The ESPN/USA Today coaches preseason poll has been released, and Oklahoma is where most expected them to be: at No. 1. The Sooners received 42 of 59 first-place votes, leading No. 2 Alabama, who received 13 first-place votes. No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 LSU, who meet in Cowboys Stadium for their season opener, both received two first-place votes. Here’s the full poll. And the Big 12 teams: 1. Oklahoma 8. Oklahoma State 9. Texas A&M 21. Missouri 24. Texas First things first: As Oklahoma’s somewhat imminent spot at No. 1 came to fruition, as did Texas’ spot in the top 25. I’ve argued all offseason that it doesn’t make sense , but I honestly expected it to happen. We’ll see if the media follows suit. That poll will be released on Aug. 20. Texas A&M is a few spots higher than I thought it would be. A&M is a borderline top 10 team to begin the season in my book, but I thought they’d be more around the 12-15 range. Aggies fans have to be happy about slipping inside the preseason top 10. The Big 12’s five teams were the second most among conferences, behind the SEC’s eight teams. The Big Ten also had five teams. No other Big 12 teams were among the 20+ that received votes in the poll, but Big 12 nonconference opponents Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Miami (Fla.) and Georgia Tech all were just outside the poll. Every other team was about where I thought they would be. What about you? Any teams too high or too low?
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Coaches poll makes it official: OU is No. 1
Filed under Football by on Aug 4th, 2011. Comment. 
ESPN Senior Coordinator of Recruiting Jeremy Crabtree first noted it on Twitter on Tuesday morning. “The biggest recruiting rivals in Big 12 now? No, it’s not UT-A&M,” he wrote. “Try OU and Mizzou. Some great battles between Sooners and Tigers in 2012.” Oklahoma took the first major battle, grabbing a commit from St. Louis receiver Durron Neal , who ranks as the nation’s No. 9 receiver and No. 62 on the ESPNU 150. That was a big pickup, but Missouri landed a blow in the next showdown on Tuesday, when Evan Boehm visited Missouri and gave the Tigers his commitment. “Im a freakin MIZZOU TIGER #NationalChamps,” he tweeted on Tuesday. Boehm is the nation’s No. 1 offensive guard, and ranks No. 55 on the ESPNU 150. A Lee’s Summit, Mo., (Kansas City suburb) native, Boehm comes in at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds. “They showed me the love that not many showed,” Boehm told ESPN.com. “That’s what really got to me. It wasn’t only the football players and the football coaches there, but it was everyone there. I’m very blessed to have this opportunity.” Here’s the book on Boehm from our scouts: Boehm is a tough linemen displaying the explosion and playing strength necessary to be effective as both a run and pass blocker. Although he is productive at tackle we feel his size and athleticism are better suited for the offensive guard position at the major level of competition. It appears his frame could handle additional body mass over time. Has taken some snaps at center demonstrating the ability to get the ball up quickly, roll his hips with good contact when blocking a “0″ technique defender. Displays very good flexibility, balance and agility, showing the ability to play in space; from both a two and three point stance this prospect demonstrates the initial quickness and explosion necessary to get movement when drive blocking; comes off the ball low and hard with good fit and pad level. Has the flexibility to roll his hips and knock defenders back on their heels; does a good job sustaining blocks due to his balanced blocking base and persistent leg drive. Boehm’s commitment gives Missouri its 10th commitment of the 2012 class, and its first member of the ESPNU 150. But even after Neal and Boehm, the recruiting battles between Oklahoma and Missouri are far from finished. The two schools will clash two more times on two of the top prospects in the 2012 class. Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham , a Springfield, Mo., native, is the top 2012 receiver and the No. 3 prospect on the ESPNU 150. So far, his only two campus visits? Oklahoma and Missouri. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound playmaker has the potential to be a game-changer, and it could come down to the Tigers and Sooners when Green-Beckham is ready to commit. Additionally, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback still counts Oklahoma and Missouri among the finalists for his services. Gunner Kiel , a 6-foot-4, 220-pound passer from Columbus, Ind., has kept his recruitment quiet and very private, but don’t be surprised if either school eventually lands him.
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Oklahoma, Mizzou clash on recruiting trail
Filed under Football, News by on Jun 15th, 2011. Comment.
Holy Bible. Well, me too, I guess. Lots of wisdom to be found there. Lots of really practical advice. In fact, its a great text for football coaches. A passage from the book of Proverbs came to mind as I thought this evening, about Mack Brown—the man… Source: Bleacher Report
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Texas Longhorns: Mack Brown "Returns to Own Vomit," Repeat of Last Year Likely
Filed under Football, News by on May 11th, 2011. Comment.
1. Oregon is cracking down on vendors selling unlicensed merchandise outside of Autzen Stadium. I understand the desire to protect a school’s trademark (and its cut of the take). But when I covered the Stanford game last month, I loved the variety of clever t-shirts that Ducks fans created for the occasion. Schools rarely sell T-shirts that veer from the obvious. Protecting the brand usually turns into protecting the bland. 2. This year’s best late-blooming teams, as I wrote yesterday, look to be Virginia Tech, Florida, Texas A&M and Penn State. The best late-blooming team of the last 25 years is Florida State in 1989. The Seminoles began the season 0-2 and won 10 straight to finish second behind Miami, a team that Florida State beat, 24-10. After that season, Alabama tried to hire Bowden. As he described in his book “Called to Coach,” he turned down what once had been his dream job. “Too late,” Bowden said. 3. Not that the ACC Coastal Division is in much doubt — Virginia Tech has a two-game lead on the field with three games to play — but the apparent decision by Miami to hold out quarterback Jacory Harris for a second consecutive game because of a concussion means that his first game may be against the Hokies on Nov. 20. As Nick Foles of Arizona proved at Stanford last week, you can miss two games and need a half to get your timing back. Pencil Virginia Tech into the ACC Championship Game? Go ahead, use a pen.
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3-point stance: Best late-blooming teams
Filed under Football by on Nov 11th, 2010. Comment.
I’ll be in Stillwater on Saturday checking out a big South battle between Oklahoma State and Baylor, but I’ll have my eye on every game as usual. Here’s what I’m watching: 1. The scoreboard at Boone Pickens Stadium. You saw it in my pick this morning, there’s going to be a lot of points on the board this Saturday, featuring some of the best skill-position talent in the league. Oklahoma State’s triplets — quarterback Brandon Weeden , running back Kendall Hunter and receiver Justin Blackmon — go head-to-head with Robert Griffin III , Jay Finley and Kendall Wright . 2. Big hits. This should be something to keep an eye on for the rest of the season, really. I had it on last week’s what to watch, but I’m interested to see if receivers over the middle go unjacked-up, or if there’s any noticeable difference with how defenders hit
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What to watch in the Big 12: Week 10
Filed under Football by on Nov 4th, 2010. Comment.
Though Texas fans didn’t get what it wanted in 2008’s “45-35″ campaign, flying planes over the Big 12 title pregame and setting up websites in hopes of getting the Longhorns into the national championship game over Oklahoma, the outcome of that season has had an impact on future rules. Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News reported on Thursday that the league has agreed to change the tiebreaker rules, if only slightly, to rely more on head-to-head matchups. Carlton reports: Here’s the old version, with the fifth three-way tiebreaker: “5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series standings following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative.” And the new version: “5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series poll following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative in the Big 12 Championship Game, unless two of the tied teams are ranked within one spot of the other in the BCS poll. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the Big 12 Championship Game.” Conspiracy theorists will point to this as another case of Texas getting its way, but it’s not like anybody has plans to go wrangle up Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy and replay the 2008 national title game. The new rule makes a lot of sense, and emphasizes performances on the field more than those on a hard drive. Anything that does that is good in my book. No complaints here. I was OK with the rule as it was, since the opportunity to climb over another team in the BCS rankings to the point where it decides a title game berth of BCS bowl game berth is rare, but the new way it’s set up is clearly better. Well done. “”I think the feeling is if they’re within a place of each other [in the BCS], it’s not going to affect that access,” Beebe told the Morning News. “We looked at other possibilities that were within five places and thought that was too big a risk.” The rule was actually implemented in in June, but was never officially announced because realignment issues overshadowed everything else during the summer.
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Big 12 confirms change to tiebreaker rules
Filed under Football, News by on Oct 22nd, 2010. Comment.
Longhorns, the UT Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, the UT Objectivism Society and the UT Federalist Society planned to host John Lott , author of the book “More Guns, Less Crime,” at the UT Law School. In an unfortunate coincidence, several… Source: Huffington Post
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‘More Guns, Less Crime’ Author Was Scheduled To Speak At UT
Filed under News by on Sep 28th, 2010. Comment.
In an unfortunate coincidence, several student organization, including the Libertarian Longhorns, the UT Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, the UT Objectivism Society and the UT Federalist Society planned to host John Lott , author of the book “More Source: SayUncle
Filed under News by on Sep 28th, 2010. Comment.
The season’s first chapter is complete. Here’s the book report. Team of the week: Syracuse. Bet you didn’t think you’d see those words together after Week 1. But the Orange were the only Big East team to beat an FBS opponent in the first week, handily dispatching Akron 29-3 . Yes, the Zips are bad. But the game was on the road, and Syracuse won its opener for the first time since 2003. Best game: It was sloppy on both sides, with botched coverages and too many yellow flags. But Utah’s 27-24 overtime win over Pitt was never short on drama, especially at the end when the Panthers mounted a comeback to tie the game. Biggest play: Tino Sunseri ’s interception on the first play of that overtime game for Pitt. Mike Shanahan was open, but Sunseri waited a beat too long to deliver the ball and then put it in the wrong place. That sealed the Panthers’ fate, and started the downward Week 1 spiral for the Big East. Best call: Rich Rodriguez’s decision to go with Denard Robinson as his starting quarterback. Rodriguez had declined to officially name a starter before Saturday. Then he unleashed Robinson, who brought back Pat White nightmares for Connecticut’s torched defense. Big Man on Campus (Offense): Bilal Powell , RB, Louisville. I don’t like to give this award to players whose teams lost. I really don’t like giving it to players whose teams played FCS opponents. So, um, yeah
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Big East Week 1 review/Week 2 preview
Filed under Football by on Sep 6th, 2010. Comment.
Texas running back Vondrell McGee does a better job at running from defenders than he does the law. Welcome to the Book’em Horns club, Vondrell. Well, if you’re Vondrell McGee, staying out all night partying and then getting popped just after 3:00 am… Source: Crimson and Cream Machine
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Keeping With Tradition Texas Running Back Vondrell McGee Gets Arrested For DUI
Filed under News by on Apr 21st, 2010. Comment.
