An interesting column by David Moulton last week in the wake of the latest player-agent investigation that openly poses a very provocative question: is it time for FBS college football to leave the NCAA behind? As shocking as that statement is, it's actually possible. Affiliation with the NCAA is voluntary, and teams or conferences or even whole sports can decide to leave at any time. Naturally, for the first two, serious consequences may result, but Moulton suggests that the heavy hitters in CFB seriously consider it for one prime reason: reevaluating the rules for a sport in which the stakes have risen so high that they even rival those of fortune 500 companies. And protecting those stakes!

We probably wouldn't be quite having this conversation except for that breaking agent scandal that wouldn't stop last week, but now it's issue #1, right at the forefront. Or is it merely a symptom to the larger problem at hand? How do you govern and police this money-making mess we call FBS? SEC commissioner Mike Slive didn't have word one about the agent issue in the draft of his Media Days speech last Monday, but he quite thoroughly addressed the issue in his opening remarks by Wednesday.  I think that Alabama coach Nick Saban had something to say about it, too.

This is latest scandal proof positive that big-time college football has simply outgrown the Byzantine rules and constraints of the NCAA and is virtually ungovernable without a major, more liberal overhaul? While no one openly advocates a wild, wild west-type scenario, the idea has been presented that FBS should branch out with it's own form of governance, with rules more applicable to it specifically, and perhaps it's time that we did look at it in a new light. With many of the penalties for both serious and minor infractions considered sometimes Draconian in effect, perhaps a more Libertarian approach would be worth noting. Said Moulton:

"In its zealous attempt to clean up college football, (the NCAA) is beginning to kill mosquitoes with sledgehammers. And over time the NCAA is more likely to kill mosquitoes with bombs than revert back to using spray."

The top programs in the country are valued at tens of millions of dollars, some exceeding $100M. Additionally, tens of millions in annual revenue are at stake. Do you really want teenage kids utilizing bad judgment to jeopardize any of that? Talk about throwing a cog into the wheel. In some cases, such behavior is virtually institutionalized, or at least condoned, but many more are isolated, which still can lead to some serious penalties. Should CFB takes the reigns now before the whole team is driven over a cliff? Maybe Slive has the right idea about bringing some of the shadier aspects of the whole business out into the light:

"If we had a student who was a great violinist and wanted to join a symphony and become a professional musician, there are all kinds of things the school could do to help make that happen", said Slive. "I think the NCAA rules on this issue are as much as part of the problem as they are the solution. Instead of shutting things down for these student-athletes, we need to open up the system and give them greater access to it. We need to take the mystery out of it."

Mr. College Football, Tony Barnhart, goes Slive one step further, with a full comparison to the shenanigans today with the prohibition era of yesteryear. The fact that agent contact is so verbotten is analogous to the black market for booze in the 1930s. Players are attracted to the danger of it. But there is an even deeper divide. Says Barnhart:

"There is another facet to this issue that people don’t like to talk about. At the end of the day, the athletes really don’t trust the adults who are running the system. The adults say they working with the best interests of the athletes involved. I think most athletes believe that the adults are looking out for their employer first. So when somebody comes along and points out that you, young football star, are putting money in all of these people’s pockets and you aren’t getting squat, it becomes a pretty compelling argument. I’m not sure I could resist it at the age of 19 or 20."

I believe that the time when major college football calls buzz-kill on the NCAA and seeks a new organizing body is drawing near. The stakes are too high and the chances for EPIC FAIL from just one little player so great that the meltdown-risks must be remade to be in line with the-- admittingly high--rewards. If so, a major overhaul in the many areas will certainly happen. If I were anointed king of CFB, here's how my list might shake out:

1) Recruiting: Probably the most likely candidate for a wild west scenario. Virtually unlimited contact after a point certain, say starting in the junior season of high school.  But with unlimited contact comes higher potential for abuse.  Players could still only commit after their senior season, but I'd say allow them to commit early and often--national signing day becomes a deadline, not a starting gun. Contracts are contracts, though. Once you commit, you're in. Some recruits might want to change their telephone numbers. Nick Saban real happy.

2) Transfer, Redshirt, Medical: Here's the deal. You get four seasons of eligibility to be completed in five years. They don't have to be in a row, and they don't even have to be with the same team. For transfers, if you don't transfer to the next level down (FCS), you lose a year out of that five. Yea, we'll consider hardship medical cases still, but we'll open up the redshirt season to be used at anytime. Why not? They're your unused minutes. Call who you want.

3) Image Rights, Passive Endorsements, Medical or Educational Pension: This is probably where most fans think players get the shaft--as their images are used to advertise and promote the schools and make millions of dollars. As amateurs, receiving outright endorsement commissions could not be considered. Pro players have that right, but they don't have the right to represent their respective team without authorization and just compensation for the organization.  I don't think I would disallow any non-commercial endorsements from players, but that's a mighty slippery slope. Regardless of that debate, I would think that a pension be funded to help players who are medically stricken during their playing careers or to help with vocational retraining or educational benefits for players who don't go on to the NFL.

4) Exposure to agents for career advice: As addressed significantly above. Certainly not all players will have a serious chance to play in the NFL, but perhaps this option could be exercised on a volunteer basis; i.e. for all players requesting it. Team members go in groups, not as individuals, and meet with as large a panel of representatives as possible, starting perhaps as early as after their freshman season. For players wanting to openly declare an end to their eligibility, perhaps an 'Agent Days' event at the school or for the conference where potential draftees can go and start to narrow such decisions down. It is time to bring this sometimes sleazy underworld of the game into the light.

5) Stipends for players: Oh, the big one. You gotta pay them, but you can't call it that. A stipend will do. Yea, they already get a free ride worth tens of thousands of dollars a year, but basically they are de facto apprentice-like employees. Will paying them something remove the spectre of improper benefits still being doled out? Of course not, but having something coming in could go a long way to minimize hard-pressed athletes from considering such a temptation. What's the number? Twenty five years ago, my play cash while I was in school was $100-200 a month. Some of you younger folks tell me what an appropriate number these days might be.

So is that the complete list? No way. There would still be thousands of tiny details to work out, and then a few seasons under the belt to adjust and refine and see where the loop holes are. What are your ideas? Are we ready for such wholesale change in this sport, or is the staus quo okay for the time being? With such a secession, would the gap between the haves and have-nots in CFB become even larger? There are always unintended consequences for everything--especially inaction. But then, there's always been a lot of that in our sport.

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It's been a long off season. Let's get back in commenting shape by trying this short exercise, guaranteed to tone and hone your razor wits. Copy and paste and fight amongst yourselves:

1) Lane Kiffin's first year record at USC? Bonus: < > Tennessee's?

2) Over/under for creative Texas hate-signs seen in game crowds and on the internet this year?

3) Urban Meyer health/drama issues?

4) Biggest misguided Heisman candidacy attempt?

5) Mike Leach lawsuit verdict?

6) Spurrier retires, switches teams, moves to NFL, or none of the above?

7) Alabama repeat?

8) Coach Firing Dead-Pool leader?

9) Next major violations contender?

10) Notre Dame: Bowl game, no bowl game--come back one year!

For WEA:

1) Lane Kiffin's first year record at USC? 8-4 Bonus: > Tennessee's

2) Over/under for creative Texas hate-signs seen in game crowds and on the internet this year? 38

3) Urban Meyer health/drama issues? one each

4) Biggest misguided Heisman candidacy attempt? Auburn--Cam Newton

5) Mike Leach lawsuit verdict? Answer unclear. Ask again later.

6) Spurrier retires, switches teams, moves to NFL, or none of the above? Retires

7) Alabama repeat? Nyet

8) Coach Firing Dead-Pool leader? Ron Zooked

9) Next major violations contender? North Carolina. Seriously, 13 players interviewed?

10) Notre Dame: Bowl game, no bowl game for you--come back, one jear! NO-bowl!

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Late last week, reports surfaced that a months-long NCAA investigation into North Carolina is occuring, with reported widespread tampering by agents with many players alledged. Up to 13 Tar Heel players may have been interviewed, the most prominent being defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who is expected to be suspended by the NCAA very soon.

Darren Heitner, a legitimate sports agent who claims to have insider knowledge of the situation in Chapel Hill, had this to say about the depth of the problem in his blog last week:

"So when Joe Schad tells the world that there is a serious NCAA investigation taking place at UNC, sports agents who may be affected should begin to contact their attorneys. Schad notes that Defensive tackle Marvin Austin was a football player who was interviewed. I have a source who tells me that Austin was only 1 of 13 players who have been interviewed - this is far reaching. And it does not only extend to a number of players. The same source tells me that there are a lot of agents that may have dirty hands, including both NFLPA Certified Advisors and marketing agents. Some are being examined more than others.
It is apparently beyond just in-person meetings, rent payments, and travel expenses. We are potentially talking about all expenses paid trips to South Beach, exorbitant amounts of money dropped on accessories, and perhaps even a Bentley or two."

A Bentley or two? I hope they only rented one. And got the full-coverage insurance.

How widespread is this particular case? It seems to have now jumped to South Carolina, as TE Wesley Saunders, who is friends with Austin, has been interviewed by the NCAA. Saunders and Austin allegedly compared notes about 'interviewing' potential agents. Saunders was suspended earlier this year by coach Steve Spurrier for violating team rules.

Then, breaking news today from Florida, that the school self-reported to the NCAA in early June an investigation over allegations that a representative from a sports agent paid former OL star Maurkice Pouncey $100,000 sometime in between last year's SEC championship game with Alabama and the Gator's Sugar Bowl blowout of Cincinnati. Pouncey, who was a junior, declared for this year's NFL draft and was taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"We were made aware of some information in early June that we reported to law enforcement and we then shared with the NCAA and the SEC," said AD Jeremy Foley. "At this time we have no information that has indicated that there are any compliance issues for the University of Florida."

If the allegations turn out to be true, Florida could be made to vacate the Sugar Bowl victory, Tim Tebow's last hurrah as a Gator. Wow. Are we really still talking about him? I guess we are. I just hope they haven't started engraving the statue.

Has no one learned anything from the Reggie Bush incident other than how to try and hide it better? Granted, these cases don't sound like they went on for years like the RBI, but before you go casting stones, know that conduct like this can occur at any school. There are 38 states that have some sort of civil and/or criminal penalties for enticing amateur athletes, but there are very few prosecutions in this area. Players darn well know the rules when it comes to contact with an agent--immediate suspension and loss of future eligibility, which could depreciate future draft status significantly. Then there's the damage to the school, which even in a small incident can tarnish reputations and force the vacation of games or entire seasons.

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 Show us SIX fingers, Tubs! Guns up!

Tommy Tuberville, never one to shy away from being direct, seems to be saying what he feels once again, which could be designed to keep Texas Tech on the map, but might not be endearing himself to other teams and coaches as the new kid on the block. Recently, on a radio show, Tubs offered up his opinion on the future of the conference formerly known as the Big 12:

"I don't think this conference will last long because there is too much disparity between all the teams," Tuberville said. "In the SEC, for instance, Vanderbilt makes as much money in the television contract as Florida. Everybody is good with it. Everybody is on the same page. Everyone gets the same votes.

"That doesn't happen here in the Big 12. We have some teams that get a little bit more money and have a little bit more stroke than some of the other teams. And when that happens, you're gonna have teams looking for better avenues to leave and reasons to leave. We have a 10-team league right now, but I just don't know how long that is going to last, to be honest with you."

Wow, CTT. Tell us how you really feel. Is it just me, or does Tubs seem to be falling into the same mold as the dread pirate Mike Leach, who was ousted in part for pissing off the powers to be in Lubbock?

But even more interesting is his recent hire of strength and conditioning coach Arnold Gamber. Now if that name sounds familiar to Auburn fans, it should. Gamber was Auburn's strength and conditioning coach under Tuberville and was also at the heart of the controversy with former Tiger lineman Chaz Ramsey and his career-ending back surgery. In December 2007, Ramsey had the surgery and was rehabbing it that spring. The story, as told by the Birmingham news:

The rehab program that followed was the source of what quickly became a bitter dispute between the Ramseys and Auburn's training staff.

Ramsey said he returned to Auburn in late May, about six weeks after his surgery, with his back feeling great. But an aggressive treatment program initiated by Auburn's training staff not only conflicted with the specific plan laid out by the surgeon, but actually made things worse, Ramsey said. Two months after the surgery, his back was back to "square one."

The conflict only escalated. Ramsey accused head trainer Arnold Gamber of calling him "less than a man" and suggesting that he use pain medicine for the rest of his Auburn career. The Ramseys say that Auburn team physician Dr. Michael Goodlett was horrified that the rehab directives were not being followed, and told Ramsey to report directly to him, not the training staff.

A year ago this month, Ramsey filed a lawsuit against Gamber and former Auburn OL coach Hugh Nall for "compensatory and/or punitive damages" for "pain and anguish" and "the denial of a very probable career in the NFL."Nall was dropped from the suit last month.

The bigger question is why would Tuberville hire a man who has a blemish like this on his record (still unproven, however) for possibly abusing players when his head coach predecessor at Tech was fired for doing the exact same thing? One must wonder if Tubs made this hiring decision unilaterally without conferring with the higher ups who pay the legal bills. A hiring like this might go a long way into helping Leach's pending lawsuit against the university.

Of course, fielding a winning team in Lubbock this fall will make any Tubs detractors fade away for a while--even Craig James. I'm not sure what a pass-happy Tubs team will look like, but I can tell you that they will start to play defense down there. For a change.

h/t: OU Ron

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Tennessee's athletic director Mike Hamilton confirmed yesterday that the Volunteers will not choose to accept an offer from Lane Kiffin and USC to meet in the 2011 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game, sponsored by the Atlanta Sports Council. Hamilton has been approached a few times by ASC president Gary Stokan, and has apparently received a few text messages from Lane Kiffin himself. Failing to rise up and challenge this obvious bravado from Kiffin, Hamilton spoke the words that madeevery safety-orange checkerboard clad Vol fan's stomach churn.

"We've got plenty to keep us busy in 2011 already. We're building our program back, and our schedule is tough enough as it is. The reality of it is if it was Texas or UCLA in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game, we just couldn't do it in 2011."

That's right, he said that the schedule was "too tough" already.

What? Are you kidding me? What was all that jive about getting hosed by Kiffin? I thought you guys were going to get him back somehow? Now you get the perfect chance and all you can say is No Mas?

But, infers Hamilton, Tennessee couldn't play the game even if it was Texas or UCLA. Huh? It ain't UCLA. It's USC. And your ex-coach. How do you not pull the trigger on this game? Yea, the Vols have a tough OOC schedule next year with Cincinnati and North Carolina, but they start the season with North Texas. Cut those guys a check and say GAME ON to Kiffykins. If not for your own self-respect, at least for that for the rest of the conference. Even Pat Dye is saying that Tennessee isn't man enough to play USC in a virtual home game. Word has it that Phil Fulmer has said that he could make himself available for the game--not to coach, but to play.

Tennessee and USC do have a home and home inked for 2021 and 2022, but Kiffin is as likely to still be the coach at USC as the Big 12 is to still being a conference or Utah is to winning the Pac-12. Tennessee is also scheduled for the Kickoff Game in 2012 against NC State, but who says you can't play two of these games in a row? Alabama played in 2008 and 2009. This turn down by Tennessee is even worse than Auburn ducking a chance to play UCLA in 2010. Keep declining a marquee game like this, SEC, and see if they don't start looking at other conferences.

Vols, I felt for you. You got played by a slickster. Your program deserved better than him--the biggest-mouth-running coach in CFB history. And now he gets to keep running his mouth by telling everyone he gave you a shot and you said NO, it's just too hard. Somewhere on Rocky Top, a couch burns.

View the original post or comment on Tennessee Turns Down Shot at Kiffin Bowl...

So, I know you poor peeps are going through football withdrawal, so much so that you were probably like me on Saturday, laid out on your couch, watching to see if the U.S. could cure it's four year-old case of Ghana rrhea. I even grabbed an unused transmission fluid funnel from the garage to make an impromptu vuvuzela that even McGruber, nee' McGuiver, would have been proud of. It didn't really sound like a pocket hornet's nest in as much as it did a mini-megaphone, and with me not knowing any particular soccer cheers, I proceeded to play the first few notes of War Eagle time and time again, which only sounded like a slightly amplified version of me doing it with my lips. And if you've ever heard me play the simulated lip trumpet, it's a pretty mean rendition and almost kazoo-sounding, I might add. For the record, a transmission fluid funnel can also be made to play Louie, Louie in a pinch. 

But what kind of substitute is soccer for football, really? I'm not going to knock the sport, a lot of people like it--it's come a long way since the ball-hugging shorts days of the 70s and early 80s, but people my age's only exposure to it was a forced contest in middle school P.E. class where the goals were two pylons each on a patchy grass field and most of the game time was spent chasing errant balls that went out of bounds. Hell, I don't even think the P.E. teachers even knew the rules, and those guys had been bestowed the title coach. We were southerners. It's like asking us the rules to ice hockey. We know BBQ and football. In that order--knowledge-wise, not with comsumption, because you don't want to eat BBQ immediately preceding the playing or practicing of football.

Not that I didn't try to get into it. At it's base, it's not that's there's no offense, it's that there's a lot of defense--so unlike that 2008 3-2 Auburn-Mississippi State game. There are some appealing aspects to it--assuming the game is televised at some point after you've awoken in the morning. I won't get up for a 11am AUBURN kickoff, much less some pre-dawn soccer match. And don't forget that the game is being played in South Africa--which is in the southern hemisphere, which actually doesn't affect the time at all--at the match site or even for all us Yanks back here in the states, but I thought I'd show off my geography knowledge while I can, before my dearth of soccer smarts reveals itself. Here goes--my Top 5 list of things I don't understand about soccer.

1) Why the name soccer when everyone else calls it FOOTBALL? No, it's not some American rebellion from nomenclature. Just like the rest of our fanciful language, it comes from England, who coined it originally to differentiate between this sissy game and a real one like rugby football, in which you not only kick the ball, but kick a lot of ass. Yes, I do dearly wish this to be another case of American exceptionalism, especially since that concept is dying today before our very eyes, but it's not to be so. Obviously, we have our football in this country and we're not relinquishing that term without first prying it from our cold, dead fingers and we steadfastly laugh at those who stand on American soil and try to con us into labeling their game with that term. And ever since the phrase soccer mom has bastardized any respect that the name soccer had left, I propose that we come up with a new term, perhaps a nome de guerre for the sport that makes it sound tougher than it really is, say like Fussball? Yea, I know that term is taken, but nobody really plays that parlor game anymore, save in frat house basements, and it just sounds so German, which is likely to tone down any fussy French fussball fans you might encounter.

2) Boy, that clock sure does run. Although I didn't actually see a game begin, I did see a few end, and that clock ain't stopping for nothing.  The no-commercials aspect of it is pretty cool, but you think they might just cut from the action momentarily like they do in NASCAR. The flip side is no pee breaks, but which is tempered by the fact that you're not likely to miss any action even on a four-beer bladder. At the end of the Ghana match, when their players started flopping on the ground like chop-block victims, they actually brought the stretcher out and removed a guy while the clock ran. Only the head referee knew the double-secret amount of time he would allow the clock to run after the allocated extra period, and he wasn't telling anyone. Think he just made it up in his head? Yup! I do. Somebody check that guy's passport--just for the record.

3) Are these offside penalties really necessary? Because it seemed like everytime they called one, a player was in the perfect position to take a shot on goal. How the hell am I supposed to know he just cheated? Looked like Kobe breaking away for a dunk to me. Is scoring really not something to strive to promote a little more in this sport? I don't even know if you have defender players who must remain back like you do in ice-hockey, but I think that you should be able to load guys in the box anytime you want, as long as you get more shots on goal. As a matter of fact, I think an 'open range' like rules policy would be the best promotor of more scoring save for putting two balls in play at once, a la certain pinball machines. Besides, how else am I ever going to witness a bicycle kick while watching?

4) What's up with the deck of cards? Red and yellow can kill a fellow, but pulling one on a player definitely gets more whining than an old-fashioned penalty flag. Maybe because it's so personal. Flags are on the play. Cards are in your face! Yellow is more or less of a warning, I've observed, while red is futbol you and the donkey you rode in on. Maybe they should get other colored cards to cover a wider gambit of offenses, sort of like a FIFA Uno deck. Green for I don't like your country, so don't push it; Blue for quit kicking the ball out of f*ing bounds so much and Black for You just lost to Portugal 7-0, you'll be hanged at high noon under the watchful eye of our Dear Leader. That should just about cover it.

5) When will the U.S. get us some soccer hooligans? Which is it? Do you have to be a world class program to have hooligans, or is the only requirement to be white and have a suck-ass team? You don't ever hear of Brazil having hooligans, or Mexico, but that's probably only because Mexicans don't have the passport to fly out of the United States to attend matches. Actually, I think the hooligans are limited mainly to professional matches in Europe as FIFA officials, along with INTERPOL, tend to limit the gangsters who can travel to world cup matches. Remember when the World Cup was in Germany last? Their security could probably find Osama Bin Laden if properly positioned. Some of the European professional league hooligans have corners staked out in stadiums that even Al Qaeda wouldn't infiltrate. I guess that's the dark side of soccer over there, that fertile skinhead and fascist recruiting fields are found in sports stadiums. I guess maybe it's a good idea that we Americans not form our own band of hooligans. But if you beat us and piss us off, we have two words: regime change.

War Eagle Atlanta is a football fan and actually doesn't understand as much about soccer as seemingly elaborated above.

View the original post or comment on Football Withdrawal: Top Five Things I Don't Understand About Soccer...

Those in the SEC are in the football beniss, and cousin, beniss is booming! With the recently concluded SEC spring meetings, it looks like the total take of the conference in revenue was $209 million last year and pay czar Mike Slive got to dole out $17.42M per school. As you may know, the SEC distributes it's revenue equally per school, which has served it well over the years. The status quo is good, but the recent shakeup in the Big 12 may have repercussions even in stable conferences like the SEC. In FBS, where the move is to close the gap between the haves (BCS teams) and the have nots (mid-majors), a new brand of social injustice for CFB has apparently reared it's head across the land--in the concept of the heavy-hitters of a conference now taking more of the lion's share of the TV money. Oh, if we only had some form of ACORN for college football to right these wrongs.

We all know now that some think Austin seemingly analgous to the Chicken Ranch in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and used fully it's weight to secure an unprecedented share of the upcoming new Big 12 agreement. Although details have yet to be given, many think that the Longhorns pulled out their Peacemakers and held up and robbed the rest of the existing members. But maybe that's what you get when a conference is too top heavy with too few stars. Under the old revenue -sharing agreement, half the money was split equally among the member schools, but the other half was given out based on TV appearances. Seems pretty fair on the surface. There has to be some incentive for the higher-achievers to earn more while protecting the rest of the conference herd. Kind of like college football capitalism--with some social security, disability and a good dental plan thrown in.

So is it pure socialism if the SEC splits their pie in twelve equal shares regardless of merit or achievement? Relax, it's not an apt comparison. Schools join conferences because they have common interests. They're neighbors, and they look out for each other even while they compete. Or at least that's how they used to do it when conferences were still regional entities. But now that the stakes are getting higher, could a change be in the foreseeable future? Well, maybe, but probably not in the next 14 years, which will be when the SEC's $2.25B TV contract with ESPN and the almost $1B contract with CBS run out. But in an age where a contract means little, don't think that the SEC might not have attempted to renegotiate if the conference expanded or contracted. Yes, I said contracted.

If the SEC would have added a couple of teams, especially one from Texas, it's natural to think that TV contracts would suddenly be worth a whole lot more, and any mega contract like those signed by the conference will have provisions for dealing with such contingencies. But what if the conference actually shrunk, and not only that, but shrunk the deadwood from it's roster? Not only would the resulting product be more valuable to the networks--without the affirmative action scheduling of the light-weights, but there would be far fewer mouths to feed. Imagine the $209 earned split among 10 teams, just like the Big 12 just experienced. You'd be looking at a 20% increase for the remaining SEC teams. Cousin, that's BOOM'in!

But who's going to start cutting teams from the SEC? Mike Bianchi over at the Orlando Sentinel recently proposed that, saying that the conference would be better off dropping both Mississippi teams from the conference (but leaving Vanderbilt for GPA-boosting purposes). He argues that no one out side of the Magnolia state would care and it sure wouldn't diminish any TV revenues. Silly Yankees. They move down and live here for years but they'll never understand the culture of the south. We just don't treat our kin that way. And besides, he's obviously never heard the phrase thank God for Mississippi. They may red-shirt Miss Americas, but someone has to be 50th place in just about everything else.

But he does make a good  underlying point--that the conference has it's top crust and it's lower half, and save for the occasional superlative season, little changes for the lower tier teams. The top six--Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Auburn--get most of the exposure and glamor, especially in the BCS era. So what good are the lower half, except for ballast? More over, is there a better disbursement system than the current one to reward the higher achieving teams? Certainly a pay plan like the old Big 12 agreement sounds plausible, where half the money gets split evenly among the members and the other half by merit. Could the top half force the bottom half into such a scenario when TV contracts are renegotiated? Would resentment be rampant from just such a forced agreement? What could the bottom six do in protest, secede to form another conference? Certainly wouldn't be unheard of from SEC types. That's kind of been our thing, historically.

Or what about a future farther-fetched scenario: one of two top teams, say Alabama and Florida, enjoy so much success that they become the two-horse team that drive the rest of the league stagecoach. Sounds improbable, given the parity in the conference, but hear me out. Could they one day threaten defection much in the way Texas seemingly did to hold hostage the rest of the conference, to everyone's eventual detriment? I certainly hope not. I don't think that's ingrained in our SEC culture, but after seeing how Texas A&M acted in defiance to Texas's price shopping, even the oldest of rivals may decide to go their separate ways one day, and I don't think that the game could sustain such a blow if many others followed suit.

The money has gotten so large and the power bases have gotten so concentrated that revenue sharing might be the biggest threat to our beloved sport in the next decade or so. Not a playoff. Not conference expansions or defections. Not the Golden-Domed stepchild Notre Dame. But pure old-fashioned greed--of money and power. The last two decades have seen college football transition from past time to being a major industry unto itself. I hope that somehow as our sport continues to grow that we don't forget the simple love of the game that got us this far in the first place.

View the original post or comment on SEC Revenue Disbursement: Status Quo or a Texas-Sized Hold-Up?...

The statue, which will be placed in a new statue garden on the western side of The Swamp, will be a 120% scale of Tebow running the ball. As best we know, there won't be a bible verse on his eye black, although that detail seems subject to some discussion.

Tebow will be joined by two other Gator legends: Heisman Trophy winners Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel, who will be cast dropping back to pass.

"It's a chance to honor and celebrate our tradition,'' Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. "Anytime you have that type of tradition, we want to make sure to honor it. It's something people are aware of them, obviously, but they can come and take pictures of them. And that's how you build tradition. You go to a lot of schools that have several Heisman Trophy winners and they have displays, they have statutes what have you. It's just building tradition and honoring three very special people.''

The project, funded by private booster donations, will cost $550,000.

I don't deny that Tebow is and will be a legend at UF, but is it too soon to hoist a statue in his honor? I mean, the guy's 22 years old. As Dave George of the Palm Beach Post points out, poor Red Grange had to wait 85 years for a statue at Illinois.

What do ya think? Too soon?

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Utah becomes the fourth team to change conferneces this summer, joining Colorado in the PAC 10. Colorado is set to join in 2012 and the date for Utah has not yet been announced. The PAC 10 originally planned to set the expansion field by the end of the year to be implemented change for the 2012 season. They might move up the date to 2011 now that they are way ahead of scheule and Nebraska is already leaving the Big 12 in 2011.

If the move is in 2012 Utah and Bosie State will count for the MWC in the next BCS automatic qualification determination for 2012 and 2013, and the MWC will be very close. If the move is in 2011 Utah will count for the PAC 10 and the MWC will be not as close.

All I am saying is its about darn time! I have been shouting out for the need for this for, well since I found Fanblogs.com in 2003. Actually before that too, I just can't document that as well. Boise State should fill our shoes well in the MWC. Maybe we can meet in the Rose Bowl, if the ducks alight just right.

(Say in 2012 Utah winning the PAC 10, Boise State earning an automatic qualification as the highest ranked non-AQ winner and the Big 10 going to the NCG. By contract the next time the PAC 10 or Big 10 champion goes to the NCG and a team from outside the BCS earns an AQ that team is going to the Rose Bowl.)

This should just about wind down this years expansion hoopla but more changes appear to be on the horizon for next year. For now I think we all have enough expansion fatigue to let the dust settle a bit.

Except maybe the WAC inviting a few FCS teams. They can do that whenever they want and no one would really notice. Except maybe the fine people of Montana.

Now I go back to celebrating, until the realization that Utah's performance the next few years will be a referendum on the claim "undefeated team like Utah and Boise State in the MWC or WAC would have three or four additional losses if they were in a BCS conference" sets in.

For the record, now that Utah is in a BCS league my disdain for the BCS is not tempured. I still hate the BCS as passionately as ever. The logic just lines up more with Kansas State fan's reasoning. But that is a topic for another day.

View the original post or comment on Utah to the PAC 10...

According to The Dallas Morning News, Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott confirmed that the University of Texas has declined an invitation to join the conference.

In a brief phone conversation, Scott said: "We've been informed by University of Texas president Bill Powers that Texas will stay with the Big 12. We have not received definitive details about this decision."

While a few details still need to be worked out, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has a deal in place to keep the 10 remaining teams in the conference.

Under the new structure, the ten teams will play in a round-robin format, ensuring that each team plays one another in the regular season. The annual championship game that was a hallmark of the founding of the Big 12 will not be played under the new structure.

To boost revenues, the Big 12 will sign a new television agreement (rumored to be with Fox Sports) in 2011 estimated to be worth $14-$17 million per year to most conference teams; however, the conference will continue to split revenues based on appearances, making the deal worth as much as $20 million per year for teams like Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M who's games are broadcast more often.

Schools will also have the discretion to launch their own television networks, an arrangement which could be worth an addition $3-$5 million per year to Texas.

The new league agreement will also include a very, very substantial penalty for any school that splits from the conference.

UPDATE

Texas A&M and Oklahoma have confirmed that they will stay in the Big 12.

The Pac10 has also released an official statement:

“University of Texas President Bill Powers has informed us that the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 Conference intend to stay together. We are excited about the future of the Pac-10 Conference and we will continue to evaluate future expansion opportunities under the guidelines previously set forth by our Presidents and Chancellors.”

Details on this breaking story will be updated as more information becomes available.

View the original post or comment on Texas staying in Big 12, conference to survive as 10-team league...

According to multiple sources, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has been working behind the scenes to line prospective television deals, if the remaining Big 12 schools (sans Colorado and Nebraska) would remain in the conference.

As first reported on Rivals sister-site Orangebloods.com, Beebe has proposed the following for the ten remaining Big 12 teams:

- A new television contract in 2011 comparable to the SEC's deal, bumping revenues from the $7-$10 million per year to $14-$17 million per year. The numbers would be higher - perhaps as much as $20 million per year - for teams that appear on television more frequently, such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M.

- Each of the ten remaining schools would receive $2 million from the buyout fees being paid to the Big12 by Colorado and Nebraska, with the conference keeping nothing

- The Big 12 would allow individual schools to launch their own television networks, such as the Longhorn Network that Texas has been considering, without sharing revenues with the member schools or the conference

- The Big 12 would introduce a round-robin format, with each school playing one another every year.

- The remaining schools could elect to petition the NCAA to permit a conference championship game with only 10 teams; however, it's widely speculated that - since the Big 12 coaches have never been in favor of a championship game - the conference may forgo the game.

And it appears that "The Beebe Plan" is gaining momentum. While Texas A&M was said to be looking to secure a spot in the SEC, all ten of the remaining Big 12 schools sat down for a conference call this afternoon to review the arrangement. According to Orangebloods, the Texas Longhorns are leading the charge to keep the conference intact.

As they say... stay tuned!

UPDATE

IT'S OFFICIAL: Texas staying in Big12. Press conference @ 11a tomorrow. Pac10 reports UT has declined invite. Longhorns reps have confirmed that Big12 will stay together as 10 teams. © fanblogs.com

View the original post or comment on Deal in works to save Big 12...

Quite the day in CFB this Thursday.Not only all the conference defections, but USC's long awaited penalties from the Pete Carroll era are finally in: A 2-year ban on post season games, the loss of 30 scholarships and the vacation of all victories in which an ineligible player (Reggie Bush) participated. Bush has been ruled to have been ineligible at least as of December 2004, which would vacate the BCS title game victory in the Orange Bowl over Oklahoma in January 2005. That could possibly trigger vacating his Heisman Trophy for the 2005 season. The Heisman Trophy Trust has stated that it will have no comment until the appropriate time.

Further rumors are indicating that the NCAA may allow any USC player with two or more years' eligibility remaining to immediately transfer to another school, which could lead to a mass exodus of talent for the Trojans. Again, this has not been confirmed. The last time the NCAA made such an exception was during the 1987 SMU death penalty case where they allowed all players to transfer out, creating a situation where SMU had no choice but to take another year off in an attempt to recruit new players.

Reggie Bush was reached and offered this for comment:

"I have a great love for the University of Southern California and I very much regret the turn that this matter has taken, not only for USC, but for the fans and players.I am disappointed by (Thursday's) decision and disagree with the NCAA's findings. If the University decides to appeal, I will continue to cooperate with the NCAA and USC, as I did during the investigation. In the meantime, I will continue to focus on making a positive impact for the University and for the community where I live."

USC will certainly appeal the punishment, but one can't say that HC Lane Kiffin didn't know what he was getting into by taking the job. Kiffin was an assistant coach during the time that these infractions occurred, as was assistant Ed Orgeron.

The post-season ban marks the first time since 2003 that a team has received such punishment, with Alabama being the last offender. The NCAA had gotten away from that particular brand of punishment under former NCAA head Miles Brand (pun intended), but have shown an interest in it again with the severity of this case.

View the original post or comment on Hammer Dropped! USC Sanctions Finally In...

Here's a quick what we know, what we can surmise....

- Colorado is officially joining the Pac10. It's unclear as to whether the Pac10 intends to hold at 11 teams, but we should expect the Pac10 to seek to add at least one additional member. For years the argument against expansion centered around the round-robin schedule format and - with 11 schools - that format is officially out the window for college football. Adding one more school would give the conference the option to conduct a CFB championship game in some of the largest television markets in the country. Does the Pac10 stop at 12 (Texas??) or expand further with Big12/MWC/WAC teams???

- The Big10 will have 12 teams with the addition of Nebraska. Will they stand pat at 12 teams or expand to 16 as had been rumored?

- The SEC has said that they will not sit idly by if the Big10 expands. Sports Illustrated has confirmed that the SEC has held discussions with Texas A&M. Is that prelude to further SEC expansion? Who, in addition to the Aggies, are on the SEC radar?

- The ACC & Big East seem to be awfully quiet. Are they targets or could a merger be on the table for the two conferences?

- The MWC will not offer membership to Boise State at this time, setting themselves up to be the home of any Big12 refugees. Is the MWC destined to become a BCS conference by default?

DISCUSS!!!

View the original post or comment on Fanblogs Open Thread: Realignment-ageddon Edition...

Mere days after supposedly being given an ultimatum to tell the Big 12 if they should stay or go, Omaha.com is reporting that Nebraska University could join the Big Ten by this weekend, even as soon as Friday. NU chancellor Harvey Perlman has declined all interviews and will be meeting with his board of regents on Friday in Lincoln. Although no official sources at Nebraska are confirming anything, there are reports that other Big 12 athletic directors are poised to address changes in the conference by week's end.

But that doesn't mean that Tom Osborne isn't talking. Reached last night, Osborne agreed that things have been accelerated quite a bit:

"I think before too long--I don't know exactly what the time frame is--we'll be able to put this to bed.....(jokingly) because I'm getting tired of it."

"Anything I would say regarding Nebraska's position or other schools in the Big 12 would be pure speculation. And I don't think that's very helpful."

A sub plot to this story has been brewing--Osborne's rumored dislike of Texas and their implied shot-calling and flirtations with other conferences from sea to shining corn field--was adressed by him:

"We certainly don't have anything against anybody in the Big 12. This decision is not going to be based on animosity or petty jealousy. You're talking about something that could maintain for the next 75 to 100 years."

"This is not a case of reacting to any one school, particulary Texas."

Which leads me to believe that Texas is exactly the prime reason Nebraska might leave.

Obviously, if Nebraska goes, Mizzo is a shoe-in for same. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the rest of the conference will stand pat. Pride may manifest itself as resolve to keep the conference together--even if the new Big 12 more closely resembles the old Southwest conference.

Updates early and often!!

View the original post or comment on Ultimatum Answered? Nebraska to Join Big Ten by the Weekend?...

According to sources, Nebraska is on the fence as to its future with the conference. The nine schools that are actively working to maintain the current conference, including powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma, are convinced that the league can survive the hypothetical departure of Missouri or Colorado; however, the Huskers are seen as key to the viability of the conference, given the Huskers' stature and marketability.

If these reports are accurate, then kudos to the Big 12 for not standing idly by and being held hostage by a growing list of conference suitors. I'm not exactly sure how you enforce the ultimatum without requiring members to sign a revised agreement with a substantial buyout provision, but perhaps that's what the Big 12 has in mind.

Meanwhile, with rumors of a possible Pac10 offer coming for six of the Big 12's teams, a group of at least 15 Texas legislators are working behind the scenes to ensure that Baylor is among the teams offered membership by the Pac10. Astute fans will recall that a similar move by legislators in the mid-90s that secured a place in the Big 12 for the Bears over TCU, among others.

"If you're going to have an exported commodity involved in this, do you think we're going to allow a school from outside the state of Texas to replace one of our schools in the Big 12 South? I don't think so. We're already at work on this," said a high-ranking member of the Texas Legislature who asked not to be identified.

The Texas legislators point out that Baylor is financial viable and already fields a full compliment of sports, including baseball and softball, something that cannot be said of Colorado.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect to the Pac10 rumors is the revelation that Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is the leading voice for keeping the Big 12 intact.

According to Orangebloods, Texas would have to walk away from considerable revenues resulting from its planned UT television network if the Horns joined the Pac10, given the Pac10's current television plans. And while membership in the SEC would allow UT to launch its network, Dodds does not feel the SEC fits Texas' vision academically or otherwise.

If it's true that Texas is the driving force behind maintaining the Big 12 conference, then it would seem most likely that the Big 12 will be able to survive efforts by the Pac10 and Big 10 to pilfer the league's best teams. As has been discussed before, Texas is the crown jewel in the league financially. While the members may feel that Nebraska is the key to sustainability, it's clear to me that, as Texas goes, so goes the Big 12.

View the original post or comment on Nebraska given ultimatum; Texas legislators pushing Baylor to Pac10...

Let’s move to Week 6 where two marquee matchups in non-BCS conferences will probably be your best bet for pressure packed college football this early in the season.

Troy at Middle Tennessee State: Tuesday Oct. 5, 8:00 p.m. ET

This mid-season Sun Belt showdown between the two conference favorites could act as a de facto Sun Belt championship game. With the skill both teams bring to the table in 2010, it wouldn’t be surprising to find these two teams at the top at season’s end.

This seemingly unimportant non-BCS conference game suddenly becomes a marquee matchup of Week 6, and could also provide high entertainment for 60 straight minutes of football.

The likely star here, Middle Tennessee State’s quarterback Dwight Dasher, is an all-around threat with the ability to pick apart defenses with both his feet and arm. Dasher will put his skills to the test against Troy, whose run of Sun Belt titles may be over this year after losing their long-time quarterback Levi Brown.

Brown, who holds many Troy all-time records, will be sorely missed in what will likely be a shootout between the two teams. However, the Trojans won’t be without any hope when they travel to MTSU’s Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium in early October.

Long time Trojan coach Larry Blakeney returns star running backs DuJuan Harris and Shawn Southward, along with defensive ends sophomore Jonathan Massaquoi and senior Mario Addison, who will need to put the pressure on Dasher if they are to have any hope of pulling off the road victory.

Temple at Northern Illinois: Saturday Oct. 9, 12:00 p.m. ET

Another high quality non-BCS matchup will again feature two conference title hopefuls, this time the Temple Owls and Northern Illinois Huskies of the Mid-American Conference.

Both teams fell just short of the conference title game last season. With major changes occurring all over the conference, both teams could be right in the middle of the hunt for a berth in the championship game.

The game will feature two unheralded running backs in Northern Illinois’s Chad Spann and Temple’s Bernard Pierce. Both had shining seasons, including Pierce’s surprising MAC rushing title as a freshman in the ’09 season. Questionable quarterback situations will cuase both teams to rely heavily on their running games.

Florida State at Miami (FL): Saturday Oct. 9, TBA

A rivalry that was once a non-conference affair has lost some of its luster after the teams joined the same conference and were unable to keep pace with the results of past decades for both teams.

However, after an entertaining edition of the rivalry in 2009, 2010 looks like it could be a reminder of what made both programs so strong during a dominant stretch of Florida football.

Quarterbacks Jacory Harris and Christian Ponder have a lot to do with it, and are early ACC Player of the Year favorites along with Heisman contenders. Coaches Randy Shannon and Jimbo Fisher, although both young and relatively inexperienced in relation to their programs’ history, have returned some youthful energy in the programs and could make the upcoming years more successful.

When the teams meet in Sun Life Stadium in Miami in Week 6, don’t be surprised if you see a game that reminds you of the “Wide Rights I-IV” and “Wide Left” that seemingly define this rivalry.

Just in case you’re wondering: Senior Matt Bosher kicks for the Hurricanes and sophomore Dustin Hopkins takes kicks for the Seminoles.

Other Games of Note: Wyoming at TCU, Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, Mississippi State at Houston, Alabama at South Carolina

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

All fans have listened to the hype. Every one of us has heard how Alabama is deeper and more talented at every position than any other team in the nation. We have all been informed of the great recruiting classes Nick Saban has stacked up.

Already the spin masters are telling us it does not matter that Alabama lost most of its defensive production after the 2009 season. We are being told every day how Alabama simply reloads.

Some have even mentioned that Alabama will get better when they lose starters. It would seem the theory is, the replacement is more talented so must be better. We have all been exposed to hype saying Alabama has better running backs on the bench than last year’s Heisman winner. Some have even mentioned that there are two better quarterbacks on the bench than the Alabama starter that has never lost a game.

The nation has been convinced that the inexperience means nothing. These were great players in high school, so they will be great on day one in college. Starting experience means nothing when you are that talented. It would seem talent eliminates the learning curve.

Given all these points we have been force fed for months on end; there is only one question that comes to mind; why would Alabama worry about opponents having a bye week before they play?

We know the best Alabama players are on the bench patiently waiting their turn. We know the talent level rises when substitutions are made. We have even been repeatedly told how the Alabama coaching staff is far superior to every other staff in the nation.

It would seem a team having a bye week before Alabama would be disadvantaged. A team would then face the possibility of playing their real talent that is on the bench. A team would never want to face a tired or injured Alabama starting line up. 

Fans have all been informed of the mere formality of playing the 2010 season. The SEC only has two teams. Alabama and Florida will play each other for the SEC Championship in December and Alabama will win. We have all been repeatedly exposed to this line of thought for months.

This is not the first year fans were exposed to this kind of hype. They were told the same things about the conference and Florida in 2009. This is not a new line of thought; it has been prevailing wisdom for years.

Most fans that are capable of remembering more than a few months know that these predictions are almost always wrong for the SEC Champion. Most fans do believe that these predictions are usually close. With fall practice starting in a week, it is a good time to evaluate the performance of the preseason prognosticators.

For this look we can use a consensus combination of the major preseason prognosticators.   Here is a compilation of such data should the reader want to delve a little deeper.

A Look at Preseason Prognostication

• Auburn was replaced in the SEC Championship game by Alabama due to NCAA Sanctions.

The preseason prognosticators have been right about both divisional champions three times in 18 years or 16.67 percent of the time.

They have predicted the eastern division winner six times in 18 years or 33.33 percent of the time.

They have had the SEC eastern division winner picked first or second all 18 years.

They have predicted the western division winner six times in 18 years or 33.33% of the time.

They have missed the sec western division winner by more than two positions six times in 18 years or 33.33 percent of the time.

In defense of these prognosticators, they did get it right in 2009. The bad news is, that this is 16.67 percent of all the times they have been right.

If a person were to simply go out on the street and find someone who did not know what football is and let them pick the divisional winners; they would have a one in six chance or 16.67 percent of picking a divisional winner.

This leaves us knowing that preseason prognosticators are about twice as likely to get it right as opposed to the average citizen of Somalia or another country where football isn’t covered. For a gambler it would be more profitable to bet against these predictions than go with them.

The prognosticators have gotten it right in 1993, 1994, and 2009. The only reason they got it right in 1993 was the actual champion of the west was disqualified from post season play due to NCAA sanctions. What are the chances of them getting it right two years in a running?

Fans are welcome to put in their thoughts on this, it would certainly seem that an educated fan has at least as high of a chance of getting it right.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The One Great Season College Football Countdown continues Friday. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's article features No. 21 North Carolina.

Continuity. Consistency. Experience. Whatever you want to call it, North Carolina's got it in 2010.

At least on defense.

That's where six NFL-ready players return from a stellar unit that was among the nation's best in 2009. A total of nine defensive starters return and are expected to dominate the ACC and again be one of the finest in the country.

But there are questions about the offense, particularly quarterback T.J. Yates. He'll be starting for the fourth season, but it's still possible you might not have heard of him because of other big-name quarterbacks in the ACC. Also, Yates just hasn't developed the way fourth-year coach Butch Davis expected.

Helping Yates's cause in 2010 will be future NFL wideout Greg Little on the edge. But the running game will need a solid season in 2010 if the Heels are going to improve their average of just 20 points per game against FBS teams. With seniors Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston leading the way, UNC should get that done.

Who's back? QB T.J. Yates, WR Greg Little, too many defensive studs to name

Who's gone? No one of note. The Heels return a total of 19 starters.

Why they'll win: UNC's offense will make the leap and finally reach its potential.

Why they'll lose: Yates will continue to make mistakes and the Heels will again be too reliant on the defense.

Get your tickets: vs. LSU (at Atlanta, Sept. 4), vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 18), at Miami (Oct. 23)

Prediction: 8-4 (5-3, fourth place ACC Coastal)

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Injuries, rule violations, and other intangibles can throw a wrench in a team’s title hopes if there isn’t a proper plan in place. Since most teams don’t have the depth at positions like Ohio State, Florida, and Texas do, conditional response plans are needed should the unpredictable happen.

Being that those plans aren’t easy to construct, coaches are forced to look at harsh realities. 

As awful as it sounds, some players are just more essential to a team’s success than others.

Even at Iowa, where the team philosophy is next man in and hard work is regularly rewarded with playing time, a few players are more vital to the team’s overall chances at a Big Ten or BCS title than others. It’s not that those players aren’t as talented or skilled, but more related to how much experience a player has or how far in their training program the player might be.  

With the official start of the Iowa football season rapidly approaching, a few of the popular Iowa Hawkeye writers and bloggers put together their lists of indispensable players. Hawkeye Insider’s Rob Howe compiled a list of top 10 indispensable players for 2010 and Hawkeye Nation’s Jon Miller put together a most indispensable players ranking of his own. 

Both Howe and Miller have covered Iowa sports for the better part of two decades. Howe is the Chip Brown of Hawkeye sports; Miller is the Colin Cowherd. 

Both have several of the same players listed as imperative to Iowa’s chances. Their order of importance, however, is a tad different.

Hawkeye Insider's Most Indispensable Players
10. Tyler Nielsen, OLB
9. Shaun Prater, CB
8. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR
7. Brett Greenwood, FS
6. Ricky Stanzi, QB
5. Adrian Clayborn, DE
4. Tyler Sash, SS
3. Ryan Donahue, P
2. Allen Reisner, TE
1. Riley Reiff, LT

Hawkeye Nation's Most Indispensable Players
5. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR
4. Allen Reisner, TE
3. Rick Stanzi, QB
2. Riley Reiff, LT
1. Adrian Clayborn, DE

Howe took his list further than Miller, but both do a good job of pointing out the vital players on offense and defense. Lowe argues in favor of Iowa’s offensive lineman Reiff being the most integral component for success; Miller says that there’s no mistake about Clayborn being the clear-cut key element.

In thinking about their indispensables (no pun intended), my list more resembles Howe’s in terms of makeup and order, but contains all of Miller’s listed players.

Hawkeye Nerd’s Most Indispensable Players
10. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR
9. Allen Reisner, TE
8. Ryan Donahue, P
7. Julian Vandervelde, LG
6. Jeremiha Hunter, LB
5. Adrian Clayborn, DE
4. Karl Klug, DT
3. Tyler Sash, SS
2. Ricky Stanzi, QB
1. Riley Reiff, LT

Howe hit the nail on the head—Reiff is the most indispensable player on this team. With a somewhat unproven offensive line, standout performers like Reiff are vital— especially when he covers the quarterback’s blindside.

Make no mistake about Clayborn’s position on my list, though. He is as crucial as it gets on the Hawkeye defense, but his backup, 6'2", 250 pound junior LeBron Daniel, is a talented player who has seen solid playing time. If the unthinkable or unmentionable should happen, Daniel could step in and contribute better than most backups.

A few names appear on my list that don’t appear on Howe’s or Millers. 

Klug is an intelligent and explosive senior defensive tackle that recorded 64 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, five passes broken up, four sacks, four quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles last year. Hunter is a senior linebacker who was second on the team in total tackles for the last two years.

Losing either player would be painful, as both are veteran difference-makers on defense.

Vandervelde also appears on my list. The senior guard is the most experienced offensive lineman in this bunch, and his leadership will be needed in conference play when defenses like Ohio State come to town.

Mitigating the damage of potential player losses is rarely fun to think about. Still, it’s interesting to see who people label as "most indispensable" on the team.

Most fans would agree that everyone on the team is vital.  Not that I wish any harm on Hawkeye, but if Iowa needs a sacrificial lamb to keep the indispensables safe this season, my finger is pointing at Herky.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Colin Cowherd recently listed four teams who he thinks Vegas "whiffed" on for predicting the number of wins specific teams will have.  You can find the complete list of Vegas odds here , and you can listen to his reasoning for his picks here .

He said to bet the over on:

1) Auburn - eight wins

2) Michigan - seven wins

3) Washington - 6.5 wins

4) Utah (the biggest "whiff" of all) - eight wins.

I've exhaustively gone through each team's schedules so as to prognosticate the odds of each, and here's what I think. 

1) I don't love Auburn, but I do think they'll win at least nine games, including their assumed bowl, and they could win 11 games so that's an okay bet.

2) Stay away from betting on Michigan (trust me, I'm a die-hard Michigan fan).  Michigan is a five to seven win team in the Big Ten this year.  It's conceivable that they could win as many as nine, but it's just as conceivable that they lose as many as nine. 

Purdue/Danny Hope/Joe Tiller HATES RichRod and will always play their best game against the Maize and Blue; plus Purdue gets them at home. 

Mark Dantonio, who previously coached under Saban at MSU and Tressel at Ohio State, has the same sentiment as Hope and Tiller, but also brings back more talent than U of M.  MSU won't enter the Big House unprepared this year.

UConn was very good last year and returns almost everyone, and playing in South Bend is never easy, not to mention that Brian Kelly is one heck of a coach (I'm quite familiar with him from his days at Central Michigan and Grand Valley State University).

Indiana is certainly miffed from last year and will be out for revenge.  They also will have one of, if not the toughest passing game in the conference, which could easily exploit Michigan's porous secondary.

Michigan lost its two best defensive players from an atrocious defense last year in Donovan Warren, their cover corner, and Brandon Graham, their pass rushing end.  Any team with a decent passing game will be licking their chops because there's no guarantees Michigan will be able to pressure the passer or defend the pass.

All in all, STAY AWAY from Michigan.

3) Washington's a great bet.  They will have IMO one of the most talented teams in the Pac-10, not to mention one of the best quarterbacks in the country.  They play an extremely tough schedule (@BYU, Nebraska, @USC, @Oregon), but return something like 20 of 22 starters from a solid team last year.  IMO, taking the over of 6.5 is all but a sure thing for this team.

4) I'd make this bet too.  With their bowl game, I'd bet Utah wins at least nine, but probably 10.  Taking the over is a pretty safe bet.

Here's some more advice:

5) Stay away from betting on Alabama for either the over or under. 

Saban's a great coach and great recruiter, but Alabama's schedule is brutal and crazy.  They were rewarded for going undefeated in the SEC the last two years by playing everyone in conference (figuratively speaking) after their bye week, and they only return two starters on defense.

When betting, stick with what you know.  Even if you THINK their defense will be as good or better than last year, you just don't know.  Most of their production is gone at each level, so don't make that bet.

6) Stay away from LSU at eight wins.  I am convinced that they are going to be terrible, but I looked at their schedule and think they COULD win seven games, getting them a weak bowl bid and easier eighth W, so just stay away from them altogether. 

They lost most of their team last year, including most of a terrible offensive line.  What they do return hasn't been good, so while I'd be tempted to take the under, my advice to you is to not even bother.

7) Bet the over for Wisconsin at nine games.  Wisconsin plays a cake schedule, and they MIGHT have the most talented team in the Big Ten.  They have what is probably the best offensive line in the country, a seasoned quarterback, and a Heisman candidate in the backfield.  Their only significant losses on defense were on the defensive line, but if that can hold true, they will be in good shape.

They get Ohio State at home, miss Penn State, and have fewer questions than Iowa, despite having to play them on the road.  They statistically dominated Ohio State last year in Columbus, so it's not inconceivable that Tolzien plays better in Madison with more experience and leads the Badgers to victory, which leads me to my next piece of advice...

8) Bet on Wisconsin to win the national championship. At 40/1 odds, with a favorable schedule and talented team, this is a good bet.  Don't get me wrong, they probably won't go undefeated and win the title, but they've got a better chance than most, and monetarily this make sense.

For the more aggressive and risky gamblers

9) Bet the over on Penn State at 8.5 games.  Yup, I know they've got quarterback issues.  Yup, I also understand they play in Tuscaloosa the second week of the season. 

In the Nittany Lion defense, they return most of the team from last year that went 11-2.  They return four of five offensive linemen, their stud running back, and their entire receiving corps from that team. 

They lost Jared Odrick at defensive tackle and all three linebackers, but basically everything else on defense remains in tact.  And have you EVER known Joe Paterno to NOT field excellent talent at linebacker? I didn't think so.  Penn State is better than everybody thinks and should win at least nine games.

10) This may seem crazy, but bet on Michigan State to both win the national championship AND to win the Big Ten conference.  Trust me, I'm thinking completely rationally right now and am in no way inebriated.  Before you mock me, consider this:

- MSU doesn't play either Ohio State or Indiana.  Indiana is one of the only teams in the Big Ten with a passing game that would exploit the terrible MSU secondary. 

- Michigan State gets Wisconsin at home.  They do play at Iowa, but remember, Iowa beat State last year as time expired on a touchdown catch, and Iowa has significant questions on the offensive line. 

- Michigan State has the best quarterback in the nation no one knows about in Kirk Cousins, possibly the best linebacker in the nation, a defensive-minded coach, and also probably the best receiving corps in the Big Ten.  All they need is a marginally better pass rush and for their secondary to step up and be decent.

If the questions on Iowa's offensive line are worse than currently expected and the Spartans can escape the Badgers at home, then games in Evanston and Happy Valley are the only thing standing in the way of a very confident squad. 

Michigan State SHOULD be favored in all but three games this season, and all are winnable.  With National Championship odds at 125/1 and conference title odds at 15/1, betting on State could win you some cereal* bucks.

In a tough economy it's important to be responsible with your money, and like the mantra goes, you have to spend money to make money.  I'm pretty sure this is what whoever made that saying up is talking about, but I could be wrong on that one.  Let me know what of my advice you like, as well as other good bets.  I like to make money too.

* cereal - Al Gore's way of saying serious (It's from So uth Park).

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Last year's championship game thriller between Clemson and Georgia Tech was a prime example. It got absolutely abysmal ratings and was reduced to a lightning quick recap on sports networks. No one cared.

Why should they?

A week earlier, both teams were beat by middle-of-the-pack SEC teams.

The fans, the viewers, the writers—all have gotten used to ACC teams beating up on one another, then getting their backside handed to them by someone from the Big XII or SEC. Or for a change of pace, getting waxed in the first game of the year, then beating up on each other.

The last two seasons alone have seen an ACC-SEC battle on opening weekend in which Alabama steamrolled No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 9 Clemson, respectively.

Last year's 3-4 bowl game record didn’t help matters. ACC Champ Georgia Tech and its supposedly unstoppable offense was, well, stopped cold by Iowa in the Orange Bowl (the Yellow Jackets managed 155 yards of total offense in the game, over 200 yards fewer than their average).

Miami, which was clearly head-and-shoulders above Wisconsin talent-wise, lost the battle of “power vs. speed” in the Champs bowl. North Carolina fell for the second year in a row to a Big East opponent in its home state.

And Boston College, who held their own for a little while against USC, eventually lost by double digits. The lone bright spots were Virginia Tech and Clemson’s thumping of SEC schools and Florida State’s emotional win in Bobby Bowden's final game.

That brings us to 2010.

Right off the bat, the ACC has four games of national prominence in the first two weeks of the season, and five more in the following weeks that give the league a chance to shake things up.

One could argue a 4-0, or even 3-1 record, would do wonders for conference respect.

North Carolina appears to be in the best position to pull out a dominant win, while Florida State should be able to hold their own against Oklahoma, though not by much.

The toss up games are Miami vs. Ohio State and Virginia Tech vs. Boise State. It’s been nearly impossible for teams to fully prepare for the Broncos and actually develop a gameplan that works, and Ohio State looks absolutely stacked this season.

End of the year rivalry games will shoulder a bit more weight this year. The losses last year by Georgia Tech and Clemson to their SEC counterparts cast a bad veil on the league's title game, and another win by Florida over the Seminoles compounded the image problem.

All three teams stack up much better this year and have no excuse not to walk away with a ‘W’.

September 4—Virginia Tech vs. Boise State

If you don’t feel like a kid at Christmas talking about this one, you’re not a football fan.

Toss out the respect aspect of this one, and it’s still easily one of, if not the best game of the season from a national perspective.

The boys in blue from Boise State have risen to national power under head coach Chris Petersen, who has a career record of 49-4 (an astounding .925 winning percentage). He guided last year’s Boise State team to its fourth undefeated regular season in six years, its seventh WAC championship in eight seasons, and finished the season with a No. 4 ranking by the Associated Press. 

They present an interesting challenge for a Virginia Tech team that lost seven starters on defense.

Normally, that’s enough to cause a major problem for teams, but when is the last time Bud Foster had a sub-par defensive season?

Offensively, the Hokies are stacked with talent. Stud RB Ryan Williams had an all-star freshman campaign, and QB Tyrod Taylor has developed his passing game to respectable, complementing his scrambling skills. Both teams should be ranked in the top 10 in every major preseason poll, with Boise State likely seeing a spot as high as No. 2.

A win by Beamer's boys would go a long way for the conference as a whole.

Stat Smack—Classic "great offense vs great defense"

Boise State finished 2009 ranked first in the country in scoring. Not taking a single thing away from their offense, but a majority of those high-scoring games were against sub-par defenses.

Virginia Tech comes in boasting a top-10 defense that should do what Oregon and TCU did to the Broncos last year—slow them down.

Boise State won those two games purely because of stellar defense. But it won’t be that easy. Tech has arguably one of the best backfields in the country in Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, and a mobile QB that has developed into a passing threat.

September 4—North Carolina vs. LSU

The other opening weekend match up features a third consecutive ACC-SEC clash in the Georgia Dome, with North Carolina taking on LSU.

As mentioned above, the last two tilts have seen Alabama blow through Clemson and Virginia Tech. This match up has all the makings of a baseball score, with the Tar Heels and Tigers both featuring some of the best defenses in the game.

In 2009, the Tar Heels finished sixth in the nation in total defense. While LSU allowed a few more yards per game than the Heels, they actually allowed fewer points.

And to make matters more interesting, these dominant defenses are going against offenses that are almost the polar opposite.

Both teams finished 2009 75th or worse in most major offensive categories, and averaged nearly the same scoring clip (25 for LSU, 24 for UNC). Throughout the year, they struggled to find an identity offensively.

The 2010 version of these offenses should be a touch better, but don’t expect a high-scoring affair.

Stat Smack—Battle of the...offenses?

Which team will have an offense that actually shows up?

In 2009, North Carolina finished the year 108th in the nation in total offense, barely putting up 300 yards a game. The Tigers were right behind them at 112th. While the Heels did take a drop at wide receiver, QB T.J. Yates is back, and their running game should be improved.

As crazy as it sounds, it might only take one scoring drive to win this one.



September 11—Miami at Ohio State

Revenge couldn’t come at a better time.

I’m sure Hurricane faithful are still seeing red about the 2002 BCS National Title Game. For those that had their head under a rock, Ohio State won on what was thought to be a questionable calling at the time. 

The 2010 version is shaping up to be a great one.

The Hurricanes are slowly seeing a return to national respect under head coach Randy Shannon. After going 12-13 in his first two seasons, the Canes made a push for the ACC Title game in 2009, cracking the top 10 at one point along the way before a late season slide was topped off by a loss to Wisconsin in the Champs Bowl.

Many preseason publications actually have them winning the conference this year.

They match up well against an Ohio State squad that finished the season 11-2, capped-off by a 26-17 win against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor is a true dual-threat guy, and can wreak havoc on defenses that lack speed.

That’s where Miami might have an edge.

There are few teams in the nation with as much speed, and offensively, they possess enough weapons to keep things close. Only time will tell though whether the young guns at The U are knocked on their heels by one of the most intimidating stadiums in the country.

Stat Smack—Ohio State run defense vs. the Miami rushing attack

The Buckeyes only allowed 90 yards rushing per game last year.

The most they surrendered was 187 to Navy, which was actually a success considering the Midshipmen finished third in the nation in rushing with nearly 300 yards per game.

The Canes averaged a respectable 138 yards rushing per game last year, but going into 2010, there are question marks. They lost All-American Jason Fox on the line, and starting RB Graig Cooper is still questionable after a nasty knee injury in the bowl game. Speedster Damien Berry is a viable option as a starter, but is not yet proven.



September 11—Florida State at Oklahoma

This match up might not have the glitz and glamor of Miami and Ohio State, but it still has the potential to be a statement game for the league.

Year in and year out, Oklahoma is considered a powerhouse in college football. Their 2009 campaign was a bit of a disappointment, finishing 8-5 and only 5-3 in conference play.

But of those five losses, four were by seven points or fewer.

Their defense was still as strong as ever, winding up in the top 10 in almost every major defensive category.

It presents an interesting challenge for a Seminole offense that looks to as powerful as any in the ACC. All-ACC quarterback Christian Ponder is back and has the luxury of lining up behind a seasoned offensive line that returns five starters for the second year in a row.

Stat Smack—A tale of two halves

The second and third quarters could prove to be vital in this one. Oklahoma scored nearly 60 percent of its points in the first two quarters, while Florida State allowed 128 points (33 percent of total points allowed) in that same half.

On the flip side, the Seminoles only allowed 58 points in the third quarter last year, while the Sooners struggled, only scoring 98 points total in the third quarter.



Other out of conference games of note

Clemson at Auburn, Maryland at West Virginia, NC State vs. Cincinnati, Miami at Pittsburgh, Duke vs. Alabama

By Harlon Jordan, ACCBlitz.com

• Discuss this story

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Since the calendar is turning from July to August, the start of practice is only a few days away. That means it is also time to look at the teams who will make up my top 25 poll.

The 2010 season begins September 2nd.

There is no top 25 poll that everyone agrees with. Fans nearly always think a team is ranked too high or too low. Also since the USC Trojans are not allowed to be ranked in the coaches poll, I left them out of my rankings as well.

The flip-side of being ranked is not being ranked at all. No top 25 poll will ever make every fan happy because there are nearly always some teams they think should be ranked that are not.

To solve the problem of teams not being ranked, I have decided to add ten teams that could crack the top 25 before the end of the season. Also, I have decided to include five sleeper teams that could be a surprise.

For those who disagree with where teams are ranked, feel free to comment on what your top 25 teams are. There will never be complete agreement but I welcome thoughts and opinions and I realize that this 25 will more than likely be wrong at the end of the season.

So without further ado here are my top 25 college football teams:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Last season it was the offense that needed to be retooled, but this season it will be the defense. Nick Saban will have his defense where it needs to be by the end of the season. Until that happens the offense has Greg McElroy, Julio Jones, and returning Heisman winner Mark Ingram to carry the load until the defense finds its legs.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Big Ten had two BCS victories and Ohio State was able to break the Pac-10’s strangle hold on the Rose Bowl. Jim Tressel might be able to open his offense completely if Terrelle Pryor plays this season like he played in the bowl game. Tressel always fields a stout defense as well.

3. Boise State Broncos

Boise State finished last season undefeated but unable to play for a national title. If the Broncos can get past Virginia Tech in the season opener, and with 20 returning starter, including quarterback Kellen Moore, a spot in the title game is possible.

4. Texas Longhorns

Mack Brown lost a ton of talent from last year’s national runner up. But like Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, etc., Texas does not rebuild, they just reload. Garrett Gilbert might be outstanding as the starting quarterback with a full off-season as the number one guy.

5. TCU Horned Frogs

Last season TCU finished the regular season undefeated and earned their first BCS bowl game bid as well. That team lost to last year’s other BCS buster Boise State. Sixteen starters return from last year’s team including quarterback Andy Dalton.

6. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma was decimated by injuries last year and a magical year that could have been was ruined in the first game. This season a healthy and experienced Landy Jones takes over for Sam Bradford. Bob Stoops’ squad will be healthy and back to challenge in the Big-12 and the nation this season.

7. Florida Gators

The John Brantley era beings in Gainesville this season after Tim Tebow moved on to the NFL. Florida has a lot of talent to replace but Urban Meyer has stock piled talent. This program should not slip as bad this season as it did after Meyer’s first national championship.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes were rolling to a Big Ten title until Ricky Stanzi was injured. That still did not stop Iowa from winning nine games and the Orange Bowl over Georgia Tech. Kirk Ferentz has built this program to contend and 2010 should be another great year for Iowa.

9. Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech has quarterback Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams returning, plus Darren Williams should be back from injury. The Hokies defense will have to be rebuilt but defensive coordinator Bud Foster should have no problem do that. This could be head coach Frank Beamer’s best team since Michael Vick lead this program to the national championship game.

10. Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers could have the best offensive line in the Big Ten. Wisconsin also has running back John Clay and quarterback Scott Tolzien returning this season. Bret Bielema has this program headed in the right direction and should challenge for the conference title.

11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This team has to be rebuilt with several starters on both sides of the ball needing to be replaced. Georgia Tech does have quarterback Josh Nesbit returning to run coach Paul Johnson’s triple option. If Nesbit can become a better passer their might be no limit to what the Yellow Jackets can do this season.

12. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks lost the Rose Bowl and then spent the off-season making news for all the wrong reasons. Running back LaMichael James and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli both got arrested after the season and Masoli got kicked off the team. The Pac-10 is wide open and the Ducks could win the conference again.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State has to find a replacement for Daryll Clark and until they do the offense will fall on the shoulders of Evan Royster. The Nittany Lions also have to rebuild the defense. Joe Paterno should be able to keep this program competitive in 2010.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks

Offense should not be a problem for Bobby Petrino with Heisman contender Ryan Mallett returning. If the Razorbacks can find a defense to match their offense this team will be a player in the SEC. Arkansas will have to outscore opponents if they cannot find a defense to match their offense.

15. Pittsburgh Panthers

Pittsburgh has to replace quarterback Bill Stull and three offensive linemen as well as holes on the defense. The Panthers do have arguably the best offensive player in the Big East in Dion Lewis. Dave Wannstedt should be able to compete in a wide open conference that could be won by up to four teams.

16. LSU Tigers

A big season is expected out of Les Miles and LSU after a couple of years of not meeting expectations after winning a title in 2007. Talent should not be a problem for the Tigers if the top recruiting classes pan out. On the field the pressure will be on Jordan Jefferson and if he can develop.

17. Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Cornhuskers showed improvement last season making the Big-12 championship game. This is Nebraska’s final season in the conference and Bo Pelini would like to leave the conference in style. The offense needs to improve and the defense needs to replace Ndamukong Suh the best player in college football last year.

18. Miami Hurricanes

Miami navigated a brutal opening schedule to show the promise of what Randy Shannon’s program could be and once was. This season Jacory Harris needs to make better decisions if this team is going to take the next step. The Hurricanes could challenge for an ACC title this season.

19. Washington Huskies

Steve Sarkisian got the best news out of any college coach when Jake Locker turned down entering the NFL draft to return to school. This team improved greatly in year one of the Sarkisian era and should make even more improvement with 20 returning starters. Locker returned to finish the rebuilding job he started last season and could in 2010 finish the job.

20. Georgia Bulldogs

Mark Richt finished last season on a high note beating in-state rival Georgia Tech and Texas A&M in a bowl game to end the season. Georgia has to break in a new starting quarterback for the second season in a row. The good news for the Bulldogs is that all five offensive line men are back but the defense needs to be retooled as well.

21. Missouri Tigers

The defense will need to be reworked for a second year in a row but Gary Pinkel accomplished the same job last season. Missouri should be fine on offense with Blaine Gabbert returning. The Tigers can win the Big-12 North if the Cornhuskers slip.

22. Stanford Cardinal

Jim Harbaugh had Stanford fans thinking big things after beating USC and Oregon in back to back weeks. Things could be even better this season with Andrew Luck returning for the Cardinal. This team still has to find a replacement for Heisman finalist Toby Gerhart at running back. More good news for this team is that seven starters return on defense.

23. Connecticut Huskies

Last season this team had to endure tragedy after the death of a player. Randy Edsall got this team to compete week-in and week-out afterwards. In a weak Big East the Huskies could be contenders. Connecticut fans should be even more excited with sixteen starters returning this season.

24. Oregon State Beavers

This team has to replace quarterback Sean Canfield who has moved on to the NFL. What the Beavers do have is both Rodgers brothers Jacquizz and James returning. Mike Riley will have to break in a new man under center quickly with the first game of the season being against TCU.

25. Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies bring back nearly their entire defense but the unit needs to improve. Offensively Jerrod Johnson should be improved this season. Mike Sherman will have to replace three offensive linemen. This team could be a dark horse in the Big-12.

Ten teams that could break into the top 25 at some point this season :

1. North Carolina Tar Heels— Defense should be good but scoring points on offense is the question.

2. Navy Midshipmen— 10 wins last season was no fluke but Ricky Dobbs has to become a better passer.

3. Clemson Tigers— The C.J. Spiller era has ended but the Kyle Parker era begins.

4. Auburn Tigers— If Gene Chizik can find some defense to go along with his offense the Tigers could be the dark horse of the SEC.

5. Oklahoma State Cowboys— How well Kendall Hunter carries the load will dictate how well this team does.

6. Florida State Seminoles— No Bobby Bowden as the Jimbo Fisher era begins in Tallahassee.

7. Utah Utes— Program looks to continue their winning ways after a 10-3 season last year.

8. Kentucky Wildcats— If Joker Philips can get the ball in the hands of Randall Cobb this team can make some noise.

9. Houston Cougars— Case Keenum will keep Houston in the headlines all season long.

10. BYU Cougars— Max Hall needs to replaced but this team has talent.

Five teams that could surprise in 2010:

1. Ball State Cardinals— This team returns 21 starters.

2. Miami (OH) Red Hawks— This team returns 20 starters.

3. Army Cadets— This team returns 18 starters from a team that won five games.

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs— Year two under Dan Mullen sees 17 starters return.

5. Idaho Vandals— Despite what the Boise State president says this team has 18 starters back and could challenge BSU.

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The quarterback names have filled journalists’ notepads, and even journeyed through the ESPN studios, but the topic that has stirred the pot remains, “who will complete their team by playing defense?”

Oregon has been on the rise ever since the Dennis Dixon days, and the rise of Chip Kelly, and the reason behind their quest for the roses has been due to the simple fact that no defense has consistently been able to stop it!

In 2009, the Ducks scored 35 or more points in nine of their 13 games. The ducks only lost one game in which they scored 40 plus points, and that was against the Toby Gerhart running machine known as the Stanford Cardinal.

Another nightmare for defensive coordinators Gerhart is in the NFL now, and will not be causing sleepless nights anytime soon.

The Oregon Ducks on the other hand, are a different story. Chip Kelly’s offense makes me think of the old saying, “you can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them.” And to be quite honest, it is true!

There is no doubt about it Oregon has the firepower to win the conference, but just like many other schools in the conference, the Ducks are breaking in a new quarterback.  

The Ducks’ slated starter, fifth-year Senior Nate Costa is relatively inexperienced due to his class standing. Despite only collecting 270 yards and two touchdowns, Costa has proven to be clutch in limited duty, leading the Ducks to a key Pac-10 road victory at UCLA in his lone start last year. 

Oregon’s other option at offensive leader is Darron Thomas, who was featured in 2008 scoring four touchdowns and totaling 295 yards of offense. 

No matter who is running the show in Eugene, Chip Kelly has the formula to over match defenses. The quick paced, up-tempo style that brings together a dominant rushing attack and big play ability through the air, has graced the Pac-10 with a West Coast version of a dominant power running game, that old school football fans enjoy.

In the Ducks 2009 Rose Bowl campaign, their rushing statistics were mouth watering to say the least totaling 3,012 yards and 38 touchdowns. 

This Fall, Kelly is replacing one of his top three rushing leaders, Jeremiah Masoli, while LaMichael James, and Kenjon Barner should continue the dominance for the ground attack.

I am one of the apparent many believers that believes even with the loss of Jeremiah Masoli, the Oregon offense is going to command respect, and dish out another offensive firework show this season.

Before anyone even begins to analyze their defense, the offensive numbers jump off the media guide. Over 5,000 yards would stand out in any conference.

Don’t cut the Oregon defense short either! The points against total does not stand out as an impressive number, but when your offense is scoring on average fifteen more points than their opponents, your team is usually in pretty good shape!

Although the Ducks hit two speed bumps in 2009 versus Boise State and Stanford, this season looks to shape up quite nicely on the schedule for fans in Eugene, and if another Rose Bowl appearance is in sight, the defensive stars will lend more than a helping hand.

Players like Casey Mathews, and Kenny Rowe have blossomed for the Ducks on defense, as well as made a name for themselves in Pac-10 circles, but this season Oregon would like to elevate the defense into a similar high praising conversation that the offensive juggernauts garner.

The national media hype this Summer has focused on the big quarterbacks in the Pac-10, Jake Locker (Washington), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Matt Barkley (USC), and Nick Foles (Arizona), all the while people are wondering which defense is going to step up, and form a complete and total football team from the top of the roster to the bottom.

The media poll seems to lean in the Oregon Ducks direction, only by a slim three votes, but with USC playing for the logo on their helmets in 2010, the aggression and passion will be exciting to see week after week.

The bottom line is that the Pac-10 Conference has tremendous parody heading into Fall camp.  Just by judging the demeanor, and approach displayed by the coaches up and down the conference at media day, everyone is anxious to take the field.

From the top of the poll down to even number nine Arizona State, the heated battles on Saturdays are going to be downright entertaining to watch.

Parody in the Pac-10 is so evident that even the number eighth pre season ranked UCLA Bruins received a first place vote!

As a fan of primetime offensive showcases and attractive football, 2010 should be an exciting season to say the least on the West Coast, and Oregon is just the appetizer. I think I speak for all football fans when I say, “lets start the main course!” 

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Like the LMFAO song says, "I'm in Miami trick," is no longer the case for Florida native Robert Marve.  Marve, the former University of Miami quarterback, transferred to Purdue in 2009 after some off-the-field issues in Miami.  In 2009 he tragically suffered an ACL injury, which forced him to redshirt.

While at Miami, Marve started 11 games, passed for 1,293 yards, and threw 11 touchdowns before dealing with the difficult off-the-field issues that initiated the transfer to Purdue. 

After a terrific spring game, where he completed 11-22 passes and 160 yards including a 75-yard pitch and catch to senior wideout Cortez Smith, Marve was named starting QB for the Boilermakers when they open camp Aug. 6.  During spring practice, he was sharing the starting role with sophomore Caleb TerBush.  

"We like everything about Robert—his ability to throw the football, run with the football, and lead our team from the quarterback position—and we want him to begin practice with the mindset that he is the guy," Purdue head coach Danny Hope said in a statement. "Knowing Robert and his competitiveness, he will not take this decision for granted and, if anything, it will make him more determined than ever to solidify the starting position."

Expect big things from Marve and the Boilermakers this year.  With a intermediately experienced offensive line, it will determine the outcome of the offense this year. With a veteran receiving core in the two Smith's, and an explosive running back depth chart, it should be an interesting year for Purdue football.  

Could Marve lead us back to a bowl? Only time will tell.  We will see what he is made of when the Boilermakers open on the road against Notre Dame on Sept. 4, to try to spoil Brian Kelly's coming out party in South Bend.

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Two players that are expected to have major impacts on the UConn offense is two men with the last name Moore.  No relations, but one attribute both these wide-outs have is the ability to catch a football.

Junior Kashif Moore had 22 receptions for 370 yards, and three touchdowns last season.  He was very close with teammate Jasper Howard, and his death really had an impact on how he played on the football.

Isiah Moore another Junior had 24 receptions, 286 yards and, one touchdown.  He came on the scene, and contributed when called upon.  His size, and athleticism is what posed problems for opponents secondary.

Tight End Ryan Griffin is a player to keep your eye on this season.  He had 23 receptions for 272 yards last season, but wasn't utilized as much as he should have been.

With another year under his belt in this offense, Griffin who stands at 6'5" , and has some speed should create problems for opposing linebackers.

A wide receiver to keep your eye on is Mike Smith.  He is an absolute burner who is yet to have the opportunity to show of his skills.  Let me tell you, this is the year for the Junior from Texas to shine.

He had a phenomenal spring game, but remember the name when UConn opens the season in September.  He could been the difference-maker in UConn's success in  passing the football.

Another thing to keep in mind is this is Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead's second season.  It was a transition last year as UConn mixed up the run and pass.  As the playbook changes, and players get more reps UConn could have one potent offense.

The offensive line returns one of the best groups in the country.  They are going to give Frazer plenty of time to throw the football, and if these receivers are able to get open, it could become a clinic focusing on picking apart opposing defenses.

This wide receiving group can do it all.  Whether it is running a go-route down the field, or a quick slant to pick up the first down.

Their production is an important part to setting up the run, and keep opposing secondaries on their heels.

UConn Wide Receivers are prepared to deliver on offense in a big way.

They were successful last season scoring over 400 points.  If they have some shootouts this season, look for the wide receivers to produce in bunches.

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There has been a lot of talk about Michigan State’s recent domination over its bitter rival, the University of Michigan. Whether it’s the fans or former players, those who hold the contest near-and-dear aren’t afraid to chime in on the subject.

The Spartans’ win streak, on both the football field and basketball court, is approaching 1,000 days. For Wolverine fans, the streak is attributed to inexperience, coaching changes and bad luck.

For Spartan fans, it’s a sign of the times that Michigan State is finally shedding its dubious “Little Brother” moniker that has been bestowed upon it by the Wolverine faithful.

When debating the significance of the trend, numbers are all one needs.

It was Feb. 27, 2007 the last time the Wolverines got the best of the Spartans on the hard wood. Michigan’s Dion Harris scored a game-high 24 points in the 67-56 victory at Crisler Arena, but the Wolverines have found themselves on the losing end of the rivalry four times since.

Michigan owns an all-time record of 67-30-5 over Michigan State in football, so Spartan fans can’t deny the Wolverines’ historical success. Spartan coach Mark Dantonio has his team on the right track with his recent recruiting classes, and could extend the streak to three years in 2010.

It was Michigan quarterback Chad Henne's 31-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham on 3rd and 12 that sealed the Wolverines' 28-24 victory over Michigan State on Nov. 3, 2007 at Spartan Stadium.

The Spartans rolled over the Wolverines 35-21 in 2008, and then-freshman Larry Caper became an instant campus legend with his 23-yard scamper in the Spartans' 26-20 overtime win over the Wolverines last October.

The consecutive victories were the first since 1965-67, when Michigan State took three in a row, and claimed two national titles under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty.

Former Michigan State football player Michael Jordan remembers the back-to-back wins, as he was in East Lansing for both. Like other proud alumni, Jordan absolutely loves to weigh in on one of college football’s timeless battles.

“Oh man, that’s been the thing in Michigan,” Jordan said by phone Thursday. “If you’re from Michigan, you know the importance of the rivalry. Growing up in Michigan, I’ve always been a State fan. It’s about time to re-establish ourselves as the premier team.”

So what does Jordan think about Michigan’s affectionate nickname for his alma mater?

“I refer to Michigan as “The Little Blue School,” Jordan said.  “I don’t associate anything in my life with those two colors—whether it’s a blue spoon, or a yellow wash cloth— it runs that deep.

I’m proud to say that I’m an alumni, and it’s a good time to be a Spartan. We never saw ourselves as “Little Brother,” but it’s good to be looked at as the more dominant school now in the state, and gaining some real national attention.”

Andre Weathers started at cornerback, opposite of Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, and was a member of the Wolverines’ 1997 national co-championship team. He was also an All Big-Ten selection in 1998.

Weathers is now the defensive coordinator at Flint Northern High School, but will never forget what the Michigan vs. Michigan State rivalry has given him.

“I mean, at the end of the day, a rivalry is exactly what it sounds like,” Weathers said. “At any given time, any team can win. It’s a battle of the state.

It’s Michigan vs. Michigan State. It’s bragging rights for 365 days… It’s a game you throw out all the records. It doesn’t matter how good or bad a team is.

Here’s something crazy: I don’t even carry cash, and I don’t own anything green. Going to that school, that rivalry is instilled in you. Indirectly, it does affect you, whether you know it or not. I’m not going to say it’s a bad thing to carry cash, it’s just the fact that it’s green."

Weathers relayed a story about the Michigan coaching staff’s approach to the in-state grudge match. He said coaches would assign players extra sprints if they were caught wearing enemy colors.

“You’re not just playing for a win or loss for you,” he said. “You’re playing for all those that played in that game. The sprints were to help you understand how serious it is. It’s deeper than what you think it really is.”

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There are a few items that Coach Edsall is yet to accomplish here at Storrs. 

First and foremost UConn has never beaten West Virginia.

What better way than getting them at home on October 29 a Thursday night.  This is a game that all UConn fans should have circled on the calendar.

UConn has never won a Big East title outright. In 2007 they were co-champions and lost in the Meinke Car Care Bowl. 

The way the schedule sets up, they have the three toughest conference teams at home.

Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Cincinnati all come to The Rent.  UConn has always been a strong home team. If they continue that trend this season it could be a memorable year for this football program.

What remains constant through all of this is Randy Edsall. 

He is one of the longest tenured coaches in all of College Football and is proud of that fact. There hasn't been a program that has put up an offer to tempt Edsall to leave.

Not his alma mater Syracuse or Georgia Tech.  Big time schools who put all their emphasis on winning.

Last year's fatal stabbing death of Jasper Howard really brought this team together as a family.  Edsall said his team was always close but this tragic event formed an unbreakable bond.

UConn finished the season riding a four-game winning streak. 

It is going to need that success and be able to pull out the close games that matter when the goal is to win the Big East and go to a Bowl Championship Series game.

Edsall and the Huskies are currently ranked in various college previews as a Top 25 team headed into the beginning of the season. 

UConn has only been ranked a couple of times in the history of the program, but Edsall believes this team could continue winning building its resume in the ranks of College Football.

Opening the season at Ann Arbor against Michigan will give UConn another opportunity to prove why it deserves to be part of the Top 25.

Edsall would love to beat his friend and former rival Rich Rodriguez.  He never did while Rich Rod was at West Virginia and that would send a message to all of their competitors in the Big East Conference.

There's no doubt in my mind that Randy Edsall puts everything he has each and every day into this UConn team.  He strives for greatness and wants nothing more then to see his team succeed.

As he stands tall with a core group of players returning, this team expects to win.  The goals have to be set high, higher than they have ever been set before.

Randy Edsall realizes the potential the 2010 UConn football team has. 

Now is the time that all the preparation and work is needed to pay off come September.

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View the full conference break down in our 2010 Big East college football predictions article.

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A balanced attack was used by the Orange last season to the tune of 330 yards per game of total offense. Running the ball seemed to produce better results, however, as Delone Carter rushed for 1021 yards and 11 touchdowns. The senior back was a workhorse last year, carrying the ball 236 times and will be leaned on heavily once again in 2010.

QB Ryan Nassib will get an opportunity to start after backing up former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus. The mobile quarterback was used mainly to run the zone read last season, but his passing skills will be on display this year. He attempted just 68 throws in 09’, completing 36 passes for three scores.

Alec Lemon seems to be the likely top target in the passing game. The sophomore wide receiver came on strong at the end of last season by catching nine passes for 140 yards against Uconn. Two transfers from Hofstra will join this group to give it much needed depth. Coach Marrone will call the plays himself this season after giving Rob Spence just one year as coordinator.

The Orange defense lose only one starter from a defense that was stout against the run last year. They allowed a Big East best 102 yards on the ground per game thanks in large part to DT Arthur Jones. Their pass defense wasn’t quite as good which resulted in giving up almost 28 points/game. That was an improvement from the two previous seasons when they allowed over 32 points.

DE Chandler Jones (Arthur’s brother) will play a key role up front. His 8.5 tackles for loss led the team in 2009, but he needs raise the 1.5 sacks recorded.

Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer is notorious for blitzing and does not to let offenses dictate the pace. Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue combined for 18 sacks from their linebacker position and both return for their senior seasons. This is a veteran group with eight upperclassmen that are projected to start.

With so many returning starters, this should be one of the better defenses in the Big East.

To reach the magic mark of six wins, Syracuse will have to pull off a couple upsets along the way. They have four games in which they should be favored in, but only one of those will be a Big East game vs. Louisville.

Conference play will open with a road trip to South Florida (0-5 all time vs. USF) and Pitt comes to town on Oct 16 for Homecoming.

While I believe this team has enough talent to reach a bowl game, I think a 5-7 record will have them on the outside looking in.

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And in 2009, the sky was the limit for Masoli at Oregon. USC was starting a freshman quarterback; no other team in the conference was poised to take control, and the other stud offensive weapon, LeGarrette Blount, was kicked off the team, leaving the offense in Masoli's hands, for the most part.

And once again, he took advantage. He finished '09 with 28 total touchdowns, more than half passing, and at 5'10" and 214 lbs, he was continuing to take advantage of teams that dismissed a smaller quarterback with an average arm.

And with the start of the 2010 season looming and "Masoli for Heisman" talk starting to emerge, it looked as though Jeremiah would once again seize the opportunity.

But after Masoli was charged for misdemeanor burglary, coach Chip Kelly decided to take a stand. Oregon was in the midst of dealing with numerous players in trouble with the law, and it was Masoli that maybe felt the most of it. Coach Kelly ruled Masoli suspended for the entire 2010 season.

However, in 2009, running back LeGarrette Blount returned early from his season-long suspension, and it looked as though Masoli would follow that path as well.

Then came strike two for Masoli, and unfortunately for him, Chip Kelly calls two strikes an out. A marijuana possession, along with other charges, led to Masoli's eventual dismissal from the Oregon program. In three short months, Masoli went from Heisman contender to player without a team.

After a minor flirtation with putting his name in the NFL's supplemental draft (which likely would have destined him for the AFL), Masoli decided to attempt to stay in college and find a new home to take his talents and off-the-field history.

Three non-BCS teams showed interest in Masoli: Hawaii, which would make it hard for him to get in the headlines for both the right and wrong reasons, UNLV, where he could hop into a growing Mountain West conference, and Louisiana Tech, which is trying to stay relevant without Derek Dooley.

However, all of those could be moot. Four BCS schools are rumored to be intrigued by bringing in Jeremiah Masoli. Michigan was mentioned early on, but based on their recruiting classes and tremendous depth at quarterback (two sophomores and a freshman are all rumored to be competing for the job), they were likely a better match for the system then a good fit.

West Virginia also showed initial interest, but it looks as though they are happy with Geno Smith as their future. Mississippi State was the first rumor that leaked out to the press, and for a team hungry for attention and talent at quarterback, Masoli may be a good fit.

However, the team that has shown the most interest and that looks to be the eventual winner, is the Ole Miss Rebels. Masoli likely won't start anywhere until 2011, but at Ole Miss, he could challenge even earlier.

I don't know if it's the best fit for Masoli, but actually getting an upgrade in conference (from Pac-10 to SEC) is something that Masoli will have to strongly consider, obviously.

The real question is not where, but why. Why should a team, especially an SEC school, consider taking on a player who has been a consistent headache off the field and had the audacity to risk getting in trouble again after being deep in the coach's doghouse for a criminal offense?

The answer is talent, and Masoli on the field is fun to watch, hard to bring down, and is a leader.

He will be on a Division One team, it looks like, by the next few weeks. That's about as close to a fact as we know, since he was kicked off the Oregon team. However, what is not a fact is where he'll end up, if he'll be productive, and if he'll be worth the character concerns and problems he's faced over his college career.

Check out www.NFLHouse.com or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NFLHouse

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In reality, he has come under a firestorm that wasn't of his own making. The trouble at USC was under the watch of Pete Carroll and Mike Garrett. The trouble on his three year stint away from USC was primarily a result of other people.

Lane Kiffin didn't get along with Al Davis? Really?! Throw him to the wolves. He must be a terrible person.

Wait, Lane Kiffin gave up a job in the scorching summers of Tennessee surrounded by southerners to return home to gorgeous beaches, people he knew, and more importantly, a better job?

On top of that, it is his dream job.

What a sick, sick man.

Now he is being sued by the Tennessee Titans for getting Kennedy Pola to return to sunny SoCal. I can't believe anyone would choose a better job in California over a worse job in Tennessee. It's such a mind boggling trend.

Despite the fact that Kiffin has dealt with escaping angry mobs on his way back to L.A., shockingly harsh (and widely believed to be excessive) sanctions, and now being sued by a team that has a fellow Trojan as a coach, he hasn't really even flinched.

On the last bit I don't think he is particularly worried because after discussing the circumstances with an attorney friend of mine I was assured that it was a publicity stunt. But there have been other things, such as the firing of the guy who hired him.

The past six months could adequately be described as an emotional roller coaster at USC, and Lane, moreso than Matt Barkley, has emerged as the face of the future.

In media appearances he is always positive yet serious, but he never shows any signs of concern. He always points to the fact that he is, after all, at USC.

It is without a doubt one of the three greatest football programs in college history. Some even say it is the best.

Lane seems locked into reality, as he readily admits that in order to be successful the Trojans will need exceptional roster management (because of the scholarship restrictions). However he always points to the fact that USC has faced similar circumstances before, and responded by coming out and going to four of the next six Rose Bowls.

Is he the guy I want leading my team right now, in the face of so much conflict and change?

At first, I was only sold because he brought Monte Kiffin with him. I also loved getting Ed Orgeron back. I thought if they had added Norm Chow, it would have been a true dream team of coaches.

But after watching the way Kiffin has handled these events, I can truly say he is prepared for the stress of satisfying the Trojan faithful with victories. He has the maturity to be the man in charge.

He definitely isn't what he was the last time he coached at USC. The guy has changed, and realistically, he has changed for the better.

Certainly there will be those outside of Troy who disagree with me, but at USC, there is a very strong feeling that the team got the right man for the job.

And that counts for a lot during such a turbulent time.

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Everybody knows each opponent Alabama plays will bring their "A" game because they are playing the defending national champion. A win against them would make the whole season for most teams. Alabama, of course, has a bulls-eye on its back, but the target on Ingram might be even bigger.

It's not bad enough that everybody wants to tell his child how he brought down a Heisman Trophy winner in the open field just to have something of note on their own resume, but the toughest thing that could keep Mark Ingram from repeating may be his own teammates.

Saban's edict that Alabama will throw the ball more this year could seriously hurt the number of carries Ingram gets. Let's face it: Alabama brings back a talented group of receivers along with a senior quarterback who hasn't lost a game since he got curly hair in his nether regions. Why wouldn't Alabama want to throw more?

Here, Ingram is almost his own worst enemy. The sheer threat of him running will be enough to keep the passing game open. But if that weren't enough, there are the other talented running backs waiting to burst into the opponent's secondary.

It helped Ingram last year that Trent Richardson was only a freshman and that Roy Upchurch was often nicked up. Richardson is a year wiser and stronger, so he could contend not only for more carries but also for the main starting job.

If that weren't bad enough, there is another running back that the 'Bama coaches can't wait to see rip through opposing teams as he did all last year against the first team defense as a member of the scout team. Of course, I'm talking about Eddie Lacy, the third spoke in that great running back wheel they have in Tuscaloosa. And there are even more good ones behind Lacy.

Yes, Alabama's own team may do something that no other team could do: cut Mark Ingram's rushing yardage.

Ingram was one of three players Saban brought to SEC media days and of course he was asked in his question-and-answer session: Is winning the second Heisman a goal of his?

His answer was totally unselfish in the way we've all known him to be.

"Of course, that would be great. It's not my main focus. My main focus right now is to better myself as a player each and every day, become the best player I can be for my football team, make the best out of what I can do, put myself in the best position where I can make a lot of plays so I can help our team win games.

"In that way, I'll be successful to myself. Not just winning the Heisman Trophy will determine whether I'm successful or not."

Team first, seeing the big picture, working to make it happen, setting the right goals, all things that Nick Saban has drilled into Mark and things you can see he's adopted when he speaks.

Mark Ingram was and will always be a winner. He doesn't need another ring or another trophy to make him happy. His happiness comes from knowing he's done his best, and his best is what we'll see this year.

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The experienced and gritty offensive line for Wisconsin appears ready to do their part in establishing a solid running game this season. The biggest question lies in the man carrying the ball.

John Clay.

Coming off his most impressive season—rushing for more than 1,500 yards, 18 touchdowns, and receiving Big Ten Offensive POY Honor—it may seem odd that I even question Wisconsin HB John Clay. But, along with his impressive knack for finding holes, shoving the line forward, and grinding out every yard, Clay is also known for two more things: weight and injury.

Clay has had a history of struggling with weight coming out of the offseason and entering fall. In summer camp before the 2009-10 season, Clay was on the hot seat with coaches and media when he came in much heavier then many had wished. Regardless, Clay was able to work his way back into shape, and have the breakout season that now has him as a "Heisman hopeful" this year.

This spring, those same concerns came back into play. In attempts to fix his nagging ankle injuries, Clay was to undergo two different surgeries (one for each ankle) in the offseason. This prevented him from taking part in spring practices and any vigorous workouts or activity. From what I saw in spring ball, Clay's weight looked like it was going to be a considerable issue heading into the season. Since I don't have a specific number in mind, I'll just say that Clay looked more like a top-heavy fullback or blocking tight end.

This morning (July 29), Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema made an appearance on a local sports morning talk show, Lucas & Lepay . During the interview, Bielema touched on his feelings about his halfback's shape.

"He has got his weight down," said Bielema, who wouldn't offer a specific weight. "He came in yesterday for a meeting. I was just psyched the way he looked."

Bielema also spoke strongly about Clay's possible 2011 Heisman candidacy.

"We're a good football team and he is one of our better players," Bielema said. "The formula here at Wisconsin has been that if John Clay has the numbers that we want him to have and we need him to have, he will be right in the mix for the Heisman..."

It'll be very intriguing to get a good look at Clay's shape when he attends Big Ten Media Day as one of three player representatives for Wisconsin.

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But on one day a week each fall, that all changes.

Saturday morning presents the opportunity to usher in the new day with a cold beer, some brats, and plenty of optimism.

The anticipation of another entertaining battle on the gridiron and plenty of fun at the tailgates is enough to lure eight-year seniors out of bed.

Here's a look at 25 of the best tailgates throughout college football.

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For some reason, I am still shocked when I realize that people who demand radical  change often have no idea that the radical change necessitates that much of what they have now, including much that they like most, must be sacrificed. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Change means you cannot keep things; change usually has unintended consequences that are not wanted.

Continuing talk about Big Ten expansion is the reason I come back to this issue now. I keep reading pieces by Big Ten fans, and even sports journalists who ought to know better, that suggest they assume that the Big Ten can expand to 16 with hardly a ripple coming between any old rivalries.

An ACC example might help drive home my point. The first football game played between ACC schools was North Carolina versus Wake Forest in 1888. That more than a century old, in-state rivalry is no longer an annual game, due to ACC expansion to 12 members. In basketball, WFU and UNC no longer play one another twice every year in regular season because expansion forced major scheduling changes.

Any conference that expands by more than one school will face major issues about which rivalries will take hits. Some rivalries will be ruined: see Oklahoma versus Nebraska for Exhibit A.

The Pac is the only conference in the country in which expanding to 16—providing it got the schools it wanted and needed  to become as wealthy as the ACC, which is not as wealthy as the SEC and Big Ten—made sense. The reason is that a 16 team conference is actually two eight team conferences. That would mean the old Pac-8 members once again would play each other annually, with the newer eight league members doing the same. 

As much sense as that would have made for the Pac, it must be emphasized that it would have meant most teams would not have faced teams in the other division more than twice per decade. If a 16 member conference were to play nine league games annually, that would mean seven games against division foes. Each year then, each school would play only two of the eight members in the other division. If each school were to have a permanent annual cross-divisional rival (both the ACC and SEC do), it would take 14 years for each school to play all league members home-away.

Ten league games would mean three foes from the other division annually, which would mean it would take barely more than a half decade to play all league members home-away, but it also would mean only two non-conference games per year.

Is there anyone who sincerely believes it would be good for college football if members of major conferences play only two non-conference games per year? 

That, of course, is not my main point. My main point is that if the Big Ten expands to 14, and even more so if it grows to 16, it will see many old rivalries gutted. That is so because unlike the Pac, in which the eight old members all would have been in one division, the Big Ten will see its remaining nine charter members and Michigan State, its tenth member, split with no more than six in a division. 

Unless the conference in question must expand in order to remain fiscally within reach of the two wealthiest conferences, expansion, certainly beyond 12, probably will cause more problems than it is worth.

Why then would the Big Ten, the wealthiest conference, want to risk any of its historic rivalries by expanding even to 14?

I have said that I believe the Big Ten and the Pac were acting in accord, each planning to expand to 16, thereby creating a Rose Bowl Axis to attempt to control all of college sports, with the financial backing of Rupert Murdoch: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/404583-why-did-the-pac-move-first-in-forging-super-conferences  Now that it is rather clear that Texas A&M will never agree to go Left Coast, the odds of a Pac-16 are slim to none (Texas as part of a Pac-14 remains a possibility). 

But will the Big Ten keep pushing to have 16 members? If Notre Dame is not on board, will Big Ten fans accept losing a number of historic rivalries as annual games? Would the Big Ten agree to play ten conference games?

Does anybody think that if the Big Ten plays ten league games that more than three or four of its 16 members would schedule tougher than two obvious non-conference cupcakes per year? If a 16-member Big Ten were to play ten league games, would the rest of the country see it as far too isolated and inbred and thus tune out?

Unlike the average Big Ten fan online, Jim Delany knows that any additional movement by the Big Ten is to some degree piloting between Scylla and Charybdis. 

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He was originally expected to make his announcement sometime during his senior season, after he'd had the opportunity to monitor the success on and off the field of each of his finalists before coming to his decision.  It appears that one school made such an impression on Hayes that he's decided to bypass his original plans and make his commitment on Friday at 11 a.m. 

"It was a combination of one school just jumped out and really hit me in the head and I finally knew where I wanted to go, and that was I was getting tired of the recruiting process and the media and stuff," Hayes said. "At a certain point you can only take so much, and I think I've reached that point."

While Hayes is sure which school he will be attending, the rest of the world, including the winner of his recruitment sweepstakes, will have to wait until tomorrow.

Of the five finalists, most experts predict that Notre Dame will be the selection when Hayes makes his call tomorrow morning. 

The other finalists include Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State, and Michigan.

Hayes decision came down to four key factors: playing time, how he'll be utilized, the chance to play for an elite program, and most importantly, education. 

Let's explore what each of these schools have to offer and predict who will get the call on Friday and who will be left out in the cold. 

Begin Slideshow

Looking into a crystal ball, the next decade of Oregon football looks to be very exciting, competitive, and enjoyable. We all know things can change, but the transformation of college football on the west coast over the past few months tends to lean things in Oregon's favor.  

The Oregon athletic department and marketing team can look back at their past decade of hard work, and see a program that today is recognized and respected around the country.  

Here are a few reasons why Oregon will consistently be considered one of the top programs in the nation for the next decade. 

National Recruiting

As the 2011 recruiting class begins to take shape, the odds of another highly recruited group to sign with Oregon are great. I recently wrote an article titled "A Downside to Oregon Recruiting Nationally? " in which I questioned whether the program was getting away from their foundation of recent success. Regardless of these doubts, Chip Kelly and company are doing an excellent job enticing elite national prospects to attend a university thousands of miles away.

The coaching staff has brought in system athletes with an emphasis on speed, explosive abilities, and the potential to develop as players. When Oregon lands a player from Texas or Florida, they are marketing a national brand, and beginning laying the recruiting pipelines that will continue to flourish for the next decade. Don't expect a sudden dip in regards to the influx of talent coming to Eugene anytime soon.

A Growing Fan Base

As any Oregonian will testify, fan loyalty was invisible until Oregon began to continually win early in the millennium. Oregon fans and alums are finally proud to represent the Oregon "O" all around the world. A growing fan base raises expectations for success, markets a program for free, and demands national attention from recruits, the media and other prestigious programs.  

Children usually follow the loyalties of their parents, and it is safe to say Oregon fans are everywhere. Oregon football followers are becoming more knowledgeable to recruiting, players, and the schemes of the game. Autzen Stadium has been a sold out show for over ten years, and don't expect any empty seats in the near future.

The Facilities of the Program

Often only seen and used by the players and coaches, the athletic facilities at the University of Oregon is on par with any other in the country. The construction of new football offices near Autzen Stadium has already scheduled. The new Jacqua Athletic Learning Center is an architectural marvel just off Franklin Boulevard. The Oregon locker room is self-proclaimed as the best in the nation. The Moshofosky center is a great resource for game-day's and practice.  

The atmosphere at Autzen Stadium is commonly regarded as one of the loudest, and most obnoxious in the country. With growing consumer demand, it wouldn't be absurd to see the athletic department remodel the north side of Autzen Stadium in the near future. Oregon has set a standard for clean, impressive, and modern facilities. With a great donor in their back pocket (thanks Uncle Phil), the sky is the limit in terms of what the football program will do next to please their players, coaches, and fans. 

The Coaching Staff

In perceived confidence, is their any other job Chip Kelly would take? Entering his second year, Kelly has elevated the expectations of the program. In contrast to former coach Mike Bellotti, the new coach is demanding, full of energy, and brings a confidence that has been assumed by the program.  

Kelly runs an offensive system that is very attractive to elite athletic skill position players. Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti has seen the complete transformation of the program and it can't be disputed that the talent level on defense continues to improve. Secondary coach John Neal has built a reputation of developing his players into NFL prospects. The offensive line hasn't been a team weakness in over a decade, and that credit should be given to Steve Greatwood. If the university can hold onto Chip Kelly and the majority of his staff, the stability of leadership will pay off. 

Oregon's Offensive Scheme

What talented offensive player doesn't want to gain loads of yardage and score tons of points? Unless college defenses can adjust their schemes to handle Kelly's offense, the seasons of Oregon averaging over 35 points per game will not stop. Recent history proves that Oregon running backs are nearly guaranteed to gain 1,000 yards each season.  

The offensive line must be quick on their feet and able to adjust directions in a moments notice. Wearing down defenses with speed, quick play-calling, and talent, the Oregon offense will not be running stagnant in the near future. 

The Pac-12

The additions of Colorado and Utah will not be a threat to Oregon's success anytime soon. The Ducks gained increased media coverage in two large markets (Denver, and Salt Lake City) , and will build on an already strong recruiting presence in the region.

The Pac-12 will have two divisions of six teams, and a conference title game. During many seasons, it won't be uncommon for two teams to accept bids to a BCS game. The Ducks will benefit from several ways to back-door themselves into a BCS game.

Placed in a division with Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, California, and Stanford, the Ducks will often benefit from not playing the Los Angeles schools. The construction of the Pac-12 will benefit the program immensely over the next decade. 

The Insignificance of the Los Angeles Universities

What a great time for USC to be placed on probation. Other then Oregon and the Trojans, many could consider the rest of the conference to be just above mediocre teams. History has shown it is hard for programs to rebound from NCAA probation. Auburn, and Alabama both took years to recover, and Southern Methodist never has.

In soon time, Rick Neuheisel will find himself very close to the coaching hot seat. With an abundance of talent, the Bruins have never shown a consistency for retaining coaches and winning games.  The fertile recruiting bed that is the Los Angeles area, has never been this open for the taking.  

Program Prestige & Ducks in the NFL

Like stated before, their has never been a more glorious time for Oregon football in terms of publicity and recognition around the country. The amount of former Oregon players in the NFL continues to grow. Many of these former Ducks are recognized NFL names such as Haloti Ngata, Jairus Byrd, and Jonathan Stewart.

Program prestige is based on a programs history of success, producing NFL prospects, and continuing to expand their fan base. It has took a long-time for Oregon football to reach this point, and now a community of Duck fans will reap the rewards for the next decade. 

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Offense: Despite being taken by the Colorado Rockies in this year's MLB draft, Wilson will be back to lead one of the more potent offenses in the ACC. He helped the Wolfpack finish as the No. 2 ranked passing offense in the league last season while throwing for 3,027 yards and 31 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions. Wilson also showed off his athleticism in the open field, scrambling for 260 rushing yards and four more scores on the ground. He may have to use his legs even more this season as the line must replace three starters. Wilson has outstanding targets in wide receivers Jarvis Williams and Owen Spencer. All-league tight end George Bryan is another sure-handed option. Williams is the team's top returning receiver.  He made 45 grabs for 547 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The Wolfpack were among the weakest running teams in the conference a season ago, and that could remain the case with so much new blood on the offensive line. But O'Brien is highly regarded for his ability to develop strong offensive fronts. Hopefully that is that case because the Wolfpack offense would benefit from a little more balance. Curtis Underwood and James Washington look like the two best tailbacks following spring practice.

Defense: After holding its first three opponents to 14 of fewer points, N.C. State allowed its next nine foes to score at least 27 points last season. That's just not going to cut it if the Wolfpack are going to end their streak of losing seasons. The defense will have a lot or new blood in 2010, but the program is hoping some old blood will help this unit improve. The old blood I'm referring to is linebacker Nate Irving, who missed the 2009 season due to injuries suffered in a car accident. I expect him to return very hungry. He will get plenty of help from fellow linebacker Audie Cole, who is coming off a strong 85-tackle, four-sack campaign. Both of these guys are capable of making plays all over the field, and they will likely have to playing behind a defensive line which lost four starters. N.C. State's biggest problem a season ago was its pass defense. The defensive backs weren't good enough to lock up receivers and they were offered very little help in the way of a pass rush. Defensive ends Michael Lemon and David Akinniyi must help provide that pass rush or N.C. State will be very susceptible to air attacks again in 2010.

Prediction: 4th ACC Atlantic - I really like Wilson and the offense, but it may be asking too much for this unit to outscore six opponents to become bowl eligible, which is what it will have to do if the defense doesn't improve.  I'm optimistic that this could be the year O'Brien breaks through with a winning season, but it won't be easy.  Check out my 2010 ACC football predictions to see who I have winning the overall league title.

Put your in World Champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd this season for consistent winners against the college football odds .

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Nineteen-year-old Jeremy Tyler, the former California high school star, has signed on to play with the Tokyo Apache of Japan's professional league.

Tyler, who became the first American-born player to leave high school early and join the professional ranks, signs on with his second professional team since the decision to leave the country.

Following his junior year at San Diego High School, Tyler signed a one-year $140,000 contract with Maccabi Haifa in Israel. However, personal reasons were cited in his decision to leave the team two months before seasons end.

Moving onto Japan, Tyler will hope to find a better fit in the ranks of professional basketball overseas. As a former verbally committed Louisville Cardinal, he is left to deal with his decision to skip collegiate basketball and play overseas.

Jeremy Tyler's route to the NBA will take its first steps back to the United States next spring, as he will be eligible for the 2011 NBA Draft. A former projected lottery pick, Tyler has certainly not done much to improve his draft standing in his first season as a professional, especially with a with lack of U.S. exposure and the decision to leave Maccabi Haifa before the end of the season.

After averaging only 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in ten games for Maccabi Haifa, Tyler will look to improve his numbers and playing time in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Former NBA coach, Bob Hill, who was recently hired to coach the Tokyo Apache, will look to help Jeremy Tyler in obtaining his goals.

*Photo: Jeremy Tyler *Credit: maxpreps.com

The article was also featured on Collegiate Hoops .

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Yes, it really is a show coming to Lincoln College and it's starring 6'4 " 215 pound small forward from Aurora, Illinois, Travis Cleveland.

If you take a seat and watch Cleveland, you'll start thinking of pro NBA players such as Donte Greene or even Carmelo Anthony, because that's exactly the playing style he has. Using his height and slim weight to be a slasher but also a scorer who can do wonders with the ball no matter where he gets the ball.

While you may sit here and say "Carmelo Anthony? If his game is like Carmelo's then why haven't I heard more of him?" Well, quick answer is you will. Patience is a virtue and Cleveland has plenty of those, sighting the doubters as one of his main drives. The people who said he couldn't become anything, will be his biggest fans once he makes it big.

We all have dreams growing up. We all want to accomplish those dreams but only some of us, like Cleveland, will do everything it takes to accomplish those dreams. It won't just make himself happy but it will bring a smile to his father's face knowing that one of his children stuck to their dream and pushed themselves to achieve it.

That's his plan. What's yours?

It should be to keep following this story of Cleveland, not just as an outstanding basketball player, but a laid back family man who goes to church on Sundays to keep his faith strong. The faith that will drive him to be a great basketball player and a great man off the court. When you become a fan, don't be nervous to meet him as he loves meeting random people. 

Travis Cleveland: Man on a mission driven by the all the right things. Oh and the show? Well it's only beginning at Lincoln College as Travis hopes that his game at Lincoln will lead him to bigger and better things. Ticket prices vary on the school but while your there, enjoy the show.

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Boston College fired former head coach Al Skinner and eventually found a replacement in the Ivy League's hottest coach, Steve Donahue. Donahue guided Cornell to the Sweet 16 this past season, but now has his work cut out for him in Chestnut Hill.

Boston College lost all of its 2010 commitments including guard Brady Heslip, who joined the team halfway through the past season. Heslip, alongside athletic junior Rakim Sanders and sophomore Evan Ravenel, all decided to transfer following the switch at head coach.

Working with what he has right now, Donahue has hit the recruiting trail right away, adding commitments from two 2011 recruits already.

Here's a look at the 2011 commitments, as well as others who have shown interest in the Eagles:

Dennis Clifford, 6'10" C (Milton Academy, Milton, MA): Clifford was the first commitment for Donahue at Boston College. A solid big man, who continues to get stronger and more physical, considered other New England regional schools such as Boston University, Vermont, UMass, and Yale, before finally settling with the Eagles. ESPN ranks him as the 43rd center in the 2011 recruiting class.

Eddie Odio, 6'6" SF (Christopher Columbus H.S., Miami, FL): Odio is an improving shooter who hopefully will be able to step in and contribute on the wing when he joins the Eagles in 2011. He is ranked as the 124th small forward in the class of 2011 according to ESPN.

Considering:

Naadir Tharpe: Tharpe committed to Providence, but backed out recently. Tharpe is a Massachusetts native and one of the top point guards in the class of 2011.

Tyler Harris: The younger brother of Tennessee commitment Tobias Harris, Tyler is considered an ESPNU Top 100 recruit. The Eagles are among the interested teams for the New York native.

Derrick Wilson: Wilson is a power guard who can attack the rim, an Alaska native, who has shown interest in the other side of the country.

Henry Brooks: Brooks is a skilled, face-up power forward who is considering Boston College, Penn State, Harvard, and Penn.

Blaise Mbargorba: Mbargorba has only played in the U.S. for one year, but has drawn interest from ACC and Big East schools.

Zach Auguste: Auguste has plenty of potential, but may be considered raw. A Massachusetts native has both the Eagles and UMass on his list.

Darren Hilliard: A lefty, shooting-guard has interest from a few Atlantic 10 schools, but the Eagles are intrigued as well.

This article was also featured on Collegiate Hoops.

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Any Duke fan who was lucky enough to watch didn't see an overly explosive effort from either player but there was certainly enough skill on display to get a feel for what both players bring to the table.

Gbinjie's Team Takeover out of Washington, D.C. took control early playing a patient and opportunistic brand of basketball to take a double digit lead over River's Each 1 Teach 1 team out of Florida.

It was the E1T1 team though that had the last laugh as Rivers led his team from behind for the second time in the day as his team had earlier beaten the Georgia Blazers on their way to the finals of the Super Showcase championship.

Rivers appeared a bit fatigued but that didn't stop him from shooting and moving extensively without the basketball. Traits that certainly appeal to Duke fans who are use to great scoring guards who can do just that.

He has an uncanny ability to get his own shots and shows a good bit of toughness for a guy who physically still has a little ways to go.

Rivers showed a nice stroke despite not shooting all that well. All in all he certainly appears worth all the hype.

Duke fans should also be pleased with the play of Gbinije. While he didn't do anything fancy, his style of play should mesh well with Mike Krzyzewski's brand of basketball.

Gbinije showed an opportunistic scoring ability, athleticism, and good court vision, making several nice passes and drawing defenders to set up teammates.

While Rivers certainly is numero uno on Duke's target list for 2011, Gbinije didn't do anything to make Duke fans feel less pleased with what the wing forward will bring to the Blue Devils when he arrives in Durham next year.

The two teams dueled in front of a whose who of college coaches and top assistants. Duke assistant coaches Chris Collins and Nate James were both in attendance to support Gbinije, but no doubt to continue the courtship of Rivers.

While no decision is expected from Rivers, although he had flirted with a decision by early fall, Duke fans and coaches have reason to still be enamored with the prospect of him wearing a Blue Devil uniform.

Monday's performance in not one but two come from behind efforts is just the kind of thing that makes Duke fans heart swoon.

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Ever since the dust settled in Indianapolis, Duke fans have been salivating at the thought of another title run.  After all, not many are excited for football.

In this odd time of college basketball withdrawal, it is important to stay in tuned with the topics going on in the world.  Strap on your seat belt, it is time somewhere to figure out how the BP Oil Spill touches the Duke and UNC world.

Unless you live in Alaska or a UNC fan trying to find a scorer, then you know the oil giant BP has had some problems.

You may be wondering just how this type of crisis affects Duke Basketball.  Here's how.

The most important part of Duke is without question spelled with one letter, K.

The artist known as Coach K is currently working on his next masterpiece, this year's Team USA that will compete on the world level. 

Lets be honest, I don't know how many BP gas stations are currently having a sale where you get a free car wash with a fill up.  Unfortunately, the NBA stars are about as interested in Team USA as BO with one of these sales.

The Olympic team (this team in the future) is indirectly very important to Duke.  Next year Duke is going to have a run, and gun offense led by a strong defense.  What better way to work on such a thing than with the pro guys that do it for a living.

The National Team does not have the Three Kings (Alaska?  right... google "The Decision"), their best player is arguably Kevin Durant.  They are going to have to play solid defense and run.  Just like next year's Duke team.

Carrying on with the softer side of the BP theme, lets look at Carolina Basketball.

A few short years ago UNC hired a recruiter of a coach named Roy Williams.  A couple of championships later UNC is the runners up of one of the best NCAA tourney's in the nation.  Unfortunately for the light blue crowd, it was the NIT! 

After a down year, UNC is starting to wonder if Roy is simply a recruiter and just a shell of a coach.

How in the world does this even come close to a BP-like disaster?  Well, lets play best/worst case scenario.

Worst Case (for UNC):  Duke continues their run atop the D1 mountain winning back to back titles for the second time under Coach K.  K vows to stay with Duke for another ten years, Kyrie Irving stays another year, and Duke led by Seth Curry and Irving win the first college three-peat since the Wooden days.

UNC on the other hand continues their uncharacteristic decline.  The Zeller brothers end up being a Josh McRoberts-like flop, and UNC is forced to fire Roy Williams.  The forced firing is due to NCAA infractions just like he did at Kansas.

That equals a BP level disaster on the Carolina front!

Since this is a Duke Blog, we won't talk about the other way this could go.

This is all in fun.  When you add blood to the shark tank they go nuts, and that is exactly what every Duke fan NEEDS to be doing.  Duke are the champs, and UNC spiraled.  Enjoy this run! 

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He's pretty damn good at this game.

At 6'0" and 168 pounds, this shooting guard from Millikin University does exactly what his position states—he shoots. He knows what he has to do to make himself effective; whether it's coming off screens or just doing a traditional catch and shoot, Derron knows he has to score.

Wooten is a consistent reminder that the game of basketball is just that—a game.

He also knows basketball isn't life-everlasting; when I asked Derron what his next step is, he said, "To get a job, earn money, and live a good life."

He also knows it's not all about him. Derron has said he enjoys working out, chilling with his friends and family, and then being able to have alone time for himself; that's how he spends his time off the court.

He also knows spending his time off the court is not just about those around him; he has a positive outreach to the kids. Derron knows it's important to reach out to the youth because they are the future, so he molds himself to be a positive role model.

Basketball is more then just a game and while we will be following Derron on and off the court, it's great to see a young man like himself take the game outside of the lines and realize there's more to life.

Derron Wooten: the story of a young man driven by life, not just basketball. 

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With their less-than-stellar ending to the season and the inevitable loss of Scottie Reynolds to the NBA, Villanova is now looking for a new on the court leader to help the 'Cats return to their 2009 Final Four form.

Any team that loses the school's second all-time leading scorer is expected to take a step down, but in the case of Villanova, the transition may be quite simple with a new leader and many agree that they will not have to look any further than current guard Corey Fisher.

In 2009-10, the 6'1" Fisher ranked second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and excelled in his defensive development with 42 steals, both ranked a close second to Reynolds.

He has become an offensive prodigy under head coach Jay Wrght taking over the top spot with 129 assists and improved his three-point shooting from a solid .319 in 2008-09 to a team-high .396, all good enough for third-team All-Big East.

Even with Reynolds in the line-up, Fisher began making his own stamp in Villanova history, becoming only the 52nd player all-time to score more then 1,000 for his career and, at times, shined over Reynolds, including standout performances against Maryland, Fordham, and Big 5 rival LaSalle.

One big factor for Fisher's development is the fact that since he became a full-time starter last season, he started 18 games in '08 and 21 games in '07, he averaged over eight-plus more points a game for every 10 minutes of play that was increased.

Fisher will not have to do it alone as he will find a comfortable spot as the primary two guard with the assistance of fellow senior Corey Stokes.

Stokes is coming off a year where he averaged 9.5 ppg shooting 41% from the field in only 36 minutes a game.

It is also important to mention the fact that the 'Cats will have the services of returning senior Antonio Pena, who produced a solid 10 points and seven boards a game and their impressive 2009 freshman class of Maalik Wayns, Isaiah Armwood, and Dominic Cheek will begin to transition into starters, things are looking very positive for the 'Cats.

These all boost the team's stock, especially when you count in the fact they will have a full HEALTHY season from Mouphtaou Yarou, who missed 15 games due to a viral infection and, despite the injury, averaged 10 or more points in three of the team's final six games.

I know its too early to make predictions for the upcoming college basketball season, but with the way Jay Wright prepares his teams and the vast potential and talent coming out of Villanova, this year's squad may be looking more like their 2009 Final Four counterparts and put the memory of 2009-10 in the not to distant past.

Full Philly Basketball Coverage on Eternal Mulligan or on Twitter. Ya

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This young man out of Bloomington, Illinois is a 6'2," 165-pound point guard headed to play basketball at Illinois Central College and, from there, he's ready to make the next step and join whatever school will give him the best opportunity to showcase his talents. 

Talents? He has those. His playing style is a crazy resemblance of Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, using his speed and size to his advantage. If he's anything like Brandon Jennings, which I know he is, he'll have plenty of people ready to watch his game.

If you do find yourself following and watching Tyler Bell's game, he'll be sure to not only entertain you while watching him, but he'll bring a smile to your face as well. Tyler is a kid who loves making people laugh and loves sending positive messages to youth around the community. He simply enjoys where he's at and doesn't take anything for granted.

When I say he doesn't take anything for granted, I mean it. Tyler gives the ultimate credit to his personal trainer, Chad Hobbs, and the complete coaching staff at ICC, and of course he knows that God is really who put him here. His mother is a minister, so positivity is in his blood.

Tyler Bell's story, like the others, is going to be filled with positive news, notes, and happenings as Tyler begins his college basketball career. I will follow and report everything, but more importantly, become friends with Tyler, and you should as well. He'll bring smiles to your faces and his game will inspire you.

Tyler Bell: Story of a student athlete, entering the college game.

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The 6’7”, to-be junior forward transferred from the university in hope of raising his chances to play in the NBA.

“Travis’s mother contacted me by phone and declared that they have decided that her son needed to move on to further enhance his chances of playing in the NBA,” Dave Calloway said.

“We are truly disappointed in Travis’s decision to leave Monmouth,” said Calloway. “His teammates stood by him this past season and were counting on him this upcoming year. We wish Travis the best and truly hope he finds what he is looking for.”

Taylor has certainly improved his chances of fulfilling his dreams.

According to Gary Parish of CBSSports.com, he will be transferring to Xavier to join newly added head coach Chris Mack.

Monmouth—a member of the Northeast Conference—struggled tremendously last year finishing eighth in the conference and losing their first game in the Northeast Conference Tournament.

Even through his team’s struggles, Taylor managed to put together an outstanding season. He averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

As a part of college basketball transferring procedures, Taylor will not be able to play in any games next season with Xavier but will be able to play again in the 2011-2012 season.

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Calhoun brought the men's basketball program to new heights and in 1990, the Huskies qualified the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979. Not only that, they made the Elite Eight for the first time since 1964, only to be robbed of a Final Four spot by Christian Laettner.

Calhoun quickly became the most well-known coach in Connecticut history, coincidentally at the same time that Geno Auriemma was making the women's team into a national powerhouse. UConn reached the Elite Eight again in 1995, 1998, and 1999, with the latter trip resulting in a trip to the Final Four and a victory over Duke to win their first national title. UConn was on the map, thanks to Jim Calhoun.

Twenty-four years.  Twenty-three professional players. Almost 600 wins. Fifteen NCAA tournament appearances. Twelve Sweet 16s. Eight Elite Eights. Three Final Fours. Two championship games. Two national titles. It is obvious that Jim Calhoun is the greatest basketball coach in UConn history.

Earlier this year, the 800 game winner and Basketball Hall of Famer signed an extension with the Huskies worth $13 million, which runs through 2014. This extension came after speculation that Calhoun may retire and leave the university.

I have grown up on UConn. I go to at least three games a year. I have met Jim Calhoun and doubt there is a better person in college basketball. There was a part of me that was excited when he signed the extension for a couple reasons: I'm looking forward to seeing Calhoun throughout my four years at UConn and I feel he can bounce back from a rough season last year.

However, there is a part of me that is concerned that Calhoun may not necessarily be able to last that long. I would honestly not be surprised if George Blaney is the head coach before this contract expires.

Like I said, it is not about Calhoun as a coach. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches ever. He has a good team coming back this year.

Over the years, we have seen Calhoun get struck with health issues during crucial points of the season. He took nearly a whole month off during the past season. During this time, UConn continued a season that will be fresh on the minds of Husky Nation come November, but in the long run, will want to be forgotten.

Calhoun was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003. He has often missed games at a time recovering from different health issues, major and minor. At 68, how much longer can he really last? His health can only get worse from here on out, not to mention the stress that a full season, and especially the month of March, can have on a coach. We all know how emotional Jim Calhoun can be.

Recently, the Huskies have come under NCAA fire for recruiting violations during the recruitment of former recruit Nate Miles. This has really caused a lot of controversy here in Connecticut, where no one would have ever imagined that we would ever have to deal with a situation like this. Since the violations were revealed, several UConn staff members have been fired or have resigned.

Though the team will not be punished in terms of postseason play, seeing as Miles never played for the team, I still worry about the effect it may have. We saw the effects violations had at USC. I know those circumstances were different, but it could still have a negative effect.

The question is how long can Calhoun last under a cloud that dark. Remember, he went off on a reporter after a game in 2009 after the reporter asked about his salary. Someone is guaranteed to bring up these violations. This could lead to frustration for Calhoun, especially if the team is not performing.

As I have said, I love Calhoun. He is the greatest UConn coach ever. One of my favorite parts of going to UConn games is when Calhoun comes out and Gampel gives him a standing ovation. That is what he means to the state of Connecticut. As much as I would love to see him fulfill his contract, I worry about his health more than anything.

With the cancer concerns, the heart problems, and the constant sickness, just how much can Calhoun take? Especially this year, the recruiting issues may distract the program overall, but not the team and I do not think it will make as much of a problem as health. Look for UConn and Calhoun to have a great season this year. But by 2014, do not be surprised if Calhoun, who will soon be 70, is retired and George Blaney is the head coach.

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Then again, Kentucky isn't the only school that prospects consider. You'll hear Kansas, Connecticut, Syracuse, North Carolina, Duke and many other schools.

Nowadays, prospects consider a college that wins games and gives players a chance to improve. Sometimes it's not that way with the program I listed. Sometimes, players team up and go somewhere they all can benefit.

I think that is going to happen this year with a lot of recruiting programs.

With the emergence of Anthony Davis, the Wildcats have taken notice. Davis is considering the Kentucky program after listing their previous five first-round draft picks as an "eye-opener."

Now, in my mind, Davis will be attending the University of Kentucky in 2011-12. With that said, I don't believe they'll be able to snag Quincy Miller as well.

That's when Louisville comes into the picture. Miller has heard a lot from the program. He almost seemed like a long shot, but now he's in the picture. He hasn't reported major interest in the program but is considering the offer.

Now, Miller has a best friend names Deuce Bello. Bello earlier this month expressed how much interest he had in the Louisville program.

Bello, before this summer, was only considered an explosive dunker. He was showcased on ESPN for putting the ball between his legs and dunking it during a game.

But now, he has shown his ability to be a true guard out of the backcourt. Obviously, he is a great leaper. But he has added handle and a mid-range jumper.

Tony Wroten Jr. today proclaimed that his recruiting was wide open. That, in fact, Kentucky was his leader and no decision would be made anytime soon. His second college choice was Louisville.

It almost seems as if he would be a perfect fit with Rick Pitino and the Cardinals.

Rick Pitino wants him and Louisville guard Peyton Siva also wants him as well. Siva posted on his Twitter account, "Yea I want him to play in the backcourt w/ me." This was a reply to a tweet that said, "@206PS3 (Peyton Siva) your boy @ToneTone13 (Tony Wroten Jr.) was ballin this morning."

He then said this later on that day, "Ima need all my LOUISVILLE ppl to follow my bro @ToneTone13 (Tony Wroten Jr.) we need him in the backcourt wit me y'all show him love"

With that said, I think each of these three recruits will either commit to Louisville once basketball season starts, or on signing day in April.

ESPN suspects a huge class coming in for Louisville and so do I. With Wayne Blackshear already verbally committing, you'll have the best recruiting class in the nation when you add Bello, Miller, and Wroten. 

Originally published on Collegiate Hoops . Don't forget to follow us on Twitter (@Collegiate_Hoop )

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All three are getting their fair share of media attention, but one reserve guard deserves your attention.  His name is Andre Dawkins.

During this offseason many of the ACC's best are taking part in the Greater NC Pro-Am.  Dawkins is just one of the handful of Devils on the court.  

Dawkins' name may be familiar.  He is known as the athlete that left high school early to fill the void left by transfer Elliot Williams.

Dawkins is a sharpshooting three-point ace that was used sparingly last season.  He averaged less than 13 minutes and 4.4 points per game.  His most important points came in the National Championship Game in the form of two first-half three-pointers. 

Over the summer he is showing everyone in ACC country that he can score...a lot.

In Thursday's final game, Dawkins stepped onto the court with his D1 Sports team vs. Seth Curry and his Team Jamison.

No one was ready for the fireworks that were about to take place.  Curry and Dawkins showed no fear as they led their teams.  At one time it appeared that neither could miss.

By the night's end Andre led all scorers with an incredible 36 points.  The most he scored for the Blue Devils last season was a 20 point night well before conference play.

Although Dawkins was able to outscore Curry, Seth was able to get the win. 

The Greater NC Pro-Am is proving to be a very important tournament for many Duke Blue Devils.  Players such as Curry, Dawkins, Singler, Ryan Kelly, and Miles Plumlee are all playing well. 

Duke is going to be a very deep team next season.  They are tough from top to bottom and are showing just how good they are as the summer moves on.

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Florida is returning the entire starting lineup from last year's team. Despite another year on the NCAA bubble, the team last year was tough. It was miles ahead of the previous two seasons. Record wise it wasn't much better, but ask any of their opponents.

Florida was in every game they played. From powerhouses like Kentucky and Syracuse, to tough road venues like Tennessee, Ole Miss, Arkansas, NC State, and Georgia, these Gators had a shot to win late. They would often get behind by double digits early, only to come storming back to make it a game.

The two missing ingredients on the team last year were experience and depth. Neither will be a problem this year. In addition to the entire starting five of Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin, Kenny Boynton, Alex Tyus, and Erving Walker, the Gators also have Eric Murphy and Kenny Kadji (who missed all of last year with a bad back) and have added a stellar class of incoming freshmen.

Many refer to Patric Young as a mini-Dwight Howard. He is a tall and very athletic forward who could do big things coming off the bench this year. Add in hard playing Casey Prather and Will Yeguette and also talented Cody Larson, and this steam is deep.

So what does this mean?

There are two camps in the Gator Nation when it comes to Donovan. There are those who think he can do no wrong. And there are those who think he can do no right. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

Camp No. 1, the "do no wrong" crowd was more than happy to give Donovan a pass in 2008. After all, the Gators lost more talent off of one team than any team in NCAA history. This year's Kentucky team may be right there with them now. But that Gator team was basically an expansion team. Nobody on that team had ever played significant minutes in a college basketball game.

But three straight years of life on the bubble, and even these people are starting to get impatient. Most of these people make up the older crowd, who are well aware that before Donovan, Florida basketball was nothing. The program had only one Final Four appearance in school history and only five trips to the NCAA Tournament. But Donovan has raised the expectations. And even his loyal fans want to see results this year.

Camp No. 2 is made up of the bandwagon fans and the younger crowd. To them Billy Donovan has always been the Gators coach and the Gators have always been an elite program. And they cannot understand what is taking so long. Some are going back into Donovan's past and trying to see if they can come up with anything.

This has created the perception that Donovan caught lightning in a bottle with the two championship teams. It's almost as if that team coached itself and Donovan just watched from a chair with his arms folded.

They point out that the five teams prior to those two were first weekend flame outs in the NCAA Tournament and now the three since have also failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

I haven't much use for these people, but that statement is true. Of course, they conveniently leave out the fact that the two teams prior to those five made the Sweet Sixteen.

They fail to mention that in 2000, the Gators made an incredible tourney run that saw them knock off both Duke and North Carolina on their way to the NCAA Championship Game. And they also fail to mention that the '04 and '05 teams also made the finals of the SEC Tournament with the '05 squad winning it for the first time in school history.

But, the reality is that Donovan has created a monster. The two title winners, along with the success of so many other teams at UF have created a spoiled fan base. And this year, Donovan will have to prove he can win again without Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, and Lee Humphrey.

Perception is often reality. And right now the perception is that the Gators were a flash in the pan. If this year's team tanks, it will only add fuel to that fire.

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With that said, there's a lot of room for improvement. Maurice Creek returns after a season ending injury last season. In his performances early in the season, Creek showed that he can be a special player for Indiana as they continue their rebound.

Also, the Hoosiers bring back team leader in Verdell Jones III, Christian Watford and Derek Elston off of a good freshman season, and just about everyone else.

However, this team right now can not get the Indiana Hoosiers back to the national success that they used to enjoy. In order to that, they should start targeting recruits within the state of Indiana.

Last season, Butler proved that the heartland can produce great talent, as the Bulldogs went all the way to the Final Four with 10 of the 15 players from Indiana. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward are from Connersville and Brownsburg, both cities in Indiana.

It's fair to say that the Hoosiers have missed out on great talent from within their boundaries, but if they start finding the top recruits there now, they could be on their way back.

The 2011 recruiting class consists of great talent from Indiana, including five players in the first 35 of ESPNU's Top 100 Recruits.

It's safe to say, that if the Hoosiers sign all of them, they'd be on their way to success.

However, for the 2011 class, Indiana is currently targeting Branden Dawson, Michael Chandler, Cody Zeller, all in the ESPNU Top 100, and Jeremiah Davis, a three star prospect.

All of them currently reside in Indiana.

So, if Indiana does start to do this, which they appear to be doing right now, it could be another step to rebuilding them back to national prominence.

This solution is just a part of what they have to do to get there, but the road is getting smaller and smaller as Tom Crean has the Hoosiers heading in the right direction.

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If you've taken notice of any of my latest articles you might see a trending topic here, and it continues with Ahmad Starks. I'm going to be following Ahmad as he heads to Oregon St., playing basketball in the Pac-10 conference.

On the court, Starks is a winner. He has been that way since his high school days at Whitney Young where he was a big time player. In his senior year, this past season, during the Illinois 4A semi-final playoffs Ahmad took, but, more importantly, made a game winning shot to beat Waukegan high school—a team led by future Illinois swingman Jereme Richmond. 

Ahmad is also an electric player, using his speed and dribbling skills to get in and out of lanes, and change directions. He's also got moves that make him a lethal scorer whether he was inside or outside the paint.

I can sit here and praise Ahmad for his wonderful playing skills, but it takes a lot to leave Chicago and go to Oregon St. It's definitely not a bad move, but it's a bold move and I know Ahmad wouldn't have made that decision without knowing what is best for him.

Playing Pac-10 basketball is what is best for him, and I will begin to follow Ahmad on and off the court for the Oregon St. Beavers. 

One thing to keep in mind; Ahmad is a competitor, and that translates to his personality.

Once again, we hope to get game footage, workout footage, and interviews with Ahmad, but stay tuned because what he does off the court is as important as what he does on it.

He will be the "Starks Plug," and I'll make sure to let you guys know everything that you should know about this terrific young man.

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Anthony, a 6'9 center from West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Florida might be a physical player but as I follow him, and as you will find out, he's a people person.

So what can we expect from Anthony? Well basketball-wise, he can play the power forward and center positions with quickness and is one hell of an athlete. 

It won't take long for Anthony to make a name for himself in a division that includes Xavier University, Dayton University and Saint Joseph's just to name a few. The next big man on campus has arrived and you will hear his name soon enough.

Well I'm here to make sure you hear his name not only on the court, but off it as well. When I noted that Anthony was a physical player, he's also a big hearted young man. Anthony looks forward to visiting hospitals, helping out in the community and making sure a positive message is learned from what he does off and on the court.

So what can we expect from my following of Anthony Lee? A basketball player who won't back down even though some will say he lacks size. Anthony plays the game bigger then what his is, but his passion on and off the court for a positive message can't be measured with a ruler, meter stick or anything for that matter.

Anthony Lee future of the Temple Owls and future of many smiles to people all across the nation, young and old he'll touch a lot of people's lives. He's touched mine by letting me follow him around and report these stories and I hope he touches you, the readers. 

Follow me as we focus in on Anthony Lee, future of Temple basketball, future of smiles.

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Chris is a 6'6", 220 pound small forward/shooting guard who began at Rice University, but saw a better playing opportunity waiting for him at Cal Poly University. Now, due to the NCAA rules and regulations, Chris will not be allowed to play this coming season. Because he transferred, he must sit out a year. 

Over the next year and hopefully even longer, Chris will embark on a journey that most basketball players dream of: playing basketball at a Division 1 school with unlimited opportunities lying ahead of him.

I will be following Chris around on his journey of being a transfer student. I will bring you guys, the readers, all the good stories of Chris and not just what he does on the court, but what he does off of it as well. 

As they become available, I will be holding interviews with Chris before and after games. I'll also have game footage and workout footage uploaded to YouTube that I will attach to these articles.

So come along for the ride as we go on a journey to find out what it's really like to be inside the life of an NCAA transfer student athlete.

I'll be following everything that Chris does from the court, to the classroom, and even outside of school. You should keep following because not only is he a great basketball player, but Chris is a great young man as well.

I look forward to following him and sharing the stories with you all. 

Chris Eversley: The story of a transferred NCAA D1 basketball student athlete, on and off the court. 

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The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward completed NBA Summer League play July 18 with the Wizards, who finished 4-1 in the Las Vegas division.

Morgan averaged a shade under three points and five rebounds per game in three contests, which included one start.

Morgan's top performance came July 11 against the Golden State Warriors. He scored eight points, had seven boards and two steals in 29 minutes of the 84-79 win.

The next logical step for Morgan, and the Wizards, is to move toward contract-talk. During the Portsmouth Invitational, scouts said they liked Morgan's style of play.

With his height, length and athletic ability, he would likely be a welcome addition to an NBA roster.

"Raymar's a pretty good rebounder and good athletically, but he's another guy ... that's better off the bounce than he is in knocking shots down," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas told the Detroit Free Press in June.

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