Tale Of Two Quarterbacks

Both West Virginia quarterback Pat White and Rutgers signal-caller Mike Teel finished their careers with close, hard-fought bowl wins in which they were named MVP. And for White, the surprise was that his award came for what he did with his arm (a career-high 332 yards passing) rather than his legs.

But let's not go crazy here, unlike some other folks I generally consider to be level-headed. The conventional wisdom about Pat White still holds - he is NOT a quarterback at the next level. It's a long way from lighting up North Carolina's 84th-ranked pass defense to making NFL throws, throws which White has not shown a consistent ability to execute. I am aware of White's solid passing efficiency numbers, but like Tim Tebow, those numbers are a mirage based on the system and his ability to run the football - things that won't necessarily hold up at the next level.

Now contrast to Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel, whose name almost never gets mentioned as a legitimate pro prospect. Yet every time I watch Teel - a three-year starter in a pro-style offense - he's shown the ability to make the kinds of throws you'd expect a pro quarterback to make. And he's done it this year without any real semblance of a running attack and with only one consistently productive receiver.

It's highly unlikely that Teel would ever be an NFL starter, but he certainly has to be a better pro prospect than the grossly overhyped Hunter Cantwell. And he's far more likely to be holding a clipboard at the next level than Pat White, if for no other reason than White may be too busy catching passes and returning kicks to be bothered.

Do You Believe In magicjack?

Mix what amounted to a home game with a matchup against an overmatched C-USA foe, and you have the non-entity that was the magicjack (I guess magicjack has something to do with phone service, natch) St. Petersburg Bowl. If ever there was a game that USF could NOT afford to lose, it's this one.

But I'm not going to go as far as Rich Cirminiello at CFN and suggest that this game made much of a difference perception-wise. There's still a growing sense of apathy surrounding the program (the crowd was the smallest for a first-year bowl in a decade) after three disappointing seasons in a row. Matt Grothe needs to be something other than, well, Matt Grothe next year or the proverbial window is going to shut. And perhaps Jim Leavitt's coach tenure as well.

The Best Big East Bowl Preview Ever

As brought to you by the great folks at CFN. Enjoy!

And if I don't talk to y'all - happy holidays and stuff.

If It's Wed--er, Thursday, There Must Be Random News To Report

The awkwardly sponsored bowls are coming! The awkwardly sponsored bowls are coming!

• Noel Devine apparently fixed (or had fixed for him *nudge wink*) whatever academic issue was dogging him and will play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Although I'm not sure I'm down with the idea of creepy Bill Stewart putting anyone on a leash...
  
  
• Former Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence will be taking that same position at Syracuse. Spence was an innocent casualty in the crossfire of the Tommy Bowden firing.
  
  
• Apparently Rutgers is on the short list of schools that USC wide receiver/quasi-washout Vidal Hazelton would like to transfer to.
  
  
• USF receivers coach Mike Canales may end up getting the Illinois offensive coordinator position, and Bulls offensive coordinator Greg Gregory is likely to be a candidate at Army. Or so we hear.

The Best Big East 2008 Awards Ever

As seen on CFN.

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.

Doug Marrone Hired As Syracuse Head Coach

Yep, it's like official and stuff. Read more about my thoughts here.

If It's Wednesday, There Must Be Random News To Report

Because I'm all about the news aggregating:

• Rutgers athletic director Bob Mulcahy is out amid controversy over allegations of unchecked spending - including the controversial $100+ million stadium expansion - and sketchy side deals, including some involving Greg Schiano. It'll be interesting to see if a new A.D. gives Schiano the same leeway that Mulcahy did with regards to the football program.

• Louisville fans are apparently conflicted when it comes to head coach Steve Kragthorpe. Not so much these guys.

• The All-Big East teams were released today. Take a wild guess as to who was coach of the year...

• Just found this gem from Randy Edsall's post-game press conference after UConn was punked by Pitt. I knew Edsall was a defensive guy, but still.

Best Big East Week Ever - Key Games of 2008

As seen on CFN.

Enjoy.

Skip Holtz At Syracuse? Yeah, That Might Work

I'd written on CFN a few weeks back that I thought Syracuse AD Daryl Gross had one chance to make a big, splashy hire to replace Greg Robinson - former USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Obviously that's not happening. Nor is Randy Edsall going to take what would be (generously) a lateral move to leave Connecticut for the Orange.

With Buffalo's Turner Gill looking like a strong candidate to take the Auburn job, East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz appears to be the frontrunner at Syracuse. It would be a very solid hire - Holtz has won everywhere he's been and has ties to the northeast from his days at UConn. The surname doesn't hurt, either. When your other likely choices were non-descript NFL or college assistants (sorry, Steve Addazio), the son of Lou Holtz seems like a real good bet.

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On a completely unrelated note, it turns out Rutgers defensive end Jamaal Westerman played the second half of the season with a torn bicep, which is just ridiculously manly.