Back in 2004, Jerrell Powe was a heavily recruited planetoid defensive tackle from Mississippi. A five-star recruit, Powe was a much ballyhooed addition to Ole Miss' 2005 recruiting class... and 2006 class. And 2007. And 2008.
You see, Powe is one of those unfortunate souls who, while blessed with enough size to survive a head-on collision with a Honda Civic with only a thigh bruise and a vague desire for almond boneless chicken, simply can't get right in the NCAA's eyes.
As his Scout profile laconically noted back when Powe was a baby-faced highschooler:
Powe has not yet qualified academically for freshman eligibility.
Understatement of the year, that. Four years on, Powe is still struggling towards eligibility. Powe spent 2005 at a prep school and 2006 wandering in the desert before finally getting some sort of wavier and attending classes at Ole Miss last year. Hypothetically, he should be eligible this fall.
Buried in an article that tries to spin an SEC rule change that would allow more kids like Powe to try their hand at college -- irrelevant for him since he already got in -- as a positive for his chances is a brief summary of his current status:
"We think this paves the way that should Jerrell meet the NCAA's academic requirements, he would also be allowed to play by the SEC at the commissioner's discretion," [Ole Miss AD Pete] Boone said.
Not sure why this rule change means the SEC won't deny a hypothetically-eligible Powe his hard-earned playing time, which would seem purely cruel, but there you go. Maybe we'll finally get to see the Loch Ness monster of football recruiting.
Stop crying, Colonel Reb. A day after we all discovered former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione thinks he might be out of options, there's good news for a coach who got the gate after the last college football season. Ed Orgeron, the famously incomprehensible former coach at Ole Miss, has been hired to coach the New Orleans Saints' defensive line.
Orgeron may have washed out in Oxford, but don't forget, he built Southern Cal's tremendous d-lines in the early part of this decade. A coach might fail as a head coach but still prove to be a tremendously useful assistant. It's a good move for the Saints, since Coach O is a son of Louisiana and probably was courted by more prestigious teams.
The only down side is that, as a d-line coach for the Saints, Orgeron won't be giving many press conferences, meaning that someday we'll have to explain the Coach O song to people who have never heard the man speak. Oh, cruel fate, why dost thou mock us so?
Finally, the speculation can end. It is official now: as of Monday night, the constantly-embattled, often-criticized, sometimes-insane Houston Nutt is no longer the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. That much we've seen coming for some time now, though not many of us would have imagined Arkansas actually asking Nutt to stay and offering him a new contract in the $2.4 million range -- and Nutt turning down said contract to walk away from the school -- but that's what ESPN.com is reporting.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that Nutt is already in negotiations to become the next head coach at Ole Miss (replacing the newly fired Ed Orgeron), and that a deal could be announced "early this week." The Jackson (MS) Clarion Ledger also cites "several sources at Ole Miss" as saying Nutt is the frontrunner for the Rebels' job, with an announcement possibly coming Tuesday. Both papers say Rick Neuheisel has been considered for the Ole Miss opening, but that Nutt is their man. Should things fall through in Oxford, Rivals.com lists Nutt as a candidate for Georgia Tech's and Baylor's openings as well.
The interesting thing about Nutt to Ole Miss is that in his farewell news conference, Nutt spoke about how much he loved Arkansas and how it was his "dream job." That's not hard to believe, seeing as how Nutt is a native Arkansan. But should Nutt actually become the Rebels head coach (and what a smooth transition for Ole Miss fans from the wackiness of Coach O to the wackiness of Nutt), he'll have to face his former school every year.
As for the Arkansas opening, rumor and speculation have another Arkansas alum, Butch Davis, as the Razorbacks' top target, but can they get him out of Chapel Hill now that he's signed a new contract?
The College Football Songbook is a weekly feature in which we'll be making as much fun as humanly possible of the most embarrassing moments in college football. Through words, music, and related video we'll leave a lasting memory implanted on the brains of the vanquished that they are not soon to forget.
It's everyone's favorite time of year, when coaches drop like flies mere days after getting the dreaded vote of confidence from the administration. I'm actually going to miss Ed Orgeron. But still, you let the program down, you gets the pink slip. Just don't let that door hit you in the ass.
Hat Tips:
Special hat tip as always to Pete Holiday for putting the video together.
ESPN's Bruce Feldman is now running with a story on Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron, saying that "Coach O" has been fired after three seasons in Oxford.
Feldman's article doesn't quote a source (as of 12:20 PM ET), and nothing official has yet been announced by the Ole Miss Athletic Department, but in all likelihood Orgeron's failure to win a single SEC game in his third year directly led to his firing.
What's odd is that Ole Miss announced weeks ago that Orgeron would return for a fourth season as head coach of the Rebels. I'm guessing that Ole Miss' 4th-quarter collapse, in which they allowed Mississippi State to score 17 unanswered points to win, might have changed the A.D.'s mind.
Not sure what college football bloggers everywhere are going to do without "Yo yo yo yo yo, yo yo footbaw." It's gonna be a long off-season.
Sylvester Croom has put together a hell of a season in Starkville. A hell of a season.
Down 14-0 against in-state rival Ole Miss, Mississippi State put together 17 unanswered points, all in the 4th quarter, to win. Adam Carlson hit a career-long 48-yarder with 0:12 remaining to seal the deal.
Mississippi State has now gone from winning 9 games in 3 years to winning 7 -- perhaps 8 if they win their bowl game -- in a single season.
The Bulldogs have a nice set of quality wins this season. They beat Auburn at home, #14 Kentucky in Lexington, and #22 Alabama. Their victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl caps a magical season for Croom, the SEC Coach of the Year, and Mississippi State fans everywhere.
Mississippi put 20 players on probation Sunday after they twice stole items from hotels.
Hint: it starts with a T and ends with an E.
A news release said the players have paid for the items, which included radios and pillows. Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron said in the release that the players will be on probation indefinitely.
Officials said the items stolen cost between $15 and $40.
"Any actions similar to this will result in more severe penalties which may include dismissal from the team," Orgeron said in the release.
Well, that's a relief. Glad to know that Coach O takes this little "widespread petty theft" problem seriously enough to threaten eventual dismissal if it doesn't stop pronto... or at least doesn't continue past one or two additional instances.
A complete spectroanalysis confirms that -- aw, hell, who are we fooling here? We all know this is just an excuse to yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-footbaw.
It's time to break out the FanHouse Cry-baby! During their weekly officiating review, SEC officials took another look at the call that essentially ended the game in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday. They confirmed the call from the replay booth, pointing out something that most people already knew: Shay Hodge ran out of bounds on his own and Lionell Mitchell did not touch the ball first.
If you thought the SEC's last word on the subject would quiet most of the whiners, though, you're delusional. What's truly interesting, though, is who is still whining.
Talk on the internets this week, at least the little corner of it inhabited by Ole Miss fans, is the game-ending call that Shay Hodge was an ineligible receiver when he touched the football. During the game, most people thought it was a close call, maybe too close to call at the end of a game. After the game, Rebel fans were livid, showering the field in trash (including f-me pumps) and accosting Alabama coaches. But now that the dust has settled, what's the verdict?
Ole Miss fans, pretty much universally from what I've seen, have become more fervent in their belief that they got hosed. Alabama fans the opposite. So who's right? Photos and video after the jump.
Isn't this the kind of Rudy-ish, college football underdog story we love in this sport?
Ole Miss' quarterback, Seth Adams, is a walk-on. He beat out scholarship incumbent Brent Schaeffer for the starting job over the summer. He's been a definitive upgrade at the position for the Rebs, and combined with the powerful running of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Ole Miss now fields a competent offense.
So far in the first half against Alabama, Adams is 7-11 for 75 yards and a TD. In the early part of the telecast it was revealed that he was up for most of last night vomiting, sick with some sort of virus, and took two IVs prior to the game today. Despite that he's still playing like a warrior, leading with poise and making great reads and throws to keep the ball moving.
Now if Ole Miss can just find some defense, they'll really have something.
Pssst, SEC fans: the Mississippi teams aren't a joke this year.
Back in 2004, Jerrell Powe was a heavily recruited planetoid defensive tackle from Mississippi. A five-star recruit, Powe was a much ballyhooed addition to Ole Miss' 2005 recruiting class... and 2006 class. And 2007. And 2008. 
Stop crying, Colonel Reb. A day after we all discovered former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione thinks 
ESPN's Bruce Feldman is now 
How 'bout them Bulldogs?
It's time to break out the FanHouse Cry-baby! During their weekly officiating review, SEC officials took another look at the call that essentially ended the game in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday. They 
Talk on the internets this week, at least the little corner of it inhabited by Ole Miss fans, is the game-ending call that Shay Hodge was an ineligible receiver when he touched the football. During the game, most people thought it was a close call, maybe too close to call at the end of a game. After the game, Rebel fans were livid, showering the field in trash (including 
Isn't this the kind of Rudy-ish, college football underdog story we love in this sport?
