Olympic champion walker Jared Tallent has awarded himself a gold medal in a mock ceremony in the wake of reports that dozens of athletes failed retrospective drug tests from the 2008 Beijing Games. The Australian was confirmed as the 2012 London Games 50km walk gold medallist in March after Russian Sergei Kirdyapkin was stripped of the title for doping following a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling.Tallent will be awarded the medal at a ceremony in Melbourne next month but put in some practice with a couple of friends in a video posted online. In it, Tallent walks through what appears to be a back yard and stands on a step as a voice behind the camera announces him as the winner, from Australia - Jared Tallent.Tallent, who has been training in Italy, stands up on the mock podium and waves in traditional Olympic style before a man comes forward to shake his hand and put a medal around his neck.The 31-year-old also took the 50km silver at the 2008 Beijing Games behind Italys Alex Schwazer, who recently completed a three-year ban for doping after failing a drug test before the London Games. Tallent will receive his real gold in Melbourne The International Olympic Committee said last week that 31 athletes had failed drug tests from the 2008 Games after samples were re-examined.Fourteen of the 31 were Russian athletes, the countrys national Olympic committee said on Tuesday.Russian media named the athletes, one of whom competed against Tallent at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, where the Australian won the bronze medal.Following the Russian media reports, a photo of Tallent was posted on social media showing the Australian crossing out the names of the two Russian race walkers who beat him at Daegu.The winner, Sergey Bakulin, was banned for doping last year by Russian authorities and had his Daegu result disqualified by CAS in its March ruling. The runner-up was Denis Nizhegorodov, who won the 50km bronze at Beijing. Also See: GBs Beijing haul may swell Marshall makes Rio Taylor seals Rio place 14 Russians fail Beijing tests Scott Bull Jersey . 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Nick Saban likes to tell all his four- and five-star recruits that if Alabama succeeds, all the individual accolades they crave will come with it.Good call. Last season, no players from a team that did not make a bowl game made the AP All-America first team. There was one each from a non-bowl team on the second and third teams.Of course, there are some excellent players on losing teams, such as New Mexico State running back Larry Rose III. The 185-pound junior was a third-team All-American and ran for 1,651 yards and 14 touchdowns for a team that won three games.Here are some of the best players in college football playing for teams that did not reach the postseason last year. And it doesnt look particularly promising for those teams to get there this season, either.Chidobe Awuzie, CB, ColoradoDid you know the Buffaloes had one of the better pass defenses in the Pac-12 last year? Yes, really. Awuzie switches between cornerback and nickel and became the first CU defensive back to lead the team in tackles for loss (13). The senior is a legitimate NFL prospect.Quin Blanding, S, VirginiaOne of the best safeties in the country, Blanding ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 115 tackles last season. New coach Bronco Mendenhall plays the type of aggressive defense that could set up the 215-pound Blanding to spend a lot of time in opponents backfields. If Mendenhall had a few more like Blanding, this rebuild would go much faster.Charles Harris, DE, MissouriThe latest in a recent string of excellent pass rushers for Missouri. The junior had 11.5 tackles for loss, including seven sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. Harris led aa solid defense last season, though Missouris offense was anemic.ddddddddddddCould be more of the same this year.Brian Hill, RB, WyomingThe Mountain Wests leading rusher at 135.9 yards per game. The Cowboys are still looking for a turnaround under third-year coach Craig Bohl, who led North Dakota State to three straight FCS national titles before coming to Laramie. Wyoming will lean heavily on the 219-pound Hill to break a four-year bowl drought.William Likely, CB, MarylandThe senior is a solid corner and one of the best return men in the nation. Likely averaged 17.7 yards per punt return last season and led the nation with 1,197 total return yards. He also played some offense late last season and new Maryland coach DJ Durkin has said he expects to use the senior in all three phases of the game.Mike Warren, RB, Iowa StateWarren should be right at home in new coach Matt Campbells spread offense. Campbells Toledo teams ranked either first or second in the Mid-American Conference in rushing the last three seasons. Warren ran for 1,339 yards as a redshirt freshman last season, tops in the nation among freshman. The Cyclones will need a few upsets and some big performances by Warren to get bowl eligible.EXTRA POINTSix more players set to star on teams that could struggle to make the postseason: Boom Williams, RB, Kentucky; Jake Replogle, DL, Purdue; Fish Smithson, S, Kansas; Matt Milano, LB, Boston College; Matt Davis, QB, SMU; Devonte Boyd, WR, UNLV.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '