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DALLAS -- Case Keenum wanted to savor his last moments in a Houston uniform. So after throwing for 532 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 30-14 win over Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl, Keenum was racing around the Cotton Bowl turf.

Well, bouncing is more accurate. Keenum didn't look like a guy that had played four quarters of football. He did an interview with ESPNU, raced over to celebrate with his team and hoist the trophy as the game's MVP and then bounded for the stands.

But before he could get there, 28-year-old Javi Delafuente stopped him and ask him to autograph the back of his Houston Frontierman coat.

"I just graduated two weeks ago and this is in for me," Delafuente said. "It's been a great experience and he's part of that. He's everything a college athlete should be. It's good to see good things happen to good people."

Keenum smiled and then ran up the stairs to cheers from the Houston band. He grabbed some drumsticks and played the drums for a little while and then marched up the ladder, conducting the band for the fight song. And he wasn't done. He came back to the field, grabbed a megaphone and helped lead a few cheers. It was clear he was having fun.

And why not? Keenum finished off his stellar career in style. Against a Penn State defense that allowed 162 yards of passing per game on average, Keenum collected 227 yards in the first quarter. He just kept going. Keenum had 380 yards at the half and finished the game 45-for-69 with 532 passing yards and three touchdowns. He didn't throw an interception.

It was the sixth time he's passed for at least 500 yards in his career and caps a tenure that saw him rack up an NCAA-record 18,685 yards heading into today's game. He also set marks, before today, for: total offense (19,572), touchdown passes (152), total touchdowns (175), completions (1,501) and 300-yard games (38).

New Houston coach Tony Levine pulled Keenum aside for a quick chat after the game.

"I just thanked him for everything he's done for this program and everything he's meant to this team," Levine said.

The Cougars had only 16 rushing attempts (for 83 yards) against the Nittany Lions, opting to fling the ball all over the place as usual. Keenum felt that the opening drive, a 76-yarder that took less than two minutes, set an important tone.

"I think that was big, especially in bowl games where you take a lot of time off to get things rolling early, it's really important," Keenum said. "It's tough to do that when you're playing in January. It's been about a month off."

Keenum found Patrick Edwards for two big plays on that drive. Edwards had 228 yards receiving on 10 catches, including two touchdown passes. And he got to see his quarterback perform well one final time. For Keenum, this means the beginning of thinking fully about the next level. He was asked about his chances in the NFL.

"I rate my chances good," Keenum said. "I'm very confident in my abilities. I've been playing this game for a long time. I'm not going to change who I am. I'm going to play my game, but I feel really good. I've definitely been blessed and that door hasn't closed yet, that I haven't played my last football game. I'm excited about my future and what it holds."

But on Monday, he was just glad to see his team get to 13-1 and said he hopes they can finish in the top-15 of the final rankings.

"It was just an awesome game," Keenum said. "I'll remember this forever. I know all the guys will. I couldn't think of a better way to go out."

DALLAS -- Houston's high-octane offense was able to move the ball with relative ease against Penn State as the Cougars earned a 30-14 victory in the TicketCity Bowl at the Cotton Bowl.

How the game was won: Houston's passing attack was just too much for Penn State. The Nittany Lions came in a bit stingy through the air, allowing just 162 yards of passing per game. But Houston quarterback Case Keenum had 227 yards in the first quarter. Houston didn't run the ball much, but didn't need to. Keenum was able to find holes in the Penn State secondary and it didn't take the Cougars long to score. He had 380 yards at the half and just kept flinging it in the second half.

Turning point: Penn State stopped the Cougars on fourth down at the Nittany Lion 25-yard line with about three minutes left in the half, but then stalled. Houston used its timeouts and got the ball back with 1:02 left. Keenum needed just 24 seconds to turn a 10-point game into a 24-7 lead. He threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Patrick Edwards. It was Edwards' second touchdown of the day and he had 200 yards receiving in the first half.

Player of the game: This wasn't a tough choice. Keenum ended his career in impressive fashion. He had 380 yards at the half and early in the fourth quarter went over the 500-yard mark. It was his sixth 500-yard passing game in his career. He finished with 532 yards, short of his career-high of 559 against Southern Miss in 2009. A few drops cost Keenum even more yardage. But he was on target, as usual. He added three touchdowns to his ledger, bringing his career total to 155 touchdown passes. The senior was the all-time leading passer in NCAA history with 18,685 yards coming into the game.

Unsung hero: As it usually the case when you rack up yardage at the clip that Houston does, the defense is forgotten. But they deserve a ton of credit for Houston's win on Monday. The Cougar defense did not allow Penn State to get any momentum. Each time it appeared Penn State might get something going, the Cougar defense made a play. It took more than 16 minutes for the Nittany Lions to even get a first down. If we've got to pick out one player, a shout out to senior strong safety Nick Saenz, who had two interceptions. Kent Brooks and Marcus McGraw both had double-digit tackles.

Key stat: Patrick Edwards had 10 catches for 228 receiving yards for Houston. He had 200 of those yards at the half, including two touchdowns.

What it means for Houston: The Cougars end the season at 13-1, with the only loss coming to Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game. Houston lost its coach, Kevin Sumlin, to Texas A&M, but the high-powered Cougar offense behind Keenum didn't miss a beat. Tom Levine, named Houston's coach on Dec. 21, had a nice first game in charge and the Cougar defense was solid against Penn State's rushing attack. The win should give Houston some nice momentum during recruiting and into 2012, when they'll lose Keenum and will have to adjust to some new coaches. When the game ended, the Houston players mobbed Levine in celebration and dumped water on him.

What it means for Penn State: A difficult season is over. Penn State had to deal with all kinds of distractions resulting from the allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The players did their best to focus on what was happening on the field, but on Monday, they couldn't stop the Houston passing game. Penn State finishes at 9-4 and the loss will likely knock them out of the top-25. The Nittany Lions must regroup as a program, find a new coach and try to put the 2011 season behind them.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for Houston (12-1) against Penn State (9-3) in the TicketCity Bowl on Monday.

1. Get motivated. The big question is whether or not Houston will be able to get up for this game. The Cougars were a win away from getting to the first BCS game in school history, but lost to Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game. That was such a devastating loss. To go from potential BCS spot to this game has got to be a letdown. Plus, Houston will be without the coach that got them there. Kevin Sumlin left to become head coach at Texas A&M. Assistant Tony Levine was promoted, so everybody gets to see how he does in his first ever game as a head coach.

2. Protect Case Keenum. One of the biggest contributing factors in the Cougars' upset loss to Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game was the way the offensive line struggled to protect Case Keenum. He was only sacked twice, but he was on the run from the pass rush for a majority of the game. Now Penn State arrives with top-notch defensive tackle Devon Still ready to wreak havoc. Penn State has 26 sacks on the season and should have an advantage in this category. Still has been battling turf toe, so that could be an advantage for Houston if he is not 100 percent.

3. Strike with big pass plays. Houston ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing offense, and will face a huge test in a Penn State defense that ranks No. 5 against the pass. Penn State only has given up two touchdowns of 20-plus yards this season, while Houston has 29. Houston might have a speed advantage, so if the Cougars can protect Keenum, players like Patrick Edwards might have an opportunity to get free. Keenum has to watch for safety Nick Sukay, a second-team Big Ten selection. Penn State had 14 interceptions on the season and Southern Miss showed that with pressure, Keenum can be forced into making mistakes.

Neither Penn State nor Houston expected to be in this bowl, but one team was passed over by several games and the other lost a BCS berth and a league title on the same afternoon. As a result, the Nittany Lions and Cougars meet in one of the more intriguing matchups on this year's bowl slate.

Let's take a look at the TicketCity Bowl, played Monday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

WHO TO WATCH: Penn State running back Silas Redd. The sophomore led the nation with 703 rush yards in October, but paid a price physically in November. He's now healthy again after more than a month off and should be the focal point of Penn State's attack against Houston. The Lions' quarterback situation is shaky at best, and Penn State must take advantage of a healthy Redd and a size advantage along the offensive line. Houston has struggled against the run this season, ranking 78th nationally, and repeatedly got gashed in the Conference USA championship against Southern Miss. Penn State wants to control possession time and keep Cougars star quarterback Case Keenum off of the field. Expect Redd's number to be called a lot.

WHAT TO WATCH: Penn State's defensive back seven. The Lions face a Houston team that leads the nation in scoring (50.8 ppg), passing (443.8 ypg) and total yards (599 ypg). Houston passes the ball more than 60 percent of the time, a departure what Penn State typically sees in the Big Ten. While Devon Still and the Lions' defensive line needs a strong performance, the back seven will be tested by Keenum and his weapons. Penn State will lean on a veteran secondary and a dynamic linebacker corps featuring Gerald Hodges. "To duplicate what they do is very, very difficult for us," Lions interim coach Tom Bradley told reporters this week, referring to Houston. "Any time you play a team like that you have to tackle well. You can't give them the big play." Houston leads the nation in touchdown passes of 20 yards or longer with 29, while Penn State is tied for the national lead in allowing just two such touchdown strikes this season.

WHY TO WATCH: The curiosity factor with Penn State. How will the Nittany Lions respond after two months of intense scrutiny, after the locker-room fight involving quarterback Matthew McGloin, after being passed over by several bowls, and after weeks of speculation about their next head coach (still unnamed)? If Penn State shows up motivated to play, it should have an excellent chance to take down a Houston team that hasn't seen a defense nearly as talented as the Lions this season. But motivation is a question mark for a group that was justifiably upset with its bowl placement and has faced more than a few distractions.

PREDICTION: Penn State 28, Houston 24. I might be in the minority, but I think Penn State finds a way to show up and play well against Keenum and the Cougars. Redd will have a very big performance behind the offensive line, and the Lions defense will fluster Keenum, much like Southern Miss did in the C-USA title game. Keenum will make some plays, but Still will be in his face much of the afternoon. Bradley and the seniors keep the team focused enough to come away with a win.

My Heisman Trophy ballot has changed every week for the last couple of months.

I'm not surprised there are more than three players going to the trophy presentation.

Five players were invited to New York for Saturday night's Heisman Trophy presentation -- quarterbacks Andrew Luck of Stanford and Robert Griffin III of Baylor, tailbacks Montee Ball of Wisconsin and Trent Richardson of Alabama and cornerback Tyrann Mathieu of LSU.

It's a shame the Heisman Trust didn't have room for three more quarterbacks because Houston's Case Keenum, USC's Matt Barkley and Boise State's Kellen Moore were just as deserving.

With five finalists going to New York, it figures to be one of the closer votes in recent Heisman Trophy history.

The closest vote in Heisman Trophy history came just two years ago, when Alabama tailback Mark Ingram edged Stanford's Toby Gerhart by only 28 points. Ingram received 227 first-place votes, Gerhart got 222 and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, the second runner-up, received 203.

Given the number of finalists and their geographical regions, we could have another really close finish on Saturday night.

Luck, the runner-up to Auburn's Cam Newton last season, entered the 2011 season as the Heisman Trophy favorite. His performance didn't slip much this season, as he completed 70 percent of his passes for 3,170 yards with 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

I still feel Luck might be the most valuable player on any team in the country. Without him, there's no way the Cardinal is ranked No. 4 in the country and playing No. 3 Oklahoma State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Luck has done more with less, as Stanford lacks the game-changing playmakers that other teams have.

But Luck might still be the second-best quarterback in New York. Griffin, who is widely known as RG3, completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,998 yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 644 yards with nine touchdowns.

Without him, the Bears wouldn't have beaten TCU, Oklahoma and Texas. Griffin's one drawback: He had a late interception that sealed the Bears' fate in a 36-35 loss at Kansas State on Oct. 1 and threw two picks in a 59-24 loss at Oklahoma State on Oct. 29. But with everything else RG3 has done this season, it's easy to give him a mulligan for the miscues.

I still believe Richardson is the best player in the country. He looked like the best player on the field in No. 2 Alabama's 9-6 loss in overtime to No. 1 LSU on Nov. 5. He had 89 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards in a game where every yard mattered. He finished the season with 1,583 yards with 20 touchdown runs and three touchdown catches. He's also Mr. Dependable, not losing a fumble in his past 520 touches and only once in 614 career touches.

Ball has been a scoring machine for the No. 10 Badgers this season, running for 1,759 yards with 32 touchdown runs and six touchdown receptions. His 38 total touchdowns are one shy of matching former Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record of 39 set in 11 games in 1988. Ball's production helped lead the Badgers to a Jan. 2 date against Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO.

Mathieu fell off my ballot after he was suspended from playing in the Tigers' 45-10 victory over Auburn on Oct. 22 for smoking synthetic marijuana. But his big plays helped the Tigers overcome deficits in each of their last two victories, over Arkansas and Georgia in the SEC championship game.

Mathieu -- aka the "Honey Badger" -- is the best player on the top-ranked team. He leads the Tigers with 70 tackles and has forced six fumbles and recovered five. He also is the most dynamic punt returner I've seen since Florida State's Deion Sanders. Mathieu has scored four touchdowns -- two on fumble returns and two on punt returns.

To penalize Mathieu for one foolish mistake wouldn't have been right. After all, Newton was briefly ruled ineligible at Auburn last season and 2010 Heisman Trophy finalist LaMichael James of Oregon was suspended from playing in last season's opener.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum talks about overcoming injuries and doubt.

Houston had last Saturday off after easily dispatching Tulane on a Thursday night.

Coach Kevin Sumlin was at home watching the end of the wild Texas A&M-Kansas State game when his phone started ringing. Text messages started flying in, too. He had one good guess about what was happening.

TCU had beaten Boise State 36-35, opening the way for the Cougars to get an automatic bid into the BCS.

"Nobody really calls me a lot on Saturday night, so I figured that's what happened," Sumlin said at his news conference this week.

Boise State and Houston went into last week undefeated, but it was the Broncos with the Top 5 ranking in the BCS standings. Only one team from outside the automatic qualifying conferences is guaranteed an automatic spot into the BCS, should it finish in the Top 12 of the final standings. As long as Boise State was ranked ahead of the Cougars, the Broncos would take that spot. Houston would be left hoping for an at-large berth.

How things change with one loss. If the No. 11 Cougars (10-0) win out, they clinch the first BCS berth in school and Conference USA history. College GameDay comes to town Saturday for a crucial West Division game against SMU (6-4), and now everybody will be paying attention.

"I think it's a place where all teams want to be in," said quarterback Case Keenum, now a candidate in the Heisman Trophy race. "As far as our mind-set, it doesn't change it a whole lot. We can treat it like a playoff like we have every week, so it doesn't matter what's happened. All that matters is this week."

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University of Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin dishes on the program's success, building a winner and more. Listen

Houston closes the year with its toughest stretch of the season. The Cougars have not exactly played the most difficult competition. Only three of their wins have come against teams that are .500 or better (UCLA, Louisiana Tech, UTEP). But that all changes with games against SMU, then at Tulsa next week. If the Cougars beat the Golden Hurricane, they would most likely play No. 20 Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game. Those three teams are a combined 22-8.

Keenum, of course, has taken all the headlines with his NCAA record-setting performance this season. He has directed the No. 1 offense in the nation, averaging 628.8 yards a game. That is on pace to break the NCAA FBS record for total offense, set by David Klingler and Houston in 1989 (625 ypg).

It is Keenum who has really piloted this team, a man who overcame the low point of a torn ACL last season to come back better than ever. Keenum leads FBS this season with 41 completions of 25 yards or longer, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Incredibly, he has completed at least one such pass in 50 of his 53 career games, including all 10 this season.

He has got a great target in Patrick Edwards, who has 1,277 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. But everybody expected fireworks from Houston this season. What has really allowed the Cougars to get to the position they are in today has been improvement on defense.

Consider: in 2009, Houston ranked No. 95 in the nation in scoring defense (30.07 ppg) and No. 111 in total defense (451.29). This season, Houston ranks No. 41 in scoring defense (22.8 ppg) and No. 67 in total defense (393.2 ypg).

One of the knocks against Houston going into the season was its inability to put a complete season together. This is a team that always lost a game it was favored to win. Go back to 2009 when the Cougars dropped games to UTEP and UCF, and also lost to East Carolina in the conference title game. Houston was the favorite in all three of those games.

"Two years ago, we were a very inconsistent football team," Sumlin said. "We were up and down in a lot of different ways -- not just on Saturday, but it started with practice and being able to handle media, being able to divide our time and know what's really important and what's not and stay focused. There's a lot of things that go into that. The experiences of two years ago have helped this football team."

Your turn, Houston.

The Cougars are now in line for a BCS berth after Boise State lost to TCU on Saturday. Houston is No. 11 in the latest BCS standings, released Sunday night, putting it in position to earn the first BCS bid in school and Conference USA history. Though Boise State remains ahead of Houston at No. 10, the automatic berth given to a non-AQ that finishes in the top 12 only goes to a conference champion.

Should Houston win out, the Cougars would be almost certain of getting that berth. Boise State could win out, but it is no longer the favorite to win the Mountain West. That is now TCU, which jumped into the BCS standings at No. 19 off its big victory in Boise. Southern Miss, on a collision course to play Houston in the Conference USA title game, is ranked No. 20.

The final stretch of the season will not be a cakewalk for Houston (10-0, 6-0). The Cougars play SMU (6-4, 4-2) on Saturday with College GameDay headed to town, and then travel to play at Tulsa (7-3, 6-0) on Friday, Nov. 25, to close out the regular season. Then there is the conference championship game to win as well. But given the way Case Keenum and the offense are playing right now, the Cougars should be favored to win their final stretch of games.

Boise State is still in position to get an at-large berth in the BCS, but the likelihood of that happening is slim simply because the games would most likely choose a team from one of the automatic qualifying conferences. No one-loss non-AQ has ever made it into a BCS game.

There's been a Texas invasion of the latest Cross-Sport Power Rankings on ESPN.com.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols took the top spot after his 5-for-6, three-homer Game 3 performance. (The Rangers' Nelson Cruz was No. 1 last week, by the way.)

But after Pujols, Lone Star State athletes dominated the top 10.

Derek Holland was No. 2 after shutting down Pujols and the Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series.

Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray is No. 3 for setting a team record with 253 yards against the Rams.

Next is No. 4 Mike Napoli, whose bat and arm have the Rangers one win away from their first world championship.

Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege, who led the Red Raiders' stunning upset of Oklahoma, is No. 5.

South Texas also provided top-10 pair, with University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum at No. 7 and Texans running back Arian Foster at No. 8.

Today, we're taking a look at the tease teams across the Big 12, and the past three seasons, we've seen a good number of cases in the Big 12.

These three programs find themselves in the top 10 again this year, but here's what's happened lately. Is one of these squads simply a tease in 2011?

2010: Texas A&M

The Aggies, coming off a 6-7 season in 2009, weren't convincing enough to earn preseason top 25 honors, but the potential for a big year was there, and anyone paying attention knew it. The offense was loaded, led by the league's preseason offensive player of the year, Jerrod Johnson. Johnson, however, struggled early, throwing four interceptions in consecutive games against Florida International and Oklahoma State, turning the ball over five times in a loss to the Cowboys. The Aggies were embarrassed on their home field by Missouri to fall to 3-3, and despite a late-season rally, couldn't qualify for the Big 12 championship game.

2009: Oklahoma State

The offseason crescendo built to a pressure-packed season opener against SEC foe Georgia, but Dez Bryant and the Cowboys knocked off the Bulldogs to land in the top 5 and on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A week later, however, Case Keenum (and Dana Holgorsen, by the way) waltzed into Stillwater and gave the Cowboys a nasty buzzkill in the form of a 45-35 upset, officially derailing a championship season. OSU also suffered a pair of embarrassing 27-point losses to Big 12 South rivals Oklahoma and Texas, including a 27-0 shutout loss to Oklahoma. Kendall Hunter (ankle), Zac Robinson (shoulder) and Dez Bryant (NCAA suspension) were all forced off the field at times, but there's no doubt: That team was a tease.

2008: Missouri

The Tigers reached No. 1 heading into the Big 12 championship game in 2007, but a loss sent them to the Cotton Bowl and hoping for better luck next year. Chase Daniel and Co. opened the season at No. 6 and ran off a 5-0 start, including a 52-17 obliteration of Nebraska in Lincoln, the first win for the Tigers there since 1978. A week later, though? A program-defining win for Oklahoma State on Missouri's field, followed by an absolute undressing by Colt McCoy and Texas in Austin a week later, featuring a 35-3 halftime deficit. The Tigers were upset by Kansas before being rolled over 62-21 by Oklahoma and settling for an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. Quite the tease, Tigers.

So, which of the Big 12 teams ranked this year looks like a tease?

Two Metroplex quarterbacks, five Big 12 passers and another signal-caller in the state of Texas were selected to the 30-man Davey O'Brien Award watch list that was released Wednesday. The award is given to college football's top quarterback.

SMU sophomore Kyle Padron heads into a highly anticipated sophomore season after leading the Mustangs to its first bowl game in a quarter-century. He threw for 460 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-10 victory over Nevada to run away with the MVP trophy.

To the west, TCU senior Andy Dalton is finally on the national radar as a top-notch quarterback. He heads into his final season attempting to guide the Horned Frogs to a second consecutive BCS bowl berth.

The five Big 12 quarterbacks on the list are: Robert Griffin (Baylor), Taylor Potts (Texas Tech), Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M), Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) and Landry Jones (Oklahoma).

Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who opted to return to school rather than enter the NFL draft, is also a nominee.

The list will be narrowed to 16 semifinalists on Oct. 25 and pared to three finalists on Nov. 22. Texas' Colt McCoy won the 2009 honor.

FORT WORTH, Texas --Halftime already? Yes, indeed, it was a quick one (by college football standards). Air Force has controlled the game and the clock with its vaunted rushing attack and have the kind of lead they need, 18 points, to be in contention at the end. The Cougars, a strong second-half scoring team, were limited to just 33 plays in the first half (they average more than 80 a game), with 11 coming on their final, field-goal drive of the first half.

Heralded junior quarterback Case Keenum threw three first-half interceptions, one-third of his total on the season. He completed 13-of-22 passes for 129 yards, just 5.9 yards per completion. Air Force, the nation's No. 1 pass defense, limited the Cougars' No. 1 pass offense to 180 yards of total offense.

Air Force's offense has been efficient and effective, racking up 315 total yards. The Falcons rushed for 196 yards, but also moved the chains with key gains through the air. Quarterback Tim Jefferson has been near-perfect when asked to throw, completing 8-of-9 for 119 yards. He's mostly converted short routes, but twice has keyed scoring drives with downfield passes of 38 yards and 34 yards, both to junior wide receiver Kevin Fogler.

Jefferson nearly put Air Force in the end zone for a fourth time, but with the ball at the Houston 2, Jefferson slipped at the 10 as he rolled right and the Falcons settled for a field goal as time expired.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Houston quarterback Case Keenum threw nine interceptions all season. He's tossed two in two possessions to start the Armed Forces Bowl. Air Force leads 14-0 just a little more than halfway through the first quarter.

Chris Thomas picked off the second one on a tipped ball on fourth-and-4 at the Air Force 35.

Air Force just gave the ball back to the Cougars with a fumble, a rarity for Air Force, which lost just eight fumbles during the season.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum had a tremendous junior season, bettering what was a sensational sophomore season. The touchdown-throwing maching from Abilene -- he played at Abilene Wylie -- leads his Cougars into the Armed Forces Bowl for a rematch against Air Force and its No. 1-ranked pass defense at 11 a.m. on New Year's Eve.

Keenum led UH to a 10-3 record while throwing for 5,449 yards and 43 touchdowns. Over the past two seasons, Keenum has amassed 10,469 passing yards, 87 touchdowns and just 20 interceptions. Not bad for a kid passed up by the so-called major college programs. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder received only a two-star ranking (out of five) from notable recruiting website Rivals.com, and others.

Along with UH, only Baylor, UTEP and North Texas recruited him.

If Keenum returns for his senior season, he will be among those at the top of the initial Heisman Trophy watch list.

The son of a football coach who schemed an aggressive passing game at small-college programs in Texas, Keenum said he thinks about being snubbed from time to time.

"You know, I wouldn't say it drives me. I'll think about it every now and then, just honestly to give advice to other high
school athletes, guys at my high school there at Wylie and Abilene or anywhere really," Keenum said. "I'd give that advice to those guys that it's not always about what Rivals ranks you and it's not always about having this many offers by the time you're a sophomore. That's good for those players that do have that, but that's not the only way to be successful in college and have a good successful career."

Houston Cougars coach Kevin Sumlin, who will lead the nation's No. 1 passing attack into Fort Worth on New Year's Eve against Air Force in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, made it a happy holiday season in the Bayou City after all.

Sumlin, 10-3 this season and 18-8 overall in two seasons with the Cougars since taking over for Art Briles, declined an interview request by Cincinnati, which lost its coach, Brian Kelly, to Notre Dame. Sumlin was granted permission to talk to Cincy and UH fans fretted that the highly likable Sumlin would jump ship.

The Conference USA Coach of the Year is instead working on a long-term deal to remain at UH. Now Sumlin, 45, and the Coogs will wait on quarterback Case Keenum, who is exploring entering the NFL Draft. If he stays in school, he'll start the season as a 2010 Heisman Trophy candidate.