Roundup: Oregon's Justin Herbert to return for senior season

Oregon football quarterback Justin Herbert announced Wednesday morning he is returning for his senior season in Eugene. Monster news for Mario Cristobal and the Ducks, who will welcome a top-10 recruiting class to campus next year, too. Herbert has thrown for 2,985 yards this season and is tied for 10th nationally with 28 passing touchdowns.

No better way to spend the day after Christmas than by watching some bowl games, so get yourself prepped by reading this Cal-TCU Cheez-It Bowl preview courtesy of the Associated Press. Get ready for a lot of defense.

Check out this Washington State-Iowa State Alamo Bowl preview thanks to Yahoo Sports. Two out of three Yahoo experts pick the Cougs to win a tight one.

‘Twas a great weekend before Christmas for Arizona State men’s basketball, which upset No. 1 Kansas on Saturday. And for his efforts in helping to dethrone the top team in the country, Sun Devil guard Rob Edwards was named Pac-12 Player of the Week after scoring 13 points in the final 8:33 minutes of the win over the Jayhawks.

In NFL news, former Arizona quarterback Nick Foles was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 471 yards and four touchdowns in helping the Philadelphia Eagles keep their season alive by beating the Houston Texans, 32-30.

Ken Goe tells us about Oregon State football’s “sneaky-good recruiting class” and its signing of another potential high-impact transfer in former Arizona center Nathan Eldridge, who is available to play immediately as a grad transfer.

Andy Enfield won his 100th game as USC men’s basketball coach in the Trojans’ 91-49 rout of Southern Utah Friday night to snap a four-game losing skid.

From Saturday – UCLA men’s basketball lost to Ohio State 80-66 Saturday in Chicago. Rough non-conference slate for the 7-5 Bruins – UCLA beat Notre Dame but has lost three in a row since.

Gordon Monson writes that winning the Holiday Bowl is “the only proper way” for Utah football to end its season. The Utes will have to get past Northwestern in order to accomplish that.

We’ll end the roundup on a couple of very Christmas-y notes, as former Colorado men’s basketball star Andre Roberson donated $7,500 to help a grandmother legally adopt her grandchildren. Awesome stuff from Roberson.

Also, check out this Seattle Times feature on former Washington linebacker Michael Jackson. The guy perhaps best known for picking off a pass to help seal the 1978 Rose Bowl now works at a nonprofit that fights youth homelessness and drug addiction.

Lastly, Buffalo Bills defensive lineman and former Stanford football player Harrison Phillips helped surprise an avid Buffalo Bills fan battling cancer with a trip to Disney World.