Mike Sorensen, Deseret News: Ideas to improve college football: Play all nonconference games in the first month of the season. Allow only one game against a lower-division team every two years. Teams must win seven games to be bowl eligible. Reduce the number of bowls to about 25. Cut major-college scholarships to 75. And that Bowl Championship Series system? It needs to be tweaked.
Kyle Ringo, Boulder Daily Camera: Buying out the contract of Colorado's Dan Hawkins could approach $3 million and is a reason the coach could keep his job, regardless of how far the team falls. The athletic department remains in deeply in debt with the majority of an $8 million loan from the campus and the Colorado system in 2006 still to be paid off. Part of that debt was caused by the last coaching change when athletic director Mike Bohn fired Gary Barnett at the end of the 2005 season and hired Hawkins.
Dave Reardon, Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Hawaii players, who are spending the week in Las Vegas as they prepare to play Nevada Las Vegas, won't be allowed to gamble. "Even the ones who are 21," coach Greg McMackin said. "I won’t be doing any gambling myself. This is a business trip." Thanks to Ben Maller.
BCS Guru: Florida, which has loaded up on cupcake opponents, might be No. 1 in the human polls, but it is only No. 4 in the latest simulated BCS standings. USC is No. 1, followed by Texas and Alabama.
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Where does recovery start for Notre Dame? Figuring out a way to stop the run tops the list.
Brett McMurphy, FanHouse: The Big East and Big 12 are in talks to play in the new Yankee Bowl beginning in 2010.
Pollspeak: The Associated Press top 25 ballot of Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is drawing a lot of interest.
Norman Chad, Couch Slouch: Not only is the current Heisman hype unceasing and irritating, it denies the un-hyped any chance.
Ben Volin, Gator Bytes: Florida offensive lineman James Wilson didn't get the memo going around Gainesville. There should be no talking about Lane Kiffin entering Saturday's game against Tennessee.
Bill Koch, Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's game at Oregon State is a biggie for the much-maligned Big East Conference.
Andy Staples, SI.com: Want to watch Saturday's Florida State-Brigham Young game? You might be out of luck.
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley's right shoulder remains sore from a bruise suffered in the third quarter of the victory against Ohio State and he might sit out Saturday's game against Washington. Aaron Corp would get the start.
Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: Don't count out Ohio State just yet. The Buckeyes dropped only three spots to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. In 2007, Ohio State lost at Illinois on Nov. 10 and not only rallied back in the Bowl Championship Series standings — it finished first.
Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times: UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince is out for three to four weeks after suffering a broken jaw when he was tackled for a safety in the victory against Tennessee. Either freshman Richard Brehaut or senior Kevin Craft will start Saturday's game against Kansas State.
John Helsley, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter is doubtful for Saturday's game against Rice because of an injury to his right ankle.
Zac Boyer, Hartford Courant: Connecticut quarterback Zach Frazer will miss at least two weeks with an undisclosed right knee injury. Officials say surgery will not be required.
Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh's struggling pass defense received a blow when starting free safety Andrew Taglianetti was lost for the season because of a torn ACL in his left knee.
Brett Vito, Denton Record-Chronicle: North Texas quarterback Riley Dodge has a second degree separation of his non-throwing shoulder and will not play Saturday against Alabama.
Kate Hairopoulos, Dallas Morning News: Southern Methodist, which plays Saturday at Washington State, is 2-0 for the first time since 1996. The Mustangs haven't started 3-0 since 1984, when they earned a share of the Southwest Conference championship and went to a bowl. SMU's last victory against a team from a BCS conference came against Kansas in 2000.
Jeff Sagarin: The best conference. According to Sagaron's rankings, it's the Pacific 10.
Busted Coverage: Best "GameDay" signs from the ESPN show's stop in Columbus.
Lost Lettermen: Where are they now? Former Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert is married with five kids and works in real estate in San Clemente, Calif.
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I bet McMackin thinks only gay people gamble
Posted by: typemike | September 14, 2009 at 03:09 PM