Riding Shotgun with the Pistol
Colin Kaepernick. The Pistol Offense has made him an exciting, prolific quarterback and star at Nevada for the Wolfpack. Two years ago, I listed him as one of the Top Returning quarterbacks, and he did not disappoint. In the past two years, Kaepernick has passed for 4,901 yards and rushed for 2,313 more. He passed for 42 touchdowns and rushed for 33, a mind-boggling 75 touchdowns in two years. Don’t forget the touchdown reception he had. . . make that 76 touchdowns.
What do we make of this offense? The Pistol is an offense where the quarterback lines up four yards behind the center, not as far as a shotgun, and the running back lines up behind the quarterback. It is the best of a shotgun and an I-formation. The results are quite extraordinary in terms of being prolific.
Kaepernick is the ultimate athlete to play the position. He stands at 6-foot-6 and is only 215 pounds and is as quick and fast as any QB in the country. He is also fairly accurate making him a good dual-threat quarterback.
However, the fact remains that the Pistol has become more than a fascination. The Chris Ault developed offense is now being used by other teams. As the influences spread, so will uses of the offense. For instance, former Wolfpack Offensive Coordinator Chris Klenakis moved to Arkansas to be the Offensive Line coach. In the Spring, Klenakis installed the Pistol formation for the Razorbacks.
PAC 10 Preview
Last year, Oregon broke through by overtaking USC as the champions of the Pacific 10 Conference, soon to be known as the Pacific 12. USC was the conference dynasty for almost a decade. The past couple of years, the Trojans won in spite of unlikely upsets to Oregon State and Stanford. The dynasty was crumbling, and behind a True Freshman quarterback the Trojans were unable to win the 2009 title.
Will the Tide Roll to a repeat National Championship?
By Tex Noel, Editor The College Football Historian
With the temperatures hovering around the 90s and higher this summer; think back to a January evening when the University of Alabama won its most recent College Football title.
The scoreboard clock had barely clicked 0:00 and with confetti flowing from the Rose Bowl rafters like rain…a thought turned into faint whisper—that could be heard above all the celebration.
Big 12 Preview
You remember how 2009 don’t you. Texas escaped the Big 12 Title game against Ndamukong Suh and Nebraska. The win put them in the national championship game where a Colt McCoy injury sunk the ship and jump-started a the Garrett Gilbert era a game early.
So, what is in store for 2010 in the Big 12, soon-to-be Big 10 with Colorado and Nebraska packing their bags and leaving after this season.
Playing the Odds
If you are someone who “plays the odds,” then you are always interested in what will happen at the end of the season. Every season is unique with unique outcomes, but all fans will be wondering how the season will play out. It is always fun to speculate and prognosticate who will win what. Get some facts right, and you have bragging rights.
For others, those who are involved in NCAA football betting; get some things right, and it could lead to some instant cash flow.
BCS Group Announces Policy for Bowl-Ineligible Teams in Computer Rankings
Ineligible Team Would be Removed and Others Below it Moved Up One Position
(July 30, 2010)– The 11 conferences that manage the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) today announced that teams that are ineligible for post-season play will be removed from computer ratings for the purposes of determining the BCS Standings.
Each of the six computer rankings providers have notified the BCS group that ineligible teams will still be included in the individual computer rankings during the regular season to ensure the integrity of the data and in fairness to opponents. But, for the purpose of determining the BCS Standings, ineligible teams will be removed from each computer ranking and all others below it moved up one position.
“Basically, we will take each computer ranking, remove the ineligible teams, and move all the teams below the open position up one spot. It’s fair, it’s consistent, it’s simple, and it’s transparent,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the BCS.
For example, if the ineligible team is ranked No. 10 in a computer ranking, the No. 11 team would move up one slot, as would all teams ranked below it, preserving the integrity of the rankings. The process would be followed for all six computer rankings. The rest of the formula would stay the same—the highest and lowest ranking for each team will be discarded and the remaining numbers averaged to create the team’s computer ranking.
Top Ten Offseason Stories
For those of you have followed CFTT over the years, you know that I publish a Top Ten Offseason Stories. I like top ten lists, and this list has been a fun one to do each year, depending on how the offseason goes.
Top Pre-Season Magazine
If you are like me, you buy and pour over the top pre-season football magazines. I have my favorite, and so do you. Therefore, I am launching this poll to find out what you think!
SEC Preview
Last season, it was, of course, Alabama and Florida playing for the SEC Title in December with Alabama riding the Ingram train all the way to the SEC and National Title. Does anyone expect it to be any different this year? Alabama is simply loaded and expected to contend for any kind of championship available. In fact, I see them competing for the ACC Title as well!



















