Marve headed to the Big TEleven?

According to the Indianapolis Star, former Miami, Fla. quarterback Robert Marve has Purdue in the lead for his now transfer-ready services.

This seems like a shockingly good fit for Marve. A decent football program with a new coach. He's not overshooting his ability like Mitch Mustain's ill-fated USC transfer and he's getting out of the South and away from all the SEC/Miami/Florida badmouthing that was going on before. Might do Marve some good to get out of the Sunshine state.

Other quarterback transfer news, former Michigan QB Steven Threet is now at Arizona State.

This is Threet's third school. He started at Georgia Tech, went to UM and now ASU. Whoopty-doo. Hey Sun Devils, if this kid ever sees any meaningful playing time, that's not good news.

Ready for the prom

So what is Auburn's Gene Chizik trying to accomplish?

When he took over the Tigers program he promised an all-out, aggressive approach to recruiting. One of those goals is to re-establish the Auburn brand in Alabama. I guess showing up at high schools in a stretch limousine is all it takes. So either there is someone important in that limo or its prom-time in the south.

Now Chizik can't visit the schools in the limo (per NCAA restrictions), but this has his redneck fingerprints all over it. The Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register reported, seven Auburn assistant coaches piled into a limo decorated with Auburn decals and flags and headed south to Mobile, an important in-state recruiting ground for the Tigers.

And it appears this road show is not over. Similar visits in other Alabama communities are expected to take place this week, according to the newspaper.

I've seen more class from Virginia Tech fans. Let's face it. This is so SEC.

Second thoughts?

Do you think Ball State standout quarterback Nate Davis is second guessing his decision to leave early for the NFL?

Probably not. Davis doesn't think that way. He is now a member of the San Francisco 49ers after being selected in the fifth round Sunday. However, this is well below early expectations.

When the athletic kid stepped away from college football to chase the fame and riches of pro football he never thought he would slip this far. Many experts were saying he could find his way into the first round, but he was definitely a second-round selection.

Then he had a poor showing at the combine and he joked about his poor performance in high school classes. Now word is out that he has dyslexia, which explains his learning difficulty.

But the NFL doesn't want a quarterback who struggles with basic reading and math. There were also concerns his unorthodox throwing style, small hands and those gloves he wears. Plus, he struggled in the Cardinals biggest games of 2008.

He has a chance, though. Many players who have been overlooked or slipped have proven many GMs to be wrong. Nate Davis just may be that guy. The Sporting News believes Davis could be the future QB in San Fran.

We'll see. Davis could be a huge fifth-round steal.

DIII coach's ignorance shines brightly

It seems coaching arrogance and athlete pampering extends well beyond the professional and Division I level.

Lance Leipold, coach at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, unloaded on some reporters from the student newspaper and barred them from covering the Warhawks. Now that his expletive-filled response is behind him, it appears Leipold is ready to apologize.

The Warhawks are talented and routinely compete at the highest levels of D3. But this is just laughable. If you have ever watched ESPN cover a D3 championship game all Pam Ward can talk about is how these athletes are students first. No scholarships mean the players are there for academics first.

Don't believe it.

The Leipold's of the world are all the proof you need. They take their teams more seriously than any D1 coach and they follow fewer rules and regulations.

A school spokesman says Leipold will be publicly reprimanded and the school chancellor will decide on any additional sanctions. He's led the program to back-to-back championship games, including one exciting win over Mount Union. I think his job is pretty safe.

He has since apologized for his salty language and overall ignorance.

This whole thing started because of an editorial in the Royal Purple that talked about a campus incident that involved a police officer being called to a weight room after three football players refused to show student identification to lift some weights. The editorial had a headline that read "Spoiled athletes need reality check."

This is true. Even at Division III.

Podcast: Episode 28

Back in the studio, Phil and Tom talk about the best non-BCS coaches, including Gary Patterson at TCU and Kyle Whittingham at Utah. We also offer teams facing the biggest question marks in the ACC and Pac-10, as well as dissect the drama that is Greg Paulus. Our quick hitters are some of our best yet. We wonder why Nick Saban was wearing a suit during the Alabama spring game, why Pete Carroll is writing a book and how Jackie Sherrill is getting Mississippi State into trouble again.

Redneck ways

This is special. A group of inbred, redneck Florida Gaytor fans shootin' up a Miami Hurricanes flag. The funny thing is the flag is still standing after they unload all of their ammo.

I'm really surprised Billy Bob didn't hold the flag while Jimbo and his buddies fired away.

(Hat tip to The Seventh Floor)

Jarrett Brown ready to take over at WVU

While many WVU fans are hyperventilating at the idea of not having Pat White at quarterback this fall, I'm one of the few who think the Mountaineers can actually excel under Jarrett Brown. He's not the running threat that White was, but Brown is a tough runner. And Brown is a much better thrower than White. It believe Jarrett has a chance to lead WVU to a Big East title.

Brown will become just the third first-year senior starting quarterback in the last 25 years. The other two are Kevin White in 1984 and Greg Jones in 1990. White led the Mountaineers to an 8-4 mark and a win in the Bluebonnet Bowl after sitting behind Oliver Luck and Jeff Hostetler.

Jones, who transferred to WVU from Miami, was a two-year back-up to Major Harris. Jones one year at the helm was difficult as the Mountaineers were in a rebuilding mode and finished 4-7.

Which path will Brown follow? I think he'll do even better than White -- Kevin, probably not Pat.

Better fit for Paulus

I'm already tired of the Greg Paulus story. But I have to admit this seems like a much better fit. It appears Michigan has stopped courting the former Duke basketball player. Instead, it appears Syracuse is a real possibility for the former Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year.

Robo-QB at 39

I had the, uh, pleasure of watching Todd Marinovich play in person in 1990. By that time he was already a media phenomenon - the kid who never ate a Big Mac, raised to be a quarterback, etc.

Now, almost 20 years later, Marinovich's story is even more interesting then all that BS spouted by newspapers and TV shows at the time.

Amazing read in Esquire.

On a side note, if you don't think the vast majority of college football players don't know how to beat a drug test - you're crazy.

Don't hire Trev Alberts

Trev Alberts as the Director of Athletics at the University of Nebraska-Omaha?

Not yet. The former Nebraska All-American is one of four finalists to become the new AD for the Mavericks. He's up against a high school AD, the commissioner from a small Division II conference and a football coach from another small school.

Alberts' credentials? An endorsement from Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne and getting canned from ESPN for refusing to show up for work one day. So who do you think the school will hire? Alberts is probably a lock (see: Larry Coker hire at UT-San Antonio).

We're not questioning Alberts intelligence, especially his football smarts. But this guy's ego will cause a divide at UNO. Clearly Osborne is grooming Alberts to replace him in Lincoln with the much bigger Cornhuskers. If the Mavericks go with Alberts it has all the makings of when the Detroit Lions hired Matt Millen -- failure written all over it.

Nothing is official yet, but let's just say Nebraska-Omaha officials have been warned.

Dare to Dream

Beating Michigan never gets old for us Ohio State fans, but has gotten a little, um, ho-hum of late.

Then this story broke today, as Duke backup point guard Greg Paulus visited Ann Arbor for spring football practices last week. A former highly-touted prep quarterback, whose brother plays QB for North Carolina, Paulus has used all four years of his basketball eligibility for the Blue Devils. If he switches to football, he's got one year left at any school he chooses.

Is this the best spring news ever? Could be.

Since UM is down to pretty much freshman Tate Forcier at QB, a little depth would be nice. And Paulus has been the poster boy of the whiny, overly-entitled Duke basketball player. It's a beautiful marriage. I could use some good ol' fashioned hate back in the rivalry. And he's easy to hate.

The best part is this: Duke coach David Cutcliffe did ask Paulus to come try out for the Blue Devils' football team - as long as he tried out at wide receiver.

Hmmm, can't cut it at Duke? Come play for Michigan!

That's awesome.

Erin Andrews alert ... time to get an Xbox 360

It may be time to finally buy the Xbox 360. I know. I know. What has taken me so long? Well, with two young children and a busy work schedule I don't have much time for video games. But with proof that ESPN's Erin Andrews has joined the cast of NCAA Football '10 as a sideline reporter the timing may be right.

I can see it now. We cut away to Erin reporting on the sidelines and fans are heckling her as Rey Maualuga walks up behind her and grinds away. Now college football fans get to stalk her via video games, and her reps can file restraining orders. It adds an entirely new twist to the game.

Weis' warped reality

Sorry, but I don't believe Charlie Weis. Sorry, Teddy Greenstein but you bought his crap.

It seems Weis wants us all to believe he considered stepping down at Notre Dame--giving up tens of millions in future compensation--after the Irish were upset at home by Syracuse.

He says quitting would have been gutless. In reality, he would have gained more respect. Certainly there would have been an NFL coordinator's job waiting for him.

No more meeting with the media. No more alumni functions. No more 18-22 year-olds not listening.

Charlie realizes he has a good gig and he's not going anywhere unless the Irish brass show him the door. After getting ripped by USC it looked like ND would do just that. Instead, they caved. Saw how much it would cost and saddled themselves with Weis for at least another year.

Recruiting went well, but Notre Dame may not be much better than 6-6 this season. So will the Irish buy into Weis again? I wouldn't. You can't believe a word he says.

Fans MIA at Pitt

Poor Pitt.

Look at that pitiful crowd during the Panthers Spring Game on Saturday. Look, spring games can be a lot of fun and they can also be boring.

But The Stache is trying to rebuild Pitt, which almost won the Big East last year. If LeSean McCoy had not left early for the NFL the Panthers might be the early favorite to win the conference in 2009.

This is just plain sad. I know Pittsburgh has so much more to follow than Pitt. The Steelers just won their sixth Super Bowl, the Penguins are playing well heading into the NHL playoffs, the Pirates have a winning record and Pitt basketball is much more fun to watch. So there just aren't enough fans to go around.

Even the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette didn't report on the annual Blue-Gold Game until Monday. One interesting note from the PG's coverage is the mention that Bill Stull appears to be the top quarterback for 2009. That's not good news for new OC Frank Cignetti Jr.

Enough about Twitter

Jim Tressel is old school. He doesn't Twitter. Doesn't seem to know too much about it. I don't see him Tweeting soon. I think Tress will be just fine without joining the other coaches (Pete Carroll, RichRod, Bill Stewart, Tim Brewster and so on) who are Twittering. Wait. Shouldn't OSU Football SID Shelly Poe be doing this for him?

Podcast: Episode 27

It appears only Tom is ready for College Football to get going again (spring practice doesn't count). Phil is enamored with the Columbus Blue Jackets and their first appearance in the NHL playoffs. But the big guy still made time to talk about his real love. So your two favorite podcasters predict two surprise winners in 2009, breakdown the Big 12 and SEC as well as ponder what could have been if Mitch Mustain had never left Arkansas. During Quick Hitters we call out Pete Carroll and Jim Leavitt and look at the NFL draft again.

Leavitt blazes to 5.72 40 dash

One thing is clear, South Florida coach Jim Leavitt is a man of his word. Leavitt promised to run a time 40-yard dash in a challenge race against the student body. Leavitt, who is 52, put up a very respectable 5.72. He predicted a 5.9. He's faster than he thought.

Still, word is 21 out of 22 students beat his time and will receive "Faster than Coach Leavitt" T-shirts. I'm confident I could beat 5.27. Phil-shy could be another story. Maybe that will make a nice summer event. Phil-shy training for his first 40-yarder ... ever.

An 'Eye and an 'Eer has a history of showing Leavitt little to no respect. Today, we have to give it to him. This is a nice springtime marketing ploy and the old man ran a nifty 40.

Bringin' Sexy Back at SC

The past few years Steve Spurrier has appeared unfocused and spinning his wheels trying to muster anything that resembles a productive offense with the Gamecocks. However, after running across this photo the Ol' Ball Coach seems to have the fire back. Just look at the passion in those eyes. He actually looks sexy. Hell, Spurrier may be the best QB at South Carolina.

Don't worry ...

I know many of you were looking for our latest podcast today. Unfortunately our work schedules keep getting in the way. It looks like a good bet that Phil and Tom will connect on Friday. Stay tuned. It should be a hot show.

Ahh, list journalism. Creating angry fans wherever you go

So, which one of these guys is the better coach?

I've enjoyed the work of Tom Dienhart for years. A former Sporting News editor, Dienhart is now writing college football for Rivals.com.

But this column, smells of the "what can I write to generate hits by really pissing someone off" variety.

Dienhart lists the coaches in the Big 10 as such.

1. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
2. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan
3. Jim Tressel, Ohio State
4. Joe Paterno, Penn State
5. Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
6. Ron Zook, Illinois
7. Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
8. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
9. Danny Hope, Northwestern
10. Tim Brewster, Minnesota
11. Bill Lynch, Indiana


I know, I know. Bill Lynch at #11??!?!?! OUTRAGEOUS!

You can read Dienhart's reasons by clicking the link.

Great Mountaineer Moments

I have been enjoying the opening of baseball season tonight, but it's also on night's like this I get nostalgic about college football. Here are two of my favorite plays in WVU history. Let me know if you like one more than another or if you have another favorite Mountaineer moment.It's still tough for me to pick anything over Major Harris' magical run against Penn State in 1988. I was at the game as a freshman in Morgantown, and I remember it like it was yesterday.



OR

The next Tebow

What happened to arrogant, full-of-shit stud quarterbacks? Give me Jeff George, Ryan Leaf or even Dan Marino. But now we get guys like Matt Barkley. He loves God. He loves his family. Hell, he even spent his Christmas holiday at an orphanage. That's so Tim Tebow.

Luckily, Oklahoma still recruits dirtbags. Even if it's not at quarterback.

Ganja problems

Every year it seems to happen. A few weeks before the NFL Draft a small number of players are outed for allegedly failing their drug test at the combine. Yesterday, three big names came out —
Boston College DT B.J. Raji, Illinois CB Vontae Davis and Florida WR Percy Harvin.

Overall, this is bad news for their draft status. All three are considered first-round talents. But can they overcome this bad PR? Of course. They may slip, but many teams will see them as great bargains as they fall down the board. It will cost these guys money, but if they prove themselves all will be fine.

Does anyone remember Warren Sapp in the 1995 draft? He was considered by many a top 3 pick, but he slipped to the Tampa Bay Bucs at No. 12 because of drug rumors. Sapp took it to heart and quickly became one of the game's most dominating defensive lineman for about a decade.

Raji and Davis may come through this better than Harvin. He has been rumored to have a case of reefer madness. There are even rumors that he missed games the past two seasons because of marijuana issues. This can pick up momentum and get out of control real quick for Harvin.

I'll be watching the draft on April 25-26 and keeping a close eye on these three and see who slips and who survives.

Ask us a question

Phil and Tom are less than a week away from their next podcast and they would love to answer questions from the fans. If there is something going on in College Football right now that you'd love to hear us discuss, please send us an email at eyeandeer@gmail.com.

Remember we won't discuss Charlie Weis or Notre Dame until either or both become relevant in College Football. However, we'd love to discuss tOSU or WVU.

Regards,

Phil and Tom

Maualuga the teddy bear

Former USC linebacker Rey Maualuga is really just a softy who gets angry and physical only when he's on the football field. He's also a pretty good dancer. Enjoy the video.

Houston WR suing Marshall

I called this one as I was watching the game. It appears University of Houston receiver Patrick Edwards is going to sue Marshall University because of a broken leg he incurred in the second half of a game last year in Huntington, W.Va.

Edwards, who was having a great season for the Cougars, crashed full-speed into a metal cart for band equipment that was stationed behind the end zone. He had surgery in Huntington and Herd players and MU officials visited Edwards at the hospital the next day.

He is still expected to make a full recovery, but I knew that night he had a good legal case and it appears he has decided to cash in. If you have not seen what happened that night in October here is the video (but I warn you that it is graphic).

Interesting and Entertaining

Out scanning the blogosphere for interesting and entertaining stories that might interest our vast readership. May take me a little time since I'm also watching Lost. Here it goes.

Adda boy: Former Ohio State receiver Brian Hartline appears to be having LOTS of fun as he awaits the NFL Draft later this month. Many of you may find this appalling. I say let 'em enjoy college.

Second chances: Three former Iowa football players who left Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes at semester have all resurfaced.

Bad news: Spring practice at South Florida took down another player as talented receiver Jesse Hester will probably be out until fall after injuring his ankle.

April Fools: The guys over at SmokingMusket.com have come to a conclusion about WVU coach Bill Stewart.

Mountaineer Maniacs: Speaking of WVU's Stewart, the coach gave a few hundred fans a special treat at a recent spring practice.

WAC on ESPN: The Western Athletic Conference has announced an 11-game schedule on ESPN and ESPN2.

Good move: With the East-West Shrine Game moving to Orlando in 2010, the Orlando Sentinel touts the positives of this change.