Headlinin': Cam Newton does Letterman's Top 10

Making the morning rounds.

• I can think of 10 things he still can't say. OMG rampant SEC homerism! in play again as CBS trotted out its breakout star of the fall season for one more go-round on the Late Show:

Was the Lundquist thing supposed to be a joke? I just assumed… (We keed, CBS. Newton also appeared on ABC's morning show.) [CBS]

• Hello, Doeren. Nice to see ya. Northern Illinois introduced Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren as its new head coach Monday, barely a week after wishing Jerry Kill good luck at his new gig at Minnesota. Doeren is a first-time head coach, but he's not in any hurry to leave the Badgers before their Rose Bowl date with TCU. "I felt like I was part of a five-year process to get them to that point and I want to finish that journey," he said. "I also feel like it's great publicity for this university and for our recruiting efforts to have a Rose Bowl coach on national television." (And since it's already stuck in your head now, I'll go ahead and save you the search.) [Associated Press]

• Bill Stewart is still West Virginia's head coach. Though athletic director Oliver Luck's "no comment" approach on Monday didn't do anything to foil the burgeoning rumor mill that thinks Stewart may be on his way out after the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28. Stewart himself has said he's not going anywhere; current players Scooter Berry and Jeff Braun and former All-American John Thornton all Tweeted that players haven't been informed of anything. But the school also appears to be in hot pursuit of Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as a potential successor, even as Holgorsen's candidacy for the top job at Pitt seems to have fallen through. [Charleston Gazette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Oklahoman]

• Passing of the torch. Oklahoma is handing the keys of its offense to a familiar face: Josh Heupel, former Heisman runner-up as leader of the Sooners' 2000 BCS championship team, was officially promoted Monday from quarterbacks coach to co-offensive coordinator (along with fellow OU assistant Jay Norvell), replacing Indiana-bound Kevin Wilson. Heupel will call the plays, where the whole "national championship quarterback" ought to buy him about six weeks of goodwill. After that, there better be some points on that board, son. [Tulsa World, The Oklahoman]

• Oh, he's going to fit right in. New Florida head coach Will Muschamp is already on his first SEC poaching trip, allegedly targeting Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to join the Gators' staff in the same capacity. Smart is reportedly mulling the offer, but a high school coach who saw Smart Monday night during a recruiting trip said "he acted like he's still stuck on Alabama." Considering Smart turned down big money to defect to Georgia last year, that's probably a good bet. [Tuscaloosa News]

• Meet the new boss. Al Golden introduced himself to Miami Monday night, with a special guest commentary track by Michael Irvin:

Yes, he broke out the key phrase: "It's a dream job." [Miami Herald]

• Agoraphobes need not apply. The best part of Texas' required public-job listing for its vacant defensive coordinator position: It specifies that "Working Conditions" include "Exposure to large crowds." (Is that a problem for rumored target Randy Shannon after years in front of relatively sparse audiences at Miami?) The candidate must also be able to climb ladders, and please note that those hours are "variable," too. [University of Texas]

Quickly… The American Football Coaches Association approves the "Lane Kiffin Rule," potentially suspending coaches for secondary violations. … How Jeremy Foley brought Will Muschamp to Florida. … How Muschamp's arrival may have kept John Brantley in Gainesville. … Oregon players try to figure out what to do with all this free time. … Cal, already a vagabond next year during renovations to Memorial Stadium, will play Fresno State in Candlestick Park on Sept. 3. … Bo Pelini, shockingly, was still a little miffed Monday about the rumors that linked him to the Miami job. … Danny Wuerffel spent the Heisman ceremony in the emergency room. … The ACC Atlantic is being overrun by the Tom O'Brien coaching tree. … And it's unanimous: Everybody hates the Big Ten's awful new branding effort. A lot.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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