It may be July and I still don't have my 2012 season tickets, but I needed some inspiration today and this did it for me.

It's the middle of July and there's nothing going on in college football, right? Well, there is that little incident at Penn State and the Freeh Report that basically tarnishes everything Joe Paterno and the institution. Instead of lack of institutional control, Penn State officials were exerting too much control in the child molestation/Jerry Sandusky situation. Despite the pleas by the Paterno family, the Paterno name will never be the same.

We also talk about the pending playoff situation in college football, Syracuse's buyout from the Big East and offer a little early insight into the 2012 seasons for Ohio State and West Virginia.

It's no secret that West Virginia has considered itself a major player in college football for the better part of the past two decades.

Of course there have been a few low moments, but with three BCS bowl wins on the resume the Mountaineers have earned a great deal of credibility. However, the Big East affiliation always hurt.

Now that's all about to change as WVU enters the Big 12 and with it comes a whole new set of expectations. The reality is the Mountaineers are talented and have a chance to win a conference championship in 2012. But there's also a good chance the hoopla and tougher schedule will be too much and a nine or 10-win season is on the horizon.

The season doesn't start for another two months, but let's take a look at how WVU's schedule stacks up based on the power of each opponent.

12. James Madison (Sept. 15)

No disrespect to James Madison, but the Mountaineers are looking at this as a chance to deliver a win in front of their Washington, D.C. fans as this game will be played at FedEx Field, which is about four hours from Morgantown.

I'm a little late with this one, but it's still worth sharing.

Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville was not a big fan of West Virginia becoming the 10th member of the Big 12, and he questioned why WVU would pay $20 million to get out of the Big East.

After spending months bashing the Mountaineers, Tuberville is now following the company line. In fact, he sounds like he's ready to make a donation to WVU because he loves the place so much.

While speaking with MetroNews Statewide Sportsline late last week, Tuberville gushed about the atmosphere in Morgantown. See, Tuberville experienced it first-hand when Auburn was defeated by WVU 34-17 in 2008. He was also an assistant at Miami when the highly ranked Hurricanes were upset 17-14 in front of a hostile crowd.

As an Ohio-based blog, we felt a certain obligation to post the Akron Zips 2012 football poster.

Apparently when you hire a new coach, especially one with the Bowden name, you have no choice but to plaster his face on all of your promotional materials.

However, as a marketing executive I have always made it a point to include people with a certain look to help sell a program and concept. I'm sorry to say, Terry Bowden does not have that look.

A colleague of mine over at Crystal Ball Run had the funniest comment about the poster. Allen Kenney from BlatantHomerism.com said, "I believe he's pointing at the booster's daughter he'd like to screw."

Well played.

It's been five months since Phil and Tom got together to talk about college football, but after three years of doing the show we needed a little break. Now we are refreshed and we hope you'll join us again to enjoy some college football talk and insight. We go unscripted in our return and we hope you enjoy it.

That's right, a story I wrote for Crystal Ball Run became the lead story at FoxSports.com on its College Football page. I've been fortunate over the years to land some stories in some of the nation's top newspapers, etc.

But it's still cool when your work is noticed by one of the major sports hubs.

So today was a cool day.

I actually wrote the piece as part of Heisman Week over at Crystal Ball Run, and this week I'll have a story on coaches who are arguably as secure in their jobs as anyone in the country.

If you get a chance, head over to the site and check out the outstanding writing.

Today is a very sad day.

Bill Stewart, a man who loved West Virginia, the Mountaineers and college football, died at the age of 59 of a heart attack while playing golf in Morgantown. The news was simply shocking.

While he departed WVU in some disgrace, in the end he will be remembered as a good man, good father and the right man at the right time for WVU football.

West Virginia AD Oliver Luck, who helped escort Stewart out of Mountaineer Field, remembered the former coach fondly.

“Coach Stewart was a rock-solid West Virginian and a true Mountaineer. His enthusiasm and passion for his state’s flagship University was infectious. We join all Mountaineers in mourning his passing,” Luck said.

Even West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, who had every reason to avoid commenting on Stewart, showed a lot of class.

"Like all of us in the West Virginia community, I am shocked and saddened by the passing of Coach Stewart. The State of West Virginia, our University and our football program has lost a true Mountaineer who gave his native state university a decade of coaching service and a lifetime of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men over a 33-year career," Holgorsen said. "Though Coach Stewart achieved many great milestones on the field, we will most remember his kindness and compassion. Our football family expresses our deepest sympathy to Karen, Blaine and the extended Stewart family."

I was very critical of Stewart during his three years as head coach of my alma mater. I thought it was a mistake to hire him after the win in the Fiesta Bowl, and he showed he was not the right guy to take WVU to the next level.

Still, he was a good man and his players loved him like he was family. Just watch him in the video and you can feel his passion.

Bill Stewart was too young. He will be dearly missed.
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It's the offseason, so we'll occassionally post a random video from West Virginia or Ohio State. Enjoy.