(Butch Dill/AP)

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel stepped on a media relations landmine Tuesday when asked about his thoughts regarding Joe Paterno and the situation at Penn State.

He could have taken the road many have already taken by simply saying the situation was unfortunate. Instead, he decided to defend Paterno, an action that isn't winning him any popularity contests.

"Joe Paterno's a friend that I got to know professionally, and you can't take away the greatness of this man," Pinkel said. "He was a great man. However you analyze this, you can't erase all that this guy's done. You can't do that. Nobody can do that."

Preseason award watch lists are usually forgettable.

They're a long compilation of players — some you've heard of and some you haven't — who may or may not live up to the expectations set forth in July.

And while these list are usually scanned and trashed, one school is taking its watch list nomination very seriously.

After the Biletnikoff Award watch list touting the nation's best receiver was released Tuesday, Louisiana Tech released a flier (top left) campaigning for their nominee, Quinton Patton, to win before he even takes a 2012 snap.

But hey, the Bulldogs get high marks for creativity by playing on the promotional poster from the movie Patton. George C. Scott would be proud.

(Reuters)

State College was atwitter Tuesday morning as a small plane flying a curious banner circled the Penn State campus.

"TAKE THE STATUE DOWN OR WE WILL"

The statue in question, of course, is the one of Penn State legendary coach Joe Paterno. The fate of the bronzed coach has caused quite the debate after Paterno was implicated in covering up child sexual assault by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

The Texas-Texas A&M rivalry might be riding off into the sunset for the foreseeable future, but that didn't stop the Longhorn Network from adding a little parting shot for good measure.

On the info page for the "Goodbye to A&M" program, the Longhorn Network wishes the Aggies luck in their new conference — the ACC.

"Longhorn Network presents a special on Texas A&M moving to the ACC. An old rivalry has come to an end."

Now, this was probably an editing mistake, but given the levels of vitriol between Texas and Texas A&M it's totally possible it was on purpose.

Too bad they can't settle this one on the field.

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Thanks to astute Doc Sat reader Gabe, who found this gem.

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(Getty Images)

Preseason polls rank teams based on previous results, roster and potential, but when the teams actually step on the field, many often fail to live up to expectations. Last year was no exception. Several teams missed the mark on their preseason expectations, but none more than the five you'll read about this week.

Each day this week, the Doc will uncover the top 5 most underachieving teams of 2011 beginning with No. 5 and then we'll tell you what to expect in 2012. Notre Dame came in as the nation's fifth-most underachieving team. Here's No. 4:

No. 4 Nebraska

2011: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten)

There were high hopes for Nebraska heading into its first Big Ten season, especially coming off a 10-4 campaign in its final year in the Big 12. Quarterback Taylor Martinez was healthy after being hampered by an sore ankle in 2010 and the Huskers had arguably one of the best defenses in the country. So it was no surprise Nebraska was ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll and No. 11 in the USA Today

Your favorite superheroes are swooping in on your favorite game.

Marvel and Russell Athletic have paired up to create the Marvel Super Hero-Russell Athletic Collegiate apparel program that will link Marvel's famous superheroes with collegiate logos across the country.

And the results are pretty cool.

Who wouldn't want to see their favorite team or alma mater on a T-shirt with the Hulk, Thor and others? It's definitely a win for those fans who love college football, but watch a little G4 on the side.

The apparel will hit college bookstores, arenas and sporting goods stores in August just in time for the season.

As an aside... Yeah, I know I got my DC and Marvel characters twisted. A big no-no in the comic world. Lesson learned. My pass to Comic Con has been revoked and I am no longer allowed to watch the Avengers movie. I will never again make the mistake. Honestly, I'm a big fan of Thor because of Adventures in Babysitting.

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While the NCAA has said it's going to need some time to sort out the information from the Freeh Report, which revealed Penn State's knowledge of the child sexual abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, NCAA president Mark Emmert seems to be leaning toward potentially bringing down the hammer on the university and potentially issuing the NCAA's dreaded "death penalty" — if he can prove there were football-related violations.

With the summer coming to end, it's time to reflect back on all those things you during your time off. For Oregon coach Chip Kelly, that reflection is probably a blur of running and red and really big horns and mass panic.

That's right, the coach of one of the nation's most fast-paced offenses participated in one of the world's most fast-paced events by running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.