Reports have begun to surface that Texas and the Big Ten have entered into preliminary talks regarding the program's possible move to the traditionally Midwest conference.

It's no secret that the Big Ten has been pondering an expansion to reach twelve teams, but nobody ever dreamed that their 12th team would be such a monster of a football program like the Longhorns. Notre Dame was thought to be the biggest fish considered, but the Irish have made it clear that independence is their prerogative.

Adding a 12th member to their 11 member conference would allow the Big Ten to divide into two six-team divisions and hold an annual conference championship game. If something actually comes of these talks, it could have an astronomical impact on the college football world.

Not only would the Big Ten welcome a new program ripe with tradition and viewership to go along with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, etc., but the Big 12 would be without their marquee program. Texas has finished in the AP top 25 every single year this decade and the top 5 for half of the decade. No Texas would mean a huge economic pitfall for the Big 12. And don't forget about Texas' annual rivalry with Oklahoma.

By the way, Colorado is rumored to be Pac-10-bound, so take that again, Big 12! Of course, that's completely speculative and the Pac-10's copycat expansion wishes are nothing but a rumor at this point.

Money and exposure are the big reason for the Big Ten's expansion efforts. As of now, with no conference championship, the Big Ten is off the map from the third week of November until the bowl games finally start about midway through December. A conference championship would keep the Big Ten on the map all season long.

Assuming the NFL heads into this year without a salary cap, as expected, the Saints will be restricted severely in adding players to their roster. As one of the final four playoff teams, they're not allowed to sign any unrestricted free agents from other teams unless that player is released and passes through waivers, or unless the Saints lose one of their unrestricted free agents to another team first.

For the Saints this means that they will be unable to add a Julius Peppers type player (how good would he look anchoring that "D" as a complement to that offense) even if they were to get rid of Reggie Bush because a new player's salary can't exceed the former player's salary.

Speaking of Reggie Bush and his contract, it's an issue that has now become problematic.

The way the Saints structured his contract, Bush's base salary is scheduled to jump from $2.585 million in 2009 to $8 million in 2010, then $11.8 million in 2011, with bonuses thrown in each year. It's not that Bush is not a wonderful role player, but obviously that's more than he would be worth on the open market considering he hasn't turned into "the next great all around back" like Ray Rice or Chris Johnson that the Saints thought he would.

The Saints will certainly attempt to strong-arm Bush into taking a pay cut, but there is no way that he will bite on that because he isn't afraid of being released into free agency. Bush, who turns 24 next month, is still a tantalizing enough talent to make serious money in the open market.

A trade doesn't make any sense because no other team would value Bush more than the Saints do. Coach Sean Payton loves having him as a huge distraction in the middle of his diverse offense. The Saints probably wouldn't give him up for a fifth- or sixth-round pick, and no other team would likely invest a high pick and all that money for him.

The NFL's salary cap situation has created a scenario that doesn't easily allow for major changes for teams that finished at the top in 2009-2010. If you are into parody (the NFL is all about that) I guess this is a good thing.

Don't expect major changes in the starting rosters of any of the final four teams. - David Fry

David is an independent sports photographer currently covering MLB and the NFL. David will be reporting on observations as he sees them in stadiums throughout the year

If you haven't voted in our polls on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll questions are:

"Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?"

and

"Should the NFL adopt the NCAA method of Overtime or continue to flip a coin for possession and have sudden death?"

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

In Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees (Super Bowl MVP) defeated the Indianapolis Colts led by Peyton Manning.

When the 2009 - 2010 season began, the New Orleans Saints opened at +$2,500 or 25 to 1. Sweet odds to win the Super Bowl indeed!

In the previous Super Bowl (XLIII), Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in dramatic fashion over the Arizona Cardinals lead by Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.

The Steelers opened at +$1,800 or "18 to 1" to win the Super Bowl. In other words, wagering $1,000 on the Steelers to bring home the championship paid $18,000. Not a bad wager, eh?

You can now bet on Super Bowl XLV (45) to be played at Cowboys Stadium, North Arlington, Texas, February 6, 2011.

So, which team do you like to win it all?

Early 2010 - 2011 futures odds for Super Bowl XLV (45) are now posted. Super Bowl XLV will be played at Cowboys Stadium in North Arlington, Texas in 2011.

The Colts, Saints, and Chargers are the early odds on favorites to win the Super Bowl checking in at 6 to 1, 8 to 1, and 8 to 1 respectively. The Saints were 10 to 1, but the number has come down following their Super Bowl victory.

Some of the long shots include Buffalo, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City, and Oakland all checking in at 100 to 1... No surprises there.

The Lions, Browns, Jaguars and Texans are the only teams to have not yet played in a Super Bowl.

If you want to bet on the Super Bowl, $100 risked can result in a juicy payoff if you pick the winning team. - Robert Finley

Bob has been covering college and pro football as an "interested party" for over 20 years. He's pretty darn good at it too......

If you haven't voted in our polls on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll questions are:

"Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?"

and

"Should the NFL adopt the NCAA method of Overtime or continue to flip a coin for possession and have sudden death?"

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

The college football season is over; withdrawals, depression, misery. Before you slip into an apathetic stupor for eight months, remember that the NFL Draft is just around the corner! From now until April's NFL Draft, I will be profiling some of the more interesting prospects. I can't promise that I'll get to your favorite player, but if you'd like to see a certain player profiled, shoot us an email and let us know.

Among the shortlist of things you shouldn't try to change a guy's mind about are Tim Tebow's pro potential and redheads. Since I've already covered Tebow, I thought I'd tackle the other...but you won't find any Debra Messing, Julianne Moore or early Lindsay Lohan talk here.

Jimmy Graham started his collegiate career as a power forward for the Miami Hurricanes basketball team. After exhausting four years of eligibility on the court, Graham traded his double zero for #80 on the football field (triple zero?).

(Graham has red hair in case the connection was lost on anybody.)

To make it as a tight end at the next level, Graham will have to work on his blocking, but his pass catching ability has his draft stock on the rise. Over the course of the 2009 season, Graham developed into one of quarterback Jacory Harris' favorite targets, especially down inside the red zone. That's really saying something considering Miami's crop of talented young (and tall) receivers, hauling in 5 touchdowns in 2009.

On the basketball court, he was renowned among 'Canes fans for his defense and passion, and is one of only eight Hurricanes to record more than 100 blocks in his career. Whoever picks Graham this April will not get just some raw, undeveloped talent, but an athlete who is willing to put in the work to become the next successful basketball to tight end convert.

Graham is listed on Miami's website as 6'8, 260 pounds. Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, the two most well-known and successful basketball to tight end converts, are measured at 6'4, 260 and 6'5, 243, respectively. Like Graham, they boast excellent hands that have made them ultra reliable pass catchers.

At the Senior Bowl, and in practice, Graham was impressive. His Senior Bowl coach, Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sporano, gushed about him. "I like what I've seen out of him," he said. "He's a good prospect, without a doubt." His postseason workout buddy and Senior Bowl teammate, Tim Tebow, also offered glowing reviews, "I think his football ability is just going to keep increasing. He's someone that can fill out and keep getting stronger."

As for his answer to NFL general managers who question why he gave up basketball, Graham has an answer. "I tell them [football] was my first love and I turned down six figures overseas to play basketball. I did that because I didn't want to go through the rest of my life saying 'what if'. The 'what if' turned into an 'I can' and it's been a great experience."

A recap of what went down and what you should take away from the week in college football.

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. Great story. What are the chances that Aaron Eckhart plays Sean Payton in the Hollywood adaptation? Or will he be too busy portraying Lane Kiffin in Catch Me If You Can 2?

Signing Day is said and done (for the most part). There were a few shockers, but most kids wound up at one of the two or three schools we were expecting.

With the conclusion of the Super Bowl, NFL Draft season has officially begun. The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine is set to begin on Saturday, February 28 with the offensive linemen, specialists and tight ends and will conclude on Tuesday, March 2 with the defensive backs. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will go on February 29 with defensive linemen and linebackers going on March 1.

Recapping the week in 500 words or less, this is what we learned:

• The fight for the services of highly recruited offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson may not be over just yet. Henderson verbally committed to USC on Signing Day, but has not signed a letter of intent. With USC likely facing some degree of sanctions, Henderson is reportedly on the fence about the Trojans. According to John Millea of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Henderson told Joe Schmit of KSTP-TV, when asked if whether sanctions against the Trojans would change his mind, "Yeah, I think it would." He goes on to say that he'd have to discuss the matter with the USC coaches before making any decision. Millea concludes that the extent of sanctions may not be known for some time, so "Seantrel Henderson -- not knowing what will happen with USC -- may sign with another school."

• As for which school that may be, there are two conflicting reports. If you want to take the word of the athlete, Ohio State is next in line. If you like speculation and 'sources' then Miami is next. Confused? Want some advice? Wait until something concrete comes out.

• Defensive lineman Calvin Smith was perhaps the biggest surprise on Signing Day. With choices that included Tennessee, Florida State and Alabama, Smith decided he'd be happiest as a New Mexico Lobo. Smith is the Lobos' highest rated recruit in recent memory (if not ever) and is a big get for head coach Mike Locksley. Smith praised his future position coach Rubin Carter and indicated that he was a big reason for his commitment.
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A lot has been made of the play to start the second half and the guts shown by Saints Coach Sean Payton in calling it. If it wasn't as the single biggest play of the game, it was certainly one of them.

Trailing by 10-6 to start the second half, Saints coach Sean Payton called for an onside kick, and kicker Thomas Morstead sent the ball in the direction of Colts special teams player/wide receiver Hank Baskett. When Baskett failed to secure the football, a mad scramble ensued in front of the New Orleans' bench. When the chaos and confusion ended a a full minute later, referee Scott Green ruled that the Saints' Chris Reis had recovered.

Think about it, if Hank Baskett could hold onto the ball like he holds onto Kendra Wilkinson's ass, the entire game may have turned out differently.

Saints center Jonathan Goodwin was quoted this morning as saying;

"It was amazing, when we took the field after we recovered the onside kick it was just a whole different feel to the game. It just felt like there was no way we could lose the game. . . . That particular moment changed history for us."

If you watch the clock on the video above, you will see that it literally took the officials one minute to determine who had the kick. When you watched it live, it seemed even longer than that. That was one of the most surreal one minute periods of time in Super Bowl history.

Kicker Thomas Morstead was quoted after the game as saying that at one point he actually heard an official say the Colts had it. If the Colts had actually gained possession, maybe we'd likely be talking this morning about the bonehead decision by Payton that handed the Colts the Super Bowl.

The Saints have the advantage, they have Drew Brees. Payton Manning may be one of the best QB's to every play in the NFL but Brees has much more to prove and the city and team he is playing for are here to win this game.

The Chargers were playing against the Broncos in 2005 when Brees suffered the worst shoulder injury that the famous Doctor James Andrews had ever seen. His arm bone actually came out of his shoulder socket and the chance of him returning to the NFL as a top performer was about 1%.

Dr. Andrews had to perform the surgery to repair Brees's shoulder within days of the injury or the shoulder would be so swollen that an operation would not be possible. Within one week of the injury Dr. Andrews employed 4 additional surgeons to help him perform the operation and repaired the worst shoulder injury ever witnessed by the great doctor.

During the operation the Doctor's found even more damage than they thought. There was a partial rotor cuff tear that also had to be repaired. All of the surgery was performed arthroscopically so that the recovery time would be shorter.

The surgery was a success but the rehabilitation of the shoulder was just as important. Brees had to be totally committed to his rehab work. He actually moved to Birmingham, Alabama for 4 months of vigorous rehab and lived with his in-laws Pete and Kathy Dudchenko. Dr. Andrews gave the responsibility of rehabbing Brees to Kevin Wilk who has been working with Dr. Andrew's patients for 18 years and told him good luck. Brees was in for some very hard and painful work; seven hour days of rehabbing with Wilk.

Brees accomplished full range of motion in his shoulder in only 8 weeks. He was determined to have a full recovery and get back in the NFL.

He really wanted to keep playing for the Chargers but it was time to negotiate a contract and the Chargers were offering him an incentive laden contract that only guaranteed him 2 million dollars. This was in insult to the former Pro Bowl quarterback so he and his agent looked elsewhere for another offer. The only two teams that showed interest were the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints were coming off a dismal 3 - 13 season playing their home games in 3 different places, New Jersey, San Antonio and Baton Rouge. They had just signed a new head coach Sean Payton and the city was still trying to recover from hurricane Katrina. Brees looked at this as a blessing. He felt that this could be God sent and that he and his family could do more in New Orleans than just play football. They could make a difference to the city of New Orleans and be involved with something bigger than football itself.

Having a party for the big game? Here are some interesting facts and figures to dazzle your guests with (most of it is totally useless, but it's interesting no the less.)

• 98.7 million: People who watched last year's Super Bowl
• 151.6 million: Number of people who are expected to watch at least part of the game.
• $2.6 million: Cost for a 30-second ad spot in Sunday's game
• 239: Yards Colts quarterback Peyton Manning passed for the last time he played in a Super Bowl. Manning averaged 300 yards per game this season; Saints quarterback Drew Brees averaged 274
• 75: Longest run, Willie Parker, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006. The entire Colts team only averaged 80 yards rushing per game this regular season; the Saints, meanwhile, averaged 132.
• 55: Most points by one team, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990. Neither the Colts nor the Saints scored 55 points in a game this season, though the Saints led the league in scoring, averaging 38 points per game.
• 9: Times the Super Bowl has been played in New Orleans. This year in Miami, though, is the Saints' first appearance.
• 7: Lifetime field goals, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri. He hit three in the Colts' win in 2007.
• 6: Most Super Bowl wins, Pittsburgh Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV, XL, XLIII)
• 6: Passing touchdowns in a game, Steve Young, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995. Manning threw just one touchdown in his only Super Bowl. Brees has never appeared in a Super Bowl.
• 4: Most Super Bowl losses, three-way tie: Denver Broncos (XII, XXI, XXII, XXIV); Buffalo Bills (XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII); Minnesota Vikings (IV, VIII, IX, XI)
• 3: Fewest points by one team, Miami vs. Dallas, 1972
• 1: Smallest margin of victory, New York Giants vs. Buffalo (20-19), 1991, thanks to Scott Norwood wide right
• 5: Number of years The Who's Pete Townshend was on the registered sex offender list.
• 194 million: Approximate number of blades of grass on the football field.
• 232: Number of countries and territories in which the game will be broadcast.
• 34: Number of languages the game is broadcast in.
• 1: Number of languages in which the word "football" doesn't mean "soccer."
• 8 million: Total pounds of popcorn consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
• 28 million: Pounds of potato chips consumed.
• 53.5 million: Pounds of avocados consumed.
• 222,792: Number of football field's worth of farmland to grow all that corn, potatoes, and avocados.
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According to Politico.com, Democrats are rooting for the New Orleans Saints by a 15-point margin.

However, this stands in stark contrast to the Saints' organization political giving history which is primarily Republican, with the exception of Jonathan Vilma who has donated thousands to the Democratic Party. Even after the horror that was Katrina, the Saints organization joins Peyton Manning in continuing to support those who were ready to make their home town the new "Atlantis".

In a recent interview with Diane Sawyer, Obama, not offended by this extreme betrayal, supports the Saints and their "Yes We Can" attitude.  An underdog himself and a big fan of Drew Brees, POTUS will be rocking the gold and black this Sunday in honor of the spirited city and their team.

The observations above were submitted by an avid Xtra Point Football reader. As always, if you the reader have something coherent to say, we'll publish it. - Xtra Point Football does not have any political affiliation.

If you haven't voted in our polls on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll questions are:

"Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?"

and

"Should the NFL adopt the NCAA method of Overtime or continue to flip a coin for possession and have sudden death?"

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

It's long been said that if you do not notice the officiating at a sporting event that the officials did a great job. I'm not sure that's the mark of a good official because that simply means that he didn't blow any easy obvious calls.

When the game is on the line tomorrow and the entire free world is watching some participants on the field will tighten up and some will show that they can operate and even excel under pressure. Hopefully, for everyone's sake there are no controversial or blown calls that make a difference in the outcome of the game.

Teams want the game won and lost on the merits of their play and so do fans and bettors.

The NFL announced the Super Bowl XLIV officiating crew Wednesday and the referee should be familiar to Green Bay and Arizona fans.

Scott Green, who headed up the crew that officiated the Cardinals' 51-45 victory over the Packers in a wildcard playoff game Jan. 10, has gotten the call for Sunday's Indianapolis-New Orleans match-up.

Neither team in that wildcard game was particularly thrilled with the officiating.

The Cardinals were upset with a pair of horse-collar penalties called against them that were questionable. The Packers were upset that Green didn't call a blow to the quarterback's head on LB Bertrand Berry on the second play of overtime and a face-mask penalty on CB Mike Adams on the last play of overtime.

Either one would have given the Packers a first down. The last one would have wiped out Rodgers' fumble and LB Karlos Dansby's 17-yard return for a touchdown.
The rest of the crew won't be the same as the one Green led in that game.

Under the NFL officiating program's evaluation system, the highest-rated eligible officials at each position earn the right to work the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl officials must have at least five years of NFL experience and previous playoff assignments.

Green, in his 19th season as an NFL game official, served as the back judge in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII. Promoted to referee in 2004, he has officiated in 12 playoff games - two Super Bowls, one conference championship, three divisional playoffs and six wild card games.