By Zac Ellis

The deadly tornadoes that hit the town of Moore, Okla., this week left a path of terrible destruction and damage. Now, the state’s college football teams are playing their part to help the victims of the tragedy.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa have banded together to sell 2013 Oklahoma Disaster Relief T-shirts, which feature all three team logos and the phrase “OK TOGETHER.” The shirts, available in short-sleeve and long-sleeve versions, are only for sale on all three schools’ athletic websites. All proceeds go directly to the United Way for disaster relief efforts.

Oklahoma’s SoonerSports.com team shop described the idea behind the T-shirt sales:

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By Zac Ellis

Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench is transferring to South Florida, Bench announced on his Twitter account on Thursday.

I’ve decided to attend the University of South Florida and become a bull!! #DoSomething—
Steven Bench (@SBench12) May 23, 2013

Bench, who left Penn State largely because of a crowded quarterback competition with juco transfer Tyler Ferguson and incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg, opted to transfer from the Nittany Lions last month. Given the ongoing NCAA sanctions at Penn State, Bench is eligible to play immediately and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

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EA Sports reportedly used Tim Tebow’s name in UF’s playbook while he was in school. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

EA Sports used ex-Florida quarterback Tim Tebow’s name in its NCAA Football 10 video game, SB Nation reports. That installment of EA’s college football series was released in July 2009, the summer before Tebow’s senior season in Gainesville.

An SB Nation reader found Tebow’s name in the game within Florida’s playbook in a play called “Shotgun Twin QB Tebow – Motion Stay.” The formation was used by the Gators during Tebow’s career, which spanned from 2006-10.

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Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater threw for 3,718 yards and 27 TDs as a sophomore. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater capped a stellar sophomore season by passing for 266 yards and two touchdowns to spark the Cardinals’ upset of Florida in the Sugar Bowl. The win effectively launched Bridgewater’s candidacy for the 2013 Heisman race, but the quarterback wants to slow the campaign before it fully gets off the ground.

Bridgewater met with head coach Charlie Strong and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson to request that the program focus on the team rather than his individual Heisman campaign, according to WDRB in Louisville. Strong said the team will honor its star player’s request.

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By Zac Ellis

After beating Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game, Florida State’s 2012 season culminated with an Orange Bowl win over Northern Illinois. Now, the Seminoles are enjoying the spoils of victory with some new hardware.

A video posted by James Garbarino, Florida State’s associate director of Seminole Productions, shows off the design of the team’s Orange Bowl championship rings. One side features the score of the game (31-10) and the ‘Noles’ record last year of 12-2.

Before last season, Florida State hadn’t claimed both an ACC title and a BCS bowl victory in the same campaign since its 1999 national championship season.

Clemson’s Sammy Watkins tallied just 708 receiving yards and three TDs in 2012. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Throughout the offseason, SI.com will spotlight several teams, players and coaches with something to prove heading into the 2013 season.

Only a year removed from a dazzling freshman campaign in which he made 82 catches for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins entered the 2012 season with lofty expectations. Yet the 2011 All-America regressed in his second year, both on and off the field.

Watkins was arrested on drug-related charges in May 2012 and was subsequently suspended for the Tigers’ first two games. He then missed another game at Boston College with a stomach virus, and he played just one series in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU before leaving with an ankle injury. All things considered, it added up to a subpar sophomore effort.

Here’s a comparison of Watkins’ 2011 and 2012 receiving numbers:

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By Zac Ellis

Perhaps there’s more to blue-chip recruit Jabrill Peppers than meets the eye. A five-star prospect out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, Peppers recently dropped a video for his rap song “Don’t Take It Personal” on YouTube.

The track, credited to J. Reall (Peppers) featuring Knew Era X, begins with the line, “It ain’t no secret through the struggle only the strong survive.” Peppers is likely referring to his recruitment here, as he continues to fend off an endless sea of scholarship offers from major-conference programs. He’s reportedly narrowed his final list of schools down to LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers and Stanford. He’s slated to make his announcement on ESPNU on May 26.

Unlike previous recruits’ rap videos, this effort isn’t half bad. Peppers appears to have a bright future ahead of him on the gridiron — he rushed for 1,552 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior — but he may have a backup career path if the whole football thing goes south.

Courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference

By Zac Ellis

The Sun Belt unveiled its new logo and branding on Sunday, replacing the old logo that has been in use since 1997.

After nearly a year of research surrounding “the impact, sustainability and core values” of the Sun Belt, the league also released “Together We Rise” as its new mantra.

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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott took in more than $3 million in 2011-12. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott pulled in more than $3 million for the calendar year 2011-12, according to tax documents released by the conference on Sunday. That number makes Scott the highest-paid conference commissioner ever, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Scott’s total surpassed that of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, whose $2.8 million in compensation made him the highest-paid conference commissioner as recently as last week. Interestingly, Scott’s compensation is almost double that of the SEC’s Mike Slive, who netted $1.6 million.

Scott took home a base salary of $1,575,000 with a bonus of $1,376,000. Other compensation accounted for $71,462 of his total.

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Sebastian the Ibis, perpetually flummoxed by the state of the NCAA’s Miami investigation. (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Miami football coach Al Golden, basketball coach Jim Larranaga and Hurricanes’ administrators are set to appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions on June 13-15 in Indianapolis to further discuss allegations surrounding former booster Nevin Shapiro. A response from the school, as well as implicated coaches no longer with the program, is due out on Monday.

As the school prepares to defend itself from the allegations, one ex-Miami assistant says the accusations are nothing compared to what happens in the SEC, according to the Miami Herald:

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