All eyes will be on Adrian Peterson as he enters the season as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Oklahoma officials ignited Adrian Peterson's Heisman Trophy campaign Thursday, and the junior running back admitted he will have extra motivation for what many believe will be his last season at OU. Nelson Peterson, Adrian's father, is scheduled to be released from a Dallas halfway house Oct. 5 -- two days before OU meets Texas at the Cotton Bowl. It would be the first time for Peterson to watch, in person, his son play high school or college football.
-- Dallas Morning News

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Thursday he is "not comfortable" with preseason projections in two national magazines that have the Sooners ranked No. 1 heading into the college football season.
-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Andrew Nuss is the eighth player to offer a non-binding verbal commitment to the Notre Dame recruiting class of 2007, which is expected to swell to 25 players by the Feb. 7 signing day.
-- South Bend Tribune

O.J. Mayo is on an unofficial visit, and it's not to Manhattan, Kan., to see Bob Huggins, reports FoxSports.com. The 6-foot-4-inch guard, considered by many the top player in the Class of 2007, is on a visit to USC, the site reports, citing multiple sources. Mayo is the two-time Mr. Basketball in Ohio entering his senior year and there was widespread speculation that he would follow Huggins to Kansas State after graduating.
-- Chicago Tribune

As rumored, the Oregon Ducks confirmed that football players Terrell Jackson, Thor Pili, Tucker Callahan and Levi Horn have all been granted permission to seek a transfer to another school.
-- The Oregonian

Everybody has been waiting for Mark Richt to make a decision on Georgia's starting quarterback. The decision, which could lead to transfers, is expected to come in the latter stages of fall camp. That timeline would allow a player to transfer to another school before it started and not lose an extra semester. Of course, they may all stay.
-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

While Michigan State celebrated the selection of Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager and Paul Davis in Wednesday's NBA draft, the event provided yet another reminder of the significant gaps the Spartans will need to fill this fall with the loss of their top performers from 2005-06. It's a situation that should give incoming freshmen Raymar Morgan, Isaiah Dahlman and Tom Herzog the opportunity to earn playing time early in their MSU careers.
-- Detroit Free Press