Making Tuesday Fun Since 2006!

***
--- ESPN's Bruce Feldman lists the top 10 blunders in college football history.  Later in the same article Feldman remembers former LSU standout Marquise Hill who drowned this week.

Feldman's No. 2 choice is interesting:

2. Howard Schnellenberger bolts for the USFL

I would add USC's decision not to retain Norm Chow as offensive coordinator after the 2004 season as another all-time blunder.  That decision may have left two championships on the table and the possibility of a historic four-peat.

Also: Friday Mailbag.  Early signing period, Hawaii's 2007 schedule, 2007 expectations for Alabama, east coast/NYC football fans, Mario Cristobal's impact at FIU, Limas Sweed and 2007 expectations for Minnesota football.

--- ESPN's Ivan Maisel continues last week's "Broyle-ing Point" series about the mess at Arkansas, examining the school's search for a new athletic director and strained relations with the people of Northwest Arkansas.

--- ESPN's Pat Forde pens a lengthy salute to outgoing Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles.

--- ESPN's Mark Schlabach documents the debate within the SEC over an early signing period.

Florida coach Urban Meyer voiced concerns about the early signing period because it would reduce the time he would have to get to know a recruit.

"Everybody wants to speed this thing up," Meyer said. "I'd rather have it happen later. I want to quit making mistakes. I think making a mistake in recruiting devastates a program."

It's unfair for a recruit to sign with a school and then watch its coach leave after a hypothetical early signing day in December.  If we want early signing periods we need to match them with rules allowing recruits to leave situations like a coaching change.

Also: news and notes from the SEC meetings.

--- CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd takes an inside look at the Michigan program and coach Lloyd Carr as he appears headed towards the finish line of his coaching career.

--- The Sporting News' Matt Hayes writes pretty good isn't good enough for four prominent coaches.

Also: Inside Dish.  The early signing period and the SEC, Zach Frazer's imminent transfer from Notre Dame and new North Carolina starting quarterback T.J. Yates.

There were some contentious moments last week when SEC coaches voted against an early signing period. Says one league coach: "We had a chance to change policy; everyone else in the country would've followed. Unfortunately, there are a few of us who want to push the envelope every year and see how much they can get away with."

Gee, ya think that coach was talking about Urban Meyer?  Naahhhh.  That said, I tend to lean against an early signing period.  It has its bad consequences not only for coaches but the athletes themselves.

--- The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart breaks down the Pac-10 schedules.

Also: breaking down the nonconference BCS games.

--- Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan opens the mailbag.  Topics include Houston Nutt's future at Arkansas, expectations for Ole Miss, Tim Tebow's 2007 season, Boise State's future, Miami's future, West Virginia's title chances this year and Florida State's title chances.

--- Rivals.com's Steve Megargee ranks the 2007 schedules of the 21 non-BCS teams that earned a bowl bid last year (No's 11 thru 21).

--- CSTV's Trev Alberts opens the mailbag and answers questions about expectations at Nebraska (lengthy response!), his playoff thoughts and the country's best uniforms.

--- CSTV's Adam Caparell looks ahead to break down 2007 college football's second week of action in his Weekly Planner (see Week I here).

--- Sun Sports TV's Whit Watson has his take on college football's playoff talk.  My response from Monday can be seen here.

--- USA Today's Kelly Whiteside writes about the fallout from last year's turmoil at Arkansas.

Offered without commentary:

Given all the controversy, Arkansas' run-oriented offense and Malzahn's decision to take a job at Tulsa, Mustain asked for his release. "I tried to convince him to stay through the spring (with the team)," Nutt says. "I think he thought about it, but, really, deep down inside, his mother wanted him to leave."

"That's interesting," says Mustain's mother, Beck Campbell, an Arkansas graduate, when told of Nutt's comment. "Mitchell would have been a fourth-generation graduate. We did everything thing in our power to keep him here."

Campbell declined to discuss the details of the difficult times at Arkansas but says when her son told her he was leaving, she cried all day. "He felt he didn't have a choice," she says.

--- Count Austin-American Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls as another playoff proponent.

--- The Mobile Register's Paul Finebaum says this year's Iron Bowl means much more for Alabama than Auburn.

The article is about Alabama (I promise), but the Auburn-focused lead is worth a quotebox here:

While the Iron Bowl always seems like Armageddon to the fans of both Alabama and Auburn, it's possible this year's game will hold even more meaning -- if that's remotely possible.

For Tommy Tuberville, it's one more opportunity to press and twist his foot on the throat of the Alabama Nation, not only taking the winning streak over the Tide to a mind-blowing six games (and a second hand of fingers), but to stretch his career mark against Nick Saban to 4-2.

That would look pretty snazzy on the morning of Nov. 25 to Tuberville, who lately has come off as the Rodney Dangerfield of state coaches. It will likely be noted that Tuberville makes only half of what the great Saban makes.

***
To read articles and blog entries from many other college football writers, be sure and visit CFR's "The Punditry" links.  You can either bookmark that link or find it via CFR's College Football Links section on the menu at left.