ADN

This week's list is Toughest Schedules. I'd like to tell you I concocted an elaborate formula to determine this, but I didn't. I actually started to, but scrapped it after I decided I'd rather gauge this on what I expect from teams in 2006, not how they did in 2005. (For instance, I don't think UCLA and Alabama will be as good as they were in 2005, and I seriously doubt Tennessee will be as bad.) I also think road games at some top-15 programs are tougher than others. (Virginia Tech, LSU and Oregon immediately come to mind.) One other big caveat: Since the ACC, Big 12 and SEC all have conference title games, I think those schools potentially have schedules that are much tougher to survive, which is worth noting because it served as a tie-breaker for my rankings. Weigh in, Sportsnation!
1. Florida: In a word: brutal. The Gators have a nasty midseason stretch that features four of the big boys in a row starting with a Sept. 30 game against Alabama. In truth though, that visit from the Tide is a warm-up compared to what follows since LSU visits the Swamp the following week. Then the Gators visit Auburn before finishing off October against Georgia. Bookending all that are a pair of road trips against Florida's two archrivals, Tennessee and Florida State, both of which are in revenge mode after getting beaten by the Gators in '05. UF also has two other bowl teams on its slate in UCF and South Carolina, whose head coach knows a thing or two about winning in the Swamp.

2. Georgia Tech: Good thing QB Reggie Ball has experience, because he's going to need it. The Yellow Jackets open with Notre Dame and close at archrival Georgia. In between is a trip to Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, where they will hear "Enter Sandman" about 800 times, along with a trip to Clemson and a visit from Miami. The only break is Tech doesn't have FSU on its schedule.

3. Iowa State: Tough luck for Dan McCarney and Co., since all their toughest games are on the road this season, with visits to Iowa and Texas (back-to-back) and then to Norman, which takes place the week after Nebraska comes to ISU. The Cyclones also get a visit from Texas Tech.

4. Kentucky: Perhaps this should be called the Rich Brooks Farewell Tour. The Wildcats have to go into three of the biggest, loudest and most hostile places in the country in Florida, LSU and Tennessee. And none of those may even be the nastiest spot the Cats go, since the UK prez popped off about Louisville a few weeks back. Brilliant. Maybe he never saw the reaction to dancing on the Cardinal head in years past. Or maybe he did and figured, "I'll rile up the archrival. They'll beat us by 102 points, and then I can fire my coach posthaste." The Cats' toughest home game, by the way, is Nov. 4 against Georgia.

5. UCLA: This was a close race between two Pac-10 schools, but I think UCLA, by virtue of the trip to South Bend, has the tougher road than Oregon. The Bruins also have to go to Eugene, which is one of the tougher places to play. Other road trips include Cal and ASU. Facing USC anywhere is a problem, and opening with a hungry Utah squad is tricky too.

6. Oregon: So things got a bit easier for the Ducks after Oklahoma lost starting QB Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn, a starter at a position (O-line) where OU is already suspect, but the Sooners still have a superstar in Adrian Peterson. The week before OU could be just as tough for Oregon since it involves a road trip to Fresno. Later the Ducks go on the road to play ASU and Cal in consecutive weeks and also have to play USC at the Coliseum.

7. Ohio State: It will be interesting to see how the young defense holds up against this slate. Keep in mind the Buckeyes, who lost one of the great linebacking crews of all time, have to face a host of stud tailbacks (Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe; Texas' Jamaal Charles; Penn State's Tony Hunt; Iowa's Albert Young; Northwestern's Tyrell Sutton and Michigan's Mike Hart). Worse still, OSU has to go to Texas and Iowa, both of whom have strong offensive lines.

8. Vanderbilt: Too bad Jay Cutler isn't around anymore. The Commodores open up at Michigan and then travel to Alabama. Later they get to visit UGA too, before hosting Florida and Tennessee. On the bright side, they have Temple and Duke on the schedule and neither of those teams is actually the worst team Vandy faces. I think that distinction belongs to Tennessee State.

9. Michigan: Maybe Bo Schembechler had a point when he said, "We don't need Notre Dame. They need us more than we need them."

Few teams can say they will face three legit Heisman-contending quarterbacks. But the Wolverines can make that claim since they have to deal with Brady Quinn (ND), Drew Tate (Iowa) and Troy Smith (OSU). That's a nice welcome for new Wolverine defensive coordinator Ron English. And two of those three games are on the road (ND and OSU). A trip to Happy Valley won't be so mellow either.

10. Maryland: Don't be fooled by the opener against little William & Mary. The Terps have road trips to West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Clemson and Boston College, and will also face Miami and FSU at home. That's tough for a program coming off consecutive losing seasons.

Just Missed the Cut: South Carolina, Washington, Michigan State, Arkansas.


RANDOM STUFF

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ Marcel Frost, Ohio State's starting tight end, has been suspended for the season for a violation of team rules, according to Ken Gordon. Is it my imagination or has Buckeye tight end become something of a star-crossed position since the national title? First, uber-talented Louis Irizarry implodes after some off-field problems. Last year, TE Ryan Hamby received death threats from supposed Buckeyes fans after dropping a possible TD pass against Texas. Now this with Frost.

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ Interesting nugget about the recovery of talented LSU RB Alley Broussard from the Times-Picayune:

"If any lingering discomfort remains, Broussard has done an excellent job hiding the pain through the initial two non-pad workouts, partaking in every running back drill during sessions open to the media. Coach Les Miles said his staff and the trainers will closely monitor Broussard, especially with the team's first scrimmage set for Sunday. While Broussard's healthy, his mental state is mended after dealing with bouts of depression when the rehabilitation process wasn't progressing according to schedule.

'As far as a percentage -- you'd just have to see me out there running and compare me to when I was healthy,' Broussard said. 'I really couldn't tell you right now. I feel I have a little more to do as far as cutting and stuff, which I never really did.'"

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ The Rhett Bomar derby apparently includes Houston, as the embattled former Oklahoma QB visited the UH campus Tuesday, Ronnie Turner reports.

Bomar's dad has reached out to North Texas as well, I'm told.

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ Willie Williams is still in limbo. And now you can cross Troy off his list of possible next stops, as that school's SID told the Miami Herald the controversial Miami linebacker won't be coming to the Sun Belt school.

"They were working on it, but I don't know if it was Willie Williams who backed off on his end, or we did here," Ricky Hazel said. "There was some negative reaction by the fans on our end, as you can imagine, so maybe it was both parties backing off."

My hunch is that Williams ends up dropping down to some Division I-AA school, perhaps Bethune-Cookman.

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ FSU folks have to be smiling now that blue-chip TE Brandon Warren has been green-lighted by the Clearinghouse. From what I've been told, the starting TE position is Warren's to lose this summer. That's a reflection of both his talent and what FSU had coming back at tight end. Rarely do you hear about a top program counting so much on a true freshman, especially one who wasn't a lock to make it.

One surprising thing that came from Warren's debut with the Noles was the revelation that FSU coaches plan to get the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder some work as a pass-rushing specialist at defensive end this season, in addition to his duties at tight end.

"That's a natural ability I have -- just to rush the quarterback," Warren said. "I'm not going to have to learn the whole defense. It's just kind of go out there and go after the quarterback. That's something we talked about during the recruiting process."

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ I wasn't ready to put him in the top impact true freshmen list from a week ago, but keep an eye on Dexter McCluster. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound slot receiver has created quite a buzz around Ole Miss all summer with his moves and explosiveness. McCluster, who is from Largo, Fla., actually flew below the recruiting radar -- I suspect because of his size -- although if you ever saw his dazzling highlight tape, you'd have expected otherwise.

†™‚¢‚¢¢¢¬…¡‚¬¢‚¬Å¡‚¢ Bad news for UNC: Trimane Goddard, expected to be one of North Carolina's key defensive players, broke a bone in his left foot in practice last Saturday in a non-contact drill and will likely be out for the season, Bill Cole writes.

On the bright side, this probably means Cooter Arnold will get more playing time, and we can never have enough guys named Cooter in college football.

Big12 QB's are dropping like flies this year, five QB's and counting so far.lol


Associated Press


MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Former starting quarterback Allan Evridge has decided to transfer from Kansas State less than a week into fall practice.

Evridge told new coach Ron Prince of his intentions Tuesday and was granted a release from his scholarship. A formal announcement came Wednesday, making Evridge the third Wildcats quarterback to depart Manhattan since the spring game in April.

"Allan Evridge had a great start to his Kansas State career last season and we would have liked him to stay and be a part of this organization," Prince said in a statement. "We were looking forward to his contributions, but we understand that quarterbacks are competitive people by nature and we wish him well in his pursuit of his athletic and academic goals."

Evridge played in nine games as a redshirt freshman last season -- starting six -- and threw for a Kansas State freshman record 1,365 yards and six touchdowns. Against Texas A&M, he completed 23 of 44 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns.

He also rushed for 203 yards, including 138 yards in a 27-25 loss to Nebraska.

"I did everything they asked of me, on and off the field," Evridge told The Wichita Eagle on Wednesday.

"I even contemplated moving to defense just to get on the field. I did everything right by the program but it didn't look like I was going to be given an opportunity to contribute to the team in the way I would have liked."

The 6-foot-1, 214-pound lefty was part of a five-way competition for the starting quarterback job in the spring. Only senior Dylan Meier and heralded freshman Josh Freeman are left on the roster.

In April, redshirt freshman Kevin Lopina announced he was transferring, eventually settling on Washington State. Then last month, senior Allen Webb -- who split time as the starter with Evridge last season -- announced he was transferring to Texas College, an NAIA school in Tyler, Texas.

ESPN.com news services


Jerry Bomar says his son deserves a second chance.

The father of former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Rhett Bomar said his son needs to be punished for breaking major NCAA rules. But Jerry Bomar insists the sophomore will pay restitution whether the NCAA demands it or not.

"All we want to do is start over fresh from here," Jerry Bomar told the Dallas Morning News for Thursday's editions. "He didn't murder anybody, commit a crime or anything like that. But he made a mistake. He didn't want to hurt Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a great school, it's got great coaches. But he made a mistake, and he's got to be punished.

"But this is America, and I think he deserves a second chance."

The elder Bomar reportedly has not spoken publicly since his son and teammate J.D. Quinn were dismissed from the Sooners football team last week. An investigation revealed the players allegedly accepted money for work they did not perform at a car dealership in Norman, Okla.

Today, Jerry Bomar admits his son's options may be limited. He would not say which schools he and Rhett are looking into. North Texas and Texas A&M-Commerce have shown interest. Houston also reportedly is interested. And Jerry Bomar said a major league baseball team has inquired into signing his son to a pro contract. Rhett was a two-sport star in high school.

"We know he's out of Division I-A for this year, and we think he could play Division II now," Jerry Bomar told The Morning News. "But then there could be penalties on top of that. It's just all going to depend on what happens with the NCAA."

It could be some time before the NCAA determines whether the school or players should be punished.

"He's going to pay the money back, whether he's [forced] to or not," Bomar told the newspaper. "His parents are not going to give it to him, so he's going to have to earn it."

Sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

For the second time in four months sophomore running back Leon Jackson has decided to quit the Nebraska football team. According to his father, Leon Jackson Sr., his son just didn't feel like NU was the right fit.
Leon Jackson has left the Nebraska football team.
"It was a tough decision for him," Jackson Sr. said. "Overall though, I think it worked out for him and the team. It will be the best for both of them."

NU head coach Bill Callahan came out with a statement regarding Jackson's departure. Callahan said he wishes Jackson and his family the best of luck in the future.

"Leon Jackson has left the team of his own volition," Callahan said. "We appreciate the contributions he has made to this football program, and we wish him the best in the future."

Jackson was currently working at running with sophomores Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn and juniors Brandon Jackson and Kenny Wilson.

Jackson Sr. said his son met with Callahan this morning about leaving the team and he has granted him his scholarship release.

Earlier in the spring, Jackson left the team but was forced to come back because Callahan wouldn't grant him a release to another Division I-A school.

"I was disappointed at one point with Leon's decision," Jackson Sr. said. "But I'm supportive in the decision he made. I feel he made the decision that's best for him."

Right now Jackson Sr. said his son is looking at Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, USC and California as all possible schools to end up at.

Jackson will have three years of eligibility wherever he goes because he still hasn't used his redshirt.

"Leon wanted to make sure we thank all the fans for the support they've given him," Jackson Sr. said. "There are no hard feelings towards anybody and we really appreciate how nice the people of Nebraska were to us."

Damn, WTF is going on in the Big 12 this year..?

Colorado is going to win it this year, that's what's going on.lol

The pretenders


By Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Two years ago, SI.com identified the common traits of national championship teams from the past decade. Those same criteria were used in identifying the 16 contenders featured in our "Into the Great Wide Open" feature. Suffice it to say, if you don't see one of the popular preseason favorites on the list, it's because it was missing one or more of those crucial elements.

Here is a look at eight of those teams and why they didn't make the cut.

Texas: The defending national champions arguably have the most returning talent of anyone in the country, but no team in the past 20 years has won a national championship with a freshman starting quarterback (which the Longhorns will have in either Colt McCoy or Jevan Snead).

Florida: With QB Chris Leak back, the Gators have the talent and experience to make a run at the SEC championship, but a brutal schedule -- at Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State and home games against Alabama, LSU and Georgia -- rules out any realistic shot of finishing in the top two.

LSU: The Tigers are loaded at the skill positions but suffered heavy personnel losses in two of the most crucial areas for a national-title aspirant: the offensive and defensive lines. Their rigorous SEC schedule (at Auburn, Florida and Tennessee) doesn't do them any favors either.

Penn State: Much like LSU, the Nittany Lions' downfall will likely be its rebuilt offensive line, which played a major role in their resurgence last season. Breaking in four new O-line starters and a new starting QB in the same season doesn't usually result in a national-title run.

Georgia: The Bulldogs will likely turn to a freshman quarterback of their own, Matthew Stafford, at some point in the season. Georgia has been recruiting at a national-championship level for several years, but this will likely be more of a transition season.

Oklahoma: The Sooners were actually on the list of 16 "contenders" prior to QB Rhett Bomar's dismissal. While replacement Paul Thompson brings an element of athleticism, the Sooners' passing game won't be national-title caliber.

Oregon: The Ducks may very well have as dangerous a team, if not more so, as last year's 10-2 squad. Their schedule, however -- which includes road trips to Fresno State, Cal and USC and a home game against Oklahoma -- is a major road block.

TCU: Obviously, the odds of a Mountain West team appearing in the national title game are highly unlikely, making it impractical to include more than one such team on the list. Nothing against the Horned Frogs, who went 11-1 last season, but we think Utah is better suited for such a run.

Here's a cool web site with alot of info for College Football

College Football news

It's early August, which means most college football fans have regressed into 5-year-olds with a week left until Christmas. The suspense is killing them and the calendar is moving in cruelly slow motion.

Labor Day weekend seems eternally out of reach, with too many soul-killing baseball games still to be played between now and kickoff.

To pass this excruciating time constructively, I say it's time we get educated. In homage to Bill Maher, whose schtick is blatantly and unapologetically ripped off here, I offer the New Rules for College Football Fans, 2006 edition:

New Rule: If the scoreboard says you lost, you lost. That's not going to change. Take an hour to vent postgame, then try to regain your sanity. Do not diminish your quality of life -- and the quality of life of those around you -- by spewing for days about the refs who cheated your team, the flagrant league bias against your team or the complete lack of class displayed by the team that beat your team. Your team l-o-s-t. Try to deal.


Pregame beers are fine, but stop before 12.New Rule: If you know the tailgate lot at the stadium like the back of your hand but wouldn't be able to find the campus library without joining a tour group, reevaluate your priorities.

New Rule: It's August. Refrain from posting on your team's message boards that your coach needs to go. At least let him fall behind by a touchdown in September -- or if you really want to be patient, let him even lose an entire game -- before demanding regime change.

New Rule: Try using your real name on a message board. It might be a liberating feeling to stand behind your words, instead of hiding behind the handle "GatrHatr88," or whatever lame nom de cyberplume you choose.

New Rule: The offensive coordinator has feelings, too. Try to remember that.

New Rule: Nobody else thinks his or her team gets enough respect from the media, either. You're encouraged to come up with a new complaint.

New Rule: If you know the name of the long snapper but don't know the name of the school president, reevaluate your priorities.

New Rule: By all means, have a couple of pregame beers if you want. Try to stop before 12, though.

New Rule: If you didn't stop at 12, remember this: The people sitting around you in the stadium or standing next to you at the urinal don't think you're funny. And they don't want to hold you up when you tip over. Especially at the urinal.

(Aside: colleges might want to study the new Bengals initiative: they have instituted a "jerk" hotline for fans to call to report abusive, profane and intoxicated louts in the stadium to authorities. Then again, considering the arrest record of Marvin Lewis' squad, fans could easily report a bunch of the guys in uniform.)

New Rule: Yes, Notre Dame is different. Get over it. If your school were important enough to get its own NBC contract and thumb its nose at conference affiliation, do you really think it would decline?


Reevaluate if the cost of body paint exceeds your charitable contributions.New Rule: If you spend more on face paint, clothes in school colors, tailgate accessories and an RV horn that honks the school fight song than you spend on charity, reevaluate your priorities.

New Rule: If you insist on smugly condemning the complete lack of morality and ethics at Rival U when one of its players gets in trouble, prepare a good defense for when one of your team's players screws up the next week. Today's "great kid" could be tomorrow's armed robber.

New Rule: Every other team in America says it had a great summer in the weight room, too. Every other team in America had great attendance at "voluntary" summer workouts, too. Every other team in America says the chemistry and attitude are better than last year, too. So don't get prematurely overconfident based on the usual August rhetoric.

New Rule: When the hotshot freshman quarterback isn't playing yet, rationally consider the possible reasons why. I mean beyond the fact that the coach is an absolute moron. Maybe the kid is an absolute moron who cannot learn the playbook.

New Rule: We know you have a brilliant, unique, surefire plan for an NCAA football playoff. Your barber, your bank teller and the kid working the espresso machine at Starbucks have playoff plans too. And Myles Brand isn't interested in any of them.


Pete Carroll and USC have the trophy to prove they shared the 2003 title.New Rule: USC won a share of the 2003 national title, no matter what the BCS says about the LSU-Oklahoma Sugar Bowl being the title game. Quit being greedy, and quit talking about it three years later.

New Rule: If you're on a voice-recognition basis with a call-in show producer or have your own call-in show persona and handle (like "Wolverine Mark"), reevaluate your priorities.

New Rule: An 0-1 start is not the end of the world, especially with a 12-game schedule. Unless you start 0-1 with a buy game against what was supposed to be a guaranteed chump. Then you can pound the panic button.

New Rule: Before your fan message board mounts an e-mail lobbying campaign to poll voters demanding higher rankings for your school, consider: Is it effective or obnoxious to send out 200 e-mails that all parrot the same "talking points"? And how silly is it for football fans to have "talking points"? After careful consideration of those questions, hit the delete button.

New Rule: If you're over the age of, say, 14, beseeching players as they leave the field for a receiving glove is unseemly and best avoided. I mean, who other than Michael Jackson is going to get excited about a single glove?

New Rule: Flying a car flag when your team is 5-0 is easy. Try it when your team is 0-5.

New Rule: It is understandable and acceptable to wonder (out loud) why Temple is still playing Division I-A football.

New Rule: If you turn to a sportswriter for guidance on how to be a college football fan, reevaluate your priorities.


Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Nebraska CornHusker's still suck!