• Nothing personal, dude, but U R so Tiger Bait. Much as they've begun to swear by it, LSU fans actually haven't had much success with the pre-game cell phone barrage the last two years: Tiger fans were openly mocked last year by wireless targets Knowshon Moreno and John Parker Wilson in losses to Georgia and Alabama, respectively, and failed to score a touchdown against Florida last month after harassing a few Gators over the preceding week. But with Alabama Week upon them, Tiger fans are proving as usual that they're nothing if not persistent:

It appears that LSU students and fans are living up to their reputation and appear to be targeting Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy (and probably a few other Tide players) with cell phone calls and text messages on a big game week.

"I think Greg had some blocked calls today," Crimson Tide linebacker Cory Reamer said after practice today. "I don't know what that was about, but my phone has not rang, thank goodness. I won't be changing my number this year."

The effect may not be exactly the same for a Tiger road game, but tradition is tradition. We'll see how McElroy elects to acknowledge their efforts Saturday, assuming the Tide can actually find the end zone this time.

• Mike Williams: The Aftermath. A little digging in Syracuse has shed some light on the sudden, unexplained departure of star receiver Mike Williams from the Orange, and it seems his exit is directly tied to an early Sunday morning car accident that also resulted in the suspension of three teammates, Torrey Ball, Antwon Bailey and Andrew Tiller, who were all riding in the same car. Note, however, that the car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer and none of the players was implicated by police in any way:

The crash was entirely the fault of the tractor-trailer driver, said state police Capt. James Land. Nathan Primrose, of Clyde, was driving a tractor trailer westbound on the Thruway when he came up behind the vehicle Tiller was driving.

The tractor trailer struck the Ford, forcing it off the road.

The others in the car were uninjured, according to the incident report.

No alcohol was involved, Land said. The accident was blamed on Primrose's inattention and following too closely.

Coach Doug Marrone hasn't commented, but the suspensions are likely the result of the players being out past some kind of curfew, or their coming from an off-limits nightspot -- the local Post-Dispatch notes the accident occurred just a few miles from a casino, which may be the paper's way of saying "hint hint" with no one actually saying as much on the record. As it stands, though, we have no official answers.

If Williams had stuck around for the suspension, it would have been his second in three games (he was held out of the Akron game for unexplained reasons), and on the heels of his academically-related absence for the entirety of 2008, his second departure in a little more than a year could cost him $2 million or so if he enters the draft next spring.

• Michael Floyd is a fast healer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Notre Dame will be getting its star receiver back this weekend, when high-flying Michael Floyd -- thought to miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his collarbone against Michigan State in September -- will be back in the lineup Saturday against Navy. Floyd won't play every snap on offense, but with equally un-coverable Golden Tate on the other side, the Midshipmen's chances of another upset fall from "infinitesimal" to "wholly imaginary."

The new injury concern for the Irish: Backup quarterback. With top reserve and heir apparent Dayne Crist finished for the season with a torn ACL, the next man in line is an old face, Evan Sharpley, who alternated with then-freshman Jimmy Clausen in eight games in the 2007 catastrophe that set Irish football back almost a century. Sharpley is only a short-term solution -- he'll be playing baseball in the spring -- opening up a quandary behind Clausen if Crist isn't ready to go by spring practice, and a looming disaster if Clausen for some reason elects to enter the draft.

• When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside ... So you think you love your country? You think you respect the Stars 'n Bars? Gaze in shame at a real patriot reveling in the glory of the Land of the Rock before last Saturday's Utah-Wyoming tilt in Salt Lake City:

There, friends, shreds a real American. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! (Hat tip: The Wiz)

Quickly ... Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith is out for the season with a torn hamstring (yikes), opening the door for the triumphant return of former starter Mackenzi Adams, who still spells his name like a girl. ... Washington quarterback Jake Locker is a game-time decision to play against UCLA. ... Banged-up Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka is confident he'll play Saturday at Iowa, though he recognizes the inherent absurdity of optimism. ... You wouldn't know it to look at him, but seriously, Matt Barkley hates losing. ... OMG Washaun Ealey is so dirty too. ... Ex-Michigan star Charles Woodson is getting flak from Cincinnati alums over the Wolverines' disastrous October. ... Except for the wife yelling at him, Nick Saban's free Saturday sounds a lot like mine. ... Just in case you were wondering if Kirk Ferentz would look ridiculous with a mustache, here's your answer. ... South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels is getting some tips on sliding from USF's softball coach. ... And enjoy a grammar lesson with Jim Leavitt.