Mark Sanchez and Kristin Cavallari share Super Bowl dip

You know it’s a slow news day, when I’m shamelessly reduced to the role of TMZ gossip columnist to give a report on who is shacking up with whom. So in my best effort to combine sports with celebrity babes, I give you Mark Sanchez in Miami on Super Bowl Sunday, walking away with a trophy of his own.

I won’t do the full blown tabloid thing, and automatically suggest that the pair is dating, but the Jets quarterback was sighted at the Maxim Super Bowl bash in the company of “Hills” villainess Kristin Cavallari. Apparently the reality star has a thing for USC quarterbacks, since she was also linked to Matt Leinart at one time. The New York Daily News gives details of many women vying for Sanchez’ attention, but his eyes apparently remained fixated on his date for the evening. The two Southern California natives left the event together, and that’s usually all it takes to establish a “relationship” in the gossip world.

In the reality series “Laguna Beach“, Cavallari claimed she was a student at USC, but this was fabricated. She was actually a student at Loyola Marymount, where she was only enrolled for one class.

[NY Daily News] [Kristin Cavallari photo shoot]

Another year, another ‘Utah to the Pac 10’ rumor

The void created in the college football offseason is filled with a heightened focus on recruiting, spring practice, and power ranking of teams that have yet to take the field. But there is another constant that arrived years ago, surfacing along with the BCS, and it’s the annual discussion of conference expansion.

The Pac 10 is always  the popular makeover candidate, and this year comes without exception. Just one month after the football season came to an official close, rumors are already swirling over possible additions. The new speculations are comprised of old names, as the grapevine discards originality for repetition. It’s “Utah and Colorado to the Pac 10” all over again, the same song sung for at least eight years and counting.

This year’s rumor arrives with more than a suggestion, with ABC sports in Salt Lake City claiming that “their sources” informed them that the Utes will be invited to join the conference. In addition, Colorado will also flee the Big XII for the Pac 10, creating a domino effect that would allow BYU to replace the Buffs in the north. The Cougars have historically faced more Pac 10 opponents than the two schools in consideration, but they are tossed aside for their restriction of games played on Sundays.

I can understand Utah wanting to move to a BCS conference, but Colorado leaving the Big XII is a bit far-fetched. Even as a bad team, the Big XII earning potential is greater than the Pac. And as for Utah, they weren’t marketable ten years ago, and nothing has changed. Good athletic programs to offer the conference? Yes. Ability to assist in bringing value and earning potential to the league?—No!

Expansion is not a football or basketball decision. It’s a business decision. The Pac 10 has failed to expand over the years, because it has yet to find neighbors that make good business partners. It may eventually succumb to the pressure of expansion talk, but location alone places limits on their search, and excludes programs more profitable than those nearest the coast.

Pac 10 Notes: Sun Devils to open 2010 in the college football bakery

Arizona State football schedules wouldn’t be described as anything near bold under Dennis Erickson. They’ve more often resembled one of those heavenly paths paved along the college football landscape to ensure bowl eligibility. Aside from their completion of a home-and-home series with Georgia last year, you’d be hard-pressed to find worthy out of conference opponents in recent times.

Remaining true to pattern, ASU will kickoff the 2010 football season in the bakery, where blood sugar levels will increase with the welcoming of lower division opponents in consecutive weeks. But these cupcakes may differ from others, being that they will satisfy the sweet tooth in September, but may provide a more bitter taste come season’s end.

The Sun Devils were slated to open against San Jose State, but the Spartans have backed out of the deal, accepting more money to become Wisconsin’s early season chump. ASU will also play Wisconsin in week three, but this will come after meetings with FCS opponents Portland State and Northern Arizona. PSU fills the vacancy left behind by profit seeking San Jose State, and could in actuality pose a bigger threat to Sun Devil postseason hopes than the mid-major they’ve replaced.

NCAA rules state that only one victory over a lower division opponent can be counted towards bowl eligibility, so Erickson will now need to achieve at least a split of the remaining ten games to end a 2-year hiatus of bowl absence. A year ago, they poured water on the schedule by dropping BYU for a date with Louisiana-Monroe. The Devils still finished with an overall record of just 4-8, posting their only victories against the Washington schools, Idaho State, and the fresh addition of ULM.

The Sun Devils will visit USC on November 6.

Football’s future: Jeff Byers

Height: 6’3
Weight: 290
Position: Offensive Line
Projection: Round 2

Jeff Byers is the most experienced interior lineman of the 2010 draft class. After six years in the program, and blocking for schemes drawn up by four different offensive coordinators, the 24-year old is finally prepared to take his talent to the next level.

Byers left Fort Collins Colorado in 2004 as the No. 1 offensive line prospect in the country. A rash of injuries impeded early expectations, causing him several times to watch others perform in his place. In the absence of entering the Southern California program and commanding one position, versatility may be the greatest reward that came with patience.

It was anticipated that Byers would eventually become the Trojans starting center for years to come, but often used as a plug-in player to combat injuries suffered by teammates, he mastered many positions along the offensive front. He saw field time as a backup center in his freshman year, but his first four starts came as USC’s left guard. Hip surgery forced a redshirt in 2005, followed by a back sprain that resulted in losing the entire 2006 season. Byers finally completed a full season in 2007, starting at left guard, but by now the once heralded high school phenom had become dwarfed by an arsenal of USC line talent.

In 2008, he played in the shadow of Kris O’Dowd, who became the first freshman to start at center in USC’s long and illustrious history. Byers was designated to resume play at left guard, though he also had opportunities at center. He made the most of his opportunity this past season, taking advantage of the unfortunate injury and limited amount of playing time by O’Dowd, spending greater part of the season playing in the middle, the position he was originally recruited to play.

Jeff Byers is being projected as both a guard and center for this year’s draft. There are some believing he can also play tackle, but I think he lacks the foot speed to be successful in protecting a quarterback’s blindside. In Today’s NFL, quarterback protection is first and foremost, which is why tackles project higher than guards and centers. Byers performed brilliantly in the Senior Bowl, and he still has the upcoming combine remaining to elevate himself on the draft ladder. As you can see on the list below, the second round has been the area most favorable for plucking Trojan offensive linemen in the NFL draft.

Year	Player	Position	Team	Draft round
2004	Jacob Rogers	OT	Dallas Cowboys	2 (pick 52)
2006	Winston Justice	OT	Philadelphia Eagles	2 (pick 39)
2006	Deuce Lutui	OG	Arizona Cardinals	2 (pick 41)
2007	Ryan Kalil	C	Carolina Panthers	2 (pick 59)
2008	Sam Baker	OT	Atlanta Falcons	1 (pick 21)
2008	Chilo Rachal	OG	San Francisco 49ers	2 (pick 39)

Reggie Bush added to a very short list

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on a well deserved Super Bowl victory. Representing a city once faced with overwhelming adversity, they managed to survive the trials and tribulations of recovery, while pinning their hopes on a professional football team that often gave reason to smile when few others appeared.

Congratulations are also in order for Reggie Bush, who faced a different set of circumstances upon entering the NFL in a storm ravaged city that quickly embraced him as shimmer of hope. After struggling with transition, and spending a great portion of his career under scrutiny, Bush now joins Tony Dorsett and Marcus Allen as the only players in history to have won a Heisman Trophy, National Championship, and Super Bowl.

Bush finished his first Super Bowl with just 67 yards of total offense, used primarily in spot situations to move the chains. Dorsett finished with 77 yards in the Cowboys victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl XII. Former Trojan Marcus Allen was the MVP of Super Bowl XVIII, powered by his 191 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, as the Raiders romped over the Redskins. Dorsett and Allen played those games with Heisman winning teammates, quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Jim Plunkett.

Sedrick Ellis and Billy Miller join Bush as former Trojans on the Saints Super Bowl roster. They follow a long line of recent champions produced by the program, which includes Troy Polamalu (’08, ’06), Steve Smith (’07), Willie McGinest (’04, ’03), Keyshawn Johnson (’02).

The post-apocalypse commitment of 13-year old David Sills

A 13-year old has given a verbal commitment to the Trojan class of 2015. The world ends in 2012.

But what happens if the target year comes and goes, becoming just another apocalyptic date in history that passes without prophesied destruction? David Sills would then be fifteen, with a 2-year old scholarship offer, and still having a three year wait to make good on his original promise. Cradle robbing?—Maybe. But it certainly is not a first.

This is big news on a day not offering much in the way of college sports. And it incites talk-show frenzy, because Lane Kiffin is the coach offering, and USC (allegedly) is the institution serving. When you take two objects currently placed under the media microscope, any and all actions will be magnified to project ten times larger than the actual size.—Get it?

The practice of recruiting the middle schools is more common in basketball, and it was just two years ago that eighth grader Michael Avery gave a verbal commitment to Billy Gillispie and Kentucky. A little closer to home, a former USC hoops coach was certainly no stranger to the playground tactic. In 2006, Tim Floyd offered a scholarship to 14-year old Dwayne Polee Jr. The coach struck again in 2007, offering another, and this time to 14-year old Ryan Boatwright of Illinois. Both teenagers verbally committed to USC, and both have yet to be heard from again.

A year ago, Lane Kiffin made headlines (not nearly as big as the recent) for offering a scholarship to Evan Berry, who is the 14-year old younger brother of All American Safety Eric Berry. Coming from “all-eyes-on-me” Lane Kiffin, the pointing began, as if it were never seen or heard of before. But before Chris Leak gained his notoriety for leading Florida to their first national championship under Urban Meyer, it was Wake Forest that offered a 14-year old Leak his first scholarship. While coaching in Washington, Ty Willingham served one up to 14-year old quarterback Kasen Williams. And let’s not forget that Freddy Adu signed a professional soccer contract at the age of fourteen, bypassing the high school and college game completely.   Adu’s first contract offer came at the tender age of 10.

Today’s recruiting differs from that of twenty years ago. Nowadays, you’ll find parents hiring sports agencies to promote the talents of their preadolescent sons and daughters. Private coaches and trainers will distribute packages of teenagers on film for athletic departments to view. The schools are no longer the initiators, as contact now comes from anywhere and everywhere, and from places and people that often go without notice. The NCAA places strict restrictions on how and when a prospect can be contacted by coaches, but there are no restrictions against prospects of any age initializing contact on their own.

A 13-year old is now the big man on his junior high school campus. But just as it is with any child that age, football may be the goal today, where skating on half-pipes could be the goal set for tomorrow. I’ve seen this kid on video, and he definitely possesses talent beyond his years. But if the Sills family knew anything at all, they would know of Kiffin’s track record, and the odds of the new coach staying put in one location for five years are very slim. Nonetheless, fight on, David—Fight On!