Texas A&M Informs Big 12 Conference They Are Exploring Their Options, SMU Wants Their Slot...

The Texas A&M to the SEC courtship has reached another level.

Thursday Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin sent a letter to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe informing Beebe that the University is exploring its options.

Here's the letter:

Dear Commissioner Beebe:

As you know, the Texas A&M Board of Regents has authorized me to take action relating to Texas A&M University's ("Texas A&M") conference alignment. While this letter is not a notice of Texas A&M's withdrawal from the Big 12 Conference (the "Conference"), we are exploring our options. There has been a great deal of speculation and comment in the media about Texas A&M leaving the Conference, including discussions of other institutions joining the Conference.

If Texas A&M withdraws from the Conference, we want to do so in a way that complies with the Bylaws and is supportive of your efforts to seek a new member of the Conference. We would appreciate your conferring with the other member institutions and outlining for us the process to be followed by Texas A&M should it withdraw from the Conference.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

R. Bowen Loftin
President

This is the strongest indication yet that Texas A&M has no interest in staying in the Big 12 Conference. While president Bowen did not say that Texas A&M is withdrawing from the Big 12 the administration wants information on the process.

Nebraska sent a similar letter to Commissioner Beebe before they left for the Big Ten Conference.

Texas A&M has not applied for membership into the SEC but you have to think the application is on president Bowen's desk. The SEC has not extended an invitation either and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to accept Texas A&M into the conference.

The drama in College Station, TX continues

As does Dallas, since SMU AD Steve Orsini now thinks his 'Stangs are ready to play in a Bee-Cee-Ess conference- and would like to explore the idea with the folks in the 12/10...

Craig James discusses that, but does not discuss the EDSBS claim of offing people when he was on campus... *wink*
((HT: ESPN))

Frogs Leap To 4-0, Claim Iron Skillet Again

TCU received a little scare from their Dallas metroplex rival but the Frogs proved to be too strong in the fourth quarter defeating SMU 41-24.

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton wasn't very sharp throwing two interceptions each leading to SMU scores, however after tossing his second pick of the night and the Frogs down 17-14 to the Mustangs, Dalton and TCU settled down scoring four 2nd half touchdowns to win it in Dallas.

The Frogs keep winning, the regular season win streak now stands at 17.

“We took their best shot and came out with a win." TCU head coach Gary Patterson said. "That was two emotional rivalries (Baylor and SMU), and we played them back-to-back. I’m very happy with the way my team played in all three phases of the game today.”

Fox Sports has the highlights from Big D. (Thanks foxsports.com)

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=ab92b018-69fd-4650-896c-58daa5ebb8a2" target="_new" title="">Highlights: (4) TCU - SMU</a>

SMU head coach June Jones after the game (Thanks SMUMustangsAthletics/youtube.com)

They Said, She Said... So Is It A Full-Ride Or Not...?

((HT: KTVT-TV Dallas))

Usually, when you're offered a scholarship by a school to play a sport there. There's something in paper that you can go over and agree to that is considered a "scholarship."

In the case of one Dallas-area high school soccer player, Emily Hairston, she was under the impression she had a scholarship. When the school told her to pay up, the family was quite stunned and is/has been operating under the notion that she had a full ride.

Stephanie Lucero of CBS 11 caught up with an-SMU legacy family that is really not happy with the school right now...


The end of the Lucero part is the best part of the story...

She contacted the NCAA for an official response:

According to Jennifer Royer, Associate Director of Public and Media Relations for the NCAA, "a coach cannot ask or direct an orally-committed prospective student-athlete to make contact with or call other potential recruits for the purpose of securing other prospective students as future members of the team."

"Such actions may lead to an institutional violation of NCAA rules" says Royer.

Oops...

More when we know more...

TWTW: Ault Lang Syne, SMU Rolls In Hawai'i

((HT: KTVN-TV Reno))

Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault is, probably, ready and willing to forget his whole Hawai'i Bowl experience against SMU.

He had the most prolific rushing offense in Division I- averaging over 350 yards per game on the ground. He had three rushers clocking in with over 1,000 yards each on the season.

But then the fun began...

Two of those rushers didn't play. Vai Taua, who led Nevada with 1,345 yards rushing, has been ruled academically ineligible. Luke Lippincott, who ran for 1,034 yards, was sidelined with a toe injury.

Then, Ault said that he had suspended safety Duke Williams for the game. Linebacker Andre Davis has been dismissed from the program. Davis, it was disclosed was busted for shoplifting.

Here's KTVN's coverage of the loss...


And here's KGMB-TV's version of June Jones' homecoming...

Tuesday Bowl Carousel: Let The Cycle Begin

Here's what we know...

Central Florida has accepted a bid to travel all the way from Orlando to St. Pete to play at The Juice Box against an as-of-yet-unknown opponent... could be Rutgers, UConn, or South Florida...

SMU accepted its first bowl bid in 25 years. They're going to the Hawai'i Bowl to take on an unknown opponent...

Looks like the Outback has Auburn and Wisconsin on New Year's Day. But Northwestern has a shot there as well.

The Gator is leaning toward the Bowden back-To-The-Future Bowl with Florida State and West Virginia on New Year's... the ACC is currently finagling that one...

Navy is heading to the Texas Bowl on New Year's Eve to take on a Big 12 opponent.

Jerry World gets Oklahoma State and Ole Miss for the Cotton Bowl...

Tennessee and Virginia Tech have the Chick-fil-A bowl on New Year's Eve...

Georgia gets to travel to Shreveport for the Independence Bowl, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta and the Athens Banner-Herald newspaper...

While the bowl executive director would not commit one way or the other on the Dawgs, Missy Setters acknowledged UGA and South Carolina are on their radar. Missouri, Iowa State, and Texas A&M are rumored from the Big 12 side.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal has Arkansas heading to the Liberty Bowl to take on the Conference USA champ- either East Carolina or Houston. They also have LSU headed to the Citrus to play Penn State.

That means that the Music City gets Kentucky to play either Miami or North Carolina, and the Pizza Bowl in Birmingham gets South Carolina to play a Big East opponent.

Got all that...???
There's a test later...

95-Yard Goal Gives SMU Upset Over Tulsa

Yes, we're talking soccer...

From NBC Miami again...

Ryan Rosenbaum's first goal as an SMU soccer player won't soon be forgotten.

Rosenbaum launched a 95-yard kick that bounced over the Tulsa goaltender's head and into the goal.

SMU was leading 2-1 at the time when Rosenbaum cleared the ball from the SMU end of the field. The high kick took a giant bounce off the grass and ended up in the net.

SMU went on to win the game, 3-2, upsetting the 16th ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Rosenbaum, a defender, had not taken a shot on goal in his first four games.

Maybe he'll shoot more now...

((HT: SMU/WAC/NCAA))

TWTW: What In The Hell Is Going On In Washington...??? Or: "Clear Is Folk...?"

((HT: KOMO-TV))

Erik Folk kicked a 22-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining and the Huskies' fired-up defense stymied fill-in quarterback Aaron Corp and No. 3 USC in a 16-13 victory Saturday.

It was the first time the Trojans have lost to the UW Huskies since 2001 - and the first time UW has beat the Trojans at Husky Stadium since 1996.

It was Washington quarterback Jake Locker's time to shine and the Huskies' turn pull out a win that will stand among the most memorable in the once-proud program's history. Locker drove the Huskies 63 yards on 10 plays to set up the winning kick.

USC (2-1, 0-1 Pac-10) was nearly a three-touchdown favorite. Washington (2-1, 1-0) came in riding a 10-game losing streak in Pac-10 games and had broken a 15-game overall skid last week against Idaho.

But again the Trojans were toppled by a team that seemed to be no match for all their blue chip recruits and future NFL draft picks. USC has now lost to an unranked team each of the last four seasons.

Here's Sark's post-game thanks to our friends at KOMO

And Wazzu beat SMU...???
Whasupwidat???!!!

Nico Grasu kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime as Washington State came back from a 17-point deficit to beat Southern Methodist 30-27 on Saturday for its first win of the season.The Mustangs (2-1) had the first drive of overtime. But Bo Levi Mitchell threw deep into the end zone on the first play and was picked off by Chima Nwachukwu. It was Washington State's fourth interception of the game.

The Cougars (1-2) took over on the 25 and gained just three yards on three plays before Grasu's game winner. Earlier in the game he missed a 39-yard field goal.

It was the first time Washington State had led all season.

What is this world coming to...???
By the way, if you listened to the OSG C/PC College Football Preview, we kinda called that...

Dirty Dozen (The Conference Champs Edition)

D-Day has Arrived (no, not the guy from Animal House!)

We've finally hit the end of the road, the last week of weeks, the time where conference titles are decided (at least by the ones who want extra money). All who are playing should be happy...except for Texas.

There really are some good games ahead and there usually is at least one that doesn't turn out the way that it should. Last Week: Another perfect week, 11-0 and that makes the tally 78-17, maybe I should start gambling eh?

The Dozen:

1. Alabama (They get this by virtue of surviving undefeated. That however may change soon. I don't think any of the pipe dreamers in Tuscaloosa ever thought they'd be in this position this year...but they are. This Week: The SEC Championship. Florida 31, Alabama 21)

2. Florida (It really, really pains me to say it, but they've been the best team in College Football the past 6 weeks. Really...they have. I can't believe I'm going to pick them to win this week...but. This Week: See above)

3. Texas (They deserve this spot...but alas...they aren't playing this week. Wouldn't it be funny if everyone else loses either this week or in their bowl and these guys end up with the title? Just wonderin'. This Week: Waiting for Bowl Invite)

4. Oklahomer (Okay, so they killed the Mike Gundy's...and well...they killed Texas Tech...and well...just about everyone but Texas. Does this make them better than Texas? That is a deeper and longer arguement than I'm willing to get into here. This Week: The Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma 47, Missouri 33)

5. USC (Congratulations Pete Carroll. Oregano State did you a favor and now you are in the Rose Bowl. Hooray for you! You're still the Big Fish in a pretty small PAC 10 pond out there. Enjoy the Roses' we'll see you next year. This Week: USC Red 45, UCLA Blue...very Blue 13)

6. Utah (I like these guys more every week. They are a good story and I'm glad that they will be in the BCS Spotlight. We need more stories like this. This Week: Waiting for Bowl Invite (probably Sugar))

7. State Penn (Kudos to the Fighting Joe Pa's. They had a pretty good "On-the Field Year". They are going to the Rose Bowl and might actually give USC a decent game. We will see. This Week: Waiting for the Rose Bowl)

8. Boise State (They deserve this for going undefeated. They are worthy of a BCS invite, but sadly, I don't think it will come. They will get politicked and can't do anything about it. They are a prime example of how the BCS is rigged for the "Big" Schools. This Week: Waiting for Bowl Invite)

9. Texas Tech (Good team, not a great team. Let's see if Mike Leach actually makes it to the Bowl Game as their Coach. Smart money says "NO". This Week: Waiting for Bowl Invite)

10. Ball State (Again, Mad Props for going undefeated. They deserve a shot that they won't get. Maybe they'd get killed, but...Hopefully they'll get a decent bowl game and a nice donation from their most famous Alum. This Week: Waiting for Bowl Invite)

**note from author who is a dumbass!!! This Week: MAC Championship. Ball St. 31, Buffalo 27** (12-5 9:54am)

11. Ohio State (I'm just going to say it. Why? They always go at least 10-2. They always finish in the top 2 in their conference and they always lose to an SEC team in a bowl game. It's what they do. It's why I don't like their conference. They still think football revolves around them...it hasn't for the past...oh 20 years. This Week: Wating for Bowl Invite)

12. Georgia Tech (I saw these guys the past 2 weeks and when they are on, they are pretty good. I wouldn't want to be playing them on short notice. Jonathan Dwyer is the best running back you've never heard of, you'll hear of him next year. This Week: Accepted Peach Fil-A Bowl Bid)

The Top Turkeys, Bottom of the Barrel:

5. Meech-i-gin (Awww. Sucks to be the Maize and Blue. Tough year. But it had to happen sometime, reality hit here harder than almost anywhere. Maybe Coach Rodriguez can bring them into the 21st Century. Time will tell. This Year: 3-9)

4. Iowa State (Strangely enough, they started 2-0, then lost the next, oh...10 straight. Not exactly a strong finish...unless you want a spot in this part of the poll. This Year: 2-10)

3. Shmoo! (This was a bad team from day 1. Has anyone told June Jones, sometimes more money isn't worth it? Just sayin'. This Year: 1-11)

2. Washed State (Good thing they beat Washington. Words can't describe how bad the "Crapple Cup" game was. The best part is that it is over. This Year 2-10)

1. Washington (Arrivaderci Ty Willingham. Here is my question...why would any of the "Big Name" coaches take this job? They are going to suck for a while no matter who is here. This Year: The Undisputed Champ 0-12)

And so goes another College Football Season. Strange and unpredictable just like every other year. We will back with a bowl game edition as soon as we get the list of 812 Bowl Games and the teams playing in them.