College Football - 2023-2024 Version

[SoxJox]

The last "normal" (i.e., before all the conference realignments) season soon begins. The first pre-season poll is out.
From the Coaches Poll.

1​	Georgia	0-0​	1643​	61​	NR​	—​	1/1​
2​	Michigan	0-0​	1510​	0​	NR​	—​	2/2​
3​	Alabama	0-0​	1489​	4​	NR​	—​	3/3​
4​	Ohio State	0-0​	1485​	1​	NR​	—​	4/4​
5​	Louisiana State	0-0​	1294​	0​	NR​	—​	5/5​
6​	Southern California	0-0​	1228​	0​	NR​	—​	6/6​
7​	Penn State	0-0​	1181​	0​	NR​	—​	7/7​
8​	Florida State	0-0​	1145​	0​	NR​	—​	8/8​
9​	Clemson	0-0​	1078​	0​	NR​	—​	9/9​
10​	Tennessee	0-0​	991​	0​	NR​	—​	10/10​
11​	Washington	0-0​	941​	0​	NR​	—​	11/11​
12​	Texas	0-0​	848​	0​	NR​	—​	12/12​
13​	Notre Dame	0-0​	841​	0​	NR​	—​	13/13​
14​	Utah	0-0​	839​	0​	NR​	—​	14/14​
15​	Oregon	0-0​	820​	0​	NR​	—​	15/15​
16​	Texas Christian	0-0​	655​	0​	NR​	—​	16/16​
17​	Kansas State	0-0​	440​	0​	NR​	—​	17/17​
18​	Oregon State	0-0​	365​	0​	NR​	—​	18/18​
19​	Oklahoma	0-0​	320​	0​	NR​	—​	19/19​
20​	North Carolina	0-0​	315​	0​	NR​	—​	20/20​
21​	Wisconsin	0-0​	309​	0​	NR​	—​	21/21​
22​	Mississippi	0-0​	303​	0​	NR​	—​	22/22​
23​	Tulane	0-0​	225​	0​	NR​	—​	23/23​
24​	Texas Tech	0-0​	200​	0​	NR​	—​	24/24​
25​	Texas A&M	0-0​	196​	0​	NR​	—​	25/25​

 

[deanx0]

Is there a school with more unrealistic optimism every year than Texas A&M?

 

[grsharky7]

Is there a school with more unrealistic optimism every year than Texas A&M?

Notre Dame

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

This is Sark's make-or-break year. After home run recruiting classes the last two years he needs to win the Big XII at the very least. Anything less and a lot of us will be disappointed to see him return.

On the other hand it is always enjoyable to watch another aggy season go down like the Titanic.

 

[gmogmo]

Notre Dame

Notre Dame has finished higher than their preseason ranking in something like 4 of the last 5 years

 

[deanx0]

Notre Dame

I thought about them and Texas, but they don't seem to fail the way A&M does

 

[Dan Murfman]

No one does less with more than Texas

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

No one does less with more than Texas

I resemble that remark!

 

[SoxJox]

Never have so few been asked to do more for so many.

 

[SLC Sox]

I'm super bummed that this is the last season of the Pac 12 because it's shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. Four teams with great QBs who have legitimate hopes of winning the conference and an Oregon St. team that is right on the cusp. Damn this society of ours.

 

[cornwalls@6]

Notre Dame has finished higher than their preseason ranking in something like 4 of the last 5 years

13 seems about right for the Irish. I Love the Hartman transfer, talented RB group, veteran Oline. Receiving corps has talent, but not a lot of experience. Similar on defense, with some significant turnover, but with a couple of key front seven returnees in Bertrand and Kiser. I think Marcus really found his bearings as a game day coach late last year, hoping that carry’s over. Feels like a year that could break either way. 3 monsters on the schedule, but USC and Ohio State both in South Bend, with Clemson on the road in Nov. Can’t wait for 8/26 V Navy in Dublin.

 

[SoxJox]

This is a really great story about former Penn State running back Journey Brown, who had to retire after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes the walls of the heart to abnormally thicken. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can cause life-threatening irregular heart rhythms or sudden death.

In a very short career, Journey turned heads, concluding with a Penn State bowl record of 202 yards rushing in the Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis. Also, as mentioned in the article, he ran for the second most single-game rushing yards in national high school history - 722...and added 10 TDs for good measure. He also won the 2017 Class 3A PA state title in the 100-meter dash in a record 10.43 seconds. He broke a 32-year-old mark set by Leroy Burrell, who later won a gold medal with the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team at the 1992 Olympics.

Looks like he's found a home...in NASCAR, of all places.

At age 21, Brown had to suddenly figure out what he would do next. And his identity. He had been known as football player Journey Brown for so long that it seemed as if that was his full name. Without football, he was merely Journey Brown.

Shaun Peet, pit coach at Trackhouse Racing, had been told of a couple of athletes in the Northeast who could be possible pit crew candidates.

“We go after a certain type of person,” said Peet, who played minor league hockey before becoming a NASCAR pit crew member and then coach. “Something that matters a lot to us is kids that bring energy through the door.”

Peet was intrigued when he heard about Brown. He called and encouraged Brown to visit the team’s race shop in Concord, North Carolina.

“So he should be a millionaire and is not,” Peet said, alluding to the NFL career Brown was headed toward before his diagnosis. “He could look at the deck of cards that life handed him and be miserable and think ‘Oh, I should have been this, or I could have done this.’ And he dances through the front door every day. That is an amazing amount of perspective for a young man.

Questioned about Brown becoming the sport’s best tire changer, Peet admits that it’s too much pressure to put on Brown but says: “His goal is going to be one of the best in NASCAR.”

It’s something Brown could have never imagined thinking years ago. Instead, his focus was on football.

“When I was playing ball,” Brown said, “the way I felt with my body, my mental (outlook), I felt like I was Superman.

“But now when I have a heart condition and I know I have kind of limitations, so to speak, it’s more like (I’m) Batman, a more realistic type of superhero.”

Brown notes that Batman has to be more resourceful because he cannot match Superman’s abilities, but that doesn’t mean Batman can’t be impactful.

“I feel like for me, that’s what I do in my everyday life,” Brown said. “I just find new ways and strategies to tackle new challenges.”

 

[Ale Xander]

Aggy Micah Tease arrested on drug charges

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-am-aggies/2023/09/02/texas-am-wide-receiver-micah-tease-arrested-on-drug-charges/

 

[OCST]

Great story and I wish him success but being a NASCAR pit crew member hardly seems like a job that one could do with a heart condition that precludes football. If he were to have a cardiac event while changing a tire he’s not the only person who could lose their life.

 

[SoxJox]

@OCST From the article,

Brown can compete as a tire changer in NASCAR because medication regulates his heart rate. The work pit crew members do comes in short bursts.

 

[OCST]

I’m not a cardiologist. Glad he’s been able to find his way into something that brings him joy.

 

[canderson]

We probably need a portal thread - Ohio State and Oklahoma's starting QBs both entered it this morning. Along with the #1 recruit from last year that signed with A&M.

 

[ifmanis5]

Interesting, I was expecting Harrison Jr.
View: https://twitter.com/AP/status/1732808250117030382

BREAKING: Jayden Daniels, the dazzling quarterback for LSU, is the AP college football player of the year

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Early signing day tomorrow. Texas lining up another monster class, including two big portal signings in former Houston WR Matthew Golden and former Clemson S Andrew Mukuba. Sark just flipped five-star S Xavier Filsaime from Florida as well. Going to be a good day.

 

[Marciano490]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/college-football-clobbering-housing-markets-181305207.html

Interesting article on the effect of big time college football programs on affordable local housing. Essentially, investors buy up properties because short term rentals are so lucrative during the season that overall rents have become prohibitively expensive in what were previously more affordable towns.

 

[Humphrey]

A seaside community a good 75 miles north of Jacksonville is banged out the weeks before and after the Georgia/Florida game. I'm sure Savannah is as well, and that's another 80 miles up the coast.

 

[Ale Xander]

This happens for every seasonal event everywhere in the country. And it’s definitely just as bad in golf. And much worse with spring training.
also bad with college basketball season in places like Lexington KY, Chapel Hill NC, Charlottesville VA, Westwood/Brentwood/Santa Monica CA etc
And Scottsdale could be top of the list since it has everything.

 

[Awesome Fossum]

QB EJ Warner -- Kurt Warner's kid -- transferring from Temple to Rice. He's pretty good; a bit surprised he didn't take a bigger jump.

https://www.si.com/college/2023/12/20/ej-warner-kurt-warner-son-transferring-temple-rice

 

[Awesome Fossum]

QB Malik Murphy transferring from Texas to Duke.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39170889/ex-texas-qb-maalik-murphy-transferring-duke-sources-say

 

[tims4wins]

QB Malik Murphy transferring from Texas to Duke.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39170889/ex-texas-qb-maalik-murphy-transferring-duke-sources-say

Saw that, what’s the scoop on this guy @canderson

 

[Awesome Fossum]

I thought he was good not great filling in this year. Plenty of tools and still young -- three seasons of eligibility left. Supposedly the intangibles are off the chart -- great guy in the locker room, great energy, etc. He's just getting squeezed out with Ewers coming back in 2024 and Arch Manning presumably being ready by 2025.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Saw that, what’s the scoop on this guy @canderson

Murphy was lights out in practice and in the spring game. Has an absolute cannon for an arm. Big, strong, fast. But he was pretty average in the two games he started and the reality is that he was never going to see much game time with Ewers and Manning on the roster. A great prospect, but just in a tough spot behind two better QBs in a crowded QB room. With the right coaching and opportunity he will be very good.

We all knew this was coming so it’s not a surprise and we all hope he absolutely kills it at Duke. Longhorn for life.

 

[tims4wins]

Murphy was lights out in practice and in the spring game. Has an absolute cannon for an arm. Big, strong, fast. But he was pretty average in the two games he started and the reality is that he was never going to see much game time with Ewers and Manning on the roster. A great prospect, but just in a tough spot behind two better QBs in a crowded QB room. With the right coaching and opportunity he will be very good.

We all knew this was coming so it’s not a surprise and we all hope he absolutely kills it at Duke. Longhorn for life.

Cool, thanks!