JFP 2014 College Basketball Preview
As the college game becomes more micromanaged, especially at the end of game, a good coach becomes even more important. Our state might be starting to amass a nice collection of coaches who fit these descriptions.
Rick Comegy
What does winning two straight SWAC East titles and losing two straight SWAC championship games in overtime earn you? If you are Rick Comegy, Jackson State University head coach, it earns you a pink slip a week before Christmas.
The Slate
'Twas the week before Christmas, and what should appear? The start of college football bowl season—the end of football is near.
Not My Heisman Vote
I didn't watch this year's Heisman Trophy presentation Saturday night. I knew who was going to win the award. It was a foregone conclusion, and I disagreed with it.
Millsaps and Mississippi College Football Honorees
As college football reaches its conclusion for the year, awards and honors are starting to pile up for both Mississippi College and Millsaps College football players.
JFP Top 25: Final Pre-Bowl Poll
This is the final JFP Top 25 College Football Poll until after the National Championship Game to be played on Jan. 6. The title game will be the Florida State Seminoles against the Auburn Tigers.
The Slate
SEC and Auburn fans, be sure to send Christmas cards to Michigan State for opening the door for the Auburn Tigers. Once, an eighth-straight SEC national title seemed dead, but the Spartans saved it for us.
A Night of Awards
Last week, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame awarded the Conerly Trophy and the Kent Hull award. In case you missed it, Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson got both awards.
MSU Stars
The last few weeks have been rewarding for Mississippi State University. Good news started coming the Bulldogs' way even before the Thanksgiving holiday.
JFP Top 25: Week 14
As thrilling as it was, Auburn's win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl put the SEC's hopes of winning an eighth-straight national title on life-support.
The Slate
Congratulations to Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Both schools came up with huge wins over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Insane Endings
In honor of "The Walking Dead" mid-season finale, I've found some parallels with this past college football weekend and the insanely popular AMC show. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
JFP Top 25: Week 13
Five teams remain undefeated, but only three have a chance at a national championship. Several one-loss teams need two of three undefeated teams to lose so they can steal a spot in the title dance.
The Slate
Can the fate of this year’s Heisman Trophy and national championship game be in the hands of the Florida state attorney?
Being Thankful
This space is normally for my ranting about the sports world, but I'd like to take some time to be serious.
College Football Fans
On Dec. 3, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum will award the 18th annual C Spire Conerly Trophy.
JFP Top 25: Week 12
The JFP College Football Top 25 Poll was the first to notice something special was going on in Durham, N.C. Now, after the team beat Miami, the rest of the college football world is catching up on the Duke Blue Devils.
The Slate
Time sure does fly. It seems like just last week, we were wishing for the start of football, and now both the college and NFL seasons are nearly over.
What a Year
What a difference a year makes in college football. If it was 2014, the four undefeated schools left would be a lock to be in the four-team playoff—but, as it is 2013, we could see more controversy in the BCS' last year.
Jackson State Football Team
The Tigers have wrapped up the SWAC East title and earned a spot in the 2013 SWAC Football Championship Game. Jackson State is undefeated so far in SWAC games.
JFP Top 25: Week 11
Thanks to Stanford upsetting Oregon, only four undefeated teams are left with a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. Currently, Alabama is the only team that is a lock to play in the title game.
The Slate
Congratulations to Jackson State and Ole Miss. The Tigers wrapped up the SWAC East title and will play in their second straight SWAC Championship Game. Ole Miss became bowl eligible for the second year in a row.
Just When I Think I’ve Heard it All
In this day and age, I think nothing in the sports world can surprise me. Then, a story like Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend comes up.
Allen Blackwell
Allen Blackwell has an unusual dream: to become the first person to represent Mississippi in the Olympics in the winter sport of skeleton.
JFP Top 25: Week 10
Another undefeated team went down this week as Miami lost to Florida State. Without question, Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State and Florida State are the top four teams in the country.
The Slate
Could the Super Bowl winner already be decided? The Boston Red Sox’s World Series win might have locked up this year’s Super Bowl victor.
Saving Henderson
Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson is the Johnny Manziel of SEC basketball—but unlike Manziel's harmless offseason headlines, Henderson's were more of the troubling variety.
Jackson Showboats: High Hopes for Year Two
The Jackson Showboats are looking to win an ABA title in their second year.
Undefeated Majors
Millsaps College provides plenty of reasons to "fear the sword." The Majors are the only four-year university or college football team currently undefeated in the state.
The Slate
This has been one of the craziest World Series in a long time. One game ended with an obstruction call, and another ended with a pickoff play. Will it get any wilder?
USM Must Move On
It has been nearly six years since Southern Miss replaced Jeff Bower as head coach for its football team. Bower had led the Golden Eagles for 17 seasons, but the fan base was ready for a change.
Mississippi College Football Team
Mississippi College opened the season with a 52-19 loss to arch-rival Millsaps College in the first game of the year.
The Slate
Did anyone predict the Kansas City Chiefs would be the last undefeated team in the NFL this season? I know I never expected the Chiefs to go 7-0.
JFP Top 25: Week 8
We saw plenty of shakeup this week in the JFP Top 25 College Football Poll. It was an upset-filled weekend in the SEC, and Central Florida knocked off Louisville.
Should JSU Leave the SWAC?
Thanks to the SWAC, Jackson State is still undefeated this conference season. The conference decided that, since Grambling State forfeited the game over the weekend, the Tigers could claim it as a victory.
The 1959 Ole Miss Rebels
Tonight, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame toasts the 1959 Ole Miss Rebels, a team that just might be the best college football team in the history of our state—and maybe even the best college football team in history.
JFP Top 25: Week 7
We are seeing a shakeup at the top of the JFP College Football Top 25 Poll after an upset-filled Saturday. Three of the teams in the top 10 lost—and two of those teams lost to unranked teams.
The Slate
No New Orleans Saints game this week. Now is a good time to go antiquing with the wife on Sunday afternoon.
Rice Is Alright By Me
I understand that people want the four best teams to make the new college football playoffs system next season. Nobody wants to watch a team that doesn't deserve a spot in the top four getting to play over a deserving team.
Keep an Eye On ...
As the football season rolls on, we're getting a good idea of which players will be up for regional and national awards.
The Slate
The New Orleans Saints are 5-0 for the third time in franchise history, which brings up some good and some bad memories associated with other two times the Saints started undefeated five weeks into a season.
JFP Top 25: Week 6
The top 10 teams didn't show any movement this week, but the bottom of the rankings changed with a few unexpected wins from teams higher in the poll.
Going Bowling—Maybe
College football is nearing the midway point of the season, and it seems like a good time to look at how the season has gone for Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Jackson State.
L.C. Greenwood
L.C. Greenwood, football legend and Canton native, passed away due to natural causes in a Pittsburgh hospital Sunday, Sept 29. He was 67.
Remember the 1992 NLCS
One of the longest playoff droughts in North American sports ended last week. The Pittsburgh Pirates earned one of the two wild card berths in MLB's National League, ending the team's 20-year playoff drought, as well as a record 20 years of finishing with a losing season.
The Slate
Folks should feel some hope around Hattiesburg this week—not just about finally getting a winner in the mayoral election—but on the football field.
Saints Defense
The New Orleans Saints are 3-0 after the first three weeks of this season, which is a complete turnaround of last year's 0-3 start. The turnaround may be due in large part to how much the Saints' defense has improved over last year.
Time to End College Athletics
The following will not be a popular opinion—but I have never cared if my opinions were popular.
The Slate
Several NFL teams' seasons might be over before October. In fact, some might be done before week four.
Millsaps Majors
Every college football team in the state—except two—has at least one loss already this season.