Week of 7/27

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8/2:

  • One story that I missed while reading other news, the AAC announced that they will play an eight game league schedule with teams playing up to 4 non-conference games. It is expected that teams will play between one and three non-conference games.

  • Also on Friday, another story that fell through the cracks with me was the cancellation of the Redbox Bowl - the first bowl casualty. The bowl, played in San Francisco, has been played since 1992 and has gone by the names San Francisco Bowl, Emerald Bowl, Fight Hunger Bowl, and Foster Farms Bowl.

8/1:

  • Back in late March, Sam Ehlinger started a GoFundMe page as a COVID-19 relief fund. The Longhorn QB revealed that between the page and private donations, almost $200k has been raised, which has and will provide 150,000 meals, as well as help organizations. Great story!

  • Since the Ivy League canceled their season earlier this month, eight players from the league have entered the transfer database. One of them, Harvard RB Devin Darrington, revealed that the postponement was the primary reason for his decision. ACC and SEC schools have reached out to the back.

  • Lastly, I read some very sad news in the world of college football. Louisiana OL coach D.J. Looney died of a heart attack at the young age of 31. My condolences to his family and friends.

7/31:

  • When you didn’t think that the season could get any more out-of-whack, it’s being reported that the Michigan-Ohio State game will be played in either September or October. I guess the reasoning is that it’s better to get the game played in case the season gets canceled.

  • Last night it was reported by his son that Harvey Updyke had passed away Thursday afternoon. Updyke, who died of natural cases (poisoned?), was arrested and found guilty of poisoning Toomer’s Oaks after the Tigers beat his beloved Crimson Tide in the 2010 Iron Bowl.

  • In an interesting move, the NAIA has announced that they will play their championship in the spring. NAIA President and CEO JIm Carr said, “The decision also provides additional flexibility for our conferences and institutions to account for regional differences and plan their regular season accordingly.” So conferences can compete in the fall or winter if they choose. Will the NCAA follow suit? Might make for a safer and better season…

7/30:

  • The SEC joins the Big Ten and Pac-12 in planning a conference-only schedule this fall. Not good news for fans who were still hoping for Clemson/South Carolina, Florida/Florida State, Georgia/Georgia Tech - and not to be forgotten LSU/Texas.

  • And the Big Ten is still considering not playing football this fall. Don’t want to think about how many great conference games would be lost if that’s the case!

  • My favorite transfer story today - RB Devonta’e Henry-Cole, left Utah in January and joined BYU in early February. Before playing a down for the Cougars, Henry-Cole was on the move again, as Utah State added him to their roster yesterday. He has made his way through all the FBS Utah schools..

  • I love that the Georgia Tech - Notre Dame game will be played on campus in Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium! Much better than Mercedes-Benz Stadium..

7/29:

  • In an interesting development, the ACC voted to proceed with an 11-game season - that includes Notre Dame playing a full league schedule. Also, there will be no divisions for this season, so the two top teams will play for the championship

  • Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, a potential first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, has announced that he is opting out of the season. He will focus on preparing for the NFL because of the uncertainty of the college football season because of a renewed outbreak of the coronavirus across the country.

  • The Northeast Conference became the sixth FCS conference to cancel their fall sport season because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The conference did leave open the chance of fall teams playing in the spring semester.

  • Favorite transfer story/stories today: Texas CB, Anthony Cook, who tweeted a few weeks back that he would never play another down for the Longhorns, has pulled his name out of the transfer portal, and former Florida State RB Khalan Laborn has entered the transfer portal - one day after being dismissed from the Seminole Team.

7/28:

  • Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma have agreed on a two-year contract extension - one that the Sooners hope will keep him there until 2025. In three seasons as head coach of the the Sooners, Riley has gone 36-6, with a 24-3 record in Big 12 play.

  • In a humorous story (and sad for some), NCAA president Mark Emmert described the FCS Playoffs as a round-robin tournament with 20 teams. You would think that he would know the playoff format for all levels of play

  • Transfer story of the day - Hunter Rison, son of former Spartan great Andre Rison, has moved on from Michigan State to Kansas State to a California junior college, and now Division II Grand Valley State. He says that he is “Ready to work. Committed”…Maybe

7/27:

  • Michigan State revealed that 16 players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19 last week. They are now in quarantine for 14 days.

  • No surprise that the Hurricanes officially named Houston transfer D’Eriq King as their starting quarterback. In 2018 he was just the third quarterback in FBS history with at least 35 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing tds in a single season. I believe that folks should watch out for Miami this year…

  • In sad news, Nevada LB James Fotofilli was a victim of a road-rage hit-and-run. He suffered a fractured skull, but he is expected to make a full recovery. And former Kent State LB DeVante’ Strickland was killed in an early morning shooting on Sunday. He leaves behind two small children.

  • And good news for Georgia Tech on the Transfer Portal front…redshirt junior Kelton Dawson withdrew his name from the portal. He started seven games last year on the defensive line and was credited with 26 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.