From AOL's new college football blog comes news that the NCAA is considering expanding into Canada, with the most likely applicants being the University of British Columbia and St. Clair College of Windsor, Ont. Either school would be a ten-point road favorite in Palo Alto this season.

Having a much better season than Stanford is U.S.C., which took last week off after several close calls. The earlier squeaker over UDub was vindicated, perhaps, by the scare the Huskies threw into eleventh-ranked CAL last Saturday. In fact, for a few minutes it seemed that the race to be a BCS also-ran would be shaken up, as one-loss CAL, Notre Dame and Tennessee all trailed for much of the afternoon at home against less-heralded teams. But in the end, all three rallied, form was held, and other than Michigan leapfrogging USC into second, and West Virginia passing Auburn for fourth, the BCS standings stayed pretty much the same.

Also leapfrogging ahead of the competition for Songleader of the Week, and perhaps the season, is Natalie Nelson, who also appears on the cover of this month's Los Angeles Magazine. The senior sociology major from Rolling Hills, California wishes to spend her life in the exciting field of commercial real estate (natch, the generic song girl is a blonde Republican from Rolling Hills who has an eye on a career in real estate sales), and says that "the things I enjoy doing most are dancing, working out, going to the beach, sporting events, concerts, and traveling. I love fashion, movies, and hanging out with my family and friends." Among the highlights of her resume is a six-year stint as a "Pop Warner cheerleader."

As co-captain of the squad, there have been other perks, such as an appearance on "The O.C.", an ESPN ad, a "commentating" gig on a cheerleader-related reality show on the Lifetime Network, and a trip with the rest of the Long Blonde Line to Italy last summer. Moreover, as you might expect from the life of any tall, thin, blue-eyed blonde from Rolling Hills, she has overcome much to get to her elevated perch: "I have been challenged with adversities in my life, and because of them I feel like I am stronger, more grounded, and spiritual."

UPDATE: Unbeknownst to me, Ms. Nelson was also SI's Cheerleader of the Week back in September, and apparently has her own website. Additional trivia includes the fact that she's a model, which shouldn't surprise the readers of LA Magazine, her mother was a SongGirl back in the day, her favorite actress is Charlize Theron, and she attained some notoriety last year when, thanks to the magic of Photoshop, she was transposed into a picture "celebrating" Texas' two-point conversion at the end of the Rose Bowl.