Notre Dame Football - Fanblogs.com

Notre Dame Inks Another Neutral-Site Game

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:34:34 -0500

I read today that Notre Dame has just inked a deal to play Maryland at FedEX Field for the 2011 season, a neutral site game that will give the Irish four seasons in a row with such a game. They've also got Arizona State scheduled in Cowboys Stadium in Texas for 2013. Last year they played Washington State in San Antonio, a matchup that had to be created purely for the accumulation of frequent flyer miles, and they play Army this coming season at Yankee Stadium. Even an ardent Notre Dame detractor such as myself has to admit that the matchup and venue combination is pretty cool. The only bad thing about it is that it's scheduled for late November, the game before the Irish's season-ending rivalry match with USC. It might draw way more attention if they played it earlier in the season, like a kickoff game, but I forgot that they schedule other activities in Yankee Stadium around that time.

I applaud the Irish for doing more touring than Jimmy Buffet. It keeps their name out there, and gives their still enormous fan base a snowball's chance of seeing them somewhere outside South Bend, which is pretty handy since they don't always accept bowl invitations. Keeping relevant is important for a team that who although has it's own individual television contract, has played Georgia Tech almost as many times (34) as neighbor Michigan (37). Yet with new coach Brian Kelly barely settling into South Bend, the temptation to cut some slack on his upcoming schedule might be too great. Why risk going on the road when you could have a gut game at home and help your new coach build confidence, especially the week before your biggest game of the season? Kudos to the Irish for this unique scheduling approach. If they keep it up, they might be able to resist joining a conference for at least another decade.

Know this: These one-shot games are the way of the future. They allow easier scheduling logistics than a home and home, and generous payouts help ease the financial sting of the subtraction of a home game from the slate. And the venue and/or timing of the game give unparalled exposure. Last season's Chick Fil-A Kickoff Game gave ABC huge numbers, with football-starved fans eager for any pigskin action. It's like a bowl game to kick off the season, but even better than one because all of CFB is focused on you. The game isn't diluted with a bunch of other meaningless games like the bowl season is.

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The Real Story of How Alabama Got Twelve National Titles

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:55:18 -0500

Just in time for Alabama possibly winning it's eighth legitimate national championship, we have this article from The Birmingham News that finally answers the age old question of how Alabama came to claim 12 MNCs. It is a subject that many have speculated on for quite some time. Meet Wayne Atcheson, former Alabama sports information director and the man that 'won' more national titles for the Crimson Tide than anyone except the Bear. In 1983 (he claims) as the first year director, he added five back-dated and minor-selector titles to the Tide media guide. Taylor Watson, current director of the Bryant museum in Tuscaloosa, says that it was in 1986. A look back at the 1982 media guide lists only those six titles won under Bryant (other than a footnote denoting 1934 as one).

Said Atcheson: "I've talked to university officials about it. You're about the first reporter to ever ask me about it. I want to say the right thing here. I made the change because Coach Bryant had these 25 years and six national championships and they were emphasized so much. It was on all the stationery. And when I got there, it was a matter of seeing there were five others and we should put them all together. It was as simple as that."

According to the NCAA, only 'consensus' national titles go into the 'record books', a term used selectively as we all know that the NCAA does not sanction a title in FBS football. A consensus national title is considered to be any title bestowed after 1950 by any (but not necessarily all) of the following NC selectors: AP, UPI, Football Writers Association of America, National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame, USA Today/CNN or USA Today/ESPN. Hmmm. So what made Atcheson do it?

"I tried to make Alabama football look the best it could look and just make it as great as it could possibly be," Atcheson said. "I was a competitor myself with the other schools, and what they bragged about and boasted about, I wanted people to know the best about my school."

In other words, he embellished it. And so many Tide faithful take that as the gospel for Alabama football tradition--and it happened from the mere stroke of a pen. And so as Paul Harvey used to say, now you know the rest of the story.

h/t: DC Hammer

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2009-2010 College Football Bowl Game Television Schedule

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:09:51 -0500

Despite what you may hear from skeptics, there's no better season in all of sports than college football bowl season and the complete television schedule for the bowl games is right here on Fanblogs, brought to you by BangTheBook.com.

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Date/Time/TV	Bowl	Site	Matchup
Saturday Dec. 19 2 :30 pm ET ESPN	New Mexico Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Albuquerque, NM University Stadium	Wyoming vs. Fresno State
Saturday Dec. 19 8:00 pm ET ESPN	St. Petersburg Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	St. Petersburg, FL Tropicana Field	Rutgers vs. Central Florida
Sunday Dec. 20 8:00 pm ET ESPN	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome	Southern Miss vs. Middle Tenn St
Tuesday Dec. 22 8:00 pm ET ESPN	MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium	BYU vs. Oregon State
Wednesday Dec. 23 8:00 pm ET ESPN	San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	Utah vs. Cal
Thursday Dec. 24 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Honolulu, HI Aloha Stadium	SMU vs. Nevada
Saturday Dec. 26 4:30 pm ET ESPN	Meineke Car Care Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium	North Carolina vs. Pitt
Saturday Dec. 26 5 :00 pm ET ESPN	Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Detroit, MI Ford Field	Ohio U vs. Marshall
Saturday Dec. 26 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Emerald Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Francisco, CA AT&T Park	Boston College vs. USC
Sunday Dec. 27 8:15 pm ET ESPN	Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Nashville, TN LP Field	Clemson vs. Kentucky
Monday Dec. 28 5:00 pm ET ESPN	AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Shreveport, LA Independence Stadium	Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Tuesday Dec. 29 4:30 pm ET ESPN	EagleBank Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Washington, DC RFK Stadium	Temple vs. UCLA
Tuesday Dec. 29 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Champs Sports Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium	Miami vs. Wisconsin
Wednesday Dec. 30 4:30 pm ET ESPN	Roady's Humanitarian Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Boise, ID Bronco Stadium	Bowling Green vs. Idaho
Wednesday Dec. 30 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	Nebraska vs. Arizona
Thursday Dec. 31 2:00 pm ET NFL Network	Texas Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Houston, TX Reliant Stadium	Missouri vs. Navy
Thursday Dec. 31 Time TBA ESPN	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Fort Worth, TX Amon G. Carter Stadium	Air Force vs. Houston
Thursday Dec. 31 12:00 pm ET CBS	Brut Sun Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	El Paso, TX Sun Bowl Stadium	Stanford vs. Oklahoma
Thursday Dec. 31 5:30 pm ET NFL Network	Insight Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium	Minnesota vs. Iowa State
Thursday Dec. 31 7:30 pm ET ESPN	Chick-fil-A Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome	Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Friday Jan. 1 11:00 am ET ESPN	Outback Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium	Auburn vs. Northwestern
Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET CBS	Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	FSU vs. West Virginia
Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ABC	Capital One Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium	Penn State vs. LSU
Friday Jan. 1 5:00 pm ET ABC	Rose Bowl presented by Citi Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl	Ohio State vs. Oregon
Friday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET FOX	Allstate Sugar Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	New Orleans, LA Superdome	Florida vs. Cincinnati
Saturday Jan. 2 12:00 pm ET ESPN2	International Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre	South Florida vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday Jan. 2 2 :00 pm ET ESPN	PapaJohns.com Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Birmingham, AL Legion Field	Connecticut vs. South Carolina
Saturday Jan. 2 2:00 pm ET FOX	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Arlington, TX Cowboys Stadium	Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss
Saturday Jan. 2 5:30 pm ET ESPN	AutoZone Liberty Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Memphis, TN Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	East Carolina vs. Arkansas
Saturday Jan. 2 9 :00 pm ET ESPN	Valero Alamo Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Antonio, TX Alamodome	Michigan State vs. Texas Tech
Monday Jan. 4 8:00 pm ET FOX	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium	TCU vs. Boise State
Tuesday Jan. 5 8:00 pm ET FOX	FedEx Orange Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Miami, FL Dolphin Stadium	Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
Wednesday Jan. 6 7 :00 pm ET ESPN	GMAC Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Mobile, AL Ladd Peebles Stadium	Troy vs. Central Michigan
Thursday Jan. 7 8:00 pm ET ABC	BCS National Championship Game Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl	Alabama vs. Texas

The 2009 college football season will be capped by exciting college football bowl games, including the 2009 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the 2009 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, the 2009 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 2009 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and the 2009 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA.

The best college football teams from the major conferences, including the Big10 conference, Big 12 conference, Pac 10 conference, ACC conference, Big East conference, SEC conference, and Mountain West conference will face off in college football bowl games throughout December and into January.

If you're looking for updated matchups, odds, insights, betting lines and online wagering for the college football bowl games, please be sure to try BangTheBook.com.

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Brian Kelly a Done Deal at Notre Dame?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:45:08 -0500

Cincinnati's Brian Kelly has told his players that he would meet with Notre Dame but said in a Twitter post today that the meeting has yet to take place. Kelly appears to be the hottest prospect for the Golden Dome, but could he possibly be the only one? A source close to the coach says that although he is in contact with officials with the school, but has yet to have a meeting with AD Jack Swarbrick. Both are staying at the same hotel in New York for the College Football Foundation and Hall of Fame banquet, but it appears now that the two will not meet while there.

Still, other sources are saying that an announcement could come as early as Friday, chief among those being Lou Holtz. Said Holtz yesterday on a Chicago radio talk show:

"[Kelly] really wants the job. I think that's his lifetime job. He would love to be there.He has an Irish name, plus he has all the ingredients the athletic director is looking for. Here's a guy who's been prepared every place he's been. He's done a tremendous job at Cincinnati."

The Irish have hired a search firm out of Atlanta to gauge the interest of possible candidates. Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz, mentioned as a possible candidate, denied being contacted by the firm, in spite of reports saying that he had a meeting with them. Likewise said Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, who is also at the same banquet in New York with Swarbrick and Kelly. Harbaugh said yesterday that no meeting is to take place between himself and Notre Dame..

What about the oft-rumored run to be made at Urban Meyer? One would assume that had Florida won the SEC CG, any discussion with him would have been postponed until after the BCS title game. But with Florida out of the hunt and no talk of a Notre Dame plane landing in Gainesville, it looks like the Irish are going in another direction.

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Weis Out at Notre Dame

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:43:58 -0500

The New York Daily News has broken the story that Charlie Weis is out after five seasons in South Bend, where he dropped his last four games in a row and finished his career at 35-27. That would give him an even worse record than previous coaches Ty Willingham and Bob Davie. Weiss now claims to have no fewer than six offers for an OC position in the NFL.

Irish AD Jack Swarbrick informed the coaching staff of the decision earlier today. Further pending is the school deciding whether or not they wish to go to a bowl game with a 6-6 record. Player input will be part of that decision, but so will the appointment of an interim coach as well.

Much speculation was made after the Irish's loss to Stanford this weekend, where Weis refused to do halftime and post game interviews with the media. He allegedly also cleaned out his office on Thursday before the team even made the trip to California. Also curious is whether or not QB Jimmy Clausen is done as well, as speculation might have him declaring for the NFL draft after this, his junior year.

Now comes the circus that comes with filling the job that was formerly the biggest in college football. The rumor mill is still burning with one big name--Urban Meyer. Others being circulated thus far are Brian Kelly of Cincinnati, Gary Patterson of TCU, Jim Harbaugh of Stanford and even Butch Davis of North Carolina. More to come!

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Gator Bowl to match SEC vs Big Ten; more bowl shakeups ensue

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:43:42 -0500

After months of wrangling and having the ACC reject the bowl's latest proposal, the Gator Bowl is finalizing a four-year agreement that will pit an SEC team against a Big 10 team in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons.

Officials from the SEC have already confirmed their participation to The Birmingham News. Under the terms, the Gator will get "at least" the sixth pick of bowl-eligible SEC teams. The pick position could vary on a year-to-year basis, but more details would be announced once the Big 10 announces its bowl agreements next week.

The Gator Bowl is also in final talks to become part of a broadcast deal with ESPN, leaving CBS, in a move that could signal the end of the exclusive broadcast window that has been previously negotiated for the Capital One Bowl.

With the Cotton Bowl moving to January 2nd, the result of the Gator Bowl agreement means that all three non-BCS games on New Years Day will feature SEC vs Big 10 matchups.

With the end of the ACC / Big East relationship in the Gator Bowl, the ACC and Big East have signed an agreement with the Champs Bowl which will essentially recreates the conferences past Gator relationship in Orlando.

Under the terms to begin with the 2010 season, the ACC will send its #3 selection to the Champs Bowl to face the Big East's #2 selection or Notre Dame. The Champs can select Notre Dame once over the four year agreement if the Irish have seven wins and are within two wins of the #2 Big East school.

With the Gator Bowl now aligned with SEC, the Independence Bowl finds itself as odd-man out in the SEC bowl mix after 15 years with the conference. Instead, the Independence Bowl will look to sign a new bowl matchup between the ACC and Mountain West.

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CFB Hall of Fame Moving from South Bend to Atlanta

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:21:12 -0500

Early word leaked out from a state of Georgia official yesterday that the College Football Hall of Fame, currently residing in South Bend, IN, will be moving to Atlanta sometime in the next year or so after their contract with the city ends on December 31st, 2010. In South Bend since 1995 when it relocated from a suburb of Cincinnati, the Hall has never attracted the kind of visitor count that it had hoped. Initial projections were for 150,000 visitors a year, but only 115,000 came the first year, then only around 60,000 average for the succeeding years. The mayor of South Bend has also confirmed the pending move, saying he was told by Foundation members yesterday. In a letter to the city, National Football Foundation and CFBHOF chairman Archie Manning wrote this:

We take this action not because of any failure on your part, but because we have an opportunity to take the exposure of the Hall of Fame to an entirely new level.

Reportably, representatives from the Chick Fil A Bowl have been working earnestly for the last three years to attempt to lure the Hall to Atlanta, although officials from the Bowl and the Atlanta Sports Council, the group responsible for putting on the Chick Fil A Kickoff Game, the SEC Championship Game, the Atlanta Football Classic and the Chick Fil A Bowl, are not currently talking. The official news conference is slated for tomorrow at the ESPN Zone on Peachtree Road in North Atlanta.

Obviously, the backdrop of Atlanta and it's existing tourist attractions like Centennial Olympic Park, The Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, the M.L.King Center and the World of Coca Cola played a large part in attracting the Hall. The number of high-profile companies supposedly offering generous sponsorship packages also were a huge incentive, said the South Bend mayor.

The current football Hall features 20 exhibits, including celebrations of past champions, chronicles of great rivalries and a level for visitors to practice passing and kicking. It honors more than 900 former players or coaches. Due to the lagging attendance in it's current location, rumors also had Dallas, TX in the running, with the backing of T. Boone Pickens, among other cities showing interest in the Hall.

In a related story, other things possibly leaving South Bend include:

1) Charlie Weiss

2) NBC Sports' nose

3) Jimmy Claussen to the CFL

4) Tough strength of schedule

5) National prominence and relevance

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sim-BCS Standings: Week 1

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:00:04 -0500

Here are the top 20 in this weeks simulated BCS Standings. Since no official standings come out yet, this is as good as it gets. Samual Chi at BCS Guru does very good.

The highest ranked team from each BCS conference is in bold. Remaining teams from the SEC and Big 12 are in italics, as a second team from each should be expected. BYU, Boise State, TCU and Utah are in contention for the final automatic qualification (as long as at least one finishes in the top 12). The remaining teams are fighting for the lone remaining BCS slot. Gaps represent large seperations in rankings.

1) FLorida
2) USC
3) Texas
2) Alabama

5) Oklahoma State
6) Ohio State
7) Penn State

8) BYU
9) Boise State
10) California
11) LSU
12) Mississippi
13) Oklahoma

14) TCU
=== BCS Eligibility Line ===
15) Utah
16) Virginia Tech
17) Georgia Tech

18) Georgia
19) Missouri
20) Cincinnati
=== BCS Watch List ===
21) Miami (FL)
22) Nebraska
23) Notre Dame
24) Texas Tech
25) North Carolina

BYU at #9 this early, with a win over a top 15 team and 2 teams left in the top 20, is looking like a far better chance at the championship game than any team from outside the BCS has seen. The fact that TCU and Utah are not far behind indicates the MWC has drawn significant credibility in the BCS formula. CSU and Air Force also got some points towards the bottom of the listing.

Boise State has to hope Oregon turns things around this season. No other WAC or MAC team is earning any BCS points, and other than UC Davis this is all Boise State has remaining. Unlike BYU, Boise State does not have a schedule that will prevent significant numbers of teams from passing them in the standigns as the year goes on.

With four teams from outside the BCS conferences already in the top 15, and 2 in the top 10, I think we can assume at least one will make it in this year. It appears that Penn State (or Ohio State) and California (or USC) are the only impediments currently foiling a second such team from securing a BCS berth. The ACC is down. but not completely out here and Notre Dame is lurking just outside at #23

The Big East has emerged in the top 25, with Cincinnati breaking into the top 20.

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2009 - Week 2 College Football Polls

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:10:24 -0500

College football polls for week two - games played through 9/7/2009.

AP College Football Poll
1. Florida (56) 1-0 1493 1
2. Texas (2) 1-0 1424 2
3. USC 1-0 1355 4
4. Alabama (2) 1-0 1331 5
5. Oklahoma St. 1-0 1201 9
6. Mississippi 1-0 1095 8
7. Penn St. 1-0 1082 9
8. Ohio St. 1-0 985 6
9. BYU 1-0 984 20
10. California 1-0 971 12
11. LSU 1-0 890 11
12. Boise St. 1-0 882 14
13. Oklahoma 0-1 782 3
14. Virginia Tech 0-1 652 7
15. Georgia Tech 1-0 630 15
16. TCU 0-0 523 17
17. Utah 1-0 404 19
18. Notre Dame 1-0 383 23
19. North Carolina 1-0 338 21
20. Miami (FL) 1-0 315 NR
21. Georgia 0-1 294 13
22. Nebraska 1-0 266 24
23. Cincinnati 1-0 248 NR
24. Kansas 1-0 196 25
25. Missouri 1-0 126 NR

Others Receiving Votes:
Oregon St. 113, Michigan St. 83, Pittsburgh 82, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 47, Clemson 40, Florida St. 39, West Virginia 32, Tennessee 30, Iowa 24, UCLA 18, Michigan 18, Baylor 17, Boston Coll. 14, Arizona 12, East Carolina 6, Auburn 4, Colorado St. 4, Air Force 4, South Carolina 3, Arkansas 3, Tulsa 1, Southern Miss 1, Houston 1, South Florida 1

USA Today Coaches Poll
1. Florida (56) 1-0 1472 1
2. Texas (2) 1-0 1407 2
3. USC (1) 1-0 1352 4
4. Alabama 1-0 1299 5
5. Penn St. 1-0 1145 8
6. Oklahoma St. 1-0 1114 11
7. Ohio St. 1-0 1106 6
8. Mississippi 1-0 1006 10
9. LSU 1-0 977 9
10. California 1-0 935 12
11. Boise St. 1-0 803 16
12. BYU 1-0 755 24
13. Georgia Tech 1-0 685 15
14. Oklahoma 0-1 682 3
15. Virginia Tech 0-1 633 7
16. TCU 0-0 543 17
17. Utah 1-0 503 18
18. Nebraska 1-0 360 22
19. North Carolina 1-0 358 20
20. Notre Dame 1-0 335 23
21. Georgia 0-1 304 13
22. Miami (FL) 1-0 276 NR
23. Cincinnati 1-0 187 NR
24. Oregon St. 1-0 169 25
25. Kansas 1-0 139 NR

Others Receiving Votes:
Michigan St. 133, Missouri 97, Iowa 70, Florida St. 62, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 50, Pittsburgh 26, Clemson 24, South Carolina 23, Tennessee 21, West Virginia 13, Auburn 13, South Florida 12, Kentucky 8, Arizona 5, Northwestern 4, Michigan 4, Boston Coll. 3, Arkansas 2, UCLA 2, Baylor 2, Tulsa 1, Colorado St. 1, Minnesota 1

CBS College Blogpoll

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2009 Preseason BCS Standings (Simulated)

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:46:08 -0500

The legendary BCS Guru has his simulated preseason BCS standings posted for the 2009 season. With the Coaches poll on the books along with three computer polls already posted, it's never too early to dig deeper on the BCS implications.

The results? No big surprises, but a few interesting notes....

BCSGURU.COM Simulated BCS Preseason Standings
For the purpose of this preseason simulation, BCSGURU uses AP, Coaches, and three computer polls. Remember that AP poll is *not* a BCS component. This is a simulation.

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. USC
5. Ohio State

BCSGuru already sees a lean for USC in the computer polls over Texas and Oklahoma. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this trend, especially when you factor the bump that the USC-Ohio State winner will get after week one.

Three non-AQ teams are lumped together in the simulated BCS, just as they are in the human polls. Boise State (#15), TCU (#16), and Utah (#17) all have an outside chance to make a run into an qualifier position.

Finally, Notre Dame is *not* getting any respect in the computer polls. The Irish average a #47 ranking, which means they will really need to prove it on the field this year. It seems unlikely that UND will crack the BCS top 15 without some really strong performances against what has the appearance of a soft (by UND standards) schedule this year.

For much, much more analysis, check out the entire preseason simulation at BCSGuru.com.

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Has the time come for an ACC/Big East Superconference?

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:20:19 -0500

Desmond Conner, the Hartford Courant blogger, has a proposal to push the profile of the Big East & ACC back to the top of college athletics - form a superconference.

Conner proposes combining the eight football schools of the Big East with the twelve schools of the ACC, creating the largest conference to "control the entire East Coast's TV markets, rule the world in basketball with crazy competition and paydays in football and basketball?"

With logistics in mind, let's pull out a map here...oh yes: you could have a four divisions of five: You could put, say, UConn, Boston College, Rutgers, Syracuse and Maryland in one division; Pitt, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and say Louisville in another; Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State in one and then group Clemson, Georgia Tech, South Florida, Miami and Florida State together?

How's the scheduling work?

Well, you would play the other four teams from your division, play another division and one team from the other two for a total of 10 league games and then schedule two non-conference games.

In the realm of crazy ideas, I've heard crazier.

If the ACC folks aren't interested, Connor suggests walking this idea to the Big 10 and adding Notre Dame to form a 20-team superconference, but I see that as the less likely scenario, actually.

If you could rewrite the BCS eligibility to ensure the superconference maintains its two guaranteed spots (BE spot & ACC spot) as well as permit up to two additional schools (as the BE & ACC can already have two each), then you might be on to something.

Anybody up for a Big East / ACC Superconference?

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Grading the contenders non-con schedules

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:06:51 -0500

Eric Sorenson, who seems to have quite the little man crush on Florida head coach Urban Meyer, details the non-conference schedules of the consensus contenders for CBS Sportsline.

The results? Well... pretty interesting, unless you're a Texas, Penn State, Florida, or Ole Miss fan. But - then again - if you're a Texas, Penn State, Florida, or Ole Miss fan, you probably already know that your non-con sucks this year.

Some highlights:

Florida: D+
Sept. 5: vs. Charleston Southern, F
Sept. 12: vs. Troy, D+
Nov. 21: vs. Florida International, D-
Nov. 28: vs. Florida State, B-

Oklahoma: C+
Sept. 5: vs. BYU (In Arlington, Texas), B
Sept. 12: vs. Idaho State, F
Sept. 19: vs. Tulsa, C
Oct. 3: at Miami, B

Texas: D-
Sept. 5: vs. UL-Monroe, F
Sept. 12: at Wyoming, D
Sept. 26: vs. UTEP, D+
Nov. 7: vs. UCF, D

Ohio State: C
Sept. 5: vs. Navy, C-
Sept. 12: vs. USC, A+
Sept. 19: vs. Toledo (at Cleveland), D
Oct. 31: vs. New Mexico St., D

Alabama: C
Sept. 5: vs. Virginia Tech (at Atlanta), A
Sept. 12: vs. Florida International, D-
Sept. 19: vs. North Texas, D
Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga, F

Virginia Tech: B
Sept. 5: vs. Alabama (at Atlanta), A
Sept. 12: vs. Marshall, D
Sept. 19: vs. Nebraska, B+
Nov. 5: at East Carolina, B-

Florida State: B-
Sept. 12: vs. Jacksonville State, F
Sept. 19: at BYU, B
Sept. 26: vs. South Florida, C+
Nov. 28: at Florida, A

LSU: D
Sept. 5: at Washington, D
Sept. 19: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, D-
Oct. 31: vs. Tulane, D-
Nov. 14: Louisiana Tech, D

Utah: D+
Sept. 3: vs. Utah State, D-
Sept. 12: at San Jose State, D
Sept. 19: at Oregon, B+
Sept. 26: vs. Louisville, D+

Just a side note: Why the hell is FSU considered a contender this year? Heh....

Check out the full grades at CBS Sportsline.

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2009 Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:41:35 -0500

The 2009 USA Today Coaches Football Poll, released August 7, 2009.

1. Florida (53)
2. Texas (4)
3. Oklahoma (1)
4. Southern California (1)
5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Virginia Tech
8. Penn State
9. LSU
10. Mississippi
11. Oklahoma State
12. California
13. Georgia
14. Oregon
15. Georgia Tech
16. Boise State
17. TCU
18. Utah
19. Florida State
20. North Carolina
21. Iowa
22. Nebraska
23. Notre Dame
24. Brigham Young
25. Oregon State

Others receiving votes (with 2008 records):
Kansas (8-5) 138; Michigan State (9-4) 136; Texas Tech (11-2) 114; Cincinnati (11-3) 90; Pittsburgh (9-4) 64; West Virginia (9-4) 55; Rutgers (8-5) 51; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 46; Missouri (10-4) 44; Illinois (5-7) 38; Clemson (7-6) 30; South Carolina (7-6) 18; UCLA (4-8) 14; Auburn (5-7) 12; Nevada (7-6) 11; South Florida (8-5) 11; Kentucky (7-6) 9; North Carolina State (6-7) 7; Arkansas (5-7) 6; Wisconsin (7-6) 6; Northwestern (9-4) 5; Southern Mississippi (7-6) 4; Wake Forest (8-5) 4; Arizona (8-5) 3; Boston College (9-5) 3; Central Michigan (8-5) 3; East Carolina (9-5) 3; Colorado (5-7) 2; Maryland (8-5) 2; Navy (8-5) 2; Tennessee (5-7) 2; Houston (8-5) 1; Michigan (3-9) 1; Minnesota (7-6) 1; Troy (8-5) 1.

I know what you're thinking? Where's the ritual preseason vote for Duke? I have no idea. Although South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is voting this year in the coaches poll, he did not cast his annual vote for the Blue Devils. Perhaps the uproar of blaming his assistant for snubbing Tim Tebow hit a little too close to home.

And not to beat a dead horse, but I *hate* preseason polls. They are *not* accurate indicators of success. Case in point? Last year's preseason coaches poll failed to rank 14 of the 25 teams in final season coaches poll. That's right. The 2008 preseason coaches poll failed to rank 56% of the teams in the 2008 final poll.

So... if you like you're football indicators with a 44% accuracy, then - by all means - go nuts over this one.

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Meyer gets raise, extension, & thank you notes from Saban, Miles

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:30:07 -0500

Florida head coach Urban Meyer inked a six-year contract extension this week, locking the Gators coach in Gainesville at a cool, crisp $4 million per year. The new deal, which runs through the 2014 season, keeps Meyer's $500,000 buyout option unchanged, according to ESPN.

The agreement - which runs roughly until Meyer's youngest, Nate, is finished with school - is a win-win for the coach and the Gators.

"I continue to be very thankful and appreciative for everything the University of Florida and the athletic program has done for me and my family," Meyer said in a statement. "Dr. [Bernie] Machen, Jeremy Foley and the community make this a special place, and I'm honored to be a part of it."

As a condition of the new agreement, Meyer will donate $1 million to the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program, which both he & basketball coach Billy Donovan are promoting to support first-generation, financially disadvantaged students.

The raise puts Meyer into lofty salary territory, as the highest paid coach in the SEC (for now, Saban is said to be renegotiating) and one of just a handful of coaches over the $4 million hurdle (Carroll and Weis are the others, reportedly, and Bob Stoops who earns over $6 million per year with loyalty incentives).

There's no arguing that Meyer is one of the finest coaches in the country. His track record, courtesy of the Miami Herald, speaks for itself.

Meyer is 44-9 at Florida and 14-3 against the Gators' traditional rivals: Tennessee (4-0), Georgia (3-1), Florida State (4-0), LSU (2-2) and Miami (1-0). Florida is 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game and 2-0 in BCS National Championship games.
"I believe that Urban Meyer is the best at what he does," UF president Bernie Machen said by e-mail. "He demands excellence of his players on the field and in the classroom. Not only did the University of Florida win a national championship in January, but all 13 seniors earned degrees and the 2008 football team tied an SEC league record with 37 players named to the SEC academic honor roll."

The lone apparent blemish to Meyer's tenure at Florida is a troublesome string of arrests by his players. Since taking over in 2005, Meyer has seen nearly 30 of his players arrested for a variety of misdemeanors and felonies. Several, including former Gators Ronnie Wilson and Jamar Hornsby and current player Dustin Doe, were arrested more than once.

Meyer's new agreement should help quell the brouhaha created when he called Notre Dame his "dream job" more than once last season. At a charity golf tournament last month, Meyer again said that he was "never" going to Notre Dame.

I stand by what I said last November and still believe that Notre Dame should dump Weis and bring a truck full of money to Meyer's doorstep, but... this deal makes it damn near impossible to lure Meyer away with just money. Urbie is probably the Gator head coach for many, many, many years to come.

Of course, this likely puts Skip Holtz squarely in the sights for the Irish. Sorry, ECU.

But the biggest winners in the wake of Meyer's extension are Alabama's Nick Saban and LSU's Les Miles.

Saban, who is reportedly negotiating a new agreement with Alabama, had a huge bargaining chip thrown into his lap. News of Meyer passing the Crimson Tide coach could vault Saban into the $4.2M/$4.3M range.

For his part, Miles could put himself in line for a huge payday as a condition of his contract with LSU. The coach of the Tigers has language in his agreement that guarantees that he will be the highest paid coach in the SEC by at least $1,000 if he wins the national championship. In other words, raise the crystal ball this year and that $3.76 million paycheck takes a nice fat bump - no extension required.

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Where would you play? A fans guide to non-traditional venues

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:22:01 -0500

With the announcement of a resumption of the Notre Dame - Army series, featuring a game in Yankee Stadium in 2010, and all of the hub-a-baloo about non-traditional venues... it got me thinking about y'all: Where would the Fanblogs guys like to see a game played?

To wet your whistle, here's a few ideas:

Tennessee vs Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway
You can pretty much bank on 170,000+ fans piling into BIS for this game. The high banking in the stands would provide great lines of sight for nearly every seat. Don't even get me started about the tailgating.

Army vs Navy on the National Mall in Washington DC
The crowd would be obscenely large - a boon for the service academies - but the seating would be less than ideal. With satellite screens set up, you could easily attract 300,000+ fans for the game.

Texas vs Southern Cal at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
Bringing two of the nation's landmark teams to Mexico City would be a boon to college football, in general. The stadium had "only" 103,000 in attendance the last time the NFL was in town, but the capacity would likely be closer to 115,000 without upteen million NFL cameras in the way.

Illinois vs Northwestern at Wrigley Field
The NCAA has outlawed the "offensive" 'Sweet Sioux Tomahawk' trophy, so the Illini & Wildcats are getting a new trophy in 2009, so why not feature the game in a legendary venue? It might be the only way you get me to an Illini game, after all.

Auburn vs Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway
Can you imagine a crowd of 165,000 at the Iron Bowl? Boom!

Florida vs Notre Dame at Wembley Stadium in London
You know that Florida fans would be up for a chance to finally beat the Irish and Notre Dame fans, well, they're everywhere. The Brits love coming to Florida... so I'm thinking 105,000 for this one.

Alright, guys... whatchya got?

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