College Football News Roundup – October 18
A college football news roundup that includes Oklahoma State Mike Gundy having a new theory on parity in college football and the Big 12 deciding not to expand.
A college football news roundup that includes Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy having a new theory on parity in college football and the Big 12 deciding not to expand.
It has been unusually warm here in the Windy City the last few days, and I for one welcome it before the onslaught of winter hits us. As for college football news, Charlie Strong said his defenses’ effort against Iowa State could be a confidence builder, Nick Saban praised his freshman quarterback, and Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine will be sidelined at least for a couple of weeks. Here are some other newsworthy notes in the latest college football news roundup.
What Now, Coach? – We all know Mike Gundy is a special character, but his latest theory might be the most out-there of all of them. In a press conference on Monday, Gundy had this to say:
“Focus and preparation is different now then it ever has been,” Gundy said. “And the players that we coach come in and they’re not like guys that we coached 10 years ago, and 15 years ago and 20 years ago. Because your generation spends all their time looking at their phone. My generation spent all our time out in the front yard playing games. And so they were more ready to go into college athletics. They understood all the dynamics of it compared to young people nowadays. They don’t spend as much time around football, they spend more time playing some game on a phone. Because of all that, and the training that takes place, there’s more parity in college football.”
I mean, sure, who hasn’t made that connection?
Big 12 Staying Put – After the league’s presidents and chancellors voted unanimously to not expand, the Big 12 will stay at status quo with 10 teams. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that no potential expansion schools were discussed during the meeting and that it will no longer be “an active agenda item.” Sorry, Houston and everyone else.
Don’t Anger The Pirate – As Tom Hanks found out in the movie Captain Phillips, you do not want to anger a pirate. Arizona State is learning that after Washington State head coach Mike Leach has accused them of stealing signs.
“I think they still steal signs, and we’ll have to keep an eye on that,” Leach said. “That is a very unsavory practice they have, so we’ll have to do what we can to defend against it.”
