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Bearcat News
Hoffman & Schaffer Named To Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List - University of Cincinnati Official Athletics Site
It's about time Alex Hoffman was named to a watch list as he is an important senior leader on Cincinnati's offensive line. While he's being forced to play RT, his more natural position is at RG. But given his versatility Hoffman can easily be success at the tackle position. As for Schaffer, this is the second watch list he's made and as I've mentioned before, he's well deserve of it. By the end of the season, I expect Hoffman to be an NFL draft prospect as his size and success at the college level more than warrants its. Schaffer could get drafted also as his numbers are on his side but he'd have to have a phenomenal season for NFL teams to take notice.
UC's Homecoming Game Downtown Oct. 15 Prompts Friday-Night Parade and Pep Rally on Streets Near Campus
The homecoming game this year will have a different twist to it than it did in most years since the game will be played downtown at Paul Brown Stadium. On Friday, the homecoming parade will take its normal route around campus. Unfortunately, this also coincides with high school football games so there might not be many bands participating in the parade. Frankly, I wanted to see the parade start at campus and somehow end up downtown in Fountain Square. It would have been a nice way for the university to really put its stamp on the city.
Recruiting
Plant City's Coney works out his body and mind | TBO.com
Here's a Bennie Coney update for you. He's planning on venturing up to see Cincinnati's campus later this month. It is only an unofficial visit and he will return in the fall, but just based on the fact that he is planning on visiting Clifton twice is good news on the recruiting front. Although he's holding out for a Miami (FL) offer, if it doesn't come, there's a very good chance he could say 'Yes' to the Bearcats. A commitment from Coney would do wonders for UC's street cred, especially in the Tampa, FL area, and would open up doors to other highly rated recruits.
Around the BEast
Big East coach rankings - Big East Blog - ESPN
With the positions rankings done, ESPN's Big East blog has moved on to ranking the Big East coaches. Keep in mind, these are rankings that determine which coach is hot enough/most likely to move on to a different job. A lot of people, myself included, overlooked that but it wasn't like that statement was shooting out at you with bold print or a underline. Anyways, Charlie Strong topped the list which I think makes sense considering his immediate success there and high likelihood that he would bolt for an open SEC program given the circumstances. Coaches lower on the list are those that are least likely to leave their current situation due to loyalty or pay. However, as we know, these aren't set in stone by any means and the coaching carousel is always moving.
Doug Marrone: America's Next Top American - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Doug Marrone has done a phenominal job resurrecting the Orangemen from the absolute train wreck that was the Greg Robinson era. Unlike most coaches in college football, Marrone has had both success at his current job AND loves where he is at, so much so that only 1 or 2 coaching positions elsewhere would tear him away from Syracuse. That's unheard of in the modern era of college football and has been an achilles heel to schools like Cincinnati that struggle because of this to maintain consistent success. Just think of Marrone as Syracuse's Mick Cronin if that helps you understand the situation.
Around the Nation
'South California' proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor - latimes.com#
As if California couldn't get any crazier, Republican Jeff Stone proposed that 13 of California's counties secede and form a 51st state. The make up of the new state just looks weird as it includes all counties along the South and Southwestern borders along with most of the counties that border Nevada. San Diego would be the mainstay city of the new state with Fresno a close second. Stone didn't include Los Angeles in the new state as he claimed the city is too liberal. Now, I'm not a liberal guy and am much more comfortable debating a sports topic than politics, but the fact is, regardless of differences, this just sounds stupid.
Rivals.com College Football - Rivals at 10: Most disappointing classes
Check out Rivals.com's list of the most disappointing classes in the last decade. One thing you'll notice is that outside of Mack Brown, none of those coaches who signed those classes are working at those schools anymore. This just solidifies the importance of solid recruiting to a coach keeping his job. This is especially true with guys like Rich Rodriguez, Charlie Weis, and Randy Shannon, who could never really get anything going at their new jobs. If you are looking for something more uplifting, here's the list of the best recruiting classes in the past 10 years.
ESPN files public-records lawsuit against Ohio State Buckeyes - ESPN
It looks like ESPN wants in on the Ohio State mess, as they are now suing the university for not providing them items related to the NCAA investigation. The school of course claims that they provided all of the necessary documentation available. This kind of stuff happens a lot in the sports world but it's definitely something worth noting considering Ohio State is under such heat right now.