The Fan Hub

Two extensive investigative reports into PED usage by the Miami New Times and Sports Illustrated have revealed several prominent names throughout MLB and the NFL, including Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, and Ray Lewis. Though the reports do not indicate positive tests, the links between the players and the medical services that provide them are damning enough to convict them in court of public opinion, but that’s really just because none of us are surprised by this anymore. In the case of Lewis, SI‘s investigation deals with a shady company called Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS) run by a former male stripper and gym owner which supplied Lewis with a deer-antler velvet extract spray (no, seriously) that contains the banned substance IGF-11 as the linebacker tried to get back on the field following a torn tricep muscle this season. According to the report, the owner of the company also gave…

The man who was originally identified as the culprit behind the fake identity of the girlfriend in the Manti Te’o scandal, Te’o family friend Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, has reportedly confessed to the hoax to a friend of his, an unidentified woman who will tell the story (on the condition of anonymity) to ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The woman claims that Te’o had no part in the planning of the hoax, though that still doesn’t answer questions about when he actually learned about it, and why he perpetuated the stories of face-to-face meetings between he and the fictional Lennay Kekua. “He (Ronaiah) told me that Manti was not involved at all, he was a victim,” the woman says. “The girlfriend was a lie, the accident was a lie, the leukemia was a lie. He was crying, he was literally crying, he’s like ‘I know, I know what I have to do.’ It's…

Whether you believe Manti Te’o or not when he says that he was the victim rather than a perpetrator in the hoax of his fake dead girlfriend, it’s going to have a serious effect on how NFL teams evaluate him.

In a stunning development, the Philadelphia Eagles have hired their first choice to fill their vacant head coaching position, as Chip Kelly has decided to leave Oregon after all and make the jump to the NFL. Kelly had interviewed with Philly in early January but initially spurned their offer to remain at Oregon, but had a change of heart less than two weeks later. The move comes as even more of a surprise when one considers that the Eagles had seemed to be on the verge of hiring Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley after a long second interview on Tuesday that went well into the evening. But that all changed on Wednesday afternoon when they got the man they wanted all along. Now that Kelly has come on board, the speculation can begin about what sort of system he will implement, and what effect that will have on the current…

The hottest — and most unknown — commodity on the NFL coaching market this season is now free to move about the country. Chip Kelly, who has overseen an Oregon offense that ranked in the top-4 in the country in each of the past three seasons after taking over as head coach in 2009, is slated to start interviewing with different teams on Friday morning. He’s certainly not wasting any time after the Ducks’ 35-17 Fiesta Bowl win over Kansas State on Thursday night. Kelly will interview with the Bills, Browns, and Eagles this weekend, which are really the only teams left for him to go to. The Chiefs have come to an agreement with Andy Reid, the Bears are not interested in the rebuilding process that hiring Kelly would require, and the Cardinals are a wholly unattractive option given their absence of a quarterback or running game. So let’s…

The teetering Jenga tower that was the Big East over the past year finally received the blow that is sure to end the conference as we know it. Seven basketball schools — including charter members St. John’s, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Providence, plus Villanova, Marquette, and DePaul (all Catholic schools) — announced that they are prepared to leave the conference, citing the marginalization that basketball has received as the Big East tries to reinvent itself. The best basketball conference in the country began its rapid decline began last September when two of its most longstanding members, Syracuse and Pitt, announced that they were leaving for the ACC, a far superior football league. West Virginia was next a month later, accepting an invitation to join the Big 12. At that point, it was clear that the future of the Big East was on perilously thin ice, with everyone sticking one foot…

Johnny Football had a great season, but the case for Manti Te’o was too good to overlook.

More than just a trip to the National Championship is on the line when Alabama faces Georgia on Saturday, as there are several prospects who could climb the draft ladder with strong performances.

Despite missing the entire 2012 season due to a drug-related team suspension, LSU cornerback and 2011 Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu will enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

The University of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously approved a move to the Big Ten on Monday, a source tells ESPN colleague Brett McMurphy. An official announcement is expected at 4 p.m. ET at the school’s campus in College Park, Md. Maryland must officially apply for Big Ten membership, and needs a yes vote by at least nine of the 12 Big Ten presidents/chancellors (80 percent required) for admission. This is basically a formality. After two decades of relative quiet, the Big Ten is poised to expand for the second time in two and a half years.

They’d been left for dead by many, but Notre Dame’s success this season — regardless of the outcome — has them on a path back to the NCAA’s top-tier schools.

As the FBS season rolls into Week 7, we’ll be treated to four top 25 matchups, including the annual showdown of the Red River Rivalry.

As anticipated, Week 6 in college football separated the men from the boys, as Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Oregon all demonstrated that they are legit contenders to threaten Alabama as the nation’s top team.

After a somewhat docile Week 5 in college football, this weekend not only offers three matchups with National Championship implications, but will also showcase some of the best talent in the country

After five weeks of the college football season, it’s Geno Smith and then everyone else.

There were some big moments at the top of the college football pecking order this weekend, but none bigger than USC’s loss to conference rival Stanford.

Week 3 of the college football season will treat fans to a few inter-conference matches with some substantial ranking implications.

With Notre Dame joining the ACC for all sports except football, it just highlights how irrelevant the once-illustrious program has really become.

Week 1 of the college football season typically offers the stunning upsets. Well, not so fast my friend. Week 2 saw Arkansas, Nebraska, and Oregon State all stunned, but for Arkansas it may have been insult to injury. Starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Tyler Wilson left the game in the third quarter due to an apparent blow to the head and listed as day-to-day. The Razorbacks now have to find a way to break back into the top 25, and with perhaps the best team in the country (Alabama) rolling into Fayetteville next week, the Hogs’ national title hopes may hanging on by a thread. After a 36-30 win over 16th-ranked Nebraska, the UCLA Bruins haven’t stormed out of the gates this hot since Cade McNown was under center. Freshman quarterback Brett Hundley has the Bruins’s offense at MAX-Q, and with Johnathan Franklin on pace to set school rushing…

As the 2012 FBS season jumped out to exciting start, Week 2 certainly has its fair share of intriguing matchups to watch, not only with draft implications, yet for the top 25 rankings as well.

The first weekend of the 2012 NCAAF season featured everything college football fans have come to love from it’s commencing weekend.

As the dawn of the 2012 NCAAF season arrives, the scheduling deities have graced college football fans with five must-watch games with a surplus of AP ranking implications.

The SEC currently has six teams ranked in the AP Top 25, and could feature 13 Day 1 selections in next April’s draft.

Last week, All-American defensive back Tyrann Mathieu failed a drug test and was dismissed from the top ranked LSU Tigers. Many believed the 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist would look to transfer to an FCS-level team, allowing him to continue playing next season, but a recent report from fox8live.com claims he will instead remain in a drug rehabilitation center. The decision, which was made jointly by Mathieu and his family, may prove to be more beneficial for his future than playing this season. The “Honey Badger” clearly has skill and many believed he was the best defensive player in the NCAA, but staying clear of off-field issues is becoming more and more important these days. Although it wasn’t the worst offseason for arrests among NFL players, social media has as big an influence on public opinion as ever, and players face a national spotlight for everything they do. Even if Mathieu…

The LSU Tigers have dismissed the extraordinarily talented, yet troubled defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. ESPN.com’s Joe Shad and other sources are reporting that Mathieu, a preseason All-American and 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist, have kicked him off the team for breaking an “unspecified” school rule. With LSU currently sitting atop USAToday’s Coaches Poll as the top-ranked team, it will surely leave a void at corner. “LSU isn’t quite as deep at cornerback as it was last season, when it had All-American Morris Claiborne and often used Mathieu as a nickleback. Tharold Simon is the other starter opposite Mathieu. Second on the depth chart are redshirt freshman Jalen Collins and freshman Jalen Mills,” writes ESPN. Mathieu, known as the “Honey Badger,” finished the 2011 season with 77 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 sacks, and was easily one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football last season. He is now looking to…

With all the excitement around March Madness TheFanHub’s Ryan Gilmore offers another plea and constructive suggestions on how a NCAAF playoff would work.

On Wednesday, the University of Memphis formally agreed to join the Big East in 2013. The move will undoubtedly affect both Big East football and basketball, for entirely different reasons. From a football perspective, Memphis' move to the Big East will hopefully ensure that the conference can build itself up to 12 teams by 2015, the threshold necessary for holding a conference championship. This desire for a conference championship has to be the motivation for Memphis football moving to the Big East. After all, Memphis' football program has been horrible recently, posting a 5-31 record over the past three years. And that was in Conference-USA. Memphis' move to basketball will have larger ramifications on a competitive scale. In 2005, to Memphis' chagrin, the Tigers were passed over in the reassembly of Big East basketball that included the addition of Louisville, Memphis' long-time rival. Louisville and Memphis have only played once…

NFL Draft Day futures can be made and lost due to a player’s performance in the Senior Bowl. TheFanHub’s Terry Long recaps the biggest risers and fallers from Saturday’s action.

TheFanHub’s Terry Long gives his take on the top tight ends heading into the 2012 NFL Draft.

While there’s little disputing the fact that the best team in college football was crowned National Champions on Monday night when the Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the top-ranked LSU Tigers 21-0, it was still one of the more ridiculous BCS scenarios that we’ve seen. That’s because for all their talent, Alabama didn’t even earn the right to play in their own conference championship game. And so the solution that college football fans — including President Barack Obama — have been begging for has finally appeared on the horizon: a national playoff tournament. An anonymous BCS official told The Sporting News on Monday that a new playoff will get done this offseason, and could be in place as soon as next year. The key, according to the official, is getting a system in place that preserves the importance of the regular season while still giving multiple teams a shot to advance…

In a rematch of the two best teams in college football this season, the LSU Tigers will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night, after LSU defeated the Tide 9-6 in overtime back in November en route to a season-ending No. 1 ranking. However, things will be even tougher for the Tigers this time around. They’ll be facing an Alabama defense that not only finished as the top-ranked unit across the board, but one that will be out looking to avenge what they consider a fluke loss earlier in the year. If it hadn’t been for three missed field goals by Alabama kicker Cade Foster (from 44, 50, and 52 yards) the first time around, the result in Baton Rouge would have been significantly different. Most experts agree that Nick Saban’s Alabama team has the slight edge in talent over Les Miles’…

TheFanHub’s Terry Long breaks down the 2012 NFL Draft class at wide receiver, where Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon is the unquestioned top prospect.

The BCS system, Boise’s snub, and conference realignment have TheFanHub’s Dave Jacober looking for help.

Following the Big East’s loss of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC earlier this year, followed by TCU (which was due to join the conference next year), followed by the defection of West Virginia to the Big 12, the Big East has announced the addition of five new schools to their ranks. The biggest name is Boise State, which will join as a football-only member with San Diego State, but the conference will also get Houston, Central Florida, and SMU for all sports. The moves will take place beginning in 2013-14. In addition, the Big East is expected to get Navy as a full-time member — a deal for which the details are still being worked out before it becomes official — and could be including Air Force as well. Those moves, however, could be delayed until 2014.

Had the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers lost the SEC title game to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon, there would have been an interesting discussion as to whether or not they should get a shot at the National Championship. But as it is, by handling their business in convincing fashion with a 42-10 win over Georgia, there is no debate necessary. LSU’s opponent is yet to be determined (though it will probably be Alabama), but with a perfect 13-0 record, their spot is secure. Much like their last game against Arkansas, LSU got off to a slow start in this one, falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter. But after a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown from Tyrann Mathieu got the ball rolling, the Tigers never looked back, eventually reeling off 42 unanswered points.

If all you wanted for Christmas was an LSU-Alabama rematch, your holiday wishes might be coming true.

TheFanHub’s Dave Jacober breaks down the rest of games this weekend, and who can boost their 2012 NFL Draft stock with a beg-game performance

Rivalry weekend in college football is coming up, and TheFanHub’s Dave Jacober takes a look at how a few key performances could have implications on the NFL Draft.

The best college football teams reside in the SEC. Well, the current BCS standings certainly give credence to that statement. In the latest BCS poll LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas currently sit 1-2-3 in the rankings. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Oregon may have seen their national title hopes dashed this past weekend, setting up what is sure to be one of the more memorable rivalry weekends in years. Can these three out-duel LSU? With all deference to the Iron Bowl and their two participants (Auburn and Alabama), the game of the week with the biggest implications will be LSU-Arkansas. While Bama-LSU was tagged as the game of the century, LSU-Arkansas has the makings to offer college football fans another epic battle. The two teams have completely contrasting styles. Arkansas, with their high powered aerial attack led by quarterback Tyler Wilson and his trio of receivers Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, and Cobi…

The only productive outcome to be forged out of the new Super Conference system is that college football fans will get what they have long wanted, an end to the shenanigans of who will play for a national title game. As Stewart Mandel of SI.com writes, while Alabama might be the better team, if Oklahoma can run the table (which would include a win over current number-2 ranked Oklahoma State), their odds might be better for shot in the BCS National Championship Game against LSU — if LSU wins out, of course. Shouldn’t these two go face-to-face again? Mandel admits, “Now, do I actually believe Oklahoma is a better team than Alabama? I do not.” But he adds, “Are we supposed to judge teams based on one game or 12 games? I believe the latter, and I think most would agree. We assume Alabama has faced a tougher grind than…

With his play early this season Tyrann Mathieu was considered by some to be a Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the elite defensive backs in the country. While he is still one of the best defensive backs in the country, the sophomore has lost any hopes of being a Heisman candidate due to violating LSU’s drug policy last month, for which he was suspended one game. Mathieu spoke the media about the being suspended and how it has given him a different perspective, and a new sense of humility; “It definitely humbled me off the field. I think you have to go through things to see the bigger picture. … My teammates were there for me and my coaches were there for me, so it was really about me trying to stay focused on the things that mean the most to me and that’s being a student at LSU…

Once considered the Heisman outsider, Kellen Moore has now moved up in the Heisman Trophy race behind only the odds-on favorite Andrew Luck. The smooth lefty has led Boise State to a record of 8-0, with perhaps their biggest game of the season coming up this weekend against TCU; Kellen Moore and Boise State could be on track to battle Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl in January. Moore has not just been good this season, he has been extraordinary, and some might argue better than Luck. On the season he thrown for 2,229 yards, a completion percentage of 74.1%, 29 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. Some would suggest those numbers are inflated by Boise’s spread offense and weaker schedule, but throughout his career Moore has been clutch. In the fourth quarter this season, Moore is 16-23 for 159 yards, has a completion percentage of 69.6%, is averaging 6.91 yards…

LSU and Alabama are not only playing for the SEC West lead, but the game of the Century also has NFL Draft and Heisman implications.

TheFanHub’s Jared Freid will be getting drunk at a wedding this Saturday rather than in front of a TV showing the Alabama-LSU game, and he is seriously pissed about it.

As SEC nation braces for what could be the game of the year next week when Alabama hosts LSU, Week 9 in the SEC does offer few subplots to wet our whistles. Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com breaks down some of the more compelling storylines this weekend. With all deference to the rest of the conference, the most intriguing matchup this weekend takes place in Jacksonville for the greatest cocktail party in the country. Both the Florida Gators (4-3) and the Georgia Bulldogs (5-2) have had—by their standards—subpar seasons to date. Nevertheless, with the loss of Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina may no longer be the favorite in the east. Georgia’s freshman running back Isaiah Crowell has struggled on the ground as of late, and this weekend he certainly won’t have an easier time against one of the nation’s best run defenses in the Florida Gators. Still, Georgia is now in striking…

It seems that teams are so desperate to flee the Big East that they’re now fighting each other for the right to do so. After the move by West Virginia to the Big 12 appeared all but done, reports surfaced on Wednesday night that they hit a bump in the road as fellow Big East member Louisville is reportedly lobbying hard to be included in the Big 12 expansion instead. Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has been lobbying the Big 12 officials on behalf of Louisville, while both West Virginia Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin are doing the same on behalf of their state’s school.

And so the collapse of the Big East continues. Sources have revealed that West Virginia will become the latest team to leave the conference, as an acceptance into the Big 12 appears imminent. This comes on the heels of Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving for the ACC, followed by TCU abandoning its pending membership in the Big East to move to the Big 12 instead. The loss of West Virginia, however, is perhaps the biggest blow yet, as it hurts both the football and basketball programs of the Big East equally. …so they went to the Big 12 instead. It also comes just over a month after the remaining schools pledged loyalty to each other and the conference at a whole at a meeting of the college presidents in New York, though no one really believed them at the time anyway. So with West Virginia now gone, the Big East’s original…

The race for the Heisman trophy took an unexpected turn when South Carolina’s stud running back Marcus Lattimore was be sidelined for the remainder of the season with an injured knee. The SEC now has two legit contenders that will compete along side Landry Jones, and Kellen Moore for the award given to the nations best player. Trent Richardson,RB, Alabama, and Tyrann Mathieu,CB, LSU are the two leading candidates that could contened in the SEC. Richardson is off to torrid pace this season, averaging 6.9 yards per game on the ground with 15 touchdowns. Bolstering his Heisman his bid are strong performances against, Florida, and Arkansas. Richardson’s biggest test will come in two weeks when the Tide welcome LSU to Tuscaloosa, in what could be a battle for the title of the best team in college football. Many might be counting LSU’s Mathieu out of the Heisman race, we ask…

Less than a week after losing his job as the Gamecock’s starting quarterback, Stephen Garcia has been dismissed from the team. The AP has reported “In brief statement Athletic director Eric Hyman said the fifth-year senior failed to meet agreed-upon guidelines put in place after Garcia’s fifth suspension this past spring.” Sophomore Connor Shaw who replaced Garcia in S.Carolina’s game against Kentucky last Saturday who many surmised would take over the quarterback postion, will certainly have a long leash with Garcia no longer in uniform. Marcus Lattimore, perhaps the nations best running back in the country hasn’t received much help through the air thus far, making the Gamecocks rather one dimensional. If Connor Shaw can provide S. Carolina with a bit more from the quarterback position, the Gamecocks could once again be headed back to the SEC title game. Will Lattimore still have to carry the load even without Garcia?

From top to bottom the SEC is might be the most competitive, and perhaps the best football conference in college football. Yet, the one thing the conference lacks on a whole—alpha quarterback play. Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia (Maybe Tennessee depending on Tyler Bray’s injury). Those are the schools who can officially say they have settled on a quarterback, otherwise at the half way point of the season, change is certainly in store for more than a few teams. (Maybe Tennessee depending on Tyler Bray’s injury) The biggest mystery is at South Carolina. Stephen Garcia is out, and unproven sophomore Connor Shaw is in as the Gamecocks new starting quarterback. S. Carolina—whose entire offense has been run essentially through running back Marcus Lattimore, needs to find a way to get the ball into the hands of their best receiver, 6-4’‘ 229 lbs Jeffery Alshon. While Jarret Lee has performed very well…

As week six in college football approaches it’s time to start really dissecting the Heisman front runners. In our opinion the SEC has three legit contenders to be considered the best player in college football. Trent Richardson, Marcus Lattimore, and Tyrann Mathieu. Richardson steamrolled one of the better front seven’s in the country as he put a career-high 181 yards, and reached pay dirt twice against Florida on a national stage last Saturday. He isn’t flashy, nor the most exciting player in the college football, but he is by far the most consistant downhill runner in college today. Marcus Lattimore while only a sophomore is proving to many that he should bare the honor “best running back in college.” While he was slowed by Auburn last weekend, his work on the field to this point is nothing short then steller; 677 yards on just 124 carries, and 10 touchdowns. He…

South Carolina is off to a great start in the SEC, and there is no secret as to why. Marcus Lattimore could easily be the best running back in the country; he has the rare combination of strength, speed, balance, and vision which makes him a nightmare to try and tackle. However, the one defense that did manage to keep Lattimore under wraps (somewhat) last season was the Auburn Tigers, although this year Auburn won’t have Nick Fairley causing havoc in the Gamecocks’ backfield.