His Stock is Falling Fast By Nick Haswell-Football Reporters Online

With one swing of his fist, Oregon RB LaGarrette Blount might have lost himself a lot of money. The difference in guaranteed money for a late first round draft pick and a late round draft pick is $5-$6 million for the late first round pick and $25,000-$75,000 for a late round draft pick. Had Blount stayed out of trouble and produced on the field in 2009, Blount could have been one of the first running backs taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. But after he connected his punch with Boise State DE Byron Hout last Thursday night, Blount saw his NFL Draft stock drop dramatically. He is now projected as a 7th rounder or undrafted free agent.

In 2008, LaGarrette Blount rushed for 1,002 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He also broke Oregon’s school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 17. One of the lasting images of the 2008 Oregon Ducks season was Blount’s final touchdown run versus Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl, where he hurdled a defender, bounced off two tackles, and stiff-armed a final defender en route for a 29 yard touchdown. Following the Holiday Bowl, Blount contemplated declaring for the 2009 NFL Draft, but LeGarrette ultimately decided to return for his senior season at Oregon.

Blount’s scouting report reads that he is a big back at 6-1, 240 lbs. that is tough to bring down. He also has decent quickness and athleticism (he routinely hurdles defenders in the open field) and a great nose for the endzone. But his speed is not great, as he gets caught from behind in the open field, and he is not the most patient runner. He has almost no experience as a receiver out of the backfield and is very passive as a blocker. Also, his off the field problems had been a concern before his altercation against Boise State. He was suspended during the spring in 2009 for his poor attendance at voluntary workouts in the winter. He then showed up to spring practice overweight, and appeared slow and overweight in the 2009 opening game versus Boise State.

Before being suspended for the remainder of the 2009 season, I projected LeGarrette Blount as a 5th or 6th round prospect in the NFL Draft. After his inexcusable actions in Boise and being suspended for the remainder of the season at Oregon, I can’t give Blount a higher grade than being an undrafted free agent. If I were an NFL team, I couldn’t afford to risk a draft choice on him. It’s unfortunate that Blount likely ended his collegiate career with that punch. It would have been interesting see if he matured from the incident and continued to showcase his talent. As of now, it seems unlikely that he would be able to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. For whoever picks up Blount for 2010, it is definitely a buyer beware situation.

Photo: Not Even Tim Tebow, shown here at the "BCS Celebration" can fix this problem
The BCS Needs Fixing-By Max Baez Football Reporters Online

We all know the BCS is going to be controversial come December, so why not write about it now?
The BCS has been around for over a decade. Before the BCS, the Pac-10 and Big 10 champion always played each other in the Rose Bowl, and because of this, it meant that the two highest ranked teams at the end of the season were not always playing one another in the national title game. To change this, the BCS was created, where a system mixing polls and computer rankings was created to find the two “best” teams in the country to play each other on one glorious night to establish one national champion.

Of course, we all know this has worked out just as well as Jon and Kate’s marriage. In the majority of the years since the BCS was created, there has been a controversy over the two teams placed by the system into the national title game. As we all know, last year was a particularly good example of why the BCS is such a terrible system, with Utah and Boise State finishing the regular season undefeated and Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Alabama, Florida, Penn State, and USC all having one loss and all feeling as if they belonged in the title game.

One thing last year the perfect example of why the BCS is a failure comes from the Big 12, where we all remember that Oklahoma beat Texas Tech, who beat Texas, who beat Oklahoma, and that all three had one loss. They all had a legitimate reason for believing they belonged in the title game (although most recognize that Texas Tech was not as good as the other two, beating Texas on a series of fluke plays before being blown out by Oklahoma), and in the end, Oklahoma was selected to the title game, where they would lose to Florida.

This year, it is obviously yet to be determined what kind of BCS problem we will have. Maybe it will be like the problem of 2008, or maybe it won’t be a problem like it was during the 2005 season, when two and only two BCS conference teams finished undefeated (Texas and USC.) Still, even if the BCS works once in a while, it doesn’t work all of the time (or even half the time), and it’s time to finally fix this. It’s time for a playoff. I’m saying this even though I realize a playoff is likely to never happen, but college football absolutely, positively needs a playoff.

The playoff, a fixture in American sports, is used to determine the title winner of everything, except, of course, the champion of NCAA D1 FBS football. Even all of the other NCAA football divisions use it, everyone but the FBS. Of course, there’s a reason for this, since if everyone agreed that a playoff was the best option, we would have it.
The reason why a playoff doesn’t exist is because the college presidents of BCS schools don’t want one. They like the BCS. It guarantees them a ton of money, with no team having to play more than one game. It makes it hard for non-BCS conference schools to get involved, and thus take away from the money for BCS conference schools. It insures that the season ends right before the start of the spring semester of college, meaning less practice and travel time for athletes. However, there are arguments to be made against these key reasons why college presidents want to keep the BCS.

In terms of money, the BCS presidents love that they make so much off of one game, but with a playoff, there will still be tons of interest, great TV ratings, and more games, meaning more money. With a playoff, college football’s postseason would rival the greatness of the NCAA basketball tournament, and it surely would be a huge cash win for all of the college presidents. In reality, this should entice college presidents towards supporting a playoff.
In terms of non-BCS conference schools, it’s about time to give them a shot of winning a national title. Utah probably would not have won the title last year, as I doubt they would have beat Florida or Oklahoma, but the regular season they had means they deserved a shot, which would make college football a whole lot more fair (and is something a playoff would provide.) Secondly, not only is a playoff the most fair system, but with more postseason games, there would be more profits for the colleges involved.

Thirdly, we’ve heard college presidents give their speeches about how a college playoff would make the academic schedule harder for the players. This is funny, because they are only using this argument because it’s convenient for them. I don’t see these same college presidents crying foul about baseball players playing up to five games a week, forcing players to miss the majority of the school week at times. Football games are played on Saturdays, players can fly out on Friday and barely miss any classes (if any at all.) Also, the playoff would be during the beginning of the spring semester, which isn’t exactly the most stressful time in the classroom anyway.

Opponents of the BCS are also concerned that a playoff system would take away from the bowls, but this isn’t true at all. The same bowl games for 7-5 teams will have the same meaning for those involved with a playoff than they are now. Also, certain bowl games can be mixed into a playoff system. The first round of a sixteen team playoff can be at the home sites of the highest ranked teams. I propose sixteen teams, because I feel eight could leave some deserving teams out, although an eight team playoff would be better than none at all. The quarterfinals would be Fiesta, Sugar, Rose, and Orange Bowls, allowing these bowl games to retain an elite status. Semifinals and finals are neutral sites.

There it is, a sixteen team playoff. A true national champion. Conference champions of the “big six” conferences, ten at-larges determined by a selection committee. Winners of the small conferences could potentially have a shot. Lose two early games and then get hot towards the end of the season, and you still have a chance at winning at all. This is my dream, and this is how college football needs to be.

2009 Pac-10 Predictions
By Max Baez For Football Reporters Online

While much of the country sees the Pac-10 as USC and nine others, every year lately it has been just that: nine other teams trying to knock off USC as the conference champion. USC has held at least a share of the conference title every year since 2002, and with consistent top five recruiting classes and an absolutely loaded roster, it is easy to see how they are able to achieve this. However, USC is not invisible, as they have not gone undefeated in conference play since 2005 and Oregon State was one game away from winning the title last year. However, will this be the year USC is finally not at the top?

And with the predictions, USC is at the number one spot. While USC lost some key talent, including QB Mark Sanchez and all of their starting linebackers (two of whom were first round picks), they have reloaded as they always have someone waiting in the wings. Freshman QB Matt Barkley has been given the starting job, and QB Mitch Mustain, who went 8-0 as a starting QB as a freshman at Arkansas in the SEC, is a third stringer, which just shows how loaded their roster is. There are really no weaknesses on the roster at all, and S Taylor Mays is certainly one of the best defenders in America.

Now, for the rest of the rankings:

2. California. It’s tough to choose between Cal and Oregon for the two spot, but coach Jeff Tedford has Cal in a great position to succeed this year. The defensive backs are the best in the Pac-10, especially at corner, and RB Jahvid Best may just be the best running back in America. With 17 starters returning, Cal looks solid to challenge USC. However, they should fall just a bit short, especially since Cal’s passing game, led by QB Kevin Riley, leaves something to be desired.

3. Oregon. Former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly steps in as head coach and he certainly has some weapons to play with up in Eugene with a great running game and QB Jeremiah Masoli, who showed towards the end of last year that he has the skills to run Kelly’s run-oriented spread offense very effectively. Oregon is lucky in that they have the Pac-10’s best home field advantage and host both USC and Cal, but unfortunately they are just not at the same level as either of the two.

4. Arizona. Arizona was disrespected at the Pac-10 media day, where they were selected to finish 8th in the conference after making a bowl game for the first time in a decade last year. While key players QB Willie Tuitama, OT Eben Britton, and WR Mike Thomas departed, the core of the defense remains in tact, which should be one of the Pac-10’s strongest. The big question mark is at quarterback, where neither Matt Scott or Nick Foles has been able to solidify the starting job. However, whoever wins the job will have many weapons to work with, including TE Rob Gronkowski, one of the nation’s best, and 1000 yard RB Nic Grigsby. Arizona should be the surprise of the conference, and that means a similar win count to last year.

5. Oregon State. The Beavers were very close to winning the Pac-10 last season, beating USC early in the year and leading the conference until losing to Oregon in the season finale. Sophomore RB Jacquizz Rodgers was the Pac-10 offensive player of the year award last season, and the diminutive back is a pain for defenses to take down, but only three starters return on defense, so growing pains are to be expected in Corvallis.

6. Stanford. The academic powerhouse has turned into a recruiting destination under coach Jim Harbaugh, who recently brought in a top 20 recruiting class. RB Toby Gerhart is solid, QB Andrew Luck was very highly touted out of high school, and the defense is strong in the front seven. However, the defensive backs are a major liability, and while this team could potentially end up making a bowl game, they aren’t among the conference’s best, but Harbaugh has the team headed in that direction.

7. Arizona State. The biggest problem with Arizona State is the offensive line. It’s simply not very good. Rudy Carpenter got killed last year, and there’s little reason to believe things will be better for new starting QB Danny Sullivan. The strength of the team is on the defensive line, which is solid all around. ASU’s defense will also get a boost if standout freshman LB Vontaze Burfict qualifies, but that’s a major question mark at this time.

8. UCLA. Lots of people are very confident UCLA will have a major improvement this year, but I think they are still a year away. Coach Rich Neuheisel has built winners before, and based on how he’s recruiting, it looks like he’s on that track at UCLA. However, the offensive line is still likely to be terrible, the running game will probably still be awful (it was a dreadful 116th in college football last year), and starting QB Kevin Prince has no collegiate experience. The defense should be solid, but UCLA is going to have a lot of problems putting points up on the board.

9. Washington. The good news: QB Jake Locker is back. He could be the best QB in the Pac-10 this season. Also, coach Steve Sarkisian has gotten off to a great start recruiting, and the school is becoming confident that success is on the horizon. However, success will not come this year. But it could be worse, they could be…..

10. Washington State. This program is seriously a mess. Second year coach Paul Wulff has a major rebuilding job to do, and based on early recruiting measures, it doesn’t look like he’s bringing too much talent in. The Cougars aren’t strong in any area, and the fact that they had open tryouts on campus for QB last year just says it all. It will be a long season this year in Pullman.