KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson is on nearly every short list for the Heisman Trophy. He wouldn’t make any predictions about the award Wednesday, deflecting every question about it thrown his way.

“I don’t think about the Heisman,” he said. “It’s something I would love to win and it’s something that I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid, but it’s not my main focus. I feel like if I take care of everything else, then individual awards might fall my way.”

But Peterson did raise a few eyebrows when he announced what he expects to rush for this season — 2,200 yards.

The total would smash the single-season record he set his freshman season and certainly make the junior the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

However, Peterson said the bold prediction had nothing to do with those things.

“My dad always told me to reach from the moon. If you fall short, you’ll still be among the stars,” he said. “That’s why I set my goals high. I’m going after it and if I fall short I’ll still be among the stars. That’s how I look at it.”

Texas talk

When Peterson chose OU over Texas one of the biggest reasons he cited was he thought he had a better chance of winning a national championship with the Sooners.

Since Texas won the national championship last season, he was asked if he had any regrets.

“No regrets at all,” he said. “If I could go back and change things, I wouldn’t do it. Things happen for a reason. When we play Texas this year we’re going to find out who is the better team.”

Peterson even admitted having a rooting interest in last year’s Rose Bowl.

“I watched it and I was rooting for (Texas),” he said. “I have a lot of friends that play at Texas.”

Avoiding agents

How to keep agents away from players is always an important topic to coaches. The Reggie Bush matter at Southern California was a big issue Wednesday.

Bush’s family accepted a rent-free home while he was still playing for the Trojans.