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5 reasons Michigan State can beat Iowa

The Big Ten Championship Game is approaching faster than insults at a political debate, and the two teams going to Indianapolis are party crashers based on preseason expectations. It’s Michigan State from the big, bad East division and Iowa from the underappreciated West. Each team brings its own belts and suspenders into the de facto […]

Three things the CFB Playoff committee (sort of) got wrong this week

From the files of, “things I never thought I’d say without losing a bad, bad bet:” the CFB Playoff committee has been (gasp!) not complete rubbish this season. I mean, you have the usual “let’s pretend the SEC is waaaaaay better than it really is” stuff going on, but aside from that, it’s been marked […]

What the Selection Committee Taught Us: Week 13

The new rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee are out and, for what feels like the first time, there were no real surprises at the top. There was a bit of a debate before the rankings came out whether Stanford would be ahead of Ohio State or not and some were of the […]

Rating the records: going beyond the numbers

In the realm of sports analysis, the “hot take” is a constant source of concern, frustration, or both. The easy opinion, the blurted-out incendiary statement, can gain so much traction even though (or perhaps, precisely because) its emphasis on creating an uproar militates against layered critical thinking. Throwing down opinions without care for the craftsmanship […]

Memphis coach Justin Fuente

Justin Fuente, bad timing, and the need to withhold information

College football is a dirty business. The big munch on the small, who munch on the tiny, who in turn munch on the scraps. That’s how it’s always been and always will be, and that goes triply so when it comes to college football coaches. Virginia Tech announced over the weekend that Memphis coach Justin […]

Losers, bowls, and what it means to make the postseason

The snake is finally eating itself in college football’s postseason. This winter’s bowl season will feature a slew of 5-7 teams to fill out openings in the glut of bowls that mark the December calendar. There is a precedent for losing teams playing in bowl games, but the exceptions are so few and far between […]

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost talks with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) before the game. The No. 2 Oregon Ducks play the California Golden Bears at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California on October 24, 2014. (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

Frost — he’s the O-Man… and UCF’s new head coach

Frosty the Snowman, make way for “Frost — he’s the O-Man.” The “O” doesn’t just refer to Oregon or offense, either — it refers to both. The UCF Knights are reportedly set to make Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost their new head coach. The news broke Tuesday morning and was promptly confirmed by several outlets: […]

B1G Jobs, B1G Vacancies: Comparing Maryland and Rutgers

It’s been a tumultuous season in relationship to head coaching jobs in the Big Ten. From interims becoming permanent coaches to interims in lame duck costumes, from firings to academic scandals, it’s all led to a season of hot seats brighter than a thousand suns in many locations. Two temporary Help Wanted signs have been taken down in […]

CLEMSON, SC – SEPTEMBER 27: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Clemson Tigers drops back to pass during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Memorial Stadium on September 27, 2014 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images)

TSS Top 25 After Week 13

At the conclusion of each week’s games, the staff at the Student Section will team with writers from other Bloguin sites to publish a top 25 poll. Here’s the latest installment, with some notes and analysis about our panel’s choices after a very exciting week 13. Rank Team Points 1 Clemson (7) 175 2 Alabama […]

Georgia, and the “great jobs” we’d never take ourselves

Go down the street and ask most people why they work at the jobs they work at. Odds are, nine out of every 10 answers will be something tethered to the influence and need of the almighty dollar. You may run into that one elderly dude that works 15 hours a week at the golf […]

A new and unwelcome era: Les Miles faces no margin for error

Welcome to the era of college football in which a coach that has won 77 percent of his games at an institution has to wait until the final play of an eight-win season (essentially nine, since a likely win was cancelled) to find out his fate. Les Miles was carried off the field Saturday, after […]

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Week 13

This was a weird week for the Bubble Watch. All of the contenders still alive last week had such a huge lead on the field that we can’t really eliminate most of them. No, Florida and Notre Dame are not still in contention — it certainly seems that way, at any rate. However, if we […]

“But What About The Moon?” Clay Helton, USC, and Conrad Hilton

As you know, the very notion of a Carousel — the Coaching Carousel — conjures images of Mad Men and Don Draper’s most iconic sales pitch. Monday morning, a spot on the spinning Carousel was filled, and as a result, it’s impossible to resist another reference to a Don Draper moment in the conference room […]

Tom Herman is the man of the hour on the Coaching Carousel

The NFL has Black Monday, the day after the regular season ends. For college football, the penultimate weekend of the full-length regular season (Army-Navy being on its own island, after the College Football Playoff and bowl announcements) marks the period of time when many coach firings occur. You’ve seen Tulane, Rutgers, Virginia, and Georgia fire […]

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