View From Bennett Avenue

As any red-blooded college football fan I am excited about the upcoming opening weekend. Unfortunately the slate of games leaves a lot to be desired and the number of must-watch games are few. I'll watch Syracuse versus Wake on my computer Thursday night, tune into TCU-Baylor on Friday and then make sure I watch Notre Dame play South Florida on Saturday before the LSU-Oregon game that night. The night game, which is the premier game of the weekend, has lost a lot of juice with both teams accused of cheating and some Tigers suspended--including their QB--for fighting. Boise State plays Georgia that night too and hopefully Boise won't do to Georgia what Georgia did to them a few years ago (not that I am rooting for Georgia but I want a good game). Meanwhile it is interesting that the big, bad SEC is a dog in both of those contests.
I like it when the college game has center stage Labor Day weekend but am disappointed with the offerings. Still, it is college football and there will always be an interesting game when none expected. I'll be watching.

View From Bennett Avenue

If LSU coach Les Miles needs any pointers on keeping his team focused this week before its big game with Oregon, all he has to do is call the coach of his first opponent from the 2010 season, Butch Davis. Now while he does not want the same fate as Davis--fired 10 months after the game--he can learn how Davis got a depleted UNC squad ready to go toe-to-toe with the heavily-favored Tigers. Many of the best players on that Carolina team were suspended because of dealings with an agent and so their is a similarity to a Bengals team that perhaps has not become that depleted, but has to play Oregon without key players such as QB Jordan Jefferson and dynamic play-maker Russell Shepard and amid a cloud of controversy. Like Davis, Miles needs to both believe in the depth of is talent, and get the remaining players to play like underdogs. Talented players with something to prove is a recipe for success and Miles was very good in getting his Oklahoma State squads to play like champions when they squared off against OU.

View From Bennett Avenue

And another thing about the Miami mess, this notion that we cannot give anyone else the death penalty because it took SMU so long to recover from there's is ridiculous. SMU added two years onto the original NCAA-mandated one year of death and then moved their games to a small stadium. The goal was to eliminate the boosters by making Mustang football irrelevant, and it worked. Also the death penalty on SMU was another nail in the coffin of the Southwest Conference and so the Mustangs were forced to drop down to a lesser conference. Plus while Texas is loaded with players, SMU is an afterthought on the recruiting trail (which is why they always cheated).
Miami can take a year off and bounce back nicely with a committed athletic director and school president. There is so much talent in that area that they will look a lot like the Butch Davis squads of the late 1990s--talented but young. And in an ACC that may lose Florida State and/or Virginia Tech to the SEC, they will be able to compete for titles soon enough.
So don't cry for them Canes.

Cane Warning

Growing weary of coverage of the mess in Miami, this Sunday Morning Quarterback has to now batten down the hatches for a real hurricane. Tomorrow should be a real waste of a day for me, but once Hurricane Irene has left I will be one day closer to the start of the new season.
Stay well everyone.

View From Bennett Avenue

Why has there been so much sympathy for the plight of Al Golden? He gets paid handsomely to coach college football and that is what he will do. If anything, the expectations for the next few years will be lower and he can do what Butch Davis did in the 1990s and slowly build a winner. If the Miami program gets the death penalty then he can move on. So why are we that concerned about him? It is not like he went to Vanderbilt or Northwestern only to find himself in the middle of a scandal. He went to Miami! And history shows us that many football-mad programs have come back strong from probation, like Alabama in the past few years. After all, it is college football and you can rebuild quickly. So, spare your tears for the very wealthy Al Golden, who as football to coach.

Dog Days of Summer

We are close to the kick-off to the 2011 college football season and yet the season cannot start soon enough. This is partly due to baseball being boring. And actual game action will somewhhat over-shadow this off-season of scandal. But most importantly, we can enjoy the great sport of college football. Let's go already.

Boosters Gone Wild

In the good ol' days of buying players, boosters would be largely secretive and desirous of behind-the-scenes power. They would not admit to anything and their goals would be to see that the home team played well so that they could hang out with more folks like themselves at games with more meaning. Occasionally they would get into the head coach's ear, or maybe that of the athletic director or even school president. If anyone asked questions they would act dumb and shrug their shoulders.
That attitude almost worked perfectly at Auburn when NCAA investigators asked if anyone had paid money to the Newton family. Money? Nah. Not us. He always wanted to play for the Tigers. And that would have been enough in the past--as it was last year to allow Newton to take home a Heisman Trophy and play in the BCS Title Game--until the FBI mentioned to the NCAA that they had tapped phones of Auburn boosters in an unrelated case (they ripped off some folks) and now had evidence that Auburn paid money to Cam Newton's father Cecil (beyond the fact that Cecil was driving a shiny new car and had brand new alterations done to his church). Auburn assumed that they had gotten away with something but the whole house of cards should come crashing down soon.
Then there is the case of Miami. The problem for the Hurricane program is that their surrounding area is full of slimy, newly-minted millionaires who do not know the rules of etiquette concerning boosterism. They want to be as loud as possible and flaunt their wealth. And here is the kicker--they want to hang out with 19-year-old football players. Why? Who the hell knows but the jailed low-life at the center of this investigation needed some friends and bought them. Having this guy stay quiet would have been a herculean task, but Miami did not even try. Months after he tried to pick a fight with a university compliance officer who was just trying to do his job, we have photographic proof that the U could care less for compliance as president Donna Shalala is happily taking a donation from him at an event. And she even sent investors his way including, it is alleged, hall of famer Barry Alvarez who lost a reported $600,000 in the ponzi scheme.
You could not pay me enough to work in the compliance department at a program like Miami, but to do so and see the booster who is the biggest problem you face hanging out with the school president has to drive you crazy.

Miami is Screwed

Good riddance. I am not one of these who think anyone has to be good for college football to be popular and I especially do not place Miami in some special category of programs to be spared. The sport will do well without them--as it did for the decades when they were minor league--which is a good thing as the Hurricanes will be hammered for this latest problem. They will get a bigger punishment than they did in the 1990s and will disappear for awhile. Heck, they have been cheating for a decade and slipped from national power to also-ran. Even if they do not get te death penalty, they will become homecoming fodder for the ACC.
Meanwhile it is ridiculous what some reporters and Miami fans are advocating, that it is the work of one rogue booster and some teenagers (plus the everyone is doing it bs which is untrue). But almost all cheating is done through outside agents and the inability or desire of the program to stop this guy after years and years and scads of money is enough to hit Miami hard. That coaches were involved and compliance officers were aware of this bozo is very damaging. An example must be made to the current program and to otthers, like Paul Dee who was there when this all began and is now at the NCAA and Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith who okayed payments to his basketball players. I want heads to roll.

View From Bennett Avenue

As you know, there is much that I do not like about ESPN. But, of course, I have to accept them as the premium supplier of sports news on television. And I have to live with all of the stupid things that they do on what seems to be a daily basis.
While I would love to rail against them for boneheaded decisions, especially regarding their choice of "talent,"I have bigger fish to fry. Number one, why does the network present to us as fact this past weekend that Texas A&M was going to jump to the SEC? The "source" for that story was an insider from College Station reporting the news to basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb. Really? That is the best you can do? While it does appear that there is some interest between the SEC and A&M, the deal is being held up for scores of reasons mostly involving potential lawsuits and money to be owed by the Aggies to the Big 12. But because of these myriad hold-ups, the deal is far from finalized and, as we learned from the story about Texas jumping to the Pac 10, far from being a lock. Why jump the gun? You, ESPN, are the main source of sports news for everyone. Let the other guys jump the gun.
Also, this week ESPN is airing a panel that is discussing the ills of major college sports. And of course the dopey ESPN "experts," like Mark May and Jay Bilas, get to spout off while the more important people, like coaches and administrators, can barely get a word in. But allowing Saban to speak about the issue of recruiting malfeasance drove me crazy. Urban Meyer clearly had Saban in mind when he said that one way to control coaches would be to suspend them when they commit violations, but Saban just spun the conversation around to something else. And then May and others chimed in about how the rulebook is too big as if that is some excuse for Saban's cheating. Until they hammer guys like Saban the problem is not going to go away as others, as we saw with Auburn last year, will cheat to try to keep up with him.

Let's Play Two

Between camps opening this week and getting to watch The Longest Yard today, I am ready for opening day of college football--September 1. I am not sure if I am ready for my Alma Mater, Fordham, battling Connecticut that day but what the heck, it's football. We'll take it to those Huskies!

Rest in Peace Bubba

The obituaries of Charles "Bubba" Smith that I read all broke down his life in similar ways. He played high school football for his father in Beaumont, Texas before coming north to star at Michigan State. During his time there he played in the 1966 edition of The Game of the Century and at least one obit mentioned his knocking starting Notre Dame QB Terry Hanratty out of the game with a tough hit. Then the obits give Bubba plenty of space for his pro career and then multiple paragraphs for his acting. Huh?

Bubba Smith's fame is directly related to his college career. He was a college superstar, arguably the first national black superstar in college football. Although there were many--and I use that term loosely as there should have been thousands more--black football players who starred in the sport prior to Bubba, from Ernie Davis and Jimmy Brown at Syracuse to Jim Parker at Ohio State or Kenny Washington of UCLA, none of those players dominated on a national stage at such a high level of popularity/notoriety as Smith did at MSU. For one thing, Smith's stage was bigger than the others because he played in the Big Ten, the nation's number one conference at the time, and, unlike Parker or the black stars at Minnesota a half decade earlier, played a highly-visible role on television. Yes those earlier players paved the way for someone like Bubba, but we cannot deny Smith's place in the pantheon of college football celebrities. Who else would inspire the "Kill, Bubba Kill" chants that echoed throughout Spartan Stadium?

While one could argue that Bubba was not even the best African-American player on his own defensive unit, with George Webster dominating from his rover position, Smith was the most visible and most imposing. He also had a winning personality, which came through in his later acting career. The camera, like Michigan State fans, fell hard for his out-sized body, play and personality. That he would then play in huge games versus Big Ten rivals, UCLA in the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame in the battle for the national title, cemented his stature as a superstar.

If anything his pro career was a bit of a disappointment thanks to a devastating knee injury. Smith did play in two pro bowls with the Colts, but he never topped his college celebrity. Then again, how could he?

There is another important role Smith played in the history of sport that is again related to his college career. By being forced to leave his native Texas to play big-time college ball thanks to the refusal of Texas teams to integrate, and then becoming a superstar, Smith opened a lot of eyes in the Lone Star State. In 1965 and 1966, when Smith was helping MSU to a 19-1-1 record and a UPI title in '65, the Texas Longhorns were 13-8, Texas A&M Aggies 7-12-1, SMU Mustangs 12-8-1, etc. It was soon becoming clear that the South needed to address the integration situation or more and more teams from other regions would do well nationally with kids from their own backyard. Bubba's celebrity got a lot of folks talking.

As much as I loved Bubba's beer commercials and respected his pro career, I know that when someone remembers Bubba Smith 50 years from now it will be for his play at Michigan State.

View From Bennett Avenue

The state of big-time college football is precarious these days, with a number of high profile programs keeping the NCAA investigative arm busy. Just take a look at the schools who reached the BCS Title Game in recent years. Both Oregon and Auburn are facing investigations, there is video evidence of illegal contact between players from the previous year's winner, Alabama, and a booster, Ohio State, loser in January of 2006 and 2007, will soon find out the severity of their punishment for numerous violations, LSU, winner in January of 2004 and 2008, was just placed on probation for recruiting violations and, of course, USC, winner in January of 2005 and loser in 2006, had their championship from the 2004 season stripped among other levels of punishment.
Is it impossible to compete for national titles without cheating? Recent champions Texas, Florida and Oklahoma beg to differ, although Oklahoma was nailed in a phony-jobs-for-players scheme in 2005 and was tainted last year by allegations against former head coach John Blake that he may have paid for players for both recent employer North Carolina and former employer...Oklahoma.
Another disturbing aspect of this situation is that once there is an impression that a major program is cheating and possibly getting away with it, others are encouraged to do the same. That appears to be the case with Auburn as their possible pay-for-Cam scheme may have been the result of a perception that rival Alabama and coach Nick Saban get away with violations. I would love to be able to ask a behind-the-scenes power at Oregon whether the NCAA's inability to immediately punish USC encouraged the Ducks to get into bed with unsavory types like Will Lyles.
The good news is that punishments are being handed out. Allowing Auburn to compete for a national championship last year was ridiculous, but opefully they will pay for it. Just clean up this mess, please.

View From Bennett Avenue

Speaking of second chances, Notre Dame has reinstated star wide receiver Michael Floyd after his spring arrest for drunk driving. Floyd had to meet a number of requirements before being allowed back and he is a good kid who has represented his school well before the incident.
Having grown up a Notre Dame fan, I did not expect Floyd back after his arrest. The school, or mainly the residence board, had been notoriously tough on anyone, football star or regular student, who screwed up in this manner. But they passed the responsibility of Floyd's punishment to football coach Brian Kelly, which is a departure from precedent.
But I am fine with his return, as the stringent rule of law in the past was too tough. Repeat offenders, like Stephen Garcia of south Carolina (see yesterday's post), would still be tossed but those like Floyd that have done plenty of good and proved over a four month period post-crime that they made the correct changes, would be allowed to return.
Notre Dame haters are all up in arms about a perceived hypocrisy. But Notre Dame does have tough standards, standards that make it more difficult to compete against schools who recruit non students, allow kids to make multiple transgressions with little or no penalty and do whatever it takes to win. For Notre Dame to still compete for national championships they have had to improve their facilities, create a training table, allow the coaching staff to recruit smart kids who are not perfect academically and give kids second chances. They still have some of the tougher standards in college football and routinely win awards for academic results. They are trying to win a national title with a group of students who will all graduate--that is their annual goal and they should be commended for it.
If the Irish tossed Floyd and lost a game because of it, these same haters would be the ones pointing the finger at Notre Dame for being irrelevant. With them the school was in a no win situation, so it is good that they did the right thing.

View From Bennett Avenue

I do believe in second chances for everyone, let alone teenage football players who, if they get their act together, can fulfill their athletic potential and possibly even make a buck or two off of it. And maybe, just maybe, a third chance can be warranted with proper contrition and proof that changes have been made.
But six chances? sorry, but fool me six times and...how does that go?
After five suspensions, quarterback Stephen Garcia is back as the starter for South Carolina. Coach Steve Spurrier said to ESPN's Chris Low that "we think he's going to do what's right" about his troubled signal-caller. You think? How does one get kicked off this team? Actually, let me amend that statement. How does a key player get kicked off this team? We all know that if Garcia was the third string center he would have received his walking papers.
Spurrier screwed this up from the beginning. Garcia was a troubled kid in high school and should have been on double secret probation upon arriving in Columbia in January of 2007. Instead he was arrested twice in the first six months and allowed to stay. Spurrier should have dumped him then, which may have been the wake-up call Garcia needed. Instead wile continuing to screw up Garcia has become the focal point of the team's offense and so Spurrier cannot let him go now. It is wrong and a horrible message to the kids doing it the right way.
Then again how is Garcia supposed to understand the right way to do things when his quarterback coach and former player G.A, Mangus was reinstated by the University after being caught urinating in the street by Greenville cops. You cannot make this stuff up. Mangus will end up losing a lot of money, including a month's pay, as punishment, but again how can we expect the 19-year-olds to do the right thing when their coaches are literally being caught with their pants down. But Mangus is an excellent recruiter and they do not grow on trees.