Man in the Hat media

  The Southeastern Conference is set to become the first super conference in the NCAA, if a recent report from the Houston Chronicle   is to be believed. Brent Zwernaman   penned the exclusive report about the potential move of Big 12 heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. As expected with such reporting,  Oklahoma, Texas and the SEC peddled the usual public relations, political "we can neither confirm nor deny your report" line. Reports claim both schools are set to inform the Big 12 of intent to leave. This move would be a landmark move in NCAA football, but it leaves a multitude of questions. From a brand standpoint, it gives the SEC two more historical blue bloods, further expands the TV market into Texas and Oklahoma and adds two of the more profitable properties.  For the two schools, it is a smart business move for them to get in on the SEC profit sharing.  For the purists, this also reignites the Texas vs. Texas A&M rivarly.  But,...

It is no secret America, the world really, is sports crazy. But that crazy has been outplayed by the hysteria that is the Corona virus, known as COVID-19. Originating in Wuhan, China, the virus has seemingly spread all over the world, and does not appear to be stopping soon. Click here for a full background on COVID Though it started in 2019, effects weren't really felt on a widespread level in the United States until March of this year. It began slowly, but on the week of March 9, things seemingly exploded with confirmed cases across the country. What has followed has been a mix of misinformation, hysteria and general confusion. Since this is a blog focusing on sports, I'm straying away from the political side of things, but just for clarity, this situation has been woefully mishandled. It is a tough scenario, without question, but leadership is lacking at multiple levels. I believe John Oliver said it best. "Don't be complacent, but don't be an idio...

The Southeastern Conference is seeing a major upgrade in coaching this offseason, specifically in the Western division. On January 9 it was reported Mike Leach was leaving Washington State for Mississippi State, ending an eight-year run in Pullman with a 55-47 record. Factor in his work at Texas Tech and making that program relevant from 2000-2009, and leadership in Starkville made a great hire. Leach highlights a bevy of coaching moves, joining new Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin (another good hire) and Arkansas' Sam Pittman (a questionable hire). Pittman's hire does look a little better with the addition of Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator, and Auburn adding Chad Morris as its offensive coordinator. On paper the SEC West looks loaded with some strong offensive minds joining the two powerhouses of Alabama and LSU. It also came out that Washington State may not be looking too long, and rumors are Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain is the favorite there. Mc...

Nation, we have a Heisman winner. His name, Joe Burrow...or is it Burreaux? Burrow had a stellar season for the LSU football team. His 4,715 passing yards and nation-leading 48 passing touchdowns made him an easy favorite to win the Heisman trophy. In all honesty, the Heisman award is ridiculous. Not that it honors the nation's top player, no, those gentleman have earned the acclaim. It is merely a vessel to get ratings and eventually give the award to (usually) the quarterback of the best perceived team. In Burrow's defense, he likely is the best QB in the nation. At worst, he is top three and will likely be getting a sizable payday from the NFL in the upcoming draft. So, in honor of the pure jocularity of the award, here are the first, and likely last, annual Lake Report awards for top award-winners deserving of awards. The Brett Favre award Brett Favre is a Hall of Famer from his time with the Green Bay Packers. He was a true gunslinger who would fit in with toda...

It was announced by the NCAA that the men's basketball tournament will expand to 96 teams . Here is a link to the Indianapolis Business Journal for more details. The actual vote for this is still three weeks away , but all signs point that this will go through. Though I am not a fan of this, it does have merit. More teams equals more games The overall product won't be watered down , just the first round. Missed class time won't be a problem. They will miss a maximum of one extra day. The extra revenue will help fund non-revenue sports , such as track and field, tennis, etc. As I have stated in an earlier post, I was not a fan of expansion, for the simple reason I think the tournament lasts long enough, and by April, I'm ready for baseball and Opening Day (which should be a National holiday). This has a good chance of taking effect in the 2011 tournament. This won't diminish the importance of the regular season, it will enhance it. Now, the regular season conferenc...

How bout those Longhorns knocking off Oklahoma? How bout Miss. State coming up and biting the Vanderbilt Commodores in the butts? How bout the Tarheels taking down the Fighting Irish? And did I mention the firings of Auburn coordinator Tony Franklin, and Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden? And they ask why college football is so addictive. Upsets occur every week, and this coming week will probably do the same. Headliners this week are South Carolina vs LSU in the SEC, and Virginia Tech vs Boston College in the ACC. It is Tigers for Cocks, and a rematch of the ACC Title game last season. As TO says, "Get your popcorn ready." VS Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2) South Carolina is coming off a 24-17 come from behind win over the Kentucky Wildcats. A drive that was led by freshman QB Stephen Garcia (23-for-35, 300 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), who gets his first career start this week (much to the chagrin of the Carolina faithful). Garcia will lead an offense that is still finding itself with Kenny Mc...

Roll Tide! And did they ever against Georgia last week. Clemson, more precisely Tommy Bowden, let me down last week with poor clock management as they lost to a resilient Maryland team. It was also a wild week across the country for Top 10 teams: So Cal lost to JaQuizz Rodgers and Oregon State , Florida lost to Mississippi, along with other upsets. Will this week stack up to last week in excitement and unpredictability? More importantly, how will I fare this week, after going a lackluster 11-6? VS #19 Commodores (4-0, 2-0) Vanderbilt is what you call a run first team. They are averaging 202 yards on the ground, but just a mere 80 yards passing, but are putting 30 points/game on the board. Quarterback Chris Nickson ( 30-for-52 292 yards, 3 TDs) is Mr. Everything for the 'Dores. Along with his arm, he is second on the team in rushing with 56 carries for 270 yards and 5 TDs. Runningback Jared Hawkins (67 carries, 314 yards, 3 TDs) leads the team in rushing. There is ...