Booty set to start at QB for Trojans - Daily Breeze
As the rain fell, postponing what was supposed to be USC's final day of spring football practice, an air of intrigue settled over the campus.

In 3½ months, the Trojans will open preseason camp with junior John David Booty as the starting quarterback, the heir to a throne held for the past six or so years by two Heisman Trophy winners.

Yet since Booty missed all but the first day of spring drills before being sidelined by a herniated disc that required surgery, freshman Mark Sanchez still has a chance to usurp the crown after three weeks of impressive work.

Which led to some interesting ways for Coach Pete Carroll to express how Booty is the starter and Sanchez is the challenger...

Also, Booty still is No. 1 - LA Daily News
Booty Listed No. 1 at Quarterback - LA Times

[DiTrani] Feast your eyes on these pupils - Bergen Record
On Helix's first snap, quarterback Alex Smith found Reggie Bush with a swing pass, which Bush carried 55 yards for a touchdown.

Yes, that's the same Alex Smith who was the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. And yes, that's the same Reggie Bush who two weeks from today promises to be the first player selected in the 2006 draft by the Houston Texans.

What are the odds of two players from the same high school backfield becoming No. 1 selections in the draft? Astronomical would be putting it mildly. The Manning brothers played at the same high school (Isidore Newman in New Orleans), but not at the same time.

Bush and Smith being among the five finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy was amazing enough. But two No. 1 picks in the draft?...

...By the way, Bush also was the Helix punter -- although he rarely kicked the ball. It wasn't often that the offense was stopped...

Will USC supply Steelers with top pick? - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Halfback LenDale White and safety Darnell Bing, two components of Southern California's national champions two of the past three years, will visit the Steelers Monday and Tuesday as the team winds down its interviews on the South Side with draft prospects next week.

Both will be considered as possible first-round draft picks by the Steelers, who will have interviewed as many as 30 players over the past several weeks at their headquarters. The Steelers have the No. 32 choice..

Confidence brims over Trojans QB - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
...despite spending as much time at USC as Reggie Bush and LenDale White, fellow members of his recruiting class, Booty is still on the young side in college football years...

...With 210 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, up from 190 when he arrived, Booty was in the best shape he's ever been in at the start of the spring. And now, post-surgery, with his herniated disc repaired after it set off back spasms too severe to play with, he can't believe how good he feels.

"I just know it doesn't hurt at all anymore, it feels great," Booty said as he looks to two months more of rehab work...

Sartz Regains His Starting Spot - LA Times
Several positions will be undecided when USC releases its end-of-spring depth chart today, but not strong-side linebacker.

Coach Pete Carroll said Thursday that senior Dallas Sartz, a two-year starter who sat out nearly all of last season because of a shoulder injury, regained his spot despite strong play last season by sophomore Brian Cushing, who also is coming off shoulder surgery...

...With a surplus of talented linebackers, Carroll and defensive coordinator Nick Holt have experimented with various alignments during spring drills...

Lott playing it smart with football program - San Bernardino Sun
Ronnie Lott always made a big impact on the football field, dealing out bone-rattling hits as a member of the USC and San Francisco 49ers football teams.

Now Lott, the former Eisenhower High School star, continues making his presence felt, according to an announcement made Thursday. The four-time Super Bowl champion defensive back will serve as chairman of the National Advisory Board for the National Football Foundation's Play It Smart Program...

[Banks] Snap Judgments - CNNSI
...Is USC's LenDale White this year's Maurice Clarett?...

...Maybe the news this week that White has a hamstring tear and won't be able to run much for another month or so will actually help stop his perceived first-round free fall...

...Here's one more key way that White isn't Clarett in USC colors: He won't drop out of the first round, let alone all the way to the final pick of the third round...

White has hamstring tear - Denver Post
...Results of an MRI on White's powerful, but troublesome right hamstring came back Thursday showing a moderate tear near the pelvic region...

...The hamstring tear will sideline the...star until mid-May, which means White will not have a personal workout prior to the April 29 NFL draft and may not be ready for the mini-camp of the NFL team that selects him.

"He should recover fine," Dr. Eldridge said. "He just needs time to heal. But I could see where he would have been in considerable pain had he tried to run."

This is a rare case when an injury brought not bitterness but sweet vindication to an athlete...

...White said he initially felt his hamstring go while working out on a Cybex machine, which measures knee strength, during the scouting combine...

[Syken] Go broke for Bush - CNNSI
...This is the year some team should do "the Ditka Trade." Give it all away. Bundle all your picks -- for a running back. For Reggie Bush.

First, the Texans should be open to trading their first overall pick, because they don't need Bush. Running back isn't their problem. Almost everything else is...

...here's the team I'd really like to see do the Ditka Trade. It's a conservative team for which such a move would be completely out of character, but it's just what they need: Indianapolis. The Colts went 14-2 last year, but somehow they need Bush more than the Texans do...

Palmer's passes first sign of spring - Official Bengals Website
He’s not doing any seven-step drops or sprint-out passes yet, but Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer just throwing the football again on the Paul Brown Stadium turf is a sight for sore eyes.

“Nothing’s changed. His arm is still the same,” said wide receiver Chris Henry, the last man to catch a real pass from Palmer and who has caught some of his first rehab balls the last couple of weeks...

SOY fundraiser ‘a roaring success’ - Whitehorse Daily Star
Ed Hervey has experienced a lot of things in his football career, with eight seasons and two Grey Cups as a receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos under his belt, but the CFL veteran found himself in unfamiliar territory this past weekend.

Hervey was in Whitehorse as a special guest at the Sports Celebrities Festival Dinner Auction, for the benefit of Special Olympics Yukon.

And while helping out in the community isn’t anything new...snowmobiling and bowling aren’t normally on his agenda – at least, not 5-pin bowling...

...“I believe it’s our job to give back to the community. A lot of people helped me get to where I am, so if I can help raise money for a great cause and inspire people, it’s the least I can do.”

Hervey is certainly one of those athletes who puts his money where his mouth is...

Point-counter-point - Who should be USC's QB: Booty or Sanchez? - Daily Trojan
Kevin Merfeld - Point
John David Booty has demonstrated he can stand in as an intern on "Grey's Anatomy" given his three years of practice holding a clipboard.

But believe it or not, that's not all he can do...

Alex Delanian - Counterpoint
Scraggly hair, immense leadership capabilities and confidence to spare. Sound like somebody you know?

Mark Sanchez isn't just the heir to Matt Leinart's throne - he's the next great college quarterback...

Maualuga continues to mature at USC - Eureka Times-Standard
...The engaging middle linebacker with the gentle smile...was honored with the John McCay Award, doled out annually to the Trojan that exhibits the most competitive spirit.

Not Matt Leinart, not Reggie Bush -- Rey Maualuga. Yeah, promising would be a slight understatement.

However, to whom much is given much is expected, and this year, expectations have been exponentially heightened, both in the eyes of the USC coaching staff, and Maualuga's...

..."When the formation is there, without a doubt, I know what to do.”

According to Maualuga, his coaches feel the same, and they have conveyed to Maualuga their desire for him to take his seemingly infinite potential to the next level, and the level beyond that.

”They (the coaches) have to see it, I have to show them how bad I want it,” said Maualuga...

White confident he's "not Clarett" - Denver Post
...While White cringes when compared to Clarett, there's one similarity White wouldn't mind: being drafted by the Broncos. White said he has had limited contact with the Broncos, who have the No. 15 and No. 22 picks in the first round and are in the market for a running back.

"I think I'd fit in Denver great," White said. "The Broncos run a zone attack all day, and that's what I did at USC. Being in Denver would be great with me."...

USC's Justice a confident fellow - Philly Daily News
Assuming they deliver newspapers to the hotel where the Eagles kept this week's visiting draft prospects, there might have been some lively conversation around the breakfast table yesterday morning.

In yesterday's Daily News, Southern Cal offensive tackle Winston Justice said he thinks he's better than Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson, the OT experts project as the top offensive lineman in this year's draft, scheduled for April 29-30.

Well, it turns out that the Eagles' group of visiting prospects included both Ferguson and Justice...

Bulb busting light source invented - The Register
Researchers working on organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) have made a critical jump that could finally call lights out time for the humble bulb. Since OLEDs are transparent when switched off, the prospect is of whole surfaces like walls, windows, or even curtains flooding rooms with brilliant white light.

University of Southern California Professor Mark Thompson said: “This process will enable us to get 100 percent efficiency out of a single, broad spectrum light source.”

The American team's breakthrough was to make OLEDs able to emit the daylight-style white light needed in homes and offices...

One-on-one with Matt Leinart - ESPN
Last month, ESPN.com voters dubbed NFL draft prospect Matt Leinart the Hottest Male Athlete of the Year. With good reason...If they gave out an Oscar for Biggest Man On Campus, Matty would win walking away -- and his impressive armful of lovely lady friends could rival any leading lad's in Hollywood.

Knowing all this, we decided to send our own Mary Buckheit -- Page 2 writer and resident Barbie expert -- to crack the core of this Ken doll and ultimately place the crown upon the deserving tresses of this Man of Troy...

[Schein] Despite 40 brouhaha, don't pass on White - Foxsports.com
...1. I'll take a stance that's been very unpopular in NFL circles over the last few weeks and make the case for LenDale White...

...he is right about his performance on the field; it was nothing short of dominating at USC. His bruising style, combined with shockingly quick feet, will translate into stardom at the next level.

And the result of the negativity of the last eight weeks might just be a large running back with a large amount of talent coming into the league with a large chip on his shoulder...

...2. I really believe White is the second-best running back in the draft behind his former college teammate Reggie Bush...

...3. Speaking of USC players, the third Trojan off the board on draft day, behind Bush and Matt Leinart, will be offensive tackle Winston Justice...

[Finke] The Vultures Are Circling - LA Weekly
...Lovett is truly trying to ape McCormack and grow CAA, à la IMG, into the next giant of the sports-agency business on the broad back of no less than USC megastar quarterback Matt Leinart...

...In recent days, Lovett was the driving force behind CAA’s hiring of three major IMG sports agents, two in football, one in baseball. On one level, it’s a perplexing move into a hypercompetitive arena since sports agenting, especially in football, is taking it on the chin like never before. There used to be 1,100 certified agents in the pigskin business; that number shrunk by 300 after a purge by the players union...

Mike Williams knows there's no excuses now - Ann Arbor News
Mike Williams isn't trying to make excuses for last season and he knows that excuses won't be tolerated this season...

...Williams is slowly getting himself back into shape and hopes to reduce his previous playing weight of 235 pounds to 220.

"Everybody makes me sound so fat. It's more about conditioning," said Williams, who knows that Martz needs speed to run his high-tempo offense. "With Martz, 230 (pounds) doesn't really fit. I want to get down to 220 -- I've got some bets going on. I know you've got to be able to run and you have to be just as fast on play one as play 60 (in a game). If I'm going to be where I want to be personally, and that's be a full-time starter and put up some big-time numbers -- the things I'm expected to do -- then I've got to be in shape."...

NFL Report - USA Today
...Former Southern California and current Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow defended Trojans running back LenDale White after he gained a few pounds and failed to run at his April 2 pro day because of a hamstring pull.

"LenDale came right up to me and said, 'Coach, I'm hurt,' " Chow says. "I said, 'If you're hurt, you're hurt.' All I know is he's been pretty good on Saturdays. He'll be pretty good on Sundays for somebody, too."...

[Judge] Does agent-dumping Leinart want football or showbiz? - CBS Sportsline
...Steinberg couldn't deliver what Leinart wants -- and what he wants, he believes, is a future that includes pro football and its residuals, which maybe, just maybe, includes hanging out in Hollywood.

Steinberg could take care of the pro football part. Heck, he represents quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Mark Brunell, was behind quarterbacks Troy Aikman, Steve Young and Warren Moon and represented eight former first-round draft picks.

But it's that other part -- Leinart's outside interests, including the Hollywood scene -- that got Steinberg tossed...

Cushing returns to practice - Daily Trojan
...Sophomore linebacker Brian Cushing, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, returned to action after missing the start of spring. Cushing was expected to miss all of camp, and his rehab is ahead of schedule.

"(The rehab) is tough right now, but I'm adjusting and trying to learn everything I can for right now. I want to get back out on the field as much as I can, go in wherever (USC) coach (Pete Carroll) tells me to," he said.

The Trojans' tremendous depth at linebacker and thin secondary has allowed Carroll to move players around to fill needs...

Holt chooses door No. 3 - Daily Trojan
...In 10 minutes, Holt went from being head coach at Idaho to defensive line coach for the St. Louis Rams to defensive coordinator at USC.

OK, maybe it wasn't 10 minutes, but it was a rapid chain of events.

"It's kind of a strange course of events. I was going to the Rams and coach (Carroll) called me and we had a long heart-to-heart," Holt said. "I realized it would be a better move because I would be the coordinator."...

Without a safety net - LA Daily News
Antwine Perez was mingling with his new Trojans teammates at USC's combined Pro/Junior Day...

...Nearby, wide-eyed recruits also surveyed the proceedings. A few months ago, Perez was one of them...

...Perez's hard hits from high school caused a lot of buzz when the team watched clips of the incoming recruits.

"He was throwing knockout punches," Maiava said. "You'd see it coming, and wham! The whole room was going crazy. We wanted to watch it again."...

Depth chart has some surprises - LA Daily News
...Carroll said Tuesday that Josh Pinkard and Kevin Ellison will start at safety and should be the starters when USC opens the season against Arkansas...

The emergence of sophomore cornerbacks Kevin Thomas and Cary Harris allowed Carroll to move Pinkard to his natural position.

"I love the way the cornerbacks play," Carroll said...In another unexpected comment, Carroll said the cornerback group will be his best USC fielded since he became coach.

"(Mozique) McCurtis is doing a good job," he said. "This will be the best secondary by mid year...

Defenders Thomas and Ellison Speed Along in Recovery - LA Times
...Pete Carroll instructed several players recovering from surgeries to throw caution to the wind and test themselves.

Cornerback Terrell Thomas and safety Kevin Ellison seemed to take Carroll's words to heart and showed they are well on their way to the starting lineup in the fall.

Thomas, who suffered torn knee ligaments in the second game against Arkansas last season, broke up several passes intended for flanker Steve Smith and split end Dwayne Jarrett.

"It feels good because it really shows my off-season preparation paid off," said Thomas...

Returning to the Fold - Inland Empire Press-Enterprise
If it's not one position, it's another and another. The Trojans proved that again Tuesday as they completed their 13th of 15 permitted spring football practices.

Back in pads were linebackers Dallas Sartz and Brian Cushing, who is recuperating from shoulder surgery. Back on the field contesting passes was cornerback Terrell Thomas...

...Tailback Michael Coleman looks as if he could play now. But after a second, more-extensive repair of the cartilage and shaving of the bone on the front of his left hip, he figures it will be at least two months before he's ready to go full-speed...

...While ESPN would love for USC and Arkansas to move their Sept. 2 opener to the next day for a Sunday time slot on the network's Labor Day college football weekend, USC doesn't want to move the game...

Also, Linebackers lining up for Trojans - OC Register

Leinart calls audible, drops agent Steinberg - OC Register
...Leinart remains a client of Beverly Hills-based Creative Artists Agency, whom he hired to handle off-field marketing and publicity. CAA recently hired Tom Condon, who represents several of the NFL's top players, including Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Leinart's firing of Steinberg and CAA's hiring of Condon fueled speculation the two would team up, streamlining Leinart's representation.

"Once Condon moved over and aligned himself with them, it was a natural," said Nolan Nawrocki, draft analyst for Pro Football Weekly...

Also, Leinart Will Cut His Ties to Steinberg - LA Times

Saints to wine, dine prospects - New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Saints will bring in five of the top players in the upcoming NFL draft next Tuesday, have dinner with all five that evening, then meet with the players separately...

...The team plans to visit with Southern California running back Reggie Bush, USC quarterback Matt Leinart...D'Brickashaw Ferguson...Mario Williams and...A.J. Hawk...

...the Saints have narrowed their choice to one of those five players and will use their first-round draft choice, currently the second overall selection, to take one of them...

...Bringing players to town for individual meetings isn't unusual, but convening them for a group session is somewhat eye-opening...

USC's Justice impressed by Eagles - Philly Inquirer
...the Eagles would have to move up from the 14th spot to get him...

..."The teams all asked me at the combine about the suspension," Justice said. "Somebody is going to invest a lot of money, and they want to know what happened. I've grown a lot from that. I think it made me a more complete person. I learned from what I missed and I learned to not take things for granted."

Justice said he'd like to step right in as a rookie and be a starter, but he knows that veterans Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan remain on the roster.

"It would be an honor to play with those two guys, but I'd push to start," Justice said. "I think playing at USC helped me prepare for the NFL because we ran a very complex offense."...

Also, Eagles open file on Justice dept. - Philly Daily News

Leinart would ‘love to be a Titan’ - Nashville City Paper
...Leinart said he already feels comfortable with Titans coach Jeff Fisher and his staff as well as general manager Floyd Reese.

“There was a comfort level there, not only with Norm Chow [his former offensive coordinator at USC] obviously, but with Coach Fisher and Mr. Reese,” Leinart said. “I just felt a good vibe. They have the same goals in mind, and I was able to talk to them about a number of things, even things outside of football. Even though I haven’t known them very long, I felt at ease doing that.”

Leinart has a private workout scheduled for the New York Jets, which will be his final audition before the draft...

Also, Titans, Leinart hook up - The Tennessean

[Smith] Old Trojan horse trimmer, slimmer - OC Register
The gold and diamond rings from playing on two national champion USC baseball and football teams are about the only things that still fit Anthony Davis.

Everything else - the baggy XXL shirts and sweaters, the size 47 pants and the wide shoes that once concealed his obese body - has landed in a cardboard box, ready for donation...

...What happened after the world saw his insides cut open and his stomach reduced to the size of a golf ball surprised even him.

"I'm a new man," Davis said Monday, 40 pounds lighter and having just returned from the gym.

"Last week, I did something I hadn't done in eight years. I wore a suit."...

Tuesday Question - College Football News
Every coaching job is open going into this year, which one would you take?...

...[Fiutak]...A: Maybe it's too obvious, but who wouldn't want to coach at USC right now? Forgetting about the enormous pressure and the problems with injuries in the backfield, this is still one of the nation's most talented teams from top-to-bottom, and it not only can recruit nationally at this point, it's actually a seal of approval to be recruited to go be a Man of Troy. Los Angeles might not be the greatest city in the world, but there's no arguing with the weather or the big-time atmosphere in a pro town that doesn't have an NFL team (at least until the Jacksonville Jaguars move in a few years from now)...

[Mandel] Trojan makeover - CNNSI
...Such is the work-in-progress that is the USC offense these days, a far cry for now from the Leinart-Bush-White outfit that racked up 580 yards per game last season. Carroll, however, has never been one to let a few personnel setbacks change his terminally sunny disposition. Having assembled five straight top-five recruiting classes (the past four ranked No. 1 by at least one major scouting service) the mantra around Heritage Hall is that no one is irreplaceable...

...the 2006 season will be the greatest reloading test to date for Carroll's offense. The Trojans do return two proven receivers in Smith and Dwayne Jarrett, and the offensive line should be solid. However, the weight of expectations cast by USC's recent dominance will place an extreme amount of pressure on a first-year starting quarterback, ...and a group of running backs who haven't yet made it to their senior prom...

Coliseum might see big changes for NFL team - Daily Trojan
...In the event of an NFL team moving into the Coliseum, considerable renovations would be necessary to prepare the stadium, a move that would cost several million dollars, Parks said.

Robert Harris, professor emeritus at the USC School of Architecture, said he feels that the renovation of the Coliseum is a two-sided coin.

...the scheme calls for the significant altering of the whole interior to produce steeper seating for better views and to install press boxes," Harris said.

Harris also said the renovation would call for a significant cleaning of the grounds around the Coliseum as well.

"As we have communicated to the university, the renovation would preclude the USC football team from playing in the stadium during the construction phase," McCarthy said...

USC's Justice to visit Eagles - Philly Inquirer
Southern California offensive tackle Winston Justice is scheduled to visit the Eagles late this afternoon as general manager Tom Heckert and head coach Andy Reid continue to decide which player they will take with the 14th overall pick when the NFL draft begins April 29...

...Offensive tackle is not an immediate need for the Eagles, but veterans Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas are both in their 30s, and it appears as if second-year lineman Todd Herremans is about to be moved from tackle to guard.

Swim With Mike raises $825,000 - Daily Trojan
...USC's 26th annual Swim With Mike raised more than $825,000 for disabled athletes.

Swim With Mike is a fundraising event to give scholarships to athletes who have become disabled. It has been held annually at USC since 1981, after former USC graduate and three-time All-America swimmer, Mike Nyeholt, broke his neck in a motorcycle accident...

Powdrell runs wild at Huddle - Daily Trojan
...Powdrell, who made the transition from linebacker to fullback prior to spring practice, has already made great strides as a tailback.

"It's not even the position (that is challenging)," he said. "It's just learning the plays. Running with the ball in my hand comes naturally, because I've done it before."

Powdrell's experience running the ball betrayed him in the fourth quarter, when he was the victim of the Matthews forced fumble.

"I've just got to get used to holding the ball with two hands in traffic, it's been a while," he said. "That can easily be changed."...

Sanchez is strong during spring game - OC Register
Arkansas could dwell on the video footage from USC's spring game for the next four-plus months and have little idea what the Trojans will look like when the teams meet in September...

...Pete Carroll's team had no healthy scholarship tailbacks, only one of its top quarterbacks and little of its defense.

The result was a 95-play scrimmage with as many turnovers as touchdowns...

Also: Optimism, Concern at Scrimmage - LA Times

Defense rules at scrimmage - Daily Breeze
..."Well, I loved it for the defensive side,'' Carroll said of the fumbles...

...Carroll sent wave after wave of his defensive troops at an offense that featured a freshman quarterback and fullbacks who would never be mistaken for tailbacks, but that was all the Trojans had...

...it was...Clay Matthews who made the plays that stood out.

Matthews had a 24-yard interception return and recovered a fumble. He's been playing the strong side spot that was occupied by Dallas Sartz and Brian Cushing...

Hands-off experience - LA Daily News
..."I think our inexperience in our ballcarriers showed up," USC coach Pete Carroll said as the Trojans lost four fumbles. "That's definitely an issue."

But there were some bright spots, too. Quarterback Mark Sanchez played better than last week's initial scrimmage while tailback Ryan Powdrell demonstrated why Carroll believes he can make an impact next season.

Sanchez completed 13 of 21 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown and did not throw an interception.

"After three weeks of practice, Mark came out against the No. 1 defense and did very well," Carroll said. "There's still some things he has to gain command of."...

[King] Prime position - CNNSI
T-minus 19 days till draft day, and counting. Here's what we know right now:

1. Barring a major upset -- like Reggie Bush's announcing between now and April 29, "I detest rodeo'' -- the Texans will make the USC running back the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

2. The Titans will take a quarterback with the third pick in the draft and may trade up to No. 2 to prevent the Jets from getting Matt Leinart.

3. The Jets will probably try to take a quarterback with the fourth pick in the draft and may trade up to the second pick to prevent the Titans from selecting Leinart...

USC's Sanchez Is Ready for a Real Test - LA Times
...Today, USC will measure Sanchez's progress during the annual "Trojan Huddle" scrimmage at the Coliseum.

"It will be a real game-like situation for me, which is what they need to see to make sure I'm not just a practice All-American," said Sanchez, a redshirt freshman who has taken first-team snaps since junior John David Booty suffered a back injury the first day of spring practice. Booty had surgery last week.

Sanchez's first foray into game situations at the Coliseum this spring produced mixed results...

Also: Trojans limp into spring game - OC Register

Holland gets best of football pal - LA Daily News
...Defending his first-place finish at last year's Invitational, Holland ran the ninth-fastest 100 in state history (10.36), while Glass finished second with a clocking of 10.48. Holland, whose eyes lit up seconds before the race when Salesian's Jahvid Best ran a wind-aided 10.39 in the seeded 100, said he always relishes the opportunity to run with Glass...

...Glass, who has committed to Arizona State on a football scholarship, finished fractions of a second off his personal record of 10.43, while Holland, a football recruit at USC, had previously run a 10.38...

Colleges want the $$ without the L's - SF Chron
Why is the Stanford football team opening next season at Oregon, never an easy place to play? Why will Cal have no byes on its schedule in 2007 and probably many future years? And why on earth is San Jose State playing at Tennessee in 2008 and USC in '09?

The easy answers are money, money and money, but in the speculators' market that is college football scheduling, nothing is that simple...

A revival on Broadway - NY Daily News
..."I'm just a normal, 22-year-old kid," Leinart says. "People say, 'He's Hollywood, he's the King of L.A., blah, blah, blah.' I'm just Matt Leinart, quarterback, someone who's had a great opportunity to meet a lot of cool people. It's really that simple."

Yeah, right. If Leinart is a normal 22-year-old, Paris Hilton is a wallflower...

...Broadway Joe to Madison Ave. Matt?

"It would be a dream come true for Leinart if he's focused on endorsements," says Marc Ganis, a Chicago-based consultant on sports business and marketing. "Playing quarterback for the Jets is still one of the glamour positions in the NFL, going back to Joe Namath. Even if he has only modest success on the field, he'd be huge off the field."...