Every July, millions of video game players flock to their local Best Buys, Circuit Citys, Gamestops, or wherever they buy their games to get their hands on the newest version of EA Sports’ NCAA Football. I know it’s an annual tradition for me. Still, with the economy rather shaky these days, the folks at EA realize that there’s a possibility sales may dip this year as some people might not want to drop $50 on a game right now, so they know they have to do something to make this year’s version even more appealing.

Yes, once again EA has turned to the other EA to help get the job done. Joining Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso in this year’s game will be sideline reporter Erin Andrews. Read more…

While it’s widely accepted that the SEC has been the best conference in college football over the last few years, things may be changing a bit this year. Right now the Big 12 has four teams in the top 10 of the BCS rankings, and five in the top 15. A big reason for this is quarterback play, as Texas has Colt McCoy, Oklahoma has Sam Bradford, Texas Tech has Graham Harrell, and Missouri has Chase Daniel.

Well, Chase was recently asked by Kirk Herbstreit which quarterback beside himself he would want to take the ball in the final two minutes of the game. Daniel chose UT’s McCoy, and the reason he gave may have included a Freudian slip. Thankfully, EVERYDAY SHOULD BE SATURDAY had the video, and it’s after the jump.

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I’m sure Mike Stoops is really excited about this one. As Stoops gets his Arizona football team ready for the biggest game of his coaching career, vs. USC on Saturday, ESPN’s Dick Vitale reported earlier today that Arizona Basketball Coach Lute Olson “is stepping down as the school’s men’s basketball coach.”

(Bald story-breakers keeping things interesting for ESPN this week)

In other words, no one in Tucson now cares about Saturday’s football game.

But while Vitale has staked his reputation on the story - culled from a “source,” the UA athletic department is wholly denying it. Though curiously, Olson has not made a public statement since Vitale’s report.

So what’s really going on? Read more…

Now I know why the LOS ANGELES TIMES didn’t lay off Diane Pucin. She has a terrific hustle piece today on one of the tragic offshoots of the success of the Fresno State football program. Although the team is wildly popular locally, if you’re under 18 and live in the Central Valley, you probably don’t own a thread of Bulldogs gear:

Membership in a large and notorious Central Valley gang called the Bulldogs. Beginning in the 1980s Fresno State’s fearsome mascot became a symbol of gang violence.  About two years ago, city officials and the police department began a public crackdown on the gang and even now grade school and high school students here can’t wear Fresno State gear to school.

Bulldogs Coach Pat Hill and Fresno Mayor Alan Autry obviously aren’t happy about the situation, but have deferred to local law enforcement in the matter. Autry, who was a teammate of Pete Carroll’s on the now-defunct University of Pacific football team, did though declare that the city and the university have “declared war to get that logo back.”

Have you noticed how little coverage Manny Ramirez’s disparaging comments about the Red Sox have gotten?

The reason: Ramirez is despised personally by most baseball reporters, which is one of the reasons his comments have been generally ignored. It’s also why he has absolutely zero shot at winning the National League MVP - as voted on by those same blackballing writers.

Ramirez is the sole reason I’ll be attending a Dodger playoff game for the first time in 10 years in Los Angeles this weekend, thanks to discounted tickets (use the code SbB010) from My Boy Barry. So obviously the people who pay baseball’s light bill don’t give a damn in Manny is an ass off-the-field.

Jon Solomon of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS has an embarrassingly puffy piece on ESPN’s College GameDay that reads like it was written in 1999. Lede:

Unusual but true fact about ESPN College GameDay: Lee Corso gestures with a pencil on TV to promote Dixon Ticonderoga, which is best known for its yellow No. 2 pencil. Corso is the company’s director of business development.

Hopefully the good folks residing in Estonia take Solomon’s B-News, since I’m guessing they’re the only respirating souls left in the solar system who haven’t already been leveled by Corso & Co.’s public relations pablum express.

Solomon does slip in an interesting tidbit from Kirk Herbstreit though, who still refuses to admit he was wrong in reporting the Les Miles-to-Michigan hire last season (thank goodness for that LSU media guide!). Read more…

Ever since the Miami Hurricanes lost to the Florida Gators last weekend, they’ve spent the majority of their time whining about everything.  Head coach Randy Shannon talked about how he didn’t appreciate Urban Meyer opting to kick a field goal in the last minute even though his team was already ahead 23-3, and former Cane Warren Sapp quickly followed that up by saying that Meyer was a “classless dirtbag.”

Not content with solely ripping on Meyer, Canes fans now have a new person to blame for their team sucking: Erin Andrews.

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• SPORTS ILLUSTRATED gives a toast the judge who has ordered Cedric Benson to install a breathalyzer in his car.

• The KANSAS CITY STAR can’t sleep, knowing that a Missouri basketball player has turned his team’s locker room into his bedroom.

• Jose Canseco and Pacman Jones aren’t the only ones suffering a housing crisis, as the MORTGAGE LENDER learns that former NBAer Vin Baker - who’s already lost a restaurant - is having his home foreclosed.

• RUSH & MOLLOY of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS spot Tiger Woods hobbling around Vegas.

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Which would you rather do - go on an all-expenses paid trip to the Rose Bowl, or host a barbecue with Lee Corso and pals? Well, if you’re Nelva Deeke of Hubbell, Nebraska, you get grilling with the Gameday crew.

(Lee had his own suggestions on where to eat)

The SCOTTSBLUFF STAR-HERALD cooks up the story of Deeke’s decision to turn down a free fight to Pasadena just so she could share some corn on the cob with Chris Folwer and some cole slaw with Kirk Herbstreit.

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ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard played at Michigan. His colleague, Kirk Herbstreit, played his college ball at Ohio State, so there’s a bit of a rivalry between those two already.

In an interview last week, Howard was asked about Herbie, and that rivalry may have been kicked up a notch. Read more…

Lover of blogs everywhere, Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD, does his best to bury the lead today in his sports media notes column by reporting on an interesting ESPN programming decision:

“Largely because of Tim Tebow’s popularity, ESPN will carry the Gators’ spring game at 1 p.m. April 12, with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. A two-hour edition of College GameDay will precede it.“

Wow. That doesn’t sound like a great idea by the WWL. But we think we know the real reason why ESPN would make such a nonsensical decision. Read more…

• EVERY DAY SHOULD BE SATURDAY makes an offer, as Kirk Herbstreit’s house is for sale.

• YAHOO SPORTS’ Kelly Dwyer passes along this fun list of NBA bench warmers who have more bling than Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley & Karl Malone combined.

• DEADSPIN is quite relieved that the WNBA won’t be going on strike.

• SPORTS COLUMN gets over the hump with a camel who’s better at picking NFL games than Mike Golic.

• Speaking of predictions, ARMCHAIR GM determines how the Super Bowl will be played out - through the magic of Tecmo Bowl.

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