Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown: Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Every Thursday Sports Grind Entertainment will present you with the Mama Margie’s Major Meltdown. The recipient of this honor goes to ESPN sportscaster Brent Musburger who got extremely excited about Katherine Webb, the girlfriend of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron during the BCS National Championship game. The 73-year-old Musburger expressed repeated adoration for 23-year-old Webb that didn’t exactly sit well in the public eye. ESPN offered up the following statement: “We always try to capture interesting storylines and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test. However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that.”
WTF: Notre Dame Marching Band
Upkilt
Notre Dame marching band member has a wardrobe malfunction during BCS Championship. Guess nothing went right for Notre Dame.
Nick Saban Says Preseason Predictions Hijacks The Game
He Does Support Dorothy Davidson
Alabama football coach Nick Saban doesn’t like preseason predictions.
“All these predictions that you all make, they hijack the game,” Saban said Sunday before even taking a question in a 17-minute meeting with news media. “All anybody worries about in college football is the BCS, who’s going to be in the final game. We have a lot of great games, for our fans, for our players, great competitive venues.
“Michigan is going to be a great game. The Arkansas game, Tennessee game, LSU, Auburn. I could go through every game on our schedule and say how exciting a game this is going to be.”
Saban is a voter in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The preseason poll that came out Friday predicts the Tide at No. 2 in the country behind Southeastern Conference West Division rival LSU.
USC Trojans Walk The Campus
Talk about being the big men on campus. Watch as Matt Barkley, TJ McDonald, Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, Curtis McNeal and Khaled Holmes walked around USC in full uniform.
My pick to win the BCS National Championship next year.
Alabama’s BCS Trophy Shattered
Shattered Dreams
A piece of history from the University of Alabama’s championship run was shattered on following the Crimson Tide’s annual A-Day scrimmage over the weekend. Alabama’s $30,000 crystal BCS trophy shattered into little pieces when a player’s father foot got caught on a rug that sits beneath the trophy and knocked over the display table.
This isn’t the first time a BCS trophy fell at the hands of an onlooker. Back in 2008, Florida’s 2006 BCS National Championship trophy was knocked over and shattered outside of Urban Meyer’s office by then-recruit Orson Charles. Charles apologized for his clumsiness, but eventually signed with Georgia.
No word on whose father did the expensive damage
C-USA & Mountain West Talk Of Football Merger
Unity
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that officials from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference were briefed about a possible football-only merger that might help the new league become part of the Bowl Championship Series.
Under the proposed merger, the leagues would play separate schedules and at the end of the season the two champions would meet in a title game with the hope that the winner would receive a BCS bid.
The report says talks will continue Tuesday and Wednesday during the annual meetings of Division I athletic directors in Dallas. The report says a football-only federation which would include 22 to 24 schools would offer the new league a “strength in numbers” response to recent conference realignment.
“It’s an intriguing concept,” Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan told the Houston Chronicle. “It’s one that is probably a bit unique in college athletics.”
C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said in a statement that the two leagues were discussing a merger and “working to create consolation strategies that have the potential for positioning our members well into the future.”
Conference USA currently has 12 schools that play football: East Carolina, Marshall, Central Florida, Southern Miss, Memphis, Alabama-Birmingham, Southern Methodist, Tulsa, Tulane, Houston, Rice and Texas-El Paso. East Carolina applied for Big East membership last week and Central Florida has expressed interest in leaving for the Big East.
The Mountain West schools include Texas Christian. Colorado State, Boise State, Wyoming, San Diego State, UNLV, Air Force and New Mexico. Texas Christian will head to the Big East on July 1, 2012. Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii (football only) will join the league in 2012.
Willis McGahee Wants His 2002 National Championship Ring
Get Off Punk
Former University of Miami Hurricanes and current Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee is the latest person chiming in on the Ohio State scandal. McGahee though doesn’t care what happens to the Buckeyes program going forward instead he just wants what he believes is rightfully his.
McGahee told CBSSports.com Dennis Dodd that he would “like to have my ring” if it’s found that Ohio State won the 2002 national championship with ineligible players. The Buckeyes beat McGahee’s Hurricanes, 32-24, in double overtime in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
“I feel we were cheated anyway. We beat them. The pass interference with the eligible, ineligible players. It wouldn’t have made any difference. I can’t get my money back that I missed out on a second ring. If they did cheat I’d like to have my ring.”
Auburn Gets Their Championship Rings
Bling
Auburn wide receiver Emory Blake took to Twitter to show off their national championship rings they received. One ring is for winning the SEC, the other is for winning the BCS National Championship, and the third is for winning the NCAA championship. Apparently due to NCAA rules each ring only ranges in the worth department of $500 and lack the real diamonds rings found on the professionals.
BCS Strips USC Of 2004 National Championship
When It Rains, It Pours
The BCS has stripped USC of its 2004 national title and will leave that season without a BCS champion, marking the first time since polls began that a football or men’s basketball championship has been vacated. BCS officials had said USC was in danger of having its championship vacated after the Trojans were hit with heavy NCAA sanctions last year for rules violations committed during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. USC appealed the sanctions, which included a two-year ban from postseason play and a loss of 30 scholarships over three seasons but was denied on May 26. The BCS waited until the NCAA ruled on the appeal to make a decision about its championship.
In a statement, BCS executive director Bill Hancock said, “The BCS arrangement crowns a national champion, and the BCS games are showcase events for postseason football. One of the best ways of ensuring that they remain so is for us to foster full compliance with NCAA rules. Accordingly, in keeping with the NCAA’s recent action, USC’s appearances are being vacated. This action reflects the scope of the BCS arrangement and is consistent with the NCAA’s approach when it subsequently discovers infractions by institutions whose teams have played in NCAA championship events.”
USC beat Oklahoma 55-19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl to cap its perfect championship season and the BCS also stated that they must vacate its 2006 Rose Bowl, in which the school lost the national championship game to Texas, 41-38.
Justice Department Asks NCAA Why No Playoff In College Football
Coveted
In a letter this week, the Justice Department’s antitrust chief, Christine Varney, asked NCAA President Mark Emmert why college football doesn’t use a playoff system to determine its national champion, while other NCAA sports do; what steps the NCAA has taken to create one, and whether Emmert thinks there are aspects of the BCS system that don’t serve the interest of fans, schools and players and whether it complies with federal antitrust laws. Critics have urged the department to launch an antitrust investigation into the BCS, saying that it unfairly gives some schools preferential access to the national championship game and top-tier bowls.
Varney noted that the attorney general of Utah, Mark Shurtleff, has announced that he plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS, and that 21 professors recently sent the department a letter asking for an antitrust investigation. Shurtleff, who met with DOJ officials last fall to discuss a possible federal probe, said at the time that such an investigation was critical to the effort to get a playoff system.
Utah Attorney General To Sue BCS
Coveted
Utah’s attorney general Mark Shurtleff says he has decided to file suit against college football’s Bowl Championship Series, claiming it’s an illegal monopoly that violates antitrust regulations. Shurtleff, who has been investigating the BCS since undefeated Utah was shut out of the national championship picture three seasons ago said he would pursue action in federal court in the next couple of months and likely would be joined by attorneys general in at least two other states.
“I think more will get involved,” Shurtleff says, “as they look at what we’re talking about – that this isn’t about bragging rights, it isn’t some kind of frivolous deal. There are serious antitrust violations that are harming taxpayer-funded institutions to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.”
The suit could seek nine-figure damages and his suit will claim restraint of trade and ask the judge to order some way to fix it.
“It’s not my call on how to fix it, but I think clearly (it would be) to go to a playoff and eliminate the BCS. I just don’t want to wait any longer. I think it’s time to move forward. If there are clear violations of the law, I think it’s my responsibility to do something about it.”
The legal threat looms as the conference commissioners and athletics directors who manage the BCS prepare to meet next week in New Orleans.
WTF: SEC
Shake What Your Conference Gave Ya
Auburn Tigers beat the Oregon Ducks in the BCS National Championship game it gave the SEC five straight champions and seven out of the last eight, so they obviously have the trump card in their hand. However, the SEC doesn’t just want you to remember they have business on the wall, they want you to see with these new tee-shirts that mark their five straight.
WTF: Auburn University
Really?
Auburn Tigers are indeed your BCS National Champions but someone should tell the people at the Auburn Bookstore that they beat the Oregon Ducks 22-19 in the championship game not by the score of 31-28 that is displayed on tee shirts they are selling.
WTF: Nike
Kidding Yourself
On Monday night it wasn’t just a battle for the BCS National Championship between Oregon and Auburn but between Nike and Under Armour. After the Nike school Oregon lost, that prompted the marketing people to get into full spin mode and that’s where they came up with this phony baloney pat yourself on the back second place phrase.
All the while Auburn just points to scoreboard.
22-19
The Oregonian Comes Up The Best Tostitos BCS National Championship Game Headline
22-19
The Oregonian came up with the most clever headline for the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game as it gave a little chuckle and was nothing too cute, like Chip Kelly’s offense last night.
Best Sign At Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
Son Of A Preacher Man
By now we all know the whole story of Auburn quarterback Cam newton and his preacher father Cecil Newton but one brave Oregon Duck fan decided to show up to the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game with arguably the best sign of the night. The craziest part of the night might not be this sign but the fact there are gambling websites that immediately after Auburn won the game lines went up on actually how long they will actually be able to keep the BCS National Title.
“This Is For All The Tostitos”
Number 1 Auburn beat Number 2 Oregon 22-19 in last nights Tostitos BCS National Championship Game but it was ESPN announcer Brent Musburger who gave the game it’s signature moment when he spoke into his microphone and uttered the year to come most over used and comical phrase “This is for all the Tostitos.”
Don’t believe me just check your Facebook page or your Twitter account and I guarantee you someone is has attached Musburger’s phrase to an iconic event.
Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player: Auburn University Tigers
Auburn University Tigers
Every Tuesday Sports Grind Entertainment presents you with the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player of the Week. This week the recipient of this prestigious honor goes to Auburn University Tigers football team for winning the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game 22-19 over number 2 Oregon on Monday night. The perfect season, 14-0, capped off the SEC fifth straight national championship and the first time in fifty-three years for Auburn.
On offensive it was all running back Michael Dyer who finished with 143 yards and was even chosen Offensive Player of the Game. Quarterback Cam Newton had a stellar performance on that side of the ball as he threw for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 64 yards.
Defensively Nick Fairley had the Ducks moving backward as he continued to be a game-changer with his 3 tackles for loss that included a sack.
Congratulations Auburn University Tigers you are this weeks Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player.
Primetime College Football: BCS National Championship Game
TALENT
This game goes down on the ESPN network and it features University of Oregon Ducks taking on Auburn University Tigers in the 5th actual BCS National Championship Game to be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Auburn, 13-0, 8-0 SEC, Tigers have had a magical season in part to the play of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton as the team went undefeated on the year. Head coach Gene Chizik Tigers definitely had some scares along the way to reaching Glendale as Clemson took them into overtime and they had to rally to defeat the defending national champion Alabama while a lot of speculation surrounded Newton. The Tigers carried that over that momentum into the SEC Championship game where they routed South Carolina.
The Tigers put up some gaudy offensive numbers as they ranked 4th in the nation with 42 ppg, 5th in rushing at 287.2 ypg and 7th in total offense at 497.7 ypg. Newton was the reason for those numbers as the junior quarterback rushed for 1,409 yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns with 6 interceptions.
Newton was definitely the showcase of the offense but did share the spotlight at times with running backs Michael Dyer, who rushed for 950 yards and 5 touchdowns and Onterio McCalebb, 763 yards and 9 touchdowns. When Newton looked to throw the ball he wide receivers more than capable of catching his passes like Darvin Adams who had 48 receptions for 909 yards and 7 touchdowns and Emory Blake’s 500 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Defensively the Tigers as whole is nothing all that spectacular but they do have an impact player in junior tackle Nick Fairley who has 21 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks on the season.
The Tigers have one national title to their credit but that came back in 1957.
Oregon, 12-0, 9-0 Pac-10, Ducks navigated through their season without much of a fight except for a game in mid November against California where they came out with a 15-13 win. The rest of the season second year head coach Chip Kelly watched as his team destroyed the competition, by winning the rest of their 11 games by double digits. The Ducks won it’s second straight Pac-10 title and became the first team in conference history to win nine league games.
Like Auburn, Oregon is too an offensive jugernaught as they led the nation in scoring with 49 ppg and total offense at 537.5 ypg while ranking 4th in rushing with 303.8 ypg.
It is Oregon’s team speed that presents the most problems for teams and it starts with Sunday bound badass LaMichael James. The sophomore running back is simply as good as it gets and finished as the nations leading rusher with 152.9 ypg and a total of 1,682 yards on the season with 21 touchdowns all the while sitting out the season opener. When James leaves the game his backup Kenjon Barner has kept the offensive going and has done so on limited carries. Barner has 80 carries and has gained 519 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Quarterback Darron Thomas has been impressive under center this season as both a passer where he has 2,518 yards and 28 touchdowns with 7 interceptions while rushing for 492 yards and 5 touchdowns. It’s easy to get lost on this offensive with such stars as James and Thomas, both from the state of Texas, but wide receiver Jeff Maehl is as dangerous and very reliable target downfield. Maehl has had a huge senior season, earning All-Pac-10 honors with 68 catches for 943 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The team has also excelled elsewhere with an offensive line that has only allowed 8 sacks on the season and has All-American returner Cliff Harris on special teams who has 4 punt returns for touchdowns on the season.
Defensively the Ducks are loaded with speed that has forced 35 forced turnovers and 31 sacks. The Ducks have a few impact players on this side of the ball and it begins in the middle with linebacker Casey Matthews team-high 73 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries and Spencer Paysinger, 68 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery. The secondary is as good as it gets with Talmadge Jackson 2 interceptions, John Boyett 5 interceptions, Cliff Harris 5 interceptions. Defensive end Kenny Rowe is also a force on the line with his 12.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks.
This is the first ever meeting between the two schools.
PICK: University of Oregon Ducks
WTF: Ohio State
Undefeated
Ohio State president Gordon Gee said earlier this year that non-automatic BCS qualifier schools where “Little Sisters of the Poor.” Now fresh off of TCU’s 21-19 win over Wisconsin, a Big Ten school, in the Rose Bowl 20 electronic billboards went up in Columbus today that congratulated the team on it’s victory. Oh and underneath the congratulatory statement it said “Little Sisters of the Poor.”
Primetime College Football: AT&T Cotton Bowl
TALENT
This game goes down on the FOX network and it features Louisiana State University Tigers taking on Texas A&M University Aggies in the 75th annual AT&T Cotton Bowl at Jerry’s World in Arlington, Texas.
LSU, 10-2, 6-2 SEC, Tigers season ended on a sour note as it lost to Arkansas but did earn this bowl birth appearance which is the schools 11th straight, a streak that dates back to the 2000 Peach Bowl. Head coach Les Miles team is generating 28 ppg but are far from being an explosive offensive as they rely heavily on run heavy drives. Miles team is averaging 177.2 rushing ypg and have scored 27 of it’s 34 touchdowns on the ground.
On the Tigers season Stevan Ridley was the main man in the backfield as he rushed for 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns. Ridley was ruled academically ineligible for this game but has since been reinstated and cleared to play. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson is the teams second leading rusher and has done so for 383 yards and 6 touchdowns. However as a passer he’s only completing 56.8 percent of his throws for 1,253 yards and 4 touchdowns with 9 interceptions.
Because of the inconsistency of Jefferson backup quarterback Jarrett Lee saw time under center this season where he completed 60.7 of his passes for 573 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception. Clearly whoever is under center when the ball is in the air Terrence Toliver is usually who is looked to with his 467 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Rueben Randle has started to come into his own near the end of the season and gotten himself open for 525 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Defensively the Tigers have one of the best players in all of college football on this side of the ball and will definitely find himself playing on Sundays in defensive back Patrick Peterson, the 2010 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the winner of both the Thorpe and Bednarik Awards. Peterson was also named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. Peterson has 4 interceptions to his credit and is the definition of a shut-down corner.
Texas A&M, 9-3, 6-2 Big 12, Aggies finished in a first place tie in the Big 12 South but had the BCS computers decide its fate. Head coach Mike Sherman got his team to rebound after a 3-3 start and replacing of its senior quarterback and captain Jerrod Johnson for Ryan Tannehill to rallying and win their final six games.
Tannehill has taken over the quarterback position where he has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,434 yards and 11 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. Tannehill wasn’t the only major change for the Aggies offensively as they lost running back Christine Michael to a broken leg in October. Cyrus Gray took over the starting tailback position and finished with 6 consecutive 100-yard games and finished the season with 1,033 yards and 12 touchdowns. Ryan Swope leads the receivers with 67 catches but Jeff Fuller is the playmaker at that position with his 65 catches to go for 983 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Defensively the Aggies have an impact player on this side of the ball too as they have the nations top linebacker and Butkus Award winner Von Miller. He Miller has 14.5 tackles for a loss on the season to go with his 9.5 sacks as well as 3 forced fumbles.
The is the 50th meeting between the two schools but first since the 1995 season. LSU leads the all-time series 26-20-3.
PICK: Louisiana State University Tigers
Urban Meyer & Nick Saban Will Be Guest Analysts For BCS
Oregon Is Your BCS National Champion
Urban Meyer and and University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban will serve as guest analysts for ESPN’s all-day coverage of the Auburn-Oregon BCS National Championship game Monday said ESPN spokesman. The two championship winning coaches will appear on the network’s pre and postgame coverage and analyze the matchup all day on ESPN programs such as College GameDay.
Asked if ESPN wants to hire Meyer as an analyst, the response was that if he decides to oursue TV full time they would be highly interested.
Primetime College Football: Allstate Sugar Bowl
TALENT
This game goes down on the ESPN network and it features The Ohio State University Buckeyes taking on University of Arkansas Razorbacks in the 77th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Arkansas, 10-2, 6-2 SEC, Razorbacks were viewed as an SEC contender earlier in the season but on the biggest stages in SEC play came up short, falling at home to Alabama and then again at Auburn. Head coach Bobby Petrino has a balanced offensive attack as his team uses the pass to set up the run as they average 489.2 yards of total offense, with 338.4 coming via the pass.
Arkansas is led by standout quarterback Ryan Mallett who threw for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns. One of Mallett’s favorite targets is tight end D.J. Williams led the way among pass catchers with 49 receptions for 589 yard and 4 touchdowns. Mallet spread the ball around a lot this year as 6 different receivers had at least 4 touchdowns on the season.
The ground game is led by tailback Knile Davis and his 1,183 yards and 13 touchdowns for a huge 6.6 yards per carry.
Ohio State, 11-1, 7-1 Big Ten, The Buckeyes shared the Big Ten title with Michigan State and Wisconsin, and earned their 6th straight BCS Bowl bid and 9th overall, the most among all Division I schools. The lone loss on the season came in Madison against the Badgers but the team rebounded to win 5 straight to the first school in Big Ten history to win at least 10 games in six consecutive seasons.
Head coach Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes, had an NCAA investigation on their hands that left five players status for this game in question, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor. However the five in question will be suspended for the first five games next season and were recently cleared to play in this game, providing they gave a commitment to return to Columbus next year.
Pryor’s suspension will cover the first five games of next season, so he will be under center tonight orchestrating an offensive that amassed almost 450 yards total per game, with tremendous balance. One of the few teams in the country with over 200 yards both rushing (219.7 ypg) and passing (229.2 ypg).
Pryor completed 65.8 percent of his throws for 2,551 yards and 25 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. When Pryor looked downfield he could either look left for Dane Sanzenbacker and his 52 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns or to his right for DeVier Posey,who will also sit the first five games in 2011, and his 50 catches for 778 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Tailback Dan Herron, who will also sit the first five games in 2011, rushed for 1,068 yards and 15 touchdowns on 5.6 ypc. Pryor got involved as well ranking second with 639 yards and 4 touchdowns.
This marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools.
PICK: The Ohio State University Buckeyes
Primetime College Football: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
TALENT
This game goes down on the ESPN network and it features the University of Connecticut Huskies taking on the University of Oklahoma Sooners in the 41st annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Connecticut, 8-4, 5-2 Big East, Randy Edsall’s Huskies captured the Big East title with five straight wins to close out the 2010 campaign and earned their first ever BCS Bowl. Edsall, who was the 2010 Big East Coach of the Year, is no real secret on how he likes for his team to move the ball as they relied heavily on the rushing attack. Edsall exploits of that part of the game because he has junior tailback Jordan Todman, Big East Offensive Player of the Year, who rushed for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns to average of 143.09 ypg.
The passing attack was lead by redshirt senior Zach Frazer who only completed 52.7 percent of his throws, for 1,202 yards and 5 touchdowns. Frazer often looked into the direction of Michael Smith as he had 42 receptions for 595 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Oklahoma, 11-2, 6-2 Big 12, Bob Stoops Sooners won their last four games to capture the Big 12 title. The Sooners like to air the ball out and with sophomore quarterback Landry Jones who has thrown for 4,289 yards and 35 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Jones won the Sammy Baugh Award which is awarded to college football’s top passer as he completed 65.3 percent of his throws.
He often looked down field for one of the best college receivers in Ryan Broyles this season who caught 118 passes for 1,452 yards and 13 touchdowns. Tailback DeMarco Murray had a good year despite the Sooners tendencies to pass first as he rushed for 1,121 yards and 14 touchdowns.
This marks the first time these two teams have met.
PICK: University of Oklahoma Sooners
