Linking Up: August 2
Odds and ends from around the Web:
*Kirk Bohls wonders if the Big 12 is overrated. Meanwhile, the Pac-10 coaches tooted their own horn at the conference media day this week. It's a tired debate, but this issue is likely to burn pretty hot this season. The perception that the media put too much stock in the Big 12 in 2008 will dog the league all year. Meanwhile, the Pac-10 will get mad props for its perfect bowl record.
*Dr. Saturday just wrapped up a week of Big 12 preview articles, including:
- OU's offensive line;
- the biggest game of the year;
- the North division contenders--odd that Mizzou is in the mix, in Homerism's opinion;
- the race to determine which Colorado quarterback is less bad; and
- handicapping the conference race.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with the Doc that Texas should be considered the frontrunner. I'll have my own Big 12 and national preview stuff coming up soon.
*The Orlando Sentinel has been doing some interesting work the effects of the economy on college sports. This list of the top earning athletic departments illustrates what a good job athletic director Joe Castiglione and the rest of the OU athletic department do in terms of fielding competitive programs despite resource disadvantages. Chris at Smart Football tries to get to the bottom of why Southern teams tend to generate so much dough.
*Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com decided this would be a good time to devote a week to pissing people off. First, he decided to rank each program based on performance this decade--an exercise that fans always evaluate reasonably. When you get to the top four or five, it's splitting hairs in my book. However, seeing as there's still a year left to go in the 2000s, it seems like people should reserve their outrage for a little while.
On the heels of the L.A. Times report about USC's use of an outside consultant, Dodd also questioned why the Trojans have yet to feel the wrath of the NCAA. I guess the most obvious answer would be that we really don't know exactly what the Association is investigating, as well as the evidence being supplied to counter the accusations being leveled against 'SC.