Random thoughts on Lane Kiffin to USC

Every time I think that college football season is over, I find myself getting sucked back in by some major breaking news.

At first, it was the news that Pete Carroll was leaving USC (some would say ahead of the NCAA posse) to take the job as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Okay, fine. It would leave a gaping hole for USC before next season, but that's life, right? Especially when a coach moves on to the NFL; since their season ends after college football, this is what occurs.

And so after the dust had started to clear and I was almost ready to write my reactions about how he would do in the NFL for this go-round. I think it's too easy to quickly dismiss his potential simply because he flamed out the first two times as coach. See Philips, Wade and Turner, Norval for more on retread coaches finally getting it together in the right circumstances.

But then, news broke last night that Lane Kiffin was bolting the Tennessee Volunteers after one year to head back to USC. He is bringing his dad, Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator, Ed Orgeron as recruiting coordinator and is apparently interested in hiring Norm Chow away from rival UCLA and bringing him back into Troy.

Which is funny, because I thought Norm Chow hated Lane.

Tennessee fans, obivously, are livid about Kiffin leaving. Unsavory things were written on the Rock, and there are pictures available detailing the scene last night in Knoxville over at Rocky Top Talk.

I can understand the rage that UT fans are feeling. And the students on campus, I feel for them as well.

Whoever gets the job will be the third full time head coach for the program in three years. That is a level of instability that no program wants to have ever—but especially not one that had two head coaches in 32 years.

And no matter what, we all have dream jobs. It sucks for Tennessee that Kiffin's just happened to open right now.

A Painful Way To End

My heart ached for Texas last night.

Not necessarily because I wanted them to win (I did, though. I had them and the over last night in my picks pool), or because I think Nick Saban is a bit of an insufferable human being (I do), but because of the pain that their two quarterbacks went through.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports encapsulates their nights pretty well.

My heart hurt for the true freshman Garrett Gilbert, who at one point was 1-10 passing for -4 yards and two interceptions—one returned for a touchdown at the end of the half thanks to an absolutely boneheaded play call.

There is no way that kid went to bed on Wednesday night thinking he would play beyond handing the ball off to Tre Newton in garbage time in the fourth quarter of the game. Suddenly, he gets thrust upon the biggest stage in the world. Talk about an actor's nightmare.

The kid showed moxie last night in the second half. It looked like the game finally slowed down for him a bit and he almost led the Longhorns back. If he had done that, it would have been one of the most amazing performances I'd have ever seen.

My heart hurt more for Colt McCoy. He was a four year starter and in the program for five years. He got to see what Vince Young did in the 2006 title game and had a shot to do the same thing: lead his team to the national title against a media-crowned juggernaut.

He could have been the second NCAA quarterback to go 4-0 in bowl games, joining Pat White in that exclusive club.

The reason he returned this year, from what I could gather on my own, is to have been in a position to win the title after being a stupid tiebreaker away from having the chance last year.

And on the fifth play of the game, just like that, his game and career was over.

You never want to see someone's career end that way, and while McCoy will move on to bigger and better things, it still sucks to see him go out this way.

BCS Doomsday scenario

So last night's Fiesta Bowl was a solid defensive struggle, and Boise State came out victorious over TCU 17-10.

For some folks, the game was an absolute snoozer, although if Texas and Alabama play the exact same game, it is hailed as a great defensive struggle for the ages.

I still believe that neither school was really served by playing each other and could have made a greater case for inclusion if both had played automatic qualifying opponents (Iowa and Georgia Tech).

But I've been doing some thinking about the whole BCS mess as I do on an annual basis, and I've reached this conclusion:

Boise State continuing to go undefeated and winning BCS bowl games is not going to be enough to trigger armageddon for the BCS.

I think the circumstances were in place for it to happen this year, with 5 undefeated teams heading into the bowls.

But the teams that were undefeated were not the proper schools.

Let's play the scenario out from December 5th, but we'll swap out a couple of teams.

Heading into play that morning, we had six undefeated teams:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Boise State
5. TCU
6. Cincinnati

Florida and Alabama were playing against each other in an elimination game, so obviously, we were left with five teams.

But what would have happened if we changed teams four, five and six so that the list of undefeated teams looked like this:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Iowa
5. Ohio State
6. USC


Yes, the above scenario could be plausible some years. Remember, the Big Ten does not play a total round robin schedule, so the potential for two undefeated 12-0 teams is in play.

(I know, I know; Iowa and Ohio State played this year. Let's assume that they didn't.)

Florida and Alabama still play their steel cage death match in Atlanta and someone gets eliminated. Texas comes through unscathed, and let's say USC beats whomever they are playing by about a touchdown in a low scoring affair.

So you have the Big Ten co-champs and the Pac-10 champ left out in the cold, hoping for a split title care of the Associated Press—assuming that they don't lay an egg in the Rose Bowl.

Yeah, let's have that happen and see if the agitation for a playoff doesn't begin.

New Year's Resolution and a (slightly) new direction

A new year has dawned.

A new decade has arrived.

And it's time for a new direction here at Pigskin Punditry.

Ostensibly, I started this blog with the best of intentions and the hope that it would be a place where I would rant and rave about college football; the good, the bad and the in between.

Well, previously, that has not worked out the way I wanted it to. There have been obvious long gaps between posts (as the "Terrelle Pryor said what" post demonstrates) and the care and feeding of this blog has been wanting between my day job and other family commitments.

But it's time for a change, and the dawning of several new eras seems like the proper time to take advantage of those changes.

In this new year, I am still going to follow college football. I love the game, no matter how broken its post season is.

However, count on seeing more posts from other sports: We'll go basketball heavy in the winter and leading into the spring with March Madness and the NBA playoffs; baseball will dominate the summer with some golf and other big events taking over for a bit, too.

Late summer and early fall will be given over to college football with some NFL thrown in as well.
I also will try my hand at some video logs during the football season next year in a new segment that is tentatively titled "Inside the 20."

This site will continue to be a work in progress. I welcome any and all feedback either in comments here or by email at pigskinpundit@gmail.com, or by twitter @pigskinpundit.

Terrelle Pryor Said What?

So I am sitting in the ESPN Zone in Anaheim last weekend having breakfast and watching the Ohio State/Navy game. I looked up at the screen when Ohio State took the field and blanched a little when I looked at Terrelle Pryor’s eye black strips.

Does that strip under his left eye say “Vick?”

What?

Nah. It had to be the lack of sleep catching up with me.

But lo and behold, Pryor really did have the word “Vick” written on his eye black.

Obviously, I wasn’t the only person who saw this; anyone near a tv screen saw what he had done.

When asked about the writing after the game, Pryor, a true sophomore, delivered this gem:

“Not everybody is the perfect person in the world…Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance.”

Again I ask: What?

As someone who holds a degree in communications, I’ve scratched my head over and over again trying to parse this statement and diagram these sentences.

I am puzzled.

But that leads me to this point: Terrelle Pryor has the right to express himself on his eye black if he so chooses. I may not agree with his convoluted reasoning, or with his statement, but he has that right, since there is no team or NCAA rule prohibiting this practice.

Furthermore, the idea of freedom of speech is something that most colleges and universities hold dear (or should) and consider central to their missions. The marketplace of ideas can only function if someone is allowed to make a statement that they then have to defend.

What bothers me is how inarticulate Pryor sounded in defending himself.

Maybe his words just got jumbled during the comedown after the tense victory over Navy. Maybe he would be more articulate if asked the question in another setting.

I wonder, though, how much media training players in all sports are given.

I’m not just talking about the superstars, but it should be something fundamental that every student athlete should go through.

I’m not talking about teaching student athletes the art of spin and spin control. I am referring to giving these teenagers simple training to allow them to answer questions (or teaching when they should deflect questions).

Some people are naturally more loquacious than others; the media savvy ones can handle themselves with no problem.

But everyone could use some basic assistance in knowing how to carry themselves and conduct themselves during group and one-on-one interviews.

These players are basically representatives of their institutions—and some need all the help they can get.

One Final Thought On LeGarrette Blount

I've been travelling all day, so I haven't had a chance to comment yet on the news of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount's season long suspension.

The suspension effectively ends his career, as he was a senior.

It's an ignomious conclusion to his career. The stat line is absolutely horrific.

Eight carries for negative five yards.

And one sucker punch to an opponent after the game.

As I wrote here, what Blount did was reprehensible and unconscionable. You simply cannot do that.

But as ESPN's Ted Miller wrote, let's hope that Blount can learn from this.

There's no question in my mind that this incident will cost Blount. He went from a possible day one draft pick to potentially being an undrafted free agent.

I doubt that he has lost the opportunity for an NFL career because of this punch.

The road to making it to the league has become much harder for him, though. The only film for the scouts to look at is the entirety of the 2008 season and this one sad night in 2009.

Yet if you have talent, someone will take a chance on you.

This will not be the last time we hear about LeGarrette Blount.

Let's hope that in the future, we are only hearing about his positive on the field exploits.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like LeGarrette Blount?

It was a decent game on the Smurf Turf in Boise State, although it was quite a sloppy victory for the Broncos.

But the real action took place after the game, as Oregon Ducks star running back LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State defender Byron Hout.

Now, Hout did push Blount in the shoulder and shouted something in his face.

But I'm sorry. Unless he trashed your momma or another close female relative, you don't punch a player in the face.

Hell, even if he did trash talk a female relative, you just simply cannot do that.

Things also began to escalate further as Blount had to be restrained by Boise Stadium event staff and local police as he started to charge at some of the fans sitting near the players tunnel.

I think that new head coach Chip Kelly has to have a long, long conversation with Blount. Considering that Blount was kicked out of practice earlier this year, I think Blount might be sitting out some more.

Because the behavior that Blount exhibited Thursday night was immature and unconscionable.

2009 Preseason Picks

As loyal readers should now by now, the Pigskin Pundit is not a big fan of preseason polls or rankings.

I am a fan of making predictions, however.

Except when I forget to include them in my opening column. Fortunately, that's why I also have the blog.

(Although now that the blog feeds into Bleacher Report, I think I have to watch my language.)

Anyway, here are my stabs at who I think will win the various Division I FBS conferences:

ACC Atlantic: Florida State
ACC Coastal: Virginia Tech
ACC Champion: Virginia Tech

Big 12 North: Kansas
Big 12 South: Texas
Big 12 Champion: Texas

Big East: Rutgers

Big Ten: Ohio State

Conference USA East: Memphis
Conference USA West: Houston
Conference USA Champion: Houston

MAC East: Bowling Green
MAC West: Central Michigan
MAC Champion: Central Michigan

Mountain West: TCU

PAC-10: USC

SEC East: Florida
SEC West: Ole Miss
SEC Champion: Florida

Sun Belt: Troy

WAC: Boise State

Mizzou Cuts Ties With Promising Frosh QB

Having spent a good deal of time drinking in Columbia, MO (much of it underage), I consider myself fortunate to have had the common sense to not get caught.

Then again, I wasn't a freshman vying for the backup QB spot.

After Blaine Dalton's second arrest on Friday morning, head coach Gary Pinkel swiftly dropped the hammer, booting Dalton from the team.

Again, Dalton was suspended after the first incident in April, where he managed to avoid being charged with drug possession because of 10 Hydrocodone pills that were found in his car.

Dalton was forced to surrender his driver's license as part of his sentence for the minor in possession he was charged with.

So, you're a freshman QB. You've had your license suspended and been suspended from the team for a minor in possession and traffic violations.

Why would you think that it's a good idea to get behind the wheel (after having had a few drinks) and think you can drive home?

Especially when you don't have a license!

It's simply inconceivable.

Michigan Revelations Speak To Larger Issue

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg has a good point with this blog post regarding the allegations coming out of the University of Michigan football program.

Part of the issue regarding the remuneration of college football players centers around the fact that being a football player is a full time job.

Yes, the NCAA mandates that players can only spend four hours a day and 20 hours per week on football related activities.

And if you believe that all programs strictly adhere to this limit, I have a lovely old bridge in New York that I'd love to sell to you.

Especially to succeed at the highest level in the sport.

However, I think that the bigger issue is that this has all been made so public.

I remember when former offensive lineman Justin Boren left Michigan and transferred to Ohio State. He made the point of saying that the program had lost it's family values and atmosphere.

While there is attrition in every program when a new coaching staff takes over, it does seem as if Rich Rodriguez has been cursed for whatever reason:

• The messy divorce from West Virginia
• The very public defections before last season
• The train-wreck of a season on the field
• Now these allegations

Of course, we all know that if this team comes out and goes 9-3 this season and beats Ohio State, and demonstrates a lot of positive momentum and progress, that some of the chatter will die down.

If this season is a clunker as well, then expect the already warm seat to get blazing hot.

Where Have You Gone, Mitch Mustain

The decision over whether Pete Carroll should start true freshman Matt Barkley or redshirt sophomore Aaron Corp at quarterback was rendered yesterday when Carroll announced that Matt Barkley had won the competition.

Opinions about whether this was the right move or not fall on both sides of the spectrum.

However, I wanted to look at this from another perspective:

Where the hell is Mitch Mustain in all of this?

You remember Mitch Mustain, right?

• One of the most highly touted quarterback recruits ever out of Springdale, Arkansas
• Houston Nutt wanted Mustain (and teammate Damian Williams) so badly that he hired their high school coach, Gus Mahlzahn, to be his offensive coordinator.
• Mustain went 8-0 as a starter (in the SEC, mind you) in 2006. Okay, so he was in the same backfield as Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Petyon Hillis.
• Nutt went with Casey Dick as his starting quarterback for the Tennessee game (and subsequently for the rest of the season), angering some of his backers (including Mustain's parents).
• After the season, Mustain and Williams transferred to USC. Mahlzahn went to Tulsa as offensive coordinator and has recently returned to the SEC West in the same role at Auburn.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Mustain arrived at USC in 2007 (his redshirt season). The 2009 season is set to kick off in less than a week.

Having been in the system for two seasons prior, shouldn't Mustain have had the inside track on the starting spot? Or if nothing else, have been neck and neck with Aaron Corp (who also arrived in 2007)?

Maybe this can be a case for not going overboard with recruiting rankings and potential.

Or is it just that USC was a bad fit?

Why No Big Ten Love

It's funny that I wrote a piece talking about four FBS conferences that I thought were searching for respect on a national level, and most of the comments address one conference that I didn't discuss:

The somewhat lamentable Big Ten.

Was it oversight on my part?

Nope.

I think the Big Ten gets a proper amount of respect given the current state of the conference:

1. Wisconsin is trending down
2. Michigan hit rock bottom last season and has to prove that they are on the road back
3. Michigan State lost some senior leadership and needs to prove that last year was not a fluke
4. Ditto Northwestern
5. Illinois has some work to do, although Juice Williams and Rejus Benn have the potential to be a dynamic pitch-and-catch duo.
6. Purdue and Indiana are afterthoughts at this point
7. I personally don't trust Minnesota and Iowa to be consistent at this point

Which leaves us with Ohio State and Penn State.

The lasting image for Penn State right now is Mark Sanchez and the Trojans running roughshod over the Nittany Lions. Couple that with one of the weakest non-conference schedules I've ever seen, and I feel like the Penn State season basically comes down to the Ohio State game.

Ohio State's task is tougher: They have to beat USC. No excuses. The game is in the Horseshoe, and USC's quarterback (if it's Matt Barkley or Aaron Corp) will be starting their first road game ever.

That is the game that can help raise the Big Ten's image; it rests on the backs of the Buckeyes to bring honor to the clan.

Update 8/28/09: ESPN.com's Pat Forde examines the Big Ten's respect issue.