Spreading The Field

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Dear athletes and coaches who are on the national spotlight,

You are not invincible and every mistake you make will be seen by the entire public.

Every time we see a national figure screw up, we shake our heads in shame and wonder what the Hell they were thinking.

I’m fully aware that we are all human and we all foul up every now and then. We all have flaws and nobody’s perfect. But a mistake as big as the recent situation involving now, former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, is jaw-dropping.

When I think of Petrino, I see a train wreck. Every time I see something going right with him, I expect the worst. It’s an enigma.

Since 2003, Petrino has been someone that has showed promise as a bonafide head coach. What he was able to do in Louisville was awesome. An athletic program known for its basketball program, was being looked as a college football threat. Twice the Cardinals finished with over 10 wins. Louisville knew they had a good thing going and signed him for a ridiculous 10-year contract worth $25.6 million in July of 2006. Six months later Petrino bailed and signed to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.

Petrino took the Falcons to a 3-10 record and missed the last three games and abruptly resigned to head back to the college game as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Looking like he would be back in his comfort zone, Petrino slowly rebuilt the Razorbacks and he helped lead them to their first ever BCS game against Ohio State in the All-State Sugar Bowl. They would lose, but they would still be a threat.

A year later, Petrino took Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl, where they would beat the offensive hungry Kansas State Wildcats. Their only losses were to the top two teams, LSU and Alabama.
Arkansas looked like they could be a threat for the upcoming 2012 season. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

Unfortunately the train wreck continued for Petrino.

Starting off as a cause for concern, Petrino got into a major motorcycle accident. Reporting to the school that he was riding alone, it was found out that he was riding with someone that was not related to him.

Former Arkansas volleyball player, Jessica Dorrell, was with Petrino on the motorcycle. Dorrell, 25, was not only with the 51-year-old Petrino, the two were in a secret relationship. I don’t think this will go well with his wife and kids.

Due to not disclosing his reckless behavior and relationship with Dorrell, Petrino was fired this week. And the train cars have derailed.

His family has to be furious. How does one fix this puzzle? Making it even worse is that there are alleged nude photos of the former coach that were sent to Dorrell.

Forget the train derailment. This one has exploded.

Petrino’s life has fallen apart and I believe it’s only going to get worse. His actions are disgusting, irresponsible and damaging to his family. But it’s the price you pay when you are under the national coaching spotlight.

Sincerely,

Juan Carlos Reyes

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National signing day was a couple of weeks ago and college football analysts are preparing their new top 25′s to adjust to the recent signings.

The spectacle that is signing day has become a larger and larger deal since the resources to evaluate high school players have expanded, which makes information about these players available to the common fan. And in this day and age where football is the dominant sport of America, college football news at the beginning of February is welcome to those unsatisfied with basketball and hockey.

The players who ranked in the top 100 that hadn’t yet made a decision by February 1st are often thrown in front of a camera and behind a table with the hats of the three potential school’s he could attend. Whichever hat he chooses is the school that he’ll likely spend the next three or four years of his life at. It seems silly and somewhat childish, but I digress.

When all the dust settles and most of the nation’s elite high school players have signed, “recruiting experts” churn out rankings of the best classes and critique each school’s strategy to recruiting. The “experts” like four or five star players and if you can sign a bunch to your football team, you’ll win the recruiting game. God forbid a team picks up a bevy of two or three star recruits that fit their system . It’s not like Boise State and Wisconsin thrive by doing that.

Here’s the funny thing. Scoring a top ten class doesn’t guarantee success.

Sure, you’ll find the traditionally dominant schools like LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Ohio State in those top tens, and those schools generally back up those rankings with solid play. They recruit good players and make the best of them because of good coaching staffs and a good football environment. There are, however, some frauds in those rankings.

Four teams that often find themselves at the top of the list over the past six years are Miami, Florida State, Georgia, and Notre Dame. Four out of the past six years, each of these teams have graced the top ten recruiting classes four times. Over that same period, these same teams combined for one BCS bowl bid (Georgia defeated Hawaii in the 2007 Sugar Bowl). I guess that worked out well for them.

*Note: ESPN.com’s recruiting rankings were used for this article

And to further reinforce the point made above, I took a look at the final BCS rankings for the 2011-12 season and compared them to the recruiting rankings of 2011. Of the top ten in recruiting for 2011, only two teams (LSU and Alabama) were also present in the final BCS rankings. It makes you think a bit, right?

These facts say many things.

First of all, not all of these recruiting guys really know what they’re talking about. Ranking and grading recruits before they ever play a game in college is a near impossible science. Though they may sound like they know what they’re talking about, they’re no more than fantasy football analysts who watch too much high school football.

Secondly, as mentioned above, it’s hard to judge what a football player will be before he steps out on to the field for his team. The heralded, blue-chip, five-star wide receiver may get roughed up going over the middle and might have unanticipated trouble adjusting to the increase of talent at the college level. In the same idea, a one-star linebacker may play with a chip on his shoulder and possess incredible intensity that makes up for his lack of size. That’s not to say that five-star players never pan out. I just feel as though too much is put into a ranking of a player.

And last, but not least, the coaching staffs that are in place are not often recognized as much as they should be. Coaches like Nick Saban and Les Miles get the most out their physically gifted recruits, so coincidentally, they have the two best football teams in America. Other coaches such as Brian Kelly, Jimbo Fisher, and Mark Richt often squander that talent and can’t find ways to squeeze the most they can out of players. If those guys were better coaches, they’d have powerhouses like Alabama and LSU. Instead, they’re constantly trying to cover up for failed expectations.

National signing day is here to stay and will only continue to grow in popularity among the casual football fan. I’m not saying that you should discard the day completely, but you shouldn’t get caught up in silly rankings that don’t seem to mean all that much in the long run.

Posted in Recruiting | Leave a comment

What do you say when a living legend passes away and the lasting memory is a black cloud?

Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno looked unstoppable, seeming like he will continue to coach the Nittany Lions until he is in his death bed.

Unfortunately, he didn’t leave on his terms. He was shown the door after his alleged knowledge in the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.

Of course we don’t know what really happened. We just know what the media tells us.

His last day of coaching occurred on Oct. 29, 2011, when his team came from behind to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini with a 10-7 win.

A little over a week later, he would be fired, shortly after announcing his retirement.

Everyone knows the saying, “You got to do what you got to do.” But Paterno may not have done enough to keep his hands clean. When it was reported that he brushed off the Sandusky allegations, he became a villain of sorts. Sure, he’s not the one convicted, but when it turns out you might have known something and not report it to authorities, it looks really bad.

When he was fired, I didn’t know how to react, mainly because we don’t really know what happened.

I know it’s going to sound weird, but I see Paterno’s legacy the same as Michael Jackson. Jackson went to court twice and was found innocent of child molestation charges. People still saw him as guilty, but when he died, most people cried and remembered his music and the impact he created.

Two and a half years later, we lose Paterno. Like Jackson, people are crying and are reminiscing of what an impact Paterno made in the sport of college football.

This is a man who coached for Penn State since 1950, when he was an assistant before taking the head coaching position in 1966. This is a man who has the most Division I wins in college football history at 409. This is a man who has coached 37 bowl games and won 24 of them, including two championships.

These numbers reflect the amazing legacy that Paterno had at Penn State University.

Shortly after Paterno’s termination, he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

One after another, it just seemed like more salt was added in the wounds of not just Paterno, but his entire family.

Then came the media mess up as reports came in, Saturday, reporting Paterno’s death. While the reports were false, they weren’t that far off.

As we all awoke this morning to hear about Paterno’s passing, I’m reading countless Facebook and Twitter messages. Most are saddened by the news and some are saying good riddance.

Those that are praising his death should be ashamed of themselves. That is someone’s husband, father and grandfather that just died.

I’ve always been told that it makes no sense to hate on anybody you don’t know personally.

I don’t know Paterno. But I do know what it feels to lose somebody close.

It’s sad the last days the Paterno had to endure were so dark an ominous.
We may never know the whole story of what went on behind closed doors. But we did witness a great coach who didn’t even know the meaning of the word “Quit.”

Hopefully Joseph Vincent Paterno is finding peace amongst the darkness he endured in his last days.

R.I.P. Joe Paterno (Dec. 21, 1926-Jan. 22, 2012)

Posted in Columns | Tagged Joe Paterno, Penn State Nittany Lions | Leave a comment

Looking at this title, many are probably thinking, “This is way to early for a top 25 ranking for college football.” You’d also be wrong. It’s never to early to talk college football. Then you might say, “How the heck would he know the top 25 for next season?” Now there, you might have a point. But I’ll do some palm-reading and look in the crystal ball and do my best to figure out who should be college football’s top 25. (Quick Note: This is where I think the teams deserve to be ranked, not necessarily where they actually end up. Poll voters have a funny way of rewarding undeserving prestigious teams (i.e. Michigan) and punishing deserving up-and-coming teams (i.e. Boise State). I give equal opportunities to all.)

1. Alabama

They are the national champions and they deserve their due at the top of the poll. I was skeptical coming into the title game, as they had already lost to LSU. They proved me wrong. Their defense played a good game and shut down a embarrassing Tigers offense. That vaunted defense who led the nation in all major defense categories returns seven starters and welcomes in the best recruiting class in the nation. QB A.J. McCarron returns and will lead another loaded Crimson Tide team to another year of National Title contention.

2. LSU

This LSU team had one of the most impressive regular seasons I had ever seen. They defeated Oregon on a neutral site, West Virginia and Alabama on the road, and manhandled any team that dared play them at home. The National Title game sullied many’s opinion of the team, but their season should not be forgotten. They return seven starters on both offense and defense and will make sure to address their quarterback issues in the off-season. They may not have the impressive regular season run they had last season, but that’s not too bad considering how good they were last year.

3. USC

Matt Barkley was by far the most underrated quarterback in college football last season. In a season where much of the attention sat upon Baylor’s Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck. The Trojans signal caller quietly threw for 3500 yards and 39 touchdowns. With Barkley returning for his senior season and superstar junior WR Robert Woods only improving with experience, this offense should rival some of the best in football. The defense should hold up decently and I see the Trojans improving on a 10-2 campaign en route to a serious run at the national title.

4. Oklahoma

Could a new trend be growing in college football? Landry Jones followed the trend set by Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck before him by returning for his senior season. At times, the Sooners looked like a championship caliber football team. They had a top ten offense and a top 30 defense. Had leading receiver Ryan Broyles and leading rusher Dominique Whaley stayed healthy for an entire season, the Sooners could have crashed the Title game in New Orleans. Look for a team bent on taking back the Big 12 and ending the SEC’s title run.

5. Michigan State

This one may appear to be a long shot, but the Spartans really do have some serious talent.  The defense returns nine starters off of a campaign that was the best in the B1G. Sophomore DE William Gholston will give opposing quarterbacks nightmares as he may be the best rush end in the country. Though they lose QB Kirk Cousins, look for the offense to actually improve under sophomore Andrew Maxwell. Cousins, though he put together a nice senior season, doesn’t have the talent that Maxwell has. That being said, it’ll be the defense that wins this program games. Expect yet another solid season from the Spartans as they look to establish themselves on the college football landscape.

6. Georgia

Michigan State’s Outback Bowl opponent won’t be too shabby either next season. QB Aaron Murray will lead a strong Bulldog team that returns 16 starters from their 2011 SEC East Championship season. With the talent on that roster, don’t be surprised if it happens again. Pair that with a fifth ranked recruiting class and you have a very solid roster. The competition between the Bulldogs and South Carolina for the SEC East crown will shape up to be a heck of a run. This was a young team last season and the experience this year can only help develop their talent.

7. South Carolina

Right behind the Bulldogs is their division rival, the South Carolina Gamecocks. After experimenting with the oft-suspended Stephen Garcia, the Gamecocks finally dumped him after five games and committed to Connor Shaw. Shaw will be a junior next season and will be sure to benefit from an off-season in the system. Ultra-talented RB Marcus Lattimore will return after missing much of last season with a knee injury. The fact that they went 8-2 after the Lattimore injury is a testament to the talent of this team. Look for head coach Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks to be a darkhorse of the SEC.

8. Kansas State

Aside from Baylor, the Wildcats may have been the biggest surprise in college football. Their 10-3 season seemed to really come out of nowhere. Senior Collin Klein was a dynamic, run-first quarterback who actually managed to rush for over 1100 yards and a surprisingly high 27 touchdowns. Eight starters return to an offense that rushed for 185 yards and Klein will look to improve upon his paltry 1900 yards through the air. Look for the Wildcats to find themselves back in the top 3 of the Big 12 conference.

9. West Virginia

As much as I despise the Big East in football, I have to give props to the Mountaineers. They embarrassed Clemson in the Orange Bowl and broke a BCS bowl record with 70 points. Senior Geno Smith is coming back for his senior season and will look to improve upon the 4300 yards and 31 touchdowns he put up this season. That task may be easier than it sounds as the only other teams worth mentioning in the Big East are Cincinnati and Louisville.

10. Oregon

For most programs, losing your dynamic leading rusher would be a huge blow that would take some definite adjustment in the following season. Then again, Oregon isn’t most programs. Though LaMichael James rushed for over 1800 yards and 18 touchdowns, his loss will have little impact on the team as Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas are more than capable of filling his role. Even with the departure of QB Darron Thomas, the Ducks offense will have no issue putting up points next season. You’ll need a an extremely talented offense to beat out Oregon.

Hit the jump for the rest of Christian’s top 25…

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Posted in Top 25 | Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, Arizona State Sun Devils, Arkansas Razorbacks, Boise State Broncos, Cincinnati Bearcats, Clemson Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Kansas State Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio Bobcats, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oregon Ducks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stanford Cardinal, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, Top 25, USC Trojans, Virginia Tech Hokies, West Virginia Mountaineers, Wisconsin Badgers | Leave a comment

On Monday night, Alabama crushed LSU 21-0 en route to their second national title in three years and the sixth straight national title for the Southeastern Conference.

The hype for the game was palpable in the south. College football is religion in a part of the country where all other sports are secondary. In fact, football is financially vital. According to the Wall Street Journal, LSU and Alabama are ranked one and two when it comes to the percentage of the school’s revenue that comes from football with 14% and 11% respectively. The next two schools on the list, fellow SEC mates Arkansas and Tennessee, both generate 9% of their revenue from football.

Fans flocked to a sold out Superdome, where the average price for a ticket sat around $2,000, depending on who it was bought from. The tension could be felt through the television. LSU fans wanted to commemorate their dominant regular season with a national title, while Alabama fans wanted to make the most of their rematch with the Bayou Bengals.

If only the tension matched the play on the field.

LSU QB Jordan Jefferson’s play at the quarterback position was one of the worst performances I’ve had the displeasure of watching. He threw for only 57 yards and gave Alabama the ball on an interception that could only be classified as “dumb.” Also credit LSU’s poor offensive playcalling for the first shutout in BCS history. There were very few occasions when the Tigers decided to spread the field and make a pass down field. When they did, receivers were open. But due to Jefferson’s aforementioned terrible quarterbacking, he couldn’t get the job done, which leads to a second blunder on the part of Les Miles and LSU staff.

Despite his poor play, Jefferson was left in the game. For a team that only has one competent quarterback, that would be acceptable. LSU, however, does not fit into that category. Jarrett Lee, who threw for over 1300 yards and started for a good portion of the season when Jefferson was suspended, was left on the bench. With Jefferson looking the proverbial “deer in headlights” for much of the game, it would only make sense to bring in a quarterback who might fare better. Then again, it’s not the first time Les Miles did something that didn’t make sense.

I wouldn’t classify this game being a dominant defensive performance, but rather an insult to offense. That being said, Nick Saban’s defense was nothing short of impressive. Every player on the defense appeared as though he was tougher, faster, and stronger than his offensive counterpart. The mere reputation of the Alabama defense seemed to put the fear of God into Jefferson and the LSU offense. They lived up to their ranking as the best defense in the country. They, however, are not the best defense of all time. Let’s not mix up stellar defense with atrocious, embarrassing offense. The defense was good, but not that good.

Alabama’s offense faired much better than their counterparts and Tide QB A.J. McCarron appeared to come into his own last night. Though he didn’t throw for a touchdown, he showed poise against a very good LSU defense and consistently put his team in field goal range, which is all they really needed. Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley connected on five of his six field goal attempts and was almost the only player to score any points until a late fourth quarter touchdown run by star RB Trent Richardson.

Unless you were an Alabama fan, this game was not fun to watch. Collective groans were released on Twitter, Facebook, and in person every time LSU punted or Alabama lined up for a field goal. The game was of a low quality and the ratings showed it. In fact, ratings were down 8% from last year’s match up between Auburn and Oregon and ranked as the lowest rated title game since 2002, according to the Washington Post.

A rematch was proposed in 2006, when Ohio State and Michigan were ranked one and two after a 42-39 Buckeye victory. The game never happened because many felt that a team should have to win their conference in order to play for a national title and that a rematch would prove nothing. This season, sentiment suddenly changed and not a peep was heard from ESPN, who broadcasts the game.

The NCAA often bends the rules for the SEC (i.e. over-recruiting, paying players) and this is no different. The only difference is that the nation showed that they were sick of this conference being shoved down their throats year after year by tuning out from the title game.

Will the ratings lead to a change of stance by the NCAA regarding the SEC? Not likely. But you can be sure that this season will serve as motivation by the rest of the conferences to end the South’s six year hold on the national title.

Photo Credit: Tyler Kaufman/Icon SMI

Posted in Columns, SEC | Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, BCS, Columns, LSU Tigers | Leave a comment

I’ll admit it. I am a big Michigan fan. Never would I ever try to hide it. But even true blue fans like myself know that they didn’t deserve to be in that football games. Self respecting Virginia Tech fans likely feel the same. It’s the first time EVER in which two teams ranked outside of the top ten made it into a BCS bowl and the play on the field looked the part.

Michigan won 23-20 on a field goal in overtime, but the result really didn’t matter to anyone other than the players on the field and diehard fans. Those who watched the game suffered.

The game was just sloppy. A touchdown wasn’t scored until very late in the second quarter and both teams looked as if they didn’t deserve to be there. No one could blame Boise State, who is ranked four spots ahead of Tech and six ahead of Michigan, if they were a little angry at being left out of this party.

The Hokies’ offense actually didn’t play all that bad, despite only scoring one touchdown and 20 points total. Their offense resembled a college version of any offense Kyle Orton is a part of; great between the twenties, but simply anemic where it matter the most. Credit to their third-string kicker, Justin Myer, who rose to the occasion and kept Tech in the game with four field goals in regulation. Though he did miss one in overtime, the blame should lay on the offense for not punching the ball in.

Now for Michigan’s offense.

Have you ever played the game five hundred? If not, it’s a classic childhood game in which the thrower calls out a number (usually 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500) and heaves the ball into the air to the other players whose main objective is to catch the ball and gain 500 points. If the ball is to be caught in the air, the thrower will yell alive. If to be caught after a bounce, dead would be called.

That was pretty much the Michigan offense operated. They were consistently stuffed on the run, so Denard Robinson just ran around until he decided to let the ball fly into a crowd. Junior Hemingway came down with both of the touchdowns receptions and was named the Sugar Bowl MVP.  I’m sure that if you had your television volume turned loud enough, you would have heard a faint call of “alive” by Robinson amongst all the crowd noise. Despite his best efforts to give the ball to the other team, Denard only threw one interception on 117 yards of passing.

But once again, I must stress it, this game didn’t really matter. The only thing that really matters coming out of this game is that both teams showed that they didn’t belong here and that the current system is a complete sham in regards to competition. It’s just a money grab.

BCS officials supposedly chose these two squads because of their marketability and ability to fill up a stadium. Those 12,000 empty seats in the stadium would argue otherwise.

In reality, the Sugar Bowl chose two teams from two of the least successful BCS conferences who had inflated records because of their cream puff schedules.

Even in the money driven criteria that the BCS used, these teams failed to meet expectations. In Michigan’s defense, they sold all of their tickets. Much of the so-called blame for would fall on Virginia Tech.

But who could really blame those fans for not making the trip down to New Orleans to see the ACC runner-up. That’s like telling someone from the Midwest to fly out to Hollywood to see the premier of “Furry Vengeance.” It’s not that attractive of a proposition.

Many Michigan fans will ride the high of this victory, think of it as a spring board back into national relevance. An opening weekend match up against Alabama in Dallas, along with road dates in Columbus, South Bend (even though the Irish are frauds), and Lincoln will likely bring those expectations back down to earth. Maybe 8-4 if they’re lucky.

Virginia Tech fans will just wait until next year, when their team will beat up on their embarrassing excuse for a football conference and lose by 30 to Clemson.

So as we begin to say goodbye to this glorious college football season, let us remember that you can play as well in the regular season as you want. However, if you’re not a big name, better luck next year.

Posted in Big 10, Bowl Season, College Football, Columns | Tagged BCS, Denard Robinson, Michigan, Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech University | Leave a comment

On a quiet December evening in Las Vegas, the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history did what was habit for him at Boise State. Kellen Moore won a football game.

The end of his career won’t be lauded like the Tebow’s and McCoy’s of college football. According to the college football elite, Boise State isn’t a “real” or “elite” college football program. They just play dinky teams out west and get lucky against the big boys. The Broncos would supposedly never make it against an SEC or Big Ten schedule. Moore’s wins were more of an indictment of the teams he played, rather than actual accomplishments.

I wonder what those same elite would say when they heard that Kellen Moore never actually lost to any of those “real” programs. He was actually 6-0 against BCS conference schools, with only two of those wins coming at home. And maybe they forgot that all of his three losses came against two of those dinky teams (TCU twice, Nevada) out west. The fact that he threw for more yards than Andrew Luck and more touchdowns than Robert Griffin III this season is simply a coincidence.

And did I mention that he’ll finish with a record of 50-3? That is the best for a quarterback in college football history and will likely not be touched for decades to come.

When draft day comes around, there won’t be groups of people calling for Moore to be drafted because he’s a “winner,” despite the fact that Moore has won more games than Tim Tebow and has actually done something Tebow never did: finish a season undefeated.

Sure, Tebow had two national title victories during his time at Florida, but how would he have fared had he been the scrappy winning quarterback at Boise State? Would he have won a Heisman trophy? Would he even have the opportunity to play for a national championship? Would he still be in the conversation as the best college football player of all-time? Would he have been drafted in the first round? Would he have ever been given the chance to start in the National Football League?

A lengthy set of questions, but questions to be examined nonetheless. Face it, a quarterback who gets the job done at a non-AQ school just simply doesn’t receive the same hype, press, and honor as those who may do significantly less at a high-profile school. If Kellen Moore wins 40-45 games at Florida, Texas, or Ohio State, he’s likely labeled as one of the best of our decade. He would have the opportunity to play in a national title if his team went undefeated or had just one loss. Moore would enter the Heisman conversation as a serious contender, rather than an afterthought. He might even get drafted in the second or third round of the draft.

But he didn’t play for the big name school. He played for the school that plays on blue turf and always has the nerve to shake up the BCS rankings. He played for Boise State.

Whether he ends up as a starter in the NFL or out of football entirely, don’t forget about what Kellen Moore has done the past four years. There’s a good chance that you’ll never see winning like that ever again.

Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Posted in Big East, Bowl Season, Columns | Tagged Boise State Broncos, Boise State University, Bowl Games, Bowl Season, Kellen Moore, Tim Tebow | Leave a comment

The USC Trojans proved that they were one of the top teams in the country as the 2011 college football season winded down. Despite having nothing to play for but pride, the Trojans finished off the season strong with four straight wins, including a 38-35 win over the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, which took them out of title contention. After they failed to show up against Arizona State in Week 4, the Trojans rallied around their start quarterback Matt Barkley and only lost one game the rest of the season: a 56-48 triple overtime thriller against Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal.

Sanctions against the school prevented the Trojans from playing any post-season games, leaving Barkley with a tough choice to make: stay in school for his senior year and get a chance to play for post-season glory or make the jump to the NFL and become a millionaire.

Quarterback at USC is one of the most prominent positions in college athletics and Barkley may very well be the best to play that position in the past 20 years. Unfortunately for Barkley, the timing of his arrival at Southern Cal couldn’t have been worse. It’s not his fault that the program is being punished for crime’s committed in the past and in no way is it fair that he’s had to pay for it. But he didn’t bail. Despite the lack of recognition, Barkley dreamed of playing quarterback at USC and he wasn’t going to give up on that dream for anything.

I can’t say I would have blamed Barkley if he had said earlier today that he was entering his name into the 2012 NFL Draft pool, but Barkley has an opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream to an even farther extent by sticking around for his senior campaign. Not only would Barkley be the pre-season favorite for the Heisman with each and every game giving him a chance to put his name all over the USC record books, but he’d also have a chance to lead his team to the BCS National Title Game. USC will still have scholarship restrictions next season but they will be eligible to be ranked in the coaches’ poll and they will be eligible to play in a post-season game. If Barkley were to return, the Trojans would be the pre-season #1 entering the 2012 college football season.

So when Barkley took the podium in Southern Cal earlier this afternoon and delivered a dramatic speech about what he wants to accomplish at USC, it didn’t surprise me to here him say that he’d be returning to school for one last go round with his Trojan teammates.

Barkley will be helped out tremendously by Robert Woods and Marquis Lee, who are both underclassmen that will only get better next season, and though stud offensive linemen Matt Kalil did declare for the draft, the Trojans should be able to fill his spot effectively. USC would have one of the top offenses in the country and their defense will be able to hold up in the PAC-12, especially with Andrew Luck out of the picture.

If Barkley so much as breaks a finger nail next season a lot of people will jump on him for making the decision to stick around but even if Barkley were to suffer an injury, this was a decision made by a kid that dreamed of leading the Trojans onto the field at the Rose Bowl. Sure, there’s a chance that Barkley gets hurt next season – but the chances of that injury significantly decreasing his quarterback abilities are low and though it is a small risk the reward of a great legacy at USC means more to Barkley than being a top 10 pick in the draft. And if Barkley comes out of next season in the same physical condition he is now, he only stands to gain ground on the draft board and there’s a chance that he may be this year’s Andrew Luck (as in he may be the slam dunk number one pick).

Barkley has a chance to become the greatest Trojan ever (really) with a successful season at USC next year and based on everything he’s shown to this point, it’s hard to imagine him not coming through for the school of his dreams next season.

Posted in NFL Draft, Pac-12 | Tagged Marquis Lee, Matt Barkley, Robert Woods, USC Trojans | Leave a comment

In the past, the Big Ten and their football programs thumbed their noses at programs across the country, claiming that they had more class and integrity. They laughed at scandals that ruined and handicapped programs like SMU in the eighties, Miami in the nineties, and USC in the past decade. The most notable violation of NCAA rules in the past decade for a Big Ten team was Michigan’s over-practicing.

And then, almost on cue, Ohio State had to crash the NCAA violation party. The Buckeye’s tattoo scandal became a major black mark on the Big Ten and made the conference appear no different than any of the others.

While many conferences would encourage the punishment for rule breakers, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney fought against it. He lobbied the NCAA to allow five players, who would’ve been suspended, to play in the Buckeyes’ Sugar Bowl match up against Arkansas. It was obvious that Delaney didn’t actually care about the integrity or well-being of the players. He just cared that they were competitive on a national stage.

On Memorial Day weekend, head coach Jim Tressel announced his resignation from the program in an effort to reduce the penalty handed down to the Buckeyes. Ohio State named assistant coach Luke Fickell interim head coach, but speculation began immediately as to who would be the permanent replacement in Columbus. The name Urban Meyer was floated quite a bit.

Well low and behold, days after Michigan defeated Ohio State for the first time in eight years, Urban Meyer was named the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

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Posted in Big 10, College Football, Columns, SEC | Tagged Big Ten Conference, Jim Delaney, Luke Fickell, Ohio State, University of Michigan, Urban Meyer | Leave a comment

There are 35, yes, 35 college football bowl games this year. That means 70 out of 119 teams qualified for a bowl game. Not only does that number indicate the need to get rid of some bowls (a topic for another article), but it also means that there are a lot of teams playing that not many people have been able to see before. So, without further ado, here is your 2011-2012 College Football Bowl Game Primer:

December 17, 2PM EST on ESPN – New Mexico Bowl – Temple (8-4) v. Wyoming (8-4)

Temple is a defensive-minded team under first- year head coach Steve Addazio (former head coach Al Golden is now at the University of Miami (Fla.)

Wyoming is one of the biggest surprises of the college football year (8 wins for the first time since 1998) thanks to a turnover differential that ranks fourth is the nation.

Bottom Line: They may have the same record. But Wyoming plays better competition throughout the year (Boise State, TCU ect.) and possesses the superior offense. Give me the Cowboys 20-13.

December 17, 5:30PM EST on ESPN – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Ohio (9-4) v. Utah State (7-5)

Ohio is a good overall team that barely lost to Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship Game 23-20 (they led 20-0 in the game.) Ohio is looking for its first bowl win in six tries. (four of those appearances have come in the last five years)

Utah State has won 5 games in a row and won 7 games for the first time since 1993 in large part because of a running game that is sixth best in the nation averaging 277.5 yards a game.

Bottom Line: Ohio’s superior defense, program and talent will end the Aggies 5-game winning streak. Give me the Bobcats 24-20.

December 17, 9:00PM EST on ESPN – New Orleans Bowl – Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) v. San Diego State (8-4)

Louisiana-Lafayette is perhaps the biggest surprise of the college football year for lower-level DI football programs. They are making their first bowl appearance in 41 years thanks to an offense that averaged 32.3 point per game (32nd in the nation).

San Diego State is making their first back-to-back bowl appearances since 1967. The Aztecs are led by star running back Ronnie Hillman who leads all of DI football with 138 yards rushing per game.

Bottom Line: Louisiana-Lafeyette’s storybook season will come to crashing end thanks to the Aztecs superior running game. San Diego State 31-20.

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Posted in Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Columns, Conference USA, Mid-American Confernece, Mid-Western Confernece, Pac-12, South Eastern Conference | Tagged ACC, Air Force Academy, Alamo Bowl, Arizona State University, Arkansas State University, Armed Forces Bowl, Atlantic Coast Conference, Baylor University, Belk Bowl, Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Boise State University, BYU, Capital One Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Chik-fil-A Bowl, Clemson University, College Football Bowl games, Compass Bowl, Conference USA, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Florida International University, Florida State University, Gator Bowl, Georgia Tech University, Godaddy.com Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Independence Bowl, Insight Bowl, Iowa State University, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl, Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana-Lafayette University, LSU, MAC, Marshall University, Michigan State University, Mid American Conference, Military Bowl, Mississippi State University, Mountain West Conference, Music City Bowl, National Championship Game, Nevada University, New Mexico Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, North Carolina State University, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Notre Dame, Ohio University, Oklahoma State University, Orange Bowl, Outback Bowl, Pac 12 Conference, Penn State, Pinstripe Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl, Rose Bowl, San Diego State University, SMU, Southern Methodist University, Southern Mississippi University, St. Petersburg Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Sun Belt Conference, Sun Bowl, TCU, Temple University, Texas A&M, Texas Bowl, Texas Christian University, The Ohio State University, Ticketcity Bowl, Toledo University, UCLA, University of Alabama, University of Auburn, University of California, University of Cincinnati, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Houston, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Louisville, University of Michigan, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of North Carolina, University of Oklahoma, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Purdue, University of Rutgers, University of South Carolina, University of Stanford, University of Texas, University of Tulsa, University of Utah, University of Vanderbilt, University of Virginia, University of Wake Forest, University of Washington, University of West Virginia, University of Wisconsin, Utah State University, Virginia Tech University, Western Michigan University, Wyoming University | Leave a comment

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