Finally.

I'm still not sure what took you so long, dude.


LeSean McCoy: 2006-2008

Procrastination: The World's Worst Cologne

Yes, I know I promised an elaborate, flashy Big East bowl recap. I didn't deliver, and I suck. But really, what were you expecting me to say: "Oh yeah, Pat White threw for a lot of yards in his last game and the Pittsburgh offense stunk?" Did that merit taking up space on CFN that could be better spent with an endless stream of marginally more meaningful year-end recaps?

Probably not. There is news, though:

Apparently Syracuse has a "Vidal Hazelton" watch going on right now, which seems like an awful lot of attention being paid to someone who's more likely to be a non-entity than a major star...LeSean McCoy can't decide whether to become an instant millionaire or take a pounding as Pitt's only reliable offensive option next season...Apparently USF is "an option" for ex-Miami QB Robert Marve.

RE: The national championship "controversy". It's only a controversy because Florida lost by one to Ole Miss. If the Gators win that game, there is no debate, Utah's perfect season or no. But sorry kids, Florida's loss is no better than the losses by Oklahoma, or Texas or USC. At that point, they fall into the fuzzy group of "one-loss teams that are somewhat better than Utah".

LeSean McCoy Apparently Isn't Stupid After All

For the last few weeks, I have been somewhat obsessed with figuring out why NFL-ready running back LeSean McCoy was insistent on staying for a fourth year at Pittsburgh. I was about to call his family members to arrange an intervention on his behalf, but somebody beat me to it as McCoy is now apparently leaning towards declaring for the draft.

For Panthers' head coach Dave Wannstedt, he's now confronted with the reality that his only reliable offensive weapon may be gone. Larod Stephens-Howling needs to emerge as something more than a reliable backup, and fast, or 2009 might be, well, like the rest of the Wannstedt era in Pittsburgh.

Adieu, Big East Bowl Season

I'll have a more formal recap up on CFN at some point next week, but the general sense I have is that the Big East blew an opportunity to get some redemption after a less-than-stellar regular season.

Sure, a 4-2 record isn't bad, and it wasn't as if any Big East squad was blown out. But in the two games that could have altered national perception - the Sun and Orange Bowls - Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, respectively, came up short. They weren't actively horrible (well, ok, Pitt's offense was horrible) but didn't exactly make a statement that the conference really could play with the nation's elite.

So in the end, the conference's best non-conference win was what, exactly? Pittsburgh over Iowa? While the Hawkeyes certainly weren't anything to sneeze at, you can't argue your conference had a great year when your best win was over the fourth-best team in the Big Ten.

I'm Not Exactly Sure What To Make Of The Sun Bowl

Thankfully, Paul Zeise at the Post-Gazette sums it up better than I ever could.

Leave it to Pitt to make a three-point loss in a semi-meaningful bowl game seem like a step backwards, thanks in no smal part to some epic incompetence by quarterback Bill Stull. Not to channel Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler from SNL, but 7 for 24 and 52 yards passing? Really?

LeSean McCoy may want to get out while the getting's good.

What is it with Big East running backs?

First LeSean McCoy makes the rather curious decision not to enter the NFL draft. (although some folks aren't exactly convinced that will hold) Now, UConn's Donald Brown makes the same call, electing to come back for his senior year.

McCoy and Brown may not have been first-rounders, but certainly wouldn't have gone much past the third round if they came out. Considering the short shelf-life that running backs have to begin with, it seems strange the neither would want to take their chances in the draft now. It becomes doubly odd when you consider the chatter about the rookie pay scale going forward.

Contrast these scenarios to the end of last season, when Steve Slaton and Ray Rice couldn't leave fast enough.