10 Consecutive Hours of College Hoops Today!

Well, it ain't a 24 hour marathon, but ESPN is giving college hoops fans another full slate of games to further introduce the 2009-2010 season. Here's the lineup...

1pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off
(19)Georgia Tech vs George Mason [ESPNU]
3pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
(6)Villanova vs (21)Dayton [ESPNU]
5pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(12)California vs (15)Ohio State [ESPN2] 
7pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(4)North Carolina vs (24)Syracuse [ESPN2]
8:30pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
Ole Miss vs Kansas State [ESPNU]

OK, so technically it is nine and a half hours of college hoops, but you get the point. ESPN has put together a great day of college hoops action that features seven ranked teams. The only game of the day that doesn't feature a ranked team is the finale between K-State and Ole Miss, but that game will feature one of the country's top freshman (K-State's Wally Judge) and one of the NBA's top sophomore prospects (Terico White from Ole Miss).

Top Prospect Will Be A Tar Heel

The rich will get richer in college basketball next year. The North Carolina Tar Heels recently received a commitment from Ames, Iowa product Harrison Barnes. Barnes, a 6'8 small forward, is near unanimously considered to be the top prep player in the country this year and holds the top spot in the ESPNU Top 100. He considered Duke, UCLA, Kansas, and Oklahoma before deciding that he would bleed Carolina blue. Barnes will join the currently talented North Carolina as a member of a 2010 recruiting class that also includes highly ranked guards Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall. Barnes' commitment means that the Heels now have pledges from three of the country's top 20 high schoolers.

Here's a look at the top prospect in action....

Heisman Watch (Week 11)

At this point, I'm only including two candidates on my Heisman watch. I refuse to include Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy for their name recognition, and I absolutely will not stand for Jimmy Clausen's fraudulent candidacy that has been based simply upon the fact that he is the starting quarterback for Notre Dame. There are really only two candidates for the award and only one candidate can actually win it. The Heisman race has been a runaway...by default

THE LIKELY WINNER 
Mark Ingram (So.) RB - Alabama
1297 Rushing Yards
10 Rushing Touchdowns
25 Receptions
225 Receiving Yards
3 Receiving Touchdowns

• Ingram hasn't done anything that warrants him being a runaway winner, but he has been the most consistent player on a team that is currently undefeated and controls their destiny in the national championship race. If Ingram can lead the Tide past Florida, there is no one who can take this award away from him. That would make the sophomore the best skill position player on the undefeated and nearly undisputed top ranked team in the country. It would also eliminate the idea of Tim Tebow receiving the award as a lifetime achievement award due to a lack of worthy candidates.
  

THE RUNNER-UP WHO SHOULD BE THE FRONT RUNNER
Case Keenum (Jr.) Quarterback - Houston
4194 Passing Yards
31 Passing Touchdowns (6 Interceptions)
103 Rushing Yards
3 Rushing Touchdowns
155.8 Passer Efficiency Rating
69.7% Completion Percentage

• Case Keenum has posted amazing stats against quality competition all year, and even in his team's two upset losses, Keenum has posted Heisman worthy efforts. Unfortunately for him, it is highly unlikely that a player will receive the Heisman with losses to UTEP and UCF stashed in his otherwise stellar portfolio. Keenum could have one more chance to impress on national TV if Houston can advance to the Conference USA Championship. However, that opportunity is not in Keenum's able hands. The SMU Mustangs lead the C-USA West Division by a game and must lose to either Marshall on the road (possible) or Tulane at home (very unlikely) to vault Case's Cougar's into the spotlight one more time. If Keenum can find his way into the C-USA championship game and give an unbelievable performance...something along the lines of 450 yards and 5 touchdowns (and this is very possible)...He may be able to make this a debate again.
  

Now Showing: College Hoops Marathon on the ESPN Family of Networks

College basketball season is now beginning to press down on the throttle. For the second straight year, ESPN will be broadcasting a 24-hour college hoops marathon that for the entire calender day of Tuesday. The hoop fest will be highlighted by a primetime double header. (2)Michigan State and Gonzaga will play at 7pm, followed by a rematch of the 2006 National Championship when (1)Kansas and Memphis take the court. Here's the rundown of what will take place over the next 24 hours.

• The marathon starts off in Westwood at 9pm PST when UCLA meets Cal State Fullerton. This game is being played as I write this.
  
• At 11pm PST, San Diego State tips off at St. Mary's. This game will feature Matt Dellavedova of St. Mary's. The freshman guard is the next big time Australian import in college basketball. Fans hope that will make the Gaels forget that Patty Mills should still be in a St. Mary's uniform. JUCO transfer Malcolm Thomas is also a big time newcomer that will suit up on the opposite end for the Aztecs.
  
• At 11pm Hawaiian Standard Time, the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii will host Northern Colorado.
• In one of the days more interesting tip times, St. Peter's (NJ) will tip off against Monmouth at 6am EST in the first game that actually starts on Tuesday in the time zone that it is being played in.
• Drexel tips off against Niagara at 8am EST in what may be a sleeper pick to be the marathon's best games.
• At 10am EST, (23)Clemson will travel to Liberty and will breathe a sigh of relief when they realize that Seth Curry is no longer there. 
• The noon EST game will showcase top mid-major Siena against Northeastern. This will be a great opportunity to see one of the nation's best kept secrets play before march.
• Another NBA lottery prospect takes the court at 2pm. Don't miss the chance to watch dominating center Jerome Jordan suit up for Tulsa at home against UA-Little Rock.






• The marquee games begin at 4pm when Temple goes to (20)Georgetown in a game that will have tournament implications five months from now. Temple will breathe much easier on Selection Sunday with an early win over the Hoyas in their back pocket.
• After over 15 hours of hoops on ESPN, ESPN2 gets into the action when Pittsburgh hosts a depleted Binghamton squad in the College Basketball Experience.
• At 6pm, the Pre-Season NIT kicks off on ESPN from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• At 6pm CST, ESPNU shows the ladies some love when the Lady Vols of (8)Tennessee go on the road to play the Lady Raiders from Texas Tech.
• At 7:30pm EST, (22)Louisville host Arkansas and their hired gun Rotnei Clarke on ESPN2. If you haven't switched to college basketball mode yet, you already missed Clark's 51 point outburst that included 13 three pointers in the opening game of the season.

• The action gets serious at 8pm on ESPN when (2)Michigan State faces an early test against Gonzaga and their highly touted German import Elias Harris.
• Another Big Ten team takes the floor at the same time one time zone over at 7pm CST as Illinois host in-state opponent Northern Illinois on ESPN360.com 
• Duquesne, a very solid program out of the Atlantic 10, will try to knock off a down Iowa team in Ames. That game tips off at 8pm CST on ESPNU
• More ladies action, this time on ESPN2, when (1)Uconn squares off against (14)Texas at 8:30pm CST on ESPN2.
• In the marathon's headlining matchup, Memphis plays (1)Kansas on a nuetral floor in St. Louis as a part of the Hall of Fame Showcase. This will be a good litmus test for the Memphis program under new coach Josh Pastner. 
• The Marathon will close with a 8:30pm MST Pre-Season NIT matchup that will be played on the campus of Arizona State.

If you think this marathon won't include any quality basketball, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton are playing double overtime at Pauley Pavilion as we speak.

College Football Walkthrough (Week 11)

I haven't done this in a while, but I'm sure you haven't forget how it goes...so let's walk it out.

• (25)West Virginia will try to knock off (5)Cincinnati as a road underdog tonight at 8pm on ESPN. The Big East continues to provide football fans with primetime weeknight matchups that have BCS implications. Bearcat backup quarterback Zach Collaros will start again for Cincinnati and Mountaineer running back Noel Devine will suit up for West Virginia. If the Mounties win this game, they will control their BCS destiny 12 weeks in to the season. No one is talking about them as a BCS team, but Noel Devine could lead them there with wins over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
• Watch Michigan continue to free fall under Rich Rodriguez at noon on the Big Ten Network. The (20)Wisconsin Badgers get their turn to beat on the Wolverines this week. Coach Rodriguez needs to finagle a win out of a ending two game slate that includes Wisky and Ohio State if he intends to send the Wolverines bowling this year. I suggest that he better pull out all the stops to beat the Badgers.
• Tennessee and Mississippi meet in Oxford at noon on CBS. This game becomes more intriguing with the news that 3 Volunteer football players were arrested on charges of armed robbery last this week.
• Florida State travels to Wake Forest as both teams try to bounce back from devastating losses. ESPNU has the coverage at noon.
• THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS ARE IN THE HUNT FOR THE ACC TITLE IN WEEK ELEVEN! Duke can tie the (7)Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the conference loss column if they can beat them at home in Durham on ESPN2. Kickoff is at noon.
  
• The Ol' Ball Coach gets his old team in his new backyard with the chance to throw a monkey wrench into the national title race. The South Carolina Gamecocks host the (1)Florida Gators at 3:30 on CBS.    
• The Potato Bowl between 7-3 Idaho and undefeated (6)Boise State has lost some of its luster since the Idaho Vandals have recently lost two games (to Fresno State and Nevada) and their starting quarterback (Nate Enderle), but it is still the biggest game in the history of the rivalry and it is a shame that no one could pick up this game for national television coverage. The Vandals and Broncos kickoff on the blue turf at 3:30pm. 
• Stanford plays at (9)USC fresh off of dismantling the Oregon team that dominated the Trojans. The Cardinal have an outside shot at the Rose Bowl in the same way that bruising running back Toby Gerhart has an outside chance at the Heisman. USC also has BCS aspirations to keep alive if they can win out. FSN has the coverage at 3:30pm.
• (10)Iowa will try to salvage their season at the Horseshoe against the (11)Ohio State Buckeyes as a part of ABC's 3:30pm regional coverage. The Hawkeyes will start Iowa high school football legend James Vandenberg in the stead of the injured Ricky Stanzi.
• Fresno State and Nevada clash in Reno for the right to be Boise State's second banana in the WAC. You can watch this one at 4pm on ESPN360.com.  
• (2)Alabama has a tricky game against Mississippi State in Starkville. Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen gets every ounce out of every one of his players. The Dogs could surpise people and keep this game close. Kickoff is at 7pm on ESPN.
• The (17)Arizona Wildcats go to Strawberry Canyon to play Cal.If the Cats continue to win they will find themselves in the Rose Bowl. This game isn't nationally televised, but the opening kick is at 7pm.
• Auburn and Georgia meet between the hedges as the Dawgs try to save their season and the Tigers look to build on their impressive run under first year coach Gene Chizik. ESPN2 has the coverage at 7pm.
• The Versus Network made a great decision when they decided to start broadcasting Mountain West football. They'll be televising the Amateur Status Game of the Week this week when (4)TCU and (16)Utah meet with the conference title hanging in the balance. ESPN's College Gameday will be live from Fort Worth for the occasion. Kickoff is at 7:30pm. 
• Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will have a chance to make Irish fans quickly forget about his second loss in three years to Navy. If the Golden Domers can knock off (12)Pittsburgh under the bright lights of Heinz Field, Weis may ensure himself another season under the helm in South Bend. Pittsburgh also looks to break into the top ten and stay hot as they get closer to their showdown with undefeated Cincinnati. This 8pm kickoff is a part of ABC's primetime regional coverage.
• (19)Oklahoma State tries to continue towards a possible Cotton Bowl birth when they welcome Mike Leach and his Red Raiders to Stillwater. If you're a betting man, take the over in this one because the scoreboard will change frequently. This is the other half of ABC's primetime regional coverage at 8pm

There are plenty of good games this week, and most importantly, some of the murky conference races will become a little clearer after the day's action. A win by Duke against Georgia Tech however, would throw the ACC into a tailspin. 

Women's College Basketball Pre-Season All-Americans

These are the All-Americans on the women's side...a certain freshman may see her name written twice.

Women's College Basketball All-Americans
C - Brittney Griner (Baylor)
F - Jayne Appel (Stanford)
F - Maya Moore (Connecticut)
G - Monica Wright (Virginia)
C - Tina Charles (Connecticut)
F - Alysha Clark (Middle Tennessee State)
F - Elena Delle Donne (Delaware)
C - Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) 
G - Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State)
G - Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga)

F - Deirdre Naughton (DePaul)
G - Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma)
------------------------------------------------------------

Women's College Basketball Freshman All-Americans 
C - Britney Griner (Baylor)
G - China Crosby (Virginia)
G - Skyler Diggins (Notre Dame)
F - Elena Della Donne (Delaware)
C - Kelsey Bone (South Carolina)
F - Destiny Williams (Illinois)
G - Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (North Carolina)
F - Tierra Rogers (California)
C - Monique Oliver (Rutgers)
C - Joslyn Tinkle (Stanford)
F - Markel Walker (UCLA)
C - Cokie Reed (Texas)

Amateur Status Women's College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25

Amateur Status hasn't shown to much love to the women's game so far, but with the ladies tipping off this week along with the men, it's time to let you know who will be the teams to beat in women's college basketball. Here is the Amateur Status Women's College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25. 

1. Connecticut Huskies
2. Baylor Bears
3. Stanford Cardinal
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
5. Ohio State Buckeyes 
6. North Carolina Tar Heels 
7. Duke Blue Devils
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Michigan State Spartans
10. Virginia Cavaliers
11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. Texas Longhorns
13. Arizona State Sun Devils 
14. Florida State Seminoles
15. California Bears
16. LSU Tigers
17. Louisville Cardinals 
18. Pittsburgh Panthers
19. DePaul Blue Demons
20. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
21. Xavier Musketeers 
22. Kansas Jayhawks
23. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
25. Maryland Terrapins


After ranking the top eight teams, this ended up being one of the hardest polls I've ever done. After the elite teams, there is a lot of parity in the women's game.

See Which College Basketball Team is Sporting New Threads This Season

College basketball season started today with a full slate of televised games, but until your favorite team takes the court, check out this interesting story from ESPN's Paul Lukas about all of this season's new uniforms and updated court designs. Lukas is the man behind the UniWatch website and blog. He is the czar of everything jersey related in sports.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/091109&sportCat=ncb

Heisman Watch (Week 10)

Here are the four players (in no particular order) I've deemed to be Heisman worthy so far this season....the list may surprise you.

 
Jordan Shipley (Sr.) Wide Receiver - Texas
64 Receptions
777 Receiving Yards
5 Receiving Touchdowns
2 Punt Returns for Touchdowns





 




Mark Ingram (So.) Running Back - Alabama
1004 Rushing Yards
19 Receptions
186 Receiving Yards
8 Rushing Touchdowns
3 Receiving Touchdowns

 
Golden Tate (Jr.) Wide Receiver - Notre Dame 
56 Receptions
927 Receiving Yards
9 Receiving Touchdowns
155 Rushing Yards
2 Rushing Touchdowns







Kellen Moore (So.) Quarterback - Boise State 
2259 Passing Yards
27 Passing Touchdowns 
3 Interceptions
169.35 Passing Efficiency Rating

Amateur Status College Basketball Mid-Major Preview

Mid-Major basketball is special. Teams fight not just to score more points than their opponent, but also for the respect of the nation. For most of the players at these schools, college basketball isn't a one year stop between high school and the NBA. It is their pinnacle, the highlight of their athletic careers, and they play like it every night. On occasion, some of these schools rise to national prominence, but the elite status of mid-majors is fleeting. The Loyola Marymount Lions, led by Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, was briefly a national power. After Gathers' tragic death, his LMU Lions went on to the Elite Eight without him. With Gathers and his 29 point per game average, they may have won the national championship. Since Kimble led Loyola Marymount on their inspirational run, other teams have received high rankings, high seeds, and have advance deep into the tournament, but only UNLV in 1990 has won a national title. In the past decade, Gonzaga and Kent State have reached the Elite Eight, George Mason reached the Final Four, and Memphis reached the national championship. Excluding Gonzaga, none of those aforementioned teams were in the 2009 tournament field. The Memphis Tigers have carried the Mid-Major banner as the best non power conference program over the past few years, but the departure of coach John Calipari has the Tigers searching for a way to stay on top in their own conference. Davidson lost the best player in the history of their conference, Stephen Curry, to the NBA draft. The Wildcats will also struggle to win their conference after running through the SoCon for the past three years with Curry in the backcourt. The Mid-Major team to beat in 2009-2010 is Butler. They are ranked in nearly everyone's top 15 this year and they have the talent to make a deep run in this year's tournament. 

Here are the top 25 Mid-Major teams in the country this year along with some standout players to watch outside of the six power conferences.    


Pre-Season Mid-Major Top 25 

1. Butler Bulldogs
2. Siena Saints
3. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
4. Memphis Tigers
5. Dayton Flyers
6. Xavier Musketeers
7. Gonzaga Bulldogs
8. BYU Cougars
9. Northern Iowa Panthers
10. San Diego State Aztecs
11. UNLV Rebels
12. Creighton Blue Jays
13. Niagara Purple Eagles
14. Utah State Aggies
15. VCU Rams
16. Cornell Big Red

17. Old Dominion Monarchs 
18. Oakland Grizzlies 
19. Southern Illinois Salukis
20. Portland Pilots
21. Richmond Spiders
22. UTEP Miners
23. Illinois State Redbirds
24. Akron Zips
25. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers


The Best Players in Mid-Major Basketball
F - Matt Howard (Butler)
F - Gordon Heyward (Butler)
G - Shelvin Mack (Butler)
F - Edwin Ubiles (Siena)
C - Jerome Jordan (Tulsa)
G - Doneal Mack (Memphis)
F - Chris Wright (Dayton)
G - Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga)
G - Jonathan Tavernari (BYU)
G - P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton)
F - Larry Sanders (VCU)
G - Ryan Wittman (Cornell)
G - Derrick Nelson (Oakland)
F - Arnett Moultrie (UTEP)
G - Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State)
G - AJ Slaughter (Western Kentucky)
F - Luke Babbitt (Nevada)
G-F Marquis Blakely (Vermont)
G - DJ Rivera (Binghamton)
G - Aubrey Coleman (Houston)
G - James Florence (Mercer)
G - Aaron Jackson (Duquesne)
G - Ryan Thomson (Rider)
G - David Kool (Western Michigan)


The Best Players Transferring into Mid-Majors this Year

G - Elliot Williams (Memphis from Duke)
G - Jordan Crawford (Xavier from Indiana)
G - Derrick Jasper (UNLV from Kentucky)
G - Chace Stanback (UNLV from UCLA)
G - Larry Wright (Oakland from St. John's)
F - Shamari Spears (Charlotte from Boston College)
F - Derrick Caracter (UTEP from Louisville) 
G - Armon Bassett (Ohio from Indiana/UAB)
G - Tony Freeman (Southern Illinois from Iowa)
F - Drew Viney (Loyola Marymount from Oregon)


Mid-Major basketball is always full of surprises. There is really no way to tell who will emerge, but the players and teams listed in this preview are guaranteed to impress barring injury. Also, watch out for Derrick Caracter at UTEP and Armon Bassett at Ohio. Both of those kids are former problem cases that are looking to take advantage of their second chances in the NCAA.

 



   

Division II LeMoyne College Upsets (25)Syracuse in a Pre-Season Matchup!

Take a look at this...



LeMoyne College is a small Jesuit school that has an enrollment of just over 2700. No matter what the Dolphins do this season, nothing will compare to them walking out of the Carrier Dome with a win. Surprisingly, this isn't the first time something like this has happened in college exhibition games. Two years ago, a ranked Michigan State squad loss to Division II Grand Valley State in a pre-season tilt. That game went to double overtime.  

Heisman Watch (Week 7)

Does anyone really want this trophy?

• Tim Tebow has failed to impress week in and week out. 
• Colt McCoy has just been winning ball games, but has yet to have a "wow" moment, let alone a "wow" game.
  
• Sam Bradford's shoulder has eliminated him from the Heisman conversation. 
• Tony Pike's forearm injury may have did him in as well.
• Case Keenum continues to put up big numbers, but Houston's loss to UTEP makes it so hard to take him seriously. 
• Recently anointed darkhorses Golden Tate of Notre Dame and Texas' Jordan Shipley have not stood out since being mentioned as candidates.
  

Have no fear, my latest attempt at adding someone to the Heisman list may go smoother. That's because I am fully committing myself to the Alabama bandwagon by adding Tide running back Mark Ingram to the Heisman Watch. The sophomore has been running wild this year, and went for over 200 against the Gamecocks on Saturday night. He may be the man who steps up and claims this award....an award that is currently going to be given to Tim Tebow by default.

Mark Ingram (So) Running Back - Alabama
905 Rushing Yards
186 Receiving Yards
11 total TDs
NO FUMBLES

College Football Week 7 Walkthrough

Every week of the college football season is special in its own way, but some weeks are destined for more excitement than usual. Before I even get to Saturday's gridiron festivities. (5)Boise State beat a game Tulsa squad 28-21 on Wednesday night and (8)Cincinnati took out (21)USF 34-17 last night despite losing their quarterback, Heisman hopeful Tony Pike, to a forearm injury (Pike will sit next week against Louisville and then be re-evaluated). Just in case you need one final tune up for Saturday, 5-1 Pittsburgh plays at 4-1 Rutgers tonight on ESPN.  Those three weekday specials are a good barometer of what lies ahead for tomorrow. It may not be worth it to leave your house this weekend, because the big time conference matchups are finally upon us, and if that doesn't get your blood pumping, the season's first BCS rankings will be released on Sunday night...those might even get your blood boiling. But without further ado...let's walk it out.

• Why waste time! Let's get right to the Amateur Status game of the week. (3)Texas and (20)Oklahoma meet in the Red River Shootout. Yes, I said SHOOTOUT! Political correctness doesn't belong in football. Kids are smart enough to know that Colt McCoy isn't trying to kill Jordan Shipley when he throws a "bullet"  across the field (the game was recently redubbed the Red River "Rivalry"). The rivalry tilt kicks off at noon from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford must engineer a victory over the Longhorns just to keep his team in the polls next week, while Colt McCoy tries to keep his team on the doorstep of a national title shot. ABC has national coverage.
  
• The noon game on ESPN that no one will be watching is actually a pretty good matchup. (11)Iowa goes to Camp Randall to play 5-1 Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes have an excellent chance of being undefeated when they play Ohio State on November 14th IF they can get past the Badgers in this matchup.     
• Mississippi State is coming off of a tough loss to mid-major power Houston, and they should be weary of Mid Tennessee State as well. The Blue Raiders already knocked off Maryland this year (and last year too). ESPNU has the coverage of this potential upset special at 12:30pm.
• Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks are the next test for Tim Tebow and his top ranked Gators team. It will be interesting to see if Mallet's arm can keep the under manned Hogs in the mix. CBS airs this one at 3:30pm.
• The second big time rivalry game of the day kicks off at 3:30 on NBC. (6)USC will stare into the eyes of "Touchdown Jesus" when they travel to Notre Dame to play the (25)Fighting Irish with the "Jeweled Shillelagh" at stake. This is Charlie Weis' best shot to knock off the Trojans since he has been at Notre Dame...and he is still a ten point underdog. I'll make a prediction on this game and say that an emotional Trojans squad buries Notre Dame once again.
• (14)Penn State will find out the Big Ten's worst kept secret when Minnesota visits Happy Valley...no one in the conference can guard Gopher wide out Eric Decker. ABC has regional coverage of this one at 3:30pm.
• More ABC regional coverage as (15)Nebraska will try to slow down Texas Tech. The Red Raiders may not know who their quarterback will be for the game until the 3:30pm kickoff. Starter Taylor Potts is now battling former walk-on Steven Sheffield for the reins of Mike Leach's pass happy offense.
• (4)Virginia Tech has the toughest assignment of anyone in the top five. The Turkeys must travel to Hotlanta and then attempt to stop the vaunted triple option of (19)Georgia Tech. Tyrod Taylor has his squad looking like a national contender, but the Yellow Jackets' option may confuse the Hokies defense long enough to run away with the game...literally. This one kicks off at 6pm on ESPN2
  
• (2)Alabama welcomes (22)South Carolina to Tuscaloosa in a game that the Tide are very capable of losing. The Old Ball Coach lives for statement games like this, and just when you think the Gamecocks don't have an upset in them, they prove the country wrong. The Gamecocks defense will be ready to play with Alabama, but it will be up to South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia to engineer a late touchdown drive. This SEC matchup kicks off at 7:45pm and airs on ESPN.
• (16)Oklahoma State plays Missouri at home in a 9:15pm primetime slot. It will be the Pokes second game without All-American wide out Dez Bryant. Missouri is coming off of its first loss of the year at the hands of Nebraska. The Tigers need a win in this game if they intend to be the Big 12 North's sacrificial lamb in the Big 12 Championship game. The game airs on ESPN2

Great day of football ahead...with the 1st BCS rankings waiting in the weekend's on deck circle.

Is the Big East Title On the Line Tonight?

(8)Cincinnati meets the (21)USF Bulls at Raymond James Stadium tonight in Tampa. This may be the game of the year in the Big East as these are the conference's only ranked teams mid way through the season. Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike is also holding on to a fledgeling Heisman campaign that can only be justified by an undefeated season. This Bulls team may be more impressive than the 2007 team that rose to number two in the BCS polls, because they have been winning games with their backup quarterback BJ Daniels. Starter Matt Grothe has been the only Bulls quarterback that Big East fans have ever known (he's a four year starter), but the emergence of Daniels proves that head coach Jim Leavitt is stockpiling talent in Tampa, maybe even more than in-state rival Florida State. Where would the Seminoles be if they lost their starting QB, Christian Ponder? Look where they are with him for that matter. Even though Cincinnati is getting most of the hype surrounding a possible BCS title berth, USF has a very manageable schedule and still has an out of conference statement game against another in-state power, (9)Miami. The Bearcats already have some impressive non-conference wins, most notably a road win against Oregon State in Corvallis. Thus, their candidacy for the BCS title has been slightly more legitimized than USF (as exemplified by their top ten ranking). One thing is certain, there will not be a one loss Big East team in the National Championship, so that dream will end tonight for one of these teams, but the Big East title will still be a possibility for the loser. There is also the possibility that neither of these teams wins the conference, as no one knows whether 4-1 West Virginia is an actual contender. Most likely the Mountaineers will be 6-1 when they see USF in Tampa the day before Halloween in their second test of the season (they failed their first one by losing to Auburn). Rutgers can also get back into the hunt, especially if USF hangs a loss on Cincinnati tonight. In conclusion, the Big East is preparing for another exciting finish to the season. Electrifying conference races are becoming a staple of the new Big East.

The Mid-Major Solution?

After the Utah Utes blitzed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year (only to be declared the unbeaten runner-up to Florida), there was more clamoring than ever for a national championship playoff to replace the BCS. While I am a strong proponent of this change, I am also a realist. The truth is that a playoff may never happen in FBS (as it is now called) football. The people (university presidents) that make these types of decisions stand to lose too much money to make such a change. The only thing that provides incentive to them is that it is fair, and it's the right thing to do. Neither of these reasons rank high on a priority list that includes money, money, and more money. Therefore, the change must come from within. There is only one thing that causes teams like Boise State, TCU, BYU, and Utah to hit a glass ceiling in the polls every year. It's their conference schedule. At the end of the season, when the polls matter the most, Ohio State plays Michigan every year. This year Boise State plays their regular season finale against a horrid New Mexico State team. There are two solutions to this problem. One of them is an Elmer's glue patch up solution, and the other one is a Krazy Glue permanent fix. Here's what I'm thinking...

The Elmer's Glue Fix
Former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese created this idea for the 2006 season as a way to showcase what was left of the talent in his conference after the ACC raided them a few years back. Tranghese identified his top teams within the conference and then scheduled them to play each other in the final weeks of conference play. The result of the decision was an epic final three weeks of Big East football that had the same feel as the Big East's basketball tournament. By the end of the season, no one remembered the fact that the bottom of the conference was terrible. What fans remember was that Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia were all undefeated in November and ranked in the top 15. They also recall the three instant classic football games that ended the season, and most importantly, new member Louisville won the Orange Bowl against the same ACC conference that poached three Big East members the year before. The Big East went 5-0 in bowl games during that season, effectively dominating the final two months of the season. Since that miraculous season, no one has seriously questioned the conference's legitimacy again.
With the 2006 season as a model, the Mountain West could Have Utah, TCU, and BYU battle it out in the final two weeks of the season. High drama and gaudy records lead to TV coverage and media attention, two criterion that have way more to do with poll results than they should. In the WAC, the conference is more of a two horse race. In the same way Michigan and Ohio State have battled for the Big Ten in their final game every year since longer than anyone can remember, is there any reason why perennial WAC powers Fresno State and Boise State can't finish the season against each other every year. Wouldn't the Broncos benefit more from hanging 51 points on a Fresno team that was 7-0 in conference rather than dropping them to 1-2 for the year. Weighted scheduling, as the practice is called, could be the counter punch to the BCS system. If Utah, TCU, and BYU all enter the final two weeks of the season undefeated and in the top 10, why not let a mid-major team play for the BCS National Championship if their last two games were wins over what the BCS ranked as Top 10 competition. This system would work at least once a decade, and when it does, it will leave memories in the mind of college football fans that will hold over until it happens again.

The Krazy Glue Solution
Sometimes, you can get by with beating the system, but there are other times when you have to take the jackhammer to it. While weighted scheduling may seem like a good idea, the only way to permanently crash the BCS party is an all out mid-major revolt. The plan is simple, create a conference that is undoubtedly worthy of a BCS bid. Do you think the Mountain West would get a BCS bid if it look like this...
 
BYU - currently ranked, winners of the 1984 National Championship, QB Ty Detmer won the Heisman 
TCU - currently ranked, 2 time National Champions, alma mater of LaDanian Tomlinson and Sammy Baugh
Utah - defending champions of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, 2-0 all-time in BCS games
Air Force - over 300 wins in only 49 years of football, 39 academic All-Americans
Colorado State - over 100 years of football, 15 conference titles, 6 All-Americans
UNLV - the school is in Vegas...enough said
Hawaii - the school is in Hawaii...enough said (they also appeared in the 2008 Sugar Bowl)
Fresno State - 12 wins over power conference teams since 2000...that's 2 out of 3 per year
Boise State - currently ranked, winners of the 2007 Fiesta bowl, the school has a .704 winning percentage
Tulsa - over 100 years of football, ranked in the BCS as recently as 2006
Houston - currently ranked, former members of a power conference, QB Andre Ware won the Heisman
SMU - 3 recognized National Championships, RB Doak Walker won the Heisman

 Try to justify sending the champion of this conference to a non-BCS bowl!

While your browsing the revised Mountain West, note that this is a 12 team conference which means that there will be a conference championship game. You can't tell me you don't want to see Boise St. and TCU play for a conference championship live from the Hula Bowl in Hawaii, or dare I say...Las Vegas! This conference has everything you would want in a power conference. You want Great programs? I give you Boise State, Fresno State, BYU, Utah, and TCU along with the winning tradition of schools like Houston (during the David Klingler and Andre Ware years), SMU (during the Pony Express years), Air Force (during the Fisher Deberry Era), and Colorado St. (under Sonny Lubick). You want great coaches? How about Pat Hill at Fresno, Chris Peterson at Boise, and the bevy of young coaches that would become fixtures in the new conference (Kyle Whittingham at Utah, Bronco Mendenhall at BYU, and Kevin Sumlin at Houston). Heck, the conference features two teams that have already won a national championship (TCU and BYU). The WAC and Conference USA will lose their marquee teams but they will have programs that will be ready to takeover. I would bet that San Jose State and Nevada would surge in a new WAC conference, while Conference USA still has solid programs like Southern Miss and Marshall to lean on, but this is bigger than those two conferences. It's about the opportunity to be included in the BCS party and get the slice of the pie that is so important to everyone outside of the BCS conferences. Someone has to make the sacrifice. The storylines that are put into play here are undeniable. How great would it be to see big time college football in places like Hawaii, Vegas, Dallas, and Houston? The conference is even rooted in two of the largest and most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation (Texas and California). The talent of these schools would sky rocket, and twenty years from now, no one will even remember a conversation concerning their inclusion in the BCS.   


 

(4)Boise State May Unfortunately Make Their Final Statement Tonight in Tulsa

The (4)Boise State Broncos play tonight at 4-1 Tulsa in what may end up being their last big game of the season (unless Idaho can keep it rolling until the last game of the conference slate). The Golden Hurricanes have a tough defense and a playmaking receiver (Tennessee transfer Slick Shelley), two things Boise State hasn't faced since they dismantled Oregon. If Boise St. wants to play in the National Championship, the Broncos need to win this game impressively and then become Tulsa fans for the rest of the year. The Broncos could make a case for the bid if they finish undefeated with wins over the winners of both the Conference USA (which could be Tulsa if they win their showdown with Houston) and the Pac-10 (a conference that Oregon currently leads). If Fresno State wins out, Boise State's blowout victory over the Bulldogs will also stand out. Boise State ran the Dogs off the field while Wisconsin and highly ranked Cincinnati nearly loss to them. Boise State has established themselves as the premiere mid-major program in college football, but if they want to take the next step towards contending for a national title, they must take on a more aggressive scheduling mentality. They could actually take a few pages from the Fresno State playbook by adopting their "anybody, anywhere" mantra. Unlike Fresno, who competes with heart, good coaching, and a few star players (i.e. running back Ryan Mathews), Boise St. has the overall talent to beat teams like Wisconsin and Cincinnati. They may have to go out and schedule them. Boise State is fielding a national championship contending team that is only playing a Fiesta Bowl contending schedule. Thus, they find themselves in the precarious situation of rooting for teams like Oregon, Tulsa, and Idaho to win out in order to make the argument that they are playing formidable opponents. However, there is one thing to add to this conundrum, NO ONE WANTS TO SEE BOISE STATE ON THEIR SCHEDULE! I applaud Oregon for actually putting them on the schedule, but who else will be brave enough to do it after watching the Ducks get throttled two years in a row. In fact, this may be the program's real problem.

Amateur Status College Basketball Big 12 Preview

The Big 12 will be fun to watch this year. There will be NBA draft picks across the board (Cole Aldrich, Craig Brackins, Willie Warren) and talented freshman (Wally Judge, Xavier Henry, Avery Bradley) making an instant impact as well. You can even expect to see a transfer (the immediately eligible Jai Lucas goes to Texas from Florida, while former Wolverine Epke Udoh joins the Baylor front line and heavily recruited Curtis Kelly will finally see some minutes at K-State after coming from the end of Uconn's bench) make a move towards star status. Despite all the talent remaining in the league this year. The Big 12 race will still be contended solely by Kansas and Texas. The conference may come down to which potentially one and done freshman has the most impact on his respective team.

Big 12 Rankings
1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Baylor Bears
4. Kansas State Wildcats
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys
7. Texas A&M Aggies
8. Missouri Tigers
9. Iowa State Cyclones
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers
12. Colorado Buffaloes

 All-Big 12 Team 
C - Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
G - Sherron Collins (Kansas)
F - LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor)
F - Craig Brackins (Iowa St.)
G - Willie Warren (Oklahoma)
G - Denis Clemente (Kansas State)
G - James Anderson (Oklahoma State)
G - Cory Higgins (Colorado)
F - Damion James (Texas)

All-Big 12 Rookie Team
G - Avery Bradley (Texas)
G - Xavier Henry (Kansas)
F/C - Keith Gallon (Oklahoma)
G - Tommy Mason-Griffin (Oklahoma)
F - Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
F - Wally Judge (Kansas State)
 

Amateur Status College Basketball Pac-10 Preview

The Pac-10 has become the forgotten power conference in college basketball. With games that routinely air at midnight on the east coast, basketball fans have not received the chance to see some of the top talent in the Pac-10 and thus have a low opinion of the conference. Before you call me crazy for ranking Washington in the top ten, set your alarm clock and check out a few latenight Pac-10 games on Fox Sports. You will be presently surprised by the amount of talent that resides in the pacific. 

Pac-10 Rankings
1. Washington Huskies
2. California Golden Bears
3. UCLA Bruins
4. USC Trojans
5. Arizona Wildcats
6. Oregon Ducks 
7. Washington St. Cougars
8. Oregon St. Beavers
9. Arizona St. Sun Devils
10. Stanford Cardinal

All-Pac 10 Team
G - Nic Wise (Arizona)
G - Patrick Christopher (California)
G - Jerome Randle (California)
G - Tajuan Porter (Oregon)
G - Klay Thompson (Washington State)
G - Dwight Lewis (USC)

All-Pac 10 Rookie Team
F - Solomon Hill (Arizona)
G - Abdul Gaddy (Washington)
F - Jamil Wilson (Oregon)
F - Brock Motum (Washington State)
C - Kyryl Natyazhko (Arizona)

Amateur Status College Basketball SEC Preview

Ever since Florida's super team (Noah, Green, Brewer, Horford, and Humphries) left the SEC after winning two straight national championships, the conference has been searching for a team to be the conference's flag bearer. The search has not gone well. The league actually flirted with being a single bid conference until a few teams stepped up in March to secure bids, but have no fear SEC fans, help is on the way. John Calipari has arrived in Lexington and he brought Worldwide Wes with him...but you didn't hear that from me (You will here more about William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley later on in this blog...I promise. Just in case your in need of more info, click here). The point is, nearly half of the All-SEC Freshman Team team will be playing for Calipari this year. Mississippi St. State freshman Renardo Sidney also will also claim a spot on the All-Shady Dealings Freshman Team (if you need any background information on the Renardo Sidney story, click here). The aforementioned Sidney and Kentucky's entire recruiting class will team up with fellow newbies Kenny Boynton (Florida) and John Jenkins (Vanderbilt) to inject a shot of sorely needed talent into the SEC. The SEC will be back in contention on the national stage this year, and it will have it's young guns to thank.

SEC Rankings
1. Kentucky Wildcats
2. Tennessee Volunteers
3. Mississippi State Bulldogs
4. Ole Miss Running Rebels
5. Florida Gators 
6. Vanderbilt Commodores
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
8. South Carolina Gamecocks
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
10. LSU Tigers
11. Georgia Bulldogs
12. Auburn Tigers 

All-SEC Team
F - Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
F - Michael Washington (Arkansas)
G - Courtney Fortson (Arkansas)
F - JaMychal Green (Alabama)
G - Senario Hillman (Alabama)
F - Trey Thompkins (Georgia)
G - Terrico White (Ole Miss)
G - Chris Warren (Ole Miss)
F - Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State)
G - Devan Downey (South Carolina)
F - Tyler Smith (Tennessee)
C - AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

All-SEC Rookie Team
G - John Wall (Kentucky)
G - Kenny Boynton Jr. (Florida)
F - DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)
F - Renardo Sidney (Mississippi State)
G - John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G - Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky)
C - Daniel Orton (Kentucky)
F - Tony Mitchell (Alabama)

Amateur Status College Basketball ACC Preview

The ACC has been the glamour conference of college basketball for some time. It features the game's most fierce rivalry (Duke/North Carolina) and some of the best coaches you will find in either college or the NBA. Most importantly, these ACC teams are stockpiled with talent. When's the last time you've seen a consensus top 5 prospect sign with a team that had TWO conference wins. You see it in the ACC. This is the conference where Derrick Favors looks to engineer an instant turnaround at Georgia Tech. Even potential bottom feeder Virginia has a stud that can light you up for thirty. He goes by the name of Sylven Landesberg. The Big East is a super conference, true, but there are no off nights in the ACC. Every team in this conference has the talent to beat a top ranked team. 

ACC Rankings
1. Duke Blue Devils
2. North Carolina Tar Heels
3. Maryland Terrapins
4. Boston College Golden Eagles
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
6. Clemson Tigers
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
9. Florida St. Seminoles
10. Virginia Tech Hokies
11. Virginia Cavaliers
12. North Carolina State Wolfpack

All-ACC Team
G - Jon Scheyer (Duke)
F - Kyle Singler (Duke)
F - Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech)
G - Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)
G - Sylven Landesberg (Virginia)
F - Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
G - Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech)
F - Trevor Booker (Clemson)
F - Dwayne Collins (Miami)
F - Ed Davis (North Carolina)

ACC All-Rookie Team
F - Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
F - John Henson (North Carolina)
F - Ryan Kelly (Duke)
G - Michael Snaer (Florida State)
G - Durand Scott (Miami)
F - Milton Jennings (Clemson)
F - Ari Stewart (Wake Forest)
G - Dexter Strickland (North Carolina)
F - Mason Plumlee (Duke)
F - David Wear (North Carolina)
F - Travis Wear (North Carolina)

 

Amateur Status College Basketball Big Ten Preview

The Big Ten basketball conference takes all types of heat for being boring, sloppy, and a hack fest. The truth is that in a country that is affixed with the high flying exploits of Lebron James and the rest of the NBA, people can't appreciate the type of basketball that is played in the midwest. The scrappy defense, meticulous offensive sets, and the all out wars that take place in the paint may not be fun to watch, but it is beautiful in its own way. Not to mention that it is very successful in the NCAA Tournament. You wouldn't confuse Michigan St. and Purdue with the Showtime Lakers, but they are two of the best teams in the country. Big Ten basketball is ugly, but expect several teams from this conference to get the job done in March. 
 
Big Ten Rankings
1. Michigan St. Spartans
2. Purdue Boilermakers
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Ohio St. Buckeyes
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers
6. Wisconsin Badgers
7. Northwestern Wildcats
8. Illinois Fighting Illini
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
10. Indiana Hoosiers
11. Iowa Hawkeyes

All-Big Ten Team 
G - Manny Harris (Michigan)
F - DeShawn Sims (Michigan)
G - Kalin Lucas (Michigan State)
F - Kevin Coble (Northwestern)
G/F - Evan Turner (Ohio State)
G - Talor Battle (Penn State)
F - Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
C - JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
G - E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)
G - Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin)

All-Big Ten Rookie Team
F - Christian Watford (Indiana)
G - Darius Morris (Michigan)
C - Derrick Nix (Michigan State)
G - Alex Marcotullio (Northwestern)
G - Maurice Creek (Indiana)
G - DJ Richardson (Illinois)

Amateur Status College Basketball Big East Preview

Since the Big East decided to form a basketball mega conference. I have had to constatnly reminded people that this is nothing like we have ever seen before in college basketball. The current incarnation of the Big East is the best conference in the HISTORY of college basketball...and I challenge anyone to make a case against that statement. The 11th best team in this conference would contend for a conference championship in the SEC or the Pac-10...and that isn't being said as an insult to those conferences. The Big East is that good...and the players know it. Is there any conference tournament with the atmosphere of the Big East. That's because the Big East is the best group of 16 teams your going to see until the Sweet 16 in mid March. 

Big East Rankings
1.Villanova Wildcats
2. West Virginia Mountaineers 
3. Georgetown Hoyas
4. Connecticut Huskies
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
6. Louisville Cardinals
7. Cincinnati Bearcats 
8. Pittsburgh Panthers 
9. Syracuse Orange
10. St. John's Red Storm
11.  Seton Hall Pirates
12. Marquette Golden Eagles
13. Providence Friars
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
15. USF Bulls
16. DePaul Blue Demons

All-Big East Team
F - Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
G - Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)
F - Greg Monroe (Georgetown)
G - Deonta Vaughn (Cincinnati)
G - Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
F - Samardo Samuels (Louisville)
G - Mike Rosario (Rutgers)
G - Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall)
F - Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia)
F - Devin Ebanks (WestVirginia)
F - Mac Koshwal (DePaul)
F - Lazar Hayward (Marquette)


Big East All-Rookie Team
G - Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati)
G - Peyton Siva (Louisville)
F  - Dante Taylor (Pittsburgh)
G - Dwight Hardy* (St. John's)
G - Dominic Cheek (Villanova)
G - Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
G - Casey Mitchell (West Virginia)
G - Junior Cadougan (Marquette)
F - Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova)
*JUCO Transfer

Why Rich...Why?

One of the more interesting storylines of this young college football season has been the play of the Michigan Wolverines true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. Forcier, a California native, enrolled at the University of Michigan in January and quickly wrestled the starting job away from incompetent incumbent Nick Sheridan. Forcier was essentially the man at quarterback since day one, and he did not disappoint once the season began.  Half way through his freshman season, Forcier has continually been lauded for his poise and confidence. He has already engineered thrilling 4^th quarter comebacks against Notre Dame, Indiana, and Michigan St. (a game they would lose in overtime). So when the Wolverines trailed (12) Iowa by nine in the fourth quarter of their primetime matchup. I much like everyone else who bleeds Michigan Blue (I grew up in Michigan) expected more heroics from the freshman some have simply began to call “The Force”. Unfortunately, “The Force” was never unleashed down the stretch against the Hawkeyes. Beleaguered Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez decided to bench his star freshman in favor of another highly touted freshman, Denard Robinson, a lightning quick run first quarterback from Florida who goes by the name “Shoelaces” (a tribute to his affinity for playing with untied shoes). Rodriguez was understandably disappointed with his freshman starter after a 4^th quarter drive began with a delay of game penalty and was executed terribly by Forcier and the Wolves were forced to punt after three downs. He responded by turning to Robinson, a move he has made often to ignite the Michigan offense if it becomes stagnant. As it often has this year, the switch to Robinson delivered immediate dividends. Shoelaces methodically scooted down the field for a touchdown against a tired Hawkeyes defense. After the Michigan defense forced Iowa to punt, I was sure that Forcier would return to provide more 4^th quarter magic. Forcier, a gifted athlete who is talented on the run as well and a much more polished passer than Robinson, was seemingly born for two minute drill situations. So please imagine my surprise when “Shoelaces” ran onto the field for the Wolverines last chance at staying in the race for the Big Ten title. Forcier, already proven in such situations, remained on the sideline. Robinson, who does have a very impressive arm, is still terribly one dimensional at this point in his career. He showed his immaturity by failing to see a wide receiver open on the sidelines on the second play of the drive. Instead of hitting Martavious Odoms for a gain of maybe twenty yards and a stoppage of the clock, Robinson overthrew a pass forced into coverage. The pass was intercepted and the game was over. Robinson was visibly distraught by his decision, but he should not blame himself. He was put in a position to fail by his head coach. I can assure you that when Michigan goes over there two minute offense in practice…Tate Forcier is not sitting on the sidelines. Rich Rodriguez, in an attempt to chastise his freshman starter for a bad drive (and maybe even a bad attitude afterwards), may have ruined the confidence of both his starter and his backup. The quarterback situation at Michigan will be a ongoing story for years to come. Forcier and Robinson are both true freshman and Michigan has a solid commitment (if there is such a thing anymore) from the #1 high school signal caller in the country, Michigan native Devin Gardner. I’m interested to see how Rich Rodriguez handles his quarterback situation through the rest of this year and the years to come. I for one think that he has already gotten off to a bad start.