College Sports

The news on Cal's stadium renovations, and the lack of sales to finance it, must be more than a little disturbing to school officials looking at a huge debt. A major part of the financing for the $321 million renovations to Memorial Stadium was selling special endowment seats, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. They cost $40,000 to $250,000 and you get to keep them for 40 or 50 years. Great plan, right? Well, sure, until they (rather predictably, given the cost) couldn't sell them all. According to the Chronicle, Cal officials said they would sell all 2,902 seats by this month, but they're stuck on 1,857. And as the Chronicle also reports, 16 of them were given back to the school this winter. What's left is an enormous debt, and some at the school rightfully concerned about the fallout. "We said it wouldn't work out. They never should have done this," computer science professor Brian Barsky told the Chronicle. "The prices are too high. It was doomed to failure." The Chronicle said the school now carries a $445 million debt for the stadium and a new $153 million student athletic center. The story outlines some fears, mostly from Barsky, characterized as a longtime critic of the plan, that the cost of tuition could rise especially if the school has to use academic funds to pay off the debt. The story says paying off stadium debt is already taking 20 percent of the athletic budget, and that's just to pay interest. The school won't start paying down the principle until 2032. The Chronicle story is thorough, and paints a pretty frightening picture. It also is another example of misplaced priorities in even some of the most respected universities in the United States, but you probably already figured that out if you read the words above. - - - Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

Coveted wing Oubre weighing high-level offers

The college football offseason is long and arduous, but its end is almost in sight. We’re going to take a look at five games you have to look forward to for every weekend of the season. (This is also a handy guide to decide how to RSVP for any autumn weddings.) All times are Eastern and all games are played on Saturday unless otherwise noted. Also, this is not the best weekend for football outside of the little game in College Station. You may be able to take time to see some family members or friends…if you want to. These games take place the weekend of September 14th. Alabama at Texas A&M (3:30 p.m., CBS) – Your early Game of the Year candidate. You’re all aware of the story: Johnny Manziel and the Aggies went into Tuscaloosa and dealt the Tide their only loss of the 2012 season. (This did not stop an Alabama championship, but it did help Johnny Football win the Heisman.) Both teams will probably be in the top five and this is an early season game whose results will have a serious effect not just on the race for the SEC championship, but also the BCS title. A big question here is how well A&M – which loses left tackle Luke Joeckel (second pick in April’s draft) and center Patrick Lewis (four-year starter) – will protect Manziel from C.J. Mosley and the Bama front seven. Will the Aggies be able to control the Tide for another year, or will AJ McCarron and friends get vengeance? Thinking of how excited Uncle Verne is going to be during this game is getting me even more excited. UCLA at Nebraska (12 p.m., ABC) – Last year’s edition in Pasadena was an absolute dandy, as the Bruins won 36-30 in a coming out party for Brett Hundley, who threw for 304 yards and four scores. Hundley is back but the Bruins will have to replace tailback Johnathan Franklin, who scorched the Blackshirts for 217 rushing yards. Taylor Martinez’s passing took a step forward in 2012, and he’ll have some help on offense during his senior campaign, as running back/return man Ameer Abdullah (nearly 2,000 total yards) and receiver Kenny Bell (863 yards and 8 touchdowns) return. T-Magic will need to keep an eye out for Anthony Barr, the monster Bruin pass rusher who ended up with 13 sacks last year. Wisconsin at Arizona State (10:30 p.m.) – This is the second year in a row that Wisconsin has made an early season visit to the Pac-12, as they fell to Oregon State in Corvallis last September. Arizona State has the potential to be sneaky good this season if they can survive some early challenges, and this game doubles as a stiff test for new Badger coach Gary Andersen. The Sun Devils have All-American-type talent at defensive tackle (Will Sutton) and tight end (Chris Coyle), but attempting to counter them will be Montee Ball replacement Melvin Gordon, a redshirt sophomore who exploded for 216 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State at California (7 p.m., FOX) – There are not a lot of potential losses on the Buckeyes’ schedule, so considering A) Cal gave them a heckuva game in Columbus last season before falling 35-28 and B) This game is a long ways from the Horseshoe, we’ll put Urban Meyer’s crew on a very mild upset alert. At the very least, you’ll get to see Braxton Miller do some cool stuff. Iowa at Iowa State (TBD) – Paul Rhoads’ Cyclones have won the Cy-Hawk Trophy two years in a row in drastically different three-point victories (44-41 in 2011, 9-6 last year). While it seems like Kirk Ferentz’s future is protected by his massive, almost comical buyout, avoiding a three-game losing streak to the in-state rival would not hurt his popularity in Iowa City. (Honestly, this game is probably going to be brutal – it was 9-6 last year, after all – but our pickings are slim, I really wanted to type the word “Cy-Hawk” and if Iowa loses again their fans are going to initiate a Kickstarter campaign to get rid of Ferentz that will be immensely entertaining.) Other games considered: TCU at Texas Tech (7:30 p.m., ESPN, Thursday) – If new Red Raide

Report: Wisconsin juco transfer denied admission

Travis Haney takes a look at five teams that just missed the cut in the College Football Future Power Rankings, beginning with the Ole Miss Rebels.

In news that surprises absolutely no one, John Calipari has put together the No. 1 recruiting class at the University of Kentucky. Wait, hold on … this says Kentucky has the number one class in football? Is that right? The same Wildcats team that went 2-10 last year? You bet it is, and here's the proof (Kentucky fans, you might want to print this out for posterity): Obviously all of the usual caveats apply: Recruiting is incredibly fluid, Kentucky’s per-star average isn’t as high as some of the other teams near the top, they're likely to be passed by some of the traditional as we get close to signing day and we don't know if all of these players will stick around if the Wildcats suffer through a rough autumn. But you have to give new head coach Mark Stoops and the fans of Big Blue Nation a lot of credit for this development, however temporary it is. When your program is as down as Kentucky’s, Stoops needed something to point to as a recruiting pitch, and he got that during the spring game when over 50,000 fans turned out, good for the second best mark in the country. If you’re a new coach needing to sell high school kids on a fan base ready to throw itself behind a potentially resurgent program, being able to point at that spring game can only help. (It also probably doesn't hurt to promise a chance at immediate playing time, something two-win teams can generally offer.) Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell noted the enthusiasm on Twitter last night, after the commitment of Florida lineman Derrick Kelly pushed the Wildcats to the top spot: More than 400 followers in about 12 hours from #kentucky football fans. That's pretty impressive. Thanks for the follows. — Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) June 19, 2013 Haven't seen that kind of viral fan base following yet from bigger fan bases. #kentucky fans starved for a football winner, Stoops the guy? — Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) June 19, 2013 For Stoops to have the top-ranked recruiting class at any point is remarkable and just another sign of how strong the SEC is. (The conference currently has four of the top five classes, and you'll notice another new coach – Butch Jones at Tennessee – also doing tremendous work.) How is Stoops doing it? One tactic is an ongoing raid on his old stomping grounds of Ohio. Mark, like his brothers Bob (Oklahoma head coach) and Mike (current Oklahoma defensive coordinator, former Arizona head coach), is from Youngstown, and he’s using the familiarity with his home state to clean up. Of the five four-star commitments currently pledged to Big Blue, three are from Ohio (with one from Kentucky and another from Georgia), with four more three-star recruits coming from the Buckeye State. If you want a reason the Big Ten should be nervous, look no further than the SEC's worst program stealing four-star recruits from its backyard. It’s an easy pitch for Stoops, with Lexington only 90 minutes from Cincinnati and 5 hours from Cleveland: Come play in the most respected conference in football against the best teams in the sport and do it close enough to home that your families can still make all of your home games. If you’re an Ohio kid without a particular interest in playing in the Big Ten but wary of homesickness, why not consider Lexington? It is a long, long way until signing day, but this is fun news for a Wildcat program that hasn’t been .500 or better in conference play since 2006, when they were 4-4 in the league. It's unlikely Stoops can hold onto the top spot, but just being in the conversation is quite an accomplishment. - - - Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

Report: Manziel mulled transfer before '12 season

The legend of Johnny Football almost never came to be, at least at Texas A&M. Johnny Manziel almost transferred out of Texas A&M after his arrest last year, after he was initially suspended by the school for the entire 2012 season. That very interesting piece of news was broken by the Dallas Morning News, citing an unnamed source. The news comes a few days after Manziel angrily tweeted that he can't wait to leave College Station. Manziel was charged with disorderly conduct by fighting, failure to identify and having a fake driver's license last summer. The report said A&M decided to suspend him for the entire season, and had Manziel not won his appeal he was going to leave the school, the Dallas Morning News said. Manziel won the appeal of his suspension, which significantly changed the course of college football history. Manziel set several records last year in becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. The suspension was not handed down by the athletic department, but the school, and the report said dean of student life Anne Reber ruled in favor of Manziel's appeal. But just think of what might have changed had the ruling gone the other way and Manziel had transferred: • Where would Manziel have gone? Since we're all caught up in the greatness of Manziel now, we've mostly forgotten that he's the most improbable Heisman winner ever, based on his status just before his award-winning season. As Texas A&M ruled on his appeal, Manziel was just a three-star recruit. Nobody knew at this time last year he was Johnny Football. Had he transferred and been restricted from going elsewhere in the SEC (and possibly other schools), who would have taken on this good but not great recruit who at that point was best known for being arrested and leaving Texas A&M following a suspension? Some school would have grabbed him (maybe Texas would have gotten their safety after all!), but obviously his entire career would have played out differently at another school, especially having to sit out a second straight season. • Would Texas A&M have been nearly as good without Manziel? The Aggies are one of the up-and-coming programs in college football and doing well in recruiting, but a lot of that is due to Manziel's contributions to an 11-2 season. And would Jameill Showers, who was competing with Manziel for the job last year, been a star in his own right? ("Jameill Football" doesn't have the same ring to it.) It's possible, given how Kevin Sumlin's offense produces yards and points. It's more likely that Texas A&M wouldn't be the defending Cotton Bowl champions right now. • Alabama still probably wins the BCS title anyway, but I guess the possibility exists that the Manziel-led upset in Tuscaloosa sharpened the Crimson Tide's focus and humbled them down the stretch, allowing them to run the table including a close win against Georgia in the SEC title game. Or maybe, Alabama's loss affected Oregon and Kansas State just a bit, and the resulting pressure of knowing the path to a title was clear played at least a small part in their upset losses a week later. The season likely plays out the same way, but it's at least possible that Alabama not losing to Texas A&M would have upset the ecosystem in some fashion. • Would Manti Te'o be the Heisman Trophy winner right now? You'd have to assume so. It's crazy to believe this but absolutely true: The Te'o fake girlfriend scandal would have been a much, much bigger deal had it all happened to a Heisman Trophy winner, especially the first solely defensive player ever to win it. The anger towards Te'o would have multiplied if he was in the cherished Heisman club. At least we were all spared that part of the story. As fans of the sport, we're glad that it all worked out for Manziel and Texas A&M. But it sure is interesting to ponder all the different ways history would have changed if it hadn't. - - - Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturd

We move across the lines today to defense, as former Nittany Lion Jimmy Kennedy wears number 73 on our countdown to kickoff! Jimmy was one of the top high school recruits in the country during his years in Yonkers, New York, before coming to Penn State. He turned that high school success into a fantastic college career - a two-time All-Big Ten selection, the 2002 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, and a consensus All-American. In the 2003 NFL Draft, Jimmy was the first of four Nittany Lions taken in the first round, selected 12th by the St. Louis Rams. He's seen action in the league with the Vikings and Giants as well. Follow @BSDtweet on TwitterAnd join us on FacebookAll BSD community members should review our current Posting & Commenting Policies before creating any posts or commenting.

What Penn State football player isn't getting many accolades in preseason, but should make some postseason lists? Nick P--Jesse James It's gotta be The Outlaw. I don't know exactly how Phil Steele failed to mention his name on this list, but it probably starts with his criminally low ranking of Kyle Carter. For someone who could very well be one of the top 4 or 5 tight ends in the country this season, putting him on only the 3rd team is a little suspect. With that being said, Kyle Carter might not even be the best tight end on the team. Jesse James is a defensive coordinator's nightmare. He's a giant with sure hands and good speed. No linebacker is capable of covering him, and he's significantly bigger than any corner or safety that he will come into contact with. Not to mention the fact that he is routinely given open space to work with, thanks to the threat of Zwinak pounding you up the middle, or A-Rob and company on the outside. While he may often be the last read for the QB, it's not due to him being a last option kind of player, but rather that the QB can feel confident that as long as the ball is put in his area, James will be able to go and get it. I think that by the end of this season, both Carter and James will be finalists for the John Mackey Award, and for one of them to not be on a preseason watch list that includes only the B1G, is just silly. Jared--Mike Hull I'm bending the rules since Hull was listed as third-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, but I believe Hull can make an astronomical leap to All-American status by seasons end. The junior linebacker probably would have started anywhere else in 2012 outside of LBU. The former five-star recruit see significant action as a reserve, and when he was on the field made play after play after play. The team will depend on him much more in 2013 with some depth issues at linebacker, and Hull will be an absolute standout now that he has the opportunity. Based on the small sample size of Hull's ability, he seems to be ready to make the leap from reserve to All-American in his junior year. Bill--Jesse James It has to be Jesse James, right? What more could you want in a tight end -- he's big, strong, big, has good hands, big, can block, big, fast enough, big, big and big. Nick hit on most of the areas of why James can (and will) be a potential Mackey Award finalist, but he left one out: Bill O'Brien. Ask any Patriots fan and they'll tell you that a massive TE in the Rob Gronkowski mold like James would thrive in O'Brien's system. Wait...I am a Patriots fan, so let me tell you: the way O'Brien used Gronk in New England is exactly how he should use James next season. He's so massive that he can block anyone and can't be covered in the red zone at all. I'm a touch biased, but I fully believe James can lead the team (and, possible, the Big Ten) in touchdown catches next season just based on the team getting the ball down to the five or seven yard line and throwing a jump ball for him. Kyle Carter is an amazing tight end and will end the season on several All-Big Ten and maybe even a few All-American lists. I just think Jesse James will be on more of them. (Quick tangent: We're stupid loaded at tight end and that makes me happy) bscaff--DaQuan Jones/Akeel Lynch/Nyeem Wartman If DaQuan Jones is not on a preseason list, then give me the big boy. I think he'll have a monster season inside, lead the team in TFL's, and be the highest drafted Penn Stater next April. But if Jones is already on a preseason list, and thereby disqualified, then give me two redshirt freshmen to garner votes as Big Ten Freshmen of the year: Akeel 'Big Maple' Lynch at RB, and Nyeem Wartman at LB. They both look like football players to me, and I suspect that we'll all be googly-eyed over both of them by Thanksgiving. Dan--Jesse James I think the consensus pick is going to end up being Jesse James and I really can't speak against that choice. He's 6'7" with great hands and gallops down the field lik