College Football

UCLA football is embracing a high-tech future. The Bruins unveiled a new gizmo Wednesday: the CoachComm Tempo, a system that includes two Led Zeppelin-ready speakers and that can run the clock and scoreboard, simulate crowd noise, play music and be used to amplify the instructions of coaches. "A lot of teams around the country are using this," Coach Jim Mora said. "Oregon uses it; Chip Kelly bought one when he went to [coach] Philadelphia. We talked to five or six coaches and they all said it would help practice efficiency.

The new name for college football's new playoff was so inspirational and earth-shattering it could not be contained to its originally planned release date of Tuesday afternoon. Um, not exactly. It leaked out through ESPN , which owns the contract rights to the new four-team playoff system that begins in 2014, that the new name to replace Bowl Championship Series will be College Football Playoff. We will pause here to let those goose pimples settle. Not that exciting?

The last vestiges of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, conceived years ago on a cocktail napkin, will be phased out this week at a swank Pasadena hotel. College football power brokers are meeting in Southern California to tie up loose BCS ends as they pin down the particulars for a new four-team playoff beginning in the 2014 season. "We've done a lot of the heavy lifting," BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said. On this week's agenda for the BCS commissioners: • Picking a name for the new system.

The name for college football's new playoff system is … "College Football Playoff. " "Brand X" and "Your Name Here" apparently were already taken. College football commissioners meeting in Pasadena this week were looking for simplicity in replacing their sometimes tainted "BCS" label. Mission accomplished. Commissioners actually paid a consulting firm to help come up with the new name. The Tuesday launch also included a website to house the new system: collegefootballplayoff.com.

They were damaged goods a year ago, with a new coaching staff coming in. Defensive backs Anthony Jefferson and Brandon Sermons had little opportunity to make an initial impression. Jefferson was still recovering from a back surgery that forced him to sit out the 2011 season. Sermons had seen limited duty after suffering a broken leg that wiped his 2010 season. Both are making an impression this spring. "They are putting themselves in position to show who they were coming out of high school," said secondary coach Demetrice Martin . "Both of them were pretty highly recruited guys.

The numbers game is tilting against UCLA during spring football practice. The Bruins can count the number of healthy defensive linemen on one hand. The number of defensive backs - those on scholarship - is even less. As for offensive linemen, seven is usually only a lucky number in Las Vegas. "We had more guys riding the [stationary] bike on the side than we had on the field today," Coach Jim Mora said Thursday. The reduced numbers because of injuries had Mora scaling back practice.

It wouldn't be spring practice without a little on-the-job training. UCLA's Taylor Lagace and Nate Iese have been moved to new positions. Lagace came to UCLA as a safety but has been shifted to linebacker. Iese arrived as a linebacker and is now a defensive end. "You recruit these kids when they are 16, 17 years old and they change a little bit," UCLA Coach Jim Mora said. "Some of these guys, they are such great athletes we start thinking, 'We have to get this guy on the field.'" At 6 feet, 201 pounds, Lagace is small for a linebacker, but UCLA expects he will literally and figuratively grow into the position.

UCLA Coach Jim Mora wants Devin Fuller to become a problem. The plan is to have opposing defensive players doing pre-snap recon work, trying to locate Fuller before he reappears in the end zone with the ball. It may become quite a shell game. "We hope he becomes that 'Where's Waldo' guy," Mora said. "Every time someone prepares for us, they go into a game wondering, 'Where's No. 7.' Is he at quarterback, running back, receiver, slot, is that him on the kickoff return?" A lot will be expected from Fuller, a sophomore receiver.

USC concluded spring practice Saturday with a Coliseum scrimmage devoid of tackling. This time, however, it was by executive order, not defensive shortcomings. With 20 players sidelined because of injuries, and the Trojans especially thin at tight end and receiver, Coach Lane Kiffin said "there just weren't enough bodies out there. " So fans in the stadium and those watching on television saw the Trojans finish workouts with what amounted to a glorified passing drill designed to avoid injuries.