IRVING, Texas — Everywhere he looked, Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini was surrounded by the Big 12 logo.
On the microphone he spoke into. On the cup of water and nameplate in front of him. On the helmet in front of the moderator one seat over. And as he sat down and stood up, he couldn’t miss the dozens of logos on the dark blue screen behind him.
So what did Pelini do when given a series of league-branded footballs to sign? He spun each one so he was facing the logo and put his autograph right above the X in the Big XII brand.
“We’re excited about being in the Big 12 this season,” Pelini said. “All of our focus is on the Big 12 this season.”
His repeated use of the words “this season” are the key. This is the Cornhuskers’ last season in the Big 12. They are headed to the Big Ten next fall as part of an exodus that just six weeks ago threatened to make this league extinct.
The politics made for an obvious subplot to the start of the conference’s three days of preseason interviews with reporters. Almost as if by punishment, Pelini was the first to step onto the dais.
And he was ready for it.
Pelini brought up the subject in his opening statement, dismissing it as a non-issue. He still faced plenty of questions about it and stuck with his stance that it’s been business as usual.
“All I’m concerned about is this fall,” he said. “I haven’t thought much about the Big Ten to be honest with you.”
Really? Not even with recruits, kids who will never even play in the Big 12?
“No,” he said.
Even though you played at Ohio State and know all about the traditions and histories that helped lure the proud Nebraska program in a new direction?
“No,” he said.
How about your school’s relationship with high school coaches in Texas, where the four conference schools decided to stay put - that’s changed, right?
“Like I said, it’s been business as usual,” he said.
The Cornhuskers certainly have other things to think about this fall.
They came within a second of winning the Big 12 Championship Game, then regrouped to win their bowl game and land at No. 14 in the final poll. It was their best finish since 2001.
The jump came in Pelini’s second year, which is another part of the excitement in Lincoln. In the third year at his last job (defensive coordinator at LSU), he won a national championship.
“You have a lot of guys in the program who understand what you want, understand what the expectations are and understand exactly how to go about the process of becoming a good football player and a good football team,” he said. “I really feel like we’re at that point where we can beat anybody we line up against, or compete with anybody thatwe line up against.” ACC
Coaches aren’t that new
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Jimbo Fisher walked into the ballroom at the Atlantic Coast Conference media days Monday and immediately reminded everyone of his predecessor.
“Dadgum!” he said, seemingly startled to find some two dozen reporters wanting to talk to him. “This is like a birthday party - everybody’s supposed to bring a present.
“Dadgum!”
Bobby Bowden is no longer in charge at Florida State, but sometimes their new head man still sounds like the longtime Seminoles coach. And after spending two years as FSU’s coach-in-waiting, Fisherdoesn’t have to wait anymore.
Just as Florida State is Fisher’s team now, the Virginia Cavaliers belong to Mike London - a two-time assistant in Charlottesville.
“Sometimes people say I’m like Coach Bowden. Sometimes people say I’m different,” said Fisher, who also won a national title with Nick Saban at LSU. “I’m just me. I don’t try to look at it that way. People always talk about Coach Bowden and Nick to me. ... Two different styles can be successful, and the thing about both of them, they’re their own person. They don’t try to be anybody [else] - Nick tries to be Nick, and Bobby always tried to be Bobby.
“And so the greatest lesson I can learn from both of them - Jimbo has to be Jimbo.”
London replaced Al Groh, his former boss who was fired after nine seasons. London was Groh’s defensive line coach from 2001-2004, was his recruiting coordinator for three of those seasons, and after a stint in the NFL, was his defensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007 before Richmond gave him his first head coaching job.
“It’s not a whole lot of spring practices when you’re new,” London said. “It’s still an ongoing process of assessing your players and who you have, because most of the gains that you have come at the time when spring practice is over and you’re going into the fall [and] because of the rules the NCAA has, we can’t be involved with their development.”WAC
Boise State favored again
SALT LAKE CITY - Boise State is the runaway favorite to finish out its tenure in the Western Athletic Conference with another league title.
The Broncos are No. 1 in the WAC media and coaches’ polls released Monday. The defending champions received eight of the nine top votes from coaches, who aren’t allowed to vote for their own teams. Boise State was also the top pick on all but one of the 43 media ballots.
This is the third consecutive year Boise State has been picked No. 1 by the media in the preseason and second season in a row the Broncos have led the coaches’ picks. The Broncos are headed to the Mountain West Conference next year and would love to close out their run through the WAC with an eighth title in the past nine years.
Nevada is No. 2 in both polls.
TEXAS A&M
Staff change made
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Former Louisville Coach Steve Kragthorpe is resigning as receivers coach at Texas A&M to tend to family medical issues, and former NFL player Troy Walters is taking his place.
Kragthorpe was hired in February after the Cardinals fired him following a 4-8 record in his third season. He was the head coach at Tulsa from 2003-2006.
FLORIDA STATE
Linebacker out of jail
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State linebacker Nigel Carr, 20, was freed on a $15,750 bond after being jailed on five separate criminal allegations, including two felony charges, authorities said Monday.
Carr was arrested by Tallahassee police Sunday on two counts of auto burglary, criminal mischief, credit card theft and fraud. A police report said items taken from a vehicle were found in a trash bin at Carr’s apartment complex, leading to his arrest.
First-year Coach Jimbo Fisher said the 230-pound junior would be disciplined in accordance to the university’s athletics code of conduct.
Sports, Pages 15 on 07/27/2010