It appears Georgia State has found their second football coach. Reports say that Indiana State head coach Trent Miles has agreed to take over for the retiring Bill Curry at the downtown Atlanta based school.
Miles is credited with reviving the program at Indiana State after his hire in 2008. The Sycamores are coming off their 3rd straight winning season.
The ironic part of this is that many of the same reports had said Miles was to take the job at Western Michigan.
Guess not.
**Note**--Georgia State struggled mightily in 2012, going 1-10. In 2013, they move to the FBS and the Sun Belt conference. It will be interesting to see if he can bring light to the Panthers too.
Here's the report from Miles' old haunt, Terre Haute, and WTHI-TV
Thank you Old Spice or whomever came up with this.
How many of you are sitting at your computer terminal saying "I need to play a video game featuring former NBA center Dikembe Mutombo?
You should all say an emphatic YES! I want to play Dikembe Mutombo's 4 1/2 Weeks to save the World!
Some genius came up with the game, where Mutombo presents you with a series of games that will add days to the calendar in order to avoid the predicted Mayan Apocalypse. (Not made up)
The best part is the Real Mutombo voice and what's even better is the Mutombo finger as your cursor.
Here is the game, remember "Nobody Comes Into Mutombo's House!"----
Everyone, including the Commissioner of the NBA David Stern, seems to be getting bent out of shape about the idea of San Antonio Spurs head coach looking out for his team come June...
Except here at the HQ...
We were listening to the very sly, sports talk radio network late last night when their overnight host was throwing "bricks" at the Spurs for not being there for the fans...
Which we thought was absolutely ludicrous...
And if the late night host actually believed that, then he's there for entertainment purposes only and has no journalistic integrity whatsoever...
This host was throwing his bricks at the Spurs telling them that if any of their fans thought that holding out four starters and sending them home early- for a game that was far more important this weekend- actually approved of the move, then they're not "real fans."
Which is a laughable argument...
As coach and GM, Popovich was looking out for his veteran squad come the playoffs against Western Conference opponents- which Miami is not...
The league is promising hell to pay... which we'd like to see, personally... since it's the league's fault for scheduling this mess in the first place...
Here's Barkley's interview with Coach Pop about his decision...
((HT: NBA on TNT))
Let's see...
Which would you choose...??? Getting ready for Memphis in a game that matters in a seven game-10 day stretch, or sitting stars for a TV game against Miami...???
Thought so...
The league should fine the schedule maker and not the Spurs...
SATURDAY UPDATE: But, they didn't...
The league fined the Spurs $250,000...
NBA Commissioner David Stern came out with a statement: "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."
San Antonio folks and fans are understandably disagreeing...
((HT: WOAI-TV))
We've purposely tried to stay away from talking too much about coaching rumors, partially because they are mostly not true.
But we wanted to mention this.
Reports from UT Radio Reporter Jimmy Hyams now say that Jon Gruden told Tennessee officials last week he is NOT a candidate for a job there and has NEVER been offered a contract.
Shocked?
Only if you are a UT fan.
This comes on the heels of yet another stray, "sources say" report from Chattanooga that Gruden was "Mulling" an offer from the school and the only hold-up was paying his assistants what he thought they were worth.
Bwahahaha! We are laughing, but at the same time, we'd really like to know who puts this stuff out there. Is it the "Pipe Dream" faction? Is it delusional alumni? Or is it reporters trying to scoop each other?
Of course there was the even more bizarre story from Glenn Carver of WREG-TV in Memphis. You'll recall Mr. Carver saying that Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam offered Gruden a share of the team in addition to what UT would pay him.
Of course everyone involved denied it. Immediately.
For a better perspective, read OUR story earlier this week about Stupid Coaching rumors RIGHT HERE
To summarize all of this: We believe that either Tennessee AD Dave Hart or an emissary of the school reached out to Gruden and asked if he's interested. And Gruden thought about it for a bit. And decided smartly, that it wasn't a good idea.
But it is just mind boggling to us the rumors that continue to fly about Gruden and others. It appears the reporters, alumni and others just can't help themselves.
Heck, we saw the original tweet about Les Miles too, but didn't report it, because we knew it would turn out to either be not true or a ploy for a pay raise. And that's exactly what it was.
Anyway, we'll get off our horses and unfortunately you'll be on your own to decide what is true and what isn't because the sports reporters giving you the information may or may not be correct.
This is interesting. Well produced, but parts of it are a bit...well...odd.
A group of University of Georgia fans have put together what the young kids these days call a "Hype Video" (sarcasm).
And it's very well put together.
We're assuming it was done to get them hyped for Saturday's SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama which if they are able to win, would get the Bulldogs to their 1st ever BCS Title Game.
Unfortunately for us, we couldn't get past the Dwarf Rapper at the beginning. Mind you we have nothing against that, it was just not an expected image. The other was the generic white boy student eating a Chick-Fil-A Sandwich in slow motion.
Those images were just plain weird.
But hey, whatever works. And no, we haven't picked a winner in this game because what we want to happen and what we think will happen unfortunately are two different things.
Teddy Bridgewater didn’t start because of a broken wrist and a bum ankle.
Will Stein got the start and quarterback for the Cardinals and the offense just wasn’t as potent. Stein was 8-11 for 59 yards passing and only led the offense to a field goal.
Bridgewater entered the game in the third quarter not only added a spark to the Cardinal offense but engulfed it.
Even though Bridgewater could take a snap under center because of a broken wrist and was slowed by a bum ankle he definitely rallied the troops throwing two third quarter touchdown passes.
“You look at Teddy, with what he had to fight through with his wrist injury and his ankle, (you saw) how much this team depends on him and his leadership ability.” Louisville head coach Charlie Strong said.
The Orange Bowl would love to have Louisville match up against Florida State (I’m going out on a limb with that one. FSU will be there). The Sugar Bowl might be smitten with the Cardinals to face their SEC opponent, most likely Florida.
“To go on the road and win the championship, it’s so special.” Strong said. “It’s special for this program. It’s special for the University. It’s special for our fans and for the city of Louisville. It’s just special. I’m just so happy for us to get to a 10-win season, go win us a conference title and get us to a BCS bowl.”
Remember the Alabama fan that decided to rub his balls on the passed-out LSU Fan at the Bee-Cee-Ess title game last year...???
He's now been sentenced to two years for the charge of "obscenity..."
((HT: WAFB-TV))
Brian Downing now has a record and didn't say anything when he was sentenced in New Orleans today by judge Karen Herman. She characterized Downing as a "bully." A sexual battery charge was dropped as part of the plea bargain that just gave out the two obscenity charges...
“You put aside someone’s dignity and chose to perform a prank. He didn’t have the option to say ‘no.’ It was stupid. There’s no excuse. You’re an adult.”
Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is currently undergoing treatment and was able to resume working out two weeks ago without any trouble...
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher released a statement:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh and his family following the news that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Josh’s competitive fire has led him to a successful career in the NHL and we know he will approach this new battle in the same manner."
And that's about all he can say at the moment since he's in a labor dispute with the guys he would have under contract at present...
Here's coverage from KSTP...
Harding signed a three-year, US$5.7 million contract this summer after appearing in a career-high 34 games in 2011-12. He was 13-12-4 with a 2.62 GAA as he shared the starting goalie position with Nicklas Backstrom...
This is kind of funny, though if I'm the boss at Atlanta's airport, I might be investigating my workers.
Anyway, according to a report in the New Orleans Time-Picayune and confirmed with multiple Tweets, it appears there was a bit of an incident when the New Orleans Saints team charter arrived in Atlanta Wednesday night before their Thursday game with the Falcons.
According to Tweets from backup QB Chase Daniel, TE Jimmy Graham, LB Will Herring and WR Joe Morgan, ramp workers at the airport EGGED the plane.
Yes, that's right, apparently they threw eggs at the New Orleans plane.
The Saints seemed to take this with a bit of laughter...as they should, but Eggs? Seriously.
There has always been a bit of bad blood between the two teams, but most of the doo-doo has been coming from the Falcons, who have not been able to do much with the Saints over the past several years. And the Saints have handed the Falcons their only loss in 2012.
You know, basketball players don't fight much better than baseball players and we are about to link to some video that will show you why.
Wednesday night in the New Jersey vs. Boston game, things got a bit--Chippy-- when Nets forward Kris Humphries (yes, Mr. Kardashian) pushed Celtics center Kevin Garnett down. As soon as that happened 6-1 point guard Rajon Rondo jumped in to defend Garnett's honor.
And the melee ensued.
There really isn't much else to say other than Nets guard Gerald Wallace got involved too. All three primary participants got multiple technical fouls and were asked to leave the game. And we are pretty sure there will be some significant fines involved too, but they haven't been levied yet.
In the meantime, enjoy your Basketbrawl:
PM UPDATE: From the NBA its own self...
Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics has been suspended two games without pay for fighting with Brooklyn’s Kris Humphries during the second quarter of the Nets’ 95-83 victory over the Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Additionally, Brooklyn's Gerald Wallace has been fined $35,000 and Boston’s Kevin Garnett has been fined $25,000 for escalating the altercation. The penalties were announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Rondo will serve his suspension on Friday, Nov. 30 when the Celtics host the Portland Trail Blazers and Saturday, Dec. 1 when the Celtics play the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
It's bad enough that college football schools just randomly, willy-nilly fire coaches. But what is worse is the random speculation that seems to fly out of left field for who will replace them.
Sure, I get that over-zealous alumni think that if they get a new football coach that they'll get a "Big Name" guy and he'll fix everything, but how often does that work?
It was absolutely amazing on Tuesday to see how fast the Les Miles/Arkansas rumor flew around the Internet. Yes, it came from a pretty reliable blog (Sports by Brooks), that is often ahead of the mainstream media when it comes to big-ticket stories. But Brooks's Tweet that Arkansas made a 5-year, $27.5 million offer for Miles to leave LSU to come to Arkansas went viral in hours. Heck, it was mentioned during the Indiana/North Carolina basketball game last night.
While maybe Arkansas asked Miles agent about it, there is and was no way that it would ever happen. It would defy any kind of logic. Sure, Les is a bit of a wild-card...but. A successful, national championship level coach spurns the team he's coached for years to jump to a wannabe? No, not in our lifetime.
We do however believe Arkansas floated the offer. (The Times-Picayune in New Orleans reported it too) But we would also add that there is a BIG difference between an offer being made and someone actually considering it.
And then there is this.
WREG-TV in Memphis is now reporting that Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has offered former Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach and current ESPN football analyst Jon Gruden a share of the Browns if he'll take a contract offer from the University of Tennessee.
(1) Gruden is still being paid by Tampa Bay and the NFL won't allow him to double dip.
(2) Gruden just started a new deal with ESPN.
(3) According to multiple NFL reporters, the Browns deny any knowledge or existence of said offer.
(4) Haslam himself denies this.
The real issue here is the Tennessee fans believe that Gruden should be there coach. And they will say anything to make it happen. Yeah, sure his wife went there and he was a grad assistant there for a year, but really, be honest with yourself Tennessee fan: Why would he take THAT job?
Unfortunately, this is all exacerbated by a local and to an extent national media who fan the flames by speculating who THEY think would be a good coach for them. Sometimes it's delusional (ie: James Franklin to NC State or Miles to Arkansas) and sometimes it's very good (ie: Mark Stoops to Kentucky).
And then there is Auburn. Auburn, a school teetering on the edge of probation and coming off the worst season in decades. A school with a lot of money and the stereotype of the way-too over-zealous fan base. And that fan base is a bit torn. Many want to hire Bobby Petrino, who would win, but further pile dirt upon the schools reputation. Or do they go the more traditional route and hire a Mark Hudspeth or Sonny Dykes? Inquiring minds want to know....
We totally get that everyone has an opinion. And college football fans think their team can achieve greatness simply by changing the coach. But not everyone is Nick Saban and not everyone associated with a big name means a ticket to greatness. Does anyone outside of Tennessee think Gruden can walk in and take a team that won 1 SEC game this year and contend for a title in 2013? How long a rope would he get before they'd be calling for his head too?
The thing everyone forgets is sometimes you have to get a really good assistant coach (ie: Wil Muschamp at Florida) or go to a coach who has had success at a lower level (ie: Hugh Freeze). There are guys out there who'd be great at a bigger school, if the alumni and media would allow the school to look at them.
They also forget that quite often a name is floated just for the simple fact that coach wants a better deal where he is. How many times does Jimbo Fisher's name get floated for jobs? Each time Miles name gets out there, he gets a bigger and better extension. Don't buy the hype, when these names get floated, it's usually an agent looking to get his guy more money.
We just wish that everyone would refrain from jumping to quick conclusions. The thing that so many schools, alumni, fans and media seem to forget is that sometimes the devil you've got is better than the devil you want.
Besides, Todd Graham can't have every job? Can he?
The ACC Council of Presidents voted unanimously this morning to invite Louisville as a member of the conference.
Louisville, Cincinnati and Connecticut were vetted by the Council Tuesday to replace Maryland who is bolting for the Big Ten.
“With its aggressive approach to excellence in every respect, the University of Louisville will enhance our league’s culture and commitment to the cornerstones we were founded on 60 years ago,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a prepared statement.
Conference realignment has been driven by the size of the TV market that particular school could deliver. This move goes against that trend.
Louisville may not deliver a large TV market but they do bring a great basketball program that will immediately complete for the ACC Championships and a football program on the rise. An athletic program that is capable of winning championships in the big money sports, football and men's basketball, was more important that the number of TV households.
Louisville athletic administrators have been openly lobbying to join either the Big 12 or the ACC. U of L was denied by the Big 12 last year when that conference decided to add West Virginia. Now the Cardinals have found a home in the ACC.
“When it became apparent to us that we needed to make a move, the ACC is the perfect fit for us and we are so elated to be joining this prestigious conference,” Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said in a prepared statement.
By inviting Louisville and losing Maryland it's addition by subtraction. Louisville has been thriving in men's basketball while Maryland is rebuilding. The Cardinals have all the elements to become a football power but can't shake the reputation of their current conference, the Big East. Maryland is rebuilding in football too.
It's a win-win for both parties. There's a football upside for Louisville joining and the ACC needs help there big time. Once again a very strong men's basketball conference just became mega strong.
Do you realize this conference will have as head coaches Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim (Syracuse joins the ACC next season) and Rick Pitino.
This is a great move by the ACC.
Here's ACC Commissioner John Swofford's comments on Louisville joining the conference (Thanks accdn.com)
The Glendale (AZ) City Council, mired in budget shortfalls, public service deficiencies, and public servant shortages approved an arena deal with proposed Phoenix Coyotes suitor Greg Jamison approved the deal at a city council meeting late last night eastern time.
Jamison said he hoped to complete his purchase of the team in the next 30 to 60 days- which, of course, is something he's been saying for the last 180 days.
He is expected to pay US$170 million to the National Hockey League who has owned and operated the franchise for the last few seasons...
The agreement passed on a 4-2 vote...
Glendale's Interim City Manager Horatio Skeete said the city would need to cut $20 million within five years in part to pay the arena-management fee if the Coyotes were the anchor tenant at Jobing.com Arena. Without the team, Skeete thinks the city would need to cut about $12 million instead.
Skeete voted "no," but says keeping the Coyotes around may be in the long-term interest of the city. But it requires too many budget cuts now and would still leave the city in a financial hole in the long term.
Long-term or longer-term...???
The devil you know or the devil you don't...
Those are the questions and, now, Glendale has to live with the answer they gave in the short-term...
Good luck on that...
Here's Jamison...
((HT: azcentral.com/KPNX-TV))
Jon Embree looked like he was outgunned from the word "go..."
Looked like he was undermanned, undergunned, under-resourced, and left to run one of the college football programs that seems to be left to rot in a new conference...
Every presser looked like his dog was kicked and he was ready to turn in his car for a smaller model on the lot...
But here's the university response... and, of course, they're right...
((HT: KUSA-TV Denver/9news.com))
Embree's presser lasted more than an hour where he poured his heart and soul out to his school and his players...where he suggested the only way to turn everything around in two years was to cheat...
"You had the highest GPA the last three semesters that this school has ever had in the football program. You stayed out of trouble. You guys represented yourselves well," Embree said in the press conference. "You set a legacy and a standard, and as I told you guys when we're going through tough times, you're not judged by the scoreboard at the end of the day.
"I was. But you won't be."
And Colorado is still in the toilet...
So. We are assuming that someone at the University of Maryland has a plan to beat the ACC's claim for a $50 million departure fee.
And they better have some good lawyers, because Tuesday afternoon, the ACC filed suit to get their money. The move, which was unanimously approved by the conference presidents, is essentially a "breach of contract" kind of claim.
For those of you unaware, Maryland was announced two weeks ago along with Rutgers as the newest members of the Big 10/14. And Maryland was one of 2 ACC schools who didn't agree with the ACC passing a $50 million payout by departing members.
Wonder why they did that?
It's unfortunate that the only people who are winning at the idiotic realignment game are the lawyers and ESPN.
NONE of this is being done in the best interest of the schools, the players, the fans or anyone else other than the bean counters. Because what is going to happen is the Big 10 will get a gazillion dollar deal from ESPN because they have more TV viewers and nobody outside the athletic departments will ever see a penny of it.
We REALLY hope that Maryland is forced to pay this off. They are already in debt and if YOU live in Maryland you should INSIST that not a dollar of yours or the public money be used to pay this off.
There is another Stoops patrolling the sidelines of college football.
OSG sources have confirmed that the Kentucky Wildcats will name Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.as their new head coach.
Stoops joins brother Bob who has great success in his 14 season as Oklahoma head coach as head coaches in the family.
Of course Mike Stoops was the head coach at Arizona from 2004-2011.
Stoops is a hell of a defensive coach, he turned the Florida State defense from God-awful to awesome in his three season as the Seminoles defensive coordinator.
The Wildcats are getting a proven coordinator who may not have head coaching experience but has been seen his older brothers have success.
Mark Stoops takes over perhaps the worst program in the SEC right now.He will have his work cut out for him.The UK fan base tends to lose interest in football around mid-October once basketball season begins if the football program is bad and lately it has been.
Stoops does carry the name of college football’s newest first family (Sorry Bowden’s).With talent rich Ohio just up the road and with Stoops an Ohio native, he was born and raised in Youngstown, Stoops might be able to better tap the reservoir for UK
Stoops will coach the Seminoles in the ACC Championship Game Saturday.
MJ Perino leads True Blue coverage on the hiring...
((HT: WLEX-TV))
This report isn't really much of surprise. Several Hattiesburg area media outlets are reporting that the University of Southern Mississippi and head coach Ellis Johnson have parted ways.
Southern Miss went from playing for the Conference USA title in 2011 to an 0-12 season in 2012 (and the title of "Bottom of the Barrel" winner here at OSG Sports).
Johnson came to USM from South Carolina where he was defensive coordinator. Before that he was successful as a D-Coordinator at several SEC schools. And while considered a failure as a head coach, he will be in high demand as a coordinator.
We've floated a few times here on OSG Sports who we think should be the next coach. Brett Favre. But think about it. He's perfect. He's an alum. He's an assistant coach in high school. Come on, what college kid wouldn't get excited if Favre showed up in his living room to recruit him.
Admittedly, that's a bit of a pipe dream. But if it happens, EVERYONE who reads this should give US the credit for being the first ones to say.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. hahahahaha!
We aren't sure this necessarily would be classified as "Galactic Realignment", but the Big East made a move on Monday to keep themselves at least viable for the immediate future.
That move is adding East Carolina and Tulane to the mix. And it should be noted East Carolina is only bringing their football team.
The move makes up for the loss of Rutgers to the Big 10 and supplements the Big East maneuver to become the "New" Conference USA. We say that because noted powers SMU, UCF, Memphis and Houston, all C-USA teams are heading to the Big East/West.
It should be noted that the Big East will lose their "Automatic" BCS status in 2014. They will be a part of the "Group of 5" in the new playoff system with the Sun Belt, Conference USA, the MAC and the Mountain West. The best/highest ranked team in that group; will have a shot at the playoff. A shot, not a guarantee.
Here's coverage from WNCT-TV on the East Carolina end...
PM UPDATE: And in another part of global realignment, the Western Athletic Conference (or what's left of it...) is adding Grand Canyon and losing the University of Denver to the Summit- after one season...
How's that for stability...??? And they need to find another school quickly to keep their automatic bid in the post-season tourneys...
Grand Canyon joins Cal State-Bakersfield, Idaho, New Mexico State, Seattle and Utah Valley in the WAC starting in 2013-14.
That just screams "power conference..."
((HT: Azfamily.com))
Really? Detroit Lions Ndamukong Suh is in MORE trouble for his either LACK of driving skill or LACK of concern over driving's "Rules of the Road"?
The answer is apparently yes. Or maybe no
Suh, according to a report from WJBK-TV in Detroit, was pulled over and ticketed Nov. 15th for Aggressive Driving in the Lathrup Village neighborhood.
But....the ticket is under review, because the station says Lathrup Village's police chief is reviewing the language in the ticket and is concerned because the officer involved is an "Aggressive Ticket Writer".
This is nowhere near Suh's first brush with Johnny Law when it comes to his driving. He was involved in an October crash on his way to practice and accused of leaving the scene of said crash. Dearborn Police say they investigated and couldn't determine who was at fault. No charges were filed.
In 2011 he was involved in a crash in Portland, Oregon, where he lives. In 2010, someone allegedly crashed into him in a Detroit area neighborhood. In 2009, while still at the University of Nebraska, he hit some parked cars before crashing into a building. He was only charged with negligent driving.
Maybe we are being judgmental, or as Suh said on Twitter this morning, it could just be that we are "Being Haters", but there sure seems to be a bit of a pattern here. Someone making $12 million a year like him could certainly afford to have a driver, because it appears he's struggling with the concept.
And while we won't say he is getting a lot of slack cut to him, it makes you wonder how someone could have so many incidents...and every one of them seem to be either someone else's fault or there's "Not enough evidence to charge".
Yeah right.
Oh, Mr. Suh isn't exactly loved ON the football field either. This past Sunday a wild, wayward kick from him caught Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub right in the family jewels. Schaub isn't happy about it and the league is investigating, but thus far haven't commented.
The Indianapolis Colts have rallied around their head coach, Chuck Pagano, as he has been fighting leukemia and has had to be away from the team during treatment...
ChuckStrong tees are all over the team website and all over Indianapolis in support for fighting the disease...
Support has now even taken hold with the cheerleaders...
Yesterday, Megan M. and Crystal Anne shaved their heads in support of the cause...
Here's the trimming...
Crystal Anne overcame leukemia when she was three, so this was a no-brainer...
The hair is going to be sent to Locks of Love...
The HQ, probably, should have taken the hint when he hung up his Twitter feed...
But one of the iconic figures in NFL fandom, the NY Jets Fireman Ed, has decided to retire from being Fireman Ed. At the end of the last nationally-televised Jets game, he had taken off his fireman's helmet and had even decided to leave before the game was officially over.
Ed Anzalone, Fireman Ed's real name, had decided that fights among Jets fans had become too commonplace. He had even changed his jersey-wearing allegiance from Bruce Harper's 42 to Mark Sanchez's 6 as a show of support for his quarterback.
Here's what we'll remember him for...
Actually starting this...
((HT: youtube))
The usual list of suspects are already appearing on the Purdue wish list. However the folks up there need to realize that some of them, like Sonny Dykes and Butch Jones will probably be in line for much better jobs than theirs.
PM UPDATE: Colorado has now added to the list with the dismissal of Jon Embree- who gave the impression most of the year that someone kicked his dog and stole his wallet afterwards.
So, that gives us- after one day of dominoes: Colorado, Boston College, Auburn, NC State, and Purdue...
This one was a little more surprising, though maybe not so much to fans of ACC Football.
North Carolina State announced on Sunday that they are parting ways with Coach Tom O'Brien. The Wolfpack were 7-5 this season, not an embarrassment by any stretch, but apparently too much for NC State athletic director Debbie Yow.
Oh...and maybe the fan base who apparently believes the Wolfpack should be a much better team than that. To which we would respond...really?
O'Brien had been at NC State for the past six years and his contract goes for another 2-years. The school owes him $1.5 million for each of those seasons.
The school did release a statement which you can read RIGHT HERE
This one just strikes us as making a move for the sake of making a move. So, maybe O'Brien is older and hasn't made the Wolfpack a "National Power", but they play in the ACC which really doesn't have one of those. They are a solid mid-to upper level ACC team and perhaps, if they find the right guy, they can move to the top.
We...and everyone else...will see.
UPDATE:
According to OSG Sources in Raleigh, Debbie Yow
would like to hire Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin.When Yow was athletic director at Maryland she
had named Franklin head coach in waiting.Those same sources tell OSG Sports that Vanderbilt might up the ante on
Franklin to stay with the Commodores.
Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris is
described as a “strong candidate” for the job.
There are reports that Washington State head coach
Mike Leach has already been contacted by NC State.OSG sources could not confirm that.
To the surprise of no one, one day after an embarrasing 49-0 to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, Auburn University has parted ways with coach Gene Chizik.
We might add, the move comes just under two years since Chizik won a national championship coaching the Tigers.
The Tigers were 3-9 in 2012, losing all 8 of their SEC games.
The school released a statement from AD Jay Jacobs saying that he "Recommended Coach Chizik not be retained as head coach" and that Auburn's school president agreed.
The tricky part starts with how Chizik gets paid off. According to the now appearing to be stupid contract extension given to Chizik after winning the title, the school owes him somewhere in the neighborhood of $7.5 to $10 million.
However.
With reports of an NCAA Investigation over recruiting violations swirling around Chizik's staff and the school, Auburn may have a way out. A clause in his contract says they don't owe him anything if the school gets in trouble.
We suspect a replacement to be named before the end of the year...but we could be wrong.
Oklahoma had three receivers go over 100 yards receiving and Landry Jones (in all his reported gimpyness) threw for 500 yards...
The Sooners needed all of those yards in a 51-48 overtime win...
Damon Fontenot was there and bundled up...
Oklahoma’s offense totalled 618 total yards and 44 first downs — second-most in NCAA history for a game.
Oklahoma can get the Big 12/10 championship, but they need a win next Saturday at TCU and Kansas State has to lose at home to Texas.
If both teams win, they’ll share the Big 12 title. But Kansas State will earn the Fiesta Bowl berth because of their 24-19 win at Oklahoma on September 22nd.
It took Ricky Hatton three-and-a-half years to figure out whether or not he still had it to get into the ring...
After tonight's bout with Vyacheslav Senchenko, he's done once and for all to spend time with his family and his outside-the-ring projects...
It was a short shot to the ribs at the end of the 9th of a 10-round bout that caught Hatton and resulted in a count out...
Here's the 9th round as it went down...
And your postgame with Hatton, who obviously, was very emotional...
"I needed one more fight to see if I had still got it - and I haven't," Hatton said in the post-bout presser.
"I found out tonight it isn't there no more. I'm a straight-shooter and I tell the truth. I can look at myself in the mirror and tell myself I did my best, but there is always an excuse to find."
Hatton ends his career as a two-weight class champ and he'll always be a pride of Manchester...
Or, to be more accurate, tried to deflect questions about his job future since he said the post-game press conference was "not about him."
This display below shows either hubris, ignorance, or a combination of both...
Mix in a profound lack of eye contact and you've got a coach who is either putting up a good front or has a real idea that he thinks his job is safe...
There were too many elements in Chizik's answers that deserved actual laughter and should have followed up his answers with the following response: "Really...??? Really...???"
But, hey, the HQ decided to let the presser go for what it was...
A fine coda to describe how a program hired the wrong coach and needs to do a systematic purge in their athletics offices or risk becoming more irrelevant than they already became in only an all-too-fast two year period...
There was the prevailing idea that Louisville and Rutgers would be making some kind of statement: what that statement is... the HQ has no real clue... but some kind of statement about their place in the Bee-Cee-Ess...
So much for that idea- on both fronts...and Charlie Strong's viability during Silly Season may have taken a hit...
First, Teddy Bridgewater played with a broken bone in his wrist... which the HQ gives him due props for... But UConn beat Louisville in overtime- which will send the Cardinals plummeting in the rankings...
((HT: ESPN))
And, then, Pitt scored 21 unanswered in the second on their way to a 27-6 upset of Rutgers- who was ranked 21st at the time of the opening kickoff...
Pitt, still left in some shambles from the Hurricane Todd Graham era, had to have Paul Chryst pick up some pieces... the Panthers, behind Ray Graham, are now 5-6...
((HT: ESPN))
Minnesota Gophers coach Jerry Kill suffered a seizure at halftime of the Gophers' 26-10 loss to Michigan State but was not taken to the hospital. This is the second time he has suffered a seizure this season in a game situation- the first back in October in the game against Northwestern.
He has suffered from seizures for the better part of the past two decades as a by-product of his fighting cancer.
Kill has never missed an entire game because of his seizures or their treatment, but he has had them on game days dating back over a decade to his time at Northern Illinois.
Here's Leveon Bell running for a touchdown in the 26-10 win over Minnesota
Bell finished with 266 yards on the ground as both teams finished 6-6
In a back-and-forth game reminiscent of just about every other game in the series, Ohio State held on to beat Michigan 26-21 at the Shoe...
The Buckeyes were down 21-20 at the half and kicked two field goals for the second half scoring- despite the thought that they could have scored more than just the six points...
More like 14...
Ohio State (now 12-0, 8-0 in the Big Ten/12/14) has an outside shot at finishing at the top of the final Associated Press Top 25 poll, but they're going to need some help- and a lot of lobbying from Columbus...
Jim Tressel was allowed on campus long enough to honor the 2002 national champ team. He was as warmly received as one would expect by the largest crowd to ever see this game...
With a minute or so left in regulation, the HQ was wondering out loud why Virginia head coach Mike London wasn't calling time out to force Virginia tech to kick the game-leading field goal a lot earlier than five seconds left in regulation...
Which Beamer did... and turned the game-leading field goal into the game-winning field goal...
The HQ is still scratching our head over that one...
And Vah Tech is now bowl-eligible for the 20th year in a row...
What was Mike London thinking...???
Any ideas...???
In other news, Georgia toyed with Georgia Tech 42-10 in getting ready for Alabama in the Ess-E-Cee... shocking no one...
Apparently, and for good reason, CPJ was berating his team and could be heard through the metal doors separating his team from the civilized world after the game.
Also, Duke and Miami combined for more than 1,200 yards and 97 points and had three straight possessions end in one play scoring drives- one for Duke that was the length of the field...
Hector "Macho" Camacho died at the age of 50 after it was decided by his family to take him off life support. Camacho had also apparently suffered a second heart attack that he was not able to recover from while he was on machines...
Because his family waited too long, in the eyes of doctors, on their decision of donating his organs that is now an impossibility and the body is now headed to pathology for diagnosis.
Here's the update on the idea that there is video of the alleged shooter, but police are no closer in getting the suspect...
Well, this didn't take very long and really, it is almost stating the obvious, but Arkansas officially cut ties with "interim" head coach John L. Smith Saturday morning.
The move comes on the heels of the Razorbacks last game, a 20-13 loss on Friday to LSU. That loss left Arkansas a team ranked 8th in most preseason polls with a 4-8 record in 2012.
You'll recall Smith was a sort-of last second replacement for the disgraced Bobby Petrino who was let go much earlier in the year after a scandal involving a female member of his staff.
Smith, who is deeply in debt, was coaching at Weber State for all of 9 months when the scandal broke and bailed out on the Utah school to help out Athletic Director Jeff Long at Arkansas.
What Smith's future is in the coaching world at this point...is anybody's guess. Who will step in at Arkansas? Well, it won't be Jon Gruden despite the alleged huge contract Arkansas is rumored to have offered him. But the Razorbacks do have options. We would not be surprised to see a Sonny Dykes from La. Tech or Kliff Kingsbury, the primary assistant at Texas A&M get the opportunity here.
It wasn't a lot, but for the Washington State Cougars a win over your arch rival is enough.
Granted, the 31-28 overtime win against arch rival Washington only helped Washington State finish the year at 3-9. And for a rivalry game, it probably didn't do much to help the now previously 25th ranked Huskies. Washington still will go to a bowl, but they finish the regular season 7-5.
The win came in the first overtime on an Andrew Furney 27-yd field goal. But the game story is more about how the Cougars scored 18-straight points to tie the game and 21 when you add the field goal.
It was a rough season for Washington State who dealt with players accusing coach Mike Leach of harassment and a string of 8 straight losses previous to the game on Friday.
It's Round 2 of the Georgia High School Association playoffs...
And there were some upsets- one of the largest was the North Gwinnett 28-10 win over season-starting-US-number one Grayson (GA)...
Grayson lost to Parkview at the mid-point of the season and just seemed to get mad...but it took the Bulldogs to stifle them and keep them from a title in 6A...
Another one was the 61-yard field goal from Miles Hemphill that people say would have been good from 65 or so (for the record, the Georgia record belongs to Dax Langley)...
Here's the busy day for Hemphill's right leg...
Unfortunately, East Paulding lost at home to Stephenson 35-6, but Miles Hemphill and his highlight will be around for a while...
This move really isn't a shock- considering the gawd-awful start Queen's Park Rangers have had at the bottom of the Premier League table this year- dead last, 8 losses in 12 games, no wins, 9 goals total and a goal-differential of Minus-14...
Oh, and five points from being clear from relegation...
Owner Tony Fernandes thought that bringing in 11 new guys would shake things up, and the names sounded good- Ji-sung Park from Manchester United, Jose Bosingwa from Chelsea and Julio Cesar from Inter Milan.
But nothing has gelled at all...
Sir Alex believes that QPR should be better than they are...
((HT: FoxSports))
It all came to a head with a 3-1 loss to Southampton last week and it now looks like former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp will be taking over as caretaker manger...
But will it be enough to get them ahead of the likes of Villa, Southampton, and Reading to stay alive...
By now, if you are a sports fan, you probably know the New England Patriots destroyed what's left of the New York Jets, 49-19.
But did you see the highlights?
This may very well have had the funniest play of all time in it.
Sure, there were lots of "Lowlights" for the J-E-T-S, but the worst may have been when QB Mark Sanchez ran into the butt of one of his offensive linemen, the impact caused a fumble that Steve Gregory or the Patriots grabbed and returned for a touchdown.
No, seriously, that actually happened.
And to make it worse, on the ensuing kickoff, Joe McKnight of the J-E-T-S fumbled too, that also was returned for a score.
Here is a question to all of you? Do you find the implosion of a team that ESPN spent the entire preseason covering as funny as we do? Or a team that has a coach who promised they'd make the playoffs?
Heck, at this point, we'd be surprised if Sexy Rexy makes it through the season. And quite honestly, a little dose of humble pie wouldn't be such a bad thing for Rex Ryan.
But that is just our thoughts. Or maybe yours too.....
Anyway, here are your highlights (or lowlights--depending on your perspective)
Last year after Ndamukong Suh decided to do some damage to a rival player on Thanksgiving... he apparently did the same thing to a quarterback again this year...
Damage... not an identical injury...
Here's what happened this year- intentional or otherwise...
((HT: NFL on CBS))
"I really don't have anything to say about that play or that person," Schaub said in a postgame scrum.
Last year on Thanksgiving, Suh was ejected for stomping on Green Bay OL Evan Dietrich-Smith and got suspended for two games for that act.
Suh has been fined for damaging Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme in the past...
No word if anything will happen this time...
The HQ thinks it looks a little circumstantial...
Really, what would a college football season be without someone investigating poor ol Auburn.
A report published today by Yahoo Sports says the NCAA is looking into some potentially serious recruiting violations by Assistant Coach Trooper Taylor and chief recruiter Curtis Luper.
It appears both were pulled off the recruiting trail in late October.
You can read the Excellent Dan Wetzel story from Yahoo RIGHT HERE
The report does not detail WHAT the two are accused of doing and neither the school nor the NCAA would provide any details.
Potentially, this would be the capper to what can only be called a disastrous season for the Tigers. They head into Saturday's Iron Bowl against Alabama with a 3-8 record, with 2 of those wins coming over 1-AA teams.
It also reinforces what is generally believed to be true about head coach Gene Chizik and his staff: They are done after Saturday's game.
**Note**--Per War Eagle Extra--Chizik could have his contract suspended if there is an NCAA Investigation.That contract pays him $7.5 to $10 million if he is fired.
Auburn has a lot of work ahead. Finding a coach will prove to be a tough challenge to a program that isn't what it was even 2-seasons ago. Adding a possibility of probation to the premise of having to essentially start over from scratch isn't good. Finding the "Big Name" coach the alumni who think think they are a bigger program than they are, that could potentially be worse.
**Another Note**-- Trooper and Luper (which sounds like one of those 1980's cop shows) have been seen keeping a keen eye on Reuben Foster over at Auburn High on Friday nights, though... making sure he doesn't leave town for another school...
"I'm not going to comment on any speculation out there. We will talk about the Iron Bowl and Alabama. It's not a distraction to me. We haven't thought one second about it. We are down the line on the Iron Bowl."
On report that players and at least one coach have been interviewed by NCAA investigators:
"I'm not going to comment on any speculation about any of that. I have one goal in mind, and that is the Iron Bowl."
((HT:al.com))
Hi Boys and Girls. We had something come up and couldn't do our regular look at the best and worst of college football...but we're back.
And it's the week of rivalry. The week of the Turkey. The week we all celebrate the fact that we can eat. And that we can eat in excess.
But we digress...
To celebrate the holiday, we pay homage to the greatest Thanksgiving TV Show episode ever produced:
Classic.
So...last week was upset Saturday with two of the three undefeated teams taking it on the chin. And when the dust settled, suddenly we were back where we started.
Anyway. We'd like to say we would have been 14-0 or something last week, but honestly...we wouldn't have been. So instead of dwelling on where we were this season, we'll just turn Casey Kasem and say "On with the Countdown"....
**Note**--We are not beholden to the BCS poll so what you are about to read may not be what . they think the rankings should be. It's what "I" think they should be...and it's my column...
THE DIRTY DOZEN:
1) Alabama 10-1. This will anger Texas A&M and Notre Dame fans, but you all know this is true. Yes, Johnny Football beat them, but if they play 10 times, 'Bama wins at least 8 of them. And to be totally honest, I'm not going to put any money on these guys beating Georgia next week. But I have been known to be wrong. Yes, I can admit that!. (This Week: vs. Auburn. Our Pick: Alabama 41, Auburn 10)
2) Oregon 10-1.Yes, we know they lost to Stanford, but we still believe they are this good. There obviously is a way to beat them and part of that is hope there are injuries. If they were to have made it to the BCS Championship game, they could very well win it because they'll be healthy. (This Week: at Oregon St. Our Pick: Oregon 38, Oregon St. 31)
3) Notre Dame 11-0.Sorry Irish fans, your team is good, but they aren't "That" good. They may survive USC (thanks Matt Barkley) but they aren't better than a 4th place SEC team to be honest. And that alone will get you to the BCS Championship game. (This Week: at USC. Our Pick: Notre Dame 24, USC 21)
4) Texas A&M 9-2.So...here is your hottest team in College Football. Are they the best team. No, not this year. But I wouldn't want to play them either. Johnny Football may have stolen the Heisman this year and the O-Line on this team is good. Really good. (This Week: vs. Missouri. Our Pick: A&M 41, Mizzou 24) 5) Georgia 10-1.On paper, this team should be #1 or #2, but they don't play on paper. Until they win a game like the SEC Championship game, there will always be questions about this team. They haven't won a "Big" game in a long time. The ranking isn't higher because of that and a soft schedule. (This Week: vs. Georgia Tech. Our Pick: Georgia 43, Ga.Tech 21) 6) Florida St. 10-1. One bad loss. Sometimes you never recover from that. And FSU hasn't. This is a good, deep football team that in theory would be tough to beat in a playoff. But we don't have a playoff this year. They are easily the best of the ACC. (This Week: vs. Florida. Our Pick: FSU 24, Florida 10)
7) Kansas St. 10-1. Kind of hard to explain the loss to Baylor. If they were as good as advertised, should that have ever happened? It also may have ruined Collin Klein's shot at the Heisman. Redemption would come this week, but it won't get them to the BCS title game. (This Week: vs. Texas. Our Pick: K-State 31, Texas 21)
8) LSU 9-2.They've actually gotten better as Zach Mettenberger is beginning to show signs of being an SEC level QB. He wasn't until the Alabama game. However the "D" giving up 35 to Ole Miss is sort of surprising. (This Week: at Arkansas. Our Pick: LSU 34, Arkansas 27)
9) Stanford 9-2.A good win over Oregon. A very good win. But the "D" played the game of their life and Kevin Hogan didn't lose the game. We aren't sure they can do it 2-weeks in a row and they'll need to . (This Week: at UCLA. Our Pick: UCLA 34, Stanford 23)
10) Ohio St. 11-0.This isn't your dad's Ohio State, they are much more rounded. But in any other year, they probably wouldn't be undefeated in the Big 10/14. They are very good team in a very not-so-good this year conference. (ThisWeek: vs. Michigan. Our Pick: Ohio St. 31, Michigan 27) 411) Florida 10-1.Sorry Gator fans, you have the most overrated team on the board. You wouldn't beat any of these teams ahead of you. Your defense and special teams are very good, but your offense is monumentally bad. But take heart, no matter what we say, if you beat FSU and Notre Dame loses, you'll be in the BCS Championship game, whether you deserve it or not. (This Week: see #6)
12) UCLA 9-2. Okay. So. We owe our pal Jim Mora Jr. an apology. He's apparently found some sort of magic track to get a group of someone else's recruits who weren't playing very well to the point where they could win the Pac-12. They won't beat Oregon but they aren't far away. (This Week: See #9) THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:
**UMASS WON! UMASS WON!** 5) Idaho 1-10. Fear the potato. What else can be said about a team that fired their coach and their starting QB during the season? You are pretty much doomed to suck at that point. We did see a stat that they've lost 10 or more games 3 of the last 5 years. So they technically could be a legacy choice here.(This Week: at Utah St. Our Pick: Utah St. 43, Idaho 17)
4) New Mexico St. 1-9. What would the worst of the worst be without a New Mexico team? Start off with a win...and then lose 9 straight. Not gonna make for a good holiday out there. (This Week: at BYU. Our Pick: BYU 38, NM State 17)
3) Akron 1-11. So...we can't pick the Zips final game vs. Toledo cause they've already played it. And lost. Well, at least they are already out of our misery. So there is that. Guess they won't be leaving the poll. See ya next year!
2) Colorado 1-11.This is like an EPICALLY bad football team. And yet they escape the basement only because they managed to somehow beat Washington St in week #4. The defense is the WORST in Division 1 football...bar none. And the offense isn't much better.(This Week: vs. Utah. Our Pick: Utah 46, Colorado 16)
1) Southern Miss. 0-11. Fear not Hattiesburg, it's almost over. Your first losing season in 87 years. Words cannot describe this team, so we'll keep this short. The Ellis Johnson experiment= FAIL. New Coach= BRETT FAVRE! Make that hire...you'll be on ESPN every week. (This Week: at Memphis. Our Pick: --amazingly--Memphis 17, Southern Miss 13) And...in honor of the Holiday...we give you an "All-Time" family favorite----
