From The Rumble Seat

Football Commit #3 - Shamire Devine OT

2012-05-17T12:02:35Z

Football Commit #3 - Shamire Devine OT

Ed Note: TBuzz only beat me by 20 min this time....Nate and I are working on a post concerning our two recent commitments. Stay tuned! -LilBroey700

This is a big signing...and not just because he's 6'7" 330. He's a 4-star OT prospect (ranked as top 20 in his position by several services) out of Tri-Cities HS in East Point. He has attended several HS football all-star camps and has walked away with the OL MVP award at several of them. This guy is extremely quick for his size.

This also brings up another interesting tidbit. His teammate, OL Jeremi Hall, have discussed going to the same college together. Hall isn't as highly rated as Devine, but is still ranked as a top-100 OG prospect. Hall also had GT as his favorite...so I wouldn't be surprised if Commit #4 was on its way.

Audio Interview with Matt Kuchar

2012-05-16T17:09:10Z

Audio Interview with Matt Kuchar

Georgia Tech alumnus and TPC Sawgrass Champ is interviewed by Tim Brando.

Mike Bellamy Dismissed from Clemson

2012-05-16T15:57:03Z

Mike Bellamy Dismissed from Clemson

Freshman 5-star RB Mike Bellamy has been declared academically inelligible from Clemson and will be transferring to a Junior College for this upcoming school year. Sad day for Clemson, losing a kid with so much potential...

...but a little less sad for those of us who won't have to watch our defense chase him around any more.

FTRS Roundtable: What Has Happened To Our Favorite Sport, College Football?

2012-05-16T13:46:07Z

Conference expansion talk just won't go away. We've passed the point of no return. The FTRS guys got together to discuss the issue:

LilBroey700 - At the end of last week, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Florida State came out and publicly stated that the school was unhappy with the ACC's long-term TV deal with ESPN, and that they would be exploring the possibility of a move to the Big 12, although no contact has been had yet, allegedly. Recent news also involved talks about redeveloping the BCS system, likely involving a plus-one game, although Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has publicly stated his support for a system that would require schools to be conference champions to be eligible for the championship. The implication here is largely that independents Notre Dame and BYU would have to join a conference, lest they have no chance at a championship and watch their programs go down in a fiery ball. Let's talk scenarios here. What would you say the chances are that Florida State leaves the ACC, or that Notre Dame/BYU join conferences, and if that happens, what does it mean for Georgia Tech and its future?

Personally, my opinion isn't so much based on Florida State or BYU as Notre Dame. I can easily see Notre Dame being spooked by the idea of being left out of the championship hunt, and enticed to join either the Big Ten or ACC (for academic quality and non-football athletic quality...although they compete in the Big East in every sport except football). Joining the Big Ten creates a scenario where the Big Ten would then be at 13 schools, and could shoot for as many as 16 to round themselves out. From there, the names I've heard thrown around for joining are Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Rutgers. All 3 are of acceptable athletic quality, are in a major TV market (Atlanta, DC, New York), and are members of the Association of American Universities.

How do you feel about the above possibilities?

Winfield Featherston - first of all WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?

second of all WHEN WILL THIS EVER END? Answer: It won't. Football TV money has gotten too big. Was anyone actually burnt out by college football last year? I was and I think it was because of all this manufactured TV drama. Information overload. In fact, it made me want to turn inside, back into my GT bubble and just watch GT and worry / watch GT football. I became more peaceful in my respects to college football.

That being said, I don't know all the ins and outs of FSU's complaining but what I do know is that the new ACC realignment partnership increased the buyout clause to $20million a school which makes me think FSU might just be grumbling. IF this was to happen (yet again) the SEC is my #1 favorite followed by the B1G. Why? The SEC is a pipe dream though and it won't happen. The most realistic option for Georgia Tech would be the BigTen. We line up with those schools academically and we hold an elusive TV market for them that they don't have yet. Getting to football games would be a nightmare though.

But seriously, screw this. Enough already.

orientalnc - Delaney can say anything he wants. I doubt FSU is about to move. The TV deal in the Big 12 is MUCH worse for FSU than the ACC deal. Texas owns that conference and it will as long as the ESPN deal for the Longhorn network exists. I bet ESPN has veto rights on any team moving in or out of either conference. If I were ESPN, I would certainly demand a cancellation clause. The Noles are likely in the ACC for the long term.

New topic. Matt Kuchar won at Ponte Vedra today.

GTNate - All this is predicated on ND joining a conference, which is predicated on the playoff model being the "no non-conference-champions" model, which has been endorsed by 1/6 leagues. I think its all silly and I agree with Winfield, I just DON'T watch ESPN anymore because I can't deal with their a.) obvious bias and b.) the absolute bullshit they pass off as content. The 24 hr news network killed news.

In other words, yay Kuchar!

Atlanta's original team - Oh, my aching brain! This is why my wife will not watch college sports anymore. She is convinced it has nothing to do with the ideals of higher education and is ruled by sleazy stuffed suits who are trying to make a financial killing.

So, my opinion? I think Notre Dame has successfully beaten the need to join a conference for now. The SEC seems firmly committed to the idea of a national championship game that does not have to have a conference championship as a prerequisite. I think the reasons for this are obvious.

I would be surprised to see FSU leave the ACC. With their football team supposedly ready to move into the national spotlight they would be stupid to go through all the disruption that a buyout, schedule scramble and potential lawsuit would bring if they tried to leave at this time.

As for Tech. I am ready for them to make the ACC the best conference in the country. Part of me wishes they had never left the SEC but I understand and agree with the reasons they left. That conference was filled with assholes back then and it is filled with assholes now.

Next time I will not be so measured with my words.

LilBroey700 - Isn't FSU always ready to return to the national spotlight? They've been a national championship contender for 10 years now, it seems, though I can't remember the last time they won a conference championship.

I can't imagine there's too much fear to leave over bad press. It's attention, and when trying to take a leading role in the national spotlight there's no bad press. You don't see Alabama back down from oversigning (not that they just own it either), and you don't see others shy away from recruiting violations or other problems. Bringing attention to a program is good, with the exception being the attention being consistently negative.

What do you all say?

Football Commit #2 - Donovan Wilson RB

2012-05-16T12:11:52Z

Football Commit #2 - Donovan Wilson RB

Ed Note: I really need to start checking FanShots before posting my own. -LilBroey700

Big physical RB, 6'0" 205, from Dublin, Ohio. Signed by Dave Walkosky after being offered yesterday afternoon. Also had offers from Purdue, Air Force, and was expected to get one from Iowa where his brother was a 2012 commit.

Most recruiting services have him at 3-stars, ranked between 50-100 amongst RBs.

What U(sic)GA "Research" Shows About Drinking in Athens

2012-05-15T15:48:50Z

What U(sic)GA "Research" Shows About Drinking in Athens

Ed. Note: Trollololin' hard. -LilBroey700

The "Un-iversity" paid money for this research. The conclusions drawn from the data are so groundbreaking the AJC has front-paged it. Ready? Here goes:

If you're a freshman girl at UGA who binge drinks regularly your chances of unwanted sexual contact rise.

What a paradigm-shifting insight! I guess parents will have to change what they tell their daughters now...oh wait, nope.

Your. Tax. Dollars.

Conference Re-A...What's Going On?

2012-05-15T12:00:44Z

Ahoy, FTRS crew!

Long and far away have I been, fighten the dread pirates known first as finals and then as "post-finals apathy!" But now I am back from my long portage, and boy has the mainland changed since I've been away! And now its time to put this tired sailing metaphor to bed and move on to the hotbutton issue of the day: Conference Re-A-Freaking-Lignment!

So it all started a few weeks ago when some fool out there in TV land decided it was a good idea to leak the numbers on the TV deal the Big12 made with Fox and SECSPN. This, naturally, piqued the interest of Clemson and FSU officials, who decided to get together in a secret room off in some secret land and look into the caldron of foretelling, aka internet message boards, to see what they should do next. Heeding the advice of user ITSUGARISWEAR_15 on tigerdroppings.com, a member of the FSU Board of Trustees decided to announce their intentions to beat Duke with a clawhammer and then get the hell out of the ACC. However, this action caught FSU up in the classic Washington scandal of screwing up by telling the truth and that BoT member was subsequently silenced. Since then, it has been a crazy swirl of foul and filth with a dash of salt, and no one knows what to make of anything. Some folks have them staying and some folks have them leaving, but one things for sure: It's people like you who are killing the party, Clemson and FSU. We just want to have a nice, peaceful offseason, but here you come with your constant need for attention waving your banner whining about how basketball gets preference over football in contract negotiations...IN A BASKETBALL LEAGUE. So quick your bellyaching, says this malcontent virtual mariner, and stop ruining college football for the rest of us. Thanks a bunch.

Monday Morning Mustache Examines One of Golf's Classic Mustaches, Celebrates a Recent Victory

2012-05-14T12:00:36Z

As a young man who is not an avid golf-watcher, I was not aware of who our own DressHerInWhiteAndGold was referring to when he requested a profile of a man named Gary McCord and his "elegant cookie duster". However, after a little research, I've learned of the gentleman, his mustache, and why I've never heard such a famous golf commentator call the Masters.

via www.jspgolf.com

As you can see, this fellow does indeed have a magnificent mustache (a bit of an homage to Rollie Fingers), which when paired with a small patch on his chin makes for a flawlessly executed goatee. I love its presence in the game of golf too, as it adds a nice goofy element to a game that is sometimes taken a little too seriously. As some out there are likely familiar, McCord is a commentator for CBS's golf broadcasts 51 weekends out of the year, with the exception being the Masters weekend. Why on Earth would he miss the Masters of all weekends, you ask? Well, Augusta National hasn't exactly invited him back since 1994.

(The story, as well as other golf-related news, after the jump...)

You see, that goofy mustache goes onto a somewhat goofy individual, known for having a bit of a reduced size on his mental/verbal filter. In 1994, he spoke of the 17th green as being so fast that it seemed "bikini-waxed", and that they had body bags behind the green for participants who missed on their approach shots. I would never understand why, but the prim and proper officials from Augusta National didn't see those comments as desirable for their tournament, and used their power to deny CBS from ever bringing him back. (Also, for what it's worth, 1984's FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis saw him split his pants while lining up a putt on the 15th hole, revealing that he wasn't wearing any underwear. It was a bit of an awkward moment for all involved, to say the least.)

Matt Kuchar, Pride of Georgia Tech (via blogs.orlandosentinel.com)

While we discuss golf, I was not watching yesterday, but I have a hunch that if CBS was covering the TPC Sawgrass, that McCord was present and doing color commentary as Georgia Tech's very own Matt Kuchar took home the title with a 2-under 70 on Sunday, good for an overall score of 13-under and a two-shot victory. Congratulations to Matt!

All hail goofy golf gabbin' Gary McCord, all hail his "elegant cookie duster" mustache, and all hail Georgia Tech alumnus Matt Kuchar for his TPC Sawgrass victory!