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Making the morning rounds.
• Costa living on the rise. With starter Jeremiah Masoli on ice for the entire 2010 season following his guilty plea to burglary on Friday, Oregon is suddenly in for quite the quarterback competition between up-and-coming sophomore Darron Thomas and snake-bitten senior Nate Costa, who was the original heir apparent to Dennis Dixon in 2008 before a preseason ACL injury opened the door for Masoli to emerge from deep on the depth chart. Costa was the choice when a knee injury held Masoli out last year against UCLA, but he’s endured three major knee surgeries in two years, and Thomas — who whetted fans’ appetites by leading three fourth-quarter touchdown drives in his only significant action after Masoli was knocked out of the 2008 loss to Boise State — figures to be far more dangerous as a runner out of Chip Kelly’s spread option looks. [Oregonian]
• We can always pawn the crystal ball. Alabama dropped a whopping $4.3 million on its appearance in the BCS Championship game in January, almost $2 million more than Texas spent on the trip and likely more than enough to eat up the Tide’s entire payout for the game. (‘Bama was slated to rake in $3.7 million of the $16.4 million payout to the SEC, plus its share of the loot from the league’s other bowl appearances.) The single biggest line item was coaching bonuses, which came to more than $1.2 million, about the same as the price tag for flying the team, staff, band, cheerleaders and school officials. Surprisingly enough, though, both schools had to eat several hundred thousand in tickets they didn’t sell — there were almost 4,000 unsold seats between them. [Birmingham News]
• Football is his oxygen. It sustains him. Whatever lingering doubts still existed about Urban Meyer’s intention to return to Florida’s sideline in time for the start of spring practice were put to bed (again) Friday night, when the workaholic coach told the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi that he “feel[s] good” and is “ready to go” when the Gators kick off on Wednesday. Also of interest in the “More You Know” category: Meyer’s post-signing day trip to Hawaii last month (the one briefly cut short by a tsunami warning) was part of a “vacation junket” for college coaches sponsored by Nike. [Orlando Sentinel]
• I’m a man. I’m at pro day. LSU’s “Pro Day” workouts for various scouts today will include an unfamiliar face around Baton Rouge, former Oklahoma State and Texas Southern quarterback Bobby Reid, best remembered as the subject of perhaps the greatest coaching tirade in history in his defense in 2007:
Reid is reuniting today with the coach who brought him to Oklahoma State, Les Miles, who “happily agreed” to allow his most high-profile OSU recruit to make his pro push with the Tigers. Reid has always had the prototypical size and athleticism, but hasn’t played at all since a season-ending injury in 2008: “I’m past excited. I’m getting ready to go. I’ve been training so long and I’m ready to let it fly on Monday.” [Associated Press]
• Bracketology for dummies. In honor of the ever exciting “Selection Sunday” in basketball, the pro-bracket lobbyists at Playoff PAC already have next year’s BCS tournament bracket available for download. Anyone up for hosting a bracket pool? [Playoff PAC]
Quickly … Mississippi State defensive end Sean Ferguson, a part-time starter last year, was charged with misdemeanor pot possession during a traffic stop last week. … A profile of USC’s new “singular assistant,” special teams coach John Baxter. … … And try as they might, the New York Times and other pay-to-read models are going to have a hard time forcing the butterfly back into the cocoon.