There's one other reason why I have to disregard this list.
Someplace, somewhere in the Top 50 has to be Barry Switzer. He has to be.
(Even as a Husker fan, I'd pay top dollar for a replica of that shirt)
Consider his college resume:
Switzer coached at the University of Oklahoma 16 years from 1973 until 1988.
He compiled a 157-29-4 record with a winning percentage of 83.4% - 4th best ever.
He won or shared a Big 8 Championship every year from 1973 to 1980 and ended his career at OU with a total of 12.
He coached Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims.
He won 3 National Championships (1974, 1975, 1988.)
He won 13 post-season season games.
He coached 54 All-Americans.
He was the 1974 Walter Camp Coach of the Year.
And since we're all hung up on the list:
His record vs. #13 Joe Paterno was 1-0.
His record vs. #24 Bobby Bowden was 2-0.
His record vs. #27 Woody Hayes was 1-0.
His record vs. #34 Tom Osborne was 12-5.
His record vs. Darrell Royal was 3-0-1.
That was college.
This is the NFL:
In 4 seasons, Switzer was 45-26 with the Dallas Cowboys.
He took the Cowboys to the NFC Championship in 1994 - his first season.
He won Super Bowl XXX in 1995 vs the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Switzer is only one of three coaches to win both a college and an NFL championship - Jimmy Johnson and Paul Brown are the others.
Ara Parseghian, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Bo Schembechler, Tom Osborne, Bud Wilkinson, Woody Hayes, Bobby Bowden, Eddie Robinson, Joe Paterno, Knute Rockne, and Bear Bryant are the college football coaches that made the list. Insulting.
If you want to make a legitimate list, then throw your opinion of a man's character out the door and make a legitimate list. If you want to make a popularity list, then make a popularity list and send it to TMZ.
Need a great place to take your smokeshow date on Friday night? How about something to do instead of brunch the next morning? I've got answers for you then.
The blockbuster premiere of "Walk-Ons: Huskers' Edge" will be Friday, July 30th at Marcus Village Point Cinema in Omaha (304 N. 174th St.). The documentary can also be seen August 4th @ 7 pm, August 6th @ 8 pm, and August 9th @ 6:30 pm on NET in Nebraska.
As Joel Geyer, NET senior producer said, "Now that Tom Osborne and Bo Pelini are back, both are passionate about walk-ons, and they're recruiting kids from your TV viewing area. The last 16 points of the Gator Bowl were all scored by walk-ons, one of those was of course Todd Pederson of Grand Island."
And if that doesn't keep you late into the night on Friday, then make sure to check out the replay of the 2009 Gator Bowl vs. Clemson. KMTV Channel 3 in Omaha will be showing the game @ 11 a.m.
I kind of feel like I've been there, done that with the USC Song Girls before. Therefore, I need to get these pool party pics out of the way before we get into the heart of the 'Smokeshow of the Week' posts here. That's a 2-for-1 this week. Don't complain.
You might be curious as to who the dudes are in the photos below. Swimming team? Male cheerleaders? Current USC football players? Yeah, right. They're USC football recruits in town for a visit. Go ahead, try and recruit against that because I don't think you can.
(click on the pics to enlarge and set as wallpaper)
This time they are diving into college football coaches' salaries. And after some in-depth research, what Iliana Limon found is obscene.
For example, Alabama will pay Nick Saban and his Alabama assistants $6.5 million this season. She states that if they reach the SEC title game and go to a bowl, then the school will be paying the staff a minimum of $464,285 per game.
Limon claims that $6.5 million dollars is 'more money than 32 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) programs spent on their entire teams in 2007-08.' Here is the list of what all of the non-BCS schools spend with those 32 schools denoted by an asterisks - LINK -.
Read the entire post from Iliana Limon by clicking here - LINK -.
If you feel like getting 'abso-tooting-lutely nuts,' then head on over to the ESPN College Football homepage and vote for the poll, 'Which team will win the Big 12 North?' 48% of the 'Nation likes Nebraska (inlcluding 90% in-state) while 53% of Missourians and 51% of Kansans (Jayhawks) like their state team.
***Check out Sporting News' '50 Greatest Coaches (all sports college/professional) of All Time where Tom Osborne comes in at #34***
There's absolutely no question that Nebraska's biggest issue with the skeptics heading into the fall is that of the quarterback position and the ability of Zac Lee. And even though few did get a chance to see Nebraska's spring game where Lee showcased his talents by going 15/18 for 214 yards with 3 TD's, they are still quickly to summarize the Huskers' quarterback situation by simply saying, 'Joe Ganz graduated and Patrick Witt transferred.'
#5 Zac Lee
It won't be until September 5th that the rest of the Big 12 and college football will get their first glance of Nebraska's probable quarterback for the next two seasons. Nobody knows Zac Lee yet.
In one year at San Francisco Community College, the 6'2, 215 lb. Lee impressed by leading the Rams to an average of 40 points/game while tallying up 3,400 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and completing 64 percent of his passes. Other accolades that shouldn't be underestimated were his team's 10-2 record and an appearance in the California junior college title game, not to mention that he was considered the nation's top junior college quarterback by Rivals.com, Scout.com, and SuperPrep Magazine.
That experience alone is an enormous difference to consider when you compare Lee with every other newbie that will be at the helm for the first time in their careers this season. Enormous difference.
(the quotes below are taken from Brian Christopherson's article in the LJS on Tuesday)
Said Bo Pelini:
“He’s a very confident young man, borderline cocky, but not cocky. Very grounded. I’ve been around a lot of athletes and I like his makeup. I’m looking forward to having him as our quarterback.”
“He can make all the throws. He can get it out there down the field. He can throw those deep comebacks when need be. … There are some kids you don’t want that ball going to the outside of the field. Zac isn’t one of those guys.”
“We have to temper him sometimes. Sometimes he thinks he can put the ball in a pinhole. He has that makeup about him where he thinks he can do anything. Fortunately he’s taken well with Coach Watson and how he coaches him.”
“A natural leader."
Said Roy Helu:
“He knows he hasn’t arrived by any means and we know we haven’t arrived as an offense. Leadershipwise, he has it. He was born with it. He’s funny. He’s a guy in the huddle who will come in – we’re in the middle of competition with the defense – and he’ll tell a joke. He’s kind of like a replica of Joe (Ganz), except his arm’s a little different and he’s just as fast if not faster.”
According to Christopherson, Shawn Watson told a group of Husker supporters recently that 'Lee throws as good a ball as anyone he’s coached in 28 years.'
The bottom line is that this offense is going to be much more dynamic this season with the loss of Ganz. Joe was a fine college quarterback, but as Roy Helu said, Lee's arm is a 'little different' and 'he's just as fast if not faster.'
And with some of the young speedsters at WR that haven't seen much time before - such as Curenski Gilleylen, Marcus Mendoza, Antonio Bell, and Khiry Cooper - to go along with Niles Paul, Menelik Holt, Chris Brooks, Will Henry, and of course TE Mike McNeill (recently named to the Mackey Award watch list,) the Huskers have the pieces to not only be dynamic, but very explosive.
**First off, make sure to go over to the new Illinois blog, "Hail to the Orange," and check out a great post titled - 'Please don't ever retire, Joe Paterno' - it's well worth your time.**
This is something interesting I just stumbled across. Here are the I-A Winning Percentages from 2001-2008 (8 seasons). Boise State, USC, and Texas all tied for 1st @ 85.4%, Oklahoma was 2nd @ 82.4%, Texas Tech was 17th @ 68.3%, and then Nebraska came in at 30th - 4th in the Big 12.
Here's the North:
30th Nebraska 62.7% 36th Missouri 59.0% 49th Kansas State 54.5% 62nd Colorado 50.9% 70th Kansas 49.4% 88th Iowa State 39.7%
I was dying to know more about Texas Tech. You know that since 2001, Mike Leach hasn't had a losing conference record in the Big 12? Also, Leach has only 5 non-conference losses over those 8 years, which includes bowl games. Fascinating.
As if Gene Chizek wasn't already on shaky ground with Auburn Tigers' fans, then along comes ISU Qb Austen Arnaud and DL Nate Frere at Big 12 Media Days.
(Paul Rhoads)
It sounds as if the Iowa State football team had a chance for a few last words with former coach Gene Chizek that it would have been something along the lines of 'don't let the door hit you in the ass.'
Said Arnaud:
"You hear about guys walking around like they were on egg shells (last year), but right now, coach Rhoads will be in the locker room, hanging out, sitting on the couch, just chillin'. That's the cool thing about him. He's down for us, and we're down for him."
Said Frere:
"I've played for three different coaches since I've been at Iowa State. Coach Rhoads is a people person, just like coach McCarney was. You can tell he cares - he puts the effort forward to get to know you and your family."
"We kind of got burned on the last deal," Frere said of Chizik's surprising December departure. "When (Chizik) says that he's staying for sure, and then you find out through the media that he took a trip to see another school about another job, and then having to hear about it through the media that he accepted it ... and then he calls a team meeting after the fact ...
"There was a lot of emotion in that room. There was a lot of anger."
And when asked how Rhoads compares to Chizik, Frere said:
"No comment. Between workouts, coach Rhoads will come into the locker room and hang out with us, watch TV and sometimes talk about things other than football. This is the first time I can remember a coach doing that since coach McCarney left."
And if there's one thing that I like about Paul Rhoads' attitude about taking on a team with 10 consecutive conference losses (17 on the road), it's that he knows exactly what he's gotten himself into:
"We've attacked those numbers from Day One. We don't brush them under the carpet. We talk about them openly."
"It's a new era of Iowa State football. I think the challenges are you inherit a program that has no tradition, so to speak, in collegiate football and in the Big 12 since its inception back in '96, I believe. We have one Big 12 North shared title, something that we're very proud of, and need to build upon. But the lack of recent success is the first hurdle that you must overcome."
If there's a bright side for Iowa State and Paul Rhoads this season, then I guess you could point out the 15 returning starters, which includes Arnaud.
If I was an Iowa State fan, there are four games I'd have circled on my schedule: Kansas State in K.C., vs. Colorado, vs. Baylor, and @ Texas A&M. If there's a conference win for this team in 2009, then it's coming from there.
I realize some of you have been wondering about our lack of college coeds lately. Well, it's time to put the football down as I pegged today as the day it all returns. You might find this hard to believe, but I've been stockpiling college girls (pictures that is) ever since the conclusion of the first annual Poon-per Bowl.
Our weekly/biweekly "College Smokeshow of the Week" feature will begin today and will show coeds from coast to coast, school to school. "Take the Double Extra Points" will still be exactly the same as in year's past which means you are getting a double dose of college girls every week throughout the fall.
After sifting through photos of the candidates and after hours of deliberation, I had to make a very important executive decision about who gets the coveted honor of gracing the inaugural post. I have decided to buck the trend of cheerleaders/models and choose Margo (HT BC), who is a Florida State soccer player (remember Amanda anyone?) and whose hotness is only increased by her collegiate athletic ability.
Sure, there will be hotter girls to come, but I just had to go with an athlete this first time. Besides, have I ever you let you down before?
She's on the left in the photo below. You're on your own for the rest.
For reasons not yet known, I decided to go check in on Mad Mike's mad blog at the Kansas City Star after last week's debacle -LINK . And now that I read his latest blog installment titled "Media Ignorance?," I'm officially making it my last visit. Unfortunately, I read it and now so must you.
In his latest attempt to debunk why Nebraska was voted first in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, the Missouri Tigers' media ace in the hole comes up with this:
"The media that picked Nebraska to win the Big 12 North over Kansas and Missouri in the league’s voting, aren’t abso-tooting-lutely nuts. They’re just blissfully unaware. My new theory, and I’m sticking to it, is that too many media members who primarily cover the South division relied on the tradition of what Nebraska used to be, not on what they are, one of merely three Big 12 North contenders that are all flawed in one way or another this season.
"Can’t pick Kansas; everyone knows that is a basketball school. Can’t pick Missouri; couldn’t win with Coffman, Maclin and Daniel so sure as heck can’t win without them. So who is left? Nebraska! The Cornhuskers used to be really good."
"By the way, Nebraska center Jacob Hickman is a hoot. Asked about having to play at Kansas and at Missouri this season, Hickman acknowledged Missouri fans can get a bit “rowdy.” “Obviously, they are rambunctious fans,” Hickman said. “I got spit on a couple of times the last time I went out there. But that’s beside the point. “If anything, that encourages you. . . if you do that it can help you, propel you, in the game.”"
To summarize, Nebraska isn't a basketball school nor did we lose Chase x 2 and Maclin, and therefore, the 17 out of 32 media representatives who voted Nebraska first on their ballots did so because of what Nebraska used to be. Either I'm abso-tooting-lutely nuts or he just really said that.
Not only does this clown attempt to insult the intelligence of every other Big 12 media representative out there but also insults the intelligence of every college football fan out there.
Nonetheless, Missouri still loves ya Mike. You're a hoot.
The Orlando Sentinel (slowly becoming my favorite online newspaper with new additions like Phil Steele) has just released a chart that ranks all Football Bowl Subdivision schools by the total revenue they took in during the 2007-08 reporting year.
'These revenues include generated revenue (such as proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships) and allocated revenue (such as tuition waivers, money from student fees and direct institutional support.)'
As the blog post pointed out, you'll find that there are good reasons why you see stadium expansions every year and you'll find that it's clearly, clearly in your best interest to be part of the BCS. I believe that TCU was the highest non-BCS school in the chart - at 57th with over $43,000,000 in revenue.
If there's three players Kansas can ill afford to lose for their run at a Big 12 North Championship, it's QB Todd Reesing, S Darrell Stuckey (1st Team All-Big 12), and WR Dezmon Briscoe (2nd Team All-Big 12.)
Mangino suspended Briscoe (Jr.) last spring citing undisclosed reasons, although sources close to the program say it was academics, before reinstating him back to the team on April 22nd. Even with Mangino's spring suspension that was supposed to serve as a wake-up call, it apppears that summer classes are not Dezmon's cup of tea either.
"He's on the team and he's day to day," Mangino said this week. "He's got work to do and he's got to take care of it. It's up to him."
Briscoe was just selected as preseason All-Big 12. In 2008, he had 1,407 yards and 15 TD's and was the MVP of the Insight Bowl. The breakout game came vs. Oklahoma where he had 267 receiving yards - the most in Division 1 last season.
RB Jocques Crawford has already left the team after he was suspended for spring ball.
If there's one guarantee about Big 12 Media Days, it's that it won't be a circus full of sideshows like the SEC Media Days. I'm not sure that's a good thing for the Big 12 but it's still worth following.
In the video below, you're not going to find any bullshit coming from Pelini as opposed to our previous coach who loved the cameras. Looking as if he'd rather be vacuuming the carpet in his office, the first answer he gives a reporter after complaining about what chair he'd rather sit in, "well, I don't get real excited so there's not a whole lot of excitementcarrying over....we didn't accomplish what we wanted to accomplish last year."
The two things he hit on that I wanted to hear were turnovers and mistakes. Over the past two seasons, Nebraska has lost 28 fumbles to their opponent's 8. Last season's penalties: Nebraska 94 for 800 yards - Opponents 64 for 477 yards. Fix those two things and we'll see different outcomes in the win/loss column and in the score without question.
Zac Lee will enter fall camp at #1 after emerging as the "clear-cut" #1 from the spring.
KodySpano is 100%.
About Cody Green, "we'll see how fast he can develop."
"I believe that the quarterback position is in very good hands."
"(We) came out of spring ball ahead of where we were a year ago, and we followed that up with a really good summer," Pelini said. "Everybody's excited about a chance to keep the program moving forward.
"We won't be satisfied until we when them all ... How close are we to that? I don't know. ... I think we have a chance to be a better football team."
Just a quick reminder that the Big 12 Media Days begins today in Dallas with Nebraska on deck.
The website 'Coaches Hot Seat' does a great job at keeping up with which coaches have the hottest of the hot seats across the country. And to coincide with Big 12 Media Days, I found it interesting that their latest update today has Mike Sherman holding the #1 seat with Dan Hawkins holding the #5 seat.
Also, we'll be doing our Big 12 North breakdown/predictions later in the week. Feel free to stop by and tell us how incredibly wrong we are.
Anyways, here's the lineup for the Big 12 schools complete with the players that will be in attendance:
Monday, July 27
Nebraska: Head Coach Bo Pelini, RB Roy Helu Jr., C Jacob Hickman, DT Ndamukong Suh
Oklahoma State: Head Coach Mike Gundy, Assistant Head Coach Jason Jones, QB Zac Robinson, LB Andre Sexton, WR Dez Bryant
Iowa State: Head Coach Paul Rhoads, QB Austen Arnaud, OL Reggie Stephens, DL Nate Frere
Texas A&M: Head Coach Mike Sherman, players TBA
Tuesday, July 28
Missouri: Head Coach Gary Pinkel, LB Sean Weatherspoon, NT Jaron Baston, OG Kurtis Gregory
Baylor: Head Coach Art Briles, Defensive Coordinator Brian Norwood, QB Robert Griffin III, FS Jordan Lake, LB Joe Pawelek, C J.D. Walton
Kansas: Head Coach Mark Mangino, QB Todd Reesing, WR Kerry Meier, DE Max Onyegbule
Oklahoma: Head Coach Bob Stoops, QB Sam Bradford, DT Gerald McCoy, TE Jermaine Gresham
Wednesday, July 29
Kansas State: Head Coach Bill Snyder, players TBA
Texas Tech: Head Coach Mike Leach, OL Brandon Carter, CB Jamar Wall, DL Colby Whitlock
Colorado: Head Coach Dan Hawkins, Associate Head Coach Brian Cabral, TE Riar Greer, LB Marcus Burton, LB Jeff Smart
Phil Steele recently posted his 'new and improved' Experience Chart for the 2009 season, which he claims to be 'FIVE TIMES better,' to an online column in the Orlando Sentinel.
In the past, Phil only used a system where he broke down the number of Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen each team had in the two deep and rated the teams experience level based on that.
This year Phil took that same system and added a few new factors including % of letterman returning, % of returning offensive yards, % of returning total tackles, and returners from the offensive line.
And then by the miracle of the calculator, he devised a formula where he plugs all of these factors into an equation that churns out a number from 0 -100, with 100 being a team with 25 seniors (NCAA scholarship limit) in the two deep and every yard and tackle returning but 120+ career starts.
For more info and for the complete list, read the article by clicking on the link above or buy the magazine (I swear I don't get paid to plug him.) If you're a Nebraska, Missouri, or Texas Tech fan, you might want to look away. Below is what he found.
Rugby-Style Kicker (Rule 9-1-4-a-5):Under the new rules, if a potential kicker carries the ball outside the tackle box (defined as extending five yards on each side of the snapper) before kicking the ball, there will be no foul for running-into or roughing if he is blocked or tackled by an opponent.
Jerseys: (Rule 1-4-3-a) - a.k.a. The USC/UCLA Rule: The new rule creates a process whereby both teams may wear colored jerseys if the visitors have received written permission from the home team, and if the home team’s conference agrees that the jerseys are of contrasting colors.
Offensive Scrimmage Formation (Rules 1-1-1-b-2 and 7-1-3-b): "The requirement for having at least seven offensive players on the line of scrimmage has been re-stated to allow no more than four players in the backfield. It does eliminate the foul for a team having ten players when there are only six on the line of scrimmage.
Flagrant Personal Fouls (Rule 9-6): This new rule says that if a player is ejected for any flagrant personal foul the conference must review the game video for possible further action. In addition, if the officials call fouls for targeting defenseless players or using the crown of the helmet and the player is not ejected, the rules mandate a conference review. Furthermore, if the review by the conference reveals actions that should have resulted in a personal foul but were not called, the conference may impose sanctions.
Chin Strap Included in Face-Mask Fouls (Rule 9-1-2-q): The helmet chin strap is included in the face-mask foul. It is a personal foul if a player twists, turns or pulls the face mask, any helmet opening, or now the chin strap of an opponent.
Leave it to "The Wiz" to dig up this awesome 3D map tour of the Big 12 stadiums. Grab some glow sticks and clear some space to dance because the great music and great visuals here make this video a must have for your next dance party with the Big 12 cheerleaders.
Nobody gets inside Nebraska football better than HuskerIllustrated's Sean Callahan, who caught up with Shawn Watson Wednesday night for a little one-on-one.
Said Watson:
"We got KodySpano back. Our strength staff and Mark Mayer, our trainer, did a super job. [Mayer] told me when Kody had his surgery the Friday before the spring game [April 17], an ACL is not easy. Usually you are looking at somewhere in the first three or four weeks of the season before they can even start practicing. [Mayer] said you'll have him back in July and we did. He has been full bore for the last two weeks. He'll really be able to help us out."
"I'll tell you who is a really cool customer in the pocket is KodySpano," he said. "He really pushes the pocket and keeps his vision down field and feels the rush, and he spits the ball out where it's supposed to go."
Fall camp is going to get really interesting at the quarterback position behind Zac Lee. As Callahan mentioned, the biggest question other than who gets that #2 spot will be who gets the redshirt - Cody Green or Latravis Washington.
With the way things have gone with playing time the previous five seasons, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see both Green and Washington redshirt if Spano wins the job. However, Washington looked pretty impressive in the spring game (13/21, 190 yards, 2 TDs), and if Green hit the playbook and gained camaraderie with team, then he certainly has the talent to overtake both players by September 5th.
Watson also told Callahan this gem about J.C. transfer WR Brandon Kinnie:
"I can tell you right now that Brandon Kinnie is really going to add to that mix," Watson said. "He's like a Mo Purify, but he's faster. I know he's had a really good summer. There's been a lot of buzz unsolicited around the building from the kids and they tell me Brandon Kinnie has made a huge impact on his teammates."
If you aren't real familiar with Brandon Kinnie, who is 6'3, 215 lbs, and has three seasons of eligibility, here are his recruiting profiles - Rivals & Scout.
If Shawn Watson says he's like Maurice Purify but faster, then I say I'm already in the fan club.
In the Kansas City Star's newest feature to keep the newspaper afloat another year, Missouri's finest beat reporter, Mike DeArmond, blogs for the very first time. It's adorable.
Mike looks like he took out five minutes -maybe a few more with bathroom breaks - of his day to share with the world as to why Nebraska won't win the Big 12 North this season. Once again, Mike does his damnedest to prove to the world why Missouri will always be the class laughingstock of the Big 12 (North.)
"Those people picking Nebraska to win the Big 12 North are abso-tooting-lutely nuts. This would include the venerable Phil Steele of Phil Steele’s (Venerable) College Football Preview fame."
"The only reason I can see anyone picking Nebraska to win the North over either Kansas or Missouri this fall is they think Tom Osborne is recruiting and coaching the Cornhuskers instead of recruiting and being the athletic director and boss to Bo Pelini."
"I can see a logical person - like myself - picking Kansas as the favorite. Todd Reesing is the most proven quarterback in the Big 12 North by a long shot. KU also has one of the two best receivers in the league in Dezmon Briscoe and a real gamer at wide out in Kerry Meier. Sure, KU’s offensive line appears suspect. And all those linebackers have to be replaced. But you can see picking Kansas to win the North."
"I think Missouri - the Big 12 North’s representative in the league title game the past two seasons - is a solid No. 2 pick. Here’s where I shake my head in wonder at anyone picking Nebraska over Missouri but over Kansas as well. The Cornhuskers have an inexperienced quarterback, lost just as much as Missouri on offense, don’t have a running back of the caliber of MU’s Derrick Washington. Shouting The Blackshirts Are Back! seems based more on the hope that Bo Pelini is a defensive genius rather than a first-year college head coach that was simply better than Bill Callahan."
"Here, really, is the main thing that leads me to believe Nebraska will NOT win the Big 12 North and could finished behind either Kansas or Missouri. The schedule. Kansas plays arguably the top two teams in the Big 12, hosting Oklahoma and playing at Texas. The Border War game with Missouri is again in Kansas City, where the Jayhawks and Tigers have split the last two games. KU should be favored to win the rest of its league games, including Nebraska in Lawrence on Nov. 14. Missouri’s toughest league road game will be at Oklahoma State. The Tigers play host to Texas, and play Kansas in KC. The Tigers should (I contend) be favored to win the rest of the games, including Oct. 8 in the league home opener against Nebraska. Often ignored fact: Missouri has beaten Nebraska three straight times in Columbia by an average of 23 points a game. Nebraska plays host to Oklahoma, but running around in front of the home folk doesn’t mean much against the Sooners. A Nebraska team that isn’t Oklahoma plays AT Missouri and Kansas."
"Mad Mike" finished his blog with.... "There now. I feel better. I’ve finished my first real blog. I don’t feel nearly as dirty as I thought I would." Welcome to the blogosphere, jackass. Let me roll out the red carpet for you. You may not feel dirty, but I speak on behalf of all us bloggers and commenters everywhere that we all feel like we just got done rolling around in shit.
Now, let's address your points Mike.
Nebraska doesn't have one running back of Derrick Washington's caliber, they have two. The "Blackshirts are Back!" talk is based on the fact that Nebraska finished second in the Big 12 in 2008 in total defense and have a few all of their biggest weapons back. I shouldn't even have to say this, but 'Tom Osborne being boss to Bo Pelini' has nothing to do with it.
Kansas having to play Oklahoma and Texas are two losses given that the Lawrence High Chesty Lions have a better offensive line. Kansas also travels to Colorado and to Texas Tech. .
Ask anyone from Missouri with a GED if Nebraska lost just as much as Missouri on offense. Go ahead, ask someone. Missouri's first 4 Big 12 games - vs. Nebraska, @ Oklahoma State, vs. Texas, @ Colorado - means the Tigers could be (according to the dirty guys from Las Vegas, anyways) 0-4 to start league play, which doesn't count their remaining games vs. Robert Griffin III, @ Kansas State, and vs. Kansas in your backyard. The 'venerable' Phil Steele even told you all of this.
This is the same Mike DeArmond infamous for this Missouri Tiger YouTube video below.
If you like that video above, check out his take on Oklahoma Sooner fans by clicking here.
You would think that it would be embarrassing for the Kansas City Star and for Mike DeArmond that I can run over to our friends at the Mizzourah and Rock M Nation blogs and get everything I need to know regarding Missouri in a coherent manner. It's not. They have integrity. Some may think guys like Mike DeArmond give bloggers a bad rap. In fact, they don't. It's guys like Mike DeArmond that make bloggers stronger.
Nobody does it better than Vegas - at least that's what Stu Feiner tells us when we do our "Take the Double Extra Points" regular feature here. (insert cheap plug here: our Double Extra Lock in 2008: 8-3 ATS (73%) - Regular Season; 4-1 ATS (80%) - Bowl Season!!!)
Here are some college football futures from Vegas Insider you can start wagering on right at this moment if you need to lock something in (girl not included.)
Nebraska's odds to win the National Championship: 50/1
Those are the same odds as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Oregon, and North Carolina.
There are 15 teams with better odds, including Oklahoma State at 30/1, Virginia Tech at 20/1, Texas at 11/2, and Oklahoma at 9/2.
The new site Berry4Heisman has just launched and I have to say (with all my Lane Kiffin hatred aside), Tennessee kicked this one out of the park.
And if you aren't impressed by his 72 tackles, 7 interceptions, 3 sacks, and 8.5 tackles/loss in 2008, then jump on the Taylor Mays bandwagon with me if you want to see a defensive player make things interesting this season. Said USC's Mays recently, "I want to win the Heisman — 10 sacks, 10 picks and we go undefeated. (I won’t return kicks); I’ll just return my picks for touchdowns. I have to return three of them for touchdowns and maybe force a couple of fumbles on the sacks. I at least want to go to New York.”
Hey T.O.... tell HuskerVision that summer vacation is over and Ndamukong Suh needs a Heisman video and website, stat.
College Football News has released their 2009 Nebraska preview. To read the preview, click here.
Some interesting observations made by author Pete Fiutak:
"Best Offensive Player: Junior TE Mike McNeill"
"Key Player to a successful season: Junior WR Niles Paul"
"Key Game: Nov. 14 @ Kansas"
"The season will be a success if.....the Huskers win the North."
"...with the great defense, decent promise on offense, and one of the nation's best kickers in Alex Henery, there's no reason this can't be the year Nebraska gets back to the Big 12 title game and is more than just a speed bump against the South champion."
Also interesting were some of Nebraska's 2008 'Fun Stats:'
- Fumbles over the last two years: Nebraska 40 (lost 28) – Opponents 32 (lost 8)
- Time of possession: Nebraska 34:01 - Opponents 25:59
- Penalties: Nebraska 94 for 800 yards - Opponents 64 for 477 yards
Two things here. No doubt turnovers and penalties were our Achilles heel. As the great Phil Steele always proclaims, look for teams with most turnovers one year to have the biggest turnaround in record the following year. Well, with two consecutive years of turnover happy football and a new quarterback this year, it should be interesting to see how that unfolds. And surely, there is no way Pelini's 2009 team can commit almost 62 penalty yards/game while their opponent only commits 36 penalty yards/game. Can they?
Fix those two things and this season will be a success - as Pete says.
It's come to my attention that some of you are absolutely bewildered as to why we haven't been all over this Erin Andrews naked peephole saga more. Sure, I've been trying to keep up with this story as much as the next blogger, but the truth is that this is getting uglier and more bizarre by the minute and no groundbreaking news has happened since the video itself first surfaced. With that in mind, let me fill you in on what I know.
First, I've been keeping up with this story through Deadspin - the gold standard for stories such as this. Below is the rundown of the events that have happened since last Thursday.
Click here for Part II of the EA story. (I believe Part I is in the history books.)
EA's attorney, Marshall Grossman, will seek criminal charges and file civil lawsuits against the unknown cameraman and anyone who publishes the material. This is why you'd have to look long and hard for the video and this is why if there has ever been anyone to defy lawyers, authorities, or ESPN, it's Barstool Sports (out of Boston) - your go-to blog when everyone else runs and hides.
Where this chain of events leads us to next is anyone's guess. The bottom line is that this kind of publicity has turned into a PR nightmare for ESPN and Erin Andrews. And what makes matters worse is that this pervert that probably went to an online spy shop and bought this video surveillance equipment after he found out Erin was coming to town is proving to be quite the professional criminal. It's been almost 5 full days and still nothing.
Said coach Art Briles, "Our players are excited about the new uniforms and are working hard this summer to have a great year on the field this fall. The players and equipment staff worked with Nike to design a contemporary set of uniforms that would represent Baylor well and appeal to recruits.”
You know how much recruiting has changed in today's game when you are using new Nike uniforms as a recruiting tool. Also, having Robert Griffith III sporting them never hurts.
And speaking of Oregon, if you haven't checked out what you'll see in 2009 from the Ducks, then look below (or click here for the complete gallery.)
Go ahead and laugh at Oregon all you want, but according to GoDucks.com, odds are their uniforms are at least 25% lighter than your team's uniforms and they won't absorb moisture if the conditions get wet. Tacky? Check. High performance? Check.
And if you are counting at home, you're seeing 80 different uniform possibilities.
If you're a sports fan of any kind, then you'll truly appreciate this.
Jeff and Jenna Holt of Salt Lake City decided to take their love for the Stormin' Mormons to a whole new level. After drilling 104,650 holes (and spending $15,000) in their basement wall, the couple hired an art graduate to paint 232 rows and 451 columns made entirely of golf tees. The finished product is below.
I thought that since DXP and Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium are both currently receiving some much needed upgrades, then now would be the perfect time to talk about the two.
In 2006, Texas received a $179 million dollar grant from the regents to begin a massive overhaul of Darrell K Royal Stadium. Already completed (2008) is a memorial plaza and a new north end zone structure, which includes an upper deck, club space, suites, athletic offices, academic-advising areas, and new gym space located under the stadium.
In July of 2009, DXP expanded its margins, added a few advertisements, and created a left sidebar as well as a blogger feed where readers can subscribe to posts and comments. Also, already completed is a Twitter account and a new Google search bar that allows readers to search for material directly from the site.
Not to be outdone by a Nebraska blog, Texas has just installed field turf to replace the natural grass as well as just begun the final phase of construction in the south end zone that will house a new Football Academic Center, a new Hall of Fame, and 4,525 permanent bleacher seats. Texas plans to eventually begin constructing an upper deck in the south end zone that will enclose the field and make seating capacity upwards of 112,000 - making it the largest football stadium in the United States (although sources say it may not be completed until the 2024 season.)
Realizing that Texas is setting the bar even higher, DXP has begun construction on a new header/banner that is expected to be completed sometime in the summer of 2009 by one of its readers, Josh. (Thanks Josh!)
You can clearly see that the only glaring difference between the two is that we weren't given a $179 million dollar grant and we don't have a concession stand. Nonetheless, I still think we should have a joint celebration. And of course, we asked Texas to provide the girls.
Ever wish you could put on a chin strapand line up at the line of scrimmage?While those days are gone,sports bettingbrings you closer to the action than ever before.When there's money on the line, it's personal.
(Even as a Husker fan, I'd pay top dollar for a replica of that shirt)
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