On the eve of the final game of the 2014 season, I have a confession to make.
I'm tired of writing about how poor the Texas Longhorns quarterback situation is.
Seriously, as I considered what the lede for my final 10 Thoughts column of the year, it was hard to write about anything other than the elephant in the room that is the dumpster-fire at the most important scholarship position in college football. Its importance to the short- and long-term future of Charlie Strong's tenure in Austin can't be overstated enough, yet, if I'm tired of writing about the subject material, you guys must be anguished to keep reading it.
Believe me, I get it.
However, as the Longhorns embark on one final chance at securing a winning season in Strong's first year, we're likely to be reminded numerous times on Monday night in the Texas Bowl vs. Arkansas that the Longhorns might not be any closer to having an answer in place at the position than they were a year ago.
Or in 2012. Or 2011. Or 2010.
The reality of this purgatory is unavoidable and it's why it will remain as the centerpiece of all discussions involving the 2015 Texas Longhorns. While Strong seemingly has it cooking in the areas of recruiting and player development, so much of the quality improvements in his program are largely washed away by the truth that is the importance of quality play to a team's won/loss record.
Texas must get better quarterback play next season or it's hard to believe that this team's ceiling can be higher than eight or nine wins at best. The current options available in Tyrone Swoopes, Jerrod Heard and Zach Gentry offer zero security that an answer is definitely going to be in place a year from now, when I write my final column of 2015.
Also, when I speak to the state of the position over the course of the last five seasons, I'm not sure that Texas fans totally understand the hell in which they've been living. Here's a list of the team quarterback-efficiency ratings since Colt McCoy left town.
2010: 111.2
2011: 122.1
2012: 154.4
2013: 117.7
2014: 119.5
How bad are those numbers?
In four of the last five seasons, the Longhorns have ranked 87th or worse in team passing efficiency, an achievement that they share with the likes of UTEP, New Mexico, Idaho, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa State, Army, UNLV, Connecticut, Wake Forest, South Florida, Eastern Michigan, Akron, Tulane and Purdue.
Hell, Oklahoma tight end Blake Bell was removed from the starting quarterback position after a dismal 2013 campaign, yet he still posted a higher rating (132.2) than four of the last five Texas teams.
The reality that Texas fans have lived in the last five years is almost impossible to comprehend and I feel like hugging each and every one of you - even those that might shank me with a homemade shiv in the process - because your sanity as sports fans is being (and has been) tested.
As it stands, the over/under of quarterback columns written by yours truly in 2015 stands at 25.5. You guys are tired of living this nightmare and I'm tired of chronicling it, but until a real answer emerges, it's absolutely unavoidable.
I'm apologizing in advance.
No. 2 - A sprinkle of good news in the quarterback discussion …
The Longhorns won't be alone among Big 12 teams going into the off-season with at least a little bit of uncertainty at the quarterback position.
When you look at the top of the Big 12 standings, TCU will return Trevone Boykin for a 19th season as a Horned Frog, but both Baylor and Kansas State must replace starters at the position. In fact, the only other returning starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 among the top six teams are Boykin, Swoopes and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight.
Given the likelihood that the conference champion will come from this pool of teams, you'd have to concede that TCU will be a deserved favorite going into the season, but everything would appear to be on somewhat even footing among the rest of the next five teams in the league.
Of course, I think we'd all concede that Art Briles could take a can of paint and turn it into a 4,000-yard passer, but next season's terrain doesn't look nearly as dangerous as this season's schedule, which was full of passing-game devils.
If Texas can find its guy, and that's a big if, competing for the league title in what could be a bit of a transition year for many programs becomes very possible.
No. 3 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns …
… So much of Monday's bowl game is going to turn into who wants to be there and who doesn't. Both teams' auras seem to suggest that they are dialed into the game, but sometimes you never know until you get there. I remember hearing lots of lip service going into the 2003 Holiday Bowl - and as soon as the game started, you could see in the players' body language that Texas wanted to be anywhere other than on a field with Washington State ... and perhaps with each other.
… I'm not going to lie, I personally hope Tyrone Swoopes has a good game tonight, for no other reason than he's a good kid that could use a mental boost going into the off-season after what has surely been a tough month.
… I think there's more to gain by winning than there is to lose by losing. That's how important the commitment of Malik Jefferson is for the program heading into the off-season.
… The ability to get John Harris the football might be the difference between winning and losing for Texas. When Swoopes is connecting with Harris, the Texas offense has a chance.
… Arkansas sure looks a hell of a lot better than its 6-6 record on-paper would suggest.
… Everything about the way Jackson Jeffcoat has played the last two weeks of the NFL season for Washington suggests that he belongs. Last week, he picked up his first career sack, and on Sunday he picked up his first career interception off of Tony Romo. How in the hell did he go undrafted?
… Here's a glass-half-full view of Tallahassee Lincoln wide receiver John Burt, who appears to be genuinely torn over sticking with the Longhorns or going the way of Auburn. While Burt lists himself as a see-saw of wavering, it is important to note that it's not a bad thing that the Longhorns are in this position without the help of an official visit. The classic view of recruiting would suggest if the Longhorns can get the kid in Austin for the January 23rd weekend, it'll have the last big chess move in his recruitment and that usually results in a recruiting win. The key is getting him on campus during a weekend when he can truly feel the Longhorns love.
… Prediction: If Soso Jamabo takes an official visit to Texas in the coming month, he'll end up a Longhorn. It's there for the taking.
… Per Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN: "Asked @ChristianDavon2 (Christian Kirk) about negative recruiting. Told me one school said 'Why go to #TAMU, the campus looks like a prison.' #UAAllAmerica"
No. 4 - By Numbers: Breaking down the 2015 LSR Top 100 ...
With the release of the updated 2015 LSR Rankings last week, a number of big-picture thoughts about the current state of recruiting in the state of Texas went through my mind during the rankings process. Before I get into my recruiting randomness, here's a quick breakdown of the basic numbers from the list.
Total committed: 79 of 100 (79%)
Total uncommitted: 21 of 100 (21%)
Breakdown by school
(13) Texas A&M
(12) Texas
(10) TCU
(6) Baylor and Oklahoma
(4) Texas Tech
(2) Arkansas, Fresno State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Tennessee
(1) Alabama, Arizona State, Boise State, Houston, Iowa State, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Oregon, SMU, Texas State, Tulsa, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
Breakdown by conference
Big 12: 41
SEC: 20
Big 10: 4
Pac-12: 4
AAC: 3
M-West: 3
Independent: 2
C-USA: 1
Sun Belt: 1
ACC: 0
With the simple data breakdown complete, here is a smattering of thoughts about what the numbers are telling us:
1. When Texas A&M joined the SEC three years ago, the concern for many around the state was that the move would open up the doors to the conference in a way that would shake up the state's power structure from top to bottom. The reality is that the only thing it accomplished is giving Texas A&M the boost it so dearly coveted. When you look at the numbers with five weeks to go until NSD, the rest of the SEC schools combine for seven commitments on the list - and no school outside of A&M has secured more than two commitments from state's top 100 players. Schools like Alabama and LSU are active with the "elite of the elite" prospects, but that was true before A&M moved to the SEC and the two powerhouses have currently combined for two commitments.
2. First and foremost, the state of Texas is still a Big 12 state. The chance to play close to home could eventually translate to 50-percent (currently 41-percent) of the list joining the conference by the end of the recruiting year. To be more specific, the state of Texas is an old-school Big 12 South state, as 40 of the 41 commitments to Big 12 schools have been obtained by the Texas and Oklahoma schools in the league.
3. The move into the Big 12 has been massive for TCU. In its own way, its move to the Big 12 has been every big as effective as A&M's move into the SEC.
4. No team is truly dominating the "elite of the elite" in-state, as no school currently has more than one commitment in the top 15, with eight schools currently holding a single top 15 commitment.
5. When you consider the lack of prime recruiting terrain in its home states, the likes of Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State combining for one top 100 commitment doesn't speak well of those programs' abilities to acquire top-end talent. Obviously, Bill Snyder will do Bill Snyder wizardry with the help of the JUCO ranks, but when he's gone, I don't know how these three teams compete with the best teams in the Big 12. A school like Kansas was more competitive in this state 20 years ago than it is right now.
No. 5 - Slotting UT's Out of State targets in the LSR Top 100
One of the obvious questions I get every time the LSR Top 100 is updated is related to where the out-of-state prospects that the Longhorns are recruiting would rank if they were included.
Well, here's your answer…
1. LB - Malik Jefferson (Mesquite Poteet)
2. DB - Deionte Thompson (WOS)
3. WR - DaMarkus Lodge (Cedar Hill)
4. OL - Maea Teuhema (Keller)
5. DT Daylon Mack (Gladewater)
6. QB - Kyler Murray (Allen)
7. CB - Holton Hill (Houston Lamar)
8. CB - Kris Boyd (Gilmer)
9. WR - John Burt (Tallahassee Lincoln)
10. TE - Chris Clark (Avon, CT)
11. QB - Jarrett Stidham (Stephenville)
12. RB - Soso Jamabo (Plano West)
13. CB - Kendall Sheffield (Fort Bend Marshall)
14. RB - Ronald Jones (McKinney North)
15. QB - Zach Gentry (Albuquerque, NM)
16. DB - Mark Fields (Charlotte, NC)
17. DB - P.J. Mbanasor (Pflugerville Hendrickson)
18. WR - Carlos Strickland (Dallas Skyline)
19. WR - JF Thomas (SOC)
20. RB - Chris Warren (Rockwall)
21. CB - Tim Irvin (Palmetto Bay, Fla.)
22. DB - Roney Elam (Newton)
23. DB - Justin Dunning (Whitehouse)
24. RB - Jordan Cronkrite (Palmetto Bay, Fla.)
25. WR - John Humphrey (League City Clear Falls)
26. OL - Toby Weathersby (Houston Westfield)
27. CB - Jaylon Lane (Nacogdoches)
28. TE - Jordan Davis (Houston Clear Lake)
29. WR - Ryan Newsome (Aledo)
30. LB - Anthony Wheeler (Dallas Skyline)
31. ATH - Kirk Johnson (San Jose, Ca.)
32. WR - Kemah Siverand (Houston Cy Ridge)
33. RB - Rodney Anderson (Katy)
34. OL - Connor Williams (Coppell)
35. ATH - Larry Pryor (Sulphur Springs)
36. DE - James Lockhart (Ennis)
37. ATH - Deandre McNeil (Mesquite Poteet)
38. OL - Patrick Vahe (Euless Trinity)
39. DT - Darrion Daniels (Dallas Bishop Dunne)
40. TE - Devonaire Clarington (Hialeah, Florida)
41. RB - Jay Bradford (Splendora)
42. AT - Chad President (Temple)
43. WR - Charles Omenihu (Rowlett)
44. RB - JaMychal Hasty (Longview)
45. LB - Cecil Cherry (Lakeland, Florida)
46. RB - Jordan Stevenson (SOC)
47. DB - DeShon Elliott (Rockwall Heath)
48. DB - Davante Davis (Miami, Florida)
49. DB - Prentice McKinney (SOC)
50. OL - Trevor Elbert (Rockwall Heath)
No. 6 - Splish, splash, Michigan is trying to take a bath…
Michigan has the ball on the five-yard line with Jim Harbaugh and if all the reports out there of his interest in the taking the Wolverines job are true, the Big 10 is about to get really interesting.
Of course, until Harbaugh is on the Michigan plane heading back to Ann Arbor with a signed deal in place, you have to be ready for anything and everything, especially if Oakland decides to give him all that he could ever want in an effort to keep him in the Bay Area.
You can make a case that the stakes have never been higher for a university in an effort to close a deal with its No.1 target because the letdown from the No.1 choice to the No.2 choice would make the disappointment many Texas fans had about losing out on Nick Saban look like a trip to Wally World when the gates are actually open.
In a sport that boasts two names (Saban and Meyer) that automatically translate into national-championship contending success, Michigan is aiming to add a third, and I applaud the efforts to dare to be great. It's a move that instantly changes the perception of the Michigan program and places it among the elite of the elite, a position those close the program believe in their hearts it deserves to be in.
Punching that ball in from the five-yard line won't be easy because my instincts say that there's at least one more loop left on this roller coaster, but a school without a true Athletic Director is about to show all of the rest of the big boys in college football how it's done.
You make a deal he can't refuse and then you stalk him until he says yes. My goodness, the top of the Big 10 is about to get really interesting.
No. 7 - How 'bout them Cowboys!
165-79.
That was the Dallas Cowboys' point-differential in the month of December in four games. In a year when up has been down and cats have been seen chasing dogs throughout the Metroplex, the 2014 Cowboys took an old reputation and set it on fire with the most inspiring brand of football that the franchise has seen in nearly 20 seasons.
I have no idea what awaits this team in the month of January, but I know three things going into the playoffs…
a. Nobody is playing better in the NFL right now than the Cowboys. Not even Seattle.
b. There's no team they could possibly face that I'm afraid of as a fan.
c. This is the most enjoyable Cowboys team to follow since the 1993 Cowboys. Not even a disappointing post-season will likely change that point. The 1994-95 Cowboys were so frustrating to watch, even though the group did cash in one more championship, because the pressure of "title or bust" can crush the fun out of things (see the 2009 season for Texas). It's either this group or the 2007 bunch (13-3 record), but there's something about the play of that 2007 team down the stretch that made rooting for that team at the end of the season feel really painful. This Dallas team is the equivalent to finding a $100 bill on the floor of a casino in Vegas after you desperately lost your final dollar in a cruel game of blackjack. This 2014 team is the best "found money" of football for Dallas fans since 1991, when the franchise went on a late-season run without Troy Aikman for much of it.
From here on out, I'm just going to continue enjoying the ride like I did on Sunday in a 44-17 thrashing of Washington that was every bit as delicious as the score would indicate.
It's been a yummy kind of a season.
No. 8 - Hey MVP voters, are you not entertained?
Give the man the trophy.
No. 9 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Johnny Manziel's lasting memory from his rookie season might involve him throwing a party 36 hours from the start of the season finale, apparently providing such a good time that he was joined by Josh Gordon and Justin Gilbert in missing team functions on Saturday as a byproduct of the partying. My goodness, the kid couldn't even wait two days until the season was over…
… The play Earl Thomas made to save a Rams touchdown at the goal line will be played at is induction ceremony in Canton one day.
… No receiver in NFL history has been better through the first 12 games of a career than Odell Beckham Jr. The dude was the best receiver in football in the final six weeks of the season.
… Justin Houston isn't J.J. Watt, but the man is a beast in his own right. It seemed like he personally kept Philip Rivers out of the playoffs on Sunday with four sacks on the afternoon.
… Tampa almost blew the No.1 overall pick in the draft by beating New Orleans before turning backs into the Bucs and blowing a 20-7 lead. Marcus Mariota, come on down.
… Indianapolis should thank its lucky stars that Buffalo didn't sneak into the No.6 seed as a wildcard. My goodness, that defense is filthy.
… Say what you want about Jerry Jones, but he's light years ahead of Daniel Snyder as an owner. The entire Washington franchise has a disease it can't be rid of as long as Snyder is there. The poison has spread to every layer of the franchise.
… With everything that went down this year in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer took that team to a 7-9 record. That's borderline coach of the year stuff.
… I'm really starting to believe that Kentucky is going to run the table in the regular season in college basketball. I don't feel like this is an overreaction to them beating Louisville on the road with Jennifer Lawrence in attendance.
… I enjoyed the Holiday Bowl more than I thought I would.
… Only Arsenal won on Sunday among teams in the top seven of the EPL League standings, which means a winner between Liverpool/Swansea City on Monday can give its top four possibilities a major boost. Come on, Reds.
No. 10 - The List: Best of 2014 (Listen to the entire list via Spotify)
Sorry fellas, but it was the Year of the Women in Music. It's their world and we're all just living in it.
Top 5 Country Songs: Sturgill Simpson - Turtles All The Way Down
Top 5 Indie Songs: The War on Drugs - Under the Pressure
Top 5 Hip-Hop Songs: Logic - I'm Gone
Top 5 Pop Songs: Lana Del Rey - West Coast
Top 5 R&B Songs: Tinashe (featuring A$AP Rocky) - Pretend
Top 5 Rock Songs: Strand of Oaks - JM
Ok, now that I've broken down the different genres, let's get down to the big list.
Last five songs out: David Nail - The Secret
10. Damien Rice - My Favorite Faded Fantasy
After eight years, the Irish song-writer returned with one of my favorite songs of the year. Welcome back to the game, Mr. Rice.
9. Glen Campbell - I'm Not Going to Miss You
If you took George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and flipped it on its head, this is what you would have.
8. Prince - This Could Be Us
Thirty 30 years after he gave us Purple Rain, Prince gives us the best baby-making song of the year.
7. Kendrick Lamar - i
The best in the hip-hop game.
6. Lana Del Rey - Shades of Cool
Del Rey's Ultraviolence is one of the top five albums of 2014 and this is the best song from it, although at least two other songs were in contention for a Top 10 spot.
5. Jack White - Lazaretto
It's exactly what you'd expect from America's No.1 rock star, all the way down to the face-melting guitar solo.
4. Big K.R.I.T. - Mt. Olympus
My favorite rap song of the entire year.
3. Taylor Swift - Blank Space
It's Swift's world and we're all just living in it. As my wife explained after playing the song for the 100th time in the last month, "She just knows how to write songs women want to listen to all the time." .
2. U2 - Every Breaking Wave
The group's 2014 album Songs of Innocence is one of its best and this song serves as its heartbeat.
1. Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z) - Drunk in Love
By the end of the year, it's easy to forget how dominant the playing of this song was at the turn of this year right after Beyoncé dropped her surprise album. The fact that she has arguably the greatest rapper of all-time as her musical sidekick shows just how much juice Queen Bey has in 2014.
Archives List
Blues/Jazz: Listen via Spotify )
Classical: Listen via Spotify)
Country: Listen via Spotify )
Electronic: Listen Via Spotify
Funk: Listen Via Spotify (Part I)
Metal: Listen Via Spotify
Pop: Listen via Spotify )
Punk: Listen via Spotify)
Random: My Number 1's on Spotify
Rap: Listen via Spotify),
R&B: Listen via Spotify)
Reggae: Listen via Spotify)
Rock: Listen via Spotify )
This post was edited on 12/29 8:14 AM by Ketchum
I'm tired of writing about how poor the Texas Longhorns quarterback situation is.
Seriously, as I considered what the lede for my final 10 Thoughts column of the year, it was hard to write about anything other than the elephant in the room that is the dumpster-fire at the most important scholarship position in college football. Its importance to the short- and long-term future of Charlie Strong's tenure in Austin can't be overstated enough, yet, if I'm tired of writing about the subject material, you guys must be anguished to keep reading it.
Believe me, I get it.
However, as the Longhorns embark on one final chance at securing a winning season in Strong's first year, we're likely to be reminded numerous times on Monday night in the Texas Bowl vs. Arkansas that the Longhorns might not be any closer to having an answer in place at the position than they were a year ago.
Or in 2012. Or 2011. Or 2010.
The reality of this purgatory is unavoidable and it's why it will remain as the centerpiece of all discussions involving the 2015 Texas Longhorns. While Strong seemingly has it cooking in the areas of recruiting and player development, so much of the quality improvements in his program are largely washed away by the truth that is the importance of quality play to a team's won/loss record.
Texas must get better quarterback play next season or it's hard to believe that this team's ceiling can be higher than eight or nine wins at best. The current options available in Tyrone Swoopes, Jerrod Heard and Zach Gentry offer zero security that an answer is definitely going to be in place a year from now, when I write my final column of 2015.
Also, when I speak to the state of the position over the course of the last five seasons, I'm not sure that Texas fans totally understand the hell in which they've been living. Here's a list of the team quarterback-efficiency ratings since Colt McCoy left town.
2010: 111.2
2011: 122.1
2012: 154.4
2013: 117.7
2014: 119.5
How bad are those numbers?
In four of the last five seasons, the Longhorns have ranked 87th or worse in team passing efficiency, an achievement that they share with the likes of UTEP, New Mexico, Idaho, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa State, Army, UNLV, Connecticut, Wake Forest, South Florida, Eastern Michigan, Akron, Tulane and Purdue.
Hell, Oklahoma tight end Blake Bell was removed from the starting quarterback position after a dismal 2013 campaign, yet he still posted a higher rating (132.2) than four of the last five Texas teams.
The reality that Texas fans have lived in the last five years is almost impossible to comprehend and I feel like hugging each and every one of you - even those that might shank me with a homemade shiv in the process - because your sanity as sports fans is being (and has been) tested.
As it stands, the over/under of quarterback columns written by yours truly in 2015 stands at 25.5. You guys are tired of living this nightmare and I'm tired of chronicling it, but until a real answer emerges, it's absolutely unavoidable.
I'm apologizing in advance.
No. 2 - A sprinkle of good news in the quarterback discussion …
The Longhorns won't be alone among Big 12 teams going into the off-season with at least a little bit of uncertainty at the quarterback position.
When you look at the top of the Big 12 standings, TCU will return Trevone Boykin for a 19th season as a Horned Frog, but both Baylor and Kansas State must replace starters at the position. In fact, the only other returning starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 among the top six teams are Boykin, Swoopes and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight.
Given the likelihood that the conference champion will come from this pool of teams, you'd have to concede that TCU will be a deserved favorite going into the season, but everything would appear to be on somewhat even footing among the rest of the next five teams in the league.
Of course, I think we'd all concede that Art Briles could take a can of paint and turn it into a 4,000-yard passer, but next season's terrain doesn't look nearly as dangerous as this season's schedule, which was full of passing-game devils.
If Texas can find its guy, and that's a big if, competing for the league title in what could be a bit of a transition year for many programs becomes very possible.
No. 3 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns …
… So much of Monday's bowl game is going to turn into who wants to be there and who doesn't. Both teams' auras seem to suggest that they are dialed into the game, but sometimes you never know until you get there. I remember hearing lots of lip service going into the 2003 Holiday Bowl - and as soon as the game started, you could see in the players' body language that Texas wanted to be anywhere other than on a field with Washington State ... and perhaps with each other.
… I'm not going to lie, I personally hope Tyrone Swoopes has a good game tonight, for no other reason than he's a good kid that could use a mental boost going into the off-season after what has surely been a tough month.
… I think there's more to gain by winning than there is to lose by losing. That's how important the commitment of Malik Jefferson is for the program heading into the off-season.
… The ability to get John Harris the football might be the difference between winning and losing for Texas. When Swoopes is connecting with Harris, the Texas offense has a chance.
… Arkansas sure looks a hell of a lot better than its 6-6 record on-paper would suggest.
… Everything about the way Jackson Jeffcoat has played the last two weeks of the NFL season for Washington suggests that he belongs. Last week, he picked up his first career sack, and on Sunday he picked up his first career interception off of Tony Romo. How in the hell did he go undrafted?
… Here's a glass-half-full view of Tallahassee Lincoln wide receiver John Burt, who appears to be genuinely torn over sticking with the Longhorns or going the way of Auburn. While Burt lists himself as a see-saw of wavering, it is important to note that it's not a bad thing that the Longhorns are in this position without the help of an official visit. The classic view of recruiting would suggest if the Longhorns can get the kid in Austin for the January 23rd weekend, it'll have the last big chess move in his recruitment and that usually results in a recruiting win. The key is getting him on campus during a weekend when he can truly feel the Longhorns love.
… Prediction: If Soso Jamabo takes an official visit to Texas in the coming month, he'll end up a Longhorn. It's there for the taking.
… Per Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN: "Asked @ChristianDavon2 (Christian Kirk) about negative recruiting. Told me one school said 'Why go to #TAMU, the campus looks like a prison.' #UAAllAmerica"
No. 4 - By Numbers: Breaking down the 2015 LSR Top 100 ...
With the release of the updated 2015 LSR Rankings last week, a number of big-picture thoughts about the current state of recruiting in the state of Texas went through my mind during the rankings process. Before I get into my recruiting randomness, here's a quick breakdown of the basic numbers from the list.
Total committed: 79 of 100 (79%)
Total uncommitted: 21 of 100 (21%)
Breakdown by school
(13) Texas A&M
(12) Texas
(10) TCU
(6) Baylor and Oklahoma
(4) Texas Tech
(2) Arkansas, Fresno State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Tennessee
(1) Alabama, Arizona State, Boise State, Houston, Iowa State, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, Oregon, SMU, Texas State, Tulsa, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
Breakdown by conference
Big 12: 41
SEC: 20
Big 10: 4
Pac-12: 4
AAC: 3
M-West: 3
Independent: 2
C-USA: 1
Sun Belt: 1
ACC: 0
With the simple data breakdown complete, here is a smattering of thoughts about what the numbers are telling us:
1. When Texas A&M joined the SEC three years ago, the concern for many around the state was that the move would open up the doors to the conference in a way that would shake up the state's power structure from top to bottom. The reality is that the only thing it accomplished is giving Texas A&M the boost it so dearly coveted. When you look at the numbers with five weeks to go until NSD, the rest of the SEC schools combine for seven commitments on the list - and no school outside of A&M has secured more than two commitments from state's top 100 players. Schools like Alabama and LSU are active with the "elite of the elite" prospects, but that was true before A&M moved to the SEC and the two powerhouses have currently combined for two commitments.
2. First and foremost, the state of Texas is still a Big 12 state. The chance to play close to home could eventually translate to 50-percent (currently 41-percent) of the list joining the conference by the end of the recruiting year. To be more specific, the state of Texas is an old-school Big 12 South state, as 40 of the 41 commitments to Big 12 schools have been obtained by the Texas and Oklahoma schools in the league.
3. The move into the Big 12 has been massive for TCU. In its own way, its move to the Big 12 has been every big as effective as A&M's move into the SEC.
4. No team is truly dominating the "elite of the elite" in-state, as no school currently has more than one commitment in the top 15, with eight schools currently holding a single top 15 commitment.
5. When you consider the lack of prime recruiting terrain in its home states, the likes of Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State combining for one top 100 commitment doesn't speak well of those programs' abilities to acquire top-end talent. Obviously, Bill Snyder will do Bill Snyder wizardry with the help of the JUCO ranks, but when he's gone, I don't know how these three teams compete with the best teams in the Big 12. A school like Kansas was more competitive in this state 20 years ago than it is right now.
No. 5 - Slotting UT's Out of State targets in the LSR Top 100
One of the obvious questions I get every time the LSR Top 100 is updated is related to where the out-of-state prospects that the Longhorns are recruiting would rank if they were included.
Well, here's your answer…
1. LB - Malik Jefferson (Mesquite Poteet)
2. DB - Deionte Thompson (WOS)
3. WR - DaMarkus Lodge (Cedar Hill)
4. OL - Maea Teuhema (Keller)
5. DT Daylon Mack (Gladewater)
6. QB - Kyler Murray (Allen)
7. CB - Holton Hill (Houston Lamar)
8. CB - Kris Boyd (Gilmer)
9. WR - John Burt (Tallahassee Lincoln)
10. TE - Chris Clark (Avon, CT)
11. QB - Jarrett Stidham (Stephenville)
12. RB - Soso Jamabo (Plano West)
13. CB - Kendall Sheffield (Fort Bend Marshall)
14. RB - Ronald Jones (McKinney North)
15. QB - Zach Gentry (Albuquerque, NM)
16. DB - Mark Fields (Charlotte, NC)
17. DB - P.J. Mbanasor (Pflugerville Hendrickson)
18. WR - Carlos Strickland (Dallas Skyline)
19. WR - JF Thomas (SOC)
20. RB - Chris Warren (Rockwall)
21. CB - Tim Irvin (Palmetto Bay, Fla.)
22. DB - Roney Elam (Newton)
23. DB - Justin Dunning (Whitehouse)
24. RB - Jordan Cronkrite (Palmetto Bay, Fla.)
25. WR - John Humphrey (League City Clear Falls)
26. OL - Toby Weathersby (Houston Westfield)
27. CB - Jaylon Lane (Nacogdoches)
28. TE - Jordan Davis (Houston Clear Lake)
29. WR - Ryan Newsome (Aledo)
30. LB - Anthony Wheeler (Dallas Skyline)
31. ATH - Kirk Johnson (San Jose, Ca.)
32. WR - Kemah Siverand (Houston Cy Ridge)
33. RB - Rodney Anderson (Katy)
34. OL - Connor Williams (Coppell)
35. ATH - Larry Pryor (Sulphur Springs)
36. DE - James Lockhart (Ennis)
37. ATH - Deandre McNeil (Mesquite Poteet)
38. OL - Patrick Vahe (Euless Trinity)
39. DT - Darrion Daniels (Dallas Bishop Dunne)
40. TE - Devonaire Clarington (Hialeah, Florida)
41. RB - Jay Bradford (Splendora)
42. AT - Chad President (Temple)
43. WR - Charles Omenihu (Rowlett)
44. RB - JaMychal Hasty (Longview)
45. LB - Cecil Cherry (Lakeland, Florida)
46. RB - Jordan Stevenson (SOC)
47. DB - DeShon Elliott (Rockwall Heath)
48. DB - Davante Davis (Miami, Florida)
49. DB - Prentice McKinney (SOC)
50. OL - Trevor Elbert (Rockwall Heath)
No. 6 - Splish, splash, Michigan is trying to take a bath…
Michigan has the ball on the five-yard line with Jim Harbaugh and if all the reports out there of his interest in the taking the Wolverines job are true, the Big 10 is about to get really interesting.
Of course, until Harbaugh is on the Michigan plane heading back to Ann Arbor with a signed deal in place, you have to be ready for anything and everything, especially if Oakland decides to give him all that he could ever want in an effort to keep him in the Bay Area.
You can make a case that the stakes have never been higher for a university in an effort to close a deal with its No.1 target because the letdown from the No.1 choice to the No.2 choice would make the disappointment many Texas fans had about losing out on Nick Saban look like a trip to Wally World when the gates are actually open.
In a sport that boasts two names (Saban and Meyer) that automatically translate into national-championship contending success, Michigan is aiming to add a third, and I applaud the efforts to dare to be great. It's a move that instantly changes the perception of the Michigan program and places it among the elite of the elite, a position those close the program believe in their hearts it deserves to be in.
Punching that ball in from the five-yard line won't be easy because my instincts say that there's at least one more loop left on this roller coaster, but a school without a true Athletic Director is about to show all of the rest of the big boys in college football how it's done.
You make a deal he can't refuse and then you stalk him until he says yes. My goodness, the top of the Big 10 is about to get really interesting.
No. 7 - How 'bout them Cowboys!
165-79.
That was the Dallas Cowboys' point-differential in the month of December in four games. In a year when up has been down and cats have been seen chasing dogs throughout the Metroplex, the 2014 Cowboys took an old reputation and set it on fire with the most inspiring brand of football that the franchise has seen in nearly 20 seasons.
I have no idea what awaits this team in the month of January, but I know three things going into the playoffs…
a. Nobody is playing better in the NFL right now than the Cowboys. Not even Seattle.
b. There's no team they could possibly face that I'm afraid of as a fan.
c. This is the most enjoyable Cowboys team to follow since the 1993 Cowboys. Not even a disappointing post-season will likely change that point. The 1994-95 Cowboys were so frustrating to watch, even though the group did cash in one more championship, because the pressure of "title or bust" can crush the fun out of things (see the 2009 season for Texas). It's either this group or the 2007 bunch (13-3 record), but there's something about the play of that 2007 team down the stretch that made rooting for that team at the end of the season feel really painful. This Dallas team is the equivalent to finding a $100 bill on the floor of a casino in Vegas after you desperately lost your final dollar in a cruel game of blackjack. This 2014 team is the best "found money" of football for Dallas fans since 1991, when the franchise went on a late-season run without Troy Aikman for much of it.
From here on out, I'm just going to continue enjoying the ride like I did on Sunday in a 44-17 thrashing of Washington that was every bit as delicious as the score would indicate.
It's been a yummy kind of a season.
No. 8 - Hey MVP voters, are you not entertained?
Give the man the trophy.
No. 9 - Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… Johnny Manziel's lasting memory from his rookie season might involve him throwing a party 36 hours from the start of the season finale, apparently providing such a good time that he was joined by Josh Gordon and Justin Gilbert in missing team functions on Saturday as a byproduct of the partying. My goodness, the kid couldn't even wait two days until the season was over…
… The play Earl Thomas made to save a Rams touchdown at the goal line will be played at is induction ceremony in Canton one day.
… No receiver in NFL history has been better through the first 12 games of a career than Odell Beckham Jr. The dude was the best receiver in football in the final six weeks of the season.
… Justin Houston isn't J.J. Watt, but the man is a beast in his own right. It seemed like he personally kept Philip Rivers out of the playoffs on Sunday with four sacks on the afternoon.
… Tampa almost blew the No.1 overall pick in the draft by beating New Orleans before turning backs into the Bucs and blowing a 20-7 lead. Marcus Mariota, come on down.
… Indianapolis should thank its lucky stars that Buffalo didn't sneak into the No.6 seed as a wildcard. My goodness, that defense is filthy.
… Say what you want about Jerry Jones, but he's light years ahead of Daniel Snyder as an owner. The entire Washington franchise has a disease it can't be rid of as long as Snyder is there. The poison has spread to every layer of the franchise.
… With everything that went down this year in Minnesota, Mike Zimmer took that team to a 7-9 record. That's borderline coach of the year stuff.
… I'm really starting to believe that Kentucky is going to run the table in the regular season in college basketball. I don't feel like this is an overreaction to them beating Louisville on the road with Jennifer Lawrence in attendance.
… I enjoyed the Holiday Bowl more than I thought I would.
… Only Arsenal won on Sunday among teams in the top seven of the EPL League standings, which means a winner between Liverpool/Swansea City on Monday can give its top four possibilities a major boost. Come on, Reds.
No. 10 - The List: Best of 2014 (Listen to the entire list via Spotify)
Sorry fellas, but it was the Year of the Women in Music. It's their world and we're all just living in it.
Top 5 Country Songs: Sturgill Simpson - Turtles All The Way Down
Top 5 Indie Songs: The War on Drugs - Under the Pressure
Top 5 Hip-Hop Songs: Logic - I'm Gone
Top 5 Pop Songs: Lana Del Rey - West Coast
Top 5 R&B Songs: Tinashe (featuring A$AP Rocky) - Pretend
Top 5 Rock Songs: Strand of Oaks - JM
Ok, now that I've broken down the different genres, let's get down to the big list.
Last five songs out: David Nail - The Secret
10. Damien Rice - My Favorite Faded Fantasy
After eight years, the Irish song-writer returned with one of my favorite songs of the year. Welcome back to the game, Mr. Rice.
9. Glen Campbell - I'm Not Going to Miss You
If you took George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and flipped it on its head, this is what you would have.
8. Prince - This Could Be Us
Thirty 30 years after he gave us Purple Rain, Prince gives us the best baby-making song of the year.
7. Kendrick Lamar - i
The best in the hip-hop game.
6. Lana Del Rey - Shades of Cool
Del Rey's Ultraviolence is one of the top five albums of 2014 and this is the best song from it, although at least two other songs were in contention for a Top 10 spot.
5. Jack White - Lazaretto
It's exactly what you'd expect from America's No.1 rock star, all the way down to the face-melting guitar solo.
4. Big K.R.I.T. - Mt. Olympus
My favorite rap song of the entire year.
3. Taylor Swift - Blank Space
It's Swift's world and we're all just living in it. As my wife explained after playing the song for the 100th time in the last month, "She just knows how to write songs women want to listen to all the time." .
2. U2 - Every Breaking Wave
The group's 2014 album Songs of Innocence is one of its best and this song serves as its heartbeat.
1. Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z) - Drunk in Love
By the end of the year, it's easy to forget how dominant the playing of this song was at the turn of this year right after Beyoncé dropped her surprise album. The fact that she has arguably the greatest rapper of all-time as her musical sidekick shows just how much juice Queen Bey has in 2014.
Archives List
Blues/Jazz: Listen via Spotify )
Classical: Listen via Spotify)
Country: Listen via Spotify )
Electronic: Listen Via Spotify
Funk: Listen Via Spotify (Part I)
Metal: Listen Via Spotify
Pop: Listen via Spotify )
Punk: Listen via Spotify)
Random: My Number 1's on Spotify
Rap: Listen via Spotify),
R&B: Listen via Spotify)
Reggae: Listen via Spotify)
Rock: Listen via Spotify )
This post was edited on 12/29 8:14 AM by Ketchum
