NCAA Silly Season Continues... Friday Update...

Today we can add three Alabama players- Alabama running back Mark Ingram, defensive lineman Marcell Dareus and wide receiver Julio Jones say they're entering the NFL draft.

Linebacker Dont'a Hightower says he is returning to school.
Coach Nick Saban says each player made the right decision.

This adds to the total of: Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett
((HT: KTHV-TV Little Rock))


UCLA's Rahim Moore, and according to FOSG Kelin Johnson, the HQ is supposed to keep an eye on three UGA players- AJ Green, Justin Houston, and Brandon Boykin...

Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles is staying... which means the Sooners will, probably, be ranked Pre-season Number One

Newsok.com's Jenni Carlson and FOSG Berry Tramel discuss Monday's game for us instead...
((HT: Newsok.com))


Coaching Carousel: Pat Fitzgerald is NOT leaving Northwestern for Michigan and neither is Bo Pelini...

But Dan Mullen's staff takes a huge hit as Manny Diaz leaves Miss State and moves over to Texas to be DC for Mack Brown...
((HT KXAN-TV Austin))

Longhorns introduce DC Diaz: kxan.com

More when we know more...

Longhorns Staff Shakeup Continues

Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis has resigned and two other assistant coaches are leaving after the Longhorns' first losing season since 1997.

Davis, who has been with head coach Mack Brown for 13 seasons at Texas, had been under fire all season as Texas finished 5-7 and didn't qualify for a bowl. It was Brown's first losing season since 1989.

Offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive line coach Mike Tolleson also are leaving Austin.

Texas spokesman John Bianco is saying that Brown was not likely to announce replacements until after the bowl season.

Here's coverage from our friends at KXAN-TV

TWTW: Kansas State Embarasses Texas In Manhattan

((HT: Kansas State Collegian))

Collin Klein got the start at quarterback in the place of Carson Coffman for Kansas State. The Wildcats stuck with the ground game and wore down Texas 39-14.

Amazingly, Klein only completed 2-of-4 passes on the day for nine yards. Klein rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Daniel Thomas added 106 yards and two scores on 18 carries.

When the Longhorns defense can't stop your running, why pass right...???

The Cats picked off Garrett Gilbert five times in the game. Kansas State led 39-0 before the Horns even scored.

Texas is now 4-5 overall, 2-4 in Big 12/11/10 play.

Kansas State improved to 6-3 overall. They are 3-3 in the conference, and they're now bowl eligible...

Here's some low-angle highlights, thanks to the Collegian...
Call your own play-by-play of Garrett Gilbert making a lot of mistakes...

TWTW: Who Are These Longhorns...??? Losing To Iowa State In Austin...???

((HT: KVUE-TV Austin))

And what in the blue hell have they done with Will Muschamp's defense...???
More accurately, what in the blue hell has happened to the offense...???
What's eating Garrett Gilbert...???

Conspiracy theorists think the Georgia kid is bagging it so he can be first in line for the Georgia job if AD Dave McGarity is fed up with Mark Richt sooner rather than later...

Mike Barnes has the Cyclones winning in Austin, and no amount of TV magic can fix this one...

TWTW: Nebraska Hit By Mack Truck, Lose To Texas

((HT: 1011now.com/KOLN-KGIN-TV))

The HQ found something out Saturday... and this statistic could be true, or a Gawd-Awful fabrication...

Longhorns Head Coach Mack Brown is 11-0 after the Oklahoma game- with or without a bye week...

How's that for "always bet on burnt orange..."
The Longhorns defense kept Taylor Martinez in check to the point where Bo Pelini brought in third-stringer Zac Lee for their fourth quarter comeback...

Too many dropped passes and penalties killed the Huskers attempts at winning this one from behind, despite the best efforts of the Texas special teams to give this one away...

Keep sharp objects away from people in Lincoln for a while...
Here's Bo Pelini's comments...Or, if you choose, here's your highlights...
Kevin Sjuts and Dan Hedman double-team your video from Memorial Stadium...

TWTW: Red River Recap, OU Wins 28-20

((HT: Newsok.com))

So, the golden cowboy hat goes to Norman for the first time in a long time...

Sooners head coach Bob Stoops had lost four of five to the Longhorns, but Texas had too many penalties at too many key times to keep Oklahoma drives alive.

"Game-changers," said Texas head coach Mack Brown. "Just absolute killers."

Yeah, they were...

That and a late fumble on special teams when the Longhorns had their chance to come down for a possible game-tying score...

Hey, but 5-0 is 5-0, right...???

Damon Fontenot has the microphone first...

Texas really wasn't that good...UCLA lays the Smack Down in Austin....

What was thought to be true, proved to be true on Saturday. Texas was over-rated. The nations 7th ranked team lost to UCLA 34-12...at home, in front of 101,000-plus,  in Austin.

While the 4-first half turnovers certainly didn't help the Longhorns cause, UCLA just pretty much ran over them. The Bruins ran for 264 yards in the game.

To quote Texas coach Mack Brown "It was a rear-end kicking".

The LA Times says this may be a "Turning Point" for UCLA...READ HERE

As for the Texas reaction...Check out the obligatory live shot from the fine Sports folks at KVUE in Austin:

New Look Texas Holds Off New Look Red Raiders

((HT: KVUE-TV Austin))

Everyone came into this game ((actually, take that back... some)) thinking that there was going to be an upset in Lubbock between Texas and Texas Tech. Some of the HQ have no idea where that particular thought got traction, but there we all were staring at each other over Longhorns-Red Raiders...

Garrett Gilbert was too inexperienced it was said...
They lost Sergio Kindle on defense... everything has to be different now...
Here's Texas Tech's chance to show Mack Brown the gap is closing with Coach Tub in charge...

Nah...

Texas kept Texas Tech off the field offensively, with a 20-plus play drive in the third and fourth quarter- good enough for the 24-14 win. Gilbert had 227 yards passing, and Texas held Taylor Potts under 200 yards in the air...

That will not win Tech football games in bunches...

Mike Barnes has the highlights through a lovely voiceover...

Your Signing Day Review- The Top 5

Here's your local perspectives on National Signing Day for the Top Five classes in the country... it won't be in any funky order or anything like that...

So, it's on with the countdown, Casey...

FOSG Dan Hicken and the cast at First Coast News give you the Jacksonville lay of the land- visiting 22 schools in 4:45...
((HT: WTLV/WJXX-TV Jacksonville))

The Texas Longhorns List is courtesy of our friends at KVUE-TV...


Alabama's recap from Nick Saban is courtesy of our friends at WBRC-TV and MyFoxAL.com


Auburn is the same way... Fox 6's Rick Karle talks with the Chiz...


Oklahoma's Bob Stoops catches up with everyone, and NewsOK.com's Berry Tramel and David Ubben were there and get to analyze for all of us...

More when we get more...
6 through 10 shall follow...
As should your comments...

Texas WR Collins Kicked Off Longhorns Team

((HT: KXAN-TV, Austin))

So much for a quiet BCS week...

Texas receiver Brandon Collins, who was academically ineligible this season, has been kicked off the team...

Longhorns coach Mack Brown announced the decision a day after Collins was arrested in an Austin suburb for his alleged involvement in an incident at a McDonald's restaurant.

Collins was declared academically ineligible by the NCAA because of insufficient progress toward his degree. The junior was in good academic standing at Texas and allowed to continue practicing.

Now he's just done...

KXAN's Matt Flener gets to stand outside the Arches in question and, then, we go in-depth with Brian Sanders looking at the wrong camera... tossing to part of a California live shot...

Longhorn Faculty Pissed At Mack's Raise

((HT: KXAN-TV/Austin))

Those of us at OSG HQ know that, for the most part, athletic department salaries come from different places than the salaries for employees for the remainder of any particular university.

The University of Texas is no different... AD DeLoss Dodds has a lot of money to play with for his coffers- not coming from the state of Texas and tuitions...

Head football coach Mack Brown recently got a helluva raise- justly deserved or not, it was a helluva raise... and those people who don't get their salaries paid by Dodds have their boxers in a bunch over the idea of said raise...

The HQ would maintain that, while the raise for Brown may be deserved- the timing is horrific. The easiest thing to do would have been to give an annuity or write something down on paper to present when the economy is in better stead.

Or, hell, Dodds could pay for a teacher or two...
Just a thought...
Here's your understandable fallout, thanks to our friends at KXAN-TV in Austin...

Mack Brown Will Not Freestyle Until 2016

((HT: KXAN-TV))

At least according to his new deal with the University of Texas...

He will receive $3 million in 2009, plus a one-time $2 million service payment on Feb. 1, 2010. The new contract, however, raises his salary to $5 million starting next season.

"Mack is the best college football coach in America and this action recognizes him for that," said Men's Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds. "He brought new life to our program and he's done it with great integrity and class. He is who we want at Texas for as long as he is willing to serve as our head coach. This will also ensure a smooth transition when Mack decides to hand over the reins to Will Muschamp."

Whenever that is... and be rest assured that Muschamp will continue to be regarded for his lieutenant-like loyalty until the day Mack decides to hang up his whistle...

Those of us at OSG HQ view this as cementing everything in place. Whether or not it will work better at Texas than every place else they tried this "coach-in-waiting" crap is beyond us...

Here's coverage from our friends at KXAN-TV in Austin...

TWTW: So, It's Texas and Alabama...

((HT: KVUE-TV))

Those of us at OSG HQ were talking about this...

The only way for Nebraska to have a chance in the Big 12 Championship was to (for using a horse racing phrase) turn this one into a mudder...

They had to slow the pace of the game down considerably and keep the Texas offense either completely off the field or force the Longhorns into a lot of mistakes and third down-and-long situations...

If this wasn't a game to show why Ndamukong Suh needs to be considered for more than just defensive trophies, we don't know what is...

Nebraska had a 12-10 lead with 104 seconds left, but Texas only needed 103...
Hunter Lawrence snuck his 46-yard field goal inside the left upright for the 13-12 win and Texas is headed to the BCS Championship...

Here's your wrap, thanks to our friends at KVUE-TV in Austin...

College Football: Head Coach Rivalries

College Football thrives on rivalries. We know the best ones that have stood the test of time involving the teams but let’s take it deeper, are there any good rivalries involving head coaches. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes comes to mind. Heck they had the 10 year war. Tom Osbourne and Barry Switzer… yea but kind of a vanilla way. Frank Broyles and Darryl Royal… great for the old schoolers.

Are there any current rivalries between head coaches today? I like the one developing between Les Miles and Nick Saban but who do you pull for. They both need a seminar in people skills.

(Bob Stoops Photo: Courtesy scout.com)

(Mack Brown Photo: Courtesy collegesports.com)
The best one is going on in the Big 12 Conference. Both Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Mack Brown at Texas compete in the same division in the same conference and have each won a national title. It doesn’t hurt that they face off in one of the best rivalries in college football, the Red River Shootout in Dallas each year.

It was a topic raised recently by Barry Tramel of The Oklahoman., It’s a great read for college football fans.