'Crootin 2013

Hello All,

In the lead-up to National Signing Day, it is often easy to get caught up in a panic.

I have been prone to it myself over the years that I have followed recruiting, which goes back to when I was about 10.

After all, these kids are the future of your program. Without talent, no program can win. So when a highly touted prospect eludes the net your school has cast, it sucks.

Miami fans are pretty damned good at panicking. It is a strength of ours, some might say. This is a fan base that values the immediate gratification of a win above anything else (no judgement, that is just how it is), and that comes to recruiting too. Previous accomplishments mean little, at least to the vocal minority.

Yesterday, an high school senior named Denver Kirkland had his scholarship offer "pulled" by the University of Miami coaching staff.

This lead to a full fledged meltdown amongst the message boarders.

You see, Kirkland had been a Miami target for about 2 years. He goes to the "feeder program" that is Booker T. Washington High School.

SIDENOTE: Next year I should make a recruiting glossary of terms. It would be the most unintentionally funny document since that one time when Pakistan drafted election rules.

In addition to going to this program, Kirkland happens to be teammates with several other highly touted prospects, both in this year's class and the classes to follow (Matthew Thomas, Chad Thomas, Treon Harris and Nigel Patten are their names). He is coached by Tim "Ice" Harris, a local high school coaching legend and former Miami staff member under Randy Shannon.

Now, let's get this out of the way: Kirkland is a great prospect. He is rated as a "four star" player. I have been excited about him for a year. He has the size to play tackle, although personally I think he profiles best as an athletic guard that can lead sweeps and run down linebackers. It was not good to see him get "dropped" from the class, especially when most people had been projecting him as a lock on signing day. He has All Conference potential wherever he ends up, and I wish it was with Miami.

Now, here is where the problems start: since about 9PM last night, Coach Harris has gone on the war path against Miami.

You see, according to his coach, Kirkland's dream was to play at Miami and Coach Al Golden has now snatched it away from him at the last second. In the same interview, Harris also says that Miami assistant Michael Barrow (a close friend of Harris, by the way) asked Kirkland if he was ready to commit. Kirkland's response was "you're in my final three."

Now, call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like what I would say to someone from my dream school.

IF the same quesiton were posed to me less than a week before signing day, I would probably respond with some version of:

"Of course I am ready to commit, SIR. I have always wanted to be a 'Cane, SIR. All of this other stuff is just for show, SIR. I will 100% be there, you have my word, SIR. I would like to keep that between us for now so that I can still surprise my classmates with my decision next week, SIR. Can't wait to see you in the fall, SIR."

The reality is this: Barrow, Mario Cristobal and James Coley are probably the three best recruiters of South Florida in the entire country, and they are all on Golden's staff. Golden is a master marketer and communicator. This has been a PR nightmare in the local high school scene for the University of Miami. So why would the coaches do such a thing? Why would they make a move that they KNEW was going to create a PR nightmare, possibly cost them their top remaining target (Matthew Thomas) in this class and several in the next, and piss off a local coaching legend that has ties to every high school in the county?

Those are good questions. The problem is that we will never know the answers, because by NCAA rule, coaches are not allowed to comment on recruiting publicly.

So Denver Kirkland and Ice Harris are allowed to drag the university through the mud, and the university is never allowed to fight back. This is recruiting in 2013, ladies and gentlemen...'crootin.

We will never know what went on behind those doors. But the outcry from fans of the Hurricanes and fans of anyone but the Hurricanes has raised a few issues that quite frankly need to be talked about.

• We have an accountability issue in this country. It is seen in people defaulting on the sub-prime mortgages they couldn't afford in the first place. It is seen in our country continually raising our debt ceiling. And it is see most predominantly in the youths of this country. In older times, an offer of a free education at an elite university with an elite football program was considered GOLD to a kid from Miami. Now, kids and their coaches act like it is their birthright. NEWSFLASH: it isn't. "Dream School" is something that, when said about the University of Miami, is supposed to mean "you're the only one I am listening to." "Dream School" does not mean "1 of the 3 hats I will have on the table on signing day." When you play games with people, eventually you get burned. For years now, we have allowed these high school "stars" to become self entitled monsters. It is just as much our fault as theirs. 17 and 18 year old kids are idiots. I was, you were and they are. Period. They like attention, and the more you give them the more they want. We tune in to the press conferences they pull up to in stretch Hummer limos. We watch them pick a hat off the podium, throw it on the ground and pick up another one. We have let this recruiting process become Barnum and Bailey's, and for that we should all be ashamed (just don' take away my crack message boards). This was, ostensibly, a coaching staff refusing to be used as part of one kid's game. They offered Kirkland a chance to commit to his "Dream School." He passed, and they moved on. That is life. When you go in to your boss' office with an offer from another company and ask for a raise, you better be willing to take the other offer if they say "no." We all learn this lesson eventually. Unfortunately, Kirkland learned it now. Even more unfortunately, he will not be held accountable by anyone. Instead, the blame will be deflected on to Al Golden and the University of Miami and everyone BUT Denver Kirkland. One day, Denver Kirkland will take out a mortgage. Here is to hoping that by then he has figured out that he is the one responsible for paying it.
• Everyone acts, and should act, in their own best interest. This goes for coaches and players. I hate that coaches are allowed to leave schools whenever they want but players have to sit out a year due to transfer rules, and even then are only allowed to after their current school restricts their options. Similarly, I don't like that if a high schooler wants to string a coach along and that coach then decides it isn't worth it, the coach gets dragged through the mud with his hands behind his back. The bottom line is this: Miami has a certain number of scholarships it is allowed to give out. Clearly there were more patrons than there were beds at the inn. Sometimes you have to make a business call. If someone else truly wants Kirkland's spot, and has told the coaches that they are in, the only play they have is to say "We have a prior obligation, give us X hours and we will tell you if we have room." They then should go to their prior obligation (in this case Kirkland) and inform him of the developing situation. From what we know, Kirkland was given this option and chose not to take it. If the coaches had waited until signing day, one of two things would have happened. Either A.) Kirkland decides not to come and there is now no one to fill the class or B.) Kirkland does come and someone has to be told, at the last minute, to find another plan. Just like Kirkland was acting in his own best interest to try and create buzz around his announcement next week, Miami was acting in their own best interest to try and sign the best group of players possible.
• The notion that Miami is not protecting its territory is, frankly, a joke. South Florida kids have become the biggest divas in the nation, and they all want "their moment." That is because since the rise of The U, every major program, and most of the non-major ones, spend their time telling all of these kids how awesome they are. They get recruited by everyone. That is what you deal with as the Miami coach. That is why when Miami coaches succeed they go to the NFL...there, their word is law, and they don't have to deal with high school coaches and the whims of 17 year old kids anymore.
  
  Right now Miami has 2 public commitments from South Florida: Jamal Carter and Artie Burns. In the Tri County area, there were about a dozen players worthy of an offer from the Big 3 this year: Carter, Burns, Thomas, Kirkland, Rashard Robinson, Stacey Coley, Jermaine Grace, Eddie Jackson, Alex Collins, Keith Bryant, Jordan Cunningham, Mackensie Alexander, Joey Bosa and maybe a few others. Carter and Burns are 'Canes. Jackson and Robinson are committed to Alabama and LSU, respectively, and are both considered HUGE grade risks that most likely will have to go to prep school, at which time Miami will resume recruiting both. Bosa never was interested and is going to Ohio State. Alexander has had a weird recruitment and a lot of people consider him a total head case. Cunningham wants to be a 'Cane, but given our numbers at his position (WR) and our standing with Coley (the state's top WR) the staff has decided, ostensibly, to not offer him. All the others are waiting until signing day because they want "their moment." Recruiting "insiders" who know more about this than I do feel good about Miami's chances for all of them. That is what having Golden, Barrow, Coley and Cristobal on your staff does...it gives you the ability to weather storms. I don't know how this plays out, but I would say coming off a 7-5 season and the cloud of the NCAA, 8/13 in the nation's elite recruiting ground would be pretty effing good. Shit, even 6/13 would be pretty good given outside circumstances. It isn't ideal, but neither is 7-5 and an NCAA investigation.

So the central point of all this is to say the following:  this is 'Crootin 2013. It sucks to lose a top recruit, and to deal with the shit storm after, especially when you don't know the full story. But that's just it: we don't know the full story. There are 8 million factors at play with every one of these kids, nowhere more so than in the city of Miami. Al Golden has proven in 2 years on the job that he is far better at dealing with people than Randy Shannon (bless his heart) ever was. He has also proved to be a better roster manager. There is always a third side to the story. We just are not privy to it. And so I say, instead of panicking, we just think about everything I said above, and try to remember that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Our much more qualified, very intelligent coaching staff sees the rest.

And once more, for those who have forgotten: Miami's highest ever rated classes were 2003 and 2004. Miami did not win a National Title in 2007 or 2008. They were the wrong types of kids and they didn't have the leader to morph them in to the right types of kids. The second part of this has been solved, in my eyes. It is his responsibility to not allow the first part to ever happen again.

It is a lesson worth learning.

Always guard the inbound passer.

The Miami Basketball Hurricanes

Hello All,

Alright, let's just get this out of the way early.

I was brought up to root on Duke basketball.

I was born in North Carolina, my mom loved Coach K and Christian Laettner...and yeah, it happened.

To answer any questions about my allegiances: I always root for Miami when they play Duke, and I always root on Duke when they play anybody else.

(Maybe that makes me a bad fan, but I would venture I know more about either program than 98% of the people reading this blog, so anyone that wants to come at me can stick it)

I tell you that to tell you this: I have grown up watching a ton of great college basketball. I have watched Jeff Capel's epic halfcourt heave against the Stackhouse-'Sheed Tar Heels. I have watched Wojo and Elton Brand and J-Will and Battier and Reddick and Williams and Kyrie and Nolan Smith and all those other guys that wore Duke blue. I have watched the Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison and Shammond Williams and Ed Cota and Ray Felton and Sean May and Rashad McCants and Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough and Tyler Zeller lead the Tar Heels. I have watched Tim Duncan and Chris Paul and the Juan Dixon-Steve Blake-Lonnie Baxter Terps (shout out to my dad and them).

Just through watching ACC basketball, I have learned what it takes to be a great team.

Ladies and gentlemen, what you saw the other night, when Miami curb stomped the Dukies, was a great basketball team.

I have always felt weird about Miami in the ACC. The ACC is a basketball conference. It is Tobacco Road, and people along Tobacco Road do not have inter-office scuffles surrounding the ongoings at the Wake Forest - Virginia football game. They care about what happens at the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor.

And therefore Miami has always been an outsider, in my mind; a sideshow meant to bring acclaim to the football part of a conference that doesn't care about football.

It didn't help that Miami played like an outsider. Since joining the ACC, Miami has had great players pass through its program. Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hiite and Jimmy Graham and Malcolm Grant and ESPECIALLY Jack McClinton were all memorable guys. But the best of those teams (2007, when Jack was at his zenith) was still nothing more than the 5th or 6th best team in the conference.

You see, in order to be great, you have to have a lot of different things.

You need upperclassmen to lead.

You have to have a floor general point guard.

You have to have guys who can bang down low...they don't have to be stars, but they have to be intimidating.

You have to have three point shooting.

You have to have some depth off the bench.

You need a good coach.

And you have to have one guy that, when the chips are down, wants the ball.

For years, Miami could not satisfy all of the requirements, usually falling a point guard and coach away from being a true contender.

On Wednesday night, Miami had all of those things. And the point of this post is to say that I don't think it is a fluke...this is a DANGEROUS Miami basketball squad.

Wednesday night was a build up of a lot of things. The good news from the NCAA investigation earlier in the day had an already lathered up fan base ready to blow. The basketball team was coming in hot, and saw an opportunity to put the ACC in a sleeper hold by beating an overrated #1 at home.

It would be easy to say that this was a catharsis, a combination of events that makes a team look better than it is.

And as someone who has watched a shit load of this game in this conference, I say that is wrong.

You need a floor general? Shane Larkin put up a nice little 20-10-5.

You need size? Kenny Kadji and Julian Gamble intimidated POY candidate Mason Plumlee from the get go and never let up.

Three point shooting? The 'Canes shot 47% from beyond the arc.

Production from the bench? Reggie Johnson, Tonye Jekiri and Rion Brown gave the 'Canes HUGE minutes off the pine.

Leadership from your old guys? Johnson, Gamble, Scott, Kadji, Brown, Trey McKinney Jones...they've all been around at least three years...Gamble for 6. This is an OLD team. And that is a very good thing.

A good coach? Jim Laranagga makes Frank Haith look, comparatively, like a JV Coach. Which, in all honesty, isn't that far off.

And most importantly, a guy who plays his best with the money down? Ladies and gentlemen, Durand Scott.

Add all that together, and you get an elite basketball team.

Duke is a very good basketball team, no doubt. But the difference between a very good Duke team and a great Miami team was best exemplified in what happened when Ryan Kelly and Reggie Johnson got hurt.

When Johnson went out of the lineup for the 'Canes, they plugged in Julian Gamble and went on a winning streak.

When Kelly, Johnson's senior counterpart on Duke, went out hurt, Duke's entire gameplan fell apart. So much so that when the news of Kelly's injury came out, my initial thought was "Miami will beat them...no one else on their roster can match up with Kadji."

All teams go through adversity in a college basketball season. It is a long, grinding road. The great teams respond well, and that is what separates them from the very good. Miami highlighted that on the court on Wednesday night.

Now, with Johnson back in the lineup for the 'Canes, they become even more dangerous. Eventually Gamble, who has become Graham-like in the energy he brings to the court, will shift back to the bench, which is probably the better spot for him.

Johnson, when healthy, is a beast who can average 15 and 10 and nail his free throws. He is a weapon that breaks down offenses. If you double him, you have to deal with Kadji being loosed up to roam. If you pack the defense down to force the ball out, you have Miami's guard heavy attack, lead by Scott and Larking, to contend with.

This is a team that seems to have come together, finally. Every year you hear about how this is Miami's year to take a step forward on the court...this is the team that has actually done it.

Miami has seen flashes in the pan on the basketball court before. This is not the first time they have beat Duke or North Carolina. They have beat elite programs before in their time in the ACC. However, they would always fall back to Earth soon thereafter.

I am here to tell you that this team is better than that.

This is a Final Four contender. This team belongs on Tobacco Road, playing in the big boy hoops conference.

This season, they are the best the ACC has to offer.

And a legitimate Final Four contender. They might not beat the Reddick Blue Devils or the Dixon Terps or the Hansbrough Tar Heels...but you can bet your ass it would be a hell of a game.

For Miami basketball, that is a bigger compliment than I thought I would ever be able to give.

It is pretty cool to watch.

The NCAA...A Dumpster Fire

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This Week's Picks

Hello All,

I PICKED GEORGIA TO WIN THE NATIONAL TITLE THIS YEAR, BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED.

LOOK IT UP.

GEORGIA OVER 'BAMA, MARK IT DOWN, AND THEN PONDER MY GENIUS AS IT UNFOLDS SATURDAY NIGHT.

The End of the Road

Hello All,

They say parting is sweet sorrow.

Well, like I said last week, I don't feel that way about this season. I feel like the end of this season arrived far too quickly upon us.

This team won its half of the ACC, and yet will not get to play to defend it.

That, in my opinion, is just sorrowful.

Alas, there will be no more gamedays for this team.

And so we reflect.

This team went 7-5. At Miami, 7-5 is pretty terrible; at least, 7-5 is terrible in a vacuum.

However, I would say this team's 7-5 is pretty damned impressive.

Consider:

Last season's 6-6 squad lost the following players:

Best overall player and starting MLB Sean Spence (All ACC)
Starting QB Jacory Harris
Starting RB Lamar Miller (All ACC)
Starting WR Tommy Streeter (All ACC)
Starting WR Travis Benjamin (All ACC)
Starting OG Brandon Washington (All ACC)
Starting OG Harland Gunn
Starting DLinemen Olivier Vernon, Marcus Forston, Adewlae Ojomo and Micanor Regis
Starting DB JoJo Nicolas

That meant, at each of those positions, this team would be playing new starters.

That lead to people predicting a 4-8 season and a finish in the ACC cellar.

And yet, despite replacing all that, and a rash of injuries, and another season spent under the strain of the NCAA, and despite at some point or another playing 20 different freshmen, Miami finished 7-5.

In other words, despite everything working against it, this squad improved.

The offense, which carried the team all season, scored 40 or more points 6 times despite losing its triggerman and its 3 primary weapons.

The defense, despite its NUMEROUS struggles, showed its ballhawking nature.

The special teams saw the return of the game changing returns and blocks that made the program so fearful once upon a time.

This team was EXCITING...and they fought their asses off in every game.

And that is what the post mortem on this season is.

It was a transitional year, sure. It was the true transfer from Randy Shannon kids to Al Golden kids. Gone is the old guard...in its place is a young nucleus that looks ready to carry this team to heights we haven't seen in years.

I could go on for a lot of words about how young players like Denzel Perryman, Duke Johnson, Deon Bush and Anthony Chickillo seem ready to carry this program back to elite status.

But I will have years to write about that. The great thing about a young team like this is that it will pretty much be the exact same team next year. All of a sudden the untested OL will return completely intact (or at least 4/5 so, depending on whether Seantrel Henderon makes a dumb decision or not) and with almost 100 combined career starts between them. All of a sudden the safeties won't bite so easily on the playaction...they have seen it before. All of a sudden the receivers won't get so easily spooked during a big game...they have been in too many already.

The other great thing about a young team is that saying goodbye to the seniors does not take nearly as long.

This year's group of seniors is small, and filled with mostly role players. But each and every one of these guys earned our respect this year, and deserve our praise.

Mike James - RB

The one guy out of this class I will truly, truly miss. James was a solid player but a GREAT person. We are all familiar with the story. We all know the million-Watt smile. This kid has been through some SERIOUS ups and downs with this program, and at the end of it all emerged as perhaps the one person, of all the people in the history of the program, I would want up on the dais to represent what a Miami Hurricane is supposed to be. James will be a solid NFL running back, perhaps even a star. And after, I look forward to voting for him for President.

Brandon McGee - CB

McGee came in with prototypical tools to be a lockdown corner. 4 years later he finally put it all together and became the cornerstone of the secondary. While he never became the All American many expected, the improvement we saw from him over the years was vast. He went from looking like an athlete forced to play cornerback to a physical, instinctive, playmaking corner that will get a chance in the NFL. It was a joy to watch.

Dalton Botts - P

Botts was an absolute weapon for two years, and this year also proved he could turn in to Mike Alstott occasionally. Botts will be missed more than anyone realizes as he becomes the first Golden recruit to complete his eligibility.

Jake Wieclaw - K

Wieclaw sat behind Matt Bosher for three years before getting his shot. When he did, he excelled (save for one rocky stretch this season). He emerged as a reliable kicker and kickoff specialist, and will be difficult to replace.

Davon Johnson - WR

Johnson was a true Miami Hurricane. He came in as a hyped member of the much hyped 2008 recruiting class. After a promising freshman season, he chose to redshirt for the good of the team. He was then injured as a sophomore, and switched to defense as a junior. When the depth chart at receiver thinned out before his senior year, he switched back over to the offensive side, where most fans assumed he would be strictly depth. Instead he became the team's most reliable third down target, and constantly displayed the kind of selfless attitude the rest of this team has been lacking for too long. His season ended due to injury a couple of games early, but he made a true impact before that. If anyone needs a model of true tenacity and hard work, it is Davon Johnson.

Kendall Thompkins - WR

Thompkins, for three straight springs, teased fans with enormous playmaking potential. A lot of people saw Roscoe Parrish in his game. However, he played at a deep position, where one big mistake could mean a ride on the pine pony. And for Kendall, it seemed that every time he got a chance he made a mistake. Still, he stuck around and made a contribution every year, whether as a Scout team quarterback or as a special teams gunner. It all culminated on his Senior Day, when he caught a touchdown and later made one of the finest diving catches any of us has ever seen down the sideline.

Jeremy Lewis - OL

Lewis came in as a defensive tackle with a ton of potential. He left as a backup guard that got 10-15 snaps a game, but made the most of them. He understood the preciousness of opportunity, and played like it. He came in lazy, and left as an example for his teammates.

Ben Jones - OL

Jones was very similar to Lewis in that he came in as a hyped prospect and took years to make an impact. He became a top backup on the o-line and was playing his best football this season when he went down with a season ending knee injury. He, much like Lewis, became an example to hold up to the rest of the team.

Vaughn Telemaque - S

Telemaque seemed destined to be a star as he longboarded in from Long Beach, and seemed to be fulfilling his potential during his sophomore year. However, his development stunted, and like many others on this list, his final contribution came as a reserve in limited opportunities. He was always a standout off the field, and he will find success in this world. But the lingering question around him will be about why he never fully panned out.

Paul Kelly - Long Snapper

When Sean McNally blew his knee out early this season, Kelly, a walk on, stepped up an never missed a beat. And there is something to say about that.

As fans, it is important to take time to thank these players, as well as the numerous walk-ons who made contributions in practice.

This class reflected the attitude in the team: they were hard working, and they fought until their very last game.

The tiny number of them also shows part of the reason this team was as inconsistent as it was.

In the end, they will all be missed. They did their best to set an example and lead in a way they did not have the luxury of being lead.

In the end, they go out as a seniors on a 7-5 team. They were punished from crimes they did not commit. They will, unfortunately, not be around to enjoy the spoils of this sacrifice.

However, many of them were already a part of one attempt at this.

In 2008, behind a very young team, the 'Canes finished the regular season 7-5. Many of these players were freshmen.

The next year they started off hot, before underachieving down the stretch to finish 9-3. Everyone thought 2010 meant national title contention.

Instead, the wheels came off.

The current group of 'Canes freshmen need only look at the seniors for a warning of what can happen if you  don't stay focused.

Great beginnings can often lead to disappointing ends.

It is in your own hands to avoid that fate.

Negotiating With the Terrorists

Hello All,

Regrettably, it has been a little bit since I have been able to post in here.

First of all, I called the UCLA - USC thing. I maybe didn't get a chance to write it down, but KNOW that I called that shit.

Second..sigh.

After attending last weekend's beatdown of USF, I think this team has come a long way this season.

It ain't perfect, but if you can't see the progress being made you need to open your eyes. There is a LOT of young talent on this team, and if you need proof that this staff will continue to develop it, look at the Kendall Thompkinses and Davon Johnsons and Jeremy Lewises and Ben Joneses of the world.

These are guys who wandered the desert for 4 years before becoming productive role players in a year and a half. Imagine what they could have been with a full career of a staff that knew how to develop guys and nurture role players.

For all intents and purposes, the future of this team looks BCS Title worthy.

With one HUGE "if" attached to it.

IF the NCAA does not bring down the hammer.

And ladies and gentlemen, after last night's piece in the Herald, I am not so sure of that.

Let's cover a lot of stuff at once here.

The other night, I was ok with the University administration forfeiting another bowl game. And the ACC Championship.

I didn't like it, but I understood it.

The negatives to doing this were easy to point out. In a nutshell:  another bowl ban is unfair to this team, but more importantly, the fans.

Usually, I am quick to disparage our shitty fan base. And I still am. By and large our fans suck.

(Come at me, bro)

But this is a purely selfish thing...I am thinking of the people like myself and my father when I say it has been a long time since this program has had unmitigated good news, and for once it would be nice for the fans to be able to thump their chest a little.

A rematch with FSU would have been a chance to do just that. So it was a tough pill to swallow, made easier only by the knowledge that this is going to be our worst team for the next 4 years and this will be the foundation, not the summit. Better to get the crap over with now, when we are 6-5 and headed to a marginal bowl game (in all likelihood), then later. Right?

However, I still had a sinking feeling.

The problem with the above logic is that you assume the NCAA is a rational institution. Which, as Miami fans, we all know is not that case.

The NCAA is the biggest (excuse my language) fuck show on Earth. These guys make the PLO look like the model of consistency and integrity when it comes to governing.

Somewhere, deep down, I had a feeling that the NCAA might try to pull the rug out from under us anyway, and this bowl withdrawal might be for naught.

And then, last night, I read Barry Jackson' piece in the Herald.

In it, Jackson published a letter of which he obtained a copy that issued an ultimatum from the NCAA to  former 'Canes players.

Cooperate by Date X or we will assume you are guilty.

Somewhere, Arafat is smiling. Or worse, trying to figure out how he never came up with something that good to force the Jews to the table on his terms.

I know that imagery is heavy handed, but that's exactly what the NCAA is doing. They are terrorizing a school.

The NCAA has become the group that clings to its beliefs so hard that it is no longer about what is right and what is wrong.

It is about the cause. Sound familiar?

Like any great terrorist group, the NCAA, by issuing this letter, has declared that it would rather protect its investment of time in to this case then to actually conduct a legitimate investigation.

Miami has been nothing but the model of cooperation during this investigation, which has already dragged on for nearly a year longer than it should have. And yet, the NCAA keeps digging.

It reeks of desperation. It means the NCAA will keep going until they find something that sticks, because gosh darn it an example has to be made.

The NCAA just doesn't give a shit if they are making an example of the right person.

For lack of a better term, the Miami football program is the public bazaar, and the NCAA had a dynamite vest strapped on.

So no, I no longer support our decision to self impose a bowl ban. I no longer support our cooperation.

If we were always going to be guilty unless proven innocent, we should have acted like it.

"Screw you Emmert. We are going to the ACC Title game. We will beat FSU. And then we will win the Orange Bowl. And keep the money. And if you don't like it, fuck you."

The NCAA proved earlier this summer that they do not care about any sort of process during the Penn State episode this summer.

Now, they have not only furthered that, but also also stated that they hold the word of Louis Freeh, a former head of the fucking FBI, on the same level as that of Nevin Shapiro. The guy who, people forget, is guilty of $930 MILLION WORTH OF FUCKING FRAUD.

So now it is time for Miami to do something about it. I hope Miami releases a press release saying exactly this: "FUCK YOU".

You do not beat terrorists by negotiating with them.

The only thing they respond to is force. It is the way it is and the way it has always been.

Miami has chance to do something here.

What, I do not know.

Bleed the NCAA in court until they are forced to stand down and become transparent; expose their bullshit house of cards? Organize a secession from the NCAA of all the top programs?

All sound great to me.

The only thing that doesn't sound good it to keep going out of our way to appease this group of assholes. Because really, it doesn't matter anyway. They will do whatever they want, and they are counting on us to just roll over like we always do.

I say we don't give them the satisfaction.

We are The U. We changed the landscape by being renegades.

Let's not forget that.

-- --

The picks:

Texas (-8.5) over Texas A&M TCU

LSU (+12.5) over Arkie

WASHINGTON over Wazzu (+13.5)

APPLE CUP!

'ZONA (-3) over Arizona State 

GEORGIA (-13) over GT

CLEAN, OLD FASHIONED HATE!

OHIO STATE (-3.5) over Michigan

The Game.

VT (-10) over Virginia

OREGON over Oregon State (+9.5)

CIVIL WAR!

OKLAHOMA (-7) over Okie State

BEDLAM!

OLE MISS (-1) over State

EGG BOWL!

STANFORD over UCLA (+2.5)

ND over USC (+6.5)

'BAMA (-31) over Auburn

IRON BOWL!

Always guard the inbound passer.

Big Game this Weekend

Just f*cking win.

This week's picks, after moving to 36-26 (29-29) last week:

FSU over Vag Tech (+14.5)

C'mooooonnnnnnn reverse jinx....

TENNESSEE (-3.5) over Mizzou

OREGON STATE over Stanford (-4.5)

BAMA (-13.5) over Texas A&M

LSU (-14.5) over MISSISSIPPI STATE

VANDY over Ole Miss (-3)

Sorry for the brevity...last days before starting a new job leave you not much time to write a good blog post.