Around College Football: SMU appears ready to hire Clemson OC Chad Morris
1. Days before Clemson hosts South Carolina, reports indicate revered coordinator Chad Morris will leave the Tigers for Southern Methodist.
Some Gamecocks fans already postulated that Clemson may be distracted this week by reports pegging coach Dabo Swinney as the possible replacement for Will Muschamp at Florida.
Then reports surfaced Thursday that SMU will hire Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris as its new head coach. Morris, a hot coordinator for several seasons and long rumored as a head coaching candidate, has his hands full trying to prepare for in-state rival South Carolina with health concerns at quarterback.
Who knows how much the rumors and potential legitimate news will affect the preparations of the Clemson coaching staff and the focus of the players, but it could be a break for South Carolina.
Meanwhile, might Morris have taken himself out of an even bigger opportunity?
It's my understanding if Dabo Swinney got the #Florida job, Morris likely would have been considered for the #Clemson job.
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) November 28, 2014
2. Virginia Tech hits new low in 6-3 OT loss against Wake Forest.
This tweet is worth 1,000 words. As a reminder, the Hokies beat Ohio State earlier this season. Yes, coach Frank Beamer’s team has faced a slew of injuries. But it’s worth asking. Which loss is better: at Alabama, the current No. 1 in the College Football Playoff poll, or at home against Virginia Tech?
State of the program: pic.twitter.com/TXwPgfB8UR
— Josh Parcell (@JoshParcell) November 22, 2014
3. Two MEAC teams brawl during fourth quarter of Tuesday game.
A total of 21 players from Norfolk State and South Carolina State face suspensions following on an unusually-chaotic and energized football brawl. Here’s the video, as highlighted by CBS Sports.
4. An Ohio State senior has gone missing.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t sound like a player who simply overslept, as it turned out with a South Carolina player “missing” for a few hours on a recent Saturday.
Buckeyes defensive lineman Kosta Karageorge took off at about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning without a means of transportation and without his wallet, according to ESPN, with his sister telling a reporter the family has reason to believe Karageorge was upset.
Hopefully Karageorge turns up fine.
5. UCLA QB Brett Hundley appears set to enter the NFL draft.
The junior hasn’t shown enough development in the eyes of many draft analysts and could benefit from returning for one more season. But Hundley told Jim Rome on the latter’s radio show that he’s accomplished everything he wanted with the Bruins.
6. Virginia will retain coach Mike London for the 2015 season, the team announced this week.
The Cavaliers are 23-37 under London, and many people felt like UVA would be looking for a head coach this offseason. The school ended those rumors fast.
7. Georgia Southern unlikely to go to a bowl game.
The Eagles (8-3) have an opportunity to win the Sun Belt Conference in its first season as an FBS program.
Normally ineligible for postseason play, Georgia Southern appealed for a special waiver. As the season winds down, we’ll see if there are enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the myriad of games. If not, the Eagles could get approval, but the NCAA has denied the team’s request.
8. David Cobb “very questionable” against Wisconsin.
Minnesota’s star running back quietly has rushed for 1,430 yards this season, but he’s not even listed on the team’s depth chart for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.
With Melvin Gordon chasing Barry Sanders’ all-time single-season rushing record and a Heisman Trophy, Wisconsin beat a Nebraska team diminished by an injury to fellow Doak Walker Award finalist Ameer Abdullah.
Now the Badgers may play the Golden Gophers — with a Big Ten West Division title at stake — without Cobb.