Sports Illustrated and CBS News have just wrapped a six-month investigation into college football.  The two parties took SI’s 2010 preseason Top 25 and did criminal background checks on all 2,837 players on those teams’ rosters.  Some of their findings included:


* 7% of players (one out of every 14) in last year’s preseason Top 25 poll “had been charged or cited for a crime, including dozens of players with multiple arrests.”

* Of the 277 incidents uncovered, nearly 40% “involved serious offenses, including 56 violent crimes such as assault and battery (25 cases), domestic violence (6), aggravated assault (4), robbery (4) and sex offenses (3).”  The report also states that there were 41 charges of property crimes such as burglary and theft.


In case you didn’t know it by now, college coaches tend to give a lot of guys second- and third- and fourth-chances.  Some — like Houston Nutt — will tell you they’re in the business helping people, but in reality, coaches are in the business of winning and they’ll sign just about anybody with talent regardless of their criminal history.

But let’s focus in on the SEC here.  Last year, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and LSU were in SI’s preseason Top 25.  Of those four squads, Arkansas led (?) the way with 18 players on its roster who had been arrested/charged with a crime at one time or another.  The Razorbacks’ total tied with Iowa for second place on the “most arrests” list behind only Pittsburgh (22 players who had been charged). 

Florida’s roster featured seven lawbreakers, Alabama’s five and LSU’s three.  Of the 25 teams in the poll, only TCU had a squeaky clean roster with nary a jailbird on the squad.

The piece is worth a read as it raises an all too familiar question: Does college football really have anything to do with a university’s true mission?

Of course it doesn’t.  College football is a breadwinner, a donation-getter, and a huge advertising vehicle for schools.  But there’s not a school in the country that would go out and actively seek regular students who’ve been charged with violent crimes.  A and B just don’t jive.

At MrSEC.com, we love us some college football.  But that doesn’t mean the sport isn’t overdue for a good bath. 

An 85-man roster featuring 18 players who’ve been arrested or charged with a crime?  It’s hard to defend that.  (Though we know folks will.)

LSU is officially in the market for a new offensive coordinator.

Gary Crowton told Les Miles at a staff meeting this morning that he had accepted the O-coordinator position at Maryland under new Terrapins coach Randy Edsall.

“It’s a new challenge in my coaching career and I’m excited about that, knowing that I left LSU, which is a great place,” Crowton told The New Orleans Times-Picayune.  Of course, many believe his decision to leave was mutually arrived at by the coach and Miles.  Crowton, however, says that’s not true.

“No, I never was (asked to leave).  I never ever felt pressure to be let go.  I always felt encouraged, Coach Miles told me after the (Cotton Bowl) game he was excited about coming back with two senior quarterbacks and Zach Mettenberger.  Never ever once was that ever discussed.  I never felt any pressure whatsoever.  My wife and I talked it over and I decided to take it.  Coach Miles gave me his blessings and gave me a hug, thanked me, and I thanked him and that was it.”

Crowton has a long history of success but he came under fire in Baton Rouge when his offense’s production dropped off in 2009 and 2010.  (As we noted yesterday, that might have had more to do with LSU’s quarterbacks than LSU’s quarterbacks coach.)

So who’s next in Baton Rouge?  FootballScoop.com reports that “sources tell us Les Miles has interest in TCU co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Justin Fuente and Washington offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.”

Nussmeier and the Huskies put a scare into Miles’ Tigers 31-23 in 2009.  His background includes stops in both the CFL and NFL.

Fuente has been at TCU since 2007.  Originally hired as running backs coach, he took over as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before the ’09 season.  Interestingly, Fuente played quarterback at Oklahoma while Miles served as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.  Fuente finished his collegiate career at Murray State.

TigerBait.com — the Rivals site covering LSU — believes Miles “will consider both college and NFL assistants” for the Tigers’ vacancy.

Auburn’s 22-19 victory over Oregon last night not only assured the Tigers of their first national crown since 1957, but it also marked the steepest climb for any #1 ranked team in AP Top 25 poll history.

The poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989 and since that time no team has climbed as far as Gene Chizik’s Tigers did in 2010.  AU began the season ranked #22, but at 14-0 they’ve ended the year on top.

TCU — winners over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl — finished #2.  Oregon dropped from #2 to #3 in the final poll.

Below is the final AP Poll.  You’ll notice that three voters chose TCU as their national champion.  Those voters were either making a pro-little guy or anti-Cam Newton statement, no doubt.

1.  Auburn (56 first-place votes)
2.  TCU (3)
3.  Oregon
4.  Stanford
5.  Ohio State
6.  Oklahoma
7.  Wisconsin
8.  LSU
9.  Boise State
10.  Alabama
11.  Nevada
12.  Arkansas
13.  Oklahoma State
14.  Michigan State
15.  Mississippi State
16.  Virginia Tech
17.  Florida State
18.  Missouri
19.  Texas A&M
20.  Nebraska
21.  UCF
22.  South Carolina
23.  Maryland
24.  Tulsa
25.  North Carolina State

Florida received 19 votes but not did not make the final rankings.


And here is the final USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll:

1.  Auburn (56)
2.  TCU (1, though coaches aren’t supposed to vote for anyone other than the BCS champ)
3.  Oregon
4.  Stanford
5.  Ohio State
6.  Oklahoma
7.  Boise State
8t.  LSU
8t.  Wisconsin
10.  Oklahoma State
11.  Alabama
12.  Arkansas
13.  Nevada
14.  Michigan State
15.  Virginia Tech
16.  Florida State
17.  Mississippi State
18.  Missouri
19.  Nebraska
20.  UCF
21.  Texas A&M
22.  South Carolina
23.  Utah
24.  Maryland
25.  North Carolina State

Florida received 10 votes in this poll but did not make the final rankings.  And in case you’re wondering, TCU’s Gary Patterson does not have a vote… so some other coach tabbed the Horned Frogs as his national champ.

Oregon won’t be the only school decked out in new uniforms during the bowl season.  Nike will be handing new duds to the Ducks, TCU, Boise State and… Florida.

In the Outback Bowl the Gators will be wearing an all-white uniform that — to be perfectly honest — doesn’t look all that different from their regular uniforms.

Come to think of it… that’s a good thing.

Traditionally speaking, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt are the accepted cellar-dwellers of the SEC West and SEC East respectively.  Their budgets — year-in and year-out — are smaller than those of their league rivals.  Their facilities aren’t quite as flashy.  Their recruiting efforts tougher.

They are Pluto to Alabama’s Saturn and Florida’s Jupiter.  They’re a sea bass to LSU’s great white shark.  In the SEC’s caste system, they are the untouchables.

And it’s very hard to change their place in the food chain.  We’re seeing that play out again this week.

In Nashville, Vanderbilt vice chancellor David Williams is trying to change the football culture.  The school is apparently willing to spend more money to land the right coach.  And Williams wants to bring in someone who is proven.

But as we pointed out last week — and were ripped heartily for it by Vandy fans — most proven coaches want to go to proven schools.  Vanderbilt’s legacy isn’t equity, it’s baggage.

Williams has reportedly contacted Standford head coach Jim Harbaugh, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and Temple head coach Al Golden.  He also tried to reach out to Air Force’s Troy Calhoun.  Clearly, Williams gets an A for effort.  Those are names that would excite Florida or Miami fans.

However, despite Vandy’s new attitude and thicker wallet, A-list coaches aren’t likely to take a job that has been coaching quicksand for decades.  All of the coaches above politely declined Vanderbilt’s advances.

It’s hard to overcome the perception that Vanderbilt is a place where coaches go to disappear.  Example: Bobby Johnson had great success… by Vanderbilt’s standards.  All it got him was a severe case of burnout.  Other coaches take note of that kind of thing.

When we said that Vandy would have a hard time landing a proven coach, it was not meant to be a knock on the Commodores or the folks running their program.  It was simply a statement of fact.  VU officials can do and say all the right things, but there’s still a perception among coaches that they’re being sold the deed to a certain house in Amityville.

And don’t forget the academic standards of Vanderbilt.  Or the fact that Vandy — unlike Stanford or Northwestern — must play in the SEC.  The murderer’s row of college football.

Those facts make it exceedingly difficult to turn things around in Nashville.  In Starkville, there’s another lesson in the struggles of upward mobility that’s being taught.

State hired the right coordinator to be its head coach.  Dan Mullen has excited his fanbase, whipped his nearest rival, sold out his stadium and won games.  Win, win, win, and win.  But in doing so, he’s also put himself on the radar of more tradition-rich (and cash-rich) programs.

MSU’s coach is saying all the right things now.  But if the Floridas and Miamis of the world start beating a path to Mississippi each year, how long can Mullen turn them away?

Even if Mullen doesn’t care about money, like any good coach, he does care about winning.  And while he is supremely confident — boosted by his success this year, no doubt — is it not likely that at some point he will realize:

a) The other teams in the West have better facilities

b) The other teams in the West have bigger recruiting budgets

Again, that’s no fault of State’s.  But finances are finances.  And to be a big-time winner in a big-time conference, you have to have and spend big-time money.  Boise State, Utah and TCU aren’t competing against SEC-level foes.

For traditional also-rans like Vandy and State, growth is possible.  Give MSU an unlimited budget and they can keep any coach they like.  If Vandy could lure in a top-flight coach, they could win.  (Think Nick Saban wouldn’t be successful in Nashville?)

But as hard as Vandy tries, it’s still selling a program that has been a coach-killer for much of the past century.  And as soon as State finds a gem of a coach, bigger programs will come in to try and lure him away.

Perhaps Vandy will nab a proven head coach this time around.  Perhaps State will hang onto Mullen.  Both schools face long odds in doing so.  That’s life when you’re trying to build a program from the back of the pack.  It’s not fair.  In fact, it stinks.  But it’s the reality that Mississippi State and Vanderbilt are dealing with once again.

Content provided by The Slophouse.

Editor’s Note: Each week Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is one of 60 voters in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. His ballot is published each Sunday in the Slophouse.

1. Oregon

2. Auburn

3. Wisconsin

4. TCU

5. Stanford

6. Arkansas

7. LSU

8. Ohio State

9. Boise State

10. Michigan State

11. Oklahoma

12. Alabama

13. Virginia Tech

14. Missouri

15. Nebraska

16. Oklahoma State

17. Texas A&M

18. Nevada

19. Mississippi State

20. South Carolina

21. Central Florida

22. West Virginia

23. Florida State

24. Tulsa

25. Hawaii

For more visit WholeHogSports.com.

Content provided by The Slophouse.

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett is one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award, presented to the nation’s best quarterback following postseason play.

Mallett and Auburn’s Cam Newton are the only quarterbacks from the Southeastern Conference on the list. Other notables include Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Boise State’s Kellen Moore, TCU’s Andy Dalton and Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor.

Mallett has passed for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions this season. On Saturday the second-year starter set the school record for career touchdown passes (60).

Earlier this month Mallett was not named one of the three finalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Mallett is the second Arkansas player to be named a finalist for an individual award this season. D.J. Williams is one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end.

Also Monday, the Broyles Award announced its five finalists for the nation’s best assistant coach. Razorbacks offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, one of 36 nominees, was not on the list, though two former Arkansas and current Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was. TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas, a former Arkansas player, was also one of the finalists.

For more visit WholeHogSports.com. You can follow Matt Jones on Twitter @NWAMatt.

Content provided by Garnet And Black Attack.

According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, the sick old man of the BCS is about to get a little healthier. Texas Christian, former home of Gamecock AD Eric Hyman, will announce plans to join the Big East at a 2:00 press conference.

Last summer during our coverage of SEC expansion talk, we tried to make a few things clear:

1.  Conference names are simply brand names… and they have absolutely nothing to do with actual geography.  Not anymore.  The “Big Ten” can have 12 teams and folks will still know who’s being talked about when the league is mention.  The “Big 12″ can have 10 teams.  The Pac-10 could stretch from Seattle to Texas.  And teams outside the Southeast could join the SEC.

2.  We also wrote that travel is not a major concern anymore.  Money trumps travel.  Schools will inconvenience their athletes if it means more revenue over the long haul.

Today we gotta little more proof on both fronts: TCU is joining the Big East.

According to ESPN.com, the Horned Frogs will join the league as an all-sports member.  In basketball, the league will have a whopping 17 members (nine in football).  The Big East umbrella now stretches from Connecticut to Notre Dame to TCU.

The Big East gets a boost in football credibility and a lot more eyeballs in the Dallas television market.  TCU gets a shot at an automatic BCS berth and an upgrade in basketball profile.

The whole “East” part of the league’s name?  Doesn’t matter.  Never did.  How are DePaul, Marquette and Notre Dame in the East?  The league was already in the Midwest, now it’s just stretching further south.

And the travel worries?  No biggie, either.  You can buy a lot of plane tickets with BCS millions.

So please remember all this when the Big 12 blows apart — and it will — because I don’t want to rehash it when Texas A&M and the SEC rekindle their flirtations.

Eventually, the SEC will spread outside of its current borders.  The pursuit of money will require it.

Other notes on this one:

* The Big East has asked Villanova to upgrade its football program and become the league’s 10th football program.

* If Villanova doesn’t accept the invitation, expect the Big East to look elsewhere for an 18th overall school (easier for scheduling) and a 10th member for football. 

* Memphis would kill for that slot, but the Tigers simply don’t bring enough to the table in football.  Another school from West of the Mississippi would be likely be targeted in order to balance the league geographically and give TCU a closer rival out west.

* Pity Boise State in all of this.  The Broncos broke from the WAC to join the Mountain West this summer.  At the time, it looked like the MWC was thisclose to earning an automatic BCS bid.  But since BSU’s jump, Utah, BYU and now TCU have announced plans to depart.  The Broncos just can’t catch a break.

Auburn’s improbable 28-27 comeback win at Alabama on Friday moved the Tigers one step closer to the BCS Championship Game.  In fact, the win propelled AU all the way past Oregon into the #1 slot in the lastest BCS standings.  Unfortunately, rumors and questions remain.

For Gene Chizik’s club, the move to #1 means that they would wear their home navy jerseys should they reach the title game in Glendale, Arizona.  It also means their current slot in that game is a tad more secure.  Only a “tad” because the Tigers were a virtual lock to reach Glendale anyway should they beat South Carolina in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game.

But what if the Tigers lose that game?  What if more Cam Newton news breaks this week?


* If Auburn defeats South Carolina and there are no new revelations on the Newton front, then the Tigers will play for their first national title since 1957.  If Oregon gets by Oregon State in their Civil War game, then the Tigers and Ducks will match explosive, hurry-up offenses.  If Oregon falls, TCU’s defense will likely be the match-up for Newton and Company.


* If Auburn loses to South Carolina, then things will get interesting.  Would a last-game-of-the-season loss knock AU out of the title picture?  Since the advent of the BCS a late-season loss hasn’t been quite so damning.  The Tigers’ strength of schedule — AU would have played six games against BCS Top 25 clubs while Oregon and TCU have played one each — should be enough to keep Auburn in the top two of the computer polls.  The human polls are another issue.

Current coaches, former coaches, former players and administrators who vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll would have to choose between two options:

1.  They could vote down Auburn because they — like so many Heisman and Coach of the Year voters who’ve already gone public — believe Auburn’s season is tainted.  Or…

2. They could vote down TCU because they do not want to reward a non-BCS conference team that has skated through against an easier schedule.

Best guess: If Auburn loses, some coaches will vote them down but not enough to offset the anti-TCU vote.  Most of the people doing the voting in these polls come from BCS leagues.  They played and coached against tougher BCS schedules.  It’s doubtful that they would boot a one-loss SEC squad from the title game in order to make room for a team whose best opponent was Utah.

(More on schedules below.)


* As they say in the terror alert game, “internet chatter” is heating up that a new Newton story is on the verge of breaking this week.  Check your local messageboard and you’re sure to see rumors that someone is on the verge of breaking an AU-paid-Newton story.  These rumors have been out there for a while and nothing’s come of them to date.

If the NCAA is going to reveal the findings from its investigation, this is certainly the week to do it.  If it’s found that AU played an ineligible player — or worse, paid the Newton family — then it would be an embarrassment for the SEC and all of college football to have the Tigers win their conference and reach the BCS Championship Game.  In other words, it’s crunch time.  The NCAA knows it.  As do ESPN, The New York Times and every other media company out there.  The clock is ticking to uncover any real dirt that’s out there.

If another shoe does drop and Auburn is nixed from competing in Glendale, then one thing is certain: the SEC’s streak of four-straight national crowns will come to an end.  Arkansas’ defeat of LSU on Saturday snuffed out the Bayou Bengals’ slim title hopes.

But as has been the case for the past month… we continue to have to wait to learn what the NCAA has actually unearthed.


* Back to TCU’s schedule for a second.  Just for kicks, let’s compare their game-by-game opponents with those of Auburn.

Obviously, our verdicts are up for debate — 6-6 Georgia or 8-4 SDSU being called a toss-up, for example — but it should be pretty clear to most objective observers that a BCS-level schedule is tougher than a schedule from a non-BCS conference.  Ohio State’s Gordon Gee was right about that one.