What's an Entertainment Network to do???

EsPN's television arm has been in a pickle for a few years- they've got "sports news" programming which is supposed to be fair in its presentation of different sports stories...but they also have contracts with the ACC in basketball and SEC in football that force them to pimp their own self-interests and get a return on investment.

In the oughts, we heard that Urban Meyer's Florida squad was coached in such a manner that few programs in the country could compete with them, their speed and their overall scheme.  And when Meyer was hired at an Ohio State University, we were told that he would change the B1G with recruiting techniques and intensity that the league had NEVER seen.  Now, there's clearly an easy joke in there someplace about the methodology by which recruits are acquired and retained in the bestest conference ever...but I guess they were right.  aOSU's 12-0 record was a result of Meyer's recruiting efforts (please disregard that most of the impact players were from Tressel's classes...those guys are slow, plodding B1G types, I'm told).

But, the story got even muddier today in the EsPN initiative to control the college football narrative. An old Big Ten Olineman, by way of Iowa, then Madison, has landed at Arkansas to be their head coach.  That's right, in a shocking move, Arkansas hired one of the least-likable B1G head coaches, Brett Bielema.  He's been Wisky's HC for seven seasons and finished atop the conference the last three years...and his teams have done it by running the ball extremely effectively with hard running RBs and massive Nordsman lineman from the tundra of the Northern US.  That style of play can't compete in the super-duper-fast SEC, right?

I don't know, and quite honestly, really don't care if Bielema wins a game while at Arkansas...same goes for Urban Meyer for the Bucknuts. As you know, here at BS, we really don't like too many teams within the conference. Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt or unlikable schools and programs just make it easy to not like them. We kinda would like to see both Beilema and Meyer in the SEC together, honestly.  One used to cheat there, the other will soon cheat there...but they both suck (click here for a funny article; in hindsight).

But, our dislike for conference foes is outweighed by disingenuous pseudo-journalism displayed on a daily and nightly basis at EsPN (and elsewhere, for that matter).  If you're just visiting, before you say it, lemme explain that we aren't journalists- we're Purdue fans who give our opinion on what's happening in sports and other stuff.  We never claim to be journalists as do so many on the network.  Sure, there are a couple real journalists on that network Van Pelt doesn't seem to have been indoctrinated...and there are others...but they're tough to come by.  The company line typically wins out.

So in the very near future, as aOSU is in the NCAA football Final Four and Arkansas is competing in the SEC, look for the mothership to contradict herself with great regularity.

There's also a nugget of info from the Arkansas coach search that with which we Purdue fans can all learn- Sources had said Mike Gundy was going to be announced as Arkansas' coach just in the last few days...didn't happen.

Just as in recruiting, nothing is a done deal in coach searches until a guy is signed.  From what the Twitterweb (read as, our pal BMurph) is saying...that might be the case for our Boilers.  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Coaching Carousel Predicto!!!

All of these stabs in the dark predictions were written in the last twelve hours...and they're already out of date!

Kentucky has hired Mark Stoops (not Mike, mind you), the DC under FSU's Jimbo Fisher...but there are still a ton of jobs out there that need to be filled and a ridiculously-deep coaching talent pool.

Kick back, grab your favorite beverage and read as we throw some crap against the wall.

Away we go...


zlionsfan says:
It's college football's silly season, the time of year when athletic directors spend millions of dollars of boosters' money to fire the guy on whom they spent millions of dollars to fill the gap left by the guy they fired ... you get the idea. Often, this works out like a hole-in-the-wall bar: it's usually the same guys over and over again, just in different places, and there's always at least one guy who gets thrown out before the end of the night for being a jerk ... nobody can figure out how he got in or got a seat at the bar, and most everyone wishes he'd never come in to begin with. (NOTE: this is not Danny Hope. He didn't work out as a coach, but he certainly wasn't a jerk. Far from it.)

Some guys got fired because they didn't produce: Hope, for example. Some guys got fired because they used to produce and then ran out of something, like Tiller: Jeff Tedford and Bill Cubit fall into this category. Other guys got fired because they could only afford one good player, or because they decided that it wouldn't be a problem to switch to a completely different type of offense even though the offense they were running happens to be both popular and successful right now. 

Where will they go? zlionsfan doesn't know, but will happily guess. The only thing better than being a fool is being a fool on the internet for everyone to see.

Dave Doeren would be handsome in black and gold.

Purdue: Dave Doeren. Burke isn't messing around this time. Dwindling support and miserable performance changed his mind; with a stack o' cash and a new mindset (we hope), he won't make the mistake of hiring low this time. Doeren's openly available, he's already familiar with most of the area, and he runs an offense that should make Boilermaker fans salivate. (483 yards per game, more than 40 points per game.)

Arkansas: Mark Helfrich. John L. Smith was only a temporary fix; Arkansas really wanted someone who could keep the program near the top of the SEC, so they'll be focusing on candidates with BCS experience. Helfrich runs an offense that will put points on the board while you are still looking for a parking spot, something that might counteract the impressive defenses in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge and elsewhere. 

Auburn: Sonny Dykes. Auburn boosters want to win right now. No, really, like right now, in the middle of the week. (They should have thought of that last season. Maybe "recruiting" someone to replace Newton would have been a better move.) They want offense. Dykes has offense. They have money. Dykes wants money. (Who doesn't?) 
Boston College: Butch Jones. BC wants someone who can focus on both athletics and academics. If Jones can get UC players to achieve in the classroom, he can handle BC kids, no problem. His record at Cincinnati might not be good enough to draw the likes of Arkansas or Auburn, but it'll be good enough for the ACC.

California: Tom O'Brien. There are always some ADs who think the new guy just didn't have the right situation at his last job. O'Brien couldn't get it done in Raleigh, but he does seem to have an eye for discipline and grades, things that will be a requirement at Cal. 

Colorado: Eric Bieniemy. Jon Embree got just two years in Boulder before being thrown to the curb for ... not being Bill McCartney, I guess. (Who, by the way, went 1-10 in his third season at Colorado.) This was a poor move because Embree is a good recruiter and because Colorado already wasn't a good job to take; it's also noteworthy when a black coach is fired, especially when he wasn't in a good situation in the first place. Bieniemy is a former CU player and the current OC, so there wouldn't be much transition, and hiring a black coach to replace a black coach might take some of the pressure off the CU athletic department.

Idaho: Kent Baer. Interim coach Jason Gesser had the chance to seal the job, but the Vandals went 0-4 under him, including a loss to Texas-San Antonio, so he likely won't get the permanent job. Baer was a candidate for the Broyles Award, ran a solid defense at San Jose State, and is a former Idaho DC.

Kentucky: Willie Taggart. Joker Phillips had three years to get things going at UK; at the end, he couldn't even beat Western Kentucky. If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em, and Mitch Barnhart will do just that, but not after losing out on some bigger-name candidates. 

NC State: Gene Chizik. Something of a risk for Kay Yow, given the scrutiny other programs in the conference have been under, but she wants a winning program in Raleigh, and the conference is weak enough that Chizik just might be the guy to push them into the national spotlight. 

Tennessee: David Cutcliffe. After the mistakes that were Kiffin the Younger and Dooley the Younger, Tennessee can't afford another flop, not in the SEC and not with a giant stadium to fill. Dave Hart will make the safe move, hiring a former coordinator to stabilize the program.

UTEP: Andre Patterson. Mike Price basically said "I think you should hire this guy." AD Bob Stull wants to fill the position within a month or so, and if he's looking for continuity, there's no reason to go with someone other than the current DC. (Why not Aaron Price? Sometimes it works out better for the son to get a head coach position somewhere that his father hasn't coached.)

Western Michigan: Mike Tressel. The Broncos don't have much leverage, especially not now that the best MAC teams can actually hold their own with BCS teams, so they'll look in-state at some lesser-known assistants. Just as Eastern looked to former Michigan assistant Ron English (who was at Louisville before the Eagles hired him), Western will hit Michigan State. Tressel has had some quality experience under Dantonio at both Cincinnati and MSU, and Western can use his defensive experience against teams like Northern Illinois and Kent State.

I would expect Pat Narduzzi to go to one of the jobs that will subsequently open up, probably Cincinnati. Beyond that, your guess is better than mine.

Boilerdowd guesses:
Arkansas: Chris Petersen
The Razorbacks are mad as hell, and they’re going to spend their way out of their self-imposed outhouse hole in which they’ve trapped their football program! Hiring Petrino was a deal with the devil...and John L. Smith as a bandaid is simply hilarious.  But this time, they’re going to throw money at the problem and hope it yields superiority over Nick Saban’s Tide...plus, they probably want a guy that isn’t going to have any baggage.

Auburn: Gary Patterson
Like Ark, Auburn is ready to put a lousy hire behind them...and will spend the dough.  Just as Chris Petersen, Patterson has been the apple of a ton of program’s eyes for a long time...and, like Petersen, the time might be now to move since a ton of money is on the table.  Chizik’s buyout coupled with Cam Newton’s Dad’s contract (that they’re still dealing with) do cost a lot. But in order for Auburn to continue to pay for the players they’ve got, they need to fill the seats and win with regularity. They’ll get a very good coach in Patterson who will win right away with Auburn’s defensive talent.

Boston College: Dave Doeren
Doeren is a defensive-minded guy who is smart and isn’t getting paid as much as he should be.  BC is a school that is pissed off that they’ve dropped off so badly since firing Jeff Jagodzinski a few years ago for having the gall to look at an NFL job.  Football karma has kicked their arse since...Doeren would change that.

Cal: Tim DeRuyter
His career has taken him all over the country, but he’s a California kid at heart...and he should be a really good fit for the Cal Bears who are looking to compete with a conference that suddenly has a ton of good coaches...and Lane Kiffin.

WMU: Pat Narduzzi
He already recruits the state of Michigan for the Spartans...and WMU is sick of being mediocre. Narduzzi’s defense could make them a novelty, and a champ, in the MAC.

Colorado: Mark Helfrich

After multiple coaches and a ton of seasons of drudgery in Boulder, Helfrich will bring back the fun in the incestuous Pac 12.  Helfrich won’t win right away...but he’ll make it entertaining.

Kentucky: Charlie Strong
Strong has been winning at Louisville...and is used to not having a ton of academic constraints to contend with.  Plus, he knows the area...At Kentucky he’ll have none of those pesky academic rules that keep athletes from focusing on training...and he’ll win right away.

NC State: James Franklin
This move would be odd if Franklin wasn’t currently at Vandy...he’ll help the wolfpack win the conference in two or three seasons.

Tennessee: Jon Gruden
He’s told the media (read as his co-workers) that he’s committed to EsPN.  But, this guy loves coaching...and UT’s boosters and AD have a boatload of money to woo him back into it.  If I were him, which I’m not, I would enjoy the easy ride at EsPN as long as possible...but coaches wanna coach.  If Gruden outright rejects the Vols, Dykes gets the job.

UTEP: Bobby Petrino
If you’re too unethical to coach in the SEC, where do you go? The Southwest, of course. Petrino will have UTEP in the position to bust up the four team playoff in a matter of two seasons.  Like him or not, he wins.

Vanderbilt: Kliff Kingsbury
He wouldn’t win right away...but he wouldn’t need to...granted, this is completely based on Franklin leaving, and he might not.  But if he was hired away, Kingsbury would be an exciting pick who might be able to compete with every team in the SEC, except Bama and TA&M, within a few seasons.

Jones in God's Country??

Purdue: Butch Jones
I actually am still hoping for Doeren to be hired by Burke...and believe that the quiet leak that he’s no longer a candidate might just be his people keeping things on the DL as Burke and he hammer out the details.  Maybe not though...and it seems that the Jones rumors are legit.  Would you rather coach in the Big East as it crumbles, or take a slight pay raise and move a bit North and West for the might B1G 12/14/16? Easy decision.  Burke’s got the money set aside for a guy who can win right away...with Purdue’s team speed, Jones can do that.

J says:
I might as well just throw darts. That said, I’ll still be more right than these other two clowns. Here we go. 

Colorado – Chizik. This is obviously a wild guess but it’s a program in a big time conference that hasn’t had much of an identity for the better part of a decade. Chizik could blend in here and if he builds a team to 7-8 wins per year, he’ll probably be well-liked – unless he’s being paid an asinine sum of money. It would behoove him – since he’s filthy rich now – to take a modest salary with nice bonuses, so if they do shoot the moon, he gets paid. Of course, this is all very unlikely to happen because Chizik gets $208,000 per month for the next three years as part of his buyout from Auburn. Any salary he makes elsewhere gets deducted from that buyout. So we’ll see. 

Kentucky – Hazell. There’s no reason you can’t win some games at Kentucky. It’s a school that loves to win, has a strong alumni base and is willing to play the game, if you know what I’m saying. I don’t think Darrell Hazell is a cheater, but he’s a good coach (one I’d love to have at Purdue) and he built an 11 win team at Kent State that might go to a BCS bowl game. Surely he could bring UK back to respectability. 

Tennessee – Butch Jones. I just think that Gruden is fool’s gold. I don’t see why Gruden would want to coach Tennessee at this point. I know they have rabid fans and want to give him a truckload of money, but they’re financially strapped in reality and you’re still competing against the best of the SEC with no real recruiting foothold. All that said, Gruden would be an amazing recruiter. Anyway, I choose Butch Jones for this. Jones makes a lot of money (upwards of $2M) at Cinci so it makes it hard to pry him away for a school like Purdue (aside from offering conference stability). However, a school like Tennessee that is just dying to spend money on people they eventually fire, Jones makes complete sense. He also knows how to recruit in the shadow of a power, as Cinci is in Columbus’ backyard. 

Purdue – Doeren. We’ve heard rumors that Doeren is off the board, but we’re speculating that is misdirection as Doeren still has games to coach. I was tempted to but Hazell or Kyle Flood here, but I’ll stick with Doeren just because it feels like it makes the most sense from a lot of perspectives, including the type of guy he is, the background he has, the money he makes, etc. 

Boston College – Kirby Smart. Why not? No idea on this one. BC football is kind of a mess, but does have a proud history and thinks they are Notre Dame’s rival. Why not a young, defensive-minded coach from Alabama?

Auburn – Petrino. Auburn is willing to get down in the mud and “play ball.” They proved that in the Chizik era and are still being investigated as a result. And yes, Cam Newton’s situation was cleared… right. I’m sure his dad only offered Newton to other schools for a price and not Auburn – Cam just decided he loved that part of Alabama. Petrino will be perfect for Auburn because he’s a slimeball who wins. They’ll absolutely love him as they drunkenly scream at a scared eagle that slams into the press box windows. 

Cal – Helfrich. I don’t have a lot of basis for this one, either, but I think Helfrich will be a head coach sometime soon. He’s another guy I’d love to see at Purdue, but I see him fitting into the Pac12 a little better as he’s almost always coached in the West. He could get Cal’s offense flying again and they’d instantly love him after a lot of frustration recently. Sounds familiar. 

Arkansas – Dykes. Sonny Dykes has SEC written all over him. We love the guy and he was our top choice for Purdue (you’re welcome for the list, by the way, Morgan).  But we think someone with much deeper pockets will keep Dykes in the south. That’s another thing… proximity might matter in this instance, as Dykes is at La Tech and might not need to move very far. I see Arkansas for him because he just seems to fit to me, he’s not as slimy as Petrino (who as I noted, I think will wind up at Auburn) and he’s one of those guys that it’s fun to think about what he might be able to do with significant resources. Arkansas is a year removed from national title contention – it won’t be a long rebuild. From a football standpoint, this has to be a really attractive job. 

NC State – Kingsbury. I don’t know if Kingsbury is going to be a head coach just yet, but if he does get a job, it feels to me like it could be a place like NC State. Theoretically “big” conference but not top tier and thus a risk is worth it to them, yet it’s not taking a MAC job, something Kingsbury won’t do in my opinion. 

EMU Win: Unprecedented Game

This might not matter to many of you...but once upon a time, we wrote this site just to get stuff off of our chest about Purdue to our pals.  We didn't have rules because we didn't have many readers...outside of about 5-10 friends.  We'd write about Purdue football, and follow it up with politics...then talk about our favorite stadiums or women on TV. Every now and again, you'll see some of that nonsense creep in here...and on cue, we'll get quickly reminded of how we are here to entertain some of you specifically in only pre-approved ways.

But, even before we had readers...or the site, I religiously watched Purdue football on Saturdays. Back when I got out of school, I was told by co-workers that my passion for my alma mater's football and basketball teams would eventually cool to the point in which my Saturdays wouldn't revolve around the black and gold.  Well, 15 years later, my misguided co-workers' predictions haven't come true...but for the first time in about 20 years, I missed a Purdue football game last weekend...so in a way, my old co-workers were Nostrodamus-esque as they foresaw this trip in their collective crystal ball a mere two decades later.

Hell, a 9 years ago, when Purdue squared off against Wake Forest on the day of my brother's wedding, my brothers, Dad and I all found our way to a TV screen between pre-ceremony photos in order to make sure we'd still see the game...but two Saturdays ago, it was out of my control, and my streak was broken.

Along with a couple of my friends, I've started a company...and my corresponding travel schedule this month has been a bit of a meat grinder. I avoided missing the UND game; and Purdue nearly delivered an unexpected victory.  But this week, the story changed- I couldn't get to a TV or radio...and Purdue comforted me by delivering a comfortable victory...as expected.

"Watching" a game via numbers and stats on an application on your phone is only good when your favorite team gives you something to ease your concerns...and continues to predictably pour it on and leave no doubt of victory. But, if Purdue shellacks a crappy team and there are no highlights, did the game count?

Well, of course it does, but reading about the game and seeing still photos of big runs doesn't tell me all I need to know about scampers from Cottom, Shavers, Hunt and Anthrop.  BTN didn't have full-game highlights, nor did EsPN.com...which leaves the runs to my imagination...but the most-important stat doesn't lie- Purdue won another game handily, and their ability to make big plays doesn't seem to be affected by whom is playing quarterback...that's something we can all take heart in.

I DVR'd the game, and look forward to watching it next week, but first, our Boilers have to take care of business vers the Thundering Herd- a game that my co-founding pal of BS, J, has worried about since he saw the schedule a while back.  And speaking of J, let me publicly say thanks to him- he's run the site admirably without any help from me.  While many sites have a staff of 5-50 writers providing content, here at old school BS, it's really just J and I.  Sure, we tried to get some help last Spring, but they haven't been too interested in contributing this season. I don't begrudge them for it...instead, I'm just appreciative that the site keeps chugging along with one arm tied behind its figurative back.

I can't wait 'til Saturday though- this is a chance for Purdue to slay some demons that Danny Hope helped create.  And while I don't really know what happened v. EMU in Ross Ade, my eyes along with other results across the football landscape seem to be reinforcing the idea that my Boilers are a pretty damned good football team.  They can stop the run, they can run the ball, they're sure tackling and veteran-led.

Last year, when things were good, Hope and the staff seemed to let their collective guard down and poop the bed each time a sniff of success reared its head.  I feel like this year is different...and Saturday Hope, KK, Shavers and co. have a chance to prove it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to find a TV with BTN in  the heart of SEC country to see it with my own eyes...missing two in a row might be too much for me to bear.

Don't expect much B1G love this weekend.

J and I aren't fans of much of Purdue's conference.

It's fun to see these guys lose.

I won't be rooting for Penn State as long as their fans continue to worship at JoePa's altar.  aOSu, while not as bad as PSU, has a history of cheating and skirting rules...they rectified the situation by hiring the squeaky clean Urban Meyer.  On top of that, no one likes their fans...but people in their fan base.  Same goes for Wisconsin...and their head coach is a classless jerk who strives to be known as that. And IU, in spite of being completely unimportant, is still IU.

Outside of those four, the rest of the league is OK, I guess- we kinda like Fitzgerald, Dantonio and Hoke.  Sure, Pelini seems to be a surly, foul-mouthed jerk...but we still don't know enough about the 'Huskers to make a call...Minnesota is pretty harmless and the same goes for Illinois. And while Iowa is our most hated rival, we find their fans to be pretty fun to interact with.

As conference loyalty goes, I guess we don't have much of it...especially early in the season. Every time I choose to root for a team like Michigan, something like this happens.

We get a hard time on Twitter for not pulling for the B1G...and we really don't care.  The media (read as EsPN) doesn't like the conference...because they have vested interest in the SEC. Nothing changes that.  Our wanting to see Ohio beat PSU surely isn't going to change a damned thing.  But, days like today don't help the conference at all.

-The good guys, aOSU, Nebraska, MSU and Illinois all handled their business today.  The rest of the conference didn't fair well.

So I should be sad to see these guys lose?

-UM's shellacking at the hands of Alabama looks pretty horrible.

-Watching PSU get worn down by Ohio in Happy Valley was as bad as it seems.

I'll admit I almost like these Wisconsin fans.

-IU struggling with the mighty Sycamores of Indiana State and Wisconsin doing the same v. Northern Iowa might hurt more than about anything, short of losing to an FCS foe.

-Northwestern nearly giving away a game to a bad Big East team won't be received well by anybody...even those who choose to wear purple on the weekends. The same can be said about Iowa's squeaker over Northern Illinois.

Are our fellow Purdue fans angry at us not rooting for Wisconsin and others because they believe our opinion might change top-25 voters' opinions? Sure, BS is a powerful website...no doubt about that, but we don't affect polls too much.

And speaking of polls, when was the last season a BCS poll had our alma mater even mentioned in it? I'm not saying it's impossible, but it surely shouldn't be a big concern or worry for any us at this point.  When Hope elevates the program to the point in which Purdue is in the conversation, we'll probably change the way we think about and view the rest of the conference...until then, we are who we are, and some fanbases, teams and coaches don't deserve or receive any love.

It might be best for teams to just win and not play like IU did v. ISU...things generally work themselves out when that happens.

What EsPN Taught Me Yesterday

It's pretty well documented that we don't like EsPN when it pretends to be a journalistic entity.  Sure, they study up on the SEC for football and ACC for basketball, because they have vested interest in those conferences.  But, outside of Urban Meyer being aOSU's head man, there aren't too many storylines that interest the folks in Bristol about the nation's oldest conference.  Furthermore, when a football team from that conference is a middling to lower-third team, they don't care at all.

Purdue's not sexy...we get that.  BUT, if a network is going to spend four minutes on a preview on a BCS conference team...and that network claims to be a sports-related outlet, there should be some show prep that took longer to research than the final piece itself.  Clearly, on EsPN's "College Football Today" show prep is asking around the office and glancing at a Google search.

Adam Rittenberg is pretty good at his job...and he works for the crappiest sports network in all the land- he's what people inside of the EsPN family should call an expert.  Rittenberg knows quite a bit about what's going on inside Purdue football...because he reads up, interviews and prepares for the articles he writes.  Someone at EsPN's TV studios should give Rittenberg's card to David Pollack; the braintrust behind yesterday's Purdue season preview.

Reportering is hard.

Here are some things that the Entertainment Network told me about Purdue yesterday that I never knew.

-First, Robert Marve transferred from the University of Michigan to West Lafayette.  Sweet.  The poor guy probably has to pay his own tuition.  B1G fans know that intra-conference transfers are strongly discouraged by the league...so much that you don't get a schollie when you decide to make such a move (unless it's '12 and you're leaving PSU).  Sure it happens- UM's Boren transferred to aOSU after he found out that Rodriguez was an asshat...but it's not normal.  And while UM does stand for University of Michigan, Marve's former school was the University of Miami, Einstein.

-Second, Purdue never beats aOSU.

Actually, they've done so twice in the past three seasons...and thrice in the last six times they've played...but who's counting (not David Pollack).

Why not post a photo of Steele?

One of our favorites, Erin Andrews' replacement at the network, Samantha Steele, told me that it took two overtimes for the Boilers to beat the nuts in '11...And while I'm known to blackout from time to time in stressful situations, I'm pretty sure I only saw one OT last season at RA...but her error is much less egregious than Pollack's multiple boners on the air.

-Lastly, and most-glaringly, Purdue has secretly added MSU and Nebraska to the '12 schedule...all to be played in the last three games of the season.

This is big news to me...and I'm surprised that the B1G, any Purdue outlet and the Purdue Athletic Department itself has decided to keep this so hush.  Hell, even guys who are really in the know like J Money and TMill haven't let me in on this news...Jerks.

Regardless, I hope Purdue gets another homegame out of the deal...it'd be tough to play two more surprise road games...Dammit, I hope the coaches and players know.

Thanks to David Pollack, and his employer for never letting us down.  While our expectations are low, you guys always find a way outdo yourselves.  Schleps.

Texas A&M Will Fit Right In -- They're Already Cheering For Other SEC Teams

Regular readers know how much we kind of loathe the SEC's brain-dead fans who rub it in your face when LSU wins a national title... or when Alabama does...or when Auburn does. Even when they're, like, a Georgia or Tennessee fan or something. As I noted to the site Saturday Down South via Twitter the other night, it's easy to have "southern pride," as they call it, when you have a dozen favorite teams. As I've often noted, this is no different than me rooting for the entire American League East. It makes no sense and makes you look like the opposite of an intense fans -- it makes you look like a stooge in a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

When Texas A&M moved to the conference, I actually did think that they were a good addition in terms of intense/insane fandom. If you're not familiar with Aggie fans, people in Texas refer to them as "insane." We all like to believe we're loyal to our schools, but A&M alums are truly nuts about their fanaticism. And if you're putting college football destinations on your bucket list, I highly recommend you put College Station near the top.

All that said.... the Aggies joined the SEC this week and put out the below ridiculous "welcome" video, wherein A&M student do the cheers of the other SEC teams. What....the....F?

After the jump, see a lame attempt at... I don't know....conference spirit?

The Real Big One?

A year ago as the BT began to test the waters of mega expansion, the college sports nation reacted. But when it was all said and done and the B1G had made its move, a super conference in the midwest wasn't a reality, but a 12-team Big Ten was.

The Big 12 tried to slap a band-aid on its wound with a hastily- designed TV deal and conference re-structuring and everyone knew it wasn't a permanent solution...little did we know how temporary it would be.

The 10-team Big 12 will soon be an 9 team and with Texas A&M leaving...and like when the BT was changing, rumors are swirling about other parts- Mizzou (who clearly wants out of the B12), FSU and Clemson could all move to the SEC as well, and help form a 16 team, all-sport super conference. If this were to happen, what would happen in the BT?

My thought is that without a whale wanting to join and a greater stake in the Northeast TV market, no move will come from Delany and Co. In fact, I would guess it would take other schools coming to the B1G boss, not vice-versa.

EsPN was first to report the rumors of the new quasi-Southeast Mega Conference...and some reports directly contradict the whispers...but why wouldn't Mickey & Co. try to grease the wheels a bit? EsPN already has a heavy vested interest in the SEC and making this conference have longer arms and more TV interest would do nothing but help Disney.

We'll see what happens in the coming days/weeks...but it's getting interesting...Again.

Might not be smiling for too long

It's a Party In the UGA

Hey, remember some of those awful videos from earlier this summer? Did you think it couldn't get any worse?

If you were designing something for an SEC school, would you make it as lame as you possibly could? Well, if you worked for Georgia admissions, you apparently would.

Holy moly. There are no words for how awful this University of Georgia orientation video is, after the jump.

Yeeee-hawww!

The SEC is partytown, USA, ya'll!!

Drink it up, fools!

Another Test Passed

As I watched Purdue's game tonight against feisty Alabama, I was preparing mentally for what I was going to write tonight. And as the Boilermakers played lethargic ball in the first half and allowed the Tide to take a sizable lead and hold it for a long time, I began to think the theme of tonight's wrap-up would be one of some disappointment -- a test not passed. Which wouldn't be horrible -- losing to a quality opponent in the non-conference schedule, etc. But then things changes, and this game was yet one more building block for the special season we all hope we're witnessing, as Purdue won 73-65.

The Boilers came out hot, busting out to that 9-1 lead, while Alabama went 0-4 from the floor. And then the Purdue shooters went their customary, first-half icy cold. Good when you're talking a tall beer. Bad when you're talking a tall Boilermaker (named Rob Hummel).

Let's be honest here -- neither team was quite what they appeared to be in the first half. Alabama is good, but not that good. They played suffocating defense (more on that in a minute) and absolutely shot the lights out. I don't have the numbers in front of me for the first half, but 'bama was hot and was not wasting shots. They didn't need to rebound all that well because they were hitting things and causing turnovers. They were making the most of their chances.

Purdue, on the other hand, is not as bad as they looked -- I hope. They simply could not handle Alabama's pressure defense and full-court press. I can't count the number of times the Boilermakers made errant passes, lazy passes, dumb passes.... passes that lacked thought or vision. The kinds of passes boilerdowd used to make at Mrs. Boilerdowd during their courtship. You know what I'm saying -- sloppy.

The theory on playing a trapping press defense like that is to not dribble the ball, but to pass it immediately to keep from getting trapped. Purdue clearly planned for this, but it was almost to a fault. There were many times I found myself yelling at the TV for Purdue to dribble upcourt, dammit! When there's an opening and you can get 10-12 feet upcourt or, importantly, across the timeline, you do so. Yet Purdue continually looked to pass even when they probably didn't need to, leading to near-10-second violations on multiple occasions. This, as boilerdowd pointed out to me, is a great example of where Lewis Jackson's quickness and ballhandling skills would have been a invaluable asset. If you're an athletic team that's got Purdue on the schedule, you'd be smart to work on your trapping press defense. Yes, I know Tennessee did it, too, but I think we can all agree the Boilermakers looked a lot better against the Vols.

I don't know what went on at halftime, but it looked like the same two teams came out for the second half. Never a good sign. I was hoping to see, well, what we're used to seeing from Purdue -- a takeover. But at first it didn't come. Alabama stretched that nine point lead to sixteen and, I'll admit, I thought that was it for tonight.

And then the Boilermakers went on a 43-19 run to end the game. Ho-lee-sheet.

That was insane lockdown defense. Suddenly, the Boilers were intercepting passes and grabbing every rebound and pushing up the floor. And they didn't do it by getting hot and raining threes -- they did it in their methodical manner. Grind down the other team, continue to do the things you do well. That is, play strong defense....and the rest will come. And did it ever.

JJ, who had three fouls before ten minutes had elapsed in the first half, became a presence again in the second half and while he only wound up with ten points, his impact was noticeable. I had a great feeling as they closed the gap, seeing JJ, CK, Smooge and Ostrich playing their game. When we have our big guns out there, I think this team can hang with just about anybody. And yes, being the #5 team in the nation, they should be able to. But you know as well as I do that sometimes those rankings are only on paper. Or at least you should know that -- Jimmy Dykes mentioned it about 400,000 times during the broadcast.

As JJ was re-establishing himself, Hummel was putting together a great night, shooting well, rebounding, playing great defense himself. And, of course, Chris Kramer was a machine. That second half felt like the Rob and Chris show.

We've talked a lot about building blocks and taking steps and working towards a special season. This game is yet another example. Good teams do what Purdue did tonight. Lesser teams do not crawl out of a 16 point second half deficit on the road. Lesser teams do not withstand a 23-2 run by the other team. Seriously, look at that -- Alabama had a 23-2 run in the first half. They had a pretty intense student section, a pretty loud arena and a pretty focused team that fully believed they could and would win. And yet Purdue wore them down and made them cry uncle.

Are you starting to believe? Choo-choo.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• "The SEC on ESPN"? Since when? I thought ESPN showed college basketball...period. Why the affiliation?
  
  
• I don't need to hear from Jimmy Dykes any more about how Purdue hadn't proved themselves yet because they hadn't played on the road. Beating Tennessee -- a top 10 team -- in the Virgin Islands doesn't count because it was a neutral court. Okay.
  
  
• Dykes also called Purdue a "quiet #5."
  
  
• He also compared Rob Hummel to Kyle Singler, which, while, um, I guess (they're both white, after all!), I don't see what Singler has to do with this game.
  
  
• To Dykes' credit, he also referred to Kramer as "the best perimeter defender in the college game" a number of times.
  
  
• Enough about the Heisman. Nobody cares. If we cared, we'd be watching the Heisman coverage on the primary EsPN channel. I'm sure they're still talking about it. It had zero to do with this game. Dykes and Blackburn must have mentioned it at least a dozen times, right?
  
  
• DJ Byrd showed signs of progress but still made errors. He hit both his three-point attempts and was fouled on a third -- which was when Purdue had finally tied the game. And then he bricked the first to attempts. He also had a couple of costly turnovers when the game was still in doubt. Those can be rally-killers and while I'm still happy he's getting this kind of playing time, he needs to begin showing improvement. I think he took some steps tonight, but they weren't without some bumps.
  
  
• Curtis Shaw, one of the officials for the game, got into it with the Alabama student section and had a few of them ejected. I'm not sure he's allowed to do this, but even if he is, he really shouldn't be paying attention to the students at all. What were they doing? Yelling at him? Uhhh, so what? This is college basketball. What did you think you were officiating, Curtis? Thumbs down on this. The students did not appear to be leaving their (pretty cool) risers right near the court.
  
  
• More nuggets from Jimmy Dykes: "Purdue has mentally closed the gap to ten points."
  
  
• And another: "Chris Kramer is a one-man linebacker." (I'd be frightened of a two-man linebacker.)
  
  

Please feel free to share your observations in the comments. Great win.

EDSBS Proves the SEC is Sometimes Slower Than the Big Ten

Every Day Should Be Saturday, well-known and semi-respected blog, has a post up today about the recent hubbub we wrote about at the beginning of the week and then again a couple days later, even going so far as to chastise the letter-writer in a similar way to what we did.

Some sites get kind of bitchy when other sites appear to crib their material. I'm not saying EDSBS did that here -- I think it's more what I said in the post title. They're just a slow SEC blog.

(Thanks to Matt for tipping us off to this.)

Wednesday Gumbo

If you're like my brothers and I, you're chomping at the bit for football season. We all watched the Purdue practice tonight together as if it was a big game...and on Friday night, we're going to watch a high school football game...just because the jones is getting stronger- the end of the tunnel is nigh!

Watching the Boilers' practice on BTN, I took away a few noteworthy things-

-The offensive line and specifically, Ken Plue looks impressive and crisp.

-The interior defensive lineman seem to be the largest group of tackles that I can remember at Purdue

-Many of Purdue's receivers were struggling to cleanly-catch the ball. Even the guys that caught it bobbled an awful lot and used their bodies to gather the rock. Plus, so many of these young guys are just rail-thin. The lack of strength might be tough when Purdue plays bump coverage...Oregon's corners usually do; we'll know a lot early.

All that said, Keith Smith looked precise, strong and sure-handed and Valentin should be good as well. This coupled with the tight ends should help Purdue move the ball through the air, at least underneath.

-A lot of people in the program are excited about Elliott's leadership ability. In your opinion, when was the last time Purdue had a real field general leading the offense? That attitude alone might help the offense's level of success.

-I have a stronger and stronger feeling that ATM is not grasping the offense, and in spite of his talent, might not be too effective until mid-season, or after. The very good thing is that the other four backs should give him plenty of time to understand his role.

-While I really like the potential of Rob Henry, I'm worried about his throwing motion...it's reminiscent of Billy Dicken's. That worked out fine for both Purdue...and Dicken who made money playing in the AFL. But, for those of us who were hoping he was the next Drew Brees, think again...but Brees could never, and still can't run as fast or jump as high as Henry.

-Mike Neal benches 510. From the perspective of a guy that squats about 150-less pounds...that's perplexing. I didn't even know they made bench racks that could hold that much weight.


Jerks
If you believe Brett Favre came back to football to make his daughter happy or because the Vike's owner pleaded with him 48 hours ago to come...then, aw schucks! You're as simple as those who believe Usain Bolt is just a naturally-freakish athlete.

SEC Domination
I hear the SEC has banned students posting to Twitter and Facebook while at SEC games. AWESOME!!

There are so many stupid aspects to this policy...but I guess this idea is supposed to keep people focused on TV instead of the interwebnet during the games...or something. Regardless of the redonkilous reasoning, doesn't this seem nearly-unenforceable? I'm pretty sure every SEC student should send a Tweet to the SEC letting them know how little they appreciate this jack-arsed policy...during their first game.

The really good news is that Jim Delaney and Co. aren't following suit just because the SEC is so awesome and fast.

State of Emergency
I was watching UM on BTN's practice tour and noted that they have more indoor practice area than any other entity, professional or amateur, in America.

So, how do you think Aggie fans take to that kind of news as their AD panhandles the boosters for snack money for roadies later in the season? Alright guys, let's just shut this down- if you can't pay for a banana and bottle of water for each player, you should probably shut it down.

Other Junk
EsPN's new show "Sportsnation" fits perfectly on that network. It's awful. While the show has been on for a while (I guess) I always turned it because it looked like a commercial or a joke, to me. Turns out, it is...but the joke is on me I guess- I'll never get that hour back.

The SEC Argument

One of my golf buddies is an LSU fan, born and raised in Louisiana. The other day we were on the course and the subject of college football came up. And like every single other SEC loyalist, he trotted out the same tired line about how tough their schedules are, how they "beat each other up," etc. You know the drill. We hear it every single week from September through November.

And I am tired of it. Yes, the SEC has some great teams. No argument. Florida is a juggernaut at this point. And it would have been really neat if they could have played the second best team in the country, USC, last year.

But beyond that, my friend -- and many others like him -- then went into the argument that the conference is tougher, top to bottom, than the Big Ten. He used the same claim that if OSU or PSU were in the SEC, they'd be lucky to be mid-pack. Come on.

Let's just look at some facts. Of the SEC's twelve teams, eight (67%) were bowl eligible last season. Two of those powerhouses were Vandy (6-6 overall; 4-4 in conference) and Kentucky (6-6; 2-6).

Of the Big Ten's eleven teams, seven (64%) were bowl-eligible, with the worst being 7-5; 3-5 Minnesota.

I don't know what this proves. Really, nothing. But to look at those conferences and argue that, aside from national champion Florida, that the SEC is convincingly more dominant than the Big Ten is just media-induced hooey.

Let's have a Big Ten-SEC challenge and get it over with.

Thursday Gumbo

I've been out of the loop a bit...and it gets no easier in the coming weeks. We took a family mini-vacation at the end of last week and I'll be out of town for chunks of July...but fret not, J's holding down the fort, quite well, and we'll be at full-force as camp starts up in August.

While I was away, a lot happened....and I'm not even going to talk about the pop-culture stuff.

Big Helmet, Big Talent

Volunteering for Duty
Tennessee and Lane Kiffin got a solid verbal commitment from Evan Berry, brother of current Vol, Eric Berry...Evan has a lot of upside; he's 13. THIRTEEN!

Nice. And while I wasn't rock-solid in my thought process at that tender age I'm sure Evan's word is like gold...and I'm also sure he's a sure-fire blue-chipper. Have no fear, Coach Kiffin says he didn't offer the peach-fuzzed super-athlete...because that'd be a rules violation, and Kiffin wouldn't dare violate an NCAA rule!

George Out Officially
I told you this was coming over a month ago...it's now official. Tony George is no longer in charge at the IMS. Sorry to all of you who didn't believe me, I hope you've learned your lesson...the only thing I was wrong about was it wasn't a week, but a month before it officially happened. George's "resignation" sounds precisely like the terms of what George's family wanted. And they got it because the board decided it to be so.

Racing on Meth
I'm not a fan of Nascar, but I don't like hearing about things like this. Jeremy Mayfield, who is widely disliked, has tested positive for methamphatimine. A lot of people say he likes to party...well this isn't that. Due to his protest, the meth head was cleared to race this weekend. Thank God his sponsors don't agree with the court and don't want him in the car right now...nor do many of his competitors. He's brought this one on himself. Hopefully, he doesn't ruin the immense amount of opportunity he seems to be squandering.

Henry Rock Solid
Blue chip recruit, Xavier Henry and his brother are definitely, maybe going to be Jayhawks, says Bill Self.

X "committed" to KU and Coach Self...but had second thoughts as Coach Cal reminded Xavier that he always would be welcome at Kentucky. Xavier's brother, Carl, a current Jayhawk, thought, aloud to the press, mind you, that they might end up in Bluegrass country as the month of June closed. Now, once again, all is well. And the two Brothers Henry are "as committed as they've ever been" to coming to Lawrence. That must make Kansas fans breath a real sigh of relief.

Yes you, Coach Laimbeer!!

Detroit- City of Good Ideas
Some great news has been coming out of Detroit in the last few months...but the best news might have just come out yesterday. No, not that the Pistons signed Gordon and Villenueva, making the Pistons the NBA's UConn extension. The really good news is that the Pistons are using their WNBA sister-team to groom their future coaches.

Unlikable guy, Bill Laimbeer's name is in the running for the Piston's opening. And honestly, as a guy who really doesn't like the Pistons at all, I gotta say, I love it! Mr. Dumars- please ignore the voice of reason telling you to hire Avery Johnson...that'll never work. Go with the girl's coach.

Opportunity Now for Everyone
You've heard how J loves the "ONE" campaign...I do too. But, I like it even more now that I know it wasn't a Nike idea or the brainchild of a marketing company.

Purdue safety, Adam Wolf came up with the idea of O.N.E. to be an internal motivational tool for the team...and it took off. Who knows if this team, widely picked to be 10th or 11th in the BT, will make some noise, but it seems their perspective and overall mentality is right on. I don't know if their depth will allow a great season, but I'm beginning to believe that a 6-7 win season is a possibility. You can say it- I've been brainwashed...I'm OK with it. At least I'm not dreading the beginning of the season, at this point.

And if nothing else, Wolf, Elliott and others are right on- the opportunity is great this season.

Todd McShay Is A Handsome Man

I never had much of an opinion on Todd McShay, except that I was glad he was kind of challenging idiot extraordinaire Mel Kiper, Jr. for supremacy in evaluating college football talent.

But this morning McShay was co-hosting on ESPN Radio (filling into for the fat man / gay man combo) and he was asked to rank the college football conferences in terms of strongest to weakest. And despite the constant bashing of the Big Ten by ESPN and others, McShay actually referred to the Big Ten as "underrated," which made me want to hug him. McShay's rankings went as follows:

1. SEC (which would be #1 even if they weren't thanks to ESPN making sweet, sweet love to the SEC)

2. Big 12 (which I might argue with since yes they have some great teams but also a lot of lousy programs)

3. Big Ten

4. Pac Ten

5. Big East

6. ACC ("ha ha!" -- insert Simpsons sound effect here)

I think this is the most fair representation of the various conferences I've seen in a long time. Of course, I'm sure ACC supporters wouldn't agree, and I could possibly see flip-flopping them with the Big (L)East, but again, I can't argue too much.

Mark Schlabach Still Hates the Big Ten

Just a quick hit to point out that Mark Schlabach continues to irrationally hate the Big Ten. This is not the first time I've tried to find some logic in Schlabach's anti-Big Ten comments.

Buried in this "College GameDay Final" article, we find this nugget from Schlabach:

WINNER: Big Ten. Frankly, the conference isn't very good. But five weeks into the season, Ohio State is ranked No. 4 and Wisconsin is No. 5. With a stingy defense and improving offense (as well as a soft schedule), the Buckeyes are 5-0. The Badgers have struggled to win their past four games. The Buckeyes and Badgers play Nov. 3 at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

So let's look at this carefully.

WINNER: Big Ten.

Cool! Some props for the Big Ten!

Frankly, the conference isn't very good.

Oh. Then why are we "winners"?

But five weeks into the season, Ohio State is ranked No. 4 and Wisconsin is No. 5.

Ah, yes, disproving your previous sentence... I mean, how is it that a conference that "isn't very good" has two of the top 5 teams in all the land?

With a stingy defense and improving offense (as well as a soft schedule), the Buckeyes are 5-0.

So is Mark complimenting or bashing OSU in this comment? Is he fence-sitting?

The Badgers have struggled to win their past four games.

What's your point? Wisconsin is never flashy yet always seems to wind up with a solid record.

The Buckeyes and Badgers play Nov. 3 at the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

And that's it. That's his last line. Great reporting, Mark! Thanks for regurgitating what a refrigerator magnet schedule can tell us!

Did a fourth-grader from Madison, Wisconsin file this report for Mark? Maybe the rough draft looked like this:

"Wisconsin plays hard and wins. Ohio State is scoring lots and wins. These teams play each other."

And one more point on all this "The Big Ten isn't very good" baloney. What would make a conference good in Mark Schlabach's world? The Big Ten has two teams in the Top Ten. Here's how other major conferences break down:

Big Ten: 2 (OSU, Wisc)
Pac Ten: 2 (USC, Cal)
SEC: 3 (LSU, Fla, UK)
Big East: 2 (South Fla, BC)
Big 12: 1 (OK)

So, again, I ask what makes a conference better than "not very good"? You don't have to love the Big Ten, but we do ask that you show some damned respect. Does anybody meet your expectations, Mark?

My guess as to what makes a good conference in Mark Schlabach's world is one where Notre Dame is the charter member and wins the conference with an unblemished record every season, while Charlie Weis wears a toga and sways in a hammock while Schlabach feeds him grapes and pork rinds.

Why Does This Man Hate the Big Ten?

Mark Schlabach, when he's not ogling Notre Dame, seems to really hate the Big Ten. You can go back and look through the archives of his articles to find your own evidencee, but you can trust me; it's there.

His "Hot/Not" column for the upcoming college football season is out today and Mark, to his credit, actually admits that Notre Dame might struggle to win six games. Of course, if they eek out eight wins, he'll be able to write a fawning column about Charlie Weis' "vision."

He then goes into his hot and not baloney, and partway down we have this gem under the "Not" hot side:

Big Ten. Outside of Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and reloading Ohio State, few Big Ten teams have a legitimate chance of making the postseason. Michigan State and Minnesota have new coaches, and Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern continue to struggle. No wonder people are jumping off the Big Ten bandwagon.

Now people can say we're imaging things when we say Purdue often gets overlooked by the national media, but here's a prime example. And mind you, we're past the point of really caring anymore -- it's become amusing at this point, sort of like saying "Brock Spack" and "gameplan" in the same sentence. But look at that stupid-ass paragraph... first, he mentions nine of the 11 Big Ten teams, omitting Purdue and Iowa. Are the Boilers and Hawkeyes just that middling? Perhaps. But I also like the way he clearly put very little thought or research into that paragraph.

Was his thinking like this?

"Yeah, the Big Ten sucks... I mean, well, except for Michigan, who might be the best team in the country. Oh, and Wisconsin, who lost one game in the Big Ten last year. Oh, and Penn State. Um, okay, and tOSU, the team that played for the National Title last year after being #1 all season. But besides them, the conference sucks!"

And then "Michigan and Minnesota have new coaches." ...And? Mark? Hello? What does that mean? That they'll automatically blow? I don't follow. You need to finish the thought.

Then he finishes by thinking of the perennial bad teams in the Big Ten and simply lumps them together under the "continue to struggle" label. No mention of IU playing in memory of Hoepp, no mention of Ron Zook quietly putting Illinois back together. Nope, they just all struggle, so get off the Big Ten bandwagon now.

In a related article, Ivan Maisel goes on and on about how the best teams in college football are in the South, particularly trumpeting the loaded SEC. (At the end of his article, he also brings up Hawaii.) Of course, a quick check of the preseason Top 25 shows that 30% of the top ten is comprised of Big Ten teams (Michigan, Wisco, OSU) while only 20% is made up of SEC teams (LSU, Florida).

Hmm. Interesting.