1. Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, in his Wednesday blog , explained why the Aggies would leave the Big 12. The list didn’t vary from what we suspected — the departures of Nebraska and Colorado and the Longhorn Network. But here’s what struck me: Byrne reminded everyone that he had been part of the group that assembled the Big 12 in the mid-1990s. Byrne did so as athletic director of Nebraska, which never liked the league’s tilt toward Texas. Viewed from that perspective, it’s fair to believe that Byrne was predisposed to bolt. 2. The bad news for Miami is that Stephen Morris , who will start at quarterback Monday in place of the suspended Jacory Harris , had the highest interception percentage (5.9) among quarterbacks in AQ conferences with at least 100 attempts last season, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The equally bad news for the Hurricanes is that Morris won’t be much of a dropoff. Harris finished second (5.6 percent) to Morris last season. If offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, can fix the quarterbacks, Miami’s turnaround will quicken. 3. Morris had the excuse last season of being a true freshman. Yet he was talented enough — and the Hurricanes depleted enough after Harris got hurt — that he started the final four games. That provides perspective of the stiff task awaiting the three true freshmen who will start openers this week: Brett Smith of Wyoming against Weber State, Nick Isham of Louisiana Tech against Southern Mississippi, and — God bless him, Rakeem Cato of Marshall, who debuts Sunday at in-state rival West Virginia.
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3-point stance: A&M’s reasons for leaving
Filed under Football, News by on Sep 1st, 2011. Comment. 
Texas-Arlington after accepting an invitation to join the WAC in 2012 declared Thursday on its website, “It’s a whole new ball game.” WAC commissioner Karl Benson, speaking to reporters, called the basketball-playing school’s addition part of the “evolution of the new WAC.” The WAC is now up to 10 members for the 2012-13 season. Benson has attempted to rebound from a mass exodus of schools with the additions of Denver, Seattle, Texas-Arlington, Texas State and UT-San Antonio. In adding to the membership, Benson believes that means the WAC will become a more consistent player for NCAA tournament bids and NCAA tournament wins in the future. “The WAC will return as a multiple-bid conference,” he said. Two WAC teams went to the NCAA tournament as recently as 2010, but it took a New Mexico State upset of Utah State in the conference tournament to get it done. Then this past season Utah State, after dominating the league in a down year, found out the hard way how difficult it can to get a good seeding coming out of the WAC. They managed just a No. 12 seed despite 30 regular-season wins. Benson derives his confidence in more WAC teams consistently making the NCAA tournament and improving their RPI based upon road wins that might come easier beginning in 2012. It’s these wins that are more heavily weighted in RPI, and Benson thinks teams will be able to rack up more of them with a 10-member conference. Now that the league has the right amount of teams to form travel partners [Louisiana Tech/Texas-Arlington, Texas State/UT San Antonio, Idaho/Seattle, San Jose State/Utah State, and Denver/New Mexico State], it allows for reduced travel costs, less missed class and the stability of Thursday-Saturday scheduling. “While it’s always difficult to win on the road, we believe this will allow our top teams to improve their RPI,” said Benson, adding that it would help WAC teams do better in the NCAA tournament and generate revenue previously left on the table. With 10 teams, a WAC team would play an 18-game league schedule. It is also Benson’s hope to eventually expand to 12 teams and form two divisions. Adding a Texas-Arlington program from the Southland Conference that went 13-16 this past season won’t generate a huge amount of buzz, but the Mavericks will enter the conference with a new 6,500-seat arena that is scheduled to open next year. “This day will long be remembered at UTA,” athletic director Pete Carlon said in a statement. “We are excited to make the jump into the WAC and into a FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) conference. I know our entire university community is looking forward to our future in the WAC as we move more to a national stage.”
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Jul 14th, 2011. Comment.
The SEC catches some serious grief from other conferences for not playing more high-profile nonconference games. My feeling is that everybody should play at least one marquee nonconference game every season, but there’s also no reason to load up when you have to navigate the grind of the league schedule. As a rule, the SEC schools have made more of an effort the past few years to go out and play at least one nonconference game that qualifies as a main event. There are several in the first three weeks this season: LSU vs. Oregon, Georgia vs. Boise State, BYU at Ole Miss and Auburn at Clemson. Arkansas takes on Texas A&M the first week of October, and then there are the annual rivalry games at the end of the season: Clemson at South Carolina, Florida State at Florida and Georgia at Georgia Tech. Here’s how we would rank the SEC’s nonconference schedules in 2011 from toughest to easiest: 1. LSU: Sept 3 – Oregon in Arlington, Texas; Sept. 10 – Northwestern State; Sept. 24 – at West Virginia; Nov. 12 – Western Kentucky 2. Georgia: Sept. 3 – Boise State in Atlanta; Sept. 17 – Coastal Carolina; Nov. 5 – New Mexico State; Nov. 26 – at Georgia Tech 3. Arkansas: Sept. 3 – Missouri State; Sept. 10 – New Mexico in Little Rock; Sept. 17 – Troy; Oct. 1 – Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas 4. Ole Miss: Sept. 3 – Brigham Young; Sept. 10 – Southern Illinois; Oct.
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Ranking the SEC’s nonconference slates
Filed under Football by on May 19th, 2011. Comment.
Every non-AQ conference is in search of a BCS buster. The WAC and Mountain West have had them. Conference USA is desperate to get one, to elevate the standing of the league. It is a talking point that has been reiterated year after year , but the league has not even come close. So who are the most likely candidates to be BCS busters in 2011? I will break down the top teams in C-USA this year and what it will take for them to bust into the system. Remember, a non-AQ team most likely has to go undefeated to have a shot at a BCS game. First up: Houston Cougars . Why they have a shot: The Cougars have Case Keenum back after he got a sixth season of eligibility, and he will pick up and try to set the NCAA career passing mark. He has his top receivers back ( Patrick Edwards , Tyron Carrier ) depth at running back ( Bryce Beall , Michael Hayes , Chris Wilson , Charles Sims ), and the nonconference schedule sets up for the Cougars to potentially begin 4-0 with games against UCLA, North Texas, Louisiana Tech and Georgia State. Houston does not have to play Southern Miss or UCF, and gets SMU and East Carolina at home. In the best-case scenario, it is conceivable the Cougars could be undefeated when they play at Tulsa to close out the season Nov. 26. Why they won’t make it: The defense has been a major problem for the past several seasons, leaving the Cougars in a position where they have to outscore teams to win. That could be the case once again this season, considering the lack of depth up front. The Cougars also have to replace several starters on the offensive line, which could impact the running game and how much time Keenum has to stand in the pocket. Houston always seems to drop a game it shouldn’t lose, and though it does have most of its tough games at home, SMU, UCLA and East Carolina are going to be a big challenge. UAB should be better, so that could be a difficult road game as well. The opener is against the Bruins, the team that ended Keenum’s 2010 season. The rematch is in Houston, but if UCLA wins again, you can kiss a BCS busting season good bye.
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C-USA BCS Buster: Houston
Filed under Football by on May 17th, 2011. Comment.
Kansas State doesn’t allow any fans or media to view its practices, so observations about players during the spring are based solely on comments from coach Bill Snyder or his players. Snyder has kept his comments measured regarding running back Bryce Brown , formerly a five-star recruit at Tennessee, admitting that he’s not sure what to expect in Saturday’s spring game in Manhattan. “It is quite obvious that he is a very fine player,” Snyder told reporters during a weekly media gathering on Tuesday. “He runs well and has really good speed and is developing into a multifaceted player. He is improving on his blocking capabilities. He can be involved in the passing game; he is proving his skills there.” Even still, Brown is far from a starter. For now, he’s locked in a battle with John Hubert , a sophomore who also happens to be the cousin of former Oklahoma State standout cornerback Perrish Cox. Hubert is a Waco, Texas native who also played high school football with blue-chip recruit Ahmad Dixon, a Baylor safety. He redshirted in 2009 after signing with the Wildcats. The only other notable schools who offered Hubert a spot were Louisiana Tech and North Texas. But even though the 5-foot-7, 185-pounder’s recruitment process was the exact opposite of Brown’s, he’s pushing him for playing time next season. “I really like the progress that we are making at that position,” Snyder said. “[Brown] is the fastest of the group and more physical than the other two at least in stature to John Hubert and Robert Rose . Robert has really come into his own, but we saw that last year when he worked on the scout team. All three of them are really competitive right now.” Brown, conversely, held offers from schools like USC, LSU and Miami. After choosing Tennessee, transferring back to Kansas State and enduring a season on the scout team, Snyder feels good about Brown’s transition back to a major contributor. The Wildcats have proven they’re capable of running the ball more than proficiently under Snyder. Juco transfer Daniel Thomas led the Big 12 in rushing the past two seasons. If K-State can find another to fill the void Thomas left when he packed up for the NFL, the another bowl game, at least, should be within reach. “When Daniel came during the summer, he did not have anyone to coach him during the workouts other than our players, so it was kind of a crash course for him,” Snyder said. “Bryce comes in having spent a season with us in a redshirt capacity and has learned a lot. He is ahead of Daniel when Daniel started his first season, but even at that a vast majority or Bryce’s time was spent on the scout squad last year so that does limit the learning process; but he is a sharp young guy and picks it up very well.
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Snyder: Bryce Brown’s talent is ‘obvious’
Filed under Football by on Apr 27th, 2011. Comment.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Von Miller was the Big 12 sack champ for two consecutive seasons and the leader of a Texas A&M defense that made big strides in 2010. In 2010 Miller took over the most crucial position for the Aggies’ defense: The Joker, which is a hybrid linebacker and defensive end position that serves as the linchpin of Tim DeRuyter’s 3-4. The joke position is now vacant with Miller headed to make millions in the NFL, and if Texas A&M is going to make a serious run at its first Big 12 title since 1998, someone will have to fill the void. “To be able to replicate what he did would be very, very difficult. There’s not a whole lot of those people out there in high school right now. He was an exceptional athlete,” coach Mike Sherman said. “We think we have recruited some really good guys who could accomplish that, maybe not at Von’s level, but we hope pretty close.” First on that list is 6-foot-4, 248-pound Damontre Moore. Last year, Miller was slowed by an ankle injury early in the season. Sherman may not be sure anyone can replicate what Miller did over the course of a season, but Moore outperformed Miller early on, albeit in nonconference games against Stephen F.
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Aggies looking for the next Von Miller
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Apr 6th, 2011. Comment.
Welcome to another midweek mailbag! Some quibbles with my way too early 2011 preseason rankings, and more playoff talk. So let us get right to the questions. Michael in New York writes: Will teams like Boise St., TCU and Nevada ever get the respect and more importantly, opportunity, to prove their mettle? They consistently beat teams from the AQ conferences, during both the regular season and bowls. Finally time for a playoff, no?! Andrea Adelson writes: Well they do get the one scrap thrown to them when they get into a BCS game, but I am not sure how much more respect they are going to get even with all the BCS wins. TCU definitely got major props with the No. 2 finish in both polls, same for Boise State finishing in the top 10. What was a little disheartening was Nevada not making it into the top 10 despite the 13-1 record and win over Boise State. It still shows that you get grudging respect when you have been on the national scene for more than a year. As for a playoff, we can keep on wishing. BCS chief Bill Hancock says we are more likely to go back to the old bowl days because there is no groundswell for a playoff among the folks in charge. Kevin in Rockledge, Fla., writes: I am a huge UCF fan and I was wondering where UCF stands with the Big East. Do you think Villanova will take the spot over us? I would really appreciate some insight
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Respect wanted in non-AQ mailbag
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Jan 12th, 2011. Comment.
IRVING, Texas — A little less than a year ago, Tim DeRuyter signed up to coach Texas A&M’s defense. When he got to College Station he saw a young unit, albeit one full of playmakers. He saw the worst defense in the Big 12, one that let opponents ring up almost 34 points a game and one that gave up an average of more than 425 yards each time it stepped on the field. Worst of all, he saw a defense with a glass jaw. “When adversity hit them, they struggled, which is very stereotypical of young football players,” DeRuyter said. “They don’t understand, ‘Hey, there’s going to be some give and take in a game.’” Said defensive tackle Lucas Patterson: “We were immature as a team. When things started to go bad, we kind of went in the tank. We were expecting, ‘Oh, here we go again.’” Opponents scored 40 points against the Aggies five times. Twice, Texas A&M gave up at least 60. “There was a time where they were, I don’t want to say embarrassed to be a defensive player, but they’d been beaten down a little bit,” DeRuyter said. “So when I first came in here, there was that attitude of let’s just try to slow someone down.” Said senior linebacker Michael Hodges: “We needed something new.
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Grown-up defense aids Aggies rise
Filed under Football by on Jan 5th, 2011. Comment.
Hawaii joined the Mountain West Conference for football only on Friday in an expected move, becoming the fourth team to leave the WAC in six months. The rest of the athletics programs will compete in the Big West. Last month, Hawaii announced it had all but sealed the agreement with the Mountain West, which has taken every single bowl eligible WAC team. Boise State joins the league starting in 2011, while Fresno State and Nevada also join in 2012. The Mountain West will remain at 10 football-playing schools for the 2012 season with the addition of Hawaii and departure of TCU. The league’s board of directors met Friday in Las Vegas to discuss the membership. “Hawaii’s outstanding football program and television value fit perfectly with the MWC’s strategic initiatives for the future direction of the conference,” MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. “We look forward to adding the Warriors to the MWC family.” The Warriors had little choice but to leave after Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada bolted, leaving a weakened WAC behind. That league has announced it would add current FCS members UT-San Antonio and Texas State, essentially going outside the Hawaii geographical footprint. With the loss of Hawaii, the WAC has six football playing members for 2012-13: the new Texas schools, plus Utah State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State and San Jose State. The WAC is going to have to go looking again, but where is a big question. As for the Mountain West, the future strength of the league is up for debate. This addition has no impact on the quest to become an AQ conference because the conference membership as of December 2011 is what will determine whether the league meets the necessary criteria. Though TCU is leaving for the Big East, that move does not happen until 2012 so its credentials will be applied toward the criteria. But the Mountain West is losing Utah, TCU and BYU
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Hawaii joins MWC for football
Filed under Football, News by on Dec 10th, 2010. Comment.
Hawaii is in talks with the Mountain West about joining the league for football only , dealing another potential blow to the floundering WAC. School president M.R.C. Greenwood said late Thursday night at a news conference in Honolulu he had already been in discussions with Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson. “We have a handshake but we have yet to agree on the details,” Greenwood said. “The people of the state of Hawaii should be very positive about this and convinced that we have a bright future.” If the move becomes final, the Mountain West will have taken the top four programs in the WAC — Boise State is joining in 2011, and Nevada and Fresno State are joining in 2012. After Nevada and Fresno State decided to leave the WAC earlier this year, Hawaii started seriously looking at its options, including going independent.
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Hawaii talking to Mountain West
Filed under Football, News by on Nov 19th, 2010. Comment.
