Category: College Football (Page 65 of 296)

      Will “Championship Week” live up to the name?

      December 4, 2010 /
      EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 26: LaMichael James of the Oregon Ducks celebrates a touchdown run against the Arizona Wildcats on November 26, 2010 at the Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

      One of my favorite writers, Andy Staples, made a very good point on Friday: Unless there are major upsets today, it will go down as a day that none of us remember. Sure, Oregon fans will likely remember the day the Ducks beat Oregon State to get into the national title game. And Auburn fans probably will remember when they won the SEC title. But other than that, most of us will look back at this day like, “meh.”

      Now, if Oregon State or South Carolina do the unthinkable, things might change.

      We might forget, at least for a weekend, that Miami has hired and fired and hired and accepted the resignation — all according to Twitter — of Jon Gruden.

      The fact that Cam Newton’s dad solicited funds for his son without his son knowing might slip our minds, at least for a day.

      Everyone might stop making fun of Rich Rodriguez for blaring Josh Groban at the Michigan football banquet at the end of an emotional plea for his job that is making most Michigan fans cringe.

      Some upsets today would make us forget a lot of that. So what I’m saying is the only person rooting harder for those upsets than the people in Fort Worth, Texas is Rich Rodriguez. Seriously, dude. Josh Groban is even dogging you for liking his song. Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      College Football Championship Weekend Predictions

      December 3, 2010 /
      LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 30: Coach Bo Pelini leads his Nebraska Cornhusker football team on the field against the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium on October 30, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska Defeated Missouri 31-17. (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)

      I love doing predictions at this time of year because college football fans are usually extra testy. (Uh, even more testy than they normally are.)

      God forbid you pick against their teams at this time of year, because you’re an undeniable idiot if you do. (Uh, more an idiot than you normally are.)

      Just remember College Football Superfan, these predictions are just for fun. If I really knew what the hell I was talking about, I would be in Vegas right now sitting poolside with a bucket of beer laying next to me. Instead, I’m sitting at my desk…which is miles and miles away from anything resembling Vegas.

      On to the picks!

      SEC Championship: No. 1 Auburn (12-0) vs. No. 19 South Carolina, 4:00PM ET
      Only a fool would pick against Auburn right now and I sir, am no fool. Actually, I’ve been picking against them all year and I’m sick of being burned. I picked South Carolina in late September to cover against the Tigers. Boom, roasted. I picked Arkansas in mid-October to cover against the Tigers. Boom, roasted. The following week I picked LSU to win outright. Boom, roasted. I picked Georgia to cover. Boom, roasted. I picked Alabama to win outright and cover. BOOM, ROASTED. The only time I took one of Auburn’s opponents to cover and actually got it right was a month ago when they played Ole Miss. But whatever. I picked against them damn near every week, so I was bound to be right one of those times. But not this week – I’m going with Auburn. I don’t care what the matchup looks like and I’m not going to dive into the X’s and O’s. I’m just going to sit back, watch them fall behind by two scores in the first half and then enjoy as Cam Newton rattles off four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win by 10.
      THE PICK: AUBURN –5.5. Boom, roasted.

      ACC Championship: No. 21 Florida State (9-3) vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech (10-2), 7:45PM ET
      After losing to Boise State and James Madison to open up the season, the Hokies have rattled off 10-straight wins and will now meet a Seminoles team that has won three in a row following their own two-game skid. Tyrod Taylor and Christian Ponder will get most of the attention (and rightfully so), but defense wins this one in the end. VA Tech has only given up six touchdowns in the fourth quarter this season and has been outstanding in crunch time. This is about as even a matchup as one could make, but I think the Hokie defense prevails in the end and VA Tech holds on.
      THE PICK: VIRGINIA TECH –3.5

      Big 12 Championship: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska, 8:00PM ET
      After the way they lit up the scoreboard against Oklahoma State last Saturday, I get the feeling that people expect the Sooners to roll this weekend. Everyone gravitates to offensive teams and that doesn’t fit Nebraska despite their 45-17 dismantling of a crap Colorado team last weekend. That said, OU running back DeMarco Murray injured his knee in the win over the Cowboys and while Bob Stoops is optimistic about the senior’s chances of playing this Saturday, it’s not a given. Either way, Murray may be limited, which isn’t a good sign seeing as how Nebraska ranks fifth in the nation in total defense. This game kind of reminds me of last year’s Big 12 title game, when many people outside of Lincoln thought that Texas would roll. But Bo Pelini’s squad held firm and nearly won the game in the end. I think we see a repeat of last year and Nebraska gives Oklahoma hell for four quarters.
      THE PICK: NEBRASKA +4.5

      Other picks, minus the foreplay:

      Northern Illinois –17. (Friday)
      Washington –5.5
      Pittsburgh +2
      Oregon State +17
      Boise State –37.5
      UCLA +6
      Troy -5

      College Football, External Sports

      The NCAA is playing with fire in Cam Newton ruling

      December 2, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 26: Quarterback Cam Newton of the Auburn Tigers celebrates their 28-27 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      If Cam Newton had nothing to do with his father shopping him around as if he were an item on eBay, then he shouldn’t be punished. That’s only fair. But what exactly is the NCAA saying when it deems Newton eligible and slaps his father on the wrist despite coming to a conclusion that rules had been broken?

      In case you haven’t heard, Auburn will have its starting quarterback this Saturday for the SEC title game. And when/if the Tigers beat South Carolina, they’ll have him for the national championship as well.

      This was all made possible by the NCAA, which ruled that a violation of Newton’s amateur status had occurred but he had nothing to do with it. He is now cleared to play and more than likely, he’ll win the Heisman because of the NCAA’s “findings.”

      Newton’s father, Cecil, got the worst of it from the NCAA. He now only has “limited” access to Auburn’s football program during his son’s stay there. That’s right: he shops his son’s athletic skills to the highest bidder and then is told to lay low when he’s caught. When Reggie Bush and his family got caught accepting free housing, suits and cars, the USC program was dealt a two-year bowl ban and the loss of scholarships. When Dez Bryant had dinner with Deion Sanders (and subsequently lied to the NCAA about it), he was deemed ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season.

      But Newton’s father tries to cash in on his son’s athletic talents and the only thing that happens to him is that someone will have to let him in the side door when he goes to the Georgia Dome this Saturday.

      Again, I don’t think Cam should be punished if Cecil committed the wrongdoing. But what happens the next time a situation like this occurs? What’s stopping another father from shopping his son to two schools? After all, if he gets caught, he just has to make sure that his son had nothing to do with it and he’ll essentially get off without punishment.

      The NCAA botched this one. If it wants to play tough with programs like USC and players like Bush and Bryant, then it should have played tough with the Newton’s, too. If Cam were made ineligible for the SEC title game and Auburn were to have been stripped of all its wins this year, then maybe the next father who tried to cash in would think twice about his actions. Maybe he would consider how Newton lost his chance to play for a national championship and win a Heisman and not taken the risk.

      Instead, the NCAA just created a huge loophole for the next father with a gifted son.

      College Football, External Sports

      2010 Championship Week Odds

      December 1, 2010 /
      TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 26: Quarterback Cam Newton of the Auburn Tigers looks to the sidelines for a play call against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 19 South Carolina, 4:00PM ET
      About midway through the second quarter of last week’s Auburn-Alabama game, every college football fan around the nation was wondering how things would play out in the BCS once the Tigers lost. Then Cam Newton found his Superman cape and promptly led Auburn to its greatest comeback of the season. But it was nothing new for the Tigers, who have trailed many times before in big games throughout the year, only to rally and put the clamps on their opponents in the fourth quarter. One of those rallies came against South Carolina earlier this season when they trailed 20-7 midway through the second. The Tigers went on to score two touchdowns and blanked the Gamecocks in the fourth to win, 35-27. Now the two schools meet in the SEC Championship and Auburn will once again put its national title hopes on the line. It’s pretty simple: Win and play for a national championship or lose and hope that TCU still disgusts voters.
      CURRENT ODDS: AUBURN -5

      No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska, 8:00PM ET
      Nebraska hasn’t won a Big 12 title since 1999 and with its move to the Big Ten next year, this will be the Huskers’ final chance to win one. They’ve have an opportunity on Saturday to avenge their 13-12 loss to Texas in last year’s Big 12 title game, a heartbreaking defeat that still is on Bo Pelini’s mind. Oklahoma earned a meeting with Nebraska thanks to its wild 47-41 victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday. The win created a three-way tie atop the South Division along with OK State and Texas A&M, but the Sooners go the nod because they were the highest ranked BCS team of the trio. Will Nebraska’s defense be able to contain Landry Jones and DeMarco Murray? Furthermore, will Taylor Martinez be healthy enough to play? He’s day-to-day with an ankle injury and even if he’s healthy enough to go, sophomore Cody Green could see some playing time.
      CURRENT ODDS: OKLAHOMA -4.5

      No. 21 Florida State vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech, 7:45PM ET
      What a wild ride the Hokies have been on this year. They lost to Boise State 33-30 in the opener and then followed up that performance by losing to James Madison 21-16 the next week. But then Frank Beamer’s squad got it together and rattled off 10 straight to get to where they are now, which is a date with Florida State in the ACC title game. The Seminoles and Hokies have combined to win three of the five ACC championship games throughout the year. FSU has its own hot streak going, as they’ve won three in a row following a two-game skid. VA Tech’s Tyrod Taylor has gotten more accurate as a passer throughout the season, while FSU’s Christian Ponder has battled through nagging injuries and now wants a crack at the Orange Bowl. If Ponder and the Seminoles are to be victorious, they better figure out a way to score in the fourth quarter because VA Tech’s defense (which has allowed just six fourth-quarter touchdowns this season) has been outstanding in crunch time this year.
      CURRENT ODDS: VIRGINIA TECH -4

      No. 2 Oregon vs. Oregon State, 3:30PM ET
      Oh, to be Oregon State. Not only do the Beavers have to figure out a way to slow Oregon’s explosive offense, but they’re also facing a Ducks team that can’t be too pleased that Auburn replaced them as the No. 1 team in the BCS standings last week. The plan is simple for Oregon: Beat Oregon State in the 114th edition of the Civil War and play for a national title. Lose, and then hope that TCU doesn’t leapfrog them in the rankings. But Oregon State won’t be a pushover, as a win would make the Beavers bowl eligible. Jacquizz Rodgers and company have been pesky this year against top ranked teams, so don’t assume that it’s going to be a blowout in Corvallis this weekend.
      CURRENT ODDS: OREGON -16.5

      2010 Championship Week Odds & Point Spreads

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      Would Jon Gruden be a good fit at Miami?

      December 1, 2010 /
      BRIAN CASSELLA | Times Photo via Newscom

      Two days ago, Jon Gruden issued a statement that said he was committed to Monday Night Football and to ESPN. But that was before he had to endure the 49ers-Cardinals matchup, so maybe a couple of hours of watching Derek Anderson play has changed his mind.

      Several sources, including ESPN.com, are reporting that Gruden is the University of Miami’s top choice to replace Randy Shannon, who was fired on Saturday following the Canes’ loss to South Florida. Oregon wanted Gruden to become their offensive coordinator in 2009, but he declined their offer and stayed in the booth. But will he be lured back to the sidelines now that a major university wants him to be their head coach?

      It’s easy to see why Miami would want Gruden. First and foremost he’s a Super Bowl-winning head coach, which are hard to come by. He’s also a big name (someone college players would respect, or so you would think), a tireless worker and a great offensive mind. He also knows how to work with quarterbacks, which is obviously important at all levels.

      But would it work? Would Gruden be a good fit for the college ranks?

      While he cut his teeth in college football before moving up to the NFL, he has never been a college head coach. The X’s and O’s may be similar, but college coaches have to know how to recruit. For as much success as Gruden had at the pro level, he often preferred to work with veteran players like Rich Gannon, Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia. That’s not to say he couldn’t mold young minds, but he seemingly likes to work with players that already know the game – not ones that have to be taught it.

      Either way, it’s an interesting concept. Miami is tired of losing and wants someone that can come in right away and win. Is that person Gruden? Maybe, but there are a lot of things to consider. Just because he’s a big name doesn’t mean he’s the right person for the job. Besides, he may have several options in the NFL once the season is over. Who knows if he even wants to coach at the college level?

      College Football, External Sports

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