College Football Recruiting

25/01/08

Tall on Talent: Six local Blue Chippers

By Craig Smith

Seattle Times staff reporter

Kavario Middleton and Everrette Thompson are among the big names atop a stack of six Blue Chip recruits in Washington, but it's the depth and breadth of this year's class that has football recruiting analysts raving.

How stacked is this year's state crop of seniors?

One recruiting analyst thinks 50 from the state might sign with Football Bowl Subdivision schools (formerly Division I-A).

Chris Fetters has been a football recruiting analyst in the state of Washington for a decade, and he likes what he sees this year.

"This is as strong as I've seen it from top to bottom," said Fetters, Northwest recruiting analyst for Scout.com.

The Seattle Times' annual compilation of the state's top 100 recruits, which is divided into Blue, Red and White Chips, underlines the amount of talent available. Not only will major colleges be able to replenish their rosters, but there is plenty of talent left over for schools in the various lower strata of the college football universe.

"We have some guys who normally would be getting attention from smaller schools within the state and they aren't getting much attention," said coach DJ Sigurdson of South Kitsap in Port Orchard. "That leads me to believe that the state has a lot of good football players this year."

Recruiting classes are remembered for how many major-college standouts and quality starters they produce. Recruits can't be judged until at least three years from signing day. Feb. 6 is the first day that high-school seniors can sign letters of intent for football.

The closest anyone in this class comes to wearing a can't-miss label is Middleton, a tight end-defensive end from Lakes High School in Lakewood, near Tacoma. Middleton, likely to play tight end for the Huskies, is No. 29 on Scout.com's list of national recruits.

"Even though I think Kavario is the cream of the crop, I still think this class is going to be remembered for how deep it was," said Fetters. "I think it will be remembered for producing a lot of good players rather than two or three exceptional ones. In our national rankings, we have eight players from Washington in the top 300. That's impressive."

Ron Siegel, who has followed high-school sports in the state since the 1950s, noted, "This is one of the best years ever for linemen in the state."

Last year's class was shy on linemen. "It's kind of cyclical every other year," Fetters said. "The '09 class won't have a lot of linemen, yet 2010 looks strong."

What this class lacks is a national phenom such as Jonathan Stewart in 2005. The running back from Timberline High School in Lacey was ranked the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN and chose Oregon. After living up to expectations with the Ducks, Stewart is entering the NFL draft one year early.

This also isn't the supernova year for headliners that was 2006. That class featured current Washington quarterback Jake Locker (Ferndale), USC safety Taylor Mays (O'Dea) and Michigan lineman Stephen Schilling (Bellevue). All three had their pick of schools from coast to coast and are already starters.

The class also lacks a staple of most years, a Blue Chip quarterback. Last year Oak Harbor's Marshall Lobbestael signed with Washington State and redshirted last fall.

The Times' Top 100 Chip List is compiled from observations and dozens of interviews with coaches at various levels. Sportswriters from around the state are consulted and the rankings by Rivals.com and Scout.com recruiting Web sites weighed.

Players are evaluated on their college potential, and many all-state players don't make the list.

Blue Chip players are considered capable of Division I stardom. Red Chips are capable of being starters in a major conference such as the Pac-10 or stars in conferences such as the Big Sky. White Chips fill out the top 100 prospects in the state.

Of the six players designated Blue Chip by The Times, four have given verbal commitments to become Huskies.

Joining Middleton at Washington will be wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, his teammate at Lakes; Thompson, a speedy defensive end from Kennedy of Burien; and Alameda Ta'amu, a 340-pound offensive lineman from Rainier Beach.

Two Blue Chip linemen are headed out of state. Bellevue center David DeCastro chose Stanford. Offensive lineman Nick Cody from Hockinson in Brush Prairie (suburban Vancouver) will play at Oregon.

The Huskies also have commitments from nine Seattle Times Red Chip recruits. The Huskies' incoming class, which also includes out-of-state commitments, is ranked No. 8 nationally by Scout.com and No. 23 by Rivals.com.

The six Blue Chips ties with 2005 for second most this decade, behind the 2004 class that had eight but didn't come close to meeting expectations.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com

04/01/08

When the stakes are highest on the field, coaching change season cranks up

1 hour ago

NEW ORLEANS - Hours before the Southeastern Conference championship was to be decided between LSU and Tennessee, all everybody wanted to talk about was who was going to be the next Michigan coach.

So, LSU coach Les Miles held a testy news conference to say it wouldn't be him.

The meeting Miles was scheduled to have with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin two days later never happened. Miles stayed with the Tigers and led them to the BCS football championship game, where they'll try to beat another Big Ten team, top-ranked Ohio State, in the Superdome on Monday night.

Having missed on Miles, Michigan then went after Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, which caused Scarlet Knights fans to cringe.

Schiano stayed - a win for the Scarlet Knights.

Next target for Michigan was West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez.

That proved to be a win for the Wolverines and a loss that stung Mountaineers supporters as much as dropping the season finale to Pittsburgh.

What happened with Michigan and the other schools that were pulled into its search is now a part of the season within the college football season.

Call it the coaching-change season.

Just when the stakes are the highest, when conference championships and bowl bids are on the line, the college football season gets hijacked by news about coaching changes.

Who's leaving? Who's staying? Who's going where?

Obviously, this is far from a perfect way to do business, but big-time college football plays by a different set of rules.

"To take a very comfortable approach, you can draw a line in the sand and say you can't contact (a coach)," Miles said earlier this week. "You can have informationals.

"You can say you can go through an intermediary, but you cannot have contact with a coach."

Miles knows, however, that restricting schools from pursuing another school's coach until after the bowl season isn't realistic.

"There's not an easy answer to it, but there's probably a commonsense answer that's out there," he said.

The big problem is recruiting.

There's a dead period on the recruiting calendar that starts around Christmas and ends the second week of January. Immediately before and after that dead period are critical times in recruiting.

Today, not only are schools trying to fill jobs fast, they're also getting rid of coaches earlier to get a jump on the best candidates.

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley took that route when he fired Ron Zook during the 2004 season and quickly hired Urban Meyer away from Utah soon after the regular season.

"You can't wait until the bowl games are over," Foley said. "There's always going to be a disruption . . . when it comes to bowl games and I don't think you can minimize that."

Seventeen major college football programs in the United States have changed coaches since the start of this season. Only SMU, oddly the first school to get rid of its coach, remained without a head man Thursday.

Of the schools that've hired coaches, three lured away another major college team's head coach. Baylor picked Houston coach Art Briles, leaving the Cougars with an interim coach for their bowl game.

Georgia Tech hired Navy coach Paul Johnson and the Midshipmen almost immediately promoted offensive coordinator Ken Niumatalolo to the top job.

All of that creates "distractions," a word used often in the season within a season. Once a job comes open, the game begins.

Sometimes it's speculation. Sometimes it's a rumor. Sometimes it's a fact.

Always it's a distraction.

The bigger the name, the bigger the distraction.

Jim Tressel, whose Ohio State team will face LSU in the BCS championship, is a big name.

"I've been through that many times," Tressel said. "That's just probably the least fun times you can have."

Chuck Neinas, who heads a search firm for schools looking for new coaches, said his advice to a coach who might be eyeing another job is: "The less said the better."

That, however, creates its own set of problems.

Miles was compelled to shoot down a report he was heading to Michigan about two hours before the Tigers played Tennessee in the SEC title game.

Of course, coaches bring some of these situations on themselves.

When Miles, who played and coached at Michigan, came to LSU from Oklahoma State three years ago, LSU was concerned enough about him bolting for the Wolverines it put a specific clause in his contract to make it an expensive move.

Even before Michigan's Lloyd Carr said he was retiring, Miles was being mentioned as his replacement.

Then, when Martin asked LSU athletic director Skip Bertman for permission to meet with Miles after the SEC title game, the coach didn't turn it down.

Foley said he believes some agents will leak a client's name to the media with the hope of raising a coach's profile and maybe getting the guy a raise from his current employer.

Also, a school searching for a coach might want to float a name to see how its fans reacts.

Bob LaMonte, an agent who represents Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and newly hired Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, said his agency prides itself on keeping quiet.

"You have leaks that really destroy any chance of negotiations," LaMonte said. "What you don't want to do is come forward with something before it actually happens."

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was talked about as a candidate for both the Texas A&M and Arkansas openings. Arkansas was also reportedly interested in Clemson's Tommy Bowden.

Both Bowden and Tuberville stayed put and got contract extensions. Arkansas hired Bobby Petrino away from the Atlanta Falcons.

LSU gave Miles a raise after Michigan came calling, though Bertman said he was comfortable with how the Miles-Michigan episode played out and did not feel the coach was trying to use the interest as leverage. Miles' annual salary will be around $3.5 million if he wins the U.S. title and $2.8 if he does not.

"For LSU it worked out well because we have a noble coach and his agent's a good guy," Bertman said.

As long as everyone involved - coaches, athletic directors, agents - goes about their business honestly, Bertman said, being a player in the coaching-change season is manageable.

Though it certainly can be a distraction.

18/12/07

College football: Recruiting continues at St. Cloud State

Published: December 17. 2007 12:30AM

Though the reassignment of Randy Hedberg from his duties as St. Cloud State football coach was not set to take effect until today, pending a review, defensive coordinator Scott Underwood took charge of weekend recruiting activities for the Huskies.

"The first thing is that everything is team-oriented," Underwood said Sunday, returning a message he hadn't been able to return while hosting recruits Saturday.

"I have a great relationship with Coach Hedberg, but what the administration has asked me to do is be the acting head coach. I have accepted that position to lead us at this time."

Though Hedberg did not participate in the program, Underwood said, he did have a hand in helping coordinate a program for prospective players.

December and January tend to be the busiest recruiting periods for college football teams.

"We had communication with what was happening," Underwood said.

"It's difficult to turn around from a Thursday, coming into a weekend on Saturday."

10/12/07

Tebow may become an all-time great

FOXSports.com, Updated 18 hours ago

NEW YORK - When most 20-year-old guys visit New York City for the first time, they leave with a souvenir T-shirt or maybe a basic grasp of the subway system. Tim Tebow's maiden voyage to the Big Apple ended a bit differently Saturday night. Tebow heads back to Gainesville with a slice of college football history and a bronze statue in his hand.

The first college football player to ever run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same season, Tebow is now also the first sophomore to ever take home the Heisman Trophy. Darren McFadden didn't do it last year. Herschel Walker never did it. Marshall Faulk, fellow Gator Rex Grossman and Larry Fitzgerald all came close but fell shy as well. Even Doak Walker finished third in voting after his sophomore season in 1947.

Yet here was Tebow - a quarterback who threw a grand total of 33 passes his freshman season - walking through the Nokia Theater on Saturday night as a pioneer, the first of his kind.

It makes sense that Tebow would be the first to break through the Heisman's long-standing "sophomore wall." He's unlike any college football player we've ever seen. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Tebow's a freakish physical specimen. He possesses an arm from the heavens, the legs of a horse and the brain of a high school math wiz. In short, he's the prototype. Or as South Carolina head coach and fellow Gators Heisman winner Steve Spurrier put it earlier this year, "He's the quarterback of the future. Actually, he's the quarterback of today. He's really the type of quarterback that almost everyone is looking for."

Radio personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo describes Tebow as a "linebacker playing quarterback." CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd labels him "Herschel Walker with a rocket left arm." The accolades are endless. Amazingly, it's not hyperbole. The guy's that special.

The lingering talk in the media room following Saturday night's proceedings circulated around whether or not Tebow could join Archie Griffin as one of just two men to win multiple Heisman Trophy awards. Realistically, there's the potential for more than that.

Yes, Tebow has the opportunity to finish his career in Gainesville as not only the best Gator quarterback of all-time, but quite possibly the most accomplished and decorated player in college football history.

Tebow already has a national title and a Heisman under his belt. With two years of eligibility left, the possibilities for additional records and resume bullet points are endless.

Two more national titles? Why not? Outside of receiver Andre Caldwell and safety Tony Joiner, the Gators return just about every significant playmaker on their 2007 roster next season. Florida's got yet another top-5 recruiting class. The future's more than bright for Urban Meyer's squad - it's glowing.

The SEC career touchdown record? It's do-able. Running and passing for an average of 4.25 touchdowns per game, he's on pace to shatter it.

Two more Heismans? Though I hate to sound like Beano Cook promoting Ron Powlus, there's no reason to believe anything otherwise.

Of course, the kid is not just unique for his on-the-field accolades.

First off, he was home-schooled. On the stigma that goes along with that, Tebow jokes, "I've heard it all. Home schoolers aren't supposed to be athletic. It's like, 'Go win a spelling bee or something.'"

Tebow also happens to be the kind of guy you wouldn't lose sleep over your daughter dating. He's humble and respectful, and strong in the classroom. He didn't spend the night before the Heisman ceremony in Manhattan nightclubs and seedy bars until 3 a.m. He went on a double-decker bus tour around New York instead.

He has a good head on his shoulders and possesses an even greater heart. While most know him as the super-human one-man wrecking crew terrorizing SEC defensive lines each weekend, there are thousands of men, women and children in the Philippines that know him as a familiar face and a friend.

Tebow's spent the majority of his summers in the Philippines - living with his parents and assisting with his father's ministry - the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association (www.btea.org). Where most other nationally recognized high school athletes spent their teenage summers at camps sponsored by shoe companies and enjoying nights out with the prom queen (and more than likely, her friend, too), Tebow - or "Timmy" as his mother Pam still calls him - was in the Philippines each year for two months tending to the underserved.

On top of the ministry work, Tebow's also a regular visitor to the BTEA orphanage located in Mindanao in the Philippines that is home to 49 orphans and 13 staff members. He holds these experiences as close to his heart as the ones on the gridiron.

Too good to be true? Well, there is one negative: He's indecisive. Yes, when asked whether he'd rather throw a 30-yard touchdown or run one in from 30 yards out, Tebow insists he can't decide.

"Whatever coach calls is fine with me."

Other than that, you'll be hard-pressed finding something wrong with the guy.

There are "haters" out there, though. While he's already got a Heisman and a number of school, conference and NCAA records to his name, critics point to Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen's spread system as the real reason for such unbridled success.

Meyer shudders at such a suggestion. The Florida coach explained Saturday night, "I've heard the word 'system' tossed around this week. But let me tell you something - personnel is all that matters. Tim Tebow is a great player. And that has nothing to do with the offensive style he plays in."

Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, also a quarterback in a spread offense, finished fourth in the Heisman voting. Speaking with the media following the ceremony, he gave his thoughts on the "system" label.

"The spread offense works. It's now the staple in college football. Tim's a special player."

To be certain, Tebow's a passer first, running threat second. Spread system or not, the guy can toss a football. In 2007, Tebow finished with the highest single-season passing efficiency rating (178.8) of any Heisman-winning quarterback ever. He also threw for 3,132 yards and hurled 29 touchdown passes. You put him in that Hawaii offense, he's going to do just fine. The Wildhog formation down in Arkansas? He'd manage. The Pistol in Nevada? That'd be OK, too.

Tebow's not some interchangeable part. This was known by the Florida coaching staff even before he came to Gainesville. On Saturday night, Meyer recalled a conversation he had with Greg Mattison, the Florida recruiting guru most responsible for bringing the quarterback to Gainesville, two years ago. Mattison and Meyer were on a flight back from a recruiting trip in Pennsylvania. Tebow was going back and forth on Alabama and Florida at the time. Meyer, seriously considering the possibility of Tebow in crimson and white over the next four years, suggested that even if Tebow went to 'Bama, the Gators would be fine. Mattison, a longtime veteran of the recruiting game, quickly and sternly assured Meyer otherwise.

"If we don't get him," Mattison said, "it will set [Florida football] back 10-15 years."

Luckily for Meyer, Mattison and the hundreds of thousands of Florida football fans across the country, Tebow chose be a Gator. In two years, he's proven to be all Madison and Meyer hoped for and more.

And amazingly enough, it's safe to suggest the best is yet to come.

04/11/07

College Football | Oklahoma fights to keep '05 win

By The Associated Press and McClatchy Newspapers

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma claims the NCAA infractions committee unfairly took previous violations by the men's basketball program into consideration when it stripped the Sooners' football team of eight wins from the 2005 season.

In an 11-page rebuttal to the infractions committee released Friday, the university claims an NCAA subcommittee came up with new "aggravating factors" that didn't exist at the time of Oklahoma's violations and used them to erase all eight of the Sooners' wins from their Holiday Bowl season two years ago.

It was the latest development in Oklahoma's ongoing appeal to regain its 2005 victories and get a "failure to monitor" finding overturned in the case involving extra payments to former quarterback Rhett Bomar and former lineman J.D. Quinn by a Norman car dealership.

"Clearly these standards were not in effect at the time of the purported monitoring failure or the NCAA violations. At no time, even at the hearing, was the university advised of the new aggravating factors," Oklahoma wrote in the Monday rebuttal.

Oklahoma, which is on probation and has lost scholarships and recruiting time as a result of 577 excessive recruiting phone calls by former basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff, believes it is unfair the "aggravating factors" be applied after the fact.

Sampson, who coaches Indiana, is a former Washington State coach.

Notes

- Redshirt freshman Colin Kaepernick threw a 31-yard touchdown strike to Mike McCoy with a minute remaining, lifting Nevada to a 40-38 victory over host New Mexico State.

- Sophomore Jerom Freeman of Southern Connecticut State rushed for an NCAA Division II record 418 yards in the Owls' 56-28 win over Bryant. Freeman had 34 carries.

- No. 1 Ohio State hosts Wisconsin today. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin's top rusher, has a foot injury and is listed as a game-time decision.

- Sophomore tight end Sam Wheeler of No. 11 Virginia Tech will miss the rest of the season because of a torn knee ligament.

- As fans of No. 17 Alabama await today's game with No. 3 Louisiana State, a trial in Scottsboro, Ala., has revived the recruiting scandal that put the Crimson Tide on probation in 2002.

A longtime Alabama fan, timber dealer Ray Keller, is suing the NCAA for allegedly defaming him by calling him and two other men "rogue boosters" and "parasites" in announcing the penalties nearly six years ago. The NCAA contends it never publicly identified Keller, and it is sticking by its findings that accused Keller of improperly contacting recruits and giving one recruit "$100 handshakes," accusations Keller denies.

- No. 24 Tennessee has dismissed sophomore tailback LaMarcus Coker for undisclosed reasons.

29/10/07

Working for the weekend

Edison High has had a knack for advancing players from Friday nights to college football Saturdays

By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee10/27/07 22:56:50

It begins here, behind the buildings of Edison High and on the football field in west Fresno.

Each summer, past and present Edison football players come together to train for several days -- running sprints, lifting weights, repeating foot technique over and over.

There's UCLA receiver Brandon Breazell catching passes. Fresno State running back Clifton Smith circling back and forth during a cone drill. Edison defensive back Robert Golden looking in admiration at his older "Edison brothers."

Sometimes, workouts start at 6 in the morning. Other times, it begins at noon.

Maybe the weather will be a little forgiving and hover around the high 90s, rather than 110 degrees. Maybe there will be a crowd watching.

The lone assurance to it all is the man with the excited voice and "street" accent who will be present to direct the drills.

Some say Tony Perry is the mastermind behind it all, the reason Edison has produced 13 football players currently on the college circuit -- by far the Fresno area's top recruiting ground for prospects.

And the Edison alumni playing Division-I football is about to increase with at least four players expected to sign in February during national signing day and as many as 10 players projected to receive a football scholarship in the next two years.

"Tony Perry," Cal reserve defensive back Charles Amadi said. "I can't say his name enough why I'm playing college ball and why a lot of other guys from Edison are playing college football.

"We try to match the effort and interest he takes in us."

Perry, the longtime Edison assistant who has served under three head coaches, says it's the natural talent that runs around west Fresno.

He just tries to point them down the right direction, and not the one he's seen other past and present Edison students take -- falling in a life of drugs, gangs or, at times, death.

"I've seen too many kids go the wrong way," Perry said. "Kids want attention. If they can't get attention, they'll find attention. I want to make sure they find the right kind of attention."

So they're told of all the Edison alumni who have reached the next level. Each offseason, Perry loads up a van of players and travels to various high school combines to get them exposure. The summer workouts are done to make sure the players don't just show up, but perform well at the combines.

College football isn't the way for all Edison players. It isn't the way for most Edison players. And college football certainly isn't the only way for Edison players to move on.

But it is the easiest way to keep them focused, with their eyes locked on the prize ahead, coaches say.

If one takes football serious, listens to his coaches and puts in the effort, stays atop of things in the classroom, and is fortunate to have the natural abilities, then college football is a possibility.

"There probably could be more of our kids playing, but some haven't quite gotten the grade thing understood yet," said Tigers head coach Tim McDonald, a former NFL pro-bowler and USC star who is in his fifth season at Edison.

"But we've definitely had our share of college players," McDonald added. "It's something we're all very proud of. The odds say you're lucky to even get one a year."

Players also say McDonald's NFL background helps Edison players get notice. McDonald downplays having much of a role.

But the impact can be seen almost every Saturday. At any given moment, one might hear an ex-Edison player being mentioned or making a highlight reel.

And if one hangs around west Fresno regularly, former Tigers can be seen back on campus.

"Us Edison cats, we stick together forever," Smith said. "Those are your boys for life, whether you talk to them only once a year or once a day. We always stay in contact. That west Fresno community always will be our home."

They talk about being part of a lifetime fraternity and keeping the brotherhood going by helping other Edison players to the college game.

"Once a Tiger, always a Tiger," Breazell recites.

This summer, Breazell took in redshirt freshman Courtney Viney, another former Edison player, under his wing.

Viney isn't the only Tiger Breazell is close to.

Before each game, Breazell and Smith call each other to wish one another luck. They call each other after games, too, to either congratulate or tease each other.

Like when Breazell made national news last week and a spot on the ESPN Top 10 plays of the day when UCLA upset Cal.

What first started off as a reverse run to the receiver Breazell, ended up as a 29-yard touchdown pass as the senior pulled back to launch the ball into double coverage and still connected for the score.

Breazell said he waited and waited for Smith to call. When Smith didn't, Breazell decided to punch in the numbers. Smith looked at his caller ID and immediately answered: "Ah shut up. I'd already seen it. I don't want to hear it."

"Can you believe that?" Breazell said. "He wouldn't even let me talk about it."

Cal defensive back Bernard Hicks and two teammates, also of Edison, weren't in the mood to hear Breazell's trash talk since the loss to UCLA likely cost the Golden Bears a shot at the Rose Bowl.

Hicks said he shook his head after the game, but also had to smile that one of his friends and former teammates got to bask in glory.

"On the field, it's always business," Hicks said. "But before and after the game, we speak. It's exciting going against guys you grew up with and played with. Brings back memories."

Smith said he feels like he holds the trump card, since Fresno State rarely gets to play Pac-10 schools.

"They scared of Fresno State," Smith said.

To which Breazell responds: "What do we have to gain?"

UCLA and Fresno State actually will play each other next season, but both Smith and Breazell will run out of eligibility after this season.

"Big question around here is who do we root for when we got Edison guys on both sides," Perry said. "I never know. I just hope they all have good games."

As part of the growing tradition at Edison, its former stars at the college level annually come back to give Perry one of their jerseys.

He doesn't ask for it. They just do it as a sign of appreciation for his work.

Among the apparel Perry has is a Carolina Panthers jersey given to him by former Edison star Ricky Manning, who some believe began the the trend of Edison stars successfully moving up the football ranks.

But those closer to the Tigers program trace the foundation to Perry, a 1981 Edison graduate, who has spent the majority of his life in west Fresno.

He is a campus safety assistant during the day, a football assistant in the evening and a community leader 24/7.

But now in his 20th season coaching with the Tigers, Perry says he thinks about retiring from coaching and wonders if this will be his last year.

Have I done enough? Is there anymore to do? Perry will think to himself.

"I just want to help these guys succeed," Perry said.

With a baker's dozen of Edison football players in the college ranks, it would appear so.

"Tony Perry is as much a part of Edison tradition as the hard work and drive they instill in you there, and the brotherhood of friendship," Viney said. "That's the secret at Edison."

15/10/07

College football madness continues

Another No. 1 bites the dust!

Kentucky topped No. 1 LSU in Lexington this evening, and all but one Big Ten team in my top 25 lost.

As it stands, I'm going to have Cal and Ohio State at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, but the Bears are down to Oregon State right now. The craziness continues! The way college football is going this season, I wouldn't bet a dime on it. Calling these games is about as scientific as selecting deodorant at the drugstore.

* * *

The weather couldn't be much nicer. Clear skies, 79 degrees and a slight breeze of eight-12 mph.

* * *

This is big weekend for Dennis Erickson and the Sun Devils' recruiting effort.

Several recruits are visiting for the game and none bigger than Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek High quarterback Jack Elway. As in, the son of Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. Here is the Rivals.com profile on Elway. As noted in the profile, he has also been offered scholarships by Cal, Oregon and UCLA.

The Sun Devils already have seven oral commitments from the Class of 2008, snatching a couple Huskies recruits along the way, namely safety Jarrell Barbour (Peoria, Ariz.) and athlete Allante Battle (Phoenix).

Posted by Molly Yanity at October 13, 2007 6:22 p.m.