ICYMI: Pitt to leave early for ACC just like Syracuse

Okay, this makes a little more sense.

The University of Pittsburgh will join Syracuse in paying the Big East $7.5 million so they can move to the ACC beginning July 1st of 2013.

That would be a year earlier than originally announced and $12.5 million less than the fools at West Virginia paid to leave the Big East this year for the Big 12.

Pitt used that as their argument for an early departure and it did get the Big East to sit down and discuss options.

The announcement comes just two days after Syracuse announced they'd be leaving as well.

Oh...and in case you are interested, the Big East also announced Out of the Kindness in their Hearts, they are dropping their $5 million suit against TCU for leaving before the started in the conference.

TCU had a change of heart and committed to the Big 12 instead.

Sounds vaguely like an episode of that Bachelor show, doesn't it?

((Note--Just picked a random clip of the show here...wife watches this...me not so much--and no jokes please))

Jim Delany wants to fire your football coach

Jim Delany/Nice Haircut

((ht: chronicle.com))

More and more after reading about Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delany, we've come to the belief he wants to be the King of or the Ayatollah or Premier or some big name title of all things college football.

He's not getting any of those titles...and after Mike Slive out maneuvered Delany on the College Football playoff, he's not even the most powerful guy in the game...as much as he'd like to be.

That being said, he is apparently trying to extend his reign of terror in the Big 10.

According to a report released today in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Mr. Delany wants to gain the power to file football coaches.

Mind you, the report says, it would be part of a proposal to give Delany and a committee of the league's presidents that would provided the ability to penalize individuals at a school if their actions hurt the leagues reputation.

Supposedly, this is a spin off the Penn State fiasco, but we don't totally buy that. Because while we get the idea the conference has no way to handle or deal with what happened in Happy Valley, this isn't the way to approach it.

Just read through the story from the Chronicle RIGHT HERE

Honestly, we do get what the 10 is wanting to do, we just think this isn't EXACTLY the way to do it. Seriously, if Delany gets this power, what's to say he doesn't decide that Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill should be fired because the Gophers have been awful and are hurting the league's reputation?

Really.

This opens that part of "Pandora's Box". Of course we know full well Delany and his cronies will say, "No we'd never do that". And maybe they won't. But this would give them that option.

Yeah, we get the argument the Conference needs to protect themselves and their schools from Rogue problem causers or in the case of Penn State, a "Holier than thou" administration. But this isn't the way to do it.

But then again, it is Jim Delany. And when you are Jim Delany, you have to keep trying to convince yourself that it's "Good to be King".

Ess-E-Cee Media Day Two: Another Five Schools Parade

((HT: WVTM-TV Birmingham))

Another five coaches decided to parade themselves in front of the more-than-1,100 media folks in suburban Birmingham...

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik was found wearing an orange-striped, pinstriped suit in front of all the lights there...

The HQ will give Chiz props for thanking everyone for doing their part on the incident in Auburn on June 9th. Here's some of his highlights...


Joker Phillips stood in front of the throng trying to make a poiont about drafting his future successes for the football team by using the obvious example- the UK basketball team...

MJ Perino has Joker's wild...
((HT: WLEX-TV Lexington))
LSU head coach Les Miles got to trot out new starting QB Zach Mettenberger- who the HQ knows all the way from his days at Oconee County High School. Miles had his pound of fun with the media, but he did not eat any grass or air clap in his suit... ((HT: WBRZ-TV Baton Rouge)) John L. Smith took the podium and wanted to reinforce his idea of taking an opportunity from Utah State to wander back and take over for Robert Petrino, Esq. He wants us all to know that he wants his players to make sure their piss is hot going into this season... ((HT: KTHV-TV/TodaysTHV.com Little Rock)) And, fifth and not necessarily last was Dan Mullen- the head coach at Mississippi State. He wants to make sure that his defense is the same- if not better and his offense behaves better than it did last year. ((HT: WJTV/Jackson, MS))

It sure doesn't look like Kevin Sumlin

Ooops

((ht: @markschlabach))

Quick hitter here.

Take a look at this photo currently making the rounds on Twitter.

It's from an unnamed newspaper in the state of Texas. And...according to the caption, is supposed to be a photo of Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin at today's SEC Media Days.

Only it's not.

For the record, it's Ivan Maisel of ESPN who bears absolutely no resemblence to Sumlin.

And in deference to the Newspaper Editor who approved the photo, it apparently came from the Associated Press...who definitely knows better.

**UPDATE**--Apparently the photo was cropped. Sumlin is actually out of the frame, screen left. Somebody got a little carried away with the ol' photoshop software it appears.

Is It A Team If You Release All But Two...???

((HT: Deadspin/KELO-TV))

The Sioux Falls Storm won their 17th game in a row to claim the Indoor Football League title with a 59-32 win over the Tri-Cities Fever over the weekend...

So, what...??? You ask...

Well, no one from the IFL league office showed up to hand over the trophy to a team that may have been too good...

Here's the explanation to that last sentence...


So, the owner blows up his whole team after winning his 6th title since 2005...

And, he may actually be right since most minor leagues are seat-of-the-pants operations in the first place. If you find the right approach and win, not a lot of people like you all that much...

Or, the league and all the franchises could be on life support and the whole thing could be on the verge of going away- this was just the first move...

More when we know more...

Welcome To "Big Boy" Football Texas A&M And Missouri

If you are of the school of thought that the Missouri Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies will finally play “big boy” football as new members of the SEC head coach Gary Pinkel has a difference of opinion.

“We played in a pretty good football league ourselves.” Pinkel said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “I’ve got a place down in Florida.  People act like we’ve been playing a bunch of high school teams.”

That pretty good football league would be the Big 12 Conference and he sees the conference in a different light.

“I think anyplace you play, any league you play in college football I think your best teams are going to be if you’re good up front on offense and defensive line.” Pinkel said.

That is very true and the reason why the SEC has won six BCS national championships in a row is their linemen are bigger and faster.  The combination of size and speed has overwhelmed non-SEC opponents who don’t see that on a regular basis.

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin recognized that from the start.

“I think the combination of size and speed, particularly in the west, but in the SEC is the difference maker.”

And Texas A&M just happens to be playing in the SEC West.

Linebackers in the SEC have the speed and athletic ability to cover wide receivers not often seen in other conferences. Even cornerbacks are 250 pounds in the SEC for which Mizzou Wide Receiver T.J. Moe responded, “That’s what I hear — they also have prettier girls, the air is fresher and the toilet paper is thicker,”

Great one-liner and good for laughs.

The level of defense in the SEC is second to only the NFL.  That is going to be a huge adjustment for the Big 12 expats.

“In the Big 12, we saw speed, but the SEC has great defenses every single week.” Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel said. “There’s a stacking defense, and the defense will be a little bit different than the Big 12 had.”

While Missouri and Texas A&M are getting flowers and welcoming gifts as new members it all will get serious on September 8^th when the Tigers and Aggies play their first SEC opponent.  That’s when it all becomes real and both programs realize what they have gotten themselves into.

Mizzou hosts Georgia for the Tigers first SEC game.  Pinkel won’t buy into the hype until after the season opener.

“It’s going to be a big game for us.” Pinkel said. “But there’s going to be a lot of big games.”

Like defending BCS Champion Alabama coming to Columbia on October 13^th and then Mizzou’s first SEC road game at South Carolina September 22^nd. 

While the Georgia game is on Mizzou and football fan’s radar screen Pinkel has things in perspective.  They are all big in the SEC.

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin would rather talk about his season opener against Louisiana Tech in Shreveport than the Aggies home and SEC opener against Florida.

“Anybody who has seen them [Louisiana Tech] play a year ago knows that’s a good football team.” Sumlin said.

When pressed Sumlin realizes the Louisiana Tech game will be just a blimp on the radar screen.

“For us as a team or as a head coach to have your home opener at Texas A&M be an SEC game is a big deal, there’s no doubt about it.” Sumlin said.

Mark September 8^th on your calendar as the day the Missouri Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies butt heads in the SEC for the first time.  It even has the Head Ball Coach interested.

“I hope they are playing at a different hour that I can watch both of those live.” South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said.  “I think those will be very interesting to all of us.”

According to the SEC schedule Spurrier can:

Sept. 8 East Carolina at South Carolina  SEC Network          12:21 p.m. ET / 11:21 a.m. CT

Sept. 8 Florida at Texas A&M            ESPN                             3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT

Sept. 8  Georgia at Missouri               ESPN2                           7:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. CT

Ess-E-Cee Media Day One: Spurrier Goes Funny...Everyone Else Survives...

((HT: WLTX-TV Columbia))

The OBC was in rare form on Day One of Ess-E-Cee Media Days in Birmingham-slash-Hoover...

"If I made the schedule, Georgia would be playing LSU and we'd be playing Ole Miss," Spurrier said.

Spurrier later apologized to Ole Miss...

Here's Spurrier at the Wynfrey Hotel's version of the Chuckle Hut...
Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel stood there at the same podium and said there's a perception that "we play a bunch of high school teams." He says the Tigers know they have to earn respect in the SEC. Pinkel says Missouri fans have gone beyond excitement over playing in the SEC and "have become fanatical about it." Good luck with that one, coach... Vandy head coach had one thought for prospective recruits: "If you're truly the best and the brightest where else would you go?" Franklin led the Commodores to six wins and their second bowl appearance since 1982 in his first year at the helm... The HQ is thinking 5-7 ourselves, losing to Wake Forest on the last game of the year... Texas A&M has a new coach in Kevin Sumlin and he's ready to play in a damn, tough conference... ((HT: KBTX-TV Bryan/College Station)) But Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe was the quote machine for the day: "It's like a zoo around here. Look at you guys. There's 1,100 media members here, I'm wearing a suit and tie for some reason, and I got escorted to an elevator by security when I got off the bus here. There were 15 people waiting for an autograph, so it's just different. It's way cooler here."
They're just lucky that they may not be around tomorrow...
That's when Alabama speaks and the world rotates off-kilter...