The Magical Zoo
Veteran XV
With fall camp a few weeks away...
SportingNews preseason top 25:
Spoiler
Sporting News unveils 2013 college football preseason top 25 rankings - Gamedayr : Gamedayr
25. Ole Miss Rebels
24. Wisconsin Badgers
23. Oregon State Beavers
22. Miami Hurricanes
21. Nebraska Cornhuskers
20. UCLA Bruins
19. Oklahoma Sooners
18. Florida State Seminoles
17. Baylor Bears
16. LSU Tigers
15. Boise State Broncos
14. Texas Longhorns
13. Michigan Wolverines
12. Georgia Bulldogs
11. Louisville Cardinals
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9. Clemson Tigers
8. Oregon Ducks
7. Texas A&M Aggies
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Florida Gators
3. South Carolina Gamecocks
2. Stanford Cardinal
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Johnny Football kicked out of the Manning QB camp for being hungover/general douchebag lol
Spoiler
Heisman Trophy winner's parents have to find Johnny*Manziel, who went missing at Manning camp: source - NY Daily News
According to a source, Manziel was a problem for Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning from the moment he arrived at the Louisiana passing camp until the second his parents called in sick for him.
Johnny Manziel may have won the Heisman Trophy, but he certainly isn’t going to get Counselor of the Year from the Manning Passing Academy.
According to a source, Manziel was a problem for Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning from the moment he arrived at the Louisiana passing camp until the second his parents called in sick for him.
The source told the Daily News that Manziel’s troubles started way before he went out partying into the early hours on Friday morning.
It began on the first night of camp — which is held at Nicholls (La.) State University in Thibodaux, La., — on Thursday, when Manziel, the source said, was not only a late arrival, but also missed the coaches’ meeting preparing for the next day.
On Wednesday during SEC Media Days, the Texas A&M quarterback said he missed activities at the camp because he "overslept" and said it was a "mutual decision" to leave before the camp ended last weekend.
"The speculation of me being too hung over and that's the reason I missed the meetings is absolutely incorrect," he said as he faced hundreds of reporters.
While admitting he needs to make better decisions because he's now in the spotlight, the 20-year-old QB said the offseason controversies won't carry over into his sophomore season on the field.
"My offseason, all the stuff's that's gone on will have no effect on this season," Manziel said. "I'm ready to stop. No more talk after this. Let's play football."
Early Friday morning, a picture of Manziel with fellow counselor and Alabama QB A.J. McCarron at a local bar was tweeted out.
Manziel would also be late for the early training sessions later that day before arriving and taking part in regular camp activities.
On Saturday morning, Manziel was nowhere to be found. The source said camp officials were soon dispatched to search for him, to no avail.
Camp officials then called Manziel’s parents, who, hours later, would call them back saying their son was too sick to take part.
That was when, the source said, Archie and camp officials decided it would best if Manziel were to just go home.
A statement from the camp said, “Johnny Manziel did participate in some activities in the 2013 Manning Passing Academy as a college counselor/coach. After missing and being late for practice assignments, Johnny explained that he had been feeling ill. Consequently, we agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest for him to go home a day early.”
When reports surfaced Saturday that Manziel had left the camp, rumors started flying that he was too hung over to participate. However, Manziel’s father told The Dallas Morning News that his son was sent home due to dehydration.
Archie Manning declined to comment. However, Peyton Manning defended the Heisman Trophy winner on Sunday.
“I enjoyed meeting Johnny,” Peyton Manning told ESPN.com. “I can remember a 20-year-old Eli (Manning) missing a meeting (at camp)and catching some flak. We always have counselors who leave early. Johnny was great with the campers for the time he was here. He had to leave early. I wish him the best and I want him to come back as a counselor next year.”
The three-day camp invited the top 40 high school quarterbacks in the nation to learn more about the position from the best in the game.
Manziel’s troubles continued on Monday, when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stemming from a 2012 bar fight near the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Recently, he drew fire from A&M fans after tweeting, “can’t wait to leave college station... whenever it may be. Don’t ever forget that I love A&M with all of my heart, but please please walk a day in my shoes.”
ND Quarterback Golson kicked off team for "academic issues," Turnover Tommy to get start
Spoiler
Notre Dame's Everett Golson Suspended, Miss 2013 Season - Business Insider
Sports More: College Sports Notre Dame College Football
Notre Dame's Star Quarterback Gets Kicked Out Of School For A Semester, Will Miss 2013 Season
Tony Manfred May 26, 2013, 7:55 PM 6,740 8
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everett golson notre dame quarterback
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is no longer enrolled at the school because of an academic suspension, USA Today reports.
In a statement today, Golson says that he has been suspended for the fall semester due to "poor academic judgement." He says he will miss the 2013 season, but plans to regain his eligibility in the 2014.
From the statement:
"I take full responsibility for my poor choices and will do all that is asked of me to regain the trust of my family, friends, teammates, coaches and the entire Notre Dame community."
The language here is vague. All we know is that he has been kicked out of school for at least the fall semester, and that some sort of academic violation is the reason.
Golson would have been a redshirt sophomore in the fall. He was vital in Notre Dame's run to the National Championship game last year.
Big-time quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel would have been a nice option, but he surprisingly transferred to Cincinnati this spring.
If Golson can make amends for whatever academic wrong he committed, he will still have a few years of eligibility left. But this really hurts the Irish for 2013. Notre Dame's Vegas National Championship odds went for 30-to-1 before the suspension to as high as 50-to-1.
Here's Golson's full statement:
"I have been informed by the University of Notre Dame that due to my poor academic judgment that I have been suspended from the University for the 2013 Fall Term. I take full responsibility for my poor choices and will do all that is asked of me to regain the trust of my family, friends, teammates, coaches and the entire Notre Dame community."
"My parents and the community I grew up in have instilled values in me that have and will continue to allow me to be successful in the future. There have been many lessons learned as I worked to become the starting quarterback at Notre Dame and each was a result of Coach (Brian) Kelly's belief in me as an athlete and a person.
"At this point, I understand how my integrity could be in question but I want to reassure my supporters that through this experience I will return a better student athlete as well as a better individual.
"Lastly, I want to thank the University of Notre Dame for the opportunity already granted and also the opportunity going forth to regain my eligibility in the winter of 2014."
Ohio State has a stupidly easy schedule
Spoiler
OHIO STATE'S 2013 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: A SAD SHORT STORY COLLECTION - Every Day Should Be Saturday
So at the start, obvious things are obvious: it is not Ohio State's fault for playing their conference schedule. It is not their fault Vanderbilt canceled their 2013 opener with the Buckeyes, and did so by mail because aristocrats don't hurry anything, especially last minute cancellations that nuke your already suspect strength of schedule. It's not Ohio State's fault Cal is in year one of the Sonny Dykes Blues Explosion, and will likely be just learning to walk like real boys when the Buckeyes come to Berkeley in the second week of September.
None of this is their fault. And yet there's that guy on the table, and these hands that think a hammer is for surgeonin'. Here is every week of the Ohio State 2013 football schedule--their terrible, terrible football schedule--as a terrible sad short story.
BUFFALO BULLS. Up 31-14 in the third quarter, Urban Meyer paced the sideline. He was nervous. Tarvaris Jackson dropped back, rolled right, and directly into an oncoming blitzer. The schedule just said Buffalo; it never said which Buffalo, or had anything about what Doug Marrone would look like learning the true meaning of sorrow on the other sideline. Death comes one sack at a time, thought Meyer. And I shall be its mailman.
[buffalo loses]
[team dumps tub of cold chili on him anyway]
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS. The video game exec paused.
"Okay, here's the pitch. A first person shooter about a cabbie named Braxton, an Algerian immigrant with a shady past who must parkour over a gang of tiny cannibals who lost to BYU 23-6 last year. Can you get him to the docks in time to rescue his girlfriend?"
"Is this game challenging?" An engineer scowled.
"No."
"Is it multiplayer?" The engineer was skeptical.
"No, it's pretty much just this guy Braxton running around doing whatever he wants without getting hurt. His powers are like, way, way too strong for this game. He can almost fly. Okay, he can fly. This guy can fucking fly, and shoot missiles from his ass, and it's just Adderall Rambo the whole time."
"Is it fun?" The engineer scowled again.
"For thirty minutes, tops."
"How much does it cost?" The engineer scowled with an unreal depth of scowliness.
"This game will cost you something like $1,000,000 minimum."
The engineer smiled. "WE'LL TAKE IT."
CAL GOLDEN BEARS. Sonny Dykes remembered it: the pillaging, the burning, his people running through the village with fear in their eyes. They were stripped of all humanity, mere animals on the hoof in flight. He survived...barely. One day he would get revenge, and let them feel the steely blade he pulled himself from the body of his father. He would burn their village, somewhere over the hills in the land of Ohio. But he'd start small. Probably with that little helpless village called Colorado, first. The hamlet that built its huts out of old christmas trees and full gas cans. Baby steps to barbarianhood, Sonny. Baby steps.
FLORIDA A&M RATTLERS. FLORIDA A&M: Nick Cannon slammed the limo door. "You said this was supposed to be some pregame hype bullshit. You said this team fuckin' loved Drumline." He tore off his Ohio Stadium visitor's ID. "So tell me why I just sat through FIFTEEN DAMN MINUTES of Urban Meyer explaining why I'm not good enough for Mariah?"
WISCONSIN BADGERS. "You see that man? Sometimes all a man wants is a clean, well-lighted place to have a drink."
"That place is not Wisconsin. It will never be Wisconsin."
"I know. That's why Bret Bielema left Madison. Hemingway would have been so much happier if he'd only known about 'sky's out, thighs out.'"
"Who's having this conversation?"
"Literature and a 24-10 Ohio State win you won't remember watching when the season ends, kid. Now forget this game ever happened. After all, you'll say to yourself, it's probably only Big Ten Football. Many must have it."
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS. The police interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of ticket holders, but not a single one could recall anything about the game. What they did remember was far more chilling: a three hour Greco-Roman wrestling match between Pat Fitzgerald and Luke Fickell that ended in a tie and both men shouting "BROS FOREVER."
OPEN DATE. [Urban Meyer bonds with captive Pakistani scientists in a cave outside West Liberty, Ohio as they construct a new arc reactor replacement heart for Meyer, and realize the futile but necessary nature of violence]
IOWA HAWKEYES. [BANNED FOR HORROR ELEMENTS]
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS: At some point, the Buckeye defenders just sort of stopped trying. Their presence was unnecessary anyways, because Bill O'Brien was demonstrating a mathematical wonder - if you kept throwing for half as many yards on one attempt as you had on the previous one, you'd finish with an infinite passing game, capable of passing backward and forward in the same reality.
"We just couldn't get them off the field on Quarkth down," Meyer would say later after the game.
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS. He lay bound and gagged in a dark trunk. He could hear cheering--a train whistle, like that of the one in his worst nightmares. He did not remember how he got there, or even who had hogtied him and stuffed him into his silk-lined prison. He knew why he was there, though, and who might have taken him. He'd taught Darrell Hazell well. Do anything to win a football game--- even if it means putting Jim Tressel in the building by any means necessary to enact the Tressel-Purdue Curse Protocol.
Tressel used his metal teeth and began chewing through the wall of the trunk. It was his--and Ohio State's--only hope.
OPEN DATE. [probably bitching to media about other people's schedules sucking, too] [in verse form]
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI. In the second quarter, the side judge paused. Illinois was already down twenty, and after playing the entire game so far with thirteen men on the field, Tim Beckman was sending out a fourteenth. "Let them dream," the side judge whispered, tucking his flag back into his pocket. "Let the little ones dream."
INDIANA HOOSIERS. Kevin Wilson had never faked his death before. He handed the man his driver's license, and the man laughed. "Oh no, sir, there's no need for that. The money is for the secret I'm about to tell you."
Wilson gulped. "Okay."
"You're the football coach at Indiana. You fake your death every day."
Wilson staggered backwards. He suddenly craved mayonnaise--a deep, satisfying drink of Hoosier state mayonnaise.
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES. The wolves circled him. He placed torches in a circle, and strapped the pizzas to his knuckles. They were his last pizzas. He would have to make them count. Brady Hoke then ate the pizzas off his knuckles, which didn't matter because pizzas don't do shit in a fight, anyway, and also because they were delicious.
Then he threw the wolves the carcass of Al Borges as a sacrifice, and ran away to live another day.
New coaches around the country:
Spoiler
2012-2013 college football coaching carousel grades, from Bret Bielema to big risk - SBNation.com
Arkansas
Former Coach: John L. Smith
New Coach: Bret Bielema
Most Recent Job: Wisconsin head coach
Colorado
Former Coach: Jon Embree
New Coach: Mike MacIntyre
Most Recent Job: San Jose State head coach
Wisconsin
Former Coach: Bret Bielema
New Coach: Gary Andersen
Most Recent Job: Utah State head coach
Auburn
Former Coach: Gene Chizik
New Coach: Gus Malzahn
Most Recent Job: Arkansas State head coach
Northern Illinois
Former Coach: Dave Doeren
New Coach: Rod Carey
Most Recent Job: Northern Illinois offensive coordinator
Texas Tech
Former Coach: Tommy Tuberville
New Coach: Kliff Kingsbury
Most Recent Job: Texas A&M offensive coordinator
Southern Miss
Former Coach: Ellis Johnson
New Coach: Todd Monken
Most Recent Job: Oklahoma State offensive coordinator
Western Kentucky
Former Coach: Willie Taggart
New Coach: Bobby Petrino
Most Recent Job: Arkansas head coach
Arkansas State
Former Coach: Gus Malzahn
New Coach: Bryan Harsin
Most Recent Job: Texas offensive coordinator
Cincinnati
Former Coach: Butch Jones
New Coach: Tommy Tuberville
Most Recent Job: Texas Tech head coach
Kent State
Former Coach: Darrell Hazell
New Coach: Paul Haynes
Most Recent Job: Arkansas defensive coordinator
Former Coach: Tom O'Brien
New Coach: Dave Doeren
Most Recent Job: Northern Illinois head coach
Purdue
Former Coach: Danny Hope
New Coach: Darrell Hazell
Most Recent Job: Kent State head coach
South Florida
Former Coach: Skip Holtz
New Coach: Willie Taggart
Most Recent Job: Western Kentucky head coach
Temple
Former Coach: Steve Addazio
New Coach: Matt Rhule
Most Recent Job: N.Y. Giants assistant offensive line coach
Utah State
Former Coach: Gary Andersen
New Coach: Matt Wells
Most Recent Job: Utah State offensive coordinator
California
Former Coach: Jeff Tedford
New Coach: Sonny Dykes
Most Recent Job: Louisiana Tech head coach
Idaho
Former Coach: Robb Akey
New Coach: Paul Petrino
Most Recent Job: Arkansas offensive coordinator
Kentucky
Former Coach: Joker Phillips
New Coach: Mark Stoops
Most Recent Job: Florida State defensive coordinator
San Jose State
Former Coach: Mike McIntyre
New Coach: Ron Caragher
Most Recent Job: San Diego head coach
Tennessee
Former Coach: Derek Dooley
New Coach: Butch Jones
Most Recent Job: Cincinnati head coach
UTEP
Former Coach: Mike Price
New Coach: Sean Kugler
Most Recent Job: Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach
Boston College
Former Coach: Frank Spaziani
New Coach: Steve Addazio
Most Recent Job: Temple head coach
Western Michigan
Former Coach: Bill Cubit
New Coach: P.J. Fleck
Most Recent Job: Tampa Bay Buccaneers receivers coach
Louisiana Tech
Former Coach: Sonny Dykes
New Coach: Skip Holtz
Most Recent Job: South Florida head coach
15 Reasons to look forward to the 2013 CFB season:
Spoiler
15 reasons to look forward to the 2013 college football season
Here are 15 reasons why I'm looking forward to the 2013 season:
Can James Franklin lead Vanderbilt to a third straight bowl game?
If James Franklin leads Vanderbilt to a third straight bowl game, he'll be the top candidate to land a number of jobs. The Commodores were 1 of 18 staffs in the country to remain completely intact this off-season. As captured on film (one the best off-season videos), Franklin refuses to allow complacency to sink in and has warned the 2013 squad, "THIS TEAM has not been to any (bowl games)." College football fans have thoroughly enjoyed watching Franklin build the Vanderbilt program. And when the college football season begins on Thursday night ESPN primetime, the entire nation will see the Commodores versus Ole Miss.
Can Nick Saban do it again?
Will Nick Saban lead Alabama to a third straight national championship? The Crimson Tide is loaded with talent including senior quarterback AJ McCarron. Virginia Tech gets the first opportunity. Texas A&M will host Alabama in College Station. Will you consider Saban the best college football coach in history in he wins his fourth national championship in five years?
How will the season unfold with Lane Kiffin at USC?
Lane Kiffin has yet to decide whether he will call the plays or defer to offensive coordinator Clay Helton. It's hard to see Kiffin relinquishing the duty. Regardless, the media seems ready to pounce on Kiffin at first chance. Running backs coach Tommie Robinson says the Trojans have the ingredients to bake a good cake. Still, the starting quarterback will be determined in August and the defense must improve under new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. Key games include every game.
Can Jim Mora Jr. and UCLA steal the spotlight again from cross-town rival USC?
UCLA surprised college football fans by winning nine games in 2012. Jim Mora Jr. says the Bruins have totally bought in. None of the players believe that nine wins was a great accomplishment. With Noel Mazzone, Lou Spanos, and Jeff Ulbrich returning as the coordinators, are the Bruins going to steal the spotlight from cross-town rival USC, once again?
How much will Cam Cameron impact the production on offense at LSU?
How much will Cam Cameron impact the LSU offense? If quarterback Zach Mettenberger truly buys in to Cameron's guidance and teaching, LSU should be able to win games in a different fashion than usual. They may have to do so because defensive coordinator John Chavis will be without eight players that were selected in the NFL draft. FYI: The Tigers' offensive staff will be paid $2.26 million in 2013.
What if Clemson beats Georgia in the season-opener?
In the last two years, Dabo Swinney has led the Clemson program to a 21-6 overall record including a significant win over LSU to end last season. Tahj Boyd has steadily improved every year during his career. Now, he is set to enter his third season in Chad Morris' offensive scheme. Swinney hopes Boyd improves his ball security and efficiency. If Boyd plays his best football and the defense continues its improvement under Brent Venables, Clemson fans will be on the edge of their seats. It could be a special year for the Tigers; a year that could be could be decided during the dog days of summer.
There is reason for excitement at Ole Miss. How many wins can Ole Miss achieve in year two under Hugh Freeze?
Hugh Freeze has advised Rebel fans in recent weeks to temper expectations a little bit, but there is reason for excitement in Oxford. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack returns a veteran secondary and pass rush should be the strength of the defense with Channing Ward, CJ Johnson, Robert Nkemdiche, and opportunistic blitzer Denzel Nkemdiche. If quarterback Bo Wallace recovers well from off-season shoulder surgery, the Ole Miss offense should be productive, although Freeze wasn't thrilled about the progress made during spring practice. Admittedly, I'm also looking forward to the new uniform combinations that Freeze selects throughout the season.
Can Urban Meyer lead the Buckeyes' to the national championship game?
It has already been fun to watch Urban Meyer bring together the 2013 Buckeyes. One of the keys to success will be the leadership within the program that Meyer and his staff are working vigorously to develop. Meyer has always experience great success in his second season taking over a program. Who is going to beat the Buckeyes?
Can Sark get over the 7-6 hump?
The Huskies have finished 7-6 for three straight years. Can Steve Sarkisian get over the hump? It's the second year in Justin Wilcox's defensive system. At the least, it's going to be cool to see the renovated Husky Stadium.
Are you doubting Will Muschamp?
Remember last off-season? People were actually questioning if Will Muschamp was the right guy to lead the Florida program. It was a flat-out joke. Now, coming off an 11-2 season, the Gators enter their second season in Brent Pease's offensive system. DJ Durkin takes over for Dan Quinn as the defensive coordinator. Jeff Driskel should make a big leap in efficiency and production. The Gators will be without 5 defensive players that were selected in the NFL Draft, but I think Muschamp and the Gators are capable of having a special year.
Bielema adds a new personality to the SEC.
Arkansas will have a new identity under Bret Bielema, who has entertained Arkansas fans with a bevy of interesting quotes and tweets this off-season. Bielema brings a new personality to the already strong list of charismatic SEC head coaches. He alone will make Arkansas football more interesting than last season's debacle.
Can Al Golden overcome adversity and take the 'Canes to the next level?
Miami (FL) has done an excellent job of marketing the progress of the program through behind-the-scenes videos since the Al Golden era began prior to the 2011 season. In two years, Golden is 13-11 as the 'Canes head coach. Early in the off-season, he publicly laid out exactly how he'll build the 2013 Hurricanes. He also hired Florida State assistant James Coley as a replacement for Jedd Fisch, who left for the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator job. It hasn't been easy for Golden, who has withstood the negativity surrounding possible NCAA sanctions. Some were surprised the Golden stuck around for a third year in Coral Gables. If the defense improves, Miami has enough fire power with Stephen Morris and Duke Johnson on the offensive side of the ball to achieve Al Golden's best season as the Hurricanes' head coach.
Can Jimbo Fisher overcome the loss of 6 coaches and 11 NFL draftees?
Jimbo Fisher was forced to hire six new assistant coaches during the off-season. He also lost eleven players to the NFL Draft including his starting quarterback, EJ Manuel. During spring ball, Fisher tried to downplay the challenge of bringing together six new assistants, one of which is new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. Bret Bielema led Wisconsin to the Rose Bowl with six new assistants last year, but Derek Dooley didn't come close to overcoming the loss of seven assistants. If FSU earns another Top 10 finish, Jimbo will have earned his money.
Stanford football is must see TV.
Stanford is 23-4 under David Shaw. The program is fun to watch because they play a unique style of football. Mark your calendars for Thursday night, November 7th against Oregon.
UNC has slick new uniforms.
Admittedly, I'm looking forward to seeing the new uniform combinations that Larry Fedora chooses on a weekly basis.
Oregon gets hilariously light slap-on-the-wrist despite having coach caught directly paying cash for player(s)
Spoiler
Oregon Ducks' NCAA sanctions: Chip Kelly show-cause, no bowl ban - College Football - Stewart Mandel - SI.com
If Wednesday's NCAA sanctions announcement against Oregon were a scene from a movie, it would be the one where Ferris Bueller turns to the camera after convincing his parents he's too sick to go to school and proudly proclaims: "They bought it!"
Twenty-seven months after Oregon football got busted for cutting a $25,000 check to Will Lyles -- mentor to former Ducks star LaMichael James and five-star 2010 signee Lache Seastrunk, the latter of whom has since transferred to Baylor -- for what turned out to be non-existent recruiting service material, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions rendered its sentence. Calling the sanctions a slap on the wrist might actually be too severe of a description. How will Oregon ever recover from losing one scholarship in each of the next two years? How will the Ducks possibly build a recruiting class if they're only allowed 37 official prospect visits instead of the 41 they averaged the previous four years?
ELLIS: Breaking down the NCAA's penalties against Oregon
The committee did dole out one seemingly substantive punishment, an 18-month show-cause penalty to former Oregon coach Chip Kelly for his failure to monitor the program. A show-cause is the normally dreaded designation that effectively banned recent offenders Jim Tressel and Bruce Pearl from receiving other college jobs. Kelly, however, left Oregon this January to coach the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, where he'll have $32.5 million reasons not to sweat his NCAA exile.
Fans of rival schools, most notably sanction-crippled USC, will surely howl that Oregon just got away with NCAA bylaw robbery. That might be overstating it a tad, but Wednesday's announcement certainly feels like an anticlimactic result following a 27-month investigation. Silly us in the media for considering this case a window into the NCAA's purported crackdown on third-party influencers in recruiting. Instead, the committee's 30-page report reads like a gentle admonishment against the Oregon program for administrative errors.
STAPLES: NCAA gets Oregon sanctions right, but major flaws remain
For that, "The Cleaner" Michael Glazier, the choice attorney for numerous universities (Ohio State, UCF, et. al.) facing the NCAA enforcement process, earned every bit of his billable hours by working this case for Oregon.
The report repeatedly refers to Lyles as a "recruiting service provider," as opposed to a middleman, street agent or any number of other less flattering titles commonly slapped on him during this process. Both the enforcement staff and the committee accept as fact that Lyles was, at least at some point, a legitimate provider of recruiting material who in turn either dropped the ball, crossed the line or both when he started getting paid for anything other than recruiting material.
The following exchange, cited in the report, between a committee member and Kelly during Oregon's April 20 hearing is pretty telling:
Committee member: OK. Then in February [2010], you have [Seastrunk] sign a Letter of Intent with the university, and then you have shortly thereafter a $25,000 invoice to the university that is paid (to the recruiting service provider) as part of the contractual relationship for services that ultimately were never provided. Is that a fair assessment? I am just trying to get to the essence of this.
Former head coach: Yes, I understand. The services weren't totally provided in terms of what we should have got.
With that largely implausible statement, any notion that Oregon paid Lyles to deliver a recruit is rendered moot and the entire case takes on a less serious tone. Apparently, Lyles merely overstepped his bounds as a "recruiting service provider" by chauffeuring Kelly during evaluation visits and making calls and contacts to prospects on Oregon's behalf. Some staff members made impermissible phone calls. A former assistant director of football operations (Josh Gibson) took too active a role in recruiting. The football staff failed to properly educate itself about rules pertaining to recruiting services.
PDF: Read the NCAA's full Oregon infractions report
Kelly, as the head coach when his staff engaged in these impermissible activities, was found guilty of a failure to monitor his program, and was thus handed the show-cause penalty. And with that, new Oregon coach Mark Helfrich will be free to conduct business as usual. The Ducks, who should once again contend for the Pac-12 and national titles, are free to participate in the postseason.
Carry on, college football followers.
Committee on Infractions decisions are often wildly inconsistent from one case to the next, partly because of varying circumstances, partly because there are no firm sentencing guidelines and partly because the committee roster varies from case to case. USC got decimated because of extra benefits bestowed on one player (Reggie Bush) by figures with no ties to the program. Angry Trojans fans will surely point out that Oregon in turn got a free pass for extra benefits bestowed on one player (Seastrunk) by a person who had a working relationship with Ducks coaches. Ducks fans might counter that the estimated $400 value of services Lyles provided to Seastrunk was a fraction of the six-figure benefits Bush enjoyed. Left unsaid: The committee praised Oregon both in its report and in a media teleconference Wednesday for the university's cooperation throughout the process, which may have helped minimize penalties; USC and then-AD Mike Garrett notoriously fought the NCAA every step of the way.
Furthermore, one might reasonably praise the committee for a rare instance in which its punishment actually impacted the responsible parties. In the USC case, Matt Barkley and the rest of the 2010-11 Trojans paid the price for violations committed by a player in 2004-05. Here, Kelly and Gibson (who received a one-year show-cause) were punished (even if Kelly's show-cause is effectively unenforceable); Marcus Mariota and De'Anthony Thomas were not.
However a given fan feels, the end result is that Oregon's case will go down as an afterthought in NCAA infractions history. Boise State got stiffer penalties for letting incoming players sleep on current players' couches. As NCAA compliance expert John Infante wrote Wednesday, the entire system is just more than a month away from a complete overhaul (a larger committee, stiffer penalties), with only this and the much-chronicled Miami case remaining on the lame-duck committee's docket. It almost seemed as though the committee simply wanted to push the Oregon case off the deck.
Maybe that's why the committee accepted at face value the absurd notion that Lyles was a "recruiting service provider." If NCAA penalties are supposed to deter others from committing the same crimes, Wednesday's announcement will do nothing to scare off other coaching staffs from paying middlemen to attain access to potential recruits. Perhaps a current college head coach will look at Kelly's show-cause penalty and start paying closer attention to his staff's activities. Or perhaps that coach will call his agent to begin securing an NFL parachute.
New Husky Stadium
Way too early 2013 Heisman hopeful list
Spoiler
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/eye-on-college-football/22138667/postspring-edition-of-the-2013-heismanpunditcbssportscom-heisman-trophy-watch-list-released
The 2013 HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Trophy Watch List
(post-spring edition)
(in alphabetical order)
Ameer Abdullah, Jr., RB, Nebraska
David Ash, Jr., QB, Texas
Blake Bell, Jr., QB, Oklahoma
Tajh Boyd, Sr., QB, Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater, Jr., QB, Louisville
Ka'deem Carey , Jr., RB, Arizona
Derek Carr, Sr., QB, Fresno State
Jadeveon Clowney, Jr., DE, South Carolina
Stefon Diggs, So., WR, Maryland
Cody Fajardo, Jr., QB, Nevada
David Fales, Sr., QB, San Jose State
Devin Gardner, Jr., QB, Michigan
Todd Gurley, So., RB, Georgia
Kevin Hogan, So., QB, Stanford
Brett Hundley, So., QB, UCLA
Duke Johnson, So., RB, Miami
Chuckie Keeton, Jr., QB, Utah State
Marqise Lee, Jr., WR, USC
Jordan Lynch, Sr., QB, Northern Illinois
Johnny Manziel, So., QB, Texas A&M
Marcus Mariota, So., QB, Oregon
Venric Mark, Sr., RB, Northwestern
Taylor Martinez, Sr., QB, Nebraska
AJ McCarron, Sr., QB, Alabama
Braxton Miller, Jr., QB, Ohio State
Aaron Murray, Sr., QB, Georgia
Lache Seastrunk, Jr., RB, Baylor
De'Anthony Thomas, Jr., RB, Oregon
T.J. Yeldon , So., RB, Alabama
The 2013 HeismanPundit/CBSSports.com Heisman Trophy Watch List
(post-spring edition)
(in alphabetical order)
Ameer Abdullah, Jr., RB, Nebraska
David Ash, Jr., QB, Texas
Blake Bell, Jr., QB, Oklahoma
Tajh Boyd, Sr., QB, Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater, Jr., QB, Louisville
Ka'deem Carey , Jr., RB, Arizona
Derek Carr, Sr., QB, Fresno State
Jadeveon Clowney, Jr., DE, South Carolina
Stefon Diggs, So., WR, Maryland
Cody Fajardo, Jr., QB, Nevada
David Fales, Sr., QB, San Jose State
Devin Gardner, Jr., QB, Michigan
Todd Gurley, So., RB, Georgia
Kevin Hogan, So., QB, Stanford
Brett Hundley, So., QB, UCLA
Duke Johnson, So., RB, Miami
Chuckie Keeton, Jr., QB, Utah State
Marqise Lee, Jr., WR, USC
Jordan Lynch, Sr., QB, Northern Illinois
Johnny Manziel, So., QB, Texas A&M
Marcus Mariota, So., QB, Oregon
Venric Mark, Sr., RB, Northwestern
Taylor Martinez, Sr., QB, Nebraska
AJ McCarron, Sr., QB, Alabama
Braxton Miller, Jr., QB, Ohio State
Aaron Murray, Sr., QB, Georgia
Lache Seastrunk, Jr., RB, Baylor
De'Anthony Thomas, Jr., RB, Oregon
T.J. Yeldon , So., RB, Alabama
SEC coaches vote unanimously for player stipends, also Spurrier whines about ND
Spoiler
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9483744/steve-spurrier-south-carolina-gamecocks-stumps-stipends-targets-notre-dame-fighting-irish
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gave a peek behind the curtain of the annual SEC coaches meetings Tuesday, revealing that the league's coaches voted unanimously that every student-athlete in basketball and football should be given a stipend affording their parents travel expenses to and from games.
More from ESPN.com
The 2013 season unofficially opened with SEC media days Tuesday, and the sport's most dominant conference did what it does best -- it beat up everybody else, writes Mark Schlabach. Story
The league's elder statesman among football coaches said it is only right that those players who generate the school so much money should be given what would amount to a minor benefit.
"We believe those two sports, the income producers, those players -- most of them come from lower-income families -- that we should provide some expense money so their parents can go to the games -- lodging, travel, meals, what have you," Spurrier said. "We're only talking about in football like $300 a game, basketball would be a little less, where the players in the course of the year have $3,600-$3,900, depending on how many games you play, just to have a little bit of pocket money and their parents can have money to come to games."
Spurrier has pushed for stipends for the past two years, and reiterated Tuesday that all the SEC football and basketball coaches agreed their players deserved what would amount to pocket change compared to the money generated from ticket sales and television revenue. He said it wasn't "pay-for-play," but rather expense money. In fact, Spurrier said the coaches would pay for the expenses out of pocket, if need be.
"I'm going to keep fighting for our guys," Spurrier said. "If President Obama would say, 'Spurrier, you and those coaches need to quit fighting for your players, they get enough with a full scholarship,' then I'll shut up about it."
SEC blog
SEC ESPN.com's Chris Low and Edward Aschoff write about all things SEC football in the conference blog.
More:
• Blog network: College Football Nation
The SEC coaches' vote cannot actually change anything. A change in policy would have to be approved by both the SEC and NCAA.
Spurrier then turned his attention to another topic that felt out of left field at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. The often gregarious coach brought Notre Dame into the mix, wondering aloud why the Fighting Irish are allowed to operate as an individual entity while most schools are part of a larger conference. Notre Dame became a partial ACC member this month, yet its football team won't begin its limited five-games-per-year deal with the conference until 2014.
"We're trying to figure out why the athletic director of Notre Dame is equal to all of the conference commissioners, and no one had a good answer except that's the way it's always been done," Spurrier said.
"All 14 of our head coaches thought that Notre Dame should join the ACC to play football like all the rest of us," he said. "Notre Damers can get mad at me and us coaches for saying that … but from the rest of us that are in conferences, we say, 'Why aren't they in a conference?' It's hard to figure out why."
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier gave a peek behind the curtain of the annual SEC coaches meetings Tuesday, revealing that the league's coaches voted unanimously that every student-athlete in basketball and football should be given a stipend affording their parents travel expenses to and from games.
More from ESPN.com
The 2013 season unofficially opened with SEC media days Tuesday, and the sport's most dominant conference did what it does best -- it beat up everybody else, writes Mark Schlabach. Story
The league's elder statesman among football coaches said it is only right that those players who generate the school so much money should be given what would amount to a minor benefit.
"We believe those two sports, the income producers, those players -- most of them come from lower-income families -- that we should provide some expense money so their parents can go to the games -- lodging, travel, meals, what have you," Spurrier said. "We're only talking about in football like $300 a game, basketball would be a little less, where the players in the course of the year have $3,600-$3,900, depending on how many games you play, just to have a little bit of pocket money and their parents can have money to come to games."
Spurrier has pushed for stipends for the past two years, and reiterated Tuesday that all the SEC football and basketball coaches agreed their players deserved what would amount to pocket change compared to the money generated from ticket sales and television revenue. He said it wasn't "pay-for-play," but rather expense money. In fact, Spurrier said the coaches would pay for the expenses out of pocket, if need be.
"I'm going to keep fighting for our guys," Spurrier said. "If President Obama would say, 'Spurrier, you and those coaches need to quit fighting for your players, they get enough with a full scholarship,' then I'll shut up about it."
SEC blog
SEC ESPN.com's Chris Low and Edward Aschoff write about all things SEC football in the conference blog.
More:
• Blog network: College Football Nation
The SEC coaches' vote cannot actually change anything. A change in policy would have to be approved by both the SEC and NCAA.
Spurrier then turned his attention to another topic that felt out of left field at SEC media days in Hoover, Ala. The often gregarious coach brought Notre Dame into the mix, wondering aloud why the Fighting Irish are allowed to operate as an individual entity while most schools are part of a larger conference. Notre Dame became a partial ACC member this month, yet its football team won't begin its limited five-games-per-year deal with the conference until 2014.
"We're trying to figure out why the athletic director of Notre Dame is equal to all of the conference commissioners, and no one had a good answer except that's the way it's always been done," Spurrier said.
"All 14 of our head coaches thought that Notre Dame should join the ACC to play football like all the rest of us," he said. "Notre Damers can get mad at me and us coaches for saying that … but from the rest of us that are in conferences, we say, 'Why aren't they in a conference?' It's hard to figure out why."
Early primer on 2014 playoff selection
Spoiler
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9485441/college-football-playoff-selection-committee-include-ads-sources-say
Current athletic directors will be part of College Football Playoff's selection committee, sources said Wednesday.
The "working concept" is to have one athletic director representing each of the five power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC), sources said. It is unknown whether any current athletic directors from the remaining conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) would be on the committee.
The decision to have current athletic directors on the selection committee starting in 2014 is a change from the BCS commissioners originally not having them on the committee. In May, SEC athletic directors said they were told that current athletic directors would not be on the selection committee.
"There was a strong belief [to include current athletic directors]," a source said.
Another source said it is "highly, highly unlikely" the selection committee will release weekly rankings. This is the final year of the BCS, which provides weekly rankings after the midpoint of the season.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock has said previously that no current commissioners, coaches or media members would be on the committee, which will determine the four teams in the playoff.
Besides current athletic directors, former coaches, athletic directors and administrators will be on the committee, which is expected to consist of 12 to 20 members.
Hancock also has said previously there could be one retired media member on the committee.
Hancock said there were more than 100 individuals nominated to be on the committee by the 10 FBS conferences and independent schools.
"We want to have people of high integrity," Hancock said, "and people with the courage to make difficult decisions."
Starting after the 2014 regular season, the selection committee will be responsible for selecting the four teams for the College Football Playoff semifinals along with the other teams that will participate in the four New Year's Eve and New Year's Day major bowls.
The committee also will be responsible for pairing the teams in the four New Year's bowl games that are not hosting the national semifinals.
The first semifinals will be at the Rose and Sugar bowls on Jan. 1, 2015. The first College Football Playoff championship will be Jan. 12, 2015, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Current athletic directors will be part of College Football Playoff's selection committee, sources said Wednesday.
The "working concept" is to have one athletic director representing each of the five power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC), sources said. It is unknown whether any current athletic directors from the remaining conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) would be on the committee.
The decision to have current athletic directors on the selection committee starting in 2014 is a change from the BCS commissioners originally not having them on the committee. In May, SEC athletic directors said they were told that current athletic directors would not be on the selection committee.
"There was a strong belief [to include current athletic directors]," a source said.
Another source said it is "highly, highly unlikely" the selection committee will release weekly rankings. This is the final year of the BCS, which provides weekly rankings after the midpoint of the season.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock has said previously that no current commissioners, coaches or media members would be on the committee, which will determine the four teams in the playoff.
Besides current athletic directors, former coaches, athletic directors and administrators will be on the committee, which is expected to consist of 12 to 20 members.
Hancock also has said previously there could be one retired media member on the committee.
Hancock said there were more than 100 individuals nominated to be on the committee by the 10 FBS conferences and independent schools.
"We want to have people of high integrity," Hancock said, "and people with the courage to make difficult decisions."
Starting after the 2014 regular season, the selection committee will be responsible for selecting the four teams for the College Football Playoff semifinals along with the other teams that will participate in the four New Year's Eve and New Year's Day major bowls.
The committee also will be responsible for pairing the teams in the four New Year's bowl games that are not hosting the national semifinals.
The first semifinals will be at the Rose and Sugar bowls on Jan. 1, 2015. The first College Football Playoff championship will be Jan. 12, 2015, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Top 20 coaches on the hot seat for 2013
Spoiler
College Football's Top 20 Coaches on the Hot Seat for 2013 | AthlonSports.com
1. Lane Kiffin, USC
Record at USC: 25-13
USC’s 2012 season has to be one of the most disappointing years from a BCS team in recent memory. The Trojans had national title aspirations but were physically dominated by Stanford in Week 3 and finished the year with losses in five out of their final six games. USC is still dealing with scholarship limitations from NCAA sanctions, so Kiffin doesn’t have a full complement of players and had to scale back tackling in practice to prevent injuries. And after last year’s disappointing mark, Kiffin shuffled the coaching staff, with Clancy Pendergast coming over from California to coordinate the defense. Despite the scholarship limitations, the pressure is still high on Kiffin to produce. The Trojans have enough talent to push UCLA and Arizona State for the Pac-12 South title in 2013. However, another 7-6 record could spell the end of Kiffin’s tenure in Los Angeles.
2. Bobby Hauck, UNLV
Record at UNLV: 6-32
Hauck was a successful FCS coach at Montana, recording an 80-17 mark in seven seasons. Unfortunately for UNLV, that success hasn’t followed him to Sin City. The Rebels have won just three games in each of Hauck’s three seasons and lost to a FCS team in both 2011 and '12. As a program, UNLV has struggled to maintain success, but the Rebels have made little progress over the last few years. Hauck hired two new coordinators for 2013 and 16 returning starters are back, so there’s plenty of pressure to make a run at a winning record this fall.
3. Paul Pasqualoni, Connecticut
Record at Connecticut: 10-14
Pasqualoni was a strange hire and has done little to suggest he’s a long-term answer in Storrs. The Huskies had winning records in each of Randy Edsall’s last four years at Connecticut but have slipped to back-to-back 5-7 records. Considering the talent Pasqualoni inherited on defense, this program should not have missed a bowl in both seasons. However, a bad offense has been the primary culprit for this team’s struggles, as the Huskies have ranked 108th or worse nationally in Pasqualoni’s two seasons in offensive yards per game. Connecticut also has had its share of bad losses recently, losing to Western Michigan in back-to-back seasons, along with an overtime defeat to a rebuilding Temple team in 2012.
4. Ron English, Eastern Michigan
Record at Eastern Michigan: 10-38
Coaching in Ypsilanti is one of the toughest jobs in college football. Eastern Michigan has just one winning season since 1990, and the program has won two or fewer games seven times during that span. English is a respected coach, but the Eagles haven’t made much progress under his watch. Eastern Michigan peaked with a 6-6 mark in 2011 but won a total of just four games in English’s three other years combined.
5. Mack Brown, Texas
Record at Texas: 150-43
Texas is arguably the No. 1 job in college football, so three consecutive seasons of less than 10 victories isn’t acceptable in Austin. Under Brown’s watch, the Longhorns had at least 10 wins in every season from 2001-09, which included two national championship appearances. The program seems to have slipped in recent years, and Texas A&M’s rise in the SEC certainly hasn’t helped Texas feel too good about its 22-16 mark the last three years. Brown has built some goodwill with his run in the early 2000s, but a losing season or 7-6 record this fall could force the Longhorns to make a change.
6. Mike London, Virginia
Record at Virginia: 16-21
Just one season ago, London was considered one of the rising stars in the ACC. The Cavaliers were coming off of an 8-5 season and made an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Auburn. What a difference one year can make. Virginia was one of the ACC’s biggest disappointments last year, finishing 4-8 and just 2-6 in conference play. London revamped his coaching staff for 2013, which now includes veteran assistants in former NC State head coach Tom O’Brien and defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta. The Cavaliers have a challenging schedule in 2013, which features non-conference games against BYU and Oregon, along with road trips to Miami, North Carolina and Pittsburgh in conference play. London isn’t necessarily facing a make-or-break season but another 4-8 record certainly wouldn’t sit well.
7. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Record at Iowa: 100-74
Thanks to his hefty contract, Ferentz isn’t in any real danger of getting fired. However, that doesn’t preclude him from a top-10 spot on the hot seat. Iowa has watched its win total decline in every season since 2009, and it missed out on a bowl appearance last season for the first time since 2007. Ferentz also made a strange decision to hire Greg Davis as his offensive coordinator, which ended up as a disaster on the final stat sheet (111th-ranked scoring offense). Iowa has surprised when under the radar in previous years, but the Hawkeyes have a lot of question marks entering 2013, so Ferentz won’t get any relief from the fan base if he has another losing record.
8. Tim Beckman, Illinois
Record at Illinois: 2-10
Disaster is really the only way to sum up Beckman’s debut at Illinois. After a successful stint at Toledo, Beckman appeared to be the right coach to elevate the program after Ron Zook’s tenure. Instead of moving forward, the Fighting Illini took a huge step back. Illinois’ only victories came against Western Michigan and Charleston Southern and seven of its losses were by 20 or more points. As if those numbers weren’t bad enough, the Fighting Illini failed to win a conference game for the first time since 2005, and the school had to report a secondary violation to the NCAA after Beckman was caught chewing tobacco on the sidelines during a game. Beckman hit the JUCO ranks to upgrade Illinois’ talent level, but the Fighting Illini could have trouble escaping the Big Ten cellar in 2013.
9. Tony Levine, Houston
Record at Houston: 6-7
With no head coaching or coordinator experience on his resume, Levine was a strange hire for Houston. His career started off on a high note, as Houston blasted Penn State 30-14 in the TicketCity Bowl. But the Cougars opened 2013 with an 0-3 record, including a loss to FBS newcomer Texas State. Houston rebounded to finish with a 5-7 mark, but Levine’s first year fell short of expectations. The Cougars have moved from Conference USA to the Big East, so there’s an increase in competition. Combine the tougher schedule with a new on-campus stadium opening in 2014, and it’s easy to see why Levine needs to build some momentum and show the program is on track this fall.
10. Gary Pinkel, Missouri
Record at Missouri: 90-61
Pinkel led Missouri to three seasons of 10 or more wins from 2007-10, so it may seem strange to even place his name on the hot seat. However, with Missouri’s move to the SEC, the pressure on Pinkel is even greater than it was before. The Tigers have gone from a top-five program in the Big 12 to fighting with Vanderbilt and Tennessee for fourth place in the SEC East. Considering the Tigers had injuries to quarterback James Franklin and running back Henry Josey last season, it’s unfair to judge Pinkel and his staff based upon one year in college football’s No. 1 conference. However, if Missouri fails to get into a bowl game in 2013, a coaching change wouldn’t come as a complete shock. The Tigers simply can’t afford to fall too far behind in the SEC.
11. Jeff Quinn, Buffalo
Record at Buffalo: 9-27
Has Buffalo turned a corner under Quinn? The Bulls have increased their win total by one game in each of the last three years and finished 2012 by winning three out of their final four games. Buffalo also had a good showing in the loss to Georgia in the season opener, while it lost to Connecticut by just a touchdown and Pittsburgh by 13 points. With 15 returning starters and some momentum from the 2012 finish, the Bulls are poised to make a run at a winning record. If Quinn can get Buffalo to 4-8 or 5-7, he should be safe for another year.
12. Doc Holliday, Marshall
Record at Marshall: 17-20
After recording 11 seasons of 10 or more wins from 1991-2002, Marshall has not won more than eight games since 2003. The Thundering Herd has struggled to become a consistent contender in Conference USA, although there were signs of promise after Holliday led the program to a 7-6 mark in 2011. However, outside of 2011, Marshall has two 5-7 seasons under Holliday’s watch, and the Thundering Herd fielded a defense that allowed 43.1 points a game last year. Holliday has upgraded Marshall’s talent level but needs to produce on the field. With 15 starters back – including first-team All-C-USA quarterback Rakeem Cato – the Thundering Herd should be one of the top contenders this year in the revamped 14-team Conference USA.
13. Rich Ellerson, Army
Record at Army: 17-31
Ellerson seemed like the perfect fit at Army when he was hired prior to the 2009 season, and the Black Knights went 12-13 in his first two years. However, Army is just 5-18 over the last two seasons, and the program does not have a win over Navy since 2001. It’s hard to place the blame squarely on Ellerson’s shoulders, especially when Army has only four winning records since 1990. The 2013 schedule isn’t easy, but the Black Knights should be able to push for four victories, which is probably enough for Ellerson to stick around for another season.
14. Dan Enos, Central Michigan
Record at Central Michigan: 13-24
The good: Central Michigan returned to the postseason after a two-year absence, beating Western Kentucky in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. The bad: While the victory at Iowa was impressive, the Chippewas' other regular-season wins came at the expense of Akron, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and UMass – teams that went a combined 8-40 in 2012. Enos was rewarded with a contract extension, but the schedule is more challenging in 2013, and he needs to prove he can lead Central Michigan to wins against some of the top teams in the MAC on a consistent basis.
15. Charlie Weis, Kansas
Record at Kansas: 1-11
Weis didn’t inherit a great situation at Kansas, so he deserves some time to turn things around in Lawrence. However, he wasn’t the most popular hire and had a mediocre 35-27 mark during five seasons at Notre Dame. Weis hit the JUCO ranks hard this offseason and landed a couple of key transfers, including former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps, which should provide Kansas some hope for a quick turnaround. The Jayhawks haven’t won a Big 12 game in two years, so winning one conference matchup would help bolster Weis’ rebuilding project.
16. Dave Christensen, Wyoming
Record at Wyoming: 22-27
The Cowboys have alternated winning and losing seasons during Christensen’s first four years, so if that trend holds true, Wyoming should be in line for a bowl game in 2013. While Christensen has two winning records and a 1-1 record in bowls at Wyoming, the Cowboys slipped to 4-8 last season and he was suspended for one game after an embarrassing postgame confrontation with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. Christensen is a good coach and has the pieces in place to have a winning record in 2013. However, another losing season, especially after how 2012 transpired, could mark the end of his tenure in Laramie.
17. Steve Sarkisian, Washington
Record at Washington: 26-25
Sarkisian arrived at Washington with a lot of promise, but the Huskies opened his tenure with a 5-7 record and have recorded three consecutive 7-6 seasons. There’s no question Sarkisian and his staff has done a good job at elevating the talent level, but the Huskies need to turn the success on the recruiting trail into wins. With a schedule that features games against Boise State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Arizona State in 2013, winning more than eight games will be a challenge for Washington.
18. Don Treadwell, Miami (Ohio)
Record at Miami (Ohio): 8-16
As a former Miami player and assistant coach, Treadwell certainly knows what it takes to win in Oxford. Despite his background and experience with the school, the RedHawks are just 8-16 in Treadwell’s two seasons. Miami was 4-4 heading into the final month of last season, but closed with a four-game losing streak. The RedHawks’ cupboard isn’t bare for 2013, but quarterback Zac Dysert must be replaced. Even if Treadwell goes 4-8 again, he will probably return for 2014. However, with Marshall, Kentucky, Cincinnati and Illinois to open the 2013 season, Treadwell could start 0-4, which obviously won’t sit well in Oxford.
19. Norm Chow, Hawaii
Record at Hawaii: 3-9
Chow is just coming off of his first season at Hawaii and isn’t really in danger of losing his job this fall. While job security isn’t something Chow has to worry much about, he does need to show Hawaii is moving in the right direction. The Warriors lost by 30 or more points six times last season and scored victories over Lamar (FCS) and UNLV and South Alabama – who went a combined 4-22.
20. Randy Edsall, Maryland
Record at Maryland: 6-18
After a disastrous debut, Edsall seems to have Maryland moving in the right direction. Despite a rash of quarterback injuries, the Terrapins went 4-8 last season, which doubled their win total from 2011. Edsall still has a lot of work to do, as Maryland needs to rebuild its defense in 2013, along with finding a No. 1 running back. Making a bowl game is a realistic expectation for Edsall and the Terrapins this fall.
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