Heismanpundit

Cal running back Jahvid Best is coming off a fantastic sophomore season and is perhaps the top running back Heisman candidate for 2009.  He is the nation’s leading returning rusher after blazing his way to 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging a phenomenal 8.14 yards per carry (he missed a game or two due to [...]

I’ll have my interview with Jahvid Best, plus Taylor Mays and Jim Harbaugh on Friday.

Everyone says the SEC is the best conference, but don’t tell that to Pete Carroll, who thinks very highly of the Pac-10: “Our conference is so challenging to us.  Year-in and year-out, our toughest games come from in conference.  I can’t imagine any conference better than the Pac-10.  I think it’s the best in the country.  We [...]

Understatement of the day from Jahvid Best: “I like to think I’m one of the fastest players in the Pac-10″. Uh, yeah. Jeff Tedford on Best and his Heisman campaign: “Jahvid is a team-above-self guy all the way.  He knows the team is No. 1.  He is so sincere about that, I don’t have any [...]

Jim Harbaugh personifies Stanford’s–and the Pac-10′s–new-found toughness.  He credited this toughness for the league going 5-0 in bowl games. Said the rather-intense Harbaugh (who was probably a Viking in a past life): “Our guys don’t quit.  They never give up.  You cannot kill them.  You can’t demoralize them, they won’t go away.  Now we have [...]

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said he hopes to see early dividends from the addition of freshmen speedsters Randall Carroll and Damien Thigpen. He lauded the conference for its offensive creativity and pointed out that it doesn’t only apply to the passing game (as has traditionally been the case in the league), but to the running [...]

New Husky coach Steve Sarkisian gave a spirited speech to the assembled media.  He certainly has the gift of gab, which comes in handy when inheriting a team that went 0-12. He noted that quarterback Jack Locker has made a big improvement in his fundamentals since he arrived, highlighted by a 16-for-18 passing performance in the [...]

I’m at the Pac-10 Media Day, which happens to be just a couple miles from where I live.  USC has once again been picked to win the conference.  Here’s the preseason rundown as voted on by the media: 1. USC (28)–316 2. California (3)–277 3. Oregon (1)–250 4. Oregon State–216 5. Arizona State–155 6. Stanford–150 [...]

I’ll be there, blogging for the Orlando Sentinel and also HP.  We’ll talk to Heisman candidate Jahvid Best and I’ll give my observations on the event.

According to this story in The Tennessean.  Good job by the Vols athletic department.  Now, they just need to convince Lane Kiffin to play Berry on offense.