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Tag: College Football

  • Tom Brady Johnny Manziel: Don’t Be a “Turd”

    When asked about the taunting controversy surrounding Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady advised the Heisman winner not to be “a turd.”

    Apparently Johnny Football had saved up quite a bit of trash talk while sitting out the first half of the Texas A&M-Rice game last Saturday, because he ran his mouth just as often as he threw touchdown passes—a lot. Manziel was eventually benched by his coach in the fourth quarter after receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

    After first doing a “no autographs for you” gesture to one Owl player on a third-down conversion, Manziel threw a touchdown pass, which he followed up by directing a “money counting” gesture to other Owl defenders. Yellow flags were thrown, Johnny Football was benched, and after the game Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumerlin said Manziel’s taunting “wasn’t very smart.”

    The football world isn’t too pleased about Manziel’s antics either, especially since many believe he got off easy after the autograph scandal. Brady did an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday when the host brought up the issue of showboating during a game, something the three-time Super Bowl champ doesn’t seem to think a lot of.

    “I get pretty emotional,” Brady said. ” I have a lot of respect for…my teammates, for my organization and certainly for other guys in the NFL. Football’s a physical game…and as [Kraft] would say, ‘If you’re a turd, it’s going to come back to you.’”

    In other words, Manziel better refrain from all the trash talk and taunting when the Aggies face SEC opponents such as Alabama and LSU later in the season. As Jadeveon Clowney showed with “The Hit” during the Michigan-South Carolina bowl game, you don’t want to give superior defenders any reason to get more fired up.

    Brady’s advice about not being a “turd” has received a lot of laughs as well as some criticism:

    Image via YouTube

  • Notre Dame Football Player Quits Due To Migraines

    Notre Dame, which is coming off their most successful season in recent history and an appearance in the national championship game, is in the upper echelon of the college football world once again and are looking to keep it that way. However, they will have to do it without linebacker Danny Spond, who has voluntarily decided to end his playing career.

    Spond decided to call it quits after suffering a severe migraine that had symptoms similar to that of a stroke. Even scarier, it was the second such migraine that the youngster had suffered. The incidents, known as hemiplegic migraines, are extremely debilitating, and the cause of them in Spond is unknown.

    After Spond suffered the first migraine last season he had to undergo treatment to learn how to walk again. However, he recovered well and only missed two games before starting the next 11 and racking up 39 tackles in the process. The decision to end his career now is one that is incredibly sad for such a young talent, but it may ultimately prevent him from experiences such misery again and could even save his life if the contact from playing football is the cause of the migraines.

    It might have been extremely difficult to tell his teammates and coaches that he was leaving them, but in the long run it may be the best decision Danny Spond ever made.

  • Pac-12 Network Turns To Social Media To Challenge DirecTV

    The televising of college football is big, big business. Remember all that college sports conference realignment stuff? That was driven by college football, as conference members scrambled over each other in an effort to align themselves with a conference that has a strong television deal. The development of conference channels also became a vogue thing to do, with, most notably, the SEC’s partnership with ESPN.

    That being said, not all things are equal in the land of securing a broadcast outlet when these conferences launch their channels. Much like the CBS/Time Warner dispute–which, should be noted, is an argument over money that only hurts the subscribers–one college athletic conference is having some trouble getting on DirecTV, and so, they’ve decided to fight back by using a little bit of social media. The conference in question, the Pac-12, has come up with an idea suggesting fans of the conference’s teams who have DirecTV should cancel their subscription and find a provider that carries the Pac-12 Channel.

    The details were revealed in a release posted at the Pac-12’s official site:

    Entering its second season of covering Pac-12 football, Pac-12 Networks is distributed on more than 50 video providers across the country, including three of the four largest. Despite being offered the same deal that all of the other providers have agreed to, DirecTV remains unwilling to reach an agreement, and the “Compare” campaign is the latest step by Pac-12 Networks to urge fans to drop DirecTV and switch to another provider.

    The campaign consists of 30-second spots that poke fun at DirecTV’s decision to not carry the network. Here are a few of the videos being used:


    Seeing how there are 12 teams in the Pac-12, there are 9 more videos, all of which make a play on the team’s mascot. Well, except for the Utah copy. Instead of showing Utes, they just show the state of Utah. Keep it simple, and all that. If you’d like to see the rest of the videos, you can so at the Pac-12’s site. With that in mind, how many Pac-12 fans would have to leave DirecTV before they reconsidered?

  • Nick Saban Called “The Devil Himself” By Florida Assistant

    In the south, they take their college football incredibly seriously. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, in the geographic area that comprises the NCAA’s Southeastern Conference, the fans there enjoy college football more than the NFL, which could be seen as blasphemy in northern parts of the United States. Whatever your feelings are about the SEC and college football, you cannot deny the conference’s dominance in relation to college football national championships. Since the inception of the BCS Championship Game in 1998, there have been 15 such national champions. Only six have come from schools that do not reside in the SEC. Furthermore, SEC schools have won seven straight titles, with three of them going to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

    As far as the SEC pecking order of coaches goes, if there was a table that all the coaches sat, at the head would be Nick Saban, who is the head coach of those Crimson Tide championship teams. As you might have noticed, the coach’s last name is one letter away from sharing the name with Satan, and for some of the teams and coaches that have to go against the Alabama coach, who, aside from being a proven winner, is, perhaps, the best recruiter in the business, this little coincidence is anything but. Just ask Tim Davis, the offensive line coach for the University of Florida, another SEC school. During a meeting with boosters, Davis had this to say about his boss, Florida coach Will Muschamp, and what it’s like working for another intense SEC coach:

    “I’ve always wanted to work with Will. Will’s got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick.”

    Of course, it didn’t take long for such propaganda to hit the Internet, and from there, the “someone called Nick Saban the devil. Again.” cries could be heard from college football fans all over the world. Serving as an example for the popularity of such an utterance is the ESPN comment thread about these innocuous statements, which checks in at well over 5000 comments. While the content is really not that important–it’s just sports fans arguing among themselves–the fact that such a throwaway story garnered so much reaction serves as great indication of just how popular the following things are (not necessarily in the following order):

    1. Nick Saban
    2. College Football
    3. The SEC
    4. Sports fans arguing on the Internet

    According to ESPN’s report, the coach in question apologized for the comments that were made, but even if he didn’t, Saban still gets the last laugh:

    (image)

    (image)


    Or, maybe he didn’t even hear the recent chatter, what with all those championship rings clogging up his ears.

  • Tulsa’s Football Field Turf Cool Play Installation In Timelapse

    There are two college football stadiums so far taking advantage of FieldTurf Cool Play, “the world’s first high performance field cooling solution”. Tulsa is one of them (the other one is Maryland).

    Check out this timelapse video of the installation:

    Cool Play is supposed to be 35 degrees cooler than most turf. The technology behind Cool Play explained:

    According to the Tulsa Hurricane, Tulsa is also getting an 80-foot LED electronic sign on the south end zone field level wall.

    [via reddit]

  • QB Steve Davis Dies in a Plane Crash

    Famed college football Quarterback Steve Davis has reportedly died in a plane crash.

    The Tulsa World is reporting that Davis was aboard a private jet that crashed in South Bend, Indiana on Sunday. The pilot of the aircraft also died, though two other passengers survived the crash.

    The plane left from Tulsa, Oklahoma at 1 pm on Sunday, and is reported to have crashed into a South Bend home at around 3:15 pm. The cause of the accident is currently unknown. The two injured survivors are reported to be friends of Davis’, and are currently recovering at a South Bend hospital. The Tulsa World reported that one of them is in serious condition and the other is in fair condition.

    Davis was best known as the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners football team from 1972 to 1976, and led the team to a 32-1-1 record during his years as starting quarterback. The Sooners won the national championship in both 1974 and 1975, and Davis was awarded the Most Valuable Player award for the 1976 Orange Bowl. Davis later went on to do college football commentary for CBS Sports during the 80s.

  • Irish QB To Transfer From Notre Dame

    Irish QB Gunner Kiel is planning to transfer from Notre Dame according to a source speaking to EPSN. It wasn’t made apparent which school Kiel was planning on transferring to, and Notre Dame wouldn’t comment on the rumored transfer.

    Kiel is considered an interesting case as people were highly critical of him during the recruitment process. He was originally going to play for LSU, but decided at the last minute to play for Notre Dame. This drew some ire from LSU coach Les Miles who said that Kiel “did not necessarily have the chest and the ability to lead a program.”

    Since then, Kiel has been questioned about his decision, and Miles’ statement, many times. In an interview, the young player admitted that he was “dumb during the recruitment process,” but stated that he was doing “what was best for [him] at the time.”

    Transferring may be what’s best for Kiel at this time as Notre Dame freshman Everett Golson played quarterback last year, and Notre Dame recently snagged a new Freshman quarterback in Malik Zaire. A transfer may be just what he needs to ensure that he actually gets some extensive playtime in.

    [image: Yahoo Sports]

  • Chip Kelly May Find An NFL Home This Weekend

    Oregon coach Chip Kelly has been interviewed for the currently vacant head coach position with the Cleveland Browns, and is also expected to meet with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles sometime this weekend.

    ESPN is reporting that both teams are in Arizona, and have scheduled meetings with Kelly over the next two days.

    Kelly’s Oregon Ducks won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, beating Kansas State 35-17, so if this marks the end of his collegiate coaching career, it’s a good note to go out on.

    Kelly was named the Pac 10 Coach of the Year both in 2009 and in 2010. He was the offensive coordinator for the Ducks before being named the head coach. He’s from New Hampshire, so any of the three teams he is said to be interviewing with would put him much closer to home than in Oregon.

    Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid who was relieved of his duties this past week, has already landed with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to multiple reports. Though the Eagles were eager to get rid of Reid after a lackluster season, it’s no surprise that he has already found a head coaching job in the NFL, considering the success he has had in Philadelphia. He hasn’t won any Super Bowls for the city of brotherly love, but he’s gotten the team there, and to five NFC championships during his time with the team. He’s been with the Eagles since 1999.

  • Freshman Player William Wayne Jones III Dies at 19

    Many football fans are saddened to learn about the sudden loss of William Wayne Jones III, a great Tennessee State University football player who instantly collapsed during practice this past Wednesday.

    William Wayne Jones III, 19 years old from Smyrna, Tennessee, was taking part in a non-contact practice for the university’s football team. During this practice, Jones unexpectedly collapsed and was discovered unconscious. Jones was then transported to Baptist Hospital, and later pronounced dead.

    Tennessee’s reputable news source The Tennessean reports that the cause of death has not been identified, and an autopsy will be performed to determine what exactly happened.

    Various sources report that Tennessee State University’s Athletics Director Teresa Phillips exclaims that the school will do everything it can to support Jones’ family in their time of grief.

    With this saddening news, various Twitter users have been posting their condolences for the loss of William Wayne Jones III:





  • Darrell Royal Dies at 88, Texas Longhorns Coach

    Fans of the well-known football team Texas Longhorns mourn today as we lose a loyal servant, Darrell Royal, who recently passed away (announced by the University of Texas on November 7th, 2012).

    Royal’s football career started in 1945 when he played for the Third Air Force Team under the United States Army Air Corps, and was then later recruited for the University of Oklahoma, where he played quarterback and defensive back.

    In 1954, Royal started coaching football, starting as an assistant coach for North Carolina State (1950), University of Tulsa (1951), and Mississippi State (1952). Royal’s professional head coaching career started with the Canadian Edmonton Eskimos in 1953, Mississippi State (1954-1955), University of Washington (1956), and his long-time running career at University of Texas from 1957-1976.

    After Royal’s tenure coaching the University of Texas’ Longhorns from 1957-1976, Royal retired and became an Athletic Director at the university. For Royal’s amazing talents and dedication to the University of Texas, the school honored him by renaming the football stadium from “Texas Memorial Stadium” to “Darrell K Royal, Texas Memorial Stadium.”

    On Wednesday, November 7th, the University of Texas announced on their blog that Darrel Royal had passed away after suffering a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Royal was 88 years old at the time of his passing. Many of Royal’s fans have left their respects on Twitter:





  • College Football Rankings: eBay’s StubHub Aims To Gauge “True Popularity”

    College Football Rankings: eBay’s StubHub Aims To Gauge “True Popularity”

    eBay-owned ticket marketplace, StubHub, has launched a new weekly scorecard aimed at gauging the “true popularity” of college football teams among fans, based on its own internal data.

    StubHub’s system uses the AP Top 25 as a starting point, then uses the weekly pageviews for the teams, and ranks them by which are the most popular. Each Tuesday, StubHub releases the rankings. At the end of the year, they’ll unveil which were the most popular of the season.

    Here’s what StubHub’s top 25 looks like right now:

    College Football Rankings

    The rankings can always be found via StubHubTop25.com.

    Currently, the AP’s Top 25 are as follows:

    1. USC
    2. Alabama
    3. LSU
    4. Oklahoma
    5. Oregon
    6. Georgia
    7. Florida State
    8. Michigan
    9. South Carolina
    10. Arkansas
    11. West Virginia
    12. Wisconsin
    13. Michigan State
    14. Clemson
    15. Texas
    16. Virginia Tech
    17. Nebraska
    18. Ohio State
    19. Oklahoma State
    20. TCU
    21. Stanford
    22. Kansas State
    23. Florida
    24. Boise State
    25. Louisville

    Two of those teams have already lost a game – Michigan and Boise State, the former having lost to Alabama, and the latter to Michigan State.

  • BCS Playoff Proposal To Be Decided By University Presidents

    Fans who have always wanted to see the college football champion decided by a tournament rather than the BCS may soon get their wish. AP is reporting that the BCS Commissioners reached a consensus yesterday on a tournament model that decides the national champion using a four team seeded playoff. Now all that needs to happen is for the university presidents to sign off for approval and the 2014 national champions will be decided in this manner.

    “I am delighted,” said Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive to the Associate Press. “I am pleased with the progress we have made. There are some differences, but we will work them out. We’re trying to do what is in the best interest of the game.”

    The BCS Presidential Oversight Committee will meet in Washington next Tuesday to decide the fate of the new plan, or introduce one of their own. The proposition is ultimately their decision, so there is still a chance that it could be shot down.

    The Big Ten and Pac-12 presidents have shown support for this model, which would replace the method of creating a pair of national semifinalists based on ranking. The new method would take place after the bowls have been played, which leads me to believe the Presidential Oversight Committee should have no problem adopting this method. Making the season longer by adding a tournament on top of the bowl games should create some huge advertising dollars. Their only concern might be that it could disrupt the ratings for bowl games, but that is seriously doubtful. Football has become an American obsession — even downplaying the importance of bowl games could not harm the following.

    The Commissioners may have reached a consensus for the tournament style but may details are yet to be worked out. For instance, there has been no consensus on whether or not the semifinal sites would rotate between major bowls, ar if they will play at the site of one of the team’s. The method for discerning the final four teams is also a subject of hot debate. Right now they are talking about the use of a selection committee that gives preference to teams that win their conference, similar to NCAA basketball.

  • Joe Paterno’s Will and Testament Shall Remain Sealed

    Joe Paterno’s will isn’t for public consumption, according to WTAE Pittsburgh. Additionally, Paterno’s lawyer’s petition to keep the will sealed, as well as the judge’s ruling on the matter, shall remain locked away from prying eyes. Court documents also state that the late Penn State coach’s will is the only one in the county that was sealed within the past 18 months.

    Dan McGinn, a spokesman for the family, said that these steps were taken in order to ensure the Paternos privacy, adding that this sort of maneuver wasn’t uncommon when dealing with high-profile individuals. “The Paterno family has been totally transparent with respect to Coach Paterno’s contract and pension. Sue Paterno has also reiterated her commitment to support charitable causes connected to Penn State and the State College community. These efforts will continue.”

    Despite the family’s desire to keep the coach’s last will and testament out of the public spotlight, a few details surrounding the document have been unearthed. According to the state employees retirement system, Penn State reportedly paid the estate salary, television and radio revenue sharing, bonuses and death benefits to the tune of $3 million.

    Paterno’s wife, Sue Paterno, will receive nearly $13.4 million in pension benefits, $1.5 million of which she plans to donate to charity.

    Joe Paterno, who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years, passed away in January of 2012 due to complications from lung cancer. He was 85.

  • Lee Corso And His Rubber Duck Become Internet Memes

    ESPN’s “Cursing” Lee Corso is always good for a laugh when he’s on the College GameDay set, and now, Corso’s found a way to crossover in the offseason, courtesy of a old fashioned swimsuit and a rubber duck. Armed with that content, the meme hounds were once again let loose upon the Internet’s general public.

    And because of that, things were good.

    The original image, which leads, was posted on College GameDay’s Facebook page, and was pointed out to the world by TheBigLead, among others. Once it was given the extra push by EveryDayShouldBeSaturday’s excelsior Spencer Hall, the memes hit at a fast and furious rate. And again, things were good.

    An example of this goodness comes in the form of Nyan Corso:

    (image)

    Which may be one of the greatest collisions of memes the world has ever seen. Who knew that much awesome was even attainable? Considering the link provided by EDSBS possessed the familiar Imgur structure–http://i.imgur.com/nt9MS.gif–it’s easy to imagine Reddit playing a role with the Nyan Corso. Here are a few more meme images that were added to the collection, again, courtesy of EDSBS:

    (image)

    (image)


    In case you’re wondering why he was referred to as “Cursing” Lee Corso, here’s what’s considered perhaps his greatest moment on the College GameDay set, which comes at the 1:15 mark. Make sure you pay attention to everyone else’s reaction:


    Which was followed up by this act of contrition:


    And now, he’s a rubber duck-themed meme. It clearly is Lee Corso’s world, we’re all just lucky enough he let’s us reside on it.

  • LSU, Georgia Fans Use YouTube To Prepare Us For SEC Championship

    The SEC Championship is this weekend, as Georgia and LSU get ready to battle for conference supremacy. The favored LSU Tigers are playing for a BCS Championship berth, while the Georgia Bulldogs are playing for legitimacy.

    No, the Bulldogs won’t make the BCS Championship if they win, but if they do beat LSU, they’ll certainly put themselves in position for a more lucrative bowl game payday. The truth is, even if LSU loses, as long as they don’t get stomped out in the process, they’ll probably make the BCS Championship anyway, meaning Georgia is the team with the most to win when the game kicks off on Saturday afternoon.

    With that in mind, that’s probably what motivated the following video from Georgia fans, which, according to the blog I found it on, represents a new low in the annals of Georgia hip hop:


    While I’m not one to be as judgmental as others, although, it is pretty cringe-worthy. It should also be noted that of the 1000-plus Facebook reactions to Georgia’s video, 691 are dislikes, with only 464 likes. Hey, at least there are shots of the Georgia cheerleaders, right? Naturally, LSU fans responded in kind, and it’s really hard to say which fanbase wins here, but first, try LSU’s video on for size:


    “LS Who? It’s LSU. Where’s BCS title, dawgs? Cause we got two.” Nothing says fan battle like coming strong like that. What’s next? Videos of fans fighting in the stands? Actually, that’s par for the course for most sporting events, but it wouldn’t it be the least bit surprising if more started showing up on YouTube during the LSU/Georgia game.

    With that, who ya got? After the season LSU’s had, it’s almost impossible to pick against, unless, of course, you’re one of the Georgia fans who showed up in that video.

  • The “All Name” College Football Team Is Awesome

    Darren Rovell is quite prominent in the sports world, reporting on the business aspect a great deal. That being said, it would be folly for any sportswriter worth their salt to avoid the social media side of the sports world, and like any good reporter should, Rovell has his ears to the ground, keeping up with the latest trends and mishaps.

    One of Rovell’s latest posts focuses on the “All Name” team for college football players, and considering the season is only 22 days away, content like this is not only timely, it’s quite fitting and does a great job of getting people ready for what’s coming.

    The list is quite entertaining, but first, a disclaimer from the author:

    Before we get to the list we have to thank the creative parents who came up with these names. In some cases, the player’s name listed isn’t his given birth name but is eligible because that is the name he goes by. This list was only going to include FBS schools, but I couldn’t resist letting one FCS name in at No. 24. You’ll see why.

    For those who are unsure, think of it this way: FBS is Division 1 and FCS is Division 1AA. For a more extensive, yet confusing take, read the Wikipedia entry. Now for some awesome naming conventions:

    1. Wave Ryder, S, Navy

    2. Yourhighness Morgan, FAU

    3. Tank Carder, LB, TCU

    4. Boyblue Aoelua, LB, New Mexico State

    5. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

    6. Shavodrick Beaver, QB, Midwestern State

    7. Spiffy Evans, WR, Boston College

    8. Mister Cobble, DT, Kentucky

    9. Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia

    10. Aireal Boyd, CB, North Dakota State

    11. Skylar Stormo, DE, Washington State

    12. Jose Jose, DT, UCF

    13. Munchie Legaux, QB, Cincinnati

    14. Sterling Lovelady, C, Florida State

    15. Thor Jozwiak, OL, South Florida

    16. Terrance Bullit, S, Texas Tech

    17. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

    18. Bo Moos, DL, Arizona State

    19. Derek Slaughter, LB, Nebraska

    20. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU

    21. Chi Chi Ariguzo, LB, Northwestern

    22. King Holder, DB, San Diego State

    23. Konockus Sashington, DB, North Texas

    24. Delector Durley Jr., DL, Western Illinois

    25. Silverberry Mouhon, DE, Cincinnati

    While I’m partial to the University of Kentucky, and therefore, number 8 on the list–Mister Cobble–for my money, I’m not sure there’s a better name in the world than “Barkevious Mingo.” That’s just incredible. Others agree.

    With that in mind, is football here yet?

  • Cleveland Browns Player Shows How Not to Use Twitter

    Social media is still a hot button issue within some organizations, because it only takes one tweet in a moment of poor judgment to bring a round of a round of negative attention upon a brand. That goes for sports organizations too.

    Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini reportedly gave a lecture on social media to his players following such an incident from cornerback Brandon McDonald who posted a vulgar trash-talking tweet aimed at Bengals receiver Terrell Owens (screenshot here). McDonald has since apologized for the tweet.

    Twitter has given athletes a new way to connect with fans and with each other in recent years, and more appear to be embracing this than ever.

    "That means tech-savvy players are building their own brands and having fun in the process," writes Zac Jackson with Fox Sports Ohio. "That also means moments of temporary numbskullery — like McDonald’s tweet that used vulgar language and insinuated vulgar things — go public. And viral. And though it was just one stupid comment that probably was an inside joke more than actual threat of any type, it made the wrong kind of headlines. And it made Mangini take time from what’s otherwise been the kind of low-key camp the coach likes to talk about…Twitter. Really."

    Brandon McDonald on Twitter

    While not all industries are likely to draw out the amount of trash talk as professional football, the incident does show a clear example of where employees can tarnish a brand all too easily in 140 character or less. 

    This would probably be enough to send a lot of managers into a rage and ban employee social media use, but Mangini at least understands that it’s not so simple, and while these kinds of things can happen, the benefits outweigh the negatives.

    "I don’t expect people to stop using it," Mangini is quoted as saying. "It is a good way to communicate to our fans. We know with Browns fans, they can’t have too much information, can’t have too much of a connection and that’s a great thing. But like with anything else that you do, you have to do it in the right way and a way that represents the organization the right way."

    On another Football/social media related note, Wired points to a social media site specifically aimed at connecting college coaches and potential recruits, called Play Next Level. Just another example of how social media is changing how things are done, even in sports.