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1. LSU fans still may be moping about the BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama. But the university’s decision to expand Tiger Stadium by nearly 7,000 seats is an indication of how successful the Tigers are. As the Baton Rouge Advocate reported, capacity at Death Valley will be a shade under 100,000. That moves LSU past Georgia and USC into seventh place in stadium size. The rich keep getting richer.

2. It makes sense that Kirk Ferentz, who had the same coordinators for all 13 seasons at Iowa, looked for a veteran assistant to run the offense. Greg Davis sat out of coaching in 2011 after parting ways with Mack Brown, for whom he worked at Texas and North Carolina. Hawkeyes fans accustomed to a potent running game may have to learn to love the quick pass into the flat. When Major Applewhite and Colt McCoy threw it, Davis always said it served the same purpose as a run.

3. If the Big East is so awful, and the Big 12 is so wonderful, how come it cost West Virginia $20 million to leave the former while Texas A&M and Missouri are paying “only” $12.4 million to leave the latter? It may be as simple as the Big East rule that called for West Virginia to remain in the league for two more seasons before it could extract itself. That doesn’t make it any less counterintuitive.

Colleague Adam Rittenberg had a post Tuesday in the Big Ten blog that might have struck a chord with Notre Dame fans.

As many of you know by now, Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery drew some negative attention last week for his slamming of a chair during a timeout at Michigan State.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told USA Today that the conference doesn't expect such conduct moving forward. Rittenberg wonders if those on the sidelines of the gridiron have gotten the message.

Football coaches had better take notice, because we're in an age when every gesture is caught on camera and will make its way to the Big Ten office. One too many blowups could lead to repercussions from a league that wants its coaches to be good public representatives.

The Big Ten has some coaches known to get a bit riled up on the sideline. Nebraska's Bo Pelini had some well-documented issues in a 2010 game at Texas A&M. Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald is very animated during games. Although a gum-throwing Bill Lynch isn't around any more at Indiana, there aren't too many Tom Landrys in this league.

Will the McCaffery incident change how football coaches conduct themselves during games? Probably not. Should they pay attention to what happened? Absolutely.

Fans seem to be split on this issue. Most want their coach to be passionate and energetic. As a Chicago Bears fan, I struggle with Lovie Smith's perpetually stoic sideline demeanor.

But I've also heard from some Nebraska fans irked by Pelini's blowups (imagine if Mike Stoops had ended up in Lincoln, too?).

How do you want your coach to behave on the sideline during games?

Not mentioned because he is not in the Big Ten is Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who caught plenty of heat for his sideline tantrums during the Irish's season-opening loss to South Florida. But he certainly fits the bill here.

I said at the time that Kelly likely would have been lauded for his passion had Notre Dame gotten off to a better start this season. And it's hard to believe Irish fans weren't just as angry while watching a five-turnover loss to an overmatched Big East opponent.

That being said, perception means a lot in the coaching business, particularly at the college level. And, to steal a line of thinking from Adam, as a New York Giants fan, I saw Tom Coughlin undergo a late-career makeover and become a much more likable figure with his players, something that proved crucial in a Super Bowl season four years ago.

It's been a topic brought up by you here and there during the season, but I'm anxious to hear more of your reaction to what you expect from your coaches on the sideline.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on in the bowl games involving teams from the Big 12 this season.

1. The headless Aggies. A team playing in a bowl after firing its coach is a bit of a rarity, but that's where the Aggies are as they prepare to face Northwestern on Dec. 31 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Defensive coordinator and interim head coach Tim DeRuyter is leaving to become the coach at Fresno State. Former coach Mike Sherman served as their offensive coordinator, too, and it'll be interesting to see what Texas A&M looks like without him. Cyrus Gray is questionable, but Northwestern's defense is a lot different than Texas'. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill should be able to win this game, but will Texas A&M look like it's playing for anything, and will it show it has fixed the second-half woes?

2. Oklahoma State on the big stage. Oklahoma State has played in a lot of big games over the past two years, but the two biggest -- Oklahoma in both years -- were played in its home stadium. The Cowboys never played in a Big 12 title setting and never played in a huge neutral-site game against a team suited to beat them. The Jan. 2 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, opposite Stanford, will be all new for the Cowboys. Will the team look the same after a week unlike anything it has experienced before?

3. Sooners stopping a swoon? Oklahoma finished the season with two losses in its final three games and now will be without Jaz Reynolds in the Dec. 30 Insight Bowl against Iowa. Landry Jones will be missing his No. 1 and No. 3 receivers, and the Hawkeyes' offense will take on a defense that struggled late in the year against Baylor and Oklahoma State. Iowa is closer to Iowa State -- Oklahoma's only victory in the final three games -- but the Sooners had better show up in this one, or this season will get even more forgettable.

4. A finale for RG3? At Baylor, 2011 has been unforgettable. The Bears already have nine wins, a third-place finish in the Big 12 and the school's first Heisman winner. Quarterback Robert Griffin III has become must-see TV, but the Valero Alamo Bowl against Washington on Dec. 29 might be the last time we see him in green and gold. There's no guarantee on either side, but what's Griffin got in store for the finale?

5. Did the Longhorns learn? Texas lamented its holidays at home last year, with players saying they never wanted to experience the feeling again. Several said they couldn't even watch the bowls. Well, the Longhorns are back. How much will they relish the Dec. 28 Holiday Bowl meeting with Cal? Texas should be back to health by then, and a big win in this game might produce big results next fall for a young offense that needs good vibes heading into the offseason.

Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (9-3)

Dec. 30, 1o p.m. ET (ESPN)

Iowa take by Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg: Iowa football hasn’t had much go its way in the past 11 months aside from a dramatic victory against Missouri in the 2010 Insight Bowl. The Hawkeyes will return to Tempe, Ariz., later this month looking for another boost after an up-and-down 2011 campaign.

Kirk Ferentz’s teams typically save their best for the postseason, as Iowa is 6-3 in bowls during his tenure as coach, including victories in each of the past three years (2010 Insight, 2010 Orange, 2009 Outback). But extending the win streak will be tough against Oklahoma, the preseason No. 1 team. Both teams struggled down the stretch, each dropping two of the final three games.

Iowa is led by its big three on offense: receiver Marvin McNutt, running back Marcus Coker and quarterback James Vandenberg. Coker burst on the scene as a freshman at the 2010 Insight Bowl, setting an Iowa bowl record with 219 rushing yards. McNutt also has been fabulous, while Vandenberg struggled away from Kinnick Stadium but can put up big numbers.

The Hawkeyes' defense was in rebuilding mode for most of the season, as the NFL losses along the defensive line and at safety stung. Oklahoma isn’t nearly as dangerous on offense without star receiver Ryan Broyles, who is out for the season with a knee injury. But Iowa can’t let Landry Jones settle into a rhythm and must pressure the Sooners junior quarterback.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops faces his alma mater in Iowa, which goes up against the Sooners for just the second time after dropping a 1979 game in Norman.

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Oklahoma State take from Big 12 blogger David Ubben: The "Chase For Eight" quickly went awry for the Sooners, who lost a 41-38 game at home to five-win Texas Tech. The Red Raiders didn't win again the rest of the season. The Sooners' defense fell to powerful offenses late in the season, too. Baylor bested the Sooners on a last-second touchdown from Robert Griffin III, and Oklahoma State receivers ran free in a Cowboys blowout.

Injuries played a huge role. That's undeniable, but this season, with the expectations that came with it, is nothing but a disappointment. The Sooners suffered two losses after losing Broyles and Dominique Whaley. Blake Bell's Tebow-esque "BellDozer" formation was pretty effective late in the season, but Oklahoma is bested only by Texas A&M as the Big 12's most disappointing team.

The day is only halfway over, and the Legends division has a very different look.

Iowa won a wild one 24-16 against No. 15 Michigan after holding the Wolverines on a goal-line stand that will spark much debate in the coming hours and days. A much-maligned Hawkeyes defense kept Denard Robinson and Michigan out of the end zone on four consecutive plays from the Iowa 3-yard line.

Everyone will be talking about the final two plays. Michigan wide receiver Junior Hemingway appeared to make a one-handed grab in the end zone, but officials ruled he was out of bounds. Replays appeared to show Hemingway's knee hit the ground in bounds, although the ball might have shifted in his hands when he hit the turf. A review determined there wasn't enough evidence for an overturn.

On the final play, an incomplete pass from Denard Robinson to Roy Roundtree, Iowa's B.J. Lowery had a lot of contact but didn't get flagged for pass interference.

Despite the controversial ending, Iowa gets a huge victory on its home field, where it improves to 6-0 this season. The Hawkeyes still control their own fate in the Legends division, and they host division leader Michigan State next week in a huge showdown at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa thumped the Spartans 37-6 last year in Iowa City.

For the second consecutive week, sophomore running back Marcus Coker was the big story for Iowa, and this time his production translated to a huge victory for Kirk Ferentz's crew.

Coker racked up 132 rush yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, putting himself in the discussion for the Big Ten's top running back with Montee Ball, Silas Redd and Rex Burkhead. He's showing the form many of us thought he'd have entering the season.

Iowa's defense also deserves a ton of credit for limiting Michigan's offense most of the game. The Wolverines couldn't overcome a slow start, and Robinson had a shaky performance until the end, when he became Mr. Clutch for several scintillating minutes. Still, Robinson completed just 17 of 37 passes, had several balls batted down and threw his 12th interception, surpassing his total from all of last season.

The Wolverines defense played well late and allowed only 14 first downs and 302 total yards, but they couldn't stop Coker enough.

As a result, Michigan falls out of the Legends division lead and will need a lot of help down the stretch to reach Indianapolis.

Marvin McNutt has set the Iowa record for career touchdown catches, and he did it in style.

The Hawkeyes senior caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter against Indiana. McNutt got wide open on a crossing route and took the play the distance down the sideline to give Iowa a 14-7 lead.

McNutt now has 22 career touchdown catches, one more than Tim Dwight (1994-97) and Danan Hughes (1989-92) had.

1. The NCAA closed its investigation of Auburn over the recruitment of former quarterback Cam Newton and removed the shadow that hovered over his Heisman Trophy and the Tigers’ crystal football. It is good to know once and for all that 80 interviews conducted by the NCAA didn’t find evidence worthy of a Letter of Inquiry. Auburn will have to live with the conspiracy theorists, of course -- that’s the price of success today -- but the Tigers’ miracle climb to the BCS title should get its due from anyone who held back.

2. Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa has been limited in his comeback from an Achilles’ tendon tear late last season. After rushing for 519 yards last season, he has minus-8 yards in two games. But Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose Hawkeyes play the Wildcats this week, said the lack of rushing isn’t the same as being immobile. “He may not be running north and south but he's running east, west,” Ferentz said. “…The real danger right there is you've got a guy who can break the pocket and still throw the ball down the field.”

3. You may have seen when the AP poll came out Sunday that there are no ranked teams from Florida for the first time since Dec. 6, 1982. Just to put that into perspective, that poll came out nine days before Alabama coach Bear Bryant announced his retirement. Former Florida coach Urban Meyer, who has already retired, was an 18-year-old shortstop in the Atlanta Braves’ minor-league system. And since that poll, Florida schools have won 10 national championships, a total which won’t increase in 2011.

1. The Big 12 “family” is beginning to resemble a daytime soap. They argue, they leave, they look to leave, they come back. One day after the conference members agree to share their main TV money equally, a big step on the road to a happy future, Missouri decides to withhold its commitment. The chancellor resigned as conference chairman. It comes down to Mizzou forsaking tradition and loyalty, to flirt with the SEC, a league in which the Tigers are not equipped to compete. Knock yourself out.

2. In the last week, both Bret Bielema of Wisconsin and Mark Richt of Georgia have endorsed a lead of three scores as the benchmark for deciding to milk the clock in the fourth quarter. “You do that by running the ball and making sure you don’t snap the ball too early in the 40-second clock,” Richt said. Bielema praised quarterback Russell Wilson after the Nebraska game for having the presence of mind, when chased out of the pocket, to slide inbounds and keep the clock moving.

3. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday that yards per carry is a better measure of the effectiveness of a running back than it is an offense, because sacks and kneeldowns (every coach’s favorite offensive call) can skew that statistic for a team. There, Ferentz said, the better measure is carries per game. He didn’t establish a number. For what it’s worth, the 15 undefeated teams average 42.3 carries per game.

1. LSU head coach Les Miles awaits the decision of Baton Rouge police on whether or not to arrest Tigers' players for participating in a wee-hours brawl outside of a nightclub last week. The brawl sent four people to a hospital. The police say they will go where the investigation goes. Here’s my question: where is the senior leadership on a team that decides to celebrate the end of two-a-days by breaking curfew at a nightclub? One senior leader, quarterback Jordan Jefferson, is among the Tigers whom police want to interview.

2. Colorado coach Jon Embree released a depth chart Monday filled with surprises. The defense is lined up as a 3-4 for the first time since 1994, the last season that Embree’s mentor, Bill McCartney, coached the Buffs. There are 14 true freshmen on the three-deep, four of them starters. One of the latter, punter Darragh O’Neill, has never played football. He did make all-state in basketball at Fairview (Colo.) High. “He’s an athletic kid that’s good in those pressure situations,” special teams coach J.D. Brookhart said.

3. I read several days worth of tweets and headlines regarding the uproar in the state of Iowa over the new Cy-Hawk Trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual Iowa-Iowa State football game. I expected to see some grotesque combination of weather and predator. I finally clicked on a link for the the trophy. It’s a sculpture of a farm family at day’s end. It’s as sweet as an ear of Silver Queen. Iowans should be proud to win it.

There are two types of "new" coaches. First, there are new-new coaches, those who are entering their first season with no track record at their present destination, which allows fans to invest in them their wildest hopes and dreams.

Then their are second-year coaches, who have a single season under their belts, a small and typically unrevealing sample size that allows everyone to make premature judgments about said coach's ultimate prospects.

Not many coaches go to a Rose Bowl their first year as head coach, as Oregon's Chip Kelly did. And sometimes fast starts are deceiving about what's ahead, see Arizona State going 10-3 in Dennis Erickson's first season. And did many folks think Iowa's Kirk Ferentz would be around for 13 seasons after he went 1-10 in 1999?

So we have the only second-year coach in the Pac-12: USC's Lane Kiffin.

While Kiffin's name might inspire more than a few folks to immediately spit, particularly those in a certain part of the country where spitting is less frowned upon, that's more about his abrupt departure from Tennessee and his sometimes cocky statements and behavior while he was there -- a side of himself, by the way, he hasn't shown much of of inside Heritage Hall.

As a coach, we only know he went 5-15 with the Oakland Raiders, 7-6 in one season at Tennessee and 8-5 at USC last fall.

What did we learn about Kiffin last season? Well, he's clearly a good recruiter, see another touted class that should help the Trojans better weather harsh NCAA sanctions.

Also, at 4-0 and then 7-3, it seemed as though he'd done a good job of keeping his team focused, even though it didn't have the postseason as a possible reward.

Then the Trojans got blistered at Oregon State and lost at home to a middling Notre Dame team. Sure, quarterback Matt Barkley got hurt in Corvallis, and even then the Trojans would have beaten the Irish if Ronald Johnson hadn't dropped a sure touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. Still, "scoreboard," you know?

A loss to UCLA to end the season would have cast a dark shadow over Kiffin's first season, but the Trojans prevailed and then they rolled in recruiting. The momentum at present seems relatively positive.

So what can we say about Kiffin after a year?

It appears he's matured since his brief, bombastic tenure in Knoxville. It seemed like he did a good job working with Barkley, helping him mature as a QB, though the true test of the relationships will be this season, likely Barkley's last before heading to the NFL.

In fact, you could say that his dad, legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, should be more on the hot seat in 2011. The Trojans defense let leads slip away in the fourth quarter and gave up way too many big plays in 2010.

Further complicating an evaluation of Kiffin are the NCAA sanctions, particularly 30-scholarship reduction over the next three years that could be crippling, even for a program of USC's stature.

It would be fair to say that USC, which has the talent to win nine or 10 games this season, needs to live up to reasonable expectations this fall before the real pain sets in for Kiffin to place himself in good standing with athletic director Pat Haden and the Trojans fan base.

If he wins 10 games and the first South Division title, it would be enough of a vindication of his coaching ability that he could survive an inevitable step back over the next three to five years.

But if the Trojans take another step toward mediocrity, it's likely that the honeymoon would abruptly end and he'd find his coaching stool fairly toasty heading into 2012.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- It's not difficult to come up with a fair explanation for Arizona's 7-1 start that devolved into a 0-5 finish. In the first eight games, the Wildcats played an easy schedule. They were better than teams such as Toledo, Washington State and UCLA. In the last five games, they played a brutal schedule. Their opponents went a combined 49-15, including two top-five (Stanford and Oregon) and one top-10 team (Oklahoma State).

Still, at 7-1 and ranked 13th with a win over Iowa, the Wildcats headed into a marquee showdown with Stanford on Nov. 6 believing they could play with anyone. Turns out they couldn't. And, considering the Cardinal, Ducks and Cowboys whipped up the Wildcats badly, well, a fair explanation only goes so far.

"It still exposes some things within your team," coach Mike Stoops said. "It told you when the going got tough, we didn't respond as well as we needed to."

And where the Wildcats most didn't respond clearly bothers Stoops.

"The physical part of it, we didn't respond well," he said. "We have to be more than just a finesse team. The physical matchup is what I didn't like."

Therein lies the challenge for the Wildcats as they leave spring practices behind and focus on offseason workouts. They must find five new starters on the offensive line -- the 2010 unit decidedly underachieved -- and they must replace the best defensive end combination in the Pac-10: Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore.

That suggests a need for some finesse due to physical losses. The defense is likely going to have to blitz more, while the offense -- which welcomes back quarterback Nick Foles and one of the best groups of receivers in the country -- is likely going to be pass-heavy.

Said Stoops, "We're going to have to throw to set up the run, I don't think there's any question about that."

Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who learned offense from spread savant Mike Leach after four years coaching at Texas Tech, talks about finding "different ways as coaches to scheme people to run the football," but he admits there's going to be a temptation to scrap the handoffs and throw 50 times a game.

"Absolutely. Especially because that's kind of the background where I came from," he said. "That's what I, at times, feel comfortable with. But at the same time you've got to take pressure off the quarterback by running the football."

A key proponent of balance: Foles. All quarterbacks like to throw the ball, but the passing game is much easier when defenses have to respect the run.

"There's definitely a need for balance," Foles said. "People saw that in the national championship game with Oregon, one of the nation's most high-powered offenses. When you can't run the ball, it's tough. Passing is great but to be a great team you've got to be able to do both."

During the five-game losing streak, the Wildcats averaged 98 yards rushing. Not good.

On the other side of the ball, the run defense wasn't much better during the downturn. Oregon rushed for a whopping 389 yards, while Stanford and USC both went over 200.

That's the out-physical-ed part that irks Stoops.

The Wildcats also head into the 2011 season with significant changes on the staff, starting with the departures of one half of the coordinator tandems they used on both sides of the ball in 2010. That means the offense is up to Littrell and the defense belongs to Tim Kish. Stoops said the co-coordinator setup was more of a challenge on offense. The theme this spring was simplify.

"We were trying to mix and match too much last year," he said. "We got discombobulated, I think. We got exposed late in the year on some things. Seth has to grow into this position and have total control with Nick. We need to all be on the same page."

Stoops has built a winning program but taking the next step means that no portion of the schedule proves insurmountable. And, yes, that five-game losing streak still lingers in just about every Wildcats' head, coaches and players.

"We all have it in the back of our minds," linebacker Paul Vassallo said. "It's not talked about anymore. It's the 2011 season. But we're all hungry to get that first win, that's for sure."

Ah, but the scheduled does a reverse next fall. The Wildcats figure to get their first win -- and end the losing streak -- in the opener against Northern Arizona, but then look at the schedule: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon and USC on consecutive weekends. The Cowboys, Cardinal and Ducks each will be ranked in the preseason top-10, and it's still not easy to visit the Coliseum.

It won't be too difficult to come up with a fair explanation for a slow start. But those fair explanations have a shelf life. Stoops and his Wildcats don't want to give them anymore. And Wildcats fans don't want to hear them.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Before we engage our topic -- Arizona quarterback Nick Foles -- let's pause for a moment and consider the Wildcats' NFL history at Foles' position. It will only require the briefest of pauses, however, so don't worry about your eyes glazing over.

In 1985, the Seattle Seahawks used their 10th-round selection -- the 277th overall pick in the NFL draft -- to select Arizona quarterback John Connor. Connor would later save the world from evil computers and indestructible robots that looked not unlike the former governor of California, so we should give him a break for not making much of a mark in the pro ranks.

In 1972, six years before the Wildcats joined the Pac-8, the Buffalo Bills used their first pick... of the 16th round (391st overall)... on Arizona quarterback Brian Linstrom. In 1962, quarterback Eddie Wilson went to the Detroit Lions with the 10th pick of the second round, 24th overall.

And so ends our history lesson entitled, "The NFL draft and Arizona Quarterbacks."

If Foles were in this class, he'd probably yawn. He's not much into history, even though he could have made it for the Wildcats if he'd opted to enter the draft instead of returning for his senior season. Heck, he's not much into the future either because he says -- convincingly, by the way -- that he's not thinking about the NFL.

"I grew up going to college football games and I wanted to play college football. I'm in a wonderful place because I'm living my dream right now," he said. "I know there is money and fame or whatever, but I love where I'm at. I love the University of Arizona. The most important thing right now is to focus on that. I think too many people get caught up in the, 'NFL this, NFL that,' and they don't focus on where they are now, the present moment. The most precious time you have is right now in the present. I don't want to think about a year down the road."

In the present time, Foles is headed into the 2011 season -- spring practices ended over the weekend -- on the cusp of becoming the best quarterback in program history, even if he doesn't break all of Willie Tuitama's records. After all, Tuitama, a four-year starter, wasn't drafted and didn't get invited to an NFL training camp. As for those records, Foles needs 3,478 yards passing to eclipse Tuitama's career record of 9,211 yards. Considering the talent Foles has surrounding him at receiver, it's possible that he could break Tuitama's single-season passing record (3,683 yards) and even reach his career TD mark (67; Foles has 39 touchdowns in two years as a starter).

Of course, stats aren't the only thing that matters. The Wildcats split the job between Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins in 1998, and their middling numbers were nonetheless good enough to front a 12-1 team that finished ranked No. 4 in the nation.

The Wildcats don't look at first glance like a team that could go 12-1. All five starters must be replaced on the offensive line, while the defense loses premier pass-rushing ends Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore, both of whom figure to be drafted. Further, the Wildcats are presently riding a five-game losing streak that took the shine off a 7-1 start in the 2010 season.

For Arizona to be a factor in the Pac-12 South's first season, Foles needs to be out front posting big numbers.

"He's grown a lot each year. I think you'll see a more polished player," coach Mike Stoops said. "He's going to be an elite player at the next level if he can continue to grow."

Foles, who missed two games last season with a dislocated knee cap, said he sees plenty of room for improvement when he watches game tape. While he completed a strong 67 percent of his passes, his 2:1 TD to interceptions ratio -- 20 TDs, 10 picks -- won't blow anyone away. Foles also was streaky. He seemed to often break out of lulls while running the two-minute offense in high-pressure situations -- see clutch drives produced in wins over Iowa and California and in a heart-breaking loss to Arizona State.

So while Foles talks about improving his recognition skills, his knowledge of opposing defenses and building consistency, he also finds a less cerebral area in which to improve.

"When I just play the game and don't think as much, and let it just come to me, that's when I play my best," he said. "When I'm trying to over-analyze a play or I am thinking too much, I play mechanically and that's just not where I'm good."

Stoops and Foles have talked about another area in which Foles needs to focus: Leadership. As a quarterback who could receive All-American consideration, Foles is the centerpiece of the Wildcats. Everyone in the locker room will turn to him this fall.

"I wish at times he showed more emotion," Stoops said. "But you don't want that to be forced. That has to be natural. Nick has to pick and choose. He should know when those times are."

Said Foles, "There's a time and place to be loud and emotional but I also think it comes with knowing your teammates. The most important thing with anything you do is being natural. There will be times when I need to be vocal, but it has to come naturally. When it doesn't come naturally, it's just doesn't feel right."

In other words, leaderships is complicated. Consider: In the Wildcats 34-27 win over Iowa, Foles led by being loose and saying just enough to make his team confident.

"Nothing rattles him," offensive tackle Adam Grant said after that game. "I've seen guys with fear in their eyes on the field. He was completely calm."

Foles said he talked to his parents about potentially entering this spring's draft, but also said he told them in advance that he wanted to return. By returning, he almost guaranteed that -- barring injury -- he will become the greatest quarterback in school history.

Ah, but that's all history and the future and destination talk. Foles is more focused on the present, on the process.

"I'll watch film and go, 'Man, I've got a lot to work on,'" he said. "But that's exciting to me. I love working on that stuff. It's a continual process."

1. The more I see Nebraska merge into the Big Ten, the more I like it. The league moved the season-ending game between Nebraska and Iowa to Thanksgiving Friday for the next two seasons. The Big Ten hasn’t played games on that Friday in the past. But the Huskers have played on the day after Thanksgiving since 1990 (Oklahoma in the Big Eight, Colorado in the Big 12). The Big Ten didn’t say, “We don’t do that.” The adoption of Nebraska’s tradition illustrates why this will be a happy marriage.

2. Quarterbacks Tommie Frazier of Nebraska and Joe Hamilton of Georgia Tech may have been the two best players who failed to win the Heisman Trophy during the 1990s. Frazier remains the best option quarterback I’ve ever covered. Hamilton combined running and passing in a manner that we now take for granted from the Cam Newtons and Denard Robinsons. Both appear on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. I feel for the holdover quarterbacks on the ballot.

3. Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports performed strong journalistic legwork in their piece last week on the number of college football players who have a criminal record. But the response from Iowa, which had 18 players with a record, provided perspective that muted the sensationalism. Hawkeye athletic director Gary Barta said of the 18 players, 15 had a record because of underage drinking. That’s an issue, yes, but if underage drinkers are a large percentage of college football’s “criminal element,” then the athletic department isn’t so different from the rest of campus after all.

Coaches love talking about explosion plays. You want to get a lot of them and give up very few.

We looked at offensive explosion plays -- plays of 20 or more yards -- on Tuesday and defenses that prevented explosion plays on Wednesday. Today we look at explosion plays in terms of rushing offense and rushing defense. On Friday, we'll look at explosion plays in terms of passing numbers.

So here's how the Pac-12 stacked up in 2010 (again, thanks to ESPN Stats & Information). The number to the left in national rank. The number to the right is the total number of explosion plays in the running game in 2010.

4. Oregon... 39
25. Stanford... 21
29. Washington... 20
29. UCLA... 20
49. USC... 16
49. Utah... 16
66. Arizona... 14
66. Arizona State... 14
83. Oregon State... 12
91. California... 11
91. Colorado... 11
99. Washington State... 10

Not many surprises here, though Oregon State's and California's totals might seem low, considering the quality of their tailbacks: Jacquizz Rodgers and Shane Vereen.

Some other thoughts.

• Oregon ranked second in 2009 (39) and third in 2008 (37). The Ducks, Nevada and Georgia Tech each ranked in the top five the past three seasons.
• California ranked 18th in 2009 with 24 runs of 20 or more yards, and eighth in 2008 with 30, so its drop-off in 2010 was substantial.
• With Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Stanford had 20 runs of 20 or more yards. Without him in 2010, it had 21. That said: In 2008, when the Cardinal went 5-7 and Tavita Pritchard was the starting QB, it produced 25 such runs, which ranked 12th in the country.
• In 2008, UCLA and Washington State tied for 109th in the nation with just six explosion runs. In 2009, Washington State had 10 and UCLA nine, thereby ranking 95th and 98th, respectively. While the Bruins new pistol offense didn't help the passing game, it certainly helped produce explosion plays in the running game, more than tripling the 2008 output and more than doubling what was produced in 2009.
• Buffalo ranked last in the nation with just two runs of over 20 yards, the worst total over the past three seasons. Nothing to do with the Pac-10, but that's really, really pathetic.

But do piling up explosion plays in the run game correlate to winning? Short answer: More often than not, though a lot has to do with scheme (Georgia Tech and Navy, for example, run triple-options and don't pass much). Here's the top 10 in 2010 with the team's record in parentheses to the right.

1. Georgia Tech... 45 (6-7)
2. Northern Illinois... 42 (11-3)
3. Auburn... 41 (14-0)
4. Oregon... 39 (12-1)
5. Nevada... 38 (13-1)
6. Nebraska... 36 (10-4)
7. North Texas... 32 (3-9)
8. Mississippi... 31 (4-8)
9. Baylor... 30 (7-6)
10. Tulsa... 28 (10-3)
10. Navy... 28 (9-4)

Three teams -- including No. 1 -- posted losing records. On the other hand, seven won nine or more games and six won 10 or more.

Now, on to defense, starting with the Pac-12.

The number to the left in national rank. The number to the right is the total number of rushing explosion plays yielded in 2010.

2. Arizona State... 6
13. Arizona... 9
13. Utah... 9
13. California... 9
37. Oregon State... 12
45. Stanford... 14
59. Oregon... 16
82. Colorado... 18
90. USC... 19
98. Washington... 22
103. UCLA... 23
117. Washington State... 29

Arizona is a bit surprising because the Wildcats struggled against the run this season, particularly over the second half of 2010. Stanford is a little low because it gave up four runs of 20-plus yards in its loss to Oregon.

Some other thoughts.

• Oregon State's number isn't bad, but in 2009 it was tied for fourth in the nation -- and No. 1 in the Pac-10 -- after yielding just six explosion rushing plays.
• Oregon had better defensive numbers this season than in the previous two, but the Ducks gave up only nine explosion rushing plays in 2008 and 2009.
• This is clearly an area where Washington struggles. In 2009, it gave up 21 explosion rushing plays (102nd in nation) and 22 in 2008 (102nd in nation).
• Washington State yielded 22 rushing explosion plays in 2009 (106th in nation) and 34 in 2008 (worst in the nation) Cougars: You need to get better here.
• In 2008, Tennessee gave up just one run of 20 or more yards. No other team over the past three seasons has yielded fewer than three. In 2009, under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, it gave up 21, which ranked 102nd in the nation. This past season, while Kiffin was in his first season at USC, the Vols yielded 16, which ranked 59th, tied with USC. In 2009, the year before Kiffin arrived at USC, the Trojans yielded 13, which ranked 42nd. Just saying.
• While a number of teams are consistently good in this area -- Ohio State, Florida and South Florida, to name a few -- only Iowa ranked in the top 10 the past three seasons.

But do limiting rushing explosion plays on defense correlate to winning? Short answer: Not as much as you'd think, at least this past season. Here's the top 10 in 2010 with the team's record in parentheses to the right.

1. Iowa... 5 (8-5)
2. Arizona State... 6 (6-6)
2. Boston College... 6 (7-6)
4. Purdue... 7 (4-8)
4. Iowa State... 7 (5-7)
4. SMU... 7 (7-7)
4. Florida... 7 (8-5)
4. Ohio State... 7 (12-1)
9. Temple... 8 (8-4)
9. Michigan State... 8 (11-2)
9. Buffalo... 8 (2-10)
9. Wyoming... 8 (3-9)

That's six teams (out of 12) at .500 or below, including two teams who combined for 19 losses. Just two teams -- Ohio State and Michigan State -- won double-digit games. Oklahoma went 12-2 despite giving up 25 rushing explosion plays, which ranked 109th in the nation. Heck, Kansas State finished 7-6 despite giving up 31 such plays, worst in the nation.

That said: Seven of the 12 teams that gave up 25 or more explosion plays finished with losing records, and four won three or fewer games.

Following the lead of my esteemed blogging colleagues, I'm going to rank the 10 best stadium "atmospheres" from the Pac-10 games I covered in 2010.

Monday we ranked Nos. 10-6. Today, it's the top-five.

There are three major factors: 1. Stadium color and intensity; 2. The "bigness" of the game; 3. The quality of the game and its performances. And, obviously, I'm only ranking games I attended

5. Oregon at California: While Oregon's 15-13 victory here has been wildly miscast as a game the Ducks won because Cal screwed up a go-ahead field goal -- the kick came on the first play of the fourth quarter -- this was Oregon's closest game, the only one decided by single digits until the national championship game. And the closeness created a nice tension in Memorial Stadium as Bears fans entertained for much of the second half real visions of pulling the upset. The Ducks fourth-quarter drive that ate up the final 9:25 off the clock -- 18 plays, 17 runs -- was a thing of beauty: A good team having a bad night that nonetheless asserted its will to take control at the end.

4. Oregon at USC: More than a few folks saw this as the Ducks most worrisome potential stumbling back: A game at once-fearsome, but now just solid, USC. More than a few folks sold it as "USC's bowl game," and a couple of Trojans agreed that assessment wasn't that far off. The Trojans gave Oregon some trouble until the Ducks flicked their switch and won going away 53-32. The atmosphere in the Coliseum, at least for three quarters, was nearly what it was for big games during the Trojans recent glory days. And the torch was passed.

3. Iowa at Arizona: Forget for a moment the Wildcats' five-game losing streak to end the season. This 34-27 win over then-No. 9 Iowa felt like the Wildcats signature win under Mike Stoops, a game in which they advanced from a good program to a top-25, even top-10 program. The 'Zona Zoo went nuts when quarterback Nick Foles led a nine-play, 72-yard touchdown drive for the go-ahead points. And it went even nuttier when the Wildcats recorded three consecutive sacks when Iowa took over, needing its own clutch drive to tie.

2. Stanford at Oregon: This game was Oregon's "hello world" performance, a 52-31 shellacking of a very good Stanford team that once led 21-3. The atmosphere in Autzen Stadium as Oregon poured it on was electric. The game, played on Oct. 2, firmly established the Ducks as a national title contender and LaMichael James as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Further, it established that the Ducks were better with Darron Thomas at quarterback rather than Jeremiah Masoli. And as the season went on, and Stanford didn't lose again, this became the most impressive regular season performance by any team, other than perhaps Auburn's comeback win at Alabama.

1. BCS National Title Game: Speaks for itself: It was the biggest game of the year and one of the toughest tickets in college football history. While Auburn's 22-19 win over Oregon was a bit sloppy as a whole, the final five or so minutes were thrilling.

Here are all the games I covered in 2010-11.

Week 1: Oregon State vs. TCU (Cowboys Stadium)
Week 2: Stanford at UCLA
Week 3: Iowa at Arizona
Week 4: Oregon at Arizona State
Week 5: Stanford at Oregon
Week 6: Oregon State at Arizona
Week 7: No game
Week 8: UCLA at Oregon
Week 9: Oregon at USC
Week 10: Arizona at Stanford
Week 11: Oregon at California
Week 12: Arizona at Oregon
Week 13: Oregon at Oregon State
Bowl week: BCS National Championship game