Football

Jordan Shipley has filed the necessary paperwork for a sixth season.

Shipley missed his first two college seasons because of a series of knee and hamstring injuries. He is considered a senior heading into the Longhorns' Jan. 5 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.

But he plans to return to college for another season if granted a medical hardship by the NCAA because of his earlier injuries.

"Looking back, I wouldn't change anything about it," Shipley said. "I feel like the adversity made me tougher and stronger. But that's also another reason I'd like another year."

The Texas-Texas Tech game attracted the largest audience of any ABC game telecast this past season.

The first few days of practice for the Fiesta Bowl have been grueling for the Horns.

So much for any feeling of wallowing in self-pity after the Longhorns were snubbed for the Big 12 title game on a controversial tiebreaker. What better way to hammer those feelings away than with a few more extra "Longhorn Drills"?

That practice activity is a staple for developing toughness. It's a three-on-three conditioning drill featuring a back running behind three linemen against three defensive linemen. The claustrophobic nature is emphasized in a tightly contained area set apart by tackling dummies.

"We've been as physical as we've ever been in practice to prepare for this game," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "But at the same time, we've gone one (offensive starter) against one (defensive starter) every day, because we want to match the speed and the physical part of the game. We've lined up and have just been after each other. The impact of the offensive and defensive line working against each other has been incredible."

Center Chris Hall will be ready for the bowl game.

Starting Texas center Chris Hall has returned to practice after missing the final two games of the season with a knee injury.

"I feel great," Hall said. "It's been really good to be back out there and doing live snaps again. Everything has felt really good. I can't complain about a thing."

Mack Brown considers giving up his vote in the coach's poll.

"I'm trying to find out about this," Brown said. "I don't think a coach should be able to vote for his own team. It wasn't fair for me not to vote us No. 1 and it's not fair to vote us No.1 because they are truly four or five teams that deserve to be No. 1. I thought it was a difficult thing. I'm going to have to do a lot of soul-searching to see if I can continue to vote."

Colt McCoy texted Greg Davis after he lost the Heisman to Sam Bradford.

McCoy said he told Davis he plans to use the Heisman vote to come back next year more prepared in his senior season.

"I just said everything happens for a reason," McCoy said. "God has a plan for me and this team. It's obvious I don't need to win it until next year."

Brown tells his draft-eligible players to file for NFL evaluation.

It's the first time Brown has told his juniors and third-year sophomores to file the paperwork, which requests a draft projection from the NFL's underclassmen evaluation committee.

"We are encouraging every one to do it," Brown said. "If (a player) is nervous, then we'll do it for them."

Brown said that asking all players to file "makes it less of an individual act."

Colt McCoy was on Jim Rome's show. Here's the video, courtesy of 40acressports.

40acressports has ESPN's Fiesta Bowl breakdown.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes

The Buckeyes are back to work, preparing for Longhorns.

Ohio State senior receiver Brian Robiskie said that with final exams over by the end of last week, the Buckeyes are getting a steady diet of Texas and a refresher course in fundamentals.

"We’ve definitely started watching a lot of film," Robiskie said. "And we’ve definitely taken a look at the things they do and some of the things that we probably need to prepare for. But we’re also doing a lot of the basics and fundamental stuff, and a lot of position-specific stuff for a lot of guys."

Chris Beanie Wells will be back. Wells began and ended the 2008 season with foot and hamstring injuries, but he still managed to produce 1,091 yards rushing.

The Daily Northwestern asks if Big 10 football is as slow as everyone thinks?

Coaches and players in the Big Ten fight the perception that their conference is slow. Critics say the Big Ten is stuck in a dark age of college football — run on three consecutive downs, pass only if necessary.

The brunt of the criticism has been directed at Ohio State, who has lost back-to-back national championship games to SEC foes Florida and LSU.

At Big Ten media days, Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel was left to defend the Big Ten.

"I think it’s fair from our standpoint; we haven’t been successful," Tressel said. "Should that paint a picture of our whole conference? I don’t think so. It makes me feel a little disappointed that our performance in two championship games brushes a wider brush."

History Lessons

Digging around in the archives of Eleven Warriors, I found an article about Woody Hayes. If you don't know who that is or you are not old enough to remember, brush up. Hayes is one of the iconic figures in college football. This article is about the 1961 Buckeyes season.

The Buckeye blog looks back at two seasons that both Ohio State and Texas dominated the sport of college football, 1969 and 1970. UT's head coach was a man named Darrell Royal.

Basketball

The Texas Women's basketball team beat No. 21 Arizona State 81-71 on Thursday night.

Barking Carnival has a preview of the Michigan State game.

Texas freshman swimmer Kathleen Hersey and UT senior diver Jessica Livingston were selected as the Big 12 Women’s Swimmer and Diver of the Week.

Texas junior swimmer Dave Walters as the league’s Men’s Swimmer of the Week and UT freshman diver Drew Livingston were selected as the Big 12 Men’s Diver of the Week.

The Texas Volleyball team lost to Stanford in their Final Four match.

Football

Nine Big 12 football players have earned 2008 Consensus All-America honors. Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech and Brian Orakpo were unanimous first team selections.

Phil Steele's College Football Preview all-freshman team six includes six players from the Big 12. Texas A&M had five selections, Baylor had one.

Bill Snyder's return to Kansas State may have a few players thinking about the Wildcats in a whole new light.

Kansas now knows who their opponent will be in the Insight Bowl.

"We are excited to be selected as the Big Ten’s representative in the Insight Bowl and we are looking forward to playing one of the nation’s best teams in Kansas on Dec. 31st in Sun Devil Stadium," Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said. "I could not be more proud of what our team has accomplished this season and I am thrilled that all their hard work is being rewarded with an opportunity to play in a tremendous event like the Insight Bowl."

That's good for Brewster. After playing Kansas, Brewster can stay in Glendale and watch his son play in the Fiesta Bowl a few days later. Good scheduling.

Early polls have Oklahoma State ranked in the Top 20. The Cowboys feel that 2009 could be their year and it could start off with a win in the Holiday Bowl.

The Sooners

Tim Sullivan of The New York Post offers his reasons for his choice for national champion:

Nebraska, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Missouri, all Sooner-slashed victims as Stoops' crew rebounded from a 45-35 loss to Texas. Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama, all Gator-bitten victims as Meyer's crew rebounded from a 31-30 loss to Ole Miss. Ahh, those were the days.

But it says here we have to pick a side, so we'll abide. The Gators simply have more speed, health and talent on defense. That's what seals it.

You can have Stoops' questionable BCS record. You can have the Heisman Jinx that's now hovering over Sam Bradford. You can have the fact that Florida is playing in Florida. All factors, yes, but not important ones.

What matters to us is defense. The offenses, as diverse as they may be, are so fast, so skilled, so lethal, that - in the end - they'll cancel each other out.

Big Game Stoops needs to win one. The big one.

But it's OU's last four BCS bowl games -- and the pending BCS national championship game against Florida next month -- where the story is told. Losses to LSU (2003) and USC (2004) in national championship games and to Boise State (2006) and West Virginia (2007) in the Fiesta Bowl have stained the game's most successful coach.

Another loss and "Big Game" Bob may as well be "Smalltime Stoops."

Superstition. Sam Bradford's hair is longer than usual.

At the moment, Bradford’s hair is longer than it’s ever been since he came to Norman. And it’s not getting cut until after the Jan. 8 BCS National Championship.

"Last year, my dad made me cut it before the bowl game and we lost,” Bradford said. "It’s not getting cut this time.”

Most people would doubt Bradford's hair had anything to do with the loss to West Virginia.

Basketball

The Atlanta Tipoff Club has announced the 2009 Naismith Trophy and five Big 12 players are on the list. Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, A.J. Abrams and Damion James of Texas, Curtis Jerrells of Baylor and Sherron Collins of Kansas.

The Big 12 is now scheduling non-conference games in neutral cities.

Playing regular-season non-conference games in major cities around the Big 12 helps promote the sport. Kansas played Massachusetts in Kansas City last Saturday. Missouri and Illinois play their annual game in St. Louis.

Big 12 Sports looks at Texas A&M.

'Round The Blogs

Rock M Nation has Part Three of Gary Pinkel Vs. OU, Texas and Don James.

I Am The 12th Man has a survey and he would like you to participate.

Rock Chalk Talk talks about the Insight Bowl.

Clone Chronicles bounces Mike Stoops name around as a possible hire.

The Bowl Season

The Independence Bowl, Shreveport.

Shreveport's Independence Bowl is facing a crisis.

From the loss of yet another title sponsor to not having a Big 12 or SEC team in this year's game, the Independence Bowl just cannot seem to catch a break. Add in a contracting national economy (meaning a decrease in available sponsorship dollars) and now a staggering 34 bowl games competing against each other.

The bowl organizers may very well have cash reserves to keep the bowl operating another year or more without a title sponsor, but at some point the financial pressures will put the bowl in the position of having to make some tough decisions.

Everyone has a soft spot for the old Poulan/Weed Eater Bowl. Too bad the sponsor didn't last.

CBSSports' Dennis Dodd rates the bowls, all 34.

Want to end the BCS? Clay Travis has a plan.

Other Stuff

R.I.P. Sammy Baugh, quarterback for Texas Christian University and the Washington Redskins, has died at the age of 94. Slingin' Sammy played with the Redskins from 1937 to 1952 and was one of the best all-around players in an era when versatility was essential. Baugh was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class of 1963.

Dr. Saturday has a fitting tribute to Slingin' Sammy.

More R.I.P. Chris Schultz memorializes Texas Stadium.

UTSA would really love to have a football team. County Judge Nelson Wolff has been one of the loudest voices behind an NFL franchise for the city. That hasn't panned out so a college team would be the next best thing.

It's official. The University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners will field a football team as early as fall 2011.

The Auburn president made the final decision to hire Gene Chizik and he did it without any input from boosters or trustees.

The New York Times weighs in on the Auburn hire. And what is Tommy Tuberville doing right now?

"Going skiing in the morning," said Tuberville, 54, who received $5.1 million in severance pay from the university. "Aspen."

Tim Tebow will request a projection from the NFL advisory committee about next April's draft.

With the reputation of the school and millions of dollars on the line, the process of hiring a new coach should be a long, laborious ordeal. But it really isn't.

It is time to sue. The Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA) is fed up with the NCAA.

Last week, the BCA opened a national telephone hotline that offers legal advice to coaches, a move that could eventually lead to a landmark case against universities under civil rights legislation.

"I think someone is going to get tired of listening to the excuses," Floyd Keith, BCA executive director, told The Associated Press. "We’re giving them (the coaches) every opportunity, but we can’t select the individuals. The individuals have to bring this forward. We are looking very strongly at every case, and we’re taking it on an individual basis."

SI addresses the idea that there will not be a playoff in college football.

Following the gravy train of college sports... money.

College football boondoggle. The bowl season, while entertaining, exposes the underbelly of college sports.

Bowl games, 34 strong this season, are great fun to watch. More football is never a bad thing.

At least as long as you don’t count the money, consider their entrenched resistance to change or realize why they and their outdated, overvalued worth to college football only occasionally gets discussed.

The Sports Economist looks at bowl ticket prices. It is a bull market.

Another boondoggle: Merchandising. Kansas is going after a local t-shirt seller for what it deems as infringement on the school's trademarks.