College Football - Football Betting

2005-11-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Keys to the Big Games
Week Four, Sept. 24
USC vs. Oregon---college fotball ---
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By John Harris---college fotball ---

a. Ordinary name, extraordinary game – He leads the Trojans in receiving yards, averaging a whopping 28.5 yards per catch. Reggie Bush, right? Nope. He’s tied for the lead in receptions. Ah, Dwayne Jarrett, correct? No. He’s averaging a whopping 157 yards per game. Um, don’t know. How about the Trojans ‘unsung hero’ Steve Smith? Oh yeah, him. Sure, Smith is a huge piece to this USC machine, but teams often forget how valuable he is to Matt Leinart and this offense. But, in preparing for this offense, the first two names that come up are Bush and Jarrett. Double cover Jarrett. Nearly everyone else on Bush. If Smith hurts us, so be it. Well, if that’s the attitude that teams have, Smith is going to break every USC single season record by the fifth week of the year. The junior looks almost effortless running his routes and could get open in a phone booth, but if Oregon is going to let someone beat them, it’s going to be Smith. There isn’t a Duck corner on the roster that can stay with #2 throughout this game, and if he lines up on the same side as Bush, Leinart will have him open all game long. With much of the coverage rolled to Bush, Smith can work the open zones all day long. Take for instance, the circle route with Bush on the same side as Jarrett that we drew up earlier this week. If Smith is the receiver on the other side of the field, when he runs a crossing route, he’ll have all kinds of room to catch and run, as the two foci (Bush and Jarrett) of the Oregon defense run, essentially, decoy routes. You pick your poison with USC, and most don’t pick Smith. Bad move. Bad, bad move.---college fotball ---
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b. Oh my darling, it’s Clemens time – USC has probably not seen a dual threat QB like Kellen Clemens in a long time. Maybe Jason White. Okay, just kidding, but it’s probably been since the beginning of the 2004 season when they tangled with Bryan Randall of Virginia Tech. And, in that game, Randall did have some success on scrambles early and used his tight ends in the passing game. Clemens is a lot like Randall, but throws the ball better than Randall and that could ultimately be what troubles this USC defense. How Clemens can incorporate all areas of the field in the passing game and all of his talented receivers will be a big key to this game. Along similar lines with Jarrett and Bush, USC can’t double Demetrius Williams, Cameron Colvin and tight end Tim Day, so the pressure will be on Clemens to find the best one-on-one matchup. Clemens is growing ultra-comfortable in OC Gary Crowton’s offensive scheme, and he’s been solid going through his reads to find the open man. If USC has a weak spot to exploit, it’s the secondary, a group that lost another member – Terrell Thomas to an injury. But, weak is obviously relative; however, Clemens is a hot QB, and USC has to harness him in to keep the track meet in check.---college fotball ---
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c. Feeling Edgy – The health of Duck DE Devan Long will be a big key for Oregon defense. The talented DE sat out the last two games, recuperating from a knee sprain, but his presence does a couple of things. One, the most obvious aspect of him being in the lineup is the edge pressure that he can put on USC QB Matt Leinart. If Oregon has a chance at all to stop this USC offense, Leinart has to put his track shoes on. In other words, the Ducks have to chase him out of the pocket all night long. No pun intended, but Long has the quickness and explosion off of the corner to get into Leinart’s ‘kitchen’. Sure, he’s not at 100%, but even at less than full strength, Long is tough for offensive tackles to get their hands on. The other, perhaps unforeseen aspect, is that if Long plays, Matt Toeaina can move back inside, alongside Haloti Ngata, to get immense middle pocket pressure. Ngata is such a beast that he can push the pocket back into Leinart very easily, but Toeaina is extremely hard to block because of his quickness. With those two getting push in the middle, Long then locks down the edge, and Leinart has very room to move and step and throw.---college fotball ---
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Conclusion – All week long, the football cognoscenti has talked about the USC offense. Taking it a step further, the talk has been about the Trojans being the best offense in the history of college football. As lofty as that talk has been, how on point those discussions have been will be determined this Saturday in Eugene. The bad news for the Ducks is that they are that good. The Ducks have two chances to win – engage in a track meet. Well, make that one chance – dominate time of possession, 45 minutes or more. On the other hand, maybe no chance is a better answer. USC – 49 vs. Oregon – 24---college fotball ---
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2005-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Perspective Piece
Florida vs. LSU, Oct. 15---college football---

By Matthew Zemek

There’s a very refreshing dimension to this huge battle between the Gators and Tigers this Saturday in Baton Rouge: there will be no more excuses for anyone.---college football---

For Florida, any realistic chances of winning the SEC East are on the line in this game. Yes, it’s fair to say that Urban Meyer should not have been expected to reach Atlanta and the SEC title game in year one of a very complex transition process—involving the tutelage of Chris Leak, a natural dropback passer, in a spread-option offense designed more for a running quarterback—but Meyer is the “it” coach in college football, so the expectations of a Gator fan base starved for a return to SEC supremacy are still very high and very intense. Those expectations ride on the outcome of this game, which needs to be captured by Florida if the Cocktail Party is to mean anything (anything beyond the always-existing significance of a rivalry game, that is). ---college football---

The reason why the Gators are in such a must-win position entering this contest—at least in terms of the SEC East—is that Meyer’s boys got undressed by Alabama two weeks earlier, in a loss that wasn’t shocking so much as the manner in which the game was lost. The ease and thoroughness with which the Tide smothered the spread option sent a loud alarm signal to Meyer while giving the rest of the SEC confidence that this much-discussed offense won’t cut it in America’s most cutthroat conference. After a sloppy game against Mississippi State, this LSU tilt represents—for Meyer and his offense—the ultimate opportunity to prove the worth of the spread option.---college football---

Every offense—upon installation and implementation—will struggle at some point. The lack of execution, the absence of a natural crispness and rhythm, and the struggle for players to feel comfortable all factor into the growing pains of a complex new system. Throw in the presence of stacked, speedy defenses, and you have a recipe for the kind of indecent exposure Florida’s offense suffered in Tuscaloosa.---college football---
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A meeting with an LSU defense that is tremendously quick gives Florida a chance to get it right, in a put-up-or-shut-up (at least for 2005, anyway) moment of considerable drama and significance. The college football world didn’t know Alabama had fully returned to prominence before the Tide took the field against the Gators nearly two weeks ago. LSU, on the other hand, has resided in the upper echelon of college football powers over the past four seasons. So as Florida takes the field in Tiger Stadium, there’s very little mystery about the stakes involved for the spread option: it will either address the weaknesses Alabama revealed to the nation, or it will get swarmed and swamped yet again by another fast defense. Mind you, this won’t be a final verdict on the system itself and its long-term viability in the SEC, but this most certainly will be a verdict on the spread option in terms of Chris Leak’s ability to run it. ---college football---

In other words, no more excuses for Florida’s offense. It will either rise to meet the moment or be exposed a second time. And you know what they say about the difference between one and two: the first time’s an accident, the second time’s a trend.---college football---

But on the matter of excuses, they’re also gone for LSU football and head coach Les Miles.---college football---

When the Tigers lost to Tennessee, the Bayou Bengals faced a situation that, on every conceivable level, simply could not lend itself to legitimate, normal football analysis.---college football---
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In the week after Hurricane Katrina, LSU players lost an average of SEVEN POUNDS. Any rhythms, any normal preparation routines, any natural processes of football evolution and development within a team context, basically went out the window for the Tigers in September. The huge first-half emotions of the Tennessee game, combined with an emotionally exhausted crowd and severe limitations on the players’ conditioning, all helped create the physical and mental fatigue, the cramping and sluggishness, that contributed to the Vols’ late comeback in Baton Rouge (that, and a heroic Rick Clausen). In the wake of such a bizarre game played under such evidently weird circumstances, Les Miles deserved precious little criticism for his handling of the game. Sure, the Tigers’ first-year head coach made mistakes, but no coach could have been able to fully account for the cramping and the emotional rollercoasters that played a very real part in the avalanche that buried his team against Tennessee. Much of the situation was Miles outside Les’ control.---college football---
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So with the Katrina-influenced past serving as prelude, we now arrive at the point in the 2005 season where LSU has been able to settle into reasonably normal football routines. The Tigers are regularly playing on Saturdays in games that are (gasp!) not being suspended, postponed or rescheduled in terms of days or time slots. Conditioning routines are being established, and the week-to-week focus of LSU players has been able to increasingly shift back to football... maybe not totally, but a lot more than what September enabled the Tiger players to do, up and down their roster.---college football---
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This Florida game—as the biggest contest since the Tennessee loss—represents the first authentic test of Les Miles’ coaching quality. The circumstances, as they pertain to football, are now appreciably normal, meaning that any mistakes Miles makes deserve to be subjected to withering scrutiny. The Tennessee aftermath demanded that Miles get a free pass, but now, the season truly begins for LSU’s coach. Unlike the Tennessee game, Miles will merit criticism if his team’s bugaboos persist: if the Tigers continue to turn the ball over; if there are game management issues at the end of halves; if fitness becomes an issue in the fourth quarter; and if the Tigers sit on and blow an early lead, the lines of angry Tiger fans will justifiably be Miles long. Why? Because a loss in this game means that LSU could beat Auburn the following week and yet still sit behind their rivals from Alabama, who would be able to take home the SEC West by winning the Iron Bowl against the Crimson Tide in late November. LSU needs this game for the West just as much as Florida needs this one for the East.---college football---
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The margin of error is gone. So are the excuses. One offense is on the firing line, pitted against a coach whose honeymoon period deserved to last through the Katrina September, but which has now ended as well.
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Gators. Tigers. One will be exposed, the other redeemed.
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How refreshing indeed.---college football---
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2005-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

USC, Notre Dame head weekend college football slate

This weekend is set for another round of big college football games. Here's a look at five that will get a lot of attention. - College Football -

1. No. 1 Southern California at No. 9 Notre Dame. The game, televised on NBC on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., is a potential stumbling block for the Trojans, who are after their unprecedented third consecutive national title. - College Football -

2. No. 24 Colorado at No. 2 Texas. OK, we're going to say it until the Longhorns run the table -- which game will Mack Brown's squad lose that it shouldn't? The Buffaloes are coming off an impressive victory against Texas A&M and can play spoiler. - College Football -

3. No. 10 Penn State at Michigan. Will the Nittany Lions have a letdown after this past week's win against Ohio State? - College Football -

4. No. 5 Florida State at Virginia. The Cavaliers have given the Seminoles a difficult time in the past and FSU is yet to play a complete game against a quality opponent. - College Football -

5. No. 13 Florida at No. 8 LSU. A loss pretty much knocks the Gators from the Eastern Division title mix. LSU needs a victory to keep pace with Alabama and Auburn in the Western Division. - College Football -

-- Ken Bradley, FLORIDA TODAY

2005-10-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Boilers vow to bounce back after pasting

In the aftermath of Purdue’s lopsided loss to Notre Dame, defensive end Rob Ninkovich summed up the state of the Boilermakers. - - College Football - -

“There’s only one direction to go right now, and that’s up,” he said.

After consecutive losses, Purdue will try to pick itself up when it returns to Big Ten play against Iowa on Saturday. The Boilermakers (2-2, 0-1) will try to avoid falling to 2-3 for the first time under Joe Tiller. - - College Football - -

“We’re soul searching. We have to find what the big problem is,” Ninkovich said on Tuesday. “This week is the the most important week of practice we’ve ever had. We’ll see who’s focused on what we need to accomplish, and who’s not.”

Said running back Brandon Jones: “We haven’t wanted it that bad, but the attitude changes. It starts today.” - - College Football - -

Amid all the gloom and doom, Tiller retained optimistic.

“That’s the way I think getting up in the morning,” he said.

“What are your options? We have to get back to fundamentals on both sides of the ball, get back to work and get the guys better. It’s not like there’s a waiver wire.” - - College Football - -

The play of the defense has remained at the heart of the problems. After Laurence Maroney and Minnesota ran roughshod over the Boilermakers, Brady Quinn and the Irish shredded them.

“I think the single-biggest thing that is most disturbing as coaches is that we’re not playing at a high energy level,” Tiller said. “Is it that they think they have experience and think plays will come their way? Perhaps it is. - - College Football - -

“The thing that makes you scratch your head the most is the effort level. It’s not for 60 minutes, but there have been lapses in the game where the effort level was not what we’re used to seeing. When we have to coach effort, we’re in trouble.”

The pass defense, in particular, has continued to be leaky. The secondary has made mistakes, but its burden also has been increased by the lack of a strong pass rush. - - College Football - -

And though Drew Tate is no Quinn, the elusive Iowa quarterback is no slouch, either.

“They have an experienced quarterback and receivers, and they’ll probably throw the ball around,” Tiller said. “I can’t imagine anyone who’s seen us play would do any different.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz downplayed Purdue’s various maladies, including its defensive woes.

“One of their constants has been their defense,” he said. “Everyone likes to talk about their offense and offense in general, but defense has always been a strength of theirs and, frankly, they’re not that far off. - - College Football - -

“They are an outstanding football team, recent events aside.”

Like the Boilermakers, the Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1) had lofty expectations entering the season, and both teams have disappointed so far.

“We have to worry about ourselves, we can’t focus on our opponents,” Tiller said.

“We’re going to keep stepping to the plate, keep taking our cuts and see if we can make something positive happen. We’re not going to send up the white flag. We’re going to keep trying different combinations and keep working.” - - College Football - -

2005-09-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Stewart Ray "Red" Faught, pioneering football coach, dies

Associated Press

FRANKLIN, Ind. - Stewart Ray "Red" Faught, who coached Franklin College's football team for 32 seasons and helped pioneer the high-flying run-and-shoot offense, has died. He was 81.

Faught, who died Friday, coached Franklin from 1957-88, producing teams known for lining up from sideline to sideline and airing it out. - College Football -

"His quarterbacks would throw the ball as soon as they stepped off the bus, and they wouldn't stop throwing until they stepped back on," said Don Treibic, a friend of Faught's and the former announcer of Grizzliesfootball games.

"He wanted to win games, and he felt that was the way to win them," Treibic said.

At least 50 of his former players became coaches, including Indiana University head coach Terry Hoeppner.

Hoeppner, Treibic and former NFL quarterback Jeff George were among the close circle of friends who visited Faught in his final hours Friday. - College Football -

"He was my second father and mentor," Hoeppner said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without Coach Faught, and I always called him that. He was my coach."

Faught's "Red Shoot" offense helped one of the smallest schools in its conference become successful. - College Football - - College Football -

When he retired in 1988, Faught had amassed 18 winning seasons at Franklin - more than all 14 of his predecessors combined dating back to thecollege's first football season in 1886.

He closed with a career record of 160-139-6, which at the time ranked fourth in NAIA Division II victories. - College Football -

Faught became the offensive coordinator for one of Franklin's fiercest rivals, Georgetown College in Kentucky, from 1990 to 1992. He was there in 1991 when the team went 13-1 and won the NAIA national championship.

In 1999, Franklin College named its stadium in honor of Faught, who was a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient. - College Football -

Visitation will be at Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home on Tuesday. He will be remembered Wednesday during a service at Franklin College's Spurlock Center, with burial with military honors at Greenlawn Cemetery.

2005-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

FSU fans must be ready to hit road, spend money
Tallahassee is a long trip for supporters, and hotels and gas drive up the cost.

Steve Elling and Tania Deluzuriaga
Sentinel Staff Writers

TALLAHASSEE -- When it comes to supporting Florida State, there are two things fans need: a good set of tires with a thick tread or a comparably fat wallet. Better still, both.

Fans packed the house on Labor Day to watch Florida State's season opener against Miami. For most, the logistics involved in attending any FSU home game qualify as a true labor of love.
Unlike earlier stops for games at South Carolina and Florida, Florida State is both geographically isolated and prohibitively expensive onfootball weekends. On the final leg of this 10-day college football road trip, we weren't the only ones who drove 1,200 miles and spent thousands of dollars to attend the game. - College Football -

Gas prices are sky high, area hotels boost prices and the campus is located 160 miles from the nearest major city, Jacksonville. If you want to attend an FSUfootball game, you're going to pay the price. Emphasis on pay.

"Are you gonna be tough, or are you going to be tough?" said Dwight Howard, who drove 21/2 hours home to Niceville after the game, which ended around midnight.

Given the popularity of the program, tens of thousands of fans were making similar jaunts for every home game. Some have to get creative when it comes to financing such ventures.

Mark Clark, 27, from Athens, Ga., and his best friend, Jeremy Cathem, 30, from Loganville, Ga., make the six-hour trek to every FSU home game. Clark, a student at the University of Georgia scalps his student tickets at two or three times their face value to help pay for his trips to Florida State, while Cathem padded his student loan to help cover his expenses.

"It was only $3.99 for 18-packs of Miller Lite so I'll save some money that way," Clark said.

By land or by air, the FSU devotees are paying a steeper price than ever. Russ Plumb, a Miami fan who lives in the Dallas area, spent about $600 on hotel and airfare to watch the game along with a couple of buddies. - College Football -

"Plus beer," he said. "Put a big question mark on the cost for that."

Since the game was on Monday night, the three-day weekend still wasn't long enough for many fans, who had to ditch work today while traveling home.

And if a cursory glance around one of the Doak Campbell Stadium parking lots is any indication, they travel from far and wide.

License plates from six states were seen in a span of 30 minutes, including the North Carolina tags of former FSU tight end Ryan Sprague. A starter on the 1999 national championship team, Sprague drove 71/2 hours to the opener with two infant children in tow. - College Football -

Now 27, he appreciates what fans went through for all those years watching him play.

"I remember them talking about that when I was here," he said. "There are no major towns, no airports, only one interstate."

Seeing as the highway in question, Interstate 10, is closed in three neighboring states, getting to the game was an even bigger challenge for some. What should have been a seven-hour drive for Tom Berniard turned into a 14-hour grind, including a 11/2-hour wait for gas in his hometown of Lafayette, La. - College Football -

"We had a real guilty feeling with all that's going on in New Orleans," said Berniard, whose son Geoff is on the team. "But we figured family is more important."

Once fans finally arrived in Tallahassee, the price tag keeps on climbing. As they have for years, many hotels require a two-night stay duringfootball weekends, frequently doubling or tripling the usual nightly rate.

"That should come under the state's price-gouging law," Howard said.

Demand clearly exceeded supply over the weekend because numerous hurricane evacuees had relocated to the area last week. - College Football -

Copyright © 2005, Orlando Sentinel

2005-08-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Katrina College Football

IRVING, Texas The Tulane-Southern Mississippi football game scheduled for Sunday in Hattiesburg, Mississippi has been moved to the Saturday after Thanksgiving because of the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina.Both schools were scheduled to end their seasons November 19th. - College Football -
Now, their opener will become their finale on November 26th.Tulane's football and women's soccer teams fled New Orleans on Sunday, making a nine and a-half hour bus ride to Jackson, Mississippi. They've been practicing at Jackson State University, although the storm cut power to the campus Monday afternoon after battering Louisiana and heading east. - College Football -

Copyright 2005 Associated Press.

2005-08-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

PG West: Monaca football seeking a return to form

The Monaca High School football program didn't fall off the WPIAL Class A map the past two seasons, it only seemed that way. After six consecutive winning campaigns that included three trips to the WPIAL championship game, Monaca suffered through records of 1-8 and 1-9 in 2004 and 2003. It was the first time Monaca had two losing seasons in a row since 1995-96. There were even some rumblings that, given the school's small size, the Indians might have a tough time climbing out of the hole. Winning in the Class A Big 7 Conference is never easy, but Monaca coach Shawn McCreary expects his team to challenge for one of the conference's four spots in the WPIAL playoffs. - College Football -
"We're optimistic, but we've got two tough games to open the season," he said. "If we can stay focused and understand everything really starts when we begin playing in the conference we should be alright." Monaca opens the season at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at home against Center, which is being touted as one of the top teams in Class AA. Monaca then travels to play Springdale, a highly ranked Class A squad. It helps that Monaca has two returning all-conference players as leaders. Chad Sedlacek, is a 6-foot-3, 260-pound two-way lineman who has received some Division I college attention, while Matt Yaria is a 6-3, 200-pound tight end /defensive end. Sedlacek attended Pitt's camp this summer and the Panthers' coaches liked what they say. Mid-American Conference schools have also checked in. - College Football -
"He's had a leg injury and didn't participate in our scrimmages," McCreary said. "But we're not worried about that. We know what he can do." Better on offense, Sedlacek's strength is, well, his strength. "He's really strong and is a dedicated lifter," McCeary said. "You don't often get guys his size at a Class A school -- at least we don't -- and we're going to try and take advantage of his size and strength." That means when Monaca needs a tough yard, look for the Indians to run to Sedlacek's side. Yaria has nice size for a tight end and hands that seem to be covered with fly paper. Defensively, opponents found it tough to run end on his side of the field. "Matt's solid on both sides of the line," McCreary said. - College Football -
"Because of his receiving ability we're going to try to get him move involved in the offense. "Both of those guys give us stability, which is something we need because we're going to be young in spots. I can see us starting at least four sophomores." What's impressive is the number of players on the varsity roster. McCreary welcomed 41 players this year and, counting the junior high players, has close to 60 in the program. Monaca will also have a junior high team for the first time in 10 years. McCreary said that's important for a couple of reasons. "It gives that kid in eighth grade who might be too heavy to play midgets and wants to play football a place to play," he said. - College Football -
"You can lose a kid in eighth grade to fall baseball or something else if there isn't a team for him. "Plus, you get those players familiar with what you're doing at the varsity level." Many of the sophomores and freshmen will see varsity time and play in junior varsity games. "We want to get them playing as much as possible," McCreary said. "That's the idea." Monaca could be 0-2 when it starts its Big 7 scheduled Sept. 9 at Avonworth. That woin't bother McCreary as long as his team plays well. The goal is to make the playoffs. "If you come out of our conference and make the playoff you're usually OK," he said.

Rich Emert, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

2005-08-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

College football is all about tradition, tradition, tradition

The soul of college football summed up in one word? Veteran ABC announcer Keith Jackson knows exactly what it is: Tradition. "[Traditions] not only give continuity to the sport but to an entire school,'' Jackson said. "It keeps the school in contact with alumni. Football helps bring alums back to campus -- which by the way helps fund-raising quite a bit. It's always good to keep the bookstore open. "... Every school has its own traditions, a festival-like atmosphere for game day. But remember, it only works in good weather.'' Traditions are what separate the beauty of the college game from the cash hungry NFL.
"I'm not the biggest fan of the NFL, but it's got to be more fun to be an alum of a school and to sit there and watch a game,'' Jackson said. "The feelings just can't be the same [at an NFL game] compared to your old-time alma mater. I also think the NFL has a rough edge to its crowds. With the luxury suites and all, money simply doesn't create allegiance the way college football does. "... Take the Big Ten, for example.
All the stadiums are large and they are located on campus. That helps bring the alums back.'' Along with the game, there are the pre-game, halftime and sideline rituals that fuel the pageantry. We can hardly wait for those traditions to resume.

National Post.

2005-08-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Polls tab Saints No. 1 in nation and No. 1 in conference

One publication has picked the three-time defending national champion Carroll College football team to start the 2005 season at the same spot they ended the last three campaigns.
The Saints were installed as the pre-season No. 1 by NAIA FOOTBALL.net. They were one of three Frontier Conference schools to make the poll. Montana Tech was chosen to the No. 15 spot and the University of Montana-Western was at No. 16. - College Football -
Eastern Oregon a provisional member of the Frontier Conference was ranked No. 23. The Saints will open the season against the Mountaineers Sept. 2."The Frontier Conference race will be wide open again," said Jason Dannelly of NAIAFOOTBALL.net. "You can not possibly think that a team will run through the schedule undefeated this season. "There are just too many great teams."Another Carroll opponent was also ranked in the poll. Azusa Pacific was chosen for the No. 6 spot. Azusa will play Carroll Sept. 10 in Helena. - College Football -
The Saints received another honor Tuesday as they were chosen by the Frontier Conference coaches to claim a sixth-straight conference crown.The Saints received four first-place votes, while Montana Tech received one first-place vote and is picked to finish second in the overall balloting. University of Montana-Western was picked to finish third followed by Montana State-Northern and Rocky Mountain College.Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. First place was worth five points, second place worth four points, third place worth three points, and fourth place worth two points. - College Football -

Independent Record

2005-07-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

XOS Technologies to Debut College Sports Direct
New Internet Portal will give Fans Access to a Broad Range of Content Accessible across Multiple Platforms

SANFORD, Fla.--July 27, 2005--XOS Technologies, the leading provider of sports technology solutions to professional and college teams, announced plans to launch College Sports Direct later this summer. College Sports Direct will be a college sports portal that delivers content across multiple platforms, including Internet, Video-on-Demand (VOD), digital cable, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and wireless. The portal, due to launch on August 8, will provide fans of college sports with streaming broadcasts of football, basketball and other sporting events.
"This is a milestone moment for XOS and for college sports fans that will now have access to a multitude of content that can be accessed at a time and via a medium of their choosing," said Dan Aton, president and CEO of XOS. "We are excited about the prospect of employing our technology for the benefit of the millions of fans around the country and the world who support and love their respective college teams."
XOS will leverage thousands of hours of video content from its college client base and live events accessed from primary rights holders. Sports fans will be able to watch events on the http://www.collegesportsdirect.tv site and will also be linked to content on XOS clients' athletic sites. Additionally, XOS will repurpose video content for delivery through digital cable and VOD platforms and will provide the requisite technology to enable athletic departments to stream video content to their fan base via IPTV. XOS is also developing .mobile sites that will allow athletic departments to distribute headlines, news and videos to PDA's and cell phones.
"College Sports Direct provides the proprietary XOS' technology that now makes it possible for college athletics to be connected directly with their many fans across the state, the country and around the world," said Dave Almstead, senior vice president of programming for XOS. "Creating new revenue streams to support athletic programs and being positively connected with fans are both critical missions in today's highly competitive collegiate environment."
In conjunction with the launch of http://www.collegesportsdirect.tv on August 8th, XOS will announce a preliminary listing of football and other fall sporting events that will be streamed on the site. The list of available games will be updated throughout the year as XOS works with media rights holders to clear the games for distribution via College Sports Direct. Basketball and other winter sports will be listed as they become available.
About XOS Technologies, Inc.
In its mission to offer one-stop technology solutions geared to help sports teams and leagues win on and off the field, XOS Technologies has developed four product lines - Digital Video Editing Coaching Tools, Facilities Design & Integration, XOS Network On-Line Fan Management Platform and XOS Total Ticketing & Donor Management Solution - which help teams and leagues integrate video, data, teaching and fan management technologies to assure maximum return on each technology investment. XOS Technologies' audio, video, computer, software and Internet products can be found at practice facilities, arenas and on the road across the country. XOS' more than 650 clients include teams in the NFL, AFL, CFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and NCAA.

BUSINESS WIRE

2005-07-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

UT president favors traditional bowl setup

The vast majority of college chancellors and presidents are strongly opposed to any sort of college football playoff.Tennessee president Dr. John Peterson is among them.“My favorite bowl setup is the one I grew up with and that’s all the traditional bowls having a conference designation and everybody didn’t know who the national champion was and they had their own opinion and argued and kept engaged in football through the entire spring,’’ he said.“I don’t buy a playoff because I don’t think it will solve any problems. - College Football -
I think it will tell you that on one day, the last day of the season, somebody was better than somebody else.’’Actually, I don’t buy that argument. In fact, I haven’t heard many arguments from presidents and commissioners and coaches that I do buy.A Bowl Championship Series Plus-One format — in which you match the top four seeds in two of the BCS games, then have a one-game national championship the next week — solves almost all of the problems. Then you don’t have an unjust situation where Auburn doesn’t get a chance to play for the national championship. - College Football -
And each regular season game is highly significant. And you don’t have to argue about who’s No. 1.The national champion should be decided on the field, not by debate.“They’ll never get the ultimate solution to this issue,’’ Peterson said.Maybe not. But a four-team playoff — which is, in essence, what the Plus-One would be — is a much better solution than the current format.Peterson is against “prolonging the season for a long period of time,” but it’s only by one week and affects just two teams.“You’ve got a higher percentage of playoff games than (regular) season games,’’ Peterson said.Not true. You’d have between 11 and 13 regular-season games, only two playoff games. - College Football -
“The nice thing about football is, every Saturday means something,’’ he said.And every Saturday would mean something with a Plus-One format.“Every bowl game is a meaningful experience for student-athletes,’’ Peterson said. “It’s what it should be. And at the end of the year, you don’t say only one team feels good about itself. You have a number that do. I just think it’s a different sport.’’With a four-team playoff, student-athletes would still have a meaningful bowl experience. With a four-team playoff, you’d still have 28 bowl games, and 27 other teams would feel good about ending the season on a winning note. A four-team playoff wouldn’t hurt the bowl system anymore than it’s hurt now. - College Football -
“I think everybody is hung up on the issue that, at the end of the day, somebody has to be the absolute No. 1 team in the nation,’’ Peterson said. “I don’t think it will necessarily be solved by that process. I don’t think it’s necessarily solved in the other sports as well.’’Then why do we have an NCAA basketball tournament? Why do we have an NCAA golf tournament? An NCAA track meet? A College World Series?I’m no more hung up on an absolute No. 1 in college football than I am a No. 1 in college basketball. I just think college basketball decides its champion the right way — on the court. - College Football -

Jimmy Hyams

2005-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

NIACC FOOTBALL: Trojans hire head coach

MASON CITY — Scott Strohmeier had the opporunity to be a head football coach two times in the last three years.The 30-year-old offensive coordinator at Truman State University turned down the two positions in Minnesota.Strohmeier accepted the position the third time as he was named NIACC's new football coach on Monday."It's obviously been a dream of mine to become a head coach," Strohmeier said. "But I didn't want to just take the first job out there."I was waiting for the right place and the right fit. - College Football -
"Strohmeier will become NIACC's third head coach in the last three years. He replaces Dave Gillespie, who replaced Tyler Sisco.Gillespie resigned in early June to become athletic director at Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest High School."He is an up-and-coming young coach that has a great deal of experience as well," NIACC athletic director Ryan McGuire said. "He's going to do a great job."And Strohmeier's job starts soon, as players are set to report Aug. 14. NIACC opens its season Sept. 3 at home against Iowa Central.This will be the first year for NIACC in the N4C, a conference of schools in Iowa, Illinois and Michigan."I like the location and the new league we'll be playing in," Strohmeier said. "It''ll be a very competitive league and it's an opportunity to be a little closer to home."Everybody I've talked to in town is a strong supporter of the school."Strohmeier said he knows there's not much time before training camp begins."I'll try to get there this week for a few days," he said "Then I'll be in transition. - College Football -
I'll try to meet with as many players and coaches that I can."Strohmeier comes to NIACC after spending a year at Truman State as the associate head coach and the offensive coordinator.Before coaching at Truman State, he coached at Division II Concordia-St. Paul for six years, where he was the offensive coordinator.Strohmeier played quarterback at Minnesota-Crookston in 1996 and 1997, where he was a two-time all-conference selection. In 1997, he led Minnesota-Crookston to the NAIA national playoffs. - College Football -
Strohmeier also played two seasons at Fergus Falls Community College in Minnesota, where he was a two-time all-conference and all-region performer.So most of Strohmeier's background is on offense."For sure," he said. "I've run a lot of multiple offenses. We've run shot gun, four wide receivers and no huddle."I've also run some double-tight (ends) sets. - College Football -
"Strohmeier wouldn't say for sure if the Trojans would be running the run-and-shoot at Mohawk Stadium this season."I'll have to evaluate the personnel, but it probably won't be taken totally out of the playbook."

KIRK HARDCASTLE, Of The Globe Gazette

2005-07-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Make Sports College economically viable - Osafo-Maafo

Winneba, July 5, GNA - Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports on Tuesday urged the management of the Winneba Sports College to be innovative and look for other avenues of raising money to rehabilitate the College and turn it into an economically viable institution.He said it was possible for the College to go for loan at the banks and turn the place into a two-star hotel, and with its sporting facilities, the college could become the desire destination of many people."The College is at a good location, it's a university town, it's a tourist town and once the facilities are face-lifted, it would be able to recoup its investment in no time and start to make profit," the Minister said.Mr. Osafo-Maafo led a four-man delegation to pay a surprise visit to the national under-17 soccer team, the Black Starlets, and to inspect facilities at the College.The team included, his deputy Minister Mr O. B. Amoah, Dr Owusu Ansah, a Director at the Ministry and Mr Richard Quashie, Acting Chairman of the Starlet Management Committee.The Minister was led round by Mr. Domic Asabia, Acting Director of the College, who later briefed him on the problems facing the institution including a competent managerial staff to help run the place.The team inspected the hostel facilities, the canteen, the first-class tennis courts, an uncompleted hockey pitch and two football arenas, one yet to be completed.The consultants, AESL said the College would need not less than 250 million cedis to bring the uncompleted football arena to an appreciable level.Mr Osafo-Maafo told a workers' durbar he was disappointed at the deteriorated facilities and urged them not to undermine the system but collectively help improve the place."I have visited sports Colleges in Morocco, Tunisia and Abidjan and this is about the worse," the Minister said.He presented a bus valued at 550 million cedis purchased from the HIPC funds to the College, which is to facilitate camping of the national teams and the Academy.The College is currently housing 76 players made of the Starlets and both the soccer and tennis academies.Mr Osafo-Maafo expressed the hope that the Starlets would rediscover their scintillating form to become world champions again. He said government was ready to meet all their needs to make life more comfortable to them before the World Under-17 Championship slated for Peru in September.The Minister reminded the team that the only way to get to the top was through dedication, discipline and serious training. He said sports in general and soccer in particular was a uniting force adding that each time the national soccer team won the whole nation was in a jubilant mood.Mr. Osafo-Maafo pleaded with the boys and their technical handlers not to disappoint the nation.

GNA

2005-06-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Peter's hungry for new goals
Chris Barry

FOOTBALL is not about business, but about emotion and passion.” Peter McGuigan, the architect of the revival of sports brand Umbro – maker of the England kit – sees no conflict in the statement.The 55-year-old former footballer turned successful businessman, has no problem separating his work and his passion.He is chairman of Conference league team Morecambe, an interest that “takes up much time and money,” and he harbours a dream of taking the club into the Football League.Reclining on a leather chair in his smart office at Umbro's modern headquarters in Cheadle, he says: “Football, unlike business is an emotional thing. While some may make the link between sport and business and talk of the need for leadership, teamwork and communication, the two really are different.“There is a different emotion to football though. I think I can remember every goal Morecambe have scored. I get a fantastic kick when they win, and a terrible down when they lose. Running a football club is not like a business, it's an emotional thing. I don't necessarily think football clubs should make money, they should operate as near to break-even as possible.”BeautifulBorn in Fife, one of four children, Peter was always sports-mad, playing football, table tennis, cricket, badminton and running.His love of the beautiful game, and aptitude for it, saw him signed up by West Bromich Albion aged 16. He then joined Mansfield Town, then in Division Three, before turning to the world of commerce.“I realised there probably was not much of a life in it, so I went to college. The National Coal Board, for whom my father worked, sponsored me to go to Derby College, where I studied accountancy and business.”He worked in a variety of industrial sectors as he climbed the corporate ladder. By the age of 29 he had been appointed managing director of a printing firm. “That taught me a lot,” Peter, a married father of three grown up children, recalls. “When you are in the boss, you have to lead from the front, there's nowhere to hide. You start to learn about business, the importance of product, marketing and selling.”He entered the sports business with Reebok, which was launching in the UK. There he met Chris Brasher, the visionary Olympic gold medallist turned sports entrepreneur, who died in 2003. “He was a wonderful man, and a great mentor to me.”The move to Reebok in 1987 took Peter north to Lancaster for the first time, where he still lives. For the first two years of his career with Reebok he was in charge of the UK business, and for the next four years he ran the international operation. He was responsible for Reebok's operations everywhere but the US. “It was a thrill and a challenge. We built it up from nothing to a £100m business within four years.” BrandsAfter the success of Reebok, Peter's star was in the ascendancy in the sports fashion sector. He was recruited by Pentland – the London-based sports brand development business – where he took on another challenging international role, taking brands such as Ellesse, Mitre and Speedo to the international market.In 1997, after four years with Pentland as chief operating officer, Peter decided to follow his entrepreneurial instincts, setting up PMG, a brand licensing and development business.Umbro had been on the McGuigan radar for some time, and it became his prime target once he knew it was on the market. “I had followed its fortunes. I knew it was a good brand name but an under-performing company, lacking leadership and strategy.“When I was at Reebok I suggested to them that they acquire Umbro and, again, at Pentland I mentioned it.”Having established PMG, Peter was the master of his own ship, and could finally make a move on Umbro, which was, at the time, short of cash and making a loss.After meeting three interested venture capital firms, Peter selected Doughty Hanson to do the deal. He sold PMG to Umbro, allowing him to devote all his time to the one business.At that time Umbro was based in a warehouse in the middle of an industrial estate in Wythenshawe –hardly the ideal surroundings where clients could be entertained. More importantly, this was a company in dire trouble.UnpleasantHe recalls: “The challenge in the early years was to turn it around. There were unpleasant tasks to perform in terms of redundancies. There was no leadership in the business. It was about to go to the wall.Under Peter's stewardship, Umbro, which is now located in Cheadle – just a few miles from Wilmslow where the Humphreys brothers launched the business in 1920 – has been revitalised.Last year he took it to the Stock Market – no mean feat given the market conditions. It made him a multi-millionaire. It is now a truly international business. Products are sold in 94 countries, and Peter clocks up hundreds of thousands of miles travelling the globe to meet suppliers and licensees every year.Despite his success, Peter is hungry for more. Asked what goals remain, from a personal and business perspective he says: “We have the Chelsea money coming in next year – the London club is paying Umbro £25m to switch kit sponsors – we will soon be debt-free and that will give us the confidence to look at an acquisition.“I really enjoy the job I do here– it's the longest I have ever stayed in a job before. Before I leave I have to make sure the team is right and that we are performing.“After that, who knows? I have not thought very much about life after Umbro, but I would like to get my golf handicap down, take Morecambe into the league and explore China and Antarctica.”Name: Peter McGuigan Age: 55First job: Working for the National Coal BoardHow long is your working day? 12-13 hours - I hate being stuck in traffic so I get up early to drive down from LancasterWhat car do you drive? Mercedes CL 65 AMGLast book you read: Something about teamworkIf you were stranded on a desert island, which celebrity would you like to accompany you? My mentor, the Olympic gold medallist Chris BrasherWhere do you like to holiday? Barbados or FloridaWhat is your greatest achievement? Being appointed MD of a printing firm at 29 and taking Umbro to the Stock Market and being its chief executive.

College Football Champion

2005-06-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

College Football Champion