New Coach in Kansas

Jon Kirby of Rivals.com wrote an article about the new coaching hire at Kansas.  Kansas hired Florida’s offensive coordinator yesterday as their new head coach.  Kirby said that he heard mixed emotions from Kansas fans that he knows.  Kirby put to rest the myth of winning with another coach’s players.  He said that many good coaches have been winning with other coach’s players and have received no backlash from it.  Weis is expected to bring in an experienced coaching staff, and Kirby says he will be able to bring into talent to the Jayhawk program.

Some were suprised that Weis’s next job was still in college.  A man who writes for Notre Dame Illustrated believed that he was going to go back to the NFL.  Many expect Weis to drastically change the way they do things at Kansas.  Kirby reports that Weis was the top choice for the AD Zenger.  Zenger made the hire as he saw Weis as the best fit into the Kansas program.  Kirby warns fans to not be too quick to judge the hire.  He says it will take time to develop, and the Kansas faithful need to be patient with Weis at the helm.

This is huge news for the Kansas football program.  It is a big name hire, but Zenger did not just hire him because he was a big name.  Although some fans may not be too excited about the hire intially, they will have to wait to see if any positive results occur because of the hire.  Weis has NFL experience and has always been a great recruiter.  Kansas should have some good talent in the coming years.  The only remaining question is how many wins can this program get in the coming years.

Event 3: Dawg Walk

I went to the Dawg Walk before the UGA-Kentucky football game.  This is a time for fans to get excited and welcome in the UGA football team as they walk into the stadium.  Looking around, it can be observed that most of the people in the crowd are families.  This comes as no surprise as many college students and other fans are busy tailgating.  The Redcoats played songs getting the fans pumped up for the arrival of the team.  A few members of the Redcoats also gave a pep talk and began some chants as a part of the tradition of the Dawg Walk.  Overall, this was a time to get both fans and players excited before the game.  Fans are also able to show their support in this time as it creates somewhat of an interaction between players and fans that is different from when the players are on the field.

Is the rematch a good idea?

   David Climer of the Nashville Tennessean takes a negative opinion toward the National Championship game.  Like many, he is someone who thinks that the rematch is the wrong math for the National Championship.  He thinks that Alabama already had their chance and no matter what excuses they come up with about being the better team, that its part of the game and they do not deserve a rematch.  He is upset about the fact that we will never know how Oklahoma State would do against LSU.  We can speculate all we want now, but we will never know.  We already know what happened the first time Alabama and LSU played each other.

I agree with both sides of the argument about the rematch so I do not really know what I think about it.  I do think that a rematch is not the right call especially for the National Championship because we already saw what happened and especially if Oklahoma State came out on top in most of the numbers then they should be in the game.  I think that the voters play way too much into the system and they can be really biased as to which teams they vote for.  However, I am also biased to the fact that I think that SEC teams are the best and it is good that both of the teams are in the SEC because you know that it will be a good game and one team for sure is not just going to get blown away by the other which has happened in many previous National Championships.  I am actually looking forward to the rematch, but I can definitely see the other side of the argument as well against it.  I think that the system is really subjective so it is hard to tell who the best teams really are.

Plus-One?

In an article for the Wall Street Journal, Jeremy Gordon speaks about how close college football could be to having a plus-one system.  Gordon mentions that the Big 12 took a straw poll, and they supported the idea of looking at a plus-one format.  The Stanford athletic director said that a plus-one format is bound to happen.  All of this information comes after a wild football season and an even crazier bowl selection process resulting in a rematch in the BCS National Championship game.  Many have voiced their opinions about their stance against the BCS in recent years.  However, this year gives protesters an especially strong argument against the BCS system.

If the plus-one were implemented this season, LSU would play Stanford and Alabama would play Oklahoma State.  Gordon states that the plus-one would take away some of the talk about the bias of some of the coaches that is going on now.  Gordon also says that the plus-one system would not be beneficial to non-major conference teams, but that is no different the current BCS system.  In the article, it is stated that the Big Ten commissioner has still voiced his disapproval of a plus-one system.

The plus-one system would affect all teams and fans of FBS universities.  This season it appears that it would be a fair way to find a true champion.  The problem with the proposal is that some people do not believe that it will always be a better system.  It will be interesting to see if anything happens because of the craziness of this season.

Sports director dies

“As a sports journalist, JK was smart, talented and a professional. But more than that, he was a good man dedicated to his family. He will be missed.” In a clipping entitled Reno TV Sports Director Dies after Hit-and-Run by Martin Griffith with Associated Press, which was published on November 13th, 2011, this quote was found. Nevada football coach Chris Ault said it. JK Metzger was a 41 year-old sports director for Reno’s CBS television. He was a victim of hit-and-run. A 23-year-old is currently under arrest and being accused of killing JK. Alcohol seemed to be a role in this tragic loss.

 

This clipping included some personal history of JK, which started that he had worked for KTVN-TV for nearly 14 years, was married and had three young sons. The accident took place after JK had covered Nevada’s 42-28 victory over Hawaii.

 

This clipping included information but was not one I would recommend unless you were just interested in hearing a brief story and getting some brief facts. If that is the story you want then this is an adequate story to read, otherwise look for another story. Personally, when something this tragic happens I like to hear the accomplishments of the fallen victim, I suppose for me that is a way to honor the victim. On a realistic note, this was probably meant to be short and to the point so therefore it was an adequate clipping, yet still has room for improvement in terms of grabbing and keeping the reader’s attention.

MAC Media Relations

On November 11^th, 2011 MAC Media Relations published a short clipping entitled Mid-American Conference Approves Additional Suspension of Northern Illinois Linebacker Jamaal Bass. This clipping informed readers that the conference has approved an additional two game suspension against Northern Illinois freshman linebacker Jamaal Bass. Mr. Bass was suspended for pre-game actions involving members of the Toledo marching band game at Toledo on November 1^st.

 

This short clipping served its purpose of being short and adequately revealed the news of the addition two game suspensions and included what had previously been placed upon him and for what reason. As someone who has not been able to keep up with sports center and other sport news sources I had not heard about this situation. Now after reading this short clipping I have learned more but am interested in reading a longer article further explaining the situation.

 

Penn State

The recent allegations against Penn State University have been the center for almost all news sources and outlets recently. The New York Times sedition is no different. On November 10^th, 2011 Nate Schweber wrote an article entitled Thousands of Students Riot After Paterno is Ousted, which explains the Penn State student body’s reaction at the news that head coach, and PSU figure Joe Paterno had been fired. Students stormed downtown chanting the coach’s name, breaking lights, and tipping television news vans that were parked along College Avenue; a riot had broken out.

 

Student’s received the news that their beloved Joe Pa had been fired mainly via text message, immediately students were outraged. They all headed toward downtown unaware of what they would do but they wanted to show their outrage and anger some how. One student stated “the board is an embarrassment to our school and a disservice to the student population.” Throughout the riot the crowd would chant Joe Pa’s name and “We are Penn State.”  In an attempt to stop students, police started pepper spraying which the students respond with hurling rocks, cans of soda and flares. The students realize this is an embarrassment to act this way but they felt they had no other option, they were beyond angry. One student stated “this definitely looks bad for our school, I’m sure Joe Pa wouldn’t want this, but this is just an uproar now, we’re finding a way to express our anger.” While some students rioted others were downtown crying, they remained downtown despite the fact that they were rioting because they felt they needed to be with their student body, they needed to rely on each other in this time of need. A story owner who has been in State College for 42 years says he has never seen anything like it.

 

While most of the student body was outraged at the firing of Joe Pa some were not, instead they agreed with the board. One student stated it was hard for him because Joe Pa had been his hero, he was trying to come to grips with what Joe Pa did or rather what he did not do. Student’s say they lashed out in a riot because they were angry with the media. They believe the media is to blame for Joe Pa’s firing. Another student was quoted stating “make no mistake, the board started this riot by firing our coach. They tarnished a legend.” The riot broke out soon after 10 am when most students received a text message of the news and was not essentially broken up until 1:30 am. These students were sending a message, they were not backing down.

 

This article was fascinating but not because of its writing but rather its content. These students were angry and had a message to send. Was it wrong? Yes. Did it work? Yes. As far as this article goes it was nothing special in its writing but the content was something most of us will probably never hear about again in our lifetime.

 

 

Maryland makes budget cuts

Liz Clarke writer for the Washington Post wrote on November 9^th, 2011 to inform the public that the University of Maryland is grappling with a multimillion-dollar deficit in Terrapin athletics and is expected to eliminate eight to ten of their twenty-seven varsity teams in an effort to close a $4.7 million budget shortfall. In the article entitled Maryland’s wrestling program among those awaiting major decision the reader is not only aware of the Universities need to cut teams and why but also the possible effect it will have on the schools wrestling team.

 

Former UMD wrestler Steve Hayleck quoted that the waiting process for something such as this makes “you feel like you are waiting for a jury to come back with a verdict.” That is exactly what it is like. In this case there are not lawyers helping a jury to make a decision but there is history and facts about the wrestling teams history. Maryland’s wrestling team has brought forth their recent achievements in attempt to save their team, which includes the last four ACC championships.

 

It is unclear how many teams will need to be dropped but if their performance and academics have any say the wrestling team should be saved. It is said that the Athletic director has already broken the news to the Men and Women’s swimming and diving team that they will be among those whom will be cut.

 

This article included many fact about the wrestling team such as what it went through when title IX was established and how it has risen above the cut of scholarships, how the University is the only one in the state besides the Naval Academy still with a team, and that they have had multiple accomplishments in long ago history but also recent history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEC Notebook

Sec: Notebook LSU Being forced to see the Light written by Michael DiRocco published in the Jacksonville Times-Union on October 14^th 2011 discusses the Southeastern Conference’s announcement that LSU’s October 22^nd home game versus Auburn will have a kickoff time of 3:30 pm, which marks the first time since 1935 that LSU will not play a home SEC game at night in Tiger Stadium.

 

LSU head coach Les Miles is quoted as being less than thrilled about the fact and stating that they did not expect it. LSU has had an amazing season- they are undefeated and number one in BCS standings. Coach Miles talks about how it is an exciting and special experience that will not be experience this year. He also says that he is sure there are scheduling conflicts and that their athletic director is doing the best he can. They have had two night games in Tiger Stadium against Northwestern State and Western Kentucky but will not have an SEC game or any game for that matter under the lights in Tiger Stadium until the 2012 season.

 

The SEC: Notebook continues with Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson adding his name to the book by completing 19 consecutive passes against Auburn, which is the third longest streak in league history. Tyler Wilson is placed as third, which means he is ahead of Eli Manning (fourth with 19), Chris Leak (tied for fifth with 17) and Steve Spurrier (tied for ninth with 16)

 

Lastly the notebook touches upon how Vanderbilt has been one of the SEC’s best teams at forcing turnovers. However, in game five they did not get any. Coach James Franklin was quoted stating that they want to get back to forcing turnovers because that is just how they want to play. Vanderbilt is second in forced turnovers South Carolina is first.

 

The SEC notebook is meant for those who are knowledgeable about the SEC to get a quick recap of what has happened and what to expect. That being said I found that the article was adequately done and provided enough information.

 

 

 

 

 

Cam Newton Cleared

The article Auburn Is Cleared in Investigation Into Newton written by Pete Thamel for a New York Times sedition on October 12^th, 2011 discusses how the NCAA said they found no violations and has dropped its 13-month long investigation into SEC school Auburn’s football program and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton. The news means that Auburn is allowed to keep their 2010 Bowl Championship series title and Auburn is able to keep their national championship title.

 

There had been allegations that Cam Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, had been “shopping” his son or in other words was participating in pay-for-play, which is a big “no no” in college sports. Allegations had first been made by ESPN.com and the New York Times in early November where they stated that Cecil Newton along with Kenny Rogers were “shopping” Cam for around six figures.

 

The NCAA letter also absolved Auburn of the allegations that four former players had been given extra benefits. Raven Gray one of the alleged former players stated that the allegations were “not substantiated.”

 

This article served its purpose of being a quick recap of what had been accused of Auburn and Cam Newton, which means it was not expected to go into full detail. However, in order for a reader who was less informed about the topic to understand fully what was the issue at hand Pete Thamel should have explained a bit more when he brought in a quote from former Mississippi State Quarterback John Bond and why it was significant. Sure, Mr. Thamel said that he was first to say newton had been shopped but then he included a quote from the quarterback stating that he was not concerned with Auburn and what they did but rather Mississippi State. For an reader who is not up to date or informed about these allegations would not understand why this was a significant quote. Therefore, Mr. Thamel should have explained the significance a bit more.

 

Conference Changes

Shannon J. Owens writer for the Orlando Sentinel wrote a piece entitled Conference expansion a killer of traditional rivalries on September 13^th, 2011. In this article Shannon J. Owens does a fine job of catching and keeping the reader’s interest from the very start of the article to the very end. She starts her article off by stating that she hopes “Florida State waxes the grass of Doak Campbell stadium with Oklahoma Sooners jerseys all night Saturday.” She does not particularly care for either team it is just that she is against all of the conference changing. She states that she has a hatred towards well-established programs ditching their relationships with their conference just to pimp themselves out to the highest bidder. She brings in a good point that this is suppose to be an amateur sport but this conference changing behavior is far away from amateur sport behavior.

 

She goes on to state multiple schools that are changing their conference or plan to change their conference. She does however recognize that the system is not perfect and that conference leaders need to work more to create balanced competition for all schools. Not just make a few standout conferences.

 

Next, the article goes on to talk about College football rivalries. She adequately draws the points that like no other sport and not even professional football does team rivalries quite like college football does. She states a few big time rivalries such as the 111-year-old Red River Shootout featuring Oklahoma and Texas. Then she draws why the conference changes will be bad because they might affect such rivalries. With Oklahoma switching conferences they might not see Texas for their annual rivalry. Aren’t rivalries such as this a part of the reason college football is so special?

 

Not only is changing the teams in the conferences going to cause problems for all the above reasons but also it will create scheduling nightmares. Next, the NFL’s recent change ups were briefly discussed upon. Then she states that she is aware that Florida State beating Oklahoma will do nothing to curb the problem with college conference dropouts but that a victory such as Florida State beating Oklahoma “can be a subtle reminder that winning games makes a successful program, not the conference the team.”

 

This article not only holds the reader’s attention all the way through it also provides background information as well as current information in an understandable and exciting way. Shannon J. Owen’s love for college football and its rivalries allows her to draw adequate complaints against the conference change ups and if her evidence of college football change ups and what it will do to beloved rivalries was not enough information for the reader she drew upon what has happened with the recent NFL change ups. This article should be read by all who love college football, want to learn more about the upcoming changes in college football regarding conferences, and anyone in general who wants to learn more about college football.

 

LSU-Alabama

On November 27^th, 2011 CBSSports.com published the article We man not like LSU-‘BAMA rematch, but BCS’s logic is sound by Dennis Dodd. In this article Dennis Dodd talks about how the first game between LSU and Alabama was not exactly exciting and that there is a lot of controversy surrounding if these two teams should play in the National Championship. He argues that there have been a lot of teams with a record like Alabama but the BCS is rewarding Alabama for essentially loosing the best and that the SEC has been top heavy. The SEC has had five teams who have won at least ten games this season. The SEC is not the only conference with teams on winning streaks but LSU and Alabama are the teams with the best winning streaks so to speak.

Dennis goes on to state that “If college football begs to differ about the current BCS standings it has failed to provide a compelling rebuttal.

If college football begs to differ about the current BCS standings it has failed to provide a compelling rebuttal.” He also says if it was the old system, this rematch would not have been possible and that LSU would have played Michigan in the sugar bowl and Alabama would play Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl. All of which would have solved nothing. That is why he says the BCS is not perfect but knows logic when it sees it, well some of the time.

Dennis Dodd does a good job analyzing the BCS and its logic. He also does a good job of providing information for the reader on the football standings and what has happened this season which has lead to the BCS most likely sending LSU and Alabama to the National Championship.

Event # 3

On October 14^th, 2011 I found myself sitting in the stands supporting the SwimmingDawgs at home versus Georgia Tech. I went in not knowing much about Georgia’s men and women’s swimming and diving team except that both were good but women’s was ranked very high. When I arrived I was not sure what to expect but I knew the stands would not be as packed as when the FootballDawgs are playing between the hedges.  I was however excited to see a girl named, Megan Romano swim. I had heard she was one of the best, but was excited to see just how fast she swam. While cheering in the stands I was sadden by the reality that not many members of the bulldawg nation come out to support the swimming and diving team. There was not much excitement or cheer and there was not really anything making me want to come back and watch another meet. While I had not seen any swim too incredible I was fascinated by the fact that these swimmers are not necessarily competing against their competition, in this case Georgia Tech and their other teammates but that they were really first and foremost competing against themselves. They were competing against themselves for one one-hundredth of a second, I found that incredibly fascinating and could not believe the kind of discipline these young men and women had to have. I might not want to go back to another meet anytime soon because I did not find that much excitement from the fans and realized that it was mostly parents there to support their children rather than students but I did enjoy the realization I had that these swimmers are competing against themselves for such a small time and I enjoyed watching the other swimmers sit in the warm-up pool supporting their teammates. By the end of the meet I was excited because not only had the women’s team defeated Georgia Tech but also so had the Men’s. GO DAWGS!

While it was exciting for me because I was able to see a girl I had met swim and experience a swim meet at Georgia it was honestly nothing special. There were no workers selling food or memorabilia and there was not much cheer and excitement. As a non-Georgia fan I would not come back.

P.S. If any of you have the chance to go to a swim meet, please go these dawgs do not get much support and it was actually rather sad. They are good I promise!

Event 2

November 5^th, 20ll will be the day for the University of Georgia’s homecoming game. The week leading up to that exciting Saturday is the host to lots of events to get the entire dulldawg nation excited for their homecoming game. One such event was the homecoming parade in downtown Athens.

Two of my friends and myself found ourselves in downtown Athens eagerly awaiting the homecoming parade. As freshman we had never been to the parade before and could not wait to see what it would host. Much to our surprise there were not many supporters there and the parade was much shorter than the school had lead us to believe. The parade lasted nearly twenty minutes and did not excite us quite like we were expecting.

Being in downtown Athens getting excited for the upcoming game with other bulldawg fans was rather exciting, except there was not much to see as far as the parade went and there were not many people there to enjoy the limited events the parade was hosting. I would say my two favorite events were not the marching band or seeing which fraternities and sororities created the best floats but that they were seeing the UGA President and other important UGA figures driving in fancy old cars from the 1950s and 1960s. My second favorite part of the parade was seeing the homecoming court.

Unlike when at Georgia Football games, there was no advertisements for Georgia football or other companies, there weren’t any workers or memorabilia to be bought. It was strictly about the homecoming court and not the team. As a Georgia spectator I was not eager to go back so if I was not a Georgia fan I do not think I would ever come back or suggest for others to take their time to see the Georgia Homecoming Parade.

While I wish there had been more excitement and entertainment in the parade I had a good time. As far as a homecoming parade goes I expected to see the homecoming court and become very excited for the upcoming game. I suggest that next year they try and bring in more members of the bulldawg nation. A way in which they can do this is by supporting the game more and getting the crowd excited for the upcoming game. The more members of the bulldawg nation that appear the more excited for the game everyone will be.

Event 1

On September 10^th, 2011 the Georgia Bulldogs faced South Carolina between the hedges. This was their first home game of the seasons and my first game experience between the hedges. I was lucky enough to sit third row behind the bulldog’s famous mascot UGA. During the game it was an incredible experience to be welcomed into the bulldawg nation, despite the tough loss 45-42 I was amazed at just how loud and incredible the bulldog nation truly is. I had heard there was nothing like them, but now I know.

At the beginning of the game the bulldogs were coming in off of a loss against Boise State in the Georgia Dome and controversy surrounding their ability and their head coaches ability was streaming live in articles, on sports shows, on facebook and twitter. Despite the negativity surrounding the dawgs I had a feeling that we could pull out the win. Unfortunately that was not the case.

At the beginning of the game every Georgia student seemed to be pumped up about being back between the hedges and seemed excited to support their fellow dawgs. However, when we would make less than wonderful plays or make mistakes the crowds love and belief seemed to dwindle. I was honestly shocked at how easily the bulldawg nation turned and became angry and would say some pretty mean things. Of course in sports no matter the level or the outcome there are always fans and times in which a situation such as this occurs, I just had not expected so many people to take part in such negativity. I was hoping that everyone would stay upbeat and keep cheering and pulling for our dawgs, but they did not. I was however very excited that despite the fans’ dwindling faith they stayed to watch the entire game through.

Besides the coaches, football staff, spectators, news reporters, and videographers the game had many workers selling memorabilia, food & drinks, and trying to get everyone excited about Georgia football. There were also security guards and ticket checkers, people who checked bags to make sure nothing illegal or dangerous was being brought into the stadium and there were the owner’s and protectors of our beloved UGA. During the game there had been lots of commercials about Georgia football, Saturday in Athens, and between the hedges giving the fans and viewers an inside look into what Georgia Football truly is. There were a few companies promoting themselves but the main one was Aarons. After leaving Sanford stadium I was eager to get back therefore I could only imagine that the South Carolina students and fans felt the same way. Saturday between the hedges is a Saturday unlike all other Saturdays and truly an experience.

Although we ended up loosing to South Carolina, our fans started blaming players and Head Coach Mark Richt, and the fans faith in the dawgs and the rest of the season started dwindling, I had the time of my life. I wish we could have pulled out the win but I still believed deep down that our dawgs could win and will win for the rest of the season. We will have to see if my prediction is right, but for now I am happy to say the bulldawg nation is gaining support and faith for the daw

Texas&Soccer

Glenn Davis writes for FOXSporshouston.com on September 10^th, 2011 an article entitled Texas ready for more Division I Soccer Programs which is about the amount of men soccer players that come from Texas and the Houston area but how the state of Texas is home to only two division one teams. He starts out by talking about how education is so important and at such high costs these days that who can blame parents for pushing their kids into sports. He then talks about how Houston area soccer players have won national championships and the “coveted Hermann Award” which is equivalent to football’s Heisman Trophy.

 

Mr. Davis understands that most schools are focused on revenue sports such as basketball and football but he is not sure why that means there is not enough room for schools, especially Texas schools, to have more Division I Men’s Soccer Programs. He even goes in to say that equality between men and Women should not be an issue when it comes to this.

 

Another point Mr. Davis makes in the article is that since Texas is such a prime place to recruit soccer players, why would people not be interested in watching a soccer match between the University of Texas and Texas A&M? He believes this game would draw in big crowds.

 

The article does not adequately explain why women’s soccer teams should not have an impact of the amount of men’s programs. He also does not adequately explain why a match between the University of Texas and Texas A&M would draw in big crowds. Why will it draw in big crowds? Soccer in the United States is not exactly known for drawing big crowds. Also, it is understood that the state of Texas is a high recruitment area for this sport by why exactly should it be the state with many division 1 programs. If these issues had been adequately discussed, this article would have allowed the reader to have a better inside not only on Texas, especially the Houston area’s big recruitment for soccer but also about division I soccer in general.

J.J. back to LSU

According to CBSSports.com writer Jerry Hinnen in the article So now what for Jordan Jefferson on September 30^th, 2011 Jordan Jefferson is back on LSU’s roster and no longer has felony charges. As he enters back into his last season there are many unanswered questions.

 

Jordan Jefferson will not face suspensions in terms of his team but as for school that process has yet to determine an answer. This is most likely because Jefferson is an LSU football player therefore his felony charges have caused bad press and problems for LSU as an institution. It is unlikely that Jefferson will face suspensions from the University but it is still an option.

 

It is still up in the air whether or not Jefferson will play this weekend, but it seems likely. “Jefferson’s debut would be over and done with rather than becoming a potential distraction as the Tigers prepare for more rugged opponents; Kentucky’s questionable run defense should allow him to enjoy some on-field success and confidence in the process of getting his 2011 feet wet.” Jefferson as of now is not the starting quarterback- Jarrett Lee is. Lee has had success that “not even the Hatter would be Mad enough to mess with the kind of success.” Which is probably the reason why Jefferson is not coming back as the starting quarterback. However, LSU is famous for playing both of these quarterbacks so Jefferson will probably see plenty of playing time.

 

Coach Miles said that Jefferson would have the opportunity to play in every game as well as Lee. Neither of the quarterbacks seems to have “it all” but between the two of them it seems LSY might be able to have a strong quarterback unit. While Jefferson’s suspension and felony charges due to a bar brawl as not a good thing, it might end up being the reason why LSU will have a stronger quarterback scenario that it has the past three seasons.

Football History

http://www.footballfoundation.org/nff/story/3420/week-college-football-history-oct-3-oct-9

 

This Week in College Football History give a look into the history of college football from a given weeks and gives short stories of great historical events that happened on each given day in the past. This give article is a look at what has happened in football history between October 3^rd and 9^th over the past 143 years, all of which are courtesy of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

 

All of the following was researched and reported by NFF Communications Assistant Zach Barnett.

 

On October 7^th, 1995 No. 12 ranked Penn State University held the lead most of the game against No. 5 Ohio State University. In the last 1:42 left to play college football hall of fame inductee, Eddie George had a 6-yar score which allowed for Ohio State to take the victory over rival Penn State.

 

The first time in 31 all-time meetings between Georgia Tech and Clemson University, both tams were ranked in the top. 10. This game was played on October 3^rd, 1956. Georgia Tech was ranked number 7 while Clemson was ranked number 6.

 

NFF chairman and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning became the first player in college football history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game. This game was played on October 4^th, 1969, Ole Miss played Alabama.

 

Air Force and College Football Hall of Fame coach Fisher DeBerry beat Notre Dame on October 5^th, 1985. This was the 4^th-straight meeting between the two schools that Air Force came out as victorious.

 

On October 6^th, 1980 “Northern Illinois tailback Stacey Robinson set an NCAA record with 287 first-half rushing yards.” He gained 114 rushing yards in the first quarter and 173 in the second. Robinson finished with a school record (at the time) and a current fourth with 308 yards.

Death Penalty

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/have-we-seen-the-end-of-ncaa-death-penalty-072911

 

In the article Could death penalty give NCAA new life by A.J. Perez on foxsports.com we as a reader are introduced to the debate of whether the death penalty will be used by the NCAA again and if it will help to stop the increased cheating taking place among NCAA teams.

 

The NCAA death penalty is a lot like the real death penalty, the guilty party has committed crimes/ gone against the rules set by the NCAA at an extreme level which means that death should be placed upon them in order to stop them and scare others into correcting their mistakes and stop their cheating in fear of the harm that death among them for a certain amount of years could cause.

 

The NCAA has only ever used the death penalty once and its most famous time was when they used it against the Southern Methodist University football team over two decades ago. To this day, SMU is still suffering from the death penalty.

 

According to SMU coach June Jones the NCAA’s means for scaring schools in the right direction may be something of the past. The NCAA will probably never use the death penalty again. Illinois State associate professor Chad McEvoy stated, “The chances of seeing the death penalty again are small, but I would hate to think that coaches and administrators are sitting in their offices and doing a cost-benefit analysis. If you are a big-time college football or basketball coach who is bending the rules, you’d want to know the negative outcomes if your violations are discovered. The data suggests that repercussions are relatively minor compared to the advantage you might gain from cheating.” McEvoy is basically saying that the penalties received by the NCAA for penalties are not ideal because obviously they harm a program in some way, but they are nothing like the death penalty and honestly the gain that the program gets from cheating is greater than the loss they get from being penalized, therefore cheating is a better option for the programs these days. The biggest penalization a coach can receive for cheating is loosing their job, as observed recently through the job loss of Ohio State University coach Jim Tressel.

 

It is believed by the public that the NCAA only targets the smaller schools to find violations in, but over the past few years there have been numerous examples of how this is not true. Big schools who are winning national championships such as Miami, Auburn, and Alabama, had all had major infractions yet, none have seen the death penalty nor seem to be afraid of it since their cheating and “off the field, booster money and ticket sales tend to rebound, as well” have yet to stop.

 

Teams and programs cheating are becoming expected among the general public. Will the NCAA let this behavior slide or take a more serious action such as the death penalty because nothing else seems to be working?

 

While the death penalty was a major problem for SMU, according to coach Jones it was not the sole death to their program. The School and its supporters did not want the football program to start up again- most likely they did not want another major scandal on their hands. According to Josephine Potuto, a law professor at the University of Nebraska and former member of the NCAA division 1 Committee on infractions, said the reason no other programs have been given the death penalty because they have not had as major infractions as SMU had.

 

Since the NCAA is an independent organization and not a government authority schools may refuse to share information, which is exactly what Kentucky, had originally done. They essentially stonewalled the NCAA. The NCAA felt that Kentucky was guilty and eventually was surprised when their new leader came in and decided to admit to the infractions the NCAA found them guilty of and even provided a list of more infractions they were guilty of and they were even worse than the ones the NCAA had found.

 

Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer stated, “if you break the rules-no matter the level- you should serve the consequences.” The NCAA takes a lot of time to complete investigations so although they have the right intentions of making programs pay for their dishonesty it often is too late and penalizes the people who were not a part of it. A prime example is Reggie Bush an NFL player who played at USC. When at USC, Bush went against NCAA rules but by the time the NCAA had finished their investigation Bush was already in the NFL and the new USC players had to pay for his dishonesty.

 

The NCAA is not going after more schools now a days than they had back in the day, it just appears that way because social media allows for the information to circulate further, sooner, and at a higher rate.

 

The NCAA using the death penalty again could perhaps give the NCAA a new life by scaring programs to stop cheating and to follow the rules but most schools are not afraid of the death penalty, because it has yet to be used since the SMU scandal over two decades ago.

NCAA will make changes in their own rules

Many have been surprised by the scandal that occurred at Penn State.  Brad Wolverton of the Chronicle of Higher Education writes about how this scandal could lead to further changes with NCAA rules and regulations.  It is hard to believe that such a scandal could happen within a college athletic program and the NCAA does not currently have rules to punish programs for situations such as the one at Penn State.

Wolverton says that the NCAA sent an inquiry to Penn State officials to see if there were problems with the way Penn State handled the situation.  If it turns out that Penn State did turn a blind eye and try to cover it up, than the NCAA might investigate their own rules to change punishment for this crime.  Right now, the NCAA does not have set rules to punish an athletic program for this but they think that they need to.  Wolverton talks about how the NCAA has many other rules that punish programs for things not as bad as this scandal so they should definitely have rules to punish the program for this.

I definitely agree that the NCAA should follow through with their rule changes like they intend to.  I think that if they have rules that punish colleges for things that are not nearly as bad as the incident at Penn State, then they should definitely have rules to punish Penn State if the investigation does come to find what all of the speculations and evidence lead to.  I am surprised actually to see that they do not have rules for this, but then again who would think that something like this could happen in a very esteemed athletics program and go without notice for many years.

Event 2: UGA Women’s Soccer Game

I went to the UGA-Mercer women’s soccer game at the UGA soccer complex earlier this season.  I was unsure what to expect from a college soccer game.  This particular game was a promotional night that was being called a “Futbol Fiesta.”  Every fan received a free sombrero upon entrance into the game which had free admission anyway.  The promotional staff was active all night as the sombrero giveaway was not the only promotion on that night.  At halftime, there was a Burger King Dress Like a King competition which two fans were able to participate in.  The other halftime festivity was a burrito eating competition sponsored by Willy’s.  I was one of the five lucky fans to be in the competition.  Although I did not win, it was still fun to experience a competition during the game as a fan. 

Through my experience at the game, I noticed how much different college soccer games are as compared to a football game.  Most information given to the fans were about sponsors.  Since they did not take admission, they have to get some money to offset some of the costs of having a soccer program.  The turnout to the game was pretty good with families making up the large majority of the crowd.  The game was a family and fan friendly environment for all to enjoy.

Tulane to Build $60 Million Football Stadium

Mary Foster of the Associated Press wrote an article titled, “Tulane to Build $60 Million Football Stadium.” In it she addresses Tulane’s initiative to build a brand new football stadium on their actual campus. The name of this effort is “Home Field Advantage” and is looking to raise $70 million, $60 million for the stadium and $10 million for a fund supporting the football program. Athletic director, Rick Dickson, believes that the stadium will be ready to be played in by the fall of 2014.

The Green Wave’s new stadium will seat 30,000 people and will be built on the site of their current practice field. It will be used for football games, as well as other sports, graduation ceremonies, and seminars. 

Tulane students must be ecstatic with this news. Finally, they will have their own stadium right in the middle of their campus. Starting in fall of 2014, they will no longer have to travel all the way to the Superdome to see a football game. Having an on campus stadium will inevitably draw student support back to the football team. Perhaps this will prompt the team to play a little better. Who knows? I am curious to see if that does indeed happen.

Mora to the Bruins?

Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News, reported that UCLA is after former NFL coach Jim Mora Jr.  Dan Guerrero, the UCLA AD, has been in New York for the past two days.  Bonsignore said his trip to New York has not stopped him from continuing his search for the next head football coach for the Bruins.  Guerrero’s visit to New York was not specifically to look for a coach; he was actually visiting some forum.

Guerrero will further examine the situation once he gets back to Los Angeles. Many are saying that interest is mutual between both Mora and the university.  Mora has a sub-.500 as a head coach in the NFL with both the Falcons and Seahawks.  He was most recently replaced in Seattle by former USC head coach Pete Carroll who left after scandal hit USC.  Any talks about Jim Tressell being on the UCLA campus have been denied.

UCLA has already been rejected by two hot coaching prospects, and they are eager to find a new coach for next season.  The Mora deal seems like a very real possibility right now.  UCLA players and fans are affected by whatever happens in this attempt to hire a football coach.

Not many details were given in the article because the story is really just breaking out.  More details should be expected in the next few days.  UCLA fans will have to patiently wait to see what both Guerrero and Mora decide.

Big East Goes Way West

The epitome of irony has been fulfilled in college football with the recent additions of San Diego State and Boise State to the Big EAST Conference. No matter what way you look at it, it is hard to fathom that this would be possible.

The argument of course is that with all the recent departures of big name teams from the conference, they had to promptly increase membership to guarantee that they would be able to keep automatic qualifying status. In other words, to keep making more money than a small non AQ conference, membership was a must.

The additions to the Big East include San Diego State, Boise State, Central Florida, Houston and Southern Methodist, only one of which is considered to be located on the East Coast. If you were to present this logic to a First Grader, chances are that they will call you nuts.

“Since the creation of the Big East in 1979, the (conference) has a record of reinventing itself,” Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said on a conference call. “We have taken another bold and creative step in our history. We are heading west. Our conference will continue to have by far the single largest media footprint spanning from coast to coast in football. The Big East conference will be the first truly national college football conference.’’ From an article by Erik Matuszewski and Curtis Eichelberger.

My take on all of this is that is an act of desperation by a conference that is falling apart at the seams and is so dependent on their AQ status  that they would be willing to go to these ridiculous lengths. If this makes commissioner John Marinatto sleep at night, so be it.

 

Big East Changed Forever

In an article on CBSSports.com, Matt Norlander explains how the Big East has been forever changed for the worst with the news of its addition of Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, SMU and UCF. Boise State and San Diego have joined as football only members, while the other three will also join the conference for basketball. This is where the issue arises. The Big East has always been a dominant conference when it came to basketball, but with Pitt and Syracuse already headed to the ACC and with the new additions, this is no longer the case. The schools being added just aren’t up to par with what the Big East is used to. The conference still has basketball powerhouse UConn, but if they bolt for the ACC as well then all hope is lost.

This news is disheartening for Big East basketball fans everywhere. The conference will never be what it used to be which could have many long term effects. For example, people may not be as likely to watch the games if they aren’t as exciting as before. This could result in a loss of money for the TV markets.

In reading this article, it’s evident that Norlander is quite upset about the new Big East and its effect on basketball. He refers to the realignment as a critical point in the timeline of the downfall of the Big East. It would be interesting to see what basketball coaches of the old Big East teams have to say and if they also think adding the new teams is a bad idea. Either way it goes, the Big East is not the same Big East it used to be and it won’t ever be when it comes to basketball.

Sandusky Faced with New Charges

And so the scandal involving Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky continues to unfold….

According to an Associated Press article on ESPN.com, as of today, Jerry Sandusky has been arrested and arraigned on new sex abuse charges. These charges were brought about by two new accusers who spoke in front of a grand jury subsequent to Sandusky’s arrest last month. Among the two new victims, one claims to have been sexually assaulted by Sandusky in 2004, and the other in 1997. Upon these new charges, Sandusky’s bail stands at $250,000, and alongside this, he must wear an electronic ankle bracelet. Also, he is permanently barred from Penn State’s campus.

Before the new accusers spoke out, Sandusky had already been charged with 4o counts of child sex-abuse involving eight young boys over a fifteen year span. However, despite all of the charges against him, Sandusky continues to deny the fact that he is a pedophile. He firmly states that he will continue to fight these charges until his name is cleared. Indeed, in interviews with both the New York Times and NBC he claims that he “showered and horsed around” with the boys, but never sexually abused them.

The new charges posed against Sandusky include four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and two counts of unlawful contact with a minor. Both of these are considered first-degree felonies, and are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $25,000 in fines. The victims who have recently spoke out allegedly came into contact with Sandusky through the Second Mile Charity–the same organization through which other victims met Sandusky. Sandusky founded this charity in 1977. Attorney General Linda Kelly said, “As in many of the other cases identified to date, the contact with Sandusky allegedly fit a pattern of ‘grooming’ victims. Beginning with outings to football games and gifts; they later included physical contact that escalated to sexual assaults…”

This article leaves nothing out to dry in dealing with the current case surrounding Jerry Sandusky. The details are short, yet to the point. Readers are left well-informed of the latest information regarding this case–a case which has single-handedly turned the world of college sports upside down. Without a doubt, there is more to come with this case. Time will tell what the future holds for Jerry Sandusky, but right now it seems as if he will be behind bars for a very long time. Though he plans to fight the charges implemented against him, he has far too many pieces of evidence pulling against him. As mentioned, time will tell, though right now we must wait for what may prove to be a very long time.

Neinas Wants Plus-One Playoff System

Joe Schad of ESPN.com analyzes Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas’ comments on the idea of a playoff system in college football. With all of the controversy going on in the BCS this season, he believes that the plus-one model should be taken into serious consideration. Using this season as an example, this structure would have paired LSU with Stanford and Alabama with Oklahoma State. The winners of the two game would then go on to play each other for the national title. In this scenario, the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions Wisconsin and Oregon would still get to play each other in the Rose Bowl. Preserving the rivalry of this game has been an important issue to those in the respective conferences.

The idea has been supported in the past by SEC commissioner Mike Slive and ACC commissioner John Swofford. With new commissioners in the Big 12 and Pac-12 who also support the idea of a playoff system, the idea could one day actually play out.

This article mostly just lists the facts of the situation without much analysis. I think it would be interesting to know exactly how the plan would be implemented. I would also like to know what kind of effect this decision would have on various teams and what those who oppose the plan have to say.

Source: Big East adding Boise State, four others in 2013

In an AP article on si.com, sources report that the Big East is set to add 5 new members to the conference in 2013. Boise State and San Diego State will join as football-only members while Houston, Central Florida, and SMU will join as all-sports members.

This move will help the conference rebuild after losing Syracuse, Pitssburgh, West Virginia, and TCU to other conferences. The Big East has also pursued Navy and Air Force to join the conference, but they aren’t ready to commit to joining the conference just yet.

Nonetheless, the conference still does not have 12 teams committed for the 2013 season even with the new additions. They would like to become a 12 team league with 2 divisions with 6 teams each in order to have a conference championship.

I like this move for the Big East, as all 5 schools are teams on the rise. They were never going to get high profile teams to join, so they had to go after these mid-major schools. They should be able to add 2 more teams too to attain their goal of a 12 team league, which will be another boost to a conference that many thought was doomed to extinction.

Urban Meyer desires balance between football and family

In an article for Ohio State’s campus newspaper, Michael Periatt discusses Urban Meyer returning to the coaching world to Ohio State and the balance he will now seek in coaching and his family. Before Meyer could sign an official coaching contract, he had to sign a contract his children drew up in order to make sure he keeps his priorities straight while coaching. Meyer even showed the contract when meeting with OSU AD Gene Smith to ensure that he would be able to meet the stipulations of his children’s contract if he accepted the OSU job.

This is a complete change in lifestyle from Meyer’s coaching days at Florida. While there, he spent no time with his family and never saw his children compete in any sporting event due to his hunt for perfection and success on the football field. He was texting recruits while in church and even managed to lose 20 pounds in a little over a week while preparing for a game. It was not a healthy lifestyle and affected his family life and personal health.

Hopefully, he will be able to make the necessary changes at OSU in order to lead a more balanced life with regards to his family. However, I’m not so sure that he will be able to achieve this due to his Type A personality and need for complete perfection. Coaches like him know only to go full speed at whatever their job is in order to win, and I feel that he will return to his old ways once he sees he is not having the same success.

BCS gets it Wrong with LSU-Alabama Rematch

David Climer of the Nashville Tennessean gives his strong opinion on the subject of the BCS national championship game. He believes that Alabama and LSU are the two best teams in college football, but since we have already seen the outcome of that game, Oklahoma State should have gotten a shot at LSU. Climer blames the voters in the polls for going with the familiar name of Alabama over the deserving team Oklahoma State. He also blames this situation on the fact that there is a large amount of bias towards the SEC within the world of college football and teams outside of this conference don’t always get the respect they deserve.

At this point, there is nothing anyone can do about who gets to play in the national championship game. It’s unfortunate that Oklahoma State has to hear about how much they deserve to be playing LSU, but at the end of the day they won’t get to. It also must be tough for Alabama to hear that they don’t deserve a shot at the title when I’m sure they believe that they do. LSU doesn’t have much to worry about in the situation because either way it went they were still number one and were guaranteed to be playing in the game.

Throughout this article, Climer’s strong opinion on the subject is evident. You know for a fact that he is upset about the way the BCS played out. He doesn’t try to look at the situation from the other side, but he does a good job of explaining the reasoning behind why he think Oklahoma State should have been in the title game.

Event #3- Dawg Walk before the Auburn game

On Saturday, November 12, 2011, I attended the Dawg Walk that took place before the Auburn game. My 16-year-old brother came up from my hometown of Warner Robins, Georgia, for the game. He happens to be an Auburn fan, so this was his first game he’s ever been to in Sanford Stadium, and the perfect game to come see. Anyway, as we were walking down East Campus Road to the stadium, we were on the side where the Tiger Walk happens. I went to many Tiger Walks when I was an Auburn fan. But this Tiger Walk was much smaller than what they usually do back in Auburn. My brother and I ran past the Tiger Walk and went on around Reed Hall to the other side of the stadium where the Dawg Walk was taking place. This happened to be my first Dawg Walk that I’ve ever seen, and I got to share it with my brother. There weren’t many students around that I saw, but many parents that were probably mostly alumni, and their families and kids. There was a pathway made for the UGA football team and staff to walk through and high-five people as they walked by. The band was playing, everyone was screaming and shaking their red pom poms. The best view was probably either where my brother and I were on the steps going down from Tate Plaza or on top of the bridge, where we happened not to be.

There were no advertisements that stick out in my mind, but the overall message was to get the UGA crowd pumped up before game time and to try and keep the Dawg Walk as family-centered as possible.

If I was a visitor to UGA and had just left the Dawg Walk (which in a way I was b/c I’d never been to a Dawg Walk before), I would have to admit that the whole entire process would get my blood pumping and excited for the game! I would also comment on their school spirit and support for the team.

Event #2- UGA Invitational Cross Country Race

On Saturday, September 3, 2011, I attended the UGA Cross Country Invitational that was located at UGA’s Equestrian complex. I decided to go to this event because my high school cross country team was competing. I ran cross country my junior and senior years at Houston County High School, so I knew the majority of the kids on the team this year. I showed up in the middle of the collegiate mens’ 8K race. I’m not quite sure who won the race because I was trying to find my alma mater. I did happen to see the collegiate girls’ race though. I don’t know many details of who won, but I do remember at least 6 UGA girls were toward the very front. I ran with a girl my junior year in high school, and I saw her at this event. She runs for Georgia Tech, but she didn’t do very well. The only other colleges I remember that were there were Alabama and Mercer. Neither the boys’ team nor the girls’ team from my high school did well.

The people working at the cross country race that I can remember were the police officer letting people into the complex, the guys helping people park, the guys riding in the golf carts to signal the first and last person in each race, the people monitoring the race, and some UGA people selling shirts under a stand.

There weren’t many messages being presented at the cross country race. The act of selling UGA Cross Country Invitational T-shirts is an indication that they are trying to make money for the program and also promote UGA cross country.

If I was a visitor to UGA when I left those races, I would think that the UGA girls have a great cross country team. I wouldn’t like Georgia weather (b/c it was like 98 degrees), and the venue was very grassy and dirty, but that’s because it was held where the horses are kept.

Event #3: The Dawg Walk

Before the UGA-Kentucky football game I got off on a break from work so I decided I’d check out the Dawg Walk since it was a couple hours before game time. I showed up a little late and the band was playing near the Tate Center. I don’t know if it was because it was an early start, but there were not many students there and the majority of the crowd was comprised of families which I could see as being the norm since I had never heard of any of my friends making a point to ever go to the Dawg Walk. The Dawg Walk provides an opportunity for the fans to feel like a part of the team with the players and I think it makes the university and its fans seem like a family. And I believe that is the message that the university wants to send. I think other fans would get the impression that the entire university is behind its team and I think it would put UGA in a positive light.

Event #2: UGA-Kentucky

I worked in the South Deck kitchen underneath the Sky Suites at every home game this year. This provided me with an inside look at how much truly gets put into hosting a home football game at UGA. Since the Kentucky game was a noon kickoff, the chefs and their staffs had to be in Athens by 5 o’clock. Besides the kitchen staff and runners (they take the food up to the suites), there was ample security around the stadium. Outside our kitchen you could always spot at least five or six security guards within a 50 foot radius. And this is not to mention the money the game brings in to non-UGA affiliated businesses. For instance, every time I would walk to work I’d pass by the same UGA t-shirt stand that a group of people set up for every home game. I didn’t get to see much of the advertising during the game since I was in the kitchen but I’ve been to enough college football games to know that sponsorship partners are constantly mention over the PA or on the video boards. And they also try to promote other UGA sports and try to gather some support for those teams, too. Most of the time the incentive in the advertising is the cheap tickets and family fun aspect. I think as a whole you wouldn’t even think of the football game being affiliated with the school at all. People might be impressed with the campus, but I don’t know if people leave Athens talking about any academic side of the school.

Alabama-LSU: The Right Game, BCS or Not

In an online article for The Wall Street Journal, Darren Everson discusses the many reasons why Alabama is the correct choice to play LSU in the 2012 BCS National Championship game, even if it is a rematch from earlier in the year. He provides many statistics to show the difference between Alabama and Oklahoma State, such as Alabama ranks thirtieth nationally in total offense, while Oklahoma State ranks third. Yes, Oklahoma State definitely has the better offense. But defensively, Alabama ranks first in total defense, while Oklahoma State ranks 107th.

He also stated that Alabama beat all of their opponents by sixteen or more points, besides the LSU game where they obviously lost by three points. On the other hand, Oklahoma State was down by seventeen points at halftime to Texas A&M and was tied with Kansas State with three minutes to go in the game. He also brought up the Cowboys’ only loss to Iowa State, and he said just because of that loss alone, Oklahoma State doesn’t deserve to play in the National Championship.

He also brought up events from the past years about how coaches such as Mack Brown, the head coach for the Texas Longhorns, were always trying to convince the voters to put their team in the big game. Everson seems glad that there is none of that “lobbying” going on this year, because from the statistics he provided, Alabama definitely deserves to be in the National Championship game against LSU.

Change of cell number sends calls from potential Ole Miss coaches to Texas man

In a blog post on gulflive.com, Jeff Roper explains a quite humorous mix-up that happened to a Texas man named Byron Guidry. Supposedly, he had lived in New Orleans for a while until he moved to Houston, Texas. While in New Orleans though, Guidry had changed his cell number before he left for Houston. Little did he know that he had gotten Archie Manning’s old cell phone number. Archie Manning is the father of Peyton Manning, injured quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, and also Eli Manning, the starting quarterback for the New York Giants.

Archie used to be the quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels and soon after that, was the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Therefore, Archie was chosen to be the co-chair of the committee to make the decision on a new head coach at Ole Miss to replace Houston Nutt.

Guidry had gotten a text from someone that he had never heard of that read, “Archie, I have tremendous love for Ole Miss. I would love to serve as their next head coach. Any consideration would be greatly appreciated. Hugh Freeze.”

Ole Miss is supposedly getting close to announcing a new head football coach. The guy that seems to be in the lead as the Rebels number 1 option is Hugh Freeze, currently the head coach at Arkansas State. Behind him at number 2 is current Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

Guidry might not have known what was going on at first, but certainly he does now. What a hilarious series of events! This will be a great story for Giudry to tell his kids or grandkids, that is if he has any.

Is it time for a plus-one playoff format?

After an 11-1 season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are going to be left out of the BCS Championship Game, and an 11-1 Alabama team will be taking their spot. Is it fair for there to be a rematch? After all, Oklahoma State actually won their conference and beat more quality opponents than Alabama. Not to mention that Alabama already had their shot to beat LSU…at home. Joe Schad’s article “Chuck Neinas calls for a plus-one playoff” he reports on interim Big XII commissioner’s support of a playoff format. Obviously, this is due to one of his teams being left out of the national championship game. Schad points out that the Big XII had its chance to support a plus-one format a few years ago after SEC commissioner Mike Slive proposed the idea which only received support from the ACC.

Although I do think that Alabama and LSU are the two best teams in the country, I can understand Oklahoma State’s argument that they deserve a shot to play LSU. This is why I agree that a plus-one playoff would be ideal. The argument over who’s better between Alabama and Oklahoma State would be played out on the field rather than  just being imaginary comparisons. This year’s title will always be remembered in a negative light, especially if Alabama wins because then we’d be left with a national champion which also lost to the runner-up and no other conference got a shot to knock of the nation’s number one team.

Schad wrote a very balanced article which put the Big XII’s desire for a playoff in a positive light while still pointing out that they could’ve avoided this problem completely if they had supported Slive’s proposal a few years ago.

Texas-Texas A&M Rivalry comes to an end

This past Texas-Texas A&M football game might have been the last between the two since the Aggies are packing up and heading to the SEC next year. Many may be quick to blame the Aggies for destroying this rivalry but as Jean-Jacques Taylor points out in his article “Contempt, egos kill state’s best rivalry” there is blame to go around on both sides. Taylor argues that Texas A&M went to the SEC just to get out of the shadow of it’s “big brother”. Then he condemns Texas for having such a big ego to not even attempt to still play the game which they could easily do with their deep pockets. He uses the Florida-Florida State and Clemson-South Carolina rivalries as examples of non-conference rivals playing each other every year to show that it is possible to set-up.

I agree with Taylor that Texas’ ego is what’s preventing this rivalry from continuing, but I disagree that the Aggies are too much to blame. How can we blame a school for coming to the best football conference in the country? Also, at the time the Big XII was very unstable. It felt like any day the conference could collapse and no school would want to be left behind in that mess. So, Texas A&M was just looking out for their best interest, and besides, can you blame someone for not wanting to be in another’s shadow? Obviously, A&M wasn’t happy with the direction the Big XII was going and didn’t want to be in a league that caters to its top two members so they left. I’m sure if Texas offered then A&M would open up a schedule slot to play them easily.

I thought the author was unfair to Texas A&M to blame them for leaving the Big XII. I realize the Longhorns aren’t only ones culpable but it still irked me that Taylor would question the Aggies decision to head to the SEC.

UF Loses Another Coach

Rachel George of the Orlando Sentinel writes an article breaking the news that University of Florida coach Mickey Marotti is leaving the Gators behind and joining former UF head coach Urban Meyer at Ohio State.

 

This announcement does not surprise many because Marotti and Meyer have been colleagues from the beginning. UF players however are still saddened by the departure of a great coach. Former UF player Marcus Gilbert resorted to Twitter to express his emotions, “Im def gonna miss coach marotti.”

 

Florida is making moves to search for a new director of strength and conditioning, however, no decision has been made at this point. With the departure of both Meyer and Marotti, there is speculation that receivers coach Aubrey Hill and linebackers coach D.J. Durkin could also leave for Ohio State.

 

This story further confirms the growing argument that college football is turning into a business.

Ohio State and Florida in the Gator Bowl

Bill Rabinowitz writes in the Columbus Dispatch that Ohio State will be playing Florida in the Gator Bowl held in Jacksonville, Florida. The teams haven’t met since the 2006 National Championship game in which Florida topped Ohio State 41-14.

Both teams are perennial powers, but finished the regular season 6-6. The loser of the game will go on to have a losing record for the first time in a while. The game is also interesting because it puts Urban Meyer’s former team against his future team. Meyer will not be coaching the Buckeyes in this game, but will be recruiting and working out plans for next year.

With the game being held in Florida, there is an obvious draw of Florida fans to the game. However, Ohio State fans tend to travel in large groups so there should be a good number of them in attendance.

The article doesn’t quite address how the teams were chosen for this specific bowl game, which would have been some good information to know. The author talks a little bit more about Florida than he does Ohio State, but other than that he offers adequate coverage on the topic.

BCS Championship game

Writing for the Hunstville Times, Mark McCarter addresses the BCS championship game between 13-0 LSU and 11-1 Alabama. The game will ensure that a team from the SEC will win the national title for the 6th year in a row. The game is also a matchup of two teams that met in the regular season with LSU beating Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

Another 11-1 team, Oklahoma State, was close to being the team to play LSU, but an over time loss to Iowa State kept them out of the race. Although they came close in their total number of points, they didn’t get enough to pass Alabama for the number 2 spot.

The article explains how the BCS is determined, so that’s pretty much all you need to know in order to understand the situation. I think the author does a good job of showing how both Les Miles and Nick Saban feel about their teams and playing for the national title. Both coaches believe their team deserves to be playing for the championship and see the challenge they have ahead of them.

UGA and Michigan State in the Outback Bowl

Tim Tucker of the AJC reported that UGA will play Michigan State in the Outback Bowl.  It will be the second time since 2008 that the teams have met and only the third time in history.  Georgia won both of the previous meetings by an average of 9.5 points.    Georgia is also undefeated in the Outback Bowl. 

Both teams are coming off tough losses in their respective conference championships and have the same record, 10-3.  The teams look to represent their conferences well and end their seasons on a good note.  Michigan State will have to deal with very warm Florida weather that they are not used to playing in during this time of the year.  In any case, they will try to overcome any heat to beat a hot as of late Bulldogs team.

Tucker mentioned that Georgia was one of three possible SEC teams to get into the Capital One Bowl who has first choice ahead of the Outback and Cotton Bowls.  The Capital One Bowl decided to invite South Carolina instead of Arkansas or Georgia.  It will be a homecoming of sorts for quarterback Aaron Murray.  Murray is from Tampa, the location of the Outback bowl. 

This news affects both the teams and conferences these teams are from.  Not only are they playing for pride, but they also will receive money for playing in the bowl game.  Many recruits will also be tuned into bowl season to see what their possible future teams look like.  A win could be an important sell to any recruit.

The Outback Bowl should be a highly competitive game with two quality teams playing in it.  It will be interesting to see who comes to play after disappointing losses.  I do not see either of these teams laying down, but anything can happen during the bowl season.

Event #3: UGA Swim Meet, Fall Invitational

On Friday, December 2^nd I attended the Fall Invitational Swim Meet between Georgia and several other top swim teams in the nation. These teams included Georgia, California, Auburn, Virginia, UNC-Wilmington, Maryland, Harvard, Indiana, Alabama, and Florida. The entirety of this experience was one that was truly unique to me. I had never been to a swim meet before and I was surprised at how interesting I found it to be. The event was held inside the Ramsey Center at UGA’s campus pool facilities. Throughout the event, I noticed several people working to ensure everything ran smoothly. Besides the swimmers, and coaches, people were setup around the pool to time each race, and there were people who checked their times for accuracy. Also, there appeared to be some athletic trainers scattered around the facility.

As far as the commerciality of the event, not many messages or advertisements were presented. Unlike at football games where there is literally some kind of advertisement or message presented at every second of the game, the swim meet only had small promotions—virtually all of them promoting something on campus. Also, present at the meet were a lot of older individuals, and very very few students, if any. This is a little disappointing because I know that the swim team works hard, and they too deserve the support of the student body. Hopefully this will change. Of course, as of now, if I were visiting UGA I would definitely assume that swimming was not at all a big-time sport. Here at UGA, football and basketball dominate. Other sports are merely secondhand. All in all, I enjoyed this event and learned a lot about swimming that I did not know before.

Bowl Bids No Longer A Reward For Excellence

Have bowl games gotten too out of control? Frank Jolley from the Memphis Commercial Appeal certainly thinks so in his article. Having 35 bowls in the 2011-2012 season means that 70 teams will have to fill bowl bids. That means more than half of the FBS-division will participate in a bowl. Jolley feels that bowls are meant to reward teams for having an accomplished season. Beating team from the FCS-subdivision to qualify for a bowl bid should not be considered an accomplished season.

With all of the debate about who plays for the National Championship, shouldn’t there be a better way to eliminate teams that maybe don’t even deserve a post-season? The amount of bowls that are being played between teams that just don’t make the cut is a little much. A perfect example is Florida and Ohio State competing in the Gator Bowl. Both teams just barely qualified for bowls despite what most, from these respected programs, might consider difficult seasons. Yet they still have the chance to play in bowl games.

The idea of bowl games are great and they do bring in good money for the cities that hold these bowls. The fan base that travel with the team and put in their money to travel really boosts a city. They are also great fun for players and fans playing in a neutral city that they probably dont’ get to play in much. They can be really good for some schools, but when the point is a reward, there are some teams that just don;t seem deserving.

The bowls are great from a fans perspective because there is more football to be seen. However, there are some teams that just don’t seem deserving of this reward. Maybe they should introduce a playoff system which would give the fans plenty of football to watch and it wouldn’t be the fourth-team from the Mountain West versus the third team from Conference USA. Bowl games, as fun and great as they may be, should represent the great season that a team has undergone.

Change of Cell Number Sends Calls From Potential Ole MIss Coaches to Texas Man

Jeff Roper of the Mississippi Press wrote an article titled “Change of Cell Numbers Sends Calls From Potential Ole Miss Coaches to Texas Man.” In it he discusses the consequences that came long with  a man named Byron Guidry changing his phone number. Guidry received the old cell phone number of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning. Manning is currently the co-chair of the committee lookig to hire the new head coach of the Rebels and many interested coaches have contacted Guidry instead of Manning.

Ole Miss is on the hunt to replace Houston Nutt, who left the program after a highly disappointing 2-10 season. Although this is true, the Rebels are nearing an end to their coaching search, with the head coach at Arkansas State and the Alabama defensive coordinator being the school’s top two choices.

Byron Guidry has received texts like the following: “Archie, I have tremendous love for Ole Miss. I would love to serve as their next head coach. Any consideration would be greatly appreciated.’

My only question is, why did Archie Manning decide to change his phone number at such an important time?

SIU, Lennon Close to Contract Extension

Todd Hefferman of the Southern Illinoisan wrote an article titled “SIU, Lennon Close to Contract Extension.” Football coach Dale Lennon of Southern Illinois University signed a five year contract in December of 2007 with a base salary of $200,000 a year. His contract will run out after next season. Despite his first back-to-back losing seasons, he is expected to sign a multi-year extension later this month.

Athletic director Mario Moccia admitted that even though the past few seasons have not gone in SIU’s favor, he wants to keep Dale Lennon as a coach. This article just addresses Lennon as the football coach so I guess it is safe to assume he is the head coach. It is always hard to keep a head coach after multiple losing seasons but I hope that everything works out for SIU.

NJ Leads the Effort to Overturn Federal Ban on Sports Gambling

Bob Holt of NewJerseyNewsRoom.com wrote an article titled “NJ Leads the Effort to Overturn Federal Ban on Sports Gambling.” In it he addressed New Jersey state senator, Raymond Lesniak’s plan to prove to the senate that approved gambling can help cure the state’s financial ills. 

According to the Huffington post, wagering on games is prohibited in every state except Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. The UCLA Gambling Studies Program says Americans bet $100 billion each year on sports. Lesniak says a lot of that money goes to illegal Internet sites and organized crime when the state could be seeing revenue. If this proposal is passed in NJ, many states will begin to consider legalizing sports gambling.

The author states that those against legalizing sports gambling say it is wrong because people will get addicted. There have to be more points to that opposing argument that I would have liked to hear. Being from NJ myself, I am curious to see what the senate decides.

 

Event Post #3

On Friday I attended the Fall Invitational Swim meet between Georgia, Cal, Auburn, Virginia, Indiana, UNC- Wilmington, Harvard, Maryland, Florida, and Alabama.  I had never been to a swim meet before so this was a first experience for me.  Despite the overwhelming smell of chlorine, it was a very good experience.  There were people that had to be timers for the races and there were three per lane to make sure that the times were accurate.  There were also people that were working to film the races.  Also, there were people that gave the swimmers massages.  There were not many messages being presented at the game if at all.  There were definitely not any commercial things being promoted. There were a few things to just promote the University of Georgia in general with pamphlets in the stands but there is not a screen to have any commercials so there were not any of those.  It was just focused on the event and promoting the athletes.  In the stands, there were primarily parents of the athletes.  Besides the students that were timers, I’m pretty sure I was the only other student at the event.  If I were a visitor to UGA, I would know that swimming probably is not as big of a deal at the school, but I would definitely be impressed with the facilities for the meet.

OSU Fans Take Celebrating to a Whole New Level

The Associated Press highlights Oklahoma State’s celebration that took place Saturday night after their victory over archrival Oklahoma.

 

The Cowboys certainly had something to celebrate.  With a victory over Oklahoma, they won the Big 12 championship for the first time since 1948 and strengthened their chances at appearing in the BCS title game. This was the first Oklahoma State victory in eight years.

 

However, Cowboy fans took the celebrating a little out of hand. After the game, thousands of OSU fans rushed the field at Boone Pickens stadium and tore down the goal posts. The crowd was so large that officials had no way of controlling the madness. Officials watched as people jumped from the stands, some landing on the concrete, and others getting trampled by the masses. The celebration led to thirteen injuries, two of which left people in critical condition. After almost 45 minutes of chaos on the field, officials finally managed to begin clearing the crowd.

 

The injured were taken to hospitals in Oklahoma City. Michael Authement, a command post leader at LifeNet EMS, commented on the nights events. Authement said that all gamedays in Oklahoma City are crazy, however, this was the craziest he has ever seen it. Earlier this year, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake rocked the stadium as fans were leaving the Oklahoma State-Kansas State game. Although this was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the state of Oklahoma, Authement said the chaos after last night’s game far surpassed the chaos after the earthquake.

Bowl bids no longer reward for excellence

In an online column on dailycommercial.com, Frank Jolley discusses his problem with how bowl games reward unworthy teams. He says that more than likely, Ohio State and Florida will play each other this bowl season in the Gator Bowl. Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer is now the head coach of Ohio State, so Frank said he wouldn’t mind seeing Meyer “dodge barbs — and possibly cups, hot dog wrappers and popcorn boxes”.

But what Frank doesn’t agree with is teams that only have 6 wins are allowed to play in a bowl game. He doesn’t think it’s right for average teams to receive millions of dollars to play in a bowl game when their seasons were much less than exceptional. He believes that teams should have at least 8 wins in order to be eligible to play in a bowl game.

He explains that it will get worse because there are expected to be 2 more bowl games added onto the list already in place because of 2 companies trying to get in on this business. Jolley predicts that soon teams with 5 wins will be playing in a bowl game. Frank says he wants to see classic match ups (he gives the example LSU and Alabama in the National Championship), and not contests between two teams barely making it to 6 wins.

Well, my opinion differs greatly with his. Yes, bowl games are all for the money, and yes, it might not be “fair” or “right” in rewarding teams with a mediocre record. But I do believe most college football fans love bowl games, from traveling to the city where their favorite team is playing and having a wonderful experience, maybe even family time, or just watching it on TV from the comfort of their homes. It’s not as if the bowl games are terrible match ups. I think the Gator Bowl will be a great game between Ohio State and Florida, the two teams with 6-6 records. The game will be a little more important because of Meyer’s new position.

Overall, bowl games are profitable for the sponsors because it is advertisement for their company. The media loves bowl season because they get the opportunities to cover so many football games. The cities the games are held at make money with the increased tourism. The fans love it because they get to watch football almost every day during the winter holidays. The players work hard all year-round to try to do the best they can to make it to a bowl game, and let’s face it, they only have 4 or 5 years to be on the team. So why not have as many teams possible play in a bowl game, especially if the sponsors are there. I know that I love to watch football, and I’d say that the more games there are to watch, the happier I’ll be!

LSU-Alabama rematch makes mockery of BCS

In an article on si.com, Stewart Mandel discusses the implications that an LSU-Alabama BCS title game will have on the BCS system. He argues that the BCS’s motto of “Every game counts” will not be upheld if there is a LSU-Bama rematch like most analysts predict. The rematch would make the first matchup back on November 5th worth nothing. Alabama already had their chance at LSU on their home field and were not able to defeat the Tigers.

Now even the SEC championship game may not make a difference in the Tigers’ bowl plans. They’re predicted to remain in the top 2 of the BCS rankings even if they do lose to Georgia tomorrow. This whole situation makes a complete mockery of the BCS system. Alabama and LSU may indeed be the two best teams in the nation, but what has happened to the stigma that you have to win your conference to earn a spot in the BCS title game? If UGA does manage to pull the upset, then neither team in the title game would have won their conference!

Hopefully, this year’s latest BCS flaw will lead to some changes in the system like adding a plus one game and getting rid of the automatic qualifier conferences. It’s fairly evident that something needs to be changed, and all college football fans can join together in hoping that the powers that be make those changes.

 

Meyer’s Return to College Football

In an article published on Espn’s website, reporters officially break the news that Urban Meyer will return to college football. Having stepped down as the head coach at the University of Florida after last season, Meyer was supposed to be taking time off to focus on his health and spend more time with his family.

 

However, as Espn details, Meyer is back. The news broke early Tuesday that Meyer has officially accepted the head coaching position at Ohio State University.

 

Meyer will replace the Buckeye’s temporary coach Luke Fickell. Fickell took over after long-time Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel was forced out due to NCAA violations. Tressel was aware that his players had been taking money and other benefits illegally and had failed to report them to the NCAA. When these allegations were made public, Tressel stepped down as head coach. Fickell took over and lead the Buckeyes to a less than satisfactory season this year.

 

Meyer has been brought in to hopefully help revamp the program. Meyer defends his decision to come back to college football saying that he didn’t realize how much he would miss the job. However, this does little to satisfy Florida Gator fans that feel betrayed by their former coach. Colleagues also defend Meyer saying it was a great opportunity that he could not pass up. Having taken the new coaching job, Meyer will become one of the highest paid coaches in all of college athletics. His contract with Ohio State guarantees a base salary of $4 million a year.

 

Fans are left to question whether Meyer’s return to coaching was truly because of his love for the job or because of the large paycheck he will be receiving.

New Boise State AD faces a lot of hurdles to overcome

Over the past ten years who has been the winningest program in college football? USC? Florida? LSU? Oklahoma? Nope. The Boise State Broncos from Idaho of all states claim that title. Under former athletic director Gene Bleymaier, Boise State rose from an obscure school in Idaho to a major contender in football. However, after the school was hit with sanctions, Bleymaier was dismissed and the hunt for a new AD began. But it only took one candidate before the school knew who it wanted. Mark Coyle was hired as the new AD on Thursday and the school laid out their reasoning for the hire. They wanted someone who had previous experience inside a major program, fundraise and comply with NCAA rules. Boise State is hoping they can maintain the consistent success that they have become so known for.

One of the more interesting things to me was the emphasis Boise State put on finding an athletic director with fundraising experience. It really shows how much the schools count on outside money to fund their athletic departments. Especially at a school like Boise State who is still trying grow into a bigger program. Bleymaier’s decision to put in a blue field shows the length at which schools will go to separate themselves from everyone else. At a school like Boise State they need their athletic director to also be able to market their school.

I think that the author should have put more emphasis on how important it is for Boise State to market themselves and try to create a national brand.

CSU A.D. switcheroo

In a staff editorial for the Colorado State student newspaper that was sent out over the CFAA clips, the editorial staff makes a serious point about the AD changes at CSU. It explains that private donors agreed to pay the remaining 3.5 years of old AD Paul Kowalczyk’s contractual salary, while the university will sign new AD Jack Graham. Graham himself is a high-level donor to the University.

While this is a powerful and emotionally charged article, I feel that it is poorly written. It misses the detail in favor of the theatrical. It overdoes it. Give us more info and let the facts speak for themselves. A bunch of pointed rhetorical questions don’t reveal anything to anyone, except that you are letting your emotions get in the way of your reporting.

Of the facts that are included, I think there’s definitely a story behind this switch. I just hope this student newspaper takes a second look and writes a really impactful article.

Freeze to Replace Nutt at Ole Miss

It’s official. Sources say that Arkansas Sate’s Hugh Freeze has agreed to take on the role of head football coach at Ole Miss. According to an article by the Associated Press on ESPN.com, Freeze met with Ole Miss officials Sunday night, and is expected to take on the role of head football coach very soon. Freeze is coming out of a highly successful career at Arkansas State. Recently he led his team to the 2011 Sunbelt Conference Championship and a 10-2 record. This was only his first year coaching at the Football Bowl Subdivision Level. Alongside all of this, Arkansas State recently accepted an invitation to play in the Go.Daddy.com Bowl—a bowl that Coach Freeze does not know if he will coach in or not. This question is expected to be answered sometime quite soon—perhaps in the next few hours.

Before Coaching at Arkansas State, Freeze had an impressive track record. He first coached at Briarcrest High School in Memphis, Tennessee. In 13 years there, he produced a 99-23 record, and won two state championships. During this time he also coached NFL superstar and former Ole Miss standout, Michael Oher. Subsequent to his time at Briarcrest, Freeze joined the staff at Oregon, where he served as an off-the-field capacity before joining the on-field staff in 2006 as a receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. As a recruiter at Oregon, Freeze was indeed a force to be reckoned with. He was notorious for recruiting some of the top players in the country. At last, Freeze transferred to Arkansas State where he served as offensive coordinator. However, after head coach Steve Roberts was fired, Freeze was promoted to head coach. Thus, he produced one of the most successful Arkansas State football squads in the history of the school.

The Ole Miss hiring of Hugh Freeze is risky indeed. Despite his impressive track record, he has not been exposed to Southeastern Conference level of play. In a matter of one off-season, he must prepare both himself and his new team to challenge such football coaching greats as Les Miles, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, and Mark Richt. He seems ready to take on the job, but time will tell if he is truly prepared. As for all of those linked to Ole Miss, this coaching change is perhaps a breath of fresh air. After producing one of the most dismal football seasons in the history of the school, the firing of Houston Nutt seemed more than necessary. Everyone at Ole Miss is hoping that this change will bring about a brighter future—a future without 0 and 8 records in SEC play. Undoubtedly, this article covers every important detail involved with this case. Most importantly, we are fully introduced to Hugh Freeze, soon to be officially appointed head coach at Ole Miss. Moreover, the potential affects of this coaching shift, as well as the thought process behind this coaching shift are discussed in a thorough manner. All in all, this  article is highly informative, and one that highlights one of the more recently popular stories in the college football world.

Event #3

As I cheerleader, I was a part of the homecoming parade held the Friday night before the homecoming game. This was my first time attending, let alone being in, any type of parade. I was expecting to see lots of people out and excited about the event, but that wasn’t the case. Most of the people there were families with young children. All the little kids wanted was candy and since we didn’t have any candy in our float, the kids were not interested. I think whoever puts on the event was trying to send a message of school spirit and pride, but it didn’t really come off that way. The people in the crowd weren’t very excited and the parade was over in a short amount of time. If I were a visitor to UGA I would have been confused about the whole purpose of the parade. I would have thought that the school did take pride in itself, but maybe that people just don’t participate in the events that the school puts on.

Event #2

Since I am injured, the home football game against Kentucky was the first game I got to watch from the sidelines instead of cheering. UGA won 19-12 and clinched the SEC East title in the process. What I notice most often when down on the field is that there are a ton of people who work for the media. There are so many cameras and videocameras and you’ll find yourself tripping over cords from all the various equipment they carry along. I also notice that there is a lot of security. Towards the end of the game all of the security guards come down and create a barrier around the field in what I would think is an effort to stop anyone who shouldn’t be on the field from getting down there after the game is over.

I noticed that there is also lots of advertising going on throughout the entire game. Every time you look up at the jumbotron, you are bound to see the name of any given company. I think the message they were trying to send is that if this specific company supports Georgia Football, then you should take your business to them.

If I were visiting UGA I would think that everyone there loves football and that’s one of the main things they care about. I wouldn’t have learned much about the school itself, except for that it looks like a fun place to be if you’re interested in football.

How much longer will Dooley be the head coach at Tennessee?

If Derek Dooley cannot rise to the challenge to turn the Tennessee Vols around and fix the morale problem among the players, he may not be the coach of Tennessee much longer.  Tennessee lost to Kentucky 10-7, and even worse than the loss was how bad and hopeless the players looked and played.

Dooley was unable to get all of his players to “play on the same team,” and he will have to do this before the Vols can turn around and have a winning season.  “Now we’ve got to begin our climb up,” Dooley said. “I do believe at some point we were going to hit a place that wasn’t good. We were kind of headed in this direction all along, and we just couldn’t fight our way out of it. …We just never really could put it together. The result is a losing season and no bowl bid. We kept searching but nothing seemed to work.”

In exit interviews conducted with players after the game it was obvious that a rift existed between the seniors and the younger players.  Senior linebacker Austin Johnson felt that many of the younger players had their own agenda and didn’t play for the good of the team.  “It’s all about them — their stats and stuff,” he said.  He went on to say that he felt some of the players were not interested or willing to do what was necessary to beat Kentucky and become bowl eligible.

The Vols play against Kentucky was completely uninspired; they only had 276 yards and one touchdown against a team ranked 10^th in the SEC in total defense.  This was UT’s first loss to Kentucky since 1984, breaking a 26-game winning streak.  It is true that there are some mitigating circumstances; UT’s roster is lacking talent in the junior and senior classes and injuries have taken a toll.  This means that Dooley will have to make recruiting his major priority, and he will have to come up with a way to pull the team together if they are going to turn themselves around.  Dooley is well aware that this is what he must do,

“We’re not a good football team and we’ve got a lot of work to be a good football team,” Dooley said. “We need to go to work at that.”

The Vols players, fans, coaches, and especially Coach Dooley are all affected by the news in this article.   It is obvious that some huge changes have to be made in the make-up of the team, and even more so in the morale of the team, and the final outcome rests on Coach Dooley’s shoulders.   If Derek Dooley is unable to turn the team around, he will most likely be looking for a new job next season, if not before.  A losing and sad season like the one the Vols just had could also adversely affect their recruiting efforts, which are so crucial to their success.  Some of the coaches may decide to look for other jobs and not be willing to risk another losing season such as this one.

Climer does a good job with this article by giving perspective from the senior players and Coach Dooley.  It would have been interesting to hear the views of some of the younger players to the accusations fielded by the senior players.

 

Saban pleads BCS voters

“Be fair,” is the advice that Alabama head football coach Nick Saban gives to BCS poll voters.  As of right now, the team facing LSU in the National Championship title game is up in the air. This is mostly credited to the fact that one, Alabama didn’t win their conference title, and two, because people possibly want to avoid a rematch between LSU and Bama.

Saban is planning to spend his week pleading to BCS voters to simply vote on the two best teams in the nation, one of which he feels is Alabama. His claim is that if the best two teams aren’t chosen for the national title game, then it’s not fair to the players of either team that are chosen.

It’s obvious that the BCS has had some major changes this year, but is campaigning for poll votes really necessary? The National Championship game is beginning to feel more like an election. The article gives a fairly complete representation of Saban’s dedication and desire to have his team playing for the national title, as well as quotes from Bama’s noseguard and tailback on how they feel about not playing in Atlanta this weekend.

The fact that Saban is making such public comments requesting fairness from poll voters could possibly have a negative effect on the University of Alabama’s football team. If his claims were really true, and that the BCS should vote on the best two teams in the nation, then whether or not he campaigns for Bama shouldn’t matter. This really points back to the major issue of what is wrong with the BCS process, and the fact that the number 1 and 2 teams are from the same conference. Because so many people who aren’t fans of SEC teams are getting tired of all of the publicity and praise that the SEC is receiving, voters are likely to sway towards a team that is not a part of this conference.

Who will Ole Miss choose as their next Head Coach?

UL would love to keep Mark Hudspeth as their head coach and not lose him to Ole Miss or any other school.  “But the Ragin’ Cajuns’ monetary resources stretch only so far,” UL Athletic Director Scott Farmer suggested Monday night.  Farmer went to say that he plans to meet with Hudspeth this week and discuss “renegotiating and/or restructuring” his contract.   Ole Miss’s former coach, Houston Nutt, is said to have made $2,771,750, which is a far cry from the $360,000, which is the base salary of Hudspeth’s contract for this year.

Farmer confirmed that UL had given permission to Ole Miss to interview Hudspeth, and then graciously went on to say that while he certainly did not want to lose Hudspeth, the institution would help him get any job that Hudspeth felt was best for him and his family.  Farmer did say that UL could not compete financially with an SEC school, but they would do what they could.

OleMiss.Spirit.com reported that Hudspeth did meet with the Old Miss search committee in New Orleans last Sunday.  Hudspeth did not honor requests for comments and his agent, Ron Campbell, said via email Monday night that “we don’t comment on other job openings.”

Hudspeth appears to be among the four or five leading candidates for the Ole Miss job.  Other contenders include Southern Mississippi head coach Larry Fedora, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, Arkansas State head coach and ex-Ole Miss assistant Hugh Freeze, and maybe Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.   Alabama head coach Nick Saban wants Smart to get the job.  “Leadership is really an important part of being a head of anything, a business or whatever it is, and I think Kirby is a great leader,” Saban told reporters during his weekly news conference Monday.

Fedora is concentrating on preparing his Golden Eagles to face Houston in Saturday’s Conference-USA championship game so he will probably not interview until after that.  Freeze is also concentrating on preparing his team for a game, Arkansas State’s regular-season finale against Troy on Saturday, and Arkansas State AD Dr. Dean Lee commented in a statement released Monday. “Requests by any institution to speak with Coach Freeze during this week have not and will not be granted.”  Lee went on to say that Arkansas State would like to keep Freeze and are putting a package together for him that will reflect that.

There are many people and institutions affected by this article.  Ole Miss is going to be greatly affected because probably one of these men will be their new head coach. Southern Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas State, and possibly Auburn will be affected if one of their coaches takes the Ole Miss job and leaves their school.  The players at Old Miss and the school from which their new coach comes will also be greatly affected.  Hopefully, the news that several coaches are considering new positions will not affect the last games and bowl games for the teams of which they presently coach.

The author did a good job discussing the top contenders for the Ole Miss coaching position and their schools reactions to their possibly being interviewed or leaving.  It would have made the article even better if Hudspeth had made a comment, but it is certainly understandable why he didn’t.

Event #3

I attended the UGA volleyball game against Mississippi State at the Ramsey Center and watched as the women prevailed with a 3-1 victory. Having mostly attended UGA football games, with the exception of a few basketball games during my childhood, it was interesting to attend an event that was not nearly as popular as the ones I had been to in the past.

The most obvious difference between a UGA football game and a UGA volleyball game is the promotions that occur during a volleyball game. At football games, there is no need to encourage people to attend because football has such a large fan base and consistently turns a profit. However, volleyball is much different. In order to encourage fans to attend the games, the cheerleaders throw out free t-shirts and free pizzas are given out. I certainly cannot think of anything else that would draw a broke college student’s attention better than free things being given out at a free event. The volleyball program certainly does a good job at promoting their team, even if the fan base remains dismal in comparison to other athletic events.

However, on the subject of fan bases, I did notice something interesting about the volleyball fans. There was a loyal group of students that apparently attend every match and have their own cheers for each player. At larger athletic events there is obviously a loyal group of followers, however, most of the fans are not able to make personal connections with members of the team. At the volleyball game, it was clear that this loyal group of fans had personal connections with the teams’ members. I thought this was an interesting difference between the different athletic events.

If I was a visitor to UGA and had attended the volleyball match against Mississippi State, I would be impressed by the devoted section of fans and intrigued by the free goodies being handed out. Granted, I would notice an obvious difference in popularity between the volleyball match and perhaps a football or basketball game, but I would also see that UGA students take the time to support all aspects of their athletic program. Whether those few students attend solely for the free pizza and t-shirts, or they’re a member of the devoted volleyball fans that attend every match, they still attend; and that is what is important.

Event #2

As part of Homecoming every year, the sororities on campus pair up with a fraternity and the two participate in various festivities the week before the football game. As a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, we were paired with the fine young men of Sigma Phi Epsilon for the week. Unfortunately, I was not able to participate in the homecoming parade that took place the evening before the game, however, I was a part of the street painting earlier in the week.

Street painting was definitely an interesting experience. The street was packed with people from every fraternity and sorority on campus, everyone focusing on their designated square of concrete outside of Tate. While there was no one there dictating directions, it was up to each group to organize their paintings and get them completed in a clean and fast manner.

The paintings for each sorority/fraternity pair had their own theme, however the overall theme was the same: promote UGA football. It was interesting to see the different ways each group decided to go about this task. Zeta and Sig Ep chose to highlight a classic figure known throughout the nation: Larry Munson. Larry Munson is a name that will forever be associated with UGA football because of his extraordinary performance as a radio announcer and his dedication to the Bulldawgs.

If I were a visitor to UGA observing street painting, I would be impressed by the groups’ devotion and their obvious school spirit. Having an enthusiastic fan base in an important aspect of winning any kind of sporting contest, especially football. The students all coming together and transforming the concrete in front of the stadium into a mural of UGA football shows how passionate students here are about their football.

Event #1

I attended the UGA-Auburn game here at Sanford Stadium and cheered the Bulldawgs on to an impressive 45-7 victory. The most popular figures at the game were the players and coaches, being cheered on by the ecstatic crowd of Bulldawg faithful, while the Auburn fans mourned over their team’s poor performance. However, other notable figures at the game included the ushers and food service men and women.While most people pay absolutely no attention to these people, they are the ones that make the game run smoothly for the fans.

As a student, we must present student IDs and get a wristband in order to sit in the student section. Without the ushers, we could have random men and women and even rivals in our ever so popular student section which would most certainly cause problems. Because the ushers make sure to properly check all IDs, the student section is a great place to watch the game because you’re surrounded by your friends and other students that are just as enthusiastic as you are. The food service men and women provide refreshment and satisfy hunger, and the fans never even have to leave their seats. Even though UGA was crushing Auburn on nearly every possession, it was an enjoyable game to watch and it was nice not having to leave my seat in order to grab a bottle of water or some peanuts.

Another large part of the game, apart from the action on the field, was the advertisements displayed on the scoreboards. Because college football is such a profitable sport, especially in the south, the game was dominated by promotions for companies such as Direct TV and St. Mary’s Hospital. While the companies do a good job of promoting their name, they often get overlooked because fans are paying more attention to the players on the field than they are the advertisements flashing across the big screens.

If I were a visitor to UGA, my first impression of the school after the Auburn game would be mixed. I would notice the obvious passion and love that UGA fans have for their football team, but I would also notice that this adoration turns into cockiness and rudeness, in some respects. UGA fans, especially this season, are very proud of all that the Bulldawgs have accomplished. After the Auburn game, this pride was definitely thrown in the faces of the few Auburn fans that stayed on campus. All throughout the night the chapel bell was ringing and UGA fans were getting into confrontations with Auburn fans, as if a 45-7 beating was not bad enough.

Overall, there are many aspects that go into a football game here at UGA. It was interesting to take a step back and look at the different people involved and the advertisements and see how they played into the game.

Attorney Says Suit Planned in FAMU Band Death

Freida Frisaro of the Associated Press wrote an article titled, “Attorney Says Suit Planned in FAMU Band Death.” Recently, Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion died in what authorities suspect was a hazing incident. He was found on a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel vomiting and complaining that he couldn’t breathe shortly before he collapsed. HIs family plans to sue the school.

The cause of Champion’s death is still uncertain and could take up to three months to learn of exactly what killed him however, he shows signs of hazing. In Florida, any death involving hazing is a third-degree felony. His family hopes a lawsuit against the school will help raise awareness about the issue of band hazing at FAMU.

Usually, at historically black schools the band is something that is prized. Band members are respected just as much, if not more, than athletes at those schools. That being said, I am not surprised at all that serious hazing takes place. The article mentions other HBCUs around the country that have experienced the same problem as FAMU. It does not say how these issues were handled or what is being done to stop it. I am interested to see how far FAMU will go to not lose this lawsuit.

 

Event Post #2

I attended the Dawg Walk before the final home game of the season against Kentucky.  I have been to a Dawg Walk before, but it was a different experience this time because when I went before I was much younger.  This is understandable because the Dawg Walk definitely has a family atmosphere to it.  From what I could tell, it was more family – oriented and students were definitely outnumbered by parents and children.  However, I loved the atmosphere with the band playing and everyone getting excited for the game.  Especially since we were about to clinch the SEC east, everyone seemed really excited.  There were no advertisements from what I could tell and it was all focused on the school and the spirit of the fans, which I really like about it.  It is not about the money or anything else but it is about getting everyone excited about the coming game.  If I was someone from a different school coming to visit Georgia I would be impressed to see so many fans there and how much school spirit was there.  I would be impressed with the overall positive atmosphere of the event.

Todd Grantham’s defense has flourished at Georgia in year two

In an article for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, David Paschall addresses the severe change Georgia in defensive production Georgia has seen in year two under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Only a year ago, Georgia was 6-6 after a horrible disappointing regular season that left some to question whether Todd Grantham really was the right man to revamp the Georgia defense. The defense ranked near the bottom of the SEC in most statistical categories, a sight most Georgia fans were not used to seeing.

However, in Grantham’s second year, the Bulldogs have seen an amazing turnaround on the defensive side of the ball, now ranking second in the nation in rushing defense and fourth in total defense. This change is largely attributed to the fact that the players are now comfortable with the 3-4 defense and that Grantham now has the right players to fit his system.

It will be very interesting to see how UGA’s defense stacks up against LSU’s defense in the Dome in the SEC Championship and if they will be able to stop LSU’s offense. It will definitely be up to the defense to keep UGA in the game as they have so many times all season, as one can never be sure of how the offense will perform. Whatever the outcome though, Georgia fans should now be concerned about trying to keep Grantham on the staff rather than wondering if they made a mistake in hiring the man.

Passing of a Legend

In an article from the Athens Banner Herald, Loran Smith reminisces about the loss of the legendary Bulldog broadcaster Larry Munson. Beginning his career in 1966, he held his position decades and became known as the voice of UGA football.

Loran Smith knew Munson all the way back to his time as the announcer for Vanderbilt and the Nashville Minor League baseball team. What she remembered most about him was his trademark, crew cut hair style that he always sported.

One of Munson’s lesser known careers was also back in 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved South to Atlanta. Larry Munson teamed up with Milo Hamilton to broadcast Atlanta Brave games. This same year, Munson chanced upon becoming the broadcaster for the Bulldogs after long time announcer Ed Thilenius moved to a bigger job in Atlanta.

Up until the 70’s, Munson still lived with his family in Nashville. Munson would travel on weekends in order to deliver the Bulldog games. He finally uprooted his family and moved to Atlanta to become fully invested in his various radio jobs in Georgia. Munson enjoyed his free time and spent a majority of it hunting and fishing.

Larry Munson throughout his broadcasting career always seemed to have the perfect phrase in the peak moments of games. His voice is unmistakable and embodied UGA football. He will be missed and these next few games will no doubt be dedicated to his great legacy.

Fabled Iron Bowl is much more about passion than poison

With the yearly Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn being played tomorrow, so much of the talk leading up to the game has focused on the hatred both teams have for each other. However, in an article for cbssports.com, Tony Barnhart points out that the game is much more about the passion each side has for their respective team than hating each other.

Much of this talk of the hate Alabama and Auburn have for each other has arisen from the controversy surrounding Harvey Updyke’s poisoning of the famous trees at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn, a severe black mark on the rivalry. But for every fan who takes the rivalry a bit too seriously like Updyke, there are so many others that show the passion that the rivalry is truly about. There is Oakley Melton, a former Alabama student who helped to get the rivalry restarted in 1948 and has not missed an Iron Bowl since that year despite some close calls. There is Dick Coffee, who hasn’t even missed an Alabama game since 1946 (756 consecutive games).

Then there is the true bright spots of the rivalry. This rivalry is about the 40 former players from both schools that played a touch football game this year to raise money for Tuscaloosa after tornadoes hit the town. It is also exemplified by Alabama fans raising $35,000 to attempt to save Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner trees and two army officers, one an Alabama fan and the other an Auburn fan, who live together in typically hear about  who have put their differences aside to fight for our country. These examples are what the Iron Bowl and college football should be all about.

This article was very interesting to read, as you don’t typically hear about these parts of rivalries as heated as the Iron Bowl. Hopefully others can see these examples and realize that there is so much more to rivalries than hate.

Auburn takes extra precautions to protect Toomer’s Corner

The Iron Bowl, played between Auburn and Alabama each year after Thanksgiving, is arguably one of the most intense rivalries in the country.  This is especially true when each of the two teams has a strong football program, which happens pretty regularly.  Last year, Auburn beat Alabama before they went on to become both SEC Champions and National Champions.  All of Alabama’s fans were outraged…and unfortunately for Auburn, Harvey Updyke acted on this rage.

Toomer’s Corner, which is sacred ground to both Auburn students and fans alike, is located on the corner where downtown meets the Auburn campus.  The trees on the corner are rolled with toilet paper after Auburn victories, a tradition that dates back to the 1950s.  After Alabama’s loss to Auburn last fall, Updyke poisoned the trees on Toomer’s Corner with Spike 80DF and instantly became the most hated man in Alabama.

This year, while an Auburn victory is not likely, there will be up to 200 police in Auburn from Thursday until Sunday, with a special tower set up overlooking Toomer’s to ensure that the only vandalism that occurs is toilet papering.

This news affects all of Auburn’s fans and supporters, and should be very comforting to them as it will be unlikely that anyone will attempt to vandalize Toomer’s Corner again this year.  The article described what measures will be taken by the law enforcement of the town this weekend, and hopefully it will put to rest any concerns that fans may have about their hollowed ground.

Urban Meyer Making Moves

In a CFAA clip by Gene Frenette, the Meyer-Buckeye situation is analyzed from a unique perspective. Yes, he’s most likely going to coach there. Who’s upset? Florida fans. Frenette cautions the Gator lovers that they have no reason to be angry and really just look dumb when they do. Meyer gave UF a great 5 years, and he was right to dip out when he did, if not sooner. He got them Tebow and won a pair of SEC and national championships.

Yes, he may be a little sketchy, and he may sound like a bit of a liar once he takes the Ohio State job, but honestly, who cares? It’s his dream job– let him have it.

I think it’s funny that Gators are mad at Meyer. Let him do what he wants to do. He’s not your coach anymore. I liked this different angle on the Meyer move back to coaching.

Sue Paterno Denied Access to Campus Pool

According to an article on ESPN.com, Sue Paterno, wife of the legendary Joe Paterno, was recently denied entry into a campus pool at Penn State University. This incident comes just weeks after the Jerry Sandusky child sex-scandal emerged into the public eye—an occurrence that resulted in the immediate firing of “Jo-Pa”, despite his being a part of the Penn State athletic program for nearly half a century.

Sue Paterno is known for being very active and physically fit. Swimming on campus was part of her regular routine—until now. Only a few days ago she was completely denied of being able to swim in the same campus pool that she had used several times before. A family representative told the press that the Paterno family is “deeply saddened” by this seemingly insensitive gesture. However, Bill Mahon, university spokesman, said he was unaware of any ordinance that would have denied Mrs. Paterno from campus pool usage. As far as he knew, Paterno was still held in high regard amongst those tied to Penn State. The situation is one that will need to be investigated.

The fact that Sue Paterno, long time friend and supporter of Penn State athletics, is no longer able to use the Penn State pool certainly sheds light onto the situation at hand.  Both Joe and Sue are now faced with very tough and sensitive circumstances. The fact that Coach Paterno poured his heart and soul into the Penn State program for so many years, only to have all of it taken away in a matter of minutes, is heartbreaking. Of course, the situation surrounding Jerry Sandusky is also heartbreaking. Opinions are swirling, yet many people feel sorry for Joe, feeling as if his tenure at Penn State did not deserve to be snuffed out in such a hasty manner. The news of Mrs. Paterno being turned away from a campus pool will also take its toll on fans and supporters of Penn State University. Everyone seems to be terribly saddened by everything that has happened over the past few weeks, and this new incident is no exception. People shall wonder if denying Mrs. Paterno entrance to the campus pool was a just move. Some say yes, while others deem the act a horribly insensitive thing to do—especially due to the fact that on top of everything else, Joe was just recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

The very crux of the matter is that all of this is linked back to Jerry Sandusky, and all of the horrible things that he did. The acts of Jerry Sandusky will forever plague the Penn State football program, and as of now, it seems that things will never quite return to normal. Prayers certainly go out to the Paterno family, as this is certainly a trying period for them.

Returning Clemson-USC Rivalry To Its Former Glory

Travis Sawchick of the Charleston Post and Courier writes an article discussing the relevance of the Clemson South Carolina rivalry game. At the rivalries beginning, the game was played the Thursday night of Thanksgiving. This gave the heated, in-state rivalry a lot of national exposure because it was one of, if not the only, college football game broadcast over the radio that night.

 

However, since the 1960 season, the game has been played the Saturday after Thanksgiving along with many other heated, inner state rivalries. For this reason, the Clemson-South Carolina game has lost a lot of its former hype. For South Carolina residents, the game is still very important; but for other college football fans across the nation, they tune into the bigger rivalries, such as Alabama-Auburn.

 

Recently, there has been talk of moving the game back to the Thursday night time slot in order to increase its popularity. While coaches of both teams are in favor of this idea, South Carolina head coach, Steve Spurrier, and Clemson athletic director, Terry Phillips, believe that the time slot is not the game’s only problem. Both Spurrier and Phillips agree that for the game to gain more national attention, both teams must continue to perform at a higher level.

 

Rivalry games are undoubtedly more fun to watch when the stakes of the game are high. Regardless of the inner state rivalry, people are not likely to tune in to watch two unranked teams play each other. Alabama-Auburn is always a heated rivalry because of the success of both teams, along with the inner state rivalry. In order for the Clemson-South Carolina game to return to its former glory, both teams must continue to succeed like they have been this past season.

David Shaw: ‘BCS System Flawed’

“Bottom line is, the BCS is flawed,” Stanford head football coach David Shaw said. What defines a quality win? What is considered a non-quality loss? Well, Kevin Gemmel of ESPN.com discusses Shaw’s arguments concerning the flaws in the BCS computer-rankings system.

Shaw compares the season his team has had with that of Virginia Tech, who sits one spot ahead of Stanford in the BCS standings. Stanford lost to tenth-ranked, Oregon and Virginia Tech lost to 17th-ranked, Clemson. Looking at their common opponent, Duke, Stanford whomped the Blue Devils by 30 compared to the four points the Hokies won by. So what reasoning might someone have for Shaw, whose Cardinal team is one of the many fighting to squeak into the National Championship game.

Then there is the example of Oklahoma State, who lost to unranked Iowa State this past weekend. Where did the Cowboys wind up? They dropped from second to fourth in the country. Two spots they lost from their loss to an unranked team. Going back to Stanford, after their loss to at the time seventh-ranked Oregon, they dropped from fourth to ninth. So, does this mean that Iowa State is better than Oregon? I don’t think so.

The BCS system is absolutely ridiculous! It is a popularity contest! The fact that there are voters out there who determine the rankings makes it very subjective. Shaw brings up a good point with his comments. The fact that Stanford loses to a top ten team and drops five places whereas an unranked team upsets the number-two ranked team and they drop two spots makes no sense. As competitive as things are becoming in college football, there needs to be a better system for determining who plays for the national championship. It cannot and should not be up to voters to decide who their favorite two teams are to play for the national championship.

Event #3- Dawg Walk

I went to the Dawg Walk before the Kentucky game on November 19. I have been going to games for 15 years and have never gone to the Dawg Walk, so this was a new experience for me! I really liked the atmosphere of the event, but it was definitely a family event. I wish it was something my parents had taken me to when I was younger, because I feel like that’s when I would have enjoyed it most. The band playing and team getting everyone so excited was a great thing to see. If I were visiting UGA and went to the Dawg Walk I would be impressed with how team-spirit focused the event is. From my observation, there were no ads or anything at all besides love for the Dawgs. That kind of atmosphere was a fun thing to be a part of.

Event Post #2

I attended the Dawg Walk in the Tate Parking Lot before the Kentucky game this Saturday. I had never attended a Dawg Walk before and it was certainly a good time. What I really took away from the event is the atmosphere, everyone was in high spirits for the Bulldogs’ shot at the SEC East title. The band was playing and the crowd was wild. It had more of a family friendly feel than anything, unlike most tailgating which consist of loud music and drinking games. I didn’t notice advertisements if there were any. Had I been just a visitor to UGA for this, I would be envious of how excited our fans are to attend the football games.

2 Ok State women’s basketball coaches die in plane crash

In an online article written by espn.com news services, a tragic plane crash took place late Thursday night in Arkansas. Inside were Oklahoma State’s head women’s basketball coach, Kurt Budke, and assistant coach Miranda Serna. Also killed in the crash was the pilot, 82-year-old Olin Branstetter, and his wife Paula. There were no survivors.

Budke was 50 years old and had just started the season off on a good note with a victory at home over Rice. He and Miranda had just been on a recruiting trip in Little Rock when flying back on Thursday. Their plane crashed into the side of a hill in Perry County, Arkansas.

“The plane was spitting and sputtering and then it spiraled and went nose first into the ground,” Perry County Sheriff Scott Montgomery said.

According to reports, the weather was clear and sunny, around 4 PM. The plane, though, was built in 1964. The age of the plane probably led to it’s failure.

“This is our worst nightmare. The entire OSU family is very close, very close indeed,” Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis stated at a news conference Friday. “To lose anyone, especially these two individuals who are incredible life forces in our family, it is worse beyond words.

 

“When something like this happens and, God forbid it happened again, we have to pull together as a family. We’ve got to try to do that,” Hargis said, breaking down in tears.

 

Another side of the Sandusky scandal

In an article from the Reading Eagle for CFAA, Rich Sarcella gives another viewpoint on the Sandusky scandal. He argues that in the rush to support the victims and condemn those at fault, we have overlooked the good the football team and program itself can do.

He points out that everyone has been causing commotion surrounding the Sandusky case, and rightly so, considering the victims and their families. However, he questions whether the uproar may have been a little too over-the-top. In his mind, justice has been served (or is in the process of being served). Those who knew about what was going on have been fired, and Sandusky will be held accountable. This can never heal the pain caused to the victims and their families, but it is the measured step the University could and should have taken to rectify the situation on their end.

He laments the negative press that surrounds the team at this point. Those players did nothing wrong. Many of them didn’t know Sandusky and definitely weren’t around when the sexual abuse happened. Sarcella argues that these players need to play. He says they can do good, and help to raise awareness for sexual abuse victims. This is a much better alternative to those fringe, outraged people who argue for the football team to cancel a season or opt out of a bowl game if they become eligible.

I agree with Sarcella. He provides a balanced, rational argument that still manages to be powerful and moving. He recognizes the pain Sandusky allegedly caused to many young boys and their families, and does not attempt to belittle their pain. However, instead of remaining accusatory and negative, he looks to uplift those victims and raise awareness. He proposes ways for the university to turn this scandal into something of an awareness campaign.

I thought his assessment was refreshing. Much of what I’ve seen regarding this scandal has been too polarizing: either overly accusatory or insensitive.

Does Penn State Deserve a Bowl?

In an article written by Bud Withers of the Seattle Times, the question of whether Penn State should accept a bid to a bowl game or not is brought up. Amid all the controversy surrounding the child abuse allegations and the loss of Joe Paterno over actions of his Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky, it is in question if the team should even go to a bowl or not.

The immediate impact of this would be on the players. Already they have suffered from the loss of their beloved Joe Paterno and the loss of integrity of the entire coaching staff and administration at Penn State. Now they may have to suffer anymore. It would be almost insane to punish 90 or so football players over issues that took place 12 years ago.

On the other hand, this will show the people of the nation that Penn State is deeply sorry for what has taken place this year. By forfeiting a chance to make millions of dollars for the university in a humble act to show how regretful they are for the developments that have taken place.

Another interesting thought is if the bowls should even extend an invitation to Penn State. If Penn State finds a way to win the Big Ten, would the Rose Bowl even be willing to uphold their end of the bargain to all Big Ten champions by giving them on automatic place in their bowl.

This article’s implications effect a great deal of people. They are certainly of up most importance to Penn State right now. They have the weight of the nation on their shoulders, already having everyone watching their every moves. They are no longer on thin ice now, they’ve crashed through and are now fighting for their life.

Scandals at universities will impact recruiting

Aimee Foster, Laurel Pfahler and Jon Santucci of TCPalm discuss the problems that are going to arise for universities that have scandals in their midst, like Penn State, from the position of the student’s perspective.  The students must think about if they want to accept offers from universities that will have a negative connotation to them when they get there whether the incident is finalized or not.  The students must think about if they want to take that risk or if they want to ignore them all together and take a different route with a different offer.

“If a school has some sort of a scandal, I would still look at them. You have to look at more than just football,” suggests Miller.

This prospective athlete says that he will consider the academics and other aspects of the school to see if they are best for him and ignore the fact that the school has a scandal in their athletic program.  This is one perspective of an athlete that is being recruited, but in my opinion I think that this opinion is going to be hard to come by.

When a school has a scandal, it is a major turn off for prospective athletes.  They want to come into a school that has a good, clean program and they do not want to come into something that already is tarnished.  They are going to want a clean slate and not go into something knowing that they are going to run into problems right off the bat with media especially. If they know that the media is going to have a negative connotation with the university, it is hard to imagine that a player would still really want to consider that university as their number one choice.  Even though you would like to think that a student-athlete would still consider the university for everything else that it has to offer, the scandal involved will still be a major flag for them when they are making their decision.

Georgia’s Todd Grantham Focusing on Kentucky Not Contract Extension

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote a follow up article to my previous blog post. His current article is titled “Georgia’s Todd Grantham Focusing on Kentucky, Not Contract Extension.” Grantham says he is focusing on preparing for Kentucky’s offense and leaving contract negotiations to his agent. “You hire people to do a job for you and I let him handle that part of it,” Grantham added. “My focus is getting the defense to play well and getting us ready for the Kentucky game and getting ready to win the SEC East, truthfully.”

With the Bulldogs on an 8 game winning streak, Grantham’s defense has climbed to number 4 in the nation. He admits that he would love to one day be a head coach but as stated before, his eyes are focused on clenching the title. 

I commend Todd Grantham for focusing on the Kentucky game rather than just caring about renewing his contract. Right now tomorrow’s game is clearly more important to the bulldog nation. However, once the season ends, I am curious to see whether he goes for the contract renewal or a new position at a different school or even in the NFL.

Is it time for college football to split off from the NCAA?

The highest division of collegiate football has always been treated differently than all the other sports. Since the NCAA was created, they have not been involved in sponsoring a championship for Division-I football. Before the BCS came around, shockingly, determining a champion was even more difficult and chaotic. So after years of being considered separate from the other sports, is it time for major college football to become its own entity in and of itself? Brad Rock argues his case in favor of football only conferences in his article “It may be time to fix whole college football system”. His main point is that conference expansion has become so cut-throat and ridiculous that it is time for the big schools to create their own system. With the Big East going after western schools, he thinks that the days regional conferences are numbered and that due to this travel will become too expensive for many programs. The WAC’s failure to maintain such a  large conference in the 1990s is his example of how this system does not work. Instead, he wants eight conferences which include 10 teams each and are organized by region. In their new league, they can either still take control of the bowl games or move to a playoff system.

I agree with Rock that conference expansion is becoming more of desperation moves rather than benefiting college football as a whole. Do I really believe that BYU’s first choice for a conference is the Big East? Of course not. It does not make sense geographically, travel-wise, culturally and it even doesn’t provide much stability for the Cougars. The Big East is basically a ticking timebomb. But the Cougars cannot take the chance of being left out in the long run. Was Missouri the SEC’s first choice? I doubt that too, and I think it was mainly a move to 1. reach an even number of teams for the conference and 2. add maybe a few TV markets.  However, I’m not sure what how leaving the NCAA would truly benefit college football. I just don’t see why the NCAA and the schools can figure out the fairest division of teams economically, competitively and in proximity. Then create whatever sort of postseason structure that they would like.

Rock should have gone into more detail about how leaving the NCAA is the best option for college football, I feel like he was mostly just arguing for a playoff system instead of dealing with conference expansion.

Coach K- another milestone

Each sport has its legends—the people who have made a name for themselves by doing the unthinkable.  In college basketball, Mike Krzyzewski is the coaching legend.  More commonly known as Coach K, he has a vast amount of great accomplishments, including 4 National Championships, 11 Final Four appearances, 13 ACC Tournament Championships, an Olympic gold medal, and most recently, winning his 903^rd game to make him the all-time winningest coach in NCAA D1 men’s basketball history.

Tuesday night, the Duke Blue Devils faced the Michigan State Spartans in Madison Square Garden for what was undoubtedly going to be a close matchup.  The Blue Devils went into the game with one goal—to play their hearts out and win game #903 for their beloved Coach.  Although the win wasn’t for certain, many of Coach K’s former Blue Devils were in attendance with the hopes of watching history be made: Elton Brand, Grant Hill, Carlos Boozer, Bobby Hurley, Shane Battier, and many more.  Bobby Knight, the former record holder and Coach K’s mentor and close friend, was also at the game showing his support.

The first half was sloppy and not very well played by either team, but Duke quickly took the lead in the first minutes of the second half.  Michigan State caught up and ended the game only trailing by five.  The crowd went wild, and the celebration for Coach K’s record-breaking win began.  This win not only affects Coach K, but also Duke University and all of its fans and supporters alike.  Coach K attributes much of his success at Duke to the phenomenal athletes that he coaches, as well as the Cameron Crazies, Duke’s infamous student section present at home basketball games.

The article gives a fairly detailed account of the game, including player stats for each team and also giving background information on both Duke and Michigan State’s team records.  And as for the always-humble Coach K: “It’s a special moment…we beat a really good team and I’m glad now we can just move on and just develop our team.”

Officiating Error Costs Game

In an article in the Seattle Times, officiating error in the Big Sky conference is brought to light.

 

This past weekend, North Carolina University played Portland State University. The game ended with a very controversial call that cost NCU the game. This same call has sense been overturned by officials. However, unfortunately, the outcome of the game cannot be changed and all the officials can do is apologize.

 

The play in question was when NCU was penalized for an illegal block that overturned a touchdown scored in the last three seconds of the game. Had NCU not been penalized, the game would have been tied and it would have gone to overtime.

 

With the negation of the penalty coming three days too late, NCU lost a chance to win their first game of the season.

 

Mistakes like this seem to happen often in college football. Although it is commendable that officials have admitted their mistake, this does not mean much to NCU fans who sat by and watched their team lose for the 11^th week in a row.

Will SoCon Champs beat Alabama??

Saturday night will be a very exciting night for the Georgia Southern Eagles as they take on one of the best teams in college football, Alabama.   The Eagles are now the Southern Conference Champions and they are preparing for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.  This puts them in a position to most likely have a first-round bye when the playoffs begin on Nov. 26.

Alabama is ranked third in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and GSU is ranked in the top three of the FCS.  Even if GSU loses very badly to Alabama it won’t change their ranking much.

GSU’s Head Coach Jeff Monken stated, “This is probably the best football team this school has ever faced in its 30-year history.  We’re going to have to coach our guys to be ready to play our very best football just to have a chance to not be embarrassed. (Alabama) is a great, great football team. I’m not delusional. But it’s exciting for all of us.”

GSU’s option quarterback, Jaybo Shaw is also looking forward to the matchup. He said, “Everyone wants to measure themselves and see how good we can be,” Shaw said. “(Alabama’s) a talented football team at every position, and we’re just going to focus on our assignments and be prepared and try our best.”

Alabama has had an impressive season despite their 9-6 overtime loss to LSU.  “Alabama has outscored seven of its 10 opponents this season by four touchdowns or more. None of its opponents have scored more than 14 points in a game.”  GSU also has an impressive record.  They are currently No. 2 in the FCS Coaches top 25 poll and they are 0-18 against “full-fledge” FBS schools.

I believe that the GSU players are most affected by this article because their coaches admit how tough it is going to be for them to play Alabama. They even say that they are going to have to play their very best just to keep from being embarrassed.  This can’t be much of a confidence-booster for the GSU players.

On the other hand, it could work in the reverse for Alabama.  Admittedly, they have proved to be a much better team than GSU, but if they come into the game assuming that they are not going to have to play very hard  they may be met with a surprise.  GSU is practicing as hard as they can, and it appears that they intend to give everything they have to win this game.

I think that Heath did a good job giving information and statistics about both teams, but it would have been interesting to have some comments from Nick Saben about how he feels about the game.

Contract extension likely for Mark Richt, but what about Todd Grantham?

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote an article titled “Contract Extension Likely for Mark Richt, but What About Todd Grantham?” According to Towers, we all can assume that if the Bulldogs get past Kentucky on Saturday to secure a spot in the SEC Championship game, head coach Mark Richt will experience a contract extension after this season. Currently, he only has two years remaining on his agreement but UGA is most likely to lengthen that to at least three or four more years.

But what about Todd Grantham? The three-year contract that Todd Grantham signed to come to Georgia to coach its defense expires on January 31, 2013. Although that date is fourteen months away, it has been said that Grantham has “gotten inquiries” from some NFL teams about the possibility of him returning to that league as a coordinator and from colleges sparking his interest to become a head coach. Grantham does not particularly want to leave Georgia but an extension would be greatly appreciated.

Chip Towers touches base on the fact that UGA wants to focus solely on the players and upcoming opponents rather than coaching contracts at this point in time. However, there are comments from Mark Richt at the end of the article but I am most interested in Todd Grantham’s opinion. I would imagine that he would like to continue coaching the dogs and considering it would be in Richt’s best interest to keep Grantham, I’m sure an extension will take place. I am curious to see what happens.

Event Visit #3

Prior to the Georgia v. Auburn game I managed to catch a small portion of the Dawg Walk right outside of Tate. This was my first time experiencing it and my excitement was overwhelming to say the least. Fans and alumni everywhere; the players, cheerleaders, and the band. I participated in cheers and chants that I had never even heard before. The school spirit and pride from all of the people involved just made me really proud to be a bulldog. If I were a visitor I would probably be jealous that my school didn’t have something as cool as the Dawg Walk.

Event Visit #2

Last Friday night I attended the men’s basketball game versus Wofford College at Stegeman Coliseum. The bulldogs played pretty well collectively. Freshmen Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored a game-high fifteen points helping secure the 62-49 win over the Terriers. Apart from athletes, coaches, and spectators, I noticed staff members that were kind of similar to what one would find at a football game. For example, there were people standing in each row making sure that you were sitting in the correct seat. In contrast to what you would find at a football game, there were staff members giving away free pizzas. I also noticed that the camera crew filming the game seemed rather young, some even being students. For the most part, the messages being presented were commercial. If I were a visitor at the game I would be disappointed in the lack of turn out for the game. The basketball team deserves more support than what it received that night.

Event #3-UGA vs MSU volleyball

Last Friday, I attended the UGA vs MSU volleyball game at Ramsey Center. It was senior night for the Bulldogs, so they had ceremonies before the game to honor the four seniors on the team. UGA defeated Mississippi St by a score of 3-1 with UGA winning the first, second, and fourth sets. It seemed to be a pretty good turnout compared to other volleyball games, with a lot of the crowd being friends and family of the players. There were also a lot more families at the game compared to students it seemed. In terms of promotions, free t-shirts were thrown into the crowd and Papa John’s pizzas were given to a few lucky patrons. Working at the game were vendors selling merchandise and then the managers or trainers of the team. If I were a visitor to UGA, I would probably be impressed that there was such a good turnout for a women’s volleyball game. I would also enjoy the more intimate atmosphere that you got there as compared to a football or basketball game. I would, however, think that volleyball wasn’t a big deal at all to the students since there were so few of them there. Overall, I had a good time at the game and wish I had gone to more earlier in the season.

Event #2-The Dawg Walk for the Georgia-Auburn Game

The Dawg Walk prior to the Georgia-Auburn game exuded an atmosphere of electricity. Thousands of Georgia fans—ages 1 to 91—congregated in and around Tate Center, all fully clad in their red and black gear. The Redcoats blasted some of UGA’s most recognized battle hymns and the cheerleaders led the crowd in the “Georgia-Bulldog” chant. When the flashing blue lights of the cop cars came wheeling down Lumpkin, the crowd let out a roar. The players and coaches stepped out of the busses into the crowd. They smiled and gave out high-fives to their adoring fans. The moment was indeed one to remember for all in attendance.

The Dawg Walk is a perfect way to demonstrate the dedication of the UGA fan base for its football team. The message of the Dawg Walk is quite simple—it is a moment where fans can bask in the glory of all things UGA, and a moment in which the players are essentially rewarded for the hard work and effort they put in every day. To those visiting the UGA campus, the Dawg Walk is a clear sign of the tradition embedded into the athletics on campus, especially the football program. Those in attendance include the fans, the band members, the cheerleaders, and of course, the football players and the coaches. The media, for the most part, is not present for this event. However, some cameramen (presumably those from CBS) were present taping footage to show during the game. All in all, this event is always a fun one to attend. It is a lasting tradition that truly demonstrates the pride and the passion that UGA fans have for their football program.

Atrocity in Penn State

In an article posted on opednews.com, Joanne Boyer discusses all that is going on at Penn State these days. She offers a new perspective on the matter, offering up comparisons to this scandal with the Catholic church, as well as all the scandal that takes place on Wall Street.

The biggest thing that has been focused on with the media, is not Sandusky, Paterno, or the president of Penn State, but the victims involved with the case. No one deserves to go through what they have gone through and that is why Paterno and Sandusky have taken a back seat in this whole saga.

Boyer does an excellent job of summing this up. “The thread that ties the Penn State and Catholic church sex abuse scandals is obvious to even casual observers.  Substitute the word archbishop for athletic director and parish priest for assistant coach and there is little difference between the two.”

The implications of this article affect almost everyone with the magnitude of the situation. But by far, the people that are most affected by this scandal are the young boys that were taken advantage. When feeling sorry for the Penn State staff and organization, we must keep these people in mind.

Event Visit #2-Dawg Walk

Before the Auburn game  yesterday, I attended the Dawg Walk in the Tate Parking Lot. It was my first time at the Dawg Walk in a few years, but it was definitely a fun experience. The atmosphere was electric as everyone was pumped for the big game. The Redcoats played all of the traditional UGA tunes and the fans and players were as excited as ever. You could definitely tell the players were ready to get out there and beat the tar out of Auburn, and I think that the atmosphere of the whole event spilled over into the actual game.

It seemed to be more of a family event rather than a group of students, and all of the children really enjoyed getting to see their favorite players. There weren’t really any promotions or advertising anywhere to be seen. The Dawg Walk is just meant to fire the fans and team up for the game. If I were a visitor to UGA and went to the Dawg Walk, I would come away very impressed with the passion that all of the fans have for UGA football.

Event #2- UGA v. Miss St. Volleyball

On November 11, I attended the UGA v. Mississippi State women’s volleyball match at the Ramsey Center. I have gone to football games forever, but this was my first volleyball match at UGA. The match was obviously different from football. There were not nearly as many people there. Honestly, a lot of them could have been parents of the players. They also did a lot of promotions that are not necessary and not done at football games. The event itself was free, and on top of that they gave away tshirts and pizzas. If I were a visitor to UGA watching the game, I would obviously notice the small turnout, but I would notice that the fans that are there love the sport and love the players individually. I would think that the promotions they do are fun and a great idea—college students are definitely going to respond to free food and free tshirts.

Former players rally around program

In an online article written by espn.com news services (with some info from the Associated Press), it has been reported that a former Penn State University wide receiver and running back named Rich Mauti has rallied around his alma mater and the football team (who has been on an emotional  roller coaster ride this week) to organize one of the biggest reunions of former Penn State football players this Saturday. He emailed 800+ former players to try and get as many of them as possible to travel to PSU to be present on the sideline during the Penn State vs. Nebraska football game. He wants those former players to show up to thank the football program and the university for the positive experiences they all had while playing at Penn State:

“It’s for the kids that have to go out there on Saturday. It’s a show of support for that. It’s not going to be banners and flags and bands. It’s going to be the Penn State Way. It’s going to be our presence. Hopefully, we get enough guys there that will mean something.”

Mauti stated that he is not trying to suppress the scandal that’s ongoing right now:

“I’m not condoning any activities that have been alleged. That’s not the purpose. I’m trying to get everyone that has been through that program, that has had a positive experience, to support the kids and the program and the school at this juncture.”

Mauti said that so far (on Wednesday), 75 players had agreed to show up to show their thanks and support.

This article didn’t have much more information about this story, but it was very interesting. It’s good to see a former player trying to make a difference and get many more former players involved, not just picking and choosing which players. That would be such a great time coming together again after years of not seeing each other (or meeting other players for the first time), and to catch up and watch two Big Ten teams play in an all important game. Hopefully there will be more former players that decide to show up, anything to get the Nittany Lions going in the positive direction.

By the way, Happy Veterans Day! If you know anybody associated with our military, send them your thanks. Freedom isn’t free, and I am submitting this at 11:11 PM on 11/11/11! 🙂

Are athletic programs worth the money?

The Penn State scandal is shaping up to be the biggest and potentially the most influential issue in college athletic history if not more.  This is leading some to question the real worth of college athletics. Frank Donoghue’s blog “It’s Time to End Intercollegiate Sports” is an argument to end college athletics. He argues that this case embodies everything that is wrong with college athletics. Miami’s boosters paying for hookers and drugs also is mentioned in the blog to emphasize his point that ethics have devolved in college athletics. In his opinion, athletics shouldn’t be receiving so much money while schools are cutting back in academic spending, and also that the NCAA should extend harsher penalties to those who violate the rules.

Donoghue makes good points that the people should reexamine the true purpose of intercollegiate athletics, however I don’t agree that they should ever be cut from schools. They provide too much of a service to the athletes, students, alumni, and for the school itself. Not all athletes are receiving these benefits like the big time football and basketball players from division 1 schools. Most of them are playing for either the scholarships or for the love of the game. School athletics also bring school unity among the students and alumni. Schools also use athletics either for revenue or to just advertise their school to entice potential students to come to their schools. There are issues that need to be addressed in college athletics, but removing them completely would be a bad decision.

The author only addresses the problems with college athletics without taking another side into account and talking about the benefits of sports.

 

What would you have done?

In a CFAA post by Donn Walden for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, Walden asks a very serious question: what would you have done if you had the knowledge Paterno had in the Sandusky scandal?

The scandal and its effects has had people across the spectrum up in arms– most are appalled by what Sandusky did, and many are upset at the way Paterno was fired. The big debate is whether a coach’s job relies at all on his perceived morality, or on what looks best for the school from a PR standpoint. The article posed really thought-provoking questions. Those who are upset about the way Paterno was fired argue that it was a waste of the winningest coach in college football solely for a PR move. He was drawing so much bad press that it was “in the best interest” of the program to fire him.

Those who agree with what happened, like Walden, look at the victims, what happened, and the basic morality of the situation. Understanding that Paterno did what he should have by telling the AD, but didn’t go above and beyond to set the situation right.

This article raised important questions– questions that many should be asking. The downside, though, is that it did not provide a lot of the research/background info to answer some of these questions.

Across many public arenas, from politics to sports, morality has become a deciding factor in job security. Should that be the case?.That’s the biggest question.

Charge or Block?

In his article for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, David Uchiyama takes a look at the new NCAA basketball rule concerning blocks and charges.  The change makes the college rules more like the NBA rules.  College basketball courts have now added a ring below the basket to help referees make the right call.  If a players’ feet are in or on the ring, then the call will be a block unless the offensive player is out of control.

Although referees’ eyes will have to be more active, it will make the calls more clear to them and the teams playing.  Referee John Cahill says that referees used to be able to just look at the torso of the defender to make the call.  Now, they are also going to have to look at the defenders’ feet.  However, Cahill does add that he thinks it will make referees’ calls easier in the long run.

Uchiyama tells about how a charge call affected the outcome of a game between University of Tennessee at Chattanooga  and Marshall University.  Keegan Bell, a player for UTC, attempted to take a charge under the basket as time expired.  The ball went in the basket, but the referee waved off the score saying that Bell had successfully taken a charge.  The result of that call meant that UTC won the game by one point.

The rule change will affect both players and referees.  As Uchiyama states, coaches will not really be affected in the way they coach the game.  Most coaches don’t want their defenders in a position under the basket anyway.  Players will have to be more aware of where they are on the court.  Referees will have to adjust the way they look at the game.

Uchiyama did not really make clear as to whether he thought the referee made the right call.  I would have liked it if Uchiyama went further in depth in examining the call.  Although he got Bell’s biased opinion, I think Uchiyama’s opinion was necessary to enhance the article.

The Business of College Football

George Will of the Washington Post writes an article covering most of today’s controversial issues in college football. In recent months, financial matters have had a major impact on the college football landscape. Conference realignment and the pay-for-play dilemma have been heavily debated.

The Pac 10 has added Utah and Colorado, the Big Ten has added Nebraska, the SEC has added Texas A&M and Missouri, and the ACC has added Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Big East in in shambles. All of the movement between conferences has been fueled by one variable: money. The bigger and better the conference, the better the TV deal, meaning more money for each school. A large deciding factor in Texas A&M’s decision to move to the SEC was that arch rival, Texas, was just given their own 20-year, $300 million television contract with ESPN. A&M made the move to the SEC in hopes of a better TV contract.

Another financial issue debated today is pay-for-play. Some argue that because athletes, mainly football players, bring in so much money for universities they should be rewarded some of the profits. Athletes are the ones who win games. Winning games means increased enrollment, increased attendance at games, and increased merchandise sales. All of these factors bring in profits for the University. However, others argue that athletes are first and foremost students, and regular students are not paid to attend school. Regardless of opinion, the debate is once again fueled by money, whether to spend or save it.

Personally, I think it is ridiculous that college football is so easily influenced by money. Football has become more of a business than a pastime.

 

Should the SEC play more Conference Games?

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News reports about the possible changes in the SEC.  It is not official but there is talk about having nine conference games in a season as opposed to the current six division games.  He examines the positives and negatives to changing the current system.

If the system did not change, teams would not play certain other teams in their conference for many years.  This would create a problem because teams would not rotate, as they should because there are too many teams in the conference for scheduling purposes.  So, changing to nine conference games would benefit just the system in general with all the teams playing each other within a reasonable amount of years.

However, changing the system to nine conference games would pose problems with the individual teams.  It would make a more challenging schedule and for teams like Georgia and Florida with the neutral game, they would have less home games.  The teams could potentially hurt their bowl eligibility chances because they would have more challenging games and less easy win games that help with their bowl chances.  They could even be hurt of their National Championship chances.  I think that changing the system would hurt the teams by making the schedules harder and their records on average would not be as good.  I also think that if they did not change the system the new teams would not get integrated into the SEC very well because they would not play all the teams in the conference.  I think that it is necessary to play more conference games in order for the newly added teams to get fully integrated into the conference.

Each unsure of the other, Missouri, SEC civilly enter union

In an article on cbssports.com, Dennis Dodd examines the strange union that has occurred between Missouri and the SEC. It seems that this new relationship will take some getting used to for both sides. Still though, neither of the two parties is absolutely ecstatic about the partnership. Yes, Mizzou does have some geographic ties to the SEC based on border states, but culturally the school and state is much different than the other member institutions. It doesn’t have the crazed, rabid fan base that you see at most SEC schools. They accept the level they are at and seem to understand that they will merely be a middle-of-the-pack team in the SEC. I’d say that they view themselves as more of a basketball school.Missouri was a much better fit for the Big 10, but they simply weren’t wanted. They just simply couldn’t live any longer in the instability off the Big 12.

And the SEC fans agree that Mizzou is not a perfect fit for the SEC. They echo the sentiments that Missouri may not be competitive in football or other sports and that their fan base will experience a culture shock of sorts when they experience gamedays at other SEC schools. They believe that Texas A&M is a much better fit in the conference due to its already passionate fan base and similar culture.

All in all, I definitely agree with Dodd that Mizzou doesn’t necessarily match up with the rest of the SEC and that the partnership will definitely take a lot of getting used to. The SEC could have found a better fit in my opinion, but there probably would have been a lot more obstacles in that case. Dodd definitely wrote a very interesting article that touched on a lot of the different aspects of the SEC-Missouri relationship.

Missouri to the SEC

The SEC made a formal announcement on Sunday that Missouri will join the SEC in 2012.  This means that the SEC will have 14 members in 2012 since Texas A&M has already been added.  The press release did not state in what division Missouri will play.

The addition of Missouri to the SEC means that they will now have television viewers in another state.  The SEC plans to meet with CBS and ESPN before next year to talk with them about “adding value to the league’s television deals.”  There is also the chance in the long-term that the SEC might create their own conference television network.

Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton conveyed Missouri’s excitement about joining the SEC, “The Southeastern Conference is a highly successful, stable, premier athletic conference that offers exciting opportunities for the University of Missouri,” Deaton said. “In joining the SEC, MU partners with universities distinguished for their academic programs and their emphasis on student success. The SEC will provide our student-athletes with top-flight competition and unparalleled visibility. We came to this decision after careful consideration of the long-term best interests of our university. We believe the Southeastern Conference is an outstanding home for the Mizzou Tigers, and we take great pride in our association with this distinguished league.”

The press release also pointed out that the Tigers will “bring an existing rivalry” with Texas A&M, and that could be a sign that they will be permanent cross-division partners and schedule a rivalry game every year in football.  Missouri has a 4-5 overall record this year and had three 10-win seasons from 2007 to 2010.  In late 2007 Missouri was ranked No. 1 in the country.

The University of Missouri is most affected by this article.  The players, coaches, fans, and the entire institution will be excited for their school to join the prestigious SEC.  They are probably also excited about the prospect of having a rivalry game with Texas A&M every year.  The SEC is also greatly affected by having Missouri join them.  The fact that another state will be added to their television viewers will mean more bargaining power for them.

There were quotes in this article from several prominent people in SEC schools so it would appear that no members were opposed to Missouri joining the SEC.   Even though there would not be room in the article for a quote from someone from each school, it would have been interesting for Solomon to talk with each of the schools and put a blurb in there that they were all supportive of the addition or if there were schools with reservations.

When in doubt….Call the Fraternity House?

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Last Saturday head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Derek Dooley, was faced with a desperate time—a desperate time that, indeed, led to a desperate measure. According to an article from Rivals.com, an hour before Tennessee was set to kick off against the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee, Chip Rhome, the Vol’s starting kicker for the game went down with a pulled muscle.

Given the situation, most coaches would simply turn to the backup kicker and never look back. Unfortunately for Derek Dooley and the rest of the football squad, Rhome was the backup kicker. Michael Palarady, the usual starting kicker for the Vols injured himself only three days prior during practice. Thus, when Rhome went down an hour before kickoff the Volunteers officially had zero kickers left for the game. That’s when a guy named Derrick Brodus came in. At 6:10 p.m. Brodus was sitting in his fraternity house preparing to watch the game on TV. Soon after he received a phone call from members of the UT athletic department asking him to be the kicker for that night’s game. Minutes later he was police escorted to Jordan-Hare Stadium, where during the game, he successfully kicked three extra points and one field goal. Brodus stated, “…I thought it was a dream…” It wasn’t a dream. Derek Dooley’s comments were more comical. He stated, “…I said let’s get an APB out on Brodus.’ It’s a good thing he wasn’t having too much fun on a Saturday afternoon…I told the coaches, ‘Hey — an intoxicated Brodus is better than nobody. Get him. Just get him here. Give him a Breathalyzer.’ Fortunately he didn’t do anything bad…” Coach Dooley said it best, thank goodness for a sober Brodus—the one and only available walk-on kicker Tennessee had.

What happened last Saturday night with Derrick Brodus shows that just about anything can happen in college football. Brodus was a mere fraternity-brother walk-on—not even dressed out for the game. In a matter of minutes he became the starting kicker for a major SEC Eastern division school. The actions taken by Derek Dooley are comical, yet highly commendable. He made a critical decision without a lot of time to spare. Moreover, his decision was a good one, and one that likely changed Derrick Brodus’ football career forever.

Decisions, decisions: Take the field or hit the Rhodes?

Playing college football, being accepted to Yale University, and being a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship are among some of the greatest achievements that a young adult can accomplish.  But when you combine all three at once, you can have a major dilemma—one that is all too familiar for Patrick Witt.

Witt is Yale’s 22-year-old quarterback, who has a 3.91 GPA, NFL scouts watching him extremely closely, and one very big decision to make.  This Saturday is not only the infamous Yale versus Harvard rivalry game, but also the day for Rhodes Scholarship interviews, and Witt can only choose one.  Neither choice leaves much of a guarantee—the selection process for the Rhodes Scholarship is tremendously competitive, and to make matters worse, Yale has been dubbed the ‘underdog’ of Saturday’s match up.

On one hand, Witt could miss the game and attend his Rhodes interview in Atlanta.  Winning the scholarship could play a crucial part in whether or not Witt gets accepted to Oxford University, something that has always been a dream of his. On the other hand, Witt could forgo the interview process and give up any hope of the Rhodes Scholarship, and stand by his team in Connecticut at his last college football game.

The choice that Witt makes will affect both himself and his teammates, but I think all would agree that he is a phenomenal person and deserves to follow his heart.  While his team is already predicted to lose, they would be in even worse shape without their star quarterback, who Thompson describes as “the most accurate passer in Yale University history.”

I think the article does a great job of detailing the dilemma that Witt faces, as well as giving him all of the appropriate accolades for everything that he has achieved thus far in his life.  No one can make this choice except for Patrick himself, but I can only hope that all of his teammates, fans, and people in general can support Witt and stand behind him, wherever he chooses to be on Saturday.

Is Auburn-Georgia rivalry dirtiest in college football?

WIth the 115th meeting between these two schools upcoming, it seems appropriate to look at the “South’s oldest rivalry”. Charles Bennett of the Anniston Star takes a look at these schools and discusses the heated behavior between the schools over the last few seasons. According to the Wall Street Journal in an analysis of the top rivalries in the country, The Georgia-Auburn rivalry ranks number one when it comes to behavior related penalties, averaging 5.4 per game over the last five years. Bennett discusses this fact with many players and coaches as they look forward to Saturday’s matchup.

Many remember how the game seemingly got out of hand last season as there were a few questionable hits on Georgia quarterback, Aaron Murray, one that knocked him out of the game. Murray seemed to have left this behind though and was more focused on playing the game this weekend instead of getting back at Auburn for last season. THis seems to be the mentality of all players and coaches going into Saturday. The fact that there are many players who are different from last seasons bunch will also dull down what occurred last season. Thus, many are going into the game wanting to play football and give everything they have on the field. They understand that both teams want to win, but are not seeking to get revenge on certain players.

As heated as this rivalry is, it isn’t so much of a hate issue, but more of what tends to be the stakes at hand. As close as this game usually results and what the record stands between these two, it is typical for a lot of fierce, intense play between the two teams. The rivalry has a lot of meaning to it! Keeping this in mind the players need not to focus on the “hate” as much as they should about winning the game! By losing your cool in a game like this, you only take away from your team winning. It will be important to keep to your gameplan in this game, seeing how a lot is on the line in this fierce rivalry.

Event 3- Homecoming Parade

On Friday, November 4^th, I attended my first UGA Homecoming Parade.  Unfortunately, it was nothing like I anticipated.  It was very short and there were very few students in attendance.

The participants in the parade were President Adams, the Homecoming Court, last year’s King and Queen, the cheerleaders, the band, Russ the Bulldog, some JROTC Cadets, a few floats made by sororities and fraternities, and some older gentlemen in old cars.  Most of the spectators were families with small children and there were very few UGA students in attendance. The participants in the parade did throw out candy to the spectators and this made the children in attendance excited and happy.

If I had been a visitor to UGA I would have gotten the wrong impression that UGA does not have a lot of school spirit since there were so few students in attendance.  I think that the school should work to make it a bigger event and promote it more with students.

Event #3- Volleyball Match

Last Friday, the UGA Women’s Volleyball Team played Arkansas in a tough and exciting match.  Georgia came out on top, winning the first, third, and fifth sets to take home the win for the entire match.

There was a relatively large turnout for this match.  While the large majority in attendance is family members of the athletes, there were a lot of students who came out to support the team as well.  There was one group of students who sat in front of the pep band that were very interactive with the game and were obviously making the crowd more enthused.

Working the event besides the coaches and mascot were 2 men who I assumed were either managers or trainers.  They helped out with the warm ups before the match and stood on a balcony during the game and spectated.

I do not recall any promotional messages from the match.  Since there is no jumbotron or any type of screen, it is hard for them to advertise using videos and other media.  The only type of promotion that I noticed would be in the hallways before entering the arena, where there were people selling UGA volleyball merchandise like t-shirts and hats.

As a visitor to UGA, I would be extremely surprised and impressed at the turnout and enthusiasm of the fans in attendance at the match.  Being that volleyball is a women’s sport and also a non-revenue sport, I would not expect for there to be very many people supporting them.  It just goes to show that every aspect of UGA athletics has it’s own dedicated fan base.

Event #2- Homecoming Parade

Last week was Homecoming Week here at the University of Georgia.  Among other festivities, one major event that is held each year is the Homecoming Parade.  This year, it took place on Friday.  It runs through downtown Athens, and is comprised of the Red Coat Marching Band, the Dean and President of the University, this year’s Homecoming court, last year’s Homecoming King and Queen, Miss UGA, student organization groups, and sorority and fraternity floats.

It was hard for me to see the entire audience of the parade because of the fact that it spans several blocks downtown, but from the corner I was standing on, the majority of the spectators were parents with their young children and girls who were supporting their sororities.  A lot of the parents who took their children were either major supporters of the University or alumni.

The main message that was given from the parade is that “History is made on Saturdays.”  This was the theme for Homecoming week, and was exhibited in some way, shape, or form on each of the Greek floats.  I also feel that the parade is meant to get fans excited about the Homecoming game and entice them to come show their support the next day.

A first time visitor to the University of Georgia would probably be impressed by the amount of Greek and student organizations that showed their support of UGA by participating in the parade.  However, I also think that they might be surprised to find that the parade is relatively short.

Volleyball Game- UGA vs. Arkansas

On Friday, November 4^th, I attended a volleyball match at Ramsey between the UGA Bulldogs and the Arkansas Razorbacks.    UGA won the first, third, and fifth set and Arkansas won the second and fourth set.

This was my first experience attending a UGA volleyball game and it was very different from the football and basketball games I have attended.  The most obvious difference was the small number of fans in attendance.  Everyone seemed to be a friend or family member of someone on the team as they frequently yelled out the players’ names.

Admission is free to the volleyball games for students and you do not have to have a ticket; all you have to is swipe your ID card to get in.   There were no visible support groups at the game either.  There was not a concession stand, there were not any first aid stations, and I did not see any UGA police at the game.

One thing that was different, but positive, about the game was that they threw out free t-shirts and Papa John’s gave out some pizzas.

If I had been a visitor to UGA I would have left the volleyball match with the impression that volleyball is not a big deal at UGA because there were so few students and fans at the game.  I would, however, have felt like that the fans that did come, were very supportive of the program and players.  The team and fans represented UGA well, so it would have been a positive, but small, event for visitors to attend.

Event #1- Homecoming

I attended the homecoming football game against New Mexico State on November 5. The atmosphere was awesome. I sat in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity section, and I have yet to see people so excited about a game. Honestly, the fraternity and student sections were late filling in—a lot of people didn’t really arrive until midway through the first quarter. I think that’s because it was an early start to a game and also because we knew the game wasn’t going to be a close one. I was there early though, because due to suspensions and injuries, a Sigma Phi Epsilon spring pledge, Kyle Karempelis, had the opportunity to play. He went to a rival high school of mine, grew up with a lot of my friends, and has a brother who is a SigEp who is friends with a lot of my friends. When Kyle got to play, the section I was in was the rowdiest and loudest I’ve seen. I dislike how a lot of the time, especially in the fraternity sections, it just becomes a social event. I loved that everyone was so excited. It only helped that the homecoming queen and king were members of my sorority and SigEp, respectively. The atmosphere of the game was great. I love how homecoming is so family-oriented—this is alumni’s chance to come “home” to UGA and share that experience with their families. I love the alumni cheerleaders and the alumni band, and the recognition of the alumni players at halftime. Announcing king and queen was really exciting, too. If I were a visitor to this game, especially, I would feel the “family” aspect of the University. We really come together on homecoming, and I think it’s a great experience for everyone to have. Advertising-wise, you see the same kind of advertising as at other football games. You have the banner ads that run around the stadium, the sponsored replays and other things on screen, sponsors on cups from the concession stands, on programs, and pretty much everywhere. The University also inter-advertises by supplying information about other teams, basketball season tickets, etc.

Event Visit #3- Dawg Walk

For the Homecoming weekend, my family was in attendance for the game and wanted to be a part of all of the great traditions at the University of Georgia. The Dawg Walk would definitely fit under that category! It was a neat experience being able to see the players walking into the stadium getting ready for the game, hearing the Red Coats, and seeing all of the avid Georgia fans. The Dawg Walk seemed to be more popular amongst families as opposed to a bunch of students. One reason I think that is the same reason why my family wanted to be there; to see the team up close as they walk by.

Many of these players are popular amongst young kids and it is a thrill for them to have this encounter. I remember when I was kid and seeing the players on tv and wanting to see them for real. Well, this is exactly what many of these young kids in attendance get to do. Being a student, it is still cool, however seeing many of the players walking around campus takes that excitement away. I know that my family thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

I also think that it is neat for the players. To be able to walk amongst all the fans cheering you on as you enter the stadium stirs up some motivation. You see all of these people who have come out to cheer you on and perform for you and it makes you want to give your best for all of them. It would also be cool to see some of the people that you do know as you walk through too and to see them supporting you.

I think that the Dawg Walk is a great tradition, especially for young kids and families to take part in.It is a thrill for them to see the players up close who they cheer on probably every weekend. I know that I had a great experience as did my family while they were visiting this weekend.

Event visit #2

Friday night, I took time to head out to Ramsey and watch the Dawgs take on the Razorbacks from Arkansas. Instantly, I noticed a huge difference from a revenue based sport such as football! The most obvious thing I noticed was crowd size (in proportion to the capacity). There are much fewer students who were in attendance and the atmosphere was definitely not the same as a result. There was also a great number of older adults and young children, possibly family members. Seeing this type of crowd, it would be difficult to get more people to attend such an event without doing something a little “extra”.

There were a great deal more of giveaways at the event. At the beginning of the match, the players tossed out miniature volleyballs as their names were announced. They also handed out free pizza to certain fans in between games. There was also a dance club that performed in between games. These things seemed very different compared to some of the other events that I have attended. The match was very entertaining though and I had a great time despite the match being on a different kind of level.

As far as the players are concerned, they are very much like any other collegiate athlete preparing for a big conference game. The energy seemed to be there and the players fought hard. I was a little bit surprised at this, thinking it would be a “fun” kind of environment from the players. Seeing the Arkansas angrily yelling at his team after losing the first 5 points changed my mind about this though. It was very much like any other collegiate event in this regard.

I had a lot of fun and regretted that I had not been to more previously. The match was heated and competed and I found myself learning about a sport I was not so familiar with personally. The only key difference was around the advertising so to speak and that these types of events are simply not as popular as some others. It was a great experience for me and I hope to attend more in the future.

Georgia suspends 3 running backs

Author: Radi Nabulsi

DawgNation

Reporting for ESPN’s DawgNation section on espn.go.com, Radi Nabulsi reveals that Mark Richt and the University of Georgia has suspended 3 running backs for this weekend’s game versus New Mexico State. The 3 suspended include UGA’s star true-freshman running back Isaiah Crowell, and also Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome. At first, Richt would not explain why the 3 were suspended. All he said was that “they didn’t do things the Georgia way”. It was later found out that the 3 failed a drug test that was administered the Thursday before the GA-FL game.

These suspensions leave UGA with very little help in the backfield. Not only were there suspensions, but Richard Samuel, the second-leading rusher behind Crowell, hurt his ankle the last play of the GA-FL game. The Dawgs are left with redshirt sophomore Brandon Harton, who got a little playing time against Coastal Carolina, fullbacks Zander Ogletree and Bruce Figgins, who haven’t played all year, and many walk-ons. Wes Van Dyk is the only walk-on who has gotten playing time, with one yard against Coastal Carolina.

Richt was asked if Harton would be the starter this weekend, but replied, “I don’t know about that. We’ll kind of see how it goes, but everybody else who resembles a running back will be competing.” This includes cornerbacks Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith, who have been featured on the offensive side of the ball in the past. One notable time, at least with Boykin, came against Boise State in the Dome. Boykin was pitched the ball, ran around the outside, and sprinted 80 yards into the end zone for 6 points. There might be some of that Saturday against the Aggies. We will see very soon what shakes out.

Twitter Interfering With Saturday’s Game

Mackenzie Mays of the Daily Athenaeum posted an article discussing the rumor that the University of Louisville was not allowing its’ cheerleaders to attend Saturday’s game against West Virginia University due to safety concerns.

 

The rumor began when U of L student Lindsey Sitzler tweeted saying “Cheer and Birds can’t go to #wvu because it’s not a safe enough environment due to fans. West Virginia should be embarrassed. #cardnation.” Kevin Klein, senior associate athletic director of the University of Louisville, denied this statement and confirmed that the cheerleading team, dance team, and mascot will all be attending the game this weekend.

 

Also included in the article is reference towards WVU’s enthusiastic and previously controversial fan base. Mays remembers the controversy surrounding WVU t-shirts earlier this season. The very popular student t-shirt read “West F—— Virginia.”

 

The university tried to combat these sales by offering a $20 voucher for anyone who returned their shirt. Despite the University’s efforts, these shirts caused quite a buzz in national sports headlines. WVU student government association president Jason Bailey encourages that the student body will maintain a friendly, good-sportsmanship manner at the game this weekend.

 

The game this weekend is a good rivalry and hopefully malicious rumors and derogatory t-shirts will not harm the competitive atmosphere.

Athletic vs. Academic Spending

Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the money driven aspect of college sports today.  He concludes that it seems as if money, especially money from television contracts, is the main force behind much of the realignment happenings today and just of college sports in general.  He also touches on the fact that the gap between funding for athletics and the funding for academics widens more and more and the reforms by the Knight Commission need to be put into place in order to prevent the gap from widening even more.

The Knight Commission has concluded that as the economy gets worse, the cost of sports continues to rise and it is causing universities to spend even more on college athletics.  With the cost of athletics rising, the gap between money spent on athletics and spent on academics continues to widen.  They are spending almost eleven times more money on athletics than academics.   I know that college sports will always be given more money than academics, because that makes sense with many of the things for college sports costing more money.  However, I think that the gap is already bigger than it should be, and for it to continue to widen would not be very good for universities.  Also, with the smaller schools who do not have all of the television contract money coming in, the difference seems to be more significant because they do not have as much money coming in that can be directly spent on athletics.  I think that some of the ideas set forth by the Knight Commission would help greatly with this issue.  I think that some sort of system that “ties NCAA revenues to academic performance” would greatly help because it would be more motivation to keep up the academics in a university.  I know that it is not possible to get the spending distribution equal, but the gap should definitely not continue to get larger.

 

UGA lacks special teams coordinator

In an article by Mark Weiszer for the Athens Banner-Herald that came through the cfaa clip, UGA’s lack of a special teams coordinator was compared to other programs and their success on special teams.

Richt has never had a special teams coordinator, and now that special teams have been a recurring issue, people are raising questions. Of the 120 bowl division football teams, 89 have special teams coordinators.

Richt chooses to take a more community approach to special teams, where different coaches provide feedback to special teams players. He thinks it fosters more responsibility. Even schools without coordinators say they have a man that “pretty much puts everything together,” like Tommy Tuberville says of Ty Linder, Texas Tech’s offensive grad assistant.

Is Richt’s strategy a good one? There is no doubt that we’ve struggled on special teams, but is coaching structure the reason? An assessment of UGA statistics versus those of teams with coordinators might shed more light on the truth behind these assessments.

Media Can Hardly Ignore LSU-Alabama Game

The Alabama-LSU game this weekend easily claims the title for the most anticipated game of the college football season. The number one and number two ranked teams in the country will clash, both hungry for the inside track to the SEC Championship, and hopefully the BCS National Championship. The incredible magnitude of this game is hardly being ignored—especially by the media. An article by the Associated Press on ESPN.com states that roughly 600 media credentials will be approved for Saturday’s game. For a normal game, only about 350 credentials are approved. As a result, media relations staff at Alabama are going to great lengths to accommodate the overflow of photographers, newspaper reporters, and television crewmembers that will be present in Bryant-Denny stadium Saturday night.

News of this game, particularly how much media coverage the game will have, has served as great motivation for each team. Neither coaches nor the players are downplaying how important this game really is. LSU head coach Les Miles states, “…I want the players to enjoy the glare and the light of the big stage…I want them to enjoy the opportunity to play for a big victory. Once I’ve prepared the team and after I feel I’ve done a quality job, I want the players to play with freedom…” Clearly, a victory in this game defines the outcome of this season for both teams. The content in this article reiterates this fact, as the focus is clear and to the point—a victory in this game, for both LSU and Alabama, is critical if they hope to compete for the SEC and National titles this season. The media, all 600 members, will not miss out on this huge SEC contest.

Mountain West desperately attempts to keep credibility

The Mountain West Conference is known for having the “Cinderella” teams. It was the home to the first BCS buster with the 2004 Utah Utes who won the Fiesta Bowl that year. In 2005, TCU joined and has averaged less than two losses per season since. Finally, in 2011 it seemed as if they might make the big step toward becoming a respected conference by adding Boise State. However, now it all seems to be crumbling apart. Utah left last year in order to become a part of the PAC-12. TCU followed suit the next year and they plan on joining the Big XII next season. And as a finishing blow it appears as if Boise State will be leaving their temporary home to join the Big East. John Henderson showcases the fear of Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson in his article “Mountain West commissioner fights again for conference’s respect‘”. Thompson’s quotes from the article show that he is desperately trying to perform damage control before it is too late for his conference. He tries to be optimistic for his conference’s future, but it does not look good.

I can’t blame Thompson for his optimism, but I also can’t blame Boise State or Air Force for jumping to the Big East. The Big East is far from being stable as well, but they are still an automatic qualifier for the BCS and that’s far more than what the Mountain West can say. And it is much easier to keep your status as a non-qualifier than become one. Thompson did his best, though, and by adding Boise State and TCU it was looking like the MWC had a chance but in the end tradition won out (albeit little tradition). Now, the MWC is looking at being a lower tier conference for a very long time.

I would like to know what plans Thompson has for the future now in order to keep his conference in the mainstream. I would like to have heard from the Big East’s commissioner, too, it would’ve been interesting to hear his take on conference expansion’s effect on the lower tier conferences.

 

 

Different strokes: Miles and Saban vastly different but both driven to win

“#1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama”; what more can be said? As all college football fans know, this weekend these potential national champion teams will take the field against each other to prove who is deserving of that number one spot. Both schools are extremely similar in many ways: a strong rushing attack, phenomenal defenses, you name it. However, one thing that may not stand out amongst these similarities is a head coach that is driven to win! Josh Moon of the Montgomery Advertiser breaks down these two competitive coaches and differentiates them by their personalities off the football field.

Both Nick Saban, who currently coaches at Alabama, and Les Miles have each one National Championships for the LSU program. Having sat down with the security guard, who coincidently served for both coaches, it is obvious that aside from winning, these coaches are far from alike. Following his National Championship in 2003, Saban opted not to celebrate his National Championship victory by going to the French Quarter, but instead to contact his recruits who would help him in “future years” at LSU. Miles, the other hand, was more than willing to celebrate such a season the TIgers had.

Saban seems to be that coach that cares about nothing more than football. Everything about him is football! His mind is constantly thinking of how he will get his team to be the best. Even after winning a National Championship, his mind is thinking about how to be better. Different from Saban, Miles is more concerned about just being himself. He appears to be more personable, but still demanding the best from his players. This has gotten Miles some bad rep from the LSU fans, however, Miles could seem to care less and just worries about his team.

Seeing how both coaches are so diverse in personality, it is wild to think that both would be so successful. There comes one important similarity between these two coaches though as far as personality is concerned. Both coaches demand the best from their players! Both are disciplinarians on the football field and demand that their way be done on the field. The coaches give everything that they have for the players to be successful and thus the players give everything they have to be successful. Therefore, despite their differences off of the field, there is one goal in mind which is to be the very best that you can be and the only way that this can be done is if everyone serves their part to the fullest!

Legendary Coach Paterno

Clipping reverenced: When Paterno leaves, game’s innocence might go with him By: David Whitley

On December 21, 1926 a college football legend was born. Joseph Vincent Paterno, better known as “Joe Pa,” was a quarterback and cornerback for Brown University. Right out of college in 1950, Joe Pa joined his former head coach Greg Parker coaching the Penn State University football squad. In six short years, Joe Pa managed to go from assistant coach to the famous head coach of the notable Penn State Nittany Lions.

Many colleges have mottos that include honor, however very few extract honor especially when it comes to sports. Many things may be said about having an 84-year-old coach who has not been able to bring a national championship home since 1986, but one thing people will never question is the fact that Joe Paterno still teaches his adolescent and twenty-something  recruits to not just be football players , but to be men of honor. He teaches his young men that “Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.”

Since 1953, the NCAA has kept a record of team violations. The only two teams to date with clean records are Stanford and Penn State. Stanford, while a good football school, falls short in terms of the level of completion, the ability to draw top talent and standing in notoriety when compared to Penn State. Joe Paterno is the single reason for this distinction. As head coach, he has garnered 401 wins, 134 losses, and 3 ties giving him a winning percentage of .748.  He also holds the record at Penn State for coaching the most seasons. This impressive record enabled Joe Pa to be entered into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Students, fans and on lookers watch Joe Pa at the ripe age of 84 enter Beaver Stadium on game days linked arm in arm with the starting quarterback followed by the other young men of honor, character, and respect he has helped mold. Joe Pa tells his players “The name on the front of the jersey is what really matters, not the name on the back.” Penn State is known for their simple navy blue and white uniforms symbolic of a united team and school not individual players.

It is clear how great of an impact Joe Pa has had on his players but he has also had an immense impact on the entire Penn State community. Joe Paterno is a household name and the name “Joe Pa” is widely revered among students, alums, administrators and competitors. While the Penn State community would like to return to the glory days when they won more games and more acclaimed games, the community has always supported Coach Paterno’s hard  disciplinary decisions that have sometimes cost them dearly. Joe Pa’s decisions to suspend players such as Curtis Enis for a clothing violation and Joe Jurevicius for academic infractions before the 1998 Citrus Bowl are notable examples of his fortitude. Fans may be frustrated when losing but in the end they all know that Joe Pa’s decisions to take honor over victory is the right choice. Joe Pa has been quoted saying “Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.” Well Penn State certainly has had enough losses to know that losing is heartbreaking, but with Joe Pa’s influence they do not know the tragedy of losing their sense of excellence or self-worth.

When I asked one of Joe Pa’s players today what it is exactly that Joe Pa teaches his players, this 20 year old young man did not refer to plays, drills, or anything football related but rather about who they are and what will benefit them when they are no longer active Penn State football players. This young man said “He teaches us to conduct ourselves in a good manner on and off the field. He has taught us the importance of an education, in fact he is the one who donated the monies to pay for Penn State’s Library so all students could further their education and hopefully learn the importance of education as we have. We have to be clean-shaven. We must wear a suit and tie to away games. And certainly no hats inside.” It’s the morals, the values and the manners in addition to the academics that makes the difference in the athletes under Coach Paterno’s influence.

While Joe Pa is filled with an immense amount of honor, he is also human. As a result, he has made some mistakes. Earlier this year, Joe Pa stopped to watch an unorganized workout where he then commented to others that a certain player was playing well. This transgression led to an NCAA secondary violation.

It comes as no surprise that Joe Pa has not retired yet since in his time at Penn State he has denied offers to coach other college football teams such as the University of Michigan and NFL teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. When asked about retirement, Joe Pa claims that he will never retire. However some day he might just be forced to. When that day comes will Penn State’s football team of impeccable honor join all other teams that have had major NCAA violations? According to a Penn State student athlete (Lacrosse) “Penn State is all about honor, as a student athlete I see it firsthand. If we were to violate an NCAA rule, not only will our coaches be angry but we also will be disappointed in ourselves. At Penn State disappointing our coaches, teammates, peers, and school would be far worse than any punishment or sanction we could have thrown our way. So there is no doubt in my mind that when Joe Pa leaves, if he leaves, that Penn State will not join the rest of the college football teams and rack up major violations. We are Penn State and we are people of honor.” The same athlete later stated, “Joe Pa has not only impacted his players, he has impacted everyone and everything that is Penn State. Even when he is gone, he will still be here. He is Penn State, We are Penn State, and we are Honor.” Which is a similar feeling that one of Joe Pa’s former players had, “Forget what he’s done for players. He’s done more for a single university than anyone else. It transcends his coaching. No. 1 to him is what he’s done for Penn State University, No. 2 is what he has done for individual players.” It’s the name on the front of the jersey not on the back.

So there you have it, even if Joe Pa retires one day despite his denials about it, Penn State will still be a clean football program and follow their school motto “Success with Honor.” For Joe Pa has shown them and the world of college sports just how to do it.

Side-note: The athletes quoted cannot be named due to NCAA rules and violations

Hottest Ticket in Town

It is being billed as the “Game of the Century II;” the promotion and media coverage are over the top!  The Alabama-LSU game is the hottest ticket in town!  It is not just that it is a No. 1 vs. a No. 2 matchup; the reason for all the excitement is that these two teams have shown themselves to be better than any of the others, and it is going to be one exciting game!

“Alabama and LSU have “beaten top-five, top-10 and top-25 opponents, and beaten them soundly.  LSU’s closest win was a 13-point victory over then-No. 3 Oregon. Alabama’s was a 16-point win over a one-loss Penn State squad.”  No other teams have been able to hang with Alabama or LSU.

On Monday, the TV trucks were already setting up to get ready for the game.  But, the most telling evidence of the importance of this game is the going rate of the ticket prices.  On StubHub on Monday there were still tickets to be bought and the prices ranged from around $350.00 in the nosebleed section to $10,000 in the Ivory Club and midfield sections.

 

I am sure the players and the coaches are most affected by this article.  While they are excited, and probably already nervous, this article drives home how much hype there is surrounding this game and probably only raises the pressure they feel to win the game.   I am sure it also affects the fans, especially the lucky ones who have tickets, and makes them even more fired up about Saturday’s game.

 

There was no perspective given from the LSU players, but since this article appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser that is not surprising.  If you wanted to understand whether LSU feels as frenzied as Alabama, their point of view would be necessary.

NCAA reforms

Lately, it seems like every single aspect of NCAA athletics is changing, besides the actual sports themselves.  The NCAA board of directors met last week and passed several new changes, one of which is viewed to have been “long overdue.”

It appears that the NCAA is taking steps to put the ‘student’ back into the ‘student athlete’. Some of the new changes include a higher GPA and test scores for incoming transfer athletes, and standards that student athletes must meet during their season.  Athletes not meeting the minimum academic standard of progress will cause their teams to be banned from things like the NCAA basketball tournament, and it can also cause them to lose practice time and bowl trips. According to Dick Harmon, if these academic policies had been in place at this time last year, current basketball national champion UCONN would not have even been able to participate in the tournament.  Also, all sports must meet the higher academic progress score, which demonstrates that a school is moving athletes towards graduation with passing grades.

While the academic changes are significant and can possibly cause some trouble for schools later in the season, the real topic of conversation is the NCAA’s rulings on paying players.  The NCAA approved a process where members of each conference can vote to decide if their student athletes will receive a $2,000 a year stipend.  This choice will not be hard to make for many of the larger conferences; however, smaller conferences are worried because they simply do not have the money to do so.

According to Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin’s Athletic Director, “If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it.  But it’s going to hurt you in recruiting.”  The new reforms that deal with paying players will have both negative and positive effects on different schools.  Schools in larger conferences with a lot excess money will choose to pay players and will therefore have an upper hand in recruiting, while smaller schools will not be able to pay and may lose the recruits that would have committed on an even playing field.  As for the academic reforms, it would be interesting if Harmon had included examples of these.  But one thing is for sure, the athletes will definitely have to work harder both inside and outside of the classroom to ensure for their team’s sake that they are eligible at the end of the season.

NCAA to change rules

In an article by the Associated Press on ESPN, the new changes of the NCAA are described.  Along with the major changes with the alignment of conferences, the NCAA has passed new rules to be put into effect.  The rules loosen grips on behavior and tighten the requirements.  The new rules will change some of the dynamic of sports, as we know them today.

One of the major changes is that schools can pay a stipend of spending money to athletes along with covering their tuition and other school expenses. The schools, however, must pay the same to male and female athletes.  The problem with this new rule is that it could allow room for the bigger schools to widen the difference between themselves and smaller schools.  There is a concern of more realignment between the schools that have enough money to pay stipends and the schools that do not.  There is also debate on whether this is pay-for-play or not and the NCAA claims that it is not because it is just paying for the cost of living for the athlete and they are not giving them just extra money.

Another change is that schools must meet a certain progress rate in academics to be able to play in the post-season.  The NCAA is stressing that academics is very important and that the goal of playing in college sports is to graduate the student while still playing the sport, so universities must really focus on this if they want to play in the post-season.  This is a very important rule because lately it seems that people may be forgetting that the athletes are students as well and they need to focus on their studies along with sports.  This rule creates the opportunity to use academics as a motivator for being able to be eligible for the post-season.

 

 

ACC championship improves upon past ticket sales

Good news ACC fans: you won’t be seeing embarrassing pictures of an empty conference championship game this year (example). After a few years of horrendously low ticket sales, it seems as if the excitement for the game has been revived back to its initial 2005 level. Ken Tysiac’s article “ACC title game tickets selling well” quotes Will Webb, Charlotte Collegiate Football’s executive director, as saying that the game has already sold 27,000 tickets. That figure matches the entire attendance for the 2008 ACC championship game. This is due to a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the teams in contention this year are better than years past. Clemson was undefeated until this weekend, Georgia Tech has an explosive offense, and Virginia Tech has its lone loss to Clemson. Also, the game moved out of the state of Florida for the first time last year to Charlotte which is much more conveniently located site for the game.

This is great for college football. No one likes to see a quarter-filled stadium and a good crowd creates a better atmosphere for the players. It was a huge mistake for the ACC to have put the game in Florida for the first two years. Other than for a select few teams (especially Miami and Florida State), it is quite a haul to head all the way down south. Many people speculate that the reason behind the game being in Florida is from the ACC putting all their chips into Florida State and Miami playing each other for the title most years. Only two teams have won the Coastal division (Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech), and a trip down to Florida would mean people would have to make a much bigger time commitment. They already saw the benefits of having the game in Charlotte last year by selling out for the contest between FSU and Virginia Tech compared to VT’s previous two outings for the game which had very poor attendance.

Tysiac could have gone deeper into the previous championship games and their failures in order to give people more of a perspective as to how impressive it is that they have seen so much improvement so soon. This is a great story for everyone involved in college football because it gives the fans another big game to be excited about and the players actually get to see the support they have.

Snyder’s Unwavering Philosophy Proves to be Successful

In an article for ESPN.com, Ivan Maisel looks into how Bill Snyder has been so successful at Kansas State University in both of his tenures.  Snyder came to KSU in 1989 and turned the program around.  According to Maisel, Snyder won the same number of games as the 15 coaches before him in his 17 seasons.  Although he experienced the success, the Wildcats had back-to-back losing seasons under him in 2004 and 2005 causing Snyder to call it quits.  He, at least at the time, thought that he had gotten all he wanted out of coaching at 66 years old.  After an unsuccessful tenure by Coach Ron Prince, Snyder is back coaching and this is his third season for this second go-around.

Some might call Snyder’s ways old school.  He teaches his players the hard work and discipline that goes into the game. Snyder is all about the team working together as a cohesive unit instead of only highlighting star players.  Snyder leads by example in showing the dedication he has to the game.  Someone can find Snyder working on football things at almost any given time during the day.  The coach also expects a lot out of his assistant coaches.  Bret Bielema, former assistant under Snyder and current head coach of Wisconsin, says that Coach Snyder is all about the details.  Coaches were required to be clean shaven, and razors were provided at the facilities if the coaches did not have enough time to shave before they came.  Those are the kinds of details that may seem too picky, but they help build a winning team.

Coach Snyder’s Wildcats have been a perfect 7-0 this season and hope to extend their fortunes against the Oklahoma Sooners who are ranked ninth in the country at the moment.  His current success shows that, even though he is 72 years old, he can get his point across to his players.  When the Sooners come to visit, they will be playing in the stadium which was named after Coach Snyder after his first tenure with the Wildcats.  When they named it, Coach Snyder made sure they named it Bill Snyder Family Stadium.  He recognized that it was not just him who brought success, but all the people along his journey helped him as well.

Coach Snyder is loved by the Kansas State faithful.  How could you not after what he has done for their program?  He not only made the program relevant, but he has stuck to his ways.  In a copycat system that college football has become, Snyder has stayed true to his ways, and he has made them work.  If Coach Snyder can keep the ball rolling this season, many more college football fans may begin to realize who he and his team are.

Maisel gave a great account of what makes Snyder a special and successful coach.  I like how he got perspective from one of Snyder’s former assistant coaches.  Not only was an assistant, but it was Bielema who is doing pretty well for himself at Wisconsin currently.  It helps everyone to realize the impact that Coach Snyder has made on the game of college football and will continue to make in the years to come.

Helmets Popping Off at an Alarming Rate

Kelly Whiteside of USA Today wrote an article titled “Helmets Popping Off at an Alarming Rate.” During the previous two seasons the number of helmets hitting the ground have been growing drastically. As a result, the NCAA Football Rules Committee discussed the issue in February and decided to count the number of occurrences. They found that through the first seven weeks of the season in Divisions I and II, there were 1, 152 occurrences.

So how can this problem be fixed? Whiteside suggests, “One possibility would be to require a player whose helmet comes off in the normal course of play to sit out the next down, much like a player must do if time is stopped for an injury. Or the player’s team could be charged a timeout.” However, she also infers that the issue of helmets easily popping off has simply been brought to the table and that’s it. Actions to fix the problem seem to not be going into affect any time soon.

Personally, I have noticed this issue. At the end of nearly every play you can find a Georgia helmet bouncing about the field. It’s scary actually. The article mentions that players are keeping the four buckles on their chinstrap so loose the helmet can easily pop off. That’s just asking for a serious head injury to occur. Perhaps regulations on how tight the chin strap must be and rules against deflating the air cushions inside the helmets should be mandated.

WVU to Big XII

In an article posted on Big12Sports.com, it is announced that West Virginia has accepted the offer coming from the Big 12 to join their conference and become the 10th member school. They will be ready to start the 2012-2013 season as part of the Big 12 conference. This is a crushing blow to the Big East, as West Virginia was one of the best athletic schools that they had.

On the West Virginia side of the matter, they are ecstatic over the move. They will be joining a major conference, with a major TV deal, and will have an opportunity to compete with some of the best schools in the nation. They also are able to distance themselves from the mess that the Big East is becoming and effectively jumped ship before they had to go down with the Big East Conference.

The Big 12 is equally excited over this acquisition. Not only are they an excellent athletic school, a powerhouse in both football and basketball, but they are one of the better academic schools in the nation. They are ahead of the NCAA average in academic scores. Also, they save the conference, the Big 12, after losing a handful of their better schools in their conference, was desperate to get a comparable replacement, and West Virginia was the answer to this.

The Big East, however, is devastated by this news. They now only have 5 football playing schools left in the conference and are dangerously close to losing their automatic qualifying status in the BCS. The required number of a AQ conference is 8 schools. The conference will have to do some serious reconsideration as they are pressed for time to replace all the member schools that have jumped ship and hopefully salvage their BCS status for next season.

The implications of this article affect a great deal of schools in the nation. It secures the Big 12 while at the same time nearly cripples the Big East. It is a great move for West Virginia, but at the same time, they will be in a mid-western centered conference while being on the east coast. This presents them with location difficulty, but that is virtually the only negative on a huge list of positives for the school.

 

Players want pay

Money seems to drive everything around us in today’s society, and soon, college sports will be included.  As of Thursday afternoon, the NCAA’s board of directors was meeting to consider whether or not to pay college athletes for their work on the field.

Many people may be shocked at this news.  One argument for college athletes to receive pay is that with all of the time they put into their sport, they have no time for a part-time job.  Therefore, paying the athletes the speculated $2,000 a year would simply give them the spending money that they would have if they weren’t playing a sport and could work.  Tom Sorenson views this as “reimbursing them for the time they invest.”

Then, things get even more specific.  Not all college athletes will receive pay—only the ones who play a sport that brings in revenue for the University.  Basically, that means football players and male basketball players.

Sorenson believes that by paying athletes a few thousand dollars a year, it would prevent them from doing the things that get them suspended—selling memorabilia for extra cash.  This is a good point, and may very well be true, but we all know that money produces greed.  I have a feeling that if the NCAA were to approve a $2,000 a year paycheck for each athlete, soon, we’ll be sitting through college football and basketball lockouts because they players will be demanding more money.  It also opens the door for more corruption, and can possibly lead to the athletes feeling a sense of entitlement.  Playing for pay takes the innocence out of the sport—the innocence that is found for the last time at the collegiate level.

The article does a good job at presenting the information in a balanced way—it acknowledges the fact that singling out specifically the football and male basketball players is unfair, but also gives reasons as to why those players deserve pay more.  However, the article does not present any downsides to paying the athletes.  I think it would have been interesting if he had included the opinions of coaches or NCAA directors regarding their concerns with paying these athletes.

Athletes speak up

As Jon Solomon writes in the Birmingham News, college athletes are beginning to realize that they have a voice and that voice needs to be heard. While the NCAA gets ready to make some big decisions, the National College Players Association (NCPA) mobilized 331 football and basketball players to sign petitions for their version of reform.

Among other things, the athletes want a portion of the  new TV money to go to a trust fund with which they can use to pursue undergraduate degrees. That money can and should also be used to fulfill title IX requirements. They also want the scholarship amount to increase by $3,200 to accurately cover the cost of attendance.

Also addressed in the article is how money is unequally distributed throughout the NCAA. Some say that cutting money in scholarships for athletes will ultimately end up putting more money in the pockets of AD’s and coaches. The government may even be involved in helping to settle antitrust and due process issues within college sports and no one wants for this to happen. The athletes just want their voice to be heard through petitions to the NCAA without having to turn to lawmakers to make these decisions.

This article lays out and puts into perspective exactly what the athletes want and what they are trying to do to achieve that. In reading, you have no choice but to be on the same side as the athletes. What I would to know is whether or not what they are asking is reasonable and could be implemented logically. In the end, it is good to know that some athletes are making a stand for themselves and not just letting other people make decisions for them.

West Virginia To Big 12 May Not Happen

According to Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant, West Virginia may not hve booked their ticket into the Big XII just yet. It seemed as though West Virginia was about to make the move to the Big XII when talks were postponed to figure out more about Missouri. As previously learned, Mizzou still seems to want to leave for the SEC but has not been officially invited just yet. Should Mizzou leave the Big XII, it would be a matter of who to add as the tenth team in the conference. According to Doyle, that decision would be between West Virginia and Louisville.

Louisville has recently been added to the mix of school possibly leaving the Big East. The fact is that should Missouri leave, the Big East is sure to lose at least one team. The next question would be, “which one?”. Either way, the Big East is still scrambling to find more schools who could contribute to playing football in the conference with the losses of Syracuse and Pitt. It is in the Big East’s greatest hope that Missouri stay in the Big XII so as to have fewer teams to try to add.

It still seems that as much trouble as both conferences have found themselves in, it would be almost better to merge the two. The Big East is struggling to find teams to jump on aboard and the Big XII seems to just be taking teams from them. As much chaos is resulting in bringing other schools into the mix, why not just re-organize the schools that are being hit the hardest. By bringing in more schools, it makes things hard on them and hard on the teams within the conferences to re-order schedules and all. It would make more sense to bring the two struggling conferences together and form a “super-conference.”

It sounds crazy and seeing how one conference would in a sense lose their BCS birth, not much progress is being made and more people are continuing to speculate. It would make more sense to bring the two “weak links” together and make them string. There would be a lot at risk, but it might make things a little bit easier for the rest of the NCAA.

The World’s Biggest Outdoor Cocktail Party

In an article for the Florida Times-Union, Michael DiRocco analyzes the sportsmanship between UGA and UF in the 96-rivalry and how that has affected the yearly game. DiRocco maintains that events in recent years have re-spiced up the rivalry.

Beginning with the 2007 “Gator Stomp” where UGA players stormed the field after Knowshon Moreno’s 1 yard touchdown run, followed by Urban Meyer expending his last two timeouts with less than a minute left and a 39 point lead, continuing with Brandon Spikes attempt to gouge Washaun Ealey’s eyes in 2009 and UGA defensive coordinator Mark Grantham making the “choke” sign at UF field goal kicker Chas Henry.

DiRocco argues that these instances have spiced up the rivalry and adds passion and rivalry to the game again. He notes the unsportsmanlike qualities of these actions, but he says it also revitalized a rivalry that had become just a yearly matchup after UF’s dominance in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Mark Richt was quoted in the article arguing that the reason the rivalry has become more intense in recent years because UGA has won here and there instead of  UF winning consistently.

This article was interesting to me firstly because it was written from the Florida perspective, and secondly because it slightly glorified the unsportsmanlike behavior. Yes, I feel like big rivalries cause emotions to run high, and a little bit of taunting and trash-talking is part of the game, but some of this is a little overboard.

I will be interested to see which way the game turns this weekend, and how sportsmanly the teams play.

Athletes Rebuild Tuscaloosa

Six months ago on April 27 Tuscaloosa, Alabama was devastated by tornadoes.  Today the city is rebuilding and student athletes from the University of Alabama are helping with that process.  Most of these students are not from Tuscaloosa, but they want to be a part of helping to rebuild their college “home.”

Students from many different athletic teams have helped through many different organizations.  Students have worked through church groups, as interpreters, organizing school supply drives, Habitat for Humanity, and Project Team Up.  Ericka Russell, a basketball player, who headed up the drive for school supplies stated, “I think it showed the community that athletes do think about other things besides sports.  I think people are just happy to see us go out and give back to the community and just show that we do have a heart and care about the community as well. It touched my teammates as well, just being able to help to do whatever they could do.”

Alabama’s football team is helping people remember the tragedy and the fact that there is still much work to be done to rebuild the city by wearing yellow ribbons on their helmets this season.  The school has also painted a Houndstooth ribbon on the field and they have plans to put it on other sports fields.  At the first football game this season the football team recognized and honored first responders.

The actions of the players to help rebuild Tuscaloosa affect many people.  It is certainly nice to read about student athletes doing something positive and giving back to a community for a change instead of reading the negative press they usually get. I think this article is positive for student athletes everywhere; it shows that most of them want to be community oriented and help people who are going through a difficult time.   The article also showcases the fact that Alabama is supportive of the rebuilding efforts by the fact that they have painted the Houndstooth ribbon on the football field and plan to put it on other fields.

I think that Cannon’s purpose in writing the article was to highlight the good that student athletes at Alabama are doing; she might have also included some of the projects that other students who are not athletes have spearheaded.  This would have shown that many of the students at Alabama, and not just student athletes, are giving back to Tuscaloosa and are involved in helping to rebuild the city and remember those who lost their lives.

Muschamp Apologizes for Foul Language

“BOOM mother *&%^$#”—These are the words out of the mouth of Will Muschamp, formerly the defensive coordinator at Auburn University, and currently the head coach at the University of Florida, during the 2007 football game between Auburn and Florida. Since that 2007 contest, Muschamp’s intensity has hardly faded. In an article by Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com, Muschamp recently had to apologize to the media for his foul language during Florida’s first six games—particularly, the game between Auburn and Florida. Indeed, the language used by Muchamp was filled with profanity, and an apology was necessary.

Muschamp stated to the media, “It’s hard when you’ve got a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old at home and you’ve got to go home and explain to them what you said. So that’s not good and that’s not how we’re going to run our program…” Yet while Muschamp is clearly apologetic for his language, he is clear that the intensity he demonstrates on the sidelines will not diminish. He states, “Again, as far as the sideline stuff’s concerned, we’re going to be who we are. I’m just apologizing for the language, nothing else.” In the future, Muschamp will continue to be animated during games. He is well known for his extreme fluctuations in emotion—high fiving and chest bumping players in one minute, and throwing his head set in the next minute. That’s just the way he is.

The effects of Will Muschamp’s apology for profane language are wide and varied. Some may appreciate his apologetic gesture, yet others may be firm in their opinion that he should not have to apologize in the first place. Others may pay no mind to the language, brushing it off as merely a part of football. Football is, in fact, a game of intensity, and sometimes emotions interfere with a person’s morals and values. Head Coach Will Muschamp is no exception to this rule. Nicknamed “Coach Boom”, Muschamp is indeed one to let emotions get the best of him.

Overall, this article by Aschoff is wholly effective in its demonstration of facts, and correlating opinions. Aschoff provides direct quotes from Coach Muschamp, along with his own opinions of “Coach Boom’s” behavior. Thus, the article is both informative and effective, especially in conveying the idea that “Coach Boom” will not soon tone down the boom. He is an intense coach, and for that reason, he will exude intensity—with or without profane language.

NCAA weighing $2,000 payments to student athletes

In an AP article on si.com, the author discusses NCAA President Mark Emmert’s backing of a proposal that would allow conferences to increase grants to student athletes by $2000. This increase would be meant “to more closely approach” the full cost of attending college, beyond the cost of tuition, room and board, fees, and books.

Emmert told the Knight Commission that a final proposal will be finished this week and that he would ask for support from the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors. He stated that he realized that athletes don’t have the opportunities to work because of the time commitment to sports and school and that the athletic scholarship model has not changed for 40 years.

President Emmert also claimed that he expected all of the BCS Conferences to adopt the proposal due to the fact that they have the money to afford such a payment program, but he did not know if the smaller conferences would adopt it.

Personally, I really like this proposal to increase the amount covered by scholarships for student athletes. Pay for play has been such a hot button topic over the past few years, and I feel that this is a perfect medium between the two sides. Hopefully the proposal will be adopted and put into effect soon to help out today’s student athletes.

 

FAU’s Fatal Timing

Ted Hutton of the Sun Sentinel writes an article explaining the terrible timing Florida Atlantic University has had this season. This season, FAU opened their brand-new, $70 million, 30,000-person stadium. However, much to the disappointment of fans and boosters, FAU has gone 0-6 so far this season.

FAU opened their new stadium with a game against Western Kentucky only to end up being shut out with a score of 20-0. This would not be the first time FAU was to be shut out this season. It is scores like these that makes it very unlikely single-game tickets will be purchased.

Last season, attendance at the old stadium averaged upwards of 14,000. However, this season only 7,000 season tickets were purchased. FAU needs fans to purchase single-game tickets but this is unlikely unless they start winning.

This is head coach Schnellenberger’s last season and FAU fans would like to see him end with a winning record or at least a bowl appearance. If FAU loses one more game they will be out of the bowl race and will have a losing record for the third season in a row.

For the sake of their new stadium and Schnellenberger, hopefully FAU can pull it together this week.

Event Visit

Yesterday I attended the Georgia v. Kentucky volleyball game. The bulldogs put up a tough fight but fell short to the wildcats with an end result of 2-1. This game in particular happened to be the team’s pink out for breast cancer awareness. Apart from athletes, coaches, and spectators, I noticed women selling baked goods whose proceeds went towards breast cancer research. Seeing them wasn’t a big deal however, you rarely, if ever, see things like that at a football game. In my opinion, the messages being portrayed at the game were definitely promotional. After all, a few fans were given free Papa John’s pizzas. If I were a visitor to UGA, the atmosphere of the volleyball game would have left me with the impression that the University of Georgia fans are one big family. The game was intimate to say the least. It didn’t seem like the fans were cheering for a bunch of hot shots that they didn’t even know but rather their friends and family. It was my first volleyball game here and honestly, I left the game feeling like I wanted to be a part of the volleyball program here at UGA.

Joel Maturi Questions Paying College Athletes

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote an article discussing the initiative involving University of Minnesota athletes being paid $2,000 stipends. The athletes could begin receiving such within the next two years if major reforms expected to be considered by the NCAA are implemented. The stipends would cost the university about $660,000 in total.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi comments, “Kids in need can already get 5,000 or 6,000 extra dollars, which isn’t bad. But now we’re potentially going to give them $2,000 above that.” To him, the compensation issue for athletes is “a reaction to million-dollar coaches, to the monies that are being driven into college athletics and kids not being a part of it.”

College presidents, NCAA president Mark Emmert and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics will meet Monday in Washington, D.C., to consider major changes in collegiate athletics. If they approve the $2,000 stipends, the money is expected to come from increased revenues from the Big Ten Network and other TV network deals.

I am very curious to see whether the NCAA will give in to the idea of supplying student athletes with stipends. If they do, it will be a step towards pay for play which has been debated for years.

A Modest Proposal (College Football Style)

The mention of having a playoff system is not anything new to college football.  In recent years, it appears that the frustration with the current BCS system has angered people even more in recent years.  After a strong push a couple of years ago, the NCAA obviously did not even want to budge from using the BCS system.  The case even went to Congress, and they were not able to change the system of choosing a college football champion.  In 2009, the Mountain West commissioner, Craig Thompson, devised a plan to have an eight team playoff system.  His idea was not taken very far, but why quit after just one try. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right? In an article for CBSSports.com, Dennis Dodd reports about the latest proposal by Thompson.

This time around, Thompson proposes a 16 team playoff that he says is worth at least $650 million.  In his proposal, Thompson states that a human committee would rank teams from 1 to 30 and the top 16 teams that resulted from those rankings would be in the playoff.  At least six conferences would be represented by their champion, and no conference would be allowed more than three teams in the playoff.  The first round would be hosted by the top eight seeds at their home stadiums.  The quarterfinals would be played at the sights of the BCS bowls.  The semifinals would be played at the highest seeds’ stadiums.  Then, for the championship game, the venue would be decided by the result of different bowls bidding for the game.

Conferences will not only get money based off their performances in the playoff under Thompson’s plan.  Conferences would receive money for how many teams they have in the playoff, remember maximum of three, based on where they are seeded in the playoff.  As teams advance, the conference gets more and more money for how well their teams do.

According to the information that CBSSports.com found, Thompson sent this proposal to 10 FBS commissioners, Notre Dame and BCS executive director Bill Hancock. The FBS commissioners would have talked about this proposal at a scheduled meeting on September 20.  Unfortunately, the meeting had to be cancelled because of conference realignment issues.  If these people found his plan adequate, then it could change the whole scope of college football.  Smaller conference schools that go undefeated would have a fair chance to get to the championship game unlike the system now.

Although a lot of information about the proposal was given by Dodd, it feels like it was missing something.  Some sort of vital information about any other parties that are for this type of proposal.  Does Thompson having any other conference commissioners backing him? Is he going at it alone? Why did he decide to propose this now?  Many questions remain unanswered, but the contract with the BCS ends in 2014.  Details will be clarified by then, and we shall see if any playoff proposal is looked at seriousy.

Explosive End To UGA – Vanderbilt Game

After Georgia defeated Vanderbilt 33-28, and the coaches walked across the field to speak to each other, a confrontation occurred between Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin.  Disciplinary action may result from this incident and the schools were required to send reports to the conference.

“The whole story will come out at some point and time,” Athletic Director Greg McGarity said Monday afternoon at the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. “Right now both institutions are basically filing a report to the Southeastern Conference office on really what happened from our coach, from Todd’s standpoint, and I’m sure from Coach Franklin’s standpoint.”

 

The replay of the confrontation shows Coach Franklin pointing at UGA safety Shawn Williams as he is making his way across the field.  At this point, Grantham looks at Williams and appears to get angry and yell at Franklin.  The incident did not spiral into a physical altercation, but UGA Coach Mark Richt, his assistant coaches, and the Vanderbilt police had to separate the teams on the field.

A statement by Grantham was put out by UGA in which he said: “While my intentions were genuine, I feel it was unfortunate that things escalated into a confrontation. These actions were not representative of what the institution stands for.”  Coach Richt and Coach Franklin spoke about the incident on Sunday morning.  Coach Franklin made the following statement about the incident, “I’m not a guy that really has a whole lot of regrets. I’m pretty calculated, I’m pretty well-thought out in the things that I do for the most part. I am an emotional guy, but I would have liked the game to end differently. I would have liked for us when we didn’t win the game for us to leave the field and shook hands and been men of character, all of us and walk off the field.”  Grantham also said in his statement that he knew how hard his players worked and that he felt “a responsibility and loyalty to protect and stand up for them.”

The University of Georgia is most affected by this article and it will have a negative impact on some of their supporters and the opposite effect on others.  Some UGA supporters will feel that Grantham showed poor character in the way he reacted on Saturday night.  Other fans will feel that Grantham did the right thing in standing up for his players, even if it meant getting confrontational.

The players who were involved in whatever sparked the coaches anger could be affected by suspensions and Coach Franklin and Coach Grantham could also face some penalties.

Weiszer did a good job reporting the statements from both coaches involved in the incident and giving what little information is available to the public on what really sparked the confrontation.

Biggest step to SEC still ahead of Mizzou

David Ubben, in an article on the Big 12’s espn.com blog, discusses the moves that the Missouri board of curators made concerning Mizzou’s conference affiliation. First of all, they granted Missouri’s Chancellor Brady Deaton “the authority to do whatever he finds necessary for Missouri” even without the board of curators’s approval. Whether that be moving to the SEC or staying in the Big 12 and granting the conference its media rights, we do not know yet. However, Deaton did announce that whatever decision the school makes will be effective for the next school year rather than for the year after like Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas stated.

The second thing made clear by the curators was that it wants to keep its connection with Kansas City. Even if it does choose to leave the conference, it wants to continue to have a basketball tournament and a football game with a traditional rival (namely Kansas) in the city. This is due to the fact that Kansas City is home to a large amount of Mizzou alums and would lose a lot if it lost its connection with the school, upsetting the alums and fans in the city.

According to Neinas, Mizzou has until May to make the decision regarding its conference affiliation, but the school will definitely make its choice sooner, especially with its desire for the decision to be effective next year.

In my opinion, this decision just furthers the widespread thought that Mizzou will join the SEC. As an SEC fan, I don’t know how I feel about that move, but it seems pretty eminent at this point. Hopefully, though, a decision either way will be made soon so that all of the drama concerning the situation will subside.

Ticket Sales On The Rise

The Atlantic Coastal Conference, commonly known as the ACC, will be holding their second annual championship game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of October 21, the game, scheduled for December 3, had already sold 27,000 tickets. Officials expect to sell over 30,000 tickets before the two teams playing in the game are determined.

It is expected that excitement over prospective championship contenders has been driving ticket sales. These teams include Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and North Carolina. Also, fans remember how much fun the game was last year and officials believe this is causing sales to rise. Hopefully, with a rise in ticket sales, the championship game will be played permanently in Charlotte. When the game was played in Jacksonville and Tampa, ticket sales were disappointing.

Later in December, the Belk Bowl will also be hosted at Bank of America Stadium. Similar to the ACC Championship, Belk Bowl ticket sales have also been on the rise. Music artists including Daughtry and Edwin McCain have increased these ticket sales.

Madness in Arizona

In an article published in the Arizona Daily Star, Patrick Finley takes a look at the events that took place in Arizona this past Thursday night. What started as a first half with nothing but offense for the Arizona Wildcats ended with nothing but a headache for Interim Head Coach, Tim Kish. He may now have to deal with the loss of several key players for next Saturday’s game after a brawl erupted just before the end of the first half.

What started out as bizarre, ended foolish. A UA student disguised as a referee jumped down to the field and, while blowing a whistle, attempted to take the game ball and proceed to streak down the field in underwear in front of a stadium of fans and ESPN cameras.

Shortly after being subdued by the police, a bench-clearing brawl started over the actions of a young Arizona cornerback and a UCLA wide receiver. The scene was of utter chaos and after a while the brawl was ended. The fans were treated to one of the oddest displays in college sports of recent memory. What begin as a defiant, half-naked student running down the field, ended with a huge team brawl in the middle of the field.

The PAC 12 will have an opportunity to review the film and decide whether or not additional sanctions will be taken on both teams. Also, coach Kish reminded the media that the University of Arizona has every right to bring on additional punishment to their own student athletes who are involved.

This brawl has been one of a handful of things that have been going wrong for the Wildcats this year. Coming only ten days after the firing of their previous head coach, they now have a black eye from their actions on the field at the end of the half  Thursday night. We will know soon enough if additional punishment will be handed out to either UA or UCLA for their upcoming games next Saturday.

Benefits of Social Networking

  In an article on Medill Reports Chicago, Michael Tomko reports on the growing influence of social media and its impact on college sports.  We have talked a lot about how the social networking sites influence sports in today’s world and I thought that this article fully demonstrated many of the different ways that it has an impact.

The media is an avenue where fans can get and feel more connected with their team.  The media can get fans more excited about their team and be more informed with the happenings of the team.  It is beneficial to the fans because they can feel more connected and have more enthusiasm for their team.  They can be better informed about what is going on.

The social networking sites, however, are even more beneficial to the universities.  The sites are very cheap for the universities to produce, but they have a plethora of benefits.  The universities can get their fans more involved with what is going on at the university.  They can make the fans feel more connected with the team.  They can also do promotions to benefit the university through these networking sites.  Currently, the bigger universities have more support for the networking sites based on the number of “likes” on Facebook and followers on twitter, but the smaller schools are definitely benefiting from the sites.  Before, the smaller schools had a very difficult time getting their name out there, especially with no television contracts, but now with the cheap social networking media, they can make their name be known.

With streaker and brawl, halftime show came early

Author: Anthony Gimino

Tucson Citizen

In an online article on tucsoncitizen.com, Anthony Gimino addresses and discusses what took place last night (Oct. 20) during the Arizona versus UCLA football game in Arizona. Having just fired head coach Mike Stoops, Arizona was looking to end a 10-game losing streak to FBS teams, and Arizona was looking like they really wanted to end that streak, posting 42 points in the first half! Being down by 5 TDs had to be a little frustrating for the Bruins. They had 4 seconds left until halftime, so the logical thing to do, in the Bruins perspective, was to try a “hail mary” play to try and lessen the lead Arizona was holding on to.

As the ball was snapped, whistles blew, blowing the play dead. What looked to be an official ran out onto the field to try and get the ball, but there seemed to be something out of the ordinary with him. He had on the proper referee hat and shirt, and he even had the whistle to go along with it. What didn’t match with the other refs, though, was the fact that the guy (who was actually an Arizona student) had on a pair of gym shorts instead of pants. Not only did he disrupt the play and cause a delay, but he also went sprinting toward the end zone, ripping his clothes off along the way, while being chased by security guards.

Well, this seemed to get the crowd’s attention and got them all fired up, but the crowd’s attention was soon shifted to a bench-clearing brawl taking place at mid-field between the Wildcats and the Bruins. The fight began when Arizona sophomore cornerback Shaquille Richardson and UCLA senior wide receiver Taylor Embree were talking crap to each other during the delay. Obviously the “jawing” got out-of-hand enough to where both players committed “flagrant personal fouls” (both players were ejected for those fouls), causing all of the players on the field to run over there to try and break up the fight, getting more players involved in the fighting, resulting in both benches running onto the field making the fight big enough to cover half the field, all while the streaker was being put into handcuffs.

Interim head coach of the Wildcats, Tim Kish, expressed his disappointment and concerns with his players at halftime about the fight, and the Wildcats came back out of the locker room after halftime and only got 2 field goals the rest of the game, but they also shut down UCLA’s offense, allowing only 1 field goal (UCLA also got a safety in the 4^th quarter), beating the Bruins by a final score of 48-12. Kish was pleased with the “composure” his players had in the 2^nd half.

There will probably be major consequences from that bench-clearing brawl for both teams. The Pac-12 will watch the video of the fight over and over again until they pick out which players were involved, and who were not penalized. The conference could punish those players with suspensions, causing both Arizona and UCLA to be short-handed in their next game(s). The 2 players who instigated the fight, Richardson and Embree, could be facing further punishment.

If you would like to watch the video of this incident, just click on the hyperlink up top. It will take you to the article, where a Youtube clip is posted. Enjoy!

Three LSU players Suspended for Failed Drug Tests

According to a report released Thursday, three players for Louisiana State University—two starters and one “heavily used” reserve player—all tested positive for synthetic marijuana in a school-administered drug test earlier in the month. Subsequently, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com is reporting that the three players, Tryann Mathieu, Tharold Simon, and Spencer Ware, are now being held out of at least this Saturday’s contest against Auburn at Tiger Stadium. According to inside sources, the players must successfully complete a series of requirements in order to be eligible for team play once again.

The reports made in this article have certainly prompted discussion amidst the NCAA. Upon hearing about the three LSU players, members, as well as non-members, of the NCAA are reminded of Anderson, South Carolina native, Lamar Jack—another player found guilty of synthetic marijuana use. However, for Jack, the consequences of using this drug were much more severe. Earlier this month reports were made that after collapsing during a pre-season workout, Jack died in a local hospital due to the ingestion of the chemical JWH-018, a chemical used in synthetic marijuana. Yet even after the facts of Jack’s death became public knowledge, the use of synthetic marijuana is still increasing in popularity. An individual close to the case at LSU states, “…It’s an epidemic. It’s not just here, it’s everywhere. It’s scary because the kids don’t know anything about it. It’s a student-body issue, not just a student-athlete issue…” Clearly, the use of synthetic marijuana is a broad issue, and not just within college athletics. However, because its usage is ever broadening within college athletics, the NCAA is now debating on whether or not to start testing for synthetic carbinoids—chemicals found in synthetic marijuana—during its drug tests. Currently the NCAA is not. Of course, the recent news of Lamar Jack, and now the three players at LSU may certainly change things.

The content of this article covers much more than merely the situation at LSU. Although the player suspensions will likely pose some significant consequences for LSU on the playing field, the fact of the matter is that the distribution and use of synthetic marijuana is becoming an increasingly popular topic for discussion—so much so that the NCAA must now decide on whether or not to include a test for synthetic carbinoids in its drug tests. The decision to add this test could be quite costly, yet the benefits of a safer, more drug free athletic realm may definitely be worth the cost. Additionally, Schlabach certainly succeeds in including the background information necessary to complete this article. Readers are left unaware of what “requirements” the LSU players must complete, but this information is presumably beyond Schlabach’s control. All in all, the content of this article is definitely that of huge interest, and will be interesting to follow over the next few months. We must now all wait and see if the NCAA will amend its drug tests to include testing for synthetic marijuana. More specifically, we will soon see the consequences of LSU’s losing three key players in this Saturday’s SEC match-up with Auburn.

Do fans get too involved?

In a CFAA article  for the LSU Reveille, Chris Grillot tells the story of an embarrassing display of fanaticism. LSU is ranked #1 in the nation. They are 7-0. They were chosen by CBS as the “SEC Game of the Week.” They literally have no complaints, right?

Wrong.

Fans are upset because CBS changed the kickoff time for the game against Florida to 2:30. They claim CBS is ruining LSU tradition and robbing them of their night game. A fan created a Facebook page called LSU vs. CBS to rail on the media conglomerate’s decision.

Honestly, LSU? It’s not worth the argument. Promise. First of all, the more than 2,000 fans who liked this Facebook page don’t understand that CBS is perfectly within it’s contractual rights to change the kickoff time of the game. CBS’s contract with LSU pays the school an average of $4.2 million annually. I would guess that money is more important to the school than a four or five hour difference in kickoff time.

In general, though, what makes fans think they have a say in things like that? It’s great for fans to be invested in the success of their team, but to approach a sense of ownership is strange. The fans think they know what’s best, what matters, and that their opinion should come first. I think that sense of entitlement is dangerous to the world of college sports.

The article addressed the flaws in LSU fans’ logic, yet it did not give the school’s perspective on the issue, which could have been interesting.

Bottom line: you’re #1. Stop complaining.

Tempers Flare in Heated Matchup

By now, everyone has heard about the altercations that occurred after Saturday night’s game between Georgia and Vanderbilt.  Everyone has also heard about the penalties each team is receiving—Georgia safety Shawn Williams and nose tackle Kwame Geathers and Vandy center Logan Stewart all must sit out half a game.  But the real topic for conversation right now is the altercation that went down between Georgia’s defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham, and Vandy’s head coach James Franklin.

Grantham is self-admitted to the fact that he often tends to get caught up in the heat of a game—something that was demonstrated at last year’s game against Florida, as well.  “I love my players…I feel a responsibility and loyalty to protect and stand up for them,” Grantham was quoted saying to David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.  Why, exactly, was Grantham trying to stand up for them?  This has yet to be stated but could possibly be due to the fact that many of UGA’s players were being accused of playing dirty.  Camera footage shows Coach Franklin pointing at Shawn Williams, who received two personal foul penalties during the game, and then Grantham reacting violently.

Coach Franklin defends his actions by saying that while he is a very emotional person, he is very thought out about his actions and does not have many regrets.  As far as his feelings on Saturday’s game: “I would have liked for the game to have ended differently. I would have liked for us to win. When we didn’t, I would have liked for us to shake hands and leave the field as men of character.” Although that wasn’t necessarily the case, Franklin hopes that both teams can move forward from the altercation.

This article does a good job of showing both sides of the story, having quotes from both Grantham and Franklin on their opinions of their actions from Saturday night.  However, the article does tend to put Grantham in a bad light, bringing up incidents that have happened in the past and making him seem like a loose cannon.  It would be nice, however, to have been able to know exactly what was said between the two coaches during their tift.  All we know for now, though, is that Grantham plans on using the incident as a “learning experience for both himself and his players.”

Athletic Departments and Social Media

As Michael Tomko writes in the Medill Reports, many college athletic departments are using social media to better connect with their fans. This includes using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to create a different type of bond between the coaches, athletes and fans than ever before. It gives the fans behind-the-scence access to their favorite teams in a unique way.

This use of social media is important to the athletic departments because it gives them a way to gauge the interest in their teams and get instant feedback from the fans. It is also cost effective because they are getting valuable information without having to pay for it. In this sense, everyone benefits. Fans and the athletic departments are always connected to each other and are able to receive the information they want at any time.

While using these techniques, schools will only get out what they put in. The more time and energy devoted to updating statuses and posting tweets will directly effect how fans will respond. Knowing this, schools like Northwestern University are hiring people to specifically oversee social media content.

One of the downsides to this new craze is giving coaches and athletes complete, free access to social networking sites. By allowing them to update on their own, there is always the possibility that will say something they shouldn’t. This, however, isn’t much different than coaches and players having the ability to say whatever they want in an interview so not much is changed in these situations.

Throughout the article, Tomko uses many different universities as examples on how social media is being used. By doing so, he makes his point clear and helps you fully understand the situation. He also shows how people on both ends can benefit from this and the impact it is having. The main goal of using social media is to keep current fans engaged and draw new fans in and each school is constantly finding new ways to do so. Overall, social networks are continuing to grow and these universities have really only scratched the surface in seeing what type of impact they will have on athletics.

NCAA feeling pressure to cooperate

The NCAA was created in order to serve as the “justice system” to monitor and maintain its schools in order to keep competitive balance. However, as it has been shown throughout its history, it is hard for one agency to rule over such a large pool of schools. The NCAA’s failure to cooperate with the state’s requests to get information about the UNC scandal have led Jim Litke to ask, “Is the NCAA hiding anything?” The article mentions that many laws have been created recently in order to punish agents who put student-athletes’ amateur status at risk and give schools and athletic department fits. These laws allow schools to sue agents for the financial loss due to their actions, but this almost never happens. Litke believes that the NCAA is covering up wrongdoings by agents.

I’m not sure if I agree with Litke that the NCAA is potentially trying to cover for agents because I feel like that would put the NCAA’s product in danger. The NCAA is nonprofit but it is not good for it’s reputation to be that it allows agents to run wild. However, I could see there being a scandal if there were a few corrupt people within the NCAA helping the agents but that seems far-fetched.

The article could have used more quotes from the NCAA and given them more of a chance to defend their position.

MU vote regarding SEC expected soon

With all of the concerns about conference realignment, one huge concern that could impact many conferences is whether Missouri winds up in the SEC or not. Vahe Gregorian discusses this issue in his article. It seems as though the rest of the country is waiting to see where this move might end up because of how it could effect a number of conferences.

It would obviously effect the SEC and Big XII by adding or losing a school. However, this move could also effect the Big East in that the Big XII would need more schools for their conference. This move could very well lead to the decline of the Big East unless it were to acquire other schools. It would also impact the SEC as well as Missouri in a huge way.

Missouri would love to be a part of such a conference as the SEC because of the popularity and talent that the SEC holds. Seeing as the SEC has won the last 5 National Championships and could potentially win a sixth, holding the top 2 positions in the current BCS standings. This could bring in more recruits to Missouri, seeing how their recruits would get to play in such a prestigious conference. However, Missouri would have it pretty tough from the start. As Gregorian states, Missouri would be in the lower third in funding and would possibly be in the same spot in the standings. It would be a difficult transition for Missouri, having to make a huge jump into the SEC.

The SEC would also be greatly affected, in particular with conference alignment and scheduling. Seeing how the conference is aligned demographically, Missouri would fit into the western half of the division. With Texas A&M making the move as well, this would put 8 teams in the west and 6 in the east. The next logical choice, based on location, would be to move Auburn to the east. This would ruin traditions built between Auburn playing Alabama and LSU since there would be an additional division game to be played.

In conclusion, it is in Missouri’s best interest to join the SEC. At the same time though, it is the SEC’s best interest to find another school that would be a better fit. There are too many variables in adding Missouri to the SEC and there are other options that might be a better fit for the prestigious conference. Whoever the SEC decides to add, assuming they decide to pursue a 14th school, would need to be able to fit into the eastern division of the conference. Other than that, a school like a Missouri would be a great candidate. It seems that there are other schools that might be a better fit though.

Houston to a BCS Conference?

In an article written in the Houston Chronicle, Sam Khan Jr. takes a look at the possibility of the University of Houston moving to an automatic qualifying conference. The Big East, after losing four schools already this year and losing out on the chance to get TCU is desperate for expansion

UH, along with 5 other schools, Air Force, Boise State, Central Florida, Navy and SMU, are all on the target list of the Big East. All of these schools are solid universities, but do not present give the Big East any real improvement other than TV markets, and mostly important right now, numbers.

There is a requirement of any BCS qualifying school to have at least 8 schools in their conference to be eligible for any BCS bowl. The Big East only has 6 members as of now. They are pressed for time to get enough schools in time for next season to be eligible for the bowls. Also they are at risk of having the rest of the  member schools ditch out for more stable conferences.

Another major development is with UH’s current conference, C-USA. They are in talks with the Mountain West to form one collective conference. Although this will not be of any real significance to BCS bowls or things like that. It will be interesting to have a conference stretching all the way from Texas out to Hawaii though.

The implications of this article will effect what is to come in the BCS now. If the Big East is not deemed ‘strong enough’ after all the realignment has come to an end, then when the new BCS contract is worked out, they may be left on the outside looking in on.

Reasons behind the outrageous uniform trend

 

Think back to the NCAA Football National Championship game that occurred this past January.  What do you recall first, the fact that Auburn won or the images of Oregon in their outrageous neon uniforms?  Many of you would say the second option, which is exactly what Oregon was hoping for.  It seems for many teams across the country that displaying bold uniforms is a new trend, but they claim that they actually do have a motive behind it.

Maryland is the latest team to have displayed new uniforms, which basically resemble a life-sized, walking version of the state’s flag.  Maryland’s athletic director, Nathan Pine, told Travis Sawchik of the Charleston Post and Courier that one motive behind their new uniforms was to get back to the original spirit of the university.  He referenced the fact that the school became known simply as the “Terps”, and they wanted to get back to the real identity of the institution, which is the fact that it is the flagship school of the state of Maryland.  The media’s reaction to the uniforms was outrageous, in more ways than one.

Statistics showed that the majority of people over age 35 were not satisfied with the changes; however, adolescents and young adults were very intrigued.  This is exactly what the school was hoping for.  They aren’t trying to raise the interest of adults, but rather that of possible recruits for athletics.  Under Armour and Nike have both partnered with teams across the country to design new and innovative uniforms with the hopes of having the same types of reactions—ones that will have a positive influence on the school’s recruits.

These new uniforms can have both positive and negative effects on the teams that choose to take the risk, however, the positive effects greatly outweigh the negative.  Whether people like or dislike the uniforms, they are talking about the University, which in the end, is all the school wants.  As long as they are getting their name and brand “out there” for teenagers and possible recruits to see, they are being successful.  Not many young athletes want to commit to a team that is rarely in the media, but rather a team that stands out because of their non-traditional uniforms.

I think it would be interesting if the article discussed the amount of money that these teams pay to partner up with companies like Nike and Under Armour, because I’m sure it’s a large amount.  Or, it could possibly be the other way around—the companies could be paying the schools for the exposure.  I’m sure the coaches would all agree, though, that they are willing to pay whatever it takes to have a successful season.

Sound the Trumpets! UD Alters Noisemaker Rules

Just today, Kevin Tresolini of the Wilmington News Journal posted an article titled “Sound the Trumpets! UD Alters Noisemaker Rules”  highlighting a recent issue at the University of Delaware. Last Saturday, 31 year old Matt Delaney was asked by CSC security personnel to leave the UD v. William and Mary game for blowing his trumpet–something he has done for 15 years now. Delaney was forced to turn over his trumpet, handcuffed and taken to UD Police headquarters. Fortunately, he was released without being charged. An estimated 200 fans left the stadium due to his ejection.

It is stated in the Delaware Stadium Fan Guide that “noisemakers, musical instruments, or any type of noise-making device are prohibited inside Delaware stadium, even if purchased on site at the university.” Although this is true, this rule is rarely taken seriously. In fact, the assistant athletic director for media relations admitted that “noisemakers are allowed to be brought in and played as long as they do not disrupt the flow of the game or cause any type of safety hazard.”

Students responded to Matt Delaney being removed from the game with furious backlash. In an attempt to accommodate students, many have suggested the incident simply resulted from one overzealous security guard. Noise makers will be allowed at this Saturday’s game considering the university was already dealing with falling attendance and fans angry over season-ticket surcharges so they obviously don’t want to anger them anymore. I am impressed with the fact that one man being forced to leave the stadium caused 200 angry fans to leave. It definitely shows the unity of students at the University of Delaware. I wonder if the same would have happened here at UGA.

Source: Big East to invite Boise St., 3 more

In an AP article on si.com, an anonymous Big East official claimed that after the conference raises the exit fees for its current members to $10 million, they will invite Boise State, Air Force, Navy, and UCF to join the Big East. Boise State, Air Force, and Navy will be football-only members, while UCF will be an all-sports member. The source said that the invites could go out as soon as next week, but could take longer, due to the fact that conferences normally only publicly invite teams if they are certain the school will accept.

The conference wants to expand to 12 football schools, giving it the ability to have a conference championship game and protecting its BCS automatic qualifier status. However, it is already losing Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and TCU, and could end up losing Louisville, West Virginia, and UConn. The increased exit fee is being employed as an attempt to keep the schools loyal to the conference. The Big East is still considering inviting Temple, SMU, and Houston as well.

I feel that these schools would be a good addition, as they will expand the Big East to new markets and fan bases. It is also their only option at this point, since they would most likely collapse without trying to expand.  It will be interesting to see if a deal can be struck with all of these schools and if any others are invited in the near future.

Auburn Is Cleared in Investigation Into Newton

Author: Pete Thamel

New York Times

In an online newspaper article from the New York Times, Pete Thamel reports that the investigation involving the shopping of Cam Newton, former quarterback for Auburn, is now closed. However, if new information arises, then the case can be re-opened. The NCAA said that it found no violations with the way Auburn recruited the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner. They had 50 total interviews in this investigation, all of them dealing with pay-for-play. The only evidence in this case was Cam’s father, Cecil Newton, admitting that he was trying to get $200,000 from Mississippi State to get Cam to play football for the Bulldogs. This information might be true, but there is no evidence that Auburn had any recruiting violations. Therefore, there was no need to continue the investigation.

Auburn was also not found of any wrongdoing in the case involving 4 former players in a HBO Sports documentary stating that they were privileged with extra goodies. One out of the 4 players met with the NCAA and gave his version of the story, but what he said was not backed up with any evidence and was “disputed by others”. Therefore, the NCAA made the right decision in these 2 cases. Innocent until “proven” guilty through evidence still reigns supreme.

It has been a good week for Auburn, despite losing badly to Arkansas on Saturday night, but knowing that they are in the clear and that they get to keep their 2010 BCS title are the most important things. Now their focus is on this weekend’s game against the Florida Gators on the Plains. This is not only great news for Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers, but it’s also a huge burden lifted for the Southeastern Conference. Toward the beginning of this investigation, the SEC was bashed for withholding information regarding this scandal, which was the first indication to the public that this scandal could be serious, maybe resulting in Cam Newton being suspended, denying his chance of becoming a National Champion. But he got his chance, and he made it happen.

 

 

Emotions surrounding Auburn’s clearance by the NCAA

Writing for the Montgomery Advertiser, Josh Moon address the somewhat comical situation surrounding the aftermath of the ending of Auburn’s NCAA investigation. Wednesday, the NCAA officially closed its investigation of Auburn finding no substantial evidence that the university did anything wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton.

Moon first states that Auburn fans are too happy about the situation in general. Auburn never did anything wrong, and all along there was never any evidence that they did. The only reason the investigation started was because Newton’s father tired to shop his son to Mississippi State- a known fact. Auburn can now keep their title and Cam Newton can keep his Heisman trophy.

Next, he explains how Alabama fans are too upset about the situation. They’re all still bitter about Auburn’s come from behind victory at Bryant-Denney Stadium last season and were holding on to anything that would have made Auburn less deserving of that win. Now that Auburn has been cleared, the loss is real and there is nothing they can do about it.

Even with the ending of the investigation, some people just can’t let it go. Many reporters are clinging to the fact that the NCAA stated in their letter to Auburn that it can reopen the investigation if additional information is found. But this isn’t any different than what the NCAA would have said to any other school. In the end, everyone just needs to move on. The investigation is over and hopefully Cam Newton and Auburn will stay out of the news.

Keeping the Tradition Alive

In her article for The Reflector, the student newspaper for Mississippi State University, Lauren Clark gives a reminder to students concerning cowbell use at football games.  Since cowbells were banned many years ago by the Southeastern Conference, Mississippi State fans have not been able to legally keep their tradition alive.  The tradition dates back to the late 1930’s with myths and legends surrounding how exactly they came about at the games.  Even though the SEC banned the cowbell use, MSU fans did continue shaking the cowbells at football games.  The SEC let it sort of fly under the radar until they decided to become more strict about the rules.

Last season, MSU was fined $30,000 for the inappropriate use of the cowbell.  However, the SEC made somewhat of a compromise with the university allowing cowbells to be used at games.  Notice how I said at and not during games.  MSU fans are now allowed to ring the cowbells before the game, during timeouts, at halftime and when the team scores.  Any use other than those times will result in some sort of fine or penalty.  Steve Stricklin, the athletic director at MSU, wants to make sure the word gets out and is clear to the students.  He recognizes that the SEC has given the university an opportunity, and he does not want the students to mess up this opportunity.

If MSU students ring their cowbells at appropriate times during the season, then the SEC will probably allow the rule to continue to be put into practice.  Stricklin says that the university and the SEC are still in  a trial run for the rule so the fans still have to be careful.  If they do not follow this rule, then they could have a 70 year tradition stripped away from the school.  The university and its fans definitely do not want that so it is important that they know the consequences to their actions.  The video board at games tells fans when it is appropriate to use them.  It is the fans’  job to follow the rule.

If the SEC feels MSU did not behave properly in accordance to the rule, the university and its fan would be majorly affected by the outcome.  MSU would lose some of its identity if cowbells were no longer allowed at games.  One of the more intimidating factors of playing an away game in Starkville is hearing the ringing of the cowbells throughout the stadium.  An abuse of this compromise could result in the loss of some of the home field advantage factor for the Bulldogs.

Clark made sure that the students knew when they could appropriately ring the cowbells.  She got quotes from various people affiliated with the university and its athletics to provide views on the situation.  This article contained all necessary facts to make sure students were aware of the cowbell situation.

NCAA ends Investigation of Cam Newton

  Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tackles the topic of the NCAA completing their investigation of Cam Newton.  The NCAA just concluded the case, so there has been much discussion about the issue.  He takes a very neutral stance and does a good job showing both sides of the argument considering the heated circumstances of the topic.

The fact that the NCAA completed the investigation of Cam Newton probably has many people very angry about the situation.  I admit that I was one of the people that thought that Cam Newton was guilty no matter what the evidence said and that Auburn should not have won the National Championship, but I may be a little biased.  However, I think that the NCAA made the right decision to dismiss the case.  There was evidence that the father did solicit money, but there was no evidence that his son knew about the situation, so they cannot punish him and Auburn University without there being sufficient evidence that Cam Newton was in fact involved with the deal.

Schultz explains that there were many people who say, despite what the evidence says, Newton had to have known about the money and there is no question that he is guilty, but you have to take a neutral standpoint and look at the evidence and see if he was really guilty.  You have to think about how if they did not win the National Championship and if he did not win the Heisman, would the investigation have been as big of a deal.  Also, you have to think about if you did not have any bias against Auburn, would you still think the same thing about the situation.  The statement by the NCAA states that they have made 80 interviews and none of them have concluded with sufficient evidence against Cam Newton.  So, it is in fact good that the NCAA dismisses the case unless sufficient evidence happens to appear.

Big East additions: Coming Soon

In a CFAA clip, Pete Thamel outlines the new Big East additions: Boise State, Air Force, Navy, Houston, Southern Methodist and Central Florida. The six new teams, which would bring the conference total to 12, are not set in stone yet, but invitations are expected to go out Monday.

Of these new teams, Boise, Air Force, and Navy would be football-only members. Boise would be a big pick up for the Big East– they’ve been gaining recognition so far this season (in part due to how they trounced UGA in the Dome….). Boise would benefit too– the Big East is a BCS automatically-qualifying conference.

I will be interested to see if these teams pan out. I also will be interested to see how this affects other conference lineups. This article doesn’t do a great job with background info or looking forward. It just outlines this newest development in conference realignments.

 

From Top to Bottom In Two Short Years

Two short years have made a tremendous negative difference for the Kansas Jayhawks.  On October 17, 2009, the Jayhawks were enjoying a 5-0 season and had won 25 of their last 31 games.   This October Kansas is at the bottom of the Big 12, and has lost 19 of their last 24 games.

Today, Kansas is not just contending with a losing season, they are also battling morale problems.   They “are as good a pick as any as the worst team among the six conferences with automatic qualification to the BCS.”

Mark Mangino, who was UK’s coach during their winning streak, was fired at the end of the 2009 season, not only for the streak of losses, but also because there were accusations that he had mistreated players.  Turner Gill took over the Jayhawks but he did not inherit a lot of talent with which to work.

The Kansas football program is a perfect example of how fleeting success can be for some football teams.  It is very hard to obtain it and it can vanish overnight.  After winning the Orange Bowl in the not so distant past, Kansas is playing OU Saturday night and the Sooners are 351/2-point favorites.

The decline of the Jayhawks should be a reminder to players, coaches and schools that once you make it to the top and are having a winning streak, it is certainly not guaranteed to continue.  Everyone involved with a winning program should examine what they did to achieve success and make sure that they continue to do those things.

In order to fully understand why the Kansas team went from the heights to the depths in such a short period of time more information is needed.  Exactly how serious was Mangino’s mistreatment of players?  Did they have several bad recruiting seasons?  There had to be several factors that played into a team going down this fast.  I think Tramel needed to offer more perspectives of what happened to the Jayhawks.  He could have interviewed the current coach, former players, and other people who were knowledgeable about what happened.

I do think, however, that he got his point across that teams must pay attention to what made them successful while they are still winning if they want to maintain their success.

Boise State lost in realignment shuffle

Boise State has been the most consistently successful college football program for the past decade. Why then are they being overlooked in the conference realignment talks? The PAC-12 was the best fit for Boise State, however they have already added everyone they want to add for now and are not looking to expand any further any time soon. David Jones outlines some of the possible reasons why other conferences are overlooking the Broncos in his latest article. One of the biggest downfalls for Boise State is that their location and small alumni base are not attractive for TV contracts which means conferences would not see much added revenue. The Big East would be a good fit for both since the Big East needs a good football program to keep their automatic qualifier status for the BCS and the Broncos would just like to be in the BCS picture. But the in-fighting among the Big East schools leaves the future of the conference in doubt.

It would be a shame if college football lost a school like Boise in it’s national title picture. The team has repeatedly shut their naysayers up and have played really good football, yet they still might be on the outside looking in. If Boise State isn’t picked up by a BCS conference then it truly shows that the conference realignment has nothing to do with competitiveness on the field, but more to do with money and contracts.

The author does a good job breaking down the situation for Boise State , but I would have liked to have seen some interviews from people from the Boise State athletic department on joining the Big East or some quotes from Big East member schools.

 

 

 

Stephen Garcia Dismissed from USC Football Team

Stephen Garcia’s career as a starting quarterback at the University of South Carolina has officially ended.

Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com writes that as of Tuesday, October 11^th, Garcia has been permanently dismissed from the USC football squad. His sudden departure came as a result of him testing positive for both marijuana and alcohol. The results of the drug test clearly demonstrated that Garcia was in violation of an agreement set forth last spring—a period subsequent to his fifth suspension during his USC sports career. In regards to the decision to dismiss Garcia, Eric Hyman, the athletic director at South Carolina states that, “…Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right, and we remind all of our student-athletes that there are consequences for their actions…” Head football coach Steve Spurrier adds, “…We are all saddened that this has occurred. We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete here at South Carolina. Obviously, he has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract. We wish him the best.”

 Clearly, the athletic department at USC will tolerate no foolishness by its student-athletes—even the starting quarterback of their football team. In effect, the sudden dismissal of Garcia has certainly made a statement across the USC campus. No athlete is immune to punishment for his or her wrongdoings, no matter how many points they score, passes they complete, or shots they make.

Additionally, the article makes note of the inevitable consequences that Garcia’s dismissal will pose on the playing field. Upon Garcia’s departure, the duties of starting quarterback have now, officially, been handed off to Connor Shaw, former backup quarterback for Garcia. Behind Shaw are a redshirt freshman, Dylan Thompson, and a redshirt sophomore, Andrew Clifford. The Gamecocks of South Carolina can only pray that Shaw does not go down with an injury.

Yet the on-field consequences of Garcia’s dismissal are only a small part of what USC will now face. The consequences could be wide and varied. Perhaps those linked to the university will commend the acts of the athletic department in their attempts to maintain the integrity of the program. Others—particularly those linked to Garcia—may view the athletic program’s decision as far too extreme. As for the fans, the mid-season loss of a starting quarterback is definitely a tough blow to cope with. However, fans may quite possibly see Garcia’s dismissal as a breath of fresh air. As mentioned, during his USC football career, Garcia was suspended from play five times. The fifth time, more severe actions needed to be taken.

All in all, Stephen Garcia will soon be forgotten within the college football realm, yet the message posed by USC as a result of his dismissal is one that will not soon be forgotten by the athletes of USC, and for other athletes across the nation.

Football realignment gets basketball coaches’ attention

With all of the attention in college sports being focused on football, where do things stand for basketball? Does anyone care anymore about the other sports, or is football the only thing that matters now? Irv Moss of the Denver Post poses this question and makes the reader truly consider the conference realignment in college football.

Moss interviews New Mexico basketball coach Steve Alford who believes that the conferences should do what they want for football and keep basketball where it is. It brings up an interesting point because the truth is that everyone is overly concerned with the whole outcome of conference realignment in football that basketball seems to be overlooked. For example, with all of the moves in the Big East, they must consider basketball and their possible additions since so few of the Big East schools compete in football. But then you look at the Big XII who is completely remodeling their conference for all sports, taking away from a conference such as the Mountain West.

At the same time though, New Mexico might be putting themselves at a disadvantage if they push for maintaining basketball conferences. Imagine attracting more students and more money for a school like TCU who would compete in the Big XII in football. That attraction just might boost them in basketball as well. The fact that an athlete could choose between a school like New Mexico over TCU with TCU being part of the Big XII could enhance that athletes decision to pursue a school such as TCU.

Either way, it seems very interesting how so much attention is being put on football that even basketball is being overlooked. Basketball brings in the second-most income into most schools as far as athletics are concerned and yet it is being pushed aside by football. It will be quite interesting how all of the conference realignment plays out.

TSU’s Former Stadium: A Good Investment?

In an article published by David Climer of The Tennessean, he explores the idea of restoring Tennessee State University’s former football stadium. Currently, TSU plays all their home games at LP Field, home of Tenessee’s NFL team, the Tennessee Titans. However, there is talk of TSU football returning to “the Hole” in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary next year. The Hole is where TSU football was played before the stadium was abandoned over 2 decades ago.

 

Although TSU has the luxury of playing on a field nicer than many universities, there are disadvantages that lead some to push for the restoration of the former stadium. While playing on LP field, TSU averages 14,861 fans, which doesn’t even fill ¼ of the stadium. A stadium that is 75% empty does not help inspire school school spirit and certainly does not motivate the players.

 

In order to move games back to the Hole, the stadium would have to undergo major renovations. Portia Shields, the president of TSU, estimated that the stadium could be re-opened for only $1 million. However, others estimate that for the stadium to actually be returned to it’s former glory and not just patched up, the costs would be upwards of $20 million. This is where the major debate comes in. Is it worth the money to re-open the Hole? How much is the university willing to pay to please their players and fans?

University of Maryland students must pay up for tickets

Author: Leah Villanueva

UM Diamondback

In an online article from the University of Maryland’s independent student newspaper titled The Diamondback, Leah Villanueva writes about how much money the tickets for the football game against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish are being sold for and the reactions among the students at the University of Maryland. The game will take place on November 11 at 7:30 PM EST at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, which is a mere 20 minutes away from College Park, Maryland, where the University of Maryland is located. Although the game is extremely close-by, Maryland is the visiting team. Notre Dame has a contract with FedEx Field, therefore, they were able to obtain however many tickets they wanted.

As a result, Maryland was only able to access an undisclosed small number of tickets. Many of those tickets were first given to family members of the players, the football staff, and the marching band. This leaves only a small fraction of tickets available for students and fans, making high demand, which ultimately shoots the prices sky high, somewhere between $50 and $60 for one nosebleed seat.

Many students stated that they will not pay such a rate for a seat so far from the field. One sophomore, Brady Griffin, expressed his view on this situation, “You’re paying professional prices for a college football game.” Another sophomore, Dylan Amoroso, still believes that the student body will pay the price and show up to cheer on its team to victory. “It’s against Notre Dame, so it will still be a good, fun game, plus it’s in D.C., which is kinda cool.” The athletics department tried to make a cheaper deal for students by reserving seats right behind the band originally priced at $95, which are now available to students for $60.

This situation is forcing the University of Maryland to cut the costs of the tickets so that the students will not have to pay $95 per ticket. They are losing money by doing this, but that decision is saving the students cash, which hopefully provides a greater turnout of students for the game.

Big East undecided on which schools to invite

With all of the talk about the collapsing Big XII, it seems as though attention has been lost from the Big East. Ralph D. Russo from the Associated Press discusses in his article the struggles that the Big East is fighting currently. With the losses of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC a few weeks ago, the Big East was already headed for trouble. However, the news about possible prospect TCU headed to the Big XII hurts the Big East even more. Could this be the end of the Big East?

Losing TCU was a huge blow to the Big East because now it is vital that they seek out someone else. There are also talks that UCONN and Rutgers are pursuing the ACC. So who would the Big East have left (for football purposes)? Russo suggests the option of Central Florida or Memphis who are looking to get an automatic bid from their conference. Temple is another possiblity. Rumors also suggest the idea of getting Air Force and NAvy to join the Big East. It will be tough for the Big East at this point as they fall into a tailspin losing teams.

It will be interesting to see the fate of both the Big East and Big XII. Seeing what Missouri does will play a big role as to whether or not the Big XII will pursue schools like West Virginia and Louisville. Maybe, at this point, they should start considering making a conference between them. There will be ten schools with the edition of TCU in the Big XII in 2012. Should Mizzou leave, there would be nine. If UCONN and Rutgers leave for the ACC, the Big East would be down to 4 football schools. By combining the two, you again would have a 13-14 team conference. It is a possibility, though the Big East would lose money (in football).

The Story Behind the $60 Million HS Stadium

Senior Analyst for RivalsHigh, Dallas Jackson, wrote an article addressing “The Story Behind the $60 million HS Stadium.” He interviews a student of Allen High School in Texas (where arguably high school football seems to be more of a religion) who is excited about the new 18,000 seat stadium being added to his school in the year 2012. The stadium will come complete with jumbo scoreboards, large concourses, huge concession areas, and plenty of restrooms.

Allen High is a school with an enrollment of about 3,855 students. It’s athletic and arts programs have been commendable over the years. Because of this, the school received a $120 million bond for the new stadium as well as an arts center. The majority of the school community will benefit from the building of both, however, some find that with these new purchases, the school is putting academics into the background.

From my understanding of Jackson’s article, Allen High School is deserving of the stadium that they are about to receive. Their football team draws crowds of thousands of people and their band is equally as good. I would love to be present at their opening season game next year to experience the craze. At the same time, I agree it is abnormal for the school to invest so much money in a stadium when schools across the country recently experienced a set back in federal funds. Regardless, I am interested to see if perhaps this sets the tone for more high schools to create more extravagant stadiums similar to those found at colleges.

Sports as a College Major?

 Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post argues that universities should make college sports an academic major and that it would improve the image of athletes and help them more than the general curriculum that they are “herded to”.  She also provides reason that it would lower the drive for just the money side of college athletics.  She mainly focuses on her side of the argument, however, and does not provide points from the other side.

Her main argument is that the athletes would gain more from having courses designed specifically for them about the history and theory of college sports and they should deserve a degree from these types of classes.  She thinks that it would diminish the typical view that people have of college athletes that they are athletic and that is all they are good for.  She compares them to theater majors in that they would be learning all about the strategy and theory of college sports just like theater majors are learning about theater.  She makes valid points in that they are very similar, but she does not take into account that maybe their degrees would not be worth as much if sports does not work out for them.  It is a given that every athlete at a university is not going to go professional, so how much would their degree in this academic sports major be worth.  I do not know the answer to that since the type of major does not exist right now, but I do not think that it would be really beneficial to the athlete.  I think that at some point they have to take classes other than for just athletics in case it does not work out.  However, since there are majors for sports journalism and things like that then maybe that would be a better alternative, rather than just the theory of sports.

Jenkins also compares the construction of a hospital to the construction of a football field.  She says that the hospital is not built to take people’s money that get sick, just like the football stadium is not there to take people’s money who come to the games.  It is there to provide an arena for the football players to show what they can do and put into practice the plays and strategies that they have been studying.  I do think that she has a very valid argument, because athletes are very smart and they have to be to understand all the plays and to be able to perform well.  However, I think that they still have to get a different degree and I just think that the idea is so far from how college sports has functioned, that it probably would not be put into place. It may be beneficial to the few athletes that go on to play professionally, but I do not know how much it would benefit everyone else.

TCU discusses Big 12 invite

In an article on espndallas.com, Jeff Caplan and Richard Durrett discuss the newest development in the Big 12’s ever-changing situation—an invite to TCU to join the conference. The Big 12 had voted Thursday to invite TCU, and the school’s trustees were already talking that day about the invite and are expected to meet either today or sometime early next week. According to multiple sources, TCU will accept the invitation, but their chancellor released a statement neither confirming nor denying that the school would be spurning the Big East for the Big 12.

The conference still might not be done expanding though, even with the expected acceptance of TCU. It will be interesting to see what other schools the Big 12 will attempt to gain. However, the Big East faces an even more uncertain situation. With the losses of Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC, and now the expected loss of TCU, the conference could be down to as little as 6 football playing teams by 2014. This will make it very hard for the conference to attract new teams, and they will probably face the reality of other teams leaving for greener pastures, ultimately leading to their demise.

All in all, I like this move for TCU. The Big 12 makes much more geographic sense than does the Big East,  and it puts TCU in a more respected conference than the Big East. The move would also bring back old Southwest Conference rivalries with schools like Baylor, Texas, and Texas Tech.The writers did a good job of delving into all aspects of the story from TCU to the Big East to the Big 12 and gave the reader all of the details necessary to understand the full situation.

WVU set to only sell alcohol at football games

At most college football stadiums around the country, alcohol sales are prohibited. However, this year West Virginia started selling beer during its football games. The Associated Press’ article WVU: No plans to sell beer at other sports venues says West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck is only considering selling alcohol at football games because other sports “neither the history of bad behavior nor a similar dynamic, such as pregame tailgating .” The revenues from the sales are short of what West Virginia expected, though. So far they have only netted $279,445 according to the AP.

Luck made a good decision to start selling alcohol at just football games. Now, people can expect to drink a little at the game rather than just binge drinking quickly before in order to keep buzzing the entire game. Hopefully, this will allow tailgating before their games to be safer and a little less rowdy. It’s obvious that Luck did this to help keep his students safer. If not then he would allow sales at all sports venues because they could easily make money through alcohol sales at basketball games. Money is a big factor without a doubt, but the need for safer Fall Saturdays is the most important.

I would’ve liked for the author to add more details about what kind of returns West Virginia expected to get from the alcohol sales and also provided statistics on whether or not it curbed the binge drinking.

 

Who will win the Battle of the SEC East?

Five years, five national championships. This statistic alone has defined the Southeastern Conference over the last five years. Without a doubt, the powerhouse football teams that form this conference have consistently demonstrated dominance over teams from other conferences, and for the past five years, the champions of the SEC have both contended for, and won, the national championship. Each year football fans in the SEC cheer on their teams in hopes that their team will be one of the lucky two playing for the conference title in December, and according to an article by Barret Sallee of Scout.com, this year the race to Atlanta is a tight one. As of last weekend, in fact, the race became much tighter.

At this point in the season, three teams—South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida—all have legitimate opportunities to play in the 2011 SEC title game. Shocking as it is, this news is especially exciting for Georgia fans. Indeed, the opportunity to play in the SEC championship seemed only but a distant hope for the folks in Athens after the Bulldogs posed an 0-2 start to the season. Yet while Georgia’s hope faded, Florida and South Carolina seemed fairly confident after beginning their seasons 3-0 and 1-0 in the SEC. Of course, no team is safe on a weekend in the SEC. Last weekend both Florida and South Carolina suffered SEC losses to Alabama and Auburn. Thus, Georgia made its way back into the discussion for title game contenders. With an impressive win against Mississippi State, the Dawgs became a tiebreaker away from SEC East favorites. Now Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina must fight through the remainder of their seasons, as each of the games they play from this point on will determine which of the three will play in Atlanta on December 3^rd.  According to Sallee, the schedule for Georgia is the most manageable, and thus the chance that they will play for the championship is slightly swayed in their favor. Time will tell if Sallee’s prediction is valid.

The reports that are made in this article pose several potential consequences for all three teams contending for the SEC title game. However, probably the most notable consequence involves Georgia. For Georgia, the talk of potentially competing for the SEC title could remove head Coach Mark Richt from the coaching hot seat. Most everyone knows by now that Richt has been under a harsh spotlight, especially after the opening two games of this season. An SEC title game appearance is just what Richt needs to regain the support of the Bulldog nation. As for Florida, an SEC title game appearance could hoist recently appointed head Coach Will Muschamp to the top of the coaching hierarchy. Such an accomplishment as a first year head coach is practically unheard of. Lastly, for South Carolina, two straight title game appearances could do wonders for their reputation as a powerhouse of the SEC. However, if they really want to impress, they will need to actually win the game, and not just play in it.

All in all, the current situation of the SEC as outlined by Barrett Sallee is one of huge interest, and shall be until the end of this football season. Who will emerge as the contenders for the SEC championship? Will the champions of the SEC once again play for the national championship? They key points have been pointed out, possible outcomes have been proposed, and little information has been left out to dry in this article. Now football fans across the Southeast must wait and see what will happen.

TCU Set to Switch Once More

In an article in USA Today, Steve Wieberg takes a look at the situation developing in Fort Worth with the Horned Frogs and their recent invitation in the now hopeful Big 12. Finally, the Big 12 goes on the offensive after already losing three schools and getting ready for Missouri’s probable move to the Southeastern Conference. If this goes through, then it will be TCU’s fifth conference change in the past 16 years.

One of those 5 conference changes, pending acception, will include the move from the Big East. Wait, aren’t the Horned Frogs still in the Mountain West? Well a few months ago TCU signed a deal that would have them playing in the Big East. While not having never played a game as a Big East member, TCU, as of now, is an official member.

The Big 12, fearing total dismantlement, has been meeting to review possible targets for recruitment. Among these have been Louisville, BYU, West Virginia and of course TCU, whom they’ve already sent an invitation. Missouri has already expressed intent to seek other conferences, and their president did not even these meetings. The next likely move will be to replace Missouri, pending their decision, in order to preserve the ten member equilibrium.

With these recent developments, the party that is left in most trouble is the Big East. Already looking to recruit teams with the prestige of Navy, Temple, Central Florida, and East Carolina, it is no secret that they were looking to TCU to be a solidifying member. Another big issue developing now is the NCAA requirement of top-tier conferences to have at least 8 members. With TCU’s departure they will have 6 active members for the next season.

With all that has been going through the news lately, the conference that looked to be in the most trouble was the Big 12. But in a matter of a few weeks, and with the departures of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and ‘TCU’, it is now clear which BCS conference is now in the hot seat. Soon we will find out what the response will be from the Big East, as they have yet to comment on all the recent happenings. There is a chance the Big East can take legal action against TCU since they have already signed with the conference and will be required to comply with the notice of withdrawal and the buy-out clauses.

New Stanford Mouthpieces to Aid in Concussion Studies

In an article for HealthCanal.com, Norbert von der Groeben reported about the new technology the Stanford football team uses this season.  The football team wears mouthpieces that contain accelerometers and gyrometers that measure the linear and rotational force of head impacts.  Knowing the specifics about those forces aids Stanford in their research about concussions.  Dan Garza, an assistant professor at Stanford leading the investigation, says that it will allow researchers to better understand how to deal with concussions.  This type of technology could really affect the life of football players after they have stopped playing.  Quality of life would greatly improve if the technology works as intended.

Fear surrounding the consequences of concussions have become very popular lately, especially in the National Football League (NFL).  New rules have been put into place that attempts to protect players from the long term effects of concussions.  Garza studied some former NFL players in 2000 and realized that most players who suffered from concussions also dealt with many more neurological problems than the players who had not had a concussion.  Garza also notes that concussions are much more difficult to diagnose than any type of bone break or tendon tear.  He says that an MRI can show doctors the patient’s precise injury unless it is a concussion.  Concussions are more subjective than other injuries.  Players lie about symptoms so they do not have to sit out for any amount of time leaving concussions undiagnosed sometimes.

Making sure the mouthpiece actually worked was a key factor in having the players wear them.  To test the effectiveness of the mouthpiece, a research assistant continually dropped a crash-test dummy at various angles and examined the data.  The researchers were satisfied with the data collected from the various tests and decided that the mouthpiece was adequate for what they wanted to accomplish.  In the article, von der Groeben states that the researchers hope to have their conclusions published by about the summer of 2012.

The findings of the research will affect both current and future football players.  It may not affect the way the game is played, but it could dramatically help in knowing how to deal with concussions.  Players would not have to worry about as much about the long term effects of concussions as doctors and researchers alike would know what occurs in the process of dealing with concussions.

Although the researchers used the crash-test dummy to try out the mouthpiece, von der Groeben did state if the mouth reacted the same as normal humans do.  Most times, a player might bite down on his mouthpiece when he gets hit really hard.  I wonder if that crash-test dummy’s mouth reacted in the same way to give accurate enough results.  Through the reactions of the researchers, they feel like this technology is as accurate as it gets at the moment, but von der Groeben just failed to mention any facts dealing with the matter. It will be interested to follow the results of this study and hopefully it will truly help reduce the concussions or at least the effect of concussions in the future.

Change of Venue for Abram’s Wrongful Death Suit

Former University of Mississippi football player Bennie F. Abram’s wrongful death lawsuit has been moved from Hinds County to Lafayette County.  An order from Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill stated that the lawsuit must be transferred “on the basis of improper venue as well as for the convenience of the parties and in the interest of justice.”

Abram’s parents, Bennie and Erma Abram of Southaven had wanted their suit against Ole Miss and others moved from Lafayette County to Hinds County.  Their attorney, Chuck Mullins, had recommended the move because that is where the state College Board’s headquarters is based, and he felt like they would not get a fair trial in Lafayette County because so many people had a strong allegiance to Ole Miss.

Abrams collapsed during a football practice at Ole Miss in February 2010 and subsequently died.  The suit, which is seeking an unknown amount of damages, alleges that “the university didn’t follow guidelines that govern how to administer workouts to players with sickle cell trait.” Abrams was unaware that he had the sickle cell trait.

The lawsuit also claims that the NCAA is liable because it did not “properly educate schools and has not exerted its authority to regulate offseason practices.”   Ole Miss, the NCAA and the other defendants have denied that they did anything wrong in connection with Abram’s death.

This is the second article I have done that involved a football player’s death due to having the sickle cell trait and then being involved in a strenuous practice, so obviously this could be a growing problem.  The NCAA was not named in the other lawsuit, and with it being named in this one, the issue might be taken more seriously.  At the least, the NCAA may now post concise guidelines on what coaches need to do for players with this problem to prevent another young person’s death.

Obviously, the news in the article will affect coaches because they will realize that they need to make sure that they are aware if any of their players have the sickle cell trait.  Perhaps, it should be a requirement that all African American athletes be tested for this trait before they ever attend a practice, and then there will not be any doubt of who is at risk and who needs to follow the guidelines.

As far as moving the venue for the trial, the author offers a full perspective from both sides.  In order to fully understand if the NCAA needed to be clearer in the guidelines they do provide to schools, more information could have been given on what is currently the requirement.

TCU move leaves Big East floundering

This conference realignment stuff is blowing up my inbox with CFAA blasts. The most recent to come in, by Eric Crawford for the Louisville Courier Journal, describes the perils associated with TCU’s exit from the Big East.

 

TCU planned to start Big East play next season, yet was offered a spot in the Big 12. Considering that the Big East is floundering, TCU’s switch isn’t irrational. Technically, they are contractually bound unless they pay a $5 million exit fee and give 27 month notification. There may be a loophole here, though, because there is a dispute over whether that was assuming the conference otherwise stayed intact.

 

TCU’s move will put the Big East on life support. It already was in danger of losing a TV contract next season, and currently has seven football playing members. The Big 12 needed a team that would be able to start conference play next season to get their number back up to 10.

 

Again, I am a bit lost, but only because I can’t and don’t keep up with the realignment move for move. Because of that, I can understand what is going on between the Big East and Big 12 in a vacuum, but I don’t fully understand the repercussions of these moves. However, I’m not about to demand that every article about realignment give a full explanation of one move’s effects on all the other schools and conferences. It’s just complex.

Volleyball game

Yesterday I attended and cheered at the volleyball match against Auburn. The game was held at the Ramsey Center and after losing the first set 25-19, Georgia came back and won the next three sets with scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-19. The game was also broadcast on ESPN U. I noticed that there were a lot of promoters at this game. They were outside handing out free pizza and inside giving out t-shirts, posters and other items. They were really trying to get people pumped up and excited for the game and even asked me and some of the other cheerleaders to help them in encouraging people to get the pizza or sign up for a raffle. I mainly think promotional messages were being sent throughout the game. The main goal was to get people interested in volleyball and have them there to support the team. I think this was stressed even more this game because it was being broadcast on TV and they wanted to make it look like a good number of people come out to UGA volleyball games. There was a sizeable crowd in the arena and I think it had a lot to do with the many incentives offered to those who attended. If I were a visitor at UGA I would assume that the school is a good place to be with a positive atmosphere. Everyone at the game was in good spirits so I would have taken it to mean that everyone at UGA is that way. The president of UGA was also in attendance at the game, so if I would have known that as a visitor, I would assume that the school takes athletics seriously and that it is a major part of life at the university.

Is cheerleading a sport?

An article by Jackie Gorman in the UNCW Seahawk addresses the controversial question as to whether or not cheerleading is a sport. Many will argue that the activity doesn’t require as much skill or physical demand as say football, but this isn’t true. Cheerleaders have to be fit, strong and tough just like all other athletes. In the article, cheerleader Abby Kuitems asks of people who say cheerleading is not a sport, “Can you throw yourself into a back-hand spring or throw someone equal to or greater than your weight in the air and then catch them?” This shows that cheerleading takes skill and not everyone is cut out to participate.

Also addressed is the fact that cheerleaders have to live up to many expectations while being members of their respective teams. For the cheerleads at UNCW, appearance is important at all times, Facebook profiles must be kept clean and going out the night before a game is condoned- all similar standards held for cheerleaders at most universities including UGA.

The debate as to whether or not cheerleading is a sport could go on forever. As it is, cheerleaders don’t always get the respect they deserve as athletes and this could have a negative effect on them. They work so hard day in and day out, without the recognition that other athletes receive. The article doesn’t exactly cover this issue in detail, but it still exists. It would have also been beneficial if the article covered not just public opinion on the topic, but maybe how universities are addressing the issue and what their stand is on the status of cheerleading as a collegiate sport. In the end, most cheerleaders will continue to participate in the sport they love regardless of whether or not others accept it as such.

Yet Another OSU Scandal

Ohio State University has been receiving quite a bit of negative publicity recently, most of which has resulted from infractions made by the players on its football team.  The first of these scandals occurred last December, when five players were caught trading memorabilia for tattoos.  Then, three players were suspended for stealing money at a charity event.  And now, three more players will be suspended from OSU’s next game against Nebraska.

According to   Matt Markey of the Toledo Blade, Marcus Hall, DeVier Posey, and Dan Herron were all caught receiving inflated paychecks from a booster’s company.  The boys spent the summer working for Independence Excavating, Inc., a company owned by Bobby DiGeronimo.  Hall, Posey, and Herron were just a few of many Buckeyes who have been employed by DiGeronimo. This was also not DiGeronimo’s first scandal regarding the OSU football team; he was found to have paid three players earlier this year to appear at a charity event.  Those three players were suspended from the first two games of this season.

The news presented in this article reflects extremely poorly on the character of OSU’s players, as well as brings light to the corruption of the team’s boosters.  It’s a given that college athletes are already under a microscope as it is, and they have no room to make mistakes.  Fans of those athletes, especially boosters of the athletic program, should definitely not be putting those athletes at risk of getting suspended from play.  Not only does it defeat the entire purpose of being a booster of a team, but it also does not help provide the players with examples of good morals.

The article should have provided more information on any punishment or restrictions that DiGeronimo could receive, as well as the feelings of the Buckeye’s Head Coach.  However, with as many scandals as they have had on their hands, I guess it’s understandable that no one wants to comment.

Texas-Texas A&M To End Rivalry Game?

In an article published on theeagle.com, an anonymous editorial author comments on the future of the annual highly anticipated Texas-Texas A&M rivalry game. This game is the highlight of many loyal fan’s Thanksgiving holidays and one that has been going on for over 100 years. However, with A&M moving to the SEC, fans are worried about continuing the long-standing tradition.

 

It seems possible that the tradition will continue because both teams will have a number of out of conference games each season. However, the matchup will not be as significant, rankings wise, because the game will not be one to determine conference standings like it has been in the past. For the sake of UT and A&M fans, one should hope the rivalry continues because rivalries are the heart of American football.

 

With all the commotion surrounding conference realignment, the issue of continuing the Texas-Texas A&M game brought up an interesting subject, and one most people had probably not even thought of at this point. Everyone sees the problems with conference realignment in the money, television deals, or unbalanced divisions. However, people must stop and think about what truly matters in college football, our long-standing, hateful rivalries. What if UF or Auburn suddenly moved to the ACC? Although it would be likely that the games would still continue they wouldn’t have as much of an impact because they wouldn’t affect our standings within the SEC. Also, consider the unthinkable. What if Texas and Texas A&M are not able to maintain their rivalry game for whatever reason? As UGA fans, how would we feel if the highly anticipated UGA-UF game was suddenly removed from the schedule? Fans would be devastated. Conference realignment is inevitable and is currently re-shaping the realm of college football, however, I hope that rivalry games are not swept under the rug and are still considered a vital part of college football; whether within or out of conference.

Miss St. @ UGA

This past Saturday I attended the Mississippi State and University of Georgia football game. UGA ended the day with an impressive win between the hedges, 24-10, over SEC opponent MSU. The first half was a one-sided affair, with UGA going up by a score of 24-3 and the defense doing a good job of shutting down all facets of the MSU offense, including talented dual-threat quarterback, Chris Relf.

The main people outside of the players and coaches that I recognized was the amount of security. There was a large amount of police officers and staff security throughout the stadium making sure everything was kept orderly. There was a good bit of advertisement from various local businesses in Athens including planes flying around the stadium with banners. If I were a visitor to this game, I would be impressed by the campus, except the fact that it gets trashed from the tail gating, as well as impressed with the football team and the way they have bounced back from starting 0-2.

Are Helmet Cams the Way of the Future?

In St.Claire Murraine’s article in the Tallahassee Democrat, Murraine talks about the use of cameras strapped to the helmets of quarterbacks for Florida A&M University football team.  The idea came when their videographer, Will Bennett, saw it at a conference that he attended.  As soon as he saw the camera, he knew that it could be a huge benefit for the team.  The camera gives coaches better insight into what the quarterback actually sees as he makes his reads. 

Bennett works a little bit more now because he has to compile the video onto a disk so that the coaches can see all of the footage from the camera.  Even though the camera requires a little more work, the coaches believe that it all pays off.  When coaches watch the film, they easily spot mistakes as they see where the quarterbacks’ head faces at all times.  Quarterback Damien Fleming recognizes that the quarterbacks are under a microscope even more now because of the helmet cam.  Fleming says that he will get used to it, and he knows that it will make them better in the end.

Coach Joe Taylor takes a look at the numbers, and he appears to be somewhat satisfied in what he sees.  He knows that it is not just about numbers though.  When it comes down to success, he measures it by how many wins they get.  However, improvements in their offensive attack will contribute to more wins for the Rattlers during the season.

The technology used by FAMU could potentially affect the future of college football.  If it proves to be successful for FAMU, other colleges might try the technique.  FAMU appears to be a guinea pig as eyes watch to see if the helmet cam is worth the extra work.  Quarterback performance may significantly improve as mistakes will be made know easily to their coaches.  As coaches see the mistakes, they will specifically know how to coach the quarterbacks to bring out their full potential.

Murraine failed to mention any information about what type of conference Bennett attended.  Murraine should have also given some information about any other teams that were thinking about using the helmet cam.  Knowledge about what teams are experimenting with the helmet cams would help to further analyze the success of the cam on the field.

University of Cincinnati Violates Recruiting Rules

Yesterday the NCAA released an article stating that the University of Cincinnati committed recruiting violations in their women’s basketball and football programs. The university discovered and reported the violations including 220 impermissible recruiting phone calls. As a result, coaching and recruiting restrictions as well as two years probation for the university were put into affect.

The penalties will directly affect the respective sport programs. The teams probably won’t suffer too terribly but one can assume that the coaches will make sure to never violate an official NCAA rule ever again. Above all, the penalties will serve as a set backs to the athletic programs at the University of Cincinnati.

Personally, I will probably never post a blog responding to an article directly from the NCAA website. The article lacks personality and was boring to say the least. It would be nice to know how the recruits at hand are dealing with the situation but it is not even mentioned in the article.

New Commish Trying To Ensure Big 12 Future

Over the last few weeks, the future of the Big 12 has continued to become more and more cloudy. Will it collapse after most of its teams leave for budding super conferences? Will it look to expand itself? Nobody seems to know the answer. However, in an article on espn.com, David Ubben explores what new Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas is doing to protect the future of the conference.

Ubben explains that Neinas wants the nine remaining Big 12 members to give their media rights to the conference, a move that would ensure Big 12 stability for at least 6 years. Neinas also would like to explore the idea of expansion for his conference eventually. But for now, his main objective is to save the Big 12 by figuring out “who is on the plane”. In order to save the conference, they must first make sure that the remaining teams, namely Missouri, stay with the Big 12.

Neinas did point out that Missouri will have the opportunity to review where the conference is at right now and what its future plans are and that he thinks that after a review of the matter, they will choose to stay with conference. He also added that he had not been notified by the SEC or Missouri of an offer to the school. The commissioner then went on to look at the advantages that staying in the Big 12 would offer Missouri, namely keeping their rivalry game with Kansas and the opportunity to play its conference basketball tournament in Kansas City.

Neinas boldly declares that he does not think Missouri will leave, but even they do, they “can build the house again with different pieces.” He also  claims that the Big 12 is receiving interests from numerous schools regarding joining the conference.

Personally, I like the new commissioner’s bold approach to saving the conference. His display of confidence that the conference will survive no matter what Missouri decides may be what the current members and teams exploring joining the Big 12 need to remain a member or make the jump to the Big 12, respectively.

Four ideas to keep Big 12 football in the game

With all of the chaos in college football, the biggest concern seems to be the destiny of the Big XII. John Henderson of the Denver Post doesn’t even recognize the dissolving Big XII anymore, mocking them as the “Large 9.” He does however give a proposal as to what the Big XII should do if they want to hold the conference together. Chuck Neinas, the interim Big XII commissioner, may have to go the extreme if he wants to preserve the conference.

Henderson proposes four ways to keep the conference together. The first, let Missouri go. This is interesting seeing how the problem with the Big XII is keeping teams in it. However, with Mizzou on the fence as to whether they will remain in the Big XII or not, it will be better to just let them go. It will also benefit Mizzou, assuming that the move would put them in the SEC, bringing mush more attention to their program.

The second proposal made by Henderson is to be fully committed to a 12-team conference. As it is now, the Big XII is without a conference championship game. This will hurt them in the television market since all the other conferences will have their championship game and the Big XII won’t be able to compete. Seeing how money is the drive in college football these days, not having a championship game gives you one fewer game, which could lead to a great loss of profit.

Things get interesting in the third proposal with the possible addition of teams. Who would want to come to the Big XII at this time when it is only falling to pieces? Henderson proposes to bring in TCU, BYU, West Virginia, and Louisville. This is interesting because it would be a wide spread amongst the conference with east coast teams in West Virginia and Louisville along with west coast teams in BYU. It would take quite some traveling for fans as well as players to be able to play these teams. The conference alignment, according to Henderson, would be divided between east and west; the east would consist of West Virginia, Louisville, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State and the west would consist of TCU, BYU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech.

The final proposal would be to allow Texas to keep its network. By getting rid of it, Texas will surely leave as well as many other big names from the conference. If Neinas wants to keep the Big XII, he must keep Texas. If Texas were to leave, Oklahoma would also be quick to follow and there is no telling who else might abandon the conference as a result. This is probably the most important point in order to keep the Big XII together.

Thus, it might take a lot, but there are options to keeping the Big XII together. Henderson proposes to satisfy those who are willing to stay and let go those who don’t want to have a part in it. Once those teams have been determined, the conference can go on offense and find teams that will give it a 12-team conference and allow for a championship game. It may be tough, but the Big XII should have thought about that before letting it get to this point.

Florida State Cornerback, Reid, Arrested

The Florida Sate Seminoles have created quite a reputation for themselves over the years—a reputation so intense that they are often referred to as the Florida State “Criminals”. In the past decade, several FSU athletes have been arrested, and as of early Monday morning, another arrest was added. According to an article by Bob Ferrante from Tallahassee, Greg Reid, junior cornerback out of Valdosta, Georgia was arrested on an account of “…resisting an officer and obstruction without violence and perjury not in an official proceeding…” After being contacted by the police about a friend of his—Rontrel Frazier—Reid attempted to use a fake name to keep his friend out of jail. Frazier had been stopped by police while riding Reid’s scooter during the early hours of the morning on Monday. While he was being handcuffed, he ran away; thus, Reid was phoned.

Though police advised Reid not to provide false information regarding the whereabouts of Frazier, he used the false name of “Montrel” to cover for Rontrel. Reid was unaware of the fact that the police already knew his friend’s name was Rontrel, and after some investigation, the police identified the two men as long time friends from Valdosta, Georgia. The police also confiscated Reid’s phone. In doing this, they found text messages sent between Reid and Frazier prior to Reid’s arrest at 2:30 a.m. Reid’s attorney, Tim Jansen, states that the text messages were sent between Reid and his girlfriend. Jansen also states that confiscating the phone without Reid’s permission was an illegal search on the policemen’s fault. Additionally, reports have been made that Reid threatened the police officer driving him to the station—Jansen denies those reports as well.

Officers are now stating that the investigation is ongoing, and details will be released as they come. This incident will inevitably add to the reputation that FSU has already accumulated through countless athlete arrests over the years. This “bad rep” could pose negative consequences for the FSU athletic program. The fan base may decrease, and recruits and their families may be dissuaded from playing sports at a university so crime-ridden. As for Reid, this arrest will most likely keep him out of future games. He has already missed FSU’s second game against Charleston Southern due to an undisclosed “violation of team rules.” At this point, Reid seems to be one wrong decision away from putting an end to his football career. This is incredibly sad, as Reid is a phenomenal athlete, and has been so since his high school years. This article by Ferrante is certainly successful in covering all major details of this ongoing case. He provides an in-depth analysis of the situation at hand, and even hints at the possible consequences of the incident. All together, this article is effective in that it provides several key points, actual evidence from the case, as well as statements from law officers involved.

NCAA is not the NFL

Of course the NCAA is not the NFL, but sometimes it appears to be so.  In an article written by Michael Marot on the Associated Press, he describes how the president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, reminds universities and the public that the NCAA is not supposed to be like a pro football league.  He emphasizes that of course the money is important, but people should not think that universities are making their conference switches just based off of the money involved.

Marot explains both sides of the argument and presents a clear understanding of both sides.  It always appears from the fan’s perspective that the universities are making decisions based on the money involved because those specific statistics are always released and the other side of the decision is not always explained.  The numbers about what a change will do to the conference always comes out so that is what we see and what we take as why a university made a decision.  Emmert makes a good point in reassuring fans and pointing out that that is not the content of the decision.  The money is part of it and there is no harm in a university wanting to take that into consideration, but he makes a point to say that there are many other factors that go into a decision and if there is not then that decision maybe should not be made in the first place.

Emmert reassures that decisions should be based on what is best for the student-athletes and what is best for the university.  Not just what is going to make the most money for the university, but what will benefit the athletes with scholarships and other benefits to take away from universities reverting to things that are against NCAA rules and regulations.  In the end, money is a big contributing factor, but the NCAA is not supposed to be like the NFL where money is much more of a contributing factor and it is supposed to be more about what is best for the student-athletes than for the money.

Richmond interim head coach enters full season “interview”

If you want to keep your job as a head coach in college football, you better win and you better win quickly. And when you’re the interim head coach the pressure is even greater to improve quickly. Wayne Lineburg feels this pressure right now as he leads his Richmond Spiders this season. John O’Connor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch detailed Lineburg’s climb up the coaching ladder finally ending with him being named interim head coach after the previous coach, Latrell Scott, resigned after facing DUI charges in August. Richmond has been very successful lately, even winning the FCS championship in 2008. So far this season, Lineburg has sustained the Spider’s winning ways. In the article, Richmond AD Jim Miller says Richmond “will utilize “more of a holistic approach. What does a particular person bring to the university? That’s as a person. What does he bring to the table as far as his ability to interact with the players?”

Of course, we all know that winning will still be the most important key to Lineburg retaining the head coach job next season, but it is smart of Richmond to want a coach who is a part of the Richmond community. Having a coach who can favorably influence players and make the student body rally around the team not only leads to better recruiting and more wins, but also helps the players in the long run. At a school like Richmond, most of the players do not have NFL talent. There’s always going to be a few like former Spiders’ running back Tim Hightower who get drafted and have success in the NFL but they are few and far between. So having a coach who prepares players for life after football is important as well.

The players are the most affected here and it is obvious the AD wants the best for them. I would’ve liked O’Connor to go deeper into what the AD is looking for out of Lineburg.

Georgia State to add sand volleyball

A recent article by Doug Roberson in the AJC brings news of Georgia State’s intentions to add a sand volleyball team to its athletic program. With the addition of a football team in 2010, the school must add at least two new sports in order to remain Title IX. Athletic Director Cheryl Levick says that student interest, regional interest and ability to create a successful team all went into deciding on sand volleyball as the newest sport.

The NCAA recognizes sand volleyball as an “emerging sport” meaning that it is new to the scene. There are only 15 other schools with teams and no schools in the Colonial Athletic Conference, the one to which Georgia State belongs, have teams. The program is estimated to have a start-up cost of about $1.5 million, but the increased student fee used to support the football team will also be used for volleyball.

The addition of a new sport draws even more attention to Georgia State. Because sand volleyball is an emerging sport, people may become more interested over time, giving the school an advantage because not many places around provide the same opportunity. The coaches have already begun recruiting in the southeast. This gives Georgia State the chance to get their name out in more places and possibly have more appeal to some who may have never looked into the school as a choice.

The descriptions used by the author in this article detail the situation and provide answers to most of the questions one would have when presented with this information. The addition of sand volleyball is just one of many steps taken by the university to give them more prestige. Other sports being considered to join the athletic program are lacrosse, crew, and stunts and tumbling, another emerging sport. Whatever sport they choose to add will in turn have an effect on the university as a whole.

OSU running back Berry hospitalized, involved in assault

Author: Adam Jacobi

cbssports.com

In a blog post on cbssports.com, Adam Jacobi reports that Ohio State University’s running back, redshirt sophomore Jaamal Berry, participated in some type of “wrestling” match with another student on OSU’s campus Wednesday morning around 10:25 AM. This so-called “wrestling” match turned into an assault case, a 1^st degree misdemeanor, which sent Berry to the hospital so that he could be treated for what appears to be some sort of brain trauma such as a concussion. There were no firearms used during this fight, but the weapons used, according to the police report, include “hands, feet, and teeth.”

When police arrived on the scene, Berry “appeared confused and disoriented”, was unaware of his surroundings, and was unable to give the police officer his name or any emergency contact information. No charges have been filed against Berry for the alleged assault, primarily because of the head trauma he received. However, charges still may be filed, and he could be convicted and face some legal consequences, as well as NCAA and OSU punishments.

Jacobi believes this is a problem for Jaamal Berry, not for Ohio State University. He states that Berry will probably miss some games, but points out that he wasn’t much of an impact player in the first place. Therefore, OSU won’t be impacted too badly by this injury.

One component of this story that is of much importance is what injuries, if any at all, did the other party sustain? If the other guy started the fight, then Berry will be back on the field sooner than if he himself caused it, that is, if all goes well with his recovery. It will be interesting to see how the witnesses’ stories pan out and conclude who initiated the fight, and how the NCAA and OSU handle the situation.

The Future of College Football

According to Ken Tysiac of the Raleigh News & Observer, there is a wave of changes ahead in the realm of college football. As of Sunday, September 18, 2011, the ACC accepted bids from Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

The twelve-team conference has officially added the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University as their thirteenth and fourteenth teams. The Council of Presidents, a board with the President from each current ACC school represented, voted unanimously on this decision. Although Pittsburgh and Syracuse have been generously welcomed into the ACC, their departure from the Big East will be more difficult. Each team must pay the Big East a $5 million exiting fee as well as give the conference 27 months notice. Even though the ACC is ready for the two teams, they won’t see any playing time in the new “super conference” for over two years.

“Super Conferences” seem to be the future of college football. With the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, the ACC becomes a fourteen-team division. Whereas, Texas A&M’s decision to move to the SEC has created a thirteen-team division. There is also speculation that the Big-12 is in danger of dissolving, leaving their current teams to be absorbed by other conferences. The future seems to be in the hands of four conferences, the ACC, Sec, Big Ten, and Pac-12. These new “super conferences” could potentially solve the problems long associated with the BCS bowl championships. The creation of a playoff between the four conferences for a spot in the national championship is not a far-fetched idea.

The Future of ‘Money Games’

In an article in the Indianapolis Star, Mike Wells discusses conference realignment and potential super-conference formations and their implications on smaller schools. Most small schools, like Ball State and Indiana State, obtain a large part of their funding by going into big time schools’ stadiums and allowing their teams to get beat down. But in the process, they mostly earn some where between $300,000 to $500,000 for their own school.

This begins to be put in jeopardy if there is a formation of 16 team conferences, with 8 teams per division, and an increase from 8 to 9 divisional games. If big schools have to begin playing only 3 non-conference games instead of 4, then that would make it much harder for a team like Ball State to fill up their non-conference/money-raising schedule.

Wells does a good job of breaking down the issue. If there were four 16 team super conferences in the nation, with all of them playing an extra league game, then that would eliminate 64 dates for games that potential non-BCS schools could have a chance at playing against those teams and in the process, generating revenue to continue their programs. That would be a staggering blow for teams that are doing their best just to keep their football programs going through the recent rough economical times.

All these schools can do now is continue to plug along and do their best at filling up their schedules for as many years as possible into the future and hope teams like Texas and Oklahoma do not leave the Big 12 and cause an entire nation gravitation towards super conferences. Most teams are already booked up until 2017 on the non-conference schedule, so there is hope until then that conference realignment doesn’t get out of hand. Although the Big Ten is already getting a plan ready to move to a 9 game conference schedule in 2017 as well.

This article mostly affects the small schools in the nation. It is no secret that a big chunk of their revenue is brought in from scheduling games against big time schools. Other than the small schools, this has little implications for the big time schools. A team like Georgia or Alabama won’t get too bent out of shape if they can no longer fit a team like Coastal Carolina or North Texas on their schedule.

Big 12 Reconfiguration Possibilities

In a CFAA article about the Big 12 presidents’ meeting this weekend, several options for the conference’s reconfiguration were outlined.

In a pretty detailed analysis, Jimmy Burch from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram discussed the four main possibilities: staying with nine teams, adding one school to total ten teams, going back to twelve teams, or merging with the Big East to expand to sixteen teams.

Sticking with nine teams is probably unlikely just because it doesn’t supply the conference stability some teams are looking for. The ten team option is much more likely. It secures the Fox Sports tv contract, but still doesn’t provide the level of security some teams want. If this option is what they go with, the choice will probably be between TCU and Brigham Young. The 12-team option would provide stability and recapture a conference championship. Schools to look out for if this deal is made include TCU, Big East schools Louisville, Cincinnati, WVU, and Boise State and BYU. While Texas men’s AD DeLoss Dodds is pulling for the 10-team configuration, Oklahoma president David Boren publicly favors the 12-team model. The 16 team option involves a full merger with the Big East. This is also an unlikely choice only because other deals are more profitable.

I was impressed with the thoroughness of this analysis. The only thing missing is how Big 12 changes would affect other conferences. However, to fully assess how recent conference shake-ups will affect all of BCS football could be a book, so I don’t blame Burch for not addressing that.

Changes for the Better

Conference realignment, the two most feared, dreaded, and popular words among NCAA athletics for the past few months, has caused a tremendous amount of turmoil among the world of sports in America.  The motives behind all of the commotion have been questioned, and it is extremely obvious that everyone is concerned about what all of the changes will mean for college athletics as we know them today.  Now, all the NCAA officials ask of the public is to simply relax.

Change is inevitable.  We’ve all heard this saying a thousand times, and whether or not we like to admit it, it’s true.  NCAA football is not the same as it was twenty years ago, nor will it be the same twenty years in the future, as John Lindsay of Scripps Howard News Service reminds us.  For instance, twenty years ago, the SEC was only comprised of ten teams and there was no conference championship game.  There was no Big 12 conference, only the Big 8, and Colorado was the top dog.  Things have changed dramatically from then to now, and we like things the way they are today much better than how they were in the past.  So why not be open to the possibility of these new changes bringing about an even better future for college athletics?

The repercussions of conference realignment currently seem to have different effects on different people.  For instance, the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburg have the potential to boost the ACC’s competitiveness in football and add to its strengths in basketball.  That being said, it may also seem detrimental to the Big East for losing two strong competitors.  As for now, that’s how most things go as far who reaps the benefits and who suffers the consequences.  However, we all know that teams, as well as conferences, go through highs and lows as far as success goes.  If the next few seasons do not go very smoothly for Syracuse and Pittsburg, the Big East could possibly be glad they dodged a bullet.

Lindsay’s article did a great job at giving anecdotes of football from the past and how it has progressed and changed (for the better.)  The discussion of rivalries is also a great point to bring up.  I, myself, became worried at the thought of what conference realignment could mean for these rivalries that we have known for our entire lives.  Vince Dooley assures us, though, that “rivals change, and you can pick up new rivals in a hurry.”

It is human nature to resist change.  However, it is necessary for us to overcome change in order for things to expand and evolve for the better.   While these conference realignments may seem like the end of the world now, we’ll look back in twenty years and wonder how things were ever any different.

 

Suit Filed in the Death of 20-Year-Old Football Player

The family of Ja’Quayvin Smalls of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina filed a wrongful death suit against Western Carolina University.  Smalls, who was 20 years old at the time of his death, died after he completed his first voluntary workout at Western Carolina on July 8, 2009.  In an autopsy, which came out in November 2009, complications from an enlarged heart were listed as the cause of death, and the sickle cell trait and exertion were listed as contributing factors.

The lawsuit is seeking a settlement in excess of $10,000 and it contends that, “information about sickle cell trait and exertional sickling was available to all…defendants, who chose to ignore it.”

Athletic Director Chip Smith, Football Coach Dennis Wagner, Defensive Coordinator Matt Pawlowski, Head Athletic Trainer Steven Hornbarger, Assistant Athletic Trainer Brandon King, and former Strength Coach Brad Ohrt were listed as the defendants from Western Carolina.  The defendants have denied all of the allegations except for the fact that Smalls mother, LaSonia Smalls, revealed that Smalls had the sickle cell trait on a questionnaire, which was filled out in December of 2008.

Ja’Quayvin Smalls’ father, Henry Smalls, is listed as the plaintiff, and he alleges that the defendants, ‘breached their duty’ to Smalls by failing to ‘develop policies and procedures to safely train and condition athletes with sickle cell trait.’

Ja’Quayvin Smalls was a North-South All-Star and All-Lowcountry player at Wando High School.  He played at Georgia Military College before transferring to Western Carolina.

I attended Georgia Military College Prep School, which is on the campus of Georgia Military College, so this article has a personal connection for me.   I did not personally know Smalls, but it is sad when someone that young dies.  Many people are affected when a young person who is thought to be in perfectly good health drops dead. Of course, the family and friends of the athletes are most affected, but so are the teammates, coaches, and fans of the team.

Deaths such as Smalls have affected sports at all levels.  They have caused stricter measures to be put into place in regards to water breaks and heat levels that are tolerable for practices.  Coaches are also much stricter about ensuring that all players, at all levels, have physicals and have been cleared by a physician to play.

In order to fully understand the situation, more information on Western Carolina’s policies regarding their sports practices and their requirements for the disclosure of information on players’ physical conditions would have to be known.  There were no comments from the family so the full perspective of what happened could not be gotten from this article.

Readings for 10/3

Hi folks,

 

Here are the readings for next Monday. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Welch

 

http://www.knightcommission.org/images/pdfs/1991-93_KCIA_report.pdf

http://www.knightcommission.org/images/pdfs/2001_knight_report.pdf

http://restoringbalance.knightcommission.org/

Dan Beebe out as Big 12 commissioner

With so much drama surrounding the Big 12 and it’s ongoing struggles, news of the departure of commissioner Dan Beebe may not have come as much of a surprise. After serving for 5 years, Beebe is out and former Big 8 commissioner Chuck Neinas is in as an interim commissioner. While Beebe was in charge the conference was able to secure a TV deal with Fox Sports, but was unable to keep Nebraska, Colorado and now Texas A&M from fleeing. Beebe seemed to be an easy target for those who were upset about the instability of the conference.

Although the commissioner is gone, the Big 12 still faces the same issues. Schools are still looking for ways out and Texas is still seen as the “bully” of the conference. Under new management there have been talks to work on expanding the league to 12 teams, while Texas wants it to stay at 10.

Conference realignment has been one of the biggest topics in the news lately and this story isn’t any different. The Big 12 is one of the more high profile conferences and is a subject of interest to many. While writing for the Associated Press, Jim Vertuno covers the things that are most important in this article. It was easy to see how the conference feels about the issue and what they plan on doing to better prepare themselves for the future.

Neinas takes the reins of fractured Big 12

Author: Jim Vertuno

AP Sports writer

In an associated press news article released just a little while ago on Yahoo.com, Jim Vertuno reports that Chuck Neinas is going to be the guy to step up and take over Dan Beebe’s former job as the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. Chuck Neinas is a former Big Eight commissioner from a while back, who assisted greatly in making college football what it is today, a big business. He will take over as the interim commissioner on October 3^rd, 2011. Neinas says he plans on keeping this position at least 6 months, maybe longer. But those 6 months will not be lazy days for Neinas. He plans on rebuilding the conference and establishing a tremendous amount of trust between all the schools still left. Without trust, not many relationships can remain sturdy.

Much trust was lost when the Texas Longhorns signed a 20-year, $300 million contract for television rights. The contract was with ESPN for the Longhorn Network. More than likely, this network is why Nebraska and Colorado parted from the Big 12, and why Texas A&M will likely follow suit to the Southeastern Conference.

Although Neinas is 79 years old, he’s not your typical elderly man. He stays active by skiing and jogging, which results in a vigorous mind. Steven Hatchell, former Big 12 commissioner when the conference formed in 1996, says that Neinas is “smart, intuitive and very experienced” and is “ideal for what needs to be done”.

Chuck Neinas has a difficult task that awaits him, but he has an overwhelming resume that indicates he can handle it. Vertuno referred to Neinas as “strong and savvy”, which implies that even he believes Chuck Neinas is the guy needed to save the conference and make some progress. If Neinas can somehow keep the rest of the Big 12 conference together, and bring in one more team to make the conference have a total of 10 teams, then maybe, just maybe, this re-alignment may somewhat cease, bringing college football out of chaos and back to balance.

Bigger in Texas

In an article posted in the San Antonio Express News, Mike Finger takes a look at the drama taking place in Austin, Texas. Ego is running rampant and at the helm of all this is UT Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds. Famous for saying of his beloved Longhorns, “We are the Joneses,” he’s been stirring up controversy over the aspect of what conference, or possibly no conference, that UT will be joining.

The weight of the University of Texas’s decision will bring about it major consequences. They have the ability to kill the Big 12 and turn the Pac 12 into an immediate super conference in one fell swoop. They can go independent, seeing as they already have their own network deal to generate money, and cripple the Big 12. And last but not least, they can do the unthinkable/unselfish thing. Stay in the Big 12 and use their might to recruit other schools in order to rebuild the conference.

The only problem with that last option is that would go against all that they have stood for in the past few years. By signing their Longhorn Network deal, they effectively pissed off every school in the Big 12 and put the whole exodus that is going on now into motion. They are showing hesitance to negotiate a deal to keep the 117 year old rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M alive. In the simplest of terms, the University of Texas is selfish, putting their willingness to stay in the Big 12 in doubt

Finger does a good job at looking at the other side of the argument as well. He discusses the aspect that the University of Texas is just in the interest of self-preservation. They realize what a dying conference looks like and now they are doing what they can to keep Longhorn tradition alive and well. This is all understandable, what would you want your college to do if it is in the same situation and looking at a conference meltdown in the face?

The decision about to be made by Texas is one of great importance. No doubt it will make or break the Big 12. It also may bring about legal ramifications from the other Big 12 universities still left, affecting the Longhorns. If they were to get into the Pac 12 then that would bring about the beginning of the formation of super conferences. Overall, the real issue is how important tradition and regional ties will be for the Longhorns. It is clear what will be the best business move for the university, now it is just a matter of if their conscious gets a hold of them of them and keeps them planted in the Big 12.

 

Turn In Offensive Shirt, Get $20

Alex Lang posted an article to the Dominion Post yesterday addressing the issue of offensive T-shirts being sold to students at West Virginia University. Specifically, a shirt that reads “West F****in Virginia.” The shirt was shown during an ESPN broadcast of the WVU-Marshall football game earlier this month. This sparked the WVU Mountaineer Maniacs (a student-fan organization) to begin offering an amnesty program for people to turn in their offensive shirts for a twenty dollar voucher in return.

Although the shirts can be considered offensive, they indeed display school spirit. Most students probably won’t turn in their shirts for a twenty dollar voucher considering it can only be used at the WVU team shop, the bookstore, or the book exchange. The shirts are a hit on campus and seems that people are just taking them way too seriously. The university’s licensing department is covering the costs of the amnesty program. They expect to make at least $3,000. If students actually participate by turning in their shirts, this goal will easily be attained.

Lang  mentions that the students of WVU sport the aforementioned T-shirt around campus as well as many others that are considered offensive. I am curious who exactly is producing the shirts. Can they be bought in the bookstore? Are they made by student organizations? Is the production of such shirts violating any rules of conduct?

 

Playoffs for College Football?

In an article on Yahoo Sports, Dan Wetzel describes what he thinks would fix the problem of forming super conferences, creating a post- season playoff.  Wetzel believes that all of the hype surrounding the conference breakdowns and build-ups could be solved if there was a post- season playoff for college football.  All of the money issues play out to be in favor of the universities and the NCAA if there were to be a play off system.

If there were play offs, it would encourage teams to stay in the conferences where they are and the ones that they have a better chance of winning so that they could make the playoffs instead of trying to just get in a big conference to have all of the benefits that come with a powerhouse conference.  There would be many more strong conferences instead of just a few huge and strong conferences.

Another benefit to the playoffs would be that the NCAA could make more money with the tournament and the universities would make more money for making it to the games if you want to look at the money side of the deal.  It would make a lot more sense for a lot of people instead of the traditional college bowl system.

Even though I love the traditional bowl system that college football has and the countless bowl games to watch over Christmas break, I would love to see a playoff system.  There would not be a playoff spot for all teams and it would only be set up where about eight teams could make it.  I have wanted to see something like this for a long time because of how controversial the top ten teams can be in college football because of different schedules and things of that nature.  It would be interesting to see the top eight teams battle it out to see who is really the best team instead of just being placed there and getting to play in the national championship game.

The Drink That Changed Sport Culture

Gatorade is ubiquitous. We’re young enough to never think about a sport world without it. But in a CFAA article from Friday, Sept. 23, Paul Martin for the UK Kentucky Kernel follows the history of this iconic drink. Gatorade started at UF in the 60s. It’s formula was a mystery and caused UF athletes to outlast competitors. Most schools had their own versions of the sports drink, with none being as successful as Florida’s. Florida was smart to open it up for public consumption, and the drink became what we know it as today.

I think this article is really interesting to people of our generation because Gatorade is akin to lemonade or soda. It’s used for sports and the ads are iconic. However, it’s not just an athlete’s drink anymore. It’s interesting that it used to be. It’s also interesting to try to imagine sports before Gatorade. True, it’s not some magical drug, but it does enhance athletic performance by refueling the body. Gatorade has changed recently too. With G1, G2, and G3 now, Gatorade is better formulated for the activity you do.

Another aspect of sports culture this article deals with is athletic training. It references the 60’s style football coaching– push at all costs. Coaches today push their athletes to perform and succeed, but we are now more aware of the limits of the human body and how to push just enough to reach peak performance without injury or illness. This article shows how something as simple as Gatorade has, from conception to merchandising, changed the face of sport culture.

Texas content with keeping status quo

And it’s over. PAC-12 commissioner Larry Scott released a statement earlier this week crushing most hopes of major conference realignment (for now anyway). It appears as if both Texas and the PAC-12 are not going to budge on their positions on the Longhorn Network. The PAC-12 runs on an equal revenue sharing system much like the SEC, so for Texas to join the league the PAC-12 would have to make an exception for one school which they refuse to do. And without Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were not attractive enough to the PAC-12 for them to be added. Now, as one their demands to stay with the PAC-12, OU and the other Big XII schools want the commissioner Dan Beebe gone. Finally, on Thursday he resigned, and Jimmy Burch speculates that the Big XII might be looking at TCU for a potential expansion option.

This whole situation highlights the fragility of the structure of the Big XII. Even Oklahoma appears to be Texas’ little brother in the league. Sure, they did get their way by removing Dan Beebe as commissioner, but OU definitely has egg on its face after it released its comments on the conference expansion issues. In the end, the PAC-12 only wanted Texas and was willing to bring along UT’s “friends”. Texas can now continue to thrive in a league in which it receives an incredible amount of money in and keep their network. Why else do you think they’d be so anxious to get OU and the others to commit to another five years in the Big XII? There’s nothing wrong with the status quo in the Big XII in Texas’ mind.

The smaller schools in the Big XII are actually very happy that the Big XII survived this years’ realignment because otherwise they knew they’d be left out of the “super conference” system. It’s the other schools like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State who are angry that Texas has so much power within the league. One thing the author could’ve done better in the article is cite his sources better when it comes to potential candidates for expansion. With so many rumors out there right now about realignment, it’s harder to believe any news without good sources.

UNC Self- Imposed Sanctions Released

In response to an investigation by the NCAA into “impermissible benefits and academic misconduct,” the University of North Carolina has announced that it will put its football program on probation for two years and give up wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  UNC’s response also stated that some other self-imposed sanctions will include reducing the football program’s scholarship allotment by three for the next three years and imposing a $50,000 fine on themselves.

On October 28^th the NCAA will hold a hearing on the nine major violations of which UNC has been accused, and they will decide at that time whether to accept the school’s self- imposed sanctions or place some additional penalties on them.  UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour commented during a telephone conference with reporters, “We were very serious in our approach.   We didn’t look at it from the standpoint of trying to figure out what they might do. It was only about what we felt like we should do.”

During the 16 months since the NCAA investigation began, UNC has held 14 players out of games in 2010, with 7 missing the whole season, former associate head coach John Blake, resigned in September 2010 at the university’s request, and Head Coach Butch Davis, was fired in July.

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp gave a statement on the self-imposed sanctions, “We have acknowledged our violations, and we’ve responded in the way you would expect of this university.  We think that the sanctions we have proposed accept responsibility and, at the same time, give our current and future student-athletes and coaches every opportunity for success.”

The report outlined the corrective measures UNC plans to make, and their response indicated that they, for the most part, agreed with the first eight major charges brought by the NCAA.  They did not agree with the 9^th allegation, which was about the university’s failure to monitor the players’ use of social networking sites; they felt this was not their responsibility.

UNC, the football players and coaches, and all of the Tar Heel football fans are affected by the self-imposed sanctions placed on the program.  The coaches have already been greatly affected since former associate head coach John Blake resigned at the university’s request in September 2010, and head coach Butch Davis was fired in July.  New head coach Everett Withers has come in and done a good job, but now all of the problems for the Tar Heel Program are back in the news with the release of this document.  He will need to keep his players focused on their games and their minds off of these sanctions.  These sanctions could affect senior high school football players who are trying to choose a school, because they may want to go somewhere that is not having these types of problems.  The university administration has been affected because they did not over see the athletic program as they should, and they are under close watch to make sure these things don’t happen again.

To fully understand the situation, an in-depth report of all the allegations would be needed.  However, this article gave a good overview of the allegations and how UNC is responding to them.  The author gave a good perspective from the administration on the report, but there were no comments from current coaches or players and these would have given a more interesting dimension to the article.

ACC Gains Two Strong Competitors

The winds of change are blowing through many of the Conferences of the NCAA.  The most recent of these changes came over the weekend, when Syracuse and Pittsburg were added to the Atlantic Coast Conference.  While many people speculate that the additions to conferences are purely based on TV time and making money, Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski sees the change for what it truly is: an opportunity to make the ACC more successful and competitive across the board.

In an interview conducted by Andy Katz for ESPN, Coach K really showed his enthusiasm about the new possibilities that Syracuse and Pittsburg could make possible for the ACC.  The ACC is not necessarily a football powerhouse, but “over the last 25 years, if you had to pick the best conference in basketball, it is the ACC” (Krzyzewski).  That being said, Duke, FSU, and North Carolina are the main teams that are contributing to the overall success of the conference.  With the addition of Syracuse and Pitt, the ACC will have two more strong basketball programs under its wings.

Coach K has even bigger aspirations for the expansions of the conference, however.  He has visions of the ACC becoming a 16-team conference, which would make two 8-team divisions (similar to the way the SEC is set up.)

The expansion of the ACC affects not only the teams that currently make up the ACC, but also the Big East for losing two strong athletic programs.  Hopefully, by adding Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC, there will be a larger turnout of ACC teams that make it into the NCAA tournament in March.  In 2011, 11 out of the Big East’s 16 teams made into the tournament, while only 4 of the ACC’s 12 did.

From a football viewpoint, the hopes are that Syracuse and Pitt will help the ACC tremendously.  The ACC isn’t exactly known for any of it’s football programs, and the conference only has 9 national championship wins.  Pittsburgh itself has 9 football national championships, and Syracuse has one.

The article could possibly have been more informative if we had had the views of the new expansions from other ACC coaches, such as UNC’s Roy Williams or NC State’s Mark Gottfried.  However, I think Coach K represented the ACC very eloquently in this article by focusing on the bigger picture (the potential for the ACC to succeed as a whole), and not the smaller picture, that his team would have to face two more strong basketball programs as conference competition.

South Carolina in Trouble? The NCAA Strikes Again

And so it continues…another school has been called out by the NCAA. This time the University of South Carolina is involved. According to an Associated Press article on ESPN.com, head Coach of the University of South Carolina football team, Steve Spurrier, received a letter on Monday regarding potential punishment for a series of reported NCAA rule violations. These violations include 10 football players (and two women’s track team members) receiving $47,000 dollars in improper benefits for staying at a hotel at a reduced rate, as well as several USC athletes and prospective athletes receiving $8,000 in benefits from two executives from the Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation in Delaware. Spurrier seems to have taken the notification of potential punishment lightly, as he states, “I hope we’re not in serious trouble. I don’t think we’re going to be…You work these things out and do what they say.” Whether or not Spurrier should be worried for his team has yet to be disclosed, but a pending meeting with the NCAA infractions committee will soon tell.

Spurrier appears to believe that the hotel housing incident was incidental. He says, “….You can see how that thing happened with the housing…Obviously we wish we had known what was happening, but we didn’t.” Though this violation does, in fact, seem to be incidental, the violations surrounding the two executives from the Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation exude a much different vibe. The two executives whom reportedly provided benefits to USC players are Steve Gordon and Kevin Lahn—both graduates of the University of South Carolina. According to reports, these two helped sponsor several unofficial visits to USC by now freshman wide receiver, Damiere Byrd. Likewise, another report states that Lahn paid for $3,350 dinner cruise for several prospective USC athletes. The NCAA must now decide the appropriate course of actions for these infractions. Of course, by now most people are well acquainted with the NCAA and how it goes about these types of investigations. The process is long, tedious, and at times, incredibly frustrating. Take the incident with Auburn’s Cam Newton, for example. The investigation involving Heisman-trophy winner Newton never really produced conclusive results; thus, sports fans are still wondering what will ever become of this infamous sports scandal. The current investigations of the situation at USC may be similar.

Since the reports by the NCAA have been released, USC has severed ties with Gordon and Lahn, as well as Jamie Blevins, the manager of the hotel which provided reduced rates for USC athletes. However, even these actions may not protect the university from reprimand. According to the letter received by Spurrier, USC may face more severe punishments because it is now a repeat violator of NCAA rules. The letter states that major violations occurred in a November 2005 case, thus the current violations are repeat offenses.

Steve Spurrier has only faced the infractions committee once—back in 1990, when he was asked to discuss violations that occurred under his preceding Coach, Galen Hall at the University of Florida. Now he will face the committee again. Considering he was not directly linked to any of these reported violations, his personal reputation is not at stake. However, the well-being of his football program certainly may be in trouble. In 1990 Spurrier’s team, the Florida Gators, lost the right to call itself South Eastern Conference Champions. The potential punishments for these latest violations are unknown, but they could pose similar consequences.

The Associated Press has certainly provided an article that covers many key aspects involved with the case at USC. The article features the reaction of USC coach Steve Spurrier, as well as background information that correlates with the case. Readers are made aware of the nature of the infractions, along with the potential punishments that may come as a result of these infractions. The article does, however, lack any direct quotes from the NCAA—more particularly, any direct quotes from the letter received by Spurrier from the NCAA.

Time will tell whether or not South Carolina will face severe punishments. Now the world of college sports must simply wait and see what happens. Judging from past incidents between the NCAA and collegiate sports programs, we may be waiting for a long time.

What realignment means for the BCS

According to ESPN Insider Brad Edwards, “Superconferences won’t get us a playoff, but BCS change is still possible.” What Edwards proposes in his article is that should there be 4 superconferences, a playoff system would and should not be implemented because of ties that conferences currently have with BCS Bowls. For example, the Big 10 and Pac 12 are opposed to the idea of a playoff system because of their ties to the Rose Bowl. Seeing that these two conferences would most likely make up 2 of the 4 superconferences, Edwards claims that there is not a chance of a playoff system evolving.

Edwards does propose, though, the idea to use the computer rankings in a different way. He proposes to play the BCS bowl games with their respective ties and the best match-ups and then use a the computer rankings to determine which two teams would play for a national title. This proposal would benefit the schools with the ties to such bowls because they could still participate in their respective bowl game. However, I feel that the more that we continue to try and computerize the rankings will only create more controversy than we already have.

I understand the proposal to keep the bowl games, these games have so much tradition. There is another way that we can go about keeping them though. Why not have the playoffs within the bowl system? What this means is that you have the playoffs at the BCS bowl sites. It would like in high school football when you reach a certain round, you have the opportunity to play at the Georgia Dome or Cowboy Stadium. In college basketball, when you get to the Final Four, you play your games at the particular host city. The BCS bowls would serve as the host cities.

Edwards also implies taking only the 4 champions of each superconference and playing a 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3 type playoff. This being the case, there must be a playoff within the conference to determine the conference champion or else we end up right back where we started. It would be more beneficial to make things similar to high school football and take the top 4 teams from each superconference and then match them up by their rankings (i.e. SEC #1 vs PAC 12 #4). This would allow for more diversity within the playing field and would allow fans to see their team compete against someone else for a change. Then as the field gets narrowed down, the remaining teams could play in the Rose Bowl, or wherever.

The best way to determine the national champion is not through computers. Edwards has a good proposal in trying to maintain the bowls, but we would still have to keep the computer system which would be the purpose of having a playoff. By having a playoff, there are other ways to take advantage of playing in the prestigious Rose Bowl and satisfying the tradition that the Big 10 and Pac 12 have with it.

Event #1: UGA vs Coastal Carolina

This past Saturday, the University of Georgia hosted the visiting Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The Bulldogs came out firing early in hopes of getting their first win and did such in dominating fashion, beating the Chanticleers 59-0. The win gave light to players and fans by exemplifying the amount of talent on the Bulldog’s roster. Hopefully, this win will only lead to more and put the Dawgs back on track towards getting back to the way Georgia football is played.

Aside from the football aspect, a lot of work went into putting this game on. From the people at the gates scanning tickets to those working the concession stand and even to the camera crew, a great deal must be accomplished in order to fully satisfy those in attendance and those participating in the event itself. These people sacrifice their personal enjoyment of kicking back and watching the game to serving the community so it might be able to enjoy. They welcome in the fans, supply them with food and drink, and even allow the fans not at the game to enjoy the game as if they were there.

At most sporting events, there tends to be a great deal of promotion. At the game against Coastal, there was not as much promotional business though, possibly due to the opponent. the messages at the game did show more about the university and promoted more things concerning the University. The messages tended to not be commercials such as Coca-Cola, but instead about the NCAA’s views and things the school stands for.

Finally, if I was visiting from Coastal Carolina, I would have been impressed with the tradition that Georgia football has. From the 92,000 screaming fans to calling the Dawgs, I am sure it is something unlike they are used to. I also would have been impressed with the football scene around campus on gameday. In Coastal’s case, I would have been more satisfied with the experience then say a Conference rival in South Carolina from the previous week.

Event #1: UGA vs. Coastal Carolina

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, the UGA Bulldogs met the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers between the hedges in Sanford Stadium.  The Dawgs walked away with their first win of the season by shutting out the Chanticleers 59-0.  Both Georgia’s offense and the defense played well, and even though Coastal Carolina is not an SEC Team or nationally ranked, it was exciting to come away with such a big win!

In addition to the game being played out on the field, there was a lot going on in the stadium.  At every entrance to the stadium there were people scanning ID’s and taking up tickets.  At each level, there were additional personnel checking tickets to ensure that the people trying to enter a section were in the correct one, and in the student section there were people checking student ID’s and handing out wristbands to the students to enable them to sit in the student section.

A very important group of people who are essential to game day are the groups who man the concession stands and the people who walk up and down the aisles selling items such as drinks and cotton candy.  It would be a long game it there were no concessions sold.  Another extremely visible group of people at the game were the security and safety personnel.  There were many state troopers, and Athens and Clarke County Officers in attendance to ensure that everyone was safe and orderly.  There were also medical personnel and volunteers located throughout the stadium who could help with everything from a band-aid to a serious medical problem.

The press are another important group of people at the game.  In the press box, there was someone calling the game, additional commentators, and journalists from other news outlets.  There were also media people on the field to talk with the coaches at half-time and the coaches and players after the game.  On the sidelines there were photo-journalists trying to get that perfect action shot that defined the game.

There were many different types of messages presented at the game.  Of course, there were the sponsors, who were advertising their products and services in hopes that since they support UGA football, the fans will support them.  There were also educational messages such as the snippet from Coach Mark Richt stating that he wanted fans to have fun, but not drink and drive.   The messages that make the game the most fun are the ones that get the fans pumped up and excited like, “It’s Saturday, Saturday, Saturday…”  These types of messages get the crowd on their feet, and make them yell even louder.

If I had attended the UGA game on Saturday for the first time, I would have left with a favorable impression of the school.  While the stadium was not quite as full as it was for the South Carolina game, there was still a good crowd and the fans were every bit as loud and excited.  I would also have noticed how supportive the student section was.  They were all decked out in school colors, as were all the fans and they yelled and screamed in support until the end of the game.  I would also have been impressed by how organized and smooth the whole game operation is at Sanford Stadium.  The half-time show was awesome, the crowd couldn’t have been more supportive of the team, and the Bulldogs won!  It was a perfect football Saturday in Athens!

Major Event #1: UGA vs South Carolina

On September 10, 2011, I attended the Dawg’s 2nd football game of the season, 1st game in Sanford Stadium, when they played the South Carolina Gamecocks. This game was not my first UGA game, but it was the first game I have been to at Sanford Stadium. I had gone to Atlanta a week prior to watch the Dawgs play in the Georgia Dome. Anyway, so I had no clue as to how anything was supposed to run. I didn’t know how the traffic was supposed to flow, when the gates were supposed to open, who to tailgate with, etc. The good thing is, though, I know a few upperclassmen here, so they took the time to tell me how Saturdays in Athens run. I was told by a friend that because I live at the Rogers Road apartments, there was no need for me to move my car, which was a relief to me. He also told me that I wouldn’t be able to drive from my apartment to get a parking spot closer to the stadium. I assume I would have to pay to park somewhere closer, so I have decided to walk everywhere on game days. I found out on Facebook that the gates open an hour and a half before the scheduled game time, so that was critical information that I needed to begin planning my day.

I have a friend here who invited me to his tailgate, which took place in the River Mill apartment complex parking lot. He and his friends were playing a game of cornhole when I arrived, and they needed one more player, so I joined in. After a game of cornhole, we began grilling the food that my friend had brought. This food included hamburger patties, duck, and dove. The hamburger patties were somewhat old, but slapping a piece of cheese on top made them taste scrumptious! Not only did I have 2 cheeseburgers, but I also had a block of duck stuffed with jalapeños and cream cheese and a small thing of dove, two items that I have never previously eaten before. Both the duck and the dove were wrapped in bacon, giving them a sweet twist! Once we were done eating, we decided to head on over to the stadium.

Once we arrived at Sanford Stadium, we had to find the right gate, which if I was by myself, I would not have found. There were not many advertisements that I remember seeing when I walked through the gates, but once in the stands, there were many advertisements shown on the Jumbo-Tron. Although compared to a professional sporting event, there were relatively few ads. Being at the game in person, it didn’t really hit me that this game was that big, but I had my family and friends texting me non-stop during the game asking if I was there and that they were watching on ESPN, which made me realize this was the real deal. It always seems like the media pumps the game up more than it should be, with the commercials, game preview, etc. But in person, it’s just kids playing the game they love. This game felt more amateur than the UGA vs Boise State game, primarily because it was being played in an NFL setting.

Although the end result did not work out for the Dawgs, the game was one of the most exciting games I have ever seen in person, and was just an overall great first experience at Sanford Stadium! The Dawgs played much better against USC than BSU, which bodes well for future games. I’m excited to see how this year turns out!

Event #1- UGA vs. CCU

The Georgia Bulldogs gained their first win of the season on Saturday, September 17, versus Coastal Carolina University, and I’m proud to say that I was able to witness it.  Although we were favored to win and the outcome of the game was not much of a surprise to anyone, it was still nice to finally be able to celebrate a victory, especially a 59 point one.  While Sanford Stadium was not as packed as it usually is, a great deal of fans still came out and showed their support for the Dawgs.

During this game, I really paid attention to who was on the field doing their job other than the coaches and athletes.  For the first time, I really noticed all of the camera crews and sports reporters on the field.  I think the most interesting job I saw were the sports photographers.  They are responsible for producing the greatest images from the game, and they do such a great job of capturing the energy of the entire stadium.

A lot of the messages that were being presented at the game had to do with other UGA athletic events.  For example, the Jumbotron showed advertisements for Men and Women’s basketball season tickets, and also promoted the Gym Dogs.  I think this is a great representation that the University realizes that sports go hand in hand, and true fans will support the school in all of it’s athletic endeavors.

If I were a first time visitor to the University of Georgia, I would not be able to deny the energy and excitement of the atmosphere of Sanford Stadium.  It is obvious that the Bulldogs have tons of fans, and every single one of them is passionate about the school and the team.  I would also be very impressed with the student section, because they are so dedicated to supporting the team and representing their school in a positive manner.

Event #1: UGA vs. Coastal Carolina

On Saturday, September 17th, I attended a football game against Coastal Carolina in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs won the game 59-0. There were many people that may have not been as noticed as the players playing between the hedges. There were the venders, walking up and down the aisles selling drinks and other things to the very thirsty spectators that were in the hot sun. There were also the event staff that made sure that everyone was behaving as they should and made sure that things did not get out of hand. There were also the camera crews that provided the game for the local television stations and for the replays on the screen. There were also the people that take care of the (temporary) mascot, Russ, to make sure that the dog is always happy.

A variety of messages were presented at the game. There were many messages about not drinking and driving and about not texting and driving to remind all of the spectators, especially the college students, about the dangers that are presented with these actions and driving. There were also promotions for the academic experience of UGA to remind the spectators that there is a lot more to UGA than the football game currently. Also, there were promotions for other sports to get spectators from the most popular sport to come and support the other athletics of UGA.

If I were a visitor to UGA, I would be a little disappointing in the crowd support at this particular game because the stands were pretty much empty going into the fourth quarter. However, the spectators from Coastal Carolina probably have not experienced a game with nearly the crowd support that was there, at least at the beginning of the game, so they would leave with the impression that the atmosphere at UGA is incredible. They would also be impressed with the academic promotions and the encouragement for further support of other athletics and not just all about football.

UGA vs. Mercer women’s soccer

On September 9 I went to the UGA women’s soccer game when they were taking on Mercer. As soon as you get up to the gate you can tell how different it is attending one of the non-revenue sports games.  These teams have to try much harder to get people to attend their games so they try to create a lot of incentives for fans to come like free attendance and lots of fan promotions. The Mexican fiesta theme dominated the game experience. Employees were handing out free sombreros and t-shirts, and the burrito eating contest occupied fans during halftime. The PA announcements constantly were promoting the teams’ upcoming games and they would always mention what fan promotion was going on the next game.  Another difference at the soccer game compared to a “big time” sport like football is the amount of employees working at the game. Two security guards walked around the stands, there was a small concession stand with a couple of workers, and there was a small group of people helping with the promotions (and I think some might’ve been volunteers). The stands consisted of mostly families of the players, families with small children and a few college students. Hairy Dawg constantly walked around having fun with the fans, and that seemed like it was the kids’ favorite part of the game. Advertising was much less frequent than at a football game with the only real mention of sponsors being the “Coca-Cola Corner Kick” and Willy’s gave out coupons and provided the burritos for the burrito eating competition. Without as many people trying to turn a profit out of the student-athletes it gave the game a much more pure, amateur atmosphere compared to football. Big time news sources were nowhere to be found at the game, and the media was limited to small time UGA student journalists. After the game the players just come out into the stands and spend a little time with their families before heading to the locker room. The University of Georgia does a great job of creating a really fun atmosphere at the soccer games and showing the fans a good time.

UGA v. Coastal Carolina

On September 18th, I attended the University of Georgia versus Coastal Carolina football game.  The game occured in Athens, Georgia between the hedges at Sanford Stadium. Although empty spots appeared in the stands, a sizeable crowd still showed up to the game.  Before the game, many people set up their tents, cars, and RVs to tailgate in preparation for the game. As the players battled it out on the field, there was work to be done in the stands and throughout the stadium. Vendors could be easily spotted as they were required to wear neon shirts.  The information on the backs of these men and women’s shirts gave spectators a number to call in case they needed help.  These vendors walked up and down the stairs selling anything from drinks to cotton candy, all over-priced of course.  Other workers had to check the bags of spectators as they walked into the stadium to make sure they were not carrying prohibited items into the stadium.  At each entrance gate, a worker checked students and regular fans alike to make sure they had a ticket into the game.  Security staff and GBI enforcement walked around the stadium and stood at the hedges to make sure the game experience was safe for everyone.

Multiple messages were played during the course of the game promoting the school and safe activity.  Coach Mark Richt came on the video screen encouraging fans not to drink and drive.  Other messages shown on the board promoted upcoming athletic events for non-revenue sports to gain support for those teams.  On the field, the university recognized people for their accomplishments to the whole stadium.  One group was the 40 under 40 who had participated in a luncheon before the game, and the other group was one of former Georgia teams. 

At the end of the day, the Bulldogs came out on top 59-0.  This gave the Dawgs their first win of the season in front of a less than enthusiastic crowd.  However, being that Coastal Carolina is an FCS team, I am sure their fans were impressed with the whole UGA football experience.  The game will no doubt be memorable for the players as they will never face a crowd of that size the rest of the season.  The night before, I was walking on Sanford Drive, and I saw a group of Coastal Carolina fans taking pictures of the stadium as they stood in awe.  If they were in awe of the beautiful empty stadium, then I cannot imagine how they felt on gameday.  I know that I felt pride as I watched the team exit the stadium with the first win of the season under their belts, hopefully one of many to come.

Event #1: UGA vs. Boise State

On Saturday, September 3^rd, the University of Georgia football squad took on the Boise State Broncos in the annual Chic-fil-A kickoff game in Atlanta, Georgia. The atmosphere was electric, filled with excitement and anticipation for the commencement of the college football season. Thousands of fans, the majority of which were Georgia fans, packed the sold-out Georgia Dome. The game was nationally televised and thus TV crews and cameramen were scattered through the arena. Additionally, photographers and reporters were abundant on the sidelines. These individuals wore brightly colored vests and were relatively easy to identify. Other workers at the game included security guards at each gate in the dome, athletic trainers working with the athletes, and individuals working concessions. All of these workers served critical roles in producing this major college football event. Alongside the workers at the game, were the various messages and promotions presented throughout the contest. Most of them were featured on the jumbo-trons centrally located in the arena. Many of the advertisements—particularly those regarding the effort to recycle—featured well-known football players from both the UGA and BSU teams. Also, since the sponsor of the event was Chic-fil-A, the game featured numerous advertisements and promotions regarding Chic-fil-A and its close partners.

As mentioned, the atmosphere of the entire event was exceptional. Though the game was not played on the campus of UGA, the experience closely resembled that of a game in Athens. The majority of the fans at the game were cheering for the Dawgs, and Atlanta is only a short drive from Athens. Non-fans of the University of Georgia were likely able to see what a game in Athens would be like—loud, rowdy, and full of UGA tradition. The fans, for the most part, acted with class, and thus represented the university well. Overall, the event was truly unforgettable. The Dawgs may have lost the game, but the overall pageantry of the occasion will not soon be forgotten.

Event Visit #1: UGA vs Coastal Carolina

This past Saturday, I attended UGA’s football game at Sanford Stadium against Coastal Carolina. The Bulldogs finally won their first game of the season, defeating the Chanticleers by a score of 59-0. There were, of course, hundreds of employees working at the game performing certain jobs. There were the food and drink vendors all throughout the stadium and then ushers that would check peoples tickets or student ID’s and point them to where they needed to go. Also, there were police officers, security guards, and other emergency personnel there to ensure the safety of all of the spectators. In addition, there were numerous messages being presented all throughout the game, especially commercial messages from sponsors like McDonald’s, AT&T, and Coca-Cola, amongst others. There were a few educational messages about UGA faculty members and a good amount of messages promoting other upcoming UGA sporting events and other UGA-related events. Finally, there were some PSA type announcements about not drinking and driving after the game and rules for spectators at the game. If I was visiting UGA, I would come away impressed with the overall layout of the game and stadium, but I would have been a little disappointed in the lack of fan support and inability to sellout the stadium. Like any other UGA football game, it was a fun event, but I’m ready to get  to the heart of our SEC schedule.

Plans for FSU’s Much-Needed Establishment

Thursday, Coley Harvey of the Orlando Sentinel posted an article discussing the plans for FSU to build an indoor practice facility for their nationally ranked football team. The proposed establishment will cost upwards of $15 million and the Seminole boosters have created a finance campaign to begin raising money for their much-needed establishment.

Harvey explains that anytime it rains or there is lightning within a 10-mile radius of campus the Seminoles have to postpone practice and retreat to the locker rooms and wait out the storm. Since the season started, three practices have already been postponed. FSU president Eric Barron, athletic director Andy Spetman, and other boosters use arguments such as this to justify the finance campaign for the long-awaited building.

Harvey denotes events that will take place this weekend to spread awareness and information about the new establishment, however, he fails to detail exactly when and what will take place at the events. The only information given on the subject is that one event will take place at the Turnbull Center in Tallahassee on Friday.

College Football Dresses for Attention

In an article in the Tacoma News Tribune, John Mcgrath discusses the ridiculous nature of uniforms in college football today. In simpler times, we were able to turn on the TV on Saturdays only with concerns over how our favorite team would do in their game. Now, we have added stress by having to worry about what craziness will be donned this time.

Maryland has set off a media explosion. They were the talk of all the nation after their win over the Miami Hurricanes 32-24, but the buzz was not over their play, but the hideous uniforms Under-Armor bestowed upon them. Mcgrath argues that if you were in the shoes of Head Coach Randy Edsall, receiving a 5 year 17.5 million dollar deal for the university from a company just to play dress up, then you wouldn’t be necessarily willing to object.

Criticisms of the Terrapins red and white, black and yellow uniforms have been infinite. The biggest argument, of course, against these uniforms is that they are simply horrendous. Others are saying that it’s just a cry for attention by a largely over-looked university. Mcgrath does a good job of pointing out all the arguments against the uniforms, but what he neglects to do is look at the positives.

Like it or not, these uniforms have put the University of Maryland on the map. Also, the benefits these uniforms have on recruiting are quite substantial.  Young 17 year-old athletes, quite frankly, are attracted to the teams with the most flare and hype surrounding them. And to say that Maryland’s uniforms have not been either one of these is simply a lie. As much as we go on about the disaster these uniforms have been, it does little to the bottom line of what the University of Maryland was trying to accomplish. Which is start buzz and get recruits.

This article affects a vast majority of people and universities. First of all it created an absolute media frenzy, getting everyone discussing the uniforms. Second of all, it raises the question of not if, but when Nike will try to out due these flamboyant uniforms and which team will be willing to participate as the guinea pig. The big scare of all these uniforms is that they actually are successful and what they set out to accomplish. And in the world of college football, when one university finds something that works, there are bound to be hundreds more following suit in the near future.

Can Franklin change the culture of Vanderbilt football?

Vanderbilt football leads the SEC in one statistic every season: most homecoming games participated in. Being the perennial little brother in the SEC leaves Vanderbilt as the butt of jokes. Did your team have a 10 point lead with five minutes left in 4th quarter just to fumble twice and lose in the last few seconds? SEC fans have a phrase for such instances affectionately know as “pulling a Vandy”. But don’t think that the game must be close to pull a Vandy. Vanderbilt has a monopoly over losing. Commodore fans know that on any Saturday they can lose in a new and unique way. But maybe the culture is changing around the program. Michael Rosenburg wrote an article that highlights the changes Franklin has made. He shows the increase in confidence Franklin has brought to the program by treating them as if they had always been a power within the SEC.

The recruits have already been affected by the changes at Vanderbilt. Having the 35th ranked recruiting class this year according to Rivals is by far the best recruiting class they have ever had. The article does a good job of highlighting other coaches’ opinions of what Coach Franklin has been able to do at Vanderbilt.

Steve Shaw Clarifies Confusing Rule

In an article seen in the Montgomery Advertiser, Steve Shaw, head of Southeastern Conference (SEC) officials, clarifies the confusing new celebration rule in college football.  Under the new rule, some touchdowns can be taken off the scoreboard because of early celebrations.  Not all celebrations will result in touchdowns being negated.  If a player celebrates before scoring the touchdown, then that touchdown will not count, and the scoring team will suffer a penalty from the spot of the foul. 

Although some people may think this may be a pretty straight forward rule, but it caused controversy in last week’s USC-Utah game.  During the game, a score was taken away from USC because of an alleged early celebration penalty off a blocked kick.  After the game had ended, the points were given back to USC making them win by nine points as opposed to three.  Fortunately, the rule did not affect who would have won the game.  However, there cannot be a constant confusion about when the rule should be enforced.

According to Shaw, the referees on the field actually confirmed that the touchdown should count.  The officials in the press box working the scoreboard misunderstood what the on-field officials were saying causing the points to be taken off the board.  Shaw says that the rule is only in effect when the players on the field are the culprits of the penalty.  Players that come onto the field to celebrate after a touchdown will only cause a 15-yard penalty after the play which has been the rule for quite some time.

Eventually, the rule will truly affect who wins and loses a game, and true controversy will arise on that day.  A negated touchdown could determine the postseason fate of a team.  In a league where each game is important, one loss could make a team go from a BCS bowl to a lower profit bowl affecting the universities profits.

The author of this article fails to mention any post game quotes from either USC or Utah coaches or players.  This would shed some more light on how the coaches and players felt about what occured during the game.  What if it was Utah that had won the game by three? Then, USC would have won by three after the added score.  Utah would have been in outrage over losing a game after it had ended.  The new celebration rule did not hurt someone this time, but it will not be too long before it does.

Maryland’s Football Uniforms take attention away from program’s talent

According to the article College Football Teams Dress for Attention by John Mcgrath, illustrates that the focus of the fans is no longer the players and the game but rather what the teams are wearing. Mcgrath goes on to compare the new uniforms of the Maryland Terrapins to the “rainbow” jerseys of the 1970’s Astros and the Oregon Duck’s who were previously considered the worse dressed college team. The new Maryland uniforms, which bring in both the state flag and the college’s colors, are a part of the $17.5 million contract with Maryland alumni Kevin Plank, the CEO of Under Armour. The hideous uniforms give the Maryland Terrapins the worst dressed title.

The theory behind the new uniforms is to bring attention to the Terrapins as they rebuild their football program. While the new uniforms have brought the right amount of desired attention, is it the type of attention they desire? While the uniforms bring the attention, the talk of the uniforms take away from the program, players, and development. Therefore, the theory of new uniforms to gain attention and the represent the rebuilding of their program went too far. Kevin Plank, the Terrapins, and Under Armour should have kept the uniforms more subtle in order for the commentators and spectators to focus on the team and their uprising rather then just their uniforms.

BCS problems need solutions, ASAP!

Author: Mac Cerullo

UConn Daily Campus

In a blog posting for the University of Connecticut’s Daily Campus, Mac Cerullo gives his take on the Bowl Championship Series and the issues it inflicts upon the NCAA football teams that have the privilege of playing in a BCS bowl game. The Daily Campus interviewed the newly inaugurated President Susan Herbst, and the topic of college football and the postseason was brought up. Supposedly, President Herbst is passionate about athletics and wants to solve problems such as NCAA compliance and academics. Although when asked about the BCS system, Herbst had a “noncommittal” attitude toward the matter:

“The postseason and the BCS, I don’t really have a strong opinion on that. The BCS… [is] so far out of my control, and with all the presidents it’s the same: we can’t unilaterally do anything. So, I don’t know, we just kind of wait and watch, but I don’t know that there’s going to be much change in the next few years in terms of the bowl system.”

Cerullo seems disappointed with this answer. He hoped President Herbst would be the leader of the movement to change the postseason of Division I NCAA football from the BCS bowl game style to a playoff system. Much of his disappointment originates from the fact that the University of Connecticut lost $1.8 million by accepting a bid to play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last season due to ticket sales. Much of that $1.8 million lost went to the big Whigs who run the bowl game, such as John Junker, the former CEO of the Fiesta Bowl, who wastefully spent much of that money.

On the other hand, both the UConn Men’s and the Women’s basketball teams reached the NCAA Final Four, which is a playoff-style postseason, and made a combined $1.7 million through their efforts. Therefore, Cerullo believes that a playoff system in college football would be just as profitable, if not more. But what he failed to mention is there are many teams that can participate and compete in the basketball playoffs, and they can play almost every day. Whereas for football, each team would play only one game per week. As a result, only a few teams would be able to make the playoffs.

The teams that would normally make it to the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Orange Bowl will play each other until there are 2 teams left to vie for the forever-coveted National Championship. The other teams that do not make the cut for the playoffs, but have at least 6 wins, will still have the opportunity to play in a bowl game. The only aspect that will be different is there will be no “BCS” bowl games. This portion is where agreements will probably never be made, because the coaches, athletic directors, and BCS conference commissioners in charge who gain thousands and millions of dollars through these bowl games will not want to give up their control and change a system that works for them, even if it means there is dissatisfaction among players, students, alumni, and fans.

Don’t expect the BCS to change anytime soon.

Georgia could still contend in SEC East

In a post on espn.com, Ivan Maisel looks at Georgia’s loss to South Carolina last Saturday and focuses on the bright spots for Georgia he saw from the game rather than only the bad aspects. He does admit that Georgia is 0-2 for the first time in Richt’s coaching career and that they’re only 14-14 since the beginning of the 2009 season. However, he sees those statistics as “totally miss[ing] what happened at Sanford Stadium on Saturday”, and contends that UGA will compete for the SEC Eastern Division Title if it plays like this the rest of the season.

Maisel then even claims that the Georgia fans are partly to blame for not believing in the team and not being “SEC loud” throughout the game while also refusing to see the improvement of the team and begging for a new coach. They don’t see that the team showed great resilience through a lot of the adversity of the game and kept fighting until the very end, a trait that has seemed to be lacking in Georgia teams lately. They refused to let the momentum swing completely in South Carolina’s favor and even came from behind twice in the second half to retake the lead.

The fire and resilience was seen in Richt too, a sight that most Georgia fans aren’t used to seeing. After the USC fake punt for a touchdown, Richt launched his headset and play cards onto the field, showing that he cares about the game and his team, a fact that many Georgia fans refuse to believe. He then delves into his points that Georgia is a young team without a lot of depth that simply doesn’t have the type of playmakers that South Carolina does.Nonetheless, Maisel concludes by saying that both he and Richt see something special in this Georgia team and quotes Richt pin his statement that Georgia has the talent to compete in this league. The fans just need to stay on the Georgia bandwagon and believe in their team.

This article, without a doubt, affects the entire Bulldawg Nation, as Maisel calls Georgia fans out for their lack of intensity and for not supporting their team through these rough first games. Maisel raised many good points in this article that I definitely agree with, and I hope that other UGA fans see this and realize that with their support, Georgia will win football games. We’ll find out tomorrow and in the rest of the SEC schedule if Maisel’s call to action will be heard or ignored and if Georgia will continue its marked improvement.

Can UGA Come Back?

Jeff Schultz, from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, explains the complications with Georgia football right now. The team has not showed the type of team that people expect when they think of Georgia football. He believes that the team must go 9-1 with the remaining games of the season for Mark Richt to keep his job and for the Bulldogs to have a relatively successful season. With the games that are left, it seems possible for the team to have that record. This will be a challenging feat, but with the games that are remaining, it does look doable for this Georgia football team.

The team and fans must let the first two losses roll off their shoulders and look ahead at what could become of this season. All of the heat on Richt is understandable, but he is still here and the fan base must rally behind him and support him in hopes that this season will have a more positive outcome than last season. The future does look bright after the South Carolina game, even though the Bulldogs lost. The team looked much improved and showed signs of real potential maybe for the first time in a while. However, almost winning does not count in the SEC.

The talk about Mark Richt losing his job will most likely continue throughout the rest of the season, unless things really turn around. Shultz puts it best by saying, “ Richt has left himself no room for error”. That statement is very true, because after all of the heat surrounding him already, if he does not turn things around then his job could very possibly be at risk. It is encouraging to see the players improving and still rallying behind their coach despite all of the criticism that has surrounded the University of Georgia’s football program since the disappointing season that they had last year. It would be sad to see Richt go after many years of coaching the Dogs, but he must turn around this season if he wants to continue to coach them in the future.

Crowell Next in Line of Running Back Greats

Herschel Walker, Knowshon Moreno, Frank Sinkwich, and Charlie Trippi—these are just a few names that come to mind when discussing great running backs at the University of Georgia. Each of these impact players has contributed significantly to UGA’s longstanding tradition of superior running backs. However, in the words of established bulldog announcer Larry Munson, “…now a new breed of Bulldog stands ready to take the field of battle to assume the reigns of their Georgia forbearers and continue that tradition…” On February 2^nd, 2011, top running back recruit in the country, Isaiah Crowell, committed to play at the University of Georgia. His commitment capped off what would become known as the “dream team” of the UGA football squad. While the dream team has not exactly fulfilled it’s expectations—at least not this season—young Crowell has certainly made a name for himself in UGA’s first two competitions. A DawgNation article by David Ching discusses the potential for Crowell to emerge as one of UGA’s most renowned running backs, citing opinions from such figures as Coach Mark Richt, running back coach Willie McClendon, and UGA quarterback Aaron Murray.

The article by Ching celebrates Crowell’s potential to achieve greatness, yet remains realistic in that this potential could never be achieved (A lá Washaun Ealey or Caleb King). Sure, Crowell only has two collegiate level games under his belt, and it may be unfair to hold expectations so high. However, in these two games he led the Dawgs in rushing yards, and last week against 10^th ranked South Carolina, he rushed for 118 yards and scored two critical fourth quarter touchdowns. Though the Dawgs dropped that contest, Crowell gained enough national attention to be named SEC co-freshman of the week. Quarterback Aaron Murray states, “…I think he knows what he’s doing. I think as a freshman, that’s the biggest thing… If you don’t know what you’re doing, then it doesn’t matter. He has worked harder learning the playbook, and between his skill and his knowledge, it’s showing right now.” Coach Mark Richt adds, “…He seems excited about what the future holds…” Clearly, the expectations surrounding Crowell are high. But how will this affect the young freshman? As of now Crowell seems to have maintained a clear head. He states, “…My momma told me to just act like I’ve done it before and I just don’t think it’s a big deal…All I do is play football. I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Football fans, especially those of the University of Georgia, must now wait and see what the rest of the season holds for Isaiah Crowell. Will he achieve the level of play of his predecessors—Walker, Trippi, Moreno, and Sinkwich? He must now rise to the occasion.

Overall, the article by David Ching reported by DawgNation is exceptionally well written. It helps boost the excitement of UGA football fans for the future, yet reminds them to remain realistic in their thoughts. Crowell is only a freshman. Though he has demonstrated a great deal of talent and potential over the last couple of weeks, no one can predict for sure what his future has in store. Again, Crowell has been given the opportunity to shine—will he take it? The world of college football will soon find out.

Flashy Uniforms in College Football

In an article in the Washington Post, Dave Sheinin addresses the new fad in college football- outrageous and over the top uniforms designed by big time sports apparel companies like Nike and Under Armor. Prime examples include the Under Armor uniforms worn by the University of Maryland in their game against Miami and the Nike Pro-Combat uniforms worn by theUniversity of Georgia when they played Boise State in the Georgia Dome. Although the uniforms themselves received mixed review from fashion critics, they serve to benefit both the teams that wear them and the companies that produce them. The teams benefit in the fact that recruits are more interested in what the team is wearing and a cool uniform will draw them to the school. As for the companies, exposure from high profile teams boosts their sales.

Critics of this new trend include fans and alumni who support the traditional uniforms worn by their respective universities. But, despite what critics may say, the system works and more and more schools are starting to catch on. Going back to the late 90’s, the University of Oregon may have been the first school to note the importance of uniforms in college football. Having co-founder of Nike and Oregon alumnus Phil Knight design their flashy uniforms, the Ducks began attracting better athletes and saw themselves in the national championship game in 2010. This same process is being echoed at Maryland where they have ties to former Terp and Under Armor founder Kevin Plank. If there continues to be a link between uniform and success, more schools will adopt this trend and who knows what type of uniforms we will see in the future.

By giving the opinions of various people in the college football world, Sheinin does a good job of completely covering the topic. There are many individual thoughts on what should and shouldn’t be done when it comes to uniforms and everyone wants to share theirs. As the season continues there is sure to be just as much attention on what a team is wearing as there is on their performance on the field.

NCAA places Boise State on probation

Major violations by the football program and several other sports have caused the NCAA to place Boise State on probation for three years.  According to the Associated Press,  “The sanctions included a public reprimand, a one-year postseason ban for women’s tennis and recruiting restrictions and scholarship reductions. “  Boise State had imposed some penalties on itself, but the NCAA decided to add some additional ones due to the fact that the violations occurred over several years.

Bob Kustra, President of Boise State, attributed the problems to the rapid growth of the athletic program, and both he and Football Coach Chris Peterson were not happy with the additional penalties.   The NCAA revealed that Boise State had quite a number of serious violations which involved more than 75 prospects and student-athletes in five sports.  One of the main reasons for the additional sanctions was that the committee felt like that the violations gave Boise State a competitive advantage.

Former Boise State tennis coach Mark Tichenor was given serious sanctions that will make it hard for any NCAA school to hire him for the next four years.  Similar two-year sanctions were placed on assistant track and field coach Tom Shnahan.  Assistant Tennis Coach Tiffany Coll was cleared of all the allegations against her.

The football team and the tennis team are most affected by the sanctions imposed by the NCAA since they most directly impact them.   The cross country and track and field teams are also being affected by the sanctions, but to a lesser degree.  Athletes who are being recruited by Boise State for these teams will most likely think long and hard about going to a school that is under these imposed sanctions.  The football and tennis coaches are also directly affected because these sanctions will impact their teams’ ability to win.  Even if the tennis team goes undefeated, it will not be able to play in any post-season games next year and that will affect the players, the coaches, and the fans.  The university is affected because it appears that the people who are in the highest positions did not do their jobs to ensure that rules were not being broken.

To fully understand why the NCAA imposed additional sanctions, all of the violations in all of the sports would have had to be explained.  It was easy to infer that the penalties were deserved, but it was not crystal-clear.  Miller did a good job explaining the perspective of the coaches involved and the university, but he did not give the opinions of any players or fans.  In order to give the fullest perspective, these viewpoints should have been included.

A win between the hedges?

In Bill King’s Junkyard Blawg this Friday, he addressed UGA fans more than UGA football. While he did mention that the game was a probable win, he didn’t focus on the boys and their reaction to last Saturday’s loss. He focused on the fans.

King said his biggest concern for the game was whether or not fans show up. Let’s be honest. We all know tons of people asking around, posting on facebook and mass-emailing listservs trying to sell Costal tickets. A lot of my friends just went home this weekend.

Why? True, it may not be the most exciting game of the season, but just as a win’s a win, a Saturday in Athens is a Saturday in Athens. I haven’t missed a UGA home game in a long time, and win or lose to a good or bad team, it’s always a memorable time.

King hits on an important issue – fan support. This season has started off rough, and a lot of fans have already thrown in the towel or close to it. Honestly, I think the Dawgs played great last week. Yes we made mistakes, but we have nowhere to go but up.

I hope to see a full Sanford this week. I hope to be surrounded by fans who can’t stop cheering and who are clearly behind their Dawgs for the season. I know this season isn’t shaping up to be what a lot of people expected, but every gameday starts with a fresh field. We could run the tables; you never know. Go Dawgs!

Can Richt meet his ultimatum?

Every dog has his day, and Georgia Bulldogs Head Football Coach Mark Richt’s may have come and gone.  It was a known fact among Bulldog fans and coaching staff that the first two games of the season—Boise State and South Carolina—would make or break the season for the team.  Now, at the start of Week 3, the Bulldogs are 0-2 and things aren’t looking so great for Coach Richt.

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution describes Richt’s current situation very bluntly: basically, Richt needs to lead the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record for the remaining games of the 2011 season.  Richt only has two years left in his current contract, and if he can’t achieve the record previously mentioned, he has a slim to none chance of getting his contract extended.

If the Bulldogs do manage to have a turn-around and finish the season 9-3 or better, it could save Coach Richt’s job and preserve the current dynamic of the team.  However, if the season ends with a poor record and Richt’s contract does not get renewed, the University of Georgia could potentially be hiring a new head football coach, which would affect not only Coach Richt, but the entire football team and coaching staff, as well as the University as a whole.

Bringing in a new coach, while sometimes a refreshing change of pace for teams that have been stuck in a rut, can often cause a lot of turmoil.  Players who have gotten used to the ways of a certain coach are finding themselves having to readjust to a new coaching style.  This could potentially put the team into a “rebuilding phase,” which might result in a worse season record than when under the former coach.

It would be helpful to know where the 9-1 record ultimatum came from and if it has been confirmed or if it is just simply speculation.  Schultz mentions a “cryptic comment” at an Athletic Board meeting.  This may have been the seed for all of the media speculation.  The aforementioned speculation clearly dominated the play by play commentary during game 2.  One thing is for certain though—if Coach Richt is worried about the stability of his job, there’s no showing it.  He has been sure to keep his team focused on the ultimate goal: winning.

Vince Dooley Says Mark Richt Will Be At Georgia For a Long Time

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution sat down with one of the greatest football coaches, if not the greatest, in Georgia football history, Vince Dooley. Towers recently did a Q&A with the legendary ball coach to get his take on the Mark Richt conversation.

Dooley credits Richt in all that he has accomplished as a coach over the last ten years at Georgia as well as in the weekend loss to South Carolina.”They can play with anybody. We played good enough to win that ballgame against South Carolina. They out-played them (Towers AJC).” Dooley also went on to say that all great coaches have their tough years. From Paterno, to “Bear” Bryant, and even Dooley himself, all coaches have their difficult times that they go through in their careers.

Dooley goes on to say that the season has not been lost yet. “You can look to the example of Virginia Tech last year. That was a lot worse than this. After they got beat by Boise they lost to James Madison. I think South Carolina is a little better than James Madison” (Towers AJC). Dooley remains very optimistic about the season and hopes that the Bulldogs will continue to improve, finishing the season successfully. Concerning Richt’s future as head coach, Dooley says, “My thoughts are we just started the season. People are talking about things we ought to be thinking about after the season..Let’s wait and see. I think we’ve got a chance to have a good football season. I really do.”

It is interesting the take that Dooley has concerning Richt’s future. Many Georgia fans continue to slam Richt and are ready to get rid of him. However, Dooley brings up interesting points to be patient and see if we can’t turn this season around. The perfect example he uses is Virginia Tech last season. The Hokies started the year 0-2 and yet they won 10 straight, including the ACC title and a berth to the Orange Bowl. The season has not been lost and there is still plenty of time to turn it around. Let Richt finish the season and then begin talks as to the future of Georgia football.

Before throwing in the towel and giving the Richt the boot, let’s see how the Dawgs can turn things around. For all we know, the team could regroup and bring home an SEC title or even a berth to a BCS bowl game. As much as people want to see the immediate results, it may take some time. Be patient and listen to the old ball coach, “Lets wait and see. I think we’ve got a chance to have a good football season. I really do.”

More Than a Game

In his article for CBSSports.com, Dennis Dodd examines the situation former Army coach Todd Berry had to deal with in his time at Army.  Many people keep up with Army football about one week a year when they play the Naval Academy.  The game is always interesting to watch, and there is some patriotic pride that comes with watching two branches of the armed service battle it out on the gridirion.  However, the unfortunate truth is that not very many people keep up with the Army football team throughout the year because they never seem to be very competitive from season to season.  After being away from Army for eight years, it is time he feels that he can speak out about what exactly being coach of Army was really like.

Berry has now spoken out about the 2001 season.  The impact of the tragedy of 9/11 weighed on all the hearts of Americans, but it was especially tough for the service academies.  Instead of holding practices, Berry had to let his players train for the Army.  Ultimately, Berry was given the decision between letting his players practice or train.  However, Berry was getting strong suggestions from the leaders at Army to let his players train.  Any coach will tell you that losing practice time significantly hurts football teams.  Every practice is necessary to a team’s success.  No coach would like to give up even one practice let alone multiple practices.  The situation at Army forced Berry into giving up practice time, granted for good reason. 

As Berry recalls, he only had two athletes that ran faster than a 4.7 second forty yard dash.  When he left, he claims to have had 37 players who ran faster than a 4.7.  Although he was able to get better athletes in his tenure, success did not come with the multiplicity of athletes.  In his four seasons at Army, Berry could only lead the team to a 5-36 record.  Because troops were sent on dangerous missions over seas after 9/11, it was a lot more difficult for Berry to convince recruits’ parents to let them go to Army.  Berry also recognizes that he could not allow himself to deny the job opportunity at Army because he felt that it would be unpatriotic.  Even though he was unsuccessful on the field, Berry knew that he was building character for men who would be leading the country on the battlefields in war.

Berry speaking out about his time at Army does not bring out too many surprises about the head coaching job at the school.  In short, he is basically stating what many already knew: it’s not about football at Army, it’s much more than that.  Army is a service academy preparing young men to go into battle.  This emphasis on service benefits all Americans who can live in safely in this great country.  Although Army does not win on the football field, all Americans (not to be confused with All-Americans) do win because of the type of leaders the academy builds. 

I believe Dodd includes much of what was needed to be said about the comments made by Berry.  Dodd missed some of the point though.  Dodd focused too much on how negative it is to take the head coaching job at Army.  I feel a sense of patriotism any time that I watch Army get a victory on the field, but I get that same pride just seeing they way they fight out on the field.  Army is not too concerned with football which should not alarm anyone.  They are focused on preparing men for real battle because, in the end, the battle on the gridiron is just a game, but someone’s life is much more than a game.

Ohio State players not cleared to play

Associated Press

ESPN.com

Having already missed the season opener against Akron, 3 Ohio State football players will miss their upcoming game against Toledo this weekend. Starting tailback Jordan Hall, cornerback Travis Howard, and backup safety Corey Brown were suspended earlier this year for taking $200 at a charity event. They have not yet been cleared to play, but are expected to been reinstated this week.

The 3 players had believed that they had permission to attend the charity event, but in fact they had not. They were required to get written permission to attend those kinds of events. There were no names released as to whom the players might have received the money from, but the investigation is still ongoing.

These suspensions add to the 4 others already in place, back from when former quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his teammates received a tremendous amount of money and discounted tattoos for selling their merchandise. The 4 players involved in the selling of merchandise incident have 4 more games to sit out, while Hall, Howard, and Brown will more than likely just miss one more game.

With a new coach in place and the season getting off to a 1-0 start, I’m sure the Buckeyes are ready to have all of their players reinstated and be out of the drama-filled spotlight for a while.

Mass realignment would alter BCS’ future; the question is: how?

In an article for sportsillustrated.com, Stewart Mandel discusses the implications that major conference realignment would have on the future of the BCS. With the SEC’s likely move to at least 14 teams, the Pac-12’s possible transformation into a super conference, and the seemingly looming extinction of the Big 12, the BCS could find itself going through some very major changes. If the above changes happen to the college football landscape, then the BCS would have half of its six controlling conferences undergoing some sort of extreme change. While the BCS would certainly not go away, it could be forced to change drastically.

The possible changes come right in line with the expiration of the BCS’ current TV contract, and the BCS Executive Director, Bill Hancock has stated that everything concerning the BCS system will be examined and up for discussion. Despite many fans thinking that these changes could include going to a full scale playoff, that change will almost certainly not occur by 2014 when the next cycle begins.

However, there are a few other distinct possibilities that could change the face of the BCS. First off, the BCS could add a fifth bowl (i.e. the Cotton Bowl), likely meaning the end of a city double-hosting a BCS bowl and the national championship. Next, the formation of super conferences could lead the BCS to abolish the two team per conference limit, as the conferences would  have more marquis teams per conference. The BCS could also give the Mountain West Conference an automatic qualifier spot to replace the Big 12’s spot if they do indeed go under. On the same track, the Fiesta Bowl, with the end of the Big 12 in mind, could go back to its roots and have two at-large teams to provide more high profile match ups. Lastly, the BCS, although not very likely, could move to the plus-one bowl system as proposed by SEC Commissioner Slive a few years ago.

Stewart does a good job of examining all the possible outcomes that realignment could have on the BCS and taking how likely each outcome is to happen into account. He was very realistic about the whole situation and even showed what could happen to cause each outcome and how it would affect college football if the particular change did occur. Without a doubt, any of the changes listed would impact every single D1 football program, especially the members of the current six major conferences, as they will likely have the final say in any sort of change. It will be very interesting to see how the whole situation plays out over the coming year and just how severely the landscape of college football will change.

Conference Realignment has Reached the Limit

Tommy Hicks from the mobile- press register describes an unrealistic yet intriguing situation about how to do conference realignment. Hicks describes a situation where, after this year, the conferences get erased and the whole system started over. He describes the scene in a way that sounds like the draft for the National Football League. They would sell tickets, the conferences would each have their own tables, and then they would pick which teams they want in their conferences. The whole description that encompasses the majority of the article is well thought out and descriptive of what it would be like.  The whole article sounds ridiculous and like it would never happen, but the argument sounds compelling. However, there are also a lot of negatives that would come with a complete redo of the conferences.

With all of the realignment talk that is going on today, it would almost make sense for the conferences to start over. Texas A&M switching causes a lot of dramatic shifts, maybe more than expected. The Big 12 suffers a huge loss and the SEC might have to grow by more than one team depending on how they want the set up to be. It would almost make sense to just drop the whole system and start over. However, that would not be possible because of all the things that the conferences mean to a lot of people and tradition.

Maybe it’s just because I am bias, but I could never see the University of Georgia not in the SEC.  I think that complete conference realignment would cause way too much uproar and controversy for what its worth.  It would save all of the minor changes that have to occur currently, but many teams would not be okay with the results if they shifted dramatically.  With all of the tradition that comes with the SEC specifically, I cannot imagine it any different and it is even going to take some getting used to if Texas A&M in fact does join the SEC.  I could not agree more when Hicks claims, “ college athletics as we know it disappeared a while ago”.

Excessive Penalties for “Excessive Celebrations”?

This past off-season the NCAA passed a rule which allows for touchdowns to be taken away if a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is called prior to the touchdown being scored. The question now is how soon will we see a high profile game be affected by this penalty.  “UT’s swagger could be tested by new rule“, an article by Austin Ward, discusses the effects it could have on a young, exuberant Vols team this year. Last year, quarterback Tyler Bray’s throat slash toward the North Carolina sideline during the Music City Bowl caught everyone’s attention according to Ward. And it doesn’t look like UT’s “swag” has diminished at all as they had a few close calls against Montana on Saturday that has Derek Dooley a little nervous. Tyler Bray again was caught doing a wave good-bye gesture and Justin Hunter finished his touchdown run as if he were finishing a race. In the article Dooley says, “”I didn’t see (Bray), but at least he didn’t look at their sideline and do a nasty gesture, so we’ve made progress, but we’re not where we need to be. I just hope that we don’t take away spontaneous exuberance from the game, because we all have it. As long as a player reacts and does something in a spontaneous way, then they gather themselves like, ‘OK, that’s enough,’ it doesn’t ruin the game.””

Derek Dooley makes a good point; watching the players enjoying themselves on the field makes the entire football experience more fun for the players, coaches, and fans. The fact that coaches have to worry about a single college aged player getting too excited and celebrating during a touchdown is ridiculous. The problem with the NCAA rules regarding excessive celebration are far too broad and leaves the referees in a position in which they have to make a judgment call which leads to very inconsistent rulings. Everyone remembers the LSU-Georgia game a few years back when AJ Green was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating with his teammates. Isn’t the essence of the rule to stop a single player from drawing attention to himself and not to just stop him from getting excited alongside his teammates? That play would still count under today’s rules, but this rule will affects everyone related to college football because some time this year there will be another questionable excessive celebration penalty given out except this time it can actually take away points.

This was a really good article giving UT’s perspective into the rule, but I’d like to read some statements from the NCAA and the writers of the rule to give further explanation and defend themselves.

NCAA Declares Florida DT Shariff Floyd Ineligible for a Second Week in a Row

The NCAA strikes again—this time in an incident involving Shariff Floyd, defensive tackle for the University of Florida. According to an article by the Associated Press, Floyd was forced to sit out UF’s home opener against Florida Atlantic Owis, and will now be sidelined for a second week in a row. Additionally, he must make arrangements to pay close to $2,500 to local charity. The NCAA applied these penalties after evidence was received that Floyd was given “impermissible benefits” during recruiting trips prior to his enrollment at Florida. These benefits include transportation and lodging during unofficial visits, as well as $2,500 financial support from the Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation in Delaware.

While the NCAA’s response to the evidence surrounding Floyd seems quite typical, the reality of the matter is that the situation surrounding Shariff Floyd is not so typical at all. Floyd grew up in an extreme state of poverty. He vividly recalls wearing the same clothes to school every day for months at a time, and not knowing where his next meal would come from. His father died when he was only three years old, and the father figure who took over “didn’t treat him right”. Floyd’s adverse lifestyle continued straight through his high school years—years when football became his safe haven, and recruiting trips each weekend became a common occurrence. Because he had no money to spare, Floyd was given places to stay, transportation, and financial support while traveling to and from recruiting events. The support that Floyd received was a result of the kindness in people’s hearts, and by no means a result of selfish individuals hoping to snag one of the nation’s top recruits. Still, the NCAA will hardly budge. Will Muschamp, head football coach at Florida, stated that he is “…angered, disgusted, and extremely disappointed that Shariff will have to miss two games…” and that in his opinion, “…Shariff is getting lumped into what is bad about college athletics…Shariff is what is good about college athletics—his life is about survival, struggle, disappointment, and adversity…”

The article reports that the NCAA carefully analyzed Floyd’s circumstances and thus shortened the number of games he must miss from four to two. But was this the right move by the NCAA? Most people linked to this case say that Floyd should not have to miss any games because he did nothing wrong. Consequently, the NCAA has once again been placed in the hot seat and will once again have to evaluate the enforcement of its rules. Floyd, a seemingly innocent victim of wrongness, must sit back and watch his football team—his haven—play another game without him. Additionally, those wholesome individuals who helped Floyd along his journey to collegiate athletics must now wonder why they are being reprimanded for essentially doing the right thing. Will they ever want to help someone out again? In essence, the NCAA has now taken away from a person’s ability to help out a financially struggling individual. Muschamp goes on to say, “…Sharrif’s life is also about triumph, honesty, integrity, determination, perseverance and character. The NCAA stated that he received preferential treatment. There is nothing preferential about his life…”

Because reports from both the NCAA and the parties affected by the NCAA’s penalties are cited in this article, one can safely assume no important facts are disregarded. However, this article does, in fact, spark a debate. Were the actions carried out by the NCAA regarding Shariff Floyd fair or unfair? Do Floyd’s circumstances exempt him from penalties enforced by the NCAA? You know the facts. Now you decide.

 

Lindsay Lastinger

Sharrif Floyd and the NCAA

In a blog posting for the Orlando Sentinel, Rachel George relates the story of Sharrif Floyd, a defensive tackle for the University of Florida. The NCAA suspended Floyd for two games this season for accepting several thousand dollars in benefits from a mentor while in high school. Floyd, a native of Philadelphia, was the top-rated defensive tackle recruit in the country two years ago and now is a sophomore at Florida. The punishment prompted sharp criticism of the NCAA from fans and coaches, including Florida head coach Will Muschamp. Floyd himself reported the expenses to Florida officials and the NCAA. Muschamp and others noted that Floyd, coming from an impoverished family, did not receive preferential treatment because “there was nothing preferential about his life.”

This is the latest in a series of incidents in which athletes have gotten in trouble for accepting benefits, in some cases from personal acquaintances and friends–like Floyd’s mentor–who had no ties to the University of Florida. Other cases include those of the University of Georgia’s Jarvis Jones and Baylor University’s Perry Jones (no relations). Jarvis Jones was cleared of having received impermissible benefits from a club basketball coach, but both Perry Jones and Floyd will miss games and have to pay back money received from local benefactors. The situations exemplify one of the NCAA’s central, but most controversial, principles: that amateur student-athletes should not receive benefits not available to students as a whole. Not from boosters, not from the sale of their jerseys, and not from high school mentors. The thinking goes: Why should a kid receive money just because he’s 300 pounds and can move his feet, while the 110-pound kid sitting next to him doesn’t have a chance at the same rewards?

By suspending Floyd, the NCAA is trying to send a message about the consequences of taking money on the side, even if athletes are impoverished, hoping that coaches, boosters, and others will spread the word that this is unacceptable.

George does a good job of channelling the frustration felt by the benefactors, the coaches, and others who say that they are just trying to help a kid, and that the NCAA has come down hard on an athlete who told the truth and did nothing overtly wrong, like accepting free tattoos or allowing themselves to be feted by agents or boosters. She does not follow the argument to the conclusion being pushed by many fans–even some conference commissioners–that paying athletes, or at least increasing the value of a scholarship, would be fairer than the current arrangement, and also would provide an incentive not to accept impermissible benefits. She also does not give the NCAA the opportunity to make its argument for the ethical considerations of impermissible benefits. This is a blog post, so she may be assuming that readers would get that information from other posts, but the omissions raise interesting questions about what we should expect readers to get from a given story and what we should expect them to know going in.

It’s Saturday In Athens!

In honor of our first home game as students, I chose an article from Bill King’s Junkyard Blawg. He always provides a pretty comprehensive assessment of UGA’s matchup and what to expect.

There’s no doubt about the fact that the game this weekend is a big one. The UGA v. USC rivalry is a strong one, and with USC looking to run the table in the SEC East, playing our best today is pretty important.

The article gives King’s opinion of the matchup, then looks to a Gamecocks fan for a view from the other side. The general consensus? USC has some serious talent this season. There are a lot of players that have the potential to cause us trouble this Saturday.

The upside? USC can be inconsistent. I mean, so can we, but if we rally together and they fall apart, we’re looking at an entirely different matchup. The article gives a pretty comprehensive view of what will go on on the field Saturday, but it does leave out a little bit of what’s going on behind the scenes for these teams.

King mentions the effect last week’s loss may have on the Dawgs this weekend, but he didn’t mention the media pressure on Richt. Sure, his team has openly rallied behind him, but I wonder if it affects team dynamic to have your coach and leader undercut from all other angles. For Richt’s sake, and for the hearts of all the true Dawg fans who never fully recovered from last season’s trials, I hope we win Saturday between the hedges.

Big 12 Expresses Interest in Arkansas

As conference realignment continues to be a hot topic, not only are there teams looking for new homes, but also conferences looking for new teams. According to the article, the Big 12 has recently reached out to Arkansas to gauge their interest in joining the conference. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, however, states that the school is “strongly committed to the SEC.” He goes on to express that he knew this was coming but the school has no intentions of ever leaving the conference.

Such a move would have been beneficial to the Big 12 who have a hole to fill with so many teams leaving the conference as of late. Arkansas would be  an obvious choice to fill the gap because of their ties to the former Southwest Conference and it’s geographical location. But, with the SEC being the powerhouse conference that it is, Arkansas has no reason to leave. Also, the likely move by Texas A&M to the SEC already has an effect on Arkansas. The two teams are in their 3rd year of a 10 year deal of a non-conference game at Cowboy Stadium. With Texas A&M joining the SEC it is now a conference game so details of whether or not to keep the game at Cowboy Stadium would have to be worked out.

To fully understand this situation it would be interesting to hear from a Big 12 representative. With Arkansas clearly uninterested in joining their conference, it brings up the question as to who else they invited and what the conference plans to do in the future to strengthen itself. I think the author focused mostly on the Arkansas side of the issue and left out any insight on the Big 12 itself. Once Arkansas declined the invitation, that was that. They now move on and the Big 12 is in the same predicament, but this wasn’t addressed in the article.

 

New Face of College Athletics- Post

http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/bob-smiziks-blog/30018-new-face-of-college-athletics

8 September 2011

This article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, written by Bob Smizik, looks at what the future of college athletics could hold now that all the different changes are going on with all the conference realignment that is taking place right now. With the newly formed Pac-12 and the Big 12 in shambles, its looking more and more like the major teams are going to gravitate towards four 16 team super conferences.

The Pac-12 is looking towards the possibility of adding four more teams. They are mainly looking at Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State. This would greatly expand the influence of the Pac-12 into the major markets of Oklahoma and Texas. This move would also set in motion the other big conferences left.

The SEC is sitting in a very strong position. They have already virtually taken Texas A&M and have potential for much more. Looking to expand their media outlets and influence, according to the article, they will most likely go for Texas Christian University, Maryland, and Virginia Tech. All of which are highly competitive schools in big markets.

The Big Ten would then have to make a move. They are the conference with the biggest chance of landing Notre Dame, who as a result of all the gravitation, will have to give up their independence and finally join a conference. Then the Big Ten will try and pull Missouri from the ruins of the Big 12, as well as Rutgers and Connecticut, since they are big state universities and would expand Big Ten influence. Other possibilities would be Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and even possibly Kansas and Kansas State.

After all that turmoil, left in the ashes will be the remains of the Big East and ACC, who will have to band together in order to survive. The ACC would have ten teams remaining, and the Big East 6, so the only logical route would be to join together to create the final super conference. This one in particular, would be the basketball powerhouse when all is said and done.

The implications of this article, if they were to come to fruition, would have a major effect on every school, conference and fan in the nation. The teams left out of the super conferences, namely Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor, would take the worst of it. They would no longer be a part of a major conference and would have to salvage their existence by banding together with the smaller conferences and ultimately losing out on competition, fan fare, and most importantly, revenue.

Hart Named Tennessee Athletic Director

“He knows how to manage and lead athletic programs, coaches and staff.  He has a strong commitment to academics. He has seen many national championships and he wants to see a lot more right here in Tennessee. He committed to Tennessee for the long-term.”  These words were spoken about Dave Hart by UTK Chancellor Jimmy Cheek on Monday night when announced that Hart would be Tennessee’s new vice chancellor and athletic director.

Hart has had a very distinguished career while serving as the athletic director of East Carolina from 1987-95, and then at Florida State from 1987-95.  He has also won some prestigious awards such as being the Athletic Director of the Year for the Southeast Region in 2000 and 2005 during his tenure at FSU.

Hart commented that one of the first things on his agenda will be too woo back the people who have been influential in making UT athletics the outstanding program it currently is. “I know the history and I’m aware that there are still wounds out there for a variety of reason. But I think that’s not where your focus should be. Your focus should be on getting those people back. They all love Tennessee to the fullest degree possible.”

Hart also made the smart statement that athletics is only a part of the university and there are other, more important parts.  “Athletics has never been, should not be and never will be the most important thing of a university campus,” he said. “But it is absolutely the most visible element within that university’s structure.”

Everyone at UTK is affected by Hart’s appointment as the new athletic director.  I think he won himself a lot of fans by praising the current coaches, talking about the need to bring back UTK supporters who had been disillusioned and hurt by past events, and by stating that athletics is not the only defining program at UTK.  I am sure the members of the academic community appreciated his remark about athletics only being the most visible element of the school and not the most important.

I think that Hart’s appointment will have a very positive effect on the coaches because they will not have to worry anymore about disillusioned fans or negative events that occur that can adversely affect their programs.  Then now have someone they can have full confidence in to handle all of these types of situations.

To fully understand what Hart was referring to with the “wounds” that need healing, one would need to know the exact nature of the events that had occurred that caused supporters to be disillusioned.  Dixon gives a good perspective on Hart from UTK’s standpoint and from comments made by people at other schools.  I think it was a well-written article.

 

Baylor Acting Shamefully By Blocking Texas A&M’s Move

It had finally been decided by the SEC unanimously to accept Texas A&M into the SEC, as long as the remaining schools from the dwindling Big XII complied with the previous agreement made to allow this move. However, Baylor was the one school who went back on the word to allow Texas A&M’s move. James Corley from Oklahoma U. Daily claims that Baylor just needs to give up on trying to hold the conference together. As a result of their action, A&M must continue to wait the decision o their move to the SEC.

As much as the SEC is excited to welcome A&M, is it really necessary that the conference make such a big push to acquire them? Personally, I think that this move will only ruin some traditions that have allowed the SEC to develop into the most dominant conference of the decade. A&M has every reason to make this move, but I don’t feel it is a huge concern for the SEC. It will be interesting to see what the SEC becomes assuming A&M becomes part of it, especially with other possible additions to the SEC.

I find it interesting too how after Baylor put themselves on the map with their upset over TCU last week and now they think they have a chance at become a powerhouse in the Big XII. I agree with Corley that Baylor should just hang it up with their fight to hold the conference together. All the real powerhouses are jumping ship and they should focus more on their own destiny. Baylor should be more concerned with finding a conference that would suit them and who will accept them while they have the chance.

I think its over for the Big XII and people need to just accept it. Had Nebraka and Colorado not made the move last year, I would be thinking differently of the situation. Once those two got loose though, it was only a matter of time before the other teams decided to get off the Big XII bandwagon and move on to bigger and better things. It was nice having the Big XII, but now its time to create new rivalries and new traditions within the college football world.

Major Clustering

Paul Newberry

Associated Press

 

When many people think of college, words that often come to mind are: parties, clubs, sororities, fraternities, and intramural sports.  Very few people who hear the word ‘college’ immediately think about going to class, all of the hours of studying before a huge test, and homework.  But for NCAA student athletes, all of these things come to mind, as well as how they are going to balance these things with daily (and sometimes multiple daily) practices, games, and workouts.

The Associated Press conducted a survey of the athletes of large football programs at schools such as Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Wake Forest, and Baylor, to name a few.  The main point of the survey was to see what majors the football players had chosen, and how many of the players on each team had the same major.  The results were astounding—at Georgia Tech alone, 43 out of 62 players were majoring in Management.  At UCLA, the majority of players are majoring in history; at Vanderbilt, human and organization development; and at Wake Forest, communications is the most popular.  While the specific major of popularity differs from school to school, the concept is the same: the majority of each team’s players have tendencies to major in the same subject—and generally the subject is among the less rigorous that the school offers.

The athletes who are being criticized on their majors of choice do not appreciate all of the speculation, though.  Georgia Tech’s Jay Finch, who had originally planned to play football and major in architecture, changed his major to management after discovering that he would have to put in up to 100 hours a week for architecture.  “I wanted to dedicate myself more toward football,” stated Finch. “Yeah, I did take a little bit of the easier road. Management is still hard. You’ve still got to go to class.”  And Finch brings up a great point—when it comes right down to it, does the major that an athlete picks really matter? Who cares if it has been deemed “easy” by other students?  The athletes still have a lot more on their plate than the general population of students.  No matter what anyone says about their major, the athletes still are required to attend class and take tests just like everyone else.  As long as the major is something that the player is interested in, and can see themselves building a future off of, then who are we to criticize them for their choice?

The points presented in the article directly affect the athletes and indirectly affect the universities for which they play.  For instance, it is already widely known that athletes, especially football players, tend to get a little more leeway when it comes to grades and assignments.  Now that specific universities have been called out in this article, they are liable to receive flack from academic supporters and even the NCAA officials for “going easy” on the players and not holding them to the same academic standards as the rest of the student body.

Newberry offers a pretty full view of the topic by providing specific research evidence and also presents some of the athlete’s points of view as well.  I can’t really think of any other knowledge that we could be given that would help to understand the issue any better.

USC: Student Tickets To Away Games

Last week, Ryan Quinn of the Daily Gamecock wrote an article discussing the issues with student tickets at the University of South Carolina. USC students are allotted a significantly lower amount of student tickets to away games than students at other SEC schools are. For each away game, the visiting school is given a maximum number of tickets to purchase for their students, faculty, alumni, and fans.

The University of Georgia reserves ten percent of the tickets they purchase to each away game for their students. In contrast, the University of South Carolina reserved as little as 1.5 percent of tickets for their students to the UGA/USC game this year.  The University of Tennessee reserved nearly double the amount of tickets for their students when they visited USC than USC did when they visited Tennessee. This year, the student tickets to USC away games were sold out within hours. Only after season ticket holders have had their chance to purchase tickets to away games are the students who were turned away then allowed to buy tickets to the games.

Although USC bought all the tickets they could for the UGA game, they accepted less than possible for the ECU and Tennessee games. According to Quinn, schools pay face value for the tickets to away games and in turn, sell them for face value to their fans, alumni, etc. However, if the school cannot sell all of the away game tickets they purchase, they end up having to pay the difference to the university they are visiting.

Although Quinn thoroughly discusses the issues behind student tickets to away games at the University of South Carolina, he does not touch on how students themselves actually feel about this issue. Students are clearly affected most by the school’s decision to allot such a small amount of student tickets.  Quinn also fails to suggest any changes to the allotment of student away game tickets. Student participation at football games is a necessity so perhaps USC should look into changing the ways they distribute tickets.

Details emerge on injuries suffered in LSU fight

Louisiana State University is going to find this season a bit difficult without starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson and linebacker Josh Johns. The two have been suspended indefinitely according to clipping Details emerge on injuries suffered in LSU fight by Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com on August 30^th 2011.

 

This clipping briefly explains what allegedly happened in the fight so far and that the two LSU players have been suspended indefinitely.  Police have yet to piece all the pieces together but what is known is that the two other men involved in the fight suffered serious injuries. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson allegedly kicked Andrew Lowery in the face. Lowery is reported to have suffered from a facial fracture, a concussion, fractured teeth and facial and body bruises. The forth man in this fight suffered from three fractured vertebrae in his lower back, a concussion, fractured teeth and severe cuts and bruises on his face.

 

This clipping provides all the information given about the fight so far, however I would have liked if it had included a bit of information about what LSU plans to do without their starting quarterback and linebacker. Hopefully all four men are recovering from any injuries they might have acquired and that the police piece this story together sooner rather than later.

ESPN Crosses the Line with the Longhorn Network

The Big Ten was ahead of the rest of the college football world when they started the Big Ten Network. It allowed them to air Big Ten sports 24/7 which got a lukewarm response from the rest of the country. Now, Texas and ESPN took televising college sports to a whole new level with the creation of the Longhorn Network which will air UT sports and even going so far as to televise Texas high school football games. Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne’s quote in Reid Laymance’s article “Texas A&M’s Byrne blames ESPN, Longhorn Network” gives us a interesting perspective UT’s peers. Byrne believes that the Longhorn Network gives the Longhorns too much of a recruiting advantage and blames ESPN and their creation of the network for breaking apart the Big XII.

ESPN’s support of this network hurts college football as a whole. Stick your head in the sand all you want, ESPN carries a lot of influence over college football. With no playoff,  college football is a glorified beauty contest, so it is a little scary to think of what ESPN’s vested interest in UT could result in. We already saw what kind of influence the media can have over the public’s opinion of college football teams back in 2006 during the SEC championship game. Gary Danielson campaigned hard for Florida to play Ohio State in the national championship game rather than see a rematch with Michigan. And after UCLA upset USC, the Florida or Michigan debate arose, and many believe Danielson’s argument was key in Florida getting the opportunity to play. So, obviously, having a media power such as ESPN influences every aspect of college football.

However, it’s still unclear what exactly the network is going to be like (barely anyone can get the network now anyway because ESPN is having trouble negotiating with cable companies Deadspin Link) so it’ll be more apparent as to what the network will be like. Laymance’s article did a good job of giving the quote by Byrne and then correcting some of the misunderstandings Byrne had had in his quote.

Pay for play?

Brad Rock

SLC Deseret News

01 September 2011

This article from CFAA holds a brief interview with Utah AD Chris Hill, where he shares his view on pay-for-play college athletes. Hill says that for star athletes, pay for play is something that is at least worth consideration, but that the majority of student athletes are getting exactly what they deserve in academic scholarships.

I thought this article was interesting because it was something that was brought up in class this past week. We were circling around the issue of pay-for-play, and struggling with the implementation of such a system. Who deserves pay? Everyone or just the best athletes? For all sports or just the money-makers? How much should athletes be payed? How do you decide? If student athletes are payed, do they then become employees of the school as opposed to students?

Hill does not address all of these logistical concerns, though he makes a clear statement regarding who should be payed. Hill said that 98% of college football players aren’t good enough to play in the NFL, so a college scholarship is more than enough for those players. The other 2%, he implied, deserved the hypothetical salaries.

The pay-for-play debate impacts everyone involved in college sports. The recruitment process for athletes and the decisions they make will change drastically if schools began offering to pay for athleticism. Coaches would have to work with an entirely new team dynamic, yet would also have the benefit of salary players who presumably would be the most talented. If a school is well-endowed but doesn’t have exceptional sports teams, offering players money within the rules of the NCAA could be its ticket to success. A change in the rules would affect schools and how they chose to spend their money too. Finally, it would impact the fans of college sports. I think that knowing that some athletes are paid would change many people’s opinions of college sports.

There is a lot of information left out of this article. It raises a question that the interview didn’t answer and the reporter didn’t go into depth about. It does, however, remind readers that the issue is still one being talked about, and gives a link to more information for those who want to learn more.

Cheating will Not be Tolerated

Author: Mark Emmert

NCAA.org

In this article posted on the NCAA website, the author, Mark Emmert is very opinionated on the subject of all of the violations and the NCAA rules.  Emmert talks about all the negatives that have become almost the norm to college athletics and how they need to crack down harder on all of the cheating.

Emmert called a meeting of Division I presidents to discuss what action needs to be taken to crack down on the cheating.  They decided on rules that enforced that the athletes were students before athletes and that being a student is the most important thing.  They made stricter rules to set the standard of where the athlete needs to be in the classroom in order to play in games and be eligible.  They also saw the other side of the argument and decided that the NCAA rules needed to be simpler and stricter so that there are not really any loopholes to the rules and that they are simply put.  He also emphasized that the responsibility to uphold the rules is with everyone involved in athletics.

The author left out exactly what rules they changed and how they changed them, but I think that the gist of his argument is very true.  It seems that in today’s sports, there is always some sort of scandal going on, whether it is in the news or not.  It is disappointing to see that a central part of athletics has been to get around the NCAA rules.  I think that if they do follow through with the changes to make a lot of rules stricter and simpler, then that will help to ease some of the tension in today’s sports because there will be fewer ways for universities to try to get around the rules. Some of the rules do have gray areas, so that allows for some of the cheating that goes on today.  I think that Emmert put it best in saying, “Words, of course, do not mean much; only action counts. We cannot legislate integrity. But we can and will define it, expect it and hold ourselves accountable.”  The NCAA can make the rules but it is up to everyone involved to uphold them and just the rules spelt out will not ensure a clean playing environment for the players.

Big 12 Football: A Plan to Save the Conference

In this article, Berry Trammel of the OKC Daily Oklahoman outlines his own idea of a plan that would save the Big 12 conference from extinction. Rather than adding teams like TCU, BYU, or Houston, he argues that the Big 12 need to “poach” on inferior leagues, namely the Big East. Adding Louisville, Pitt, and West Virginia, he says, would restore the conference and bring it back to its original 12 members.

However, he then goes on to say that he has an even better suggestion. They should go ahead and add BYU and TCU, and then look east again and add 5 more teams to build the first 16-team super-conference. In addition to Louisville, Pitt, and West Virginia, he says Rutgers and Maryland should be added. He said you could add and drop certain teams like BYU and add another eastern team like UConn or Syracuse and still have a very strong difference that even still makes a bit of geographic sense.

When Trammel gave his idea to a Big 12 power-broker, even he really liked the plan. It does have a lot of hurdles though, like school’s tv deals and persuading the east coast teams that are basketball powers to leave their conferences. He does add though, that the hurdles are clear enough to actually be achieved.

To conclude, he does proclaim that the deal is a big long shot and that the Big 12 adding 2 more western teams is much more probable. However, his calls the league to action and says that it is better off dying while trying to save themselves than just waiting for its current members to be poached by other leagues.

This plan would, without a doubt affect numerous parties all across the nation. If it was able to be pulled off, the Big 12, obviously, would be saved and could prosper once more. The Big East and ACC would suffer big losses, as they would lose major teams in their respective leagues and be forced to either add new teams or die out themselves. Around the country, the other major leagues would see the super-conference being formed and feel the need to add more teams to gain their own 16-team super conference.

Eric LeGrand lives out dream, broadcasts first Rutgers game

Author: Kristian Dyer

Outlet: Yahoo.com

In a day in age when the media seems to only report the negatives about college athletics, it may seem difficult to find a positive story.  However, the story of Eric LeGrand and his incredible determination despite troubles is nothing short of inspiring.  Just a year ago, LeGrand lay motionless on the football field during a Rutgers football game.  At that moment, many fans worried not only about having an injured player on the field, but they worried about how bad the injury might be.  LeGrand sustained a neck injury leaving him paralyzed from his shoulders down.  Even though he has suffered, albeit with a smile on his face, through the paralysis, recent reports have said that Legrand has some feeling in his shoulders and hands.  One report even stated that he was able to stand for about 45 minutes at a rehab session.

All throughout the situation LeGrand is having to deal with, he has maintained the positive outlook on life that he has always had.  LeGrand seems to keep with a common theme of “going with the flow” in many of his interviews.  He does not complain about the cards that he has been dealt, but instead he does the best that he can with what he is dealt.  Although he has been told that he will never walk again, he still keeps hope that some day he can prove many doctors wrong.  Even with this hope, LeGrand has focused his career path away from football and toward a career that does not require use of the legs that cannot function for the time being, broadcasting.

Broadcasting seemed like a natural career to focus on as LeGrand has an in depth knowledge of the game of football as a former player.  He will be featured on the Rutgers Radio Network doing commentaries during the show’s pregame, halftime and postgame slots.  LeGrand feels like he will be able to give good insight as he was a player under current head coach Greg Schiano.  According to how the game is going, LeGrand can easily analyze and broadcast to the public what the coach is telling the team and what his approach will be heading into the later parts of the game. 

The dynamic LeGrand will bring to the booth will no doubt enhance the experience for the listeners.  Everyone who hears the broadcast should be delighted to hear LeGrand as he brings his knowledge to the radio show.  LeGrand also benefits from the job as this should jump start him into the next phase in his life as he looks into making a career for himself.  The viewers will be inspired about the fight and perserverance of LeGrand, and the situation with him in the booth is really a win-win for everyone. 

Overall, Kristian’s report on LeGrand did a good job of covering all aspects of the situation with LeGrand.  He went through the progression of LeGrand’s life from injury into what he is doing currently.  Kristian even had quotes from LeGrand which gave first hand insight into what LeGrand thinks about thisnew broadcasting situation.  I believe everyone is anxious to see how this turns out for LeGrand as we all hope it is a positive step in LeGrand’s life journey.

Thousands of NU Freshmen Can’t Get Big Red Tickets

It has been made evident that the class of 2015 here at the University of Georgia is one of, if not, the biggest class ever accepted into the University. All students no matter what year they are have definitely been affected by this. There seems to be a surplus of extra people rushing to class. Traffic on Lumpkin Street is often at a stand still. Freshman are living in family housing with graduate students. Although this is true, the freshmen class size has not negatively affected the one thing that unites us all, bulldog football.

Unfortunately, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, freshmen have been deprived of their football tickets for the upcoming season. Ian Sacks and Dan Holtmeyer wrote a short article reflecting upon the current issue at UNL. Just like any other school, the athletic department at UNL staggers the football ticket sales by grade levels. Seniors are offered tickets first, followed by juniors, then sophomores, and lastly freshman. To ensure that there will be tickets left for the freshman, the university sets aside 500 tickets specifically for them. However, this year a large sum of freshman found a glitch in the system that allowed them to request their tickets at the same time as the sophomores. Ultimately, this affected the number of tickets that were set aside for freshmen and left hundreds of first year students without any tickets.

Not only did UNL have an abnormal surplus of first year students this year but the majority of them were unable to reserve tickets to see the Huskers play. The student section at Memorial Stadium is said to hold between 8,400 and 8,500 students–500 of which should be freshmen. Dedicated fans that do not want to miss games are negatively affected by the shortage of football tickets. In fact, some students have resorted to paying hundreds of dollars for home games just so they can attend.

In my opinion, the authors didn’t really leave out anything. It is too late now for the university to do anything in an attempt to fix this problem. Although one would think that the problem should have never occurred in the first place. If UGA with its surplus amount of freshmen could make it work, UNL should have been capable of doing the same.

It’s Official!

Author: Pete Thamel

The New York Times

June 20, 2012: This is the day Texas A&M will no longer be a part of the Big 12 Conference. This is according to a news release set forth on Wednesday (Aug 31) by the university itself. Texas A&M’s motive in leaving the Big 12 is to hopefully move into the Southeastern Conference, whereas to hopefully be more competitive and maybe win a National Championship.

Now with an official date, this move can now go down as planned. The next step in this process is for Texas A&M and the Big 12 to agree on a buyout, which is expected to be around $15 million. Once all legal aspects are sorted out, SEC presidents will meet and talk about the new addition. They will take a vote, and if accepted, Texas A&M will be a part of the SEC for the 2012 football season.

This move leads to talk about who will replace Texas A&M in the Big 12 Conference. The 3 teams mentioned in the article are Notre Dame, Arkansas, and Brigham Young University (BYU). I agree with the author of the article in the sense that the team out of those 3 mentioned that will most likely join the Big 12 will be BYU. There are many factors that lead me to believe this.

Being independent, Notre Dame is able to schedule whomever they want to, and vice versa for other teams. When the Irish make it into bowl games, they receive all the money. The money is not divided up amongst any other teams, because Notre Dame is not affiliated with a conference in football. Arkansas won’t leave because they are in a competitive and strong SEC conference already. BYU however, is currently independent in football (they are in the West Coast Conference for many other sports). If BYU joins the Big 12, and they win the Big 12 Conference game in the future, then they will receive an automatic birth into a BCS Bowl game, an opportunity they won’t have being independent.

Not only will the Big 12 need to replace Texas A&M, but the SEC will probably look around to add one more team in order to make the conference even and balanced at 14 teams. There are not any specific teams mentioned in this article that the SEC might want, but the team will most likely be from the ACC if I had my guess, such as Virginia Tech. This will result in a significant swing in college sports.

In my opinion, the author kept a neutral perspective and was just reporting the facts he had gathered through his sources, trying to get the story out as fast as possible. He actually published this article the day of the Aggies’ announcement. I believe this story will not cease until everything is final and set in stone. I am eager to see what team joins the Big 12. Also, if and when Texas A&M is accepted by the SEC, will another team will be added? If so, which team? Will it be Virginia Tech? Or will it be another team not even on the horizon? We will find out sooner or later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron Murray is Kellen Moore’s Equal?

 Article/Source:

KC Joyner

ESPN Insider

Now that college football is officially upon us, fans everywhere are turning their attention to potential standout players for this season—most of which will make their debuts this Saturday. Undoubtedly, these types of standout athletes will trace their careers back to a single breakout game, a game that placed them in the spotlight. Remember Cam Newton? Last season he emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate with his five-touchdown comeback against a nationally recognized South Carolina team. Similarly, Mark Ingram gained Heisman Trophy potential with his 185 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a victory over Virginia Tech in 2009.

You may have heard of Aaron Murray. This Saturday, Murray, redshirt sophomore quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, will be given his opportunity for a breakout game, his opportunity to prove to all that he is as good as anyone else in the league. Murray and the rest of the UGA squad will be taking on the Broncos of Boise State University in the annual Chic-fil-A Kickoff game—a game that will undoubtedly be viewed by millions. This article discusses the potential for Murray to build upon his reputation as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, as well as to prove he is just as good as Kellen Moore, quarterback for Boise State. Moore, a popular name in Heisman Trophy discussions, displays similar stats as Murray—a fact unknown by most…until this Saturday.

The content of this article most directly affects Aaron Murray, as it clearly calls for him to play well in Atlanta this weekend. In effect, the way Murray plays will certainly have an impact on the UGA team, fans of the university, and even Mark Richt, whose job depends on the outcome of this season. Coaches, teammates, and fans of the University of Georgia would love to see Murray shine this weekend, and for the rest of this season. The pressure is now on him. The author of this article is short and to the point. He states the facts, and leaves nothing out. Now, we as readers must wait for the outcome of this Saturday’s game—a game which will either prove, or disprove the content of this article.

 

Texas A&M Withdrawal from Big 12

The withdrawal of Texas A&M from the Big 12 is now official.  The New York Times reported on Monday that the president of A&M has “officially informed the Big 12 it will withdraw from the league.”  At this point, the school has not put out an official release about their withdrawal.    The school did confirm that the Big 12 had sent them a letter outlining the steps they must take in order to leave the league.

Texas A&M’s withdrawal is not a complete surprise because over the past three weeks they have made it known that they were considering the withdrawal.   At this time, the only league to which the Aggies have admitted talking is the Southeastern Conference.

The Big 12 has been proactive by already forming a committee to make plans for expansion if A&M left.  A&M makes the third team who has left the Big 12 over the past 14 months.  Last summer when Nebraska left for the Big Ten and Colorado left for the Pac 12, it was a huge blow to the Big 12, but the ten remaining teams, including A&M, pledged to try and keep the conference together. Texas A&M’s withdrawal could have dire consequences for the Big 12 if they are not able to expand, and could possibly start a major shift on the national football scene.

The withdrawal of Texas A&M from the Big 12 affects many different groups of people.  The answer to the big question, to which league will they go, will determine whether it will negatively or positively affect many of the different groups.  If they go to a league where they can be more competitive, and possibly be a championship contender, then the repercussions of the move will be positive for the players, coaches, fans, and the university.

Certainly the move will have a negative impact on the Big 12 League.  They will now probably struggle to survive, and may not, in fact, make it.  This could cast a negative shadow over the Texas A&M’s football program since just last summer they pledged to try and keep the conference together.  They could be seen as a program who does not stand behind what they say or promise.  This will probably have a negative effect on the teams who are still in the Big 12 if it does not survive, because they may have to struggle to quickly find another league, and the one they end up in may not be the best for them.

There is a lot of information that is needed to fully understand this situation.   The most important information that is needed are the reasons why the school withdrew from the league.  If these reasons are legitimate, and if this move was justified, then this can only be a positive move for the university.

I think the author should have expounded more on the reasons Texas A&M wanted to withdraw from the Big 12 and also, what positives and negatives stand to be gained from the move.

Twitter Litter

Mike Bianchi

Orlando Sentinel

 

We all know that our society today uses the social media more than any other generation has in the past.  We’ve heard the stories of high school and middle school aged teens who resort to cyber bullying, sat through numerous lectures about how “sexting” is a crime, and we’ve all been warned of the dangers of posting too much personal information on the Internet.  But with social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is often simply impossible for our generation to resist the temptation.

Vulgar and somewhat questionable messages on Twitter from one of his players were recently the cause of concern for UCF Head Football Coach George O’Leary.  The tweets were brought to O’Leary’s attention, and he immediately spoke to the player about it.  O’Leary was quoted saying that, “You can’t stop players from being students, but you have to make sure they understand that they can’t embarrass the football program.”  This statement is true for not just football, but all sports.  The athletes are young and are obviously going to be active in the social media, just like the rest of their generation, but they have to constantly be aware that every thing they say and post will be critiqued, whether by journalists, their coaches, or fans in general.  UCF is not the first school to have issues with this, nor will they be the last.  The article also reminds us of Miami’s Al Golden, Florida’s Will Muschamp, and FSU’s Jimbo Fisher.

One solution that has been tried to prevent the possible bad exposure and pure distraction of the social media was a technique that Steve Spurrier introduced to his South Carolina football team in 2010, when he banned the use of Twitter for the duration of the season.  However, we’ve all heard the adage, “rules are made to be broken,” and I doubt that a coach simply “banning” the use of the social media will be completely preventative because people will always find a way around the rules.

I personally believe that not all athletes misuse the social media.  Just like everything else in life, there are people who follow the rules, yet the people who break the rules give everyone a bad name.  While there are some athletes who use Twitter as a way to vent about coaches, other teams, or personal problems in general, there are also athletes who use Twitter as a way to communicate with fans.  I am a fan of Duke basketball, and “follow” most of the team on Twitter.  Nolan Smith uses his twitter to let fans know when he’ll be making appearances to meet them, and has trivia contests where the winner receives a personal phone call from him.  Duke also made a recent trip to China and Dubai for the “Friendship Games,” and the players kept everyone updated on their adventures overseas.  Many athletes at schools across the country use their Twitter for the same reason: to let fans get an up close view into the lives of the players they idolize.

The points brought up in this article affect the players who are misusing the social media, their coaches, the schools they represent, the conference that their school belongs to, and possibly, if bad enough, the NCAA as a whole.  For instance, the UCF player whose tweets were deemed by O’Leary as “garbage” is creating a bad image for himself, O’Leary, UCF, and possibly even the Conference USA depending on the exact subject matter.

To fully understand the intensity and seriousness of the story presented in the article, I think that direct quotes from the tweets would be helpful.  This way, everyone who reads the article will know firsthand what was said and be able to decide for themselves if it was really that bad, or if the coach was just a little too old-school.  The author did not present all sides of the story in this article, because in order to do so, he would have had to include either comments from the player in question, or a copy of the tweets that were sent.

I hope that athletes do not continue to misuse the social media and cause the NCAA to put a ban on websites like Facebook and Twitter.  There will always be people who are simply too immature to conduct themselves properly, but it would be a shame if they ruined the privilege of the social media for all athletes.

Possible Additions to SEC

John Talty
International Business Times
1 September 2011

With the likely addition of Texas A&M to the SEC, this article addresses the question of which other team would join the conference to balance things out. Potential schools include Maryland, Missouri, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and West Virginia. The author makes a point to address the pros and the cons of each school joining the SEC.

The information given in this article affects the schools listed as possible moves as well as other schools inside and outside the SEC. For example, if Florida State were to join, this would have a direct effect on Florida, as the school would not want it’s in state rival in the same conference.  Also brought up in the article is the close relationship between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and how although Oklahoma would be a good fit, they would not want to leave Oklahoma State behind. Overall, any move by any team would have an effect on just about everyone involved including coaches, players, fans and the SEC itself.  Another interesting point brought up by the author is the importance of TV deals when deciding which team to add to the SEC. A main concern is how much a new team would contribute to the television market in that area.

By including an explanation of why each school would or wouldn’t be a good fit in the SEC, the author gives a full perspective of the situation. The author also made a point to include basketball in the equation, along with football. Most often a move into a new conference is only concerned with football when in actuality all sports at a particular school are effected.

Overall I believe the author included all necessary information in the article in order to fully understand the situation. After reading this article it is easy to see which teams would or would not make a good addition to the SEC and what types of things are put into consideration when choosing a new team to add. It will be interesting so see how the talks amongst the SEC play out and what will happen in the end when a decision has to be made.

Big 12 Expansion Candidates- Post

• http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/big-12-expansion-candidates
• Steve Lassen and Mitch Light
• Athlon Sports
• August 31 2011

This article talks of the potential teams that may be joining the Big 12 in the 2012 season. Due to the departure of Nebraska and Colorado, and the soon departure of Texas A & M, the Big 12 is in desperate need of at least one replacement. Being left with only nine teams in the conference will be devastating for the conference, not only for revenue, but for competition as well.

Some of the names mentioned as being potential candidates for being added are as follows: Air Force, BYU, Houston, and SMU. With Air Force, they are a big name for the simple fact that they are part of the armed forces, but they probably would not bring much to the competitive side for the Big 12 despite winning at least eight games the past four seasons. BYU is a solid program that has been floating around the top 25 for the bulk of their most recent seasons, so they seem like the best fit for the Big 12.

Adding Houston would strengthen the conference’s hold in Texas despite losing the Aggies. But at the same time, they do not have the facilities or the fan base to be on par with the teams of the Big 12. Not to mention their mediocre talent level. SMU would be an interesting addition, they would also strengthen the hold in Texas, and they would make for a feel good story. This would be their biggest step towards full recovery since the death penalty that knocked SMU almost totally off the map. However they do not have much of a fan base and would bring the Big 12 little more than a heart warming story.

Other teams that were rumored but not necessarily likely to join: Arkansas, Boise State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, San Diego State and TCU. Arkansas would be good payback to the SEC who are taking Texas A & M. Boise State may, but it would not make sense from a regional stand point. Louisville is going to stick to the Big East for basketball’s sake. Notre Dame is fiercely independent. Pittsburgh would most likely join the Big Ten before considering the Big 12. San Diego State would not really be an upgrade for the football competitiveness and they do not have much fan support. And finally, TCU make a lot of sense from the competitive standpoint, but would not do much for the conference geographically.

This article mostly affects the Big 12 more than anybody else, besides the schools they are getting in touch with. All of the possible schools are in small non-competitive conferences, so it would not make much of a difference to them from a national standpoint. It would do nothing but benefit the Big 12 if they are able to fill the voids that have been left by the schools that abandoned them before the start of the 2012 season.

 

Irish Mystique Is Missing

Having 11 National Titles and one of the greatest football traditions of any school, you would expect that just about any young, high school star would do anything to play for that institution. But at Notre Dame, it seems as if that tradition has been lost. The recruits today seem to be looking for all the glory from the SEC schools or the teams that we always hear about in the discussion for a national title. As much as Notre Dame seeks out dominant success, they claim to recruit more based off of the “Notre Dame personality”.

Notre Dame has one of the greatest football traditions that has been around since the early 1900’s. But it would seem after the Lou Holts era (1986-1996), that tradition has descended. In Joey Johnston’s article, he opens with a South Florida player asking his head coach, Skip Holtz, “What is Touchdown Jesus?”. Has Notre Dame’s tradition really been overlooked that much? The name, Notre Dame, doesn’t have the same meaning any more, but why?

Notre Dame head football coach, Brian Kelly, discusses the tradition at Notre Dame from a recruiting stand point. He truly believes that there is a certain personality that he looks for in a recruit which meets the standard of the university. Kelly says, “I’ve never had a policy conversation where the president, myself, admissions, we all sat down and said, ‘Coach, we’re going to open up the vault for you. Whatever you need, you got.’ One, they better graduate. Two, they better represent us in a positive way. And other than that conversation, that’s how we’ve gone about recruiting to the University of Notre Dame.” Kelly tries to instill this in his players and remind them that the decision of which school they attend will affect them for the rest of their life. If they want to go to a school just so they can play a few years and go to the NFL, Notre Dame is not the place for them.

Give credit to Brian Kelly and Notre Dame because, as important as winning football games is to everyone else, they know that there is more to life than winning football games. Yes, Notre Dame has had enough tradition to get them nationally televised games every week and remain as an independent in college football unlike some other schools. However, Notre Dame knows that there is a right way to do something and a wrong way. By looking for the players who fit that “personality” they are looking for, they are only helping them to become that student-athlete that all collegiate athletes should strive to be.

Four LSU Football Players Questioned By Police

Four LSU football players were interviewed by the Baton Rouge Police Department after allegedly being involved in a brawl on Saturday night at Shady’s, an off-campus bar near LSU, which resulted in four people receiving medical treatment.   The four LSU football players, Jordan Jefferson, Chris Davenport, Josh Johns, and Jarvis Landry were interviewed early Tuesday, however no arrests were made and no charges were filed.    However, according to Jim Kleinpeter of the New Orleans Times Picayune, Baton Rouge police said that there is still “a good chance arrests will be made” when the investigation is complete.

Chief Dewayne White commented that it would be at least a week to ten days before the investigation will be complete, and they still have to interview a number of witnesses, some of whom could be other LSU football players.  Chief White also said that two of the possible charges that could be made include second-degree battery, which is a felony, and simple battery which is a misdemeanor.

After the LSU football team completed its third scrimmage of fall camp, LSU Coach Les Miles talked with the media.  Coach Miles admitted that the team, players and coaches are “weighed down” by the incident.  Miles commented that he had made no change in his game plan as a result of this incident, but he has thought about what he will do if suspensions do occur.  LSU has already suffered a mark against its athletic program when they were put on one-year probation by the NCAA in July for major recruiting violations.

An incident like the one involving the football players at LSU affects everyone concerned with their athletic programs.  The football players are obviously concerned because some of their strongest players may be missing on opening day of the season and this could affect the outcome of the game.  It has to also cause a rift in their team camaraderie because some players are bound to resent the ones who have broken the rules and put their team’s season in jeopardy.  The coaches are also affected.  The fact that many of the football players broke curfew is a reflection on them that they do not have control of their team.  The coaching staff has also worked hard to put together a group of guys who they feel can win and be successful, and now 11 days from the first game, that lineup could change.

The university as a whole is affected because members of their football team, of whom they are so proud, have now cast a negative shadow over the university.   At universities like LSU, just like at UGA, the first game day is a much-anticipated event.  Students, alumni, staff and faculty, and all the people who are just fans, did not want the 2011 football season to begin with this type of publicity clouding their team.   Another possible segment of people who could be affected by this article are senior boys who are being recruited by LSU for next year’s team.  They might have second thoughts about signing with a team who has many players that are breaking curfew and some who have allegedly been involved in a barroom brawl where people were injured.

In order to fully understand whether the situation will negatively impact the LSU football team and LSU as a whole, the investigation will have to be completed.  While it seems that charges are probably going to be brought against a few players, that is not definite, and in reality, they could all be cleared.  The author does offer an appropriate perspective on the event since he gives the position of the police and the LSU coach.  Legally, he could not get the players or the injured parties to comment, so I think he did his best to be fair.

Anytime sports figures, whether college or pro, are involved in any type of legal matter, it is big news. It is debatable whether the same amount of press coverage would have been given to an event such as this if the people involved were not athletes, but one thing is certain, people are interested when something like this happens, and they will buy the media that reports these events and they will keep up with the stories as they unfold.

Response to: Miami Players Declared Ineligible

The ongoing incident involving the University of Miami is, indeed, one that will negatively affect Miami football for this season, and for seasons to come. So far, eight athletes have been declared ineligible for this season of play—eight athletes who could have contributed loads of talent to college football this season. Worst of all, more player ineligibility could be on the way—all thanks to the irresponsible behavior of football booster, Nevin Shapiro. Nevin Shapiro, along with virtually every individual linked to the University of Miami will now face a plethora of consequences, all of which could lead to an irreversible downfall of Miami football.

Though the University of Miami seems to have stolen the spotlight over the past few weeks, incidents of NCAA violations are certainly not limited to south Florida. Violations of NCAA rules are occurring in football programs across the country. We all remember the incident involving superstar wide receiver AJ Green last season at the University of Georgia, or the uproar over transfer quarterback Cameron Newton at Auburn. Incidents such as these seem to be taking over the college football realm, and unfortunately this type of takeover is casting a shadow of negativity over college football everywhere. Let us not forget the positive aspects of collegiate level football, for these are the reasons why we become truly excited every Saturday during the fall. NCAA violations aside, college football is one of the greatest pastimes of our time.

Lindsay Lastinger

Texas A&M Begins Process of Moving To SEC

This article by Pete Thamel of the New York Times discusses the official beginning of Texas A&M trying to move to the SEC from the Big 12. Although it has been obvious that Texas A&M has been flirting with the SEC for a while now, the school’s president, R. Bowen Loftin, formally announced in a letter to the Big 12 that they would be exploring their options concerning conference movement. However, the letter was not a “notice of withdrawal”. Instead, A&M merely asked that the Big 12 give them some sort of outline as to how to go about the process of possible conference realignment.

Thamel then went on to discuss what the letter meant for the Big 12. The ball is now in their court, as they now have to decide what the terms will be for A&M’s departure and what A&M’s buyout will be if they do leave. They have already launched a committee to search for a school to replace A&M, as most think that A&M will make the move to the SEC by the next football season.

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe did announce that the conference does want Texas A&M to remain a member of the Big 12, but that they will pursue other options aggressively if need be. Thamel then cites a source with knowledge of the Big 12’s discussions that they would most likely target one of either Notre Dame, Arkansas, or BYU.

The author then gets into the finances of a possible move, and says that A&M will likely have to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 million to leave the Big 12. The SEC is just concerned about the legality of the move, and wants to make sure A&M handles everything correctly. Thamel points out that any opposition by SEC schools has not yet been seen and quotes a member of Vanderbilt’s athletic department who also pointed out that the conference would most likely target another 14th team if A&M did indeed make the move.

This possible move has huge ramifications for numerous parties, namely the Big 12 and its members, the SEC and its members, A&M, and the entire NCAA. The move would cause the Big 12 to have to find a replacement school, and they would lose one of their most popular teams that brings in a lot of revenue. The SEC would in turn have to find another new member to balance the conference out and would probably make a lot of money through the expansion to a new market area. A&M would also come out of the deal looking good, as they will make a lot more money in the SEC, the nation’s best and most popular conference. The NCAA will be affected because the move could start a whole series of moves bringing the NCAA to a superconfer

Miami Football Players Declared Ineligible

In a wave of controversy surrounding the University of Miami athletics, Susan Degnan from the Miami Herald published an article highlighting the most recent developments. As of Friday, August 26, eight Miami football players were declared ineligible two of whom included star players quarterback Jacory Harris and linebacker Sean Spence.

The eight suspended athletes were involved in a scandal with former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro. Shapiro provided impermissible benefits to the young players. Such benefits included dinner at Benihana, trips to a strip club, and entertainment at his mansion as well as a bowling alley.

In addition to the eight declared ineligible, five other athletes were in question but none were declared ineligible because the benefits they received from Shapiro were less than $100 and can be paid back through charitable donations.

The Miami coaches have declined to comment on the issues at hand saying they have done all they can and that it is now in the hands of the NCAA to determine the fate of their players.

Such a scandal has an impact on everyone: the players, the coaches, the university, the conference, and the NCAA. Degnan however, leaves out just how negatively the players’ suspension will be for everyone involved. From fans to boosters, with the suspension of some of the teams star players there will be a significant impact during the actual season. Degnan does not touch base on this issue at all, instead highlighting the details of the players’ ineligibilities.

LSU Suspensions

Author: Glenn Guilbeau

Gannett Louisiana

Ranked #4 in the country according to USA Today’s Coaches Poll, LSU takes a huge blow today with 2 more suspensions to tack on after yesterday’s current one-game suspension of a top Tiger WR, Russell Shepard, for violating certain NCAA rules.

Les Miles, head football coach at LSU, indefinitely suspended QB Jordan Jefferson and LB Joshua Johns shortly after the two turned themselves in this morning (Aug 26) for their involvement in a bar fight that took place last Friday (Aug 19). The two players were charged with the felony of second-degree battery, which is a case in which “the offender intentionally inflicts serious bodily injury.” The victims of this fight were beaten to where one had three broken vertebrae and the other had bruising on his hands and face. Jefferson and Johns were released this afternoon from prison on $5,000 bond each.

These suspensions hurt not only the players involved, but also the rest of the LSU football team, coaching staff, and the university itself. Losing a 2-year starting quarterback is about the most tremendous loss a football team can experience. Now, the team has to make a few adjustments with the loss of Jefferson because for the most part, he was a running QB. LSU’s back-up might be more of a passing QB, therefore, this could change the entire offense.

Not everything about these suspensions are negative though. One positive aspect of this situation is that hopefully many of the collegiate athletes out there look at this and realize they could screw up and lose all they have going for them. Therefore, hopefully, players learn from Jefferson’s and Johns’s mistake and remain eligible to play.

In my opinion, the author kept a neutral perspective and was just stating the facts he had gathered through his sources, trying to get the story out as fast as possible, because this is a developing story that just occurred today. I am not sure what other information should have been put in this article since this just happened, but I am sure there will be new information surfacing daily.

If Jefferson and Johns are convicted, they could be serving up to 5 years in prison with a $2,000 fine. The police are still investigating and gathering facts as to hopefully wrap up this case as soon as they can, but as we all know, the wheels of the justice system move quite slowly. What is conclusive, though, is that Jordan Jefferson’s and Joshua Johns’s football playing days at LSU are over.

Texas A&M’s Departure is Final

Gil LeBreton

Ft. Worth Star Telegram

26 August 2011

 

This article solidifies the ongoing rumors about Texas A&M leaving the Big 12.  The letter written by Texas A&M was sent to the Big 12 and it is final that they will be leaving.  They have not, however, joined another conference.  The article states that the next step is for Texas A&M to write a letter to the SEC to ask formal permission for entrance into the conference.  The article also discusses the money issues and the possibility of more than one team to join the SEC.

“The 14^th team? There’s no rush, apparently.  But in case anyone is interested in joining college football’s best conference, SEC operators surely are standing by.”  The Aggies joining the SEC alone would alter the balance and would create an odd number of teams.  That is the reason why some of the teams already in the SEC might not accept the Aggies joining alone.  So, there is speculation that another team would need to join as well.

The decision would definitely include the money involved.  The teams would need to be widely broadcasted in order to expand the influence of the SEC.  According to the article, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Maryland seem to be on the radar because of their “broadcast footprint”.  The shift of teams is mainly based on the money that will come with it.

In different articles that have been released recently, however, Florida State, Clemson, and Georgia Tech have been seen to be on the radar because then that would create in- state rivalries within the SEC.  The author of this article denies these speculations because they do not have the “broadcast footprint” that would be beneficial to the SEC.

The universities mentioned in the article are affected because the shift of Texas A&M could change dramatically how the conferences are set up currently if more than just Texas A&M moves.  Since these universities have been mentioned, they must take into account if they would consider changing conferences.  The author is leaving out, however, how these universities feel about the speculations of whether they should move.  The author is also leaving out how the current SEC universities feel about Texas A&M’s move and if it would be necessary for more than just one team to move in order to make the league have an even number of teams.  The Texas A&M withdraw from the Big 12 has caused some debate as to what the conferences will look like in the future.

Texas A&M Begins Process of Moving To SEC

This article by Pete Thamel of the New York Times discusses the official beginning of Texas A&M trying to move to the SEC from the Big 12. Although it has been obvious that Texas A&M has been flirting with the SEC for a while now, the school’s president, R. Bowen Loftin, formally announced in a letter to the Big 12 that they would be exploring their options concerning conference movement. However, the letter was not a “notice of withdrawal”. Instead, A&M merely asked that the Big 12 give them some sort of outline as to how to go about the process of possible conference realignment.

Thamel then went on to discuss what the letter meant for the Big 12. The ball is now in their court, as they now have to decide what the terms will be for A&M’s departure and what A&M’s buyout will be if they do leave. They have already launched a committee to search for a school to replace A&M, as most think that A&M will make the move to the SEC by the next football season.

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe did announce that the conference does want Texas A&M to remain a member of the Big 12, but that they will pursue other options aggressively if need be. Thamel then cites a source with knowledge of the Big 12’s discussions that they would most likely target one of either Notre Dame, Arkansas, or BYU.

The author then gets into the finances of a possible move, and says that A&M will likely have to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 million to leave the Big 12. The SEC is just concerned about the legality of the move, and wants to make sure A&M handles everything correctly. Thamel points out that any opposition by SEC schools has not yet been seen and quotes a member of Vanderbilt’s athletic department who also pointed out that the conference would most likely target another 14th team if A&M did indeed make the move.

This possible move has huge ramifications for numerous parties, namely the Big 12 and its members, the SEC and its members, A&M, and the entire NCAA. The move would cause the Big 12 to have to find a replacement school, and they would lose one of their most popular teams that brings in a lot of revenue. The SEC would in turn have to find another new member to balance the conference out and would probably make a lot of money through the expansion to a new market area. A&M would also come out of the deal looking good, as they will make a lot more money in the SEC, the nation’s best and most popular conference. The NCAA will be affected because the move could start a whole series of moves bringing the NCAA to a super conference layout. All in all, the article was well written and didn’t really leave anything out.

When Paterno leaves, games innocence might go with him.

Through all of the mess developing across the country concerning the number of violations within many college football programs, there remains to be a select few who have maintained a relatively “clean” record. According to David Whitley, only 4 of the 66 BCS-conference teams can say that they have not committed a major NCAA violation since the NCAA began keeping record of the violations in 1953 (Whitley). Among these 4 teams are Boston College, Northwestern, Stanford, and Penn State.

Joe Paterno was hired by Penn State in 1966 and since has brought the program outstanding college tradition. His resume’ stands at 401 career wins (most wins by any Division I coach), 2 national championships, 5 undefeated seasons, 37 bowl appearances, and 3 Big Ten championships. He is the only coach to win all four major bowl games and coached his team to top-ten finishes in 29 seasons. Paterno is one of the most legendary coaches in college football history and has brought prestige to Penn State.

In his 46 years as head coach of Penn State, Joe Paterno has never committed a major recruiting violation. Looking at his resume, it would be hard to believe this fact seeing the amount of success he has brought to the program especially when over the past decade, 4 national champions have committed violations. The game has been littered with scandal and shows that if you want success, you have to take some chances. The fact that “JoePa” maintained such success goes to show that committing violations is not the only way to have success

Paterno has had a great impact on the game and is a true testimony to fair-play and maintaining success. He has not, though, won a national championship since 1986. Is it worth taking the risk and seeing if you get caught? It seems more attractive, but seeing the effects of losing scholarships, it may not be worth it. It is quite a gamble, but why take the risk of ruining your program completely. As of late, there has been great discussion about the “death-penalty.” SMU, after receiving the penalty in 1986, only had 3 bowl-eligible seasons before 2009. No one wants to institute the death penalty, but if that is the only way to keep from numerous recruiting violations, it may be necessary.

Whatever happened to fair-play? Have we forgotten about the real purpose of sport? The college football world has become tainted with rules violations and illegal recruiting. The sports world has become solely about winning leading to more money for those involved. This is not a terrible thing, but the purpose of collegiate sports is more than that. It is about helping these athletes to learn life lessons. When money gets in the way of this, it loses this aspect in sports.

In conclusion, give credit to Joe Paterno for all that he has accomplished; he did it the right way. It will be interesting to see how his successor will try to carry on the legacy; whether he follows the legendary or the greedy path.

WVU Taking Big Risks to Garner Revenue Beer Sales Will Bring In

Just two days ago Beckley Register-Herald wrote the article titled “WVU Taking Big Risks to Garner Revenue Beer Sales Will Bring In”. This article addresses the issue of having beer sold on the interior of Milian Puskar Stadium at West Virginia University. During the fall 2011 season, spectators will be offered beer at fifty-one concession locations throughout the stadium. The decision to sell brews at football games was made simply because it will bring in a grand sum of money.

There are obvious risks that come with the selling of beer at a collegiate football game. For instance, it is more likely that someone will leave the game under the influence of alcohol and get behind the wheel of a vehicle. In addition, the majority of undergraduate students are under the legal drinking age of 21 therefore, it is highly that the underaged drinking that is going on outside of the stadium will make its way inside. Because of the aforementioned risks, WVU has introduced its “High Five Rules of the Game”. It reads:
No excessive drinking–intoxicated fans are not allowed inside or outside the stadium.
No foul or abusive language.
No smoking in the seating or concourse areas.
No ignoring of the instructions of Event/Security personnel.
The rules seem rather straight forward but one would imagine that they will be extremely difficult to follow.
The news in this article affects nearly everyone at the university and then some. The students/spectators will be affected because they will have to make the conscious decisions as to whether or not they are going to buy the nine dollar brews at the stadium, smuggle in a few of their own, or if they are willing to abide by the High Five Rules of the Game. Should something go wrong and someone get in a fight with another spectator during the game or get in a car wreck driving home drunk afterwards, the university immediately is affected. Will the family of the injured/dead person sue the school? More than likely. In reality, no one is going to buy simply one beer. They are going to have a few and that can lead to a plethora of consequences.
In my opinion, the author touched on all the basic points that needed to be addressed in conjunction with the selling of beer in the football stadium of West Virginia University. Although this is true, he could have mentioned the contrasts between dry stadiums and stadiums where alcohol is allowed to be distributed. Also, he touched base on the fact that there are now twenty out of one hundred nineteen major college venues that sell beer. He could have briefly discussed how it has affected those campuses both positively and negatively. Nonetheless, the article was well written and I am interested to see how WVU by this decision.

ESPN announces 2012 lineup for ‘College GameDay’

Tim Gardner

USA TODAY

23 August 2011

This article is updating the public that ESPN has announced their 2011 lineup for College GameDay, and that there is some controversy about their choices.  The controversy is not necessarily regarding the locations that were chosen, but rather those that were not chosen. Among the schools that will be broadcasted on College GameDay are Tennessee, Purdue, Kansas, Florida, Villanova, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, and Texas.  This means that ESPN will not only cover the actual game, but the entire day on the campus itself.  Cameras highlight over-the-top fans and just soak up the energy of basketball fans at campuses across the country.

The notable few that were left out are Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium and Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.  Cameron Indoor is famous in college basketball as the home of the Cameron Crazies (Duke’s extremely enthusiastic and involved fans).  USA Today stated, “A Duke game in Cameron is the toughest road game in America.”  Many cannot understand why such a legendary location for college basketball would not make the cut for coverage on College GameDay.

Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, which seats approximately 23,000, is also a famous location for college basketball and fans.  The fans fill the arena for every home game, and the energy there is undeniable.  Although many of the locations that were chosen for College GameDay coverage are interesting and exciting to watch, it is a mystery as to why these top two venues were not selected.

The news covered in this article affects not only the universities chosen, but also it’s players and coaches.  The universities that have been chosen as destinations for College GameDay coverage will be receiving a lot of media that could portray their school in a very good manner if their arena is full of energy.  However, it could potentially put more stress on the coaches and players because they are under even more pressure to perform well.

The conferences of the schools selected are also affected. These conferences (the SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and the Big East) have the chance to show other conferences, as well as sports fans across the country, how spirited and supportive the fans are of the schools in their conference.

A main point that the author of the article left out is how exactly ESPN goes about choosing which schools will be covered for College GameDay.  This could possibly be because the selection process is not common knowledge, or because he felt that the information was unnecessary to the point of the article.

Tragedy at Notre Dame Triggers New Video Towers Built at the University of Florida

Response to article by:

Michael DiRocco

Jacksonville Times-Union

20 August 2011

Football programs of the collegiate level go to great lengths to ensure a degree of excellence throughout the college football season. These efforts—costly as they may be—are considered crucial to a team’s success. Several athletic programs across the country have invested in the use of hydraulic lifts to film practice sessions—an investment that proved deadly for a student videographer at Notre Dame nearly one year ago. The news of 20 year old Declan Sullivan’s death after being blown down from a hydraulic tower rocked the college football world, causing many athletic programs to self evaluate the safety of their own filming technologies. This article discusses the University of Florida’s recent decision to install six, permanent steel towers in and around their practice facilities. These towers, which cost the school $675,000, meet safety standards and will be used to film practice for the upcoming football season.

The subject matter of this article affects several groups of people, the most obvious being those individuals responsible for filming football practices at the University of Florida. Towers now meet hurricane standards and are now equipped with covered roofs and lightning rods, ensuring that videographers are in a safer, more comfortable environment. The content of this article may also have an affect on videographers at other institutions, as the actions taken by the University of Florida may inspire other athletic programs to do the same. Additionally, this article will certainly have an affect on the family of Declan Sullivan—a tragedy-stricken family, likely to be grateful for the safety precautions taken in honor of their son.

This article covers most all of the major points of the issue concerning the incident at Notre Dame, as well as the actions taken by the University of Florida in response to this tragedy. The article quotes several important individuals including, Dave Houts, the director of video services at Florida, and even Declan Sullivan, the victim of the tragedy at Notre Dame. The only information that is lacking in this article is the thoughts and opinions of the student videographers at Florida, as a request to speak to these individuals was declined. Despite this slight lack of information, this article covers most all the points necessary to make it both informative and readable. The actions of the University of Florida, though a rival school to many teams of the Southeastern Conference, are commendable, and hopefully repeatable by football programs across the nation.

Lindsay Lastinger

 

Addition to the SEC?

There have been rumors swirling recently about possible additions to the Southeastern Conference. Up until now, most of the talk had been exactly that: rumors. However, in a letter dated this Wednesday, Texas A&M notified the Big 12 that they were exploring their affiliation options and requested details on the exit process from the Big 12.

 

Though there has been no official mention of the SEC in this communication, though in a press conference on August 15^th A&M president R. Bowen Loftin acknowledged ongoing discussions with the SEC, initiated by A&M. The story has been covered by everyone from Sports Illustrated and the Dallas Morning News to ESPN and the Kansas City Star. I’ve seen three CFAA articles in the past two days about A&M’s exploration, but am focusing on the Kansas City Star article that appears to be syndicated from The Sports Network.

 

An A&M move to the SEC would have extensive impacts.

 

“Ultimately, we are seeking to generate greater visibility nationwide for Texas A&M and our championship-caliber student-athletes, as well as secure the necessary and stable financial resources to support our athletic and academic programs,” Loftin said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “As a public university, Texas A&M owes it to the state’s taxpayers to maximize our assets and generate additional revenues both now and well into the future.”

 

The SEC switch for A&M could be potentially profitable, yet the move from the Big 12 could be messy. A&M’s letter let the Big 12 know that it would “appreciate your conferring with the other member institutions and outlining for us the process to be followed by Texas A&M should it withdraw from the Conference,” according to ESPN.com.

 

A move for A&M will impact the SEC and the current member schools. The SEC must have given some positive feedback to A&M for them to take their plans public. The SEC hasn’t changed its membership since 1991 when they added South Carolina and Arkansas.

 

A&M will have to pay severance to the Big 12 to end the contract, the amount of which will be a big factor in the deal. If A&M is added to the SEC, it will affect the other teams in the SEC and their schedules in future years.

 

All of the articles I could find on the subject focused on A&M and the Big 12’s consideration of its request. They don’t however, seem to cover the results an A&M move would have on the SEC and its member teams. To fully understand the subject, I’d need to research what SEC teams think of the possible move and how it would affect SEC records and chances at the championship level.

Title IX ties hands of athletic officials

Author: Charles Whisnand
Porterville Recorder

This article observes the modern effects of Title IX which was issued in 1972. Title IX made it a requirement for women to be given the same education opportunity as men have. In this article, the author points out that it forces colleges to give the same chance for women in athletics, but he says that the colleges have struggled to do so. The requirement makes it so that the same percentage of females at a given school should be the same percentage of females that are a part of athletics at that school.

Although at first glance this requirement seems very nice and logical, the author highlights a small community college in California, Porterville College, who is hurting because of these requirements. The author talks about how difficult it is for Porterville to follow the law because it is a smaller school. He goes on to talk about how most female athletes are going to four-year colleges because those colleges also have to meet the requirements, and four-year colleges provide better opportunity for those athletes.

The biggest problem for Porterville is the fact they have a large percentage of female athletes, 61.3 percent the article states. Even though Porterville offers three female sports as opposed to two male sports, only about 47 percent of athletes are females. With the economy down, it would be difficult for Porterville to come up with the funds to support a new female sport.

Since they are so far off from meeting the requirements, Porterville must take some steps to show that they are trying to follow the law. However, they have a very short timeline as they must have those steps completed by November 1, or they willl have to forfeit all athletic events for the year.

The restrictions of Title IX affect all colleges and universities across America in reality. This article really only highlights a small bit of who Title IX is really affecting. Any institution for higher learning must go through this whole process about worrying if they are fulfulling Title IX requirements even if it is not economically feasible for them. Unfortunately the law has a big downfall to it even though the intentions of it are good.

I believe the author left out some important material that could help the reader better understand the situation. While the author mentions that Porterville cannot add football since it would put it further in a hole as far as Title IX goes, he fails to mention any sort of reasoning behind why football should be added. Earlier in the article he argued that Porterville could not add another sport because the economy is down. I believe that he should have given reasoning behind why the addition of football would benefit Porterville. He could have driven the point home by saying that due to the requirements of Title IX, smaller schools miss out on sports that could generate them money which is the big picture in all of it.

Coaches should face punishment for NCAA infractions

Article by: Christian Caple
Seattle Post Intelligence

 

This article poses the question as to whether or not infractions acquired at the collegiate level should be punishable at the professional level. The example given involves former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor who, after being involved in a scandal where memorabilia was traded for tattoos, was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the supplemental draft. He now faces a 5 game suspension in the NFL as a result of his entry into the draft because of the fiasco at Ohio State.

In addition, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer believes that this type of punishment should apply to coaches as well and that no one should be able to do something wrong and just move on to the next level. For example, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was the coach at USC when the Reggie Bush scandal occurred. Carroll, however, took the job in Seattle while USC was still being investigated and before the NCAA had reached a verdict. Many took this to mean he was trying to get out before the sanctions came.

Finally, the author concludes by stating the difference between the two cases and asking whether or not the same rules can be applied to both situations. Mainly, the fact that USC had not been proven of any violations at the time of Carroll’s departure leads the author to believe that the two instances cannot be compared side by side.

This article mainly affects Pete Carroll and Terrelle Pryor in the fact that their individual cases are the ones being discussed and criticized. After reading this article most people would construct their own opinion of each of them, which would then have an indirect effect on the two. To fully understand the situation you would need to hear from the commissioner Roger Goodell himself as to why he thought the suspension of Pryor was necessary, what his thought process was in coming to this conclusion and whether or not he plans to extend this type of punishment to anyone involved in an NCAA violation, including coaches.

I believe the author provides a full perspective on the situation by including multiple sides of the story. Although the author does not completely agree with Beamer’s reasoning that Pryor and Carroll’s situations are the same, he still chooses to include those thoughts in the article. The author gave enough information within in the article so that after reading it, it is possible to formulate your own opinion on the situation and answer the question posed initially.

 

Impact of Miami Hurricane Booster Scandal

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/08/17/1696515/alabama-football-crimson-tide.html

It’s been a little over a month since Yahoo! promised college football fans with a scandal that would they described as a “10”, and on Tuesday, they finally published their story which undoubtedly rocked the college football landscape. Although the Miami Hurricane athletic department still shoulders much of the embarrassment, The Ledger-Enquirer’s Michael Casagrande explains how this scandal might affect other schools such as Alabama. Jeff Scoutland and Joe Pannunzio, two coaches recently hired by Alabama from Miami, were each named by a Miami booster in a report describing multiple recruiting violations. Their future with the University of Alabama is unclear as the university refused to comment on the situation.

Since the booster’s accounts of the rule violations date back to 2002, the scandal branches itself out to other schools via hiring of former UM coaches and even former recruits. Schools like Alabama do not have to worry about direct punishment from the NCAA due to hiring “dirty” coaches because recruiting violations do not follow coaches to different schools. However, it is still a black eye to the schools with these coaches and if the allegations are true then you can expect to see a lot of unemployed coaches within the next few months. After Randy Shannon’s firing last season, the diaspora of former Miami assistants is wide. Florida wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill was also named in Charles Robinson’s Yahoo! report.

But it’s the players that most universities are worried about. Any Miami recruit who received extra benefits loses their amateur status and is ineligible to play collegiate football, regardless whether or not they actually received the money from the school they’re attending. Georgia’s tight-end Orson Charles and Florida’s highly touted Andre Debose and Matt Patchan were all named by Shapiro who described taking recruits to parties and even once paying for an abortion.

I remain skeptical of any scandal allegations without hard evidence backing it up. Just tune-in to the Paul Finebaum show some time and listen to the ridiculous, unsubstantiated claims made each day by a person claiming to have an inside source. This story is still in its infancy, but hopefully we will soon see more named sources, e-mails, phone records, and bank account transcripts which would all be useful information to make the story more credible. It’ll be interesting to see how the situation works itself out as the landscape of college football changes with conference expansion. There couldn’t be a more inconvenient time for this story to break as Miami now has to worry about falling out of the “Big Three” in the state of Florida while Florida State flirts with SEC and has been dominating in-state recruiting of late.

Casagrande does a good job of explaining how this story affects his Alabama’s program. While he couldn’t go very in-depth due to Alabama’s mum stance on the subject, he still brought to light the impact Yahoo!’s story could have around the college football world. There isn’t much for him to change as he is simply states facts and leaves it to the reader to imply what sort of punishment, if any, Alabama or any school left with the scraps of the Miami program will receive.

Miami A Tipping Point?- Post

http://weblogs.dailypress.com/sports/etcblog/2011/08/miami_a_tipping_point.html

Dave Fairbank
Newport News Daily Press
23 August 2011

    In this article, the writer discusses the potential fallout of what will happen once the University of Miami receives its penalties for the numerous violations that have recently surfaced. He talks of the possible magnitude of the situation spouting from the benefits that Miami booster, Nevin Shapiro, gave players and the potential for turning college football as well as college athletics upside down. There is a good chance that the NCAA can look at the case and levy the ‘death penalty’ or at least something very similar.

     First he looks at the possible arguments that the lawyers for the University of Miami could present in order to defend the program’s case. With penalties so severe, it eliminates the university’s chances to compete for millions of dollars in bowl games. They will be getting punished for crimes committed by members of the team that are either gone now or by the time the trial gets started, will have graduated at that point.

    They could also point out that the rules and judgments of the NCAA are almost always inconsistent. They could even go as far as to say that the NCAA is ruling arbitrarily. They definitely can bring to attention the hypocrisy of a system like the NCAA and the member schools that bring in billions of dollars in revenue but the players that are responsible for all that being possible are not allowed to see a dime of that money.

    The writer then brings up the thought that instead of sitting back after being competetively neutered by the NCAA, the University of Miami could be pro-active and get with other major schools that have been victimized by the NCAA for violations and join together and make their own collective. In a day and age like today where there is already a lot of turmoil with all the schools jumping from conference to conference, you can not rule out the possibility of something so major happening. This would be the virtual end for the NCAA seeing as college football is the main source of revenue for them.

    The parties that would be most affected by this news would be the conferences and the NCAA. With the NCAA sent into turmoil and all the schools banding together, I believe that three or four super conferences would emerge with all the major schools being a part of them. The control will shift from the NCAA to the presidents of the universities. The future of college athletics will be nothing like we could have ever imagined if this were to happen.

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A request from Dr. Suggs

Hi folks,

 

Please make sure to put your name in the “post tags” field, down on the right-hand column in this screen. Thanks!

 

Welch

The Flight of the Eagle

Game-day traditions are a huge part of the college football experience. Whether the tradition is several decades old, or relatively new, fans of all ages enjoy it. At Auburn, a relatively new tradition is the flight of the eagle—hence the phrase, “War Eagle”. Strange right? All this time we thought Auburn was solely focused on the Tiger as their mascot. However, as of the year 2000, the flight of the eagle has been an iconic and highly celebrated part of game-day in Auburn, Alabama. According to an article by Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham news, Sports Illustrated ranks the tradition as the number two best tradition in college football. With this high ranking we are forced to wonder what exactly the flight of the eagle entails? Well, prior to the game, the eagle is released by its handler and proceeds to fly around a stadium filled with thousands of screaming fans. The eagle then returns to its handler and the game begins. The uniqueness and overall flashiness of this tradition have made it quite a hit in Auburn, and apparently in the eyes of the folks at Sports Illustrated. The high ranking of this tradition will certainly have an affect on the fans of the Auburn Tigers. Without a doubt, they will be incredibly proud of their tradition, and continue to celebrate the tradition on each game-day in Auburn.

Of course, one game-day tradition outranks the flight of the eagle, and that is the iconic “dotting of the eye” at Ohio State University as the marching band marches about the field. This too is a highly celebrated tradition. Other notable game-day traditions across the country include Texas A&M’s 12^th man, Clemson’s rubbing of Howard’s Rock for good luck, UGA’s bulldog mascot Uga, and Georgia Tech’s ramblin’ wreck. All of these game-day traditions rank amidst the top ten in Sports Illustrated highly coveted list.

This article certainly covers one of the more cherished parts of college football, and that is the heartfelt tradition associated with each unique program across the country. Though Auburn’s and Ohio State’s tradition rank among the nation’s best, every single tradition that exists is special to those linked to the university to which it correlates. Traditions seem to complete a game-day experience, and this article makes no ands, ifs, or buts, about it.

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First-Year Odyssey: College Sports and the Media

This is a blog for a seminar on college sports and the media in the University of Georgia’s First-Year Odyssey program. Content will be submitted by students in the class over the course of the fall semester in 2011. The instructor is Dr. Welch Suggs of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Please email me with any questions at wsuggs@uga.edu.