton of news worth reading out there so it's being broken up between Director White and everything else...

Funny that the day after I poke fun at the Buffalo News they come through.

Gleason made the best moment of the press conference when he asked about Hockey, he followed that up with a great article.

Bulls in good hands with 'college athletics brat' - Bucky Gleason - The Buffalo News
White is certainly sharp. He has master's degrees in business and sports management from Ohio University and is working on his doctorate. His primary responsibility at Ole Miss was raising money. It's precisely what UB needs given the economy and the financial issues with the state. The Bulls need to take the next step toward building consistent winners and developing a semblance of tradition.

And the main news take on White

UB passes the baton to Danny White - University at Buffalo - The Buffalo News
White projected a confident ease during his introduction before an overflow audience in the screening room at the Center for the Arts. He pointed out his wife Shawn and thanked her for supporting "our" career as they've hop-scotched around the country with three children ages 2 to 7. He thanked his father, Kevin, who broke away from his job as the AD at Duke to witness his son's ascent. White was light on specifics regarding his new job, saying "I don't even know where the restroom is yet." His start date will be sometime next month and contract details must still be finalized.

The take from the spectrum?

Danny White Becomes Buffalo’s New Athletic Director - Sports - The Spectrum - University at Buffalo
In his introductory press conference, White stressed the importance of being "student-athlete centered," catering fully to the needs of those participating in varsity sports, and "operating with a tremendous amount of character and dignity." He also let the audience know that support from an alumni base of over 200,000 is important for the area.

Our friends over at the MAC daily chime in

Buffalo Makes Danny White Youngest FBS Athletic Director
At just 32, White will be the youngest athletic director in FBS. Despite his youth, White has seen quite a bit of the college world already, serving in roles at Mississippi, Fresno State, Ohio and Northern Illinois.

Before Director White spoke President Satish K. Tripathi spoke and, as always, made sure to emphasize that a solid athletics program is a tangible improvement to the quality of student life on campus. As far as I am concerned he can't beat that drum enough.

It's a belief I share and my one huge regret from UB is that I did not take more time to attend the athletic events. For someone like me who loves sports it was a lost opportunity to connect more to the other students and the school at large.

The first thing that strikes you about White is his age. At 32 years old he looks like one of the graduate students floating around campus. He has ascended pretty fast both because of family ties and because he always seemed to do one heck of a job. His name may have gotten his foot in the door for an interview but wherever he lands White seems to hit it out of the park.

So with that out of the way the new Director Spoke. It was a quick series of acknowledgments followed some praise for UB on the academic side, with a hat tip to the AAU status. Then he finished with five promises. They are mostly the type of promises that new Directors make.

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to Buffalo athletics Danny. Can I call you Danny?

We here at Bull Run have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Warde Manuals' successor since news of his new gig hit the wire back in February.

By now I'm sure you've met the entire staff at Buffalo, you've likely met the coaches, and perhaps talked to some of the players. While our place in Buffalo athletics is far less pivotal than any of those people I'd like to think, at the very lest, were a good diversion from time to time.

I'm sure you're hand is still a bit raw from pressing the flesh after today's press conference but I hope you're OK with shaking just one more set of hands.

We have several regular contributors and several fans who post occasionally. Besides myself the other regular contributors are..

Conrad is a recent graduate of the University who also worked in the Athletics department. He is spending the summer going through the top 99 moments in UB football history and going through each quarter of last season. He brought not only "inside knowledge" but also spelling and grammar, I'm looking into those concepts.

Continue reading this post »

Note: This is no longer a rumor so I took it out of the title

Tomorrow at 11am The University at Buffalo will hold a press conference announcing the hiring of a new director of athletics. The announcement will be made by University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi. There are rumors that the new director is Danny White who is currently the Associate Director of Athletics at Ole' Miss.

White has been at Ole' Miss since being hired as the Chief Development Officer in August 2009. Since December of 2010 he has been focused on the Revenue Team, comprised of the UMAA Foundation and the Ticket office. In the end he was responsible for all fund raising efforts as well as season ticket sales for Ole Miss Athletics.

One of his key initiatives was the Vaught Society, an institution which oversees major gift commitments of $5,000 or more annually. White restructured the society and since its launch December 31, 2009, donors joining the Vaught Society have committed over $11 million to help fund new facilities.

White also has MAC ties.

White began his professional career at Ohio University, where he served as Director of Basketball Operations for the Bobcats before becoming an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach.

He also spend time at Northern Illinois. From 2006-07 white was Assistant Athletics Director for Development for NIU. He lead the Huskie Athletic Scholarship Fund to a record year with over 30% growth in membership.

White Replaces Warde Manuel who brought Buffalo to an unprecedented level of success as the football team participated in the 2009 International Bowl and the men's basketball team made postseason appearances in three of the past seven years. He also improved the Olympic sports with three-straight Dad Vail Regatta titles by the rowing team, six wrestlers earning spots at the 2011 NCAA Championship and the women's tennis team making an appearance in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

Manual also set up UB athletes for success in the classroom. When Manuel arrived at UB, there were four programs - football, men's basketball, wrestling, and baseball - that fell far below the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) cut score of 925. With a focused academic plan, all four teams posted a four-year APR rate above the cut score and at the end of 2009-10, 10 of UB's 20 sports had scores of 975 or above.

Whites first task will be deciding the fate of Linda Hill-MacDonald, UB's embattled women's basketball coach. The next could be picking the proper length for coach Quinn's leash.

So much for going down with the ship!

Losing John Marinatto certainly hurts less then losing say Pitt, Syracuse, or West Virginia but it's just another sign that the Big East has not put its problems behind it.

Report: Big East Commissioner John Marinatto Resigns - Big East Coast Bias
UPDATE AS OF 9:17 A.M.: According, again, to Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports, John Marinatto resigned as Big East commissioner because he was asked to by the league's presidents on Sunday night. McMurphy writes:

The new playoff structure mentioned every "power conference" outside of the Big East, there are murmurings that this might push aside some of the new additions (the Football Only Western Members. Basketball should be fine, for now, but if conference start going to 16 you can bet UConn and Rutgers will get some serious looks.

Speaking of goodbye's

Idaho and New Mexico are both seriously looking at the FCS level.

Idaho May Reclassify As Big Sky FCS School In Wake Of WAC Explosion - SBNation.com
The death of the WAC left some schools in limbo, and one of those schools is Idaho. The Vandals have to decide whether to remain an FBS team or move to the FCS Big Sky Conference. Today, Idaho AD Rob Spear spoke and made it seem as if the decision was up in the air.

Pre-Snap Read: A College Football Blog
"Our near-term goals are to compete successfully." What remains undecided is New Mexico State’s long-term vision, whether it entails an attempt to join the Sun Belt; a stab at becoming an Independent; a move down to the F.C.S., either temporarily or for good; or dropping the football program altogether.

Great quote in the Idaho piece

This is something UB needs to take very seriously. The Big Donors are not coming through and the field house plans are getting a bit dated. We've been hearing forever that "we're half way there" and frankly I am starting to doubt it will ever get done.

In 10 years could UB be looking at the FCS, or worse, and say something similar?

In Non NCAA Sports news

2012 Division I National Tournament at Sirrine Stadium in Greenville, SC - MCLA.us
The MCLA DI and DII Men's Lacrosse Championship is a 16-team, single-elimination tournament. Each of the ten conferences will receive an automatic qualification for each division if they maintain the MCLA policy of at least six (6) qualifying teams per division in a playing season. The remaining teams for the tournament are selected by an at large process by a diverse committee approved by the Board of Directors at each summer meeting.

UB is, once again, fielding one of the Best D1 club lacrosse teams in the nation.

Coach Witherspoon pull in his third LOI of the year when Andre McPhail from Deer Valley High School. After hish school McPhail did prep stints at La Jolla and Stoneridge. He joins Jarryn Skeete and Stan Wier as this years incoming freshmen.

During his time as a juco player Andre played a lot of is small forward and power forward. At times, when they played small, he would fill in at center.

The knock on McPhail coming out of Deer Valley was that he was not very useful as a guard.

Continue reading this post »

So Akron is going to start selling beer at their games. Despite a powerful strong urge to poke fun at Akron for this I can't. First we are not a whole lot better than the Zips. Secondly I'm a bit jealous that they are making a common sense move to get some more money going into that program.

Beer at the games, if you somehow make sure its not getting out of hand, can be a pretty good revenue stream for these universities.

University of Akron to sell beer at home football games
The University of Akron announced Wednesday that its Board of Trustees voted to allow the sale of beer at home football games for the upcoming season.

I have to ask; if Drinking alone is a sign that you have a problem is letting the several hundred people at Infocision stadium a really good idea?

So you want to know who is in what conference?

SBNation has you covered!

Conference Realignment Recap: Who's Where In 2012, 2013 And Beyond - SBNation.com
Which college teams are in which conferences now, and where will they be next year? Not only do we have all 11 conferences in list form, we've got some projections for the future.

And just in case you're wondering about non-fbs conferences

Butler Bulldogs leaving Horizon League for Atlantic 10 in 2013-14 - ESPN
The team that was the NCAA national runner-up two years running is taking its David vs. Goliath act a step up in class, leaving the Horizon League and joining the Atlantic 10 in all sports except football beginning with the 2013-14 season. Butler president James Danko made the announcement in a news conference on Wednesday.

Pre-Snap takes a long... painful... accurate look at Buffalo

Pre-Snap Read: A College Football Blog
Dream season The Bulls turn the corner in Quinn’s third year, moving from second-to-last in the MAC East to first, upsetting Ohio and Miami (Ohio) along the way. Nightmare season Buffalo’s getting there, but the program takes a step back in advance of a projected step forward next fall. The Bulls fall down to two wins — Morgan State and Massachusetts — and finish last in the East division.

Aside from having Davis as a potential starter this is pretty spot on..

Hustle Belt with some good observations on Mulkey

Byron Mulkey Pulling An 'Antonio Gates' To The NFL: Does He Have A Chance? - Hustle Belt
I really don't know, but it stands to reason that if you're trying out for a team without a guaranteed contract, your odds of making the 53-man roster is mighty slim. I can tell you his senior season stat line: 13.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He was an everything man (except blocks) for the Bulls. Usually people like that have skills not confined to a single sport. Ultimately if he can poke a basketball away from somebody with verve then he can do likewise with a football and I am sure that safety or cornerback is what he has a shot at doing in the NFL, if anything.