http://www.yardbarker.com/content/school/514 Recent Yardbarker Articles: South Carolina Gamecocks en-us I haven't seen a lot of discussion about the best college football stadiums and there are many throughout the nation worthy of special attention. Instead of listing all of them in one post, I'll start with the stadiums along the east coast and work my west before the start of the season. Check back next week for the second installment! Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:01:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295291 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295291 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 Week 3 of the Big Orange Roundtable covering the Tennessee Vols, from Gate 21 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:06:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293791 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293791 It started in 1977, over 30 years ago when the streak began. Woody Hayes, the most beloved of any Ohio State head coach past or present, was the first to endure the pain that has now extended into three decades. How can one team with such a rich history like Ohio State not have a victory against an SEC opponent? Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:20:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292030 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292030 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 Every once in awhile you hear someone talk about the coaching fraternity. Now we have actual proof that there is indeed one in the college football ranks. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:24:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291090 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291090 Well, the headline pretty much sums it up, but former Nebraska football player Jason Peter isn't a fan of former Notre Dame & South Carolina coach current ESPN college analyst Lou Holtz. Peter says the bad-blood started when "his younger brother was a highly touted offensive lineman who committed to Notre Dame shortly before he broke a vertebra in his neck. Holtz never called or visited, though two Notre Dame assistants did, and in the fall Damien was "frozen out, ignored, discarded" by Holtz and company." That would piss me off too, but who knows if this is actually true. Either way, Holtz is a horrible analyst and I can't stand his crazy rants and awkward pep talks. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:09:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289344 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289344 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 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 10) Penn State's roaring Nittany Lion - Described by one Pittsburgh alumnus as "sounding like a man belching." Maybe Paterno should get him some Alka-Seltzer. 9) Clemson Tigers rubbing a rock on a hill - What does this mean? Why don't they have a Tiger walking around like LSU? Seems it is the late Frank Howard's final jest on "the administration that gave him a lifetime contract, and then declared him dead." 8) Southern Cal's Trojan horse and band - Who says Trojans dressed like Greeks? What is the proof these outfits are accurate, or are they just cool to wear? Why do they have a white horse—wasn't the Trojan Horse a bad thing that allowed the Spartans to slip in at night and conquer the men of Troy? Maybe they should avoid playing Michigan State. 7) Ohio State's dotting of the i - How did this become important? Seems like it would be a bigger deal at Mississippi. Why not have two band members cross the t? Maybe it's to take away attention from the fact the mascot is a nut. 6) Colorado's Buffalo - Holy Cow, what would happen if this tank-like creature escaped? Should we really trust the kids with the rope and chain leading it around? 5) Texas' Longhorn Bevo - See No. 6. Run! 4) South Carolina's Rooster crowing - The piped-in sound is frightening to friend and foe alike the first time you hear it. Incredibly loud, it is said that it can be heard four miles away. The opponents' bench often looks to the sky as if they were being attacked by supernatural creatures. One man reportedly fled the stadium the first season it was used. 3) Florida State's Indian Chief - Maybe the most recognizable of all the traditions in the past quarter century, we have the Seminole throwing the spear into the ground before the kickoff. Impressive and entertaining, it actually inspires the home team along with the fans. Now, if they could just get the players they had in the 1980s and '90s, they'd be all set. 2) Tennessee singing Rocky Top - Oh, it must be heard and experienced to be believed. Thousands of people standing and singing an old folk song doesn't sound intimidating, but when you're on the receiving end of it, you know you're in trouble. 1) Stanford's Tree - The worst tradition is one of the newest traditions—the stumbling, staggering Stanford tree. Prior to the early '70s the Palo Alto teams were known as the Indians. This was deemed offensive to native Americans, and so a choice was made that would offend no one—the cardinal. Not the bird or the clergy official, but the color. In order to have a "live mascot," an earth-friendly symbol of a tree was chosen. Apparently none of the mascots over the years can see out of the outfit because they have all walked around like drunken sailors and have sometimes fallen down to the ground. Eerie and strange, if you're not familiar with this symbol you can watch the game and wonder, "What is that thing that looks like a man in a tree costume?" There you have it. A tongue-in-cheek review of what we all hold dear. If your school didn't make it, it just could be that your tradition doesn't irritate opponents. If that's the case, congratulations. This is what the site said i agree with the Tree and some of the Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:16:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281238 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281238 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 Everyone knows about Florida Football. They also know that you can't keep a tough Gator down. To prove that, their schedule for next season has them looking at yet another BCS berth, but those guys didn't make it an easy road for them to take. www.rawsportsblog.com Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:27:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275354 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275354 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