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/ Talking the Talk With Gus Johnson http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/talking-the-talk-with-gus-johnson/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/talking-the-talk-with-gus-johnson/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/talking-the-talk-with-gus-johnson/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Gus JohnsonWere it not for a small bit of friendly advice, the most excitable voice in college basketball might right now be the most excitable voice among masters candidates.

College basketball fans -- not to mention professors with sensitive ear drums -- have Scott Perry to thank for that.

"You know, [I] was getting ready to quit and go into coaching at the University of Detroit and go back to school, get my masters and coach basketball," says Gus Johnson, now one of college basketball's most recognizable voices and a March Madness mainstay. "Thank God Scott Perry [then director of player personnel with the Detroit Pistons] talked me out of it."

Gus Johnson, the announcer your cup of coffee would tune into if it felt a little sluggish in the morning, sitting quietly in a classroom? Maybe the day Tony Stewart teaches driver's ed.

 

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]]> gus johnson Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-25T17:00:00 00:00 Oregon Cheerleader Katelynn Johnson Hospitalized After Being Struck by Bottle http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/oregon-cheerleader-katelynn-johnson-hospitalized-after-being-str/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Oregon delivered the knockout blow to Arizona, but the Wildcats gave themselves a black eye Saturday night when a bottle thrown by someone in the crowd sent Ducks cheerleader Katelynn Johnson to the hospital in the chaotic aftermath of Oregon's 44-41 double-overtime win.

 

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]]> katelynn johnson Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-22T02:10:00 00:00 How's This for Improbable? Magic Miles Fails in the Clutch http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/hows-this-for-improbable-magic-miles-fails-in-the-clutch/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/hows-this-for-improbable-magic-miles-fails-in-the-clutch/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/hows-this-for-improbable-magic-miles-fails-in-the-clutch/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Les MilesThere are two kinds of odds in the world. There are those that most of us live by -- the 50-50 chance Jon or Kate are on any random television channel at any given time, or the 100 percent certainty that it will rain any day you're without an umbrella -- then there are those that Les Miles lives by.

For the LSU coach, whose seemingly never failed to convert a fourth down, there's a certainty to things.

Miles could play Russian Roulette with a cannon and still walk away in one piece. He could fall from an airplane and somehow land unscathed in Angelina Jolie's bedroom. And if the house always wins, that's only because the LSU coach decided not to play.

We're not sure how it's scientifically possible, but every bone in his body is in fact made from a rabbit's foot.

And yet then there was Saturday, when Miles' improbable good fortune turned into inexplicable confusion and a whole lot of standing around wondering what just happened in the Tigers' 25-23 loss to Ole Miss.

And that was just the players and coaching staff. Those who watched were even more stupefied.

(Video of the now most infamous finish of 2009 after the jump.)

 

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]]> jordan jeffersonles miles Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-21T19:30:00 00:00 Swinney Is Rock of Clemson Program http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/swinney-is-rock-of-clemson-program/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/swinney-is-rock-of-clemson-program/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/swinney-is-rock-of-clemson-program/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Even with 10 gallons of Gatorade - orange, naturally - dripping off him, and clad in a gray Clemson sweatshirt right out of George Costanza's wardrobe, Dabo Swinney may still have been the most neatly manicured man in Memorial Stadium.

Consider that a lesson about the unflappable nature of bookish Clemson coach. Not even a Gatorade ambush can stray so much as a hair from the coach's gameplan.

"This is just an extremely special day," Swinney said of the Tigers' 34-21 victory over Virginia, a win that came hours after they clinched the ACC's Atlantic Division, Clemson's first title of any sort since 1991.

It was a belated birthday present for Swinney, who turned 40 Friday and was serenaded with "Happy Birthday" by 77,000 purple-and-orange well-wishers, a going away gift for C.J. Spiller and Clemson's talented senior class, and something of an anniversary present for all involved.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-21T18:15:00 00:00 Patience Will Pay Off for Young Heels http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/patience-will-pay-off-for-young-tar-heels/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/patience-will-pay-off-for-young-tar-heels/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/patience-will-pay-off-for-young-tar-heels/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Roy WilliamsWhen Roy Williams was asked exactly where he felt his North Carolina team stood at this point in the season, he responded with the sort of enthusiasm usually reserved for a weekend with your mother-in-law.

And, being Roy Williams, it was in the form of an anecdote.

"I had a friend of mine tell me, Roy, you have more patience than anyone I've ever seen,'" the Tar Heel coach said. "So I looked at him and said, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'You haven't used any of it yet, so you've got it all stored up."

Now might be the appropriate time to start using a little.

In the Tar Heels first real test of the season against Ohio State, North Carolina opened with a Broadway worthy debut, pushing around Big Ten title hopeful Buckeyes on the way to a 77-73 victory-slash-statement.

At least for the first 39 minutes.

The remaining 60 seconds served precisely as a reminder as to why Job never picked up a clipboard.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-20T06:00:00 00:00 Wall Saves Wildcats in Kentucky Debut http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/wall-saves-wildcats-in-kentucky-debut/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/wall-saves-wildcats-in-kentucky-debut/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/wall-saves-wildcats-in-kentucky-debut/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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John WallWhen John Calipari accepted the Kentucky coaching job, he warned that there are no easy solutions in college basketball. At the time, it was like telling a state full of lottery winners about the value of sound investment strategies.

Thank Miami University for proving your point, Coach.

And thank John Wall for reminding Wildcats fans just why they were so darn excited in the first place.

Wall scored 19 points, including the biggest two of the season, a 15-foot jumper with less than a second left that lifted the No. 4 Wildcats to a 72-70 win over the Redhawks, narrowly avoiding the first major upset of the college basketball season.

 

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]]> john caliparijohn wall Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-16T21:45:00 00:00 Harrison Barnes Picks North Carolina http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/harrison-barnes-picks-north-carolina/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/harrison-barnes-picks-north-carolina/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/harrison-barnes-picks-north-carolina/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Once again, North Carolina beats Duke. And just about everybody else in the nation.

Harrison Barnes, the nation's top basketball recruit, selected the defending national champion Tar Heels over the Blue Devils, long rumored to be Barnes' fruont-runner, as well as UCLA, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State at a press conference at his high school in Ames, Iowa on Friday.

And if Barnes can play basketball half as well as he can draw out the suspense, Roy Williams is in for another banner year.

 

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]]> harrison barnes Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-13T16:24:00 00:00 Heisman Hopefuls Getting Stiff-Armed http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/heisman-hopefuls-getting-stiff-armed/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/heisman-hopefuls-getting-stiff-armed/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/12/heisman-hopefuls-getting-stiff-armed/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Heisman TophyThe official line on college football's most famous trophy is that the Heisman Trophy is given out to the most "outstanding college football player."

Even Bernie Madoff is wondering why their noses aren't growing.

If it ever was dedicated to the best player in football, that practice has long since ceased, instead going to college football's best publicized player. Year after year, the award is bestowed upon a quarterback or running back for one the nation's 10 best teams, the most visible positions on the most visible teams. Partially it's due to the insular nature of college football. How exactly the Heisman committee expects beat writers who spend all Saturday in a cocoon around the team they cover, to vote confidently on players they see only in highlights, is a mystery.

Partly it's due to the self-selecting nature of the positions. The best athletes tend to wind up at quarterback and running back.

But surely not every year.

So, to be sure we miss no one, here are four other candidates our writers think should be stiff-arm suggestions.



 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-12T16:34:00 00:00 In Big Ten, a Race Like No Other http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Tom IzzoFor a man who said goodbye to his 2009 team as reluctantly as a kid giving back a puppy, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo took the fastest possible route to this year's season kick-off.

He arrived in an Indy Car.

With the Final Four in Indianapolis, you don't exactly need your college lit professor to explain the symbolism of Izzo's Midnight Madness ride, (though the prof might help in search of the metaphor to describe what a 220-pound man wedged in a car the sized of a futon looks like). Then again, you might just consider it foreshadowing of a Big Ten race that'll be just as fierce as anything waged on the brickyard.

Please be sure to buckle up.

"I honestly see nine or 10 ... teams that could realistically win the league," Izzo said at the Big Ten media day. "Top to bottom, the league is the best it's been in a long time."

 

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]]> kalin lucasraymar morgantom izzo Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-10T19:37:00 00:00 In Big Ten, a Race Like No Other http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/in-big-ten-a-race-like-no-other/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Tom IzzoFor a man who said goodbye to his 2009 team as reluctantly as a kid giving back a puppy, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo took the fastest possible route to this year's season kick-off.

He arrived in an Indy Car.

With the Final Four in Indianapolis, you don't exactly need your college lit professor to explain the symbolism of Izzo's Midnight Madness ride, (though the prof might help in search of the metaphor to describe what a 220-pound man wedged in a car the sized of a futon looks like). Then again, you could consider it it foreshadowing of a Big Ten race that will be just as fierce and clustered as anything waged on the brickyard.

Please be sure to buckle up.

"I honestly see nine or 10 ... teams that could realistically win the league," Izzo said at the Big Ten media day. "Top to bottom, the league is the best it's been in a long time."

 

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]]> kalin lucasraymar morgantom izzo Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-10T19:37:00 00:00 Illini's Jordan Out for Two Games http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/illinis-jordan-suspended-for-two-games/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/illinis-jordan-suspended-for-two-games/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/illinis-jordan-suspended-for-two-games/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Jeff JordanIllinois junior Jeff Jordan announced his return to the Illini basketball team last month, but following an NCAA ruling Tuesday, it will be another two games before he finally suits up for Bruce Weber's team.

Jordan, the oldest son of former NBA great Michael Jordan, quit the team in June, but decided to return in October. During a compliance investigation, the NCAA found that he participated in an non-sanctioned basketball tournament and was ruled ineligible for the first two games. Weber said he believed the event was a 3-on-3 tournament.

 

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]]> jeff jordan Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-10T19:01:00 00:00 Oregon Reinstates LeGarrette Blount http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/oregon-reinstates-legarrette-blount/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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LeGarrette Blount'The Punch' wasn't a knockout after all.

Oregon reinstated running back LeGarrette Blount Monday afternoon, just more than two months after he was suspended for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout following the Ducks' Week 1 loss to the Broncos in Idaho.

"I'm grateful to Coach Kelly that he cares enough to offer me this second chance," Blount said in a statement released by the school. "Now it is up to me to prove to people that their lasting impressions of me are not what they saw in Boise."

Blount's suspension was originally announced to be for the season, but on Oct. 2, roughly a month after the Sept. 3 incident, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said that the running back might returning, pending the senior meeting several conditions.

 

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]]> legarrette blount Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-09T13:14:00 00:00 Time to Fall for Cinderella Hawkeyes http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/time-to-fall-for-cinderella-hawkeyes/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/time-to-fall-for-cinderella-hawkeyes/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/time-to-fall-for-cinderella-hawkeyes/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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IowaEven for Iowa, this was a tightrope walk on dental floss, Russian roulette with a double barrel shotgun, riding the demolition derby on a dirt bike.

Even for Iowa, the team that three times has trailed after the end of the third quarter only to rally, that has won games both with a touchdown and a blocked field goal as time expired, a team that must have a separate equipment truck just to haul all its rabbits' feet, this safely qualified as flirting with disaster.

Even for Iowa, Saturday's 42-24 win over Indiana safely qualifies as a comeback.

"Bottom line," said Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz, speaking awfully clearly for a man whilstling past the graveyard, "the guys are finding a way to get it done."

And when it was over, the backlash against the team everyone loves to bash came fast and furious . Even for Iowa.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-11-02T08:00:00 00:00 Stanford Takes Another Hit http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/29/stanford-takes-another-hit/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/29/stanford-takes-another-hit/ http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/29/stanford-takes-another-hit/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray HollomanJohnny DawkinsMore than two week before Stanford kicks off its season on the Friday the 13th, the Cardinal is already swimming in bad luck.

Head coach Johnny Dawkins suspended star sophomore Jeremy Green indefinitely late Wednesday night, citing unspecified team rule violations. The suspension comes just one week after the team's top freshman, Andy Brown, was lost to the season to an ACL tear.

The school provided no further information on the suspension or its possible length.

Equally unclear is how the Cardinal will replace Green's production.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-29T00:28:00 00:00 NCAA Rules Dez Bryant Out for Season http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-dez-bryant-out-for-season/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-dez-bryant-out-for-season/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/ncaa-rules-dez-bryant-out-for-season/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Dez BryantOklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant will not have his eligibility restored this season, the NCAA announced Tuesday night.

Bryant, a preseason All-American, was suspended four weeks ago by Oklahoma State after the school learned he had lied to the NCAA about a meeting with former NFL star Deion Sanders. The NCAA later ruled him ineligible Oct. 7.

"I made a mistake by not being entirely truthful when meeting with the NCAA," Bryant said in a statement at the time. I sincerely regret my mistake and apologize to my teammates, coaches, OSU fans and the NCAA."

Oklahoma State is appealing the ruling and expects a decision next week.

Bryant's eligibility will be restored by the NCAA next September, though the junior is expected to be among the first wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft.

 

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]]> Dez Bryant Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-27T21:24:00 00:00 Tidal Save Proves Alabama Still No. 1 http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/tidal-save-proves-alabama-still-no-1/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Terrence CodyFor Alabama, it came down to a physics problem.

In the last seconds of what suddenly became a white-knuckle 'Third Saturday' tilt, Terrence Cody, the Crimson Tide's city block of a nose tackle, punched through the Tennessee line and came face to foot with Vols' kicker Daniel Lincoln. All that was left to was to see whether something the weight of an upright piano could rise high enough into the air to bring down a 44-yard-field goal try.

So, when the would-be game-winning kick caromed off Cody's armpit, sealing Alabama's 12-10 win, the nose tackle ripped off his helmet with two hands and let loose a massive yelp that must have echoed from Tuscaloosa and Tuscany.

He hadn't just beaten Tennessee. He'd done a number on Isaac Newton too.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-24T20:41:00 00:00 Griese Apologizes for 'Taco' Joke http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/griese-apologizes-for-taco-joke/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/griese-apologizes-for-taco-joke/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/griese-apologizes-for-taco-joke/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Bob GrieseESPN football analyst Bob Griese apologized twice Saturday for a comment he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya during ESPN's telecast of Ohio State and Minnesota.

To promote Sunday's NASCAR race in Martinsville, ESPN displayed a graphic with the top five drivers in the points race. Color commentator Chris Spielman asked "Where's Montoya?"

"Out eating a taco," Griese responded.

If there was anything more remarkable than the tone-deaf nature of Griese's comments about the Colombian driver, it was that the remark was so audible, given how far Griese had just wedged his foot into his mouth.

 

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]]> bob griese Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-24T20:02:00 00:00 Big East Rivals Honor Jasper Howard http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/big-east-rivals-honor-slain-husky/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/big-east-rivals-honor-slain-husky/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/big-east-rivals-honor-slain-husky/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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Jasper HowardWest Virginia wore his number. Connecticut brought his jersey and helmet to the sideline. The Morgantown crowd roared in his honor and stood silent in his memory.

Six days after UConn cornerback Jasper Howard died from a stab wound suffered after a school dance, two Big East rivals kept his memory very much alive.

The Huskies played their heavy hearts out and paid tribute to Howard with everything except a win.

"I just feel empty,'' Connecticut coach Randy Edsall said. "The kids played their hearts out and did what we asked them to do. This is a special group of kids. We've got to take this and just learn how to play like this all the time.''

 

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]]> Jasper Howard Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-24T14:51:00 00:00 Week 8 College Football Chat http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/week-8-college-football-chat/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/week-8-college-football-chat/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/week-8-college-football-chat/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray HollomanThis is the college football week for those who like their baseball games as pitcher's duels, their bowl games in the snow, and want all their films starring Kirsten Dunst.

This isn't the week for those who like 'em ugly. Sexy matchups need not apply.

Only the Mountain West tilt between BYU and TCU, and the 24 vs. 25 battle of Oklahoma and Kansas pit ranked teams against each other.

But in college foootball every week matters. So join us in a live chat to discuss whether the Horned Frogs can mount a threat for the BCS title game, whether Dan Mullen can upset his former coach and take down the Gators, and where Alabama will live up to its No. 1 ranking in is "Third Saturday" tilt with Tennessee.

Live chat is after the jump.

 

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]]> Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-24T14:47:00 00:00 Test Time for Star Pupil Mullen http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/cue-the-cow-bells-as-meyer-faces-star-pupil/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/cue-the-cow-bells-as-meyer-faces-star-pupil/ http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/cue-the-cow-bells-as-meyer-faces-star-pupil/#comments Ray Hollomanby Ray Holloman

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In a sport known for its toughness, and at a school whose logo has a five o'clock shadow and a tougher-than-a-bar-brawl growl, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen seems almost out of place.

He smiles often, speaks in positives, and exudes nice-guy charisma to the point that you might expect him to have a beeper just in case an elderly woman needs help crossing a street somewhere in Starkville.

Were there not ample evidence to the contrary, it might be hard to believe he's the protégé of Urban Meyer, the brash Florida coach whom he'll face for the first time Saturday.

He is, generally speaking, a nice peg in a surly hole.

But for one night, Mullen, should be perfectly in character. No one was ever cut out for the role of student outsmarting the teacher quite like Meyer's former offensive coordindator.

 

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]]> dan mullen Ray Holloman ray-holloman 2009-10-24T14:00:00 00:00