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Wake Up Alabama Football Fans! History Being Made in Our Generation

Much has been made of the three years that Saban has been at the helm of the Alabama Football program. From the first season that finished at 6-6 to the 2009 season ending as undefeated National Champions, it has been a great ride in three measly years.

As an Alabama football fan, it has been a roller coaster, despite back to back undefeated regular seasons. The post season of 2008 left fans unfulfilled. Some thought that would be the shot for the title and 2009 would be a year of rebuilding. It ended with back to back losses to Florida and Utah.

In the end, many considered the season unsuccessful.

On the other hand, some relished in the blissful moments of the 2008 season. Wins against highly ranked Clemson in the season opener, at Georgia during a “blackout”, at Death Valley against the LSU Tigers. The regular season finale win against in-state rival Auburn, bringing to a close the reign of terror brought on by Tommy Tuberville.

But at the end of the 2008 season, no one was calling Nick Saban a legend. Everyone saw the glimmer of promise. Saban’s process of “building a champion” was taking hold but no one really had considered that a national championship loomed on the horizon, particularly in 2009.

Remember, Kevin Steele left and went to Clemson. Coach and top notch recruiter Lance Thompson jumped ship from Saban to the Kiffin crowd at UT. Saban hired an old buddy named Sunseri and promoted little known, but energetic Kirby Smart to fill the void left by the well paid DC Steele.

Saban kept his nose to the grind and so did everyone else in the program.

Two more issues were addressed by the Alabama caretaker during the summer of 2009. Brandon Fanney was told that studying was just as important as football and his grades would need to improve. He left for North Alabama to play for Bowden. Saban showed Prince Hall the door for a persistent bad attitude.

The table was set for a successful season. Successful it was, for sure. Saban rode the Crimson Wave all the way to the National Championship, on the backs of stellar recruits put together as a team by himself and his predecessor, Mike Shula.

These athletes bought into the process, finished the program and ended the season dismantling the mighty Texas Longhorns. The Texans did not go down without a fight, even after losing their All-American, All-everything, Colt McCoy. He deserves all the recognition his college career brought with it, Colt was no doubt the real McCoy.

His backup was a freshman, talented but still lacking. In the end, the Longhorns would not have enough to stop the Crimson Tide from finishing the season as champions. The Alabama team finished as champions, not the coach, not the quarterback, and not the famous junior linebacker. It was a team effort.

Bryant did much of the same in a short period of time for the Crimson Tide. But he wasn’t labeled a legend after his first national championship. He used the gridiron as his mission field. He molded young boys into men. He taught them to be champions on and off the field of play.

The men molded by Bryant became leaders on the gridiron and in the world around Alabama citizens. That is what brought on the status as legend. Look around Bama fans, I don’t have to name them you know who they are.

We see them everyday. On television, at work, in politics and in the christian mission field. They are a part of the fabric of our lives, our communities and our country. Some have had international impact. That is the legend of Coach Bryant.

Now all of a sudden, Alabama fans want to hang the label as “Legend” on head coach Nick Saban. After one truly successful season, he is now a legend in the mind of some amongst us. In fact, it is impious to say that he is not, in their opinion.

Please don’t do this, Alabama fans, let Saban continue on his journey and let him complete his body of work for the Crimson Tide. Don’t sell him short. He doesn’t deserve it and neither do the men and women in whom he intends to continue ‘the process’ with in years to come.

Saban is without a doubt worthy of praise by the fan base. But to label him as a legend is premature. To say he is a legendary coach amongst his peers is one thing, but to say he is legendary at Alabama is another thing, entirely.

Is Gene Stallings a legend? How about Mike Dubose? They both won championships in one form or the other. Did that make them legends? Absolutely not.

A single championship doesn’t make a legend. May it never be! That is what trophies are for. Pins and banners make a champion but not a legend.

Legends are built over time. Through hardships, and overcoming unbelievable odds. Taking something that was mundane and making it more than anyone imagined it could be. Through that process, releasing champions into our communities to continue their work.

Yes, Saban has the stuff of legend, and if he continues on to complete his work, he will be legendary, but let it happen.

Don’t label it legendary now.

Our history is cherished, too rich and too steeped in tradition to just hand it over to someone in such a short time. In fact, if you would ask the man himself, he would not consider himself an Alabama legend. I challenge anyone in this fan base to ask him or have someone you know to ask him this very question, “Are you an Alabama Legend?”

Saban came to Alabama wanting to make a mark on a traditional program. If you will ask him, he will tell you that his job is unfinished. He is still in the process of rebuilding the Alabama Football program. It is not yet where he wants it to be and he is not ready to leave it in someone else’ hands. But guess what? It’s not about football, it’s bigger than that!

Football is the means but the process yields a product that is much more important. The process develops champions in football that become champions for life.

His goal is not to finish as champion for a season. And thank the Lord for that because that goal has been accomplished. His goal is much broader. Bigger than himself, bigger than Mal Moore and bigger than Dr. Witt. And he needs our help and the help of the administration to accomplish his goals, his indelible mark on the world.

He intends to put Alabama in a position to succeed year after year. And that does not simply mean winning a championship every year.

“Then what will it look like?” you might ask.

It will be a program that athletes will line up to become a part of, recruiting will be necessary but will be much easier. The best will come knocking on Alabama’s door, not the other way around.

The athletes will be successful on and off the field. They will leave with a degree after their third year in college. That is an attainable goal, one more and more athletes at the University of Alabama are achieving.

Many athletes will go on to extend their football careers in the NFL but many more will extend their education in professional schools across the land. Some will become Rhode Scholars, educators, lawyers, doctors and business leaders. Unfortunately some may need to become politicians and help clean up the mess others are making as we speak.

Alabama will become a launching pad for educated athletes. An institution molding great minds in order to make a difference in the world around us. Championships will come and go but champions will be living amongst us and helping us make our world better, right beside us, day by day. Working side by side, the champion will make you to excel even more.

No longer will there be a need for the ESPN chronicle “where are they now.” They will lead us into the future on and off the field. They will be the leaders of the brave new world. That will be the stuff of legend. That is the mark that Saban intends to leave on Alabama.

It’s cutting edge stuff. Saban is on the edge, cutting the mold as we speak.

Don’t diminish his achievement by calling him legendary for simply bringing home a crystal football. May it never be!

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Ohio State-Alabama BCS Showdown? Could State Go 0-10 in Bowls with SEC?

On Jan. 7, 2008, two unlikely teams took the field in the Louisiana Superdome to battle it out for the BCS Championship.

For weeks it looked like matchup would have been Missouri and West Virginia but in the last week of the season, Missouri was upset in the Big 12 Championship Game by Oklahoma and West Virginia was shocked with a loss to Pittsburgh.

Suddenly the college football world was thrown into chaos. After much speculation the BCS decided on a one-loss Ohio State team and a two-loss SEC Champion LSU. Ohio State had earlier stumbled against Illinois after dominating the rest of their schedule and LSU came to the game with overtime losses to Kentucky and Arkansas and some close calls to a bunch of other SEC teams.

Ohio State fans and press were thoroughly insulted to be rated by Las Vegas as a four point underdog to a two loss team that struggled for other wins during the season. Many though this was the year that Ohio State could break the “SEC Curse” going back eight games in different bowls.

Since 2000 and throughout the Jim Tressell era, Ohio State was winless in bowl games against the SEC including several embarrassing blowout losses to teams like South Carolina (which has actually beaten them twice in recent bowl games) and Florida who literally stomped so badly that they they have been thought of as an over-hyped bowl team every time they play an SEC team.

This game was not only going to win the Buckeyes the National Championship, but win back the respect they felt had lost on the national stage and early on it certainly looked like that would be the case as they jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead.

However, what came next was 24 unanswered points before half time and another national embarrassment at the hands of yet another SEC team. The final score of 38-24 was in no way was that close, as Ohio State got a late game closing meaningless touchdown against LSU’s third string.

With all the experts pointing toward an Ohio State team that could be easily be in the BCS Championship Game yet again this year, the likely opponent at this point would be Alabama. If not Alabama, then the SEC Champion.

Can Ohio State deal with the anticipated jokes and talk if in fact that game transpires, or will they go zero and ten against the SEC in bowl games and worse, be embarrassed again?

The Big Ten is sub .500 in BCS Bowl games overall while the SEC sports the league’s best mark at almost .750. But that is only history and has nothing to do with either team that will take the field this year.

Such talk is dangerous not only for Ohio State, but for Alabama as well. It would be far too easy for the Crimson Tide or any SEC to get caught up in such talk and expect an easy win.

It’s far too early to say how this game would play out and even if it will play out at all. But Ohio State’s history against the SEC will certainly be fodder for the press and media as the season goes on and such a match up begins to shape up and it could be equally dangerous to both teams.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Pac-10 and Big Ten Declare War On Big 12’s Financial Viability

The talk of UT moving to the Big Ten is difficult to imagine while the Big 12 is still a viable BCS conference. 

The loss of Colorado to the Pac-10 and Missouri to the Big Ten would dramatically compromise the viability of the Big 12 in the eyes of Texans, freeing UT to move to a different conference.

So, are the Pac-10 and Big Ten knowingly compromising the financial integrity of the Big 12 as a BCS conference to have a shot at UT?

This really is mirroring the last days of the Southwest Conference, when UT pushed Arkansas to break the seal on the SWC allowing UT to try to escape .

 

Missouri to the Big Ten

The rumor of Missouri being a leading candidate for the Big Ten didn’t make sense to me.

It took a homerun addition of Penn State to get the Big 10 up to 11 teams. While Missouri is quite an attractive candidate for BCS conferences, they don’t draw 100K per game.

Missouri might be a good candidate for the SEC down the road, but I would think they would have a lot less to offer the Big Ten because the Big Ten already has both the University of Illinois (state flagship) and Northwestern (arguably the state’s No. 2 university). 

These two universities means they already have TV relevance in St.Louis, which I would think dramatically reduces the benefit they would receive by adding Missouri (unlike the SEC who would look at Missouri as adding a state with six million people and including two major media markets to which they do not belong).

While they do a fair amount of research (5M in 2006), that number isn’t a homerun either. It is in fact far less than some of the other candidates for that 12th spot.

On the positive side, US News ranks Missouri as a Tier 1 National University, they are a state flagship, and they are one of the 60 US members of the AAU.

However, all together they don’t look like a homerun for the Big Ten.

 

Colorado to the Pac-10

Colorado on the other hand is a very understandable target for the Pac-10.

There are very few large media markets near the Pac-10 footprint, so unlike the Big 10, the Pac-10 doesn’t have a lot to chose from if they want to keep a tight footprint. 

The state of Colorado has about five million people and the Denver DMA stretches into a number of surrounding states, giving the Pac-10 the No. 1 teams in two major markets in the Mountain West time zone.

The University of Colorado shares the liberal perspective appreciated at schools like Stanford and Berkley—a very important factor when you consider the Pac-10 requires a unanimous approval on expansion votes.

Colorado would be a much stronger football program in the Pac-10 because the schools in Colorado would be a hotbed for California recruits. 

The idea of playing football near skiing areas is a lot more attractive to Californians than it is to most Texans, who just see it as a cold place. With much better recruiting there is a good shot Colorado would be a lot better team.

The Buffaloes did 0M of research in 2006, are a US News Tier 1 National University, are a state flagship, and are one of the 60 US members of the AAU.  So, academically they hit all of the Pac-10’s desires.

 

Pairing Utah with Colorado?

No offense to the Utes, but the second part of the Colorado rumors (adding Utah to the Pac-10) makes little sense unless it is designed mostly to provide leverage.

Utah did a fair amount of research too (8M in 2006), but per US News they are the eighth worst school in their Tier 1 national category. They are 127th out of the 133 schools that made Tier 1 and only eight slots from being ranked a Tier 3 university by that periodical.

They are a state flagship with statewide support, but Utah only has 2.8 million residents. It is not like they are like an SEC school that draws 80-90,000 people per game where the fevered nature of their fans outweigh the relatively small population base.

Taking a very quick and dirty look at the top five BCS conferences which have an abundance of flagships with statewide support—the Pac-10, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12—and totalling up the residents in those member schools’ states and dividing them by the number of universities, you get between 4.9 million and 5.6 million residents per school for all of them but the Big 12.

The Big 12 averages 3.9 million residents per member school.

In terms of support, the Big 12 does not have three universities with the largest multi-year gameday attendance averages like the Big Ten (Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State) or six of the top 10 like the SEC (Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Florida, Auburn). UT is in the top five and Nebraska, A&M, and OU are in the top 15 but the rest of the Big 12 schools lag far behind.

Utah is the No. 2 university in that state with game attendance attracting about 45,000 on game day. 

How does that kind of addition help a conference like the Pac-10?

 

Let’s play it out

Let’s say the Big Ten adds Missouri and the Pac-10 adds Colorado and rumors abound that they are close to adding Utah as their 12th school.

What happens in Texas?

The Big 12 currently has 47 million residents living in the states. If you remove Missouri and Colorado, that number drops to roughly 36 million divided by 10 schools.

Who could the Big 12 add to fix that? 

TCU?

No, the Big 12 is already media relevant in the metroplex.  UT, A&M, Tech, OU, and even Baylor have large alumni bases in the Metroplex.

BYU?

Again, their primary base of operations is Utah, which has a population 2.8 million. While they do draw a crowd, I don’t think they would be considered a strong enough replacement.

Colorado State?

While they are in the Denver DMA, they are quite a bit farther from Denver than the Buffaloes and they only draw about 40 percent of the fans the Buffaloes do.

The loss of Colorado and Missouri would send a message to Texans that the days of the Big 12 as a power player are over. When that occurs you can forget about the Texas legislature reigning in UT or A&M staying in the Big 12. 

It won’t happen.

Several really bad things could occur for the Big 12. 

UT could join the Big Ten as it’s 13th school with Missouri acting effectively as a bridge.  From there the Big Ten might wait for Notre Dame or add Rutgers to get a platform to push their name programs’ popularity into the NYC media markets as the Big East once did with Miami.

A&M and OU could approach the SEC and sneak away overnight. 

A&M never wanted to be in the Big 12, long coveting a spot in the SEC. Years ago LSU was ready to sponsor them for admission.  

OU is certainly not going to sit on it’s hands while UT’s TV revenue goes up to at least million per year. Far better to get a million SEC payout than a -7 million one in the former Big 12.

Or perhaps at that point the Pac-10 might offer UT and A&M slots.

There are no “fixes” for that.

You could add Houston to replace A&M, but A&M draws 82,000 people per game while Houston only draws a fourth of that. A&M has an enrollment of almost 50,000 while UH has just under 30,000 students.

Sure you could recover some relavance in the Houston area, but the scale of the fandom is just not going to be the same and neither will the TV money.

Adding TCU would be largely the same story in DFW.

Media relevance in Austin, San Antonio, and South Texas would affectively be lost.

 

Grim future prospects

Even if the Missouri thing is just a feign designed to open the door for UT to leave, there seems to be too much momentum for schools leaving the Big 12 for the conference to just “ride it out.”

The Big Ten might just take UT, leaving the SEC to chose between OU, Missouri, and A&M.

The Big Ten might have to bring on A&M to land UT—something no Big Ten fans seem to think would be a deal breaker—leaving Missouri and OU as potential SEC candidates.

The Big 12 is still going to be a BCS conference when it is all said and done, but the odds are they will join the Big East in not having a BCS level TV contract.

In fact if UT and A&M go west, do not be suprised if the Big 12 is entirely cut out of the proposed Pac-10/Big 12/ACC network talks.

(Today the demographics would suggest that a Pac-10/Big 12/ACC Network would have the Pac-10 and ACC members eating Big Mac combo meals and the Big 12 members eating kid portion happy meals.)

Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Tech, Oklahoma State, and even Baylor need to think about positioning themselves better for the future.  The four northern schools need to really look at this and realize that today they could steer this conference in directions they might not be able to tomorrow.

The conference needs to make some tough choices today and probably needs to start talking expansion. 

Schools like Texas Tech may need to start thinking about what they can do and where they want to be and may need to start making some clandestine alliances if they don’t want to be part of a empty husk of a conference. 

As things stand, the future of this conference looks to be shaped by the whims of the Pac-10 and Big Ten membership, not the Big 12 membership.

 

 

 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

2010 NFL Combine: Jaguars, Ravens Take Notice of Iowa’s Tony Moeaki

Considering every tight end coached by Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has gone on to the NFL, it seems fair to assume Tony Moeaki is the next in line.

The only real question concerning Moeaki is where he will be selected in the 2010 NFL Draft .

Moeaki is a complete tight end. At 6′4”, 250 lbs, the all-Big Ten first-team selection has the size it takes to make it in the NFL. And that size doesn’t slow the kid down at all, either.

To go along with the great size and speed, he also has great hands and superior run blocking, which might be why Ferentz thinks he is one of the most talented tight ends he has ever coached.

Heading into the combine, his past injuries might have diminished his stock a little.  He was no stranger to injury at Iowa, but his physical exams and X-rays all came back clean. 

He is quick to remind people that he isn’t Samuel L. Jackson’s character , Mr. Glass, in the movie Unbreakable .

“I haven’t had any major knees, backs, neck, shoulders or anything crazy,” Moeaki told the Des Moines Register’s Chris Nelsen . “It’s just little dinky stuff and everything is healed. All the physicals went well and training has been good.”

And if the physicals weren’t enough to convince teams, his combine performance over the weekend certainly helped a few teams take notice.

Moeaki’s 4.69 40-yard dash was tied for fourth fastest among tight ends in this year’s combine and his 9′5” broad jump was tied for fifth best.  His 34” vertical jump was toward the top of the pack, too. 

He bench-pressed 225 lbs. 18 times, which isn’t exactly Herculean but definitely nothing horrible.

According to Jag Nation , Moeaki has spoken to several teams at the combine, including the Jaguars, Ravens, Texans and Vikings.  An Arizona Cardinals tight end coach was seen chatting with him during drills, seeming to show an interest in him as well.

It appears as though Moeaki’s stock is on the rise, and he could easily be a third round pick in the draft now.  For NFL teams in need of a No. 2 tight end, he could be a perfect pick.

As of now, it could be safe to say Tony Moeaki is no longer considered a gamble.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Lane Kiffin, Tennessee Football Hero!

Have you ever gone out and bought something that was a constant annoyance? You know, it did the job, but was irritating at every turn. I have been the unfortunate owner of several such items. 

Lane Kiffin was exactly that kind of fit for Tennessee. He was the car with the strong engine and uncomfortable seat. He was the vacuum with the annoying high pitched squeal. He was the candle that gave off that annoying scent. 

During his tenure at Tennessee, I kept expecting to watch a football game, and see Smokey painted bright white complete with saddle and a sword carrying squirrel. Now I am not a Tennessee fan, but the thought of football players on surf boards was too much.

He was the king of hoof in mouth disease, and this did not seem to fit in Knoxville either. I have listened to Vol fans tell me of Black Helicopter conspiracies, but the “Big Orange” one was a little much. The Pamela Sue Anderson type entrance at the SEC championship game did not fit either.

In fact, thinking back, it was all “look at me” and “here I am.” It is simply something that did not fit in Knoxville. He rubbed the Tennessee and SEC fans a little raw on a continual basis.

Then he made himself a hero! He packed up and left. The Tennessee administration would have never been courageous enough to fire him in year one. He was simply another annoying reminder of a bad decision.

He was just proficient enough to get the job done. He was absolutely an aggravating reminder, the entire time he did. He was the teenage member of the church choir, that yelled out that obscenity last Sunday. You know the one. The old lady stepped on his foot when going to her seat.

Yes, there is no doubt Lane Kiffin is a Tennessee football hero. He righted a deed that had gone wrong. He removed the square peg from the round hole. Smokey can again tree Elephants and Tigers alike. Tennessee again has a top notch coach and a Top Ten recruiting class. Life is good again. The sewage treatment plant has a name!

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Floirda Gators: Justin Trattou Says Defense Will Be Ready to Battle

In a pre-spring practice interview conducted in Gainesville, defensive lineman Justin Trattou says don’t underestimate the Gator defense.

With the loss of Joe Haden, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Jermaine Cunningham, and Major Wright, one would think that the Gator defense would consider it a rebuilding year. 

Not so fast says Trattou.

Trattou says that the team is in the weight room working hard to prove all the doubters wrong.

“Im trying to lead by example in all we do,” says Trattou.

Asked about leadership, Trattou said that it’s up to him and Ahmad Black to step up and make it happen.

Trattou says its natural to think that people’s reaction will be toward a rebuilding year, but he says he thinks spring practice will show who will step up and contribute to the defense.

With Florida sending a convoy to the combine in Indy, a new defensive coordinator, and Urban Meyer on a sabatical, it’s only natural to vision some growing pains on defense. 

Look for a couple of stud recruits, such as five star recruit Matt Elam, and blue chipper Shariff Floyd to make their mark on the Gator defense.

Look also for a familiar jersey on the field when the Gators start playing.  No not Tebow, but Haden.  The younger brother of Gator great Joe Haden is Jordan Haden. If pedigree has anything to do with it, I think that we are in for a special treat.

Im my opinion, one thing that the Gators must do well this season is force turnovers.  Scoring on defense has been a Gator staple in the recent past, and with the stud lineup coming into this season, I expect it to continue.

Hang in there Gator fans.  Spring practice is right around the corner.

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Big Ten Revenue Sharing: Are Michigan & Ohio State Getting Fair Shares?

It started when I read a quote by Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, who was commenting on the the possibility of Big Ten expansion.  He told CBS Sports, “You just don’t jump into the league and get a full share of what everyone else in this league has established over time.”

It seemed like a prudent reaction to the thought of losing part of Wisconsin’s share of the pooled Big Ten revenue, which is split in equal shares between its 11 members. 

Alvarez wasn’t the only Big Ten exec who expressed concern.  Former Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin basically said the same thing.  He also spoke with CBS and said, “I cannot see our 11 institutions simply saying we’re going to divide our pie up in more pieces from Day 1.”

The difference between these two statements, in my mind:  I thought the Michigan AD has all the right in the world to say it.  I thought Alvarez sounded like a hypocrite—an ungrateful one at that.

Here’s why:  If Alvarez applied the same standards he called for in his statement to CBS, to his own school, one would wonder why Wisconsin has gotten such a sweet deal for over 100 years as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

 

A Full Share of What Everyone Else in this League Has Established

Who’s established the Big Ten Conference since its inceptions in 1896, of which Wisconsin was a founding member?  Has Wisconsin had a big part in creating what has become the wealthiest conference in college sports, or has it been schools like Michigan, Ohio State, and more recently, Penn State?

Michigan, also a founding member, claims 11 NCAA football National Championships.  Ohio State claims six, and Penn State claims four.  Wisconsin is still waiting to win its first.

Since 1896 Michigan has gone to 20 Rose bowls.  They would have been eligible to go to more, but a conference rule disallowing a team to appear in consecutive seasons, has held down their total.

Ohio State has appeared in 17 Rose Bowls and they were also limited because of the same conference rule.

Wisconsin has gone to six Rose Bowls.

Michigan, the winningest school in all of NCAA division 1, and Ohio State are responsible for establishing this conference and making it what it is today.

When Barry Alvarez took over as Wisconsin head coach in 1990, he raised the level of football significantly.  He took a team that had always been mediocre at best, and made them an excellent football team that has always challenged for the Big Ten Title—No one is denying that Wisconsin has become a football power.

But it was Michigan and Ohio State that established this great conference, and their annual game has become the biggest game of the college football season.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER REVENUE PRODUCING SPORT?

In basketball, which brings in less revenue than football, Indiana has been the trademark school of the Big Ten.  They’ve won three National Championships and have appeared in 35 NCAA tournaments.

Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin have each  won one National Championship.

Illinois (28), Ohio State (25), Michigan State (23), Purdue (23), Iowa (22), and Michigan (21) trail Indiana in tournament appearances.

Wisconsin has appeared in 15 NCAA tournaments and the remaining Big Ten schools have done little to enhance the conference’s image in basketball.

 

 

The Age of Super Television Contracts Is Upon Us

Now that we have reached an age when conferences are receiving huge payouts from television networks, who’s turned the Big Ten into the biggest money making machine in college sports?  Is it Wisconsin?  Or schools like Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State?

The Big Ten pools the money they make from television, bowl pay outs, and the Big Ten Network.  That’s why last year every member received the same million in revenue sharing.

Wisconsin is the second smallest state in the family of states that make up the Big Ten Conference.  Approximately 5.5 million people reside in Wisconsin.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan all have 10 million or more residents.  Schools from these states are turning on a lot of televisions and selling a lot of subscriptions to the Big Ten Network.

Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Purdue are doing a good job, but the big ratings are coming from the big states. 

Even though Michigan has two entrees in the Big Ten (Mich & MSU), Michigan has such a long tradition of winning, it has created a national reputation and it recruits nationally for students and athletes.

 

BCS Bowl Games Pay Big Money

Lets talk about the BCS era and the huge money teams that play in BCS games are paid.

Wisconsin went to a BCS game (Rose Bowl) in 1988, the first year of the BCS.  They brought home a substantial check which they shared with the other members of the Big Ten.  This was the only time they appeared in a BCS game.

Ohio State has brought home six checks, and they’ve now become more than substantial (aprox. million/yr).  Michigan has gone to three BCS games.

Who’s been responsible for bringing in the big money from BCS bowls?  Wisconsin?  Or Michigan and Ohio State?

 

Have Michigan and Ohio State Been Working for Other Members?

One of the great things about the Big Ten, and it might be one of the reasons it’s become the most successful conference in college football, is its policy of sharing pooled money equally among members.  Not all conferences work this way.

Last season each share was a resounding million.  The SEC was the second most prosperous conference and paid their members about half as much as the Big Ten.

I’m not saying it’s time for the Big Ten to change a policy which everyone seems to be able to live with.  I’m just pointing out who have been the real bread winners of this conference.  Michigan, Ohio State, and now Penn State are clearly putting the money on the Big Ten’s table.

 

Was Alvarez’s Statement Necessary?

When Barry Alvarez told CBS he’s not looking forward to losing any of his yearly million, when he went as far to say, “I think someone has to buy their way into the league,” he sounds ridiculous.  He sounds like a hypocrite—an ungrateful one at that.

Instead of making demands on new members, Alvarez should be thankful that Wisconsin has the privilege to belong to the Big Ten Conference—a conference which has had the luxury of having Michigan, Ohio State, and now Penn State as members.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The Senior Bowl and NFL Combines: Their Little-known Truths

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, FL) I had the chance the go to the Senior Bowl in Mobile this year with press credentials and hob nob with all the NFL coaches who were there. It was an eye opening weekend because some of the things I thought I knew about the Senior Bowl and combines weren’t true, and others I didn’t think were true, actually were.

In talking to them, with many asking their comments not be publicly attributed to them, here are some of the things that surprised me.

 

1. Senior Bowl – The game itself is not as important as the week of practice

A lot of coaches only came for the week of practice to watch and not the game itself because to them, they see everything they need to know in practice.  Things they look for are:

a. Seriousness – Do the players take every play of every practice seriously?  Are they taking taking advice that’s given and paying attention?

Coaches told me that they did notice a few players treating this more like an all-star celebration than an NFL audition and that it would lower them on their charts accordingly.  No one was willing to give me any names though.

b. Work Ethic – Do they give 100 percent in practice and do they encourage others around them to do the same?  Are they consistent with that ethic and attitude each day?

The big winner here might have Roy Upchurch.  He got almost no game time except for special teams, but he impressed many coaches with his adaptability, serious attitude, basic skill set, and most of all his work ethic.

Roy raised eyebrows and definitely got noticed by many scouts there.  He went from last-second substitute to perhaps an NFL roster with this week at the Senior Bowl.

c. Attitude – Do they think they’re already a star, or are they still coachable?  Every coach I talked to said they don’t want a player that thinks he already knows everything.  They say that there are differences players must adjust to from the college to the pro game, and some never make it because they think they already know everything and won’t change.

This one was huge with all the coaches.  LeGarrette Blount was a prime example. Was he the bad boy the media played him out to be?  Or had he learned his lesson?

The coaches I talked to all said that this was something they looked for and all agreed he was all business and grateful for the opportunity to be there.  They said he was humble and hard working.  They didn’t see a reason why he would be a problem to their team.

d. Adaptability – If a player can only do one thing one way and not change he’s not as valuable.  Can he play special teams?  Can he go from tackle to guard?  Can he play outside instead of inside?  Versatility is key.

Again, Roy Upchurch was a good example here. He played at special teams and running back.  He even offered to return kicks and punts as well.  At least two coaches said they gave him higher than expected marks for hands and that he could even be a slot receiver.

As I said before, Roy Upchurch did well at the Senior Bowl practices, not so much the game, and got a lot of notice because of it.

e. Power – Lots of players who look good against regular talent don’t always do well against “All-Star” talent.  Offensive tackles who often have their way against mediocre talent suddenly look vulnerable against another all star and vice versa.

There were a lot of comments about players like that.  And that’s where a lot of note taking was going on.  Georgia sent two defensive players that never made a lot of news during a mediocre Georgia season that were eating up offensive linemen in practice.

That week did them well. So did a few hits by a player some felt too small for an NFL corner back position, Javier Arenas. The hits Arenas gave and took showed scouts he may indeed have what it takes to survive the NFL.

One scout, with a smile, said of Arenas, “Nick Saban must have taken all the mirrors out of the dressing rooms so that guy didn’t know how small he is, because he hits like a linebacker.  Great heart and technique, he was coached well.”

For the people who don’t know, the same was said when Arenas was signed by Alabama.  Every other “big” school passed on him because of his size.  He went on to become an All American and team leader in tackles.

And to end the Senior Bowl comments, the most profound statement I heard over and over was, “You don’t have to impress every scout here, just one.”

What they mean by that is, you can only be drafted by one team. Once you get to the NFL, the rest is up to you. You can earn your own way from there, sink or swim or your own merits.

A great example of this is Tim Tebow, who had a bad week of practice and maybe an even worse game.  All the scouts did agree that someone was going to pull the trigger on Tebow and take the risk.  He may not have had a great week at the Senior Bowl, but he he did show seriousness, work ethic, attitude, and power.

The one left out was adaptability and that was the big question mark. Can he adapt his throwing motion and take snaps under center?  All agreed that someone would think so, and all were sure that he would be drafted.

As for the combines, there are quite a few of them for players to have the chance to attend.  What’s hard to believe is that some players have been drafted after completely snubbing the combines.

A sure first-round pick may think he has nothing to gain from the combines and only has ground to lose.  But the majority of players take advantage of the combines by attending all the ones they can.

Combines are different in what scouts see from things like the Senior Bowl.  Coaches and scouts told me the combines are more about summing up what a player can do against other players times and measurements than in manhandling them like at games and full pad practices.

What they mean by that is how measurable is that player’s best from years gone by to now and how does he stack up against others?

a. Weight – Has his weight and condition gone to pot since the end of the college football season? This lack of control tells a big tale and shows them what may happen after they make a team. Teams want players who realize conditioning are a year round thing.

Terrance Cody, (Mt. Cody from Alabama) showed up to combines at a lower weight than even his Senior Bowl showing.  He is serious about wanting to control his weight and increase his stamina.

b. Speed – What’s his true speed under the best conditions? Has his speed dropped off from his younger days?  Has it improved?  In the NFL, speed is almost everything and is what separates many pros from many want to be pros.

Here, the 40 yard dash is a marquee event.  Here Maryland’s big offensive lineman Bruce Campbell raised eyebrows with a faster than expected 40 that raised his stock even higher.

c. Agility – You can almost mix this with speed. How fast can he run sideways and change directions?  Here, the three cone drill tells the tale.

The 3 cone drill tests an athlete’s ability to change directions at a high speed.  Three cones in an L-shape.  He begins at the starting line and goes 5 yards to the first cone and back.  Then, he turns, runs around the second cone, runs a weave around the third cone, which is the high point of the L, changes directions, comes back around that second cone and finishes.

Here little-known offensive lineman Jared Veldheer from Hillsdale College really impressed the scouts with his top time in this event.  In fact, he was less than one second slower than maybe the fastest man at the combines, Trinton Holliday, from LSU, who is also a world class track star.

d. Bench Press – Common sense here. Just how strong is the player? This tells not just what he can lift but how often and for how long. This tells how much time he has spent in the weight room.

e. Vertical Jump – The vertical jump is all about lower-body explosion and power.  The athlete stands flat-footed and they measure his reach. It is important to accurately measure the reach, because the differential between the reach and the flag the athlete touches is his vertical jump measurement.

For defensive linemen and corner backs, leaping is life.  Can you bat a ball down and at what height?  For receivers, how high can you go up and get a ball?

In this drill Dorin Dickerson, a Pittsburgh tight end went up 43 inches to lead all tight ends. With him already at 6′4”, that’s a lot of height. That pass catching ability may aid him as he may be used more as a fullback in the NFL making him a duel threat.

f. Broad Jump – The broad jump is like being in gym class back in junior high school. Basically, it is testing an athlete’s lower-body explosion and lower-body strength. The athlete starts out with a stance balanced and then he explodes out as far as he can. It tests explosion and balance, because he has to land without moving.

So far Miami tight end Jimmy Graham has gone the farthest with a jump of 10′8″, well over one foot better than any lineman tested so far.

g. Shuttle Run – The short shuttle is the first of the cone drills. It is known as the 5-10-5. What it tests is the athlete’s lateral quickness and explosion in short areas. The athlete starts in the three-point stance, explodes out 5 yards to his right, touches the line, goes back 10 yards to his left, left hand touches the line, pivot, and he turns 5 more yards and finishes.

There is also a longer 60 yard shuttle run as well. Dennis Pitta, BYU’s tight end, smoked all others at this drill including the aforementioned Trinton Holliday. That’s really moving for a big tight end and this drill upped his stock considerably as a receiving tight end for an NFL team.

So with hitting, moving bodies, taking new coaching instructions, and adaptability, the keys at all-star games like the Senior Bowl as the key, and speed, strength and leaping ability the keys at the combines, you can see that though they are very different procedures, both have huge effects for some players and affect their stock greatly while others it affects very little.

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Auburn Football: Big Changes in the Defense?

Freshman sensation, and All SEC performer Daren Bates started all 13 games of the 2009 season at safety. He will be moving to linebacker in 2010. He came to Auburn at 5′11″ and 195 lbs. He could bench press 325 lbs. and had a 38 in. vertical leap ability. He runs also runs a sub 4.5 40 yds.

From his looks he has gained some muscle since joining the team last year. While it was not possible to get an accurate weight, he looks to be safely above 200 lbs. at this point. All of his strength and conditioning numbers have improved in the last year.

Auburn fans can expect him to excel to All SEC caliber play at any position. He is simply a football player with heart and determination. It is absolutely ironic that he was rated a two-star recruit. He had 46 solo tackles and 24 AST as a true freshman.

I do not think the important part of this news is the change in position. Auburn has three starting linebackers returning for 2010. They also have one with starting experience and four more backups at the position. Why would Auburn be moving such a valuable player?

First off, they did not move him to be a backup. This young man is a sure and certain defensive impact player. He absolutely stellar at rushing defense. So why move him to the linebacker position?

One might assume that Auburn was simply too deep at safety with the projected return of Zac Etheridge, Aairon Savage, and Mike McNeil. While the defensive secondary will be a solid strength for the defense in 2010, I don’t buy that. 

When Gene Chizik was the defensive coordinator for Auburn there was a young man that terrorized opposing offenses. He was 5′11″ and 213 lbs.. Antarrious Williams added a different dimension to the defense. He was a week side linebacker.

It would add speed to the defensive pursuit. It would also make short pass coverage much better. With Bates running a sub 4.5 and ElToro Freeman running a sub 4.5 on the other side, it gives a blazingly fast ability. 

The all important outside linebacker to quarterback time would be in the 2.1 second range. It also gives Auburn two linebackers outside, that are as fast, or faster than the running backs of opposing teams. 

This move predicts a few key point about the upcoming Auburn defense. The coaching staff has great confidence in the physicality of the defensive line. The coaching staff is preparing for multiple blitz packages. The coaching staff is going to force teams to play Auburn in the middle.

Oddly enough, I think this move indicates that the coaching staff thinks Auburn will again have dominating defensive tackles to anchor the defensive line. If this is the case, with the strength at defensive end in 2010, opposing offenses will have an extremely tough time. 

 

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Big Ten Football Revenue Sharing: Are Michigan & Ohio State Getting Fair Share?

It started when I read a quote by Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, who was commenting on the the possibility of Big Ten expansion.  He told CBS Sports, “You just don’t jump into the league and get a full share of what everyone else in this league has established over time.”

It seemed like a prudent reaction to the thought of losing part of Wisconsin’s share of the pooled Big Ten revenue, which is split in equal shares between its 11 members. 

Alvarez wasn’t the only Big Ten exec who expressed concern.  Former Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin basically said the same thing.  He also spoke with CBS and said, “I cannot see our 11 institutions simply saying we’re going to divide our pie up in more pieces from Day 1.”

The difference between these two statements, in my mind:  I thought the Michigan AD has all the right in the world to say it.  I thought Alvarez sounded like a hypocrite—an ungrateful one at that.

Here’s why:  If Alvarez applied the same standards he called for in his statement to CBS to his own school, one would wonder why Wisconsin has gotten such a sweet deal for over 100 years as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

 

A Full Share of What Everyone Else in this League Has Established

Who’s established the Big Ten Conference since its inceptions in 1896, of which Wisconsin was a founding member?  Has Wisconsin had a big part in creating what has become the wealthiest conference in college sports, or has it been schools like Michigan, Ohio State, and more recently, Penn State?

Michigan, also a founding member, claims 11 NCAA football National Championships.  Ohio State claims six, and Penn State claims four.  Wisconsin is still waiting to win its first.

Since 1896 Michigan has gone to 20 Rose bowls.  They would have been eligible to go to more, but a conference rule disallowing a team to appear in consecutive seasons, has held down their total.

Ohio State has appeared in 17 Rose Bowls and they were also limited because of the same conference rule.

Wisconsin has gone to six Rose Bowls.

Michigan, the winningest school in all of NCAA division 1, and Ohio State are responsible for establishing this conference and making it what it is today.

When Barry Alvarez took over as Wisconsin head coach in 1990, he raised the level of football significantly.  He took a team that had always been mediocre at best and made them an excellent football team that has always challenged for the Big Ten Title—No one is denying that Wisconsin has become a football power.

But it was Michigan and Ohio State that established this great conference, and their annual game has become the biggest game of the college football season.

 

The Age of Super Television Contracts Is Upon Us

Now that we have reached an age when conferences are receiving huge payouts from television networks, who’s turned the Big Ten into the biggest money making machine in college sports?  Is it Wisconsin?  Or schools like Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State?

The Big Ten pools the money they make from television, bowl pay outs, and the Big Ten Network.  That’s why last year every member received the same million in revenue sharing.

Wisconsin is the second smallest state in the family of states that make up the Big Ten Conference.  Approximately 5.5 million people reside in Wisconsin.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois all have 10 million or more residents.  The schools from these states are turning on televisions and selling subscriptions to the Big Ten Network.

Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Purdue are doing a good job.   But the big ratings are coming from the big states. 

Even though Michigan has two entrees in the Big Ten (Mich & MSU), Michigan has such a long tradition of winning, it has created a national reputation and recruits nationally for students and athletes.

 

BCS Bowl Games Pay Big Money

Lets talk about the BCS era and the huge money teams that play in BCS games are paid.

Wisconsin went to a BCS game (Rose Bowl) in 1988, the first year of the BCS.  They brought home a substantial check which they shared with the other members of the Big Ten.  This was the only time they appeared in a BCS game.

Ohio State has brought home six checks, and they’ve now become more than substantial (aprox. million/yr).  Michigan has gone to three BCS games.

Who’s been responsible for bringing in the big money from BCS bowls?  Wisconsin?  Or Michigan and Ohio State?

 

Have Michigan and Ohio State Been Working for Other Members?

One of the great things about the Big Ten, and it might be one of the reasons it’s become the most successful conference in college football, is its policy of sharing pooled money equally among members.  Not all conferences work this way.

Last season each share was a resounding million.  The SEC was the second most prosperous conference and paid their members about half as much as the Big Ten.

I’m not saying it’s time for the Big Ten to change a policy which everyone seems to be able to live with.  I’m just pointing out who have been the real bread winners of this conference.  Michigan, Ohio State, and now Penn State are clearly putting the money on the Big Ten’s table.

 

Was Alvarez’s Statement Necessary?

When Barry Alvarez told CBS he’s not looking forward to losing any of his yearly million, when he went as far to say, “I think someone has to buy their way into the league,” he sounds ridiculous.  He sounds like a hypocrite—an ungrateful one at that.

Instead of making demands on new members, Alvarez should be thankful that Wisconsin has the privilege to belong to the Big Ten Conference—a conference which has had the luxury of having Michigan, Ohio State, and now Penn State as members.

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