After reports that Tommy Tuberville, Tommy Bowden and Jim Grobe were both going to take the Arkansas job at various points this offseason, both of them have decided to stay with their schools when today Jim Grobe reportedly turned down the Razorback head coaching job to stay at Wake Forest.

I think it’s time for Razorback fans to step up and take some responsibility for what this program has become. After the way Houston Nutt was treated in the wake of the Mitch Mustain fiasco, coaches are hesitant to take a job where they will be subjected to that level of scrutiny, held to absurdly high expectations and have their phone records FOIA’d by an overzealous fan base. What coach wants that for themselves or his family? I’m not sure who they think they’re going to be able to get know after three coaches have entertained the notion before turning it down.

So there’s a lot of talk about how swift the hiring process was for the Texas A&M and Ole Miss head coaching vacancies. Some claim that minority candidates should, at least, have been interviewed for the jobs à la the NFL’s Rooney Rule. I can’t fathom the logic of those arguments.

I feel the need to preface this post by saying that I think minority candidates should always be interviewed and given equal consideration for any and all jobs based on their qualifications. That being said, this is college football, folks. You have recruits that have found out that the guy they committed to playing for has just been shown the door and you have to get into those households and assure them that the program isn’t going down the toilet. You simply can’t afford to go on a month-long artificial coaching search when the guy you want to hire is ready to accept the job. I undertstand the argument that interviewing minority candidates can lead to consideration for future gigs but you mean to tell me that excellent coaches like Tyrone Nix at South Carolina and Ron English at Michigan need to go through a faux interview process at Texas A&M to be considered for future head coaching jobs? If Athletic Directors don’t already have them in mind to fill their coaching vacancies, then they probably won’t have their jobs for very much longer.

At the end of the day, interviewing for college football head coaching jobs should be the same as an interview process for any job. If the guy you want most for your vacancy comes into your office and knocks you dead, are you going to go out and interview four more guys because people who don’t work in your organization think that’s right for you to do? I mean, let’s be adults for a minute. At the end of the day, an athletic director wants to get a guy he feels comfortable with as quickly as possible and Mike Sherman was at the top of their list and he wanted the job, they should have hired him as quickly as they did.

Watching College Gameday Live on ESPN yesterday, talking head Mark May was incensed that universities like Texas A&M were making “safe hires” like Sherman and that they were taking the easy way out instead of taking a chance on a fresh face. Let’s hold on a minute. Mike Sherman is no slouch. The guy was the head coach of one of the most famous franchise in the history of popular sports, he has ties to the universities and he’s available. I would have been thrilled to death if IU would have snatched Mike Sherman instead of giving Bill Lynch his four-year-extension.

And while, I’m taking shots at May (who makes a living taking shots at a nearly brain dead Lou Holtz every week), he made a comment that I find utterly ridiculous yesterday when naming African American candidates who should have been brought in to interview at Texas A&M (including Nix and English). He brought up current University of Buffalo head coach Turner Gill. May said that the only head coaching job that Gill is currently being considered for is the one at his alma mater, Nebraska. Then he said that because Gill has won five games at Buffalo, he should be on the short list for every vacancy in the country. So let me get this straight? Winning five wins at Buffalo, which has been an atrociously bad program since joining Div. I-A, gets you an interview at Michigan or Georgia Tech or Arkansas? Let’s not get carried away. If you can only muster five wins in the MAC, regardless of where you’re coaching, you don’t deserve a shot at the elite jobs in college football, regardless of your race. Bill Doba won five games at Washington State and got canned. Seven wins wasn’t enough for Chan Gailey to keep his job at Georgia Tech. So for winning five games at UB, you want to give Turner Gill a promotion? I don’t get it.

Looking at this week’s schedule, part of me is glad I will miss the majority of Saturday’s action during my trip to Orlando. I guess I’d compare the action, excitement and debate generated by all of the great matchups of week 3 to a Master and Commander-style naval war epic and what do we make of week 4? Well if the schedule is any indicator, it’s shaping up to be a splash fight between two slow-moving elderly folks aboard those plastic paddle boats where you are propelled forward by your legs. None the less, there are some games that are worth watching, if you really have nothing better to do.

Game of the Week: #12 South Carolina at #2 LSU - 3:30 P.M. - CBS

I think it says something about the sorry state of early season college football when a team like South Carolina, a team that has one, count ‘em, one somewhat quality win to their credit is considered one of the top 15 teams in America. None the less Spurrier takes his Gamecocks to Death Valley for an afternoon showdown with the Bayou Bengals. The line on this one? Tigers by 16. Not usually what you would expect from a game between the 2nd best and 12th best teams in the country. This should give fans a pretty good idea of just how inflated USC’s record really is. I think the Gamecock defense will fair better than Virginia Tech’s defense did at slowing down the Tigers running game but I don’t think South Carolina has an answer for Early Doucet, Trindon Holliday and Brandon LaFell. If I were Steve Spurrier, I would seriously consider having backup quarterback Chris Smelley warming up and Baton Rouge General on standby when Blake Mitchell hits the field in Baton Rouge. Consider the following quote from Steve Spurrier in today’s edition of Columbia, S.C.’s The State newspaper:

“At times (with) our pass protection, we don’t block the guy,” Spurrier said. “We ‘offer’ at him a little bit. Next thing we know our guards are watching him go by.”"

Saturday, “the guy” that Spurrier is referring to will be Glenn Dorsey, you might have heard of him. He’s like the best defensive player in America and sure-fire, can’t-miss first round pick in next year’s NFL draft. The concussion-inducing proposition of the nation’s best defensive line going against one of the SEC’s most porous offensive lines is enough to make you tune in to see Blake Mitchell and his lame barbed wire, or tribal armband tattoo get knocked around a little bit. Expect the Tigers to win and win big.

O.G.I. - Other Games of Interest 

Washington at UCLA - 10:15 PM ET - Fox Sports 

A week after getting exposed as the frauds they are, UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell and his Bruins have Ty Willingham and the rebounding Huskies coming to town. Washington and their quarterback Jake Locker is a team that I find very intriguing and could pose some serious matchup problems for UCLA. The Bruin defense struggled last week to stop Brian Johnson and Utah and the similarities between Johnson’s strengths and those of Locker are striking.

#22 Georgia at #16 Alabama - 7:45 PM ET - ESPN

Can lightning strike twice? Can Nick Saban and the new era Tide beat ranked opponents in consecutive weeks? Forget about the rankings for a minute. Georgia is still a pretty good football team and Saban appears to have Alabama on the road back to glory (I don’t know about 16th best team in America but I digress). For Georgia, the formula should be real simple. Run the stupid football and limit turnovers. Get Knowshon Moreno and Thomas Brown the football early and often and repeat. Oh and make sure they don’t cramp up towards the end of the game. ‘Bama gave up almost 6 yards a carry last week in their pseudo-victory against Arkansas and had Darren McFadden not watched the end of the game from the sideline, the outcome of said game might have been different. If Matthew Stafford can take of the ball and not commit costly turnovers, Georgia has a real good chance of knocking Alabama back out of the top 25 and throw the brakes on the Tuscaloosa-based Saban worship — for this week at least.

#20 Texas A&M at Miami (FL) - 7:30 PM - Thursday - ESPN

I find this game interesting but not real interesting. Randy Shannon is trying to restore what is left of the legacy that was “The U” and Dennis Franchione is trying to keep the Aggies from becoming the fourth best team in the Big 12 … again. Franchione should have been looking at how Oklahoma’s offense dismantled the Miami defense and try to emulate that as best he can. Controlling the line of scrimmage will be huge for Texas A&M if they don’t want to get stung at the Orange Bowl.

Under the Radar Game of the Week - #21 Kentucky at Arkansas - 6:00 PM - ESPN2

In the words of Michael Scott, “Fool me once, strike one but fool me twice… strike three.” Last week, I thought Arkansas had every chance of beating Alabama and an atrocious first half inevitably cost them the game. Against my better instincts, I’m going with Arkansas to defend their home turf and shut down the resurgent Wildcats, who are riding  high after upsetting #9 ranked, intrastate rival Louisville last week. I don’t give Kentucky’s defense enough credit to be able to consistently stop Darren McFadden and Felix Jones despite that they gave up only 101 yards on the ground to Louisville. But let’s be fair, the Cardinals aren’t anywhere near as dedicated to a solid rushing game as Arkansas is and their 27 rushing attempts is proof of that. Arkansas defense particularly it’s secondary, which was dreadful last week against Alabama and made their receivers look like.. well, like Florida’s receivers, has to step up effectively defend Keenan Burton, Jacob Tamme and Rafael Little. Can they do it? We’ll see. But it is certainly gut check time for the Razorbacks. I promise though, if they don’t win this week, I’m never picking this team against another good-to-mediocre team for the rest of the year.

This is when things start to get really interesting. Week three of the college football season is here and with it come some very interesting non-conference matchups and some early season conference showdowns and rivalry games.

Game of the Week - #22 Tennessee at #5 Florida - 3:30 PM ET - CBS

In conversation, a friend of mine asked me the other day how good Florida really is? I thought for a moment and realized that no one had any idea how good college football’s reigning champions actually were given the opponents they faced in weeks 1 and 2 (Western Kentucky and Troy). We know far more about their opponent this week, Phillip Fulmer, Erik Ainge and the #22 Vols, than we do about the Gators at this point in the year. If I were a Tennessee fan what would concern me most about this game isn’t where it’s being played, playing on the road in the SEC is difficult regardless of whether you’re at Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn.. you get the point. Crowd noise is crowd noise is crowd noise in the SEC. The players should be used to it. What would concern me most is Florida’s speed. The Vols frankly had no match for Cal’s speed in their week 1 drubbing at the hands of the Golden Bears and the Gators are every bit as fast particularly on the outside with Percy Harvin. Thankfully the Gators offense isn’t anywhere near as effective on the ground as California was with Justin Forsett and freshman Jahvid Best and so pressuring Tim Tebow in the pocket and making him as uncomfortable as possible will be huge for John Chavis and this Tennessee defense. This game is the first in a long line of SEC matchups with potential National Championship implications.

O.G.I. - OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST

#1 USC at #14 Nebraska - 8:00 p.m. - ABC

Gameday will be in Lincoln and Husker Nation is frothing at the mouth to get a shot to knock off the nation’s best team. In fact, the nation’s top ranked team has not made an appearance in Lincoln as the visiting team since Oklahoma visited Memorial Stadium in 1978. For many college football fans, this game will be their first exposure to the much-hyped Trojans who played Idaho in week 1 and were idle last week. Many will tune in to see just how good USC is and if they are worthy of the top spot in college football as Oklahoma and USC turn up the heat at the top of the polls. From watching the Nebraska game last week at Wake Forest I can tell you that I don’t think the Huskers are ready to beat USC. Sam Keller who, despite taking an 18-point lead into the locker room against the Bush-Leinart Trojans in 2005, was picked off five times en route to a 28-38 loss will be looking for revenge. And if you’re a Husker fan the idea of Sam Keller trying to be the hero has to scare you to death.

#21 Boston College at #15 Georgia Tech - 7:00 p.m. - ESPN2

Two weeks, two ACC victories and Boston College goes to Atlanta looking for their third against a wildly overrated Georgia Tech team who’s ranking is inflated largely by their 33-3 stomping of an atrociously dreadful Notre Dame team. Nonetheless, Georgia Tech gets a chance to show that last year wasn’t a fluke and they have what it takes to be a powerhouse in the watered-down ACC for the second consecutive year. For Matt Ryan, the game could be a chance to cement his Heisman candidacy after two big games against NC State and Wake Forest. Ditto for GT running back Tashard Choice.

#16 Arkansas at Alabama - 6:45 p.m. - ESPN

This game is a tale of two coaches. Arkansas’ Houston Nutt has found himself firmly on the hot seat after the world’s worst offseason despite coming off an SEC West championship a year ago. Nick Saban on the other hand, after beating Western Carolina and Vanderbilt, finds himself a college football deity in the state of Alabama and a God amongst men with the goofballs and fratboys wearing houndstooth baseball caps demographic. The keys for Saban’s Tide will be stopping the run with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the backfield and watching out for that Wildcat package where McFadden lines up under center and not being fooled by any trickery.

#9 Louisville at Kentucky - 7:30 p.m. - ESPN Classic

After seeing Louisville give up 42 points last week to Middle Tennessee at home, I am none too confident about their ability to stop Andre Woodson, Rafael Little and Keenan Burton. For Rich Brooks and the Wildcats, the game against Louisville in Lexington presents the perfect opportunity to assert to the SEC and the rest of college football that Kentucky football is on the rise. Brian Brohm will be Brian Brohm and put up gargantuan numbers but the Louisville defense will have to make Woodson’s life difficult and exploit Kentucky’s weak offensive line if they’re going to win this one. This could be the year that Kentucky bests Louisville.

Under the Radar Game of the Week - #12 Ohio State at Washington - 2:30 - ABC 

Tyrone Willingham was able to coach up his Huskies last week and end Boise State’s 14-game winning streak but the test of just how far this program has come — and where it could be headed — will be tested big time when Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes head to Seattle for this afternoon game. This will be Ohio State’s first real test of the season after beating up on Akron and seemingly perennial punching bag Youngstown State at The Horseshoe. Aside from the coaching matchup, the game pits sophomore quarterback Jake Locker against all-universe linebacker James Laurinaitis, Vernon Gholston, Malcom Jenkins and the Buckeye defense and could be the proving ground for first year starter Todd Boeckman at quarterback. Look for the Buckeyes to use Beanie Wells to control the tempo of the game by pounding the ball and letting their huge offensive line lean on and wear out the Huskies defensive front, keeping Locker and the offense on the sideline for as long as possible. At game’s end I would anticipate the Buckeyes to have a distinct advantage in time of possession and the win. If you don’t feel like watching Florida/Tennessee, this game could be worth your time.

With the start of college football season less than two weeks away, I’ve decided to take a look at who I think are the best players in the conference at their respective positions. Today, it’s the SEC’s signal-callers.

1. Andre Woodson - Kentucky

Woodson’s play last season was really the catalyst of the Wildcats’ Cinderella 8-4 season. It seems like every college football writer in America has drank the Kool-Aid on Woodson and it might be possible to say that the senior quarterback is overrated by no fault of his own. Simply put, there wasn’t a better quarterback in the country, perhaps in the nation, last year than Andre Woodson. The numbers really speak for themselves — 31 TDs, 7 INTs, a 63 percent completion percentage and more than 3,500 yards passing. There’s a reason everyone is drinking the Kool-Aid — Woodson’s the real deal.

2. Erik Ainge - Tennessee

What a difference a year makes. After deciding it might be wise to listen to much-heralded quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, Ainge exploded in ‘06 with 2,989 yards, 19 TDs to 9 INTs and a 67 completion percentage. Ainge will have to rely on his relatively inexperienced receivers to step up and become go-to options given the departure of Jayson Swain and Robert Meachem. I think given the system he plays in, Ainge will emerge as one of the most consistent and accurate, though unspectacular, passers in the conference.

3. Matt Flynn - LSU

Some would claim Flynn’s appearance at the 3 spot is a little high for a quarterback that didn’t play a whole lot in 2006. It’s important to remember that going into 2006, there was a quarterback competition in Baton Rouge between Flynn and Jamarcus Russell highlighted after the way Flynn lit up Miami in the ‘05 Peach Bowl en route to becoming the game’s offensive MVP. LSU is now Matt Flynn’s team and he has to find a way to step out of Russell’s shadow. And he will. While Flynn may not have the cannon arm and effortless throwing motion that the big fella from Mobile had, he does have a mobility and a presense in the pocket that will give the Tigers the ability to run packages and plays that they were not able to given Russell’s limited mobility. When you factor in the weapons LSU has on offense (especially Early Doucet), you have to figure Flynn is poised for a breakout year.

4. Brandon Cox - Auburn

When it’s all said and done, the senior from Trussville, Ala. might be the most underrated passer in the SEC. This year, all eyes are on Cox and the Tigers offense is only going to go as far as their quarterback can take them. However, Cox’s health will be a big piece in that puzzle. Having been sacked 34 times last year, the Tigers’ offensive line will have to do a better job of protecting their quarterback and Cox will have to learn to be a more accurate and efficient passer coming off a season where he completed just 60 percent of his passes. I put Cox in the same category as Ainge: consistent but unspectacular.

5. Matthew Stafford - Georgia

The first true freshman to start at Georgia since Eric Zeier certainly took him lumps last year. Having played in all 13 games in ‘06, Stafford comes into ‘07 with a tremendous upside that has Bulldog fans eying a return to glory (and hopefully a win against those pesky Gators). One thing Stafford must improve is letting the game come to him and not forcing the ball into tight spaces. Too many times last season, the true freshman forced a pass that led to a turnover though those instances became fewer as the season wore on. Still Stafford must improve from an ‘06 season in which he threw 13 interceptions and just 7 touchdowns and completed only 52 percent of his passes. There’s a lot riding on Matthew Stafford this season, I just wonder if he’s ready.

6.Tim Tebow - Florida

With Chris Leak gone, Tim Tebow will have to prove that he’s an actual quarterback in 2007 and not a weird H-back/quarterback hybrid. Tebow appears this low on the list because I don’t feel like anyone saw enough of him as a true quarterback to make an accurate assessment of his ability to consistently run an offense every down and he may not do it this year either. Meyer said he would like to have an offense that features two quarterbacks as he did last year (which I think is insane). Still, all Tebow needs to do is get the ball in the hands of Percy Harvin and let him “do what he do.” Tebow could very well appear at the top of this list next year but first he must prove that he is a quarterback and not a novelty.

7. John Parker Wilson - Alabama

The measure of a good quarterback is how he performs under pressure. John Parker Wilson wasn’t very good under pressure last season. Wilson didn’t show up in the big games and played like a middle-of-the-pack quarterback in ‘06, throwing 17 TDs on way to 10 INTs. Frankly, I’m not expecting much more in ‘07. Though he spent much of last season running for his life, Wilson did show that though he wasn’t great with the game on the line, he did hold up to punishment and was an effective scrambler. Returning all five starters from last year’s line, he may have to do the same this year. Parker must improve and quickly or I believe Nick Saban will begin looking around his sideline for a replacement.

8. Chris Nickson - Vanderbilt

Whether or not this is the year that Vanderbilt breaks its bowl-less drought will rest heavily on the shoulders of junior quarterback Chris Nickson.  Nickson had a little bit of a breakout year in his first year as a starter, throwing for more than 2,000 yards but his accuracy was spotty (52 percent completion percentage) and he struggled to hit open receivers. Still Nickson is an exciting quarterback to watch, very elusive, a threat to run every time he drops back (accounted for 694 rushing yards last season) and he’s got one of the SEC’s best receivers in Earl Bennett lining up wide. Nickson could, and needs, to take a big step forward this year.

9. Blake Mitchell - South Carolina

I’ve gotta be honest. It’s really difficult for me to get over the fact that Blake Mitchell wears that goofy facemask and has a tribal armband tattoo but that not withstanding he’s a decent enough quarterback. Last year, he had a lot of ups and downs. Played very well at times, played horribly at times. Got arrested at times. You know, the usual. Still one can’t help but wonder if Mitchell is just keeping the seat warm for true freshman Stephen Garcia, if he can stay out of handcuffs long enough to buckle his chinstrap. For the time being though, it appears the job is Mitchell’s to lose. He will have to improve his decision making and accuracy and will have to do so behind a relatively inexperience offensive line that is struggling to find cohesion.

10. Casey Dick - Arkansas

Arkansas fans should get very used to this image. With the best pair of running backs, arguably, in the country lining up behind him, Arkansas QB Casey Dick will be handing the ball off — a lot. Consider this, Dick threw the ball just 132 times despite the fact that he played in all but 4 of the Razorbacks’ games last season. Dick will be the Arkansas version of Trent Dilfer, if and when he is asked to throw the ball, he needs to make the most of his opportunities and be an efficient and accurate passer. No one is asking  him to be Vince Young and win games on his own. Thankfully.
11. Seth Adams - Ole Miss

I firmly believe that Adams, a former walkon, will beat out last year’s starter Brent Schaeffer for the starting job at some point in this season. Though not as athletic as his counterpart Schaeffer, Adams has exponentially better decision making and accuracy. The Rebels offense will miss Schaeffer’s athleticism but not his erratic play in the pocket. Adams will not be asked to do much, mostly hand the ball to BenJarvus Green-Ellis but must show that he does not have the penchant for throwing poor interceptions that Schaeffer has.

12. Michael Henig - Miss. State

Given that he had the build of a place kicker, it’s not surprising that Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig missed time in 2006 after breaking his collarbone. Well Henig has beefed up some and is ready for his junior year. Henig will need to become a little better at eluding the run and not taking rushers head on. In other words, get down. Accuracy is, of course, a concern for any quarterback but especially for a quarterback who completed just 43 percent of his passes last year (as Henig did). Let’s be honest though, this team is going to be putrid and will be lucky to win one conference game.

One story in particular had been yelling at the radio this morning. It’s this Oklahoma football story and how the program has to vacate all 8 of its 2005 wins stemming from the dismissal of Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn prior to the start of last season. I simply don’t think the punishment is enough. I think the program should not vacate the wins, they should forfeit them. All the teams they beat in 2005 should be credited with wins that includes their bowl game. Secondly, they should be put on probation.. no bowl games this year or next. The NCAA has to take a firm stance and let these football factories know that they need to keep an eye on their athletes. The programs have to be held accountable for the actions of their players. This story really makes you wonder what is going on with the Oklahoma Athletic Department. This is the second time in two years that the NCAA has come down with major sanctions against one of its cornerstone programs (former OU coach Kelvin Sampson was punished for making too many phone calls to recruits prior to his first season at IU).

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No, seriously…

How valuable is parking in New York? Try more than your house. Yet another reason living in the Big Apple is atrociously overrated, same goes for Boston.

A Connecticut man is being spared jailed time after spiking the grape juice of a local church with dish soap.

The British military has denied that they intentionally released man-eating badgers in Iraq.

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Eli Manning took a shot at departed Giants running back Tiki Barber yesterday. Finally, I think for all the complaining and sniping Tiki Barber did during his last two years in New York, it’s nice to see someone call him out. I just didn’t think it would have been the near-catatonic Eli.

The New York Rangers have rewarded goalie Henrik Lundqvist with a raise. So let me get this straight, the Rangers can give Lundqvist a raise, sign Scott Gomez and Chris Drury and still afford to keep Marty Straka, Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr? This story typifies my continuing frustration with Sabres management who just don’t seem to understand the modern free agency market in the NHL. They were mad that Edmonton made an offer to Thomas Vanek. THEY’RE TRYING TO GET BETTER! That’s what good teams do in the off-season.

West Virginia running back Steve Slaton has sights set on a national championship and says he’ll stay in school as long as it takes. My guess? Championship or not, he’s out of Morgantown after this year.

The New York Daily News’ Mike Lupica says A-Rod would be crazy to stay in New York.

The early season forecasts aren’t good for Purdue or IU.

What kind of season will ‘07 be for Steve Spurrier?

Interesting L.A. Times piece about new USC QB Mitch Mustain. I think Mustain will be the Drew Henson of USC, a semi-notable playing wearing a headset and a ball cap. The school is consistently recruited top talent at QB and having to sit this year out could put him behind Mark Sanchez and freshman QB Aaron Corps.

Marlins president David Samson is emphatic in his claim that Ichiro’s contract with “ruin baseball.”

The Fanhouse on what IU needs to do this season to move forward from the passing of Coach Hep.

Pete Carroll says LSU head coach Les Miles didn’t slam the Trojans; he slammed the teams they play.

Darius Miles is a nice guy.

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed a deal with Darko Milicic. At this point, I don’t think anyone has any idea what this kid can do. I’ll be interested to see how he performs in Memphis if he can get consistent minutes.

Fanhouse’s 6-12 ranking of the SEC’s quarterbacks.

Oklahoma is planning to appeal the ruling handed down from the NCAAPre yesterday.

Hoosiers’ at no. 8 in “Premature” basketball poll.

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Well-rounded news…

Bush 86’s press conference joke.

The nation’s largest union of firefighters is appealing to Americans not to support the presidential bid of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Entertainment Weekly interviews Stephen Colbert about his upcoming book.

The 20 best and worst celebrity blogs.

USAToday’s Pop Candy blog wants to know about your favorite band t-shirt. Mine’s an old Bush t-shirt, circa Razorblade Suitcase, with Gavin Rossdale’s mug on the front that I found at Goodwill in Terre Haute.

A tough story to read. An interview with the man who was involved in the car accident that killed David Halberstam.

Author and Bottom Line fav Chuck Klosterman is planning to write a sports book.

Digg founder Kevin Rose sounds off on the controversy over DiggNation’s parent company Revision3, suing a user who pirated episodes of the FREE show. This story is hard to swallow for me. I enjoy DiggNation, I kind of think Kevin Rose is a psuedo-intellectual, pseudo-artsy, pretentious moron but I find the show enjoyable. And I have a hard time dealing with the fact that they threatened legal action against a guy who pirated the podcasts when they themselves have talked openly about their own piracy on the show. If only Architecture in Helsinki did a song about hypocrisy than maybe Kevin would quote lines from it on the show while name-dropping the band.

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Favorite Story of the Day

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is alleged to have gone on a Yahoo! stock market forum under an alias to pimp the company’s stock and trash talk rival companies, particularly Wild Oats. Well done, John! I mean can’t all over-priced health food chains get along?

As I sifted through my news reader, the two stories that struck me the most were topics that I’d blogged about before. One was The Foul, the other was Arkansas football.

For some reason, I remain fixed on the saga that is the Razorback program because I think it’s a perfect example of what can go wrong in modern recruiting. What Houston Nutt is learning is just how dangerous it is to sell your soul and your program for a recruit.

Nutt and former Arkansas AD saw the potential of having an Arkansas kid lead the transformation of the program into a perennial powerhouse and were blinded to the potential consequences. So they hired Gus Malzahn and signed Mustain’s teammates. It was a package deal. And now the Springdale crew is probably going to be Nutt’s undoing as the head football coach at Arkansas with Damian Williams transferring to USC, Malzahn in Tulsa and Mustain still enrolled but almost certainly on the way out. Nutt’s future is imperiled despite the fact that he’s playing with one of the most talented players in all of college football.

Two stories today on CBS Sportsline focus on the downward spiral of Arkansas football, one focuses on who, exactly, is to blame for the dysfunction. The other is about Darren McFadden counting down the days until he bolts Fayetteville for the NFL.

More on The Foul

I didn’t anticipate writing another blog about this subject… ever. But alas, Tyler Hansbrough spoke for the first time since the incident occured and so here I am. After reading an AP story in the Washington Post and watching snippets of Hansbrough’s interview on The Worldwide Leader, one thing becomes strikingly clear to me… if Tyler Hansbrough meant what he said, he’s a far better person than I am. 

The AP is quoting the ACC’s best player as saying:

“‘I was upset when it happened,” Hansbrough said in his first public comments on the subject. “I don’t think he did it intentionally. I don’t really like talking about it because I really don’t know how to handle the situation, but I’m fine right now. I feel fine. I was kind of shocked my nose was broken. … I just thought it was a really bad nosebleed.’”

This is either one helluva classy move or Hansbrough is still concussed from punched in the head. I like Hansbrough’s comments but I don’t believe for a second  that if Duke and UNC meet in the ACC Tournament that Hansbrough isn’t going to hang 30 and 13 on the Dukies. I was honestly a little taken aback by this. Good for you, Tyler.

Kudos to SI.com college football writer, Stewart Mandel for doing a very extensive job of cataloging the soap opera that has been Arkansas football this off-season. It’s as comprehensive an article as I’ve seen on the matter.

 Here’s a link.

It’s never too early to talk college pigskin.

In reading Fox Sports’ Rich Cirminello’s Top 20 Heisman contenders this morning, it got me thinking about college football again and about who will be handed the Heisman in 2007.

While I think it’d be difficult to argue, though some may try, that the Heisman front-runner going into this season is anyone besides Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, where everyone else falls on that list of the nation’s elite is certainly up for debate.

Knowing that spring practice hasn’t even started for most teams and injuries and suspensions (SEE: Rhett Bomar) are sure to occur, there are a couple of Cirminello’s rankings that I took exception with.

1. Tim Tebow - #16 - I think this ranking is absolutely crazy. The media loves this kid and his story and playing in one of the nation’s most visible programs, the true sophomore from St. Augustine won’t be hurting for exposure anytime soon. Luckily for Tebow, he’s got one thing other quarterbacks don’t: Percy Harvin, one of the nation’s most electrifying play-makers. It’s put up or shut up time for Tebow. He’s going to have to start making plays with his arm and this season could be his breakout season and if it is, expect to see him as a finalist in New York City.
2. P.J. Hill - #13 - The running back from Wisconsin had a breakout year last year and proved he could be a difference maker. But I can’t help but wonder how effective Hill will be without John Stocco, which sounds  crazy. The Ron Dayne run-a-like is not going to sneak up on anybody and without a proven signal caller, teams will be able to load the box and bring the safeties up to stop the run. Hill shouldn’t be ranked higher than Oregon’s Johnathan Stewart, VA Tech’s Brandon Ore or Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice, all of whom had nice years last year as well.
3. Ian Johnson - #10 - I know everyone loved the Boise State story from last year but to suggest that Ian Johnson is the 10th best player in the country is nuts. And consider this: Weber State, Washington, Wyoming, Southern Miss, Bowling Green. Those are the Broncos non-conference opponents this year. Johnson will have to be a statistical monster to even get a look from Heisman voters. And playing in the weak WAC doesn’t help his case either.

Barring injury or getting paid for not working at a car dealership, the Heisman finalists will be Darren McFadden, John David Booty, Brian Brohm and either Colt McCoy or Brennan.

The Fayetteville, Ark.-based reality show that is the University of Arkansas athletics off’d one of its key characters Saturday when longtime AD and football coach Frank Broyles announced his resignation.

Broyles’ resignation, some believe, is a result of pressure from boosters and other influential people around the program over the soap opera that the football team has become.

In his column on ESPN.com, Pat Forde (more…)