HBO hits Auburn, Ohio State tonight at 10... and it's going to get UUUUUGLY

I'm feeling pretty good right now having not canceled HBO today like I was planning to do yesterday. Then again, had I followed through with those plans, this is the kind of thing that would make me pick up that phone and re-subscribe for the next 48 hours faster than you can say CHEETERZ!

Kremer voiceover: “But McClover says there were money handshakes from boosters at other football camps too. At Auburn for a couple hundred dollars and at Michigan State. All the schools denied any wrongdoing. And things really started heating up a few months later when he went to Ohio State for an official visit where schools get a chance for one weekend to host prospective athletes. McClover says there were money handshakes from alumni there too. About a thousand dollars. And something else to entice him.”

McClover: “They send girls my way. I partied. When I got there I met up with a couple guys from the team. We went to a party and they asked me to pick any girl I wanted.”

Kremer: “Did she offer sexual services?“

McClover: “Yes.”

Kremer: “Did you take them?”

McClover: “Yes.”

Sports By Brooks got an advance copy of the show, and it only gets better... juicier, to say the least. There's much more about Auburn, since most of the show focuses on what went on down south, figuratively and literally, if you get my meaning. For all of us non-Buckeyes, Tigers or Spartans, this should be like watching a horrible train wreck from 300 yards away; for anyone closely tied to those colleges--well, it could be like parking your butt right on the cowcatcher.

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10 Minutes or Less: 1996 Outback Bowl

Penn State is no stranger to the Outback Bowl. This Saturday's clash with Florida will be the Nittany Lions' fourth trip to Tampa, the fourth time facing an SEC opponent in the game. But today we're taking you back 15 years, to Penn State's first time playing in the Outback Bowl.

The Nittany Lions were coming off a stressful 12-0 season, in which they were denied a national title by the nation's sportswriters and coaches. Many of the core players from that 1994 squad had returned for 1995 in Happy Valley, but a few of the biggest stars were on to the NFL. Penn State had struggled on both defense and offense--compared to the stellar performance a year prior--and lost three games for an 8-3 overall record and No. 15 ranking coming into the 1996 Outback Bowl. But the offensive line, fullbacks, wide receivers, and defensive line were strengths of the team, and all would play a huge part on New Years Day.

The Tigers were just off probation, and in a bowl game for the first time in five seasons. Head coach Tommy Bowden was one of the hottest names in the sport, leading Auburn to its own 8-3 record in the SEC. One of the most explosive offenses in the nation, Auburn was racking up nearly 40 points per game coming into the Outback Bowl.

It was the first year that the Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain sponsored this bowl game, which was known the year prior as the All-American Bowl. Enjoy...

Unborn 5-Star Recruits Now On eBay

Folks, the revolution has begun in college sports recruiting. No more official visits. No more verbals. No more coaches taking recruiting trips across the nation. All a program has to do is make sure they set a high enough maximum bid.

Linkbacker U stands in solidarity with Arizona

(Photo: SI.com)

We're closing up shop on Week 2, with some not so kind words for ESPN College Gameday.

ESPN GameDay coming back to Auburn - Opelika-Auburn News :: So on Sunday this was announced. It wouldn't seem like any big deal, until you realize what kind of precedent ESPN is setting so far in 2010. You'll see what I mean...

GameDay belongs in Tucson - Arizona Daily Wildcat :: You know how many ranked-vs-ranked games there will be this weekend in college football? Only one: No. 24 Arizona vs No. 9 Iowa. Mind you, Arizona hasn't gotten much press, but has been very impressive so far this season, while Iowa is looking much better than most has predicted (and most had predicted an already impressive team). But where does ESPN go this weekend? Another SEC school. Until this season, the Mouse Ears did an alright job of covering its obvious conflict of interest with the SEC and national attention, but this is just getting ridiculous.

Marcus Lattimore drops Penn State

Updated: 10:10 p.m.

Marcus Lattimore, regarded as one of the top two running back prospects in the 2010 recruiting class, has reportedly dropped Penn State from consideration. He has apparently notified both Penn State and Oregon that both schools are now out. South Carolina and Auburn are Lattimore's final two.

If Lattimore follows through with this decision to drop Penn State, it would really put a crunch on the Nittany Lions' recruiting over the next few weeks. Joe Paterno was supposed to visit Lattimore--a very rare in-home meeting by Paterno--on Jan. 28. It does seem a bit surprising that Lattimore would cut a Penn State at this stage. College football's all-time winningest head coach is willing to travel a thousand miles for Lattimore.

Until this is confirmed by at least one more media source, Penn State fans can hold out a little sliver of hope that Lattimore will still give Paterno and the Nittany Lions a chance.

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