Feb. 6 was the first Wednesday in February, which meant National Signing Day for college football teams. But the top-rated prospect on nearly everyone’s chart has yet to sign a letter of intent. Terrelle Pryor is reportedly thinking Ohio State, Penn State and maybe Oregon. The Buckeyes are rumored to have the inside edge.

So what are these letters of intent, anyway? They’re binding contracts with the NCAA and the Collegiate Commissioners Association; the student agrees to stay at his college of choice for one academic year, in exchange for their scholarships.

Pryor is absolutely worth spending a scholarship on. The reigning Parade National Player of the Year reminds recruiters of Vince Young, except even slightly bigger at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds – in his last year of high school. Not only that, Pryor is also one of the better basketball prospects in the nation, and would prefer to play in the NBA. He can afford to take his time.

This has been a season to remember for Air Force fans and bettors: 9-3 SU and 9-2 ATS, including seven straight paydays heading into this New Year’s Eve matchup. The Falcons are more than happy to be in Fort Worth; the California Golden Bears, on the other hand, are going to find it hard to be motivated after falling from the No. 2 rank in the polls with just one win and zero dollars in their last seven games.

Morale aside, the Falcons (+3.5) also have a devastating ground attack, as first-year coach Troy Calhoun has embraced the Falcons’ triple option on a team full of senior players. California has a strong enough front seven to deal with Air Force, and the Bears are the No. 24 team in the efficiency rankings coming out of the much tougher Pac-10 – the Mountain West’s Falcons are No. 51. But is this the day the Golden Bears have their picnic?

Arkansas is one of several teams undergoing a head coaching upheaval. But the Razorbacks have hit the jackpot, replacing Houston Nutt with Bobby Petrino. He won’t be coaching at the Cotton Bowl (Reggie Herring will); however, Petrino’s arrival has brightened the mood in Fayetteville.

The Tigers are not quite as enthusiastic after watching a berth in the national championship dissolve with a 38-17 loss to Oklahoma. The Cotton Bowl, though, remains important to a Missouri team trying to establish itself. The Tigers played well enough this year to go 9-3 ATS and finish No. 15 in efficiency; Arkansas is 7-4 ATS and No. 18, closing out the regular season with an overtime win at LSU.

Missouri will win or lose this game in the first quarter. If the Tigers come out flat, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden will take control of the game. Missouri QB Chase Daniel can’t throw TD passes if he’s not on the field.

The running theme of this bowl season: ineligibility. Three starting members of the Clemson Tigers will miss the former Peach Bowl: LBs Nick Watkins and Tramaine Billie, and OT Christian Capote. They may yet be joined by LB Cortney Vincent after his arrest on drunken driving charges.

Those absences make this matchup a lot more intriguing. Otherwise, Clemson should win in a walk after going 9-3 (6-5 ATS) on the season, beating Florida State in the season opener and watching QB Cullen Harper bloom in his first full year under center. Both teams have outstanding defenses, but Auburn’s offense is shaky and might not be able to capitalize on Clemson’s sudden weakness at linebacker.

Watch for the Clemson tailback duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller to find enough holes in Auburn’s excellent defense to control the clock, while Auburn QB Brandon Cox makes one mistake too many in a tight contest.

The long road down from No. 2 in the polls has been rough on both these clubs. But it’s been much worse for the Ducks. They’ve lost No. 1 QB Dennis Dixon, arguably the leading Heisman candidate before his knee injury, and No. 2 QB Brady Leaf. Taking the snaps at the Sun Bowl will be Justin Roper, the man at the helm for Oregon’s 38-31 overtime loss to the hated Beavers.

Without Dixon, all the great work the Ducks did in the regular season goes out the window. USF, meanwhile, is on a three-game win streak SU and ATS to climb back to No. 25 in the polls and No. 7 in efficiency. The Bulls beat Auburn and West Virginia earlier this year, both times as 7-point underdogs. They appear to be undervalued yet again as 6-point faves (off the board at press time) against the wounded and dispirited Ducks.

Virginia Tech’s season did not look promising. There was the campus shooting, then the 48-7 drubbing at the hands of LSU. But the Hokies are 10-1 SU and 7-3 ATS since then, and are deservedly playing in the Orange Bowl.

It’s difficult to muster the same feelings for Kansas. The Jayhawks delighted handicappers with 10 straight paydays before finally meeting a top club in Missouri. The party ended there, and it’s likely to get even worse against the mighty Hokies. Kansas finished the season 25th in the nation in Fremeau efficiency. Virginia Tech was No. 10.

The lack of quality competition for the Jayhawks this year was evident to handicappers, but less so to the casual bettor – Kansas is ranked No. 8 in the polls and gets just four points against the Hokies. The outstanding Tech defense and the QB combo of Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor should cover that relatively small spread.

The Hawaii Warriors made it out of the WAC with no losses, powered by the most prolific offense in the nation at 46.2 points per game. But they’re getting eight points against the Georgia Bulldogs.

This Hawaii team isn’t as gifted as last year’s version. The Bulldogs have taken the under to the pay window five times in a row and are 2-5 ATS in their last seven outings, as QB Colt Brennan has thrown 20 fewer TD passes than he did in 2006.

The Bulldogs’ secondary can be beaten, but the Dawgs have that brilliant tailback combo of Knowshon Moreno and Thomas Brown, their defensive line dwarfs Hawaii in the trenches, and Georgia will be playing with intent after getting snubbed for a spot in the BCS championship game. Watch for the Bulldogs to control the clock and enjoy excellent field position in front of a partial crowd at the Superdome.

Now that Tim Tebow has broken the seal on sophomores winning the Heisman Trophy, the field of viable candidates for the 2008 award has blossomed.

Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford will be at the top of many preseason lists this summer. His production as a freshman was beyond expectations: 34 TD throws and just seven interceptions, leading OU back to the BCS bowl trough. If the Sooners beat West Virginia at the upcoming Fiesta bowl, that’ll give Bradford a significant Heisman boost heading into his sophomore campaign.

Other top second-year studs include Washington QB Jake Locker and Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno. But Tebow himself has to be considered the main man at this point. His Gators are still a very young squad with room for development, and Tebow will have an even bigger spotlight for his 2008 performances. Former Ohio State RB Archie Griffin could soon have some company in the two-time Heisman club.

Bobby Petrino’s decision to bolt the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and head back to college may have been a bolt out of the blue, but it makes absolute sense in retrospect, given how many others have done the same. It’s not the difference between the professional and college brands of football, but the players themselves.

Student-athletes are at school to develop, physically and emotionally, and they need credible authority figures. Once you have a few seasons in the big leagues under your belt, your status in the world rises. Coaches aren’t given the same authority over their players, at least on this side of the Atlantic.

Some college coaches can make the transition from being in charge of players to being their assistants. Jimmy Johnson won football championships with both the University of Miami and the Dallas Cowboys. But he’s the exception to the rule, and it’s a rule both team owners and handicappers should pay attention to.

Did you get our rundown of the college football bowl schedule yet? No? Not a problem – here it is, from the Poinsettia Bowl to the BCS Championship Game.

Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy, Dec. 20
New Orleans: Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic, Dec. 21
Papajohns.com: Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 22
New Mexico: Nevada vs. New Mexico, Dec. 22
Las Vegas: UCLA vs. BYU, Dec. 22
Hawaii: Boise State vs. East Carolina, Dec. 23
Motor City: Purdue vs. Central Michigan, Dec. 26
Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas Dec. 27
Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan State, Dec. 28
Texas: TCU vs. Houston, Dec. 28
Emerald: Maryland vs. Oregon State, Dec. 28
Meineke Car Care: UConn vs. Wake Forest, Dec. 29
Liberty: UCF vs. Mississippi State, Dec. 29
Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M, Dec. 29
Independence: Alabama vs. Colorado, Dec. 30
Armed Forces: California vs. Air Force, Dec. 31
Humanitarian: Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State, Dec. 31
Sun: South Florida vs. Oregon, Dec. 31
Music City: Kentucky vs. Florida State, Dec. 31
Insight: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State, Dec. 31
Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn, Dec. 31
Outback: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee, Jan. 1
Cotton: Missouri vs. Arkansas, Jan. 1
Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia, Jan. 1
Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida, Jan. 1
Rose Bowl: Illinois vs. USC, Jan. 1
Sugar: Hawaii vs. Georgia, Jan. 1
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia, Jan. 2
Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas, Jan. 3
International: Rutgers vs. Ball State, Jan. 5
GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa, Jan. 6
BCS Championship Game: LSU vs. Ohio State, Jan. 7