I never thought I would see the day when a school deciding not to play a specific song over their stadium's loudspeakers would become such a national story. But then again I never thought I would witness a sexual abuse scandal end up removing one of college football's most iconic coaches and an entire university be turned upside down (along with a news van) in the process. Such is the ongoing story surrounding Penn State.
Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline will no longer be played in Beaver Stadium, and for some reason this has become a national story. The school will deny officially that the reasoning is because of the lyrics, including the phrase "touching you," but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why. But there is some more to the story as well.
Guido D'Elia, the man who was in charge of the in-game entertainment for Penn State was not retained by the school for the 2012 season. While D'Elia did play a role in rebranding Penn State's football image within the past decade, his services(and the promotional company he used to execute those services) were no longer requested by the school. For anyone who has read Joe Posnanski's new biography (Paterno), you will know that D'Elia was also pretty close to Joe Paterno.
Hmmmmm…
Quick programming note: Crystal Ball Run will be hosting a live chat during Thursday night's college football 2012 kickoff. Stay tuned for more information.
More links after the jump…
Speaking of Posnanski's latest book, FOX Sports' Jason Whitlock torched the famed author.
We have seen the billboard wars in Kentucky and in Texas. Now they head to the west coast, where an image of USC's Matt Barkley is displayed prominently on the Westwood campus of UCLA. USC should be careful what they do now though, because UCLA is off to a great start this season, with Bob Jones scoring three touchdowns in a statement win for the Bruins over the Oregon Ducks, at least according to the Associated Press. Whoops!
What opening weekend games should you be most excited about? We take a look. We also discuss what we are most looking forward to.
Purdue suspended their top returning tackler following another brush with the law.
Michigan's Brady Hoke has listed running back Fitzgerald Toussaint as the number one tailback for week one's matchup with Alabama. The same Toussaint who was indefinitely suspended by Hoke and the Wolverines following a DUI arrest in July. On the record, Hoke has said no decision has been made about Toussaint's availability for this weekend's game in Dallas.
With Tropical Storm Isaac preparing to hit the Gulf Coast region, Tulane has decided to pack up their program and head to Birmingham, Alabama at least through Wednesday to practice. They hope to be able to return to New Orleans on Thursday. In fact, I think it is safe to say we all hope that is the case for Tulane. Tulane is scheduled to open the season at home on Saturday against Rutgers. LSU opens at home Saturday night against North Texas. FCS Nicholls State has suspended all operations through Wednesday, losing practice time before heading to Oregon for their season opener against the high-powered Ducks.
For those who like to play the odds, Beyond the Bets put together their college football previews with the gambler in mind.
Is it college football season yet? No. But soon.
Video of the Day
You know how it is college football season? Hype videos. You know how else we know? Stupid tribute songs. Today we have Michigan guys professing their love for Denard Robinson…
