John Swofford announced during his State of the Conference Address today at the ACC Media Days in Greensboro,NC that teams would be able to wear dark colors on the road if agreed upon by the home team without penalty. He also announced that punters whom kick the ball rugby style are subject to hits as if they were a ball carrier, not a punter.
I personally agree with both of these rules changes. If Florida State wants to wear all-garnet when they play at Clemson and Clemson wear all-orange I see that as interesting and something new. Teams with similar coloring can not do it. An example would be NC State Vs. Maryland, and Clemson Vs. Virginia Tech. Those two match ups contain teams with similar primary and secondary colors so it would make no sense if both teams had all-red, or all-black, or all-purple.
This came about because of two reasons. The first reason is that last year in the PAC-10 USC played UCLA and both agreed to wear solid colors as a new tradition, but the PAC-10 demanded that officials call an automatic time out on the road team for doing it. The second reason is because Clemson and Coastal Carolina want to have a special Orange/Black Halloween Game on October 31st. The Chanticleers want to wear All-Black against the Tigers All-Orange.
I also like the new rule with rugby style punters. These players could easily fake a kick and get a first down because defenders never knew whether they were going to run with it or kick it. If they kicked it at the last second the defender got a roughing the kicker penalty and if he was worried about hitting the kicker, the kicker could easily take advantage of the situation and run for a first down.
If a player begins the motion of running with the football he should be treated the same as a quarterback or running back. Players should not be cheated because they are afraid of a bogus penalty call.
Other news from media days
Spiller most notable player at the event
CJ Spiller is the most talked about player at the media day event today. Players from other teams are being asked about his talent and the importance of an ACC player being considered for the Heisman.
Spiller was asked about the VIRGIN QUESTION Tim Tebow got. He and Tebow are great friends and Spiller was shocked that Tebow was asked that. Spiller himself is an outgoing Christian with a 3 year old daughter that he loves dearly.
SEC TV Deal big topic as contract running out with ACC and ABC
With the SEC signing a new huge contract with the Disney Networks and CBS paying SEC schools $17,000,000 a year A PIECE the topic became "CAN SWOFFORD DELIVER FOR THE ACC?"
Football is clearly dominated by the SEC, but the ACC is getting more competitive and the money the schools put into the sport is growing enormously. The ACC has several HUGE programs with a total of 13 National Championships between five conference schools and 9 bowl tie-ins. The league is also the most respected basketball conference in the country with arguably the two most recognizable coaches in all of college basketball in Roy Williams and Coach K. The league has alot to offer.
Word around the ACC is that FOX wants to make a big push into college sports and is prepared to offer the ACC a similar package to the SEC that includes sporting events on FOX, FX, FSN, FCS, and Fox Regional Cable Networks. There is also talk of a cable television station similar to The Big Ten Network.
ACC Championship Game Attendance Problems
Questions are arrising concerning the attendance at the title game and whether Charlotte should be the permanent host of the title game. One problem the ACC has is that other than Virginia Tech none of the other division winners in the past three years have been teams with large alumni bases and fan support. The other problem is that the cities in Florida haven't been promoting the event as Charlotte surely would.
If Clemson and Florida State can start making the title game out of the Atlantic on a regular basis from the Atlantic and Virginia Tech and Miami from the Coastal Division then the title game would have more fans attending. Charlotte is also the logical choice for the title game as the city gets behind sports and events in the city and surrounding area.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
SEC Media Days were a RIOT!!!
This past Wednesday began the largest media sports gathering in America outside of the Super Bowl media day. The Annual SEC Media Days took place in Hoover,Alabama. The SEC Media Days are broadcast yearly in its' entirety by ESPN-U and ESPNEWS and nearly 2,000 media credentials are handed out to various media outlets around the southeast and all over America. The New York Times, Foxnews, CNNSI, Sporting News, FSR, Los Angeles Times, NBCSports, and nearly every single sports and talk radio station in the Southeast had at least one person covering the event. It has become "THE UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL START OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON".
With the NEW MEDIA such as blogs and fan websites becoming more-and-more important the SEC issued media passes to several fan sites and bloggers. Those people(me included) tend to be FANS and have alot more biased questions and ideas than the typical media. Bloggers and fan sites will ask oppossing coaches about players on the team they specifically cover to get a great article or post to write. They are specifically PROMOTING their favorite program.
This year's media days had the funniest controversy you could ever imagine. Who didn't vote for Tim Tebow as First Team ALL-SEC Quarterback??? A Florida fan site began questioning EVERY SINGLE SEC COACH AND PLAYER as to who was responsible for such an injustice. Each coach was asked if he voted against Tebow and as a follow up they were asked to comment on how good Tebow is as a quarterback. Several coaches spent more time talking about and answering questions about Tim Tebow than their own program. Dan Mullins for example spent more than 75% of his time during the question session with the media talking about his time mentoring Tebow, and hardly nothing about his own team.
By Day Three coaches who had just entered Hoover were opening their press conferences by telling the media that they had voted for Tebow so they wouldn't be asked a question about it. They would then go into a few minute statement on how good Tebow is as a quarterback, only to be asked how good Tebow is in a question usually from a Florida fansite.
The Media Days then took a turn for the surreal when USC Head Football Coach Steve Spurrier opened his press conference by saying that one of his staffers filled out his SEC team and put Jevan Snead of Ole Miss on the First Team. Spurrier was remorseful about it to the point that you would have thought he had just committed a criminal act. This in turn caused the media to go into a frenzy. In what was suppossed to be Spurrier's state of the program address and Q & A with the media became a 15 minute question and answer session about why he didn't fill out the stupid poll that doesn't mean anything anyway.
Spurrier was clearly uncomfortable when a reporter asked him what Florida people would think with his mistake. The odd thing about the whole situation is that the old Spurrier would have said "I think Snead is better". Spurrier looked about as comfortable in his press conference as Tommy Bowden did at his. He wasn't the man I witnessed say what was on his mind during the 1990s and 1980s at Duke and Florida. The OLD Spurrier would have told the media that it was his opinion and not try to place the blame on a staffer. He would do that whether the staffer did it or not.
The other amazing question that came about was by a blogger that asked Tim Tebow if he was a virgin. Amazingly instead of Tebow saying it's none of your business he answered the question with no problem.
The SEC Media Days are fun because it is becoming as outlandish as the Super Bowl media days. The ACC will have their media days this weekend and three quarters of the teams will not have one school fansite at the event. The outlandishness of the SEC Media Days makes the event more fun for fans and creates controversy. How many Florida fans would have thought about the Gamecock game this November if reporters had not been so upset that Tebow was not picked by every single coach. That game now means MORE.
The SEC does it right. The outlandishness of the event and questions gets headlines on ESPN, CNNSI, and even Foxnews television which ran a report on the huge storyline. How many times does Foxnews have a story on sports much less a sports media gathering. The SEC got what every other conference in America wishes they could have and that's why THEY ARE BY FAR THE BEST CONFERENCE IN ALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!
With the NEW MEDIA such as blogs and fan websites becoming more-and-more important the SEC issued media passes to several fan sites and bloggers. Those people(me included) tend to be FANS and have alot more biased questions and ideas than the typical media. Bloggers and fan sites will ask oppossing coaches about players on the team they specifically cover to get a great article or post to write. They are specifically PROMOTING their favorite program.
This year's media days had the funniest controversy you could ever imagine. Who didn't vote for Tim Tebow as First Team ALL-SEC Quarterback??? A Florida fan site began questioning EVERY SINGLE SEC COACH AND PLAYER as to who was responsible for such an injustice. Each coach was asked if he voted against Tebow and as a follow up they were asked to comment on how good Tebow is as a quarterback. Several coaches spent more time talking about and answering questions about Tim Tebow than their own program. Dan Mullins for example spent more than 75% of his time during the question session with the media talking about his time mentoring Tebow, and hardly nothing about his own team.
By Day Three coaches who had just entered Hoover were opening their press conferences by telling the media that they had voted for Tebow so they wouldn't be asked a question about it. They would then go into a few minute statement on how good Tebow is as a quarterback, only to be asked how good Tebow is in a question usually from a Florida fansite.
The Media Days then took a turn for the surreal when USC Head Football Coach Steve Spurrier opened his press conference by saying that one of his staffers filled out his SEC team and put Jevan Snead of Ole Miss on the First Team. Spurrier was remorseful about it to the point that you would have thought he had just committed a criminal act. This in turn caused the media to go into a frenzy. In what was suppossed to be Spurrier's state of the program address and Q & A with the media became a 15 minute question and answer session about why he didn't fill out the stupid poll that doesn't mean anything anyway.
Spurrier was clearly uncomfortable when a reporter asked him what Florida people would think with his mistake. The odd thing about the whole situation is that the old Spurrier would have said "I think Snead is better". Spurrier looked about as comfortable in his press conference as Tommy Bowden did at his. He wasn't the man I witnessed say what was on his mind during the 1990s and 1980s at Duke and Florida. The OLD Spurrier would have told the media that it was his opinion and not try to place the blame on a staffer. He would do that whether the staffer did it or not.
The other amazing question that came about was by a blogger that asked Tim Tebow if he was a virgin. Amazingly instead of Tebow saying it's none of your business he answered the question with no problem.
The SEC Media Days are fun because it is becoming as outlandish as the Super Bowl media days. The ACC will have their media days this weekend and three quarters of the teams will not have one school fansite at the event. The outlandishness of the SEC Media Days makes the event more fun for fans and creates controversy. How many Florida fans would have thought about the Gamecock game this November if reporters had not been so upset that Tebow was not picked by every single coach. That game now means MORE.
The SEC does it right. The outlandishness of the event and questions gets headlines on ESPN, CNNSI, and even Foxnews television which ran a report on the huge storyline. How many times does Foxnews have a story on sports much less a sports media gathering. The SEC got what every other conference in America wishes they could have and that's why THEY ARE BY FAR THE BEST CONFERENCE IN ALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
GarnetandBlackSports Finishes the sentence!!!
USC Graduate and garnetandblacksports owner David Able(07) has decided to finish the sentence. Check out David's site at Garnetandblacksports.blogspot.com:
1)The Gamecocks will win 8 games in 2009
2)The Gamecocks will finish 2nd in the SEC East in 2009
3)Lane Kiffin is a(n) jerk
4)Steve Spurrier will coach 2 more years at South Carolina
5)Rod Gardner was a genius in the 2000 game
6)Lou Holtz was a(n) great coach at USC. I wish we would've kept Skip.
7)The Gamecocks will go to the Capitol one bowl in 2009
8)Clemson fans have there moments. Just like Gamecock fans do.
9)Todd Ellis is a bad Play-by-play announcer. Will someone tell him to quit yelling all the time
10)Stephen Garcia will throw for 2700 yards and 25 tds in 2009
11)Steve Spurrier has been good in his first four years at USC
12)The Gamecocks will next beat Clemson in all sports in 2009-10.
13)The Gamecocks will have a 90,000 seat stadium by the year 2016.
14)The Gamecocks would finish 2nd if they were in the ACC Atlantic
15)Moe Brown will lead the Gamecocks in receiving in 2009
Some of David's answers were obviously for fun, such as his pick of USC beating Clemson in every sport in 2009-2010. I agree that USC would finish at the very least tied for 2nd in the ACC Atlantic if they were in that division and I believe they have an outside shot of making 2nd place in the East.
An 8-4 prediction might be a little high with possibly the toughest schedule in college football, but it is not a bad prediction and is a very honest prediction. They are good enough to go 8-4. I have the Cocks going 8-5 including a bowl win, so I am impressed that a huge Gamecock fan and alumnus would say 8-4.
I believe Jason Barnes will be the lead dog at receiever and I believe the numbers for Garcia might be a little too high, but he will be my pick of SEC 1st Team QB heading into 2010.
Overall I believe both Cock fan #1 and David did fair and honest jobs answering the questions. Nothing really unrealistic between the two and a few funny answers.
Enjoy David's blog at GarnetandBlackSports.Blogspot.Com. They have tremendous Gamecock coverage.
1)The Gamecocks will win 8 games in 2009
2)The Gamecocks will finish 2nd in the SEC East in 2009
3)Lane Kiffin is a(n) jerk
4)Steve Spurrier will coach 2 more years at South Carolina
5)Rod Gardner was a genius in the 2000 game
6)Lou Holtz was a(n) great coach at USC. I wish we would've kept Skip.
7)The Gamecocks will go to the Capitol one bowl in 2009
8)Clemson fans have there moments. Just like Gamecock fans do.
9)Todd Ellis is a bad Play-by-play announcer. Will someone tell him to quit yelling all the time
10)Stephen Garcia will throw for 2700 yards and 25 tds in 2009
11)Steve Spurrier has been good in his first four years at USC
12)The Gamecocks will next beat Clemson in all sports in 2009-10.
13)The Gamecocks will have a 90,000 seat stadium by the year 2016.
14)The Gamecocks would finish 2nd if they were in the ACC Atlantic
15)Moe Brown will lead the Gamecocks in receiving in 2009
Some of David's answers were obviously for fun, such as his pick of USC beating Clemson in every sport in 2009-2010. I agree that USC would finish at the very least tied for 2nd in the ACC Atlantic if they were in that division and I believe they have an outside shot of making 2nd place in the East.
An 8-4 prediction might be a little high with possibly the toughest schedule in college football, but it is not a bad prediction and is a very honest prediction. They are good enough to go 8-4. I have the Cocks going 8-5 including a bowl win, so I am impressed that a huge Gamecock fan and alumnus would say 8-4.
I believe Jason Barnes will be the lead dog at receiever and I believe the numbers for Garcia might be a little too high, but he will be my pick of SEC 1st Team QB heading into 2010.
Overall I believe both Cock fan #1 and David did fair and honest jobs answering the questions. Nothing really unrealistic between the two and a few funny answers.
Enjoy David's blog at GarnetandBlackSports.Blogspot.Com. They have tremendous Gamecock coverage.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Finish the sentence:Gamecock Fan #1
I received my first response from the gamecock fans I asked to finish the sentence. Here are the gamecock fan's answers and the questions:
1)The Gamecocks will win 8 games in 2009
2)The Gamecocks will finish 3rd in the SEC East in 2009
3)Lane Kiffin is 2 years from being unemployed
4)Steve Spurrier will coach 3 more years at South Carolina
5)Rod Gardner improved his NFL draft stockin the 2000 game
6)Lou Holtz was a(n) good coach at USC
7)The Gamecocks will go to the peach bowl in 2009
8)Clemson fans are delusional
9)Todd Ellis is a (n) very average Play-by-play announcer
10)Stephen Garcia will throw for 2600 yards and 18 tds in 2009
11)Steve Spurrier has been the winningest coach in history in his first four years at USC
12)The Gamecocks will next beat Clemson in womens volleyball 8/28/09.
13)The Gamecocks will have a 90,000 seat stadium by the year 2012
14)The Gamecocks would finish never worse than 3rd if they were in the ACC Atlantic
15)Jason Barnes will lead the Gamecocks in receiving in 2009
I agree with alot of what the gamecock fan has to say. USC will go 8-5 in 2009 and win a bowl game. I disagree strongly about Clemson losing in women's volleyball. The Lady Tigers will have a top 25 team in 2009(bet you didn't know I knew that stuff, LOL). I also think that USC might have to push back their expansion plans if the economy keeps heading in its current direction.
I will have another gamecock fan's opinions up tomorrow and then do my Clemson version of "Finish the Sentence".
1)The Gamecocks will win 8 games in 2009
2)The Gamecocks will finish 3rd in the SEC East in 2009
3)Lane Kiffin is 2 years from being unemployed
4)Steve Spurrier will coach 3 more years at South Carolina
5)Rod Gardner improved his NFL draft stockin the 2000 game
6)Lou Holtz was a(n) good coach at USC
7)The Gamecocks will go to the peach bowl in 2009
8)Clemson fans are delusional
9)Todd Ellis is a (n) very average Play-by-play announcer
10)Stephen Garcia will throw for 2600 yards and 18 tds in 2009
11)Steve Spurrier has been the winningest coach in history in his first four years at USC
12)The Gamecocks will next beat Clemson in womens volleyball 8/28/09.
13)The Gamecocks will have a 90,000 seat stadium by the year 2012
14)The Gamecocks would finish never worse than 3rd if they were in the ACC Atlantic
15)Jason Barnes will lead the Gamecocks in receiving in 2009
I agree with alot of what the gamecock fan has to say. USC will go 8-5 in 2009 and win a bowl game. I disagree strongly about Clemson losing in women's volleyball. The Lady Tigers will have a top 25 team in 2009(bet you didn't know I knew that stuff, LOL). I also think that USC might have to push back their expansion plans if the economy keeps heading in its current direction.
I will have another gamecock fan's opinions up tomorrow and then do my Clemson version of "Finish the Sentence".
Monday, July 20, 2009
Finish the sentence!!!
I am planning on doing a post called finish the sentence. I will do about 10-15 sentences on a team, or subject matter. I will ask 3 to 5 people to respond on each subject matter and post the responses a few days after I ask the question.
Part One will be about the University of South Carolina. I will select a few Gamecock fans to "Finish the Sentence".
Part One will be about the University of South Carolina. I will select a few Gamecock fans to "Finish the Sentence".
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Southern Dandy Dozen
1)Florida
2)LSU
3)Alabama
4)Virginia Tech
5)Georgia
6)Georgia Tech
7)Ole Miss
8)UNC
9)Clemson
10)Florida State
11)Arkansas
12)Southern Miss
2)LSU
3)Alabama
4)Virginia Tech
5)Georgia
6)Georgia Tech
7)Ole Miss
8)UNC
9)Clemson
10)Florida State
11)Arkansas
12)Southern Miss
The Southern Sports Report Preseason Top 35
1)Florida-Looking for 3rd title in 4 years
2)Texas-Redemption for 08 ending
3)Oklahoma-Typical top 5 season for Sooners
4)LSU-Best SEC bet to beat Florida at home in October
5)California-Best is 2nd best TB in the nation
6)Alabama-Will challenge for national title again in 09
7)Virginia Tech-Looking for third ACC title in a row
8)Oklahoma State-#8 in country, #3 in division, poor guys
9)USC-Down season for the Trojans at #9, LOL
10)Ohio State-Another trip to Pasadena
11)TCU-BCS Buster
12)BYU-See TCU comment
13)UCLA-1 year away from the BCS
14)Georgia-They don't rebuild they RELOAD
15)Georgia Tech-Johnson has built quite a program at Tech in only 2 years
16)Pittsburgh-Can Wannstedt finally live up to expectations
17)Penn State-Will challenge for Big Ten title and Rose Bowl again
18)Michigan State-Most talented team in years in Lansing
19)Texas Tech-Will be better than people think in 09
20)Ole Miss-Another solid season for the Rebs
21)North Carolina-Could make it to Tampa with an upset or two
22)Arizona-Mike Stoops is beginning to finally arrive in the PAC-10
23)Clemson-My pick in the Atlantic Division
24)Boise State-WAC Champs, yawn, typical 11 win season in Boise
25)Florida State-Bowden retires at season's end
26)Arkansas-Will be much improved in 09
27)Rutgers-Could honestly make it to Miami if Wannstedt fails as usual
28)Southern Miss-My pick in CUSA
29)Auburn-Chizik will be better than people think
30)Wake Forest-Will be 6-0 heading into Clemson on October 17th
31)South Carolina-Most talented team in Spurrier era in Columbia
32)Iowa-Improving significantly every year
33)East Carolina-Another 8 win season for Skip Holtz
34)Stanford-Yes the Cardinal will make a bowl game under Harbaugh
35)Utah-Not last year's team, but solid none the less
2)Texas-Redemption for 08 ending
3)Oklahoma-Typical top 5 season for Sooners
4)LSU-Best SEC bet to beat Florida at home in October
5)California-Best is 2nd best TB in the nation
6)Alabama-Will challenge for national title again in 09
7)Virginia Tech-Looking for third ACC title in a row
8)Oklahoma State-#8 in country, #3 in division, poor guys
9)USC-Down season for the Trojans at #9, LOL
10)Ohio State-Another trip to Pasadena
11)TCU-BCS Buster
12)BYU-See TCU comment
13)UCLA-1 year away from the BCS
14)Georgia-They don't rebuild they RELOAD
15)Georgia Tech-Johnson has built quite a program at Tech in only 2 years
16)Pittsburgh-Can Wannstedt finally live up to expectations
17)Penn State-Will challenge for Big Ten title and Rose Bowl again
18)Michigan State-Most talented team in years in Lansing
19)Texas Tech-Will be better than people think in 09
20)Ole Miss-Another solid season for the Rebs
21)North Carolina-Could make it to Tampa with an upset or two
22)Arizona-Mike Stoops is beginning to finally arrive in the PAC-10
23)Clemson-My pick in the Atlantic Division
24)Boise State-WAC Champs, yawn, typical 11 win season in Boise
25)Florida State-Bowden retires at season's end
26)Arkansas-Will be much improved in 09
27)Rutgers-Could honestly make it to Miami if Wannstedt fails as usual
28)Southern Miss-My pick in CUSA
29)Auburn-Chizik will be better than people think
30)Wake Forest-Will be 6-0 heading into Clemson on October 17th
31)South Carolina-Most talented team in Spurrier era in Columbia
32)Iowa-Improving significantly every year
33)East Carolina-Another 8 win season for Skip Holtz
34)Stanford-Yes the Cardinal will make a bowl game under Harbaugh
35)Utah-Not last year's team, but solid none the less
Tommy Bowden:Just shut-up!!!
I was shocked to see Tommy Bowden make the comments he made to reporters in a seemingly condecending tone concerning the Clemson football program. This was a school that gave Bowden several contract extensions, bonuses, and pay raises over a ten year period without getting one single ACC title in return for their generousity. For ten years Clemson's administration defended and supported Bowden and now he has turned on a school that believed in him alot more than anybody else in the country did.
Bowden was an up-and-down coach at Clemson. He constantly underachieved. Look at his record. In 2001 Clemson was a preseason Top 15 team and they finished 7-5 with a GREAT(um,um, lump in my throat)Humanitarian Bowl victory in Boise, Idaho over POWERHOUSE Louisana Tech. In 2002 Clemson was preseason 4th in the ACC and they finished 6th. In 2004 the Tigers were picked to win the ACC and were ranked in the Top 15 to start the season, but finished with a 6-5 record including an embarrassing loss to Duke and a terrible brawl with their arch rival South Carolina to end the season. In 2006 the tigers were once again favored to win the ACC and after starting 7-1 they folded and finished 8-5 including an ugly bowl loss to a below average Kentucky team. In 2008 Clemson began the season ranked number nine nationally before being utterly destroyed by an unranked Alabama team 34-10 in Atlanta and losing to both Wake Forest and Maryland in ugly fashion.
Bowden's own comments at an event to raise money for North Alabama University were telling "We have always turned things around". Well Tommy that is the problem. You shouldn't have had to turn things around. If you were a better coach you would have had your team ready for the 3 games you lost at Wake Forest, the game you lost at Duke, the games you blew against Maryland, the games you blew against Virginia, and the embarrassing loss the program sufferred against UNC on homecoming in 2001. Bowden, this program had to constantly "TURN THINGS AROUND" and in so doing never could accomplish what it should have. You lived off of the emotion of winning 3 games to end a season and victories over South Carolina and so in lied the problem. You should have never had to win 3 straight games just to become bowl eligible.
You are a lucky man Tommy. You lasted ten years at one of the ten greatest programs in the history of the South and you never won a championship. Hell, you didn't even win a division title. That would have never been tolerated at LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee or Florida. Heck even programs without the recent or overall tradition of Clemson like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, East Carolina, Kentucky, South Florida, Central Florida and Southern Miss would not tolerate such failures for ten years. Division 1-AA programs like App. State and Furman would fire their coach before he coached that long without a title. Other coaches with far better resumes have been fired or forced out at schools.
One of Bowden's constant arguments about the success of his program was the grades and graduation of players. Hum, maybe I am missing something, but don't the players take the test and go to class? Don't the players have to go to Vickery Hall? Players are suppossed to do well in school. They are STUDENT-ATHLETES. That should be a given with any coach, especially a coach at Clemson that has the benefit of one of the top five athletic academic centers in all of college sports.
Tommy, you made millions of dollars and constantly under performed as a coach. You even received 3.5 Million dollars when you were forced out. Not a bad parting gift from a school that you didn't really take to the next level. You also got to put both of your kids through Clemson for practically FREE with the money you received.
Clemson gave you pay raises, and extensions while such programs wih far less talent like Wake Forest and Boston College were playing for ACC Championships and Orange Bowl berths. You were bragging up Music City Bowl, and Champs Sports Bowl berths. You had FAR SUPERIOR talent than both of those schools, but their coaches were some how good enough to win, while you were good enough to win a little less than needed. Simply put "YOU FAILED!!!"
Clemson has given you so much and yet this is what they get in return, A SMACK IN THE FACE OR A KICK TO THE GROIN. No man that preaches about God should so rudely treat people that have constantly bent over backwards to defend and help him. You never again deserve to walk the sidelines of a major college football program only to stab them in the back as well.
Bowden was an up-and-down coach at Clemson. He constantly underachieved. Look at his record. In 2001 Clemson was a preseason Top 15 team and they finished 7-5 with a GREAT(um,um, lump in my throat)Humanitarian Bowl victory in Boise, Idaho over POWERHOUSE Louisana Tech. In 2002 Clemson was preseason 4th in the ACC and they finished 6th. In 2004 the Tigers were picked to win the ACC and were ranked in the Top 15 to start the season, but finished with a 6-5 record including an embarrassing loss to Duke and a terrible brawl with their arch rival South Carolina to end the season. In 2006 the tigers were once again favored to win the ACC and after starting 7-1 they folded and finished 8-5 including an ugly bowl loss to a below average Kentucky team. In 2008 Clemson began the season ranked number nine nationally before being utterly destroyed by an unranked Alabama team 34-10 in Atlanta and losing to both Wake Forest and Maryland in ugly fashion.
Bowden's own comments at an event to raise money for North Alabama University were telling "We have always turned things around". Well Tommy that is the problem. You shouldn't have had to turn things around. If you were a better coach you would have had your team ready for the 3 games you lost at Wake Forest, the game you lost at Duke, the games you blew against Maryland, the games you blew against Virginia, and the embarrassing loss the program sufferred against UNC on homecoming in 2001. Bowden, this program had to constantly "TURN THINGS AROUND" and in so doing never could accomplish what it should have. You lived off of the emotion of winning 3 games to end a season and victories over South Carolina and so in lied the problem. You should have never had to win 3 straight games just to become bowl eligible.
You are a lucky man Tommy. You lasted ten years at one of the ten greatest programs in the history of the South and you never won a championship. Hell, you didn't even win a division title. That would have never been tolerated at LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee or Florida. Heck even programs without the recent or overall tradition of Clemson like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, East Carolina, Kentucky, South Florida, Central Florida and Southern Miss would not tolerate such failures for ten years. Division 1-AA programs like App. State and Furman would fire their coach before he coached that long without a title. Other coaches with far better resumes have been fired or forced out at schools.
One of Bowden's constant arguments about the success of his program was the grades and graduation of players. Hum, maybe I am missing something, but don't the players take the test and go to class? Don't the players have to go to Vickery Hall? Players are suppossed to do well in school. They are STUDENT-ATHLETES. That should be a given with any coach, especially a coach at Clemson that has the benefit of one of the top five athletic academic centers in all of college sports.
Tommy, you made millions of dollars and constantly under performed as a coach. You even received 3.5 Million dollars when you were forced out. Not a bad parting gift from a school that you didn't really take to the next level. You also got to put both of your kids through Clemson for practically FREE with the money you received.
Clemson gave you pay raises, and extensions while such programs wih far less talent like Wake Forest and Boston College were playing for ACC Championships and Orange Bowl berths. You were bragging up Music City Bowl, and Champs Sports Bowl berths. You had FAR SUPERIOR talent than both of those schools, but their coaches were some how good enough to win, while you were good enough to win a little less than needed. Simply put "YOU FAILED!!!"
Clemson has given you so much and yet this is what they get in return, A SMACK IN THE FACE OR A KICK TO THE GROIN. No man that preaches about God should so rudely treat people that have constantly bent over backwards to defend and help him. You never again deserve to walk the sidelines of a major college football program only to stab them in the back as well.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Article of the Week
Each Thursday I'm going to look at my favorite Tiger, Southern, ACC, and SEC sites to bring you an article of the week. For this week I chose a new article on Dixiefriedsports.com by Matt Barber. The article is about the best pregame traditions in the South. If you're a football fan, you'll love this article:
http://www.dixiefriedsports.com/Top_Pregame_Events.html
http://www.dixiefriedsports.com/Top_Pregame_Events.html
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
9 HUGE PREDICTIONS FOR '09
1)Florida will go 14-0
Honestly the Gators have a nice schedule for an SEC school. OOC games against Troy, Charleston Southern, and Florida International are all 40-60 point victories guaranteed and their SEC schedule is very manageble with only one tough road game at LSU on October 10th. They should easily go through their regular season schedule and win their third national title in four years. They will be one of the most dominate teams in the history of college football. The debate will begin '95 Cornhuskers Vs. '09 Gators.
2)California will dethrone USC as Pac-10 Champions
Yep, you heard it here first the California Golden Bears will play in the Rose Bowl. The Bears have the best running back in the Pac-10 in Jahvid Best. Expect Jahvid and three returning starters on the offensive line to give USC hell on October 3rd. The Bears defense will also be a top 10 defense nationally with 8 retunring starters including potential All-American defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson. The Bears beat the Trojans 27-23 and take the Pac-10 title.
3)USC will still beat Ohio State
Ohio State fans are calling out USC and consider this game to be a formality, but USC is still USC and Ohio State is still Ohio State. In the past five years Ohio State has lost alot of these intersectional matchups with bigtime programs. Whether it be in the BCS or regular season Ohio State has found a way to choke. Many people point to USC having only three returning starters on defense, but keep in mind that USC had several Five Star recruits playing back up roles last season. They don't rebuild, they reload. The Trojans also have 4 returning starters on the offensive line and that will be the difference in the game as USC wins 31-17.
4)Colt McCoy will win the Heisman
Not a suprise, but I know how the Heisman and ESPN operates. Bradford won it last year and Tebow the year before, so as long as McCoy doesn't fall flat on his face he should win the Heisman. The Longhorns are preseason favorites to at least play for the National Championship and should they beat Oklahoma AGAIN, he will get the sympathy vote for what happened last year with Texas being shut out of the title game and Bradford winning the Heisman.
5)The winner of the Wake Forest-Clemson game will win the Atlantic
Everybody it seems is promoting Florida State and NC State as the Atlantic Division Champions in the ACC, but if you take a closer look, both Clemson and Wake have the advantage. Wake gets FSU and NC State at home, and Clemson gets FSU at home where they've won three in a row and they have beaten NC State for five straight years. The Deacons and Tigers will sweep NC State and Florida State and play for the Atlantic Division Title on October 17th. Clemson will enter the game at 3-2 and Wake will be 6-0!!!
6)Randy Shannon will not be the coach of the Hurricanes by November
Miami has the hardest schedule in the nation. OOC games at South Florida, Central Florida and a home game against Oklahoma are all games I predict the Hurricanes to lose in 2009. Whoever came up with this hard a schedule for a young team and coach should be fired for stupidity. The Canes play at FSU on Labor Day Night, followed by a Thursday night game against a much better Georgia Tech team on Sept. 17th. They then take on Va Tech whom is significantly better than Miami on September 26th followed by a sure blow out loss to Oklahoma on October 3rd. The Canes will not win their first game until October 10th against Florida A&M. The Canes will be playing consistantly in front of less than 20,000 people and with a restless alumni base Shannon will get the axe at the end of October. It will be one of the worst seasons in the history of THE U!!!
7)Chizik, Swinney, and Kiffin will all be successful
All three hires are considered questionable by many, but if you look closely all three coaches have hired INCREDIBLE staffs. Examples are Orgeron at Tennessee, Malzahn at Auburn, and Kevin Steele at Clemson. All three staff contain incredible recruiters and multiple coaches that were Head Coaches in the past. All three contain coaches that have been ranked either Top 10 National Recruiters or Top 10 Assistants by Rivals.Com Due to a softer ACC schedule Swinney will be the most successful early on with a 9-3 season next year, but Chizik and Kiffin will go bowling and win big in tbe future.
8)TCU will go 12-0 and play in the Sugar Bowl
This is the toughest prediction for me to make because TCU plays at Clemson on September the 26th, but I think the Horned Frogs are DUE for a BCS bid. They were close in 2003, 2005, and 2008 and will finally get over the hump in 2009. Andy Dalton is a solid multi-talented quarterback and he should find things easier in 2009with a junior and senior laden offensive line. They will romp ACC member Virginia on September 12th and win a close one 20-19 at Death Valley against Clemson on September 26th. The wins against the ACC schools will give them the momentum they need to go undefeated in the MWC!!!
9)Notre Dame will lose six games again in 2009
Everybody seems to be on the band wagon of the fighting irish. But, Notre Dame has a much tougher schedule than they have in years past. They will be road underdogs against Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. They will also be underdogs at home against Michigan State, and USC. They have other tough games against Boston College(who seems to have their number), Nevada, Navy, and UConn. The Irish will fire Charlie Weiss after a 6-6 season and several blowout losses including an embarrassing loss at the end of the season to Stanford.
Honestly the Gators have a nice schedule for an SEC school. OOC games against Troy, Charleston Southern, and Florida International are all 40-60 point victories guaranteed and their SEC schedule is very manageble with only one tough road game at LSU on October 10th. They should easily go through their regular season schedule and win their third national title in four years. They will be one of the most dominate teams in the history of college football. The debate will begin '95 Cornhuskers Vs. '09 Gators.
2)California will dethrone USC as Pac-10 Champions
Yep, you heard it here first the California Golden Bears will play in the Rose Bowl. The Bears have the best running back in the Pac-10 in Jahvid Best. Expect Jahvid and three returning starters on the offensive line to give USC hell on October 3rd. The Bears defense will also be a top 10 defense nationally with 8 retunring starters including potential All-American defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson. The Bears beat the Trojans 27-23 and take the Pac-10 title.
3)USC will still beat Ohio State
Ohio State fans are calling out USC and consider this game to be a formality, but USC is still USC and Ohio State is still Ohio State. In the past five years Ohio State has lost alot of these intersectional matchups with bigtime programs. Whether it be in the BCS or regular season Ohio State has found a way to choke. Many people point to USC having only three returning starters on defense, but keep in mind that USC had several Five Star recruits playing back up roles last season. They don't rebuild, they reload. The Trojans also have 4 returning starters on the offensive line and that will be the difference in the game as USC wins 31-17.
4)Colt McCoy will win the Heisman
Not a suprise, but I know how the Heisman and ESPN operates. Bradford won it last year and Tebow the year before, so as long as McCoy doesn't fall flat on his face he should win the Heisman. The Longhorns are preseason favorites to at least play for the National Championship and should they beat Oklahoma AGAIN, he will get the sympathy vote for what happened last year with Texas being shut out of the title game and Bradford winning the Heisman.
5)The winner of the Wake Forest-Clemson game will win the Atlantic
Everybody it seems is promoting Florida State and NC State as the Atlantic Division Champions in the ACC, but if you take a closer look, both Clemson and Wake have the advantage. Wake gets FSU and NC State at home, and Clemson gets FSU at home where they've won three in a row and they have beaten NC State for five straight years. The Deacons and Tigers will sweep NC State and Florida State and play for the Atlantic Division Title on October 17th. Clemson will enter the game at 3-2 and Wake will be 6-0!!!
6)Randy Shannon will not be the coach of the Hurricanes by November
Miami has the hardest schedule in the nation. OOC games at South Florida, Central Florida and a home game against Oklahoma are all games I predict the Hurricanes to lose in 2009. Whoever came up with this hard a schedule for a young team and coach should be fired for stupidity. The Canes play at FSU on Labor Day Night, followed by a Thursday night game against a much better Georgia Tech team on Sept. 17th. They then take on Va Tech whom is significantly better than Miami on September 26th followed by a sure blow out loss to Oklahoma on October 3rd. The Canes will not win their first game until October 10th against Florida A&M. The Canes will be playing consistantly in front of less than 20,000 people and with a restless alumni base Shannon will get the axe at the end of October. It will be one of the worst seasons in the history of THE U!!!
7)Chizik, Swinney, and Kiffin will all be successful
All three hires are considered questionable by many, but if you look closely all three coaches have hired INCREDIBLE staffs. Examples are Orgeron at Tennessee, Malzahn at Auburn, and Kevin Steele at Clemson. All three staff contain incredible recruiters and multiple coaches that were Head Coaches in the past. All three contain coaches that have been ranked either Top 10 National Recruiters or Top 10 Assistants by Rivals.Com Due to a softer ACC schedule Swinney will be the most successful early on with a 9-3 season next year, but Chizik and Kiffin will go bowling and win big in tbe future.
8)TCU will go 12-0 and play in the Sugar Bowl
This is the toughest prediction for me to make because TCU plays at Clemson on September the 26th, but I think the Horned Frogs are DUE for a BCS bid. They were close in 2003, 2005, and 2008 and will finally get over the hump in 2009. Andy Dalton is a solid multi-talented quarterback and he should find things easier in 2009with a junior and senior laden offensive line. They will romp ACC member Virginia on September 12th and win a close one 20-19 at Death Valley against Clemson on September 26th. The wins against the ACC schools will give them the momentum they need to go undefeated in the MWC!!!
9)Notre Dame will lose six games again in 2009
Everybody seems to be on the band wagon of the fighting irish. But, Notre Dame has a much tougher schedule than they have in years past. They will be road underdogs against Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. They will also be underdogs at home against Michigan State, and USC. They have other tough games against Boston College(who seems to have their number), Nevada, Navy, and UConn. The Irish will fire Charlie Weiss after a 6-6 season and several blowout losses including an embarrassing loss at the end of the season to Stanford.
Interesting story lines in '09 Part Two
1)Will Lane Kiffin have to eat his words-
That is a huge question nationally as Lane Kiffin has talked a big game this offseason. Kiffin has ripped high schools in South Carolina & Florida, slammed Florida, called USC graduates Gas-pumpers, ripped into both Nick Saban & Mark Richt, and pretty much pissed off every single fanbase in the SEC. Everybody wants a piece of Lane Kiffin. But will they get what they want.
The Vols have the benefit of having 8 home games including 5 of the first 6 games and 7 of the first 9. All 4 SEC home games are winnable, but they include a game against a Mark Richt Georgia team he has pissed off and a Gamecock team under Darth Visor whom he may have pissed off the most. Spurrier and USC in particularly were treated harshly by Kiffin and will have guns a blazing on Halloween night. The gas-pumper jokes have upset the gamecocks and they will be looking for vengeance.
The Vols four road games will be extremely difficult. They have games at Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Depending on how Kentucky plays in '09 the Vols will be underdogs in all 4 games. Florida and Bama will look to run up the score if at all possible due to Kiffin's antics.
I predict a 7-5 record and a trip to the Cotton Bowl. Tennessee is a favorite of the folks at the Cotton Bowl and with so many even football teams in the middle and bottom of the SEC expect them to select the Vols. Controversy creates cash and a controversial Kiffin will be what the doctor ordered for the SEC. More fans will tune in next year just because they hate the man in hopes of seeing somebody lay the wood on Kiffin. He will dissapoint some, but others will love the beatdown they lay on the Vols.
2)Can Georgia overcome the losses of Moreno/Stafford and an incredibly tough schedule
Joe Cox will be asked to replace a very successful Matthew Syafford as quarterback of the Dawgs. Cox was an Elite 11 quarterback 5 years ago out of Independence High School in Charlotte, NC. Rather than transfer he bided his time with patience and is now prepared to lead the Dawgs in 2009. Cox has a nice arm and has been in the program for five years now. He will be a good quarterback that makes few mistakes. He won't lose any games for the dawgs.
Caleb King is expected to be a future NFL Draft Pick. King is only a sophomore and played quality minutes as Moreno's backup in 2008. He has a quality and talented offensive line to run behind and should rush for over a thousand yards in 2009.
All that being said Georgia's schedule is a BEAST. They start off with games away against Oklahoma State(Top 15), at home against USC(Top35), away against Arkansas(Top 35), at home against Arizona State(Bowl team), and at home against LSU(National Title Contender). The schedule is NUTS!!!
If the Dawgs can find a way to start off 3-1 or 4-0 they might be national title contenders. They have LSU at home, and winnable road games against Tennessee, Vandy, and Georgia Tech.
The Dawgs will suprise people by going 9-3 or 8-4 and have a top 20 season before playing in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. But, fear not Dawg fans, the Dawgs will be a top 10 team in 2010. Be a little patient and they will be back to old form!!!
3)Can CJ Spiller be a Heisman Contender-
Clemson is a 7 to 9 win program right now. Spiller needs to lead Clemson to an ACC Title game to be strongly considered for the award. He also needs to have huge games in national television games.
The tigers have several opportunities for Spiller to make a case. The first comes on September 10th in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. The Thursday night telecast will be a great early season showdown with some major buzz on ESPN. The Jackets are predicted to be a Top 15 team in 2009. If Spiller plays the way he did against them in 2006 when College Gameday was in town he will certainly enter the fray. If he plays the way he played against Tech in 2007 Spiller will no longer be considered a real candidate.
If he is successful against Tech the tigers will almost certainly have a national television game against a top 15 TCU team on September 26th. Playing a potential BCS team(note:they are my personal pick to make the Sugar Bowl)gives Spiller the opportunity for more exposure nationally. A huge game here combined with a big game against the Jacket will give him a great opportunity at making the top 5.
He will have two opportunities against FSU and NC State in November. FSU and NC State will both be better in 2009 and both of these games could determine whether Clemson, NC State, or FSU makes the ACC Championship Game. If he has huge games in these two games he makes it to New York.
Colt McCoy is going to win the Heisman. But, Spiller will have a legit shot at making it to New York. He is the most dynamite player in college football and will be on highlight reels all year long.
4)Is NC State a legit top 25 team-
NC State has a tougher schedule than people might think. Home OOC games against South Carolina and Pittsburgh will be tough. They also have conference road games at FSU, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. Home games against Clemson and North Carolina will also be tough.
The schedule will prevent NC State from being a bigtime team. The Wolfpack will be underdogs against South Carolina to open the season, and possibly the fourth game against Pitt. If NC State finds a way to win one or both of those games to start 3-1or 4-0 they could challenge in the ACC, but if they can't get past two decent programs in South Carolina or Pitt, how will they win against programs like Virginia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest on the road.
I see a 7-5 season for the Wolfpack. I love Coach O'Brian. There is a toughness that is developing at NC State that is SECesque. By 2010 they will challenge for the division title, but I don't see them ready to do it in 2009.
5)Will South Carolina improve on the 2008 season-
People are beginning to question Steve Spurrier as a head coach, but South Carolina is closer than people think to turning the corner in the SEC East. The East isn't as strong as it used to be outside of Florida and when Tim Tebow leaves USC will challenge Georgia for the East title in 2010.
This year the Gamecocks should expect an improvement in the offensive line. The o-line will have 2 seniors and 3 juniors. Junior and senior laden offensive lines tend to be great in college football. Garrett Anderson at center will anchor a offensive line that should give young quarterback Stephen Garcia more time. With more time to throw the ball Garcia could be the third best in the SEC behind Tebow and Sneed. Jarriel King will also be a beast on the o-line for USC!!!
Jarvis Giles will be the number one impact freshman in the SEC as the starting running back for USC. I expect Giles to challenge for a 1,000 yard season. HE IS THAT GOOD!!!
Record wise the cocks will be the same as last year at 7-5, but they will be more competitive against Florida and Clemson and beat Tennessee for the second year in a row for the first time in school history. I have them going to the Music City Bowl and finishing 8-5 overall with a bowl victory over North Carolina to set them up to challenge Georgia for the East in 2010!!!
That is a huge question nationally as Lane Kiffin has talked a big game this offseason. Kiffin has ripped high schools in South Carolina & Florida, slammed Florida, called USC graduates Gas-pumpers, ripped into both Nick Saban & Mark Richt, and pretty much pissed off every single fanbase in the SEC. Everybody wants a piece of Lane Kiffin. But will they get what they want.
The Vols have the benefit of having 8 home games including 5 of the first 6 games and 7 of the first 9. All 4 SEC home games are winnable, but they include a game against a Mark Richt Georgia team he has pissed off and a Gamecock team under Darth Visor whom he may have pissed off the most. Spurrier and USC in particularly were treated harshly by Kiffin and will have guns a blazing on Halloween night. The gas-pumper jokes have upset the gamecocks and they will be looking for vengeance.
The Vols four road games will be extremely difficult. They have games at Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Depending on how Kentucky plays in '09 the Vols will be underdogs in all 4 games. Florida and Bama will look to run up the score if at all possible due to Kiffin's antics.
I predict a 7-5 record and a trip to the Cotton Bowl. Tennessee is a favorite of the folks at the Cotton Bowl and with so many even football teams in the middle and bottom of the SEC expect them to select the Vols. Controversy creates cash and a controversial Kiffin will be what the doctor ordered for the SEC. More fans will tune in next year just because they hate the man in hopes of seeing somebody lay the wood on Kiffin. He will dissapoint some, but others will love the beatdown they lay on the Vols.
2)Can Georgia overcome the losses of Moreno/Stafford and an incredibly tough schedule
Joe Cox will be asked to replace a very successful Matthew Syafford as quarterback of the Dawgs. Cox was an Elite 11 quarterback 5 years ago out of Independence High School in Charlotte, NC. Rather than transfer he bided his time with patience and is now prepared to lead the Dawgs in 2009. Cox has a nice arm and has been in the program for five years now. He will be a good quarterback that makes few mistakes. He won't lose any games for the dawgs.
Caleb King is expected to be a future NFL Draft Pick. King is only a sophomore and played quality minutes as Moreno's backup in 2008. He has a quality and talented offensive line to run behind and should rush for over a thousand yards in 2009.
All that being said Georgia's schedule is a BEAST. They start off with games away against Oklahoma State(Top 15), at home against USC(Top35), away against Arkansas(Top 35), at home against Arizona State(Bowl team), and at home against LSU(National Title Contender). The schedule is NUTS!!!
If the Dawgs can find a way to start off 3-1 or 4-0 they might be national title contenders. They have LSU at home, and winnable road games against Tennessee, Vandy, and Georgia Tech.
The Dawgs will suprise people by going 9-3 or 8-4 and have a top 20 season before playing in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. But, fear not Dawg fans, the Dawgs will be a top 10 team in 2010. Be a little patient and they will be back to old form!!!
3)Can CJ Spiller be a Heisman Contender-
Clemson is a 7 to 9 win program right now. Spiller needs to lead Clemson to an ACC Title game to be strongly considered for the award. He also needs to have huge games in national television games.
The tigers have several opportunities for Spiller to make a case. The first comes on September 10th in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. The Thursday night telecast will be a great early season showdown with some major buzz on ESPN. The Jackets are predicted to be a Top 15 team in 2009. If Spiller plays the way he did against them in 2006 when College Gameday was in town he will certainly enter the fray. If he plays the way he played against Tech in 2007 Spiller will no longer be considered a real candidate.
If he is successful against Tech the tigers will almost certainly have a national television game against a top 15 TCU team on September 26th. Playing a potential BCS team(note:they are my personal pick to make the Sugar Bowl)gives Spiller the opportunity for more exposure nationally. A huge game here combined with a big game against the Jacket will give him a great opportunity at making the top 5.
He will have two opportunities against FSU and NC State in November. FSU and NC State will both be better in 2009 and both of these games could determine whether Clemson, NC State, or FSU makes the ACC Championship Game. If he has huge games in these two games he makes it to New York.
Colt McCoy is going to win the Heisman. But, Spiller will have a legit shot at making it to New York. He is the most dynamite player in college football and will be on highlight reels all year long.
4)Is NC State a legit top 25 team-
NC State has a tougher schedule than people might think. Home OOC games against South Carolina and Pittsburgh will be tough. They also have conference road games at FSU, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. Home games against Clemson and North Carolina will also be tough.
The schedule will prevent NC State from being a bigtime team. The Wolfpack will be underdogs against South Carolina to open the season, and possibly the fourth game against Pitt. If NC State finds a way to win one or both of those games to start 3-1or 4-0 they could challenge in the ACC, but if they can't get past two decent programs in South Carolina or Pitt, how will they win against programs like Virginia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest on the road.
I see a 7-5 season for the Wolfpack. I love Coach O'Brian. There is a toughness that is developing at NC State that is SECesque. By 2010 they will challenge for the division title, but I don't see them ready to do it in 2009.
5)Will South Carolina improve on the 2008 season-
People are beginning to question Steve Spurrier as a head coach, but South Carolina is closer than people think to turning the corner in the SEC East. The East isn't as strong as it used to be outside of Florida and when Tim Tebow leaves USC will challenge Georgia for the East title in 2010.
This year the Gamecocks should expect an improvement in the offensive line. The o-line will have 2 seniors and 3 juniors. Junior and senior laden offensive lines tend to be great in college football. Garrett Anderson at center will anchor a offensive line that should give young quarterback Stephen Garcia more time. With more time to throw the ball Garcia could be the third best in the SEC behind Tebow and Sneed. Jarriel King will also be a beast on the o-line for USC!!!
Jarvis Giles will be the number one impact freshman in the SEC as the starting running back for USC. I expect Giles to challenge for a 1,000 yard season. HE IS THAT GOOD!!!
Record wise the cocks will be the same as last year at 7-5, but they will be more competitive against Florida and Clemson and beat Tennessee for the second year in a row for the first time in school history. I have them going to the Music City Bowl and finishing 8-5 overall with a bowl victory over North Carolina to set them up to challenge Georgia for the East in 2010!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
2009 Preseason Bowl Projections
BCS National Championship Game: Florida Vs. Texas
The Gators win their third title in four years.
Rose Bowl: California Vs. Ohio State
Finally somebody other than USC makes the Rose Bowl
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma Vs. USC
A rematch of the 2004 National Championship Game
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech Vs. Pittsburgh
The Hokies make their annual trek to Miami.
Sugar Bowl: LSU Vs. TCU
The Horned Frogs are the BCS spoilers in 2009.
Capital One Bowl: Alabama Vs. Penn State
A classic college football matchup.
Outback Bowl: Ole Miss Vs. Michigan
No BCS for Ole Miss but a nice trip to Tampa for Coach Nutt and Sneed.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Clemson Vs. Georgia
A classic 80's matchup in a truly neutral setting. Most hated rivalry of the bowl season.
Gator Bowl: Notre Dame Vs. Florida State
A huge national showdown between two of the greatest programs of all-time in Jacksonville.
Cotton Bowl: Tennessee Vs. Oklahoma State
They always choose Tennessee when they are available.
Music City Bowl: South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
Battle of the Carolina's leaves the Carolina's and enters Nashville.
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin Vs. Georgia Tech
3 yards and a cloud of dust.
Meineke Car Care Bowl: NC State Vs. South Florida
A rematch of the 2005 bowl game in Charlotte.
Alamo Bowl: Nebraska Vs. Michigan State
One of the most underrated bowls every year.
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas Vs. Southern Miss
Perfect spot for a rejuvenated Razorback program to go bowling under Petrino.
Insight Bowl: Iowa Vs. Colorado
Intriging matchup of two up-and-coming programs.
Sun Bowl: Arizona Vs. Kansas State
Back-to-back bowl games for Zona and Stoops.
Humanittarian Bowl: Boise State Vs. UNLV
Home blow out for BSU.
Holiday Bowl: Texas Tech Vs. Arizona State
Texas Tech will be better than people think.
Texas Bowl: Navy Vs. Baylor
Baylor's first bowl game in a long time.
Independence Bowl: Auburn Vs. Texas A&M
Pretty nice matchup of regional powers.
Motor City Bowl: Central Michigan Vs. Minnesota
Another trip to Detriot for CMU.
Las Vegas Bowl: BYU Vs. Oregon
BYU makes their annual trip to Vegas.
Poinsetta Bowl: Utah Vs. Oregon State
A solid bowl game in a great city.
New Orleans Bowl: Troy Vs. Memphis
Another bowl for Tommy West.
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico Vs. Fresno State
UNM was born to play in this bowl game, LOL.
St. Petersburg Bowl: Louisville Vs. East Carolina
The Cardinals are back to playing good football again in 2009.
Hawai'i Bowl: Hawai'i Vs. Houston
What a vacation for kids going to school in Houston.
Emerald Bowl: Wake Forest Vs. Stanford
Poor Wake, always gets the shaft in the ACC bowl allotment.
Eagle Bank Bowl: Boston College Vs. UConn
Possibly lowest attended bowl game in 2009.
International Bowl: Rutgers Vs. Western Michigan
See Eagle Bank Bowl comments.
PapaJohns.Com Bowl: Kentucky Vs. West Virginia
Nice matchup of neighboring state schools.
GMAC Bowl: Central Florida Vs. Northern Illinois
Actually a nicer matchup of non-BCS schools.
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force Vs. Tulsa
Teams from neighboring states meet in Texas!!!
The Gators win their third title in four years.
Rose Bowl: California Vs. Ohio State
Finally somebody other than USC makes the Rose Bowl
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma Vs. USC
A rematch of the 2004 National Championship Game
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech Vs. Pittsburgh
The Hokies make their annual trek to Miami.
Sugar Bowl: LSU Vs. TCU
The Horned Frogs are the BCS spoilers in 2009.
Capital One Bowl: Alabama Vs. Penn State
A classic college football matchup.
Outback Bowl: Ole Miss Vs. Michigan
No BCS for Ole Miss but a nice trip to Tampa for Coach Nutt and Sneed.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Clemson Vs. Georgia
A classic 80's matchup in a truly neutral setting. Most hated rivalry of the bowl season.
Gator Bowl: Notre Dame Vs. Florida State
A huge national showdown between two of the greatest programs of all-time in Jacksonville.
Cotton Bowl: Tennessee Vs. Oklahoma State
They always choose Tennessee when they are available.
Music City Bowl: South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
Battle of the Carolina's leaves the Carolina's and enters Nashville.
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin Vs. Georgia Tech
3 yards and a cloud of dust.
Meineke Car Care Bowl: NC State Vs. South Florida
A rematch of the 2005 bowl game in Charlotte.
Alamo Bowl: Nebraska Vs. Michigan State
One of the most underrated bowls every year.
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas Vs. Southern Miss
Perfect spot for a rejuvenated Razorback program to go bowling under Petrino.
Insight Bowl: Iowa Vs. Colorado
Intriging matchup of two up-and-coming programs.
Sun Bowl: Arizona Vs. Kansas State
Back-to-back bowl games for Zona and Stoops.
Humanittarian Bowl: Boise State Vs. UNLV
Home blow out for BSU.
Holiday Bowl: Texas Tech Vs. Arizona State
Texas Tech will be better than people think.
Texas Bowl: Navy Vs. Baylor
Baylor's first bowl game in a long time.
Independence Bowl: Auburn Vs. Texas A&M
Pretty nice matchup of regional powers.
Motor City Bowl: Central Michigan Vs. Minnesota
Another trip to Detriot for CMU.
Las Vegas Bowl: BYU Vs. Oregon
BYU makes their annual trip to Vegas.
Poinsetta Bowl: Utah Vs. Oregon State
A solid bowl game in a great city.
New Orleans Bowl: Troy Vs. Memphis
Another bowl for Tommy West.
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico Vs. Fresno State
UNM was born to play in this bowl game, LOL.
St. Petersburg Bowl: Louisville Vs. East Carolina
The Cardinals are back to playing good football again in 2009.
Hawai'i Bowl: Hawai'i Vs. Houston
What a vacation for kids going to school in Houston.
Emerald Bowl: Wake Forest Vs. Stanford
Poor Wake, always gets the shaft in the ACC bowl allotment.
Eagle Bank Bowl: Boston College Vs. UConn
Possibly lowest attended bowl game in 2009.
International Bowl: Rutgers Vs. Western Michigan
See Eagle Bank Bowl comments.
PapaJohns.Com Bowl: Kentucky Vs. West Virginia
Nice matchup of neighboring state schools.
GMAC Bowl: Central Florida Vs. Northern Illinois
Actually a nicer matchup of non-BCS schools.
Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force Vs. Tulsa
Teams from neighboring states meet in Texas!!!
Most interesting story lines for southern teams entering the 2009 season Part One
1)Can anybody dethrone the Gators-
Florida continues to dominate the college football world. They are preseason favorites to win their third National Championship in the last four years. But, they are not invincible. All three National Championships in school history contained a loss including an upset loss at home to an SEC West team in each of their last two national title seasons.
Alabama, and LSU have the best chance of doing it. Both teams are loaded and most importantly both have AWESOME defenses. Neither have Tim Tebow. Bama and LSU both have major quarterback issues and as long as they do Florida will rule with Tim Tebow.
2)Can the ACC compete better with the SEC-
Clemson and Georgia Tech both upset their respective rivals in 2008. The ACC had a .500 record against the SEC last year, but Clemson's blowout loss in Atlanta and NC State's blowout loss to the Gamecocks left a stain on the conference.
Virginia Tech will enter the hornet's nest in Atlanta against Bama to start the season in 2009 much like Clemson did in 2008. Bama will be favored, BUT Va Tech has a nasty physical defense. They are also better at the quarterback position. They will lose a close one, but prove that they can compete against the SEC.
Clemson should continue their dominance of USC, and Georgia Tech has a great opportunity to win two in a row over UGA, but nobody in the ACC can compete on the same level as Florida. The SEC is top heavy and I believe the ACC will be better in the middle and the bottom of the conference.
The ACC should compete better and have a much stronger conference in 2009. I forsee Clemson, NC State, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest being better and more competitive programs in 2009.
3)Is Ole Miss "For Real"-
As you know I personally question the HYPE. I've seen this before. The Rebels are predicted to be a top 10 team in 2009 and compete for an SEC or dare I say it, National Title.
Ole Miss has not earned this type of hype and their players have never been the hunted. They have never played with a bullseye on their chest. This year EVERY SINGLE TEAM they play will have their A GAME!!!
Ole Miss has a GOOD coach. I predict an 8-4 season and a trip to the Outback Bowl or a return trip to the Cotton Bowl. The question will then be: Are fans going to be okay with that given the preseason expectations?
4)Will North Carolina fans support an improving program-
I was stunned last season to see 20,000 empty seats for UNC's game against Boston College. The excuse was a rain storm that was actualy a soft drizzle.
UNC has some of the best basketball fans in the country, but the lack of support for an up-and-coming football game with one of the best coaches in the country is telling. The Tar Heels are close to competing with Virginia Tech for the division championship in football and yet they are still only talking about last year's basketball championship.
If 60,000 people filled their stadium for games against quality teams, then it would be easier for Butch Davis to recruit against the likes of Virginia Tech, NC State, and Clemson, the chief recruiting rivals in North Carolina for the Tar Heels.
If the Tar Heels continue to have 20,000 empty seats because of a little bit of rain then the momentum the program has gained will eventually be lost. They will fall back to being a losing program that gets blitzed by Furman.
5)Can Les Miles overcome the Larry Coker comparisons-
Following the 2007 National Championship the Tigers had a below avergae season that ended with a Chick-Fil-A blowout victory over Georgia Tech. The tigers suffered through a mediocre season with mediocre quarterback play.
Miles has been compared to former Miami coach Larry Coker that won a national championship the year after Butch Davis left to coach the Cleveland Browns. The program slowly fell under Coker until Randy Shannon was hired to take over.
There are three major differences between Miles and Coker. The first is that Miles has proven himself as a quality coach before taking the LSU job. While at Oklahoma State he led the program to back-to-back victories over a much more talented Oklahoma team. Many at OSU believe his recruiting set the program up for the success they are having now under Lundy.
The second difference between the two is that Miles is a master recruiter. He is arguably the best recruiting head coach in all of college football. LSU has had the most talented defense in the country for several years now(including Southern Cal). Coker was never that great a recruiter. He didn't understand kids the way Miles does. His interaction with young people makes him a favorite of recruits.
The final difference between the two is "Charisma". Miles has a great personality and always has something fun to say. Everybody wants to know what is on his mind. Nobody cared what was on Coker's mind. In college football personality is important. Certain coaches can never fit in with the boosters and alumni because of lask of personality. That will never be a problem with the charismatic Les Miles.
I expect LSU to upset Alabama and win the SEC West in 2009. You heard it here first!!!
Florida continues to dominate the college football world. They are preseason favorites to win their third National Championship in the last four years. But, they are not invincible. All three National Championships in school history contained a loss including an upset loss at home to an SEC West team in each of their last two national title seasons.
Alabama, and LSU have the best chance of doing it. Both teams are loaded and most importantly both have AWESOME defenses. Neither have Tim Tebow. Bama and LSU both have major quarterback issues and as long as they do Florida will rule with Tim Tebow.
2)Can the ACC compete better with the SEC-
Clemson and Georgia Tech both upset their respective rivals in 2008. The ACC had a .500 record against the SEC last year, but Clemson's blowout loss in Atlanta and NC State's blowout loss to the Gamecocks left a stain on the conference.
Virginia Tech will enter the hornet's nest in Atlanta against Bama to start the season in 2009 much like Clemson did in 2008. Bama will be favored, BUT Va Tech has a nasty physical defense. They are also better at the quarterback position. They will lose a close one, but prove that they can compete against the SEC.
Clemson should continue their dominance of USC, and Georgia Tech has a great opportunity to win two in a row over UGA, but nobody in the ACC can compete on the same level as Florida. The SEC is top heavy and I believe the ACC will be better in the middle and the bottom of the conference.
The ACC should compete better and have a much stronger conference in 2009. I forsee Clemson, NC State, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest being better and more competitive programs in 2009.
3)Is Ole Miss "For Real"-
As you know I personally question the HYPE. I've seen this before. The Rebels are predicted to be a top 10 team in 2009 and compete for an SEC or dare I say it, National Title.
Ole Miss has not earned this type of hype and their players have never been the hunted. They have never played with a bullseye on their chest. This year EVERY SINGLE TEAM they play will have their A GAME!!!
Ole Miss has a GOOD coach. I predict an 8-4 season and a trip to the Outback Bowl or a return trip to the Cotton Bowl. The question will then be: Are fans going to be okay with that given the preseason expectations?
4)Will North Carolina fans support an improving program-
I was stunned last season to see 20,000 empty seats for UNC's game against Boston College. The excuse was a rain storm that was actualy a soft drizzle.
UNC has some of the best basketball fans in the country, but the lack of support for an up-and-coming football game with one of the best coaches in the country is telling. The Tar Heels are close to competing with Virginia Tech for the division championship in football and yet they are still only talking about last year's basketball championship.
If 60,000 people filled their stadium for games against quality teams, then it would be easier for Butch Davis to recruit against the likes of Virginia Tech, NC State, and Clemson, the chief recruiting rivals in North Carolina for the Tar Heels.
If the Tar Heels continue to have 20,000 empty seats because of a little bit of rain then the momentum the program has gained will eventually be lost. They will fall back to being a losing program that gets blitzed by Furman.
5)Can Les Miles overcome the Larry Coker comparisons-
Following the 2007 National Championship the Tigers had a below avergae season that ended with a Chick-Fil-A blowout victory over Georgia Tech. The tigers suffered through a mediocre season with mediocre quarterback play.
Miles has been compared to former Miami coach Larry Coker that won a national championship the year after Butch Davis left to coach the Cleveland Browns. The program slowly fell under Coker until Randy Shannon was hired to take over.
There are three major differences between Miles and Coker. The first is that Miles has proven himself as a quality coach before taking the LSU job. While at Oklahoma State he led the program to back-to-back victories over a much more talented Oklahoma team. Many at OSU believe his recruiting set the program up for the success they are having now under Lundy.
The second difference between the two is that Miles is a master recruiter. He is arguably the best recruiting head coach in all of college football. LSU has had the most talented defense in the country for several years now(including Southern Cal). Coker was never that great a recruiter. He didn't understand kids the way Miles does. His interaction with young people makes him a favorite of recruits.
The final difference between the two is "Charisma". Miles has a great personality and always has something fun to say. Everybody wants to know what is on his mind. Nobody cared what was on Coker's mind. In college football personality is important. Certain coaches can never fit in with the boosters and alumni because of lask of personality. That will never be a problem with the charismatic Les Miles.
I expect LSU to upset Alabama and win the SEC West in 2009. You heard it here first!!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Ole Miss is the new "Clemson"
For years and years those of us that wear orange and spend thousands of dollars a year following the Clemson Tigers from town to town to support our tigers were told about how talented the team was. We were told that "This is the year of the tigers!!!" Some would even suggest that Clemson could challenge for a national championship. Of course with Tommy Bowden as head coach we consistantly fell short of such goals. The tigers never seemed to live up to expectations.
After ten years of failing to meet expectations and a new coach walking the sidelines in tigertown, the southern and national media needed to find a new team to pump up. That team is the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels ironically have a coach that is very similar to Bowden in terms of winning and reaching expectations.
Between 1999 and 2007 both Bowden and Houston Nutt walked the sidelines of their respective schools and both were bragged about regionally as up-and-coming coaches. They were ready to turn the corner and lead their teams to the promise land. Both, FELL SHORT!!!
His first trip to the SEC title game was with Danny Ford's recruits. After a few seasons of piggy-backing off of Ford's players Nutt had back-to-back losing years. He then receieved a committment from Darrin McFadden and Felix Jones. Despite having arguably the to most talented running backs in the nation Nutt never could get Arkansas the SEC Championship their fans had come to expect. Sounds like Clemson to me. Davis and Spiller and a couple of decent Peach and Gator Bowls was all Bowden could muster.
After a falling out with a great quarterback that is now competing for a starting job at USC, Nutt hightailed it to Ole Miss. Just as he did at Arkansas, he piggy-backed off of the talent that Ed Orgeron left him in Oxford, including an All-American quarterback. Nutt's team won the Cotton Bowl over an uninspired Texas Tech team.
Now, once again the media is falling for this coach hook-line-and-sinker. After winning the Cotton Bowl over Texas Tech the Rebels are considered to be a Top 10 team that some have even said will be competing for a National Championship. Man I felt the same way after Clemson spanked a top 10 Tennessee team in the 2003 Peach Bowl. Clemson had a top notch quarterback, and great skilled people. They lacked a "Great Coach".
Houston Nutt is a good coach. Good coaches will consistantly get you 7 wins a season in major college football. Tommy Bowden was a Good Coach and he won 7 games a season. What makes Ole Miss people and the media think it will be any different this year for the Rebs than it was in year's past?
What has Ole Miss done to deserve such a ranking? They had ONE decent season that included a huge win over Florida, but that is what GOOD coaches do. They get their kids up for Florida and lose a game the very next week at home against a below average South Carolina team. Expect the same in 2009.
Ole Miss is not ready for the bigtime and it has been proven that neither is Nutt. His teams are too inconsistant with wins over teams that are great and losses to teams they should beat. I would not be at all suprised if Ole Miss loses to South Carolina and Auburn this year and upsets a bigtime team as well. They will be a good team, but there is no way you can call them GREAT!!!
Unfortunatly Ole Miss fans are falling into the same trap that Clemson fans did during the Bowden era. They are now EXPECTING to be a BIGBOY. They are nowhere near that level of play and such expectations are going to start Rebel fans down the same path Clemson fans went through over the past ten years.
After ten years of failing to meet expectations and a new coach walking the sidelines in tigertown, the southern and national media needed to find a new team to pump up. That team is the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels ironically have a coach that is very similar to Bowden in terms of winning and reaching expectations.
Between 1999 and 2007 both Bowden and Houston Nutt walked the sidelines of their respective schools and both were bragged about regionally as up-and-coming coaches. They were ready to turn the corner and lead their teams to the promise land. Both, FELL SHORT!!!
His first trip to the SEC title game was with Danny Ford's recruits. After a few seasons of piggy-backing off of Ford's players Nutt had back-to-back losing years. He then receieved a committment from Darrin McFadden and Felix Jones. Despite having arguably the to most talented running backs in the nation Nutt never could get Arkansas the SEC Championship their fans had come to expect. Sounds like Clemson to me. Davis and Spiller and a couple of decent Peach and Gator Bowls was all Bowden could muster.
After a falling out with a great quarterback that is now competing for a starting job at USC, Nutt hightailed it to Ole Miss. Just as he did at Arkansas, he piggy-backed off of the talent that Ed Orgeron left him in Oxford, including an All-American quarterback. Nutt's team won the Cotton Bowl over an uninspired Texas Tech team.
Now, once again the media is falling for this coach hook-line-and-sinker. After winning the Cotton Bowl over Texas Tech the Rebels are considered to be a Top 10 team that some have even said will be competing for a National Championship. Man I felt the same way after Clemson spanked a top 10 Tennessee team in the 2003 Peach Bowl. Clemson had a top notch quarterback, and great skilled people. They lacked a "Great Coach".
Houston Nutt is a good coach. Good coaches will consistantly get you 7 wins a season in major college football. Tommy Bowden was a Good Coach and he won 7 games a season. What makes Ole Miss people and the media think it will be any different this year for the Rebs than it was in year's past?
What has Ole Miss done to deserve such a ranking? They had ONE decent season that included a huge win over Florida, but that is what GOOD coaches do. They get their kids up for Florida and lose a game the very next week at home against a below average South Carolina team. Expect the same in 2009.
Ole Miss is not ready for the bigtime and it has been proven that neither is Nutt. His teams are too inconsistant with wins over teams that are great and losses to teams they should beat. I would not be at all suprised if Ole Miss loses to South Carolina and Auburn this year and upsets a bigtime team as well. They will be a good team, but there is no way you can call them GREAT!!!
Unfortunatly Ole Miss fans are falling into the same trap that Clemson fans did during the Bowden era. They are now EXPECTING to be a BIGBOY. They are nowhere near that level of play and such expectations are going to start Rebel fans down the same path Clemson fans went through over the past ten years.
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