Closing The Book On Another College Football Season

From the start of spring football right until the clock hit double-zero in the BCS championship game, this season has been full of headlines. Some were good; most were not. Here's what I'll remember from this year's installment of college football.


6. Kickers need to relearn how to kick - It's been a while since so many chipshots of extreme magnitude have sailed wide of the uprights.


5. As good as Andrew Luck might be in the NFL, his last season at Stanford was something of a disappointment - Luck put up some very impressive numbers this season, throwing for 3,517 yards, 37 TDs, and 10 INTs. But Luck's final college season is better characterized as one where he 1) lost the big games and 2) sported an exceptionally repugnant beard.


4. College football has missed USC, will miss Ohio St, and welcomes back Michigan - I hate the Trojans just as much as the next guy, but there's no use loathing USC if their seasons are wholly irrelevant. The Pac12 was deprived of what could have been a great championship game in lieu of a much less exciting Oregon vs. UCLA contest. Along those lines, keeping Ohio St. out of the post season will hurt the viability of the Big Ten. On the other side of things, it's good to see the Wolverines back in the headlines for winning.


3. Honey Badger is a stupid nickname - Please stop using it. I'm talking to you, Brent Musburger.


2. The Penn St. scandal was the most upsetting news to ever hit college football - For the school, the victims, and anyone else involved, this situation has been nothing less than devastating. The magnitude was enormous; the consequences are grave. Sadly, it's far from over; when the trial begins, the media circus is sure to resume.


1. 2012 will be even more scandal-ridden than 2011 was - No so much in magnitude, but certainly in number. The NCAA practices an exclusively reactionary policy: allow rules to be broken, then punish whoever is still around after the fact. This isn't going to change anytime soon. What we learned this year is that college football has many more situations that demand a reaction, which *hopefully* will eventually mean prevention altogether.

Replacing a Legend

It's been a sad week in the college football world. One of the most prestigious programs in the country is in a tailspin, and it'll take some great leadership to bring Penn State back to its former self. The hardest thing in all of sports is to replace a legend, and it'll be difficult finding someone who can bring character back to the University while also winning football games. Here are the top 5 guys that I think should replace him. The only rule I used was these coaches couldn't have any connection to Joe Pa.

1. Urban Meyer – He’s been the top guy on everyone’s list, and it’s hard to argue against it. He won two national championships at Florida, and led Utah to the BCS. His spread system will help negate the fact that recruiting will be hurt in the upcoming years, because it takes less overall talent to run the spread. He’s a big name, and at this point in their careers, he’s actually a better coach than Joe. So what’s the big drawback? Money. Ohio State will also be pursuing him, and having to pay a coach 6 or 7 million dollars a year is not ideal after you just lost several boosters this past week.
2. Tony Dungy – As classy as they come, he would be the top choice for fixing the “image” of Penn State. Not to mention that he’s a great coach, and the single best recruiting tool is a Super Bowl ring. However, this seems to be a long shot, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony Dungy never comes back to coaching.
3. Mark Richt – Although he’s on the hot seat at Georgia, I think he’s easily one of the ten best coaches in the country. When talking to SEC fans, he seems to be everyone’s second favorite coach. He doesn’t talk a lot of trash, is very respectful to other teams, is very loyal to his staff, and tends to do things the right way. I don’t know if he has any connections in the Northeast, and if he wants to leave a young superstar QB in Aaron Murray, but he should definitely be considered.
4. Denzel Washington – Maybe he only has three plays, but he ran those three plays to perfection. Not only did he lead his team to the state title, but he’s had enough experience dealing with the media that he’ll flawlessly answer every question thrown at him. Nothing can shake this guy. Remember kids, you can't fall back; you have to fall forward.
5. Jim Grobe – No coach in the entire country cares more about character. When he recruits, one mention of a player being lazy, disrespectful, selfish, or unmotivated, and he will be immediately crossed off Jim Grobe’s recruiting list. Although his numbers have been inconsistent at Wake Forest, he did lead them to a BCS game, and he is severely limited in what he can do, considering their tiny student population. Jim Grobe is in my opinion the most underrated coach in the country, and although Penn State fans may be disappointed in the hire, they could do a lot worse.