Pac 10 Sports Blog

The Ducks now have their wings healed after the devastating season opening loss at Boise State. The Ducks have now won two straight in the comfy confines of Autzen Stadium. Oregon defeated Purdue then ended the nation’s longest winning streak of 16 games with a victory over Utah.

The 3-0 Golden Bears are coming off a tough road win, 35-21 over Minnesota. California is led by stud tailback Jahvid Best who scored all five Bear touchdowns at Minnesota. In three games Best has ran for 412 yards with a whopping 7.8 yards per carry and has scored 8 touchdowns. The Heisman winds are blowing in Berkley.

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In front of what will be a raucous crowd, the Duck defense will have the unenviable task of trying to contain Best. The good news for Duck fans is that California may be a one trick pony. Oregon has bounced back from the suspension of star running back LeGarrette Blount as LaMichael James has accumulated 230 yards for a 6.1 average. The burden may fall on QB Jeremiah Masoli who has struggled immensely out of the gate. If the Ducks are going to pull off the upset, Masoli must play well. Look for the Ducks to stack the line and limit Best.

Prediction: Oregon 31 California 27

By Scott Dryden
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

That is more like it. The Ducks bounced back from a horrible showing to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers in Eugene. The Ducks managed to right the ship on offense generating 356 yards of total offense. Purdue outgained the Ducks and won the time of possession battle 36:19 to 23:41 but Oregon scored two defensive touchdowns to gain a much needed 38-36 victory. Purdue went for the game tying two point conversion with a minute left in the game but the Ducks stopped the score to preserve the victory.

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Next Up: The road doesn’t get any easier as the Ducks will host the Utes of Utah.

By: Scott Dryden
DFN Sports Senior Sports Writer

September, 5 2009 2:30 ET

Former NFL coach Mike Riley has made a difference in Corvallis. The last three seasons the Beavers have won 10,9, and 9 games. They capped off the 2008 season with an ugly win over Pittsburg 3-0 in the Sun Bowl.

The Rodgers brothers return which is enough to make the offense dynamic. RB Jacquizz Rodgers was the Pac 10 player of the year in 08 and led the conference in rushing. Brother James Rodgers is also diminutive at 5’7” but extremely effective.

> Browse a great selection of Oregon State Beavers hats & apparel!

The Beavers’ defense will struggle in 2009 but so will the rest of the conference. Given their offensive prowess, the Beavers should compete with every team in the conference except for USC. Oregon St. opens the season with a tune up against Portland St.

Prediction: The Beavers will roll in preparation for the following week where they travel to Vegas to battle UNLV. Oregon St. 54 Portland St. 14

By Scott Dryden
DFN Sports Senior Writer

Everyone knew that by facing Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, Cain Velasquez was looking at a large step up in competition. The former Arizona State wrestler has widely been regarded as one of the rising stars of the MMA world competing in the talent-thin heavyweight division. While he took a few shots from Kongo during the fight on Saturday, Velasquez proved to not only be able to take a hard shot but also proved to be superior to Kongo in the ground game. Velasquez showed a dominant ground game, and while he was unable to finish the fight by TKO or submission, the dominance was clear.

In the UFC heavyweight rankings released last week, Velasquez was ranked #10 while his opponent Kongo was ranked #6. There’s no doubt that this win will vault Velasquez in those same rankings as he looks for a possible title shot against the winner of Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir at UFC 100 on July 11.

Former Oregon Ducks wrestler Chael Sonnen made his return to the UFC Octagon at UFC 95 last night, but most everyone knew he had a very tough macthup in Demian Maia who entered the fight 10-0 in his MMA career. Sonnen spent his past three fights in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), but when the WEC’s middleweight division was absorbed by the UFC in December 2008, he found himself back on the biggest stage in Mixed Martial Arts.

Unfortunately for Sonnen, the experts were right about his matchup with Maia at UFC 95. The submission artist Maia was able to latch onto Sonnen with a Triangle Choke forcing Sonnen to tap out at 2:37 in the 1st Round. With the loss, Sonnen’s return to the UFC was spoiled and his record drops to 21-10-1.

What is next for Sonnen depends on his current UFC contract. The loss in UFC 95 makes Sonnen just 1-3 in four UFC fights having lost at UFC 55 & UFC 60 as well. His record outside of the UFC, however, is 20-7-1.

College football’s bowl season kicks off on Dec. 20 with a four-game slate that includes the Arizona Wildcats’ matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl against the BYU Cougars.

A total of 34 bowl games will be contested over a 20-day period, beginning with the EagleBank Bowl on the morning of Dec. 20 and culminating with the BCS National Championship Game on the night of Jan. 8.
Along the way, five Pac-10 teams will participate in the post-season. In addition to the Arizona-BYU clash, California will play Miami in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27, Oregon will line up against Oklahoma State in what figures to be a Holiday Bowl shootout on Dec. 30, Oregon State will take on Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, and the USC Trojans will go toe-to-toe with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in what could turn out to be an epic defensive struggle.

Here is a rundown of the entire bowl schedule, complete with a fearless forecast for each game. All times listed are Eastern standard.

Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4); EagleBank Bowl at Washington, D.C.; 11 a.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Wake Forest 21, Navy 17

Fresno State (7-5) vs. Colorado State (6-6); New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Colorado State 20, Fresno State 19

South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6); St. Petersburg Bowl at St. Petersburg, Fla.; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN2. Prediction: South Florida 35, Memphis 24

Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2); Las Vegas Bowl at Las Vegas, Nev.; 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: BYU 24, Arizona 17 - Las Vegas Bowl preview

Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (6-6); New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 8:15 p.m. Dec. 21 on ESPN. Prediction: Troy 28, Southern Miss 20

TCU (10-2) vs. Boise State (12-0); Poinsettia Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 23 on ESPN. Prediction: Boise State 24, TCU 21

Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6); Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu, Hawaii; 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on ESPN. Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Hawaii 21

Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida Atlantic (6-6); Motor City Bowl at Detroit, Mich.; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26 on ESPN. Prediction: Central Michigan 34, Florida Atlantic 20

North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4); Meineke Bowl at Charlotte, N.C.; 1 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: West Virginia 23, North Carolina 20

Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5); Champs Sports Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: Florida State 24, Wisconsin 16

California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5); Emerald Bowl at San Francisco, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: California 23, Miami 16 - Emerald Bowl preview

Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5); Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.; 8:15 p.m. Dec. 28 on ESPN. Prediction: Northern Illinois 17, Louisiana Tech 14

Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6); PapaJohns.com Bowl at Birmingham, Ala.; 3 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: North Carolina State 31, Rutgers 27

Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3); Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, Texas; 8 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: Missouri 35, Northwestern 13

Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5); Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Maryland 35, Nevada 28

Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3); Holiday Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Oregon 45, Oklahoma State 41 - Holiday Bowl preview

Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3); Texas Bowl at Houston, Texas; 8 p.m. Dec. 30 on NFL Network. Prediction: Rice 30, Western Michigan 27

Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4); Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas; noon Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Air Force 34, Houston 28

Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3); Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas; 2 p.m. Dec. 31 on CBS. Prediction: Oregon State 23, Pittsburgh 7 - Sun Bowl preview

Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6); Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.; 3:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Boston College 27, Vanderbilt 24

Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5); Insight Bowl at Tempe, Ariz.; 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on NFL Network. Prediction: Kansas 34, Minnesota 21

Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5); Chick-fil-A Bowl at Atlanta, Ga.; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, LSU 24

Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5); Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.; 11 a.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN. Prediction: Iowa 21, South Carolina 17

Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3); Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 1 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan State 10

Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4); Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.; 1 p.m. Jan. 1 on CBS. Prediction: Clemson 27, Nebraska 21

USC (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1); Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.; 4:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: USC 17, Penn State 10 - Rose Bowl preview

Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4); Orange Bowl at Miami, Fla.; 8:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on Fox. Prediction: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 17

Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi (8-4); Cotton Bowl at Dallas, Texas; 2 p.m. Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Texas Tech 38, Mississippi 30

East Carolina (9-4) vs. Kentucky (6-6); Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.; 5 p.m. Jan. 2 on ESPN. Prediction: East Carolina 30, Kentucky 24

Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0); Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 8 p.m. Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Alabama 27, Utah 20

Connecticut (7-5) vs. Buffalo (8-5); International Bowl at Toronto, Ontario; noon Jan. 3 on ESPN2. Prediction: Connecticut 26, Buffalo 20

Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2); Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.; 8 p.m. Jan. 5 on Fox. Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 23

Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3); GMAC Bowl at Mobile, Ala.; 8 p.m. Jan. 6 on ESPN. Prediction: Ball State 28, Tulsa 21

Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1); BCS Championship Game at Miami, Fla.; 8 p.m. Jan. 8 on Fox. Prediction: Florida 41, Oklahoma 38

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

November 1st Weekend/Week #10 Games

The USC Trojans earned a hard-fought, 17-10 victory at Arizona last week to remain tied atop the Pac-10 standings. With a 4-1 league record, the Trojans share first place with the Oregon Ducks, who kept pace last Saturday by routing Arizona State, 54-20.
California and Oregon State are a half-game behind at 3-1. The Golden Bears posted a 41-20 win over UCLA last week, while the Beavers had a bye.
This Saturday’s Pac-10 schedule features four games, with Arizona and UCLA having the week off.

Oregon (6-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) at California (5-2, 3-1)
3:30 EDT
Both teams are loaded with offensive firepower in what figures to be a back-and-forth shootout.
Oregon leads the Pac-10 in scoring offense (41.5 points per game), total offense (474.9 yards per game) and rushing offense (278.8 yards per game). Blount has rushed for 650 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Ducks, while fellow tailback Jeremiah Johnson has run for 573 yards and nine touchdowns.
Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was named the conference’s offensive player of the week after passing for 147 yards and rushing for 85 yards in the Ducks’ big win over Arizona State.
Meanwhile, California tailback Jahvid Best has rushed for 643 yards and six touchdowns in six games this season. He ran for 115 yards last week in the Golden Bears’ victory over UCLA.
Nate Longshore passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns in Cal’s 31-24 win over Oregon last year, but he is not expected to start Saturday. Instead, the Golden Bears plan to begin the game with sophomore Kevin Riley at quarterback. Riley has thrown for 985 yards and nine touchdowns this season, while Longshore has 631 yards and seven touchdowns passing in 2008.
California and Oregon have played each other 70 times since 1899. The Golden Bears lead the series 38-30-2.
Prediction: Oregon 38, California 34

Washington State (1-7, 0-5) at Stanford (4-4, 3-2)
5 p.m. EDT
The Cougars have been outscored 292-33 in their five Pac-10 games. Look for more of the same on Saturday, as Stanford figures to dominate with its power running attack.
Toby Gerhart has rushed for 779 yards and is aiming to become Stanford’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Tommy Vardell in 1991.
Washington State quarterback Kevin Lopina returned from injury to start in the Cougars’ most-recent game, a 69-0 loss to USC on Oct. 18. The Cougars have utilized four quarterbacks this season and might take a look at a fifth, as freshman J.T. Levenseller could see some playing time.
Prediction: Stanford 42, Washington State 7

Washington (0-7, 0-4) at USC (6-1, 4-1)
6:30 p.m. EDT
Arizona Stadium was rocking on a desert Saturday night, but USC escaped from Tucson with a 17-10 victory thanks to another stellar defensive effort. In holding the high-powered Wildcats to 188 total yards in last week’s first-place showdown, the Trojans maintained their top ranking in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (8.1 points per game), total defense (215.6 yards per game), rushing defense (86.0 yards per game) and passing defense (129.6 yards per game).
Washington has announced that head coach Tyrone Willingham will not return after this season.
Prediction: USC 49, Washington 0

Arizona State (2-5, 1-3) at Oregon State (4-3, 3-1)
10:15 p.m. EDT
The disappointing Sun Devils, who entered the season expecting to contend for the Pac-10 championship, have lost five straight and were not even competitive in last week’s 34-point home defeat to Oregon.
Arizona State has rushed for just 609 yards on the season as a team. Meanwhile, Oregon State freshman Jacquizz Rodgers has rushed for 812 yards himself, leading the Pac-10 with a per-game average of 116 yards.
Junior quarterback Lyle Moevao has thrown for 1,779 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Beavers, who are averaging 259.7 yards per game through the air, ranking second in the conference behind USC (265.7).
Prediction: Oregon State 41, Arizona State 23

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer

A total of 12 Pac-10 players were taken in the 2008 NBA draft a couple weeks ago, three more than the closest conference, the Big-12, and six more than any other conference. Headlining the Pac-10 draft class were five players taken in the lottery, making more than a third of this year’s lottery selections Pac-10 players. Those were, O.J. Mayo taken third by Minnesota, Russell Westbrook taken fourth by the former Sonics, Kevin Love taken fifth by Memphis, Brook Lopez taken tenth by New Jersey and Jerryd Bayless taken 11th by the Blazers.

Later the same night, however, Love and Mayo swapped teams in a surprise trade that both respective G.M.’s called a success for their team. Of the five players taken in the top 14 picks, I think that Brook Lopez has the greatest chance to make a lasting impact on his new team. This is not because Lopez is more NBA ready than the rest of them, he may even be the least, but he joins a team that is not going to need much from him. The Nets return the much-maligned Vince Carter, but also picked up Memphis’s Chris Douglas Roberts and California’s Ryan Anderson later in the first round. Not all three of the rookies will start, but it gives them potential to be stacked from position 1-5 with Devin Harris returning at point, then Carter, CDR, Anderson, and Lopez filling out the roster. Word is that they maneuvered well enough to free up some cap space so when Lebron James becomes available at the end of his contract in 2010 they can sign him. By then, Lopez should be more able to go stronger to his right, defend better, and keep his emotions in check so he can stay in the game longer, all things that he had problems with at Stanford.

The other player amongst the lottery picks that intrigues me as an Oregonian is Bayless going to the Blazers. I have to admit that I was hopping the Blazers would get D.J. Augustin because he is more of a true point guard or Donte Green from Syracuse. I really didn’t think the Blazers needed another combo guard since any will pale in comparison to Brandon Roy, who takes over the point in the fourth quarter anyways. Also, with Rudy Fernandez coming in next year from Spain, there probably won’t be much time to be had off the ball while Roy’s at point. However, Bayless has already responded to such criticism, explaining that the reason the public may have that perception of him is because he was forced to score more during his one year at Arizona because of the injuries the Wildcats suffered throughout the season. I’ll be curious to see if this claim actually holds any water when the Blazers begin Summer League play tomorrow, July 14, against Washington. Even if Bayless is a true point, then that bumps Roy to shooting guard where Fernandez is his most successful, and I’m not sure if Fernandez is willing or able to play small forward where the Blazers really needed their most help. I don’t mean to question the most creative G.M. in the NBA, but I’m puzzled why Kevin Pritchard loves Bayless so much. One things for certain though, the addition of Greg Oden will be a big help. Even with a congested backcourt, I predict that the Blazers make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons as a seventh or eighth seed.

In other Pac-10 news, the college football season is approaching and Ted Miller of ESPN.com previews each of the Pac-10 teams. Unfortunately, only California is free to read if you aren’t an insider.

Regardless, voluntary summer workouts are currently in swing for all ten teams, which amounts to a moderate amount of excitement for any college football fan. You can never be sure how these workouts effect the upcoming season. Dennis Dixon missed all of them for the Ducks last year while he played minor league baseball and he played Heisman-level football in a whole new offense. Still, Dixon didn’t just forget about football, he threw passes to his baseball teammates and had periodical visits from his then-new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly before fall camp began in August. So some work on football during the summer definitely helps, but it’s not damning if your favorite team doesn’t have their star players present.

Rain may have halted play at the College World Series Thursday, but the Cardinal have continued their hot play, regardless of the murky weather.

So far in the College World Series, the Cardinal erupted in the ninth inning of their game against Florida State to win 16-5, holding FSU to its lowest run total since their first game in the Tallahassee Regional, and eliminated the top-seeded team in the tournament, 8-3, on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Standford faces Georgia in the College World Series. The Bulldogs represent the one blemish on Stanford’s record at the CWS and their one loss in their last nine games. That came in a pitcher’s dual on Monday that ended 4-3 in Georgia’s favor. In that game, Standford jumped on the Bulldogs early, scoring three runs in the top of the third, but then only managed to get one single in the last six innings.

I would expect a similar game tomorrow since both teams’ strengths are their pitching, and considering Georgia’s dominating bullpen, the Cardinal will likely have to jump on the Bulldogs early in order to build up a lead their own relievers can protect. Georgia’s pitching staff is also not going to give anything away in that game, so the Cardinal hitters should be ready to hit. It’ll be a tough game for Stanford, especially since their offense is rather futile even when their not facing the great pitching of Georgia, but I suspect that the possibility of beating the team that broke their seven game winning streak will be tempting enough to ignite their sleeping bats.

If the Cardinal do win on Saturday, then they will have to play Georgia again on Sunday since that’ll be Georgia’s only loss so far in the world series. The winner of that game on Sunday will then be one of the final two teams remaining to play for the national championship.

I believe that the Pac-10 has already tied its own record for national championships in a school year, so if Stanford were to pull off a miracle, then it would mean a lot for the Pac-10 as a whole. Let’s go Cardinal!!

In other news, ESPN.com has come up with a series titled: “Face of the Program” in which they pick the one person, place, or play that defines the college football program at each school. Some of their choices for the Pac-10 are really easy, like Don James at the University of Washingto

In a surprising upset, Fresno State beat Arizona State, 12-9, on Monday to advance to the College World Series in Omaha Nebraska. The Bulldogs became the first No. 4 seed to advance to the World Series since the tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 1999.

In their game against ASU, the score was tied at 5 at the top of the seventh inning till Fresno State exploded for sixth runs. They added another run in the top of the ninth before Arizona State rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth to make the score seem closer than it was.

An odd footnote to the game, as reported by ESPN.com, was the “fight” that took place between Arizona State’s Ike Davis and Brett Wallace while the Sun Devils were taking their infield warm-ups 45 minutes before the game.

The two of them appeared to exchange words over a missed play and wrestled briefly in the infield.

Puzzlingly, Wallace and Davis are described as close friends.

When the team was asked about the incident after the game, Sun Devil Manager Pat Murphy explained it was supposed to be a joke. He explained further that the purpose of the “fight” was to loosen his team up after their deflating loss in their second game against Fresno. Murphy also added that the team did a similar stunt before a game against Coastal Carolina in 2005.

Whether it was fake or not, the Sun Devils are still heading home and the College World Series will begin this weekend without them. The first games take place on Saturday and Sunday in the double elimination tournament, but the final championship series doesn’t start till Monday, June 23.

Stanford stands as the only Pac-10 team still in the running, who face no. 4 overall seed Florida State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN. The Cardinal enter the game as winners of their last six games and eight out of their last 10. Florida State, on the other hand, scored 14 and 11 runs respectively in the final two games of their series against Wichita State after dropping the first game to the Shockers; a game in which they still scored 7 runs. In the final game of the series, FSU pounded Shockers’ ace, Anthony Capra, for six runs in the first inning before Capra could even get three outs. Capra had previously been undefeated this season.

Stanford, however, held no. 3-seeded Cal State Fullerton, a team that had scored 35 runs in five games in their regional, to three and five runs in the two games they played against them in the Super Regional.

It’ll certainly be an interesting match-up between Stanford’s pitching and Florida State’s hitting.

Knowing this about both teams, I expect Florida State to take the first game because hitting, for whatever reason, is usually more important than pitching when it comes to the College World Series. Now, the two are not playing a three game series, so Stanford will still have a shot against a team that offers a better match-up for Stanford.

Off the playing field, the Pac-10 received big news Monday when the Conference’s Commissioner, Tom Hansen, announced his intent to retire next summer. Hansen will step down on July 1, 2009 after 26 years as the Pac-10’s top dog, which is the longest tenure of any Division-I conference in the nation.

Hansen’s career has seen the football and basketball programs rise to prominence and Pac-10 teams have won 204 national championships during his tenure.

Of course, it is my opinion that the credit for these championships should go to the individual teams rather than a person who sits behind a desk all day. Otherwise, we might as well say that a city’s mayor is responsible for every “A” student’s earn in a school in that city.

However, this isn’t how I’ll remember Hansen’s body of work. I’ll remember how he perennially kept the Men’s Basketball tournament in Los Angeles even though there are NBA arenas in every state in the conference. I’ll remember how he kept the conference’s deal with Fox Sports Network rather than making a deal with ESPN for more national exposure, a move that has hindered the Heisman chances of any football player outside of Los Angeles and a move that has lessened the amount of Pac-10 teams that make the NCAA Men’s Basketball field each year. Finally, I’ll remember him most for his staunch support of the BCS (a system that has screwed the 2001 Ducks, 2003 Trojans, 2004 Bears, and 2005 Ducks, teams in his OWN CONFERENCE) and how he squashed talk of a playoff in college football at every opportunity.

For me, Hansen’s parting is just sweet and there is no sorrow.

As always, feel free to post comments with questions or concerns. I’d be curious to see what others think about the upcoming College World Series or Hansen’s retirement.