Monday morning buffet

No snow, federal holiday… things could be worse.

• Bobby Bowden wasn’t too keen on the coach/ambassador slot FSU offered him to clear the way for Jimbo Fisher to become head coach:  “It reminded me of Barney Fife. They gave him a gun, but they won’t let him put the bullet in there.”
• Regardless of whomever winds up starting at quarterback, Aaron Murray is pretty pumped about Georgia’s offense this season:  “We have an unbelievable offense for next season. You look at the offensive line; we have, like, seven or eight [players with starting experience].  The skill positions are unbelievable. It’s not going to be all on your shoulders. We have a great running game, two great young running backs. With that offensive line, we should put up some great numbers on the running game.”
• The sports media adapts – at least, the writers do.
• Jon Tenuta’s career arc begins to descend.
• Matt Melton does his annual SDPI thing, starting with the ACC.  Surprisingly, Georgia Tech wasn’t as dominant on offense, or as mediocre on defense as the common wisdom made the Jackets out to be.  But that Virginia offense was every bit as putrid as we thought.
• Earlier, I missed this quote from Terrence Cody on a college football playoff, but I take it he’s not a fan:  “That’s stupid,” Cody said earlier this week. “I don’t think there should be any playoff. Why should there be a playoff? I mean, in the NFL they’re getting paid to play off and stuff.”
• More antitrust logic from that bastion of clear thinking, Bleacher Report.  Dude, among several things you don’t get, the NCAA has nothing to do with the money from the D-1 football postseason.
• Trojan Football Analysis takes a look at Monte Kiffin’s defensive philosophy and draws this conclusion: “Bottom line I don’t expect a whole lot of change in terms of defensive schemes…but I do expect better results than the defensive debacles versus Oregon and Stanford in 2009.” Maybe so, but a quick look at Tennessee’s defensive stats last season don’t indicate that Monte had particularly great success against spread attacks.

Gone, but not… oh, never mind.

Amidst the announcement that Florida State is vacating 12 of Diddy’s football wins, comes word that the fan base has taken that news very, very hard.

… According to FSU, renewal of booster memberships is up 90 percent compared to early 2009, while monetary gifts have jumped 17 percent.

Florida State’s ticket office has reported an 80 percent increase in new sales and ticket renewals have skyrocketed. By this time last year, the ticket office had 423 renewals. This year, they have 2,327, a spike of 450 percent.

Tuesday brunch buffet

A few late morning nuggets for your viewing pleasure:

• Paying Mack Brown $5 million per year is “unseemly” in the eyes of some UT faculty members.
• What Zooker’s paying Paul Petrino to be his offensive coordinator next season will raise a few eyebrows.
• Jimbo Fisher sees some good in having been a coach-in-waiting.
• Gordon Gee reiterates his longstanding playoffs-over-my-dead-body position.
• Urban Meyer talks to Tyrone Nix.  Urban Meyer has known Tyrone Nix a long time.  But Urban Meyer hasn’t offered a job to Tyrone Nix, because nobody says “no” to Urban Meyer.
• This is as good a smackdown of political involvement in the D-1 football postseason as I’ve read.
• The Big Ten evidently is considering adding another school and a playoff game.

Thursday morning buffet

Believe it or not, there are other things going on in the college football world today.

• Louisville hasn’t spoken with Charlie Strong yet.  Phil Fulmer, on the other hand…
• Ari Fleischer has been, is and always will be a douchebag of the first order.  What the BCS sees in him I have no idea.
• Stewart Mandel says the Gator Bowl can invite a 6-6 FSU team to play this season in Bobby Bowden’s last game as head coach.  The Gator Bowl says the ACC had better believe that.
• What is it about schools that make them think they should get away with heavy-handed crap like this?
• Ivan Maisel interviews four SEC coaches about Alabama vs. Florida.  Their conclusion?  It’s all about Tebow, baby.
• Today’s “Jane, you ignorant slut” exchange:  Jerry makes the case for why Auburn is as worthy as any 7-5 SEC school to play in the Outback Bowl and cocknfire counterpunches.

Thursday morning buffet

Here are a few tempting morsels to whet your college football appetite.

• Aron White plays the “woulda, shoulda” card regarding the Florida game:  “My hat’s off to them because they’re a great team, but I don’t feel that they’re unbeatable by any means. I feel like if we’d have come and had a little more focus, we could have came out with a ‘W.’ ” Oy.
• The Locksley punch-out story gets stranger and stranger.
• So does the Slick-Rick-gets-ripped-on-Facebook story.
• What happens if Diddy picks Chuck Amato to succeed Mickey Andrews as the FSU defensive coordinator?  ‘Cause I’m betting that the Chest ain’t Jimbo’s first choice.  Or his fifty-third, for that matter.
• If this is accurate, shame on every D-1 school that’s turned Boise State down.
• If you haven’t seen this yet, take a minute and watch.   It’s pretty damned cool.
• Oh, puhleeze.
• Mark Richt channels his inner Vince Dooley with this classic quote about Tennessee Tech:  “Just looking at the film throughout the year, they might be the best-coached kick return team we’ve played…”
• Speaking of Mark Richt, Joe at Coaches Hot Seat Blog has some advice for him regarding strength and conditioning.

Bobby Bowden’s writing on the navel

This may go down as Diddy’s epitaph.

“Bobby Bowden refusin 2 step down is like when ur grandparents refuse 2 give up their car keys,” FSU superfan and former SI.com contributor Jenn Sterger tweeted Monday. “We luv u, just tired of u crashing into [stuff]!”

My friends, when you’ve lost Jenn Sterger, you’ve lost America.

Wednesday brunch buffet

A little later in the day, but just as tasty.

• Finebaum dissed Ole Miss.  Erik disses Finebaum.
• Speaking of Erik and Ole Miss, here’s his link to a new look for Coach Giggity.
• A reason for highway beautification laws in Georgia that have some teeth.
• Kiffin Kool-Aid has never tasted funnier.
• Tony Barnhart thinks it would be fairer for the NCAA to dock FSU a few scholarships than to take Diddy’s wins away.  I wonder if Jimbo Fisher shares Barnhart’s sentiments.
• David Hale handicaps the playing chances for the incoming freshman class at Georgia.
• Jon Solomon at the Birmingham News has some thoughtful changes to that “20 most powerful people in the SEC” list the Orlando Sentinel published.  Even including Michael Adams, it’s still an improvement.
• And one more list:  Bruce Feldman’s top ten players he wants to see in action this fall.

Thursday morning buffet

Rise and shine, campers.

• Big 12 athletic directors to Mountain West Conference:  take a hike, son.
• Doc Saturday takes a sympathetic look at Mark Richt’s career to date, and repeats Michael Elkon’s timing meme.
• At Wisconsin, loose Internet lips sink recruit’s ship.
• As you read the “yes” part to this point-counter point piece on the FSU appeal, ask yourself this – what is it exactly that Diddy Bowden does these days?
• The Doc says the Weis wash out in the Notre Dame media guide is overblown, since you can turn the page, but the author of the original story that made the rounds notes in a follow up that Weis’ record is treated differently in the media guide than other coaches at the school.
• It’s Alabama football bloggers versus Brian Cook, the Rematch.  Pass the popcorn, please.
• Man, Michael Adams’ $250K under the table deal with Jim Donnan still steams me more than a decade later, but even I’ve got to admit that Kansas State’s former athletic director makes Adams look like a piker with this arrangement.
• Trinton Sturdivant checks in.

Bobby Bowden unleashes the nickname defense.

If you need evidence that Diddy Bowden continues to creak along past his prime, read this sad quote (h/t The Wiz of Odds):

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said the NCAA’s intention to nullify some of his victories because of an academic cheating scandal is ”unfair” and said that the NCAA “might not like us because we didn’t change our name from Seminoles.”

That’s treading close to tinfoil hat territory.  What’s next – that Miles Brand is an alien from the tenth dimension who can’t stand the war chant?

The academic scandal is bad enough in and of itself.  But what Bowden is doing now guarantees that it’s going to remain a front and center distraction for his team this season.  That can’t be good.  And the more he harps on it, particularly with ludicrous protestations like this one, the more he makes it a bigger part of his legacy.

The topper is that it’s stupidly counterproductive.  Does Diddy think he’s made it more likely for the NCAA to reverse itself on appeal by accusing it of PC bias?

Wednesday morning buffet

Eat, read and be merry.

• When it comes to preserving Diddy’s career wins total, you can’t worry about little things like a budget crisis.
• Mitch Mustain is now the #3 quarterback on the USC roster, behind a true freshman.  Pete Carroll may think he’s going to “continue to battle his way up”, but I suspect momma’s got other plans.
• Gentlemen, your criteria suck.
• This is a disturbing trend that I hope the NCAA cracks down on somehow.  Seriously.
• We always thought they were math-challenged in Knoxville, so this isn’t too surprising.
• Arizona State has a 6 foot 8 inch true freshman quarterback?
• If you’re gonna diss Matt Stafford, at least get your facts straight (see first comment).