Academic authority Nick Saban takes potshot at South Florida

Notice that Bobby Bowden quote that he'd be "amazed" if USF held its rank.

Sounds like the southern football establishment's feeling threatened by USF's rise. Last thing they wanted was a new power located right in the middle of their favorite recruiting grounds.

 

Chuck Amato got in trouble last year for the same sour grapes when he claimed that Akron could recruit and take guys that Atlantic Coast Conference schools could not.

Problem was, Akron had just rolled into Raleigh and stolen N.C. State's lunch a few days prior.

Do you think for one moment that Nick Saban is checking any recruit's transcript to see if he's getting a Rhodes Scholar? :

 

Middle Tennessee State has a recreation major with classes like "Advanced Park Management."

Seriously.

 

Saban checks to see if his recruits are not currently in prison or a mental health facility, or if so, if they can be released in time to enroll and get eligible, and if so, they're good to go.

 

Believe it or not, that's not just a throwaway major. I have a friend who worked at MTSU and got a masters in recreation. (Can't recall what they actually call it, but he did.) Who do you think runs parks and recreation departments? It's one of those majors that has a bunch of different pieces of other majors: business, physical education, turf management, etc.

 

This is where I'm headed once I run my course in the papers.

 

Bowden also said he voted for them at that position or around there. The full quote has more to deal with the additional 12th game and how it has wrecked scheduling (taking away a bye week) and forced schools to schedule games on short weeks

USF's schedule has several mines in it and I hope they jump over all of them. They have a rival game (UCF) on the 13th and then Rutgers on the road that Thursday (the 18th). I think they can run the table, they are damn good.

 

At least when I was in school, half of the football team at Va. Tech was in hotel and restaurant management.

 

Duke men's hoops players major in "sociology," for the most part, don't they?

 

Saban insulting another school on academics is almost as hypocritical as Paris Hilton calling Lindsay Lohan "firecrotch."

 

Communications at Colorado State, Pittsburgh and Missouri (not journalism, mind you, communications). Likewise, kinesiology at Michigan back in the day. Didn't Penn State have a recreation and parks-type major?

 

Before you write that column, don't you call South Florida?