http://www.yardbarker.com/content/school/506 Recent Yardbarker Articles: Arkansas Razorbacks en-us There's no denying that two of the most talked about college football coaches in the nation this off season have been Rich Rodriguez and Bobby Petrino. Both have new jobs and left their previous jobs under much scrutiny. So early on - do you approve or disapprove of Coach Petrino? Let me give you some information. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:12:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294817 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294817 I want to make it clear that every list you'll see regarding the most difficult schedule for the 2008 college football season is entirely subjective. I took into account where those tough games take place - at home or on the road. Ultimately, I ranked the teams based on the total number of pre-season Top 25 games on the schedule and how many of those games are at home or on the road. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:47:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294169 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294169 I wonder if Bear Bryant is rolling in his grave over this? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:14:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293130 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293130 Whether you believe he's a legend in the making or a liar, Urban Meyer stokes passions on all sides. Legend advocates will cite his second-year National Championship and a sophomore Heisman Trophy winner. Liar advocates are lining up against Meyer as stories continue to build, just as bridges linking Meyer to other coaches continue to burn. Consider these recent stories from other sites and sources on Meyer's recruiting tactics. It's unlikely the following schools have Meyer on their Christmas card list. LSU: Florida was ready to take all-star corner Patrick Johnson with what they thought was a bogus test score, but he committed to LSU. How did Florida respond? "Florida flagged my scores," Johnson said. "They called the compliance office." "I'm not upset," Johnson said. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)." FSU (posted on noledigest.com): "While Gator fans will sit and give excuses or spin the details of what is going on, there is no denying that it seems like the UF staff flat-out lies to these kids. "Here is a quote from Trent Pupello (a player they initially compared to Jeremy Shockey), who is looking to leave the program this year: 'Coach (Steve) Addazio (UF tight ends coach) told me to work on my speed,' Pupello said. 'He didn't say that my speed was slow or anything. He just said that everything (at this level) is faster. "'I need to work on speed and getting stronger, which is pretty much what we all need to work on. He said that they need me at tight end, that I'll have an early chance to play and that all of the tight ends will play on the special teams.'" Michigan site (on the recruitment of Daryl Stonum): The University of Florida stayed on the four star pass-catcher well all the way through. Things crescendoed recently after a conversation with Urban Meyer. According to Stonum, Meyer had a compelling reason why he should become a Gator. "He told me that he talked to Coach Carr and Coach Soup and that they told him that I would be a much better fit in the Florida offense than I would be in the one at Michigan," Stonum recalled. "I thought, wow, my coaches are selling me out? I confronted them about it. I asked Coach Carr and Coach Soup about it, and they said they never talked to that guy and that there was no way they ever said anything like that and that they think I should be a Wolverine. I believed them. Right then, I knew just how Florida rolled." Just Funny: You can't tell the story about Jevan Snead enough (recounted in the book Meat Market). The funniest thing I read in it concerned what Urban Meyer told Jevan Snead. Snead had watched the Outside the Lines special on Tebow, which showed Meyer and OC Dan Mullen in the stands. Problem was, Meyer had told Snead, committed at the time, that he was the only quarterback they were going after. When Snead asked Meyer about it, Meyer responded, "We are recruiting him for linebacker." I had heard that before, but got a big kick out of reading it in the book straight from Snead. More LSU from Fox 26 in Houston: "Hempstead's Terrance Toliver, one of the nation's top high school football recruits, says negative recruiting tactics by the University of Florida first had him confused and bewildered. But in an unusual move, two Hempstead High School employees went above and beyond the call of duty to help Toliver make the biggest decision of his life. "After a vigorous early recruiting rush, it came down to LSU and Florida for Toliver, considered by many the No. 1 high school recruit in Texas and the best wide receiver in the nation. He ended up signing a letter-of-intent with LSU on National Signing Day Wednesday, but not before Florida coaches took several shots at LSU, leaving Toliver unsure what to do next. "'Every time (Florida recruiters) came, they just said LSU doesn't qualify their players,' Toliver told FOX 26's Mark Berman Wednesday. 'About (how) their academics are not all that. It kind of had me confused.'" "Eventually a bewildered Toliver asked his football coach Rick Sargent and Hempstead instructional coordinator Tina Johnson to go to Baton Rouge to find out the truth about LSU. The two went last weekend. 'They went and checked (LSU's) academics out and their facilities,' Toliver said. 'They just came back and told me whatever Florida was saying about the academics wasn't true.'" Notre Dame Blog: When Meyer recruited Justin Trattou he did so by the cover of night. Not that it's illegal, but he told Trattou not to tell anyone he was talking with Florida. Keep in mind that Trattou was committed to Notre Dame at the time. Amongst other things, Coach Meyer talked to Trattou about how the 3-4 defense was not a good fit for him and his football future (read: NFL, which is garbage—the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers all use the 3-4). Former Gators assistant coach Greg Mattison's favorite topics about Notre Dame (with several recruits), despite his previous love for the school, included how the weather sucked and the social life suffered. Case in point No. 2: Omar Hunter, same deal as before. Omar was snookered into lying to everyone from Notre Dame coaches and players to likely even his parents, especially his father, who wanted him at Notre Dame due to the academics. Hunter said that he was not talking to other schools, when in fact he was—Florida included—while being a Notre Dame commitment. In the end, Hunter was a fraud himself, but he was not the one who was truly taken for a ride. Coach Mattison recruited Hunter. He had an ax to grind with Notre Dame after leaving South Bend on not so good terms, and he definitely took it to another level with Hunter. Mattison, you see, had an assistant coaching job lined up with the Baltimore Ravens long before this past National Signing Day came around. So when Hunter switched his commitment to UF after initially deciding to attend Notre Dame, Mattison and Meyer did what came naturally. They lied to Hunter about the entire situation, telling Hunter that Mattison was not leaving Gainesville. Just by complete and total coincidence, Mattison ended up taking a job with the Ravens right after National Signing Day. Shocking! And oh yes, Notre Dame assistant coach Bill Lewis, who recently retired as a football coach, told Hunter what was about to happen. Hunter did not listen and signed with the Gators. Urban continues to build the best talent base not located in Southern California. Success certainly breeds enemies, but so does recruiting. Urban Legend or Urban Liar? Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291802 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291802 So the day has finally arrived for those die-hard NCAA Football gamers, because 2009 comes out today. The question is, as always, how different is it from 2008 aside from the roster changes? Are there enough changes to motivated consumers in this economy to purchase the $60 game (PS3/XBOX)? Personally, I'm always interested in playing the most recent sports game, so I'll probably get it. But then I realized that the Bears have their first cover boy of all time on a video game so I have to buy it! Our former punt returner specialist and sometimes flashy WR DeSean Jackson graces the cover of the PS2 game. So, will you be purchasing the new game for your system? Darren McFadden graces the XBOX cover, Matt Ryan is on the PS3 cover, Michigan State's Sparty is on the Wii, and some West Virginia fullback is on the PSP cover. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:17:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290758 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290758 These are my rankings for the SEC defenses for fantasy college football. In no way does this reflect how I predict teams to finish in the conference standings. Thanks for viewing! Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:43:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288273 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288273 These are my rankings for the SEC offenses for fantasy college football. In no way does this reflect how I predict teams to finish in the conference standings. Thanks for viewing! Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:33:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288270 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288270 Click the link to see DTI's pre-season All-America Offense.....More great articles, opinions, and more from Yardbarker Network Site dottingthei.com...check out our raw feed in YBN and our site at http://dottingthei.com for the hottest news, opinions, and analysis on Ohio State Sports. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:52:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287312 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287312 Arkansas linebacker Wendel Davis was arrested for bashing a car window after the car bumped into his scooter. Davis was charged with a felony. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:30:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285132 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285132 Florida is stockpiling weapons for a run at the national title and Percy Harvin is expected to be a huge factor for this team. Not only is Harvin one of the best receivers in the NCAA, he's also the top fantasy receiver in Athlon Sports' 2008 SEC Fantasy WR Ranks. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:44:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281803 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281803 After a stellar freshman season, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno has his sights set on an even better 2008 - and one that could result in a Heisman Trophy. Moreno is one of the top five fantasy running backs in college football and is the top rated option in the SEC. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:35:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279385 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279385 I admit to having a bias towards the SEC, in fact, I'm convinced the SEC is the best football conference in America. However, I'm not so nearsighted that I didn't recognize other teams and conferences play a respectable brand of football. Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:08:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275507 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275507 EA Sports' NCAA Football 2009 rankings. Now, when I claim EA's NCAA Football 2009 preseason poll is the most "relevant", my tongue is, of course, firmly planted in cheek. I guess it would be better to say that, in a perfect college football world, NCAA 2009's rankings might as well be just as relevant as the AP or Coaches' polls. It is a dream I have. Read the full article for more on this topic and NCAA 2009's Top 25. Fri, 23 May 2008 15:06:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270393 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270393 Every team in the SEC has rounded out their 2008 schedule and I thought it might be fun to grade each team. I'm going to rank the top four teams based on difficulty of their season opener, first and second half schedules, home and away schedules and toughest overall schedule. Tue, 20 May 2008 03:11:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268842 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/268842 NFLDraft101's Dan Wernery and Chris Maier each pick their top picks in rounds 5-7 of the 2008 draft. Team's that mine the gold of the later rounds are the true winners on draft day. Did your team pick a late round gem? Mon, 12 May 2008 20:51:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266265 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266265