JoePa's Successor?

A lot of talk has been going down lately about who should be next in line at Penn State once Paterno steps down. I guess this has been a hot topic as of late because everyone figures Joe will retire after this season.

Wrong.

JoePa is going to coach forever. He will never retire. You know what else? Penn St. will be better for it. No one wants to go to Penn St. just because it's Penn St. People want to wear the PSU uniform so that they can have the opportunity to play for Paterno.

However, since everyone and their momma is making a JoePa successor list, I figured why the hell not.

Here are my top candidates to replace the un-replaceable one.

1. Greg Schiano - The current Rutgers head coach is the most likely choice as of now. In a recent poll on this most awesome of sites, you people voted Schiano as the leading candidate as well. The only problem is from Schiano's end. He repeatedly has turned down job opportunities to remain at Rutgers. I don't see that happening here. I believe Schiano would jump at a chance to coach the Nittany Lions. Like it or not, he would have a better chance of winning in the Big Eleven as opposed to the Big East.

2. Galen Hall - Hall is currently an assistant coach under Joe Paterno. If PSU were to give JoePa the power to pick his own replacement, I'm sure Hall would be his choice. Unfortunately, it seems Penn St. will not afford him that opportunity. One negative on Hall is his age. The Nittany Lions would effectively be moving from one old guy to the next. Usually you see a program go considerably younger when a long term coach is stepping down.

3. Bret Bielema - I've seen the current Wisconsin head coach named as the favorite to replace JoePa on several sites. I don't see what Bielema's motivation would be in making this move. He seems to be set up for better success at Wisconsin. Also, making a lateral move within the Big Eleven doesn't seem to make much sense. Then again, I thought Tom O' Brien was crazy when he did the same thing in the ACC.

4. Al Golden - I can't believe a Temple head coach is being named in job searches now. Granted, Golden is a long shot, but just the fact that he's being mentioned is a testament to his coaching ability. If Golden can improve the Owls consistently his name could be mentioned for several other positions. You never know, if Paterno sticks around for a few more years, Golden may be the hottest coach on the market.

Countdown: 30 Days!

30 Days

Syracuse will probably be the worst BCS conference team this season. Hopefully that will finally allow the administration at Syracuse to pull their heads out of their asses long enough to fire Gregg Robinson. Robinson is a total waste of a coaches' salary. Now the Orange actually get out-recruited and out-played by the likes of Rutgers, Temple and Buffalo. What the hell is going on here?

Baby Gators: Recruiting

The Gators are coming into this season with perhaps the best TE unit in the country. Cornelius Ingram and Aaron Hernandez are both versatile enough to line up at WR and cause all kinds of match-up problems for opposing defenses.

The Gators are making sure they won't miss a beat with the departure of CI after this season. TE Desmond Parks has committed to the University of Florida for the 2009 season.

Here is an updated list of the Florida recruits:

DL Gary Brown West Gadsden high - Quincy, FL
OL Jon Halapio St. Petersburg Catholic - St. Petersburg, FL
RB Greg Reid Lowndes County High - Valdosta, GA
RB Mike Gillislee DeLand High - DeLand, FL
Ath Nu' Keese Richardson Pahokee High - Pahokee, FL
G Nick Alajajian Naples High- Naples, FL
OT Jonnotthan Harrison South Lake High- Groveland, FL
TE Desmond Parks Greer High - Greer, SC

Countdown: 32 Days!

32 Days

Pittsburgh is a trendy pick to take over the top spot in the Big East this season. I know the Panthers will be very talented, but I think they are still a year or two away from competing for the Big East Title. That being said, Pitt should make a bowl game this season. WR Derek Kinder and RB LeSean McCoy are two of the top performers at their respective positions. I'm still not entirely sold on Dave Wannstedt as a college coach. He sure can recruit, but he just can't seem to translate that talent into wins.

"Dream" non-conference match-ups for the the SEC

So I saw something similar to this being done on ESPN for the Big XII. I thought since it worked for that ass fest of a conference it surely will work for the all powerful SEC.

Here is a dream non-conference match-up for each and every SEC team. I even included Vanderbilt, and they're never included. Some of these match-ups are just so awesome that just their mere presence on your TV screen would cause instantaneous retardation.

That's why some of them will never happen......









Florida vs. USC


I've already discussed how exciting of a game I think this will be. Both teams are VERY fast, and both have excellent offenses. I have to admit that USC's defense is in a whole other class when compared to Florida. The Gators secondary scares me against this passing game, but I think the Florida front 7 would be able to handle the Trojans' rushing attack. I think it would be poetic justice if Emmanuel Moody went for a buck and a few touchdowns against his former team. I would probably lose my mind if Tebow went up against Brian Cushing in the open-field. Who else would you think I'd pick in this one? Of course I'm going with the Gators.









Georgia vs. Oklahoma


Both of these teams are popular picks to make the title game this season. Both teams also have Heisman Trophy candidates in Knowshon Moreno of Georgia and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. Another story I find interesting between these two teams is that Oklahoma is led by former Florida assistant Bob Stoops, while Georgia is led by former Florida St. assistant Mark Richt. It's kind of like a dumbed down version of Florida vs. Florida St. This year this game could almost be considered a toss up. Both teams have a lot of talent on offense, and both have extremely tough defenses. I would give the ultimate edge to the Bulldogs. Especially if this were a bowl game.









LSU vs. Texas


These two top-tier teams continuously battle for high school talent in Louisiana and Texas. This game would enable the two to move this off season battle to the field. Both teams have also won recent BCS championships. Mack Brown and Les Miles are two of the more recognizable coaches in the nation, and both will have their teams ready to play in the one. Almost any other year, I would have favored the Tigers in this one. However, LSU is still searching for a quarterback to distribute the ball to it's talented play-makers. Texas on the other hand, has Colt McCoy back, and he will have the benefit of an experienced line in front of him. I give the Longhorns the nod in this one.








Alabama vs. Notre Dame


This game could be hyped as the delusional bowl. Every year the fan bases for these two teams proclaim how they will once again repeat for a national title and bring their program back to glory. Every year, these same delusional fans are knocked back down to reality after their team struggles through another season. These two programs have both spent time at the top of college football. Recent recruiting classes suggests they might be able to get there once again. However, that year is not this year. Alabama will be more competitive than last year, but I still think the Irish are a year away from making it back to a bowl game. I give this one to the Tide. Tuscaloosa will fall under martial law as their ravenous fans litter the streets because there is absolutely nothing else to do but celebrate a meaningless win.







Tennessee vs. Michigan


This would be an interesting match-up between two proud programs that have fallen on tough times recently. Tennessee is sticking with Phil Fulmer despite growing unrest around the program. Michigan is still suffering embarrassment from last season's loss to Appalachian St. The Wolverines will most likely struggle this season. Their defense is not very good, and they lost nearly their entire offensive production to the NFL. Tennessee has a better defense than Michigan, but they too face a difficult challenge of finding new play-makers on offense. I give the edge to the Vols in this one. Arian Foster should find no difficulty in finding holes in the Wolverine defense. Tennessee's defense will also be tough to move the ball against for Michigan.








Auburn vs. Purdue


I picked these two schools for one particular reason. Both of these schools are better football teams than their more well admired in-state institutions. Auburn has been better than Alabama for a while now. Purdue is undoubtedly better than Notre Dame at this current moment. Yet, both Alabama and Notre Dame still get most of the pub. This game would be pretty exciting to watch. The Boilermakers have a ton of firepower on offense with QB Curtis Painter and RB Kory Sheets. Auburn will be installing the spread under Tony Franklin this season. Overall, I would give this match up to the Tigers. Their defense would eventually be able to stop Purdue's offense and take the victory.

South Carolina vs. Florida St.


It would be awesome to see Steve Spurrier and Bobby Bowden on the same field once again. With Bowden's career winding down, this year would probably be their last opportunity to do so. Of course, being a Gator fan, Spurrier is one of my favorite coaches. Even though I hate Florida St., I actually like Bobby Bowden too. I've said it before, CFB needs Bobby to stay around the game. One last chance to see some visor tosses and hear some daggumits would be a special treat for any college football fan. I actually might have to give the edge to the Noles in this game. It all would depend on which Gamecock team would show up.








Arkansas vs. Louisville


This is a dream match-up for obvious reasons. Bobby Petrino gets a shot at the team he left in the dust. Of course, no matter what happens in this game, there will be one unchanged truth: Bobby Petrino is a straight up douche nozzle. Petrino's bunch will struggle on offense because this team is not currently designed to run his offense. Steve Kragthorpe, on the other hand, will have the Cardinals fired up and ready. I would expect Louisville to win the Petrino bowl.

Kentucky vs. Kansas

Of course both of these schools are better known for their highly respected basketball programs. Both teams have also recently become a lot more competitive on the football field as well. Kansas is returning a ton of offensive firepower, while Kentucky lost a lot of it's weapons. I would expect this game to be very high scoring, even resembling some of their basketball contests. In the end, I would give the advantage to the Jayhawks.

Ole Miss vs. UCLA

I look at Ole Miss and UCLA as pretty much being the same team. Both squads have tons of talent, yet neither team ever produces like they should. Also, both teams are in the first season of a controversial coaching hire. The Rebels welcome in Arkansas outcast Houston Nutt, while the Bruins tagged NCAA bad boy Rick Neuheisel to lead the way for them. Like I said, both teams are loaded with talent, it's just a matter of which coach can get the most out of his team. I give the edge to Houston Nutt and the Rebels. Also, how good would the talent be in the stands at this game. The co-eds at Ole Miss and UCLA are both top-notch. That alone makes this a dream match-up.

Mississippi St. vs. Pittsburgh

This game may not seem like such a good match-p. Neither team is a national powerhouse that attracts a ton of attention. However, this game would feature two of my favorite running backs in Anthony Dixon of Mississippi St. and Pittsburgh's Le Sean McCoy. I would love to see these two go at it, as well as see how each defense stops them. Last year's bowl game between the Bulldogs and UCF was seen by many as being boring. I actually thought the game was extremely intense and fun to watch. I expect this one to be in that same mold. The Panthers might just have too much offensive firepower for Miss. St. to overcome.

Vanderbilt vs. Tulane

This could have easily been a conference match-up. These two schools almost became charter members for the Magnolia Conference. This was supposed to be the Ivy League of the South. Both teams eventually backed out at the last minute. Tulane has seen limited success in the C-USA. However, Vanderbilt has consistently gotten pissed on by the big boys of the SEC. The Dores are the only SEC team that hasn't grown ultra competitive within the conference. I think Vandy would be able to get the win over Tulane. Partly because Bob Toledo has no business coaching college football

Countdown: 37 Days!

37 Days

To continue the recent theme of shitty ass ACC, the subject for today's countdown will be the Virginia Cavaliers. While I don't expect Virginia to follow last season's stunning success with another great run, I do expect them to be more competitive than people are giving them credit for. Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson create what is perhaps the best running duo in the conference. Probably second only to Clemson's James Davis and C.J. Spiller. I expect the Cavs to make another bowl game this season, despite the drop-off.

Good 'ol Bobby says he's staying.

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden hinted that he will be staying in Tallahassee for a few years. This all went down during his interview at the ACC media Days.


Bowden, who turns 79 this upcoming season, said he wants to stay at FSU until he can right the ship. I am fond of Bobby, but I don't think he will be around long enough to see the 'Noles bounce back.


When asked about his future, Bowden said " I'm still the head football coach. But I know we've got to win more than we're winning now. I'm not interested in getting out, though. I plan on getting this thing back to where it ought to be, and go on from there. Time will tell."


Bowden knows his team has been garbage lately. The fact that he thinks he can turn it around just makes him seem a little senile. Another insight into the man's insanity may have came when he was quoted as saying, " My goal is to gt back to the top, but if we get there, we're not going to stay there. There's too many good teams in this conference."


Too many good teams in this conference? Does Bowden think he's in the SEC or Big XII. There are probably one and a half good teams in the ACC. That's about it. What happened to the good old days in Tallahassee when the 'Noles didn't care who was on their schedule? They would just show up and wax that ass. Now, FSU can't even get past Wake anymore.


I know one man that's one pissed off millionaire right about now:

Countdown: 38 Days!

38 Days

Clemson is nearly a consensus pick to win the ACC this season. You won't find too much of an argument from me. With players like James Davis, C.J. Spiller, Cullen Harper and Aron Kelly on offense, the Tigers may be unstoppable. Having players like Chris Chancellor (Pictured above) on D doesn't hurt either.

Pre-season All SEC team

The coaches around the SEC gathered up this weekend to decide who has the best potential to be great this season.

Here is what they came up with:

The 2008 Pre-season All SEC team

Offense

QB Tim Tebow Florida
RB Knowshon Moreno Georgia
RB Arian Foster Tennessee
WR Percy Harvin Florida
WR Kenny McKinley South Carolina
TE Cornelius Ingram Florida
OL Andre Smith Alabama
OL Michael Oher Ole Miss
OL Anthony Parker Tennessee
OL Herman Johnson LSU
C Jonathan Luigs Arkansas

Defense
DL Greg Hardy Ole Miss
DL Sen'Derrick Marks Auburn
DL Tyson Jackson LSU
LB Brandon Spikes Florida
LB Rico McCoy Tennessee
LB Darry Beckwith LSU
LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
DB Eric Berry Tennessee
DB Derek Pegues Mississippi St.
DB Rashad Johnson Alabama
DB Captain Munnerlyn South Carolina
DB D.J. Moore Vanderbilt

Special Teams

PK Colt David LSU
P Ryan Shoemaker Auburn
RS Brandon James Florida

Urban thinks this year's Gators could be special.

In a recent interview with the Orlando Sentinel , Coach Meyer has expressed how good he feels his Gators can be.

Meyer said he has had 2 great teams in all his years of coaching, he feels this year's Gators could be the third.

Here's one quote I found interesting:

"When your O-line is the best part of your offense, that's a pretty good indication," Meyer said. "We're a very physical offense and this will be, if we're healthy, the best offense since our staff has been here. On defense we're just looking for who's going to stand up and rally the troops. We have to play much better on defense."

Check out the rest of the story at the link I provided.

Willie makes it four schools.

Troubled linebacker Willie Williams has enrolled in his fourth school during his college career. Williams will be adding Division II Glenville St. of West Virginia to the list of dumb ass schools that gave this d-bag a chance.


Glenville St. joins Miami, Louisville and West Los Angeles Community College as the other schools in Williams' wake.

Before even playing a down in college, Williams had already been arrested 11 times! He was most recently kicked off the Louisville team after being arrested on drug charges. Williams will be joining former high school teammate, Jerry Seymour at the D-II school. Seymour transferred to Glenville St. after being kicked out of Central Michigan for beating the shit out of some guy outside of a bar.

Get this, there are actually NFL scouts that are still interested in this guy.

As a side note, I just inducted Willie "The Predator" Williams into my douche-bag hall of fame. He joins Nick Saban, Charlie Weis, Kellen Winslow II, Jamar Hornsby and Bobby Petrino as recent inductees.

Countdown: 41 Days!

41 Days

Boise St. is my pick to win the WAC once again. This may be Chris Petersen's last year coaching on the blue turf. I'm sure there will be a few big name schools wooing him in the off season. RB Ian Johnson is a bonafide Heisman contender.

Playoffs?!?!?!? Who's talking about playoffs?!?!?!?

Several college commissioners have come out of the wood works recently to beat down the notion of a playoff system in CFB.

Here's what some notable conference commissioners said when asked about the idea of a playoff system being implemented in the near future:

BIG EAST COMMISSIONER MIKE TRANGHESE: "I have not seen anything that works unless you do things that presidents aren't going to accept. Presidents are not going to allow a football playoff to venture into the second semester, deep into the second semester. They're not going to allow football playoffs to take place during exams. And they're not going to start playing football early in August. ... I find it interesting because I hear football coaches say we ought to have a four-team playoff, I mean, don't insult my intelligence. Once there's a four-team playoff there will be an 8-team playoff. Once there's an 8, there will be a 16."

Translation: No playoffs until school presidents get the used douche bags removed from their anus.

MOUNTAIN WEST'S CRAIG THOMPSON: "Everybody says a playoff. And my coaches and administrators included. And I said — what are you talking about? Are you talking about an 8-team playoff and is the Mountain West guaranteed one of the eight berths? It's easy to say you're in favor of a playoff, but if you don't know what the format is, I can't say unequivocally, 'Heck, yeah, let's have a playoff.'"

Translation: My conference sucks balls. You know it and I know it.

SEC'S ROY KRAMER: "Not in my lifetime. I don't see much support for it nationally. I don't see any overwhelming sentiment nationally to move in that direction. And the Pac-10 and Big Ten don't have any interest in it and I don't see that changing."

Translation: The Big 10 and PAC 10 is made up of a bunch of pussies. I can't wait to die so I can kick their grandfather's asses in hell.

Here's what some commissioners said when approached with the idea of conference expansion:

ACC'S JOHN SWOFFORD: "I think in terms of our league, we're probably rather stable for a good while to come. I don't think we currently have any interest in being any larger than 12. You get beyond that, it becomes a more difficult enterprise to manage and scheduling becomes even more complicated."

Translation: We suck enough with 12 teams. Why dilute that suckiness with more shitty programs?

TRANGHESE: "Well, there aren't four schools back that would make the football league any better in my view. Now if you said to me, pick any four schools, I could make us a lot better. But those schools are currently playing in other leagues. And I think schools that are available who have expressed a desire to be here I just don't think collectively make us any better. And I'm not one that believes having a football [championship game] is necessarily the right thing."

Translation: We don't want no shitty ass teams stinking up our league. We already have Syracuse for that.

This was an interesting moment when the debate between the ACC and Big East was brought up:

TRANGHESE: "You know what, people have really tried to engage me in conversation about the ACC and I've lasted five years without it, so I'm going to make it one more year."

Translation: Bring it Bitches!

SWOFFORD: "Well, first of all, I don't think you measure a conference totally on what you do in the BCS games. You know, the only way to rectify that is to win some of them. ... I think what we've done league-wise is put ourselves in a position to be stronger than we've ever been before and play at the very top level at a consistent basis."

Translation: We get paid just to PLAY in the BCS. Who care about actually winning the games?

When asked a general question about change in CFB's near future, here's what was said:

TRANGHESE: "I don't think anybody knows — that's the challenge. Put it this way, [look at] the last 15 years. And go back to '90, let's say the last 18 years. ... Penn State leaves and goes to the Big Ten. Florida State loses its independent status and goes to the ACC. The SEC expands. The Big East takes on football. The Southwest Conference goes away. The Big 12 realigns. I mean, if you went to sleep in 1990 and you woke up today, you'd be overwhelmed by it all. I'd like to think that because of the size of the leagues, that generally speaking, we're done with expansion."

Translation: Do you expect Rosie O' Donnell to get any fatter before she croaks?

C-USA'S BRITTON BANOWSKY: "I do think we're in a period of relative stability right now and I think the challenges and some of the difficulty that people experienced going through the last time, the last round of realignment, has caused folks to carefully consider making moves before they make them. And so I think that's helping us right now kind of get traction with our current alignments, get our branding mechanisms in place and really grow."

Translation: We already crashed and burned with the Army experiment. I'm not in any hurry to screw up royally again.

SWOFFORD: "History would tell us that in college athletics that at some point, there may be other shifts that are coming. ... I think we're probably in a reasonably stable period. Ultimately down the road, anther decade, another two decades, history would tell us maybe there'll be some movement again."

Translation: I'm gay and I'm in to water sports....

Tuberville Q&A

Thanks to the good 'ol rednecks at auburnsports.com, here is an interview with head redneck in charge, Tommy Tuberville.

AuburnSports.com: The 19 early commitments is by far the most at this time for Auburn. What prompted all these early verbals?

Tuberville: Well, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. For one we have more money o throw at the recruits. I mean, how is someone going to turn that down? Also, what kid would pass up a chance to frequently bang an Auburn co-ed? I know I've been there plenty of times. It's fantastic! We're gonna beat Bama again this year.

AuburnSports.com: Does having two new coordinators, Paul Rhoads - who is from the North where the early commitment trend started - and Tony Franklin - who is very decisive - play a role in the early commitments?

Tuberville: No. I'm the only man that matters around here, so it's all my doing. We're gonna beat Bama again this year.

AuburnSports.com: Explain your evaluation process in offering a prospect.

Tuberville: If he's capable of running the ball, we'll take him. I also have to take into account how easy it will be to fix his transcripts so he will get accepted into college. A lot of high schools have made that very difficult now. We're gonna beat Bama again this year.

AuburnSports.com: Looking at the class now, are there any positions that need to be concentrated on over the next six months?

Tuberville: We're gonna beat Bama again this year.

AuburnSports.com: How is your health coming off of surgery?

Tuberville: Well I'm a little sore to tell you the truth. The doctor said it's always a little awkward to come back from penile reduction surgery. Hopefully, I will make a full recovery so I can get back to those Auburn co-eds we talked about. We're gonna beat Bama again this year.

AuburnSports.com: How much longer do you plan on coaching at Auburn?

Tuberville: I plan on coaching until we lose a game to Bama. Since that doesn't look too likely to happen any time soon, I may end up coaching until I die. Nick Saban is a douche.

Countdown: 44 Days!

44 Days

Eastern Michigan is garbage. Everything about them is horrible this season. Everything except Daniel Holtzclaw (Pictured above), that is. The Eagles actually had a decent season by their standards last year. Of course a decent season for EMU standards is more than one win. We'll see if they can duplicate that success this season.

NCAA 2009: Consider it copped....

So I purchased NCAA Football 2009 today. If you haven't already picked it up I should warn you, your first instinct will be to drop kick the game across your room. The graphics at first glance seemed to have digressed from last year's version.

However, after playing for a few hours I started to find myself liking it more.

There are a few complaints of course. For one, Xbox 360 for whatever reason, doesn't include all of the 1-aa teams. This pisses me off a lil bit. There's something nice about building Montana St. into a national power that I miss. The game is also a lot easier than previous years. That makes the games a lil more boring to actually play.

One thing that's nice about this year's version is that the best players are far and away better than the rest of the comp. Percy Harvin and Chris Rainey are near impossible to take down in the open field. Noel Devine, Joe McKnight and Jeremy Maclin are a few other players I've noticed.

Well, I didn't play the game too much so there's not too much critique. If you're a fan of the franchise go out and buy it. If not, you might just want to wait for Madden.

The top 25 players: Sun Belt

We've finally made it to the end of my conference player breakdown series.

Of course we're ending it on a high note with the greatest conference of all! The Sun Belt conference!

Here are the top 25 players from the epitome of conference awesomeness that is the Sun Belt.

1.Rusty Smith - Florida Atlantic QB - If it wasn't for Tim Tebow, Smith might just be the best QB in the Sunshine State. Rusty has lead the Owls to tremendous success during his tenure in Boca Raton. I look for that to continue this season.

2. Frantz Joseph - Florida Atlantic LB - While Smith is busy leading the Owl offense, Joseph is the unquestioned leader of the FAU defense. Howard Schnellenberger loves tough defensive players, and Frantz Joseph fits that mold perfectly.

3. Tyrell Fenroy - Louisiana-Lafayette RB - Fenroy is the most dangerous runner in the Sun Belt conference. While the Ragin' Cajuns have been struggling as a team as of late, there is no such problems with Fenroy's game.

4. Casey Fitzgerald - North Texas WR - Larry's younger brother definitely has the talent to be just as good as his older brother. With Riley Dodge in the mix this season, I see Fitzgerald busting onto the scene in a big way.

5. Tavious Polo - Florida Atlantic DB - While the Owls are busy throwing the ball all over the place, Tavious Polo is busy making sure the same doesn't happen to them. For the most part, Sun Belt QB's know to avoid this guy.

6. Reggie Arnold - Arkansas St. RB - The Red Wolves may very well have the worst nickname in 1-a football now. I don't see anyone making fun of Arnold for that. He is a load that is very tough to bring down in the open field.

7. Kenny Mainor - Troy DL - The Trojans have had a long line of great defensive linemen. Mainor is the latest to take on that legacy. With a down year expected, Mainor and the Troy D will need to step up to prove the experts wrong.

8. Greg James - Louisiana-Monroe DB - The War Hawks will get a little bit more pub this season thanks to their monstrous upset of Alabama late last season. That will be a good chance for James to show off his talents.

9. Cortez Gent - Florida Atlantic WR - Gent is the go-to receiver in a pass happy FAU offense. Rusty Smith to Cortez Gent will be very difficult to defend in the Sun Belt.

10. Dion Small - Troy OL - Small is not a proper name for someone so big. This guy will be clearing lanes for the Trojan offense this season.

The rest:

11. Antwyne Zanders Louisiana-Lafayette LB
12. Jervonte Jackson Florida Atlantic DL
13. Jason Harmon Florida Atlantic TE
14. Corey Small Florida Atlantic DB
15. Matt Mandich Arkansas St. OL
16. Boris Lee Troy LB
17. Aaron Schutz Louisiana-Monroe OL
18. James Truxillo Louisiana-Monroe DB
19. Alaric Coleman Louisiana-Monroe DL
20. Desmond Gee Middle Tennessee RB
21. Cedric Mack Florida International OL
22. Riley Dodge North Texas QB
23. Jamal Lewis Middle Tennessee OL
24. Terence Moore Troy LB
25. Bradley Guillory Arkansas St. OL

Countdown: 46 Days!

46 Days

Everyone already knows how horrible Michigan is going to be this year. So instead of harping on the obvious, I figured I'd throw out some positives for the Wolverines this season.

• Michigan fans aren't as obnoxious as Ohio St. fans.
• Michigan won't suck as hard as Notre Dame.
• Rich Rodriguez is slightly less of a douche bag than Nick Saban.
• Michigan Stadium is really, really, really big.

There you go, now you can never say I never say anything nice about Michigan.

Charley Pell's struggles shown on film

For years former Florida and Clemson head coach Charley Pell had struggled with depression.

His battle with the disease even culminated with a suicide attempt. Now the struggle that Pell went through is being shown through a short documentary.

The Sporting News has done a write up on it here.

Please take the time out to read this article. Especially if you or anyone you know is dealing with depression. Often times a person has no idea what's wrong with them while they're going through this.

The top 25 players: MAC

The MAC has always had some quality talent within their ranks. Ben Roethlisberger, Chester Taylor, Byron Leftwich, Chad Pennington, Randy Moss, Dwight Smith and Charlie Frye are just a few of the recent MAC players to get drafted into the NFL.

Here is my list of the top 25 players in the MAC this season. Don't be surprised if some of these players end up playing on Sundays.

1. Dan LeFevour - Central Michigan QB - LeFevour is the best dual threat QB in America outside of Tim Tebow. Some people are even calling LeFevour a dark horse candidate for the Heisman trophy this season.

2. Eugene Jarvis - Kent St. RB - Jarvis is the leading returning rusher in the nation. The Golden Flashes run the ball more than anyone else in the nation. That just means Jarvis will have ample opportunities to add onto his total this season.

3. Nate Davis - Ball St. QB - LeFevour might get all of the attention at CMU, but Nate Davis is probably the next great MAC QB to make it in the NFL. This guy is big and he has a big time arm.

4. Bryan Anderson - Central Michigan WR - When LeFevour doesn't run the ball, he often throws it to this guy. Anderson really had a breakout season last year. Anderson is helped out greatly by a tremendous Chippewa running game.

5. Dante Love - Ball St. WR - Love might actually end up with a better statistical season than Anderson at Central Michigan. That's because the Cardinals throw the ball early and often under Brady Hoke.

6. Larry English - Northern Illinois DL - The Huskies have fallen on tough time as of late. New HC Jerry Kill is hoping to infuse this team with some energy. One player he doesn't have to worry about is Larry English. English has a constant motor and is always making plays in the opponent's backfield.

7. Clayton Mullins - Miami(OH) LB - Mullins is an All-MAC LB at Miami. He leads a very stout Red Hawk defense that will need to carry the offense this season.

8. Darius Hill - Ball ST. TE - When QB Nate Davis isn't looking for Dante Love, his next option is usually Darius Hill. Hill is a big time target that has an NFL future.

9. Jamarko Simmons - Western Michigan WR - I remember watching Simmons shred the Florida St. defense 2 year ago. The Seminoles will be relieved to know that he does that to everybody.

10. Justin Anderson - Northern Illinois RB - Anderson is the latest in a long line of talented Husky RB's. Jerry Kill will look to use him more often than last season.

The rest:

11. Daniel Holtzclaw Eastern Michigan LB

12. Londen Fryar Western Michigan DB

13. Dave DiFranco Miami(OH) OL

14. Jeff Niedermier Buffalo OL

15. Barry Church Toledo DB

16. Robert Brewster Ball St. OL

17. John Haneline Bowling Green LB

18. Alex Derenthal Temple OL

19. Andre Neblett Temple DL

20. Davonte Shannon Buffalo DB

21. Almondo Sewell Akron DL

22. Andre Jones Akron WR

23. Ontario Sneed Central Michigan RB

24. Chris Miller Ball St. P

25. Jacob Richardson Miami(OH) P

The top 25 players: WAC

Over the past few seasons, the WAC has been the cream of the crop when it comes to non-BCS conferences.

Two years ago the Boise St. Broncos pulled off one of the biggest upsets in conference history with their victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Last season, the Hawaii Warriors made it through the regular season undefeated. This year Boise St. is trying to wrestle back control of the conference. However, a lot of "experts" are picking Fresno St. to make a run at the title.

Here's my list of the top 25 players in the WAC.


1. Ian Johnson - Boise St. RB - Ian Johnson could be a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy this season. The now famous back is a touchdown machine. With a new QB, Johnson should get plenty of carries once again.

2. Chase Holbrook - New Mexico St. QB - Holbrook has quietly put up some astronomically numbers for the Aggies. NMSU is in danger of losing it's 1-a status. In order to save the program, Holbrook will have to get accompany those numbers with wins.

3. Luke Lippincott - Nevada RB - A lot of people underestimate Lippincott at the RB position. However, whenever I watched a Wolfpack game last season, I saw this kid make play after play. I think he deserves this ranking.

4. Jeremy Childs - Boise St. WR - Childs is yet another play maker for Chris Petersen and the Broncos. I don't see how people can pick Fresno St. above them.

5. Solomon Elimimian - Hawaii LB - The Warrior defense will need to step up in a big way this season. They lost too much on offense to rely on that unit once again.

6. Chris Williams - New Mexico St. WR - Williams is the preferred target for QB Chase Holbrook at NMSU. Hal Mumme will dig deep in his playbook to find ways to get this guy the ball as much as possible.

7. Adam Leonard - Hawaii LB - Leonard joins Elimimian on a very solid linebacker unit. Coach McMackin knows he can count on these two to lead his defense this season.

8. Andrew Woodruff - Boise St. OL - Woodruff is usually the man in charge for clearing running lanes for Ian Johnson. Based on Johnson's stats, you can tell Woodruff is good at what he does.

9. Colin Kaepernick - Nevada QB - Caepernick is probably the least known of all the dual threat quarterbacks in America. This guy may actually be a bigger threat on the ground than through the air.

10. John Estes - Hawaii OL - Estes' talents may go unnoticed this season. That's largely due to the fact that there is absolutely nothing left on offense for the Warriors. Despite this, Estes will still be plugging away on the line.

The rest:

11. Antonio Baker Louisiana Tech DB
12.David Veikune Hawaii DL
13. Joshua Mauga Nevada LB
14. Christopher Owens San Jose St. DB
15. Bear Pascoe Fresno St. TE
16. Jon Monga Fresno St. DL
17. Kevin Jurovich San Jose St. WR
18. Marko Mitchell Nevada WR
19. Kyle Wilson Boise St. DB
20. Cole Popovich Boise St. OL
21. Dominic Green Nevada OL
22. Shiloh Keo Idaho DB
23. Jarron Gilbert San Jose St. DL
24. Bobby Lepori Fresno St. OL
25. Tom Brandstater Fresno St. QB

Countdown: 49 Days!

49 Days

The Texas A&M Aggies will be welcoming new HC Mike Sherman this season. The Shermanator will be replacing the much maligned Dennis Franchione. The Aggies will have a powerful running game once again with the Thunder and Lightning combo of Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson. Sherman is also promising a much more efficient passing game as well. TAMU should be able to make another bowl game, it is yet to be seen how good of a bowl berth they will get.

The top 25 players: Mountain West

Time to look at everyone's favorite conference now!

Let's hear it for the Mountain West!!!!!

Here are my top 25 players from the greatest football conference on Earth.


1. Max Hall - BYU QB - Max Hall could have the potential to be the first QB selected come draft time. The Cougars are expected to do big thnigs this season, and Hall is a big reason for that.

2. DeAndre Wright - New Mexico DB - Wright is one of the best cover corners in the nation. Unfortunately for him, he plays in the desert of New Mexico. Most people have never even heard of this guy. You would think a school that produced Brian Urlacher would get a little more pub.

3. Jan Jorensen - BYU DL - The Cougar's defensive line will be scary this season. Jorgensen is the leader of the best unit in the MWC. Opposing QB's will be on the run all game long when they face BYU.

4. Harvey Unga - BYU RB - Unga really came onto the scene last season. I look for him to carry his momentum over into this season. While Hall will get most of the pub on offense, Unga will play a big role in BYU's success.

5. Dallas Reynolds - BYU OL - Not only does BYU have the best defensive line in the MWC, they also have the best offensive line. Reynolds will head a very strong group that will work hard to keep Hall out of trouble and open lanes for Unga.

6. Austin Collie - BYU WR - Hall has got to have somebody to throw to. That somebody is Collie. He is as tough as they come at the WR position.

7. Ryan Wolfe - UNLV WR - Finally, another non- BYU player. Unfortunately for Wolfe, he plays on a really bad Rebel football team. Wolfe may actually be a better rounded receiver than Collie at BYU.

8. Robert Conley - Utah OL - You knew the other participant in the Holy War was going to have a say on this list. Conley leads a very deep Utah offensive line that will be looking to protect talented QB Brian Johnson.

9. Ray Feinga - BYU OL - Feinga joins Dallas Reynolds on the BYU O-line. The Cougars are going to be seriously good this season. I can see why everyone is picking them to go undefeated.

10. John Fletcher - Wyoming DL - Joe Glenn's Wyoming team fell apart late last season. It will be up to the Cowboy's defense, led by Fletcher, to not let another meltdown happen in 2008.

Here are the rest:

11. Ward Dobbs Wyoming LB
12. Jason Allen TCU LB
13. Rodney Ferguson New Mexico RB
14. Nick Charles Air Force OL
15. Paul Kruger Utah DL
16. Russell Allen San Diego St. LB
17. Brian Johnson Utah QB
18. Darrell Mack Utah RB
19. Darren Mougey San Diego St. WR
20. Casey Flair UNLV WR
21. Travis Bright BYU OL
22. Cody Moore TCU DL
23. Mitch Unrein Wyoming DL
24. Rafael Priest TCU DB
25. Dennis Pitta BYU TE

5 Gator games I would love to see.

Every year the University of Florida football schedule includes the usual non conference pansies and SEC death matches. Every once in a while, Florida will play some BCS non conference opponents other than Florida St., this season the Miami Hurricanes come into the Swamp.

So I got to thinking which teams would provide Florida Gator fans with a dream match-up. Unless the Gators get one of these teams in the national championship this year, these match-ups will be strictly fantasy.

Here is my top 5 wish list for games I would love to see.

1.

Florida vs. Oklahoma

Florida vs Oklahoma would be a tremendous game to watch, unless it were a bowl game, then we all know Oklahoma would blow it. OU's head man Bob Stoops was once a top assistant for the 'Ol Ball Coach down in Gainesville. Stoops took over the Sooner program and has since returned the team to national prominence. Back when Spurrier left the Gators, Stoops was Jeremy Foley's top choice to take over the program. However, Stoops decided to stay in Norman and the Gators eventually hired another former assistant in Ron Zook. It would be interesting to see Stoops take on his old team in the Swamp. Bobby could explain to his players all day what it's like to play at Ben Hill Griffin, but they still won't be ready for the atmosphere.

2.

Florida vs. West Virginia

Florida vs West Virginia would probably be one of the most exciting games of all time. On one team you have Pat White, Noel Devine and Tito Gonzalez. On the other you have Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Chris Rainey. It would be interesting to see which QB out of Tebow and White would have a better day running the ball. It just might be a battle between the two to see who could score the most touchdowns. Also, the legend of Chris Rainey racing Noel Devine in a supermarket parking lot while the two were in high school has grown to historic proportions. Before the contest, they should have the two race in front of the entire crowd. Imagine all the jukes and moves you would see during the game between the two of them. I would like to see the Gators travel to Morgantown for this one.

3.

Florida vs. USC

Florida vs USC would be a game of historic proportions. The two schools battle it out every year for the top recruiting class in the nation. With this game, the teams will actually get to decide the battle ON the field. Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer are often considered the top 2 coaches in CFB, so it would be quite interesting to see the two go head to head. Florida's high powered offense vs USC's stout defense would come down to a test of wills. I wouldn't mind the Gators making a cross country trip to L.A. to play the Trojans. Perhaps we could introduce a few of the players to Hollywood.

4.

Florida vs. Notre Dame

I would like to see Florida vs Notre Dame just to watch the Gators beat the living shit out of the Irish. For some reason, Notre Dame fans really hold a grudge against the Gators. Perhaps this is because their "golden boy" Urban Meyer decided to come to Gainesville instead of South Bend. Really, can you blame him? I bet Charlie Weis wishes Meyer would have took the Irish job now. I want nothing more than the Gators to walk into South Bend and whip Notre Dame.

5.

Florida vs. Texas

Florida vs Texas would be a really interesting match-up to see. If this game were to take place this season, I'm pretty sure the Gators would be able to handle the Longhorns. But in any given year, Mack Brown's bunch is a threat to go all the way. These two fan bases are both extremely passionate about their respective teams. That's why I would like to see this game played at a neutral site. Perhaps the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. They could divide the tickets evenly. I think it would be great to see Gator and Longhorn fans going back and forth at each other.

I can't wait to get my copy of NCAA '09 so I can play all of these games out. Of course, since I am the G.O.A.T. in NCAA, the Gators will win them all.