sfk882

update: if Tilmon does stay in the draft (just announced)...Mizzou will have major problems next year.

Their luck has been downright criminal over the last few years...however, I believe they have a team next year that will finish at least a few rankings higher than 12. Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of people throwing rankings out there this early.

After watching Mizzou get raked over the coals for something that, frankly, was absolutely out of their control--if the hammer does not get dropped on this team eventually when the NCAA gets officially involved, I am done with this sport.

This is without a doubt, the most pointless ranking. There is no way to determine anything this early. To put any stock in a rank this early in the year (or late, considering this year isn't even over) is insane. Without being given about 80% of information on what a team will look like next year, I cannot believe anyone would want to put forth a list this early.

I am happy to say I agree with you. However...playing devil's advocate...wouldn't the number of people who are local fans, and the vast haters out there be part of one bucket that watches these 'blue' teams? Whether you rabidly want a team to win or rabidly want a team to lose, you would tune in to watch the 'blue blood' vs tuning to not watch them. That being said, it is overwhelmingly refreshing to see all those Duke, UK, UNC teams out and see a correlated increase in ratings. No matter what the cause, I believe it means, among other things, that there are a lot of true fans of the sport out there. And, blue bloods aside, you NEED to be a true fan in recent years to watch the games while putting up with a truly ridiculous amount of advertising.

Saban..undeniably one of the greatest college coaches..is probably right in saying what he did. Everything else aside, can anyone blame a kid for making a choice to enter the NFL? He might have benefited from his final year, he might have suffered an injury his final year, the fact is it was his choice to make. Right or wrong, I believe, Saban may have looked better in the eyes of non-alabama fans if he had not said anything about it. But, if he hadn't said anything, then we would not have had this article to comment on. And without the article, no one second guesses his decision in the first place.

"an unglamorous old potty mouth" used to describe Izzo....in an article about a coach that fits that mold perfectly. This article is disrespectful to pretty much everything. To say Izzo won his 'one' championship 20 years ago in a derogatory tone, and then in the next breath mention that Calipari has one too in a positive tone is a little weird.

It's hard not to look at us that way. Another farm metaphor: NC = cash cow. No reason to block the udder from a cash cow when you're the farmer (NCAA) and only care about money money money. What is most appalling to me is that in the NC case...the foundation of the violations were directly contradictory to academics which is EXACTLY what the NCAA is supposed to uphold over anything and everything.

This was a terrific hire for 'Bama. Any team should be happy to get this guy. As much as I love Avery Johnson and respect the hell out of him -- I think Oats will make 'Bama fans a lot happier in the long run

From what I can gather, I think the appeals board is a (somewhat?) independent group of people. I know the same group (you know---the one led by a Kansas grad) that decided the infractions is not involved at all in the appeal. As a very loyal Mizzou fan that has lived through years of perceived endless bad luck on every level....I honestly believe we have a good shot at having a large portion of the sanctions taken away. Logically, it's a given that they are a greedy governing body, so they will keep the 1% 'fine' from the athletics department. However, there is absolutely no precedent or reason to keep the recruiting sanctions in place. Obviously, the post season ban is the major target of the appeal--and this is the hardest one to predict on. The argument MU is pressing is that it was too harsh of a punishment. That is completely subjective. I just hope that the appeals board agrees with what most logical fans have stated---the punishment did not fit the 'crime'

lol. you put an awful lot of thought and conviction into one tiny incorrect number! According to my calculations: If the seventh equinox falls upon the fifth prime number of Sampson's wife's sister's salary divided among an hourly rate then redistributed equally among the population of Chile, the absolute value of the interval between the speed of light and radio waves in a vacuum points to a one point Kentucky loss...I'm sorry :)

Absolutely agreed. It's hard to think of a worse overall example of poor officiating. Bringing us back to college sports (also, admittedly not nearly on the same scale) was the PI flag at the end of the MU UK football game this last year. Back to your point---every game has it's share of bad/missed calls.

Barnes has always been one of my favorite coaches, even when he was with Texas. No reason to dislike the guy at all. Congratulations on a well deserved award!

Second that for Jontay. The top two projected picks and we barely even saw them at all this year.

I've been saying it forever, but with more and more fervency lately----officials need to be held more accountable for their calls! I understand their job is difficult--so is mine--but for them to have absolute authority to make calls that effect the outcome of a game directly, they need to be held accountable. If that means something as simple as a closed session with coaches and limited media after every game, then so be it. I believe we will see overall call quality increase if clarity is given on a regular basis from the refs themselves. It might even lower my blood pressure too.

That was always my favorite coach of all time's strategy. Gregg Popovich, back in the day when defense ruled the game, always said that one player will never beat you, but five will. Allowing 75 points to one guy shooting all the shots is better than giving up 100 to the entire team. I will be rooting for him to back his words up. Go Vols! Enough with the nail biters...you guys are better than that--we've seen it all year.

I can't stand the Saints and obviously have to agree. However, there was a PI flag to their benefit in a late season game against the Steelers that decided the game and effectively eliminated the Steelers from playoff contention.

The call was bad. It was made by the wrong official for the situation (he had numerous players between him and play, and was farther away) But the worst part of the bad call--and what I'm noticing more and more--was the fact that Tennessee had gotten the loose ball from the block and started their fast break before the late whistle as blown. The head referee guy said the standard 'were watching this in slow motion' statement after the call, but when it takes someone that long to make a call, the best decision is to swallow the whistle.

I thought they only won by 6?

One more thing...for a coach to refer to someone flopping....twice, is bad enough. When the team you coach has spent the season shooting almost 300 more free throws than your opponent (fact) and you still refer to flopping leaves Calipari on a level of classlessness only he populates.

He made the same 'calipari-like' reference to flopping when he was interviewed surrounded by his framed jerseys (in a sickeningly obvious recruiting technique) on espn after the bracket was revealed. The guy is just a dirtbag. Kentucky fans will defend him tooth and nail, and I don't blame them, but outside of UK's following, he's viewed as a dirtbag.