Links and videos from recent happenings around the sporting world. If you come across good articles, videos, etc. – please pass them along, I’d love to take a look.

College Football:

Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd was reinstated last Wednesday putting the Irish’s high expectations back on track for the season. It was only a matter of time before coach Brian Kelly reinstated his best player..

The pay-for-play debate has been a hot-topic for the last year or so and George Schroeder nails it – For the NCAA, dollars don’t make sense.

Photo via kval.com

The Humanitarian Bowl got a makeover as the Idaho Potato Commission became the title sponsor of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (no joke). Here’s some more info about Boise’s bowl game - despite all the jokes, the new logo (pictured above) has been well received.

The nation’s top dual-threat high school quarterback Jameis Winston committed to Florida State last week. If Jimbo Fisher actually has the Noles “back” in national title contention, lookout for the next several years.

Boise State head coach Chris Petersen was on the Dan Patrick Show last week and said the Blue turf isn’t going anywhere. Now we should probably check with athletic director Gene Bleymaier since he was fine with getting rid of the all-blue unis on the blue turf in the first place.

Pre-season polls – especially the coaches poll – are pretty much complete garbage but the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll was released last week with Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, LSU and Florida State rounding out the top-5. The top non-AQs in the poll are Boise State at #7 and TCU at #15.  I’d have to say the most overrated teams appear to be Stanford, Auburn, Florida, and Texas – it’s amazing what a well known name can do for you!

ESPN Bloggers Ted Miller and Adam Rittenberg do a great job explaining downside of a nine-game conference schedule that ultimately impacts the conference’s (Pac-12 and Big Ten) reputation.

Oregon’s encore begins with new big men on campus according to Dr. Saturday. If the Ducks can shore up some concerns on the offensive and defensive lines, they have plenty of playmakers to get the ball in the end zone.

Jimbo Fisher’s son Ethan is battling a rare disorder called Fanconi anemia that causes bone marrow failure but the family is committed to finding a cure. The family created the Kidz 1st Fund to raise awareness and research funds to find a cure for Fanconi anemia. Mr. College Football also wrote a good piece about the issues facing Ethan and the Fisher family – For FSU’s Fisher, the toughest fight is off the field.

Photo via zimbio.com

As if you needed anymore reason to love college football, SI.com’s Andy Staples and Stewart Mandel teamed up to provide 10 reasons to love college football. The list is good and includes Andrew Luck, Utah joining the big boys and more, but I was surprised Kellen Moore – soon-to-be college football’s winningest quarterback – didn’t make the list.

Pat Forde of ESPN.com wrote a great piece about the touchiest situation in team sports: a close quarterback competition which Texas appears to be facing as they head into the season.

Utah’s move to the Pac-12 and their success (or failure) will have far reaching implications regarding the perception of BCS-Busters. Unfortunately this doesn’t appear to be one of Utah’s better teams, but it will be interesting to see how they fare in the new conference.

Kellen Moore’s final season at Boise State will be full of change but don’t expect the Broncos to struggle thanks to Kellen’s consistency, calm demeanor and  leadership abilities.

The Lache Seastrunk, Willie Lyles and Oregon mess that hangs over Eugene really isn’t about Seastrunk but until a resolution is found, the cloud will continue to hover.  Ted Millers is on point with this one – Seastrunk has been thrown under the spotlight for not doing much wrong.

Harvey Updyke is being tried for allegedly poisoning Auburn’s beloved oak trees but to understand why someone would do this, you have to look at the fan’s roots. This is great stuff about Updyke and the trees on Toomer’s corner from SI’s Tommy Tomlinson.

Soccer:

SI’s soccer guru Grant Wahl caught up with new U.S. National Soccer Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann who talked about developing an attacking style of play, how he will pick a captain, when the U.S. could win the World Cup and more. I can’t wait to see what Klinsmann can do with our national team.

ESPN appears to be Giving Klinsmann’s Debut The Royal Treatment as the U.S. faces Mexico in a friendly tonight.  I’m not expecting miracles (yet) but I am excited to see the new direction of the team.

There’s no doubt that Alex Morgan is a rising star for women’s soccer after graduating a semester early at Cal and her great showing at the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Get used to hearing her name for the next decade or so.

Surfing:

I couldn’t have said this any better so I’ll just quote it from the article – “Behind surfing’s wall of silence, managers, sponsors, and the sport’s governing body knew Andy Irons had a problem. Now some of them are finally ready to talk about it.” Brad Melekian provides details and insights into AI’s drug use that ultimately contributed to his death. It’s a little long, but definitely worth the read.

Surfer Magazine staff photographer Jason Childs shared and described his 10 favorite shots.

2011 Brawl In McCall:

Photo via LaxAllStars.com

I played in the 2011 Brawl in McCall was last weekend and several stories/articles have been written about event so I thought I would pass them along:

- Brawl In McCall Lacrosse Tournament Review – Lacrosse All Stars
- Brawl In McCall Lacrosse Tournament Photo Blog – Lacrosse All Stars
- Caption Contest (winner gets a Team LAS Lax All Summer tank) - Lacrosse All Stars
- 2011 Brawl in McCall Recap, Part 1 (provides a good history of the tourney) – Idaho Lax Reporter
- Brawling in McCall with Team LaxAllStars – Bradyboy2121
- Drofdarb’s LAS Helmet Evolution & Brawl In McCall Recap – Yours Truly

Miscellaneous:

I haven’t had the chance to read the whole thing, but ESPN The Magazine’s Jon Mooallem explores the history and mystery of the high five.  It has to be good!

I haven’t been able to read this one either but several people have recommended it – Getting Bin Laden: What happened that night in Abbottabad. I’m hoping to get a chance to read it today.

Any good articles or videos I missed? Happy Humpday Everyone!