Big Ten playing the big bully

There is no way the 'Eye would be happy if Tony Barnhart's outlandish speculation comes true. I'm in no position to question Barnhart's sources or his own instincts when it comes to seeing into the Big Ten's future.

The scribe is one of the best college football guys around.

But does it make sense for the Big Ten to make the leap from 11 to 16 teams? Barnhart seems to think so. It would play well into B10 commish Jim Delany's ego as it has been rumored that this is his way to put a final stamp on his legacy.

Of course Barnhart's fact/fiction has the B10 raiding the Big East of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut and Rutgers. The fifth and final addition would potentially be Notre Dame. This would all but doom the football sect of the Big East, and relegate West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida will either be left for dead or hope the ACC or SEC scoops them up in an effort to not fall too far behind Delany's dream conference.

More realistically, the four remaining Big East teams would find a home in lesser conferences or try their best to salvage what's left by seeking new members from Conference USA and elsewhere. But maintaining BCS status will not happen.

The SEC doesn't need to overreact, but instead of taking what's left of the Big East it could look at adding Miami, Florida State, Clemson or even Texas.

All of this seems a little crazy, but remember what WVU's Bill Stewart said not too long ago, and Tony Barnhart wouldn't just throw out this crazy plan without some solid information. Right?

Full-blown, super conferences

Just when we thought we were being edgy with our suggestions for a new Super 8 conferences realignment, Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples took it a step further.

Staples' suggestion that the top 64 money-making college football programs leave the NCAA and create four CASH Conferences is appealing. Especially when I see the conference makeups ... who doesn't love seeing WVU in the SEC with Louisville, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. All four conferences have 16 teams and somehow the ACC still blows.

TCU is the only mid-major to make the top 64 teams (sorry Boise State and Utah). This will never happen, but I'm glad to see others thinking of ways to improve the current system that doesn't always include a playoff. Good job, Mr. Staples.

Will anyone in the SEC ever score again?

File it in the "old guys are still in charge" file, but the NCAA wants to crack down on taunting.

If passed, players who draw flags for taunting gestures on their way to a touchdown would have the penalty assessed from the spot of the foul, taking away the score.

Listen, I get it. Taunting is the act of immature young males, hopped up on testosterone and psyched into oblivion by shirtless, chest-thumping assistant coaches. (Okay, that might only be Ed Orgeron.) Regardless, how in hades is a referee supposed to make this call? It was tough enough to make this call with a 15-yard penalty, now you're going to take away a touchdown?

The new rule won't go into effect until 2011, so make sure to get all your taunting in early this year, guys!

Super 8 - conference realignment

Last week we presented what we think is a plausible playoff scenario that both the 'Eye and the 'Eer could live with. Well after giving it some more thought, and starting to like our idea even more, we wanted to take it step further.

Instead of using the BCS, we propose consolidating the current 11 conferences (and three independents) into the Super 8 conferences. The three losers are the Mountain West, Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences -- stop the griping now because it makes the most sense when you see how everything shakes out. Also, no institutions are allowed to remain independent (suck it Notre Dame and NBC).

Some decisions were made because they made geographic sense, while others were the best fit for the conference. There was also an attempt not to make a Super Conference or two so everyone can compete on a level playing field in recruiting as well as for TV contracts (ESPN should love this set up). Every conference has 14 teams except Conference USA, which is too big (18 teams) and clearly the weakest conference (Fresno State and Troy are the top two), but the teams will have a brutal conference schedule and the champion would make the playoffs.

With the Super 8 conferences, a 16-team playoff is a realistic expectation and teams that don't win their conference still get a shot at the National Championship.

The Mid-American Conference is the least impacted of all with just the addition of Army from the independent ranks, while the ACC (Central Florida and East Carolina) and SEC (Southern Mississippi and Tulane) landscapes each welcome two additional schools.

The Big 10 is the big winner with the strongest newcomers-- Notre Dame, Nebraska and Missouri. The Big East has the biggest growth spurt from eight teams to 14, however two of the new teams are currently in the conference in all other sports but football. Villanova and Georgetown upgrade from FCS teams and play in the North Division, while the South adds Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Memphis and Navy.

The Big 12 is also reshaped by adding Air Force, Colorado State, Houston, Rice and TCU. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State also move to the North to balance the power. The Pac-10's growth includes one from the Big 12 (Colorado), one from WAC (Boise State) and two from the MWC (BYU and Utah).

Give us another week and we may want to make some additional tweaks, but today this is how we would like to see the Super 8 conferences take shape. Take a look below and let us know what you think.

ACC
Atlantic
Boston College
Central Florida
Clemson
Florida State
Maryland
North Carolina State
Wake Forest

Coastal
Duke
East Carolina
Georgia Tech
Miami
North Carolina
Virginia
Virginia Tech

Big 12
North
Air Force
Colorado State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

South
Houston
Rice
Baylor
TCU
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech

Big East North Cincinnati
Connecticut
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Villanova

South
Florida Atlantic
Louisville
Marshall
Memphis
Navy
South Florida
West Virginia

Big Ten
East Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Penn State
Wisconsin

West Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Ohio State
Purdue

Conference USA
East
Arkansas State
Florida International
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
North Texas
Southern Methodist
Troy
Western Kentucky
Tulsa
UAB

West
Fresno State
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
New Mexico
New Mexico State
San Diego State
San Jose State
UNLV
Utah State
UTEP
Wyoming

Mid-American
East
Akron
Army
Bowling Green
Buffalo
Kent State
Ohio
Temple

West
Ball State
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Miami (Ohio)
Northern Illinois
Toledo
Western Michigan

Pac-10 North Boise State
BYU
Oregon
Oregon State
Utah
Washington
Washington State

South
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Colorado
Stanford
UCLA
USC

SEC
East
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Tulane
Vanderbilt

West
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Southern Mississippi

Podcast: Episode 54

We're in the thick of the bowl season and we couldn't be any more pleased. Listen to today's show to hear which conferences we think have the most to gain and lose in bowl games, and which conference we think will be the biggest surprise.

We also propose a possible change for the NCAA to consider on coaching changes (OK, Phil doesn't like the idea), and give you are best picks for the next week of bowl games. Phil spends a little time evaluating the USC program, while Tom looks at Virginia Tech's chances of ending its drought against the SEC in the Chick-fil-a Bowl. Both of us also talk about the most memorable college football moment of the past decade. Enjoy.

I'd buy this shirt

OK, this is a little old, but it's still funny.

There's one thing the 'Eye and the 'Eer agree on ... ACC football is over-rated. Following last weekend's embarrassing dismantling by the SEC, this T-shirt should be for sale.

Here is an additional option depending on who wins the ACC Championship game Saturday:

Georgia Tech: First in the ACC, Second in the State.
It works for Clemson also.

Have a nice championship game, ACC...

Just when the ACC was under the impression that next week's ACC Championship game, held somewhere in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area (uh, home to which ACC school?), would be somewhat meaningful, the SEC showed up this weekend to return it to obscurity.

Georgia, whose season has resembled the Edmund Fitzgerald, ran the ball down Georgia Tech's throat and knocked the Yellow Jackets out the top 10 with a 30-24 win.

Earlier in the day, the other half of next week's title game, Clemson, got slobberknocked by a horrifically mediocre South Carolina team, 34-17. 34 points? To South Carolina?

Have fun in Tampa with all 1,437 fans that show up next week, ACC. Don't worry. They can't take their TV contract away from you - yet.

And just to rub it in, Florida kicked the bejeezus out of FSU, as Tebow finally earned his angel wings.
"Will heaven be playing H-back for the 49ers, Pa?"
"Yes, Timmy, I think it will be. But first you must continue the Lord's work by slaying the dark one - Saban."

Podcast: Episode 49

With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season it's the time of year when the coaching rumors really begin to fly. Did you hear? Bob Stoops, Brian Kelly and Kirk Ferentz are all going to coach at Notre Dame next year. Well, we decided to look at what coach may get the ax who doesn't deserve it and what coach should get fired who won't (Stan Parrish we're talking about you).

We also couldn't ignore the national bashing Ohio State and Iowa took for how last week's game finished (Gregg Doyle were talking about you). It's just interesting to see when Florida and Alabama play to their defensive strengths that it's called hard-hitting SEC football. When two Big Ten teams play that way it's a travesty against mankind.

We also look at The Rivalry, possible bowl match ups and the exciting race in the Mid-American Conference.

Pac-10 catches SEC ref fever

It is now the Pac-10's turn to suspend an official (or officials). Following the footsteps of the SEC, the Pac-10 isn't naming names, but league representatives have said the following about Taylor Mays' decapitation of Oregon State's James Rodgers:

“Our members expect a high level of officiating in all our sports and the Conference office shares that expectation. We have taken this action in light of the blatant and dangerous nature of the missed call. We have full confidence in our highly trained and qualified staff of football officials, but they, like the coaches and players, are accountable and must meet the high expectations placed upon them.”

Suspension may be the right call, but let's not forget these guys are not like Major League umpires. There's no union and just a weekly paycheck. Sure, most of them have other jobs, but this is a cut in pay. We all want them to do a better job, but they are also human.

Mea culpa for SEC officials ... again

Let me see if I got this right.

The most powerful, cash-rich conference in the nation can't find a quality group of football officials. Here I thought the Big East officials were worthless and incompetent.

There were the unnecessary unsportsmanlike penalties in the LSU-Georgia game on Oct. 3. SEC officials were nice enough to apologize to Georgia and admit the officiating mistake.

Then this past weekend it appears SEC officials were screwing up calls in favor of the higher-ranked teams in Gainesville and Tuscaloosa.

In the Florida-Arkansas game, the officiating crew had at least two horrendous calls go against the Razorbacks on the Gators' game-winning drive. They also had one missed called on the Gators.

The first bad call was a phantom interference call that you can watch here.



The second pitiful penalty was a personal foul on a defensive lineman protecting himself from a block. See what you think.



Then there was the missed offensive pass interference on UF receiver Riley Cooper that could have easily kept the Gators from getting into field-goal range. Again, you be the judge.



Now South Carolina's Steve Spurrier is accusing the Crimson Tide of its own form of trickery by using tape to spot field goals and extra points in last weekend's 20-6 Alabama win.

I'm not unrealistic. Officials are going to miss calls. Maybe they don't see something. But there is no excuse when officials call something that didn't happen. I can't overlook that and neither should the SEC. The statement released by conference officials is actually disturbing.

"After video review, there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty called on Arkansas midway through the fourth quarter. The other calls that were referenced are judgment calls and a review of those calls have been communicated to Arkansas."

I would expect something stronger. But Florida and Alabama are carrying the SEC this year (and last year), so no one (not even game officials) are going to rock ratings gold of these two.

(Hat tip: The Wiz of Odds for finding all of the video proof)

UF wins ... thanks to officials

Nice job CBS. Your highlight package from the Florida-Arkansas game is missing two major plays. Somehow the producers neglected to include two horrible penalties on the same Gator drive with about eight minutes remaining in the game.

The first bad call was on a Razorbacks' defensive back who was called for pass interference in the end zone, giving the Gators the ball at the Arkansas 21. For some reason, SEC officials don't like it when a DB uses good technique.

Then, on the very next play, Arkansas was flagged for a personal foul when a player decided to defend himself from a charging Gator. Get this ... it actually happened on a play that was 15 yards away from where the ball was at the point of the UF player making contact.

You know what happened next, Florida's Jeffrey Demps scored on a 10-yard dash to tie the game at 20.

That's embarrassing for the SEC officials, but even more so for CBS officials, who are too scared to show up the conference.

Podcast: Episode 43

There's a lot going on in this week's podcast. Here are some highlights.

Can you believe Chucklin' Charlie Weis is griping that Notre Dame isn't ranked higher? Hey Chuck, beat a team that matters and then maybe we'll listen. How do you think Boston College, Michigan and West Virginia feel? The Wolverines already beat the Irish, Boston College will later this season, and we're both pretty sure the Mountaineers would roll in South Bend or Morgantown.

Of course, we couldn't overlook the big clash in the SEC this weekend. Is this the week Florida's long winning streak ends or will LSU become another chapter in the Tim Tebow lore? We also try to figure out why Bob Stoops gets a pass in the national media for "sucking it up" in big games, but other coaches (e.g., Jim Tressel) doesn't.

We're also pleased to welcome back Mike Eisenberg from Eisentower30.com. He gives us some insight into the Hurricanes as well as some outlandish early week betting lines. Tune in as this is another excellent episode from your favorite College Football podcasters.

Saturday thoughts

- Great win for Miami. Terrible loss for Oklahoma. Can somebody get on Stoops now? (besides the 'Eer.) To recover from that loss to Va. Tech last week and play well against the Sooners means a lot to the mental toughness of the 'Canes. Can they keep it up through the crazy ACC though?

As for the Sooners, I didn't mind the decision to kick the field goal instead of going for a long fourth down conversion late in the game. The problem was with the play calling leading up to that decision. Third and long swing passes don't do it for me. I guess Stoops can pin this one on not having Sam Bradford, but right now it looks wide open for Texas to win the Big 12.

- SEC refs need to lighten up. Also a big win for LSU in a crazy game in Athens. Sets up next week's game with Florida as pure hysteria. The Tigers were hardly dominant though. Lots of questions about their offense and whether they can actually threaten the Gators. They did just enough to beat the 'Dawgs, though. Georgia is just a really weird team.

- Don't even try to predict what will happen in the ACC. Maryland beats Clemson? (Nice Dabo Swinney hire, by the way.) Boston College beats FSU. (Doesn't Bobby have to at least think about stepping down?) Virginia beats North Carolina. (WHAT!?) I give up. Whatever.

- Sparty gets a big win that might help salvage the season. Really, it was a game they should have pulled away with. Easily the worst performance of the year for Michigan.

WVU fans beware - animated loss to Auburn

FULL SCREEN VERSION
(Drive chart courtesy of SBNation's Rocky Top Talk)

Both 'Eye and 'Eer watched every play of this game, but apparently we needed to relive the horror through this fancy schmancy animated drive chart. Auburn still wins 41-31 and WVU still turns the ball over six times. (Note to OC Jeff Mullen: No more middle screens).

Podcast: Episode 37

With the countdown to the start of college football down to single-digit days, An 'Eye and an 'Eer podcast is back to doing a weekly show. This week we have our first guest, Ryan Zundell from the podcast Brothers in 3-Z. Ryan brings to the table tons of knowledge about the Big East and WVU. So go check out his podcast, which takes a look at all sports.

After we let Ryan get back to his life, Phil and Tom lambast Lou Holtz for picking Notre Dame to play in the BCS Championship Game (what a dope). We also pick our sleeper teams for each conference, as well as consider Steve Spurrier's options if South Carolina gets off to a slow start this season.

Motivational material: USC Gamecocks

I love scouring the web during lunch for motivational videos that have either been produced by the university or a fan that helps everyone get pumped for the start of the season. Above is one for South Carolina. Found this video at USC blog Leftover Hotdog.

Urban gets a raise

So, here's what two national titles gets you: not as much as Charlie Weis.

Urban Meyer got an extension from Florida - six years, $24 million. That puts him, for now, at No. 1 in the SEC (just about Nick Saban's $3.9 million) but third in college football behind Pete Carroll ($4.4 million) and Chunky Chuck of the Fightin' Irish ($4.2 million.)

Interesting the Gator brass only chose to bump Urban up to the top of the SEC and not to the top of all coaches.

And if Notre Dame is willing to dump $4.2 million on Charlie crap-ass coaching, what would they be willing to pay Urban next year? $6 million, $8 million?

Buckeye hype

Nice video. No doubt it has the Buckeye faithful fired up for the home opener against Navy.

However, I doubt Jim Tressel's days of producing inspirational videos aren't over. Also, Redemption 2? Is that all Ohio State is up to? Seems to me the Buckeyes should be up to about Redemption V. Loss to Florida. Loss to LSU. Loss to USC. Loss to Texas.

We'll keep a lookout for future renditions.

(Hat Tip: Eleven Warriors)

Podcast: Episode 35

As much as we would like to be talking about anything else, we couldn't avoid talking about Tim Tebow. From his preseason All-SEC snub by Steve Spurrier to the microscope he'll be under all season, we give you our take on Superman. Phil and Tom don't bore you to death with Tebow. We also discuss the future of the ACC, the SEC's television deal with ESPN, and the pressure that faces the preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Terrelle Pryor.

Oh, COME ON...

Gotta love SEC Media Day and Tim Tebow.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- You no longer need to wonder if the devoutly spiritual Tim Tebow is a virgin.

Now you know.

Responding to a question from radio reporters at SEC Media Days Thursday about whether he is saving himself for marriage, Tebow laughed initially and then said seriously, "Yes, I am."