As we grind ever longer through the dog days of summer and towards the first games of college football, todays BBDM is a mixed bag -- lots of football, lots of basketball, some polling and even a proposal to eliminate the NCAA -- well, kind of.

Now, for the news:

• Top College Football Programs Should Unite and Leave the NCAA -- NCAAFB FanHouse

  With each new speculated conference expansion plan emerging from sea to shining sea, it's never been more obvious what should be the next move for college football's elite football programs.
  
  Leave the NCAA.
  
  Just ditch it. They don't need college sports' governing body anymore. They've outgrown the NCAA's archaic system and rules.

  Who needs the NCAA?  I have seen this question asked on A Sea of Blue more than once.  Here's your sign.

• Five breakout candidates in college basketball for next season - Luke Winn - SI.com

• Cobb embraces role as 'face' of Kentucky football - NCAA - SI.com

  He views himself as a receiver now. He thinks he can be a good one. Receivers coach Tee Martin has helped Cobb learn the nuances of route-running. There's more to it, it turns out, than counting your strides and turning for the ball.

  This is why he is good, and may well be great.

• Gopher Basketball gets a jumpstart on the season - The Daily Gopher

  Tubby and the boys will be heading to Canada soon for a pre-pre-season set of games and because of this trip they get to start practicing early.  This is really a blessing for the 2010-11 Gophers who have a lot of young guys on the roster.

  So the Gophers are headed north as well this year.  It will be interesting to see how they do.

• ESPN’s SEC Preview | Saturday Down South

• Froman named Louisville starting QB - UofL Football - Kentucky.com

  Just in case you were curious about who Mike Hartline's opposite number would be.

• Rick Bozich | Starting calls don't signal end of Kentucky or Louisville’s quarterback story | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

  The mystery is over. The fussing is not. We know who will start Sept.4 in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, but this will not be the last time that Louisville's Charlie Strong and UK's Joker Phillips tackle this topic.

  Unquestionably true.  Unless Hartline and Froman turn out to be world-beaters, the second-guessing has only just begun.

• Fan Man Dan Blog: The Expendables | WHAS11.com | Louisville Sports News and Scores | WHAS11.com | News for Louisville, Kentucky

  Right now I see the Cats as a top 20 team. Judging off their summer trip to Canada, I am not comfortable proclaiming them a top 5 team, but there is no way I can say they will be average.

  I think the Wildcats will start in the middle of the top 20, and hopefully be in the top ten by Christmas.

• Tony Wroten Not Pleased With John Calipari

  This guy is Willie Warren all over again.

• Tony Wroten is on Top of the Country Again - SeattleBallers

• This is why kids want to play for Calipari
  No words are necessary.

• Best Case/Worst Case: SEC - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

  Best case: It's always difficult to predict how a young, unproven batch of talented recruits is going to play, but Kentucky fans got a glimpse of this team's potential in its torrid run through three Canadian exhibition games in August. Brandon Knight looked particularly impressive. If all goes well, Knight will be the latest in John Calipari's remarkable streak of star point guards, and Kentucky will find itself at the top of the SEC for the second straight season.

  Read the whole thing.  I think that this version of the Wildcats will be much better than anyone expects.

• THE CURIOUS INDEX, 8/23/10 - Every Day Should Be Saturday

• UK will ride Coattails of the Offense - Kentucky Sports Network

  I wonder sometimes if this prolonging of the quarterback dilemma isn't setting an atmosphere across the Commonwealth for Phillips to have to deal with a controversy that he just doesn't need to have to deal with in his first year. It's too late now because the drama has been built to the point that whoever takes the first snap September 4th, they better perform efficiently or they might put themselves and their coach behind the eight ball to the point neither can recover for the remainder of the season.

  I think there is a lot of truth in this.  Phillips probably should have named Hartline earlier and saved the drama.

• Hoops recruiters extraordinaire - College Basketball - Rivals.com

  Orlando Antigua has truly done a fine job recruiting.

• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Joker’s Choice

  However much of the criticism of Hartline has been unfair. I have made the case on here often that I believe UK football fans have unreasonable expectations and Hartline has been the greatest victim of that philosophy.

  Well?  Read the rest first, but do you agree with Matt here?

• Super Scout Says Kentucky, North Carolina & Texas Will Rule 2011 | Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers
• Composite Week One BlogPoll Is Out - Mountain West Connection

• Couch back in SEC — as TV analyst | KentuckySports.com

  This fall, Couch will begin a weekly gig as an analyst on Fox Sports South's SEC Gridiron Live. It is an hourly show that airs live at 10 on Wednesday nights. It is devoted to hitting the hot topics of Southeastern Conference football.

  Good for Tim Couch.  Glad to see him back around in the broadcast booth.

• amnews.com - The Advocate-Messenger in Danville, KY

  "I can’t remember a player who gets his hands on more balls defensively than Davis. At the Peach Jam, his team, Mean Streets, was behind and needed to press to catch up. Davis was placed on the ball at the front of the press and was deflecting everything. It was an astonishing show."

  Mike DeCourcy on Anthony Davis.  Read the whole thing.