Texas Longhorns

Graham Hays and ESPNW caught up with Texas softball legend Cat Osterman and found her not far from the 40 Acres and still loving softball.

Softball has been Cat Osterman's ticket to some of the world's biggest stages and grandest destinations. Her ability to make a ball dance, dive and deceive provided passage around the globe, from Olympics in Athens and Beijing to pro leagues in the United States and Japan. What Abby Wambach is to soccer or Candace Parker is to basketball, Osterman is to softball as one of its most marketable names.

So how did Osterman, who remains arguably the best pitcher on the planet at 29 years old, find herself riding a bus for 10 hours this spring through the bleak, boundless landscape of West Texas?

For starters, a friend asked if she would.

For more on Osterman's journey with St. Edward's, read the full story here.

Joe Schad and Rod Gilmore discuss the possibility of a college football playoff system.

As the BCS meetings get underway, Mark Schlabach looks at the key points that will factor into the future of the championship format.

"They know this game is in the fourth quarter," BCS executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN's Joe Schad. "And it's time to get it done."

A final decision won't be made this week, but the BCS's governing body is expected to begin to iron out details such as how many teams will be involved in a playoff, how the teams will be selected, where the semifinals and championship game will be played and how the existing BCS bowl games will be incorporated into a playoff.

Schlabach has five key elements:

1. The model: How to play? The current leader seems to be a four-team, plus-one format.

2. The participants: Who gets in? One idea has a conference champions only format which doesn't seem to be sitting well with commissioners.

3. The sites: Where to play? Big Ten officials and coaches are pushing to have the higher-seeded team host a semifinal game on campus. This would give more northern teams an advantage were they to host a southern team. However, this hasn't gained much traction because of stadium sizes and available accomodations in some cities.

4. The calendar: When to play? This is a hot topic considering the 44 days Alabama waited between its regular season finale and the BCS title game. Many want to move BCS games closer to New Year's Day, but that date could be a likely date for semifinals in the plus-one scenario.

5. The Rose Bowl: What to do with the Granddaddy? Simply put, the Rose Bowl wants to keep its traditional tie-ins with the Big Ten and Pac-12. That is a monkey wrench in the works and could keep the Rose Bowl out of the mix for a semifinal game.

Read the full story here.

Kristi Dosh also looks at what a playoff model would be worth financially:

Economists and television consultants value a playoff system around $600 million to $1.5 billion per year, depending on the number of teams included. That’s a major increase from the more than $125 million per year the BCS currently receives annually from its contract with ESPN for the national championship, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The Rose Bowl’s contract with ABC generates another $30 million per year.

Read the full blog post here.

There are some uncommitted defensive ends that are featured in the ESPN 150. Of course, topping the list is Robert Nkemdiche.

The nation's top player from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson is considering a handfull of SEC schools and Clemson. However, he has stated his desire to take a visit to Texas. Here's what the scouts have to say:

Recruiting update: Nkemdiche was hoping to announce on May 18th, the day of the Grayson spring game, but he won't be ready and wants to see all his favorites again. That group includes Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss, all of which he has seen at least once over the past few months. At this time it looks as if the Rebels and Crimson Tide are the front runners. His bother (Denzel) signed with Ole Miss (Class of 2012) and he just saw the Rebels' spring game last weekend, but he has strong ties to the Alabama program as well. Meanwhile, both Clemson and LSU have made a great push of late.

Read the full story here.

Carter Strickland answered questions from Texas fans nationwide hitting on the draft, a litlte football and some recruiting updates.

Here are some of the best questions:

Ez 28 (Davis, CA)

If Maurice Smith and Marcell Harris don't commit, who do the coaches go after then? Any more news on Samples?

Carter Strickland

Well it does look like smith is leaning toward Bama but there is a long way to go in that battle. Harris has remained neutral about where he stands but again he is in Florida so luring him away could be tricky. There are still guys out there like Vonn Bell, although he is a Georgia lean, Davis down in Bastrop, Kameron Miles at Mesquite, George Baltimore at Mansfield, Cole Luke in Arizona. so Texas has options. Samples is going to be a wait and see guy.

Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)

What Longhorn do you think will be a Great NFL Rookie in 2012?

Carter Strickland

I really don't see this class as making much of an impact in the NFL as rookies. I think Acho could be good special teams player and maybe he makes a highlight there. But other than that it is a pretty flat class.

Nicholas74230 (CC, tx)

Out of the 3 backs Texas will have this season in Berg, Brown and Gray, how do you see the carries being shared? Do you see a 3500 rushing yard season??

Carter Strickland

I like Bergeron because i think he is going to be more durable. I see maybe 2,400 yards out of the run game in 2012. Could be more. But that is basically 80o yards a player. That is realistic.

ron king (oklahoma)

if ash struggles how many games do you see texas winning?.......and how good is tevin jackson??

Carter Strickland

I like Cobbs better than Jackson. Just more speed and can do more in the blitzing packages Diaz likes. Tevin is a good backer he just is not quite as good an athlete as Cobbs.If Ash struggles Texas wins eight. If he excels they win 10.

jackson (texas)

i know there is talent on the defense but just how good do you think they will be?...dominating?

Carter Strickland

They were the No. 11 defense in 2011. They are better this year and do not have to face RGIII. I'm thinking top 10 at least.

Stephen (Anderson)

5 tries... Who do you take?Bergeron running over Edmond or Edmond making the stop?

Carter Strickland

Edmond. Bigger (260), longer arms and stronger.

Read the full chat wrap here.

If you didn't get your question answered, don't worry. You can join Sean Adams at 11 a.m. CT Friday or you can always join us in The Tower forum.

ESPN.com continues its offseason look at what is happening with the BCS.

In a conference call of all the bloggers, they look at future of the BCS.

Adam Rittenberg looks at how location will affect what the Big Ten does:

The Big Ten's destination dilemma is inherent within the current bowl/BCS system. The big bowl games always have been played in the South and West, and because of the "double-hosting" model, the same holds true for the national championship games. Most Big Ten fans understand the reasons behind this, and have willingly hopped on airplanes every December and traveled far and wide to see their teams play. It's this willingness that has made Big Ten teams so attractive to BCS bowl committees.

But the future postseason structure will bring change. A four-team setup would create two semifinals, which might take place within the current bowl structure, but most likely will not. The semis could take place at on-campus sites belonging to the higher seeds, a plan Delany advocates, or at neutral sites like Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium and Detroit's Ford Field. The Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis? Beats facing LSU in NOLA.

Ted Miller talks about what the Rose Bowl means to the whole equation:

When the BCS power brokers meet in Hollywood, Fla., this week with the intention of transforming the college football postseason, the Rose Bowl must be given special status. Why? If you were to request a list from the sports' cognoscenti on the greatest traditions in college football, most would rate the Rose Bowl No. 1.

David Ubben looked at the Big 12's need to get a championship game again:

Can it survive in college football's new world without a title game?

Expanding to 12 teams is a possibility, but not a necessity for the league to reinstitute a title game. The Big 12 could petition the NCAA and likely bring back the event on the season's final weekend, the same weekend the league hosted from the time it began in 1996 until 2010.

There's little motivation to do so from those who tend most to on-field matters: Coaches. At least one expressed a desire on Monday, though.

There is, of course, more to this discussion. Read the full notebook here.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns will be short one wide receiver through fall camp.

Sophomore Miles Onyegbule sustained a torn left pectoral muscle that will require surgery, Texas Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd said. Onyegbule is expected to undergo surgery in the near future, however he is expected to be sidelined through preseason camp in August.

Onyegbule, who played in 12 games last season with four catches for 51 yards, will be reevaluated prior to the Sept. 1 season opener againt Wyoming.

Texas does have several receivers in its 2012 recruiting class. Cayleb Jones, Daje Johnson, Kendall Sanders and Marcus Johnson will arrive on campus over the summer.

Next Monday, start the countdown.

Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas will have two months left as the boss of a league that's seen plenty of tumultuous times over the past two years.

"We were kind of saved by the bell by Chuck Neinas. He kept it going in terms of getting us on the right track and getting everybody involved, all the teams in the conference," Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference this week. "We had lost two teams each of the last two years, which has been devastating to this league, but with Chuck’s leadership, it’s come on pretty good."

TCU and West Virginia replaced Texas A&M and Missouri to bring the Big 12 back to 10 members, but now it's Neinas who must be replaced.

He agreed to stay on in an interim role through June 30, but his replacement could be named before then. What do the league's coaches want to see?

"The answer is very obvious. You’d like to have a good person. You’d like to have a very honest, forthright person, with a balance in how he operates the conference itself, with the idea that everybody is treated equally and what he would do would be in the very, very best interest of the 10-12 teams that would make up the conference itself," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "Somebody that’s highly respected across the country and well-known across the country as well, has a reputation that would be very, very prominent as it relates to conference commissioners across the country."

For Tuberville, the new guy needs experience.

"Hopefully we get a strong-personality guy that can work with everybody, put their touch on it, somebody with experience, somebody that has maybe been a commissioner or a deputy commissioner for one of the other leagues," Tuberville said. "I think experience is going to be key for us, somebody that’s been there, done that, seen all the problems. It’s no different than coaching a football team in that experience usually pays off for you."

He added: "We’ve obviously had some setbacks the past few years, if we can get somebody who understands our league, maybe somebody from another conference looking from the outside in, understanding what’s going on and bringing their philosophy in would really help us."

For Texas coach Mack Brown, it's simple: He wants someone who can maintain stability, and unity is the first way to help establish it.

"We’ve been through so much turmoil over the past two years in the Big 12. I think what I would like to see is stability. I’d like to see someone come with confidence and new ideas and making sure that it sounds like our league is really stable at 10. I know some are looking at the possibility of 12," he said. "I’d like to see somebody who can really lead the group and get everybody on the same page, because it’s a wonderful conference. I love the additions that we’ve made, and I think it can be again, one of the top conferences in the country because the teams are all winning. But you gotta have a boss."

Carter Strickland joined Sean Adams and Chance Mock on The Adams Theory Tuesday to talk about the upcoming NFL draft and looked at why so few Texas players have been drafted recently.

Listen to the full interview here .

Catch The Adams Theory every weekday from 1-4 p.m. CT on 104.9 ESPN Austin.

The silence is deafening. At least that's the case when it comes to changing the BCS, according to Ivan Maisel.

When SEC commissioner Mike Slive asserted in January that the BCS championship would be transformed, "and I don't think those changes are going to be tweaks," no one rose to rebut him.

The silence that met Slive's comment to Tony Barnhart of CBS College Sports spoke volumes. For 14 years, in the face of loud, nasty and occasionally shrewd commentary mocking the BCS, the administrators in charge of it kept repeating their belief in its virtues.

When USA Today published a memo earlier this month outlining four new formats the 120 FBS schools are considering, the proponents of the status quo said nothing.

As the 11 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick meet in South Florida this week to discuss the format of the postseason circa 2014, they face a new reality of their own creation. If they come out of this process without changing the BCS championship, Congress will look efficient by comparison.

"I think the climate has changed," Slive said in January.

What has sparked all this talk of change after years of success and the untold sums of money made? Maisel talked with commissioners and others who said that this has been a gradual acceptance of the playoff or plus-1 model and that this past season finally tipped the scale.

Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson's advocacy of a playoff four years ago went nowhere. He is delighted that the room no longer goes quiet when he brings up the subject. He favors some sort of four-team format.

"I think a combination of factors got people to a different place," Thompson said. "A national championship game that included a team [Alabama] that won neither its own conference division nor its [conference] title game, playing on Jan. 9 against the NFL playoffs and a growing movement towards a playoff in general have pushed the agenda."

There will undoubtedly be a lot more maneuvering on this subject with one of the biggest obstacles being finding the right television arrangements.

But it it moving. Read Ivan Maisel's full story here.

Sean Adams takes a look at some of the issues Texas must address before taking the field against Wyoming on Sept. 1. In this video he looks at wide receiver Mike Davis and how he must mature and become a true playmaker for the Longhorns' offense to succeed.