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15 must-haves for the 2008 college football season!

College football season starts... tonight!

Here are the 15 must-have internet resources to prepare you for the 2008 college football season:

Every Season Preview - Check out the outstanding paperless preview project with almost every online preview for each and every FBS team - all 120 of 'em!

Injuries - Check College Injury Report for the latest injury reports for your team and your opponents.

Statistics - From the official NCAA statistics to past seasons stats to offical football records to the team history database... we want it, you got it.

Gear - Check out the NCAA Fan Store at Amazon for all the hats, shirts, and tail gating gear your could ever want. (And if you want the best portable grill out there, check this out. Just got this one this summer and it's fantastic! Plus free 2 day delivery if you
ref=prime_assoc_bt&tag;=kevindonahue-20">
ref=prime_assoc_bt&tag;=kevindonahue-20">enroll in Amazon Prime!)

BCS Polls - BCS Poll, Harris Poll, Coaches Poll, Computers (Jeff Sagarin, Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Dr. Peter Wolfe) and FCS Top 25 Poll.

Get Online with Fans - Check out a free 7-day subscription to Rivals.com. If you join directly on your team's page, you'll get premium access to your private team message boards.

Team Spirit - Digital team logos, animated team flags, and online fight songs (here and here).

Taunt-ology - Need a joke about your rivals? Check out RivalJokes.

Gamers - Get your copy of EA NCAA Football 2009 and play your team's season. Or simulate games to find your opponents strengths/weaknesses.

Away Games - Check out hotels, restaurants, and tailgating spots for any stadium with MapGameDay or check out video reviews from stadiums across the country.

Bowls - The 2008-2009 college football bowl schedule, complete with TV listings

Helmet-ology - Check out the Helmet Project for a list of all the new helmets in the 2008 season.

Schedules - 2008 college football schedules for all 120 FBS teams and the FBS teams (plus future year schedules) and the ultimate football helmet schedule resource.

Television Guides - The ultimate college football television guide listings, plus ESPN GamePlan schedules, and HD broadcasts.

Fanblogs to Go - Take Fanblogs with you by following us at Twitter, FriendFeed, and RSS feeds. Or... listen to Fanblogs on your iPhone or on the web!

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We must protect this Vest!

Does anyone have any doubt whatsoever as to what Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will be wearing for the Buckeyes opener? Any one? No takers?

That's because Tressel's signature style element has become the sweater vest.

Be it red or silver, you can be certain that the vest will be in the house. Just as Steve Spurrier has his visors (or bucket hats) and Joe Paterno has his glasses, Jim Tressel is a legend in a sweater vest.

And now you -- Mr. Ohio State Buckeyes fan -- can don Tressel's sweater vest, too, with this officially licensed replica sweater vest t-shirt. Or, raise a toast to the sweater vest and the man who made it all that it is today with the replica sweater vest beer koozie.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS VEST!

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Fanblogs Open Thread

Week one of the 2008 college football season. THANK THE MAKER!

Anyone predicting an upset this weekend? Michigan - Utah? VT - ECU? Clemson - Bama? LSU - Appy State? Let's hear it!

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Ten things to look forward to this season

Courtesy of the great TigerEducated.... Gump4Heisman's 10 Things To Look Forward To This College Football Season.

I don't know what it's like when you go to the games, but this is 99.995% dead smack-on for every game I've ever been to.

10) Getting into it with 'The Greatest Generation'

'Sit down.' 'We can’t see the game.' 'I pay money for these seats.' 'I like Ike.'

You're bound to hear it. You're at a game. You stand up. You cheer. And, mostly, it goes by unnoticed.

Then, at some point, the grey-hairs in the back start bitching. And rightfully so. The way they see it, they didn't see their buddies die face down in the Battle of Antietam so young whippersnappers in zoot suits could stand up and act all uppity.

You pay it no mind. You glance back. Finally, the smuggled sock-bourbon forces it out of you:

'Listen old man, it's 4th and 1. Either stand up and watch, or just imagine the shit like you did during the golden era of radio.'

And before you know it, you have General Longstreet's superior officer coming at you with an AARP seat cushion like he's Sonny Corleone by an open fire hydrant.

The fight will rage on for eternity.

You'll never see eye-to-eye. And not just because he's bent over like an on-duty prostitute. Because you're from two entirely different worlds.

When you were in college, 50 Cent was a rapper. When he was in college, 50 Cent was a damn good salary.

....

1) ESPN will be out to get you.

ESPN hates you.

And more importantly, ESPN hates your team.

ESPN will go to any length to diss your team. Any length. You know that LSU coozie you used to have but can't seem to find? ESPN took it. Because ESPN hates LSU. That is, if LSU is your team.

It has nothing to do with you being too passionately involved in both liking your team and hating other teams. ESPN just likes to fuck with your head. That's why when Mark May says something like 'LSU has question marks at quarterback. Watch out for Florida in this one' you get pissed. Sure, you just read the same thing in the Times Picayune. But the Times Picayune isn't ESPN - who clearly is having a love affair with Urban Meyer and the Gators while simultaneously throwing the LSU Bengal Tigers under the bus every chance they get.

Unless you're a Florida fan. In which case the time that Chris Fowler made that dig about Urban Meyer's 28-point loss to Alabama is clear evidence of an ESPN-wide plan to, in fact, shut the UF football program down.

Remember that time ESPN ran a story about your favorite player getting arrested? Nevermind that he actually did get arrested. That's bullshit. ESPN is bullshit. And it is obvious that, by running timely stories about factual events, ESPN is biased against your team.

It doesn't matter who you pull for.

Whoever your favorite team is, ESPN hates it. ESPN hates anything you love, and loves anything you hate.

ESPN hates your dad. Unless you hate your dad. In which case ESPN loves your dad.

If you love bread, ESPN is 'anti-sandwich.' If you hate end-pieces, ESPN will run a special about end pieces. Mark May will hold up two hard, crusty-ass end pieces and hype the shit out of them all year long. Bob Ley will run a special called 'Outside The Loaf.' Ivan Maisel will write a column with a pun-filled headline like 'The piece to the end puzzle' and mind-force you to read it and then email him in anger about it.

If you were for the Union, ESPN was for the Confederacy.

If you had a Sega Genesis, ESPN had a Super Nintendo. If you had a Super Nintendo, ESPN had Sega Genesis.

If you liked like Tombstone, ESPN liked Wyatt Earp.

If you preferred Use Your Illusion I, ESPN preferred Use Your Illusion II.
If you pulled for Dan, ESPN pulled for Dave.

If you think OJ is guilty, ESPN is black.

ESPN hates everything you stand for. Unless you stand for something else. Then ESPN hates that too.

Go check out the rest at Gump4Heisman. Great, great, great stuff.

And - seriously - don't be the #2 guy.

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Inside the Game: What is a redshirt?

There has been a lot of attention paid recently to the college football term "redshirt", particularly in the wake of Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk's multiple appeals for a waiver to play a sixth season this year at Cincinnati. Which brings the question...

What is a redshirt in college football?

A "redshirt" is a compliance term used by coaches, athletic departments, and -- at times -- the NCAA, in reference to a player as not participating in competition during a particular athletic season.

There is no red jersey that a player must wear. There is no official "designation". There isn't even any paperwork to fill out. A player "becomes" a redshirt by not playing during the season.

Under NCAA rules, any player has five years to compete in any four seasons. Therefore, any player may take a year off ("redshirt") during his five years without losing a season of eligibility.

For example, if I enroll as a freshman at State U, I have five years in which to play in four football seasons. If the coaches feel that I am not ready or want to play other players ahead of me, they may hold me out of all the games my freshman year. Since I didn't play at all, my year of eligibility was not used. I have "redshirted". As a sophomore, I will now have four years remaining to complete my four years of athletic eligibility. Even though I am a sophomore, I will be referred to as a "redshirt freshman", because I have four full years of playing time remaining.

And while a redshirted player may participate in team activities such as practice, drills, and training, the NCAA guidelines say that a player who participates in even one play during a season will be considered to have "played" that season.

You should know that NCAA rules indicate that any competition, regardless of time, during a season counts as one of your seasons of competition in that sport. It does not matter how long you were involved in a particular competition (for example, one play in a football game, one point in a volleyball match); you will be charged with one season of competition.

The exception to the five-to-play-four rule comes when a player experiences a hardship, such as a season-ending injury. If an injury occurs in the first half of a season and the player has not played in more than 20% of his team's games, then the NCAA will consider granting a "medical redshirt" - a hardship exception to the eligibility rules.

An extra year of eligibility can also be granted via a "hardship waiver" if a student-athlete suffers an incapacitating injury or illness in the course of a season. The injury must occur during the first half of the season and the student-athlete, in Divisions I and II, must not have participated in more than two contests or 20% of the school's completed contests, whichever is greater.

In other words, if a player suffers a season-ending injury in a team's first game, the NCAA will review the incident and may proceed as if that player hadn't played at all that year - restoring one year's eligibility to be used the following season.

So... there you go... the long and the short of the college football term "redshirt".

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1st and Five: Analysts, Announcers and Agitators

We college football fans all have one thing in common no matter what our affiliation: we usually get spoon fed our daily diet of pigskin by one or more of the various types of media. These days there is no shortage of news of our sport, be it on TV, radio, or in some sort of print. And the one thing we love to do besides critique the competition on the field is to laud or libel the very people who announce and dissect our favorite game for us. Whether we throw roses or rotten tomatoes, the emotions on these folks run deep on fanblogs, so here's your chance to chuck something on the record. However, keep in mind that the job these folks do is incredibly difficult, and there's not one of us who could come close to being as good as they are.

So I want your Top Five list of ones you like, and ones you don't like as much. As usual, you have to give some brief reason for your bias to avoid having tomatoes thrown at you. Our template today will be to try and stick with the broadcast media rather than print. This will hopefully eliminate any regional biases and produce a more nationalized recognition, not to mention reducing all the blog-affiliated votes for Kevin Donahue and your humble part-time correspondent, me, as I was only contracted through a temp service to write the occasional piece on here. See what $8.50 an hour gets you these days?

HEADS

1) Mark May, analyst. No one seems as polished to me as Mark does. Conspiracy theorists get giggly with predictions of his hidden agendas, but I think he calls them as he sees them. As a former standout at Pitt with a few Super Bowl rings on his fingers, he has the pedigree to have me buying two of whatever he's selling. I occasionally have daydreams that Mark snaps and wrings Lou Holtz's neck. Quick, turn the channel to ESPN Fantasy...

2) Ron Franklin, PbP announcer. For my money, he is Mr. College Football, now that Keith Jeck-son has retired to that barn-burner on the west coast. I've spent more Saturday nights with Ron over the last decade than I have any woman and most of my buddies. His demotion to ESPN2 two years ago and subsequent split with Mike Gottfried gave the suits in Bristol their WTF moment for this century for sure. An Ole Miss boy done good, Ron also did some announcing for the Texas Longhorns back in the 1980s.

3) Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. I can't believe all the rude things I found on the internet about her after a quick search. I mean, If you have to let women into CFB, and you do, she's the perfect one. I've sat close enough to the sidelines to actually hear her speak and she's the sweetest person and seemingly relates well to the players. As a matter of fact, any of you say anything derogatory about Holly in this thread and I will fight you. Besides, as one blogger noted, she can probably drink most of you under the table and still fly to Auburn, AL, the next day to perform her schtick. (Okay, I modified about half that quote)

4) Lee Corso, wearer of mascot heads. Come on! You can't say that you genuinely dislike Corso. Did you really dislike Colonel Klink on Hogan's Heroes? Or Gopher on The Love Boat? Mr. Furly on Three's Company? Please. Someone has to balance out Chris Fowler's straight-man on Gameday. That's a tradition that goes back past Vaudeville all the way to Greek tragedies. But don't think for a minute that Corso doesn't know his stuff. It's his job to make you loath him. That's what keeps you coming back for more. Besides, any guy that's president of a pencil manufacturer and friends with Buddy Reynolds is okay in my book...

5) Mike Gottfried, color analyst. Your arch-typical cool customer in this age of media types who are always shouting at you. Definitely brings the coach perspective to the booth better than anyone else out there. I bet his motivational methods with his players back in the day are exactly the same as his demeanor on the air these days. Made a great pair with Ron Franklin, but maybe you need your experienced guys nurturing the rookie announcers to bring them along, too. I'd listen to what Mike had to say if he was preaching Scientology...

TAILS

1) Lou Holtz, analyst. Although I never want to hold someone's physical appearance against them, has anyone ever seen Lou and Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies in the same room? See, I haven't either. Regardless, I just don't buy into the yokel bit that Granny Holtz spins each week. They say that he's a great motivator, but he barely motivates me to come back after the commercial break. His logic is hard to follow and he's sometimes hard to understand--and I speak Southern!! He can perform some cool magic tricks, however. Perhaps a disappearing act soon, Lou?

2) Desmond Howard, analyst. Desmond's a nice enough guy, but that's his problem--he's too nice. Wipe that smile off your face, Dez, and challenge someone! Toughen up! Run security for Corso one week, or go punch Herbstreit in the face during Michigan-Ohio State week this year. I think he's getting in the booth some these days. He'll get it together.

3) Pat Summerall, PbP announcer. Okay, this might seem like blasphemy to most, picking on a hall-of-fame announcer. I looked it up on Wiki, and Pat is still alive. That's irrelevant, however, because they'll surely dig him up if they're an announcer short for a bowl game, like they did for the 2007 Cotton Bowl between Auburn and Nebraska. He was horrible! Let the guy stay retired. Hopefully somebody forced Pat to do it rather than him pulling a Dick Clark on us. I don't know if he did a game this past January, but I hope not. Maybe athletes aren't the only ones with a problem hanging them up. Stick to calling Golden Tee, Pat, and we'll be fine...

4) Erin Andrews, sideline reporter. See, watching her do her interviews during a football game is the reason why I don't go to strip clubs that have a buffet. A man can't handle more than one primordial urge at the same time. Food or women. Football or women. You can have both, but only in sequential order--not at once. It creates sensory overload for our under-developed brains and it could wreck havoc--especially if you add the other primal need of beer into the equation. Hey, this Gator girl lives in Atlanta. Just kidding, Erin. Text me!!!!

5) Larry Munson, radio announcer, Georgia Bulldogs. Believe me, I know I'm treading on hallowed ground talking about some school's radio announcer, but hear me out. Larry's 85 years old, and I believe he's the guy that gave Vince Dooley the tour of the locker room when he arrived in Athens to coach the Dawgs back during the LBJ administration. I love Larry, and I grew up listening to him. I even do a mean impersonation. Hell, I have the radio in the car on Munson if I have to make a quick run during the Auburn-Georgia game. But he's 85 years old. He already had to restrict himself from away games last year. Maybe we should concede Georgia the MNC this year so Larry can go out on top...

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Ranking the Refs

Which conferences have the worst refs? Here are my thoughts:

Worst:
PAC 10: Too many games with boosters for the home team as the umpire leading to questionable calls that make a difference.

Second Worst:
Big East: Tried to give WV the win against Pittsburgh last year. Pittsburgh beat WV and the refs.

Third Worst:
SEC: Bad calls everywhere, but at least they hit both sides about evenly.

Refs are like field goal snappers, you usually only notice them when they mess up. Maybe I am forgetting serious grievances, but I haven't noticed the refs of the ACC, MAC, Big 10 or Sun Belt to often.

Best:
Big 12, MWC, WAC: Working together to set a higher bar for officiating nationally. NOTE: C-USA will be joining next year.

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Is Clemson a BCS Championship contender?

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel recently wrote an interesting article about the five common attributes that all of the 10 BCS champions have held.

They include:

- A dominant run defense; allowing fewer than 100 yds/game (with 6 of the ten champs ranking in the top 10).

- A positive turnover margin.

- Superior offensive & defensive lines with a sack/sacks-allowed margin greater than 10.

- An efficient QB. Average pass efficiency of 146.2 with a top 20 rank.

- At least one game-breaker.

Stewart Mandel pointed out that not every champion has exceeded every category. But if they lagged in one category, they excelled in another.

Mandel went on to analyze how the AP top 5 stack up against the NC criteria.

Since Clemson is widely picked to win the ACC, and should be favored in every game on its schedule, there is some buzz in Tigertown about the possibility of a BCS national championship (NC). So I thought it would be interesting to see how Clemson stacks up against Mandel's NC specification.

Pass efficiency: In 2007, returning QB, Cullen Harper ranked 22nd, and had an efficiency rating of 141.0. Since all of Harper's primary receivers are back (and the O-line isn't expected to be any worse), it is reasonable to expect similar or better passing efficiency. Therefore Clemson will likely meet this NC spec.

Turnovers: In 2007 Clemson recovered 25 turnovers while giving up just 12. That's +2.1 ratio, far exceeding the NC requirement. Therefore, it's reasonable to expect Clemson to be in positive territory for 2008 and meet this NC spec.

At least one game-breaker: With running backs James Davis & CJ Spiller, and with wide receivers Jacoby Ford, & Aaron Kelly all returning, Clemson seems to easily meet this NC spec with. One could argue that Davis and Kelly don't count as game-breakers. But the two speedsters, Spiller & Ford, are big play guys that can take it to the house on any touch. In 2007, Ford had 18.2 yds/catch (12.3yds/carry), Kelly had 12.3 yards/catch, Spiller had 5.3 yards/carry (with 20% of his carries going for 10 yards or more), and Davis had 5.0 yds/carry.

Superior offensive & defensive lines: In 2007, Clemson failed this NC spec with a negative sack/sack-allowed margin. Clemson had 27 sacks, while allowing 35. Clemson's defensive line was good but not “superior”. Clemson's offensive line was marginal. The 2008 forecast is for the defensive line to be about as good or maybe a bit better. The offensive line will have 4 new starters and is a big question mark. The O-line may be as good as or better than that of 2007, but it is unlikely to be "superior", therefore, in 2008, it is unlikely that Clemson will meet this NC spec.

Dominant run defense: In 2007, Clemson allowed 118.3 rushing yards per game (considerably more than the 96.7 yd average of the 10 BCS champs). And Clemson ranked 23rd in rushing defense (which is pretty far out of the top 10). In 2008, with a relatively inexperienced linebacker corps, it is unlikely that Clemson will meet this NC requirement.

So does Clemson have a chance at the NC based on Mandel's specs? Well, remember that a team can be deficient in one area if it's superior in another area. Based on 2007 results, Clemson is likely to be deficient in two areas (run defense and superior lines), but could be superior in two areas (turnovers and game-breakers). But Mandel's spec doesn't allow for being deficient in two areas. It's pretty easy to predict that Clemson will meet the specs in pass efficiency and game-breakers. But turnovers, line-play, and run defense are much harder to predict. The bottom line is that (if you believe Mandel's spec) Clemson's chances depend largely on the line-play and the new LB corps. It doesn't seem likely that Clemson will meet the NC spec (let alone win the NC), but it's possible.

So what the heck, Tigertown... Buzz on.

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ESPN, SEC ink 15-year, $2.25B broadcast deal

In a follow up to the recently announced SEC/CBS television deal, ESPN has purchased the remainder of the SEC broadcast rights for $2.25 billion over the next 15 years.

ESPN will pay the Southeastern Conference a staggering $2.25 billion over the next 15 years — about $150 million a year — for the conference’s TV rights, giving the network all of the SEC’s content that was not taken by CBS, industry sources confirm.

The deal effectively ends any conversation of a conference network, and it knocks Raycom Sports (formerly Lincoln Financial and Jefferson Pilot) out of the SEC’s distribution business for the first time since 1986, when JP Sports began distributing SEC basketball.

The deal is interesting, because it essentially makes ESPN the default provider for the majority of the SEC's televised games... if it so chooses. And that's an important distinction.

While ESPN has plenty of schedules to fill at ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN the Ocho, etc... there is no obligation for ESPN to actually televise the games it has purchased. As speculated earlier this week, ESPN may have pulled a pre-emptive strike in purchasing the broadcast rights and could potentially sell some games to Raycom, Fox Sports, or another provider.

The deal also gives ESPN exceptional leverage in getting its daughter networks (ESPNU, etc) placed on more cable packages. There are rumors that a Comcast deal will be announced this soon regarding ESPNU.

The total combined payout from the CBS/ESPN deal represents a nearly three-fold increase in broadcast revenues - $205 million per year versus the $70 million that the SEC just realized in 2007. The new revenues essentially guarantee each SEC school a minimum of $15 million per year, which means that even Vandy will be making close to "Notre Dame money" for the next 15 years.

HT: Georgia Sports Blog

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Punditology: What if Georgia wasn't a BCS team?

What would the college football talking heads be saying about the Georgia Bulldogs if UGA wasn't a BCS conference team? Fanblogs guest-blogger Mars thinks he knows...

If Georgia was non-BCS, their preview would read something like this:

"I know what you skeptics are thinking, but hold on right there- Georgia may be the best team you've never seen play. Though the Bulldogs didn't exactly light the world on fire last season (they didn't win their division, let alone their conference), they did manage to quietly win 11 games, including their bowl against a WAC opponent.

In their two losses Georgia's offense struggled mightily, scoring 12 and 14 points against teams with a combined 10 losses. They managed to squeak out wins in two other games by just 3 points each (with the offense managing to score 20 and 26 points in those contests against teams with a combined 13 losses). Scoring an average of 30 points per game against their I-A opponents in the regular season last year, statistics suggest that the 'Dogs will have to improve that mark by almost 10 points per game if they want to become the next Boise State, the last little guy to not only make it to a BCS Bowl game but win it as well. QB Matt Stafford especially needs to improve, after completing only 56 percent of his passes last season for 2,523 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The strength of the offense will once again be RB Knowshon Moreno, who ran for 1334 yards last season. If he can lead his team to an undefeated season and a Top 12 finish, he
might become a dark horse candidate for the Heisman trophy.

The two teams that finished above them in conference last season are expected to take a step back this year, which should open the door for the 'Dogs to finally have their day. One potential road block is an early date at Arizona State; Georgia hasn't played a regular season game west of the Mississippi since 1980! Lose that one and Georgia could find themselves out of BCS Bowl contention before playing their first conference home game. Seeing as how they open the season at home against Georgia Southern, and end the season with another mandatory in-state game against Georgia Tech (who fired their head coach at the end of last season), the schedule leaves no room for error.

Though Georgia may be the "flavor of the month" pick to be this year's best mid-major, they won't be a likable team; 5 players have been suspended this offseason for various issues, including reckless driving charges and other run-ins with the law. It won't help losing last year's starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant for the season to injury, with reconstructive surgery required on his left knee; Georgia's line already has the tough task of replacing last year's starting center. It remains to be seen just how this Bulldogs team will handle the pressure that going undefeated requires; Georgia has gone undefeated only once in the past 60 years, back in 1980."

~Mars

Sounds pretty spot on to me. Thoughts??

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Road Warriors: How far will teams travel in 2008?

Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan pulled out his handy-dandy schedule guide and got onto Mapquest.com to see which college football teams travel the most for the 2008 season. The results are probably not that shocking (does it ruin it if I say #1 is from the WAC?) but there are some surprises when you go through the list.

Surprise #1? Ten of the top 14 travel distances belong to BCS teams.
Surprise #2? Nineteen of the bottom 22 are BCS teams.

Note: These are DRIVING DISTANCES, so Hawaii is not included.
Note: Because there is no bridge to Hawaii. Seriously.

Which college football teams travel the most miles for games in 2008?

1. Fresno State 18,190 miles
2. UTEP 15,016
3. Florida International 14,692
4. Florida Atlantic 14,534
5. Louisiana Tech 13,648
6. Notre Dame 13,348
7. Oregon State 13,278
8. San Diego State 13,134
9. Stanford 12,984
10. Idaho 12,798

Again, no big surprise that the most geographically diverse conferences are leading the top spots. After all, the longest roundtrip for a WAC conference game is 4,348 miles. (Idaho at Louisiana Tech)

The one standout is Notre Dame. The Irish go from sea to shining sea with games at Washington, at Boston College, and at USC.

I know what you're thinking and the answer is YES - college football players can accrue frequent flier miles for their travel. (NCAA Bylaws § 16.12.1.11(b))

Which college football teams travel the fewest miles for games in 2008?

110. Virginia 3,060 miles
111. Nebraska 3,050
112. Mississippi State 3,036
113. Indiana 3,018
114. Duke 2,922
115. Miami (Ohio) 2,874
116. Central Michigan 2,599
117. Ball State 2,464
118. Purdue 2,280
119. N.C. State 1,734

Again, it's not that shocking that the least geographically diverse conferences primarily make up the bottom of the list. The Pack play two games (@ UNC and @ Duke) where the total roundtrip is less than 100 miles... combined! I don't know that it's right to "criticize" the Wolfpack for After all, NC State was ranked as the #60 most difficult pre-season schedule. The fact that they never cross more than one state line when traveling... bonus.

Which BCS teams lead their conference in miles traveled for games in 2008?

Pac10 - Oregon State (7th) 13,278
ACC - Miami (21st) 9,952
Big XII - Colorado (22nd) 9,166
Big East - South Florida (42nd) 7,462
Big 10 - Ohio State (46th) 7,364
SEC - Georgia (47th) 7,264

Check out the whole thing over at Rivals. There's some interesting details on the longest & shortest road trips as well as the complete list of how many miles each team travels this year.

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Ranking the top college football coaching jobs

With the 2008 college football season starting in less than a week, it's time to check in with the state of college football and rank the top coaching jobs in the country.

I'm basing my list simply on perceived stature, which I believe is generally more static than factors such as current roster, current salary, and other more dynamic factors.

The Top College Football Coaching Jobs

1. Notre Dame - The most visible head coaching job in the country, with (arguably) the top legacy and traditions in all of college football.

2. Texas

3. Michigan

4. Ohio State

5. Oklahoma

6. USC

7. Nebraska

8. Alabama

9. Florida

10. Georgia

11. Florida State

12. Miami

13. UCLA

14. Penn State

15. Tennessee

16. Texas A&M;

17. LSU

18. Iowa

19. Wisconsin

20. Colorado

Just outside the top twenty (alphabetical): Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Washington, WVU

Not that you need an invitation, but... tell me where I'm wrong.

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Ranking the most obnoxious SEC fans

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, columnist Mark Bradley gets ready to kick off the 2008 college football season by throwing his hat into the ring and ranking the most obnoxious football fans in the SEC.

12. Mississippi State: The only time State fans get really upset is when you make fun of their rustic town. I know this from experience. But you know what? If I'd have been a Starkvillian and read what I wrote back in 2005, I'd have gotten ticked, too.

...

5. Arkansas: It was over the top for Hog fans to file Freedom of Information requests to gain access to Houston Nutt’s cell phone records, but it was over the top in an amusing way. One word of warning: Don't try that stuff with Bobby Petrino. He'll just up and leave.

...

1. Florida: Gator fans didn’t become obnoxious when Steve Spurrier started beating everybody. They were obnoxious when their team couldn't win the SEC to save its life. And for all Floridians still irked by Georgia's celebration, here are two words to Google: Gator Flop.

I bet the comments get interesting on this one.

HT: The Wiz (who's sporting a new site, btw)

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The Worst #1 Ranked Teams in History

The good folks at Maxim Magazine have complied a pretty damn good list of the worst preseason #1 teams in college football history. Enjoy.

5. University of Pittsburgh, 1982
Finished: 9-3 (AP No. 10)
Pitt enjoyed its greatest success ever under coach Jackie Sherrill, finishing 11-1 in each of the previous three seasons. Still, there evidently wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that, after he fled for Texas A&M; to become the highest paid coach ever, Pitt and its senior QB Dan Marino wouldn't miss a five-step drop. Out went Sherrill, in stepped the legendary Serafino "Foge" Fazio... right into the steaming pile of Pitt's first three-loss season in four years. AP voters are worse than values voters.

4. Penn State, 1997
Finished: 9-3 (AP No. 16)
For a team boasting football's second all-time winningest coach, the Nits sure have had trouble commanding respect under Joe Paterno. They have two national titles, but also finished undefeated four other times without as much as a cake fart of title consideration. So being tabbed No. 1 heading into 1997 - a first in the school’s history - was special... for the three teams that beat them by a combined 76-28. Penn State is the only preseason No. 1 in the last quarter century to lose more than two games. The previous one? Right this way...

3. Auburn, 1984
Finished: 9-4 (AP No. 14)
Under coach Doug Barfield, the Tigers shambled to a 29-25-1 mark, their worst span in 30 years. Enter: the legendary Pat Dye, who, in just his third season, led AU to an 11-1 mark and an SEC championship. So, with Bo Jackson a Heisman candidate and Auburn the national favorite the following preseason, what did the fickle fingers of fate do? It poked Dye right in the eye, with back-to-back losses to open the season, the most L's by a preseason No. 1 since 1964, and a finish in the Liberty Bowl, the Khloe Kardashian of the college postseason.

2. University of Mississippi, 1964
Finished: 5-5-1 (unranked)
When you think of the words "football power" (or the words "employable workforce," for that matter), Ole Miss isn't the first school that comes to mind. But the Rebels do have to their credit six SEC Championships, the last of which convinced pollsters that this was their year. And if Mississippi had only fought its schedule as hard as it fought segregation, it would have been. The Rebs won back-to-back games just once, beat just two conference opponents, and lost to arch rival Mississippi State, which finished 4-6.

1. Notre Dame, 1950
Finished: 4-4-1 (unranked)
No preseason No. 1 has ever finished with a losing record, but damned if the Fighting Irish didn't try. ND won the national championship just a year earlier, so its ranking in college football's first-ever preseason poll was hardly unjustifiable. Nope, there would be no blaming pollsters this time - the Irish played just two teams that finished with winning records, and they still couldn't break .500. To be fair, a contract dispute kept Jesus out of the first half of the season.

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