Today we had Clark Nelson from The ACC & SEC Blog stop in to talk about the two southern conferences and hit on where each league stands heading into the 2010 season. I did some off-campus work with Clark last week dropping my thoughts on the 2010 Tar Heels and he returns the favor this week.

We kick off with the news of the week as Jeremiah Masoli enrolls at Ole Miss to hopefully buoy the Rebels hopes for the season. The Wild Samoan can likely move the Rebels up a notch or two in the SEC West but even a guy who was a likely Heisman candidate pre-laptop grab-fest can't elevate Nutt's squad to contender status. Bama is clearly the class of the division with Auburn, LSU and Arkansas all fighting to try and end Saban's stranglehold.

When we move to the ACC we talk about the flawed nature of the Atlantic's three biggest contenders; FSU's offense, Clemson's playmakers and BC's receiving core. NC State, Wake and Maryland are going to try and claw out of the basement with the hopes of getting back to a bowl game. On the other side Clark talks about how the Coastal division champion will likely be saddled with at least two divisional losses thanks to the strength in the top four teams.

Wrapping the session up we hit on the divergent national views of the SEC and ACC. Clark details that all the SEC needs to do is stand pat, keep winning big games and they'll remain atop the pecking order in the college football hierarchy. The ACC needs to win some of those big games and find a contender.

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

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Friend of the program Bomani Jones, host of The Morning Jones stops by to drop some knowledge about the most recent findings in the massive agent scandal that has swept the college landscape. Jones drops knowledge on his show and now joins us to wax philosophical on In The Bleachers.

We kick it off by just addressing the situation as it stands today with UNC at the center of the investigation and Sakerlina, Alabama and now UGA being implicated in the wake. Bomani talks about the UNC angle as folks are outright worried about the NCAA investigation due largely in part to the schools squeaky clean image up to this point.

Talking on a broader scale Jones and I get into Nick Saban's comments about the filth engulfing the agents dealing with the todays' players. Saban's idea of shutting out the NFL to force the NFLPA to take action against the agentsholds some water but it would take a large scale, blanket agreement out of big time college football to force the league's hands.

Simply put; you can't rely solely upon 17-22 year old guys, regardless of income or intelligence, to turn down free money.

As always Bomani Jones brings a solid viewpoint and intelligent discourse. Be sure to check out The Morning Jones at the iTunes store if you can't listen to The Morning Jones live on Sirius Channel 98 from 7-10et.

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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After the recent concussion article that I wrote earlier this week I got the opportunity to do a guest spot with Joe Ovies from ESPN Triangle and ESPN 99.9 in Raleigh. Joe is rolling sans partner Adam Gold this time as we get our talk on about the concussion issue and the culture surrounding the game.

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We start out talking about Chris Henry and his brain damage issue before broadening the issue to hit on how this game is affecting the neurological health on more than just the NFL level. Joe and I hit the "wussification" argument as well as the idea of football players' inherent toughness with regard to playing through "minor" pain. Remember folks; we're taught from a young age "there's a difference between being hurt and being injured."

Joe trots out his idea of treating concussions as severe injuries to the tune of a four week mandated evaluation period and I give my thoughts on how that would be received from the players angle to wrap up the interview. Spoiler alert, not very well.

One of our favorite football websites, Football Outsiders has done the world a favor and launched a full time college site for all of us junkies out there. College Football Outsiders will be bringing the same in depth, analytical approach to football that their parent site brings to the NFL. We've got Bill Connelly from College Football Outsiders on to talk about the site and all that they've got to offer the college football world.

Of course we'll hit on the basis of what makes College Football Outsiders so great; the analytical and objective analysis of the football world. The website dropped their entire top 25 in two sections as 11-25 came out first and then 1-10 debuted a bit later.

As was expected the Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) and the S&P+ ratings spit out a bit of a "different" ratings than most preseason magazines. Connelly discusses the reasons for the massive upticks of Texas Tech (#16), Clemson (#12) and LSU (#10). He also sheds some light on the most interesting teams to fall in their rankings; Iowa (#15) and Boise State (#14).

Bill Connelly also takes the time to expound upon the SEC's 8 teams in the top 25. Even though the FEI and S&P+ removes the subjective bias of the traditional polls the nation's best football league still managed to dominate the preseason top 25 for the Football Outsiders.

We wrap it up by hitting on the official first game of the website UNC-LSU in the Georgia Dome. For your fearless leader Connelly isn't too nice as he drops the bombshell that their projected #24 Tar Heels get beat by the Bayou Bengals. Bill handles new writer, Patrick Johnston's Crowton-Miles question with grace and previews their probability chart where LSU has a 68% chance of winning compared to UNC's 32%.

Be sure to get over to College Football Outsiders to get your hands on their 2010 Football Almanac. They've got the win probability table, the statistical break downs that you need for the 2010 season and several essays that will shed some light on the college football landscape.

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.

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

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Long time friend of the program and blogger buddy Sean Keeley stops by to talk about his newest venture, the ultimate Syracuse book:

HOW TO GROW AN ORANGE
The Right Way To Brainwash Your Child Into Becoming A Syracuse Fan

Keeley, most notably known for his work at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, spends his time with us talking about the book and all the good that comes with producing a step-by-step guide to rearing the perfect 'Cuse fan. The book takes us through the people, players, rivalries and major events that make up what it means to be a true member of the Orange Nation.

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The book actually was a bit of a learning experience for Sean as he reveals he didn't grow up a 'Cuse fan. However, through a "minor miracle" this former Georgetown basketball and Notre Dame football fan is now a card carrying member of the Orange family. Keeley's book hits on some interesting facts including the fiercest rivalry in Syracuse football history; Colgate vs Syracuse from the early 20th century. Surprisingly, even though Syracuse has won every contest since the 40's the Raiders actually still lead the series.

Everything is not all roses as he hits on some tough issues surrounding the 'Cuse legacy. Syracuse was at the forefront of racial equality and the book touches on Wilmeth Sidat-Singh an amazing but little known story. For those looking for the well known, Ernie Davis is a major player in the chapter titled "Make The Express Their Favorite Movie. Better yet, Make The Express Their Favorite Book." Where Sean talks about discrepancies between the film and the true Ernie Davis story.

All in all the book is a fun and informative view into all that is Syracuse. It touches on everything from the early years to the more recent Boeheim era in both a sentimental and humorous manner. Be sure to check out Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician or head straight over to Smashwords directly to get your copy of Keeley's book.

New friend of the program and blogroll member Andrea Adelson of the Orlando Sentinel's collegiate football blog College Gridiron 365 drops by to chat a little football. We kick the party off with the obvious talk of apocalyptic expansion being staved off through the power of Texas and then delve into the Big XII's new look. The discussion hits on Texas' easier road to a BCS title game as well as the inequity that exists within the league.

Adelson and I also talk a little Pac-10 and Mountain West dynamic as neither league comes out as strong as they envisioned just a few weeks ago. For the Pac-10 losing out on the Pac-16 or Big Pac decreases their influence but still leaves them with a conference title game. The MWC is truly hurt, instead of adding Boise State to the existing Utah, TCU and BYU triumvirate the league is losing Utah and replacing them with Boise State. Nearly a wash, although Utah has played a tougher schedule overall. We wrap up expansion talkcome back east and touch on how long the Big East and the rest of the conference can catch their collective breath before a new expansion-palooza is touched off.

Adelson has some insight into the sanction plan as she covered The U during their NCAA recovery era in the late 90's and early 2000's. She details what it took for Butch Davis to keep the program afloat and regarding Lane Kiffin she raises an issue that never crossed my mind: Lane Kiffin perhaps leaving or being unable to cut it during NCAA probation and rebuilding process.

Of course we wrap up with a little Tar Heels talk and she gives us her vote of confidence. Enough said. Check out Andrea's daily revealing of her rankings as well as the thoughts of the day over at College Gridiron 365 and be sure to follow her on twitter.

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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Thanks to good friend of the program Laura Bower the Knoxville PR queen were able to grab our very own import to talk a little World Cup heading into the weekend. Jeffrey Nash is the co-owner of The Crown and Goose a Knoville Gastropub (say what? ) that will be Orange Nation's home for all of the World Cup action as the tournament gets underway.

Nash kicks of our discussion of "English football" by talking about the US-England match coming up this Saturday and he makes his thoughts very clear when he tells us that he fully expects the English to "thrash" the United States. That sound you hear in the podcast is me choking on my water as he absolutely kills my US World Cup hopes.

Nash does re-instill a bit of that hope when he talks about what the US does well as our team is improving and getting better, just a step behind the rest of the world that grows up playing soccer as a religion. We hit on the difference between the US and abroad where the soccer academies are a major factor in developing talent into skill while here players are going to college and playing club for the most part.

After our friendly sparring over the US vs England we get to the meat of the conversation, literally. Nash talks about The Crown and Goose and his plans for the world menu during the World Cup. They'll be having plenty of international cuisine although as Nash points out no British wines because they aren't any good. The kickoff is Saturday with the British Fish 'n Chips taking on the US Fried Chicken in round one of the World Cup.

This edition of the In The Bleachers podcast we've got a new friend of the program; the guys from Wide Right and Natty Light an Iowa State blog. Alex and Gabe join us fresh off one of the funniest internet gags to come out of this expansion craziness. The two guys give us some background on the site before jumping right into all things Paul Rhoads, Iowa State and Cyclones.

We hit on a few preliminary looks at the Cyclone offense and defense as the team looks to be improved from their bowl win over the Golden Gophers of a season ago. Defense has some solid returners but the true improvements should come on offense as the Cyclones return a dynamic quarterback and runningback attack behind an experienced offensive line.

The talk turns to the expansion game as we look at the recent events from an often unthought of angle; those left behind. Iowa State, unlike Texas, Nebrasa and others, isn't poised to be a part of the money grab in the expansion trade. Rather the Cyclones from Ames are the odd men out should the Big XII dissolve. The Big East, MWC and salvaging the Big XII are the major options for Iowa State and the gang from WRNT gives a glowing endorsement to the administration that they have, something we don't often hear.

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 week got off to a rocky start but we're back operating at In The Bleachers starting with a much needed introduction to the crew over at Mizzourah! That's right the blog that's been a long time friend of In The Bleachers was originally set to shut down way back in January as Big Head and the others wrote their final post. Well they're back folks and the new crew led by Slim and boosted by Turkey Tom and PRF took over at the start of May and are dropping Mizzou knowledge on the interwebs again.

After a quick rundown of the new writers we get into some Mizzou previews, talking about replacing DeNario Alexander and Sean Weatherspoon the Tigers' two biggest stars just a season ago. We also talk about Mizzourah's latest feature, Facebook Fridays before we get heavy into the CoMo Tigers' prospects for the 2010 season. Pinkel's problem has been defense and it looks like they'll have work to do on that side of the ball.

We also move into some Big XII talk as Slim drops his thoughts on everything from Dan Hawkins clearly numbered days to how the Big XII North can try to close the gap on the Big XII South. The new Mizzourah leader also waxes philosophically on the merits of expansion and what the landscape of the college football world could look like over the next several season.

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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On this edition of the show we've got one of our favorite podcast guests, Brett Jensen from WFNZ.com and the Southern Sports Journal. Brett joins us to talk about the ACC's new television contract, do some quick looks into the ACC and SEC as well as spend a little time talking about Lane Kiffin and the UNC-LSU September match up.

Jensen's first thoughts were utter surprise as the ACC netted some $1.86 billion over 12 years in their new TV deal that also helped him realize the grand scale of the SEC and Big Ten money. Brett touches on what the league must do to legitimize itself in the eyes of the nation and that recipe consists entirely of winning big non-conference games. The league has some big dates scheduled with Boise State (VT), Auburn (Clemson), LSU (UNC), Ohio State (Miami) and Oklahoma (FSU).

After talking about what the ACC must do to improve we move to the always fun SEC for discussion. Brett gives his rundown of how the gap between Bama and Florida isn't quite as wide as we think before getting into a couple of the SEC "memes" that have come into vogue recently. First up, Arkansas and the could be a top 15 team and Jensen talks about how awful their defense will be, not expecting much improvement. Next we sandwich the Richt and Miles hot seats together to talk about expectations, realism and which of these two big time coaches is in trouble (hint neither will be fired this season in Brett's eyes).

Wrapping up we hit on Kiffykins and his proposed $4 million dollar salary out at Southern Cal that has a lot of folks straight hating on Kiffin. Jensen, like your's truly is a Kiffin fan and we share the same sentiments on Kiffin's pay being no biggie in the grand scheme of things, more people finding another reason to hate the boy-wonder than substantiated issues. We wrap up the show with a little Gary Crowton-John Shoop humor as we debate how many short passes will be thrown in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff down in the ATL Shawty.

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.

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

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