Crash-tested for your approval. Oh well-done, Freek.

Nothing further on the glamorous life Lane Kiffin left behind him in Knoxville, though Kevin Steele was certainly impressed enough by Clemson’s offerings of automobiles to turn down the Vols’ Lexuses to remain at Clemson. Part of the cash to keep him allegedly came from Dabo himself, who diverted part of his pay raise to keep his defensive coordinator. No bitterness will come from that the first time the Clemson defense blows a lead next year. Nope. None whatsoever.

Positives: we’ll find ‘em. The bad news is that your pregame tv guy has been arrested on child pornography charges. The good news: PAPA SWINDLE FOR SIDELINE REPORTER. Disadvantages: not photogenic, speaks too quickly, difficult hair, zero fashion sense whatsoever, and a tendency to make interviews more awkward than they need to be. Advantages: not into kiddie porn. Our resume is here. We’ll be waiting by the phone.

Just a joke, like you know, one of those factual ones. Mississippi State recruits say the references to a strip club visit on their Facebook statuses were “a joke,” and that there is no way a bunch of 18 year olds would ever dream of going to a strip club on a visit to a college town. Brah, we totally would have, but we just ended up walking all over campus and going to Krispy Kreme at 5 in the morning, because…because we were hopelessly lame and insomniac like that. #thuglife

“He’s not a danger to anyone. Especially wide receivers.” Former Florida CB Wondy Pierre-Louis is out on bail after a reduction when his girlfriend said he was not a danger to anyone.

“Why do you have so many flip-flops?” Pete Carroll, thespian-at-large.

These are the eight weekly Mackey Award winners this season:

Week 1 Cody Slate Marshall
Week 2 Zack Pianalto North Carolina
Week 3 Kyle Rudolph Notre Dame
Week 4 Ed Dickson Oregon
Week 5 Dennis Pitta BYU
Week 6 Tony Moeaki Iowa
Week 7 Anthony McCoy USC
Week 8 Michael Palmer Clemson

1. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama–56 (9)

2. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame–26 (1)

3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas–25

4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida–23 (1)

5. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska–15 (1)

6. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame–10 (1)

Case Keenum, QB, Houston–10

8. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State–8

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State–8

10. Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee–4

Others receiving votes: Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia–3; C.J Spiller, RB, Clemson–2; Ryan Williams, RB, Va. Tech–2; Zac Robinson, QB, Oklahoma State–1; Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh–1; Matt Barkley, QB, USC–1

About the Poll
 
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for five players each week. Tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on.  Last year’s final Heismanpundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote, including the winner.

Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News. 

Chris Huston of HeismanPundit.com coordinates and also votes in the poll.
 
HP’s Thoughts
 
Mark Ingram has taken a commanding lead in the race and he should stay there for at least another week as Alabama uses a bye in preparation for LSU on Nov. 7.    It appears Tim Tebow’s quest for a second Heisman is in major jeopardy unless he can turn things around soon.  In the meantime, Colt McCoy and Jimmy Clausen have gained ground and one of them should emerge as the quarterback alternative to Ingram.  October has been a rough month for most of the Heisman field and, as a result, it looks like this race could go down to the wire.
 
Heisman Game of the Week
 
No. 3 Texas at No. 13 Oklahoma State–Preseason favorite McCoy had a strong outing against Missouri last week and might be back on track after a rather erratic first half of the season.  The Cowboys are the last ranked team on the Texas schedule, so it’s vital that McCoy play well–Heisman voters will be watching.   It’s also a golden opportunity for McCoy to whittle away at Ingram’s lead while ‘Bama is on that bye week.

Player to Watch

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska–It’s been 18 seasons since a defensive tackle finished among the top five in the Heisman vote.  That player was Steve Emtman of Washington.  Suh has a chance to join him in that elite group if he keeps playing like he has been.  Suh is amazingly active for an interior player, leading the Cornhuskers (or tying for the lead) in 10 defensive categories, including tackles (44), tackles for loss (10), sacks (4), pass breakups (7), interceptions (1) and blocked field goals (2).

This Week in Heisman History
 
Unbeaten Ole Miss held a 3-0 lead over unbeaten LSU five minutes into the fourth quarter on Halloween night, 1959.  A Jake Gibbs punt was fielded at the LSU 11-yard line by Tiger halfback Billy Cannon, who proceeded to wiggle his way through numerous tacklers en route to a miraculous 89-yard return for a touchdown.  The score turned out to be the difference in LSU’s classic 7-3 victory and it clinched Cannon’s eventual Heisman triumph.

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Miami (-5) over Clemson

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Stanford (-7.5) over Arizona St

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USC (-20.5) over Oregon St

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Miami (-5) over Clemson
Stanford (-7.5) over Arizona St
USC (-20.5) over Oregon St

Dr. Bob thinks USC should put up 40 points and is a good bet ATS. Analysis after the jump.

The Big East has received its share of criticism over the years for not being a Bowl Championship Series-caliber conference, but supporters of the league have been laughing all the way to the bank since 2000.

Big East teams covered the pointspread an average of 56.3% from 2000-2008, according to a study by Ed Gunther of The National Championship Issue.

Because of the 10% vigorish Las Vegas sportsbooks charge for wagering on college games, a bettor has to pick winners at a rate of 52.4% to break even. The only other conference to exceed that threshold was the Pacific 10, whose teams covered at a rate of 55.1%.
No team has covered the spread like Boise State, which grades out at a healthy 63%. Utah, which has covered the number 20 of 24 times as an underdog, is second at 59%.
Division I-A newcomer Western Kentucky leads the bottom 10, but in fairness to the Hilltoppers, they simply haven't had the opportunities of other teams in this list. Indiana is a dismal 34.7% and Washington is only 36.4%.

Just missing the bottom 10 were Alabama (42.3%), Texas A&M (42.9%), Michigan State (43.5%) and Clemson (44.2%).

Data for all 120 Division I-A teams is available at The National Championship Issue.

Click any of the charts for an enlarged view.

Illinois–Juice Williams throwing to Arrelious Benn, Jeff Cumberland and Jarred Fayson means that Illinois should have the most explosive offense in the Big Ten this year and one of the best passing attacks in college football.  If Juice cuts his interceptions in half, I think this team wins at least 9.

Clemson–Always an attractive team on paper.  They are strong along both lines and have two of the fastest players in college football in C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.  If Willie Korn can get his act together at quarterback, this could be a very good team and should win the ACC.

Alabama–I know it seems odd to have a team that won 12 games last year in this spot.  But I don’t think Bama is getting the respect it deserves due to it having only 4 starters coming back on offense.  But I think the Tide will upgrade at quarterback with Greg McElroy and maintain a strong running game with Mark Ingram and the addition of frosh Trent Richardson (who should be a great goal-line back).   And don’t forget a saltier Julio Jones at wide receiver.  This team is a national title contender in my book, especially with such a great defense.

Arkansas–Bobby Petrino is an offensive genius and it is only a matter of time before it shows in Fayetteville.  He has strong-armed Ryan Mallet to work with and some playmakers in Michael Smith, D.J. Williams and Joe Adams as well.  They could be this year’s Ole Miss. 

Auburn–Wherever Gus Malzahn has gone, he’s done wonders his first year.  Auburn should be as stout as ever defensively, so a significant improvement on offense should make the Tigers a bowl team once more.  I think they’ll score an upset or two and get to 8 or 9 wins. 

Michigan–Rich Rodriguez didn’t suddenly forget how to coach.  I think this team has a decent chance to start out 6-1 or even 7-0.  By the time it gets to the teeth of its schedule, it should have a lot of confidence and be able to hold its own against the better Big Ten teams.  By the end of the year, this will be a good team and will be set up for a very good season in 2010. 

Baylor–With Robert Griffin at QB, Joe Pawelek at LB and an improved roster–plus the nation’s most underrated coach in Art Briles–this program looks to be on the upswing.  I foresee a bowl bid for the Bears in 2009.

Stanford–I think this will be the Pac-10’s surprise team in 2009.  I think Andrew Luck is going to end up as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.  The Cardinal have an excellent power running game going with Toby Gerhart and a hard-nosed defense.   Jim Harbaugh will have Stanford back in a bowl.

Others to watch:  UNLV, San Jose State, Miami (Fl.), Colorado

First, the inside guys:

1. Brandon Spikes, Florida–An HP preseason and postseason AA in 2008, he is the Butkus favorite after collecting 93 tackles, 8 TFL and 4 interceptions last year.

2. Rolando McClain, Alabama–Built upon a big freshman year with an even bigger sophomore year.  Led the Tide with 95 tackles including 12 TFL and 8 pass deflections.

3. Pat Angerer, Iowa–Impressive in coverage, he had 5 interceptions last season while leading the Hawkeyes in tackles with 107.

4. Micah Johnson, Kentucky–The Wildcats were much improved defensively last year and Johnson is a big reason why.  He had 13 TFL and 93 tackles.

5. Joe Pawelek, Baylor–A tackling machine who can do it all.  Had 128 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 6 interceptions!

Honorable Mention: Ryan Reynolds, Oklahoma; Reggie Carter, UCLA; Martez Wilson, Illinois; Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina; Greg Jones, Michigan State

Outside Linebackers

1. Navorro Bowman, Penn State–All over the field for the Nittany Lions last year, collecting 106 tackles, along with 16.5 TFL and 5 pass break ups.  The latest addition to Linebacker U.

2. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri–Had a staggering 155 tackles last year (which led the nation), including 18.5 for losses, 7 pass breakup and 3 interceptions. 

3. Rennie Curran, Georgia–A third-team selection to last year’s HP AA team, he led Georgia with 115 tackles and 10 TFL.

4. Mark Herzich, Boston College–As productive a linebacker as you’ll see in all of college football.  Had 110 tackles, with 13 TFL, 8 pass breakups and 6 interceptions. 

5. Keenan Clayton, Oklahoma–Helped keep things together for the Sooners last year when Ryan Reynolds went down.  Had 82 tackles, including 10 TFL and 9 pass breakups. 

6. Clinton Snyder, Stanford–A tough, mouth-to-mouth tackler who had 58 tackles and 6.5 TFL last year.  Very underrated. 

7. Kavell Conner, Clemson–Led a stout Clemson defense with 125 tackles and 6 TFL.   

8. Michael Mohamed, California–The Bears’ leading returning tackler with 87, he also had 3 interceptions and 6 TFL while starting only five games in 2008.

9. Nate Irving, NC State–A budding star who had 80 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 pass breakups and 4 interceptions despite only starting nine games last year due to injury.

10. Eric Norwood, South Carolina–An all-conference outside backer who had 75 tackles, 14.5 of them for a loss last year.

Honorable Mention: Patrick Benoist, Vanderbilt; Keaton Kristick, Oregon State; Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech; Sean Spence, Miami; Eric Norwood, South Carolina; Justin Winters, Buffalo

Go here to see the top quarterbacks for 2009

1. Jahvid Best, Cal–The most exciting back in the country.  Gained 1,580 yards, scored 15 TDs, averaged 8 yards per carry…and was dinged up for much of the year.  If he stays healthy, he may surpass 2,000 and have a shot at the Heisman.

2. LeGarrette Blount, Oregon–Big, bruising back with surprising athleticism.  Gained 1,002 yards, scored 17 TDs and averaged 7.3 yards per carry last year while splitting time with Jeremiah Johnson.  Now that Johnson is gone, look for Blount to have a monster season.

3. Noel Devine, West Virginia–Lightning-quick waterbug who should come into his own as a junior.  Had 1,289 yards as a sophomore and should top that easily as he’ll become the main cog in the WVU offense.

4. Evan Royster, Penn State–Had an excellent sophomore campaign with 1,236 yards and 12 TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.  Strong, shifty and consistent runner who follows his blocks well.

5. Michael Smith, Arkansas–The SEC’s best back, he’ll be even more effective in year two under Bobby Petrino.  A talented smurf who gained over 1,000 yards despite injuries in 2008. 

6.  Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State–Was on his way to maybe 1,600 yards as a frosh, but only had 4 carries in his last three games due to injury and finished with1,253.  A low-to-the-ground runner with great instincts and eyes in the back of his head. 

7. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State–Nifty darter whose only drawback is his lack of true downtown speed.  A relentless back who gets better as the game goes on.  Rushed for 1,555 yards as a sophomore.

8. Chris Brown, Oklahoma–A touchdown machine, he had 1,220 yards and 20 scores last year while sharing carries with DeMarco Murray.  I expect he’ll get more carries this year as the fragile Murray will need to be managed a bit.

9. Stafon Johnson, USC–If he had the backfield to himself, he’d be a Heisman candidate, but USC’s most consistent runner must share carries with a bevy of other talented backs.  Excellent goal-line instincts. 

10. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech–Upright power back with good straight-line speed for his size.  Thrives in Paul Johnson’s scheme. 

Honorable Mention: 

C.J. Spiller, Clemson–Ultra-fast back (10.22 100m) who will get a chance to prove he can carry the full-time load now that James Davis is gone.

Toby Gerhart, Stanford–A bruising Nagurski-like bruiser who symbolizes Stanford’s new, blue-collar persona under Jim Harbaugh.

Armando Allen, Notre Dame–One of the better all-purpose backs in college football, he had 50 catches to go with 585 rushing yards and was also effective on kickoffs.

MiQuale Lewis, Ball State–Diminutive runner who rushed for 1,736 yards and scored 22 TDs.  As underrated as they come.

Joe McKnight, USC–If he ever gets his act together, McKnight could be one of the best backs in the country.  He can do it all.

New Breakout Stars on the Scene

Rodney Stewart, Colorado–It was Stewart, not the highly-touted Darrell Scott, who showed the most potential as a freshman for the Buffs last year.  I think he’ll turn into one of the most productive runners in the Big 12 this season. 

John Clay, Wisconsin–The next in a long line of star Badger backs.  Should lead the Big Ten in rushing.

Caleb King, Georgia–I’ve always liked King’s physical ability and if he puts the mental side of his game together, he could be a star.

Jermaine Thomas, Florida State–Was very good for a true frosh.  Could be scary good as a sophomore.

Mark Ingram, Alabama–With Coffee gone, he’ll have a chance to be the Tide’s workhorse (assuming he holds off a challenge from incoming frosh Trent Richardson).

From HeismanPundit.com:

1.  Jeff Demps, Florida
1a.  Trindon Holliday, LSU
3.  Jacoby Ford Jr., Clemson
4.  C.J. Spiller, Clemson
5.  Randall Carroll, UCLA
6.  Jahvid Best, Cal
7.  Derrick Hopkins, USF
8.  T.J. Graham, NC State
9.  Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
10.  Robert Griffin, Baylor

HP, come on now, Randall Carroll at #5?  People need to calm down about his 100m time and watch him on a football field not a track.  Watch his highlights from Cathedral or videos like this one and be the judge. Randall reminds me a lot of Derrick Jones up in Oregon.  Derrick was the 10.3 burner track star at Poly during the same time when he was teammates with DJax; on the football field, the speed was completely flipped.  Randall is a fast player, but not close to his world-class track speed with pads on.

As for Trojans being on the list?  Someone out there will mention Taylor Mays to which I will shake my head.  As much as I love Taylor, he's another player that runs great on track but doesn't translate on the field; for a guy that purportedly runs a high 4.2/low 4.3, I just don't see it.  Travon is a nice mention. Joe McKnight is more acceleration than speed.  If this ranking was about the top players that can turn the corner on a defense, Joe would be ranked in the top 5.

Of the “pre-preseason” top 25s that have been issued in the past couple months, there seems to be a consensus that the Florida Gators, who lose Percy Harvin going into '09 but retain nearly everyone else of note, will once again be the team to beat; Texas and Oklahoma are also expected to return as powerhouses. Below that, though, the selections range from the brave to the downright silly. Among the most inexplicable:

•Tony Barnhart (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was the first out of the gate, throwing up a top 25 literally the same night as the BCS National Championship Game, and it shows. Barnhart has Alabama in the top five despite the fact that they lose their starting QB (and were less than a week removed from getting punked by Utah), Oklahoma State at #7, Florida State at #12, and Vanderbilt at #25. I realize you're an SEC guy, but jeez, Tony. He also provided an object lesson in the dangers of sticking your neck out too early by putting Pittsburgh at #10 based on “running back LeSean McCoy and seven starters on defense coming back”; McCoy declared for the NFL draft less than a week later.

•Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) shared Barnhart's optimism for Alabama (#4) and pumped Kansas at #14, saying “any team with quarterback Todd Reesing is capable of anything.” Anything except for winning the Big 12 North, evidently.

•Matt Hayes (The Sporting News) will see your Notre Dame optimism and raise you: He's got the Irish at #11 based on “the confidence QB Jimmy Clausen gained from his play at Hawaii.” Yes, there's nothing like beating up on the nation's 88th-ranked pass-efficiency defense in a bowl game to mold a player into a leader. Hayes also has Ole Miss at #5 and Auburn at #24, which would make him one of exactly four people in the country who think Auburn will be better with Gene Chizik than they were with Tommy Tuberville (and the other three are Gene Chizik, Jay Jacobs, and Jay Gogue).

•Stewart Mandel (SI.com), like Hayes, has Ole Miss at #5, and like Barnhart he gets burned by early personnel assumptions gone wrong: He puts Oklahoma State at #6, explaining that “nearly every key player is back” on the Cowboy offense, but three of OSU's top four receivers left the program for one reason or another within a month of Mandel posting his list. He's also got Florida State at #18.

•Jon Wilner (San Jose Mercury News) says he updated his list on January 21, which makes one wonder what his original rankings looked like. He's got Florida State at #7 and Oklahoma State at #6, saying he actually dropped the Cowboys because he's “now counting [the Oklahoma game] as a loss for OSU.” The Sooners, last seen piling 61 points on the Cowboys, are grateful for your generosity, sir. Wilner also thinks Pitt and West Virginia will be better without LeSean McCoy and Pat White, respectively — he's got both in his top 25 despite the fact that neither team cracked the final coaches' poll of 2008.

•College Football News is buying into the ACC big-time in '09: They've got North Carolina at #9, Georgia Tech at #11, and Clemson at #15. And based on their color-coding system, CFN thinks Miami “should be worse” than they were last year, yet they've still got the Hurricanes, 7-6 and unranked at the end of 2008, at #19 on their list. Strangely, the one ACC team to get downgraded relative to last season is the defending conference champions — Virginia Tech winds up just one slot ahead of the 'Canes.

•Mark Schlabach (ESPN.com) has also revised an earlier list, but he's still got Alabama at #4 despite openly conceding what huge losses John Parker Wilson and Andre Smith will be; he's also got Notre Dame at #22.

- - -
Doug Gillet is the proprietor of Hey Jenny Slater and a regular contributor to Dr. Saturday.

Hopefully the Penn State offense will soon be joining you all in popping numerous Advils to help ease the pain that will be inflicted upon them by the almighty Trojan D.

Full game diary after the jump.

He's sitting out games, having already missing USC's opener.

He's waiting to find out if he can play in the Trojans' second home game tonight.

And he's wishing he can board a red-eye flight that will take the team to Puerto Rico for a weekend tournament.

Stepheson is an impressive forward who transferred to USC after two seasons at North Carolina. Most players have to sit out one year, but the NCAA grants exceptions under certain circumstances. Stepheson applied for a transfer waiver, reportedly after an illness in the family caused him to come home to the LA area. But with the season already underway, he still doesn't know if he'll be eligible to play.

The Stepheson ripple runs deep. Coach Tim Floyd never divulges his starting lineup, but you can interpret his assessment of Stepheson yourself. "We feel like he's a guy that can have an impact, not only on our team but in the league."

Basketball analysts agree. ESPN's Andy Katz thinks his addition would make USC a Pac-10 title favorite, alongside UCLA and Arizona State.

In the meantime, the Trojans are spending valuable practice time on schemes that they might not be able to run.

"We're trying to prepare with both scenarios in mind," said Floyd. "We've done a lot of work with him as a part of the group that would be out there, and a lot of work without him in that group.... We really had to think in terms of two offensive systems, which has been somewhat of a distraction. If he wasn't as talented as he is, it wouldn't be worth doing. But he is, and we're trying to prepare ourselves the best we can in the event that we get good news."

It also wouldn't be worth doing if Stepheson's case were a long-shot. Based on NCAA precedent, there's reason for the Trojans to be optimistic. And that can make the waiting game frustrating.

Last year, the NCAA granted 55 transfer waivers and denied 34. Tyler Smith, who transferred from Iowa to Tennessee just before his father passed away from cancer, was one of six approved in men's basketball, out of 10 requests. This season, the NCAA had nine requests in men's basketball by the start of November -- approving four and denying one. That leaves four in progress, including Stepheson.

According to college sport's governing body, one of the common reasons they grant a transfer waiver is documented illness to a member of student-athlete’s family "that results in the need for the student-athlete to transfer." No need to overanalyze that. In tough times, his family needs him. He needs them. And as a lifelong athlete, he still needs basketball. Teammates are usually like a second family, and Stepheson has joined a team that certainly knows how to deal with life's hardest knocks. Two years ago, they lost point guard Ryan Francis in a tragic shooting. He would have been a senior this season.

The NCAA obviously can't issue a free pass to anybody who wants to jump ship and skip the normally required redshirt year. A few months ago, they denied the waiver of Colin Peek, an Alabama football transfer who left Georgia Tech because their new coach doesn't typically use his position (tight end). The NCAA won't comment on specific cases, but a representative said that type of reasoning falls outside the scope of a transfer waiver. There were reports that Peek would seek a "hardship" waiver (typically granted by conferences, not the NCAA, for severe injury or illness), but ultimately he found himself on this season's Tide scout team.

Though some might sympathize with Peek, who couldn't sympathize with Stepheson? His situation is serious enough that he missed missed playing time last season at UNC in order to travel home, including the Tar Heels' conference opener against 19th-ranked Clemson. Then he ditched the No. 1 team in America -- where he might have been a starter for part of the year. All-world Tyler Hansbrough is hurt, and guess who was a top candidate to fill in -- or at least get more playing time? Katz added that one thing is clear: "The Tar Heels definitely could have used Alex Stepheson back."

Even though he could be having an influence on Tobacco Road, it's difficult to imagine that UNC would oppose the transfer waiver; the school  reportedly wouldn't appeal if it goes through. But the school is  caught up in the protracted NCAA process. The Tar Heels were sent paperwork on the case last week, and have up to 10 days to respond.

North Carolina declined to publicly comment on the matter until the NCAA announces its decision, but an initial feel-good press release about the transfer quoted Coach Roy Williams as saying, "Being closer to home he will be able to provide the necessary support and help his family needs at this time. He is a wonderful kid."

Anybody with Internet access (including the NCAA) could have known this was coming three months ago, but sources indicate the full waiver request was filed with them only in October. The Stepheson family was asked to provide additional documentation just two weeks ago, and North Carolina still may not have finished all of its paperwork.

"I think they've been pretty responsive on the NCAA end," said Floyd. "I think it takes time to present your case."

Whether it's something on its end or not, the NCAA's wheels-of-justice have a reputation for turning very slowly. There are plenty of examples with USC alone, including two ongoing investigations about extra benefits allegedly received by Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo.

In 2004, the NCAA waited just two days before USC's football team kicked off its season to announce that wide receiver Mike Williams was ineligible after losing a reinstatement appeal. The organization claimed that it "responded within 24 hours of receiving the final information," though the situation had been under public scrutiny for several months and all parties appeared cooperative.

At least Williams found out before his team boarded the plane. It's looking less and less likely that the NCAA will be able to do the same for Stepheson.

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Bob Donnan/US Presswire

For further reading:

• Check out this roundtable discussion about waivers on Rivals.com.
• ESPN's Andy Katz goes into detail about Stepheson's family, basketball strengths and what he would mean to the Trojans.