Football Teams

It still seems a little strange when the starting quarterback at a Catholic high school is Jewish, but in reality, it has been happening so often that it's no longer considered a big deal. Last season, Logan Scott and Jared Lebowitz were the starting quarterbacks at West Hills Chaminade and La Cañada St. Francis, respectively. This season, sophomore Josh Rosen has taken over as the starting quarterback at Bellflower St. John Bosco, and his center, Elijah Zabludoff, is also Jewish.

  Would anyone have predicted that the UCLA and USC football teams would have identical 3-1 records after the first four games of the college football season? Join us for a Google+ hangout starting at 11:30 Pacific time when USC writer Gary Klein, UCLA writer Chris Foster and national football columnist Chris Dufresne have a roundtable discussion on the locla college football scene. Topics could include: Does USC have a chance to win the national title? Does Matt Barkley have any hope of winning the Heisman Trophy?

UCLA punter Jeff Locke walked into practice Tuesday morning and made a general observation. “It's a beautiful day,” he said. Tight end Joseph Fauria was on the other end, opinion-wise. “It's early,” Fauria said, though he was already moving at a midday pace. The Bruins began their new regimen Tuesday. Practices will begin at 7 a.m. UCLA has practiced in the late afternoon in previous seasons. Classes start Thursday. “We gave it a lot of thought during the off-season in terms of what would be the best approach,” Coach Jim Mora said.

If you want inspiration, go watch the Los Angeles Crenshaw High football team. They're 30 players strong and keep showing what happens when a group of determined, passionate teenagers give their all for 48 minutes. "They understand it doesn't take an army to play football," Coach Robert Garrett said. On Saturday morning, Garrett was groggy and a little tired but never prouder of a team in discussing the Cougars' 13-2 victory over Westlake Village Oaks Christian, the No. 2-ranked team in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division.

Writers from around the Tribune Co. will discuss the teams that have been the biggest surprises in college football so far this season. Feel free to join the discussion with a comment of your own. Desmond Conner, Hartford Courant The Virginia Tech Hokies. They lost to Pittsburgh last week. The end. Virginia Tech was a 10 1/2-point favorite against an 0-2 team that embarrassingly lost its season opener to Youngstown State and, subsequently, looked awful in its loss to Cincinnati.

Coaches say the darnedest things. OK, maybe it was kids. But it could have been coaches. There is something about a season's third week - maybe the tipping point aspect to it - that makes our squadron leaders so prickly and paranoid. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State: "We'll have to play a great game this week in order to compete. " Florida State is favored by 271/2 points over Wake Forest. Nick Saban, mastermind of Alabama's 35-0 shutout against Western Kentucky, bristled, "Nobody here should be feeling warm and cozy.

Sending out a few early-season wake-up calls for: •Michigan. The Wolverines fell from No. 8 to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll after last week's embarrassing loss to Alabama, and now must hop-to-it regroup for their home opener against Air Force. Michigan should replace the wings on its helmets with danger signs. The last time Big Blue faced an "A" school was last week against Alabama. The last time Michigan faced an "A" team in Ann Arbor was Appalachian State, in 2007.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Former USC running back Joe McKnight declined to comment Friday about recent allegations that he took improper benefits while he was a player for the Trojans. Approached after a New York Jets practice, McKnight walked out of the locker room at the team's facility, retreating to an area off-limits to media. The Times has reported that Scott Schenter , a key figure in the ongoing corruption scandal at the Los Angeles County assessor's office, said he gave cash and perks worth thousands of dollars to McKnight and former basketball player Davon Jefferson while they were still in school.

A week into the season and UCLA is still trying to work out its 2012 recruiting class. Eli Ankou, a defensive end expected to “gray-shirt” this season, participated in the Bruins' practice Wednesday. A gray shirt is a player who has signed a letter of intent with a school, but sits out a year before starting his NCAA clock, giving him five years to play four. Ankou had been expected to join the Bruins for spring practice. Meanwhile, linebacker Jeremy Castro and wide receiver Javon Williams continue to work through eligibility issues.

USC's football team will not be distracted by allegations involving former Trojans running back Joe McKnight that could have ramifications with the NCAA, Coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday. The Times reported Saturday that Scott Schenter, a key figure in the ongoing corruption scandal at the Los Angeles County assessor's office, said he gave cash and perks worth thousands of dollars to McKnight and former Trojans basketball player Davon Jefferson while they were still in school. The report was first published online and then in Sunday's newspaper.