Saturday, December 31, 2011

Nick Saban to Penn State? Well, Of Course.

The Penn State coaching search has officially jumped the shark.

In this brave new era rules by social media and message board "insiders," at a time when Twitter not only relays the news but often creates the news, in an epoch where "speculation" has replaced "reporting" even in the world of journalism, it has become far too easy for mere 'rumor' to be reported as 'fact.'

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/31/nick-saban-to-penn-state-well-of-course.htm

NAIA Mens Basketball South Dakota State

Louisville Slugger 2012 Preseason All-American Teams

Louisville Slugger has announced its 2012 Preseason College Baseball All-American Teams. The SEC leads the way with six first team selections, all of whom played in the 2011 College World Series national championship game. Florida is loaded with returning talent. The Gators, last year’s national runner-up, boast four first team All-Americans, two second team selections and one third team honoree. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina has two first team picks and one second team honoree. Here are some of the top conferences with the total number of players on the first, second or third teams: SEC – 14 ACC – 10 Pac-12 – 9 Here’s a look at the first team (a link to the complete release with stats is included below). First Team LHP Michael Roth – South Carolina RHP Matt Price – South Carolina RHP Sam Stafford – Texas RHP Mark Appel – Stanford RHP Hudson Randall – Florida RHP Karsten Whitson – Florida Relief Corey Knebel – Texas C Mike Zunino – Florida 1B Adam Brett Walker – Jacksonville 2B Ross Hefley – Western Carolina 3B Tyler Hannah – Troy SS Deven Marrero – Arizona State OF Victor Roache – Georgia Southern OF Tyler Naquin – [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/20/louisville-slugger-2012-preseason-all-american-teams/

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl University of North Carolina

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

West Virginia UNC

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Champs Sports Bowl Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

Friday, December 30, 2011

UC Davis 2012 Baseball Schedule

Challenging Slate Awaits Aggies… UC Davis has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Aggies open their season Feb. 17-20 when they host a four game series against new Pac-12 member Utah. The Aggies hit the road when they visit San Jose State on Feb. 21 and then venture farther south in California for a Feb. 24-26 series at Cal State Bakersfield. A Feb. 28 game follows at Stanford. A March 2-4 home series against Creighton is followed by a two game set at Arizona. Davis then hosts three games vs. Seattle and a single game with San Francisco before a three game series with San Jose State. The first and third games of that series are in Davis, with the middle game in San Jose. Home games against Nevada, St. Mary’s and Stanford precede a March 29-April 1 four game series at Hawaii. The Aggies return the trips to Nevada, St. Mary’s and San Franciso. They host a single game with Hawaii on May 14 and also play home and home games with Fresno State and Sacramento State. Big West Conference play begins April 5-7 when the Aggies visit Cal State Fullerton. Other conference road series are at UC [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/uc-davis-2012-baseball-schedule/

Oklahoma State Big 10

BCS Bowl Dates Prove It: Money Matters. Fans Don't.

Note to BCS and ESPN executives: Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to attend a bowl game on the Tuesday night or the Wednesday night after New Year's Day.

So how about we go ahead and make some changes to this utterly insulting schedule, yes?

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/14/bcs-bowl-dates-prove-it-money-matters-fans-dont.htm

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Outback Bowl

Louisville Slugger 2012 Preseason All-American Teams

Louisville Slugger has announced its 2012 Preseason College Baseball All-American Teams. The SEC leads the way with six first team selections, all of whom played in the 2011 College World Series national championship game. Florida is loaded with returning talent. The Gators, last year’s national runner-up, boast four first team All-Americans, two second team selections and one third team honoree. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina has two first team picks and one second team honoree. Here are some of the top conferences with the total number of players on the first, second or third teams: SEC – 14 ACC – 10 Pac-12 – 9 Here’s a look at the first team (a link to the complete release with stats is included below). First Team LHP Michael Roth – South Carolina RHP Matt Price – South Carolina RHP Sam Stafford – Texas RHP Mark Appel – Stanford RHP Hudson Randall – Florida RHP Karsten Whitson – Florida Relief Corey Knebel – Texas C Mike Zunino – Florida 1B Adam Brett Walker – Jacksonville 2B Ross Hefley – Western Carolina 3B Tyler Hannah – Troy SS Deven Marrero – Arizona State OF Victor Roache – Georgia Southern OF Tyler Naquin – [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/20/louisville-slugger-2012-preseason-all-american-teams/

Auburn Pepperdine

UC Davis 2012 Baseball Schedule

Challenging Slate Awaits Aggies… UC Davis has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Aggies open their season Feb. 17-20 when they host a four game series against new Pac-12 member Utah. The Aggies hit the road when they visit San Jose State on Feb. 21 and then venture farther south in California for a Feb. 24-26 series at Cal State Bakersfield. A Feb. 28 game follows at Stanford. A March 2-4 home series against Creighton is followed by a two game set at Arizona. Davis then hosts three games vs. Seattle and a single game with San Francisco before a three game series with San Jose State. The first and third games of that series are in Davis, with the middle game in San Jose. Home games against Nevada, St. Mary’s and Stanford precede a March 29-April 1 four game series at Hawaii. The Aggies return the trips to Nevada, St. Mary’s and San Franciso. They host a single game with Hawaii on May 14 and also play home and home games with Fresno State and Sacramento State. Big West Conference play begins April 5-7 when the Aggies visit Cal State Fullerton. Other conference road series are at UC [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/uc-davis-2012-baseball-schedule/

Louisiana Tech NCAA Basketball

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper 2012 Preseason Poll

Gators, Gamecocks Are 1-2… TUCSON, Ariz. ? The University of Florida is the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2012 NCAA Division I College World Series, according to Collegiate Baseball?s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I pre-season poll. The Gators return one of the strongest teams in college baseball history after finishing second at the CWS last season to South Carolina. Florida brings back seven players who are Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans, an all-time record. In addition, seven players have the potential of being drafted in the first three rounds of next June?s Free Agent Draft. The talent level is so high that up to 14 players could be drafted next June, according to Head Coach Kevin O?Sullivan. The Gators landed Collegiate Baseball?s No. 1 recruiting class in the nation during the fall of 2009 with many of these players key components of the 2012 team. That class featured seven drafted players among the 11-man class. Florida followed that with a recruiting class ranked fifth in 2010 with six players being drafted among the eight brought in. The headliner in that class was RHP Karsten Whitson (Chipley H.S., FL) who was a first round draft pick of the Padres. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder?s [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/19/collegiate-baseball-newspaper-2012-preseason-poll/

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Outback Bowl

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

LSU Fresno State

UC Davis 2012 Baseball Schedule

Challenging Slate Awaits Aggies… UC Davis has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Aggies open their season Feb. 17-20 when they host a four game series against new Pac-12 member Utah. The Aggies hit the road when they visit San Jose State on Feb. 21 and then venture farther south in California for a Feb. 24-26 series at Cal State Bakersfield. A Feb. 28 game follows at Stanford. A March 2-4 home series against Creighton is followed by a two game set at Arizona. Davis then hosts three games vs. Seattle and a single game with San Francisco before a three game series with San Jose State. The first and third games of that series are in Davis, with the middle game in San Jose. Home games against Nevada, St. Mary’s and Stanford precede a March 29-April 1 four game series at Hawaii. The Aggies return the trips to Nevada, St. Mary’s and San Franciso. They host a single game with Hawaii on May 14 and also play home and home games with Fresno State and Sacramento State. Big West Conference play begins April 5-7 when the Aggies visit Cal State Fullerton. Other conference road series are at UC [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/uc-davis-2012-baseball-schedule/

Alabama San Diego State

St. John?s 2012 Baseball Schedule

24 Home Games, Early Events Set… St. John’s has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Red Storm opens the season Feb. 17-19 at the fourth annual Big Ten/Big East Challenge in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla. area with games against Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois. The second weekend of the season takes SJU to Lubbock, Texas for the Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic. St. John’s faces host Texas Tech twice and Northern Illinois once at the event. The Red Storm treks into the Carolinas for a Feb. 28 game at North Carolina, followed by a Feb. 29 game at UNC-Wilmington. From there, St. John’s heads to Conway and Myrtle Beach, SC for the Coastal Carolina Invitational. Games are set against Big East rival Pittsburgh as well as Coastal Carolina and a rematch with Illinois. St. John’s plays its home opener on March 14 against Fairleigh-Dickinson and then hosts the March 16-18 Red Storm Baseball Tournament. Games there are slated against Albany and Holy Cross. Big East play begins March 23-25 at Villanova. Other conference road series are at Rutgers, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and Louisville. Conference home series are against West Virginia, UConn, South Florida, and Seton Hall. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/st-johns-2012-baseball-schedule/

Meineke Car Care Bowl Capital One Bowl

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

CWS To Remain On ESPN Through 2024

Men’s Basketball Rights Acquired As Well… The NCAA has reached an agreement that will allow ESPN to broadcast the College World Series and other NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 academic year. The deal will give ESPN the international rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It will also continue to hold the rights for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as both the Men’s and Women’s College World Series. According to ESPN, its multimedia platforms will air 24 �championships – adding women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s fencing, Division I women’s lacrosse, Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and women’s bowling. There will be more than 600 hours of live programming annually. ESPN will air more contests in the early rounds of the Football Championship Series postseason and Division I women’s volleyball, softball and baseball tournaments. The deal, which takes effect immediately, includes expanded coverage of the preseason and postseason NIT. The 2012 Men’s College World Series will start on Friday, June 15. The CWS typically starts on a Saturday. Click Here to read more about the schedule change. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=''} else {nf='NF/'}; document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad22482a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>');

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/16/cws-to-remain-on-espn-through-2024/

UT San Jose State

A Big Win for Baylor: QB Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy

First Joe Paterno gets fired at Penn State. Then a team that finished second in its own division gets a bid to the national title game. Then a kid from Baylor wins the Heisman Trophy.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/11/a-big-win-for-baylor-qb-griffin-wins-heisman-trophy.htm

Nebraska Cincinnati

UCF 2012 Baseball Schedule

Knights Set For 37 Home Games… UCF (Central Florida) is the final Conference USA school to release its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Knights play 21 of their first 24 games at home, beginning with a Feb. 17-19 series against Long Island. After a Feb. 22 midweek game at Florida, the Knights return home for a Feb. 24-26 three game series against Boston College. They host South Florida (USF) on Feb. 28 and then head to Daytona Beach for a game against Bethune-Cookman the next day. A March 2-4 three game home series against Siena is followed by a marquee two game set vs. Florida State March 6 & 7. UCF also hosts three game series against UMass and Harvard before visiting USF on March 20. Other notable non-conference action includes a game at Miami as well as home and home contests with both Florida Atlantic and Stetson. Conference USA play opens March 23-25 when the Knights host East Carolina. Other conference home series are against Alabama-Birmingham, Memphis and Rice. Conference road series are at Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, and Marshall.

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/15/ucf-2012-baseball-schedule/

Rose Bowl NCAA Division III Football

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

NCAA Division III Football Arizona

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

Read Full Post

Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

West Virginia UNC

The New Reality for Ohio State? No Meaningful Football Until 2013

I have to admit: I didn't see this coming.

Perhaps because the last few months of college football scandal news (first there was Miami ... and then there was Penn State) made the all of those tattoo-related misdeeds in Columbus seem comically small, or perhaps because I fully expected the powers-that-be in the Big Ten (i.e., Jim Delany) to fight to the death on the Buckeyes behalf, I fully expected that, when all was said and done regarding the NCAA's investigation into Jim Tressel and Ohio State, the Buckeyes would walk away relatively unscathed.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/21/the-new-reality-for-ohio-state-no-meaningful-football-until-2013.htm

Utah Meineke Car Care Bowl

St. John?s 2012 Baseball Schedule

24 Home Games, Early Events Set… St. John’s has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Red Storm opens the season Feb. 17-19 at the fourth annual Big Ten/Big East Challenge in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla. area with games against Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois. The second weekend of the season takes SJU to Lubbock, Texas for the Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic. St. John’s faces host Texas Tech twice and Northern Illinois once at the event. The Red Storm treks into the Carolinas for a Feb. 28 game at North Carolina, followed by a Feb. 29 game at UNC-Wilmington. From there, St. John’s heads to Conway and Myrtle Beach, SC for the Coastal Carolina Invitational. Games are set against Big East rival Pittsburgh as well as Coastal Carolina and a rematch with Illinois. St. John’s plays its home opener on March 14 against Fairleigh-Dickinson and then hosts the March 16-18 Red Storm Baseball Tournament. Games there are slated against Albany and Holy Cross. Big East play begins March 23-25 at Villanova. Other conference road series are at Rutgers, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and Louisville. Conference home series are against West Virginia, UConn, South Florida, and Seton Hall. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/st-johns-2012-baseball-schedule/

New Mexico Bowl Clemson

The Rematch Is On

More than half the nation clearly doesn't want it, but it's what we're getting anyway: The Rematch.

LSU will take on Alabama in the 2011-2012 BCS National Championship game, it was announced Sunday night. The Tide, who lost to LSU earlier this season, earned a spot in the title game by ending the season ranked No. 2 in the final BCS standings, edging out Big 12 champion Oklahoma State.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/05/the-rematch-is-on.htm

Arkansas TCU

Monday, December 26, 2011

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Big 10 Notre Dame

BCS Bowl Dates Prove It: Money Matters. Fans Don't.

Note to BCS and ESPN executives: Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to attend a bowl game on the Tuesday night or the Wednesday night after New Year's Day.

So how about we go ahead and make some changes to this utterly insulting schedule, yes?

...

Read Full Post

Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/14/bcs-bowl-dates-prove-it-money-matters-fans-dont.htm

LSU Fresno State

SEC Changes Baseball Tournament Format

Field To Expand From Eight To 10 In 2012… BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SEC) — The Southeastern Conference has altered the format of its annual baseball tournament.� It will mark the first major change to the event?s format since 1996. The 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, which will be held in Hoover, Ala., at Regions Park for the 15th consecutive year, will increase to 10 teams and will begin on Tuesday, May 22nd. The tournament will continue to follow a format that is modeled in a similar fashion to previous SEC Tournament and College World Series brackets. The 10 teams are seeded 1-10 with the two divisional champions guaranteed of the top two seeds and first-round byes. Games played from Tuesday thru Friday are double elimination with single elimination starting on Saturday. The tournament field will include the top teams from the SEC?s Eastern and Western Divisions plus eight at-large bids seeded 3-10 based on conference winning percentage. The SEC has also announced the beginning of a Baseball Legends Program, modeled similarly after the popular ?Legend?s and ?Greats? programs that surround the SEC Football Championship Game and the SEC Men?s and Women?s Basketball Tournaments. Four former SEC baseball standouts will be honored on-site [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/20/sec-changes-baseball-tournament-format/

San Jose State Champs Sports Bowl

Louisville Slugger 2012 Preseason All-American Teams

Louisville Slugger has announced its 2012 Preseason College Baseball All-American Teams. The SEC leads the way with six first team selections, all of whom played in the 2011 College World Series national championship game. Florida is loaded with returning talent. The Gators, last year’s national runner-up, boast four first team All-Americans, two second team selections and one third team honoree. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina has two first team picks and one second team honoree. Here are some of the top conferences with the total number of players on the first, second or third teams: SEC – 14 ACC – 10 Pac-12 – 9 Here’s a look at the first team (a link to the complete release with stats is included below). First Team LHP Michael Roth – South Carolina RHP Matt Price – South Carolina RHP Sam Stafford – Texas RHP Mark Appel – Stanford RHP Hudson Randall – Florida RHP Karsten Whitson – Florida Relief Corey Knebel – Texas C Mike Zunino – Florida 1B Adam Brett Walker – Jacksonville 2B Ross Hefley – Western Carolina 3B Tyler Hannah – Troy SS Deven Marrero – Arizona State OF Victor Roache – Georgia Southern OF Tyler Naquin – [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/20/louisville-slugger-2012-preseason-all-american-teams/

ACC Allstate Sugar Bowl

Sunday, December 25, 2011

St. John?s 2012 Baseball Schedule

24 Home Games, Early Events Set… St. John’s has released its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Red Storm opens the season Feb. 17-19 at the fourth annual Big Ten/Big East Challenge in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla. area with games against Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois. The second weekend of the season takes SJU to Lubbock, Texas for the Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic. St. John’s faces host Texas Tech twice and Northern Illinois once at the event. The Red Storm treks into the Carolinas for a Feb. 28 game at North Carolina, followed by a Feb. 29 game at UNC-Wilmington. From there, St. John’s heads to Conway and Myrtle Beach, SC for the Coastal Carolina Invitational. Games are set against Big East rival Pittsburgh as well as Coastal Carolina and a rematch with Illinois. St. John’s plays its home opener on March 14 against Fairleigh-Dickinson and then hosts the March 16-18 Red Storm Baseball Tournament. Games there are slated against Albany and Holy Cross. Big East play begins March 23-25 at Villanova. Other conference road series are at Rutgers, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and Louisville. Conference home series are against West Virginia, UConn, South Florida, and Seton Hall. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/17/st-johns-2012-baseball-schedule/

Outback Bowl Michigan State

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Central Michigan UT

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Pac 10 Sweet 16

Louisville Slugger 2012 Preseason All-American Teams

Louisville Slugger has announced its 2012 Preseason College Baseball All-American Teams. The SEC leads the way with six first team selections, all of whom played in the 2011 College World Series national championship game. Florida is loaded with returning talent. The Gators, last year’s national runner-up, boast four first team All-Americans, two second team selections and one third team honoree. Two-time defending national champion South Carolina has two first team picks and one second team honoree. Here are some of the top conferences with the total number of players on the first, second or third teams: SEC – 14 ACC – 10 Pac-12 – 9 Here’s a look at the first team (a link to the complete release with stats is included below). First Team LHP Michael Roth – South Carolina RHP Matt Price – South Carolina RHP Sam Stafford – Texas RHP Mark Appel – Stanford RHP Hudson Randall – Florida RHP Karsten Whitson – Florida Relief Corey Knebel – Texas C Mike Zunino – Florida 1B Adam Brett Walker – Jacksonville 2B Ross Hefley – Western Carolina 3B Tyler Hannah – Troy SS Deven Marrero – Arizona State OF Victor Roache – Georgia Southern OF Tyler Naquin – [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/20/louisville-slugger-2012-preseason-all-american-teams/

UCLA BCS National Championship

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Purdue ACC

The Rematch Is On

More than half the nation clearly doesn't want it, but it's what we're getting anyway: The Rematch.

LSU will take on Alabama in the 2011-2012 BCS National Championship game, it was announced Sunday night. The Tide, who lost to LSU earlier this season, earned a spot in the title game by ending the season ranked No. 2 in the final BCS standings, edging out Big 12 champion Oklahoma State.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/05/the-rematch-is-on.htm

NCAA Womens Division I Basketball Sun Belt

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 12: Playoff? Who Needs a Playoff?

So, college football is broken, right?

The game is far too imperfect, right?

The game is flawed--deeply flawed, in fact--and the only way to fix those flaws is to introduce the much-ballyhooed "playoff system," right?

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/20/sunday-morning-observations-week-12-playoff-who-needs-a-playoff.htm

Auburn Pepperdine

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper 2012 Preseason Poll

Gators, Gamecocks Are 1-2… TUCSON, Ariz. ? The University of Florida is the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2012 NCAA Division I College World Series, according to Collegiate Baseball?s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I pre-season poll. The Gators return one of the strongest teams in college baseball history after finishing second at the CWS last season to South Carolina. Florida brings back seven players who are Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans, an all-time record. In addition, seven players have the potential of being drafted in the first three rounds of next June?s Free Agent Draft. The talent level is so high that up to 14 players could be drafted next June, according to Head Coach Kevin O?Sullivan. The Gators landed Collegiate Baseball?s No. 1 recruiting class in the nation during the fall of 2009 with many of these players key components of the 2012 team. That class featured seven drafted players among the 11-man class. Florida followed that with a recruiting class ranked fifth in 2010 with six players being drafted among the eight brought in. The headliner in that class was RHP Karsten Whitson (Chipley H.S., FL) who was a first round draft pick of the Padres. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder?s [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/19/collegiate-baseball-newspaper-2012-preseason-poll/

Chick-fil-A Bowl Temple

Friday, December 23, 2011

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 12: Playoff? Who Needs a Playoff?

So, college football is broken, right?

The game is far too imperfect, right?

The game is flawed--deeply flawed, in fact--and the only way to fix those flaws is to introduce the much-ballyhooed "playoff system," right?

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/20/sunday-morning-observations-week-12-playoff-who-needs-a-playoff.htm

Central Michigan UT

UCF 2012 Baseball Schedule

Knights Set For 37 Home Games… UCF (Central Florida) is the final Conference USA school to release its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Knights play 21 of their first 24 games at home, beginning with a Feb. 17-19 series against Long Island. After a Feb. 22 midweek game at Florida, the Knights return home for a Feb. 24-26 three game series against Boston College. They host South Florida (USF) on Feb. 28 and then head to Daytona Beach for a game against Bethune-Cookman the next day. A March 2-4 three game home series against Siena is followed by a marquee two game set vs. Florida State March 6 & 7. UCF also hosts three game series against UMass and Harvard before visiting USF on March 20. Other notable non-conference action includes a game at Miami as well as home and home contests with both Florida Atlantic and Stetson. Conference USA play opens March 23-25 when the Knights host East Carolina. Other conference home series are against Alabama-Birmingham, Memphis and Rice. Conference road series are at Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, and Marshall.

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/15/ucf-2012-baseball-schedule/

Oklahoma State Big 10

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

SEC Florida State University

CWS To Remain On ESPN Through 2024

Men’s Basketball Rights Acquired As Well… The NCAA has reached an agreement that will allow ESPN to broadcast the College World Series and other NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 academic year. The deal will give ESPN the international rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It will also continue to hold the rights for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as both the Men’s and Women’s College World Series. According to ESPN, its multimedia platforms will air 24 �championships – adding women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s fencing, Division I women’s lacrosse, Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and women’s bowling. There will be more than 600 hours of live programming annually. ESPN will air more contests in the early rounds of the Football Championship Series postseason and Division I women’s volleyball, softball and baseball tournaments. The deal, which takes effect immediately, includes expanded coverage of the preseason and postseason NIT. The 2012 Men’s College World Series will start on Friday, June 15. The CWS typically starts on a Saturday. Click Here to read more about the schedule change. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=''} else {nf='NF/'}; document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad22482a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>');

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/16/cws-to-remain-on-espn-through-2024/

BCS National Championship March Madness

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl UCLA

BCS Bowl Dates Prove It: Money Matters. Fans Don't.

Note to BCS and ESPN executives: Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to attend a bowl game on the Tuesday night or the Wednesday night after New Year's Day.

So how about we go ahead and make some changes to this utterly insulting schedule, yes?

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/14/bcs-bowl-dates-prove-it-money-matters-fans-dont.htm

Autozone Liberty Bowl Missouri

Sunday Morning Observations, Week 14: There Is LSU. And Then There Is Everybody Else.

As I write these words on Sunday morning, we don't know who will face LSU for the national championship.

We don't know who's going to end up ranked where.

We don't know the bowl lineup.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/04/sunday-morning-observations-week-14-there-is-lsu-and-then-there-is-everybody-else.htm

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Mississippi State

Games Worth Watching: Week 14

Well, it's almost over now, folks.

We are down to our last true Saturday of college football.

Sad, right?

Yeah, pretty sad.

But we must most forward, and we must carry on, and of course, we must take a look ahead to all of the games on the slate for this oh-so-important Week 14. And so that's exactly what we'll do right here, in this week's edition of Games Worth Watching.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/02/games-worth-watching-week-14.htm

University of Miami NAIA Baseball World Series

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Urban Meyer, Brady Hoke and the Radically Reshaped Big Ten

Already, there has been much speculation regarding the hiring of Urban Meyer--perhaps the most celebrated coach in the country not named Nick Saban--at Ohio State.

Already, some are wondering if Meyer still has the fire, and the win-at-all-costs mentality, that made him such a smashing success at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/30/urban-meyer-brady-hoke-and-the-radically-reshaped-big-ten.htm

Tennessee Ole Miss

Boston College 2012 Baseball Schedule

Early Road Challenges Await Eagles… Boston College is the final ACC school to release its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Eagles begin their season by playing their first 16 games in South Carolina and Florida. The season opens Feb. 17-19 with three games in Conway, SC with games against Virginia, James Madison and host Coastal Carolina. A trip to Orlando, Fla comes the next weekend when the Eagles play three games at UCF (Central Florida) Feb. 24-26. The Eagles are back in Florida for an extended stay March 1-11. The trip begins in Ft. Myers against Florida Gulf Coast. They also play an exhibition game on March 3 against the Boston Red Sox, with the finale against FGCU on March 4. BC then heads to the Miami area for a game against Florida International on March 6, then Florida Atlantic on March 7. The Eagles conclude the trip to the Sunshine State by opening ACC play at Miami March 9-11. Other conference road series are at Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, and North Carolina. Conference home series are against Georgia Tech, Maryland, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Duke. Other notable non-conference games include St. John’s, UConn, Rhode Island, and [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/14/boston-college-2012-baseball-schedule/

Purdue ACC

A Big Win for Baylor: QB Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy

First Joe Paterno gets fired at Penn State. Then a team that finished second in its own division gets a bid to the national title game. Then a kid from Baylor wins the Heisman Trophy.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/11/a-big-win-for-baylor-qb-griffin-wins-heisman-trophy.htm

BCS National Championship March Madness

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Games Worth Watching: Week 12

Perhaps we're not quite back to "normal" in the world of college football.

But at the very least, I think, we are one step closer to normal.

With the return of Penn State to the football field now out of the way, and with those good folks in State College doing what they can to move forward in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, it seems as though there's a possibility that this weekend of college football may actually be about, you know, college football. Even, that is, in Columbus, where the wounded Nittany Lions will try to bounce back against the rival Ohio State Buckeyes.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/18/games-worth-watching-week-12.htm

ACC Allstate Sugar Bowl

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper 2012 Preseason Poll

Gators, Gamecocks Are 1-2… TUCSON, Ariz. ? The University of Florida is the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2012 NCAA Division I College World Series, according to Collegiate Baseball?s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I pre-season poll. The Gators return one of the strongest teams in college baseball history after finishing second at the CWS last season to South Carolina. Florida brings back seven players who are Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans, an all-time record. In addition, seven players have the potential of being drafted in the first three rounds of next June?s Free Agent Draft. The talent level is so high that up to 14 players could be drafted next June, according to Head Coach Kevin O?Sullivan. The Gators landed Collegiate Baseball?s No. 1 recruiting class in the nation during the fall of 2009 with many of these players key components of the 2012 team. That class featured seven drafted players among the 11-man class. Florida followed that with a recruiting class ranked fifth in 2010 with six players being drafted among the eight brought in. The headliner in that class was RHP Karsten Whitson (Chipley H.S., FL) who was a first round draft pick of the Padres. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder?s [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/19/collegiate-baseball-newspaper-2012-preseason-poll/

Bowling Green Duke

Texas A&M Kingsville Baseball Player Found Dead

Investigation Into Tragedy Underway… KINGSVILLE, Texas ? Police say a Texas A&M University-Kingsville freshman baseball player has been found dead in the stairwell of an off-campus apartment building. An autopsy has been ordered on 18-year-old pitcher Travis Madden of Inez, Texas. Kingsville police responded to a call about 9 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex about a block from campus. Police are investigating reports that Madden had attended a party and was last seen walking back to his dormitory. Further details on the investigation were not immediately released. Madden was a chemical engineering major who had just completed his first season of fall baseball. A&M-Kingsville baseball coach Jason Gonzales on Sunday afternoon held a team meeting to let players know of the death. Kingsville, Texas is located just south of Corpus Christi near the Texas Gulf Coast. (AP and staff report)

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/13/texas-am-kingsville-baseball-player-found-dead/

University of Florida Ohio State

College World Series To Start Early In 2012

Games To Start On Friday… The 2012 NCAA Men’s College World Series will begin play one day earlier than it recently has to accommodate the U.S. Olympic Team Trials ? Swimming. The College World Series, which is held at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, will begin competition on Friday, June 15 and run through either June 25 or 26. The Swim Trials, which is being held in the adjacent CenturyLink Center Omaha, will begin competition on Monday, June 25 with both its preliminary competition in the morning and finals that evening. The NCAA showed its appreciation for the Omaha and its place as one of the nation?s top amateur athletics cities by approving a move that would alleviate what could have been three overlapping days between the two events. Along with competition for the CWS starting that Friday, the always-exciting Opening Ceremonies will be held on Thursday, June 14. The first-round, double-elimination format of the CWS will run through either Thursday, June 21 or Friday, June 22, which will be the if-necessary day. No games will be played on Saturday, June 23, while the best-of-three Championship Series will begin on Sunday, June 24 and conclude on either Monday or Tuesday. The [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/15/college-world-series-to-start-early-in-2012/

Tulane Louisiana Tech

Monday, December 19, 2011

Urban Meyer, Brady Hoke and the Radically Reshaped Big Ten

Already, there has been much speculation regarding the hiring of Urban Meyer--perhaps the most celebrated coach in the country not named Nick Saban--at Ohio State.

Already, some are wondering if Meyer still has the fire, and the win-at-all-costs mentality, that made him such a smashing success at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/30/urban-meyer-brady-hoke-and-the-radically-reshaped-big-ten.htm

East Coast Texas Bowl

CWS To Remain On ESPN Through 2024

Men’s Basketball Rights Acquired As Well… The NCAA has reached an agreement that will allow ESPN to broadcast the College World Series and other NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 academic year. The deal will give ESPN the international rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It will also continue to hold the rights for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as both the Men’s and Women’s College World Series. According to ESPN, its multimedia platforms will air 24 �championships – adding women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s fencing, Division I women’s lacrosse, Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and women’s bowling. There will be more than 600 hours of live programming annually. ESPN will air more contests in the early rounds of the Football Championship Series postseason and Division I women’s volleyball, softball and baseball tournaments. The deal, which takes effect immediately, includes expanded coverage of the preseason and postseason NIT. The 2012 Men’s College World Series will start on Friday, June 15. The CWS typically starts on a Saturday. Click Here to read more about the schedule change. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=''} else {nf='NF/'}; document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad22482a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>');

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/16/cws-to-remain-on-espn-through-2024/

SEC Florida State University

CWS To Remain On ESPN Through 2024

Men’s Basketball Rights Acquired As Well… The NCAA has reached an agreement that will allow ESPN to broadcast the College World Series and other NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 academic year. The deal will give ESPN the international rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It will also continue to hold the rights for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as both the Men’s and Women’s College World Series. According to ESPN, its multimedia platforms will air 24 �championships – adding women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s fencing, Division I women’s lacrosse, Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and women’s bowling. There will be more than 600 hours of live programming annually. ESPN will air more contests in the early rounds of the Football Championship Series postseason and Division I women’s volleyball, softball and baseball tournaments. The deal, which takes effect immediately, includes expanded coverage of the preseason and postseason NIT. The 2012 Men’s College World Series will start on Friday, June 15. The CWS typically starts on a Saturday. Click Here to read more about the schedule change. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=''} else {nf='NF/'}; document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad22482a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>');

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/16/cws-to-remain-on-espn-through-2024/

Stanford Oklahoma

NCBWA 2012 Preseason All-American Team

Young Crop Receives Early Honors… WICHITA, Kan. ? One of the youngest groups in the decade-plus history of selections, the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason All-America team has a strong element of 2011 NCAA World Series returnees and loads of exceptional 2012 season sophomores and juniors. After back-to-back NCAA titles for South Carolina and numerous defections to the professional ranks in ?11, the 2012 projected team may be a mini-view of the NCAA World Series next June. The defending champ Gamecocks landed pitcher Matt Price, who led the nation with 20 saves and kept USC in the running throughout the CWS with clutch relief appearances, on the first unit, along with starting ace Michael Roth (14-3, 1.06 earned run average, 112 strikeouts in a workhorse 145 innings pitched. Also off of Ray Tanner?s title crew is 1B Christian Walker,� a second team selection, after posting a .358 batting average with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs. First team All-America catcher Mike Zunino of Florida brings back NCAA team runner-up credentials and 2011 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year statistics ? 19 homers, 67 RBIs and a .371 average. Teammates first squad utility player Brian Johnson (8-3 pitching [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/14/ncbwa-2012-preseason-all-american-team/

Oklahoma Kansas

Sunday, December 18, 2011

CWS To Remain On ESPN Through 2024

Men’s Basketball Rights Acquired As Well… The NCAA has reached an agreement that will allow ESPN to broadcast the College World Series and other NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 academic year. The deal will give ESPN the international rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It will also continue to hold the rights for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as well as both the Men’s and Women’s College World Series. According to ESPN, its multimedia platforms will air 24 �championships – adding women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s fencing, Division I women’s lacrosse, Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and women’s bowling. There will be more than 600 hours of live programming annually. ESPN will air more contests in the early rounds of the Football Championship Series postseason and Division I women’s volleyball, softball and baseball tournaments. The deal, which takes effect immediately, includes expanded coverage of the preseason and postseason NIT. The 2012 Men’s College World Series will start on Friday, June 15. The CWS typically starts on a Saturday. Click Here to read more about the schedule change. rnum=Math.round(Math.random() * 100000); ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) {nf=''} else {nf='NF/'}; document.write(ts+'script src="http://www.burstnet.com/cgi-bin/ads/ad22482a.cgi/v=2.3S/sz=728x90A|970x66A/'+rnum+'/'+nf+'RETURN-CODE/JS/">'+ts+'/script>');

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/16/cws-to-remain-on-espn-through-2024/

South Carolina Purdue

UCF 2012 Baseball Schedule

Knights Set For 37 Home Games… UCF (Central Florida) is the final Conference USA school to release its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Knights play 21 of their first 24 games at home, beginning with a Feb. 17-19 series against Long Island. After a Feb. 22 midweek game at Florida, the Knights return home for a Feb. 24-26 three game series against Boston College. They host South Florida (USF) on Feb. 28 and then head to Daytona Beach for a game against Bethune-Cookman the next day. A March 2-4 three game home series against Siena is followed by a marquee two game set vs. Florida State March 6 & 7. UCF also hosts three game series against UMass and Harvard before visiting USF on March 20. Other notable non-conference action includes a game at Miami as well as home and home contests with both Florida Atlantic and Stetson. Conference USA play opens March 23-25 when the Knights host East Carolina. Other conference home series are against Alabama-Birmingham, Memphis and Rice. Conference road series are at Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, and Marshall.

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/15/ucf-2012-baseball-schedule/

Temple Arkansas

Urban Meyer, Brady Hoke and the Radically Reshaped Big Ten

Already, there has been much speculation regarding the hiring of Urban Meyer--perhaps the most celebrated coach in the country not named Nick Saban--at Ohio State.

Already, some are wondering if Meyer still has the fire, and the win-at-all-costs mentality, that made him such a smashing success at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/30/urban-meyer-brady-hoke-and-the-radically-reshaped-big-ten.htm

Big East UGA

BCS Bowl Dates Prove It: Money Matters. Fans Don't.

Note to BCS and ESPN executives: Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to attend a bowl game on the Tuesday night or the Wednesday night after New Year's Day.

So how about we go ahead and make some changes to this utterly insulting schedule, yes?

...

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/14/bcs-bowl-dates-prove-it-money-matters-fans-dont.htm

Ball State USC

Saturday, December 17, 2011

NCBWA 2012 Preseason All-American Team

Young Crop Receives Early Honors… WICHITA, Kan. ? One of the youngest groups in the decade-plus history of selections, the 12th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason All-America team has a strong element of 2011 NCAA World Series returnees and loads of exceptional 2012 season sophomores and juniors. After back-to-back NCAA titles for South Carolina and numerous defections to the professional ranks in ?11, the 2012 projected team may be a mini-view of the NCAA World Series next June. The defending champ Gamecocks landed pitcher Matt Price, who led the nation with 20 saves and kept USC in the running throughout the CWS with clutch relief appearances, on the first unit, along with starting ace Michael Roth (14-3, 1.06 earned run average, 112 strikeouts in a workhorse 145 innings pitched. Also off of Ray Tanner?s title crew is 1B Christian Walker,� a second team selection, after posting a .358 batting average with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs. First team All-America catcher Mike Zunino of Florida brings back NCAA team runner-up credentials and 2011 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year statistics ? 19 homers, 67 RBIs and a .371 average. Teammates first squad utility player Brian Johnson (8-3 pitching [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/14/ncbwa-2012-preseason-all-american-team/

NAIA Mens Basketball South Dakota State

A Big Win for Baylor: QB Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy

First Joe Paterno gets fired at Penn State. Then a team that finished second in its own division gets a bid to the national title game. Then a kid from Baylor wins the Heisman Trophy.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/11/a-big-win-for-baylor-qb-griffin-wins-heisman-trophy.htm

Ohio State Big East

UCF 2012 Baseball Schedule

Knights Set For 37 Home Games… UCF (Central Florida) is the final Conference USA school to release its 2012 college baseball schedule. The Knights play 21 of their first 24 games at home, beginning with a Feb. 17-19 series against Long Island. After a Feb. 22 midweek game at Florida, the Knights return home for a Feb. 24-26 three game series against Boston College. They host South Florida (USF) on Feb. 28 and then head to Daytona Beach for a game against Bethune-Cookman the next day. A March 2-4 three game home series against Siena is followed by a marquee two game set vs. Florida State March 6 & 7. UCF also hosts three game series against UMass and Harvard before visiting USF on March 20. Other notable non-conference action includes a game at Miami as well as home and home contests with both Florida Atlantic and Stetson. Conference USA play opens March 23-25 when the Knights host East Carolina. Other conference home series are against Alabama-Birmingham, Memphis and Rice. Conference road series are at Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, and Marshall.

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/15/ucf-2012-baseball-schedule/

NC State Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Games Worth Watching: Week 14

Well, it's almost over now, folks.

We are down to our last true Saturday of college football.

Sad, right?

Yeah, pretty sad.

But we must most forward, and we must carry on, and of course, we must take a look ahead to all of the games on the slate for this oh-so-important Week 14. And so that's exactly what we'll do right here, in this week's edition of Games Worth Watching.

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/12/02/games-worth-watching-week-14.htm

NCAA Womens Division I Basketball Sun Belt

Friday, December 16, 2011

Games Worth Watching: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

The Longhorns got the last laugh.

In what may well have been the last meeting Texas and Texas A&M--the rivalry is one of many that has been destroyed by the ever-unfolding conference realignment mayhem--it was Texas who came out on top last night in College Station. The 27-25 win, sealed by a 40-yard field goal from Justin Tucker, upped Texas' record to 7-4 on the year.

Perhaps more importantly, it gives the Longhorns in-state bragging rights. Like, forever.

A&M coach Mike Sherman, who may not be around to see his Aggies enter the SEC, called the loss "devastating." His players apparently agreed. Safety Trent Hunter told the Associated Press that players were in tears after the game; they did grasp, it seems, the enormity of this loss, and the fact that it will live on forever in Texas football lore.

"This is by far the most painful loss I've had since I've been here," Hunter told the AP. "It's one of those things that we're going to have to live with for a while since Texas and Texas A&M aren't playing again."

The game served as a dramatic kick-off to what figures to be a fantastic weekend of college football. It's a weekend we'll look at more closely here, in this Thanksgiving edition of Games Worth Watching.

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU (Friday, 2:30, CBS)
: Everyone is all in a tizzy, worried about What Happens Next if the Razorbacks somehow go into Death Valley and pull out a win. I'm not sure what the worrying is all about. Because the Razorbacks aren't going to go into Death Valley and pull out a win. Defense wins championships, and ain't nobody play defense like the Tigers. LSU 23, Arkansas 13

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan (Saturday, Noon, ABC):
OK, so it's not quite the standard that we've come to expect from this grand old rivalry series (still the best in the nation, by the way), but Ohio State-Michigan is still Ohio State-Michigan. Which means it's still worth watching. The Wolverines have been utterly transformed under the leadership of Brady Hoke, and a win here could propel them into the BCS. But they'd best be careful to not overlook the Buckeyes, a team that, in all honesty, is just one or two plays away from having eight wins instead of six. In the last game before Urban Meyer takes over in Columbus, the Buckeyes pull the upset in honor of Luke Fickell. Ohio State 17, Michigan 14

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin (Saturday, 3:30, ESPN): You have to give Penn State--players, and coaches--for getting to this point. With their world literally falling apart all around them, the Nittany Lions have clawed and fought their way to the brink of the Leaders Division title. But this bunch of fighters simply won't have enough firepower to compete with Russell Wilson and the Badgers. Not up in Madison. Look for the Nits to hang around for a quarter or two before Wisconsin pulls away late. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 10

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC): Basically, everything that Stanford was playing for was taken away with that humbling loss to Oregon two weeks back. The Cardinal looked sleepy and uninspired last week against Cal, and I expect more of the same this week against a dangerous Notre Dame team. Brian Kelly is going to deliver his breakthrough game eventually, right? Why not this week? Notre Dame 31, Stanford 30

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Source: http://collegefootball.about.com/b/2011/11/25/games-worth-watching-thanksgiving-weekend-edition.htm

Temple Arkansas