- The University of Tennessee is hiring Dave Hart as its new Director of Athletics. Hart comes to Knoxville from the University of Alabama, where he was essentially running the day-to-day operations of the Crimson Tide athletic department for the last few years as Athletic Director Mal Moore's right-hand man.
I've known Dave Hart for years. An Alabama grad, he was the athletic director at East Carolina for 12 years before becoming the athletic director at Florida State for 12 years. Forced out at FSU during an internal power struggle, Hart landed back in Tuscaloosa where he was considered 'heir apparent' to Moore.
Obviously, at 62 years old, Hart isn't going to Knoxville to bide his time waiting on Moore to retire.
It's a great hire for Tennessee. Hart is well-respected within NCAA circles, a very good administrator, and a professional.
It is that last word that is most important here. Because there are those vocal, whacked-out Tennessee fans who are already complaining about Tennessee hiring an "Alabama man'' as its athletic director. They see it as one more piece of the grand conspiracy to bring down the Vols, started by the hire of Jimmy Cheek from the University of Florida to be the new school president.
According to a certain mindset among college fans, you can't trust anybody that didn't come from your school, and certainly not anyone who comes from a rival school.
The belief - and I certainly faced it in Alabama - is that where you went to school determined your loyalty and agenda for the rest of your life.
I know it's a minority. But it's a loud minority, and quite frankly such thinking has become incredibly tiresome - and probably some of the reason you see so many 'fans' getting their beloved schools being put on probation.
Good news is, Dave Hart knows what he's getting into. The culture he steps into is not that different from the one he steps out of, or the one he left at Florida State before that.
Great hire by Tennessee, and good luck to Dave.
-- Remember the movie "Any Given Sunday?" Remember how whacked out those uniforms looked, particularly the Dallas Knights?
I'm not a traditionalist (when it comes to uniforms). I admit I love the fact that Alabama and Auburn and Penn State and Michigan - among others - have classic looks that the schools don't mess with (although all have made minor changes over the years).
But if you can come up with a better looking uniform, do it.
Operative words: "Better looking."
-- If I were still a Harris voter (and I was from its inception until I left sports), I'd have to vote LSU No. 1 this week. In a clash between the two highest-rated teams on the first weekend, LSU - with its back-up quarterback - dominated.
LSU might not be the best team in college football over the long haul, but for this week, they deserve that designation.
-- Despite Ole Miss' loss to BYU, it was kind of cool to see Zach Stoudt play and play well (except that fumble at the end that turned into the winning points for BYU).
Zach's dad is Cliff Stoudt, former Pittsburgh Steelers, Birmingham Stallions, and St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals quarterback, and friend from my early days in Birmingham. He was never anything but a class act to me, and I always considered him a friend.
Who replaced Terry Bradshaw as the Steeler's quarterback? Stoudt. He was never forgiven for that by some Steeler fans, even though he guided Pittsburgh to the playoffs.
Happy for him that Zach has been named starter for Ole Miss. Zach throws the deep ball like his Daddy did - and that's a compliment.
-- It appears it's all but done that Texas A&M will join the SEC. As the old saying goes, nobody leaves without some place to go.
I'm surprised, because the SEC understood that the point was to split the greatest amount of money the fewest possible ways, which is what the SEC was doing with a 12-team conference. Clearly, if the SEC is adding A&M, they have to add a 14th team. I have no insight (that's not my job anymore).
But if they're going to get anybody from the ACC, it should be FSU. If Florida has to play FSU every year anyway, why not make it count? Plus, Miami is now an embarrassment to the ACC (as well as college football). FSU could use that as an excuse to distance itself from that program.
I'm sorry, I just don't think Virginia Tech brings enough to the table. FSU gives you great baseball tradition as well, plus an emerging basketball program.
And as Roy Kramer would tell you, geography is what has kept the SEC so profitable, filling stadiums every Saturday. Fans can drive from school to school. FSU fits that.
A&M is a stretch, but it allows LSU to renew a old, long-standing rivalry (the two used to play every year), and gives Arkansas another team closer to its history as well.
--- Now that Boise State beat Georgia, the Boise in Blue will be favored in every game from here on out; should win every game from here on out; and will be the one that causes all the controversy when the final BCS championship match-up is ready to be determined.
But Boise doesn't deserve it. I know - the point of college football these days is to be undefeated at the end. But how you go undefeated should matter. And Boise doesn't play anybody.
You can say it's not their fault, but they also shouldn't be rewarded for being in the situation they're in. Would Boise be this good playing in a big-time conference?
We don't know. But I don't think so.
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