Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. commits to LSU

LSU picked up one of the nation's top rappers Monday evening when No Limit Souljah, Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr (aka: "Snoop Dogg"), of Oakland, California, gave Les Miles his verbal commitment."I committed about ten minutes ago at the Baton Rouge Rotary Club," Broadus said. "I love the school to the max, fo shizzle!"Broadus (6-5, 200, 4.4) is being recruited by LSU running backs coach Larry Porter."It wasn't a tough decision," Broadus said. "The way I looked at it is why wait if I know where I am going to go."It was a hands down easy decision for me." Broadus says that Miles was taken aback by his commitment."They are excited and I just wanted to get it over with because this was getting hectic," said the Souljah. "I wanted to be able to focus on my team this year and when I get to LSU focus on LSU.""Coach Miles said, what, what did you say," Broadus said imitating Miles' reaction. "His whole family was happy about it and I talked to all of them."Broadus is currently rated as the nation's No. 4 overall rapper. The California blue-chip playuh is a mid-term graduate and will be able to participate in spring camp of 200nizzle.

ESPN: Top 10 hated college football programs

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Ohio State, USC top targets of fans' ire

By Mark SchlabachESPN.com

The college football team fans love to hate? The discussion used to begin and end in South Bend. But Notre Dame's drop in the polls also has caused the Irish to drop in my rankings that are topped by college football's Public Enemy No. 1.

1. Ohio State. Many college football fans are hoping they don't have to watch the Buckeyes lose in the BCS championship game again. Most of those same fans only wish their teams had gotten there the last two seasons.

2. USC. No team has been as dominant during the last decade as the Trojans. A lot of fans wonder why the NCAA hasn't taken a closer look at how USC has done it.

3. Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish used to own the top spot on this list. Notre Dame used to win a lot more games, too.

4. Florida. The Gators don't get opposing fans' blood boiling as much as they used to -- like when former coach Steve Spurrier was taking jabs at many of his team's opponents. But many fans just can't believe quarterback Tim Tebow is really that good.

5. Oklahoma. The Sooners might be Ohio State Lite. Bob Stoops keeps getting his teams to BCS bowl games, but somehow keeps losing them.

6. Michigan. Add another fan base -- West Virginia -- to the growing allegiance of Wolverine haters.

7. Texas. Fans who hate the Longhorns are more envious than anything else. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the recruiting base, coaching salaries and tradition.

8. Alabama. Many college football fans are tired of hearing about Paul "Bear" Bryant. The Crimson Tide will never stop talking about him.

9. Miami. Coach Randy Shannon has gone a long way in cleaning up the Hurricanes' off-field image. Unfortunately, there was two decades' worth of garbage to clean up.

10. Tennessee. Unless you're a Volunteer fan, "Rocky Top" might sound like Sheryl Crow covering Guns N' Roses.

Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com.

Maybe it's the Oregon players that are ugly....

...and not the uniforms... Because they look fine to Deep South.

Ole Miss fans receive word that Jerrell Powe has been cleared by the SEC to play this season

Powe declared eligible at Ole Miss
By David Brandt
david.brandt@clarionledger.com

Ole Miss defensive lineman Jerrell Powe has been cleared by the Southeastern Conference to play football this season, ending an eligibility quest that lasted for more than three years.

Now 21 years old, Powe has been involved in a complicated struggle spanning two head coaches and countless twists and turns.But barring injury, Ole Miss should finally see the 6-foot-2, 340-pound defensive tackle in action on Aug. 30 against Memphis. Powe was not immediately available for comment.A university statement included the SEC’s reasoning for the decision:

“Under SEC legislation in place at the time of Mr. Powe’s initial enrollment at the University of Mississippi during the fall semester 2007, a partial qualifier may be deemed eligible after successfully completing an academic year in residence including fulfillment of NCAA progress toward degree requirements. The NCAA’s action of September 7, 2007 effectively made Mr. Powe a partial qualifier; therefore, based upon his academic record at the University of Mississippi he is deemed eligible under SEC Bylaws.”

Powe, who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, signed with the Rebels in 2005 following a standout career at Wayne County High School, but he did not meet the NCAA’s freshmen academic eligibility requirements.He tried again in 2006 to enroll at Ole Miss after attending Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy and taking correspondence courses, but the NCAA denied Powe eligibility because of questions regarding how much help he received while finishing the coursework needed for eligibility.Powe sued Ole Miss and the NCAA in the aftermath of the decision, but soon dropped the lawsuit, leaving school in an effort to figure out what to do next.He enrolled at Ole Miss in the fall of 2007, but was once again denied athletic eligibility by the NCAA because of more academic concerns.

In a strange twist, the NCAA ruled that Powe could still receive athletic financial aid, though he could not practice or play with the team.Powe attended classes this past year in Oxford, apparently satisfying his academic obligations in the eyes of the NCAA and SEC.“Jerrell has been a student at Ole Miss for the last year, and has met academic requirements as established by the NCAA and the University of Mississippi,” said Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that Jerrell will now become a student-athlete. It has been a long process and it is now time to move forward.”“We are excited that Jerrell is getting this opportunity and will be able to join the team for preseason practice,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said in the statement.

Along with academic questions, Ole Miss also had to prove that Powe’s legal bills were handled properly and within NCAA guidelines governing extra benefits for student-athletes. Neither the school or Powe’s family friend Joe Barnett would immediately confirm how the bills were handled, but the SEC was apparently satisfied with the explanation.Now it’s time for the Rebels to see how much the highly touted defensive tackle can help on the field. He practiced three weeks with the team last August, briefly moving into the starting lineup before being ruled ineligible.Still, Powe hasn’t played in a real football game in nearly three seasons and coaches would like to see the massive lineman lose several pounds before the team’s first game.

If he’s ready to help, Powe’s addition could make the Rebel defensive line one of the best in the SEC. Ole Miss already has junior defensive lineman Greg Hardy, who led the conference with 10 sacks last season, and Peria Jerry, a senior defensive tackle who had 14 tackles for a loss last season.Preseason practice begins Aug. 4.

Not College. Just Awesome.

Georgia may be cruisin' for a bruis[ed] ego...

Georgia Bulldogs coping with national title buzz
By Associated Press Friday, July 25, 2008 http://www.bostonherald.com/ College Football
Photo by AP

HOOVER, Ala. — The Georgia Bulldogs were still celebrating a Sugar Bowl victory when the national title talk started.
A mere year in advance.

"That’s too long to be chewing on that bone," protested Bulldogs coach Mark Richt Thursday at Southeastern Conference media days.
Sorry, coach. It’s your turn.

Judging by preseason — and postseason — buzz, Georgia might just be the best bet to bring the powerhouse SEC a third straight national championship and a fourth since 2003.
Two big reasons: Stars such as tailback Knowshon Moreno and quarterback Matthew Stafford among 17 returning starters. A runner-up finish to LSU in January, capped by a blowout Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii.

The challenges, which Richt rattles off much more readily: Road games at Arizona State, defending champ LSU and Auburn. A grudge match with Florida, which won the national title two years ago but lost to the Bulldogs last season.

[Considering how the SEC coaches don't even pick UGA to play in the SEC Championship Game - a game you have to play in and WIN to play for the National Title, UGA is being set up (and setting itself up) to fall very hard. LSU fans are very prepared to be happy with a 2-3 loss season. If UGA doesn't make it to the SECCG, they will play in the Sugar Bowl again AT BEST. While that result would be a huge success for LSU fans, it would be horrible for the UGA faithful. Many have UGA beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. - DeepSouth]

Brother Against Brother: The Top Intrastate College Football Rivalries in the Country

http://www.fanblogs.com/ncaa/007641.php

Last week we took a look at the top interstate rivalries in CFB [http://www.fanblogs.com/ncaa/007623.php], but this week, we take a look at the fight for state supremacy, bragging rights over your friends and family for the next 365 days. Rivalries between states are a little easier--all you need are two good teams and a border! But rivals within the state are a different matter. Most states don't have two well qualified teams to make any one's discerning list, states like Ohio, Illinois, Louisiana, and Arkansas, among many. Yet others have too many, the big states like California, Texas, and Florida. The results from compiling this list were either feast or famine, but as promised, here's your smorgasbord.

We're going to use a little different format to rank the rivalries this time. In the interstate rivalries, I used a matrix based on teams' historic rankings in relation to all-time winning percentage, strength of schedule, and national championships. I tried the same formula with this poll, but the results came out eerily similar to another thread earlier in the year looking at the best duo of teams coming from one state.

This ranking of intrastate rivalries will have subjective rankings assigned in each of five different categories. Each category will rate from 1-5, with 5 being the highest mark. The totals will then determine the winners. Other basic criteria that must be met: Division 1-A (FBS) teams with a minimum of 50 games played in the series.

Here are the categories:
Competitiveness of the rivalry--this will separate the close ones from the blowouts. Most intrastate rivalries aren't really that close.

Duration of the rivalry--how long they've been playing. The rivalries on this list can differ in age by over 50 years.

Historical Significance of the teams--similar to the standard used for interstate rivalries. Most of these teams will be historical top 25 programs.

What's at Stake--the fallout from the meeting. Teams that are in the same division and/or conference are going to have more on the line with the match up than teams that are not or teams that no longer play on a regular basis.

Bitterness--Ahhh...What turns a rivalry into Good Old-Fashioned Hate. No further explanation required...

And here are the results, with the leading team in the series listed first, then the scores for each category in order, with the total, followed by my comments. For teams who's scores are tied, I have broken any ties with my own subjective preference.

15) Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, 1-5-3-3-3--- 15 points. The most lopsided rivalry on the list. The Cowboys' weak historical standing doesn't help either.

14) Notre Dame-Purdue, 2-4-4-2-3--- 15 points. Dominance by the Irish and no conference crown at stake against an Independent hurts this one.

13) Virginia Tech-Virginia, 4-4-2-3-3--- 16 points. They've played this one close for a while. Certainly helps that they're both in the Coastal Division of the ACC now.

12) Ole Miss-Mississippi State, 3-4-2-3-4--- 16 points. They like to tee it up in the Magnolia State, but there's usually nothing at stake in the SEC west other than pride--and a little Egg...

11) Clemson-South Carolina, 2-5-2-3-4--- 16 points. They played this one in Columbia for the first 60 years or so. Didn't matter. Clemson dominates this one. And it's been a while since they were conference foes.

10) Penn State-Pittsburgh, 4-5-3-2-3--- 17 points. One of the classics for so long, but they haven't played this century, which kills the stakes. Doesn't help that Penn State's in the Big 10(11) now either.

9) Florida-Florida State, 3-3-3-4-5--- 18 points. Not the longest rivalry out there, but the Gators gave the Noles a shot when the Noles were only about a decade into their program. Good thing. The game so nice, they played it twice--within a month to conclude the 1996 season.

8) Michigan-Michigan State, 2-5-4-3-4--- 18 points. One of the classics, but the Victors have been hailing this one for so long. Curiously, the only one of the Big 10(11) states to have a ranked rivalry between two conference teams.

7) Georgia-Georgia Tech, 3-5-4-3-4---19 points. The only two Division 1-A programs in the whole state. This series revolves around momentum, which comes in 4-8 year spurts. Hasn't come back around to Tech lately. It also doesn't help that these two haven't been in the same conference for 43 years.

6) California-Stanford, 4-5-3-4-3---19 points. One of the longest and closest rivalries--also helps that they play in the same conference. What else would you expect from the series that gave us the greatest play in CFB history in 1982?

5) Oregon-Oregon State, 4-5-4-3-4---20 points. These guys started playing immediately following the formation of their teams. They don't get a lot of press, but they have very quietly had one of best rivalries in the land for a very long time.

4) USC-UCLA, 3-4-5-5-4---21 points. The battle between the best two historic teams in the Golden State, who just happen to be cross-town rivals. The stakes are always high as UCLA can be a perfect stumbling block for USC's Rose Bowl's dreams.

3) Miami-FSU, 4-3-4-5-5---21 points. Again, small Miami gave fledgling FSU a chance years ago--a rivalry that has grown incredibly over the decades. It was the rivalry of the 1980s. It placed special emphasis on the kicking game. Curiously, not as hot as it once was now that the teams are both in the same conference, but a resurgence can't be far off.

2) Texas-Texas A+M, 2-5-5-5-5---22 points. One of the all-time best, and the longest rivalry on the list. Outsiders can't even imagine the joy and pain contained in this one. Would seriously challenge for number one except that the Aggies haven't traditionally held up their end of the bargain and won more games. You can't say they haven't tried, though.

And #1) Alabama-Auburn , 5-4-5-5-5---24 points. (you don't know how it hurts me to put them in that order) You may accuse me of being a total homer for ranking this rivalry number one, but there's more method here than madness. The only thing preventing this one from being perfect is the duration--these two teams went over 40 years from 1908 until 1948 without playing, due to many disputes. They were finally forced to play again by the Alabama State Legislature and then promptly made up for lost time.

This one ranks #1 because it's the closest of all the rivalries on the list (5 games) and features the best historic tandem of teams to come out of any state in the whole country. Sure, it gets top billing by many CFB experts, but it does not fail to live up to the hype. They say that upon birth in the state, you have to declare your allegiance--you take it from the cradle to the grave. I'm more like an adopted son, not being an Alabama native, but brother, let me tell you it's true.
So there you have it. You can see the rankings I gave for each category. I think you guys wanted to see a little subjectivity from me after all...If you disagree with any of the rankings, please back up your assertions with detail.

Posted by War Eagle Atlanta

This is Our Country

Does Spurrier think that he may not be the guy?!

HOOVER, Ala. — A year after South Carolina climbed into the top 10 but failed to finish strong, Steve Spurrier said a few more seasons of mediocrity would prompt him to let another coach try to finish the task of taking the Gamecocks to the SEC championship game.

On the day when USC was picked in its customary fourth-place position in the SEC East, Spurrier talked about the challenges of coaching at a school with one conference championship in its 114-year history.

“I knew it would be difficult. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be that much fun to try to do it,” Spurrier said Friday near the conclusion of SEC media days. “If it was easy, all them other coaches would have been winning at South Carolina.”

Spurrier, who won a national title at Florida and an ACC crown at Duke, said the Gamecocks need to have a couple of big seasons and break the stronghold the troika of Tennessee, Florida and Georgia has held on the East.

And for the first time since arriving in Columbia before the 2005 season, the 63-year-old Spurrier mentioned the possibility that someone else might be the man to do it.
“We need to win the division somewhere along the way. That’s the next step we need to take, or else, if that doesn’t happen in about five years then somebody else needs to try to do it because we’ve got a lot of good players,” Spurrier said. “That’s what coaching’s all about. If one guy doesn’t get it done in seven, eight years, something like that, give that next guy a chance.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/471787.html

College Football is a Circus

Florida picked by media to win SEC title

July 25, 2008 9:12 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Some might be surprised (I wasn't) to see Florida picked to win the SEC championship this season in voting by the media conducted at the SEC Media Days. The Gators were an overwhelming pick, too.

Auburn was the choice in the Western Division. Interestingly, defending national champion LSU only received one overall vote as league champion, the same as Tennessee and Ole Miss.

Below is the SEC's release on the preseason predictions as well as the media's All-SEC team:

The Florida Gators have been voted by the attending media at 2008 Southeastern Conference Football Media Days to capture the SEC football championship. The results were announced on the third and final day of the media days at the Wynfrey Hotel. The Gators were selected as Eastern Division champions while Auburn was selected to represent the Western Division.

Of the 70 members of the media who voted, Florida was named SEC Champion on 36 ballots, Georgia on 18, Auburn 13 and LSU, Tennessee and Ole Miss one each.
In the Eastern Division, Florida had 45 first-place votes, Georgia (23) and Tennessee (2). The Gators, Bulldogs and Volunteers were selected 1-2-3 in the Eastern Division followed by South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

In the Western Division, Auburn was named first place on 48 ballots, while LSU received 21 first place votes and Ole Miss 1. The predicted order of finish in the Western Division was Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas.

In the pre-season All-SEC Team voting, Auburn had nine representatives on the first and second teams while LSU had eight. Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina each had five players selected. Florida had the most first-team selections with five followed by LSU and Tennessee with four each.

There were no unanimous selections to the All-SEC Team. Florida linebacker wide receiver Percy Harvin was the leading vote-getter with 68 votes while Gator linebacker Brandon Spikes had 65 votes. Alabama offensive lineman Andre Smith, Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were named on 64 ballots.

The results of the balloting are listed below:

2008 SEC MEDIA DAYS PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM(#-Ties) (70 total voters / Total Votes in parenthesis)

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- OFFENSEPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Cornelius Ingram (56) Florida 6-4 223 Sr. Hawthorne, Fla.OL Andre Smith (64) Alabama 6-5 340 Jr. Birmingham, Ala.OL Michael Oher (64) Ole Miss 6-5 318 Sr. Memphis, Tenn.OL Anthony Parker (56) Tennessee 6-3 305 Sr. Jonesboro, Ga.OL Herman Johnson (45) LSU 6-7 351 Sr. Olla, La.C Jonathan Luigs (58) Arkansas 6-4 314 Sr. Little Rock, Ark.WR Percy Harvin (68) Florida 5-11 178 Jr. Virginia Beach, Va.WR Kenny McKinley (46) South Carolina 6-0 182 Sr. Mableton, Ga.QB Tim Tebow (64) Florida 6-3 232 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla.RB Knowshon Moreno (68) Georgia 5-11 207 So. Belford, N.J.RB Arian Foster (50) Tennessee 6-1 215 Sr. San Diego, Calif.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- OFFENSEPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Richard Dickson (9) LSU 6-3 237 Jr. Ocean Springs, Miss.OL Ciron Black (12) LSU 6-5 314 Jr. Tyler, TexasOL Tyronne Green (9) Auburn 6-2 307 Sr. Pensacola, Fla.OL Lee Ziemba (8) Auburn 6-8 288 So. Rogers, Ark.OL Garry Williams (8) Kentucky 6-3 300 Sr. Louisville, Ky.C Antoine Caldwell (10) Alabama 6-3 292 Sr. Montgomery, Ala.WR Mohamed Massaquoi (11) Georgia 6-2 198 Sr. Charlotte, N.C.WR Demetrius Byrd (9) LSU 6-2 195 Sr. Miami, Fla.QB Matthew Stafford (6) Georgia 6-3 237 Jr. Dallas, TexasRB Anthony Dixon (16) Mississippi State 6-1 240 Jr. Jackson, Miss.RB Ben Tate (2) Auburn 5-11 215 Jr. Newark, Md.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- DEFENSEPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Greg Hardy (53) Ole Miss 6-4 265 Jr. Millington, Tenn.DL Tyson Jackson (52) LSU 6-5 292 Sr. Edgard, La.DL Sen'Derrick Marks (45) Auburn 6-1 288 Jr. Mobile, Ala.LB Brandon Spikes (65) Florida 6-3 245 Jr. Shelby, N.C.LB Rico McCoy (46) Tennessee 6-1 215 Jr. Washington, D.C.LB Jasper Brinkley (41) South Carolina 6-2 275 Sr. Thomson, Ga.LB #Darry Beckwith (40) LSU 6-1 232 Sr. Baton Rouge, La.LB #Dannell Ellerbe (40) Georgia 6-1 232 Sr. Hamlet, N.C.DB Derek Pegues (60) Mississippi State 5-10 196 Sr. Batesville, Miss.DB Eric Berry (56) Tennessee 5-11 195 So. Fairburn, Ga.DB D.J. Moore (46) Vanderbilt 5-10 182 Jr. Spartanburg, S.C.DB Rashad Johnson (43) Alabama 6-0 187 Sr. Sulligent, Ala.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- DEFENSEPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Ricky Jean-Francois (18) LSU 6-3 281 Jr. Miami, Fla.DL Antonio Coleman (10) Auburn 6-2 250 Jr. Mobile, Ala.DL Jeremy Jarmon (9) Kentucky 6-3 277 Jr. Collierville, Tenn.LB Tray Blackmon (17) Auburn 6-2 220 Jr. LaGrange, Ga.LB Rolando McClain (15) Alabama 6-4 255 So. Decatur, Ala.LB Eric Norwood (14) South Carolina 6-1 270 Jr. Acworth, Ga.LB Jamar Chaney (8) Mississippi State 6-1 236 Sr. Fort Pierce, Fla.DB Captain Munnerlyn (20) South Carolina 5-9 185 Jr. Mobile, Ala.DB Trevard Lindley (15) Kentucky 6-0 175 Jr. Hiram, Ga.DB Asher Allen (13) Georgia 5-10 198 Jr. Tucker, Ga.DB Jerraud Powers (12) Auburn 5-9 188 Jr. Decatur, Ala.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- SPECIAL TEAMSPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Colt David (41) LSU 5-9 175 Sr. Grapevine, TexasP Ryan Shoemaker (40) Auburn 6-0 192 So. Birmingham, Ala.RS Brandon James (35) Florida 5-6 179 Jr. St. Augustine, Fla.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- SPECIAL TEAMSPos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Wes Byrum (16) Auburn 6-1 209 So. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.P Ryan Succop (20) South Carolina 6-3 224 Sr. Hickory, N.C.RS Javier Arenas (20) Alabama 5-9 193 Jr. Tampa, Fla.

SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

SEC Champion - Florida (36), Georgia (18), Auburn (13), LSU (1), Tennessee(1), Ole Miss (1).

EASTERN DIVISION
1. Florida (45) 98
2. Georgia (23) 121
3. Tennessee (2) 222
4. South Carolina 266
5. Kentucky 356
6. Vanderbilt 407

WESTERN DIVISION
1. Auburn (48) 99
2. LSU (21) 12
3. Alabama 228
4. Mississippi State 299
5. Ole Miss (1) 338
6. Arkansas 386

All-SEC

EDSBS captures Nick Saban’s procession through SEC Media Days

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/

University of North Carolina Wrestling rising star

Sorry for the deviation from college football, but c'MON!... DS got this off SPORTSbyBROOKS.com

UNC Opponents Must Wrestle Long Wang
There’s really no humorous set-up to do it justice, so we’ll just go ahead and straight out tell you. Meet North Carolina wrestler Long Wang:

Long Wang is 5'9" and weighs in at 157lbs.

ESPN's Chris Low on LSU as "D-Line U"

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sec/0-1-64/Just-refer-to-LSU-as--D-Line-U-.html

July 23, 2008 8:58 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A few more tidbits from Day 1 at the SEC media days:

• LSU center Brett Helms had the perfect answer for how a team could lose a player the caliber of Glenn Dorsey and return the next season with perhaps the best defensive line in the country.
"I was talking to Glenn yesterday, and he was saying this is 'D-Line U.' That's what we call it now," Helms said. "For the past few years with Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten and some of those guys, we just keep reloading here."

The Tigers are loaded up front, all right. Junior defensive tackle Al Woods is projected as a top 10 pick in the 2009 NFL draft by ESPN's Todd McShay [Insider], and Woods isn't even a probable starter heading into the season.

• Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom joked that he won't miss Dorsey.
"If anybody else in this conference had lost Dorsey, they'd be in real trouble," Croom said. "LSU just puts another one in there."

Croom said Dorsey was one of three defensive linemen in his coaching career that he was truly afraid of going into a game.
The other two? Reggie White and Howie Long.
Some pretty heady company.

• Bobby Johnson has earned a dubious distinction at Vanderbilt. Entering his seventh season, Johnson is now the school's longest tenured coach since George MacIntyre, who coached the Commodores' last bowl team in 1982.
Johnson has guided the Commodores to 15 wins in the last three seasons, their best three-season win total since 1992-94.

"I remember in my first press conference, I think the very first day I was at Vanderbilt, some guy said, 'How long do you think you got before they fire you?' " Johnson recounted. "Really, he did. I said, 'I don't know.'

"The thing is that our coaching staff has invested a lot into this program. They've worked extremely hard. We want to see it be successful. We're hoping we can get it done. I think we made strides toward that. I think we were extremely close last year. A couple games go either way, and we're in a bowl."

The reality is that Vanderbilt may struggle this season when you look at everybody the Commodores lost, but 2009 could finally be the year they break their bowl drought.

This just in...Bubba Gump angry: Last call for brewskies at upcoming Aug. 30 Bama/Clemson clash to be at halftime.

Tide, Clemson expect $2 million payout from Georgia Dome game
Thursday, July 24, 2008
IAN R. RAPOPORT News staff writer

The University of Alabama and Clemson University are each expected to receive a payout of just less than $2 million for their season-opening game, according to contracts obtained Wednesday by The Birmingham News.

When the teams play Aug. 30 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome and on ABC Sports, they will split $3,832,060, the anticipated profits for the game. That equals roughly $1.9 million per team.
According to the contracts - obtained using a public records request - beer will also be available at the concessions stands. Sales will be cut off at halftime.

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1216887309187550.xml&coll=2

College Football is only a month away...

Brooks Melchior, DeepSouth's Sports Blog Role Model

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/

DeepSouth visits this site daily for good scoop. You should too. -DS

Les Miles Lands Low Blow on Old Pal Nick Saban

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/les-miles-lands-low-blow-on-old-pal-nick-saban-18946

You have to imagine that if Nick Saban and Les Miles hung out before the end of last season, their conversation eventually sounded like fantasy football league message board banter. (”So, Daunte over Brees, huh, Nick?” “Kiss my ring, son.”)

But now that Les has won his own title (and whipped up on ‘Bama in the process), he’s letting Saban have it. THE TIMES PICAYUNE reports Miles throwing completely unprovoked — albeit hysterical — barbs Alabama’s way during his Tiger Tour 2008 stop in New Orleans.

[…]he managed a quick slight of Alabama when discussing how tough it is to play in the Southeastern Conference and how the 2008 slate includes trips to Auburn and Florida as well as hosting Georgia.

There was no question the attendees still bask in last November’s victory over former LSU head coach and Tide boss Nick Saban, and Miles brought down the house when he urged the faithful “not to make too much of that game as it seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team,” referencing Alabama’s shocking subsequent loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

Click, click, buuuuuurn. Nothing says celebrating victory like looking back at those you vanquished and stomping on their faces just a little bit more.

But oddly, the below the belt jabs seem out of line for a guy like Miles, who, even in the face of being grilled about the Michigan job last season, somehow managed a “Have a nice day” in the direction of the media.

Then again, maybe Miles is just trying to downplay the Tide’s loss to the Warhawks. After all, if he wanted to really blow it out of proportion, he would have referenced 9/11 and World War II.

oh...fyi

'SHIP BLING! (dear God did I just write that?)

Gator fans wear jean shorts

A good blog: http://www.gatorswearjeanshorts.com/

Carson Palmer really, really hates Ohio State

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2008/07/carson-palmer-r.html

As Ohio State's Sept. 13 game at Southern California approaches, there naturally will be some trash talking as these two storied programs brace for what looms as a classic regular-season matchup between perennial Rose Bowl opponents.

But Carson Palmer may have taken it to the extreme in an interview last week with LA radio station KLAC. Palmer, after all, makes his living in Ohio as quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, and his remarks may make the home-state fans ultra-critical of USC's 2002 Heisman Trophy winner.

You can click here to hear Palmer's inflection and judge for yourself just how seriously he meant his mini-rant, but here's the gist what he said after being asked if he was cautious when talking about Ohio State football:

"I don't watch what I say. I cannot stand the Buckeyes, and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts . . . It's amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and (Ohio State coach Jim) Tressel and all the crap I gotta put up with being back there. I just can't wait for two years from now when SC comes to the 'Shoe and I get to hopefully, hopefully we'll have a home game that weekend and I can go up there and watch us pound on them in their own turf and kind of put all the talk to rest. Because I'm really getting sick of it and I just can't wait for this game to get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience LA and get an old-fashioned Pac-10 butt-whoopin' and go back to the Big Ten . . . I can't wait."

2008 LSU football camp for recruits. Expected attendance

Camp begins July 20, 2008

Recruits expected to attend:

Rivals 100:
#2 JaMarkus McFarland 5* #1 DT, TX
#4 Russell Shepard 5* #1 Dual-QB, TX (committed)
#6 Rueben Randle 5* #1 WR, LA
#13 Dre Kirkpatrick 5*, #1 CB, AL
#18 Chris Davenport 5* #4 DT, LA
#20 Darius Winston 5* #2 CB, AR
#21 Craig Loston 5* #1 S, TX
#25 Gabe Lynn 4* #3 CB, OK
#31 Andre Debose 4* #6 WR, FL
#39 Jarvis Jones 4* #4 OLB, GA
#43 Patrick Patterson 4* #8 WR, MS
#48 Kraig Appleton 4* #10 WR, IL
#52 Jon Bostic 4* #5 OLB, FL
#59 Christine Michael 4* #6 Rb, Tx
#64 Kevin Brent 4* #4 S, TX
#69 Sam Montgomery 4* WDE, SC
#74 Darren Myles 4* #5 S, GA
#83 Lamar Miller 4* #9 RB, FL
#90 Ray Ray Armstrong 4* #8 ATH, FL
#91 Janzen Jackson 4* #8 CB, LA (committed)
#100 Kendall Kelly 4* #15 WR, AL

Rivals 250:
#118 Xavier Su’a Filo 4* #10 OT, UT
#141 Chad Bumphis 4* #19 WR, MS
#143 Knile Davis 4* #13 Rb, TX
#146 Kenny Bell 4* #20 WR, LA
#168 Stavion Lowe 4* #12 OT, TX (committed)
#175 Michael Brockers 4* #8 SDE, TX (committed)
#184 Chris Williams 4* #10 ILB, TX
#199 Dyron Dye 4* #7 WDE, FL
#200 Darrington Sentimore 4* #22 DT, LA
#211 Michael Ford 4* #17 RB, LA (committed)

Unranked:
Randall Dent 3* #32 SDE, TX
Willie Ferrell 3* #23 ILB, FL (committed)
Cobi Hamilton 3* #61 WR, TX
Toben Opurum 3* #31 RB, TX
Deon Simon 3* #68 DT, LA
Josh Williford NR OL, AL
Richard Wilson 3* #9 TE, UT

Class of 2010
Lache Seastrunk RB, TX
Conner Wood QB, TX
Kurt Killens LB, TX
Trevon Reed WR/DB, LA