BIG EAST GOES WEST, MY COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR & DID YOU SEE SVU TONIGHT?
Sorry there was no new post this morning, I'm really under the weather, I hope to catch up tomorrow.
The Big East had to make a move, after losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh & West Virginia, they were down to just 5 teams for next season. No longer as they added 5 teams today. Boise State & San Diego State will join as football only conference members. Then they added 3 teams from Conference-USA, Houston, SMU & Central Florida. With the exit of Boise & SDS plus the move of TCU to the Big-12, the Mountain West Conference is left with just 5 teams. As I see it, they have two choices, merge with the WAC, which has 8-teams or move into Conference-USA two division league, still with 9-teams after losing three schools today. Air Force & Navy could also join the Big East after their current scheduling commitments are met, which could happen by 2014. Now Boise State(Big East) & TCU(Big-12) are members of BCS conferences with automatic bids.
For the first of my college post-season awards for the 2011 season, I'll begin with Coach of the Year. The nominees are:
Les Miles-LSU
The "Mad Hatter" overcame numerous off-field problems with his roster loaded with NFL talent. He went with backup QB Jarrett Lee for three games until suspended Jordan Jefferson was reinstated. Miles' Tigers beat 8 top-25 teams by an average of 22-points per win. They opened the season pounding Oregon, moved onto a road beatdown of West Virginia by 26 & the Tigers were off to the races. Only a rematch with Alabama, who they defeated in Tuscaloosa, can keep them from a third BCS Championship in 8-years.
Brady Hoke--Michigan
When the former San Diego State coach came to Ann Arbor, hopes were high, but Hoke exceeded them. He took the 107th ranked defense from last year & finished with the 17th ranking nationally. They won 10-games, were ranked in the top-25 all season & received a BCS bowl bid to play in the Sugar bowl. But most importantly, his Wolverines snapped an 8-game losing streak to their arch rival, Ohio State. That alone made Hoke the best thing in Ann Arbor for many years.
Bill Snyder--Kansas State
I saw 10 of the Wildcats 12 games & I can personally assure you Bill Snyder did more with less than any coach I know of this season. The talent level of Snyder's team is one that produces 4-5 wins. K-State won 10-games & will face off with Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. They should have been considered for the Sugar Bowl opposite Michigan, but that's another story.
Lane Kiffin--USC
Was never a popular coach with yours truly. I always thought he was highly overrated. But the job Kiffin did with a team that knew before the season began they wouldn't be going anywhere because of an NCAA imposed post-season ban. Admittedly, his roster, like Miles', is stocked with future NFL players, but taking this team to a 10-2 mark with basically nothing to play for was impressive. Especially taking Stanford to 3 overtimes before losing & then going to Oregon & beating the Ducks who were still in the running for the BCS title game, was amazing. I think if Kiffin can keep his program clean, he'll be at USC for a very long time.
Mike Gundy--Oklahoma State
Lost one game, a double overtime loss at Iowa State. His Cowboys beat 5 top-25 teams, whipping OU by 34 & Baylor by 35. Gundy has steadily improved OSU's national standing, finally making a BCS bowl, a Fiesta Bowl date with Stanford. Like Hoke, Gundy broke an 8-year losing streak to their arch rival Oklahoma in the "Bedlam" game.
And the winner of the RFR College Coach of the Year is..............Bill Snyder
RFR's 2011 College Coach of the Year
The Big-12 announced their all-conference teams on Wednesday & I have a couple of complaints(major surprise right?). Other than NFL scouts, I doubt anyone has watched as many Big-12 games as me. That being said, I feel my insight is founded. I know with Mizzou leaving the conference, there will be folks who won't vote for anything "Tiger" so I want to set the record straight on two players. Senior defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton was given the "Honorable Mention" tag & frankly it's way off. Hamilton should have been a 1st teamer. Another defender, sophomore E.J. Gaines leads the conference in passes broken up with 15. In a league with an abundance of spread offenses, excellent quarterbacks & wide receivers, leading the league in pass breakups plus a pair of picks & 49 solo tackles should get you a spot on the first team. Gaines was voted onto the 2nd team. RB Henry Josey, altho injured for the last 3 games of the season, still made the first team after leading the conference in rushing. He joined Baylor's Terrence Ganaway in the backfield, also the right choice. Tight end Michael Egnew also made first team. The reference I made about Bill Snyder's talent level at K-State? The Wildcats had exactly 4 players elected to either the 1st or 2nd teams out of 60 players honored.
As I'm watching the Monday Night Game, I kept an eye on San Diego's new left tackle, Jared Gaither. He played every offensive snap on a team he joined on Wednesday. Their starter, Marcus McNeill was placed on I.R. ten days ago & after Gaither was cut by the Chiefs, the Chargers snapped him up quickly. He did get penalized once for holding but overall he played an excellent game against a very good defensive line. As the games was drawing to a close, I'm saying to myself "Barry Richardson....really?" I know he was flagged for a false start at a crucial time two weeks ago against Pittsburgh, but the Chiefs are playing with a right tackle who is not an NFL quality starter. Keeping Gaither costs them almost nothing, why cut him? If it was a vindictive thing, then we're in trouble if that's more important than winning.
After watching a couple of our favorite sitcoms on Wednesdays, Linda & I have been loyal viewers of "Law & Order SVU" for about a decade now. Tonight their story really hit home & if you have an "On Demand" feature from your cable company or HULU-Plus, you can still see it. It dealt with an ex-NFL quarterback, played brilliantly by Treat Williams, who has CTE(Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), the brain condition that too many ex-players have. Concussions have been proven to be the cause. The short term memory loss, early onset of dementia, impaired decision making, all of it. Of course the story was a little heavy-handed, but believe me, it hit home. They didn't screw with the facts surrounding the condition & the effect it has on not only their lives, but everyone around them. After the tragic suicide of Dave Duerson earlier this year, watching this drama was strong stuff. Like I said, if you have access to it, spend the time to watch it, it will give you excellent background on CTE. The story is heart-breaking.
Just found out minutes ago Hubert Sumlin passed away Sunday. He was a giant in his field. If you don't know Hubert Sumlin, look him up, he was one of the few living originals & will be missed.
The Big East had to make a move, after losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh & West Virginia, they were down to just 5 teams for next season. No longer as they added 5 teams today. Boise State & San Diego State will join as football only conference members. Then they added 3 teams from Conference-USA, Houston, SMU & Central Florida. With the exit of Boise & SDS plus the move of TCU to the Big-12, the Mountain West Conference is left with just 5 teams. As I see it, they have two choices, merge with the WAC, which has 8-teams or move into Conference-USA two division league, still with 9-teams after losing three schools today. Air Force & Navy could also join the Big East after their current scheduling commitments are met, which could happen by 2014. Now Boise State(Big East) & TCU(Big-12) are members of BCS conferences with automatic bids.
For the first of my college post-season awards for the 2011 season, I'll begin with Coach of the Year. The nominees are:
Les Miles-LSU
The "Mad Hatter" overcame numerous off-field problems with his roster loaded with NFL talent. He went with backup QB Jarrett Lee for three games until suspended Jordan Jefferson was reinstated. Miles' Tigers beat 8 top-25 teams by an average of 22-points per win. They opened the season pounding Oregon, moved onto a road beatdown of West Virginia by 26 & the Tigers were off to the races. Only a rematch with Alabama, who they defeated in Tuscaloosa, can keep them from a third BCS Championship in 8-years.
Brady Hoke--Michigan
When the former San Diego State coach came to Ann Arbor, hopes were high, but Hoke exceeded them. He took the 107th ranked defense from last year & finished with the 17th ranking nationally. They won 10-games, were ranked in the top-25 all season & received a BCS bowl bid to play in the Sugar bowl. But most importantly, his Wolverines snapped an 8-game losing streak to their arch rival, Ohio State. That alone made Hoke the best thing in Ann Arbor for many years.
Bill Snyder--Kansas State
I saw 10 of the Wildcats 12 games & I can personally assure you Bill Snyder did more with less than any coach I know of this season. The talent level of Snyder's team is one that produces 4-5 wins. K-State won 10-games & will face off with Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. They should have been considered for the Sugar Bowl opposite Michigan, but that's another story.
Lane Kiffin--USC
Was never a popular coach with yours truly. I always thought he was highly overrated. But the job Kiffin did with a team that knew before the season began they wouldn't be going anywhere because of an NCAA imposed post-season ban. Admittedly, his roster, like Miles', is stocked with future NFL players, but taking this team to a 10-2 mark with basically nothing to play for was impressive. Especially taking Stanford to 3 overtimes before losing & then going to Oregon & beating the Ducks who were still in the running for the BCS title game, was amazing. I think if Kiffin can keep his program clean, he'll be at USC for a very long time.
Mike Gundy--Oklahoma State
Lost one game, a double overtime loss at Iowa State. His Cowboys beat 5 top-25 teams, whipping OU by 34 & Baylor by 35. Gundy has steadily improved OSU's national standing, finally making a BCS bowl, a Fiesta Bowl date with Stanford. Like Hoke, Gundy broke an 8-year losing streak to their arch rival Oklahoma in the "Bedlam" game.
And the winner of the RFR College Coach of the Year is..............Bill Snyder
RFR's 2011 College Coach of the Year
The Big-12 announced their all-conference teams on Wednesday & I have a couple of complaints(major surprise right?). Other than NFL scouts, I doubt anyone has watched as many Big-12 games as me. That being said, I feel my insight is founded. I know with Mizzou leaving the conference, there will be folks who won't vote for anything "Tiger" so I want to set the record straight on two players. Senior defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton was given the "Honorable Mention" tag & frankly it's way off. Hamilton should have been a 1st teamer. Another defender, sophomore E.J. Gaines leads the conference in passes broken up with 15. In a league with an abundance of spread offenses, excellent quarterbacks & wide receivers, leading the league in pass breakups plus a pair of picks & 49 solo tackles should get you a spot on the first team. Gaines was voted onto the 2nd team. RB Henry Josey, altho injured for the last 3 games of the season, still made the first team after leading the conference in rushing. He joined Baylor's Terrence Ganaway in the backfield, also the right choice. Tight end Michael Egnew also made first team. The reference I made about Bill Snyder's talent level at K-State? The Wildcats had exactly 4 players elected to either the 1st or 2nd teams out of 60 players honored.
As I'm watching the Monday Night Game, I kept an eye on San Diego's new left tackle, Jared Gaither. He played every offensive snap on a team he joined on Wednesday. Their starter, Marcus McNeill was placed on I.R. ten days ago & after Gaither was cut by the Chiefs, the Chargers snapped him up quickly. He did get penalized once for holding but overall he played an excellent game against a very good defensive line. As the games was drawing to a close, I'm saying to myself "Barry Richardson....really?" I know he was flagged for a false start at a crucial time two weeks ago against Pittsburgh, but the Chiefs are playing with a right tackle who is not an NFL quality starter. Keeping Gaither costs them almost nothing, why cut him? If it was a vindictive thing, then we're in trouble if that's more important than winning.
After watching a couple of our favorite sitcoms on Wednesdays, Linda & I have been loyal viewers of "Law & Order SVU" for about a decade now. Tonight their story really hit home & if you have an "On Demand" feature from your cable company or HULU-Plus, you can still see it. It dealt with an ex-NFL quarterback, played brilliantly by Treat Williams, who has CTE(Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), the brain condition that too many ex-players have. Concussions have been proven to be the cause. The short term memory loss, early onset of dementia, impaired decision making, all of it. Of course the story was a little heavy-handed, but believe me, it hit home. They didn't screw with the facts surrounding the condition & the effect it has on not only their lives, but everyone around them. After the tragic suicide of Dave Duerson earlier this year, watching this drama was strong stuff. Like I said, if you have access to it, spend the time to watch it, it will give you excellent background on CTE. The story is heart-breaking.
Just found out minutes ago Hubert Sumlin passed away Sunday. He was a giant in his field. If you don't know Hubert Sumlin, look him up, he was one of the few living originals & will be missed.
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