There’s no question that the University of Connecticut is a power house in the world of women’s basketball. The Lady Vols are one of the biggest rivalries for the Lady Huskies and that rivalry extends to the tension between Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt and UConn Coach Geno Auriemma. Stanford started a new rival when they lost to the Lady Huskies 53-47 in the 2010 NCAA Championship game and with UConn on a 90 game winning streak the two met again on December 30th. Stanford beat UConn 71-59 and also ranked as the most watched regular-season women’s basketball game in ESPN history. Point Stanford.
Stanford scored again when they embarrassed Virginia Tech 40-12 in the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl and proving again that the Hokies are consistently the most overrated team in college football. The loss to Stanford makes Virginia Tech 1-19 against top five ranked teams under head Coach Frank Beamer. While Virginia Tech continues to be exposed to their team’s ability to fail in the spotlight, Stanford knows how to shine.
Andrew Luck is a winner on and off the football field. This season of college football seems to of had more focus on quarterbacks who received improper gifts and money in an exchange for their talents. (Cough… Auburn…Cough…Ohio State) Having more attention on individual player violations and he said, she said of the investigations. The hero of the year goes to the kid that understands why it’s called COLLEGE football- Andrew Luck.
College Gameday is always entertaining with Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Flower and Desmond Howard and you never know what clever signs you will see from fans in the background. But somehow the violations and investigations continued to be a segment on the show. Andrew Luck is a red shirt sophomore QB, the runner up for the Heisman Trophy and considered to be the overall number one draft pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Luck has decided that he will pass up being the number one pick and millions of dollars because he is committed to earning his degree in architectural design at Stanford University.
While this decision is some what shocking, I find it refreshing. Here’s a kid who see’s the value in college football. It’s not about the NFL money; it’s about the experience and the value of a college education. The NCAA can take away the Heisman Trophy, but they can not take away your diploma. Point Stanford.
Arkansas and Ohio State played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl for what sounded like a great SEC-Big Ten match up until the reports. Five Ohio State players; Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, leading rusher Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, All-Big Ten offensive tackle Mike Adams and a backup defensive end Solomon Thomas will be suspended after the Sugar Bowl for five games for accepting improper gifts and for selling team memorabilia.
Suspending them AFTER the Bowl game? Are you kidding me? The NCAA should be embarrassed that they altered their out of date rules to please a bully, Sugar Bowl CEO-Paul Hoolahan, to ensure the sponsors would see Ohio State’s most talented players on the field. I understand that when the best players are playing- the number of viewers will increase AKA: the more people that are exposed to the marketing campaign of the sponsors. But where is the respect for the integrity of the game? The Arkansas players who witnessed cheaters win and how can the NCAA hold any coach, player and team accountable for their actions but the NCAA can not follow their own rules?
I’ve always said that if Coach Knight (my hero) wasn’t an Ohio State Alumni, I wouldn’t have a reason to like them. Jim Tressel and Ohio State had the opportunity to stand for something and they blew it! Instead of choosing to stand for rules, honesty and the value of the game, they chose money. And we wonder why their players chose money too. Coach Knight remains the only man in a sweater from Ohio State who can say they stand for something.
The NCAA did not suspend the players for the Sugar Bowl because they “did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred.” SERIOUSLY? I hope Allstate makes idiot insurance, because I know a football team that will need full coverage. Have you ever told a cop the reason you were speeding was because you “didn’t know the speed limit”? As a driver, it’s your responsibility to know the speed limit. As a NCAA player, it’s part of the game to know the rules on and off the field.
The worst part is that NFL agents will have as many of these players in the 2011 draft and they will never see a punishment for violating NCAA rules. There’s more than one person to blame for this loss, but the NCAA is the biggest loser.