Campus Confidential

BY MIKE ROSE

Jeremy commented in a previous post if Adam and/or I would weigh in on schools naming coaching successors.

Texas just did it, with defensive coordinator Will Muschamp designated as the head coach once Mack Brown decides to retire.

But the Longhorns are not the only program to do this. Florida State has the arrangement already in place, with offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher set to take over for Bobby Bowden. Bret Bielema was prepared to take over for Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin. Purdue's Joe Tiller is retiring after Saturday's game and associate head coach Danny Hope will take over.

What do I think?

-- It's smart. It's important to have continuity in a program. This way when the transition is officially made, it's seamless. Plus, you won't have a messy divorce. When a longtime and successful coach leaves without a replacement ready, things can definitely get a bit out of hand. The Michigan saga last year involving Les Miles and Rich Rodriguez wasn't the best situation for the Wolverines. And schools won't risk losing prized recruits because they will know who is going to be their coach, one way or another.

-- It's good business. Instead of going out and throwing a truckload of money at a coach, schools can lock into an assistant-in-waiting for a reasonable price. And in these tough economic times, a bargain is always good. Also, the powerful alumni and the many season-ticket holders will have a sense of security, knowing that a coach is in place for the future.

-- It's reality. If programs don't lock up solid assistants by naming them as successors, you risk losing them to the NFL or other schools.

By Adam Abramson

I have never been the biggest fan of ESPN, but I was glad to hear that the network and the BCS inked an exclusive deal from 2011-2014.

While I think Joe Buck does a fine job calling BCS games on Fox, it makes no sense. We see zero football coverage from Fox's main channel during the year, then all of a sudden we're forced to tune in come January.

ESPN dedicates insane amounts of resources to covering college football and it does a really good job of doing it.

I guess this means the BCS is a go through at least 2014?

Greg Robinson was fired by Syracuse on Sunday.

Robinson will coach the final two games of this season for the Orange.

Really no surprise. The big surprise is that it took this long for athletic director Daryl Gross to realize the situation wasn't working.

Robinson is 9-36 overall and 3-25 in the Big East in a little under four seasons. He still has a year remaining on his contract.

You knew it was going to end this way. The New York Times reported earlier this season that the school had hired a search firm to look for a replacement for Robinson. There were even the reports about former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr being seen on the Syracuse campus.

There's really no need to look back on what's gone wrong. Or how things have gotten so bad. Syracuse must make the right hire now.

There are so many names out there as possible replacements -- current NFL coaches, former NFL coaches, current college coaches, and current college assistants.

Robinson had both NFL and college coaching experience before he came to Syracuse. I have no idea what Syracuse will do. But I'd like to see a coach with Syracuse roots get the job.

The Orange need a coach that understands the tradition of the program. Syracuse needs a coach who will re-establish the tradition. Perhaps it will be UConn head coach Randy Edsall, who played and coached at Syracuse.

By Adam Abramson

Let's compare TTU and Alabama to date:

Wins over a No. 1
Texas Tech: Defeated Texas at home on an amazing play right at the end of the game. It was the Longhorns' only defeat - remember when Colt McCoy upended Oklahoma? Texas is still in the Big 12 title hunt and firmly in the race for the national title.

Alabama: Laid a smackdown on Georgia in Athens, at night. At the time, the game was impressive. Nick Saban's bunch stormed out to a 31-0 lead and dominated in what was a statement game. The wheels have almost come off Georgia's bus, who struggled mightily with Kentucky this weekend.
Advantage: Draw. I will give Alabama the benefit of the doubt on this one - Athens is a tough place to play, and even though Texas is a better opponent than Georgia, TTU was at home, at night. So we'll call it even.

Other signature wins:
Texas Tech: A romping of Oklahoma State at home. The Pokes were supposed to match TTU offensively. Couldn't. They were supposed to slow down that high octane offense. They did the complete opposite. Oklahoma State isn't a team that will set the world on fire, but it's a group that played well at No. 1 Texas (remember the interception called back by a roughing the passer?) and won at then-No. 3 Missouri. Oklahoma State might be one of the best two-loss teams in the country right now.

Alabama: At Death Valley against LSU. Clemson is a 4-5 squad who doesn't even have the same coach as it did in August, time for everyone to get over that win. The key win is against LSU. It was on the road, late afternoon (night by game's end), and it had the whole Saban angle. There was a ton of emotion on both sidelines and a lot of undertones that played into this game. However, if you're truly the country's top team, you should realize your Xs and Os are much better than theirs, and they weren't. LSU is now a 6-3 team with losses in every key game its played this year. Alabama received four turnovers, one being a pick-6, but a shaky kicker and the inability to put together drives let this one go into overtime.
Advantage: Texas Tech

Hypothetical game: Texas Tech vs. Alabama
Alabama can't stop Texas Tech. Nobody can't. Oklahoma won't be able to in two weeks. The question is, then: Can Alabama keep up? Well, Oklahoma State's lightning offense couldn't. I'll bet the Oklahoma Sooners will give TTU a good run. But there's no chance Alabama could. Texas Tech averages 47.9 points per game, the Tide has reached that mark ONCE - 49.

The Tide does yield about 13 points per game, but its only faced one offense inside the Top 25 (Georgia, No. 22). It's faced just three ranked in the Top 50 for total offense (Arkansas State, LSU the other two). Texas Tech averages 130 more yards of offense than Georgia on a weekly basis. Again, you're not going to stop Texas Tech.

The Tide will be forced to keep up with an offense that's pretty average, but finds ways to win. Glen Coffee averages over 100 yards per game on the ground and would be the key for 'Bama in keeping TTU's offense off the field. The Red Raiders are a middle-of-the-road defensive team, but that might be enough against a middle-of-the-road offense. Oklahoma State boasts a Top 10 offense, and the Red Raiders gave up 20 points and 368 yards (OSU 42 points and 497 yards). I think Mike Leach's bunch would be up to the task of stopping a vanilla, smashmouth offense.

Advantage: Texas Tech

Like I said last week: If Alabama beats Florida in the SEC title game, I have no problem with the Tide playing for the national title. Until then, I cannot considering the group a contender based on the current body of work.

As for Texas Tech, it might not even get a shot at the conference title game. With the Big 12's dominance this year, it's only right to put the last-standing team among Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the title game, assuming a victory in the Big 12 Championship bout.

ESPN.com is reporting that Ron Prince will not return as head coach at Kansas State in 2009.

Not too surprised. Prince is 16-18 at Kansas State, which just got crushed by rival Kansas on Saturday.

The bottom line is that the Big 12 is a competitive conference. A below .500 record is not going to cut it. Expectations are high everywhere.

BY MIKE ROSE

The SEC, Big 12 and ACC all wisely play conference title games. The BCS representatives from those conferences earn it on the field.

The Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big East send their representatives to BCS bowls based on regular-season conference records, and, in the case of ties, some interesting tiebreakers.

Keep reading.

Big Ten: Believe it or not, the Oct. 25 showdown between Penn State and Ohio State was not the "Big Ten Championship Game." The Nov. 22 showdown with Michigan State visiting Penn State will likely be for the conference title. Why? If Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State all finish with 7-1 conference records, the Spartans earn the BCS bowl bid -- regardless of which team has the better overall record, which team is ranked higher in the BCS standings and which team won head-to-head matchups. The Big Ten's first tiebreaker is head-to-head matchups. If Michigan State beats Penn State in that Nov. 22 game, then Penn State would have beaten Ohio State, which beat Michigan State, which beat Penn State. Believe it or not, the next tiebreaker would come down to FCS opponents. Michigan State did not have an FCS team on its schedule, while Penn State and Ohio State did.

Pac-10: Want to know which Pac-10 team controls its own destiny? USC? No, not correct. It's Oregon State, with a 5-3 overall record. The Beavers are 4-1 in the Pac-10, tied with California. USC is 5-1. USC and California play this weekend, so one of those teams will pick up a second conference loss. Oregon State goes to UCLA, then hosts Cal, goes to Arizona and hosts Oregon. Not an easy stretch. But if Oregon State sweeps those games and USC continues to win, the Beavers are the Pac-10 champions based on beating the Trojans head-to-head.

Big East: West Virginia, at 3-0 in the conference, really controls its own destiny. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are both tied for second, with 2-1 records. But West Virginia still has to play both of those teams. So the Mountaineers simply just need to keep winning to win the Big East and the BCS bowl bid. The Big East rules state the first tiebreaker is head-to-head matchups. The next tiebreaker is the highest ranked Big East team in the BCS standings.

BY MIKE ROSE

Thought it would be good to break down the three unbeatens at the top of the BCS standings. Take a look. Pretty interesting.

Your thoughts?

1. ALABAMA
Best win: Georgia (41-30)
Best non-conference win: Clemson (34-10)
FCS opponents played: None
Closest win: Kentucky (17-14)
Wins over ranked teams: 2 (No. 9 Clemson and No. 3 Georgia)
What's left?: at No. 16 LSU on Saturday, vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 15), vs. Auburn (Nov. 29), SEC title game

2. TEXAS TECH
Best win: Texas (39-33)
Best non-conference win: Nevada (35-19)
FCS opponents played: 2 (Eastern Washington and Massachusetts)
Closest win: Nebraska (37-31, OT) and Texas (39-33)
Wins over ranked teams: 2 (No. 23 Kansas and No. 1 Texas)
What's left?: vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday, at No. 6 Oklahoma (Nov. 22), vs. Baylor (Nov. 29), Big 12 title game

3. PENN STATE
Best win: Ohio State (13-6)
Best non-conference win: Oregon State (45-14)
FCS opponents played: 1 (Coastal Carolina)
Closest win: Ohio State (13-6)
Wins over ranked teams: 2 (No. 22 Illinois and No. 9 Ohio State)
What's left?: at Iowa on Saturday, vs. Indiana (Nov. 15), vs. No. 18 Michigan State (Nov. 22)

By Adam Abramson

The BCS chase is far from over, but, as usual, a dangerous precedent is being set up with the last few weeks of rankings.

Why do I say this?

Alabama is No. 1.

Is the Tide really the country's best team right now? I surely don't.

On a neutral field, I would handicap Alabama as an underdog to Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida -- and Penn State would be a push. I would really handicap it that way. I might even handicap them as an underdog to Southern Cal.

Alabama has two wins that were worth talking about when they happened. The Tide opened the season against Clemson and embarrassed a team that has proven it is flat-out not good. Alabama also trounced Georgia, who looked like Bethpage's JV team against Florida last weekend.

Before I take too much credit away from Alabama, I will say they're undoubtedly one of the country's best teams as of Week 10. But I need to see one thing. No, not a win at LSU, because I'm not sure how good LSU is right now. I need to see the Tide win the SEC title. Beat Florida in that title game, and they're more than worthy of playing for the national championship.

I think we're just rushing to judgment by putting them as the undisputed No. 1 team right now. Sure, there's an argument, but it's not strong enough to be that dominant of a No. 1.

So what's my top 5?

1. Texas Tech
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Florida
5. Texas

It's all a moot point, anyway. Because my prediction last week, with a witness, is that the national title game will be Penn State vs. Florida. But couldn't you see Oklahoma sneaking in there? Tough to say what's going to happen.

Alabama will be flirting with national titles for years to come and soon they'll win one.

Let's face it: no matter what happens this season there will be questions about whether or not the BCS works.

If Alabama, Texas Tech and Penn State all go undefeated, one of those teams (likely Penn State) will be left out of the national championship game.

If Alabama and/or Texas Tech loses a game, which could very well happen, and Penn State goes undefeated, we'll hear about how weak the Big Ten is this season and how weak it's been in recent national title games (Ohio State). If Alabama, Texas Tech and Penn State all lose a game, which one-loss team is best? Better yet, which two one-loss teams do you put in the national championship game?

So, what do you think is the best solution? Should the BCS stay? Would you keep the BCS, but tweak it? Are you in a favor of a playoff? If so, how would your playoff system work?

By Adam Abramson

Well, Phil Fulmer is finally going to be out at Tennessee.

UT had its ups and downs, but lately there's been a lot more valleys than peaks. Valleys don't go over well in Knoxville, and 3-6 just won't cut it, especially considering the Vols have averaged 4 losses a season since winning the title in 1998.

The announcement comes at a tough time with respect to recruiting. UT, per usual, as pulled some top names for the class of 2009. According to the Rivals.com Web site devoted to Tennessee football, several four-star players have been in the fold for the upcoming class, including a quarterback, two running backs, a wide receiver and a few key defensive prospects.

With Fulmer staying on board to finish out the season, Tennessee has to maintain these relationships with the guys in the fold. Because the Web site requires a subscription, I won't say who might be looking elsewhere, but I don't expect UT to keep all of those guys on board.

This is what happens when you change directions, though. One thing that UT has to be mindful of is the promises it makes. Recent verbal commitment Tajh Boyd told the media that he discussed Fulmer's future with the AD and Fulmer himself and did not leave with the impression there would be a change, just a week or two ago.

Tennessee has to accomplish a few things from here: 1. Make the right hire. 2. Keep the verbal commits at ease by keeping them informed at every turn. 3. Make the right hire.

BY MIKE ROSE

Obviously, Alabama moving to No. 1 in the latest BCS standings is not a surprise.

However, I was surprised, but not shocked, that Texas Tech moved five spots to No. 2, jumping idle Penn State. The Nittany Lions remain at No. 3.

Texas slipped four spots to No. 4, Florida is at No. 5, followed by Oklahoma and USC.

USC wins big over Washington and slips two spots. That's a reflection on the weak Pac-10 this season.

I thought Texas would slip to No. 5 and Florida would go to No. 4, especially after the big win over Georgia. There's absolutely no doubt Texas should be ranked ahead of Oklahoma, based on the Longhorns beating the Sooners earlier this season.

Here's the bottom line:

If Alabama and Texas Tech win out, those teams will play for the national title, regardless of Penn State going undefeated.

Alabama still has a trip to LSU this Saturday and a likely SEC title game matchup with Florida.

Texas Tech gets Oklahoma State at home on Saturday and still must go to Norman to play the Sooners. Plus, Texas Tech, if it continues to win, would also play a Big 12 title game.

Penn State still has a road trip to Iowa this week, and then finishes with home games against Indiana and Michigan State. The Big Ten does not have a conference title game.

Translation:

There's a lot of football still to be played and the BCS standings will likely look a lot different by the end, when it really counts.

The one scenario that would cause an uproar involves Alabama, Texas Tech and Penn State all finishing the season undefeated.

That's why we need a playoff system now.

ESPN.com's Chris Low is reporting that Phillip Fulmer won't return as head coach of Tennessee in 2009.

I can't say I'm too surprised. Tennessee is 1-5 in the SEC, its worst conference record since 1977, and this decade hasn't been great in Knoxville. Tennessee is 3-6 overall this season.

ESPN.com reports that Fulmer will coach the remainder of this season.

More from Campus on the Fulmer news

By Adam Abramson

Tommy Bowden is out at Clemson.

Bowden was in his 10th season at Clemson. The 54-year-old put together a 72-45 record, consistently underachieving with all of the great talent he recruited to play in South Carolina.

Clemson was a favorite to win the conference and was Top 10 in most preseason polls, but has since floundered.

The announcement comes after Clemson's loss to Wake Forest, in which the offense managed just 198 yards. In the fallout, freshman Willy Korn was named the starter of Cullen Harper, a senior. Harper had become a repeated victim of Clemson's awful offensive line play and Korn gives Clemson a different look on offense, as he is known for his dual-threat ability.

Many thought Bowden's dismissal would come at year's end. Dabo Swinney is the likely successor to Clemson, at least to finish up the season.

Vote: What should Clemson have done?

Go U (NU Anthem)

They're pumped. Can't blame them.

Josh Jarboe didn't even strap up for a practice at the University of Oklahoma before he was released from his scholarship...and he committed no crime.

Coach Bob Stoops and the school revoked the scholarship after a video of the All-American prep wide receiver from Georgia surfaced on the Internet.

In the video, Jarboe freestyle raps about profane subjects such as murder and sex.

The lyrics are little different than the songs we hear on the radio and on TV. The lyrics made no promises, named no names and had no direct threats. He was kicked out for doing what teenagers do and listen to all over the country.

It should be known that Jarboe was arrested in March and expelled from his high school for a gun charge. Jarboe pleaded guilty and the charges were reduced to misdemeanors, allowing him to keep his scholarship with Oklahoma. Needless to say, he was on thin ice.

But should the ice crack because he exercised his right to freedom of speech? Sure, it doesn't represent the Sooners in the way they'd like, but he's 18 years old. Teenagers do things like that. Does anyone remember the Seventh Floor Crew at Miami?

Stoops said in a statement:

"We are disappointed in this outcome, but our complete review and this final decision is in the best interest of our program."

"We outlined for Josh the expectations we had for him when he arrived and, unfortunately, those expectations have not been met. Josh needs to learn from this experience. We hope he can move forward in a positive manner."

A couple of things stick out:

1. It's safe to assume there were long discussions and the decision-making process behind his dismissal was long thought through and investigated. Maybe there's more to the story -- we'll likely never know.

2. The school hopes he can learn from this and move forward. What's he supposed to learn? Do exactly what thousands of teenagers do in this country, something not against the law, and pay a price? No, what the school would say is always represent yourself in the proper manner. But what's the lesson in kicking him out of school? Every season we see kids from schools all over the country sit a game or two out for failing drug tests, and yet the price is a game where they can't strap on the pads. What's the lesson here?

Oklahoma hopes he moves on in a positive manner. I hope he does, too. I hope he continues to be himself and that he lands at another school and contributes in a positive manner on and off the field.

If that happens, maybe Oklahoma will learn from this experience.

--AA

Here we go. AP poll comes out Aug. 16...

1. Georgia (22) -- 1,438

2. Southern California (14) -- 1,430

3. Ohio State (14) -- 1,392

4. Oklahoma (3) -- 1,329

5. Florida (5) -- 1,293

6. LSU (3) -- 1,163

7. Missouri -- 1,143

8. West Virginia -- 1,008

9. Clemson -- 999

10. Texas -- 979

11. Auburn -- 888

12. Wisconsin -- 747

13. Kansas -- 714

14. Texas Tech -- 644

15. Virginia Tech -- 568

16. Arizona State -- 560

17. Brigham Young -- 547

18. Tennessee -- 506

19. Illinois -- 422

20. Oregon -- 399

21. South Florida -- 350

22. Penn State -- 313

23. Wake Forest -- 203

24. Michigan -- 112

25. Fresno State -- 91

It's logical we start with Pat White's comments about playing baseball at West Virginia.

The Heisman hopeful quarterback has been an ambassador for the University. He stepped up to say his quarterbacks coach, Bill Stewart, should replace Rich Rodriguez. Eventually, that's the move the athletic department made.

Stewart had told White he should try to play baseball and joked with reporters at Big East Media Day that White didn't because he couldn't hit a curveball. White later told Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York the following:

"In my knowledge of West Virginia baseball, there's not been many players of my race on his team. [Coach Greg Van Zant's] not too high on it. Every player I've talked to doesn't like him. He's not a well-liked coach, but I guess he has tenure so they never got rid of him. They're not successful at all."

Those are some heavy words and a heavy accusation for someone who is a stranger to controversy. West Virginia has no black players listed on the 2008 roster, according to the athletics Web site, but West Virginia isn't the most diverse of states. Van Zant has been at West Virginia for 15 seasons, but that doesn't discredit White's statement.

This is a very sticky situation for West Virginia, which is gearing up for a pivotal season. The development of this in the coming days and weeks should be interesting. Will White say anymore? Will Van Zant respond?

White will have to face the media daily in just a few days, so we'll see.

As a side note, White had a successful prep career in Alabama before heading to Morgantown. In fact, he chose college over a $400,000 contract offered after being selected in the fourth round of the 2004 draft by the Angels. In 2007 he was selected by the same club in the 27th round. This year the Reds picked him in the 49th round.

Sour grapes in the Orange state?

Jim Leavitt was fired up at media day and Greg Auman down at the St. Pete Times got it on tape.

First Leavitt took a stab at Rich Rodriguez, saying West Virginia became far less beatable when RR went to Michigan.

"[Stewart is] probably better than Rodriguez. I'm worried about him. We beat Rodriguez. We haven't gotten this guy. This guy worries me. I wish Rich would have stayed. But he didn't, so we'll have to go play Michigan now."

Then he moved on to the ACC's raid of the Big East.

"In the history of college football, one of the great stories is what Mike Tranghese did during that whole period of time ... the ability to hold and in some ways strengthen the Big East, while the other three schools seem to have watered down, I have to be honest with you, on the national scene."

While he's completely accurate about Tranghese, he's a little off in the second half of that statement.

Boston College was ranked as high as No. 2 this season -- that's pretty prominent on the national scene. The future of Boston College isn't really clear, which has to be troublesome, but to say they watered down might be a stretch. Will they waterdown soon? It's possible.

Virginia Tech has played in two BCS games and have appeared in two of the three ACC title games. I would argue there's been no watering down.

What he should have said is "Miami and the ACC have been watered down more than a rice patty since the conference tried to shut us down four years ago."

Leavitt has a good ball club and has a lot to be excited about. But he should probably ease up on the jabs and figure out how he's going to win a pretty stacked conference with his team.

The breakdown

According to the media, here's how it will end up:

1. West Virginia (22) 189
2. USF (1) 149
3. Pittsburgh (1) 128
4. Rutgers 110
5. Cincinnati 98
6. Connecticut 97
7. Louisville 69
8. Syracuse 24

There will be plenty more about the Big East to come.

--AA

By Adam Abramson

Jason Gwaltney is again part of the West Virginia football team.

The former North Babylon running back is back in Morgantown with another chance to see the field for the Mountaineers in the future.

Gwaltney's return to West Virginia comes after a tumultuous two-year stretch that saw him bouncing between Morgantown and Long Island.

Even though he's at WVU again, the third time around won't necessarily be a charm. New head coach Bill Stewart has told Gwaltney he must spend this year in the classroom and on the scout team before he can see the field. He will use a redshirt this season, leaving him with one year of football eligibility for the 2009 season.

"He's back with the team, he's on campus. He's just not eligible," said Stewart, who was quarterbacks coach when Gwaltney first came to West Virginia. "As long as he goes to class, does what he's supposed to do, as long as he crosses his Ts and dots his Is, he's part of the family."

As a freshman in 2005 he had 45 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns before a knee injury. Trouble in the classroom abruptly kept him from the field and he left school.

Former head coach Rich Rodriguez was prepared to give him another chance following the 2006-2007 season after he re-enrolled as a student, but a June arrest for underage consumption of alcohol, speeding and failure to produce an operator's license again landed him in hot water.

Gwaltney has since spent time at Nassau Community College where he attained enough credits to head back to West Virginia where he’s been in summer school, according to his high school coach Terry Manning.

“He’s been great with the speed work, agility. He really got into it. He’s not into the power lifting anymore. He’s phenomenal specimen,” Manning said of Gwaltney’s training. “I hope [he knows what’s at stake]. There’s been a lot of conversations over the years about going to class and doing the right thing … I’m hoping the light in him went on and he understands what’s ahead of him.”

Manning said Gwaltney is under his high school playing weight of 238 by nearly 10 pounds.

"I know he's matured. I know he knows this is his last opportunity," Stewart said. "I'm a guy that sees the glass as half full instead of half empty."

Gwaltney is the only two-time winner of Newsday’s Hansen Award, given to Suffolk's top high school football player since 1960. His senior season was marked by 2,880 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns.

"He's a tremendous football talent. He has a great future ahead of him," Stewart said.

Calls to a number listed for Gwaltney went unanswered.

Back from a world without Internet. I had a lot of catching up to do, but I think we'll start with some polls.

According to the media, here is how the conference standings will look come bowl season:

Pac 10
1. USC (38 first-place votes), 389 total points
2. Arizona State, 330
3. Oregon, 295
4. Cal (1), 274**
5. UCLA, 204
6. Oregon State, 192
7. Arizona, 185
8. Washington, 139
9. Stanford, 76
10. Washington State, 61
**Jeff Tedford is not a member of the media.

Atlantic Coast
Atlantic Division
Clemson (59) 383**
Wake Forest (5) 304
Florida State (1) 265
Boston College 154
Maryland 147
N.C. State 112

Coastal Division
Virginia Tech (58) 383
North Carolina (4) 288
Miami (1) 253
Georgia Tech (1) 195
Virginia (1) 161
Duke 85
**Picked to win conference

Big 12
North
1. Missouri (51) 306
2. Kansas 234
3. Nebraska 183
4. Colorado 181
5. Kansas State 108
6. Iowa State 59

South
1. Oklahoma (49) 304
2. Texas (2) 230
3. Texas Tech 227
4. Oklahoma State 140
5. Texas A&M 118
6. Baylor 52

Southeastern
Eastern Div.
1. Florida (45) 98**
2. Georgia (23) 121
3. Tennessee (2) 222
4. South Carolina 266
5. Kentucky 356
6. Vanderbilt 407

Western Div.
1. Auburn (48) 99
2. LSU (21) 120
3. Alabama 228
4. Mississippi State 299
5. Ole Miss (1) 338
6. Arkansas 386
**Picked to win conference

The Big Ten's poll is nowhere to be found. They're above that, perhaps? Do they think very little of the men that cover the conference? However, I was able to gather, and as Mike reported, that Ohio State is picked to win the conference, Wisconsin second and Illinois third. I also read that Michigan State is ranked ahead of Michigan. I'll assume that Penn State was picked fourth, making Michigan sixth at best.

The Big East media day is tomorrow. So I'll be sure to provide the pundits' preseason poll.

--AA

Just wanted to keep on top of the potential 2009 ACC-SEC kickoff game in Atlanta.

Virginia Tech is still gung-ho. Alabama has some contractual obligations with previously scheduled games it would have to work out, so nothing is a done deal. Schools like Auburn and Tennessee have been mentioned, but there's little substance to that.

This is definitely a wait-and-see. Nick Saban has, and wants to continue to play marquee out of conference games. I expect him to be all for this game.

Keep staying tuned.

Former beat colleague Kyle Tucker broke this story in the Virginian Pilot yesterday.

In short, it says there is a planned Chick-Fil-A college football kickoff game set for 2009 that will square off Virginia Tech and Alabama. Pretty big time game to start the season.

However, it's not easy.

Then Ian Rappaport published this on al.com. Apparently Alabama is saying VT jumped the gun.

The rumblings I'm hearing are this game is a go. If Alabama wants in, then they can accept. If not, expect someone like Tennessee, Auburn or another big-name SEC school to step up to the plate.

It's a great opportunity for both schools. Lots of exposure. VT could build inroads in an area where they pretty much never recruit. And the SEC, who can recruit everywhere, would get tons of exposure in Virginia -- a state that could produce up to 70 Division I-A (FBS) prospects this year.

Stay tuned.

Here are some big Week 1 games this year: Alabama vs. Clemson in Atlanta (this year's version of the proposed 2009 game), Michigan State at Cal, Appalachain State at LSU (new quarterback in Baton Rouge...we'll see) and Southern Cal at Virginia.

By the way, those games are 45 days away...

While everyone in college football likes to get caught up in the Fulmer's Cup Standings, I figured I would give the Top 30 of the Directors' Cup -- given to the top overall performing athletic department.

No surprise with the winner -- It's Stanford's 14th consecutive Cup (it's been around for 15 years). And UCLA has finished runner-up for a third straight year. Pick it up, Bruins.

2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup
Final Point Standings

1. Stanford 1461.00
2. UCLA 1182.00
3. Michigan 1161.50
4. Arizona State 1146.00
5. Texas 1129.50
6. Florida 1126.75
7. California 1120.00
8. LSU 1085.00
9. Penn State 1041.00
10. Georgia 1040.00
11. Ohio State 1034.75
12. Texas A&M 1031.00
13. Southern California 1011.25
14. North Carolina 978.50
15. Florida State 971.50
16. Tennessee 953.75
17. Virginia 869.00
18. Wisconsin 830.50
19. Duke 821.00
20. Auburn 761.50
21. Notre Dame 760.50
22. Washington 745.25
23. Oklahoma 714.00
24. Arkansas 697.00
25. Alabama 683.00
26. Oregon 680.75
27. Arizona 666.50
28. Minnesota 656.75
29. Michigan State 638.25
30. West Virginia 630.50

Schools Ranked in the Top-30 of All 15 Directors' Cup Point Standings (1994-2008)
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
North Carolina
Ohio State
Penn State
Stanford
Tennessee
Texas
UCLA
USC
Virginia

Anyone with the last name Holland reading this?

Have I got an offer for you...

Brandon Holland, a Virginia Tech offensive lineman, has put his Chick-Fil-a bowl ring for sale on eBay.

If you're a Chick-Fil-a fan, like myself, or a Virginia Tech alum, like myself, this could be a cool gift.

Or if your last name is Holland, you can pass yourself off as a Virginia Tech football player, assuming you're in your 20s. Trust me, it might work. In college I went to the Sugar Bowl (Virginia Tech-Auburn in 2005). For Christmas, I had gotten a VT warmup jacket. I spent much of the week as a strong safety hanging out on Bourbon St. Pathetic, but it was a good time.

One thing: It might be tough if you're 45 and telling people you played in the 2006 Chick-fil-a bowl.

One last question: Is Brandon selling this ring to fill up his gas tank like the rest of us, or is he selling off anything that reminds him of that painful Dec. 30 loss to Georgia.

Check it out for yourself: Bowl ring

Here's a picture from ESPN.com's college football home page.

There's nothing going on. Bruce Feldman wrote an interesting piece about the top 10 "freaks" in college football, LSU's Trindon Holliday being one of them.

Otherwise, I'll leave you with this.

I wish I had more to report, but alas, I don't.

I will say that Clemson locking up Tommy Bowden until 2014 is a solid move.

And those coaches I told you that went to see the troops, I didn't give credit to all of them.

The full list:

Notre Dame's Charlie Weis, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, Jack Siedlecki of Yale, Mark Richt of Georgia, and Randy Shannon of Miami (Fla.).

Classy.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day.

Here are some noteworthy headlines and notes that might interest you:

- Washington and LSU, two schools that have been playing football for almost 120 years, will meet for just the second time in 2009. Believe it or not, the Huskies have been playing football since 1889 and LSU since 1893. The 2009 contest will be in Washington and the home-and-home will be completed in 2012 in Baton Rouge.

- The University of Michigan is set for its NCAA-record 209th consecutive home crowd of 100,000-plus on Aug. 30 when the Wolverines open the year with Utah at Ann Arbor. The streak began with a 102,415 turnout on Nov. 8, 1975, for a Michigan-Purdue game. That's at least 20,900,000 people the last 33 years, right? That's a lot of people.

- Vanderbilt has unveiled a $50 million plan for athletics facility upgrades and additions. I've seen other places say it is as much as $60M. While I applaud the school for taking initiative to fix the facade of the program, it's not enough. That money spent needs to go to more than just steel and concrete. They need to use this to attract better talent. The Commodores haven't had a winning season in over a quarter of a century.

- Lastly, guys like Tommy Tuberville, Charlie Weis and Ron Zook are out visiting the troops overseas. Very cool.

By Adam Abramson

Two weeks ago, I made the prediction that Michigan would win a national title by 2011, something I'm sticking to.

OK, so it's not the biggest limb in the world, but I feel it's sturdy because Rich Rodriguez is taking little time in making an impact up in Ann Arbor.

It'd take a near miracle to win it this season, but the light is already shining for the future.

The high school class of 2009 has yet to finish its junior year, but Rodriguez has already locked up two zone read prototype quarterbacks, and could possibly add a third to the fold.

Texas product Shavodrick Beaver and Virginia native Kevin Newsome are two of the top 2009 prospects at the quarterback position. Barely able to operate a motor vehicle, both are built as big, if not bigger, than West Virginia quarterback Pat White.

And rumors are swirling that Michigan prep product Keith Nichol could return to his home state after his Oklahoma experiment was foiled by Sam Bradford. Nichol was one of the top dual-threat prospects in the class of 2007. Scouts noted Nichol's strengths as vision and running ability. Hello spread offense.

Nichol hasn't decided on his next stop yet, but if it's Ann Arbor, we could have a log jam.

But there's something that these guys need to remember, as quarterbacks.

Based on recent history, here's what these guys can expect when they get to Michigan.

(All numbers are rank in the country in stated category)

And Pat White is already being projected as a wide receiver.

Food for thought, if you're ready to showcase your arm.

But if you're in it for the championship, might be worth slugging it out with those other guys.

By Adam Abramson

I reached out to my person in the know concerning the dismissal of Florida State linebacker Marcus Ball.

From the sound of it, Ball had just become a headache and wasn't fulfilling his end of the bargain with academics and attitude.

The coaches must have become fed up, because he's a huge loss for that defense. Ball and Geno Hayes were both eligible to play for that linebacking corps in 2008, but neither will be playing on Doak Campbell this fall. And Dekoda Watson is MIA for the first four games of the season.

Ball is the younger brother of Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball and was one of the country's top players coming out of high school. He had just finished his sophomore season and had a promising future, despite injuries in his first two years.

We'll see where he ends up.