Week of 8/24

8/28:

• My most exciting bit of news today could be that perhaps the Army-Navy game could be played at West Point!!! If so, it would be the first time since 1943 - the only other game played at Michie Stadium.

• Also, as a huge college football fan….could we have our favorite sport played for 8 or 9 months this season (Sept. thru April)? The Big Ten, and perhaps the Pac-12, are considering a winter season that could start Thanksgiving weekend!

• Uni Watch made my day with a look at some uniform changes that we will see this fall. Although there are some subtle detail changes that are a sep in the right direction for some teams, there are four changes that get a big thumbs up from me: Boston College and Texas A&M going back to their 80s look, North Texas uniforms reflecting their Joe Greene era in the late 60s, and Charlotte creating a new helmet emblem that I think looks sharp.

8/27:

• Two games were postponed today (ULM at Troy and Marshall at East Carolina), with one of them, the Sun Belt Conference game, getting rescheduled. The other really needs to get rescheduled because it was supposed to be a tribute to the 75 people who died 50 years ago in a Marshall plane crash. One suggestion would be Dec. 5th, if neither team plays in their conference championship, and the other date would have to be Dec. 12th. I know it is the Army-Navy game weekend, but if any game is worthy of joining our service academies on their special day, it’s this game!

• Depth is a key word this year for teams playing this fall because we will see athletes forgoing the season for health concerns. So, when there is a season-ending injury, a team can’t help but cringe. Georgia is that team today. They lost one of their top receivers, Dominick Blaylock, for the year with an ACL tear. Basketball fans willl remember his father - Mookie Blaylock, who played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1987 thru 1989.

8/26:

• Can’t tell you how exciting it was to see ESPN’s TV schedule for Week 1, even though it is a limited schedule. The Arkansas State/Memphis rivalry game is the best game on Saturday, with the Eastern Kentucky/Marshall not far behind. And I am always up for watching a Navy game!

• Due to an outbreak of COVID-19 at NC State, the Wolfpack’s game with Virginia Tech that was scheduled for Sept. 12th, has been pushed back two weeks to September 26.

• It didn’t take long for former UCLA starting tackle Jake Burton to find a place to play this fall. He is headed to Baylor to finish his college career. Even though the Bears are returning five players who started at least five games each last season, Burton will be a strong contender to start at right tackle.

8/25:

• Last November, New Mexico defensive lineman Nahje Flowers took his own life. Today a lawsuit was filed alleging that the University of New Mexico, coach Bob Davie, and the NCAA didn’t protect Flowers. Documents supposedly say that a therapist recommended that Flowers take time off to deal with his depression, but Davie made the lineman play a game just days before Nahje died.

• Vanderbilt got some good news when their leading tackler, linebacker Dimitri Moore, announced that he will play this season after all. The Commodores will now have all eleven defensive starters return from last year.

8/24:

• In what could be a showcase for Trey Lance, North Dakota State announced that they will play Central Arkansas on Oct. 3rd as part of a three-game series.. There has been speculation that Lance might transfer so that he could play this fall, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. As for the Bears, they seem to be winners in all this because they get another game on their schedule, and they will play host to the Bison in 2025.

• The Preseason AP Poll was released with Clemson being ranked first. It wasn’t unanimous though because the Buckeyes did receive 21 out of 61 first-place votes (the Tigers got 38). Unfortunately, nine of the twenty five teams have had their season postponed - so future polls will look completely different this one.

• On Friday the NCAA voted to give an extra year of eligibility to fall athletes. In essence, there will be two freshman classes next year - and of course this has the potential to be very difficult to manage scholarships and rosters.

• Cincinnati certainly wants to keep Luke Fickell around, as they have offered an extension through 2026 - and it will increase his salary to $3.4 million a year. The coach had been targeted by Michigan State earlier this year for its vacancy.

Week of 8/17

8/21:

• Two quarterbacks will be sidelined this year due to COVID-19 and testing for the virus. Georgia State QB Mike Colasurdo, has been diagnosed with a heart condition as a result of getting the coronavirus. Though the specific condition has not been revealed, it could well be myocarditis - as it has been found in at least five Big Ten athletes, as well as other athletes in other conferences. The second quarterback sidelined, is TCU’s Max Duggan. Coach Patterson revealed that it’s a condition that Duggas has had all his life, but it’s only recently been discovered because of coronavirus testing.

• Can’t help but be impressed with the scheduling success of some teams. In the FBS, both Liberty and Army have taken shattered schedules and rebuilt them, so that they can play ten games each. While two FCS teams, Western Kentucky and Central Arkansas have taken their non-conference scheduling seriously. The two schools will play 8 games - including a home-and-home series against each other.

• The MEAC is the second FCS conference to come up with a plan to play in the spring - if all goes well. Their scheduling model will split the schools into two divisions for a six-game regular season that will not include any cross-divisional play. This will eliminate air travel and reduce travel expenses. The regular season would be from Feb. 27th to April 24th, with a championship game being played on May 1st.

8/20:

• Dr. Jason Johnson, associate chief of pediatric cardiology (and director of the cardiac MRI) at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN says, “In my opinion, the concern of myocarditis, or possible myocarditis from COVID-19, is not a reason to cancel sports.”

• South Carolina got some good news on the recruiting trail, as quarterback Gunner Stockton, out of Georgia, selected the Gamecocks over the home state Bulldogs. This might help the earlier blow South Carolina got when they lost highly-touted running back MarShawn Lloyd to an ACL tear.

• It’s looking more and more like SEC schools will be playing in front of 20k-25k fans.

8/19:

• Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is probably not enjoying his first year at the helm very much. After receiving backlash from all groups that love college football, Warren elaborated on the decision to postpone the Big Ten season. Wasn’t very good that Ohio State AD Gene Smith came out at about the same time saying that he was confident that his school have the safety protocols and safeguards in place to have athletes return to competition immediately.

• ESPN came out with a story about Alabama being favored in its last 67 games, and 139 of its last 140. When they were 1-point underdogs to Georgia in 2015, the Bulldogs had ended a string of 72 straight games that the Crimson Tide were favored. To put things in perspective, Florida State was favored for 54 consecutive games from 1997-2001 and Utah currently has the second-longest active streak at 15.

• Something that I need to mention is the loss of former Houston head coach, Bill Yeoman, who passed away last week at the age of 92. He was the first Cougar inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 1964, he signed running back Warren McVea as the school’s first black player. The game I will never forget with Coach Yeoman on the sidelines was the 1979 Cotton Bowl between the Cougars and Notre Dame - with Joe Montana.

8/18:

• When the Mountain West postponed their fall football schedule, the first thing I thought about was, “What about the Air Force-Army and Air Force-Navy games?” Well, I was just on Air Force’s football website, and both those games are still on their schedule! So at this time, the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy can still be presented this fall…

• Last night the SEC released their full schedule after teasing us with one week of games earlier in the day. Rivalry games were not front-loaded as expected, which might mean that they are very serious about getting their season played this fall. I also got excited with the Big Ten’s schedule release, and look what happened with them…

• Another read I enjoyed yesterday, was the SWAC releasing their Spring 2021 football schedule. Gives hope for another three or four months of college football in the spring!

8/17:

• Returning from vacation (no internet), the saddest story I read that impacts me personally is the news that Maine Maritime, up in my wife’s hometown of Castine, is suspending its football program indefinitely. Unfortunately the Mariners had not tasted victory in more than two years.

• In another concerning story, North Carolina announced that they are moving to all online classes this fall, as they have had a cluster of COVID on campus. At this time, it won’t affect their athletic programs, but this doesn’t make me confident regarding their football season

• Continuing with discouraging news, MAC football programs have struggled both on and off the field (money) - are now facing significant financial issues that could lead to deep cuts to their sports teams. Will we see some teams falling back to the FCS level like Idaho did?

• Ending today on a positive note, Bluefield State, a division II school in West Virginia, announced that they are bringing back football, as well as 11 other sports. Bluefield State hasn’t fielded a football team since 1980!

Week of 8/3

8/8:

• A very important news item I forgot yesterday….Lee Corso turned 85! I never would have guessed he was that age! Happy Birthday Lee - we love your spirit on College GameDay!

• With the FCS formally canceling their playoffs this fall, the Missouri Valley Conference announced yesterday that they will move their conference play to next spring. Schools in the conference can still play non-conference games this fall if they wish…

• The SEC announced the new conference games for this upcoming season. Games that look most exciting to me are Florida at Texas A&M and Tennessee at Auburn. I feel bad for Arkansas as they were given the Gators and the Dawgs…

• As players are opting out of playing this year, Trevor Lawrence announced that he is “100 percent committed” to playing in 2020.

8/7:

• It’s official - both the Big Sky and the Pioneer Football League have canceled their Fall 2020 season. Now three Championships (FCS, Div II, and Div III) will not be played this fall.

• We might hear soon that a second FBS team might opt out of the season. The MAC has hinted that they will be moving ahead with this season (announcement on Saturday?), but there’s a possibility that Northern Illinois will say “thanks, but no thanks”.

• A very damaging scenario could be happening in the FCS, as there are rumors that the Big Sky is going to postpone their fall season and play an eight-game conference schedule in the spring.

• Three more NFL prospects have decided not to play this year: Micah Parsons, Penn State LB, Gregory Rousseau, Miami DE, and Rondale Moore, Purdue WR. Parsons will probably be a star on the next level, but losing Moore at Purdue hurts me the most of all the announcements so far. I remember seeing his first game against Northwestern, and thinking how exciting it was going to be watching him for the next three years. An injury last year and the pandemic this year cost me from seeing him in at least 20 games.

• Teams are starting to fill up their schedules with new games to replace previously canceled games.

• Lastly, I’m not sure it is going to do much good, but the Governor in Florida, Ron DeSantis, is pushing to have the Florida-Florida State rivalry game rescheduled. If he is successful, I would love to submit a list of other games to reschedule…

8/6:

• Yesterday the Mountain West approved an 8-game conference schedule plus two non-conference games. Their season will begin the weekend of Sept. 26th.

• Another story from yesterday - Colorado State is following up on allegations made by some coaches, players, and sports medicine that leaders in the athletic department are discouraging athletes from being tested. In addition, some student-athletes claim that their playing time could be affected by a positive test and an extensive absence.

• The ACC released their 2020 schedule - and their season starts with Miami hosting UAB on Sept. 10th.

• With the ACC announcement, Notre Dame will not play Navy for the first time since the series began in 1927 (93 years) because of the conference’s scheduling restraints.

• And for my amusement, I read that both of Ray Lewis’ sons (Rayshad and Rahsaan) will transfer to Kentucky as walk-ons. The brothers will both be playing for their third FBS school.

8/5:

• A very busy day - as there were a lot of stories to read and follow. I will start with the announcement that the Division II and Division III Championships have been called off for this fall. I can only hope that we will see the football championships played next spring.

• UConn became the first FBS team to cancel their season. Is it that they feel that their student-athletes are at an unacceptable level of risk - or is it money-related since their schedule is a disaster?

• Two more Power 5 players have opted out of playing this year, Michigan State DE Jacob Panasiuk and West Virginia safety Kerry Martin.

• The American Athletic Conference has officially come out an said that they would play 8 conference games, and up to four non-conference games. Realistically it will be one or two non-conference games.

• Lastly, the Big Ten had two news items: they announced their Fall 2020 football schedule, which starts Sept 3rd wilth Ohio State at Illinois, and then the Big Ten players formed a unity group , like the Pac-12, to address concerns.

8/4:

• Yesterday the Big 12 rolled out their plan for the upcoming football season. They will play nine conference games plus one non-conference game that is to be played at home. The conference season is set to begin in mid- to late-September, so to prevent extra off weeks Oklahoma and Kansas may again move games that are currently scheduled for Week Zero.

• We have heard from another Group of Five conference! The Sun Belt conference has approved a schedule that includes 8 conference games and up to 4 non-conference games. The first FBS conference attempting to play a normal full season. Not sure if the pandemic will allow such a plan…

• After knowing more about the situations at Washington State and TCU, and hearing the head coaches’ rebuttals - I find myself comfortable with how it was truly handled internally.

• Rashod Bateman, Minnesota Golden Gopher receiver, is opting out of the upcoming season. Bateman is the second pro prospect (potenital 1st-round pick) to say no go to the college game this year.

8/3:

• The biggest story to watch over the next few days, weeks, and maybe months will be the boycott statement released yesterday morning by a group of Pac-12 football players. In summary the group is seeking protection and and acknowledgement regarding: Health & Safety Protections, Protect All Sports, End Racial Injustice in College Sports, and Economic Freedom and Equity.

• It was reported that Washington State cut players that supported the unity movement and had them clean out their lockers, which was denied by the school. They will issue a statement later today. Cougar head coach Nick Rolovich and wide receiver Kassidy Woods are the central figures in this story as Woods recorded his conversation with the head coach.

• And it has now been reported that players at TCU refused to practice after a player made allegations against Gary Patterson. From what’s been learned from teammates, sounds like words got twisted around a bit.

• Back in early June, Michael Turk, who declared for the NFL draft but was undrafted, was granted a waiver to return to Arizona State. Now we have a new twist as a Texas Tech defensive lineman, Houston Miller, who declared for the draft, went undrafted and is returning to college football with his eligibility intact. Funny thing is - he has transferred to Southeastern Louisiana.