After losing in Ann Arbor in 2003 Jim Tressel asked his players what went wrong. Buckeyes everywhere hope that conversation doesn't need to be repeated this year. John Biever/SI

Ohio State seniors all remember the bus ride. Five hours back from Ann Arbor, Mich., in total silence. For Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his seniors, that 35-21 loss in Michigan Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003, is the only blemish on their record against the Wolverines. Tressel wouldn't let his players forget 2003. Senior linebacker Anthony Schlegel said Tressel put up a board asking what went wrong in that game and "all the guys put their two cents in."
-- Akron Beacon Journal

The Fiesta Bowl is considered a lock to exercise its option on revived Notre Dame, which would play in a BCS game for the first time since the 2000 season, when it got clobbered by Oregon State 41-9. This time, the Irish figure to be more competitive. Their likely opponent is Ohio State. Virginia Tech and Oregon also are candidates, but the muscular wallets of traveling Buckeyes fans should be the trump card.
-- Chicago Sun-Times

"Competition Tuesday" has become a hallmark of the USC program, a weekly contest between the offense and defense, the outcome dictated by which unit gets the best of one-on-one drills and scrimmages. And on Wednesdays, Pete Carroll screens a tape of the best, and worst, performances to a raucous audience. Carroll came up with the idea during his year away from football, after he was fired by the New England Patriots and before taking the USC job. He was looking for a way  something more tangible than a pep talk  to reinforce the idea of competition.
-- Los Angeles Times

Pete Carroll cleared USC middle linebacker Oscar Lua to start against Fresno State Saturday.
-- Los Angeles Times

With three years left on the contract extension he signed before the 2004 season, Joe Paterno, now just 33 days shy of his 79th birthday, seems determined to keep coaching. He has not revealed any thoughts of retirement or even an exit strategy.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer

University of Miami athletic director Paul Dee said Thursday that a sexually explicit rap recording made two years ago by a group that included student-athletes was ''offensive and demeaning'' and not condoned by the university. But he also said it should be put in perspective as something done privately with no intention of becoming public.
-- Miami Herald

Given the Seminoles' late-season swoon, coach Bobby Bowden acknowledged Thursday that he had no idea where his team might be headed for a postseason bowl. One prospective matchup that has been discussed widely among fans is a Peach Bowl featuring South Carolina and Florida State -- a game that would pit Bowden against his old nemesis from the University of Florida, Steve Spurrier.
-- Miami Herald

Senior tailback Leon Washington, who has been sidelined the past two games with a sprained ankle, worked out and said he ''should be ready'' to play Saturday against Florida. Though Washington has been FSU's starter for two seasons, he said he hopes to contribute more than just his running ability.
-- Miami Herald