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Twisting and Turning in the Mountain West
Since being established in 1999, the NCAA’s youngest D-I FBS conference, the Mountain West, has been gaining exponentially more media coverage and national respect over the past few years, as a growing mid-major conference that can compete and win against the other high-major conferences: Pac-12, Big 12, Big 10, Big East, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast. Of the five mid-major conference BCS births since the 2004 NCAA College Football season, four of the five have been from the Mountain West (Utah in ’05, Boise State ’07, Utah ’09, Boise State and TCU ’10 and TCU again in ’11), going a combined 5-1 in those BCS appearances, possibly 6-0 if Boise State and TCU had not been bidded against eachother in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. Mountain West men’s basketball has not been meek in competitive spirit either, appearing in 29 NCAA Tournaments since the Conference’s inception; on average, almost two and half teams a year. Most notably in my mind, the Mountain West has had three #1 overall draft selections for each major professional sport: the NFL’s Alex Smith of Utah and the NBA’s Andrew Bogut of Utah in 2005; MLB’s Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State in 2009. Read More >>
NBC ‘versus’ ESPN
As of Jan. 2, 2012 Versus, a channel known for broadcasting NHL games and a number of outdoor and combat sports, became the NBC Sports Network. The transition and rebrand weren’t completely unexpected. When Comcast, the original owner of Versus, bought the majority stake of NBC February 2011 it started merging NBC’s own sports content into the channel, and started relaunching Versus as a sort of extension to NBC normal sport’s broadcasting. As the months progressed the executive decision made sense to rebrand Versus as NBC Sports Network.
The rebrand is expected to make Versus into a more creditable channel that would appeal to a more mainstream sport’s audience; essentially, a channel that could compete with ESPN’s sports monopoly. An advantage of the new NBC Sports Network is NBC Universal’s recent procurements of lengthy contract extensions of viewership rights with the NHL and Olympic Games, helping Versus with its initial step towards its vision.
Brightening for the future expansion of the channel was the announcement of a new TV deal next year with the growing MLS over its original broadcaster partner, Fox Sports Channel. The deal was even announced for less money than Fox was offering, because executives were convinced on the future direction of the sports network. With soccer gaining ground each year in the US, the MLS has been thriving more than ever, and should be able to continue growing exponentially if NBC Sports Network can continue growing along with it. Read More >>
What’s Next For The SEC?
Every College program enters the offseason with a to-do list, even in the SEC. Here are the top issues for each College team in the country’s best conference.
Alabama
Who will quarterback Auburn in 2012? Clint Moseley completed 61.1 percent of his passes in 2011 for 800 yards and five touchdowns—when he had time to throw. (AP Photo)
The Tide’s bone-crushing defense loses a who’s who of SEC stars including linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower, safety Mark Barron and cornerback Dre’ Kirkpatrick, but coordinator Kirby Smart believes he has similarly outstanding puzzle pieces at his disposal as he had coming back from his 2009 championship unit.
The bigger job will fall on whoever replaces new Colorado State coach Jim McElwain as offensive coordinator. Quarterback AJ McCarron needs to mesh in the coming months with a virtually all-new group of receivers. No more Marquis Maze or Darius Hanks at wideout; no Brad Smelley stretching the field at tight end. Of course, no Trent Richardson, either; the Tide will turn to Eddie Lacy, whom Richardson said “can handle the load—no doubt.”
The new OC will have to hit the ground running.
Arkansas
In Bobby Petrino’s Orange Bowl season at Louisville, his top three rushers ran for more than 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns. That was still a pass-oriented offense but with the sort of balance the Hogs didn’t have in 2011, when they ranked 81st in rushing and had no one with more than five TDs on the ground.
Knile Davis’ return from an ankle injury that cost him the entire 2011 season should give the Hogs great options at running back, with Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo Jr. also expected back. Another reason Petrino may want to re-emphasize the run: His team ranked in the 70s with 28 sacks allowed. With the right balance, this could be the SEC’s best offense in 2012 by plenty.
Auburn
Speaking of sacks allowed, Tigers quarterbacks were dumped 32 times for an embarrassing FBS ranking of 91st. It’s an especially pitiful number given how seldom—and poorly—Auburn threw the ball, with a passing offense ranked 105th.
Needless to say, Gene Chizik is in desperate need of an offensive coordinator. The direction this program goes offensively will dictate a quarterback pecking order among Clint Moseley, Kiehl Frazier and, not to be forgotten, Barrett Trotter, who came off the bench in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and played terrifically.
Florida
Frankly, it can’t hurt to have Charlie Weis out of Gainesville. Although injuries played a big part, the Gators ranked 105th in total offense in 2011—an absolute train wreck of a season. Brent Pease assumes the position he held at Boise State, which at least sounds mighty promising. He inherits one of the most significant building jobs in the country, with an impatient fan base and a head coach, Will Muschamp, who’s under enormous pressure to prove he can win. The competition between young quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel could not be more on.
Georgia
Mark Richt is one of many FBS head coaches who doesn’t have a full-time special teams coach. Still, he might be overdue in rethinking that policy. You saw how the Bulldogs imploded in the third phase vs. LSU in the SEC title game and in their Outback Bowl loss to Michigan State. Kicker Blair Walsh, who kind of fell apart as a senior, must be replaced. So must punter Drew Butler, who booted the ball pretty well but had a poor net average partly because of the direction of his kicks but more because the Bulldogs were awful at covering all kicks. It’s all a mess Richt has to address in a big way.
Kentucky
Wildcats fans, if there are any of them left, are pumped for the arrival of top quarterback recruit Patrick Towles. But Towles will have a hard time beating out sophomore-to-be Maxwell Smith, assuming Smith has a good offseason. UK was abominable offensively, ranking 118th, but Smith was almost heroic the way he stood in the pocket and withstood massive hits after he took over for ineffective Morgan Newton. See? We made it this far without mentioning Joker Phillips and “hot seat.”
LSU
Maybe the best thing that could’ve happened to the program was losing the way it did to Alabama—with utter hopelessness on offense despite a terrific stable of running backs, explosive receivers and a big, tough (well, at least we thought they were) offensive line. Yes, it’s about the quarterback(s) in Baton Rouge.
“We’ll address that,” Les Miles said. An understatement.
But who’s going to be the guy? Will it be junior Zach Mettenberger or super-recruit Gunner (love that name!) Kiel? Either way, you’re looking at a Tigers offense that will be back to pro-style basics. Let’s face it, the option thing just didn’t work out very well.
Mississippi
The good news is the Rebels beat Southern Illinois last season. The bad news is everything else imaginable. If there’s a worse FBS team out there, we don’t want to know about it.
So what’s Job One for Ole Miss? Not sure we can narrow it down, but the Johnny-on-the-spot is Monte’s son and Lane’s little brother, Chris Kiffin. He’s Hugh Freeze’s new defensive line coach and defensive recruiting coordinator—and he inherits an ineffectual group that couldn’t slow the run or pressure the quarterback in the slightest. Good luck, Kiff.
Mississippi State
Everybody has a kind word for Dan Mullen, whose reputation is nearly intact despite his program’s on-field performance in 2011—which was, in a word, disappointing. And maybe that’s being kind. You don’t go from nine wins to seven, despite having returned pretty much all your best players, and thump your chest.
So what has to happen in Starkville is simply this: Mullen must figure out how to restore some mojo. Because when you’re sliding backward in the SEC West, it’s a slippery slope indeed.
Missouri
SEC fans, if you didn’t know it already, get to know it: There’s a new James Franklin in town. Well, another Franklin, anyway. He’s the Tigers rising junior quarterback, and he’s good enough to play in his new league. Franklin rushed for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns, and threw for 2,865 and 21, out of the spread in 2011. He’s a sturdy 6-2, 225 pounds, but he’ll have to get stronger in the coming months to withstand the pounding that Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama will bring in the first four league games. Franklin will set the tone for his team; if he dedicates himself to this immense physical challenge, the Tigers might be surprisingly competitive.
South Carolina
Now this is what Steve Spurrier signed up for in 2005. This is where the pressure and expectations finally get real. Coming off an 11-win season, the most in program history, the Gamecocks are hard on the recruiting trail again—but hope to have built enough depth not to have to fill a few glaring holes with freshmen.
Who will pick up where Melvin Ingram left off harassing opposing passers? Also, who’ll be Connor Shaw’s go-to receiver in the red zone? Ace Sanders and Bruce Ellington will be important pieces at receiver, but they’re little guys; perhaps 6-5 Rory Anderson will develop a rapport with good-looking quarterback Connor Shaw? Don’t forget about Alshon Jeffery’s little brother, 6-1, 210-pounder Shamier, who redshirted in 2011.
Tennessee
“I imagine things are really tough for him there,” Lane Kiffin said a month and a half ago of successor Derek Dooley. Yes, they’re tough. But does Dooley have any chance to succeed in Knoxville?
His best offensive players were injured in 2011, and without them the Vols ranked in the 100s in total offense and scoring; the worst of it came in the running game, which produced 90 yards a game. This offseason is about near-total regime change, though, with Dooley hiring someone new seemingly every other day—yet staying in place himself. For now.
Texas A&M
New coach Kevin Sumlin’s Houston team led the nation in total offense and scoring last season—arguably with better skill talent than Sumlin inherits in College Station, but that’s not necessarily an easy call. A&M’s defense staggered into the offseason, but it’s undoubtedly the offensive side of the ball that represents the Aggies’ only chance to be competitive in 2012. The quarterback battle in the spring between redshirt sophomore Matt Joeckel and redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel should be riveting.
Vanderbilt
All Vandy needs now is Jay Cutler and it’ll be set. Seriously, for a group that went to a bowl game—never to be taken for granted in Nashville—the Commodores, 6-7 after a bowl loss, left a lot to be desired. And they left a lot on the table, losing five games by seven points or less. That overtime defeat at Tennessee still stings.
Coach James Franklin’s biggest task this offseason is developing a passing offense to replace the one that ranked 97th at 174.6 yards per game. Maybe 2012 senior Jordan Rodgers will be the guy to make it happen, but he hardly looked the part in the Liberty Bowl.
Has Tide Turned?
Each day leading up to Monday’s BCS National Championship College Game, Sporting News will discuss one topic. Today’s question: Is Alabama’s offense better now than it was on Nov. 5?
Alabama lost to LSU in November in a game where neither team reached the end zone, calling into question the offensive play of the losing squad.
By eliminating comedy of errors, offense will be better
By Steve Greenberg
NEW ORLEANS—Of course it is. Alabama isn’t a team of ham-handed incompetents. The Tide aren’t bumblers, screw-ups, chokers. They were all those things, unfortunately, when they met LSU in Tuscaloosa, but that was out of character, an aberration … wasn’t it?
I believe it was. There was a combination of great defense by LSU and awful execution by Alabama inside the Tigers’ 30-yard line—leading to four misses on long field goals—and only one of those factors can be counted on Monday night in New Orleans. You’ll see great defense again from LSU, but not another comedy of errors by the Tide.
“It sounds so cliché, but it comes down to what we do,” senior center William Vlachos said on Thursday. “When you look at it, it comes down to our execution.”
How has Alabama executed over three games since Nov. 5? With 12 offensive touchdowns and only two turnovers. With 505 yards on the ground from Trent Richardson and a six-to-one touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio from quarterback AJ McCarron.
High-Octane Orange
Clemson (10-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)
8:30 p.m. ET January 4, Miami (ESPN)
CLEMSON
College Bowl appearances: 33
College Bowl record: 16-17
BCS College bowl record: 0-0
Last appearance: 2010 Meineke Car Car Bowl (lost to South Florida, 31-26)
Last win: 2009 Music City Bowl (over Kentucky, 21-13)
Insider’s Guide
Basic instincts. Sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd has been spectacular at times—as in his 386-yard, four-touchdown coming-of-age performance vs. Auburn—but threw a combined five interceptions in the Tigers’ three losses. He looked overwhelmed at South Carolina, completing 11 of 29 passes for 83 yards. He needs to go back to basics, with calm drops and trust in himself on his reads. Instinctively, Boyd is a gifted kid.
Bring Sammy back. There aren’t many receivers in the country—let alone freshmen receivers—who can take over a game like Sammy Watkins. But Watkins hasn’t had a superb game since the last weekend of October, when he caught nine balls for 153 yards and a score at Georgia Tech. He has a total of seven receiving touchdowns in the five games when he went over 100 yards.
The Dabo effect. “After 13 games, you are who you are,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says. Not always. This is a rah-rah guy to the extreme, and that’s a good thing at bowl time; he should have his team more ready to play than it has been all season. But Tigers teams past and present have had a way of coming out flat—and if that happens in a BCS game, it’s all on Dabo.
The Number That Defines Them
2-0
The Washington Huskies Break Bowl Record: on the losing end though…
A thrilling, back-and-forth, record-shattering College Alamo Bowl had barely ended when Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III already started hearing the chants.
“One more year! One more year!”
Robert Griffin III threw for a touchdown and ran for another to help Baylor beat Washington in Thursday’s Alamo Bowl. (AP Photo)
One more year? There’s still the craziness of what happened Thursday night to get through first.
Griffin wasn’t dazzling in possibly his last college game—and didn’t need to be—yet No. 15 Baylor still pulled out an incredible Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring regulation bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in the wildest shootout of this bowl season or any other in memory.
If this was RG3′s final showcase before jumping to the NFL, it was a gripping goodbye to watch. One of the nation’s most electrifying players was upstaged by an even more exciting nail-biter that shattered the previous record for points in regulation set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
“We went out in style!” Griffin shouted to his teammates. He paraded the Alamo Bowl trophy around the field before taking it to the front row of the stands and his mother, who’s already been looking at her son’s NFL draft prospects.
Griffin said he was still catching his breath after this one.
“I want Baylor nation to enjoy this,” Griffin said. “It’s not about me. I’ve got about two weeks. I’ll enjoy this the next day, and then the next day, and then I’ll make it.”
In race to regain status, Seminoles gain the lead on Notre Dame
Since everybody was longing for 1993, Notre Dame sort of obliged at the Champs Sports College Bowl.
That was the year “Groundhog Day” was released. After losing to Florida State 18-14 Thursday night, Irish fans must feel like Bill Murray waking up to the same radio broadcast every morning.
Florida State receiver Rashad Greene, left, made this 42-yard catch and also had a TD grab. He was named MVP of the College bowl game. (AP Photo)
It was another day/night of turnovers, scatter-armed quarterbacks and Brian Kelly rumbling like Mount Vesuvius.
“You saw it,” Kelly said. “We turned the ball over, we had miscues on special teams. When you play the quality of opposition we do, you’ve got to clean up the little things.”
The little things added up to five losses and eight wins. That’s not exactly the progress Irish fans were hoping for in Year II of the Kelly’s reign.
Then there’s FSU, which gave Jimbo Fisher a one-year extension before the game. He’s now under contract through 2016, by which time Seminoles fans expect to be partying like it’s 1993.
That was the year FSU won its first national championship. The path went through South Bend, where the No. 1 Seminoles lost a 31-24 epic to the second-ranked Irish.
College Football Star Quest For Win 50: Customize his jersey at Onthefield.com to capture the monumental moment
Though it finished seventh in the final BCS College standings, Boise State will finish its College season in the Las Vegas Bowl Thursday night against Arizona State, as anything but a perfect regular season pretty much guarantees that the Broncos won’t earn a BCS bid.
Boise hopes of another perfect season and a potential shot at the national title vanished when it lost at home Nov. 12 to TCU, 36-35.
Boise State’s Kellen Moore is fifth on the all-time career passing yards list. (AP Photo)
But despite the disappointment, we get one last shot at honoring and appreciating the winningest quarterback in NCAA history in Kellen Moore, as a win against the Sun Devils would be the 50th of his career.
Moore, who surpassed Texas’ Colt McCoy earlier this year for No. 1 on the wins list by leading Boise State to a victory over UNLV, is just the sixth quarterback in NCAA College history to surpass 14,000 passing yards. He’s now fifth on the list. He’s also second on the career list in TD passes, and his 41 TD passes this season were the most by any Boise State QB in history. Those are staggering numbers for anyone. Read More >>
Not Too Many Bowls, Too Many Critics
The Too-Many-Bowls College season kicked off over the weekend with the debut of the world’s largest potato on wheels.
If they could have turned it into 50,000 orders of free french fries, a lot of people still would have turned up their noses. They believe there are way too many Famous Idaho Potato Bowls coming our way.
I say pass the potatoes. What harm do all these College bowls do?
None, except give the Too-Many-Bowls crowd needless indigestion. Nobody was holding a potato peeler to anyone’s head forcing them to watch Ohio vs. Utah State on Saturday.
And I bet those who did enjoyed the show. Ohio scored with 13 seconds left to win, 24-23. Following that was the R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Louisiana-Lafayette and San Diego State.
I’ll admit I don’t have a clue what an R & L Carrier is, but I got a little carried away when the Ragin’ Cajuns kicked a 50-yard field goal on the final play to win by 32-30.
Or would you have preferred watching another installment of Texas Hold ’Em on ESPN?
College Football Preview:
Nebraska 28, Michigan 16: Two nearly identical offenses; one defense (Nebraska) significantly better than the other. Not hard to figure how Huskers keep pace in hopes of playing in the inaugural Big Ten College championship game.
Clemson 27, NC State 23: Last chance for the Wolfpack to salvage a disappointing season—and save coach Tom O’Brien’s job. Even with the College Atlantic Division championship, Clemson has plenty to play for.
Ohio State 13, Penn State 9: A big bowl of ugly—at least offensively. Getting away from State College probably helps Penn State focus, but still doesn’t overshadow the reality that the quarterback situation is a mess.
Arkansas 36, Mississippi State 14: Lost in the BCS SEC rematch talk: Arkansas could reach the BCS National Championship Game by winning out. Hogs won’t stumble here against underachieving Mississippi State with so much still out there.
LSU 41, Mississippi 10: A bad situation getting worse in Oxford, and another team clearly separating itself from everyone else. Tigers stay focused and set up huge game Nov. 25 vs. Arkansas.
Florida State 28, Virginia 16: ‘Noles can’t play for ACC title, but still can win 10 games for the second consecutive College season under coach Jimbo Fisher. That means winning here, and beating rival Florida.
UCLA 27, Colorado 23: That’s right, everyone: UCLA still controls its destiny in the Pac-12 South Division—looks more like the WAC every week. The Bruins simply can’t stumble here.
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