Manning Still Undecided

College football

Peyton Manning insists he hasn’t decided whether to join the NFL or return for another season as Tennessee’s quarterback.

“I was hoping it was going to be an easy decision,” he said. “I was hoping it would be a no-brainer.”

Manning previously said he would decide before the Vols’ bowl game. No. 9 Tennessee will meet No. 10 Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.

“There are so many things that come into it,” he said. “As for what I’m feeling, I’m just kind of going back-and-forth at this point.”

K-State fans cotton to game

Kansas State fans have purchased 36,500 tickets for the Cotton Bowl game with Brigham Young, a record for one school for the Dallas game.

Five finalists for ISU job

Idaho State athletic director Irv Cross has narrowed the field of candidates for Bengals head football coach to five and intends to make a selection by week’s end.

The finalists are former L.A. Raiders assistant Thomas Walsh, former Navy head coach George Chaump, University of Washington running backs coach Al Roberts, Purdue offensive coordinator Tim Salem and former University of Florida head coach Galen Hall.

Brian NcNeely resigned on Nov. 25 after five years as head coach.

Harris gets Pitt job

Walt Harris, an Ohio State assistant, was chosen to succeed Johnny Majors as Pitt’s football coach.

This will be Harris’ second head coaching job. He was 11-24 from 1989-91 at alma mater, University of the Pacific, which showed steady progression before he left to become the New York Jets’ quarterbacks coach. Pacific was 2-10 in 1989, 4-7 in 1990 and 5-7 in 1991.

Notes

Michael Kornblau, the first white starting quarterback at historically black Grambling, took part in an illegal tryout for coach Eddie Robinson, the school has told the NCAA.

Robinson, recently granted a final season so he could try to leave on a winning note, said Kornblau worked out with players when he visited the campus, but it was not an organized tryout.

Nebraska’s starting wingback John Vedral was booted off the team after an arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

Northwestern senior linebacker Pat Fitzgerald has won the Bronko Nagurski Award for the second year in a row. The award, given by the Football Writers Association of America, honors the top defensive player.