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    Frank Schwab

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    Frank Schwab writes about college football and offers unsolicited opinions on pretty much everything else too.

    • (USA Today Sports Images)When quarterback Wes Lunt announced he was going to transfer from Oklahoma State, both he and the school went out of their way to handle it in the classiest way possible.

      Lunt thanked Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy thanked Lunt. Lunt was a highly touted recruit and was a starter to begin the 2012 season as a true freshman, but he dealt with injuries and it was time to move on. Oklahoma State had a logjam at quarterback after the spring. Everyone seemed on board with him moving on and doing what was best for his future.

      That makes Oklahoma State's subsequent significant transfer restrictions on Lunt so odd, and infuriating as well.

      Read More »from Wes Lunt not allowed to transfer to Big 12, SEC or Southern Miss, in a petty move by Mike Gundy
    • (AP)

      This offseason we will count down various topics from Monday through Friday, bringing you the top five of the important and definitely some not so important issues in college football. It's the Doc Five, every week until we will thankfully have actual games to discuss.

      BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS: ACTORS WHO PLAYED COLLEGE FOOTBALL

      NO. 1, JOHN WAYNE, USC

      Nobody embodied manliness for most of the 20th century more than John Wayne.

      IMDB counts 180 movies and shows for Wayne, and in most of them he plays the role of a tough guy, usually in Western films.

      And of course, the ultimate man's man played college football.

      Before John Wayne was a movie legend, he was just Marion Morrison, a USC offensive tackle. His football career came to a sudden end, but after that Morrison set off on a movie career and became famous under his screen name. Movie fans will forever be grateful.

      Read More »from Doc Five: College football players turned famous actors – No. 1, John Wayne, USC
    • (USA Today Sports Images)Mostly, we think of Alabama's Nick Saban as a football coaching robot. And he plays it up many times.

      There are always those weird attempts by certain media outlets to portray him as a normal happy-go-lucky guy, and Saban awkwardly grits his teeth and gets through it. Then he'll answer another question about how he refuses to take any days off or sit through another feature on how he didn't smile through the Gatorade bath at the title game, and move on.

      He's not a secretly joyous practical joker. He's a focused, intense individual. That's how he presents himself in just about every setting. It works for him and his profession. But, this week we are seeing a bit of his human side.

      Florida assistant Tim Davis referred to Saban, who he worked under for three years, as "the devil himself." And even though Saban never likes to show emotions, having a former assistant say that clearly hurt him.

      Read More »from Nick Saban seems genuinely hurt by Tim Davis’ ‘devil’ remark
    • (USA Today Sports Images)Since finishing one of the greatest college football careers of the past couple decades, Vince Young has been a bit of a lightning rod.

      He started his NFL career in a promising way, winning the NFL offensive rookie of the year award. And it never really got much better after that. Due to some admitted immaturity, Young clashed with Titans coach Jeff Fisher, and his departure from the Titans was messy. His most memorable moment during his season in Philadelphia was a regrettable "dream team" comment, and he was cut by Buffalo before last season started. He's still trying to make a comeback but hasn't gotten a team to give him a chance yet.

      But whatever has happened with Vince Young since he left Texas, he's providing a good example for all college football players. One day before his 30th birthday, Young will walk across the stage and graduate from the University of Texas.

      Read More »from Longhorns great Vince Young graduates from University of Texas
    • (USA Today Sports Images)

      We shouldn't be all that surprised when an elite athlete performs a feat in another sport that most people aren't capable of.

      Still, seeing Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel hit a batting practice home run before a Padres game at Petco Park (which, by the way, has the reputation of being the toughest park in the big leagues to hit home runs) is pretty remarkable.

      Johnny Football might just be Johnny Everything.

      Here's the video of Manziel's home run, from the Twitter feed of his quarterbacks coach George Whitfield Jr.:


      Read More »from Johnny Manziel’s world tour continues with his batting practice home run before Padres game
    • Big Ten aims to be ‘a little bit more cool’

      (USA Today Sports Images)The Big Ten is perceived as the old curmudgeon on the college football block by many, and in some ways perception is important.

      The Big Ten is looked at as a run-first league without much "SEC speed." When Joe Tiller came with his spread/bubble screen heavy offense to Purdue many years ago, some viewed it like they would if a spaceship landed in their front yard. Rich Rodriguez tried bringing his own spread offense to Michigan, and he was pretty quickly run out of town when it didn't work. Not one Big Ten quarterback was among the FBS' top 27 in passing yards last year. On the other hand, three players had more than 350 rushing attempts in FBS last year, and two were from the Big Ten.

      The uniforms remain mostly unchanged. For most teams, a game from 1992 doesn't look much different than a game from 2012 (you can add a joke about Big Ten offenses here). And there's something good about that, but there's a downside too. Tradition might be the name of the game in the Big Ten, but there's a reason Oregon attracts a lot of recruits. Even the entire Legends and Leaders division name debacle was mocked mostly because it seemed like it would fit better in the 1950s. Other conferences are Les and Nick, this one is still Bo and Woody. Tradition is great, but it doesn't always resonate with high-school recruits or students who come out to games.

      At least one Big Ten athletic director seems to realize that the conference might need to spice things up a bit to get away from that reputation of being stodgy.

      Read More »from Big Ten aims to be ‘a little bit more cool’
    • Bill O’Brien still has the hardest job in college football

      (USA Today Sports Images)While there's debate about which side is right in the latest Penn State controversy, one clear outcome was coach Bill O'Brien sounded very unhappy to be talking about it.

      While talking to reporters on a conference call about a Sports Illustrated story that claims changes in Penn State's medical staff have resulted in worse care for athletes, O'Brien's voice was raised for most of his answers. He sounded angry. Perplexed. Emotional. Defensive. Frustrated. He got so angry at one point he asked the Penn State spokesman how many questions were left. He was told six remained. He snapped back that no, there would be just three more (though he ended up sticking around for some extras, even though he had his son's little league game to get to).

      The call went on for almost 22 minutes. Ben Jones at StateCollege.com posted the audio clip of the conference call, so listen for yourself:

      O'Brien stepped into perhaps the most difficult situation for a coach in recent college football history. Maybe ever. Penn State football not only had the crushing (and arguably unfair) NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, it placed itself in a position to be open to more scrutiny than most programs, especially after promising full transparency. And he was replacing a legend in Joe Paterno.

      You have to wonder, as O'Brien has to answer questions about a controversy no other coach in America has dealt with this offseason, if the situation is even more difficult than he figured.

      Read More »from Bill O’Brien still has the hardest job in college football
    • First-grade class has best field trip imaginable at LSU’s Tiger Stadium

      (@LSUHerbVin)

      You probably went on a couple cool field trips in grade school, maybe to the zoo or an art museum.

      Perhaps you had a field trip as great as the kids pictured above did, but it's doubtful.

      LSU senior associate athletic director for external affairs (hopefully the kids didn't have to memorize his job title) Herb Vincent tweeted out some pictures of a first grade class having a field trip at Tiger Stadium.

      The picture above of the kids running through the tunnel is about as good as it gets.

      Read More »from First-grade class has best field trip imaginable at LSU’s Tiger Stadium
    • Jacquese Kirk (Rivals.com)Nothing warms the heart like two football players from the same school getting together to talk about old times, at least until a fight starts and one stabs the other with a pocket knife.

      Last month, according to a police report obtained by the Tennessean, then-Vanderbilt receiver Jacquese Kirk stabbed former Vanderbilt player Justin Cabbagestalk at a Nashville bar on April 7. News broke a week ago that Kirk was transferring, and now we know why.

      No charges will be pressed and the case is considered closed because Cabbagestalk “wanted to let the matter die” and “would not assist in prosecution," the Tennessean said, referring to the police report. He suffered only minor injuries.

      The trouble on April 7 started when Cabbagestalk, who the Tennessean said last played in 2010 (Kirk's first season with Vanderbilt was 2011), saw Kirk at The Tin Roof bar in Nashville.

      Read More »from Ex-Vanderbilt player admits to stabbing fellow former Commodores player during a fight
    • Brady Hoke says Notre Dame ‘chickening out’ of the series against Michigan

      (USA Today Sports Images)

      Brady Hoke's response to Notre Dame getting out of its series against Michigan was to lob some grade-school playground taunts at the Irish.

      Notre Dame canceled games against Michigan from 2015-2017, and the Wolverines publicly responded that Notre Dame was solely responsible for that. The schools had previously agreed to not play in 2018 and 2019, and perhaps Hoke is trying to drum up interest in reviving the series after that.

      "The Notre Dame game, that rivalry, which they're chickening out of," Hoke said during a West Michigan Sports Commission luncheon, according to MLive.com.

      No word on whether Hoke strutted around calling, "Bwack, bwack, BWAAAAACK!" about the Irish (or if upon the mention of chicken he yelled out, "I ate the bones!").

      Read More »from Brady Hoke says Notre Dame ‘chickening out’ of the series against Michigan

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