Wednesday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on April 30, 2014 at 6:00 am
Creepy Brutus Buckeye, 1965 via The Ohio State University Library
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Here's some things you might have missed yesterday:

BAD NEWS FOR JAMES FRANKLIN. Yesterday, Penn State's wonderboy James Franklin was dragged back into the muck of the Vanderbilt rape case (and potential cover-up) by the lawyers of an accused former Vanderbilt footballer in a detailed court filing.

From The Tennessean:

The filing also includes a new allegation about interactions between the alleged victim and former head football coach James Franklin and former director of performance enhancement Dwight Galt — both now at Penn State University.

Referring to records, the attorneys said the victim was contacted by Franklin and Galt during a medical examination four days after the rape to explain "that they cared about her because she assisted them with recruiting."

It went on to say that at some point, "Coach Franklin called her in for a private meeting and told her he wanted her to get fifteen pretty girls together and form a team to assist with the recruiting even though he knew it was against the rules. He added that all the other colleges did it."

(Franklin has denied any wrongdoing.) 

I always wondered if this baggage might come back to haunt Franklin, but Penn State's hiring process takes on a new light if this stuff is indeed true. It'd also be hard to tell whom would have been more negligent: Penn State or James Franklin.

(This all without mentioning Penn State hired Eric Barron, the Florida State president who presided over sweeping Jameis Winston's alleged sexual assault under the rug.)

It could be a hot summer for the school in Happy Valley.

VEGAS LIKES THE BUCKEYES. The Chase at Ohio State is very real, and if Vegas is to be believed, the odds of it succeeding aren't too shabby.

From @jtwalsh0:

SO YOURE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE

OSU, FSU, Oregon and Alabama would be a MONSTER play-off field. If Ohio State can right their defensive ship (and judging by the last two years, that's a big if), I'd say the Buckeyes could knock any of those teams.

B1G RECRUITING EXPENSES ON THE RISE. Since we're charting things today, here's one that's good to see.

From The Eastern Iowa(?) Gazette:

NOW THAT'S B1G

But before we get too carried away:

“I think they know they need to step up their game with the SEC being as dominant in college football as they’ve been the last few years,” said Josh Helmholdt, Midwest recruiting analyst for Rivals. “The Big Ten really has dropped among those big five conference programs. They’re falling behind; there’s no doubt about it.”

Thanks, Josh Helmholdt. I assume your final form is a sentient wet blanket.

You know where the B1G needs to boost its recruiting expenses? By raising an army of bagmen akin to the SEC's.

To beat a monster, YOU MUST BECOME A MONSTER. I feel like I need to start spelling it out in crayon for these people. But hey, that annual $44 million payday is coming regardless, right?

PROGRESS ON SPRING FOOTBALL IN OHIO. Doesn't OHSAA know how this stuff works? Urban makes a demand and reality is bent to his will.


DON'T TRY TO RECRUIT RECRUITS. It's creepy; there's no other way to put it.


See what I mean? This is a game for Michigan Men and Tennessee hillbillies who apparently think the year is 1998 and their program is still relevant on a national scale.

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