Making the morning rounds.• He's still here. To no one's surprise, the San Francisco 49ers ditched coach Mike Singletary after Sunday's loss to the St. Louis Rams, immediately reviving the perpetual Jim Harbaugh-to-the-NFL rumors overnight. Harbaugh, closing out his fourth season of miracle work at Stanford next week in the Orange Bowl, has been considered a likely 49er target for most of this season, after last year's rumor mill linked him to Oakland. (If you'll recall, he also spent a few hours as a done deal at Kansas.)
The Niners' timing makes more sense: Harbaugh said last week he and Stanford "haven't even discussed" a contract extension that athletic director Bob Bowlsby seemed to think was close to being finished. Of course, they'd still have to beat Michigan to the punch. [San Francisco Chronicle, Chris Mortensen, Niners Nation]
• We're sorry. Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and five other soon-to-be-suspended Buckeyes apologized to teammates Sunday night during the team banquet for selling upwards of $7,000 in memorabilia and receiving discounted tattoos last year, landing them on ice for the first five games of 2011. The banquet was closed to media but reportedly also included a discussion of whether to allow the implicated players to play in the Sugar Bowl, despite the NCAA's decision – at Ohio State's behest – to defer the suspensions to next season. They may not start, but there's no suggestion at this point that anyone involved isn't going to play on Jan. 4. [Cleveland Plain-Dealer]
• Sitting Dawgs (and Jackets). Academics have sidelined three Georgia players – running back Caleb King, backup cornerback Derek Owens and offensive lineman A.J. Harmon – for Friday's Liberty Bowl match with Central Florida. It will be the fifth game this season King has missed, on the heels of an ankle injury and a two-game suspension for failing to appear in court on a speeding ticket. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
The worst part: Georgia Tech fans don't even get to enjoy the schadenfreude, with three Yellow Jackets – starting linebacker Anthony Egbuniwe and backup defensive backs Michael Peterson and Louis Young – tabbed for first half suspensions in tonight's Independence Bowl for missing curfew last Friday. The Jackets will also be without starters Mario Edwards and Stephen Hill and two more reserves on defense for academic reasons. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
• Off on the wrong foot. Alabama signee Aaron Douglas, a former starter at Tennessee, was charged with DUI on Thursday night after allegedly running a stop sign and driving erratically. Frankly, 'Bama coach Nick Saban – busy with Christmas and bowl festivities in Orlando ahead of Saturday's Capital One Bowl date with Michigan State – doesn't have time for this: "First of all I don't know a whole lot about it being over the holidays and this and that," Saban said. "The guy's not even here yet in our program. It's certainly not something that we want to be representative of our program. We'll deal with it when he gets here." [Tuscaloosa News, Birmingham News]
• Wait, is this swag waterproof? Wisconsin and TCU are in Southern California for Rose Bowl week, and quarterbacks Scott Tolzien (left) and Andy Dalton weren't exactly the coolest customers on Splash Mountain:
For his part, Horned Frog coach Gary Patterson is fine with yukking it up on the Tea Cups, as long as the recruits are paying attention. [Associated Press, Dallas Morning News]
Quickly… Defensive coordinator James Willis is leaving Texas Tech, possibly bound for Florida. … Rich Rodriguez won't lobby for his job. … Mississippi State practices in a hotel ballroom, and Michigan feels a little too at home on its first day in Jacksonville. … This morning's Times Square kickoff for the Pinstripe Bowl has been cancelled due to heavy snow in New York. … SMU isn't exactly thrilled to be home for Christmas. … Oregon tries to figure out how to simulate Cam Newton in practice. … Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor settles a racial discrimination suit against the local school district. … Derek Dooley enters a wormhole in the space-time continuum. … And don't expect coaches to stop icing the kicker anytime soon.
- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment