No athlete wants to become a starter in the wake of turmoil, but Darron Thomas is not going to have a choice.  As everyone now knows Jeremiah Masoli is gone for next season and that leaves the business of football to the redshirt sophomore-to-be Thomas.  There will not be any panic and hardly any concern within the program and amongst close followers since Thomas has a limited but impressive highlight reel including the late comeback effort he led against Boise State in 2008 and a 35 yard completion to Jeff Maehl on an option pass in the Civil War game that same season.  He also rushed for a score against Washington State.

There is no doubt Thomas has the tools.  At 6-3, 205 pounds he looks the part and with 4.5 range speed in the 40 yard dash; he has the size and stature combined with speed and God-given athletic ability that the rest of us stare at in awe.  He showed accuracy that no one outside of the coaching staff could have seen coming in 2008 against Boise State and while that is a limited sampling Duck fans have to see it as a hope.  The speed and athleticism of course make him dangerous in the open field and the ability in Kelly’s spread to keep the ball and get into the second and third levels of the defense quickly can lead to huge gains.  There isn’t a great chance he will be putting any DBs on SportsCenter by lowering his head and learning when to go down or go out of bounds is going to be important for Thomas all year due to the volume of carries.

His decision-making under pressure is going to be tested but it will be up to Kelly and his staff to adapt to a new set of challenges  to gameplan around Thomas’ weaknesses early and hope like hell he grows up quick.  A more traditional running game would allow a coach to hide an inexperienced quarterback but not the spread.  Opening at Autzen will be a nice introduction, but 100,000+ Tennessee fans in the second game of next season will reveal perhaps more than Duck fans would like if Thomas’ is unable to handle an atmosphere unlike any he has played in.

How Thomas is able to run the read-option against Pac-10 defenses throughout an entire season has yet to be seen but Masoli made a quick transition from JC football after Justin Roper went down in the 2008 season opener and he came back from his concussion against Boise State and Dennis Dixon made a similar transition from maligned by fans and mostly erratic before Kelly arrived to “spread-option maestro” to quote ESPN.com’s Ted Miller.  Slowing down the game and getting into a rhythm sound cliche but for Thomas they will be vital to his success.

There is of course also the Nate Costa Factor.  Costa is in his final year and despite only starting one game is known throughout the program for his attention to the playbook and knowledge of the offense and why not?  As a fifth-year guy, Costa has been in Eugene longer than his coach.  But this is, of course, Kelly’s offense and he and QB Coach Mark Helfrich are going to at least have options with a seemingly capable, if somewhat fragile, senior and a phenom in waiting in Thomas.

Anyone who knows John Canzano knows he isn’t the most popular with Duck fans, but he recently got one thing right:  it’s time to put this mess in the past and to support the guys on the team who were not involved in the sordid activities of a few.  Nothing that has happened recently will hurt the Ducks anymore than it already has and when the 2010 season kicks off the players on the field are the first with a chance to remake their own team and University’s image with their play and behavior.  No one will have a hotter spotlight than Thomas.

If you are a college basketball fan and haven’t tuned in for this year’s Big East tournament, its time to stop calling yourself a college basketball fan.  After four days and fourteen games, West Virginia and Georgetown will square off this evening for the Big East tourney crown and the automatic bid to the NCAA.  It wraps up perhaps the most highly competitive league championship tournament in NCAA history.

Greg Monroe Leads 8th-Seeded Georgetown To The Big East Championship Game

Let’s take a moment to review some of the highlights of the tournament:

• Saint Johns blowing Connecticut off the floor to register the first upset of the tournament, 73-51, and ensuring that Connecticut will not be dancing this March.
• Seton Hall blowing a 29 point second half lead with 13:36 left to Providence and escaping with an unbelievable 109-106 victory in a matchup of amazing offensive basketball.
• Cincinnati nailing its free throws with 1.8 seconds left to seal a 69-68 victory over Rutgers.
• Marquette squeaking by Saint Johns 57-55 in a back and forth second-half brawl.
• Cincinnati outrebounding Louisville 54-33 (with 28 offensive boards) to stave off and register a 69-66 upset
• Georgetown shocking top-seeded Syracuse 91-84 as Syracuse watched it’s big man Arinze Onuaku carried off the floor due to a knee injury.
• Marquette upsetting Villanova 80-76 with some late scoring success, dropping in 50 points in the second half.
• Notre Dame upsetting Pittsburgh 50-45, making its free throws down the stretch to pull out the victory.
• West Virginia hitting a three pointer at the buzzer to beat Cincinnati 54-51  after an unbelievable turnover that gave the Mountaineers the one extra opportunity for the win.
• Georgetown upsetting and demolishing Marquette 80-57.
• West Virgina winning another last minute heartstopper over Notre Dame 53-51.

All this and they still didn’t play the championship game yet.  It almost makes you feel bad for the kids on Georgetown and West Virginia as it is almost impossible for tonight’s game to live up to what has transpired in the tournament thus far.

The results of the Big East tournament this weekend are bound to lead to much controversy when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee announces the brackets Sunday night.  There are those that will complain that the Big East is getting too many spots.  There are others that will disagree and say the Big East is being not being represented enough.

After watching this tournament, I have to side with the latter part of the argument.  It is expected that the Big East will likely send just 8 of its teams to the NCAA tournament this year.  Given the quality of basketball displayed in Madison Square Garden this week, it is a gross injustice that at-large bids will be granted to bubble teams from other major conferences that simply aren’t deserving.

Let’s take at the list of teams that are on the bubble and will likely be dancing in March:

• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Washington
• Arizona State
• Ole Miss
• Virgina Tech
• Georgia Tech

If any of these teams played in the Big East, they’d likely be the 12th seed or lower in the conference.   Most would make the case that the Big East #12 team, Connecticut would handily defeat this group of bubble teams on a consistent basis.  These bubble teams will get the nod over South Florida, Seton Hall and Cincinnati simply because they performed better in drastically weaker leagues.

Lets take a look at the Pac-10 for example.  Here is a league that will no doubt get three participants in the NCAA Tourney despite being less competitive than the MAAC or Horizon leagues.  If you took Siena, Northern Iowa or Butler and placed them in the Pac-10 this year, they win the league championship handily.  But they will get multiple at-large bids at the expense of the Big East teams.

Arizona State is the 2nd rated team in the Pac-10.  Looking back at their season, they played three tough out-of-conference games against Duke, Baylor and BYU, losing every game.  Washington played Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Georgetown.  The only game they won was against Texas A&M and that really had nothing to do with Washington, as that was the game A&M star Derrick Roland snapped his leg in half in a horrific injury that completely shocked the whole Aggies team.

Then you have Pac-10 champion California.  Here is their resume out of conference.  Blown off the court by Syracuse.  Handled with relative ease by Ohio State.  Spanked by Kansas.  Beaten by New Mexico.   Their only quality non-conference win came against Iowa State whom came in 11th place in the Big 12.

Be assured, the Pac-10 will get three representatives in the NCAA tournament regardless of how bad this conference has been this year.  While California, Arizona State and Washington get undeserving invites to the Big Dance, South Florida, Cincinnati and Seton Hall will likely be playing in the NIT.

Lets hope that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committtee was watching the same basketball games the rest of us were viewing this week in New York City and awards 11 invites to the Big East and sends the message to conferences like the Pac-10 to improve their games or don’t expect to get invited.

USC AD Mike Garrett faces the NCAA committee on allegations of illegal benefits.

Hearings have begun in regard to USC’s allegations on infractions of benefits to both the football and basketball programs. The hearings will last for three days and will involve meetings  with the NCAA’s committee on infractions. The investigation spans back four years and focuses on benefits to star football player Reggie Bush and star basketball player O.J. Mayo. USC has declined to comment, and it will be interesting to see what impact these will have on the programs. Another question that arises is; Are the rules to strict for these college programs?…

Athletic Director Mike Garrett is backed by a team of lawyers in hopes of restoring dignity back to the football program. Former football coach Pete Carroll had previously met with the committee and his departure has also left questions on what he knew and why he would leave one of the best jobs in sports to go to the Seattle Seahawks. What did Carroll really know?

While the extent of the infractions will be known sooner than later, USC will have to take  responsibility for the wrongs ,and I hope somebody steps up and takes responsibility. Everybody cries wolf in these  situations  and deny knowing what was going on. I personally think  that the NCAA committee is too strict when it comes to some of the benefits that these players get. They make a enormous amount of money for their universities . I also think that they should put a plan in place to giver these  kids a little extra in benefits and examine special situations that would require a little help to them. I hope these allegations are something USC deserves to be punished for and are not penny atty infringements found by the Committee.

Put yourself in a set of different shoes.  You are 17 years old and receiving the attention of top NCAA college football coaches around the country.  You narrow down your choices, you take your maximum three campus visit and make a verbal decision to attend that school.  Then you get a 1oPM phone call from the assistant coach that recruited you who informs you that the head coach is leaving and we’re all going with him.  Want to come with us?

Kiffin Ditched Vols For USC

That was the real world awakening this past January for those kids recruited to play at Tennessee.  Coach Lane Kiffin chose to head off to take over Southern Cal and his assistant coach Ed Orgeron was now telling the very same kids why they should play for Tennessee  just a few days before why they shouldn’t go there now and why USC was the best choice.

Its a nasty party of the college football game and it is a tragedy that 17 year old kids are being caught up in the middle of it.  As college coaches pressure these kids to commit early, graduate in December before your classmate and get yourself to campus for spring practice, those very same coaches are thinking about their next career stop without regard to the kids and parents to whom  promises were made in their living room.

Tomorrow is signing day for recruits, but for some what was supposed to be a joyous occasion has gone sour.  Since the completion of the regular season, 22 coaches are no longer with their respective teams.   Some coaches were fired for performance, others chose to seek out better positions and a few displayed gross misbehavior towards their athletes that sent them packing.  In their wake are the kids now figuring out what to do.

Let’s take the story of Cleo Robinson, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.  An outside linebacker from Haddon Township, NJ, Robinson gave an early commitment to play at Louisville.  Robinson choose Louisville partly because it was the first school to offer him a scholarship and they did so before his senior season.  Robinson never visited the campus of the school.

In late November, Louisville fired its head coach Steve Kragthorpe after three rough seasons.  Kragthorpe made an opportunistic decision to jump from his successful position at Tulsa for opportunity to play in the Big East for a BCS bowl bid.  He replaced another opportunity job seeker named Bobby Petrino who jumped for a job in the NFL and then jumped again during the middle of the season to Arkansas.  A whole lot of hopping going round.

Kragthorpe ended up losing a portion of the recruiting class that Petrino had pulled together and was hampered with a group of players brought in to fit a system that was no longer going to be employed.  While Kragthorpe was able to keep the juniors on the team from departing for the NFL, everything sputtered and the Cardinals fell flat.  Some of those kids lost NFL opportunities because of the coaching shakeup.  Kragthorpe was eventually fired and replaced by Florida University assistant Charlie Strong, who’ll likely be looking for new digs back in the SEC if he generates any success with the Cardinals over his first three seasons.

For Cleo Robinson, he was left in the lurch. With the head coach gone and the system to be employed, Robinson did the smart thing and rescinded his scholarship.  He did so with a lot at risk.  Most other schools have filled their recruiting dance cards and are no longer in market.  Unless you are a blue chip recruit, the decision Robinson made is terribly risky.  Robinson recently committed to Stanford after an official visit, where he will play under head coach Jim Harbaugh.  The irony…Harbaugh has been tied to more head coaching jobs than you can shake a stick at.

So where does the student athlete’s welfare come in?  The student gets pressured to live up to his commitment, he goes to the school, hates it and then transfers out losing a year of eligibility. How do we offer the student more flexibility if the situation around him changes before he even enters his dorm room?

The NCAA needs to begin rethinking the arcane structure that surrounds the recruiting process to eliminate the damage being done by coaches that are looking at the kids as their meal ticket.  When coaches begin calling recruits telling them not to attend class so they can play football at their school, you know something has going horribly wrong with the system.

The investigation into a theft of two laptop computers, a guitar, and some other items is being connected to a name that will make Oregon Duck fans cringe:  Jeremiah Masoli.

Holy Moly, not my boy Masoli!?

Jeremiah Masoli Under Investigation

The EPD is obviously giving little information since the investigation is yet ongoing, but earlier reports in The Oregonian had the accuser confirming that he filed the report and the people involved were Masoli and Garrett Embry, a WR.  There have been a series of twists and developments in this case and the latest is that Masoli and Embry “are not suspects, and are not people if interest”, according to a EPD spokesperson.

The most significant implication here is that Masoli dealt with a theft problem while in high school and certainly cannot afford to relive such mistakes, especially with the expectations as they are for he and his team in 2010.

To presume Masoli guilty of any wrongdoing is certainly premature but at the same time it is not debatable that his actions should be reflecting his status as the leader and now one of the most experienced individuals on his team.  Remaining a program made up of class individuals who also happen to be great athletes is vitally important for the Ducks to keep their connection to the fanbase and community.

If this kind of thing is going on at any level within the program, it needs to be addressed immediately.  The Ducks cannot afford to become the kind of program that sacrifices character for success and this kind of thing can cripple their so carefully crafted image in an even worse way than the Boise State fiasco did this season.

Tim Tebow is getting set to show off his skills as a quarterback in next weeks Senior Bowl in Mobile Alabama. Tebow is more than determined to show the scouts and any Pro personnel that he has the tolls and attitude to be a Pro quarterback. This is not the first time that people have doubted him…

Tebow has been told all his football career that he does not have what it takes to be a quarterback. It started in high school, college and now the majority of Pro people in the know think that he would be better suited as a tight end or H-back. He has also been motivated by proving people wrong, I think it has worked out for him so far.

Tebow has two NCAA championships as well as the 2007 Heisman trophy to back up his quarterback play.What you can’t measure is the heart that he plays with. His intensity and wanting to win at all costs is somethoing special in him. He is a true leader on the field ,and his teammates respond to him. The quarterback is the leader of the football team, that is Tim Tebow. I love the way he plays and would love nothing more to see him behind center someday in the NFL.

Tebow’s last college game could of not been better played as a quarterback. In the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, Tebow lead his Florida Gators to a lopsided 51-24 over Cincinnati. His stats were ever more impressive than the win. He went a incredible 31-35 for 482 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another 51 yards and another touchown. He played nearly perfect football. This is a indication of his determination and skills to play quarterback at the next level. He is truly a unique athlete.

Scouts will say that Tebow is too lanky at 6-3 and 245. He has played the majority of snaps out of the shotgun formation and does short of throw side armed. He does have a tendacy to maybe hang on the ball at times. These are some of the things that have the Scouts doubt his play as a quarterbck in the Pros.Doubt is what he thrives on. The scouts need to have the confidence that Tebow can make the adjustments at the pro level. I think he has the intellect and drive to someday be a pro starting quarterback. I think he will need a little tool-age and seasoning in order for this to happen. Don’t bet against Tim Terrific.

Tim Tebow will be fired up to prove them wrong again.

Tebow will be out to prove them wrong again.

It didn’t long for the Mike Leach / Texas Tech controversy to hit the courtroom.  Attorney’s for Leach filed amended legal papers on January 8th, his latest legal salvo after his request for an injunction to be allowed to coach the Alamo Bowl led to his outright dismissal.   Leach was fired on December 30th, and since, former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville has been hired as Leach’s replacement.

Leach Files Suit Against Tech

Among the accusations made by Leach in the lawsuit filing:

• Adam James slammed and broke a door in an angry rage, causing $1,100 of damage
• Craig James harassed Texas Tech assistant coaches about his son Adam’s playing time
• Adam James displayed misconduct to Texas Tech assistant coaches during practices before the Alamo Bowl
• Adam James voluntarily placed himself in the electrical closet and took pictures with his cell phone
• School Chancellor Kent Hance had a business relationship with Craig James that was a conflict of interest

Texas Tech officials responded to the lawsuit filing as flagrantly false allegations aimed at taking the focus off of Leach’s inappropriate handling off an injury and his very public insubordination to university officials.

As you read into these allegations, they come across terribly weak and really don’t do much to help Mike Leach’s case.  What it all comes down to is he was coaching a kid with an entitlement attitude and he melted down.  It can happen to the best of us, but he only has himself to blame for his actions.

When you are making over $2 million per year, you cannot digress with such poor behavior.

Regarding Craig James, what is Leach’s purpose of bringing this up?  First, its hard to believe James would carry himself in this manner.  Second, if he did, Leach could have hung James on a hook by simply making a call to ESPN Headquarters and demanding James be reprimanded.  As a football analyst, James’ interference in such a manner would be a conflict of interest, one so severe that ESPN would have had to consider his firing if he used his stature to pressure Leach.

This is likely just the first of many attempts by Leach to try to save face.  In the end, he will best be served by owning up to the poor judgment and asking for forgiveness.  He is still a talented football mind and there is a place for him in the NFL.  Dragging this out further only makes him look worse.

Chapel Hill is not used to seeing this kind of basketball displayed by its Tar Heels.  Everyone was expecting a slight rebuilding year given the departures of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.  But nobody, even coach Roy Williams, expected this.

Williams Growing Frustrated By Road Losses

The Tar Heels visited Clemson last night, expecting to continue it dominance over the Tigers.  North Carolina was riding a 10-game winning streak against Clemson and has regularly pounded them into submission.

The tables were turned at Clemson last night as the Tigers got out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, winning 83-64.

Clemson was led by Trevor Booker and Demontez Stitt, who scored 21 and 20 points respectively.  It was Clemson’s defensive blitz which put the stamp on the game.

None of the Tar Heels starters were able to score in double-figures and they committed 26 turnovers in the loss.  They were flustered at the opening buzzer by Clemson’s brutal defensive attack and by the time they woke up the game was out of reach.

The loss was not only the first to Clemson since 2004, but it was the most lopsided ACC loss since the dark days of Matt Doherty’s tenure.

While the team is young, it is still filled with talent that should not result in losses of this magnitude.  Coach Williams has some major work ahead of him to get this ship steering in the right direction.

Tar Heel Woes On The Road

It begins with figuring out why these kids can’t seem to play on the road.  They have been the Jeckyll and Hyde of college basketball this year.  They are undefeated at home, playing amazing transition offense and holding the visitors to a solid 67.6 points per game.

But when they hit the road, they become a horse of a different color.  Their road FG% is 10 points lower and their defense gives up 15 more points per game.

Coach Roy Williams is going to need to nip this in the bud quickly.  The loss to the College of Charleston was not just a blip on the radar.  If they cannot figure out what causing the implosions on the road, come tournament time the Tarheels will be heading to the NIT with their double-digit loss record.

Lets give a sigh of relief, Colt McCoy’s dead-arm is going to be okay.  No need for amputation.  Renowned orthopediac surgeon, Dr. James Andrews was brought in to review the “stinger” McCoy received last Thursday night in the BCS Championship and he annointed the arm a good and healing. McCoy’s father, Brad, alerted the press today of the doctor’s prognosis and shared with all the NFL scouts that Colt will be ready for the combine.

Bring On The Combine For Colt

I’ll be waiting on pins and needles.

Colt McCoy’s career is over and it ended as soon as he wouldn’t come out and play after taking a moderate hit during the game.  McCoy’s mental toughness was an open discussion point with many scouts and the BCS was his opportunity to prove his intangibles can make up for his lack of arm strength, lack of accuracy, and frequent interceptions.   McCoy proved in the biggest game of his life that he is not a franchise quarterback…let alone a potential backup in the NFL.

As noted in my previous columns, the “stinger” is an undetectable injury where only the player can really diagnose it.  No doctor can determine a stinger on their own.  The player is on their honor that they are truly injured.  We just have to take McCoy on his word.

But his history of failure in big-game situations cannot be overlooked.  McCoy lost just two games in high school, both coming in the Texas 2A championship game.  He also had memorable breakdowns at Texas against Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M when games were hanging in the balance.

McCoy’s father Brad, also his high school coach, needs start acknowledging reality.  There are no more games to watch Colt play, unless he plans to play in the CFL.  A report from Dr. Andrews isn’t going to change this.  The elder McCoy should take some wisdom from the movie the “The Rookie”, the bio-pic about MLB pitcher Jim Morris, when Morris’ father shared the following: “It’s okay to think about what you want to do until it is time to start doing what you were meant to do.”

While Morris’ father was wrong for sharing such ppor advice, Brad McCoy can help his son deal with the harsh reality that he is going to have three long days at the end of April waiting to not here his name called.

Over the last 24hrs, it had been reported and confirmed that Lane Kiffin has left the University of Tennessee for greener pastures in SoCal at USC. Talk about the level of disappointment UT fans must feel. For Lane Kiffin to feed all that BS down the player’s, student’s, fan’s, administrator’s, and community’s throats about building a program, and then bolt back to USC at the blink of an eye is disgraceful. How could you ever again believe a man that looked you right in the eye and told you one thing with conviction and trust, and then pull something like this?

The same thing happened to the Falcons when Bobby Petrino left Atlanta for the Arkansas Razorback position only one year in. Miami too were victim tot he same act when Nick Saban left for the Alabama head coaching job in 2007, after aggressively denying all possibility of leaving the Dolphins for the Crimson Tide.

Call me old school, but I like to think that there is still a sense of comradeship or loyalty to a college program. I know it doesn’t exist in the corporate world anymore, where an employee would come in at an entry level position and remain there for their entire life before retiring – committing everything toward the advancement of the company, but I’d like to think it does exist somewhere. In many respects I think football and other team-based sports, especially in the collegiate ranks, still has some of that loyalty left. This act by Kiffin shows me that those deep relationships don’t stand in the way of “business”.

And if you have any question as to what I’m talking about, think about what Tom Landry, Joe Paterno, Hank Stram, Bobby Bowden, Paul “Bear” Bryant, or Knute Rockne  would say to these “men” given the situation they were in and the course of action they chose.  The mantra ‘They don’t make em like they used to’ apparently applies to head coaches too.