Joe Paterno: Simply the Greatest

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
joe paterno greatest coach

On October 29, 2011, Joe Paterno led Penn State to a 10-7 victory over Illinois, making him the winningest coach in major college football history with his 409th win. After the win, the Nittany Lions were 8-1 and in first place in the Big Ten, but the joy in Happy Valley wouldn’t last long. The very next week, details of a scandal emerged, a scandal so large that it shook the foundations of college football to its very core and caused a sports icon to topple.

For 46 years, Joe Paterno led the Penn State football program with pure class and dignity. His “grand experiment,” which demanded that his players succeed not only on the field but in the classroom as well, helped make Penn State into one of the finest academic institutions in the United States. He built the Nittany Lion football program around the motto “Success with Honor,” and there’s no doubt that he was the perfect example of it. JoePa was a man that became something more — he was nothing short of an icon, and all of Happy Valley loved him. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: jerry sandusky scandal, Joe Paterno, Penn State, sandusky scandal

Remember Joe Paterno For What He Was: A Legend and A Leader in the Game of College Football

January 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
joe-paterno

Yesterday featured two fantastic NFL games, but January 22, 2012 will be remembered as the day that the world of sports lost a legend.

Joe Paterno, arguably the greatest coach in sports history, passed away at the age of 85 from complications related to lung cancer.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: jerry sandusky, Joe Paterno, Penn State, penn state nittany lions

Mapping Your Way Through College Football Scandal Since 2000

January 13, 2012 By 1 Comment
college-football-scandal-map

College football has been full of scandal over the years, and it is almost becoming a daunting task to remember all the programs that have violated NCAA rules.

In 2011, Penn State became the most recent football program to be added to the list of schools that have been rocked by scandal.  Not all the scandals that have taken place over the years have been as serious as what went on at Penn State, but it is still an alarming trend that only seems to be going up.

Since 2000, there have been a number of football programs that have violated NCAA rules in a wide variety of ways. MTV’s Clutch Blog has created this outstanding map that breaks down each school’s scandal, the severity, and the penalties that they received.   A lot of prestigious college football programs are on this map and it just goes to show that if you are not cheating than you are not trying. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: CFB, Penn State scandal

Teams That Could End The SEC’s National Championship Winning Streak Next Season

January 11, 2012 By 5 Comments
Matt-Barkley-Lane-Kiffin

No matter what the outcome was Monday night in the BCS National Championship Game, the SEC was going to have one of its members win the title for sixth straight year.

Unless you root for a team in the SEC, then you are ready for someone else from a different conference to hoist the AFCA National Championship Trophy.  Monday night’s game featured two teams from the SEC, and after that unentertaining game, most college football fans are ready for the next champion to come from a different conference.

Now that that season is officially over, it is never too early to look ahead at the teams that could end the SEC’s winning streak in the BCS National Title Game in 2013. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB, CFB Preview Tagged With: Florida State Seminoles, Michigan Wolverines, oklahoma sooners, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans

After Alabama Beats LSU, Nick Saban Shares Tender Moment With Mentor Bill Belichick

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
saban

Alabama just polished off Big 10 wannabe LSU 21-0 in the BCS National Championship Game.

There wasn’t much to get excited about during the game unless you cheer for Alabama, but Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban did get to share a tender moment with mentor Bill Belichick after the game.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: bill belichick, nick saban

LSU-Alabama: BCS National Championship Game Quick Preview, Point Spread, Prediction, and Poll

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
lsu-alabama-national-title-game-rematch

The rematch between the two top defensive squads in America, LSU and Alabama, will decide the BCS national championship game tonight in New Orleans.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Alabama Crimson Tide, alabama-lsu, bcs national championship game, lsu tigers

Cotton Bowl Preview: Arkansas-Kansas State Point Spread, Prediction, and Players To Watch

January 6, 2012 By 1 Comment
Cotton-Bowl

The non-BCS but BCS-worthy Cotton Bowl gets underway tonight as #11 Kansas State (10-2) takes on #7 Arkansas (10-2).

Arkansas has the unfortunate luck of being in the SEC West, and their only two losses came against the teams playing in the national championship game.  Kansas State was one of the biggest surprises in the country, and Bill Snyder’s latest turnaround this season has cemented his place among the all-time great coaches in college football history.

Friday night is the only postseason game featuring the Big 12 vs. the SEC, and each team would love to get a win for their conference.  Here are some players to watch, keys to victory and prediction for this game between these top ranked teams. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Big 12 Football, CFB, CFB Preview, SEC Football Tagged With: Arkansas-Kansas State, Arthur Brown, Collin Klein, cotton bowl, Jarius Wright, Tyler Wilson

Clemson’s Dwayne Allen mentions money in postgame remark, Internet unnecessarily readies ‘Clemson cheats!” pitchforks

January 5, 2012 By 3 Comments
dwayne-allen-money

Anytime a big time college athlete says the word “money” it piques attention, raises eyebrows, and draws ears a little bit closer. This is the case with some comments made last night by Clemson’s Dwayne Allen, an outstanding junior tight end who may leave school for the NFL Draft.

After last night’s loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl (a game summed up perfectly with one picture here), Allen was asked if the “empty feeling” he had after playing poorly in the loss would be a reason for him to come back. This is how he responded, which has led more than a few folks to jump to totally unnecessary conclusions:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Clemson Tigers, dwayne allen, jon gruden, ncaa, scholarships

So, why did the Houston Cougars put up a billboard featuring Case Keenum giving ‘the shocker’ hand gesture anyway?

January 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
houston-cougars-billboard-shocker-cougar-paw

Well, because it’s not supposed to be “the shocker” as defined by Urban Dictionary. (Warning: link not safe for the faint of heart, parents of any age, or Rick Santorum.)

Here is the picture, and then in true Paul Harvey style…the rest of the story.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: billboards, case keenum, CFB, funny, houston cougars, the shocker

The Total Sports Fan Experience: The Capital One Cup and FanFest

January 4, 2012 By 2 Comments
Doug Flutie

I already posted about the Capital One Mascot Challenge and how much fun it was to be a part of the crowning of the champion (Wolfie Jr. of University of Nevada for those of you who didn’t click the link above or already read my post).  But the festivities didn’t end there, of course.

There was still the Capital One FanFest activities, the Capital One Cup, and the game itself.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Capital One Bowl, Capital One FanFest, doug flutie, nebraska cornhuskers, south carolina gamecocks

Orange Bowl Preview: Clemson-West Virginia Players To Watch, Point Spread, Prediction, and Keys to Victory

January 4, 2012 By 1 Comment
Sammy-Watkins

The Orange Bowl gets underway tonight between the #15 Clemson Tigers (10-3) squaring off with #23 West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3).

This is the first major bowl game for Clemson since defeating Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl.  West Virginia on the other hand is 2-0 in BCS bowl games and will look to keep this unbeaten streak alive in their first ever Orange Bowl appearance.

On paper this might not be the best BCS bowl matchup. but there are plenty of explosive players on both teams to make this a high quality game. Here are some players to watch, keys to victory and prediction for this game between the top teams from the Big East and ACC Conference. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB, CFB Preview Tagged With: Clemson-West Virginia, orange bowl, Orange Bowl Preview

The NCAA’s Immoral Combination of One-Year Scholarships and Transfer Restrictions

January 3, 2012 By 1 Comment
NCAA President Mark Emmert endorses multi-year scholarships. But his member schools are putting up a fight. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP)

I’ve written before about problems with the NCAA’s treatment of student-athletes.

If you weren’t already convinced that college sports is in dire need of reform, consider these three recent news stories. Each raises its own questions about the rights of student-athletes.

Taken together, they expose the absurdity and unfairness of the NCAA’s policies.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Away From the Action, CBB, CFB Tagged With: deanthony arnett, derek dooley, ncaa, phil martelli, todd o'brien

Capital One Mascot Challenge Winner – Nevada’s Wolfie Jr.

January 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
herbie husker wolfie jr. cocky

As one of Midwest Sports Fans’ primary college football writers, I followed the sport – and in particular those teams in the Midwest – closer than I have in years.

I watched a ton of Big Ten football and followed the story lines closely: first year coaches in Ann Arbor and Columbus; a transfer quarterback and a Heisman finalist in the backfield for an explosive Wisconsin team; the Spartans’ continued ascent to elite status as a football program; the introduction of a conference championship game; the welcoming of the Cornhuskers; and of course, in Happy Valley, the fall of one of the all-time great sports figures and a respected program having its very foundation shaken to the core.

Needless to say, I was exuberant when, on behalf of Midwest Sports Fans and as a guest of Capital One, I was given an opportunity to attend the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB, Spotlight Tagged With: Capital One Bowl, citrus bowl, mascot challenge, nevada, Nevada Wolf pack, wolfie jr.

BCS Bettor’s Guide: BCS Bowl Game Picks, Point Spreads, Lock Pick, Over-Unders and TV Schedule

January 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
russell wilson-bcs-bowl-games-point-spreads-picks-over-unders-tv-schedule

The BCS bowl games are coming up after the New Year’s Day NFL games Sunday, with the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl Monday, the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, the Orange Bowl and on Wednesday and then the BCS National Championship Game the following Monday, January 9th.

Here is a quick preview of the BCS bowl games with picks and current point spreads.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Alabama Crimson Tide, BCS, college football bowl games, fiesta bowl, lsu tigers, Michigan Wolverines, oklahoma state cowboys, orange bowl, Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl, stanford cardinal, Sugar Bowl, Wisconsin Badgers

The Stories Behind 9 Defunct Bowl Games – Including The Gotham Bowl, The Cigar Bowl and The Refrigerator Bowl

December 30, 2011 By 6 Comments
If you needed a reason to love the city of Evansville, here you go.

This year 70 of 120 Division I-FBS football teams are playing in 35 bowl games. Considering one of these games involves a 6–7 UCLA team and a 6–6 Illinois team on a 6-game losing streak, 35 is probably too many.

Some bowls have been around forever and will probably never go away. Many more die young then fade into obscurity. Many of the games that rest in the college bowl graveyard were played only once or twice; few survived for longer than a decade.

Here are the stories of nine of those short-lived bowl games of yesteryear.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Away From the Action, CFB Tagged With: college football bowl games, cuba, dayton, evansville, gotham city, toledo
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