Rumors were circulating this week that Lane Kiffin's wife Layla might pose for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. "Absolutely not true," said Tiffany Carpenter, director UT public relations. Layla has not even been approached by anyone at Sports Illustrated about posing in their swimsuit issue.

During Saturday's broadcast, ESPN ran a graphic listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. Fellow analyst Chris Spielman asked about the whereabouts of Juan Pablo Montoya, who is Colombian. Bob Griese replied that he was ``out having a taco.'' Griese apologized for the remark twice on air Saturday. ESPN called the remark ``inappropriate'' and said Griese ``understands his comment was uncalled for.'' Griese has been suspended for one week by ESPN.

San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith had the same shoulder surgery that Sam Bradford will ultimately need. "We've been trading phone calls," Smith said Thursday. "He called, twice. When you've torn ligaments in your shoulder, it takes time to heal. It's different than other positions. When you take hits like that, it impairs your ability to throw the ball."

Cavaliers star LeBron James has taken Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Prior under his wing. "[I'm] trying to mentor him and get him through 'life in the spotlight,' which I've been through," James said Wednesday night. James admitted that he has been speaking to Pryor on the phone in recent weeks. The quarterback has taken heat for throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles in the then-No. 7 ranked Buckeyes' stunning 26-18 loss at Purdue last week. "Being that No. 1 guy, how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it and still perform at a high level?" James said. "Sometimes it can be very difficult on [a young athlete]. I'm trying to be that guy who can really help him get through a lot of situations which he's never seen before but now he's seeing and understanding."

Sam Bradford likely will announce he is having season-ending surgery on his shoulder, a source told ESPN's Joe Schad on Wednesday. Bradford re-injured his right shoulder on Oklahoma's second possession during a 16-13 loss to No. 3 Texas on Saturday. The quarterback had previously been out a month with a sprain of the AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder. Bradford had been projected as an early NFL draft pick, but decided instead to return for his junior season with the Sooners.

A Connecticut football player has died following an on-campus stabbing, hours after the team's victory over Louisville. Twenty-year-old Jasper Howard of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, was stabbed during a fight early Sunday. His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by an administration official who requested anonymity because of the police investigation.

Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford reinjured his right shoulder early in No. 20 Oklahoma?s game against No. 3 Texas on Saturday, according to an Associated Press report. Landry Jones replaced Bradford, who was being treated on the sideline.

California native Jimmy Clausen was asked how he ended up choosing Notre Dame over USC. ?There was a lot of people who kept asking me why are you going to Notre Dame, ?SC?s better," said Claussen. "But I kind of wanted to get away from California and experience something different. You know I?m probably going to go back and live in California once I?m done with college, so just to get away for a few years and try something different is good for me.? Dan Patrick asked Claussen how close he was to choosing USC. ?I was really close. It came down to Notre Dame and ?SC at the end. I felt comfortable with both schools, but Coach Weiss is probably the biggest reason I came to Notre Dame, and like I said, just to get away from California and try something new.?

USC tailback Stafon Johnson made his first public appearance since suffering a season-ending throat injury in a Sept. 28 weightlifting accident. He did not speak or take questions, but he looked fit and mostly upbeat at a news conference at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Flanked by his mother, Kim Mallory, and the surgeons who operated on him, Johnson listened as the doctors mentioned speech, swallowing and breathing therapy ahead. Discharged from the hospital, he remains outfitted with a breathing tube in his throat. Dr. Ryan F. Osborne said it was "a bit too early for us to make any definitive statements," regarding Johnson's speech. "But at this point in time we are happy with the progress that he has made thus far and we're very optimistic for his longtime prognosis."

Boise State is ranked sixth in the country and head coach Chris Peterson was asked this week if his team might have a better chance to play for the BCS National Championship than in 2006 when they reached the Fiesta Bowl. "That's hard to know," Petersen said. "We still have eight games left, with a huge one with Tulsa. We have so much more football to be played. I believe what I tell our guys: If we take care of the things we can control and play good football, we'll be playing somewhere good against a good opponent at the end of the season." If Boise State can beat Tulsa on Wednesday, they have an excellent chance of finishing the season undefeated. Their remaining opponents have a combined record of 16-21.