The B1G athletic director meetings wore on in Chicago yesterday and Gene Smith was at the forefront of the slow trickle of news coming from the Windy City.
On the topic of November night games, Smith took a softer stance than we've seen in the past offering:
"I think it's going to happen, guys. We had a great discussion -- not this meeting, in our last meeting -- we need to be more amenable to that for our television partners, for our fans. The right matchups that make sense, we've got to put them in that prime time. And historically, we've been resistant because of weather, but we need to be more open-minded."
Though Smith is starting to feel the importance of primetime conference matchups in November, that doesn't mean he feels the same way about The Game. Should the greatest rivalry in sports be staged under the lights?
"Are you crazy? What's wrong with you? It'll be noon. I have to be open to 3:30, but noon is my favorite time for that one."
Agreed. I'm all for just about anything that shines a favorable light on a football conference that can use any positive vibes it can get but The Game should always be a daytime affair. Not only is the tradition of The Game sacred, I can't even imagine putting my nerves through a 10+ hour wait for kickoff.
Regarding the B1G championship game, Smith was pretty definitive in his belief that the event should be held indoors because that option provides "the total package" for not only coaches and players but also the fans.
Moving on to hoops, specifically the recently announced scheduling plan that would call for single-play situations for a handful of teams in conference each season, Smith lamented the fact the Buckeyes will only face Michigan once next year but still scoffed at the notion of playing an "out of conference" game with the Wolverines prior to the start of true B1G play, taking a veiled jab at Brady Hoke in the process:
We would not do that. We will schedule nonconference and manage around that. Missing Michigan a second time -- yeah, it bothers us. But we're not going to fall on the sword. But we're not chicken."
Well played, Gene. Well played.
FLATTERY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE. In what is becoming a trend of sorts, another SEC assistant coach has likened the Soze-esque, aka Nick Saban, to Lucifer.
Taking a cue from Vandy head football coach James Franklin, Florida Gators offensive line coach and former 'Bama assistant Tim Davis rosined up his bow at a Gators booster meeting as he compared Saban to his current boss, Will Muschamp:
"I've always wanted to work with Will. Will's got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick. [Muschamp]'s like the other guy, only he's got a personality. He'll smile at you. He'll talk to you. You understand? That's what he's all about. That's Will. I'm proud to work for him."
Does it get old hearing coaches lambaste Nicky Satan? There's only one answer that: "No child, no."
All digs aside, Saban is still the gold standard in college football today and Forbes magazine went so far as to say Nick is underpaid, despite hauling in $5.3 million per year. Beyond the typical measurements such as revenue generated by the football program, the author suggests Saban's arrival inTuscaloosa has also had a hand in the university realizing huge growth in out-of-state enrollment, which obviously causes a spike in dollars:
Since 2007, Tuscaloosa has swelled its undergraduate ranks by 33% to over 28,000 students. Faculty count has kept pace: up 400 since 2007 to over 1,700. But it's more than growth -- it's where the growth is coming from. According to the school, less than a third of the 2007 freshman class of 4,538 students hailed from out of state. By the fall of 2012, more than half (52%) of a freshman class of 6,397 students did. Various data from US News and the New York Times shows that the school's out-of-state tuition cost – nearly three times higher than the rate for in-state students – rose from $18,000 to $22,950 a year during that period.
I'm no scientist, though I do think Weird Science was Oscar worthy, but I struggle with the notion that a football coach causes more non-athletes to want to attend a particular school.
(SOUTHERN) CALIFORNIA LOVE. Yesterday, USC announced a $70 million donation from Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre that will be used to create the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for the Arts.
Already situated in close proximity to Hollywood and sporting a long history of allowing celebrities and musicians virtually unfettered access to the football and men's basketball programs, it will be interesting to see if, or more realistically how, the new academy impacts recruiting.
As this Reign of Troy article suggests, it's highly likely Lane Kiffin and Andy Enfield could use the academy as a selling point for kids looking to pursue careers in the music industry. Due to the aforementioned fact the school is located so close to many movers and shakers in show business, USC has already brought in one hoopster and one football player largely on the strength of the kids' desires to break into the music business after their playing days are done.
Tennessee transfer Renaldo Wooldridge decided to suit up for the Trojans' basketball squad and his "Fight On (We Play to Rise)" track became the anthem for USC's sports programs last year. Meanwhile, five-star footballer Leon McQuay III produced a song that became central the promotional efforts of last year's Under Armour All-American Game carried by ESPN.
Clearly, Kiffin and Enfield will not only tout the academy but also existing players who have decided to head west in an effort to prepare themselves for lives after football. It will be interesting to see just how much more traction the USC sports programs make on the recruiting trail with Dre's added financial and name-recognition muscle.
Urbz & The Sandman: Two of the greatest closers of all timeJIM MORA APPROVES. With chatter heating up regarding exactly who should comprise the panel that will ultimately decide which four teams are selected to compete in the College Football Playoff each year starting in 2014, Andy Staples put together his own panel of one and took a look at the last 10 years of NCAA football to determine which four teams would've earned a spot in each season's playoff bracket.
Of the 40 total selections, the SEC racked up 15 spots compared to eight for the Big 12, seven for the then Pac-10 and just five for the B1G.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Buckeyes earned just two nods in Staples' selections, as Ohio State was squeezed out in 2003 and 2009. The '03 squad went 10-2 but a loss to an also 10-2 Michigan squad sealed their fate as no less than six legit teams had two losses at the end of the regular season.
The '09 group didn't have a chance following a disappointing loss to eventual 8-4 USC though the back-breaker came in the form of Purdue Harbor. That loss was a resume killer especially in a year in which no less than five teams ended the regular season undefeated.
If Ohio State was eligible, last year would've been a tense debate as Notre Dame went undefeated while Alabama, Florida and Oregon all finished the regular season with just one blemish and Georgia also had a strong resume despite two losses. I've always believed an undefeated Ohio State squad would find its way into a national championship game under the current setup, or in a playoff under the four-team plan, but last year might've have blown that thought to bits.
Just reading this article has me rethinking whether or not I believe a four-team playoff is plenty. I've always thought less is more when it comes to crowning the national champion but it seems eight teams might be closer to my personal sweet spot.
FIN. College Football's Top 25 Greatest Dynasties of the AP Era... The 2013 Texas Football Preview hype video gets upstaged, in spades... Counties with pro sports teams in the US... The 50 highest earning American athletes... Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos never gets old... Bitter Feud Developing Between Joakim Noah, Rest Of Humanity (NSFW)... "One percenters that are 100% despicable"... The border between the United States and Tijuana... Vinyl fiends: This shiz is delicious... Study says Ohioans use more profanity than anything other state. NO F*%$#*@ WAY.
