Movin' and Groovin' II: Electric Boogaloo

Well, the college football landscape continues evolving, but not in the ways I was expecting.  So much for Superconferences as Texas and the nine other remaining Big 12 schools decide to stick together.  As always, the issues revolve around money, but also involved are the conservative sentiments of never wanting to upset the status quo no matter ridiculous it may be.  Heaven forbid the powers that be make changes that actually effect the game in a positive way; just take the cash instead.

Texas leads the charge to keep the Big 12 intact and vows "More Money!" in the process.  It has long been a goal of Texas to have their own television station comparable to the Big Ten Network, but now in the new deal, the Big 12 will get its own network.  Texas still wins out though because through some wacky logic, Texas (and Oklahoma and Texas A&M) get a bigger share of the Big 12's profits than the other schools in the Big 12.  That was one of the reasons Nebraska cited as why they left the conference and it's also one of the reasons why Texas didn't make the jump to the Pac-10, because they would not have gotten that preferential share among a sixteen team league.  And now since there are two less schools in the Big 12, that means slices of the pie don't have to be cut as thin, allowing all of the remaining schools to potentially make more money assuming Big 12 profits stay constant, which very well should happen in such a football-crazy part of the country.  The ten team Big 12 does lose out of its lucrative Conference Championship Game sponsored by Dr. Pepper, but it should more than make up for it money-wise by creating their own television network and being able to sell advertising there.

In another bit of news/speculation, it is likely that Utah will become the next team to join the Pac-10.  Expansion is not over.  The Pac-10 looks to keep adding, not stopping at eleven teams and moving up to twelve to ensure a Conference Championship Game.  The move will put Utah in a better standing for the BCS, now playing in a BCS conference rather than going undefeated and only getting a shot at some lesser bowl.  The move does not help the Mountain West Conference though.  They added Boise State last week, but now by losing Utah, the MWC is in much the same position as where they were with only two strong teams (Boise and TCU) instead of three.

Winners and losers of this second round of conference shake-ups:

Winners

Texas - They don't join the Pac-10 where they would get an equal share of conference profits, instead they stick to familiar territory where they can make bank on a new television network devoted to Big 12 coverage.  They also get out of playing a conference championship game, one more opportunity to trip up National Title hopes.

Pac-10 - They are not the big winner they could have been, but they did accomplish what they set out to do, which was to expand to twelve teams and secure a Conference Championship Game.

Losers

Mountain West - They looked to be winners six days ago, but now that it appears Utah is on the move, they are right back in BCS purgatory.  They could have had Utah, Boise State, and TCU battling each other, improving each others' strength of schedule, and made an even bigger run to BCS glory, but it was not meant to be.

And the biggest losers...

Everyone who wants to see a real National Champion, rather than just a team who computers say is pretty good.

--from Eric

Movin' and Groovin': A Take on the NCAA Conference Shake-Up

In the last two days there have been some moves shaking the the NCAA's conference structure to its very core.  The Big 12 is a dying animal, wheezing out its last breaths as Colorado hops ship to the Pac 10 and Nebraska defects for the Big 10.  Another big move is Boise State leaving the conference they have dominated for the past decade, the Western Athletic Conference, for a much more competitive conference, the Mountain West.  Now, anybody who knows anything about college sports knows that when it's all said and done with, these moves are all about the money.  And since football is the NCAA's number one money maker, for the purposes of this article, I will focus on how the shifting conferences affects the college football landscape.  More after the break...

more where that came from

Here's a link eulogizing the Big 12.

Notes from Lord Stanley

After a thrilling six-game series, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup by overpowering their undermatched opponents, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Draftaganza! - AFC North

This is the second in a series of eight posts from Adam analyzing the 2010 NFL Draft and what it means for each franchise.

Big Ben Roethlisberger is a moron and likely compromised the Steelers’ chances of beating out the Ravens or the Bengals for the division title.  The Bengals were solid last year but sputtered down the stretch and looked out of place in the playoffs.  The Ravens defense is aging, and while the offense has improved, the identity of this team is in flux.  Are they a dominant defense, an explosive offense, both or neither?  I think ultimately the Ravens have the most players and had a nice draft and they will end on top of this division.  The Browns suck.

Baltimore Ravens

2.11 Kindle, Sergio, DE, Texas

2.25 Cody, Terrence, DT, Alabama

3.06 Dickson, Ed, TE, Oregon

4.16 Pitta, Dennis, TE, BYU

5.25 Reed, David, WR, Utah

5.26 Jones, Art, DT, Syracuse

6.25 Harewood, Ramon, OT, Morehouse

I thought Kindle could have gone much higher and was kind of rooting for the Niners to take him in the first round.  Kindle and Terrell Suggs form a terrifying pass rushing team.  And with Ray Lewis and Haloti Ngata joining this tandem, this represents an elite front seven.  If Terrence Cody can be in reasonable shape he can also be a unique force for this team.  On potential, this is one of the best front sevens in years.  The Ravens also get two weapons in Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  Todd Heap is aging and could use some complementary players.  Pitta is an excellent pass catcher and reminds me of a Dallas Clark-type talent.  Add this young talent to Ray Rice and you've got something.  They also add Anquan Boldin who is a Pro Bowler when healthy but he often has trouble staying on the field.  Donte Stallworth makes his comeback with the Ravens as well.  Joe Flacco is entering that barometer third year and should be ready to become a perennial near-Pro Bowl player.  If Boldin is right, this team could be Super Bowl level.  Their cornerbacks are a concern and Ed Reed has really been banged up.

Cincinnati Bengals

1.21 Gresham, Jermaine, TE, Oklahoma

2.22 Dunlap, Carlos, DE, Florida

3.20 Shipley, Jordan, WR, Texas

3.32 Ghee, Brandon, CB, Wake Forest

4.22 Atkins, Geno, DT, Georgia

4.33 Muckelroy, Roddrick, LB, Texas

5.21 Hudson, Otis, OG, Eastern Illinois

6.22 Briscoe, Dezmon, WR, Kansas

7.21 Stephens, Reggie, OL, Iowa St.

The Bengals drafted very well based on talent available and need.   The Cincinnati defense was good last year, but down the stretch their offense was totally inert.  Gresham is a huge talent at tight end and instantly makes Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer better.  Shipley can be a very good slot receiver right away, and with those two picks the Bengals have given Palmer two great middle-of-the-field targets.  Carlos Dunlap can be a nightmare pass rusher if he is motivated and focused, but this is a guy who once got pulled over drunk while parked at a stoplight, the perfect Bengal.  Brandon Ghee is very talented and joins an elite, young corner tandem of Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph.  This team should really be able to cover.  I think the Bengals did enough to make this team a threat to win the division if Carson Palmer can get back to his Pro Bowl level.  I think Dezmon Briscoe is another nice addition with a 6th round pick. 

Cleveland Browns

1.07 Haden, Joe, CB, Florida
2.06 Ward, T.J., FS, Oregon
2.27 Hardesty, Montario, RB, Tennessee
3.21 McCoy, Colt, QB, Texas
3.28 Lauvao, Shawn, OT, Arizona St.
5.29 Asante, Larry, SS, Nebraska
6.08 Mitchell, Carlton, WR, South Florida
6.17 Geathers, Clifton, DE, South Carolina

Joe Haden is going to be very good, mark it down.  He is a tremendous athlete, a big personality, has the confidence necessary to play the humbling cornerback position, and he likes to hit.  He will be an All-Pro within three years.  TJ Ward is a solid player that may start instantly at safety, so with their first 2 picks the Browns really rebuilt their secondary.  Montario Hardesty is going to be a good-to-very good back in this league.  He has good size, above average speed, and great wiggle.  He is a natural runner.  He has had some knee injuries but if he can stay healthy he can be the real deal.  Colt McCoy completed 78% of his passes in his junior year, which is a great sign no matter when, where, or in what system you play in.  He is a good athlete with nice mobility and a decent arm.  If he is groomed well, protected, and eventually given weapons, he can thrive in this league.  This is a draft that may look better and better as the years go by, but for now, the Browns are still on the bottom of the heap.

Pittsburgh Steelers

1.18 Pouncey, Maurkice, C, Florida
2.20 Worilds, Jason, DE, Virginia Tech
3.18 Sanders, Emmanuel, WR, Southern Methodist
4.18 Gibson, Thaddeus, DE, Ohio St.
5.20 Scott, Chris, OT, Tennessee
5.33 Butler, Crezdon, CB, Clemson
5.35 Sylvester, Stevenson, LB, Utah
6.19 Dwyer, Jonathan, RB, Georgia Tech
6.26 Brown, Antonio, WR, Central Michigan
7.35 Worthington, Doug, DT, Ohio St.

Pouncey is physical, talented, and versatile and will help this o-line immediately.  Jason Worilds is solid and will likely be a contributor especially once he gets into that Steeler system.  Thaddeus Gibson might be a better player than Worilds and should bolster this defense as well.  Jonathan Dwyer was a projected first rounder, so he is a great value in the 6^th, and could form a very nice tandem with Rashard Mendenhall.  Still, this is a team with aging veterans, a leadership void with Big Ben literally screwing away his future, and will see a dip in explosiveness with Santonio Holmes gone.  This team will struggle this year, and may be on the way down for the next 5-10 years.