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Tag: College Football

  • Don James, Huskies Football Coach Dies at 80, Memorial Scheduled for Sunday

    Sunday was a somber day for die-hard Washington Huskies fans. Legendary Huskies football coach, Don James, died of pancreatic cancer. According to GoHuskies.com, James passed in the comfort of his own home. He was 80 years of age. The Ohio native lived and breathed football with an fulfilling athletic career that lasted nearly 50 years. James played 2 years of professional football as a quarterback and defensive back. However, his football glory came from his long-standing coaching career.

    In 1956, James took his first coaching job in Kansas, GA. He went on to coach at Southwest Miami High School in Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Colorado, and Kent State, before taking on his most notable coaching position as the head coach of the University of Washington Huskies.
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    James, who was commonly referred to as the “The Dawgfather” on campus, built a stellar career that led to his induction in the College Hall of Fame. James transformed the University of Washington football team into a championship-winning powerhouse. He arrived on campus in the fall of 1975, and his tenure lasted for a total of 17 years. Throughout his 17-year tenure, James led the team to six conference titles. In 1997, James was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He retired with an overall head coaching record of 178-76-3.
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    Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Rolltide shared his reaction to the loss and issued a statement of condolence, paying his respects to James. Saban learned under the tutelage of James’ coaching, so he definitely had a lot to say in reference to the famed coach.
    “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Coach James’ family. He was a special man and meant the world to me. There aren’t enough words to describe not only the great coach he was, but how much he cared for people and the positive impact he made in the lives of everyone he came in contact with.

    Coach James was my mentor and probably did more than anybody to influence me in this profession. Like I’ve said before, I didn’t plan on going into coaching. He saw something in me and asked me to stay on at Kent State as a graduate assistant after my playing career was over. I really enjoyed it, got hired full time and went on from there.

    From an organizational standpoint, our program today is run much like he ran his program. He was very organized, efficient, and did an outstanding job of defining expectations for players, coaches and everyone in the organization.

    He was always personal and inspirational to players and people around him. He wanted you to reach your full potential as a football player, but more importantly, he wanted you to do well in school and become the best person you could be so you would be successful in life. He was the same way when it came to assistant coaches or anyone who worked for him, you were a better person because of the time you spent with Coach James.”

    James will be honored during a special memorial service by the Huskies prior to the 8:00pm kickoff on Saturday. According to the Seattle Times, a public vigil in James’ honor is also scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3:00pm at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington. However, further information regarding the specific details of the memorial have yet to be released.

    The official Twitter page for the Huskies Athletics’ department will be posting frequent updates with further information regarding James’ memorial and funeral arrangements.

     

    Image via Twitter | University of Washington Athletics

  • BCS Rankings: Shakeup in College Football Rankings, First BCS Poll

    Half of last week’s AP Top 10 teams lost during Week 9 of college football, which wreaked havoc on the polls that came out today. Four teams dropped out of the AP Top 10 and some teams, including Georgia and Florida, fell out of the AP Top 25 completely.

    The first BCS rankings of the year came out this evening. BCS calculations are made using a team’s score in the Harris Poll, the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, plus the computer element. Check out the BCS standings below to see how your team fared.

    (image)

    How did your favorite team do over the weekend? Respond below.

    Read below for recaps of some of the games that contributed to the major shift in the other rankings this week. Please note that the rankings mentioned below are from the AP Top 25.

    University of Central Florida at Louisville

    This writer has been telling everyone who would listen that the UCF Knights have a good football team. The only loss the former unranked Knights had prior to the matchup against #8 Louisville was against the then #12 South Carolina Gamecocks. The Knights proved that they are at least the third best college football team in Florida and that they are a team that should be taken seriously when they had a big come-from-behind win against the Cardinals on Friday night. The Knights were down 21 points at one point in the game, but didn’t let that stop them from coming back to win 38-35 in a thriller.

    LSU at Ole Miss

    The Ole Miss Rebels upset #6 LSU on Saturday in a 27-24 win. Ole Miss was able to put up a last-second field goal to pull ahead, leaving LSU fans stunned. The Tigers had lost one game previously to Georgia, but no one expected for the Tigers to go down to Mississippi and fold. Ole Miss has been one of the little sisters of the poor in the SEC lately, so the Rebels pulling off the upset on Saturday was quite the shocker.

    Florida State at Clemson

    The #3 Clemson Tigers (the team that got its own search trend last night because no one, apparently, knows where Clemson is) lost at home to #5 Florida State. While the loss stings and effectively kills the Tigers’ chance to make the BCS Championship Game, there is no shame in losing to another Top 5 ranked team–unless you lose like Clemson did.

    The Tigers were crushed at home in a 51-14 loss, which set a record for the most points scored on Clemson in Death Valley. Not only did the Seminoles gain 565 yards of offense on Clemson’s turf, they also held (former) Heisman contender Tajh Boyd to 156 yards last night. Seminoles quarterback and redshirt freshman Jameis Winston showed that he is the real deal last night by throwing for 444 yards.

    [Main image via Twitter BCS Rankings via ESPN]

  • BCS Standings Simulated; Alabama Leads List

    The official BCS rankings will not be released until October 20, after the Harris Interactive Poll is tabulated for the first time. Until then, all college football pundits and fans can do is speculate. However, CBSsports.com decided to use the data that was currently available to release its unofficial BCS standings:

    BCS List

    It is no surprise that Alabama sits atop the “first” BCS list. After winning 2 National Championships in the past 3 years and starting the season as strong as ever, Alabama is poised to make another title run. The team listed at number 2 may surprise some, however. While the Oregon Ducks are currently ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and have continued to display their dazzling offense and creative jerseys, Clemson finds itself at No. 2 in the preliminary BCS list. Not only do the Tigers surpass the Ducks when other factors are considered besides human voting, but Stanford manages to jump Oregon as well.

    All of this shifting of the ranks may lead one to ask, “How in the hell is the BCS computed, anyway?” The answer to this question is something all fans have wanted to know, mainly due to all of the frustration and fan disappointment the system has caused over the years.

    The BCS was designed as a system to ensure that the 2 best teams in college football played each other in the national championship every year. In order to alleviate human error, the BCS system considers multiple factors when determining which teams are best.

    The BCS is comprised of three different polls – the Harris Interactive Poll, the Coach’s Poll, and computer rankings. The Harris Interactive poll is a committee of 115 panelists, representing all different facets of experience with college football. The committee is randomly chosen from a list of 300 people that are supplied by the Athletic Directors from the 10 major football conferences (and Notre Dame). The number representing each team in the Harris Interactive poll is designated by taking the total number of votes a team earns for its ranking (a vote as no.1 earns a team 25 points, and a vote as no.25 earns 1 point), and then dividing that number by the maximum total of votes (Which is 2,875 in this case)

    The second aspect of the poll, the Coach’s poll, works in the same exact manner, except there are only 59 votes total.

    The computer poll is based off of the rankings of 6 members. In this poll, the highest and lowest ranks are dropped to eliminate outliers, and then the team’s total points is divided by 100 to get a percentage.

    Each individual poll accounts for 1/3 of the BCS average.

    The BCS is not most likely not going to be spared any controversy or criticism this year. Even though the BCS system is going to be replaced with a playoff in the 2014 season, a few teams have set themselves up poorly for a national championship run. Thus far, it looks as if Ohio State and Louisville are both going to be undefeated at the end of the season. However, the strength of schedule of these two teams leaves many unanswered questions toward their true abilities, and thus both teams will most likely find themselves on the outside of the BCS championship game looking in, even if they go undefeated.

    While it will be nice to not hear rampant complaints against the BCS next year, the replacing system is a selection panel of “experts”. People can clamor for an improved system all they want, but a human panel is not likely to be much better. It’s not as if the selection committee for the NCAA basketball tournament is spared any judgement or criticism for their actions…

    Image via Twitter

  • Jadeveon Clowney May Not Play in Arkansas Game

    Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? Unfortunately for South Carolina Gamecocks fans, the pre-season discussion about their best defensive player sitting out the entire season may not have been as overreaching as originally thought.

    After Jadeveon Clowney sat out last night’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats, head coach Steve Spurrier says that Clowney may sit out again when the Gamecocks play Arkansas on Saturday.

    Many sports pundits suggested that Clowney should sit out his junior year to stay healthy for the 2014 NFL Draft. Since Clowney has been predicted to be a Top 5 overall pick, this would be a huge payday for the Rock Hill, South Carolina native.

    Sitting out games to protect one’s draft status, however, is mostly unheard of, and Gamecocks fans were quick to say that such a thing would never happen with Clowney. From what Spurrier said after the game against Kentucky on Saturday, it’s starting to look like those Carolina fans, this writer included, could be wrong.

    The news that Clowney was going to sit out for the Kentucky game came at the last minute. Clowney has previously played sick in a couple of games and has also been playing with bone spurs in his feet, which he will have surgery for after the season is over.

    “Jadeveon was not suited up,” Spurrier said. “I asked him ‘you not playing’ and he said, ‘nope I’m in pain.’” Clowney reportedly had rib pain before the game.

    Spurrier was obviously frustrated with his star defensive player sitting out last night, and some of the comments the coach made after the game have a lot of fans wondering whether something more is going on. Then again, the frustration could largely come from Spurrier’s Gamecocks dropping a big lead to the Kentucky Wildcats, which let the Wildcats keep the game closer than it should have been. The #13 Gamecocks won 35-28 in Columbia after getting a 21-0 lead.

    “If he wants to play, we will welcome him to come play for the team if he wants. But if he doesn’t want to play, he doesn’t have to play. Simple as that,” Spurrier said. When Spurrier was asked about how committed Clowney is to the Gamecocks, he said, “You’ll have to ask him that.”

    Now Spurrier says that Clowney is “unsure” for the Arkansas game. “Hopefully, with treatment and so forth he will be well enough to play this coming week but we will see,” Spurrier said. “We will see if he’s going to be in pain and not play or not in pain and can play this week.”

    Perhaps Clowney had just had a run of bad luck health-wise, but a lot of college football fans are questioning how legitimate his injury/illness claims are.

    Image via YouTube

  • Ole Miss Gay Slurs: Football Players Being Investigated

    Many people are calling for some Ole Miss football players to be suspended following the news that players made gay slurs during a school play on Tuesday. University of Mississippi officials apologized on Thursday for the “borderline hate speech” and are investigating the situation.

    The anti-gay slurs occurred during a theater production of The Laramie Project, which is about the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Garrison Gibbons, a student in the play, said that the atmosphere at the play was “radically different” and that gay slurs could be heard from the audience.

    “They were laughing at lines that spoke in negative ways about gay people,” Gibbons said. Gibbons also said that he felt “an incredible amount of judgment and laughter” when his character in the play comes out as gay and even saw some people snapping pictures of him with their phones.

    The football players involved apologized to the cast after the play, but Gibbons said that they didn’t find the apologies sincere. “One spoke up and said they were sorry and didn’t mean to hurt our feelings,” Gibbons said. “Another said they found humor in the play and then they were gone and the academic advisor who was with them basically said they had never been to a play before and didn’t know what to expect.”

    The University of Mississippi condemned the behavior in an open letter issued on Thursday:

    While we work to determine with certainty who disrupted the Laramie Project play, we want everyone within our university community and beyond to know that we strongly condemn the behavior exhibited Tuesday night. As a member of the Ole Miss family, each of us has a responsibility to be accountable for our actions, and these individuals will be held accountable. Our investigation will determine the degree to which any and all students were involved.

    Do you think the football players should be suspended or kicked off the team for using gay slurs? Respond below.

    Head coach Hugh Freeze also said condemned the gay slurs on Twitter.

    The situation has outraged many people, including FOX Sports’ Clay Travis. “I love the South, it’s my home and always will be my home, but I hate ignorance much more than I love the South. And we have way too much ignorance down here, always have,” Travis said. Travis went on to say that if Ole Miss doesn’t take action against the players, then the SEC needs to.

    Image via Twitter

  • Ohio State Buckeyes: Are They Overrated?

    The #4 Ohio State Buckeyes beat the #16 Northwestern Wildcats 40-30 on Saturday at Northwestern, scoring the final seven points thanks to a defensive play at the end of the game. As we reach the halfway point of college football’s regular season, a time when a team’s ranking in the polls finally means something, the burning question on the minds of many college football fans is, “Are the Buckeyes overrated?”

    Ohio State’s ranking didn’t change in the new AP Top 25 Poll, and the Buckeyes received only 54 less votes than #3 Clemson. That hasn’t stopped a lot of people ragging on Ohio State for a close win against Northwestern, though.

    The Buckeyes’ win over Northwestern yesterday marked their 18th consecutive win, which is the country’s longest winning streak, so why are some people down on Ohio State?

    According to FOX Sports’ Greg Couch, the Ohio State Buckeyes looked like “the little guy playing over his head” yesterday and made the Big 10 look like a “second-rung league.” Those are pretty harsh words for a team that put up 40 points in a win on a #16 ranked team’s turf, but Couch isn’t the only one who thinks the Buckeyes aren’t deserving of their ranking.

    Do you think Ohio State is overrated? Respond below.

    Ohio State had three turnovers yesterday, including two fumbles and one interception. The lead switched back and forth throughout the game, and if not for two scores late in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes would have lost.

    The offense’s (at times) sloppy play and the defense giving up 30 points explains why some folks are down on Ohio State. Plus, most fans expect a team that highly ranked to have all the kinks worked out by the halfway point so that close games like that don’t happen.

    “There is a perception of Northwestern that they’re well-coached and don’t make mistakes,’’ head coach Urban Meyer said. “That’s true.” Meyer also referred to the game as being “real football” and said that Northwestern has “very good players players, borderline great players at some positions.”

    Northwestern was unbeaten going into the Ohio State game, so maybe the Wildcats are simply better than they’re being given credit for. Close games happen, even for the best football teams, and time will soon tell if Ohio State is truly deserving of being a top five ranked team.

    Main image via YouTube; Poll image via ESPN

  • Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads’ Goes On a Rant After Loss

    It is definitely obvious that Big 12 coach, Paul Rhoads is not a happy camper. The Iowa Cyclones’ head football coach clearly felt some kind of way in regards to the close 31-30 loss Thursday night at the hands of the Texas Longhorns. But, the kicker is that he actually had a legitimate reason for his frustration.

    In the post-game media conference following the devastating loss, Rhoads held no punches. He said exactly what he wanted to say – well maybe not exactly what he wanted to say. But, his scowling demeanor wreaked of the disgruntlement he had no qualms about showing. Full exclusive coverage from the media conference was posted on Cyclone.TV, which is Iowa State’s athletic channel on YouTube.

    Rhoads’ intensity may have seemed a little disconcerting for those who didn’t get to see the game live. However, Rhoads’ rant was actually justified judging from the footage of the last 1:30 of the game. The Cyclones were up by a touchdown, and Texas was in possession of the ball. After the snap, Longhorns’ running back, Johnathan Gray, clearly fumbled in close proximity of the goal line at around the 1-yard line.

    From all of the angles on the footage replays, it actually appeared that he was stripped of the ball by Cyclones’ LB Jeremiah George who came out of the huddle with the ball. Game commentators also made the same assumption based on the playback. That game-deciding drive occurred with not even a full minute left on the clock. However, officials made the call in favor of the Longhorns, stating that Gray’s progress had been stopped and he was already down by contact before the fumble.

    The call ultimately sealed the game. Longhorns’ Case McCoy ended up scoring a 1-yard touchdown that tied the game. The final conversion point brought the score to 31-30, reported ESPN Dallas-Fort Worth.

    http://youtu.be/i8hEZ1Bhcbw

    Coach Rhoads’ and the game commentators were obviously not the only ones who saw the play differently. Retired Texas A&M Director of Athletics, Bill Byrne, also tuned into the game, and weighed in on Twitter to share his perspective.

    It is quite evident that the game officials made an error that cost the the Cyclones the “W.” The game officials may not have heard the last of concerns about the game’s outcome. However, Big 12 officials have yet to address whether any further actions will be taken in regards to the situation.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Snoop Dogg: Son Says Kiffin Firing Was Overdue

    After the news broke today that Lane Kiffin was fired from Southern Cal, rapper Snoop Dogg’s son, Cordell Broadus, said that the firing was overdue. Broadus is being recruited by the Trojans, but hasn’t yet signed with anyone. Such a situation would be a turnoff for a lot of recruits, but it looks like Kiffin’s firing could play in the Trojans’ favor.

    Broadus told 247Sports, “I feel that he should have been fired a while ago and USC is going to raise the bar now because the new coaching staff next year and I’m anxious to see what they are going to look like.” Broadus is one of the top ten wide receivers in the Class of 2015, and in addition to Southern Cal, he has received offers from California, UCLA and Arizona State.

    Snoop Dogg’s son wasn’t the only recruit happy to hear that Kiffin was let go. Other recruits said that the firing “wasn’t a real shock” and that they “knew it was coming.” One recruit, Joseph Wicker, even said that he was “a little happy” to hear that Kiffin was fired. In the meantime, Ed Orgeron has been named the interim head coach for the Trojans and no other firings have been announced, so perhaps that well help Southern Cal maintain their current recruits.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLzUM28kBB0

    Southern Cal announced Kiffin’s firing this morning after the Trojans lost their game against Arizona State on Saturday 62-41. This puts the Trojans at 3-2 for the season, and Kiffin has won only 4 out of his past 11 games. Kiffin was hired at Southern Cal in 2010 after being the head coach at Tennessee for one season. Kiffin’s best season was in 2011, when his team went 11-2. Otherwise, his performance as the Southern California head coach hasn’t been much to speak of.

    Kiffin has never been a fan favorite, which shows in some of the comments posted to Twitter since his firing was announced:

    And in case Kiffin’s Twitter account (which is pretty much dedicated to the Trojans) gets deactivated, here is his final tweet as Southern Cal head coach:

    Image via YouTube

  • Georgia Football: The Bulldogs Knock off LSU

    Georgia all but locked up the SEC-East and a spot in the SEC Championship Game with their win over LSU today. The #9 Bulldogs beat the #6 Tigers at Sanford Stadium in Athens in a thriller, winning 44-41. The Georgia fans who were calling for coach Mark Richt’s head after their loss to the #3 Clemson Tigers have officially been silenced.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy0OEeWBlOA

    Georgia senior quarterback Aaron Murray faced off against LSU senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who just happens to be Murray’s former teammate and competitor at UGA. Mettenberger was dismissed from UGA in 2010 after pleading guilty to sexual battery charges, only to end up at LSU in 2011.

    ”It’s going to be weird to see him on the other sideline wearing an LSU uniform,” Murray said. Mettenberger felt the pressure as well and said, “There’s just so much put into this game that has nothing with the game.” Both quarterbacks had solid games today. Murray completed 20 of 34 passes for 298 yards and had 4 touchdowns, and Mettenberger was 23-37 for 372 yards and had 3 touchdown passes.

    Georgia was able to get a lead in the second quarter, which the Bulldogs held onto until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The Tigers put up their final score with four minutes remaining in the fourth, giving them a four-point lead. Georgia answered back, however, and scored a touchdown with just under two minutes left in the game. LSU had a chance to either win or tie, but their offense stalled at midfield.

    Sometimes the score doesn’t always paint a good picture stats-wise, but that wasn’t the case today. Both the Georgia and LSU offenses had 400-plus yard games. Georgia narrowly edged out LSU with 494 yards to LSU’s 449 yards. Both teams had one turnover each and even the penalty yards were close, with LSU getting penalized 40 yards to Georgia’s 35.

    Looking at the rest of Georgia’s schedule, they shouldn’t have much of a problem holding onto the SEC East. After getting past the Gamecocks and LSU, the Bulldogs’ toughest conference game remaining is against Florida in November, which will likely decide the East. Otherwise, the Bulldogs face the likes of Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee.

    Main image via YouTube; Stats image via ESPN

  • Penn State Scholarships to be Restored

    More than a year after Penn State received numerous sanctions from the NCAA and Big 10 due to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse cover-up, the NCAA announced that it will allow Penn State to gradually restore the scholarships lost. Penn State lost a total of 40 scholarships from 2013 to 2017, but will start adding them back in the 2014-2015 academic year.

    George Mitchell, the Athletics Integrity Monitor for Penn State, released a statement on the situation. “While there is more work to be done, Penn State has clearly demonstrated its commitment to restoring integrity in its athletics program,” said Mitchell. Penn State will get to add in 5 scholarships next year and will add 5 more scholarships each year until they reach the normal amount.

    Restoring Penn State’s scholarships is the only part of the sanctions that is being softened right now. The $60 million in fines that Penn State has to pay is still in effect, as well as the postseason ban that will be in effect for three more years. Many people thought the sanctions were too severe since they punished the current players, who had nothing to do with the scandal. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said that the news of Penn State’s scholarships being restored is “great” because the penalties were “excessive.”

    The current head coach of the football program, Bill O’Brien, is thrilled with the news. “Today’s announcement by the NCAA is tremendous news,” O’Brien said. “As a staff, we are especially pleased for our players, who have proven themselves to be a resilient group of young men who are able to look ahead, focus and overcome adversity.”

    The Penn State athletic director, Dan Joyner, said, “We will continue to work hard within the Athletics Integrity Agreement to fully comply and to achieve excellence in everything we do at Penn State.”

    While many Penn State fans are pleased with the news, a lot of college football fans and others who followed the Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky scandal are angry to hear that the NCAA is lessening the blow. Should Penn State’s scholarships be restored? Respond below.

    Image via Flickr

  • Hokie Stone Helmets Receive a lot of Criticism

    Boise State has their blue turf. Oregon is known for their unique, if sometimes wacky, uniforms. And now the Virginia Tech Hokies will be known for being the first college football team to sport stone helmets:

    Those helmets give new meaning to the phrase, “hit me like a tone of bricks,” (or stones in this case). Lest any moms out there think they have another reason to add to the list of why their boys shouldn’t play football, the helmets aren’t really made of stone–they just resemble the Hokie Stone that is part of the school’s history.

    Virginia Tech will wear the new Hokie Stone helmets in their game on Thursday night against Georgia Tech. Hokie Stone is a name used for a type of rock that is mined near Virginia Tech, plus it is used on many buildings on campus. While the Hokie Stone helmets will certainly catch a few people off guard when they watch the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets on ESPN on Thursday, head coach Frank Beamer doesn’t care what outsiders think because the stone is such a huge part of the school’s history.

    “When you look at this helmet, it’s not flashy, but it means a tremendous amount to this university,” Beamer said. “The outside world may have to do a double-take, but the Hokie Nation will know exactly what it is: Hokie Stone. And it’s something we’re proud of. The reason I like it, is because it represents what this program and this University are built on.” Beamer also says that the Hokie Stone helmet represents what the Hokies are all about: “brotherhood, loyalty, leadership, Ut Prosim, sacrifice, service, honor, and duty.”

    Virginia Tech’s new helmets have received a lot of critical responses on Twitter. What do you think of the Hokie Stone helmets? Respond below.

    The official page of the football team retweeted the following comment regarding some of the ridiculing comments:

    Image via YouTube

  • Week 5 NCAA Football AP Top 25 Rankings

    Week 5 NCAA Football AP Top 25 Rankings

    In an incredibly lackluster week four game day, we witnessed several unnecessary mismatches (with winning teams scoring over 70 points in some instances), virtually no upsets, and a few key victories here and there. The schedule of games for week four were such a disappointment that the online sports journal publication entitled it’s primary headline, “College football, Week 4: At least it was a Saturday” The AP Top 25 was posted last night and to no surprise, the defending National Champions – the Alabama Crimson Tide once again clung to the number one spot.

    The polls also went on to reveal that the top 14 spots on the poll remained completely unchanged from last week with teams like #4 Ohio State, #7 Louisville, #10 Texas A&M, all the way to #14 Oklahoma (the full AP [Associated Press] Top 25 list is provided at the end of this article). Saturday (9/21) held almost no surprises as far as the odds and predictions went, there were no upsets and the highlights of the day for many fans came in the form of mismatches and final scores that could only be described in words like slaughter, massacre, and devastation. Throughout the day sports fans sporadically saw scores like #7 Louisville’s 72 to nothing shut-out against Florida International or the near identical performance of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who won against Florida A&M (76-0). These two games were only a few among several that could have been stopped at the end of the first half. After the game Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer was quick to commend his second-string QB Kenny Guiton, who set a new school record for touchdown passes in a single game (6):


    The Hurricanes of Miami (FL) advanced to #15 after their offensive tutorial against Savannah State (77-7). Washington moved up a spot to #16 after their 56-0 meeting with Idaho State. The primary changes this week were mainly teams moving up a single position in the rankings. These fluctuations correlated with wins from Northwestern (who moved up to #17), Baylor (who moved up to #19), Wisconsin (who moved up to #23), and Texas Tech (who moved up to #24). #23 Arizona State lost their place in the ‘top 25’ after losing to #5 Stanford in a heated Pac-12 conference game, which made way for Fresno State to move in as #25.

    A few teams managed to lock in some key wins on this rather uneventful Saturday: #19 Florida Gators defeated the Volunteers of Tennessee 31 to 17; #22 Notre Dame took down one of their historically traditional rivals Michigan State in a close game (17-13); and #6 LSU beat Auburn in one of their first conference meetings 35 to 21. Wolverine fans were disappointed in the performance they had against an 0-2 UConn team of the terribly sub-par Big East conference. Michigan, who was ranked 15th at the time, only managed to beat Connecticut by a field goal in the last quarter (24-21). That substandard performance would cause them to drop three spots to #18 (the worst changed in rank of the week).

    AP Top 25 Rankings:
    1 Alabama
    2 Oregon
    3 Clemson
    4 Ohio State
    5 Stanford
    6 LSU
    7 Louisville
    8 Florida State
    9 Georgia
    10 Texas A&M
    11 Oklahoma State
    12 South Carolina
    13 UCLA
    14 Oklahoma
    15 Miami (FL)
    16 Washington
    17 Northwestern
    18 Michigan
    19 Baylor
    20 Florida
    21 Ole Miss
    22 Notre Dame
    23 Wisconsin
    24 Texas Tech
    25 Fresno State

    Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Kick-Off at the Shoe

  • AP Football Poll: Alabama Stays on Top

    AP Football Poll: Alabama Stays on Top

    While the AP Top 25 Poll saw a few changes today, the Top 10 remains unchanged. Alabama, Oregon and Clemson still head up the rankings. The biggest ratings drop was Michigan, who dropped from 15 to 18 after narrowly edging out the unranked Connecticut Huskies (0-3).

    Week 4 of the college football season proved to be one wild ride, with a few games that were probably closer than they should have been while others ended in massive blowouts. See where your team is ranked in the updated AP Football Poll below.

    Fresno State was the only new addition to the AP Top 25 this week. The Bulldogs entered at spot 25 after beating Boise State 41-40 at home. Fresno State took Arizona State’s spot, who dropped out of the AP Top 25 following a loss to Stanford. Some teams from the Top 25 didn’t play this past weekend. South Carolina and Oregon both had BYE weeks, which didn’t affect their positioning in the AP Football Poll.

    The games that made the most noise from this past weekend were the Ohio State-FAMU and the Louisville-FIU games. Ohio State crushed Florida A&M 76-0 and Louisville put up similar numbers when it beat Florida International 72-0. Clearly this wasn’t a good week for the smaller Florida football teams. One Florida team had their own blowout, though–the Miami Hurricanes beat Savannah State 77-7.

    While it’s not surprising to see these AP Top 25 ranked teams put up big numbers against lesser talent, seeing more than one team reach 70-plus points does come as bit of a shock. The higher scoring football games (including those among evenly matched teams) have some football fans wondering whether coaches aren’t focusing as much on defense these days or if the officials simply aren’t calling as many holds and other offensive penalties, which could lead to higher scoring games.

    The AP Football Poll for Week 5 should see a little more movement. The #6 LSU Tigers play the #9 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, GA next Saturday, #14 Oklahoma plays at #22 Notre Dame, plus there are a few match-ups that have some upset potential. #23 Wisconsin, whose only loss was a close one at Arizona State, plays #4 Ohio State. Check out the Week 5 football schedule here.

    How did your football team do this week? Add your comments below.

    Main image via Alabama Rivals; Poll image via Detroit Free Press

  • Ohio State Hammers FAMU

    Ohio State Hammers FAMU

    Most football enthusiast knew without a doubt that the Ohio State Buckeyes would come out on top against Florida A&M. However, no one had a clue the quietus in Ohio Stadium would be so mortifying. Not only did Ohio State win the game, they went for the gusto wiping the FAMU Rattlers out in a 76-0 mismatch victory.

    This particular victory was one for the record books going down in history for both teams. FAMU, who implemented football into their athletic department in 1899, has never been hammered by so many points. Ohio State, on the other hand, hasn’t had a victory of such magnitude since their 1935 win over Drake when they put a whopping 85 points on the board to Drake’s mere 7.

    Nothing about this particular game was ordinary. The first few minutes of the game kicked everything off with a bizarre spin. FAMU’s Patrick Aiken picked off QB Kenny Guiton’s touch down pass attempt in the end zone. Aiken opted to run the ball to the 7-yard line, but the interception was short lived, as he fumbled the ball back to the Buckeyes’ two-yard line. The very next play resulted in the Buckeyes’ scoring the first of many touchdowns.

    In the first 6 minutes of the game, the Buckeyes (4-0) put up 21 in points. Guiton had already thrown 24 of 34 passes, gaining 215 yards. By the end of the first quarter, they had put 34 points on the board, which was more than Florida A&M had accumulated in yardage. Four touchdowns had been thrown by the end of the first quarter. The Rattlers didn’t produce even a first down until the middle of the second quarter. By that time, they were already down by 48. Then, at halftime, the Buckeyes had managed to yield a staggering 55 points.

    While the number on the scoreboard was definitely not the norm, the win didn’t even seem like a laudable feat. By just halftime, it could be best-described as complete overkill. However EPSN reports, Coach Earl Holmes, head of the FAMU Rattlers, made a point of expressing his keen sportsmanship toward the game. “We don’t want a pity party. I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t expect the coach to kneel. You play the game. You play for 60 minutes.” In a nutshell, Holmes just reiterated that the Buckeyes didn’t just run the score up. They simply played the game with excellent precision.

     

    Image via ESPN

  • Kenny Guiton Guides OSU To Victory

    Kenny Guiton Guides OSU To Victory

    Kenny Guiton has been the quarterback for Ohio State in the 2013 season, since their star Braxton Miller got injured. The Buckeyes are currently at No.4 in the country with a 4-0 record, as they are led by the new star, Guiton. In their week 4 victory, he led the Buckeyes to an absolute blowout of Florida A&M, resulting in a final score of 76-0. Guiton got his first start in the game against California, after Miller went down and was replaced in their week 2 game against San Diego State.

    Guiton surprised everyone and even set Ohio State records in their victory against Florida A&M yesterday. With multiple blowouts yesterday by major teams, it is hard to know what the real problem is in relation to their opponents. It seemed like teams used to let up when they had a big lead, but now quarterbacks just continue to rack up the stats and set records. He set a school record with six touchdown passes, all which came in the first half, resulting in a blowout of epic proportions, reports ESPN. It is hard to imagine how teams can let a game get this out of hand, but Louisville also finished with a similar result, winning 72-0.

    This was the most lopsided Ohio State win since their 85-7 victory over Drake in 1935. Four of Guiton’s touchdowns came in the first quarter and they were up 21-0 in the first 6 minutes of the game, in an embarrassing game for Florida A&M. This certainly says something about the Ohio State offense, but we still do not know how they match up against the other elite teams in the Big Ten after beginning their league schedule. This is certainly a big first step and utilizing a new quarterback in such a great way will help them. Ohio State’s coach Urban Meyer is certainly used to winning and looks forward to taking the team to the championship this year. He said, “You come to Ohio State to compete for the Big Ten championship,” and this can apply to many of the players as well, since everyone who comes to play for the school knows how elite of a team they are.

    The stats were also as lopsided as the score, while OSU achieved a 34-2 edge in first downs and a differential of 603-80 in yards. Kenny Guiton is a very impressive young player and will look to continue his success as they enter league play next week. Ohio State will face off against Wisconsin (23), next Saturday, September 28, at 8 p.m. Coach Urban Meyer does not know when Miller will be able to return, but for now the fans will embrace Guiton.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzw9Rlal-Ps

    Image via Youtube

  • Arian Foster Called a Prostitute for Taking Money

    While most former college football players who admit to taking money while playing would be catching a lot of heat, this time a lot of the attention is on someone who criticized a guy for doing that on Twitter. Former University of Tennessee running back Arian Foster admitted to taking money in college on Friday. The Texans player said that he took the money because he was completely broke, and the admission prompted ESPN analyst Dick Vitale to compare Foster to a prostitute on Twitter.

    The Admission

    Foster told Sports Illustrated that he took money “on the side” to help with rent and grocery expenses during college.

    “I don’t know if this will throw us into an NCAA investigation–my senior year, I was getting money on the side,” said Foster. “I really didn’t have any money. I had to either pay the rent or buy some food. I remember the feeling of like, ‘Man, be careful.’ But there’s nothing wrong with it. And you’re not going to convince me that there is something wrong with it. There were plenty of times where throughout the month I didn’t have enough for food.”

    Foster, who was coached by Phil Fulmer while at Tennessee, says that he thinks student athletes should be paid for their work. “There was a point where we had no food, no money, so I called my coach and I said, ‘Coach, we don’t have no food. We don’t have no money. We’re hungry.’…He came down and he brought like 50 tacos for like four or five of us. Which is an NCAA violation. The next day I walk up to the facility and I see my coach pull up in a brand new Lexus. Beautiful,” Foster said. “I’m a firm believer that an employee should get paid for his work. And, 100 percent, I see student athletes as employees.”

    Should college football players be paid a stipend, considering how much money the university and coaches are making? Add your comments below.

    The Twitter Drama

    Foster’s admission prompted sports analyst Dick Vitale to compare him to a “prostitute” on Twitter, which made for a lot of entertaining back-and-forth comments over the weekend.

    Vitale’s comment was met with a lot of backlash, especially after he referred to what Foster did as illegal.

    The comments continued, with Vitale getting more irate for the criticism he received for calling Arian Foster a prostitute. Interestingly enough, Vitale’s Twitter comments came while he said he was in the Bahamas on a family vacation.

    After receiving hundreds of criticizing comments from Twitter users, who Vitale eventually threatened to block if they couldn’t disagree with him nicely, the ESPN sports analyst finally offered up an apology.

    Heads up athletes–if you’re going to admit you broke NCAA rules and took money, make sure Dick Vitale gets wind of it.

    Image via YouTube

  • Clemson Player Ejected after Punch [VIDEO]

    A player for the Clemson Tigers was ejected from the game last night after delivering a nasty uppercut to an N.C. State player following a play. The #3 ranked Tigers’ 26-14 win in Raleigh, North Carolina was marred with a couple of controversial calls, but the officials definitely got the ejection right. The punch came with just 90 seconds on the clock and a 12-point lead on the scoreboard, but that apparently wasn’t enough for offensive lineman Isaiah Battle.

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    Head coach Dabo Swinney was not too happy with Battle’s decision to switch to throw a swing and gave his lineman an earful after he pulled him to the sideline. After the Battle delivered the punch, a yellow flag was throw and the Clemson player was ejected and forced to leave the field.

    There’s no word yet on what further punishment Battle can expect to receive for his dirty play. The Clemson football player will likely have to miss at least a couple of quarters in the Tigers’ upcoming game against Wake Forest.

    In an interview after the game last night, Swinney called the personal foul “poor” and said that type of behavior “isn’t Clemson.” While Swinney is correct that we don’t usually see punches thrown on the field from Clemson players, an on-the-field brawl between Clemson and South Carolina in 2004 showed some nasty hits that were far worse.

    How much long do you think the ejected Clemson player should be suspended for his antics? Respond below.

    Swinney said after the game that his Tigers were “fortunate” in their win against N.C. State and that he was glad they hung in and “found a way to win.” The game was very close during the third quarter, with the Tigers leading the Wolfpack 13-7. The Wolfpack almost pulled ahead in what appeared to be an 83-yard touchdown run. With the PAT, the score would have been 14-13, N.C. State, but the touchdown run was called back after a referee said the player stepped out of bounds.

    Instead of having a lead, N.C. State fumbled the ball away and Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd threw a touchdown pass to push Clemson ahead to 20-7. Heisman contender Boyd was 24-37 on completions last night, with 244 passing yards and three touchdowns.

    Main image via YouTube; GIF via Fansided

  • Nick Saban on the Texas Rumors: I am too “Old” to Start Over

    Nick Saban on the Texas Rumors: I am too “Old” to Start Over

    Alabama’s Nick Saban is currently the highest paid coach in college football, making more than $5 million per year. Texas coach Mack Brown makes close to the same salary as Saban, but it’s possible that that Saban could be in a league of his own if any of the Texas Longhorn rumors come true.

    There has been a lot of talk about Texas parting ways with Brown, and who would be a better candidate than the coach who has won three of the past four BCS National Championship games? While the rumors started with a joke ESPN’s Paul Finebaum made on Twitter, a report came out today that says someone from Texas contacted Saban’s agent in January.

    While Brown has put up quite a few impressive seasons in his 14 years at Texas, his performance the past few years has left a lot to be desired for a fan base accustomed to winning 10-plus games per season. The Longhorns are currently 1-2, with losses to BYU and Ole Miss. As such, the Longhorns are less than thrilled with the over $5 million salary Brown is drawing. The solution? To hire the biggest name in college football–Nick Saban.

    For any Crimson Tide fans seeing, well, crimson at the thought of their three-time national title winning coach being lured away, don’t lose too much sleep over the rumors–Saban says he is staying put. After a report surfaced Thursday that said a Texas regent talked to Saban’s agent back in January, the “Saban to Texas” talk has been at a high.

    “Nothing went on that I know of. I don’t know about any of this stuff,” Saban said of the report. “I haven’t talked to anybody about that particular situation. They have a coach there. Every year it’s something. We really love the University of Alabama. We really feel like a part of the community here and we have a lot of good friends here. And, quite frankly, I’m just too damn old to start over somewhere else.”

    So it sounds like Saban doesn’t have any interest in Texas, but some are speculating that Saban wants to focus on getting another BCS Championship win at Alabama while he has another top-ranked team, that way a bidding war will take place after the season is over. If that happens, it’s possible that Saban could become the first $10 million per year football coach. While it doesn’t make a lot of sense that Saban would want to leave the well-oiled machine that is Alabama, it is certainly possible that he would entertain other offers later on to get a pay raise.

    Image via YouTube

  • LSU Fraternity Apologizes for Inappropriate Sign

    For some reason, a fraternity at LSU thought it was appropriate to prepare for their upcoming game against Kent State University by making a sign that mocked the shooting that took place there in 1970. After an image of the offending banner reached Kent State and LSU officials, the frat brothers decided to apologize.

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    The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity hung the offending sign that read, “Getting massacred is nothing new to Kent State” over their frat house before the game this past Saturday, which the LSU Tigers won 45-13. Many college football fans have criticized LSU for a weak out-of-conference schedule, and taunting a team that should be a guaranteed win is classless enough without mocking an event that took the lives of four students.

    Before anyone thinks the sign was simply an error in judgment that can be attributed to a bunch of drunk frat boys, the same fraternity made headlines earlier in the month for hanging a sign joking about Syria: “LSU vs. UAB It’s gonna be a gas. Syriasly.” If hundreds of people killed in an alleged chemical attack is fodder for humor, that kind of explains why the LSU fraternity finds it acceptable to joke about the Kent State Massacre.

    The LSU fraternity’s apology sign read, “We would like to apologize to Kent State for our inappropriate sign.” The apology banner may not be enough for the DKE frat, though; the students involved in the banner could face disciplinary action. According to WTVM, a spokesperson for LSU said that the school’s “Dean of Students Office and Student Life are aware and are looking into the matter.”

    The frat boys of Delta Kappa Epsilon are being blasted all over Twitter and other media sources for the inappropriate sign. What do you think of the LSU fraternity’s sign–are people overreacting? Add your comments below.

    Main image via UPI Video; article image via KSLA

  • Jadeveon Clowney: Top College Player Needs Surgery

    It was reported today that South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney will have surgery at the end of the football season. The USC player, one of the top defensive players in the nation, has been predicted to be the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

    While Clowney has been criticized by some sports pundits for not quite living up to the Superman status he was promoted to by ESPN in the off-season, the 6-foot, 6-inch, 274-pound defensive end out of Rock Hill, South Carolina has been playing in pain. The Carolina player reportedly has bone spurs in his foot, which he says have been bothering him “a lot.” Instead of going through with the surgery now, Clowney plans to play through the pain so he can continue to be a contributor on USC’s defense.

    “It’s painful. I’m out here playing on it, though, so I’m just trying to give everything I’ve got on it,” Clowney told GoGamecocks.com. “Who knows what’s going to happen out there? It doesn’t really bother me when I am out there much. It’s just builds up pain. The more I keep going on it, the more it bothers me.”

    After coming off three games over the past three weeks, Clowney will have a chance to rest his foot until the Gamecocks head to Florida to face UCF on September 28 since the Gamecocks have a BYE week coming up.

    While bone spur surgery is considered relatively minor and shouldn’t impact Clowney’s draft status, if his condition worsens throughout the season and he isn’t able to put up his typical tackle and sack stats, it is possible he could see his status slip a little. As long as Clowney has a decent season, though, he should remain a potential Top 5 pick, which would land him a huge signing bonus.

    In addition to the bone spur pain, Clowney has had to adjust his playing style since the offenses he has faced so far have tried their best to run plays away from him. “It’s hard out there trying to chase from the backside” Clowney said after the Gamecocks lost to Georgia last week. Even though that makes it difficult for Clowney to make as many big plays, that goes to prove just how scared the other teams are of him, as they should be, considering some of the impressive sacks and tackles the Heisman hopeful has made.

    See some of Clowney’s dominant performances below.

    “The Hit” – South Carolina vs. Michigan 2013

    “Four in a Row” – South Carolina vs. Clemson 2012

    Image via YouTube

  • Johnny Piñata: Bama Fans Ready for Manziel

    Ever felt like swinging at Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel? One bar in Mountain Brook, Alabama lets you do just that with a piñata.

    Fans of the University of Alabama are known for their confidence–which some may consider cockiness–and the attitude for the upcoming game against Texas A&M is no different. Crimson Tide fans are expecting their team to retain their AP Poll No. 1 ranking this week and are having a little fun getting ready for the game. A bar in Mountain Brook, Alabama has taken things to another level with their piñata of Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.

    Otey’s Tavern owner Will Haver has watched his bar make national headlines after posting a picture of a 30-inch piñata called “Johnny Piñata” on Facebook. Haver is using the piñata as part of a trivia night promotion. The piñata is a likeness of Johnny Football and is complete with cash in one hand and a Sharpie marker in the other. In a post on Facebook acknowledging all of the media attention, Otey’s Tavern said, “Our concern is, will all this attention go to Johnny’s head?”

    So far, Haver doesn’t have any plans for the piñata set in stone. “We don’t know what we are going to do with it besides hang it up in the tavern and see if we can’t get some people to come by and take pictures,” Haver told AL.com. “Maybe we will have a bashing on Wednesday night, or, if he can make it all the way to the football game on Saturday, then after the game, we may do it some more.”

    Judging from the pictures posted to Otey’s Tavern Facebook page, Alabama fans are having a lot of fun with Johnny Piñata. Considering Manziel has been criticized over the past week for taunting Rice players, many are ready to see the Aggies quarterback taken down a notch. Bama opened as 7 point favorites earlier in the week in the game that will be played in College Station on Saturday.

    Some college football fans on Twitter think the bar is taking things too far with Johnny Piñata since they are mocking a 20-year-old student athlete, while others are enjoying the trash talk leading up to one of the biggest games of the season. What do you think? Add your comments about the piñata gimmick and game predictions below.

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