College Football 2011 - Week 2.....

It was an interesting first week of the college football season as LSU showed that the distraction around losing their starting QB was not going to be a distraction at all. In Texas, TCU gave up 50 points to Baylor, which is more than they gave upon the road all last season. While in Atlanta, Boise State again showed they are serious about making the BCS boys sweat.

Week 2 games (Home team in CAPS):

USC over Utah - Trojan receivers dropped 8 passes last week against Minnesota. That doesn't happen again.
TEXAS (#24) over Brigham Young - Texas kicks off their season with positive highlights for their Longhorn Network.
South Carolina (#12) over GEORGIA - The two top teams in the SEC East meet early in the schedule. I'm a South Carolina believer and think they take control of the division with a tough road victory.
Alabama (#3) over PENN ST. (#23) - A tough way for Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions to start the year by hosting Alabama. Penn St. may be a Top 25 team at year's end, but will look weak on Saturday.
Notre Dame over MICHIGAN - Notre Dame changed QBs after only one week. That is not a good sign, but just for Brian Kelly's blood pressure the Irish need to get the win. Michigan won easily last week, but gave up lots of yards.
Mississippi State (#16) over AUBURN - Another early SEC match-up, but I think we saw last week that Auburn will not put up much fight in defending last year's National Championship.

Week 1: 3-3
2011 Season: 3-3

Pay for Play - The SportsFan Buzz (6/2/2011).....

Bad year for the NCAA with Reggie Bush / USC, Cam Newton allegations and now the mess at Ohio State. That's just football and does not cover basketball. All these scandals have just made the "pay the players" chant even louder. Do those wanting to pay players really think all these problems will disappear and what exactly is the plan?

The SportsFan Buzz: June 2, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
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College Football 2010 (Week 10).....

This is really turning out to be a very fun college football season and the Oregon Ducks are leading the way with how they attack opposing defenses with all their offensive weapons. Then we have Cam Newton leading the Heisman race while leading the Auburn Tigers towards the top of the rankings. The Tigers match-up with Alabama later this month looms large and will greatly influence the final BCS standings.

Who were those impostors in the Spartan green jerseys? Michigan State gets knocked out of the conversation by getting smacked down by a good Iowa team. I thought they had some magic on their side this season, but that was quickly smothered by that Hawkeye defense.

Another great slate of games this week as we will have five match-ups of top 25 teams, including two non-BCS teams facing off when TCU travels to Utah.

Week 10 games:

North Carolina State (#23) over CLEMSON - Living here in Raleigh for most of the last 18 years, I have followed the Wolfpack pretty closely and this sets up as a "break your heart" game for Packer Backers, but I'll put my faith in them to keep this good season rolling.
Baylor (#22) over OKLAHOMA STATE (#19) - Big win for Baylor over Texas in Austin and this is another big test on the road. I like their quarterback Robert Griffin to have another big game.
SOUTH CAROLINA (#18) over Arkansas (#17) - Steve Spurrier knows something about quarterbacks and keeps the Razorback offense in check to get another tough SEC victory.
ALABAMA (#5) over LSU (#12) - I still think Alabama is the best all-around team in the country and they put LSU to the side as they march their way towards that showdown with Auburn alter in the month.
STANFORD (#10) over Arizona (#13) - Arizona has been quietly winning games and now has this showdown with the Stanford Cardinal. This would be one of the biggest wins in recent Wildcat history, but I think the Stanford offense is better with Andrew Luck and will get the PAC 10 victory.
TCU (#4) over UTAH (#6) - A knockout game for one of these two "BCS-buster" teams. Even though they are traveling, TCU is used to this "big game" atmosphere with their recent history and keeps the Utes offense under control to squeak out a close victory.

Week 9: 3-3
2010 season: 36-18

College Football 2010 (Week 9).....

Last Saturday marked the third week in a row where the #1 team in the country lost a road conference game. The latest victim was Oklahoma dropping their game to an undefeated Missouri team. This week it is Oregon on top of the polls traveling to face USC, while the BCS #1 is Auburn and take it to the road against Mississippi State.

Now let's see if I don't fall off the perch after last week's 6-0 record.

Week 9 games:

Oregon (#1) over USC (#24)
Auburn (#3) over Mississippi State
Michigan State (#5) over Iowa (#18)
Nebraska (#14) over Missouri (#7)
Florida State (#16) over North Carolina State
Michigan over Penn State

Week 8: 6-0
2010 season: 33-15

Down goes Alabama - The SFB Podcast (10/11/2010).....

So there is some life with the "Ol' Ball Coach", as Steve Spurrier coached his South Carolina Gamecocks to an upset victory over #1 Alabama. Ohio St. now takes the top spot, but will they be on top of next week's first BCS ranking? Anyone have Florida and USC losing again on consecutive Saturdays? I'll take a look at the college games from this weekend.

Plus, the Yankees and Phillies have advanced after each swept their Divisional Sereis, but for me the Yankees advancing was a "yawn". Will anyone but Yankee fans care if they keep moving forward? Also, besides ratings for Fox, are the Yankees winning good for baseball? We'll explore. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 11, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Sanction the NCAA - The SFB Podcast (9/17/2010).....

Reggie Bush and USC, conference realignment, agents on campuses, The BCS, and a rulebook that can be used as a step ladder with some ridiculous pieces to it. The NCAA is easy to beat on and although it does some things right, many times they make you scratch your head. Rich Ramos joins the podcast to discuss the NCAA and college football. Rich has many thoughts about the NCAA and how it runs college sports. Plus, how will his USC Trojans do under Lane Kiffin and without a year end bowl game to play for the next two seasons? Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: September 17, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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College Football 2010 (Week 2).....

There were great endings to some of the games in the first week of the NCAA season. East Carolina on a "Hail Mary", Utah in overtime over Pittsburgh, North Carolina dropping two game winning touchdowns in the last 10 seconds of their loss to LSU, and Mississippi losing in double overtime to Jacksonville State after leading 31-10. Then we finish week 1 with the exciting Boise St. / Virginia Tech game (and my only loss) that did not disappoint us in any way.

Biggest relief for coaches was no injuries to any star players. On to week 2 and the start of the season for the rest of the teams in the NCAA.

Week 2 games:

Notre Dame over Michigan - I think Michigan is on the way back, but feel Brian Kelly has the Fighting Irish a little more ready get better faster.
Oklahoma (#10) over Florida St. (#18) - The Sooners struggles in week 1 raised some eyebrows, and not in a good way. Meanwhile the Jimbo Fischer era could not have started better, but it was Samford. Oklahoma gets back on track and get the win.
Ohio St. (#2) over Miami (#12) - Two very athletic quarterbacks (Terrelle Pryor and Jacory Harris) improving their passing games. Ohio St. has a little more talent and the advantage of playing at home in this great early season match-up.
Alabama (#1) over Penn St. (#14) - Another early season treat for college football fans. Alabama will miss Mark Ingram but the Nittany Lions start freshman quarterback Robert Bolden and that is asking a lot against Nick Saben and that tough Tide defense.
Oregon (#7) over Tennessee - The Ducks travel east into the tough environment of Neyland Stadium, but this Oregon team is very talented and will go back west with a victory.
South Carolina (#25) over Georgia (#19) - A very nice early season SEC match-up. I've been through this picture before in believing in a Steve Spurrier team. Let's see if they fool me again, but at home I give them a slight advantage over the Bulldogs.

Week 1: 5-1
2010 Season: 5-1

Football is in the air - The SFB Podcast (9/4/2010).....

It's Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer. It is also the first weekend of college football action. I'll look at the college games and what is going on on the pro side of football as we are days away from the start of the season. Plus the PGA changes its mind and the NHL and its players agree on something. Enjoy.

College Football 2010 preview

The SportsFan Buzz: September 4, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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College Football 2010 (Week 1).....

While I love watching college football, predicting the end of year Bowl match-ups in August is not on the top of my list of favorite things to do, as depending on 18 and 19 year olds to do what you think they will for a whole season is virtually impossible. That said, here are some of the teams I am keeping my eye on as the season gets started.

Alabama - Can they repeat or will Mark Ingram's knee injury be enough to hurt the Tide in the tough SEC ?
Florida - How will life be PT (Post Tebow)?
Auburn - Will they be the team to sneak up on league and make the Iron Bowl interesting again.
LSU - Again, they need to find offense to go with the defense. Les Miles on "hot seat"?
Ohio St. - Can Terrelle Pryor step up and show everyone what we saw at season's end?
Wisconsin and Iowa - Two teams who are going to be very good again this year.
Penn St. - Joe Pa without glasses?
Texas and Oklahoma - The "Big 2" will again battle it out for supremacy of the Big 12 South.
Nebraska - Will the Cornhuskers represent the Big 12 as its BCS champion in their swan song season?
Florida St. - The Jimbo Fisher era starts. Will the ghost of Bobby Bowden hover over it?
Miami - Is this the year they put together a whole season?
Virginia Tech - Will the Boise St. game define their season?
North Carolina - How will the off-field questions effect a team that was poised for good things before the NCAA came calling?
Oregon - Seemed to clean out the "problems" on the roster and look like the head of the Pac 10 class. December 4th OSU match-up could be for the state and Pac 10 titles.
Oregon St. - See December 4th match-up above. Who scheduled TCU & Boise St. in first 3 weeks? Will they bust the "BCS Busters"?
USC - Did Pete Carrol leave at the right time? Will Lane Kiffin get his players to forget the bad taste of NCAA sanctions?
Boise St. - If they can't beat Virginia Tech in Washington, DC Labor Day weekend (a virtual VT home game), will the "I told you so" chant be deafening?
TCU - Open with Oregon St, then it is "who are they" for the remainder of the schedule.
Notre Dame - Will it be different with Brian Kelly at the helm? The schedule is again a brutal and may lead to a record not reflective of their improvement.

Week 1 games:

NOTRE DAME over Perdue - The Kelly era starts well.
USC (#16) over HAWAII - USC's Bowl game as they get a trip to the Islands.
TCU (#6) over Oregon St. (#24) - TCU takes advantage of being at home.
LSU (#21) over North Carolina (#18) (in Atlanta) - The off field distractions hurt the Tar Heels.
Virginia Tech (#10) over Boise St. (#3) (in Landover, MD) - Best game of the opening weekend. "Home" game for VT gives them slight edge.
MICHIGAN over Connecticut - Just a hunch that Michigan gets back on the winning track.

Agents on Campus - The SFB Podcast (7/24/2010).....

After the Reggie Bush mess at USC, now we have the NCAA checking on at least 5 different schools to check if agents are paying players or taking them on trips. What can schools do to avoid these problems? Does the NFL Players Association need to help keep these agents in line? Plus the NFL and players are starting to talk about a new CBA and talk about a non-US Super Bowl and team are starting up again. Ugh! Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: July 24, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Goodbye George - The SFB Podcast (7/14/2010).....

A sad few days for Yankee fans with the passing of long-time PA announcer, Bob Sheppard, and then the loss of "The Boss, George Steinbrenner. A look back at George's reign as Yankee owner, plus the National League actually won the All-Star Game, Also, the NCAA decides about their new "1st round" tournament games, Pete Carrol is still talking about USC sanctions and Lane Kiffin asks Tennessee to come out and play. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: July 14, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Blackhawks are Champs - The SFB Podcast (6/11/2010).....

Mike is happy because the Blackhawks are NHL Champions. Not because he roots for Chicago, but because he no longer has to look at the players' beards. There are a ton of sports headlines that could have "lead SportsCenter" this past week and Mike is here to discuss with me in this two part podcast. First we discuss John Wooden, Tom Izzo, the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup, USC's troubles and the NCAA conference swaps.  In part two we look at the World Cup, the NFL, the possible new name of the Jets/Giants stadium, and MLB news, including the great debut by Stephen Strasburg. Enjoy.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: June 11, 2010 - Part A (right click to "save as target)
The SportsFan Buzz: June 11, 2010 - Part B (right click to "save as target)

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Coaching Legend, Better Man - The SFB Podcast (6/10/2010).....

It has been almost a week since John Wooden passed away and the more I read about the man, the more I am amazed at what a wonderful person he was, along with a great basketball coach and teacher. We need more "John Woodens" in sports and society. Then on the other side of the coin we have one of the NCAA's most promident sports universities, the USC Trojans, being punished for rules violations. While at the same time the college conferences are exploding and imploding with teams moving all over the place, and what a surprise, all for the sake of money. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: June 10, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Coaching Carousel Turning Stomachs.....

The USC and South Florida coaching jobs have been filled by Lane Kiffin and Skip Holtz which means that the Tennessee and East Carolina jobs are now open because these coaches have left for “greener pastures”. It is quite possible those jobs will be filled by current head coaches, which will leave those schools without a head coach and just start the merry-go-round up again.

Yes, this seems to happen every year in college football, but this year just feels different. Maybe it is because the jobs available since early December were at schools that we are not used to seeing open, or thought we would not see open for quite some time. If on December 1st I was to have told you that the following head coach positions would be available, you would have laughed me out of this column, but look what schools have had the “help wanted” sign up these last six weeks.

Notre Dame
USC
Tennessee
Texas Tech
Cincinnati

Plus, let’s not forget that for 24 hours the Florida coaching job was vacant. You could have had three of the top ten, maybe even top five football universities with different head coaches next year. Crazy.

Add in the other “name” schools that have replaced coaches since the season’s end (Virginia, Kansas, and Louisville) and then a dozen or so smaller schools, and that is a bunch of coaches moving around.

But this isn’t about the coaches leaving and who replaced them, it is about the process surrounding these coaching changes and how this “coaching silly season”, and especially this week’s events, have really brought into focus the need for change in how and when coaches change jobs and that the NCAA, which is supposed to be looking out for these “student athletes”, actually turns their back on them during these times.

While some like seeing this game of “move a coach here, place a coach there”, I for one am getting tired of it, especially after seeing what has gone down these past couple of days with USC and Tennessee recruits. Because of the timing of these changes, eighteen year old kids have to play games with the schools they committed to if they now decide they don’t want to honor that commitment, and that just stinks. On Wednesday, some had to resort to not attending classes at the school of commitment, just so they can transfer without having to sit out a year. Does the NCAA think it is a good idea for these kids to skip classes just to keep from losing that year of playing time?

So coaches come and go as they please, but a player, who may have been highly influenced to attend a certain school because of the coach, will get punished if he wants to leave to follow said coach, or just attend another school that he had previously considered. While I am concerned about the player who already has attended the school for a year, I am more bothered by those kids who are ready to commit and attend the school for the upcoming year / season. As shown this week, some of these kids are being tugged every which way when a coach leaves a school, and besides thinking about just staying with the school they committed to, if they decide to change their commitment, they must do so in quick fashion.

Look at four star recruit defensive tackle Brandon Willis who was committed to Tennessee. On Tuesday he was on his way to Knoxville to start classes when he heard the news of Kiffin leaving. The coaches leaving with Kiffin tried to persuade him to go to USC, but he was having nothing of it. On Wednesday, he decided to attend North Carolina. How fair is it for this kid to have his mind made up, then have it swept away because the coach that recruited him leaves before he even gets on campus, then he has to make another decision on where he should attend school? If Willis had stepped on campus, and attended a class, he would have been stuck at Tennessee, or if he wanted to transfer would have had to sit out a season at the other school.

By the way, if you are wondering how coaches can just up and leave their contracts they have with a school, it is because in most cases these coaches have buyout clauses that allow them to buy their way out of the contract, so in most cases it is the school that puts themselves in this position by allowing those clauses.

While I don’t want these kids moving around from school to school just to follow a certain coach, or chase playing time, I think the NCAA needs to make it available to them as a one-time exemption during their years of playing eligibility. Yes, I know it is supposed to be about their education, but let’s be adults here and know that for a few it has absolutely nothing to do with education, and all about playing football, or basketball, etc. Brandon Willis is a perfect example of someone who wanted to play for Lane Kiffin, but once Kiffin left, Willis wanted nothing to do with Tennessee and also nothing to do with Kiffin because he felt betrayed by him.

The feeling of betrayal or being deceived by coaches who tell these kids and parents that they will be at a program is not even a part of this discussion, and can be a whole new column for another day.

My idea would be to allow each student/athlete one free transfer, without having to sit out a year, if the coach that recruited them to a school leaves that school, whether on their own or because they were fired. Any other transfer attempt following the first one would play by the current rules and the student would have to sit out one season before being eligible to play for their new school. Not all players on a team would use this “out”, but it would make it fairer for the athletes, instead of them having to watch that coach who promised them everything walk away from them and go onto to a different place without any consequences, while the same could not be the same for them. Personally, I don’t think too many players would use this “escape clause” because most of these kids get comfortable with their college surroundings and would not want to “start over” again at another school.

While not a perfect solution, and maybe addressing the coaches’ buyout clauses maybe the solution for some, it would at least give a little something to a player who made a commitment to a coach, but whose coach truly didn’t make a commitment to the player.