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May 2008
Richt will help UGA manage great expectations
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-The SEC Spring meetings come to an end this afternoon when the league’s presidents make their final decisions and the revenue checks are passed around. This is always a happy day in the conference.
The end of the SEC meetings also marks the end of the work year for your humble correspondent. I’ll be going away for a while to catch up on my reading and tackle the growing list of projects Mrs. Barnhart has for me at home. I’m also going to work on my golf game but those of you who have seen me play know that it’s pretty hopeless.
I’ll be back in July before the ACC and SEC preseason meetings. But before I go I want to thank the regular readers of this blog.
I don’t get a chance to read all of the blogs on our website but I don’t think there is a more passionate group of people about their sport than you. Yeah, I get a little discouraged sometimes when the conversation evolves into the written version of a food fight. But that only happens because people care and they want to stick up for their school or their team. I’ve written before that in the South, bragging rights about college football are more important than oil rights in Texas. You folks prove that every day.
You have supported this blog, kept me on my toes, and corrected me when I needed it. And I appreciate it.
I could be wrong, but when I get back I think we’ll be getting ready for one of the most competitive college football seasons we’ve had in a long, long time. And if gets any wilder than the 2007 season, we are all in for quite a ride.
Here are a few parting thoughts to ponder:
**—Georgia will be the favorite in the SEC East but I have to tell you that based on my conversations down here, Florida and Tennessee think they are going to be pretty good. I don’t worry about the Bulldogs being able to handle the hype because of their head coach, who is as level headed as they come. “I’ve told my guys that if being No. 1 (in preseason) motivates you to work hard and live up to that ranking, then it’s a good thing,” Mark Richt told me late this week. “But if it gives you the sense that you are entitled to victories just because of what people are saying about you, then it is a bad thing.”
Richt knows that there are high expectations for Georgia this season. And he also knows he can’t keep that from his players. Managing those expectations and making sure they are not counterproductive to the play on the field is an issue that Georgia will have to manage every single day. Starting today.
**—I still say Auburn is going to be the surprise team in the league and win the SEC West. LSU will be so good up front on both sides of the ball that the quarterback position might not matter but the road schedule for the Tigers is much less friendly this time. If you play Alabama, you want to play them early. By the end of the year the Tide could be pretty good.
**—Clemson will be the favorite in the ACC but the offensive line still concerns me. We’ll know a lot more after the Tigers play Alabama in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30. Georgia Tech will struggle early but finish well. Florida State will be better but not that much better. I think 2009 will be the come back season for the Seminoles.
**—I think the odds are good that the Southern Cal-Ohio State winner on Sept. 13 will be in the BCS championship game. I also think that the opponent will be either Oklahoma or the SEC champion.
Now, that should be enough to keep the conversation going until I get back. Thanks again for your support. See you in July.
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SEC coaches vote for early signing day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few things worth noting here at the SEC Spring Meetings:
1. Coaches vote on early signing period: The idea of an early signing period for football, probably in late November, keeps being discussed at these meetings. The idea is to provide an opportunity for guys to sign after their senior season instead of having to wait until the national signing date, which is the first Wednesday in February. The coaches voted 9-3 in favor of a proposal that would allow schools to sign players for one day on the Monday before Dec. 1.
The rationale for the rule is that more and more players are committing early and would like to sign and avoid the final six weeks of recruiting. It would take pressure off coaches if they didn’t have to sign their entire class on one day.
Urban Meyer is against it. “Kids are being pressured too early as it is,” Meyer said. “We should be taking more time, not less time, to evaluate these guys.”
Nick Saban is for it. “I just think we spend too much time and money babysitting guys who have already committed to us who want to sign. Let those guys sign and let’s spend our time and money recruiting the ones who have not made a decision.”
Phillip Fulmer said he could be talked into it. “I’m coming around to the idea. If there was a way to let the guys sign early and get them off the board, it would simplify the final weeks of recruiting.”
Bobby Petrino of Arkansas is against it: “I just don’t think it helps a school like Arkansas. We got here in December and were able to change some minds of some young men in our state. Had there been an early signing period those kids might have been already signed. I just don’t think it’s a fit for us.”
The idea still has to be approved by the league’s athletics directors and sent to the NCAA in the form of proposed legislation. The odds are still very much against it.
2. The Prez asks about Stafford: Georgia coach Mark Richt met with President George W. Bush on Monday when he returned from the Middle East. Now the president is a baseball man who formerly owned the Texas Rangers. But he is also a proud Texan. So he asked Richt about his quarterback, Matt Stafford, a native of Dallas.
“The President wanted to know how we were able to get a quarterback out of Highland Park High School. “I just told him that we were happy to have Matt on our side.”
3. Tuberville’s Lucky Seven: Only in the state of Alabama could this be an issue.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was with Richt in the Middle East and on their last night they joined forces to coach a flag football game among the troops. When Tuberville’s team won 14-12 the players lifted the coaches on their shoulders. At the encouragement of the soldiers, many of whom were SEC fans, Tuberville lifted seven fingers in the air.
The news and photos of the gesture quickly made it to the other side of the world. Needless to say, the reference did not go unnoticed in Tuscaloosa. Auburn has won six straight games against Alabama and Tuberville, one of the better PR coaches around, has gigged the Crimson Tide faithful after each game by holding up the appropriate amount of fingers. After the streak got to four, Tuberville actually has some “Fear The Thumb” T-shirts printed.
Think that photo won’t come up in November when Auburn will be going for its seventh straight win over Alabama?
“Shoot, we were just having fun,” Tuberville said.
In case you’re making plans, that game is Nov. 29 in Tuscaloosa.
4. Will there be five years of eligibility? The Big 12 is sponsoring legislation to give football players five years of eligibility. That would eliminate red shirting, where players simply sit out their freshmen season and then get to play four years.
“It makes sense because there are guys that you hold back who could help you at least on the special teams,” Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. “You could also use those guys when you get to November and your team is starting to get banged up.”
The odds of passage, however, are slim because college presidents are hesitant to make an eligibility rule that applies to only one sport. And there is reason to believe that if players received five years of eligibility, the coaches would eventually ask for an increase of their current 85 scholarships. That won’t happen.
Florida coach Urban Meyer had a different take on this issue.
“I’m not sure it really helps a school like Florida because most of the guys we bring in we plan to play right away,” he said. “We don’t always do it but that’s the plan. The athlete at this level is rarely going to stick around for five years.”
5. Some early SEC TV: We’ll probably get an announcement today or tomorrow but here are four games that you can probably mark on your calendars right now.
Sept. 13: Georgia at South Carolina, CBS Sept. 20: Florida at Tennessee, CBS Sept. 20: LSU at Auburn, ESPN Nov. 1: Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville), CBS.
Also, don’t be surprised if CBS does a double header on Oct. 11 with Florida-LSU in Gainesville and Georgia-Tennessee in Athens.
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Saban still steamed about “Saban Rule”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-Needless to say that Alabama coach Nick Saban is still steamed about the new rule that has taken head coaches off the road during the May evaluation period for recruiting.
It didn’t take much prodding here at the SEC Meetings for him to continue to make his displeasure known. It may have something to do with the fact that the change, which was passed in January, has become known as the “Saban Rule.”
“I understand why they did it,” Saban said. “It was because everybody was paranoid about what everybody else is doing. I got turned in all kind of times because I was supposedly doing this and that and I wasn’t doing it. I was just watching practice and evaluating players, which is part of our job.”
In the past head coaches could visit schools in May to evaluate a rising senior. They could talk to the coaches, watch practice or film. But they could not talk to the player other than an incidental contact or “bump.”
The problem became that many of these visits by head coaches were turned into big events. The high school coach, trying to help his player, would make sure the player came in contact with the head coach. Some coaches followed the rules. Some coaches participated and stretched the bump rule pretty thin.
There was really no effective way to enforce the no contact rule. So legislation was proposed to end the uncertainty by taking head coaches off the road and letting assistants do the evaluation.
It is worth noting that the legislation to make the change was sponsored by the SEC, whose coaches voted overwhelmingly for it. The vote, according to someone in the room, was not close. The NCAA passed the legislation last January.
Even some coaches who don’t agree with the new rule, like Florida’s Urban Meyer, understand why it was put into place.
“Coaches were being put in very uncomfortable positions,” Meyer said. “You’re not supposed to talk to the kid but you get to the school and a lot of people show up. The high school coach brings the kid out and so what do you do?”
Saban, who is known in the business as an aggressive and hands on recruiter, is not so understanding about the new rule.
During his NFL days Saban said he learned the value of player evaluation ahead of the draft. He takes the same approach in determining who Alabama will recruit. This rule, he said, takes one evaluation tool out of his hands.
“We get paid a lot of money and part of our job is evaluating players. If I’m in the NFL I’m watching guys play in college. I watch them in the combine. And then I work them out,” Saban said. “I think the interest we show in high school athletes promotes our game. And I like doing it.”
That is the key phrase. Saban knows that other head coaches don’t like that aspect of recruiting and he felt that gave him an edge. And when you’re trying to rebuild a program like Alabama, you need every edge you can get. A year ago he used that edge to put together the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. Now it’s gone. That’s why he’s not happy.
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The SEC’s deepest coaching lineup ever?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-Good morning from Destin where the SEC Spring Meetings are scheduled to begin this afternoon.
Everybody knows that the SEC has five coaches who have won national championships in football. But in the course of doing research for a story that will run this week, I discovered how deep the lineup of coaches in this league really is. Of the 12 head coaches in the SEC, 11 have won a conference championship at some point in their careers.
Seven have won SEC championships. Four others won championships in other leagues. Three have won championships as a head coach in two different conferences. And the one man who has not won a conference title as a head coach, Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom, has been around championship football all of his life, as you will see below.
Here is a rundown of the 12 SEC coaches and their experience with championship football. I’m sure I may have missed a championship connection or two but you get the picture.
In fact, you could argue that this is the deepest lineup of coaches that the SEC has ever had. The early 60s has always been considered the golden age when the league had Bryant (Alabama), Dooley (Georgia), Vaught (Ole Miss), Jordan (Auburn), McLendon (LSU), Dickey (Tennessee), Graves (Florida) and Dodd (Georgia Tech). All are in the College Football Hall of Fame.
A generation or two from now, will this group compare favorably with them? Tell me what you think.
Nick Saban, Alabama: National championship (2003 at LSU); SEC championship (2001, 2003 at LSU); Mid-American Conference co-championship (1990 at Toledo).
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn: SEC championship (2004); SEC championship game (2000); assistant coach on Miami national championship teams in 1987, 1989, and 1991.
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas: Big East championship (2006 at Louisville); Conference USA champ (2004 at Louisville).
Urban Meyer, Florida: National championship (2006); SEC championship (2006); Mountain West championship (2004 at Utah).
Rich Brooks, Kentucky Pac-10 championship (1994 at Oregon); interim head coach on 1998 Atlanta Falcons, who went to the Super Bowl.
Mark Richt, Georgia: SEC championship (2002, 2005); SEC championship game (2003); assistant on Florida State national championship teams in 1993, 1999; assistant coach on nine ACC championship teams.
Les Miles, LSU: National championship (2007), SEC championship (2007); played on one Big Ten championship team at Michigan (1974); was an assistant coach on five Big Ten championship teams at Michigan.
Houston Nutt, Ole Miss: Ohio Valley championship (1995, 1996 at Murray State); SEC championship game (2002, 2006 at Arkansas).
Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State: Played on Alabama’s 1973 national championship team; assistant coach on Alabama’s national championship teams in 1978 and 1979; assistant coach (under Bobby Ross) on San Diego’s Super Bowl team in 1994.
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: National championship (1996 at Florida); SEC championship (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000 at Florida); ACC championship (1989 at Duke);
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee: National championship (1998); SEC championship (1997, 1998); SEC championship game (2001, 2004, 2007); played on Tennessee’s SEC championship team of 1969.
Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt: Southern Conference champion (1999, 2001 at Furman); defensive coordinator on five Southern Conference champions at Furman, including the 1988 Division I-AA national championship team.
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Five games that will decide the ACC championship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Can’t believe it’s Friday. Can’t believe Memorial Day weekend is here and that the SEC Spring Meetings are next week. Where has this year gone?
Yesterday we gave you five games that will decide the SEC championship. Today we’ll do the same for the ACC.
Enjoy your long weekend and please take a moment to remember who we honor with this holiday and why we honor them. And think about the coaches, including Mark Richt (Georgia), Tommy Tuberville (Auburn), Randy Shannon (Miami), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and Jack Siedlecki (Yale), who are making their way back from the Middle East where they visited our troops.
Have a great weekend. We’ll see you Tuesday morning from the SEC Meetings in Destin.
1. Clemson at Wake Forest, Oct. 9: This is a dangerous game for Clemson. If the Tigers beat Alabama on Aug. 30 at the Georgia Dome, they have a good chance to be 5-0 when they visit Groves Stadium on a Thursday night. Jim Grobe, whose teams have won 20 games the past two seasons, may be sneaky good again.
2. Virginia Tech at North Carolina, Sept. 20: You folks may not believe me, but this one may be for first place in the Coastal Division. North Carolina was 4-8 last season but the Tar Heels will be the most improved team in the league in the second year under Butch Davis. This will be a very good football game.
3. Clemson at Florida State, Nov. 8: There is no telling what the mood in Tallahassee will be by the time we get to Bowden Bowl X. But I just get the feeling that this game is going to be big in determining who wins the ACC Atlantic. Tommy has won four of the last five meetings against his dad. Nov. 8, by the way, will be Bobby Bowden’s 79th birthday.
4. Virginia Tech at Miami, Nov. 13: I think Miami gets out of the gate slowly because the Hurricanes are so young. But by this game Randy Shannon’s team will start to figure some things out. This will be the second straight week that Virginia Tech plays on a Thursday night.
5. Clemson at Boston College, Nov. 1: The good news for the Tigers is that they get a week off before going to Chestnut Hill. The bad news is that it might be a low-scoring game because of the cold. The Eagles lost QB Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick in the draft, but they have seven starters from 2007 plus LB Brian Toal back on defense.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Wake Forest at Florida State, Sept. 20: The last time Wake Forest visited Doak Campbell Stadium, the Deacons handed Bobby Bowden his first home shutout (30-0) ever at Florida State.
North Carolina at Miami, Sept. 27: This will be Miami’s first ACC game in its new home at Dolphin Stadium. The Tar Heels will be coming off a difficult game with Virginia Tech, but they just might surprise the Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech at Florida State, Oct. 25: This will be the fourth road game in five weeks for the Hokies, who are at Boston College the Saturday before. There are also trips to North Carolina and Nebraska in that stretch.
Miami at Georgia Tech, Nov. 20: If Paul Johnson is still looking for his first signature win at Georgia Tech, this Thursday night in November seems like a good time to get it.
Maryland at Clemson, Sept. 27: My Maryland friends are telling me that the Terps are going to jump up and surprise some people this season. If Maryland beats California at home on Sept. 13, the Terps will be 4-0 when they go to Death Valley. If the Fridge has a surprise team, we’ll find out here.
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Five games that will decide the SEC championship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spring practice is over. Summer is on its way. And if you haven’t made your travel plans for the 2008 season yet, you probably should. We are here to help. Here, gentle readers, are the five games that will determine the 2008 SEC championship.
1. Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville, Nov. 1: If last season’s end zone dance by Georgia had never happened, this would still be one of the biggest games between the Dawgs and the Gators in recent memory. First place in the SEC East will probably be on the line, as well as the inside track to a spot in the BCS title game. I know we’re not supposed to call it the “Cocktail Party” any more. But with a Heisman Trophy winner (Florida’s Tim Tebow) on one side and a potential Heisman winner (Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno) on the other, this has a chance to be one for the ages.
2. LSU at Auburn, Sept. 20: Auburn had LSU beat in Baton Rouge last season before Matt Flynn threw a Hail Mary touchdown pass with only one second left. The winner becomes the team to beat in the SEC West. Something wild always seems to happen in this game. This is where the defending national champs could suffer their first loss of 2008.
3. LSU at Florida, Oct. 11: If the Gators win at Tennessee on Sept. 20, they should be 5-0 when LSU comes to Gainesville. LSU is off the week before while Florida will have to play at Arkansas. That makes it a dangerous game for the Gators.
4. Georgia at LSU, Oct. 25: Here is why this game is so huge. If Georgia is undefeated, a win probably puts the Bulldogs at no worse than No. 2 (to the Southern Cal-Ohio State winner on Sept. 13) going into the following week’s game with Florida. If Georgia already has a conference loss, getting beat in Baton Rouge could knock the Bulldogs out of the SEC East race. It could also be the second loss for LSU if the Tigers stumble at Auburn or at Florida.
5. Georgia at Auburn, Nov. 15: How many times has Georgia needed a win at Auburn to clinch a championship? This year will be no different. Auburn will, no doubt, remember the beat down it got from the Bulldogs after Mark Richt pulled out the black jerseys last season in Athens. This could also be a preview of the SEC championship game on Dec. 6.
HONORABLE MENTION Of course, I could be totally wrong about all of this. So here are five more games that could also be a factor in the SEC race.
Florida at Tennessee, Sept. 20: People are telling me that I’m not giving Tennessee enough love. If the Vols can knock off the Gators in their first SEC game of the season, they will turn the SEC race upside down.
South Carolina at Florida, Nov. 15: Florida’s national championship team of 2006 had to block a field goal on the last play of the game to beat Steve Spurrier in Gainesville. Why do I get the feeling that the Head Ball Coach will keep the Gamecocks close in this one?
Alabama at LSU, Nov. 8: Nick Saban returns to LSU after losing a heartbreaker to the Tigers (41-34) last season in Tuscaloosa. By the time this game rolls around all those talented freshmen at Alabama won’t be freshmen any more. This game will be closer than the experts think.
Tennessee at Auburn, Sept. 27: Either team could win this game because both will be beat up. Tennessee plays Florida the week before while Auburn plays LSU.
Auburn at Alabama Nov. 29: Regardless of how Auburn fares against Georgia on Nov. 15, chances are the Tigers will have to beat Alabama to earn a trip to Atlanta. Auburn has beaten Alabama a record six straight seasons and coach Nick Saban knows that his efforts in Tuscaloosa won’t be fully validated until that string is broken. I think the folks at Bryant-Denny will be a little geeked up for this one.
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Should the fans get what they want?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warning: This blog is going to make most of you mad.
For months now I’ve been getting a lot of comments on this blog that essentially say this:
We, the fans, want a playoff in college football. We buy the tickets and we watch the games on TV. So doesn’t college football HAVE to give us what we want?
The answer, gentle readers, is an emphatic no. Why is it no? Simple. And this is the part that is going to make you mad.
The rank and file fan is a very important constituency for college football for the reasons listed above. But fans are not always THE most important constituency when it comes to this sport.
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese gets high marks from those of us who cover the BCS because he says what’s on his mind, even when it is not popular. He recently gave this comment to my friend Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com:
“My gut instinct is that the vast majority of people would want a playoff. But this isn’t about giving people what they want. I just don’t believe that. This is about creating a model that works and is in the best interest, hopefully, of student-athletes.”
The reality is that if you’re a conference commissioner or an athletics director and your financial success depends on college football, fans are not the only people you have to keep happy. That list also includes:
Television: The SEC will share at least $122 million in revenue when they meet next week in Destin. Of that total, about $50 million will come from televised football. Television is the financial engine that drives college football and is also its No. 1 recruiting tool. You have to keep those folks happy.
Bowls: After expenses, the SEC netted $23.7 million from the bowls during the 2006-2007 academic year. With two teams in the BCS again last season, that figure will probably be higher this year. Last season the bowls gave nine SEC teams and eight ACC teams a place to go after the regular season. The bowls pour over $200 million per year back into Division I-A football.
Sponsors: These folks spend millions on advertising and other kinds of financial support to the schools and the conferences. They expect to get a big bang for their buck. And they expect to be treated well.
Big donors: These folks step up and write the big checks when something has to get done in a hurry, like buying out a coach that you just fired.
Season ticket holders: These people form the core of your financial base and you don’t want to do anything to diminish the value to the regular season. They have a great deal invested in the six or more trips they make each year to watch regular season games.
Players: The athletic and academic demands on players is already intense. Many play 14 games in a season now. An eight-team playoff would add two more games and increase the risk of injury.
But if fans don’t buy tickets or go to bowl games or watch on television then none of this other stuff matters, you say. And of course, you’re right.
There is, however, no evidence-none—that fans are so upset about the BCS that they will withhold their support college football. Division I-A set another all-time attendance record last season during a period when there are more games on television than ever before.
It is the great paradox of college football. You can cuss the BCS all you want, and I’ve certainly done it. But the fact remains that college football is more popular than it’s ever been and the game is generating more money than it ever has. The post-season may be controversial, but it creates a passionate off-season discussion of college football that never existed before.
The people who run college football may be stubborn on this issue but they are not stupid. While controversial, this post-season model, with all of its flaws, is working for the commissioners and their schools. When this model no longer works, only then will they change.
And that’s the truth.
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Some final thoughts on the Georgia schedule
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wrote a piece last Sunday comparing Georgia’s 2008 schedule to the schedules of the last 10 BCS champions. We all know Georgia has a tough schedule and some of you are getting sick of talking about it. And this is the last time I’ll write about Georgia’s schedule for a while.
But here is an element of Georgia’s schedule that I really didn’t have the space to explore in great detail on Sunday.
When it comes to analyzing a tough schedule, it’s not just WHO you play and WHERE you play them. Another big factor that makes a schedule really difficult is WHEN you play somebody. In other words, who did you play the week before and who did your opponent play the week before?
For example: Last season Georgia had its one precious open date the week before it played Florida in Jacksonville. Florida, conversely, had to work pretty hard to beat Kentucky 45-37 in Lexington. You can’t overstate the importance of that fact in the eventual outcome of the game (Georgia, 42-30). Georgia played with a lot of energy in that game but I think that energy came more from the off week than the Bulldogs’ en masse end zone celebration.
When you look at Georgia’s schedule through that prism, you see some real danger spots.
Arizona State, Sept. 20: This would be a tough game under any circumstances because of the travel. But what makes it doubly tough is that Georgia will play at South Carolina the week before it goes to Tempe. South Carolina has some issues on offense but you know the Head Ball Coach is going to have something extra for Georgia. He always does. Georgia should win but it will be a very difficult game because of the South Carolina defense. Arizona State has UNLV at home the week before it plays Georgia, which is the third of four straight home games to open the season for the Sun Devils.
Alabama, Sept. 27: After two straight road games to South Carolina and Arizona State, Georgia gets the Crimson Tide at home. Alabama will have played at Arkansas the week before. So that should be a push. But after two straight weeks on the road will Georgia be mentally fatigued? Georgia gets a week off after this game and the danger is looking ahead to that break. Will Mark Richt have to pull out the black jerseys to get his guys geeked up?
Florida in Jacksonville, Nov. 1: When Georgia dominated the series against Florida in the Vince Dooley years, the Bulldogs always had an open date or a very winnable game the week before going to Jacksonville. Some of that scheduling flexibility was taken away when the SEC went to divisional play in 1992. I went back and looked at the 44 seasons that have been played since Vince Dooley became head coach in 1964 and I believe the trip to LSU (Oct. 25) represents the best team the Bulldogs have played the week before Florida in that span. In 1969 Georgia played Tennessee, the eventual SEC champions, the week before Florida and lost (17-3) in Athens. Florida has a home game with Kentucky the week before it plays the Bulldogs. Even if Georgia wins at Baton Rouge, the game will take a physical toll on the team.
At Auburn, Nov. 15: Late November games are tough on everybody in this league because by then the injuries are starting to mount up. But Auburn will catch the Bulldogs at the end of that four-game stretch away from Athens (at LSU, Florida in Jax, at Kentucky, at Auburn). The week before that game Auburn will play Tennessee-Martin, a Division I-AA team that went 4-7 last in 2007.
The one place where Georgia does catch a break is that the Bulldogs have a week off before the host Tennessee in Athens. Tennessee doesn’t have an open date but it does have Northern Illinois, which has a new coaching staff now that Joe Novak has retired.
If you’re a Bulldog, it’s just something to think about.
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College Game Day coming to ATL?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay. We’ve got two more weeks before we shut this thing down for our summer break. So, other than the fact that Big Brown is a lot of horse and that the Braves are unbeatable at home, what did we learn over the weekend?
1. College Game Day coming to the ATL? The folks at ESPN like to keep their options open and insist no decision has been made. But I’m hearing that the College Game Day boys are coming to Atlanta on Aug. 30 as part of the run-up to the Clemson-Alabama game at the Georgia Dome. That’s going to be a fun weekend of football around here. Georgia Tech plays Jacksonville State (and Ryan Perrilloux) on Thursday, Aug. 28. There will be plenty of high school football on Friday. Georgia will play Georgia Southern in the afternoon (I’m guessing) on Aug. 30 in Athens with Clemson-Alabama as the nightcap back in Atlanta.
2. Tech’s game with Jax State looks a lot different: About a week ago Georgia Tech’s opener with Jacksonville State looked like a pretty good way for Paul Johnson to make his debut as the head Yellow Jacket. But now Jax State has gone from having no quarterback to lining up behind center with Perrilloux, the MVP of the 2007 SEC championship game. That should sell a few more tickets to the Thursday night event and give new defensive coordinator Dave Wommack something to think about this summer.
3. The Dawgs are buying up ASU season tickets: I talked to Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson the other day. He says his fans are fired up over Georgia’s trip to Tempe on Sept. 20. “Shoot, we like playing teams from the SEC,” said Erickson, who won a pair of national championships at Miami. “I just wish Georgia wasn’t so good.” Erickson told me that a lot of people from Georgia are buying up Arizona State’s season ticket packages, some of which are as cheap as $99. “Something tells me Georgia is going to have a pretty good crowd here,” Erickson said.
4. Joe Pa says he’s fine. But will he catch Bowden? Turns out that Joe Paterno’s trip to the hospital last week was for dehydration, which is not uncommon for folks his age (81). But reading the report on Paterno and meeting with Florida State coach Bobby Bowden down in Amelia Island last week made me wonder: Can the Penn State coach (372 career wins) catch Bowden (373 wins) this season? I say no.
The best possible season I see for Florida State is 8-4 with losses to Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida and maybe Wake Forest. Ditto for Penn State with losses to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio State and either Michigan or Iowa. If both win their bowl games, Bowden still has a one-game lead. But what if they are TIED going into the 2009 season? Then the beat goes on because neither of these guys is going to back down unless they are forced to do it.
5. A playoff will come, but not because of pressure from fans: Florida State president T.K. Wetherell said last week that financial pressures will be the thing that finally forces Division I-A football to adopt some kind of playoff to determine the national championship. Wetherell, who has long been in favor of a playoff, made the remarks to a group of media attending a forum in Dallas sponsored by the National Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America. Wetherell is right in this respect. The thing that ultimately creates change in football is not fan pressure, which is considerable on this issue, but the financial pressures that are only going to get worse in college athletics. The last time there were major financial pressures college football added a 12th regular season game. Four years from now, when the new BCS contract will be negotiated, the powers that be will have to go to the marketplace with a new product in order to command a lot more money. That will be a “Plus One,” where two teams are picked to play for the national championship AFTER the bowls, or a four-team playoff. It is inevitable.
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Is Saban “getting around” recruiting rules?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s another “Free-Wheeling Friday” and inquiring minds want to know:
1. Why the fuss over Saban’s use of technology? So the NCAA passes a rule that head coaches can’t visit high school recruits during the May evaluation period. But phone calls and any kind of electronic communication are acceptable. So Nick Saban, the Alabama head coach, sets up video conferencing, which is clearly within the rules. Then come the charges that Saban is “getting around” the rule. No, no, no. That is using technology to work within the rules. The rule was put into place because of the inability to enforce the “bump rule” where head coaches could see but not talk to recruits. Fine. But coaches are being held responsible for the character of the people they recruit. If technology allows them to make a better character evaluation of a potential recruit, then why not use it? Guys like Saban and Urban Meyer are great recruiters because they stay ahead of the curve and embrace the technology. So don’t be surprised if the NCAA eventually bans video conferencing with recruits.
2. Will Ryan Perrilloux last the entire season at Jacksonville State? The former LSU quarterback and the MVP of the 2007 SEC championship game is down to his last strike. Dismissed by Tigers coach Les Miles, Perrilloux has signed with Jacksonville (Ala.) State, a Division I-AA team, where he will be eligible immediately and will certainly be the starter this fall.
Perrilloux does have this going for him. Jacksonville State is coached by a veteran in Jack Crowe, who has worked at Clemson and Auburn and has been the head coach at Arkansas. He has worked with SEC caliber athletes. Perrilloux has to know that if he puts up good numbers at the I-AA level, somebody will use a draft choice on him. If he blows this chance, he’ll be too toxic to touch.
It would be a shame to see so much talent go to waste. We can only wish the young man good luck.
3. Is Southern Cal in trouble? I’ve been reading that the allegations that Southern Cal basketball star O.J. Mayo had his hand out (surprise, surprise) combined with the allegations involving USC running back Reggie Bush will surely put the Trojans in NCAA jail. Not so fast, my friend. Understand that these issues deal with agents, not boosters. The NCAA has clear rules that schools are charged with the responsibility of controlling their boosters. The agent thing is much more difficult to pin down. For the school to be punished in these cases, the NCAA has to prove that the school KNEW about it and did nothing. That is tough standard to prove.
4. Is anyone else sick of the Rich Rodriguez story? Every day there seems to be something new. Rodriguez was pressured to sign his contract with West Virginia by the governor. Rodriguez wanted his wife to write stuff for his website. West Virginia didn’t keep their promises to Rich Rod. The governor of West Virginia might be brought in for a deposition. Enough already. Will somebody at Michigan step up and write a check to West Virginia and end this thing? From what I’m reading there is plenty of blame to go around on both sides. West Virginia says Rodriguez owes them $4 million for bolting to Michigan. Split the difference, write West Virginia check for $2 million, and let’s be done with this foolishness. Michigan cannot want this to go to trial.
5. Memphis to the Big East? How would that work? There have been reports this week that Memphis could be a candidate to leave Conference-USA and join the Big East. Given the success of the Memphis basketball program that might make sense but here is the reality. The Big East has its hands full now managing a 16-team basketball league and an eight-team football league. Unless a basketball-only school, like Notre Dame, leaves there is no room. Besides, the next school that the Big East will probably consider as a football member is Central Florida, which was in the running when the league added South Florida several years ago.
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Why can’t ACC play championship in ATL?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cleaning out the notebook after the end of the ACC meetings:
1. So why can’t the ACC championship game be in Atlanta? I got a lot of people asking this question the other day. The answer is that the ACC would dearly LOVE to play its championship football game in Atlanta. And the folks at the Atlanta Sports Council have pitched every kind of workable plan to them. But here’s the problem. The SEC controls the Dome, a lot of the World Congress Center and all of the surrounding property for its game and there is no way they are letting the ACC crash their party. That wouldn’t make business sense. So the ACC’s only option, if it wanted to play in Atlanta, would be to play its game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That can’t happen because three of the teams—Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson—play their rivalry games on that Saturday. The ACC schools could move those games but the SEC requires its teams to play their last regular-season games on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The ACC can’t play on Monday night after championship Saturday because the BCS pairings come out on Sunday. So until the SEC pulls out of Atlanta—and that’s not going to happen—the ACC will continue to look for a location that works.
2. Tampa to lower ticket prices: The ACC championship game had mixed results in its first three years in Jacksonville. The first game between Florida State and Virginia Tech in 2005 drew 72,749. The second game between Georgia Tech and Wake Forest drew a crowd that was generously estimated at 62,850. Last year’s game between Boston College and Virginia Tech drew 53,212. So the ACC is going to give Tampa the game for the next two seasons followed by Charlotte in 2010 and 2011. The first thing Tampa got the opportunity to do is cut ticket prices. An upper deck seat to this season’s championship game on Dec. 6 will be only $25. For non-students, the cheapest seat to the three games in Jacksonville was $70. Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium seats 65,857. The ACC will also be more involved in marketing the game. The league has decided that it will be willing to make a little less money in order to get the game to a sellout or near a sellout. That’s a smart decision.
3. The nine-game conference schedule will come up again: The coaches shot down the idea and this time the athletics director went along. But in two years the ACC will have to renegotiate its television packages and, like all conferences, it will be looking for a raise. The TV boys have told all the conferences that if they want more money they need a better inventory of games over the entire schedule. The coaches will remain adamantly against it but next time around it may not matter.
“We were against adding a 12th regular season game and you see how that turned out,” one coach said to me.
4. NCAA puts bowls on notice: The NCAA sent out an interesting letter to all the bowls last week. The letter essentially said that while the NCAA has certified 34 bowls for next season, that certification does not guarantee that a team will be available for any bowl. It is a pre-emptive move by the NCAA to ward off litigation in case there aren’t enough teams with at least six wins to fill the bowls. Some of the bowl execs I talked to want to know: “If you were worried about having enough teams, why did you certify two more bowls?”
This could get nasty. Right now a bowl cannot take a team unless it has a 6-6 record or better. This December a bowl could be in a situation where it has to petition the NCAA for a waiver to take a 5-7 team. If that happens the NCAA will get hammered in the court of public opinion. And it should.
5. Bye-bye Boise! What about San Fran? The ACC’s relationship with the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise was essentially over in 2005 when a luncheon held for both teams basically turned into a Boise State pep rally. Boston College didn’t need any more motivation to beat Boise State 27-21 in a game that was not that close. The coaches said it made no sense to take an ACC team that far from home to play a WAC team in a WAC stadium. And they were right.
So the No. 8 team from the ACC will play in either Mobile, Ala. (GMAC) or Washington, D.C. (Congressional) starting in 2009. So what about the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, which gets the No. 7 ACC team? Now that the Congressional Bowl is on line, it’s time to quit sending a 7-5 or 6-6 team to the West Coast. Lock that team into D.C. and give the fans and the parents of the players a chance to drive and see it.
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Bowden hopes this is the year for Richt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amelia Island, Fla.-I had a chance to spend about an hour with Florida State coach Bobby Bowden during this week’s ACC Spring meetings. The Q&A that I put together from that interview was published this morning.
But here is a little nugget that I wanted to pull out and share with you.
Bowden, who turns 79 on Nov. 8, makes no secret of the fact that he would like to win another national championship before he retires from coaching.
But if he can’t win it all in 2008, Bowden knows who he would like to see holding that crystal football at Dolphin Stadium on January 8, 2009.
“I sure hope this is the year for Mark,” Bowden said.
Georgia’s Mark Richt has always made it very clear that Bowden is his mentor, both in football and in his spiritual life. Richt worked for Bowden for 16 years before he finally became a head coach. There is a bond there.
Bowden had been a head football coach for 28 years before he won this first national championship in 1993. He doesn’t want Richt, who is heading into his eighth season as a head coach, to have to wait that long.
“I get the sense that he has a pretty good team,” Bowden said. “But I have learned this. To win a national championship you have to be good. But you also have to get the ball to bounce your way a couple of times. It’s something that you can’t coach. Things just have to work out. I hope he gets those bounces.”
Bowden said he takes great pride in what Richt has accomplished in his first seven years at Georgia. He also smiled and reminded me that at one point, he wasn’t sure if Richt had the right stuff to be a head coach at this level.
“I wondered if Mark was really tough enough to be a head coach,” Bowden said. “He would get his feelings hurt when I would get involved in his business (of being offensive coordinator). I wondered if he was strong enough.
“But I was wrong. Look at him now. There is a quiet toughness that you can see. He is in control of that program and his players like and respect him. I am very proud of him.”
Then I reminded Bowden of Georgia’s schedule. He “oohed” and “aahed” and shook his head several times as I walked him through it. Then he gave me the perfect response.
“As a coach, all you can ask for is to have a team that is good enough to compete for a championship,” Bowden said. “If they are good enough, then it is your job to get them ready to play. And Mark has already proven that he can do that.”
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Alabama-Duke for Dome almost done
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amelia Island, Fla.-Some sights and sounds from the ACC Spring Meetings, which continue here today. Warning: I know this is a football blog, but a couple of basketball notes just might sneak in here.
1. Alabama-Duke at Dome almost done: Just talked to Joe Alleva, the outgoing athletics director at Duke who is headed to LSU this summer. Alleva told me that before he leaves Duke he hopes to sign a contract to play a football game with Alabama in the Georgia Dome in 2010. Duke has a home game with the Crimson Tide that year and the Atlanta Sports Council has pitched moving the game to the Georgia Dome for more money and recruiting exposure. Alleva said that new head coach David Cutcliffe, an Alabama grad, has signed off on the idea. “It just makes sense for Duke,” Alleva said.
2. Jags predicts big things for Ryan: I had a chance to visit with second-year Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, a former assistant with the Falcons. Jagodzinski, who led the Eagles to the ACC championship game in his first season, said that just sold his home in Gwinnett County. Then he asked me how his former quarterback, Matt Ryan, was being received in Atlanta. When I told him the reception had been good, his face lit up. He then said that Ryan will make the Falcons and their fans glad they used the No. 3 draft pick on him. “I only coached him for a year but I’m here to tell you, this guy is special,” Jagodzinski said. “The people in Atlanta are going to love him. On top of being a good guy, Matt knows how to play the game. He’s going to be a very good pro.”
3. Georgia Dome is good to go: A group representing the Georgia Dome and the Atlanta Sports Council met Monday with the ACC’s athletics directors. The purpose of the meeting was to update the league on the status of the Georgia Dome since the tornado hit during the SEC Tournament last March. The ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will come back the Georgia Dome next March. “We feel very good about the Georgia Dome both inside and out,” said Carl Adkins, the general manager. “I think the ACC is looking forward to getting back to Atlanta.” They should be. The ACC Tournament set an all-time average attendance record (36,505) when it was first held at the Dome in 2001. There were over 40,000 for the Saturday semifinals.
4. Cutcliffe says Duke can win: Cutcliffe didn’t play golf with his fellow coaches on Monday. When you’re the new head coach at Duke, there is just too much to do. The former head coach at Ole Miss and OC at Tennessee said it is “absolutely possible” to assemble enough players at Duke to compete for an ACC championship. Changing the football culture at Duke, he conceded, will be the biggest challenge. “There is a lot of apathy and expectation of losing that is entrenched,” Cutcliffe said. “But it is our job to change that. We’re going to be given the tools to do it.” The big commitment came in salaries for assistant coaches. Cutcliffe was given a $2 million budget to hire his staff. That’s in the top third of the ACC.
5. Basketball coaches not happy: The ACC was rated as the No. 1 conference in the RPI and the end of last season. But when the NCAA invitations came out, the ACC got only four bids for the second time in three years. There is talk here of expanding the conference schedule from 16 to 18 games in order to take advantage of the conference rating. That’s not going to happen. The problem, according to several coaches that I talked to on Monday, is that the NCAA selection committee says that it doesn’t take conference affiliation into consideration when awarding at-large bids.
Commissioner John Swofford has written a letter SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, the incoming chairman of the men’s basketball committee, suggesting that conference affiliation SHOULD be a consideration of the committee. “If we have the No. 1 conference and 60 percent of our schedule is in the league, how can that NOT be a factor?” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt asked.
The ACC is particularly upset that Virginia Tech (19-13) got left out of the field after almost beating North Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, in the ACC Tournament. Tyler Hansbrough made a shot with .8 second left to give the Tar Heels a 68-66 victory.
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Should the ACC play nine conference games?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amelia Island, Fla.—If playing eight conference games is good for college football fans and for television, would playing nine be even better?
That is one of the topics that will be discussed during this week’s annual ACC Meetings at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The ACC’s head coaches begin their meetings this morning and on Tuesday will gather with the athletics directors to exchange ideas. One of the subjects that will be put on the table is the possibility of playing nine conference games instead of the current eight.
I’m going to spend a good chunk of today talking to athletics directors and coaches about this topic and will have a complete report soon. But here is the issue in a nutshell: Playing nine conference games would make scheduling easier and would save money. Coaches, I’m sure, will have a different view.
Another topic that will get kicked around this week is how expansion is working for the ACC I would say that after four years (three as a 12-team league) the results are mixed.
Let’s put it this way. If ACC Football were a stock, the smart money guys would probably tell you to “buy.” It hasn’t performed as well as everybody hoped, but just about all of the leading economic indicators for the future are good.
Yes, the ACC is 1-9 in BCS games. The ACC has yet to place two teams in the BCS, which was one of the stated goals for expansion. The ACC was 2-6 in bowl games last season. And yes, both Miami and Florida State have ceased to be Top 10 powers. Those are facts the ACC must face.
But last season the ACC finished with two teams (Virginia Tech, Boston College) in the final AP Top 10. Two out of the first three players taken in the NFL Draft (Chris Long of Virginia, Matt Ryan of Boston College) were from the ACC. The league had seven first-round draft picks, more than any other conference. So the league is getting players.
You know that Miami and Florida State are going to eventually come back. New coaching blood at Georgia Tech (Paul Johnson), Duke (Cutcliffe), North Carolina (Butch Davis, second year), and N.C. State (Tom O’Brien) will make those programs competitive sooner rather than later.
Virginia Tech is still going strong under Frank Beamer. Clemson will be in just about everybody’s Top 10 this season. Will this be the year the ACC finally gets two into the BCS?
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Alabama-Notre Dame at the Georgia Dome?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s “Free-Wheeling” Friday again when we give ourselves permission to go off topic or dream big dreams. Such as:
1. Notre Dame vs. Alabama in Atlanta?: Why not? I’m hearing that Alabama coach Nick Saban really wants to get Notre Dame on the Crimson Tide schedule in the future. He played the Irish as the head coach at Michigan State and found the exposure for his program very helpful. And beating the Irish never hurts in recruiting.
Here is my proposal:
If Alabama can’t talk Notre Dame into a home and home series, how about two neutral site games-one in Atlanta and one in the new stadium in Indianapolis? I’m just throwing it out there for your consideration.
Neutral site games, like the Aug. 30 meeting between Clemson and Alabama at the Georgia Dome, are going to become more common in the future. It comes with a good payday (over $2 million per school) and takes the “brand” of that school into new recruiting territory.
Illinois and Missouri are opening the season in St. Louis. Kansas and Missouri are playing their Big 12 showdown at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Notre Dame and Arizona State announced this week that they have agreed to play on Oct. 5, 2013, in the new $1 billion stadium being built by Dallas Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones.
Gary Stokan and the Atlanta Sports Council have proven that they want to be players in this new trend. Stay tuned.
2. Another strike against a four-team playoff: One of the things that makes these neutral site games possible is the advent of the 12-game regular season.
With four non-conference games to play with, an athletics director can guarantee himself seven home games and use the other one to set up neutral site games or a strong non-conference match-up.
But when the four-team playoff was being discussed last week, some commissioners suggested that the regular season might have to be cut back to 11 games in order to accommodate it.
That is not going to happen. The money for the 12th game is in everybody’s budget now.
3. Michael Brown will not return: Brown, who had started 18 games at left tackle for Mississippi State, was kicked out of school earlier this year when he and a teammate were charged with firing guns on campus-a felony. Both received three-year sentences that were suspended. I wondered if Brown, from College Park, had a chance to get back into school and play his senior season for the Bulldogs. The answer I got out of Starkville was a solid was “No.” Brown will not be back.
4. Exodus at Florida State: My friend Steve Ellis of the Tallahassee Democrat points out that when you count the players who have left FSU for various reasons (including using up their eligibility), a total of 25 players who were on the 2007 roster will not be on the 2008 roster. The latest was offensive lineman Daron Rose, who was declared academically ineligible this week. If you’re a Florida State fan, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The recruiting class you have coming is in a cut above the past two or three in terms of athletic ability. I’ve been told that a number of these guys are going to have to get on the field as backups.
No one will say it out loud, but Florida State is undergoing a transition in its program now that Jimbo Fisher has been named the head coach in waiting. Some decisions are being made now so that the program will be in good shape when Bobby Bowden decides to step down and hand it over to Fisher. What is going on now is part of that process.
5. Arkansas’s Mallett must sit: Quarterback Ryan Mallett transferred from Michigan to Arkansas because he knew he would not fit into the offense run by new coach Rich Rodriguez. He petitioned the NCAA to waive the rule that would have required him to sit out a year before becoming eligible at Arkansas. School officials knew the request would not be granted but supported Mallett and his family anyway.
I’m not sure why, but the mere fact that Mallett and his family made the request just bugs me. Because when you make it, you’re telling the NCAA that you are a “hardship” case that is worthy of a waiver.
Not fitting into the offense of a new head coach is an annoyance, an inconvenience, and a disappointment.
Needing to be near a parent dying from cancer is a hardship. That is why the rule was put into place.
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Should BCS now consider a true “Plus-One?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The BCS commissioners told us last week that they are not ready to support a four-team playoff and that the current two-team format will be with us for the next six years.
But what if there was a baby step that we could take between what we have now and the four-team playoff? Just consider this:
There were rumblings last week that while four of the commissioners were flatly against a four-team playoff, a couple of them might be willing to consider a true “Plus-One” format to decide the national championship.
In the true “Plus-One,” we would go back to the old days when conference champions played in their traditional bowls: ACC (Orange), SEC (Sugar), Big 12 (Fiesta), Big Ten and Pac-10 (Rose). After those games are played, THEN the BCS formula picks two teams to play for the national championship.
This is not a new idea. Vince Dooley proposed it at least 15 years ago.
So if we can’t have a four-team playoff right now, then tell me why this wouldn’t work in the short term. Here are the rules:
After the conference champions are in place, the bowls then get to pick their second team in a pre-determined order, just like they do now. Last season the order was Orange, Fiesta, Sugar. The Rose is not in the rotation because both sides are filled.
The five Coalition conferences (Conference USA, WAC, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt) have the same access as they do right now. If one of their teams finishes in the top 12, they are in. Notre Dame keeps its access rule (top eight finish).
Here are two new rules that I have added:
A fifth bowl, the Coalition Bowl, will be created. This bowl will be a part of the BCS with the same revenue sharing that currently exists. The bowl will not, however, be a part of the national championship game rotation. After the other four BCS bowls are filled, the Coalition Bowl may choose any two teams from the remaining pool of qualifiers for its game. This rule keeps the available spots for BCS bowls at 10.
This is important. In order to implement this plan, the rule limiting a conference to only two teams in the BCS will be waived. Bowls must be free to put together the best possible match-ups regardless of conference affiliation.
Based on the final BCS standings last December and the selection order these would have been the likely bowl match-ups:
ROSE BOWL: No. 1 Ohio State (11-1 Big Ten champ) vs. No. 7 Southern Cal (10-2, Pac-10 champ)
ORANGE BOWL: No. 3 Virginia Tech (11-2, ACC champ) vs. No. 5 Georgia (10-2, SEC at-large)
FIESTA BOWL: No. 4 Oklahoma (11-2, Big 12 champ) vs. No. 9 West Virginia (10-2, Big East champ)
SUGAR BOWL: No. 2 LSU (11-2, SEC champ) vs. No. 6 Missouri (11-2, Big 12 at-large)
COALITION BOWL: No. 8 Kansas (11-1, Big 12 at-large) vs. No. 10 Hawaii (12-0, WAC champ at-large)
After these five games are played, the BCS standings come out one more time and the top two teams would play for the national championship.
You can shoot a lot of holes in this idea but there are two things it would definitely do:
1) It makes every bowl relevant to the BCS championship where now only one of the five game matters to the vast majority of the viewing public. If LSU can play its way from No. 7 to No. 2 on Dec. 1, why can’t Georgia play its way from No. 5 into the BCS championship game? Every game could potentially be sending its winner to the big game. Ratings for all the games would go up.
2) Because teams get to play in their traditional bowls, this system provides better match-ups across the board, which is something that was certainly lacking last season. It also all but guarantees a sellout for the games.
This process essentially adds a week to the regular season, which has been used as an argument against it. Given the quality of college football’s regular season, I would say that it is an argument FOR it.
It’s not perfect. Sooner or later No. 1 is going to end up playing No. 2 in a bowl. But the percentages are overwhelmingly against it. In the 57 years between 1936 and 1992 before the first version of the BCS, No. 1 played No. 2 in a bowl only eight times.
It’s not a four-team playoff but wouldn’t it have more drama than what we have now?
I’m not advocating for this position but I am asking: Would it be better than what we have now?
Tell me why this wouldn’t work.
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Dawgs are No. 1 in the TB Top 30
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, we’re down to the top 10 teams in the TB Top 30. Today we set the table for the arguments we’re going to have all summer. If you disagree with my Top 10 then tell me why. Should your team be included? Should they be ranked higher? Make the case.
Here we go. A lot has happened since the BCS championship game on Jan. 7. Guys have turned pro early. Guys (like LSU’s Ryan Perrilloux) have been kicked off the team. A lot of coaches have changed addresses. The college football landscape has undergone a significant change in the past four months.
But nothing has changed my mind about who should be the nation’s No. 1 team going into the summer of 2008. And it is:
1. Georgia (11-2 last season, 8 offense, 9 defense): There is no question about the talent in Athens because the Bulldogs have it at every position. They have a veteran quarterback (Matt Stafford) who is going to have a big year. They have tons of talent at running back (Knowshon Moreno, Caleb King). They have more speed on defense than any Georgia team in recent memory. There are, however, some red flags. They could use a little more depth on the offensive line, a proven place-kicker, and a schedule that doesn’t look like the Bataan Death March. Will it be difficult, if not impossible, to go undefeated against that schedule? You bet. But until somebody beats the Dawgs, they have to be No. 1.
2. Southern Cal (11-2, 4 offense, 7 defense): Mark Sanchez is the starting quarterback after beating out Mitch Mustain. I thought the Trojans had more good football players than any team in the country last season and that has not changed. They will easily plug a bunch of new players into the offense and keep on clicking. Southern Cal gets Ohio State at home on Sept. 13. The winner of that game will get a lot of votes for No. 1.
3. Missouri (12-2, 6 offense, 10 defense): The Tigers were hoping to get RB Tony Temple back for a final season but he dropped his appeal in late January and turned pro. Expect QB Chase Daniel and all-world WR Jeremy Maclin to both have huge seasons as Mizzou wins the Big 12 championship. If Missouri beats Illinois in its opener (in St. Louis), the Tigers will probably be 6-0 when they go to Texas on Oct. 18.
4. Florida (9-4, 8 offense, 8 defense): This team is loaded and motivated after stumbling at the end of last season against Georgia and Michigan. The Gators return the Heisman Trophy winner (Tim Tebow), one of the nation’s most explosive players (WR Percy Harvin) and to that mix have added RBs Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody, a transfer from Southern Cal. If the defense improves, and it will, the Georgia-Florida game on Nov. 1 could be one for the ages. The winner of that game will have the inside track for the SEC championship and, perhaps, the national championship. Auburn, one of Florida’s losses last season, comes off the schedule and is replaced by Arkansas.
5. Ohio State (11-2, 9 offense, 9 defense): Some have the Buckeyes at No. 1 but you’ll forgive us if we remain a little skeptical until they go to Southern Cal on Sept. 13. All of the principal figures return including RB Beanie Wells and sophomore DE Cameron Heyward of Atlanta, who could be an All-Big Ten pick. Will freshman QB Tyrelle Pryor be a factor? I kind of doubt it. This is a good team. But after getting hammered in two straight BCS championship games, the Buckeyes have something to prove.
6. Oklahoma (11-3, 8 offense, 6 defense): Here’s another talented team that has something to prove after losing in the Fiesta Bowl the past two seasons. If sophomore QB Sam Bradford (3,121 yards passing, 36 TD, 8 int) continues to play well, Oklahoma will win the Big 12 South and play Missouri for the conference championship. There are no scary games on the non-conference schedule and if the Sooners beat Texas on Oct. 13 they could be undefeated when they play in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 6. If they beat Mizzou, the maybe Bob Stoops and his troops get in the BCS mix.
7. Clemson (9-4, 7 offense, 8 defense): The Tigers have not won an ACC championship since 1991 but this just has to be their year. There is just too much talent on the offensive side of the ball with RBs James Davis (1,064 yards rushing), C.J. Spiller (768), QB Cullen Harper (27 TD, 6 int), and WR Aaron Kelly (88 catches, 1,081 yards). The defense is really good, too. I’d feel better about this pick if Clemson was set on the offensive line. There remain some real questions there.
8. Illinois (9-4, 7 offense, 6 defense): Quarterback Juice Williams returns and he’ll certainly miss RB Reshard Mendenhall. But Ron Zook has recruited well and the Illini showed they are ready for prime time by handing Ohio State its only regular-season loss in 2007. Illinois will lose its opener to Missouri in St. Louis. But with Ohio State at home, the Illini could run the table after that.
9. West Virginia (11-2, 7 offense, 4 defense: If QB Pat White can stay healthy, the Mountaineers will win the Big East again. Yes, White will miss RB Steve Slaton but there are still a lot of offensive weapons on this team. With the possible exception of a Thursday night home game with Auburn (Oct. 23), every game on the schedule looks winnable.
10. Auburn (9-4, 8 offense, 7 defense): The Tigers have two new coordinators, a new offense, and the state is buzzing over Nick Saban’s recruiting class at Alabama. Nobody is paying much attention to Auburn and that is just the way coach Tommy Tuberville likes it. The new spread offense will be difficult to prepare for in just one week and the Tigers have two quarterbacks (Kodi Burns, Chris Todd) capable of running it and are deep at RB. With LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia all coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn could be the surprise team in the SEC.
LSU (12), Tennessee (15) make the TB Top 30
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yesterday we gave you the bottom 10 in the TB Top 30 for the summer of 2008. Today we give you 11-20. Often this can be a tough group to pick because there are several who can quickly jump into the Top 10 with a couple of breaks.
Are there some teams here who absolutely deserve to be in the Top 10? If so, tell me why.
Come back on Wednesday for our Top 10, when we’ll crown our No. 1 team going into the summer.
11. Texas (10-3, 7 offense, 5 defense): New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was hired away from Auburn to make the Longhorn defense a little meaner. So far, so good. If junior QB Colt McCoy regains his freshman form, Texas could beat Oklahoma in Dallas (on Oct. 11) to reach the Big 12 championship game.
12. LSU (12-2, 7 offense, 5 defense): The dismissal of QB Ryan Perrilloux won’t help in the short term, but if LSU finds a pair of reliable cornerbacks, the defense might carry this team back to the SEC championship game. But the road trips to Auburn (Sept. 20) and Florida (Oct. 11) look a little scary.
13. BYU (11-2, 10 offense, 3 defense): The Cougars will likley be this year’s Coalition conference entry into the BCS. Junior quarterback Max Hall (3,848 yards passing in 2007) threw for over 300 yards five times last season. Yes, there is work to do on defense but the schedule, which includes weak Pac-10 teams UCLA and Washington, is set up for a run at the BCS.
14. Arizona State (10-3, 7 offense, 7 defense): QB Rudy Carpenter (3,202 yards passing, 25 TD, 10 INT) is back to lead an offense that averaged 32.3 points per game last season. There are two glaring weaknesses that must be fixed. Arizona State gave up 55 quarterback sacks last season with a veteran offensive line. So rebuilding that unit won’t be a bad thing for the Sun Devils. Arizona State must also get better on defense. Based on spring practice it appears that has happened.
15. Tennessee (10-4, 8 offense, 6 defense): The Volunteers have a new offensive coordinator (Dave Clawson) and a new quarterback (Jonathon Crompton) but the offense looks good with a veteran line and at least four quality running backs. The concerns are on defense where the Volunteers cannot afford any injuries at tackle. The Volunteers get Florida and Alabama at home but must play Auburn and Georgia on the road.
16. Wisconsin (9-4, 8 offense, 9 defense): If RB John Clay, the gem of the 2007 Badger recruiting class, is the real deal, Wisconsin could be ranked much higher. Clay (6-2, 230) took a redshirt last season and is now ready to back up sophomore P.J. Hill to give the Badgers quite a 1-2 punch a running back. Wisconsin gets Ohio State at home (Oct. 4).
17. Texas Tech (9-4, 10 offense, 8 defense): With QB Graham Harrell (5,298 yards, 45 TD) and WR Michael Crabtree (125 catches, 1,861 yards) returning, we know that the Red Raiders are going to put up a lot of yards and a lot of points. What we don’t know is whether or not they’ll be able to play defense well enough to beat Texas or Oklahoma. JUCO transfer McKinner Dixon, who started at Texas Tech in 2005, could turn the defensive line from a weakness to a strength.
18. Pittsburgh (5-7, 8 offense, 7 defense): After closing last season with the stunning upset of No. 2 West Virginia, this is finally going to be the breakout season at Pittsburgh under coach Dan Wannstedt. Bill Stull returns as the starting quarterback after missing almost all of 2007 with a thumb injury. His experience combined with RB LeSean McCoy (1,328 yards as a freshman) should put the Panthers in position to challenge for the Big East title.
19. Virginia Tech (11-3, 6 offense, 4 defense): The Hokies have to rebuild one of the nation’s best defenses from last season. They kicked their best running back (Brandon Ore) off the team and the next two backs (Kenny Lewis, Jahre Cheesman) both got hurt during spring practice. Still, Virginia Tech will probably be picked to win the ACC Coastal again.
20. Kansas (12-1, 6 offense, 9 defense): Nine starters are back on defense but gone are coordinator Bill Young (to Miami) and CB Aquib Talib. The Jayhawks believe they can win beat Missouri (Nov. 29 in Kansas City) and win the Big 12 North because of QB Todd Reesing (3,486 yards, 33 TD) and wide receiver Dexton Fields (63 catches, 834 yards). The Jayhawks will miss RB Brandan McAnderson, a 1,000-yard rusher.
Alabama, Florida State crack the TB Top 30
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four months ago, on the eve of the BCS championship game, I gave you my Ridiculously Early Top 25 for 2008. A lot has changed since then. Now that spring practice is over, I’m going take the next three days to give you The TB Top 30 for the summer of 2008. We’ll start today with 21-30 plus 10 more that didn’t quite make the cut. On Tuesday we’ll have 11-20 with the Top 10 on Wednesday.
Last season’s record plus returning starters are in parentheses.
Is your favorite team going to make it? Stay tuned.
THE TB TOP 30: 21-30
21. Wake Forest (9-4, 6 offense, 9 defense): If the Deacons can find a play maker to replace WR Kenny Moore, they are going to shock some people for the third straight year. Wake Forest has a veteran quarterback in Riley Skinner (72.4 percent completion in 2007) and the nation’s best kicker in Sam Swank.
22. Oregon State (9-4, 9 offense, 3 defense): During spring practice the Beavers found their next star tailback in redshirt freshman Ryan McCants who will step right in to replace Yvenson Bernard. Quarterback Sean Canfield missed spring practice while recovering from a shoulder injury but will compete with Lyle Moevao for the starting job in August. The Beavers led the nation in rushing defense (70.6 ypg) last season but must replace eight starters.
23. Penn State (9-4, 8 offense, 6 defense): The offense will be without quarterback Anthony Morelli but it is expected to be better because of players like freshman speedster Stephfon Green, who had a 57-yard touchdown run in the spring game. The Nittany Lions’ defense will be without linebacker Sean Lee who had knee surgery after suffering an injury on April 11. He will return for the 2009 season. Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin will continue to compete for the quarterback job in August.
24. Oregon (9-4, 5 offense, 8 defense): Justin Roper, who threw four touchdown passes in the Sun Bowl, will still have to compete for the quarterback position over Nate Costa, who sat out the spring recovering from a knee injury. If the Ducks get solid play at QB they will be very good again on offense, despite the loss of RB Jonathan Stewart, because it appears junior college transfer LeGarrette Blount is better than advertised.
25. Fresno State (9-4, 8 offense, 7 defense): The Bulldogs have the talent to become the third straight team from the WAC to reach the BCS. The problem is a non-conference schedule that includes games with Rutgers, Wisconsin, and UCLA. QB Tom Brandstater completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 2,654 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
26. Connecticut (9-4, 9 offense, 8 defense): The Huskies surprised a lot of people when they tied for the Big East championship last season. Now they are out to prove that it was not a fluke with defense that should be even better in 2008. QB Tyler Lorenzen has a very good running tandem in Andre Dixon and Donald Brown, who both ran for over 800 yards last season, but he needs to make more plays in the passing game.
27. Michigan State (7-6, 7 offense, 7 defense): Five of Michigan State’s losses in its first year under coach Mark Dantonio were by a touchdown or less. The Spartans expect to take another step forward in 2008. RB Javon Ringer missed spring practice due to shoulder surgery. Michigan State has to replace both starting defensive ends. If Ringer can stay healthy and QB Brian Hoyer (2,725 yards passing) continues to play well, the Spartans could have another bowl season.
28. Florida State (7-6, 8 offense, 7 defense): If the Seminoles can get some stability on the offensive line then they may surprise some folks. Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher will not be afraid to play more than one quarterback in order to spice things up this season. It would have helped the cause if WR Preston Parker had not been arrested on gun charges.
29. Alabama (7-6, 9 offense, 6 defense): Just call this one a hunch. If a couple of the young wide receivers come through, the Crimson Tide just might be pretty good on offense. The line is solid and QB John Parker Wilson should perform well under new OC Jim McElwain. There are just not enough great athletes on defense to play the way coach Nick Saban would like. But help is on the way from a No.1 ranked recruiting class.
30. Cincinnati (10-3, 7 offense, 6 defense): If QB Ben Mauk had gotten another year from the NCAA, the Bearcats would be a contender for the Big East title. Cincinnati will still be able to move the football behind Dustin Grutza or Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones.
TEN WHO ALMOST MADE IT
Boston College (11-3): QB Matt Ryan is not the only hole in the Eagles’ lineup.
Boise State (10-3): The Broncos return RB Ian Johnson, but they need a new QB.
East Carolina (8-5): Pirates have to replace first-round draft choice Chris Johnson at RB.
Kentucky (8-5): Wildcats lost too much firepower on offense.
Michigan (9-4): It’s going to be an ugly transition year under Rich Rodriguez.
Miss. State (8-5): Bulldogs still need some offensive firepower.
North Carolina (4-8): Tar Heels return 18 starters under second-year coach Butch Davis.
Rutgers (8-5): Scarlet Knights have to prove they can replace RB Ray Rice.
South Florida (9-4): Bulls return QB Matt Grothe, but defense took a hit.
Virginia (9-4): Losing QB Jameel Sewell will be huge for Cavaliers.
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Miles made right call on Perrilloux
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LSU coach Les Miles made a tough, but correct, decision Friday when he kicked problem-child quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team.
Perrilloux, who was called the next Vince Young when he signed with LSU, has never gone very long without being in trouble with the law or in the doghouse of the head coach.
His athletics gifts were off the charts but his leadership, something you have to have to play quarterback in the SEC, was non-existent. He was serving his third suspension under Miles. He was suspended for last November’s big game with Alabama. He came back and had to start the SEC championship game because of an injury to starter Matt Flynn. Perrilloux led the Tigers to the championship in Atlanta and was named the MVP of the game.
Miles made the right decision because, given yet another chance to fulfill his vast potential, Perrilloux “didn’t fulfill his obligations as a student-athlete.” In other words, Perrilloux was given a set of goals he had to meet to be reinstated to the football team. He failed to do them.
The decision may cost LSU an SEC championship. Redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and junior Andrew Hatch are the likely quarterbacks. With Perrilloux, the Tigers were going to be good enough to win the SEC West. Without him, who knows? Right now you’d have to go with Auburn in the West, particularly since the game with LSU will be played at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
But sometimes short-term success must be sacrificed for the long-term good of the program. Miles has a national championship and a new contract that pays him $3.75 million per year. He is secure now as any SEC coach can ever be.
LSU may lose a game or two this year because of this decision. But the future of LSU football will be better for it.
Why the fuss over two more bowls?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s “Free-Wheeling Friday” again and, not that we’re counting, only 117 days until the season openers on Aug. 28.
The floor is open for everything. Here are my five topics for Friday:
1. Why the fuss over two more bowls? The NCAA approved two new bowls on Wednesday bringing the number to 34. Predictably, the outrage from some fans quickly followed. My question is: Why?
Granted, these bowls will probably not be well attended and will not draw a lot of viewers on television. But understand that these bowls are not created for the college football fan at large. They are created for the specific benefit of the two conferences involved, the host city, and for television, which needs the programming that time of year. If those four parties are happy with the arrangement, why should any of the rest of us care? We either watch or we don’t watch. I understand if fans aren’t interested in the game. What I don’t understand is the anger.
2. Let’s learn from Lofton: The news about Tennessee basketball player Chris Lofton should make all of us take a breath the next time we’re tempted to rip into a college athlete. Lofton, we learned yesterday, underwent radiation treatments for testicular cancer last year and that had an impact on his play in the first half of last season. Lofton asked that his medical condition be kept confidential and that is certainly his right. The internet makes it easy brutalize people with no consequences. Hopefully this episode will make people think first. But I’m not counting on it.
3. Tennessee’s game at UCLA looks different now: Patrick Cowan, who was going to be the starting quarterback at UCLA, is now out for the season after surgery to repair his left knee. Cowan suffered the injury in a non-contact drill. Ben Olson, Cowan’s backup, broke a bone in his foot during the same practice. The word I get is that first-year coach Rick Neuheisel was really counting on Cowan and doesn’t think Olson can run his offense as effectively. The odds just improved that Tennessee will go to UCLA and win on Sept. 1.
4. Historic day for South Carolina: The University of South Carolina has one player, 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, in the College Football Hall of Fame. Now they have a coach. Lou Holtz, who took the Gamecocks to back-to-back New Year’s Day bowls, was named to the Hall of Fame on Thursday. Yes, it did not end well for Holtz at South Carolina. But the fact is that Holtz took the Gamecocks from 0-11 in 1999 to beating Ohio State twice on Jan. 1 the next two seasons. He is a Hall of Fame coach and now South Carolina can claim him.
5. Cannon gets another chance: The new Hall of Fame class also proved that time heals all wounds. LSU’s Billy Cannon was responsible for one of the defining moments in the history of college football when he returned a punt 89 yards against Ole Miss in 1959. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
Cannon was originally named to the Hall of Fame in 1983 but his induction was rescinded after he was charged and later pleaded guilty to taking part in a counterfeiting ring. He did prison time but has since turned his life around and now serves as the head of dentistry in a prison.
We all deserve a second chance. It was nice to see Cannon get his.
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What did we learn from the BCS meetings?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay. The BCS meetings are over and the current system, warts and all, is going to be in place for six more years. But what did we learn during those three days of meetings in South Florida?
1. College football ain’t broke: Those were the last words from Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White when he left us yesterday. Yes, to a lot of fans believe that the post-season is an absolute mess. Those fans have a point. They believe that the incredible interest that would be created by an eight-team or 16-team playoff would more than outweigh any negative impact on the regular season or bowl structure. The men who run Division I-A football, namely the six commissioners of the major conferences, strongly disagree. They have made a business decision that those who are upset with the system will still attend games and still watch on television. And the numbers support their position.
2. The presidents still don’t want a playoff: This is a point that can’t be mentioned enough. Four of the six BCS commissioners told us yesterday that based on the details of the four-team playoff that was proposed by SEC commissioner Mike Slive, their presidents would have no interest. Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told us that his presidents had already voted against the concept in March. Georgia president Michael Adams has not been able to get to first base with his fellow presidents on his desire just to STUDY an eight-team playoff. I’ve written this many times. The vast majority of the presidents have decided that when it comes to college athletics, a playoff in Division I-A football is their land in the sand. If the presidents don’t want a playoff, it is never going to happen.
3. The TV negotiations are going to be interesting: I had a chance to meet with Ed Goren, the president of FOX Sports. His company begins an exclusive negotiating window in September to retain the rights to four BCS games (Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, BCS Championship) for four more years. The Rose Bowl has a deal with ABC through the game of 2014. Goren made it clear that his company is going to do whatever it takes to hold on to the BCS. To make his point, Goren showed up at Tuesday’s meetings with the Emmy Award that FOX won for its coverage of the Oklahoma-Boise State Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007.
ESPN/ABC has made it clear that it regrets giving up the BCS games four years ago and will try to get back in. It could not strike a deal during its exclusive negotiating window in 2004 and let the BCS go to the open market. That’s how FOX got it.
“Oops,” Goren said, making his point that he doesn’t plan to let that happen.
“It looks like we have two very motivated television partners,” one commissioner said.
4. Not all the bowls are happy: One thing is clear in this process. The bowls are consulted about what the BCS does but they do not have any real power in the process. They don’t want to be quoted, but more than one of the BCS bowl execs expressed frustration to me are that the Rose Bowl-Big Ten-Pac-10 axis still has so much power in this process and that they basically just have to go along with it. The Rose, for example, never has to take a team from one of the Coalition conferences if they qualify. You will never see a Rose Bowl where Southern Cal plays Boise State, for example. The Fiesta has hosted a Coalition team twice (Utah, Boise State), the Sugar once (Hawaii) and this season the Orange will certainly get the Coalition team (think BYU) if one qualifies for a game. “It’s just a question of fundamental fairness,” one bowl exec told me. “When it comes to this process, not all bowls are created equal.”
5. The four-team playoff is not dead yet: I wrote yesterday that when it came to a four-team playoff, Slive was really making his opening argument, not his closing argument. How the BCS goes the next four years will have a lot to do with the mindset that goes into the discussion when the commissioners have to deal with this again in April of 2012. If there are several more years of bad match-ups like we had this season, a case can be made for change. If we get a couple of match-ups like Texas-Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl, then the case is not as strong. The fact is that the BCS has gotten a little lucky. In 2006 there was a furor when Florida jumped over Michigan into the national championship game. But then Michigan got waxed in the Rose Bowl and that passion subsided. There was anger when LSU jumped from No. 7 to No. 2 in the final standings last season, but then LSU destroyed the Big Ten champ, Ohio State. A lot can change in four years.
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