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Oregon’s Jeremiah Masoli Suspended for Season

Jimmy Boyd — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:05:26 +0000

Yahoo! Sports reports that Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was suspended for the entire 2010 season by head coach Chip Kelly after he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in the theft of a pair of laptops and a guitar from a campus fraternity.

Masoli is the latest Duck to have a brush in with the law.

Coach Kelly has also been forced to punish running back LaMichael James and kicker Rob Beard. James and Beard have both been suspended for the season opener against New Mexico after pleading guilty to misdemeanor harassment charges.

“I am extremely disappointed anytime any of our players fall short of our expectations that have been clearly outlined for them in advance on numerous occasions, and this is especially true regarding their roles within the community,” Kelly said. “Their accountability for their actions is paramount and any tainting of the reputation of the University of Oregon and this football program will not be tolerated.”

Missing the season will cost Masoli a chance to win the Heisman Trophy, and it will likely cost Oregon a Pac-10 title and a chance to contend for a national championship.

Masoli will get to keep his scholarship and will likely take a redshirt.

Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks Schedule Private Workouts for Tim Tebow

Jimmy Boyd — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:30:48 +0000

According to the Buffalo News and the Seattle Times, the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks have both scheduled private workouts to take a closer look at former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow is scheduled to work out for every team in the NFL to see on the March 17th Pro Day, but the Bills and Seahawks have both expressed enough of an interest to ask for a closer look.

Tebow has been working hard to change his throwing delivery. He was criticized for having too long of a motion during the Senior Bowl. A more compact delivery should help him get the ball out quicker and should also help improve his accuracy.

If Tebow went to Seattle, it might be a good opportunity for him to learn under a proven All-Pro like Matt Hasselbeck. A guy like Trent Edwards in Buffalo doesn’t quite have the same resume.

Former Bills great Jim Kelly has been very high on Tebow publicly which leads me to wonder if this invite comes from his influence.

While Tebow might not be first day draft material, I would be very surprised if he doesn’t find a way on the football field in some capacity on Sunday’s. The kid is just that driven.

Iowa Hawkeyes loaded at running back

Jimmy Boyd — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:33:46 +0000

Iowa is coming off an impressive Orange Bowl win earlier this year, and the program feels it may be able to soar even higher in the 2010-11 season because of its running back depth.

Jewel Hampton was supposed to be the next star running back for Iowa. He played well alongside record-setting running back Shonn Greene in 2008-09 but missed all of last season due to a knee injury.

Hampton is expected to be back in the mix this season, but he has some stiff competition with Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher among others.

Here’s what ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg had to say on Iowa’s running back situation: “Iowa is absolutely loaded at running back, but there’s only one ball to be carried on a given play. The Hawkeyes likely will use a rotation in 2010, but who will be the featured back? Jewel Hampton will try to reclaim the top spot, which he lost because of a knee injury last summer. Adam Robinson filled in extremely well for Hampton in the lead role, and Brandon Wegher was one of the heroes of the Orange Bowl win.”

Hampton’s talent is unquestioned, but it’s extremely tough to return to top form after any kind of serious knee injury. If that is the case, Robinson could end up being the feature back.

Big Ten Expansion: Nebraska Makes Sense

Jimmy Boyd — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:42:23 +0000

Last week, Nebraska legend, and current school Athletic Director, Tom Osborne said that the University of Nebraska would listen to any offers concerning Big Ten Conference expansion. It has not been established if the Big Ten is even interested in Nebraska, though the school makes sense on a couple levels, so perhaps Osborne is inviting the Big Ten officials to come calling.

Certainly Nebraska makes sense geographically. It would be the furthest school to the west in the conference, but only a few more hours west than the University of Iowa. Nebraska also has a great tradition in terms of football and a faithful fan base.

Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg takes things a step farther by saying that Nebraska would be wise to make the move to the Big Ten:

“Many folks have brought up good points about why Texas wouldn’t leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten: rivalries, geography, success in the league, etc. Would the same reasons keep Nebraska in the conference? I’m not so sure. Nebraska hasn’t benefited from the Big 12 nearly as much as Texas. Its rivalry with Oklahoma isn’t the same as it used to be, and the Big 12’s power clearly rests in the South division.”

The Big Ten isn’t nearly the gunslinger conference that the Big 12 is. If the Huskers can add a strong running game to their strong defense, they could immediately compete in the Big Ten.

The Big Ten Wants Texas

Jimmy Boyd — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:57:02 +0000

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has said that he like the Big 12 Conference, but does he like it enough for the school to turn down an opportunity to make at least $8 million more? According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas would make at least $8 million more in TV money if it were to join the Big Ten Conference than it is making in the Big 12 right now.

If Texas were to leave the Big 12, it would likely deal a big blow to that conference as Texas already brings in the largest percentage of the Big 12’s TV money.

Some reasons for Texas not making the move may have to do with the extra travel that playing in the Big Ten would require and also missing out on Big 12 South rivalry games. Oklahoma is Texas’ biggest rivalry right now, but I’m sure the two schools could find a way to make sure that game is still played.

This is still a long shot at this point, but in a time when money talks, I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the Big 12’s biggest draw can be bought. It would certainly be bad for the Big 12, but I have to admire the Big Ten for going after one of the finer schools in the country in terms of athletics.

Pac-10 Conference Exploring Expansion

Jimmy Boyd — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:55:44 +0000

Yahoo! Sports reports that the Pac-10 Conference is now exploring expansion opportunities. The Big Ten Conference has been on the lookout to add another school so that it would have 12 schools like the ACC, SEC, and Big 12. It would then be able to hold a conference title game in football. It appears that the Pac-10 doesn’t want to be the odd man out if the Big Ten indeed added a 12th school.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott has said that if the conference is going to expand, it will look to do so within the next year. He also said that it made sense to make a decision about expansion before negotiating new television deals that are set to expire following the 2011-2012 athletic seasons.

Scott has said that he will evaluate schools that fit both culturally and academically. How funny of him not to mention schools that make sense monetarily.

Let’s just throw a couple likely targets out there for the fun of it. How about Boise State? The Broncos may not want to leave their nest as they have become perennial winners of the WAC, but I have to think joining the Pac-10 would be far more lucrative. Or how about Utah, BYU, UNLV, or TCU? I think all would be strong fits.

Pittsburgh may not Join Big Ten

Jimmy Boyd — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:20:36 +0000

Earlier today, we discussed a report that Pittsburgh could be headed to the Big Ten Conference. Our source, Ben Maller of FoxSports, went as far as saying that the school would announce the move Thursday. Well, Pitt officials have said that it is just a rumor, meaning that whoever told Pitt athletes of the impending move was mistaken.

If Pitt really was going to make the announcement that it will join the Big Ten Conference Thursday, I don’t think the university would have blatantly denied things at this point. They would have just kept their mouths shut about it until the announcement. Here’s what a Pitt spokesperson had to say on ZagsBlog.com: “It’s a total rumor. There is no truth to it. I am 100 percent sure.”

It seemed a little soon for this all to be going down, especially since the Big Ten said it would take its time with the selection process. But that doesn’t mean that the conference didn’t proposition Pitt. After all, I think it would be a very good fit.

Some conference athletic directors, including Ron Guenther of Illinois, thought the Big Ten would go after a more Midwestern school though. If that is indeed the case, it doesn’t look likely that Pitt will be joining the Big Ten.

Pittsburgh Could Join Big Ten

Jimmy Boyd — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:40:30 +0000

Nothing is confirmed, but it looks like Pittsburgh could be the twelfth school to join the Big Ten Conference. Some Pitt athletes were apparently told of the school’s decision to change conferences this past weekend according to Ben Maller of FoxSports.

This statement has yet to be confirmed by any other source, but Maller says an announcement will be made on Thursday. The addition of Pittsburgh would bring about a Big Ten championship game during football season. While we previously reported that Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther expected the new school to be located in the Midwest, Pittsburgh is a good fit when you consider that the conference already has Penn State. Plus, the conference would love to see more money via expanded east coast television markets.

If this becomes official Thursday, then there will be a few more questions to ask. The first is: who will replace Pitt in the Big East? The second is: will the Pac-10 follow suit? Perhaps the Big East would look to add a Conference USA school like East Carolina. Also, if Pitt joins the Big Ten, the Pac-10 might be feeling some pressure to expand to match the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, or at least, add a conference championship game.

Boise State Football Team has Huge Expectations in 2010

Jimmy Boyd — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:31:50 +0000

After finishing the 2009-2010 college football season a perfect 14-0, capping things off with an impressive win over the TCU Horned Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl, expectations couldn’t get any higher for the Boise State Broncos, right? Wrong!

The Broncos return a ridiculous 80 of 85 scholarship athletes with cornerback Kyle Wilson being the only starter not coming back. Plus, the coaching staff remains in tact, which is as important a factor as any in a day and age when coaches are in and out like a jack in the box.

If Boise State was a BCS conference school, they would likely by the favorite to win the national championship in 2011, but they are still being highly regarded as a possible preseason No. 2 even though that is not the case. That would mean that reigning national champion Alabama would be the preseason No. 1.

But Boise State probably won’t be voted in as the preseason No. 2 because voters with BCS conference favoritism remain skeptical. That’s fine with the Broncos as it only fuels their fire. While I agree that Boise State would not run the table if it was playing in any of the BCS conferences, it is taking care of business in the current format and should be rewarded for that.

Urban Meyer on Track to Return to Florida

Jimmy Boyd — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:05:25 +0000

GatorCountry.com reports that Florida head football coach Urban Meyer is feeling a lot better. He has gained weight and is a on regular workout regimen. These reports suggest that Meyer is on schedule to return to his head coaching position by August.

Unless, you’ve been out of the country for an extended period of time, you’ve heard that Meyer stepped down as Florida head man prior to the Gators’ Sugar Bowl showdown with Cincinnati due to health problems. He then recanted and decided to take an indefinite leave of absence.

With Meyer getting some much needed rest and relaxation, interim coach Steve Addazio has handled the program flawlessly, with his efforts become recognized outside the program. This could eventually mean bad news for Florida as it could mean that Addazio could be on the fast track to his own head coaching job following the 2010 season.

NCAA football odds makers currently have the Florida Gators listed at 18-1 to win the 2011 BCS championship. If Meyer decides to make his return official, we will likely see Florida’s odds improve.