Send in the QB's, Where are the QB's??

By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Managing Partner/Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online/Gridiron Draft Guide

I'm looking at various lists put out by the "big guys" regarding how they rate the Quarterbacks for the 2010 Draft. For the life of me i can't figure out what some of these guys are on. The Site with the "Acronyms" in it's name that has two supposed "Top Talent Evaluators" on it's staff and on it's airwaves claim that Sam Bradford of Oklahoma is the best QB in this Draft. Must be something in the Hair Gel fumes.
Bradford is talented, yes, but he has yet to impress many "real" Draft Scouts, unless some miracle lighting bolt hits Lucas Oil stadium this weekend. Bradford if you remember, spent the majority of the 2009 season injured. Unless he throws the football across the river and into the indy zoo, his status won't change by next week in my eyes. Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen isn't horrible either, but he's at least three full NFL seasons away from being close to a starter in my eyes. He suffers from "Tony Romo-itis" of his feet, amongst other issues with his game.

The Best "Big School" QB's in this draft are Texas' Colt McCoy, Central Michigan's
Dan LeFevour, and Cincinnati's Tony Pike. After those three, the next three best QB's in this class are at the FCS level. Number four is Jacksonville State's Ryan Perrilloux (the LSU transfer), then Fordham University's John Skelton rounds out the top 5. Skelton clearly has the best Arm of any QB in this class. Number six is Troy State's Levi Brown, followed by Holy Cross' Dominic Randolph at seven.
Too many independent scouts have underrated the players from the "lower" conferences for far too long. The Next "FBS" QB ranks at number eight, and he is Mississippi's Jevan Snead. Number nine is Northwestern's MIke Kafka, and rounding out the "Top Ten" is Oregon State's Sean Canfield. Below you will find (not in order) some other QB's we are tracking. You will notice that a certain QB from Florida isn't on my list. Again, unless he's hit by lighting, don't expect to hear his name called until late on day two if not day three of the draft.

Some more QB's that Impress:

Jonathan Crompton-Tennessee
Tyler Sheehan-Bowling Green
Tim Hiller- Western Michigan
Eric Ward- Richmond
Armanti Edwards-Appalachian St.
Pat Grace-N.Iowa

Our full ratings for every position will be published in the Gridiron Draft Guide (a combined work of Consensus Draft Services and Football Reporters Online, with assistance from the Black Athlete Sports Network) and can be purchased for Ten dollars U.S. at www.gridirondraftguide.com and will be e-mailed on April 4th and 5th.

2010 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: TEXAS VS. ALABAMA
by William Queen-Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online
(eds: note-William writes this piece from Texas' point of view. We will have a second piece from the "Tide's" pointof view over the weekend)

Texas caught the bad end of the BCS in 2008 and, due to a 3-team tie, was forced to sit out the Big 12 championship game which ultimately sent Oklahoma to the BCS national championship game. Though they ended their season off on a good note with a close win over the bowl-bereaving Buckeyes. Quarterback Colt McCoy entered his senior year with very high expectations, as he has yet to win a national championship. Well, needless to say, 13-0 closes the deal. Though their win over Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game was all but certain, the Longhorns still came out with the W and a ticket to the big one. Perhaps their biggest question was the level of difficulty they played throughout the season. But a #1 rushing defense complimented by the #3 scoring offense, stats don’t lie.

With more than a month to build up hype for this game, the media has yet to disappoint. Predictions shoot out in every which way, so why not give it a shot? Plus, with all this extra time to think about it, it better be good.

When it’s game time, the betting lines can say whatever they want, but the real football has yet to be played and the clock has yet to start ticking. But when they do take the field in the most important college football game of the year, predictions won’t matter and the experts aren’t any smarter than the fans sitting at home. Texas, Alabama, who want’s it more?

The game started out all in favor of the Horns. Sending Bama’s offense in reverse and sniffing out a fake punt, Texas had the ball on Alabama’s side of the field with tons of momentum. However, perhaps the most important event of the game, quarterback Colt McCoy left the game due to injury. But all was sound in Texas, as they were winning after a field goal. And as if things couldn’t get any more lopsided to start off the game, the kickoff is recovered by Texas on Bama’s side of the field once again. Yet, the Tide’s defense calmly held Texas to another field goal.

At this point, though every ounce of momentum is in favor of Texas, yet they only lead by a mere six points. A lead that could easily be overshadowed by a quick Alabama touchdown. Their offense hasn’t been up to par since the loss of McCoy. But if Bama keeps it up, it doesn’t matter who’s taking the snap, Texas has this game wrapped up.

Well unfortunately for Texas, the Tide are undefeated for a reason; Ingram caps off their next drive with a touchdown run from 2 yards out. Now losing 7-6, Texas fans are simply praying that Colt McCoy will come back on the field. But he’s long gone in the locker room and wouldn’t be seen for the rest of the half. A personal foul and a few incomplete passes force the Longhorns backwards and into punt formation and after a few of those go by, it’s only a matter of time before Alabama responds. Trent Richardson, Alabama’s 2nd string running back, runs a 49-yard game-changing touchdown and puts the Tide up 14-6.

More and more drives go by and Texas begins to realize that they have virtually no shot at scoring this half. Garrett Gilbert, the backup Texas quarterback, wouldn’t be able to throw a touchdown pass to save his life.
Actually, I take that back. With less than 15 seconds left, Gilbert throws a shovel pass to the running back and his pass is intercepted for a touchdown with just three seconds left n the half.

As a Texas fan, I died a little inside when I watched this play. A true freshman quarterback is forced into a situation where he’s the starting quarterback for Texas in the national championship vs. the #1 defense in Alabama. And what does he do? Throw an interception for a touchdown.

Just as the 2nd half starts, it is announced that Colt McCoy is not going to play for the rest of the game. A legendary career, one of the best quarterbacks of the decade that quarterback sneak for no gain was Colt McCoy’s last play of his collegiate career. Now, Texas has a dilemma. How do they overcome a 24-6 halftime deficit with a true freshman quarterback with almost no confidence on the biggest stage in college sports?

Starting off the half, Gilbert looked a little more stable offensively and started to make some connections with their talented receivers. However, the scoreboard stays the same and the Tide maintain the lead.
Drive after drive went by and Texas’ time started to run out. With under six minutes left in the 3rd quarter now, Texas was attempting to sustain an actual scoring drive. But their success simply didn’t change.
Just as Texas looked like they had absolutely no hope to pull this game together, the Horns get a great stop on defense and gets great field position to start off the drive. The only thing was, could they convert?
The answer is yes.

A 44-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Gilbert to Jordan Shipley sparks the life in Texas Alabama’s lead is cut to just eleven. And hey, while we’re at it, we might as well throw an onside kick in their; Nick Saban isn’t the only coach that can make up bad trick plays. The only difference is that this one worked. Texas recovered the onside kick with great field position with only an eleven point deficit.
The next drive didn’t go quite as expected though. All three downs were passes down field to big-time receivers Jordan Shipley and Malcolm Jenkins; all three incomplete. After the punt, the 3rd quarter came to an end and the final quarter of college football was about to be underway. Perhaps the most impressive unit of the 2nd half, the Horns defense held all three of Bama’s offensive drives to 3-and-outs; a great turn around by the Texas defense.

Alabama started off the 4th quarter with the ball and decides to put an end to all this Texas madness. A drive aided by two Texas personal fouls, one a pass interference and the other illegal touching, the Tide simply wasted time and helped secure their lead while they had the ball in their possession. Texas would’ve had em’ stopped twice before, but, as I mentioned before, two personal fouls put Alabama in decent position to make a scoring drive. On a 52-yard field goal, Alabama missed wide left and gave Texas another chance with just under 11 minutes left in the 4th.

At this point, you can see the game coming to a close. The time has almost winded down to a point of desperation for the Horns. Though it’s only an 11-point game, if Texas doesn’t score here then it’s not looking good.
Tic, Toc; the clock is running and the Horns offense isn’t exactly running along with it. Though the ball is moving down the field, the time is slipping away right before out eyes. Just over 6 minutes left in the game, in the season.
But memories of the 2005 national championship between Texas and USC start to flow back into the minds of Texas fans as Garrett Gilbert connects to Jordan Shipley in the end zone to cut the lead to three! Images of Vince Young running into the corner of the end zone, the confetti and all, seeping into the minds of Texas fans.

Mark Ingram won’t put up with it though, as he carries Alabama’s offense on his back to a few first downs. But once Alabama turned to passing, the drive stalled and were forced to punt with 3:21 left in the game. As if it could be any more nerve racking. Losing 21-24 with 3:21 left to go… in the national championship. The whole season is on the line and in the hands of a true freshman quarterback. The #3 scoring offense in the nation vs. the #1 defense in the nation, Texas-Alabama; this is college football.

The last hope for Texas, the game winning drive. First and ten on their own 17. And they fumble it. Gilbert got hit from behind and fumbled the ball and was recovered by Alabama with just 3:02 left in the game.
A season-breaking play for the Texas Longhorns, all Alabama has to do is waste time and score a touchdown from four yards out and they will have sealed the deal.

First and second down go by, both handoffs to Ingram, and still no touchdown. But the Heisman winner prevails and scores from a yard out on 3rd down to wrap up the national championship game with just over two minutes to go.
Texas started off fast, but when Colt McCoy went Sam Bradford on everybody and got hurt, the game plan for both teams were completely changed. The offense for Texas was forced to be conservative and helped Alabama go on a 24-0 run in the 2nd quarter. Though the Horns scored a touchdown in both the 3rd and 4th quarter, Bama’s lead was too strong to overcome and Heisman winner Mark Ingram was just not gonna let it happen. 22 carries for 126 yards, a 5.3 average, and 2 touchdowns, Ingram did not disappoint. Only a sophomore, this guy is a player.

The last time Greg McElroy lost a football game as a starter was in the 8th grade, an impressive streak for anyone who’s ever played football. Also, this is not only a win for Alabama, but a win for the SEC. This marks the first time in college football history that a team from the same conference has won 4 straight national championships. Quite a statement for both Alabama and the SEC.

Now, when it’s all said and done, the final score stands at Alabama - 37 Texas - 21. Not many people thought it would be Alabama by 16, but sometimes football is unpredictable; just ask Colt McCoy. Defiantly the biggest changing variable to the game, McCoy changed college football history forever.

International Bowl 2010-A Recap
By David Macbeath of Macbeath Sports Media-Special Contributor to Football Reporters Online

This past Sunday January 2nd The 4th annual International Bowl took place at The Rogers Centre (formerly the Skydome) in Toronto Ontario.  This years edition of the game featured The University of South Florida Bulls representing the Big East and The MAC Champion Northern Illinois Huskies.  Now USF who came into the game with an 8-5 record were taking part in their 5th Bowl game in a row (2-2 in previous 4 and having won The St Petersburg Bowl in 2009) would be going for their 2nd Bowl victory in a row as they took on 7-6 NIU for the International Bowl trophy.

Now the first half of the game was a defensive battle as USF were held to a total of -3 yards rushing and 98 yards passing for a total of 95 yards total offense while NIU faired a little better with 40 yards rushing and 101 yards through the air for a total of 141 yards total offense.  The entire scoring for the half came from a 39 yd field goal by Eric Schwartz following a 6 play 27 yd drive which ate 2:36 and a 21 yd field goal by Mike Salerno following a 3:55 minute drive to tie the score at the half 3-3. 

The second half was a different story as JR Running Back Mike Ford rushed for 189 yds. and 1 Touchdown on 19 carries for a game total of 20 carries for 207 yds. on the ground becoming only the third RB to rush for 200+ yds. in a game along with Ray Rice of Rutgers (Now with Baltimore) who rushed for 280 yds. in 2008 and Donald Brown of Connecticut (now with Indianapolis) who rushed for 261 yds. in his final NCAA game last year.  Ford also set an International Bowl record for rushing average with a 10.7 yd per carry avereage and was named game MVP.

Also major contributors were QB B.J. Daniels who had a good day going 14 of 22 for 217 and 2 TDs with 0 INTs and was sacked 5 times and WR A>J> Love a 6'3" JR who caught 3 balls for 56 yds and 2 TDs as USF won 27-3.  Now USF wasn't just strong on offense they were good on defense as well with SR CB Jerome Murphy picking up one fumble for 13 yds. and also added an INT return of 23 yds. along with 6 tackles (2 solo and 4 assists) leading the way as The Bulls held NIU to 108 yds. rushing and 130 yds. passing for 238 total yds. and only 3 points in the game. 

Leading the way for NIU was JR RB Chad Spann who rushed for 96 yds. while adding another 30 yds. through the air for 126 yds. on the day.  Husky QB Chandler Harnish went 12 of 25 for130 yds. and no TDs with one INT.  Rounding out the scoring  was Eric Schwartz who hit on field goals of 39 and 19 yds. plus added 3 PATs for a total of 9 points as The USF Bulls defeated The NIU Huskies 27-3 in front of over 22,000 fans.

So I wrap this up by saying if you want to see great live NCAA Bowl action be sure and come to the 2011 International Bowl game to be played in January 2011.  I guarantee that the committee headed by Ken Hoffman and Don Loding will once again give you an event that all can enjoy from young to young at heart.  Check out my blog later today to see another story from the game on the teams that took part and the events around the game.  In the mean time follow and support your local teams be they youth or adult, Pro or amateur.  You'll be glad you did.

SEC Bowls Part 2
A look at how the SEC has fared in bowl games thus far
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer-Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Outback Bowl
Auburn 38 Northwestern 35
This was one of those games you had to be at to enjoy to the fullest. There was offense all day and some crazy plays and in the end Auburn and first year coach Gene Chizik had their bowl win. There was over 1,000 yards of offense that included a 47-78 for 532-yard performance by Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka. He had four touchdown passes but was picked five times. Two of those were in the end zone with one returned 100 yards for an Auburn score. The win would not come easy as the Tigers gave up over 600 yards on defense with two Wildcat receivers getting over 200 each. They committed 12 penalties for 140 yards and had only 18 first downs. They won the turnover battle forcing six. Ben Tate ran strong and finished with 108 yards on 20 carries with a pair of scores. At one point it was 35-21 but Northwestern came storming back. They almost won the game on an Auburn mistake but the Tigers held on and finished the year at 8-5. They will look to see what their younger players bring to the table for next year. Chizik won the most games for a first year coach
At Auburn since Tommy Bowden went undefeated in 1993. We will see if he can take them one step further as they have a chance to compete in the West of the SEC in 2010.
 
Cotton Bowl
Mississippi 21 Oklahoma State 7
Once again it was the Dexter McCluster show on display. He was named offensive MVP after his 34 carry 184-yard performance. It started in the second quarter when he took a handoff and went 86 yards for the score. On the play his breakaway speed was clearly evident. Jevon Snead however had a tough night going 13-23 for just 168 yards and three interceptions. The story of this game was the Ole Miss defense and the game they had. They forced six of the Cowboys seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. They gave up only nine first downs and 259 total yards. They also held the Cowboys to 2-13 on third down conversions and held the ball for almost 10 minutes more. Still it was all about McCluster and the show he put on. It was an ugly game with a lot of mistakes by both teams. Two teams that were supposed to be amongst the best in the nation just didn’t pan out. What transpired for both was the truth that they were playing just a bit out of their leagues.
 
Papajohns.com Bowl
Connecticut 20 South Carolina 7
This was one of those games where the offenses decided not to show up. South Carolina was such a disappointment that coach Steve Spurrier called it embarrassing. Quarterback Stephen Garcia called it disappointing and one would hope he meant himself. Garcia was a miserable 16-38 for only 129 yards and an interception. He also had a fumble and led his team in rushing with 56 yards. Both teams combined for less than 500 yards of offense and 29 first downs. The Gamecocks were just 3-15 on third downs and could not run the ball or get their offense on track. It was as if the desire to play had left them before they ever showed up. Andre Dixon ran all over them for 126 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown. Still the theme here was not offense and it did not fall well with the Ole ball coach. He knows that he needed and wanted a strong finish to get off on the right foot for next year.
 
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas 20 East Carolina 17
This one can be billed the Great Escape for the Hogs as they got away with a win over the Pirates. They were pushed around and basically dominated by East Carolina. They had only 10 first downs and 81 yards rushing. They had the ball for just 22 minutes and did not make the most of that. The worst stat of all was the fact that they were 0-13 on third downs. What helped them more than anything was opposing kicker Ben Hartman. He had chance after chance to be a hero but instead missed field goals in regulation and overtime that would have won the game for the Pirates. Yet when the Razorback had a chance to win the game they found a way t give the ball right back and then Hartman missed again. It was a sloppy performance but in the end it added up to a win. Ryan Mallett had been looking sharp recently but was ineffective though he was named MVP. Dominique Lindsay was the show for the Pirates running for 151 yards on 33 carries and some of those were of the smash and crunch kind. The one bright spot for the Hogs was kicker Alex Tejada and his game winning kick. He had been struggling on occasion this season and the kick helped end his season on a positive note

             ACC Bowls
A look at how the ACC has fared in bowl games thus far
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Pittsburgh 19 North Carolina 17
All year long the Tar Heels have been sound on defense. They came in ranked sixth in the nation overall and in the top ten against the rush. On this day neither would matter as they watched Pitt back Dion Lewis get 159 yards on 28 carries, gave up a huge fourth down conversion and could not stop Pitt when it counted most. Lewis in the meantime climbed the Pittsburgh rushing charts with his 10th 100-yard game of the year. He also broke Tony Dorsett’s freshman rushing mark that has stood since 1973 and finished the year with 1,799 yards. The worst for the Carolina defense came when they failed to stop Pittsburgh on their game winning drive. The Panthers drive lasted 8:47 on 17 plays that culminated in the winning field goal. By the time the Heels got the ball back there was less than a minute to go and they turned it over on downs. The offense tried to do its part, as quarterback T.J. Yates was 19-32 for 183 yards and two touchdowns passes to Greg Little. The running game was not as effective with Ryan Houston accounting for all the yards (83). Little had the two scores while catching seven passes for 87 yards. So the season ends up at 8-5 with back to back winning bowl seasons. There has been progress but coach Butch Davis knows that he needs more skill players on offense to compete for the ACC crown. The mistakes they made like a fumble here and a pick there sealed their fate. These are the things teams have to overcome when players are taken out of their normal environment. They go to these cities, face the hoopla and media, and can get distracted. We won’t know this for sure but it is something to think about when your strength loses you the game.
 
Emerald Bowl
USC 24 Boston College 13
The so-called question here was would the Trojans be pumped up for this game. Well maybe they were but their play didn’t exactly show that. It was a lackluster performance that mirrored the season this team has had. For the last seven years USC has played in a BCS bowl. They are a program use to playing, or at least competing for a national championship. This year they had losses they were not use to. They got ranked in positions this university is unaccustomed to. They got off to a fast start in this one going up 14-0 but ended the half up 14-13. Without star running back Joe McKnight the ground game was adequate at best accounting for a un-USC like 88 yards. They had to rely more on the arm of Matt Barkley but he threw two key picks to keep B.C. in the game. Damian Williams was spectacular grabbing 12 passes for 189 yards but did not have a touchdown. It may have been the last game of his career as he decides if he will return for his senior year. The Eagles were able to stay close but made mistakes at key moments and could not take advantage of a sluggish USC team. Dave Shinskie was just 14-33 for 218 yards with one pick and one touchdown pass. Wide receiver Rich Gunnell had six catches for 130 yards including a 61-yarder for a score. Maybe if B.C. had the ball more they would have fared better but it was not to be. It was their second straight bowl loss and they end up 8-5. Again here is another team that just needs to plug some holes and they could also compete in this conference. They had their chances to win this one but gave it away.
 
Champs Sports Bowl
Wisconsin 20 Miami 14
Miami came into this game looking for a win to end a good season. They came in with the advantage in speed and athleticism. What they got was a good old fashion whipping Big 10 style. The Badgers used their power in running back John Clay (22-121 and two td’s), and tight ends Lance Hendricks (7-128) and Garrett Graham (6-77). Each ran all over the Canes especially Clay, the Big 10 player of the year. He went inside and outside and even ran over some in the process. Miami quarterback Jacory Harris has shown some flashes this year but has also shown inconsistencies too. He finished 16-29 for 188 yards and one touchdown but was sacked five times and punished often. On top of that Wisconsin held the ball for nearly 40 minutes to slow the Canes offense even more. They were held to 14 first downs, 2-11 on third down and 249 total yards.  The running game was completely shut down getting just 61 yards and when they had a chance to win it they failed on a fourth down to end it.  The Miami defense fared no better as the Badgers racked up 430 yards that included 170 on the ground. After a few years in what would be considered obscurity the Canes finished at 9-4 with hopes for next year. Now they will have to take note of this game to be prepared for bigger and stronger teams.
 
Gator Bowl
Florida State 33 West Virginia 21
It was a fine last day on the job for a legend. Bobby Bowden was in the Gator bowl facing his alma mater and former walk-on in WVU head coach Bill Stewart. What transpired was a huge sendoff for a man that saved football in Tallahassee and made a name for “wide right”. One had to wonder what his team would give on this emotional day. Bowden has long been the face of Seminole football. They came out flat and gave up 14 points in the first quarter to go down 14-3. RB Jermaine Thomas and K Dustin Hopkins took over from there and Florida State would outscore WVU 30-7 the rest of the way. Thomas finished with 25 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns while Hopkins kicked field goals of 26, 42, 22 and 37 yards. Quarterback E.J. Manuel also shined going 17-24 for 189 yards and no turnovers. He also added a 2-yard scoring run to make it 30-23 after the Mountaineers had pulled to within two. When the game was over the stats would show that Florida State had the ball for 37:07 and were 7-14 on third down conversions. It will show the no turnovers and 415 total yards. What they didn’t show was the heart of a team playing for a coach they love and respect. It showed that when they were down they could have mailed it in but chose to play even harder. Jimbo Fisher takes over next week and he has more than big shoes to fill. He has a mountain to climb and time will tell if he can put his own stamp on this team. Tell Fisher not worry about matching the guy before him because you will have to coach to you are 100 for the reviews.
 
Ga Tech vs Iowa to come
 
Note: Other ACC teams in bowl games covered in SEC Bowls Review

         SEC Bowl Season Part 1
     A look at how the SEC has fared in bowl games thus far
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
Music City Bowl
Clemson 21 Kentucky 13
It was another cold day in Nashville and the fans not only represented the teams playing, they also wore jerseys of their favorite college teams. It was definitely a college type atmosphere with the face paint and the bands playing loudly. Clemson came in with the ACC player of the year in C.J. Spiller and he did not disappoint. He had 15 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 58 yards as well as his usual return yards. In all he had 172 all-purpose yards and became the first player in the ACC to have 1,00 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same year.  Even though the stats will show that Kentucky had the advantage it was Clemson that made the most of its opportunities. They were able to keep the Wildcats from scoring holding them to 6-16 on third downs. Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton was only 13-23 for 98 yards but had a chance for a big play. With 5:39 left in the fourth Kentucky went for it on fourth and eight but Newton could manage just seven of those yards and Clemson began to celebrate. After the game Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks said he was 80% sure he would retire. Well I am not exactly sure what that means but he was trying to get his fourth straight bowl win and fell short. As for Spiller, well he will now move on to the next level and see if he can be as productive there as he has been in his career at Clemson. The Tigers end the season 9-5 and won their first bowl game in four years. Kentucky was in it but could not capitalize and will see where the program goes now if Joker Phillips takes over soon. They finished 7-6, which is probably a game worse than they should have but give them credit as an SEC representative.
 
Independence Bowl
Georgia 44 Texas A&M 20
It has not been the type of season that Georgia would have hoped for so they came into this one hungry. What they got was bailed out by their excellent special teams play that lead to 24 points. They were able to block two kicks and got a spectacular 81-yard kickoff return from Brandon Boykin. Quarterback Joe Cox went 15-28 for 158 yards and two touchdowns and a pick. The running game was effective as they got 208 yards and two touchdowns. On the downside they gave up 471 total yards to the Aggies with QB Jerrod Johnson accounting for 362 on 29-58 passing. He did have two touchdowns but threw two picks that helped the Bulldogs in the third. It was a spectacular defensive effort by the Dawgz considering they had fired their defensive coordinator and two others on that side of the ball. Then in the second half the offense showed up and out scored A&M 30-13 for the winning margin. Head coach Mark Richt will end his season with a little satisfaction after this one. It could have been so much worse but players like Caleb King (16-60 and two scores) and the special teams would not let them give in on this day. The season ends at 8-5 for a team that had hoped to compete for the SEC crown. It won’t get any easier next year but that is football in this conference.
 
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia Tech 37 Tennessee 14
It has been a crazy season for the Volunteers. First, they lose they long time coach Phillip Fulmer and watch Lane Kiffin take over and take on all comers. He has opened his mouth when some said he shouldn’t have and has stirred up feeling among coaches in the SEC. There have been violations and drama in Knoxville. So it came down to this game against the Hokies to see if they could end it on a good note. What they could not do was run the football at all. They had a total of five yards on the ground and 240 total yards. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton made some key errors when he was picked to set up a touchdown and then fumbled late to set up another. The offense was on the field for just 26 minutes and could never get any momentum. Meanwhile, the Hokies were getting another big game from their freshman sensation runner Ryan Williams (25-117 and two touchdown runs). He finished the year with 1,655 yards to become Tech’s single-season leader, and his 21 rushing touchdowns and 22 total set the ACC mark. Tech had a balanced offense all day getting 229 yards on the ground and 209 through the air. They also outscored the Vols 20-0 in the second half when the Tennessee seamed to have lost interest. It was the first time Tech has won back-to-back bowls in school history.
 
Sugar Bowl
Florida 51 Cincinnati 24
It has been one of the best four-year runs in college football history and AT&Tebow left his best for last. If anyone wondered if the Gators would come to play Tebow answered them soundly. He threw for a career-high and a BCS record 482 yards on 31-35 passing. He had three touchdown passes and added 52 yards rushing. In all he had a whopping 533 of offense and coach Urban Meyer was sent off with a win in what may be his last game. Cincinnati was looking forward to playing this game to show it could hang with and SEC team and to win it after losing their coach to another job. What they found was a defense unlike any other they had faced all year. The Gator defense held Cincy’s offense to 246 total yards and never let them in the game. The loss of Brian Kelly to Notre Dame may have hit them harder than they thought it would. Florida would finish with a Sugar Bowl-record 659 yards and it ended one of the best careers ever witnessed. They are also the first team to win 13 games two straight years in history. Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez were the beneficiaries of Tebow’s great day. Cooper finished with seven catches for 181 yards and a score and Hernandez chipped in with nine grabs for 111 yards and his own touchdown. In the end it was all about Tebow and his will to win. He came in determined to lead his team to victory and rallied his troops all day. At the end it was Tebow and Meyer walking off together after four great years. It will be on to the NFL now for Tim and we will see what decision coach Meyer makes. Whatever happens to the two of them form here on out they have given us some of the best memories in recent college football memory.

Rose Bowl Preview- Ohio State vs. Oregon
By Nick Haswell for Football Reporters Online

On September 4th, the Oregon Ducks were sitting with a 0-1 record after a decisive loss to the Boise State Broncos 19-8. LaGarrette Blount, a 1,000 yard rusher in 2008, was suspended for the season after his infamous punch to Boise State’s Byron Hout just after the game. New Head Coach Chip Kelly was facing adversity early in his head coaching career. On January 1st, the Oregon Ducks will be in Pasadena, California taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2010 Rose Bowl. What happened in the four months between September and January for the Oregon Ducks was nothing short of a story book season. The Ducks will be playing in just their fifth Rose Bowl and their first since the 1995 season.

After the season opening loss to Boise State, Oregon rattled off 10 wins in 11 games. Their only loss was to Stanford on November 7th 51-42. Four of their wins were against top 25 teams (Utah, Cal, USC, and Oregon State). Their win over Cal was when the Golden Bears were ranked number six in the nation at the time, and their victory over USC was when the Trojans were ranked number five. The Ducks won those two games by a combined score of 89-20.

Oregon enters the Rose Bowl with one of the highest powered offense in the country. They rank 25th in Total Offense with 424.7 yards per game, sixth in Rushing Offense with 236.1 yards per game, and seventh in scoring with 37.7 points per game. The offense starts with the exceptional play of Junior Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. He is the key to the Ducks spread offense. After a slow start, Masoli finished 2009 with 2066 yards passing, 15 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He also added 659 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. LaGarrette Blount’s suspension gave way to Redshirt Freshman’s LaMichael James’ emergence in the Duck backfield. James developed into a star by running for 1476 yards and 14 touchdowns, while gaining 6.9 yards per carry. Masoli’s two favorite targets through the air are receiver Jeff Maehl (686 yards and six touchdowns) and athletic Tight End Ed Dickson (551 yards and six touchdowns).

Oregon’s defense has been strong for most of the season. Their statistics are middle of the pack for the NCAA, but they rank third in the Pac 10 in total defense and pass defense. And while they rank fifth in rush defense in the Pac 10, they rank first in average yards per carry (3.4 yards per carry). Their 32 sacks also rank third in the Pac 10 and tied for 22nd in the nation. The Ducks are second in the Pac 10 with 13 interceptions. Led by speedy linebackers Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger, and their versatile safety TJ Ward, the Oregon defense is an underrated unit that could surprise everyone with their play versus Ohio State.

Just like with Oregon’s offense and Jeremiah Masoli, Ohio State’s offense revolves around Quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor has struggled throwing the ball, completing just 55.8% of his passes for 1828 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. But Pryor also is the Buckeyes’ leading rusher with 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Pryor’s favorite target is sophomore receiver DeVier Posey (52 receptions, 727 yards, and seven touchdowns). Posey has caught almost twice as many passes as the second leaving receiver, Dane Sanzenbacher (27 receptions).

But the big reason Ohio State finished the 2009 season 10-2 is their defense. The Buckeyes rank fifth in the country in points per game given up (12.2), fifth in total defense (262. 5 yards per game), fifth in rush defense (83.4 yards per game, and 17th in pass defense (179.1 yards per game). Ohio State also ranks second in the FBS in interceptions with 23.

The 2010 Rose Bowl is a matchup between teams with different football philosophies and will be a clash of differing styles. Will Oregon’s fast-paced, no huddle offense be able to break through the rock solid Ohio State defense? Who will win the matchup between Oregon’s fast, aggressive defense and Ohio State’s conservative offense? Can Ohio State rebound from their past BCS Bowl failures? The Ducks speed and offense appear to be too much for Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Look for Oregon to get several big plays against the Buckeye defense and the Ohio State offense struggle versus the Duck speed on defense as the Ducks win 31-17.

Texas Tech ousts Mike Leach

By John Kelly- Senior Writer-Midwest/Northeast Correspondent-Football Reporters Online
LUBBOCK, Texas- The Big 12 became the Gulag of College Football in 2009. The first general dishonorably discharged was Mark Mangino was. Today, another highly decorated general has been sent packing.
Mike Leach, the creator of the Air Raid offense, has been fired from Texas Tech.
Ted Liggett, Mike Leach’s attorney, received a letter of termination by the school this morning. Both sides were set to appear in a Lubbock, Texas courtroom for a hearing on the coach's suspension.
Liggett says the letter states, that “Mike Leach is terminated with cause effective immediately."
Texas Tech suspended Leach on Monday from the teams bowl game while they investigated allegations of mistreatment towards an injured player. The early verdict was not appealing to Leach.
Leach’s lawyer Ted Liggett said, "He's not thrilled."
The matter is not over in the mind of Liggett. He said he plans to come guns a blazing towards Texas Tech on Leach’s behalf “soon”.
"We can guarantee that the fight has just begun," he said.
Liggett claims he had evidence citing the school’s actions to suspend Leach were without merit. Liggett believed the school rushed their decision to save themselves.
"So they pulled the trigger," Liggett said. "They don't want that coming out."
The allegations were brought out Monday. Texas Tech Receiver Adam James, son of ESPN college football analyst Craig James, alleged that during practice he was confined to a small, dark space twice by Leach after being diagnosed with a concussion.
"We appreciate that the university conducted a fair and thorough investigation," said a statement from the James family. "From the family's point of view this has always been about the safety and well being of our son and of all the players on the team."
"We appreciate that the university conducted a fair and thorough investigation," said in a James family statement. "From the family's point of view this has always been about the safety and well being of our son and of all the players on the team."
Texas Tech officials had laid out their case to Leach in a letter. It included court papers filed in response to his motion for a restraining order to remove the suspension.
The letter stated guidelines that Leach was told to agree to pertaining towards the treatment of student-athletes. He did not sign that letter.
The stated guidelines were:
• "Decisions regarding whether an injury warrants suspension from practice and/or play will be determined by a physician without pressure from you or your staff."
• "There will be no retaliation against any student who has suffered an injury."
Despite all the allegations and quarrels with the administration Liggett said Leach was 100 percent committed to the program.
"Coach Leach has never, ever hidden his desire to coach the Texas Tech Red Raiders," Liggett said. "His accomplishments, his actions, his graduation rate all prove that."
Texas Tech faces off versus Michigan State Saturday in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
Leach will likely have a press conference with the public soon. Liggett doesn’t know when it will take place or where Leach is but he said his client has a lot to get off his chest.
"It's pretty hard to keep him quiet," he said.
Liggett read Leach’s termination letter aloud to a packed courtroom and when he reached the part claiming Leach was fired the gallery stated their displeasure.
Numerous fans said they wouldn't be renewing their season tickets. Outside a motorist shouted outside his vehicle window, “Fire Meyers”.
Outside the court, after the firing had been announced, a motorist yelled out his vehicle window, "Fire Myers," referring to athletic director Gerald Myers.
Leach and Meyers have never been on the same page at Texas Tech. Before the 2009 season the university and him were at odds over negotiations for a contract extension and his interview about the Washington job.
In February, both sides came to an agreement as Leach and the school agreed to a five-year, $12.7 million deal, keeping him in Lubbock through 2013.
Sources say that after James sustained a concussion on Dec. 16, and was examined the following day he was told not to practice due to repercussions from the injury and an elevated heart rate.
Sources claimed Leach contacted the trainer and instructed him to move James "to the darkest place, to clean out the equipment and to make sure that he could not sit or lean. He was confined for three hours."
According to the source, Leach gave the trainer the same request two days later, to "put James in the darkest, tightest spot in an electrical closet, again, with a guard posted outside."
Dr. Michael Phy, a Texas Tech physician, examined James on Dec. 17, diagnosing him with a mild concussion and made his recommendations regarding the levels of treatment, according to a memo he wrote on Dec. 25. The memo claimed that no harm was done to James. The Jame’s family side didn’t see things that way.
Liggett told reporters James was secluded twice, and the circumstances were nowhere as grave as the James family perceived it.
He stated that James, “was placed in an equipment room as it was much cooler and darker" than the practice field and after the doctor examined him he returned to practice.
On that day Leggit claimed that, a trainer was posted outside the room and James received ice.
Leach said in affidavit during Tuesday’s court filing that he "would never intentionally harm or endanger a player" and that he was "forced into this situation without being afforded any process."
Ted Liggett, Mike Leach’s counsel said that he did nothing wrong in his treatment of his player with a "mild" concussion. Leach was seeking a court's help in allowing him to coach in Saturday's Valero Alamo Bowl.
Several former and current Texas Tech players defended their coach and sent emails criticizing receiver Adam Jame’s work ethic.
Former Texas Tech wide receiver Eric Morris was quoted in a CBSSports.com interview blasting James saying, he was "never known as a hard worker" and "seemed to have a negative attitude toward the football program the majority of the time."
Morris informed The Associated Press on Wednesday that these letters were written before the school suspended Leach and conducted their investigation. Morris and his teammates just wanted to show their support for coach Leach.
Morris said Leach told him before the incident was investigated that he would never abuse his players and demanded them to take responsibility for their actions.

"He told me he would never do anything," said Morris. "He was trying to hold someone accountable."
Leach taken the Red Raiders to new heights since arriving in Lubbock. In 2008 he led them to an 11-2 record, the best season in the program’s history. He also received Big 12 Coach of the Year as well in 2009.
He was quirky coach known for his bizarre comments during postgame and pregame interviews. He used to pirate jargon in his coaching style by motivating his players to “swing their swords” when playing on Saturdays.
He was known as the mad scientist who arrived in West Texas in 2000 and bringing a high-octane spread offense with him. Since putting on the headset in Lubbock, Texas Tech quarterbacks have led the nation in passing eight times. His innovative lab has been officially shut down.
In 10 seasons Leach won 84 games, surpassing his predecessor Spike Dykes as the winningest coach in Texas Tech history.
Before his days in Lubbock, Leach was Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops. He spent two years as an assistant at Kentucky and five years at Valdosta State in Georgia.
Unlike Bob Knight, Leach has raised the city’s and school’s attention during his tenure. "60 Minutes" and New York Times conducted feature stories about him.
Texas Tech has seen their coaches use bizarre antics on the gridiron and hardwood. Yet, the school would rather let known actions of one legend go and kick another one in the making to the curb without a reason.

Taking a Step Back: Urban Meyer Quits Coaching Florida
By Dr Bill Chachkes-Managing Partner/Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online


The shock waves are running deep in the world of football tonight. The current “Godfather of the spread option” is hanging it up. Urban Meyer has announced that he would step down as head football coach at the University of Florida after two plus decades in college football.

His record speaks for itself. 95-18 and 5-1 in bowl games as a head coach. An 84.1 winning percentage as a head coach in the regular season, 2 SEC titles (and three division titles), 2 mountain west titles. 2 BCS titles, twice voted coach of the year, 41-13 in conference play. He is #2 in victories among active coaches with 5+ years in the FBS. Meyer is the only coach ever to reach 50 victories in less then 60 games.

He spent 15 years across 4 different programs (Ohio St., Illinois St. Colorado St. and Notre Dame) sharpening his skills as an assistant before getting the head coaching position at Bowling Green University in 2001. He managed to accomplish all of this in just 23.5 years in the coaching profession, after a playing career with the Cincinnati Bearcats from 1983-1986, and at the age of just 45 years old.

It is said that he had ignored his health for many years until recently, but checked into a hospital a day after The Gators lost the SEC title game to Alabama, citing health reasons at that time. He had always said that becoming the head coach at Notre Dame would be his “Dream Job” since he was a devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, but when the Job became available several weeks back, he quickly held a press conference and proclaimed that he would be the coach of the Gators “for as long as they will have me.”

Already the vultures of sports media are circling around the story wondering “just how serious is his health crisis,” although there are no reasons as of yet to believe that his health is in immediate danger at this time.

Could it be that at 45, Meyer feels it’s time for a short break to “recharge” the batteries? He has reached the pinnacle of success as a football man. You can’t say that he was hurting for the cash. The only coaches who earned more them him in 2009 were Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis. So why not take a break for a bit? He’s earned it, hasn’t he? His family sure feels he does.

BOSTON COLLEGE GETS ITS SHOT AT STRUGGLING POWERHOUSE USC IN THIS YEAR’S EMERALD BOWL-By William Queen for Football Reporters Online

(photo: © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons) 
Where has the season gone? Looking at this bowl game, I feel like I’m stuck in a college football nightmare. It wasn’t long ago that USC seemed like they owned the Rose Bowl and Pete Carroll said that every year’s team was his “best ever”. The Emerald Bowl doesn’t exactly cut it. It’s really just a lame attempt of making it sound like it’s a relevant bowl, so you can bet that Trojan nation is not too happy about this one.
 
Yet, what a great opportunity for Boston College. For what has been a powerhouse of a football team, USC finally falls down to a December bowl game and the Eagles are faced with a chance at history.
 
Current Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez fled to the NFL following his junior season at USC and after some media attention between him and Pete Carroll, top high school prospect Matt Barkley was the one lining up under center. Despite all the hype, Barkley is still a freshman and led the Pac-10 with 12 interceptions. And though the Trojans 23rd in the nation defensively, the main problem has been consistency. Two of their four losses consisted of their opponent scoring 47+ points; not the defense we’re used too.
 
Boston College, on the other hand, has a forceful 18th ranked defense and looks to keep Barkley’s struggles at a high. And because of a 14th ranked rushing defense, I expect the Eagles to force the game out of the hands of USC’s talented backs and into Matt Barkley’s, a tough challenge for the freshman’s first bowl game. When it comes to defending the pass though, that’s where the Eagles fall through the cracks. Allowing 2,568 passing yards this season, this may be USC’s best shot at moving the ball. If they can do that, Boston College is in trouble.
 
Not exactly the most reliable offense, Boston College doesn’t have a consistent quarterback in Dave Shinskie and will have to rely heavily on running back Montel Harris to carry them through this game. With 13 touchdowns this season, Harris is most defiantly their best shot at outscoring Barkley and the USC offense. However, Harris can’t do it alone. As I mentioned earlier, Dave Shinskie is a concern and he’s going to have to step up it up through the air if they want to have a realistic shot at pulling off the upset.
 
History shows that since 2001, both teams win 82% of the time when scoring 20+ points and tend to struggle when it’s a low-scoring game. So expect this one to be a battle of field position; whoever can take advantage of end-of-half field goals and turnovers will have a definite edge. 
 
For a prediction, I think that Boston College will hang tough most the game, but will slip away as it gets late in the game. Barkley will have a solid performance with 3 touchdowns and an interception, two being to tight end Anthony McCoy and the other to receiver Damian Williams, and back Joe McKnight will score one on the ground, all leading to a 31-17 Trojan victory.

BYU Thumps Oregon State

By John Kelly
Football Reporters Online Senior Writer
Midwest/Northeast Correspondent

Whatever happens in Vegas tends to stay in Vegas for BYU. However, their dominance in the Nevada desert is no longer a secret.

Senior quarterback Max Hall went out in style during his final visit to the Sin City throwing for 192 yards and three tds in No.14 BYU’s 44-20 rout of No.15 Oregon State Tuesday night.
"I love my years at BYU," Hall said. "We wanted to end it well."
It marked the first time the Las Vegas Bowl had hosted a matchup.
It was the Cougar’s third bowl win in 5 tries in the city of Lights. They ended a 5 game bowl-winning streak by the Beavers.
Cold whipping winds and a near miss of the Rose Bowl seemed to cloud the focus of Oregon State. Offensive Guard Gregg Peat didn’t see it that way.

"Emotionally we were ready for this game. We came in here and expected to win. It didn't work out that way," Beavers guard Gregg Peat said. "That's a credit to BYU. They came ready to play. There are no excuses for the loss."
Sean Canfield led off the scoring with a one-yard td run. Late in the first quarter BYU started to change the direction of the game.

Harvey Unga tied the game after he pounded it in from a yard out.
On the ensuing possession on a lateral Jaquizz Rodgers fumbled the ball and Matt Bauman returned it 34 yards for the score.
The fumble was Rodger’s first fumble of his college career and his first in 621 touches. Rodgers finished the game with 19 rushes for 70 yards and TD.

After a Mitch Payne 28 yard field goal made it 17-7 for the Cougars Max Hall went to work. Hall hit Luke Ashworth on a 25-yard touchdown strike to give BYU a 24-7 halftime lead. Hall had 139 yards passing at the break.

Hall started off the second half with a bang connecting on two more touchdown passes. He hit Dennis Pitta for a 17 yard score and Manase Tonga from 15 yards out.

Jaquizz Rodgers would punch it in from one yard out to cut the deficit to 37-13 but the Beavers were too far behind.
Harvey Tonga responded right back rumbling 18 yards to extend BYU’s lead to 44-13.
The 44 points were the most allowed in Oregon State history.

With Wyoming and BYU in the clubhouse with two wins for the Mountain West they are two games away from being the first non-BCS conference to claim the bowl title in Division 1A.

If that does not earn you a BCS bid I don’t know what does.

UNC FACES HUGE CHALLENGE, PITTSBURGH, IN THE CAR CARE BOWL
By William Queen for Football Reporters Online
 
This year’s Car Care Bowl features two very underestimated forces. UNC, coming out of the ACC, has one of the most unappreciated defenses in the nation. As Pittsburgh, coming out of the Big East, would like to be in a more respectable bowl after losing their last two games in the final seconds.
 
Needless to say, UNC has something to prove, while Pitt could have hoped for a better bowl bid.
 Two very prestigious defenses will be battling it out this Saturday; meaning that whoever can take advantage and convert off turnovers will most likely come out on top. Allowing 16.9 points per game, the Tarheels are ranked 13th in the nation defensively, while the Panthers finished not too far behind, ranking 21st with only 20 points per game.
 Though, statistics can sometimes be misleading. If you count the Panthers season finale vs. Cincinnati as a mulligan for their defense, then they’ve only allowed 17.7 points per game, cutting their statistical defensive deficit to less than one.
 My key match-up this game will be the UNC offense vs. the Pittsburgh defense. Though the Tarheels are stellar up front, I think that the Panthers, led by freshman running back Dion Lewis, will be able to move the ball just enough to put points up on the board. So this leaves UNC quarterback TJ Yates in a showdown with a tough Pittsburgh defense.
 TJ Yates has maintained a sub-par TD-INT ratio of 12-14 and hasn’t played many challenging defenses through the course of the season. So, most are assuming that he will be overpowered during the course of this game. But on the other hand, Yates may not struggle nearly as much as people think. Though the Panthers have an exceptionally tough defense, defending the pass may be their sole weakness. Ranking behind schools such as Buffalo, Louisiana Tech, and Middle Tennessee State in defending the pass, Yates may actually have a shot.
 UNC’s offense relies very heavily on the play of Yates, as they don’t have an all-purpose back that they can trust giving 20-30 carries a game. Below is a chart explaining just how much the Offense is affected by number of interceptions by TJ Yates.
 

Now for a prediction. I say that Pittsburgh maintains a low scoring one-possession lead through the first three quarters, but turns the ball over and gives the Tarheels a short field to work with, sending it into overtime at 17-17. There, Pitt will prove to be the more well rounded team and win 20-23.

The Sod Father (Or, Anything Goes With Spades & Hoes)
By Michael – Louis Ingram Associate Editor-Football Reporters Online/Contributing Writer- Black Athlete.com
BASN/FRO
 
A BASN (in the) BLACK PAPER:
 
PHILADELPHIA (BASN/FRO) From the halls of the biggest money – making not for profit entity in America, the NCAA (aka Not Conforming to Actual Application) it’s time once again for another edition of “As The Twirls Turn.”
 
You don’t need the O’Jays bringing that wicked bass riff to know what the Bowl Game Championships are about; and when those turnstiles twirl with asses rolling in to stadia across the country, there is not a “cha-ching” to be found; because electric and paper money - makes no noise - when it falls to the ground…
 
But the $64 dollar question (and by the way, that same $64 will get you a ticket to an Ohio State football game, but won’t cover your parking) is - just how much money are we talking about?  In this BASN Special Report, we’re about to find out.
 
My colleague, L.A. Batchelor has long contended about college football being ruled by the “Five Families” – the five most competitive, if not powerful, football conferences in the nation: the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference and the Pacific 10 Conference.
 
 
Convoluted computer concoctions calculate cryptic credentials, causing conflict and cacophonous crowing over collecting cash – and who gets the biggest piece of sweet potato pie.
 
With the current bowl schedule now in effect, it’s now time to break out the BASN “abracadabracus” – and see how money disappears into the Five Families’ coffers.
 
Below, we provide a list of the bowl games, teams and their respected conferences; along with the estimated amount of cash both sides are to receive:
 
New Mexico Bowl: Won by University of Wyoming (Mountain West Conference), 35-28 over Fresno State (Western Athletic Conference); both schools get $750K. 
 
St. Petersburg Bowl: Won by Rutgers University (Big East Conference) 45-24 over the University of Central Florida (Conference USA); both schools get one million dollars.
 
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Won by Middle Tennessee State (Sun Belt Conference) 42-32 over Southern Mississippi University (C-USA); both schools got $325K.
 
Papajohns.com Bowl: Connecticut (Big East) vs. South Carolina (SEC); both get $300K.
 
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State (Pac – 10) vs. Brigham Young University (Mountain West); both get one million dollars.
 
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Utah vs. California (Pac – 10); both get $750K.
 
 
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl: Nevada (WAC) vs. Southern Methodist University (C-USA); both schools get $398K.
 
Emerald Bowl: Boston College (ACC) vs. University of Southern California (Pac – 10); both schools get $850K.
 
Meineke Car Care Bowl: North Carolina (ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (Big East); both schools get one million.
 
Little Caesars Bowl: Ohio University (Midwest Athletic Conference) vs. Marshall (C-USA); both schools get $750K.
 
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky (SEC) vs. Clemson (ACC); both get $1.6 million.  
 
Independence Bowl: Texas A&M (Big 12) vs. Georgia (SEC); both get $1.1 million.
 
Champs Sports Bowl: The University of Miami (ACC) vs. Wisconsin (Big 10); both get $2.25 million.  
 
Eagle Bank Bowl: UCLA (Pac – 10) vs. Temple (MAC); both get one million.
 
 
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Nebraska (Big 12) vs. Arizona (Pac – 10); both get $2.35 million.
 
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho (WAC) vs. Bowling Green (MAC); both get $750K.
 
Texas Bowl: Missouri (Big 12) vs. Navy (Independent); both get $700K.  
 
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force (Mountain West) vs. Houston (C-USA); both get $600K.
 
Brut Sun Bowl: Stanford (Pac – 10) vs. Oklahoma (Big 12); both get $1.9 million.
 
Insight Bowl: Minnesota (Big 10) vs. Iowa State (Big 12); both get $1.35 million.
 
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. Tennessee (SEC); both get $3.005 million.
 
Outback Bowl: Northwestern (Big 10) vs. Auburn (SEC); both get $3.3 million.
 
Capital Bowl: Penn State (Big 10) vs. Louisiana State University (SEC); both get $4.25 million.  
 
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: West Virginia (Big East) vs. Florida State (ACC); both get $2.5 million.
 
Rose Bowl: Ohio State (Big 10) vs. Oregon (Pac – 10); both get $17 million.
 
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Florida (SEC) vs. Cincinnati (Big East); both get $17 million.
 
AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State (Big 12) vs. Ole Miss (SEC); both get $3 million.
  
Auto Zone Liberty Bowl: East Carolina (C-USA) vs. Arkansas (SEC); both get $1.7 million.
 
International Bowl: University of South Florida (Big East) vs. Northern Illinois (MAC); both get $750K.
 
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas Tech (Big 12) vs. Michigan State (Big 10); both get $2.25 million.
 
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Texas Christian University (Mountain West) vs. Boise State (WAC); both get $17 million.
   
FedEx Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech (ACC) vs. Iowa (Big 10); both get $17 million.
 
 
GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan (MAC) vs. Troy (Sun Belt); both get $750K.
 
 
Citi National Championship: Texas (Big 12) vs. Alabama (SEC); both get $17 million.
 
 
The Tab
 
For the Five Families, the amount of potential revenue earned for the bowl games comes out to a whopping $183,005.5 million bucks (damn!) with a breakdown as follows: $25.1 M for the Pac – 10, $28.305 M for the ACC, $29.650 M for the Big 12, $47.4 M for the Big 10 – and $52.5505 M for the SEC.
 
The combined revenue of the other conferences antes up to $68.506 M. Three other conferences – the Mountain West ($18.95 M) the Big East ($22.5 M) and the WAC ($18.9 M) took bigger bites out of the pie than the families would like; an aberration when you consider only two teams - TCU and Boise State – were preseason Top 25 ranked teams, and no team from the Big East got any pre-season consideration, making Cincinnati’s run all the more impressive.
 
College basketball has seen the future in this, and has headed its focus in the same direction, turning the NCAA Basketball Tournament into the Five Families Invitational (with cameo appearances by the Big East). Here Cinderella will not be invited to the ball; and if she tries to slide in or smile and flash her ta-tas at the doorman, he will toss her skank ass out…
 
With everything said, however, it still comes back to these two realities: how long will the NCAA continue to perpetrate “values” on their 100 yard plantations, depriving the most valuable assets – the players – a share of the profits they earn?
 
And what incident or ruling (perhaps the EA Sports lawsuit) will be the eventual breakthrough in determining where the arguments for not paying the student-athletes stop – and the check writing begins?
 
So in spite of the fact Pimp Flava Supreme has split the scene, those turf plantations get hoed, plowed and ready to serve over the next two weeks.
 
After all, anything goes when it comes to hos; ‘cause pimpin’ ain’t easy…
 

mike@footballreportersonline.com
 

Administration Errors Caused End Of An Era

By Jon Wagner-Sr. Writer at Large Football Reporters Online

It was a Thursday night, not that long ago (on October 8, 2009), when former Hofstra University head football coach Dave Cohen joined my Football Reporters Online colleagues and I as a guest on our weekly “FRO Show,” just four days after one of the biggest victories in the history of the Hofstra football program.

Coach Cohen was looking forward to a homecoming game against Maine after his team’s 24-17 upset win over then seventh-ranked, defending Colonial Athletic Association champion James Madison, a program rich with success over many years at the I-AA level, whether under that label, or more recently, under its current moniker, the Football College Subdivision.

“Certainly, we’d like to emulate some of the success they’ve had from winning a national championship to being a regular in post-season play,” Cohen said of JMU.

Sadly, neither Cohen nor any of the players he coached this season at Hofstra will get that chance.

On December 3rd, exactly seven weeks after Cohen made that comment on The FRO Show, the Hofstra board of trustees backed Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz’s recommendation to drop the Hofstra Pride football program after 72 proud (pun appropriately intended) years of existence.

Although JMU had a disappointing and rare, 6-5 non-playoff season this year, the Dukes still stand at 29th in the latest FCS Coaches’ poll, and the Pride’s historic win over them was something that Cohen believed would not only propel his team, but the following of Hofstra’s football program.

“Hopefully it’s added confidence and excitement and enthusiasm around campus,” he said.

It should have, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

Only 2,751 fans attended the JMU game at Hofstra’s 15,000-seat James M. Shuart stadium, and while attendance more than doubled to 5,433 the following week in a disappointing 16-14 homecoming loss to Maine, only 3,386 and 2,549 fans showed up respectively, for Hofstra’s final two home games of 2009, a season in which the Pride averaged just 4,260 fans per game.

Last year marked the bottom of a steady decline in attendance, with an average of just 3,604 coming to cheer on the Pride. That was a drop from averages of 4,955 per game one year prior, 5,101 in 2006, and 5,263 in 2005.

As a result, Hofstra’s attendance drop-off directly led to the dropping of its football program.

Or, at least that’s the only picture that the Hofstra administration wanted to paint for the general public.

Many skeptics believe that Rabinowitz simply never liked football, and ever since he took over for Shuart (the former Hofstra football player and university president for 25 years, who Hofstra’s stadium is named after), he was aiming for the day when he could cancel the program, in part to fund Hofstra’s new medical school set to open in 2011, and other worthwhile academic endeavors.

And, since I personally trust no exclusive group when power and money are involved, I have my own conspiracy theory, that perhaps the CAA might have worked out a backdoor deal with both Hofstra and Northeastern University, which dropped its 74-year-old football program just ten days earlier, on November 23rd.

Consider the circumstances: Northeastern just completed its sixth consecutive losing season; the Huskies and Pride again ranked as the bottom two in CAA attendance for the third time in as many years, ever since the CAA took over the Atlantic 10 operation in 2007; the CAA has its league offices based in Virginia; and, southern schools Old Dominion and Georgia State (each, CAA basketball schools) will be joining the conference over the next two years.

Given all of those conditions, it’s quite possible that it would have been in the best interest of the CAA to have made on an offer to Northeastern and Hofstra to prevent the CAA from becoming too crowded with the additions of ODU and Georgia State football, while giving the CAA more of the southern flavor to match its roots as a conference before it began expanding northward.

Maybe, it was something along the lines of “Since you’re not very profitable, here, take this money and go away quietly. Northeastern, you can fund your other programs, and Hofstra, you can build your med school and fund whatever else you like, while we keep CAA Football primarily down south.”

I realize that could all be extremely far-fetched. Yet, perhaps there’s some truth to one or both of the aforementioned conspiracies.

Terence Thomas, of College Sporting News, who covers the entire CAA football conference very closely, was a guest on The FRO Show hours after the official word came down about the canceling of Hofstra football, and he seemed to back me up on my Oliver Stone-like thoughts about the CAA and its willingness to sp easily lose its biggest market in New York.

“You wonder if they are concerned with markets,” he said, “Or if they’re trying to move the league south and have a Virginia-based league, because all of their offices are down there. You don’t really know where the loyalties lie.”

Until proven otherwise however, let’s stick with the facts, which by themselves, still don’t show Rabinowitz nor the 22-member Hofstra board, of which only 12 are Hofstra alumni, in a very positive light in this matter.

Ultimately, Rabinowitz cited the high cost and low interest as primary reasons for the sudden and abrupt canceling of Hofstra football.

Certainly, there’s no denying that those two factors existed. We’ve already gone through the poor attendance figures above, and the cost for running the Hofstra football program, with its minimum of 63 required NCAA Division-I scholarships, stood at $4.5 million per year.

However, there’s more to the Hofstra administration’s verdict than what appeared on the surface.

To back Rabinowitz, the board’s vote was officially a unanimous one to portray a unified front to the public, but those who have closely followed Hofstra athletics and Rabinowitz’s tenure at Hofstra know that many members of the board must have voted against their will to cancel an institution which had been around since Hofstra’s founding in 1937, without so much as a warning to anyone else who had been in or who still remains a part of the Hofstra community.

And, it could hardly be something that Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes argued for vehemently.

The decisions to drop football at Northeastern and Hofstra came after each school’s two-year cost/benefit analysis of their entire athletic programs.

The difference though, was that Hofstra had at least attained a level of success which Northeastern had failed to achieve, and unlike Northeastern, Hofstra also had the infrastructure in place (and still does), having poured millions of dollars into stadium expansion and upgrading Shuart Stadium’s surrounding facilities, beginning in 1996.

The problem with that however, was that Hofstra while believed in a “build it and they will come” mentality, the reality was that the local area interest paralleled that of Northeastern’s football program.

And, when Shuart, one of Hofstra football’s biggest proponents was out of the picture, the push to generate interest lagged even more under Rabinowitz.

Let’s go back to the cost/benefit review.

A two-year study, and yet over that entire time, there were no public calls on behalf of Rabinowitz’s administration to save Hofstra football.

No letters sent out to Hofstra alumni or season ticket holders in support of the program.

No reaching out to National Football League Hofstra alumni like Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach Raheem Morris, New Orleans Saints’ star wide receiver Marques Colston, defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steeler and starting offensive tackle Willie Colon, New England Patriots’ cornerback Kyle Arrington, Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end Stephen Bowen, or former eleven-year New York Jet Wayne Chrebet, for either financial assistance or at the very least, public relations support which might have helped greatly.

And certainly, there was a severe lack of any earnest attempt to put out an effective marketing effort in order to increase attendance and fan interest enough to save Hofstra football.

As Thomas pointed out, that type of pledge from Hofstra to its football program existed marginally at best.

“It starts with the administration being committed to football,” Thomas said. “If the commitment is there, they will go out there and they’ll publicize the game. They’ll have Band Day, they’ll have Pop Warner Day, they’ll have all these advertisements to get people to come to the games. You had JMU up at Hofstra, which should have been a sold out game. I mean, I admit the weather was poor that day and there may have been other things going on in New York, and New York is a hard sell, but then you have to be that much more aggressive to get people to come out to your games.”

Instead, Rabinowitz and the Hofstra administration basically sat idly by and watched a more than seven-decade-old program quietly die behind a secretive two-year study.
Morris, who played at Hofstra from 1994-97, called the move a "sad state of affairs.” He added, “It was weird because it kind of happened out of nowhere."
Colston said, "I am both saddened and shocked to hear the news that the Hofstra University football program has ceased. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the university, my coaches and my former teammates and I am sure that they share in my disappointment."

Chrebet said he “was shocked” at hearing the news.

Dr. Bill Chachkes, the managing partner of F.R.O. and the main host of The FRO Show, who covered the JMU-Hofstra game with me, put the announcement about Hofstra football’s cancellation in perspective. “We were at that game, both Jon and I,” he said. “That was a thrilling game and we were talking to Jack Hayes, and you would never know that not even two months later, we would be talking about Hofstra closing the program down.”

And, one of my FRO Show co-hosts, Bill Carroll, from Consensus Draft Services, said during the same segment on which Thomas appeared, “I was not shocked about Northeastern. I had heard at least rumblings… Hofstra was more of a surprise because although there were issues in terms of drawing crowds, the product seemed to be solidified. The kinds of kids they were getting, the level of play seemed to be on the upswing. That seems to be almost disconnected from their other issues.”

Another disconnection is Hofstra’s public statement about what an integral part Hofstra athletics supposedly plays at Hofstra, juxtaposed against the reasons Rabinowitz gave for dropping football at his school.

On Hofstra’s own website, a statement reads “The exciting action and competitive spirit of Pride athletics is a significant part of campus life at Hofstra University.”

But, who’s kidding who? If any sports programs at Hofstra were a “significant part of campus life at Hofstra University” it was two: men’s basketball (which still is) and football (which was, until it was unceremoniously shoved out the door like an unwanted house guest which overstayed his or her welcome).

Rabinowitz and some of the spineless board members who voted in step with what the president wanted regarding Hofstra football claimed that the football program had to go because of its cost relative to the financial return brought in by the program.

While it’s true that Hofstra football cost far more than any of the remaining seventeen athletic programs at Hofstra, by that same criteria, the other seventeen Hofstra sports combined, are as much of a financial drain as football, yielding as little in return, as what football provided.

Low interest in football? Really… No disrespect to the great student athletes and coaches who play or coach the following sports (and I sincerely hope that none of them are the next to go at Hofstra), but who exactly is stepping over themselves to buy tickets to see Hofstra baseball, tennis, golf, cross country, or field hockey?

That’s just one way in which this decision was hypocritical on the part of the Hofstra administration.

Another is the failure to realize that most FCS programs don’t make money, yet they can still provide significant value to a school. In fact most Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and even most college athletic programs in general, lose money.

So, why do they continue to exist? Because there’s something inherently valuable to maintaining them, not only for the life lessons gained and opportunities created for student athletes and their coaches, but also for the identities created by such programs with the schools that run them -- which ironically, all leads back to money, anyway.

In that regard, Chrebet clearly mentioned how Hofstra football helped Hofstra University, “We got to be a ranked team. We got a couple of guys in the pros. Hofstra got to be a well-known school.”

Instead, Hofstra was unfortunately known just as well in a negative way.

At one point, just a few hours after Rabinowitz’s announcement, Hofstra was listed as the top Yahoo! search on the internet, and two days later, ESPN's college football preview show had Hofstra dropping football as a main story of the week after not long after a story on the SEC championship game between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama, and another on other bowl selections.

Addressing the poor attendance leading to the Hofstra football program being dismissed, one Hofstra football fan at the popular CAA message board CAAZone.com, summed up the situation well, saying “I am sure you don't go over your (insert old relative here)'s house every day, but when she is gone you probably aren't going to say good riddance, her medical bills were expensive, why were we even keeping her alive, now I can spend that cash on some books and a new PS3.”

Yet, that was pretty much the stance taken by the Hofstra administration.

Perhaps the biggest reason though, why that position was egregiously insincere was that many of the same Hofstra board members who voted Hofstra football out based on financial reasons, previously irresponsibly voted to approve expensive football facilities upgrades before the football program was truly ready for them.

A huge project was put into place (in fairness, mainly before Rabinowitz’s tenure began, but tweaked and continued under his watch) including the expansion of the seating capacity from 7,000 to 15,000; the installation of a network-quality lighting system for television broadcasts; an Athletic Department office building, which includes a press level and a club suite level; two entrance plazas on the south and west sides of the Stadium; a facade around the outside of the Stadium; additional parking and landscaping; a pavilion in the southeast corner of the Stadium; concession and souvenir areas; two locker rooms; the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard in the south end zone; a new scoreboard in the north end zone; and new FieldTurf.

The price tag for all of that?

A cool $9 million, which ironically equals the same cost of the Hofstra football program that was deemed too high by many of the same board members, over their secretive two-year cost/benefit analysis.

How’s that for being hypocritical?

Additionally, let’s look at the current high tuition at Hofstra. At about $46,000 per year for a full-time undergraduate student, it would have taken an increase of 98 such students annually to cover the cost of maintaining Hofstra football.

That’s only an 0.81 percent increase of the 12,100 total student enrolled, or a 1.33 percent increase on the 7,327 full-time undergraduate students who currently attend Hofstra.

I’m obviously not in the business of doing anything with a university budget, but I would think small percentages such as those would be realistic targets for a decent-sized private school to shoot for on and annual basis, and if it can’t achieve those seemingly relatively small increases, they might not be managing their money well across the board (or should I say, across the board of trustees?)

Moreover though, it was the initial planning with grand visions (nothing wrong with that in itself) combined with either the unwillingness or incompetence to see that through which unfortunately led to demise of Hofstra football.

There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. Go ahead, have a great stadium, great facilities surrounding it, all while improving your academic status and having a medical school. In fact, it can be agreed even among the most staunch Hofstra football supporters, that the latter two are probably significantly more noble and more important undertakings.

However, if done right, Hofstra could have had it all.

You don’t pour $9 million into a program costing $4.5 million per year before you have any clue that the interest was there to justify the $9 million upgrades.

What would have been so terrible with gradually building in small steps, having some success, building upon that, then slowly funding smaller expansion, and having further success and further growth, in football, or in all areas?


Rabinowitz can blame Long Island fans for not showing up all he wants, but this was years in the making. Hofstra’s constant need to rush and push itself beyond what it’s ready for, ultimately caused the end of Hofstra football.

Well that, and once the decision was made to go that route, the lack of effort placed on effectively marketing what Hofstra created. With nice facilities, and no team, they’re basically now, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

And, the accountability for that?

Good luck finding it at Hofstra.

Cohen and his entire staff lost their jobs. Some of them were even on the recruiting trail when they found out. And, Hofstra football players who trusted that they would finish out their four years playing college football in the best FCS conference in the nation, near the greatest city in the world, have to scatter and quickly hook on somewhere else.

Let’s be realistic for a moment. Many kids who want to, can’t attend college at all, and Hofstra’s former football players still have the opportunities to keep their scholarships and finish out school should they choose.

Still, they’re in a lot tougher position than they needed to be all because of a president and his board.

If they’re lucky, those players will all learn a new system quickly and compete all over again for playing time in a foreign environment, while having to develop the level of chemistry. And, that’s just the athlete part of “student-athlete.” The strain of having to adapt in a new school academically will be added pressure.

But, the members of Hofstra’s board of trustees who voted for the football facilities upgrades rolled the dice big time with some bad miscalculations which worked out terribly, yet those same board members still have their jobs, and they’re free to keep spending or “reallocating resources” as they see fit.

It’s funny how the word “trustee” begins with “trust,” yet that was the thing which Hofstra’s football players couldn’t rely on in the end.

If it truly came down to finances, what that board or president Rabinowitz didn’t consider is a possible ripple effect.

Take a program like Hosftra basketball, for instance, the only athletic program left that’s realistically still “a significant part of campus life at Hofstra University.”

Dropping a football program, even to prospective athletes in other sports, could make Hofstra appear small-time.

The next great basketball player to come to Hofstra, maybe the next local budding star to follow in the footsteps of Hofstra star Charles Jenkins (the 2009-10 CAA Preseason Co-Player of the Year), might look at the decision to drop Hofstra football and wonder just how strong the Hofstra athletic program really is, or if Hofstra’s board or president has other future agendas, such as deciding to drop the basketball program in favor of future academic scholarships.

The possible net effect that the Hofstra board or Rabinowitz probably didn’t count on in a case like that?

That player goes somewhere else, and Hofstra basketball fails to generate possibly even more revenue over time, in missed NCAA or NIT tournament bids (plus the national attention and public relations boon that go along with something like that), than the amount it would have cost to keep Hofstra football alive and strong.

Oh, but that’s right. That’s why most universities have a men’s basketball and football programs to begin with, to make money for the school in other areas, not to make a return on those programs themselves.

To truly appreciate the saddest thing in this whole situation, you have to look back one decade.

Yes, the 1999 season, when Hofstra was played under the great Joe Gardi, eight years before joining the CAA in 2007.

As hard as it is to believe that Hofstra football was no more just 61 days after its win over JMU this past October, it’s even more difficult to fathom all of the schools Hofstra beat, all in that same 1999 season, and where those football programs are today, relative to Hofstra’s newly ceased program.

The following isn’t meant to depress Hofstra football fans (and that’s my official disclaimer), but it’s interesting to note who Hofstra defeated during their 9-3 season which ended with a I-AA playoff berth:

Hofstra opened the 1999 season with an easy win 56-17 win at UConn, which is now a thriving program at the FBS level in the Big East. Speaking of current successful Big East programs, Hofstra also won at South Florida, 42-23, that year. They won too, at Buffalo, now an FBS member of the MAC. Throw in a 21-9 victory that year over Elon, which is currently ranked eight in the FCS coaches poll.

And, then there are the schools that were all former CAA conference mates only weeks ago, and mostly, very good ones. JMU? Yup, beat them that year at home, just like this year, and handily (34-16). Perennial FCS and CAA contender UMass (except for this year)? That was a comfortable 27-14 win on the road. Former CAA foes Maine and Rhode Island? Beat them both on the road, defeating the Black Bears, 27-19, and the Rams, 28-13.

Even one of the losses looks good today: a 31-21 defeat, in which Hofstra led 21-14 after three quarters, against current CAA member Richmond, last year’s FCS national champion.

So many good programs that went on to much bigger and better things while Hofstra’s football program was allowed to just casually fall by the wayside by an administration that did little to save it, let alone make a real attempt to match any of the programs Hofstra beat soundly just ten year ago.

There’s always the possibility that Hofstra football could still return, perhaps in a conference like the Patriot League, one that would be befitting at least, of the types of academic institutions that Rabinowitz aims for Hofstra to become.

However, as Thomas says, that might be difficult once a decision is made to cut a program. “If Hofstra does try to bring back football in a couple of years,” he said, “I have a tough time believing that the alums, and others who supported Hofstra Football would buy into it, because you’ve broken their hearts, and you broken their trust. Especially. because they are capable of going to the playoffs. This year they lost some close game that they could have won, and they could have been there. They were a good program and they had all the makings of a team on the rise, they just had some bad bounces.”

Still, such a comeback is not without precedent. Hofstra need look no further than its own former conference, and to a team which has a very close relation to Thomas, himself.

On Friday night, at 8pm EST, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Villanova Wildcats (who lost to Hofstra in 2003) and Thomas’ son of the same name (playing linebacker, as his farther did at Whittier College), will be competing in the 2009 FCS national championship game against Montana (another team that Hofstra beat on the road several years ago).

Ironically, the day before Hofstra officially dropped football, Chrebet was named as the inaugural ambassador of Friday night’s title game. That’s about as close as Hofstra will get to the title game now.

However, Villanova’s situation offers hope through action, though it took some time.

In 1981, Villanova’s board of trustees, also citing economic reasons, discontinued the Villanova football program. And, that was a football institution which had been around since 1894, making Hofstra’s long tradition look young by comparison.

Less than a year later, Villanova’s student government released results from a student survey indicating that over 96 percent of students who responded to the survey, wanted football to return.

Just 41 days later, the Villanova board agreed to review its position on football, and almost one year to the day after that, Villanova’s president announced that the board elected to restore football at the university.

In 1984, Villanova hired head coach Andrew Talley, who last year, in his 25th season at Villanova, became the all-time winingest head coach in CAA history.

Along the way, Villanova returned to the I-AA playoffs in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1996 out of the small Yankee conference, before joining the Atlantic 10 when Hofstra was there. The playoff loss in 1991 was a narrow 17-16 first-round decision against eventual national champion Youngstown State.

By 1997, Villanova recorded its first I-AA playoff victory, and the Wildcats won two playoff games in 2002. They joined the CAA with Hofstra in 2007, going 7-4, then 10-3 last year, and are now 13-1, on the brink of reaching the FCS pinnacle, with just one more win standing in their way.

Viewing Villanova’s rise to success is the shame of it all for Hofstra. The Pride was already well on its way toward making the climb that Villanova has made in the past few years of its 25-year journey since coming back from the abyss.

But instead, if Hofstra is ever to attain what Villanova has thus far, it will have to start all over again from scratch, as Villanova did in the 1980’s.

Would it take as long for Hofstra? Maybe not. But, as of now, it may not happen at all.

The problem from a football standpoint this past season was Hofstra’s offense, which struggled to help a defense that was solid for most of the season.

Cohen opened things up though in Hofstra’s final game of the year, perhaps its final game ever.

For one day, it gave hope in a lost season.

Senior quarterback Cory Christopher went out with a bang, passing for a career-high 484 yards, while junior wide receiver Aaron Weaver, from nearby Freeport, NY, caught a career-high 15 passes for 191 yards.

A team that was averaging just 18 points per game, erupted for a thrilling 52-38 shootout win over UMass.

It should have been a game to build on for next year.

But, in one ten-minute press conference, Rabinowitz changed everything.

“Hofstra has a nice victory in their last game… and they get the rug slipped out from underneath them,” said the more senior Thomas.”

Instead of hope for next season, Hofstra football fans and alums simply wish Hofstra football can someday return.

And, rather than seeing how lessons learned from that final game can be used for next season, Cohen just hopes he can find a new job.

He’s currently rumored to have defensive coordinator offers at Western Michigan, Georgia Southern, and Bowling Green. "I don’t know what I’m going to do," the still-disappointed 43-year-old coach said. "I’m just sitting on [the offers] right now."

In the meantime, an effort on the part of some former Hofstra football players who are seeking reinstatement of the program, has already taken shape.

Once such player leading that charge is Dave Gerstman, who played Hofstra football from 1986-89.

Today, Gerstman is a high-powered lobbyist who has posted the following on his Gotham Government Relations website, at http://gothamgr.com/save-hofstra-football:
“I am deeply upset about this decision, As an alumnus, former football player and a member of this community, I will personally seek clarification and details on why this occurred. I hope that the University will reconsider this irresponsible decision that ultimately will impact the region in a very profound way, from Long Island high school football players to current Hofstra football players and fans, and many others.”
“The University is part of the fabric of Long Island and I believe this is damaging to Long Island and the reputation of the school.”

Will actions such as Gerstman’s ultimately help to re-establish Hofstra football?

Time will tell, but if you’d like to hear what Gerstman has to say, he will be a guest on The FRO Show this Thursday night, December 17th, at 9pm EST.

All episodes of The FRO Show can be heard live, weekly at that time, and replayed at any time, at:
www.blogtalkradio.com/football-reporters

Though an administration showed little pride in Hofstra football, there may yet be a significant movement to restore football to the Hofstra Pride.

Stay tuned.

The 2009 SEC Championship: Of Sugar, Roses and Inner Peace
By Drew Moss-special to Football Reporters Online
 
Photo: Tim Tebow with his 2007 Heisman. Does he get to win another one?? (by Dr. Bill Chachkes)

Judging by his spiritual eye black (consult your nearest Good Book for John 16:33), Florida Gators southpaw phenom Tim Tebow has an inner fortitude usually reserved for monks and wise men. 
 
After yesterday's heartbreaking 32-13 pasting at the hands of Nick Saban's methodical, mechanical Alabama Crimson Tide, he's going to need it.
 
Previously ranked #1 Florida will have to settle for a bridesmaid's Sugar Bowl matchup with Big East comeback kids Cincinnati in New Orleans on New Year's Day, while Saban's well- oiled, fine tuned "big red machine" gears up for it's shot at the BCS Championship on January 7th in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA vs. Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy the #2 ranked Texas Longhorns, who eked out an ugly 13-12 win over Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship.
 
Tebow may very well have the All-American profile, the off-season integrity, the matinee looks and the gridiron goods to back it all up, but Saturday night's SEC Championship belonged to Saban, his stubborn, disciplined defense and his offensive playmakers. 
 
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy matched Tebow and then quickly bested him, with a highly efficient 12-18 passing performance for 239 yards and a touchdown.  But perhaps most telling was McElroy's high wire sideline hustle for a first down with 8:30 remaining in the first half.  It was an athletic, determined and tone setting play that sent the Tide's - and Saban's - overall message:  Alabama was not to be denied.
 
"We had a meeting (last offseason and told the players) everything you do, every time you go to work, every time we lift weights, it's not to be as good as the guy you're playing against, it's to be as good as the guy you have to beat to be the champions," Saban said.
In yesterday's SEC Championship, that proverbial "guy" was Tebow and the Gators.
 
A chance to play for the National Championship was not all that may have brought Tebow to post-game tears.  His 4th Quarter coffin closing pick combined with Alabama running back Mark Ingram's big day in a big spot (28 rushes for 113 yards and three touchdowns) did everything to hurt Tebow's chances at snagging his second Heisman Trophy - and everything to help Ingram's chances for a first.
 
Not that he's thinking about it.  Saban would never have it and Ingram seems to know it.
 
"Coach Saban has a philosophy of hard work and discipline," Ingram said. "And you can't have self-indulgent behavior.  It's about doing everything you can, every chance you have, to make the team better."
 
On Thursday night January 7th in Pasadena, while Tebow's already done "sugarcoating" and meditating on his very bright future; Saban, McElroy, Ingram and the Tide will forget about getting better - they will be looking to be the best.