Top 50 stories of 2014: No. 50-46
As we approach the end of the 2014 calendar year, we’re looking back at the top 50 stories in college football for the year. Today, we look at the first five: No. 50-46.
No. 50 – AJ McCarron’s brief rift with Alabama
Despite his legendary status with the Alabama faithful considering the hardware he helped the Tide earn while leading the team as quarterback, AJ McCarron had a brief rift with Alabama fans this past October.
After the Tide lost to Ole Miss on October 4th, McCarron said the following on a Tuscaloosa radio show:
“I think one of the things that this team is lacking that hurts them the most is not having the true leaders like we had last year and guys that, when things go bad, ‘Hey, let’s calm everybody down, pick it back up and go back to work and get back on the right track.’” McCarron said. “I feel like when things go bad, this team struggles a little with bouncing back and making good plays.”
His comments about the possibility of Nick Saban “handcuffing” Lane Kiffin, however, is what really led to fan and media reaction:
“I don’t know if that’s Lane doing that or if coach [Nick] Saban is kind of putting the handcuffs on Lane [Kiffin] like I’ve known coach to do in the past on his offensive coordinator”
A former quarterback questioning Nick Saban involving Lane Kiffin? Yeah, that’s going to get sports radio and twitter going. And, it did. For several days, the McCarron comments were a hot topic. McCarron attempted to revise his statements to remove himself from any controversy, and Saban rejected any idea that he was handcuffing his OC.
Oh, and Alabama won the next eight games and is ranked No. 1 heading into the first College Football Playoff. Lane Kiffin’s offense broke records this season.
All is good in Roll Tide Country.
No. 49 – Saturday morning college football coverage evolves
Fox Sports 1 launched a Saturday morning college football preview show back in 2013 to compete with ESPN’s College GameDay. After getting annihilated in the ratings 25 to 1 in 2013 to the incumbent Herbstreit, Fowler and Corso show, FS1 adjusted its strategy moving to a late friday night college football show that re-airs on Saturday mornings.
Making a Saturday morning coup even more difficult was the launch of the SEC Network in 2014. If you’re looking for a reason not to watch the best sports show on television (College GameDay), you can flip over to the SEC version of the show. SEC Nation is hosted by Joe Tessitore and includes Tim Tebow, Marcus Spears, and Paul Finebaum. While it’s difficult to estimate how many viewers are choosing Tebow over Herbstreit on Saturday mornings, it clearly makes it difficult for a network like Fox to jump in and grab a piece of the college football audience.
ESPN’s College GameDay continues to not only dominate ratings and coverage but also relevance with college football fans. With the introduction of the College Football Playoff, fans began tuning into Twitter and ESPN late Saturday and early Sunday each week to see Herbstreit’s “final four” of the week.
Meanwhile, the 79-year old Lee Corso continues to play a major role on Saturday morning for most college football fans. Despite a stroke he suffered in 2009, Corso battles on.
While viewers may flippantly comment about Corso’s on-air struggles, the Orlando Sentinel did an excellent job outlining the grueling work Corso does on an ongoing basis just to maintain some degree of ability on the air:
he does all he can to maintain what he has. Every day begins with 30 minutes on an elliptical machine, 20 minutes of weight lifting, 20 minutes in the sun and 20 more in a sauna. He does his verbal calisthenics, heads to the office and returns a couple of hours later for a nap.
Exhaustion comes quickly. That’s why he retires to the bus for 90 minutes in the heart of every show. He may feel like the luckiest man on earth, but he also fears his luck may run out at just the wrong time.
“If you or I mispronounce a letter or word, it’s no big deal,” Krygier said. “But he’s on national TV. If he mispronounces a word or sound, people talk.”
That leads to speculation. Corso’s contract is up after this season. He’s heard the whispers from closet critics that he’s lost it.
“They never say it to me,” he said. “I have such respect for the guys at ESPN. When they tell me it’s time to leave, that’s it.”
He apparently won’t hear it soon.
“He’s the glue that holds the show together,” Fitting said. “That seat is his for as long as he wants.”
Corso’s time on the air will likely continue to be reduced, but it’s safe to say that Corso’s “head gear” tradition will continue for some time. Why not?
No. 48 – Phyllis & Finebaum
Staying on the topic of media, much of the country met Paul Finebaum for the first time in 2014. While his radio show has been popular for years, it was primarily limited to the state of Alabama and the surrounding region. With the launch of the SEC Network, Paul Finebaum became a regular on shows like ESPN’s SportsCenter.
What we didn’t anticipate was the rise of famous Finebaum caller Phyllis. National sports fans may have heard of Phyllis from radio shows like Colin Cowherd’s The Herd playing funny Phyllis vs Cowherd audio rants, but it went to another level when Phyllis made actual appearances on ESPN television:
Is Phyllis from Mulga becoming an ESPN College Football analyst? Oh boy.
No. 47 – Lattimore’s Retirement
When news broke this season that Marcus Lattimore was retiring from the NFL before playing a snap at the next level, it was not just South Carolina fans that voiced their sadness and support for Lattimore. SEC and national fans alike have rooted for Lattimore since suffering devastating injuries at South Carolina.
Lattimore was drafted by the 49ers in the 4th round of the NFL Draft with the 131st pick on April 27, 2013. After determining he would not be able to continue due to complications with his previous injuries, Lattimore announced his retirement on November 5, 2014.
Fortunately for Lattimore, he collected a signing bonus from the 49ers for over $300,000, and he has filed a claim on a lucrative insurance policy. Despite his struggles, Lattimore stands in very decent financial shape as he pursues the next phase of his life.
No. 46 – Dillon Day’s Stomp Goes Viral
While the story of Dillon Day stomping on a player probably doesn’t make a list of the top stories in college football this year, the fan response and spread of the videos on the internet pushed the story into the top 50.
The following took place when Mississippi State played LSU on September 20, 2014:
Day clearly stomped on an LSU player. It’s pretty dirty, but it’s not like we need a Federal Investigation into the matter. What makes the story interesting, however, is looking at how plays are captured and dissected by fans and spread via the internet. For example, the above YouTube clip has nearly 1.7 million views.
I don’t think we’re nearing a time where fans are phoning in penalties while watching games on television like what happens in the PGA, but it’s conceivable that the fan reaction did lead to responses from Mississippi State in the wake of the “stomping.”
Dillon Day was suspended a game a few days later, and the internet moved on to another topic.
What’s Next?
We continue our march through the top 50 college football stories of 2014. Next up we look at construction antics, a rough bowl miss and much more.