There aren't too many teams that can say their mascot beat up another mascot. Well, in 2007, the Oregon Ducks mascot did just that by beating up the Houston Cougars mascot. The best part is at the very end when "Puddles," the fighting duck, began to do a pelvic thrust in the cougars face!!! Hahah, that was hilarious. So do you think the U of O mascot, "puddles" the fighting duck, is the coolest ever?

Adam France

You can follow Ryan at twitter.com/SportsGuyUtah.

There's sure to be plenty of opportunity for debate on the strength/weakness and win-ability of the BYU Cougars' 2011 football schedule.

The one hand is decrying the subpar teams on the schedule which are sure to invite the stink eye from the BCS elite (who coincidentally love to pad the first four weeks with automatic W's that don't even require travel outside the immediate region).

Others claim the schedule is brutal, leaving the Cougars no shot at national prominence this year.

Some say too tough. Others say too easy.

The fact is, they're both right.

The 2011 campaign will be a Tale of Two Seasons. The Cougars run a gauntlet on the road that would make Hannibal tremble.

That brutal trail is married with a home lineup with more cupcakes than a Little Debbie's box.

But what will that translate to in terms of wins and losses? Let's discuss, shall we?

Begin Slideshow

Jeff Evans

The first PAC 12 Championship Game will be held on Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET when the UCLA Bruins travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR to play the Oregon Ducks. The Bruins are 6-6 and are coming off a 50-0 blowout loss to their main rival, the USC Trojans. UCLA has been far from stellar this season, and even suffered an embarrassing loss to the non-BCS Houston Cougars in week one. 

Chris Rutledge

The Rebels lost to FCS opponent, Jacksonville State, in the opening weekend of the 2010 season. This cannot be good for Houston Nutt. This is unacceptable anywhere in the nation, but even more so in the SEC. Fans in the South are by far the most diehard in the country and they aren't going to be able to forgive and forget this loss. It was terrible. An FCS opponent is not supposed to beat a FBS team. It was already being whispered that he was on the hot seat prior to the season after falling far short of expectations last year. After this loss, his seat is scorching hot and it is going to be difficult for him to survive, in my opinion. This could be his last coaching stint anywhere. I don't think Nutt is going to be around another year, but what do you think? Is this Houston Nutt's last year as the Ole Miss Rebels head coach?

Brian Johnson

After finally defeating the colts on opening day, can we consider the Texans a playoff contender?

Beshara Hireish

Provo • When a scholarship offer — albeit one that will be delayed for six months — came from BYU football coaches on Tuesday afternoon, Lone Peak High defensive back and receiver Micah Hannemann didn’t hesitate for a minute.

"I committed on the spot," said the 6-foot-1, 185-pound star, who will be a senior this fall at the school in northern Utah County.

Cougar coaches told Hannemann they will most likely be out of scholarships for defensive backs for the fall of 2012, so Hannemann will "gray-shirt" that fall. That means he will take a limited number of classes, and attend team meetings, but can’t practice with the team.

He will sign a financial aid agreement in 2013 will probably play for the Cougars that year before going on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he said.

"I’ve always dreamed of going to BYU, ever since I was a little kid," he said.

Hannemann’s older brother, Jacob, signed with BYU in 2010 but is currently on a church mission.

Micah Hannemann said he got his first offer, from Southern Utah, at the All-Poly Camp last weekend. He attended a camp at Utah on Monday, and believes the Utes were close to extending an offer.

Utah coaches talked to him about playing receiver for them, but Hannemann says BYU will likely use him as a free safety or boundary corner.

"I am excited," he said. "I’ve wanted this [offer from BYU] for a long time."

Hannemann figures he had 50 tackles and five interceptions for Lone Peak last fall as a defensive back. As a lightly used receiver, he caught one touchdown pass. He was a first-team All-Region and honorable mention All-State selection.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay

Jeff Evans

HOUSTON (AP) - A West Point cadet and former Army football player is suing veteran R&B diva Patti LaBelle, saying she ordered her bodyguards to beat him up as he waited for a ride home outside a Houston airport terminal.

The lawsuit alleges the cadet, Richard King, was waiting for his brother and father to pick him up outside one of the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11, when three of LaBelle's bodyguards attacked him. King was in Houston, his hometown, while on spring break from West Point.

"Apparently, defendant LaBelle believed King was standing too close to her (no doubt expensive) luggage, even though he was oblivious to her presence and the danger he was in," according to King's lawsuit, which was filed in Houston civil court on Wednesday and also names the bodyguards, the airport and a taxi dispatcher as co-defendants. "LaBelle lowered the window of her limousine and gave a command to her bodyguards. They sprang into action."

One of King's lawyers, John Raley, said the alleged attacked resulted in a concussion and lingering dizziness and headaches for his client. The lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages.

LaBelle's publicist did not immediately return a telephone call Friday seeking comment.

The Philadelphia native's singing career has spanned more than four decades and includes several hit records and two Grammy Awards.

A surveillance video from the airport provided by King's lawyer and reviewed by The Associated Press showed King, 23, talking on a cell phone when one of LaBelle's bodyguards appeared to push up against him. It appeared that King then pushed him back. Raley said King did not push back but was only trying to protect himself from a punch.

After that, the bodyguard and two other individuals then pushed and punched King, hitting him in the face and knocking him to the ground.

In the video, the bodyguards could be seen towering over King and then moving away when King unsuccessfully tried several times to get up off the ground. Police eventually came over and helped King. The video then cuts to King, who has a bandage on his head and blood on his yellow sweater, being placed on an ambulance stretcher. The video ends with two Houston police officers taking photos with LaBelle.

LaBelle "was a full participant in the cruel attack on King," the lawsuit said. "She ordered it, and never tried to stop it."

One of the individuals involved in the incident, Zuri Edwards, told police King hit him after he asked the cadet to back away from the limousine that LaBelle was in, said Kese Smith, a Houston police spokesman.

Edwards, who said he was the limo driver, and a bodyguard both told police King appeared to be intoxicated, Smith said. The investigating officer also noted in his report that King appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. The police report named King as the suspect in the incident.

Raley said King had a few drinks on the flight to Houston but denied he was intoxicated.

Edwards declined to press charges and the case is still open, Smith said. Raley said King is still considering pressing charges.

King, a starting defensive back who was second on Army's team with four interceptions as a senior last season, was told by his doctors he can never play football again because of his injuries, Raley said. King is the grandson of former Texas Tech University football coach J.T. King.

Houston police reported the incident to West Point, which suspended King for at least one year and ordered he go on active duty.

"Our hope is West Point will watch the video and reevaluate the situation and recognize that Richard King is innocent and should not be punished in any way," Raley said.

Jeff Evans

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The Big East is now officially on the clock. The league has until September 2012 to determine its football membership because that's when ESPN's 60-day exclusive media rights renegotiating window with the league begins.

So what schools will the Big East add? Numerous candidates have been mentioned including Villanova, Central Florida, East Carolina and Houston. However, college industry sources told CBSSports.com the league is also considering the possibility of pursuing Army and Navy as football members to get to 12 teams.

"I believe the league will approach the academies first and if they turn the Big East down, then they'll approach the other candidates," a college football industry source said. "There are a lot of hurdles to overcome. The Big East would have to convince them that's where they want to be."

UCF
	UCF has been playing football since 1979, moving to I-AA in 1990 and I-A in 1996.
TV market rank: No. 19 (Orlando, Fla.)
Final BCS rankings: No. 25
Highest BCS ranking: No. 25 (Dec. 5, 2010)
Football budget: $8.5 million
Athletic department budget: $35.6 million
Record vs. AQ BCS teams since 2005: 2-16
Average home attendance since 2007: 40,353
East Carolina
	East Carolina has been playing major college football since 1966, while joining Conference USA in 1997.
TV market rank: No. 25 (Raleigh-Durham)
Final BCS rankings: None
Highest BCS ranking: Never been ranked
Football budget: $8.9 million
Athletic department budget: $29.3 million
Record vs. AQ BCS teams since 2005: 7-16
Average home attendance since 2007: 43,728
Houston
	Houston has played major college football since 1949, joining the Southwest Conference in 1976 and C-USA in 1996.
TV market rank: No. 10 (Houston)
Final BCS rankings: None
Highest BCS ranking: 15th (twice in 2009)
Football budget: $8.2 million
Athletic department budget: $31.5 million
Record vs. AQ BCS teams since 2005: 5-10
Average home attendance since 2007: 25,006
Army
	Army has been playing football since 1890. It was a member of Conference USA from 1998-2004, before becoming Independent.
TV market rank: No. 1 (New York)
Final BCS rankings: None
Highest BCS ranking: Never been ranked
Football budget: N/A
Athletic department budget: N/A
Record vs. AQ BCS teams since 2005: 3-18
Average home attendance since 2007: 29,608
Average neutral site attendance: 58,605
Navy
	Navy has been playing football since 1879. It has never been a member of a conference.
TV market rank: No. 9 (Washington D.C.)
Final BCS rankings: None
Highest BCS ranking: Never been ranked
Football budget: N/A
Athletic department budget: N/A
Record vs. AQ BCS teams since 2005: 14-17
Average home attendance since 2007: 33,405
Average neutral site attendance: 63,275

The league would be attracted to Army and Navy because of their national appeal and also because the schools could join as football-only members. If they joined, along with another member, to get the Big East to 12 schools, a championship game would be on the table.

If the academies are the answer, would they be open to moving the Army-Navy game from its customary December spot to November? It's been nearly 30 years since the Army-Navy game was played around Thanksgiving. Plus the schools already have television deals with CBS Sports Network and future bowl agreements in place.

A conference schedule would also limit both schools' scheduling flexibility. However, the Big East could make all of those "hurdles" easier to manage for the academies with a huge annual payday as part of the league's new media rights deal.

Also, Army (which had an unsuccessful run in Conference USA from 1998-2004) and Navy must consider their futures as independents. They're both in good shape now, but what about five years from now as the power leagues grow stronger and the financial and competitive gaps between the automatic qualifying BCS schools and non-AQ BCS schools continue to widen?

If Army and Navy have an opportunity to join a BCS league, is it an offer they can refuse?

"I don't think there's a clear-cut answer for the Big East," said Neal Pilson, former President of CBS Sports. "You look at increasing the footprint, but it's not just the size of the market. It also has to do with the loyalty in their markets.

"Generally speaking, teams that come from larger markets are more attractive for a TV carrier, but a small team market like Green Bay is hugely important."

Added another college industry source: "There are a lot of tentacles in what the league is trying to do."

Villanova, UCF, East Carolina and Houston would love an offer to join the Big East football ranks. Just a year ago, Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the league was waiting on Villanova's decision on whether to move up from FCS to FBS. The Wildcats now are ready to make the move, but the Big East has put its invitation on hold because of concerns where Villanova will play its home games.

Of all the expansion candidates, Villanova brings the nation's fourth-biggest television market in Philadelphia and one of the top FCS programs, having won the 2009 FCS national title and advancing to the 2010 FCS semifinals.

Also in Villanova's favor is that it is already a member in all other sports so it gets to vote whether to admit itself as a football member. Still, the Wildcats would need 11 of the remaining 15 all-sport members to vote in their favor. By the way, Marinatto said ¾ of the membership must approve what teams to add. TCU joins the league on July 1, 2012, so if the teams aren't voted on until after July 1, 2012, TCU gets a vote and each team then must get approval from 13 of the 17 schools.

Besides the academies and Villanova, the most obvious candidates -- and currently the strongest football programs -- are from Conference USA: UCF, East Carolina and Houston.

Each one offers its share of positives and negatives for the league and the consensus among league personnel is that there isn't a clear-cut favorite or pecking order among the three C-USA schools.

Houston is located in the nation's fourth-largest city and has the biggest TV market (No. 10) of the three. The Cougars also are building a new $120 million football stadium, projected to be completed by 2013.

UCF would give the Big East two schools in Florida, guaranteeing the league's schools one trip a year to the state's fertile recruiting grounds. The Knights also would have the largest enrollment in the Big East.

East Carolina, whose TV market (ranked No. 25) is surprisingly close to UCF's No. 19 Orlando TV market, has led C-USA in attendance the past three seasons and had the second-highest non-AQ home attendance average last season (49,665).

East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland would not specifically address the Pirates' interest in the Big East, but did address with CBSSports.com whether ECU could compete in any conference. Houston AD Mack Rhoades and UCF AD Keith Tribble declined comment for this story.

"I believe that East Carolina's ability to compete with most of the institutions in the conferences with automatic qualification has been proven on the field, in the stands and by the marketplace," Holland said.

Since 2005, the Pirates have seven wins against AQ BCS conferences; the second most of the Big East candidates behind Navy's 14-17 record vs. AQ BCS teams.

Holland also referenced the 2009 Liberty Bowl between East Carolina and Arkansas, which drew a 10.3 rating (2.4 million households) on ESPN in the combined markets of Greenville, Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte, N.C., compared to the 2008 Holiday Bowl between TCU and Boise State, which drew a 5.1 rating (2.4 million households) in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Holland added the Pirates' attendance numbers -- they would have ranked fourth last year in the Big East in attendance (49,665) -- will increase when ECU's stadium expands to 60,000 in 2016.

The downside to adding any of the C-USA schools is they likely would require membership in all sports, meaning the basketball league could grow from 17 to possibly 20.

"That's the trade off," a source said. "You build up football, but it makes basketball more unwieldy."

A CBSSports.com survey of the league's football coaches reveals that group wants to expand to 12 teams. And that's also why UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun predicted the league's football and basketball teams would split in four-to-five years.

"What a television network would look at as far as upcoming negotiations is how can it become more valuable?" Pilson said. "One way of doing that is expanding into cities and states that they're not already there. Another thing is the value of a conference championship game. My guess is they're looking at getting to 12 to stage a championship game, which has significant value."

Marinatto said the league looks to take advantage of being the final AQ BCS league without a new media rights deal with the possibility of ESPN, NBC/Comcast and Fox all bidding on the Big East.

"There's no easy answer," a college industry source said. "Is there some desire to [expanding] just to have a championship game? Not every conference wants one.

"When the league is firm what they want to do about expansion they will look at three things: market size, academic fit and the football program. They have to have all three to be a serious candidate. There's no reason to expand to have worse football."

And with all the possibilities out there, there remains another very real one: the league could choose to stay at nine teams and not expand. Fortunately we'll know in 16 months. The clock is ticking.

Jeff Evans

Provo • Almost a year after his plea to BYU for re-admittance so he could play his senior season of football for the Cougars was denied, the school’s all-time leading rusher is hoping and praying. literally, that another high-profile BYU athlete is treated differently.

Harvey Unga, now a member of the Chicago Bears, wants to see basketball star Brandon Davies put back on the team this fall — even if it means Davies gets lesser punishment for violating the school’s honor code than Unga did last year.

“I’m definitely praying for him,” Unga said. “I don’t wish what happened to me on anybody, regardless of their personal issues. I hope the university allows him back, even if that means they go lighter on him than me.”

Unga voluntarily withdrew from the school at the end of the winter semester in 2010, but in mid-May, he was told by dean of students Vern Heperi that he wouldn’t be allowed back until January 2011, at the earliest. Unga then opted to enter his name in last July’s NFL supplemental draft, where he was picked by the Bears.

Both players ran afoul of the honor code for having premarital sex. Davies’ violation came to light last March, at the end of the 2010-11 regular season. He was allowed to finish the winter semester, but he withdrew from school in April, missing the spring and summer blocks of classes that basketball players at BYU traditionally take. He has been told by university officials that he can return to the school — and the basketball team — this fall, if he meets certain, unspecified conditions.

Unga said Tuesday that the 6-foot-9 Davies, whom he calls a good friend, is “on the right track” to get back. Shortly after Davies’ situation cast the national spotlight on BYU and its honor code, Unga said he and former Cougar basketball star Mekeli Wesley took a lunch to Davies’ house and spent hours consoling and advising him.

“To be honest, that is one of the most challenging experiences that any young man could face in his life, especially with all the scrutiny and public embarrassment that he had to go through,” Unga said. “I think he definitely learned from this whole experience, and I hope [school officials] see that, more than anything else.”

Unga is one of a dozen or so former BYU football players who will conduct a football camp July 11 (grades four through six) and July 12 (grades seven through 12) at Provo High School.

Go to www.nxtlevelfootballcamp.com for registration information. Other former Cougars scheduled to run the camp include Chris Warner, John Beck, Cameron Jensen, Jonny Harline and Bryan Kehl.

Having had more than a year to think about how his sensational BYU career abruptly ended, Unga said he still doesn’t harbor any bitterness toward the university or the football program. Without their leading rusher, the Cougars went 7-6 last year after a 1-4 start.

“You make mistakes and break rules, and there are consequences that come with that,” Unga said. “Unfortunately for me, I faced those consequences. But I am not going to sit here and point fingers at anybody else and make myself try to feel better by doing that.

“I take full responsibility for my actions, and if there is anybody that should be bitter, it should be my old teammates and coaches, who had to see me leave under those circumstances. There’s no bitterness at all, on my end.”

Unga spent his rookie season in the NFL on the injured-reserve list due to a hamstring injury suffered in training camp. Having signed a nonguaranteed, four-year contract last July, he is optimistic about his future with the Bears, providing that the owners’ lockout ends before the season begins.

Unga and his wife, former BYU women’s basketball star Keilani Moeaki, have been spending most of their time in Provo since February, and they recently moved everything out of their apartment in Chicago because their lease was up. They will celebrate their son Jackson’s first birthday in early July.

“It’s funny,” Unga said. “Keilani won’t let him carry a football. She’s always putting a basketball in his hands.”

Unga has been working out under the tutelage of David Stroshine and says he’s fully recovered from the hamstring injury and ready to play football.

Jeff Evans

On Thursday, September 9, 2011 the Arizona Wildcats visit the Oklahoma State Cowboys in week two of the 2011 college football season. Last week, the PAC 12 looked shaky: 

Brian Johnson

Below is a list of the College Football Hot Seat Ratings for the 2011-12 season. Only one coach got the dreaded "5" rating -- Washington State's Paul Wulff, who has a record of 5-32 at the school. New Mexico's Mike Locksley has a 4.5, while Illinois' Ron Zook, Tulane's Bob Toledo and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel all have ratings of 4.

Note: The number of years in the chart below includes the upcoming season.

Jeff Evans

"Gideon the Hippie Minister" returned for another visit to the College World Series, and members of a nearby church are glad he did.

Texas fan Peter Manry, an ordained minister, has attended almost all the games in Omaha, Neb., since the late 1980s.

He makes the 900-mile drive from his Houston home with his dog, Bonnie, and each year he donates thousands of T-shirts he brings along to the First Christian Church in neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. Most shirts are leftovers from Houston-area road races. Local missions can't use the shirts, Manry said, and many are sold as rags.

"We take them to somebody that needs a change of clothes," he said.

This year's trip carries a bonus. His Longhorns and rival Texas A&M Aggies are in Omaha.

"We always come up, whether the team comes or not, to bring a little Texas flavor," he said.

Proud Cal dad

Sunday was an extra special Father's Day for Roy Johnson. He got to watch his son, Erik, pitch California's CWS opener against Virginia.

"This is immensely pleasing, unbelievable," Roy Johnson said. "It's a dream come true."

The Johnsons, from Los Altos, Calif., were worried for Erik's future when the Cal administration announced last fall it would be cutting the program in 2012. That was before Erik, a junior, was drafted in the second round by the Chicago White Sox.

The Cal baseball program was reinstated after a $9 million fundraising effort wrapped up in April.

After the tension of the offseason and early part of this season, the trip to the CWS is a nice way to end it.

"I still have to pinch myself in the morning to make sure I'm awake," Roy Johnson said while watching Cal's batting practice. "It doesn't seem real."

Jeff Evans

The Cowboys have been the big boys in the state of Texas forever. However, the Houstan Texans have been slowly but surely building a great team and catching up over the years. This year, the Texans are 2-0 and the Cowboys are 0-2. Are the Texans now already the best team in Texas? If they beat Dallas this weekend, will that make Houstan the best team in Texas

Dan Johnson