Episode 103: Tommie Frazier’s constant College Football Hall of Fame snub, and Nebraska spring football preview

And previewing Nebraska spring football with Husker Locker

Is this the year Tommie Frazier is voted to the College Football Hall of Fame? Getty Images.

The 2012 College Football Hall of Fame ballot was released by the National Football Foundation today, which leaves us to wonder once more just how long it will take for former Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier to receive his invite to the hall.

Frazier may not have had the best passing numbers by a quarterback, but what he could do with his legs more than made up for it. Take a look at Frazier’s college numbers…

Frazier, in addition to being one of the top offensive players in the early to mid 1990s was the main cog of the 1995 Nebraska team that completed an undefeated season, and claimed a second consecutive national championship.* All Frazier and the Cornhuskers did was win games. So why has he not been voted in yet? Your guess, really, is as good as mine although I’m at a loss for an explanation.

So maybe somebody who has followed Nebraska’s football program for longer than I can shed some light on the debate. Brandon Cavanaugh, of Husker Locker, takes some time to discuss Frazier’s collegiate career, as well as Nebraska’s other two College Football Hall of Fame candidates, former linebacker Trev Alberts and Heisman-winning quarterback Eric Crouch. Once we get through that Hall o Fame discussion, we shift our focus to the Nebraska Cornhuskers of today, first by recapping the past year of transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten and what we should be paying attention to this spring as Nebraska prepares to open spring practices next week.

Is there any chance Taylor Martinez can reach a new level or has he met his proverbial ceiling?

Can Rex Burkhead continue to be some dominant on offense?

Who will step up on defense for Nebraska this season?

Is there a chance Nebraska can make a run at a Big Ten title in year two of the new conference era?

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! Follow Husker Locker on Twitter @HuskerLocker (follow me too). And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

A portion of this podcast will be featured in our first ever encore presentation Friday evening, airing live on Pioneer Digital TV channels 150 and 152 in Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and Kansas where available. Click here for more information.

If the audio widget does not show up for you, click here to listen.

* I hear you Penn State fans, believe me.

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Episode 102: Previewing top offensive players in 2012 NFL Draft

Matt Elder from Buffalo Bills Draft

Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning? Or both?

You have the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. You already have one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL if he is healthy, but you have the opportunity to draft a quarterback that is billed as the most sure-thing at the position the draft has seen in years. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?!

That is the situation the Indianapolis Colts are in for the 2012 NFL Draft this April, and it is a question that has been batted around for months now. Do the Colts bring Peyton Manning back and hope his neck stays in good shape as one of the all-time greats starts to wind down his career, or do they take the Stanford’s Andrew Luck and begin the transition from one franchise quarterback to another? It seems like a simple answer, yet the Colts have until late April to make the decision to draft Luck, or make an odd decision to draft another player. Trading down is always an option as well, and may not be the worst decision if they can land a guy like Robert Griffin III, your 2011 Heisman Trophy winner (check out Baylor’s Heisman campaign) who is also being received well by draft analysts across the board.

One of those scouts is Matt Elder, Director of Scouting and Lead writer and editor of Buffalo Bills Draft, part of a small network of draft sites dedicated to individual NFL teams. Elder is no stranger to this podcast, and he always brings some good scouting perspective to the table. On this edition of the podcast we focus on some of the big names playing offense heading in to this year’s NFL Draft, including Luck and what the Colts should and are likely to do with their quarterback position. We also cover some of the other quarterbacks such as RG3, Kellen Moore (Boise State fans be warned) and Brandon Weeden (think Chris Weinke). Also, did Oregon’s Darron Thomas make the right call in leaving the Ducks a year early or not?

Some other players we take a quick look at include Justin Blackmon (I think Terrell Owens), Alshon Jeffery and Michael Floyd at wide receiver and running backs such as Trent Richardson (always on Beast Mode), Bernard Pierce (a personal favorite), LaMar Miller (huge potential) and LaMichael James (special teams star in the making). Elder also gives us a take on some offensive lineman and some players to look out for from the lower levels of college football from the FCS, Division 2, Division 3 and even from Canada.

Elder also shares his reaction to news that the Colonial Athletic Association has signed a national deal with NBC Sports Network and the Patriot League deciding to support merit-based aid to players. Both are significant announcements form the FCS ranks this week, and you can read more about those here.

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! Follow Elder on Twitter @matthewcelder and Buffalo Bills Draft @BillsDraft (follow me too). And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

A portion of this podcast will be featured in our first ever encore presentation Friday evening, airing live on Pioneer Digital TV channels 150 and 152 in Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and Kansas where available. Click here for more information.

If the audio widget does not show up for you, click here to listen.

Hype this up on BallHyped.

Follow me on Twitter @KevinOnCFB and Like No 2-Minute Warning on Facebook.

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Episode 101: Getting caught up on Big East realignment

Redrawing the map of the Big East with Mark Ennis

Boise State is coming to the Big East in 2013, or 2012. Who knows? Photo by Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

Memphis is in. So are Houston, SMU and Central Florida. And San Diego State. And Boise State, perhaps as early as this fall. And somewhere down the line Navy will join too.

While the Big East will welcome all of these new members in the next few years, they will also bid farewell to West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse between now and 2013. With all of this going on the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA are teaming up to try to one-up the Big East’s vision of spanning the continent like no other conference (On Crystal Ball Run we offer some name suggestions).

Got all of that?

If not, don’t worry. It really is a lot to comprehend, there are a ton of storylines in the Big East, and we have not even ventured in to the possibility of the Big East losing more members, such as Louisville to the Big 12 for example.

On the podcast today to break it all down, and give us a feel for just where the Big East stands right now is Mark Ennis,co-manager of Big East Coast Bias and co-host of The Two Man Game on ESPN 680 in Louisville. He is the podcast’s go-to guy for Big East opinion and commentary, so naturally it was due time to welcome him back to the show.

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! Follow Big East Coast Bias on Twitter @BECB_SBN (follow me too). Follow Ennis @Mengus22. And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

A portion of this podcast will be featured in our first ever encore presentation Friday evening, airing live on Pioneer Digital TV channels 150 and 152 in Oklahoma, and parts of Texas and Kansas where available. Click here for more information.

If the audio widget does not show up for you, click here to listen.

Hype this up on BallHyped.

Follow me on Twitter @KevinOnCFB and Like No 2-Minute Warning on Facebook.

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Episode 100: Drew Astorino Reflects on Penn State, Joe Paterno

Penn State safety discusses his training for a shot at the NFL

The 2011 season had plenty of negative story lines pollute the college football world, starting with realignment debates and tension in the south west and along the east coast and ending with one of the most unique twists in college athletics history. The Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked Penn State’s campus in a way nobody could ever imagine, just as Penn State was feeling confident about their chances at a Big Ten championship title.

A week after an Illinois field goal attempt clanked off the goal post, handing Joe Paterno his 409th career victory and moving him past Eddie Robinson for most all-time division one victories, the world cam crashing down on the program off the field. Sandusky’s malicious acts resulted in the firing of Penn State president, and BCS Presidential oversight committee chairman, Graham Spanier and Paterno, which sparked a raucous reaction from the student body. Tom Bradley was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, which saw Penn State drop two of their final three regular season games and end with another loss in the TicketCity Bowl against Houston. Despite losing game son the field as the university and community find ways to heal and move forward, Drew Astorino was right in the middle of it all.

Astorino, a team captain, saw the players on his team come together in a way that not many teams may have. From the moment Penn State walked out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium prior to taking on Nebraska in the first game following the Sandusky revelations and the firing of Paterno through the bitter end against Wisconsin and Houston, the 2011 Nittany Lions formed a bond that was as strong as could be. It was through these tough times that allowed Penn State’s student-athletes to rally together and grow in more ways than one.

Now Astorino is working hard to try and get a crack in the NFL, and he took some time to reflect on the past year, and his path to Penn State, and to discuss what he is doing to try and get an opportunity to play on Sundays this fall.

Have a listen to the podcast below (or click here to listen), then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

Thanks to CRM Sports Management for setting up this interview with Drew Astorino and our previous conversation with William & Mary defensive end Marcus Hyde.

I would also like to thank you, the readers and podcast listeners, for a heck of a year. Today’s podcast and corresponding blog entry mark the 100th edition of the podcast and this site’s 500th entry. Hopefully it goes without saying that it would not be possible with you and the support of this site’s advertisers and partners. Here’s hoping for a fun ride to the 200th episode of the podcast, and another 500 blog entries. Thanks for being a part of it all.

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Episode 99: William & Mary DE Marcus Hyde working for NFL shot

Tribe defensive end Marcus Hyde has thrived since move to DE

William & Mary has four players currently in the NFL, but Marcus Hyde hopes to make it one more from the Tribe. The senior defensive end has wrapped up his college career and is now training in hopes that he will find a roster spot somewhere in the NFL. On today’s podcast we talk to Hyde about his college journey, from the confusion that clouded his recruitment between Virginia and Temple ultimately leading him to William & Mary to recording a CAA record five sacks in a single game and a successful senior season. We also get a look in to the daily routine of training to be an NFL player. Spoiler alert, Hyde is probably burning more calories before 6 a.m. than you will in a single week.

Have a listen to the podcast below, then make sure you are subscribed in iTunes, and following the show on Get Glue! And don’t forget, this podcast can be heard at anytime on Stitcher Radio (and click here for a promo code to get started and a chance to win $100)!

If the widget is not showing up for you, click here to listen.

Hype this up on BallHyped.

Follow me on Twitter @KevinOnCFB and Like No 2-Minute Warning on Facebook.

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