THE REIGNING FAT MAN OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Okay, it's one thing when Kansas got rid of the co-Fat Man of College Football, Mark Mangino. You could argue he may have lost his job based on how he allegedly treated his team, and its players.
But, the reigning Fat-Man of College Football, Ralph Friedgen of Maryland, is getting fired after getting his Terps to 8-4, after a 3-9 record in 2009, and achieving Coach of the Year honors in the ACC. He has done a good job with a team that was a disgrace before he got there.
He has a good freshman QB in O'Brien, and a potential 15 starters back next year, so Friedgen is being let go at a time when his Terps appear to be in a major upswing.
The reigning "Fat-Man" of college football is getting screwed. I have an outside hope his team plays so well today, they will re-hire one of my favorite college football coaches.

HOW YOU LIKE JOE WEBB NOW?

When commentators and fans ignorantly made fun of the Vikes Joe Webb this past week, I was hoping what happened last night would come to pass.
If Webb played a school that had the name University of Alabama instead of University of Alabama at Birmingham, Joe may have won the Heisman last year.
He was in the top 5 of my favorite players last year because he almost single-handedly led his team to a bowl game( and victory) last year. During that Heisman-deserving season, Webb ran for 1400 yards, passed for 2300 yards and scored 21 Tds on the ground, and 12 through the air. That's 33 darn touchdowns. Commentators and fans belittled Webb foolishly last week. Webb( AND ME) HAD THE LAST LAUGH.
See, another learning moment courtesy of a person who may know more about college football than anyone you will meet in your lifetime.

YO, SUCKERS

For those of you who were sucked in by Iowa's "devastating" suspensions, here's my message, and another point you should register as a learning moment: Teams like Iowa, now a top program, have recruits to replace suspended players. Freshman RB Marcus Coker, a top 50 RB coming out of high school, gained over 215 yards tonight.
If this were UTEP, or Tulsa, or SMU, or Troy, or Northern Illinois, or pick your mediocre program, a suspension is devastating news. At programs like Iowa, forget about it. Okay, I will go to sleep now with the comfort of knowing I taught you somethin

ARE YOU WILLING TO LEARN?

During this bowl season, I hope to have enough time to write stuff here. I hope I have the time, because if I do, you will learn a lot about college football and handicapping. Of course, I've learned that there are few guys out there who know sports who will admit there is anything to learn from anyone,but themselves. I know better because I learn something new almost every day I'm involved with this handicapping thing. So, if interested, sit back and learn something.

First of all, for those who didn't sign up for the bowl special: I had the under in G.T.-AF game for two-stars; G.T. in a one-star play; I had N.C.St. and the over in the same game in one-star plays; I had Iowa in a two-star play, and the under in the game as a one-star play. Let me add, like all competitive people, I want to kick butt for the guys who had confidence in me and signed up for my Bowl Special, but, I also want to shove it up the --- of those who didn't sign up with me.

What I'd like to do now is give a one or two sentence synopsis of teams whose seasons just ended with their bowl games. Enjoy and learn:

BYU:Move to independ status should work. Like Notre Dame, will have national following. Nine back on offense!
UTEP: Same old, mid-level status this year, next year, the year after, the year after...
N.Ill.: Like almost all MAC teams, when they play good, they lose their coach and return the MAC pack. Ditto the Huskies
Fresno St.: What's happened to Pat Hill? ATS he now stinks. He loses senior QB and expd. O-line
Louisville:Strong did wonders with an inexperienced defense. The Cardinals are back!
So.Miss: Will always be at top of CUSA. But, don't think they will reach status they once had under previous, disrespected coach, Jeff Bower.
Boise St.: Two missed, chippy field goals, and, instead of playing a top-notch BCS school, they get an over-rated Utah squad in a very low-level bowl. UNFAIR!
Utah: Moves to PAC-10. Marshall moved from MAC to CUSA. They were stars in the MAC, also-rans in the CUSA. Will the same happen to the UTES?
S.D.St: Great weather should bring great recruits; very good offensive and defensive coordinators; very good head coach; big question: will Coach Hoke use Aztec job as stepping stone to "bigger job?"
Navy: Loses QB Ricky Dobbs. Prediction: Army beats Navy next year. Get those bets in now.
Hawaii: I don't care how many players they lose, they always seem to be competitive. Now, if someone can explain to me what happened in that Tulsa game, I'm listening.
Tulsa: This coach, Todd Graham might just be able to keep Tulsa consistently at the top of CUSA(okay, that ain't saying much). Remember, he also led Rice in 2006 to a winning record. That's really unusual.
Air Force: Coach Calhoun has figured out the perfect offense(option), and the perfect defense(blitz-crazy, but, disciplined) for his service academy squad. ALL 4 DBs return next year!
G.T.: Coach Johnson will always keep his teams near top of ACC. His option is just too hard to defend. The big question is whether that offense can make it to top levels of NCAA.
West Virginia: I really like coach Stewart, as a human being. As a coach, I agreed with Mountaineer AD that Stewart cannot lead his program to next level.
North Carolina St.: Coaching is the most important ingredient in college football. O'Brien did a great job at BC., and is now doing the same at N.C.St. Now, his main job: keep QB Wilson from leaving for baseball. If Wilson stays, the Wolfpack offense will be very good.

NAVY VS. SAN DIEGO ST.

QB Ricky Dobbs is a special option QB. He runs the option superbly, he throws the ball well, unusual for an option QB, and he's a great leader. He, and his team, seem to play better on the road, and this is a home game for SDST., and a road game,of sorts for Navy. Keep in mind SanDiego has a big Naval base there. A big Navy contingent is expected. Since the arrival of Paul Johnson, Navy is 19-7 as road dogs. Present coach Niumataolo has carried on that tradition, going 8-3 as a road dog.
TWO STAR PLAY ON THE RICKY DOBBS-LED NAVY MIDSHIPMEN.

SanDiego has a defensive coordinator , Rocky Felker, who coached against option attacks for years when he was at New Mexico. He should have some success against Navy's option. I know Navy will come to play, and I believe they will offer the Aztecs a decent defensive effort. Add to all this the horrible field conditions( SanDiego and their field has been hit with very heavy rains of late) and we recommend a ONE STAR PLAY ON THE UNDER

BOISE ST. VS. UTAH

Boise St. Has the better QB; the better defense; and probably the better running game. My fear in this game is two-fold: will Boise St. have the same incentive without the national title at stake, and second, Utah has been strong in bowl games.
Those fears have kept me from making this a higher recommended game.
BOISE ST. IN A ONE STAR PLAY.

NO RECOMMENDATION ON THE TOTALS.

2010 BOWL PACKAGE WITH REFUNDS IF I DON'T PRODUCE!

I have come out with a system that rewards me if I do well, and gives you a refund if I don't. It's pretty interesting. Please check my web-site at www.college-edge.com for complete details.

If you've taken the time to read this, and some of my posts during the year, I want you to know I don't feel like I'm bragging when I tell you that in your lifetime you may never meet anyone who knows as much about college football as I. As Muhammad Ali once famously said, "it ain't braggin' if it's true." I write this because I believe I will put you in the best position to make the bowl season a profitable one.
I know how much work I put into this. Take advantage of that work!
Tonight at this site: My synopsis of BOISE ST.-UTAH!