NCAA Football News

Though their paths have only crossed twice, Florida State and South Florida have created drama on the football field. And that drama might help make FSU eligible for the upcoming four-team College Football Playoff.

The first time the teams met in 2009, the Bulls upset the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium 17-7. It would help start a tailspin of a season that ended with Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden pushed out of FSU.

While the last encounter in 2012 didn’t result in a dramatic upset, current FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher and a Seminole football team with national title aspirations got exposure to high school recruits in the Tampa Bay area.

Sure, Tampa isn’t Miami when it comes to getting exposure to recruits, but FSU can use all the help it can get on the recruiting trail with SEC dynamos Alabama, Florida and Georgia in Tallahassee’s backyard.

Therefore, it’s no surprise the schools decided to give it another whirl.

According to Andrea Adelson of ESPN, FSU and USF will play each other again in 2015 and 2016. FSU will host the Bulls in 2015, while visiting Tampa again in 2016. Despite the possible pratfalls of losing to a team that won’t be in a top-five conference, scheduling the Bulls shows that Florida State is taking the rules of the upcoming College Football Playoff seriously. Simply put, the mantra is play tougher teams.

Florida State’s needed the schedule upgrade: Playing out-of-conference cupcakes Charleston Southern, Samford and Idaho won’t help when Jimbo Fisher’s team plays in a watered-down ACC. By
the time Louisville, the only successful football team, comes to the ACC, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater might be playing in the NFL.

Miami is still in controversy over sanctions that could continue to hamper its program, while conference power Virginia Tech barely made a bowl game last year. And everyone knows the Carolina schools focus more on basketball, anyway.

Playing the Bulls provides a perfect competitive balance for the Seminoles, who don’t have many competitive out-of-conference games from 2014 until 2019, when they will start a home-and-home series against the Boise State Broncos. They shouldn’t pose too much of a problem in Tallahassee, and the Seminoles have a marquee road game for 2016. Playing USF can open the Tampa pipeline to Jimbo Fisher and Co.

And even if USF’s football struggles continue, the Seminoles can at least say to the playoff committee that they didn’t schedule Doughnuts University.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

With the 2013 NFL draft behind us, it’s natural to take a forward look to what the 2014 draft class should have to offer. There are 11 players that could jump to the league now, but luckily college football fans have them for one more year.

Jadeveon Clowney is easily the headliner, but others like Sammy Watkins and Taylor Lewan make the cut.

Here is a look at the best in college heading into the 2013 season. 

Begin Slideshow

David Cornwell, 5-star quarterback recruit, projects to be an elite signal-caller at the college level, so naturally, Alabama is high on his interest list.

In fact, the case could be made that the Crimson Tide should be considered the favorite to land the 6'5'', 230-pound quarterback from Norman, Okla. 

Bob Przybylo of ESPN.com reports that Cornwell is ready to make his commitment sooner rather than later, looking to make a decision sometime in early June. He also reports that while Cornwell hasn't named an official leaderboard, it would seem as if Alabama is in good standing with the big quarterback:

It has felt like the Crimson Tide are the favorite for Cornwell. He wouldn’t list his top schools, but has made multiple trips to Tuscaloosa in the last few months. 

Cornwell does have an offer from Alabama, but he has to attend a team camp in June and have that offer approved by Nick Saban before it becomes a committable offer, according to Przybylo's report. That's not something that bothers Cornwell though, and he is planning on attending said camp, per Pryzbylo:

“They can do that,” Cornwell said. “They have that right. They’ve won three out of the last four national championships. They have elite guys. Coach Saban and Coach [Doug] Nussmeier are the best around. 

“You have the option. You don’t have to play by their rules. You can look around or commit to another school. I don’t mind the challenge. I’m going to be there.” 

As far as attitude is concerned, Cornwell's mindset seems to be right for the Crimson Tide. The same could be said for his talent too.

He has the size that will make him hard to take down even at the SEC level, and it allows him to stand tall in the pocket, observe the field and make huge throws. He has an extremely strong arm, a fundamental throwing motion and he can fit the ball into tight windows on a line.

Cornwell throws a pretty deep ball as well, and he knows when to take something off of his pass and throw for touch.

While he's not a dual-threat by any means, he still possesses enough athleticism to evade rushers in the pocket and get upfield quickly as a runner. He can also move laterally and throw off-balance and on the run.

He can do all of this at 6'5'', 235 pounds mind you, and one can only imagine what he'd be capable of in Alabama's offense—with powerful runners behind him, a huge offensive line in front of him and playmakers on the edges. 

That said, Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and UCLA are all behind Alabama on Cornwell's 247Sports interest list, and he does have a good connection with Frank Beamer and VT, per Przybylo:

But a school that was among the first to offer was Virginia Tech. Cornwell said he has developed a strong bond with Frank Beamer’s staff, but he has yet to see the campus. 

“I need to get out there and see the campus,” Cornwell said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things. I’m confident they’re going to turn things around this season and go to another major bowl game.” 

Still, all 15 experts on Cornwell's 247Sports Crystal Ball have predicted Alabama, and it's hard not to see the potential Cornwell would have as a quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

Perhaps Cornwell won't admit it, but it sure seems like Alabama is the favorite for his commitment. At the very least, it would be safe to call him a Crimson Tide lean.

Whatever you want to consider, just know that 'Bama is in the running for yet another elite commitment.

 

Note: All scouting and analysis of Cornwell done via tape study of the videos provided on his 247Sports profile page.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The Pac-12 may have recently picked up a reputation for explosive offenses and tons of touchdowns, but this conference has always had successful quarterbacks. Whether you want to look at the Pac-12, Pac-10 or Pac-8 days, you will be able to find guys who could throw the football with the best of them.

Records have been broken numerous times, and this conference has produced many Heisman winners. Some of these guys have also been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. There are plenty of quarterbacks in this conference who paved the way for players today, and most of them will never be forgotten.

Here are the top 10 Pac-12 quarterbacks of all time.

Begin Slideshow

The recruiting trail becomes more challenging and important each cycle. Washington must take the next step and increase its current class or fall back to square one under Steve Sarkisian.

Steve Spurrier has to be somewhat concerned with his low totals so far. If he wants to continue competing for SEC East titles for years to come, the Ol' Ball Coach and his staff need to get going on the trail.

The Virginia schools also must step up, as Mike London and Frank Beamer may not see this much exceptional in-state talent again during their tenures. There are several other teams on this list who also must step up on the 2014 recruiting trail; come inside and see who they are!

Begin Slideshow

The Big Ten college football conference schedule has been announced for the 2014 season (Click here to see the schedule).

We may still have an entire 2013 schedule to play before we can even think about what happens a year from now, but the new schedule is interesting. There are two new teams (Rutgers and Maryland), new divisions and new matchups that make it completely different from your ordinary schedule release.

Without knowing about any coaching changes, new players or what will happen from now until then, let's take a shot in the dark.

Here are the very early most anticipated 2014 Big Ten football matchups. 

Begin Slideshow

Penn State still has one schedule hole to plug in 2014 and the new Big Ten schedule for next year may not allow for much to work with.

Penn State will open the 2014 season at Rutgers, a new division and conference rival. This will be the debut game in the conference for Rutgers and will be under the spotlight as the only Big Ten game scheduled that week.

It will also be the first time Penn State has played on the Rutgers campus since 1955. Since then, Penn State has been the road team in six games but all were played in the old Giants Stadium. The road game at Rutgers will be Penn State's third of the season, with the first two games of the year being played at home in Beaver Stadium against Temple and Akron.

After the road conference tilt, Penn State returns home for the next two weeks against Massachusetts and then another Big Ten game, against Northwestern.

After five straight games to open the season, Penn State will get their first open date before traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the Michigan Wolverines. As the schedule currently is lined up, Penn State has an open week before and after their game at Michigan.

It is likely Penn State will attempt to fill one of those two weeks with an opponent to round out a 12-game schedule. After the second open week on the schedule, Penn State hosts Ohio State. The third and final open date on Penn State's schedule comes in the middle of November before ending the year with two games, at Illinois and home against Michigan State.

So what are Penn State's scheduling options for finding a 12th opponent, and what schools will be available at those points in the season to play a 12th game? This is where things begin to get sticky, as this is typically the time of year when conference schedules are in full bloom and non-conference match-ups are generally reserved for those rivalry games.

Penn State does not have any such rivalry game to count on here so what Penn State can do might be limiting in appeal to most fans.

Fortunately, there is time to sort through this situation. Other conferences still have not set their 2014 conference schedules in stone yet, so Penn State has time to negotiate a game (or a home-and-home) with some attractive options from conferences such as the ACC, Pac 12, Big 12 or SEC.

Getting a Pac 12 program to fly east in the middle of the season may be far-fetched, which leaves a game against an ACC opponent the most likely scenario if considering only options from the top conferences. Syracuse? Boston College? Virginia?

Penn State and Virginia had a game scheduled originally for the 2013 season but agreed to postpone that meeting to another date, if not cancel it altogether. The problem here is that Virginia already has a full 2014 non-conference slate lined up.

Another solution could be to revisit the idea of playing Central Florida in Ireland in 2014. While the most conventional thought had the two schools playing across the Atlantic Ocean to start an upcoming season, there could be a way to tack it on to the end of the regular season schedule, if approved by the Big Ten, American and NCAA.

Penn State will be ineligible for postseason play, and thus will not be eligible to play in the Big Ten championship game. Central Florida will not have a conference championship game scenario as the American will not have a championship game in 2014.

This would hypothetically allow each team to schedule a game for what is typically championship weekend in college football. But how many fans will pack their bags to head to Ireland in late November or early December?

Penn State will eventually figure out who their 12th opponent in 2014 will be. The school already has seven home games lined up so the flexibility is out there for a potential neutral site or road game if it really comes down to crunch time, but expect Penn State to bring in a team for an eighth home game if possible. The options may not be the most appealing under those situations, but it makes the most sense.

And cents.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and managing editor of Nittany Lions Den. Follow McGuire on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Recruiting busts always snag the headlines and infuriate the fanbase. Though it is the unexpected booms that should get the attention, and the Texas Longhorns will have their fair share of them from their 2013 class.

As much as we all love recruiting, it is quite frankly, a terrible indicator of future success. According to Saturday Down South, Dee Milliner was the only top-10 NFL Draft pick who was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. Or just look at Texas' fifth-ranked 2009 class, from which only four players have been consistent contributors.

The point is that a low recruiting ranking is not a death sentence. If a player has the right combination of motivation, physical tools and proper coaching, he can make a 5-star recruit look pretty silly on the field of play. 

That is exactly what these 2013 recruits are going to do when they get their chance for the Texas Longhorns. 

Begin Slideshow

Every Thursday on The SEC Blog, we will feature questions from the Bleacher Report inbox, Twitter and email at bsallee@bleacherreport.com. Q and A was pushed back to Friday this week due to NFL draft and BCS meetings coverage.

You have SEC questions, and I have SEC answers. Thank you, everybody for your questions this week. If I didn't get to them, they will be saved and used in the future.

And we're off:

 

@barrettsallee Could you put the current SEC teams into tiers? Contenders...competitive...doormats.

— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) May 16, 2013

If you ask Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, he'd probably say it's Alabama and everybody else. That's not true though. Here's how I'd rank them right now.

Contenders: Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina

I mentioned these five teams in my column from earlier this week on championship-worthy SEC teams not named Alabama.

All five of those teams either answered their most-pressing needs this spring, or don't have many holes to fill to begin with. The SEC has cannibalized itself over the last two years, only to find the luck around the country to get Alabama to the BCS National Championship Game.

These five teams all are elite, and would be in my preseason top 15 if we were forced to vote today.

Competitive: Florida, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee

In the column linked above on championship-worthy teams, Florida brought up the rear. That was on purpose. Florida has elite talent and can certainly contend for the division, conference and national titles, but didn't solve its biggest issue this spring. 

I want to buy the Gators, but until they develop some sort of downfield passing game, I'm hesitant to put them back in the BCS National Championship picture right now. Once they hit the field though, it won't take long to change that.

Ole Miss and Vanderbilt will be in every ball game, and if they catch a break or two, could jump up a category and seriously contend. But a talent gap exists between those two programs and the top-tier teams. Because of that, I expect some inconsistency.

Mississippi State is destined for, at best, a lower-tier bowl but will be a tough out. Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas are all going to be improved (because, let's be honest, getting worse would be quite a feat); with Auburn being the most likely of the three to find immediate success under a first year head coach due to the talent on the roster and the fact that Tennessee and Arkansas both have brutal schedules.

Doormats: Kentucky, Missouri

I like where Kentucky is headed with Mark Stoops, but the talent just isn't there...yet. Kentucky was bad last season, but injuries played a big part in the inconsistency. Stoops was wise to bring in Neal Brown to run his air-raid offense and the return of Avery Williamson at linebacker and a stout defensive line will help the defense, but it's more than just a one-year rebuilding process.

Missouri had a hard time adjusting to life in the SEC, and that trend will continue in 2013. Head coach Gary Pinkel says that James Franklin is his leader at quarterback (via: CollegeFootballTalk.com), but new offensive coordinator Josh Henson says that he wants his quarterback to take fewer hits (via: Terez Paylor).

So a dual-threat quarterback is not going to use one of his threats? It could be a long year in Columbia for Pinkel.

 

@barrettsallee Georgia's defense is young and inexperienced. Won't that be their downfall this year?

— Brody (@BrodyFLA15) May 9, 2013

No. In fact, I think it's going to be one of Georgia's primary strengths in 2013 and will be a big reason why Georgia will contend for the BCS National Championship.

Don't be fooled by Georgia's lack of star power on the defensive side of the ball. Outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins played very well (31 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks) as a part-time starter last season. Can he be Jarvis Jones? Of course not, but he plays downhill and can certainly fix Georgia's issue of stopping the run.

At the back end of the secondary, Damian Swann played well at cornerback—especially late last season. Plus, safeties Josh Harvey-Clemons and Tray Matthews could be All-SEC players this season. They're that good.

Georgia's defense is going to be legit. If the Bulldogs have a downfall, it's that those new pieces are going to be tested early. Games at Clemson, vs. South Carolina and vs. LSU before Oct. 1 is a far more serious issue than the defense.

 

@barrettsallee What are some of the true freshman in the SEC you see making a huge impact on their respective teams?

— Look at Steele (@thisisdecaf490) May 7, 2013

As evidenced by the above response, I really like Matthews. He enrolled early and participated in spring practice in Athens, which will be a major benefit for him and the team. I'd be shocked if he wasn't the starter in Week 1.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry also enrolled early, but missed the back end of spring practice with a broken leg. The 6'3" and 238-pounder is going to be a superstar down the road once T.J. Yeldon leaves. But for the time being, he'll have to settle for being the best goal-line and short-yardage back in the SEC.

Then, of course, there's Robert Nkemdiche. The No. 1 overall prospect will immediately be part of a defensive end rotation with C.J. Johnson and Channing Ward, Carlos Thompson and Cameron Whigham. In passing situations, Ward may even drop down and play tackle which would create matchup nightmares for opposing offensive lines.

Other true freshmen that could make a huge impact are: Alabama WR Robert Foster, Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson, Auburn DE Carl Lawson, Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell, Mississippi State DE Chris Jones and Texas A&M WR Ricky Seals-Jones

 

Do you have a question for next week's Q&A? Send it to SEC lead writer Barrett Sallee via the B/R inbox, on Twitter @BarrettSallee or at bsallee@bleacherreport.com.

 

Follow @BarrettSallee

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Although the 2013 college football season is still more than three months away, schedule makers are still keeping themselves busy by mapping out the conference slates for 2014.

On Monday afternoon, the Big Ten announced the league schedules for the 2014 football season.

After opening up the season with a non-conference slate of Navy, Kent State, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati, the Ohio State Buckeyes will open their eight-game conference schedule on the road against Big Ten newcomers Maryland. Ohio State's next game will be played in Ohio Stadium against the league's other new member, Rutgers, following a midseason bye week.

Here's Ohio State's full 2014 football schedule:

 

Non-Conference Schedule

8/30 – vs. Navy (at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.)
9/6  – Bye week
9/13 – vs. Kent State
9/20 – vs. Virginia Tech
9/27 – vs. Cincinnati

 

Conference Schedule

10/4 – at Maryland
10/11 – Bye week
10/18 – vs. Rutgers
10/25 – at Penn State
11/1 –  vs. Illinois
11/8 – at Michigan State
11/15 – at Minnesota
11/22 – vs. Indiana
11/29 – vs Michigan

12/6 – Big Ten Championship Game

Ohio State will make two trips to the Baltimore area—once to open the season against Navy and five weeks later to open the conference slate against Maryland.

Ohio State's marquee non-conference matchup against Virginia Tech will be hosted inside the perilous confines of the 'Shoe, with a return trip to Blacksburg scheduled for 2015.

The Buckeyes will host seven games in all during the 2014 season, with the conference home games including Rutgers, Illinois, Indiana and the season finale against Michigan.

Ohio State was spared having to play any of the elite teams from the soon-to-be "West Division." The Buckeyes will not play Wisconsin, Nebraska or Northwestern during the 2014 regular season, but the possibility of meeting those teams in the Big Ten title game does exist.

Purdue, a team that has made a habit of giving Ohio State all it can handle in recent years, is also not on the schedule.

At first glance, the Buckeyes' 2014 non-conference lineup looks much more challenging than this year's lineup of Buffalo, San Diego State, Cal and Florida A&M, but the conference schedule looks much more navigable. 

The Buckeyes will be entering the 2014 season replacing at least six senior starters on offense (not to mention any early-draft entrees), but the defense should be loaded for head coach Urban Meyer's third year in Columbus.

View every Big Ten team's conference schedule here.

 

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Pulling out old photos of my second grade field trip to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans brings back awesome memories. If only the teacher would have taken us a few miles to the north and let us tour Death Valley.

Now that would’ve been a memory.

Jerry Hinnen with CBSSports.com filled us in on a recent trip that a group of first-graders took to LSU’s Tiger Stadium.

No offense to my former teachers, but this class of first graders has just finished the best field trip a young football fan could ask for. 

LSU associate athletics director Herb Vincent posted pictures of the trip on his Twitter page May 15.

The group was able to tour the locker room and the inside of the stadium. This photo shows the group standing in front of a row of NFL helmets assumed to represent the Tigers that have played in the league, or players that were drafted.

This is a shot of the kids on tour through the halls of the stadium:

Talk about a memory that will last a lifetime. More importantly, it will last at least 12 more years for those future football stars that may be in the ranks.

While this was not a dedicated recruiting effort for peewee leaguers, it will certainly solidify these kids as Tigers fans. Every little edge counts.

More athletic departments should pull off these types of events for the surrounding community. If you live in SEC country there is nothing cooler than the local favorite football team.

Touring their facilities and running on the field would be priceless. 

 

Follow @ShugJordanPkwy

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The two programs that squared off in last year's SEC title game may have to gear up for another epic showdown, but this time it's for the commitment of one of the best defensive tackle recruits in the nation: Elisha Shaw.

Shaw is the No. 2-ranked defensive tackle in the 2014 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and he's recently stated that he has two leaders for his eventual commitment, per Michael Carvell of ajc.com:

UGA has caught up with Alabama and is now a co-leader for Elisha Shaw, the state’s No. 1 prospect at defensive tackle.

“Alabama and Georgia are like the same,” the Tucker High School star told the AJC on Wednesday. “That’s why they are my top two. Both of them are equal for me right now. I’m just going to keep riding it out until I find the difference in them.”

This is good news for Georgia, specifically because Shaw had named Alabama his leader just about a month ago after he visited the Crimson Tide for their spring game (Matt Scalici/AL.com, h/t Carvell).

Carvell also reports that Shaw will take an unofficial visit to Georgia this weekend, and that he's expected to get some quality time in with Georgia head coach Mark Richt—so the good news keeps on rolling for UGA fans. 

Shaw would be a major recruit for Richt and the Bulldogs to land, especially when considering how important in-state recruiting is and will be for Georgia. Some of the best recruits in the nation hail from the great state of Georgia on a yearly basis, and Richt has had somewhat of a hard time landing those elite recruits as of late.

That said, Georgia already has the commitment of the No. 5 player from the state (247Sports), 4-star defensive tackle Dontavius Russell, and it looks like the Bulldogs can make some major strides with Shaw this weekend.

Out-recruiting Nick Saban and Alabama is no easy task, but Georgia is arguably one of the hotter programs in the 2014 cycle right now. The Bulldogs' two biggest commitments, 5-star running back Sony Michel and 4-star tight end Jeb Blazevich, are both marquee recruits, and UGA is at or near the top of several other highly ranked recruit's 247Sports interest lists, including 5-star defensive end Kentavius Street (leader) and 4-star defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard (leader).

It's tough to give many programs a chance when it comes to beating Saban and his staff for an elite defender, but Georgia is riding a wave of momentum right now, and the Bulldogs appear to be poised to do great things this recruiting cycle.

A Top Five recruiting class is not out of the question, and perhaps Shaw will be a part of that class. That's still up in the air, but at the very least Georgia now knows that it's back on top of Shaw's interest list—albeit tied with Alabama.

 

Who has the advantage in this recruiting race? Let us know what you think in the comments. 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

While you are probably still trying to take in the upcoming football schedule and marking off which games you see as a victory, the Big Ten has decided to give you even more information.

The conference schedules for the 2014 season have officially been released, according to the Big Ten website. 

So, who is your team going to play more than a year from now?

Well, you can click here to check out the entire schedule for all 14 teams.

What makes this schedule so interesting is that it includes the new divisions and teams. Starting in 2014, the conference will have expanded to 14 teams with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers. It will also get rid of the awful Legends and Leaders division names and go with the more traditional names in East and West.

The East division will include Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. The West division involves the remaining teams with Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin.

As for how the scheduling will work out, each school will play all six teams in its own division and will play two teams from the other division beginning next year and in 2015. Starting in 2016, schools will then play three schools from the other division—once the conference officially begins its nine-game conference schedule.

Glancing over it quickly, Minnesota wasn't given many favors, and Northwestern will have a tough road in the beginning of the season. Also, Ohio State was given a favorable home schedule that should help the Buckeyes remain the favorites in the conference.

Although we have no idea who will be on the rosters a year from now, let the debating begin on who will win the Big Ten in 2014.

Follow @Randy_Chambers

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

After last year's mass defection of defensive line prospects when it came time to sign their letters of intent for USC, the coaching staff has made that unit a primary focus for this year's effort in recruiting.

To that end, recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron and his department have extended scholarship offers to 13 prospects according to Scout.com, including 10 defensive ends that fit into defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast's 5-2 scheme as hybrid linebackers.

This slide show will look at some of these high-profile recruits as USC attempts to re-stock a unit in desperate need of replenishing.

It is also worth noting that Orgeron also coaches this unit and his hand in the offers extended should serve as an illustration of exactly who he would like to coach in the years ahead.

Begin Slideshow

The next big administrative battle on the college football front is the composition of the playoff selection committee, which will decide the participants of the four-team playoff starting after the 2014 season.

My colleague Michael Felder over at Your Best 11 speculated on some potential candidates earlier this month, and Tony Barnhart over at CBSSports.com did the same this week.

The ACC's head football coaches want a say as well, in the form of one vote per coach in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, according to ESPN.com.

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is the coaches' chair, and spoke on the matter on Wednesday:

The biggest item for us is the criteria of selecting those four teams. We want our coaches' poll to matter. In another sense, all the coaches have a vote on the committee, and we think that's good for the game for the coaches to be good stewards of who's in that national championship picture.

Okay, that makes sense. If we're going to use the coaches' poll as a factor, as the Bowl Championship Series does now, it only makes sense to give every coach a vote. Homerism will exist, of course, but the hope is that homerism will cancel itself out as much as possible, despite uneven conference membership.

Here's where Cutcliffe loses me, and should lose you and the rest of college football:

All of us having a vote, the vote becoming transparent and the vote being conscientiously done. We think we're qualified. We're not watching every game on the East Coast, on the West Coast, but no one else is, either. We see a lot of film of a lot of people. We know who's good, and who's best—maybe moreso than anybody else is looking at the game.

Say what?

I'm all for the transparency part, and have been advocating that members of the selection committee—whether they're former administrators, former media members or (GASP!) former coaches—should be contractually required to be as transparent as possible through mandatory blog posts, and radio and television appearances.

Even when they know votes will be made public at the end of the season, the coaches' poll is good for a surprise or 11.

Cutcliffe specifically stated what's wrong with not only the coaches' poll, but with all polls.

Ignorance.

Sure, current college coaches know the game of college football better than anybody. But it's more important for the selection committee to know about the current landscape of college football than it is the game itself, although a balance between the two would be ideal.

Voters don't watch all of the games now, and that's exactly what needs to change.

Including the coaches' poll (which should be known as the "SID poll" if we want to be truly transparent) would politicize a committee which, at its very foundation, should be as neutral as possible. It would be a front. Coaches don't have the time—nor is it part of their job description—to decide on national championship participants. 

The job is to get their team in that discussion.

The coaches' poll shouldn't be a part of the mix to begin with. Since it's part of the BCS standings now, coaches have personal, professional and financial interests in its results.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban will make $200,000 for making the four-team playoff, $300,000 for making the championship game and $400,000 for winning the national title under the new format, although he's only eligible for one of those bonuses.

Should he have a say on whether those bonuses are available to him? Of course not. His job is to produce a resume for the playoff, not decide on its participants.

We have already churned up the foundation of college football as it is with the four-team playoff. If we're going to reform the system, let's actually reform the system.

If Cutcliffe is talking about having copies of the coaches' poll in the room while members of the selection committee make their decisions, that's fine. It's a nice resource and certainly provides insight into the game. But it sounds more like he and the ACC's head coaches are advocating it to be part of the screening process itself, which simply can't happen.

The coaches' poll will exist whether it's part of the BCS equation, playoff selection committee process or as a stand-alone poll—as is the case with the AP poll.

But if it's used as anything more than a minor point of reference chosen by the individuals comprising the committee, we will be doing this wrong.

 

Follow @BarrettSallee

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

After a heartbreaking loss to Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and the following string of NFL declarations by numerous players on both sides of the ball, it is natural for there to be a mild sense of pessimism surrounding LSU’s 2013 season.

Barkevious Mingo, Kevin Minter and Sam Montgomery were only a few of LSU’s defensive stars who chose to forgo their senior seasons and head to the NFL in 2013.

The truth, however, is that LSU fans have plenty to be excited about. The Tigers are currently building up a deep group of young linebackers that could prove to be one of the best in the country over the next two or three seasons. 

Defensive coordinator John Chavis has made a habit of seeking out lean, fast players. One needs to look no further than Mingo, a defensive end who weighs only 240 pounds and runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, to understand this tendency. 

“It seems to me luck follows speed,” said Chavis according to Jim Kleinpeter of The Times Picayune.

Chavis has proven that his defensive model works, as LSU has finished each of the last three seasons among the national leaders in total defense.  

It appears as though the Tigers have recruited the right players to continue this defensive success. LSU’s 2012 freshman class contained six talented linebackers including Kwon Alexander, Deion Jones, Ronnie Feist and Lamar Louis.

Not one of those six linebackers weighs more than 230 pounds, and four of them run the 40-yard dash in under 4.6 seconds, fitting the bill for Chavis’ lean, fast ideal.

Speed as a unit also requires depth. No matter how fast these young linebackers are, they most likely cannot sustain that speed for an entire game.

That is where the depth comes into play. Chavis runs a base 4-3 defense, meaning that there are normally only going to be three linebackers on the field at one time. With these six young, athletic linebackers—not to mention veterans Lamin Barrow and Tahj Jones—LSU should be able to have fresh legs on the field at all times to maintain that elite speed. 

Louis and Jones already saw significant playing time in 2012, as did Alexander, before he broke his ankle against Florida. With increased experience and another offseason, LSU’s young corps of linebackers should develop into one of the nation’s best, easing the pain of the significant defensive losses from 2012. 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Scheduling has been one of the hot-button issues during the offseason lately, especially during the age of re-alignment.

Will there be a nine-game SEC schedule? Will Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) games be eliminated from the schedule?

Those questions remain unanswered, but Georgia is apparently ready for whatever scheduling curveball comes its way.

News broke from the ACC spring meetings about a potential 2016 neutral-site game between the Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles according to Coley Harvey of the Orlando Sentinel.

My colleague Ian Berg hit on the holdup of an official announcement, which is the uncertainty surrounding the SEC's future scheduling format.

Whether the SEC stays at eight games and the Florida State/Georgia game happens, or the potential neutral-site game falls victim to a nine-game schedule, Georgia's 2016 schedule will be very attractive to the playoff selection committee.

The Bulldogs already have their traditional intra-state rivalry with Georgia Tech on the slate for 2016, as well as a game with Georgia Southern, according to FBSchedules.com. Toss in a neutral-site game against Florida State and an eight-game conference schedule, and Georgia will earn the benefit of the doubt no matter what cross-division games come their way.

If the SEC chooses to add a ninth conference game, Georgia's potential matchup with Florida State will go away and it will stick with Georgia Tech.

Either way, those are some rocky waters to navigate. Sure, Georgia Tech is by no means a powerhouse these days, but you never know where the program will be four years from now.

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity should be applauded for being proactive on his future scheduling and having options, despite not knowing exactly what the future holds. College football was a beauty contest before, and it's only going to be more heated now that access to the playoff will be doubled starting after the 2014 season.

Unfortunately, though, Georgia's flirtation with Florida State does speak to a problem with nine-game conference scheduling.

Where would the Florida State game happen? Florida State athletics director Randy Spetman suggested that it would be played at the Georgia Dome, which means it could be part of the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. That event, which started in 2008, has featured five SEC vs. ACC matchups so far and will pit Alabama versus Virginia Tech in the 2013 edition.

The nine-game conference schedule will make it harder for these kickoff games to get quality matchups involving programs with traditional out-of-conference rivalry games. That's a shame, because the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff and the Cowboys Classic have established themselves as can't-miss events in recent years.

One solution could be to move traditional out-of-conference rivalry games to Week 1 neutral-site kickoff games every now and then, in order to get teams that suffer from logistical scheduling headaches into the rotation.

 

Follow @BarrettSallee

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

What, exactly, is the head coaching job forecast in Austin?

Fair for the next four months, with a cold front forming if Texas has another ho-hum season. 

Head coach Mack Brown's contract with the University of Texas runs through 2020. Brown's salary is currently $5.3 million with $100,000 incremental raises every year. 

That means in 2020, Brown will be 69 years old and earning $6 million. With those kind of numbers, the school would appear to be on the hook with Brown—his buyout has to be huge, right?

It's peanuts, according to an October 2012 Dallas News report:

ABC's Darren Rovell tweeted out the figures Monday, which call for Brown to earn a $2.75 million buyout if he's fired on or before Dec. 31 of 2014. But the buyout number drops to $2.25 million on the first day of 2015.

If Brown were to be dismissed at the end of the 2013 season, Texas would have to make four payments of $687,500 to him.   

To put those numbers in perspective, Notre Dame is still paying the buyout portion of former head coach Charlie Weis' contract. The school has paid over $8.7 million and "payments expected through the end of 2015 could bring the total to approximately $19 million," according to a USA Today report.

If Notre Dame was willing to pay $19 million to unload Weis, Texas certainly won't balk at putting Brown out to pasture for $2.75 million if things don't go well. 

Brown is the first Texas coach to win 200 games. He's also only had two seasons that failed to reach the nine-win mark at Texas. Unfortunately, those two 5-7 and 8-5 seasons occurred in the last three years. Instead of reloading after its last title game appearance, Texas has had to rebuild.

That can't be sitting well with fans.

One month after Texas lost to Alabama in the 2010 BCS Championship game, the Longhorns reeled in the nation's second-best recruiting class. Things were looking good. 

Later that fall, Mack Brown saw his team drop two straight games at home to Iowa State and Baylor. Suddenly, things stunk. Brown said "it's not about talent level" and that his coaches "aren't stupid, they do know what they're doing." He also said, "I'll fix it."

Fix it he did. Brown apparently had second thoughts about his 2010 coaching staff and rebuilt it, according to this ESPN report:

After that 5-7 season, Brown changed his staff, bringing in two young coordinators (Bryan Harsin on offense and Manny Diaz on defense) and new coaches on both sides of the line (Bo Davis on defense and Stacy Searels on offense). Darrell Wyatt came on as the wide receivers coach, and Bennie Wylie became the strength and conditioning coach.

Flash forward two years and two spankings by Oklahoma later.

"The head coach is responsible," Brown said in that same ESPN report. "I have my energy. I'm moving forward, and we are darn sure going to get this thing fixed." 

Two years prior to the Oklahoma loss last season, Texas continued to haul in elite talent when Brown first pledged to fix the problems. The Longhorns' class of 2011 was ranked No. 4 and the class of 2012 was No. 2.

The problems didn't get fixed. Two back-to-back blowout losses to Oklahoma. Two back-to-back seasons with less than 10 wins. Two back-to-back seasons without a BCS Bowl berth.

This year there is a new twist. Texas' class of 2013 was ranked No. 17.

This was expected due to the small number of scholarships available. But Alabama head coach Nick Saban seems to have overcome the recruiting numbers game. Saban's worst recruiting class in Tuscaloosa was in 2010—Alabama was ranked No. 5.  

This year, the Longhorn's roster is littered with 4 and 5-star upperclassmen. It would be hard to explain away an eight or nine-win season with so much talent. That is why Brown needs to do a better job of developing his players and enforcing the game's physical and mental disciplines.

Brown knows this, and he's made valiant attempts to fix things. 

But when a head coach rebuilds his staff, gets blown out by his biggest rival and loses five elite prospects in his last class, dark clouds are on the horizon. 

When an athletic director is looking at $2.75 million to buy out his head coach—that's loose change at Texas—this is probably Brown's last hurrah.

As much as Brown has done for college football, and as treasured as he is in Austin, sentimental whimsy has no place in college football. The College Football Playoff is coming.  

This December, the familiar sight of UPS trucks zipping through the streets of Austin delivering holiday packages may force Texas fans to finally have a come-to-Jesus moment. They'll have to ask each other one question.

What can Brown do for you? 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

If you’re a regular at recruiting websites, a few trends have become apparent in recent years.

There’s been a sudden surplus of 6’5'', 250-pound 17-year-olds capable of running a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. The athleticism—especially near the pinnacle of these rankings—is consistently astounding but almost assumed at this point. Physical freaks are no longer a rarity, but we still marvel at their presence.

And while size and speed are at a premium with both defensive and offensive linemen now consuming most of the elite prospect levels, the blue-chip quarterback has seemingly disappeared. They exist, although not like they once did.

In the recruiting world, the most important position isn’t grabbing the 5-star, “can’t miss” headliners. In fact, despite being the position fans flock toward and schools market around, the same one which has come home with the Heisman in 11 of the past 12 years, scouting of the quarterback still remains an inexact science.

Recruiting and evaluating this position remains a struggle, same as it ever was. And with a new offensive era now pushing the way the game is played, the blue-chip quarterback has become endangered. 

 

Blue-Chippers By the Numbers

Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley is most recently known for being the No. 1 pick in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft—after a well-documented tumble—but he was a more notable No. 1 in 2009.

Barkley was the No. 1 high school player according to 247Sports’ Composite Ranking, a magnificent tool that takes into account all the major recruiting outlets’ rankings. Since Barkley, however, there hasn’t been a quarterback rated No. 1 in any class. Taking it one step further, a QB hasn’t cracked the top 10 of the final composite rankings.

In recent years, scouting has improved immensely thanks in large part to a significant increase in staff and allocated resources. Yet, as scouting has boomed as an industry, the quarterbacks have taken a backseat to other positions: not necessarily in terms of need—which will never change—but rather presence near the top of the rankings.

In the past four recruiting classes, there have been seven “blue-chip” quarterbacks in the top 50 overall. By comparison, there were seven QBs in the top 50 in 2004 alone. 

The trend is clear, especially when compared to an ascending position like defensive end. Whether this trend proves to be a blip on the radar or something more will be seen soon enough, but the change is real.

 

Is QB Play Changing, or are We?

To understand the current state of the blue-chip QB, one must first understand where this label comes from. For recruiting sites like 247Sports, ranking prospects boils down to both positional value and development.

If a 5-star player is a high pick in the NFL draft, even if he turns out to be an average NFL player, the scouts succeeded in their evaluation. This is more or less the development lifespan for a recruit, despite the possibility of incredible boom or bust at the next level.

“Our philosophy is a long-term projection,” said JC Shurburtt, a National College Football Recruiting Analyst at 247Sports. “Our point where we can say if a guy was a good or bad call is the NFL draft. We’re not projecting Pro Bowlers.”

Shurbutt has been in the recruiting industry for more than a decade, and he’s followed closely for much longer. In this time, the scouting process (and coverage) has changed drastically. The basic fundamentals have remained constant, but it’s grown at an exponential rate as the interest has increased and coverage has expanded. While the scouting has improved, one constant has remained.

Projecting quarterbacks is still incredibly difficult.

“The quarterback, next to offensive line, is the toughest to project,” Shurbutt said. “And lately there’s been a lot of bad QB play.”

In terms of importance and position value, nothing rivals that of the quarterback. Stability and skill at the position can turn a bad team into a good team and a good team into a juggernaut. That’s Football 101.

Yet, in a time when the NFL is absolutely jam-packed with talented, young QBs, the stream of talent at the high school level isn't setting the recruiting world on fire.

The batch of 6’5”, 245-pound defensive linemen capable of running that 4.5 have a more established track record of panning out. These are no-brainers for scouts, a much safer projection, and this type of size and speed translates at almost every level if a player is used appropriately in the right defensive scheme.

It’s not as simple as being really big, really fast and really strong, although it’s not far off, either.

Quarterbacks, of course, don’t have that luxury. An incredible arm or elite size and speed can only take you so far. These requirements and the formula for success continues to evolve, and the scouts opinions of these traits remain behind.

 

The Manziel-Mariota Effect

Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota have followed a similar path. Both are among the brightest young quarterbacks college football, and both were far from being a blue-chip quarterback. In fact, these two were seemingly skipped over by scouts.

Manziel was ranked the No. 393 player by the 247Sports’ Composite Ranking in the 2011 class. He was a 3-star talent who came in as the No. 63 player in the state of Texas. After one full season of play at A&M, it’s safe to say this projection was, well, off.

Even further down the list, Mariota was ranked No. 517 in the same recruiting class, and was the No. 19 dual-threat QB of the class. He was also just the No. 3 player in his home state of Hawaii, a state not necessarily known for its football talent.

Yes, 18 dual-threat quarterbacks ranked above him.

Given a taste of their unbelievable potential, just how did these two get overlooked?

For Manziel, it comes down to size and style. His high school recruiting tape resembles that of his college play: unpredictable, incredibly athletic, yet difficult to translate. This is the same conversation NFL scouts will be have throughout the 2014 season while trying to assess his potential at the next level.

For Mariota, his rankings tumble was all about exposure, or more specifically, a lack thereof. His playing style, which can mirror Manziel's in terms of creating something out of nothing, also likely contributed.

Playing in Hawaii, he didn’t have the same presence at recruiting camps as some of the others in his class. His style is also unique, albeit incredibly productive in Oregon’s up-tempo system.

He simply slipped through the cracks.

But Manziel and Mariota signify a change in offensive style, and their recruitment (or rather the lack of) will undoubtedly help change how the position is evaluated in the future. 

 

The Future of the Blue-Chip QB

The blue-chip quarterback isn’t dead, nor will he be on life-support anytime soon.

Ohio State’s Braxton Miller was the No. 20 player on 247Sports in 2011; a ranking that has proved to be more than warranted. In 2012, Jameis Winston was ranked as the No. 26 player overall. Although the book is still out on what kind of college player Winston will become, his football future is bright.

But, at a time when the traditional “drop back” passer has company and more creative offenses are being used at all levels, scouting the most difficult position in all of sports has become that much more difficult.

Whether it’s the Pistol, up-tempo, option, or some sort of all-encompassing spread attack, these offenses are changing the way quarterback talent—especially those tasked with making them run—is evaluated. This is reflective in the scouting process, as defenses aren’t the only ones simply trying to keep up.

In addition, recent history has shown that the rank of a quarterback bears little correlation to his actual development. If anything, that 5-star label could serve as a detriment. It’s a marker you can’t run from, and if a quarterback doesn’t start as a freshman or a sophomore in college the assumption is that something has gone wrong.

Clearly this isn’t the case—at least not always—but the lack of quarterback talent at the top of the recruiting rankings identifies something that has been evident for some time.

Evaluating the position at every level remains a challenge, even for the brightest football minds, and the blueprint for the perfect QB is even harder to understand.

 

*Adam Kramer is the Lead Football Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The Florida Gators coaching staff continues to try and sharpen those Photoshop skills.

In other words, Gators wide receiver coach Joker Phillips is at it again. He still wants recruits to come play for the Joker, but he has decided to make his latest design in the form of a rock band.

If you have been following along, this is nothing new for these guys. A couple of months ago Phillips wanted recruits to come play for the Joker, literally. He then decided to take an Air Force theme with his next tweet to kind of tone things down.

Offensive coordinator Brent Pease also decided to get in on the action with a cheesy Harry Potter picture to try and motivate his quarterbacks. No word on if this is working or not, but after finishing 118th in passing yards, anything is worth a shot to get things off the ground.

As for a rock band of wide receivers, it would seem to be too much.

A band usually consists of a lead vocalist, guitar player, somebody in the back playing the drums and then anything else you want to throw in there. You could add a bass player, someone on the keyboard and so on and so on. That is asking for a lot.

With the lack of offensive weapons the Gators had last season, this team would just take one or two good wide receivers at this point. An entire rock band isn't necessary. Just give Florida a couple of playmakers capable of spreading the field, making life easier on the quarterback and call it a day.

Once the offense improves, then this program can start getting picky and asking for a plethora of star receivers. Heck, you could even call it a rock band.

At this point Phillips should be looking for an OutKast at the receiver position. Just two great guys capable of putting in work. It would likely go over a little better to this generation of players than a rock band would anyway.

Spending a little more time working on these things may eventually pay off for Florida. Guys such as 5-star Ermon Lane and 4-star Artavis Scott are some of the Gators top targets, according to 247Sports.

You can't help but wonder what those guys are thinking.

Follow @Randy_Chambers

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com