College Football Saturday In 500 Words Or Less

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from Saturday's college football games.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma fans and college football fans everywhere, the nation's best quarterback's college career may be over. Of course, Sam Bradford and the medical team that is examining his right shoulder do not know for certain if he will be able to return or not, but it is discouraging news for Bradford and the Sooner nation, who before the season began planned on gunning for a national title. Those hopes are over as Oklahoma now holds only fleeting hopes of winning the Big Twelve South.

Recapping the day in 500 words or less, this is what Saturday taught us about the season:

- With three losses, Oklahoma's national title hopes are dead and are long shots to win the Big Twelve South. Who in their right mind would criticize Bradford at this point if he chooses to sit out the rest of the season, even if he's cleared to play the Sooners' final couple games? The man was the surefire top pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and, with that now in question, would be wise to protect his draft stock and NFL future as much as possible. Saturday morning, Landry Jones was the future in Oklahoma. Fourteen plays later, he was the present.

- The Iowa Hawkeyes continue to get better and better as the season progresses. On September 13, I called Iowa, "the worst preseason top 25 team to start the season 2-0 in this history of the game." After narrowly escaping Northern Iowa and allowing Iowa State to beat themselves in their first two games, I really believed that statement. Now, the Hawkeyes are the best team in the Big Ten. That's something nobody can contest.

- Nothing says BCS National Championship like the 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper. It says football so much that every Saturday I make my own Dr. Pepper by combining one shot of every drink I have in my refrigerator. It comes out pretty close to the real thing.

- I can't help but think that Ohio State was overrated after they were downed by Purdue. The Buckeyes have not impressed me all year. Call me a downer, but I don't think Terrelle Pryor has lived up to the hype surrounding him as a recruit even if he is only a sophomore. Of course, he's only one man and this can't all fall on him. But anybody who puts on the recruiting spectacle that he did better be Superman.

- Alabama is the best team in the nation. How anybody can say that the Crimson Tide is playing better than the Gators but Florida deserves the #1 ranking is beyond me.

- There has to be some JFK level conspiracy theories after the Florida/Arkansas game. The pass interference in the end zone? Defending yourself from being whacked 25 yards away from the play? I don't know why the referees wasted everybody's time with Florida's second to last possession. Next time just give them the six points and move on. Florida did not win the game; they survived with a little help from the referees. Florida's defense may be the best in the nation, but their offense was far less than impressive on Saturday and has been all season long.

- Texas Tech beat 15th ranked Nebraska to move to 5-2. They're only two losses came against Texas and a highly underrated Houston Cougars team. Mike Leach has established a plug and play offense that allows any quarterback to be successful and throw for a bazillion yards.
- Tyrod Taylor is a passer now. And a damn good one it seems.

With a career day, Mark Ingram Proved He's Worth The Hype on Saturday. This guy is my Heisman frontrunner at this point in the season and anybody who disputes that better have a damn good argument. He rushed for 246 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown on Saturday night. Tim Tebow hasn't done all that much for the Gators this season, yet is still many people's pick for Heisman. Jimmy Clausen had the chance to become the frontrunner if he beat USC, but came up just short, and Colt McCoy had a less than stellar showing against Oklahoma. Even in his least productive game of the season (17 carries for 50 yards—Sept. 26 vs. Arkansas) Ingram managed to find the end zone twice.

Montel Harris of Boston College rushed for 264 yards on 27 carries and scored 5 touchdowns against NC State on Saturday, becoming a New Household Name in the process. Included in the 264 yards was a 70 yard run that set up his 2 yard touchdown run the very next play. It wasn't his first big day of the season. Harris rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries against Florida State on October 3. He rushed for 2 touchdowns in that game as well.

My Heisman ballot if they let me vote:

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama- Third most rushing yards in the NCAA. Carries his team when nothing else is going right.
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame- 14 touchdown passes and only 2 picks. Needs to win a big one. If Notre Dame beat USC, he'd be the consensus frontrunner.
3. Tony Pike, Cincinnati- Consistency, consistency, leadership. I like this guy. Hope he can go next week vs. Louisville.
4. Case Keenum, Houston- Threw for over 500 yards in a loss to the University of Texas at El Paso and has not thrown for fewer than 330 yards in any game this season. The 5-1 Cougars are underrated as a team, and Keenum may be the most underrated quarterback in the nation. Has two quality wins over Big Twelve teams (Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) and defeated Mississippi State of the SEC.
5. Tim Tebow, Florida- Gives Florida a chance to win every week. Hasn't done enough to warrant another Heisman win, though. Florida's undefeated record is in large part due to their defense, while their drop to #2 in the AP poll is largely due to their offense's lacking in big games.

Next week's games worth watching include a Thursday night showdown between two disappointing ACC teams when Florida State visits North Carolina. Ohio State looks to get back on the winning path against Eric Decker and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, as does South Florida when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers and phenom freshman running back Dion Lewis. Arkansas and Mississippi look to prove they belong in the upper echelons of the SEC when they meet in Oxford. Also on Saturday, top ranked Alabama takes on Tennessee, Clemson travels to Miami, Penn State visits Michigan and Oklahoma takes on Kansas in a Big Twelve showdown. LSU is looking to rebound from a loss to Florida when they take on Auburn, TCU and Brigham Young will fight it out to prove they belong among the elite, while Texas travels to Missouri in the primetime headliner. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

College Football Saturday In 500 Words Or Less

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from Saturday's college football games.

Few upsets this week, as only one top 10 team was defeated. We were, however, able to learn more about some teams than we had learned all season. As teams begin to get away from their cupcake schedules at the beginning of the season and enter conference play, that early season mask is pulled away and we get our first glimpses of how teams will fare over the course of the season.

Recapping the day in 500 words or less, this is what Saturday taught us about the season:

-  Iowa needed to prove their win over Penn State was no fluke. Granted Saturday's win came against Arkansas State, the Hawkeyes' offense showed some signs of life. Iowa began the game with two quick scores and came out of the half firing, but if they want to hang in there all season long, they've got to find a way to produce on offense more consistently. Still, I'm about ready to call myself a believer after the 5-0 Hawkeyes' shaky start.

-  Does any team rely on a single player the way Minnesota relies on Eric Decker? Wait, that would be Cal with Jahvid Best. Whereas the Gophers' supporting cast was able to take advantage of the double teams that Decker drew (in a loss), Kevin Riley and the Cal offense could not take advantage of the attention given to Best by Oregon and USC.

-  I've said it almost every week, but UNC's offense is anemic. How do you manage only 3 points against Virginia?

-  On that subject, is there anything less exciting than an ACC matchup? Maybe it's because their games have little implications on the national landscape. Maybe it's because outside of a few programs (notably Miami and FSU—and maybe BC, Clemson and Virginia Tech) there is a lack of longstanding football tradition in the programs.

-  More Tate Forcier. Seriously, this kid doesn't have a give-up bone in his body. Of course, his interception in the end zone didn't help matters, but the Michigan Wolverines have a bright future as long as Forcier is under center.

-  Penn State bounced back after to their poor showing last Saturday night in the loss to Iowa. They got off to a slow start on offense against Illinois (hangover?) but scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to get back on the winning path.

-  Golden Tate's extraordinary confidence began at birth…when his parent's named him Golden. I wonder what that does for a boy's confidence growing up. Golden sure has a quiet arrogance about him (not in a bad way) and he's emerged as the big playmaker on the Notre Dame offense this season.

-  Kyle Rudolph is going to be the next big tight end to come out of college football. The guy's 6-6, has become a favorite target of quarterback Jimmy Clausen and has a basketball background like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.

-  Speaking of Notre Dame, their overtime win over Washington was the game of the week. Clausen and Jake Locker are quietly underrated on the national scope. I say 'quietly underrated' because everybody knows they're good, but few consider them among the elite, which is where they belong.

-  Besides looking like he's about to deliver a pizza to a group of co-eds in some dimly lit apartment, Landry Jones showed Oklahoma fans they have reason to cheer about the team's future. Oklahoma's supporting cast just didn't back him up on Saturday. Give credit to the Miami Hurricanes, though.

We're in that really meaty part of the season, where most teams begin, or have begun, conference play and the real season begins to take shape. Florida will get their first big-time test next week when they visit LSU, while Miami will get their first breather when Florida A&M, and their kickass band, comes to town.

Robert Hughes became a New Household Name with his performance in Notre Dame's overtime win against Washington. He filled in for Armando Allen, who was injured in the game, rushing for 70 yards on only 8 carries and scoring a touchdown in which he dragged most of the Huskies defense and Irish offense into the end zone in the process. The 235 pound halfback even broke off a 37 yard run in the win. The Irish should take solace in knowing that they have some depth at running back after Hughes' performance.

This week, Jacory Harris Proved He's Worth The Hype. Harris was able to bounce back after making two poor decisions to start the game, which resulted in interceptions. He would throw for 3 touchdowns and led Miami to a win over 8th ranked Oklahoma, and a 3-1 record in the process.

Next week's big games include top-ranked Florida's trip to LSU to face the fourth ranked Tigers in the prime time headliner. Michigan visits Iowa in another big prime time matchup. In earlier matchups, Georgia visits Tennessee, Alabama visits Mississippi and Oregon visits UCLA. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

College Football Saturday In 500 Words Or Less

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from Saturday's college football games.

This week taught us a lot about the college season; more so than the previous two weeks. It taught us that reputation might play into the polls more than we'd like to think. It revealed which players we should follow as the season progresses. It showed us how important a quarterback is to a team's success and that continuity at the position is a good thing. Week 3 also taught us a few things we already knew or weren't too surprised to see confirmed.

Recapping the day in 500 words or less, here's what Saturday taught us about the season:

- Where to start? Oh! Washington beat USC with three seconds remaining! It really makes you think: How important is the quarterback position!? Matt Barkley, whose ascent to the top of the depth chart was questioned by many, sat out with a shoulder injury. Aaron Corp, whose snubbing at the beginning of the season was questioned by some, got the start. Barkley hasn't been All-World or anything in his two starts, but he's led a couple of two minute drills to close the half and win the game against Ohio State. If Barkley plays, does he let the Trojans lose?

- On the other side of the ball, how big is Jake Locker's return? Washington was 0-12 without him a year ago. With Locker back under center, the Huskies are 2-1 and took down the mighty Trojans. Who would have thought that next week's Washington/Stanford matchup would determine the early leader in the Pac-10?

- Tyrod Taylor is going to have to become more of a passing threat if Virginia Tech hopes to compete for the ACC Championship. I was, however, impressed with his final drive on Saturday to beat Nebraska. His throw to Danny Coale was near perfect and his scramble on third and goal bought him enough time to hit Dyrell Roberts in the end zone to win the game. He'll have to be more consistent with his passing if Virginia Tech hopes to beat Miami next week.

- Eric Decker is tough. In the process of catching his first of two touchdown receptions, Sean Cattouse dealt a crushing blow to Decker's face. Decker was knocked unconscious momentarily, his mouth was bleeding and he couldn't breathe for a moment. The hit was legal, by the way. It was Decker's second catch of the game. He finished with eight.

- Is there any doubt that Jahvid Best is the best back in the nation? I think not.

- Michael Floyd underwent surgery following an attempted touchdown reception that left him with a broken collar bone. Huge blow to Notre Dame, as Armando Allen and Jimmy Clausen must now carry the Irish offense. Equally as crushing was Arizona's loss of Rob Gronkowski for the season. Gronkowski missed the Wildcats' first three games with a strained back and will have season ending surgery this week.

- Was I the only one who noticed the ridiculous amount of instant replays used to confirm or overturn receptions, ball spots, touchdowns, etc.? The NCAA Board of Whatever Panel Commission will soon vote on whether to use instant replay to make sure that players have tied their shoes correctly. I miss the days when a catch was a catch and a touchdown a touchdown.

- Thirty point underdogs, I can't decide if Tennessee should take a partial win out of Gainesville. No, they shouldn't, but at least they didn't give Urban Meyer the chance to run up the score. And Tebow didn't look too hot through the air against Eric Berry and the Volunteers secondary.

The polls have just been released following an interesting week in college football. USC dropped to 12 in the AP and 10 in the Coaches', while Washington climbed to #24 in the AP and remains unranked in the Coaches'. Miami was the week's biggest riser (9th in AP, 13th in Coaches') following another impressive showing.

This week, Jahvid Best Proved He's Worth The Hype. He's had an impressive start to the season, but Saturday's five touchdowns showed why he's considered the best running back, or football player, in the country. Saturday's five scores was roughly one third of his entire scoring production from last season (16 touchdowns). Scary.

The New Household Name for this week is Eric Decker. Decker caught 8 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He became Minnesota's all-time leader in receptions in the process. He even threw a touchdown pass to boot. This all coming on a day where he was knocked out, required stitches and left the game only when he sprained his ankle on Minnesota's final drive.

Some big games await us next weekend. Fourth ranked Ole Miss looks to continue to prove they belong in the top 5 when they take on South Carolina on Thursday night. In Saturday's early games, never-say-die Fresno State takes on 17th ranked Cincinnati and 22nd ranked North Carolina takes on a Georgia Tech team on the rebound. ABC will air a trio of games in the 3:30 P.M. ET slot: #6 Cal at Oregon, #9 Miami at #11 Virginia Tech and Illinois at #13 Ohio State. Top ranked Florida travels to Kentucky at 6 P.M. ET and Arizona State visits 21st ranked Georgia at 7 P.M. ET. Iowa travels to #5 Penn State in the primetime headliner. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship!

College Football Saturday In 500 Words Or Less

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from Saturday's college football games.

It was the week of the comeback in college football, especially in the ACC whose members were not shy about mounting thrilling, drama-filled comebacks in overtime or with minutes, or seconds, remaining. North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland and Florida State relied on the comeback to beat the likes of Connecticut, Army, Stanford, James Madison and Jacksonville State, respectively. Michigan/Notre Dame, Tennessee/UCLA, Wisconsin/Fresno State and USC/Ohio State were thrillers as well, and that's just naming a few.

Recapping the day in 500 words or less, here's what Saturday taught us about the season:

- Iowa is the worst preseason top 25 team to start the season 2-0 in this history of the game. They showed why they dropped out of the rankings following a win, and did little to help their bid to reclaim their spot in the top 25. The 35-3 score was misleading. It took two and a half quarters for the Hawkeyes to separate from an Iowa State team that closed 2008 with 10 straight losses. And the Cyclones really killed themselves with turnovers. I know it's a rivalry game, but c'mon.

- Connecticut's defense was stout, but if that's all North Carolina's offense can muster, they're in trouble. It took a holding call in the end zone to give UNC the win.

- Two games in and Lou Holtz has been proven mad. Armando Allen said that he wanted to break more big runs for Notre Dame this season. So far, so good. Too bad Tate Forcier decided to steal the show with 11 seconds left. Or was it 9?

- I asked myself three times, "Why is Aaron Eckhart carrying a clipboard on the Tennessee sideline?" before realizing that it was Lane Kiffin. Tennessee fans should take solace in their killer running back combo of senior Montario Hardesty and freshman Bryce Brown. Give credit to UCLA for beating a very good Tennessee team, but three interceptions and a botched exchange from center to quarterback didn't help the Volunteers' effort. If nothing else, the Vols should be happy they've now got a little big game experience to carry into the Swamp next week.

- I'm not worried about Oklahoma State moving forward. Down 24-7 at half, the Cowboys came out of the half with new energy and responded to adversity. The upset was more a testament to how well Houston played rather than how poorly the Cowboys played. If not for a tipped ball in the end zone and Dez Bryant's cramping legs that likely led to a pick-six, the Cowboys could be letting out a sigh of relief instead of lamenting a tough loss to an unranked and unheralded, but underrated and explosive, Houston Cougars team. Don’t be too surprised if Oklahoma State beats Texas or Oklahoma later in the season.

- I can't decide which true freshman starting quarterback impressed me more: Matt Barkley or Tate Forcier. On the one hand, Barkley led an impressive drive to close out the half for the Trojans. He followed that up with a game winning drive to end the game, but that was much on the back of Joe McKnight. Forcier, on the other hand, looked cooler, calmer and more poised than any true freshman quarterback leading a game winning drive in his second college game and one of the biggest games he will ever play. He made some huge throws, too. Yeah, it's Forcier, but with props going out to Barkley for keeping his pants clean while leading the game winning drive. These guys are good.

So in a week that saw more than a few fourth quarter comebacks and dramatic finishes, there aren't any games on Sunday or Monday to hold us over until Thursday's Miami/Georgia Tech showdown. Speaking of the ACC, did any conference need an 8-1 Saturday like the ACC did? Sure, they had to come from behind to defeat some less than spectacular teams, but they'll take it.

Every week a player decides to burst onto the national scene in a big way. This week's New Household Name is Derrick Morgan. The Georgia Tech defensive end was all over Clemson's backfield on Thursday night, finishing with 10 tackles and 3 sacks.

Last week, Dez Bryant Proved He's Worth the Hype. This week, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry did the same in a losing effort. Berry finished with 10 tackles and was all over the field for the Volunteers defense.

Next week's games to watch come before College Football Saturday even kicks off. Thursday night's Miami/Georgia Tech matchup promises to be a good one, as does Friday's Boise State/Fresno State game. On Saturday, Tennessee travels to Florida, Nebraska visits Virginia Tech, Utah and Oregon go at it and BYU takes on Florida State. Texas plays Texas Tech in the primetime matchup. North Carolina should be on upset alert when East Carolina comes to town, as should Iowa with the Arizona Wildcats visiting. Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

College Football Saturday In 500 Words Or Less

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from Saturday's college football games.

After months of anticipation, and now that we've had our fill of football, beer and chicken wings, the 2009 college football landscape begins to take shape. There were few outrageous upsets, and the one top five team that did go down, did so against another very good football team and with their Heisman-winning quarterback watching from the sidelines with his arm in a sling. The first Saturday of the season was less of a day for upsets and more of a day for 'almosts', 'what-ifs' and missed opportunities.

Recapping the day in 500 words or less, here's what Saturday taught us about the season:

- Tennessee's freshman class is good. Everybody's talking about Jonathan Crompton, but it was freshman running back Bryce Brown who steamrolled a few Hilltoppers on his way to the end zone and looked good on almost every carry. Miami and Oregon must be kicking themselves for letting this guy slip through their fingers. Freshman receiver Marsalis Teague was the team's leading receiver, while Nu'Keese Richardson looked pretty good as both a punt returner and as a wide receiver. Anybody who says Tennessee's 63-7 shellacking on Saturday is downplayed because it came against Western Kentucky in their first game as members of the FBS is sorely mistaken. UCLA and Florida are next.

- Navy blew it. Who was Ricky Dobbs throwing to in the end zone? An exceptional running play to put the Midshipmen within two overshadowed and forgotten after a terribly blunderous two-point conversion attempt.

- Iowa can't keep relying on their field goal-blocking unit to win them games. It's only the first week and they've done it twice. Iowa is scratching their heads.... Good teams get over the head scratching. Let's see if Iowa is a good team.

- I'm glad Joe Cox wore a cup. Dez Bryant put his money where his mouth is. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs defense looked pretty good. I'd also like to throw out a nickname for Perrish Cox after watching his 74 yard kick return: Crazy Legs Cox.

- With Notre Dame's 35-0 win over Nevada, Lou Holtz has not yet been proven a crazy person. But we know it's coming. Joking aside, Jimmy Clausen looked really good, as did the entire Notre Dame offense. The defense wasn't too bad either. It was against a less-than-stellar Nevada team, but Touchdown Jesus had to have been pleased.

- It took Tennessee an entire quarter to get on the board against Western Kentucky. It took USC a quarter to score against San Jose State. Why was I more worried about USC's slow start? Was it because I expected a jailbreak from the get-go? Or did I think it had something to do with true freshman Matt Barkley getting the start? USC would eventually get their stuff together, winning 56-3 as Barkley threw for 233 yards on 15 for 19 passing. Also notice how nobody can credit Barkley's winning the starting job to his offseason performance. It's always that something is wrong with Aaron Corp or Pete Carroll was rooting for Barkley. I have another theory.

- BYU looked very good. Even before Sam Bradford went down. I wonder if the Sooners will fall further with Bradford out a few weeks. Unlikely. Idaho State and Tulsa are next. They'll have to run the table to be in the discussion for the National Championship, though.

- Cal's Jahvid Best is the best running back in college football. Alabama's Mark Ingram showed that he's not too far behind.

- Florida begins their regular season on September 19 against Tennessee.

Saturday's over, but Sunday and Monday have a few more games to hold us over until Thursday when the NFL kicks off its regular season. Miami and Florida State are both looking to reclaim their spot in college football relevance, while Ole Miss begins their quest to prove they can hang with the big boys of the SEC. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

If Lou Holtz predicts… (in a forest)

Does a betting line make a sound?

Last weekend Speculator in Chief Lou Holtz made a most bold prediction. Notre Dame will play for the championship in 2009!

Yep, you read that right. Notre Dame, who went 6-6 in regular season play in 2008, will be on the field in Pasadena, CA January 7, 2010 in a bid to snatch the BCS Championship trophy from the jaws of the Florida Gators. Leading the charge this year is QB Jimmy Clausen who completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,172 yards (3rd most prolific passing season in school history). Feeling a little better about Lou’s prediction?

Not so fast.

A look at the rest of the numbers tells the entire story.

In 2008, Jimmy Clausen ranked 43rd in passing efficiency. Overall, in 2008 young Jimmy ranked 40th in overall offense. The statistics seem to suggest that having Jimmy NOT throw the ball leads to a much more productive offense. Not the kind of thing that QBs typically include in their sports portfolio.

Defense then?

Well…no. The Notre Dame defense ranked 42nd in the nation in Scoring Defense and 39th in Total Defense overall. Coach Charlie Weis said he does expect to see some improvement in the overall ability of his defense to stop drives and get his offense back on the field. In 2008, Jon Tenuta helped the ND defense allow 61 fewer rushing yards per game in his first year as linebacker coach. Stopping the run and killing a drive is one thing, but in order for Notre Dame to keep their drives alive, they’ll have to run the ball themselves. In 2008, Notre Dame ranked a dismal 100th in the nation in Rushing Offense trailing those powerhouse schools Vanderbilt, La.-Monroe, and Troy.

So how will this team go from relative mediocrity one year, to the pinnacle of their respective sport the next? Recruitment? Inspiration? Congealment?

Nah, Lou Holtz would simply say “I had a hunch-back at Notre Dame”. - Paul Moyer

Paul Moyer is an independent contributor from Reading, PA, covering NCAA and NFL football.

Jacksonville State Looks to UF for Answers, Inspiration

And who better to look to? The Florida Gators are the in crowd. They've won two championships in three years and are led by an angelic quarterback who makes the rest of us look like puppy eating sinners. How did they get to this point? Jacksonville State is looking all the way back to 1984 to find out.
The St. Petersburg Times, in their September 14, 1989 edition, recalled that

"the university's football program channeled money and gifts to players, spied on opponents' practices and maintained slush funds."

As a result, the NCAA banned Florida from appearing on national television and banned them from the postseason. They were also docked scholarships. In total, the Gators were deemed guilty of 107 major NCAA violations.

Jacksonville State has followed suit, albeit not entirely. Just as Florida was banned from appearing in the postseason in the mid-eighties, Jacksonville State has been banned from the postseason in 2009. Unlike the Gators of the mid-eighties, though, Jacksonville State has not committed any NCAA infractions. Instead, their punishment stems from the program's failure to meet the standards set by the NCAA's Academic Progress Report for three consecutive seasons. A national television ban was deemed unnecessary.

Still, JSU may be infatuated with the bad boy tactics that have led some of our nation's top programs to glory, fortune and dominance.

The list is overwhelming.

Several Miami Hurricanes of the early nineties are said to have been paid by a local rapper for scoring touchdowns and making big hits. A couple of Seminoles wide receivers received improper discounts at a clothing store in 1997. There was also the 1994 Foot Locker scandal at FSU and Penn State running back Curtis Enis' $1,100 shopping spree courtesy of an agent. More recently, USC came under scrutiny after the Reggie Bush scandal of 2005 was reported, Alabama was busted for the textbook scandal of 2007 and Florida State's online music history class scandal committed between 2006 and 2007 cost the program 14 wins.

There have been plenty of on the field/in the tunnel brawls amongst the nation's top schools--1971 USC/Notre Dame, 1983 USC/Clemson, 1988 Miami/Notre Dame, 1993 Miami/Colorado, 1997 Ole` Miss/Mississippi State, 1998 Florida/Florida State, 2004 Clemson/South Carolina--not to mention plenty of arrests.

In 2008, Gators backup quarterback Cameron Newton was arrested after he stole a laptop from a fellow student and threw it out of a window after being questioned by police. Newton was the fourth Gator arrested in 2008.

The next step for JSU is to find a bad boy to call their own.

Check! Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who transferred to JSU after being kicked off of the LSU football team for constantly violating team rules, has been suspended for violating his new team's rules and will sit out the season opener against Georgia Tech before returning to face Florida State the following week.

When it comes down to it, though, every school has slipped up at some point in their program's history. Even the smaller football programs we never hear about have had issues (Dartmouth and Holy Cross brawled on the same day of the infamous Miami/FIU brawl). Too little attention is given to programs trying to clean up their act, play by the rules and/or set higher standards for their athletes; rather, like suburban housewives reading Us Weekly,we find ourselves enthralled by the latest scandal. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.