NCAA Football FanHouse

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe Pushing for Fifth Year of Eligibility

Jeff Adams — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:35:00 EST

Filed under: Colorado Football, Kansas Football, Nebraska Football, Oklahoma Football, Oklahoma State Football, Texas Football, Big 12, Missouri Football, Texas A&M Football, Kansas State Football, Texas Tech Football, Baylor Football, Iowa State Football

The Big 12's annual meetings are currently taking place in Colorado Springs and league commissioner Dan Beebe has a lot on his plate. But one agenda item that he is pushing strongly is a fifth year of eligibility for football players. He hopes the proposed change will get some attention from the NCAA rules committee.

The proposal for a fifth year of eligibility would eliminate redshirting, instead giving college football players five years to compete on the field. Under current rules, players have a five-year window in which to complete four years of playing time. This isn't the first time this change has come up, but opponents have argued that eligibility rules need to standard across sports. Big 12 commissioner Beebe, disagrees.

Beebe, however, said he thinks football should be seen as unique because it has a high rate of redshirts and injuries.

"Injuries happen and coaches have players who could contribute, but they don't want to play someone on a limited basis and burn a redshirt year," Beebe said. "And you have kids during their redshirt year who are getting the heck beat out of them in practice every day with no hope of playing."

The rule change would certainly eliminate the need for coaches to agonize about redshirting decisions. In addition, it would seemingly end the need for athletes and schools to file medical hardships in the wake of injuries. Lastly, given that the average college football player takes around 4.7 years to graduate, the five-year eligibility window could help improve graduation rates.

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe Pushing for Fifth Year of Eligibility originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 21 May 2008 11:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eight Big 12 Defenders Placed On Nagurski Watch List

Jeff Adams — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:43:00 EST

Filed under: Colorado Football, Kansas Football, Oklahoma Football, Big 12, Missouri Football, Kansas State Football

The Watch List for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been released by the Football Writers Association of America. The Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football and is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

According to the press release:

"The Charlotte Touchdown Club will hold the 2008 banquet on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. For the eighth straight season, the FWAA will also pick a Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week beginning with games on Aug. 30 and running through the middle of November. And a Bronko Nagurski Legends Award winner will also be selected from the FWAA's 1967 All-America team.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, a former All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s."

This year's watch list includes eight players from Big 12 schools, led by Oklahoma, which places three Sooners on the list. The Big 12 players on the Nagurski Watch List are:

George Hypolite, Colorado

Joe Mortensen, Kansas

Ian Campbell, Kansas State (pictured at right)

William Moore, Missouri

Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri

Auston English, Oklahoma

DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma

Nic Harris, Oklahoma

Since its inception in 1993, three Big 12 players have won the Nagurski Trophy. Oklahoma defensive back Roy Williams took home the award in 2001. The Big 12 then had back-to-back winners in 2003 and 2004 in Oklahoma's Derrick Strait and Derrick Johnson from Texas.

Eight Big 12 Defenders Placed On Nagurski Watch List originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 14:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mangino Throws Out First Pitch at Royals Home Opener

Jeff Adams — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:41:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, The Word

First Gary Pinkel was scheduled to throw out the first pitch for the Cardinals on Opening Day. Then Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin had to take his place. Now another of the Big 12's coaching brethren has gotten his shot on the mound for a ceremonial first pitch. Kansas coach Mark Mangino got the call on Tuesday at the Kansas City Royals home opener at Kauffman Stadium. In addition, Gary Pinkel was actually involved in this ceremony as well, albeit only by way of the stadium's video board (that guy really needs to relax his off-season schedule).

"I'm honored that the Royals would even consider me for Opening Day," Mangino said. "When I was a kid I waited for Opening Day like you waited for Christmas."

Challenged by Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who in a video presentation expressed his confidence that "coach Mangino will start the season successfully with a strike down the middle," Mangino met the challenge with a pitch down the pipe.

"It might have been a high strike to Frank Thomas," Mangino said. "Gary wanted one down the middle, but he's got to understand: A pitcher has to work the corners."

It sounds like Mangino's attempt fared better than that of Chase Daniel, who bounced his effort to the backstop. It's also good to see Mangino has a little baseball knowledge, although the Frank Thomas reference might have been a tad dated.

Update: Now with video-goodness. Thanks YouTube!

via The Wizard of Odds

Mangino Throws Out First Pitch at Royals Home Opener originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top CB Prospect Admits Pot Use

JJ Cooper — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Draft, Kansas Football, Big 12

Aqib Talib was considered by many to be the No. 2 cornerback in this year's draft.

I say was because Pro Football Weekly is reporting that Talib told teams at the NFL combine that he tested positive for marijuana three different times while he was playing as Kansas. In one of the cases, Talib told coach Mark Mangini that he would test positive even before the coach got the results back.

According to PFW's Nolan Nawrocki, several teams have taken Talib completely off their draft boards.

"There is no way I'd touch (Talib)," one team told PFW. "He's gotten into a lot of trouble, and he still does not get it."

"He's got a laundry list of issues," another team executive said of Talib's off-the-field behavior. "He's not a one-time offender. Give a guy like him money, and it never gets better. It only gets worse."

What will work against Talib is that this is a relatively deep crop of first/second-round cornerbacks, with little to choose between them. With several other comparable cornerbacks to choose from, Talib might slide into the second round. A similar situation happened last year with cornerback Eric Wright, a first-round talent who fell to the Browns in the second-round because of his pot problems in college. Wright played well in his rookie year and will likely start for the Browns this season.

Top CB Prospect Admits Pot Use originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Second BCS School Hurt by APR

Brian Cook — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:36:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Scandal

I knew I shouldn't have eaten that kicker -- kid was in the engineering school.

Bare your teeth, NCAA:

Kansas football has taken another hit on scholarships and will lose two more for the 2008 season for failure to meet NCAA academic standards.
According to figures released by the school Monday, KU football had a four-year academic progress rate of 919 and had two players leave the program during the 2006-07 school year who were not in good academic standing.

Kansas is the second BCS school to take a hit from the NCAA's increasingly strict APR ("academic progress rate") standards -- last year Arizona lost four scholarships -- and is a harbinger of things to come. In January, the NCAA announced that 28 football and 70 basketball programs would suffer scholarship reductions.

Most of those will probably be smaller schools scrabbling for anyone vaguely qualified, but a brief review of schools in danger from the January post on this subject...

there are a number of major programs below the cutoff last year who were only spared because of the squad size adjustment: Texas A&M at 922, West Virginia at 924, Kansas at 918, South Carolina at 913, Oregon State at 913, Oregon at 912, South Florida at 910, and others.

...captures a number of major programs. Kansas knew it was under the gun and could only raise its APR by a single point, which bodes unwell for the Oregon schools and South Florida and the like. More hits are coming, and to top-25 schools.

Kansas Second BCS School Hurt by APR originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Miami Yoinks KU's Defensive Coordinator

Ian Cohen — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:57:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Miami Football, ACC, Big 12, BCS, NCAA FB Coaching

Miami's offense has been garbage bag the last couple of seasons under the stewardship of Brock Berlin and Kyle Wright and (to a lesser extent) Kirby Freeman, but at the very least, you could always bring out the ol' "well, their defense is as good as ever" canard. At least until this year; when you field a D with two future 1st-round picks and you still let Oklahoma drop 51 on you, that's cause for concern. When you let Virginia drop 44 on you, you might want to think about the future in more immediate terms. When it happens in the Orange Bowl's last game ever, well, UPS is hirin'.

One year after replacing the promoted Randy Shannon as Miami defensive coordinator, Tim Walton got the most unceremonious of axes. But fear not- Miami was able to steal Kansas' DC right from under Mark Mangino's fat, unhireable nose. Despite Bill Young's rather ripe age of 61, he can't help but be seen as the latest coup for the still-struggling Canes, who are bringing in the nation's #1 recruiting class, at least according to ESPN. Despite the somewhat dubious schedule of Kansas, finishing in the top ten with regards to scoring defense isn't something to sneeze at, considering that the likes of Southeastern Louisiana and Central Michigan have offenses at least as competent as that of Miami nowadays.

Miami Yoinks KU's Defensive Coordinator originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nobody Wants Mangino Because He's Fat

Pete Holiday — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:50:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Coaching

Or, at least, that's what we're told by Thor Nystrom, a columnist in the Daily Kansan, the University of Kansas' student paper. (Aside: who names their child "Thor"?)

If you wanted a good meal, would it matter to you what the chef looked like? If your screenplay was being turned into a film, would it matter to you how much the director weighed? So why, pray tell, was Mark Mangino's door not knocked down by Michigan, West Virginia, UCLA or any of the other 15 schools that had coaching vacancies this offseason?

Because he is overweight, bald and considered at times to be surly.

It appears that Jayhawks have a very short memory. The logic goes something like this "Mangino had a good year, won a few games, and the Jayhawks came out ranked ahead of where most folks thought they would... so Mangino should be the most sought after coach in the country."

Pardon me while I guffaw.

It must be said that Mangino did an excellent job this past year. He over-achieved for his talent level, and that's always a credit to the coaches. That said, however, one year does not a legend make. Nystrom continues:

One other thing about him: his trophy case now features the 2007 Big 12 Coach of the Year award along with eight separate National Coach of the Year awards. Plus, he won an Orange Bowl at the University of Kansas, for crying out loud.

Here are some minor details that Nystrom leaves out:

You know those "eight separate National Coach of the Year awards"? Yeah, they're all from 2007. Mangino has been at Kansas for six seasons. Before this year, Mangino had only once broken .500 (going 7-5 in 2005). He had never had a winning season in conference play. In fact, he'd never done better than 3-5 in conference before this year. He had never ended the season ranked. Coming into the season, Mangino was 25-35 all time at Kansas and if he had lost the bowl game, he'd still have a losing record with the Jayhawks. Even after this year he's still 18-30 in conference play. (Which means that it will take him a minimum of two more years to get into the black there)

Nystrom also lays out another argument against Mangino pretty well: "He won the Orange Bowl with a roster full of one-, two- and three-stars." In six years of coaching at Kansas, the man has been unable to lure the four- and five-star athletes that his conference competitors have. He does, obviously, coach them well, but coaching is only half of the college battle. You just can't win consistently (that's the key word) with poor recruits.

The harsh truth of the matter is this: 2007 was a spectacular year for Mangino which followed five miserable years as a bottom-dweller in the Big 12. He's got a few years to go before anyone's beating down his door, and if he doesn't parlay this national prominence into some highly regarded recruits, no major program will ever want him: if you can't recruit when you're winning, you can't recruit period.

Nobody Wants Mangino Because He's Fat originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does The ACC Deserve a BCS Bid?

Ian Cohen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:37:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Virginia Tech Football, ACC, BCS

"The story is a sad one told many times/the story of my life and trying times."- R.E.M., "How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us"

That's the first thing that comes to mind when reimagining the whole ACC/Big East switcheroo of a few years back. To recap, ACC commissioner John Swofford, stuck off the realness of having a Florida State/Miami conference championship game in sold-out Alltel Stadium year in, year out, raids the Big East for Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech (due to near-extortive tactics by Virginia government) to pad out its roster to twelve teams. It's also worth noting that Syracuse was originally tabbed to jump ship.

On the one hand, it struck a chord with people who were looking to prove that the conference could be a legitimate stronghold, since the past couple of decades had proven the ACC to be Florida State and a bunch of teams that would usually get a Bowden smackdown when they thought they could snatch the crown (the exceptions being the 1995 UVA team that tied for the conference championship and 2001 Maryland, which still lost to FSU). But the other way of looking at it was that the ACC is first and foremost a basketball conference, and this expansion would wreak havoc on scheduling. Frankly, it's a shame that some kids just entering college might have to wait years before they see their squad go to the Dean Dome or have Duke come to their house (truly a great experience no matter how good they happen to be at the time). Moreover, there were questions about how these schools fit in to the profile of the ACC, generally considered the province of academically esteemed, mid-sized flagship universities and smaller, prestigious private schools that all tend to have well-balanced athletics. I'll leave it at that.
To this point, it looks like the nays have it. Though conference records in bowl games can be very misleading, the ACC went 2-6 in this year's slate, including Virginia Tech losing to what was either the 3rd or even 4th best team in the Big XII, depending on who you ask. The only wins were BC (the ACC runner-up) beating a Michigan State team missing several key players on defense and ranked 8th in the Big Ten and Wake Forest's technical "upset" of the 25th ranked UConn Huskies, a team that I would argue is one of the country's most overrated (not to mention it was damn near a home game for the Demon Deacons).

On the other side of the ledger, you have Virginia's meltdown in Jacksonville, Georgia Tech giving up 571 total yards to Fresno State (with their DC as interim coach), Maryland getting outlasted by Oregon State, Clemson dropping to Auburn in OT and a decimated Florida State giving a valiant effort but ultimately getting beat up by Kentucky. What's worse- it's tough to see any of these teams coming back with a top 15 ranking next year, to say the least. With the possible exception of Clemson, every team near the top suffers big losses; VT's defense gets gutted, the Matt Ryan era comes to a close at BC, Virginia brings back 14 starters and gets a couple a key returns from injuries, but they'll be without Chris Long and 2/5ths of their O-line with an early-season schedule that includes home games against USC and East Carolina and a trip to Storrs (OOC games on the road ... not Al Groh's area of expertise).

I'm not going to suggest that the conference is at the level of the WAC or Mountain West just yet. After all, things can be cyclical, and there's reason to believe that Virginia Tech will bounce back like they always do, or Clemson can finally get it together with Willy Korn and C.J. Spiller or that Butch Davis can turn things around quickly; then again, let's not forget how totally awesome those first classes were for Chuck Amato and Al Groh.

But let's face it, although West Virginia destroyed Oklahoma and has proven itself to be a BCS monster, they've likely hired their Larry Coker and the Big East didn't quite turn out to have the juggernaut year everyone expected ... so at least the ACC can still see themselves as perhaps stronger, particularly with the results of this past season in interconference play. Cincinnati could get something together if they can hold on to their coach (who will be Jim Grobe x 12 when it comes to discussing candidates for offseason openings), same with Rutgers, who still has something to work with even if they backslid a bit this year. As for Louisville, lord only knows and UConn's ceiling appears to be BC at best.

Does The ACC Deserve a BCS Bid? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange Bowl Liveblog: Second Half

Adam Jacobi — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:54:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Virginia Tech Football, ACC, Big 12, BCS, Bowl Games

AJ checking in from the state of Iowa, where we just had the caucuses and okay you don't care about politics.

- Ha-YUUUGE fake punt from Kansas to keep their drive alive, as Virginia Tech is within a field goal and had all the momentum in the second half.

- Fumble near the goal line, he may have been down... and a personal foul? And now a holding call? Good heavens, even Roy Riegels is wondering if they know which direction to take the ball.

- And now an interception by Tech! Mangino is probably mad enough to eat a horse.

- We're at the end of the third quarter, and Virginia Tech is out of the shadow of their own end zone. If Kansas lets the Hokies put points on the board here, the lineman who committed that personal foul penalty near the goal line should find a safe house and lay low for a while, because Mangino may want to murder him.

- Three and out for Kansas, including two big hits on Reesing as he tried to scramble for yards quite unsuccessfully. The punt goes to the 9-yard line, so we get to see Sean Glennon try to guide the Virginia Tech offense on a sustained drive. This should be amusing.

- Glennon tosses a lob into double coverage, and to the surprise of nobody, Kansas picks it off and takes it back inside Virginia Tech's 5. This may be over very soon.

- Indeed. Six points for Reesing on the keeper, and it's 24-14. What's more fun than watching an aerially deficient offense? Watching an aerially deficient offense that's down by 10 in the fourth! I'd say the probability that Glennon throws another interception is right around, oh, 70,000%.
- Kenny Albert brings up a good point: Glennon threw three picks in last year's Chick-Fil-A Bowl, then after a regular season with only three interceptions all year, he's thrown two more today. Sean Glennon: A real-life Footsteps Falco!

- Tyrod Taylor relieves Glennon, and he's shaken up on his first play. Glennon dutifully trots out to replace Taylor... and he's sacked immediately. Do you suppose this offense has any confidence in Glennon at all?

- Virginia Tech fails to convert, which is so obvious that it scarcely merits mention; I may as well mention that gravity failed to reverse just now, and we have not hurtled off the face of the earth. The Hokies have zero chance of winning without some serious mental breakdowns by Kansas.

- Vince Hall registers a near-miraculous stop, but not after the KU offense drives for 50 yards down to the VT 23-yard line. And the Jayhawks are... going for it? Really?

- And the 4th down lob into double coverage somehow fails, so Virginia Tech takes over on downs. Wouldn't, um, anything have been better than trying to throw the ball 20 yards, Kansas?

- Sean Glennon is looking positively "competent at times" on this hurry-up drive, which is probably the nicest way to describe any of his play tonight. They're into KU territory and near field goal range. Does Tech actually have a chance after all? (no.)

- The Hokies are going with the old "take what the defense gives you standpoint, taking zero shots at big yardage and dinking their way down the fi---and as if specifically designed to make me look like an idiot, Glennon throws for the end zone (into the most passive, useless triple coverage ever) and hits Harper in the end zone to make the score 24-21. Drama!

- The onside kick, as they so often do, fails. KU takes the ball in Hokie territory, and they probably won't be giving the ball up again.

- It probably goes without saying, but this "Jumper-scope" cross-promotional replay bit is absolutely worthless.

- This 4th quarter run defense for Virginia Tech has been, um, lacking. McAnderson runs for another first down, and the Hokies cannot stop the clock. You can safely switch channels now (but don't stop reading the liveblog! Support AOL's sponsors! We demand your fealty!)

- There's not enough Gatorade on earth to sufficiently soak Mark Mangino. The Jayhawks decide not to try.

- That's game, folks. 24-21 with the ball resting comfortably on the VT 1-yard line. Ta ta.

Orange Bowl Liveblog: Second Half originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange Bowl Liveblog: First Half

Ian Cohen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:17:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Virginia Tech Football, ACC, Big 12, BCS, Bowl Games

- The weather is in the mid-50's...I wonder if this will be attributed to "Beamer ball"

- Tyrod Taylor is getting destroyed on this first drive. Appears to be more of an offensive line breakdown than a matter of anything he can control, but jeez...

- On their first drive, Kansas is tearing up VT in the short passing game ... credit to Mangino, because this always seemed to be Tech's defensive weakness in spite of all their speed. Rather unusual slip-up for VT on 4th and 1 with the false start penalty. Missed field goal from Kansas, though. Not how you want to start things on specials teams against BEAMER BALL!!!!

- Tyrod Taylor looks waaaay in over his head. Pick-six to Aqib Talib, KU up 7-0. Mangino Ball!

- Kansas is often giving up good field position to the Hokies, but I have to admit- their defense appears up to the task. Maybe a little too much swagger for guys who wear what looks like bastardized Texans uni's.

- Aqib thinks he's Devin Hester ... but it works, taking a too-short (no "Gettin' It") field goal attempt dang near to the 40 after fielding it in the air.

- Pick thrown by Glennon, and not a good-looking one. Dare I say that this Jayhawk defense looks real.

- Todd Reesing's intangibles are "immeasurable"...imagine that. Decent looking drive for the Jayhawks ends in a field goal. 10-0 KU.

- Dear lord, VT's offense looks lost. Understandably, a QB controversy is part of the lay of the land, but they need to establish some sort of identity.

- 17-7 at the half, in favor of Kansas. Really can't figure out a way that this might change.

Orange Bowl Liveblog: First Half originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posse on Bowl-way: Virginia Tech

Ian Cohen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Virginia Tech Football, ACC, Big 12, BCS, Bowl Games

Happy To Be Here?

Well, I suppose that having two losses and finishing the season in a strong fashion is all the rage nowadays, but I'm pretty certain that you need to come from somewhere other than the ACC to be in that state and still have a legit claim for the title in 2007. And while their hopes were likely dashed the moment they stepped onto their planes en route to Baton Rouge, is getting smoked by LSU on their home field really that much worse than losing to Stanford? Even in light of the tragedies that took place this offseason, one could say that winning the ACC was an example of what was clearly the preseason choice for the strongest team holding serve. And many believe that by drawing Kansas, a team that a lot of people STILL don't know quite what to make of yet, VT has a good opportunity for the BCS' fourth blowout of 2008.

Come Here Often?

While Virginia Tech has flirted with all manner of BCS bowls as of late, this is their first Orange Bowl since 1997, when they lost 41-21 to Nebraska. If nothing else, we can lament a time when VT could go 10-1 and be ranked #10 (!!!) and Nebraska could go 10-2 and be #6. Wowzers!
Why Care?

Perhaps for no other reason than seeing how real Kansas is exactly. Pretty amazing that the vagaries of Big XII North scheduling can have a team that's twelve games deep and still be somewhat of a mystery. Either that or you can see the QB duo that will probably dominate the ACC next season, provided Sean Glennon doesn't act a fool and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. Don't laugh- he's sent feelers out. But in reality, here's what it comes down to: writers strike + you don't have anything better to do.

And The Winner Is...

I say this well aware that the Orange Bowl constitutes a matchup of what is the ACC champion vs. the 3rd (at best) team from the Big XII, but if you check the stats, the ACC guys don't do well in BCS games. Then again, you had Wake Forest up against a Louisville juggernaut last season even though VT was playing the best football by the time the season ended (what a reversal!) and a verrrrrry questionable Florida State team going against what was considered JoePa's possible swan song team. This year, however, it's hard to see VT blowing this one, particularly now that they've figured out how to utilize both Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon as signal callers. All things told, it's possible that KU is way better than all of us think, but the Hokies aren't the kind of team that will either take a team lightly or make many mistakes. Due to their style of play, I wouldn't expect a blowout either way, but I'll have to give the nod to Beamer.

Virginia Tech 27 Kansas 13

Posse on Bowl-way: Virginia Tech originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mangino Named Walter Camp Coach of the Year

Jeff Adams — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Coaching

One of the biggest (HA! Another fat joke) storylines of the past season was the job Mark Mangino did with the Kansas Jayhawks. For his efforts Mangino was recently named the Walter Camp Football Foundation's 2007 Coach of the Year. Kansas finished the year 11-1 Jayhawks and will face Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Mangino's squad also got off to their best start in school history and peaked at #2 in the polls marking their highest national ranking since 1968.

Besides the coaching accolades, Mangino has also won over his fair share of college football fans. Who can resist the amazing story of Mangino's rise?

"He packed his family and $500 into a Ryder truck and drove west to become, more or less, an unpaid graduate assistant coach for the worst program in college football. He was 35, married, two kids, and they all lived in the basement of a friend's house for six weeks and ate pizza most nights because they had coupons."

From there he rose through the coaching ranks, eventually taking over at a basketball school that was less than an afterthought in the Big 12 just a few short years ago. Mangino has also done this with a collection of players that were passed over by most of college football's powerhouse teams. Nothing could be a greater testament to his coaching abilities.

Not bad for a guy that was famously raked over the coals by one Jason Whitlock not so long ago stating:

"You can fool yourself into believing that Saturday's 12-3 Kansas State victory was a physical, defensive struggle between two evenly matched squads and that the closeness of the score is yet another indication that Mangino is closing the gap on Bill Snyder. Go ahead, delude yourself. I won't. In throwing away a brilliant defensive masterpiece, Mangino made Mike Brown's leadership of FEMA appear competent."

Good call once again, Whitlock.

Mangino Named Walter Camp Coach of the Year originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big 12 Dominates AP First Team

Jeff Adams — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:08:00 EST

Filed under: Colorado Football, Kansas Football, Oklahoma Football, Big 12, Missouri Football

The Big 12 which is regularly left out of conversations about college football's elite conferences managed to place eight players on The Associated Press All-America team. The conference's dominance is particularly noticeable at the receiver positions where Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree, Kansas State's Jordy Nelson, and Missouri's tight end Martin Rucker were honored. Jeremy Maclin of Missouri, another wide receiver, was recognized as the first team all-purpose player. The rest of the Big 12 honoree's were Kansas tackle Anthony Collins, Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson, Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon and Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib.

Much of the Big 12's representation can be attributed to the emergence of Kansas and Missouri as national powers. Both teams placed two players on the AP's list. Overall, the Big 12 outgunned the SEC (four players), the Big 10 (four players), ACC and Pac-10 (three players), and the Big East with two players. I've always hated the conference sniveling that goes on a year-to-year basis, but where is all that much ballyhooed SEC speed? Sorry couldn't help it.

The bottom line is that the Big 12, which has been maligned by many critics in recent years isn't quite as dead as folks might have thought. In addition, Kansas and Missouri have also been relatively hot on the recruiting trail this year, which could be indicative of transfer of power to the lower Midwest. Or not, but even one-hit wonders deserve their recognition.

Big 12 Dominates AP First Team originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Unthinkable Happens: #1 and #2 Both Fall

Ryan Ferguson — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:48:00 EST

Filed under: Georgia Football, Kansas Football, LSU Football, Ohio State Football, Virginia Tech Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, BCS, Missouri Football

WVU loses to Pitt.

No, that can't be correct. Did that really happen?

Why, yes. I did not just hallucinate that. A 4-TD underdog beats West Virginia in Morgantown in a game that no one, and I mean no one thought they could win.

Un-freaking-believable.

Oh, and by the way: #1 Missouri just fell to Oklahoma. That's less of a shock; Oklahoma was favored.

But no matter how you slice it or dice it, #1 and #2 both fell. Again.

So now you have the ultimate BCS nightmare: total disarray, total chaos. This is what the anti-BCS anarchists are always dreaming of. Now, it's here.

BCS standings:

1. Missouri ~~11-1~~ 11-2 (lost to #9 Oklahoma)

2. West Virginia ~~10-1~~ 10-2 (lost to unranked Pitt)

3. Ohio State 11-1

4. Georgia 10-2

5. Kansas 11-1

6. Virginia Tech ~~10-2~~ 11-2 (beat Boston College, now ACC Champion)

7. LSU ~~10-2~~ 11-2 (beat Tennessee, now SEC Champion)

8. USC ~~9-2~~ 10-2 (beat UCLA)

9. Oklahoma ~~10-2~~ 11-2 (beat #1 Missouri)

10. Florida 9-3

You ask me, I think it's rather obvious what should happen.

Ohio State?

Tressel comes up roses again -- but gets to turn them down. Ohio State is #1 yet again and will play in the BCS title game for the second year in a row. Congratulations, Buckeyes.

Georgia?

It's just tough luck for #4 Georgia that they didn't get a chance to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship game. The way LSU played -- and the way Georgia finished their season -- you'd have to think they would have had at least as many opportunities to win that game as Tennessee had. If they had managed to do that, there would be no debate: Georgia would be playing for a BCS Title. But that's pure fantasty at this point. Based on recent events, I don't see Georgia remaining at #4; while they sat idle, #7 BCS LSU beat another ranked team and won a conference championship.

Kansas?

Forgive me for saying this, Kansas fans, but a 1-loss Kansas appearing in the title game will not happen for two reasons. One, their schedule was far too soft for any voter to take the Jayhawks seriously. Two, they didn't win their conference, much less their division. I can't see too many voters keeping Kansas' ranking intact. Expect Kansas to drop.

Virginia Tech?

Here we encounter our first pingings of the geiger counter as we approach BCS meltdown: Virginia Tech meets most of the voters' requirements for a title game appearance. They're ACC Champions. They have only two losses. And at #6, they should slide neatly into position at #2 to play for a BCS title. One problem: they were demolished by LSU early in the season. And I do mean demolished: they lost 48-7. That's just Va Tech's unlucky draw to get the Tigers in this year, of all years.

LSU?

Ding-ding-ding. Written off for dead just hours ago, the 2-loss Tigers, in my view, will most likely get the nod due to a long list of factors: they're SEC Champions, they beat Va Tech as previously mentioned, they have the "inertia" of an expected title appearance, and despite how bad they've looked at times they still look like the best 2-loss team in the country, particularly when they're healthy. After all, they did win an SEC championship despite playing their backup QB and with a rash of injuries throughout the roster. And I think the public would love to see another Big Ten/SEC matchup for the national title.

USC?

Nope. Lost to Stanford. Sorry, that's the worst loss, by far, of any team in the Top 10. This will not be overlooked and USC is not likely to jump anyone except perhaps West Virginia.

Oklahoma?

This is an interesting one. Yeah... what about Oklahoma? They're a two-loss team, like LSU. They're the Big 12 conference champion. They look the part. Biggest problem? Their two losses both look bad. They're only two weeks removed from losing to Texas Tech, although starting QB Sam Bradford was concussed for the majority of that contest. Losing to lowly Colorado early in the season is also an ugly mark on their record. Still, I'd feel better about Oklahoma playing Ohio State than Kansas or Virginia Tech.

Hawaii?

Get real. Call me when Hawaii starts playing D-IA football.

Final call?

I think this one's too close to call definitively, but I think voters are going to put LSU, two losses and all, into the BCS title game to keep Tressel and the Buckeyes honest.

That's a game I'd really love to see. How about you?

The Unthinkable Happens: #1 and #2 Both Fall originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Missouri Football No Longer Chokers

Brian Grummell — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, Missouri Football

Over the years, Missouri's football program has carried the burden of being a squad of chokers. Grand Poobah among them has been pucker pucker pucker-ish head coach Gary Pinkel. He had squandered several good Tiger teams under Brad Smith and then watched what I thought was a pretty good Missouri team last year falter down the stretch after a similar hot start.

It was a well-earned rep, until now.

Missouri edged a solid Kansas team last night in an electric atmosphere, badly outplaying the Jayhawks early and then doing what was necessary to close late including the clinching end zone safety with just seconds to go.

At least for one year, the Tigers have boldly shaken off that burden of being a team that just can't close. I don't even think it matters whether they win or lose against Oklahoma in next weekend's Big 12 Championship game, they've held firm this entire season and done the impossible these last few weeks in surviving pressure games as the favorite to even get to this point.

The difference between closing and not closing makes all the difference in the world, as these Tigers have repositioned themselves from a top 15 team that plays its way out of the top 25 to a team gunning for #1. Coffee is for closers, and these guys deserve a few sips.

Missouri Football No Longer Chokers originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Border Rivalry Re-Writing History

Scott Olin Schmidt — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, Missouri Football, NCAA FB History, NCAA FB Media Watch

All week long, sports radio has been buzzing about tonight's Border War football game between Kansas and Missouri. The rivalry, we were told, dates back to before the Civil War. College Gameday repeated the myth this morning.

Today's Los Angeles Times, repeated the myth headline and again in the article, "The game is called the "Border War," and dates to before the Civil War, when Missouri was a slave state and Kansas a free state." It must be in somebody's press notes and no one has bothered to jog their memories about simple American history.

If I recall correctly, the Civil War began in South Carolina in 1861 and ended when the CSA surrendered in 1865. The first college football game was between Rutgers and Princeton four years later, and in fact, it was Rugby. College Football as we know it wasn't invented until 1875, when Tufts played Harvard. Kansas first played Missouri in the "Border War" in 1891.

Certainly the animus between the two states goes back to the Civil War, but only in SEC country--where some may believe the war never ended--could you say that the football game dates to before the Civil War.

Border Rivalry Re-Writing History originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas - Missouri Goes National, Primetime

Brian Grummell — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:32:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, Missouri Football, The Word

For the first time since the 1800's, I suppose.

It's now official: The Border War game will be a primetime, national affair.
Kansas University officially learned that KU's football game Saturday against No. 6 Missouri will kick off at 7 p.m. and be televised by ABC.
It's a full national telecast, too, meaning that 100 percent of ABC affiliates across the country will air the game.

I doubt anyone saw that coming before the season, huh? Throw in Oklahoma's upset loss to Texas Tech and the cherry on top for both of these teams is a visit from ESPN College GameDay.

The stakes are obviously quite high. The winner will ascend to the Big 12 Championship Game and a shot at a BCS bowl appearance if they beat the champion of the Big 12 South (likely Oklahoma or Texas). It could be extra special for Kansas which has a fairly good shot at playing in the BCS National Championship Game if it can win twice more.

Personally, I'm thrilled. This could play out a lot like a regular season BCS Bowl game. It's good for the game and good for these oft-struggling teams having among the best seasons in school history. It could also be a Heisman Trophy showcase game for both quarterbacks: Missouri's Chase Daniel and Kansas' Todd Reesing.

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Kansas - Missouri Goes National, Primetime originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Missouri Being Overlooked?

Brian Grummell — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:08:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, Missouri Football, The Word

For all the talk about undefeated Kansas, there's a team in their own conference with nearly just as much at stake these next few weeks in the Missouri Tigers. Yes, Missouri is 9-1 with a loss to Oklahoma and thus likely out of the national championship race.

However, if the Tigers win their next game and beat Kansas, they will be on their way to the Big 12 Championship Game for a rematch with Oklahoma. Win there and it's a BCS appearance. Strong play from quarterback Chase Daniel and some unexpected stumbles from the other two Heisman front-runners could vault their quarterback from out of nowhere into becoming the next Heisman Trophy winner.

It's not out of the realm of possibility.

Most intriguing is that Las Vegas thinks the Tigers are plain better than the undefeated Jayhawks.

Another clash college football observers are anticipating is the Nov. 24 meeting between Kansas and Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for the right to play Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship. That contest certainly will have national title implications.
"I like what Kansas is doing, but K-State is its only win over a ranked team this season and that K-State team was just blown out by lowly Nebraska 73-31," Boyd observed.

"It will take a win over Mizzou and a Big 12 title game victory before I'm ready to jump on this bandwagon."
White likes Missouri over Kansas and is looking at the Tigers as a 2 1/2 to 3-point choice. LVSC's weekly power ratings have Missouri sixth and Kansas ninth.

It's put up or shut up time for the boys from the Show Me State. Their loss to Oklahoma was closer than the score indicated and keyed by a fumbled exchange between quarterback and tailback. That's not how you want to go down to a power team like that and I have a hunch the Tigers are motivated enough to shake off their choke job ways and steamroll to the Big 12 Championship game for that rematch.

But then again maybe not, Kansas is pretty good. Show me!

Previously at FanHouse

We Burned Your Town to the Ground!
Kansas Shouldn't Look Past Iowa State

Is Missouri Being Overlooked? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Shouldn't Look Past Iowa State

Mark Hasty — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:46:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, Big 12, Iowa State Football

On paper, this week's Kansas/Iowa State game looks like little more than a Jayhawk tuneup for next week's KU/Mizzou slugfest. The Fightin' Manginos are 10-0, after all, while Gene Chizik's lowly Cyclones are a humble 3-8.

Go ask Bob Stoops how humble the Cyclones are. They gave his Sooners all the fight they wanted. Better still, go ask Ron Prince and Dan Hawkins if the Cyclones are any good. They'd have to say "yes," since the Clones just beat K-State and Colorado in back-to-back games.

Okay, so ISU lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team. It was Northern Iowa, currently the #1 team in the FCS. Also, that was back in September. Since the season's halfway point, the Cyclones have shown marked improvement week by week. The season's low point was a 56-3 beatdown by Texas (Gene Chizik's last employer), but then ISU hassled Mizzou for three quarters. The next week they almost got Oklahoma, 17-7.

From there, ISU ran over K-State and mounted a great comeback to overtake the Buffaloes. So if the question is whether the Clones can hang with KU long enough to make this game interesting, that question has already been answered four times and the answer is "yes." But can they pull the upset?

In a college football season where anything can happen and already has, you have to know they can. Kansas had better come into Saturday's game wide awake, or they too won't survive the brutal siege of the 2007 college football title chase.

Kansas Shouldn't Look Past Iowa State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Debriefing: It's OK if You're Not Embracing Kansas or Hawai'i

mjd — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Football, The Word, Hawaii Football

The Debriefing is a column that runs every weekday at 9:00 a.m. here on FanHouse. It goes deep into one issue and then bounces around to a plethora of smaller ones ... and does it all in a way that will make you feel like the prettiest girl at the cotillion. Bookmark this page, and visit daily.

It's human nature to love the underdog. It's not a concept that's limited to any one sport, or to sports at all, really.

It's the reason we loved the Rocky movies, the reason we wanted Luke Skywalker to bitchslap Darth Vader, the reason we always hope some random guy from Botswana comes out of nowhere to win a gold medal every four years, and the reason we're all hoping that Flava Flav can find someone to love his seemingly- unlovable ass.

But in college football right now, we've got two teams in Kansas and Hawaii that very much fit the underdog profile, and they're not being embraced. They're not even being winked at seductively. Both can at least make some kind of claim, legitimate or otherwise, that they deserve a shot at a national title, and yet, no one seems to be rallying behind them.

(Also at the bottom: Notre Dame should start recruiting players smart enough to take in Charlie Weis' genius ... the Gipper is dancing in heaven today ... We congratulate Jimmie Johnson ... and we also salute the college football coach with the over-active middle finger...)

Because what people want, even more than they want a happy-go-lucky underdog, is a clear winner. People want someone to deserve, and to have earned, the title of the best team in the nation. That's what competition is all about ... and the concept of competition has to come before the concept of the underdog, because without competition, there can be no underdog.

We're not a culture of sharing. We're not a group of people that can live with a conclusion like, "Oh, this team had a great year, and this team had a great year, too, so you know what? Let's just celebrate them both and hold hands because we're all winners and special and unique snowflakes falling together in this wonderful journey called life!"

No. We're not having that. Someone must live, someone must die. Someone must win, someone must lose. There must be one who triumphs over the rest. We need a satisfactory cut-and-dry conclusion. Ask the producers of The Sopranos what happens when we don't get it.

But there's a good chance that we're not getting it this year (as there is every year in college football). There's a chance that both Hawai'i and Kansas could go undefeated and not get to even sniff a national championship.

That bothers people. And not just because of the arguable injustice to Kansas or Hawai'i, but because the presence of an undefeated team that didn't get a chance to play for the ring could tarnish the achievement of whoever does go on to win the national title.

Now, I know that you can't compare Kansas and Hawai'i to each other ... the Jayhawks are in the Big 12, and the ~~Rainbow~~ Very-Much-Not-Gay-Warriors are in the WAC. Kansas has a legitimate shot of playing in the national title game if they win out, and Hawai'i could win the rest of their games by 130 points each, and they won't crack the Top 8. Hawai'i has played a schedule so soft that, by comparison, it makes Mark Mangino's abs look rock hard. Kansas's schedule is so soft that it makes Mangino's abs look merely firm. There are differences ... and truthfully, this column is aimed more at Kansas, but it felt polite to include Hawaii, too. Also, I wanted to use that ~~Rainbow~~ Warriors line.

They do have this in common, though: they could both be undefeated and get shut out of the national title game. It might not happen to Kansas if they beat Missouri and then (most likely) Oklahoma in a Big 12 championship game ... but it might.

You never know what the voters are going to do. If LSU and Oregon both win out, I don't see any guarantee that either would drop a spot in favor of the fighting Manginos ... not when LSU and Oregon are currently getting the overwhelming majority of 1st-place votes in both polls, despite both having 1 loss.

So why aren't we wrapping our arms around these particular underdogs? Why no lovefest for the Jayhawks or Warriors? Why aren't we clinging to their jocks like we clung to the jocks of Jai Lewis, Lamar Butler, and Tony Skinn of the '06 George Mason Patriots?

It comes back to needing that clear winner. With Mason's run through the tournament, no one honestly believed that they were one of the best 4 teams in the nation, but we still knew, at the end of the day, it would be decided on the court. If they could prove it there, we could live with it ... we could love it, even. If they ended up with a shot at the national championship, it was because they earned it.

We don't have that belief to fall back on in college football. Only two teams will get to play for a national championship, and it won't necessarily be there because they earned the spot ... they'll be there because a group of voters and intricate ranking systems handed it to them.

We don't rally around Kansas and Hawai'i because, like with Mason, and like most of the oft-criticized poll voters, most of us don't honestly believe that they're among the actual best two teams in the nation. Sure, as of right now, they have the record to indicate that they belong there, but they haven't been tested by a truly good team, and they don't have any kind of history or track record of success that we could trust.

And with only two teams being selected for the chance to play for the title, the margin of error is so slim for actually getting it right, that we just don't want to gamble on an upstart like Kansas. We know that LSU is good and we know that Oregon is good, because they play in power conferences, they've beaten good teams, and yes, they have a track record of recent success. If they were good before, we can easily buy that they're good again ... with Kansas or Hawai'i, it's a little harder. For better or worse, the general public is subject to the same big-name, big-school bias as are the poll voters.

If we could fall back on the belief that things would be decided on the field, and that Kansas, if they did everything they could do, would be guaranteed a shot to earn the whole ball of wax, then things might be different. Then we could afford to rally behind an underdog ... we could be safe in the knowledge that if they deserved it, they could earn it.

But we don't have that luxury. All we have are two empty slots in a championship game, to be handed out by coaches, ex-coaches, and algorithms. It's really quite a system we've created for ourselves here. If we want the team that's truly the best to be crowned the national champion, we're almost compelled to root against underdogs, which goes against nearly everything we know as sports fans ... everything except the desire to see the best team win.

It is often a very fine line between spirited competition and making out.

Notre Dame Players Refusing to Soak in Weis's Genius

A wise man (I think it was Joe Rogan) once said that there's no such thing as a bad student ... only bad teachers. I'm not entirely sure that that's true, but I do believe this: There's no such thing as an entire college football roster full of bad students ... only a bad coach.

Charlie Weis, as in love with himself as the people who gave him a 10-year contract, appears to be placing blame for Notre Dame's 1-9 record at the feet of the players. He'll "consider" that it might be his fault, but you know, it's just so much more likely that its the players' fault.

''I told them that as a teacher, I'll consider that I'm not getting the job done. But as a student, especially a bunch of young, intelligent guys, you would like to think that there would be a direct correlation between the classroom and the practice field to the game.''

Yeah, that's probably it. Charlie is spewing brilliance in the classroom ... football knowledge and acumen are constantly oozing from him, and these damn players just can't pick it up and take it to the field with them. How dare they not become great under Charlie's expert tutelage.

It it was one player he couldn't get through to ... maybe. If there was one player on the team who was huffing paint thinner in the parking lot before games, and watching episodes of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on his iPod during film sessions, and shooting a paintbull gun at Touchdown Jesus's face ... then fine. Maybe that one kid can't learn. Not Charlie's fault.

But if the problem is all the players -- and 1-9 says it is -- then I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that not every single one of those players is dumb, and that the problem might be with the coach. It sounds crazy, but that's what I'm going with.

Gipper ... You are NOT the Father!

Let's stick with the Notre Dame theme for another minute ... remember the big to-do about exhuming the body of Notre Dame football legend George Gipp? As it turns out, someone wanted to do a paternity test because an 86-year-old woman believed she was Gipp's lovechild.

NOT THE CASE, BABY! George Gipp's not getting stuck with someone else's baby drama. I imagine that the scene in heaven when Gipp got the news yesterday was a lot like this:

Jimmie Johnson Is Clutch With the Clutch

If a performance this dominant was happening in almost any other sport, I'd almost certainly find somewhere to comment on it ... so, for once, I'm going to make an effort to be fair to the NASCAR athletes of the world and give this Jimmie Johnson fellow some Debriefing love.

Johnson has won 4 straight races in the season-ending Nextep Cup Chase. I guess, at this point, it's highly unlikely that anyone could catch him and take the title away from him. So that's awesome.

It sounds very impressive. Four straight wins ... I don't think NASCAR drivers do that very often. I guess the most logical comparison would be to a golfer winning 4 straight tournaments. That is, if the fields were very small, someone was making one guy better golf clubs than anyone else could have, and everyone had to hit right-to-left shots all day.

Joe Glenn. Wyoming's head coach (that's not him pictured) was reprimanded by the conference, and aplogized yesterday for giving Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham the middle finger from across the sidelines after Utah attempted an onside kick while leading Wyoming 43-0.

It is the most disappointing apology ever issued, because people should not have to apologize when they do awesome things. This is like Louis Pasteur apologizing to everyone for providing them with quality milk that doesn't go bad immediately. It's like a fireman apologizing for running into a burning building to save a bunch of kids.

Supposedly, the Utah coach was angry with the Joe Glenn, because Joe Glenn had told a bunch of Wyoming students at a pep rally that he could guarantee victory over the Utes ... and that's what prompted the onsides kick with a 43-point lead.

Now, maybe a coach takes that and uses it for bulletin-board material for his guys ... you could maybe expect a 19-year-old player to be fired up about that. But why any coach would honestly be offended by what another coach said at a freaking pep rally, I just couldn't tell you. That's something an idiot fan would care about ... if it honestly bothered Kyle Whittingham, then Whittingham is a doofus.

If a guy guarantees victory, and then you take a 43-0 lead on him ... isn't that payback enough? Doesn't that hammer the message home? There's no excuse for Kyle Whittingham's actions.

Joe Glenn's, on the other hand, seem perfectly justified. And if Joe Glenn had ordered the Wyoming band to show up on Whittingham's lawn the next morning, and arrange themselves in a formation that spells out the words that a middle finger is meant to communicate ... that would seem perfectly justified, too.

Michael Jordan. There's a strong temptation to make a guy a sad sack any time he loses $168 million in one day ... but I have a feeling that MJ sort of anticipated this and decided a long time ago that yes, he'd pay something in the $168 million range to be able to freely chase strange ass.

$168 million is what Juanita Jordan is collecting in the couple's divorce settlement. They were married for 17 years, and if my calculations are correct, Juanita ends up being paid the equivalent of $1,128.12 an hour, round the clock, for being married to Michael Jordan. For that much, I would gladly marry Michael Jordan, and please him eagerly.

She just looks like a Jersey girl.

Deserving Of Your Full Attention ...

7:00, ESPN2. College Football. Toledo @ Ball State. This game means everything in the race to finish second behind Central Michigan in the MAC West.

Other Stuff ...

6:00, ESPN. College Basketball Preseason NIT Region Consolation Game: Green Bay @ Delaware State.
7:30, VS. NHL. Detroit Red Wings @ St. Louis Blues.
8:00, NFL Network. NFL Replay. Steelers vs. Browns.
9:00, FOX. House.
9:00, ESPN. College Basketball Preseason NIT Region Championship Game: Columbia @ Ohio State.
9:00, ESPNU. College Basketball Preseason NIT. Oral Roberts @ Texas A&M.
10:30, VS. Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller.
10:30, NFL Network. NFL Replay. Eagles vs. Redskins.

The Debriefing: It's OK if You're Not Embracing Kansas or Hawai'i originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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