College football coach rankings: Alabama’s Nick Saban tops list of 124 coachesSporting News has ranked the 124 FBS head coaches by conference. Now it’s time to see how they rate overall.

First, some notes about our list:

— The Big 12 coaches have by far the best average ranking: 27.2, which crushes the second-best SEC’s average ranking of 43.3. Next in line: the Pac-12 (43.8), ACC (45.6) and Big Ten (46.8).

— Of course, the Big 12 has only 10 teams. Compared with the top 10 rankings by conference, it falls slightly below the SEC’s average of 26.6. The Pac-12 still ranks third at 34.5, followed by the Big Ten (35.9) and the ACC (37.0).

— The SEC is the only league other than the Big 12 whose lowest-ranked coach isn’t in the 100s. Tennessee’s Derek Dooley, the No. 14 SEC coach on our list, ranks 99th overall.

Read more: aol.sportingnews.com

Undrafted and unsigned, former Ducks QB Darron Thomas pursues NFL minicamps

It’s Monday afternoon, and Bob Jones is navigating Houston traffic, en route to the airport. It’s a task that requires ample focus and attention, yet Jones is managing to deliver a stirring testimonial via cell phone on behalf of former Oregon Ducks quarterbackDarron Thomas, who starred for Jones at Aldine High School.

Thomas, the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes despite leaving UO with a year of eligibility remaining, wasn’t selected in last week’s NFL draft. He also wasn’t signed afterward as a rookie free agent. Instead, he’ll labor through minicamp tryouts in Pittsburgh (this weekend), Cleveland (next weekend) and Arizona (mid-May), all in hopes of impressing someone enough to yield a training camp invitation.

read more: oregonlive.com

Dylan Favre arrested on drug charge

PEARL RIVER COUNTY — The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department arrested 20-year-old Dylan Dewayne Favre on Thursday in Poplarville on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said.

Tucker said Favre was arrested just before 1 a.m. at a routine traffic stop by a convenience store at the corner of Mississippi 11 and West North Street, near Pearl River Community College. An officer smelled marijuana from the vehicle, he said, and deputies found marijuana and drug-related paraphernalia.

Authorities would not comment to how much marijuana was discovered. Favre also was ticketed for not having a license-plate light, Tucker said. He was booked at Pearl River County jail.

Chip Kelly, Oregon Ducks respond to allegations of widespread marijuana use

He could have been defensive. He could have been gruff.

With Chip Kelly, either was an option Thursday when the Oregon coach faced questions for the first time since Wednesday’s online release of an ESPN The Magazine article alleging widespread marijuana use within his program. But, perhaps because a day had passed, Kelly was neither.

Instead, he was earnest. He was forthright.

Read more: oregonlive.com

Chip Kelly tells Eugene radio host Steve Tannen he never accepted Tampa Bay job

Oregon football coach Chip Kelly Thursday appeared on a Eugene radio show and said he never accepted the Tampa Bay coaching job.

Kelly appeared for 20 minutes onEugene sports radio talk show host Steve Tannen’s afternoon show. It was Kelly’s first interview since he reportedly had accepted the Buccaneers’ vacant coaching job late Saturday evening only to then turn it down around midnight Sunday.

Kelly said he went through the process of interviewing for the job to investigate what Tampa Bay had to offer and then made a decision – one decision.

“And the only decision I made was to not accept the job,” Kelly said. “I never changed my mind. I never committed to the job and then flip flopped and went back.”

Read more from OregonLive.com

1.27.12

Chip Kelly’s near exit won’t hurt Oregon Ducks’ recruiting in immediate future

Oregon fans who were panicking Sunday that Ducks coach Chip Kelly was about to hit the road for Tampa Bay got another jolt of bad news when Thomas Tyner, a 2013 five-star running back commit from Aloha, expressed concern about his future on Twitter.

As reports swirled that Kelly was close to finalizing a deal with the NFL’s Buccaneers, Tyner on Sunday tweeted, “Questioning where I will be in a couple years now that this story is going around. Looks legit.”

But Monday morning, fans woke up to good news: Kelly was staying in Eugene, and Tyner hadn’t changed his commitment plans.

Read more from Oregonlive.com

1.25.12

Chip Kelly watch caused sleepless nights for Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens

EUGENE – Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said he didn’t get much sleep over the weekend.

Instead he, like most Oregon football fans, waited on pins and needles for Ducks coach Chip Kelly to make a decision between accepting an offer to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or to remain at UO.

Had Kelly left, Oregon would have been in scramble mode to quickly name his successor and convince the 2012 recruiting class to stick with the Ducks on the Feb. 1 national signing day.

Various news outlets Sunday night reported that a deal between Kelly and Tampa Bay was all but completed.

But although Kelly might have filled out the marriage license with the Buccaneers, in the end he failed to say “I do.”

Read more from OregonLive.com

1.24.12

What would a Chip Kelly offense look like in Tampa Bay?

If and when Chip Kelly, as expected, signs on to become the next coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one of the most anticipated aspects of the move would be learning what kind of offensive attack he’ll employ.

Kelly is renowned at the college level for running an exciting brand of the spread offense that has become the envy of many. His offenses have consistently led the Pac-10 and been highly-ranked nationally in key categories, including scoring and total offense.

He clearly is on to something with his innovative approach to offense. Here’s the problem: The spread offense doesn’t translate in the NFL, and Kelly’s scheme will have to undergo major changes before he can use it in the pros. The athletes are simply too good. The mismatches just aren’t as huge.

Read more from TampaBay.com

1.23.12