Fetch Friday is running a little late today but for a good reason, we've got a podcast for you folks. With the BCS Championship Game coming on Monday we decided to get one of our favorite guests on the show, Russ Mitchell again folks! Russ is from the fine folks over at the College Football News and if you don't know he is a big time SEC guy. Perfect to talk over the SEC heavyweight match up between the Bayou Bengals and the Crimson Tide.

Russ and I get into the game from a couple angles, starting with the fact that this BCS game is sitting smack dab in middle of the NFL's build up to wild card weekend. College is fighting with the league for the build up to the culmination of their season and that's a tough row to hoe. Then Mitchell and I get into why LSU is the prohibitive favorite in this rematch of the two juggernauts. We also get into what Alabama must do to win this game and that includes a little Eddie Lacy. Some key players who could have huge games to wrap up and you're all set for Monday.


If the widget doesn't work then be sure to download the podcast here. See as the game is in NOLA here's a little tune for you. I was going to go with some Weezy F. Baby or maybe some Master P but you know, kids are listening and all.


Now we can get to something that has been talked around plenty but might as well be discussed here as it is near and dear to my heart. The lost art of tackling and how the disease that is bad tackling has grossly become and epidemic in the college football world.

Today on the show we've got a real special guest as Joe Nocera lends us a little of his time to talk about the two big college athletics articles he's recently penned. Nocera is a well known columnist from the New York Times who most recently wrote both The College Sports Cartel and Let's Start Paying College Athletes. Both pieces dealt with pressing issues in our sport and coming from his background it is an interesting opinion to get.

The "cartel" article is the first topic we tackle as we look at the NCAA and the override petition signed to hault the $2,000 stipend that was a step towards full cost scholarships. Nocera offers some interesting points and makes it clear that for all the blustering about student athletes and looking out for them schools were quick to revoke the four year scholarship movement and the added money to bridge the gap.

The latter part of the show Nocera and I get into his plan as it pertains to paying college athletes. We outline the plan, hit the Mark Emmert, "subcontractors" argument and discuss how the landscape would change were a plan of this ilk implemented. There is a lot of good info here as Joe Nocera expands upon his plan and wraps up by discussing the possibilities tied to the ruling in the O'Bannon case with regards to athletes.

To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner , but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

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The last Friday of the year folks and that makes it extra fetch! New Years Eve is just a day away and that means champagne, party hats confetti, make out sessions and all that jazz. Before we get into the score-gy from last night that was Baylor defeating the Washington Huskies we've got a podcast and a rather interesting engagement to discuss.

Yesterday we had Russ Mitchell on the podcast talking all bowls SEC and one of our favorite guest was up to his usual ways as he discussed Taylor Martinez. Not only was he unimpressed with the Nebraska sophomore but Mitchell went so far as to say the quarterback throws "worse than a girl." If you love "The Sandlot" like I do then you know that them's fighting words and we have Erin Sorensen on the show to talk women's throwing abilities as well as T-Magic. Erin writes for Husker Locker as well as contributes to the Unsportsmanlike Conduct show on 1620 The Zone in Omaha, also she is a girl so Russ did his best to offend on all levels.



If you can't grab the show through the widget be sure to click here to get the download. Now, on to the fetch as we close out the year with one of my personal favorite diddies.



Yes we'll discuss Baylor and Washington because that game was absolutely insane to watch but first we've got one of my sports favorites in the news, I guess he loved it so he put a ring on it.

Today we've got long time friend of the program Russ Mitchell from College Football News on the show to talk about some serious bowl action. Today we have a mega breakdown from the SEC's bowl match ups as the league is set to have eight games of note in the next week plus, including the BCS Championship. The SEC will be making up half of the match up in the Music City, Liberty, Chick-fil-A, Outback, Capital One, Gator and Cotton Bowls this season and 100% of the BCS Championship.

As we're inclined to do Russ and I get into them from the top to the bottom starting with Mississippi State taking on Wake Forest in a game where the Bulldogs look to take out their SEC West frustrations on the Demon Deacons by slapping them around and running the ball. In the Liberty Bowl Vandy takes on Cinci in a game where we find out how good the Big East Co-Champs really are, one third of them has already lost to NC State. CFA game has an Auburn team in disarray about to get a Virginia team that wants to power through them running the ball.

Three straight Big Ten-SEC match ups as Georgia takes on Michigan State, South Carolina squares off with Nebraska and Ohio State goes up against Florida. We hit these pretty hard as we look at who is actually good, who is a paper tiger and how these three match ups for bragging rights will shake out.

Oh, and there's a little BCS title game that we get into really, really heavy. We disagree, we agree, we debate and we go back and forth around this game from a myriad of angles. One of the most fun discussions of the title game that we've had to date.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

We've got a great podcast to speed you into the New Year as one of our favorites joins us on the show, former Dawgs defensive end David Pollack. Pollack is currently an ESPN analyst and co-host of the Palmer and Pollack show on ESPNU. He's been great to hear on Gameday and spots on The Experts talking ball because, as is always the case, hearing dudes talk defense instead of how great offense is and lame storylines is a win for me.

David and I start off talking about the Dawgs and how Todd Grantham has brought a bit of the attitude they require to the party and how they program as a whole has benefited from his addition. We get into how good Michigan State is and wrap up the Outback Bowl chat by getting into my favorite Dawg; Orson Charles.

Then we get into the Fiesta Bowl, a game that for those of you who love points, should be mighty interesting. Pollack and I talk about Stanford benefiting more from the extra prep time and how dynamic their use of three tight end sets is throughout the game. With no discernable coaching edge, we'll be looking at which quarterback is able to score that extra touchdown his team needs to win.

Last we get to the BCS Championship game and all the glory that two defensive happy guys can have talking about Bama and LSU. That's what this is, talking about the differences, the brilliance behind each scheme and what makes them work. Just a really fun conversation that I'm glad you all get to enjoy.

Oh and we also talk about the stupid spread punt formation. It sucks.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

Happy Festivus y'all! That's right on December 23rd we all take the time to celebrate the holiday that Frank Costanza brought into our homes on the greatest television show ever; Seinfeld. While we don't exactly have the pole the other two facets of this holiday, the airing of grievances and the feats of strength will be properly observed this year by your fearless leader.

Don't know about Festivus? Shame on you but brush up on what it is all about:


The feats of strength will be taking place at my best friend's house for their Christmas party and that means lots of me getting embarrassed in arm wrestling, real wrestling and probably some real fighting should the night escalate in that fashion. Being the smallest out of all of your friends has it's downside, basically everything. Sadly you will not see that part but you can at least chime in with your top grievances for this 2011 college football season!

Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Fetch Friday, which is the more pressing issue given how much awesome was crammed into yesterday and will continue through tonight at my favoritest of all the Christmas parties! Today is also Festivus and here at In The Bleachers we will be airing our grievances around lunchtime and that should go over well as we let folks from all over the college football family know how they have disappointed us this year.

Thanks to the Christmas Party tonight that will be heavy in former teammates I can guarantee you there shall be feats of strength making my Festivus the realest of all time.

If you all have not followed along via the twitter and all then you might not now this, I'm not a super weird out Christmas bro. I like two or three movies; Christmas Vacation, Home Alone (the first one) and A Christmas Story. I loathe most Christmas music, especially "Last Christmas" by WHAM! and all of the Mariah Carey everything. Simply put, I'm a Thanksgiving guy, all of the food, the family and the love without any of the get me stuff, put decorations up, take decorations down and listen to the same music a eleventy million years headache.

That said, here is one of two Christmas songs that I absolutely enjoy.


The other Christmas song that I like? "I want a Hippopatomus for Christmas" by Gayla Peevey, of course.

There's a lot going on this week as we've got a new coach in Pittsburgh to discuss, some guy goes back to some school and a coaching legend is on his way out in the desert.

Yesterday Ohio State got handed down their punishment for the world to see. The expected and almost "required" idiocy ensued. Obviously "this punishment was far, far too severe." Or "duh, this punishment was not even close to enough". Both of those answers are acceptable depending on which team you root for in the college football world. Oh, we also cannot forget the quite popular "the NCAA is not fair" that works for all the sides involved in the discussion.

Personally, when I saw the sanctions come across the line; one year probation, nine scholarships lost over three seasons, a one year post-season ban and a five year show-cause for Jim Tressel, I didn't really bat an eye. No it isn't too severe. Yeah, it is plenty severe enough to me. No the NCAA is not fair, but why does that surprise you when it has been their entire MO for years?

To nip the USC stuff in the bud here's a short point on them. Can we all just agree that the Trojans got screwed? They did. The NCAA made an example out of a defiant athletic director and a school that had some key players stall the investigation. They came down way too hard. The Trojans and the Reggie Bush situation are the far end of the NCAA butt hurt spectrum. They're hanging out with Dez Bryant on the "over punished" scale of things. Their punishments were not the norm and absolutely should not become the "standard" by which people want to see punishment enforced.

So, no. No. No. No. No the NCAA was not fair to Southern Cal. That absolutely does suck. However, I'm not in the "two wrongs, make a right" or the "because they got this wrong, they need to get everyone else equally by overpunishing them" camp. That's just not how it is supposed to work. When something as wrong as USC occurs; the NCAA gets a hard-on for a school and bangs on them hard, I'm not hoping everyone else gets the hot poker up their ass to make those folks who got screwed feel better about the equity of it all.

Back to the Buckeyes. Overall these penalties really shouldn't shop the train that Urban Meyer has got rolling in Columbus from a recruiting standpoint. Taking 22 kids over three year, 66 in total instead of 25 over three and 75 in total is damaging but not soul crushing from an overall depth standpoint.

We've got Bill Connelly on the podcast talking some bowl action so this is a must listen folks. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bill he can be found doing football writings over at SB Nation, giving you all the Mizzou info for Rock M Nation and being all over the stats at Football Outsiders. All three are great and I definitely recommend checking them out.

Instead of hitting all of the bowl we get to talk about some of the more intriguing match ups out there on the Non-BCS Bowl front, starting with the TicketCity Bowl between Houston and Penn State. Attitude is a big thing for this game and we'll see what each of these teams gives us when they take the field. The discussion of departed coaches and a lack of enthusiasm brings up a general talk about how a coach who is fired or takes a new job handles coaching in the bowl game.

Bill and I also talk a little Alamo Bowl as the Robert Griffin III to the NFL train has really taken off recently. How much should a bowl game play into the "go pro" decision from an NFL and a player's standpoint? With the Champs Sports bowl we hit on FSU-Notre Dame in a game where both teams have a lot to be optimistic about. In the Outback Bowl you've got a Georgia team that's much improved and a Michigan State team that is damn good; but the 49-7 Alabama beat down of Sparty is still fresh in our minds and they have some proving to do.

Then we get to the Independence Bowl where Bill's Mizzou Tigers are taking on my North Carolina Tar Heels. We get a quick run down on both squads for those not familiar with one or both teams then we talk about what folks should expect in this game.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

Folks the bowls kick off this weekend and if you haven't already registered for the Bowl Pick'em get on that! We're running it with my the folks over at Crystal Ball Run and that means prizes and plenty of fun. Get in there, get registered, use your confidence points and we will get our smack talk and fun times on y'all.

Now we're going to get into some meandering thoughts on the un-fetch Todd Graham and coaching changes and players left behind and whatnot BUT first get this suck in your head.



It has been stuck in my head thanks to copious amounts of air play during my daily Today show viewing. #anncurryswag