(US Presswire)It's hard to let go of the past. And it must be especially hard for the SEC to let go of the memorable Derek Dooley era at Tennessee.

So hard that the operator on the weekly teleconference asked if there were questions "for Coach Dooley" Wednesday, three days after Dooley was fired, according to @CBSSportsSEC:

Well then. Interim coach Jim Chaney, who did answer those Tennessee football questions, said, "There's nothing normal about the week," and that certainly isn't surprising.

(US Presswire)The NCAA has no subpoena power, and has no power to get people outside of its jurisdiction (such as current athletes or coaches) to cooperate in an investigation. So, in the Miami case, the NCAA is using what little leverage it has with former Hurricanes players.

The NCAA, according to the Miami Herald, sent a letter to former Hurricanes players implicated in the Nevin Shapiro allegations telling them they either talk to the NCAA, or the NCAA will simply believe they are guilty of Shapiro's claims.

Every year about this time of year, seniors say their tearful good-byes to the football program, fans and friends who have played a major role for the previous four or five years.

But when Penn State seniors take the field Sunday, the emotion will be multiplied. Senior cornerback Stephon Morris earlier this week gave a candid answer about the feelings he'll experience when he runs out of the tunnel for the final time on Saturday.

(AP)

Jeff Tedford's firing has not sat well with a lot of former Cal players, least of all current Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers, who was a junior college transfer and ended up being a first-round draft pick, lashed out on his weekly radio show Tuesday, chastising those involved in pushing Tedford out.

"It's a terrible, terrible decision," Rodgers told 540 ESPN in Wisconsin. "And it's disrespectful too."

(AP)USC quarterback Max Wittek might be short on experience, but he seems to be long on confidence.

Even though Saturday's game against No. 1 Notre Dame will be Wittek's first start and first extensive playing time, Wittek has no doubt he can handle the challenge.

"We haven't got the full game plan yet, but from what I can tell, we're going to play our offense, whatever coach [Lane] Kiffin feels comfortable giving me," Wittek told ESPN Radio in Los Angeles. "If he wants to air it out, let's air it out. If he wants to pound it on the ground, let's do that. Like I said, I'm going to go out there, I'm going to play within myself, within the system, and we're going to win this ballgame."

Look at Wittek, throwing down guarantees like an old pro.

(US Presswire)

It was August when Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour gave a ringing endorsement of coach Jeff Tedford and said he was not on the hot seat this season.

Oh, how a 3-9 season changes things.

Tuesday, the university announced it was cutting ties with Tedford, who had amassed an 82-57 record in 11 seasons.

"This was an extraordinarily difficult decision, one that required a thorough and thoughtful analysis of a complex set of factors," Barbour said. "Ultimately, I believed that we needed a change in direction to get our program back on the right track."

We all know Arkansas fans are desperate to find a coach to bring Arkansas to prominence, but I don't think anyone could fully grasp how desperate until this video surfaced this week.

(@BryanAGraham)Ain't being No. 1 grand, Notre Dame?

Media are swarming the campus, fan excitement is at a fever pitch, and Sports Illustrated puts you on the cover for the week.

Wait, that last part isn't so good.

The SI cover curse in not myth, ask Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein.

Klein was on the cover last week after the Wildcats moved to No. 1 in the BCS standings by virtue of Alabama's loss to Texas A&M.

[Related: Irish top BCS standings]

By the following Sunday, the Wildcats had been ousted from the No. 1 spot courtesy of a 52-24 loss to Baylor (a Baylor team whose only conference win was Kansas). The Wildcats dropped to No. 6 in the national standings with no hope of a BCS national championship berth and Klein slipped from the coveted top of the Heisman list.