The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Pigskin

The Politics of Pigskin

The top story this week in the world of football is the drama surrounding the Penn State football program. If you haven’t heard about this story yet, it disturbing and probably the worst scandal in college sports history. Dan Wetzel did a fantastic job framing the history and the allegations. [Yahoo! Sports]

The fallout in Happy Valley has already begun as two major players in the scandal: AD Tim Curley and Senior VP for Business and Finance Gary Schultz have stepped down. This is only the beginning of what will surely have lasting effects on the Penn State program for years to come. [USA Today]

Changing directions to the weekend’s NFL action – this week’s MMQB discusses Eli Manning’s clutch play and the Giants big win over the Patriots and other results around the league. Make sure you check out the retrospective on Ryan Leaf. [Sports Illustrated]

In Sunday’s best game the Ravens executed a game-winning 4th quarter drive to beat the Steelers at Heinz Field. It’s always a contentious game when the two biggest rivals in the NFL play each other, but the Ravens managed to sweep the regular season series for the first time since 2006. [ESPN]

Check out the Football Outsiders’ excellent analysis of long and short sack percentages. [Football Outsiders]

#1 ranked LSU beat #2 Alabama this weekend to remain undefeated and almost certainly get a shot at another national title. [NY Times]