Burnt Orange Nation

Bevo's Daily Roundup - December 17, 2009

2009-12-17T02:39:52Z

Pete Flutak has ten reasons why Texas will beat Alabama.

NationalChamps.net has put out 2010 rankings and the Horns come in at No. 7.

Their 2010 preview already is out. Texas at No. 7 is the highest ranked team in the early poll.

Ranked ahead of the Longhorns, starting from the top, are Alabama, Boise State, Oregon, Florida, Ohio State and TCU.

Other Big 12 teams ranked in the top 25 are Nebraska at No. 12, Oklahoma at No. 16 and Missouri at No. 25.

The average resale price of a ticket to the BCS title game is $1500.

Dennis Dodd looks at the 2009 bowl landscape.

Alabama cancels classes. Mack Brown gets a $2 million raise.

Ya think football is big at these two football factories? Look what happened when they made the BCS title game. The combined salaries of the two coaches in this game -- $9 million -- is worth half the payout ($18.3 million). Colt McCoy is the leading passer in Texas history. Ingram is the top single-season rusher in Alabama history.

You can't look away even though you're disgusted at the BCS. There will be great plays by great players. Somewhere, Bear Bryant and Darrell Royal are smiling. The legacies are bright and shiny.

Basketball

Hallelujah! Jai Lucas is finally eligible.

"Jai’s personality has been a big kick for us," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He’s already made an impact even though he hasn’t played yet.

As much as Barnes enjoys being around the sophomore-in-eligibility transfer point guard, he’s eager to add him to the Longhorns’ backcourt rotation beginning Saturday against 10th-ranked North Carolina in the first basketball game played in JerryWorld.

It is time to think about the Tar Heels.

"I always think of Michael Jordan because he's the greatest," said freshman guard Avery Bradley. "They've always been an elite program and it's exciting to play them. I can't even remember the last time Texas played North Carolina."

As for the rest of it, Texas' most famous North Carolinian is ready for some new blood as well. Rick Barnes had no illusions of Tuesday's 104-42 bloodletting over the Broncs. These blowouts are no picnic for him or his players. It's happening all over the place. The Heels polished off Presbyterian 103-64 earlier this week while Duke dogged the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Dogs 113-68. It's called paying the bills.

But Saturday's game will not be about bills but billing, and Barnes is excited to see how his youngsters will react before a large crowd, a nationally televised audience, and most important, against their first ranked opponent.

Jerry World is getting ready for the big game.

Workers started installing 350 maple panels this morning to create the floor for Saturday’s game between the University of Texas and University of North Carolina, the first basketball game at the new $1.15 billion stadium.

Because the floor sits atop a 25½-inch aluminum platform, the hardwood surface will be much larger than most basketball floors, said Doug Hamar, president and CEO of Horner Sports Flooring.

"We don’t want the guys running right off and having to jump down two feet," Hamar said.

Aggie freshman running back Christine Michael talks about Georgia.

Iowa State or Missouri are the logical choices to join the Big 10. But then who will replace the team that leaves?

The Big 12 could add Texas Christian. That would hurt the Big 12 on television sets — TCU adds none; Missouri’s departure would cost the league some viewers — and basketball, but not football. TCU’s 10-year run has solidified that program. The Frogs are not flashes; they are a legit program.

No one else in Texas should appeal to the Big 12. Truth is, New Mexico would be a better addition than Houston or anyone else. The Lobos are capable of playing big-time basketball and capable of producing a football following in a state that craves big-time sports.

Chances are, the Big 12 remains the same. But you’ve always got to be prepared.

Barry Tramel better be ready for some hate mail from the Froggies.

So, what should we call the Big 10 Conference after expansion?

The divisions would have to be called the Schembechler and Grange.

Get ready for Michigan and Ohio State playing twice each season.

Then there would be the whole mess about the Big Ten's new name. Big 12 is already taken.

Large Dozen anyone?

If invited, Missouri might just leave.

Missouri officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the Big 12 Conference bowl selection process, which they feel has undercut the accomplishments of the MU football team in each of the last three seasons.

Missouri has historically been considered a candidate for moving to the Big Ten, with proponents seeing the school as a good fit academically and athletically.

Jayhawk assistant coaches were asked to pack up. Wide receivers coach David Beaty is the only coach being considered for a position by Turner Gill.

Kansas QB Todd Reesing received an $18,000 scholarship from the National Football Foundation.

Nice work if you can get it. Mark Mangino gets $3 million dollars just for leaving.

Former Kansas football coach Mark Mangino will be paid $3 million as part of a settlement both sides signed last week.

The university announced the payout on Wednesday and said the settlement will be paid through private funds raised by the athletics department, with no taxpayer money involved.

More on the Darrell Scott drama. Colorado AD Mike Bohn said Scott has not asked for a release from his scholarship or permission to contact other schools and coaches.

Bohn conducted an exit interview with Scott in early November after the former five-star recruit announced he was leaving coach Dan Hawkins' program. At the time, Bohn said he would not comment on any possible scholarship release until the end of the semester.

Now that the end of the semester is near with finals ending on Thursday and commencement on Friday, Bohn said he hasn't had any recent discussions with Scott and doesn't know when he might.

Texas Longhorns 2009 National Championship Video

2009-12-17T02:27:23Z

From reader BradLonghorn, our first hype video before the big game. And it. is. great.

Can you feel it yet?

ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge

2009-12-17T02:15:11Z

ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge

Horndude has already created a group: Burnt Orange Nation. Password = colt.

Picks are confidence based but straight up.

Picks lock on December 19th.

Former LSU commit Davis Pledges To Texas

2009-12-16T13:00:25Z

Instant Analysis

Back at the first Junior Day in February, Skyline receiver Mike bore the ignominious distinction of being one of the few players not to receive a Texas offer at the event. Some speculated that Davis left unhappy and feeling disrespected about the slight. By the end of February, he had committed to LSU ($) over offers from national programs like Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Stanford, and California, citing his comfort level with the program and the coaches recruiting him. However, several weeks ago, Davis re-opened his commitment.

Upon hearing that Davis was once again taking visits, the Texas coaching staff got into contact with him again and expressed their interest, led by Metroplex recruiter Bruce Chambers. Davis also communicated with Orangebloods, leading him to become the infamous "mystery recruit" until his announcement that he would visit Texas. It's not clear when Davis received his offer, though it probably happened over the phone, but he reportedly was a silent commit for some time before making it to Austin to meet with the coaching staff and make his decision official. Davis says that he will not take any other visits, per Mack Brown's policy, and will sign his letter of intent on National Signing Day.

There are several possible explanations for why Davis decided that he no longer wanted to become an LSU Tiger. Since he has been a silent commit for several weeks, it's not likely that the loss of recruiting coordinator Larry Porter to Memphis and the resignation last week of wide receivers coach DJ McCarthy, who is under investigation for making improper phone calls to a recruit, though Davis may have known of that investigation prior to his decision to re-open his recruitment. McCarthy's departure was not the only major change in the LSU program, as recruiting coordinator Larry Porter left for the Memphis head coaching position at the end of November.

The more likely reason is that Davis did not like the usage ($) of freshman Ruben Randle this season, saying that there was "something wrong" with his number of touches and felt that LSU was underutilizing all of their receivers, which, Davis said, "worries me a bit." In addition, the use of speedy freshman Russell Shepard fell short of expectations and the offense as a whole underperformed considerably, ranking near the bottom of the country in total offense.

Given the depth chart at Texas, any expectations for early playing time are probably even more slim for Davis than they would be at LSU, but Marquise Goodwin's opportunity to play this season after proving himself in fall camp no doubt influenced Davis and may continue to help the Longhorns in recruiting at the position in the future by slowing down any attempts at negative recruiting by rival programs.

All told, Davis' decision to re-open his commitment, which led to contact from the Texas staff, and his subsequent commitment, perfectly illustrates the late momentum Texas is building as the final stretch approaches before Signing Day. It's been years since Texas has had this much going well at the end fo the recruiting process and there are still a handful of players on the board still considering donning burnt orange in college.

As mentioned in the immediate reaction to the news, Skyline has been a difficult school to recruit for the Longhorns recently, with the prevailing rumor being that the coaching staff doesn't care for Texas all that much for unknown reasons. With Christian Scott already enrolled and Mike Davis now prepared to become a Longhorn, Mack Brown and company may finally be making inroads into the talented program, which features possible 2011 targets Franklin Shannon and Anthony Wallace, with Wallace likely being one of the top targets on the board because of his ability to play either linebacker or defensive end and excel as a blitzer and/or edge rusher.

As Texas continues to secure talent in the Metroplex, Skyline may be one of the last dominoes to fall and if it does become a pipeline program, the recruiting machine that is Texas football could move from juggernaut to unstoppable behemoth. And that should strike fear into the hearts of Big 12 coaches across the conference, particularly the artist formerly known as Big Game Bob, whose program has failed to lure as many DFW prospects north of the Red River in recent years.

For all the talk about the larger implications of Davis' decision, those won't be felt until a later time if they are even felt at all. For now, perspective is necessary on just what his addition means to the program. Obviously, the major storyline is the large number of wide receiver commits in the class, as Davis joins Chris Jones and John Harris as the pure receivers in the class, with Darius Terrell a candidate for the flex tight end position and DeMarco Cobbs an athlete who will probably have an opportunity on the offensive side of the ball when he arrives.

If Cobbs ends up at safety or linebacker and Terrell is truly a flex tight end, that significantly decreases the actual number and when combined with the likely defections of a receiver or two during the offseason, it leaves the Longhorns at a manageable number and with room for Darius White. Since White projects as an outside receiver, the addition of a guy pegged for the slot or flanker position probably won't impact his decision and he's such an elite talent that the Longhorns have to find room for him as long they have a scholarship available.

Basically, the current depth at the position ensures that if there are any injuries, transfers, or out-and-out busts in the group, it won't significantly cripple production at the position -- Texas should have an elite receiving corps for years to come, making the jobs of Garrett Gilbert and Connor Wood that much easier.

Instant Scouting Report

It's still not clear why the Longhorns didn't originally offer Davis at the first Junior Day, or what exactly changed with their evaluation of Davis during and after his senior season. Likewise, it's difficult to determine when exactly Davis re-established contact with the Texas coaching staff, so it seems unlikely that his three touchdown, 263-yard performance against Adrian White and DeSoto in the playoffs had any impact on his eventual offer. Regardless, the production has always been there for Davis and it may be that the coaching staff came to regret their early decision not to offer him.

Though Davis is not an extremely highly-ranked player at this position (18th at receiver by Rivals), he does bring several outstanding attributes to the Texas program. Foremost among them is his route running, as he runs extremely crisp routes and uses his excellent initial burst to create separation out of his breaks. Variously listed at between 6-0 and 6-1, Davis is a deep threat because of his route-running ability -- he simply eats up a defender's cushion extremely quickly. If a quarterback does happen to underthrow the pass, Davis has the body control to adjust to the ball in the air and make a play on it, using his strong hands to secure the football.

The comparison for Davis in the class is Chris Jones, as both players are major threats in the screen game and can break long plays, while both are outstanding deep threats given their respective heights and can catch the ball in traffic. Both players reach top speed extremely quickly, though Davis doesn't quite have the elite top-end speed that Jones possesses.

Like Jones, the concern with Davis is that he needs to develop the strength and ability to beat press coverage -- though he burned Adrian White in the first half of the DeSoto-Skyline playoff game this season when White was giving him a big cushion, when the DeSoto corner walked up to the line of scrimmage and began to jam him, Davis was much less productive in the second half. Though the general consensus is that beating press coverage will be a problem. IT's Jeff Howe thinks that facing cornerbacks with the speed to take away his cushion and then run with him down field may be a bigger obstacle to overcome ($) than just beating a jam at the line. However, Davis does still have a thin upper body and though he has bulked up considerably since his junior season, he needs to add strength.

The major difference between Jones and Davis is that where the Daingerfield star likes to get upfield as quickly as possible after catches, Davis has better shake in his hips to juke defenders, but is also much more likely to slow down in his attempts to avoid tacklers and is more likely to allow defenders trailing the play to catch him from behind. Ball security could also be an issue for Davis in college, as he often doesn't properly secure the football and tends to carry it in one hand like Deion Sanders used to do after interceptions, or otherwise doesn't maintain the necessary three points of contact, carrying the ball away from his body.

The addition of Davis allows the coaching staff options with Jones and Davis on the strong side of the field, as they both have the ability to play the flanker and slot positions and can be put wherever they are most comfortable and most effective. At this point, it's hard to say which player is better suited for which position, but Davis is clearly the more refined of the two as a route runner, which perhaps makes the slot a better position for him.

Overall, Davis is not quite an elite prospect like Darius White because he lacks the top-end speed and ability as a return man, but he is a highly-polished receiver who needs only to spend some time in the weight room and maximize his explosiveness to contribute at the collegiate level. Of all the receivers currently committed in the class, Davis may be the most ready to step onto the field as a freshman and contribute, although the depth chart probably precludes that opportunity with a so many players in front of him.

Much like Goodwin this season, Davis would have to surpass players like Brock Fitzhenry, DeSean Hales, and possibly DJ Monroe or even Goodwin himself to crack the rotation. In all likelihood, that rotation will consist of Malcolm Williams, James Kirkendoll, John Chiles, Brandon Collins, Goodwin, Monroe, and possibly Greg Timmons -- that's seven players in front of Davis. However, even if Davis doesn't see the field often in 2010, there is a strong chance that he will be an impact player in the Texas offense before his career on the 40 Acres ends. And that makes him a great addition to an already excellent class.

Reminder: "Content Creation Survey"

2009-12-16T11:45:14Z

Reminder: "Content Creation Survey"

It is short, direct, and a great help to research if you take the survey. See my original post for details on the survey itself or to contact the research administrator. Thanks in advance for your participation and help.

Texas Destroys Texas-Pan Am, Carolina Up Next

2009-12-16T04:17:48Z

More photos » by Michael Thomas - AP

PB's favorite player is killing the competition. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)

Browse more photos »

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns destroyed Texas-Pan American, 104-42, in a game that was exactly as close as the score indicates. The ‘Horns improved to 9-0 and look to be rolling as the competition increases with North Carolina and Michigan State on the schedule over the next seven days.

This one was over before it started. The Longhorns increased an early 21-11 lead to 33-11 as they held the Broncos scoreless for over six minutes in the first half. Texas led 45-19 at the break and by more than 60 for the latter part of the game.

I don't want anyone to get too excited about this one. Texas-Pan Am was grossly outmatched, way undersized (346^th in effective height, Ken Pom), and would have trouble beating decent high school teams. The Broncs should be the worst team that the ‘Horns face all season, save maybe Gardner Webb. That said, there were some high points worth mentioning.

For a game that was out of hand early, the Longhorns were intense throughout. The full-court pressure and half court traps frustrated the smaller and slower Broncs all game. The ‘Horns forced 21 turnovers and could have easily forced more.

The blowout and the absences of J'Covan Brown (injury), Shawn Williams (injury), and Jai Lucas (stupid NCAA rule) forced Rick Barnes to play with different lineups. For the most part, Texas went big. Lineups included frontcourts of Damion James, Clint Chapman, and Matt Hill or James, Hill, and Dexter Pittman. At one point in the second half, I think James was at the two guard and Gary Johnson at the small forward spot. The bigger lineups met the challenges of guarding smaller perimeter players well. Texas held Texas Pan-Am to just 24% from the floor and 14% from behind the arc.

In addition to the experimental bigger lineups, Avery Bradley got some work at the point for the first time all season. Not surprisingly, he excelled with the ball in his hands as much as he does as the off guard. Bradley led the team with 18 points (8-of-15) and distributed five assists.

A few other brief points after the jump, before chalking up this for the mismatch that it was:

Dogus Balbay is playing like Steve Nash without a reliable jumper. He is turning the corner at will and distributing the basketball like a magician. If you can't score with Dogus on the floor with you, then you just aren't any good. His line -- 8 points, nine assists, and five rebounds against just a single turnover in 22 minutes. Masterful. Oh yeah, and he sank a three-pointer. I swear. I saw it.

Jordan Hamilton is really good off his own miss.

The big to big passing tonight was as good as it gets. I thought Matt Hill, Clint Chapman, Alexis Wangmene, and Damion James were excellent looking for each other from the high post to the low block.

Other than Bradley, four other ‘Horns scored in double figures -- Hamilton (15 pts), Dexter Pittman (14 pts in just 12 min), Gary Johnson (12 pts), and Justin Mason (10 pts). Damion James scored another eight points to go with nine rebounds in just 20 minutes of action.

Texas more than doubled Texas-Pan Am, 64-31, on the glass.

Walk-ons Dean Melchionni and Andrew Dick played seven minutes a piece and were interviewed by Craig Way after the game. Dick even scored two buckets for five points.

Is it just me or the wind always blowing 25 mph outside the Drum?

Box Score

Like I said at the top, Texas-Pan American is really bad and not worth talking about anymore.

NEXT GAME: vs. North Carolina (8-2) in Arlington Saturday 12/19 1 PM ESPN

Bevo's Daily Roundup - December 16, 2009

2009-12-16T03:50:07Z

Sporting News has a Q&A with Jordan Shipley.

Pete Flutak has Garrett Gilbert listed as a 2010 Heisman candidate.

14. Garrett Gilbert, QB, Texas
Remember, Vince Young couldn't be replaced, either. Gilbert might be the most talented quarterback Mack Brown has ever coached.

The Crimson Tide

Six AP All-Americans is a record.

No team has had more since 1964, when the AP started selecting both an offensive and defensive team.

"You aren't going to have six guys make first-team All-American unless your team is playing at a high level week in and week out. It's a credit to our entire team and our coaching staff."

Basketball

Avery Bradley is finding his place.

Avery Bradley's coach never brings it up and says he doesn't even think about it. Bradley's teammates insist it's not an issue.

But as much as the Texas Longhorns would like to believe their most touted freshman guard is just like any other newcomer and as much as Bradley commits to the idea that his own success should be judged simply by whether the Longhorns win or lose, he realizes others don't see it that way.

SI's Luke Winn gets a Q&A with Dexter Pittman.

LW: I wanted to ask you about a few Tweets. One said that you had Twitter activated on three phones. Really?

DP: I love phones like women love shoes. Even if they're not on -- I just want to have them around. I'm known on the team to have the best phones. Like, if the iPhone is out, I get it before any one of my teammates. And then they be getting on me, like, "Man, you change numbers more than anybody I know! I'm not even saving yours in my phone!" I have the iPhone right now, but I love Blackberries, so I got the Storm and the Curve, and I don't know which one I want to give up yet.

Texas rolled right over Texas-Pan American 104-42.

"Recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the (Big 12) North, recruit, win the Big 12," Gill said.

Turner Gill is bringing in some impressive assistants.

"That staff that will be here is second to none," new KU coach Turner Gill said Monday as he unveiled some of his plans.

In Chuck Long and Carl Torbush, the Jayhawks have assistants who were more successful as coordinators than head coaches, and that’s what Kansas needs as it looks to 2010 with a team that loses three senior starters plus junior Dezmon Briscoe on offense and five seniors on defense.

Along with Long and Torbush, Aaron Stamm will join the staff from Buffalo. Stamm was the Bulls’ special-teams coordinator and tight-ends coach.

Someone did not like the Gill hire at Kansas.

Buff Zone's Kyle Ringo attempts to get information from CU AD about giving Dan Hawkins another season.

The president’s spokesman put the decision to retain Hawkins completely on Bohn and chancellor Phil DiStefano, saying it was made totally at the campus level.

I’ve heard otherwise. I’ve been told by people I trust and who have given me good information in the past, that this was a decision made by Benson in order to preserve some credibility in lobbying the state for more money for higher education. They say Benson didn’t want to face critics who would have asked how the school could afford to pay a coach $3 million not to coach but needs to cut classes or professors or janitors unless it gets more money from the state. The president’s spokesman says that just isn’t true.

If Notre Dame isn't interested in becoming the 12th member of the Big 10 Conference, a Big 12 team may be the next choice.

I would think that Missouri would be the most potentially desirable of the Big 12 schools because of its population and growth potential as the single football-playing school in the state. Missouri is the 18th largest state in the country according to 2008 population estimates with 5.91 million people. It would be an inviting market for the Big 12.

Nebraska would bring greater natural cache because of the traditional excellence of its football program, but would bring little extra population or additional football viewers compared to the other schools. It ranks 38th nationally with a population of 1.78 million. Iowa State would bring even less because the Iowa market is already saturated by Iowa for the Big Ten as it is.

Forbes looks at the Heisman vote.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy's third-place finish was one of the strongest ever. McCoy received 1,145 points and was 159 points behind Ingram. McCoy's point total was third-most for a third-place finisher and only three players to finish third were closer to the winner than McCoy.

The Heisman Pundit breaks down the voting by region.

If Nebraska had beaten the Horns, Brian Kelly ~~would~~ might still be at Cincy.

"Who knows what would have happened if Nebraska wins that game," Kelly said on "The Afternoon Saloon" on ESPN 1000. "I might not be here at Notre Dame because we don't know if they would have waited for me, because I was going to play in the national championship game."

In case you can't afford to go to Pasadena, how about Shreveport?

The majority of A&M’s tickets are selling for $35 — student tickets are $30 — so that’s only a $5 increase from nine years ago when the Aggies played Mississippi State in Shreveport. That’s a 16.7 percent hike if my Pennsylvania math is right, which is still less than 2 percent a year. Not bad.

The NCAA wants stricter rules on concussions.

Hoping to beef up policies for handling concussions, an NCAA panel is recommending a new rule that would sideline an athlete for at least the rest of the day if he or she loses consciousness or shows other worrisome symptoms during competition.

The rule, which would affect all NCAA sports, comes from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, which wrapped up a three-day meeting in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The panel also recommended sidelining an athlete with less severe concussion-related symptoms until cleared by a doctor.

And finally...

ESPN's documentary on Miami's football program.

Open Game Thread: UT-Pan Am at Texas

2009-12-16T00:57:06Z

Next Game

Texas-Pan American Broncos @ Texas Longhorns

Tuesday, Dec 15, 2009, 7:00 PM CST
Frank Erwin Center

KenPom Ratings: Texas #1, UT-Pan Am #306
KenPom Predictor: Texas, 96-50

TV: Fox Sports SW

Jai Lucas, Texas Longhorn

posted by Peter Bean about 4 hours ago

6 comments | 0 recs

Big 12 Hoops Is On Top Of The World

2009-12-15T21:33:12Z

Big 12 Hoops Is On Top Of The World

Excellent AP article on how strong the Big 12 is in basketball this year. (Once again, I should add. The perception that we're a football conference is comically outdated.) From the article:

Led by Kansas and Texas at the top of the polls, the Big 12 has three of the nation's 11 unbeaten teams, including surprising Texas Tech. The conference has five ranked teams, is winning 82 percent of its games and is 5-1 against Top 25 teams.

If the preseason is any indication, the Big 12 is bigger and badder than ever.

UT Faculty Council Criticizes Mack Brown's Raise

2009-12-15T21:03:45Z

The University of Texas Faculty Council voted 23-15 in favor of a resolution criticizing Mack Brown's $2 million raise as "unseemly and inappropriate." The December 14th meeting was called to discuss the Report of the Intercollegiate Athletics Council, which you can read here. Because the Council lacked a quorum, the resolution condemning Brown's raise was unofficial.

Because it was unofficial, [Council President Janet Staiger] allowed voting by others attending the meeting, including campus administrators, most of whom voted against the resolution. [UT President William] Powers abstained.

"College sports is widely viewed as an out-of-control train on a collision course with academia," said David Hillis, a professor of integrative biology. "Right now, UT is stoking this train to make it run ever faster."

My feelings on the issue are mixed. On the one hand, I don't find Brown's raise terribly problematic. However, that has everything to do with factors particularly related to the University of Texas Athletics Department. To the extent that Brown's raise fuels an "arms race" that looks, in my view, unsustainable over the long-term, for the vast majority of FCS schools, it raises legitimate concerns. Whether, and to what extent, you think that's 'not our problem,' should probably inform how much you worry about something like this.

[For a lighter view of the issue, check out our good friend Rob Lunn's take over at The Fat White Guy.]

Jai Lucas, Texas Longhorn

2009-12-15T20:49:32Z

A check of the calendar reveals that today is December 15th, which means Florida transfer Jai Lucas officially begins his tenure as a Texas Longhorn. The Statesman profiles the end of Lucas's wait, which arrives in time for tonight's match up against UT-Pan Am (7:00 CT, Erwin Center). (EDIT: Apparently he won't be able to play until Saturday vs UNC. See comments. --PB--)

Welcome, Jai.

Put Your Game Plan Where Your Mouth Is

2009-12-15T19:39:34Z

Bumped. Your game plan theories/concoctions/wild ideas in the comments below.

Hey, its easy to criticize Coach Davis after the fact or even during the game; heck, I do that ALL the time...I actually believe I could call a better game, which may be ridiculous, as I only played basketball and baseball in school, and never played on the gridiron with someone trying to take my head off.

So, for all of us GD Bashers, how about calling a game plan before the big game and lets see which one of us gets closer to a good game plan. Granted, game plans are supposed to be modified depending on what the defence shows you, but for now at least come up with your game plan for now. Try to keep it to 5-6 major points or major play calls......and also provide your FIRST offensive play of the game (lets assume we are not one the one yard line).

I will start: I call my plan the Z06bandit attack the crap out of Bama PLAN: aka Sandlot football.

First Play of the GAME

Play action up the middle with Newton; double move by both wide receivers and both go deep or their respective side of the feel and Colt throws at least a 30 yard down the field pass. I will be #*U)&Q&&@#_ before I will throw a short lateral pass to the sidelines for a 3-yard run after catch.! Let Bama know we are going to attack deep .

Then during the game: I will call the following:

a. 4 shovel passes

b. 2 reverses with Goodwin or Fozzy

c. 1 running back laterals back to QB who throws deep

d. 12 counter misdirection running plays

e. 5 more deep passes of at least 20 yards

f. 50% run split between Cody and Newton

g. Run Colt on delayed draws 5 times

h. And never throw a 6 yard pass on third and 7

Top JUCO Dual-Threat QB Cameron Newton to OU?

2009-12-15T03:19:02Z

Bumped, with video added. PB

Tulsa World article

Interesting development north of the Red River at QB. Obviously Newton's prior criminal matters in Florida won't scare off OU. In fact, it probably makes Norman a very good fit for him.

It is also very interesting that OU is so "tardy to the party" for the services of Newton -- who is looking to enroll for the spring semester. Perhaps Blake Bell is having second thoughts about OU. If he was not having second thoughts prior to this development; he should be seriously reconsidering Kansas and/or Notre Dame again with their new coaches in place. Bell played for Bishop Carroll Catholic HS in Wichita, KS so either of them may be back on his radar.

Newton high school highlights. --PB--

High School Playoffs: Week Four Update

2009-12-14T22:10:48Z

Cayuga 41, Ganado 19

Traylon Shead and Cayuga will have another chance to secure the state championship that eluded them last season after prevailing over Ganado. As is so often the case, Cayuga won by running the football, with Shead and quarterback Malcome Kennedy combining for over 400 yards rushing. Shead rolled up 218 on 25 carries and four touchdowns, including matching 48-yard runs and a 57-yarder, putting him over 10,000 yards for his career, a mark only two other Texas running backs have reached. Shead also completed the first pass of his career.

Cayuga will take on Albany in Mansfield on Saturday for the Class A state title.

Graham 27, Pittsburg 20

A week following an easy win over Wimberley, the Graham Steers had to work hard for this victory -- Pittsburg cut into an early Graham lead before the Steers capitalized on a poor punt snap by Pittsburg to score the go-ahead touchdown with only minutes left in the game. A Case McCoy two-point conversion helped push the lead to seven. McCoy did not have his sharpest performance, completing only 10 of 25 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown and interception, while adding 30 yards on the ground on six carries.

Graham will make the school's first appearance in a state championship game on Saturday in Dallas against Carthage.

Daingerfield 35, Refugio 10

Despite a strong passing game that helped Daingerfield steamroll virtually every opponent other than Class 3A Division I state champion Gilmer, quarterback Tyler Boyd completed only one pass for a loss of one yard against Refugio. Instead, the focus was on the running game, as KoKo Smith gained 167 yards on only 15 carries and the Boyd added 77 yards on his own. Longhorn commit Chris Jones also added a touchdown on four carries, picking up 24 yards in the process. Ultimately, it was the ball-sharking defense of Daingerfield that set up the quick-strike offense to blow the game open, as the Tigers forced four turnovers on the day, including an interception by possible Texas target Steve Edmond.

Daingerfield will face Bushland for the state championship on Saturday.

Longview 49, Denton Guyer 28

Once again, the Lobos thwarted Guyer's bid for a berth in the state championship game. It was a ground-bound demolition of Guyer, as Longview gained more than 500 yards on the ground and had three players top 100 yards rushing. The Guyer offense was slowed by a touchdown and a big run by quarterback JW Walsh being called back by penalties and the Longview held the Guyer running game mostly in check, as Walsh gained only 50 yards on 11 carries, while completing 12 of 25 passes for 210 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The loss ends the high school career of Taylor Bible.

Longivew will face Lake Travis for the state championship.

Lake Travis 57, Pearland Dawson 12

One team acted like they had been there before. One team didn't. The Cavaliers, riding a winning streak stretching back to 2007, earned a third-straight berth in the state championship game by forcing five turnovers (intercepting Utah commit Darian Lazard three times) and scoring on eight of 10 offensive possessions over the first three quarters. Quarterback Michael Brewer accounted for seven touchdowns, two through the air and five on the ground.

Lake Travis will meet Longview on Saturday in Waco in a re-match of last season's state championship game.

Abilene 29, Klein 21

It's a popular football cliche that it is a game on inches. On Saturday in Waco, that proved to be the absolute truth, as the Eagle defense stopped Klein just inches short of the Abilene end zone to preserve the victory and a berth in the state championship game, the first appearance since 1956. On the first scoring drive for Abilene, Herschel Sims did much of the work himself, starting the drive with a 67-yard kickoff return, then scoring on an eight-yard touchdown run. Sims added another touchdown later and finished with 24 carries for 120 yards and one reception for eight yards.

Abilene will face Katy in San Antonio on Saturday for the state championship.

Euless Trinity 35, Stony Point 28

Once again, Stony Point fell just short of the state championship game. Last season, late penalties contributed to the close loss. Once again, it was a penalty that did in Stony Point, all season the most likely cause of a crucial loss, a false start on fourth down from the Trinity two yardline. Moved back, quarterback Aaryn Sharp missed Stephen Williams open over the middle to end the Stony Point threat. It was not a strong performance from the normally accurate Sharp, as he misfired on five of eight passes and carried 11 times for 20 yards. The Stony Point defense was uncharacteristically leaky, allowing 422 total yards to Trinity quarterback Willie Hubbard, including 219 on the ground. Wide receiver Brandon Carter caused most of the damage in the passing game, gashing the talented Stony Point secondary for 168 yards on four catches and three touchdowns.

Trinity will play Westlake for the state championship.

Aledo 40, Denison 28

In the early going, this game looked like it would be a blowout. Denison's DJ Jones scored two touchdowns to help forge a 21-7 lead. Aledo rallied before halftime and the defense stepped up in the second half to limit Jones and Denison offense, with star 2012 running back Johnathan Gray adding to his growing legend with a late 55- yard touchdown run to seal the game, finishing with 185 yards and four touchdowns.

Research Assistance: Blog Reader Survey

2009-12-14T19:54:20Z

BONizens: Toby Hopp is working on an important bit of research and has asked a number of blogs for research assistance. As the child of two professors, I am sympathetic to the challenges related to academic research, and happy to help.

So help me help Toby. Do your part. Take a very quick survey about user-generated content online (e.g. the many excellent Fan Posts y'all write). Thanks in advance for helping out here.

College Football Research Project

My name is Toby Hopp and I'm a longtime college sports blogger/blog reader. I'm also a graduate communications student at San Diego State University who is interested in studying how and why Internet users generate content online. What precisely, you may be asking, is "user-generated content?" Well, "user-generated content" includes comment sections at the end of news/blog articles, messageboards, diaries, polls, and the like.

To me, one of the great parts of the blogosphere is the interaction it enables between readers. As a community, we're able to provide feedback and discuss issues in real time. However, the concept of "user-generated content" and its subsequent social applications has not, at this point, been thoroughly studied by communications researchers and is, in my estimation, completely misunderstood by the mass media.

So, if you have 10-15 minutes to spare and support empirical media research (and the social sciences in general), please click the survey link below. Even if you NEVER create/read content on blog or newspaper websites, PLEASE consider taking the survey as your answers are as important to me as the answers supplied by individuals who DO regularly create content. Rest assured that all answers and provided information will be strictly anonymous and kept totally confidential.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2

For those of you interested in statistics, all collected information will be scientifically analyzed and utilized to create an inherently unique structural equation model. To that end, I'll send a report out to each participating blog which details general trends and reader utilization issues of note.

Again, please consider taking this survey (Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2) whether or not you ever create or read "user -generated content" on blogs or newspaper sites. The survey itself will take 10 - 15 minutes and, I promise, will be quite painless. As stated above, research on the topic of "user-generated content" is incredibly sparse and your participation will go a long way in understanding the environmental factors that encourage meaningful intra-community participation. And, of course, you'll be doing me a great and immeasurable favor.

The survey will be active from Monday, December 14 through Friday, December 18. Please feel free to e-mail me at thopp@mail.sdsu.edu if you have any questions relating to the survey or my over-arching methodology/conceptual framework (obviously, there's a lot more to the study that can be reasonably described here).

Thank you for your time and please know that your participation really does mean a great deal to me on both a professional and personal level.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSQGPZ2

Great Day For NFL Horns

2009-12-14T16:08:18Z

Bumped. Hook 'em

It was a good day for quite a few Horns. Three of our running backs produced very well, but 2 of them didn't get any support from their team. Orakpo went nuts.

Here is a quick break down, stats provided by ESPN.

Ricky: 108 yards on 28 carries with a TD to help the Dolphins win. He did lose 1 fumble.

Benson: 96 yards on 16 carries. I don't know why you had the ball to a guy named Leonard to fumble it when your main back is getting 6 ypc. Bengals were just too far back to keep handing it to Benson.

While we're talking about Benson, Cosby: 107 yards on 6 kick off returns. Cosby only got a chance to try to return 2 punts as the Bengal's D couldn't stop the Vikings and make them punt.
Jamaal Freaking Charles: 143 yards on 20 carries with a 76 yard TD run! Also 38 yards on 7 receptions. Zero fumbles. Net positive? I think so. Net negative = Matt Cassel who managed to turn the ball over 4 times. Somehow KC still only lost 16-10. After 3 Ints, with JC running that well, ~~I think you just Wild Bengal with JC and LJ~~ just hand JC the ball all the time.

VY: Was doing well until he got hurt on a 44 yard run. He was 6/8 for 132 with a TD. I hope he's OK.

Roy Williams: Meh day during the Cowboys' loss. He seemed to do about as well as the other WRs though.. I don't know if he had any bad drops. He had 4 recs to lead the team with 74 yards, but no TDs.

Orakpo: FOUR sacks. FOUR. And the guy is playing LB most of the time. Crazy. He's at 11 for the year. If he doesn't disapear (he did go the last 3 games without a sack) he could break the Rookie record for sacks. I think he is only 3 or 4 away.

Huff obviously didn't have a great day being on the other side of the 34 to 13 beating of the Raiders by the Redskins.

If I missed any other Horns with good days please add them (obviously its hard to list stats to show how OL like Studdard helped thier teams to 27 offensive points).

Davis Becomes #21 ($)

2009-12-13T23:48:05Z

Davis Becomes #21 ($)

It hasn't been easy for Texas to recruit Dallas Skyline high school, a hotbed of recruiting. Securing a commitment from Christian Scott was a major victory and now the addition of wide receive Mike Davis may help the Longhorns secure a foothold in the talent-rich school, which features several top 2011 recruits and Corey Nelson, who may take a visit to Austin.

As a player ,Davis is known for his sharp route-running and ability to make defenders miss in the open field, particularly in the screen game. As someone mentioned in the FanShot noting the commitment, at least Adrian White doesn't have to worry about defending any more, as Davis burned White for two monster games in each of the last two seasons. While Davis does have excellent burst and a strong first step, the major concern is about his top-end speed, which is less than elite.

The major question is how Davis' commitment will influence the recruitment of Darius White, as the Longhorns now have four or five receivers in the 2010 class, depending on where DeMarco Cobbs ends up. Given White's talent, there is probably still room for him in the class and further thoughts over the following days will help try to flesh out the implications.

Texas vs Texas St. GameFlow

2009-12-13T20:36:48Z

Here's txtwstr7's great recap of the game.

Click here for the Texas vs Texas St. GameFlow.

via i50.tinypic.com

Player (min)	+/-	+/- per min
A. Bradley (32)	+37	+1.16
D. James (23)	+33	+1.43
D. Pittman (17)	+29	+1.71
J. Mason (22)	+22	+1.00
D. Balbay (18)	+16	+0.89
J. Brown (16)	+14	+0.88
J. Hamilton (26)	+12	+0.46
A. Wangmene (13)	+9	+0.69
M. Hill (4)	+3	+0.75
S. Williams (6)	+1	+0.17
C. Chapman (6)	-5	-0.83
G. Johnson (17)	-6	-0.35

A few thoughts...

Pittman has only played 25+ minutes in two games this year (averaging 19.8 min per game), but wow... when he does play, he is pretty damn efficient and productive. While the box score suggests he wasn't that active, accumulating a +29 in just 17 minutes is incredible. It's pretty clear his intimidating presence is the focus of opposing defenses, allowing his teammates to flourish with less attention. I noticed that he still hasn't had a double digit rebound game this season, but it's mainly because of his lack of minutes. Check out his averages per 40 minutes:

27.6 points, 78.6 FG%, 12.4 rebounds, 4.6 offensive rebounds, 5.3 blocks

To compare to our other super senior in James, who has averaged 26.6 min per game:

24.6 points, 55.0 FG%, 12.0 rebounds, 3.4 offensive rebounds, 1.3 blocks

Pretty nice. Expect big box scores out of both of these players against UNC and Michigan St. assuming neither player gets into foul trouble, and that the game is close. Can't wait!
I like Gary Johnson. He's a hard worker, but to somehow play 17 minutes (same as Pittman) and net a -6 in a game that we won by 33 points is hard to pull off. He was also a -9 in the USC game where we won by 19 points. Maybe it's just bad luck, and he was simply a part of some bad rotations. Besides, in blowout games, the intensity just isn't going to be at a very high level as much as that would upset Barnes. Also, he was one of our best productive players as far as +/- per minutes goes in the Pittsburgh game. I'll just consider it a fluke for now, and will re-evaluate after the bigger games.
Mason's box score looks awful with 6 turnovers and limited offensive production, yet he must have been on some good rotations to have the 4th highest +/- on the team. Is he still a good "glue guy" player? Will he be seeing less playing time due to Lucas and Hamilton getting more minutes? Or will Barnes stay with the senior and give him 15-20 minutes a game?
It looks like the best rotation of the game was Pittman, James, Mason, Bradley, and Balbay.

Bevo's Daily Roundup - December 14, 2009

2009-12-13T17:50:25Z

Another uncomfortable moment in Heisman media coverage.

Colt McCoy finished third in the Heisman voting.

McCoy and Earl Thomas were listed as first-team All-Americans by the Football Writers Association of America.

McCoy is a repeat honoree on the first team. He’s the first quarterback to earn a spot in consecutive seasons since Ty Detmer did so in 1990-91.

Someone in Texas thinks Mack Brown is a bargain. Richard Justice lays out why Brown is worth every penny of that $5 million salary.

Let's just say Mack Brown had walked into DeLoss Dodds' office and said, ''I want $20 million a year, or I'm outta here.''

You know what Dodds would have said?

''You got it.''

He could not have argued that Mack Brown isn't worth it because he is. Brown's wew contract bumps him from $3 million to $5 million a year, and that's about the best bargain in all of sports.

The Crimson Tide

Congratulations to Mark Ingram. Ingram is Alabama's first Heisman winner.

Ingram wiped away tears and took a moment to steady himself before starting his speech. His voice wavered throughout.

"I'm a little overwhelmed right now," he said. "I'm just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner."

"I told the players if we had lost this game today, there
would be nothing else that would tarnish what you've accomplished more
than that. You would someday be an NFL player in a Mercedes-Benz and
roll your window down to talk to a pretty girl and she'd say, 'You lost
to Chattanooga when you played at Alabama,'" Saban said. "Nobody would
ever forget that one." - Nick Saban warning his team of the repercussions of a huge upset.

Nick Saban has been Alabama's savior.

After 46 losses, some to teams like Central Florida and Northern Illinois, Alabama fans began to wonder: Has some cosmic force aligned against us? Are we cooked — forever?

When Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, he was greeted by a cheering mob, including one drunken woman whose overly familiar greeting became a YouTube sensation. Though Alabama fans were roundly mocked for this reception, in fairness they could hardly be blamed. They were genuinely surprised to have a head coach at all, let alone one who had won championships.

Saban quickly turned the ship — and the ego of an entire state — around. His team has just beaten Urban Meyer’s Gators, and Alabama is now ranked No. 1 and favored in the B.C.S. championship game against Texas.

Roll Bama Roll continues the series chronicling the meetings of the Alabama and Texas football programs with the 1902 and 1922 game.

We do not want to be serenaded at the end of the game in Pasadena. Thanks to kleph over at Roll Bama Roll for the information.

Basketball

Avery Bradley isn't just any freshman.

The Texas Longhorns would like to believe their most touted freshman guard is just like any other newcomer. But as much as Bradley himself commits to the idea that his own success should be judged simply by whether the Longhorns win or lose, he realizes others don't see it that way.

Just a few months ago, one set of recruiting analysts had Bradley pegged as the top college basketball prospect in the nation. Another bestowed that honor upon Bradley's friend, John Wall. Now, with almost every phone call he receives, text message he reads or "SportsCenter" highlight package he watches, Bradley is reminded of which freshman has had a more celebrated first month as a collegian.

"I always hear it — John Wall did this, John Wall did that," Bradley said. "People say we're the two best guys, and he's playing well."

The Horns beat Texas State 87-54.

Jai Lucas cannot play until the North Carolina game.

An NCAA rule stipulates that Lucas sit out two semesters after transferring. School officials thought Lucas would get one tuneup game in on Tuesday against Texas-Pan American because that is the day that final exams end for UT. But Texas received a clarification of the rule stipulating that he can’t play until the day after finals are completed.

Volleyball

Congratulations. The Texas Volleyball team made the NCAA Final Four.

The Longhorns overcame Nebraska's home court advantage on the same Qwest Center Omaha court where they lost a year ago to eventual national runner-up Stanford in the national semifinals. This year that tournament will be in Tampa, Fla., and the No. 2-ranked Longhorns will face Minnesota one of Thursday's national semis.

Get the snacks ready.

Are you counting down the days unti Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m.? Here's the schedule.

The Jayhawks have a new coach.

Buffalo coach Turner Gill will be Kansas’ next football coach.

Gill, who emerged Saturday as KU athletic director Lew Perkins’ top choice after Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh took his name out of the running, won Perkins over with a detailed game plan for success that included commitments from two experienced and nationally respected coaches to serve as his coordinators, The Kansas City Star has learned.

Gill will bring with him Carl Torbush, formerly the head coach at North Carolina and currently the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, to be his defensive coordinator and Chuck Long, formerly the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and formerly the head coach at San Diego State, to be his offensive coordinator. Gill is also expected to bring two other former head coaches onto his staff at KU.

Jason Whitlock isn't all that thrilled with the Jayhawks' choice.

As a black member of the media, I know what I’m expected to do today — shout that Gill’s hiring as Kansas’ new football coach is a bold step for college football mankind, a terrific hire by Lew Perkins and the culmination of Martin Luther King’s dream.

The problem is, unlike most of Gill’s prominent supporters in the media, I’ve actually watched his Buffalo Bulls play numerous times. Never once have I been impressed. Not even on the night when Gill’s Bulls ended my then-12th-ranked Ball State Cardinals’ Cinderella season with a shocking 42-24 victory in the 2008 MAC championship game.

Mike Leach is entertaining everyone in San Antonio.

When asked about this being a de facto home game, where most of the 60,000 or so fans expected for the game likely will be rooting for Tech, Leach said he doesn't consider it much of an advantage.

"Once you get in there, it's just noise," he said.

Ndamukong Suh, crime fighter.

You might want to rethink this one. Bo Pelini does not plan to make any offensive changes for the Holiday Bowl.

Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini says there will be no major changes in the team's offense before the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30.

Pelini says the focus now is on improving. He expects offensive changes to wait for the offseason.

OU's student newspaper believes the Sooners will beat Stanford in the 2009 Brut Sun Bowl. And corner back Dominique Franks will return next season.

The Sun Bowl is a no-win situation for Bob Stoops.

If his team prevails, the critics will shrug it off as OU merely doing what it's supposed to do. Should the Sooners lose, the pundits are bound to pile on with more cheap shots about the tarnished reputation of "Big Game Bob."

So while Stoops faces a no-win scenario, he still desperately must win this game on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

Sam Bradford has put the past season in perspective.

"I know God has a plan and everything happens for a reason," Bradford said. "I kept telling myself that as many times as I could, but you'd still question why things happen the way they happen. It took a long time to stop the questioning. I got better, but there were still a lot of days when I woke up with that question.

"There's still days when I've got to try to pick myself up, days when I'm down. I'm finally starting to get back to myself now."

Bradford said his rehab is going well, and he's on schedule to be physically ready to participate in Oklahoma's Pro Day in 2010. A high draft spot and lucrative contract would help mitigate the physical and emotional pain of this year.

Chase Beeler transferred to Stanford from Oklahoma. (Yes, you read that correctly.) He will be playing his old teammates in the Sun Bowl. NewsOK's Jenny Carlson has a Q&A.

JC: You mention the cerebral aspect of center, and I know you’ve been first-team academic all-conference, have a 3.8 grade point average. Do football players at Stanford get competitive about grades?

CB: There’s definitely something of a competition amongst a few of us as to who’s going to carry the highest GPA for that quarter, who’s going to make all-Pac-10 academic. We have a little scholar-athlete that we give away each quarter. So, yeah, there’s a little bit of a competition between us.

So, how often do you think Jenny Carlson gets to ask a Sooner (current or former) about cerebral subjects? This might be a first?

Whoop! The Aggies are so excited to be going to Shreveport.

"I know we definitely want to be here," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said Thursday night during the I-Bowl's team announcement party. "We're excited about being here and coming to Shreveport. The people here have been phenomenal as far as recruiting us even before we became bowl eligible.

"We're excited about being here. It's a great recruiting base for us, an unbelievable group of former students living right here in Shreveport and surrounding areas. It's a good bowl for us and we can use it to our advantage if we play well."

I Am The 12th Man actually said something nice about Jordan Shipley. (You might want to skip over the part about Colt McCoy.)

The Biletnikoff Award for the nation's best wide receiver went to Notre Dame's Golden Tate; that award should have gone to texas' Jordan Shipley. Tate had 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and 15 TD receptions. Shipley has 106 receptions for 1,363 yards and 11 TDs, and still has one more game to play. Shipley built his stats against the Big 12 Conference, not against a padded schedule with the likes of Navy, Nevada, and Washington State. Tate is a phenomenal receiver, but no moreso than Shipley. Given the opponents Shipley faced, and the game-by-game production, the best wide receiver in the nation this year is Shipley.

Now this is dedication to the sport. Cowboy walk-on Taylor Sokolosky broke his neck against Missouri but wants to play again.

"I came to Oklahoma State and accomplished my goals. One of my high school coaches had told me that if I ever actually played at OSU, it wouldn't be until my senior year, if ever. I proved him wrong. I started as a freshman. I lettered three years. If not playing football is the smart thing to do, then I'll be done. But I do know that I want to play again.

"If I do go back out there, I'll do it full speed. At my size, I have to give it all I've got and play with no fear."

Dr. Lou addresses the college football playoff.

Congress wants to limit Wall Street CEO compensation, coaches are next. Rep. Charles Grassley was not happy about football coaches' huge salaries and athletic department's tax-exempt status.

The reverberations from Texas coach Mack Brown's new $5-million-plus-a-year contract reached beyond college football Thursday.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, reiterated concerns about spiraling coaches' salaries and questions about the tax-exempt status of college sports.

"There always seems to be money for million-dollar salaries at universities, even with staff salary freezes and tuition increases," said Grassley, who has pressed the issue in recent years as the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. "Athletic departments get tax breaks because they're part of tax-exempt universities. Students and their parents paying federal taxes subsidize college tax exemptions. So it's fair for students and parents to ask whether athletic department spending affects universities' ability to offer a quality, affordable education."

Congress will probably not let this BCS issue go quietly into the night.

It will be a real brawl with the courts deciding an antitrust challenge that could dismantle the BCS and Congress considering a bill that would put the Federal Trade Commission in charge of college football's postseason.

"We have studied the evidence, we have analyzed the law, and we are ready to file our case early in 2010," says Shurtleff. "We hope that other states and the Justice Department will join us."

He is paid to say that. Bowl Championship Series coordinator Bill Hancock thinks a playoff would cause way too many problems.

"Here's their problem with the four-team playoff," he said. "It would not stay at four. Every bracket has grown ... Pretty soon you'll have eight. Pretty soon, somebody whose No. 5 will say, 'Wait a minute, that's not fair, we need in.' And they would change it to an eight-team playoff."

A playoff would certainly disrupt a student-athlete's exams, unlike the current BCS structure.

What's the best thing about playing in a bowl game? Swag.

What do those star players- Tebow, McCoy and Bradford -mean to their school's athletic programs? What's their monetary value?

Tebow is a franchise, an iconic presence on the collegiate level akin to Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the NFL, a player who puts W's in the left column and $$$$$ in the university's coffers. It might not be reflected in the relative worth of the pro contracts these players eventually will sign -- Tebow isn't rated by scouts as a can't-miss pro quarterback prospect -- but on the play-for-no-pay level, it can be argued that his market value to Florida is greater than Bradford's to Oklahoma or McCoy's to Texas. Or, for that matter, the value of running back Mark Ingram at conference rival Alabama or Toby Gerhart out west at Stanford and a handful of others whose names have been mentioned in connection with the 2009 Heisman Trophy that will be awarded Saturday night.

So if a top college player could be paid, what would he be worth?

This one is for all our Crimson Tide visitors. Enjoy. Lane Kiffin considers an NCAA investigation a compliment.

Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin said he takes investigations of the school's recruiting practices as a compliment.

Kiffin said the strength of Tennessee's recruiting class, ranked by most analysts near the top nationally, has caused the unusual amount of interest in the Volunteers' methods, which are under investigation by the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference.

The number of college football awards given out are getting out of control.

Counting those given out by the Associated Press for player and coach of the year, I count at least 41 awards populating the end of college football's regular season.

I'm sure that misses several.

I couldn't find the Long Snapper of the Year, Holder of the Year or Nickel Back of the Year.

Don't laugh. If someone could set up the endorsement deals, the Subway Long Snapper Trophy and Fixodent Top Holder would become reality.

And finally...

The Laninghams break down the Big 12 Championship. The dudes have some suggestions to take out Bama's defensive front. Greg, are you watching?

Be sure to sign up for the BON Group at ESPN College Bowl Mania.

Horns Crush Bobcats to Remain Undefeated

2009-12-13T04:00:52Z

Last season, Texas State had an obnoxiously loud cheering section in the south O-Zone as they pushed Texas to the limit. This afternoon, their cheering section stayed up in the mezzanine and witnessed a thorough beating. Unlike last season, Texas used an early 16-0 run to bury the Bobcats and had the game well in hand before the second TV timeout. In some of its best basketball of the season, Texas jumped out to a massive 35-12 lead with 5:00 left in the first half. While I'd love to simply pat the team on the back for laying a woodshed beating on Texas State, there are definitely some interesting things to take from today's game. By "interesting," I mean things that will cause Rick Barnes to yell at the youngsters during chalk talk.

While the game against Long Beach State seemed to represent a significant step forward for the Horns--especially some of the freshmen--this game largely represents a step sideways. This win is definitely better than the ho-hum second-half blowouts in our first few games, but this team absolutely has the ability to do better. While some of the early season wins were 20-point wins that felt a lot closer, this game was a 30-point win that felt like it should have been by 50. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure the team didnt just get bored at some points of the game today.

As I'm also smack dab in the middle of law school finals--a common theme for BON authors--I'll offer some truncated remarks and highlights after the jump.

Let's use bullet points to break this down:

Before the game, Terrence Rencher was honored. He's currently an assistant coach for Texas State and got a really nice ovation. Good stuff.
Yes, there were a ton of football recruits at the game. They roped off a large portion of the North O-Zone for all the recruits, but they mostly looked like football recruits. I decided against walking up to them, stalking them, or trying to make a complete list of everyone there and what they were doing. Not really my thing. In any case, they were only there for about 10 minutes of the game, left at halftime, and didnt come back during the second half.
Damion James is a BAD, BAD man: Today's game was Damion James at his best. In only 23 minutes, he scored 21 points on 80% shooting, grabbed 16 boards, defused a nuclear bomb, married the prom queen, then stole the Heisman trophy from Mark Ingram. He was that good today. Damion got a ton of his points on put-backs and by being a stud on the glass. Texas State simply had no answer for Damion, who played one of his best games as a Longhorn. Outside of his incredible production today, Damion continued demonstrating that he's the leader of this team, which was a role I wasn't sure he could truly encompass. I dont think he's getting enough credit from the fans for what he's doing this season. He's not TJ, KD, or DJ, but he's become much more efficient with his shooting and is truly embracing his strengths as a basketball player.
Justin Mason is BAD, man: With Ward out for the season, Lucas still not eligible, and Brown going down today with an ankle injury, we were subjected to 22 minutes from Justin Mason. I know he's become a punching bag, but his game today was truly awful. He scored 2 points, grabbed 1 board, dished 2 assists, and turned the ball over 6 (!!!!!!) times. And I think that kinda speaks for itself.
Avery Bradley plays his best half of the season: As we'll discuss in a second, it's not entirely fair to lump them together, but the aggressiveness on offense by Bradley and Hamilton might be THE story from this game that doesnt involve Damion James being a bad, bad man. Bradley and Hamilton combined to shoot 12-29, which was a little less than half our shots for the game. While many of us (and even Rick Barnes) chided Avery Bradley to be more aggressive in seeking his own shot, he has taken that advice to heart the last few games. Playing a season-high 32 minutes, Bradley scored 15 points today on 6-13 shooting, but he did almost all his damage in the first half. With six minutes left in the first half, Avery had scored ten points, which was as many as the entire Texas State team. In the second half, Bradley scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting and had a few turnovers. I didnt think too many of his shots were forced--quite the opposite actually--but he's definitely started looking to shoot when he gets the ball in certain areas of the court.
Jordan Hamilton continues to be the most frustrating player on the roster: Perhaps more than past few games, Jordan Hamilton was looking to "get his" today. He took 16 shots from the field, making only 6, and drew several patented headshakes from the bench for some of his decisions. Some of the most egregious decisions came when he decided to unleash from behind the arc, where he only went 1-6. Despite some questionable shots, Rick gave Hamilton a fairly lengthy leash and let him play over 25 minutes for the second straight game. He knows how important Hamilton is to this team moving forward. Some of Hamilton's baskets are simply gorgeous, but he's going to have to start using better discretion with his shots. On the plus side, he did grab 7 rebounds.
The Pittman Effect: For the second straight game, Texas scored a ton of points without having Dexter Pittman play a major role on offense. The Texas State defenders were collapsing on Dexter to an almost comical extent, and they basically quit guarding Justin Mason and/or Dogus Balbay when they were off-the-ball. At one point, there wasn't a defender within 8-10 feet of Balbay when he was on the wing. The team has played at a pretty quick tempo the past two games, and, as long as teams want to keep trying to outrun Texas, then Dexter's role is probably going to be diminished. All that said, Dexter still had 9 points and 9 boards in 17 minutes, which is pretty sexy.
Number 50 is Cursed: J'Covan Brown went down with an ankle injury today, and we'll have to wait for the official word over the extent of his injury. I think #50 should be retired for this season.
Texas State is really, really bad: As I mentioned earlier, Texas barnstormed out to a 35-12 lead in the first 15 minutes. After that, it seemed like the team got a little bored and let their foot off the gas, especially at the end of the first half. While I'd love to simply wax poetically over our defense, I have to acknowledge that a portion of their success was due to the utter awfulness of Texas State. The Bobcats shot 26% from the field and just looked hopeless at certain points in the game. That said, there were some VICIOUS blocks by Texas defenders in the game and *six* different Longhorns had at least one block today.
We are struggling from behind the arc: Coming into today's game, Texas was shooting a little over 30% from behind the arc and that number is going to fall a little further after today's game. Texas went 5-21 from three-point range today, and, if you take out Avery Bradley's 3-6 effort, the team went 2-15. We've talked a lot about the improved outside shooting by all our newcomers, but, as of now, we're still waiting to reap the benefits. Hopefully, Jai Lucas--and his 43% rate from downtown--can help add some consistency to our outside shooting.
One more cupcake before the UNC/MSU stretch: Texas gets one more cupcake before they hit the heart of their non-conference schedule. Barring a meltdown against UT Pan-Am, Texas will be 9-0 heading into their showdown with UNC. Hook 'Em!