The Long Snapper (5/14/10)
from
Florida
. At one point it looked like Bushell had the lead in the race, but off-the-field issues kept him out during most of the spring and caused him to plummet. The coaching staff tried to help Bushell get back on track, but it doesn’t look like anything worked.
Jeremy Brown
took the lead for the starting position with
Moses Jenkins
,
Joshua Shaw
, and
Jaylen Watkins
not far behind him. Bushell looked like he had a rough climb to even get playing time in the fall. Now he’ll look for it somewhere else. And he may not be the last to leave before the fall. There are some rumors floating around regarding linebacker
Brendan Beal
as well. Of course, there were rumors about Beal’s departure last year as well.
Although he isn’t exactly saying it, FSU athletic director Randy Spetman sounds like, behind the scenes, he’s excited about the possibility of jumping to the SEC. Spetman says the Seminoles are happy in the ACC and he hopes the conference maintains its current structure, but he also seems uncertain that will happen. There are a number of speculations regarding why FSU never joined the SEC years ago, but this time the dollar will rule all. The Noles would get a whole mess of them if they were to accept an invitation. Assuming an invitation comes. FSU has to be on the short list, but it all goes back to which direction the SEC goes: ACC or Big 12. Oklahoma and Texas may seem like a no-brainer given their recent success, but don’t write off the fan bases FSU and Miami bring. The others (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Clemson, Georgia Tech) would just be happy to be along for the ride if the SEC heads their way.
While Spetman sounds cautiously excited at the thought of expansion, T. Boone Pickens doesn’t think anyone should get overly eager. Pickens believes Oklahoma State should stick with the Big 12 until the time comes when they absolutely have to make a move. The Big 12 is a power conference and the Cowboys may be more attractive to others. More so than just being included in a package with Oklahoma and Texas. Oklahoma State may have some offers of their own. But Pickens thinks they should play wait and see. Don’t jump the gun and miss out on a bigger opportunity.
Randy Shannon’s progress at Miami has been rewarded. The head coach has been given a four-year extension to remain with the Hurricanes. I’ll freely admit I’ve never been a huge fan of Shannon the coach. I do believe he’s doing the right thing at Miami in other areas such as academics and what goes on off of the football field, but I was never on board with his coaching abilities. I’m not ready to give up on that just yet, but he does have the Canes headed in the right direction. From five wins to seven wins to nine wins, Miami appears ready to take the next step and return to the top half of the polls consistently. Another jump in 2010 and I’ll admit I was on the wrong side of the Shannon fence. And even though I’m obviously not a Miami fan by any means, it’ll be nice to have another state power back.
The Friday Fifth: And because it’s Friday…MORE EXPANSION TALK!!! YEAH!!! Brian Kelly is the latest to announce Notre Dame likes its independence and always will. Something about tradition and history and blah, blah, blah. We get it, the Irish like being on their own when it comes to football.
The List: Schedule time. I fear this is a short-lived segment given we’re only a few weeks away from baseball being the only option among the major sports. At that point, I might have to take a different approach for Friday’s version of The List.
1. Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins – Game 7 (Tied 3-3) – Friday, 7:00
2. Chicago Blackhawks @ San Jose Sharks – Game 1 – Sunday, 3:00
The Sixth Man: One thing very few people seem to be talking about in terms of possible conference expansions is the effect it could have on basketball. ACC or Big 12, the SEC would add some interesting pieces on the court if they were to expand. Texas would probably be the big dog in terms of basketball, but you Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, FSU, and Miami are all nice additions as well. The ACC would actually still remain a strong basketball conference with the likes of Duke, Maryland, and UNC sticking around, but the Big 12 would take a hit. Sure Kansas would still be in the mix, but in basketball terms, the Big 12 would suffer a huge blow if it were raided. Of course, if raided to the scale we’re discussing here, there may not be a Big 12 after the dust settles. At least not one that compares to today’s offering.