Who is challenging themselves more Pac-12 or SEC?

With all the chatter about the playoff system that has happened in the past months and the chatter that is still on the way, there is a question starting to brew between two of the biggest conferences in the country. That question is, why doesn’t every BCS conference play the same amount of games in their own conference?

I find that question to be quite interesting due to the fact that many people including myself want a level playing field for all teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the National Championship. However, the playing field is not level. How can it be level when teams like Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA have to play an extra game against a quality opponent while Alabama, Auburn, or Georgia can schedule another “lamb to the slaughter” opponent? How do people who can say they know whats fair for college football knowingly let this inequity continue to persist? I make no apologies in my wavering allegiance to the Pac-12 and wanting to see this conference continue to be in the national spotlight. In my humble opinion, the SEC is taking the path of least resistance in attempting to win another college football national championship for themselves. The SEC wants to point to the quality of their conference and all the football titles they have, well, my fine southern friends, you ain’t all that! The SEC doesn’t beat up on each other like the Pac-12 does at all. When teams such as UCLA or Oregon go and play each there is a definite chance that the loser of that game is not playing for the glass football. The same can’t be said for an Alabama or LSU, the loser isn’t necessarily knocked out of the title chase because they have this “equity” built up with writers. Furthermore, having one less conference game takes the possibility for an upset even more out of the equation because that takes another decent opponent away from an Alabama, LSU, or Auburn to lose to.

I’m all in with Stanford coach David Shaw feelings about this subject. He says, “we are doing it, the Big-12 is doing it and the Big Ten is doing it, why can’t they?” Level the playing field NCAA! Otherwise, we might as well just pencil in two or three SEC teams in the playoff. The fans of the SEC think they play the best competition, how can they when they are benefiting from a rule that makes it easier for them to reach the ultimate goal in college football?  However, we must remember that we are dealing with the NCAA, where common sense isn’t common. 

Fans from all conferences complain all the time about how things are not fair in some aspect of sport. Here is something that all college football fans can get behind, especially Pac-12 fans. All teams deserve a fair shot at winning The National Championship, not just a select few from a select southern conference.

Most interesting Pac-12 game week 1: USC vs Fresno State

Every week of every college football season there is usually a game or two every week that draws interest from fans. During week one of the Pac-12 season I believe that game of interest is the USC vs Fresno State game in the L.A. Coliseum.




Both teams will be fighting for respect and attention from the college football world. USC is looking to regain that swagger they had during the Leinart/Bush years where they were destroying teams by double digits almost every weekend.  Looking at the bigger picture, those great Saturdays at the L.A. Coliseum are long gone. It has been nearly ten years since those great USC teams. After going through the sanctions of the Bush payment scandal, the hiring and firing of Lane Kiffin,  and the search to replace Ed Orgeron , the Trojans turn to another coach from the Pete Carroll staff. Enter Steve Sarkisian. He was the offensive coordinator during the Carroll years who helped the Trojans score all those points and turned USC into THE team in the L.A area.


Sarkisian is bringing in a fairly new staff to USC and a slightly different mindset in terms of the offensive system. The Trojans have always been know for a pro-style offense with a heavy emphasis on the running game. Well, the new coach is going no huddle, up tempo type of offense. Sarkisian consulted with Texas A & M coach Kevin Sumlin about ways to incorporate it into the Trojan offense. According to Sarkisian, he wanted to put the up tempo style into play when he was at Washington, but Sark felt he didn't have depth/personnel to run it the way he wanted to at Washington.


The three man running attack of Justin Davis, Buck Allen, and Tre Madden make the USC running attack very versatile and possibly one of the most dynamic in the Pac-12. This is a great thing for the young quarterback they have in Cody Kessler who is entering his second season as a starter. Buck Allen and Tre Madden both accounted for over 700 yards each in rushing last year while alternating between being the number one running back for the program. Kessler, who had a shaky start to the season, but settled in towards the end of year and finished 2013 on a strong note looks to continue that hot play in 2014. Helping Cody Kessler along late in the season last year was his connection with his wideout Nelson Agholor. Agholor had 900 yards receiving and six touchdowns, but lit up the Trojan crowd with electrifying moves and awesome quickness. Kessler and Agholor intend to increase that excitement for fans this season.


However, the first team out of the gate for the USC Trojans is a team that is very dangerous. This is team that is located just to the north of the L.A area. The Bulldogs of Fresno State will be invading the Coliseum and looking to put a nail in USC season opener.


The Bulldogs have been picked to play in the Mountain West Championship game. They are picked to win the West Division of the Mountain West Conference as well. They will be looking to replace the departed NFL quarterback of Derek Carr as well as some other offensive firepower. They will be returning five offensive starters, but the question about who is replacing Carr will be the biggest question of the year for the Bulldogs. Who will be stepping up and leading the Bulldogs down the field.


One of the offensive players that will help the new quarterback will be Josh Harper who had 79 receptions for over 1,000 yards. Harper has had health issues in his first three years, so staying healthy will be critical for the success of the offense this season. Harper is supposedly going to be playing in the slot position as well. That can be dangerous for a guy who has had problems staying healthy because that means he has to go across the middle and take hits from big linebackers and free flowing safeties who are looking to bad things to receivers coming across the middle of the field.


Where the strength will be for the 2014 Fresno State Bulldogs will be with its defense where they will be returning eight starters.  With running a four man front, the Bulldogs will be moving the DT Tyeler Davison to defensive end. Davison is widely considered a very underrated defensive lineman. There two defensive tackles will be occupying the middle and demanding double teams, while opposite Davison, will be junior Todd Hunt. Hunt and Davison will be looking to create havoc on the outside every Saturday.


Backing up the front seven will be safeties and these safeties are really good. One of them, Derron Smith is a ball hawking, baiting a quarterback type of All-American that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep at night. Smith had 87 tackles and seven interceptions last year.  He will garner a lot of the talk, but the other one Charles Washington who had 71 tackles and 8 of those tackles were for losses.


In the end, I feel that this game will come down to whether or not USC can score against the defense of Fresno State. If Trojans can get that running game going with their three running back system they will win. I think the Trojans will and they will feed off of the USC crowd. Final score: USC 31 Fresno State 14.

Across the middle-Jaelan Strong

All football coaches want that prototypical receiver that is tall, strong body, soft hands, not afraid to go into traffic and make a catch, and has that mental toughness to get open when things break down on a particular play.




Guess what football fans, the Sun Devils have that receiver in Jaelyn Strong. This young man had a breakout season in 2013 and is garnering all sorts of buzz in the college football community. He's put on a lot of muscle as well and that muscle will come in handy as he will get all of the attention from opposing defenses in the 2014 season.




Lets take a look at why the attention is coming his way. After a stellar stint at Pierce College he committed to ASU on Christmas in 2012. Once he committed to the Sun Devils he became someone that the coaches viewed as being a special kind of player, and he has not done anything to change that view by the coaching staff or the fans. He had seven games of over 100 yards catching and ended the year with 75 receptions for a total of 1,122 receiving yards. Five of those seven games of over 100 yards occurred in the first six games of the season. Out of his 75 receptions, 47 of those receptions resulted in a first down which tells me that Taylor Kelly was looking for him when the team needed that first down or when things on a particular play broke down. It also tells me that that Strong is a competitor and wants to succeed because he wants the ball thrown his way when things dicey and close in a game. He wants Taylor Kelly looking for him to keep the drive going. Against some of the best competition, Jaelyn rose to the occasion. Case in point, against Stanford in September he had 168 yards receiving against a very stout defense. His 168 yards were 5th best for a single game in the Pac-12 conference last season. When the Devils took on Notre Dame he had 138 yards on only 8 receptions. That is over 17 yards per catch. As we can see, Jaelyn has put stats on the board that will cause defensive coordinators some long, sleepless evenings.



He will certainly be looking to improve on those statistics and I believe he certainly can based on the type of offense that the Devils run. It will be tough though because he will get the best corner on the opposing team manned up on him with a safety over the top to help out in many circumstances, but with the resolve that this young showed last season he will work to get better at getting off the ball, avoiding the "jam" by the cornerback, and finding the soft spot in a zone defense to make that first down catch or touchdown catch.




Jaelyn Strong is that unique combination of size, strength, and speed that will benefit him for the 2014 and on the next level of football. If Strong stays healthy he will best his record performance from 2013 with ease and be a strong early round pick in the NFL. Go do your thing Jaelyn and bring those Sun Devil fans to their feet game after game!

Into the backfield- DJ Foster

When coaches are looking for a running back for their system they look at his strength, intelligence, blocking ability, and speed. Sometimes some of those qualities stand out more with certain players. Case in point, DJ Foster.




This third year running back from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona has all these previous said qualities, but the one quality he has that stands out more than anything is his blinding speed. The kid is just flat out fast. Foster should be the featured back in the Sun Devils offense this year with the departure of Marion Brice. To me, I think it is an upgrade from the last few backs they have had. None of the recent running backs have had Fosters speed and agility to avoid defensive lineman, linebackers and defensive backs. Once this young man get into open space on a football field, he can make the best defensive players seem average. "Speed kills" is an old adage in football, and with DJ, it most certainly does kill. Speed is something you can not coach, you either have it or you don't.


The other part of Foster's game that is a bit under the radar is his catching ability. In the system the Sun Devils run, a running back has to be able to catch the ball and get vertical down field quickly. Having good hands therefore, is essential for him to be successful. For example, DJ led the nation in receiving yards for a running back with 653 yards. Foster has the ability to break it at any point, anywhere on the field. Another part of his receiving stats that stands out is that he led the team in receptions with 63. Being able to catch the ball like he does makes him this dual threat back that all coaches love to have in his backfield.


His career game was against the University of Arizona which was pleasing to all Sun Devil fans. Nice timing to have his career game against their hated rival to the south. He had two touchdowns, 23 carries, and 124 yards in that game.


DJ Foster is a force to reckoned with in the Pac-12, coaches have to game plan for him, he has the respect of his teammates, and the respect of the other teams in the conference. The best thing that I like about him is his speed, but more than that, he stayed home in Arizona to play. He wanted to have family watch him play in college and wanted that support from them. As his game grows, his popularity will grow, and the accolades will soon follow. I watched this kid play in numerous games in high school and always came away impressed with his ability, but more so how he handled himself around teammates and the fans at his high school. He is one of those players that makes people stand up and watch him run every time he touches the ball. The great thing about that is that he is going to get a lot more touches the next couple of seasons in Tempe.


I will certainly be standing up and watching this young man run around defenders in the Pac-12. Run DJ, run...

Banned items at Sun Devil Stadium

Security issues have always been a concern for any college campus. Ensuring the safety of all on campus and at college football games is of upmost importance to a university. You also want to make sure that all the fans have an enjoyable time whilst they are at the game.


Now days it's common to get searched for things that they do not want inside the stadium. Those items include open containers, opened food, guns (duh), inappropriate signs,  and now you can add to that list, tortillas. Yes, you heard me, tortillas.


When Sun Devil fans now enter their stadium, tortillas will now be part of the list of banned items the security personnel will be trying to find. In the past, Sun Devil fans would have tortillas and hurl them toward the stadium field. Some of these tortillas find their way to the sideline of either team and some will be hurled with such drunken force that they will make it onto the field and possibly interrupting play. What is a security force to do? Well, they are taking the bull by the horns and not allowing said food into the arena of play.


I say, phenomenal! Why you ask? One, its pretty annoying to be hit by one of these tortillas while watching football, and I have been hit twice. It is not fun. My kids have even been hit once. Trying to negate these simple annoyances will make the game more enjoyable for everybody. Even the "tipsy" kids in the student section. They can concentrate on rooting for the Devils instead of throwing food around the stadium and onto the field. Secondly, when people go to a Sun Devil football game they want to enjoy the game and cheer on their team. They do not want the game to be interrupted by anything except huddles and tv timeouts. When food is thrown on the field of play, it slows the game down, causes disruption in play, and just makes the experience of college football less of an experience.


Now, some of you may be thinking, but it is a tradition for a while in Sun Devil land. It's been a tradition at ASU for a number of years. However, it is a tradition that has no real origin. Rumor even has it that this "tradition" of throwing tortillas around started down in Tucson. Yikes, a tradition that Sun Devil fans do that was started with their hated rivals to the south?! Blasphemy.


In the end, this tortilla tradition is one of those things I am glad that is going away. To me it just does not make Arizona State look at that sophisticated, it can interrupt games, and can actually be an annoyance when you get pummeled in the head or body by one of these tortillas. Lets focus on the game and the players, instead of flying food. Just saying...

Can Taylor Kelly go next level?

Can Taylor Kelly take the Devils to heights not seen around here in many years? I believe he can because of three things. Those are his experience, mobility, and his ability to throw the ball down field.


He is coming back for his third year starting at quarterback for the Devils and most certainly demolish some Arizona State passing records. To have an experienced quarterback in major college football is a blessing for any program because that experience can lead to many victories for that team. In this case, the Sun Devils have benefitted from that experience. In tight ballgames he can lead his team down the field to victory, like Kelly has done. Other offensive players look to him to be calm when everything is going crazy around them. Kelly will and has provided that calmness on many occasions.  It's his other teammates that have not kept their cool and cost the Devils a down, a penalty, or even a touchdown. He is the leader on the team and been through "the fire" already. He knows how to handle difficult situations because he has had to handle those nutty parts of a game. I look to Taylor Kelly using this experience he has already gained to really propel the Sun Devils to victory this season.


Secondly, his ability to use his legs and extend the play are invaluable in an age when defenses are becoming so quick and agile. Case in point, he had 826 yards last year which is approximately 6.2 yards a carry. When a defense has to game plan not only for a quarterback who can throw, but also averages six yards a carry on the ground, you will have many defensive coordinators having restless nights imagining Taylor Kelly getting outside the pocket and making any number of plays. He had his best game against Texas Tech with 135 on 25 carries, so this kind of stat is one that I would be worried about if I was a defensive coach in the Pac-12. It would be a "tums" moment for me.


Next, when you combine the experience factor and the running ability, and you literally throw in a quarterbacks ability to get the ball downfield you have one potent player on the field every Saturday afternoon. Taylor Kelly's passing stats are off the chart for a quarterback, even in the pass happy Pac-12. He threw for 3,600 yards last year, threw 28 touchdowns, helped the team average almost 40 points a game. He has thrown for over 6,000 yards so far in his career and 57 touchdowns in his two year stint as a starting quarterback. If he keeps at it and stays at ASU, Kelly will destroy records at the school. He averaged about 260 yards a game last year, I have a feeling that will only get better as this season gets underway in few weeks. I for one believe that as the Taylor Kelly goes, so go the Sun Devils.  Time to start throwing that "fork" down the field...

The O'Bannon ruling

When I heard that a judge ruled in favor of the lawsuit brought by Ed O'Bannon I was relieved for college athletes. Even though the ruling brought by Judge Claudia Wilken stopped short of lifting all restrictions it dealt a huge blow to the NCAA and it's supporters.


I have always maintained that college athletes should receive some sort of compensation for their services to their respective universities. People who sit on their moral high horse will say that they are getting a free education and that is their compensation. Yeah, sure. Go into a college bookstore and look at college jersey's that are on sale for the public. You will see numbers of the most popular players on the team. Are you listening Texas A & M? Oregon? Ohio State? USC? Notre Dame? The list of teams that market their players is incredibly long and could go on forever.


When players walk around campus and see their coaches getting paid seven figures, Rolexes being worn by coaches and alumni, and see their likeness being bought by fans and the university benefitting from them, they have to wonder, where's my cut? Now, I am not saying these players need to be paid like professional athletes, but they DESERVE a bigger cut of the profits from the sales of their likeness. That is what is at the center of the O'Bannon lawsuit. The players get a check to help them pay for things every month, but it does not come close to helping them enjoy the college experience.  I remember back in college and meeting some players and hearing them complain about how they really did not have enough money to do anything fun from time to time and that was disconcerting to me because they were helping the university make money on Saturdays and they were struggling to pay for things.


When I see players getting caught taking impermissible benefits like dinners, bills being paid, money for autographs (Manziel), taking phone calls from coaches, or any number of things that anybody else would take and get their eligibility threatened I just want to burn the NCAA down. Then see the coaches leave for other opportunities and leave the former program in sanctions and really nothing can be done to the coaches it becomes even more frustrating. The coaches can move on without penalty, but if the players want to exercise that right, they have to wait to play until the following year. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but the vast majority of transfer players have to wait before playing again and that is just plain wrong.


When Johnny "Football" was signing those autographs and was paid for them,  I was saying "good for him, get it while you can." I hear people say that their are students who are on academic scholarship and deal with paying for school just like the players. That is apples and oranges to me. Players are bringing hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars into the school that is used for college stadium expansion, updated facilities for both academic and athletic students, and these players are just supposed to be ok with that? When they fully know that they are part of the benefits that the university is enjoying. It's just wrong. So here is to hoping that the reins will be taken off and these players can get a bigger share of a billion dollar pie...