Scroll down to read Bob's Blog--the online version!
Volunteer Days are coming!
Monday: Alge Crumpler LIVE IN STUDIO!!
Wednesday: It's University of Tennessee Night! We speak with Deon Grant and Tee Martin--plus, we talk Tennessee everything!
Thursday: Derek Rackley and Dan Elliott race each other! And we introduce a new segment, the Pulse of the South.
Friday: David Green and Jon Stinchcomb, LIVE IN STUDIO!
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Did you have a happy holiday? We did, and fireworks have hit the SportsNite set! Orange and White ones!
This week brings us TENNESSEE DAY! Wednesday, we sit down with former Vols Deon Grant and Tee Martin to chat about the Volunteers' upcoming football season. Do they have what it takes to make it to a National Championship? Plus, you can bet our topics of the day and our wacky Wednesday selections will have some orange-and-white flavor to them.
But the party doesn't stop there! We also meet up with some football-fantastic guests: Former Falcon Alge Crumpler swings by to talk NFL on Monday, and David Green and Jon Stinchcomb, formerly of the Georgia Bulldogs, visit on Friday to speak about their upcoming youth camp.
And, we're introducing a new SportsNite segment--the Pulse of the South, with Matt Chernoff. He sits down with a variety of talent from around the Southeast to find out what is expected in every corner of South. What does your regional representative have to say about your teams? Tune in to find out!
Finally--you know he had the power when he played in the NFL--but how does former Falcon Derek Rackley stack up on the racetrack? Find out when he races Dan Elliott on Thursday.
We have Ladies' Nite, Paul Crane interviews Steve Spurrier, Al Groh and the Bowden boys--the excitement never stops! All on SportsNite! Airing at 6 PM & 11 PM ET. Don't miss the Best of SportsNite, every weekend and On Demand in select areas! Check your CSS schedules for details.
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MONDAY
 Catch the Race with NASCAR Expert Dan Elliott.
 MLB insight to start the week! Baseball Expert Brian Jordan
TUESDAY
 College Hoops expert Shane Power breaks down tournament time.
THURSDAY
 NBA Expert Dennis Scott keeps you in the loop as the NBA draws closer to playoffs.
Baseball Expert Leo Mazzone
What not to miss! Every week on SportsNite!
 Mailbag Monday: Email your questions and comments to sportsnite@css-sports.com
 Tuesday Tirade: Tune in to see what the gang's ranting about!
 Wacky Wednesday: Wednesdays are Wacky on SportsNite...
 Thirsty Thursday: Raise your glass to the best in the sports world today.
 What to Watch or Not: Let our hosts clue you in to what television is worth your time (and what's not).
 Bob's Blog: The Venerable Bob Neal presents a collegiate breakdown every Friday night.
Other favorites to look for:
 Fan Forum: It's the fan's opportunity to sound off!! Listen to what they are saying this week! Hosted by CSS's own LaShanda Neal.
 This Round's On Me: Focusing on sports away from the spotlight, and taking you into one of Atlanta's most exclusive clubs, Opera. Brought to you by Hunter Weeks.
 Thrashers Previews: Join Sandra Golden as she visits Philips Arena to check in with the Atlanta Thrashers.
 Hawks Hangtime: Visiting the Atlanta Hawks on their Home Court as they prepare for the end of the season.
 Tomahawk Tuesdays: We check in with the Braves LIVE! from Turner Field before all their Tuesday home games.
 And don't Miss the Best of SportsNite show, weekends on CSS. Giving you highlights of this past week, the Best of SportsNite can be found all weekend long on CSS and is available for a limited period On Demand.
WELCOME TO BOB'S BLOG!!!
Welcome to Bob's Blog. Countdown to college football….8 Blogs till the big opening weekend August 30th!
When the season starts, there’ll be at least 6 southern schools with new head coaches. Who are they and can they win this year?
I’m listing the new coaches in order of what I think their impact will be in their first year.
Number 6: Larry Fedora, Southern Miss. Larry replaces long time coach Jeff Bower who took the team to a 7-6 mark last year. Fedora was the offrensive coordinator at Oklahoma State the last three years and his spread offense for the Cowboys ranked in the top ten in rushing and top twenty in total offense the past two years…Before that Fedora was OC at Florida in 04. Could be another tough year for the Eagles however, as they still don’t have an experienced quarterback and will have to rely on pre season all American candidate Damian Fletcher at running back and pre season all American pick Gerald McGrath at Linebacker to anchor the defense. I’ll call it a successful year if Southern Miss wins 7, maybe 8 games in Conference USA.
Number five: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech. This guy WILL get it done at Tech..but not this year…the learning curve is too steep for his option offense…Ever since Johnson took the Tech job…we’re all wondering how the option that won 43 games at NAVY in five years will work at Tech…I’ll tell you this. It will look a lot more like West Virginia and Oregon than Navy…He has better athletes at Tech and will definitely work in more spread options… and he knows how to win…Johnson turned down a bigger salary from SMU to take the Tech job because he knows if he wins with the Jackets…he can win it all…Of course, there’s always that school over in Athens at the end of the year, and in between…Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Florida State…but Georgia Tech has a chance for six wins.
Number four: Bobby Patrino at Arkansas. Now after all the Falcon fans have stopped booing, I’ll say this. Patrino will win at Arkansas and soon…this year..he has to find replacement for his two great running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, but he has a smart quarterback returning in Casey Dick and Patrino is made for the college game. He’s an expert at finding skill players to execute his offense and he has the big men returning up front on both offense and defense…But, this is the SEC and Arkansas first big game of the year is at Texas. The Hogs then face Alabama, Florida and Auburn back to back to back. I expect 6 wins…seven would be a bonus….But look for 25 plus points a game from Arkansas.
Number three: David Cutcliffe, Duke. The Blue Devils have a paltry 17-97 record since the BCS was formed in 1998. That’s the worst record in the nation among BCS schools. That’s the Challenge for Cutcliff…who’s become known as a quarterback guru during his time at Ole Miss and Tennessee. What Cutcliff brings to Duke is an SEC attitude to a team that won’t be all that bad this year. 14 returning starters, seven home games and a reasonable schedule, Duke could win four games…that’s a quantum jump from 1-11 and 0-12 seasons. His impact will be immediate and look for quarterback Thad Lewis to prosper. Cutcliff opens with James Madison, Northwestern, Navy and Virginia. Three or the four wins could come right there.
Number two: Houston Nutt at Ole Miss. He’s a winning coach looking for love and Ole Miss is all the right place. The Rebels desperately want respectability and Nutt will give them that. Quarterback Jevon Snead, the transfer from Texas has a chance to lead Ole Miss to some wins…he has arm strength, touch and accuracy and will throw to at least two all conference caliber receivers in Mike Wallace and Shay Hodges. The catch is that Ole Miss has an unenviable SEC schedule that could make bowling a long shot…at Florida, at Alabama, and at LSU. Still, I think Houston Nutt will show the folks in Fayetteville they gave up on a good coach and Johnny Reb may swagger again this fall.
Number one: The coach who has a chance to make the biggest impact this fall among southern teams…Bill Stewart at west Virginia. Stewart replace Michigan bound and Mountaineer pariah Rich Gonzalez and inherits the most talented team in the Big East…All conference quarterback Pat White returns behind a formidable offensive line and a defense that makes West Virginia the odds on favorite to win the Big East….Stewart was hired in 2000 by legendary coach Don Nehlen, retained by Gonzalez and last year, led the Mountaineers to an upset over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on January 2nd. On the third he was name head coach. They’ll still run the spread, but Stewart will throw it downfield more often. West Virginia won’t miss a beat.
So, now there are only seven blogs till the season starts. Next week, my top ten regular season, critical games in the SEC, ACC and the rest of the south. The I begin my conference break downs, division by division and presto chango…seven weeks go by and we’re pig sooying, war eagleing, woof woofing, war chanting and Rock topping it every Saturday. Remember I’m also blogging on line and would love to get your emails at bobsblog@css-sports.com.
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