Northwestern Beat Notre Dame and Celebrates With Chick-Fil-A

((ht: cbssports.com))

Hey, Northwestern University, you just pulled your biggest upset of the football season beating mighty Notre Dame in overtime. How are you going to celebrate?

Chick-Fil-A?

Yup, as excited as the Wildcats were about the win, they appear to have been even more excited afterwards, when as they walked through the tunnel to the locker room, they got to see what their post game meal was going to be.

And as you can hear in this video, for some, "Wooo! It's the best day ever!"...

Haha!

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of The Barrel: Who's With Me?

No, despite there only being four undefeated teams, it ain't over yet--

We're about to hit the homestretch in the College Football season...otherwise known as November. And there are still plenty of hurdles even the undefeated teams will have to clear. 

We know that the SEC West appears to be the best conference in all the land, but will any of those teams have enough left to beat Georgia in the SEC title game?

Casey

And we know that Notre Dame may or may not have gotten jobbed in Tallahassee, a game we secretly hoped both teams would lose...alas, that was not possible.

But enough of that, there's pickin' to be done....

Last week, so 11-3 ain't bad...right? And we called the West Va. win. That makes us 78-16 on the season. (We don't pick the spread...not that smart)

But anyway...

To quote the late, great Casey Kasem....it's "On with the countdown"....

THE DIRTY DOZEN

1) Florida State 7-0. Yeah SEC fans, I said it. They are still #1. Not necessarily because they are the best team, but they will run the table. No guarantees anyone else in the FBS can do that. And more importantly...

And nobody has been able to do that. This Week: BYE

2) Mississippi State 6-0. The bye last week had to help them because they came off 3 straight tough games. And are now everyone's darlings. But unless they shore up the pass defense (last in FBS), Alabama will beat them in a couple weeks. This Week: vs. Kentucky, Our Pick: Miss St. 38, KY 17

3) Ole Miss 7-0. We're still in shock to Mississippi teams are in the top 3. That may very well be a sign of the apocalypse. Their achilles heel is offense, the O is inconsistent, but a strong D more than makes up for it. The next 2 weeks will determine how big the Egg Bowl will be. This Week: at LSU, Our Pick: Ole Miss 24, LSU 23--close call

4) Alabama 6-1. Today's lesson: Don't make Nick Saban angry. You won't like Saban when he's angry. He and the Tide went all Hulk on Texas A and M and now they get Saban's work partner Coach Kiffykins returning to the scene of one of his crimes. Already it's been fun. This Week: at Tennessee, Our Pick: Bama 45, Tenn. 23

5) Auburn 5-1. Somehow these guys always fly under the radar. Sure, they got beat by Miss. St. but they are dangerous. Very dangerous. We suspect they will have a voice in who goes to the SEC title game and the playoff. This Week: vs. South Carolina, Our Pick: Auburn 41, S.Carolina 27

6) Oregon 6-1. We put the Duckies here only because we think the Pac 12 is better than the little 10. They are likely to be a playoff team, but we don't think they are better than anyone ranked ahead of them. IMO. But I could be wrong. This Week: at Cal, Our Pick: Oregon 51, Cal 31

7) Michigan St. 6-1. Your best of the Little 10. And they are pretty good. But Oregon did beat them. And playing in the 10, they aren't going to be pushed too hard. The only test: 3 weeks from now they play Ohio St. This Week: vs. Michigan, Our Pick: Mich St. 38, Mich 27

8) Georgia 6-1. Another dangerous team with a history of shooting themselves in the foot. If indeed they get Todd Gurley back, they become scary good. The D has improved each week. With Gurley and Chubb, they just play keep away. The only test left--vs. Auburn in November. This Week: BYE

9) Notre Dame 6-1. This is one of their better, tougher teams. They should have beaten FSU, but didn't. But they are Notre Dame, they'll get love. The pass defense needs work, but Everett Golston has been outstanding. And no roadblocks ahead. This Week: BYE

10) TCU 5-1. Outside a Gary Patterson brain fart, they have been the best of the Big 9(12). The D hasn't been great, but QB Trevonne Boykin has been a revelation. And the reason the Horned Frogs are scary good on offense. This Week: vs. Texas Tech, Our Pick: TCU 48, T-Tech 31

11) Kansas State 5-1. If not for a bad Field Goal kicker, they beat Auburn and are undefeated. And yes, Bill Snyder is a wizard of some sorts, he just keeps producing good teams in the middle of the Kansas plains. This Week: vs. Texas, Our Pick: K-State 31, Texas 21

12) Ohio State 5-1. It took the Buckeyes a couple weeks to find their footing, but they have. Outside Mich. St, they are the only other serious threat in the Little 10. JT Barrett has been a revelation, and for the Urbanator, that's all he needs. This Week: at Penn St., Our Pick: tOSU 38, Penn St. 27

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

Oy, there's only one NO WIN team left here (SMU). What ever are we to do? Too many of our past lists have had multiple no win teams on it. But hey, maybe that just means everyone is getting better.

Or not....

5) Georgia St. 1-6. The Panthers should never have jumped to the FBS as fast as they did. They were not ready. And are now just everyone's cupcake game. They are playing their polar opposite this week, who waited until they were ready to jump. And now are scaring everyone. This Week: vs. Ga.Southern, Our Pick: Ga.Southern 43, Ga.State 21 (was there doubt?)

4) Idaho 1-6. Yay! The Vandals stole a game. Even though it was last week, it's not enough to get them off the Barrel--yet. They still can't stop the run. Though they should be able to manage it this week. This Week: BYE

3) Troy 1-6. There was hope for the retiring Larry Blakeney after a win. Then they play Appalachian State and got annihilated. So, the misery continues. They do have games with Ga.State and Idaho left, so there is hope. This Week: at South Alabama. Our Pick: S.Alabama 31, Troy 27

2) Miami OH 1-7. Oh how some things never change. They too finally won a game, but have done nothing with that momentum. At all. No defense and little offense, means you often will lose. This Week: vs. Kent State, Our Pick: Kent St. 37, Miami OH 36

1) SMU 0-6. Pity the poor Mustangs. They've been shut out twice and hit double figures in points once. That folks, is not good. And things aren't getting any better. This Week: vs. Memphis, Our Pick: Memphis 43, SMU 6

For you SMU fans--

The Hypocrisy Of Postgame Comments From Tallahassee

((HT: gifdsports Vine/Larry Brown Sports))

FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher is running heavy on either hubris or silliness or both these days...

After the win over Notre Dame, these were his words to Tom Rinaldi...
((HT: ESPN))


Pardon the HQ a bit if we laugh out ooud at the assessment...

But the more interesting part of the dynamic was on display before the interview itself, but the HQ is always a fan of the hot mic...

Here's the short version to Jameis beforehand...


And the translated version from FOSG Jimmy Traina
"Calm down, be very passive here. Understand what I'm saying? Humble. Humble pie."

Always coaching these days...

Always coaching...

Barely: FSU Escapes With Win Over Notre Dame

It was a heck of a game under the lights in Tallahassee Saturday, almost living up to the attempt at hype.

Florida State held on to beat Notre Dame 31-27 in a game that ended on a offensive pass interference call.

The Irish thought they had the game won when QB Everett Golson on 4th down, lofted a 2-yard TD pass to Corey Robinson with 13 seconds left in the game. The TD would have been a game winner.

But the referees called a penalty against one of Notre Dame's split receivers appeared to block the defender trying to cover Robinson.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was apoplectic saying "We coach that play every day. And we do it legally and that's the way we coach it. We don't coach illegal plays".

Well, it sure looked like a pick. Instead of bouncing the defender the receiver drove the guy backwards.

Anyway...

The maligned Jameis Winston was impressive for Florida State, throwing for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns. His passing was needed as the Seminoles were only able to run for 50 yards.

It also sets FSU up for a straight run to the College Football Playoff. They will finish the season with a run of crappy ACC teams and finish the regular season with the hapless Florida Gators. They'll likely end up undefeated.

Your highlights from ESPN:

Michigan Fan Goes Berserk On Sports Talk Radio

((HT: Lost Lettermen/The Big Lead))

This is one of the better meltdowns in sports talk radio from the northern side of the Mason-Dixon Line this side of the "Paul Finebaum Show."

Here's the set-up...

Angry Michigan fan calls Ann Arbor station and goes off...


And all that took was a minute five...???

Well done...

DEVELOPING: Notre Dame Maintains Football Suspensions for Now

((HT: WNDU-TV))

The investigation alleging academic fraud on the Notre Dame campus is taking on a life of its own at the moment.

Various media outlets are reporting everything from just suspension to expulsion as the investigation ensues.

The afternoon lent itself to a press conference where university President, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and AD Jack Swarbrick tried to get out in front of the situation.

Reverend Jenkins looked uncomfortable discussing the violations of the student code and the unknown after-effects while Swarbrick was barely asked any questions- save the relaying that head football coach Brian Kelly was just as shocked as everyone else and that he wants the on-campus process to take its course.

Here's the early evening coverage from South Bend


Reverend Jenkins did, however, say that the school will forfeit wins if the school is found to have used ineligible players- dating back however many seasons would apply.

The South Bend Tribune's Notre Dame insider Bob Wieneke discusses the four players as well
The folks over at Campus Insiders discuss the roster losses at present as well...

Ruh Roh: Notre Dame Football Players Being Investigated for Academic Fraud (UPDATED With Dismissals And Vacated Wins...???)

((ht: yahoo.com/forde))

T-Minus two weeks to the kickoff of this years college football season and it's beginning to look like Notre Dame may be without 4 key players.

Yahoo Sports reporter Pat Forde says that the four are being investigated in a probe looking for academic fraud.

Wide Receiver DaVaris Daniels, DB KeiVarae Russell, DL Ishaq Williams and LB Kendall Moore are all being checked out for what Forde terms an "Honor Code Violation".

Read Forde's full story on Yahoo.com RIGHT HERE

No word yet from Coach Brian Kelly on where things go from here but how they progress will be interesting to see. Daniels is one of the teams primary receivers and Russell a starting cornerback, the other two players have a chance at starting, but nothing guaranteed.

The Irish this year get back 2012 Quarterback Everett Golson who sat out 2013 due to an academic issue as well.

UPDATE: Fox Sports is reporting that the four players have been dismissed

The South Bend Tribune is reporting that the scale of the alleged fraud is comparable to the current investigation at the University of North Carolina.

Eric Hansen's piece also says that a former player or players may even be involved.

1630 UPDATE: Campus Insiders' Ray Crawford has a breaker on just how bad this could get...


And here's 120Sports Dylan McGorty with what they know

Post by 120 Sports.

Irish Suspend WR Mahone Indefinitely For Threatening To Kill Cops (And Other Stuff)

((HT: WSBT-TV))

And the charges are a big list- five in total, and some of them felonies...

Will Mahone, over the weekend, was booked in his home town in Ohio for disorderly conduct, assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, intimidation of a public servant and vandalism of a government entity. Three of those charges are felonies.

The police report can be found hyah, thanks to our friends at WNDU-TV in South Bend...

Austintown, Ohio police say they arrived at the scene of a party where witnesses told them Mahone was head butting and punching cars. Officers approached Mahone, who was pretty drunk apparently, and tried to get him to calm down.

He then would f-bomb the cops and allegedly threatened to kill the cops once they handcuffed him.

Here's the story from South Bend
Notre Dame came out with their own statement: "The University is aware of this incident and is confident that it will be handled in a prompt and professional manner through the criminal justice system. Internal discipline is handled privately, in accord with our own policies and federal law."
And the HQ thinks that Mahone is quite done- regardless of the result of the charges and any court appearance.

Falcons Looking Past Shembo's Past For Draft...? (UPDATED: Dimitroff Comfortable With It)

For the 139th overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Prince Shembo from Notre Dame...

If the name strikes a chord, it comes from here...

Shembo acknowledged for the first time, back at the Scouting Combine in February, that he was at the heart of allegations made Lizzy Seeberg- a Saint Mary’s College student who committed suicide back in 2010 (pictured right, thanks WLS-TV).

Shembo also said at the combine that the university did not want him to speak on the issue. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, of course, denied this to the Chicago Tribune before spring practice started:

“We made a decision based upon the information we had. We felt it was in Prince’s best interest that this was not a matter that needed to be discuss. But that was certainly something he could have decided to discuss.

“We didn’t threaten him with he couldn’t play or we were going to put him on the bench or we were going to throw him out of school. It was still his decision.”

Sure, okay...

Shannon Ryan and Chris Hine's piece from practice says that Shembo maintained his innocence.

The Tribune reported in December 2010 (Stacy St. Clair and Todd Lighty's piece is here) that the family felt "betrayed" by the university lack of action over their daughter's complaint of a sexual attack.

On August 31, 2010, Seeberg was in Shembo's room alone and started to feel uncomfortable after friends of both Seeberg and Shembo left the room.

From St. Clair and Lighty:

Seeberg then described how she cried and her body froze as the alleged attack ensued. Her allegations did not describe penetration; the campus police log listed the complaint as an alleged sexual battery. Under Indiana law, a sexual battery is the unwanted touching of another person to satisfy one's own sexual desires.

The incident ended when the player's cell phone distracted him, Seeberg wrote.

Shortly afterward, the other couple returned.

Upon returning to her campus, Seeberg wrote a hand-written statement, documents show. She sought assistance the next morning from Belles Against Violence, a St. Mary's program that helps victims of sex crimes and whose name pays tribute to the nickname for the all-female student population. She also went to a hospital, where she reported the alleged attack to authorities and consented to a DNA evidence kit.

Through texting, Shembo's friend asked about the night before and the exchange included:

"Don't do anything you would regret," the text said. "Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea."

Seeberg forwarded the message to a campus detective within ten minutes. That same night, she sent a link of Shembo's player bio to university police with the header- "assault suspect"

Seeberg started suffering panic attacks and died September 10, 2010 from an overdose of prescription medication.
The question was even addressed by Chris Matthews
((HT: MSNBC))


The university seemed not to move swiftly in their investigation of the assault. And all the Seebergs were looking for were answers in a timely fashion- they still aren't seeming to get them even to this day...

Tom Seeberg, Lizzy's father, was interviewed Combine Week by The Game Radio in Chicago after Shembo's comments were made public. He said in part:

"I think the context of revealing his name maybe adds to maybe why we certainly accused Notre Dame of conducting a superficial investigation," Seeberg said. "But maybe it adds context to why they might conduct a superficial investigation. In a he-said-she-said matter, you can quickly gather forensic evidence to try to determine what happened there, or you can let it linger like they did. Let evidence spoil."

Todd Lighty and Rich Campbell's piece from the Tribune during Combine Week is here

Seeberg has maintained that the university pursued the Manti Te'o situation with more zeal and purpose than their daughter's case.

Which brings us back to the Atlanta Falcons...

All the front office really needs to say is that since Shembo was never charged- that's good enough for them...
But, what will their answer be...? Something more in-depth...?

The HQ doubts it... and for a franchise that prides itself in being a community-driven and respectful outfit, it's an odd selection- not because of need, but because of character...

SUNDAY UPDATE: Props to Vaughn McClure over at the four-letter for catching up with Thomas Dimitroff and asking:

The response still doesn't wash with the HQ...

"We're very, very aware of the seriousness of the incident," Dimitroff said. "Obviously, it's a sad situation for the young lady involved. We've done a lot of research at many levels from our security standpoint, from all the research that we did at Notre Dame. And he was never charged, never suspended from the team or the school.

"We've done our due diligence as far as making sure that we felt very comfortable with making that decision. Only glowing endorsements from the university. And again, pleased to have him a part of this organization going forward."

Of course, Shembo is getting glowing endorsements from the university that did virtually nothing to investigate...

Of course he is...

Seeberg Family Goes Public After Shembo Comments

((HT: Chicago Tribune/Lighty and Campbell))

Prince Shembo came forward at the NFL Combine saying he was the unnamed Notre Dame player accused of attacking Lizzy Seeberg in 2010 before she eventually committed suicide. Lizzy's parents knew it was Shembo, but since he was never charged the name never was released as part of the process.

Lizzy Seeberg typed a statement to police after their meeting August 31, 2010 in Shembo's room- a place where she didn't feel safe.

From the Tribune:

Seeberg then described how she cried and her body froze as the alleged attack ensued. Her allegations did not describe penetration; the campus police log listed the complaint as an alleged sexual battery. She said Shembo licked her breast. The incident ended when the player's cellphone distracted him, Seeberg said.

On Sept. 2 she received a text message from one of Shembo's friends, telling her, "Don't do anything you would regret. Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea."

She killed herself Sept. 10, overdosing on prescription medication.

Notre Dame conducted an investigation- not interviewing Shembo until five days after Seeberg's suicide. Shembo's attorney maintains the incident was consensual.

Chicago Tribune Deputy Metro editor Mark Jacob talks with Lighty about Shembo coming forward, having Lizzy Seeberg's father talk about the case (or the lack of one going forward) and any possible repercussions...


The biggest stink the HQ sees in this- among many of them- is that no one from the university has even addressed any remorse over the Seeberg suicide and the family's feelings in the matter...

Pair this with the death of the GA in high winds and there's too much to say about how a big business in a small town rules the town... and that will never change...

ND's Tommy Rees Has A Heck Of A Final Game In Pinstripe Bowl, Offensive Lineman Wins Game MVP

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees is know as "The Closer" because many times Rees has come off the bench to rally the Irish to victory.

In his final game as the Notre Dame quarterback Rees faced a Rutgers defense that's 122nd our of 125 NCAA FBS teams defending the pass.

Let's just say Rees took advantage of that completing 27 of 47 passes for 319 yards and to lead Notre Dame to a 29-16 Pinstripe Bowl win over Rutgers.

Here are the highlights, Thanks WatchND:



"He's so smart." Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of Tommy Rees.  "You can go in and run a system with him. He's so bright.  He just has the ability to pick up all of the things that we can do offensively."

With that performance Rees did not win the game MVP award.  That honor went to Irish offensive tackle Zack Martin.

"I was giving Tommy a hard time," Martin said.. "I think he got snubbed a little bit."

Here's coverage from WNDU-TV, South Bend, Indiana with sound bites from Tommy Rees.

Pitt Pulls Off The Upset Of Notre Dame 28-21

When you throw a pair of interceptions in the fourth quarter of a close football game it usually results in a loss.

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees threw two picks each by Pitt's Ray Vinopal that helped the Panthers rally to a 28-21 upset of the Irish.



"Our mantra is you can't start winning until you stop losing and we did things tonight that caused losing," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said.

It wasn't just Rees interceptions that doomed the Irish, two Pitt touchdown drives were extended because of Notre Dame penalties.

Then Pitt quarterback Tom Savage fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter but Notre Dame couldn't pounce on the loose ball and the Panthers recovered.

"It was just a lapse, a bunch of inexperienced guys out there not seeing that they should have been on the ball.” Kelly said.

Savage was extremely efficient completing 22  of 35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns both to Devin Street.



He wasn't perfect." Pitt head coach Paul Chryst said., "I thought he made some big throws. He competed and that kind of rubs off on the rest of the team. I thought he did a lot of good things."

"Our offensive line and running backs did a great job of really running the ball down there and it made it easy for the team and to control the clock." Savage said.  "It was fun."

Savage and the rest of his teammates had fun because not only was Heinz Field rockin' Saturday night but Pitt ended a three game losing streak to Notre Dame.

Paul Chryst finally has his signature win as Pitt's head coach.

"That was a good win." Chryst said. "We were able to do enough things tonight to win. It was a great atmosphere and it was fun. I know it fueled our kids."

ICYMI: Awkward Interview of the Year: Eminem on ESPN College Football Show

Yikes!

If you haven't seen this, it's worth about 4 minutes of your time only because it's an absolute train wreck.

Since ESPN has apparently contracted with Eminem to produce music for their Monday Night Football broadcast, some genius at the 4-letter decided it would be "cool" to have him promo it Saturday night at halftime of the Notre Dame/Michigan game.

And yeah, it was as bad as it could possibly have been.

Awkward.

Brent Musburger tries at first to get Em talking, Em looks totally lost and uncomfortable. Brent keeps poking, asking questions about the music and the artist known as Marshall Mathers answers, though he looks and sounds like he'd like to be anywhere other than where he is.

Meanwhile Kirk Herbstreit just stands there.

At about the 2 minute mark, Brent becomes Brent and asks Mathers about the betting line on the Detroit Lions/Minnesota game Sunday afternoon. Eminem dodges it as best he can. Towards the end, Mathers goes on a old announcer riff.

Priceless...

OSG College Football Crystal Ball Part 2

Eastern Kentucky at #8 Louisville

What does Louisville head coach Charlie Strong think of Eastern Kentucky?

“It’s a solid football team.”

The Colonels did whip Robert Morris 38-6 last week.  Expect EKU to take the six figure check from Louisville and take a whoppin’ themselves

Louisville 55, Eastern Kentucky 3

UAB at #9 LSU

13 years ago the Blazers defeated the Tigers 13-10.  No way in hell that happens again.

LSU 42 , UAB 14

#12 Florida at Miami

Al Golden is yet to have a signature win during his tenure at Miami.  Saturday is the Hurricanes chance to make a statement and provide the benchmark win for Golden.

“It’s obviously a big game, but worrying about anything on the outside is not going to change what happens in between the lines.” Golden said.

A ton of Hurricane recruits will be in Sun Life Stadium too and Golden would like to make an impression on their young minds.

Florida head coach Will Muschamp also wants to leave a mark on South Florida.

“They have players every year, you take Broward and Dade county, those two alone, the number of players that sign out of there every year.” 

So instead of the Seminole War Canoe the two teams played for annually until 1987 the Gators and Hurricanes play to impress high school players.

It will be a close on but the “Canes prevail.

Miami 31, Florida 28

#13 Oklahoma State at Texas-San Antonio

When Mike Gundy was the quarterback for the Oklahoma State Cowboys Larry Coker was his offensive coordinator.

 “I have always enjoyed being around Coach”  Gundy said.  “As a player, I enjoyed his approach to certain plays. He kept the game simple and as a player I really enjoyed that."

“Mike has done a great job there.” UTSA head coach Larry Coker said. “He was a very smart player and tremendously competitive. He was a playmaker when there weren’t plays to be made. He was an outstanding player. He’s very confident and you can see that in their team now.”

Oklahoma State is in San Antonio for two reasons, get a win and impress recruits in Southwest Texas.

“They do a great job at recruiting Texas and I think they want to continue that.” Coker said.

The Cowboys will do both.

Oklahoma State 49, UTSA 6

#14 Notre Dame at #17 Michigan

“It's a great and historic rivalry that we'll be playing this Saturday, so let's get that out of the way right away so we don't have to answer any more questions about this rivalry.”  Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelley said.

Sounds like the Notre Dame head coach is bored with the rivalry with Michigan.

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke understands the whole nation watches this one.

 “….it must have some sort of national appeal.” Hoke said. “ Coaching in a lot of places, and maybe it's just me, but I know that whenever Michigan and Notre Dame was on TV, I was going to be watching it. I know people in Corvallis, Ore., were going to be watching it.”

And those people in Corvallis should see a Michigan win.

Michigan 21, Notre Dame 17

#15 Texas at BYU

I bet you didn’t know this, BYU has a 2-1 edge in the series.  The last time the “Horns played the Cougars in Provo they lost.

“I think it's a unique place.” Texas head coach Mack Brown said. 

Yes it is coach Brown but Longhorn nation should like the result.

Texas 35, BYU 31 

ICYMI: Notre Dame Wins Game Loses Spellcheck

((ht: yahoosports/docsaturday))

Ooopsie....

It's a good thing spelling doesn't count in football.

Take a look at the photo to the right....what do you see wrong with it?

Yeah.

Pretty funny. It's a good thing the Fig-Thing Irish were better on the field as they beat the Temple Owls 28-6 behind Tommy Rees's 3 touchdown passes.

However, these days nobody gets a pass on mis-spelliings, including the company who made these stadium cups...

Ohio St Prez Takes Shots at Notre Dame, Catholics, The SEC and Louisville (UPDATED W/Audio)

Gee (in bowtie)

((ht: ap.org))

Geez E. Gordon Gee. Do you have a death wish? You do realize that a majority of what you say at an official school function or meeting more than likely is on the record?

Based on a report released today by the Associated Press, Gee obviously doesn't.

Why?

Because according to the report, at a December OSU Athletics Council meeting, Gee made jabs at Notre Dame, Catholic Priests, The SEC and The University of Louisville.

Gee apparently said Notre Dame wasn't invited to join the Big 10 because "those damn Catholics can't be trusted". He also dropped such classic lines about schools like Louisville who he doesn't consider in the same academic ballpark saying; "So you won't see us adding Louisville" and questioning the academic integrity of pretty much anyone in the SEC adding; "You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we're doing".

Read the whole story from the AP website RIGHT HERE

Geez, what a smug, arrogant, dumbass prick.

Oh sorry, we just took a shot at Gee.

Why would you say stuff like this in a somewhat public forum? Whether you think it or not is pretty irrelevant. You can't say it. Unless you are alone in your office with a friend you know won't repeat it. Or dictate it for public record.

Did Dr. Gee not learn from his "Little Sisters of the Poor" comment a couple of years ago? For those unaware--Gee made the reference in response to criticism his Buckeyes played a better schedule than other teams.

Allegedly he is getting a "remediation" plan (whatever that means) because of the remarks. We, and pretty much anyone else would argue the remarks are a pattern rather than an isolated behavior. Sure, Ohio State is considered an "Elite" BCS team. But they've hardly the track record to be talking smack about the SEC, Louisville or in any instance making Catholic Priest jokes.

                                                               

FRIDAY UPDATE: Here are his remarks in full... it's a fun listen...
((HT: SI.com))

ICYMI: Notre Dame Starting QB: Gone (Updated)

It's good to be king.

But it's probably not so good to be Brian Kelly, a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or now former starting QB Everett Golson.

That's because Golson is mysteriously "no longer enrolled" at the school.

The belief is that Golson is an academic casualty, but thus far the school, nor anyone else is confirming that "on the record". All the school would say is that he's "No longer enrolled".

Golson was pretty good this past year as a redshirt freshman, leading the Irish to the BCS title game, which they lost to Alabama.

Options are a bit slim for Irish coach Brian Kelly as prized recruit Gunner Keil bailed out on him over the summer leaving him with the questionable Tommy Rees and a couple other recruits to battle for the starting job on a team most pollsters will still over-rate whether they are any good or not.

((Updated 4:00 p.m 5/26--ESPN's Twitter feed states that according to Tom Rinaldi, Golson was suspended for academics and wants to come back))

Notre Dame Looks at Possible "Renovation" to Stadium

((ht: cbssports.com))

Is there something in the water these days? It seems like after several years of nobody doing anything on the stadium front, we suddenly are hearing about a rash of them.

The latest to throw their hat in the "New and Improved" routine: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

And while the Golden Domer's haven't said they are "Definitely" expanding/renovating, they've already got a pretty detailed plan as to what such work would look like.

Among the reported amenities: 3,000 more seats, more luxury boxes--the goal of every renovation/project and what the school calls making the structure a "Hub" with student and media centers built into it.

Read the school's press release RIGHT HERE

The school is emphasizing that this is a "Study" and no commitment to the project has been made. That hasn't soothed the savage reaction from those who love all things Notre Dame. Much of the Twitter reaction to the study has been negative, with most pointing towards not wanting to "Alter History".

For what it's worth:



While we don't accuse those responsible for Notre Dame Football as being a group of Rhodes Scholars, they are far from stupid. Yeah, sure, the stadium itself and the traditions around it are a part of history, but we got news for ya....the times they've done changed.

It's all now about maximizing revenue and we're pretty sure the only way the Irish can do that with their facility is by upgrading it.

And if that means putting a big ass video board in their then by Touchdown Jesus, they should. Though it should be noted, that hasn't been an option under discussion at this point.

Okay, So All Of Our Brackets Are Dead... FGCU, LaSalle, Minnesota, Iowa State

Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle, Iowa State, and Minnesota...

A 15, a 13, a 10, and an 11... to add to all the 12's that won...
Usually, the way the tournament works is that if one day is calm, the other one is a mess...

Friday was a mess...

FOSG Gil Tyree warned the world about Florida Gulf Coast since, of all things, FGCU was hanging out at the GPB Sports hotel during the Atlantic Sun Tournament/GHSA Basketball Championships. He commiserated with them and, apparently, knew what a lot of us didn't... that they could knock off a 2-seed...

Here's the, naturally, stunned Georgetown folks...
((HT: CSNWashington))


LaSalle knocked off Boise in the First Four in Dayton and got Kansas State...
Kansas State got an eyeful of the Explorers... LaSalle got a big lead, blew it late, and held on at the end...
((HT: TruTV/NCAA))


Iowa State knocked off Notre Dame and it wasn't even close...
The HQ thinks the Irish deserved it for breaking out the neon green on national television...
Jack Cooley and Pat Connaughton called it "embarrassing."

Maybe so...
((HT: NCAA.com/CBS))


And, surprising no one, when UCLA was going to be missing Jordan Allen the HQ knew the Bruins were in trouble...
They were... Tubby Smith and Minnesota were their standard amount of trouble makers...
An 11 knocks off a 6...
By 20...
((HT: NCAA.com/TruTV))

ICYMI: Internet Freaks Out Over New Adidas Basketball Uni's

It's been very interesting this morning here at OSG HQ monitoring the reaction of pretty much every Sports Writer/producer on the internet over the new uniforms adidas has announced they'll provide for 6 NCAA teams.

And yes, the reviews haven't been pretty.

Most compare the look, which features short sleeves rather than a tank top and striped shorts as a "Zubaz" style look.

For those of you unware, Zubaz were a style/brand of sweatpants that were popular in the late 80's and early 90's.

Here's some video of them:



Quite honestly, if you look at the photo above, the 6 uniform looks don't look so bad to us. Well, aside from the puke, lime-green Notre Dame jersey anyway.

Always remember writers and people who post to Twitter regularly are the snarkiest of the snarks and generally don't like anything different than what they only see.

And no, not all of these work. We like the Louisville look. A lot. Cincinnati, Baylor and Kansas aren't horrible. But UCLA's look like pajamas and we already spoke about the awful Notre Dame look.

Either way, it's free publicity for Adidas who's been struggling to keep up with the Nike's and Under Armour's of the world. So for that reason, we say "Why not?" If you have an interest in such things, you might actually watch the conference tournaments these teams are in. And if they all make the field of 68, you might tune in to see them there too.