ESPN College Football

Andrea Adelson talks with UCF’s David Williams about the rise and future of the program.

Andrea Adelson looks at TCU’s ranking, WAC additions, Utah’s ability to rebound and UCF’s special season.

Andrea Adelson looks at the biggest Non-AQ storylines in Friday Four Downs.

1. Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand suffered a catastrophic spinal injury. Notre Dame videographer Declan Sullivan died in an accident at practice. Tuesday, the day of Sullivan’s funeral, Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell, who started two games this season, died after a short, vicious battle with brain cancer. In a season in which fans have been screaming for weeks about sundry BCS injustices, three young victims provide a reality check about what’s really unfair. The rest is just noise.

2. Of the 21 players with at least four interceptions this season, only one -- Oregon sophomore Cliff Harris -- is among the 10 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back. I get it. I know quarterbacks avoid semifinalists like Patrick Peterson of LSU or Prince Amukamara of Nebraska. But Virginia junior corner Chase Minniefield is tied for first in the nation with six picks, two of which he made last Saturday in the Cavs’ 24-19 upset of Miami. That’s not good enough?

3. The Big East Conference said Tuesday that it wants to add two football teams. I don’t understand the interest in TCU. Horned Frog football under Gary Patterson has been outstanding. But you don’t invite a football coach. You invite a program. TCU is a long way away. It adds nothing in the other sports. Villanova, already a Big East member, has a standing invitation to join the football league. UCF, a young, vibrant university, would give the league another outpost in Florida and create a natural rivalry with USF.

Andrea Adelson looks at the importance of the running games for UCF and Houston.

1. UCF coach George O’Leary’s attitude is older than old-school, which is what makes him fascinating to hear. You might think any coach would like his seniors to call a players-only meeting. O’Leary called it “garbage.” “It concerns me that they have to do something like that to remind them that we have a whole season to play,” he said. “That bothers me as a head coach....Why do you have to remind somebody to still play hard? That’s a ‘no compute’ to me.”

2. Another, less obvious example of Florida’s un-Meyer-like play: Alabama junior Julio Jones returned a punt 41 yards last Saturday, one week after Randall Cobb of Kentucky returned a punt 21 yards against the Gators. To put them in perspective: in five seasons plus three games prior to Kentucky, Urban Meyer’s Gators had punted 241 times. Only 63 of the punts had been returned, and only one of them as long as 20 yards.

3. You can hear the frustration in coach Dabo Swinney’s voice. The Clemson Tigers have lost consecutive close games to Auburn and Miami. “We have got to stop beating ourselves, that's the bottom line,” Swinney said. “If somebody lines up and beats you, they beat you. Let's control things that are in our control.” He pointed out the Tigers’ six turnovers against the ‘Canes. “We went from (seventh) in the nation in turnover margin to 51st in one game, and still had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter.”
endit

So, this might be the first of a couple ties during the countdown. As I was working on my list, I realized that I had too many players and not enough spots. So this is my attempt to make sure everyone gets their due.

No. 15(A): Josh McNary, DE, Army

2009 numbers: Ranked third in the country in tackles for loss (22.5) and fourth nationally in sacks (12.5). He also had 65 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Making the case for McNary: McNary is Army’s all-time sack leader with 18 and last year’s 12.5 sacks set a single-season record for the Black Knights. He had a season-high four sacks against Temple, which allowed less than two sacks per game. McNary is already being considered as a potential All-American candidate and should get some consideration if he continues to play at the level he played during his senior season.

No. 15(B): Bruce Miller, DE, Central Florida

2009 numbers: Led UCF and ranked fifth nationally with once sack per game (13 overall) and had 18 tackles for loss. He also had 53 tackles and seven quarterback hurries.

Making the case for Miller: Miller is the defending Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in both tackles for loss and sacks. He became the first UCF player to earn the honor. Behind Miller, the Knights led Conference USA in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, sacks and tackles for loss. The UCF defense should be equally as talented this year and Miller is expected to have another big season.

What about everyone else in expansion:

The Orlando Sentinel examines how expansion could affect Central Florida.

The Mountain West decision to wait on Boise State should help the Big Sky Conference, which was being eyed by the WAC.

Can Nevada ride Boise State’s coattails to the Mountain West?

The Mountain West and Wyoming better have a backup plan in case the waiting game doesn’t go as expected.

Conference USA agrees to back an early signing period.

The ESPNU 150 recruiting list has been released and while none of the nonautomatic qualifying schools has commitments from any of the members, the recruiting season is still young and many non-AQ teams are in the hunt.

Here’s a look at the players that have non-AQ schools on their lists:

No. 7 Malcolm Brown, RB, Byron M. Steele HS (Texas) – TCU

No. 41 Ja’Juan Story, WR, Nature Coast Technical (Fla.) – Marshall

No. 47 Tacoi Sumler, WR, Christopher Columbus HS (Fla.) – FIU, Tulane

No. 59 Curt Maggitt, OLB, Dwyer HS (Fla.) – FIU

No. 61 Brett Hundley, QB, Chandler HS (Ariz.) – Colorado State, Tulsa

No. 62 Kasen Williams, WR, Skyline HS (Wash.) – BYU, Boise State

No. 81 Anthony Chickillo, DE, Alonso HS (Fla.) – FIU

No. 82 Kevin Grooms, ATH, South Broward HS (Fla.) – FIU

No. 88 Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Gig Harbor HS (Wash.) – BYU, Boise State

No. 94 LaDarius Brown, WR, Waxahachie HS (Texas) – TCU

No. 99 Anthony Rabasa, DE, Christopher Columbus HS (Fla.) – FIU

No. 109 Greg Townsend, DE, Beverly Hill HS (Calif.) – TCU

No. 117 Mickey Johnson, DT, Saint Pauls School (La.) – Tulane, Tulsa

No. 188 Eli Rogers, WR, Miami Northwestern HS (Fla.) – UCF

It’s amazing, but we’re just a couple of months from the start of fall camps. And that means were just a couple months away from lighting some fires under various coaches' seats to get them to win now or else.

But why wait?

I thought I‘d assess the temperature of the various coaches in my leagues to see where they stand heading into 2010 and what they need to do to ensure their employment in 2011.

Needs to win right away

Mike Price, UTEP: Price has become a bit of a fixture in this particular position on the hot seat list. He was given a vote of confidence at the end of last year, but that was because he still has players such as quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Donald Buckram on his roster. But they’re gone after this season, so Price needs to make something out of this year or else.

Neil Callaway, UAB: Callaway is 11-25 in his three seasons as UAB’s head coach and the Blazers have not won more than five games in any of his seasons. In all fairness, Callaway did have to deal with scholarship losses thanks to NCAA APR sanctions that came down prior to his arrival. But with Joe Webb gone and the team looking for an offensive spark this year, the administration and fans could get antsy.

Seat could get toasty midseason

David Bailiff, Rice: I honestly think Bailiff has nothing to fear, but last season’s 2-10 campaign was pretty brutal, especially after the 10-3 season in 2008. But Bailiff has some key transfers this season, including running back Sam McGuffie, who could end up being the best player in the conference. Another 10-win season might be a stretch, but the Owls should get into bowl contention.

Bob Toledo, Tulane: Toledo took a tough job four years ago as Tulane was still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina and was displaced because of other hurricanes. He also has to deal with a tough academic standard, which often hampers recruiting. Still, Tulane has some fertile recruiting ground with Louisiana and Texas and should be better than its 3-9 record a year ago.

Chillin’ in a lounge chair

Kevin Sumlin, Houston: Sumlin’s Cougars provided some thrills last year with wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State en route to a 10-win season, but they struggled at the end of the season and failed to win the conference title or the bowl game. Still, Sumlin’s coaching job in just two years has made him one of the hottest up-and-comers, and Houston will want to hold onto him as long as it can.

June Jones, SMU: Jones has started SMU on the road back to prominence, which has its administration and fan base in a frenzy. The school bumped up his salary last year and the expectations for a nine or 10-win season, a division title and possible league title are high. Jones won’t be chastised if they don’t achieve all of those goals, but he has to continue to show improvement.

George O’Leary, UCF: Remember when folks were calling for O’Leary’s job? Yeah, those days are gone and now many think the Knights could be the team to beat in the East Division and perhaps the conference. The defense has been stout, but the Knights need to show some progress on offense to live up to the expectations.

Todd Graham, Tulsa: I think it’s fair to call last year’s 5-7 finish a fluke. Graham acknowledged that he underestimated the loss of some of his seniors after the 2008 season and the lack of depth on the offensive line. However, Tulsa doesn’t lose much offense from a year ago, and if the O-line and quarterback G.J. Kinne can progress, the Golden Hurricane could be right back in the conference title hunt.

Larry Fedora, Southern Miss: Fedora missed an East Division title by five points last season and those five points were the theme that drove the Golden Eagles this spring. Southern Miss will once again be at the top of the East Division and will probably battle UCF for the division title. Fedora has kept the bowl streak alive, but now it’s time to push his squad forward.

New coach, jury is still out

Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina: McNeill took over a team that lost 28 seniors from last year and he’s installing a new offense and defense. Now, it’s tough to rule out the back-to-back conference champions, but it’s hard to see this as anything but a rebuilding year.

Larry Porter, Memphis: Porter is another coach who lost several key contributors. He’s breaking in a new quarterback and a new running back in a new system. He has a little more pressure on him to build quickly with possible expansion looming, but it will take some time to get this team back in contention.

Former Iowa running back Jeff Brinson is officially a member of the Central Florida football team.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the NCAA approved Brinson’s hardship waiver and he will be eligible to play for the Knights this season.

Brinson, a native of St. Petersburg, wanted to move closer to home after one of his family members suffered a severe illness. He just finished his redshirt freshman season with the Hawkeyes, but was hampered by a foot injury and carried the ball just one time for seven yards.

Brinson’s immediate eligibility could provide much needed experience for a UCF running back corps that will play the nonconference season without star running back Brynn Harvey. Harvey suffered a knee injury during spring practices and coach George O’Leary said that he would miss at least the first four games of the year.

During his four seasons at Northeast High in St. Petersburg, Brinson rushed for 4,925 yards and 67 touchdowns on 567 carries.

Boise State president Robert Kustra warned of professionalism seeping into college sports when he visited a national sports conference hosted by the Green Bay Packers.

Central Florida is hoping to be the first C-USA BCS buster.

Nevada coach Chris Ault outlines how he’ll approach the Boise State game this year.

Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks whether the BCS is supposed to be fair?

The Orlando Sentinel looks at Bowling Green in its college football countdown.

Central Florida and South Florida have not yet closed the door on their football series.

BYU and Utah have an ally in Boise State and its president, which is contesting the fairness of the BCS once again.

Nevada coach Chris Ault talks about his seniors and his expectations for 2010.

The NCAA has said that it will no longer accept BYU online courses for eligibility.

SMU coach June Jones talks about the obstacles his team faces as it tries to repeat last year’s success.

Voting on the financial package for FAU’s new stadium has been delayed, meaning the stadium probably won’t open by the 2011 season.

Former Iowa running back Jeff Brinson is looking to transfer to Central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting.

Brinson is applying for an NCAA hardship waiver that would grant him immediate eligibility to play closer to home because one of his family members has suffered a severe illness.

Brinson redshirted his first season with the Hawkeyes and played in limited time last year after suffering a foot injury that hampered him most of the year. He had just one carry for 7 yards.

If Brinson can play immediately, it would helps the Knights, who are without starting running back Brynn Harvey for at least the nonconference season. Harvey suffered an undisclosed knee injury during spring ball.

Brinson would join redshirt sophomore Brendan Kelly, who is at the top of the depth chart with Harvey out, sophomore Jonathan Davis, Brandon Davis and Kerlon Williams.

San Diego State president Stephen Weber doesn’t know if the league is in favor of expansion, but he has a feeling that more of his colleagues support it more now than before.

Salt Lake Tribune columnist Kurt Kragthorpe weighs in on BYU's decision to keep Harvey Unga out of school for two semesters, effectively ending his collegiate football career.

Could finding Boise State on TV be more difficult if the Broncos join the Mountain West?

Louisiana-Lafayette is the next stop on the Orlando Sentinel’s breakdown of each college football team.

Want to know what the MWC presidents are thinking? Former Boise State president Dr. John Keiser provides a pretty good idea.

Central Florida tries to remain patient as expansion continues to be a vague subject.