Pundit Roundup

--- ESPN's Bruce Feldman is busy with his upcoming recruiting book but adds his top ten candidates from this year's ballot for the college football hall of fame.  Here's the full ballot.  Yes, Gino Torretta is on the list.  Remember this is about college performance.

--- ESPN's Ivan Maisel checks in with likely LSU starting quarterback Matt Flynn who has waited four years to be the teams' number one quarterback.

Also: the game's racial evolution through the prism of Tim Brewster's coaching staff at Minnesota.

"I went out to hire the best coaches," Brewster said. "I wanted strong role models for my players. It just so happens that six of them are minorities."

If it just so happens that Brewster hired them, why did he volunteer the information?

(Excuse me -- let me stuff the cynic back into his cave.)

Because it's smart. Minnesota needs to attract attention for being progressive. That's the whole point of changing coaches. Brewster's ability to restore Minnesota at the top of the Big Ten -- that's right, kids; once upon a time, Minnesota ruled the league -- will depend in part on keeping top-quality talent at home.

It will take time. Ask Greg Schiano, who is just beginning to make ripples in the New Jersey talent pool after six years.

Usually when I write about the race of coaches, I get e-mail asking why it matters. My answer is that the racial gap is still noticeable. It is narrowing. Black head coaches are still noticeable. The number of black coordinators has increased enough that I can't name them off the top of my head anymore. That's progress.

The race of a quarterback doesn't get noticed anymore. That subject, thank goodness, is relegated to history books.

A generation ago, coaching staffs had one, maybe two black assistants. Now, two is noticeably few. It is newsworthy that Minnesota has six minority assistants. There will be a day when that's not noticeable, either.

I should also mention that Minnesota gave Brewster $1.9 million to hire assistant coaches.  Remember what I said last week about UCLA?  If they ever want to get serious about their football team they'll learn from Minnesota.  They certainly haven't taken lessons from the team across town that just so happens to be a member of college football's Holy Trinity.

--- CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd writes about Alabama receiver Tyrone Prothro's long road back to football.  He's just as elusive off the field as he used to be on it.

--- The Sporting News' Matt Hayes calls Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee the "Anti-Heisman" candidate, whatever that means.  Credit to him for playing with a torn triceps muscle in his throwing arm.

There is also this interesting note about the Aggie offense buried in the article:

Later this month, the Aggies will begin spring practice, and Franchione wants the offense to become more diverse. The passing game will expand to include intermediate and deep throws, and the staff has added a new wrinkle to the scheme: Redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Johnson, a Vince Young clone at 6-6, 225, will have a Tebow-like role in the offense.

--- The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart says "save the Orange Bowl".

Old stadia get a bad rep sometimes.  When I was living in California I never passed up an opportunity to hit up the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Coliseum or Qualcomm (formerly Jack Murphy) Field.  Those places all lack any modern comfort but ooze history.  They've been through the battles and have held together better than most old stadia but take a beating from visiting fans and pampered local media.  However there's just something quite comforting about all of them, like being in the entryway to an ancient cathedral.

I have not been in the Orange Bowl but if Dienhart's sticking up for it the place must have similar, underappreciated charms.  Do any of you readers have a favorite, maligned old stadium worth sticking up for?  Feel free to comment below.

Also: all the top quarterback battles this year.

--- The Mobile Register's Paul Finebaum goes game-by-game with Auburn in 2007, predicting a 9-3 record and another victory over Alabama.

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Comments

[Stephen Kim]

When I read my TSN issue and saw where Matt Hayes compared Jerrod Johnson to Vince Young, I shat myself. Johnson is nowhere near as mobile as Young. Other than size and the fact that they both were good basketball players from Houston, they have nothing else in common.