One of the big stories coming into fall practice is who will succeed Brady Quinn at quarterback for the Fighting Irish. Going into spring there were four players all looking to stake claim at that spotlight job: Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones, Zach Frazer, and Jimmy Clausen. In a statement released by head coach Charlie Weis yesterday, Frazer found out that he was no longer in the running for the quarterback job.

Weis said that he will trim the list to two by the end of the week. I’m not so sure this is a good tatic by Weis. What happened to the old days where he fed the players information through them, and not the media? He is treating this like he is a recruiting choosing a school, cutting his list down then making a decision. I’m not bashing his choice of not starting Zach, but I think he could handled this a little better. Frazer is not happy at all by the situation and is hinting towards transferring.

In other news Jerry Wasikowski, a reserve tight end on the Purdue football team, was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

I was watching RSW and spoke with my friend Mike Rizzo afterwards and he relayed this little recruiting tidbit to me. In case you do not know, Terrelle Pryor is a 6 foot 6 inch, QB from Jeannette High School, only a few miles from my house. Rivals.com already has Pryor ranked as the #1 recruit in the Nation for this upcoming season. He has stated that he wants to play both football (QB) and basketball in college. The head football coach of Notre Dame paid Terrelle a visit and it didn’t go as well as expected for the Irish.

“Hi, I’m Charlie Wies head Football Coach from the University of Notre Dame, and I’m here to recruit you as a Wide Receiver.”

For most that have been following his recruitment, we know that he wants to play quarterback and only quarterback. Well once he heard that Weis was there to recruit him for another position he cut the chat short and headed back to class. It appears that the luster of suiting up for Notre Dame was not enough for Pryor.

Darrelle Revis gave Pittsburgh Panther fans something to cheer about with this amazing punt return against West Virginia last season. Check out the block by #81 in the beginning as he takes out two Mountaineers.

Well we are under 100 days until the college football season kicks off. Good news is that it isn’t too far away, but the bad news is there is still 3 months till kickoff. The news around here should be getting back to its in season pace so hopefully we did not lose too many of you over the hibernation we call the offseason.

First let’s start with a movement by some NCAA coaches to add another year of eligibilty to give the players 5 years instead of the normal 4. The coaches want this because they fill it will add some depth to their rosters because with the 85 scholarship limit, a few injuries can really hamper their team’s ability to compete.

On the downside if this ever goes through (and I doubt it ever does), there would be fewer scholarships each year for High School Seniors. As it stands right now players have 5 years to complete their 4 years of eligibility. Some players do not take their fifth year if they have exhausted their eligibility, but under this new proposed idea they could stick around another year. This would cause some hefty decisions on the behalf of some coaches on what players to keep instead of bringing in a recruit. I don’t think we have to worry about this one though; it is far from becoming a rule.

The Michigan State Spartans have revealed their new uniforms. According to the press release,

The uniforms are made of a new, more durable lightweight stretch material that replaces heavier knit fabric, offering improved ventilation and retaining less moisture. They produce “a tight shrink-wrapped fit that minimizes grab points for opponents to hang onto,” manufacturer Nike Inc. said in a statement released by the school.

Maybe Nike found the reason why the Spartans couldn’t hold onto fourth quarter leads against Notre Dame in 2006 and Michigan in previous years. John L. Smith had his team wearing uniforms that were fatiguing his players. Look out for the Spartans in 2007!

The Heisman Pundit has polished off another gem over at CSTV as he explains Everything you need to know about the 07 Heisman. I highly suggest you check it out. The HP is one of my favorite writers and a heck of a person, and I’m not just saying that because he’s won me some money by picking the Heisman correct the past few years.

Thanks to our friends at the Big Ten Network for letting us use this video. They preview every Big Ten team with a short video. We will also be posting more information on what the station is going to carry and some frequently asked questions that Big Ten fans might have concerning the new network. Today’s YouTubesday previews the Nittany Lions, but if you would like to see the other videos check them out here.

Notre Dame trailed by 16 points heading into the 4th quarter against Michigan State, but they pulled off one of the best comebacks of 2006 to win the game 40-37 in East Lansing. That loss cemented the fate of former Spartan coach John L. Smith and it sent the Spartans on a downward spiral like the Michigan meltdown did the year before. In today’s YouTubesday we look at the highlights from that game.

They don’t get much publicity, but they should. Since 1993 they have won 9 uncontested National Titles. I am talking about Division III’s Mount Union Raiders. In today’s You Tubesday we take a look at their run through the Division III playoffs, culminating with their Mount Union 35-16 win over UW-Whitewater in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

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There hasn’t been a true repeat National Champion since the mid 90’s when Nebraska did it back to back. And even their 1994 title is a little disputed because they were not the only undefeated team in the nation. There I got my little bias out of the way. Before the Trojan fans jump all over me don’t forget that you split that National Title with LSU.

With all those disclaimers out of the way I am going to give you five reasons why the Florida Gators will not repeat as National Champions.

5. Luck: I am a firm believer in the notion that if you are to win a BCS National Title, you are going to have lady luck on your side throughout the season. USC needed the Bush-push a few years ago, Ohio State needed the much disputed Pass Interference call, and Let’s look at last season: blocked field goal attempt at the end of the game to beat South Carolina, a Tebow hang time jump pass in the LSU game, late game drive to beat Tennessee in Knoxville, the numerous scenarios that had to happen for the Gators to make the BCS title game, and a botched punt return by Arkansas which turned the game totally in the Gators’ favor.

Good plays, yes, but you have to admit that lady luck was on the side of the Gators last year and it usually does not stick around for two consecutive years.

4. Underdog Role: For most of the year the Gators flew under the radar not only nationally but in their own conference. Most experts thought that it could be Auburn that would run the table, and with an early season loss to Auburn, the Gators were pushed further in the shadows. Even when Florida won they did not win in flash fashion to attract the voters’ attention because most thought it was only a matter of time before they would lose to a lower tier team or get blown out by a LSU, Arkansas, or Tennessee.

The Gators will not have that luxury this season. Each team in the mighty SEC will have their game with Florida circled in red ink. Florida will have to be on their top game every week because they will get the best that every team has to offer. It is hard to do two weeks in a row, let alone every week in a possible 13 or 14 game season.

3. Tim Tebow: You know the old adage; you don’t know what you’ve got till it is gone? Well I think that is going to apply directly to the Gators this season. Chris Leak came into the 2006 season with a lot of fans calling for his head and hoping that uber-freshman Tim Tebow would take over the reigns. So what did Leak do? Had a tremendous year (not unlike the one before) and lead the Gators to a BCS National Title. Like the rest of the team, there was nothing flashy about Leak, but he got the job done, protected the ball, and had the poise and senior leader which helped the Gators win a lot of close games.

Leak is gone and it is Tebow time. We all know the guy can run, but how is he throwing the ball? How will he handle the pressure of being the full-time quarterback and not just a chance of pace guy? There are a lot of questions still to be answered and only two warm-up regular season games to work out the kinks until Tennessee comes to Gainesville. I believe Tebow will be a really good quarterback, but the Gators will take a step back in this position in 2007.

2. Key Losses: It is inevidable in college football, seniors graduate and underclassmen leave for the big payday in the NFL. The list of losses for the Gators include: QB Chris Leak, RB DeShawn Wynn, WR Dallas Baker the Touchdown Maker, DE Jarvis Moss, S Reggie Lewis, WR Jamalle Cornelius, C Steve Rissler, two starting linebackers, and a defensive tackle. All of those players were starters and key members in the Gators’ championship run. Florida has had some impressive recruiting classes in recent memory, but to expect those guys to pick up where these left off is a reach.

1. SEC: This is going to offend fans of the other BCS conferences, but top the bottom the SEC proved once again that it is the toughest conference in the nation. The teams are so close in talent and the rivalries are so fierce that any given week one team can beat another. Look at last season, Kentucky made a name for itself going to a bowl game, three teams in the top 10 (Florida at 1 and LSU at 3), and 4 in the overall top 25. Other quality teams such as Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina all had 8 or more wins.

The only two teams that were an utter-embarrassment to the conference were Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Florida’s schedule includes trips to LSU, Kentucky, and South Carolina. While at home they have Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida State. Florida State should be much improved from last season, Tennessee returns a good number of starters including QB Erik Ainge, and LSU is mentioned as a contender for the National Title even without #1 pick Russell. And don’t forget that Steve Spurrier would love to hand the Gators a loss when they come to visit South Carolina this year.

What has been the secret to Southern Cal’s recent success? Not Pete Carroll. Not their storied history. Not even their string of star quarterbacks. Their secret has been the conditioning program developed by S&C coach Chuck Berry, who looks more than a little like Will Ferrell. Check out this behind the scenes look at Coach Berry preparing former Trojans’ center Ryan Kalil for the NFL draft.

At Texas Tech it is a great honor as a freshman to get chosen to ring the bell during football games. You get a chance to be in front of the student body and if you are lucky get on National Television. Well I wonder if this particular bell ringer is happy with his 15 minutes of fame?