If you're looking for a cuter, more relaxing alternative to tonight's big Super Bowl matchup,  we humbly suggest the annual "Puppy Bowl" on Animal Planet.

This is the eighth year Animal Planet has aired the Puppy Bowl (sponsored by Petfinder.com) and it gets a little grander each year. Kitten cheerleaders were introduced for a Bissell Kitty Half-Time Show two years ago, and this year we get for the first time, pig pep squad antics before the game.

If you're a social media hound, Meep the Bird (aka @meepthebird) will be tweeting updates throughout the event.

All of the animals featured come from animal shelters and rescues across the country. If you're interested in adopting these or other adorable pets, check out petfinder.com.

"Puppy Bowl VIII" begins at 3 p.m. on Animal Planet and runs till 5. But it will repeat on a loop all day long.

Check out more adorable photos below.

Today is National Signing Day, when high school athletes from fall sports make their official commitments to college teams.

While several high school seniors who play Olympic sports are signing as well, much of the emphasis for many schools is placed on football programs.

Locally, offensive lineman William Heine of East Chapel Hill has committed to Georgetown and Chapel Hill's R.J. Quick has signed on for Winston-Salem State.

Heine, a 6-5, 280-pound senior played at right tackle for East, helping to protect record-setting QB Drew Davis in coach  Bill Renner's "five-wide" offense. Heine will be joining his brother James at Georgetown, who's a pitcher for the Hoyas' baseball team.

Quick, not the biggest Tiger at  5-11, 180 pounds, was still one of the biggest guns as a top receiver for coach Issac Marsh as CHHS went 10-3 last season. He was also one of the quickest, no pun intended, with 4.5 speed.

The University of North Carolina is announcing its commitments — including Phil Williamson of Jordan — from the Class of 2012 this afternoon. See UNC Now (http://blogs.newsobserver.com/uncnow) for the latest on Carolina's recruits, and ACC Now (http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/home) for updates on Duke and N.C. State.

N.C. State has picked up commitments from two defensive ends this week, including Sanderson High’s Desmond Owino, who had been committed to North Carolina. 

New North Carolina coach Larry Fedora gets three commitments.

Sanderson High football defensive end Desmond Owino has switched his college choice from the University of North Carolina to N.C. State.

CHARLOTTE -- Shortly after Terrell Manning put a black "Belk Bowl Champions" hat on his head to commemorate N.C. State's 31-24 bowl win over Louisville on Tuesday night, the junior linebacker started talking about next season.

Seven starters on each side of the ball, including defensive stars in Manning and cornerback David Amerson, and quarterback Mike Glennon, are scheduled to return for a Wolfpack team that won six of its final eight games to finish 8-5 in 2011.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys coming back, and we’ve got a big opening game with Tennessee, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to,” said Manning, who had an interception and five tackles against the Cardinals.

If all goes as planned, Larry Fedora will make his UNC coaching debut on Sept. 1, 2012 against Elon in Kenan Stadium.

That game will mark the start of what should be an easy non-ACC schedule. The Tar Heels are slated to host ECU on Sept. 22 and Idaho on Sept. 29. The most difficult non-leaguer likely will be a Sept. 15 trip to Louisville.

East Chapel Hill had another good night passing the ball in its 35-28 win Monday night at Durham Riverside. With all the footballs flying at Linny Wrenn Stadium, it might be easy to overlook the improvement in the Wildcats' defense and special teams.

Due to rain and a soggy field at Linny Wrenn Stadium, East Chapel Hill's Piedmont Athletic 4-A Conference football game at Durham Riverside High School has been rescheduled for Monday evening at 7 p.m.

We have a story today about UNC-Chapel Hill's ongoing review into the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, whose former chairman's teaching of football players has raised academic integrity questions.

The latest issue has been the number of enrollments of football players taking independent studies classes in the department. Attached is a PDF of the data the university gave us.The first column lists professors, the third is the semester the classes were taught (SS refers to Summer Semester), and the seventh refers to football and basketball players.
 

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