Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September.
There's an unnerving, repetitive theme to the first four items in this week's FanHouse Walk -- lawyers. Maybe its just the offseason or an odd week, but they seem to be everywhere related to college football right now. Today's headliner finds Florida's Attorney General Bill McCollum threatening the NCAA and its president Myles Brand with a $1,000 fine or even jail time if it doesn't make public documents related to its confidential investigation into Florida State athletics.
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.
Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September.
You Can't Be Bad All of the Time -- First-year Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin has built up a tremendous amount of antagonism this offseason. There's nobody to blame but himself, of course, but sometimes you have to give the Devil his due. For all his transgressions, try not to read too much into the story that Tennessee has been witness to 11 player departures. Wherever possible in college athletics, you want to look out for the best interest of the athletes but healthy, successful coaching transitions at big-time football programs almost require a good dose of roster turnover. Whether he's handled it right is up for debate but the raw numbers themselves should not be an indictment of Kiffin.
Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September. Mr. BCS Goes To Washington -- Except I have a feeling Jimmy Stewart would find some way to rail against the BCS, however wrongheadedly. You see, the big word in the halls of Congress on Friday was "fair" but don't let that confuse you. While the Mountain West and certain members of Congress are using the fairness term to stoke public support, their real concern is about money.
March Madness is upon us, that magical time of the year when the lure of upsets and successful bracket picks drives the American public into a frenzy. Its good entertainment, good sport, and fun. Its also just about as horrible of a postseason model as one could possibly develop and call itself a 'championship'.
That statement smacks of heresy but there's much truth behind it. Calling an event exciting and worthwhile doesn't exclude it from an assessment that its also failing to fulfill its actual, you know, purpose. In that regard the NCAA tournament is hardly alone, but it has gained a remarkably ridiculous reputation as a great championship and used to browbeat other sports like college football that actually have superior championships.
The crystal football is here through at least January of 2015. Its not exactly the most shocking news around, but certainly a burr in the side of college football playoff advocates as the Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar bowls will remain with the BCS through 2014. This effectively shelves any possibility for a playoff until the 2014-2015 college football season at the earliest.
The agreement provides for at least one more BCS Championship Game at each of the four venues once the old agreement runs out after the 2009-10 season. This news, paired with the crossover from Fox Sports' woeful BCS coverage to ESPN/ABC after next season should perk up the BCS after a rough few years.
The Mountain West is mad as heck, and not gonna take it anymore. Or at least, that's their public face this week as Commissioner Craig Thompson has taken his grievances with the BCS to the halls of Congress. They've spent time lobbying various sympathetic representatives while calling the process 'rigged'.
All because Utah beat up on Alabama. It appears the Mountain West is after a guaranteed slot in the BCS (helloooo, BCS expansion) while threatening to go nuclear in Congress which would threaten the tax-exempt status of the various institutions. That is a bridge too far, and even sympathetic parties are publicly condemning the conference.
Traffic in South Florida delayed both schools team buses from arriving at the site of the BCS national title game on time as scheduled, a trivial tidbit to the season's final game you'd be excused for not knowing.
Oklahoma's record-setting offensive unit did eventually make it, but if you watched Florida's 24-14 win over the Sooners, you'd be excused for not knowing that either.
Because what took the field was trivial compared to the biblical 702-point offense that burned through the Big 12 and burned out scoreboards.
After a season in which they spent more time scoring in the 60s than Tiger Woods in his best week, Oklahoma's high-octane offense played like it had a pound of sugar in its gas tank, a herky-jerky rendering of a once prolific offense.
It was less like they were playing football and more like every member of the team had been simultaneously asked to recite the alphabet backwards. It was like watching Usain Bolt run the 100-meters only after twirling around enough to make himself dizzy.
And in the end it rendered 360 yards. Two interceptions. Fourteen measly points.
One awfully familiar feeling.
Another year, another bowl loss for Oklahoma. And it only seems to be getting worse.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
This is the big one, the final game of the 2008-2009 college football season between national powers Oklahoma and Florida. All week there's been grousing about the legitimacy of the BCS or lack thereof, whether this is even a championship game, blah blah blah.
Who cares! Its an incredible matchup between the most productive offense in modern college football history and one of the fastest teams in college football history. The last two Heisman Trophy winners -- Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and Florida moose of a man Tim Tebow -- will be on the field. We've got South vs. Southwest, two explosive offenses, at least one team that has shown it can play defense, all the bright lights and a truckload of expectations.
Our FanHouse BCS Championship Game Live Blog will commence at 8 PM ET. Be there. Chat application after the jump.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
Texas has just emerged victorious in a tensely fought Fiesta Bowl, 24-21. The Longhorns came back from a 21-17 last-minute deficit and scored a touchdown with just 16 seconds left, narrowly escaping defeat against much-doubted Ohio State. During the award ceremony, Texas coach Mack Brown had the following to say:
"I wasn't sure before, right now, in Friday morning I'm going to vote Texas No. 1 because I think this is the best team in the country"
No offense, Mack, but you barely got by Ohio State. Its a nice gesture to your team but its a little unfair to Oklahoma and Florida with the BCS Championship game yet unplayed. Amusingly, Brown will be bucking the Coaches Poll's agreement with the BCS to vote the BCS game winner at No. 1. Good luck getting that vote back next year.
I'm against a playoff in college football and have mixed feelings about the BCS, but would love to see the coaches' poll eliminated from the BCS. Brown's pending vote is part of the reason why. Add his opinion to the frenetic mix of discussionthatabounds about college football's method of determining its mythical champion.
Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September.
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.
Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, 
Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, 
March Madness is upon us, that magical time of the year when the lure of upsets and successful bracket picks drives the American public into a frenzy. Its good entertainment, good sport, and fun. Its also just about as horrible of a postseason model as one could possibly develop and call itself a 'championship'.
The crystal football is here through at least January of 2015. Its not exactly the most shocking news around, but certainly a burr in the side of college football playoff advocates as the 
The Mountain West is mad as heck, and not gonna take it anymore. Or at least, that's their public face this week as Commissioner 
Traffic in South Florida delayed both schools team buses from arriving at the site of the BCS national title game on time as scheduled, a trivial tidbit to the season's final game you'd be excused for not knowing.
