There may not be a 2011 NFL season, but there's no stopping the draft. And where there's an NFL draft, there's an NFL scouting combine. Our friend and draftnik Michael Felder of InTheBleachers.net graciously takes time out from watching reruns of The Millionaire Matchmaker to educate us on the ins and outs of the NFL meat market.

Michael and I break down:

• the "holy trinity" of NFL personnel evaluation;
• some of the oddities of the combine, like why linemen run the 40-yard dash;
• what to look for when prospects are going through the drills; and
• guys who we're excited to see work out – including Da'Quan Bowers, Aaron Williams, Patrick Peterson, Robert Quinn, Adrian Clayborn and Josh Portis.

Also, check out Michael's post from last year on what to watch at the combine.

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Some odds and ends as the offseason really starts to set in:

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When the football savants talk about the patented Stoops family defense, pressuring the quarterback is invariably the first thing that comes up.

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Patrick Johnston of fellow Bloguin site In The Bleachers has developed a unique statistic to evaluate quarterbacks' performance, the Positive Impact Factor (PIF). Patrick stops by to chat with Homerism about what goes into this measure and how college football quarterbacks stack up based on their PIF ratings.

We cover:

• why PIF is superior to traditional QB stats such as passer rating;
• the top performers in 2010 (one guess who's No. 1); and
• Oklahoma Sooners QB Landry Jones' uncommon progression between 2009 and 2010.

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Is it just me, or is it impossible for Urban Meyer to open his mouth in public without proving that he's a complete clown?

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Now, the ex-Florida coach is spouting off about the utter lack of decency in college football. My favorite part: "The ultimate mission of college athletics is to develop people for after athletics. The job is not to make money for the university. That's not the number one objective and I'm anxious to help and give my opinion."

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News broke Monday afternoon that Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker was being placed on administrative leave while a committee investigates allegations of improper political campaign contributions.

The allegations stem from an in-depth Arizona Republic piece released in December of 2009. Allegedly, the Fiesta Bowl encouraged employees to write checks to helpful politicians, and the employees were then reimbursed by the bowl in the form of "bonuses." If true, it would violate many state and federal laws regarding non-profits giving money to campaigns and could be considered a misdemeanor or a felony.

While a previous investigation didn't turn up any evidence of improprieties, the Fiesta appointed a special committee in the fall to look into the charges.

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After a bumper crop of Sooners hit the NFL in 2010, Oklahoma's 2011 draft class looks a little thin. Wes Bunting, director of college scouting for National Football Post, offers Homerism his opinion on the Sooners' prospects.

Wes and I break down:

• DeMarco Murray's evolution as a running back;
• Jeremy Beal's future at linebacker; and
• Quinton Carter's place among a relatively weak group of safeties in the 2011 class.

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When the University of Texas announced its new high-profile television deal with ESPN earlier this year, competitive Sooner fans bristled immediately, wanting to know where their deal was.

"If it's good enough for those orange-clad pansies," the thinking goes, "we should have a TV deal too!"

Apparently, smarter people than you or I have been working on this for a while, as SoonerTV is scheduled to premiere sometime this fall. The real questions:

• What is the market value of an Oklahoma television deal?
• How far will it reach?

To find the answers, let's first look at the blueprint provided by the Longhorn network.

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Following in the tradition of "U Can't Touch Mallett" and "We Are ND," Oklahoma Sooners safety Tony Jefferson has laid down his treatment of "Boomer Sooner" in preparation for the 2011 season.

Definitely beats "Who Let the Sooners Out."

Kirk Bohls and Randy Riggs went over Texas' horrific 2010 season with a fine-toothed comb for a synopsis in Sunday's edition of the Austin American-Statesman. While their muckraking doesn't produce any startling revelations, the piece succinctly sums up the whole meltdown, as well as where the Longhorns now stand.

Plenty of characters in the Statesman's story have moved on since Bevo wrapped up a bowl-less year. Whether by their own choice or that of someone else, Greg Davis, Will Muschamp, Duane Akina and a host of other major players in the 5-7 drama of 2010 are gone.

The main man in the middle of all the chaos, head coach Mack Brown, somehow made it back to Bellmont.

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