College Football Notebooks: New bowls, but can Big Ten win them?

The Big Ten has three snazzy, shiny new bowl trips lined up, starting next season.

Now, if it could just figure out a way to win more bowl games.

The conference announced this week that it has signed agreements for the 2010-13 seasons with the Gator, Texas and Dallas bowls and has dropped its affiliations with the Alamo, Champs and Motor City bowls. The Big Ten is in the midst of an eight-year extension with the Rose Bowl that runs through the 2013 season, and still retains affiliations with the Capital One, Outback and Insight bowls.

The three new Big Ten bowls will pit conference teams against opponents from the SEC, Big 12 and Conference USA in Jacksonville, Fla., Houston and Dallas, respectively.

The Texas Bowl will be played in late December, followed by six more Big Ten bowl games over a 26-hour window on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 2010-13.

"This bowl lineup is a natural fit and should provide some compelling matchups on the field," commissioner Jim Delaney said.

The new bowls will bring money and TV exposure. But will they bring an end to the conference’s miserable postseason showings?

Big Ten teams went 1-6 in bowls last year; the conference is 9-20 over the past four years. They have also lost six consecutive Bowl Championshp Series games and the last six Rose Bowls.

BRET WHO?

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has a pretty good idea why Iowa’s defensive line is so good year after year.

"I think it was because I was such a good player there," Bielema joked during preparations for Saturday’s home game with the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes. "They’ve been able to say, ‘You could be the next Bret Bielema — walk on at 190 pounds and grow into a defensive lineman."’

Bielema joined the Iowa program in 1989, earned a scholarship in 1990, became a starter on the defensive line in 1991 and was a team co-captain in 1992. He later spent eight seasons as a graduate assistant and linebackers coach there.

NON-DISCLOSURE

Purdue coach Danny Hope isn’t exactly a fan of letting the world know his team’s injury situation.

"I don’t know why we would want to. What does it matter?" he said to reporters during preparations for Saturday’s home game with No. 7 Ohio State. "What good is it going to do you? Why do we have to give that information out?"

YOUTH IS SERVED

Iowa’s 6-0 start wouldn’t have been possible without contributions from a number of young players.

Freshman RBs Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher have been an effective 1-2 punch in the backfield, and freshman OL Riley Reiff has forced his way into the starting lineup. Sophomore CB Shaun Prater has also played well in his first season as a starter.

"I’m happy with the way guys have responded to all the challenges that we’ve had so far," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Team-wise I think the attitude has been great, but that’s not a surprise. They’ve been that way since January."

BY COMMITTEE

Since Rashard Mendenhall left Illinois for the NFL after the 2007 season, Ron Zook has turned the running duties over to a small village.

Five RBs have carried the ball this season — Jason Ford, Mikel LeShoure, Daniel Dufrene, Troy Pollard and Justin Green. None has more than 29 carries through five games, while Mendenhall averaged 20 a game in his last season in Champaign when he ran for 1,681 yards.

"We’d all like to have one feature running back," Zook said. "Even with that being said, it’s hard to have one guy nowadays. There are not many of them."

Only one Big Ten back is averaging 20 or more carries this season, Wisconsin’s John Clay at 22. He’s also the only back in the conference averaging 100 or more yards a game.

BACK IN A BIG WAY

It hasn’t taken Penn State LB Navorro Bowman long to bounce back after missing most of the first three games with a right groin injury. He’s collected 25 tackles since, including six for losses. He also had a 91-yard fumble return for a touchdown last week against Eastern Illinois, which earned him ribbing from teammates because he nearly stumbled at the opponents’ 25 before regaining his balance.

"It actually hasn’t looked as bad as people made it," Bowman said about being teased.

Instinctive with an explosive burst, Bowman has the tools to play in the NFL and could skip his final year of college eligibility. He’s on track to graduate in December.

"I’m thinking about it, but it’s not my main focus," Bowman said about the draft. "I’m trying to focus on graduating ... thinking about a good season and trying to get us to a great bowl game."

SPARTAN STREAK

Michigan State has won 10 of its last 13 Big Ten games, a stretch that started late in the 2007 season. It’s the best 13-game conference stretch for the Spartans since they won 11 of 13 during the 1989-90 seasons.

Michigan State won its last two Big Ten games in 2007, went 6-2 last year and is off to a 2-1 start in 2009.

NOT LOSING FAITH

Indiana has lost three straight games — five straight in conference play.

Even after getting outscored 80-21 the last two weeks, the Hoosiers (3-3) believe they can still become bowl eligible.

"Coach (Bill Lynch) said we have a lot of football left to play and that is true," LB Matt Mayberry said. "We have six games left, and it starts this week with Illinois."

The Hoosiers are hoping they can get it done.

"The losses definitely hurt us individually," DE Jammie Kirlew said. "But as a unit, as a team, we’re still together."

QUICK-HITTERS

Other games this Saturday: Northwestern at Michigan State, Minnesota at Penn State and non-league game Delaware State at Michigan. ... Players of the week: Iowa TE Tony Moeaki, Ohio State LB Ross Homan, Michigan P Zoltan Mesko. ... Purdue is 0-4 and Wisconsin is 4-0 in games decided by eight or fewer points. ... In the latest Sagarin rankings, here’s the pecking order, starting with the strongest conference: Pac-10, SEC, ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten. ... Almost 40 percent of Illinois’ 986 rushing yards came in its only win, 45-17 over FBS Illinois State. ... The initial BCS rankings come out Sunday.

SEC

No. 1 Florida knows there could be more adversity

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida is nearly halfway through the season, but the top-ranked Gators feel like they’ve already faced a season’s worth of adversity.

There was quarterback Tim Tebow’s much-chronicled concussion. There was the flu bug that affected Tebow, receiver Riley Cooper, tight end Aaron Hernandez, running back Jeff Demps, cornerback Joe Haden, safety Major Wright, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, linebacker A.J. Jones, assistant coach Billy Gonzales and others.

There were season-ending injuries to offensive tackle Matt Patchan (knee) and highly touted receiver Andre Debose (hamstring), and significant setbacks to safety Dorian Munroe (knee), cornerback Jeremy Brown (back) and receiver Carl Moore (back). Throw in Deonte Thompson’s slow recovery from a hamstring injury and linebacker Brandon Spikes’ tendinitis in his Achilles’ tendon.

"They’ve done a great job managing everything," offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said. "That’s a challenge, and it’s a continual challenge."

Could the Gators (5-0, 3-0 SEC) be done?

"No! I’ve been in this league, I’ve been in other leagues, I’ve been around it long enough to know," Addazio said. "You’re only halfway, man. We’ve got a long way to go."

A.C’S STRUGGLES

Auburn defensive end Antonio Coleman isn’t airing out his frustrations publicly.

Coleman, who has been playing with a cast on his right hand, still was bothered enough by his recent play to visit with Gene Chizik on Monday to talk about "him personally and just production and things of that nature," the coach said.

Coleman’s overall numbers are hardly worrisome: 2.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown, but the senior hasn’t had a tackle in the past two games.

"You see guys out there every day playing with casts and stuff on their hand," Coleman said. "That’s not the reason for me not being more productive. It’s just me getting out there trying to make plays to help this football team win."

Chizik doesn’t think his star defender is necessarily playing poorly just because he’s not getting tackles.

"The stat sheets don’t tell the story," Chizik said. "I’ve seen guys have two sacks in a football game and they become All-Americans because the guard blocked the wrong way and that’s all anybody sees. So it’s very overrated."

GAME BALLS, REDUX

After further review, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier had one more player to honor for last week’s win over Kentucky.

Spurrier said after Saturday’s 28-26 victory that he would look at the game film and see if replacement cornerback C.C. Whitlock had earned himself a game ball. Turns out he did.

While filling in for suspended starter Akeem Auguste the sophomore had six tackles — 1½ for loss — and a pass breakup.

It’s a welcome honor for Whitlock, who has made more headlines for his off the field issues the past two seasons than his play. Whitlock was among five Gamecocks involved in an on-campus fight in September 2008, although the players were listed as victims in a report by university police.

This spring, Whitlock was suspended twice by Spurrier, the second time after his arrest for trespassing at a club in Fairfield County. A magistrate found Whitlock not guilty.

"After I went through all that, I can say there’s a reason for everything," Whitlock said. "I’ve got a lot of people pulling for me and a lot of people trying to bring me down. I’m trying to do the right thing, which is to be here."

TUG-OF-WAR

Although Les Miles was quick to concede that No. 1 Florida outplayed LSU last Saturday, the Tigers’ head coach isn’t sure the Gators’ lone touchdown should have counted.

Miles said he has sent to the Southeastern Conference video evidence of a missed offensive penalty on Tim Tebow’s 24-yard scoring pass to Riley Cooper, which helped Florida emerge with a 13-3 victory. The coach added he was "savoring" the opportunity to talk to the SEC about it.

After LSU cornerback Chris Hawkins was beaten for the score, he motioned at the side judge and to his own coaches that he had been tugged by Cooper from behind. Indeed, replays showed Cooper grabbing the back of Hawkins’ jersey to slingshot himself into the end zone wide open.

Hawkins, meanwhile, wound up being benched in favor of Jai Eugene for the rest of the game.

"That was an inadvertent coaching decision, to be honest," Miles said. "What we (thought) we saw from the sideline, we did not see. ... He just got yanked on, and there are no corners that I know that sustain that and don’t give up position on the ball. There’s none."

RELIVE THE PAST?

Mark Richt hopes he can look back at the end of the season and draw some promising parallels to a difficult stretch Georgia endured three years ago.

After dropping four of five in 2006, including losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Richt wondered how his players and coaching staff would respond. The Bulldogs closed with three straight wins over Auburn, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Georgia (3-3, 2-2) has lost three games this season and must face No. 1 Florida and No. 19 Georgia Tech before it ends.

"You just never know how close you are to success until you live it out," Richt said. "I was pretty proud of that team considering what they went through and how we finished. Even that last ballgame I think we were down 15 or 18 at the half to the No. 1 defense in America. It didn’t look like we had much of a chance, but we found a way, and there is a lot to be said about that."

NO TURNOVER

Vanderbilt is finding out that protecting the ball and forcing more turnovers doesn’t always translate into victories.

The Commodores (2-4, 0-3) rank 22nd nationally in turnover differential at plus-5. But they join San Jose State as the only teams in the top 25 in that category with a losing record.

The problem? They can’t score enough points off those turnovers.

Vanderbilt didn’t score anything off a turnover last week at Army. Against Mississippi State, Tim Fugger recovered a fumble at the Bulldogs 6, but Vandy managed to gain only 3 yards on three runs before settling for a field goal in a 15-3 loss.

The Commodores host Georgia (3-3, 2-2) on Saturday. Georgia is minus-11 in turnover differential.

-- Mark Long

Pac-10

Coaches marvel at Arizona’s bad bounce

Colleagues across the Pac-10 were sympathizing with Arizona coach Mike Stoops over the freak misplay that doomed the Wildcats against Washington.

It went down like this: Nick Foles’ short pass under duress bounced off Delashaun Dean’s shoe and was caught by Washington’s Mason Foster, who ran 37 yards with 2:37 left for what proved to be the winning touchdown in the Huskies’ 36-33 victory.

Replays from several different angles appear to show that the ball hit the ground. But Stoops ultimately had no choice but to accept it.

"There’s nothing you can do about it now," he said. "It is what it is. You just live with it and go on."

While not taking anything away from Washington’s victory, Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson called the whole thing "unbelievable" and said nothing similar had ever happened to him as a head coach.

"I can’t imagine what coach Stoops is going through," Erickson said.

"I’ve been a part of some tough losses like that," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. "That was a minor miracle. That was a tough one."

Oregon State coach Mike Riley called situations like that his worst nightmare, and went on to recount a near-disaster that happened to him in 1992 while he was with the World League.

As time was running down, Riley’s team was ahead and taking a knee on a victory formation. But the center’s snap was low and the ball got kicked by the quarterback — and scooped up by the opposition’s safety.

The safety ran it down field and went out of bounds as time expired, but it could have resulted in a game-winning field goal, Riley said.

"That’s why I’m really conservative at those points in the game with the lead," Riley said. "I have a paranoia about that."

Oregon coach Chip Kelly went so far as to talk to the No. 13 Ducks about what happened to the Wildcats.

"It’s just another example of the old cliche," Kelly said. "It isn’t over until it’s over."

WORKING THE WILDCAT

Oregon State finally unveiled an offensive formation that has been "in the lab" this season: the wildcat.

The wildcat, considered gimmicky in the past, has been gaining popularity around the nation. California runs it with running back Jahvid Best. Notre Dame’s version is nicknamed "the Leprecat."

The Beavers pulled out the wildcat formation early last weekend against Stanford, and the result was better than even the Beavers could have expected.

Tailback Jacquizz Rodgers took a direct snap from the new wildcat formation and ran 61 yards on the Beavers’ first drive — leading to a tone-setting touchdown in a 38-28 victory.

"The first thing was to just get the snap, everything just fell into place after that," said Rodgers, who ran for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinal.

Coach Mike Riley and the Beavers often joke about stuff they are working on as being in the lab. The wildcat was in the care of offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf.

"The players were kidding Danny for a long time about when he was going to call that in a game, since we’ve been practicing it since last spring," Riley said.

The wildcat formation is marked by an unbalanced offensive line, with the running back taking a direct snap. It’s another example of how the Beavers have toyed with unexpected plays. Last season they became known for running the fly sweep.

And there could be still more to see from Oregon State.

Rodgers, or Quizz as he is known, has been known to pass in practice and was asked whether he would ever throw out of the wildcat formation.

"That’s still in the lab," he smiled.

TO GOATEE OR NOT TO GOATEE

USC coach Pete Carroll took to Twitter to campaign this week.

No, he wasn’t looking for poll votes, or drumming up Heisman hype for one of his players. That’s just not Carroll’s style.

Instead, he was campaigning for votes to resolve something that has been pestering all of Troy this season: Should Tommy Trojan have a goatee?

Kenny Morris is the drum major of the Trojan Marching Band, the guy who gets the role of Tommy Trojan. He has facial hair.

Morris says he’s gotten comments both ways about whether the iconic Tommy should be clean shaven. So he has taken the issue to fans, via the blog on Southern California’s official athletics Web site.

The results of the vote will be obvious on Saturday when the Trojans visit Notre Dame.

HONORS

Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers, Washington linebacker Mason Foster and Oregon kick returner Kenjon Barner received Pac-10 player of the week honors.

Rodgers ran for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns in the Beavers’ 38-28 victory over Stanford. He also had five catches for 82 yards, giving him 271 all-purpose yards.

"He’s one of the best running backs we’ll face," Stanford safety Bo McNally said about the 5-foot-7 sophomore known as Quizz. "He’s a rare kind of guy. You don’t see guys that small who can bring it like he can."

Rodgers, a sophomore, was the Pac-10’s offensive player of the year last season as a freshman.

Foster had a 37-yard interception return in the Huskies’ 36-33 victory over Arizona, while Barner, a freshman, returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the No. 13 Ducks’ 24-10 victory at UCLA.

-- Anne M. Peterson

Big East

Kelly sees even more in Bearcats’ Gilyard

CINCINNATI — Brian Kelly spent his bye week evaluating Cincinnati’s high-powered offense to see how it can become more efficient.

The coach’s idea? Get the ball to Mardy Gilyard even more.

The senior receiver ranks 13th nationally in yards receiving per game. He’s the biggest scoring threat for eighth-ranked Cincinnati, which throws to him as often as possible. Lately, it hasn’t been enough.

"He still leads our team in receptions, he gets the most touches," Kelly said. "We have to find different ways to get him the football."

Opponents have started stacking their coverages to blanket Gilyard, who will go for a long stretch without getting the ball. Kelly is considering moving him away from the sideline and putting him in different spots at times — maybe even in the backfield — to give him a chance to get the ball more easily.

Kelly also wants to do a better job of using Gilyard as a decoy when the other team is too focused on him.

"So this isn’t always about the offense has to run through Mardy, but it does require us to be creative and make sure he does get the touches," Kelly said.

Gilyard’s response was a smile.

"I don’t object to that," he said.

Gilyard said he hasn’t been frustrated by the defensive coverage because Kelly prepared him for it during summer camp, when the defense would double-team him to show him what it was like.

"They spent a lot of time getting me double coverage in camp so I could get used to being harassed," he said. "It showed me how to slow everything down and pick out the weaknesses in the double team."

KICK AND BARE IT

Louisville’s Ryan Payne admits he did more than raise an eyebrow when former NFL kicker Mike Lansford suggested the lifelong soccer player should try and kick a football with his right foot bare.

"I thought he was crazy from the beginning, but he told me that he kicked in the NFL without a shoe, that gave me a little more confidence," Payne said.

Now, the kid who used to think football players were "meatheads" finds himself one of the guys after making the biggest kick of his short career.

Payne’s 32-yard field goal with 30 seconds left lifted the Cardinals to a 25-23 win over Southern Miss last week, snapping an eight-game losing streak to Football Bowl Subdivision members and halting — at least for a week — speculation that coach Steve Kragthorpe’s third year with the program might be his last.

The last few days have been a blur of phone calls, text messages and the renewed respect of his teammates.

"It was crazy, people you never even would talk to, just out of nowhere, ‘Oh, great game,"’ the walk-on said. "It’s like ‘Oh, I barely remember you from high school, thanks.’ It’s a great feeling, no one doesn’t like a compliment."

NO STALLING IN STULL’S OFFENSE

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull is thriving under new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., so much so that other players can see the impact Cignetti is having.

Stull has 13 touchdown passes and three interceptions, a season after throwing nine TD passes and 10 interceptions. Stull played so poorly during Pitt’s 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, he was forced to win back his job during spring ball and training camp.

"Coach Cignetti does a great job explaining things to me and getting me ready to play," Stull said. "Everyone knows where to go and what to do. This offense really complements my style of play and our offense’s style of play, so that’s why I’m more comfortable now than I’ve ever been at Pitt."

Stull looks a lot more confident and less prone to making mistakes.

"I think coach Cignetti has helped him a lot in that regard, and he feels more comfortable than ever back there," wide receiver Oderick Turner said. "He’ll take some shots if necessary to get the ball out. He’ll take a hit if he needs to."

Tight end Dorin Dickerson, Stull’s roommate, also has benefited from the coordinator’s change. He has seven touchdown catches, five more than last season.

Cignetti took a pay cut to leave Cal and return to western Pennsylvania, where his father, Frank, was the longtime coach and athletic director at Indiana (Pa.) The elder Cignetti also coached West Virginia from 1976-79.

RETURN OF THE RUTGERS ‘D’

After giving up 47 points and 510 yards in a season-opening loss to now No. 8 Cincinnati, Rutgers defense has found itself in beating Howard, Florida International, Maryland and Texas Southern.

The Scarlet Knights (4-1, 0-1 Big East) have scored four defensive touchdowns and forced 12 turnovers in the past three games.

"Our defense always tries to score touchdowns," said senior defensive end George Johnson, who recovered a fumble for a touchdown against Maryland. "We know how it elevates our team when we score, and we strive to make these big plays. We joke around and say we’re going to try and outscore our offense in a game. But seriously, when our defense can score a touchdown, it just changes the game completely."

Sophomore David Rowe got Rutgers on the board against Texas Southern last weekend, going 56 yards with an interception.

Coming into Friday’s game with Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0 Big East), Rutgers is ranked No. 2 nationally in run defense (65.2 yards per game), having given up less than 50 in each of the last three games. The Scarlet Knights are sixth in the nation in turnover ratio (+2.4).

STICKING WITH THE SOPH

Connecticut coach Randy Edsall is sticking sophomore quarterback Cody Endres even though Zach Frazer has recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for the last month.

Edsall said Frazer did not lose his job due to an injury, Endres won it on the field.

"Just look at the numbers," Edsall said. "(Cody) has performed very, very well, and he’s performed better than Zach has."

Endres, a sophomore, is 2-1 as a starter, and has thrown for 663 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions since taking over. Frazer was 22 of 43, with two touchdowns and four interceptions in his two starts.

UConn (3-2, 0-1) has an important Big East game against Louisville (2-3, 0-1) on Saturday.

Frazer said he was disappointed by Edsall’s decision, but declined to comment when asked if it surprised him.

"Every player’s going to want to be on the field," Frazer said. "The injury is something I couldn’t control. You have no control over that. Coming back now, I’ve just gotta understand my role. I’m still a leader on this team. I still want to be part of this team."

AWARDS

Big East Players of the Week: Offensive, West Virginia RB Noel Devine (103 all-purpose yards, two TDs in 34-13 win over Syracuse); Defensive, Connecticut S Robert Vaughn (10 tackles, one tackle for loss and two interceptions, including a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown, in 24-21 loss at Pittsburgh); Special teams, Pitt K Dan Hutchins (scored 10 points, including the game-winning field goal as time expired, in Pitt’s win against Connecticut. He made field goals of 42, 19 and 18 yards and averaged 43 yards on three punts.)

-- Joe Kay