ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Sorry for the late lunch links today. The gremlins were out chomping through some posts that I thought were ready a couple of hours ago.

Hopefully those links were tastier for them than the cold sausage sandwich I had.

But better late than never.

• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops told The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter that his 2009 defense has the chance to be as good as any he's had since he started coaching the Sooners. And Stoops also apologized to Sooner fans for calling them out before last season's Texas Tech game, the Tulsa World's John Hoover reports.
• Colorado coach Dan Hawkins told the Boulder Camera's Ryan Thorburn that the Buffaloes have the potential to make a run at the Big 12 title in 2009. And he also wondered if his nonconference scheduling flexibility would be altered if his team met Air Force each season, as Colorado Springs Gazette columnist David Ramsey proposed.
• Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild told the Denver Post's Irv Moss that the annual Colorado-Colorado State rivalry "should be played in Denver for the next 100 years" rather than alternating home-and-home sites.
• Oklahoma has picked up a commitment from defensive tackle Torrea Patterson of San Antonio East Central, The Oklahoman reported. The Sooners beat out Texas, USC, Auburn, LSU and Nebraska for his commitment -- the Sooners' 12th verbal commitment in the class of 2010.
• The Lincoln Journal-Star's Brian Christopherson, Curt McKeever and Steve Sipple compare Iowa State and Kansas State in terms of escaping the Big 12 North cellar.
• The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that the Waco Chamber of Commerce plans to honor former Baylor standout tackle Jason Smith July 16 before he leaves for his NFL career.
• The Kansas football team had the lowest grade-point average of any school-sponsored athletic team this spring, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The football Jayhawks had a 2.53 GPA. The school's athletic teams had an overall GPA of 2.95.
• The Lawrence Journal-World's Eric Sorrentino predicts Texas as his Big 12 South favorite this season.
• The Topeka Capital-Journal's Austin Meek gauges the sentiments of Kansas State fans after the recent athletic department controversy during a trip to the Kaw Valley Catbackers meeting in Topeka Thursday night.