I know we talk college football here, but can we really ignore all the March Madness going on around us? Congrats to the Ducks for not only winning the PAC-12 but also winning their opening tournament rounds and moving to the Sweet Sixteen. This proved the Ducks should have been seeded better. A 12th seed…and you won the PAC-12? No respect. After all this madness is over then we can really get into the spring football and story lines going on. Let’s get into some news and thoughts from this past week from the college football world:
1. Harvey Updyke has been sentenced to serve prison time for the Auburn tree poisoning. Now that is hardcore. Rivalries are all fun and games but let’s try not to take things to the extreme like this guy. They mean business in the south about football and their traditions. Maybe Harvey will be in prison with that other Alabama fan who got in trouble for “exposing” himself to an LSU fan. All I can say is Alabama fans are CRAZY! 
2. Looks like the PAY FOR PLAY topic will be a hot one this summer, especially in the BIG-10. Jim Delany says if this comes to fruition, the BIG-10 could de-emphasize athletics. What it sounds like to me is, once you have to start sharing all the money with the players who help bring it in, Delany will put an end to athletics being a focus. Hmmm……right! Do you think Michigan or Ohio State fans would let their football team or other major sports teams fall to the wayside and be an after thought? If this happened you might see some schools jump ship to another conference who is all about the money. Right now Jim Delany is playing a game of chicken with this…interesting to see who blinks first.
3. With the playoffs just around the corner, you will start to see changes, mostly for good. Alabama just announced that they will be playing Wisconsin in a season opener 2015. More and more schools will catch on and start making schedule changes such as this. The strength of schedule will soon become a big factor in who’s in and who’s out for the playoffs. That means more match ups of Oregon vs. LSU or Alabama vs. Virginia Tech and less match ups of Florida vs. Toledo. The playoffs are going to be an exciting time and generate all the excitement that we are experiencing now with the March Madness.
Spring ball is right around the corner. I am sure we will mostly just hear more about Jadevon Clowney’s hit as the media builds his Heisman campaign. As for now, I will probably dedicate most of my time sitting on the couch this weekend watching all of the March Madness. Anyone still have a perfect bracket left? Thanks Harvard and Florida Gulf Coast.
NATIONAL NEWS:
1. Alabama is moving on
2. SMU is bringing the air raid
3. NCAA changing the rules…again
4. Playoff Committee and stats
5. Michigan already hurting
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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.