... Tuesday night edition.

--- ESPN's Bruce Feldman has picked his annual "sleeper" title contender: Penn State. On-again, off-again tailback Austin Scott is apparently prepared for a strong senior season. Eh.

Also: a Friday Mailbag and this realist's take about the recruiting game:

From Sean in Pittsburgh: Urban Meyer's reputation as a snake-oil salesman continues to grow. Check out this quote from Notre Dame verbal commitment John Goodman: "The Monday we got back from [ND's] junior day, Florida called my coach and wanted my number. My coach didn't give it to them, but they still wanted it, and obviously he didn't give it to them."

Feldman: Hey Sean, in fairness to Meyer, that's persistence. As much as coaches love to say they take the high road, they ALL put the pressure on kids. One thing worth keeping in mind with instances like this is that many college coaches suspect some high school coaches try to steer their players to certain schools and do whatever they can to make sure their message gets through to a kid. I am not saying that's the case with Goodman's coach, but it does happen. It's all part of the territory I guess. People gave Penn State a hard time for still coming after kids who had committed but all coaches do that too. Same thing with the 'we don't negative recruit.' They all do it to some degree.

--- CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd profiles new Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh seems like the first surfer/coach. A bundle of energy who doesn't care that his players might not remember his career.

Ahhh, short memories. People were writing the same words about Pete Carroll not long ago. Speaking of Carroll, Harbaugh's been talking up a timetable on his departure from USC. What a strange dustup that was.

Also: an extended interview with Florida President Bernie Machen about his (stupid) push for a playoff and the Gators' recent success in football and basketball.

I'll have more to say about this later, but let's just say I'm steamed that the entire conversation boils down to money and willful ignorance/jealousy of the game's pre-BCS traditions (ahem, ROSE BOWL). Bernie's off his rocker on this one.

Update: Blutarsky's got a bead on this one.  Bernie was alllll over the map on this interview.  Incoherent, almost, which is how Blutarsky reads it as well.  Memo to playoff nuts: you do not want this man as your movement's spokesman.

--- Yahoo! Sports' Terry Bowden says college football playoffs are now a matter of when, not if.

Ugh.

Even I have to admit there's nothing better in sports than the college basketball playoffs.

Uhhh, I like college football's regular season AND bowl season better than the college basketball playoff. I stopped watching after the first round.  Worse, I paid almost no attention to college basketball's regular season.  Remind me again how the casual American sports fan's tastes are good for the game of college football?

Business 101: It is more expensive to find new customers than to retain existing ones.  Stop messing with the die-hard fans who like the game the way it is! 

--- The Sporting News' Matt Hayes goes to bat for Utah and quarterback Brian Johnson.

Also: some "inside dish" items: USC will use some shotgun this year (yawn), Cody Hawkins may be Colorado's opening day starter at quarterback (think Chris Leak) and UTEP's becoming a home to big name castoffs like Terrell Jackson (formerly at Oregon) Lorne Sam and Fred Rouse (formerly at Florida State).

--- The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart asks: whose seat is hotter, Clemson's Tommy Bowden or Virginia's Al Groh?

His verdict: Bowden.  My verdict: Groh.  Here's hoping both have successful seasons.

Also: he ranks the Big 10 coaches.

My quickie list:

1-5: Tressel, Carr, Paterno, Ferentz, Bielema
6-9: Tiller, Hoeppner, Fitzgerald, Zook
N/A: Brewster, Dantonio

Also: Rich Rodriguez is the 'Father of the Spread' offense.

There was considerable trial and plenty of error before Rodriguez found what worked. The quarterback zone read play? It was an error that turned out to be an epiphany.

"The quarterback forgot to hand off in practice one day," Rodriguez says. "We said, 'Hey, this is good. Let's keep it.'

Texas, Mack Brown, Greg Davis and Vince Young thank you, Rich Rodriguez.

--- The Sporting News/Rivals.com's Mike Farrell says this year's crop of high school senior quarterbacks is weak.

There's always a few good signal callers in California (Crist, Crissman etc.).  C'mon Mike, show 'em some love.

--- The Mobile Register's Paul Finebaum says the Alabama football coaching job is more difficult than the Kentucky basketball job.

It is interesting -- even though the two so closely resemble one another -- how different the national media has treated Alabama and UK during two high profile coaching searches. The national media has gone easy on Kentucky for running the successful Smith out of town on a rail. Meanwhile, some are still blasting Alabama for firing Mike Shula, who was a bust and was not offered one single college coaching job.

Yup.  Don't forget basketball just doesn't draw at this country's heart-strings the way football does.

You don't see people frothing for nine months over college basketball preview magazines the way you do with college football and NFL preview mags.  People lust for the college football game 12 months through and there's intense pressure to deliver every step of the way from recruiting to spring ball to summer workouts to fall ball to the season to the bowl games and back again.  The basketball hotseat just can't compare.

Also: Nick Saban lied.  I don't really have a problem with it - but he lied.  Finebaum continues to ignore the obvious however and won't stop carrying Saban's water.

However, for now, Saban is stuck with the undeserved and unwanted label of "liar."

Ack.  At least the followup was solid:

And the sports world has a new phrase, "Going Nick Saban." Perhaps, there are much worse things that could happen to Alabama's new rock star.

His coaching could be compared to that of Mike Shula.

Zing!  But really that's like shooting fish in a barrel.  Ok enough silly figures of speech for the night.

Also: Finebaum slams NCAA prez Myles Brand.  The main charge: he's disengenuous.  I can buy that.  This whole charade before Congress and the whole mascot song-and-dance and bellowing about coaches salaries is absolutely comical.

This is big-time athletics, at least when it comes to football and basketball.  Shed the tax-exempt status, show some benevolence and extend some extra revenues to the student-athletes who are the product that fills the NCAA's coffers in Indianapolis and move forward.  There's nothing wrong with being a business, that's called paying the bills.

By all means rake huge profits, just don't completely neglect the organization's oversight mission in ensuring fairness, competition and a connection to the academic side of life.  I think a balance can be struck, everyone just needs to be honest about what's going on however. 

Alright, I'm finished, hope you've enjoyed yet another round of College Football Resource's Pundit Roundup!

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