Category: College Football (Page 44 of 296)

      Rich Rodriguez admits leaving West Virginia for Michigan was a mistake

      April 24, 2011 /
      Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez watches his team during their NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, November 27, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATESSPORT – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Rich Rodriguez told CBSSports.com that in hindsight, leaving West Virginia for the head-coaching job in Michigan was a mistake.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I think it’s easy to go back now and say, ‘Gee, made a mistake.’ And you can say that now because of hindsight,” Rodriguez told CBSSports.com. “But at the time, some of the things I was looking to do and the opportunity that was there, you kind of make the move.”

      “Hindsight is always easier to look back and say, ‘It was a mistake,’ ” Rodriguez said. “Because we did have a good thing going at West Virginia, and we really enjoyed it. As you look back at it, wasn’t the best move. Easy to say now.”

      I think the mistake was on Michigan’s part for hiring him in the first place. He wasn’t a fit for the program, or the Big Ten, and his record in Ann Arbor speaks for itself.

      There are many Wolverine fans that believe RichRod would have eventually gotten the program pointed in the right direction. And maybe he would have. But the fact of the matter is that under his watch, the defense was historically bad, the special teams were an utter joke, and the Wolverines went a combined 0-6 against Ohio State and Michigan State. That’s the ultimate sin for any Michigan coach, nevertheless one that was hyped as being someone who could potentially bring a national championship to Ann Arbor in 3-4 years.

      Brady Hoke might not wind up being the answer either, but at least he knows what the Michigan program is all about. He knows that he has to beat Ohio State regularly. He knows he has to beat Michigan State yearly. And he knows he has to win some Big Ten championships or he’ll eventually be replaced by someone who will. He certainly has his work cut out for himself, especially with Nebraska set to join the conference this year. But at least the program should have some direction under his supervision.

      College Football, External Sports

      How the BCS keeps small bowls alive

      April 19, 2011 /
      Oklahoma Sooners fans celebrate as the Sooners scored a touchdown against the Connecticut Huskies during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl college football game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, January 1, 2011. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      I’m reading Death to the BCS, an excellent book about the truth behind the Bowl Championship Series written by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter and Jeff Passan. It’s an eye-opening read about how the bowls are fleecing colleges under the guise of non-profit (or charity) status. I really can’t recommend the book enough.

      Here’s an excerpt about how the BCS keeps small bowls alive:

      Know this about the bowl system: It is not subject to a free market, and this is where the future of the smaller bowls comes into play. If left alone, the minor bowls would collapse, and they would collapse spectacularly.

      The BCS operates much like a government, offering a form of welfare to ensure the survival of small bowls. Industry insiders estimate just fourteen of the thirty-five current bowl games are self-sufficient. The rest profit from a system that takes money from universities and guides it into the pockets of bowl operators.

      It’s more shell game than bowl game. Take Minnesota, which agreed to buy 10,500 full-price tickets to the 2008 Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, according to records the school filed with the NCAA. When Minnesota sold only 1,512, it incurred a $434, 340 loss on tickets alone. It spent an additional $1.2 million on travel costs and other expenses. In the end, it cost Minnesota $1.7 million to collect the bowl’s $1.2 million payout. In a vacuum, Minnesota’s bowl experience would have been at least a half-million-dollar financial drain.

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      College football to take away touchdowns if players taunt

      April 15, 2011 /
      Auburn Tigers’ Michael Dyer (C) celebrates with teammates after running to the half yard line against the Oregon Ducks in the final minute of the fourth quarter in the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game in Glendale, Arizona, January 10, 2011. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      College football will enforce several new rule changes for next season, including one in which touchdowns will be taken away if a player taunts before he reaches the end zone.

      In previous years, a 15-yard penalty was assessed on the extra point attempt, 2-point conversion attempt or the ensuing kickoff. According to ESPN.com, penalties called after the player crosses the goal line will still be assessed on those plays, but now live-ball fouls will be assessed at the spot of the foul or the score could be eliminated completely.

      Also, if a referee sees that you’re having too much fun in the stands, armed security guards will usher you out of the stadium and banish you from further events. The NCAA apparently wanted to add a “lashing rule” in which fans and players could be lashed olden days-style, but they could not get it approved.

      I’m kidding about the lashing rule, of course, but I do wonder about these judgment call rules. What if a defensive player intercepts a pass and on the way to the end zone, sticks his finger up in the air to celebrate? Is that considered taunting? Because by the letter of the law, I’m sure it is in some officials’ eyes. Where do we draw the line here?

      I don’t think there’s any room in the game for choreographed dance routines, pointing the ball towards an opponent or even high-stepping the final 10 yards into the end zone. But the NCAA is inviting disaster by installing a rule that takes away touchdowns and you just know there will be examples of players getting away with certain acts, while others are penalized for “taunting.” I don’t know what the answer is here, but I can see how problem can and will arise because of this enforcement.

      College Football, External Sports

      Fiesta Bowl attorneys seeking reimbursement from lawmakers over free trips

      April 15, 2011 /

      The Arizona legislators who took cross-country trips and accepted free game tickets, meals and other gifts will soon get reimbursement invoices from Fiesta Bowl attorneys.

      Under state law, lawmakers can accept gifts and free travel as long as they are publicity disclosed. And seeing as how much hot water the Fiesta Bowl is currently in, chances are nothing was disclosed when it came to providing these Arizona legislators with gifts to the game.

      According to the Arizona Republic, some legislators could be asked to repay the Fiesta Bowl thousands of dollars stemming from a wide range of expenses, including airfare, lodging and meals. Knowing how some politicians behave in this country, it wouldn’t be a shock to hear that they were given other, uh, pleasurable gifts as well. (You know, like free trips to Hooters…the family restaurant.)

      Seeing as how no one in Arizona will want to be known as the person who took free gifts from a college football bowl game and not pay the money back, I would imagine that these legislators won’t hesitate to break out their checkbooks.

      College Football, External Sports

      Terrelle Pryor not leaving Ohio State for the NFL Supplemental Draft

      April 12, 2011 /
      Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) celebrates after his team defeated the University of Arkansas during the NCAA BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl football game in New Orleans, Louisiana January, 4, 2011. REUTERS/Sean Gardner (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Rest easy, Buckeye fans: Terrelle Pryor will be in an Ohio State uniform next season.

      After speaking with “a source,” Dave Miller of the National Football Post wrote on Monday that Pryor had “not dismissed the idea of going the NFL Supplemental Draft route” and the odds of him staying at Ohio State for his senior season “are about 60-40.”

      But Pryor put that rumor to rest last night when he Tweeted:

      I’ll be suited up at Lincoln Nebraska !! And first player at QB to meet with the Wolverines for the fourth time!!

      Unsurprisingly, Miller is now being lambasted in the comments section of his article, although I find the criticism a tad hypocritical. People spend a quarter of their day searching for rumors and gossip on the internet, another quarter on bashing writers for not coming up with news-worthy topics and another quarter on bashing said writers if their source fails to deliver accurate information. (That last quarter of the day is spent on internet gambling and porn, of course.)

      Obviously Miller ran with something that one of his reliable sources came to him with, which is his job. If someone told him that Pryor was thinking about heading to the NFL Supplemental Draft and then Pryor did just that, Miller would have been the fool that sat on golden information if he didn’t print it. Instead, his source was seemingly wrong and now he’s vilified, although such as the life of a writer/blogger.

      Of course, the flip side is if Miller just made the information up, in which case he deserves to be criticized. There are plenty of writers and websites that throw sh*t up against a wall just to see if it’ll stick and they deserve to be heckled. I don’t know if Miller fits into this category or not, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

      Hey, sometimes a writer’s sources just don’t pan out. That doesn’t mean that the writer is an irresponsible journalist and an undeniable bum. (Although in my case, that bum part is pretty spot on.)

      College Football, External Sports

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑