SEC and Big 10 College Football Coaches for the Ages

Unlike a number of SEC football fans, I always enjoy watching Big 10 football in the fall. Why? Because it reminds me of SEC football prior to the influence of Steve Spurrier and his pass-happy Gator offense of the 1990s.

Preferring smash mouth football, great defenses, and special teams, I don’t care for football that resembles a pinball game (That’s a pre-video…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football

Minnesota lands Fisch as offensive coordinator

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Minnesota's extensive search for an offensive coordinator ended today as head coach Tim Brewster hired Jedd Fisch. 

Fisch spent the last eight seasons in the NFL, most recently as wide receivers coach with the Denver Broncos. He interviewed Monday for the Detroit Lions' offensive coordiantor vacancy and likely would have been on other teams' radar if he didn't accept Brewster's offer to join the Golden Gophers. 

"Jedd possesses a vast understanding of offensive football and has worked alongside three outstanding football coaches in the National Football League, as well as working with Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida," Brewster said in a statement. "In addition to his background, Jedd has tremendous people skills and will be an excellent recruiter. He is a young, rising star in the profession who is committed to helping us build a winner here at Minnesota. I could not be more excited that he has agreed to join our staff." 

Fisch, who replaces Mike Dunbar as Gophers' offensive coordinator, said in a statement that he has known Brewster, a former NFL assistant, for seven years and expects to help Minnesota win its first Big Ten title since 1967. The 32-year-old Fisch last coached in college as a graduate assistant at Florida from 1999-2000.  

The Gophers started 7-1 this season before dropping their final five games. They finished last in the Big Ten in rushing offense (103.8 ypg), prompting Brewster to hire offensive line coach/run game coordinator Tim Davis to restore Minnesota's reputation as a power run team. 

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Outback Bowl preview

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It’s a big day for the Big Ten, and things begin this morning with the Outback Bowl matchup between Iowa (8-4) and South Carolina (7-5) in Tampa (ESPN, 11 a.m. ET). This might be the Big Ten’s best chance at a bowl win. Here’s a quick look at the matchup.

WHO TO WATCH: Big Ten fans are familiar with Shonn Greene, but the rest of the country likely will be getting its first look at the Doak Walker Award winner. This also could be the final chance to see Greene in college, as the Iowa junior running back is a strong candidate to enter the NFL draft a year early. No defense has come close to stopping Greene, who eclipsed 100 rushing yards in every regular-season contest. South Carolina certainly will have its hands full with him.

WHAT TO WATCH: Head coaches Kirk Ferentz and Steve Spurrier are a contrast in style and personality. It will be interesting to see the two match wits in a bowl game. Ferentz will lean on two improved lines, the power run game and a playmaking defense. Spurrier has taken heat for South Carolina’s inconsistent offense this season, and he might try to shake up the play-calling to spark quarterback Stephen Garcia.

WHY TO WATCH: The game features the only Big Ten bowl favorite and has a must-win quality not only for Iowa, but the beleaguered conference. Iowa is arguably the Big Ten’s hottest team, winning five of its final six regular-season games. A win likely puts the Hawkeyes in the Top 25 and springboards them into a promising 2009 season.

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Iowa coordinators discuss season, South Carolina

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz shields his coordinators from the media for much of the season, so when Ken O’Keefe and Norm Parker talk on the record, it’s sort of a big deal.

After reading the quotes from Thursday’s pre-Outback Bowl media session, it’s too bad O’Keefe and Parker aren’t in the spotlight more often. There’s some very entertaining stuff from both men, who have been with Ferentz since he took over in Iowa City in 1999.

Here are some of Thursday’s sound bytes as O’Keefe and Parker discussed the season and Iowa’s upcoming matchup against South Carolina.

Parker on South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier: “He’s not afraid to line up in any crazy formation. When he goes golfing and hits the ball in the trap he goes in the trap and draws plays in the sand. He’s got all kinds of gadgets and he’s not afraid to use them because he’s a very confident guy. He doesn’t have anything to lose. It’s not going to bother him and he knows what he’s doing.”

O’Keefe on South Carolina’s defense: “They’re big, they’re physical. Their linebackers are 250, 255, 265. They’re a big, physical, well-coached defense that plays multiple fronts and tries to change things up on you and bring some pressure at you. They’re going to try to get as many guys down in there as they possibly can. They play a defense a little different than what we’ve seen from most people this year, but they’re good.”

Parker on Iowa running back Shonn Greene, the Doak Walker Award winner: “I like it when he’s playing because the best way to play defense is to sit on the bench and say, ‘Way to go, Shonn [claps hands in applause]. First down.’ You just keep sitting there just watching him run. He probably helped our defense as much as anyone. He’s probably our most valuable defensive player because he kept us off of the field.”

O’Keefe on the impact of wide receivers coach Erik Campbell, a future coordinator or head coach: “The play we threw for a touchdown against Penn State [27 yards from Ricky Stanzi to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos] was an old play they used at Michigan. He’s brought a lot to the table. He’s a great person with an enormous amount of enthusiasm and that’s infectious with the players.

Parker on serving solely as defensive coordinator and not coaching a position: “I go and screw up this drill for a while and then I go and screw up another drill. In doing so, I’ve gotten to know the players better as a group. When I coached the linebackers, I knew my guys. That’s who I really knew. I knew who the other guys were and everything. But I didn’t know them like I know them now.”

Parker on whether he’d consider coaching as long as Penn State’s Joe Paterno: “Eighty five? Hell no. At 85, you’d have to dig me up to coach. You’d have to open the box and get me out. That’s amazing that guy can do that. It’s amazing that he can do it and still have the energy to do it.”

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Northwestern’s Fitzgerald in elite company

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Not too many 34-year-old’s can call themselves Hall of Famers, so Pat Fitzgerald is already unique in that way.

But the Northwestern head coach joined extremely select company Tuesday when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

	Albert Dickson/TSN/Icon SMI
	Pat Fitzgerald was National Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

Fitzgerald and South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier are the only two active FBS coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Both obviously entered the Hall as players, Spurrier having won the Heisman Trophy at Florida in 1966 and Fitzgerald earning back-to-back National Defensive Player of the Year awards as a linebacker at Northwestern in 1995 and 1996.

Fitzgerald’s new title should come in handy on the recruiting trail. 

Former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long, a 1999 Hall of Fame inductee, held the same distinction as Fitzgerald and Spurrier before being fired as San Diego State’s head coach on Nov. 22. 

Only three people have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both players and coaches. 

• Bobby Dodd, who went in as a Tennessee quarterback in 1959 and as Georgia Tech head coach in 1993.
• Bowden Wyatt, who went in as a Tennessee end in 1972 and as coach at Wyoming, Arkansas and Tennessee in 1997.
• Amos Alonzo Stagg, who went in as a Yale end and as coach at Springfield, University of Chicago and Pacific in 1951.

There are two current NFL head coaches — the 49ers’ Mike Singletary and the Rams’ Jim Haslett — who were inducted into the College Hall of Fame as players. 

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Ranking the Big Ten bowls

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten wants more national respect after being skewered nationally for much of the season. An exciting bowl lineup gives the conference a chance to get its wish. 

In addition to having two BCS entries for the fourth straight year, the Big Ten faces the preseason No. 1 (Georgia), a preseason national title contender (Missouri) and two of the more successful head coaches in the southeast (Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier).

To piggyback off Mark Schlabach’s national list, it’s time to rank the Big Ten bowls.

1. Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi

No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 5 USC, 4:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 1 (ABC) 

Two powerhouse programs, a legendary head coach (Joe Paterno) and another well on his way there (Pete Carroll), and one of college football’s greatest settings make the Rose Bowl a must-see. Both of these teams easily could have been in Miami on Jan. 8, and a win will only strengthen their arguments. It will be fun to watch the Spread HD offense match up with a ferocious USC defense. 

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Texas, 8 p.m. ET, Jan. 5 (Fox)

The teams clashed in 2005 and 2006 but have never met in the postseason. It will be fascinating to see how Texas responds from its BCS title game snub. Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy will go against the best defense he’s faced this season in Ohio State, which ranks seventh nationally in points allowed (13.1 ppg). The Buckeyes need a win to restore their national reputation and will need strong performances from quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Chris “Beanie” Wells. 

3. Capital One Bowl

No. 15 Georgia vs. No. 18 Michigan State, 1 p.m. ET, Jan. 1 (ABC)

Forget about those Big 12 quarterbacks and that Tebow fellow. This game is all about the running backs, as Doak Walker Award finalists Javon Ringer and Knowshon Moreno match up. Ringer has carried Michigan State to this point and could capitalize on a suspect Georgia defense, while Moreno is one of the nation’s most exciting running backs and takes on a Michigan State defense that struggles to stop elite players. 

4. Valero Alamo Bowl

No. 21 Missouri vs. No. 23 Northwestern, 8 p.m. ET, Dec. 29 (ESPN)

An insane number of sports journalists will be tuning in for this one, and you should, too. Missouri boasts one of the nation’s most dynamic passing combinations in quarterback Chase Daniel and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Northwestern counters with a sack-happy defense led by end Corey Wootton. If Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher discovers his 2007 form against a woeful Mizzou secondary, this could become a shootout. 

5. Champs Sports Bowl

Wisconsin vs. Florida State, 4:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 27 (ESPN)

Both of these teams underachieved to a certain degree this fall, but the bowl will provide an interesting matchup of power (Wisconsin) vs. speed (Florida State). The Wisconsin rushing attack came together late in the season, but P.J. Hill and John Clay face a tough task in a Florida State defense led by superstar end Everette Brown and linebacker Derek Nicholson.

6. Outback Bowl

South Carolina vs. Iowa, 11 a.m. ET, Jan. 1 (ESPN)

I can’t get enough of Shonn Greene, but aside from the powerful Iowa running back, this game between unranked teams doesn’t provide many reasons to shake off the New Year’s Eve hangover. Iowa played excellent football down the stretch, and it will be interesting to see how the Hawkeyes match up with an SEC team. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier returns to Florida amid increasing criticism. He needs to win this game.

7. Insight Bowl

Kansas vs. Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 31 (NFL Network)

If Minnesota can get back to the disciplined and opportunistic play that spurred its 7-1 start, this game will be worth watching. But the Gophers didn’t look like the same team down the stretch, and they’ll need to make some major upgrades in the next few weeks to keep pace with a more experienced Kansas team led by quarterback Todd Reesing. 

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Iowa to face South Carolina in Outback Bowl

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

So much for the delay. The Big Ten bowl announcements are rolling in.

As expected, Iowa accepted a bid to the Outback Bowl and will face South Carolina on Jan. 1. The Hawkeyes and Gamecocks will meet for the first time.

This is an amazing result for Iowa, which started 3-3 and turned up the heat on head coach Kirk Ferentz and his coordinators. But the Hawkeyes won five of their final six regular-season games to finish tied for fourth place in the league standings.

Iowa leapfrogged Northwestern for the Outback Bowl despite a worse overall record (8-4 vs. 9-3) and a head-to-head loss. The team’s strong finish, the dominant performance of running back Shonn Greene and, most important, a sizable traveling fan base, pushed Iowa to a New Year’s Day bowl for the fifth time since the 2002 season.

“We’re extremely excited to be returning to Tampa and playing in the 2009 Outback Bowl,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. “We had tremendous experiences in our two previous visits and we’re honored to be invited back. We’re excited about the challenge of playing another excellent team from the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Coach Steve Spurrier represents a program rich in tradition. It’s going to be a great challenge, but one we’re looking forward to.”

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College Football ADD: Week 13

For those who don’t want to read full articles

Attention everyone, I have an important announcement to make. The M*ch*g*n at Ohio State game has been cancelled this year. It seems that M*ch*g*n can’t get around Toledo. (Thank you, Shawn Collier)

I love M*ch*g*n Week.  As far as weeks go, I think it narrowly edges out the week of Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving (every other year for the family vacation) and the first week of the NCAA basketball tourney for my favorite of the year.

This weekend just adds to the lore of making fun of that hated state up north.

- At noon on Saturday it will have been 1,826 days since M*ch*g*n’s last win over Ohio State. Here’s to 365 more!

- This season’s 20.5-point spread in favor of the Buckeyes is the largest in the history of the rivalry. It’s opened at 19; who knows what it’ll be by Saturday.

- Last week established the first time M*ch*g*n lost eight games in a season in their 129-year football history. I’m sure the Buckeyes would gladly enjoy making this the first time they’ve lost nine.

- A win on Saturday gives Ohio State their first-ever five game winning streak over the state up north.

So it’s time to gear up for another Beat M*ch*g*n week, full of jumps in freezing lakes, daily singings of “We Don’t Give a Damn” and hopefully yet another Buckeye victory. Go Bucks!

Thoughts on Last Weekend

- What, you want me to elaborate in some profound way that makes last weekend seem important or entertaining?  Not only were the games bad on paper, but they were bad on the field.

Only three Top 20 teams trailed at half (UC and BYU trailed, USC was tied) and only Georgia, LSU, UNC and Florida State were trailing in the fourth (obviously UGA and LSU won).

Mainly, it was a large dose of yawners; players’ mothers were bored watching; luckily we have this weekend to save us.

- Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, you coach at a smart school, so let me throw a big word for a small article out there for you: comeuppance.

Thanks to Coach Harbaugh’s end-of-game tactics (tactics in this article actually means stupidity), you’ll be able to use that word along with “2009” and “Stanford at USC game” in a sentence next season. Leave no doubt, the Trojans won’t forget how that game ended.

- We all are now aware that Steve Spurrier had never taken a beating like he did in the Swamp on Saturday.  More interesting to me is that Spurrier now has four games in four seasons with the Gamecocks in which his team didn’t score a touchdown. That only happened once while at Florida, a 30-6 loss to Mississippi State in Spurrier’s second season in Gainesville.

- Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, congrats.

- Rutgers is still alive! After drubbing South Florida in Tampa, Rutgers is back to an even record for the first time since being 0-0.  I know I’m grasping at straws here, but the opportunity for a 7-5 Big East team to make a BCS game doesn’t come along every day.

- Speaking of the Big East and BCS, bowl projections right now have either Maryland (7-3) or Miami (7-3) playing Cincinnati(8-2) in the Orange Bowl. I wanted to see UC in a top tier bowl this season, but man, what a terrible top-tier game this would be

And to recap, the Orange bowl has given us Kansas vs. Virginia Tech, Louisville vs. Wake Forest and Penn State vs. 8-4 Florida State. That was after the 55-19 National Championship embarrassment USC put on Oklahoma in 2005.

In other words, I haven’t really enjoyed an Orange Bowl in some time; I’m pretty sure most of the country hasn’t either.

- Seriously ACC, just flip a coin and stop playing the games. Adding to the madness this past weekend, former Coastal Division leader, and assumed front-runner North Carolina lost to Maryland to lose control of first place for the third time this season.

This was the same Maryland team who was shut out by 5-5 Virginia 31-0. Virginia then lost at Wake two weekends ago, but Wake followed that victory with a loss on the road to N.C. State.

However, N.C. State lost to Duke the same weekend Virginia was dumped by Wake, and Duke was just knocked off by Clemson this past weekend.

Clemson, amongst other losses, was beaten by Georgia Tech in their first game without Tommy Bowden back in mid-October, while GT lost to VaTech all the way back in September.

VaTech lost this past Thursday Night to Miami, but Miami had already been beaten by rival Florida State, who just lost to B.C. on Saturday.

And that, my friends, is how you link all 12 ACC teams together in one big circle. It didn’t take nearly as long as you’d think.

- Division III Mount Union finished their regular season last weekend a perfect 10-0 record, the 15th time in 17 seasons they’ve accomplished that feat.  Mount scored 40+ points in all but one game (a 33-3 nailbiter over No. 10 St. John Fisher), and didn’t win by fewer than four TDs all season. They enter the D-III playoffs as the unanimous No. 1 team.

In case you hadn’t heard about D-III Mount Union, that’s just a taste of how good they are, every season.

- I have absolutely no power to decree such a thing, but I’m asking that this happen regardless.  If you are attending a football game (or any sporting event actually) between Team A and Team B, and some d-bag fan shows up wearing clothing supporting Team C, fans of both teams A and B must unite to unmercifully berate and chastise said fan C until he either changes or leaves.

I saw a man wearing an Iowa sweatshirt on the coverage of the Ohio State/Illinois game. I saw a man wearing a Steelers coat on the Monday Night Football game between Cleveland and Buffalo. Through the years I’ve seen various forms of retarded fans doing this when I go to Ohio State games; it must stop now!

- We may witness a second-coming of the depressing grunge rock era if Washington’s football teams don’t turn around. A 3-28 record between Washington, Wazzu and the Seahawks makes me wonder what the Pacific Northwest did exactly to make the football gods mad.

All of that bad, and yet the Wazzu faithful continue to keep alive one of the coolest under-the-radar traditions in all of college football each Saturday morning at ESPN’s Gameday.

Football theme grunge band names for the new era: Hasselbeck in Chains, Tyrone-ic Youth, Stone Temple Dobas, and my favorite, Temple of the Husky.

- And in my weekly watch of the stupidity that is the college football polling landscape, two AP Poll voters now have Florida as their No. 1 team. One Coaches’ Poll voter and one Harris Poll voter has them there as well.

I get it; Florida looks really good right now. They’re playing great. But they have this one little thing called a loss at home to 6-4 Ole Miss. Until ‘Bama or Texas Tech lose, the Gators do not belong at No. 1. That’s final; end of discussion.

So, little happened last weekend except serve as an appetizer for our palate this Saturday. Well…I can deal with that.

Last Week’s Picks

Hits

VaTech(+4.5) over Miami – VT only lost by 2

Northwestern (+3.5) over M*ch*g*n

Oregon (-4) over Arizona

The Over on O/U 79.5 in the Tulsa/Houston game

Florida (-21) over South Carolina

Cincy (-6) over Louisville

Texas (-21) over Kansas

Misses

Florida State(-7) over B.C. – so I made that pick before the five WRs were suspended.

Georgia (-8) over Auburn – that’s two pathetic UGA games in a row. And they’re makin’ me look bad!

The Under on O/U 71.5 for Nebraska/K-State – the game hit 84 pts.

Oklahoma State (-17) over Colorado – Ok State won by 16

7-4, same record as last week.

Thoughts on this Weekend’s Events

- So ESPN has the rights to all the BCS games starting in 2011.  You tell me that, but all I hear is the possibility of Dave Pasch and Andre Ware doing a major bowl game and I instinctively move to the fetal position.

- I’m not a huge conspiracy theorist, but this is something I’ll be watching for ESPN over the next few seasons. I don’t know if a college football playoff system will be implemented before 2011, or what sort of financial impact that could have on ESPN’s deal. But if it does affect it, I bet you see less and less coverage and talk about a playoff on the Worldwide Leader.

If that annual “ESPN Playoff” they do every December before the start of the bowls disappears, it would be my first indication.

- If he was standing on the other sideline, what would the records be? That’s the question I’ve decided is the most intriguing for the Ohio State/M*ch*g*n game. If Pryor would have signed with the state to the north, how much impact would there have been?

What would’ve happened in a Boeckman season? Could Pryor have worked the same magic as a freshman for M*ch*g*n as he’s done for OSU? It’s interesting to ponder in my opinion.

- You call it a Holy War huh?  I’m listening…not watching because I have other games, and better games to watch that don’t involve the state of Utah duking it out, but I’ll read about it on Sunday.

- Will the ride continue for the Beavers in Tucson? Arizona and Willie Tuitama put up 45 on Oregon State’s Civil War partner Oregon last weekend…but their defense subsequently allowed 55 points.

- Tennessee is a three-point underdog at Vandy this weekend.

- Ball State had its closest MAC contest of the season last week at Miami (OH), only winning by 15. They’ll be playing top two other MAC teams over the next two weekends in 8-2 Central Michigan and 9-2 Western Michigan. And they’ll continue to drop down the BCS.

- If Crabtree doesn’t score that touchdown against Texas and thus Texas Tech enters this weekend’s game with one loss, what’s their line at Oklahoma?  Right now, the Sooners sit seven-point favorites. I think that line would be near 20 if Tech had lost. And here’s to hoping the Red Raiders keep on proving “them” wrong.

- The Miami Hurricanes spent 107 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP poll from 1999 until the Sept 17, 2006, poll. This week marks the first time they’ve been ranked since, as they come in at No. 23. They still aren’t ranked in the Coaches’ or Harris Polls.

This Week’s Big Ones

The Game

M*ch*g*n at No. 10 Ohio State

My column, my bias. Sorry.

Outside of these two states, this game means as much as the Harvard/Yale game this season. But to me, it’s still that a**-hole Desmond Howard striking a pose, it’s David Boston and Charles Woodson coming to blows, it’s Will Allen making the leaping interception that sent Ohio State to the 2002 National Championship.

It’s cursing the name of Tshimanga Biakabutuka, it’s refusing to wear any clothing that combines yellow and blue, it’s reliving Woody and Bo, it’s forgetting John Cooper and Shawn Springs’ “slip.”

For all who were a part of a college experience that included a major rivalry like this, you all know what this weekend is like in Columbus. At 9-2, we aren’t going to the big dance this year (I know, about half of you just said “thank God”), so this is our BCS Championship Game. F-M*ch*g*n and bring on the 2008 Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes!

No. 2 Texas Tech at No. 5 Oklahoma

This is “the game” which happens to fall on the same weekend as “The Game”. My apologies to Big XII fans everywhere.

I’m not going to say too much different than what you’ll hear all week from talking-head nation. Oklahoma can’t outshoot the Red Raiders; they have to find a defense somewhere. Tech held Texas to its second-lowest score of the season then turned around to hold Okie State to its lowest.

I want to believe the Red Raiders win this game, but in Norman, under the bright lights for the third time in four weeks…I have to go against Crabtree and Evelyn (Evelyn doesn’t really play for TT). Sooners by 10.

No. 15 Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State

It’s been a long, long time since Penn State lost itself a game at home to Michigan State. So long in fact that the last time it did happen, 1965, JoePa wasn’t presiding over the sidelines at the foot of Mt. Nittany.  Paterno’s first season was 1966.

Ohio State fans, what I’m sayin’ is, don’t hold your breath. I take the Spread HD and their -14.5 line all the way to Pasadena.

Other Conference Games I’m Watching

ACC – Florida State at No. 25 Maryland

How much of a revolving door have the poll rankings from No. 20 to No. 25 been this season? Nine of the 12 ACC teams have been ranked at some point this season, with Miami and Maryland now joining the crowd.

Maryland has beaten four ranked teams this season, which would mean something except only one of those teams is currently ranked.

Seriously, I could go all day with the random oddities about the ACC. There’s millions.

Big XII – Iowa State at Kansas State

This is the only Big 12 game this weekend besides the TT/Oklahoma tilt.

Yeah.

Big East – No. 20 Pittsburgh at No. 18 Cincinnati

It’s the biggest game of the year for both teams. If UC wins, it would all but clinch the Big East title (UC only has one conference game left, vs. Syracuse), while a Pitt win gives them control of their own destiny with two conference games left.

And yet Cincy fans will be torn between going to this night game at Nippert Stadium or driving up I-75 forty-five minutes north to see Cincinnati Elder battle Pickerington Central in the Division I State Semis.

You think I’m joking? UC football isn’t exactly the traditional powerhouse and we all know the Bengals are terrible. High school football is the only hope for a winning team in town.

I’d take Pitt +5 to cover, but not to win.

Big Ten – Illinois at Northwestern

If the Purple Kitties win, they could be playing in a New Year’s Day bowl, and subsequently keep Illinois from playing in a bowl, period.  After the non-ferocious fight they put up against the Buckeyes two weekends ago, and subsequent punting contest vs. M*ch*g*n last weekend, I’m gonna think that probably won’t happen.

Take Illinois -3.

Pac-10 – Washington at Washington State

The Apple Cup has never seen a match-up like this before. Although 1969’s battle of 1-9 teams comes close, this game is just going to be horrendous on the eyes.

SEC – Ole Miss at No. 18 LSU

You want the definition of the Cialis Special again? It’s not getting up for a game after a major letdown from the week before or before a big game the following week. LSU just suffered the biggest Cialis Special of the season, nearly losing to Troy.

Ole Miss has lost their four games by a combined 19 points, and just handled a Sun Belt school the way an SEC school should – by beating them 59-love.

I’m taking Ole Miss and Jevan Snead +4.5 over “Pick-6-R-Us” Jarrett Lee.

My Top Ten

1.)    Alabama (11-0)

2.)    Texas Tech (10-0)

3.)    Texas (10-1)

4.)    Florida (9-1)

5.)    Oklahoma (10-1)

6.)    USC (9-1)

7.)    Penn State (10-1)

8.)    Utah (11-0)

9.)    Ohio State (9-2)

10.)   Boise State (10-0)

Quick Picks (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Ball State (-7) over CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Washington (-7.5) over WASHINGTON STATE

Air Force (+18.5) over TCU

Boise State (-6) over NEVADA

RUTGERS (-17.5) over Army

Lines I’m Staying Away From

All ACC, Notre Dame or Georgia games.

Tulane (+28.5) at Tulsa– you want a team that just lost by 40 to turn around and win by 4+ TDs?

Stanford (+9) at Cal – Rivalry game theory.

Iowa (-5) at Minnesota – Seems almost too easy to take Iowa with how Minnesota is playing these days…I don’t like that feeling.

Thus concludes my M*ch*g*n Week A.D.D. Happy Mirror Lake jumping and Go Bucks!

As always, please tip your wait staff, they don’t make that much, seriously. I am spent.

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The Five Most Heated Rivalries In College Football

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The NCAA 10: Top Coaches Who Could Play

The old saying goes, “those who can’t do, teach.” 

 

Is that true when it comes to college football coaches?

 

I was surprised to learn that of the 119 Division I (or FBS, if you’d rather) head coaches there are only six who never played college football.

 

They are: David Cutcliffe (Duke), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech), Mark Mangino (Kansas), Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and George O’Leary (Central Florida).  Although, if you give him enough time I think O’Leary might be able to come up with a little playing experience for the old resume, if needed.

 

It makes sense that there would be a fair number who either never played, or at best road the pine.  However, what I found was that there were also plenty who could play and who had some stellar college (and a few NFL) careers.  How they rank (as collegiate players) is as follows:

 

10. Mike Gundy, QB, Oklahoma State (Head Coach: Oklahoma State)

 

Gundy was a 4-year starter for the Cowboys and in 1988 (back when he was just 21, and not quite a “man”) he helped lead OSU to a 10-2 mark and a Holiday Bowl thumping of Wyoming, 62-14.  In that Junior campaign he was second in the nation in QB efficiency at 158.2, behind only Washington State’s Timm Rosenbach and ahead of Heisman finalists: USC’s Rodney Peete and UCLA’s Troy Aikman.  He was 153-236 for 2,163 yards, 19 TDs and 12 Ints. 

 

Granted, he was given the gift of handing off to the likes of Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders (who won the Heisman in 1988) but he graduated as the all-time leader in passing at both Oklahoma State and in Big 8 history.

 

9. Frank Solich, FB, Nebraska (Head Coach: Ohio)

 

Known as “fearless Frankie” while with the Cornhuskers, Solich was an All Big 8 selection in 1965 and the first Nebraska player to rush for over 200 yards in a single game.  He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated that year, and was later inducted into the Husker Hall of Fame.

 

8. Stan Brock, OT, Colorado (Head Coach: Army)

 

Brock was a Sporting News All-American in 1979 for the Buffaloes, on his way to becoming a first round draft pick (#12 overall) of the New Orleans Saints.  He would parlay that into a long and successful 16-year NFL career.

 

7. Sylvester Croom, C, Alabama (Head Coach: Mississippi State)

 

As captain, he helped Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide to three SEC titles (as well as a National Title in 1973) and was an All-American center in 1974.

 

6. Rick Neuheisel, QB, UCLA (Head Coach: UCLA)

 

In 1983, his senior year with the Bruins, Neuheisel was fifth in the nation in QB efficiency at 142.5 (just ahead of UNLV’s Randall Cunningham and behind the nation’s leader, BYU’s Steve Young).  He was 163-236 for 1,947 yards, 9 TDs and 10 Ints, while leading UCLA to a 7-4-1 mark and garnering Rose Bowl MVP honors, beating #4 Illinois 45-9.

 

5. Turner Gill, QB, Nebraska (Head Coach: Buffalo)

 

Gill led the Cornhuskers to an amazing 28-2 record as a starting QB.  He finished #4 in the Heisman balloting in 1983 to his Nebraska teammate, RB Mike Rozier, on their way to a #1 ranking and a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Miami for the National Championship.  It was Gill’s pass, on a two-point conversion to win the game, that was deflected with just seconds remaining.

 

SIDE NOTE: What Gill has already accomplished  with the Buffalo football program has been nothing short of miraculous.  He didn’t land the coveted Nebraska gig last year, but he should be on plenty of short lists this time around. K-State, UW, are you listening?

 

4. Jim Harbaugh, QB, Michigan (Head Coach: Stanford)

 

As a Junior in 1985, Harbaugh led Michigan to a 10-1-1 mark and led the nation in QB efficiency at 163.7.  He was 139-212 for 1,913 yards, 18 TDs and 6 Ints.  He then followed that up with a senior campaign in 1986 that would see him finish third in the Heisman voting (behind winner QB Vinny Testaverde of Miami and just ahead of Oklahoma LB Brian Bosworth).  He would also end up second in the nation in QB rating at 157.0 while leading the Wolverines to an 11-2 mark and the Rose Bowl.

 

3. Pat Fitzgerald, LB, Northwestern (Head Coach: Northwestern)

 

One of the most decorated defensive players in college football history, Fitzgerald was a consensus All-American in 1995 and 1996, as well as a two-time Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year for the Wildcats, on his way to winning both the Bronco Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik trophies – twice. He was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

 

2. Chuck Long, QB, Iowa (Head Coach: San Diego State)

 

As a 4-year starter, Long put up huge numbers as a Hawkeye QB, finishing second in the nation in QB rating his sophomore year (160.4), seventh his junior year (147.1) and topping it off with finishing third his senior year (153.0).  And after finishing seventh for the Heisman in his junior campaign, his senior season of 1985 would see him finish second in the closest Heisman voting ever (1509-1464 to Auburn RB Bo Jackson).

 

That season he threw for 231-351 for 2,978 yards, 26 TDs and 15 Ints. He was a consensus All-American and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

 

And perhaps as no surprise to anyone, the only head coach currently toting around a certain stiff-armed piece of hardware (actually he gave it to the University to display), the #1 Coach Who Could Play…

 

STEVE SPURRIER, QB, FLORIDA (Head Coach: South Carolina)

 

Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, the winner of the 1966 Heisman Trophy (over Purdue QB Bob Griese), led the Gators to a 9-2 mark and an Orange Bowl win, 27-12, over Georgia Tech.  He was third in the nation in completions per game (the standard prior to QB rating) and finished 179-291 for 2,012 yards, 16 TDs and 8 Ints.

 

Honorable Mentions:

 

Jeff Tedford, QB, Fresno State (Head Coach: California)

 

Tedford finished eighth in nation in QB rating (136.4) in 1982, while leading the Bulldogs to 11-1 mark.

 

Howard Schnellenberger, TE, Kentucky (Head Coach: FAU)

 

Schnellenberger was a consensus All-American selection in 1955 for the Wildcats.

 

Shane Montgomery, QB, NC State (Head Coach: Miami (OH))

 

Montgomery was MVP of both the 1988 Peach Bowl and 1989 Copper Bowl.

 

Mark Richt, QB, Miami (Head Coach: Georgia)

 

Sandwiched between Jim Kelly and Bernie Kosar, he only got in as a starter when Kelly went down in 1982.

 

 

Miscellaneous Items of Note:

 

Not-so-surprising, there are five former Alabama players (Bobby Bowden-Florida State, Neil Callaway-UAB, Mike Riley-Oregon State, Sylvester Croom-Mississippi State and Dabo Swinney-Clemson)…somewhat surprising, there are three former UC-Davis players (Mike Bellotti-Oregon, Dan Hawkins-Colorado, Chris Petersen-Boise State)…kind of interesting, the Sun Belt Conference is loaded with former talent, from Schellenberger to: FIU’s Mario Cristobal (All Big East OT at Miami); Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill (Florida State QB); North Texas’ Todd Dodge (Texas QB); Troy’s Larry Blakeney (Auburn QB); Louisiana-Monroe’s Charlie Weatherbie (Oklahoma State QB); and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Rickey Bustle (Clemson WR)…who knew?…and if you’re thinking of some top assistants or coordinators who had talent and could be landing top spots soon, scratch off Ryan Leaf (yikes) and look no further than USC’s Steve Sarkisian.  The former BYU QB led the nation in efficiency in 1996 at 173.6 (ahead of Heisman winner Danny Wuerrfel and Peyton Manning)…or perhaps former Kansas great and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Nolan Cromwell, who is now with Texas A&M…or Georgia’s Mike Bobo…or Pitt’s Matt Cavanaugh…

 

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