Welcome to what some call the Dawg days of summer. Temperatures are on the rise throughout the country and in the great Pacific Northwest the mercury has been rising to the top of the thermometer. The LEAP program starts today and all the incoming frosh but two are scheduled to begin their college experience at Washington.
Early reviews of the team from multiple sources indicate that Washington is about to embark on what should be a breakthrough type season. Nobody is coming out and yelling Rose Bowl but the Huskies are now at a level where they can compete for a championship if they stay healthy and score often with what could be one of the most explosive offense's in the country.
This coming season reminds me quite a bit of 1977 when Washington broke a 13 year drought to return to the Rose Bowl. One similarity between now and then is that USC is on probation. The reverberations of that probation are already being felt throughout the conference. The Trojans are starting to lose players to other schools and the program as a whole is having a hard time adjusting to Lane Kiffin.
Cracks in the foundation are also evident in Eugene. The off season has been tough on Chip Kelly and his program. While the arrests have stopped for now the Ducks have lost some key players to disciplinary problems. Oregon fans smirk, and say its the offensive system not an individual player, but the loss of a Heisman candidate QB will be felt at Oregon this season.
Jeremiah Masoli was a proven competitor who knew how to win. On the field he reminded me quite a bit of Marques Tuiasosopo. He has the innate ability to turn plays that were going absolutely nowhere into spectacular touchdowns. Like Marques...Jeremiah willed his team to win each week and led them to a Rose Bowl. (Off the field he reminded me of the bully who stole your lunch money and homework on the way to school.)
Obviously Oregon, Oregon State,and USC are the prohibitive favorites going into the season but I think the conference race is going to be pretty much wide open this season. I think Washington has as good a chance as any this season. You can't ignore the potential firepower the Huskies are packing on offense. I think this may be the most exciting Washington football season since Marques Tuiasosopo graduated.
EA Sports Promotion
Our EA Sports promotion is ending today. We will have one more article posted this afternoon. I think it has been a success network wide but from a literary standpoint you would have liked to have spread out over a longer period of time. From an advertising standpoint EA Sports is ecstatic and that is what matters.
For the record bloggers on this network do this for the love of their teams not for money. The advertising revenue revenue earned by the network keeps the lights on and the interface improving. It is a great platform to work from and I am honored to be a part of SBN.
NCAA Considering Scholarship Offer Restrictions
The ridiculous practice of offering junior high and elementary school kids scholarships is coming to an end even though those offers are considered non binding. The offers of course are nothing more than a gimmick and as you see below that bastion of academic credibility USC is part of the problem.
Just this year, the father of a seventh grade quarterback from Delaware said his son had already committed to Southern California. Such statements are nonbinding, along with anything else a recruit does before signing a letter of intent, but many coaches clearly feel pressure to secure even a verbal commitment from a potential program-changing prospect.
What are you doing the rest of the summer?
The World Cup ended last night with Spain earning its first title with a 1-0 victory over Holland. I am not a huge soccer fan but I have to admit that I watched around ten games during the tournament which is a record for me. Seattle is a huge soccer town so I am sure that quite a few of our readers were watching too.
So what do you do now watch the Mariners?
The M's are 15 games out and just traded pitcher Cliff Lee for a handful of decent prospects. You have to wonder when the management of this team will get it?
My wife and I are going to be heading out on vacation to the Northeast on Saturday. As usual when I am on vacation there will be less content while I am gone which is fine because there isn't much content this time of the year anyway.