We’re on the cusp of the 2012 season of college football -- a season that follows one of the most active offseasons I can remember. One of the storied programs in the game’s history has been seen the arrest and conviction the defensive coordinator who turned it into “Linebacker U”, the death of its legendary coach, and football team handed a life sentence (a step or two away from the death penalty). We’ve seen the NCAA President given more power than the position has ever beheld while he circumventing its system of due process when handing down punishments. A head coach of a team that finished in the top ten last year was fired because of an extramarital affair he had and then tried to cover up. We’ve seen four teams declared ineligible for bowls this season: Ohio State, North Carolina, Central Florida, and Penn State (four-year bowl ban). This season is starting with a team fresh off a two-year postseason ban being ranked number one in the AP Poll -- USC. An offseason packed with change guides us perfectly into a season packed with just as much change. Let’s dive in!
1. Three special teams and one helmet-related rule changes. In an effort to make the game more boring disguised as safety-related changes, the NCAA has made some special teams changes. Kickoffs will now be from the 35-yard line and touchbacks from kickoffs and safety kicks will be received at the 25 (punts or fumbles in the end zone will not be affected by this new touchback placement). These two rule changes followed by last year’s change that made the “excessive celebration” portion of the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty a live-ball foul, make it clear to me that the powers that be are not a fan of anything that adds “flash” to the game. The third special teams change is that a receiving team player cannot leap over blockers in an attempt to block a punt. A player shouldn’t be punished for his leaping ability; if he can hurdle a player while trying to block a punt, there’s nothing wrong with that. Will runners no longer be allowed to jump over would-be tacklers next? Probably. One change that I don’t have a major problem with is the one that requires that a player who loses his helmet cannot continue to participate in a play, must leave the field, and cannot participate in the next play. If the helmet comes off as a result of a foul by the opponent, this rule doesn’t apply. This is clearly a reaction to the recent concern with concussions. However, if this rule is in place last year, BYU probably loses its bowl game against Tulsa.
2. New bowl eligibility rules dilute bowls even further. It’s bad enough that we have 35 bowls and that a team with a losing record played in a bowl last season (UCLA); now there is the opportunity that teams with a mere five wins to play in a bowl exists. UCLA finished the regular season last year at 6-6 and then lost the PAC-12 Championship game (because the team in their division with the best record, USC, was ineligible). While it is unlikely, given the scenarios that rank above it, it is possible that a team with a 5-7 record in the regular season could play in a bowl. Granted, that scenario ranks behind a team in UCLA’s position last year (6-6 team that loses in the conference championship game), followed by a 6-7 team that plays a 13-game season (e.g. Hawaii), followed finally by an FCS team with a winning record that is in the process of becoming an FBS team (e.g. UMass or Georgia State). If there are no teams that fall under those categories, a 5-7 team that ranks in the top five in APR (Academic Progress Rate) can play in a bowl game. So, we need 70 teams and 4 teams are ineligible, it looks pretty feasible that a team with a losing record will play in a bowl again this season. Now, it’s possible that an FCS team or a team that only won 5 games could be playing in the Why Is This On TV Bowl.
3. An abnormal amount of player movement. Due to Mark Emmert basically making current Penn State players free agents, Nittany Lions are spread throughout the country. They were free to transfer without being subject to the one-year sit out rule that usually applies to players wanting to move from one FBS school to another. All six major conferences ended up landing Penn State players. The most significant move was 1200-yard rusher Silas Redd to the already-stacked USC Trojans. This season University of Miami safety Ray Ray Armstrong will play for Faulkner College, an NAIA school in Alabama that made headlines last year for having a 61-year-old kicker. Former Florida State cornerback, Greg Reid, will play for a Division II school in Georgia that has won two national championships in the last eight years known as Valdosta State. Well-traveled wide receiver Duron Carter has been practicing with Florida Atlantic and has applied for a hardship waiver that would allow him to avoid sitting out a year. If granted, he’ll meet with one of his former teams in Week 4 (Alabama, a team for whom he never played a game). This is his fourth school, having played for Ohio State, a community college, being on the team but deemed ineligible in Tuscaloosa, and now the Owls of Florida Atlantic. Wisconsin will start a transfer from the ACC at quarterback for the second consecutive season. Danny O’Brien, who played for Maryland last year, will not have to sit out a year because he’s a graduate student follows Russell Wilson who did the same out of North Carolina State last year (and is now pushing for a starting spot for the Seahawks.
4. Two stars will sit out in 2012. Michael Dyer, who won a national championship with the Auburn Tigers in 2010, was dismissed, followed his offensive coordinator to Arkansas State and was dismissed, will not play in 2012. It’s been reported that he has decided to sit out to get his life together and while I think that is part of the reason for the sabbatical, I think a contributing factor is also the complicated rules regarding double transfers (he never actually played for Arkansas State) and doubts whether he’d be granted a waiver to play even if he played at a non-FBS level. Tyrann Mathieu, AKA the Honey Badger, who was a rare defensive Heisman nominee last season, was dismissed from LSU recently after failing a third drug test. Early speculation was that he’d transfer to McNeese State and that Prairie View A&M was interested, but recently it was announced that he’s entered himself in a rehab program and intends neither to attend school or play football this year. As of right now, each has said that he doesn’t intend to enter the 2013 NFL Draft despite the fact they’d be eligible to do so. While I certainly wish them both well in getting their lives back on track on a personal level, I don’t think they should have decided to sit out this season. Whether they truly plan to play college football in 2013, or if they decide to try to go pro, they’ll need to remain in “football shape” to be successful either way. Nevertheless, I wish the best of luck to both kids.
5. Players aren’t the only ones who moved. For the first time since 1966, Penn State will be led by a someone other than the thick-rimmed glasses of Joe Paterno. Bill O’Brien, former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, will take over a football program that will be imprisoned in mediocrity for probably the next 7-10 years. Another Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year winner (Paterno won it three times), Terry Bowden, is making his return to the FBS as the coach of the University of Akron after coaching Division II University of North Alabama to three NCAA playoff berths. Bowden will take over a team that has won one game each of the last two years and will make a visit to the SEC (he coached at Auburn in the nineties) as he visits Tennessee in Week 4. Alabama and Auburn both lost their offensive coordinator to head coaching positions with Jim McElwain taking over a Colorado State program that won 3 games last year and Gus Malzahn a Arkansas State program that won 10 games last year. Malzahn filled the opening left by Hugh Freese who took over at Ole Miss. Former West Virginia and Michigan head coach, Rich Rodriguez is taking over at Arizona which lost its quarterback Nick Foles to the NFL (first Arizona quarterback drafted since John Conner [insert Terminator joke here]). I expect McElwain and Rodriguez to bring aggressive offensive game plans to their respective teams despite that not being the tendency for those programs. Yet another Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Urban Meyer, is in his first year as head coach at The Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s from Ohio and was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes, so he’s familiar to Buckeyes fans who also remember him quite well from January 8th, 2007. As a Buckeye fan, I actually think the bowl ban for this year helps take off the pressure from Meyer implementing a new offensive scheme (the spread-option).
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