Roundup: Scooby Wright returns as bowl season kicks off

Bowl season begins Saturday, and Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports previews the New Mexico Bowl between Arizona and New Mexico (11 a.m. PT/noon MT, ESPN). The Wildcats will get stud linebacker Scooby Wright back on the field.

Utah plays its good buddy BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl (12:30 p.m. PT/1:30 p.m. MT, ABC; nothing but hugs and kisses on the field for this one), but instead of a game preview, let’s read Chantel Jennings’ in-depth story on how Utah punter Tom Hackett lost and found his car, affectionately nicknamed “Basil.”

Oregon’s Jenna Prandini won the Bowerman Trophy, the top individual honor for collegiate track and field, Thursday night. She was the NCAA indoor national champion in the long jump and the NCAA outdoor champ in the 100 meters in 2015.

Washington volleyball libero Cassie Strickland won the Senior CLASS Award for women’s volleyball Thursday. From the release, the award “is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I volleyball.”

Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports examines how UCLA men’s basketball turned its season around following a 3-3 start. The Bruins have won five straight, including Ws over Kentucky and Gonzaga, to climb to No. 22 in the AP poll heading into its Saturday morning affair against No. 11 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic (10 a.m. PT, CBS).

USC women’s basketball was named NCAA.com’s Team of the Week. The Trojans are 9-0 after defeating Long Beach State 69-43 and are one win away from matching their best start since the 1984-85 season.

Cal football signed four junior college transfers who will be eligible to participate in spring ball – DE Rusty Becker, CB Marloshawn Franklin, WR Jordan Veasy and OL Dwayne Wallace. Jeff Faraudo with the info here.

Toby Neinas has resigned as Colorado’s special teams coordinator, notes Brian Howell. The Buffs had six punts or kicks blocked this year.

David Lombardi writes that Stanford’s offensive line was behind the team’s offensive surge in 2015. The Cardinal averaged 17.1 points per game more in 2015 than it did in 2014.

Jeff Metcalfe discusses the upcoming quarterback competition for Arizona State. Manny Wilkins, Brady White and Bryce Perkins figure to be vying for the gig.

Time to read Oregon State women’s basketball guard Sydney Wiese’s latest diary entry. She talks about reaching 1,000 career points and readying up for Tennessee, which lost to Stanford on Wednesday night.

Here’s a Washington State football season review from David Lombardi. Best year for the Cougs since 2003 with the Sun Bowl on the horizon.