With the NCAA trial all finished up and media days about to begin, the news was a little slow this week. The news in the college football world might be slow but it is never dull. It will really pick up when you put a bunch of coaches and players in front on a microphone for media day.
Great news did come out of the PAC-12 this past week, for Oregon fans. Marcus Mariota told reporters he is still unsure about entering the 2015 NFL draft. Good news for Oregon but bad news for other PAC-12 schools. He has already been one of Oregon’s all time greats at QB and would further his legacy if he sticks around to finish up his eligibility. Imagine the records he will break running that offense for another two years. It was nice to read that he is enjoying the college experience and does not want to give it up too early. I’m sure his mind might change with a National Championship added to his resume … but I’m equally sure Oregon fans would take it.
Another big development this week is going on with South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and his recruits. Almost half of his recruiting class might not academically qualify for this semester. Now that is a big surprise … I mean this is the SEC. I thought all you had to do to qualify was be able to color inside the lines and connect the dots. I’m just curious as to how many of them will keep their commitments and return to South Carolina after their junior college stints. Give it time, there must be a loophole, and they will be on campus in the fall.
Some coaches prefer coaching from the booth. Coaching from the booth allows them to get the over head view and not get caught up in all the sideline craziness. Michigan’s offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmeier, decided to go against the norm and will be on the sideline this season leading the Wolverine offense. If Michigan’s offense improves compared to last year, then fans will not care from where he is calling the plays.
Being relevant in college football today is all about keeping up with social media. Penn State coach, James Franklin, understands that and has proven that by hammering out the “tweets” since taking over as coach. Here is a list of his top 22 tweets since taking over at Penn State. By doing this, he allows himself to keep fans in the loop and also reach out to recruits during recruiting.
The Florida Gators went 4-8 last season, they lost to an FCS team, their offense could have been run better by a third grader and they just flat out stank last season. How the heck is Will Muschamp still a recruiting ‘king?’ Florida 4-star commit, QB Sheriron Jones, got a new Gator haircut. The Jones verbal was followed by 4-star athlete Jerome Baker’s commitment to the Gators, adding to Muschamp’s amazing recruiting haul. But why the heck are they choosing Florida after such a bad season? Let’s face it, some guys just know how to recruit and can get the job done despite the win/loss record. Just hide videos like this, and the recruits will keep coming.
Let’s keep things down south for a little bit longer. Auburn is in the news but for all the wrong reasons. Tiger star QB Nick Marshall was arrested on a drug-related charge this past week. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Will he be able make it to the start of the season without a suspension? If Auburn wants to get into the playoffs, they will need him back on the straight and narrow. Then again, it is the SEC and you can pretty much get away with anything and still play.
Everyone excited for the playoffs to start? With all this free time, we’ll have had a chance to try to understand how it will all come together. Well, these guys are already discussing expanding the playoffs. I’m all for expansion. We have more than 120 teams competing for that title. Really only 20 or 30 have a legitimate shot, but let’s try to pretend we still care about the little guys. Everyone loves a good “Cinderella” story. Before we get all crazy, let’s just see how this four-team playoff works before we start arguing for eight teams. Maybe we’ll get a game like this in the playoffs:
With conference media days upon us (mainly the SEC media day), expect Les Miles and Spurrier to fill the message boards with all sorts of goodies to talk about. Until then, go pick up your copy of the college preview from Athlon or Sporting News. That should help hold you over for another month or so.
NATIONAL NEWS:
1. FSU’s Winston wants degree
2. NO BEER in TEXAS
3. New bowl name
4. FSU suspends top player
5. USC loses defensive star
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Jeff Hostetler may not have won a Super Bowl with the Giants ( though his uncle of the same name did). He has been an obsessed college football fan living in Florida ever since the Gators beat FSU in the Sugar Bowl to earn the UF’s first national championship.
Ever since Jeff has immersed himself in everything possible related to college football. He enjoys watching, writing, playing, and otherwise obsessing over all things football. A graduate of the University of Florida, he brings a perspective to FishDuck free of our extreme green & yellow homerism glasses to look at the current landscape of collegiate athletics.
