Cordarrelle Patterson was the top junior college receiver in the nation last year.  On Monday, he officially enrolled at the University of Tennessee.  But while many Vol fans are already dreaming of a pass-catching trio consisting of Justin Hunter (extremely talented, if 100% after knee surgery), Da’rick Rogers (talented, if focused) and Patterson… Patterson’s new coach wants to temper the excitement a bit.

According to Derek Dooley:

“The expectations are too high.  They are for everybody on our team.  But that’s okay; he’s got to learn to manage that.”

His position coach Darrin Hinshaw also cautions against over-hyping Patterson:

“You always have high expectations that you want them to come in and contribute some way.  How can we do that?  Well, we’ve got to learn the offense first.  We’ve got to learn what we’re doing and be able to play and then work on technique and understanding that.  There’s a learning curve that has to happen…

He’s very, very smart.  He understands the game really well, and when he gets here, the competition’s going to go through the roof.  That’s what we want.”

What any school wants when they ink a top juco prospect is the next Cam Newton or the next Terrence Cody — a player who can make an immediate impact on a team’s record just as soon as he steps foot on the playing field.  Unfortunately, the list of juco signees who disappoint is a heckuva lot longer than the very short list of game-changers who arrive on campus via that route.

So will Patterson be the star UT fans hope?  Or will he be another juco receiver — like former hyped Vol juco signee Kenny O’Neal — who enters and exits without making an impact?  (O’Neal caught two passes for the Volunteers during his career.)  The jury on Patterson, obviously, is still out.  Whether the verdict comes in positive or negative could have a large impact on Tennessee’s offense in 2012 and therefore on Dooley’s chances of sticking around to see 2013 as well.

When Charles Barkley speaks, you have to wonder what is reality and what is exaggeration.  The ex-Auburn and NBA star is no stranger to controversial statements because a) he loves to hear himself talk and b) he doesn’t take himself or — it seems — anything else too seriously.

That’s what makes him fantastic on TNT’s NBA coverage.

Unfortunately, it’s also what makes him the worst thing possible for Auburn’s image as well as — now — the SEC’s reputation.

CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish brought our attention to a short video of Barkley — hamming it up as a storyteller in an informal setting — in which he claims that he tried to buy current NBA star Dirk Nowitzki for his alma mater many years ago:

“So I call Nike and I says, “Find out about this kid and tell him I’ll give him anything he wants to go to Auburn.  Just tell him, anything he wants, we’ll get it done.”

Barkley claims Nowitzki scored “like 52″ on Scottie Pippen while playing as a soon-to-be-drafted German teenager, which prompted his interest.

Worse that the statement above, however, Barkley also said:

“(Nowitzki) would have fit right in in the SEC.  In the SEC, dude, we make sure you’re well taken care of.”

Oh, Mike Slive will love that comment bouncing around the internet today.  But was Barkley joking?  Nearly 30 years removed from his playing days in the SEC, does he even know what today’s Southeastern Conference is like?  Well, he sure chimed in on the Cam Newton situation as if he did — albeit in a lighthearted manner:

“Everybody wants to give us a hard time about giving Cam Newton $200,000.  That’s called a good damn investment.  We got him for 200 grand?  Are you kidding me?  That’s a good deal!”

No, most likely that’s just Barkley being Barkley.  But it’s also a nightmare on the PR front for Auburn and for the Southeastern Conference.

And It’s also going to be taken as Gospel truth handed down from on high by Alabama fans looking for any reason at all to throw a bit more mud at their hated rivals.

Here’s the clip (with some obscenities):

Would the real Gene Chizik please stand up?  Is the guy who won five games in two years at Iowa State?  Is he the man who’s led Auburn to two 8-5 campaigns in three years?  Or is he multi-millionaire, top o’ the line coach who led the Tigers to their first national crown in decades?

That’s what many Auburn and SEC fans would like to know following last year’s post-Cam Newton season.  But Auburn AD Jay Jacobs isn’t reading too much into last season because he says he and Chizik knew early on what was coming:

“2010 was a magical year for us.  Back when I interviewed Gene in December ’08, we knew that 2011, as far as the number of players, was going to be challenging.  I couldn’t be more proud of how the guys played.  There was only one institution that played more freshmen than we did this past season.  I’m proud of how hard they worked and how they stayed to the task at hand and continued to build this foundation that’s going to take us back to an SEC championship.”

Sounds good.  And we believe it’s too soon for anyone to start writing Chizik off as a one-year wonder.  But…

For Jacobs to have known back in 2008 that the roster would be so full of holes in 2011, he would have to have foreseen some real problems coming with Chizik’s first two signing classes.  After all, 43% of the players from Auburn’s ’09 and ’10 classes aren’t at Auburn or never arrived.

For that reason — while we say it’s way too soon to panic on the Plains — we also aren’t buying Jacobs’ “we knew it was coming” message.

Auburn fans, be glad that the NCAA was slow on the trigger.

Today, college sports’ governing body closed the so-called “Cam Newton loophole” by ruling that in the future any parent found to be soliciting the services of his son or daughter to an NCAA institution will be designated as an agent.  And when an agent solicits money from a school, the player becomes ineligible.

But don’t go calling this the “Cam Newton rule.”  CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd tweeted today that he had been told “the impetus for the Cecil Newton Rule, actually started with Alabama’s Andre Smith.”

You might remember that Smith — a star left tackle for the Crimson Tide in 2008 — was not allowed to play in the team’s Sugar Bowl loss to Utah in January 2009. 

And that’s why we say Auburn fans should be glad the NCAA acted slowly.  For if the NCAA had changed its rulebook after Smith’s issue came to light, Cam and Cecil and the 2010 Tigers would have been outta luck before ever making their run at the Heisman Trophy, the BCS Championship and history.

To those who’ve emailed us the link 50 times today, yes, we’ve seen the video of Gus Malzahn’s wife Kristi giving a bizarro interview.  Everyone’s seen it.  And if you somehow haven’t, here it is:

Do we believe that interview has anything to do with Malzahn’s name reportedly cooling at North Carolina?  At Ole Miss?  No, we do not.

We believe his non-Cam-Newton-led offense has something to do with his star fading a bit, but not this.  If a guy can win, no one cares what he or his wife says.  And here’s guessing Ms. Malzahn won’t be doing many more of these interviews in the future anyway.

1.  Alabama is battered and bruised heading to Mississippi State on Saturday.  (Trent Richardson on the LSU game: “Just imagine you got two 18-wheelers going at it.”)

2.  Anthony Grant’s hoops team won a hard-fought exhibition game with Alabama-Huntsville 67-60 last night.

3.  The documentary “Roll Tide/War Eagle” will debut tonight at 8pm ET on ESPN.  (Expect to see Harvey Updyke, Cam Newton, Paul Finebaum and the usual cast of characters.)

4.  Tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen has turned into a key performer for Auburn.

5.  Trovon Reed and Emory Blake are back and bringing some spark to Gus Malzahn’s offense.

6.  Bobby Petrino wants his team to have a “narrow focus” moving forward.

7.  Maybe that’s because too many people in the Natural State are freaking out over the BCS standings every week.  (Note: If you’re not in the BCS top two, those rankings don’t matter a lick.  Win your games, Hogs.)

8.  LSU is sticking with its two-quarterback system.

9.  Alabama’s linebackers and safeties were too big and slow… to deal with the Tigers’ option game.

10.  MSU needs to avoid mistakes against Bama this Saturday.

11.  Rick Stansbury’s basketball Bulldogs opened their season with a 76-66 win over Eastern Kentucky last night.

12.  This writer says Ole Miss made changes that needed to be made in firing Houston Nutt and accepting the resignation of AD Pete Boone.

13.  And this writer says UM’s search should start with Mike Leach and Rich Rodriguez.

The Georgia Bulldogs got the best of the Florida Gators on Saturday in Jacksonville.  They did again the next day in Denver – at least when it came to the performances of the two quarterbacks.

Matthew Stafford (Georgia) and the Detroit Lions blew out Tim Tebow (Florida) and the Denver Broncos 45-10 at Sports Authority Field Sunday afternoon.

Stafford completed 21-of-30 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.  Quarterback rating – a Sunday best 130.8

Tebow finished the game 18-of-39 for 172 yards, one TD, one interception and a quarterback rating of 56.8.

QB rating or scoreboard totals – Stafford won convincingly.  For the struggling Tebow, the inevitable questions are being raised.

“How long,” wonders Denver Post columnist Dave Kreiger, “before Bronco fans and Tebow fans part company?”

“It’s not his fault,” said Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch in regards to Tebow’s struggling performance. “It’s the media that gives him hype. Obviously, he’s a young player.  He has a lot of learning to do.  Taking nothing from him, he’s a great player, he just has to find his niche as an NFL quarterback and I think he’ll be able to do so in due time.”

Tebow was sacked seven times on the day, including one time by Tulloch who struck the “Tebowing” pose afterwards.

Lions tight end Tony Scheffler also mimicked the one- knee prayer following a second-quarter touchdown.

A story earlier in the week at NFL.com had hyped the game as Good (Tebow) vs. Evil (Ndamukong Suh of the Lions).

But as news Detroit News columnist John Niyo wrote after the game, “this was simply good vs. bad. The Lions are a good team.  The Broncos are a bad team.”

Broncos coach John Fox initially refused to commit to Tebow as his starting quarterback next week against Oakland but has apparently changed his mind – for now.

“For this week, yes.” Fox said when asked about it today, in a less than ringing endorsement, amid calls for Tebow to perhaps consider another position or the Broncos to consider dumping him following this season.

As for Stafford’s performance, Mike O’Hara reminds us that the Lions haven’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback in 40 years – Greg Landry back in 1971.  But that drought should end this year.

Speaking of impressive quarterbacks, Eli Manning (Ole Miss) and Cam Newton (Auburn) continue to shine while their teams move in opposite directions.

Manning threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants moved to 5-2 with a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over Miami.

“Eli made some big plays,” said Giants coach Tom Coughlin.  “Obviously he threw the ball a lot today. No turnovers, no interceptions, and he made plays when we had to have them. Once again, he did a very good job.”

Newton threw three touchdown passes for Carolina but the Panthers came up short three points short against the Minnesota Vikings when a last-minute field goal attempt missed.

The Panthers dropped to 2-5 but the Carolina rookie drew praise from the opposing coach.

“(Newton’s) a terrific athlete,” said Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, who also started a rookie quarterback in Christian Ponder. “He’s a guy who has a great head on his shoulders and really understands football. He knows how to make plays and he has a great future in the National Football League.”

Arian Foster (Tennessee) had his third 100-yard rushing game of the season Sunday, carrying the ball  33 times for 112 yards in the Houston Texans 24-14 win over Jacksonville.

Foster and teammate Ben Tate (Auburn) have combined to rush for 1,040 yards in the first eight weeks of the season.

Finally, Marcell Dareus’ (Alabama) move from defensive end to nose tackle paid off in a big way for the Buffalo Bills Sunday.  Buffalo shutout Washington 23-0 and the Bills defensive line dominated.

Buffalo had nine sacks – Dareus was credited with 2 ½.  His teammate – linebacker Chris Kelsay was impressed.

“He’s a force to be reckoned with,” Kelsay said. “He’s got a number of years ahead of him playing like that. We’re fortunate that he’s on our side.”

The nine sacks by Buffalo’s defense were the second-most in team history.

Six NFL quarterbacks got their first start under center in Week 7 of the NFL schedule.

John Beck started in place of Rex Grossman (Florida) for the Washington Redskins – and lost 33-20.

Kyle Boller lasted just over one-half against the Kansas City Chiefs – as the Raiders were shutout 28-0.

A.J. Feeley started for the injured Sam Bradford as St. Louis traveled to Dallas – and were blown out 34-7.

Charlie Whitehurst took place under center for Seattle just in time for the snoozefest in Cleveland – as the Browns beat the Seahawawks 6-3.

Rookie Christian Ponder, the Vikings first round-pick, had to face the World Champion Green Bay Packers in his first start – and got beat 33-27.

Returning to his home state, Tim Tebow (Florida) led the Denver Broncos into Miami – and won 18-15 in overtime.

Six 2011 debuts – one only win.  And what an improbably victory it was.

”Weirdest Home Game Ever,” read part of a Miami Herald headline.

Tebow’s start coupled with Dolphins honoring the 2008 National Champion Florida Gators at halftime produced the following spectacle, as noted by columnist Greg Cote.

It “meant half of the crowd was cheering for the opponent’s quarterback.  It also meant the other half of the crowd (including many University of Miami fans) were booing the halftime ceremony honoring the Gators.

“You heard chants of “Te-bow!” and chants of “Te-bow sucks!”- sometime a simultaneous dual.”

The game itself wasn’t much of a dual for the first three-and-a-half quarters.  Miami led 15-0 and Tebow looked bad.  Really bad.

“Through almost 55 minutes of football at Sun Life Stadium, Tebow looked like he might not even survive his debut as a starter this season,” wrote columnist Israel Gutierrez.

“He was so bad, the Twitter universe was overwhelmed with jokes about his inaccuracy, his awkwardness in the pocket, his random 360-degree spins and how obvious it was that the Denver coaching staff had little-to-no-trust in him as a passer.”

On the last two drives of regulation, Tebow began earning their trust.

The Broncos quarterback threw two touchdown passes in 2:44 and tied the game by running in a two-point conversion with 17 seconds left.

Denver kicker Matt Prater kicked a 52-yard field goal in overtime and the Broncos walked out a winner.

The Denver Post, citing Elias Sports Bureau figures, notes that no team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 had ever been down by as many as 15 points with less than three minutes remaining and won.

Behold.  The Miracle in Miami.

“It’s my fault that we were in that (15-0) situation in the first place.  I just have to play better in the first three quarters so we don’t have to make that comeback in the fourth,” said Tebow after the game.

Just how bad was Tebow before the final drives of regulation?  The Broncos QB had completed just 4-of-14 passes for 40 yards.  But in the end, Tebow and the Broncos got exactly what they wanted – a win in Miami.

“He’s a guy that as long as there’s time on the clock, he’s going to give us a chance to win,” said John Elway after the game.  “Those are the things you can’t coach.”

For other “Tim-Tastic” coverage, check out the roundup at ProFootballtalk.com.

The Dolphins meltdown has plenty in the media speculating about the future of head coach Tony Sparano.  As part of the Florida Gators celebration, Urban Meyer was in the stadium Sunday and spent time talking with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross in the second half.

Before the game, Ross was photographed with one arm around Meyer and the other around Don Shula.

The Miami Herald says a coaching change with the Dolphins is coming and that Meyer seemed to impress Ross.  But the paper says that if Meyer ever returns to coaching, it will likely be at the collegiate level but later added that “Meyer seemed to join the conversation Sunday.”

Some other SEC-related news from around the league:

Cam Newton (Auburn) and Carolina won for the second time this season while the QB tied a rookie record. The Panthers beat Washington 33-20 as Newton rushed for his seventh touchdown this season – tying a rookie record for most rushing scores for a quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

“The kid is a pretty Ferrari,” said Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall.  “He can run. He can throw.  He’s got the entire package. He’s going to a be a player in this league for a long time.”

Newton completed 18-of-23 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown.

Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) wasn’t great on Sunday, but good enough to win as Chicago beat Tampa Bay in London.  Cutler was 17-32 with one touchdown and two interceptions in the game.  Afterwards, he refused to blame the long-distance travel.

“You know, the travel and all that had nothing to do with the football game,” Cutler said. “We could have gotten here yesterday. It’s a matter of going out and executing, limiting turnovers. That’s what wins football games, not getting here a week early or three days. It has nothing to do with it.”

The Houston Texans had not one but two former SEC running backs cross the 100-yard mark on Sunday.

Both Arian Foster (Tennessee) and Ben Tate (Auburn) crossed the century mark as the Texans blasted the Tennessee Titans 41-7.  Foster wound 115 yards rushing while Tate finished with 104.

“When I go out there and see him get a touchdown or break a run, I start going nuts on the sideline because I want to do the same thing,” Tate said. “When I get my chance, I’m definitely trying to outdo him.”

For the season, Tate is the Texans leading rusher with 466 yards.  Foster is second with 420.

Rookie Mark Ingram (Alabama) and the Saints had their way with the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night – winning 62-7.  Ingram appeared to be on track for his first 100-yard game of his career but was sidelined by a fourth quarter injury.  He finished with 91 yards on 14 carries.

The injury was to his heel and Saints coach Sean Payton said after the game that x-rays were negative.

A few other injuries of notes:

Earnest Graham (Florida) Percy Harvin (Florida), Matthew Stafford (Georgia), Darren McFadden (Arkansas), and Mohamed Massaquoi (Georgia) all left the field on Sunday with various injuries for their respective teams.

Stafford was scheduled to have an MRI Monday for an injured leg, McFadden was believed to have sprained his foot, Harvin aggrevated a rib injury, Massaquoi suffered a head injury after getting hit following an incomplete pass over the middle and Graham reportedly suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

1.  What goes on during halftime in Alabama’s locker room?  Find out here.

2.  BCS guru Brad Edwards believes Alabama will top the first standings of the year.

3.  Gene Chizik takes the high road when it comes to how some in the media covered the Cam Newton story.

4.  Barrett Trotter and Kiehl Frazier will continue to split the QB duties at Auburn… while Clint Moseley waits his turn.

5.  Due to an ankle injury, Arkansas running back Kody Walker could possibly redshirt.

6.  Mike Anderson is remodeling the Razorback basketball program.

7.  LSU’s John Chavis doesn’t want his return to Tennessee to become the storyline of the week.

8.  The Tigers’ season-opening basketball game with Nicholls State will be free to the public.

9.  Three years ago, Ole Miss upset eventual national champion Florida in The Swamp.  Can they upset Alabama this week?

10.  Could the shotgun formation blow up in quarterback Randall Mackey’s face on Saturday?

11.  South Carolina’s defensive ends are a big concern for Mississippi State.

12.  Dan Mullen is keeping every quarterback option on the table for Saturday.

It’s finally Tim Tebow time in Denver.  Broncos’ fans got their wish on Sunday as the former Florida quarterback replace Kyle Orton in the second half against the San Diego Chargers (and was greeted with a standing ovation).

Down by 16 points, Tebow led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, running for one score and throwing for another.  After a failed two-point conversion on the last touchdown that would have tied the game and a San Diego field goal put the Chargers up by five points, Tebow led a final Bronco drive, making it to the Charger 29-yard line before a pass was knocked down  as time expired.  San Diego won the game 29-24.

“It was fun to play football again,” Tebow said after the game, “but there is no rejoicing in a loss.”

The Broncos are off this week so that buys the Denver coaching staff some time to make decision on a starting QB but if coach John Fox names anyone but Tebow the starter, he may have to” build a fortress around his house so that the citizens of Denver don’t attack Fox’s family.”

Update: No surprise here.  Denver Post says Tebow likely to be be named starter. The Broncos are off this week and then head to Miami, giving Tebow a start in his home state.

For their part, The Chargers downplayed Tebow’s impact in Sunday’s game. “Believe me, there is a specific game plan you need when you’re playing a quarterback like him, and you’re torn a little bit when you’re facing two,” San Diego coach Norv Turner said.

A few other former SEC quarterbacks made news in a losing effort on Sunday.

Rookie Cam Newton (Auburn) continues to be the bright spot of the most exciting losing team in the NFL.  The Carolina Panthers are now 1-4 with all four losses coming on fourth-quarter scores.  On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints rallied to beat the Panthers 30-27.

“It hurts losing, period,” Newton said afterwards “You know you have standards and when you don’t meet that quota of yourself, you just ask yourself why. There’s a reason we keep losing and I want to know the reason.”

For the day, Newton was 16-of-31 for 224 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

No one threw for more yards this weekend than Eli Manning (Ole Miss).  The New York Giants quarterback was 24-of-39 for 420 yards and three TD passes against the Seattle Seahawks.  But Manning also threw three interceptions against the 10-point underdogs and the Giants lost the game 36-25.

Down 29-25, Manning had the Giants on the door step of taking the lead.  From the Seahawks 10-yard line, Manning threw a pick-six interception that put the game out of reach.

“It kind of came down to the one play at the end,” Manning said.  “We had a tipped ball that they picked up and intercepted.  It’s a shame to lose a game with that type of play.  I’d kind of rather get outplayed than one of the games when we had a chance but didn’t make the play.”

The 420 passing yards were a career-high for Manning.

A career-best for another Ole Miss alum Sunday in New England.  Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis went for 136 yards and two scores as the Patriots beat the New York Jets 30-21.

“BenJarvus is a great guy to block for,” Patriots guard Logan Mankins said. “He reads the play out, he finds the hole and he won’t fumble.”

Running back Arian Foster (Tennessee) crossed the 100-yard mark –as a receiver Sunday.  Foster caught five passes for 116 yards and rushed for 68 yards in the Texans 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Kansas City wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (LSU) was key to the Chiefs 28-24 win in Indianapolis.  Bowe caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.  If you haven’t seen it, check out this juggling touchdown catch by Bowe.

A few other SEC-related notes from around the league:

Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons (Georgia) should be included in the league’s top pass rushers, according to Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times.  Clemons had two sacks in Seattle’s upset victory over New York. Clemons has four sacks on the season and led Seattle with 11 a year ago.

Oakland defensive tackle Richard Seymour (Georgia) had two sacks in the Raiders win over Texas. “I just felt like we grew up as a team today, we took a step forward as a team, we continued to fight,” Seymour said. “Last year, we probably would of lost this game.”

Green Bay Packers left tackle Chad Clifton (Tennessee) suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday night’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons and could miss several weeks.