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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (associated press): minnesota star tight end to miss bowl game.
-- Matt Spaeth`s imposing physique looked a little less so, as he walked into a room at Minnesota`s football facility with his right arm held in a sling.
His college career is over, though his dedication to - and impact on - the Gophers won`t soon be forgotten by his coaches or teammates.
Spaeth, a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection who has become a promising pro prospect, recently had surgery to repair a severely separated shoulder and will not recover in time to play for Minnesota in the Insight Bowl against Texas Tech on Dec. 29. Actually, he`s not expected to heal fast enough to fully participate in the NFL scouting combine, which runs from Feb. 21-27.
Oddsmakers have the Gophers as 6 1/2-point underdogs with the total set at 66 1/2.
After getting hurt in the Oct. 21 game against North Dakota State, Spaeth could have chosen surgery immediately to hasten the rehabilitation and avoid the risk of further injury with the potential of a big payday looming.
But that wasn`t the way he wanted to finish. Spaeth, one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award that`s given to the nation`s top tight end, came back in two weeks and contributed in the last three games. All Gophers wins. All needed to qualify for postseason play.
In doing that, he showed the type of person he is, said center Tony Brinkhaus, who lives with Spaeth. He showed tremendous character and I think it rubbed off on the rest of the team.
The school`s all-time leader in receptions (109) and yards (1,293) by a tight end, passing Ben Utecht who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts, Spaeth is supposed to need four months to fully recover from the surgery and two months before he can start running. He is, however, aiming for less than that.
It`s the same people that told me I probably won`t come back and be able to play, so I think it`ll be moved up a little bit, Spaeth said.
The team`s medical staff was alarmed when he took his shirt off in the training room the day after the NDSU game. Though it didn`t hurt him the night before, Spaeth woke up that Sunday in serious pain and found a shoulder that had turned completely purple.
Seeing their reaction really scared me, he said. Usually they`re really optimistic about everything, because they want you to stay optimistic.
Spaeth, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, worked his way back ahead of schedule, though, and clearly left an impression on his teammates and friends. Quarterback Bryan Cupito`s stated goal is to win the bowl game for his buddy, and he said he understands why Spaeth didn`t want to wait any longer to have the procedure.
He`ll be successful, so hopefully he remembers me, Cupito said, playfully hinting his desire to get a little piece of Spaeth`s expected signing bonus.
Spaeth will certainly be missed, but it`s on defense where Minnesota (6-6) could use the most help against air-it-out Texas Tech. The Red Raiders (7-5) are led by quarterback Graham Harrell, who completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,110 yards, 36 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.
It will be a big challenge for our defense, but also a challenge that we welcome because it will help us prepare going into next season, linebacker Mike Sherels said. It`s always good to see different types of teams, especially being a young defense.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS: (associated press): notre dame preparing for lus speed.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was quick to respond when asked his about his biggest concern about facing LSU in the Sugar Bowl.
When you`re playing a team the caliber of LSU, the first thing that comes to mind is making sure that our players are ready for the speed of the game, he said. Obviously they play with great passion and great emotion, but the speed of the game is the No. 1 thing that we`re going to have to be ready for. If not, you`re going to be in for a long night.
The 12th-ranked Irish have had some long days and nights against elite competition over the past year, starting with a 34-20 loss to Ohio State in January`s Fiesta Bowl. The speedy Buckeyes burned the Irish for four touchdowns of 56 yards or more.
The speed of Michigan`s defense caused problems for Notre Dame`s offensive line and quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw a season-high three interceptions and fumbled once. Wolverine receiver Mario Manningham caught three touchdown passes, including a 69-yarder that broke the game open. USC`s Dwayne Jarrett also had three touchdown catches against the Irish.
Now the Irish will try to snap an eight-game losing streak in bowl games on Jan. 3 as 9-point underdogs against No. 5 LSU (10-2), which is known for its speed, especially on defense. Despite playing a tough Southeastern Conference schedule, LSU has the nation`s second-best defense, giving up just 238 yards a game. The Tigers also are third in the nation in pass defense, giving up 145.5 yards a game.
The Tigers are almost as potent offensively, ranking 18th in the nation at 404 yards a game. JaMarcus Russell was third in pass efficiency, completing 68.5 percent and averaging 168 yards a game.
I think our defense is definitely going to have to match up with the speed of LSU`s offense, safety Tom Zbikowski said. I know that was one of the things in the Ohio State game from last year`s BCS game a lot of people questioned the speed of our defense. We`re going to have to work on it. It`s where we spent our time in the offseason. We`ll see if it pays off in the Sugar Bowl.
Zbikowski, though, doesn`t think speed was the reason the Irish lost 44-24 to USC in their regular-season finale.
Dwayne Jarrett was making some one-handed grabs that you really can`t do much against it. But I never really saw people running completely past us, he said. They made more plays than us, but I don`t think it had anything to do with them being that much faster than us. I think it was just they made some plays.
Linebacker Travis Thomas agreed speed isn`t the problem.
I think it`s just something everyone says and comes up with and really just another excuse about why we lose big games, Thomas said.
He pointed to cornerback Terrail Lambert, who finished second in the 60-meter dash in the Big East indoor track championship in February, and Zibby and guys like Ambrose (Wooden) that run 4.4s, 4.3s just like guys on the other team. Sometimes guys just make plays, Thomas said. I just think it`s something else people harp on.
Maybe so, but Weis is among those harping on it. He conceded before the USC game that after weeks of playing teams like Navy, Air Force and Army, he was worried the Irish might be slow to adjust to USC`s speed. To guard against that in getting ready for the Sugar Bowl, he plans to have the starting offense go against the starting defense, at least during early bowl preparations.
We`re going to spend the next few weeks going good guys against the good guys and not going against show teams here in the beginning so we don`t fall into a rut, he said.
The total for the Sugar Bowl has been set at 54.
NCAA FOOTBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press) : bernie kosar interested in miami job.
Former University of Miami and NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar would like to return to the Hurricanes - as their next coach.
Miami television station WFOR reported Tuesday night that Kosar would like the job, and The Miami Herald quoted Kosar in its Wednesday editions saying I`m interested.
UM people knew that I had been offered the president of the Cleveland Browns job, Kosar told the newspaper. They knew I wanted to get back into football and asked if I`d be interested in the UM job. At first it was just flattering, but then I thought, `Yeah, I`d really like to look into it.`
Kosar, who told the newspaper that he`s had preliminary talks with university officials about replacing Larry Coker as coach of the Hurricanes, did not immediately return e-mails or phone messages from The AP on Wednesday.
Kosar has no coaching experience, but he often serves as a mentor to quarterbacks at Miami, where he serves as a university trustee. He retired from the NFL after a 12-year career with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
Coker was fired last month after Miami finished a 6-6 regular season, dropping his six-year record at the school to 59-15. He will coach the Hurricanes in their bowl game Dec. 31 against Nevada.
Oddsmakers have the Canes listed as 3-point favorites against the Wolf Pack.
Several candidates are in the mix to replace Coker, including Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon and Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, both of whom have had discussions with Hurricanes athletic director Paul Dee about the vacancy.
Other potential candidates reportedly include Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson and West Virginia`s Rich Rodriguez, who has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Mike Shula at Alabama.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano - a former Miami assistant - said earlier this week that he was not interested in the Miami job.
Kosar was a fan favorite as the Hurricanes quarterback from 1983 to 1984, leading Miami to a national championship as a freshman, beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Browns got him in a supplemental draft after he graduated early with a dual degree in finance and economics.
Kosar threw 124 touchdown passes in his NFL career, with 87 interceptions.
It was a turbulent season in Miami - with the biggest blow being the death of Bryan Pata, who was shot and killed outside his off-campus apartment complex on Nov. 7.
Even before that, a top wide receiver was suspended for much of the season after getting involved in an altercation with two women, a player was shot in an alleged robbery attempt where another teammate returned fire at the purported assailants, and the Hurricanes were involved in an on-field brawl with Florida International which resulted in the suspension of 31 players, 13 from Miami.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS- (associated press): buckeyes looking forward to florida.
More than two weeks after its biggest game of the season, top-ranked Ohio State finally found out Sunday that it will face Florida in the national championship game.
The Gators (12-1) sidestepped idle Michigan to climb into the No. 2 spot behind the Buckeyes in the final Bowl Championship Series rankings.
Asked if he thought Florida deserved the No. 2 ranking, quarterback Troy Smith said, I don`t think about the No. 2 team; I only think about the No. 1 team.
The Buckeyes, 8-point favorites on PinnacleSports.com, will be chasing their second national title in the last five years when they play Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Buckeyes` Smith-led offense is averaging 410 yards a game, while the defense is limiting opponents to just 10.4 points a game.
The last time the Buckeyes played in the national championship game, also in Arizona and also against a team from Florida, was following the 2002 season. The opponent then was a top-ranked Miami team that many thought had too much speed for the Buckeyes. Yet Ohio State pulled off a 31-24 victory in double-overtime.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said these Gators also are built on speed.
They have as much speed as anyone I`ve seen based on what little I`ve seen on television, he said.
He compared Florida`s personnel to some of the best the Buckeyes have faced in recent years.
They`ve got the type of defensive speed and aggressiveness of the great defenses we`ve played, whether it`s the most recent one, Michigan, or Texas or Iowa or Miami of Florida, he said. Their style offensively, they`re wide open. And you`d better be focused and aware, because they have a lot of different ways they attack you with great speed.
The Buckeyes also have some speed, with wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. among the fastest players in the country.
I think we`ll be OK, Florida coach Urban Meyer said. I think our guys will be motivated.
The Gators won the SEC championship on Saturday night, beating Arkansas, 38-28. Smith said the Gators - and particularly quarterback Chris Leak - got his attention when he watched the SEC title game on Saturday night.
They`re an athletic team, all the way around, he said. I`m a very, very huge fan of Chris Leak and hopefully I`ll get a chance to meet him.
Florida`s offense has revolved around receivers Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell the last two games, helping pick up the slack for a running game that has struggled behind an inexperienced offensive line. And Leak, who broke several career passing records, also has made big mistakes that cost the Gators against Auburn and nearly lost them several other games.
The Gators, who boast two of nation`s best in cornerback Ryan Smith and safety Reggie Nelson, will continue to rely on their defense, a unit ranked 10th nationally in yards allowed and sixth in scoring.
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press): paterno ready to coach in bowl.
Joe Paterno won`t let a broken left leg slow him down or knock him out of football.
The 79-year-old Paterno said Sunday he intends to lead the Nittany Lions (8-4) from the sideline at the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 and coach for at least another couple years. The Lions are 6-point underdogs on PinnacleSports.com.
I don`t want to walk away from it because of this little bit of a setback, Paterno said in a teleconference. I had not intended to walk away from it in the next couple years because I didn`t have any plans, and I still don`t have any plans to walk away.
Ordered to stay off his feet since undergoing surgery a month ago, JoePa hasn`t been able to pace the sideline in his rolled-up khakis and blue-and-white jacket since getting walloped by two players during a Nov. 4 game at Wisconsin.
Paterno skipped his team`s next game against Temple but returned to a Beaver Stadium press box the following week to catch the Nittany Lions` tense 17-13 win over Michigan State in the regular-season finale on Nov. 18.
It`s not like being on the sidelines, said Paterno, making his first comments to reporters since fracturing the shinbone and tearing two knee ligaments in his left leg. It never will be.
No wonder Paterno is so anxious to get back to field level for the Outback Bowl. Paterno, who turns 80 on Dec. 21, also learned Sunday that the Nittany Lions` opponent will be No. 19 Tennessee (9-3).
Paterno doesn`t know whether he will be able to lead his squad from his feet or while watching from a golf cart. That`s his doctor`s call.
I`m expecting to be doing a lot of things in a couple weeks, Paterno said by phone from his home office in State College. I`d be disappointed if I`m not on the sideline.
Paterno`s contract expires at the end of the 2008 season.
In his 41st year leading Penn State, Paterno will make his record 33rd trip to a bowl game. He`s also the career leader in postseason victories with 21.
Getting ready for this year`s bowl has been a little more difficult. First, he`s got to figure in time for rehab and getting flexibility back in the left leg.
And I`m way ahead of that. I go out there, I have as much flexibility in my left leg as my right leg. I`m getting closer all the time, he said.
Paterno was told to stay off his feet for six weeks after the surgery, but with Week 5 coming up, the anxious coach said he`s trying to convince his doctors to give him a head start.
On the job, he`s back at practice, and had been watching tapes of Tennessee and Auburn, another potential bowl opponent.
Now, he can just concentrate on the Volunteers.
Tennessee is headed to Tampa for the first time since the end of the 1992 season, when they beat Boston College in what was then known as the Hall of Fame Bowl.
Penn State last went to the Outback Bowl to cap the 1998 campaign, defeating Kentucky 26-14.
The rehab has gone well, Paterno said. I`m looking forward to getting to down Florida and running around a little bit.
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS: (associated press): middle tennessee accepts motor city bowl bid.
Middle Tennessee will face Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26 in its first bowl appearance as a Division I-A team.
The Blue Raiders` last bowl appearance was when they beat Muskingum in the Grantland Rice Bowl in 1964.
Middle Tennessee (7-5) was poised to win the Sun Belt championship before a 21-20 loss to Troy on Nov. 25.
Middle Tennessee under first-year head coach Rick Stockstill has had a tremendous season, Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters said. They won their first six conference games and are very deserving of the first bowl game in their program`s history.
Odds have not yet been released for the Motor City Bowl.
FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (covers.com): top ten ats teams as of 12/06.
1 Central Michigan
2 Nevada
3 East Carolina
4 Ohio State
5 Brigham Young
6 Rice
7 Wisconsin
8 Texas Christian
9 Texas A&M 8-2-1
10 San Jose State
FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (associated press) wvu coach looking at alabama.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez termed his meeting Tuesday with Alabama athletic director Mal Moore in New York as "informal" and tried to lower expectations that anything substantive occurred. However, Alabama will make a decision whether to offer Rodriguez the job within the next 72 hours, a source with knowledge of the discussion told ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel Tuesday night.
Moore met with Rodriguez and his wife, Rita, on Tuesday at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where both had come for the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame dinner.
Rodriguez estimated that the meeting lasted "25, 30 minutes. How long did it last, Rita?"
"Ninety minutes," she said.
"Oh," Rodriguez said. "Well, we didn't talk about anything specific. We didn't talk about plans or facilities or anything."
But they talked about enough, the source said, that Moore planned to discuss hiring Rodriguez with university president Dr. Robert Witt, a handful of influential boosters and, yes, the NCAA. Because Alabama remains on probation for NCAA violations on Feb. 1, any potential head coach must receive a clean bill of NCAA health before the university may hire him.
Alabama assistant athletic director Doug Walker said the university stood by the statement that Moore gave Friday, in which he said he would make no comment on any candidates. Moore has changed his mind and is not going to South Bend, where the the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide men's basketball team will play Notre Dame on Thursday. He is returning to Tuscaloosa instead.
Rodriguez has made it clear that he wants to know soon if he must make a decision. West Virginia has a big recruiting weekend planned, the coach said, and he doesn't want his discussion with Alabama to drag well into next week.
Alabama might not be the only school to check on Rodriguez's interest, however.
According to a source close to situation, Miami athletic director Paul Dee will ask for permission to speak to Rodriguez Wednesday morning.
Rodriguez had been coy about his plans before Tuesday, publicly saying he hasn't been contacted by Alabama.
"I plan on being at West Virginia the rest of my career," Rodriguez repeatedly stated in an interview with the Wheeling (West Va.) News-Register in a story posted on its Web site last Friday.
Also on Friday, Rodriguez replied to rumors he was leaving by telling MetroNews Statewide Sport radio: "I have no idea what anybody is talking about. I have not talked to anybody. They haven't offered me anything. I didn't even say I was interested. When all of these rumors came up, all I said was I don't address rumors. It's as simple as that."
Rodriguez is 49-24 in six seasons at West Virginia. He signed a three-year extension with the Mountaineers on June 24 and has six years left on his contract, which pays him about $1.1 million annually with the possibility of more than $400,000 in additional performance bonuses. The contract includes a $2 million penalty if he leaves West Virginia before Aug. 31, 2007.
The amended contract increased Rodriguez's supplemental compensation for work such as radio/TV appearances and other promotional activities to more than $510,000. That sum increases to $900,000 beginning Jan. 16, with $50,000 increases each additional year until the contract expires after the 2012 season.
Rodriguez, 43, would also receive a $600,000 annuity from the school if he's still coaching the Mountaineers after the 2011 regular season. He loses the annuity if he leaves West Virginia before then.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS: (associated press) cincinnati hires coach.
For a second time this season, Brian Kelly will oppose Western Michigan in a football game.
One day after being named Cincinnati's new football coach, Kelly on Tuesday learned his first game with the Bearcats will come at the International Bowl next month.
Kelly guided Central Michigan to a 9-4 record and Mid-American Conference championship this season. The Chippewas, who will face Middle Tennessee in the Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26, beat Western Michigan -- Cincinnati's bowl opponent Jan. 6 -- 31-7 on Nov. 10.
"Our goal was to put the best opportunity for success on the sidelines for our student-athletes," Bearcats athletic director Mike Thomas said. "Coach Kelly and his staff have a wealth of knowledge regarding our opponent in the International Bowl and are ready to lead our team against Western Michigan. I am excited that we have Cincinnati coaches leading our Bearcats on the field as that is how it should be."
It is not the first time that a new coach has taken over a team after the regular season and led that squad in a bowl. David Cutcliffe did so for Mississippi after the 1998 campaign, guiding the Rebels to an Independence Bowl win over Texas Tech.
In 16 seasons as a coach, Kelly has compiled a 137-51-2 record. He is replacing Mark Dantonio, who left to take the Michigan State job after three seasons in Cincinnati.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS: (espn.com): norm chow not interested in nc state job.
A week after saying he hadn't even been contacted about the North Carolina State coaching vacancy, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow has withdrawn his name from consideration for the job, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Wednesday.
Chow was the Wolfpack's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2000, fired coach Chuck Amato's first season at his alma mater, but left to join the staff at Southern California.
Chow and University of Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe were rumored to be on the Wolfpack's coaching wish list. Sources told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach on Tuesday that NC State was focusing its search on Navy coach Paul Johnson.
NC State athletic director Lee Fowler has said he will not comment on the search until it is complete.
Amato was fired Nov. 26, one day after his team lost its seventh straight game to end the season. The former NC State linebacker was 49-37 and led the Wolfpack to five bowl games in seven seasons but was just 25-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and never finished higher than fourth.
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