FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Lane Kiffin's Next Trick: Recruiting a Middle Schooler? Uh, Not Really http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/lane-kiffins-next-trick-recruiting-a-middle-schooler-uh-not/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/lane-kiffins-next-trick-recruiting-a-middle-schooler-uh-not/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/lane-kiffins-next-trick-recruiting-a-middle-schooler-uh-not/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Lane Kiffin at a 2008 Oakland Raiders rookie minicampIn case you're wondering, here is the complete list of outrageous things Lane Kiffin has not done since becoming head coach at Tennessee:

1. Paint himself orange and skydive naked into Bryant-Denny Stadium.
2. Ask what Urban Meyer has done that's so great.
3. Consult with the UT astronomy department to see whether the universe would be annihilated if his ego was ever in the same room as Bruce Pearl's.
4. Coach in, and win, a football game.

For a moment, I had to cross off "make an outrageous scholarship offer to a middle schooler" because, well, there were reports that he just did that. Evan Berry, 13-year-old son of former Vol running back James Berry and brother of current Vol Eric Berry, has officially committed to the Vols. Or so said Rivals.com and ESPN, sort of.

 

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]]> lane kiffinLaneKiffin Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-30T23:16:00 00:00 Rafael Nadal Out for Davis Cup Too http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/rafael-nadal-out-for-davis-cup-too/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/rafael-nadal-out-for-davis-cup-too/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/30/rafael-nadal-out-for-davis-cup-too/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Rafael Nadal in a match with Lleyton Hewit at the French Opent, June 18, 2009Just how hurt is Rafael Nadal, anyway? He's not defending his Wimbledon title because his knees weren't at 100 percent. Now Nadal has been left off of Spain's Davis Cup team for next month's matches.

Spanish coach Albert Costa says Nadal "is not well." This was obvious to anyone who watched his exhibition match with Stanislas Wawrinka, a match which Nadal lost. There is no real shame in losing to Warwrinka, who just gave Andy Murray all he could handle in one of Wimbledon's best matches this year. Nadal, however, is (as of now) the world's No. 1 ranked player and thus isn't supposed to lose to anybody.

Nadal is suffering from tendinitis of the knees. As anyone with tendinitis knows, it's slow to get better, and that's assuming it ever does, said the writer, three seconds before he shook out his aching hand. Will Nadal ever get better? And what if he doesn't?

 

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]]> rafael nadalRafaelNadalroger federerRogerFedererstanislas wawrinkaStanislasWawrinka Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-30T13:00:00 00:00 Bob Stoops, Pat Fitzgerald, Brian Kelly Get Contract Extensions http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/29/bob-stoops-pat-fitzgerald-brian-kelly-get-contract-extensions/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/29/bob-stoops-pat-fitzgerald-brian-kelly-get-contract-extensions/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/29/bob-stoops-pat-fitzgerald-brian-kelly-get-contract-extensions/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Bob StoopsIf there's a recession in college football, it has yet to reach the coaching ranks. Well, not the head-coaching ranks, anyway. In the past week, three head coaches, Bob Stoops, Pat Fitzgerald, and Brian Kelly, have signed contract extensions that will keep them at their present jobs for a while longer.

We start at Oklahoma, where Bob Stoops is now signed through the 2015 season. Despite several big-bowl bloopers, the people in and around the Oklahoma program are happy with their head coach, and who can blame them? In addition to the extension, Stoops also gets a $250,000 raise to $3.675 million a year, plus $700,000 each July if he remains at OU. If he doesn't stay, they are so defriending him.

 

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]]> bob stoopsBobStoopsbrian kellyBrianKellypat fitzgeraldPatFitzgerald Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-29T13:15:00 00:00 Minnesota Bans Alcohol From New Stadium, Including Suites http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/26/minnesota-bans-alcohol-from-new-stadium-including-suites/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/26/minnesota-bans-alcohol-from-new-stadium-including-suites/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/26/minnesota-bans-alcohol-from-new-stadium-including-suites/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 6. 2009.The University of Minnesota's Board of Regents has decided to go dry. The Board acted Wednesday to ban alcohol sales at all its on-campus venues, including the soon-to-open TCF Bank Stadium.

"Acted" might be a bit of stretch, actually. "Reacted" is closer to the truth, as the Minnesota State Legislature recently enacted a law mandating that if some fans would be able to buy alcohol at University sporting events, all fans of legal age had to be allowed to.

That seems like a silly law until you consider that the U of M planned to sell alcohol to people in TCF Bank Stadium's luxury boxes while making it unavailable in the cheap seats. I'm sure the Board had its reasons, but the Legislature stuck up for the little guy for once.

Of course, all this move does is correct a quirk that made the Metrodome (pictured) doubly unique among Big Ten football stadiums.

 

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]]> tim brewsterTimBrewster Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-26T17:00:00 00:00 Wisconsin Season Ticket Renewals Fall; Barry Alvarez Blames Economy http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/wisconsin-season-ticket-renewals-fall-barry-alvarez-blames-econ/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/wisconsin-season-ticket-renewals-fall-barry-alvarez-blames-econ/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/wisconsin-season-ticket-renewals-fall-barry-alvarez-blames-econ/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Barry Alvarez, former Wisconsin Badgers head football coach, during a 2005 game with North Carolina.Barry Alvarez (pictured right), the former head football coach and current athletic director at the University of Wisconsin, is definitely a glass-half-full guy. Most athletic directors would be sweating if their season ticket renewals fell from 99% of current ticket holders to 94% in a single season, which is what has happened, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

From the outside it might seem like the football team's recent squishiness might have something to do with this sudden dropoff in renewals. The Badgers have stepped back a bit every year under head coach Bret Bielema, with last year's squad barely breaking .500 and getting stomped flat by a toothless Florida State team, 42-13, in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Nope, says Alvarez. Taking a page from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign manual, he says it's the economy, stupid. That's why more than 3,000 season ticket holders aren't going to re-up to watch the 2009 Badgers.

 

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]]> barry alvarezBarryAlvarezbret bielemaBretBielema Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-25T16:50:00 00:00 Iowa Hawkeyes Among Those Saddened By Ed Thomas Shooting http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/iowa-hawkeyes-among-those-saddened-by-ed-thomas-shooting/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/iowa-hawkeyes-among-those-saddened-by-ed-thomas-shooting/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/iowa-hawkeyes-among-those-saddened-by-ed-thomas-shooting/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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A makeshift memorial to Aplington-Parkersburg (IA) High School footbal coach Ed Thomas, shot and killed on June 24, 2009. It's 111 miles from Iowa City to Parkersburg, Iowa, but sometimes the two places seem a lot closer. Today there's no distance whatsoever. Ed Thomas, legendary coach of the Aplington-Parkersburg High School Falcons, was shot and killed by one of his former players Wednesday morning.

While Thomas sent his players to a wide variety of colleges and other walks of life, the connections between Aplington-Parkersburg and the University of Iowa go deep. Countless Falcons have gone on to become Hawkeyes; several of those players have made the leap to the NFL. The list includes Green Bay's Aaron Kampman, Detroit's Jared DeVries, and Denver's Casey Wiegmann. That's not bad for a pair of towns whose population adds up to less than 3,000 people.

As might be expected, many of Coach Thomas's former players feel a great loss. Some of Thomas's best-known players have shared their feelings -- as best as they can -- with the world.

 

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]]> aaron kampmanbrad meestered thomasjared devries Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-24T22:00:00 00:00 Federer Keeps Rolling Toward Record 15th Major Title http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/federer-keeps-rolling-toward-record-15th-major-title/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/federer-keeps-rolling-toward-record-15th-major-title/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/06/24/federer-keeps-rolling-toward-record-15th-major-title/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Roger Federer celebrates his second-round victory at Wimbledon, June 24, 2009.Another day, another big pile of Euros: Roger Federer had little trouble beating Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at Wimbledon on Wednesday, dispatching the Spaniard in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Federer is through to the third round and still well on track to play for a record 15th major title. Federer currently shares the record of 14 majors with Pete Sampras.

Of course, in the internet age, there are always people who can see the cloud behind every silver lining. Reading message boards and article comments, it's clear that more than a few tennis fans feel that Federer should get an asterisk next to his record if he wins out at Wimbledon. Why? Because if he wins and sets the new record, he will not have beaten Rafael Nadal to do so. Since Nadal is the top-ranked player in the world, it would seem that any title which doesn't pass through him is tainted.

 

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]]> andy murrayAndyMurrayguillermo garcia-lopezGuillermoGarcia-lopezpete samprasPeteSamprasrafael nadalRafaelNadalroger federerRogerFederer Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-24T17:30:00 00:00 Troy Aikman Is Now a College Graduate http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/troy-aikman-is-now-a-college-graduate/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/troy-aikman-is-now-a-college-graduate/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/troy-aikman-is-now-a-college-graduate/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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OK, so maybe your cousin who's on the 12-year undergraduate plan isn't such a slacker after all. Former UCLA and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman finally graduated from UCLA on Saturday, more than two decades after he left for the NFL.

Aikman is already a member of the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. Though he is a native Californian, Aikman attended high school in Oklahoma and started out playing for Barry Switzer's Oklahoma Sooners. Aikman proved to be ill-suited for Switzer's run-oriented offense, however, and Switzer helped Aikman transfer to UCLA after he lost his starting job to Jamelle Holieway. At UCLA, Aikman won the 1988 Davey O'Brien Award.

 

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]]> barry switzerjamelle holiewaytroy aikman Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-15T10:16:00 00:00 Tennessee Has 187 Offers to 2010 Prospects But Can Only Sign 28 http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/tennessee-has-187-offers-to-2010-prospects-but-can-only-sign-28/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/tennessee-has-187-offers-to-2010-prospects-but-can-only-sign-28/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/tennessee-has-187-offers-to-2010-prospects-but-can-only-sign-28/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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When Houston Nutt signed 37 players to football scholarships at Ole Miss back in February, he knew several would not qualify academically. After all, the NCAA only allows a maximum of 25 scholarship players in any one recruiting class. Thus it was no surprise last week when SEC Commissioner Mike Slive told his coaches they would only be allowed to sign 28 prospects to letters of intent from now on.

This puts the Tennessee Volunteers in a bit of tight spot. The website Gridironstuds.com has counted up and found that Lane Kiffin (above) and his staff have already made scholarship offers to a few more prospects than that. And by "a few" I mean "a metric boatload." The Vols have 187 offers out there for the class of 2010.

Insert your own "doesn't Tennessee have a math department?" joke here. Kiffin went to Fresno State anyway. But what are the Vols going to do?

 

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]]> houston nuttHoustonNuttlane kiffinLaneKiffin Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-06-05T11:50:00 00:00 Paterno Wants Bigger Big Ten, But Says No Irish Need Apply http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/paterno-wants-bigger-big-ten-but-says-no-irish-need-apply/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/paterno-wants-bigger-big-ten-but-says-no-irish-need-apply/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/29/paterno-wants-bigger-big-ten-but-says-no-irish-need-apply/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Even though by Lord Voldemort Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has already shot down the idea, Penn State coach Joe Paterno still thinks the league should add a twelfth teams and a championship game. JoePa added a twist on Wednesday, saying who he doesn't want to see added to the conference: Notre Dame.

Stating the Irish have "had their chance," Paterno wants the league to look east, as in Big East. He recommends adding Syracuse, Pitt, or Rutgers to the conference. Paterno wants to see the Big Ten pick up the New York market, which would argue against Pitt. Rutgers has to like its chances in the Big East more than in in the Big Ten. As for Syracuse, well, at this point, you couldn't blame them if they decided to join Temple in the MAC. So there's no school out there that makes sense as a twelfth Big Ten Team, right?

 

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]]> jim delanyJimDelanyjoe paternoJoePaterno Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-29T11:55:00 00:00 In Minnesota, Much Ado About 55-0 http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/28/in-minnesota-much-ado-about-55-0/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/28/in-minnesota-much-ado-about-55-0/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/28/in-minnesota-much-ado-about-55-0/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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There's little chance it was anything more than a copy-editing oversight, but by gosh, Minnesota's 2009 spring football media guide happened to leave something out of the record--namely, the 55-0 loss to Iowa which closed the regular season. Granted, there are many reasons the Gophers might like to forget that game, but I've learned never to assume evil when plain old "durrrr" will suffice.

Of course, this is the internet age we're talking about, so naturally the matter has attracted attention. Specifically, it caught the attention of the Cedar Rapids Gazette's Mike Hlas, who notes that he remembers the game quite clearly. Also naturally, Hlas's calling attention to the matter caught the attention of the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Michael Rand, who knows it's all in jest but decides to take a swipe at the perceived one-way nature of the Iowa-Minnesota rivalry.

Read both Hlas's and Rand's posts, and you come to one conclusion.

 

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]]> Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-28T14:45:00 00:00 Remember the Fallen http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/25/remember-the-fallen/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/25/remember-the-fallen/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/25/remember-the-fallen/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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This Memorial Day you, the football fan, will probably have at least a passing thought or two about Pat Tillman (pictured right), the former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinals linebacker and safety. You know his story. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, he left a comfortable life to join the US Army's 2nd Ranger Battalion, was sent to Afghanistan, and died in a friendly fire incident, one of those horrible ripples of war.

We all thought Tillman was a hero when he walked away from NFL fame and money to serve his country. When he paid the ultimate price for placing himself in harm's way, we had no idea how to react. "Thank you" seems so weak in the face of such a sacrifice.

Tillman may be the most recent example of a football player trading gridiron glory for the unglamorous life of a soldier, but he's hardly the only one.

 

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]]> Bob KalsuDon Holledernile kinnickpat tillman Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-25T12:00:00 00:00 QB Robert Marve Chooses Purdue for Some Reason http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/marve-chooses-purdue-for-some-reason/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/marve-chooses-purdue-for-some-reason/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/marve-chooses-purdue-for-some-reason/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Okay, so Danny Hope isn't the only hope in West Lafayette, Ind., this spring. Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve (pictured at right) ended the speculation about his next address Thursday, confirming that he will transfer to Purdue for his final two seasons of eligibility. Marve will have to sit out this coming season but will be eligible in 2010 and 2011.

Marve was Florida's Mr. Football in 2006 but missed all of his freshman season due to a car accident. His numbers from 2008 were not stunning, and when Jacory Harris was named the starter, Marve decided he wanted out.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. Football players play football, and if Marve didn't want to stand around holding a clipboard, it's his right to walk away. Your head knows this and agrees with it. Your heart, however, is saying something like "Yeah, but ... Purdue?" O ye of little knowledge.

 

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]]> 2009 NCAA football transfers2009NcaaFootballTransfersbob grieseBobGriesedanny hopeDannyHopedrew breesDrewBreesgary danielsonGaryDanielsonjim everettJimEverettkyle ortonKyleOrtonlen dawsonLenDawsonrobert marveRobertMarve Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-21T23:48:00 00:00 Jim Delany: Big Ten's Lord Voldemort http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/jim-delany-the-big-tens-lord-voldemort/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/jim-delany-the-big-tens-lord-voldemort/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/jim-delany-the-big-tens-lord-voldemort/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Every sport needs a bad guy to keep the fans interested. Just ask Vince McMahon. Wait, don't. He can't hear you, he's on top of a 238-foot-high pile of $100 bills. So take my word for it. Sports are as much about who to root against as who to root for.

College football used to have a plethora of villains. When Steve Spurrier was at the height of his powers he had the two qualities most valued in a villain. He was arrogant and he was right. You never knew what he was going to say next, but you knew it was going to be a slam of one of his rivals. We won't even discuss some of his final scores.

Nowadays, however, everybody's just so doggone nice. (Okay, everybody outside the SEC.) There's one man, though, who might make a good hate sink for football fans. That's him in the picture.

 

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]]> BCScollege football playoffsCollegeFootballPlayoffsjim delanyJimDelany Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-21T15:27:00 00:00 Toledo Point Shaving Scandal Was Made Too Easy by NCAA Regulations http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/toledo-point-shaving-scandal-was-made-too-easy-by-ncaa-regulatio/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/toledo-point-shaving-scandal-was-made-too-easy-by-ncaa-regulatio/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/05/08/toledo-point-shaving-scandal-was-made-too-easy-by-ncaa-regulatio/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Nobody really wants to admit it, but gambling helps make sports popular. It's why practically all media outlets, including this one, make a point of providing all the point spreads they can find.

There comes a time, though, when the action on the game become bigger than the game itself. On Wednesday, six student athletes at the University of Toledo were indicted for taking part in a point shaving scheme allegedly masterminded by two Detroit-area gamblers. The 30-page indictment (PDF file) names two former Toledo football players and four former Toledo basketball players as part of the scheme but does not allege if any games were successfully "shaved."

The university maintains it knew nothing about any possible point shaving. That may be true, but the culture of college athletics made a scandal like this all but inevitable.

 

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]]> toledo basketball scandaltoledo football scandaltoledo point shaving scandalToledoBasketballScandalToledoFootballScandalToledoPointShavingScandal Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-05-08T18:00:00 00:00 Indiana Shuts Down Kellen Lewis http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/30/indiana-shuts-down-kellen-lewis/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/30/indiana-shuts-down-kellen-lewis/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/30/indiana-shuts-down-kellen-lewis/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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You can't win in college football without a few playmakers, and the Indiana Hoosiers just lost one of theirs. The team announced Wednesday that quarterback turned wide receiver Kellen Lewis is no longer part of the Hoosier football team. Lewis (right) was dismissed for the ever-classic "undisclosed violation of team rules."

This was not Kellen Lewis's first encounter with the UVOTR. He spent most of the past off-season under suspension as well, only to be reinstated just prior to fall practice. We didn't know what Lewis did back then, and we don't know what he did now, whether it was the same undisclosed violation, or a whole new one. It's clear, though, that IU's coaching staff had already lost a great deal of confidence in the one-time wunderkind.

 

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]]> bill lynchBillLynchkellen lewisKellenLewisundisclosed violationUndisclosedViolation Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-04-30T10:17:00 00:00 Can Big 12 Bounce Back After Getting Bowled Over in Postseason? http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/big-xii-looks-to-keep-the-ball-rolling/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/big-xii-looks-to-keep-the-ball-rolling/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/big-xii-looks-to-keep-the-ball-rolling/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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College Football Spring Storylines 2009 looks at the key developments and big news from spring ball.

The Big 12 stood up and challenged the SEC for the title of One Conference to Rule Them All in 2008. They didn't exactly succeed, but the conference gave us a lot of great football last season.

However, that was then and this is now. The postseason was not entirely successful for the conference, with a 4-3 overall record in bowl games. How will that carry over into this fall? Who's on the rise? Who's hitting the skids? We'll talk about the big stories after the jump.

 

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]]> big 12 footballBig XII footballBig12FootballBigXiiFootballbill snyderBillSnydercollege football spring storylines 2009CollegeFootballSpringStorylines2009colt mccoyColtMccoy Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-04-23T13:00:00 00:00 Spring Storylines Abound in Big Ten http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/17/spring-storylines-abound-in-big-ten-football/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/17/spring-storylines-abound-in-big-ten-football/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/17/spring-storylines-abound-in-big-ten-football/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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It's barely spring here in the Midwest but spring football is well under way, and there's abundant intrigue in the Big Ten conference. Coming off what seems like the 46th consecutive disappointing bowl season, including a Rose Bowl where Penn State's Daryll Clark (right) did his best but the Nittany Lions still couldn't beat Southern Cal, nobody will be expecting much from the conference or its teams when fall rolls around. Somebody has to win it, however, and now is when the jockeying for position really begins.

 

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]]> 2009 spring football2009SpringFootballbret bielemaBretBielemadanny hopeDannyHopedaryll clarkDaryllClarkeric deckerEricDeckergreg paulusGregPaulusisiah juice williamsisiah williamsIsiahJuiceWilliamsIsiahWilliamsjim tresselJimTresseljuice williamsJuiceWilliamsjustin sillerJustinSillerkellen lewisKellenLewismike kafkaMikeKafkaron zookRonZookterrelle pryorTerrellePryor Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-04-17T11:30:00 00:00 Clemson Assistants To Be Paid $1.8 Million; Thankfully, Not Each http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/03/clemson-assistants-to-be-paid-1-8-million-thankfully-not-each/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/03/clemson-assistants-to-be-paid-1-8-million-thankfully-not-each/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/04/03/clemson-assistants-to-be-paid-1-8-million-thankfully-not-each/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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There is, apparently, no recession in college football. Or, if there is, it has bypassed the South Carolina uplands. Now that Dabo Swinney (right) has had his training wheels taken off, it's time for the rest of the staff to get paid accordingly. And oh boy, are they going to. Clemson will pony up $1.8 million for Dabo Swinney's staff next season.

That's staggering, even if the ACC still trails the SEC in the coaching staff arms race. Last season, only 25 of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams paid their head coaches $1.8 million or more. Thus, as ridiculous as head coach salaries have become, the staff adds the equivalent of yet another head coach to the overall operating expenses.

You can complain all you want, but (a) it won't do you any good, and (b) there's a very good reason why these schools will pay a staff so much.

 

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]]> dabo swinneyDaboSwinneyfootball coach salariesFootballCoachSalarieskevin steeleKevinSteeleNCAA coaching salariesNcaaCoachingSalaries Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-04-03T11:37:00 00:00 Greetings From Flyover Country, Where the Football Hasn't Quite Thawed Out Yet http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/30/greetings-from-flyover-country-where-the-football-hasnt-quite/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/30/greetings-from-flyover-country-where-the-football-hasnt-quite/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/30/greetings-from-flyover-country-where-the-football-hasnt-quite/#comments Mark Hastyby Mark Hasty

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Hey, it's always football season at FanHouse. Welcome to "Greetings From Flyover Country," a new weekly feature that will keep you up to date on Big Ten, Big 12, and MAC football. We'll also cover any Midwestern stories which have national repercussions, along with rounding up the week's arrests and suspensions.

We start this week with a decision bound to have people from San Ysidro to Bangor scratching their heads. Please give a moment's thought to the worst aspect of the last postseason. While the Big 12 championship was settled on the field, the Big 12 South championship wasn't. Instead, the conference gave the division title to Oklahoma, because they use the BCS rankings as a tiebreaker.

 

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]]> adrian claybornAdrianClayborndan hawkinsdezmon briscoeDezmonBriscoeduane bennettDuaneBennettedward brittonEdwardBrittongreetings from flyover countryGreetingsFromFlyoverCountryjamal greenJamalGreenkellen lewisKellenLewisoklahomaterrelle pryorTerrellePryor Mark Hasty mark-hasty 2009-03-30T10:15:00 00:00