So there's good news and bad news ... and worse news. The good news is that the Washington State Cougars enter Pac-12 play coming off a win against Mississippi Valley State. The bad news is that they open the conference slate against the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats and might have to do it without 18.9 point-per-game scorer Davonte Lacy, who had an emergency appendix removal.

With the Oregon Ducks set to face the Texas Longhorns in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Monday night, there are few laughing matters. Oregon all along – and still – believes it's a BCS or national title contender, and Texas coach Mack Brown is coaching his last game for the Longhorns. Apparently, that didn't stop Brown and Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich from sending some zingers at one another in a media gathering this week. It's all fun and games until someone loses the game.

Ka'Deem Carey's quarterback, B.J. Denker, thinks Carey is the better than Boston College's Andre Williams. So the earth is round and the grass is green heading into the AdvoCare V100 Bowl.

Jahii Carson put a bagel in the assist column against UC-Irvine and had five turnovers. Backcourt mate Jermaine Marshall went 2-for-10 from the floor. But forward Shaquielle McKissic scored 18 points to lead the Arizona State Sun Devils to a 74-61 win against the Ant Eaters on Saturday, and coach Herb Sendek had his silver lining. 

It's all positive for Lorenzo Romar and the Husky hoopers, who enter Pac-12 play with an 8-5 record but with confidence that their close games will do them good in the long run – even a slim win against Hartford.

Do not miss free throws against the Colorado Buffaloes, because they will not miss free throws against you. The Buffs set a school record by hitting all 26 free throws in a win against Georgia.

Stanford center Stefan Nastic (nickname forthcoming) dropped a career-high 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 shooting from the foul stripe as Johnny Dawkins' squad beat Cal Poly on Sunday. Just nasty.

The Oregon State women's basketball team took the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the brink, but late turnovers doomed the Beavers. There aren't moral victories for head coach Scott Rueck, but it was a learning experience.

Longtime NFL coach Jim Mora will be dealing with a new set of emotions when his UCLA Bruins plays the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday. Some of Mora's players will see their football careers come to an end, and that's not something the coach is used to.

Former Cal Golden Bear receiver Keenan Allen has set the San Diego Chargers rookie record for receiving yards. He helped lead San Diego to the playoffs with 1,046 yards on 71 catches and eight touchdowns during the NFL regular season.

The Utes hope they can lean on a sturdy 6-11 center Marko Kovacevic for some added depth this season.