Darren Everson, Wall Street Journal: Which teams rule bowl TV ratings? No team draws viewers like USC. Also bringing them in: Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami and Michigan. No team turns viewers off like Virginia. Also among teams that hurt ratings: North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Louisiana State and Clemson.
Kate Hairopoulos, Dallas Morning News: Army fans may outnumber Southern Methodist fans in Thursday's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, played at Ford Stadium, the Mustangs' home field.
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Every day is sunny for bowl committee people, who feed on universities.
David Briggs, Columbia Tribune: Why Iowa and Missouri, whose campuses are only 192 miles apart, haven't met in football for 100 years.
Mark Brennan, Fight On State: Those rumors about Joe Paterno retiring? "Who started the crazy rumors?" said Sue Paterno, JoePa's wife. "He's fine. No one has to identify who starts it. We don't even know where it starts. It's just lies."
WBNS-TV: Yet another rumor shot down. Ohio State's Jim Tressel meets with team and tells them he's staying.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: A day after Texas Tech announced James Willis was no longer its defensive coordinator, police were answering questions about a domestic violence call at a home last Wednesday morning. A source told the Avalanche-Journal that Willis was connected to the incident.
Associated Press: Alabama governor Bob Riley's office accepted 20 free tickets to this year's Alabama-Auburn game while state legislators were preparing for a special session on ethics that resulted in a new law making it more difficult for officials to accept such perks.
Dallas Morning News: Snubbed? Wisconsin Rose Bowl champion T-shirts available for sale; Texas Christian title shirts nowhere to be found.
Tony Krausz, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Miami quarterback Jacory Harris calls right tackle Sentrel Henderson "our Great Wall of China."
Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: How the Holiday Bowl lost its luster.
Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Terrelle Pryor isn't Cam Newton, on or off the field. And if any compliance office should have been educating its players about the evils of extra benefits, it was Ohio State's.
Mark Giannotto, Washington Post: Ralph Friedgen is emotional during his final days as Maryland's coach.
Tom Keegan, Lawrence Journal-World: Would Mark Mangino be a good fit as offensive coordinator at Nebraska?
Margaret Fosmoe, South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame president John I. Jenkins is defending the integrity of the university's investigation of a sexual battery allegation against a player by a female student who later committed suicide. "I cannot stand by and allow the integrity of Notre Dame to be challenged so publicly. The values at issue go to the very heart of who and what we are at Notre Dame."
Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune: Notre Dame used a scissor lift for the first time since the collapse of a similar device on Oct. 27 that killed student videographer Declan Sullivan. Plus, senior receiver Duval Kamara will not play in the Sun Bowl.
Ron Morris, Columbia State: Russell Means, once described as the most famous Native American since Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, says Florida State's Seminole imagery is racist and inaccurate.
Patrick Finley, Arizona Daily Star: How Arizona lobbied to get its bid to the Alamo Bowl.
Anita Wadhwani, Tennessean: Officials are expecting record crowds in downtown Nashville for the Music City Bowl.
Walter Villa, Miami Herald: Florida International should be an overwhelming favorite in 2011 to repeat as Sun Belt Conference champion.
Amy Donaldson, Deseret News: The NCAA has turned college sports into a hotbed of hypocrisy.
Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Ohio State's players aren't stupid, but they are selfish.
Michael DiRocco, Florida Times-Union: Florida will be without junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins and senior offensive tackle Maurice Hurt and senior defensive tackles Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh in Saturday's Outback Bowl.
Robbi Pickeral, Raleigh News-Observer: North Carolina tailback Anthony Elzy won't play in Thursday’s Music City Bowl because he did not meet his obligations as a student athlete.
Tim Tucker, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia tailback Caleb King, backup cornerback Derek Owens and reserve offensive lineman A.J. Harmon won't play in the Liberty Bowl because of academic issues.
Desmond Conner, Hartford Courant: Connecticut receiver Malik Generett has regained his eligibility and will play in the Fiesta Bowl. Safety Mike Lang did not make the trip.
Greg Auman, St. Petersburg Times: Senior linebacker Sabbath Joseph is academically ineligible and will not play for South Florida in Friday's Meineke Car Care Bowl against Clemson.
Bill Koch, Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati receiver Vidal Hazelton will make himself available for April's NFL draft. Hazelton, a transfer from USC, played only one game in two years for the Bearcats.
Ben Solomon, New York Times: American football gains a following in Israel.
Nicholas Creative: Are you smarter than a football player? Answer 15 questions in 3:36 to find out.
Follow Jay Christensen on Twitter and join the Wiz on Facebook. To bypass registrations, go to Bug Me Not. Interested in sponsoring the site, have a tip, complaint or idea? Perhaps you would like to have the Wiz as a guest on your radio show. Contact: jayzuma (at) gmail.com.
Comments