College Football

Top 10 College Fight Songs

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

With college football getting into full swing today i thought I would help set the tone. This video is a list of the Top 10 College Football Fight Songs.  It is not my list, but it is fun anyway.  Still I thinmk they got a few.

The top 3 should be:

  1. Tennessee – Rocky Top (#4 in the video)
  2. Notre Dame – Notre Dame Victory March (#1 in video)
  3. Michigan – Hail to the Victors (Not the fight song in the video)

And Honorable Mention goes to:

Feel free to offer your top fight song or list in the comment section.

Heisman 2010

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

Tonight’s the night the night when, once again, the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan bestows the Heisman Trophy on the top collegiate football player in the nation. While each year there is a qualifying refrain, it warrants repeating: This trophy is given to the top offensive skill player. Linemen and most defensive players get no serious consideration.

That qualifier out of the way, I will say in my opinion that makes no difference this year in who should be the winner. Perhaps there are linemen and defensive players who deserved an invite to the banquet in New York, but there is one player who clearly dominated on the field this season.

My votes – if I had any – would fall in the following order for 2o10:

  1. Cam Newton – QB – Auburn
  2. Colin Kaepernick – QB- Nevada
  3. LaMichael James – RB – Oregon

Why Newton?  No one controlled a game like him this season.  He was an unstoppable force.

Continue reading →

Grid Watch 2010

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

 

These are the college football players I will be keeping a close eye on this coming season. Most of these guys, including my oldest son, played for high school teams I had the privilege to coach. Others are family friends:

Tebow’s Turmoil

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Who knows where such nonsense gets started?  But whoever it was that first suggested Tim Tebow’s throwing flaws are the fault of Florida Coach Urban Meyer is, to say it kindly, misguided.

It was reported that, at a recent press conference, Tebow explained he had a lot of work to do and acknowledged that his years at Florida had not prepared him for the NFL.  Some quickly took Tebow’s words as a slap at Coach Meyer, or at least that Tebow’s words reveal that he had somehow been slighted by Meyer.

Pundits suggested Tebow flaws provide recruiting fodder for Alabama’s Nick Saban.   

It is reasoned, if Florida did not get Tebow NFL ready who could they get ready? Then, adding the fact that Tebow’s highly touted predecessor, Chris Leak, failed to make an NFL roster after his college career, these self acclaimed experts point the finger at Florida’s spread offense, and declare that Urban Meyer’s system is to blame.  And thus, if Meyer can’t prepare QB’s, even of the calibur of Tebow & Leak, for the NFL, why should any prospect who has aspirations of playing on Sundays even consider Florida,  if he has the opportunity to play elsewhere – especially, say, Alabama?

I agree with sportswriter Mike Bianchi who says: “It is not Urban Meyer’s Job to Make Tim Tebow NFL-Ready“. Bianchi makes a good case, but I would g even further.

I don’t know if Tebow will make himself into an NFL star or not.  But fortunately Tebow know that the NFL is not the real measure of success in life. 

Second, those who are blaming Meyer have no idea what it takes to be an NFL QB.  They seem to assume that good coaches can just crank them out.  Or maybe they just grow on trees.  But the truth is that there are many, many reasons that some great college QB’s never cut it in the NFL, while other merely adequate college QB’s thrive. (See Tom Brady for example.)

Finally, while I have my doubts that Nick Saban is involved in this stuff at all, I would suggest he – and any coach – look at his own legacy before he take aim at Urban Meyer.  Who was the last successful QB Alabama sent to the NFL? Richard Todd?  How about Saban himself?  Did any of his LSU QB’s shine at the next level?  I’d hate to claim that I can make a kid into the next Jamarcus Russell, if I were Saban.  That’s a sure way to get a kid to go elsewhere.

Sullivan Central’s Andrew Griffith Latest Local Brevard Signee

/ Dennis Griffith / 5 Comments

By Steve Wilmoth – TriCitiesSports.com

With a head coach and three assistants with ties to the Northeast Tennessee area, Brevard College has made serious in-roads acquiring local talent for their 2010 football recruiting class.

The latest is Sullivan Central wide receiver/defensive back, Andrew Griffith, who inked with the Tornados in ceremonies at school on Friday.

Griffith joins Sullivan North place-kicker Arrick Blevins, Daniel Boone lineman Isaac Bowman, and Science Hill lineman Joel Shrum as local signees with Brevard. Like Blevins, Griffith said Brevard came on strong late in the recruiting process.

“I really wasn’t considering them at first, but I went for a visit and I just kept getting more and more interested,” said Griffith.

Griffith was recruited by Marshall Doss, a former player at Emory & Henry. In addition to Doss, Brevard has on staff former ETSU lineman Jim Beverly and defensive backs coach Teddy Gaines, a former player at Dobyns-Bennett and the University of Tennessee. All are under the direction of former ETSU head coach Paul Hamilton.

“He thinks I can come right in and contribute,” said Griffith of Doss who recruited the former Cougar as a wide receiver. “Hopefully I can make an immediate impact.”

Griffith came to Central as sophomore transfer from Pennsylvania and was also considering Geneva College, close to his former Pittsburgh home, Emory & Henry and University of the Cumberlands were also in the picture.

“Since Brevard was a Division II school, I chose them,” added Griffith. “I just decided I would rather play Division II than Division III.”

Griffith has plans to major in elementary education while at Brevard.

***

This article first appeared in Tri-Cities Sports.com on February 20.  Tri Cities Sports.com is a subscripton based publication that covers colege, high school and middle school sports around the Mountain Empire.  This article is published here in whole with thank to Steve Wilmoth.  Links have been added.

Tide’s Tarnished Trophy?

/ Dennis Griffith / 2 Comments

Hats off to Alabama’s Crimson Tide. A dominating defense carried them to their eighth NCAA Football Championship – the first in nearly 20 years.  Two 100 yard rushers on offense not only drained the clock, but in the end also drained what was left of the spirit of the out manned Texas Longhorns.  Texas played a commendable second half, but the outcome was almost completely in the books before the first quarter ended.

Despite the Tide’s dominating performance Thursday night, more than one headline I have seen since has declared Alabama’s undisputed National Championship “mysterious”.  What was the mystery?  People can only wonder what would have been had Texas All American QB Colt McCoy not suffered a game ending shoulder injury during the first drive. 

I think specualtion is good, though.  Taking nothing away from Alabama, this game will be far longer remembered because of the “What If” than for any other reason.  It lends an element of specualtion to non-Alabama supporters.  It promotes enjoyable arguments about who was really best that will go on until the ball is teed-up next September – and maybe longer than that for Longhorns left wanting.

It also shows that college football does NOT need a playoff.

Despite the TV commentators and executives who are crying for a championship, what would that prove? If the argument is that the championship should be settled on the field because any other way leaves a shred of doubt as to who is the actual champ, this game shows that even if a game is played the outcome can still be shrouded in doubts.  What will a series of such games prove – other than the networks can make a few more dollars?

But I think this “controversy” is good for the game, and for the sports fan.  It gives people something to talk about.  I don’t think a playoff would add anything. In fact I will hate to see it when it eventually comes to be.

Alabama is the champion. They earned it.

BUT what if…?