Jim Tressel and his Ohio State football team broke NCAA rules when eight players accepted cash and tattoos worth $14,000 in exchange for jerseys and other Buckeyes memorabilia and although they were still allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl they will now be forced to sit out any chance at a bowl matchup next year.

The NCAA ruled on Tuesday that the college football team will be suspended from one year of Bowl play just as new head coach Urban Meyer begins to run the team.

At the heart of the issue was the fact that Jim Tressel heard about the violations in April 2010 but refused to report those players involved in the cash transactions.

While they were caught last December the Ohio State players were allowed to make a Sugar Bowl appearance if they agreed to serve suspensions to start the 2011 season.

Now with possibly one of the easiest schedules in the 2012 season and perhaps the best college football coach in Urban Meyer the team will be forced to tune in on national television to watch 2012 bowl games.

After hearing about the NCAA’s decision Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said:

“Had we known what (Tressel) knew, we would not have played those young men in that bowl game.”

Tressel has since left the team to take on a coaching role with the Indianapolis Colt and his attorney Gene March said of the ruling:

“He’s not going to appeal. He accepts the committee’s decision. That’s all there is to say.”

Before the decision was made Ohio State had instead offered to vacate the 2010 season, return their bowl money and be placed on a two year NCAA probation period. The school also said they would offer five less scholarships over the next three years, a plan that was ultimately shot down by governing officials at the NCAA.

After hearing of the NCAA decision Meyer said in a statement:

“It is still my goal to hire excellent coaches, recruit great student-athletes who want to be a part of this program and to win on and off the field,” while adding, “The NCAA penalties will serve as a reminder that the college experience does not include the behavior that led to these penalties.”

Do you think the NCAA made the right decision in taking away the teams chances at a bowl victory in 2012?

Ohio State Football Receives One-Year Bowl Ban is a post from: The Inquisitr

Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush on Tuesday compared the NCAA to the mafia because of the way they rule over the lives of college students.

Speaking at a congressional forum on college sports Rush said:

“I think they’re just one of the most vicious, most ruthless organizations ever created by mankind,” while adding, “I think you would compare the NCAA to Al Capone and to the Mafia.”

Firing back at his comments was NCAA spokesman Bob Williams who sent the following email response:

Congressman Rush obviously doesn’t know the NCAA … The NCAA and its member institutions provide over $2 billion per year in scholarships, financial assistance and academic support to student-athletes … second only to the federal government. Student-athlete success is our mission.”

Rush’s accusation came during a forum meant to examine “back-room deals, payoffs and scandals” in college sports. Rush made his comment after several parents of injured players came forward about bad treatment their children received because of NCAA policies.

Not everything was bad news for the NCAA as Shane Battier, a free agent who previously played with the Memphis Grizzlies hailed the NCAA for their recent decision to provide players with up to $2,000 in “spending money.”  Battier’s praise stopped at the spending money plan as he also criticized the NCAA for not fully securing the educational future of their players.

“Is that a game-changer? No. What is a game-changer? A game-changer is guaranteeing four-year scholarships. That’s a game-changer,” Battier said. “A game-changer is, `If you commit to our school, and you graduate, we will pay for any graduate degree that you would like to pursue.”

Do you agree with congressman Bobby Rush that the NCAA is run like a mafia type organization with complete control over everyone in their territory?

[image via ShutterStock]

Illinois Congressman Compares NCAA To Mafia is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ohio State is in trouble once again, this time with NCAA officials benching three Buckeyes players. Two of those players are already sitting out for taking cash and free tattoos over the summer and for accepting too much cash for very few summer job hours.

Under the NCAA’s new ruling leading rusher Dan Herron and top returning receiver DeVier Posey will not be permitted to play when the Buckeyes take on No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday.

Following the NCAA’s ruling Athletic Director Gene Smith said on Monday that there was no “systemic” problem at Ohio State, noting that the problem falls directly on the athletes, former coach Jim Tressel and a booster who has been banned from contacting players in any capacity.

According to Smith:

“These failures are individual failures: failures of individual athletes, and as you know unfortunately a previous coach, and a booster,” Smith said when asked if the latest violations will lead to more serious institutional charges of lack of control and failure to monitor from the NCAA. “So it’s not a systemic failure of compliance. I’m optimistic and I’m confident that we will not have those charges.”

Ohio State is hoping that Herron and Posey will be able to play after this coming weekend. Both players were serving five-game extensions.

Do you think the NCAA is taking Ohio State’s suspensions too far and making an example out of Ohio State to send a strong message about league violations or are they simply following the rules they’ve set forth for their players and coaches?

3 More Ohio State Buckeyes Benched By NCAA is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Associated Press released its latest Top 25 college football rankings following the first weekend’s worth of games.  Bowl Championship Series conference schools accounted for 23 of the top spots.  The Mountain West Conference’s Boise State and Texas Christian represent all the non-BCS schools with their No. 4 and No. 24 rankings, respectively.

The BCS conferences include the SEC, Big-10, ACC, Big-12, PAC-12 and Big East.

Oklahoma retained the No. 1 spot following its 47-14 victory over in-state opponent Tulsa on Saturday.  The Sooners garnered 32 of the possible 60 first-place votes.  OU will have a bye this week before traveling to Tallahassee to take on No. 5 Florida State on September 17.

LSU impressed the AP voters with its 40-27 romp over last season’s BCS championship runner-up Oregon.  So much so that the Bayou Bangles leapfrogged fellow SEC West powerhouse Alabama to take the No. 2 ranking from the Crimson Tide; dropping Bama to No. 3.  Alabama will have a chance to move back in front of LSU this weekend with a match-up against No. 23 Penn State.

Boise State, who will have the best opportunity for crashing the BCS party once again this year, opened up its season with an impressive 35-21 victory over the SEC’s Georgia in Atlanta.  The Broncos will have an uphill battle throughout the rest of the season in regards to impressing AP voters.  Boise State’s schedule lacks any further games against BCS schools, and its top remaining opponent, TCU, lost its opener to unranked Baylor to kickoff the season last Thursday.

Rounding out the AP’s Top 10 is Stanford (No. 6), Texas A&M (No. 7), Wisconsin (No. 8), Oklahoma State (No. 9) and Nebraska (No. 10).

BCS Schools Dominate Latest College Football Rankings is a post from: The Inquisitr

How would you feel if you were punished by a former employer and then took a new job where that new employer continued your punishment? That’s exactly what happened to Indianapolis Colts game-day consultant Jim Tressel when the team decided to suspend his position based off his Ohio State University investigation.

The announcement comes after Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was suspended from the Raiders for five-games in place of the suspension he would have served had he stayed with Ohio State for his senior year.

Colts president Bill Polian released the following statement regarding Tressel’s suspension:

After the announcement of Coach Jim Tressel’s agreement to join the Colts as a game day consultant, questions were raised with respect to the equity of his appointment as opposed to suspensions being served this season by present and former Ohio State players.

Over the weekend Coach Tressel, Mr. Irsay (team ownerJim Irsay), Coach (Jim) Caldwell and I had a discussion of the issue. In addition, we had a conversation with league officials to apprise them of the details of Coach Tressel’s employment and the issues we were reviewing.

At Coach Tressel’s suggestion, and with Mr. Irsay’s concurrence and support, we have decided to begin Coach Tressel’s employment effective with our seventh regular season game. We have informed the league office of our decision and expect that they will be supportive of it.

We are very happy Coach Tressel will be joining us.

Tressel and his players were ordered to serve a five game suspension after admitting they failed to notify the NCAA that several Buckeyes had received improper benefits in 2010.

When he returns to the team Tressel will play the role of a video replay analyst for the Colts, a position that will now start on Week 7.

Given the NFL’s need for college football the move is a smart decision by the Colts and should help their relationship with the NCAA moving forward.

Do you think it’s right for the Indianapolis Colts to punish Tressel with his college league suspension?

Jim Tressel Given Five Game De Facto Suspension By Indianapolis Colts is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NCAA handed down its first sanctions in response to the Miami booster catastrophe that was uncovered earlier this month.  The first ruling is in regard to the 12 current Hurricane players who had connections to defamed UM booster Nevin Shapiro and his NCAA rule-breaking escapades involving Miami football and basketball players from 2002-2010.

According to the NCAA, all 12 players will be allowed to play again after paying various forms of restitution for their dealings with Shapiro.  Of those 12 players, eight will be suspended for at least one game.

The harshest penalties were handed down to three players – defensive lineman Oliver Vernon, safety Ray Ray Armstrong and tight end Dyron Dye – for accepting gifts from Shapiro while being recruited.  Vernon will miss six games, while Armstrong and Dye will sit out four games.  In addition, Vernon will have to repay more than $1,200 for benefits received before being reinstated.  Armstrong’s restitution will cost him $788 and Dye will have to pay back $738 for their extra benefits.

Quarterback Jacory Harris, along with fellow starters Sean Spence, Travis Benjamin, Marcus Forston and Adewale Ojomo, will be suspended from playing in the Canes’ opening match-up against ACC foe Maryland and must make restitution for accepting benefits from Shapiro after enrolling at UM.

Four other players were not suspended from any games – as long as they repay amounts totaling less than $100 each for their connection with Shapiro.

The ruling handed down Tuesday will most likely be first of many possible sanctions against the Hurricanes as the NCAA continues its investigation of Miami’s compliance practices and association with Shapiro.  Shapiro stated in an interview from jail that he provided benefits to 72 Miami football and basketball players in an eight-year span.

No ruling has been announced regarding current Miami basketball player DeQuan Jones and his possible infractions in dealing with Shapiro.

NCAA Suspends Eight Miami Hurricanes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Let me start this by saying that the alleged amateur college football industry in the Untied States is as much to blame for this mess, as the corrupt agents, and foolish players who decide to indulge themselves. Right now a college athlete has no means to make any money honestly and that is an issue and we will see it played out school after school.

For now the University of Miami is the one caught in the headlights as a Yahoo reporter has found an interesting cat already serving 20 years in federal prison. Apparently he has been a very bad boy. Former Hurricane and current Chicago Bears return man Devin Hester got a sweet pair of rims in exchange for an engagement ring. Current Denver Broncos LB DJ Williams got cash and a trip to Miami for his mom. Of course the big kicker here is New England Patriots Vince Wilfork who got a 50k lump sum payment while he was a junior.

Again, the players are virtually denied of any opportunity to earn legit money, so they turn to guys like this. Especially Wilfork who lost both his parents while he was attending Miami. It is pretty hard to fault these guys for turning to illegal means, when legal means are denied them. The players earn no money from playing, sure they get an education, but that does not give them day to day money to deal with expenses as they pop up. The football team takes up so much of their time having a job on the side is simply not an option, and highly regulated by the NCAA.

The Miami Hurricanes football program finds a scandal of its own is a post from: The Inquisitr

It looks like we are seeing the Big 12 conference crumble right before our eyes. They have already lost Colorado to the Pac 10 (12), and Nebraska to the Big Ten (12). It looks like Texas A&M will be the next school to leave when they eventually decide to go to the SEC. That would give that conference 13 teams, and I think we will really start to see the dominoes tumble. There are some reports that Missouri could also leave the Big 12 and become SEC team #14. Either way I think it is very likely we will one day soon see four or five super conferences in college football.

Sure the SEC is saying that they are not looking to expand, but I think the deal for Texas A&M is already done, and I have read some reports that they will announce just that before the start of the College Football season in a few weeks. That would leave the Big 12 with nine football schools, and if Missouri were to leave would likely kill off the conference all together. Leaving many schools to either jump to a new conference, or start up a completely new diminished conference.

I don’t know yet if this is good for college football or not, but I think TV ratings are the driving force behind it all. Super Conference TV deals would likely generate huge money, and conference TV channels like the Big Ten and Pac 10 network already make big money for their member schools. Of course if the Big 12 were to fold I wonder how many schools would join the Mountain West conference (or other smaller conferences) and if they could ever reach super conference status.

Is the Big 12 conference coming to an end? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Georgia Bulldogs are making sure their football fans with season tickets are aware of NCAA rules and follow them to avoid issues. UGA ticket holders received their season passes this week with a letter from athletic director Greg McGarity urging fans to follow all NCAA guidelines in terms of player and game interaction.

In the letter he stated:

“[Supporters] can have NO interaction with any prospective student-athletes, nor can members of The Georgia Bulldog Club do anything for any current student-athletes,” McGarity wrote. “If we just remember those two things, we will go a long way in avoiding any NCAA violations in this area of our program.”

When asked why he included the letter he said:

“In the last year we’ve seen a lot of institutions dealing with issues and we just felt it was important for them to be reminded of the things you can and can’t do,” McGarity said. “Hopefully that way we won’t make the same mistakes some others have made.”

The team went even further, announcing that fans attending the Fan Picture Day on August 20 will not be allowed to bring any items:

“Due to recent public issues surrounding student-athlete autographs across the country, no outside items may be brought to Picture Day.”

Fans will receive two schedule posters that can be signed by players during Fan Picture Day.

It might be a little bit of overkill but during a time when divisional titles are being stripped, coaches are being fired or resigning and school officials are constantly looking over their shoulders, it’s probably not the worst idea in the world to urge fans to be on their best behavior.

Georgia Rules: Bulldogs Want Season Ticket Holders To Follow NCAA Regulations is a post from: The Inquisitr

As a native of the State of Michigan, and big time Wolverine fan I have to try and not gloat so much as I report this story. Jim Tressel has resigned as the Head Football Coach at Ohio State University. Jim got caught up in a scandal about his players trading sports memorabilia for tattoos. Much Like Richard Nixon it was not the crime that brought Tressel down, but the cover up. He was aware of what was going on and choose to lie about it to the NCAA.

This underscores a larger problem in College Football. While the players do receive a free education (in most cases) they have no money to spend (IE no pocket money) and that leads to tempting offers from agents and improver conduct like went on at Ohio State. I applaud the Big Ten for looking into giving their student athletes some spending money to help alleviate these kinds of situations.

Tressel got the dreaded show of support from Ohio State last week, and the thought here is the two sides were negotiating a buy out for the good of the program. Since then some reports have come out that Ohio State may not owe Tressel a dime. His contract had a clause in it that would not require the University to pay him any remaining money should be resign. Now technically he resigned, but more to the point he was fired. I would encourage Ohio State to pay him enough money to go away quietly and allow the football program to begin building for its 2011 season.

Tressel has been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, but a ruling has not come down on the rest of this mess. I expect some very harsh penalties to come for Ohio State. At the very least they will have to forfeit all of their 2010 wins since they knowingly used ineligible players. Whatever the case, it is time fro Ohio State to start writing its next chapter.

Jim Tressel resigns from Ohio State is a post from: The Inquisitr

Let me paint you a little picture. Dude buys primo seats to a North Carolina at Virginia basketball game on the street. Keep in my mind buying tickets on the street is legal is most states as long as you are not buying for than face value of the ticket. His legally purchased ticket placed him two rows behind the Virginia Cavaliers bench. When the Tar Heels fan showed up to claim his seat he was wearing a Tar Heels jacket. He was then informed that he could not wear his NC coat in that section and they moved him 17 rows up to a different seat.

OK on the surface maybe this isn’t that big of a deal. On the other hand the dude in this story has seriously had his rights violated. Let us put freedom of speech issues, at a public university mind you, aside for the moment. If this man’s ticket did not inform him that there was a dress code for his seat, then moving him was completely improper.

First and foremost teams should not be setting dress codes for any section of their arena. This is a sporting event and fans should be allowed to sport their team’s colors. That is what makes being a fan fun, and it is how stadiums make profit. There should be no legislation on how a fan is dressed within reason. This man was not naked, nor anything else a public facility should have a problem with. He was simply wearing the colors of his team.

This is a really weird one, this guy tried to talk to a cop during the event but the cop sided with the stadium officials. For now he says he will not take action, but he should because he would win.

A dress code at a basketball game, Really? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Big 10 (12) Conference has painted themselves into a pretty tricky corner. By deciding to divide up their conference by means other than ya know geography, the conference is having trouble coming up with names for its two divisions. North, South, East or West will simply not work since the divisions are all a jumble. I also don’t really care for the though of naming the two divisions after Bo Schembechler or Woody Johnson.

All of this comes down to money and that really cheapens the whole thing. The conference went out of its way to insure that the University of Michigan and Ohio State University could play each other in football up to twice a year. Now naming the divisions after the most storied head coaches in those two schools history takes away from the other fine programs that comprise the conference.

I seriously doubt the folks who run the University of Nebraska would all be for playing into the Bo division of the Big 10, and I also seriously doubt that the good folks who run Penn State would be thrilled by playing in the Woody Division when they have the living Legend Joe Paterno as their coach.

I can’t believe the folks in charge could make do with a Big Ten Championship game that is sure to make huge money, regardless of weather or not U of M or OSU plays in it. The goal should have been to get said championship game, and then break up the conference into two separate and equal geographic pieces. That saves everyone money, and let us not forget that this is not only just about football. All 12 of these universities run other sports teams and it seems crazy to conduct business this way.

Related Links:

•The Business of College Football
•MTR College Sports
•Joshua Lobdell.com

What will the Big Ten name thier two divisions? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Pac 10 will announce tomorrow how their new 12 team conference will be divided up by conference, and the school presidents and Chancellors will vote on a plan to give USC and UCLA a bigger piece of conference revenue pie. This is a little complicated, but I don’t really like the idea of one (or two) schools getting a bigger share of revenues that should be split up equally. I don’t care if USC and UCLA bring in more revenue because without the other PAC 10 schools they would be nowhere.

So the plan is a temporary one, the two schools in Los Angeles would get the extra payouts until the conference broadcast revenues reached a certain plateau. It is being reported that this plateau would be somewhere around 130 to 170 million dollars. Currently the PAC Ten rakes in around 53 million for basketball and football TV contracts.

Here is my other complaint about this proposed deal, the PAC 10 currently lags way behind the SEC and Big Ten and their 200 million dollar a year TV deals. My question then is if USC and UCLA are so valuable to the conference why is the TV contract so small? The answer to that is the PAC 10 negotiated their TV deal three years before the super deals were agreed to by the other conferences.
 
The most current deal settled was that between the ACC and ESPN/ABC. That was singed last summer and is for 155 million dollars annually. A new TV deal for the PAC 10 that includes the Denver and Salt Lake City TV markets will surely be worth at least that much.

Related Links:

•The Business of College Football
•Joshua Lobdell.com

PAC 10 to vote on giving USC, UCLA more money is a post from: The Inquisitr

1. Oklahoma
2. Oregon
3. Boise State
4. Auburn
5. TCU
6. LSU
7. Michigan State
8. Alabama
9. Utah
10. Ohio State

Now eight of these teams are undefeated, and the other two have one loss. With that in mind I don not find too much fault in this ranking. How do we differentiate unbeaten teams? That is the ultimate challenge of the BCS system. Sure Alabama and Ohio State both have a loss but they are ranked 8th and 10th respectively.

So once again we have an unbeaten Boise State team that is ranked third by the BCS. In the USA Today Coaches Poll and AP Poll they are ranked second. The Harris Poll also has the Broncos sitting in second. Given all that I do not see how the BCS can have them ranked third. Given that fact that TCU is also ranked if the rankings stay like this we can bet the BCS will chicken out once again and have the two smaller programs play one another in a BCS game.

Related Links:

• The Business of College Football
• Joshua Lobdell.com

The first BCS rankings of 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is now official the University of Michigan Wolverines will face the Alabama Crimson Tide at Cowboys Stadium as the schools’ season opener to the 2012 CFB season. What a great match up. Think about it the Tide, great football team versus the Wolverines with QB Denard Robinson as a senior. Come one this match up is going to do huge business both at teh shrine of Jerry Jones and on TV. Since I live in Michigan and my wife’s family live in Alabama I am very tempted to buy tickets right now, for a game that has me very excited two years out.

It is not every week that CFB offers us a match up between two of the most storied College Football programs out there. These school have met three times in history, all in Bowl Games, and the Wolverines hold a 2-1 edge in those games. The last time the schools played one another was at the Orange Bowl following the 1999 season.

What I am most excited about is it takes one of the wussy game squash matches of the U of M non conference schedule for 2010. I would also hope that this game does enough business that the match up becomes a rivalry game. A match up between these two schools at the Big House, Ford Field in Detroit, or some other neutral site in the north would just be awesome.

This is what I don’t understand about College Football, the fans want these kinds of match ups, but there are always some Bowling Green or Florida Atlantic or some other FCS school on their non conference schedule. Given that the BCS is largely based on strength of schedule scheduling these sissy games makes little sense.

Related Links:

•The Business of College Football
•Joshua Lobdell.com

Michigan to face Alabama for 2010 CFB opener is a post from: The Inquisitr

We are staring to get into the meet of the CFB season. The best game of week six should be the Michigan showdown between the Spartans and the Wolverines. A loss drops one of them out of the poll, and propels the other to a Bowl game. This game also features QB Denard Robinson who has to be the early favorite for the Heisman. With that being said here is a look at the Coaches Poll:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Boise State
5. TCU
6. Nebraska
7. Oklahoma
8. Auburn
9. LSU
10. Utah
11. Arizona
12. Florida
13. Arkansas
14. Miami
15. Iowa
16. Michigan State
17. Michigan
18. Stanford
19. Wisconsin
20. South Carolina
21. Oklahoma State
22. Missouri
23. Nevada
24. FSU
25. Northwestern

So this week the coaches say good bye to Penn State and Texas, and welcome in Florida State and Northwestern. Compared to the AP poll,  the polls are starting to stabilize a bit. Air Force makes the AP poll at 25, but other wise the coaches and the writers are starting to agree on which teams are ranked and where each one should be ranked.

It still looks like Alabama and Ohio State are headed for a BCS show down, but do not count out Oregon is ranked third in both polls. They could find themselves in the big game this year taking on the Crimson Tide.

Related Links:

• The Business of College Football
• Joshua Lobdell.com

USA Today Coaches Poll for Week Six is a post from: The Inquisitr

After week one of the 2010 CFB season the 59 Division one coaches have voted on a new USA today CFB poll. There is little change as only one of the new top 25 suffered a loss (Virginia Tech Hokies) and of course teh Florida Gators tumble a few spots due to some struggles against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.  Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Oregon State all fell from teh top 25 with losses. They were replaced by Arizona, BYU, and South Carolina.

After spending much of the pre-season studying how these polls are put together, it seems to me that the USA Today Coaches Poll is the most accurate. It will be how I evaluate the College Football season moving forward. With that said here is your new USA Today/Coaches Poll Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Texas
5. TCU
6. Florida
7. Nebraska
8. Oregon
9. Iowa
10. Oklahoma
11. Wisconsin
12. Miami (FLA)
13. Virginia Tech
14. Penn State
15. Arkansas
16. LSU
17. Georgia Tech
18. Florida State
19. Georgia
20. Auburn
21. Utah
22. West Virginia
23. Arizona
24. BYU
25. South Carolina

Of course with a convincing win over the Hokies many are counting Boise State in the National Title fight. However it seems they will still have to get past Oregon State to make themselves legitimate. Many sports fans argue against polls before teh season is half over, and truth be told they have a small point. A programs rank should be based on the entire season, but what we would write about each week if it were not for the polls.

USA Today Coaches poll shows little change after week one is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Virginia Tech Hokies will enter the 2010 CFB season as the #12 ranked team according to the Sporting News. The best thing about this team is its stable of running backs. Darren Evans who set a ACC freshman rushing record is back after missing 2009 with a torn knee ligament. Ryan Williams, who red shirted last year, rushed for 1,655 yards in 2009, and this roster also has David Wilson and Josh Oglesby who would start on most other ACC teams.

The main problem with them is the defense, and really the special teams. Sure they may have won at lest 10 games over the last five seasons, but shaky defensive play is not a great way to run the table in the ACC Coastal. Sure they have a manageable schedule, but if this is just an offense, that is only really half a team. I might be being a tad bit hard on them, but defense is what wins titles.

The key date on the schedule seems to be November 20th when they have to travel to Miami. The Hurricanes will be looking for some payback after the 31-7 2009 beat down. It is a game that will likely decide the ACC Coastal divisional champion.

While the team’s next big thing is QB Logan Thompson, QB Tyrod Taylor will likely lead this team on the field in 2010. He led teh ACC is passing efficiently last year proving that not only can he make plays with his quick feet, but he can be a drop back passer as well. That is a very rare combination. He will likely have to carry this team given the state of the defense.

Related Links:

• The Business of College Football
• MTR College Sports

2010 College Football Preview: Virginia Tech Hokies is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Iowa Hawkeyes got pretty far last year on a ton of good luck. That good luck came to an end when some angry Northwestern defenders shredded QB Ricky Stanzi’s ankle. They won 11 games last year, and return Stanzi as well as RB Jewel Hampton to the offense, to go along with the best front four defensively in the Big Ten. That front four makes it nearly impossible to run against this team. This is a very good football team, which has a manageable schedule.

All of their 2010 rematches from 2009 are teams they were able to beat, save for Northwestern, but Stanzi might have some payback in his mind for that team. The key date seems to be November 20th when the play Ohio State at home. Granted this team has come a long way, and they will have a lot of work to accomplish by then if they want to play for a Big Ten title at home.

On top of an impressive front four the defense holds the next big thing for this team. LB Troy Johnson will take over for the departed Pat Angerer. He played in just one game a year ago, but was named Defensive player of the week for doing so. I would not want to have to stay up nights trying to figure out how to score on this defense that gave up just 200 points in 2009.

The really key will be the play of QB Stanzi. He must be more accurate, and cut down on the INT’s if this team is to have any shot at a Big Ten title, and the BCS beyond that. He gets both of his favorite targets back, but if he goes down, or plays erratically there is a big hole behind him on the depth chart.

Related Links:

• The Business of College Football
• MTR College Sports

2010 College Football Preview: Iowa Hawkeyes is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Florida State Seminoles will enter the 2010 CFB as the #14 ranked team according to the Sporting News. They are also the favorites to win the ACC Atlantic. All of that even though this is a huge year of transition for this program. Jimbo Fisher sets in as head coach replacing Bobby Bowden. Mark Stoops takes over a defense that has produced 19 first round draft picks over teh last 23 years. There are a lot of things changing with the Seminoles program, but they look to be a very good football team.

When I look over their schedule I see one that is pretty easy. Sure they get the Florida Gators in the final week of the season, but they might not be as good a Gator team has they have been. I see one key date for the Seminoles, which is September 25th when they get Wake Forrest at home. Late in Bowden’s career the Deacons were his Achilles heel winning two of their last three meetings. If the Seminoles want to be legit national title contenders that will have to change.

QB Christian Ponder, a senior, returns to lead this team and may solidify a position that has been problematic recently. The Seminoles next big thing may just be CB Greg Reid. Last year he was a nickel back, but his role will expand this season as FSU lost three defensive backs. He also happens to be one of the most dangerous return specialists out there. Last year he averaged 18.4 yards per punt return.

Related Links:

•The Business of College Football
•MTR College Sports

2010 College Football Preview: Florida State Seminoles is a post from: The Inquisitr