NCAA Football FanHouse

UF President Slams Greg Oden, Big Ten, BCS

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Rumors, Florida Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Gossip, NCAA Basketball Rumors, NCAA FB Scandal, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State

Actually, you can add Michigan and Jim Delany to that list.

Here's the full story. University of Florida president Bernie Machen has been pushing for a playoff system for college football since before Florida was selected to play in the BCS National Championship against Ohio State. In fact, he started putting the wheels in motion before Florida won the SEC championship game against Arkansas in late '06.

That he still campaigns for a playoff today, despite the fact that Florida ended up being lucky enough to get selected to the title game instead of Michigan, says volumes about his passion for the subject. And in this recent CBS Sportsline interview, Machen used both barrels of his verbal shotgun to express his thoughts.

More after the jump. (You'll be entertained, I promise.)

SPLN: On another subject, is there any way to explain the athletic success at your school the past two years?

Dr. M: More and more schools are going to try to copy our model. It's a family oriented, team-oriented system. There are kids who started on some tournament teams this year that we backed away from because of the academics.

We're the ones who started this thing about the storefront schools (giving away degrees). I started that because I got (mad) that some of our competitors were taking kids that we knew didn't belong in college.

What's going to happen I hope is that everyone starts to realize, you can win the right way. You can graduate your athletes.

SPLN: That raises another question. What did you think of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's open letter comparing the Big Ten to the SEC?

Dr. M: It's ridiculous. What a homer. I was at Michigan (as provost and dean of the school of dentistry). I know how they get in at Michigan. Don't talk to me about the Nobel laureates at Michigan.

Just look at Greg Oden's class schedule this semester. The Big Ten has fought the conference playoff, then they (complain) because Ohio State doesn't have a game in 48 days. (Actually 51 between the last game of the season and the BCS title game. The Big Ten traditionally ends its regular-season football schedule before Thanksgiving).

Full disclosure here: obviously, I'm an SEC and Florida fan, but I happen to agree with most of what Dr. Machen is saying. Jim Delany's inferiority complex shines brightly in his ridiculous diatribe blasting the SEC (and Orson from EDSBS wrote a brilliant and brutal dissection of Delany's idiocy which perfectly sums up my feelings on the matter) and I have absolutely no problem with Machen calling him out on it. I agree that a playoff is good for college football and that the 12th game is a boil on the sport's hindquarters. I love Machen's emphasis on graduation. And I agree that the BCS is more concerned about self-preservation rather than what's good for college football.

But Bernie, you don't need to call out Oden, who has impressed me all year long as a well-rounded, respectful ~~43-year old~~ kid who is a true team player. His amazing talents have made the 2007 college basketball season all the more exciting and intriguing. And his class schedule is, frankly, none of your damn business, or at least, you shouldn't be picking on an individual player. I wouldn't appreciate it if the president of another school called out one of our players for something like, oh, say, firing a semi-automatic rifle into the sky after a nightclub scuffle. That's embarassing enough without having to deal with scrutiny from schools in other conferences.

So, Bernie... keep it real, man. I appreciate everything else you said. KEEP SAYING IT! We need a playoff. And we need to graduate student athletes. But when you're heaving stink bombs at the enemy, leave the kids out of it.

UF President Slams Greg Oden, Big Ten, BCS originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Could Take Huge Hit in Antitrust Suit

Michael David Smith — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:38:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA Basketball Gossip, College Sports

Lester Munson, the legal analyst for Sports Illustrated, has a fascinating look at a class action antitrust lawsuit that is scheduled to go to trial in June and could cost the NCAA a huge amount of money.

At issue is the NCAA's policy of not including school supplies, recommended text books, laundry expenses, health and disability insurance, travel expenses and incidental expenses in its athletic scholarships. The lawsuit says that unfairly costs athletes an average of $2,500 a year, and since the suit represents all 11,500 Division I athletes, encompasses four years of school and antitrust suits allow for triple damages, we could be looking at the NCAA losing $344 million. The NCAA's annual budget is $465 million.

The NCAA's lawyer, of course, says schools can't afford to pay for all those extra things the lawsuit is saying should be covered by athletic scholarships, but I get kind of tired of hearing what the schools can't afford when I read about the dozens of coaches making seven-figure salaries. This is an important case to keep an eye on.

Hat tip: Signal to Noise.

NCAA Could Take Huge Hit in Antitrust Suit originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thad Matta to Urban Meyer: "We're Going to Kick Your Butt"

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 15:28:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, Florida Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Gossip, NCAA Basketball Rumors

With 7:54 to go in the second half of Florida's 86-60 rout of Ohio State, Urban Meyer was shown chatting with former Ohio State receiver Cris Carter.

Greg Gumbel: "That's Urban Meyer, the head football coach here at Florida. You don't think he'd like this game to be some sort of an indicator as to when these two teams meet for the BCS championship game, do you?"

Billy Packer: "Well, Thad Matta gave him a little message yesterday. He went over to his seat is and he wrote down on the seat, 'We're going to kick your butt in the BCS championship.' So I'm sure that was a very interesting little message he received when he sat down today."

"Interesting," indeed.

Note to Mr. Matta (and the rest): Thank you for demonstrating what Ohio State athletics is apparently about... all talk, no action.

Thad Matta to Urban Meyer: "We're Going to Kick Your Butt" originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 24 Dec 2006 15:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA's Top Coaching Duo: Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:54:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, BCS, Bowl Games, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Gossip, Florida Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Gossip

Larry Vettel at Gatorcountry.com wrote a nice piece entitled "Florida Duo Is Nation's Best Coaching Tandem." (requires subscription) Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer, not surprisingly, get the nod as the nation's two best coaches in the NCAA's top two sports -- Division I-A football and Division I-A men's basketball. Is Larry biased? Sure he is -- as am I -- but I think even the nastiest, bitterest Gator Hater would have a hard time arguing with championship quality success the Gators have had throughout the year of 2006. After all, not too many schools can say they field teams which can legitimately hunt for national championships in both sports, much less actually play for them... in the same year.

Vettel made a Top 10 of the best coaching duos across the nation. His picks include:

#10: Notre Dame (Charlie Weis, Mike Brey)
#9: Tennessee (Phil Fulmer, Bruce Pearl)
#8: LSU (Les Miles, John Brady)
#7: North Carolina (Butch Davis, Roy Williams)
#6: Southern Cal (Pete Carroll, Tim Floyd)
#5: Oklahoma (Bob Stoops, Jeff Capel)
#4: Texas (Mack Brown, Rick Barnes)
#3: Louisville (Bobby Petrino, Rick Pitino)
#2: Ohio State (Jim Tressel, Thad Matta)
#1: Florida (Urban Meyer, Billy Donovan)

I wouldn't argue #1 or #2. Donovan and Meyer... well, what can you say? They're the best, or, if you want to argue that point, they are without a doubt among the best of the very best. At OSU, Jim Tressel wins... and wins... and wins, while Thad Matta landed the hottest recruiting class of 2006 and Greg Oden looks to be every bit as good as advertised. Those two are also among the very best in their respective sports, and having them together at one school, especially with the tradition of winning at Ohio State, is a huge boon for the Buckeyes.

I might have swapped #3 for #4 if baseball was a consideration. In 2005 Texas won the World Series in college baseball, beating... Florida! ... for all the marbles. But as it stands, you can't argue with the long-term success Rick Pitino has had in his sport, or the inroads Bobby Petrino has made in the last few years. My only concern would be trying to keep two head coaches named "Petrino" and "Pitino" straight in the athletic department's phone banks.

#6 is almost perfect for Southern Cal, who fields Pete Carroll and his obscene win-loss column in football, but so-so Tim Floyd in basketball. Even Vettel says, "Tim Floyd has built two other solid programs and in year two is attracting top talent to play for the Men of Troy. Still, he drags down the combo ranking." It'd be hard to rank Carroll much lower than #3 in the list of active head coaches who enjoy yearly success, and many would rank him #1.

#7 is a highly debatable choice considering Butch Davis has yet to coach a single down of football at UNC. Nonetheless, he has had incredible success at the riches-to-rags Miami Hurricanes, who are "enjoying" a post-season preparing for the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise. My money is on UNC rising to the top of the ACC within 3 seasons. Meanwhile, Roy Williams keeps the Tarheels in perennial contention for a Final Four run.

#8, LSU, is sure to draw some ire from certain LSU fans, who are certain that Les Miles and his gigantic-enormo baseball cap is the wrong guy for the job. Still, in year two of his reign, the Tigers are 10-2, ranked #4 in the country, and have been given the fun and easy job of disemboweling the vastly overrated Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl. BCS, #4, automatic win in the Sugar Bowl... that's not half bad. And I like them at #8 because John Brady, despite his success in bringing LSU to the Final Four last year, went on an immediate "I need a pay raise" whine campaign the moment LSU lost to UCLA. I never liked the way he forced the spotlight on himself rather than his players when they had accomplished so much. So in my view Brady drags this combo down slightly. Otherwise I'd have bumped them up to #7 or #6.

Ah, and at rear admiral we have the country's favorite hamburglar, "Cheeseburger Charlie" (who no doubt rues the day he uttered the word "cheeseburger" in a press conference.) This might have been a bone thrown by Vettel, but I'm not sure I'd include this pair. Weis' success at Notre Dame has been noted in the W-L column, but the fact is that the Irish -- "America's Favorite Team" (which America?) -- shouldn't need great coaching to beat the teams they've beaten in Weis' tenure. Weis has yet to beat a ranked opponent and this January's matchup with LSU will be his second attempt to win a bowl game -- one in which he is hopelessly outclassed, in my opinion. Expect the Irish to lose yet another bowl game. My problem with Weis is that he really hasn't proven anything other than the fact he's a better coach for this group of kids than Ty Willingham. BEAT somebody before opening your yap, Charlie! On the flip side, I thought Mike Brey was a good basketball coach last year despite the Irish's strange penchant for losing in the last few seconds of the game, and the Irish look to be NCAA tournament-bound in '07.

--

What makes Florida's dominance in both sports right now so special is the fact that in the modern era, parity is widespread, the "Pay 'em to Play" dynasties of the Bear Bryant variety are long gone, and winning is harder than ever, especially in the SEC, which is absolutely loaded with talent. It is truly great to be a Florida Gator in 2006. We must savor and enjoy these moments because as quickly as they come, they can disappear again... but with Donovan and Meyer at the helm, the likelihood of this happening are greatly diminished. We Gators simply can't ask for better coaches, better support, better facilities, better recruiting bases. Everything has fallen into place, and you know who we have to thank for that?

Jeremy Foley, Florida's Athletic Director, who only 24 months ago at this time had just signed Urban Meyer after Ron Zook's disastrous run at head coach. Foley also took a chance on a young kid named Billy Donovan in 1996, showing that Foley has a unique insight (or incredible luck) into understanding how to find the right head coach for a program... his emergency decision to hire Zook notwithstanding.

Enjoy 2006. 2007 will only get better. Go Gators.

NCAA's Top Coaching Duo: Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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