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Jahvid Best's season officially ended. Cal coach Jeff Tedford announced that Best, sidelined since Nov. 7 because of a concussion and lingering back injury, will not play in next week's Poinsettia Bowl against Utah. The tailback with electrifying speed, has submitted paperwork to the NFL draft advisory committee, seeking feedback on when he might be selected in April. The deadline to enter the draft is Jan. 15. Best could go as high as late in the first round if he decides to turn pro. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists Best as the 20th-best NFL prospect in the nation, and the No. 2 running back behind Clemson senior C.J. Spiller. Todd McShay doesn't project Best becoming a first-round pick. His stock could rise significantly if he shows NFL scouts he's healthy.
USC tailback Stafon Johnson, who suffered season-ending throat injuries in a September weightlifting accident, is expected to announce soon that he will make himself available for the NFL draft, a family source confirmed Saturday. Johnson's intent to turn pro was first reported last week by NFL.com. After the Trojans' first workout in preparation for the Emerald Bowl, Coach Pete Carroll said that he had spoken to Johnson and that the senior "hasn't decided that yet, officially." Johnson, who is in his fourth year at USC, could petition the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of the injury. Carroll said that an announcement by Johnson was imminent and that he will support whatever decision.
The Sooners played in the national championship game last year. They had the Heisman Trophy winner. They won their sixth Big 12 championship and set a handful of NCAA scoring records. Life was good. But with that Heisman winner (and a bunch of others) injured, OU is trying to crawl out of a recession. Will players care? Will recruits notice? "As far as players, I think we care about wherever we're going," DeMarco Murray said. "... I think we're gonna be there (as) just another game to showcase what we're about. But I think everyone's fired up to play." That's actually a pretty good argument. Show up and get embarrassed by the third- or fourth-best team in the Pac-10, and that only hammers an image of a program that already has endured a decade's worth of postseason meltdowns. Prepare right, play hard and win the game, and the bowl criticisms will slow, at least. As a OU supporter I feel that this is a good way to work for next season since they are so young. Honestly there are at least three measurables for OU in winning the Sun Bowl. 8-5 record versus 7-6 record. The latter would be the most losses ever under Bob Stoops and match his fewest wins. An 8-5 team that lost four games by a touchdown or less to ranked teams on the road, hammered its ranked rival 27-0 and won its bowl game is more likely to be ranked high to start 2010 than a team that finishes 7-6 and mails in its bowl trip. That should be fuel for the underclassmen. Just win a bowl. It seems like another lifetime, but OU's last bowl victory was the Holiday Bowl. Not the Fiesta. Not the Orange. Not the Sugar. Not the national championship. That came against the No. 6 team in the nation, Oregon, which was snubbed by the BCS. I just hope they all come to play because only three current Sooners have participated in a bowl win. Since English is hurt that leaves two players on the field who have tasted postseason win. Boomer Sooner!
Jake Locker with his dog, Ten, walked into the UW football offices and told head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier a simple "I'm staying. With Locker back, the Huskies will be expected to break a seven-year bowl drought and again return to winning. But it seems pretty obvious he enjoys being a Husky, being close to his family in Ferndale, and felt he could use another year of college to prepare for the NFL, especially now that he is under the tutelage of Sarkisian and Nussmeier. Locker's decision will set in place the school's first Heisman campaign of any note since the days of Cody Pickett and Reggie Williams. Some are arguing is that Locker's decision will help his football career, but greatly reduce his earning potential. Had Locker come out this year and been one of the top-10 picks as predicted, he would have been looking at no less than $15 million of guaranteed money just for signing a contract. But many also believed he was doomed to suffer a fate similar to Mark Sanchez and struggle right out of the gate. As long as he doesn't get hurt and Washington is successful he will look smart.
There has been talk on the Big Ten expanding to 12 teams and two divisions like the SEC, Big 12 and ACC. It would create a Big Ten title game that could be worth $5 million or more to the league. The Big Ten Network would love to televise it, and the conference has a 51 percent ownership. Big Ten ADs didn't like seeing the SEC and Big 12 title games. Paterno lobbied at the Big Ten meetings in May, saying, "Everybody else is playing playoffs on television. You never see a Big Ten team mentioned. So I think that's a handicap." Paterno has mentioned Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Missouri has been rumored forever. Cincinnati and Louisville might be considered. Notre Dame won't happen. The school puts a premium on its independence.
Ohio State protects Terrelle Pryor off the field, too. The sophomore quarterback was not allowed to speak with reporters Monday during the Buckeyes’ media day for their upcoming Rose Bowl appearance. It follows a trend set by coach Jim Tressel, who likes to shield his underclassmen from the media as much as possible. Before Pryor’s biggest five games as a starter, he has been off limits to reporters. That includes this year’s showdown with Southern California, two games with rival Michigan and the Buckeyes’ two bowl games — last season before the Fiesta Bowl against Texas and leading up to this Rose Bowl. Tressel may not let Pryor speak to reporters very often because of the fallout from earlier this season when he wore a tribute to Michael Vick on his eyeblack during the season opener.
When the Cam Newton left Florida last January seeking to continue his college football career at a junior college, he wanted somewhere he could grow his passing skills. He did that and more this season at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Newton is once again a target of major college football recruiters. Oklahoma is among the leaders. Newton's passing success caught everyone off guard. Although the 6-foot-6, 247-pound Newton abandoned running the ball. The junior college signing period begins Wednesday, and Newton has said wherever he goes, he will enroll for the spring semester. His other suitors are Arizona, Auburn, Kansas State, Mississippi State and North Carolina. Newton is the top-ranked junior college recruit — and the only five-star juco prospect in the country — according to Rivals.com.
Derrick Morgan tops the list of juniors who say they will examine their draft options after Georgia Tech's bowl game. Morgan was a first-team All-America pick by The Associated Press on Tuesday. Receiver Demaryius Thomas, a third-team All-America selection, running back Jonathan Dwyer and safety Morgan Burnett also are possibilities to enter the draft. Morgan and Dwyer are widely regarded as possible first-round picks. The juniors are expected to submit their names to the NFL Draft Advisory Board this week. The board advises underclassmen on where they might be rated for the draft. Dwyer said "it's pretty weird" to see so many Georgia Tech juniors included in NFL mock drafts on the Internet. Morgan said he is curious to see what the other juniors will do. And Thomas confirmed he's still considering his options despite telling a reporter recently he had decided to return for his senior season.
ESPN reports that Illinois wide receiver Arrelious Benn will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. "This is a dream for me. I've proven myself on the college level and I've proven I can make plays," Benn said Wednesday. Benn is the third-ranked receiver by Todd McShay of Scouts Inc., behind Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant and Notre Dame's Golden Tate. Benn is ranked No. 33 overall on Scouts' list of draft prospects. "I can do returns, but I also consider myself a pure receiver. I've got the size advantage and I have a real hunger to prove myself," Benn said. Been saiid at a news conference Wednesday he thinks he is ready for the National Football League and wants to take care of his family. Benn is considered a top prospect and high-round pick even after a disappointing junior season at Illinois. Draft expert and former NFL general manager Gil Brandt believes Benn will be a second-round pick. His mom Denise wants him to stay at Illinois but that does not look like it is going to happen.
Last year NFL champions not only ride a five-game losing streak, they look like a team that has lost its will after stunning defeats at the hands of Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland. The players failed to back up Tomlin's promises of "Redemption Sunday" in Baltimore and to "unleash hell in December." Then the coach himself failed to back up his promises to make lineup and schematic changes in Cleveland. If the losing does not stop, their five-game skid could turn into eight, the longest by the Steelers since 1969. That was Chuck Noll's first season as coach of a dreadful team with a long history of losing. The Steelers remain technically in the race for a playoff spot, as remote as it may be, but their real battle is to regain their footing over their final three games.
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