Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker: Are concussions and brain-related injuries incidental to the game of football or inherent in it? When you break it down, is football any different than dogfighting?
Gary Jacobson, Dallas Morning News: Make way for yet another bowl game. Cotton Bowl stadium will play host to a postseason game after the 2010 season. Speculation has a Big Ten team playing an opponent from the Big 12 or Conference USA.
Joe Schad, ESPN.com: New Mexico's Mike Locksley will be suspended for the Lobos' Oct. 24 game against Nevada Las Vegas for throwing a punch at receivers coach J.B. Gerald during a coaches meeting on Sept. 20.
Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: The NCAA Committee on Infractions, responding to Alabama's appeal of vacated football wins in a textbook for athletes scandal, labeled the university a "serial repeat violator" with an "abysmal infractions track record" and an "extensive recent history of infractions cases unmatched by any other member institution in the NCAA."
Ron Morris, Columbia State: The Southeastern Conference's fat TV deal with ESPN could be contributing to a decline in attendance at South Carolina home games. The announced crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium for Saturday's game against Kentucky was 68,278, the smallest since 67,930 watched the Gamecocks play Arkansas in 1998, the final season under coach Brad Scott.
Paul Strelow, Pawsitive Press: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Billy Napier reportedly had two verbal altercations during practice last Wednesday. The incidents were first reported by Avenue of the Champions.
Brendan Kirby, Mobile Press-Register: A federal judge signed an order divvying up the proceeds from the sale of ex-Alabama standout Kenny Stabler's home. Stabler will have $222,426.23 to pay the IRS for tax debt and another $222,426.23 to pay his ex-wife, Rose. "This, of course, was a nightmare. ... I got a complete loss of faith in the justice system," she said. "That $222,000 is a joke. I spent more than that to repair my home" after Hurricane Ivan.
Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: The biggest story, best game, best and worst coaching jobs and biggest joke of the first half of the SEC season. Biggest joke goes to Tommy Tuberville, who predicted last week that Auburn would beat Arkansas by three touchdowns. "Arkansas' defense can't stop a cold," the ex-Tiger coach boasted. Final score: Arkansas 44, Auburn 23.
Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Ranking the Pacific 10 stadium according to rowdiness. Oregon's Autzen Stadium is No. 1 and the L.A. Coliseum, the home field for USC, is 10th. Plus, has Jeff Tedford taken California as far as he can?
Bill Koch, Cincinnati Enquirer: Maybe there is something to Cincinnati going up against former defensive coordinator Joe Tresey in Thursday night's game at South Florida. Receiver Mardy Gilyard says Bearcat coaches are "licking their chops."
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: The Hlist. New Mexico's team needed two snowplows and a police escort to go the 50 miles from Cheyenne to Laramie Saturday morning, traversing an Interstate 80 that was otherwise closed because of nearly a foot of snow. In 15-degree weather, the Lobos lost to Wyoming, 37-13.
Michael David Smith, FanHouse: Idaho linebacker Tre'Shawn Robinson was ejected for throwing a punch in Saturday's game against San Jose State, but will not be suspended. Perhaps there needs to be a uniform policy on punishment for players who throw punches.
Gregg Doyel, CBS Sports.com: Stop living in denial: Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen is college football's top quarterback.
Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The SEC championship game could also be the BCS title game.
Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald: All you need to know about Florida's Tim Tebow: He's better than your team's best player.
Jeff Lockridge, Tennessean: Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson said a poor officiating call cost the Commodores in their 16-13 loss at Army.
Mark Wiedmer, Chattanooga Times Free Press: The Mark Richt era at Georgia is starting to resemble the Phil Fulmer era at Tennessee.
David Ubben, Oklahoman: Scalpers are finding less demand for tickets to Saturday's Oklahoma-Texas game because the Sooners have two losses.
Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier did not practice Monday because of a concussion he suffered against Iowa.
Kate Hairopoulos, Dallas Morning News: Southern Methodist is using an international-level shot-put and discus thrower from Estonia to block kicks. Margus Hunt is 6 foot 8, and he has blocked three kicks in two games.
Ryan Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Pac-10 director of officials Dave Cutaia said there was no irrefutable video evidence to overturn a controversial fourth-quarter touchdown by Washington linebacker Mason Foster in Saturday's game against Arizona.
Koe Goe, Oregonian: Perhaps it's time to pull the plug on replay reviews in college football.
Brice Cherry, Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin is having surgery Tuesday to repair a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee. He is expected back at full strength next season.
Ira Schoffel, Miami Herald: Florida State senior tight end Caz Piurowski will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior and medial cruciate ligaments in his right knee in Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech.
Nathan Summers, Daily Reflector: A widespread case of influenza rocked the East Carolina team in the days leading to last Saturday's game at Southern Methodist, and continued for some even while in Dallas. The Pirates lost, 28-21.
Dustin Dopirak, Hoosier Scoop: Indiana's Bill Lynch said several of his players were battling influenza during last Saturday's 47-7 loss at Virginia.
Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: Brady Hoke finally signed a formal contract with San Diego State. The five-year deal, worth $3,525,000, guarantees Hoke most of his remaining contract money even if he is fired for not winning enough games. If Hoke quits to leave for another job this year or next, he will owe San Diego State $1.5  million. That drops to $1 million in his third and fourth years, and $750,000 in his fifth. There are no exceptions.
Rob Moseley, Eugene Register-Guard: The Oregon athletic department solicited 35,380 pounds of food, water, medical supplies and other goods to send to Samoa and American Samoa after those regions were ravaged by a recent tsunami.
Tom Kirkendall: A slideshow from Saturday's Florida-Louisiana State game in Baton Rouge.
Adam Aasen, Florida Times-Union: Officials from the University of Florida have sent a letter to the City of Jacksonville, urging officials to work to reduce excessive drinking before, during and after the Georgia-Florida game.
Adam Sparks, Daily News Journal: Middle Tennessee receiver Patrick Honeycutt and three other players were arrested over the weekend for alcohol offenses. Honeycutt is the team's leading receiver the past two seasons.
Patrick Magee, Hattiesburg American: The death of Peter Wilkes, a walk-on punter at Southern Mississippi, has been ruled a suicide.
Awful Announcing: Your week seven announcing schedule.
Follow Jay Christensen on Twitter and join the Wiz on Facebook. To bypass registrations, go to Bug Me Not. Interested in sponsoring the site, have a tip or would like to book the Wiz as a guest on your radio show or podcast? Contact: jayzuma (at) gmail.com.
Leading off with Gladwell? That's it Wiz, I'm out. The last three years have been fun, but any more this site picks up on a few memes (SEC is overrated! Its coaches are sub-human! The Wiz--not a doctor--becomes an overnight expert on the treatment of concussions!) and simply does not stop until they are firmly beaten into the ground. This is not entertaining, and it is not informative. It's transparent and pathetic. There are plenty of other sites serving a purpose identical to this one; although I've enjoyed coming here, I'll move onto to a less agenda-driven site.
Posted by: Jables | October 14, 2009 at 07:19 AM