UGA fires Felton a year too late; Bobby Bowden back for at least another season

(1/30) There wasn’t just handwriting on the wall -- it was posted in huge block letters. Dennis Felton, the five-year men’s basketball coach at Georgia, was fired Thursday. He had been living on borrowed time. Felton never panned out after being hired away from Western Kentucky to clean up the mess inherited from Jim Harrick. Felton’s overall record was 84-91 and 26-59 in league games. The Bulldogs are winless in SEC games thus far and were embarrassed 83-57 by Florida in Felton’s last game as head coach.

In speaking with several college coaches, they feel that Georgia could be an excellent job -- kind of a sleeper. It is the state university and check out basketball rosters across the country if you don’t think this state produces plenty of talent.

The argument that Georgia is a football school doesn’t get it, either. Florida, UCLA, Southern Cal, Texas and more than a handful of other football schools have kicked butt in basketball.

The players quit on Felton in the Florida game and attendance at home games is poor -- all ingredients pointing to an immediate change. Felton was a good fellow but not much of a coach.

Assistant coach Pete Herrmann, who I thought was a clarinet player, (oops, that was Woody Herman) was named interim coach.

Felton’s firing came only two days after Alabama coach Mike Gottfried was forced out in Tuscaloosa. The SEC has not had a team in the top 20 for most of this season.

The iconic Florida State coach Bobby Bowden is with us officially, if only for one year. Bowden signed a one-year contract with the Seminoles this week, hoping to add to his 382 win mark. The FSU coach is one game behind Penn State’s Joe Paterno. This is Bowden’s 34th year in Tallahassee and FSU is the current record holder with 27 straight bowl appearances.

In case you wondered, the Super Bowl winners will take home $78,000 per man while the losers will bank $40,000.

Minnesota head basketball coach Tubby Smith says he’s not a candidate for the suddenly vacant Alabama job after Mike Gottfried quit. It would be nice to see the affable coach back in the Deep South.

I would hate to see it happen but all signs point to Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams leaving the Terps after this season. Williams is having a bad run on the court and is in a spitting contest with UM’s administration. Williams' on-the-court demeanor belies his delightful sense of humor and total good guy attributes.

Does UGA or Tech stink the most in basketball? Maybe Kentucky's not back yet

(1/29) You know your state college basketball teams are bad when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution devotes most of the front sports page on a story asking the question, "Which team stinks worse, Georgia Tech or Georgia?"

The Bulldogs’ coach, Dennis Felton, would have been gone after last season had not the Dawgs pulled off the Miracle of March and won the SEC tournament. Tech’s Paul Hewitt has had success but not consistently. As nice a guy as Hewitt is, he’s got to win next year. Being a nice guy doesn’t cut it at Tech; just ask Bobby Cremins.

I’ll admit up front I know little about college football recruiting and think it’s the most overrated happening in all of sports. But Clemson’s luring of Hampton, Va., quarterback Taj Boyd away from Oregon and Ohio State has got to be one of the season’s upsets.

Tennessee’s new football coach, Lane Kiffin, may be a little bit more naive than anyone thought. He expressed amazement at the amount of negative recruiting that goes on in the SEC. Is there any other kind? He’s also raided the staffs or made derogatory public comments about Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia since he arrived. That may come back to bite him.

NASCAR star Jeff Gordon has a solution to cut into the rising costs in his sport. He suggested that drivers jet-pool. He said it was stupid to have 40 private jets at each race with two or three people in each plane. And you wonder if the superstars can still relate to us jet-less folks.

And just when we thought that Kentucky was back in the basketball business, having broken into the Top 25 for the first time this season, an injury-depleted Ole Miss team handed the Wildcats their first SEC loss.

Autopsies have been done on six NFL players who have died recently who were all 50 years old or younger. The finding is that the former players all had brain injuries that are usually found in prize fighters. Now that’s scary.

Just for fun, Georgia Tech’s 2009 football schedule includes three SEC teams - Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Georgia’s ‘09 football schedule is a bit more ambitious and includes Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Tech.

Another $4 million football coach in the SEC? Gottfried mysteriously out at 'Bama

(1/28) Just because I like lists: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim has the most years at one school of any basketball coach with 33. Mike Krzyzewski of Duke is third at 29 years and Jim Calhoun is seventh with 23 years at UConn among the major schools.

Basketball coach Mark Gottfried’s abrupt departure at Alabama after 11 years was certainly a surprise. Gottfried is an excellent coach and my immediate question is who will The Tide get to come that’s better? . . . And speaking of college basketball, Houston’s Aubrey Coleman received a one-game suspension for stomping on the face of Arizona’s Chase Budinger. I’m sure that’ll prove to be a real deterrent.

And speaking of the Wildcats, with coach Lute Olson gone, Arizona seems in real peril of missing the NCAA basketball tournament this year. If the Wildcats don’t make it, it would snap an NCAA leading 24-year streak of getting to March Madness.

How bad is the recession? The infamous Playboy Super Saturday night party at the Super Bowl has been canceled. . . A rumor making the rounds in the NFL is that the San Diego Chargers are looking to move back to Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest market.

It seems Florida is putting off the financial inevitability of posting a small fortune for Urban Meyer’s services. Gator athletics director Jeremy Foley says he hasn’t spoken with Meyer about a raise after the coach won his second national championship in three years. After his first title, Meyer received a bump from $2 million to $3.2 million. Are we looking at another $4 million coach in the SEC?

The Mountain West Conference, home of Utah, Brigham Young and TCU, is petitioning the BCS for an automatic bid in the future. Ain’t no way.

Kelvin Sampson, the man who single-handedly brought down Indiana basketball, is petitioning the NCAA to lessen his sentence of five years out of college basketball. Kelvin, if you did the crime, you gotta do the time. And I might point out that IU didn’t have this problem when Bob Knight was there.

And finally, immediately following Sunday’s Super Bowl, Arizona Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner becomes a free agent. Word is he’s looking to the Chicago Bears for an offer to lead that NFL team.

UGA in top 5 'family atmosphere football programs.' Al Capone, citizen of the year?

(1/27) There is a newly created category in sports called the NCAA Football Family Atmosphere Rankings. This ridiculous rankings is a product of something called College Football Live! The top five "family atmosphere" programs are Oregon State. Penn State, Texas, Wake Forest and Georgia. Is this a joke? Have these people checked the police blotter in Happy Valley and Athens? Next week Al Capone will be chosen one of the Top Citizens Ever.

The same folks ranked the college football recruiting services. Rivals came out on top of the five services.

Let’s see what happened of interest in sports over the past week: A high school girl’s basketball team in Texas beat another by a score of 100-0. The coach of the winners was subsequently fired. . . Another example of fine sportsmanship, University of Houston’s Aubrey Coleman stomped on Arizona’s Chase Budinger’s face during a game. Arizona won, if you care. I don’t.

And this from Jamie May, North Carolina sports cynic: He writes, "Will football teams soon institute a bonus plan for assistants that is unrelated to performance, similar to Merrill Lynch? It would seem to be the next logical step in the ‘corporatization’ of college football."

It looks as if Oklahoma is preparing for Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford to leave for the NFL after next season. The Sooners have contacted former Miami quarterback Robert Marve , who is transferring, about coming to play in Norman.

Florida wide receiver football commitment Nu’Keese Richardson also was a baseball pitcher and outfielder, a basketball guard and a track star at his high school. He says he’d like to play four sports in Gainesville. What are the chances that Urban Meyer will allow that?

Just one of those little idiosyncrasies that makes me love college basketball so. Virginia Tech lost to Georgia and

then beat No. 1 ranked Wake Forest.

If you care, SI.Com says the best quarterback never to win a Super Bowl was the Dolphins’ Dan Marino. The worst to win one: Trent Dilfer of the Ravens.

And finally, try not to make any plans for Wednesday night. Tune in to see No. 1 Duke take on former No. 1 Wake Forest. It should be one of the top games of the year until Duke and North Carolina play.

Obama triggers 25% surge in Sox gear sales; Steelers' Tomlin: no Gatorade bath

I guess I’m naive when it comes to assistant football coaches’ salaries but I was flabbergasted when Tennessee announced its coaching remunerations:

-Monte Kiffin, Defensive Coordinator, $1,200,000,
-Ed Orgeron, Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Line, $650,000

-Jim Chaney, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line, $380,000

-Lance Thompson, Linebackers, $350,000.

The Vols are paying a total of $3.325 million to nine assistants, believed to be the most in all of college football.

Sporting News Today picked the six college basketball coaches it feels has shown most brightly thus far in the season. They included Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest, Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel, Brad Stevens of Butler, Bruce Weber of Illinois, Mike Montgomery of Cal and Jamie Dixon of Pitt.

If you’re looking for perennial Final Four combatant UCLA at the top of the Pac-10 standings, you’ll be disappointed. Surprising Washington leads the way with Arizona State, Cal and the Bruins tied for second.

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock says there are only three running backs in the upcoming draft worthy of first round consideration - Knowshon Moreno of Georgia, LeSean McCoy of Pitt and Chris Wells of Ohio State.

The Chicago White Sox report a 25 percent jump in merchandise sales since Barack Obama, a staunch Sox fan, was elected president.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sent a message to his players. Tomlin said don’t dump Gatorade on me if we win the Super Bowl. He was doused after the Steelers beat Baltimore in the AFC title game.

Former West Virginia quarterback Pat White improved his NFL draft chances with an impressive showing in the Senior Bowl as did ex-Alabama signal-caller John Parker Wilson. Former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell was unimpressive.

Duke’s 41-point rout of Maryland over the weekend will propel the Blue Devils to the No. 1 spot in the college polls. It was the worst loss suffered by the Terps since 1941.

Bo Jackson knows football, Bo Jackson knows baseball. Does Bo know cooking?

(1/23) People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has withdrawn an offer to shoot an anti-dogfighting public service ad with dog-murderer Michael Vick after his release from prison. PETA withdrew its offer after Vick’s attorneys insisted the group support Vick’s return to the NFL. PETA is now calling for the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback to undergo psychiatric exams and a brain scan. Good luck to the scan folks.

Nothing to do with Vick but the top five dog breeds in Atlanta are Labs, Golden Retrievers, Boxers, German Shepherds and Yorkshire Terriers.

The Greek team Olympiacos is interested in bringing former Georgia Tech and New York Knick malcontent point guard Stephon Marbury to play in its European League. That’s the same team that Atlanta Hawk Josh Childress is with. That’s good. Since Marbury doesn’t speak the language, maybe he’ll just shut up and play.

Jim Caldwell, Tony Dungy’s replacement as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts seems to be a popular choice, but why? If you remember, Caldwell was a major disappointment as head coach at Wake Forest, going 26-63 in eight seasons.

Former two-sport phenom Bo Jackson, who plied his trade at Auburn and then went on to have a stellar career in both pro football and baseball, is trying to get his own cooking show on television.

A little dirty pool is going on. Alabama hired Auburn linebacker coach James Willis to perform the same service for the Tide. Willis is one of the Tigers' top recruiters and the change comes two weeks before signing day.

Former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who left the Jackets to coach with Ralph Friedgen at Maryland, has been named the New England Patriots quarterback coach and will have a say in play-calling.

According to ticket outlet StubHub, the average price of a Super Bowl ticket is $2,790.

And finally, because you deserve to know, in the past 42 Super Bowls, the pre-game coin toss has resulted in 21 heads and 21 tails.

This is Norman Arey calling tails.

NFL MVP Peyton Manning wins another honor: most fawned over by sportscasters

(1/22) It’ll be interesting to see how things go between the Atlanta Braves and outfielder Jeff Francoeur. The two are more than $1 million off in their negotiations for a new contract with Francoeur coming off his worst year yet. Can you spell arbitration?

No one expected Georgia Tech to be leading the ACC basketball standings but no one expected the Yellow Jackets to be winless in the league and dead last in the standings after five conference games, either.

A Ford dealer in Lexington, Ky., is offering a "Rick Brooks Edition" Ford F-150 crew cab truck, named after the Wildcats’ head football coach. Among the extras are Brooks' signature decals on doors, tailgate, fenders and quarter panels. If Brooks’ team goes 0-12, we’re talking an Edsel here.

SI.Com listed the Top Athletes that sports announcers most love to fawn over. The list:

No. 1 - Peyton Manning, 2. Tony Polamalu, 3. Brett Favre, 4. LeBron James, 5. Dice K Masuzaki, 6. Every Duke basketball player, 7. Derek Jeter, 8. Tyler Hansbrough, 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Where is Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on their list?

More budget cuts. Stanford University, which is the perennial winner of the Director’s Cup, an award given to the best overall sports program in the country, is projecting a $5 million shortfall over the next three years. The Cardinal brass is discussing cutting staff and eliminating some sports.

Oklahoma State did hire Miami defensive coordinator Bill Young as I mentioned yesterday but Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez may or may not be on the screen for UM head coach Randy Shannon. Shannon says if he can’t find a replacement, he’ll do it himself.

Which NFL team makes the most sense for Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford? The best fit would seem to be the San Francisco 49ers but the most likely team to draft the ex-Bulldog is either Detroit or Kansas City.

And finally, just to make Georgia fans feel little bit better about their football future. Tom Lemmings, one of the top recruiting services, ranks Bulldog quarterback commitment Aaron Murphy as the No. 3 player in the nation.

Gruden to Notre Dame this season? College football at Wrigley Field? Holy cow!

(1/21) Georgia State head football coach Bill Curry told Sporting News Today.com that Arizona Cardinal coach Ken Whisenhunt is just getting started. Curry said that while Whisenhunt was at Georgia Tech, he played six positions including a game at quarterback against No. 1 Notre Dame when the Jackets tied the Irish, 3-3.

Bill Young, the defensive coordinator at Miami, has been offered the same job at Oklahoma State at $700,000 per year. The reason that’s important is that if Young should leave, Miami is reportedly interested in Georgia defensive boss Willie Martinez.

Here’s a good rumor. Fired Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden will be the next head coach at Notre Dame. Supposedly once current Irish coach Charlie Weis gets his recruiting class signed, sealed and delivered, he’s leaving and Gruden will take over.

It’s fun to see Wake Forest, the smallest school in the BCS, at the top of the college basketball rankings. This isn’t the first time the Demon Deacons have been ranked No. 1. The last time was in 2004.

No surprise that the attendance was down for the championship games for most of the classes in high school football. The finals were played at the Georgia Dome for the first time this past season. The finals belong in the communities that have supported the schools all year long.

HERE & THERE: Bulldog coach Mark Richt got a recruit by telling BBQ jokes? Great stuff. I want to hear Richt tell any kind of joke. Who knew? . . . Philadelphia Eagles’ assistant Rex Ryan was named coach of the New York Jets. And ex-Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski was fired for interviewing for a job he didn’t get. . . And we learn that sophomore Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford never really considered going early to the NFL draft. That’s tough money to turn down since he was favored to be the No. 1 overall pick. . . And I read in the AJC that Georgia Tech is beginning its winter drills focusing on strength and speed. What else would you focus on?

And finally, here’s one I’m not so sure about. Northwestern is considering playing Illinois in football at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Football, at least these days, just doesn’t seem the right thing to view at The Friendly Confines. Where are you, Ernie Banks?

Super Bowl ads too $$ for some to tackle; virtual Sports Hall of Fame at inaugural

(1/20) Some folks are predicting the downtrodden Detroit Lions will choose neither Matt Stafford nor Mark Sanchez in the upcoming NFL draft. They will choose Michael Vick, who’ll be out of jail in July. I mean, what’s it gonna hurt, their reputation? Having a dog-killer on their roster would be the least of their worries.

The economy has hit the Super Bowl. With advertisements going for $3 million for a 30-second spot, some old reliables have decided to forego this year, including General Motors, FedEx and Garmin to name a few.

The top names out of the athletic community who attended the Presidential Inauguration included Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Dave Winfield and Dikembe Mutombo. Of course, Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson will have the best seat of all but then he’s Barack Obama’s brother-in-law.

I still think that Auburn’s decision to hire Gene Chizik was weird but Chizik has put together an excellent staff, including recruiting specialist Trooper Taylor, Tracy Rocker, Ted Roof and Guy Malzahn.. . And if anybody out there is looking for a good offensive coordinator, Steve Logan has quit at Boston College after not being named the head coach. Logan was head man at East Carolina for 10 years before moving on to BC.

Putting his money where his mouth is, Clemson basketball coach Oliver Purnell and his wife, Vicky, presented a $100,000 check to Coaches vs. Cancer before Clemson’s game with Wake Forest over the weekend.

The debate is one of annual interest: who’s the better college basketball league, the ACC or the Big East? If on-the-court action is any indication, the ACC is 9-6 against the Big East thus far.

Arizona State is 15-3 in men’s basketball and fresh off of an upset of highly regarded UCLA. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Coach Herb Sendek was run off from N.C. State after taking the Wolfpack to five consecutive NCAA tournaments. Now he’s got the Sun Devils in the midst of national contention.

Dawkins, Duke's coach-in-waiting, a hit at Stanford; UT hires recruiting king

(1/19) Tennessee’s new football coach Lane Kiffin finished hiring his staff by bringing in Alabama linebacker coach Lance Thompson. Thompson was voted Rivals.Com National Recruiter of the Year last season and will be dynamite for the Volunteers. Tide assistant Kevin Steele also has left to coach at Clemson.

Alert reader Mickey Seward points out that if the NCAA approves Orlando’s request to host a bowl game at Central Florida’s new stadium, it would give that city three bowl games and the state of Florida would have seven, taking the lead of hosting the most bowls of any state. Texas has five, California plays host to four and Louisiana has three.

There were three undefeated men’s college basketball teams when the sun rose Saturday and only one when it set. Previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh fell to No. 20 Louisville while No. 2 undefeated Wake Forest knocked No.10 Clemson out of the no-losses ranks. The Demon Deacon’s 16-0 mark ties its best start in history. And where’s the SEC? Not one single school from the conference was ranked in the Top 20.

Afraid there’s not much to look forward to within our state in college basketball. Georgia is 9-9 and Georgia Tech is 9-8 overall. and both are dead last in their leagues. Whatever happened to Bobby Cremins? He’s working his magic at College of Charleston, and beat his alma mater South Carolina earlier this season.

Remember when West Virginia made its run in the NCAA tourney in 2005, the Mountaineers’ star was Kevin Pittsnogle. Pittsnogle wasn’t drafted in the NBA and is now living in a double-wide trailer teaching middle school in his hometown of Martinsburg, W. Va.

Cycling star Lance Armstrong came out of a three-year retirement to race in a 30-miler in Australia. Armstrong finished 64th out of 133 riders. Does anyone trust cyling as a sport anymore?

Don’t know if you’re paying attention but suspected Duke-Coach-In-Waiting Johnny Dawkins has led Stanford to a 12-3 record during his first tenure as a head coach. The Cardinal snapped No. 22 Cal’s nine-game winning streak over the weekend.

Recruiting a one-year-and-gone is risky business; Stafford's NFL stock surging

(1/16) This is Norman Arey reminding you to get the dogs and cats inside.

It’s risky business in college basketball to sign a player who you know from the get-go will stay only one season. Just ask Bobby Cremins, whose shaky empire at Georgia Tech was brought down by one Stephon Marbury. But evidently current Jacket coach Paul Hewitt felt the risk was worth it when South Atlanta senior Derrick Favors announced he’ll play for the Ramblin’ Wreck next season. Favors is ranked No. 1 in some of the recruiting services and is sure to give Hewitt one of the top three recruiting classes in the country.

I have to admit I was stunned when Oklahoma sophomore quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford announced he was staying in school and forgoing the NFL draft. Bradford was supposedly a top draft choice if not No. 1 overall. It seems logical, considering Bradford’s decision, to project that ex-Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford’s stock has now risen a notch or two. Can he say, "Hello Mo-Town?"

And another thing: Ain’t it grand to see all three of the nation’s top quarterbacks coming back for another year? Hope that’s a trend and not just a quirk.

Hot dog! Just what we’ve been waiting for -- another bowl game. Orlando is petitioning the NCAA to hold a bowl in the University of Central Florida’s new stadium. Now we would only have 35 bowls next season.

Andruw Jones was spotted in the crowd at the Georgia Tech-Duke basketball game earlier this week with an Atlanta Braves hat on. Now that the Dodgers have officially divorced themselves from the center fielder, can it be he’s headed back to his old team?

The Dallas Cowboys still sit atop the top-selling team merchandise list. The Giants, Steelers, Jets and Bears make up the top five. The top selling individual jersey is that of the Jets’ quarterback Brett Favre followed by the Cowboys’ Tony Romo and the Giants’ Eli Manning. Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan’s jersey was No. 15 on the list.

The Eagles (9-6-1) and Cardinals (9-7) are unlikely opponents in the NFL semi-finals. No matter what happens, the Super Bowl will feature a nine-win team for just the third time in history (the 1967 Packers and 1979 L.A. Rams are the others).

And finally, when a team like the Dallas Cowboys keeps a malcontent like Terrell Owens, I can only believe it’s to keep some other team from acquiring him. There’s no other explanation.

Not praying for a quarterback; is 'Tebow Fatigue' here? Plus: greatest sportscasters

(1/15) Stewart Mandel of SI.Com asks if Tebow Fatigue may set in on the college football scene soon? Good question. How much more can be said about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, whom many are calling the greatest college player ever? Now that he’s coming back, get ready for more gushing.

And speaking of gushing, Tebow’s father Bob, who is a missionary, says he prayed for a preacher before Tim was born. "I didn’t ask God for a quarterback, which seems like a fairly egotistical thing to do," he sold the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

It’s the Year of the Underclassman Running Back in the NFL draft. Get a load of the guys coming out - UConn’s Donald Brown, Glen Coffey of Alabama, Iowa’s Shon Greene, P.J. Hill of Wisconsin, Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno and Beanie Wells of Ohio State.

Hey, I found a student-athlete with the emphasis on student. Eric Ward, a top high school receiver from Wichita Falls, said no to Oklahoma because of its low football graduation rate (46 percent) and enrolled at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders graduate football players at a 79 percent rate.

The assistant coach who made out the best over the hiring-firing frenzy that took place at season’s end in the college ranks is Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood, who was named head coach at Miami (O). Chances are good he would have been jobless after next year along with the rest of the Irish staff.

Good question on SI.Com, asking why Oklahoma hasn’t gotten the negative publicity that Ohio State has gotten because of their big game failures. In actuality, the Buckeyes are 3-3 in BCS games while the Sooners are 2-4. Simple answer is the Big 10 is a very bad conference right now and Ohio State is the face of that league.

The American Sportscasters Association released its list of the Top 50 announcers of all time. The top five included Vin Scully, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Curt Gowdy and Howard Cosell.

Word is that New York Giant quarterback Eli Manning is in line to sign a new contract worth up to $15 million annually, thereby making him $1 million a year more than older brother Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts.

College football's mythical title tilt: the mid-January classic?

(1/14) And another thing that college football does that is super stupid. Why play the mythical title game on Jan. 8 instead of somewhere within shouting distance of New Year’s Day. In some cases, the teams that played in New Year’s Day bowls hadn’t played in 39 days. Good grief. That’s longer than fall practice lasts.

And another thing: Chargers’ running back LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t the original "LT." That distinction belongs to the greatest defensive player ever in the NFL, Lawrence Taylor.

Florida State defensive back Myron Rolle, who won a Rhodes Scholarship, has chosen to attend Oxford University and earn a master’s in medical anthropology and then make himself available for the NFL draft in 2010.

If you keep up with women’s college basketball, and I admit I don’t, it’s noteworthy that Tennessee dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in 211 weeks when the Lady Vols were ranked No. 13 this week. It’s the lowest ranking for Pat Summitt’s crew in 23 years.

Hither and Yon: Fresno State head football coach Pat Hill, whom I consider one of the top college coaches anywhere, has not been given a contract extension by the Fresno brass. . . East Carolina’s Skip Holtz says he’s staying put and isn’t a candidate for Boston College’s head job. . . BC athletics director Gene DeFilippo announced that Steve Spaziani, who’s been in Boston for 12 seasons, will be the new Eagle boss. . . Michael Vick’s palatial home in Atlanta is scheduled to go on the auction block in March. The asking price is $3.2 million. . . The ACC has four teams in top 10 in the latest AP basketball poll.

So former Georgia quarterback and radio talk show host Buck Belue has Bells Palsy, a paralysis of the facial muscles. Know what Atlanta sports star had it first? None other than "Pistol Pete" Maravich.

If you care, here is a list of teams who won their divisional titles this year: Richmond, Division I-AA; Division II Minnesota-Duluth; Division III Mount Union (Ohio.); NAIA Sioux Falls (S.D.); and of course, Florida.

And if you wonder how Tubby Smith, former Georgia coach, is doing at Minnesota, the answer is awesomely. Smith was made to feel unwelcome at Kentucky after winning a national title and five SEC titles in 10 years. So he went to the downtrodden Gophers and has compiled a 35-15 mark in less than two seasons. And Kentucky replacement Billy Gillespie? 31-17.

Dangerous combo in '09 college football: Tebow's return, beer-flavored popcorn

(1/13) Steve Spurrier picked up some negative publicity over the weekend when Tucker High School coach Franklin Stephens said the South Carolina coach and his staff are no longer welcome. The coach’s strong stand came after the Gamecocks withdrew a scholarship offer to linebacker Jonathan Davis. Davis received offers from half a dozen schools but decided to go to Columbia. Now he’s not sure if he has anywhere to go. I don’t blame Stephens for his reaction but is it fair to other Tucker players to have a school removed from those they might consider?

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow already has taken all of the mystery out of the 2009 college football season by announcing he’ll return to the Gators for his senior year. Florida had only three seniors starting against Oklahoma in the mythical title game and none on defense. Do-everything Percy Harvin and defensive star Brandon Spikes probably will leave early for the NFL.

And by the way, as far as pre-season Top 10 teams go, it’ll be your usual list of suspects for 2009 with possibly one new face in the lineup. Watch for Ole Miss and quarterback Jevan Snead to get more than their share of attention.

The Dayton Daily News featured an article asking if it isn’t time that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel took a hard look at his coordinators after the Buckeyes repeated losses in big games. Seems like a valid question.

Former Miami starting quarterback Robert Marve, who has decided to transfer, is looking at Oklahoma State and Purdue.

Hey, Mike Pennington is my kind of guy. In an e-mail, the executive director of the Georgia Economic Development Association wrote this: "Don’t beat yourself up too bad on the bowl predictions. (I was 15-19). By my calculations, you were 56-50-11 against the spread for the season and 8-6-2 in the bowl season. Very respectable."

You gotta love entrepreneurs. A college student has come up with the idea of Beer-Flavored Popcorn. Just the thing for your Saturday afternoons in the easy chair watching college football. He also offers Irish cream and pina colada flavored kernels.

And finally, Rome’s Tony Woods played 10 minutes for Wake Forest in its upset of No. 2 ranked North Carolina Sunday under the toughest conditions and scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and generally held his own against one of the best teams anywhere.

Best game, biggest flop, best player, teams on the rise and early hot seats

(1/12) A quick look back at several things during the now-finished college football season and other notes:

>Many of you followed Norman’s No-Nos throughout the college football season. I did OK during the regular season, 158-63 or 72 percent. But I was a disaster during the bowl season, missing 19 while picking only 15 correctly. So sue me.

>The biggest surprise during the bowls: A tie: Alabama losing to Utah and Ole Miss whipping Texas Tech.

>The biggest disappointment: Georgia Tech’s loss to LSU. The Jackets just embarrassed themselves as they always do when they play in the Peach/Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

>Best game: Again a tie - Texas over Ohio State and Florida over Oklahoma.

>Best Non-Bowl Game: Florida over Alabama in the SEC title game.

>Best player: I know you’re tired of hearing it but Tim Tebow, hands down.

>On the rise next season: North Carolina, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Michigan, FSU

>On the decline: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Penn State, West Virginia

>Early coaching hot seats: Charlie Weiss, Notre Dame; Bill Stewart, West Virginia

Whether it’s deserved or not, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma is getting a bad rap. His "Big Game Bob" moniker is a subject of derision. The Sooners are being referred to as Chokelamoha. Stoops is 1-3 in BCS national title games, which means he’s brought his team to four finals. He’s lost five straight BCS game and three of his last four against Texas. His lone national title in 2000 was with more than half of the 22 starters recruited by his predecessor, John Blake.

Last week, I had an item inspired by SI.Com asking for the top athletes nicknamed for animals. Tiger Woods headed the list. Sports cynic Jamie May of North Carolina sent in this list: Kenny "The Snake: Stabler; Meadowlark Lemon; Billy "The Kangaroo Kid" Cunningham; Mike "The Bear" Souchak; Randy Rhino; Harlan Crowe; Larry Bird; and Andres "The Big Cat" Galarraga.

They didn’t win the mythical college title but the University of Utah is being given a parade in Salt Lake City on Jan. 16 to honor the team as the only undefeated school in Division I.

Remember Rhett Bomar, who was thrown out of Oklahoma after the starting quarterback was involved in illegal employment practices - working a job without working? He went on to star at Sam Houston State and has been invited to the Senior Bowl.

Of the 31 non-seniors who have announced so far that they’re coming out early for the NFL draft, 17 are from southern teams.

And finally, the Big East has nine basketball teams ranked in the Top 25.

Georgia without Stafford. Moreno: How about Falcons without Ryan, Turner?

(1/9) OK, folks. College football is officially over. Now we can get down to football recruiting.

How will the Georgia Bulldog football team fare next season without quarterback Matt Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno? I don’t know, maybe think the Atlanta Falcons without quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner.

I didn’t know until I read it today that Florida coach Urban Meyer had been an infielder in the Atlanta Braves’ organization as a young man . . . With the firing of Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, the college ranks now have 21 turnovers this past season.

It feels as if someone has died in my sports family. John Smoltz won’t be back with the Atlanta Braves next season. The venerable pitcher will be plying his trade with the American League’s Boston Red Sox. As bad as the Braves have become, I’d still watch every fifth game or so when Smoltz was scheduled to pitch. Now I have no enticement.

Local sports enthusiast Joey Mac sent in an AP article which proves beyond any reasonable doubt that New Hampshire should at least be in the mythical college title game if not the champion. The reasoning: New Hampshire beat Army, which beat Louisiana Tech, which beat Mississippi State, which beat Vanderbilt, which beat Mississippi, which was the only team to beat Florida!. . . And by the same token, in college basketball, Harvard beat Boston College this week after BC topped No. 1 North Carolina, therefore the Crimson is the nation’s fairest.

I don’t know how many of you watched ESPN Wednesday night as the network pulled an "announcer swap." It featured NBA announcers Mike Tirico, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy calling the Duke-Davidson game while collegiate announcers Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman called the pro game between the Nuggets and Heat. To be kind, it was without merit.The pro guys were better than the college guys. And of course, Tirico is one of the best anywhere.

SI.Com did a dumb piece on athletes named after animals. Of course, Tiger Woods led the list. Also mentioned were Bronco Nagurski, Catfish Hunter, Goose Gossage and Moose DuPont. Where were Alan ‘The Horse’ Ameche, The Four Horsemen, Colt Brennan and even my high school teammate, Willard "The Buzzard" Nelson. How about some non-animal names like Red ‘The Galloping Ghost’ Grange or Charlie ‘Choo-Choo’ Justice? Send me your suggestions (e-mail).

By the numbers (say, $400 million), a BCS playoff might not equal bowl payoffs

(1/8) At last, I think we can say, definitively, there will be no BCS playoff anywhere in the near future. The Wall Street Journal reported that revenues for the 34 post-season bowl games ranged from just over $1 million to more than $30 million each for the five BCS games. Bowl games are an estimated $400 million-a-year industry and more than 20 bowls are tax-exempt. Game, set and match!

It was a mild surprise that former Georgia Tech player Ted Roof accepted the job as defensive coordinator at Auburn. Roof was the captain of the "Black Watch" defense when he played at Tech, coached the Jackets for a spell, then became head coach at Duke. He spent a successful year last season as defensive chief at Minnesota. Guess he just wanted to get back down south. By the way, Roof’s salary at Minnesota was $330,000 annually.

Utah's attorney general is investigating the BCS for a possible violation of federal antitrust laws after an undefeated Utes team was left out of the national title game. I think you call that sore losers.

There’s fodder to make a case that the Big 10 was by far the worst BCS conference in the country last season. The league finished 1-6 in bowl games. And get this -- the Big 10 has played in 29 bowls in the past five years and has lost 20 of them.

Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has been considered a prime candidate for a BCS. coaching spot on several occasions but was never offered a job. Strong is a black coach with a white wife. That fact, says Strong, crossed his mind before he and Vicki were married. "I had always felt it would be a hindrance," Strong said, "which is probably why we dated so long instead of marrying right away." Question: How must this make his wife feel?

Using history as a barometer, the New York Times points out that pro sports is not recession-proof. In 1930-33, major league baseball attendance plummeted 40 percent. And players’ salaries fell by 25 percent. Nearly every team, including the wealthy Yankees, lost money.

Don’t know if you even noticed it Tuesday night but Georgia Tech beat Georgia in men’s basketball, giving the Jackets a football/basketball sweep for the first time since 1998. It was ugly, ugly, ugly and neither team looks to be going anywhere in the post-season.

College football's 'fifth game' has made Orange, Sugar, Fiesta bowls into yawners

(1/7) I don’t know about you but the "fifth game" installed several years ago by those wild and zany BCS folks has lessened my interest in the bowl games rather than intensified it.

As soon as the BCS announced that Oklahoma and Florida would play for all the checkers, the other BCS games (Orange, Sugar and Fiesta) became irrelevant to me. Could you really be all that interested in the Virginia Tech-Cincinnati Orange Bowl game or even Texas’ victory over Ohio State? This was bourne out in the TV ratings as the Orange Bowl set a record for low numbers.

The Poinsettia Bowl was interesting and fun to watch. So was the Meinke Car Care Bowl, for goodness sakes, but in the long run, it was just programming to help pass the time over the holidays.

The real game has yet to be played and that’s really the only one that counts. Will Texas jump to No. 2 or will Utah break into the top three? Who cares?

In five different mock NFL drafts, Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford was picked to go No. 1 twice, No. 3 twice and below fourth once. Short translation is that the Bulldog signal-caller is gone. Tailback Knowshon Moreno, however, wasn’t picked to go all that high and should return. Just a guess.

I believe it’s going to be that kind of year in college basketball. The new AP poll is out and Pittsburgh is the new No. 1 followed by three ACC teams - Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Pitt, by the way, had never in its history been ranked No. 1 in basketball.

As far as bowl wins go, the Pac-10 was this year’s winner with a perfect 5-0 mark from its five bowl representatives. The SEC is 5-2 obviously with a game to play and the Big XII is 4-2. The ACC sent more teams than any other conference but finished 4-6 although it finally won a BCS bowl.

The Milwaukee Journal reports that the Atlanta Braves are in serious talks with Brewers’ radio announcer Jim Powell to replace Pete Van Wieren, who retired last year. Powell attended the University of Georgia and has been with the Brewers for 13 years.

And finally, since the mythical college title game will see last season’s Heisman winner Tim Tebow of Florida face this season’s winner, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, it might be noted that since the BCS began in 1992, Heisman Trophy winners are 9-9 in bowl games. Ten of those were title games and the Heisman winner was on the winning team four times.

Coaching: Smith's close win; Jagodzinski's close call; Cowher's close enough on TV

(1/6) I was incredulous when I read that Boston College told its head football coach, Jeff Jagodzinski, that he would be fired if he interviewed for the head coaching job with the New York Jets. But the more I thought about it, the better I liked it. With the coaching carousel that goes on in both college and pro football, it’s nice to see a school take a tough stand. It would seem that the coach and BC will part ways no matter given the bitterness of the confrontation.

OK, iIt’s official. The Atlanta Falcons’ Mike Smith edged Miami’s Tony Sparano for NFL Coach of the Year honors by one vote. It shouldn’t have been that close.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler coach Bill Cowher confirmed he plans on sitting out another year and you have to believe he’s serious about staying away from pro football. He’s had a handful of opportunities and turned them down.

No. 1 ranked North Carolina’s basketball loss to Boston College was shocking, considering the fact that the 13-1 Tar Heels hadn’t even trailed in a game in the second half and had won its first 13 games by an average of 26 points.

Mike Francesa, a sports guru on WFAN in New York, announced that his lock of the year in bowl predictions was the Georgia Tech vs. LSU game. Francesa authoritatively said, Tech is home, hungry and highly talented. LSU lacks motivation and plays no defense. Welcome to the read world, Mike. Now you know how the rest of us feel.

The New York Post points out that the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers radio broadcasts now include advertisements for Aladdin Bail Bonds. The endorsement possibilities, points out the newspaper, are endless. Rumors are the Aladdin folks are also talking to the University of Georgia.

Uh oh, don’t think he should have said that. When Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks was asked where he would place Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in the Big X11 Conference, Franks said no higher than fourth, behind Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell and Texas’ Colt McCoy. Guess Tebow will have a chance to have the last laugh Thursday night.

Season's final No-Nos: SEC v. Big 12; Tebow v. Bradford. The loser is . . .

(1/5) This is my third and final installment of Norman’s Bowl No-Nos where I pick the losers in the final three college bowl games. I don’t mind telling you it’s been rough sledding so far.

Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs. Ohio State - It’s my opinion that Texas should be playing in the mythical national championship game. Why? Could be because the Longhorns beat Oklahoma straight up and still weren’t chosen. It’s my opinion that Ohio State is way out of its league and will rue the day it showed up in Arizona. Colt McCoy is one of the top three quarterbacks in the land and is anxious to show up well on national television. The Buckeyes are sick and tired of hearing how they embarrassed the Big 10 for three years - losing badly to Florida two years ago, LSU last year and Southern Cal earlier this season. Watch out for Beanie Wells out of the OSU backfield, although how can you take a guy named "Beanie" seriously? Texas feels the wrath of a team looking for redemption. NO-NO. Buckeyes get a black eye, go down big, again, 35-18.

GMAC Bowl - Ball State vs. Tulsa - The Ballers’ quarterback, Nate Davis, is for real. In fact, he may leave early for the NFL. Tulsa is the second-highest scoring team in the country, averaging almost 47 per outing. The Cardinals come into the game with a 12-1 mark while the Golden Hurricanes are 10-3. Tulsa lays loss No. 2 on the Balls. NO-NO. Hurricanes swept away, 44-35.

BCS Mythical Championship Game - Florida vs. Oklahoma - The Sooners’ Sam Bradford won the Heisman and may be headed to the NFL after this one. The Gators’ Tim Tebow should have won the Heisman and probably will return to Gainesville for his senior year. I love this game mainly because it gives everyone an up-close look at the two quarterbacks and pits the two best leagues in the country against each other. Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer also are two of the better coaches around, although Urban is hard to love. Whatever happens, pencil in the Gators for next year’s title game since almost everyone returns. Florida finished the regular season as the hottest team in the country. But that was then and this is now. Okies hand it to the Gators. NO-NO. Sooners go home without the prize, lose 38-28.

This is the last of Norman’s No-Nos for another college football season.