Will the selection committee take on pity on Florida State if it loses?

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1. Kudos to Florida State for acting swiftly to condemn and punish the remarks and the remarkable lack of judgment by quarterback Jameis Winston. If Winston had thought about it, he might have understood that it wouldn't be acceptable to climb onto a table at or near the student union and shout a vulgar Internet meme that's degrading to women. But, as with his other very public mistakes, Winston didn't think at all. By his announced timetable, he has 19 months to convince NFL owners that he has matured. Yeah, he has to convince only one. But at this point, it would be the greatest comeback of his career.

2. Oregon secondary coach John Neal bemoaned the Ducks' fate this Saturday night at Washington State, whose quarterback Connor Halliday has thrown 175 passes in three games. "We go from playing three hardball, run-pass teams to these psychos," Neal said. "They are averaging 517 yards per game passing. They run in 10 receivers at us." Oregon ranks 91st in total defense, allowing 425 yards per game. But keep in mind that because of the speed of the Ducks' offense, their defense is playing 77 snaps per game. The Stanford defense, which leads the FBS (204.3 ypg), has been on the field 56 plays per game.

3. By national standards, receiving records at Alabama are easy to come by. The Crimson Tide didn't have a 1,000-yard receiver until David Palmer in 1993, and then didn't have another one until 2006. Julio Jones set the school record of 1,133 yards in 2010. Ho-hum. Along comes offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and a so-far prolific offense, and junior wide receiver Amari Cooper is on a pace to catch 1,800 yards of passes in the regular season. The offensive revolution finally may have arrived in Tuscaloosa.

In August 2013, a few weeks before Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston became a national sensation and leading Heisman Trophy candidate by throwing for four touchdowns in a 41-3 victory at Pittsburgh in his first college start, he offered reporters a few words of wisdom.

They might have been the last intelligent words to come out of his mouth.

"If I get Manziel disease," Winston told reporters, "I want every one of you all to get your mikes and start slapping me on the head."

Obviously, Winston was referring to former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel, whose "Johnny Football" persona seemed to take on a life of its own -- and become more important than his team -- after he won the Heisman Trophy in 2012, becoming the first freshman to nab the award.

Winston, who claimed last year's Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman, has somehow turned "Manziel disease" into a chronic case of knuckleheadedness.

On Wednesday, Florida State officials suspended Winston from playing in the first half of the No. 1 Seminoles' home game against No. 22 Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday night.

The punishment is the result of Winston allegedly standing on a table near FSU's student union Tuesday and screaming obscenities, which mimicked a popular Internet meme. The phrase is of a sexual nature and, depending on your age, might range from being utterly offensive to tacky (or, sadly, even funny) if you heard it.

To read the rest of Mark Schlabach's story, click here.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas quarterback David Ash has elected to retire due to concussion-related symptoms, ending a 376-day saga that began with one hit in Provo, Utah, and ultimately led to the 22-game starter's decision that his playing days are over. The following is an updated timeline of how we got here.

Sept. 7, 2013: Ash exits a 40-21 loss to BYU late in the fourth quarter after suffering a concussion. He does not play against Ole Miss the following week.

Sept. 20: Texas announces Ash has been cleared by UT medical staff to start against Kansas State. He'd participated in his first practice since the concussion two days earlier after being symptom-free for at least 48 hours.

Sept. 21: Ash passes for 166 yards and guides Texas to a 17-7 halftime lead over K-State, then is held out for the second half. Team trainers evaluate him for concussion symptoms.

Nov. 16: Ash attends his first Texas football game since Kansas State, a home loss to Oklahoma State.

Nov. 25: Texas officially announces Ash is out for the season and will seek a medical redshirt. "Though he's made a lot of progress, we have not been able to clear him to return to competition," Texas trainer Kenny Boyd says in a statement. "Due to the duration of symptoms, we are now at a point that we all believe the best approach for him is to not return this season."

To read the rest of Max Olson's story, click here.