Scientists at UCLA have discovered the first truly significant research breakthrough in the study of brain trauma in quite some time: the identification of tau proteins in a living human subject. This is news that can certainly help impact the game of football in a very positive manner. From Newswise:

Prior to this discovery, outside of mere speculation, doctors had to wait until after the patient was deceased to determine if he or she suffered from the degenerative brain condition CTE. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is an ailment that develops after repeated concussive, and sub-concussive, blows to the head. The symptoms are similar to those of dementia: memory loss, confusion, depression and aggression.

This is a tremendous achievement on several levels. On the pure science front, it proves that as technology improves things that were once impossible become quite doable. For those suffering from potential CTE following head trauma, this news should come as a relief. Diagnosing and treating so that those suffering can live a healthy, well-adjusted life is a plus.

When it comes to football, this news should truly re-energize those on the side of action. Older, former players will, as the technology is made available, have an avenue to discover just where they stand. Diagnosis and then treatment can follow as guys now have an answer as to what is going on inside their heads. Fighting an unknown enemy is hard; putting a face on it and understanding just how to live with it makes that considerably easier.

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Cash is king, and in the world of collegiate athletics it is football that makes the cash. Schools at the top are raking in money, hand over fist. Meanwhile others are struggling to make ends meet, if they meet at all.

At Tennessee, a school in the cash-flush SEC, business is not going as usual. The budget deficit in Knoxville is just more proof of just how vital a thriving football program is to the business of collegiate athletics.

When the 2013 season starts, Tennessee will be on its fourth coach in six seasons. Needless to say, success for the program has been remarkably fleeting. One of college football's most storied teams has had just one winning season in its last five, and only two bowl appearances in that same time.

With that bottom-half-of-the-SEC performance came frightening results that has put new athletic director Dave Hart's back against the wall. Attendance for the once always full Neyland Stadium dropped. Donations were not as robust. The school, which had recently invested in spending cash for new facilities, found itself wondering where all the money went.

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Florida prospect Laremy Tunsil is regarded as the best offensive tackle prospect in the 2013, and it’s easy to see why.

At 6'6" and 295 pounds, Tunsil is incredibly quick off the snap, and he also has a frame that will likely take more weight once he hooks up with a top-notch strength and conditioning coach. Which coach he ends up with, however, is the question many want to know.

To explore Tunsil’s options with national signing day closing in, we’re going to our Las Vegas-style odds board to search for answers. One of these teams will likely have an elite tackle on their line for the next three or four years, and who wouldn’t want that?

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The NCAA’s ineptitude has firmly seized the spotlight yet again.

A bizarre seven-day stretch, which included a heartless ruling over a uniform request as well as the mockery that has become the Miami investigation, has many—including the NCAA—looking for answers.

The investigator is now the investigated, and the NCAA is now investigating…the NCAA.

Mark Emmert sheepishly announced this in a conference call on Wednesday, saying he’s had “better days” when discussing his very foundation crumbling before his eyes. I would hope so. 

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On Wednesday, USA Today ran a piece talking about former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu and his road to redemption. The article included Mathieu's efforts to distance himself from the "Honey Badger" nickname he earned in Baton Rouge. It also talked about how he's working with Patrick Peterson to grow up and prepare for his shot at the NFL, and the work he's putting in at the Senior Bowl in an effort to rehab his image.

If you are into redemption songs and motivational stories, that piece is probably right up your alley. However, in reality, the only things that will keep Tyrann Mathieu off an NFL roster in 2013 are his football abilities, an injury or a serious arrest.

In other words, the generously listed 5'9" defensive back, whether you buy the image fix or not, will be making a grand return to the stage starting with the draft in late April.

For all of the media speculation and fan chatter about Mathieu's character and his marijuana transgressions holding down his draft stock, the real issue for the reformed Honey Badger is the same one he had as a Heisman finalist. No, not the weed and the arrest, but the fact that he is undersized and cannot reliably cover big-time receiving threats.

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A year after his passing, Joe Paterno's legacy is, in the grand scheme of things, exactly what you want it to be.

That's right, you get to pick. Truth be told, I never gave a thought to Joe Paterno during most of my years on the planet. Then the scandal broke and ultimately resulted in disappointment that Paterno, along with so many other people in power, did not do more to help kids. However, it did not tarnish the legacy or change my mind on a guy I did not particularly care much about.

If you came here to find an article celebrating his greatness?

Hats off to him for the two national titles and five undefeated and untied seasons. Certainly the people whose lives he legitimately impacted will celebrate that impact, as they should. The players he helped grow into men and the folks who he touched in small ways throughout his life. He's the guy that helped Adam Taliaferro make it through his tragic injury, and set so many others up for a life of success.

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We'll hear plenty about stars in the next few days with national signing day closing in, but what about the names? Yes, the names.

Not just the names that you already know, but the names that you absolutely can't miss. If you've been looking for a break from the recruiting madness, you've come to the right place.

Each recruiting class seems to provide us with a handful of outstanding names each year, and 2013 is no exception. Outside of some truly talented players, there are some names you won't be forgetting, even if they're not a 5-star talent heading to play for one of the nation's elite.

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We've already given props to Mark Emmert and his recognition that rules will not solve competitive balance, here at Your Best 11. Now, in looking at the overall big picture of the NCAA's new rulings, we can say that this push into deregulation, as a whole, is a smart move.

Certainly, many will notice the unlimited contacts, but there is so much more to the rules that have been nixed, as pointed out by NCAA.org. Ultimately, this is all a plus, something some folks do not truly see, just yet.

Everyone reads unlimited contacts and immediately jumps to the extreme. Kids being bombarded by a school with texts and calls. Prospects' Facebook messages filling up as a coach desperately pursues him. Twitter DMs all jammed up because that recruiting coordinator just wants to remind him that he's thinking of him.

It all sounds so overwhelming, and, when the rules go live on August 1, 2013, that might be the case early. However, in the grand scheme of things, don't expect that issue to always last.

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