In battle of Bowdens, Dad has last laugh

NCAA Football Betting Lines

02/07/2007 -

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -A year ago, it was Clemson and coach Tommy Bowden getting the last laugh with tailback C.J. Spiller's surprise selection of the Tigers over powers such as Florida and Florida State.

This time, Bowden's father, Bobby, did the chuckling Wednesday after receiver Markish Jones switched from the Tigers to the Seminoles.

When the Bowdens, who open next season against each other in a nationally televised Labor Day night matchup, spoke later in the day, what did dear old Dad say about his tactics?

``I couldn't understand him. He wouldn't stop laughing,'' Tommy Bowden said Wednesday. ``But then again, I was laughing on C.J.''

There weren't as many smiles with Clemson's latest class of 22 recruits. Although Bowden snagged highly regarded defensive end Kourtnei Brown out of Charlotte, N.C., earlier Wednesday, Clemson did not get to bring in receiver Dwight Jones and running back Jo Jo Cox, reportedly for academic concerns.

``I learned a long time ago, worry about the ones you got, don't worry about the ones you didn't get,'' Bowden said. ``I'm more concerned about who we got and where we go from here.''

Clemson's class does feature quarterback Willy Korn, who committed two summers ago and is already enrolled.

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BOWL BOUNTY: The historic back-to-back bowl seasons are paying off for Rutgers.

Coach Greg Schiano announced a recruiting class that includes two players - offensive lineman Anthony Davis and linebacker Manny Abreu - who are considered among the best in the country at their position, along with several other players considered among the best in New Jersey.

National recruiting publications have ranked the class in the top two or three dozen in the country, and some consider it the second-best in the Big East behind Pittsburgh.

``I think it says that we're a big school,'' Schiano said. ``We just haven't been that successful on the big football stage. We've started that process, and now we've got to continue it. But it does say a lot.''

The Scarlet Knights are coming off consecutive breakthrough years: a bowl berth in 2005 for the first time in 27 years, followed by an 11-2 record, a No. 7 ranking and first bowl victory in 2006. They were ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll, four years after finishing 1-11 in Schiano's second season.

The signing of the 6-foot-6, 350-pound Davis, who had been coveted by Ohio State and other big-time programs, was a major coup for a school that perennially has watched the best players leave the state.

Abreu was considered one of the top 10 recruits in New Jersey along with Davis and two other Rutgers signees, Mason Robinson, a running back from Somerville and defensive end Keith Newell of Trenton Central.

Reinforcing his concept of turning New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area into ``The State of Rutgers,'' 10 of Schiano's 21 signed recruits are from New Jersey, including defensive end Alex Silvestro of Paulsboro in talent-rich southern New Jersey.

He also signed five players from Florida - where he coached as an assistant at Miami in the late 1990s.

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UPGRADING LIONS: Solid, but not flashy. No, it's not Joe Paterno's wardrobe of black sneakers and khaki pants.

It's how analysts are describing the 21 recruits who formally declared their intentions to attend Penn State.

Even so, two major recruiting services - Scout.com and Rivals.com - rated the Nittany Lions' 2007 haul among the Top 25 in the country.

``It's a strong class ... not heavy on the skill positions, but that wasn't an area of need for them,'' said Rivals analyst Mike Farrell. ``It's not as talented from top to bottom as last year's class.''

A top priority was building depth on the maligned offensive line, with three experienced players including standout tackle Levi Brown having graduated.

Among the newcomers are J.B. Walton and in-state products Josh Marks and Stefen Wisniewski.

Wisniewski is the most highly rated and he has a pedigree, too. His father and uncle played at Penn State.

Paterno also uncharacteristically signed two junior college linemen in Ako Poti of Daly City, Calif., and Nerraw McCormack of New York. Analysts said it had been at least two decades since JoePa went the junior college route.

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MUM'S THE WORD: At a news conference to announce the 21 players Michigan added, including quarterback Ryan Mallett and cornerback Donovan Warren, coach Lloyd Carr was asked about the version of his contract he signed Dec. 21.

Carr can collect a deferred compensation account if he is employed by the school in any capacity until July 1, 2008, according to terms of his contract that The Ann Arbor News published two weeks ago. Previously, Carr had to be the head football coach until July 1, 2007, to receive the deferred compensation.

The 61-year-old Carr, who has led the Wolverines for 12 seasons, insisted he didn't recall any recruits questioning his reworked deal.

``At some point here, I'll have something to say about that,'' Carr said. ``You've got access to what's in there, and I really don't have anything to say other than that.''

Despite Carr's uncertain future, Michigan attracted a class that some analysts rank as the Big Ten's best and among the top 10 nationally.

If Carr is coaching the Wolverines in 2008, Mallett could be leading his offense.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound quarterback was Texas' offensive player of the year after throwing for 3,173 yards and 30 touchdowns.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds

Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it. Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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