Making the morning rounds.• Same Trojan time, same Trojan channel. The Wall Street Journal crunched the numbers and found that the most attractive bowl teams of the BCS era are in the background again this postseason – and the biggest draw, probation-wracked USC, isn't on the stage at all. Television ratings for the Trojans' ten bowl appearances since 1998 outperformed the expected ratings for those games by 28.7 percent, best in the country, followed by Florida State (+22.6), Notre Dame (+20.8), Miami (+15.7) and Michigan (+12). On the other hand, outside of former heavy hitters FSU and Miami, nobody's tuning in for the rest of the ACC: Four of the five worst performing bowl teams in terms of TV were Virginia (–18.3), N.C. State (–17), Georgia Tech (–14.7) and Clemson (–7.9).
Frankly, with 33 of the 35 bowl games this season, I think ESPN wins no matter what. [Wall Street Journal]
• We hardly knew ye. Cincinnati receiver Vidal Hazelton, once a five-star, top-10 signee at USC, is declaring for the NFL Draft after a single season at Cincinnati – almost all of it spent on the bench after tearing an ACL in the Bearcats' season-opening loss at Fresno State. Among Hazelton's peers at the top of the freshman class of 2006: Percy Harvin, Andre Smith, Beanie Wells, Gerald McCoy, Sergio Kindle, Matthew Stafford and C.J. Spiller, all first-round picks except Kindle, who went early in the second. Hazelton, however, is unlikely to be drafted without some eye-popping workouts. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
• Should I stay or should I go? Florida quarterback John Brantley, primary scapegoat for the Gators' severe offensive regression this year, still hasn't decided whether or not he'll return next year under new coach Will Muschamp and an as-yet unnamed offensive coordinator. As a redshirt junior with one year of eligibility remaining, Brantley's options for leaving are a) Taking the Masoli route as a graduate transfer after he earns his degree in Gainesville, b) Transferring to a Division III school, or c) Taking his chances in the draft, where he has a chance to convince pro scouts that he really was the big-armed blue chip he was advertised to be, just stuck in the wrong offense. At any rate, that decision won't come until after Saturday's Outback Bowl date with Penn State. [Gainesville Sun]
Of more immediate concern to the Gators, All-SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins and three other Florida seniors – offensive lineman Maurice Hurt and defensive tackles Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh – will miss the bowl game after undergoing surgery this month. Assuming Jenkins goes pro, it's likely the end of the college careers of all four. [Gainesville Sun]
• This may not be the 'opportunity' we were led to believe. Outgoing Texas Tech defensive coordinator James Willis might be in talks with Florida about joining Will Muschamp's developing staff in Gainesville, but his departure from Tech over the weekend also coincides with an ongoing domestic dispute investigation after Lubbock police were called to Willis' residence last week. No one was arrested or transported to the hospital in the incident, and police were tightlipped Monday about Willis' involvement, but they did confirm to various outlets that a woman suffered "minor injuries" and that the suspect is a 38-year-old male. (Willis is 38.) [Fox 34, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]
• Return of the eye in the sky. Notre Dame employed a hydraulic scissor lift to film Sun Bowl practice Monday, the first time the Irish have used one of the lifts since student videographer Declan Sullivan was killed when high winds toppled a lift in October. The return of the lift was cleared by the university's risk management office, though the investigation into Sullivan's death is ongoing. [Chicago Tribune]
Quickly… Joe Paterno's wife shoots down rumors about his health and future on the sideline. … Nittany Lion quarterback Robert Bolden says he's still out to win back the starting job from Matt McGloin. … Notre Dame receiver Duval Kamara will didn't travel with the team to the Sun Bowl for undisclosed personal reasons. … Defending the Big Ten's new logo. … Measuring the progress of black head coaches, by the numbers. … How Arizona buttered up the Alamo Bowl. … Tennessee players face an early curfew in Nashville. … A South Carolina columnist takes a gratuitous shot at Florida State's "Seminole" motif. … Andy Dalton puts on the chef's hat for the annual "Beef Bowl." … And this headline might just as easily be reversed.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Alessandro Puzar Gaston Rahier Steve Ramon Tyla Rattray Chad Reed
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