One Great Season

No. 22: Georgia Bulldogs

John P. Wise — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:31:49 +0000

The One Great Season College Football Countdown continues Thursday. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's No. 22 is Georgia.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

For a guy whose nine seasons as Georgia's coach have ended six times in double-digit wins, Mark Richt is inexplicably on the hot seat. Such is life in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference.

EXTRA: Images From 2009 Georgia-Oklahoma State Game

Richt's squad went into last year trying to recover from the departures of offensive stars Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. And this year, the Dawgs will start a new quarterback for the second straight season, but their rushing attack could prove to be one of the SEC's finest.

Q&A: Cincinnati Sports Media React To T.O. Signing

John P. Wise — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:12:37 +0000

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

The deal that sends 36-year-old problem child Terrell Owens to Cincinnati is a terrible one. The No. 1 question on the minds of many is whether he and attention whore Chad Ochocinco can co-exist in harmony.

There's a reason why great players play for five teams in their careers. They eventually wear out their welcome. Sure Bengals owner Mike Brown smartly signed T.O. to just a one-year contract, but Owens was a problem in San Francisco, Dallas and Philadelphia, football-savvy cities where there wasn't an equally attention-starved teammate, an Ochocinco, in the same, small locker room.

Remember when Cedric Benson scored a touchdown against the Bears last year, and tried to rub it in the faces of his former team? Ochocinco, of all people, was the first to hustle over and advise him not to do that dance.

College Football Schedules: Please Stop Whining

John P. Wise — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:15:46 +0000

Argument Is Tiresome,
Sometimes Inaccurate

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

It's late July, so it must mean it's time to bash the schedules of teams in conferences other than the one you follow. It's such a tiresome conversation, and the funny thing is, it's downright inaccurate in the case of SEC fans who don't recognize that very few teams seek out the big September matchups the way Ohio State does.

Under Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes have put home-and-home series on the schedule with Texas and USC, and this year's made-for-TV game is against preseason top 10 or 12 Miami, led by its Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Jacory Harris. Next year, the teams meet again in South Florida.

No. 23: Auburn Tigers

John P. Wise — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:15:31 +0000

The One Great Season College Football Countdown continues Wednesday. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's No. 23 is Auburn.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Remember when Gene Chizik's Tigers were the cute storyline a month into last season?

Another 5-0 start is possible this year, but just like in 2009, the second half of the season brings a load of heavyweight SEC bouts. Auburn loses its quarterback and running back as well as its top pass rusher from last season, but the cupboard is hardly bare heading into 2010.

No. 24: Oregon State Beavers

John P. Wise — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:35:17 +0000

The One Great Season College Football Countdown continues Tuesday. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's No. 24 is Oregon State.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I remember during preseason last year hearing an ESPN analyst emphasize two things when evaluating a team's chances for a successful college football season: your schedule and the experience level of your quarterback.

If those are indeed two significant factors, then Oregon State could have some trouble matching its 8-4 regular season from a year ago.

One of the nation's most difficult non-conference schedules has OSU opening September against Top 10s TCU and Boise State in two of its first three games. And Oregon State will be doing so with first-year quarterback Ryan Katz.

Maurice Clarett To Get His Learn On Again At OSU

John P. Wise — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:54:34 +0000

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Maurice Clarett, once a troubled teenager who helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, then grew into a national punchline after several off-field incidents, has re-enrolled at OSU after having served more than three years in prison, according to published reports.

Clarett, the first blue-chip signee of the Jim Tressel era, was the starting tailback and scored two touchdowns during Ohio State's undisputed national championship game victory over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

No. 25: West Virginia Mountaineers

John P. Wise — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:10:06 +0000

Today marks the first day of the One Great Season College Football Countdown. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's No. 25 is West Virginia.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

To err is human, to carry the ball for West Virginia this season will be Heisman candidate Noel Devine.

Devine will lead a strong rushing attack behind four returning starters on the offensive line.

EXTRA: Images From 2009 Pittsburgh-West Virginia Game

But breaking in a new quarterback is often difficult, and that's what WVU will be doing for the second straight year in 2010. Jarrett Brown did a mostly competent job following Pat White last year, and now it's Geno Smith's turn.

Kyle Veazey: A Q&A With SEC Football Writer

John P. Wise — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:12:53 +0000

Today's Q&A interview is with Kyle Veazey, who covers Mississippi State and SEC football for the Clarion Ledger. He attended SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., last week, and shared via email some of what he observed there with OGS. You can follow Kyle on Twitter @kyleveazey.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

One Great Season: For the anti-purists who love the excess of sports, why have SEC Media Days become such a circus?
Kyle Veazey: College football is such a year-round thing in this part of the country, so there's really not a dead time. There's always news, even if it requires a micro-definition of what really is news. Fans tend to want to judge participants for how they performed. This quaint notion that reporters are here gathering info and quotes for their preview sections (that come out) in late August is long gone. It's all about "now," and that's OK.

Q&A: USA Men's National Team Director Sean Ford

John P. Wise — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:49:03 +0000

One Great Season is marking its one-year anniversary this week with several Q&A-style interviews. Today's subject is USA Men's Basketball National Team Director Sean Ford. Feel free to suggest future interview subjects by clicking here.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

One Great Season: Considering the lack of proven big men available, how disappointing was it when the Knicks called and said they didn't want to insure Stoudemire?
Sean Ford: We were very disappointed.

OGS: Is that why Javale McGee is getting a look?
SF: Definitely. He was brought in after summer league. He did real well there and we thought he'd earned a chance.

A-Rod Won't Be Making History With His 600th HR

John P. Wise — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:02:26 +0000

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

New York Yankees slugger-queen Alex Rodriguez is on the brink of a tremendous achievement.

The third baseman with the orange face and perfect hair is one home run away from 600 for his career. Performance-enhancing drugs notwithstanding, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and every statistical milestone he surpasses simply cements that argument.

But while a 600th home run is certainly quite a milestone, it is not history. Television producers get in these lazy habits of just assuming that since something has been said before, it's correct to say it again. So they continue with such language in their scripts, buffooning their anchors and reporters who perpetuate its misuse.