NCAA Football, 2016

[grumbler]

The new football year starts, appropriately, with the SEC whining about Jim Harbaugh out-thinking them again (same start as last year!  )

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25478600/sec-looking-to-block-michigan-from-holding-spring-practice-in-florida

The SEC has asked the NCAA to prohibit college football teams from holding spring practice during spring break, commissioner Greg Sankey told CBS Sports on Tuesday.

The move is obviously a direct response to Michigan's recent announcement that it would conduct part of its spring practice at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said on National Signing Day that the Wolverines would begin practice at IMG during their spring break from Feb. 27 to March 6.

There is currently no NCAA rule prohibiting such a move.

...

"Our primary reaction [is] that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away," Sankey said. "Let's draw a line and say, 'We didn't think of that' err 'That's not appropriate.'"

A free trip to Florida with all your buddies over Spring Break?  What a hardship!  Thank Hod the SEC is here to save student-athletes from such exploitation!  I don't think that the SEC quite understands the financial bind faced by athletes that have no bag men to pay for their Florida vacations.

[katmai]

UDub has a bandwagon!

[Eddie Teach]

Georgia's got another top 10 recruiting class and kept the highly rated qb prospect who signed under Richt. So that's good.

OTOH, with the losses of Jenkins and Floyd it's hard to see them competing with the top SEC west teams defensively.

[PDH]

Wyoming might win more than 2 games!

[Valmy]

Wyoming might win more than 2 games!

Dave Christensen got canned at A&M. Man how the mighty have fallen.

[Ed Anger]

I sacrificed a bull to Urban Meyer.

[Valmy]

I sacrificed a bull to Urban Meyer.

He gains strength through your rituals supplicant.

[PDH]

Wyoming might win more than 2 games!

Dave Christensen got canned at A&M. Man how the mighty have fallen.

From the powerhouse of Wyoming, to OC of Utah to now fired at A&M.  Likely he will next be seen at the OC of some pathetic team, like Colorado State or something.

[Ed Anger]

I sacrificed a bull to Urban Meyer.

He gains strength through your rituals supplicant.

He is Sol Invictus. Through him, we prosper.

[Berkut]

I really have no idea what to expect from the Wildcats this year.

I think fundamentally, they are not really going to be a contender until they can start landing some top level talent. Arizona has always been trying to outplay their talent level, but at the end of the day, over the long run, you are basically who you recruit.

And recruiting in the last third of the Pac-12 won't get you much better than middle Pac-12 results assuming you have good coaching, with an occasional (and frankly lucky) jump into contention when you strike gold with some 2-star recruit or a few of them who turns out to be a lot better than expected.

[Valmy]

You can get really good players from 2 and 3 star recruits. You just have to grab the guys who make a lot of progress right at the end of their High School careers, after most of the offers have already gone out. You have to be a pretty cold blooded coach to risk waiting that long though.

[Berkut]

You can get really good players from 2 and 3 star recruits. You just have to grab the guys who make a lot of progress right at the end of their High School careers, after most of the offers have already gone out. You have to be a pretty cold blooded coach to risk waiting that long though.

You can do that of course, but there is a limit to how much success that will have over the long run, as I said.

Believe me, Arizona football has been living on the "ID the guys everyone else missed on and coach them up!" strategy for a long, long time. It has gotten us some great players.

But at the end of the day, that isn't really the way to create a perennial contender.

I find it funny how Arizona fans, as an example, manage to switch their brains on and off about recruiting when you talk to them about football (Recuiting rankings don't matter! The ratings are all bullshit! We can contend anyway! Diamonds in the rough! Who cares about 4 star recruits?) and basketball (What? A four star guy? Why we would even look at him???).

[alfred russel]

And recruiting in the last third of the Pac-12 won't get you much better than middle Pac-12 results assuming you have good coaching, with an occasional (and frankly lucky) jump into contention when you strike gold with some 2-star recruit or a few of them who turns out to be a lot better than expected.

Pac 12? Maybe so. But are you guys building to win the Pac 12? It seems you have the blueprint to compete in the old Big East. And if you can find a diamond in the rough QB, start him for four years, look out CFB World! Also, look out for Pitt.

[grumbler]

But at the end of the day, that isn't really the way to create a perennial contender.

Does Arizona football have the support necessary to be a perennial contender?  The facilities, administrative backing, attendance, etc?  Honest question.

[Valmy]

But at the end of the day, that isn't really the way to create a perennial contender.

In order to contend Arizona would need at least need to lock down their home state. I don't get the feeling four and five star Arizonans are staying home.

Granted I am mostly basing that on the fact that those two Scottsdale QBs ended up going to Texas schools. I could be wrong there,