Phil Steele’s stocking stuffers

Pass the Diet Mountain Dew – Mr. Steele has some new info up at his site.

First, he’s posted his strength of schedule rankings for 2007.  No matter how these lists are generated, Hawaii always seems to bring up the rear.  Georgia checks in at #41.

And here’s his Sugar Bowl analysis.  Check out what his computer projects about Hawaii’s rushing yardage.

Advertisement

Today’s recruiting story

… comes from an article in The Baltimore Sun about Maryland starting QB Chris Turner (about whom the only thing I previously knew was that his father was a drummer in the 80’s hair band Ratt).

In tracing the course of Turner’s journey to starter, the reporter notes that he was recruited by several schools besides Maryland, including Louisville.  Why didn’t he go to a school that was being touted as a national title contender?

… Turner picked the Terps over Louisville in part because his parents weren’t sure whether Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino (now at Arkansas after spending part of this season with the Atlanta Falcons) would be there long.

That was three years ago.  Imagine what kind of vibe Petrino is going to give off on the recruiting trail now.

It’s almost going to be too easy for guys like Fulmer, isn’t it?

“Those ratings will be a delicate negotiating point …”

It’s Christmas, so let’s stay in theme with a Notre Dame post.

As the saying (sorta) goes, money talks, crappy football doesn’t get watched.

… All told, numbers were off 40% from last year and are now half of their 2005 levels. In fact, ratings for NBC’s telecasts were half those of ABC’s college football games.

Will it get better soon?  Even Mike “I’ve never seen a football coach who isn’t doing a good job” Gottfried can’t say for sure.

… Nailing a fresh contract when Notre Dame football is struggling might save NBC some money. Yet more ratings-killing blowouts of the Fighting Irish can’t be ruled out. “The good news is that you have a whole lot of freshmen and sophomores who played coming back. But the bad news could be that they are all coming back” after their dismal season, says ESPN analyst and ex-University of Pittsburgh coach Mike Gottfried.

If the ratings stay in the toilet long enough, who knows?  Maybe Charlie Weis winds up being the coach that forces the Irish to join a conference because ND can’t afford to stay independent anymore.  It would be a helluva way to cement a legacy, that’s for sure.