CFB Rumor Mill: Randy Shannon Out At Miami, Is Rich Rodriguez Next At Michigan?

It's not even December yet, but the Grinch has already made his annual appearance in college football's coal-giving department. There are reports that both Randy Shannon of Miami and Rich Rodriguez of Michigan will be fired from their respective posts after this season.

Shannon's fate seems a lot less surprising, if indeed true, as he stood to have the most to lose if he finished the 2010 season in poor fashion. The Hurricanes were favored by many to be the front-runners for an ACC Championship berth and, quite possibly, a sleeper candidate in the BCS.

Instead, the Cane's finished the season 7-5 overall—suffering embarrassing conference losses to both Florida State (45-17) and Virginia Tech (31-17). Adding more insult to injury, they lost their final home game to South Florida, in overtime, with Jacory Harris looking as pedestrian as ever.

There was simply no room for error this season, and Shannon's regime played too conservative a hand again.

As for Rodriguez, the verdict is still out on him, but there are just as many who would be for his demise as are for giving him another season.  His offense proved explosive through the first five games, but as Denard Robinson fizzled, and the Michigan defense exposed, the good times ended—Michigan ended the year 2-5, and finish 7-5 on the season.

On the bright side, they're bowl eligible, the spread has proven it can be effective with the right personnel, and Denard Robinson, when healthy, is a legitimate weapon. That said, how many fans and boosters in Ann Arbor can stand to give Rodriguez one more season?

The swirling rumor is they might have their eye on Jim Harbaugh.

The young coach, and Michigan alumnus, has turned Stanford football into a force in the Pac-10. The Cardinals are 10-1, in the BCS Top 10, and, possibly, on their way to a BCS berth. However, he did have some rather unsavory comments about his alma mater in 2007:

"...the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them."

Hmmm, don't know that too many Michigan fans have forgotten that one.

Either way, it's looking like the maize and blue might be looking for another change in the big house—we'll just have to wait and see what happens in this developing story.

College Football: Who Is The Best Dual-Threat QB in The BCS This Season?

It's been a long time since the BCS saw three quarterbacks who were able to dominate the game, with their arms and their legs, the way Denard Robinson, Cam Newton, and Taylor Martinez have this season.

Patrick White, of West Virginia, was a product of the very system that Rich Rodriguez brought to Michigan. The very one that Denard Robinson is excelling in today. However, not even White was as impressive as Robinson has been through his first six games of the year.

So far, the sophomore has compiled 991 yards on 119 carries (19.83 avg)—that includes two 200 yard games. As a matter of fact, prior to his being stymied by a motivated Michigan State team, there seemed to be no team in the country capable of slowing him down.

While he tends to rely on his legs more than his arms, he has been very proficient in the passing game as well—completing nearly 68 percent of his attempts and passing for more than 1200+ yards and 8 touchdowns.

He's been superhuman on the football field and he is the biggest reason why the Wolverines are 5-1:



Taylor Martinez is the starting quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He hasn't gotten nearly as much publicity or love as Robinson, but he's no less impressive.

Martinez has a little over half the rushing attempts of Robinson (68), but has already accumulated 737 yards on the ground (10.84 avg) and scored 12 times.

As a passer, there is still plenty of work to be done. Where Robinson is more efficient with his passes, Martinez has been prone to making careless mistakes while trying to do too much. That has led to as many interceptions as it has touchdowns, and partially explains his reliance on his legs to get the job done when his arm would be more than sufficient.

Nebraska is currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll and there are high hopes that with Texas, seemingly, in a rebuilding year, it will come down to Oklahoma and Nebraska for the Big 12 title.

Martinez also has the luxury of additional offensive playmakers to compliment his game—both Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu provide a fierce ground attack. Then there's that tough Nebraska defense to help keep the other team from making his job too difficult.
 


Cam Newton has been a dream player for Auburn this year. Not only has he proven to be clutch over the last six weeks—averting losses to Mississippi State, South Carolina, Clemson, and Kentucky via last minute heroics—but he's remained cool in each of the four pressure-cooker situations he's faced.

It is clear that the offense will live and die with Newton's play. He's Auburn's ace-in-the-hole because he will either beat you early or break your heart late.

The true test of his mettle will come in the next few weeks of the season, where he will be forced to take on a Ryan Mallett-led Arkansas, a luck-led LSU, and a pride-led Georgia...all before meeting up with Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

That said, he still has much to prove about how good he truly is, but there are no doubts about his talent.


So, who's the best of the three. Well, considering the overall level of competition, you have to give the edge to Newton. Martinez hasn't really been tested against an upper-level defense, and Robinson's showing against Michigan State proves that there are limits to what he can do—if a sufficient challenge is mounted.

Who's the best in your mind? Who's done the most for his team this season?

Ohio State vs Michigan: Does The Big Ten Realignment Tarnish Their Rivalry?

The Big Ten announced its new alignment following the addition of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2011, and Michigan and Ohio State will be placed in seperate divisions. Will that make the annual season-ending battle against these two traditional powers less interesting?

Honestly, the one thing that made this match-up so crucial was the fact that it meant something—a trip to the Rose Bowl in many cases. Now, the Big Ten will not only maintain the rivalry in-season, but offer it the possibility of happening twice in one season via the conference championship game.

How is this a good thing?

Granted, right now, Michigan doesn't seem to pose any threat of giving Ohio State a run for its money— this year or the next. But, the Wolverines will not be down forever, they will eventually get rid of the stain that is Rich Rodriguez and this rivalry will return to its former glory. When that happens, how much juice will it have if neither team is playing for anything of importance—nationally?

It hurts both Michigan and Ohio State on a national level because no one outside of those who reside in Columbus or Ann Arbor will be able to get excited to see the two teams play—especially if they feel it will happen more than once.  It will cease to be must-see tv for a large segment of college football fans who love not only the rivalry itself, but what it stood for.

Here is what ESPN's Andy Katz had to say about the realignment:



Beyond this, though, the real losers are the Big Ten basketball fans—wow. 

This alignment essentially gives Michigan State a red carpet to March Madness every year while giving the finger to the fans of Penn State, Illinois, Purdue, and Indiana. No doubt the fans of those programs are staging a silent protest as we speak—just another reminder that college football rules the checkbook.

The Big East Wants Coaching Staff Sizes To Be Smaller

An article published in USA Today states that the NCAA cabinet is looking into introducing legislation that would limit the support staff allowed in college football programs.

Currently, the NCAA places a limit on the number of coaches that can be involved with assisting the players—on or off the field. That number, currently, is capped at 12 (the head coach, nine assistants, and two graduate assistants).

However, it gets a little sketchier when discussing non-coaching personnel. There are no limits to that number and, just a quick browse of some of the more well-known programs in college football will attest to that; Ohio State (41), Rutgers (36), and Michigan (33) all boast large amounts of non-coaching staff on their payroll.

The latter was recently forced to impose a self-sanction on their football program when it was discovered that inappropriate actions were being executed by the non-coaching staff hired by head coach, Rich Rodriguez. The report was stated as such:

The school said two main problems - too many people acting as coaches and too many hours being put into football by the players - occurred in part because of "inattention by the football staff."

After his hire from West Virginia, Rodriguez filled all five quality control positions in the program - essentially assistants to assistants who were paid $17 per hour to "run errands for the coaches, check on student-athlete class attendance and academic issues, and chart plays."

The school said the staff "crossed the line in specific situations and engaged in 'coaching activities"' as defined by the NCAA.