Today the SEC and ESPN will announce their plans for the SEC Network.  When all’s said and done it will be the biggest cash cow this side of a Chick-fil-A television ad.  That’s gotten South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier back behind his pulpit, calling for college athletes to receive some form of payment for their work:

“As the commissioner and the presidents and the athletic directors all say, we are going to make a whole lot more money.  My question is, ‘When are we going to start giving a little big of it to the performers?’  Football and basketball players.  It won’t do any good probably, but I’m going to still keep yelling for them.  They bring in an awful lot of money for all of us.”

Some thoughts on Spurrier’s push:

1.  SEC commissioner Mike Slive has been pushing for athletes to receive a stipend of some sorts and spoke of that topic as recently as this week.  So Spurrier’s preaching to the choir when he mentions the league’s power brokers.

2.  Spurrier mentioned only football and basketball players in his comment.  Apparently he believes that only those players from the two traditional revenue sports should be paid.  That makes sense.  But if he thinks athletes from non-revenue sports won’t have their hands out, too, he’s dreaming.

3.  To “keep yelling for” athletes to get paid can’t hurt Spurrier on the recruiting trail.  He can tell any young man that he’s got the kid’s back and will work to get him a stipend or a salary or — as he once suggested — a few hundred bucks out of his own pocket.

Ironically, while Spurrier is pushing for players to be paid because “they bring in an awful lot of money for all of us,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is pulling in the other direction.  While discussing the Ed O’Bannon case, Delany was asked about high-profile athletes like Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel not making a penny from sales of replica Manziel jerseys.

“If Johnny Manziel was playing arena football tomorrow, what is his uniform worth?” Delany asked in response.

There’s no question that if Manziel were just as successful at Utah State, there would be nowhere near the jersey sales.  Texas A&M has a long history and a huge fanbase.  His point — if a tad cold — is sound.

But so is Spurrier’s.  Somewhere between Spurrier and Delany the truth lies.  Question is — When will NCAA leaders find common ground to compromise?

Former Razorbacks assistant John L. Smith is headed back to Arkansas to replace fired football coach Bobby Petrino.   Smith spent three years as the special teams coach in Fayetteville.  Smith, who’s leaving Weber State, gets a one-year deal.

Smith has a 132-86 record as a head coach at Michigan State, Louisville, Idaho and Utah State.

He’ll be introduced as the new coach at Arkansas on Tuesday.

One week into the 2011 football season and the SEC already has an impressive 10-2 overall mark.  But some of those 10 wins were a lot more impressive than others.  Below you’ll find our weekly Monday morning look back at the league’s best and worst performances from the previous week.

Here goes:

1.  LSU 40, Oregon 27 at Arlington, TX — There’s no question about it, LSU’s big win at Cowboys Stadium was the most impressive performance of opening weekend.  Is Les Miles often lucky?  Is he a bit challenged when it comes to public speaking?  Does he have a hard time finding a hat that fits?  Yes, yes, yes and so what?  No coach in the SEC does a better job of consistently getting his troops to believe in his plan.  Sure Oregon turned the ball over four times.  But the Tigers took advantage of those turnovers and converted them into points… even without Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepard dressed out.  In the face of more turmoil than most teams could withstand, Miles, his coaching staff and the Tiger players deserve some serious props for Saturday’s performance.  Just fantastic.

2.  Mississippi State 59, Memphis 14 at Memphis — Vick Ballard and Chris Relf looked ready to build on last year’s good deeds.  As a whole, Dan Mullen’s spread offense rolled up a gaudy 645 yards.  Memphis might be the weakest team on MSU’s schedule — yes, including UT-Martin — but a blowout win is a blowout win.  A good boxer knocks out the tomato cans in his way.  State did just that.  So the enthusiasm in Starkville continues to build.

3.  Florida 41, Florida Atlantic 3 at Gainesville – The athletes are there… and it looks like Will Muschamp, Dan Quinn and Charlie Weis know just how to use them.  Weis in particular got off to a hot start in his Sunshine State debut.  By constantly getting the ball t0 Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, Weis proved what we at MrSEC have been saying for 14 games now: With properly-utilized skill players around him, John Brantley will be just fine.

4.  Alabama 48, Kent State 7 at Tuscaloosa — Ninety yards.  Ninety.  That’s all Alabama’s stingy defense allowed in its boa constrictor-like crushing of Nick Saban’s alma mater on Saturday.  That was the good part.  But while the Tide offense put plenty of points on the scoreboard, the head coach couldn’t have liked seeing his two quarterbacks toss two interceptions apiece.  Four interceptions against Kent State does not bode well for the future.

5.  Arkansas 51, Missouri State 7 at Fayetteville — New quarterback Tyler Wilson did his part (18 of 24 for 260 yards and 2 TDs), but Knile Davis’ absence was obvious.  Against the FCS-level Bears, Bobby Petrino’s team managed just 102 rushing yards on 33 attempts.  Like Bama’s four INTs above, rushing for a 3.1 yards-per-carry average against Missouri State is cause for concern heading forward.  Now, if Joe Adams can return two punts for TDs every week, the run game may not matter.  Heckuva job by Adams and the Razorback punt return unit to bring back a 61-yarder and a 69-yarder.

6.  South Carolina 56, East Carolina 37 at Charlotte, NC — The Gamecocks get the nod here because they were playing an FBS opponent.  Too bad they didn’t decide to really start playing them until after spotting ECU a 17-0 lead.  Steve Spurrier’s decision to start Connor Shaw over team leader Stephen Garcia clearly backfired.  But even after Garcia entered the game and his teammates came to life — battling back for a comfortable win — the Ol’ Ball Coach still wouldn’t give his QB credit.  In fact, he made it clear that Garcia won’t get a celebratory gameball until he throws for 300 yards someday.  Well, Spurrier needs to call Brian Billick.  That quarterback guru got tired of winning ugly with Trent Dilfer so he dumped him for a series of more highly-touted passers.  And he never won another Super Bowl.  Garcia is better than Dilfer.  He led Carolina to an SEC East title last year.  At 66 years of age you’d think Spurrier would by now understand that winning is more important than throwing for 300 yards.  He needs to live and die with his senior signal-caller.

7.  Tennessee 42, Montana 16 at Knoxville — Sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray picked up where he left off last year… winging the ball around the field with great effectiveness.  Speedy wideouts Justin Hunter and Da’rick Rogers both reached the century mark in yardage and both hauled in touchdown passes.  But the Vols’ offensive line is a cause for worry.  Bray was sacked three times and on three different occasions UT couldn’t get enough push to gain one yard against the FCS Grizzlies.  The Vols’ were even stuffed for a safety by a D-line that weighed 60 pounds per man less than UT’s O-line.  Bray can throw it, but if Tennessee can’t run it, throwing it will become tougher and tougher.

8.  Vanderbilt 45, Elon 14 at Nashville — The Commodores scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Phoenix.  On the stat sheet, Elon actually out-offense’d Vandy 323 to 309.  But let’s not pick too many nits.  James Franklin got off on the right foot with a victory.  And his offense used a variety of formations throughout the night.  The Dores were at least interesting to watch.  And that’s a huge improvement over the VU offense of the past two seasons.

9.  Auburn 42, Utah State 38 at Auburn – Okay, so now maybe Tiger fans will stop complaining that their team was “disrespected” entering the season.  If Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and about 14 other starters had returned from last year’s team, AU would have been a preseason Top 5 team.  They also wouldn’t have needed two touchdowns in the last three minutes, an onside kick, and a 97-yard kick return to subdue tiny Utah State.  By game’s end, the Aggies had rolled up 448 yards to Auburn’s 364.  Disrespect?  Try reality.  The Tigers are young and inexperienced.  They’ll have growing pains.  And as Rick Pitino might say, “Cam Newton isn’t walking through that door.”

10.  Boise State 35, Georgia 21 at Atlanta, GA – Yep, we’ve got a loser ranked above a winner.  That’s because UGA lost to a Top 5 team that may wind up playing for the BCS title.  But the real story is the heat on Mark Richt.  He’s now won just 14 of his last 27 games.  Dawg fans have noticed.  Mike Bobo’s thin offensive line looks like it will be a worry spot all season.  Aaron Murray was sacked six times and without a good line in front of him, ultra-hyped tailback Isaiah Crowell sure didn’t remind anyone of Marcus Lattimore or Mike Dyer.  Oh, and the defense couldn’t keep pace with the Broncos, either.  From a fan-revolt standpoint, Richt needs a win over South Carolina on Saturday.

11.  BYU 14, Ole Miss 13 at Oxford — The Rebels lost a game they flat should have won.  Tyrone Nix’s defense looked much improved — as we expected — but Houston Nutt and David Lee had no such luck with Mississippi’s offense — which was not what we expected.  Ole Miss quarterback Zach Stoudt was strip-sacked in the 4th quarter and the ball was returned for BYU’s game-winning score.  Why Ole Miss had Stoudt back to pass on 3rd-and-27 while protecting a lead — run a draw, punt the ball! — is anyone’s guess.  Now the heat is being turned up on Nutt who is just 13 games removed from back-to-back Cotton Bowl berths.  To add injury to insult, tailback Brandon Bolden seriously injured his ankle and could miss several games.

12.  Kentucky 14, Western Kentucky 3 at Nashville, TN – Anyone who wonders why we have a victorious squad listed as having given the least impressive performance of the week… didn’t watch UK’s abysmal performance against one of the worst teams in the FBS.  Like most people outside the Bluegrass State, we thought the Cats would have a hard time replacing Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke and Mike Hartline.  We just didn’t think they’d struggle against the Hilltoppers.  At the end of three quarters, Kentucky had just 75 yards of total offense.  Yeah.  It was that bad.  Viewers needed novocaine just to watch that mess.

Auburn 42 – Utah State 38

1. Quarterback Barrett Trotter leads the late comeback.

2. Gene Chizik: ”That performance today on offense and defense won’t win us very many games.”

3. Kevin Scarbinsky: “If you need two touchdowns sandwiched around an onside kick in the final 3½ minutes to deliver yourselves from Utah State, there’s a very good chance it’s going to be a very long season.”

4. With one play, true freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier burns his redshirt.

Alabama 48 – Kent State 7

5. Quarterback battle upstaged by defense.

6. Jon Solomon: (A)t some point, Alabama has to choose one quarterback with one voice, right?

7. Seven true freshmen see action.

8. Backups outshine Trent Richardson. Sophomores Eddie Lacy and Jalston Fowler both reach the end zone.

BYU 14 – Ole Miss 13

9. For the second consecutive year, a late collapse in the season opener.

10. Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee: ” We lost it on offense.”

11. Rick Cleveland: “Devastating. That’s the one word that describes this Ole Miss defeat.”

Arkansas 51 – Missouri State 7

12. The Tyler Wilson wait is over. The QB throws for 260 yards and 2 TDs.

13. Matt Jones: “If speed is lethal, Arkansas was a killer Saturday night. ”

Yes, I’m back. After ending last year with seven consecutive weekends with a winning record (a 21-8 record against the spread), I’m ready to open up the 2011 season with a handful winners for you. As you would expect, I’m using the betting lines of the truthful Danny Sheridan… Wait a minute, should we be concerned this guy is setting lines? I’m dedicating this week to Clay Travis who seems to be doing everything in his power to bring down the SEC one team at a time. He’s got great website, but has brought TMZ to the SEC and should be public enemy #1 in the South. Enjoy, and feel free to send me a million dollars on Sunday.

Lock of the Week: South Carolina -20’ vs. East Carolina. The Ol’ Ball Coach has finally done what he showed up in Columbia to do: compete for SEC titles. Huge strides have been made in the land of Sandstorm, and USC returns nearly 80% of its production on offense and eight of their top ten tacklers. Their schedule sets up beautifully with MSU and Ole Miss from the West, and a win in Athens should seal the East for the Cocks before week three. The Cocks offense should be in mid-season form, and they play arguably the worst defense in C-USA. Cocks cover big.

Oregon -1 vs. LSU. A few weeks ago I would have rolled the dice with the Tigers, but it’s been a bad start in The Rouge. Has the luck finally run out for Les?

Boise State – 3 vs. Georgia. The East is wide open and they’ll be playing for Richt with the friendliest SEC schedule. Depth issues and inexperience on the line will hurt, so the youngsters must be ready to play on snap one. A rare SEC “Dawg” in an out-of-conference game, the Dome should be jacked and we don’t do blue turf in the South. This will look like 2097 since both teams will be playing in their Pro Combat uniforms, but SEC defensive speed simply doesn’t change regardless of the year. Dawgs cover and week 2 against the Cocks in Athens makes or breaks their season. If the Dawgs open 2-0, they should be 7-0 when they play the Gators and a return trip to Atlanta in December is very possible even with a loss to the Gators.

Alabama -36’ vs. Kent State. The back seven of Bama could make for one the best defensive team’s college football has ever seen due to talent, coaching and poor QB play (not you, Tyler Wilson) in the West. With Penn State in Week 2 Bama keeps things simple on offense and rests their players early. Expect some late points from Kent State and a cover.

*In 2010 Bama ranked nationally in the following defensive categories:

-          5^th in total defense (286 ypg)

-          10^th in Rushing Defense (110 ypg)

-          13^th in Passing Defense (176 ypg)

-          3^rd in Scoring Defense (13 ppg)

Mississippi +3 vs. BYU. I like where BYU is headed. I don’t like where Ole Miss is headed. Consecutive trips to the Cotton Bowl seem like years ago, and Nutt’s time in the Grove could be coming to an end. A BYU victory and cover doesn’t help Nutt’s cause.

Auburn – 22 vs. Utah State. Some QB combination will put up big numbers in Malzahn’s offense – obviously – but it took a player like Cam Newtown to win several close games last year. With Newton gone I can’t see Auburn winning more than seven games when Eastern foes are at South Carolina and Georgia. But they score enough to cover against Utah State. Shouldn’t this line be higher, Sheridan?

Florida -34’ vs. Florida Atlantic. I hate taking favorites with big lines in early season games, but it’s a new regime in Gainesville and Muschamp wants to welcome back John Brantley to the college football world. Buttoned up on offense, the Gators  still manage to cover the 34’ line.

Arkansas -39’ vs. Missouri State. Bobby Petrino is never one to lay off the gas, and Tyler Wilson goes big as the Hogs cover.

Texas A&M -16 vs. SMU. Why not. Let’s welcome the #8^th ranked Aggies to the SEC with a cover against the Ponies.

Tennessee -28 vs. Montana. How can the Vols NOT cover this?

Off the board? Vandy, of course.

Recap: USC // Oregon //UGA // Kent State // Florida // BYU // Auburn // Arkansas // A&M //Tennessee

There’s a full slate of SEC games tomorrow and below we provide a quick look at each:


Utah State at Auburn
12:00pm ET on ESPN2

Why It Matters:  The defending BCS champs unveil an almost entirely rebuilt starting lineup.

What Vegas Says:  Auburn by 23 (opened at -32)

What We Say:  AU’s youth will eventually cause problems, but we expect all those new guys will show some extra motivation against an undermanned bunch of Aggies on opening day.

Prediction:  Auburn 38, Utah State 14

Auburn’s freshman class: Who will play on Saturday against Utah State?


Kent State at Alabama
12:15pm ET on SEC Network

Why It Matters:  AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims take their quarterback duel to the masses.  Also, it’s sure to be an emotional crowd on-hand for the first post-tornado football game in Tuscaloosa.

What Vegas Says:  Alabama by 38 (opened at -31)

What We Say:  Nick Saban will show mercy to his alma mater in the fourth quarter.

Prediction:  Alabama 52, Kent State 10

Nick Saban talks game plan concerning AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims against Kent State


BYU at Ole Miss
4:45pm ET on ESPN

Why It Matters:  BYU is talking about a national championship run should things break its way.  Houston Nutt needs to steal some thunder back from Dan Mullen before the folks in his part of the state — up North, if you will — get froggy enough to start pushing for change.

What Vegas Says:  BYU by 2.5 (opened at -1)

What We Say:  We have no idea how Barry Brunetti will handle the quarterback duties for the Rebels, but we do believe Tyrone Nix’s defense should be improved over last year’s jaw-droppingly bad unit.  And we’ve got to go with an upset somewhere…

Prediction:  Ole Miss 28, BYU 24

Rebels polish up game plan


Montana at Tennessee
6:00pm ET on PPV

Why It Matters:  Vol fans are expecting/hoping for better things in Derek Dooley’s second year. 

What Vegas Says:  No Line, FCS opponent

What We Say:  Good FCS teams have sprung some upsets in recent years (Appy State over Michigan, James Madison over Virginia Tech), but not to the point that we’ll pick one to do it.  UT should be fired up and ready for this one.

Prediction:  Tennessee 41, Montana 9

Vols not using youthful inexperience as excuses


East Carolina at South Carolina
7:00pm ET on FSN

Why It Matters:  The QB battle between Connor Shaw and Stephen Garcia will now be fought with live bullets flying around them.  With huge expectations, Steve Spurrier’s crew can’t afford an early season toe-stub.

What Vegas Says:  South Carolina by 21 (opened at -13)

What We Say:  Finally… we get to see Jadeveon Clowney.

Prediction:  South Carolina 38, East Carolina 17

ECU hopes new defensive scheme works against Gamecocks


Missouri State at Arkansas
7:00pm ET on PPV

Why It Matters:  New quarterback Tyler Wilson takes the reins of Bobby Petrino’s offense.  Backup Brandon Mitchell should see plenty of time, too.  The real goal?  Start getting a feel for the running game minus Knile Davis.

What Vegas Says:  No Line, FCS Opponent

What We Say:  This is not going to be pretty for the Bears.

Prediction:  Arkansas 55, Missouri State 10

Notes: Wingo Ready For Role; No Suspensions For Opener


Florida Atlantic at Florida
7:00pm ET on ESPNU

Why It Matters:  It’s the debut of Will Muschamp’s defense, Charlie Weis’ offense and a “new and improved” John Brantley.

What Vegas Says:  Florida by 35 (opened at -29)

What We Say:  If the Gators can get some production out of the guys around Brantley, we expect Brantley will look better than he did a year ago.  Good enough for an easy win, at least.

Prediction:  Florida 38, FAU 13

UF-FAU season opener: A beginning vs. an end


Elon at Vanderbilt
7:30pm ET on CSS

Why It Matters:  It doesn’t.  Just kidding.  We’ll get to see if James Franklin can create as much on-field enthusiasm as he has off the field.  (Plus CSS good guy Matt Stewart’s got the play-by-play duties.  Reason enough to watch.)

What Vegas Says:  No Line, FCS Opponent

What We Say:  Benefit of the doubt time.  Despite VU’s roster on offense, we’ll count on Franklin to deliver a little added scoring punch against the Phoenix.

Prediction:  Vanderbilt 30, Elon 17

VU defensive line plans to be a step ahead of last year’s version


Boise State vs Georgia in Atlanta, GA
8:00pm ET on ESPN

Why It Matters:  It doesn’t when it comes to the SEC East title.  But in terms of fans’ perception of Mark Richt and his UGA program, this one’s big.

What Vegas Says:  Boise State by 3 (opened at -3)

What We Say:  UGA’s defense should be better in Year Two under Todd Grantham, but the offense may need some time adjust to life without AJ Green.  Unless, of course, Isaiah Crowell really is Marcus Lattimore, Part Two.  Despite last minute suspensions for Boise State, we still think the Dawgs will fall a hair short in this one.

Prediction:  Boise State 24, Georgia 23

Boise’s Boldewijn, 2 others stay home


Oregon vs LSU in Arlington, TX
8:00pm ET on ABC

Why It Matters:  Are you crazy?  This game features two preseason Top 5 teams battling amidst all kinds of controversies and distractions.  Oregon’s got the flashy offense.  LSU’s got the studs — albeit young studs — on defense.  This one figures to be wild and woolly.

What Vegas Says:  Oregon by 3.5 (opened at LSU -3)

What We Say:  Pre-Jordan Jefferson/Russell Shepard messes, we’d have taken the Bayou Bengals.  Not now.

Prediction:  Oregon 24, LSU 20

LSU prepares for Oregon offense

Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn have made their decision — Barrett Trotter will be the man to replace Cam Newton as Auburn’s starting quarterback.  The junior beat out sophomore Clint Moseley and true freshman Kiehl Frazier.

Chizik released the following statement this afternoon:


“Barrett has worked extremely hard to earn the starting quarterback job at Auburn University.  I’m very proud of him for the leadership and hard work he has shown not only during camp, but also during his three years at Auburn.  Barrett has a great opportunity to represent and lead this football team moving forward.  Barrett understands the huge responsibility that comes with being the starting quarterback at Auburn and we are confident in his ability to lead this team.”


Chizik also had praise for Moseley and Frazier.

The Tigers open the season against Utah State.  Games versus Mississippi State, at Clemson, and against Florida Atlantic follow before an October stretch features South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and LSU in consecutive weeks.

It is our belief that if Frazier picks up the offense, his dual-threat ability will lead to his insertion into the Tiger lineup sometime in October. 

Linebacker Robert Atiga from Snow Community College in Ephraim, Utah, will attend Arkansas this fall.

Atiga chose Arkansas over Oregon State. He also received scholarship offers from Utah, Washington, Boise State and Utah State.

1.  Yet another writer believes the US Department of Justice should butt out of the BCS’ business.  We made our points on this topic back on April 21st.

2.  Gene Chizik and Nick Saban will both make speaking stops in the Mobile area this week.

3.  Folks on The Plains are already looking ahead to next year’s opening day opponent – Utah State.

4.  Backup Arkansas receiver Lance Ray has been granted his release… after being arrested on marijuana charges in January.

5.  Dan Mullen is seeing renewed optimism as he tours the state as part of MSU’s Road Dawgs tour.

6.  A lawsuit has been filed to keep Auburn mega-booster Bobby Lowder — and eight others — off of AU’s board of trustees.

7.  Finally… ESPN’s Erin Andrews will co-host a concert on CMT Thursday night that will help with tornado/flooding relief in six Southern states.

A few coaches are now available to chat with Arkansas AD Jeff Long following their dismissals from the NCAA Tournament yesterday.

At the top of the list — Missouri’s Mike Anderson.  The Tigers’ coach is the dream candidate for many a Hog fan.  The former Nolan Richardson assistant has said that he wants to retire at Mizzou and he’s turned down big offers from Georgia and Oregon in recent years.  But if Arkansas is going to chase him and bag him, that process can now begin following the Tigers’ 78-63 loss to Cincinnati last night.  (Sidenote, my partner at MrSEC is a Mizzou grad and I’m sure he found last night’s game to be “40 minutes of Hell” for all the wrong reasons.)

According to Richardson, his former aide hasn’t said anything to him about the UA job.  He also told ArkansasNews.com that Anderson wasn’t happy when he didn’t get a shot at the Hogs’ top job when Richardson was fired in 2002.  “When Mike left he was pretty upset and I don’t blame him.”  Is he over it?  Will he leave Columbia?  We’ll know soon enough.


Also available to talk is Louisville’s Rick Pitino.  We’ve had more than one Razorback fan/alum/booster tells us that Pitino is the “surprise” candidate who’ll eventually land the job.  And after his Cardinals’ 62-61 loss to cross-state foe Morehead State yesterday, Pitino is free to chat.

But after last night’s game, Pitino said, “This is as tough a loss as I’ve had in coaching, and I’ve been coaching a long time, after tonight maybe too long.”  That, of course, could just be the sound of a shocked, disappointed man.  But Pitino has been through a lot in the last year — on and off the court.

“My window is closing in coaching,” Pitino also said.  “I said I could leave this year and be a happy man. … You always want to coach a team like this in your last years that you coach the game.”  He then clarified his comments to point out that he said last years, plural.  But would he want to start all over again somewhere else at age 58?

Bottom line: Pitino won’t go to work for a school that just fired his former player John Pelphrey.  We won’t buy that one until Pitino’s wearing a plastic hog on his head (with his white suit) and actually calling the Hogs.


Another former Kentucky coach — Billy Gillispie — is reportedly on the verge of signing a deal with Texas Tech.  We never believed for a second that Arkansas would move in Billy Clyde’s direction, but his name did appear on a few lists of candidates.  Don’t worry, Hog fans.  Looks like he’ll be a Red Raider instead.


One more ex-Wildcat coach to throw out there — Tubby Smith.  Smith is working on an extension with Minnesota.  He said he hasn’t been contacted by Arkansas (but what about that rumored face-to-face meeting with UA reps?) and he doesn’t like all the rumors.  But The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that he also said he’d listen if the Hogs did call him.  Way to quiet the rumors, Tubby.

In reality, Smith might be using Arkansas as leverage to get a new practice facility built for the Gophers.


Steve Lavin’s name has also popped up in connection with the Arkansas job, but we don’t see that one happening, either.  St. John’s rescued Lavin from the TV business and gave him a second-chance after his dismissal from UCLA back in 2003.  It would be surprising for him to leave the Johnnies after just one season.

Still, he is available to talk after last night’s 86-71 loss to Gonzaga.


As for guys still alive in the NCAAs, Frank Martin’s Kansas State club held on to knock off Utah State last night and Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati team was responsible for Missouri’s exit.  Might Cronin have helped his case by topping Anderson head-to-head?


Two other potential Razorback candidates will hit the floor with their teams tonight:

Buzz Williams and Marquette will face Xavier at 7:27pm ET.

Mark Turgeon and Texas A&M will face Florida State at 4:10pm ET.


One last note: Oklahoma’s State’s Travis Ford isn’t popping up on any lists, but he and Long have a history.  Long hired him at Eastern Kentucky.  Earlier this month, Ford said Long is “one of my best friends.”  Just sayin’.

(UPDATE — A kind reader reminded us that Ford and Pelphrey were roomates at UK, something that this writer had forgotten.  So that’s why he’s not on any lists!  In the words of Gilda Radner: “Nevermind.”)