WVU owes a certain former coach a big thank you today

The college football dominoes continued to fall today as word came that West Virginia University would be joining the Big 12.  There is not a whole lot coming out of Morgantown right now, so we cannot confirm nor deny whether WVU plans to have any ceremony honoring the man who without all this would be possible... Former head coach Rich Rodriguez.  Yes, as much as Mountaineer fans and alumni may hate to hear that, they owe their pardon from conference purgatory to a man who is reviled in their state.  Scanning various social media outlets today the rhetoric coming from the WVU faithful has largely centered around their success over the last decade, including two BCS bowl wins, all this of course under Rodriguez.  The facts are that conference realignment has centered around football and the efforts of Rodriguez made WVU an asset that was valuable enough for the Big 12 to justify bringing in and feeling good about.  So as you breathe a sigh of relief today after being plucked from the junk pile that is the Big East perhaps you will swallow some of that lingering bitterness from the day RichRod bolted to Ann Arbor and realize that without him, this probably is not possible.

Occupy Movement: Sports Edition

Occupy my Twitter @MiniVanGundy

The occupy movement that started on wall street and has become a global phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down.  It is just a matter if time before it sweeps over the sports landscape. Taking that into account we give you a list of movements that should or are likely to happen... 

LSU fans should occupy honey badger's whereabouts to make sure he is eligible to play against Bama

Tim Tebow should occupy quarters 1-3

The Dolphins should be glad they continued to occupy the loss column #suckforluck

Donovan McNabb should occupy retirement.

If Peyton Manning wants to make sure the Colts aren't in position to draft Andrew Luck he should occupy the offensive coordinator duties

Tashard Choice should no longer occupy a roster spot for the Cowboys

West Virginia head coach Dana Holgerson should occupy the barbershop after occupying a Bill Murray Kingpin costume for Halloween.

Roddy White should be prepared for opposing fans to occupy Rodney chants.

For his postgame press conferences Ron Washington should occupy a jacket that isn't three sizes too big for him.

Tony Larussa should occupy a megaphone.

New SEC shirts for Texas A and M

According to AggielandOutfitters.com the grass really is greener on the SEC side for the Aggies.

Looking ahead, brighter future, Ohio State or Michigan?

Even the most diehard Ohio State fan has to accept the fact that the resignation of Jim Tressel is going to be a detriment to their program, at least in the short-term. The real question on their minds has to be if they can continue to exert their decade long dominance over their hated rival Michigan. Ohio State really is catching a break here after the Rich Rodriguez debacle, as Michigan found itself in an identity crisis that they never could seem to get out of (not to mention they had absolutely no talent on defense.) The good news for Michigan is that they acted decisively, got rid of Rich-Rod and with any new coach at a big program; they should be able to ride some good momentum early in recruiting. The problem for the Wolverines is that it is going to take some time for Hoke to get his guys in and reverse the damage done by the previous regime. Sanctions or not, Ohio State still carries a lot of clout, and anything short of the death penalty (do you really think the most powerful man in college football Jim Delaney, would let that happen to one of his schools?), will have a minor impact on their ability to bring in talent in the form of players and new coaches. This week’s developments certainly have narrowed the gap between the two rivals, but Michigan still has a long way to go.

Available for rent: the story of the 2010 Auburn Tigers

Congratulations to the Auburn Tigers on winning the BCS National Championship over the Oregon Ducks tonight. Available now to rent is the story of their epic season.



Just make sure you return it on time, the penalties are pretty severe, just ask USC.

Cam Newton's Report Card

With speculation swirling that multiple Auburn players may have had grades changed and in part maintained their eligibility for Monday night's BCS championship game, we have obtained the report card for Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and it seems that he did pretty good this semester:



Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary there does it?

With Rich Rod gone what's next for Denard Robinson

With today's news that Michigan has decided to relieve Rich Rodriguez of his head coaching duties, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg hits the nail right on the head when he says:

No Michigan player is impacted more than Rodriguez's firing than [Denard] Robinson

With that in mind we examine a few options that might be a better fit for Shoelaces, should he decide to move on.

5. Washington Huskies-Could bring the athletic element to quarterback that the Huskies have enjoyed with Jake Locker, plus could see a boost in his development at quarterback under Steve Sarkisian.

4. LSU Tigers-In their losses this season LSU was done in by inconsistent play at quarterback, Robinson's ability to extend plays and freelance would fit in nicely with Les Miles mad hatter philosophy.

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers-Nebraska's offensive success this season can be mostly attributed to the athleticism of Taylor Martinez, Robinson would fit in nicely where he had the option to run first.

2. Oregon Ducks-The Ducks philosophy seems to be, put the best athletes all over the field and see if you can catch us, Robinson would bring the same element to the quarterback position that the Ducks have enjoyed this season with Darron Thomas and his predecessor Jeremiah Masoli.

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Would be a match made in heaven, Robinson would bring the same athletic element to the triple option attack that Josh Nesbitt has, with one exception, he is a better thrower.

For Sale: Sugar Bowl MVP Trophy

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor picked up some more hardware at the Sugar Bowl tonight and it sure didn't take long to hit the open market.
Once he receives his ring from the Sugar Bowl you can be sure that will be up for auction as well.

Terrelle Pryor is coming back... at least according to Jim Tressel

According to Ohio State Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel, quarterback Terrelle Pryor will be back in a Buckeyes uniform next season.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Tressel said Thursday that he told the players they "have to make any decision based on the future" before the team left for New Orleans. He said that "it wouldn't be fair if someone was able to participate" and then leave for the NFL.

Pretty interesting stuff, no word if Tressel made Pryor promise to get his Buckeyes tatoo removed in case he goes back on his word.

If the college football playoffs started this weekend

Let's take a look at the final BCS standings and see what kind of matchups we might see if we were going to do the sensible thing and have a playoff in college football... you know since we might want to know who the best team is.

#16 Alabama at #1 Auburn: Why would anyone want to see a rematch of these two fierce rivals?

#15 Nevada at #2 Oregon: The Duck better be ready to do more pushups.

#14 Oklahoma State at #3 TCU: Classic matchup of great offense vs. great defense.

#13 Virginia Tech at #4 Stanford: Guess BCS got it right since these two are playing in the Orange Bowl.

#12 Missouri at #5 Wisconsin: Wisconsin might be playing as good as any team in the country right now, so let's give them a month and half off.

#11 Boise State at #6 Ohio State: After the comments by Ohio State's prez, why would this game even need to be played?

#10 LSU at #7 Oklahoma: Sooners fans have got to be more excited for the UConn matchup right.

#9 Michigan State at #8 Arkansas: Since Michigan State's Capital One Bowl matchup vs. Alabama is going to get such good ratings, why would we want to see this game.

Will we see a 100 point game in college football this weekend?

TCU takes on New Mexico this weekend in what is their final chance to impress pollsters and the BCS computers. New Mexico is 1-10 on the season and shouldn't pose even a minor challenge to the Horned Frogs on Saturday. The question is, if (and when) TCU gets the chance to run up the score on the Lobos, what score will they name? TCU has to score some serious style points to maintain their slim BCS lead over Boise State, ensuring they will be the ones to slide into the championship game should Auburn or Oregon stumble on Friday. New Mexico has allowed under 30 points in a game only once this season and were beaten by the Ducks 72-0. This might be the perfect storm of ugliness, and do not be surprised to see Andy Dalton and the rest of the starters in the game late throwing the ball around. Not saying it is likely but the century mark is definitely possible.

TCU Is Right Where They Need To Be

In the wake of TCU's dismantling of Utah this weekend, the question that came to mind is, is TCU worthy of playing in the national championship game? While that question will not be answered until the final BCS standing are released, TCU has to feel very good about their chances. Utah was to TCU what Virginia Tech was to Boise State. The Horned Frogs only now need to guard against total indifference to win their final two games and coach Gary Patterson's squad could very well find themselves ascending to the top 2 in the rankings. As we have found out over the past few seasons and as Auburn coach Gene Chizik put in his press conference addressing the latest allegations against Cam Newton, every week is big in the SEC. Georgia certainly will be no pushover this weekend, and a trip to Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl could easily unravel Auburn's season amidst all the headlines concerning their star quarterback. Throw in a trip to Atlanta to face South Carolina (who gave Auburn all they could handle the first time around) or Florida, and TCU could find themselves in Glendale.

Oregon not scared of the aura of Monte Kiffin

When you listen to the college football talking heads discuss this weekend’s Oregon vs. USC matchup, you will hear them put Oregon on upset alert because USC is three points away from being undefeated. Take a closer look and USC should be on pride alert. USC has given up over 30 points in three games this season something Oregon has more than doubled three times. Like it or not USC fans, but since Carroll left town the Pac-10 has gone back to it’s old ways, that is score first, score again then if we have enough time, play defense later, and the Oregon Ducks seem like the team best equipped to play that strategy to perfection and a national championship berth. Monte Kiffin is one of the greatest defensive minds of our time, however, this season has not been the greatest sample of his work. It would appear on paper that USC does not have the defense to stop Oregon, meaning this game could have shootout written all over it, my money is on the Ducks.

The Boise State question not being asked

Boise State gets another chance to impress the coaches and pollsters tonight as they get Tuesday night all to themselves in a game vs. Louisiana Tech. At this point it has to be pretty obvious to Broncos supporters that they will most likely end up on the outside looking in, with the computers likely to hand the championship berth to Auburn, Michigan State or Missouri (provided they finish undefeated). Utah and TCU would have worthy arguments as well, especially TCU who would boast a win over Oregon State (along with Boise State), a win over a team likely ranked in Top 10 at the time (Utah), and would have done it in a Mountain West Conference which I think most would argue is tougher than the WAC, however neither team’s chances are likely. Many are suggesting that the fix is in to keep Boise State out of the championship game, and asking what will happen if Boise State gets left out? I think the more interesting question that nobody seems to be asking is what happens if Boise State gets in? What happens if Auburn, Michigan State or Missouri (teams from traditional power conferences and with tougher schedules than Boise State) gets passed over for the Broncos? What will happen if an outsider is able to successfully manipulate and play the system (designed to keep teams like Boise State on the outside looking in) against the powers-that-be? Could that be the catalyst to finally push for a playoff? Could it finally be what we have been hoping for?

CFB Primer: Dan Kilbridge of Spartantailgate.com helps us preview Michigan State vs. Michigan

Coming off of their 34-24 win vs. Wisconsin last week, Michigan State has another huge Big Ten battle this weekend as they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Heisman favorite Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines. We had a chance to catch up with Dan Kilbridge of Spartantailgate.com to preview this weekend's matchup.

MVG: Obviously there are a couple of big storylines surrounding this game, let’s start with the one from the Spartan perspective, Coach Dantonio, how much has his absence and subsequent guarantee to make it to Ann Arbor on Saturday served as motivation for the team?

DK: I think it’s safe to say Dantonio’s health situation has provided some motivation for the Spartans coming off a 34-24 win over Wisconsin. Not that they need any extra motivation before a game like this, but let’s face it – Dantonio speaking to his players from the hospital via speakerphone after the game is straight out of a Disney movie. MSU’s head coach has been involved in practice all week and says he will be in the coaches’ box Saturday in Ann Arbor. You can bet that will be in the back of the players mind come kickoff.

MVG: Now from the Wolverine perspective, Denard Robinson has been arguably the best player in college football to this point, Clay and White for Wisconsin were able to get some yards on the ground for Wisconsin last week, how much concern is there for what Robinson might be able to do?

DK: It depends on who you ask. Some Spartan fans have worn their fingernails thin this week worrying about the Wolverines’ electric quarterback, others seem sure Greg Jones will decapitate the Heisman front-runner before halftime. The biggest concern is that MSU hasn’t faced anyone close to Robinson so far this season and there won’t be much carry-over from an excellent defensive effort against Wisconsin, considering the vast difference between the two offenses. I’m sure Robinson will have some big gains Saturday, but he hasn’t faced a defense nearly as good as MSU’s through five games. If the Spartans stay disciplined and make tackles, they should bring the sophomore down to earth a little bit.

MVG: By that same token with the production the Spartans have gotten so far this season from Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell, are your guys kind of licking their chops to face a team that is last in the conference in total defense?

DK: Not if you ask offensive coordinator Don Treadwell. Having taken over head coaching duties the past two games, he’s sure learned how to talk the part. Treadwell praised Michigan’s defense Thursday evening and said they rally to the football and tackle better than any team the Spartans have faced thus far. But the statistics don’t lie, and they tell us the Wolverines are giving up yards at an alarming pace, specifically in the secondary. This game has traditionally been decided on the ground, something which bodes well for MSU in this installment. Baker and Bell will be big factors, considering how well they’ve run the ball this season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was not as consistent early this season, but has come on strong the past three games. That means the Spartans have tremendous balance on offense, averaging 460 yards per game. They want to prove they can do even better against their in-state rival and its woeful defense.

MVG: The wild card in this situation could be that this will be the first real road game for Michigan State, how do you think the players will handle the hostile environment?

DK: It’s not easy to win in the Big House, something the Spartans know all too well having lost eight straight games there until winning in 2008. In my opinion, strong leadership is one of the biggest keys to playing well on the road. It takes a lot mental toughness, something which stems from top. Luckily, the Spartans have tremendous leadership and chemistry under Dantonio, as well as players like Cousins and Jones. MSU has been using simulated crowd noise in practice all week to prepare for the crowd of over 110,000. It may take a series or two for MSU’s offense to get acclimated, but shouldn’t play too much of a factor down the stretch.

MVG: Last question, did you hear about the Michigan State fan in Detroit who has postponed getting a pacemaker installed so he can watch the game on Saturday? What do you think Coach Dantonio would say to this guy?

DK: I did see that and I think Dantonio would say the same thing I would. You’re crazy. But this is Michigan week, with both teams 5-0 and ranked in the Top 25. This is one of the greatest rivalries in college football and this particular game is the most anticipated matchup in over a decade. Dantonio wouldn’t miss it for the world. So, can you really blame this guy?

Dan Kilbridge covers football for Spartantailgate.com; you can follow him on Twitter @MSUDanK.

College Football-Street Fighter 2 Edition

If your childhood was anything like mine, you spent a good portion of it playing Street Fighter 2 and watching college football, and in typical George Costanza fashion I’ve decided to combine two of the joys of my life into the ultimate by examining which college football teams correspond the best with Street Fighter 2 characters.

Ryu-Alabama

The best of the best, the champion; can finish you off with devastating combinations (see Ingram, Mark and Richardson, Trent) or throw fireballs when they need to.

E. Honda-Georgia Tech

Not intimidating at first glance, but can do a lot of damage by doing one move over and over again (Triple Option=100 hand slap).



Tell me this isn't annoying

Blanka-Oregon

Quick, electric, devastating offense if executed properly and you never know what color they are going to come out wearing (remember if you held down B you could make Blanka turn purple?).

Guile-USC

Cocky, confident, All-American. They are better than you and they know it and they always make sure they look good beating you (Editor’s Note: could apply to Miami as well but USC has been the better team as of late, Reggie Bush scandal notwithstanding).

Ken-Ohio State

Always a solid choice, however you are never 100 percent comfortable when you pick them. They try to model themselves after Ryu, however, they always will be second choice.

Chun Li-Oklahoma

Devastating offense, has everything you are looking for, however in crucial spots seems to have trouble playing with the big boys.

Zangief-Nebraska

Blue Collar, tough, not the quickest but if they get they’re hands on you, you are in a world of hurt.



Dhalsim-Boise State

Tries to beat you by stretching the field and throwing fireballs, but have you ever met anyone who really considers them a contender for the throne?

Balrog-LSU

Prizefighter, and one of the bosses of the game. They can pack a real punch, however in recent memory seems to have been done in by a limited offense.

Vega-Texas Tech (Mike Leach era)

High flying offense that if executed properly will do a lot of damage, however, when push comes to shove they do not like to get hit.

Sagat-Florida

The former champion, has lost a step but still can pound you. The scar on their chest is a painful reminder of the beating that Ryu (Alabama) gave them.




M. Bison-Notre Dame

Smug, arrogant, everyone is always gunning for them. Their time is over, yet they are unable to accept it.



Who are you going to choose?

Man puts off surgery to watch game

A Detroit man has postponed surgery to install a pacemaker so he can watch the Michigan State vs. Michigan game this weekend.

Major Hester deferred the procedure scheduled for Thursday until next week, after Saturday's big showdown between No. 18 Michigan and No. 17 Michigan State in Ann Arbor.

The retired office supply clerk is a devout Spartans fan and he can't risk something going wrong on the operating table that would prevent him from seeing the game.

Considering the situation with Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio, it seems that watching Michigan State football is not the best thing for your health these days.