Not so fast Pac-10

So all that expansion talk by the Pac-10 may be losing some steam. According to a recent article by Dennis Dodd at CBSsports.com, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott says they may petition the NCAA to change the conference championship rule from 12 to 10 teams.

If this happens the Pac-10 wouldn't need to expand, nor share money with two other institutions. While a Pac-10 championship game means more money it's appeal is limited at best. Still, if this happens it would open the door for the Big Ten and Big East to have a conference championship without adding teams. This could also save the current conference alignments.

Scott also tells Dodd he has spoken with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Big East commish John Marinatto about holding championship games without expanding to 12 or more.

This would definitely be of interest to the Big East and its eight football members, and possible to an extent the Big Ten and its 11 members. If Delany can't land, say, Notre Dame or Texas, maybe passing on expansion is a possibility.

However, the Big Ten's expansion is more about growing its TV network through large markets and cashing in on all of those homes paying a $1 or more to have the Big Ten Network, so Big Ten expansion is going to happen. It's also interesting to see the Pac-10 is still discussing a similar TV network with the ACC and Big 12.

This story is far from over. Too bad Marinatto remains (OK, he spoke with the Pac-10 from his luxury office in Providence, R.I.) on the sidelines as his conference is in a death roll.

Podcast: Episode 61

Can anyone talk about college football today and not mention expansion? We couldn't. We actually spend a great deal of time discussing the hot topic, especially the revelation that Notre Dame may actually be ready to end its independent status. This puts the Big Ten in a power position, especially if the conference can reel in the Fighting Irish and even go bigger with Missouri and Nebraska.

As for the Pac-10, expansion seems to be pretty clear-cut ... go with Colorado and Utah and be happy. But what does this all mean for the Big 12? It may not hurt that much, especially if the conference gets TCU, SMU and pulls Arkansas from the SEC. Oh how the dominoes may fall.

We also look at how some of our favorite college players fared in the NFL Combine and the future of Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, especially following the public support from new AD David Brandon. Enjoy another show from Phil and Tom.

Pac-10 expansion comes into focus

Thank you Jon Wilner.

While we have spent a great deal of time and space dissecting the potential and pitfuls of Big Ten expansion, 'Eye and 'Eer have shied away from much discussion about the Pac-10's big expansion plans. Mainly because we aren't in touch with it quite like those on the west coast.

But thanks to the San Jose Mercury News columnist, we now have an excellent view of how and why expansion is inevitable in the Pac-10. It's clear from his piece the Pac-10 is willing to abandon its academic high ground for the all important cash. Here is a quote from the story:

“Everything is for sale,” one source told me. “They’ll do anything necessary to make money.’

With state funding becoming more scarce and athletic budgets skyrocketing into hundreds of millions it's easy to see why Pac-10 leaders are jealous of the $200-plus million made by the Big Ten and SEC.

So stay tuned as it is very clear now the Pac-10 will not sit by idly and will look to probably add Colorado, Utah or BYU.

So, once again, what is Big East commish John Marinatto have planned to secure the future of his conference? We're still waiting Big John.

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

What is Marinatto/Big East waiting for?

What the hell is Big East Commissioner John Marinatto waiting for?

He's new to the job, but just five years after Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami bolted for the ACC, the Big East is sitting idly by as the Big Ten and Pac-10 announce each is looking to expand in the next year.

Marinatto should immediately announce the conference is forming a fact-finding group that will look at expanding the Big East to 12 teams. He should also assure everyone that the group will do everything it can to retain all current members, since the Big East may be raided once again by the Big Ten.

Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are all considered potential expansion partners with the Big Ten, especially if Big Ten commissioner James Delaney and his fact-finding group decide expanding to 14 teams is a better idea.

So Marinatto needs to be proactive and start thinking of the long-term sustainability of the Big East football schools. This could prove beneficial as he hopes to keep any Big East schools from listening to the Big Ten's overtures.

Remaining idle now will just increase the bashing by those who see the Big East as nothing more than a basketball conference.

There are a number of excellent options for the Big East ... elevating Villanova and Georgetown and adding Memphis, East Carolina, Central Florida or Navy is just one of them. But instead of just looking at the Big East we will soon present a proposal of going to eight Power Conferences.

Hopefully it will be more forward thinking than anything the Big East has to offer us.

Jake Locker apparently filled with common sense

Looks like 'Eer and I ('Eye) aren't the only ones who think ESPN's Todd McShay's constant blathering about Washington QB Jake Locker being the No. 1 pick of the upcoming NFL draft was ridiculous. McShay's take led to many media types critcizing Locker's decision to return to UW for his senior season.

According to Profootballtalk.com, Locker didn't receive a first-round grade from his NFL assessment. The source in the story though, does admit Locker could be drafted in the first round because of the need for quality QBs.

The Seattle Times says that the assessment came after Locker's decision to return to school, so he might have still thought he'd be the top pick of the draft when he made the call.

And to that I say - whatever. Locker will benefit greatly from another year under Steve Sarkisian.

And when you listen to Todd McShay tout players as "potential first round pick." Yeah, well, we're all "potential" first-round picks, Todd.

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.

Much ado about summer newspaper filler

Using a ridiculously long list of factors, The Tuscaloosa News came up with its annual list of college football's top programs. The ratings include recent results, historical results, recruiting, attendance, grades and everything in between. Apparently, there's not a lot of sports news to write about in Tuscaloosa in the summer.

Still, it's interesting reading for us college football nuts.

The top three?
1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. 'Bama

Naturally, the SEC is rated the top conference and SEC schools dominate the high end of the list.

Rick Neuheisel likes to poke bears with sticks

Why do college football coaches talk to booster groups?
So, PAC-10 coaches decide to vote to let family members under the age of 18 on the sideline. Only one coach votes no and that ticks Neuheisel off enough to yap to his boosters about it and take some shots at Petey Carroll.

yes, Rickster, this is certainly the issue that should put you over the top in your pursuit of USC. Let's worry about putting together an offense capable of getting a couple of first downs this year.

Besides, can you blame Carroll for voting against this? Would you want your kids hanging out with Snoop? Nobody can get on the 'SC sidelines without a SAG card anyway.

Podcast: Episode 30

The ACC and Pac-10 seem like an odd pairing, but the two coastal conferences just may form a new College Football network that will show just their games. Finally, Greg Paulus made a decision for his one year of football action. Phil and Tom also look at rising and declining conferences as well as a faux pas by the Sports Information Office at Notre Dame. Also, Phil peppers Tom with three quick hitters that involve WVU. Tune in to hear what he has to say about the Mountaineers.

Update 2: Bowl Standings

With only three bowl games remaining the Pac-10 has wrapped up the Bowl Challenge Cup. The Big Ten could really use a win from Ohio State over Texas, while the Big 12 has a chance to add two more wins and improve to 5-2. A Florida win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game would give the SEC the most wins at six. The Mid American Conference needs Ball State to knock off Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on Tuesday to get its only victory.

I'm surprised how well the Pac-10 played this bowl season, but it's a stretch to say it was the best conference this season. Utah's upset of Alabama and South Carolina's pitiful performance against Iowa dented the SEC claim to being the best.

If Texas and Oklahoma win the Big 12 should be considered the best. But let's wait and see.

Conference Bowl Standings
Pac-10 5-0
SEC 5-2
Big East 4-2
Big 12 3-2
Conference USA 3-2
Mountain West 3-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
Western Athletic 1-4
Big Ten 1-5
MAC 0-4

Update: Bowl Standings

Just for fun and with the Independence Bowl still in doubt (La. Tech leads Northern Illinois 14-7), here is our second look at how each conference is fairing so far. Interesting to note that not a single SEC or Big 12 team has played yet. Maybe that does prove these were the best two conferences this year and why Florida and Oklahoma (should be Texas) are playing in the BCS Championship.

The Big 12's Missouri faces Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl at 8 p.m. tomorrow. Vanderbilt will start things off for the SEC as the Commodores take on Boston College in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl at 3:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

Here are the rankings so far:
Big East 2-0
Pac-10 2-0
Mountain West 2-1
ACC 2-2
Conference USA 1-1
Independents 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
Big 10 0-1
Mid American 0-1
Western Athletic 0-3

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)

Very early bowl standings

Some analysts believe you can tell what conference is the best by bowl game records. I think it's helpful, but by no means a true evaluation. Now BCS Bowl records are important (Big East 3-0 since 2006).

Here is an early look at conference standings in bowls as Southern Miss of Conference USA and Troy of the Sun Belt are knotted at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

ACC 1-0
Big East 1-0
Pac-10 1-0
Mountain West 1-1
Conference USA 0-1
Independents 0-1
Western Athletic 0-1

Apple Cup

As Washington State travels to Seattle to play rival Washington for the 101st Apple Cup it may be hard to find a more pathetic match up during that stretch. Wazzu is 1-10 (thanks to Portland State) and 0-8 in the Pac-10. The Huskies are even worse at 0-10, 0-7 as the miserable Ty Willingham era is close to coming to an end.

It's amazing to see how far these two programs have fallen. Washington won a share of the 1991 National Championship and going to Seattle used to be one of the toughest road games in the nation.

The Cougars can claim Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf as former QBs and recently won 10 games in three consecutive seasons (2001-03).

This is the worst Division I game of the season and maybe ever. Someone will win Saturday, but will anyone really care?

Observations from Saturday's games (Sept. 20)

Game watching was even more sporadic today as my daughter decided at 31 months she doesn't need a nap in the afternoon (but I do). Still, I managed to watch much of the Pitt-Iowa, Florida-Tennessee and East Carolina-N.C. State games (and am currently watching Auburn-LSU, while flipping over to Georgia-Arizona State). Like every Saturday evening, here are some interesting observations I made (sorry it's later than expected, but when an old friend calls you stop what you're doing to talk ... great hearing from you Randy).

1. Will Todd Boeckman see the field again at Ohio State? Yes, but not too much. Many of the Buckeye faithful put most of the blame for OSU's big-game difficulties, including last week's humiliating 35-3 loss to USC on Boeckman. On Saturday, when the game began against Troy Coach Jim Tressel started heralded freshman Terrelle Pryor. He proceeded to complete 10-of-16 passes for 139 yards and four scores. Umm, Todd. I'd get the clipboard and enjoy the rest of your senior season.

2. How many more weeks until Tennessee's Phil Fulmer announces his retirement? I'm guessing right before the Vols play Kentucky in the season finale. But it could come earlier if the embarrassing losses continue to mount. Falling to UCLA in the opener was disappointing, but the Rocky Toppers we're willing to chalk it up to bad luck and the West Coast. Lose to 30-6 at home and Rocky Top becomes Rocky Chop. Don't fret Phil. You just face Auburn on the road next Saturday.

3. Is the Heisman race already over? Not yet, but I believe it is just a three-man race. All due respect to Missouri's Chase Daniel, I think Florida's Tim Tebow, USC's Mark Sanchez and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin are going to finish 1-3 in the final balloting. The darkhorse is probably Maclin, but he's the most talented. Watch him pull down Daniel's passes and then outrun everyone else on the field and you realize he's the most exciting receiver since Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald.

4. Is Michigan State's Javon Ringer the nation's best running back? Not a fair question, but man he's impressive. In Saturday's win against Notre Dame he rushed for more than 200 yards and two scores in a pretty easy 23-7 win. He doesn't get the respect of say Georgia's Knowshawn Moreno, Pitt's LeSean McCoy or Ohio State's Beanie Wells. But watch him run and you'll see he resembles a stronger Tony Dorsett.

5. Will Ball State crash the BCS party? Probably not, but after the Cardinals 42-20 victory at Indiana the Mid-American Conference team could be 13-0 after winning the conference championship game. Led by athletic quarterback Nate Davis, Ball State should be 10-0 when it faces the season's final two challenges in Central Michigan and Western Michigan. I'm keeping an eye on this team the rest of the way.

6. How overrated is the Pac-10? If last week wasn't bad enough, the conference was flipped upside down again when Oregon lost at home to Boise State. It really is USC and everyone else.

7. How tough is the SEC? To truly understand all you had to do was watch LSU at Auburn. The speed. The hits. The fans. I'm actually jealous that my sister and brother-in-law live in Tuscaloosa. I'd love to go to more of these games.

8. When will everyone realize that Florida State is not an elite program any longer? Three consecutive losses to Wake Forest is all you need to know.

9. Is West Virginia in trouble when it faces Marshall? Yes. The Herd are playing better this year and are 3-1 following a good road win at Southern Miss. Pat White is still great, but this team is one bad series from turning on good ol' boy Bill Stewart. Morgantown will be burning Saturday, but it could be Stewart in effigy.

10. Dr. Lou? Still hate it.

Observations from Saturday's games

Between diaper changes and playing in my daughter's kitchen, I managed to take in some college football action Saturday. I wish I could have taken in more games, but here are some interesting observations I made.

1. Georgia did exactly what it had to in Columbia, S.C. If the Bulldogs are to have any chance of playing for a national title this season, escaping with a narrow 14-7 road SEC victory won't hurt a bit. I don't care what the analysts say. This is one big victory down and only nine more to go. Up next? Ouch. A jaunt across the country to play an athletic Arizona State squad.

2. The Gamecocks (1-2, 0-2) showed plenty of grit against the No. 2 Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0). The Ol' Ball Coach still hasn't found any offense, but still a gallant effort after last week's shocking loss to Vandy.

3. With Lou Holtz in South Bend giving pep talks, kissing up to the Notre Dame faithful and unveiling a statue, watching halftime on ESPN games was bearable. Can someone else bring him to their campus next week?

4. Syracuse's Greg Robinson looks like a dead-man walking on the sidelines. He tries to pretend like he's still coaching, and that any of the players are actually listening. His assistants are networking with the opposing coaches for potential employment next year. 0-12 is looking like a reality.

5. I didn't see any of the East Carolina-Tulane game, but I was not shocked to see that they barely escaped New Orleans with a 28-24 victory. Following consecutive upsets of the ACC favorite (Virginia Tech) and Big East favorite (West Virginia), the No. 14 Pirates (3-0, 1-0) almost became the upset victim. Coach Skip Holtz' team needed a late TD pass in their Conference USA opener. Hey guys, I would get used to it. The rest of the conference is going to give you their best each week.

6. The Pac-10 just helped the Big East and ACC with their conference inferiority complexes (barring USC's performance against Ohio State). It took Cal about 2 1/2 hours to wake up at Maryland and didn't have enough magic and lost 35-27. Other embarrassing losses were Baylor over Washington State, BYU humiliating UCLA, and TCU over Stanford. Luckily Oregon rallied against Purdue and won on the road in OT.

7. Buffalo's Turner Gill will be coaching somewhere else next year. This former Nebraska standout has done an amazing job with the Bulls, who are now 2-1 after a 30-28 win over Temple. The last time Buffalo was over .500 and it not be Week 1 as a Division I-A team was back in 1969, when the Bulls finished 6-3.

8. This isn't the first time I have mentioned Ball State's Nate Davis, but many outside of the Mid-American Conference don't know who he is. He's easily the best quarterback that no one knows. He was lights out again on Saturday, completing 24-of-36 for two scores in a 41-24 win against Akron.

9. Could it be that David Cutcliffe has Duke fans not looking forward to basketball season already? The Dookies improved to 2-1 with a 41-31 victory over Navy at Wallace Wade Stadium. All right that's a stretch, but he's doing one impressive job. Probably the best since Spurrier roamed the sidelines back in the late 1980s.

10. Note to self (pick Missouri to score the most points each week in my College Picks league).