Cal Wins Big; HeisMendoza; Toughest Job; Paul Wiggin; Bowl Viewing Guide
Cal football will be in good hands with former Golden Bear defensive lineman Tosh Lupoi as its new head coach. Lupoi is quite possibly the best recruiter in college football. He's also earned his stripes as a strong defensive coordinator at Alabama, Washington and Oregon , after earlier serving as an assistant at Cal. His appointment is rightfully being viewed by Bear alums with more enthusiasm than Stanford 's recent hire of Tavita Pritchard is being acknowledged by Card
Gary Cavalli
Dec 15
Playoff Selection Misery; Tavita's Debut; New Euphemism; White House War Crimes
The less said about yesterday's College Football Playoff Selections the better, but suffice to say they blew it. Notre Dame, winners of 10 straight games, and losers of two games to quality teams by a total of four points, got left out. Alabama , losers of three games, including an embarrassing early loss to Florida State and a humiliation by Georgia in the SEC Championship game, got in. Miami , which couldn't even qualify for the championship game in the weak ACC, got in
Gary Cavalli
Dec 8
Kiffin's Sordid Drama; Stanford's UnLucky Choice; White House Bully Bloy
Lane Kiffin and LSU were made for each other. The stench from Baton Rouge over the last few weeks has been overwhelming, given the firing of head coach Brian Kelly, the messy involvement of Governor Jeff Landry , the forced resignation of AD Scott Woodward, the ludicrous claim Kelly hadn't been "officially terminated" and subsequent attempt to change his firing to "for cause" to justify not paying his $53 million buyout. Not to mention the hiring of a new AD who was onc
Gary Cavalli
Dec 1
Stanford's Next Head Coach: Who Should It Be?
It's decision time for Andrew Luck . The former Stanford star, Heisman trophy runner-up, and NFL Pro Bowl quarterback, is now the face of Stanford football. So much so that the school is giving Luck bobbleheads to fans at the Cardinal's season finale with Notre Dame this Saturday. And Saturday's sideline interview during Big Game, when Luck reacted to a fumble return for a Stanford TD, may be the best you'll ever see on television. "Ball! Go, Jay, Go! Go, Jay, Go!" Luck yelle
Gary Cavalli
Nov 24
SEC Rules; Former Stanford (and Cal) Stars Shine; Laney Tragedy
As a lifelong Pac-8/10/12 guy, who always felt West Coast teams were undervalued in the national media, it pains me to say this, but 12 weeks into the college football season, it's become apparent that the SEC will dominate this year's playoff field. Deservedly so. Next season, as we've reported on several occasions, the Big Ten wants a guarantee of four spots in an expanded 16, 24 or 28-team playoff for itself and the SEC. However, the SEC prefers a 16-team field where five
Gary Cavalli
Nov 17
College FB Roundup; Ex-Stanfords Shine; Brady's Businesses
What a day of football! Saturday demonstrated once again why we all love college football, with a number of incredible plays and fantastic finishes. Some of the highlights: No. 2 Indiana came from behind in the last 36 seconds to beat Penn State 27-24 on one of the best catches you'll ever see. Omar Cooper Jr. leaped high to pull down Fernando Mendoza 's pass at the back of the end zone (above) and somehow managed to touch his toe in bounds. Not sure I've ever seen a grea
Gary Cavalli
Nov 10
Series Memories; Stanford Thoughts; CFP Rankings; Coaching Carousel
When I was a kid, baseball was king. It was the national pastime, the most popular sport in the country by far. We all had our heroes. Mickey Mantle. Willie Mays. Sandy Koufax. Hank Aaron . In those days there were only eight teams in each league, so you knew all the players on all the teams. Al Kaline on the Tigers. Minnie Minoso on the White Sox (and Indians). Camilo Pasqual on the Senators. Robin Roberts on the Phillies. I grew up in New Jersey as a Yankees fan, and whe
Gary Cavalli
Nov 3
Sports Gambling Is a Cancer; SF Giants' Bold Move; Kelly's Ouster
The news hit the NBA like a ton of bricks. But many of us knew it was only a matter of time. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups , an NBA Hall of Famer, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier , and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were among 34 individuals arrested for illegal gambling by the FBI last week. The news came two days into the NBA's new season and overshadowed a number of terrific games, including two double overtime wins by the defending champ
Gary Cavalli
Oct 27
Food for Thought: Unbeatens; Cignetti; Belichick; Beck; Rose Bowl Reunion; 49ers; Myers; Horford; Shohei...
Unbeaten Teams : Who'd have believed that after week 8 of the college football season there would only be six unbeaten teams, and that the unbeatens would include Navy, Georgia Tech and BYU ? The combination of player movement through the transfer portal, NIL compensation, and an expanded CFP field has allowed new programs to enter the playoff conversation. Hoosier Turnaround: Two years ago last weekend, Indiana lost to Rutgers , 31-14, en route to a 3-9 season. At the ti
Gary Cavalli
Oct 20
Stanford's Game-changing Gift; QB List Updates; Quotes of Note
Stanford athletics was staring at a huge financial delta. To meet the revenue-sharing requirements of the NCAA House Settlement--the baseline to be competitive in the new world of college sports--the department must come up with $20.5 million per year to pay its athletes. On top of that, Stanford accepted heavily discounted conference media rights when it went on hands and knees to the ACC after the Pac-12's implosion. That sacrifice, roughly $20M annually, will last another
Gary Cavalli
Oct 13
