(Texas)

ESPN.com is reporting that Texas Longhorns runnings back Ramonce Taylor will be leaving the Big 12 program and intends to transfer. Taylor did not participate in the team’s Spring practices due to academic problems. He also has a pending marijuana possession charge hanging over his head.

Taylor scored 15 touchdowns for the Longhorns during the 2005 season, including a four-touchdown game against Baylor. He also had two 100-yard games and finished the season with 513 yards on 76 carries. Overall, he accounted for more than 1200 yards of total offense for the national champions, including a long touchdown run in the Rose Bowl.

While Taylor has had his share of off-the-field problems, his motivation may also be due to his on-field competition. Texas returns sophomore Jamaal Charles, who rushed for nearly 900 yards and 11 scores during his freshman season, as well as fellow returnees Selvin Young and Henry Melton, who combined for 18 more TDs in ‘05.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Taylor is expected to transfer to an NAIA school, where he will be eligible to play immediately.

1. The Big East is the only conference in D1-A football that has had every one of its teams play in a bowl game in the past two seasons.  West Virginia (’05 Gator Bowl and ‘06 Sugar Bowl) and Louisville (’04 Liberty Bowl and ‘06 Gator Bowl) are the only schools with a multi-year streak intact. South Florida (’05 Meineke Car Care Bowl) and Rutgers (’05 Insight.com Bowl) were the Big East’s other two bowl game participants last season. Pittsburgh (’05 Fiesta Bowl), Cincinnati (’04 Forth Worth Bowl), Syracuse (’04 Champs Sports Bowl), and UConn (’04 Motor City Bowl) each made appearances following the 2004 season. Unfortunately, the Big East teams have only won 3 of the 10 bowl games they have appeared in over the past two seasons.
2. No current Big East head coach has ever defeated West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez. A nice psychological advantage for the Mountaineers’ head coach, but, looking inside the numbers, not as impressive of a feat as you might think. Rodriguez is 5-0 versus Rutgers’ Greg Schiano and 2-0 against Connecticut’s Randy Edsall. While there was no turnover among Big East head coaches this season, last season, five new coaches were introduced to the league. Pittsburgh’s Dave Wannstedt and Syracuse’s Greg Robinson took over at existing Big East programs, while Cincinnati’s Mark Dantonio, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, and South Florida’s Jim Leavitt entered the conference when their teams joined the Big East last season and each of the rookie coaches’ teams lost to West Virginia in 2005. WVU’s Coach Rodriguez owns a lifetime record of 12-0 against current Big East head coaches. He is one man that was not upset by the ACC-defections of Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami.
3. The teams currently in the Big East own exactly one BCS game victory. WVU’s exciting Sugar Bowl victory over the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs went a long way towards validating the Big East’s inclusion in the Bowl Championship Series, but the Mountaineers’ win was the first non-Miami BCS victory since the league’s inception in 1991. Virginia Tech (0-1), Syracuse (0-1), and Pittsburgh (0-1) had all represented the Big East in the BCS, but only Miami, with a 3-1 record, had ever won one of the big four bowl games for the conference prior to WVU’s win last season. While that sounds bad for the conference, consider that the ACC has only won a single BCS game–Florida State’s 1999 national championship over Virginia Tech–since the coalition was established in 1998.

After a scenario that resulted in a 5-3 Boston College team relegated to the last bowl bid, the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, the ACC moved to prevent BC from reliving that scenario ever again.

 ESPN.com is reporting that under the new ACC rules, the ACC runner up can no longer fall below the 5th bowl in the selection order.  In addition, in order for a bowl to “skip” the team slotted to them and pick a team with a lesser conference record, if and only if, the teams are no more then 1 game below them in the conference standings.

 The ACC is also expected to announce the following bowl selection order: #1 BCS, #2 Peach, #3 Gator, #4 Champs Sports, #5 Music City, #6 Meinke, #7 Emerald, #8 MPC Computers.

 While this rule does offer some protection, I would still expect teams such as Boston College to end up in the lowest ranked bowl they are eligible for under the new rules.

The ACC held its 2006 Football Kickoff in Jacksonville today and the invited media members made their preseason picks for teams and players.

Florida State was tabbed as the favorite in the Atlantic Division, with Miami given the nod to win the Coastal Division. Miami was selected as the favorite to win the conference championship, with Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech also receiving votes.

Georgia Tech’s outstanding wide receiver Calvin Johnson was overwhelmingly selected to be the conference’s player of the year. Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, Clemson back James Davis, and Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford were also named on multiple ballots.

Looking over the voting, I tend to agree with the selections of Miami and Florida State as the favorites. A lot of fans and talking heads are down on the two Florida schools in the ACC, but even last season while both schools broke in inexperienced quarterbacks and despite the fact that they both disappointed in their bowl appearances, they each managed to remain among the class of the conference. I am a little bit surprised to see that Clemson did not get a little more recognition, as they finished the ‘05 season out strongly and seem to be an “It” team in many publications. Beyond the Florida teams and Clemson, the only teams I can potentially envision making any national noise in the ACC are Virginia Tech and/or Georgia Tech.

As for the preseason player of the year choice, most long-time In the Bleachers fans know that Calvin Johnson is an ITB favorite that we spent a lot of time talking about last season. I believe he will become a fantastic NFL player and have a lot of success this season at GT, as well. With that said, I will be surprised to see a wide receiver win the conference player of the year award over a productive running back or quarterback. I believe the award winner will come from a team that participates in the conference championship game–and right now, I don’t see Georgia Tech as a very strong possibility to make it to Jacksonville. I would place my money on running back Lorenzo Booker, who I believe will have a big season if Weatherford has improved even slightly OR Miami’s Kyle Wright, who showed flashes of becoming something special last season.

2006 ACC Preseason Football Poll

Atlantic Division (First Place in Parentheses):  

With Alvarez around will Bielema have free reign

When Barry Alvarez arrived in Madison Wisconsin in 1990, he inherited a losing football program with a bleak future. But in the 15 plus years of being the Badgers’ coach he did things that no other Wisconsin and Big Ten coach ever did. He led the Badgers to the three winningest seasons in school history and to three Rose Bowls.

He retired at the end of the 2005 season to become the Athletic Director and named defensive coordinator Bret Bielema his successor. Up until the untimely death of Randy Walker, which caused Pat Fitzgerald to be appointed the head coach of Northwestern, Bielema was the youngest coach in Division 1 at 36 years old.

Not only does Bielema have to follow in the footsteps of the greatest football coach in Wisconsin history, he has to do it with Alvarez looking over his shoulder as AD. If the Badgers get off to a bad start you know the press and alumni are going to be making remarks to Bielema about going to Alvarez for advice. For his sake I hope that does not happen this year.

The NCAA passed several Football Rule Changes for 2006.  Most of the changes are minor, but a couple that involve the clock may change the speed of the game.  Most notably the Clock will now start on a first down as soon as the “ready to play” signal is given by the official.  Studies indicate that this rule will shorten the length of time to play the games.  This will likely change some strategy as the halves wind down, as you can’t depend on a lengthy break after each first down, forcing more passes to be towards the sidelines.

The Associated Press is reporting that Miami safety Willie Cooper was shot in the rear end by an unknown assailant  who fled when teammate Brandon Merriweather pulled his pistol from his pocket and shot three times at the person.  Apparently the two teammates were in the home they rent from Miami DB Coach Tim Walton when they noticed a suspicious car outside at 6:30 Friday morning and went to investigate.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting that the repairs to the Roof of the Louisiana Superdome have been completed.  The Superdome is the home to the New Orleans and Sugar Bowls, as well as Tulane University’s Football Team.

 The first game in the repaired Superdome will be the Saints vs. the Falcons on September 25th.  The Green Wave open their home schedule on September 30th vs. Southern Methodist.

Snyder hopes Prince points K-State in the right direction

In 1989 former Hayden Fry assistant Bill Snyder was given his first chance at a head-coaching job when the Kansas State Wildcats came calling. In the previous three years, the Wildcats had won a combined 2 games (tied another), and had only been to one bowl game in the school’s history. Let’s fast-forward to 2005, Snyder now has the stadium named after him, a Big 12 championship (2003), 136 wins, and a slue of bowl victories.

Replacing him is the offensive coordinator at Virginia, Ron Prince who graduated from high school only 20 minutes up the road. Prince is the third youngest coach in Division 1-A and will change up his offensive strategy from that of Snyder’s, but refuses to reveal it until the first game. Expectations are high but not as high as they could’ve been given the recent lack of success for the program.

The Wildcats have been on a downhill slide since winning the Big 12 title, losing 14 of their last 23 games. But don’t expect the folks of Manhattan to be sympathetic. They want results and a winning team right away and they should with opening games against Illinois State and Florida Atlantic, but two weeks later they travel to Louisville. That is when the hardships will begin for the Prince Era.

Today during the Big 12 media conference the preseason predictions for the conference were released. First place votes in parentheses

Big 12 North
1. Nebraska (21)
2. Iowa State (5)
3. Colorado (2)
4. Kansas
5. Missouri
6. Kansas State

Big 12 South
1. Oklahoma (23)
2. Texas (5)
3. Texas Tech
5. Texas A&M
6. Oklahoma State
5. Baylor