The sweet smell of spring football is ending across the country, but not without controversy and elation.
A West Virginia student who works in the building where the football offices are located was recently caught spying at a Marshall football practice. Are you kidding me?
West Virginia, which might have the best running game in the nation, needs to spy on Marshall to win only the second matchup between the two schools in 83 years?
The game, scheduled for Sept. 2 in Morgantown, W.Va., should be a blowout by halftime. I think the Mountaineers are taking their team name too seriously against the Thundering Herd. Just don’t tell me bows and arrows and muskets were involved.
On the flip side, Notre Dame landed the nation’s top prep quarterback Saturday when Jimmy Clausen, the younger brother of former Tennessee quarterbacks Rick and Casey, verbally committed to the Irish for the 2007 season.
Jimmy Clausen chose Notre Dame over USC and South Carolina, stating that Irish coach Charlie Weis’ four Super Bowl rings was a major factor in the decision.
“That’s what I’m going to come here for, to try to get four national championship rings,” Jimmy Clausen said.
Great, another reason to hate Notre Dame. At least Clausen didn’t list Oregon as one of his final schools and then decide on Notre Dame as a more intriguing option, what the Bowl Championship Series would have likely done last season.
The BCS and its coordinators, which has shafted Oregon twice, is at it again. There are current talks (the annual meeting begins today) about increasing the number of eligible at-large berths because the Series will be increased to five games. While this could have benefited Oregon last season and California the year before (both were ranked fifth in the final BCS standings but failed to make a BCS bowl) it also greatly increases the chance of one or two non-major conference schools of getting into the BCS.
That is exactly what we need: more Utahs and TCUs landing in the prime bowls. Lowering the current standards to become eligible – a team has to win nine games and be ranked in the top 12 in the final BCS standings – will only heighten the chances a non-major conference school will be selected. And what a waste of a spot if that happens.
I am for the increase in at-large berths, but it should not be to accommodate non-major conference schools because they get “robbed” in the polls. Those schools play other weak schools and unless they are undefeated, they have no right to be ranked in the top 10.
Most teams will wrap up spring football within the next week, and a lot of factors for next season are starting to come full circle: The spies are out and the BCS coordinators are beginning to establish their bias, I mean plan, for next season.
Oh, and the Irish will always be hated.

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