casablance

Week 6 Saturday Six-Pack: Approaching The Airport

Week 6 is college football’s last on the incline of the curve. After this Saturday, it’s all downhill on the race to the postseason. The legendary Beano Cook once quipped on the ESPN college football podcast that each season felt like Casablanca: You start it, and next thing you know, you’re at the airport. In […]

When A Plan Comes Together: Cal’s Third-And-36 Conversion

In the ol’ Book of Football Cliches is an entry dedicated to “Nothing in the playbook for third-and-whatever.” The actual distance from which this cliche can be accurately invoked is ambiguous, but is essentially anything behind the original line of scrimmage. Or, if you’re Jesse Palmer, it’s third-and-California. (I kid because I love, Jess. Let’s […]

flaheadline

Four Downs on Week 5: Back to The SEC Drawing Board

Everything you presumed to know about the SEC, either in the preseason or over the course of the 2015 campaign’s first month, can probably go in the trash. Welcome to Four Downs, where I’ll happily accept your refuse! Just be sure to separate the recyclables — the end of the Nick Saban dynasty — from […]

NIKE footwear

Sept. 2 News: Navy QB Keenan Reynolds Pursues History

Outstanding Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds is on the precipice of setting several (more) college football records in 2015. That’s one reason I tabbed him a Heisman Trophy sleeper. Another is perfectly captured in Gene Wang’s profile of Keenan Reynolds for the Washington Post. Wang highlights the various records Reynolds has already set, as well as […]

trent-hole

Trent Richardson Cut; Blame Alabama! (Not Really)

Trent Richardson’s spectacularly unspectacular NFL career appears over now that the Oakland Raiders have opted to cut the one-time Heisman Trophy finalist. Three seasons and change of Trent Richardson’s yards-per-carry being more accurately measured in inches, and his piling up more fumbles than touchdowns, probably made Monday’s news an inevitability. However, there was a time […]

arkansas-helmet

Aug. 20 News: Ricky Town Eyeing Arkansas?

USC transfer quarterback Ricky Town is not waiting long to scout potential destinations, per syndicated radio host Bo Mattingly. Recruiting Update: Multiple sources say USC QB transfer Ricky Town is on Arkansas campus for a visit and will be at practice tonight. — Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) August 19, 2015 Should Town become a Razorback in […]

sec-map-headline

Aug. 3 News: A Reasonable SEC Schedule Plan

The eight-game SEC schedule has been a point of contention throughout the college football, both internally and with other conferences. In seeking some level of uniformity in scheduling for College Football Playoff purposes, Tony Barnhart offers up the most logical proposal to appease most parties. My proposed SEC scheduling model: 9 conf. game, 1 Power […]

scarlett

Cal AD Made The Right Move on Brennan Scarlett

Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. Cal interim athletic director Michael Williams did the right thing this week when he allowed Golden Bears defensive end Brennan Scarlett to transfer to rival Stanford, where he will begin his postgraduate program. Doing so opens him up to scrutiny that could impact the removal of “interim” from […]