Although to little fanfare, the odds for the next college football national champion come out in mid-January, a week or so after the crystal football gets hoisted into the air. As you can see, betting on “futures” waits for no one, however, we prefer to wait at least until after spring ball wraps up to take a look.
According to Bodog, here are the current odds to win the next BCS title:
CONTINUED >>
At Florida, Oklahoma and Texas, they’ve got no worries about their quarterback. Nearly everywhere else in the country, however, there’s no shortage of quarterback questions. Here’s 20 that come to mind as spring practice has concluded at most schools around the nation.
Is there any tougher assignment than replacing Pat White at West Virginia? No matter what the circumstances -- unbalanced squad division or not -- how valuable is the confidence gained by Jarrett Brown after completing his first 15 passes in last Saturday’s Gold-Blue scrimmage?
CONTINUED >>
I didn’t get a chance to tune into the Georgia’s “G-Day Game” last Saturday. Since I was vacationing in Honolulu at the time, the telecast was on too early for me. Had it been on at a more convenient time, I probably would have passed on it anyway, in favor of dozens of other things. Having already seen hundreds of college football practices, I’m usually in no rush to take in another, especially on television.
I’m sure there were no shortage of viewers hungry to devour a slice of college football in April. And if that’s your situation, it’s hard to do any better than checking out what’s going in between the hedges.
CONTINUED >>
Ahh spring practice ... a time of so many questions ... and, in most cases, far fewer answers, even after the last scrimmage. Nowhere in the country is this more true than in the Big Ten, where question marks are as plentiful as mopeds in Madison. Here’s 20 to start with.
After watching Javon Ringer tote the rock seemingly a million times in his career -- 843 carries to be more exact -- what will Michigan State fans do when they don’t see No. 23 lined up in the backfield? Will spring practice produce any successors or will the Spartans have to wait until August to see if incoming freshmen Edwin Baker and Larry Caper pan out?
Although Kirk Ferentz has a host of other issues to sort out, who will be his new workhouse in the backfield now that another No. 23, Shonn Greene, no longer calls Iowa City home?
CONTINUED >>
When Larry Scott settles into his corner office in Walnut Creek, Calif., on July 1, and officially takes over as the Pacific-10 Conference commissioner, he’ll have several pressing football issues to tackle.
The current chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association certainly knows his way around sponsorship and broadcasting discussions. Hopefully, he knows a thing or two about football, which is the league’s biggest problem.
CONTINUED >>
Although very comfortable within the shrinking minority of those against a playoff in college football, we always try to maintain an open mind. And with that, this is the perfect week to take a look back at the 2008 season and see what it might have been like if college football had a “Sweet 16.”
In the “Extra Points” format, all 11 conference champions get an automatic bid. Yes, all 11. We wouldn’t want to get sued or be called to appear before a congressional committee. And what would “December Delirium” be without the Cal State Northridge and Binghamton of football?
CONTINUED >>
As if we didn’t already know, Bryce Brown got us up to speed at the beginning.
“It was like a roller-coaster,” said the hotshot running back from Wichita, Kan., referring to his recruiting ordeal that went into overtime.
CONTINUED >>
After spending the last three months looking mighty shaky tooling around Knoxville on a set of SEC training wheels, Lane Kiffin, the pugnacious new kid on the block, has finally found the comfort of the football field.
Tuesday’s opening of spring practice at Tennessee didn’t come a moment too soon for the 33-year-old rookie college head coach. Being able to talk about his Volunteers and how they are shaping up for the 2009 season will be a welcomed departure from what has been an undeniably ugly offseason.
CONTINUED >>
They’re like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston at the Oscars. While going about their own business at a crucial time of the year, everyone else wants to know what they think about each other. They won’t publicly divulge any thoughts, but you know that inside they also share in the obsession.
In this case, the obsession that is Oklahoma and Texas football.
CONTINUED >>
Poised to improve to a perfect 5-0 in bowl games -- if USC runs past Penn State, as expected -- the leadership of the Pac-10 Conference has the champagne on ice and the spin ready to go.
After a frustrating 2008 regular season that included a steady stream of Pac-10 bashing, the league can’t wait to stick out its chest and say that it’s as tough as it ever was.
Arizona kicked the good times off by winning its first bowl game in 10 years, beating BYU, 31-21, in the Las Vegas Bowl. California followed up with a 24-17 victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Emerald Bowl. Then, it was Oregon outscoring Oklahoma State, 42-31, in the Holiday Bowl and Oregon State pitching a 3-0 shutout at Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl.
Impressive, huh? Well ... not really.
CONTINUED >>
