College Confidential

TCU golfer Julien Brun included on 2013 Ben Hogan Award watch list

TCU golfer Julien Brun, a sophomore from France who won an event as an amateur on the 2012 European Challenge Tour, is one of 27 players on the watch list for the 2013 Ben Hogan Award, given to the nation’s top college golfer.

Brun, who won in September at the Allianz Golf Open Toulouse Metropole on Europe’s developmental tour, was joined today on the watch list by three fellow Big 12 golfers: Texas’ Brandon Stone, Oklahoma State’s Talor Gooch and Iowa State’s Scott Fernandez.

California had the most golfers on the watch list, with four:  Brandon Hagy, Max Homa, Michael Kim and Michael Weaver.

A list of 10 semifinalists, which could include individuals not on today’s watch list, will be released April 18. The list will be trimmed May 8 to three finalists, who will be in Fort Worth for the May 20 announcement of the winner as part of tournament week activities at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

A full list of players on the watch list is below:

 2013 Ben Hogan Award Watch List

(in alphabetical order)

Daniel Berger (Florida State, So.), Julien Brun (TCU, So.), Albin Choi (North Carolina State, Jr.), Corey Conners (Kent State, Jr.), Scott Fernandez (Iowa State, So.), Steven Fox (Chattanooga, Sr.), Ben Geyer (St. Mary’s, Sr.), Talor Gooch (Oklahoma State, Jr.), Brandon Hagy (California, Jr.), Max Homa (California, Sr.), Michael Kim (California, So.), Jace Long (Missouri, Sr.), Tyler McCumber (Florida, Sr.), Cheng-Tsung Pan (Washington, So.), Kevin Penner (UNLV, Sr.), Thomas Pieters (Illinois, Jr.), Patrick Rodgers (Stanford, So.), Trevor Simsby (Washington, Jr.), Brandon Stone (Texas, Fr.), Julian Suri (Duke, Sr.), Ben Taylor (Nova Southeastern, Jr.), Justin Thomas (Alabama, So.), T.J. Vogel (Florida, Sr.), Michael Weaver (California, Jr.), Pontus Widegren (UCLA, Sr.), Chris Williams (Washington, Sr.) and Bobby Wyatt (Alabama, Jr.).

 

_ Jimmy Burch 

 

Big 12 ADs support seeking alliance with other leagues, have not ruled out expansion

IRVING _ Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said league athletic directors expressed unanimous support for exploring a scheduling and marketing alliance with the ACC and other conferences during a Monday meeting but did not close the door on the possibility of future expansion.

Bowlsby said Big 12 administrators seek to prepare themselves for “any eventuality” on the realignment front and discussed multiple options during a three-hour discussion about the league’s future. But he stressed that league officials would not rush to expand from the existing 10-member configuration unless it makes financial sense.

Based on a recent Forbes projection for the current school year, the Big 12 is expected to have the highest average payout of any conference in terms of television, bowl and NCAA Tournament revenues _ roughly $26 million per school. Prospective new members would have to bring a comparable amount of value to the table to trigger voluntary expansion.

“Anybody we would look at would have to bring pro rata or a very high likelihood of sustained growth that would bring benefits to the league,” Bowlsby said. “We are never going to get bigger just for the sake of getting bigger.”

Bowlsby acknowledged expansion by other leagues could force the Big 12’s hand and said officials “have to be prepared to respond to that changing environment.” Speculation has centered on Big 12 interest from Florida State and Clemson, with Connecticut and Cincinnati among the most desirable remaining assets in the crumbling Big East.

But the league’s favored option, expressed in a unanimous vote at Monday’s meeting, would be an alliance with the ACC and two other leagues Bowlsby declined to name. Commissioners from the Pac-12 and SEC said Monday they are not part of the discussions with the Big 12, ACC and other leagues.

“Our group said these alliances have merit and we’re willing to support it,” Bowlsby said. “The discussions are probably furthest along with the ACC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what we’re going to end up doing.”

Big 12 athletic directors deferred questions to Bowlsby but indicated they joined him in considering Monday’s session a step forward in solidifying plans for the league’s future.

“I think we did gravitate around some principles that will guide us going forward,” said Bowlsby, who declined to offer details. “I think we created some filters that we all agreed on and I think there was a fair amount of unanimity in the room.”

The two-day meeting continues today, with discussions about future football schedules and bowl partnerships.

 Twitter: @Jimmy_Burch

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas men's BKB player Holmes breaks bone in hand, will return later this season #Longhorns

Texas men’s basketball player Jonathan Holmes broke a bone in his right hand during Monday’s game at Oklahoma but the injury will not be season-ending, team trainers announced today. Holmes will miss Saturday’s game against Texas Tech and the timetable for his return is undetermined.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Brandt projects former Texas A&M, Arlington HS standout Joeckel as top pick in 2013 NFL Draft

Former Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, the 2012 Outland Trophy winner and an Arlington High School graduate, projects to be the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft based on a mock draft released today by NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt, the Dallas Cowboys’ former vice-president of player personnel.

Brandt’s mock drift is expected to be tweaked multiple times before the NFL Draft in April, based on players’ performances at the NFL Combine and in individual workouts. But in the first installment, Brandt projects Joeckel (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) to be taken No. 1 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Cowboys to use the 18^th pick on Eric Fisher (6-8, 305), an offensive tackle from Central Michigan.

Brandt projects five players from colleges in Texas to go in the first round, with former A&M defensive end Damontre Moore _ another junior who opted for early entry in April _ to be taken with the sixth overall pick by Cleveland. Moore and Joeckel are the only local players projected among the top 10 picks, with the others being Baylor receiver Terrance Williams (No. 14, Carolina), Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro (No. 15, New Orleans) and Texas defensive end Alex Okafor (No. 24, Indianapolis).

Brandt projects four players from Alabama, the two-time defending BCS national champs, to go in the first round: offensive guard Chance Warmack (No. 4, Philadelphia), cornerback Dee Milliner (No. 5, Detroit), offensive tackle D.J. Fluker (No. 13, Tampa Bay) and running back Eddie Lacy (No. 16, St. Louis), with two quarterbacks taken among the top 10 picks: West Virginia’s Geno Smith (No. 3, Oakland) and USC’s Matt Barkley (No. 7, Arizona).

A link to Brandt’s mock draft is below:

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/mock-drafts/gil-brandt/155116

 

_ Jimmy Burch

Hicks, McCoy reinstated to Texas roster after suspensions; Longhorns add 4 early signees #Longhorns, #UT

Texas football coach Mack Brown announced tonight that linebacker Jordan Hicks and quarterback Case McCoy, who were suspended from the team the day before the Longhorns’ Dec. 29 game against Oregon State in the Alamo Bowl, have rejoined the squad.

Both players are expected to take part in spring drills, along with four January signees announced Sunday: tight end Geoff Swaim, linebacker Deoundrei Davis, offensive lineman/defensive end Jake Raulerson and quarterback Tyrone Swoopes. Swaim is a junior-college transfer. The others graduated early from high school to enroll for the spring semester.

In a statement, Brown said Hicks and McCoy will be subject to additional discipline that “will be handled within the team.” Both players were sent home after missing curfew and becoming the focus of a sexual assault investigation by San Antonio police. Eventually, no charges were filed in the incident.

In the statement, Brown said: “When you break team rules, there’s a certain amount of trust that has been broken and that will be addressed with further discipline. That discipline will be handled within the team.”

Brown said three seniors with remaining eligibility have elected to give up football: OG Thomas Ashcraft, TE Trey Graham and DT Kyle Kriegel.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas DT Moore opts to enter 2013 NFL Draft #Longhorns

Texas defensive tackle Brandon Moore, a junior-college transfer who started five games for the Longhorns last season, has decided to forego his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft, Moore and school officials announced tonight. Moore, who began his college career at Alabama, made 18 tackles (eight for losses) with two sacks in his lone season at Texas.

_ Jimmy Burch

USC's Kiffin sitting on college football's hottest coaching seat; KU's Weis at No. 3, Texas' Brown at No. 9

For those wondering about the availability of Monte Kiffin, the leading candidate to become the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator after spending the past four seasons coaching in the college ranks, here’s the skinny about his former boss _ son Lane Kiffin, Southern California’s head football coach.

The younger Kiffin, who led the Trojans from a pre-season No. 1 ranking in the college football polls to a 7-6 record in 2012, is now No. 1 in another ranking: the one put together by editors at Coaches Hot Seat, who rank college football’s most embattled coaches.

In its updated post-bowl rankings, Lane Kiffin stands at No. 1 heading into the 2013 season, one spot ahead of Maryland coach Randy Edsall. Kansas coach Charlie Weis, after only one season with the Jayhawks (1-11, 0-9 in Big 12), is No. 3.

Texas coach Mack Brown checks in at No. 9 despite his team’s Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon State, which allowed the Longhorns (9-4) to climb to No. 19 in the final AP poll and 18^th in the coaches poll. But Brown’s team has compiled only a 22-16 record over the last three seasons, with the 9-4 mark being Texas’ best in that stretch.

For a full breakdown of the website’s post-bowl rankings, hit this link:

 

http://www.coacheshotseat.com/

 

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas A&M climbs to 5th in final AP poll, marking best finish since 1956; Texas lands at No. 19 #TAMU, #Longhorns

Texas A&M capped its record-setting, inaugural football season as a Southeastern Conference member with another milestone today: the Aggies climbed to No. 5 in both post-season polls, the school’s top finish in the final rankings since 1956.

Only once in the history of the football program, when the Aggies won the 1939 national championship, has A&M finished higher in The Associated Press’ final rankings than Tuesday, when A&M (11-2) shared the fifth spot with Georgia (12-2). The Aggies also finished fifth in the coaches’ poll.

Both of A&M’s previous Top 5 finishes in the final polls came during undefeated seasons: 1939 (first, 11-0 record) and 1956 (fifth, 9-0-1 record). Tuesday’s placement marked the first time for A&M to crack the Top 10 in the final rankings since 1994, when the Aggies finished at No. 8, and stood as the school’s 12^th career finish in the Top 10.

A&M, a 41-13 winner over Oklahoma in last week’s AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, joined Texas as the only teams from the Lone Star State to land spots in the final polls.

The Longhorns (9-4) climbed to No. 19 in the AP poll, breaking a two-year absence from the final rankings, on the strength of a 31-27 victory over No. 20 Oregon State in the Alamo Bowl. Texas finished 18^th in the coaches poll.

No Big 12 team cracked the Top 10 in the final polls, with Oklahoma (10-3) placing 15^th in both polls and Kansas State (11-2) finishing 12^th in the AP poll and 11^th on coaches’ ballots. By comparison, the SEC had five schools ranked in the Top 10 of both polls, led by No. 1 Alabama (13-1), a 42-14 winner over Notre Dame in Monday’s BCS National Championship Game.

A&M’s season included a 29-24 victory over the eventual national champs in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Nov. 10. The Aggies finished 4-2 against Top 25 opponents this season.

Twitter: @Jimmy_Burch

 _ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas OG Hopkins to miss bowl game because of stress fracture in leg

Texas offensive guard Trey Hopkins will miss the team’s Alamo Bowl game against Oregon State because of season-ending surgery to repair a stress fracture in his lower right leg, team officials announced today. Texas trainer Kenny Boyd said four Longhorns who were limited or injured in the team’s Dec. 1 loss to Kansas State are expected to be cleared for bowl practices and the Oregon State game: defensive end Alex Okafor (ankle), running back Joe Bergeron (shoulder), defensive tackle Ashton Dorsey (concussion) and kicker Anthony Fera (hip).

_ Jimmy Burch

Drama building with OU in danger of losing BCS berth to N. Illinois, which would create major shuffling of bowl matchups

The voters in the coaches poll have spoken. But what they have said by placing Northern Illinios at No. 16 in today’s poll that will be used in compiling the final BCS standings remains open for discussion.
And the final word will not become public until tonight’s release of the final BCS standings (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

The bottom line is that Oklahoma (10-2) would be bumped from an at-large BCS bowl berth if Northern Illinois (12-1), the MAC champ, finishes 16th or higher in the final BCS standings. If that happens, the Sooners _ who envisioned playing Florida (11-1) in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday night _ would wind up in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, with an anticipated matchup against LSU (10-2) or Texas A&M (10-2).

The situation is fluid and two BCS analysts, CBS’ Jerry Palm and ESPN’s Brad Edwards, have switched their bowl projections today. Both took Oklahoma out of the BCS mix in favor of Northern Illinois (12-1). But both cautioned that the margin will be razor thin. The Huskies will climb in the computer rankings based on their victory over Kent State (11-2) in the MAC title game. But the impact of voters in the coaches poll and the Harris poll figure to be crucial.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops did his part to help his team, voting the Sooners at No. 6 and Northern Illinois at No. 24 in today’s final coaches poll. The ballots of voters were released on the USA Today website. Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren voted Oklahoma 11^th and his team at No. 14.

If Oklahoma does not wind up in the Sugar Bowl, the omission would cost the Big 12 a $6.2 million windfall and would create a reshuffling of the league’s bowl slots. It would sent Texas to the Alamo Bowl to meet a Pac-12 foe (likely Oregon State), with lots of guessing on bowl placements after that. The Big 12 also would need to find a spot for one of its bowl-eligible teams (likely Iowa State) in a game that is not contractually tied to the Big 12.

The SEC slots are being solidified, with Georgia expected to play Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. That means A&M’s likely bowl destination will either be the Cotton Bowl against OU or the Chick-fil-A Bowl (in Atlanta) against Clemson.

Nothing, as this juncture, has been announced by the SEC in terms of bowl berths. But officials at the Capital One Bowl have announced Nebraska as the Big Ten representative in that contest.

Other Big 12 coaches joined Stoops in voting up the Sooners and voting down Northern Illinois. Baylor coach Art Briles placed Oklahoma at No. 6 and Northern Illinois at No. 19 on his ballot. West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen had OU at No. 9, with Northern Illinois at No. 24. The ballot of Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville mirrored where both teams finished in today’s coaches’ poll: OU at No. 11 and Northern Illinois at No. 16.

Kent State coach Darrell Hazel, whose team lost to Northern Illinios in the MAC title game, voted Oklahoma at No. 11 and Northern Illinois at No. 17 on his ballot.

_ Jimmy Burch