NCAA Football: 2011 All-America Teams Announced

By: Tyler Ward

It has been reported Wednesday that the Associated Press has selected their All-America Teams for the 2011 NCAA Football season.

Alabama and LSU dominated the lists -- both teams will play each other next month for the National Championship.

AP All-America First Team:

Quarterback: Robert Griffin III, Baylor (also claimed Heisman Trophy)

Running Backs: Trent Richardson, Alabama; Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Tackles: Barrett Jones, Alabama; Matt Kalil, Southern California

Guards: David DeCastro, Stanford; Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin

Center: David Molk, Michigan

Wide Receivers: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State; Robert Woods, Southern California

Tight End: Dwayne Allen, Clemson

All-Purpose Player: Sammy Watkins, Clemson

Kicker: Randy Bullock, Texas A&M

Punter: Brad Wing, LSU

Defensive Ends: Melvin Ingram, South Carolina; Whitney Mercilus, Illinois

Defensive Tackles: Devon Still, Penn State; Jerel Worthy, Michigan State

Linebackers: Dont'a Hightower, Alabama; Luke Kuelchy, Boston College; Jarvis Jones, Georgia

Cornerbacks: Morris Claiborne, LSU; Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Safeties: Mark Barron, Alabama; Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

AP All-America Second Team:

Quarterback: Andrew Luck, Stanford

Running Backs: LaMichael James, Oregon; David Wilson, Virginia Tech

Tackles: Jonathan Martin, Stanford; Nate Potter, Boise State

Guards: Will Blackwell, LSU; Austin Pazstor, Virginia

Center: Peter Konz, Wisconsin

Wide Receivers: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma; Kendall Wright, Baylor

Tight End: Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

All-Purpose Player: Joe Adams, Arkansas

Kicker: Caleb Sturgis, Florida

Punter: Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech

Defensive Ends: Frank Alexander, Oklahoma; Vinny Curry, Marshall

Defensive Tackles: Joe Vellano, Maryland; Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati

Linebackers: Courtney Upshaw, Alabama; Lavonte David, Nebraska; Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

Cornerbacks: Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama; David Amerson, North Carolina State

Safeties: Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State; Antonio Allen, South Carolina

AP All-America Third Team

Quarterback: Matt Barkley, Southern California

Running Backs: Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State; Bobby Rainey, Western Kentucky

Tackles: Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State; Cordy Glenn, Georgia

Guards: Ryan Miller, Colorado; Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma

Center: Grant Garner, Oklahoma State

Wide Receivers: Patrick Edwards, Houston; Jordan White, Western Michigan

Tight End: Coby Fleener, Stanford

All-Purpose Player: Tavon Austin, West Virginia

Kicker: Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

Punter: Shawn Powell, Florida State

Defensive Ends: Sam Montgomery, LSU; Andre Branch, Clemson

Defensive Tackles: John Simon, Ohio State; Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State

Linebackers: Tank Carder, TCU; Sammy Brown, Houston; Emmanuel Acho, Texas

Cornerbacks: Nigel Malone, Kansas State; Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State

Safeties: Josh Bush, Wake Forest; George Iloka, Boise State

Former UNLV Coach Lon Kruger Takes Job At Oklahoma

By: Tyler Ward

It was announced Friday that former UNLV Runnin' Rebels head coach Lon Kruger will now be the new head man for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Kruger coached at UNLV for seven seasons, including taking the team to the annual NCAA Tournament four times.

Terms of Kruger's contract weren't immediately given, but his annual salary has nearly doubled to $2.2 million per season.

He said in a statement, "This is an exciting day. I have appreciated the Oklahoma program for many years and always felt it had all of the components necessary to compete at the highest national level."

The 58-year-old compiled a 161-71 record with UNLV.

In total, he has 479 career wins with UNLV, Kansas State, Florida, and Illinois. He also coached the NBA's Atlanta Hawks for the three seasons.

Kruger takes over for Jeff Capel, who was fired on March 14 after five seasons with the Sooners.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione also said, "Lon Kruger wins with class, and in the coaching realm, I don't know if the praise gets any higher. His background, ranging from regular trips to the NCAA tournament to his time in the NBA, is among the most unique and complete in college basketball.

"He has demonstrated the ability to manage a program across the board, and the results speak for themselves," Castiglione went on to say. "We have placed our program in the hands of a true professional and one of the most respected coaches in the country."

Since becoming a head coach, Kruger has taken his teams to the NCAA tournament thirteen times, reaching the Sweet Sixteen or farther three times.

Oklahoma Supplants Ohio State As #1 In BCS Poll; Oregon, Boise State Follow

By: Tyler Ward

It was a crazy weekend in college football. For the second straight week, the #1 team entering the weekend is not atop the standings on Sunday. Alabama fell to South Carolina last weekend and Ohio State got upset by Wisconsin on Saturday.

There are now ten undefeated teams left in college football, so there may be some BCS bowl controversy later in the season. But, there is still a lot of games to play and I can guarantee there will not be ten undefeated teams left at the end of the season. It is pretty much a given that Boise State and/or TCU will be undefeated at the end of the season and depending on how many undefeated teams there are, one or both may play in the biggest game of the year. There is still a possibility we could see a one-loss team make the big game (I will make a rant at the end of this article, so stay tuned).

Oklahoma is now the new #1 team in the nation, with Oregon and Boise State following suit in the BCS poll. Auburn and TCU round out the top five. There is a chance that a team from the SEC or Big Ten will be undefeated in their conference at the end of the year, which means that it's even more important for Oregon and Oklahoma to succeed the rest of the season.

LSU is now in the sixth spot, with Michigan State moving up to seventh. LSU and Auburn play each other this weekend, which means one team will fall - we just have to wait and see who it is. Alabama remained neutral and is still in eighth. Another unbeaten, Utah, currently ranks ninth. Ohio State, who was first entering the weekend, fell all the way to tenth.

Missouri, another undefeated team, ranks 11th. Andrew Luck and his Stanford team jumped up to 12th with Wisconsin, who beat Ohio State, jumped up to 13th. Oklahoma State and Iowa rank 14th and 15th, respectively. 

Nebraska lost to Texas 20-13 on Saturday and with that loss, the Huskers fell to 16th. Florida State, Arizona, Texas, and West Virginia round out the top 20. South Carolina, a week after upsetting Alabama, allowed Kentucky to come back and win, so the Gamecocks fell eleven spots to 21st. Kansas State and the Ryan Mallett-less Arkansas Razorbacks rank 22nd and 23rd. Mississippi State, ranked for the first time since the early 2000's, is now 24th in the BCS standings. Virginia Tech takes the last spot at 25th.

Personally, I think that Oregon should be #1. I do not like the BCS. I feel that their "formulas" are very wrong. They should just scrap it all together. Oregon has shown all year that they are a very formidable team and they need to be treated like that. With Heisman candidate running back LaMichael James, they have shown that they are very good. If James continues at this pace, he may be the next Heisman winner.

Now, it's time for my rant:

I'll be the first to tell you that I am very critical of Boise State. I just don't understand how someone can say they deserve to be in the title game when they have one of the easiest schedules in college football. Yes, they deserve some recognition if they go undefeated, but they do not deserve to have a shot at the title. If they played in the SEC, Pac-10, or Big 12, and go undefeated, then by all means, waltz into the championship game. But, they play in the WAC conference, one of the weakest conferences in football. How can someone rationally say that they deserve to be in the title game? What does Boise State's remaining schedule look like? Louisiana Tech, Hawaii, Idaho, Fresno State, Nevada, and Utah State. Come on. Come on. Boise State did play important non-conference games earlier this season against Virginia Tech and Oregon State, so that helps them. But, since they play in the WAC, that doesn't help in the least bit. Their other wins this season have come against Wyoming, New Mexico State, Toledo, and San Jose State. Frankly, it does not make any sense to me.

Like I said before, if Boise State actually played in a major conference and go undefeated, they deserve to be in the championship game. But, with the way their schedule is, there's no doubt in my mind that they should not be in the BCS championship game. Boise State is not that great of a football team. There is also no doubt in my mind that if they played in the SEC, they would be incredibly lucky to win more than half of their games. The same goes for the Pac-10, Big Ten, and Big 12.

I don't know how other fans feel, but I would personally love to see Boise State leave the conference and go elsewhere. Why? I'll put it very simple. I want to see them play against good opponents. I want to see them occasionally lose, so the people who favor the Broncos can finally be quiet. 

Unfortunately, we will never see the Broncos in the SEC because of the geographical differences. There is a possibility that they could end up in the Pac-10 or Big 12, but with the way things are right now, they will not change unless they think they are good enough to silence the "haters" when they play better opponents. They are joining the Mountain West conference in 2011, but the teams they play aren't that much better.

Just for kicks and giggles, how many Boise State players are currently in the NFL? Since their first WAC championship title in 2002, they have had 14 players in the NFL (11 were drafted). Who are the players? Gerald Alexander, Chris Carr, Ryan Clady, Daryn Colledge, Brock Forsey, Korey Hall, Matt Hill, Ian Johnson, Quintin Mikell, Legedu Naanee, Jeb Putzier, Orlando Scandrick, Derek Schouman, amd Kyle Wilson. Forsey, Hill, Johnson, and Putzier are out of the NFL. Alexander and Mikell play sparingly, although they are on teams (both have combined for 2 tackles; Alexander has both). I will give them credit, though - they did have Ryan Clady, who many consider to be one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. There is also Kyle Wilson, who was a first round selection this season by the New York Jets. 

This is just my opinion: If Boise State is considered to be so good, shouldn't they have NFL-ready players? Yes, the college game is completely different from the NFL and some players just don't translate that well to the NFL. But, what about teams like Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, and so on? They have capable NFL-ready players every single year, but Boise State has an equal, if not better, record than those schools. Boise State should be graduating players into the NFL every single year, but they don't. Maybe scouts see something that casual fans don't. Maybe the players just aren't that good. Maybe it's a little bit of both. We'll never know.

I just want to clarify that I do not hate Boise State. I just want the people to be quiet on how they deserve this and that. It gets rather annoying and old very quick. I'm just hoping that one day, Boise State will go to a different conference and play better opponents.

Bradford To Get Richest Deal Ever?

By: Stephen Patterson

There are reports that representatives for Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams are expected to lay the groundwork for a deal to give him the richest deal in NFL history. The deal being discussed is believed to include between $45 and $50 million guaranteed, easily surpassing the $41.7 million Detroit's Matthew Stafford received last year for the Lions. The deal is expected to be completed before training camp.

Bradford played his collegiate career at Oklahoma and was a star with the team before suffering a serious shoulder injury against BYU. While he tried to return from the injury, his season ended after a hit against Texas and he decided not to risk further damage to his arm. Even though Bradford proved he has what it takes to be a winning quarterback, paying that much guaranteed money to someone with a history of shoulder injury to play quarterback is ridiculous.

He will join a St. Louis team coming off a horrid 1-15 season in which they finished with the worst record in the NFL. The Rams' roster also has very few bright spots, with running back Steven Jackson being the only true star on the team. Bradford will have a lot of work to do if he intends to turn St. Louis into a winning team, and he doesn't have too many targets to help him out. Some of his notable receivers this season will include: Danny Amendola, Donnie Avery, Brooks Foster, and Brandon Gibson. Mardy Gilyard, also a rookie, will be Bradford's only legitimate big threat receiver as it looks now. St. Louis fans shouldn't expect to get their moneys worth out of this investment right away.