Is this team really as good as most think, and is it realistic to think an outright Western Athletic Conference title and a Bowl Championship Series game is possible?

The number of returners is there. So is the talent. There are depth concerns at each position -- particularly at linebacker, quarterback and offensive line -- and how the Bulldogs will transition to another offensive coordinator. But for the most part, Fresno State is working with a proven, veteran group. And a good run in nonconference would appear to allow the Bulldogs to rise quickly in national rankings because of Fresno State's tough schedule.

But the Bulldogs have flourished when they were considered an underdog. Being the favorite has been an uncomfortable role of past teams (see 2005-06, post-USC stretch). And right now, it's possible Fresno State would be favored to beat all teams except Wisconsin.

Who will be the most difficult to replace: team MVP and do-it-all running back Clifton Smith, the WAC's defensive player of the year in linebacker Marcus Riley, or four-year starting offensive lineman Ryan Wendell?

The easy answer is all of the above. And don't forget departed three-year starting defensive end Tyler Clutts, who led the WAC in sacks.

Watching who takes over Smith's role during the offseason will be the most entertaining since Smith was such a playmaker. But the progression of Ryan Mathews should soften Smith's loss. And considering the talent and depth at each of the positions, replacing Wendell would appear to be the toughest challenge of them all.

Then again, Fresno State's worst stretch of play during the past four years occurred when Riley was injured.

How long will it take for new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and the players to get comfortable with one another? More specifically, what kind of relationship will Nussmeier and three-year starting quarterback Tom Brandstater have?

It took all spring and summer camp, and half of the 2007 season before ex-offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and the Bulldogs started to click. Brandstater, like the rest of the upcoming senior class, is working with his fourth coordinator in four years. McElwain restored confidence in Brandstater, helping him understand the coverages better and to see the game at a slower pace. Nussmeier's challenge with Brandstater will be to get him to play as he did during the final three games of last year -- efficient as usual but capable of taking over a game, if needed.

The Aztecs, coming off their ninth straight nonwinning season, are bereft of eight offensive starters from a year ago. Gone are quarterback Kevin O'Connell, who also led the team in rushing; Brandon Bornes, the team's top running back; Brett Swain and Chaz Schilens, SDSU's top two receivers; tight end Steve Schmidt; and three offensive linemen, including tackles Mike Kravetz and Will Robinson.

The most glaring unknown is at quarterback, where the trio of sophomore Kelsey Sokoloski, redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley and junior transfer Drew Westling will try to fill the void left by O'Connell, a player who had a hand in nearly 77 percent of the team's total offense last year.

A question-and-answer session with head coach Bobby Bowden and former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz on Saturday morning will highlight this week's annual Florida State coaches' clinic.

The Q&A, which will be moderated by current FSU linebackers coach Chuck Amato, will culminate the three-day event that starts on Thursday afternoon.

"That, to me, is worth the price of admission right there," said Florida State Director of Player Personnel Bob Lacivita, who helped organize the event.

But the $50 fee includes more than just the two hall-of-fame coaches answering questions.

Much more, in fact.

"You'll hear a presentation from the whole offensive and defensive staffs," Lacivita said. "There will be huddle sessions, one-on-one time with the coaches. There will also be presentations from the all of the state champions from the state of Florida."

Florida State's strength and conditioning coach Todd Stroud will also make a presentation, as will former FSU All-American Derrick Brooks.

"Then," says Lacivita, "Coach Bobby Bowden and Lou Holtz will sit down and reflect on the game of college football. And the discussion will be moderated by Coach Amato — How can you beat that?"

He added: "Plus, interspersed with all of that, the coaches will get to watch the practice on Friday and the scrimmage on Saturday."

Virtually every major college football program in the country conducts its own coaches clinic.

The UT coach was worked up after working with various backup offensive linemen, including Cody Pope, Ramone Johnson and Darris Sawtelle.

"They're soft," a fiery Fulmer said. "That group of guys, they're soft 300-pounders. They should be big, ugly tough guys. Right now they're not very tough."

A proposed bowl game to be played at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field starting this season will be submitted to the NCAA’s bowl certifying board by Tuesday.

“We have been exploring with a number of partners, the viability of launching a bowl game in St. Petersburg,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Regional.

The game, to be televised on ESPN or ESPN2, would pit teams from the Big East Conference and Conference USA and is tentatively scheduled for Sunday night, Dec. 21, a Rays official said. If the Rays’ outdoor stadium is built — if approved, it would open in 2012 — the bowl would move there.

The bowl, which likely would be named the St. Petersburg Bowl if a corporate sponsor can not be obtained, would be the sixth bowl run and operated by ESPN. The network’s other bowls: Las Vegas, Hawaii, Armed Forces, Papajohns.com and New Mexico.

Eight days after the Ann Arbor News published an examination of the athletic department's handling of its students, U-M president Mary Sue Coleman, provost Teresa Sullivan and athletic director Bill Martin released a joint statement:

"When the Ann Arbor News implies, through four days of coverage, that the academic experience for University of Michigan student-athletes does not meet our standards or expectations, we must cry foul. Our job as faculty and administrators is to help these student-athletes succeed academically, just as we are committed to the academic accomplishments of all Michigan students. As with their peers, student-athletes are encouraged to pursue any major and degree program they want, depending on their interests, ambitions, and abilities."

The statement also attacked the News' four-day series, although Coleman and Martin refused requests for interviews before it ran.

The Michigan football roster has suffered another casualty.

Junior-to-be Justin Boren, who started at center and left guard last season, left the team on Monday, U-M coach Rich Rodriguez announced Tuesday.

The first-year U-M coach refused to discuss specifics, saying he talks only about guys who play for Michigan.

But Boren told much of the story 10 days earlier, following the team’s first spring practice.

That day he cited the change in the offense and how grueling the first workout was.

He said he had early thoughts about the process and the difficulty of the new conditioning program and how difficult it was for the offensive linemen having to run constantly back to the line of scrimmage in the no-huddle offense.

“We didn’t know what to expect, a lot of screaming and yelling, a lot different, but we’ll get used to it,” Boren said that day. “It’ll just take time.”

The departure was not a shock after those comments, but Boren also had a strong affinity for Michigan because his father Mike played for the Wolverines under Bo Schembechler.

Boren, an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection last season, did not return messages left Tuesday at his Pickerington, Ohio, home.

A pair of upperclassmen who started at right guard last year, Alex Mitchell and Jeremy Ciulla, left the program soon after Rodriguez arrived. Another player who served as depth, Grant DeBenedictis, did not return for a fifth year.

What was Saban's view on Miles' contract that pays the current LSU coach exactly $1,000 more than the former LSU coach? (No, really, that's what it is.)

Knowing how much he loooooves to talk about money stuff, I asked Saban yesterday:

Me: "Were you upset that you're no longer the SEC's highest paid --"?

Saban: (Interrupting my question) "I could care less."

If Jose Canseco was seeking revenge, he found it.

Canseco says he was nice enough to educate Alex Rodriguez about steroids and even introduced him to a friendly steroids dealer in the late 1990s, but A-Rod returned the favor by trying to bed his wife, the former Bash Brother alleges in his new book, "Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars and the Battle to Save Baseball."

Whatever his motivation, Canseco writes that he is "confident" the Yankees star and three-time MVP used steroids.

"I did everything but inject the guy myself," Canseco says in the book.

Canseco said he introduced the future Yankee to a trainer named "Max."

"This trainer was a fan of steroids, and he had connections with local suppliers," Canseco writes.

Max later called Canseco to thank him for the reference. "He said A-Rod had signed on," Canseco adds. "I didn't ask for specifics."

"I'm confident it was the 'roids (that made A-Rod buff). I believed it then, and I believe it now. I've been down this road too many times with too many guys. I know my (stuff), and I know the way it works. I may not have seen (A-Rod) do the deed, but I set the whole thing up for him, just like he wanted. I saw the changes in his body in a short time. Hell, if you ask me, I did everything but inject the guy myself."

***

"The very next time Alex (Rodriguez) came over, he asked me, point blank, where one would go to get steroids if one wanted them. He was a cautious, cagey guy, Alex. He didn't say, ‘I want to buy steroids. Can you point me in the right direction?' Or, more accurately, as far as I'm concerned, he did say it, but not in those exact words."

Police confirmed Tuesday that Phoenix Suns star Shaquille O'Neal is set to become a volunteer with the Tempe Police Department in the near future.

O'Neal was at the station last Thursday to discuss with Police Chief Tom Ryff what he will be doing within the department, said Sgt. Cindy Davies, a police spokeswoman.

While playing for the Miami Heat before being traded to the Suns, O'Neal was a reserve officer for the Miami Beach Police Department, drawing a salary of $1 a year. He also was a reserve officer in Los Angeles when he played for the Lakers.

The Cougars were predictable under Doba, if nothing else: winners when expected, losers when expected - aside from upsetting Oregon in 2006 and immediately giving it back in a surprising loss to Arizona, Wazzu has been almost right down the line as a favorite and underdog over the last four years. With about four "swing" games, that gives State a window of somewhere between three and six wins, not enough in a 13-game schedule to break the bowl slide, and certainly not enough to break even in the conference, where it's probably the least talented team overall (this doesn't say much for Doba's recruiting, either). This is not a dire rebuilding job, but this fall will probably feel like one: much as there is potential for excitement out of the offense, the best thing that can happen to the Cougars is a solid upset (over Cal, UCLA or Arizona State, maybe), general improvement from the beginning of the year to the end, a strong closing stretch against Washington and Hawaii and a sense of momentum entering 2009. I wouldn't predict better than 6-7.

When Georgia coaches learned late last week that Patterson was scheduled to participate in a Georgia High School Association-sanctioned track meet and attend junior day in Athens on Mar. 22, they told the junior to delay his visit until early April.

“[Georgia defensive coordinator] coach Willie Martinez called and said a player can’t participate in an athletic activity and attend a junior day on the same day,” Patterson said. “So he wants me to be there on April 5 for the spring game.”

Graham Harrell, QB Texas Tech

Welcome to this year's Colt Brennan. After finally breaking through the ceiling and the stigma of Texas Tech quarterbacks just being numbers guys, he's ready to take another huge step after leading the nation in passing, averaging 432 yards per game (62 more than Paul Smith of Tulsa, who finished No. 2) and throwing 48 touchdown passes. Leading the way to two straight comeback bowl wins, and a win over Oklahoma, has softened even the harshest of Red Raider quarterback critics.

He'll win it if ... He does that again. Like Brennan last year, Harrell will have the preseason excitement generated from being a statistical superstar. Of course, Brennan became a Heisman finalist by leading Hawaii to a 12-0 regular season record and the BCS with a few tremendous comeback performances. Harrell will have to at least get Texas Tech in a position to win the Big 12 South.

Ian Johnson, RB Boise State

There are two keys for Johnson. 1) He has to stay healthy, and 2) the quarterback situation has to be settled in a hurry. Johnson ran for 1,714 yards and 25 touchdowns in his breakout sophomore season, but he wasn't right over the second half of last year.

Hawaii quarterback Tyler Graunke was reinstated Tuesday after a 40-day suspension for violating team rules, but the projected successor to superstar Colt Brennan will have to claim the starting job in spring practice. Graunke improved his academic standing, completed community service and paid a fine to clear his record. He was barred from team activities during the offseason.

Graunke passed for 1,234 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, leading Hawaii to a critical win at Nevada after Brennan was held out with an injury. He seemed like the clear-cut starter before the suspension, but Warriors coach Greg McMackin has said the quarterback spot is wide open.

When spring practice kicks off March 31, Inoke Funaki will start off as the No. 1 signal caller. "It was really depressing to not be around the team when I'm supposed to be a leader," Graunke told The Honolulu Advertiser. "If I have to start on the bottom of the depth chart again, it's not going to bother me. I've done it before."

Last season, Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick was like a young pitching prospect getting by on a live fastball.

The 6-foot-6 freshman showed off his bionic arm whenever possible, even when he didn't have to. Kaepernick wound up winning WAC freshman of the year honors after passing for 2,175 yards and 19 touchdowns in eight games as the starter, but he was far from a finished product.

"He's a gifted kid," Nevada coach Chris Ault said. "Now we're honing in on the finesse [aspects] of the position, which he was very, very green at last year."

For Kaepernick, finesse means learning how to make different types of throws, including football's version of the knuckler.

"[Ault] calls it the sponge ball, when the receiver's wide open," Kaepernick explained. "I try to put more touch on it, make it an easier catch for them. We're trying to tone it down a little bit."

Graziano has been held out of contact drills this spring but should be fully cleared by May.

Ault expects Kaepernick to start off with the first-team offense in training camp this summer, but Graziano, who threw for 1,119 yards and 10 touchdowns before his injury, will have the chance to close the gap.

"I'm not a two-guy quarterback," Ault said. "I've done it before when the situation dictated it and I'd do it again. When we come back to camp and the competition starts, the best one's going to start and play.

"The beauty of this thing is there's times where you'd like to take your starter out. Maybe he's faltering, he's not reading things, so you can put somebody else in there to move the club. We're going to have that available to us."

Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech

Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges ... Texas Tech has had a slew of marginally talented quarterbacks who put up ridiculous numbers. Harrell is different. Oh sure, he's cranking out the stats, leading the nation in total offense and throwing for 10,689 yards and 89 touchdowns in just over two seasons, but he's an actual NFL prospect. Sort of like Colt Brennan showed that he just wasn't a system quarterback at Hawaii, Harrell might finally break through as he leads a loaded offense that gets Biletnikoff winner Michael Crabtree back and loses just one starter, WR Danny Amendola. After throwing 48 touchdown passes with 11 400-plus yard performances, he should be even better.

Chase Holbrook, QB, New Mexico State & Chris Williams, WR, New Mexico State

After doing a little bit of thinking about jumping ship to the NFL early, Holbrook chose to return for his final year after realizing he'd likely have been a late second-day pick. So far he's thrown for 8,485 yards and 60 touchdowns with 27 interceptions in two seasons. However, after an ultra-efficient sophomore season, he struggled with interceptions throughout last season, throwing 18, with two or more tossed in six games. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he has the size, arm and knowledge of the offense. Now with his prime receivers returning, he should be in for a huge final season and take over for Colt Brennan as the WAC's big passing star.

Williams caught 56 passes for 772 yards and 11 touchdowns in just under eight games, but it was that eighth win over Idaho that cost him his season as he suffered a broken collarbone. On the positive side, one of the nation's quickest, most productive receivers is back for a final year and, if he can stay healthy, will be one of the nation's most productive receivers. A wisp at only 5-foot-8 and 157 pounds, he can't take too many big shots, but he's uncoverable.

Reviewing Ganz's three starts last fall, it's fairly clear that he's not Colt Brennan. If Ganz passes 40-50 times a game, he'll throw interceptions.

Graham Harrell, QB Texas Tech

Welcome to this year's Colt Brennan. After finally breaking through the ceiling and the stigma of Texas Tech quarterbacks just being numbers guys, he's ready to take another huge step after leading the nation in passing, averaging 432 yards per game (62 more than Paul Smith of Tulsa, who finished No. 2) and throwing 48 touchdown passes. Leading the way to two straight comeback bowl wins, and a win over Oklahoma, has softened even the harshest of Red Raider quarterback critics.

He'll win it if ... He does that again. Like Brennan last year, Harrell will have the preseason excitement generated from being a statistical superstar. Of course, Brennan became a Heisman finalist by leading Hawaii to a 12-0 regular season record and the BCS with a few tremendous comeback performances. Harrell will have to at least get Texas Tech in a position to win the Big 12.

Comment from: Esme [Member]
Good morning, Tsaikos!

And don't forget to salute your blog host:

Good morning, ST!


03/26/08 @ 09:00