Ya know, speaking of testosterone, recent studies have shown that a guys testosterone level can go up as much as 30% right after his team wins a game, or correspondingly down if his team loses.

I am not surprised. I thought guys would be too tired to rape and pillage after a battle, but that rise in levels of testosterone would make all that possible!

I wonder if that would spice up the half-time coach's talk. Tell the guys if they don't win they won't be as good at entertaining the ladies. That is scary stuff to ponder. Our basketball team should be impotent by now with all their loses and no wins...!

Well, it could get interesting at UT football. Coach Brown is going to start a quarterback competition and he's announced that both the Major and Chris Simms are going to get playing time in the Bowl game. I'd like to see them alternate plays. That would really mix up the opposition.

I heard through my pillow speaker in the groggies of pre-dawn that Chris Sims was going to be the starting QB with MajorApp coming in later to see if he can manage ok. I think that would be a splendid idea, and several schools had great success early on using rotating QB's.

I had heard that Major was going to start, but that report is over a week old. Maybe there's been a strategic change.

I suspect that there is more conjecture out there without solid facts than there is factual reportage. I also think that wise coaches do not make up their minds until the final practice is in the books and accessments made. We will only really know at kickoff.

The Horns are practicing indoors today.

That cold, is it? Or to keep spies from watching?

Probably some of both. Mostly cold, I imagine.

According to John's sources tomorrow's Oahu Bowl between the University of Hawaii and Oregon State University has the oddsmakers picking OSU by 9.

Today all both of the Bowl Games are being played in Honolulu. In the Aloha Bowl: Wake Forest 23 Arizona State 3

Oahu Bowl Results Hawaii 23 Oregon State 17

Hawaii Holds on to Beat Oregon State in Oahu Bowl HONOLULU (Reuters) - In a mistake-filled game, Oregon State's 14th penalty proved most damaging. An illegal procedure penalty negated a successful onsides kickoff with just over a minute remaining as Hawaii held on for a 23-17 victory over the Beavers in the Oahu Bowl Saturday, completing the best one-year turnaround in NCAA history. Oregon State's offense came to life late in the fourth quarter as Ken Simonton scored on a 13-yard draw play with 1:27 to play, trimming the deficit to 23-17. Ryan Cesca, who missed two field goals and had a third blocked, executed a perfect onsides kick that was recovered by the Beavers at the Hawaii 48-yard line. But a controversial procedure penalty forced Oregon State to try again, and the Rainbow Warriors took possession after Cesca's next attempt bounced out of bounds. ``We missed a couple of field goals but I don't know how much of a difference that would have made,'' first-year Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson said. ``We're happy with the season. We went 7-5 and we're happy we ended the year in a bowl game. Obviously, we're not very happy with what happened in the bowl game, that's very disappointing to us.'' Dan Robinson threw a pair of touchdown passes to Channon Harris for Hawaii (9-4) and first-year coach June Jones, who took over a program that went 0-12 last season. ``It's been just an awesome year,'' Jones said. ``I'm happy for the fans and the players. It's just awesome.'' Robinson was 9-of-13 for 125 yards in the third quarter, hitting Harris for a 30-yard score with 6 1/2 minutes left to put the Rainbow Warriors ahead for good, 17-10. Eric Hannum kicked three short field goals to help Hawaii avenge Pineapple Bowl losses to Oregon State in 1940 and 1949. ``It's just amazing,'' said Hawaii running back Avion Weaver, a junior. ``After going 0-12, the coaching staff came in and gave us the schemes. And we just believed.'' Simonton had 157 yards on 18 carries against one of the nation's worst run defenses. A sophomore, he needs only 39 yards to become Oregon State's all-time leading rusher. Simonton went up the middle from one yard to give the Beavers a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. But Oregon State failed to convert several chances to extend the lead as Cesca missed field goal attempts of 42 and 31 yards. In between, Hannum kicked a 26-yarder to put the Hawaii on the board. The Rainbows grabbed their first lead on Robinson's nine-yard TD toss to Harris with just over six minutes left before halftime. Cesca kicked a 37-yarder on the final play of the second quarter for a 10-10 tie. Jonathan Smith completed 19-of-40 passes for 269 yards but was sacked six times for Oregon State. He was only 8-of-24 for 132 yards in the second half. ``They got us with a four-man rush and blitzing but sometimes they got us even with a three-man rush,'' Erickson noted. ``I don't know if it was our assignment or what it was, but they mixed up their schemes well.'' ``We did a great job with our zone blitz,'' Jones said. ''(Defensive coordinator) Greg McMackin did a great job. We said we were going to go after them and we did. We probably should have gone after (Smith) even more.'' Hawaii receiver Attrice Brooks was ejected in the final minute of the first quarter after drawing a personal foul for kicking defensive end DeLawrence Grant.

All of our teams we were following this year made bowls. That is pretty remarkable. Hawaii won theirs and the payout was $800,000. Illinois is in the Micronpc.com bowl vs Virginia on Thursday the 30th of December($750,000.) Alamo Bowl has Penn State vs Texas A&M on December 28th ($1.2 million) and the Cotton Bowl on January 1st (if our tv's still work) has Texas vs Arkansas($2.5 million) Guess we call can't win. Too bad. One of the teams I rooted for all season has to lose.

Congratulations, Marcia, I have been reading about the game in eht Ledger

I learned something very interesting in church this morning. Paul Gruber's great, great, great, great grandfather wrothe the music for Silent Night. Gruber plays for the Tampa Bay Bucs

Franz Gr�ber wrote Silent Night. I had no idea his descendant would be playing in the NFL. Wow! Tampa Bay, no less. Your team! Thanks, Lucie!

Alamo Bowl Result: Penn State 24 Texas A&M 0

Folks here aren't yet too excited about the Cotton Bowl, maybe Friday folks will start to get in to it. What bowl games most interest folks?

For me, after the Alamo Bowl and Cotton Bowl, I guess the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl plus the other two BCS bowls to determine the best of the best (as they see it) I really want Texas to win their game. ******** From John Burnett LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - A 270-pound University of Kansas football player got stuck in the drive-thru window of a Taco Bell when he tried to charge employees who left the chalupa out of his order, authorities said. Dion Rayford*, a 6-foot-3 senior defensive end, was suspended for the game against Iowa State, the last game of his college career. He was released on his own recognizance after appearing in court on charges of disorderly conduct, having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor damage to property.

John Burnett's note: you'll see this drunken, chalupa dropping moron in the NFL next year...imagine him on steroids...at ONLY 270 pounds it's unlikely he's on them already.

Re the question of Terry's about favorite bowls, John Responded: Outside of the Oahu Bowl here in Hawaii (won by Hawaii 23-17 over Oregon St.,) the Sugar Bowl is the PRIMO matchup in the nation: #1 Florida St. vs. #2 Virginia Tech for the national championship. All other bowls (Oahu Bowl included outside of the 50th state) pale in comparison. BTW, Hawaii opens its season at home next year by hosting none other than the Texas Longhorns. We here in Hawaii are hoping the only hooking the Horns will be doing during their stay here will be soliciting the "ladies" in Waikiki at 2 a.m.

Those aren't Ladies, John!

Wow! Maybe I'll book a flight to Hawaii then if the rates are ok!

That would be fantastic!

Texas Suspends Four for Saturday's Cotton Bowl DALLAS (Reuters) - Following a team meeting Thursday night, 18th-ranked Texas has suspended four players for the Cotton Bowl against Arkansas on Saturday for violating team rules. Receiver Kwame Cavil, linebacker Jamal Joyner and defensive ends Aaron Humphrey and J.J. Kelly learned their fates tonight from coach Mack Brown. ``We have just held a team meeting, which was one of the most emotional that I have experienced,'' Brown said. ``The four young men involved in violating team rules are great young men and have done a tremendous job for our football team and the University of Texas.'' Cavil's loss figures to be the biggest for the Longhorns. The junior led the team with 100 receptions for 1,188 yards and six touchdowns. He had 74 catches for 1,091 yards and four scores in 19 games before this season. Ryan Nunez, who caught 56 passes for 600 yards, will be Texas' most prolific receiver available for Saturday's game.

Ok, has anybody gotten excited about the game yet? Of course no one is gonna read this until next century sometime or next year, anyway. *sigh* It is a lonely vigil waiting to see if my computer still works at midnight and Ihave been talking to myself for hours already and it is only 3:45 pm in 1999!

A few scores of interest: PEACH BOWL Results: ILLINOIS 63 VIRGINIA 21 COTTON BOWL Results: TEXAS 6 ARKANSAS 27

Congratulations to the Rainbow Warriors. It's been fun following their surprise progress here this season.

The National Championship was a hell of a game between Florida State Seminoles or 'noles and the VA Tech team. Peter Warrick can catch just about anything, return punts and carry the team. And Michael Vick rolled himself out as the next Heisman trophy winner, they might as well start engraving his name on it. That guy danced, ran, passed, and magiced his way play after play. He did unbelievable stuff that you're not used to seeing. He's a human highlight reel on almost every play. And this is against Florida, not Little Sisters of the Poor.

Thanks, Mark! That was a knuckle biter yesterday and kept us in our seats snacking impulsively as the score went back and forth. Michael Vick was awesome! | agree about engraving his name on that trophy! Keep him healthy!!! Final AP poll standings of college football teams Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, with number of first-place votes and record in parentheses, total points and previous ranking: (Records through January 4, 2000) TEAM PTS PVS ---- --- --- 1. Florida St (70) (12-0) 1,750 1 2. Virginia Tech (11-1) 1,647 2 3. Nebraska (12-1) 1,634 3 4. Wisconsin (10-2) 1,519 4 5. Michigan (10-2) 1,406 8 6. Kansas St (11-1) 1,402 7 7. Michigan St (10-2) 1,357 9 8. Alabama (10-3) 1,236 5 9. Tennessee (9-3) 1,168 6 10. Marshall (13-0) 1,136 11 11. Penn St (10-3) 1,038 13 12. Florida (9-4) 941 10 13. Mississippi St (10-2) 923 15 14. So Mississippi (9-3) 788 16 15. Miami Fla (9-4) 678 23 16. Georgia (8-4) 640 21 17. Arkansas (8-4) 575 24 18. Minnesota (8-4) 452 12 19. Oregon (9-3) 358 NR 20. Georgia Tech (8-4) 345 17 21. Texas (9-5) 340 14 22. Mississippi (8-4) 281 NR 23. Texas A&M (8-4) 272 18 24. Illinois (8-4) 201 NR 25. Purdue (7-5) 198 19 Dropped Out: No. 20 East Carolina, No. 22 Stanford, No. 25 Boston College Others Receiving Votes: Stanford 168, East Carolina 97, Colorado 75, TCU 45, Syracuse 21, Utah 20, Hawaii 19, Washington 7, Wake Forest 5, Boise St 3, Oklahoma 3, Colorado St 2. updated at Wed Jan 5 09:54:17 2000 PT

From a 'Noles grad in Drool: A 'Noles fan in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, "Wanna hear a joke about Gator fans?" The guy next to him replies, "Well before you tell that joke you should know something. I'm 6' tall and 220 pounds and I'm a Gator fan. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2" tall, 240 pounds and he's a Gator fan, and the guy sitting next to him is 6'5", 280 pounds and he's a Gator fan too. Now, do you still wanna tell that joke?" The 'Noles fan says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it three times."

Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier and a Cub Scout were on a plane that ran into serious trouble over the Florida Georgia border. The pilot rushed from the cockpit and announced the bad news. The plane was going down. The pilot went on to explain that the plane was equipped with only three parachutes, not enough for the four people. But, the pilot said he deserved one, and out the door he went. Spurrier immediately stood up and said he deserved one of the remaining two parachutes for a number of reasons. He was a Heisman Trophy winner who went on to play professional football. He also returned to his alma mater, leading the program to three SEC titles and one National championship. Spurrier went on to say that some people call him the smartest coach in America. Out Spurrier went. Bowden looked over to the boy and told him to take the last parachute. Bowden explained that he had lived a good life, had a large family, won a national championship, even played University of Miami. Bowden said he was at peace. The Cub Scout, with a wide smile, said he already had a parachute. Stunned, Bowden asked how that could be. The Cub Scout answered: "The smartest coach in America just jumped out with my knapsack."

Barbara, when you come out of lurkdom you really did it in style...and without your feet touching the ground yet, I'll bet! Congratulations! I remember how it feels when the old Alma Mater is Number One...

Good one Barbara, what are your personal feelings about the Gators and the 'Noles?

That's a good one, Terry!!! Actually, I am still at the point of being so happy that we won the big one, the undisputed big one, that I have no personal feelings about the Gators! I am glad that their coach has decided to stay in Gainesville. I used to have a lot of respect for Coach Spurrier (sp.) when he coached the Tampa Bay Bandits of the U.S.F.L. but I really don't think a whole lot of him at this point in time. All kidding aside, there are many wonderful Gators in the state of Florida and there's a great one in Johnstown, PA, who just coincidentally happened to live across the street from us when we lived there!

When I sent that story above to John he responded that the best part was Spurrier saying he was the greatest coach in the world and jumping out with the kid's backpack...*grin*

I think in sports, it pays to have a high opinion of your abilities!!! That's probably true out of sports, also. (back to the Dolphin game...)

...but they should be realistic, don't you think?! Do the Dolphins stand a chance???

Paterno signs 5-year extension and plans to fulfill it Posted: Monday January 24, 2000 04:33 PM STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Joe Paterno signed a five-year contract extension Monday, and the 73-year-old Penn State coach said he has every intention of staying through 2004. "I enjoy coaching and would like to continue as long as my health will permit," Paterno said in a statement. "I look forward to fulfilling this contract and, deep down, to going even longer because I'm excited by all of the positive things that are happening at Penn State." The university would not release the terms of the contract. The extension should quiet ongoing speculation about his retirement. Many considered his 1999 team a last, best shot at a third national title. But he said after Penn State's appearance n the Alamo Bowl that he is staying. "I have absolutely no plans to retire," he said. "I am going to coach until I feel I can't do a good job." As recently as 1998, he had said he would coach "at least four more years." Penn State's 24-0 victory over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl was his 20th in the postseason -- the Division I record. He has 317 victories at Penn State, six short of the Division I record set by Bear Bryant. He could break the record as early as Oct. 21 against Illinois. Paterno is entering his 51st year on Penn State's staff, his 35th as head coach.

From THE SPORTING NEWS How is it that everyone has forgotten about Penn State? Do you think that because Lavar Arrington, Courtney Brown, Brandon Short, David Macklin and Co. are gone PSU will be a non-contender? Consider the fact that Rashard Casey is as close to Michael Vick as anybody in terms of arm strength, agility and speed. The backfield is intact, and 29 incoming freshman will fill the voids. What you get is a contender. No. 1? Maybe not, but with a rather easy non-conference schedule this year, the Nittany Lions should be in prime shape for the Big Ten conference battles. Give me Casey, Eric McCoo, Eddie Drummond, Bryant Johnson and a top five recruiting class, and I�ll show you what college football is all about.

From THE SPORTING NEWS: Forced to rebuild, Buckeyes try to bounce back by Mark Blaudschun You could hear the sighs and the whispers and the grumbling from Columbus to Cleveland. Ohio State, 6-6. The only bowling the Buckeyes were going to be doing over the holiday season was at the local lanes. Blasphemy. Yes, it was. Under the tenure of John Cooper, Buckeye fans had expected more than that. Some of the cynics will tell you they expect less from Cooper-coached teams, but that is an argument for another arena. The bottom line is that the Buckeyes had an off-year. Hey, it happens. Not too often at Ohio State, which is why this season's recruiting campaign was looked at with concern as well as interest. It was vital for Ohio State to climb back into the top 10. Consider the first goal accomplished. With the recruiting season just concluded, the consensus opinion among the experts is that Ohio State had a top 10 season. Can the top 10 in the polls be far behind? Maybe yes, and maybe no. Ohio State has been a prime provider of National Football League talent for years. Last season, 31 former Buckeyes were on NFL rosters. Cooper uses that as a recruiting tool. He also knows that whatever talent he does get probably won't stick around for the full four-year term. The joke was that Ohio State never really rebuilt, it simply restocked and kept on trucking. But after last season, Cooper has been forced to rebuild. The Buckeyes signed 24 players. Half were from out of state, which is a concern to some people, although Cooper downplays that. "We were able to not only get most of the top football players from Ohio, but go outside the state and secure some very good football players," Cooper said. "The best thing about this class is we were able to get the numbers we needed at different positions." Cooper also felt he got the kind of football players he wanted. "There are certain kids out there that looked at the depth chart and wanted to play and there are kids out there who want to play for the national championship next year," he said. Consider running back Sam Maldonado, whom Cooper got out of New York, and linebacker Marco Cooper, whom he plucked out of Detroit, as two of those type of players. Cooper would have liked to have grabbed offensive lineman Michael Munoz, the son of former Cincinnati Bengal All Pro tackle Anthony Munoz, from Cincinnati's Moeller High School, but Munoz chose to go to Tennessee. A loss to be sure, but Cooper feels he has enough talent to get the Buckeyes back in the fast lane of the Big Ten quickly. Most people thought only Penn State really beat the Buckeyes in the recruiting wars this winter, and if that's the case, OSU should be just fine. Enough talent is back from last season. Enough talent is coming in, and Cooper knows how to mesh the two. And while winning the national championship is still a stretch, competing for the Big Ten title sounds reasonable. And if you can do that, you have a chance to do more. Maybe much more. INSIDE DISH Changes could be brewing in the SEC next season in terms of scheduling. The athletic directors are considering tinkering with the schedule of SEC opponents. Right now, each conference team plays five games against teams in its own division and three from the other division. Two from the other division are designated as "permanent" opponents, who are on the schedule each year, while one is a floating opponent. The athletic directors want to make only one team from the other division a "permanent" fixture, and make two floating, which they feel would increase exposure for all schools in the league against other conference opponents. Florida, for example, which is in the SEC East, has Auburn and LSU as its "permanent" opponents from the SEC West. Under the new structure, only LSU would be a "permanent" opponent. The idea makes sense because it freshens the rivalries of conference schools. . . . Long-time fans of Pittsburgh football, who had hoped against hope that somehow a way would be found to preserve Pitt Stadium, can now give up the hope. Demolition of the stadium is well under way. The Panthers will play next season at Three Rivers Stadium before moving into a new stadium that will be their permanent home as well as that of the Steelers. . . . Stanford is having quite a year. Not only is the Cardinal the current No. 1 team in basketball, but the football team made its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1971 last season, and recruiting has gone well, with Stanford signing 14 players who are listed in the Top 100 of high school recruits.

Texas is continuing to get some great recruits. They should be awesome next year with this years recruiting class.

According to reports I have seen, Texas has the best recruiting class of the 2000-2001 college football season. Penn State is gonna lose some really good seniors and would-be seniors to the NFL draft...sigh...

Can you provide more details, specifics? Please.

Havta dig it out of my email stuff or wherever I stashed it. Will post tomorrow ASAP... You are keeping most of your starters who arw pivotal anyway - Texas should RULE the Big 12 this year!!!

Cool. I'll look forward to reading that tomorrow.

Spring Practice begins Monday. Chris Simms will be starting at QB. It is his job to lose, according to 'Horns head coach Mack Brown. Hook'em In for the long haul By Suzanne Halliburton American-Statesman Staff Posted: Feb. 2, 2000 The first sign that Texas football coach Mack Brown would put together another star-studded recruiting class came on a balmy June afternoon last summer. That's when a high school quarterback, who was such a die-hard fan of Texas A&M that he kept an Aggies screensaver on his computer, made a fact-finding trip to Austin to check out the Longhorns football camp. Chance Mock, the top-rated quarterback in the state and one of the best in the country, told friends before he drove to Austin that Texas would have to ''wow'' him to change his mind about the Aggies, his lifelong favorite college football team. After he returned to his home in The Woodlands, Mock's family sent out a brief press release saying that the quarterback would sign with the Longhorns. Mock was so wowed by Brown and his staff that he took two trips to Austin during the official recruiting process in December and January. One was an official trip, paid for by the UT athletic department. He paid for the other, which he took two weeks ago, so he could mix with the prospects and entice any of the undecided the Longhorns' way. On Wednesday, Mock was one of 23 high school seniors who signed binding national letters of intent with the Longhorns. UT coaches were holding a scholarship open for Las Vegas defensive lineman Lynn McGruder, who initially had committed to Tennessee but changed his mind at the last minute. McGruder, formerly of Palestine, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Experts rated UT's class as tops in the Big 12 Conference and among the elite in the country. Even Aggies Coach R.C. Slocum, who lost several top-name recruits, including Mock, to Texas, was complimentary of the Longhorns. ``I can't believe how well (Texas) has done,'' Slocum said. ``It looks to me like they just had a tremendous year. Last year they supposedly had the top recruiting class in the nation, and this is supposed to be a top-five class. Anytime a Texas team has that kind of talent, it presents you with a problem." He wasn't the only one praising Brown's class which, star-wise, falls just short of last year's group, which was the consensus choice as tops in the country. Anthony Gimino, college football editor of CBS sportsline.com, said: ``This we do know: Texas indisputably had the No. 1 class in the nation last year, and there's everything to like about the 2000 Longhorns freshmen, whether the group finishes first or second . . . or anywhere else.'' Brown said, ``As we look at this class, we feel like this class has the makings of being as good as last year's class but it will take us a year or so to really determine. We feel like even though we will have to wait and see on this class, everything that we were looking for coming into this recruiting class, to some extent we were able to bring home today.'' Brown said Texas brought in 30 recruits on official visits. It offered 27 of them scholarships, and 23 accepted. McGruder would be the 24th. What about this class looks so good, at least on paper? � It includes 13 members of the Austin American-Statesman's Fabulous 55. Of the 13, six were members of the top 10, including three of the top four in wide receivers B.J. Johnson (No. 1); Roy Williams (No. 2) and Sloan Thomas (No. 4). The other top 10 members were Lanier defensive lineman Sonny Davis (No. 7) tight end Brock Edwards (No. 8) and Mock (No. 9). � Four of the signees -- Johnson, Mock, Davis and running back Sneezy Beltran -- made the prestigious Parade magazine All-America team. � Six of the prospects were included in SuperPrep's list of the top 50 prospects in the country, while seven earned spots on Rivals100 national 100 rankings. Nine of the prospects were included in some publication's national 100 list. � Six of the group earned All-America honors from USA Today. Last year's group had four Parade and 10 USA Today All-Americans and 16 members of the Fab 55, including 10 members of the top 20. ``It won't be the top class in the country, but it's definitely comparable to last year's,'' said Bobby Burton, editor of Rivals100.com. Burton ranked Texas fifth nationally. His top 10, subject to change pending late signees, was Florida, Tennessee, Penn State, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Florida State, Michigan State, Nebraska and Arizona State. Allen Wallace, editor of SuperPrep, ranked the Longhorns second to Florida. Rounding out spots three through 10th were Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio State, Southern California, Miami and Michigan State. Brown's third group of signees is heavy on receiving talent with Johnson, Williams and Thomas. In addition, Texarkana's Nathan Vasher and Tony Jeffery of Klein Forest likely will be tried at receiver and defensive back. The class also is loaded with defensive line talent with Davis, Texas City's Marcel Moses (No. 23 on the Fab 55) and Dallas St. Mark's Kalen Thornton (No. 31). Stevie Lee, a defensive lineman from Shreveport, La., already is enrolled at Texas. Lee was considered the top defensive prospect in his home state and was a consensus national 100 selection. Brown said he thinks recruiting rankings probably are an accurate prediction of things to come. "Unless we win the recruiting wars, we don't win on the field,'' Brown said. ``I've tried it both ways. I tried it with bad players, and I've tried it with good players. I've found out you win a lot more games with good players.'' http://www.austin360.com/sports/hookem/stories/2000/02/03texas.html

Look at your schedule for this year. Note your first game. We're gonna get killed! You can bet John and I will be watching! 09/02 at Hawaii 09/09 La.-Lafayette 09/16 at Stanford 09/23 Houston 09/30 OSU 10/07 vs. OU 10/14 at Colorado 10/21 Missouri 10/28 Baylor 11/04 at Texas Tech 11/11 at Kansas 11/24 Texas A&M

That top game on your 'Horns schedule might be a no-show: From The Sporting News UTex keepin' one eye on the Benjamins by Caught on the Fly Aloha means adios: UTex wants no part o' paradise and will chuck its game next season vs. Hawaii. Why? Fly's spies say Big 'Horns've decided there's no pot-o-gold at Rainbows' end. Savin' coin rather than makin' chump change is plenty o' motivation for stayin' home. Why pay 350 G's to make this date and get half that from the gate? .

Texas makes it official Its decision not to play continues a troubling trend for UH football There are a lot of different issues, and we have had serious conversations about all of them. The bottom line is, we have to do what is in the best interest of our football program." Under the terms of the contract, if Hawaii does not find "an opponent of similar stature" to replace the game, Texas will pay UH $100,000 for opting out. "I'm sorry this didn't work out, and for any inconvenience it causes Hawaii and our fans who had looked forward to the trip," said Dodds. "We enjoyed playing in Hawaii in 1995. "There were just too many factors working against this trip for it to happen." "The game was on the schedule when I came here, and we had looked forward to the trip and competing against Hawaii,'' Brown said. "This isn't a personal issue between coaches, or an issue between two teams. It is simply a matter of what's best in the long term for our athletics department and our football program.'' What's best for Hawaii is to find a replacement and fast. Alabama-Birmingham is a possibility. UH has open dates on Sept. 2, Sept. 16 and Dec. 2. WAC associate commissioner Jeff Hurd said Yoshida had the backing of the league's athletic directors, who discussed the situation at yesterday's meetings. Brown is scheduled to coach in the 2001 Hula Bowl in Maui. Bowl Games Hawaii officials said last night the decision will be left up to the American Football Coaches Association - which selects the players and the coaches - as to whether it is appropriate for Brown to take part in next January's game.

oops !

Longhorns dreaming of national titles again by Mark Blaudschun Texas football. Remember when that used to mean something? When the Longhorns were a fixture in the Top 10, or, at the very worst, Top 20? Remember when Texas-Oklahoma had as much pop as Florida State-Florida, Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-Ohio State or any other rivalry you could name? Folks, those times are coming back, sooner rather than later. All you have to do is walk around Austin, Texas these days and you can feel it. People can't wait for the fall. Spring football is once again a coming out party for the Longhorns, who expect, dare we say it, to contend for the . . . national championship. Talk to coach Mack Brown, who has put together two teaser seasons of nine wins. Check out the spring drills where Chris Simms, still in only the spring of his freshman year, is dazzling people through the early drills. Why, the lefthander from Jersey completed 16 straight passes the other day in a controlled scrimmage. Check out a lineup, which returns nine offensive starters and eight defensive starters. Look at that schedule, even without Hawaii, and other teams you don't see on it -- Nebraska and Kansas State, strike you. You see a home game against Texas A&M. Look at the recruiting grades of the past two seasons. No. 1 a year ago with a class that produced four Parade and 10 USA Today All Americans. And a class this year that is ranked in the top five. Listen to A&M coach R.C. Slocum, who sort of had things his own way for almost a decade as Texas searched for its past glory. "I can't believe how well Texas has done," said Slocum, looking at the latest recruiting class which includes such potential future stars as wide receivers B.J. Johnson and Roy Williams, quarterback Chance Monk and defensive end Marcel Moses. It all seems to fit. Oh, there is still some potential season-ruining pot holes out there. Nebraska, which has designs on winning a national championship, will probably be around when the Big 12 title game arrives next December. And if not the Huskers, then Kansas State shows no signs of losing much of its luster of the past few years. And Brown could have a potential quarterback controversy if and when Major Applewhite fully recovers from the knee injury he suffered in the Cotton Bowl which has sidelined him through the spring drills. But look at Mack Brown's track record. In 10 years at North Carolina, he upgraded facilities and really upgraded the football program to Top 20 status. But Brown was harnessed at North Carolina. Say what you want, but no matter what Brown did, Carolina was still a basketball school. Say what you will about the recent success of the Texas basketball program under Rick Barnes, but Texas is, after all is said and done, a football school. Always was, always will be. Sure, the slump is now close to two decades and Texas has gone through coaches like David McWilliams and John Mackovic trying to find a formula that brought out the "Hook 'Em Horns" pride, Texas had under Darrell Royal and for awhile, Fred Akers. But Brown seems to be the right fit. He knows how to talk corporate for the high rollers in Dallas and Houston. He knows how to talk Texan for the good old boys out in places like Odessa and Victoria. It's still early. So much can happen. And you have to be lucky as well as good to go through even an easy schedule unbeaten. But if you walk around Austin these days, you get the feeling that it is not only possible, but probable. INSIDE DISH People at Tennessee are breathing easier since an NCAA inquiry into possible academic fraud in the football program has been ended without any significant findings. The report which surfaced last fall was just one of the distractions which seem to be par for the course for a team which has won the national championship the year before. . . . Give credit to South Carolina coach Lou Holtz. His team is in the middle of a record 21-game losing streak, but the former Notre Dame coach is still working on new schemes and still has maintained his sense of humor. Holtz's latest scheme is a spread offense, which would disguise some of the weaknesses in his offensive line. After going 0-11 last season, Holtz is willing to try anything as long as it works. "I'll be honest," said Holtz. "We should have forfeited some gems. But we wouldn't have got the gate receipts." As to the spread offense, Holtz again has maintained his sense of humor. "We're committed to this at least until the second game," he said. . . . The operative word at Nebraska is defense. The Huskers have only five defensive starters returning from last season's 12-1 club, which crushed Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl. That unit held opponents to 252 yards and 12.5 points per game. Said Huskers coach Frank Solich when asked about his plans for the spring, "I don't want to look too far down the road. We'll have time as we get into summer and the early part of next fall when we're setting our goals to determine exactly what all we want to get accomplished.". . . . The NCAA has come down on Georgia Southern for its unruly fan behavior during two home playoff games last December. Fan behavior during playoff victories over Massachusetts and Illinois State were deemed unacceptable by the NCAA, which could deny Georgia Southern, which won the Division I-AA national championship last season, any home playoff games in the future. You can also find this article at: http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/mark_blaudschun/20000326.html

http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/mark_blaudschun/20000402.html Big East football beginning to thrive by Mark Blaudschun A year ago it was all gloom and doom talk. Miami was being courted by the Atlantic Coast Conference. A television contract was in limbo. Ratings were down. People, even within the confines of the league offices in Providence, Rhode Island, wondered about the future of Big East football. Fast forward the time line to this spring. Look at what the landscape reveals. Virginia Tech came within a quarter of going unbeaten and winning the national championship. Quarterback Michael Vick should be the front runner to win the Heisman Trophy next season. Miami, after rejecting any overtures from the ACC, reaffirmed its desire to stay within the confines of the Big East, which, it should be pointed out, was the league that gave Miami a home in the first place when the Hurricanes were looking to end their status as an independent. The 'Canes, thanks to steady recruiting efforts have climbed back into the national picture as a top-20, maybe even top-10 team. Television? Consider some of these numbers. The conference announced a new contract with ABC and ESPN that will pay the conference and its members $105 million during the next seven years. Folks, the Big East is alive and very much healthy. No, we're not talking about the SEC, where having a top-5 team is taken for granted, or the Big Ten, where the overall quality of the competition during the season produces five, six or sometimes even seven high quality post season teams. Nor are we talking about the Big 12, where a team like Nebraska, and lately Kansas State, can flex its muscles and be a player in the national championship race. Big East football is what it is. The top half of the league -- Virginia Tech, Miami, Syracuse and lately, Boston College -- plays some pretty competitive, quality football. Virginia Tech has moved into a new role as Beast of the East, but Miami is definitely showing signs of life and who knows which Syracuse team will show up on any given Saturday. But remember this. The Big East has eight teams. It has four bowl commitments and is looking for a fifth spot, maybe in Hawaii. That's a pretty good ratio, generally meaning that if you qualify with six wins, you go to a bowl game. Much was written about the BCS putting in a "Big East" rule which stated that the conference champion would have to maintain a certain poll ranking each year for four consecutive years or it could lose its automatic berth. Those days appear to be over. The Big East has spots in the BCS, in the Gator Bowl, in the Insight.Com Bowl and in the Music Bowl and just signed a deal for a fifth team at one of the bowls in Hawaii against a Pac-10 team. The television deal makes sense because it puts the best of the Big East under one umbrella. "I think it's good for all of us," said Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo. "It give ESPN and ABC the best games and it brings a steady stream of income into our schools." Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese says he thinks the crisis has passed. "I think Big East football is in the best shape its ever been," said Tranghese, who has had to guide the league through the growing pains of its first few years and the crisis involving Miami. "The gloom days of the past three years are over and I think the perception nationally of us has changed for the better." Miami, of course, is one of the keys. The Hurricanes are still the main marquee team in the conference, although Virginia Tech has made tremendous strides. "Every league needs at one and probably two teams that are very good every year," said Tranghese. "For us, Miami is vital and Virginia Tech's success in the past couple of years gives us two strong anchors." We're not suggesting that the Big East is going to rule college football. But it's also a year removed from when obituaries were being prepared. Big East football is doing just fine, thank you.

http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/mark_blaudschun/20000330.html No end in sight for Bowden, Paterno by Mark Blaudschun They are dinosaurs, of course. Their time has passed and we will not see their likes again. And that is a shame, because it is a show that is worth watching and watching and watching. We're talking about Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, the Lion in Winter and the Good Ole Boy in Tallahassee, Fla. who are still working with the same enthusiasm they did 30 years ago. Both are septuagenarians now. Bowden is 70, Paterno will be 74 at the end of the next college football season. Yet both show no signs of slowing down. Bowden just celebrated his first unbeaten season and his second national championship in January with a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. And here's the fun part. Both are in a race to see how many games they can win before it is finally time to retire. Right now, Paterno leads with 307 victories. He also has a pair of national championships. Bowden is right behind at 304. Both men say they will coach until . . . who knows. Bowden just signed a contract extension that caries through 2003, but that is only a number. As long as Bobby is feeling fine, he's going to keep coaching. "After you retire, there's only really big event left and I'm not quite ready for that," said Bowden. Paterno has a similar long term pact that will take him through the next six years, which means that he will be coaching when he's 80 when its up. Don't bet against it. Take a look at Joe and the black hair, which shows only the slightest hint of aging. Listen to the words. He likes what he does. And he does it well. That is not to say they don't need new challenges. When you reach the status of Paterno and Bowden, success is measured in degrees. Paterno's latest challenge is in rebuilding his staff, which started when long-time assistant Jerry Sandusky retired at the end of last season. He has two new "coordinators" in Tom Bradley and Fran Ganter. Of course, they are not called coordinators in Joe Pa's system. Assistant head coaches and lots of people think that Ganter is the heir apparent. "People read too much into Fran being my successor," said Paterno. "I think that would be a mistake (to make such an assumption). Certainly, Fran would be a strong candidate." Of course, anyone who follows Paterno is going to have a tough time in meeting expectations. The same goes for Bowden. Bowden had to deal with more controversy a year ago than a man of 70 would like, most if it involving wide receiver Peter Warrick's discount shopping episode. Yet, he rolls on. He's having fun. Each year his battery gets run down a little and each spring he recharges himself. He's finishing up spring drills now with a team that should again compete for the national championship. He'll tee it up for real in August when Florida State hosts Brigham Young in the Pigskin Classic. Paterno will follow suit with a Kickoff Classic appearance against Southern California. And that's the way it should be. In the first season of the new century, college football should showcase its gems. People like Bowden, Paterno and BYU's Lavell Edwards, another lion in winter. In this era of instant gratification when permanency is measured sometimes in months, the Patterns and the Bowdens of the world are indeed a rarity. They will be gone all too soon. Enjoy them -- appreciate them -- while you can. INSIDE DISH Another Division 1A school in Texas? Could happen. The Texas State University System Board of Regents recently voted to allow Southwest Texas State to pursue the move from 1-AA to 1A. Of course, it's not as simple as that. First of all, the Bobcats have not even been a 1AA power in recent years. Last season's 3-8 record marked the 13th time in 16 seasons, Southwest Texas has been under .500. Yet it's Texas and the talent is there. The question, like most schools wanting to make the jump to 1A is what league will they join. Other than Notre Dame, no one can really survive as a 1A independent and even the Irish are having a tough time of late. But then again, maybe the rising Sunbelt Conference would want a nice Texas anchor. . . . Bowden and Florida State recently visited the White House as one of the perks of winning the national championship. Naturally, Bowden was in rare form in his talks with President Clinton. "The reason we are here, Mr. President is that we simply had a better year than you did. We won all 12 of our battles. You didn't quite win all of yours."

Well Texas should have an interesting year with it's opener against Hi..., er, oops.

Got that right. Who was considered a worthy season opener for the 'horns? I think LSU finally agreed to bask in Hawaii for the opener here.

Playing Hawaii must be scary stuff, for the Horns to back out so suddenly, what terrors are you unleashing over there?

Nuthin that I know about...I'll ask John and see what sort of inside information he has as to why...

From John Burnett,who knows of what he speaks: Here is my admittedly pro-Hawaii biased view of it, Terry. Texas is going to likely be a pre-season Top-Five pick next year. This game was scheduled several years ago, when Hawaii was still in the "down cycle" and UT, while still an excellent program, did not have the national championship prospects or aspirations that they do now. The official line from the Texas athletic department, as I'm sure you've heard, is "budgetary considerations." I consider the validity of that statement highly unlikely, because with whatever guarantee they would get for travelling here, it is highly unlikely they would lose the $100,000 they must contractually pay UH (Hawaii, not Houston) for pulling out of the game. A more plausible scenario is that the interest alone on the main UT football endowment account is larger than the entire yearly budget of Hawaii athletics. The real reason as I see it is: there is nothing for Texas to gain from winning this game, and everything to lose from losing. And this IS a game they could lose. Three or four years ago, the thought that Hawaii could beat Texas--even at home--was virtually unthinkable. Texas would and should, be the favorite, perhaps by as many as 14 points. But who would have thought that the new coach, former NFL quarterback June Jones, who was hired quite late in the 1998-99 school year, would take an 0-12 team and bring them to 9-4 with a bowl victory over a legitimate Pac 10 school? He didn't have a recruiting year. Jones' wizardry was basically done with the same athletes former Coach Fred vonAppen recruited--which shows me he recruited good players--but they were given a more positive environment and attitude. Jones tried to challenge Coach Mack Brown's manhood, to no avail. He said that Brown couldn't be a Texan because he'd never known of a Texan to run away from a fight. (Not true, of course, Brown is from Cookeville Texas, although he may have diluted that Texas bloodline by playing at Florida St. and getting his Masters at Mississippi St.) Hawaii will probably be unranked going into the season, but will no doubt get some votes. I'm certain that a win over them would be absolutely expected and anything less than a decisive victory could hurt UT's rankings. Make no mistake. Our guys, while not perennial ranked powers like yours, or Marcia's Nittany Lions, are dangerous and comport themselves as winners. That has to be of concern to anyone who plays them, especially here on their home turf.

http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/mark_blaudschun/20000426.html NCCA bowl games are out of hand by Mark Blaudschun The announcement was made with a minimum of fanfare last week. The NCAA certified two more bowl games for the 2000-2001 season. Joining the fray next winter will be the galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston and the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California. Isn't that nice. Now we have 25 bowl games, meaning 50 teams will extend their I-A season for one more game. Guess what folks? there aren't 50 teams bowl worthy. There weren't 46 teams last season. And next year we will be adding another bowl in New Orleans to make it 52. Why stop now? Let's add five or 10 more. Let's get the number up to an even 50, making 100 of Division I-A's 114 teams will be playing in bowl games. Let's make the criteria that if you win at least one game a month during September, October and November, you can play in a bowl game. After all, if some team goes 3-8, it really could be a competitive 3-8 and someone will want to sponsor a bowl game and match up the Pac-10 No. 9 team vs. the Big 12 No. 8 team. When is this nonsense going to stop? The cry against a playoff system is that it would harm the bowl system, which has been so good for college football. Harm the bowl system? How can you hurt something that's already dead? Oh, sure, we expect to hear from schools and bowls saying what a great experience it was for their kids to play a December game in some place like Boise or Pontiac. And the local organizers who put on these games do mean well and try and make the whole experience entertaining. But the law of supply and demand is going to kick in here some time folks. Let's go over this one more time. There aren't enough good teams out there to fill all these bowl slots. There aren't enough average teams. Whatever happened to the philosophy that a bowl was a reward for a good season? We're not talking about a BCS type of season with one or two losses and when a team is contending for the national championship. We're talking about teams that barely win half of their games. "We reviewed the 1999-2000 bowl operations, and we're confident the current bowl system structure will work well for years to come," said John Kasser, chair of the NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee as well as the athletics director at the University of California-Berkeley. Excuse me? What Kasser did not say was that the committee was petrified that a rejection of any of these bowl-wannabes would result in litigation. "We're a litigious society," said Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese. "Are there too many bowl games? Yes. But there's not a whole lot we can do at this time in terms of certification. If bowls meet the criteria, they're going to get certified." Maybe it's time to change the requirements. Maybe it's time to raise the bar, instead of lowering the bar, by making teams win a minimum of seven games to become bowl eligible. That won't happen, of course, because the commissioner's know their members won't stand for it. So let's have eight of the 11 Big Ten teams play in bowl games next year. Let's have nine of 12 SEC teams play in games. Let's put in a rule that says two-thirds of the teams of each major conference can play in bowl games, no matter what. So what if a team like Ohio State has had an off year and is 6-6. It's Ohio State. Television will love it. And everyone knows when the regular season ends, everyone is 0-0. So what if nobody watches on television or there are thousands of empty seats in the stadium and the game has absolutely no meaning. It's the Bowl System. It's good for college football. Why would we want a playoff, whose payoff could dwarf the entire bowl system? Why would we want to crown a regular season national champion on the field instead of in some computer driven polls? What it is is malodorous and the stench is spreading. INSIDE DISH The decision to end the "doubleheader" of bowl games in Hawaii on Christmas Day was a sound one. While the two-year experiment to play the Oahau Bowl and the Aloha Bowl on the same day might have sounded as a nice way to boost attendance on bowl day in Honolulu it didn't work. The crowds weren't there and it was unfair to the teams involved. But the compromise isn't a whole lot better. The Aloha Bowl will be played on Christmas Eve (8:30 in the East) and the Ohau Bowl will be played on Christmas afternoon. For better or worse, the Christamas afternoon slot works. People are used to seeing in on their holiday slate. But playing a bowl game on Christmas Eve afternoon makes no sense. Commercialism has taken over the world, and Christmas and now Christmas Eve is no longer sacred. . . . Michigan played in the Orange Bowl, beat Alabama on New Year's night, was paid $1.4 million and lost money? Here's part of the reason. The Wolverines spent $350,000 to charter jets to take their traveling party and fans down and back and spent $600,000 on lodging. One of the reasons Tom Goss is the ex-athletic director at Michigan.

Clemson Lineman Dies of Heart Attack Clemson, SC (Sports Network) - Clemson reserve lineman Brandon Rouse died of a heart attack Saturday night. He was 20 years old. Rouse was at a movie theater when he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia, according to Pickens County Deputy Coroner Phillip A. Snow. He was taken to Oconee Memorial Hospital but could not be revived. Rouse, 6-foot-3, 275-pounds, took part in spring drills for the Tigers and played in the spring game on April 15. He was a redshirt sophomore and had not played for the Tigers in a regular-season game.

That loud thud was Penn State falling off the College Football Polls USA TODAY/ESPN TOP 25 COACH'S POLL 1. Nebraska (0-0) 2. Florida St (1-0) 3. Alabama (0-0) 4. Michigan (0-0) 5. Wisconsin (0-0) 6. Miami Fla (0-0) 7. Florida (0-0) 8. Texas (0-0) 9. Kansas St (1-0) 10. Virginia Tech (0-0) 11. Georgia (0-0) 12. Tennessee (0-0) 13. USC (1-0) 14. Purdue (0-0) 15. Washington (0-0) 16. Ohio St (0-0) 17. Mississippi (0-0) 18. Clemson (0-0) 19. Oklahoma (0-0) 20. Illinois (0-0) 21. TCU (0-0) 22. Michigan St (0-0) 23. Texas A&M (0-0) 24. So Mississippi (0-0) 25. Colorado (0-0) ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 1. Nebraska (0-0) 2. Florida St. (1-0) 3. Alabama (0-0) 4. Wisconsin (0-0) 5. Miami Fla (0-0) 6. Michigan (0-0) 7. Texas (0-0) 8. Kansas St (1-0) 9. Florida (0-0) 10. Georgia (0-0) 11. Virginia Tech (0-0) 12. USC (1-0) 13. Tennessee (0-0) 14. Washington (0-0) 15. Purdue (0-0) 16. Ohio St (0-0) 17. Clemson (0-0) 18. Mississippi (0-0) 19. Oklahoma (0-0) 20. TCU (0-0) 21. Illinois (0-0) 22. So Mississippi (0-0) 23. Colorado (0-0) 24. Michigan St (0-0) 25. Texas A&M (0-0)

Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2000 - College Football Polls USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll 1. Nebraska 1-0 2. Florida St 1-0 3. Michigan 1-0 4. Miami Fla 1-0 5. Florida 1-0 6. Wisconsin 1-0 7. Kansas St 2-0 8. Texas 0-0 9. Virginia Tech 1-0 10. Georgia 1-0 11. Tennessee 1-0 12. USC 1-0 13. Purdue 1-0 14. Alabama 0-1 15. Washington 1-0 16. Ohio St 1-0 17. UCLA 1-0 18. Mississippi 1-0 19. Clemson 1-0 20. Oklahoma 1-0 21. Illinois 1-0 22. TCU 0-0 23. Michigan St 0-0 24. So Miss. 0-1 25. Notre Dame 1-0 Associated Press Top 25 College Poll 1. Nebraska 1-0 2. Florida St 1-0 3. Michigan 1-0 4. Miami Fla 1-0 5. Wisconsin 1-0 6. Texas 0-0 7. Kansas St 2-0 8. Florida 1-0 9. Georgia 1-0 10. VA Tech 1-0 11. USC 1-0 12. Tennessee 1-0 13. Alabama 0-1 14. Purdue 1-0 15. Washington 1-0 16. UCLA 1-0 17. Clemson 1-0 18. Ohio St 1-0 19. Mississippi 1-0 20. Oklahoma 1-0 21. Illinois 1-0 22. TCU 0-0 23. Notre Dame 1-0 24. Michigan St 0-0 25. So Miss. 0-1

I think I shall change my login name for this conference... USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll 1. Nebraska (2-0) 2. Florida St (3-0) 3. Florida (3-0) 4. Virginia Tech (3-0) 5. Kansas St (3-0) 6. Wisconsin (3-0) 7. Washington (3-0) 8. UCLA (3-0) 9. USC (2-0) 10. Michigan (2-1) 11. Clemson (3-0) 12. Ohio St (3-0) 13. Tennessee (1-1) 14. Miami Fla (1-1) 15. Texas (1-1) 16. Oklahoma (2-0) 17. Illinois (3-0) 18. Notre Dame (2-1) 19. TCU (2-0) 20. Michigan St (2-0) 21. Purdue (2-1) 22. Auburn (3-0) 23. So Mississippi (1-1) 24. Georgia (1-1) 25. Mississippi St (2-0) Associated Press Top 25 Poll 1. Nebraska (2-0) 2. Florida St (3-0) 3. Florida (3-0) 4. Kansas St (3-0) 5. Virginia Tech (3-0) 6. UCLA (3-0) 7. Wisconsin (3-0) 8. Washington (3-0) 9. USC (2-0) 10. Michigan (2-1) 11. Clemson (3-0) 12. Miami Fla (1-1) 13. Tennessee (1-1) 14. Ohio St (3-0) 15. Texas (1-1) 16. Notre Dame (2-1) 17. Oklahoma (2-0) 18. TCU (2-0) 19. Illinois (3-0) 20. Auburn (3-0) 21. Purdue (2-1) 22. So Mississippi (1-1) 23. Michigan St (2-0) 24. Georgia (1-1) 25. Mississippi St (2-0)

No one I know made the lists: Associated Press Top 25 1. Nebraska (6-0) 2. Virginia Tech(6-0) 3. Oklahoma(6-0) 4. Miami Fla (4-1) 5. Clemson (7-0) 6. Florida St (6-1) 7. Oregon (5-1) 8. Florida (6-1) 9. Washington (5-1) 10. Kansas St (6-1) 11. TCU (5-0) 12. Georgia (5-1) 13. Mississippi St (4-1) 14. Ohio St (5-1) 15. So Mississippi (5-1) 16. Michigan (5-2) 17. Purdue (5-2) 18. South Carolina (6-1) 19. Oregon St (5-1) 20. Notre Dame (4-2) 21. Arizona (5-1) 22. Minnesota (5-2) 23. UCLA (4-2) 24. No Carolina St (5-1) 25. Northwestern (5-2) USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll 1. Nebraska 6-0 2. Virginia Tech 6-0 3. Clemson 7-0 4. Oklahoma 6-0 5. Miami (Fla.) 4-1 6. Florida State 6-1 7. Florida 6-1 8. Kansas State 6-1 9. Washington 5-1 10. Texas Christian 5-0 11. Oregon 5-1 12. Georgia 5-1 13. Ohio State 5-1 14. Mississippi State 4-1 15. Southern Mississippi 5-1 16. Michigan 5-2 17. Purdue 5-2 18. Oregon State 5-1 19. South Carolina 6-1 20. Arizona 5-1 21. Texas 4-2 22. Notre Dame 4-2 23. Minnesota 5-2 24. UCLA 4-2 25. North Carolina State 5-1

Wow, Texas 21 in USA Today but not even in the top 25 in the AP, well at least Oklahoma has shot up after their blowout of the Horns.

This is definitely a bad year for college football in the traditional Spring sense of the word. Even my Florida State grad friends are grumbling...! Wait'll next year...

How's Hawaii faring?

Hawaii is faring worse, if that is possible, than Penn State. Hawaii won their first game last week and are 1 - 7 in the WAC. I asked John about what was their problem. He suggested they believed their own press clippings and were not driven to succeed as they were last year. I cannot figure why such an expemsive coach does not motivate better. ost of the time, they guys are just not playing. The drop passes which I could hold onto... Their minds seem not on the game!

...and my fingers are not on all keys, apparently. Sorry about that... There are many who are unhappy with the former Rainbows name change to Warriors and the green and white school color being changed to black!!! Even the tickets are black. A lot of empty seats this year, too...

PENN STATE 39 ILLINOIS 25

Sorry...there has been so little to cheer about this year...

* Rice cooks Warriors, 38-13 * * The Owls took an early lead and maintained control * HOUSTON -- It wasn't the kind of record University of Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang ever imagined setting. But his five interceptions resulted in Rice University securing a 38-13 victory today in a Western Athletic Conference game at Rice Stadium.... Full story at http://starbulletin.com/database/breaking/ -- *sigh*

Associated Press Top 25 1. Nebraska(7-0) 2. Virginia Tech (7-0) 3. Oklahoma (6-0) 4. Miami Fla (5-1) 5. Clemson (8-0) 6. Florida St (7-1) 7. Oregon (6-1) 8. Florida (6-1) 9. Washington (6-1) 10. Kansas St (7-1) 11. TCU (6-0) 12. Ohio St (6-1) 13. Georgia (6-1) 14. So Mississippi (5-1) 15. Michigan (6-2) 16. Purdue (6-2) 17. South Carolina (7-1) 18. Oregon St (6-1) 19. Notre Dame (5-2) 20. Mississippi St (4-2) 21. No Carolina St (5-1) 22. Texas (5-2) 23. Northwestern (5-2) 24. Arizona (5-2) 25. Auburn (6-2) USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll 1. Nebraska 7-0 2. Virginia Tech 7-0 3. Oklahoma 6-0 4. Clemson 8-0 5. Miami (Fla.) 5-1 6. Florida State 7-1 7. Florida 6-1 8. Kansas State 7-1 9. Washington 6-1 10. Oregon 6-1 11. Texas Christian 6-0 12. Georgia 6-1 13. Ohio State 6-1 14. Southern Mississippi 5-1 15. Michigan 6-2 16. Purdue 6-2 17. Oregon State 6-1 18. South Carolina 7-1 19. Notre Dame 5-2 20. Texas 5-2 21. Mississippi State 4-2 22. North Carolina State 5-1 23. Arizona 5-2 24. Colorado State 6-1 25. Auburn 6-2

WHAT'S A NITTANY LION? Penn State's athletic symbol, chosen by the student body in 1906, is the mountain lion which once roamed central Pennsylvania. H.D. "Joe" Mason, a member of the Class of 1907, conducted a one-man campaign to choose a school mascot after seeing the Princeton tiger on a trip with the Penn State baseball team to that New Jersey campus. A student publication sponsored the campaign to select a mascot and Penn State is believed to be the first college to adopt the lion as a mascot. Since Penn State is located in the Nittany Valley at the foot of Mount Nittany, the lion was designated as a Nittany Lion. In regional folklore, Nittany (or Nita-Nee) was a valorous Indian princess in whose honor the Great Spirit caused Mount Nittany to be formed. A later namesake, daughter of chief O-Ko-Cho, who lived near the mouth of Penn's Creek, fell in love with Malachi Boyer, a trader. The tearful maiden and her lost lover became legend and her name was given to the stately mountain. Blue and White Penn State's student-athletes are instantly identified by their blue and white uniforms - but those weren't the original school colors. A three-member committee representing the sophomore, junior and senior classes was appointed in October of 1887 to develop color options from which the student body would select the school's official colors. Dark pink and black was the unanimous choice of the student body after considering the color combinations presented by the committee. Soon many students and the baseball team were sporting pink and black striped blazers and caps. However, problems arose when the pink faded to white after several weeks of exposure to the sun. The students then opted for blue, rather than black, and white. The official announcement of the new choice was made on March 18, 1890.

Fight Fight Fight for the Blue and White... What on earth do you cheer about using Dark Pink and black? ASttack Attack Attack??? It just does not have the same ring to it!

Wow, Texas slipped back in on their Mizzou trouncing, the second not televised game in a row. We have to settle for post game highlight shows around here these days. Maybe this will get them back on the tv radar screen.

We got the Texas Tech game here on a religions tv station, but that is it. We usually get west coast teams games unless there is a really big game on in which case all of the network affiliates carry it. Frustrating! The Aggies seem to be doing ok this year...

Bowl Championship Series Rankings 1. Nebraska 2. Oklahoma 3. Virginia Tech 4. Miami (Fla.) 5. Florida State 6. Florida 7. Clemson 8. Oregon 9. Washington 10. Kansas State 11. Ohio State 12. Georgia 13. TCU 14. Southern Mississippi 15. Purdue Associated Press Top 25 1. Nebraska(7-0) 2. Virginia Tech (7-0) 3. Oklahoma (6-0) 4. Miami Fla (5-1) 5. Clemson (8-0) 6. Florida St (7-1) 7. Oregon (6-1) 8. Florida (6-1) 9. Washington (6-1) 10. Kansas St (7-1) 11. TCU (6-0) 12. Ohio St (6-1) 13. Georgia (6-1) 14. So Mississippi (5-1) 15. Michigan (6-2) 16. Purdue (6-2) 17. South Carolina (7-1) 18. Oregon St (6-1) 19. Notre Dame (5-2) 20. Mississippi St (4-2) 21. No Carolina St (5-1) 22. Texas (5-2) 23. Northwestern (5-2) 24. Arizona (5-2) 25. Auburn (6-2) USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll 1. Nebraska 7-0 2. Virginia Tech 7-0 3. Oklahoma 6-0 4. Clemson 8-0 5. Miami (Fla.) 5-1 6. Florida State 7-1 7. Florida 6-1 8. Kansas State 7-1 9. Washington 6-1 10. Oregon 6-1 11. Texas Christian 6-0 12. Georgia 6-1 13. Ohio State 6-1 14. Southern Mississippi 5-1 15. Michigan 6-2 16. Purdue 6-2 17. Oregon State 6-1 18. South Carolina 7-1 19. Notre Dame 5-2 20. Texas 5-2 21. Mississippi State 4-2 22. North Carolina State 5-1 23. Arizona 5-2 24. Colorado State 6-1 25. Auburn 6-2

Texas 22 and 20. Not bad.

I'd be happpy with that... *sigh* Wait'll next year...!

Associated Press Top 25 1. Oklahoma (7-0) 2. Virginia Tech (8-0) 3. Miami Fla (6-1) 4. Florida St (8-1) 5. Nebraska (7-1) 6. Florida (7-1) 7. Oregon (7-1) 8. Washington (7-1) 9. TCU (7-0) 10. Clemson (8-1) 11. Purdue (7-2) 12. Michigan (6-2) 13. So Mississippi (6-1) 14. Oregon St (7-1) 15. Notre Dame (6-2) 16. Ohio St (6-2) 17. Georgia (6-2) 18. Mississippi St (5-2) 19. Kansas St (7-2) 20. Texas (6-2) 21. Northwestern (6-2) 22. South Carolina (7-2) 23. Auburn (7-2) 24. Texas A&M (6-2) 25. Georgia Tech (6-2) ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll 1. Oklahoma 2. Virginia Tech 3. Miami Fla 4. Florida St 5. Florida 6. Nebraska 7. Washington 8. Oregon 9. TCU 10. Clemson 11. So Mississippi 12. Michigan 13. Purdue 14. Oregon St 15. Kansas St 16. Notre Dame 17. Georgia 18. Mississippi St 19. Ohio St 20. Texas 21. Colorado St 22. Auburn 23. Northwestern 24. South Carolina 25. Texas A&M

I hate football!!! USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll 1. Oklahoma(8-0) 2. Miami Fla (7-1) 3. Florida St (9-1) 4. Florida (8-1) 5. Nebraska (8-1) 6. Washington (8-1) 7. Oregon (8-1) 8. Virginia Tech (8-1) 9. Purdue (7-2) 10. Oregon St (8-1) 11. Kansas St (8-2) 12. Notre Dame (6-2) 13. Georgia (6-2) 14. Ohio St (7-2) 15. Clemson (8-2) 16. Mississippi St (6-2) 17. TCU (7-1) 18. Northwestern (7-2) 19. Texas (7-2) 20. Colorado St (8-1) 21. Michigan (6-3) 22. So Mississippi (6-2) 23. Auburn (7-2) 24. Texas A&M (7-2) 25. South Carolina (7-2) Associated Press Top 25 1. Oklahoma(8-0) 2. Miami Fla (7-1) 3. Florida St (9-1) 4. Nebraska (8-1) 5. Florida (8-1) 6. Oregon (8-1) 7. Washington (8-1) 8. Virginia Tech (8-1) 9. Purdue (7-2) 10. Oregon St (8-1) 11. Notre Dame (6-2) 12. Northwestern (7-2) 13. Ohio St (7-2) 14. Georgia (6-2) 15. Mississippi St (6-2) 16. Kansas St (8-2) 17. Clemson (8-2) 18. TCU (7-1) 19. Texas (7-2) 20. Michigan (6-3) 21. South Carolina (7-2) 22. Auburn (7-2) 23. Texas A&M (7-2) 24. Georgia Tech (6-2) 25. Southern Miss (6-2)

Sheesh... when does LaCrosse season start?? USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll 1. Oklahoma (9-0) 2. Miami Fla (8-1) 3. Florida St (10-1) 4. Florida (9-1) 5. Washington (9-1) 6. Oregon (9-1) 7. Virginia Tech (9-1) 8. Oregon St (9-1) 9. Kansas St (9-2) 10. Nebraska (8-2) 11. Notre Dame (7-2) 12. Ohio St (8-2) 13. Mississippi St (7-2) 14. Clemson (8-2) 15. Texas (8-2) 16. TCU (8-1) 17. Purdue (7-3) 18. Michigan (7-3) 19. Auburn (8-2) 20. So Mississippi (7-2) 21. Georgia (6-3) 22. Georgia Tech (7-2) 23. Texas A&M (7-3) 24. Northwestern (7-3) 25. Tennessee (6-3) Associated Press Top 25 1. Oklahoma (9-0) 2. Miami Fla (8-1) 3. Florida St (10-1) 4. Florida (9-1) 5. Oregon (10-1) 6. Washington (9-1) 7. Virginia Tech (9-1) 8. Oregon St (9-1) 9. Kansas St (9-2) 10. Nebraska (8-2) 11. Notre Dame (7-2) 12. Ohio St (8-2) 13. Mississippi St (7-2) 14. Texas (8-2) 15. TCU (8-1) 16. Clemson (8-2) 17. Purdue (7-3) 18. Auburn (8-2) 19. Michigan (7-3) 20. Georgia Tech (7-2) 21. Texas A&M (7-3) 22. Georgia (6-3) 23. Northwestern (7-3) 24. So Mississippi (7-2) 25. South Carolina (7-3) Bowl Championship Series 1. Oklahoma (9-0) 2. Miami Fla (8-1) 3. Florida St (10-1) 4. Florida (9-1) 5. Washington (9-1) 6. Virginia Tech (9-1) 7. Oregon (10-1) 8. Nebraska (8-2) 9. Oregon St (9-1) 10. Kansas St (9-2) 11. Notre Dame (7-2) 12. Mississippi St (7-2) 13. Ohio St (8-2) 14. Texas (8-2) 15. Texas A&M (7-3)

Bowl Championship Series 1. Oklahoma (10-0) 2. Florida St (11-1) 3. Miami Fla (9-1) 4. Washington (10-1) 5. Oregon St (10-1) 6. Virginia Tech (9-1) 7. Florida (9-2) 8. Nebraska (8-2) 9. Kansas St (10-2) 10. Oregon (9-2) 11. Notre Dame (8-2) 12. Texas (8-2) 13. Clemson (9-2) 14. TCU (9-1) 15. Michigan (8-3) USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll 1. Oklahoma (10-0) 2. Miami Fla (9-1) 3. Florida St (11-1) 4. Washington (10-1) 5. Virginia Tech (9-1) 6. Oregon St (10-1) 7. Kansas St (10-2) 8. Nebraska (8-2) 9. Florida (9-2) 10. Notre Dame (8-2) 11. Oregon (9-2) 12. Clemson (9-2) 13. Texas (8-2) 14. Purdue (8-3) 15. TCU (9-1) 16. Michigan (8-3) 17. Auburn (9-2) 18. Georgia (7-3) 19. Georgia Tech (8-2) 20. Ohio St (8-3) 21. Northwestern (8-3) 22. Texas A&M (7-3) 23. Mississippi St (7-3) 24. Tennessee (7-3) 25. Colorado St (9-2) Associated Press Top 25 1. Oklahoma (10-0) 2. Miami Fla (9-1) 3. Florida St (11-1) 4. Washington (10-1) 5. Oregon St (10-1) 6. Virginia Tech (9-1) 7. Florida (9-2) 8. Kansas St (10-2) 9. Nebraska (8-2) 10. Oregon (9-2) 11. Notre Dame (8-2) 12. Texas (8-2) 13. TCU (9-1) 14. Purdue (8-3) 15. Clemson (9-2) 16. Michigan (8-3) 17. Auburn (9-2) 18. Georgia Tech (8-2) 19. Georgia (7-3) 20. Northwestern (8-3) 21. Ohio St (8-3) 22. Texas A&M (7-3) 23. Mississippi St (7-3) 24. LSU (7-3) 25. Tennessee (7-3)

Here are the final polls from USA Today and the Associated Press: January 4, 2001 USA Today/ESPN Top 25 College Football Coaches' Poll 1. Oklahoma(13-0) 2. Miami Fla (11-1) 3. Washington (11-1) 4. Florida St (11-2) 5. Oregon St (11-1) 6. Virginia Tech (11-1) 7. Nebraska (10-2) 8. Kansas St (11-3) 9. Oregon (10-2) 10. Michigan (9-3) 11. Florida (10-3) 12. Texas (9-3) 13. Purdue (8-4) 14. Clemson (9-3) 15. Colorado St (10-2) 16. Notre Dame (9-3) 17. Georgia (8-4) 18. TCU (10-2) 19. Georgia Tech (9-3) 20. Auburn (9-4) 21. South Carolina (8-4) 22. Mississippi St (8-4) 23. Iowa St (9-3) 24. Wisconsin (9-4) 25. Tennessee (8-4) Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll 1. Oklahoma (13-0) 2. Miami Fla (11-1) 3. Washington (11-1) 4. Oregon St (11-1) 5. Florida St (11-2) 6. Virginia Tech (11-1) 7. Oregon (10-2) 8. Nebraska (10-2) 9. Kansas St (11-3) 10. Florida (10-3) 11. Michigan (9-3) 12. Texas (9-3) 13. Purdue (8-4) 14. Colorado St (10-2) 15. Notre Dame (9-3) 16. Clemson (9-3) 17. Georgia Tech (9-3) 18. Auburn (9-4) 19. South Carolina (8-4) 20. Georgia (8-4) 21. TCU (10-2) 22. LSU (8-4) 23. Wisconsin (9-4) 24. Mississippi St (8-4) 25. Iowa St (9-3)

Since Washington beat Miami, I still think they should be second. Even though I live in Floria I'm glad Oklahoma is in first. They played a good game.

Even though I live in Floria I'm glad Oklahoma is in first. They played a good game. Thank you ...of course I'll agree since I live in Oklahoma.Hee, hee... Hey, in Sept.those guys came into the season #20! And clawed their way up.A hardworking bunch of kids ,with a tremendous coach. They deserved that trophy.

OKLAHOMA!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON A GRAT WIN. Evelyn I thought of you! As for my Penn State, ....wail'll next year...!!!

Marcia)OKLAHOMA!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON A GRAT WIN. Evelyn I thought of you! As for my Penn State, ....wail'll next year...!!! Thank you, Marcia. LOL... I'm a Nittany Lion fan too Marcia...#1 son graduated from Penn State. Joe Paterno is The Great One in my books:-))

I knew there was a reason I loved you so much! I am posting the Dave Kindred column which appeared in my email this morning. How harsh do you think he is being? Barbara, I did not send this to you for obvious reasons (FSU grad that you are...) Once again, things aren't as they appear by Dave Kindred We'll get to Marty Schottenheimer, who is as much a public fool today as are those "experts" (hahaha) who liked Florida State over Oklahoma. Let's start with this: The Downtown Athletic Club, right now, today, not a minute later, should cast a new sculpture of 11 tacklers bending that straight-arm back into Mr. Heisman Chris Weinke's nostrils. This new trophy done in gold and diamonds should be overnighted to America's heartland bearing the inscription "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Dare the Sooners." Goodness, what Oklahoma did to poor Weinke and Florida State. For all that Heisman-hype talk about the Sooners' quarterback, Josh Heupel, he may be the seventh or eighth or 15th most important player on that team. Oklahoma's defensive unit was not only amazing, which most any decent defense can be, it was amazing not for a quarter or a half but ALL NIGHT LONG. If Weinke plays 10 years in the NFL (and this game suggests he should be happy with three or four seasons as a backup), he'll never see a defense that good again. Even when Weinke completed a pass, the receiver was tackled so quickly with such force that it was a small wonder as the night wore on that Florida State's receivers, made wary, dropped passes otherwise catchable. Some folks, such as the one attached to this typing machine, foresaw a Florida State victory that would throw the Bowl Championship Series into confusion even greater than that which attends it naturally. The idea was that Oklahoma couldn't score against the Seminoles, and the Seminoles could score against anybody. Well, half-right. Oklahoma scored a touchdown and two field goals, which, as everyone knows, is like not scoring at all because 13 points won't beat Florida State. In fact, if Oklahoma had scored 13 points in every game this year, it would have won four times instead of 13 times. But on this night, 13 points were much more than enough because Oklahoma's defense was so good that the frustrated Weinke even tried to lumber/scramble for a critical first down late - and fumbled when hit by one of the Sooners' careening linebackers. As long as we're admitting fallibility, one might also say the BCS produced a true national champion after all. The system's computers told us Oklahoma was No. 1, and while Miami, Florida State and Washington believed they had legitimate claims at the national championship, they didn't, really. Only Oklahoma won 'em all. Here's really all we need to know: Oklahoma beat Nebraska by 17 and Nebraska then went to the Alamo Bowl and beat one of the Big Ten's champions by 49. Now, Marty Schottenheimer. When the Redskins fired Norv Turner with three games left in the season, Schottenheimer, former Browns and Chiefs coach, said he could never work for an owner such as Mr. Daniel M. (Call Me Mister) Snyder, the 36-year-old twerp with no football experience who made critical football decisions last year that helped produce the highest NFL payroll in history ($92.2 million) and another of the league's zillion 8-8 records. Quoth Schottenheimer back then: "I don't have any interest (in the Redskins job) because it wouldn't work for (Snyder), or me, and most important, the team. If a player has a sense that the head coach is not the one they're ultimately accountable to, if they feel there's an alternative in the owner's box, it becomes very difficult to manage and coach that player." Now Schottenheimer says he spoke too quickly about Snyder, that he spoke as an outsider, and that he spoke with insufficient information. Part of that information, perhaps, is that Snyder was willing to pay him $10 million for four years. That kind of information might cause an out-of-work coach to reconsider his criticism. It might even move that coach to say, "Mr. Snyder, do you like cream with your coffee?" Dave Kindred is a contributing writer for The Sporting News. E-mail him at kindred@sportingnews.com.

I don't really keep up with football stats or players. LOL...Im just a rural Okie who is so proud of our lil ole farm team that ranked 20th in Sept. and came into the Orange Bowl as the underdog by 12 points. Las Vegas odds and every sports announcer was ready to give it to Florida before the game was even played. Perhaps that taught everyone a lesson in fair play. Oklahoma is a small state. LOL. Today's paper announced that the trophy would be exhibited at the Sear's stores in Okla. City and anyone could have a free photo made with the trophy. Doesn't that tell you something about how close we feel to those guys!!