Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine LegionWorld College Gameweek - 2011-2012

College football teams are into 2-a-days in the blistering heat and preparing for their pre season games!

So what does that mean to you?

Why...it's time to get ready for the annual LegionWorld College Gameweek Extravaganza!

So, are you ready for another year of picking college football?

So can we go with just wild a$$ guesses?

Can't wait!

Sure, whatever works for you. Based on my results last year, wild a$$ guesses might be the ticket to victory!

I'll give that way a try then. Should be interesting.

YAY! FOOTBALL'S A'COMIN'!!!!!

Nebraska's in the Big Ten, and has to play my wife's cherished Buckeyes. Oughta be interesting!

*knuckles cracked, cap on, cigar lit*

Ye haw, baby.

Rick, you didn't mention booze. I am so ashamed of you.

(By the way, how you feeling?)

Eh, booze pretty much out with the diabetes. Knees coming along. The pt leaves it feeling like crap, but it's needed to get some mobility back in it. Still a lot of swelling, but thats to be expected.

Cool, likes the gang's all here!

Maybe we can entice a few others to join us as well.

Always room for one more. (Shoves Rick off the couch, onto the floor.)

Now there is, anyway.

*cracks Lancesrealm across knee with cane*

Uh, can someone scoop up tha screamin' guy, he's upsettin' mah ceegar.

USC, preseason rank # 12 in the nation. Need to step it up since the baseball team is the National champs two years runnin! Spurrier musta been fit to bit nails after that, hehehehheheheheheh.

Never fight a man with a cane. There's no winnin'.

AP Preseason Top 25

* 1.Oklahoma (36)
* 2.Alabama (17)
* 3.Oregon (4)
* 4.LSU (1)
* 5.Boise St. (2)
* 6.Florida St.
* 7.Stanford
* 8.Texas A&M
* 9.Oklahoma St.
* 10.Nebraska
* 11.Wisconsin
* 12.South Carolina
* 13.Virginia Tech
* 14.TCU
* 15.Arkansas
* 16.Notre Dame
* 17.Michigan St.
* 18.Ohio St.
* 19.Georgia
* 20.Mississippi St.
* 21.Missouri
* 22.Florida
* 23.Auburn
* 24.West Virginia
* 25.USC

There have been some significant changes in the make up of the BCS Conferences since last year so it would be good I think, to review them for everyone before the start of the season.

First up, The Big 10

Nebraska makes its debut this year as a member of the Big 10 and the conference splits into two division...Leaders & Legends (*insert comment about stupid divisional names here*)

Vee, I've thought about you a lot the past couple of days with the news coming out of Miami. In the end it's the loyal fans that get screwed over the most by these things.

Next up: Pac 12

The Pac 12 goes into 2011 witha new look as well. Colorado and Utah make their debut as members and the conference has split into two division - North & South.

Thanks Lardy. Been rough listening to all the garbage being spewed...not only by the convicted liar and felon but by so many haters as well. A little research showed me that much (if not all) of the allegations are completely unsubstantiated and in many cases obvious fabrications but taken as fact by the so called journalists at Yahoo!

Don't know if any of them are true and if they are, we'll have to pay a price but I'm convinced that 90% of what has been reported is an out and out lie.

Makes for good media sales though

ESPN is definitely pouncing all over this, as they did recently with Ohio State. They seem to be indiscriminately reporting all the more lurid things the former booster is claiming. If I were ESPN, I would steer clear of those while the facts are being sorted out.

I'd say the best indication that there is some truth to all of this is the manner in which some current NFL/former Miami players are tapdancing around the questions the media are asking them.

But, really...who really doubts that most top programs aren't doing something they're not supposed to be doing? Please! When big time money is involved, as there definitely is with major college athletics, those who can will lie, cheat and steal however they can to get the upper hand.

College athletics need major rule overhauls, and anyone who wants to point an accusing, indignant finger at Miami oughtta take a closer look at his own school before casting a stone.

^ I sure hope this post comes off as intended...as more of an indictment of the media and the college athletic system than anything else.

No worries, I agree completely. I'm mostly amazed that ESPN and other real media outlets are accepting the allegations as facts without doing their own investigation. Some examples (and this wasn't difficult at all to discover. I simply read through the individual players allegations sheets)

1) Using credit card statements to corroborate allegations. How does that prove anything? I can show you my credit card statement showing charges made at hotels in Austin, Gainesville, Auburn, etc and claim the money was spent to provide extra benefits (i.e. meals, drinks, rooms, hookers etc) to players such as Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Cam Newton. Of course I've never met any of them but I can claim I did and then its my word against theirs.

2) He provides a photo of a Miami player and two players from Nebraska on his yacht and claims it as proof. Unfortunately both Nebraska players have already stated that the picture was taken in 2005 when they were already in the NFL not in 2003 as he states. The Miami player shown was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.

3) This may be the most glaring of all. He provides copies of checks written out to Sean Allen, a former assistant equipment manager at Miami. He claims it proves he provided thousands of dollars to Mr. Allen to entertain the players while he was on the coaching staff. Of course, the checks are dated 2007-8 and Mr. Allen resign from the coaching staff in 2005. He first went to work for another sports representation agency and in 2007 was working for Shapiro's company. Those checks are more likely payroll checks than anything else. What makes this one so bad is that Yahoo lists the timeline of Allen's employment in a sidebar on the same page but still gives claims that the checks were paid to him as a coach! Huh! How can you miss something so obvious.

As I said, it may turn out that some of this is true but a cursory review leads me to believe that much of it is a pack of lies from a convicted felon who is trying to peddle a book he has written and Yahoo & friends are giving him lots of publicity but not investigating very well.

Back to the pre season preview. The last major conference that went through some changes was the Mountain West. BYU bolted and became Independent in football, while Boise joined the conference.

There has also been a great deal of talk recently about Texas A&M looking to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. I suspect it will happen within the next couple of weeks once the SEC gets a commitment from another team to come with them, or possibly 3 more teams so they can become a 16 team Super Conference.

There has been a great deal of speculation that the other team(s) may be Florida State, Clemson or Virginia Tech. I don't think it will be any of those. The SEC Presidents Council has a standing agreement to not add any teams from within the states of existing members without the member schools agreement. I can assure you that Florida will not want FSU to join, and I think the same is true of South Carolina. Both will want to remain the only SEC school in their respective states. Besides only VA Tech brings a new media market to the table of those three schools and this is all about media footprint & money.

As for VA Tech, after the tremendous pressure that was applied through governor and legislators to get VA Tech into the ACC alongside U Virginia I can't see the Hokies getting permission to leave.

I think the SEC does grow to 16 teams but does so by adding Texas A&M and Oklahoma in the west and North Carolina and Louisville in the east. Why?

Texas A&M and Oklahoma give the SEC a strong presence in Dallas/Ft Worth, Austin, Houston and Oklahoma City markets.

With the troubles UNC has just been through, this would be a great time to make a change and a jump to the SEC would mean a higher profile for their sports programs other than Basketball. (and gives the BB team a slightly easier road to the Final Four than in the ACC.) For the SEC it brings the Raleigh and Charlotte media markets into their sphere.

Kentucky is least likely to object to sharing the state with another school and Louisville adds a good football team to the mix.



Of course, this doesn't go into effect until next year but I think these changes are imminent.

Vee, great work my friend. But while I think clemson to entrenched in a lesser football conference to want to jump to the SEC (because they have a greater chance to win the lesser ACC), I don't think USC would have a problem with it. Both Schools have always benefited greatly from the instate rivalry. Add to that the chance to have "in-conference" bragging rights... USC wouldn't mind. As to the rest, monies, tv, etc... spot on.

And great job with the maps too, lemme say.