0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/4/2016
Sure, John Calipari has never had a recruiting class ranked lower than second at Kentucky. It’s also true that whenever Calipari has struggled, he has usually been able to right the ship before it was too late. This dynamic was never more apparent than in 2014, when Calipari took an eighth-seeded team to the national championship […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/3/2016
Following Tuesday night’s epic victory at Iowa State, West Virginia seems to be an enigma. It’s par for the course — not entirely in a bad way, to be sure, but volatility is never comfortable. That’s how diehard fans get ulcers. At least the aches and pains produced by the Mountaineers usually emerge in moments […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/2/2016
With the Senior Bowl wrapping up in Mobile last weekend, several players took advantage of their last opportunity to impress before the NFL Combine. Some of these players improved their draft stocks tremendously. However, on the other end of the spectrum, some had such a poor week that their draft standings plummeted. Here are the […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/21/2016
There is no question that Butler has become a national power over the past decade, having reached two national title games while thriving under its third head coach in that span. Joining the Big East was a huge jump forward for the Bulldogs, and their success has translated into postseason play and opportunities. However, so […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/20/2016
With Saturday’s seven-point win against an improved TCU squad, Kansas appeared to be in the fast lane to another conference title. However, with Tuesday night’s blowout loss to Oklahoma State, the Big 12 seems to be as balanced it has been in recent years. Coming into Monday, there was a four-way tie atop the conference […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/19/2016
For the third time this season, the No. 1 team in the country went to the state of Iowa and fell. In this case, it was a game that rescued a team’s season. * Northern Iowa has plummeted ever since beating No. 1 North Carolina in Cedar Falls last November. The Panthers have lost their […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/18/2016
The Indiana Hoosiers haven’t yet encountered the toughest stretch of the Big Ten schedule, but they are riding a 10-game winning streak. A season which appeared to be in pronounced peril a month ago stands on much more solid ground today. Weirdly, an injury could have unlocked the key for the Hoosiers and their defense. […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/12/2016
In a national championship game that featured some of the top defensive prospects in the nation, a low-scoring contest was inevitable, right? Not so fast, my friend. It was offense that took over in Alabama’s 45-40 victory on Monday night to claim the national championship. Another curveball: most of the huge names, outside of Derrick […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 1/1/2016
Each team entered the Cotton Bowl with a different game plan. However, one was clearly more effective than the other. Despite the fact that Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry entered this game with 90 carries in his past two games combined, the Tide’s coaches were convinced that the way to beat Michigan State was with […]
TUSCALOOSA, AL – NOVEMBER 07: Derrick Henry #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes away from Jamal Adams #33 of the LSU Tigers in the second quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 7, 2015 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 12/30/2015
As the only team making the College Football Playoff for the second straight season, Alabama is attempting to do what it couldn’t in its first go-around: advance to the national championship game. If the Crimson Tide are going to play on Jan. 11 in Glendale, they will need to excel in what they have done […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 12/18/2015
Michigan State enters play this weekend as the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation in college basketball. The Spartans are 11-0 and have answered the bell every time it has rung. They are an experienced unit. Last season’s group went deep into March and cracked the Final Four in April despite limited expectations. The […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer
While the recent trend in college basketball has slid toward immediate success for incoming freshman classes such as those at Kentucky and Duke, the 2015-’16 season is calling to mind the 2014-2015 season’s penultimate game, and its most memorable event. Last season, in the second national semifinal, experience prevailed: A seasoned Wisconsin team knocked off […]
Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Alabama’s Derrick Henry, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson pose for a photo with the Heisman Trophy before the start of the award presentation show, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 12/14/2015
In its 80-year history, the Heisman Trophy Award has offered mixed signals in terms of success at the NFL level. Of the three Heisman finalists this season, winner Derrick Henry will certainly have some NFL buzz in 2016. However, with his size, there are some limitations which have to be acknowledged. Henry has excellent burst […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 12/11/2015
‘Tis the season in college football. It is that time of the year when the bidding starts. Sure, this is the season of coaching changes, but Thursday also marked the beginning of quarterback bidding season for schools, as Kyle Allen and Trevor Knight each announced that they were going to transfer. Allen showed promise in […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 12/10/2015
This all sounds very familiar. Clear deficiencies with the Indiana basketball program raise the question: Will another trip to the Big Dance — even with a “road team” seed (meaning road jerseys are worn in the first round as a lower seed) save the coach’s job again? Last season, Indiana struggled during various stretches, just […]
