It’s only cheating if you get something out of it.

Shorter Louisville AD Tom Jurich:  Okay, sure, we got some info from that disgruntled Wake Forest staffer, but since Wake got wind of that and didn’t run any of the special plays he gave us, what’s the big deal?

Go deep, young man.

Stewart Mandel thinks there’s a chance Jacob Eason will get to show off that arm in the bowl game for two reasons:

The Dawgs struggled through a 7-5 season, but their much-hyped freshman starter performed admirably (55 percent completions, 2,266 yards, 14 TDs, eight INTs). I would not be surprised if coach Kirby Smart lets him cut it loose a bit more in the bowl than he would in an SEC game, especially given TCU has allowed more 30-plus yard passing plays (24) than all but 17 teams nationally.

I agree the Liberty Bowl is as good a time as any to go what the hell, but I’m not sure that phrase is in Kirby Smart’s coaching vocabulary, even with the tempting target the TCU secondary presents.

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“But we know them as jive turkeys.”

Looks like the importing of SEC-style recruiting tactics to the Big Ten has been a complete success.

“He said, ‘[I’ll keep this] short, sweet and to the point: I’m not leaving,’ ” Wolverines defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow said Tuesday of comments Harbaugh had made to the team (via MLive.com). “He said [the NFL rumors] are ‘lies made up by our enemies.’ ”

Harbaugh himself reiterated that language Tuesday at Michigan’s annual banquet. “A lot of this talk is coming from our enemies,” he said (via MLive.com). “From coaches who, and you know the names. You probably know the names of the top three that I’m referring to. They like to say [I’m leaving] to the media, they like to tell that to recruits and their families to try to manipulate them into going into another school besides Michigan.

Enemies!  A similar paranoiac style worked wonders for Richard Nixon.

Making recruiting services great again

Scout Media files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, thereby proving a limit exists on how much milking fans’ interest in teenagers’ decision-making process pays.

Today, in this is a real thing?

Al.com article asserts that Nick Saban has gained the commitment of a JUCO player at a “position of need”.  Evidently, I do not think that phrase means what I think it means.

A couple of new Lexicon entries, at your service

If you take a look, you’ll find Throwaway Season added to the list, as well as a related entry, Dantzlering, inspired by this tour de force.  The man’s a master; you have to give him that.

If you have any editorial suggestions, feel free to share.  I’m always willing to improve the product.

Oh, Canada?

It seems like we may be on the verge of watching an interesting controlled experiment.  With Junior off to run his own show in Boca Raton, Bruce Feldman reports that Coach O is zeroing in on Matt Canada as his new offensive coordinator.  Canada succeeded Jim Chaney at Pittsburgh when Chaney accepted Kirby Smart’s offer to run Georgia’s offense and did a good job last season.

Canada was the only offensive coordinator to make the finalists cut this year for the Broyles Award honoring the nation’s top assistant coach. The Panthers have compiled the highest season point total in school history (508). With a bowl game to go, the Panthers are averaging 42.3 points per game (10th in FBS), which would eclipse the all-time Pitt record of 40.7 set in 1904. The Panthers also improved their scoring output by more than 14 points per game from last year. Pitt is the only Power 5 team in the nation to score at least 28 points in every game this season.

Under Canada, the Panthers led the nation in red-zone touchdown percentage (82.7%). His QB Nathan Peterman has a 26-6 TD-INT ratio and led the ACC in QB rating, topping Heisman winner Lamar Jackson as well as touted NFL prospects Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Brad Kaaya.

Note that if he takes the LSU gig, that will mark Canada’s sixth offensive coordinator job in eight years.  Prior to taking the Pitt job, Canada was let go by NC State.  So it’s fair to say his past is about as checkered as Chaney’s.

All of which brings me back to my original point.  Canada certainly took what Chaney left him at Pitt and improved on it.  LSU has averaged about four more points a game this season than has Georgia.  Does that gap widen in 2017, or not?

Why is Ohio State playing its 2017 season opener on a Thursday?

Quite simply, because what’s good for the Big Ten Network is good for the Big Ten.  At least that’s what they’re selling… er, telling themselves.

After all, when you’ve got Rutgers, who needs tradition?

A humble Lane Kiffin is not the Lane Kiffin America needs.

I mean, shit, where’s the fun in this?

He also thanked Alabama coach Nick Saban for giving him a chance when no one else would.

“I’m very grateful to Coach Saban,” Kiffin told reporters. “My phone was not ringing very much at the time after USC, and that was a very humbling experience after being let go there and to go through that process. You start calling a lot of people that don’t call you back all of a sudden, and you realize things about people.”

He also said, contrary to reports that suggest otherwise, he has a “great relationship” with Saban.

“As he says, I get my ass-chewings from time to time. I’ve learned to accept those. It’s been a great run,” Kiffin said.

Boe.  Ring.

I hope a few wins gets Junior’s head out of his humble ass, ’cause that ain’t gonna cut it.