Barkley, for some reason, returned to Southern Cal for one more year. Maybe he was counting on less competition at the quarterback position in the 2013 draft (and, indeed, only one QB was taken Thursday). Maybe he truly wanted to take another shot at a national championship with a team that was pegged as the preseason No.You know the drill. Just before the game, a popular singer stands before a silent, reverent crowd and sings the national anthem. It's powerful, beautiful and tearinducing.

St. Louis Rams: It might come as a surprise to list the Rams. Steven Jackson remains among the NFL's premier backs, carrying 330 times for 1,241 yards last season as a perfect complement to promising rookie QB Sam Bradford.After every tackle, every pass, and every run, I become anxious knowing that a flag is soon to follow. It's reached a point where it would be better to just stop the season than let it continue in such an egregious fashion. There has to be an asterisk next to this year