Shotgun Spratling. The name. The legend. By Owen Main

Shotgun Spratling got the name Shotgun in Tee-Ball and it’s stuck with him ever since. The writer for College Baseball Daily sat down with me before Sunday’s series finale between UCSB and Cal Poly to talk baseball in Southern California and to tell me whether the Big West is actually better than the Pac 12 this season.

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UCLA basketball fans are in panic mode.

Mid-way through last season, Bruins fans had visions of a 2011-12 team that would include Tyler Honeycutt, Malcom Lee, Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith, and the Wear twins. That team would have youth and experience. Leadership and poise. Athleticism and something Ben Howland’s teams have lacked during the past few years: depth.

Now, two games into the 2011-12 season, Bruins fans’ heads are spinning over a perceived set of dire issues with coach Howland’s program. After losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State and in the midst of a 2-game Reeves Nelson suspension, UCLA’s critics have become more and more vocal.

Anyone who follows the program or reads UCLA message boards is aware of the perceptions:

Howland’s teams don’t have as much fun as other teams.

UCLA focuses too much on defense.

The Bruins play at too slow a pace.

Howland runs practices that are too physical.

The coach’s track record speaks for itself. Three consecutive Final Four appearances, a huge number of players in the NBA, and three conference titles in eight years should be good enough. But UCLA expectations are different. For Howland, six out of eight winning seasons may not be enough for some fans.

Howland’s style can be described as old-school. Howland hates zone defense and preaches fundamentals. His teams play with a control of the tempo that only come from disciplined practices and the hard-nosed mentality typical of the former Weber State defensive standout.

But is Howland’s style really that different than other coaches? Many experts would say no. An ESPN article within the last year did its best to put to rest the “myth” of Ben Howland holding anyone back offensively. Howland has produced players who have had decent NBA careers. Russell Westbrook is an NBA star who came to UCLA as a skinny combo guard who was a below-average shooter. Players like Aaron Afflalo and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have stuck in the NBA because of their ability to play on both ends of the floor — Howland’s defensive teachings seemingly paying off.

What about Howland’s recruiting ability? Well, if your definition of a good recruiting class is freakishly athletic and raw players, then UCLA hasn’t been the place for you in recent years. Instead, important recruits have included more “heady” players like Kevin Love and Jrue Holiday. While Howland was (in the past) able to recruit Mbah a Moute, Alfred Aboya, Darren Collison, Westbrook, and Love, his last few recruiting classes have left much to be desired. Drew Gordon and Chase Stanback have been recent recruits who have left UCLA to transfer and players like Tyler Lamb have yet to show any part of what made them top-flight recruits.

Here’s a good article that compares UCLA’s 2008 recruiting class to the disappointing 1998 class.

In other words, the real issue is the talent that Howland has recruited. Like Notre Dame footall, pundits and fans always assume that UCLA Basketball recruiting classes are always better than they are. Here is an article from 2008 that lists the UCLA class as one of the best. At this point, it’s safe to say that Rivals.com, among others were wrong.

This expectation of great UCLA recruiting classes had begun to wane before Howland pulled the Mbah a Moute and Westbrook classes out of his hat. While some individual players have come in with promise only to disappoint (Jerime Anderson, among others), Howland hasn’t found players that is much better than everyone thought a’la Mbah a Moute.

When you have success, expectations don’t get lower.

For Howland to dig himself out of the recruiting hole, his perception among potential recruits will have to change. More importantly, Howland will have to find the next Jordan Farmar, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook. Ballyhooed players like Love and Holiday will still come around from time to time. But to build the kind of program Howland wants to, he needs to have more Alfred Aboyas than Brendan Lanes. More Kevin Loves than Joshua Smiths. More Mbah a Moutes than Nelsons.

Coaches and coaching strategies can take teams only so far. And the kids might be great kids — though we know Nelson has had some difficulties. Without requisite talent though, UCLA, its coaching staff, and its fans will have to do the best they can with what they have. The issue isn’t Howland’s ability to recruit any one player. The issue is with a recurring pattern. Unless Howland gets an infusion of talent that Westwood hasn’t seen during the past few years, it will probably be more of the same for the Bruins.

The Big East looks to be the first truly dying conference, with Syracuse and Pittsburgh signing on the dotted line last week to join the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).  Reports also have come out in the past few days that Connecticut and Rutgers will follow suit.  If this were to happen, it would transform the ACC into the first 16-team super-conference.  The Big East would then be left in shambles, and there is a good chance that TCU, who was slated to join the Big East next season, will be looking to back out of that obligation at some point in the near future.  Look for TCU to jump back to non-BCS league play by most likely joining either the Mountain West Conference or Conference USA.

What was the Pac 10 and now is the Pac 12, has been looking to become the Pac 16 by the end of the year.  Colorado and Utah joined the ranks this season from the Big 12 and the Mountain West Conference respectively.  Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech were looking to join the party and create a new Pac 16.  However, late last night Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott announced that the Pac 12 would not be expanding any further at this point in time.  That doesn’t mean that the Pac 12 won’t explore the possibility at season’s end.  The reports are that Texas nixed any deal, given the fact that they refused to share any revenue created from their new “Longhorn Network” TV deal.

I believe the eventual destiny of the Pac 12 is to in fact add Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and when this destiny is eventually fulfilled, the mass exodus from the Big 12 and the conference’s dissolving entirely will commence.  Given the idea that they could lose these four teams, Nebraska has already left the conference this season for the Big 10, and Texas A&M has already made a tentative deal to join the SEC next season, the Big 12 would then be left a rotting carcass. 

The Big 12 would then be left with five schools that would be searching for new homes:  Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor, and Iowa State.  I believe the current 12-team Big 10 would then absorb Big 12 leftovers:  Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State to become the new Big 16, and Baylor will be left on the outside looking in.  It is reasonable to say that the only chance a school like Baylor would have to join the Big 10 is if Missouri joined the SEC (Southeastern Conference), which is also a rumor being floated. 

So where is this high-stakes game of musical chairs going to end up when the music stops?  If the end result is four 16-team super-conferences of and if my math is correct, that adds up to 64 teams.  There are currently 68 teams in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), 66 in the 6 “BCS” conferences, and independents Notre Dame and BYU.  So what four teams will be left out?  And what slots would be left if the 16-team ACC and Pac 16 would be created?  And will Notre Dame finally be forced to join a conference?

The SEC currently has 12 teams, divisions of East and West containing six each.  With Texas A&M most likely joining the West division next season, that leaves one more spot open in the West and two spots open in the East.  The obvious suitors for those three spots are:  Missouri from the Big 12, some other remaining Big 12 school (although there has been no formal or informal news the SEC is interested in any other Big 12 schools other than Texas A&M and possibly Missouri at this point), and Big East fall-outs West Virginia, South Florida, Louisville or Cincinnati. 

Even with the current news of the SEC possibly turning their noses up at West Virginia, I believe West Virginia joining the East division and Missouri or Cincinnati joining the West division are the best possible choices for the SEC to be able to expand its footprint.  The final spot in the East would then come down to a tug-of-war between:  a rising Cincinnati team (if Missouri takes the other spot in the West) that won back to back Big East titles in 2008 and 2009 and recieved automatic bids to BCS bowl games, a Louisville program that has underachieved vastly in the past five years, and a rising South Florida Program that has recently had multiple players selected in the early rounds of the NFL draft.  If I was a betting man (and I am) and had to pick them in order of possibility from most to least likely, I would bet on Cincinnati as the engine, South Florida as the passenger car, and Louisville as the kaboose. 

All of this being considered, four of these five programs could be left standing there when the music stops:  Notre Dame, BYU, South Florida, Louisville or Baylor. 

Notre Dame has the largest nation-wide fan base and a lucrative TV deal with NBC.  They have always been independent and I believe even with all this madness, they have no feasible reason to change anything. 

BYU also has a good national following, is enjoying its first season of independence, and worst case scenario could always re-join the Mountain West Conference, where they have flourished in years past. 

South Florida has overachieved in the past decade from where the program’s overall tradition of winning was in years past, but joining Conference USA or even the Sun Belt Conference would not destroy their program.  They would simply become a powerful non-BCS program like TCU or Boise State, who would benefit from a weaker schedule and could find their way into a BCS bowl if they go undefeated in a season.  This would be more than entirely possible given the distinct advantage of their talent versus the rest of that currently performing in Conference USA or the Sun Belt Conference.

Louisville would most likely join Conference USA, as even though it isn’t a BCS conference, it is closely comparable to the Big East talent-wise, as Conference USA has slowly become the best non-BCS conference right next to the Mountain West Conference, and the Big East has without a doubt become the worst BCS conference.  Louisville would be challenged by teams like Houston, East Carolina, Central Florida and Tulsa the same way they were by Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. 

Baylor realistically would have the most options if they are left out of the super-conference shuffle, due to Baylor being a private school.  Baylor could go ‘Notre Dame’ and become a completely independent private school as far as football is concerned, or join either the Mountain West Conference or Conference USA.  Of those two conferences, the Mountain West would be more viable, due to less travel distance on a week to week basis because of Baylor’s proximity to the other teams in the conference.

Recent BCS championship contenders TCU and Boise State would also be left out, but if TCU joined the MWC with Baylor, they both would be a good challenge for Boise State in that conference, as the conference would then have 3 schools perpetually in the top 50, something it has never been able to boast.

The bottom line of all these possible scenarios falls back on one key fact  – a permanent landscape that will rule for decades to come most likely won’t be set for at least another two or three seasons.  A high-risk game of chicken (is there any other kind?) will be played over the next few years by conference commissioners that will have to dawn the power-broker hat, as these executives will without a doubt earn their salary and then some.  But once the paint dries on the new conference monstrosities, I believe the most salient advance for the game itself that will result from this re-structure will be the ever-closer advancing towards a playoff system to decide a champion – something the vast majority of college football fans have insatiably craved for decades. 

Four super-conference champions playing out a football final four in pursuit of the crystal ball would be beyond compelling.  And with all the hectic changes that are taking place and will continue to in the near future, it is, by the day, becoming all that much more safe to say that you can’t rule out any possibility. 

* LA Times Dodgers Blogger Steve Dilbeck is awesome. Here he talks about the consipracy theory that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is a secret agent for the Giants sent to Los Angeles to destroy the Dodgers. — http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgers/2011/02/say-it-isnt-so-are-dodgers-gm-ned-collettis-giants-roots-still-running-strong.html

* Yahoo! Sports Matt Hinton reported that the website www.pac12.com is currently owned by someone selling Tupac songs via Amazon. Is he really still alive?! — http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?author=Matt+Hinton

* At the bottom of this page, www.bigwest.org gives us interviews of Cal Poly Men’s Basketball players Shawn Lewis and Will Donahue after the Mustangs’ 5th straight conference win. Coach Callero adds insight including some encouragement for more fans to show up and continue to be rowdy in Mott Gym. — http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=14489

* And last, but not least, soccer. Wayne Rooney’s goal against Manchester City was called by his coach the “greatest strike in 25 years” according to sportsnewscaster.com. Judging by their picture here, I don’t doubt it. Too bad none of these video highlights are posted and easily findable online… — http://www.sportsnewscaster.com/wayne-rooney-goal-vs-manchester-city-premiere-league-results-video/12188/

-owen@fansmanship.com