The Longhorn leaper broke the conference championship record this weekend on his first jump with a 26'10.5".

Goodwin is the only athlete in Big 12 history to win the indoor and outdoor long jump for two years running, but he has bigger fish and chips to fry in late summer and this Fall.

Qualifiers for the Olympic team begin June 21st in Eugene, OR for the right to compete for Team USA in London and Goodwin should do just that after a solid Spring track season. The games conclude August 12 and that gives Goodwin a little time to prepare for football if he can avoid English cooking and other distractions.

Continue reading this post »

Personally, I enjoy the NBA playoffs more than any other postseason event in American sports. The regular season is emphasized by the supremacy of home-court advantage within the sport while the 16 team format ensures that everyone has to work to earn a championship. The best of 7 format weeds out weaker teams, challenges the strong teams, and provides a tactical back-and-forth that is pretty compelling for those of us interested in the strategic elements of sport.

Continue reading this post »

From friend of the Carnival, @cuppycup.

The Big 12's new footprint if FSU joins looks familiar. #hookem ? twitter.com/cuppycup/statu…

— cuppycup (@cuppycup) May 14, 2025

Also, be sure to check out Andy Staples' latest article on all of this Florida State business.

Last week on the heels of Bob Bowlsby joining as Big 12 HMFIC, the FSU to the Big 12 rumors were flying left and right. DeLoss stepped up and said there was no basis in any of it.

DeLoss Dodds on Big 12 expansion rumors: "I don't think the Florida State-Clemson thing has any basis at all."

— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) May 11, 2025

Florida State athletics director Randy Spetman also shot down the rumors saying his programs were "committed to the ACC" and that any conversations about the school switching conferences is pure nonsense.

"We're in the ACC. We're committed to the ACC. That's where our president and the board of trustees has committed to, so we're great partners in the ACC."

Then somebody decided to throw some dynamite around. That man is Andy Haggard.

Continue reading this post »

Texas & Oklahoma have officially signed on to continue to play in the Cotton Bowl throughout the rest of the decade.

Last week the City of Dallas agreed to spend another $25 million in improvements to the Cotton Bowl to keep the game as part of the State Fair. The two schools are paid $500,000 each annually for the game, and that will not change. The money will be used to improve the press box, add new club seating below the press box, upgrades concourses and improve concessions areas. The city has already spent over 57 million on the stadium including the addition of 16,000 seats.

The new renovations will begin in December of 2012 and should be completed by September, 2013.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board –

I am writing to express my support for President Bill Powers in the strongest possible terms. You are of course aware of the swirling rumors intimating threats to President Powers’ position and concern that the Board could act to remove him from his post. I will not pretend to know your minds or the factors influencing your judgment on this issue, so let me instead focus on the vital importance of President Powers to Texas.

Serving as Regent is a great honor, and with that honor comes an attendant duty that is just as great – a duty to Texas. Not simply to the University of Texas, or to the entire UT System, but to the state itself. The mission of The University to stand as ‘a University of the first class’ is a sacred one, and one that has never been more important to the future of our state. The society we live in, the economy that sustains us, the technology that advances us and the culture that defines us are all shaped by leaders – the men and women who have the intelligence, drive, knowledge and ability to elevate and re-define their fields of endeavor. As we enter a future where America will face unprecedented challenges in the global economy, and where individual states will likely have to look to their own fortunes with less help available from the federal government, the development of these leaders in Texas is absolutely vital.

Continue reading this post »

The athletic DE from Lancaster committed to the Longhorns in late February after a whirlwind recruitment, but has since made visits to Baylor's pro day and had an unofficial visit to Texas A&M.; Hall may have been accompanying teammates and it's not clear what his intentions were, but where there are smokescreens, there may be fire. Mack Brown has not tolerated recruits making visits - unofficial or otherwise - while committed to Texas, but a thin year at DE in-state and an inability to grab a commitment from Alief's Torrodney Prevot , may be granting us a tolerance born of necessity.

However, some recent rumors suggest that other Texas schools probably aren't our ultimate concern.

A reader with some connections in the Pacific Northwest e-mailed me a sampling of the chatter from various UW sources that Hall's family may be trying to get back to Seattle and, should that happen, Daeshon will open up a West Coast recruitment to Washington, Oregon, and USC.

Whether that ultimately bears out or not, it's not unreasonable to think that Hall is currently exploring his options and may be experiencing commitment remorse. Should he decommit, expect Texas to redouble their efforts on Prevot, take another look at the 2013 DE class in-state, and start exploring OOS options.

After signing 4 out of state recruits in 2012, Texas is still looking for their first in the 2013 class. That's largely a function of in-state talent addressing needs and a smaller class size, but we're legitimately in on 3 major talents right now - all defensive backs - one from the West, two from the heart of SEC country.

My basic tenets for OOS recruiting:

• Talent in Texas is consistently good, but not consistent by position. Best TE in the state is a meaningless assignation if the TE crop stinks. Recruit OOS to fill needs when in-state doesn't meet absolute standards; even it offends Texas high school coaches or makes you rack up some frequent flier miles
• Tie goes to the Texas kid, but there aren't that many ties
• It's always easier to recruit West than East
• Aggressively pursue elite players with a legitimate interest in Texas even if means they may say no and harm the scholarships offered vs. accepted metrics that Mack Brown cherishes. He still quotes his "hit" rate every signing day like clockwork
• In Mack's defense, crop dusting scholarship offers indiscriminately commoditizes your brand - find 6-12 guys and focus

Continue reading this post »

Results for Week 18

#	School	Points/blog	SD	Delta
1	LSU Tigers (13)	24.09	0.89	1
2	USC Trojans (14)	23.88	1.32	-1
3	Alabama Crimson Tide (6)	23.03	1.40	--
4	Oregon Ducks (1)	21.35	2.40	--
5	Oklahoma Sooners	19.82	4.00	--
6	Georgia Bulldogs	19.00	2.34	1
7	Michigan Wolverines	17.32	3.07	1
8	Florida St. Seminoles	15.91	3.67	1
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	15.21	4.79	1
10	Arkansas Razorbacks	14.56	5.68	-4
11	West Virginia Mountaineers	14.56	3.41	--
12	Wisconsin Badgers	12.09	4.47	2
13	Michigan St. Spartans	11.85	5.30	-1
14	TCU Horned Frogs	11.50	5.31	-1
15	Kansas St. Wildcats	9.68	4.53	3
16	Clemson Tigers	9.44	4.78	--
17	Virginia Tech Hokies	8.97	4.38	-2
18	Nebraska Cornhuskers	7.76	3.88	-1
19	Stanford Cardinal	6.74	5.71	3
20	Ohio St. Buckeyes	6.32	5.56	1
21	Texas Longhorns	6.12	3.83	-2
22	Boise St. Broncos	6.00	5.22	-2
23	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	4.76	4.78	--
24	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	2.74	3.30	1
25	Washington Huskies	2.50	4.18	-1
Others Receiving Votes: Florida Gators | Louisville Cardinals | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Missouri Tigers | Utah Utes | Auburn Tigers | Texas A&M; Aggies | Cincinnati Bearcats | Penn St. Nittany Lions | Illinois Fighting Illini | Baylor Bears | Iowa Hawkeyes | BYU Cougars | South Florida Bulls | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Central Florida Knights | Southern Miss. Golden Eagles | Syracuse Orange | Toledo Rockets | Virginia Cavaliers | Fla. International Golden Panthers | Vanderbilt Commodores | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | SMU Mustangs | Miami Hurricanes | California Golden Bears | Purdue Boilermakers
Updated: May 9, 2025 9:37 AM PDT

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Rankings 2011

Some thoughts after the jump....

Continue reading this post »

I've been following the next Dream Team with some interest and now that Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose will be unavailable for Team USA in London, the roster has some exciting young talents emerging for consideration.

The U.S. recently added college player of the year Anthony Davis and Oklahoma City's James Harden to its pool of finalists.

Anthony Davis will be the #1 pick in the NBA draft and though he's still a teen, he's one of the best pure shot blockers on the planet. He has situational value, is a strong finisher in transition, and certainly won't grumble at the end of the bench. He fits Coach K's team vision of speed, defensive length, and the ability to defend multiple positions, so don't be surprised if he grabs a roster spot over more established veterans.

22 year old James Harden has become Black Havlicek - an efficient scorer, ball-handler, passer, and rebounder who is basically OKC's victory caulk. And anyone who defends him is caulk block. I expect him to grab a 12 man roster spot.

Continue reading this post »