ESPN College Football

No. 13 (A): Donald Buckram, RB, UTEP

2009 numbers: Rushed for 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns, which led Conference USA and ranked fourth nationally.

Making the case for Buckram: Buckram is the best returning running back from the nonautomatic qualifying schools after a breakout season that is giving the Miners hope that they can make a run for the Conference USA West title. Coach Mike Price was given a vote of confidence because players such as Buckram were returning this year and his dynamic ability makes him one of the most formidable threats in the country. Buckram had eight games with at least 100 yards and had at least 147 yards in five of his final six games. He rushed for more than 200 yards three times a year ago.

No. 13 (B): Titus Young, WR, Boise State


2009 numbers: Had 79 catches for 1,041 yards and 10 touchdowns and had 15 total touchdowns during the season.


Making the case for Young: Young is so high on this list not because of his receiving stats, though they are impressive, but because of all of the things he does for the Broncos. He led the team in receptions per game, receiving yards per game and kick returns. He had two kick return touchdowns and three touchdowns rushing. The Broncos have a lot of offensive weapons, but Young will be one of the players to watch as the Broncos attempt to be the first nonautomatic qualifying team to play for a national title.

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.

Even without Darius Marshall, running back is still a strong suit for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

The MAC continues to produce quality quarterbacks with Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour and Western Michigan’s Tim Hiller both selected in the NFL draft.

Optimism is high about this year’s Utah State football team.

UTEP walk-on quarterback Carson Meger made a strong impression during the Miners' spring game.

New coach Todd Berry was pleased with Louisiana-Monroe’s completion to spring practice.

Texas El-Paso starting quarterback Trevor Vittatoe missed the first six practices of spring football because of suspension, and on Tuesday, the day he was set to return, UTEP announced that Vittatoe’s spring was over before it even began.

Vittatoe had minor surgery on his throwing shoulder this past weekend, which will keep him out six weeks and cause him to miss the rest of spring practices.

"He had a bad shoulder the last two or three weeks and it's gotten worse," coach Mike Price told the El Paso Times. "A procedure was done on his shoulder and he'll be out the rest of spring. In six weeks he'll be back throwing.

"I don't know if he desperately needs the practice, but we'd sure like to have him out there. He'll be showing his leadership counseling his teammates."

Vittatoe was back on the field Tuesday with his teammates for the first time this spring after being suspended for an undisclosed violation of team policy. Receiver Pierce Hunter and offensive lineman Alex Solot also returned from suspension Tuesday.

Freshmen Carson Meger and sophomore Tim Curry are the only healthy quarterbacks in UTEP's camp right now. Senior James Thomas II is out of spring practice while recovering from an injury and redshirt freshman Andy McCloud decided to leave the team.

Vittatoe told the El Paso Times that he plans to spend the rest of spring practice as an assistant coach.

"I need to keep the offense moving in the right direction," Vittatoe said. "I'll move around and motivate each guy individually. That's definitely my role as of right now."

Army coach Rich Ellerson thinks his team made progress this spring and is eager to see if it can carry through to the fall.

BYU running back Harvey Unga is working toward sharpening his blocking skills.

UNLV coach Bobby Hauck still remembers the lessons he learned while visiting troops in Iraq.

Former BYU quarterback Max Hall disputes claims that Tim Tebow never offered a prayer before the Wonderlic test at the NFL Combine.

UTEP’s new linebackers coach Robert Rodriguez helps the new defensive scheme take shape.

Finding a replacement for four-year center Jake Seitz has not been an easy task for UAB.

The Sporting News did a nice Q&A with Houston quarterback Case Keenum.

Receiver Tyler Mason tries to make a name for himself at Middle Tennessee.

UTEP freshmen quarterbacks get a chance to perform with starter Trevor Vittatoe and backup James Thomas II sitting out.

TCU is working toward finishing the undefeated season that it started a year ago.

New Memphis coach Larry Porter praised his defense after the team's practice on Thursday.

New Mexico assistant coach David Reaves is looking to improve the Lobos' quarterback play.

The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun has video of former Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour’s pro day workout.

Former Wyoming linebacker Brian Hendricks is getting more freedom as a defensive end.

UTEP coach Mike Price received a vote of confidence at the end of last season when athletic director Bob Stull said he saw potential in the players coming back for 2010. But that vote of confidence will only last so long. The Miners were 4-8 last year with wins over Houston and Marshall, both bowl teams, but the problem for the Miners was consistency on both sides of the ball and a defensive system they didn’t have the players to run. The defensive scheme will be corrected this spring, but the consistency is still a question mark.

Here’s a look at the strongest and weakest positions for UTEP heading into spring football:

Strongest position: Quarterback

Key returner: Senior Trevor Vittatoe (54.7 percent completion, 3,308 yards, 17 touchdowns, 13 interceptions)

Key departures: None.

The skinny: Vittatoe has been suspended for the first six practices of spring football, which will allow the Miners quarterbacking depth to develop. The backup quarterback position was going to be one of the more intriguing battles of the spring, and now it will be even more prominent. Senior James Thomas II, who has the most experience, also will miss spring practices with an injury leaving the battle for backup between sophomore Tim Curry and redshirt freshmen Carson Meger and Andy McCloud.

Weakest position: Defensive line

Key returners: Defensive end Robert Soleyjacks (19 tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss)

Key departures: Defensive end Aaron King (37 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss), nose tackle Steve Riddick (29 tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss)

The skinny: The defense is undergoing a total overhaul with new defensive coordinator Andre Patterson scrapping the 3-3-5 the Miners have run the last two seasons and installing a 4-3 base. With just one defensive lineman returning and an additional tackle being added to the line, there will be a lot of competition this spring. The Miners defensive line was one of the least productive in the country. It averaged just 1.25 sacks per game and teams averaged 200.83 rushing yards per game.

UTEP senior quarterback Trevor Vittatoe is one of three players who have been suspended for the first six spring practices after violating team rules.

Starting offensive tackle Alex Solot and receiver Pierce Hunter also have been suspended.

The school would not elaborate on what prompted the punishment, but coach Mike Price did issue a statement saying that the players would not be allowed on the field, in the locker room or the weight room, and that each would be punished through physical activity.

Vittatoe, a team captain, has started all 36 games since his freshman year and has missed just three quarters in his career because of injuries. Vittatoe is the school’s all-time passing leader with 9,683 yards.

Hunter has seen limited time during his three seasons with the program and has just 19 catches for 201 yards during his career. Last season, he had seven catches for 79 yards.

While Vittatoe is out, James Thomas II, who was the primary backup last season, will run the offense. Sophomore Tim Curry and freshmen Carson Meger and Andy McCloud also will get reps. All four players were expected to compete for the backup position this spring.

UTEP begins spring drills Thursday.

A lot of rebuilding projects get underway this week as another round of teams begin spring football. New coaches such as Ruffin McNeill and Rob Ianello will get their first glimpses of their teams on the field, while other coaches such as Todd Dodge, Bob Toledo and Mike Locksley try to put their teams on track.

Here’s a look at this week’s spring starts and the biggest issues each teams faces:

East Carolina, March 22

Biggest issue: With several senior lettermen gone, new head coach Ruffin McNeill is basically starting from scratch, but he does have a good foundation upon which to build. The Pirates will spend the spring transitioning from a pro-style offense to a spread under the direction of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.

Tulane, March 22

Biggest issue: There are several issues Tulane has to deal with the spring, but the biggest will be replacing the production of running back Andre Anderson. Anderson accounted for 80 percent of the team’s rushing yards and scored eight of the team’s 10 rushing touchdowns.

Idaho, March 23

Biggest issue: The Idaho offense was quite good last season, but the defense cost it some games. The defense allowed 433.23 yards per game and 36 points per game. It returns 11 players with starting experience, which should help. The Vandals also have to replace four starters on the offensive line.

New Mexico, March 23

Biggest issue: With three-year starter Donovan Porterie gone, sophomore B.R. Holbrook and juniors Tate Smith and Brad Gruner will compete for the starting quarterback spot. However, the winner of that competition will have to fend off top recruits Tarean Austin and Stump Godfrey in the fall.

Northern Illinois, March 23

Biggest issue: Starting quarterback Chandler Harnish will miss spring football, which opens up the quarterback position. A.J. Hill, DeMarcus Grady, Jordan Lynch will be vying for time, but a lot will be expected from junior college transfer Casey Weston in the fall.

North Texas, March 23

Biggest issue: This is a pivotal season for Dodge and his staff, and the key to turning the Mean Green’s fortunes around is getting the defense to play better. North Texas allowed 412.33 yards and 35.58 points per game last season, and also averaged just one sack per game.

Utah State, March 23

Biggest issue: With running back Robert Turbin sidelined with a knee injury, the Aggies will have to find a running back to fill his shoes. Turbin accounted for almost 60 percent of the team’s rushing yardage.

Akron, March 24

Biggest issue: Ianello enters his first spring, and the top priority will be to find playmakers on offense. Akron, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2005, averaged just 19.25 points per game last season.

Ball State, March 24

Biggest issue: The Cardinals will look to replicate the type of offense they had during their 12-win season in 2008. Last season the run game was OK, but the passing game struggled. All of the quarterbacks are healthy this spring and running back MiQuale Lewis returns for a sixth season.

TCU, March 24

Biggest issue: The Horned Frogs didn’t lose much from last season’s 12-win team, but they did lose their top defensive performers in defensive end Jerry Hughes and linebacker Daryl Washington. Replacing those players, as well as adding depth in the secondary, will be the focus this spring.

UAB, March 24

Biggest issue: David Isabelle has the unenviable task of replacing do-it-all quarterback Joe Webb, who was essentially all of the Blazers' offense for the past two seasons. Isabelle does bring a strong arm as well as rushing ability to the quarterbacking position, which might help other players get involved in the offense.

Colorado State, March 25

Biggest issue: The Rams will once again look for a new starting quarterback this spring, and all eyes will be on early enrollee Pete Thomas, who is the favorite to win the job. Senior Jon Eastman, junior T.J. Borcky and redshirt freshman Nico Ranieri also will compete for the starting role.

UTEP, March 25

Biggest issue: Former UNLV defensive line coach Andre Patterson takes over as the defensive coordinator, and he’ll do away with the 3-3-5 defense installed by Osia Lewis. The Miners have consistently been bad on defense, which has stopped them from competing for the C-USA West title. But if Patterson can get the defense moving in the right direction, the Miners become a dangerous team.

Houston, March 27

Biggest issue: New defensive coordinator Brian Stewart inherits a young group with a lot of talent and will need to show some sort of defensive turnaround this spring. The defense was part of the reason the Cougars didn’t cap the perfect season they started.

ESPN has released its television schedule for Conference USA games this season.

The schedule features 10 games on the ESPN family of networks beginning with the Sept. 4 opener between Texas and Rice at 3:30 ET.

Central Florida leads all Conference USA teams with three appearances on ESPN and ESPN2. The Knights will host UAB on ESPN on Oct. 6, play at Marshall on Oct. 13 and at Houston on Nov. 5.

Houston, Marshall and SMU each have two appearances on the ESPN family of networks.

Eleven C-USA teams will make at least one appearance in 2010.

Here’s the current schedule of C-USA games airing on ESPN networks in 2010:

Utah is set to begin spring drills and forget some of the off-field distractions that occurred this offseason.

Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi writes that Central Florida coach George O’Leary made the right move to rescind a scholarship from a recruit.

Several non-AQ schools will play Georgia during future nonconference schedules.

A profile on new Boise State assistant coach Bob Gregory.

Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said his offense is simple to install.

UTEP students will vote on a student fee this week that will help fund the athletic department.

Not a lot of links out there for the non-AQs, but here's what I could find:

UTEP football players Daniel Palmer and Nickolas Sampson both pleaded guilty to robbery charges from last summer.

San Diego State gets an early jump on spring ball in an effort to erase the memories of last year’s 4-8 campaign.

Former Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour prepares for the NFL scouting combine and Central Michigan’s pro day.

Former Middle Tennessee offensive coordinator Tony Franklin speaks after leaving the Blue Raiders for Louisiana Tech.

Here's a breakdown of three issues facing each program heading into the spring:

Central Florida Knights
Spring practice starts: March 19
Spring game: April 17

What to watch:

• The Knights will need to develop offensive line talent after allowing 2.54 sacks per game and failing to block for a rushing offense that ranked 82nd in the country. The Knights return all but two offensive linemen and have one coming in the spring.
• The quarterback battle will heat up with early enrollee Jeffrey Godfrey, who already has impressed coach George O’Leary. Godfrey will compete against Rob Calabrese for the starting role.
• The Knights will have to find replacements for three key members of the defensive line -- DE Jarvis Geathers, RT Torrell Troup, LT Travis Timmons. The defense was the main reason the Knights finished 8-5 and won their final five games.

East Carolina Pirates
Spring practice starts: March 22
Spring game: April 17

What to watch:

• With a new coach, a new system, and a crop of new starters, East Carolina will have its work cut out for it this spring. New head coach Ruffin McNeill needs to replace 15 players with starting experience, which won’t be easy with just a month to work.
• The most underrated positions the Pirates have to fill are punter and kicker. All-American Matt Dodge is gone as is kicker Ben Hartman, who set the school record for career scoring. Finding replacements for those two is a top priority.
• New offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will be implement Texas Tech’s offensive system with just two scholarship quarterbacks and a team that relied on its running game. Riley is confident he can install all of his spread offense this fall, but there’s no telling how quickly the Pirates will pick it up.

Houston Cougars
Spring practice starts: March 27
Spring game: April 24

What to watch:

• The one thing that really kept Houston from an undefeated season was its defense. Brian Stewart, who was named the defensive coordinator in January, inherits a young team with a lot of talent, but he has some work to do to catch the defense up to the offense by September.
• Quarterback Case Keenum returns for his senior season, but his center, Carl Barnett, does not. Barnett started 39 games, so Keenum will have to establish a good rapport with his new center this spring. Blake Sargent, who was the backup last year, appears to be the front-runner.
• Even though the Cougars did not lose many starters on offense, coach Kevin Sumlin will look for more athletic players to rotate into the mix. Last season, 19 players had at least one catch and 12 had double-digit catches.

(Read full post)

The NFL scouting combine begins next weekend and 55 players from the nonautomatic qualifying schools will be participating. This is a great opportunity for several players to better their draft status and for others to show their NFL worth.

This is also the first time highly touted juniors such as running backs Ryan Mathews, (Fresno State), Darius Marshall (Marshall) and Shawnbrey McNeal (SMU) get to show whether they're worthy of a high draft choice.

Below is the list of non-AQ players heading to Indianapolis:

CONFERENCE USA

Cornelius Brown, DB, UTEP

Matt Dodge, P, East Carolina

Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina

Darius Marshall, RB, Marshall

Albert McClellan, DE, Marshall

Shawnbrey McNeal, RB, SMU

Jay Ross, DT, East Carolina

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU

Torell Troup, DT, UCF

Jeremy Williams, WR, Tulane

C.J. Wilson, DE, East Carolina

MID-AMERICAN

Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan

Barry Church, SS, Toledo

Tim Hiller, QB, Western Michigan

Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan

Taylor Price, WR, Ohio

James Starks, RB, Buffalo

Stephen Williams, WR, Toledo

MOUNTAIN WEST

Zane Beadles, OT, Utah

Jason Beauchamp, LB, UNLV

Erik Cook, OL, New Mexico

Clint Gresham, LS, TCU

Max Hall, QB, BYU

Joe Hawley, OL, UNLV

Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU

Koa Misi, DE, Utah

Marshall Newhouse, OL, TCU

Cole Pemberton, OL, Colorado State

Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU

Brandon Reed, WR, Utah

Shelley Smith, OL, Colorado State

Stevenson Sylvester, LB, Utah

Manase Tonga, FB, BYU

Daryl Washington, LB, TCU

Ryan Wolfe, WR, UNLV

SUN BELT

Levi Brown, QB, Troy

Alex Carrington, DE, Arkansas State

Hall Davis, DE, Louisiana-Lafayette

Brandon Lang, DE, Troy

Boris Lee, LB, Troy

Cameron Sheffield, DE, Troy

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Seyi Ajirotutu, WR, Fresno State

Jonathan Amaya, FS, Nevada

Kevin Basped, DE, Nevada

Justin Cole, LB, San Jose State

Carl Ihenacho, DE, San Jose State

Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho

A.J. Jefferson, CB, Fresno State

Kevin Jurovich, WR, San Jose State

Robert Malone, P, Fresno State

Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State

Lonyae Miller, RB, Fresno State

D'Anthony Smith, DT, Louisiana Tech

Chastin West, WR, Fresno State

Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

UTEP cornerback Cornelius Brown might not be on many draft boards, but after his performance in the Texas vs. The Nation All Star game in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, scouts might want to take a closer look.

Brown returned a fumble 35 yards for the game's first touchdown with about 9:40 remaining in the first half and gave Texas the momentum to earn a 36-17 win.

Brown, who was named the game’s MVP, also downed a punt at the 3-yard line.

Brown was the highlight among the 30 players from the nonautomatic-qualifying schools who participated in the game.

Marshall's Albert McClellan scored on an interception return for Texas late in the game, which helped turn the contest into a rout.

Said Brown after the game: "I wanted to give the fans something to cheer about before this game and I did.”