The TCU Horned Frogs and the Boise State Broncos are the only non-AQ teams left in the BCS discussion after TCU annihilated Utah. The two are battling each other for BCS placement. Who's the Best Non-AQ team of the two?
Once again like 2004, the 2010 Auburn Tigers are undefeated, yet the media trashes us. We are 8-0 in the SEC West this year...easily the toughest subdivision in the Nation. I would argue the SEC West is tougher than most of the BCS conferences. Top 4 Teams in the BCS:1. Auburn Tigers: 8-02. Oregon Ducks: 7-03. Boise State Broncos: 7-04. TCU Horned Frogs: 8-0 Strength Of Schedule Nat'l Rankings Top 4 in BCS1. Auburn Tigers: 3rd in the nation 2. Oregon Ducks: 81st in the nation3. Boise State Broncos: 57th in the nation4. TCU Horned Frogs: 67th in the nation Opponent Records1. Auburn Tigers: 31-152. Oregon Ducks: 10-223. Boise State Broncos: 16-194. TCU Horned Frogs: 22-22Numbers don't lie. We've gone through a hell of a gauntlet already, and still have a tough slate ahead of us. Ole Miss is good enough to pull an upset. Georgia seems to be headed in the right direction and will have 3 more weeks to continue to get better before facing us. Georgia has a lot of talent on its team, however, it's young talent. That explains what seems to be a turnaround in their season. Then there is bammer...I'm just like any other fan. When I hear the media bash us, I get pissed and want to deck someone. As soon as they said we were ranked #1, someone was saying we shouldn't be. I couldn't even finish yelling War Damn Eagle in Eugene, OR (haha) off my balcony before they started attacking us. You know what, though? It's good that they are doing that. They aren't respecting our Team and acknowledging how good they are this year. That can only piss them off too and motivate them with the "Me Against World" mentality. They don't respect us, then we have to earn it and show them that we are real....and that's what I hope they will be going out to prove from here on out. Biggie Said It Best: "Jealousy's a mutha______, you weak jealous mutha______. Cuz When You On Top, Haters Just Wanna Bring You Down."Do You Agree? Will the trashing the Auburn Tigers Football team has been receiving only motivate them?
Robert Griffin III (RG3) is hands down the best college football player in the nation. The fact the Baylor Bears are not a good football team should not keep him from winning the award. Its not the Bears offense that is terrible, it is the Bears defense. The offense led by Griffin has played good enough in every game this year.Even though his defense is terrible, Griffin has been able to lead the Bears to a 7-3 record with two more games left to play. Their three losses came against #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys, #14 Kansas State Wildcats, and #21 Texas A&M. His big wins of the season came against #14 TCU Horned Frogs and #5 Oklahoma Sooners.The following are RG3's statisticsRobert Griffin III Total Season StatisticsPassing Statistics: 224 pass completions; 302 passing attempts; 3093 yards; 74.2 completion percentage; 10.24 yards per attempt, 77 yard long; 29 touchdowns; 5 interceptionsRushing Statistics: 117 rushing attempts; 478 yards; 4.1 yard average per carry; 49 yard long; 5 touchdownsFor More Heisman Polls, visit:Heisman Trophy ProfileHeisman Trophy Page
Our friends in the Mountain West Conference have taken a pretty good hit since this time last year. In the all-out firefight that was conference realignment, the MWC saw three of its heavy hitters to seek a change in venue. Utah, which made it to a couple of BCS bowls since 2004, jumped to the newly formed Pac-12 for the promise of television payouts that will grow from $1.3 million last season to well more than $20 million in 2013-14. Brigham Young and its vast resources decided that football independence was the way to go, both competitively and financially. TCU, one of the most consistent programs in college football under Gary Patterson, won the Rose Bowl last January. But the 2011 season will be TCU's last as a member of the Mountain West as the Horned Frogs will move on to the Big East. Commissioner Craig Thompson countered by dipping into the WAC and adding Boise State for this season. In 2012, Hawaii, Nevada, and Fresno State will come aboard. "To say there have been challenges would be a big understatement," Thompson recently told me. "But moving forward, we really like the group of teams that we have." The irony of TCU's final year in the MWC is that if the Horned Frogs can put together another big season (despite the loss of quarterback Andy Dalton) they could potentially help their former conference earn quite a going-away present: An automatic bid to the BCS in 2012 and 2013. Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently brought these numbers to light and they tell us that the Mountain West's pursuit of AQ status could be extremely tense on the field and politically charged off the field. Specifically: There is a system in place that allows one of the non-AQ conferences (MWC, WAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American) to earn an automatic BCS bid for 2012 and 2013, the last two years of the current contract. Over a four-year evaluation period (which ends after his season), that conference must meet three bench marks. • The average rank of the highest-ranked team in the conference. Thanks to the success of Utah and TCU in this cycle, the MWC's best team has posted an average rank of 5.3. That's fourth-best behind the SEC (1.3), Big 12 (3.3), Pac-12 (4.7). The MWC must finish in the top six. • The number of teams in the conference which have been ranked at least once in the Top 25. On this list the MWC is 72.9 percent and is fifth behind the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and Pac-12. If the Mountain West maintains those numbers through this season the conference will meet those two criteria. But it's the third benchmark that will be a problem: • The average computer ranking for ALL the teams in the conference. The MWC would have to be in the top six to qualify. Going into this season the MWC is seventh with a conference wide average of (63.1). New Mexico (1-11), UNLV (2-11), Colorado State (3-9), and Wyoming (3-9) bring the overall average down. The MWC could hope to improve those numbers this season, but with Utah and BYU gone, the odds are against it. "Right now that is our focus," Thompson told me. "We want to earn our way by doing what we have to do on the field." But there is another way. If the Mountain West meets two of the criteria but comes up a little short of a third to get an automatic bid in 2012 and 2013, it can appeal its case to the 12-member BCS Presidential Oversight Committee. This committee has the power to basically say, "OK, close enough" and award the automatic bid to the MWC for those two seasons. If the MWC has another good season in 2011, it can make the case that over the four-year period it has consistently performed at the level of the ACC and Big East, conferences with automatic bids. In fact, it has outperformed the ACC and Big East in two of the three categories. If the presidents say no by the letter of the law, though, this becomes a question of fairness. Given the income disparity between the six AQs and the rest of Division I-A football, it is simply the right thing to do, the argument will go. In the past seven seasons the non-AQs have placed a total of seven teams in BCS bowls. All this ruling would do is guarantee that the Mountain West champ would get a bid in the last two years of the contract. "There may come a time when we have to make that case but, as I said, that is not our focus now," said Thompson. "Should we get to that point it will be up to us to share our feelings about the current system. We will do it at the appropriate time." This has a chance to create some really interesting political theater. The Presidential Oversight Committee consists of one president from each of the 11 Division I-A conferences plus Rev. John Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame. So the AQ conferences have six votes and the non-AQs have five. Do the presidents take a hard line and deny the appeal? The rationale for saying no: They would be giving an automatic bid to a conference that has lost the three teams (TCU, BYU, Utah) that put it in a position to earn the bid in the first place. In short, the Mountain West Conference that earned the automatic bid really won't exist anymore. Or will the presidents, who are risk-averse people by nature, decide they want to bypass the political and media firestorm that surely will follow if the Mountain West does not get AQ status? There will be a bunch of stories pointing out how the MWC has outperformed the ACC and the Big East but that the big boys want to keep all the money, etc., etc. It would be yet another big load of bad press for the BCS. My (very unsolicited) advice? If TCU and Boise State (now a member of the MWC) are really good again (like top-10 good) ... If the Mountain West fields five winning teams (as it did last season) ... If the Mountain West meets two of the three criteria and is reasonably in the ball park on the third ... It might be wise to grant them AQ status for two years. First of all, they've earned it. Second of all, the big boys still likely will get the three remaining at-large bids, so the money distribution will stay where it has been for seven years now. And the six AQ conferences avoid a PR fight that they really don't need right now. You don't want to give Christine Varney at the Department of Justice another reason to be looking under the tent. Now we won't know about any of this until after the 2011 season and all the numbers are in. But knowing that this is on the line (a BCS AQ bid is worth $24.7 million), you’ll understand why Thompson will be a tad nervous on Sept. 3 when his newest member, Boise State, travels to Atlanta to open the season with Georgia. "Huge game," he said. "Monster game." The BCS gets criticized for a lot and some of it is deserved. But you gotta admit, it does create some drama. Read Full Article
Our friends in the Mountain West Conference have taken a pretty good hit since this time last year.
In the all-out firefight that was conference realignment, the MWC saw three of its heavy hitters to seek a change in venue. Utah, which made it to a couple of BCS bowls since 2004, jumped to the newly formed Pac-12 for the promise of television payouts that will grow from $1.3 million last season to well more than $20 million in 2013-14.
Brigham Young and its vast resources decided that football independence was the way to go, both competitively and financially.
TCU, one of the most consistent programs in college football under Gary Patterson, won the Rose Bowl last January. But the 2011 season will be TCU's last as a member of the Mountain West as the Horned Frogs will move on to the Big East.
Commissioner Craig Thompson countered by dipping into the WAC and adding Boise State for this season. In 2012, Hawaii, Nevada, and Fresno State will come aboard.
"To say there have been challenges would be a big understatement," Thompson recently told me. "But moving forward, we really like the group of teams that we have."
The irony of TCU's final year in the MWC is that if the Horned Frogs can put together another big season (despite the loss of quarterback Andy Dalton) they could potentially help their former conference earn quite a going-away present: An automatic bid to the BCS in 2012 and 2013.
Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently brought these numbers to light and they tell us that the Mountain West's pursuit of AQ status could be extremely tense on the field and politically charged off the field. Specifically:
There is a system in place that allows one of the non-AQ conferences (MWC, WAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American) to earn an automatic BCS bid for 2012 and 2013, the last two years of the current contract. Over a four-year evaluation period (which ends after his season), that conference must meet three bench marks.
• The average rank of the highest-ranked team in the conference. Thanks to the success of Utah and TCU in this cycle, the MWC's best team has posted an average rank of 5.3. That's fourth-best behind the SEC (1.3), Big 12 (3.3), Pac-12 (4.7). The MWC must finish in the top six.
• The number of teams in the conference which have been ranked at least once in the Top 25. On this list the MWC is 72.9 percent and is fifth behind the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, and Pac-12. If the Mountain West maintains those numbers through this season the conference will meet those two criteria. But it's the third benchmark that will be a problem:
• The average computer ranking for ALL the teams in the conference. The MWC would have to be in the top six to qualify. Going into this season the MWC is seventh with a conference wide average of (63.1). New Mexico (1-11), UNLV (2-11), Colorado State (3-9), and Wyoming (3-9) bring the overall average down.
The MWC could hope to improve those numbers this season, but with Utah and BYU gone, the odds are against it.
"Right now that is our focus," Thompson told me. "We want to earn our way by doing what we have to do on the field."
But there is another way. If the Mountain West meets two of the criteria but comes up a little short of a third to get an automatic bid in 2012 and 2013, it can appeal its case to the 12-member BCS Presidential Oversight Committee. This committee has the power to basically say, "OK, close enough" and award the automatic bid to the MWC for those two seasons. If the MWC has another good season in 2011, it can make the case that over the four-year period it has consistently performed at the level of the ACC and Big East, conferences with automatic bids. In fact, it has outperformed the ACC and Big East in two of the three categories. If the presidents say no by the letter of the law, though, this becomes a question of fairness. Given the income disparity between the six AQs and the rest of Division I-A football, it is simply the right thing to do, the argument will go.
In the past seven seasons the non-AQs have placed a total of seven teams in BCS bowls. All this ruling would do is guarantee that the Mountain West champ would get a bid in the last two years of the contract.
"There may come a time when we have to make that case but, as I said, that is not our focus now," said Thompson. "Should we get to that point it will be up to us to share our feelings about the current system. We will do it at the appropriate time."
This has a chance to create some really interesting political theater.
The Presidential Oversight Committee consists of one president from each of the 11 Division I-A conferences plus Rev. John Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame. So the AQ conferences have six votes and the non-AQs have five.
Do the presidents take a hard line and deny the appeal?
The rationale for saying no: They would be giving an automatic bid to a conference that has lost the three teams (TCU, BYU, Utah) that put it in a position to earn the bid in the first place. In short, the Mountain West Conference that earned the automatic bid really won't exist anymore.
Or will the presidents, who are risk-averse people by nature, decide they want to bypass the political and media firestorm that surely will follow if the Mountain West does not get AQ status? There will be a bunch of stories pointing out how the MWC has outperformed the ACC and the Big East but that the big boys want to keep all the money, etc., etc. It would be yet another big load of bad press for the BCS.
My (very unsolicited) advice?
If TCU and Boise State (now a member of the MWC) are really good again (like top-10 good) ...
If the Mountain West fields five winning teams (as it did last season) ...
If the Mountain West meets two of the three criteria and is reasonably in the ball park on the third ...
It might be wise to grant them AQ status for two years. First of all, they've earned it. Second of all, the big boys still likely will get the three remaining at-large bids, so the money distribution will stay where it has been for seven years now. And the six AQ conferences avoid a PR fight that they really don't need right now. You don't want to give Christine Varney at the Department of Justice another reason to be looking under the tent.
Now we won't know about any of this until after the 2011 season and all the numbers are in. But knowing that this is on the line (a BCS AQ bid is worth $24.7 million), you’ll understand why Thompson will be a tad nervous on Sept. 3 when his newest member, Boise State, travels to Atlanta to open the season with Georgia.
"Huge game," he said. "Monster game."
The BCS gets criticized for a lot and some of it is deserved. But you gotta admit, it does create some drama.
Photo Gallery June 16, 2011 By Matt DowdyTexas Tech Athletics CommunicationsIf Chad Glasgow had his way, the Texas Tech defense would be comprised of speed, speed, and probably more speed. The first-year defensive coordinator, only months on the job, arrived in Lubbock looking to remold a young unit into one of the premier groups in the country, bringing a new 4-2-5 scheme with him. "Any time you come into a new situation, you always have to look at what you have and adapt," Glasgow said. "I felt like our guys did a good job all spring learning and getting better." After 10 seasons as the secondary coach at TCU, Glasgow made the move into his first coordinator's job in January, joining head coach Tommy Tuberville and the Red Raiders a week before National Signing Day. Since then, it's been full-steam ahead for the former Oklahoma State linebacker both on the practice field and on the recruiting front. Normally one of the most noticeable voices throughout workouts, Glasgow will look to transform a young unit into the one he had at TCU. The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defense in each of the past three seasons and five times in the last decade. To do so, Glasgow says the Red Raiders will need speed throughout the field. "We want our defense to be quick and fast," said Glasgow, who was named the 2010 National Defensive Backs Coach of the Year by Footballscoop.com. "We need every guy running to the football and getting there quickly." One aspect Glasgow preached all spring was all 11 bodies doing their own job, that way each person was responsible as a team. In a scheme such as a 4-2-5, Glasgow stressed the importance of each person picking up his own responsibility whether it is proper alignment, pad possession, or coverage. That's how the best defenses are formed, Glasgow said. "We want our guys working as one and I thought our guys did a good job of that during the spring," Glasgow said. "Of course we were facing our offense all spring, but you still have to have every Texas Tech Red Raider working as one and that's the only way you're going to get better." While most of his first few months have been spent getting the Red Raiders ready for next fall, Glasgow is also looking towards the future. Despite his January hire, Glasgow was able to put his touch on the top recruiting class in school history that ranked in the top 20 by most publications. With that class expected to officially report in early August, Glasgow and company have already set their sights on the future, looking for the top defensive prospects around the country. To get a feeling what Glasgow is looking for in a potential prospect, all anyone has to look for is that same old term - speed. "We want our players to be big and fast," Glasgow said with a grin. "You have to have some speed to play at this level. That's what we're looking for and that's how you build a top defense."
June 16, 2011
By Matt DowdyTexas Tech Athletics Communications
If Chad Glasgow had his way, the Texas Tech defense would be comprised of speed, speed, and probably more speed.
The first-year defensive coordinator, only months on the job, arrived in Lubbock looking to remold a young unit into one of the premier groups in the country, bringing a new 4-2-5 scheme with him.
"Any time you come into a new situation, you always have to look at what you have and adapt," Glasgow said. "I felt like our guys did a good job all spring learning and getting better."
After 10 seasons as the secondary coach at TCU, Glasgow made the move into his first coordinator's job in January, joining head coach Tommy Tuberville and the Red Raiders a week before National Signing Day.
Since then, it's been full-steam ahead for the former Oklahoma State linebacker both on the practice field and on the recruiting front.
Normally one of the most noticeable voices throughout workouts, Glasgow will look to transform a young unit into the one he had at TCU. The Horned Frogs led the nation in total defense in each of the past three seasons and five times in the last decade.
To do so, Glasgow says the Red Raiders will need speed throughout the field.
"We want our defense to be quick and fast," said Glasgow, who was named the 2010 National Defensive Backs Coach of the Year by Footballscoop.com. "We need every guy running to the football and getting there quickly."
One aspect Glasgow preached all spring was all 11 bodies doing their own job, that way each person was responsible as a team.
In a scheme such as a 4-2-5, Glasgow stressed the importance of each person picking up his own responsibility whether it is proper alignment, pad possession, or coverage.
That's how the best defenses are formed, Glasgow said.
"We want our guys working as one and I thought our guys did a good job of that during the spring," Glasgow said. "Of course we were facing our offense all spring, but you still have to have every Texas Tech Red Raider working as one and that's the only way you're going to get better."
While most of his first few months have been spent getting the Red Raiders ready for next fall, Glasgow is also looking towards the future.
Despite his January hire, Glasgow was able to put his touch on the top recruiting class in school history that ranked in the top 20 by most publications.
With that class expected to officially report in early August, Glasgow and company have already set their sights on the future, looking for the top defensive prospects around the country.
To get a feeling what Glasgow is looking for in a potential prospect, all anyone has to look for is that same old term - speed.
"We want our players to be big and fast," Glasgow said with a grin. "You have to have some speed to play at this level. That's what we're looking for and that's how you build a top defense."
Sorry it's taken so long to post my top-25 for this week. But it has been a busy week. This is the hardest part of the football season. Waiting anxiously for the bowls. And the better the bowl the longer the wait. Unbearable! But things seems to have turned out the way they were supposed to. Oregon versus Auburn. Unless you've been beating the drums for TCU. Don't worry about them. Could any of us imagine a team from a non AQ conference going to the Rose Bowl just a few years ago? But there they are the TCU Horned Frogs going to the Grand Daddy of them all. Plus they will be in a AQ conference next year. This is my last post until after the bowls have concluded. I would like to thank everyone for reading my blog. One week I got over 4000 hits. That means someone out there is reading it. So thanks. And now it time for my my top 25 ballot for The Best D@mn Poll In The Land. 1. Oregon - Going to the NC game. And the biggest question is...which uni combo will they wear? The rest is details. NEXT: Auburn (BCS National Championship Game) LW - 12. Auburn - Going to the NC game. And the biggest question is...will Auburn be able to get through an entire month with out another damaging CamGate revelation? NEXT: Oregon (BCS National Championship Game) LW - 23. TCU - Here ya go Frogs. A big boy game versus a big boy opponent from a big boy conference. Now all you gotta do is win. Good luck with that. NEXT: Wisconsin (Rose Bowl) LW - 34. Wisconsin - The Badgers Blitzkrieg rushing attack meets the #1 defense in the country. Something has gotta give. NEXT: TCU (Rose Bowl) LW - 45. Stanford - I have them at 5. But the BCS has them at 4. That means they get an auto bid to a BCS bowl. I say good on them. It would have been a travesty had they been left out for a lesser team. I only wish they were playing Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. See I like a little tradition. NEXT: Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl) LW - 5 6. Ohio State - The most outlandish thing they have done in 50 years is wear red helmets. I can’t wait to see the insanity they try to pull of in 2060. NEXT: Arkansas (Sugar Bowl) LW - 67. Michigan State - Really regrets not playing Ohio St. right about now. Or losing to Iowa. One or the other. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn when seeking a BCS bowl bid. It only takes one loss to screw up a really great season. As much as the Spartans think they are being jobbed right now. The fact is they only have themselves to blame. They should have beat Iowa. NEXT: Alabama (Capitol One Bowl) LW - 78. Boise State - And as a reward for losing to Nevada they get a bowl...in Nevada. I think Boise clobbers Utah. But this may be the one time Chris Peterson has to work to get his team up for a game. NEXT: Utah (Las Vegas Bowl) LW - 89. Arkansas - Saw them musing on ESPN wondering if Ohio St. beats the Razorbacks will they finally be able to say the beat a real SEC team. You know. This SEC team that went 10-2. Give me a break. It will be a moot point if the Razorbacks win. NEXT: Ohio St. (Sugar Bowl) LW - 910. Oklahoma - Big game Bob is in a BCS game and yet it probably doesn’t feel like as big of a game as it should. Sooners would be smart not sleep on UConn. The Huskies may be overmatched. But I suspect these guys won’t go down with out a fight. NEXT: UConn (Fiesta Bowl) LW - 1311. Nevada - Wolf Pack draw a Big East team for their Bowl, Boston College. BC is playing inspired D right now but Kaepernick and company will just be too much for them. Not to mention BC’s offensive output is worse than Eastern Michigan’s. Don’t expect any Flutie like Hail Mary’s by BC in this game. NEXT: Boston College (Fight Hunger Bowl) LW - 1112. Virginia Tech - James Madison is almost ancient history now, especially in the minds of those that have short memories. And the Turkey Birds are playing good ball right now. But I think they get beat they the ugly tree. NEXT: Stanford (Orange Bowl) LW - 1613. Nebraska - So close. They had the BigXII-2 championship right in their grasp. And let it slip away. Or rather Martinez did as he got all butterfingery. Is butterfingery a word? My spell check says no. NEXT: Washington (Holiday Bowl - Huskies get a redo.) LW - 1014. Missouri - Is it me or are some great BigXII-2 teams getting every bodies leftovers in the bowls this year? NEXT: Iowa (Insight Bowl) LW - 1215. LSU - Like the lucky Mad Hatter he is Les Miles and company have found themselves in one of the better bowl match ups this year. NEXT: Texas A&M (Cotton Bowl) LW - 1416. Oklahoma St. - In many ways this team mirrors Oregon teams of the past couple of years. Explosive offense. Suspect defense. And always finding themselves a brides maid and never a bride. But I think if the Cowboys can stay the course. Improve that defense just enough and you just might see them playing in a national championship one of these days. NEXT: Arizona (Alamo Bowl) LW - 1517. Texas A&M - Surprise team of the year to me. Now they gotta play the Mad Hatter. I think if the Aggies want to ensure a victory they need only the rewire the clocks at the Cotton Bowl and they got this thing in the bag. NEXT: LSU (Cotton Bowl) LW - 1918. South Carolina - I know they got beat up pretty good by the War Cash Eagles. But I think Cam Cash and company are playing their best ball right now. So I’m not so inclined to punish Cocky too much. NEXT: Florida St. (Chick-fil-A Bowl) LW - 1719. Alabama - The Tide is just waiting for Cam to declare for the draft so they can reclaim supremacy in the SEC. Which is exactly what will happen. NEXT: Michigan State (Capitol One Bowl) LW - 18 20. Utah - Has to play Boise State in their bowl. Enjoy your beat down. It isn’t going to be pretty. NEXT: Boise St. (Las Vegas Beatdown, I mean bowl) LW - 2121. Hawai’i - I have noticed that Hawai’i spells their name with an apostrophe between the Is. But we mainlanders refuse to spell it right. But we’re all worried about offending Indians by using a tribal name as a team name. What is up with that? NEXT: Tulsa (Hawai’i Bowl - Isn’t it great to have your own bowl?) LW - 2222. West Virginia - Bet your absolutely kicking yourself over that UConn loss right about now. NEXT: North Carolina St. (Champs Sports Bowl) LW - 2423. UCF - Got a pretty good match up with Geogia in a bowl. A win in a bowl versus an SEC team would look good. Now all you gotta do is win. NEXT: Georgia (Liberty Bowl) LW - NR24. UConn - This is a team that wins U - G - L - Y. But they know how to will themselves to victory. People say they are going to get creamed by Oklahoma. I’m not so sure. NEXT: Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl) LW - NR25. Florida State - Did the Seminoles do better with out Bobby coaching them this year. I’m not so sure. But I guess the change needed to be made sooner or later. So the question is...should Joe Pa go too? I don’t see a difference. NEXT: South Carolina (Chick-fil-A Bowl) LW - 20PULL!!!: Norther Illinois, MarylandHoping to win their bowl so they can get on the poll: Maryland, Mississippi State, Navy, San Diego State, Tulsa, Northern IllinoisWishing they were eligible to go to a bowl so they can get on the poll: USC I'm not a writer. Just a blogger. So I don't have to be all neutral and stuff. Though I do try to be as much as possible. So I would like to end my regular season Top-25 blog with this: GO OREGON! WIN THE DAY! Thank you and have a nice day. >END TRANSMISSION<
1. Oregon - Going to the NC game. And the biggest question is...which uni combo will they wear? The rest is details. NEXT: Auburn (BCS National Championship Game) LW - 12. Auburn - Going to the NC game. And the biggest question is...will Auburn be able to get through an entire month with out another damaging CamGate revelation? NEXT: Oregon (BCS National Championship Game) LW - 23. TCU - Here ya go Frogs. A big boy game versus a big boy opponent from a big boy conference. Now all you gotta do is win. Good luck with that. NEXT: Wisconsin (Rose Bowl) LW - 34. Wisconsin - The Badgers Blitzkrieg rushing attack meets the #1 defense in the country. Something has gotta give. NEXT: TCU (Rose Bowl) LW - 45. Stanford - I have them at 5. But the BCS has them at 4. That means they get an auto bid to a BCS bowl. I say good on them. It would have been a travesty had they been left out for a lesser team. I only wish they were playing Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. See I like a little tradition. NEXT: Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl) LW - 5 6. Ohio State - The most outlandish thing they have done in 50 years is wear red helmets. I can’t wait to see the insanity they try to pull of in 2060. NEXT: Arkansas (Sugar Bowl) LW - 67. Michigan State - Really regrets not playing Ohio St. right about now. Or losing to Iowa. One or the other. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn when seeking a BCS bowl bid. It only takes one loss to screw up a really great season. As much as the Spartans think they are being jobbed right now. The fact is they only have themselves to blame. They should have beat Iowa. NEXT: Alabama (Capitol One Bowl) LW - 78. Boise State - And as a reward for losing to Nevada they get a bowl...in Nevada. I think Boise clobbers Utah. But this may be the one time Chris Peterson has to work to get his team up for a game. NEXT: Utah (Las Vegas Bowl) LW - 89. Arkansas - Saw them musing on ESPN wondering if Ohio St. beats the Razorbacks will they finally be able to say the beat a real SEC team. You know. This SEC team that went 10-2. Give me a break. It will be a moot point if the Razorbacks win. NEXT: Ohio St. (Sugar Bowl) LW - 910. Oklahoma - Big game Bob is in a BCS game and yet it probably doesn’t feel like as big of a game as it should. Sooners would be smart not sleep on UConn. The Huskies may be overmatched. But I suspect these guys won’t go down with out a fight. NEXT: UConn (Fiesta Bowl) LW - 1311. Nevada - Wolf Pack draw a Big East team for their Bowl, Boston College. BC is playing inspired D right now but Kaepernick and company will just be too much for them. Not to mention BC’s offensive output is worse than Eastern Michigan’s. Don’t expect any Flutie like Hail Mary’s by BC in this game. NEXT: Boston College (Fight Hunger Bowl) LW - 1112. Virginia Tech - James Madison is almost ancient history now, especially in the minds of those that have short memories. And the Turkey Birds are playing good ball right now. But I think they get beat they the ugly tree. NEXT: Stanford (Orange Bowl) LW - 1613. Nebraska - So close. They had the BigXII-2 championship right in their grasp. And let it slip away. Or rather Martinez did as he got all butterfingery. Is butterfingery a word? My spell check says no. NEXT: Washington (Holiday Bowl - Huskies get a redo.) LW - 1014. Missouri - Is it me or are some great BigXII-2 teams getting every bodies leftovers in the bowls this year? NEXT: Iowa (Insight Bowl) LW - 1215. LSU - Like the lucky Mad Hatter he is Les Miles and company have found themselves in one of the better bowl match ups this year. NEXT: Texas A&M (Cotton Bowl) LW - 1416. Oklahoma St. - In many ways this team mirrors Oregon teams of the past couple of years. Explosive offense. Suspect defense. And always finding themselves a brides maid and never a bride. But I think if the Cowboys can stay the course. Improve that defense just enough and you just might see them playing in a national championship one of these days. NEXT: Arizona (Alamo Bowl) LW - 1517. Texas A&M - Surprise team of the year to me. Now they gotta play the Mad Hatter. I think if the Aggies want to ensure a victory they need only the rewire the clocks at the Cotton Bowl and they got this thing in the bag. NEXT: LSU (Cotton Bowl) LW - 1918. South Carolina - I know they got beat up pretty good by the War Cash Eagles. But I think Cam Cash and company are playing their best ball right now. So I’m not so inclined to punish Cocky too much. NEXT: Florida St. (Chick-fil-A Bowl) LW - 1719. Alabama - The Tide is just waiting for Cam to declare for the draft so they can reclaim supremacy in the SEC. Which is exactly what will happen. NEXT: Michigan State (Capitol One Bowl) LW - 18 20. Utah - Has to play Boise State in their bowl. Enjoy your beat down. It isn’t going to be pretty. NEXT: Boise St. (Las Vegas Beatdown, I mean bowl) LW - 2121. Hawai’i - I have noticed that Hawai’i spells their name with an apostrophe between the Is. But we mainlanders refuse to spell it right. But we’re all worried about offending Indians by using a tribal name as a team name. What is up with that? NEXT: Tulsa (Hawai’i Bowl - Isn’t it great to have your own bowl?) LW - 2222. West Virginia - Bet your absolutely kicking yourself over that UConn loss right about now. NEXT: North Carolina St. (Champs Sports Bowl) LW - 2423. UCF - Got a pretty good match up with Geogia in a bowl. A win in a bowl versus an SEC team would look good. Now all you gotta do is win. NEXT: Georgia (Liberty Bowl) LW - NR24. UConn - This is a team that wins U - G - L - Y. But they know how to will themselves to victory. People say they are going to get creamed by Oklahoma. I’m not so sure. NEXT: Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl) LW - NR25. Florida State - Did the Seminoles do better with out Bobby coaching them this year. I’m not so sure. But I guess the change needed to be made sooner or later. So the question is...should Joe Pa go too? I don’t see a difference. NEXT: South Carolina (Chick-fil-A Bowl) LW - 20
PULL!!!: Norther Illinois, Maryland
Hoping to win their bowl so they can get on the poll: Maryland, Mississippi State, Navy, San Diego State, Tulsa, Northern Illinois
Wishing they were eligible to go to a bowl so they can get on the poll: USC
>END TRANSMISSION<
By the Eye on College Football bloggersTo celebrate the (now fewer than) 100 days remaining until the first Saturday of the new college football season, this is the CBSSports.com College Football 100: our countdown of the 2011 season's 100 most influential players, coaches, administrators, venues, or any other related things in college football. It's like that other "most influential" list, but, you know, more important. Also: it's supposed to be fun. Enjoy.70. AGENT X, compliance disaster in-waiting, Potentially Everywhere. He's out there right now. Lurking. Ready to provide student-athletes with extra benefits at a moment's notice. "He" is Agent X, the person keeping compliance officers and athletic directors up at night. 2010 saw Agent X burst on the scene as infractions cases at USC, North Carolina and Auburn dominated the headlines. X could be a number of people, from a runner looking to steer kids to a school to an agent hoping to sign players when they eventually head to the NFL to an uncle looking to make a quick buck of the football talents of a kid. From high school 7-on-7 tournaments to college campuses, the NCAA has taken notice of Agent X as well. They were out in the spring trying to learn more about runners' methods and a few of the major players. Compliance seminars have talked about ways to spot the tell-tale signs. USC, who was impacted by shady third parties as much as any school, hosted a summit designed to come up with way to combat the problem. Agent X is still out there though--and highly liable to pop up in a headline or two sometime, somewhere over the next few months. -- BF69. DABO SWINNEY. head coach, Clemson. One of the reasons Swinney was promoted to head coach after Tommy Bowden's mid-season exit in 2008 was his reputation as a stellar recruiter. We saw those skills in action this past February, as the Tigers brought in multiple huge late commitments on Signing Day--enough to bring their class rank all the way up into the Top 10. It always takes a few seasons for a new coach to make the program his own, and this upcoming season could be a pivotal one for Swinney. After 2010's 6-7 record, Swinney swiftly made changes on the coaching staff, most notably bringing in Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris. Morris' fast-paced productive offense hopefully will alter last season's offensive struggles, but much of that will also depend on first-year starting quarterback Tajh Boyd. The greatest challenge for Swinney in the upcoming season (or two) will be the personnel decisions with so much highly-rated talent coming into Death Valley. With so many players from the ACC being selected in the NFL Draft, the conference has come under fire in recent years for not being able to make the most of their talent while in school. Fans have drooled over Swinney's last two classes, and there will not be an acceptable excuse for another losing season. Swinney was fast to act after 2010 finished, now his decisions will either pay off or crash and burn. At 41, Swinney has a long career ahead of him in college football, but his length of time at Clemson could depend on how the next two to three seasons play out. -- CP68. JARED CRICK, defensive tackle, Nebraska. It's pretty much impossible to win in a physical conference like the Big Ten without superior line play, so Jared Crick's decision to come back to Nebraska for his senior season bodes very well for the Huskers ... and very poorly for their opponents. Crick, a 6'6", 285-pound beast from Cozad, NE, was second in the Big 12 in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss--both ridiculous numbers for a defensive tackle. He's going to be drawing constant double-teams this season as a result, so look for his teammates up front to have even more opportunities to make plays than usual. Of course, it's impossible to be a standout defensive tackle at Nebraska and not invite comparisons to Ndamukong Suh, Crick's former teammate. Both are terrifyingly powerful and athletic, and while Crick's production hasn't met Suh's level yet, Suh's junior stats (19 TFL, 7.5 sacks) are only marginally better than Crick's (14.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks). Crick may not meet Suh's senior-year level of performance this season, but that's really only another way of saying he probably won't be a Heisman finalist. Probably. He's a mortal lock for preseason first-team All-Big Ten, at least, and where he goes from there is up to him. -- AJ67. CASEY PACHALL, quarterback, TCU. There was supposed to be a long, drawn-out battle to replace TCU's departiing quarterback and leader, Andy Dalton. After a few weeks of spring ball however, it was clear that the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Pachall would be the Horned Frogs signal-caller this season. With a strong arm and the ability to move around the pocket, the redshirt sophomore has more physical tools than Dalton did when he became the starter. The redshirt year is important as it allowed Pachall to learn for a year behind Dalton and then receive some game action as the backup last season. Pachall has just nine career pass attempts -- which has to give you pause if you're a TCU fan -- but head coach Gary Patterson has raved about his performance as much as the typically understated coach can. It will be tough to fill Dalton's shoes after he won 42 games, but TCU believes Pachall will be able to fill them admirably as the school transitions from the Mountain West to the Big East. -- BF66. 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, day of remembrance. The second Saturday of the 2011 season won't be just another college football Saturday. It will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Every generation has that one moment in their history they remember for the rest of their lives -- the Kennedy assassination, John Lennon's death, the Challenger explosion -- and while the players on the field this fall were anywhere between the ages of 8 and 13 on that day, they no doubt remember exactly where they were when they first found out about the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. Much like in 2001, when sports like football and baseball helped restore a sense of normalcy to life in this country, this day's college football will help show how the United States has healed. Obviously much has changed since then, but on this particular Saturday, when we take the time to remember that tragic day and mourn all the lives that were lost, we'll also be able to turn on our televisions and watch a game -- together -- that was played long before 9/11 and will be played for a long time after. -- TF65. BRYCE BROWN, running back, Kansas State. Bryce Brown is a name that has been known to college football fans for a few years now, even if he hasn't spent much time on the football field. The nation's No. 1 prospect out of high school in 2009, Brown spent a season in Tennessee before asking to leave and eventually making his way home to Kansas State, where he sat out the 2010 season. Now Brown will find himself in a feature role in Manhattan and will likely be a deciding factor in whether or not Kansas State returns to a bowl game in 2010. While Daniel Thomas left some big shoes to fill, the Wildcats offense is one that should suit Brown. Bill Snyder loves to run the football and Brown will get plenty of chances to show the Big 12 why he was such a highly rated recruit out of high school. If he can live up to the stars that were attached to his name, Brown could be the difference between another seven-win season in Manhattan or a New Year's Day bowl. -- TF64. ZACH COLLAROS, quarterback, Cincinnati. When Collaros was the backup quarterback behind Tony Pike, Bearcats fans got to see glimpses of a talented gun-slinger who they believed could continue the success they had experienced under Brian Kelly. And when Collaros finally got the starting job for himself in 2010 under first-year coach Butch Jones, he put together a 2,902-yard, 26-touchdown campaign--good enough to lead the Big East in both categories. Unfortunately for Collaros and Jones, those numbers will not be what is remembered from last season. Instead, Bearcats fans are still on edge from the 4-8 campaign that led to the program's first bowlless season since 2005. But Collaros shoulders just as much of the blame for last season's struggles as anyone else on the roster. In addition to leading the conference in touchdowns, he also led the conference in interceptions. There was a lot of attention on the struggles of the Bearcats' defense (which allowed 28 points per game), but as the senior starting quarterback of this team the responsibility for Cincinnati's return to the top of the conference will fall on Collaros. He'll have the talent around him to put up big numbers once again (top receiver D.J. Woods returns, and former Tennessee commit Kenbrell Thompkins is now eligible), but a restless fan base will only care about the numbers in the win column in 2011. -- CP63. STEVE KRAGTHORPE, offensive coordinator, LSU. The mind still boggles: in 2009, just two years removed from a national title and with an attack featuring multiple blue-chip recruits and future draft picks, the Bayou Bengal offense finished dead last in the SEC in total offense. Last. 12th. Sub-Vanderbilt. With his job (quite understandably) on the line, now ex-LSU coordinator Gary Crowton led a revival last year that took the team's total offense ranking in-conference all the way up to ... 11th. Exit Crowton. And enter Kragthorpe, who arrives on the job with as tricky -- and as pressure-packed -- an assignment as any new assistant in the country. He must streamline Crowton's overstuffed playbook. He must finally produce some consistency out of quarterback Jordan Jefferson, or make the highly-combustible transition to JUCO transfer Zach Mettenberger. He must overhaul a two-minute offense that in recent years has given Chinese fire drills a bad name. In short, he must make the LSU offense something much, much closer to what the LSU offense ought to be ... and if he does, the Tigers' terrifyingly athletic defense should be capable of doing the rest on the road to Atlanta. -- JH62. BYU'S TELEVISION CONTRACT, independence-driving document, BYU. Why did the Cougars make the unprecedented decision to go football-independent in the era of the superconference? Because whether it's in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine, there's one thing you'll be able to do in both cities next year: watch BYU. That's the promise of the school's new-found independence and a Mountain West-free media contract that allows unprecedented access to BYU sports across the country. Nearly 140 events will air in high definition on ESPN or the school's own channel BYUtv. The rest will be available online as well as iPads, Xboxes and cellphones. It's a new era for the school that is one of the few with a true national following. Every football game will be televised and the Cougars will see more exposure than they ever had in the MWC There's still work to be done as school officials responsible look to expand the reach of BYUtv but the promise of Cougar fans being able to finally watch their team without hunting around TV Guide is near. You might have heard about "TV everywhere," but be prepared for BYU everywhere with the new contract. -- BF61. DENARD ROBINSON, quarterback, Michigan. Denard Robinson hardly needs an introduction. The man known by millions of fans as "Shoelace" set college football afire last year, leading the Big Ten in rushing yardage and rolling up a ridiculous 4,272 yards of total offense--good enough for second in the nation (only Bryant Moniz of pass-wacky Hawaii outpaced him). Robinson's one-man show was a delight to watch, but therein lies the problem: football is not a sport for one-man shows, especially when that man is just 193 pounds. Robinson got dinged up multiple times last season, enough to take him out of some games early, and that hammering's not going to stop any time soon. Enter, then, incoming head coach Brady Hoke, who quickly named Robinson his starting quarterback but now must find a way to keep Robinson healthy for the span of the season. A tandem with Tate Forcier worked well at times last year, but Forcier has transferred after academic and personal issues. Devin Gardner is still around, but is he good enough to reliably spell Robinson for a few series every week? If not, Robinson's likely going to spend a lot more time in the pocket, and Atlanta Falcons fans who remember Jim Mora Jr.'s experiments in turning Michael Vick into a pocket passer probably have hair standing up on the back of their necks at the thought. No, nobody likes to see the fastest man on the field get the football only to stand still. But nobody likes to see the fastest man on the field get rocked 20 times a game and struggle to get back up, either, and that's the quandary Michigan faces in 2011. -- AJThe 100 will return here to Eye on CFB tomorrow. Until then, check out Nos. 100-91, 90-81, and 80-71. You can also keep up with the 100 by following us on Twitter.
To celebrate the (now fewer than) 100 days remaining until the first Saturday of the new college football season, this is the CBSSports.com College Football 100: our countdown of the 2011 season's 100 most influential players, coaches, administrators, venues, or any other related
70. AGENT X, compliance disaster in-waiting, Potentially Everywhere. He's out there right now. Lurking. Ready to provide student-athletes with extra benefits at a moment's notice. "He" is Agent X, the person keeping compliance officers and athletic directors up at night. 2010 saw Agent X burst on the scene as infractions cases at USC, North Carolina and Auburn dominated the headlines. X could be a number of people, from a runner looking to steer kids to a school to an agent hoping to sign players when they eventually head to the NFL to an uncle looking to make a quick buck of the football talents of a kid.
From high school 7-on-7 tournaments to college campuses, the NCAA has taken notice of Agent X as well. They were out in the spring trying to learn more about runners' methods and a few of the major players. Compliance seminars have talked about ways to spot the tell-tale signs. USC, who was impacted by shady third parties as much as any school, hosted a summit designed to come up with way to combat the problem. Agent X is still out there though--and highly liable to pop up in a headline or two sometime, somewhere over the next few months. -- BF
69. DABO SWINNEY. head coach, Clemson. One of the reasons Swinney was promoted to head coach after Tommy Bowden's mid-season exit in 2008 was his reputation as a stellar recruiter. We saw those skills in action this past February, as the Tigers brought in multiple huge late commitments on Signing Day--enough to bring their class rank all the way up into the Top 10. It always takes a few seasons for a new coach to make the program his own, and this upcoming season could be a pivotal one for Swinney. After 2010's 6-7 record, Swinney swiftly made changes on the coaching staff, most notably bringing in Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris. Morris' fast-paced productive offense hopefully will alter last season's offensive struggles, but much of that will also depend on first-year starting quarterback Tajh Boyd.
The greatest challenge for Swinney in the upcoming season (or two) will be the personnel decisions with so much highly-rated talent coming into Death Valley. With so many players from the ACC being selected in the NFL Draft, the conference has come under fire in recent years for not being able to make the most of their talent while in school. Fans have drooled over Swinney's last two classes, and there will not be an acceptable excuse for another losing season. Swinney was fast to act after 2010 finished, now his decisions will either pay off or crash and burn. At 41, Swinney has a long career ahead of him in college football, but his length of time at Clemson could depend on how the next two to three seasons play out. -- CP
68. JARED CRICK, defensive tackle, Nebraska. It's pretty much impossible to win in a physical conference like the Big Ten without superior line play, so Jared Crick's decision to come back to Nebraska for his senior season bodes very well for the Huskers ... and very poorly for their opponents. Crick, a 6'6", 285-pound beast from Cozad, NE, was second in the Big 12 in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss--both ridiculous numbers for a defensive tackle. He's going to be drawing constant double-teams this season as a result, so look for his teammates up front to have even more opportunities to make plays than usual.
Of course, it's impossible to be a standout defensive tackle at Nebraska and not invite comparisons to Ndamukong Suh, Crick's former teammate. Both are terrifyingly powerful and athletic, and while Crick's production hasn't met Suh's level yet, Suh's junior stats (19 TFL, 7.5 sacks) are only marginally better than Crick's (14.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks). Crick may not meet Suh's senior-year level of performance this season, but that's really only another way of saying he probably won't be a Heisman finalist. Probably. He's a mortal lock for preseason first-team All-Big Ten, at least, and where he goes from there is up to him. -- AJ
67. CASEY PACHALL, quarterback, TCU. There was supposed to be a long, drawn-out battle to replace TCU's departiing quarterback and leader, Andy Dalton. After a few weeks of spring ball however, it was clear that the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Pachall would be the Horned Frogs signal-caller this season. With a strong arm and the ability to move around the pocket, the redshirt sophomore has more physical tools than Dalton did when he became the starter.
The redshirt year is important as it allowed Pachall to learn for a year behind Dalton and then receive some game action as the backup last season. Pachall has just nine career pass attempts -- which has to give you pause if you're a TCU fan -- but head coach Gary Patterson has raved about his performance as much as the typically understated coach can. It will be tough to fill Dalton's shoes after he won 42 games, but TCU believes Pachall will be able to fill them admirably as the school transitions from the Mountain West to the Big East. -- BF
66. 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, day of remembrance. The second Saturday of the 2011 season won't be just another college football Saturday. It will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Every generation has that one moment in their history they remember for the rest of their lives -- the Kennedy assassination, John Lennon's death, the Challenger explosion -- and while the players on the field this fall were anywhere between the ages of 8 and 13 on that day, they no doubt remember exactly where they were when they first found out about the World Trade Center or the Pentagon.
Much like in 2001, when sports like football and baseball helped restore a sense of normalcy to life in this country, this day's college football will help show how the United States has healed. Obviously much has changed since then, but on this particular Saturday, when we take the time to remember that tragic day and mourn all the lives that were lost, we'll also be able to turn on our televisions and watch a game -- together -- that was played long before 9/11 and will be played for a long time after. -- TF
While Daniel Thomas left some big shoes to fill, the Wildcats offense is one that should suit Brown. Bill Snyder loves to run the football and Brown will get plenty of chances to show the Big 12 why he was such a highly rated recruit out of high school. If he can live up to the stars that were attached to his name, Brown could be the difference between another seven-win season in Manhattan or a New Year's Day bowl. -- TF
64. ZACH COLLAROS, quarterback, Cincinnati. When Collaros was the backup quarterback behind Tony Pike, Bearcats fans got to see glimpses of a talented gun-slinger who they believed could continue the success they had experienced under Brian Kelly. And when Collaros finally got the starting job for himself in 2010 under first-year coach Butch Jones, he put together a 2,902-yard, 26-touchdown campaign--good enough to lead the Big East in both categories. Unfortunately for Collaros and Jones, those numbers will not be what is remembered from last season. Instead, Bearcats fans are still on edge from the 4-8 campaign that led to the program's first bowlless season since 2005.
But Collaros shoulders just as much of the blame for last season's struggles as anyone else on the roster. In addition to leading the conference in touchdowns, he also led the conference in interceptions. There was a lot of attention on the struggles of the Bearcats' defense (which allowed 28 points per game), but as the senior starting quarterback of this team the responsibility for Cincinnati's return to the top of the conference will fall on Collaros. He'll have the talent around him to put up big numbers once again (top receiver D.J. Woods returns, and former Tennessee commit Kenbrell Thompkins is now eligible), but a restless fan base will only care about the numbers in the win column in 2011. -- CP
63. STEVE KRAGTHORPE, offensive coordinator, LSU. The mind still boggles: in 2009, just two years removed from a national title and with an attack featuring multiple blue-chip recruits and future draft picks, the Bayou Bengal offense finished dead last in the SEC in total offense. Last. 12th. Sub-Vanderbilt. With his job (quite understandably) on the line, now ex-LSU coordinator Gary Crowton led a revival last year that took the team's total offense ranking in-conference all the way up to ... 11th.
Exit Crowton. And enter Kragthorpe, who arrives on the job with as tricky -- and as pressure-packed -- an assignment as any new assistant in the country. He must streamline Crowton's overstuffed playbook. He must finally produce some consistency out of quarterback Jordan Jefferson, or make the highly-combustible transition to JUCO transfer Zach Mettenberger. He must overhaul a two-minute offense that in recent years has given Chinese fire drills a bad name. In short, he must make the LSU offense something much, much closer to what the LSU offense ought to be ... and if he does, the Tigers' terrifyingly athletic defense should be capable of doing the rest on the road to Atlanta. -- JH
62. BYU'S TELEVISION CONTRACT, independence-driving document, BYU. Why did the Cougars make the unprecedented decision to go football-independent in the era of the superconference? Because whether it's in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine, there's one thing you'll be able to do in both cities next year: watch BYU. That's the promise of the school's new-found independence and a Mountain West-free media contract that allows unprecedented access to BYU sports across the country. Nearly 140 events will air in high definition on ESPN or the school's own channel BYUtv. The rest will be available online as well as iPads, Xboxes and cellphones.
It's a new era for the school that is one of the few with a true national following. Every football game will be televised and the Cougars will see more exposure than they ever had in the MWC There's still work to be done as school officials responsible look to expand the reach of BYUtv but the promise of Cougar fans being able to finally watch their team without hunting around TV Guide is near. You might have heard about "TV everywhere," but be prepared for BYU everywhere with the new contract. -- BF
61. DENARD ROBINSON, quarterback, Michigan. Denard Robinson hardly needs an introduction. The man known by millions of fans as "Shoelace" set college football afire last year, leading the Big Ten in rushing yardage and rolling up a ridiculous 4,272 yards of total offense--good enough for second in the nation (only Bryant Moniz of pass-wacky Hawaii outpaced him). Robinson's one-man show was a delight to watch, but therein lies the problem: football is not a sport for one-man shows, especially when that man is just 193 pounds. Robinson got dinged up multiple times last season, enough to take him out of some games early, and that hammering's not going to stop any time soon.
Enter, then, incoming head coach Brady Hoke, who quickly named Robinson his starting quarterback but now must find a way to keep Robinson healthy for the span of the season. A tandem with Tate Forcier worked well at times last year, but Forcier has transferred after academic and personal issues. Devin Gardner is still around, but is he good enough to reliably spell Robinson for a few series every week? If not, Robinson's likely going to spend a lot more time in the pocket, and Atlanta Falcons fans who remember Jim Mora Jr.'s experiments in turning Michael Vick into a pocket passer probably have hair standing up on the back of their necks at the thought. No, nobody likes to see the fastest man on the field get the football only to stand still. But nobody likes to see the fastest man on the field get rocked 20 times a game and struggle to get back up, either, and that's the quandary Michigan faces in 2011. -- AJ
The 100 will return here to Eye on CFB tomorrow. Until then, check out Nos. 100-91, 90-81, and 80-71. You can also keep up with the 100 by following us on Twitter.
By the Eye on College Football bloggersTo celebrate the (now fewer than) 100 days remaining until the first Saturday of the new college football season, this is the CBSSports.com College Football 100: our countdown of the 2011 season's 100 most influential players, coaches, administrators, venues, or any other related things in college football. It's like that other "most influential" list, but, you know, more important. Also: it's supposed to be fun. Enjoy.30. LAMICHAEL JAMES, running back, Oregon. Granted, it was just Oregon's spring game. But Duck fans had to like the fact that LaMichael James had only three carries (lest he gets hurt) and that one of them went for a touchdown--your simple, run-of-the-mill, back-and-forth 67-yard "scamper" as the Oregon media described it. The run was almost par-for-the-course for the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, but that's the thing about James: when you're a threat to score just about every time you touch the ball, 67-yard touchdowns happen sometimes. On top of setting his sights on a host of Oregon and Pac-12 rushing records this season, James hopes to help lead Oregon back to the BCS championship game and finish what the team came so close to doing last year. The Ducks have to replace several offensive linemen, but that might not be a big issue for James, who can hit the tiniest of holes in split-seconds. Speed is the 5-foot-9, 190-pound back's greatest asset, considering he moonlights on Oregon's track team and anchors the 4x100 relay team (among other things). James will leave the track behind soon though, moving on to playing a game of "catch me if you can" and blowing past defenses come fall. A second trip to New York as a Heisman finalist -- and possibly more -- seems likely. -- BF29. LUKE KUECHLY, linebacker, Boston College. The ACC has produced several dominating defenders in the last couple of years, but few have demanded the attention from day one like Kuechly. Tapped to replace Mark Herzlich in the BC linebacking unit in 2009, Kuechly stepped in and set an NCAA freshman record with 158 tackles on the season. When the two were on the field together in 2010, Kuechly led the nation with 183 tackles and was named a unanimous All-American by pretty much anyone with a publication. Entering his junior year the expectations are as high as ever for Kuechly. He is widely considered a first-round draft pick in 2012, but will need another impressive season to cement that status. The good news for Eagles fans is that head coach Frank Spaziani and the rest of the staff believe that Kuechly has done nothing but improve. But with a much younger defense alongside him in the huddle in 2011, Kuechly will need to provide more than individual statistics to help Boston College get back to the postseason. The good news is the mere presence of the 6-foot-3, 235-pound playmaker on the field is a tactical advantage, with the opposition always having to keep an eye on No. 40. Considering the potential for Kuechly in 2011, it won't just be the opposition--we'll all have our eyes on No. 40 this fall. -- CP28. BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, title tilt, Indianapolis. For years and years, the Big Ten stood apart from the rest of FBS college football in one very unfortunate aspect: it was the only conference that did not employ either a full round-robin conference schedule or a conference championship game. In other words, only in the Big Ten could two teams potentially go undefeated in conference play (or otherwise tie for the conference championship) and have no way to break the tie on the field. In fact, that's not just a pointless what-if; it actually happened in 2002, when Iowa and Ohio State both ran the table in Big Ten play. Iowa had one blemish on its non-conference record and OSU didn't, so the Buckeyes went to the BCS Title Game and won. But Big Ten fans had (and still have) the right to feel cheated out of what would have been an excellent conference championship game. No more, no more, as the Big Ten is going to be invading Indianapolis and the Lucas Oil Dome every December from now until 2015, settling the age-old controversy on whether being a Legend or Leader is better (more on that in a little bit). Purists are understandably chafed that the Big Ten--the conference that couldn't get more arctic or physical without literally employing polar bears as offensive linemen--is deciding its conference championship in a dome, but watching a game in horrible weather is miserable, and misery in the name of purity is still misery. It's good to see Jim Delany's still got something of a heart. -- AJ27. THE SMURF TURF, home field, Boise State. It's rare for the actual field to be a school's most recognizable feature, but that's certainly the case for the love-it-or-hate-it blue turf at Boise State's Bronco Stadium. The only blue artificial turf in the world, it's rumored (though not confirmed, alas) that migrating birds sometimes mistake it for a giant lake and try to land on it. Like the birds that may or may not land flat on their face, opposing teams seem to nose-dive when they play on the turf, going 2-77 against the Broncos there since 1999. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that the home team is perfect in conference games, going 40-0 on the Smurf Turf during WAC play. This is Boise State's first year in the Mountain West and they aim to keep that mark going, but it won't be easy. Looming large on the schedule is a game against departing MWC power TCU in the middle of November. The Horned Frogs aren't expected to be quite as good as they were last year (or in the teams' 2009 Fiesta Bowl meeting) but they do figure to be the Broncos' biggest road block to another BCS game -- and possibly even the national title game -- if they get by Georgia in their opener. With plenty of returning starters back from last year's 12-1 squad, don't be surprised if Boise proves unbeatable on the blue turf once again. -- BF26. MIKE SHERMAN, head coach, Texas A&M. When Sherman was hired at College Station before the 2008 season, replacing Dennis Franchione, it wasn't exactly the kind of move that had Aggie fans celebrating impending national championships. A 10-15 mark through his first two seasons didn't help matters, and Sherman found himself on the hot seat even after signing a seven-year deal. That seat only got warmer when the Aggies started off the 2010 season 3-3 ... and then a funny thing happened. Sherman finally pulled the plug on Jerrod Johnson and went with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, and after that all Texas A&M could do was win. The team finished the year 9-4 after losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl, but by then the Aggies had already picked up their first share of the Big 12 South title since 1998. So it's safe to say that Sherman's seat has cooled considerably in 2011. Of course, while he may not have come to College Station with the highest of expectations, now that Aggie fans have a taste for winning again, Sherman's biggest task will be to keep that momentum going. To do that he's going to have to make sure his defense continues to improve. After finishing dead last in 2008 and 2009 in the Big 12 in points-against, the Aggies rocketed up to second in the conference last season, allowing only 20.3 points per-game. If Sherman can continue leading the Aggies to improvement on both sides of the ball, as he did last season, the Longhorns won't be the only team from Texas to worry about in the Big 12 championship race. -- TF25. MANTI TE'O, linebacker, Notre Dame. During his time in South Bend, Charlie Weis seemed to have a lot of success recruiting offensive players. On the defensive side of the ball, while Weis brought in some solid players, the game-changing playmakers you need to win were never seemed to be among them. That is, until Weis went to Hawai'i and landed Manti Te'o. Weis may be gone, but the "Hawaiian Hitman" remains and Brian Kelly is thrilled to have him. The biggest factor in Notre Dame's strong finish in 2010 was a defense that shut down opposing offenses, and Te'o was the driving force in that unit. Through his first two seasons Te'o has racked up 192 tackles (129 of them in 2010) and 14 tackles-for-loss. Te'o can be counted on to fly to the ball on every play, and while he's not as polished in pass coverage, he can stuff the run with the best linebackers in the country. What should scare offensive coordinators this year is that with the stockpile of talent Notre Dame has built on its defensive line the last few years, Te'o should be free to seek and destroy all season long. And if that's the case, it may not be long until Notre Dame is back on a BCS stage -- with Te'o the face of its success -- and college football fans are forced to hate the Irish again instead of just laughing at them. -- TF24. LES MILES'S COJONES, coaching decision-makers, LSU. Since Les Miles took over for Nick Saban at the Bayou Bengal helm in 2005, it's no secret that LSU has won its fair share of thrillers. But it's not just the selective memory of the charmed 2007 run talking; over Miles's six seasons, LSU has gone a stunning 22-9 in games decided by seven points or less. Since we're talking about games potentially decided by a single bounce of the ball, most teams' records in these situations naturally yo-yo back and forth year-to-year--look at Iowa's rise-and-fall over the past few seasons, for instance. But not LSU. Aside from a 2-2 mark in 2008, Miles has finished above .500 in this category ever year of his Baton Rouge tenure. The majority of observers (including many within his own LSU fanbase) have chalked this up to blind luck, and sometimes--as in Tennessee's 13-players-on-the-field penalty that saved the Tigers from themselves last season--they're right. But Miles also hasn't gotten nearly enough credit for the ballsy, go-for-broke, correct decisions that have often turned the tide in such games. While it's easy to note how fortunate Miles was when last year's botched fake field goal pitch against Florida bounced straight into his kicker's arms, it overlooks the fact that playing for a game-winning touchdown is by far the superior choice to settling for a long-distance field goal that would only tie the game even if good. If Miles ignores the criticism and continues to let his cojones do his thinking for him, expect another year of success for the Tigers in the dying minutes--and given how much talent his team will wield, potentially another run at a crystal football. -- JH23. TODD MONKEN, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State. Last season the Cowboy offense averaged 44.9 points and 537.6 yards per game. That, to keep the superlatives to a minimum, is rather good. Then Dana Holgorsen left Stillwater to become the head coach-in-waiting at West Virginia, and Monken was hired to replace him. Those are some high-octane shoes for Monken to fill, especially considering he hasn't been a play-caller since 2004, when he was working a previous stint in Stillwater for Les Miles. Since then, Monken followed Miles to LSU for a couple of years and then went on to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So there's going to be an adjustment period, but the good news is that Oklahoma State still plans to run the same system it ran under Holgorsen. Unfortunately Monken won't have the same command of the playbook right off the bat that Holgorsen did, but he does at least have Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon to help cover him. Still, if Monken doesn't get the handle of things quick enough, Oklahoma State's top-10 season could already be "over" (and the immense potential of another year of the Weeden-Blackmon connection "wasted") by the time things are firing on all cylinders.-- TF 22. "LEGENDS" AND "LEADERS," division names, Big Ten. One of the most dramatic changes in college football this year is the realignment of the Big Ten to a 12-team, two-division conference. Not only does that bring the aforementioned Big Ten Championship Game into existence, but it also introduces new and different conference tensions into play. Michigan and Nebraska as hated rivals? It sure could happen. Ohio State being more concerned with Wisconsin than the Wolverines? If a division title's on the line, absolutely. But good lord, those names. It's one thing to deal with them over the course of an off-season, when they only come up once a month or so or whatever. Imagine what happens when they become part of the daily conversation. The derision will be deafening. Newscasters won't want to use them. Every time there's a slow moment in a football game, odds are pretty good that some bored color commentator is going to roll his eyes and casually call the division names stupid, and fans will laugh along with them. The Big Ten should be celebrating a brand new era and all of everything else that goes along with Nebraska's entry into the conference, and now instead it's going to have to defend the indefensible "LEGENDS" and "LEADERS" constantly. It's not too late to scrap them and just go with an admittedly imperfect-but-close-enough East-West nomenclature, right? Yeah, it's boring, but boring is good. It lets the on-field product speak for itself, and Big Ten football certainly can do that, right, Mr. Delany? Right? -- AJ21. URBAN MEYER, television analyst/coaching free agent, ESPN. As we knew already and as Meyer spelled out for us just a few days ago, the most successful head coach of college football's previous decade won't be coaching anywhere in 2011. He'll be living the good life as a talking head at the "Worldwide Leader," offering what we hope will be pointed analysis and sharp X's-and-O's from one of the sport's shrewdest coaches. But the shadow he'll cast over the college football coaching market will reach far longer than anything he does as a TV analyst. By specifically saying he won't be coaching "this fall," Meyer has all but announced he'll be looking for a new gig for next fall--meaning his name will be dropped into every conversation about currently vacant jobs (ahem), jobs that become vacant during the season, and even jobs that seem like they might become vacant if Meyer would show an interest. Like a prized NBA free agent, Meyer's influence is sure to be felt keenly in the narrative of the 2011 season ... even if he's not on the sidelines for a minute of it. -- JHThe 100 will continue here on Eye on CFB tomorrow. Until then, check out Nos. 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41 and 40-31. You can also keep up with the 100 by following us on Twitter.
30. LAMICHAEL JAMES, running back, Oregon. Granted, it was just Oregon's spring game. But Duck fans had to like the fact that LaMichael James had only three carries (lest he gets hurt) and that one of them went for a touchdown--your simple, run-of-the-mill, back-and-forth 67-yard "scamper" as the Oregon media described it. The run was almost par-for-the-course for the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, but that's the thing about James: when you're a threat to score just about every time you touch the ball, 67-yard touchdowns happen sometimes.
On top of setting his sights on a host of Oregon and Pac-12 rushing records this season, James hopes to help lead Oregon back to the BCS championship game and finish what the team came so close to doing last year. The Ducks have to replace several offensive linemen, but that might not be a big issue for James, who can hit the tiniest of holes in split-seconds. Speed is the 5-foot-9, 190-pound back's greatest asset, considering he moonlights on Oregon's track team and anchors the 4x100 relay team (among other things). James will leave the track behind soon though, moving on to playing a game of "catch me if you can" and blowing past defenses come fall. A second trip to New York as a Heisman finalist -- and possibly more -- seems likely. -- BF
29. LUKE KUECHLY, linebacker, Boston College. The ACC has produced several dominating defenders in the last couple of years, but few have demanded the attention from day one like Kuechly. Tapped to replace Mark Herzlich in the BC linebacking unit in 2009, Kuechly stepped in and set an NCAA freshman record with 158 tackles on the season. When the two were on the field together in 2010, Kuechly led the nation with 183 tackles and was named a unanimous All-American by pretty much anyone with a publication.
Entering his junior year the expectations are as high as ever for Kuechly. He is widely considered a first-round draft pick in 2012, but will need another impressive season to cement that status. The good news for Eagles fans is that head coach Frank Spaziani and the rest of the staff believe that Kuechly has done nothing but improve. But with a much younger defense alongside him in the huddle in 2011, Kuechly will need to provide more than individual statistics to help Boston College get back to the postseason. The good news is the mere presence of the 6-foot-3, 235-pound playmaker on the field is a tactical advantage, with the opposition always having to keep an eye on No. 40. Considering the potential for Kuechly in 2011, it won't just be the opposition--we'll all have our eyes on No. 40 this fall. -- CP
28. BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, title tilt, Indianapolis. For years and years, the Big Ten stood apart from the rest of FBS college football in one very unfortunate aspect: it was the only conference that did not employ either a full round-robin conference schedule or a conference championship game. In other words, only in the Big Ten could two teams potentially go undefeated in conference play (or otherwise tie for the conference championship) and have no way to break the tie on the field. In fact, that's not just a pointless what-if; it actually happened in 2002, when Iowa and Ohio State both ran the table in Big Ten play. Iowa had one blemish on its non-conference record and OSU didn't, so the Buckeyes went to the BCS Title Game and won. But Big Ten fans had (and still have) the right to feel cheated out of what would have been an excellent conference championship game.
No more, no more, as the Big Ten is going to be invading Indianapolis and the Lucas Oil Dome every December from now until 2015, settling the age-old controversy on whether being a Legend or Leader is better (more on that in a little bit). Purists are understandably chafed that the Big Ten--the conference that couldn't get more arctic or physical without literally employing polar bears as offensive linemen--is deciding its conference championship in a dome, but watching a game in horrible weather is miserable, and misery in the name of purity is still misery. It's good to see Jim Delany's still got something of a heart. -- AJ
27. THE SMURF TURF, home field, Boise State. It's rare for the actual field to be a school's most recognizable feature, but that's certainly the case for the love-it-or-hate-it blue turf at Boise State's Bronco Stadium. The only blue artificial turf in the world, it's rumored (though not confirmed, alas) that migrating birds sometimes mistake it for a giant lake and try to land on it. Like the birds that may or may not land flat on their face, opposing teams seem to nose-dive when they play on the turf, going 2-77 against the Broncos there since 1999.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that the home team is perfect in conference games, going 40-0 on the Smurf Turf during WAC play. This is Boise State's first year in the Mountain West and they aim to keep that mark going, but it won't be easy. Looming large on the schedule is a game against departing MWC power TCU in the middle of November. The Horned Frogs aren't expected to be quite as good as they were last year (or in the teams' 2009 Fiesta Bowl meeting) but they do figure to be the Broncos' biggest road block to another BCS game -- and possibly even the national title game -- if they get by Georgia in their opener. With plenty of returning starters back from last year's 12-1 squad, don't be surprised if Boise proves unbeatable on the blue turf once again. -- BF
26. MIKE SHERMAN, head coach, Texas A&M. When Sherman was hired at College Station before the 2008 season, replacing Dennis Franchione, it wasn't exactly the kind of move that had Aggie fans celebrating impending national championships. A 10-15 mark through his first two seasons didn't help matters, and Sherman found himself on the hot seat even after signing a seven-year deal. That seat only got warmer when the Aggies started off the 2010 season 3-3 ... and then a funny thing happened. Sherman finally pulled the plug on Jerrod Johnson and went with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, and after that all Texas A&M could do was win. The team finished the year 9-4 after losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl, but by then the Aggies had already picked up their first share of the Big 12 South title since 1998.
So it's safe to say that Sherman's seat has cooled considerably in 2011. Of course, while he may not have come to College Station with the highest of expectations, now that Aggie fans have a taste for winning again, Sherman's biggest task will be to keep that momentum going. To do that he's going to have to make sure his defense continues to improve. After finishing dead last in 2008 and 2009 in the Big 12 in points-against, the Aggies rocketed up to second in the conference last season, allowing only 20.3 points per-game. If Sherman can continue leading the Aggies to improvement on both sides of the ball, as he did last season, the Longhorns won't be the only team from Texas to worry about in the Big 12 championship race. -- TF
25. MANTI TE'O, linebacker, Notre Dame. During his time in South Bend, Charlie Weis seemed to have a lot of success recruiting offensive players. On the defensive side of the ball, while Weis brought in some solid players, the game-changing playmakers you need to win were never seemed to be among them. That is, until Weis went to Hawai'i and landed Manti Te'o. Weis may be gone, but the "Hawaiian Hitman" remains and Brian Kelly is thrilled to have him. The biggest factor in Notre Dame's strong finish in 2010 was a defense that shut down opposing offenses, and Te'o was the driving force in that unit.
Through his first two seasons Te'o has racked up 192 tackles (129 of them in 2010) and 14 tackles-for-loss. Te'o can be counted on to fly to the ball on every play, and while he's not as polished in pass coverage, he can stuff the run with the best linebackers in the country. What should scare offensive coordinators this year is that with the stockpile of talent Notre Dame has built on its defensive line the last few years, Te'o should be free to seek and destroy all season long. And if that's the case, it may not be long until Notre Dame is back on a BCS stage -- with Te'o the face of its success -- and college football fans are forced to hate the Irish again instead of just laughing at them. -- TF
24. LES MILES'S COJONES, coaching decision-makers, LSU. Since Les Miles took over for Nick Saban at the Bayou Bengal helm in 2005, it's no secret that LSU has won its fair share of thrillers. But it's not just the selective memory of the charmed 2007 run talking; over Miles's six seasons, LSU has gone a stunning 22-9 in games decided by seven points or less. Since we're talking about games potentially decided by a single bounce of the ball, most teams' records in these situations naturally yo-yo back and forth year-to-year--look at Iowa's rise-and-fall over the past few seasons, for instance. But not LSU. Aside from a 2-2 mark in 2008, Miles has finished above .500 in this category ever year of his Baton Rouge tenure.
The majority of observers (including many within his own LSU fanbase) have chalked this up to blind luck, and sometimes--as in Tennessee's 13-players-on-the-field penalty that saved the Tigers from themselves last season--they're right. But Miles also hasn't gotten nearly enough credit for the ballsy, go-for-broke, correct decisions that have often turned the tide in such games. While it's easy to note how fortunate Miles was when last year's botched fake field goal pitch against Florida bounced straight into his kicker's arms, it overlooks the fact that playing for a game-winning touchdown is by far the superior choice to settling for a long-distance field goal that would only tie the game even if good. If Miles ignores the criticism and continues to let his cojones do his thinking for him, expect another year of success for the Tigers in the dying minutes--and given how much talent his team will wield, potentially another run at a crystal football. -- JH
23. TODD MONKEN, offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State. Last season the Cowboy offense averaged 44.9 points and 537.6 yards per game. That, to keep the superlatives to a minimum, is rather good. Then Dana Holgorsen left Stillwater to become the head coach-in-waiting at West Virginia, and Monken was hired to replace him. Those are some high-octane shoes for Monken to fill, especially considering he hasn't been a play-caller since 2004, when he was working a previous stint in Stillwater for Les Miles. Since then, Monken followed Miles to LSU for a couple of years and then went on to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So there's going to be an adjustment period, but the good news is that Oklahoma State still plans to run the same system it ran under Holgorsen. Unfortunately Monken won't have the same command of the playbook right off the bat that Holgorsen did, but he does at least have Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon to help cover him. Still, if Monken doesn't get the handle of things quick enough, Oklahoma State's top-10 season could already be "over" (and the immense potential of another year of the Weeden-Blackmon connection "wasted") by the time things are firing on all cylinders.-- TF
But good lord, those names. It's one thing to deal with them over the course of an off-season, when they only come up once a month or so or whatever. Imagine what happens when they become part of the daily conversation. The derision will be deafening. Newscasters won't want to use them. Every time there's a slow moment in a football game, odds are pretty good that some bored color commentator is going to roll his eyes and casually call the division names stupid, and fans will laugh along with them. The Big Ten should be celebrating a brand new era and all of everything else that goes along with Nebraska's entry into the conference, and now instead it's going to have to defend the indefensible "LEGENDS" and "LEADERS" constantly. It's not too late to scrap them and just go with an admittedly imperfect-but-close-enough East-West nomenclature, right? Yeah, it's boring, but boring is good. It lets the on-field product speak for itself, and Big Ten football certainly can do that, right, Mr. Delany? Right? -- AJ
21. URBAN MEYER, television analyst/coaching free agent, ESPN. As we knew already and as Meyer spelled out for us just a few days ago, the most successful head coach of college football's previous decade won't be coaching anywhere in 2011. He'll be living the good life as a talking head at the "Worldwide Leader," offering what we hope will be pointed analysis and sharp X's-and-O's from one of the sport's shrewdest coaches.
But the shadow he'll cast over the college football coaching market will reach far longer than anything he does as a TV analyst. By specifically saying he won't be coaching "this fall," Meyer has all but announced he'll be looking for a new gig for next fall--meaning his name will be dropped into every conversation about currently vacant jobs (ahem), jobs that become vacant during the season, and even jobs that seem like they might become vacant if Meyer would show an interest. Like a prized NBA free agent, Meyer's influence is sure to be felt keenly in the narrative of the 2011 season ... even if he's not on the sidelines for a minute of it. -- JH
The 100 will continue here on Eye on CFB tomorrow. Until then, check out Nos. 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41 and 40-31. You can also keep up with the 100 by following us on Twitter.
By the Eye on College Football bloggersTo celebrate the 100 days remaining until the first Saturday of the new college football season, this is the CBSSports.com College Football 100: our countdown of the 2011 season's 100 most influential players, coaches, administrators, venues, or any other related things in college football. It's like that other "most influential" list, but, you know, more important. Also: it's supposed to be fun. Enjoy.100. THE DOOLEY RULE, new NCAA regulation. We don’t know when; we don’t know where. But we’re betting that at some point this season, college football’s new Dooley Rule -- which punishes offenses that commit a penalty in the last minute of either half with a 10-second runoff from the game clock -- makes a major impact on the outcome of a game. If it’s the right game, the rule could make a major impact on the outcome of college football’s entire season. That’s not necessarily likely, of course. Until namesake Derek Dooley’s Tennessee team lost last year’s Music City Bowl when North Carolina stopped the clock with its own penalty, the situation hadn’t yet seemed to occur in a high-profile college football game. (There’s a reason it took until 2011 for the rule to be put into place.) But now that it’s there, we think the odds are good that we’ll see it put into practice this fall … and that the losing coach will be sure to let us know about it. -- JH 99. JARED HASSIN, running back, Army. For the last nine years, Army has fallen short of toppling their Navy counterparts. Could 2011 be the year that the Black Knights finally get over the hump? If they do, it will likely be thanks to the efforts of Hassin. He broke out in a big way his sophomore season, racking up 1,013 yards and 9 touchdowns, helping lead Army to their first postseason appearance since 1996 and first bowl win since 1985.Hassin was originally enrolled in the Air Force Academy before transferring back to Army (his original commitment) and sitting out 2009. It was an odd recruitment, especially for the son of an Army graduate. But regardless of the process, the lifelong Army football fan is now playing for the team he grew up loving. He is undisputedly one of the most important players on the Black Knights, and fans hope the 6-3, 235-pound back can flash the historic rivalry back to the late 80's and early 90's, when Army took 9 of 11 from the Midshipmen. -- CP98. GUNNER KIEL, quarterback, Columbus (Ind.) East High School. The nation's top quarterback in the class of 2012 and number two overall prospect according to MaxPreps analyst Tom Lemming, Kiel holds a scholarship offer from just about every program in the country. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound signal-caller is ideal for just about any kind of system and has a good arm, throws the ball accurately and is a natural born leader on the field. Kiel comes from a long line of quarterbacks - his uncle Blair played at Notre Dame and in the NFL and both of his brothers play the position in college - and the next in line might be the most talented out of all of them. His recruitment, as one would expect from a top prospect, is not being played out in the public as he is trying to keep things close to the vest. Oklahoma, Indiana, Missouri and Alabama are a few of the schools making a strong push for his services but it will be well into the season (or after it) before he ends up making a decision; expect to hear plenty about it as 2011 progresses. -- BF 97. RYAN TANNEHILL, quarterback, Texas A&M. The Aggies had two different seasons in 2010: one B.T. (Before Tannehill) and one A.T. (After Tannehill). With Jerrod Johnson at quarterback, the Aggies were 3-3 on the season, and 0-3 in Big 12 play. Then Tannehill took over the reins against Kansas on Oct. 23 and Texas A&M didn't look back. The Aggies reeled off six straight wins, including games over Oklahoma, Nebraska and (the coup de gras) Texas. They wouldn't know defeat under Tannehill until the Cotton Bowl, where LSU won 41-24.Still, Tannehill was a revelation. Not only was he able to run a rather potent Aggies offense, but he did so without the crippling turnovers that became a trademark of Texas A&M under Johnson. This season will be different for Tannehill, however. No longer is he the former tight end-turned-savior, but the quarterback who is supposed to make sure Texas A&M takes the next step--its first league title since 1998, and just their second Big 12 title ever. -- TF 96. GREG MATTISON, defensive coordinator, Michigan. One could certainly make the argument that it was the continuing ineptitude of former defensive coordinator Greg Robinson that cost former head coach Rich Rodriguez his job in Ann Arbor. After all, Robinson's latter year spearheading the Wolverine defense was, by far, the worst in points allowed in Michigan history; the former was the third-worst (and just for good measure, the second-worst season came in Rich-Rod's first season, with one-and-done Scott Shafer as DC). Yes, Michigan has an unusually stingy history of defense, but that's just the thing: Michigan fans have every reason to expect that stingy defense. That's just how it's done at Michigan. It'll be up to Mattison, then, to keep Brady Hoke's seat cool, and he's got the pedigree to do it. Mattison is entering his 35th year of assistant coaching defense and his 16th as a defensive coordinator, and he's been a part of some very successful defenses (Florida's '06 BCS Championship team, for one). Fans shouldn't expect miracles and shutouts on Day 1 or even in Year 1, but they're going to need to see some sense this year that Michigan's old way of football is coming back. Getting the points per game allowed back under 27.5 for the first time since 2007 would be a good start. -- AJ 95. TYLER BRAY, quarterback, Tennessee. Give the sophomore gunslinger from California this: he doesn't lack for confidence. From the moment he stepped into Tennessee's starting lineup as a true freshman in midseason 2010, Bray carried himself with a swagger that paid big dividends in the Volunteers' season-ending, bowl-salvaging four-game winning streak--a streak in which Bray threw for 12 touchdowns and better than 1,200 yards. Behind four more Bray scoring strikes, the Vols nearly upset UNC in their bowl game (see above), raising expectations for even bigger things in 2011. But Bray might have taken a little too much self-belief into spring, where he finished an up-and-down camp with a miserable 5-for-30 performance in the Orange-White Game. If he can harness his confidence and continue building on last year's impressive debut, the Vols could be major spoilers in a logjammed SEC East. If not, one of the nation's proudest programs could slip below .500 for the third time in four years. -- JH94. JON EMBREE, head coach, Colorado. After a disastrous experience with an outsider as head coach in Dan Hawkins, Colorado turned to someone with a strong connection to the program in Embree, a former tight end and assistant coach for the Buffs. He's never been a head coach before but his fiery attitude and pledge to bring back several school traditions have already gotten players and alumni fired up for the upcoming season. Embree has his work cut out for him though, with Colorado coming off a 5-7 season and transitioning to a new league, the Pac-12. He installed a pro-style offense during the spring and has his staff hitting the recruiting trail hard over the past few months to get word out about the program. The schedule is tough, hosting Oregon and going to both Ohio State and Stanford, but Embree has a senior quarterback in Tyler Hansen and a few solid pieces to build around. Expectations are rising in Boulder and while it might be too much to ask of Embree to turn everything around in his first year, he sure will make things more interesting up in the mountains. -- BF93. SAVON HUGGINS, running back, Rutgers. Huggins enters his true freshman season with the Scarlet Knights with high expectations from the Rutgers fan base. At their spring game in April, Huggins drew about as much fanfare in his street clothes as the boys in pads. Huggins was one of the few big signing day steals for head coach Greg Schiano, and the Maxpreps No. 1-ranked running back should be an immediate upgrade for the Big East's worst rushing offense in 2010. Fans are not the only ones anxiously awaiting Huggins' arrival. The coaching staff failed to identify any kind of order for the position in the post-spring depth chart. When Huggins suits up for fall camp, he will have as much of a chance to play as the three current backs on the chart. Hailing from nearby Jersey City, NJ, Huggins is the new face of Rutgers football. If he doesn't pan out into the star Schiano is hoping for, the 2006 Coach of the Year might find himself suddenly on a warmer seat in Piscataway. -- CP92. QUALCOMM STADIUM, home field, San Diego State. Thanks to years of incompetence from its regular Aztec tenants, the former Jack Murphy Stadium's most prominent ties to college football have been the Holiday Bowl and (more recently) the Poinsettia Bowl. And those aren't insiginificant, particularly considering some of the classics that have been played in the Holiday.But that should change this year. SDSU is poised for potentially their biggest season in school history, with senior quarterback Ryan Lindley and sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman forming the most dynamic QB-RB combo in the Mountain West. To win the conference the Aztecs will have to go through both TCU and Boise State, but wouldn't you know it--both MWC frontunners must visit Qualcomm this year, the Frogs Oct. 8 and Broncos Nov. 19. With two chances for the Aztecs, don't be surprised if "the Q" plays host to this year's version of Nevada-Boise, the upset that turns the non-AQ BCS chase on its head. -- JH91. PAUL RHOADS, head coach, Iowa State. When Paul Rhoads took over as head coach at Iowa State in 2009, replacing Gene Chizik -- whatever happened to that guy? -- he was walking into a tough situation. The Cyclones had only won five games in the previous two seasons, but the man who grew up 20 miles outside Ames led the team to seven wins in 2009, including a win over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. Iowa State took a step back in 2010, but did get a huge win over Texas and narrowly lost to Nebraska in overtime. In 2011, however, the time for moral victories has passed. While the Cyclones have won 12 games under Rhoads in his first two seasons, only six have come against conference opponents, four of them coming against former Big 12 North teams. Now the Cyclones will no longer have seasons in which they don't have to play Texas and Oklahoma, so winning in the conference won't be easy. Of course, it's not like anybody is expecting Iowa State to compete for the conference title every season, but if Iowa State wants to be better than a program that makes the occasional bowl appearance, Rhoads is going to have to do more than pull off the occasional shocker. -- TFCheck back tomorrow at Eye on College Football for Nos. 90-81 on the countdown, and follow us on Twitter.
To celebrate the 100 days remaining until the first Saturday of the new college football season, this is the CBSSports.com College Football 100: our countdown of the 2011 season's 100 most influential players, coaches, administrators, venues, or any other related
That’s not necessarily likely, of course. Until namesake Derek Dooley’s Tennessee team lost last year’s Music City Bowl when North Carolina stopped the clock with its own penalty, the situation hadn’t yet seemed to occur in a high-profile college football game. (There’s a reason it took until 2011 for the rule to be put into place.) But now that it’s there, we think the odds are good that we’ll see it put into practice this fall … and that the losing coach will be sure to let us know about it. -- JH
99. JARED HASSIN, running back, Army. For the last nine years, Army has fallen short of toppling their Navy counterparts. Could 2011 be the year that the Black Knights finally get over the hump? If they do, it will likely be thanks to the efforts of Hassin. He broke out in a big way his sophomore season, racking up 1,013 yards and 9 touchdowns, helping lead Army to their first postseason appearance since 1996 and first bowl win since 1985.
Hassin was originally enrolled in the Air Force Academy before transferring back to Army (his original commitment) and sitting out 2009. It was an odd recruitment, especially for the son of an Army graduate. But regardless of the process, the lifelong Army football fan is now playing for the team he grew up loving. He is undisputedly one of the most important players on the Black Knights, and fans hope the 6-3, 235-pound back can flash the historic rivalry back to the late 80's and early 90's, when Army took 9 of 11 from the Midshipmen. -- CP
98. GUNNER KIEL, quarterback, Columbus (Ind.) East High School. The nation's top quarterback in the class of 2012 and number two overall prospect according to MaxPreps analyst Tom Lemming, Kiel holds a scholarship offer from just about every program in the country. The 6-foot-4, 210 pound signal-caller is ideal for just about any kind of system and has a good arm, throws the ball accurately and is a natural born leader on the field.
Kiel comes from a long line of quarterbacks - his uncle Blair played at Notre Dame and in the NFL and both of his brothers play the position in college - and the next in line might be the most talented out of all of them. His recruitment, as one would expect from a top prospect, is not being played out in the public as he is trying to keep things close to the vest. Oklahoma, Indiana, Missouri and Alabama are a few of the schools making a strong push for his services but it will be well into the season (or after it) before he ends up making a decision; expect to hear plenty about it as 2011 progresses. -- BF
97. RYAN TANNEHILL, quarterback, Texas A&M. The Aggies had two different seasons in 2010: one B.T. (Before Tannehill) and one A.T. (After Tannehill). With Jerrod Johnson at quarterback, the Aggies were 3-3 on the season, and 0-3 in Big 12 play. Then Tannehill took over the reins against Kansas on Oct. 23 and Texas A&M didn't look back. The Aggies reeled off six straight wins, including games over Oklahoma, Nebraska and (the coup de gras) Texas. They wouldn't know defeat under Tannehill until the Cotton Bowl, where LSU won 41-24.
Still, Tannehill was a revelation. Not only was he able to run a rather potent Aggies offense, but he did so without the crippling turnovers that became a trademark of Texas A&M under Johnson. This season will be different for Tannehill, however. No longer is he the former tight end-turned-savior, but the quarterback who is supposed to make sure Texas A&M takes the next step--its first league title since 1998, and just their second Big 12 title ever. -- TF
96. GREG MATTISON, defensive coordinator, Michigan. One could certainly make the argument that it was the continuing ineptitude of former defensive coordinator Greg Robinson that cost former head coach Rich Rodriguez his job in Ann Arbor. After all, Robinson's latter year spearheading the Wolverine defense was, by far, the worst in points allowed in Michigan history; the former was the third-worst (and just for good measure, the second-worst season came in Rich-Rod's first season, with one-and-done Scott Shafer as DC). Yes, Michigan has an unusually stingy history of defense, but that's just the thing: Michigan fans have every reason to expect that stingy defense. That's just how it's done at Michigan.
It'll be up to Mattison, then, to keep Brady Hoke's seat cool, and he's got the pedigree to do it. Mattison is entering his 35th year of assistant coaching defense and his 16th as a defensive coordinator, and he's been a part of some very successful defenses (Florida's '06 BCS Championship team, for one). Fans shouldn't expect miracles and shutouts on Day 1 or even in Year 1, but they're going to need to see some sense this year that Michigan's old way of football is coming back. Getting the points per game allowed back under 27.5 for the first time since 2007 would be a good start. -- AJ
95. TYLER BRAY, quarterback, Tennessee. Give the sophomore gunslinger from California this: he doesn't lack for confidence. From the moment he stepped into Tennessee's starting lineup as a true freshman in midseason 2010, Bray carried himself with a swagger that paid big dividends in the Volunteers' season-ending, bowl-salvaging four-game winning streak--a streak in which Bray threw for 12 touchdowns and better than 1,200 yards. Behind four more Bray scoring strikes, the Vols nearly upset UNC in their bowl game (see above), raising expectations for even bigger things in 2011.
But Bray might have taken a little too much self-belief into spring, where he finished an up-and-down camp with a miserable 5-for-30 performance in the Orange-White Game. If he can harness his confidence and continue building on last year's impressive debut, the Vols could be major spoilers in a logjammed SEC East. If not, one of the nation's proudest programs could slip below .500 for the third time in four years. -- JH
94. JON EMBREE, head coach, Colorado. After a disastrous experience with an outsider as head coach in Dan Hawkins, Colorado turned to someone with a strong connection to the program in Embree, a former tight end and assistant coach for the Buffs. He's never been a head coach before but his fiery attitude and pledge to bring back several school traditions have already gotten players and alumni fired up for the upcoming season.
Embree has his work cut out for him though, with Colorado coming off a 5-7 season and transitioning to a new league, the Pac-12. He installed a pro-style offense during the spring and has his staff hitting the recruiting trail hard over the past few months to get word out about the program. The schedule is tough, hosting Oregon and going to both Ohio State and Stanford, but Embree has a senior quarterback in Tyler Hansen and a few solid pieces to build around. Expectations are rising in Boulder and while it might be too much to ask of Embree to turn everything around in his first year, he sure will make things more interesting up in the mountains. -- BF
93. SAVON HUGGINS, running back, Rutgers. Huggins enters his true freshman season with the Scarlet Knights with high expectations from the Rutgers fan base. At their spring game in April, Huggins drew about as much fanfare in his street clothes as the boys in pads. Huggins was one of the few big signing day steals for head coach Greg Schiano, and the Maxpreps No. 1-ranked running back should be an immediate upgrade for the Big East's worst rushing offense in 2010.
Fans are not the only ones anxiously awaiting Huggins' arrival. The coaching staff failed to identify any kind of order for the position in the post-spring depth chart. When Huggins suits up for fall camp, he will have as much of a chance to play as the three current backs on the chart. Hailing from nearby Jersey City, NJ, Huggins is the new face of Rutgers football. If he doesn't pan out into the star Schiano is hoping for, the 2006 Coach of the Year might find himself suddenly on a warmer seat in Piscataway. -- CP
92. QUALCOMM STADIUM, home field, San Diego State. Thanks to years of incompetence from its regular Aztec tenants, the former Jack Murphy Stadium's most prominent ties to college football have been the Holiday Bowl and (more recently) the Poinsettia Bowl. And those aren't insiginificant, particularly considering some of the classics that have been played in the Holiday.
But that should change this year. SDSU is poised for potentially their biggest season in school history, with senior quarterback Ryan Lindley and sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman forming the most dynamic QB-RB combo in the Mountain West. To win the conference the Aztecs will have to go through both TCU and Boise State, but wouldn't you know it--both MWC frontunners must visit Qualcomm this year, the Frogs Oct. 8 and Broncos Nov. 19. With two chances for the Aztecs, don't be surprised if "the Q" plays host to this year's version of Nevada-Boise, the upset that turns the non-AQ BCS chase on its head. -- JH
91. PAUL RHOADS, head coach, Iowa State. When Paul Rhoads took over as head coach at Iowa State in 2009, replacing Gene Chizik -- whatever happened to that guy? -- he was walking into a tough situation. The Cyclones had only won five games in the previous two seasons, but the man who grew up 20 miles outside Ames led the team to seven wins in 2009, including a win over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. Iowa State took a step back in 2010, but did get a huge win over Texas and narrowly lost to Nebraska in overtime.
In 2011, however, the time for moral victories has passed. While the Cyclones have won 12 games under Rhoads in his first two seasons, only six have come against conference opponents, four of them coming against former Big 12 North teams. Now the Cyclones will no longer have seasons in which they don't have to play Texas and Oklahoma, so winning in the conference won't be easy. Of course, it's not like anybody is expecting Iowa State to compete for the conference title every season, but if Iowa State wants to be better than a program that makes the occasional bowl appearance, Rhoads is going to have to do more than pull off the occasional shocker. -- TF
Check back tomorrow at Eye on College Football for Nos. 90-81 on the countdown, and follow us on Twitter.
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Georgia Hester
