By this time next week, half of college football won't be undefeated anymore. Seasons will be spoiled, goals will need adjustments, hopes will have been (at least partially) dashed. However, the other half of college football will be unbeaten. Dreams will be very much alive, if still ridiculously unrealistic. Football has arrived. My thoughts on the coming season and on other topics as well follow here, thanks to Oxford-based RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander.
1. No. 18 Ole Miss and Boise State get together on Thursday night in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. I'm not the greatest prognosticator in the world these days, as evidenced by my record in Neal's Picks, my prediction that the Indiana Pacers would win the NBA title and by more things than are worth getting into here. However, I really like the Rebels minus the line on Thursday (final picks will be published Thursday morning, for those wondering). Ole Miss is confident. The Rebels are basically healthy. They seem remarkably motivated, and while I think the title talk in some circles regarding Ole Miss is a year or so premature, I do think this is a very good team --- one capable of pulling off some huge wins and playing meaningful football in November.
I'm sticking with my pick of 9-3 with losses to Alabama, at Texas A&M and at LSU. A key injury or two --- especially at offensive tackle or wide receiver --- could derail that pick, but a healthy Ole Miss team could exceed those expectations. Just two years ago, I would've laughed at myself for typing those words and called myself an unabashed homer. However, as we wait on Thursday's opener, that's my honest assessment. A healthy Ole Miss team makes noise in the SEC West this year, maybe a lot of it.
2. I'm not sure I'd call Ole Miss a top-five college football dark horse this year. Then again, I'm not sure I wouldn't. USA Today named its top five dark horse candidates late last week, and the publication's selections were interesting. In order, USA Today tabbed Stanford, LSU, Marshall, Kansas State and Clemson as candidates to upset college football's proverbial apple cart. I don't know that Stanford, given its recent track record, can be labeled a dark horse, but I get it; UCLA and Oregon are the sexy picks in the Pac-12. The same holds for LSU, but I just don't see a team with a freshman quarterback not named Johnny Manziel (more on him later, by the way) rolling through the SEC. If Marshall ends up in the playoffs, prepare for one obnoxious podcast rant after another about the joke that would make the playoff system. Kansas State is interesting. I think the Wildcats are going to scare (and maybe knock off) Auburn next month, and the Big 12 schedule is soft. Clemson is everyone's favorite dark horse pick every fall, so I'm inclined to ignore the Tigers, but they get a shot at Florida State early. Should Clemson win (it won't), the Tigers would have a real shot until their annual season-ending loss to South Carolina.
3. I have no idea how much research the folks at StadiumJourney.com put into their rankings of every college basketball arena in the United States last week. It didn't seem all that scientific from what I read, and there were some obvious mistakes. However, it was worth noting, I suppose, that Ole Miss' Tad Smith Coliseum was ranked No. 287 of 351 college basketball arenas, just ahead of the home arenas belonging to Lamar, Duquesne and Stetson. Kentucky, Texas A&M and Arkansas had top-20 arenas, per StadiumJourney.com. South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, Vanderbilt and Florida were ranked in the top 100.
Again, there's not a lot of science in the survey, but it is a reflection on the perception of the Ole Miss program from the outside. Andy Kennedy has done a remarkable job considering his accommodations. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, which should open in December 2015, should change things and eliminate one of the biggest negatives hanging over the Rebels' program.
4. Speaking of hoops, there's real optimism surrounding the upcoming Ole Miss team. From speaking to sources familiar with the program, there's excitement that junior college transfer Stefan Moody can score 15-18 points per game in his 30 minutes or so per game. Jarvis Summers is in the best shape of his career coming off the best season of his tenure in Oxford. Fifth-year transfer Terence Smith can play both backcourt positions, is reliable with the basketball and is a plus defender.
Sources are even more excited about the frontcourt. Sebastian Saiz blossomed playing international ball this offseason, and Dwight Coleby has grown into his body and seems poised for a breakout season. Throw in fifth-year transfer M.J. Rhett and redshirt sophomore Terry Brutus on the blocks along with freshman Marcanvis Hymon and veterans LaDarius White and Anthony Perez on the wings and it's a deep, talented team with tremendous upside.
When camp begins in October, there will be competition for playing time, something that should force Perez to focus and could allow Ole Miss to consider redshirting Hymon. Either way, there's a buzz around the program that this season --- likely the last one in Tad Smith --- could be special.
5. Ole Miss plays Alabama on Oct. 4 in Oxford. The Crimson Tide will have enjoyed an open date on Sept. 27, the same day the Rebels entertain Memphis at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. That's not necessarily the end of the world for Ole Miss. According to CFBMatrix.com, Alabama wins 63.6 percent of the time and covers the spread some 45 percent of the time with more than seven days off in the 11 games that meet that criteria since Nick Saban took over at the Capstone. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier), Georgia (Mark Richt) and LSU (Les Miles) all fare better in the same categories.
Spurrier was the winner in both categories, winning 64.3 percent of the time and covering the line 74.4 percent of the time in the 14 SEC games he's coached coming off a bye week during his tenure at South Carolina.
Ole Miss doesn't play South Carolina this season, unless the two teams meet in Atlanta in December for the SEC Championship Game. Neither the Rebels nor the Gamecocks have an open date before that weekend, in case you were wondering.
6. I pick on Manziel in this space quite often, in large part because I think he's going to bust and in large part because I know how much my good friend and colleague Jeffrey Wright thinks of Johnny Football. Young Mr. Wright isn't alone, by the way.
According to a poll of NFL players conducted by ESPN.com, seven of every 10 players believe Manziel will be a hit with the Cleveland Browns.
The survey, conducted by ESPN.com's NFL Nation reporters, asked 100-plus players: "Yes or no: Johnny Manziel will be a bust." Of the 82 players who answered, 69 percent said Manziel would succeed in the NFL.
"When people talk about competitiveness, some people evaluate it as wanting to win a game," George Whitfield, the QB guru who has worked with Manziel, told ESPN.com. "For Johnny, competitiveness is Me vs. The World, and it's a case of you representing The World, and I'm not losing. ... It doesn't matter if it's Ping Pong in the facility or a game of H-O-R-S-E. He's not going to accept losing. It's about competitiveness pride. No matter how much people look at all the 'stuff' with him, the great predictor of success isn't what you've done but what you've come through -- the fire, the trials, the tribulations, the setbacks."
7. Last week, I took the ALS IceBucket Challenge and challenged the aforementioned Mr. Wright, Chase Parham, supermodel/Hardees thickburger fan Hannah Ferguson and New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher.
My daughter, Caroline, took the challenge as well. So did my son, Carson. I made contributions to ALS research for all of us. As of Saturday, ALS had raised $62.5 million between July 29 and Saturday. That's up from $2.5 million during the same timespan a year ago. In a word, it's awesome.
Earlier last week, former Tennessee Titans linebacker and special teamer Tim Shaw revealed Tuesday in a video on the team's website that he has ALS.
"A year ago, I was playing NFL football," Shaw, 30, said in the short video. "I've recently been diagnosed with ALS. I'm here today to stand up and fight with all of you against this disease."
Shaw then poured a bucket of ice water on himself as part of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the social media phenomenon that is drawing awareness and donations for research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Shaw challenged the Titans organization, coach James Franklin and the Penn State football team, and his Clarenceville, Mich., community to follow suit.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who spent the 2011 and '12 seasons with the Titans, tweeted his praise for Shaw.
"Sometimes you have a teammate that gets a small amount of credit but makes you & your team better in every way. That describes @TShawsTruth.
- Matthew Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) August 20, 2014"
8. I have to admit that I'm surprised at this one, but according to the NFHS.com (National Federation of State High School Associations), the number of participants in high school sports increased for the 25th consecutive year in 2013-14 with a record total of almost 7.8 million. Sports participation for the 2013-14 school year reached an all-time high of 7,795,658 ? an increase of 82,081 from the previous year. This one-year increase was the highest since 2009-10.
Girls participation increased for the 25th consecutive year with an additional 44,941 participants from 2012-13 and set an all-time record of 3,267,664. Boys participation eclipsed 4.5 million for the first time (4,527,994), breaking the mark of 4,494,406 in 2010-11.
Here's the surprising part, at least to me: The increase in boys participation was due in part to the first increase in football numbers in five years. An additional 6,607 boys participated in 11-player football in 2013-14, pushing this past year's total to 1,093,234. In addition, another 1,715 girls participated in 11-player football last year, an increase of 184 from the previous year.
"We are pleased with the increase in participation numbers in the sport of football for the 2013-14 school year," said Bob Gardner, NFHS executive director. "With the precautions that are in place nationwide to address concussions in all high school sports, including football, we have maintained that the risk of injury is as low as it ever has been. Certainly, this rise in football numbers is a confirmation of those beliefs and indicates the strong continued interest nationwide in high school football."
Among the top 10 boys sports, baseball registered the largest gain with an additional 7,838 participants, followed by football and soccer (6,437). The top 10 boys sports remained unchanged from last year: football, outdoor track and field, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, cross country, tennis, golf, and swimming and diving.
Volleyball gained the most participants among girls sports (9,426) from the previous year, and its total of 429,634 was within 3,710 of basketball for the No. 2 position. Track and field, with an additional 5,946 participants from 2012-13, remained the No. 1 sport for girls, followed by basketball, volleyball, soccer, fast-pitch softball, cross country, tennis, swimming and diving, competitive spirit squads and lacrosse.
9. The Dallas Cowboys haven't qualified for the NFL playoffs since 2009. However, Jerry Jones' team remains the most valuable franchise in the NFL, according to Forbes.
Forbes magazine released its annual ranking of teams based on the overall franchise value. Forbes' Mike Ozanian noted the Cowboys finished on top for the eighth straight year at $3.2 billion, which is $600 million more than the New England Patriots, who rated second.
Per Forbes, the only sports franchise worth more is soccer's Real Madrid, valued at $3.4 billion, while another Spanish soccer team, Barcelona, is tied with the Cowboys. Despite making only three postseason appearances over past decade, the Cowboys posted the NFL's highest revenue ($560 million) and operating income ($246 million) in 2013.
9. One of the Cowboys' biggest rivals, the Washington Redskins, haven't had much more success than the boys from Jerry's World lately. However, the 'Skins are also in the news off the field, but not for the best of reasons.
The Washington Post editorial board announced Friday that it will no longer use "Redskins" in reference to Washington, D.C.'s NFL team. In explaining its decision, the Post's board wrote that it was impressed by the "quiet dignity" of longtime NFL referee Mike Carey, who recently retired after 19 seasons. Carey said this week that he purposely began avoiding working Washington games in 2006 due to his opposition to the nickname.
As ESPN.com reported late last week, "The debate surrounding the "Redskins" name has grown increasingly stronger over the past year as more Native American groups, media members and politicians have begun speaking out against what they see as inappropriate use of a racist, offensive term. Team officials, especially owner Dan Snyder, have maintained that the name is not offensive, that it is rooted in tradition and history and that many Native Americans approve of its use. Snyder has said he will never change the name."
The Post wrote last week: "We don't believe that fans who are attached to the name have racist feeling or intent, any more than does Mr. Snyder. But the fact remains: The word is insulting. You would not dream of calling anyone a 'redskin' to his or her face. You wouldn't let your son or daughter use it about a person, even within the privacy of your home. As Post columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote on the opposite page last year, 'I wouldn't want to use a word that defines a people ? living or dead, offended or not ? in a most demeaning way.'"
I have mixed emotions about the "Redskins" moniker. I have no doubt the franchise will eventually change its nickname and mascot. In some ways, I think it's the right thing to do. In others, the Redskins are a part of the NFL, and I think there are bigger battles to fight in our society. That's not a compelling opinion, I realize, but it's where I fall on the issue.
10. The little guys from Chicago fell short Sunday in the Little League World Series championship game against the team from South Korea. In future years, perhaps very soon, the kids like the ones from the Windy City's south side will cash in on their 15 minutes of fame.
Little League Baseball CEO Steve Keener told Yahoo Sports last week the organization is considering giving back some of the $76 million in television rights fees it is reaping over the next eight years to the kids who become instant --- and fleeting --- superstars each summer.
After years of staunch opposition to the idea, Keener's consideration comes on the heels of the historic O'Bannon v. NCAA ruling that could have far-reaching effects on amateur athletes everywhere. In the future, captivating kids like Philadelphia pitcher Mo'Ne Davis may get some cash.
"I've always felt we need to be as progressive an organization as we can," Keener told Yahoo Sports. "We don't know what's coming. If at some point in time that would be deemed to be appropriate, we'll consider it. At the moment, I don't see the necessity and don't think we should be compensating kids right now.Whether at some point down the road any funds could be put aside to help them with college I don't know. Down the road that's something we might take a look at even if it's feasible."
The last game Davis pitched last week, by the way, drew a higher rating for ESPN than any MLB game since April 2007, according to Sports Media Watch.
11. I've been harassed for years for skipping breakfast. Friends tell me it's the most important meal of the day, and I do love a good omelet with a side of sausage and toast to go with my coffee and orange juice, but I probably have breakfast fewer than 10 times per year.
It turns out I just might be right. As reported by The New York Times, the August issue of The American Journal Of Critical Nutrition contains multiple studies that undermine our decades-old understanding of breakfast. Specifically, how breakfast might affect our overall well-being and ability to lose weight.
At the University Of Alabama, researchers assembled a pool of 300 volunteers who were trying to lose weight. The group was broken up into three groups and instructed to either "eat breakfast," "skip breakast," or "do what you normally do" for a period of 16 weeks. The results, per the New York Times: Negligible.
In another new study ? this one of lean volunteers ? researchers at the University of Bath determined the resting metabolic rates, cholesterol levels and blood-sugar profiles of 33 participants and randomly assigned them to eat or skip breakfast.
After six weeks, their body weights, resting metabolic rates, cholesterol, and most measures of blood sugar were about the same as they had been at the start, whether people ate breakfast or not. The one difference was that the breakfast eaters seemed to move around more during the morning; their activity monitors showed that volunteers in this group burned almost 500 calories more in light-intensity movement.
But by eating breakfast, they also consumed an additional 500 calories each day. Contrary to popular belief, skipping breakfast had not driven volunteers to wolf down enormous lunches and dinners ? but it had made them somewhat more sluggish first thing in the morning.
So, breakfast defenders, back off. I'd rather eat dinner.
