NCAA Football News

If the Big 12 can grease the wheels of the NCAA and land a Big 12 championship game, then the only logical move for the league is to pull the trigger and make it happen. The game could find a stable home, it would help out the league's end-of-season strength of schedule and position it for putting its team into the playoffs.

Now, perhaps you're a reader of Your Best 11 and you remember pieces like this one, or maybe even this one. Posts where I've been adamantly opposed to the idea of the Big 12 expanding beyond the 10 teams it currently has.

That has not changed. 

The difference does not come in the number of teams in the league. Rather, the shift comes from the news that the Big 12, led by commissioner Bob Bowlsby, is seeking a waiver to have a conference championship while remaining a 10-team league, per the Associated Press (via ESPN). In Bowlsby's words:

At a time when lots of deregulation is taking place, it seems a little bit odd that the NCAA would be describing how we determine our champions. 

I think it's reasonable to say if you're going to have a champion that you're going to have to designate it in one fashion or another. But to say it has to be between 12 schools or that there has to be divisional play or there has to be a round-robin, we're deregulating lots of things and that certainly is a candidate.

In other words, as the NCAA looks to take itself out of some aspects of the small governing of the game, Bowlsby and the Big 12 feel the time is right for them to be the first 10-team league with a title game. Good on him, and with that waiver hanging out there the league would get to elbow its way back into the conference championship-game business.

That means a big game to negotiate into its television package, most likely with Fox. It means having one game on the big stage just like the SEC, ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten instead of the smattering of games of varying importance just pushed out a week, as they have now.

If the league can get the waiver, then certainly it should go for it.

As for expansion? Bowlsby makes a clear point on that front during the aforementioned Associated Press report as well:

We are unconvinced at this point that larger is better.

Pretty clear where the league falls in that regard, and I tend to agree. There is no real value to be gained through the addition of any realistic target, outside of Notre Dame. It has a very robust conference schedule due to the round-robin play, and the league's television deal puts it near the top of the collegiate landscape. Throw in the grant-of-rights deal that the conference has, and in the foreseeable future there will be stability.

If the conference can get the waiver through, that'd be like having its proverbial cake and eating it too—staying at 10 teams, the possibility of round-robin scheduling plus the cash grab of the Big 12 championship game to close out the year in a big way.

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Robert Nkemdiche has struggled to make up his mind, and with national signing day looming, he is still having trouble deciding on just one school. Many schools have been in the running for the top recruit of the 2013 class, and the LSU Tigers will be the latest to throw a strong pitch his way.

According to the star's Twitter account, he will be visiting LSU on his next step on this tiring journey:

James Smith of The Times-Picayune confirmed the big news for LSU fans, as did Kipp Adams of ESPN:

If you have been paying even the slightest attention to Nkemdiche during this process, you will know that he has been all over the place in deciding who his front-runners are. Just a couple of days ago, his LSU visit was canceled, and it appeared that the Tigers were losing a bit of ground on the top recruit.

However, Les Miles and company will now actually have a shot to convince the 5-star player to take his talents to Baton Rouge.

Nkemdiche is fresh off a visit with the Florida Gators. After that trip, he told Adams that no team was separating itself at this point:

Really all schools are even for me right now. No school has been kicked down or anything, but I just have to see the other schools and compare them. Florida, Ole Miss and LSU are all battling for that top spot.

The Ole Miss Rebels have always been in the running because they would allow him to play with his older brother, Denzel Nkemdiche, who has quickly developed into a star linebacker. According to 247Sports.com, Ole Miss remains the heavy favorite, while Florida and LSU have a cooler temperature at this stage.

With Nkemdiche, you never quite know what to believe. He was once committed to Clemson and later decommitted. One week, it seems like Florida is in the mix. The next week, the Gators get placed on the back burner for LSU, which now seems to be the pick of the week with national signing day taking place on February 6.

One thing we do know for sure is the elite prospect will make his commitment in the early morning of national signing day, according to Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

LSU has a lot to offer for Nkemdiche, including immediate playing time. LSU only returns five defensive starters from a year ago, so there are a lot of holes on the defensive line. With his combination of size and speed, Nkemdiche would surely see the field early and often.

However, given his history of flip-flopping, even with the positive news, LSU fans can only sit and wait like the rest of the college football world.

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With one tweet, the run-up to national signing day got a lot more interesting.

Robert Nkemdiche—the 6'4", 285-pound defensive end from Grayson (Ga.) High School, and the nation's consensus No. 1 overall prospect—will be visiting LSU this weekend, the final weekend before national signing day on Feb. 6.

LSU tommrow what up!

It was later confirmed by ESPN.com's Kipp Adams that Nkemdiche and high school teammate David Kamara will indeed travel to Baton Rouge this weekend on official visits.

Well this certainly spices things up.

Nkemdiche, a one-time commit to Clemson, has been a heavy lean to the Ole Miss Rebels for months. His relationship with the coaches, coupled with the fact that his brother—linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche—starred on the 2012 Rebel defense, made it seem like he was virtually a lock.

Now, not so much.

So can LSU sway the superstar prospect?

I wouldn't dismiss the idea entirely.

The Tigers have two things that are very attractive for any high school prospect, particularly a star defensive end like Nkemdiche—prestige and playing time.

While Ole Miss may be the flavor of the season on the recruiting trail, LSU is a juggernaut in the SEC. The Tigers have won 10 or more games in each of the last three seasons and routinely compete for the SEC West, SEC and BCS titles.

If playing for a national title is one of Nkemdiche's top priorities, the path at LSU is much easier than it will be at Ole Miss.

That's not a knock against Ole Miss. Hugh Freeze has done tremendous things in his year-plus in Oxford, and reeling in a top 10 recruiting class with or without Nkemdiche would certainly make them even more competitive moving forward. But LSU is on a different level.

The Tigers may be going through a rebuilding year in 2013, but rebuilding years in Baton Rouge are still better than the 7-6 season Ole Miss just wrapped up.

Couple that with the fact that five of the six defensive ends on LSU's Chick-fil-A Bowl depth chart—including superstars Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo—are no longer with the program, and you have the recipe for a late-season recruiting coup for Nkemdiche in Baton Rouge.

It's still likely that Nkemdiche will walk through the Walk of Champions through the Grove next season and play for the Ole Miss Rebels, but the fact that he is giving LSU head coach Les Miles and his staff the last at-bat certainly has to make Rebel fans nervous.

With that said, the draw of playing with his brother and a coaching staff at Ole Miss that he has become very comfortable with will be too much to pass up. Nkemdiche will sign with Ole Miss.

But it's recruiting, and the situation is always fluid.

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Every year teams rely on incoming freshmen to fill gaps in the lineup that are left from departing seniors and juniors headed to the NFL. Some freshmen are asked to jump into special teams, while others are asked to play primary roles on offense or defense. 

There are a handful of recruits in the 2013 class that will be called upon early by their teams to be immediate playmakers. These freshmen will need to be ready to step in and perform immediately, placing their stamp on their respective programs early. 

Taking a look at the playmakers in the 2013 class, here are the commits that are most likely to play as freshmen. 

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Alabama football may be adopting a new focus, and it's starting to show in Nick Saban's recruiting. While the team has made defense a priority in the past, it looks like there's a new focus on offense for 2013.

According to rivals.com, eight of the Crimson Tide's 12 4-star commits play on the offensive side of the ball. And of their two 5-star prospects, one is tight end O.J. Howard.

One of the obvious reasons for 'Bama's sudden interest in offense is the soon to be exodus of players.

The Tide will see three starting lineman (Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones and D.J. Fluker) as well as star running back Eddie Lacy enter the NFL draft this spring.

Next season will see the inevitable departure of soon-to-be senior starting quarterback A.J. McCarron.

So it's no wonder that Saban's new focus is on offense. Of his 4- and 5-star commits for 2013, there's one quarterback, one tight end, three running backs, two wide receivers and two linemen.

But the eventual loss of talent isn't the only reason Saban is smart to focus on offense.

The fact is, college football—much like the NFL—is starting to become more focused on offense. Some of the top up-and-coming programs are teams like Oregon and Texas A&M.

And despite its traditional football ways, not even the SEC is excluded from the trend.

Already mentioned was Texas A&M. On the back of their fantastic freshman quarterback, the Aggies are starting to look like the next great SEC team.

They beat Alabama last season, and should be just as dangerous this season. The Aggies put up the second-most total yards (7,261) in the FBS this season.

Another top offensive team in the SEC was Georgia, whose 6,547 total yards of offense ranked 11th in the FBS. They didn't beat Alabama, but came awfully close in the SEC Championship Game.

Looking at more traditional SEC football teams, LSU and Florida ranked outside of the top 75 in terms of total offense last season.

Both teams lost their respective bowl games, and to offenses that ranked within the top 50.

Another shining example of the changing college football landscape is Notre Dame. The Irish made it to the BCS Championship Game on the back of their superior defense.

But they lacked any offensive punch, and were torn apart 42-14 by the more offensively savvy Tide.

None of this is to say Saban has never put an importance on offense. The Tide did rank 19th last season in total yards, mostly due to the emergence of Lacy.

The big difference now in Alabama's recruiting is that Saban is taking not only a heavier focus on offense, but a more balanced one as well.

While the Crimson Tide have lived off a strong running game, they've remained a plug-and-play style of offense.

But if you look at Saban's recent list of commits, he's very focused on passing the ball.

Yes, there are plenty of running backs in the mix, but there are also a plethora of skill player designed to improve the passing game—including a new 4-star quarterback.

Football continues to become an offensive game, and it's more and more apparent that coaches need to adapt.

Players like Johnny Manziel are going to continue to dominate the game, and programs are going to have to find balance.

There's still plenty of room for defense—especially ones as good as Alabama's—to dominate. But you can't win a game without offense, and that's becoming more and more apparent.

So while some people may see Saban as going back on his word, the reality is the coach is just being smart.

Above all else, you can't build a college football dynasty without that.

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The 2013 NFL draft is less than three months away, and the top running backs in the class are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

There's no Heisman winner at the position, but there are a few players ready to come in and perform at the next level. 

For the third straight year, the University of Alabama is expected to have a running back selected in the first round. Eddie Lacy is turning pro after helping his team win back-to-back championships.

Montee Ball leaves the University of Wisconsin as one of the best backs to ever play college football. He set numerous records in his four-year career with the Badgers.

The top of the class features several good running backs. Who will be the first back off the board?

Eddie Lacy 

He didn't have the type of career that former Alabama running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson had, but he has the talent to be a first-round pick.

Like Richardson, he keeps his legs moving to pick up extra yards. He can get out of tackles with his strength or by his athletic moves. 

Lacy finished his junior season with 1,322 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. 

In the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame, he was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player. He finished the game with 140 yards on 20 carries and added a touchdown. The junior also caught a touchdown in the blowout.

The Crimson Tide were the best team in football, and Lacy was one of the main pieces to the offense. 

Montee Ball

If there's an award for a running back in college football, Montee Ball probably has it. Not counting the Heisman, he won pretty much every accolade.

The two-time All-American won the Big Ten Running Back of the Year twice and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, made two All-Big Ten teams and won the Doak Walker Award. 

His 77 rushing touchdowns are the most in the history of college football, and his 39 touchdowns as a junior tied him with Barry Sanders for the most in a single season.

Records in college doesn't guarantee success, but Ball looks like he's ready for the next level. 

The 22-year-old can change directions easily and get to the outside. He doesn't have great speed, but he can fight for the extra yards.

With over 300 carries in each of the past two seasons, he has absorbed a lot of hits already. Despite all of those carries, he only lost two fumbles in his career. Ball security is the key at the next level, especially early in a player's career.

Giovani Bernard

Overlooked during his career at the University of North Carolina, Giovani Bernard could be a steal in the draft.

As a redshirt freshman, he was named a Freshman All-American and made the All-ACC first team (also made it as a redshirt sophomore). In his second year playing, he won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was a third team All-American. 

Bernard ran for over 1,200 yards in both seasons, and he averaged nearly seven yards per carry in his final season. 

He has also shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. The running back caught at least 45 passes in both seasons in Chapel Hill. 

Unlike the other two prospects mentioned above, Bernard can also return punts. He is a multi-purpose player. He was fourth in the nation with 198 all-purpose yards per game, according to CBSSports.com.

Had the Tar Heels been eligible, they would have challenged Florida State for a shot at a BCS bowl. Playing in that game would have helped boost his draft stock.

Prediction

Lacy and Ball have each played in at least two BCS bowls and had the chance to show the nation what they can do. Both backs have had great careers at their respective schools, and they should both turn into good NFL running backs.

Bernard, on the other hand, has been overlooked for much of his career. He is a riskier choice, but he has tremendous upside. Lacy and Ball are both bigger than Bernard, so they are better prepared to take a pounding at the next level.

While the two well-known players are traditional backs, Bernard has the ability to catch passes and return punts. He gives a team versatility and would be a nice change of pace for a team that already has a power back.

Lacy will be the first one off the board, then Bernard with Ball shortly after.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes aren't giving up their spot near the top of the college football polls in 2013.

Last year was among the best in school history, despite the postseason ban. It was the Buckeyes' 10th undefeated season in their history, and the first since the national title season of 2002. It was a surprise to even the most die-hard Ohio State fans.

Ohio State is a growing football team. Last season, the Buckeyes were a bit lucky to finish unbeaten, but they no doubt had plenty of quality.

With that said, there were quite a few stupid mistakes being made. Players were committing needless personal foul penalties and trying to make the highlight reel with huge hits, only to have the ball-carrier bounce right off.

While improvement can only come with experience, a great recruiting class can help to put Ohio State over the top, too. At the very least, it can enable them to maintain their place among the elite of college football.

Luckily for Buckeyes fans, Urban Meyer has wasted no time whatsoever on the recruiting trail.

In 2012, despite having a limited window, he was able to bring in the seventh-best class in the country, according to 247Sports.com. Now firmly in place as the head coach, Meyer has the Buckeyes at No. 2 in the country for 2013.

It's a great sign for Ohio State. Many of the school's detractors will point to the fact that, since the Buckeyes play in the Big Ten, they could never match up to the elite of the SEC. To a certain extent, those critics have a point.

However, there's no doubt that with a recruiting class like the one Meyer has helped build, Ohio State can compete with the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators and LSU Tigers.

The Buckeyes have always done a great job by signing most of the top recruits in the state. The way the school dominated Ohio recruiting was often underrated when looking at the success of Jim Tressel.

That's not enough anymore. Meyer knows he must canvass the country in order to get the best possible athletes, which is exactly what he's doing.

Eli Apple, Corey Smith, Joey Bosa, Marcus Baugh and Mike Mitchell are all impact players who came from out of state. These are the kind of athletes necessary to catch up with Alabama.

The biggest key for the Buckeyes will be the continued development of Braxton Miller. He needs to become a better passer so he doesn't have to expose himself as much running the football.

With Smith and Jalin Marshall, Ohio State is getting two guys who can be immediate impact receivers and add major weapons for Miller and the passing attack.

Meyer is not the kind of coach who will allow his team to rest on its laurels. That has been exhibited by Ohio State's recruiting class.

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In Michigan, the goals for any season go something like this: Beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten and win a national championship.

On the recruiting trail, the goals aren't much different. And Michigan has done well to keep pace with recruiting tour de force Urban Meyer while separating itself from the rest of the conference during this recruiting cycle.

Make no mistake about it, Brady Hoke's recruiting class this year will be one to remember.

According to 247 Sports, the Wolverines have accumulated the third-best class in the country (Ohio State is No. 2). The team has signed a whopping 17 4-star recruits. And it's in large part because of the presence of Hoke and the program he is building.

From Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated:

But from the nearly day he arrived on campus in January 2011, Hoke, the former Wolverines defensive line coach and walking encyclopedia of Michigan football, has inspired confidence in Ann Arbor faithful with his prowess on the recruiting trail. One highly touted prospect after another speaks in gushing tones about the 54 year old, who has been helped by former Florida and Notre Dame recruiting ace Greg Mattison and 38-year-old recruiting coordinator Jeff Hecklinski.

"They [recruits] believe he's the guy," Scout.com national analyst Jamie Newberg said of Hoke. "[A turnaround] wasn't going to happen overnight. He basically had to flip the roster offensively, and get better defensively. It goes back to kids in that region, they want to play for the Maize and Blue."

He landed Derrick Green, the top running back recruit in the nation. There's Kyle Bosch, a top-five guard. Other highlights include guard David Dawson, center Patrick Kugler and Shane Morris.

This is a class rife with talent. No, it doesn't have the four 5-star recruits of Alabama or the five accumulated by USC. But when you have a combined 18 4-star and 5-star recruits, that's the foundation for a national championship team down the line.

Sure, we tend to overreact during recruiting season. We deem players who have never played a snap at the collegiate level "the next big thing." Truthfully, it's still somewhat of a crapshoot.

But Hoke has proved he can bring in a talented recruiting class. Michigan is returning to national prominence, and Hoke is doing that both with players that were recruited before his tenure and now those athletes whom he convinces to don the Maize and Blue.

This class has all the makings of a very talented bunch. Hoke brought in talented linemen. He brought in some excellent athletes. Both sides of the ball have been addressed. In three years, you could be looking at a team competing for a national championship.

I think Michigan fans will someday look back on this class quite fondly. Hoke has brought hope.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are fresh off an epic undefeated season, but the national championship game embarrassment will not easily be forgotten.

It’s coach Brian Kelly and the rest of the coaching staff’s job to get inside the heads of potential recruits and regal them with tales of opportunity and tradition, while pushing out memories of the school’s recent failure against Alabama.

Fortunately, Kelly and his crew are some of the best in the business and they have already received commitments from 23 prospects, including some of the best young talent in the nation (h/t 247Sports).

With national signing day rapidly approaching (Feb. 6), let’s take a look at a few more finishing touches that could very well be on their way to South Bend.

Eddie Vanderdoes, DT

When this 5-star defensive tackle decommitted from USC, it was obvious that the Irish would be trying to hit one of their biggest rivals right where it hurts.

If Notre Dame can get a letter of intent from Vanerdoes, it would strike a major blow to the Trojans and his presence would have an immediate impact on the defensive line.

He’s a 6’3”, 310-pound machine that already has prototypical size for the position—despite having plenty of room to add muscle and strength to his frame. He has a low center of gravity and can shed blockers with ease, getting into the backfield to sack the QB and record tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

When Vanderdoes is taking on more than one offensive lineman, he can hold his ground and free up his teammates to make plays.

This kid is one of the top DT prospects in the entire country for those reasons and happens to be still considering the Irish, so keep an eye on what could be another feather in Kelly’s cap.

Kylie Fitts, DE

Speaking of poaching former Southern California commits, Fitts is another defensive lineman that the South Bend recruiters have their eyes on.

The 4-star pass-rusher has an insane motor and a lot of heart, two qualities that the Irish love their defensive ends to possess. He still has plenty of learning to do for the position and has to become a better tackler—a large reason why he’s not a 5-star recruit.

At 6’4”, 260 pounds, the sky is the limit for the Redlands, Calif., native. He would be an ideal fit on the Notre Dame campus, as Kapron Lewis-Moore is entering the draft and there’s a chance star pass-rusher Stephon Tuitt elects to turn pro next year as well.

Coach Kelly needs to ensure his defensive line remains dominant if the Irish are going to continue their run atop the college football world, and adding Fitts will go a long way towards accomplishing this goal.

Deon Hollins, LB

There’s an outside shot that Hollins could wind up with the Fighting Irish, even though he had a solid verbal with UCLA.

According to Jason Sapp of 247Sports, the OLB/DE prospect was “blown away” by his visit to the university and is now struggling to decide where to take his talents.

He’s a nice fit with what Notre Dame is trying to accomplish and it would be a huge coup for the program to snag him away from the Bruins.

Hollins is athletic as they come and has the build (6’2”, 220 pounds) to play OLB after high school. He’s extremely raw and may benefit from a redshirt, but eventually he’s going to make an impact.

With senior Manti Te’o going to the draft and leaving a gaping hole in the team’s linebacking corps, there is a need to bring in fresh blood. While Hollins doesn’t play inside LB and needs some time to develop, he will provide more depth and youth to a unit that needs exactly that.

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