• Weis Watch. Another sign of Charlie Weis' impending demise: Notre Dame has blocked the university plane from appearing on flightaware.com (see for yourself), a proactive effort at cutting off the breathless surfers intent on tracking its path to Cincinnati or Gainesville or Vatican City or wherever ND's next coach is waiting. That comes on the heels of the athletic director assuring reporters that Weis' huge buyout won't affect whether he stays or goes and the two most notable Irish-centric newspapers both calling for his head almost simultaneously, completing the Holy Trinity of "You're Fired." [South Bend Tribune]

• Oh, to be a Knoxville lawyer. News leaked Tuesday that Tennessee freshman defensive back Nyshier Oliver was cited for shoplifting for allegedly walking out of a Dillard's with a $110 polo shirt just hours before the Vols' win over Memphis on Nov. 7, a relatively piddling misdemeanor that would usually pass without much notice if not for a) Last week's blockbuster armed robbery arrest involving three other UT freshmen, raising the legal antennae around Knoxville, and b) Coach Lane Kiffin's repeated statements just hours before the armed robbery news broke that his team had been entirely arrest-free over his 11-month tenure -- despite being fully aware of Oliver's shoplifting charge.

Kiffin may skate by charges that he blatantly lied on a technicality -- Oliver was cited, not arrested; his arrest warrant was issued Tuesday, and he won't be booked until Nov. 23 -- but he's certainly lost the "clean program" pitch for the next year or two. [Knoxville News-Sentinel]

• The good Cap'n a Cardinal? Hornswaggle! Weirdest coaching rumor so far in the early rounds of silly season: Mike Leach to Louisville? The Louisville Courier-Journal cites a radio interview with ex-Georgia and Marshall coach Jim Donnan, who thinks Cap'n Leach would be interested and would be "a good fit" if/when UL dumps current coach Steve Kragthorpe. That's better sourcing than CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd offers in his Leach-Louisville speculation, which seems based entirely on the pirate coach's no-buyout contract in Lubbock and the Louisville opening existing ... you know, probably, at some point in the near future. It's too strange to make up, frankly, although Leach has never lamented any extra attention. [Louisville Courier-Journal]

• Z-Rob still shaking out the cobwebs. It can't say for sure, but the Tulsa World believes that backup quarterback Alex Cate has been taking most of the snaps in Oklahoma State's preparation for Colorado Thursday night, though starter Zac Robinson is still expected to suit up and possibly be available for senior night in Stillwater despite being knocked silly by Texas Tech's Jamar Wall last Saturday. Think of it as an investment, Cowboy fans: It may be Robinson's last home game, but his presence is not mandatory for beating the sad-sack Buffaloes, and it can never hurt to get the quarterback of the future some live reps. [Tulsa World]

• No one snubs Urban's cubs. Urban Meyer will be "upset" if the Tebow Child isn't invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony for the third consecutive season: "Absolutely, yeah I’ll be upset. ... He's the quarterback of the No. 1 team in college football. I think the Heisman goes to the best player, and it’d be hard to argue that he’s not." Actually, it's fairly easy to argue: Florida is relying far more on its dominant defense to make up for a good-not-great offense averaging 50 fewer yards and 16 fewer points in SEC games than it did in 2008, and Tebow is well behind Ryan Mallett as the league's best statistical passer. But don't let semantics get in the way: Tebow will be in New York, because his exclusion from the proceedings will only hasten the horrors of the tribulation. The Downtown Athletic Club makes its decisions based on the relatively peaceful continuity of human civilization, not stats. [Palm Beach Post]

Quickly ... James Vandenberg is one poised quarterback. ... The victim in an alleged assault case against Auburn's Eric Smith is suing Smith and two unnamed Tiger players. ... Washington State linebacker Jason Stripling was arrested for assault and obstructing a public servant, both misdemeanors. ... Old hat Jerry Glanville resigns at Portland State. ... And yes, that is a 13-year-old middle-schooler being touted as "probably the most celebrated high school recruit in history" before enrolling in high school.

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama–Ingram had another good game, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against Mississippi State.  He’ll pad his stats some more against Chattanooga next Saturday, then will have a chance to clinch the Heisman against Auburn and Florida.  On the year, he has 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns, with another 25 catches for 225 yards and three scores.  He is on pace to have 1,686 yards and 13 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due.   If he keeps doing what he has been doing and then closes out strong in a win over Florida, I like his chances of winning the Heisman.  However, the surges by running backs Toby Gerhart and C.J. Spiller could dilute some of his strength across the various voting regions.  Ingram’s old advantage of being the only legitimate running back in a race filled with quarterbacks might be turned on its head as he could end up being one of three running back candidates versus just one quarterback (McCoy).  This is one reason why I give him only a slight edge over McCoy right now.

2. Colt McCoy, Texas–McCoy is playing well of late and is coming off a 181-yard, two-TD performance in a rout of Baylor.  On the year, he has 2,628 passing yards, with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while completing 72 percent of his passes.  He is on pace to have 3,416 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions by the time the Heisman vote is due.  Is this enough to overcome Ingram’s late surge?  The imminent collapse of Case Keenum’s candidacy should move some voters his way and many will be impressed by his career achievements, including the most wins ever by a quarterback.  McCoy is in a fairly good position:  If Alabama beats Florida, it eliminates the last quarterback with a shot at garnering significant support (Tebow) and makes McCoy the most viable option at that position.  If Florida beats Alabama, though, it could increase Tebow’s support at Ingram’s expense while making it likely that neither can beat out McCoy.  Of course, McCoy has to finish strong and get Texas to the BCS title game to make all this work.   

3. Toby Gerhart, Stanford–I wrote earlier last week about the player with the best chance of mounting a late-season run at the Heisman.  It was a wild scenario dependent on Gerhart having a big game against USC.  Well, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans, giving him 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.  He’s on pace to have 1,674 yards and 23 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due (in 12 games, versus 13 for Ingram and McCoy).  Gerhart is still a longshot, but he does have a shot.  Of course, Stanford needs to win out, which would mean respectable wins over Cal and Notre Dame to give the Cardinal a 9-3 record.  He would need for Ingram to wilt down the stretch, yet for Alabama to beat Florida, thus eliminating both Ingram and Tebow.  Meanwhile, McCoy would have to underwhelm the rest of the way, while Gerhart closes with big games against the Bears and the Irish.  Can it happen?  Sure.  Will it?  There’s the rub.  Stanford needs to start making its case on his behalf, anyway. 

4. Tim Tebow, Florida–Tebow had 199 yards and one touchdown passing, along with 26 yards and a touchdown rushing against South Carolina.  On the year, he has 1,730 passing yards, 12 TD passes and four interceptions, along with 604 rushing yards and 10 scores.   He is on pace to have 2,249 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, five interceptions, 785 rushing yards and 13 scores by the time the Heisman vote is due.  I think Tebow’s Heisman hopes are dwindling fast and his only hope is to put up crazy numbers from this point on.  Of course, the Gators need to win out, but he also needs for Ingram, McCoy and Gerhart to tank.  I think that is unlikely to happen, but you never know.

If the vote were held today

1. Mark Ingram

2. Colt McCoy

3. Tim Tebow

4. Toby Gerhart

5. Case Keenum

6. C.J. Spiller

7. Kellen Moore

8. Ndamukong Suh

9. Jimmy Clausen

10. Jordan Shipley

—USC coach Pete Carroll–an avowed disciple of pro-style offenses and defenses–got a healthy dose of college-style medicine against Oregon.  Is it just me, or is Carroll turning into the next Mack Brown/Lloyd Carr/Phil Fulmer?  Meaning, like the programs headed by the aforementioned coaches, USC is laden with talent, but lacking urgency, creativity or dynamism which, of course, eventually leads to head-scratching losses.  There’s only one way to go from here and that’s down, unless Carroll makes some wholesale changes.  But that’s unlikely to happen, since to do so would discredit the philosophy he’s been preaching this whole time. 

—Tony Pike is supposedly close to returning for Cincinnati.  But my question is:  Should Cincy put him back as the starter?  After all, his replacement, Zach Collaros is 2-0 in Pike’s absence and has completed 74.6 percent of his passes and has nine touchdowns with just one interception.  Just sayin’.

—After watching Iowa’s ridiculous comeback against Indiana, I must conclude that the Hawkeyes are the worst 9-0 team I’ve ever seen.  I’m sure Iowa fans don’t mind.

—Is this eye gouging thing really such a big deal?  I’m not defending it and I support some kind of suspension, but isn’t that stuff–and other dirty play–pretty standard for the bottom of a football pile?  Didn’t Brandon Spikes just happen to get caught on camera?

—Mark Richt says he might finally replace senior Joe Cox at quarterback.  I think it’s two losses too late.  The Bulldogs don’t have any major postseason plans, so it’s time to get ready for next year.   With this in mind, they should’ve been giving Logan Gray his shot a couple weeks ago.

—Don’t look now, but Duke is 5-3 and on the verge of a bowl berth, its first since 1994.  But can the Blue Devils find one more win out of the remaining schedule?  UNC, Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest stand in the way.  Still, big props to David Cutcliffe for the job he has done.

—I can’t remember the last time two brothers were as productive as James and Jacquizz Rodgers for Oregon State.  Together, the two average 348 all-purpose yards per game and have scored 21 touchdowns. 

—Quarterback under the radar:  NC State’s Russell Wilson, who is third nationally with 21 touchdown passes.   Quarterback who wishes he were more under the radar:  Jevan Snead, who is tied for the national lead with 13 interceptions.

—As good as Boise State is, I think TCU is the non-AQ team with the best case for a title game berth if it wins out. 

—Updated BCS Picks:

BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Boise State

Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Oregon

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. TCU

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.

We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his performance on Saturday simply increased his exposure to those who don't folloow USC on a regular basis.

From the LA Times

McCoy looked like the best tight end in college football against the Fighting Irish, catching five passes for 153 yards and setting up two touchdowns and a field goal in the Trojans' 34-27 win at Notre Dame.

After waiting two seasons behind Mackey Award winner Fred Davis, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound McCoy has developed into an upper-round NFL prospect in his second season as a starter.

"He's got the whole package," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Few guys are that flashy and effective as receivers that can also block.

"He's going to be a tremendous prospect at the next level."

McCoy enters Saturday's game against Oregon State averaging a team-best 25 yards a reception. He has caught 14 passes, second on the team to wideout Damian Williams, and overcome a few early drops to become a short, mid-range and deep threat.

"He can stretch the field," freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said. "It's been such an advantage to have that. . . . The way he can run vertically and just have a knack for catching the ball and finding that open window is huge."

I still laugh at the scene of McCoy dragging those ND defenders downfield before thy brought him down short of the goal line. That was a sight! McCoy was honored for his performance against ND by being named the Mackey Award player of the week.

He will continue to play an important role as SC goes down the stretch.

- - -

We are about to enter the second half of the season and now the fun begins. SC has the meat of the schedule in front of them. After this weekends game against Oregon St. SC goes on the road against the Duck's in Eugene then on to Tempe to face ASU. It has been an interesting ride so far, SC has not left us bored that is for sure with huge road wins against Ohio St. and Notre Dame. Yes there was the slip up against the Huskies but with what we have seen from them I think it was clear that the loss of Barkley and Mays along with Sarkisian and Holt knowing the strengths and weaknesses of this team backward and forward combined for a perfect storm  for the upset...Hats off to them for the win but lets not get carried away.

The mid-season reviews and award lists are out and SC has some good representation...

Lets start with Ted Miller's Second-half outlook of USC...

Will Washington prove to be the only bump in the road for USC? And if USC rolls to an 11-1 record, will it play its way into the national title game? Or will we see the Trojans matched up again (sigh) with a Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl? It might be more fun if the Trojans lost to Oregon on Oct. 31 and then won out and earned an at-large invitation to another BCS bowl game. It seems like a massive long shot, given the selection procedure, but just picture USC vs. Florida/Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Yummy!

I am not even worrying about the post season, there is way too much football left to play and a couple of tough games still on the schedule...not just Oregon.

If anything the Notre Dame game showed me that we still have some work to do on finishing. The defense took their foot off the gas and let ND back in it, the dumb penalties sooner or later will come back to haunt us and cost us a game and for as great as Matt Barkley played he still is susceptible to making rookie mistakes.

SC needs to tighten a few things up...

Decreasing dumb penalties,3rd down conversions, the running game and the red zone offense still need to improve.

Michael Lev of the OCR has a quick take...

MIDSEASON MVP

MLB Chris Galippo

Taking over at the heart of an almost all-new front seven, the redshirt sophomore from Servite High has become an instant leader and among the top playmakers for the ninth-ranked defense in the nation. Galippo leads USC in tackles (41), is tied for first in pass breakups (four) and also has five tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

RB Allen Bradford

Even though he didn't play much last season because of injuries, Bradford has made the most tangible gains. The redshirt junior entered this season with 123 career rushing yards and a 2.9-yard average. In six games, he has 228 yards and a 6.3-yard average. Also considered: RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, OT Tyron Smith, DT Jurrell Casey, DE Nick Perry and LB Michael Morgan.

Any one of those players listed above could be seen as most improved. Especially Nick Perry. You have to love what PC is doing with him...he is an absolute beast and he will only get better.

- - -

Here are a few links to some mid-season awards.

Phil Steele's 2009 Mid Season All-Pac-10 team

SN's midseason All-Americans: Offense

SN's midseason All-Americans: Defense

- - -

Here is an interesting take on the BCS from the WSJ...

Quantitatively and qualitatively, USC looks like the top option should any member of the Alabama-Florida-Texas triumverate falter. The Trojans top Boise, Cincinnati and Iowa in total defense. Of that group, they trail only the Bearcats in total offense. With the nation's ninth-rated defense by yards, the Trojans appeared to have one weakness heading into the season: quarterback play. But Matt Barkley continues to disprove that notion, along with the now-foolish idea that Aaron Corp should've started over him to begin the season. Mr. Barkley threw for 380 yards in the victory over Notre Dame.

If Mr. Barkley hadn't missed the Washington game, the Trojans might already occupy one of the top two spots. But with the way Florida and Texas are playing, who knows – maybe they will again.

It is going to get interesting as we go down the stretch.

- - -

Here is Pete Carroll on PMS

All Pac-10 has their USC/OSU preview up.

Ted Miller has a little more in his "What to watch for in the Pac-10"

As expected, Mark Tyler is done for the season, with Stanley Havili expected to be a game time decision because of his shoulder injury.

Here is a good read by the Trojan Empire on the BCS

The computers aren't exactly in love with USC yet -- ranking them 11th. Both human polls (USA Today and Harris) rank USC 4th, enough to keep the Trojans ahead of TCU, but not Boise State, Cincinnati, and Iowa.

1 Florida (6-0)
2 Alabama (7-0)
3 Texas (6-0)
4 Boise State (are...)
5 Cincinnati (you...)
6 Iowa (kidding...)
7 USC (6-1)
8 TCU (6-0)
9 LSU (5-1)
10 Miami (5-1)

USC is the top-ranked 1-loss team. Oregon (5-1) falls just one spot outside the top-10 even with a better computer ranking than the Trojans. Because the computers almost like Arizona (4-2) as much as USC, the Cats land the 22nd spot, despite being ranked 37th and 40th in the Harris and USA Today. If they can hold or improve that spot, it should be a quality opponent for USC to end its schedule with.

If USC wins out and gets hosed, you can bet your ass we'll be doing a second run on the BCS: Beyond Common Sense shirts.

2009 Week 1 BCS Standings

A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Texas keeps plodding along. Oklahoma is 0-2 in its only true tests. Yes, Sam Bradford is back, but that's not enough for the Sooners. Take the Longhorns and give the points in the Red River Rivalry.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Idaho can become bowl eligible with a victory against Hawaii. Don't worry about the points because the Vandals are going to cover with ease. In the Pacific 10, watch out for those Washington Huskies at Arizona State.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus loves friendly Pete Carroll more than surly Charlie Weis, but business is business. Take Notre Dame and the points against USC.

Double D, Boston Herald: The conservative playcalling of Jim Tressel is to blame for Terrelle Pryor falling way short of expectations. Nonethless, Ohio State is overdue for an offensive explosion. Take the Buckeyes and lay the points at Purdue.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor's offense is still trying to find itself without Robert Griffin. Playing Iowa State should help. The Bears win, 27-24.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield is mobile, just maybe not enough to avoid Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska wins, 41-36.

Phil Steele: The top 25 forecast calls for Virginia Tech to defeat Georgia Tech, 34-27. In Madison, look for Wisconsin to edge Iowa, 24-23.

College Injury Report: A look at who is hurt and who is healthy.

Get the latest college numbers from Doc's Sports. Also check Doc's for the latest NFL numbers.

For complete TV listings, check Matt Sarzyniak's Sports.

Visit the Wiz's Resources page for all your reference needs.

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.

Between Texas-Oklahoma, USC-Notre Dame and Florida-Arkansas, the action will include TWO current Heisman winners, THREE major candidates for the 2009 Heisman, an undetermined number of future Heisman challengers (among the various underclassmen on the rosters), and FIVE traditional Heisman powers with a combined 24 bronze statues to their credit (nearly 1/3 of all the winners).

I’m a West Coast guy, so after a hearty breakfast, I’ll get the Sooners and Longhorns at 9 a.m.  I’m keeping a close eye on this one, because if Colt McCoy plays lights out, he could take control of the race. 

What does he need to do for that to happen? 

My gut tells me that to have his Heisman moment, he will need to be his usual accurate self (that means completing over 66 percent of his passes) while throwing for minimum 280 yards, with at least 3 touchdown strikes (or a combined 3 TDs running and passing) and no more than one interception.  Some tough scrambles to convert some third downs would help, too.   

I think if he sort of muddles along, playing unimpressively in a Texas victory, he won’t be completely out of the running, but he will have missed an opportunity to jump past Tim Tebow into the lead.  He would have to make up a lot of ground against less-prestigious competition the rest of the way.   Not an easy task.

If the Sooners win despite his playing well, McCoy’s candidacy will be on life support, entirely dependent on the misfortunes of others.  And if his poor play costs his team the victory, his Heisman hopes will fade.

What about Jimmy Clausen? 

His task on Saturday is tough.  While Oklahoma and Texas are pretty evenly matched in the talent department, that is not the case with the Irish and the Trojans.   Charlie Weiss is recruiting some studs to South Bend, but there is still a significant gap between the two programs, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Clausen must go up against an extremely athletic USC defense that leads the nation in sacks and is second in tackles for loss .  And he won’t have his best wide receiver (Michael Floyd) to go up against one of the best (and most physical) secondaries in college football. 

In other words, if he can pull off this win over the Trojans, it will be quite the accomplishment.  A Heisman-worthy accomplishment, to be exact.

Stranger things have happened, but I can’t foresee a scenario in which Notre Dame wins and Clausen does not play a great game.  So, it’s simple.  If the Irish win, Clausen becomes the leading Heisman candidate–regardless of what happens with McCoy earlier in the day. 

If the Irish lose–regardless of how he plays–his Heisman quest will quietly peter out.  The remaining schedule just won’t give him enough credibility to overcome the doubts that will linger on about his team.  Even if the Irish win out, they might be considered the worst 10-2 team in recent memory.  Is it possible that every other candidate slips up later in the schedule and Clausen somehow stays in contention with his stellar play?  I suppose it’s possible, but highly unlikely.  

Meanwhile, Tim Tebow must pick up the pace with his production.  He’s got a shot to do that against a suspect Arkansas defense that is nonetheless coming off a better-than-expected performance against Auburn.   He won’t be in the spotlight this week–Saturday belongs to McCoy and Clausen–but winning the Heisman requires that you quietly take care of business while voter eyes are mostly elsewhere. 

I think throwing for a season-high in yards (237 is his current high) and touchdown passes (4) would be a good way to stay within striking distance in the Heisman race, even if one of the other candidates makes a major move.   People need to look at his stat line after the game and say “Oh, Tebow is back!”

And, of course, he has to stay healthy and keep his Gators undefeated.  I think he’ll have no problem doing that.

By this time next week, I think the Heisman race will make a lot more sense.

USC men's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill

On practice starting on Friday...:
It will be my first time on the court with them as a team, per se. I've been on the court with them doing a lot of individual work. They've worked hard in the weight room. They are in fairly good shape. We will be in really good shape in 10 days to two weeks, but I've been pleased with our work ethic as a group. I like how our guys have approached work in general. I think we have a lot of guys that feel they have something to prove and a lot of guys who will be in roles they haven't been in before, so we are excited about getting started.

On Goals for the season...:
I don't really have any goals per se in term of wins and losses. We will take it a day at a time and get better in practice. Obviously my goal will be to play hard all the time. We hope we are going to be competitive in every game, we expect to be and then we will let wins and losses take care of themselves, but until I've been on the court with these guys I won't have a real good feel for what we are as a team. Mike Gerrity is going to miss the first semester and won't be eligible until grades are posted and Leonard Washington is going to miss the first semester and they are a couple of pretty important guys on our team. I think we have some good players on our team that feel they have something to prove and our goal is going to try and win every game we play.

How familiar are you with your personnel...?:
Obviously I talked to our assistants a lot through the first three months. I didn't watch any film from last year at all because that is a completely different team. We had a lot of guys who have gone. Even in Dwight's case, a three-year starter, his role will be significantly different than it was last year. He'll be a marked man now going into every game. Marcus (Simmons) didn't play in 16 or 17 games, so to me watching last year's tapes wouldn't have meant a whole lot. My evaluation of our guys thus far in individual work and what I've seen work-wise is that they are pretty hard playing, that they want to be good, they want to improve, they want to get better, so we will see how that all fits into a team concept when we start going on Friday night.

The perception out there is that it is going to be a bad season for USC, but you have a lot of players who have played before...:
I think the important thing is, obviously we have unproven point play. Donte (Smith) didn't play too much last year and we are going to depend heavily on him. He's down about 25 pounds since last year. Mike Gerrity is a guy who is going to come back and be a major part of our team and then we have a lot of other guys who although their time and stats might not show it, are good players. I'm not sitting around and lamenting the players we have. We have good players. It is a matter of how soon we can get together as a group and with two guys sitting out the first semester, what their impact will be coming back. I expect us to be a decent basketball team at the very least.

How will Dwight's role change as a marked man?:
We are going to be a team that plays a pro-style of offense. We are going to run on misses and turnovers and try and score as quickly as we can. In deadball and set situations, we're going to run set plays and I'm going run set plays for our shooters. We are going to be a team that posts up behind set opportunities for those shooters. I'll get a better feel for what guys can do. Dwight doesn't know this yet, but people around the league are saying okay if we are going to play USC, we have to stop Dwight Lewis first. I'm not sure that was always the same way last year when you had DeMar (DeRozan) and Taj (Gibson) and in their minds many more options. He'll be the first guy they will try and stop, but that doesn't mean we are not going to run plays for him because we are. Because he is a good passer and can create shots for other guys and the threat of his shooting is going to create shots for other guys.

You went to visit the families of your players this summer, why...?:
I still have three or four more people to meet with in the L.A. area and I hope to do that this week before we get going or once we get started. I thought it was important that I put a face in front of the name for everybody. No matter what anybody says, the most important people in any program are the players and their parents are an important group of people, their families, so I thought it was important to touch base with all of them. Recruiting is obviously something you have to really concentrate on and you have to do a good job with, but my first priority was to stabilize the group that was here and make sure they were all coming back, that the guys that needed to get through summer school did that and then we could go from there with recruiting and the next steps in the program.

With Leonard out, is Stepheson the main power forward...?:
Looking at our team, we will probably have to play a little bit of a three out, two in. Alex and Nikola are guys that jump to the forefront. We have to see what kind of health Kasey Cunningham is in. We have Davis Rozitis who is a freshman. He's going to be a little bit of a project player. He doesn't have the size and strength yet to do the things you need done. Obviously Alex is going to be an important part of our team, as is Nikola. Those guys are going to have to be go-to guys on the inside and carry a lot of the load until Leonard gets back.

On Kasey Cunningham...:
He did his first individual workout yesterday. He'll go light today, but he is planning on starting practice on Friday at 7 p.m. like everybody else. It is my hope that the guy stays healthy, he deserves it. He's had about as bad of luck as you could ever have as a player. He's also a guy that I think could be a significant contributor to our team if he's healthy.

What do you see about changing the culture of the program...?:
You know these guys have won some games. They knew hard work and they knew playing on the defensive end, Tim did a good job of coaching these guys as did the whole staff. What I'm trying to do is build on what we've been doing. I'm a different guy than Tim, I'm sure these guys would tell you that. I'm a little bit different than a lot of people...my wife would tell you that. I've enjoyed dealing with these guys on what I would call on a professional level in terms of basketball and I think they are good guys off the court. I think we've done a decent job in the classroom for the most part, those are the things that I think are important for us, then it depends on how our chemistry is between myself and these guys and between each other as players and that will determine how quickly we move forward and how good we get. Not so much changing a culture. We want to win big here, that's important to us. Part of that is recruiting, but it starts with the guys that are here right now and the guys that are going to be playing basketball this year.

Are you going to recruit Los Angeles hard...?:
Yes. We are going to try and get the best player in Los Angeles every year. We are going to try and do that. Obviously I can't talk about recruiting, but we feel we're going to be impact recruiters in L.A. I'm not going to take L.A. guys just to take L.A. guys. I'm going to take L.A. guys that I think can really play, then we will go whereever we have to go from there to get good players.

What impact do you expect from football player James Boyd?:
I haven't seen James in two and a half months, so I don't know if he will make any impact at all. I'm not sure he still has an intention to play. I know he was injured. As it sits right now, I wouldn't say James is going to be an impact player. I don't even know if he is going to come out for the team. I haven't gotten that far.

What is your approach to the NCAA investigation?:
I honestly don't think about it at all. I think I addressed it the first time we talked, but we don't really address it at all. We don't talk about it. To me, no matter what happens coming out of this investigation, we are going to attack it in a positive manner and move forward because that is all we really can do. I don't know any details, haven't known any, I don't think anybody does other than the NCAA. If it is the only negative we have to deal with here and I think it is, then we're in pretty good shape. It hasn't affected our academic tradition, our athletic tradition, our facilities, the type of university we have, the type of administration we have...nothing has changed. I went through it with every recruit and the first words out of everybody's mouth's is what about this NCAA investigation. To me I was like, let's put down a list of negatives and positives. You have a question about the NCAA investigation, now how about these other 20 things over here that are great for our university. We are not the first school to ever be investigated by the NCAA and we won't be the last and we will deal with whatever comes out of it and move forward in a positive manner.

Besides Donte, what are your options at point guard?:
We have a couple of walk-ons on the team, I don't know if they can contribute, that remains to be seen. Ryan Wetherell has played some minutes. Until Mike Gerrity is eligible, this is it. It was the end of June when I got the job. Anybody we would have recruited at that point would not have been able to play at this level effectively, so we decided to save our scholarships and recruit guys for next year's class. I believe Donte is going to come through and play well and I believe these guys can do a lot of things to help him out. He's going to be playing with some guys who have played some minutes, that are pretty good basketball players, so hopefully that will make his job a lot easier. I'm comfortable with the guys we have.

On Mike Gerrity...:
He'll have one semester left to play once he gets eligible in December. He's a senior. He's in great shape. I think we would all agree that Mike has done a good job of working hard. He's another guy that feels like he has something to prove, he's bounced around a little bit. I think our guys have a lot of confidence in him, a lot of faith in him as a player and a leader. It will be a boost to get him back. He will be able to practice and all that, so he'll be ready to go when it is time to go.

Has this job turned out to be harder that you thought when you first took it...?:
It's easier because you are at USC. To me, with the supposed obstacles we were facing, I'm sure people over-dramatized those, like everybody does. Everyone wants to talk about negative things. I haven't felt any negative things at all, I've felt mostly all positive things. I didn't know any of these guys (players) that first day and they have made my job a lot easier. A lot of places you go where guys have only won - the three places I went where guys had only won 4 or 5 games, obviously those are bad players. If you only won 4 or 5 games you are a bad team. There is not that obstacle to overcome here. These guys have really worked hard and done well. They have made it a lot easier. The players have really, really made my job easier. I didn't have to go on the road in September and wonder if these guys were going to class and doing their job, not doing all the little things that make your job harder. I applaud them for making my job a whole lot easier. They allowed me to concentrate on some other things.

Do you have enough players...?:
We have enough players at all the positions except the point right now and that is going to put a little added pressure on Donte and Mike Gerrity when he gets back. Maybe I'm just looking through rose-colored glasses, but from what I've seen of our guys in individual workouts and weightlifting and stuff like that, we have enough guys to be very competitive with anybody at a lot of our positions. Our wings are very good, our insides are very good, the question is do we have enough depth. I don't know about that, but most people in college basketball other than North Carolina and a few teams like that are an injury or two away from being not a very good team. So if we avoid injuries and get in great shape like I know we will over the next couple of weeks, then I think we can be a really competitive team, but we do have some question marks we will have to answer when we get out there. I'll know more by Monday, to be honest with you. We will have 10 hours of practice this weekend, so I'll have a good idea in what direction we will head in.

USC guard Dwight Lewis:

On this season...:
Obviously we did lose a lot from last year and everybody has a bad perception of us, but we don't care what other people think right now. We believe in each other, we believe in ourselves, we believe in our teammates and coaching staff. We feel if we go out there and play hard every night, anything can happen.

You will be looked upon to take on more responsibilities, how do you feel about that role?:
I think I've handled the role quite well. He (coach O'Neill) had asked me to be a leader during the summer, during the offseason and I think I've done a pretty good job. All the added pressure, I really don't see it right now. Maybe when the season starts and you go up against different teams, maybe, but I have trust in the coaching staff and my teammates and they will be able to help me out and it will be alright.

On players that have stepped up...:
To be honest with you, I think everyone on the team has made great strides. Everybody knows what we are getting into this year. I think they took it upon themselves this summer to challenge themselves to get better. Like he (Marcus Simmons) said, Donte has lost a lot of weight, he's been in the gym all summer. Marcus (Simmons) has been in the gym all the time and he even hurt himself shooting too much. He's a hard worker. Alex (Stepheson) has been in the gym, Nikola (Vucevic) was doing his international thing. I feel everybody has been working hard towards a really positive season.

On his unusual journey to USC, starting with being uprooted by hurricane Katrina...:
It was unusual, just like you said. Having to go through the Katrina thing, and having to move to Texas, then coming out to L.A. and having the coaching changes now. It is unusual, but I think I've handled it well. Coach O'Neill is a great guy, he's a cool dude. He's made it easy on everybody.

On his reaction to the offseason changes...:
To be honest with you, I didn't really know what was going on. It seemed like every other day there would be a new news report on something going on. I didn't really know, so I tried not to pay attention to it and just wait until it was finally set.

You were known as a defensive guy and then you came out and led the team in scoring...:
I guess it just happened that way. I still play well defensively, but I think Marcus (Simmons) took my job as the defensive stopper. This year we have to focus on being a really good defensive team as we have been in the past and get in good condition like coach said so I think we will have a lot of defensive stars on our team this year.

USC guard Marcus Simmons:

On players that have stepped up...:
I think Donte because he put the effort forward, losing the weight and he's always in the gym. So I think Donte will be a huge impact player this year.

On his shooting so much in the offseason...:
Everybody tells me I need to work on my shot, so that's the main thing I took focus on this summer...just shooting the basketball, getting a lot of reps in and staying in condition. I tried to shoot 1,000 shots a day and one day my wrist started aching really bad and it swelled up on me, but I'm fine now.

On Wednesday, Boise State is at Tulsa. This could be one of the last major challenges for the Broncos, who are trying to go undefeated and earn a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game. Boise State is favored by 8.

Cincinnati and South Florida square off Thursday in the biggest game of the season thus far in the Big East. The Bulls are favored by 1.5 points.

On Friday, there's another Big East game between Pittsburgh and Rutgers. The visiting Panthers open as 3-point favorites.

Saturday's games of note: Texas (-1.5) vs. Oklahoma in Dallas; Iowa (-2) at Wisconsin; South Carolina at Alabama (-17); USC (-8) at Notre Dame; Texas Tech at Nebraska (-6); Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (pick); Stanford at Arizona (-4); and Arkansas at Florida (-22).

For the latest numbers, visit Doc's Sports.