Morning Six Pack: May 13, 2013

Good Monday morning! Wake up in a hurry with six cool, clear and refreshing college football stories from around the country.

Three Ohio State assistants see their salaries break the $500k mark

Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease was one of three Gator assistants to receive raises earlier this month. Now, assistants at Urban Meyer‘s new job, Ohio State, will be getting bumps in pay as well.

College Recruiting: Rewind: The big fish that didn't get away from Georgia Tech

The big fish that didn’t get away from Georgia Tech was Travis Custis, the 4-star running back from Lovejoy High School.

Tigers land top in-state defensive end

Auburn capped off a tremendous week of recruiting with a commitment from yet another one of the top in-state prospects.

5-star QB Deshaun Watson, already a Clemson commit, talks about Alabama offer

"And, you know, it's a big thing getting offered by the national champs."

Colorado QB, ex-lineman arrested

Colorado quarterback Jordan Webb and former CU offensive lineman Alex Lewis have been charged with second-degree assault.

Quotable:

Meanwhile, schools like Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vandy are in the top eight in fewest penalties, but all have below-.500 records over four years.

Breaking things up, Vanderbilt's two seasons with James Franklin produced more penalties than the previous two, but the win total jumped from four to 15 in the two-year spans. Georgia's worst season of the past four - 2010 - had the fewest penalties of the four.

You wouldn't say that more penalties lead to wins in the SEC, obviously, because there are all sorts of factors that lead to wins. But an increased amount of penalties doesn't seem to deter you from winning, while fewer penalties doesn't always mean more wins.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 10, 2013

Hunkered down with six college football stories from around SEC country and the rest of the world.

ESPN's SEC list of top 20 NFL draft prospects for 2014 has 5 Alabama players and no Auburn players

The No. 1 prospect from the SEC is South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who ESPN dubs as "the ultimate game-changer."

Saban and Muschamp respond to Bob Stoops’ SEC is ‘propaganda’ comments

Bob Stoops stirred up a hornet’s nest this past week, calling the SEC’s dominance ‘propaganda.’

Georgia Tech’s former leading WR reportedly walking on at Ohio State

After deciding it would be best to “part ways” with Georgia Tech last December, Jeff Greene‘s name was briefly connected to the likes of Arkansas and Cincinnati. Apparently, the Yellow Jackets’ former leading wide receiver will instead go in another direction entirely.

Mark Helfrich's 1st Spring As Head Coach

Mark Helfrich talks to Ivan Maisel about his 1st spring practice in charge as the head coach of Oregon.

Co-chair of Kyle Field redevelopment: “It is going to be so loud that literally someone is going to wet their pants”

Texas A&M’s renovation plans for Kyle Field will not only make it one of the largest stadiums in the country but the university also planned to keep it one of the most intimidating stadiums in the the country as well.

Quotable:

He’s right. Like everybody else, the SEC is a league of Haves and Have Nots.

Consider: Tennessee’s 7-6 record in 2009 is the Vols’ only winning season in the past five years. Auburn won the national title in 2010 but is a combined 9-23 in conference games in the two years before and the two years after that championship season, which makes a case for Cam Newton as the greatest player in SEC history.

And with all due respect to the great job James Franklin is doing at Vanderbilt, let’s not pretend the Commodores have become a major player on the national scene just yet. The 9-4 record last season was nice, but the best team Vanderbilt beat was North Carolina State — a team Tennessee defeated in the season opener. The Commodores’ three conference losses were by a combined 96-33.

But what about the 2013 NFL Draft, you say. The SEC had 63 players selected, more than double any other conference. Doesn’t that prove the SEC’s total superiority?

No. It proves the total superiority of the SEC’s superior teams.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 9, 2013

A moribund offseason continues (knocking wood). But we can always find something to build a morning six pack with, eh?

The six most irritating chants in sports

These stadium staples should probably be silenced for a little while.

Auburn commit Tre Williams says Alabama's depth at LB not a factor in decision

"A lot of people say that Bama has a lot of linebackers, but I really don't look at (it like that) because either way I have to work hard for my spot."

New Mexico State’s starting QB to transfer

Shortly following the end of his first spring practice, New Mexico State’s new head coach has abruptly found himself without the Aggies’ starting quarterback in 2012…

2013 college football TV schedule

Season kicks off Aug. 29 with North Carolina at South Carolina on ESPN

O'Brien not expecting more Penn State transfers

Penn State has 67 scholarship players on its football roster and coach Bill O'Brien sees no reason why that will change significantly by the time the season starts Aug. 31.

Quotable:

There is thought that strength of schedule will come into play when the selection committee picks the final four teams. Muschamp said that Florida's non-conference schedule is set for the “next three or four seasons” but could change if the SEC elects to expand from an eight-game schedule to a nine-game schedule.

Muschamp said he doesn't agree with a selection committee picking the final four teams for the College Football Playoff. He's concerned about personal biases coming into play, and would rather see a computer ranking format similar to the BCS.

“We've navigated ourselves through a lot of situations with that,” Muschamp said. “What's wrong with continuing to do that and take the top four?”

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 8, 2013

Humpin’ right along with six fresh college football stories from around the country, with an SEC flair.

Wyoming's new football field: Now with 100 percent more mountains

Cool! Mountains in the end zone.

'We've got the best fans in college football'

For first-year coach Gus Malzahn, though, tonight was an opportunity to meet with fans and either sign autographs until the Sharpie ran dry or his hand developed cramps.

Be Careful With USA Today's College Finances Database

The USA Today has done the annual update to its database of college athletics financials. It now contains information from the 2011-12 school year.

UGA's Mark Richt has delivered on 'best is yet to come' promise

It was somewhat brash for a Southeastern Conference football coach, and it was completely out of character for Georgia's Mark Richt.

Muschamp praises Polk players

Florida football coach Will Muschamp put Lakeland Dreadnaughts head coach Bill Castle on notice during his speech to more than 450 Gator fans on Tuesday night at the Lake Mirror Center.

Quotable:

"It depends on who you want to listen to," Stoops told the Tulsa World. "Listen, they've had the best team in college football, meaning they've won the national championship. That doesn't mean everything else is always the best.

"So you're listening to a lot of propaganda that gets fed out to you. You're more than smart enough to figure it out. Again, you can look at the top two, three, four, five, six teams, and you can look at the bottom six, seven, eight, whatever they are. How well are they all doing?

"What'd we (the Big 12) have, eight of 10 teams in bowl games this year? Again, you figure it all out."

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s official: The College Football Hall of Fame is a crock of crap

I could use a stronger term than crock of crap, but this site is family-friendly and is linked to by other family friendly sites. I dare not repeat what I snarled when I heard the news that Derrick Thomas wasn’t inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Dear CFHOF: How in the world do you put Teddy Bruschi in before Derrick Thomas?

Explain. Thomas had 56 career sacks, and 27 in a single season.

Bruschi was a heckuva college football player. He deserves to be in, without question.

But leaving Thomas out—again—smacks of anti-SEC and anti-Alabama bias. The same bias that will ultimately lead to a deserving SEC team to be left out of the upcoming college football playoff.

You watch.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 7, 2013

Thank God for quiet offseasons and six normal college football stories from around the country, with an SEC flavor.

And it was worth every penny

Alabama spent $3.4 million on its seven-day Miami trip for the BCS Championship Game, according to the university's NCAA bowl expense report obtained by AL.com today.

Want to watch the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2013 announcement live? Here's how

The program starts at 10:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday in New York.

Kentucky, Michigan lose seldom-used players to transfer

Or, to be technically correct, never-used players. Either way, Kentucky and Michigan became the latest team to face post-spring attrition, with the former losing a player on the offensive side of the ball and one on the defensive side.

Howard ceremony for NFL star Reggie White

University of Tennessee All-American and NFL superstar Reggie White of Chattanooga will be honored by the Pro Football of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company next Monday morning at his high school alma mater.

Testimony could help NCAA's case against Miami

New testimony related to Nevin Shapiro's on-going bankruptcy backs up at least some of the former UM booster's claims of NCAA rule violations.

Quotable:

When asked Monday whether media should be involved in the playoff committee, Stoops said "Oh, hell no."

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 6, 2013

Cinco de Mayo Hangover? Bah, get right back on that horse with these six college football stories from around SEC Country.

Alabama star making progress

Derrick Henry didn't need to say much to excite his massive Twitter following on Friday.

College Recruiting: Herschel Walker's nephew headed out of state for college football

The nephew of Herschel Walker, UGA’s all-time greatest football player, won’t be signing with the Bulldogs.

Kentucky's Lowery responding well after accident

On Friday night, Kentucky safety Ashely Lowery was hospitalized after he was in a serious car accident in Georgia. Lowery was ejected from his vehicle and landed 100 feet away from the initial crash. 

When it comes to turning high school talent into NFL draft picks, Vandy - not Alabama - tops list

"We examine the average rating points (typically a function of the number of rated high school recruits in a class) by conference over the relevant recruiting periods for the 2013 NFL Draft."

SEC Network ushers in new era of college sports

If you find it interesting that there’s real conversation about the major five football conferences “breaking away” from the NCAA and forming their own league, you should realize that this is happening whether or not we recognize its official status.

Quotable:

"Most of the news has probably been that we've been out-of-state, which we have," Richt said, alluding to, but not mentioning because of NCAA rules, commitments from tailback Sony Michel from Florida, and tight end Jeb Blazevich from North Carolina. But the strategy is to make sure we're really hitting Georgia hard during the time frame when the kids are actually out there practicing. Because it's an evaluation period. It's the best time to evaluate them, is during practice."

Richt said they haven't actually been targeting out-of-state recruits. He said the reason they've been outside Georgia so much lately is the high school schedule: Most Georgia spring practices are later in the year, like around now.

"It means a lot to us when our high school teams in Georgia are practicing," Richt said. "You're gonna hear a lot of us being in Georgia right now because they're practicing. I don't want to send a bad message that we're going out of state first, because it's not our priority to do that. But it just practically makes the most sense because we want to be in Georgia when our guys practice."

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 3, 2013

TGIF, and TG for six fresh new college football stories from around SEC Country.

Steve Spurrier renews call for paying college athletes

"My question is, 'When are we going to start giving a little bit of it to the performers?'"

Muschamp pleased with Driskel's offseason progress

Gators coach Will Muschamp addressed his team's offensive goals before speaking to the Tampa and Pinellas County Gator Clubs.

Auburn’s Jay Jacobs says take his word for it, NCAA says they’re clean

The NCAA has not publicly cleared Auburn or commented on Auburn’s myriad of speculative infractions, but Auburn Athletic’s Director Jay Jacobs wants you to know that they have. Thanks Jay.

Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace throws for first time post-surgery

Late last month, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze stated that starting quarterback Bo Wallace would begin throwing a football again 10 days or so. Two days or so ahead of that prognosis, Wallace has done just that.

Recruiting changes? Hold that thought

The NCAA board of directors wants to take a longer look at its new recruiting rules.

Quotable:

"We've been a work in progress this year in terms of trying to get our players to focus on paying attention to detail," Saban said Thursday before his Crimson Caravan appearance at the Mobile Convention Center. "I always use the analogy that ... in a season you can go back and look at these five or six critical plays that are going to determine the outcome of what happens with your season. And you never know when those things are going to come up.

“So if you don't have the right preparation and you haven't done all the things you need to do to play your very best, you're not going to be in the best position to make those plays when they do pop up.

"That's something we've been able to do in the past and I think that's something that this team needs to prove that they're capable of doing as well."

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 2, 2013

Whet your whistle with six cool, clear and fresh college football stories, with an SEC flavor.

What to watch for during the SEC Network announcement today

Today, Mike Slive will arguably hold the most important announcement of his outstanding career regarding the new SEC Network in Atlanta.

Coastal Alabam Recruiting Update: What's making QB Matthew Jordan so attractive to recruiters?

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound rising senior could also end up playing defensive back or receiver in college, but he wants a shot at playing quarterback. What has made him such a solid prospect?

Inside the Reuben Foster you thought you knew

Football is a man’s game played by boys. Sometimes we forget that the players we cheer for on Saturday are kids.

Depth chart players on radar

So now that Auburn’s made their post-spring depth chart as official as official gets – other than Joshua Holsey as the No. 1 boundary safety, nothing else is particularly shocking – we wait to see what it all means.

Judges keep O'Bannon case reports, may allow depositions

College administrators who said they may have to drop from Division I may be questioned.

Quotable:

The Constitution. Jazz. The IROC-Z Camaro. American exceptionalism comes in many forms, and if you've ever thought that aristocratic snootiness belongs on the list of things that make this country great, then congratulations! Amateurism is right up your alley. As the Drake report reminds us, no-pay-for-play is a distinctly British idea, rooted in Victorian Era divisions between the rich and everyone else, an inherently snobbish, un-egalitarian concept that was copied from English universities and prep schools:

… British students took sport very seriously, but the amateur's casualness and dislike for professional drill were very much in evidence among athletes. [They] took great pains to distance themselves from the highly trained professional, the latter being viewed as "a mere segment of a man" … at the center of this ideal was the belief that leisure activities are qualitatively superior to those associated with making a living or whose motive is material gain. The aristocrat had time to appreciate activities like literature, science, and sports merely for the love of it …

According to ABC News, Americans work longer days, take less vacation and retire later than anyone else in the industrialized world. In a poll, 70 percent of us believe we can get anything we want in this country through sheer hard work. We are not a nation of casual amateurs. We are a nation of strivers, and we expect to be rewarded for our efforts accordingly. Why hold college athletes to a different standard?

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: May 1, 2013

The Morning Six Pack turns one year old today. In celebration, we’re doing a morning 12 pack. Enjoy 12 college football stories from around the country, with a focus on SEC squads.

SEC Commissioner wants “experts.”

Mike Slive wants knowledgeable football people choosing who plays for the national championship.

LSU RB celebrated after bar brawl

Baton Rouge Police say a cell phone video shows LSU running back Jeremy Hill punching a man from behind. Then he allegedly celebrated with high fives when another suspect knocked the victim out.

SEC spring football, team by team

ALABAMA Spring recap: Senior quarterback AJ MCarron threw for 610 yards and nine touchdowns in the first two scrimmages, and sophomore tailback T.J. Yeldon earned his second consecutive MVP award at the A-Day game.

Report: Texas A&M set to expand Kyle Field to 102,000

According to current official capacities, Kyle Field would become just the fifth college football stadium in the country to top 102,000 seats, joining (in order) Michigan Stadium, Beaver Stadium, Neyland Stadium and Ohio Stadium.

Muschamp set to speak Tuesday in Gainesville

Florida coach Will Muschamp will speak at the Titletown Gator Club starting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hilton UF Conference Center.

Who were college football realignment's big winners?

Some schools emerged from collegiate musical chairs victorious

Controlling Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel priority for SEC coaches

Few people outside the Lone Star State had heard of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel this time last year.

College Recruiting: Recruiting Rewind: Football star who has never missed a day of school

Every year in Georgia, you come across a few kids who are good football players but not defined by football. In other words, if football was taken away from them tomorrow, they would still probably be very successful in life.

David Blackburn puts hirings before office unpacking

Having reached his one-week milestone as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's new athletic director, David Blackburn has yet to open so much as one of the moving boxes sitting on the floor of his McKenzie Arena office.

LSU on the Frozen Tundra? Tigers reportedly discussing neutral-site matchup with Wisconsin

LSU, Wisconsin are discussing possibility of playing twice -- once at Lambeau Field, once in Houston.

Gus Malzahn, Nick Saban hit the links to raise scholarship money at Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge

Alabama's Nick Saban and Mark Ingram finished in sixth place with 7-under par; Auburn's Gus Malzahn and Bo Jackson finished in a tie for eighth with 5-under.

Quotable:

Putting nine members of the same team into the same NFL draft class is no small feat – but it’s one that Alabama might top in a year’s time.

Casting an eye towards the 2014 NFL Draft, Alabama fans might see as many as 14 or 15 Alabama players taken. A lot will be determined, obviously, by the junior seasons of some of Alabama’s draft-eligible underclassmen. From the senior class alone, Alabama could see 8 players called to the podium.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.