Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25

Athlon Sports has released their 2014 preseason Top 25 rankings.  This summer's #1 team is the Florida State Seminoles, which Athlon picks to win a second consecutive national championship.  However, Florida State's road to a second championship will be more difficult since the 2014 season features the inaugural College Football Playoff, a system in which the top four teams will play in a three-game series to determine a National Champion.  Unlike the defunct Bowl Championship Series, which relied on computer rankings and polls to determine the two teams that would play for the championship, the new College Football Playoff will rely on a selection committee to determine the four participants.  As for the rest of the teams on Athlon's Top 25, one-third of them are from the SEC, with Alabama filling the #2 spot as the highest ranked team from that conference.  Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina take up the #5, #8, and #9 positions respectively in the top 10.  The PAC-12, which was a very competitive conference in 2013, has six teams in Athlon's Top 25, with Oregon at #6 and UCLA at #7.  USC, a team that has been in preseason top ten polls in past years, occupies the #14 spot.  The BIG XII and The Big Ten each have four teams on this list, while the ACC only has two teams.  Notre Dame, the only independent on this poll, has the #13 position.  Teams ranked below #25 can be found on Athlon's main college football website.  Enjoy the weekend, everybody!!  The 2014 season starts in approximately three months. 


ATHLON SPORTS PRESEASON TOP 25

RANK	TEAM	CONFERENCE
#1	FLORIDA STATE	ACC
#2	ALABAMA	SEC
#3	OHIO STATE	Big Ten
#4	OKLAHOMA	BIG XII
#5	AUBURN	SEC
#6	OREGON	PAC-12
#7	UCLA	PAC-12
#8	GEORGIA	SEC
#9	SOUTH CAROLINA	SEC
#10	BAYLOR	BIG XII
#11	MICHIGAN STATE	Big Ten
#12	STANFORD	PAC-12
#13	NOTRE DAME	INDEPENDENT
#14	USC	PAC-12
#15	WISCONSIN	Big Ten
#16	ARIZONA STATE	PAC-12
#17	TEXAS	BIG XII
#18	OLE MISS	SEC
#19	LOUISIANA STATE	SEC
#20	KANSAS STATE	BIG XII
#21	CLEMSON	ACC
#22	PENN STATE	Big Ten
#23	FLORIDA	SEC
#24	WASHINGTON	PAC-12
#25	MISSOURI	SEC

 

PAC-12 and BIG XII Conferences Release Television Schedules

This week's news stories:

Bleacher Report columnist Brian Leigh has posted a list of fourteen significant games in the upcoming 2014 season.  Full story here.

An article from FBSchedules.com reveals that head coaches in the SEC are divided over whether their teams should schedule FCS-level opponents.  Florida's Will Muschamp has already said that the Gators will no longer play FCS opponents.  Full story here.

Big Ten Network's Tom Dienhart posted a column discussing how Penn State head coach James Franklin and his assistants plan to attend summer football camps at Georgia State and Stetson as "guest coaches."  Since the camps in question are in the SEC's recruiting territory, coaches from that conference have raised objections to Franklin's decision.  Full story here.  ESPN has more information at this link.

BIG XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has proposed new recruiting rules.  Full story here.

President Barack Obama opened an all-day summit at the White House which focused on concussions in sports.  The summit featured representatives from professional sports leagues, coaches, parents, athletes, as well as medical professionals.  Full story here.

Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez has agreed to a two-year contract extension which will raise his base salary to $1.9 million.  Full story here.

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Earlier today two "Group of Five" conferences, the PAC-12 and the BIG XII, released their early season television schedules for the 2014 season.   The BIG XII's schedule features sixteen games that will be televised on the FOX and ESPN networks.  The PAC-12's preliminary television schedule at this time features thirty-eight games which will be televised on various networks.  The PAC-12's own network will carry twelve of these games while NBC will televise the Stanford at Notre Dame game on Saturday, October 4th.  CBS Sports Network will carry three games and the ESPN and FOX networks will televise the rest of PAC-12 games currently scheduled.  The scheduled times for games that are not on either list will be announced six-to-twelve days before the day of the game.  Are your favorite games on these lists?  Comments are welcome. 


BIG XII EARLY SEASON TELEVISION SCHEDULE  - ALL TIMES EASTERN

Saturday, August 30th

North Dakota State at Iowa State – 12:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1
West Virginia vs. Alabama – 3:30 PM,  ABC/ESPN2
Florida State vs. Oklahoma State – 8:00 PM,  ABC

Sunday, August 31st

Southern Methodist at Baylor – 7:30 PM,  FOX Sports 1

Saturday, September 6th

Kansas State at Iowa State – 12:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1
Brigham Young at Texas – 7:30 PM,  FOX Sports 1

Saturday, September 13th
 
Kansas at Duke –  3:30 PM,  ACC Regional Sports Network (Check Local Listings)
Arkansas at Texas Tech – 3:30 PM,  ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Minnesota at Texas Christian – 4:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1
Texas-San Antonio at Oklahoma State – 7:00 PM,  Fox Sports Networks (Check Local Listings)
Tennessee at Oklahoma – 8:00 PM,  ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
UCLA vs. Texas – 8:00 PM,  FOX/FOX Deportes
  
Thursday, September 18th 
 
Auburn at Kansas State – 7:30 PM,  ESPN

Thursday, September 25th

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State – 7:30 PM,  ESPN

Thursday, November 20th

Kansas State at West Virginia – 7:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1

Thursday, November 27th 

Texas Christian at Texas – 7:30 PM,  FOX Sports 1
  

PAC-12 EARLY SEASON TELEVISION SCHEDULE - ALL TIMES EASTERN

Thursday, August 28th

Idaho State at Utah – 7:30 PM, PAC-12 Network
Rutgers at Washington State  – 10:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1 (neutral site - CenturyLink Field)
Weber State at Arizona State – 10:30 PM,  PAC-12 Network

Friday, August 29th

Colorado State vs. Colorado – 9:00 PM,  FOX 1 (neutral site - Sports Authority Field)
UNLV at Arizona – 10:30 PM,  ESPN

Saturday, August 30th

UCLA at Virginia – 12:00 PM,  ESPN
Portland State at Oregon State – 4:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
California-Davis at Stanford – 4:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
Fresno State at USC – 7:30 PM,  FOX/FOX Deportes
Washington at Hawai’i – 8:00 PM,  CBS Sports Network
South Dakota at Oregon – 10:30 PM,  PAC-12 Network

Thursday, September 4th 

Arizona at Texas-San Antonio – 8:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1

Friday, September 5th

Washington State at Nevada – 10:30 PM,  ESPN

Saturday, September 6th

Sacramento State at California – 3:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
Fresno State at Utah – 3:00 PM, PAC-12 Network
Eastern Washington at Washington – 3:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
USC at Stanford – 3:30 PM,  ABC
Michigan State at Oregon – 6:30 PM,  FOX/FOX Deportes
Arizona State at New Mexico – 7:00 PM,  CBS Sports Network
Memphis at UCLA – 10:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
Oregon State at Hawai’i – 10:30 PM,  CBS Sports Network

Saturday, September 13th

Wyoming at Oregon – 2:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
Illinois at Washington – 4:00 PM,  FOX
Army at Stanford – 5:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
Portland State at Washington State – 8:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network
USC at Boston College – 8:00 PM,  ABC/ESPN/ESPN 2
UCLA vs. Texas – 8:00 PM,  FOX/FOX Deportes (neutral site - AT&T Stadium)
Arizona State at Colorado – 10:00 PM,  ESPNU
Nevada at Arizona – 11:00 PM,  PAC-12 Network

Thursday, September 25th

UCLA at Arizona State – 10:00 PM,  FOX Sports 1

Thursday, October 2nd

Arizona at Oregon – 10:30 PM, ESPN

Saturday, October 4th

Stanford at Notre Dame – 3:30 PM, NBC

Friday, October 10th

Washington State at Stanford – 9:00 PM, ESPN

Thursday, October 16th

Utah at Oregon State – 10:00 PM, FOX Sports 1

Friday, October 24th

Oregon at California – 10:00 PM, FOX Sports 1 (neutral site - Levi's Stadium)

Thursday, November 13th

California at USC – 9:00 PM, ESPN

Friday, November 28th

Arizona State at Arizona – 3:30 PM, FOX
Stanford at UCLA – 3:30 PM, ABC


All times are subject to change.  


   

CBS Releases Preliminary 2014 SEC Football Schedule

Earlier today CBS Sports released its "SEC on CBS" football schedule for the 2014 season.  CBS will nationally broadcast sixteen Southeastern Conference games, including the conference's championship game, which is scheduled for December 6th at 4:00 PM Eastern.  All the games on this preliminary schedule will be televised on Saturdays except for one game scheduled for Friday, November 28th (i.e., Black Friday).  As of today, only three games on this list have been announced as definite match-ups:  September 13th - Georgia at South Carolina, November 1st - Florida vs. Georgia, November 28th - Arkansas at Missouri.  The rest of the games will be announced six-to-twelve days before their broadcast date. 

Also, FBschedules, via The Macon Telegraph, announced that Georgia and Notre Dame are making progress toward an agreement to schedule a home-at-home football series for sometime between 2017 and 2020.  Though no deal between the two universities has been reached, the head coaches of both teams, Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) and Mark Richt (Georgia), support a future series.  The two schools have not played each other since the 1981 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.


2014 "SEC ON CBS" PRELIMINARY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

All times Eastern and are subject to change.   

Saturday, Sept. 13th
3:30 PM  – Georgia at South Carolina

Saturday, Sept. 20th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Sept. 27th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Oct. 4th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Oct. 11th
12:00 PM – SEC Game of the Week #1
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week #2

Saturday, Oct. 18th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Oct. 25th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Nov. 1st
3:30 PM – Florida vs. Georgia

Saturday, Nov. 8th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week #1
8:00 PM – SEC Game of the Week #2

Saturday, Nov. 15th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Nov. 22nd
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Friday, Nov. 28th
2:30 PM – Arkansas at Missouri

Saturday, Nov. 29th
3:30 PM – SEC Game of the Week

Saturday, Dec. 6th
4:00 PM – SEC Championship Game

ACC Releases Early Season Television Schedule

This week's news stories:

A 40-foot sinkhole recently appeared at Austin Peay's football stadium.  Full story here.

According to recently publicized federal tax records for fiscal year 2013, the Big Ten Conference earned more money than any other college sports league.  In that fiscal year, the Big Ten earned  $318.4 million.  Full story here.

The State Employees Association of North Carolina, which is a union for public sector workers, will allow scholarship college athletes at public universities to join its organization as state employees.  The decision affects athletes who play for seventeen public universities, including UNC and N.C. State, throughout North Carolina.  Full story here.

The University of Oklahoma has announced plans to renovate Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.  Full story here.     

Houston Cougars head coach Tony Levine has agreed to a new five-year contract.  Levine will coach the Cougars through 2018.  Full story here.

CBSSports.com reports that Big Ten teams have been recruiting more players from outside the league's nine-state geographic footprint.  Full story here. 

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Earlier today the Atlantic Coast Conference released its early season television schedule.  Most of the games on this list will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.  Some notable non-conference games on this list include Clemson vs. Georgia, Florida State vs. Oklahoma State, UCLA vs. Virginia, Virginia Tech at Ohio State, and USC vs. Boston College.  On Monday, September 1st, Miami (FL) will play Louisville in the first league game of the ACC's 2014 season.  Louisville will be admitted to the ACC on July 1st as a replacement for Maryland, which will leave to join the Big Ten on the same day.  


2014 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE EARLY SEASON SCHEDULE

All Times Eastern.  Game dates and times are subject to change. 

Thursday, Aug. 28

Wake Forest at Louisiana-Monroe – 7:00 PM, ESPNU

Friday, Aug. 29

Villanova at Syracuse – 7:30 PM, ESPN3

Saturday, Aug. 30

Boston College at Massachusetts – TBA
Clemson at Georgia – TBA
Delaware at Pittsburgh – Noon, ESPN3
Elon at Duke – 6:00 PM, ESPN3
Florida State vs. Oklahoma State – 8:00 PM, ABC (neutral site, Arlington, Texas)
Georgia Southern at NC State – 12:30 PM, ACC Network
Liberty at North Carolina – 6:00 PM, ESPN3
UCLA at Virginia – Noon, ESPN
William & Mary at Virginia Tech – 3:30 PM, ESPN3
Wofford at Georgia Tech – 12:30 PM, RSN

Monday, Sept. 1

Miami (FL) at Louisville – 8:00 PM, ESPN

Friday, Sept. 5

Pittsburgh at Boston College – 7:00 PM, ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 6

Duke at Troy – 7:00 PM, TBA
Florida A&M at Miami (FL) – 7:00 PM, ESPN3
Gardner-Webb at Wake Forest – 6:30 PM, ESPN3
Georgia Tech at Tulane – TBA
Murray State at Louisville – 7:00 PM, ESPN3
Old Dominion at NC State – 6:00 PM, ESPN3
Richmond at Virginia – 3:30 PM, ESPN3
San Diego State at North Carolina – 8:00 PM, ESPNews
South Carolina State at Clemson – 12:30 PM, ACC Network
The Citadel at Florida State – 7:30 PM, RSN
Virginia Tech at Ohio State – 8:00 PM, ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 13

Arkansas State at Miami (FL) – 3:30 PM, ESPNU
East Carolina at Virginia Tech – Noon, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech – Noon, RSN
Kansas at Duke -3:30 PM, RSN
Louisville at Virginia – 12:30 PM, ACC Network
NC State at USF – TBA
Pittsburgh at FIU – TBA
Syracuse at Central Michigan – TBA
USC at Boston College – 8:00 PM, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
Wake Forest at Utah State – 7:00 PM, CBS Sports Network

CALIFORNIA CHROME WINS PREAKNESS STAKES

California Chrome, this year's winner of The Kentucky Derby, has won the 139th Preakness Stakes.  The Preakness, which takes place two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, is the second "jewel" in The Triple Crown of American Thoroughbred horse racing.  The third and final race in this series, The Belmont Stakes, will take place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, three weeks from today.  Only eleven horses have won the Triple Crown, and the last horse to do so was Affirmed back in 1978.  In the past thirty-six years twelve horses have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but failed to win the Triple Crown.  Can California Chrome win the Belmont Stakes?  We will find out on June 7th.  The video of the 139th Preakness Stakes is now available on The Howell Report courtesy of Youtube.  The list of the Triple Crown "near-misses" since 1978 is available below.






FAILED TRIPLE CROWN BIDS SINCE 1978

Winners of that year's Belmont Stakes are in parentheses.

1979 - Spectacular Bid (Coastal)

1981 - Pleasant Colony (Summing)

1987 - Alysheba (Bet Twice)

1989 - Sunday Silence (Easy Goer)

1997 - Silver Charm (Touch Gold)

1998 - Real Quiet* (Victory Gallop) 

1999 - Charismatic (Lemon Drop Kid)

2002 - War Emblem (Sarava)

2003 - Funny Cide (Empire Maker)

2004 - Smarty Jones (Birdstone)

2008 - Big Brown (Da'Tara)

2012 - I'll Have Another** (Union Rags)


*Real Quiet only lost to Victory Gallop by a nose.

**Did not start in Belmont Stakes.  Retired because of injury. 

Here Comes California Chrome!!

California Chrome has just won the 140th running of The Kentucky Derby!  Congratulations to the horse and its connections, especially jockey Victor Espinoza, who cliched his second Kentucky Derby win today.  His first win in the "Run for the Roses" was back in 2002 aboard War Emblem.  Only two weeks until the Preakness Stakes at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. Video footage of the race is below, courtesy of NBC Sports.  If the video is skipping, I apologize. 

SEC Network Releases Preliminary 2014 Television Schedule

The new SEC Network, a joint venture between the Southeastern Conference and ESPN, which will begin broadcasting on August 14th, has released its preliminary television schedule for the 2014 football season.  As of yesterday, the schedule for the first four weeks of the season are now available to the public.  Most of the games on the list below are non-conference matches.  But the schedule does include a few highly anticipated conference games.  In fact, the first game that the new network will broadcast is Texas A&M at South Carolina on Thursday, August 28th.  Arkansas at Auburn will be shown on Saturday, August 30th at 4:00 PM Eastern.  As for the non-conference games on this list, it appears that Central Florida at Missouri, which will be shown at noon on September 13th, will get the most attention.  Last season, Central Florida won the Fiesta Bowl while Missouri won both the SEC East division title and the Cotton Bowl. 

Tomorrow is the 140th running of The Kentucky Derby!  NBC's coverage of the "Run for the Roses" will begin at 4:00 PM Eastern.  Enjoy the racing, everybody!!


PRELIMINARY SEC NETWORK 2014 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE  

All Times Eastern.  Times are subject to change.


Thursday, August 28th

Texas A&M at South Carolina, 6:00 PM 
Temple at Vanderbilt, 9:15 PM

Saturday, August 30th

Tennessee-Martin at Kentucky, 12:00 PM
Arkansas at Auburn, 4:00 PM
Southern Mississippi at Mississippi State, 7:30 PM

Sunday, August 31st

Utah State at Tennessee, 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 6th

Florida Atlantic at Alabama, 12:00 PM
Arkansas State at Tennessee, 12:00 PM
Eastern Michigan at Florida, 4:00 PM
Nicholls State at Arkansas, 4:00 PM
Sam Houston State at Louisiana State, 7:30 PM
Lamar at Texas A&M, 7:30 PM

Saturday, September 13th

Central Florida at Missouri, 12:00 PM
Louisiana-Lafayette at Ole Miss, 4:00 PM
Kentucky at Florida, 7:30 PM

Saturday, September 20th

Troy at Georgia, 12:00 PM