ESPN College Football

SMU Mustangs (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6)

Jan. 7, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

SMU take from college football blogger Matt Fortuna: Following a Conference USA West division title, the Mustangs opened this season with a 5-1 record, including an overtime win at TCU. In the season's second half, however, things turned south. SMU lost four of its last six games and two of its final three to finish 7-5. A lot of that falls on the offense, which averaged 33.7 points per game through the season's first half before scoring just 17.7 points per game in its final six games.

Quarterback J.J. McDermott replaced Kyle Padron in a season-opening 46-14 loss at Texas A&M and has started every game since, throwing for 3,182 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Running back Zach Line eclipsed the 100-yard mark in eight of SMU's first 10 games and led the conference in rushing, but he is out for the remainder of the season with a foot injury. Cole Beasley and Darius Johnson have emerged at receiver, with each just shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Defensively, linebackers Taylor Reed (93 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks) and Ja'Gared Davis (11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions) lead the way for a Mustangs unit that ranks 37th nationally in total defense.

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Pitt take from Big East blogger Andrea Adelson: Expectations were high for the Panthers this season. First-year coach Todd Graham predicted his team would run a “high-octane” offense, a line he used over and over again to promote his program and the new regime hitting town. To be sure, it was a huge departure from the pro-style, smash-mouth football Pitt has been known to play. Graham says he has no regrets over ratcheting up hopes, even though Pitt failed to resemble anything high or octane. Simply put, he does not have the personnel to run the hurry-up, spread system that ran to perfection in his final season at Tulsa.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri never bought in or adapted to the changes, and that contributed to Pitt giving up 56 sacks this season. Injuries on the offensive line didn’t help, either, as Pitt used myriad different starting lineups to help fill in the gaps. The line wasn’t the only area that was impacted by injuries. The Panthers lost star tailback Ray Graham to a torn ACL against UConn in October and from that point on, it was an even bigger struggle for the offense to do anything with Sunseri behind center.

Pitt needed a 33-20 win over Syracuse in the final game of the season to become bowl eligible, but at least salvaged the season. What the Panthers do have is a much improved defense from Week 1. Defensive end Aaron Donald was a breakout star, with 10 sacks. The pass defense made a huge turnaround. After giving up more than 300 yards in two of the first three games of the season, the most they gave up in the final nine weeks was 271 yards to Rutgers.

ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Kaplan writes about the Battle for the Iron Skillet, which resumes as other rivalry matchups fade amid conference realignment.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas -- Wailing is reverberating across this great nation as the rude awakening of conference realignment threatens to rip the heart out of the very fiber of college football tradition -- the rivalry game.

Nebraska-Oklahoma is history. Texas-Texas A&M, a rivalry born in 1894, is headed the way of the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. The backyard brawl pitting bitter neighbors Pittsburgh and West Virginia is headed for the hills.

BYU and Utah played this season as non-conference rivals for the first time in 113 years and in September as opposed to ski season for the first time in 53 years. After 2012, the game goes dark until 2016.

Ah, but find solace and reason to rejoice college football fans. All is not lost. The great rivalry is not dead.

The near-century-old Battle of the Skillet, TCU vs. SMU, is on and is as heated as ever, which many know hasn't always been all that heated.

Although the schools went their separate ways -- not by choice -- when the grand old Southwest Conference dissolved, the two religious-based private schools 40 miles apart keep making the cross-town trek to knock heads.

The rivalry resumes at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Fort Worth between two 3-1 teams prior to crucial conference games for each. It is the 92nd meeting of a once moribund series that is growing in stature and local interest on both ends of the Metroplex thanks to TCU's national emergence and next season's membership into a BCS conference, and SMU's deep-seeded desire to do the same.

Read the rest of the story here.

Former SMU quarterback Braden Smith is switching positions -- again.

Smith moved from quarterback to safety this spring in an effort to get more playing time, but a story on SMU’s website states that Smith has now been moved to linebacker.

"Coach [Tom] Mason said it kind of fit me, the kind of player I am," Smith told PonyFans.com. "He put me at the Mike spot, where you don't have to be huge. Chase Kennemer was listed at what, 220 [actually 215] pounds? He wasn't that big. But he ran well, and played fast. Coach Mason said he liked the way I can go sideline to sideline, and the way I cover.”

With Kennemer gone, the Mustangs were thin at the Mike linebacker spot and Smith will serve as a good backup to projected starter Taylor Reed.

But Smith said he needs to gain about 10 pounds before he’s ready to play.

"The biggest thing for me, between now and August, is to focus on lower-body strength," Smith told the website. "I have to get ready to take on an offensive lineman, or an offensive lineman and then a running back. It's not so much that I need to get bigger, but I do need to get stronger."

As a senior at Rockwall High School in Texas, Smith threw for 2,880 yards and 26 touchdowns and was picked off just three times.

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.

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.

SMU's 8-5 season a year ago has given its fanbase a sense of optimism it hasn't had in more than three decades.

The Mustangs completed their first winning season since 1997 and their first eight-win season since winning 10 games in 1984. Last year also was the Mustangs' first bowl berth since ’84, which has much of the fanbase wondering how far this team can go under third-year head coach June Jones?

So great is the enthusiasm for this team that for the first time since the stadium was built in 2000 -- and probably the first time since the Pony Express took the field in the early 80s -- SMU has sold out all of its premium seating for the 2010 season.

That’s right. All 29 suites and 731 club seats in Gerald J. Ford Stadium are gone for the entire year.

"With the success of our football team in 2009, we had high hopes there would be an increase in demand for 2010," Tim Leonard, SMU's senior associate athletic director for external affairs said. "That said, the increase has been significant. Football fans around the Metroplex have noticed our success and recognize the excitement and value SMU football provides for their entertainment dollar."

The ballyhoo surrounding SMU is well-deserved. The Mustangs return 18 players with starting experience, including quarterback Kyle Padron, who came on in the middle of the year and set a school passing record in a decisive bowl win over Nevada. The team will be young again this year, but Jones has built a lot of depth with young players in his first two seasons. SMU is considered the primary challenger to Houston in the race for Conference USA’s West Division.

“We’re still probably a recruiting class or half a recruiting class from really just not holding on to your rear ends with injuries,” Jones told ESPN.com on signing day. “We’ve got a lot of good players. In fact, I think every one of the players we have in this class will have a chance to get on the field and help us next year. So that’s pretty good.”

With its latest surge in ticket sales, SMU is actually challenging TCU for attention in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, something that hasn’t happened in quite some time. This also might be the first time both teams challenge for their respective conference titles in the same season.

Former BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson became one of the most influential players in college football a year ago.

ESPN has plans to film the documentary Pony Excess, which chronicles the SMU football scandal in the 1980s.

Marshall is expediting efforts to raise more money and awareness for its athletic department.

Scott Pierce of the Deseret News doesn’t think the TV market is a big selling point for Utah.

The Orlando Sentinel breaks down Florida Atlantic during its college football preview.

BYU coaches are on the recruiting trail looking for their next big star or diamond in the rough.

The Idaho Statesman breaks down the Mountain West TV contract in preparation for a Boise State move.

SMU lost three players this week because of academics, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Sophomore cornerback J.R. McConico, redshirt freshman cornerback Keivon Gamble and redshirt freshman receiver Deonte McDade will not be on the team this fall. McConico and Gamble were in the hunt for the starting right cornerback position while McDade was searching for playing time in SMU’s pass-heavy offense.

The Mustangs were already going to be young this year, but this will make them young and put more pressure on some incoming freshmen to provide depth.

The hot story over the weekend was about Boise State and whether it’s leaving the WAC. The Idaho Press-Tribune gives an overview of Boise State and the Mountain West’s courtship, the Idaho Statesman provides a primer for Mountain West expansion and the Honolulu Advertiser claims that losing the Broncos seems inevitable.

Conference USA could boast some of the best quarterbacks in the country this year.

SMU and TCU could benefit from expansion.

Tuition hikes are directly related to the increase in coach’s salaries at Toledo and Bowling Green.

Conference USA meetings begin today and I’ll give you one guess as to what’s on the football agenda this week.

The Orlando Sentinel breaks down Ball State in its college football preview countdown.

I’m a joiner and this morning I saw that the other bloggers were writing about the teams from their conferences that had the best chance of going bowling this year. So, I thought I’d join in.

Obviously, I have more conferences, so I’ll break this down over a few posts throughout the rest of the week. I’ll go in alphabetical order, so let’s start with Conference USA.

C-USA announced last month that it will have six guaranteed bowl spots and an agreement with the new Dallas Football Classic to participate in that game should be the Big Ten or Big 12 be unable to provide a team. The Liberty Bowl takes the conference champion and then teams are dispersed with the help of the league office.

I’m not going to pick the exact bowls but rather the teams I think will be bowling at the end of the year.

COUNT ON IT

• Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles have missed the postseason just once this decade, so there’s no reason to think they’re going to slip now. Yes, there are questions on the offensive line, but this team should be challenging for a conference title by the end of the season.
• Central Florida: The Knights rebounded from a tough 2008 to nearly play in the conference title game in 2009. This year, the defense looks stout and the offense seems to have found a quarterback in Rob Calabrese that can help expand their game. Running back is a huge question mark with Brynn Harvey out for nonconference play, but several other options seemed to step up during the spring.
• Houston: The Cougars seemed to hit a wall at the end of last season, but with nearly everyone returning from that team, they’ll be the favorites to win C-USA West in the fall. The question will be whether they learned from last year’s mistakes to put themselves in better bowl position this year.
• SMU: Dare I say that SMU is back? The Mustangs will be young again, but I think coach June Jones has found something in quarterback Kyle Padron and the Mustangs will once again be in a bowl hunt. I think the ‘Stangs have the best chance to give Houston a run for the West Division.
• Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane had a down year in 2009, but I think that was an aberration. Coach Todd Graham acknowledged he underestimated the loss of some players heading into last year, but with most of the 2009 squad returning for 2010, he feels confident his team can rebound. Much of Tulsa’s success will depend on the offensive line, which was really shaky a year ago.

MOST LIKELY

• UTEP: The Miners have the talent to make a bowl game, especially with quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Donald Buckram back, but the consistency is something that needs to come along. The Miners have a new defensive coordinator, which should alleviate the need to get into shootouts with opponents.
• Marshall: It’s hard to say what a team will look like with a new coach and several of the top offensive weapons gone, but coach Doc Holliday does have some gems on his roster that could get this team to six wins. However, the nonconference schedule is a bear and the Herd has to play at Southern Miss, ECU and SMU.

OUTSIDE SHOT

• East Carolina: The Pirates lost more starters to graduation than any other team in the country. Combine that with trying to learn a new offensive and defensive system and it seems like a rebuilding year.
• Rice: Last year was a tough transition for Rice after losing almost all of its offense from 2008. This year should be better with some new quarterback choices, experience and running back Sam McGuffie available to play. The Owls could easily go 2-2 during nonconference play and have SMU and Houston at home, but there’s a tough road stretch during late October and early November that will get them a bowl berth.

WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR

• Memphis: New head coach Larry Porter inherited a lot of potential, but it won’t be easy to put that together in a year. There are a lot of questions for this Memphis team, especially at running back, the position that carried the offense a year ago.
• UAB: Quarterback Joe Webb was the Blazers’ all-everything player a year ago and now that he’s gone, no one has stepped up to fill that gap. Coach Neil Callaway has been looking for players to help out for the past few years and has had little luck finding someone to emerge. That will continue as the Blazers struggle in 2010.
• Tulane: I thought the Green Wave would be better in 2009, but that didn’t happen and I don’t have a lot of confidence for 2010. They lose top players Jeremy Williams and Andre Anderson and are still looking for consistent play from both sides of the ball.

My post-spring power rankings aren’t much different from my pre-spring power rankings. The only team that took a bit of a hit this spring was BYU, which lost running back Harvey Unga and played most of spring with a piecemeal offensive line.

Otherwise, here are the 2010 post-spring power rankings:

1. Boise State: Quarterback Kellen Moore didn’t have a great spring, but no one’s panicking. In fact, his struggles allowed redshirt freshman Joe Southwick to emerge as a stellar backup. The Broncos had several players miss spring football because of injuries, but depth was developed at several positions, including offensive line and wide receiver.

2. TCU: The Horned Frogs filled the holes left by Jerry Hughes, Daryl Washington and Marshall Newhouse and found some depth at running back. Similar to Boise State, the Horned Frogs didn’t have many holes to fill and should be in good position in fall camp.

3. Utah: The Utes found some unexpected surprises at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive line. Although starting quarterback Jordan Wynn struggled with injuries, backups Terrance Cain and Griff Robles exceeded expectations. The Utes also found a go-to receiver in walk-on Griffin McNabb.

4. SMU: The Mustangs will be young for the second consecutive season, but a lot of that youth has experience. Kyle Padron took control of the starting quarterback position, but running back remains a big question.

5. Navy: The Midshipmen found some much-needed depth at several positions this spring, including quarterback, slot back and on defense. Mario Washington is listed as both a wide receiver and defensive back, but he probably won’t play both sides of the ball.

6. Air Force: The Falcons named Tim Jefferson the starting quarterback despite him being limited in spring football. However, Jefferson and Connor Dietz likely will face off in the fall for the right to start in the opener. The Falcons also will have a young offensive line and they had some issues with injuries at linebacker.

7. Houston: The Cougars' defense spent the spring in transition with new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, who inherited a talented but young group that struggled mightily last season. Stewart’s work paid dividends during the spring game when his defense had 12 sacks, three interceptions and one fumble recovery.

8. BYU: The Cougars had a lot of questions to answer this spring and they seemed to come out with more questions. They still haven’t settled on a cornerback and have many questions on defense. The Cougars also are waiting on word about Unga, who voluntarily left school because of an honor code violation.

9. Middle Tennessee: New coordinators on both the offensive and defensive side made for a learning spring, but the Blue Raiders returned most of their players from last season, which made the transition easier. The offense and quarterback Dwight Dasher will be helped by the return of running back Phillip Tanner, who missed last season with a knee injury.

10. Nevada: The Wolf Pack hired Andy Buh to help fix the defense and they definitely showed progress after not allowing the No. 1 offense to score in the spring game. Buh said the defense still has a ways to go, but if the Wolf Pack can catch their defense up with their offense, they will be a tough team to beat this year.

The 2010 season finale between SMU and East Carolina has been moved for national television.

The game, which was originally scheduled for Sat., Nov. 27 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., has been moved to Friday so the game can be shown on CBS College Sports.

The two teams will kickoff at 2 p.m. ET to accommodate the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's playoff schedule.

SMU opened spring practice Monday with a lot of questions, especially in the offensive backfield. Many of those answers came after the first of 15 sessions was completed.

Coach June Jones raved about the play of quarterback Kyle Padron, who enters spring camp as the starter, but was supposed to get a hefty challenge from New Mexico State transfer J.J. McDermott.

Padron and McDermott are the only two scholarship quarterbacks this spring after Bo Levi Mitchell transferred and Braden Smith moved to safety.

“Already you can tell his confidence in what he’s doing,” Jones said of Padron, who started six games after Mitchell suffered an injury. “He’s worked real hard with [assistant head coach] Dan [Morrison], spending time on the films, and he’s going to get better and better. It’s so fun to have a quarterback that now gets it, and J.J. looked good today, too. He’s a very capable quarterback. So we’re going to have some guys that can throw it in the barn there.”

Padron’s confidence and experience will take some pressure off the running game, which will be young after star Shawnbrey McNeal decided to leave school early for the NFL.

Zach Line, last year’s backup, will miss spring practice as he recovers from an injury, so finding the back to replace Jones’ first-ever 1,000-yard rusher probably won’t happen until the fall. The Mustangs have signees Darryl Fields and Kevin Pope arriving in the summer.

Jones said both players will play this year instead of one of them redshirting like he originally planned.

“We’re going to miss Shawnbrey. Shawnbrey’s a good football player, but we have some young kids coming in and we’ve got some young kids on campus that are good players,” Jones said. “I think as Kyle gets to being more efficient throwing the ball, which obviously he’s going to be this year, it certainly gives the runner an opportunity to make some plays.”

Jones said the entire offense will be limited this spring with seven offensive players recovering from injuries and offseason surgery.

The last big group of non-AQ teams begins spring practice this week (two start next week) with hopes of being better than the year before.

Only three of the seven teams opening spring practice this week went to bowl games, while the rest will be looking for ways to rectify that.

Here’s a look at the teams opening spring practice this week:

Navy, March 29

Biggest issue: Linebacker used to be one of the deepest positions for the Midshipmen, but after losing five to graduation, including four starters, the competition to find replacements will be heated this spring.

Arkansas State, March 29

Biggest issue: Quarterback will be an interesting battle this spring with Ryan Aplin returning after starting three games last season. However, Phillip Butterfield, who was supposed to be in the mix last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury, will challenge for the top spot.

SMU, March 29

Biggest issue: The Mustangs are looking for a new starting strong safety this spring after Rock Dennis graduated. Dennis led the team with four interceptions and had 57 tackles. Last year’s backup, Tyler Jones, will be a candidate to start, but he’ll face some stiff competition.

Ohio, March 30

Biggest issue: Iowa State transfer Phillip Bates will get his shot at quarterback this spring as he tries to assert himself as starter. Senior Boo Jackson, who received a medical redshirt, is limited this spring while still nursing a shoulder injury.

Marshall, March 31

Biggest issue: Marshall has a couple of issues, the least of which is learning a new coaching staff, but the key to this season will be getting more players involved in the passing offense. Departed tight end Cody Slate was the main weapon before a season-ending injury. Antavious Wilson stepped in nicely, but now it’s time to get some of the other receivers in the mix to make the Thundering Herd a more versatile offense.

Florida Atlantic, March 31

Biggest issue: The Owls lost seven starters from last year’s defense, including four from the offensive line, and six of the team’s top seven receivers are also gone. Quarterback Jeff Vancamp will be tasked with holding things together as the Owls try to find an offensive rapport this spring.

Hawaii, April 1

Biggest issue: The pass rush was a big concern last season after the Warriors ranked near the bottom of the country in sacks and pass efficiency defense. Paipai Falemalu will move to right end to provide more speed off that edge, and Kamalu Umu could be the starter on the other side of the line.

Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg posted the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame ballot this morning and I realized I hadn’t posted the non-AQ nominees.

There are six players from the (current) non-AQ schools and two coaches. Navy defensive back Chet Moeller is the only first-time ballot member on the list.

Randall Cunningham, who is known in the NFL for his quarterback play with the Philadelphia Eagles, is up for a Hall of Fame spot as a punter. Cunningham was a two-time All-American punter at UNLV and still holds the school record with a career average of 45.6 yards per kick. He’s also the top passer in school history with more than 8,000 yards passing and 59 touchdown passes in just three seasons.

The FBS Hall of Fame Class will be announced live on May 27 from the NASDAQ Times Square site in New York City during a noon news conference that has previously aired on ESPNEWS. The class will be inducted at The National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7, 2010.

You can check out the whole ballot, and I’ve included the entire non-AQ list below:

* Randall Cunningham, Nevada-Las Vegas, Punter, 1982-84

* Eric Dickerson, Southern Methodist, Running Back, 1979-82

* Luther Elliss, Utah, Defensive Lineman, 1991-94

* Tommy Kramer, Rice, Quarterback, 1973-76

* Chet Moeller, Navy, Defensive Back, 1973-75

* Philip Olsen, Utah State, Defensive End, 1967-69

COACHES

* Wayne Hardin: Navy (1959-64), Temple (1970-82) and 118-74-5 with a .612 win percentage.

* Billy Jack Murphy: Memphis (1958-71) and 91-44-1 with a .673 win percentage.