Friday, December 16, 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

University of North Carolina ESPN

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

Ole Miss Northwestern

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.

...

Read Full Post

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

Pac-10 Georgia Tech

Thursday, December 15, 2011

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/

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/

UT San Jose State

San Diego State Baseball Headed To Big West

Aztecs To Begin Play In 2014… SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State athletic department announced Monday that the school has accepted an invitation to join the Big West Conference for 14 of its sports, including baseball, beginning with the 2013-14 academic year. The move comes six days after SDSU’s football program made the announcement that it would join the BIG EAST Conference. The Aztecs enter a league in the Big West that includes Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Pacific, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara. Hawai’i is set to also become a conference member in 2012-13. The Big West boasts 17 NCAA team national championships, including titles in men’s basketball, baseball and soccer and women’s volleyball and softball. SDSU will bring all of its teams with the exception of football, women’s crew, women’s lacrosse, women’s swimming and diving and women’s indoor track and field to the Big West. A majority of those sports will begin competition in the Big West in the 2013-14 academic year, except for water polo which will start participating in the spring of 2013, and men’s soccer which will open Big West play in the [...]

Source: http://collegebaseball360.com/2011/12/12/san-diego-state-baseball-headed-to-big-west/

Tulane Louisiana Tech

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/

Northwestern NAIA National Football