Clearing up Magee, McGee
WHEN PATRICK MCGEE was added to the Southern Miss football coaching staff prior to this season, the irony was evident.
Little did I know there would actually be a little confusion over who was who and I'd get some accidental contacts from folks thinking I was him.
It started when I got an e-mail from a Southern Miss fan informing me that he just found out from the USM football office I was the recruiting coordinator for the Golden Eagles. I kindly informed him that he was confusing me for an actual member of the coaching staff, not to mention that it would cross every ethical boundary I could think of if I was the USM beat writer and recruiting coordinator for the school.
I did get an accidental phone call from coach Larry Fedora late one Sunday night. There was a definite pause from Fedora when he heard my voice on the other end, but I knew very well that he had no desire to speak to me on a Sunday night. He quickly admitted he was trying to get in touch with McGee, and I wished him well.
Then I got an e-mail last month asking me if I would speak at a luncheon in Lucedale on Tuesday. I responded to the request, saying I'd be glad to give the speech.
It didn't really cross my mind that it was possibly McGee that they wanted instead because I spoke at a similar luncheon in Jackson in the middle of football season. I didn't find out until Tuesday morning, that it wasn't me they wanted.
But who could blame them? I'm not exactly Adlai Stevenson when it comes to giving speeches.
Good story
I just found out recently that his full name is actually Patrick Darrell McGee while I'm Patrick Darren Magee. We've also both been victims of having our last names constantly misspelled.
"All of the time," McGee said. "It's funny. When I lived in Georgia, they would sometimes spell it with a GH. I don't know where they got that from."
McGee has an interesting story to tell as to how he became a member of the USM coaching staff as the on-campus recruiting coordinator.
He's originally from Tuscaloosa, Ala., and served as a military combat medic with the Navy. He went to Auburn and planned to become a pilot, but hurt his shoulder after walking on to the football team.
Dream deferred
The injury caused him to lose his military scholarship because he couldn't pass the physical. Terry Bowden was then the coach at Auburn and suggested that he look into becoming a coach, leading to a position as a student assistant.
After Bowden left, McGee bounced around at different spots like Auburn High School, Jacksonville State and New Mexico State.
He returned to the South and got out of coaching, but was offered a position as offensive coordinator for a team comprised of home-schooled students.
"That got my competitive juices going again," McGee said. "I missed college so I looked around for something close to home. This opportunity came along and I jumped for it. I have a lot of respect for the school."
Copyright (c)2009 Hattiesburg American
Florida Atlantic Beats Central Michigan in Motor City Bowl
Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Rusty Smith threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead Florida Atlantic to a 24-21 victory over Central Michigan in college football's Motor City Bowl.
Smith put the Owls (7-6) ahead 17-10 on a 52-yard pass to Chris Bonner in the third quarter and clinched the victory in the fourth when he connected with Cortex Gent on an 18-yard pass at Ford Field in Detroit.
Florida Atlantic's Di'Ivory Edgecomb put the Owls up 7-0 on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. Central Michigan followed with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Dan LeFevour to Kito Poblah and 35-yard field goal by Andrew Aquila to take a 10-7 lead.
Ross Gornall tied the score with a 36-yard field goal less than a minute before halftime.
LeFevour passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns for the Chippewas (8-5).
(c)2008 BLOOMBERG L.P.
Illini cornerback Vontae Davis leaving for NFL draft
Illinois junior cornerback Vontae Davis made it official Monday -- he's passing up his senior season to enter the NFL draft, where he has a chance to be a first-round draft choice.
"It has been a goal of mine for a long time to have the opportunity to play in the NFL," Davis said. "I thank (Illinois) Coach (Ron) Zook and all my teammates at Illinois who have helped me get to this place. Because I was able to get on the field early at Illinois and because Coach Zook believed in me so much, I think I am ready for the new challenge that professional football brings. I have had great support from everyone -- starting with my family and Coach Jeffries at Dunbar -- who have helped me come to this very important decision. I know there is a lot of work ahead of me, but I am very excited about the journey I am about to begin."
It's the second year in a row Illinois has lost a player early. Last year, running back Rashard Mendenhall was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, though his rookie season ended in the opener with a broken shoulder.
"I am very happy and proud for Vontae," Zook said. "We knew when he arrived on campus three years ago, that he was an athlete capable of making the jump from college football to the professional game. We believe that coaching is about helping athletes achieve their goals. It has definitely been a goal of Vontae's to play at the next level. If anyone knows Vontae, they know he is a great kid who is up for the challenge ahead of him. We thank him for all he has given to the University of Illinois football program."
Copyright (c) 2008, Chicago Tribune
A Sensical Playoff System For The Non-Sensical Bowl Championship Series
Any writer who follows college football closely enough has some kind of playoff system devised. It may be a four-team system, an eight-team system or something more extravagant.
Count me as one of the few who favors a more extravagant playoff setup.
Two years ago, I wrote my first version of a college football playoff. It was an eight-team, single-elimination bracket played outside of the now five-game Bowl Championship Series games.
After reading around the Internet late last season, I amended the system to what it is today: a 12-team, single-elimination tournament that uses the BCS standings as a seeding mechanism instead of the determining factor for which teams play for the national title.
The champions of the six BCS conferences receive automatic bids regardless of their place in the final BCS standings. After that, any non-BCS conference team which finishes in the top 12 of the final BCS standings also receives an automatic bid.
The remaining spots are filled in order of final BCS standing until the 12-team field is set, with no conference limits. If one conference were to lock up four spots, so be it.
First-round games would be played at the home field of the higher seeds. Quarterfinal games would be played at a neutral site (for example, hosting a Florida-Oklahoma game in Memphis) while the semi-finals and national title game would be played in existing BCS bowls which rotate every year.
Here's what the 2007 field would have looked like:
1. Ohio State (Big 10 champion)
2. LSU (SEC champion)
3. Virginia Tech (ACC champion)
4. Oklahoma (Big XII champion)
5. USC (Pac-10 champion)
6. West Virginia (Big East champion)
7. Georgia (at-large)
8. Missouri (at-large)
9. Kansas (at-large)
10. Hawaii (automatic non-BCS bid)
11. Arizona State (at-large)
12. Florida (at-large)
The 2008 field would look something like this:
1. Oklahoma (Big XII champion)
2. Florida (SEC champion)
3. USC (Pac-10 champion)
4. Penn State (Big 10 champion)
5. Cincinnati (Big East champion)
6. Virginia Tech (ACC champion)
7. Texas (at-large)
8. Alabama (at-large)
9. Utah (automatic non-BCS bid)
10. Texas Tech (at-large)
11. Boise State (automatic non-BCS bid)
12. TCU (automatic non-BCS bid)
The top four teams in the seedings would receive first-round byes, leaving the remaining eight to be paired off to fill out the national title tournament.
There still may be nearly three weeks until the first BCS bowl game gets underway, but that won't stop me from crowning a national champion right here.
First round
(8) Alabama over (9) Utah
Bama's defense ranks in the top 10 in the nation in multiple categories while the Utes put up average numbers against average opponents. Utah's speed makes this one closer than expected but the Tide rolls on to a date with Oklahoma.
(12) TCU over (5) Cincinnati
Despite the discrepancy in the seedings, the Horned Frogs sit ahead of the Bearcats in every major poll. The combined record of the two teams to beat TCU? 24-1. The Horned Frogs' defense also ranks third in the nation in total yards allowed per game.
(7) Texas over (10) Texas Tech
Can Texas Tech beat the Longhorns again? Yes. But the Red Raiders needed a late score at home, and with this game being played in Austin, the advantage goes to the 'Horns.
(11) Boise State over (6) Virginia Tech
The Hokies were undefeated at Lane Stadium this year, but they didn't play anyone like Boise State. The Broncos walked out of Autzen Stadium winners against Oregon and that is no small feat. Trouble awaits the Broncos in the next round, though.
Quarterfinals
(1) Oklahoma over (8) Alabama - played in Little Rock, Ark.
Despite the rave reviews the Sooners offense has received, the defense may get the Sooners in a bit of trouble down the line.
Luckily Alabama's strength is its defense, which isn't strong enough to stop Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and the top-ranked scoring offense.
(4) Penn State over (12) TCU - played in Nashville, Tenn.
Penn State is underrated on both offense and defense. TCU may be underrated as well, but the Nittany Lions have blown past strong teams all year. A clash of the titans now awaits as Penn State and Oklahoma play for a spot in the national title game.
(7) Texas over (2) Florida - played in New Orleans
The biggest thing Texas will need to overcome is their pass defense. The Gators, however, rank No. 117 in passing offense in the country. Texas ranks fifth against the run, which will be enough to contain Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin to advance to the national semifinals.
(3) USC over (11) Boise State - played in San Francisco
Simply put, this one boils down to the strength of USC's defense. The Trojans have NFL-caliber players on the defensive side of the ball, a challenge too tall for Boise State to overcome. The Trojans move one step closer to yet another shot at the national championship.
Semifinals
(1) Oklahoma over (4) Penn State
If the Nittany Lions could pass the ball more effectively and protect the quarterback better, they'd steal one from the nation's top team. Oklahoma pressures the quarterback very well, something Penn State has struggled with at times this year.
The Sooners wouldn't light up the scoreboard against Penn State, but they would walk away with the victory and a trip to Miami.
(3) USC over (7) Texas
Different opponent, same story for USC. The Trojans' defense is great, but the difference is Texas' inability to stop the best offenses in the country.
Missouri hung 31 on the Longhorns, Oklahoma dropped 35 on them, and Texas Tech scored a cool 39. Colt McCoy and Co. are good, but not good enough to beat USC in a shootout.
National Championship
(1) Oklahoma v. (3) USC
Bob Stoops' reputation for falling short in big-time games would be erased with a victory over the Trojans. Pete Carroll's legacy as arguably the best college football coach of all-time could take another step toward realization with another national title.
Oklahoma's defense isn't as statistically strong as Texas', but its offense is better. On a normal bowl season's rest, the Trojans should win. But with a normal season's schedule implemented for the new playoff system, track meets with Boise State and Texas catch up to USC in the end.
Oklahoma 38, USC 34.
It seems with each passing year, more collegiate coaches say a playoff system is needed. But I'm not holding my breath. It may be decades before the BCS committee finally caves and implements a system to allow the crowing of an undisputed national college football champion.
Copyright 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
U. hoops teams to get a new practice facility
When the Utah Utes prepare for college basketball games like tonight's encounter with Idaho State in Pocatello, they frequently have to practice in the Huntsman Center, then move to another building to lift weights or make room for the women's team to practice, too.
But not for too much longer.
The Utes are planning to build a new practice facility for the men's and women's teams on campus, athletic director Chris Hill confirmed, with separate practice courts, offices and locker, weight and meeting rooms contained in one three-story, $13.7 million building.
"This is a piece of what we're building," coach Jim Boylen said. "It will give us another weapon in recruiting, and another asset for our players who are here to use to develop and to get better."
The building is just one of several capital improvements the Utes are planning, in addition to a new softball field and a new track.
All of the projects are contingent on construction of the Student Life Center, Hill said, which will built on the site of the existing softball field and house much of the campus recreation department that now is based in the HPER complex adjacent to the Huntsman Center.
That will clear space in the West HPER, where the new facility will be built once the university raises enough money to pay for it. Completion is probably a couple of years away, at least.
"We're just in the planning stages of it," Hill said.
Still, Boylen believes a new facility will help distinguish his program, as he seeks to rebuild it into a national power. Among his rivals in the Mountain West Conference, only TCU and New Mexico have facilities similar to what the Utes are planning.
Sketches of the facility show a three-story, glass-encased lobby and office area overlooking the Salt Lake Valley and connecting the two wings of the complex, one for the men and the other for the women. Locker rooms and a player lounge will occupy the first floor, with a conference room and weight room on the second and administrative offices on the third.
The conference room includes a giant window overlooking the practice court that can be transformed with the push of a button into a movie screen for game-film viewing.
"We've got the views, we've got the arena, we've got the school..." Boylen said. "It's going to be great."
sltrib.com
It's Time For A Playoff
Playoff! Playoff! Playoff! Playoff! Take a guess what I would like to see in college football?
Playoffs? (Jim Mora's infamous soundbite here)
Yes coach Mora. A playoff.
After Oklahoma got the nod over Texas to play in the Big 12 championship game, I've decided I've had enough with the BCS system of letting computers decide championships and not competition.
Last year, Missouri beat Kansas in the regular season finale but only to lose in the Big 12 championship game the following week. So who gets the BCS bowl game nod? Kansas!
You're telling me that this system works? Please!
Texas beat Oklahoma earlier this season, but since Texas lost to Texas Tech later in the season, Oklahoma is the better "choice" for a title game.
It's overly unfair for teams to lose after Oct. 1 with this system.
In addition, we have three "non-BCS" schools - Utah, Boise State and Ball State - undefeated, but probably only one (Utah) will go to a BCS bowl game.
The beauty of the NCAA tournament is rooting for that underdog. And think about this, how much harder is it to pick your brackets in March because you have to consider possible upsets?
That's all because of the run George Mason made a couple years ago, and the run Davidson almost finished off last year.
Doesn't that sound cool for college football?
Championships MUST be settled on the field. Relying on computers is obsurd.
The Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) can have playoffs. The Football Bowl Subdivision (I-A) can, too.
I have devised a format to which college football should go to, effective immediately. And this is how it should go:
There are 12 conferences, including the independents, in the Football Bowl Subdivision, each conference winner will get a playoff, or automatic bid.
In cases where you have a three-way tie, like with Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the Big 12, the strength of schedule wins. I firmly believe one should not play for a national championship if they don't win their own conference championship.
Four other spots will be handed out as at-larges. Those will be decided by a selection committee composed of various athletic directors and coaches. However, AD's and coaches won't be allowed to vote for their own team or conference.
Each game site would be played at a neutral field, just like with all the bowl games. Each site would be associated with a bowl. For example, one matchup in the playoff series would be the Sun Bowl, another would be the Gator Bowl, and so on.
The national championship game would be played on a rotating basis with the "Big Four" bowls - Sugar, Fiesta, Orange and Rose.
The current "BCS" conference champions (six) will get the highest seeds.
Who gets what seed out of those teams, and the rest of the pairings will be made by the selection committee.
The games begin the weekend after the championship weekend with the ACC, Big 12, SEC, MAC and Conference USA. The playoffs will run through the end of the year, every Saturday.
Once we have the final two teams, there will be a bye week before the national championship game.
So just for the sake of the argument, I'm going to make a prediction for those conference championship games.
Here's what my 16-team playoff field would look like:
Alabama vs. Troy; Penn State vs. Navy; Oklahoma vs. Tulsa; USC vs. Boise State; Cincinnati vs. Ohio State; Boston College vs. Texas Tech; Utah vs. Texas; Ball State vs. Florida
Say it with me now: Playoff! Playoff! Playoff!
(c) 1998-2008 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved
