Howard, Alvarez and Tillmann among the 2010 CF Hall of Fame Class

Early this morning, The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame released its 2010 Football Subdivision Hall of Fame Class. NFF Chairman, Archie Manning, made the announcement. “From the national ballot of 77 candidates and a pool of hundreds of eligible nominees, we had selected 12 First Team All-America players and two legendary coaches”, said Manning, himself a former All American quarterback out of Ole Miss.

Heading the list is 1991 Heisman Trophy winner and Michigan legend, WR Desmond Howard. Also making the cut are Texas A&M defensive linemen Ray Childress (1981-84), UCLA’s OG Randy Cross (1973-75) and former Colorado Buffalo all purpose linebacker, Alfred Williams (1987-90).

The committee inducted Arizona State LB Pat Tillman (1994-97) who die in 2005 while serving with US ground forces in Afghanistan. Two coaches, Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez (118-73-4-615- 1990-2005) and Texas A&M and Alabama head man Gene Stallings (89-70-1 .559) were also selected.

Here’s the rest of the 2010 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

• DENNIS BYRD - DT, North Carolina State (1964-67)
• RONNIE CAVENESS - C, Arkansas (1962-64)
• SAM CUNNINGHAM - RB, Southern California (1970-72)
• MARK HERRMANN - QB, Purdue (1977-80)
• CLARKSTON HINES - WR, Duke (1986-89)
• CHET MOELLER - DB, Navy (1973-75)
• JERRY STOVALL - HB, LSU (1960-62)

Jones ready for prime time

By Raul Colon

In 2008 Sam Bradford posted the best season by an Oklahoma Sooner quarterback riding it out all the way through a Heisman Trophy win and an appearance in that season’s BCS Championship Game. Hoping to follow on that success, Bradford returned to Norman in 2009 only to see his season and pro career take a deep dive in the opening game.

Bradford sustained a major shoulder injury that eventually required surgery and was lost for most of the season. With their experience leader out of action, the task of guiding the most explosive offense college football has seen since Nebraska ran wild in the 1980s fell on the shoulders of a freshman.

To say that Landry Jones was overwhelmed when he took his first snap as a college QB would be an understatement. He muffled it up against what was an agitating but undermanned BYU defensive front. The first pass he attempted, a waffling floater to the flank (which traveled no more than five yards) must have made head coach Bob Stoops a little nervous.

His first start came against lowly Idaho State, a game that saw him pass for three touchdowns versus one of the worse pass defenses in the nation. More food for thought to an already jittered Oklahoma coaching staff. But as the season progressed, Jones began to mature. The game got simple and slower. He began to assert his style (deep passing to the corners), not Bradford’s on the offense and by the time the postseason arrived, this was Jones’ team. His performance (261-449-58.1%- for 3,198 yards with a 26-14 TD-to-INT ratio) earned several Freshman of the Year honors, including the all too important ESPN.com Big XXII FOY Award.

His 418 passing yards (he finished 30-51 with 3 TDs and 1 interception), an Oklahoma bowl record, against a highly regarded Stanford team in the Sun Bowl had many pundits predicting big things for the Sooners in 2010. There’s even talk of a possible national title run. But all this talk could be mute if the 6-foot-4, 216 pound Jones fails to follow suit after a very productive rookie campaign.

Sooner Nation is optimistic, not for what he did down the stretch, but what he is doing this spring. He has worked tirelessly under the watchful eye of offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and QB coach Josh Heupel on improving his accuracy and mobility. He will never be a 65-plus completition signal caller, but if he can managed to stay above sixty, all should be well.

Jones has a much stronger arm than Bradford to go along with a more muscular frame. His balls come out with more zip and revolutions. His delivery is compact and precise, with not a lot of waste in it. To improve his strength, Jones had added a few pounds of muscle and is looking more faster in the team’s three-on-three drill sessions.

His ball management has also improved dramatically. Overall, he is by far a better quarterback than the one who toasted the Cardinals in Texas last December. If OU’s offensive line, depleted after two NFL drafts that saw it lose three quarters of their blue chips assets, can be functional, the product of Artesia, New Mexico could have the kind of season Bradford, now a number one overall pick in the draft, enjoyed in 2008. Sooner Nation is betting on it.

10 new college football programs

By Raul Colon

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today that six schools will field new football teams for the upcoming 2010 season. Ten additional programs are projected to follow suit between 2011 and 2013.

"It's exciting to see the launch of these programs because they are giving players the opportunity of playing at different levels in regions of the country where those options did not previously exist," NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "Football's popularity has never been greater, and the fact that so many schools are embracing it is a testament that more and more college administrators see the value of the sport to a student's overall educational experience."

The programs kicking off the pigskin for the first time this year are:

1. University of South Alabama (Mobile, Ala.): NCAA Division I - Football Championship Subdivision, Sun Belt Conference (2010 with a full transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision anticipated in 2013): President V. Gordon Moulton, Athletics Director Joel Erdmann, Head Coach Joey Jones

2. Georgia State University (Atlanta, Ga.): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Colonial Athletic Association (2010) - President Mark P. Becker, Athletics Director Cheryl L. Levick, Head Coach Bill Curry

3. Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southland Conference (2010) - President James Simmons, Athletics Director Billy Tubbs, Head Coach Ray Woodard

4. Pacific University (Forest Grove, Ore.): NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference (2010): President Lesley M. Hallick, Athletics Director Ken Schumann, Head Coach Keith Buckley

5. Lindsey Wilson College (Columbia, Ky.): NAIA, Mid-South Conference (2010) - President William T. Luckey Jr., Athletics Director Willis Pooler, Head Coach Chris Oliver

6. Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio): NAIA, American Mideast Conference (NAIA in 2010 and year-one candidate for NCAA Division II) - President Andrew P. Roth, Athletics Director Susan Hlavacek, Head Coach Adam Howard

The 10 colleges expected to play between the autumn of 2011 and 2013 are:

1. University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Independent (2011-2012 as an FCS independent, hopefully joining an FBS conference in 2013) - President Ricardo Romo, Athletics Director Lynn Hickey, Head Coach Larry Coker.

2. University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Conference TBD (2013) - Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, Athletics Director Judy Rose, Head Coach TBA

3. LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tenn.): NCAA Division II, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (2011) - President Johnnie B. Watson, Athletics Director William Anderson, Head Coach TBA

4. Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, Fla.): NAIA, Sun Conference (2011): Chancellor Thomas Monaghan; Ave Maria Athletics Director Brian Scanlan; Head Coach Barry Fagan.

5. Concordia University (Ann Arbor, Mich.): NAIA, Mid-State Conference (2011) - Acting President Charles A. Winterstein, Athletics Director Ben Limback, Head Coach Nathan Robbins

6. Finlandia University (Hancock, Mich.): NCAA Division III (2012) - President Philip Johnson, Athletics Director Chris Salani, Head Coach TBA

7.George Fox University (Newberg, Ore.): NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference (2013) - President Robin Baker, Athletics Director Craig Taylor; Head Coach TBA.

8. Presentation College (Aberdeen, S.D.): NCAA Division III, Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (2011) - President Lorraine Hale, Athletics Director Rick Kline, Head Coach Andy Carr

9. Stevenson University (Owings Mills, Md.): NCAA Division III, Capital Athletic Conference (Developmental in 2010, NCAA Division III in 2011) - President Kevin J. Manning, Athletics Director Brett Adams, Head Coach Ed Hottle.

10. Wayland Baptist University (Plainview, Texas): NAIA, Central States Football League (2012) - President Dr. Paul Armes, Athletics Director Dr. Greg Feris, Head Coach TBA.

Broncos tied ink Petersen to a 5 year deal

By Raul Colon

It was one of the best kept secrets in college football until yesterday. That’s went Boise State signed its head coach Chris Petersen to a lucrative, 5-year deal that in principal, will tied up the most successful coach in the history of the Idaho-based university up to the 2014 season.

Petersen, who is 48-4 in five years including two BCS bowls victories, was not available for comments.