How will this season be compared to recent seasons? Who is your favorite team? Who will win the national championship? http://www.yardbarker.com/college_f...football_conference_changes/s1_13132_21648937 A look at 2016 college football conference changes By Shiloh Carder | Last updated 8/25/16 Between the Big Ten's schedule changes and coaching additions, it'll be a big year of change across most conferences. David Banks-USA TODAY Sports The 2016 college football season is nearly upon us. Back are the rivalries, the pageantry, the sights, the sounds and the crisp air where anything can happen on any Saturday. While a lot of the traditions stay the same, there are some changes in each conference to take note of heading into the season. Coaches get replaced and players graduate or head into the NFL. There are new bowl games and rules changes, plus different ways to absorb the games. Let's take a look at each of the Power 5 conferences and examine a few of the major changes: ACC There is a lot changing for the ACC on the horizon. A network is in the works which has helped solidify the league. Add in the possibility of the ACC becoming the first conference to nab two playoff berths, and things are certainly looking up. But that is down the road. The biggest change in the ACC is happening with two of their better football programs plus a non-traditional power making a high profile hire. For the first time in 29 years, Frank Beamer will not be roaming the Virginia Tech sidelines as the head coach. Beamer retired after last season as one of the most accomplished coaches in ACC history. Since Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004, his Hokies won four conference championships (four in their first seven years in the league). Former Memphis head coach Justin Fuente takes over with some huge shoes to fill. Another former Big East power, Miami, will also have a new head coach. Mark Richt, who was fired after 15 years at Georgia, heads to his alma mater to turn a once feared program around from the Al Golden era. Even though Richt was labeled an underachiever at Georgia, if he could duplicate that at Miami he could get the Hurricanes back atop the ACC standings. One of the more shocking hires this offseason was Virginia wooing Bronco Mendenhall away from BYU. Mendenhall trails only LaVell Edwards among BYU coaching accolades and now heads to Charlottesville to revive a program that has fallen on tough times during Mike London's six seasons. Dino Babers also takes over at Syracuse. The ACC will also have a collaborative replay where there will be a centralized command center that will assist officials with any replays at member stadiums and Notre Dame Stadium. That will allow the league to be more efficient in the replay system as well as, to be blunt about it, get things right. Last season saw the controversial ending to the Miami-Duke game when the Hurricanes brought a kick return back for a touchdown to win the game with no time left. Replays showed that one Miami player's knee was down, but the touchdown wasn't overturned when officials took a second look at it. If the ACC's new system succeeds, it could be the blueprint for other conferences or the NCAA to adopt it around the country. SEC The SEC also has a few high profile head coaching positions being filled. Mark Richt is out at Georgia after failing to reach that program's lofty expectations. Despite some major talent pouring into Athens, Richt hadn't won an SEC title since 2005. New head coach Kirby Smart comes from Nick Saban's coaching staff and should bring in a strong defensive mindset and instant respect. Steve Spurrier, the ol' ball coach, retired mid-season last year, so South Carolina has hired former Florida head coach Will Muschamp to run the Gamecocks program. Muschamp, who took over for Urban Meyer at Florida, knows what it is like to replace a retiring legend. Missouri's new head coach is Barry Odom, who replaces the Tigers' most successful coach, Gary Pinkel, who revealed he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and retired after last season. Odom served as an assistant to Pinkel for most of the last 13 years. There are also the issues that Ole Miss is going through. The Rebels' program has proposed some self-sanctions including loss of scholarships and fines but that may not be enough to please the NCAA for their wide-ranging list of infractions. A postseason ban is possible. The SEC has also demanded that members play at least one non-conference game against another Power 5 team. Typically, the SEC doesn't shy from playing games against top competition, so this isn't that big a deal. Plus four members (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina) already have an ACC opponent as their rival. One of those games will be Tennessee hosting Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway and has the potential to break records for the highest attendance at a college football game.
I'm not sure why no one on this website ever wants to talk about CFB. Predictions: Bama wins another title (arrghhh!) Michigan or Ohio State will be in the CFP The Big 12 will not be there again Houston will be in the CFP The 4th spot is a toss up between the Seminoles and Clemson. The Texas Longhorns will begin to get good again and have moments, but we won't be a real contender until next year. ND will beat us tonight, but we aren't getting blown out again. If we do, Charlie is in deep (*)(*)(*)(*).
Just like Rickysdisciple I also wondered why no one here discusses CFB which is why I started this thread. Anyway, here's more from yesterday's action: http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...icture-gets-shaken-up-by-alabama-and-houston/ Bowl projections: Playoff picture gets shaken up by Alabama and Houston A day filled with surprises signified a major change in the College Football Playoff projections Jerry Palm mugshot by Jerry Palm @jppalmCBS 14h ago • 1 min read Well, that didn't take long. The College Football Playoff projections have already been shaken up and the first week isn't even over yet. No. 15 Houston dominated No. 3 Oklahoma 33-23 on Saturday to make a statement that the Cougars intend to fight for a playoff spot. The Sooners, previously projected No. 1, will drop out of the playoff projection for now and be replaced by Houston. Alabama is the new No. 1, followed by Clemson, Notre Dame (which plays at Texas on Sunday) and the Cougars. BOWL DATE LOCATION MATCHUP Peach Bowl Dec. 31 Atlanta, Ga. (1) Alabama vs. (4) Houston Fiesta Bowl Dec. 31 Glendale, Ariz. (2) Clemson vs. (3) Notre Dame The path to the playoff for Houston is still long and somewhat treacherous. There is no margin for error. The Cougars won't make the playoff without a perfect 13-0 record, and they will also need Oklahoma to play well from here on out. Ideally for Houston, the Sooners will still win the Big 12 title. Houston also needs its other big nonconference opponent, Louisville, to have a good year. The Cardinals got off to a good start by beating Charlotte 70-14 on Thursday. And, of course, it would help if the rest of the American Athletic Conference would perform well outside the league. The AAC was 10-2 this weekend, though only SMU and Tulsa joined Houston in beating other FBS schools. The entire slate of updated bowl projections will be released late Monday following the conclusion of this week's games Jerry Palm started writing about sports on the Internet right after Al Gore invented it. He was the first to bring RPI out in the open and is one of the pioneers of predicting the March Madness bracket.... FULL BIO
Despite ND losing to us last night, I still think they are a very good team and are able to beat all of the other teams on their schedule (Kizer is an elite QB). This isn't to say that we (Texas) are awesome, but we played an awesome game last night, and we aren't screwing around anymore. I think Texas has put the Big 12, and the entire country, on notice. I think we could beat most teams in the country with the performance we put on last night. We won't get a playoff spot this year, but I would bet money that we go next year. I was so proud to have gone to UT last night I don't know if you guys watched it, but that game was absolutely incredible. Another point... I think this year it's "Bama' and everybody else". Last year Bama' was good but not much better than the other top teams; this year, I think Bama' is just unstoppable. I hate Alabama, btw.
I watched it at the DKR with my sister who currently attends. I attended from 2002 to 2006, and I thought relevance was a God given right for the Longhorns. I'm not sure what happened over the past six years, but hopefully thing start to improve. Ive only gone to one game each of the last three years. Maybe I'll start going regularly again. Norte Dame needs to do well to make the Horns victory look better. OU needs to play well and the Horns need to beat them. Tyrone Swoops has flashes the make me think Vince Young. We'll see about the Beuchele kid. When the rankings are released tomorrow, Houston will be above TCU, and I refuse to believe that a team named after a hot older chick and a mascot named after off brand off brand soda are the best in Texas.
You lucky bastard! That looked like the most live game I've seen in years. No fear, Notre Dame is actually good, and so is OU. I think Houston is just so well coached that they can beat anyone who makes a mistake. Buechele is the future, and we will destroy TCU. I think we have a decent shot at the Big 12 title.
Heck of a start to the season. Kudos to both teams for a great game. I've always liked Charlie Strong, especially the great work he did in Florida. Had he stayed there the Gators would be repeat national champs.
I'm going to sound like a broken rrecord from the past years When will Les Miles be able to recruit a good QB? Are the Gators for real this year? Will Miami get to 8 wins? Are the Hawgs becoming the smashmouth team in the SEC? What will folks do when Michigan defeats Ohio State this year? And will USC ever regain the Trojan glory from days long ago? And Nick Saban keeps on being Nick Saban.
Never. Les Miles has had every opportunity in the world to recruit a good QB, and he has failed every time. We also went through a drought, but it seems like LSU is struggling even more than we did, to some degree. Given how much talent LSU gets every year, it is absolutely shocking how crappy their offense is right now. Nope. The SEC east is still crap, and Florida is going to get blown out the second they face an elite defense. That said, I think they will finish with 9 or more wins because their schedule is so easy. The only unquestionably good football team they play is FSU. Florida and FSU better hope not, or they'll suffer in recruiting. Yes they are. They still need to get more consistency, but I think they are a tough football team. Florida will have trouble with them. Crawl into a corner. The last thing we need is for Ohio State and Michigan to be good at the same time. Then again, it will take some attention away from the SEC, especially if Texas is also good. I hope so, I just don't want them to be too good when we have our home and home with them starting next year! Generally, the better the old blue bloods get, the more recruits we can steal from the SEC. The man is the devil. As long as he lives, Bama' will be unstoppable.
I love when the G5 schools beat the P5 schools. The line between the two groups is completely arbitrary.
Do we have another juggernaut in the making: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...-bison-football-ap-poll-top-25-iowa/90612262/ Why North Dakota State deserves votes in the AP Top 25 poll Daniel Uthman, USA TODAY Sports 7:09 p.m. EDT September 18, 2016 USP NCAA FOOTBALL: NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT IOWA S FBC USA IA (Photo: Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports) North Dakota State finished No. 36 in last season's final Sagarin ratings, ahead of teams like Boise State, Virginia Tech and Nebraska all of whom ended their seasons with bowl victories. On one hand, it's understandable the Bison would rate better than any of those teams. After all, they went undefeated and won a national championship. But on the other, the rating is an eyebrow-raiser. After all, North Dakota State plays in the Football Championship Subdivision a level below each of those teams. Since winning its fifth consecutive FCS title, North Dakota State is 3-0, with its most recent win coming Saturday against No. 11 Iowa. It was the first game this season that the Bison didn't need overtime to win, and by ranking it was one of six best wins of any team this season. On Sunday afternoon it could lead to a college football rarity: An FCS team getting votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. (UPDATE: North Dakota State didnt make the AP Top 25 but received 74 points the most points ever for a Football Championship Subdivision team. The 74 points tied the Bison with UCLA with the 27th-most votes of any team. Oklahoma, the No. 25 team, received 139 points.) USA TODAY Why did Iowa even schedule upset-ready North Dakota State? Not long after North Dakota State beat Iowa, the AP poll's No. 18 (Notre Dame), 19 (Ole Miss) and 22 (Oregon) teams lost. Any or all of those results could create a vacancy for a previously unranked team to move in, though based on last week's voting the more likely candidates might be 3-0 teams Nebraska, Utah or San Diego State. But North Dakota State is a serious enough option that the AP emailed its voters Saturday afternoon to say that the Bison are eligible for votes. That is not the case with the Amway Coaches Poll; coaches who vote in that poll must select from the pool of 128 FBS teams. USA TODAY North Dakota State topples No. 11 Iowa on late field goal "They're a good football team," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Saturday. "They get after the quarterback. They can do it with four guys and then they'll bring extra pressure. But they're a very aggressive, tough football team, and we didn't measure up, run or pass, quite frankly. "I think anybody that was in the stadium today realized that's a good football team," Ferentz continued. "They play hard. They're tough. They're physical. They believe in themselves. They've been doing it for quite a while." Jeff Sagarin's ratings, which assign a value to every team in the FBS and FCS, listed North Dakota State at No. 67 entering the Iowa game, right behind South Carolina and Marshall and just ahead of Army and Arizona. It's doubtful any of those teams would want to play the Bison, though, as North Dakota is 6-0 vs. FBS competition since losing to Iowa State on Sept. 3, 2009. FOR THE WIN Announcer goes nuts after North Dakota's shock win over Iowa: 'HORNS UP HAWEYES DOWN!' After beating Iowa, the Bison have risen to No. 54 on Sagarin's list, one spot behind Cal and four behind Georgia. Not surprisingly, North Dakota State has been in this position before. In 2013, when North Dakota State was 10-0, the Bison reached No. 24 in the Sagarin ratings. That placed them ahead of five teams that were ranked in the Coaches Poll that week. They finished that season No. 17, their all-time high. Though North Dakota State's achievements in 2016 already merit celebration, there still is more to strive for, primarily their second unbeaten season in four years and a sixth consecutive FCS title. And there could be another mark to reach for too: the No. 14 Sagarin finish that Division I-AA Marshall earned in 1996. COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S WEEK 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Early positional player recognition: Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Louisville - devastating acceleration and lateral ability; has not been tested yet, not even by vaunted athletes of FSU. Bobby Petrino has developed the Heisman frontrunner in Jackson. Has at least three massive games left on scheduled: #6 Houston, #4 Clemson, and ACC Championship game If he stays healthy, I would love to see the defensive scheme that stops him. Reciever: James Washington, Oklahoma State - had a 296 yard performance against Pitt that was essentially unstoppable; displayed all WR skills, route running, hands, ball tracking, balance, speed...everything. He doesn't transcend the position or anything, but he is about as dominant and consistent as you want your #1 WR to be thus far at least in 2016. Early playoff prediction: Alabama Louisville Michigan Stanford My team is Virginia Tech. This is a rebuilding year with a new coach. Team has played well revising my expectations - we have a shot to get to 10 reg season wins and represent the coastal in the ACC CG.
Here's more (about Michigan): http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-michigan-wolverines-are-back-ugh-1475103687 The Michigan Wolverines Are Back. Ugh. A victory by Wisconsin would thankfully put an end to the insufferable swagger that Mr. Khakipants has restored in Ann Arbor. Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines leads his team onto the field before a game on September 10. ENLARGE Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines leads his team onto the field before a game on September 10. PHOTO: DAVE REGINEK/GETTY IMAGES By JASON GAY Sept. 28, 2016 7:01 p.m. ET 327 COMMENTS There are a lot of reasons I want—no, I need—my Wisconsin Badgers to defeat the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines in football Saturday. The most obvious reason is that I graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, unequivocally regarded as the planet’s finest institution of higher learning and bratwurst (sorry, you Harvard/Stanford losers). A victory in Ann Arbor would make Wisconsin a perfect 5-0, and two weeks later, in Madison, when they crush Ohio State and its tetchy coach, Urban Meyer, the Badgers will have a clear track to a spot in college football’s daffy new playoff system. But the main reason I need Wisconsin to beat Michigan is simple: I can’t stand Michigan. I’m sorry. I want to be clear: I mean the college, not the state. I love the state of Michigan. And Michigan State. Sparty, you guys are cool. And nice hat. I mean the University of Michigan. Harbaughtown. The dreaded Wolverines. You have to understand: my employer, The Wall Street Journal, reeks of Wolverine. Absolutely reeks. I’d say a solid three-quarters of the people I’ve worked with in the Journal sports department went to Michigan. At one point, my editor, my editor’s editor, and my editor’s editor’s editor were all Michigan people. One of the paper’s most senior editors is a Wolverine. I don’t even ask where the interns come from anymore. And I’m telling you, it makes a lonely Badger feel invisible. The Journal Wolverines have secret handshakes and inside jokes and a monthly midnight meeting in the newsroom, where they talk about how awesome Ann Arbor was, how handsome Tom Brady is, and laugh as they read from a list of people they know who didn’t get into Michigan. On Fridays before big games, they show up to meetings wearing blue and yellow—oh, I’m sorry, maize—face paint. They hum the Michigan fight song, “The Victors,” in the elevator. They speak their own language: Schembechler. I know you think my dislike of Michigan is irrational. Of course it’s irrational. What college sports hatred is ever rational? OK, Duke. It’s rational to hate Duke. Michigan people at the Journal became impossible last year when you-know-who came to town. Mr. Khakipants. You have probably heard Michigan is paying its former quarterback turned superstar coach, Jim Harbaugh, close to $600 million per season. I hear it is actually closer to $850 million, with a two-billion dollar bonus if he shuts out Ohio State. Harbaugh also gets nine private jets, three dozen chauffeured Chrysler 300s, two rocket ships, a Mars rover, a hot air balloon, a pogo stick and a pony of his choice. I even hear that Harbaugh’s khakis now cost as much as $11. The Wisconsin Badgers will play Michigan in Ann Arbor this Saturday for the first time since 2010. ENLARGE But these Wolverines at the Journal, they think it’s worth every penny. Harbaughmania—you may remember I wandered around Ann Arbor dressed as the guy almost two ago—has made Michigan football relevant again. The first part of the decade was easy around here—Michigan football stank up the Big House, barely won a thing, cycled through 27 head coaches, and were out of the national conversation by the first weekend of October. As the Badgers played meaningful games on TV, the Michigan people I knew went rock-climbing and antiquing on Saturdays. They were humbled. It was the best. Mr. Khakipants has changed all this. Harbaugh already has Michigan in the Top 4, and even though it’s September, the Wolverines can’t help but daydream of a revenge victory against Ohio State, a Big Ten championship, a college playoff and a potential national championship. There’s a return of that old Michigan “We’ve Won More Games in College Football History Than Anybody” confidence. That annoying swagger. Wisconsin folks, we recognize this swagger. When I was at Madison, in the early 15th century, Michigan was a juggernaut at pretty much everything. And while the Badgers theoretically have a regional rivalry with Minnesota, beating big old Michigan is really the thing. We haven’t done it a lot. Wisconsin has gone 14-49-1 versus Michigan in its football history, though they’ve won three of the last five in the past decade. But you want to know the thing that really makes me nuts? Here’s what Michigan people think about Wisconsin: They don’t think about us at all. The Wolverines have a zillion rivals; a Badger game is nothing to them compared to an Ohio State game, or playing Notre Dame or Sparty or just sitting around talking about how great the Fab Five were. Even if the Badgers have caught up in recent decades, Wisconsin people still look at Michigan as a Death Star. But Michigan people look at us like we’re someone they met in the grocery store once 10 years ago. Oh, you. Hi. Now don’t ask me if I’m jealous because I didn’t have the stuff to get into Michigan. Of course I didn’t have the stuff to get into Michigan. I’m certain that today I couldn’t get into Wisconsin, buddy. I’m still convinced my acceptance was an accident. But I was lucky to get in, and I’ll be Wisconsin until the end. And my Badger friends are my friends for life, because Badgers are the best. Badgers will help you move on a Sunday. Badgers will watch your dog—for a year. Badgers will let you sleep on their sofa, no questions asked. The sofa might be outside on the front porch, and have been there since the Carter administration, but they’ll let you sleep on it. And a Badger always gets the first round. And the last round. And then one more round after the last round. Michigan? Look, I know it’s a really good school, and hard to get into, and they’re really smart, but Michigan people think they’re kind of…fancy. They almost think they’re as fancy as Northwestern people. I said almost. So I’m begging the Badgers to get the job done on Saturday, in the Big House, before a 100,000 people and Mr. Khakipants himself. I want Wisconsin to ruin a Wolverine dream season, whomp Ohio State and run all the way to the National College Football Playoff Dance Party Jamboree or whatever they call that thing. But honestly I’ll just take the win over Michigan. I really want to rub it in at work.
Unfortunately real life intrudes: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/e...me-due-to-bands-anthem-protest-174253712.html East Carolina radio affiliate won't broadcast game due to band's anthem protest Nick Bromberg,Dr. Saturday 3 hours ago Comments Sign in to like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email East Carolina dropped to 2-3 on Saturday with a loss to Central Florida (Getty). East Carolina dropped to 2-3 on Saturday with a loss to Central Florida (Getty). The Fayetteville, North Carolina, radio affiliate of the East Carolina football team is refusing to broadcast the team’s game Saturday after members of the ECU band staged a protest during the national anthem before the Pirates’ game vs. Central Florida. The game will not be heard on 100.1 FM in Fayetteville or on the ESPN Fayetteville website. Fayetteville is approximately 110 miles from ECU’s campus in Greenville, North Carolina. “Several members of the band refused to play the national anthem and others ‘took a knee’ during the performance, with the result that roughly a dozen band members disgraced themselves on the football field this past weekend, Colonial Media and Entertainment CEO Jeff Andrulonis said in a statement. “I’m proud of our country and I’m proud of our soldiers — especially our soldiers from Fort Bragg — fighting for our country so I’ve decided that ESPN Fayetteville will ‘protest the protest.’ I talked with some of our East Carolina football sponsors yesterday and will be talking with more of them today. So far, it has been unanimous. Every sponsor I’ve talked to agrees that last weekend’s spectacle at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium was shameful and a message needs to be sent.” It’s an incredibly stupid message to send. By taking the game off the radio, he’s punishing East Carolina fans who rely on the radio to hear the game far more than he is “punishing” the band for its statement. Approximately a dozen members of the band protested during its playing of the national anthem before the game. Some members took a knee and others refused to perform. The band was booed by some fans in attendance when it performed at halftime. “The band members could have quietly protested in the early morning hours before the game. But that would have required them to wake up early. So instead, they chose to make a spectacle of themselves in front of a big crowd at Dowdy-Ficklen,” Andrulonis said. “They’re college students and it’s about time they get an education on the concept that their actions have consequences. And the consequence in this case is that the ECU Pirates will not be heard on ESPN Fayetteville this weekend.” While the company has every right to disagree with the band’s actions (just like the band and many others have the right to protest racial injustice during the national anthem), Andrulonis could also be also facing a future education on consequences. The university has every right to revisit its contractual agreement for the station’s radio rights given the company’s decision to impose a blackout on Saturday’s game vs. South Florida. [Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for entertaining things you won’t see on the blog] After the protest Saturday, the chancellor of ECU said it respected the right to free speech of its students while acknowledging and understanding fans’ disappointment with the band members’ actions. Monday, athletic director Jeff Compher released a statement saying the athletic department was working with the band. We are working with the university and school of music in response to the incident with the band prior to the game on Saturday. While the marching band does not report to athletics, we do count on them to be an important part of the game day experience. There are ongoing conversations with the university, the school of music and the band, and we are confident that there will be a positive resolution for future games. “Our football program relies on the passion of our fan base and we will continue to proudly lead our team out of the tunnel with the American flag for each and every game. [Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers] – – – – – – – Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow [MENTION=3362]nICK[/MENTION]Bromberg
A very special college football 100th anniversary: http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...rland-0-and-how-it-may-have-saved-the-school/ Revisiting Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 and how it may have saved the school It's suggested that Cumberland wouldn't be around today had it not been crushed in 1916 Jon Solomon mugshot by Jon Solomon @JonSolomonCBS 10h ago 6 min read One hundred years ago Friday, a theatrical performance masquerading as a college football game was played. Because of it, Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 lives on in infamy. Thanks to Georgia Tech coach John Heisman -- yes, that Heisman -- running up the score against Cumberland fraternity members, the game remains a novelty that transcends sports by even appearing on Trivial Pursuit cards. But now on the 100th anniversary, Cumberland is pushing a slightly different story rarely discussed about the massacre: Cumberland says playing the game saved the school from getting shut down. "The hard thing on Cumberland's side is not being able to tell the whole story," said Cumberland board of trustee member Sam Hatcher, a former journalist who wrote a book this year, "Heisman's First Trophy," about the 222-0 game. "I think it hurts our feelings when Kirk Herbstreit may say every year, 'This is the day Georgia Tech walloped Cumberland 222-0,' and there's no explanation of it. These 14 guys at Cumberland went to Georgia Tech to save the university." Many basic facts about why Cumberland and Georgia Tech played are well established through old press clippings, research by historians and Heisman's own words. In 1916, Heisman wrote that he wanted the game to get even for a Cumberland baseball team filled with pro players that trounced Georgia Tech 22-0. It's likely no coincidence that Heisman settled on 222 points in the football game. 1 2 3 4 TOTAL Cumberland 0 0 0 0 0 Georgia Tech 63 63 54 42 222 But when Cumberland started experiencing financial difficulties in 1916, its new president ended funding for all sports teams, including football. One problem: Student manager George E. Allen neglected to cancel the Georgia Tech football game. Cumberland tried to back out, but Heisman demanded the game be played or the school pay $3,000 to forfeit (about $70,000 today). So Allen, a law school student at Cumberland, rounded up 13 members of his Kappa Sigma fraternity to play in Atlanta for a $500 fee to the school from Heisman. Buy 3 Tires and get the fourth for only a dollar. "If the lawsuit was successful, Cumberland probably would have closed its doors and couldn't have paid the damages," Hatcher said. "So George Allen, feeling the weight on his shoulders, got 13 others to hop on a train to play Georgia Tech in order to save their university. It's sort of a romantic story in a way. It frustrates me when you say you're associated with Cumberland University and people say, 'That's the school that got beat by Georgia Tech 222-0.'" In a press release this year, Cumberland also suggested the school could have shut down by writing this: "One might assume the effect of this game would be disastrous for Cumberland University, a small, private university in Lebanon, Tenn., but instead the game preserved the school, and landed Southern football on the map." But it's not entirely clear that Heisman could have contractually forced Cumberland to pay, nor is it known for certain if Cumberland would have needed to shut down if it had to pay $3,000. john-heisman-getty.jpg John Heisman as Georgia Tech's coach, circa 1904-19. Getty Images Marilyn Somers, director of the Georgia Tech Living History program, has closely studied and written articles about the Cumberland-Georgia Tech game. "I've never heard that before," Somers said of Cumberland having to shut down if the game wasn't played. "It sounds like it might be an exaggeration. It's not in [Heisman's] book. But would he put something like that in the book? I didn't see that on [Cumberland's] website to see what they have to say about all of it." When Cumberland reinstated football in 1990, the Chicago Tribune published a lengthy story about the 222-0 game. There's no mention that Cumberland would have had to close its doors without playing. Hatcher's book offers this disclaimer: "This is a work of fiction. Critical events in this story took place and individuals who participated are portrayed as may be imagined. Efforts have been to made to provide an interesting story that correctly presents critical facts surrounding the game, and the role of the colorful cast of characters who participated in the event." Hatcher said most of his research about the game came via accounts from The New York Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as well as a written history about the university by journalism professor Frank Burns. When pressed on how he knows Cumberland would have shut down, Hatcher said the $3,000 "could" have resulted in the school missing payrolls. Ultimate stretch and comfort finally made it to the denim jacket. "Where Heisman got off saying the fee would be $3,000, I don't know," Somers said. "That was an astronomical amount of money at the time. Whether he even had the authority to do that, I don't know." Hatcher claims he encountered an unpleasant experience when he visited Georgia Tech last January to take a picture of the 222-0 football for his book cover. According to Hatcher, a Georgia Tech sports information department staff member abruptly told him, "I don't care who you are. I don't care you've driven all the way from Atlanta. We're not going to play Cumberland in football, we're not going to play Cumberland in baseball and we'd just as soon forget the 222-0 game." (Hatcher was able to get a photo of the ball.) A Georgia Tech athletic department spokesman said he couldn't speak to whether the January encounter with Hatcher occurred because the spokesman wasn't at the school then. Somers said she plans to write an apology note to Hatcher on behalf of Georgia Tech. "That's inexcusable," Somers said. "I'd love to know who told him that. That's pretty awful anybody would do that." Cumberland is in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), so it's not clear why a Georgia Tech official would tell Hatcher the Yellow Jackets won't schedule games against Cumberland. Cumberland applied in 2014 to become an NCAA Division II member. The NCAA decided that Cumberland was not prepared to enter the Division II membership process. Cumberland appealed the decision and another NCAA committee upheld the original decision. Cumberland athletic director Ron Pavan declined to discuss details about what happened. Today, Cumberland has a $7 million athletic department budget and is 2-3 in football this season after a 4-6 record in 2015. The football team's last conference championship came in 2008. The athletic department, led by a successful baseball program, has won five NAIA national championships in the past eight years. Yet still, 222-0 lives on. Pavan said he periodically hears the score mentioned at home football games. As Cumberland celebrates its 175th anniversary, the school keeps remembering the game as a symbol of persistence. Cumberland once burned down during the Civil War and rebuilt, the reason its nickname is the Phoenix. "I'm not ashamed of the game. It gets our name out," Pavan said. "You could say, 'Why would you want someone to know that you got trounced?' Look, I'm very competitive. But if it meant I would have all of these generations getting their degrees at Cumberland because of some young people saving the school, I mean, it's a movie. Who does that?" Somers, the Georgia Tech historian, said it's worth noting that Heisman's major source of income came from acting in the theater, not through coaching. In that sense, Cumberland-Georgia Tech was a theatrical performance. The Yellow Jackets compiled 978 yards for 32 touchdowns, forced 15 turnovers and held Cumberland to minus-28 yards of offense. Perhaps Cumberland really would have needed to shut down its university by paying a forfeiture fee to Heisman. But on the 100th anniversary of 222-0, it's hard not to wonder if Cumberland is exaggerating a few details to sell its own theatrical act. "I think when people hear that score they hear, 'Wow, what a coach, what a football game,' without realizing it really was a farce," Somers said. "Heisman was creating a farce that would amuse everybody. I think we should all treat it with a little bit of jest. It's long gone. Everybody is dead and buried, and there shouldn't be any hard feelings." Jon Solomon CBS Sports Senior Writer FOLLOW Jon Solomon is CBS Sports's national college football writer. A former Alabama resident, he now lives in Maryland and also writes extensively on NCAA topics. Jon previously worked at The Birmingham News,... FULL BIO
http://www.offtackleempire.com/2016/10/9/13217666/jim-delany-kicks-rutgers-out-of-the-big-ten Rutgers Kicked Out of the Big Ten (satire) 45 Jim Delany finally makes the decision B1G fans have been calling for by Creighton M @CP_McEleney Oct 9, 2016, 2:51p Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images In a move that surprised no one and pleased many, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany announced Sunday morning that Rutgers would be ejected from the Big Ten Conference "effective immediately" after getting ravaged to the tune of 78-0 at home by Michigan. Delany explained the decision during his press conference on Sunday: "Let me first start by saying I’m sorry for this whole Rutgers mess. Big Ten football has been irreparably damaged by my foolish and greedy decision to make them a member of the Big Ten conference. I basically created the BCS, and this whole Rutgers thing was still the worst idea I’ve ever had." "When a team gets beat by a combined score of 150-7 in its first three conference games, you have to sit back and consider whether or not that team deserves to be in said conference. We’re here to play football, not act like a (*)(*)(*)(*)ing charity for (*)(*)(*)(*)ty football programs that can’t pay their own bills" "This year, Rutgers is ranked 122 in total offense and 113 in total defense. They’re embarrassing to every other school in the conference, and that includes Purdue. Rutgers wouldn’t finish in the top half of Conference USA, yet I brought them into the Big Ten because I thought it would improve our brand on the east coast." "Rutgers still can’t fill all the seats at High Point Solutions Stadium, let alone properly coordinate an effort to have its fans sit in colored stripes around the stadium. I can’t believe I expected them to bring the New York market into the Big Ten. Those people will never care about Rutgers. I’m from new Jersey, I should have known better. Well, I guess this is why pencils have erasers. Enough is enough; I think it would be best for everyone involved if Rutgers just went away." Many are praising the swift decision by Jim Delany, who was criticized heavily for expanding the B1G to New Jersey in the first place. The Big Ten teams remaining on Rutgers’ schedule this year will be given an extra bye week since going through the motions of playing Rutgers is a glorified bye week anyway. The AAC and Sun Belt conferences have already released statements explaining that under no circumstances will they allow Rutgers to join them. Rutgers athletic director Patrick E. Hobbs is reportedly exploring a move down to the FCS level, though another possibility could be a move to the Big 12 who is both looking to expand and attracted to teams who don’t bother playing defense. Needless to say, this is a wonderful day for the B1G. We made it through this nightmare, everybody. Time to rebuild and move on.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016...ball-player-stood-alone-to-honor-america.html The day a college football player stood alone to honor America Todd Starnes By Todd Starnes Published October 17, 2016 FoxNews.com Lone football player stands for anthem while team protests Connor Brewer is fiercely loyal to his college football team. But he is also fiercely loyal to the United States of America. So when the Millikin University football team decided to protest the national anthem by remaining inside the locker room – instead of on the sidelines - Connor was faced with a decision. Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch: a must-read for Conservatives! Would he join his teammates in their university-approved safe space or would he stand on the sidelines and honor America? Connor chose to stand – alone. One of my readers sent me a photograph of what transpired on Oct. 15th at the private Illinois university. It was deeply moving. Connor declined to be interviewed – out of respect for his coaches and his team. So here’s the back story: On Sept. 24th several football players took a page from disgraced NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick by taking a knee during the national anthem. The community outrage was apparently so severe the football team decided to “forge a new path.” “Rather than have our message be misunderstood or misconstrued, we are united in our decision to stay in the locker room until kickoff during which time we will engage in a moment of reflection to personally recognize the sacrifice of so many and renew our commitment to living up to those most important words: ‘with liberty and justice for all,’” the team wrote in a statement that was published in the Herald-Review. Click here to join Christians from around the nation at Todd’s annual Fall-Getaway! So instead of standing along the sidelines and showing a little respect for the United States, the football team chose to hunker down in their safe space for some “locker room” talk. “Please let there be no doubt that we have the utmost respect for the sacrifice made by those who served or do serve in our armed forces, including many of our family and friends,” the football team wrote. ‘Therefore, it is our desire to do nothing that could be viewed as disrespectful of their sacrifice.” University president Patrick White offered up a pile of academic gobbledygook in defense of the football squad. “We all need to listen to voices and opinions different from our own and listen with our hearts and minds awake to difference,” White wrote. “When the issues involve race and justice and differing contentions of what patriotism mean, all of us can stand more education.” Well, I’m fairly certain patriotism does not mean burning Old Glory or spitting on soldiers or cowering inside a locker room while the “Star-Spangled Banner” is being performed. Historians may consider the events of Oct. 16, 2016 as inconsequential, but that would be a shame. Because it was the day an American citizen considered the cost and chose to defy the anti-American sentiment sweeping across the fruited plain. It was the day Connor Brewer, of Springfield, Illinois, stood resolute. That young man is an American patriot. Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.
Well, we're entering into the final third and the talking heads say that LSU under coach O will give Alabama all that they can handle. I don't think it will even be close. This weekend's intersting game for me is Nebraska vs Ohio State. I think OSU needs to make a statement and Nebraska will find themselves at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
