Surprise: Oregon St. Hires Gary Andersen from Wisconsin as Coach

Just a week after losing Mike Riley to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Oregon State Beavers have found his replacement.

And it's not the guy anyone was expecting.

Now former Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen was hired to take over the as football coach. A statement was released Wednesday afternoon, a presser is scheduled for Friday.

Andersen spent 2 seasons coaching in Madison going 19-7 during that time. The Badgers won the Western Division of the Big 10 this past season, but were whitewashed by Ohio State in the title game 59-0.

Previous to Wisconsin, Andersen spent time coaching at Southern Utah and Utah State.

Must Listen: Rick Neuheisel Sings the "I Don't Know" College Football Playoff Song

((ht: danpatrick.com))

We actually watched the simulcast of Dan Patrick's show Tuesday morning and were kind of half paying attention when former UCLA head football coach and current Pac 12 Football analyst Rick Neuheisel joined the show.

Figuring it was just going to be jibber jabber about the Pac 12, who is gonna win and who should be in the College Football playoff, we had no idea what was coming next.

Neuheisel, quite the troubadour, while on the phone, apparently grabbed his guitar and starts playing a song.

That song, sung to the melody of a Jimmy Buffet favorite named "Volcano", is called I don't know. And yes, we know, the words are changed to mirror the chase for the college football playoff.

It was impressive--

Morning Wrap: Worst Fake Punt Ever This Week

((ht: si.com/extramustard))

Yeesh, whoever thought this was a good idea should get throttled and forced to run stadium steps.

Take a look at what arguably could be called the ugliest fake punt attempt ever.

It happened Thursday night during the Cal/USC game...and the Bears dropped back to punt, down already 28-2.

The punter, Cole Leininger catches the ball, appears to be marching or stepping or something, gets off balance and throws the ball at the feet of one of his up-backs.

Yeah..

Thanks Barrett Sallee for the Vine Post:



The Bears did make a run later in the game, but lost 38-30....

Morning Wrap: UCLA Shuts Down Arizona

((ht: espn.com))

This season hasn't lived up to expectations for the UCLA Bruins so far. But Saturday night may have provided some redemption.

The Bruins rode a strong defensive performance to a 17-7 win over the 12th ranked Arizona Wildcats late Saturday evening.

The defense held Arizona's high powered offense to only 255 yards and an early touchdown.

Meanwhile UCLA QB Brett Hundley, ran for 131 yards and threw for 189 for the 22nd ranked Bruins who moved to 7-2, 4-2 in the Pac 12.

The win also threw the Pac 12 wide open, with everyone but Oregon having 2 losses in the conference.

Again ESPN gives us the highlights:

ICYMI: Oregon Outscores Cal in Friday Night CFB

((ht: foxsports.com))

This would be the reason why though we like Oregon, we don't think IF they make the College Football playoff, they'll last very long.

On the strength of 5 TD passes by quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Oregon Ducks outscored Cal 59-41 Friday night moving them to 7-1 on the season, 4-1 in the Pac 12.

The game featured 1150 yards of offense and 21 penalties and probably finished long after most of the East Coast was sleeping.

Much like Baylor, who can score with anyone, the Ducks are dangerous as heck. Mariota is arguably the best quarterback in College Football. But he can't play defense, which over the years has been the one thing that's kept Oregon from winning titles.

We'll see if Oregon can run the table. If they do, the Ducks will surely be one of the four playoff teams. But then again, we aren't even in November yet....

Your highlights from FoxSports:

Whoa! UCLA Kicks It Up a Notch Runs Away From Az. State

((ht: foxsports.com))

It was supposed to be a battle of two top 15 ranked teams. And by all expectations, the game was supposed to be a close one.

And for about a quarter or so, the Arizona State vs. UCLA game was close.

Then the Bruins scored 28 points in 7 minutes on the strength of a 95-yard interception return and 100-yard kickoff return by Ishmael Adams and annihilated the Sun Devils 62-27.

Yes, 62-27.

The two teams combined for 1200 yards of offense and believe it or not Arizona State ran 105 plays, quite a few more than the Bruins.

But Adams speed and Brett Hundley's 4-touchdowns and 355 passing yards were more than enough to prove State may have, well, been overmatched.

Your highlights from FOX Sports:

Cupcake Saturday: CFB World Flips Out Over Pat Haden on USC Sidelines

One of the few alleged controversies in Saturday's slate of crappy college football games came from the USC vs. Stanford game, a game eventually won by the Trojans 13-10.

The debate, and it is a loud one, began when Haden came down from his box at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The reason for the alleged controversy: A segment of the sportswriting public have raised the question of Haden's objectivity as a member of "College Football Playoff Committee".

To which we say: You just noticed this now?

Haden told ESPN he came down to the field after receiving a text from someone on his compliance staff stating the Trojans coach Steve Sarkasian wanted to speak to him.

Why Sarkasian had to talk to Haden late in a close game is a bit of a mystery, but that's the story.

Cameras showed Haden come down and start appear to start questioning the referees about a unsportsmanlike conduct call against the coach.

Which again begs the question, why would Sarkasian need his Athletic Director to defend his honor?

Anyway, the holier than thou voices of concern are now popping up through sportswriters who say Haden can't be neutral when in his committee role. The Playoff Committee is comprised of 13 people who will be the final voice in deciding which 4-teams make this years College Football playoff.



Haden's on-field involvement wasn't illegal. Though technically the text message is. However, per the NCAA, there's no real penalty that can be levied. Haden's appearance was just plain weird.

But the whole implication about objectivity is laughable. Very laughable. Yeah, sure the "Playoff Committee" members who have a vested interested in a potential playoff team have to recuse themselves. But anyone who believes there aren't biases brought into that room is completely ignorant.

While the whole "Committee" system isn't perfect, it's a heck of a lot better than the alleged "Computers" that decided things previously. And it's 1,000 times more effective than the idiotic sportswriters voting ever was.

We offer this final word on Haden's goofiness. Deal with it. Stop whining Sportswriters, this is the system and world we now live in. It's far from perfect, it will NEVER be perfect. But claiming an Athletic Director would be totally biased against everyone but his team because he came down to argue with refs at a game....is just plain idiotic...

Haden explains himself to ESPN:

Ducks Lay an Egg: Arizona Stomps Oregon 42-16

Well, if you really wanted to still be taken seriously University of Oregon, this probably was not a good way to go about it.

The Ducks squared off with a feisty Arizona Wildcat squad Saturday afternoon, and Arizona sent them quacking with a 42-16 win. And while Oregon could arguably state they were blinded by the Arizona uniforms, that argument would be a wash considering some of the jersey's they sport their own selves.

Arizona kept the ball for 35 minutes and ran for 304 yards in their dismantling of a seemingly uninterested Oregon squad. Ka'deem Carey got 48 carries, ran for 206 yards and 4 Touchdown's to lead the Wildcats to the biggest win in the Rich Rodriguez era.

The win moves them to 7-4, 4-4 in the Pac 12, as for Oregon, they may have gagged away a potential Rose Bowl berth while dropping to 9-2, 6-2 in the Pac 12.

ESPN provides the highlights:

Coach O, Fight On! USC Knocks Off Stanford

((HT: ESPN on ABC/USC Athletics))

The debate may really pick up now...

Has Ed Orgeron earned the removal of the word "interim" off his coaching position at Southern Cal...???

This might be the proof...


FOSG Lindsey Thiry was in the locker room and collected these quotes from the roster via her Twitter:

We want to run through a brick wall for Coach Orgeron. -Hayes Pullard

I speak for the whole team and we absolutely love Coach O. -Cody Kessler

Clay Travis thinks the top two for the job should be Kevin Sumlin and James Franklin...

The HQ isn't all that hot about either and, in talking to those who are buying tickets these days, they like Orgeron...

Should be an interesting tug of war...

Interesting sidebar via Lisa Horne and her Twitter:

Per KABC, two people had cardiac arrests on the USC field and 1 person suffered a broken leg

Coach O is causing hearts to go a-flutter...

ICYMI: 4TD's for UCLA LB Myles Jack as Bruins Beat Washington

So, how many times can you actually use a headline that includes a football Linebacker scoring 4 touchdown's?

We get to use one here, because late Friday night, it actually happened.

UCLA Linebacker/Running back Myles Jack ran for 4 touchdown's to lead the Bruins to a 41-31 win over Washington.

The 225 lb Freshman only ran for 60 yards and didn't lead the team in rushing. But he's changed the entire dynamic for the Pac-12 contending Bruins.

Yes, Jack started the season as a linebacker and is still getting some work there, he had 5 tackles Friday night. But in just two weeks, he's run for 179 yards and 5 TD's in just two games.

UCLA moves to 8-2, 5-2 in the Pac 12 on the season. Washington dropped to 6-4, 3-4 in the Pac 12.

Your highlights from ESPN:

DeAnthony Thomas Was Half Right...

((HT: KVAL-TV))

The Oregon running back said that his team would put up 40 on Stanford...

Hate to say it (actually, the HQ doesn't), but Oregon needed the other half as their national title hopes went up in smoke (for now, it is November...) and lost to Stanford 26-20...

Offensively, Stanford stayed with the run and kept Oregon's defense on the field...
Defensively, Stanford pressured Marcus Mariota and kept the running game to only 20-percent of its weekly efficiency...

So much for that idea...

Here's Collin Harmon...


For the second straight year, Stanford knocked them off and blew up Marcus Mariota's post-season trophy hopes...

For now, it is November...

SEC Fans Apoplectic After Oregon Students Sell "We Want Bama" T-Shirts

Ctsy: Daily Emerald/Micheal Arellano

((ht: dailyemerald.com))

Really?

A pair of University of Oregon students have printed and are selling green t-shirts on campus with the phrase "We Want Bama" on them.

And the $10 t-shirts are going like hot cakes on the Eugene campus.

The two students decided to do it to draw attention that the current #2 ranked Ducks football team may be running headlong into a BCS title match with SEC Power and current #1, The University of Alabama.

Harmless fun, right?

Well, maybe....unless you are a crazy-ass Alabama and/or SEC Fan.

Already USA Today has a story titled "Oregon Football should hope and pray Alabama doesn't see this T-Shirt".

Read the USA Today story RIGHT HERE

We say "Good for Oregon". Why not? If SEC or Alabama fans are "Angry" about this, well, they need to lighten the heck up....

Can Oregon beat the Crimson Tide? Who knows? They may not even play.

Will they get the chance? Maybe. Alabama has a pretty easy path to the SEC Championship game, with only LSU at home standing in their way. They could, in theory lose that or the the SEC Title game to a Georgia or South Carolina team.

As for the Ducks, if they can survive games with Stanford and UCLA, yeah, sure, they are pretty much a shoo-in for a title game.

It's week #7 folks, there's a lot of football to be played. Yeah, sure, at this time Alabama and Oregon would seem to be on a collision course, but we'd argue at least one of them may not be one of the two best teams in College Football...so stop getting worked up over a t-shirt!!!!!

Reports: Condoleezza Rice Among Many on New CFB Playoff Committee

Interesting.

Leave it to the group formally known as the BCS to find a way to make everyone raise an eyebrow about the way a college football champ is selected.

Multiple reports say former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will join West Virginia AD Oliver Luck, Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez, USC AD Pat Haden, Clemson AD Dan Radakovich and others as the "All-Knowing" group who will decide who gets in the new College Football "Playoff" system.

That system will replace the current BCS which goes away after the 2014 season.

It appears the representatives will primarily come from the (Surprise) power conferences: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12, and SEC along with a former NCAA vice president and a former Lt. General from the Air Force.

No really.

On one hand, it's good, no longer will the title be in the hands of a series of secret computer polls. Humans will decide.

But, with the "Power Conferences" being pretty much the only representatives, what does it say for the Mountain West and other FBS conferences like the Sun Belt, Conference USA, the AAC and a handful more, who....weren't invited.

Just wondering....

And yes, we know the answer.

College Football Power Schools Bail Out on EA Sports CFB Game

((ht: collegefootballtalk.com))

Hmmm....

Coincidence? Or not?

It appears the Big 10, Pac 12 and SEC have all told EA Sports "Thanks, but no thanks" when it comes to having their teams represented in EA Sports game: NCAA Football.

The move comes on the heels of the NCAA distancing themselves too.

The SEC was first to announce this, saying: “Neither the SEC, its member universities, nor the NCAA have ever licensed the right to use the name or likeness of any student to EA Sports.”

The other conferences followed suit shortly thereafter.

We find this utterly fascinating in light of the Ed O'Bannon class action suit against the NCAA for royalty payments for just such an arrangement.

We should also remind you of the NCAA bailing out of the college player jersey selling business just last week after being ridiculed on the Internet. The reason for that is very much the same as in this instance.

You can read last weeks story for background RIGHT HERE

If we were in Las Vegas and betting on the motivation for such a decision by the "Big Name" schools, we'd justify it like this:

(1) The NCAA and power conferences are petrified they are going to lose the O'Bannon suit and will be liable for a small fortune. Because of that fear, they are distancing themselves from as many things bearing the likeness of College Athletes they possibly can.

(2) All the above conferences are going to be part of the "Mega-Division" we fully expect to be announced at the NCAA meetings in January. If this happens and the NCAA wins the O'Bannon case, rest assured they will cut a large--no, an extra large deal with EA Sports to license their teams and players. But only the "Power Schools".

So there's your food for thought. Nothing snarky here, just the reality of the situation. We fully believe the NCAA and the Power Schools (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC) are positioning themselves for the inevitable shift. They will go on their own, make a gazillion dollars in TV money from ESPN and from merchandising on their own.

Folks, if you thought "Galactic Realignment" over the past two years was crazy, well, hold on to your shorts, when this College Football season ends, that's going to look like a blip on the radar....

Emmert: NCAA Change is a Coming

((ht: indystar.com))

The constant drumbeat is slowly reaching a crescendo. It appears last years Galactic Realignment is only the 1st step in what appears to be a monumental change in the way College Sports...or at least the major ones, are conducted.

And that audible sigh you heard came from the "Big 5" Conference commissioners who are leading the charge.

In an interview with the Indianapolis Star, NCAA president Mark Emmert went on the record, telling the paper, along with others to "Save the Date" of Jan 16 and 17 for a significant announcement on the future.

And it's already being speculated that future will split off the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC and maybe one or two others will break off from Division 1, and give them their own sandbox to play in.

And we couldn't agree with that idea more.

Read the IndyStar interview RIGHT HERE

We (The OSG) along with many others have gone on record with proposals and reasons as to why this should/has to happen.

This is what we think (for what its worth) should happen.

1st Check our story in March broaching this very subject RIGHT HERE

Allow me to re-state the key points:

Division 1 Football has to change. Yes, SI.com and the other big sports sites continue to talk about the conferences complaining about the NCAA enforcement and rules creating the problem. The so-called "Big 5" want to compensate their football and possibly basketball athletes. And most of them can afford it.

But the Sun-Belt and MAC teams of the world can't.

And really, let's not kid ourselves, it's about money. Think about the amount of money ESPN/FOX and/or others will pay for the rights to do "Big 5" games. You'll never see any other school on anything other than regional networks.

And that unfortunately is the truth of the matter. Most of the smaller Division 1 schools can't compete with the Alabama's and Ohio State's of the world. They never will.

Imagine for a minute you attend Miami (Ohio) or Georgia Southern or Idaho. Yes, congratulations, you are a Division 1 team. But you will NEVER get to play for the national championship. And don't give me this whole March Madness, on any given day thing. Basketball is different.

In football, nobody from the Sun-Belt, MAC, Conference USA, WAC or any other small division 1 conference will EVER win an NCAA title under the current system.

EVER!

So yeah, as much as we loathe the alleged "Non-Profit" University's of the world, they are making a killing and trying to pay bills they can't pay right now by squeezing TV money to pay for the new mega-practice facilities. No school outside the Big 5 can afford to compete with them on that front. And they'll never get a TV contract big enough to do it.

No, we'd rather see the Sun-Belt champ have a shot at a bigger title. Getting away from the SEC's of the world will be the only way that happens. So what if it's played on the CBSSports Network instead of CBS or on ESPN 2 instead of ESPN. It doesn't matter. At least it will be competitive.

Irony: Pac 12 Upset at D-1 Inclusion of For Profit School

((ht: cbssports.com))

Does anyone else find this kind of funny? Or at the very least, a pot and kettle situation?

It appears the Pac-12 Conference is less that amused at the NCAA allowing Grand Canyon University Antelopes
to move from Division II to D-1

The 8,500 or so students who attend or take classes at the Arizona based Christian school are in line for a move to the Western Athletic Conference, which was decimated by realignment.

Read more from CBSSports.com RIGHT HERE

The reason we've labeled this ironic is simple. The Pac-12 and other "Big-Time Schools" all claim to be--"Not for Profit". Yet, they've thrown away traditional alignments, budget consciousness and everything else in the pursuit of TV money.

So much so that many long-time schools like Maryland and Rutgers who've jumped to the Big 10 primarily to pay off the debt they acquired building monsterous practice facilities and firing coaches they owe small fortunes to after a season or two.

Yes, Grand Canyon exists to make money. But you could argue so does every school in the PAC-12.

Sure, the Pac-12/Division 1 schools don't have to pay taxes on their profit. (They could eliminate half the national debt if they did), but many of them make profits. Yes, they umbrella it under the "Athletic Associations", but think about it. Many get up to $20 million a year from ESPN before they ever play a game.

Who wouldn't call that profit?

ICYMI: Basketball Fight--Stanford vs. Cal

Uh...the fact that players from Stanford and California got into a brawl during their basketball game Wednesday night may or may not surprise some.

The fact that some assistant coaches got involved too, makes it worse.

Multiple players, 1 Cal assistant coach and 2 Stanford assistants were tossed after the brawl and the Cardinal ended up winning the game 83-70.

Both schools have a history of hate and if you'll remember, their football teams were a part of the last-second "Band on the Field" game back in the 1980's.

No word from the PAC-12 as of this writing on suspension, but you can bet Cal assistant Greg Gottlieb and Stanford coaches Mark Madsen and Charles Payne are gonna be in trouble. (Ejected).

Here's the only current video that exists, shot off a TV (at least until pulled)--

USC fires head coach Kevin O'Neill

Kevin O'Neill (photo courtesy USC)

LOS ANGELES - Even defeating Utah couldn't save Kevin O'Neill's basketball coaching job.

University of Southern California athletic director Pat Haden apparently had had enough, firing O'Neill after going 1-14 on the road - the one victory came on a 76-59 victory at Utah on Saturday. O'Neill started this season 7-10, and assistant coach Bob Cantu will serve as head coach in the interim.

O'Neill had a 48-65 overall record in four years at USC, and went 6-26 during the 2012 campaign. USC has lost 9 of its last 13 games, including a losing streak of 5 games during that stretch.

Haden said the following in a release posted on USC's website:

"I would like to thank Kevin O'Neill for his four years of service to USC. He took over a program under difficult circumstances because of our NCAA issues and, despite that, he was able to do some good things. It was hard for me to evaluate him as a head coach until this year when he had enough players and veterans to compete.  As the season progressed, it became evident to me that we needed new leadership in our men's basketball program.  Despite a nice road win in our last game, I felt it was best to make a change now, with most of the Pac-12 season still ahead of us, in order to re-energize our team. I feel confident that Bob Cantu will capably guide our team on an interim basis while we search for a new coach."

The university reached out to O'Neill for a statement, and he said the following:

"I enjoyed my four years at USC.  It is a special place.  I enjoyed the people I worked with, the players I coached and our fans.  I thank USC for allowing me to guide their program.  I couldn't be more proud to work anywhere. I would encourage all of our recruits to honor their commitment to USC and help build the Trojan program in the right direction."

USC is coming off of several NCAA sanctions, going back to O.J. Mayo and Mike Garrett, and the Trojans are working hard to improve their image. Haden thinks Cantu will do just that.

We'll see. It's still Pac-12 basketball.

ICYMI: Washington brings Stanford back to earth

So much for Stanford being a Top 10 team.

The Cardinal/Tree moved up to #8 after beating Sports Writer favorites USC two weeks ago. That may prove to be the highlight of their season.

The Washington Huskies took care of Stanford late Thursday night in Seattle, scoring with just under 5 minutes left and holding on for a 17-13 win.

The celebrating commenced as the Huskies claimed their 1st win over a top 10 team in 3-years.

The game wasn't pretty, it was dominated by defense. But when the pressure was on, it was Keith Price and the Huskies who stepped up and yes, the storming of the field by the fans commenced...

The win put the 1-0 in the PAC-12 and 3-1 overall, Stanford goes to 1-1 in the conference and 3-1 overall.

Since video highlights don't exist as of right now, KING-TV gives us Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian:

The cost of Galactic Realignment: Colorado athletics gets loan to cover debt

((ht: dailycamera.com))

Still want to make the argument that conference realignment is for the "Betterment" of the school and the game?

Well then you might want to sit back and read a little about this story.

The University of Colorado Athletic Department reportedly has had to take a $10 million "Bridge" loan from the school and the state university system to help cover a budget shortfall created by the Buffalo's move from the Big 12 to the Pac 12.

Yes, that's right, it's now on the students and taxpayers of Colorado to back and possibly pay for the move.

Oh...the school gave the athletic department $3 million more...that it doesn't have to pay back to help cover the cost of the move. The excuse "The move benefited the entire school".

Now...we will say, for those of you who read this far, the school is likely to recoup its $10 million once the Athletic Department starts getting their cut of the Pac 12's very, very lucrative TV deal.

Read the entire Daily Camera story RIGHT HERE

So you are probably saying "What's the big deal?" The "Big Deal" is that in this time of rising tuitions and supposedly escalating cost of going to and operating colleges, its somewhat surprising they could...at the drop of a hat, hand over $10 million.

It also is a big deal because AGAIN, this is all about the chase for ESPN's money. Sure, we get that its no longer a pure "Student-Athlete" game, despite what the school presidents say. It's big business. And school's have to do what they have to do to make money. We get that, its they way our system works.

We just feel badly for the next generation of kids who want to go to college and are being priced out of the system. And no, going to college does not make you "A Snob" like some dumb-ass politicians try to claim. It should be an opportunity open to anyone who can qualify instead of just those few that can afford it.

Really...wait, stop, nobody should be able to go to college except athletes, right Rick?



Geez...we got all political again...sorry.