First off:  Merry Christmas Everyone!

After this Ohio State debacle, I have been seeing more of this 'Lets go ahead and play players' and 'don't give me the get a free education and room and board crap' on message boards and comment sections.  I say 'Bullcrap!  Get your head out of your ass.'  First we all know that the majority of schools could never afford it.  That includes a large portion of D-1 FBS schools.

As some of you may have seen me discussing before, I am a 2nd year IMBA program at USC.  While this by know means that I know everything, I did write a report on this subject for me Law and Economics class discussing the financial viability and legal theory involved with current player contracts.  A large section of my research involved looking at the athletic budgets of D-1 FBS schools.

Looking solely at Football budgets, 32 current FBS schools lose money on their Football programs.  If ONLY Football players were paid minimum wage ($7.25/hr) for only the NCAA allowable mandatory practice times (does not include 'voluntary' workouts, meetings and film-study) the number of Football programs in the red goes to 36.  This includes 2 ACC schools and 4 Big East schools.  If you look at the athletic department as a whole, 38 FBS programs are in the red and would increase to 61 programs, or 53% of FBS schools.  That's right... over half of the FBS programs would lose money if we paid players minimum wage for mandatory practice time.  This would include 5 ACC schools, 4 Big 12 schools, 3 Big East schools, 3 Big 10 schools, all 8 public Pac-10 schools, and 2 SEC schools.

I want to address the comments that got me started on this little rant here on Christmas Eve.  'Schools make big money off the kids, its not fair to them'.  Let me ask you one question:  How much money does the corporation you work for share with you?  As follow up:  what does your salary pay for?  The money you make for your work pays for your living conditions, your food, an allowance for entertainment.  In return you are expected to provide a service.  Some people are lucky enough to work for a company that provides bonuses, others aren't, but the company is not required to provide the employee a share of profits beyond the agreed salary amount (with the exception of employee owned corporations or other such enterprises, of course).

Lastly, from a contracts point of view.  The school solicits the athlete to play for them for a year, the athlete accepts the offer, and in return the school agrees to provide certain things that have a monetary value as consideration.  Namely, tuition, room and board, and an allowance.  These 3 aspects are what constitute a legal contract.  The athlete enters this contract voluntarily, with full knowledge of what is expected and what is to be afforded, and what the restrictions are.  As such, these athletes are not being taken advantage of.  The market has set the rate, albeit it is a regulated market.  The problem comes from an inconsistent regulator, not from the nature of the contract.

That's all I really have energy for tonight.  My paper was 10 pages long, And I am not against putting it up somewhere if you guys want to debate it, critique it, or tell me I am legally retarded.  I may want to look it over once first before I do so, however.  I hope you all have a very merry holiday.

Merry HoHo Everyone!!

Charlestowne

You can discuss the bowls in this thread for the next few weeks. Chat away.

If you would like to know when an update is posted about the College Bowl Pick Em' game, follow me on Twitter. I'll be tweeting the link to each update.

SB Nation College Bowl Pick Em' had 135 people sign up. Although the slogan says "Don't sign up if you're not going to play," 21 people did not pick any games. We can theoretically now elimnate them leaving 114 people actually playing the game.

Of those 114, only 17 people correctly picked BYU over UTEP, Northern Illinois over Fresno State, and Troy over Ohio. That includes our leader, FlaGators. FlaGators is leader due to not only him correctly picking all three games, but having them in high confidence. He had a Troy win at a confidence of 30, Northern Illinois at a confidence of 29 and BYU at a confidence of 22.

For those of you that had a bad first day to the bowl season, just remember that there are 35 games, not 3, in the bowl season and everyone still has a chance.

Here is what the Top 10 of the standings looks like:

1. FlaGators

2. COUGS

3. Wurtland Warriors

4. The Gary Carter's

5. hothot Louisville Cardinals

6. Miller

7. mojo133/2

8. nebraskasux

T9. Hilary Lee (Off Tackle Empire)

T9. forum8usa

For the complete standings, click here.

Here are the recaps done by SB Nation on each of yesterday's bowl games and a preview on today's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.

 

 

 

New Mexico Bowl, BYU vs. UTEP: Cougars obliterate Miners, 52-24

The following is Miner Rush's (SB Nation's UTEP Blog) recap of the game.

Maybe, there are too many bowl games.  Maybe, teams that lose 5 of their last 6 shouldn't be rewarded with a bowl appearance.  I don't know about all that, but I do know that all 6-6 teams are not equal.  The BYU Cougars were better than the UTEP Miners in every facet of the game in the 5th Annual New Mexico Bowl. 

From the opening kickoff, it was apparent that Bronco Mendenhall's football team was better prepared and just better than their C-USA counterparts.  Mendenhall has never had a losing season in six seasons at BYU and the Cougars have played in bowl games every year since 2006.  The Cougars arrived to University Stadium ready to play a football game.  The UTEP Miners arrived midway through the second quarter.

UTEP's opening drive lasted all of four plays.  UTEP had a first down on a Marlon McClure quick screen and then followed it up with a nice 5 yard gain by Joe Banyard.  Then, Mendenhall sent a blind side screen with cornerback Andrew Rich.  Rich took down Trevor Vittatoe for a huge loss and the Miners drive stalled.  BYU's Cody Hoffman nearly returned the ensuing punt for a touchdown.  Four plays later, Bryan Kariya walked into the end zone from four yards out to put BYU up 7-0.  

 

After another drive stalled, Jake Heaps hit Luke Ashworth for a 9 yard touchdown pass.  The teams traded field goals, including a booming 52 yarder from Dakota Warren, before BYU took complete control of the game behind two Heaps touchdown passes to Coffman.  WIth 8:55 to play in the first half, the score was 31-3.  UTEP had -22 yards rushing and -1 yard overall.  And, the New Mexico Bowl was effectively over.

UTEP finally got something going when VIttatoe hit Kris Adams on a 67 yard bomb with 8:38 to play.  31-10.  A Trevaun Nixon interception gave the Miners hope of going into the half down only 14.  Nixon intercepted the Heaps pass on the UTEP 12 yard line and returned it 43 yards to the BYU 45.  

With 0:51 on the clock, Vittatoe methodically moved the Miners down the field. First, he rushed for 10 yards,  Then, he hit Pierce Hunter for 11 yards.  After a bad drop by Marlon McClure, VIttatoe hit Corey Trisby for 9 yards.  Two plays later, he hit Trisby again to get it to the 15.  After a terrible drop on the goal line by Kris Adams, Trevor scrambled for four yards, with 11 seconds to play, but was hit late by a BYU defender. The penalty gave the Miners the ball on the BYU 3 yard line with 4 seconds to play.  Mike Price made a gutsy call, and one I agreed with, when he decided to have the Miners go for it.  

As Miner fans know, a good call by our coaching staff is usally followed by a bad one.  And, of course the bad call was the decision to throw a fade to Kris Adams who was clearly double covered.  The pass sailed out of bounds and any momentum UTEP had ended as the pass sailed out of bounds.  UTEP had a timeout and the double team was apparent.  But, instead of using the timeout and calling a different play, Aaron Price and Trevor Vittatoe decided to try the fade anyway.  Ballgame.

In the second half, Trevor did manage to hit Kris Adams on two big  touchdown passes.  Here are the rest of my thoughts, bullet style:

• Which One Was the Freshman?  Offensive MVP Jake Heaps looked like Tom Brady against the UTEP defense.  Heaps was a killer 25/34 for 264 yards with 4 touchdowns and only 1 interception.  Trevor Vittatoe, playing of course with an injured ankle, limped his way to a 14/29 performance for 245 yards.  Vittatoe tossed three touchdowns and had three more interceptions.  
• No Pick 6 At Least:  For the second time this season, Trevor threw three interceptions.   He also had three picks in the UAB loss.  In UTEP's first six games, TV only had two interceptions.
• Was He Injured?  As BYU began to take control of the game, Aaron Price unsurprisingly abandoned the run.  Coming off his biggest game as a Miner, starting running back Joseph Banyard carried the ball only two times for 11 yards.  Donald Buckram picked up 6 carries in the second half for all of 10 yards.  The Miners rushed for -12 yards overall.  I'm not saying Banyard could have won the game, or even averaged more than 2 yards a carry, but I do think it would have been worthwhile to lean on him a bit more early on to see if UTEP could keep BYU's offense off the field.
• No Tricks Up His Sleeve:  Let's face it.  UTEP had nothing to lose in this one.  The Miners were 13 point underdogs and everyone in the country pretty much expected them to lose.  I figured the Miners would embrace this underdog role and try some new wrinkles to catch BYU off guard.  Maybe more Wildcat?  Maybe some new ways to use Marlon McClure?  Nope.  We saw a cornerback blitz on the defense's first play that worked well with Trevaun Nixon.  Other than that, we had a vanilla game plan.  No trick plays.  Nothing new.  Nothing fresh.
• Same Old Story:  For the 5th straight season, the UTEP Miners have finished with a losing record.  Mike Price is the first coach to take UTEP to three bowl games since 1954 (Mike Brumbelow) but he has been unable to get that elusive bowl win.  
• Highlights:  Kris Adams had a key drop on that second quarter drive, but he also had 153 yards on three receptions (all TD's).  Receivers like him simply don't come to El Paso very often.  Dakota Warren hit a nice field goal from 52.  Trevaun had that interception but he was also beat in coverage for two Cody Coffman touchdowns.  Speaking of Coffman, his career high was 74 receiving yards.  He had 137 and three touchdowns against UTEP.  Wiston Jeune played good, aggressive football.  Marlon McClure had some nice returns.
• Lowlights:  Anthony Morrow had a silly roughing the passer penalty.  Marcus Bagley, a DT, went offsides on a key 3rd down despite being on top of the ball.  And just about everything else.

The following is the Sports Network's official recap of the New Mexico Bowl.

 

Albuquerque, NM (Sports Network) - Jake Heaps completed 25-of-34 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns, as BYU thumped UTEP, 52-24, in the fifth annual New Mexico Bowl.

Cody Hoffman snagged eight passes for 137 yards and three scores, while Joshua Quezada ran for 101 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars (7-6), who won five of their last six games to close the 2010 season. JJ Di Luigi added 98 yards and a score on the ground.

BYU played in its final game as a member of the Mountain West Conference, which it joined in 1998; it will become a football independent starting in 2011.

Trevor Vittatoe threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns, all to Kris Adams, on 14-of-29 efficiency for the Miners (6-7), who ended their campaign by dropping six of their last seven games.

JD Falslev's 43-yard punt return set up BYU at the UTEP 37, from where it cashed in just four plays later to begin the scoring onslaught.

Heaps hit Hoffman for 31 yards to the Miners' 11 two plays before Bryan Kariya ran up the middle four yards to the end zone to make it 7-0 just 4 1/2 minutes into the contest.

After UTEP went 3-and-out, BYU put together a 12-play, 78-yard-drive that culminated in Heaps' nine-yard scoring toss to Luke Ashworth with 4:37 left in the period.

Marlon McClure brought the ensuing kickoff back 72 yards to the BYU 22, leading to a 52-yard field goal by Dakota Warren with 2:42 to go in the opening quarter.

Mitch Payne booted a 38-yard field goal for the Cougars with 34 ticks left in the quarter to make it a 17-3 contest.

Brand Ogletree intercepted Vittatoe on the first play of the second quarter, and BYU scored on its next play when Heaps found Hoffman open in the end zone from 31 yards away.

The Cougars then made it 31-3 slightly less than six minutes later on Heaps' three-yard scoring toss to Hoffman in the back of the end zone.

UTEP needed only one play to score on its next touch, as Vittatoe and Adams hooked up on a 67-yard catch-and-run.

The Miners drove all the way to the Cougars' three-yard line before a Vittatoe incompletion in the end zone brought the first half to a close.

Di Luigi's two-yard scoring run and a 29-yard scoring strike from Heaps to Hoffman sandwiched a 37-yard scoring reception by Adams that gave the Cougars a 45-17 lead after three quarters.

Quezada's eight-yard TD dash finished the scoring for BYU before Adams caught a 49-yard scoring strike from Vittatoe with just under 10 minutes remaining.

BYU played in a bowl game for a sixth straight season under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was recruited by UTEP head coach Mike Price. Price at the time was the head coach at Weber State...The Cougars are 11-17-1 in bowl games, while the Miners dropped to 5-8...UTEP was playing in its first postseason game since the 2005 GMAC Bowl...BYU leads the all-time series, 29-7-1...The MWC entrant has won this game the last four years...Kariya finished with 18 yards on six carries...Joe Banyard was UTEP's leading rusher with 11 yards on two totes, while Donald Buckram carried six times for 10 yards...Adams totaled 153 yards on his three scoring catches...McClure made four grabs for 38 yards.

 

 

Humanitarian Bowl, Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State: Huskies Roll Past Bulldogs, 40-17

The following is the Sports Network's official recap of the Humanitarian Bowl.

Chandler Harnish ran for two touchdowns and passed for another score, as Northern Illinois crushed Fresno State, 40-17, in the 14th annual Humanitarian Bowl.

Chad Spann added 95 rushing yards and a pair of TDs for the Huskies (11-3), who snapped a three-game skid in bowl games, having lost last season to South Florida in the International Bowl. Harnish connected on 17-of-26 passes for 300 yards and rushed for 72 more for Northern Illinois, which was coming off a loss to Miami-Ohio in the MAC championship game.

Tom Matukewicz, who guided the team as interim head coach, was given a celebratory punch bath by his players in the final seconds. Starting in 2011 Dave Doeren, who has spent the last five years as an assistant at Wisconsin, will take over the NIU football program. Jerry Kill left NIU to take the vacancy at Minnesota.

"Our motivation was through the roof," Tom Matukewicz said. "It couldn't have been better. We had a lot to play for. I feel sorry for Fresno because they hit the perfect storm."

Ryan Colburn threw for a pair of scores for the Bulldogs (8-5), who have lost three straight postseason games, including the previous two at the New Mexico Bowl. Colburn finished 28-of-38 for 288 yards.

The Bulldogs denied Harnish on a fourth down pass in Fresno State territory early in the first quarter, and NIU fell behind 7-0 courtesy of Colburn's 11- yard TD strike to Jamel Hamler with 5 1/2 minutes left in the stanza.

Harnish, though, completed a 39-yard pass to Martel Moore, and two plays later the junior QB scored on a seven-yard run. The extra point try was no good.

A 28-yard run by Harnish into the end zone early in the second quarter gave NIU the lead for good, and it became a nine-point margin after Michael Cklamovski's 45-yard field goal with over nine minutes left until halftime.

"Give Northern Illinois a lot of credit. They really took over the game after our first drive," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "We couldn't get much going on offense and we couldn't slow them down on defense. We knew they were a very good football team and they proved that tonight."

Kevin Goessling connected from the same distance inside four minutes to go for Fresno State, but Harnish found Kyle Skarb for a 22-yard score in the final minute of the half. NIU went to the break holding a 23-10 lead after Goessling missed poorly on a 43-yard field goal attempt.

Cklamovski split the uprights from 51 yards away early in the third and NIU capitalized on a fumble from Colburn on the next series. Spann powered into the end zone from 18 yards away for a 33-10 cushion late in the third.

Spann scored on an eight-yard run in the opening moments of the fourth before Colburn found Rashad Evans for an 11-yard TD pass with 5 1/2 minutes remaining to account for the final margin.

Northern Illinois set a record for wins in a single season...NIU moved to 3-3 all-time in Division I bowl games, having beaten Fullerton State (1983 California Bowl) and Troy (2004 Silicon Valley Bowl)...Fresno State, which made its 11th bowl appearance in the last 12 seasons, is 11-12 in postseason contests...NIU is 3-2 all-time against Fresno State...Robbie Rouse was held to 32 yards on 14 carries for Fresno State...Willie Clark and Moore each had 88 yards receiving for NIU, while Hamler had 87 on seven grabs for the Bulldogs.

 

New Orleans Bowl, Ohio vs. Troy: Trojans Skin Bobacts, 48-21

The Following is the Sports Network's official recap of the R + L Carriers Bowl.

Corey Robinson passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns, as Troy built a big lead before recording a 48-21 victory over Ohio in the New Orleans Bowl.

Robinson completed 32-of-42 passes and threw three of his touchdowns in the second quarter to help the Trojans (8-5) carry a 38-7 lead into halftime. Troy then held on in the second half and earned the program's second bowl victory -- the first since the 2006 New Orleans Bowl.

DuJuan Harris ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Jerrel Jernigan rushed for a score in the rout. Troy nearly doubled Ohio's total yardage, outgaining the Bobcats by a 602-308 margin.

"We prepared well," Troy head coach Larry Blakene said. "I think our kids, after coming back off some really tough losses in the last half of the season, and then getting two wins and the help to get a co-championship, really helped us prepare well. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just the excitement of being in a bowl."

Boo Jackson passed for 209 yards and three touchdowns for Ohio (8-5), which fell to 0-5 all-time in bowl games.

Jernigan ran for a 12-yard score just over five minutes into the game, capping a 78-yard drive and getting Troy on the board. Ohio countered with a score, as Jackson found Steven Goulet on a 34-yard strike.

However, the Trojans scored the next 34 points to take control.

Robinson's 31-yard TD pass to Tebiarus Gill with 1:57 left in the first quarter put Troy back on top for good. Robinson hooked up with Jernigan for a 16-yard score a little more than two minutes into the second quarter, and Michael Taylor's 50-yard field goal made it a 24-7 game with 8:33 left.

Robinson connected with Gill for touchdowns of 17 and 26 yards in the final three minutes to turn the game into a blowout at the break.

Taylor's 33-yard kick three minutes into the third quarter completed Troy's run and left Ohio unable to come back without a minor miracle.

Jackson followed Taylor's field goal with a five-yard touchdown pass to Donte Foster, but Harris answered with a two-yard running score only two minutes later.

Jackson's 18-yard TD to Riley Dunlop with 5:07 left in the game completed the scoring.

"It's clear that we had trouble controlling them from the very start in terms of what they were all about," Ohio head coach Frank Solich said. "They pretty much threw at will, they made plays after the catch and that opened up the ground game for them. That's not what you look for in terms of keeping people from putting points on the board."

Jernigan finished with a game-high seven catches for 48 yards...Dunlop ended with four receptions for 91 yards...Ohio gained 99 rushing yards...Jackson completed 14-of-21 passes, was intercepted once, and was sacked four times...Troy earned a 41-17 victory over Rice in the 2006 New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans had lost to Central Michigan in the GMAC Bowl last season...Ohio lost to Marshall in last season's Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

 

Southern Miss makes its ninth straight post-season appearance against Louisville

The following is the Sports Network's official preview of the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.

For the ninth straight season Southern Miss is making a postseason appearance, as the Golden Eagles will collide with the Louisville Cardinals on December 21st in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Golden Eagles might have racked up eight wins this season, which is clearly good enough for a bowl game, but their year began and ended the same way, with a loss. After falling to South Carolina in their opener, the Golden Eagles responded with four straight wins. The following three-game stretch saw the team drop two contests to East Carolina and UAB, and both setbacks came by a one-point margin. With the loss to the Blazers in the rearview mirror, the Golden Eagles exited the loss column, and racked up three consecutive wins. However, the regular season closed out with a 56-50 loss to Tulsa.

The Golden Eagles are no strangers to playing in bowls, having made a postseason showing in 12 of the last 13 years, including eight straight seasons. Last year Southern Mississippi fell to Middle Tennessee, 42-32, in the New Orleans Bowl. The Golden Eagles are 7-5 in bowl action during their recent stretch, but overall in the program's history, Southern Miss is just 9-11. Despite the recent run, coach Larry Fedora remains humble.

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to play in St. Petersburg in Florida," said coach Fedora. "It is a great area with great weather and we have the opportunity to play a quality opponent from the Big East. We are thrilled about being able to play another game."

The last time the Cardinals went "bowling" they defeated Wake Forest in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl. Louisville, which is 6-7-1 all-time in bowl games, will be making its 15 appearance in postseason play, but it will be the first for Charlie Strong as a head coach.

"For us to go get a bid to play in the bowl game was really big for the program because we needed that for the confidence of this program. Anytime you change a staff, you want something good to happen. We talked about getting this program to a bowl game and then make this program better each year from there."

Strong, who came from the coaching staff of Urban Meyer at Florida, did not have an overly impressive inaugural season, but still claimed Co-Coach of the Year honors in the Big East along with Connecticut's Randy Edsall. Louisville claimed wins in four of its first seven matchups and the three losses all came by eight or less points. Sitting at 4-3 the Cardinals proceeded to suffer losses in three of their next four games, and the lone win was a slim, 28-20 decision on the road against Syracuse. Fortunately, coach Strong's squad was able to go on the road in the season-finale and properly handle Rutgers to the tune of 40-13, giving the team the six wins needed to become bowl eligible.

The Golden Eagles currently own an 18-9-1 edge over Louisville in the all-time series, but the Cardinals have won the last four meetings, including a 25-23 decision last year thanks to a last minute field goal.

Ask any coach at any level of football and they will be the first to explain how having a balanced attack is the key to any successful offense. Having the ability to run and pass, keeps defenses guessing, and gives defensive coordinators fits. Coach Fedora can rest easy at night knowing his offense is very potent on the ground and through the air.

Taking care of the passing attack is Austin Davis, who was selected to the All Conference-USA Second Team. Davis completed over 60 percent of his throws this season, and racked up the yardage, averaging 241.5 ypg. He has thrown for 18 touchdowns, but more importantly, the veteran gunslinger does not make many mistakes, tossing just six interceptions. Kelvin Bolden has hauled in a team- high six touchdowns, but the main target has been Johdrick Morris. Morris, who was the First Team selection at tight end in the league, has collected a team- best 46 receptions for 663 yards.

Clearly Davis is a very effective quarterback, and makes life easy for coach Fedora, but what has kept opposing teams guessing is the ground game, which has dominated the competition for 203.4 ypg. There is not one main option that Southern Miss relies on, which is another advantage for this offense, as it showcases a few different talented backs. Kendrick Hardy has been the most successful, churning out 855 yards and seven scores, while Desmond Johnson, who also has seven touchdowns, has rumbled for 509 yards.

The offense received most of the attention on the season, and rightfully so, but the Southern Miss defense has also played a vital role in the team's success. Sure, on paper this unit is surrendering 29.4 ppg, which is a terrible number, but when peering deeper into the stats, there are plenty of things that make this a dangerous entity.

Opponents might be churning out 113.3 ypg on the ground against the Golden Eagles, but that is not an overwhelming amount, and when combined with the 3.6 yards per carry this front line has held opponents to, it is rather an impressive showing. A big reason for the team's success is the play of defensive linemen Anthony Gray and Cordarro Law. Both were selected to the league's Second Team, and will have their hands full against a tough Louisville ground attack.

Clearly if a team is allowing close to 30 points per matchup there are issues, and in the case of Southern Miss that comes in the defensive backfield. The Golden Eagles has been torched on the year for 248.1 ypg and 26 touchdowns, and the lone reason why both numbers are not higher is because this unit has been fortunate enough to grab 17 interceptions. Four of those interceptions were hauled in by Justin Wilson, who joins Law and Gray on the C-USA'a Second Team roster.

Louisville has the potential on the roster to possess a balanced attack, but that was not the case for the Cardinals, who fell way short of expectations in 2010. A major reason for the team's short-comings was due to injuries to a couple of key players in Bilal Powell and Adam Froman.

Powell only missed one game on the year, but spent most of the season dealing with nagging injures. However, that did not stop the running back from rumbling for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns on 6.3 yards per attempt. As a whole, the ground game for Louisville produced a robust 180.5 ypg, and because of that impressive display the Cardinals were able to either grind out wins, or keep matchups close down the stretch. Powell's success on the season did not go unnoticed, as the powerful back (6-0, 215) earned a spot on the Big East Conference's First Team.

Unfortunately, Froman's injury was much more severe, and kept the quarterback from competing in four games, while limiting him in other key matchups. Obviously, losing a quarterback is never easy to deal with, especially one as talented and experienced as Froman. In eight games, the signal caller completed just over 60 percent of his throws and tossed 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. However, in Froman's stead was Justin Burke, who performed admirably. Burke threw eight touchdowns and completed 56.7 percent of his passes, and as of right now he will be getting the nod on Tuesday over Froman.

"(Adam) Froman is practicing, but (Justin) Burke is still the starter. You still have all three guys with Froman, Burke and (Will) Stein. You watched Froman go down early in the season and then Burke came in to lead the football team. Burke went down in the Rutgers game and Stein came in. This is good because all three guys understand the system and you are comfortable with all three guys."

With the Louisville offense not reaching its full potential this year, the defense had to enhance its play to get to six wins and remain competitive in league play.

The biggest factor in the defense's success was Hakeem Smith. The redshirt freshman stepped into the safety position and led this defense with his physical and emotional style of play. The hard-hitting playmaker paced Louisville with 80 tackles, and his play on the field earned him a spot on the conference's Second Team, but more importantly led to the honor of being named Big East Rookie of the Year. Smith was not alone in the secondary however, as Johnny Patrick also played a huge role, collecting a team-high five interceptions. With those picks and his ability to be a shut down corner, Patrick was named to the league's First Team and helped Louisville limit the opposition to just 162.5 ypg via the pass.

If there was an issue with coach Strong's defense it has come against the run. Louisville is not being abused from game to game, but the team is surrendering 142.2 ypg, which clearly suggests there are holes to exploit in the frontline. Louisville is holding opponents under 20.0 ppg on the season, and if the team wishes to keep the Golden Eagles from crossing that plateau, than the Cardinals will definitely need to fill the gaps up front.

The biggest difference in so many bowl games is the play of the defense. Usually the team with the more consistent unit will win, and if that theory is true than the Cardinals should be flying high by the final whistle.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Louisville 31, Southern Miss 24

This would have been up yesterday evening, but due to a 1 day moratorium on posting after joining that is enforced on this blog, I was unable to post this until today.

I know that this is very late, but I am organizinga Pick Em' group that is open to all SB Nation college blogs. I have put this post up on every SBN College site and all are invited to join the group. Here are the steps on how to join:

1. Click this link to go to the group home page.

2. Sign in or create a Yahoo account.

3. Click "Join this group" to become a part of the group.

4. Yahoo will ask you to create a pick set, fill out the information and press "Create Pick Set" to complete the process.

Once you have done that, the site will redirect you back to the group's home page. I would suggest you put this in your bookmarks for easy access, but you can access it just by going to the Yahoo Fantasy Sports Home Page and signing in. Good luck picking!

Thinking about the SECCG I cant help but wonder: What's more important? Winning this one game, or consistently competing for it?

In my opinion, just getting to the game makes this season a success as many, including myself, thought this ball club to be another 7-8 win team. I predicted 8-4 as a marker as success as the program needed to get over the 7-5 hump that they had been stuck in the last few seasons. Well, they did that and a little more by getting to a 9-3 record during the regular season, and loosing last weekend to make it 9-4. Yes, 10-3 would have looked GREAT and getting to the sugar bowl would have been awesome, but keeping things in perspective: the Gamecocks need consistency more than they need a championship ring. The program is right on the cusp of being an 8-10 win team every year and once that starts, the championships will come, but what we dont want is for this to be a good team and nothing more (ala Lou Holtz 2001 team).

This team is a program changer so long as they continue to improve during the off season and  play to their potential next year. Their success this year has placed the program well in terms of recruiting for this, and next year as the high school kids are seeing that the Gamecocks can win, and compete for titles -- but for them to take that notion seriously the Gamecocks are going to have to do it again, and again, and again. 

Fans: remember where this team was 11 years ago and where we are today. It's been a stressful decade as a Gamecock, but things are looking up for the 2010's.

After taking the trip to ATL, this is the first time I've been able to get on the board. Wanted to share some of my thoughts:

Continue reading this post »

I know it's a dark time for us right now -- the morning after a nationally televised drubbing. So this is a humorous attempt to bring some levity to the situation. No disrespect to Cam, Auburn, or their fans. This is strictly lampooning the broadcasters.

While it might have proved to have been an unenjoyable experience to watch the Cocks in Atlanta, at least those of you who attended didn't have to suffer through Verne and Gary as I did yesterday. I agree with GamecockMan--I usually kind of like Gary Danielson. But I think he might have joined Verne for a few highballs before this one. Both were off their game. Verne, as usual, littered his play by play with erroneous calls and general senility. Gary had a mouth full of marbles a few times, seemed a bit sluggish, and pretty much took every spare second to talk about Newton, whether he was on or off the field.

I'm not so naive as to think that announcers are going to watch a controversial Heisman shoo-in leading his undefeated team to the SEC Championship, and then afford equal time to their flatlining opponent. But even with that in mind, Verne, Gary, and the entire CBS production crew were putty in Cam's hands. 

So for those of you who were at the game...here's an EDSBS-style recap of the announcing highlights:

(intro graphic package)

Verne: Welcome to CBS' coverage of the 2010 SEC Championship game featuring the Auburn Tigers! We're here in Atlanta, Georgia, and we're ready for football! Gary, our keys to the game.

Gary:  Well Verne, it's all about Cam Newton. #2, 6'6" Cam Newton. Speculation about player benefits is swirling, but the young man is playing his game, not worried about anything off the field. Cam Newton. Also, Nick Fairley, the playmaking lineman. And Cam Newton.

Verne: Hoooo yah. Cam Newton, the 6'6" phenom well on his way to claiming the Newton Award. I mean the Heisman Award.

Gary: You know, Verne, there are several subplots at play here. For instance, Cam Newton and his off-the-field issues swirling, Gus Malzahn and whether or not he'll be around next year, swirling off-the-field issues regarding Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Cam Newton issues all a'swirl, Guz Malzahn, and Cam "Swirlin' Issues" Newton. Just a few factors to keep in mind.

Verne: With that, we're set for kick-off!

(later)
(USC runs a play)

Verne: 4 yard gain by not-Auburn.

Gary: When you look at the replay here, the player I want to key in on is Cam Newton. You see him on the sideline there, drinking Gatorade and adjusting his jock. What can't you say about that guy? He's dynamic, plain and simple. Obviously he's able to focus despite off-the-field issues SWIRLING.

(later)

Verne: Newton takes the snap. Draw play, up the middle, for a minimal gain.

Gary: Actually Verne, that was a 75 yard touchdown strike.

Verne: D'oop, so it was! HUH-HAW!

(later)

(Cam Newton gains three yards on a keeper)

Verne:  WOW. GUESS WHO? WOW.

Gary: Verne, I've been saying it all game, it's plays like that. You know, it's a ho-hum play if anyone else had the ball, we'd make little ado about it, but that just doesn't apply for Mr. Newton.  And how about NICK FAIRLEY.

(later)

Verne: CAM NEWTON

Gary: CAM NEWTON

Verne: CAM NEWTON

Gary: SWIRLING ISSUES.

Verne: HUH-HAW!

(later)

Gary: I'm just gonna come out and say it, Verne. I am physically aroused by Cam Newton.

Verne: Oooooh yah.

Gary: Look, he's got it all. Flawless skin, high-set cheekbones, immaculate teeth. I am at, this moment, questioning my heterosexuality on national television, and that's what a guy like Cam Newton will do to you.

Verne: HUH-HAW!

(later)

Gary: You know Verne, it just struck me that Swirling Issues would have been an excellent name for a Dickens character.

Verne: Indeed it would Gary. You might say Auburn fans had Great Expectations for these Tigers! (audible high-five)

(later)

Verne: And now as the game is well in hand, we see the second string out on the field. Let's cut to an extended shot of Cam Newton on the sideline between every play. Or hell, just keep the shot on him at all times! Who gives a damn about the game at this point! Oh look, Cam just leaped up into the student section and solved a Rubiks Cube while playing knee-cymbals and giving a beaming Bo Jackson a piggy-back ride! WHAT CAN'T HE DO! ADD IT TO THE LIST!

Gary: Nothing, Verne. The answer...is simply nothing.

(later)

Verne: Well that's it, Auburn wins big!

Gary: Next stop: Arizona, to take on the Oregon Ducks, who tonight took care of the non-Oregon Ducks in sound fashion.

When it comes to USC and Auburn, my wife and I have a mixed marriage.  She has two degrees from South Carolina and I graduated from Auburn.  We also live in South Carolina and have attended many USC games.

Given we only play each other every couple of years, it's been easy for both of us to be both Auburn and USC fans.  When Auburn is playing, we pull for Auburn.  When USC is playing, we pull for USC.  It's pretty simple in our house.  They're two of our three favorite teams ... me being from Auburn, y'all know I also pull for whoever is playing bammur. :)

Both of us appreciate the way the Carolina fans have handled the Newton fiasco.  It's downright embarrassing.  Even worse were some of the hits and body slams by Fairley.  UGA brought it to light, but I first noticed it during the LSU game.  It's not the way we play football at Auburn.  If you read Fairley's recent comments in the press, it's pretty obvious the coaching staff has explained that to him.  Base case, football is a rough sport.  Tire them out, hit them hard each and every play, wear them down ... absolutely ... but there's no need to do things that could cause permanent harm.

Again, thanks for the way the USC fans have handled all this.  It's been a pleasure to lurk.  My pick for the game is easy ... here's to a great game Saturday, one we both can be proud of ... War Eagle and Go Cocks!

Garnet and Black Attack readers, I am a student at the University of Alabama and write pretty regularly over at Roll Bama Roll. I don't know if you guys usually take down guest posts but I just wanted to give ya'll a little insight from our side.

I know USC has already played Auburn once this year and knows what they are going up against, but i feel like at that point in the year it was a completely different football season to where we are now.

First off, I know Alabama blew it, just like we did against LSU. USC was the only team that deserved to take Alabama to the woodshed and rightfully did.

But this is not about Alabama, this is about beating Auburn.

The mindset of the Auburn program is simply to top Alabama, that is ALL they care about.

I believe this will give South Carolina a great advantage going into the SECCG being that many Auburn players, fans, and coaches will have a false sense of a season accomplished after taking down the 4th ranked team in the West.

Cam Newton is an absolute monster, but much like Ellis Johnson showing how to slow Alabama'a rushing game, I think Saban and Kirby Smart gave the blueprint of how to slow down the best professional athlete in college football this year.

Essentially Cliff Matthews and at least two linebackers will have to sell out every play to contain him on the ground. I believe we held him to something like 39 yards rushing which I believe USC can do the same.

Where USC has an advantage over what Alabama couldn't stop is they have defensive backs that can contain the deep ball. The deep ball to Zachary completely sucked the life out of the Alabama defense much like Jeffery making Milliner and Mark Barron look like absolute ass bags out there in Columbia.

Offensively, USC is in a great spot to take down the tigers. Get enough out of Garcia to Gurley and Jeffery to post up points early then grind it out with the freak Lattimore and the OBC should be bringing the SEC title back to Columbia.

So make you guy's first trip to Atlanta the best it can be and bring the same intensity to the Georgia Dome that you had in Williams-Brice Stadium when the Tide came to town and you can really take them out of their game.

Best of luck Gamecock supporters, you will have all of us cheering for you this Saturday without a doubt.

For obvious reasons, this has been a landmark season for Carolina, and Spurrier has finally achieved some of the things he set out to do. The most important of these, in my opinion, is our program's attitude toward Clemson.

If you recall when Spurrier came to Carolina, he ordered all the Clemson-related signage in our stadium taken down. He went on record not once, but several times as saying that the rivalry game is not the end all, be all. I was one of many fans who thought he was crazy and underestimating the game's importance. I won't lie; it really rubbed me the wrong way at the time.

But now, I think I understand where he was going with all this.

We're beating Clemson because we are no longer obsessed with beating Clemson.

I realize that's kind of an strange thing to say, but I really think it's true. Spurrier encouraged fans and players to set their goals higher and they have. We don't have to be an average, middling team that's just hoping for a win over their rival to redeem the season. Now we have things to look forward to: a division title, a conference championship game, stellar recruits. He wants us to focus on the big boys because you can't do big boy things if you don't. And finally, we are starting to find ourselves as equals on the playing field with traditional SEC East powers.

Don't get me wrong -- Clemson is an incredibly important game and one that we should absolutely strive to win every year. But I think Spurrier has a done a great job with removing some of Clemson's mystique and taking them off of their pedestal. It helps, of course, that Clemson is an out-of-conference opponent; were they in the SEC and especially in our division, the game would even more important than it is now. But in the grand scheme of things, at least when it comes to competing for SEC championships, he's right. The Clemson game is NOT the big enchilada, unless you're just desperate for bragging rights to cap off a 6-6 or 7-5 campaign.

Spurrier wanted this team and this program to aim higher. It took six years -- and that is actually kind of incredible, since we have 115 years of mediocrity in our past -- but Carolina has responded.

It's hard to break out of a comfortable rut and it's hard to push yourself, but it's happening. We don't have to measure our success purely by the Clemson game anymore because we're creating our own standards. Tiger fans can live in the past all they want; what matters is the present, and the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.