Head Coach Jeff Tedford has taken Cal and absolutely splattered them all over the national college football scene. There’s just no way you can ignore them anymore. Not while Tedford keeps doing what he’s doing.

Tedford has lead Cal to a string of 4 bowl games in a row. It’s the first time Cal has ever been to 4 straight bowl games, and it sure looks like they’ll add to that record for at least the next few years. So long as they can keep Tedford a) happy and b) employed at Cal. The guy’s a big name on a lot of coaching search lists. Cal locked him up with a 5 year contract in 2004, but every contract has buy-outs. Cal seems eager to keep the coach, but if he keeps this up, they may not be able to afford him one day.

Anyway, until then, Tedford’s going to keep creating prolific offenses at Cal, and this year should be no exception.

Offense: They lose the awesome Marshawn Lynch at running back, but whoever replaces him should have a relatively unstacked defense to contend with as Cal returns veteran QB Nate Longshore and their top 3 wide receivers. They’re going to put up points. They do have a new guy under the title of “OC,” but I’m not sure that matters as long as Tedford is around.

Defense: And they’ll need those points, because the defense returns only 5 starters, and of the 6 losses, 3 of them were #1, #2, and #3 in tackles in 2006. That’s called losing your core. That’s pretty tough. Still, the coaching staff has a bit of a reputation of coaching up young talent quickly, so they may be okay.

Special Teams: Excellent kicking specialists. But they do lose Lynch here as well, so they’ll need to do some reworking on their return units.

Facts:

• Tedford was PAC10 COY in his first season at Cal and again in 2004.
• Tedford’s first 3 years are considered the best years in Cal football since the 1950s.
• Former player DeSean Jackson won the first ever Randy Moss Returnman Trophy. Can you believe they still name that thing after Randy Moss?

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 11
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 14
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 12.75

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• The Northeast half of California Memorial Stadium is actually shifting to the Southwest at a rate of 1 cm/yr because the stadium sits atop a fault line called “The Hayward Fault.” (source) Note to self: Don’t attend any Cal games until after “The Big One.”

Around the Web:

• Cal Golden Bears Football News
• Sturdy Golden Blog

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Says:

I’m looking for these guys to make some real noise in the PAC 10. And, by default, if they do that, that means threatening SoCal. And that means making a big splash on the national scene. I wouldn’t be surprised to find them in the top 8 at the end of the year, but probably not as high as the top 3.

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I don’t know who Notre Dame is using to replace REDACTED as the Athletic Director after we fired him, but this seems like a pretty good first step in the right direction for the new AD. Way to go, new guy!

The University of Notre Dame and University of Michigan athletic departments announced jointly on Monday a 20-year contract extension in the Notre Dame-Michigan football series, extending the series from 2012-31. With the current contract expiring after the 2011 season, the new contract guarantees that the two winningest football programs in NCAA Division I history will meet annually for the next 25 years.

Before I get too excited, though, I’d like to know who gets the first home game of the new agreement.

Suddenly, that 2012 schedule is looking pretty sweet. I have no love for the Skunkbears, and even less respect, but I’ve always been a sucker for fights between the forces of good and evil, even if the evil forces are just a bunch of irritating Skunkbears.

UPDATE:  Now that I think on this more, 20 years is a long time.  If it were I at position of AD, this would be my way of telling the big 10 to suck it.  We don’t need you.  We’re already guaranteed 25 more years of playing one of your 2 top tier teams.  We’ll be playing Michigan long after the Big Ten and your network go kaput.  That said, this may just be a way of REDACTED tying ND even closer to the Big Televen.  So we’ll hold our breaths a little bit.

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Bill Walsh, a legendary football coach of both the NFL and Collegiate ranks, has passed away.

I don’t really know a ton about the man, but I do feel I have a great deal of appreciation for the innovation he brought to the game of football.  And if I had to guess, I’d guess he was a pretty darn good guy too.

As most of you probably know, Walsh invented the “West Coast Offense,” that just about the entire football world tried to copy and/or adapt to their own needs starting in the 80s and right up through today.  When you watch Charlie Weis’ use of timing routes and clever screens involving an unusually athletic fullback as the primary receiver, you’re seeing some of Walsh’s legacy come to life.

Some of you may also recall that Walsh provided commentary for some of NBC’s early coverage of Notre Dame home games.
Goodbye, Bill.  Thanks for everything.

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Of all the teams in the country that I’d really like to see Notre Dame play in the near future, Georgia is probably #1. Not because I hold any animosity towards them, but because they’re a bit of a curiosity to me. They’re Georgia, and for a guy like me who had a childhood like mine, that means they’re good. And that they’re always going to be good. So if that hold true, and, clearly, all anecdotal evidence from my childhood holds true, then I’d like to see Notre Dame, when we’re really good, say, 2008 or 2009, play Georgia. Besides, how often have you ever seen Georgia above the Mason Dixon? Answer: Never. Why? Because, yep, they’re still pissed about Lincoln.

Last year they went 9-4 and finished #23 in the AP poll. Their struggles were largely due to the fact that they had only 9 returning starters in 2006, and none of them played QB. As a result, they made Colorado look formidable and managed to lose to Vanderbilt. They also got creamed by Tennessee. Despite that, they made a bowl game (where they beat VaTech) and managed to destroy Auburn late in the year (which, of course, earns them points with God). This year, things look up, as they get 11 starters back (ok, maybe that’s not a ton better than 9), including a more seasoned Matt “Howitzer” Stafford at QB.

Offense: This crowd usually fields a very good offensive line, and that should be the case again here, but they’re also utilizing a new Offensive Line coach, so color me skeptical. Stafford is a real talent, but I reserve my judgment until he starts to show how good his own judgment can be.

Defense: Only 4 returning starters here could make things interesting. The offense was so, uh, “difficult” last year that these guys essentially had to win a lot of games. This year, the roster is full of really talented guys, but some inexperience will cost them.

Special Teams: Excellent. Very good kicking specialists, and one of the most consistently great punt return units of the last, eh, 5 years or so.

Facts:

• Georgia is 25-2 in non-conference games since Richt took over, and the two losses came in bowl games. This year, Georgia opens up with Oklahoma State.
• Herschel Walker had five-thousand two-hundred and fifty-nine freaking yards rushing during his rather short career at Georgia.
• Georgia has one consensus national championship (1980).

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 9
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 16
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 12.75

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• The famous “hedges” that the Bulldogs play between in all of their home games initially served as crowd controlling borders between fans and players.

Around the Web:

• Hey Jenny Slater*
• Georgia Sports Blog
• Dawgbone.net

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:

Ask again later. This is a tough one to call. Mark Richt certainly seems to know a thing or two about coaching a football team, and lord knows this squad has a ton of talent on the roster, but the lack of experience is bound to be exploited by somebody, especially in the SEC, where old football coaches like to make young men look really stupid utilizing something like the jump pass, or, perhaps, an old pee-wee football favorite like this…

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Enjoy.

“…try putting together an appealing independent football schedule without MSU, Michigan, Purdue and the occasional Ohio State and Penn State, on it.”

AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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Go Ahead, prove me wrong.

The Round Up:

• If REDACTED reads this blog, I’ll bet he’s all, “What up now!?” To which I’m all, “Bummer there probably wont be any good games on the 2012 home schedule, REDACTED.”
• We’re not the only ones who are not impressed.
• One thing Ron Zook has always been able to do, inexplicably, is recruit. This fact is lost on many Bama fans.
• It’s synergy! Synergy, I tell ya! We should discuss it more offline!
• Did they let REDACTED do this guy’s background check too?
• Most of the PAC-10 to the rest of the world: “Blow the whistle! Blow the whistle!“

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1000s of college football recruits ask, “Who?”

Looks like Randy Shannon, while trying to tame some of the issues with Miami’s football program, also wants to revive some of the heyday too.  So he’s asked Luther Campbell, formerly of The 2 Live Crew, to start appearing on the sidelines during games again.

I wonder how effective this move will be in returning some of the star power to Miami football considering The 2 Live Crew released “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” in 1988, before some of the kids currently being recruited by major football programs were even born.  Maybe the move is aimed more at the recruits’ parents.

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Dear Kevin,

You’re fired.

Granted, I do not hold any official affiliation with the University of Notre Dame beyond being an alumnus, but you’re fired nonetheless. From this point forward, HerLoyalSons.com will not recognize you as the Athletic Director of the University of Notre Dame. And while we may continue to discuss the office of the Athletic Director of the University of Notre Dame, we will no longer refer to you personally. Merely on principle, you do not deserve the distinction, and now that you’re fired, it’s simply impractical to supply you with that distinction.

Knowing full well that an Athletic Director, even one with your mind-blowing ineptitude for contract negotiations, would have some clause in his or her contract about only eliminating you from the payroll for cause, we supply you with these items:

• The stupefying way in which you handled the elimination of Bob Davie from the position of Head Football Coach, University of Notre Dame.
• The pain you put the Notre Dame Football Program through as you handled the search for a new Head Coach of Football with all the competence of a McDonald’s Drive-Thru Cashier who can’t figure out the illustrated buttons on his register.
• The embarrassment you brought on the University of Notre Dame, its students, faculty, staff, and alumni when it was discovered that you did, in fact, not actually do your freaking job and make sure George O’Leary’s resume wasn’t a total lie before announcing him as Head Coach, Notre Dame Football.
• The hurried, and pathetic way in which you let Tyrone Willingham con you into believing that “you need him” as the Head Football Coach of the University of Notre Dame.
• The profoundly myopic new deal you agreed to with the BCS, essentially costing the program money (your golden god, ironically), every time our miraculously competent new coaching staff leads the Notre Dame football team to a BCS game.
• The way you acted like a 4 year old child with a tendency to avoid confrontation when it became clear to all involved with Notre Dame that Tyrone Willingham had no business coaching the Notre Dame Football Program, or any other Football Program for that matter.
• The bush-league “Sunday-Friday” comments about Tyrone Willingham, that equated Notre Dame, a place for which you do not hold any real love, to so many “football factories,” and gave every two-bit journalist and columnist the juiciest sound-byte for which they could have ever dreamed.
• The miserable execution on your part in replacing Tyrone Willingham, including, but not limited to the laughable way you handled the Urban Meyer situation, the lack of fore-thought and planning that went into your coaching search, and the fact that Florida wasn’t just a few days ahead of you, but darn near an entire season ahead of you.
• The shoddy introduction of Coach Weis as our head coach, including the fact that the “ND” backdrop looked like it had just been removed from it’s plastic pouch, unfolded, and hung up behind Weis 10 minutes before the presser. Did it smell mildewy too? I’ve got 15 year old camping tarps that look better.
• The insistence that Notre Dame is in the midst of an “arms race” with other programs, without any recognition on your part that, while technically that may be true, Notre Dame is still Notre Dame, and what makes Notre Dame special is also what allows Notre Dame to participate in that arms race without having to lower itself to some “level playing field” in which Notre Dame Stadium would ever need box seats or a jumbotron.
• Failing in the so-called “brand management” arena, and allowing Adidas to hold Michigan as a “most favored nation.”
• (Update: Apparently the Michigan AD “gets it” when it comes to doing his job.)
• Q: How important was the favored program clause? Martin: Very important, if they raise the cap. They may say, hey, no problem, we’re not going to pay anybody else any more than this. I don’t know. But over an 8-year period, there’s a chance that will happen. I couldn’t get that from Nike. I wanted it, and they said they would guarantee we’d have the highest contract at the time the contract was signed.

  Q: It’s interesting to me how much that particular clause has meant to your fans. It’s gotten a lot of buzz.

  Martin: Did it? That’s a pride factor. Nobody is going to be better than us. I’m glad they recognize that, because it was important to me. It makes me feel like I did my job.

• The utter failure to realize that “barnstorming” doesn’t mean heading off to some neutral field, insisting on controlling the gate and TV revenue, and playing shoddy, back-water teams which only open you up to the potential of losing to those shoddy, back-water teams, thus leveling more embarrassment upon a program that you neither love nor “get.”

That last item is, ultimately, the straw that effectively buried an already dead, decimated, and decaying camel. Your only motivation is money, and this 7-4-1 schedule system, where we play one “neutral” site a year, is transparent to the point that even a Michigan grad can see right through it. Your intent isn’t to help recruiting, or the program’s exposure, or fans’ and the alumni’s ability to see a Notre Dame game. All you see are dollar signs. And, as with just about everything you’ve done at Notre Dame, you’ve handled this with a clumsy hand and a near-sighted vision. Why can’t we work out a deal to play the real behemoths of the college football world in these “barnstorming” games? What, we actually need the money? One of the highest value brands in the entire sports world couldn’t afford to split ticket money and TV revenue to effectively create, and place itself into, an annual “must see” game? That wouldn’t help recruiting? That wouldn’t provide the Notre Dame brand with an extra boost? Have you no idea how much begrudging respect that sort of behavior would derive from the rest of the sporting world?

The first response you’d probably have to this idea is that “it can’t be done.” And then you’d throw out contractual obligations, league rules, etc… as excuses. But that’s the very heart of your problem, and what has ultimately gotten you fired. You’ve approached pretty much every dealing with any party as the beggar. I can’t think of a single time you’ve stood up and said, “We’re Notre Dame, dammit, and if you want to get to work with us, you’ll work by our terms. Otherwise, go screw yourself. We’ll just take the next person in line.”

And as a result, Mr. White, you’re fired.

Thanks and have a nice day,

Management

Her Loyal Sons

PS – Before you check with HR to see how much vacation time you’ve got accumulated, remember saying this?

“We’re not looking to play any more heavyweights. We have enough on the schedule. We have to have a schedule that’s conducive to success. Take a look at the people who are winning national titles in the last five, six years, and look at their strength of schedules. That’s the kind of schedule we need to emulate. We don’t need to schedule over the top. To have the No. 1-2-3 strength of schedule and finish 15th or 18th in the country is not what we’re trying to do. We need to schedule in a way to put us in position to win national championships. We could have a great football team and schedule ourselves out of a national championship. That last time I checked, the most important thing here is to win national championships.”

I’d say you’ve taken all your vacation time in La La Land, Kev. Go look at our future schedules, consider the “reality of the landscape” for a moment, and realize how laughable this statement is. Not only do you not understand Notre Dame, you don’t understand how the rest of the college football world, including the media and poll voters, regards Notre Dame.

We fixed the glitch.

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From ESPN’s declaration that Troy Smith was God’s gift to football, to Ted Ginn Sr. actually entering the national college football fan consciousness, to Sweatervest McCheatypant’s efforts to look like some sort of father figure, and, of course, their fan base’s ability to remind one of the scene with all the locusts from Exorcist, there is perhaps no team in the Top 25 that earns more scorn than Ohio State.

This year they must replace the man, the myth, the legend: Troy Smith. How this will be done is anyone’s guess. How do you replace a deity? They also have to replace 5 other guys on offense that weren’t made into golden gods. So don’t expect them to continue an offensive production of about 30+ points a game from last year. No. I expect a much more Krenzelian performance from this year’s Ohio State offense.

Offense: Smith is gone. So are their 2 top wide receivers, and their top rusher. Plus they lost about half of their starting experience on the O-Line. Good luck.

Defense: Then again, maybe they don’t need luck. Maybe they’ll just win a lot of games 3-0. And they could, because of their defense. Last year, everyone was talking about how on earth they were going to manage with just 2 returning starters. They managed just fine, allowing a pretty awesome 12.8 points per game. This year, they get back 6 starters. I wonder if they can average fewer than 10. If they manage to stay away from Florida, probably.

Special Teams: No more Ted “Sidelines!” Ginn, Jr. He’s off reviving the Miami Dolphins franchise. There goes the NCAA record 8 TD returns. They do get all their kicking specialists back, and they’re all pretty good.

Facts:

• Ohio State and Youngstown State will meet for the first time this year. It was Cheaty’s idea. Way to go after that 1AA blood, guys!
• That defensive average of allowing just 12.8 points per game includes the last 2 games where Ohio State gave up 80 points total.
• Andy Katzenmoyer, winner of the 1997 Butkus Award, is no longer a pro football player and is still working on his degree from Ohio State. I wonder if he’s passed golf.

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 10
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 20
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 13

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• He doesn’t, but here’s a very good recipe for buckeyes.

Around the Web:

• Around the Oval
• Buckeye Commentary

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:

This is a rebuilding year for the Bucks, but I don’t think it’ll be too much of a downer. Any time you’ve got pretty good special teams and excellent defense, you’ve got a shot. No matter how much I hope God eventually smites Cheatypants, I don’t think we’ll see them under 9 wins for the season, but I’m not convinced they win the Big 10. Their offensive problems, coupled with some capability on the parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State might prevent that.

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Matt Leinart is not a very good father. For one, he reportedly gives the wife mother of his child, Brynn Cameron, 6,000 dollars a month and supplies her with a car. That sounds like a lot of money until you think about the cash this dude is pulling in. Then you realize it would be like me supplying my baby momma with 2 tootsie rolls and a chicklet every month, and wondering why the baby’s always hungry. I mean, consider how much some in his inevitable posse are free-loading from the guy, and consider that they’ve never given Matt a child as far as we know. But hey, at least the momma has got the sense to sue the pappa.

Further, Matt Leinart isn’t a very involved father either.

“It’s kind of hard for me as the mom, I’m with Cole” – her 9-month-old son with Matt Leinart – “probably 99.9 percent of the time, to open a magazine or read a newspaper article with Matt saying something like, ‘Oh, I love being a dad. I love changing diapers. I love doing this.’ I’m like, Wait, what?” Cameron said.

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A jury decided against Coach Weis in his malpractice suit against 2 doctors he felt had botched a procedure that nearly left him dead when complications arose.

I don’t actually know enough specifics to have any opinion on the decision. Frankly (and speaking selfishly), I’m just glad that it’s over with, so it wont serve as any sort of distraction for Coach Weis during the season.

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Having never met anything about which he would not whine and complain, Tummy Tuberville has had himself quite a career. Whether it’s moaning about the BCS, or just how gosh darn hard the over-hyped SEC may be, Tommy always finds a way to play victim despite having won 5 of the last 7 SEC West championships. (Note to Tommy: That doesn’t sound like a very balanced division.)

This year may be different. And while we probably ranked Auburn this high on mostly reputation, it looks like there’s a 50/50 chance that Auburn’s domination of the SEC West could come to a bit of an end as they look to have just 12 returning starters, including probably the least experienced offensive line in Tommy’s tenure. They also find themselves playing at Florida, LSU, and Georgia this year – a bit trickier than last year’s set-up, thru which they went 11-2.

Offense: Brandon Cox figures to start at QB this year, as he did last, but to say the guy is injury prone is an understatement. A career 59% passer, Cox is still trying to fill Jason Cambell’s big shoes. They have a bevy of talent at RB (as they almost always do), and a talented, though not easily recognized, squad at receiver.

Defense: Keep an eye out for a guy named Quentin Groves. He’s just 4 short of the Auburn all-time career sacks record. Still, despite some real talent on this squad, they need to shore up their rushing defense a bit, looking particularly week in 2006.

Special Teams: A BIG question mark. In sum, they must replace a kicker that had 51 touchbacks in 66 kick-offs, a punter with a 45.7 yard average, and a place kicker that hit 20 of 24 with a long of 55 last season. Watch these stats closely this year.

Facts:

• The Tigers return 5 starters on offense and 7 on defense.
• They barely beat Nebraska in the Cotton bowl last year (score: 17-14)
• Last year, they won 5 games by a TD or less.
• In 2006, the Tigers beat National Champs Florida 27-17, but lost to unranked Georgia 15-37

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 12
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 20
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 15.5

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• Auburn University is the first land grant colleg in “the South.”

Around the Web:

• Football Saturday in the South
• The Auburner

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:

Expect a lot of whining. A lot. Having to play LSU, Florida, and Georgia all on the road is the perfect storm for the sort of person like Tommy Tuberville. There’s no denying that those 3 teams are and should be quite good, but, ya know what, Tommy, a lot of teams not named Michigan have to play tough teams during the season. We can’t all schedule Akron. I doubt Tommy can win another SEC West championship this year, unless that “enormous parity” in the division spells out a lot of teams beating each other in poorly played football games.

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Holy Crap, we will kill everyone! Seriously, have you seen our recruiting haul? Have you ever been so impressed? Why am I talking like Chandler from “Friends?” Should I be embarrassed to have watched that show?

Anyway, Steve Filer, 5-star linebacker from Chicago, has decided that he will spend 4 years at Notre Dame shutting down opposing offenses and winning over the hearts and minds of the nation on NBC.

This is a huge get for the Irish. They’ve all been huge gets this year. I’m so excited, I just head-butted my neighbor’s kid (not allowed to have dogs in the apartment).

Welcome to the family, Steve!

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Louisville first came onto my radar (and I’m sure many others) back when they became “the little team that almost beat Miami” back when Miami was still in the Big East, and it actually sorta meant something to be able to beat Miami.

Much of the buzz behind this program was courtesy of their very own “mad scientist” head coach, Bobby Petrino. And when Bobby decided to move up in the world, and work on solving the Michael Vick as a NFL QB conundrum (interesting solution, Bobby), the team seemed to take a hit in the glam department. There were even rumors that highly talented QB Brian Brohm would split for the NFL because of this development. But new HC, Steve Kragthorpe, took a page right out of the Arkansas HR management playbook, and stemmed the tide of NFL defections by hiring Brian’s brother Jeff as his co-OC (read: Not really calling plays. At least, not on his own.).

Offense: They get 8 starters back, most importantly Brohm. The way the offense ran last year, if the new coaching staff just “don’t fix what ain’t broke,” this squad should have no problem putting up points. They do, however, lose Michael Bush (out most of last year with injury).

Defense: They were surprisingly good last year, despite their Big East reputation, giving up fewer than 17 per game. They get only 6 starters back from that squad, however.

Special Teams: They’ve got a kicker that recorded 21 touchbacks last year. I’m not sure ND’s had that many TBs in the last decade. They also get a new ST coach, Mark Nelson, with an excellen ST reputation.

Facts:

• Louisville went 12-1 last year. And, had they not essentially choked against Rutgers, would probably have faced what was an apparently “flat” Ohio State in the National Championship Game.
• Their kicker, Carmody, hasn’t missed a place kick since the 3rd game of 2006.
• When Bobby Petrino took over the HC job at Louisville, he had no HC experience. And neither of his coordinators had any coordinating experience.

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 13
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 23
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 16.25

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• An estimated 98,000 cars pass by Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium every day on I-65.

Around the Web:

• Fanblogs
• Papa John’s Pizza

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Says:

Remember when The Raiders made it to the Superbowl despite Nebraska’s current Head Coach taking over for Gruden(!)? I sort of think that could be the same type of thing that happens here. The new HC, Kragthorpe certainly seemed capable in his previous job at Memphis Tulsa, and if he’s smart enough to just let the well-oiled machine keep on churning for a year before he starts too much tinkering, they could very well burn thru the Big East and lay claim to an NC Bid, a BCS bid at the least.

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The Daywalker, has seen many things over the millenia. And he’s known among many cultures. In Eastern Europe, he was known as “Drago.” In South America, “The Great Bat.” And in the United States, he’s gone by the name “Joe Paterno” since well before Thomas Jefferson began making bold claims about man and their equality.

Today, Joe Paterno rules over a valley in Pennsylvania with an iron fist. But he’s a crafty one, and of late he’s been making sure that everyone start to wonder if maybe his grip is slipping, and he’s becoming a bit senile. For he must find a way to slip from the limelight long enough to take on a new guise and a new moniker, and he can’t do that if people really believe he’s still actually coaching the Penn State Football Team. Molting season is approaching. He must walk a tricky line to keep up illusions.

Still, while the Daywalker may outlive the legacy of “Joe Paterno,” it doesn’t mean the man has no pride in his work. He will continue to put just as much work into defeating his opponents on a football field as he once did placing the corpses of his enemies on pikes the height of 3 men so many years ago.

This year, all the pieces fall together for Penn State, as their QB, Morelli, will either prove that last year’s difficulties were all just because he was a freshman, or that he’s the dumbest QB in the Big Televen. Sit there for a moment and consider that possibility. Let it sink in.

Offense: As stated above, Anthony Morelli is back. And towards the end of the season, we started to get an inkling that he may just catch on to this game called college football well enough for his physical abilities to pay dividends. And they’d better, because last year he was a 54% passer with an 11-8 TD/INT ratio. While their receiving corps looks quite talented on paper, if their top-3 don’t shake their case of butterfingers real quick, they’re gonna have problmes.

Defense: They lose Paul Posluszny, but that may actually have happened last year with his injury troubles, so the jury is still out on how much his actual physical presence was missed. Don’t get me wrong, he was still better at, say, 80%, than most ever would be at 100%, but he was still never actually at the top of his game last year. Dan Connor remains, though he’s moving from OLB to MLB. The transition may take some time for Dan to grow accustom, but he’s still Dan Connor.

Special Teams: Hey, remember when Travis Thomas noticed something about Penn State’s punt return alignment, audibled for a fake punt, and then nearly took the ball to the house from about 50 yards out? Yeah, me too. That was great.

Facts:

• The Nits return 14 starters this year (8 on O, 6 on D).
• Jeremy Kapinos, their punter last year, set a school record for “most career punts” in 2006. A dubious honor, to be sure.
• Joe Paterno is #2 in the 1A All-Time career wins, losing, inevitably, to Bobby Bowden.

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 14
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 18
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 16.75

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• A “Nitanny Lion” is actually a regular old mountain lion that would inhabit a region of Pennsylvania known as Nittany Valley.

Around The Web:

• Black Shoe Diaries
• The Nittany Line

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Says:

The memory of the Daywalker is long, and his heart is black and cold. Nothing would please him more than to see his Enemies crushed, especially Notre Dame. That game worries and intrigues us a bit. We’ll be the ones with the green QB this go ’round, but we still hold faith that the forces of good will beat out the forces of evil that keep the Daywalker among us. However, with an insanely easy road schedule (only one game against what will probably be a ranked opponent this year (Michigan)), look for the Nits to do some damage in the Big 10.

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