1 - So with Blaine Gabbert still figuring out how to make the news (between his fake Twitter fight with Christian Ponder and Maurice Jones-Drew complaining indirectly about the fact that the Jags drafted him) ... and with Mizzou still very much involved in the recruitment of Gunner Kiel, it's been very easy to forget about the guy who will begin the season as Mizzou's actual starting quarterback: James Franklin. On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you with Franklin being The Man this fall? (For Doug: tell us *snicker* what you think about the *chortle* potential of the *snerk* KU quarterbacks this fall. Okay, that was mean. Tell us again how great food in New Mexico is.)
2 - North Carolina received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA yesterday. They're likely looking at USC-level sanctions. Are the scandals of the last year a sign that college football is out of control, or is this more a case of the sport being under a brighter spotlight that is simply uncovering what has always gone on?
3 - So a made-up recruiting reporter created made-up leads and interviews, and people ate it up. Upon whom does this reflect poorly? Media? Fans increasingly desperate for recruiting news? Society? The human race? Anthony Weiner?
4 - So Mrs. Bill C. celebrated her entrance into the third trimester by getting walloped by a cold that is still messing with her 10 days later. Here's where you tell her that this isn't just a sign of things to come, and that it only gets better from here. TELL HER.
The Beef: 1 - I am probably at a 6-7 right now, and that is actually higher than it would have been had Little Gabbert not transferred. I don’t think we can overrate the value of the summer for Franklin in KNOWING he is going to be the #1. The work he does with the WR’s this summer and at 2-a-days will be so much more fruitful this way, as they will not need to adapt back and forth to each potential starter. Beyond that, and with the obviously small sample size from last year/this spring, I don’t have much more to base the feeling on other than the reports that he was sick for most of the season last year and has now (I believe) bulked back up and is feeling healthy.
2 - I think college football in some places has been out of control for a long time, but I do think it is likely getting more out of control. This is bad for it as a whole, since the spotlight is only getting brighter and the access to info is only increasing. So I think they are uncovering more of what is going on, but I think more is going on than before…at least in different ways.
3 - I really don’t think it reflects too poorly on the media, as there is not some sort of media police or Board of Directors or something. It reflects poorly on the fans if anything…and perhaps a little on Anthony Weiner.
4 - I think Katie has only been sick once since Rebecca was born (while I have actually been sick twice)…and that is over an 11-month period…..I assume that means it will be better for her
Michael Atchison: 1. I’m about a 3 on Franklin. I think he can do the job. They may have to simplify things a bit at first, and I’m not sure he’ll ever make all the throws that the last two quarterbacks made. I also think the staff will be content to let him go out, not make mistakes, and rely on the defense, at least for the first few games. We may see the exact opposite of what we saw in the Chase Daniel years, at least at first, and my sense is that Gary Pinkel is comfortable with that.
2. I think the increased number of media outlets has something to do with it. There are a lot more people digging into things now, and it’s much easier for an everyday joe to bring something to the light of day now. Frankly, stuff happening now may very well pale next to how out of control things were in the 1970s and early 80s when Oklahoma, Miami and others were full-blown funhouses.
3. It’s a reflection of how weird the culture of recruit-following is. Everybody wants to know something, but mostly they want to know something that supports their own hopes. Still, don’t discount Anthony Weiner’s role in this.
4. My third trimester was a breeze, Mrs. Bill C. Once you clear this hurdle, it’s smooth-sailing.
Michael Atchison: I think I did the scale on Franklin wrong. Put me down as a 7, which means I feel pretty good about it.
The Beef: And Atch comes around before I can fire off an email with that stupid LOL WUT picture that never made much sense to me
RPT: 1. It's hard to quantify at this point. Everyone knows I've been high on Franklin since before he committed. He throws a catchable ball, he adds an extra dimension on the ground and he has a good head on his shoulders. But seeing him get a little frazzled early in spring ball during Tyler Gabbert's strong two weeks concerns me a little bit. If that spotlight was able to get him out of rhythm, I'm a little scared to see what could happen in Big 12 play.
2. Someone needs to create an All-Sanction Conference in NCAA Football 12. Actually, what would that conference look like?
3. Does anyone else think it reflects poorly on the dude who took the time to make all of that up? I can think of about 20,000 more productive ways to prove that people are gullible and often stupid.
4. Give her the medicines of our culture.
Michael Atchison: Yeah, I do think it reflects poorly on the dude who took the time who made it all up. He put a lot of effort into proving something that’s neither surprising nor important, and he disseminated false information about real people. It doesn’t rise to the level of Gay Girl in Syria, but it’s still kind of dumb.
ZouDave: 1 – I’d say probably around a 7. The kid was the #1 QB in Texas as a high school senior, he beat out 2 other players for the #2 job last year that had been in the program for at least a year already and he’s got nothing but experienced players around him everywhere on the offense. I don’t know if Franklin is going to be the “next in line” of our great Mizzou QBs (because let’s face it, our last 3 QBs have to be described as great and nothing less) but I have no lack of faith that he’s going to be THE guy going into the season and will do just fine. Hopefully, he can do even better than that.
2 – Uncovering what’s always gone on. Not unlike the other scandals that have gotten so much media coverage (celebrities cheating on their spouses, politicians harassing women with their junk), the fact that there’s SO MUCH MEDIA now means that news that was once easy to keep very well hidden is no longer going to stay hidden like at all. There’s nothing new under the sun, we just now know about everything under the sun.
3 – Fans, first and foremost. And fans are part of society, so society gets the secondary nod. But overall, it’s definitely Anthony Weiner’s fault.
4 – She also had a birthday recently!
ZouDave: I would rather have seen the guy make up a fake recruit, convince everyone that this guy was THE GUY to have in the 2013 class, and then convince people he was about to commit to *whatever school*. It would have been hilarious to see fans sending around links and tweets about a 5-star kid that doesn’t exist, because eventually you would have found people claiming “I saw him play as a freshman, he’s definitely matured since then.”
Still, I’m anxious to see RPT’s list of 20,000 things he would do instead. I expect that by 11am.
RPT: Create 20,000 RMN voting controversies about arbitrary online contests?
ZouDave: Thats 1. Unless you want to specifically list the 20000 controversies...
The Beef: He should have the time these days
SleepyFloyd7: 1 - Mark it 8, Dude. I SAID MARK IT 8!!!!! I think he'll be fine, and I am actually excited to see what he can do once given full control of the battleship.
2 - The big-money big-business nature of college sports has increased the sense of entitlement of some college athletes. And, as so many have said here, there are a lot of people actively picking up rocks to see what's slithering underneath - they will keep picking up rocks until they find something.
3 - All that was left for that guy was to put up a video of the fake recruit making trick-shots with a kitten.
4 - My wife was on bed-rest for about 6 weeks with our first daughter. It could be worse. Chicken Noodle, rest.
D-Sing: 1. I rate myself as a seven at this point. Cautiously optimistic. I reserve the right to adjust that up or down after the Arizona State game (an early season road game against a BCS opponent on a weeknight). He's seen game action, which is at least a bonus, but he's still extremely green. I want to see him throw a lot more.
2. I don't think this is anything new for CFB in the main; the idea of scandals are just about as old as the game. What has changed is the focus on college football now on a national level. There are more eyes digging and prying. The other thing that has changed is the money involved in the game (just look at how much the conference commissioners are getting paid). So maybe it's a bit more out of control than it was previously, but that could simply be perceptional because the level of investigative work by media sources just wasn't there in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
3. The whole human race? Actually, I would say that it is just part and parcel of the system. I don't get the recruiting machine, or the idea of trying to obsessively worry about where a 16-19 year old says that he is going to college. I would rather wait until they've enrolled and then I'll learn about them. But that's just me.
4. It'll get better. Just make sure you get the rest now, because you are not going to want to be sick when the kid gets here. Fortunately, the biggest health issue for my wife when she had our kid (until the delivery) was heartburn. And the fact that she couldn't eat any orange food.
The Beef: Orange food? So, oranges, carrots, sweet potatoes? I feel like I am missing something major here. I suppose Mac and cheese can look that way depending on the lighting of your kitchen.
Doug: 1 - That's the joy of being 880 miles away... don't know, don't really give a damn. On the food, however, so good.
2 - Well, I think the reality of the USC and potential Ohio State sanctions means the NCAA isn't glossing over the big-time powers and just focusing on the smaller schools. Now, this could mean the hammer will drop on North Carolina, but they probably should have seen this coming from the moment they hired Butch Davis.
3 - Everything reflects poorly on Anthony Weiner. But this reflects really poorly on fans and media covering the summer hoop recruiting scene. We all know college recruiting is an utter crapshoot, even for established reporters, let alone idiots on message boards. This basically means you can never believe anything you see on the internet... ever again.
4 - Well... I believe after she gives birth, she'll be raising the child with YOU. So, in that sense... no, no it will not get better.
Bill C.: The wife couldn't bear the thought of eating chicken for about the first four months or so ... that's been about all the true weirdness she's experienced. Other than an obsession with orange juice.
1 - I'm at a 6, but I'm sure I will go to an 8 if he does anything other than look terrible against Miami (Ohio) in the opener. I'm easy that way.
2 - Honestly, I find myself leaning toward the "this is nothing new" camp. They were debating paying players in the 1950s ... they were decrying shady recruiting in the 1960s ... SMU happened in the 1980s. I think these types of dealings have always been involved in college football (and college basketball), but the Internet, the increased popularity of the sport, and the increased TV money have made it much more visible.
3 - I think it reflects poorly on just about everybody ... but damned if I know how to fix it. The market demands more and more recruiting news, and the market gets what it wants even when it should be protected from itself.
4 - IT'S GOING TO GET BETTER, DEAR.
D-Sing: Yep. While in utero, the kid decided that orange food was bad. Carrots were out. Don't eat too many sweet potatoes, so that wasn't a big deal. Same with cantaloupe (musk melon). Cheese, though, was somehow okay, but Cheetos were not.
ghtd36:
Michael Atchison: That’s history’s most hypnotic .gif.
Doug: Really?
ghtd36:
SleepyFloyd7:
RPT: I DON'T THINK THE GOGGLES WERE PROPERLY CALIBRATED, LANA.
The Roundtable really needs more Archer.
ZouDave: http://r33b.net/
The Beef: All credit to Bill C. if he can make the Roundtable make that noise throughout
(Ed. note: I would have tried, but I've alienated so many with the M-I-Z... E-R-Y contest already, so ... you're welcome.)
D-Sing: Forget more Archer...can I have more Lana?
Yeah, you know what? Lusting after a cartoon character...not my best move.
The Beef: I’ve been waiting for your weekly, “Pigskin Pundit Killed the Roundtable” Pretty sure that was it
D-Sing: I do what I can. I blame the heat. It's 10am out here and it's already 93 degrees on the way to 110.
The Beef: Dry heat though, right?
D-Sing: When you sweat as much as I do, there is no such thing as a dry heat.
Michael Atchison: I don’t know, I always had a thing for Kim Possible’s mom, Dr. Possible.
ghtd36: This Roundtable explains so much. It's like the Rosetta Stone of RMN personalities.
Michael Atchison: Taking a break from prattling on about Glen Campbell’s Texas Football, Greg?
ghtd36: Yes, I am. Thank you for noticing, Best Facebook Friend.
Michael Atchison: That piece on the Wichita Falls lineman was superb. Is he still on the line?
ghtd36: I didn't write about a Wichita Falls lineman. You must be mistaken.
Michael Atchison: [reference whooshing right past]
ghtd36: My bad. I was born in 1986.
SleepyFloyd7: I got it, you magnificent old bastard.
(30 minutes later...)
Michael Atchison: Glen Campbell killed the roundtable. In a totally unexpected bit of cosmic coincidence, I (honestly) just received a press release announcing the August 30 release of Glen Campbell’s final album, which includes songs written by Paul Westerberg (Replacements) and Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices). It also says that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.