Oklahoma St. Dismisses Star RB After Arrest

((ht: espn.com))

Oklahoma State made a quick and decisive decision Friday night, dismissing star Running Back Tyreek Hill shortly after his arrest for domestic abuse late Thursday evening.

Hill stands accused of punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend after an argument at a Stillwater apartment. He was held in jail Thursday night before being released on a $15,000 bond.

Hill, a junior was the Big 12 "Newcomer of the Year" after accounting for over 1,800 yards of total offense for the Cowboys this past season including 3 TD's on kick returns alone. He was also a member of the schools track team, which he also cut him loose.

And this past week, he was named "All Big 12" after his heroic 92-yard punt return late in the 4th quarter tied the "Bedlam" game vs. Oklahoma, a game the Cowboys would win by an overtime field goal.

KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City provides a statement from Oklahoma State:

“Oklahoma State University does not tolerate domestic abuse or violence. Based on the evidence and the serious allegations that have been made, Head Football Coach Mike Gundy has announced that Tyreek Hill has been dismissed from the OSU football team. He also has been dismissed from the track team. The allegations are under investigation by Stillwater Police and by the OSU Office of Student Conduct. Those processes will proceed independently,”: Gary Shutt, OSU’s communications officer.

KFOR provides us with the TV story as well:

Morning Wrap: Incarnate Word Stuns Nebraska in Hoops

((ht: espn.com))

Basketball is a wonderful equalizer. Just ask the various D-1 College Teams who have found that out the hard way early this College Basketball season.

You can now add a new team to the list.

Incarnate Word, a small college team from San Antonio, Texas who made the jump from Division II to D-1 just last year took down Big 12 Nebraska in what's considered a significant upset.

The Cardinals got a 74-73 win, but it took a fumbled inbounds pass from Terran Petteway of Nebraska and baseline fadeaway jumper from Kyle Hittle of Incarnate who got the steal with just under 5 seconds left to secure the win.

Incarnate is in the midst of a solid start this season, the win moved them to 6-1. Nebraska dropped to 5-3. Hittle lead the Cardinals with 18 points. Terran Petteway had 18 for Nebraska.

College Football Playoff Choices: The Most Popular Four Get Picked

Oh boy, the College Football crazies are going to be doing them some arguing today (Sunday).

The College Football Playoff committee announced the four teams that will be competing for the National Championship.

None of those four teams will come out of the Big 12.

Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State will play a game January 1st in different locations to determine who will get a shot at the title a week later.

The surprise is Ohio State, 6th in the playoff rankings and most polls going into Championship Weekend, the Buckeyes leapfrogged both TCU and Baylor, who were ranked above them.

Playoff Committee chair Jeff Long cited a few reasons for this; among them Co-Champs in the Big 12 and Ohio States domination of a probably overrated Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game. Long was adamant that it was about what Ohio State did this week, not about what TCU or Baylor did.

We'd argue Kansas State would beat Wisconsin.

Long spoke at length about "Strength of Schedule", though we'd prefer to call it "Higher Publicity" or "Larger Traditions"...but we aren't on the committee.

The state of Texas is likely to get a bit angry about this and they've got a good argument. In OUR opinion, Ohio State winning "Big 10" games is not the same as TCU or Baylor winning "Big 12" games.

The Big 10 is much better known and represented, but the football...outside the Buckeyes, was abysmal or any other overrated adjective you can think of.



In the long run, no, it really doesn't matter what we think. College Football has never been a game that settled arguments on the field and is not set up to determine a true best team.

It's never been.

College Football is and always has been a popularity contest. No, this season did not provide anything clear cut. There were no real dominant teams. Very little separated them.

But in this scenario, Ohio State losing to a horrible Virginia Tech team meant nothing. And the Big 12 was penalized for not having a conference title game. Long admitted as much.

Anyway, enough ranting on our part.

Here's your semi-final matchups:

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Florida State....

Good luck fans, you have the 4 most popular teams in all the land to cheer for. May the best....or most popular team win.

Morning Roundup: TCU Drops 82 on Texas Tech

((ht: foxsports.com))

Whoa! 82 points? That's more than the Texas Christian basketball team scored in all but one game last season.

But that's exactly how many points the Horned Frogs scored Saturday afternoon against Texas Tech winning 82-27.

Trevone Boykin, who may be the best quarterback you've never heard of threw for 433 yards and 7 TD's...yes, 7 TD's for TCU. Mind you Boykin didn't play in the 4th quarter against a completely overmatched Red Raider squad.

Oddly, TCU coach Gary Patterson has always been known as a defensive coach, but as happy as he was about the offense, he was not thrilled his team gave up 27 points and a ton of yards in the win.

Rather than go on at length about all the crazy Madden 15 like statistics, we'll just cut straight to the chase and say "Watch the Highlights".

Thanks FOX Sports:

ICYMI: West Va. Gets Big Win vs. Baylor and Riots

((ht: foxsports.com))

It wasn't pretty. But it was a win and Dana Holgersen and the West Virginia Mountaineers will gladly celebrate beating the alleged #4 team in the country.

West By-Gawd took down the Baylor Bears 41-27 in Morgantown Saturday in a game that featured 18-penalties against Baylor. The win threw the Big 9 (12) title race into chaos...

It also featured Mountaineer QB Clint Trickett recording his 8th straight 300-yard passing game, throwing for 322 yards and 3 TD's.  Kevin White, who leads the nation in catches, caught 8 of those passes for 132 yards and 2 TD's.

As for the Bears, well, we picked this to happen.

Sure, Bryce Petty threw for 223 yards and 3 TD's, but Baylor's high-powered, nation leading offense was pretty much held in check by West Va.

Your highlights from FOXSports:



It should be noted in true West Virginia fashion, students ran on the field and continued the celebration late into the night. Rioting was reported all through the downtown area of Morgantown. According to reports, the students were setting fires, damaging street lights and various other properties and threw rocks, bottles and beer at police and firefighters called in to help calm them down.

BREAKING: Police in riot gear in Morgantown, WV. People rioting after WVU win vs Baylor. Pic from twitter pic.twitter.com/jrK8MQvlCD
— Dave Bondy (@WPXI_DaveBondy) October 19, 2014

You stay classy West Virginia....

Baylor Outscores TCU 61-58

61-58, isn't that a basketball score?

What? No, it's a football score?

Really? Surely you're joking....

I'm not joking and don't call me surely...

It took a 28-yard Game Winning Field Goal at the buzzer by Baylor's Chris Callahan to stop the scoring onslaught. Callahan's kick gave the Baylor Bears a 61-58 win over TCU in a shootout that maybe the biggest of all shootouts...

Callahan's kick capped a comeback that saw the Bears fall behind by as much as 21 points with only 11 minutes to go.

But the powerful Baylor offense, behind 510 yards passing and 6 TD's by Quarterback Bryce Petty came back. And came back fast.

With the game tied and just over a minute to go, TCU coach Gary Patterson decided to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Baylor 45. And inexplicably called a pass play.

The pass was incomplete.

Giving Petty and Baylor a minute to go half the field was plenty of time. A pass interference call against TCU and some smart running by Shock Linwood who ran for 172 yards, out the ball in position for Callahan to finish the game.

And he did...

Your highlights (and there are a lot of them) from ESPN.com:

West Virginia Beats Texas Tech on Game Winning 55-Yard FG

((ht: foxsports.com))

No, on a typical College Football weekend, there's probably not much of a chance we post a recap of the West Virginia vs. Texas Tech game in Lubbock.

Two decent, but not great teams playing in the Big 9, not 12 on a Saturday afternoon.

In a game decided by a Field Goal.

It just so happens the field goal by Josh Lambert was the game winner. And it was from 55-yards out giving West Virginia the road victory and setting off a crazy celebration by the Mountaineers and their coach Dana Holgersen.

Did we mention, the 55-yard kick split the uprights as time ran out?

Yeah....

Well, here's your highlights from FOXSports, stick around for the finish, it was pretty dramatic...

Iowa State AD Fined For Postgame Rant On Officials

((HT: CyclonesTV))

Iowa State was hanging with Oklahoma State for a while at T.Boone Pickens Stadium over the weekend, but in the second half it was all Cowboys in the win, 37-20.

One play in particular drew the ire of AD Jamie Pollard at the end of the first half...
(Which you can see in the highlights below)


After the game Pollard let the assembled media know about it after the fact- and he thinks his Cyclones get screwed all the time


As a result of his rant, Pollard got fined $25,000 by the conference and they were less than pleased:

“Mr. Pollard’s public statements called into question the integrity and competence of game officials and the Conference’s officiating program,” stated Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “To insinuate that games are called unfairly to negatively impact a program is irresponsible and completely baseless. Accordingly, the seriousness of this violation warrants a public reprimand and a financial penalty. We take pride in our officiating programs and will continue to strive for the highest possible standards and the fairest competition.”

So there...

Charlie Weis Fired at Kansas

The Charlie Weis era at Kansas is over.

The former Notre Dame head coach, University of Florida offensive coordinator and former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots was fired Sunday morning after compiling a 6-22 record at Kansas in 3 seasons.

The school announced Defensive Coordinator Clint Bowen will be the interim coach for the rest of the 2014 season.

From athletic director Sheahon Zenger; "I appreciate what Coach Weis did with several facets of our football program," Zenger continued.  "But we have not made the on-the-field progress we believe we should.  I believe new leadership gives our coaches and players the best chance to make a fresh start."

Read the entire press release from the school RIGHT HERE

This is likely the end of Weis' head coaching career. He's considered by most a pretty decent guy, but not someone capable of being successful running a top tier D-1 program.

Though we should add he struggled in Gainesville at Florida as offensive coordinator as well. He's got 2-years left on his deal with the struggling Jayhawks who have been one of college football's worst teams over the past 5 years.

Weis is also officially the 1st coach fired this season.

ICYMI: Auburn Survives K-State

((ht: espn.com))

Okay, so this game was a heck of a lot closer than we...or anyone else thought it would be. And as it turned out, unless you are an Atlanta Falcons fan, this was the best football game on TV Thursday night be a large margin.

Auburn survived a trip to Manhattan, Kansas and a big scare from the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12, winning a non-conference game 20-14.

And to be totally honest, had K-State kicker Jake Cantele made the 3 Field Goals he attempted during the game, we're having a different conversation.

But he didn't.

The Tigers were shut down running the ball and had to rely on Quarterback Nick Marshall to win the game with his arm.

And Marshall did just that throwing for 231 yards and 2 TD's.

Auburn moves to 3-0 and the heart of their SEC schedule begins next week.

Your highlights from ESPN.com:

The Power 5 Are Off And Running

((HT: ESPN))

The top five college athletics conferences are one step closer to having their own autonomous behavior when it comes to what it would take to run their athletic programs.

By a near-unanimous vote, the Board of Directors has approved the idea to allow themselves to decide on how much money they want to give above and beyond their scholarship dollars as "cost-of-attendance stipends," as well as increased insurance benefits for players, staff sizes for sports on campus, loosening recruiting rules and determining just how much hours can be spent on individual sports- considered practice time- which they're looking to expand and monitor internally.

Here's Joe Schad discussing with David Lloyd


The "no" vote would have to carry more than 75 schools, but the schools in the Power 5 could vote to secede from the NCAA on their own if a vote like that was to pass.

So, the haves will have more control over themselves and the have nots will be left to fight for themselves.

Again...

Big XII Commish Thinks Enforcement System Is Broken

((HT: Big XII Conference/dpost.com))

And the HQ is inclined to agree with him...

Across the board, Big 12 Commish Bob Bowlsby thinks schools aren't being penalized in a timely fashion and the enforcement system that the NCAA is using is "broken."

Cheating pays, Bowlsby says, and he would even be amenable to private investigators looking at enforcing the rules and laws of the NCAA. Bowlsby also admits that not all schools cheat, but those who do can get away with it fairly easily.

Here's his pipebomb in its entirety this morning

So Much For Talking About The WBGV Upset Tonight

((HT: Ryan Fagan's Vine))

West Virginia was absolutely trucking Iowa State in Morgantown late in the second half... up 29, 88-59 with 4-plus minutes to go...

Mountaineer Eron Harris became the topic of conversation with his poleaxing of the Cyclones Monte Morris

Harris got tossed, but Bob Huggins should expect a phone call from the Big 12 office for this...


Earlier in the game, ISU's Dustin Hogue was assessed a flagrant 1 for his front kick to a West Virginia player, so it does look like things got a lot out of hand...

Smart Gets Three Games For Incident, Superfan Done For Year...

((HT: CBSSports))

Marcus Smart got three games worth of suspension for his response to Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr the other night...

Orr says he didn't use a racial slur in the incident. Smart maintains Orr did... but Orr also says he will not go to any more Red Raiders games this season...

He volunteered that he said something he shouldn't have to the OSU forward and he also was the one who decided not to attend anymore games in the 13-14 season... kind of a self-imposed punishment...

The HQ does wonder how big a booster he is, though...

Doug Gottlieb, via his Twitter, revealed a conversation Orr had with a friend of his

saying it got out of control (pictured right from Gottlieb)

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Tubby Smith and the Texas Tech Men's Basketball program. My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech - a university I love dearly.

I regret calling Mr. Smart a 'piece of crap' but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind. Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."

But, it wasn't the first time, Orr has been caught on tape responding for his Raiders the way he has...

Go all the way to the end of the video...

It's a very superfannish reaction...
((HT: ESPN2))


But, it was time for Smart and the school to address the issue- any internal discipline will come from coach Travis Ford. Smart wouldn't answer questions, but did offer this to start:

"I want to apologize to the fan, whose name is Jeff Orr, I want to apologize to him, my teammates, my coach. This is not how I condone msyelf. I just can't let that happen again. It's a lesson I'll have to learn from; it's all on me. I truly apologize to all those that are important to me. I feel I let my teammates down."

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby released this statement from the league office:

"Mr. Smart's actions were a clear violation of the Big 12 Conference's Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Policy. Such behavior has no place in athletics, and will not be tolerated. I appreciate the efforts of Oklahoma State University athletics director Mike Holder in addressing this matter, and believe this is an appropriate response to an inappropriate action."

Here's a part of the presser from our friends at KFOR-TV

College Hoops: Marcus Smart Shoves Fan During Game

Most of you sports fans are probably waking up to the news a college basketball player shoved a fan during a game last night.

That player, Marcus Smart, the best player for the Oklahoma State Cowboys has been raising a lot of eyebrows the past few weeks showing frustration and anger quite frequently on the court.

That frustration hit a crescendo Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas when the Cowboys squared off with Texas Tech.

Tech was in the process of beating the 19th ranked Cowboys, when Smart found himself landing in the crowd after blocking a shot late in the game. He got up, found himself in front of self proclaimed Tech superfan Jeff Orr.

If you watch the video closely, some words were exchanged and Smart shoves Orr and then runs back out onto the court.

Note--In no way, shape or form are we condoning Smarts actions...but. After the game, several people reported that Orr may have uttered a racial slur at Smart. And while that doesn't justify the reaction, it might at least give it some context.

Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford had no comment about the incident, Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said that his back was turned away from it and didn't see it. The Big 12 office has already opened an investigation.

ESPN.com provides the video:

The End is Near: Power Schools Likely To Break Away

((ht: yahoosports.com))

The end is near. The BCS may be dead, but it's future will be frighteningly similar.

Why? Because what we told you was going to happen in July is about to come to fruition. The NCAA, at it's annual meetings this week has all but decreed the Big 5 Conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC) are about to break off into their own division.

And no, we don't know what they are going to call it....yet.

The NCAA's annual convention has been taking place all week in San Diego. And rough polling by Yahoo Sports indicate that when NCAA president Mark Emmert, presents a proposal to the full group to approve the move, it will pass.

Read an explanation from Yahoo Sports writer Pat Forde RIGHT HERE

We first told you this might happen back in July. Read that story RIGHT HERE

What does this mean to you?

A lot.

First off, it eliminates the chance anyone outside of these conferences ever playing for College Football's national title on the highest level. Although realistically, there was little chance anyone from the MAC, AAC or other smaller D-1 (FCS) schools were ever going to do that.

Second, part of the proposal will essentially allow the power schools to break from NCAA regulations and pay players, something the smaller schools without TV money can't afford to do, but the big guys can.

If you thought the end of the BCS and beginning of the playoff system was going to change the College Football landscape, you ain't seen nothin' yet.This is a doozy.

Because it has yet to be put in place, there are multiple ways it can play out, but here's what we think will happen. The "Power Schools" will get their own division. They'll play, for the most part each other, with the Top 4 teams going to the playoff. The other schools, will filter down through the bowl system.

The "Others", well, they'll have their own division, we're guessing something similar to the FBS or old 1-AA. However, we don't necessarily know if they'll do a playoff like the FBS does. The FBS has been hemorraging schools over the past decade and we wonder if the remaining schools will filter down to Division II.

That may not happen, but folks, we're telling you now, this is a game changer. It's most definitely a case of the "Rich Getting Richer" and unless you are a fan of a "Power Conference" school, you are shit out of luck. Everyone else will be regulated to the Regional Sports Networks of the world. (Hope you have them). The Big Boys will be your games on the major networks, unless you happen to be chosen to be a sacrificial lamb for a big school looking for an easy win.

We are following this issue closely, and will keep you updated on how it progresses.

Baylor Squeaks By TCU: Gary Patterson Not Happy With Art Briles

((ht: thebiglead.com))

Sounds like we have a budding rivalry forming here.

Lost in the rubble of Baylor's 41-38 win over TCU Saturday evening is the post-game rant of TCU coach Gary Patterson.

Patterson was highly ticked off after a play in the 3rd quarter. That play involved Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon and a helmet-to-helmet hit on TCU's Trevone Boykin. Dixon was apparently tossed for the Targeting penalty, but apparently stayed on the sideline.

Patterson tried to come across the field to have Dixon ejected and was confronted by Briles.

Check out Patterson's post game presser:



Your game highlights from ESPN:

ICYMI: Texas Handles Texas Tech on Thanksgiving Night

Somehow, someway, the Texas Longhorns are trying to salvage what many outside the program consider a bad season.

But Thursday night's 41-16 win versus Texas Tech puts the Longhorns at 8-3, 7-1 in the Big 12 this season. And if Oklahoma State loses to Oklahoma, the Longhorns will win the Big 12.

Texas ran for 282 yards and QB Case McCoy threw for 2 TD's, which more than offset the Red Raiders who shot themselves in their own feet by collecting 11 penalties on the night.

For Tech, it was their 5th straight loss after starting the season 7-0.

FOX Sports provides the highlights:

Reality Check: Baylor Humbled By Okie State

So much for the BCS bound Baylor Bears.

Baylor ran into a buzz saw Saturday night in Stillwater, Oklahoma and walked away losers after Oklahoma State dropped a 49-17 smack down on them.

And no, the game was never that close.

The Cowboys rode 370 yards passing and 3 TD's by QB Clint Chelf and stout defense that created 3 turnovers to hand Baylor the loss.

The Bears came in neck-and-neck with Ohio State for the #3 spot in the BCS and were a heavy favorite in the game despite Okie State only having one loss.

The win puts the Cowboys in the drivers seat to get to the Big 12 Championship game. Win that and they'll be the team playing in a BCS bowl game.

Your highlights from EPSN:

Best Team You're Not Aware of: Baylor Drops 63 on Texas Tech

They are ranked 4th, 5th or 6th depending on which poll you believe.

They average 61 points a game and over 600 yards on offense.

Famous alumni (recent)--Mr. RGIII of the Washington Redskins.

And they are undefeated and have inserted themselves into the BCS Championship game conversation.

"They" are the Baylor Bears and the Bears, under Coach/Offensive genius Art Briles are now 9-0, 6-0 in the Big 12 after beating Texas Tech 63-34 on Saturday.

Mind you the score after one quarter was 21-20 Baylor. Of course that also means the score was 42-14 the rest of the night.

The Bears racked up a cool 675 yards of offense, and strangely enough, that total was very well balanced. 335 yards passing, 340 rushing. Quarterback Bryce Petty, he accounted for 5 touchdowns himself (3 passing, 2 running).

The game itself wasn't always pretty and the Baylor defense, while not horrible, is probably not SEC or even ACC worthy.

But how can you not pay attention to a team like this?

Sure, if they beat 12th ranked Oklahoma State next week they'll finish undefeated. But it probably won't be enough. As impressive as the numbers are, it won't get them past the name cache of Ohio State. It definitely won't get them past Florida State or Alabama either….unless two of the three aforementioned teams lose.

Which in theory, isn't likely, but how much fun would it be….if it did happen?

Your game highlights from Fox Sports: