-by Braden Gall (@BradenGall on twitter)

Recruiting rankings are an inexact science, and even the experts will admit that. It is virtually impossible to measure heart, work ethic, mental focus and self-awareness in 17- and 18-year-old kids. Especially, in the face of the most important decision they will ever make.

by Nathan Rush

TicketCity Bowl
Houston (12-1) vs. Penn State (9-3)
Date: Jan. 2, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, Texas

The first-ever Big Ten vs. Conference USA postseason matchup is a surreal pairing of two teams in the middle of downward spirals — albeit of decidedly different natures — led by interim head coaches.

The BCS is wrapping up its 14th season of action and Athlon Sports is continuing its series of BCS rankings. We ranked the best performances of each BCS bowl game and we ranked the best teams of each BCS conference. Now, we break down the top offensive units of the BCS era (1998-present).

Statistics, awards, championships and NFL talent were all considered and evaluated in order to label the Top 10 offenses of the BCS era. Only teams from "non-BCS" conferences were considered and teams from 2011 were not eligbile. (If you want BCS-only offenses, click below.)

By Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven on Twitter)

Finally. After losing Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC in September and West Virginia to the Big 12 in late October, the Big East is ready to expand. According to CBSSports.com, the conference will formally add Boise State, Houston, San Diego State, SMU and UCF. The Big East is expected to announce the additions on Wednesday.

UCLA has a proud tradition in football, but the last two decades have been very mediocre outside of three or four special seasons. The Bruins’ last Rose Bowl win? That would be a victory over Iowa at the end of the 1985 season.

The rollercoaster tenure of Ron Zook has ended after seven seasons at Illinois, and athletic director Mike Thomas is conducting a search that has a wide array of candidates.

The search for the next Penn State head coach took an interesting turn over the weekend with the news that current Miami coach and former PSU player Al Golden signed a new four-year contract extension that stretches to February 2020.