ESPN College Football

"They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. "It makes me sad because I've never seen such-such beautiful shirts before."

• A lot of good guys got snubbed by the College Football Hall of Fame, including this Arizona great.
• Former Arizona State QBs offer advice to whoever wins the job in August.
• So where does new CF Hall of Famer Steve Bartkowski rate among former California QBs?
• Colorado and Oregon have something in common: Staff stability heading into 2012. A great Buff is a Hall of Famer.
• Some analysis of the Ducks' spring game.
• Taking a look at Oregon State's toughest nonconference foe: Wisconsin.
• USC will play for the national title, but that doesn't mean it will go undefeated. What does it mean that the Trojans got a commitment from perhaps the nation's best RB?
• The Pac-12 Network is good news for Utah.
• Former Washington RB Chris Polk talks more about not getting drafted.
• Cougs and Ducks chat! Ranking the Pac-12 logos -- from a bit of a Washington State perspective.

The four new Pac-12 coaches -- Todd Graham, Mike Leach, Jim Mora and Rich Rodriguez -- discuss the impact that 7-on-7 camps have had on college football.

Garry Paskwietz and Erik McKinney discuss : Tuesday's commitment of Ty Isaac and its possible impact on USC's 2013 recruiting class.

Erik McKinney writes : After seeing the top California running backs head to Oregon the past two years, the Trojans will find out the fate of the state's top running back, Justin Davis, on Thursday.

Erik McKinney writes : Petaluma, Calif., defensive lineman Elijah Qualls was offered by the Trojans on Tuesday, vaulting USC into his top group of schools.

USA Today has published its annual study of expenses, revenues and subsidies for athletic departments at every Division I public program, and only 22 schools operate in the black.

The only Pac-12 school among that 22 is Oregon, though figures aren't available for USC and Stanford because they are private institutions.

Oregon led the Pac-12 in total revenue with $85,819,699. That ranked 17th in the nation. Washington was second with $70,231,336, which ranked 30th. UCLA was 34th in the nation with $66,003,893. California was 35th with $65,243,053.

What about spending money? Oregon was first in the Pac-12 in spending and 23rd in the nation at $76,274,142. Washington was 29th at $67,900,835, UCLA was 31st at $66,003,893 and California was 34th at $62,669,411.

The amount of subsidies varied greatly. Oregon State received the biggest percentage of its revenue from subsidies: $16,966,611, or 30.5 percent. Oregon, UCLA and Washington each received a subsidy of less than 4 percent of revenue.

Because the figures were collected from 2006-2011, Colorado is considered a Big 12 school and Utah is with the Mountain West. Both required large subsidies: 24.6 percent for Utah and 25.5 percent for Colorado.

Only seven athletic departments received no subsidy from upper campus: Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State, Purdue, Nebraska, Ohio State and LSU.

You can read some interesting observations on the USA Today report from Bryan Fischer here.

Every game counts. But some games count more. Or tell us more.

We're going through the Pac-12 and picking out one game that seems most important -- or potentially most revealing -- for each team from our vantage point today.

We're going in alphabetical order.

Arizona State

Most important game: Northern Arizona, Aug. 30/Sept. 1

Why it's important: Ted did a bit of thunder stealing by pointing out that Arizona's most important game was Arizona State on Nov. 23. My first thought when we started this series was to circle this game as well for the Sun Devils. But allow, if you will, an alternate point of view.

Northern Arizona is not exactly a powerhouse in the FCS ranks. Guess what, ASU fans, you guys aren't exactly a powerhouse in the FBS ranks right now. Hurts to hear, but the truth always is. But rebuilding projects start with step one. And step one for the Sun Devils is getting a victory -- regardless of who the opponent is.

ASU is in the midst of a five-game slide -- most fresh is the 56-24 beating by Boise State in the Maaco Bowl. Until you get on the field and prove otherwise, you're only as good as your last game.

But as there is every spring in almost every camp, there is positive momentum around the ASU program, fueled by new head coach Todd Graham and his up-tempo, yet disciplined style of football. This is a good thing -- and Graham has given fans a reason to be excited.

It would be tempting to point to the Illinois game in Week 2 -- given the tough 17-14 loss last year and the fact that ASU coaches Ron West and Chip Long were both on the Illinois staff last season. But that's all the more reason to focus on Week 1.

A victory against NAU, which is expected since it's believed ASU has never lost to an FCS team, would be a good confidence boost for the quarterback-to-be and the players still learning new schemes on both sides of the ball. A loss would be absolutely devastating and would be a huge step backwards for Graham and Co.

Just ask Oregon State and Duke. Ask Virginia Tech and Kansas, Ole Miss and Minnesota, or any of the 13 teams that have lost to an FCS school in the past three years. Arizona is a long ways off and there is an entire season to debate the importance of that Nov. 23 showdown. Get through Week 1 first.

We missed the mailbag Friday because we were bogged down in Pac-12 spring reviews, which you can see here.

But here's a quick come-backer until Friday.

By the way, you can follow the Pac-12 blog on Twitter here.

Go Wazzu from Pullman, Wash., writes: I'm almost as excited for WSU to switch to the 3-4 defense as I am to see the Air Raid offense. When I think of 3-4 defense I immediately think of some of the best defenses in the NFL, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. So that leads me to ask the question, is the 3-4 defense a "better" defense to run, or do those defenses just have better players and it wouldn't matter if they ran a 2-8-1 they would still dominate.

Ted Miller: I think an NFL 3-4 and a college 3-4 are two different animals. NFL teams can sign finished products who fit exactly where they want them to -- such as the ideal 3-4 nosetackle. College recruiting is a much different, and less exact, science. Further, NFL defensive schemes are far more sophisticated. College coaches just don't have enough practice time to install such a huge inventory.

I also think we sometimes put too much emphasis on base schemes. Walk a 250-pound outside linebacker to the line of scrimmage and a 3-4 starts to look a lot like a 4-3. In fact, it seems like just about every team uses multiple looks and qualifies, at least to some extent, as a hybrid. Even USC and Mr. Tampa-2, Monte Kiffin, are tweaking things, running pretty much a base-nickel (4-2-5). And I bet Trojans DE Devon Kennard ends up a highly productive 3-4 OLB in the NFL.

Further, I know I sometimes listen to sportswriters talking about schemes and I think, "I'm not sure he knows what he's talking about." One of the lessons I've learned in this business is that I know just enough about scheme to think I know more than I do, which sets me up to look foolish. So I resist the urge to get scheme-y.

That said, the 3-4 makes sense to me as a Pac-12 defense for two reasons:

1. There are lots of spread offenses in the conference. A 3-4 defense puts more speed on the field because, at least in theory, you're bringing in an extra LB and dropping a defensive lineman (I say at least in theory because some 3-4s feel like a 5-2s to me, with true defensive ends becoming glorified outside linebackers).

2. There just aren't as many athletic, 300-pound defensive tackles on the West Coast as there are in the Southeast.

Still, here's a little bit of wisdom provided to me about defenses that seems easier to assess than the ole 3-4 versus the 4-3 debate. Making an observation about USC's defensive domination under Pete Carroll, an offensive-minded coach pointed out how rarely the Trojans needed to blitz. They got consistent and often overwhelming pressure with just a four-man rush. If you can pressure a quarterback with just four guys, you're almost certainly going to play good defense.

In other words, a sound scheme is one thing but it never trumps having good players.

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Patt from Newport Beach, Calif., writes: The media has been dwelling on USC's depth issues all offseason but it seems as if only two positions are of real concern, RB and interior defensive line. Which position do you think is the bigger concern heading into camp and which position do you think will prove to be the Trojans Achilles heel at seasons end? If Antwaun Woods works himself into shape and finds meaningful minutes in the rotation will that solve all of the Trojans problems up front???

Ted Miller: Defensive line, by far.

I believe USC will be able to trot out two at least solid guys every week to carry the football. The Trojans had a solid rushing attack last season, ranking fourth in the conference with 162.6 yards per game, and they did that with just 392 running plays, same number as Washington State. That's just fewer than 33 per game. For comparison, Stanford averaged nearly 40 and UCLA averaged 39.4, If one guy can give the Trojans 18-20 carries and another (or two) 13-15, they'll be fine.

But what happens if the Trojans lose their best interior defensive lineman, George Uko? We previously wrote that Uko, after quarterback Matt Barkley, might be the Trojans' most important player. The Trojans are inexperienced and undersized on the defensive line, particularly inside. No. 1 nose tackle J.R. Tavai, the next most experienced interior defensive lineman, had four tackles last year. The next three guys -- Christian Heyward, Antwaun Woods and converted center Cody Temple -- are redshirt freshman.

If USC stays healthy on its defensive line, it should be OK, though the present is nothing like, say, 2004. But one or two injuries would make things iffy.

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Aaron from Portland writes: I remember Dan Fouts being told that he "used to be a Duck" when he was doing NFL games and him responding that "he's still a Duck. We're all still Ducks." Where do you stand on that? I'd say that James and Harrington and even the backup kicker from the 1962 team are still Ducks, but what about Masoli (kicked off the team and went to another school), Harris (kicked off the team and went... to the combine?) and Pflugrad (quit the team and went to anther school in the Pac). I say Harris is still a Duck because he didn't transfer. Others say Pflugrad is because he wasn't kicked off the team. Where do you say the line is drawn for this?

Ted Miller: Fouts is a Duck. And a great one.

To me, a former player remains connected to his team for life, unless he opts for some reason to terminate the connection.

Say what you want about Reggie Bush's judgment, but he remains a Trojan, even if he's been disassociated from the program.

LaMichael James and Joey Harrington? Not only are they Ducks, they are two of the greatest. Masoli? He led the Ducks to a Pac-12 title. He's a Duck, no matter how his career ended. Cliff Harris, too. He played in a national title game in an Oregon uniform, for gosh sakes.

Pflugrad is a different case. Not only did he transfer, he transferred to another Pac-12 program -- Arizona State. Further, he transferred because his dad, Robin Pflugrad, was fired as the Ducks receivers coach by Chip Kelly. That's personal.

The younger Pflugrad never said anything bad about Oregon to me. He even refused to talk about Kelly. But I'd guess he considers himself a Sun Devil.

USC might be No. 1 in the College Football Live spring Top 25 rankings. But it's No. 4 Oregon that has the best chance to knock the SEC off its six-ringed mountain. So says ESPN college football analyst Brock Huard, who laid out three reasons (all extremely sound and logical) why Oregon is actually the team to beat in the Pac-12 this season.

Here's a minor re-hash of his three points.

Regarding the quarterback situation: Cam Newton and AJ McCarron won BCS titles the past two seasons as first-year starters under center. McCarron filled the role of game manager, while the Heisman Trophy-winning Newton was the ultimate game-breaker. For Oregon in 2012, either redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota or sophomore Bryan Bennett will be under center as a first-year starter, a point that isn't lost on coach Chip Kelly, but also one that doesn't scare him, either.

The Ducks have an SEC-worthy defensive front: "Yeah, our group thinks they could be [on that level]," Kelly said. "We have some size with Wade Keliikipi [6-foot-3, 300 pounds] and Ricky Heimuli [6-4, 321] that will match some of those guys. Football starts up front. We've learned that in our battles with LSU and Auburn. I really think our defensive line will be the strength of this football team."

Throw in returning first-team all-conference defensive end Dion Jordan (6-7, 245), lengthy and productive redshirt junior Taylor Hart (6-6, 289) and four-star recruit Arik Armstead (6-8, 297) and it becomes clear as to why the normally reserved Kelly gets so excited about his team's prospects up front.

The schedule favors the Ducks: The only road trip in the first six weeks is to face the Washington State Cougars, and not even in Pullman, but rather at Century Link Field in Seattle where the Green and Gold could very well equal the Crimson and Grey in the stands. The easy early slate will provide a soft landing for Oregon's first-year QB.

This will obviously be a major point of contention for both USC and Oregon fans, assuming both teams do as expected, until Nov. 3 rolls around. [Utah fans, feel free to jump in on this until Oct. 4 -- and beyond if your team can top the Trojans at home]. Still, it doesn't mean we can't stoke the fires a little early.

Erik McKinney writes : USC got itself a necessary running back commit and a Marcus Allen clone on Tuesday, as Joliet, Ill., running back Ty Isaac committed to USC over Michigan.

Garry Paskwietz writes: Hal Bedsole, a standout on USC's 1962 national championship team, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Greg Katz writes : USC's policy on retiring numbers only applies to Heisman Trophy winners, a policy that doesn't allow the school to honor many of its greatest players.

The Big Ten is holding its spring meetings in Chicago this week, and it appears the thinking among administrators is in line with what the Pac-12 athletic directors and commissioner Larry Scott said two weeks ago: Any potential college football playoff needs to prioritize teams that win their conference.

Adam Rittenberg over at the Big Ten blog chatted with Ohio State AD Gene Smith, who was unequivocal about his top priority:

"The conference champion piece," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. "We're a collegiate environment, and we've set everything up for competition to be conference champions, and we have it in every single sport that we have. ... When you go through your conference and you win your conference championship, that's pretty strong."

Other parties at the table in this playoff debate favor a "Four best teams plan," one that would only ensure the process remain just as subjective as the present BCS standings.

The good news is there is plenty of room for compromise between the folks who are right (winning a conference championship matters) and those who are wrong (let's pretend we can rank the four best teams).

The Pac-12 blog is on record supporting the "Top-six plan": Conference champions would be required to be ranked in the top six of the final rankings in order to earn automatic berths in the four-team playoff. If four conference champions aren't ranked in the top six, then the highest ranked at-large teams would fill however many voids there are.

But there's wiggle room here:

[Nebraska athletic director Tom] Osborne told ESPN.com that there has been "a lot of discussion" this week about having the top three conference champions and the highest-ranked at-large team in the four-team playoff. This model would give access to a team like reigning national champion Alabama, which didn't win its league or its division but finished No. 2 in the final BCS standings and beat LSU for the title.

"I don't think you can say all four placements are conference champions," Smith said. "You have to leave some room for that type of scenario, that best high-ranked team that is not a conference champion has some room to get in there."

Of course, you can immediately see how this could get controversial. What happens if a fourth conference champion has the same record as a more highly rated at-large team? Further, we still don't know the rating system -- the old BCS rankings, a new ratings system, a selection committee, etc.

The good news is that the Pac-12 and Big Ten are aligned on their thinking: Any playoff format needs to give priority to teams that win their conference championship.

Tequila in his heartbeat; his veins burned gasoline
It kept his motor runnin'; but he never kept it clean

• Teddy Bruschi deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
• Instilling discipline at ASU is spelled out in Todd Graham's contract.
• Cal fans are predicting seven wins for the Bears in 2012.
• Tyler Hansen living the dream as a Bengals QB.
• A video breakdown of Oregon's spring game from the guys at FishDuck. Per usual, good analysis.
• Cliff Kirkpatrick continues his Oregon State spring tour with a look at the Civil War.
• Some updates to the original story on former Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu.
• Some notes about USC's three football players/tracksters.
• Time to vote, Utah fan. How will the team finish?
• A Washington recruit might be backing off from his original commitment to the Huskies.
• WSU AD Bill Moos hints that the season opener against BYU could be moved to Thursday night.

Massive, athletic and smart, Jonathan Ogden is simply one of the all-time great offensive tackles, both in college and the NFL.

On Tuesday, his dominance in college was recognized with his selection to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Ogden, a fearsome sight at 6-foot-9, 345 pounds, was a four-year starter at left tackle for UCLA. In 1995, he received the Outland Trophy, was the UPI lineman of the year and was a unanimous first-team All-American. Oh, by the way, in track and field, he won the 1996 NCAA title in the shot put. And he was a history major.

After UCLA, the Baltimore Ravens selected him with the fourth pick of the first round of the 1996 NFL draft. In 12 seasons before he retired in 2008, he was selected for 11 Pro Bowls and was a nine-time All-Pro. In 2009, The Sporting News selected him for its All-Decade team (2000's). In 2010, the NFL made a list of its top-100 players of all time. Ogden ranked 72nd. He almost certainly will be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 when he becomes eligible.

His No. 79 jersey has been retired by UCLA. He is only the eighth Bruin to earn that honor.

Hal Bedsole had 82 catches for 1,717 yards and 20 touchdowns -- for his career. Not exactly gaudy numbers by today's standards, but in the early '60s, those kind of stats were special. Also unusual was his size -- 6-foot-5, 221-pounds -- rare dimensions for a split end at the time. By today's standards, he'd be considered near prototypical.

In 1962, he set the school records for a single season in receptions (33), touchdowns (11) and yards (827). He was the first USC player to ever have a 200-yard plus receiving game (201 yards versus Cal in 1962) and he had five, 100-yard receiving games in his career. He earned first-team all-conference in 1961 and 1962.

Nicknamed "Prince Hal," No. 19 was a member of USC's 1962 national championship team that finished 11-0, earning consensus All-America honors that year. He also caught a pair of touchdowns in USC's 42-37 win over Wisconsin in the 1963 Rose Bowl. He still holds the USC record for highest average per catch (30 or more) with 20.94.

He was a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1964 and went on to have a modest career as an NFL tight end. He was also drafted by the Chiefs in the eighth round of the AFL draft. In 2001, he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.

One of the first two African-American football players at Colorado (with Frank Clarke), Wooten lettered three years as a left guard in Dal Ward's Wing-T/Single-Wing offense, earning All-America honors in 1958 and All Big-Seven in 1956 and 1957. Most known as a 6-foot-2, 230-pound guard who was agile and powerful, he also played tackle on defense.

His impact was immediate. In 1956, he helped the Buffs to an 8-2-1 record and the school's first ever bowl victory -- a 27-21 win in the Orange Bowl. The next year Colorado led the nation in rushing with 322.3 yards per game and they were second in total offense (415.2) -- and a lot of that had to do with the holes Wooten was opening up. Then in 1958, Colorado achieved its first ever Top 10 ranking, climbing to No. 9 nationally after a 5-0 start.

In 1959 he was a fifth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, where he went on to play nine seasons, earning All-Pro status, before closing out his career with one season in Washington. He went on to have a decorated career in NFL administration, streamlining programs centered on continuing education and financial planning for players. After working in Dallas, Philadelphia and Baltimore, he retired from the NFL in 2003.

In 1989 he was named as a first-team member of Colorado's All-Century Team. To honor him, the Buffs hand out the John Wooten Award annually, which goes to the team's most improved player.

Steve Bartkowski, owner of one of the great arms in college football history, spent much of his early career at California struggling in the shadows. First, he shared the starting job with Vince Ferragamo for two years. Then, in 1973, he suffered through a miserable season as the starter.

But in 1974 he put it all together.

Bartkowski earned consensus All-American honors and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy vote after leading the nation in passing with 2,580 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Bears finished 7-3-1 as Bartkowski, despite a shoulder injury, four times topped 300 yards passing.

Bartkowski then became the top overall pick in the 1975 draft, going to the Atlanta Falcons. He still is the only Golden Bear to earn that honor. He played for the Falcons from 1975-1985 and then one season for the Los Angeles Rams (1986).

He earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1975 but knee injuries bogged down his early career. He and the Falcons bounced back in the early 1980s. He led the NFL in touchdown passes in 1980 with 31 and was selected for the Pro Bowl in both 1980 and 1981. He led the Falcons to their first three playoff appearances in 1978, 1980 and 1982. The Falcons won the NFC West Division in 1980, going 12-4 in the regular season.

Bartkowski continues to be the Falcons all-time leader in passing yards with 23,470. His No. 10 jersey has been retired by the franchise.

Before knee injuries slowed him down, Bartkowski was known as an exceptional all-around athlete. He also was an All-American first baseman for the Bears baseball team in 1973.

Another claim to fame: He was the first client of sports agent Leigh Steinberg.

Running back Ty Isaac (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) has committed to USC, picking the Trojans over numerous offers from across the country, including Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

Isaac is ranked 68th on the ESPN Recruiting top 150. Rivals rates Issac as the No. 18 player in the nation and Scout has him ranked 12th.

Isaac, who could also play linebacker, is a power back at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, but he also has good speed and elusiveness, according to his ESPN evaluation. Last winter, Isaac rushed for 516 yards and six touchdowns in the state championship game. As a junior, he rushed for 2,114 yards -- 11.9 yards per carry -- and scored 45 touchdowns.

Isaac is the Trojans' sixth commitment. They can only sign 15 players due to NCAA sanctions.