Columnists' Corner

Jeff Carroll, South Bend Tribune: Is Crewcut Charlie Weis close to losing his team?

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Welcome to the new home of Iowa's football team. The Hawkeyes are taking up residence in the Big Ten basement.

John Rhode, Oklahoman: Oklahoma got what it deserved. The Sooners were kicked all over the field before Colorado's deciding field goal split the uprights.

Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune: Abolish San Diego State's football program? Nobody knew it would happen as early as Saturday night.

Steve Politi, Newark Star-Ledger: As losses go, Rutgers' tumble to Maryland ranks as a doozy.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: That's two losses in a row for Nick Saban, who really doesn't know the identity of his team.

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: A lesson to be learned: Don't lose faith in Auburn.

Eric Gilmore, Contra Costa Times: After a huge victory over Oregon, California is adjusting its goals upward.

Reporters' Notebooks

Antoine Pitts, Ann Arbor News: Michigan may be penalized for using an ineligible player in the first four games. Sanctions could include forfeiture of the Wolverines' league-opening victory over Penn State.

Sarah Trotto, Arizona Daily Star: Arizona coach Mike Stoops, who spent part of Friday in a hospital being treated for a kidney stone attack, said he felt no pain during the Wildcats' 48-20 victory over Washington State.

Miami Sports Blog: Given all the upsets on Saturday, the conference that come out looking the best was the Atlantic Coast.

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: That ball Ian Johnson fired into the stands after scoring the winning two-point conversion in the Fiesta Bowl is headed back to Boise.

Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: Comments made earlier in the week by ESPN analyst Craig James helped fire up Hawaii for its game against Idaho.

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: A Duke lineman's brainchild might turn into Internet gold.

Possibly the Hit of the Year

Michigan State safety Nehemiah Warrick delivers a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit to Wisconsin receiver Kyle Jefferson in the final minute of the first half of Saturday's game at Madison, won by the Badgers, 37-34.

With help, Jefferson eventually got to his feet and made it to the bench. He didn't return.

"He was real close to being able to get back in there, but he couldn't answer all the right questions in the short amount of time," Badger coach Bret Bielema said.

Warrick was awarded the bone, which is given each week to a defensive player who makes the hardest hit in a game.

How Arkansas Lost One of Its Nutts

If Danny Nutt wasn't helping his brother Houston coach the Arkansas Razorbacks, what was he listening to over those headphones in the coaches box during the Razorbacks' 42-29 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 22?

Nutt, who stepped down in July as running backs coach because of a recurring health problem that involved bleeding from his brain stem, had been replaced on the staff by Tom Horton. So adding another coach was a strict no-no.

When ESPN caught Nutt in the booth during the loss to the Wildcats, Charles Bloom, the Southeastern Conference's associate commissioner, ordered him out of the coaches' booth and team bench during games. Thanks to the Hog Blogger for finding this image.

The Final Days of Dennis Franchione

Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione is so radioactive at the moment, even his friend and boss, athletic director Bill Byrne, is doing all he can to distance himself from the football coach.

Byrne, right, issued a statement Friday clarifying that he was unaware of Franchione's email newsletter sent to select boosters who paid $1,200 for inside information, including injury reports of Aggie players.

Byrne, described as proud and brash, is also said to be "a big ol' teddy bear when it comes to Franchione," writes Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.

Fans are getting more upset by the day in College Station, and Franchione's comment that the "exhibition season" was over after a 34-17 loss at Miami only fueled the anti-Franchione sentiment.

The growing distaste for Franchione ultimately led to one of the dozen or so subscribers to Franchione's VIP Connection newsletter to turn the evidence over to the Express-News.

"Maybe the fan pushed 'send' about the time Miami was leading 31-0," writes Wendell Barnhouse of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Barnhouse also raises another point, writing that Franchione guards injury reports "like they were nuclear launch codes. ... But at Texas A&M, for $1,200 a year, you could find out how many stitches it took to close a gash on the starting quarterback's hand.

"If you're so inclined, you can take a look at the betting line and make a wager based on information gleaned from your VIP status. Maybe even recoup some of the $1,200 subscription fee."

Reporters' Notebooks

Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: Three weeks ago, South Florida was unranked and virtually unknown throughout the nation. That all changed Friday night. In a big way.

Mitch Vingle, Charleston Gazette-Mail: West Virginia’s national championship chances went out with the tide on Friday. Steve Slaton’s Heisman Trophy hopes were more than likely shipwrecked. Ditto those of Pat White, who left injured early.

Bart Pohlman, Arkansas Traveler: Arkansas fans deserve better than this. Razorback players deserve better than this. It's time for the Houston Nutt era to come to an end. It's time for a change.

Oklahoman: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has something to say: "I want this to end."

Pete Bosak, Centre Daily Times: Former Penn State defensive end LaVon Chisley, who was kicked off the team in 2005, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of the stabbing and slashing death of a woman.

Tucson Citizen: Arizona coach Mike Stoops went to the hospital Friday to be treated for kidney stones, but he is expected to be on the sideline Saturday against Washington State.

Adam Sparks, Tennessean: Is Vanderbilt trying to avoid scheduling Middle Tennessee State?

Adam Kilgore, Washington Post: The Atlantic Coast Conference has the status, but not the statement.

Jaymes Powell Jr., Raleigh News & Observer: A video game that promises to capture the experience of black college football will be released this fall. A link to the BCFX website.

Bryant-Jon Anteola, Fresno Bee: The new mascot for Fresno State, home of the Bulldogs, is getting bad reviews. The student newspaper said it "looks more like a cat and wears clothes that are maybe a little too tight for its own good."

Dave Reardon, Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Hawaii and quarterback Colt Brennan were treated like rock stars upon their arrival in Idaho.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not. Here is today's mystery link.

Officially, It's Still a Loss for South Carolina

How about the Southeastern Conference officiating! Check out this video from Cool Chicken examining some of the calls in last Saturday's South Carolina-Louisiana State game at Baton Rouge, won by the Tigers, 28-16. Yes, they are still bitter about this one in Columbia.

When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go

How do you know when a team is comfortably ahead? When players are casually using portable public toilets during the game.

Boise State receiver Vinny Perretta was caught in the act Thursday night during the Broncos' nationally televised game against Southern Mississippi. And it's not like Perretta is a deep reserve. He had four catches for 74 yards in the Broncos' 38-16 victory.

Franchione Stops Selling Newsletter

Dennis Franchione likely shoveled dirt on his grave with this report from the San Antonio Express-News: The Texas A&M coach has been selling a secret email newsletter to select boosters for $1,200 a year.

The newsletter, titled "VIP Connection," has been distributed the past three years to about 12 boosters, each of whom had to sign a letter of confidentiality to receive it. The newsletter contained detailed information about injuries and candid assessments of Aggie players.

Franchione, who said the profits earned from the side business were used to underwrite his personal Web site, Coach Fran, stopped selling the newsletter this week.

"I knew it was probably going to be controversial," Franchione said. "I certainly didn't mean for it to be that. When I knew you guys were starting to ask around a bit, I thought, 'Maybe we shouldn't do this.' "

Worse for Franchione is that his boss, athletic director Billy Byrne, apparently did not know of the newsletter. The paper said Byrne met with Franchione after being told of the newsletter, and although Byrne didn't ask the coach to stop "VIP Connection," he strongly suggested that it would be the prudent thing to do.

One last note: If anybody would like to slip us a copy of "VIP Connection," we promise to keep your identity a secret.

Game of the Week

California and Oregon have staged some memorable games in recent seasons, and Saturday's meeting in Eugene has all the potential to be another classic. Each team is 4-0 with resume building victories. The Golden Bears beat up on Tennessee to open the season and the Ducks delivered a knockout of Michigan a week later at Ann Arbor.

With Oregon favored, this one is tough to call. So let's hear what representatives from each side have to say, beginning with Dave from Addicted to Quack:

"Oregon and Cal are two similar teams. Neither defense is very good, and their 'bend, don't break' philosophies have them near the bottom of the league in defense. This means that you are likely to see a shootout. Both teams have great running games, but I think three things stand out as the difference for the Ducks: The Bears have injuries at key positions with DeSean Jackson and Zach Follett, Oregon has a legitimate playmaker at quarterback in Dennis Dixon whereas Cal has Nate Longshore, and the game is at Autzen."

Next up is TwistNHook, representing California Golden Blogs:

"Many people think that this game is going to be a shootout between two top-notch offenses and two less than staunch defenses. If that is true, I feel like Cal can win in the end. We have three great running backs, three great receivers and two really solid tight ends. Plus, DeSean returning punts usually shortens the field, either by shanked punts or solid returns. The only missing piece is Longshore, who has been inconsistent at times. If Longshore can stay consistent, I think this Cal offense is nigh unstoppable. So if it is a shootout, that could favor the Bears."

Crystal Ball

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hello, lovers of free money. Hlastradamus has a three-week record of 15-6. That's 71.4% against the spread.

Jody Demling, Louisville Courier-Journal: After picking Louisville to beat Syracuse by 63 points, there is much work to do.

Jerry Hill, Waco Herald-Tribune: Baylor is getting 17 points at Texas A&M. Are the Bears worth the investment?

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: Breaking it down in the Pacific 10. What about this California-Oregon game?

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Coming off a 4-1 week. He also is adding a post picking all the Pac-10 games.

Double D, Boston Herald: Tough times in Minnesota. You know what that means. Take Ohio State and give the points.

Phil Steele: His weekly top 25 forecast.

New York Post: Saturday's heroes tackle the spread.

For the latest numbers, go to Doc's Sports.

Leave Crewcut Alone

It's time to check in on developments at Notre Dame, home of Crewcut Charlie Weis and the 0-4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The latest: Offensive guard Chris Stewart is set to transfer. He left Thursday for his hometown of Spring, Texas, and if he follows through, Stewart would become the third player to leave in the past two weeks and the fourth member of the vaunted sophomore class to leave in the past three months.

And for those keeping score at home, a Stewart departure would mean 17 players have left since Crewcut became coach in December 2004.

Demetrius Jones, the quarterback who started the opener for Notre Dame and then fled to Northern Illinois, is now transferring to Cincinnati. Jones, who will be eligible in 2008, must feel like he hit the lottery. Consider that he has traded an 0-4 team for a 4-0 team that is ranked.

Some are now wondering if Crewcut is the next to go.

Let the Smack Begin

Florida and Louisiana State don't play for another week, but that doesn't mean we can't start having fun with what should be the game of the year in the Southeastern Conference. Reader Seth sent us this fine game day poster, designed by Jaxfl Tiger of the Tiger Droppings board.

That's LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey with the taser, about to put it to use on Florida's Tim Tebow. Of course, this can all be traced to the taser video of Florida student Andrew Meyer at a town hall forum for John Kerry in Gainesville on Sept. 17.

Hmmm. Any of those Florida photoshoppers have a response to this?

Wanted: Kicker

Although Duke ended its 22-game losing streak, the Blue Devils still have a plethora of problems. After kicking problems contributed to Duke starting a new losing streak last Saturday in a 46-43 setback at Navy, coach Ted Roof decided to hold auditions for a kicker.

Thanks to Miami Sports Blog and Scrapper Nation, we now have the ad that ran in the Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper, asking for a kicker. The ad appeared in Tuesday and Wednesday in the Chronicle.

Reporters' Notebooks

Joe Ovies, 850 The Buzz Blog: Check out some of the problems at North Carolina State's Carter-Finley Stadium: Long lines to get into the stadium, running out of water and bad smelling ice/cups. Writes Ovies: "As a good friend of mine described it, when he went to take a drink it, 'smelled like someone farted in my cup.' "

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: A longtime San Diego State faculty member is sponsoring a resolution to abolish the Aztec football program because of its failure to generate revenue as promised and because of the strain he says that puts on academics. Thanks to Mike for this!

Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News: How bad is the Big Ten? Example: Michigan State allowed Notre Dame to score not one, but two whole touchdowns.

Jeff Rabjohns, Indianapolis Star: You don't get the Big Ten Network? Relax. You haven't missed much.

Brad Rock, Deseret Morning News: Utah, which has stumbled to a 1-3 start, deserves to be insulted, so here goes. ...

USA Football: Two California high schools — Concord De La Salle and Long Beach Polytechnic — top the list of high schools with the most 2007 NFL players with six each.

Jason Riley and Brian Bennett, Louisville Courier-Journal: Louisville dismissed troubled linebacker Willie A. Williams after he charged with possession of marijuana, felony tampering with physical evidence and driving without a license.

Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post: Two Florida State football players were involved in academic fraud for receiving answers for online exams.

Geoff Calkins, Commercial Appeal: Memphis blew a 25-point halftime lead and lost to Arkansas State, 35-31. A potential game-winning punt return for a touchdown was called back with 3:16 left because of an illegal block by Turner West, son of coach Tommy West.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: The Boise State offense was back in its big-play glory — and its coming-out party came against Southern Mississippi, Conference USA's perennial leader in defense.

Thayer Evans, New York Times: Rhett Bomar is returning to Oklahoma, this time as Sam Houston State's quarterback. His team plays Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Samuel G. Freedman, New York Times: Meet William C. Dowling, a Rutgers professor who has written a book about his efforts to curtail the university's ambition to run among the elite of college athletics.

Doug Zaleski, Muncie Star Press: Ball State tailback Quale Lewis' season is over. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the loss at Nebraska.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: San Jose State's football program, which was in danger of being eliminated just a few years ago, could turn a profit this season.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not. Here is today's mystery link.

USC Displays Its Full Arsenal

USC wanted to impress poll voters last Saturday when it played host to Washington State, and by most accounts, the Trojans were successful, blowing out the Cougars, 47-14.

The football team wasn't alone in making a statement. A group of students, above, used body paint to spell out "Free O.J."

These photos are courtesy of Image of Sport, a sports photography service for daily newspapers and editorial publications.

Washington State coach Bill Doba, right, is feeling the heat in Pullman, and his team has a key game Saturday at Arizona. His quarterback, Alex Brink, below, remains among the national leaders in several statistical categories and had two touchdown passes against the Trojans.
The Trojans huddle up before they are led onto the field by the Song Girls. USC quarterback John David Booty had his best game of 2007, passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Pete Carroll and his team will go for the Washington sweep on Saturday in Seattle when they take on the Huskies. The Trojans haven't lost a September game since a 34-31 defeat at California on Sept. 27, 2003.

This Heisman Thing Can Be a Real Drag

Is it an indication that the overall quality of play is down, or do we not have that superstar to cling to in 2007?

Yes, it's time to talk Heisman trophy.

Usually the Heisman picture is somewhat clear at this point of a season. But as we enter Week 5, the race up for grabs.

Heisman Pundit, the blogosphere expert on such matters, has been conducting a straw poll each week to determine where the candidates stand. Currently, Arkansas' Darren McFadden, dressed in drag in the above photo, leads the race. Florida's Tim Tebow is second and West Virginia's Pat White is third. USC's John David Booty is fourth and Kentucky's Andre Woodson has surged to fifth.

Also of note: Hawaii's Colt Brennan, who didn't play last Saturday because of a sprained ankle, was tied for eighth with Oregon's Dennis Dixon. And Louisville's Brian Brohm? He's not even listed among those receiving votes.

Wolverines' Manningham Does the Worm

Michigan receiver Mario Manningham celebrates his team's 14-9 victory over Penn State on Saturday by doing the worm, a move made popular by professional wrestler Scottie 2 Hotty.

Reporters' Notebooks

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: The excellent college football insider: Notes, quotes and anecdotes.

Bob Ford, Philadelphia Inquirer: That's not cool. Rutgers' Greg Schiano, whose Scarlet Knights led I-AA Norfolk State, 45-0, called three timeouts near the end of the first half so his team could get the ball back and score again.

Andrew Logue, Des Moines Register: Iowa State unveiled its new helmet, uniform and logo designs to be used beginning next season.

Baird Helgeson, Tampa Tribune: South Florida won't be alone in profiting from selling out Raymond James Stadium for Friday's game against West Virginia. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to fatten their wallet.

Dan Hinxman, Reno Gazette-Journal: Could the Nevada Las Vegas and Nevada game escalate to the 1995 standard, when there were two on-field brawls, 25 ejections and six arrests?

Jake Schaller, Colorado Springs Gazette: A Colorado senator has joined the fight to get The mtn. on satellite television.

Tony Phifer, Coloradoan: Mountain West Conference notebook: Utah and Nevada Las Vegas are the most confounding teams in the league.

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Will losing hurt the draft stock of Notre Dame's fifth-year seniors?

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: What went wrong at Louisville and why the media/fans didn't see it coming.

Rick Scoppe, Greenville News: Louisiana State's Les Miles disputed Steve Spurrier's contention there were "a couple of helmet-to-helmet" hits on a punt return against South Carolina.

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Big 12 insiders: Texas and quarterback Colt McCoy have a debt to pay.

Here is today's mystery link.

Ohio States Its Case

Reader Matt, who spent the previous week in Boulder at the Florida State-Colorado game, moved the party east last Saturday to Columbus, where Ohio State kicked off Big Ten play with a 58-7 thrashing of Northwestern. And once again, he was kind enough to send us photos of the day's activities.
Matt and his army of followers always have plenty of adult beverages on hand, above, a necessity for a long and sometimes grueling walk to the Horseshoe on a beautiful fall day.
Matt obviously has connections when it comes to scoring seats. Check out the view from down low and near midfield behind the Northwestern bench.
As if the Wildcats don't have to set through enough lectures during the week, they got one on a Saturday from coach Pat Fitzgerald. After the game, it was time for the party to begin.

Introducing Wiz News Wired

It's a work in progress, but we are announcing another layer to the site that we have been working on for the past month. It's called Wiz News Wired, and when the Wiz is not around, you can keep up to the minute on all 120 Division I-A teams (we've included future I-A Western Kentucky, for those of you keeping score).

How does it work? What we've done is set up feeds for all the teams, which are listed alphabetically, from Air Force to Wyoming. According to plan, links will filter into News Wired as they are posted on the World Wide Web.

New Wired has imperfections. It takes a couple of seconds to load because of the number of feeds, and we've been unable to keep all of the feeds directly related to football, but these are issues we continue to work on. Any feedback and input on how to tweak the site is greatly appreciated.

The site is also listed under "Links" on the top right-hand corner of this page, just under Wiz Resources, which is the links page we added last month.

Gay Blogs Take a Look at Sun Devils' Tryon

Arizona State cornerback Justin Tryon has a new fan club: Gay men.

Pitchfork Nation sends along word that Tryon has become a favorite of two gay men's blogs.

Comments from the blogs include:

—"There are no words — except, 'Pass the whip cream'."

—"I can't help thinking that Justin has his first and last names accidentally reversed."

—"Dear God, if you could make all athletes wear outfits like this, I'll start going to church. I swear."

—"Booking a trip to Arizona right now."

Tryon is putting together a solid senior season, with 16 tackles and an interception he returned for 44 yards.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

A hearty thanks to Shakedown Sports for finding what we have been looking for: Video and images from what could be the brawl of the year in college football. North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T squared off in more ways than one moments after Central's 27-22 victory on Saturday night.

This melee reportedly started after Central players stormed the field and began jumping up and down on A&T's midfield logo.

Police officers from both schools tried to separate players, and as you can see from the photos below, at least one officer from Central began spraying pepper spray at players who continued to fight.

Thus far, only one unidentified player from Central has been suspended.

Dawg Treat

Larry Munson, the voice of Georgia football, missed only his second game in over 40 years Saturday, but the Bulldogs clearly have depth at the position. Listen to Scott Howard's call of the winning touchdown pass in overtime from Matthew Stafford to Mikey Henderson in Georgia's 25-23 victory.

Reporters' Notebooks

Kevin Tatum, Philadelphia Inquirer: The Mid-American Conference acknowledged that its officials blew the call when a touchdown reception by Temple receiver Bruce Francis was disallowed with 40 seconds remaining in the team's 22-17 loss to Connecticut.

Bruce Cadwallader, Columbus Dispatch: Antonio Henton has been suspended by Ohio State's Jim Tressel after the backup quarterback was charged with soliciting a prostitute. He has pleaded not guilty.

Associated Press: The Southeastern Conference has told Arkansas that former running backs coach Danny Nutt, who was spotted last Saturday in the Razorback coaching booth with headphones on, should not be in the booth or near the team bench during games.

Bryan Strickland, Durham Herald-Sun: If you're a Duke student reading this, the football team is having auditions for a kicker.

Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star: Purdue coach Joe Tiller played nice, but the reality is that Notre Dame scares no one.

Dirk Chatelain, Omaha World-Herald: Nebraska linebacker Corey McKeon: "This isn't a down year for Nebraska. We're 3-1 and people are looking at it like . . . we're Notre Dame, like we're 0-4."

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: Hands down, Alabama is the most exciting team in college football.

Jake Schaller, Colorado Springs Gazette: At Air Force, the focus is no longer on games against Navy or Army.

Tom Kensler, Denver Post: Is Oklahoma beatable? "Totally," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "Anybody is beatable, and anyone can beat you."

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: Johnny Sears, a cornerback who was a starter for Michigan when the season began before being dismissed from the team, might be considering Washington as his next destination.

David Jones, Harrisburg Patriot-News: Here are the options: 1. Blame Paterno. 2. Just live with it. Thanks to Kevin of We Are Penn State.

Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press: A warrant was issued for the arrest of Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham after he failed to appear in court earlier this month on a traffic offense.

Kate Hairopoulos, Dallas Morning News: Texas Christian defensive end Tommy Blake will miss at least two games to take a medical leave of absence.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: Boise State, which plays host to Southern Mississippi on Thursday night, is worried it might be a step slow against the Eagles.

Jim Masilak, Commercial Appeal: Meet Reggie Arnold, the best running back from the state of Arkansas you've never heard of.

Brad Rock, Deseret Morning News: How close was O.J. Simpson to attending Utah instead of USC? Turns out, he nearly became the Utes' public relations nightmare.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not. Here is today's mystery link. Thanks to reader Houston.

Oklahoma State Pissing Match Continues

The Mike Gundy tirade, which first aired on the Blogosphere, finally trickled into the mainstream media.

Gundy defended his actions Monday at his weekly press briefing (above video), saying he didn't have to explain inaccuracies in a column by the Oklahoman's Jennie Carlson. The Oklahoma State coach said he only wishes he had said more and that he had been better prepared.

Carlson defended her story and fired back in column. The paper also posted a video of Carlson and sports editor Mike Sherman discussing her column (video below). And here are links to other videos — here and here — posted on the Oklahoman.

What are they saying in Big 12 country about this? Here are two different opinions:

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: In Gundy's world, college football players should be treated like children — seen and not heard. His message is to ignore Oklahoma State's football team. Fine by me.

Jerry Hill, Waco Tribune-Herald: Gundy's rant was right, but he should have handled it one-on-one with the writer and behind closed doors.

And Lost Amid Gundy's Tirade ...

Here is the video of Mike Leach's tirade Saturday after the Red Raiders' 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State. On Sunday, Leach went on to ask for and receive the resignation of defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich. Leach apparently wants his defense, now under the direction of Ruffin McNeill, to have a tougher attitude.

Reporters' Notebooks

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: The rats are jumping off the ship. Konrad Reuland became the third top 100 prospect from Notre Dame's vaunted sophomore class to leave the team in the past three months.

Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times: Notre Dame has been big and fat and successful for so long in football that this current fall from grace has all the haters loving it.

Luciana Chavez, Raleigh News & Observer: Duke offensive linemen are wearing T-shirts with "The Bodygaurds" printed on the front, honoring their improved pass protection for quarterback Thad Lewis.

Iliana Limón, Albuquerque Tribune: New Mexico receiver Marcus Smith, whose mother died Sept. 15, learned he must pay $6,000 for her funeral, money he doesn't have. A fund has been set up to help cover the costs.

Dirk Facer, Deseret Morning News: Utah beats UCLA, 44-6, then falls at Nevada Las Vegas, 27-0. What is going on with the Utes?

Dick Harmon, Deseret Morning News: The good, the bad and the overrated in college football.

Mike Miller, Capital Times: Two Wisconsin fans were arrested on disorderly conduct charges during Saturday's game against Iowa. The couple reportedly engaged in intercourse in a stall in a women's restroom and were arrested during the second quarter. Thanks to EDSBS.

Rick Scoppe, Greenville News: South Carolina's Steve Spurrier said the Southeastern Conference’s head of officials told him the officials erred in spotting the ball before his team’s failed attempt on a fourth-and-one play against Louisiana State.

Joseph Person, Columbia State: South Carolina's top defensive player, linebacker Jasper Brinkley, is done for the season after tearing a ligament in his right knee.

Tommy Deas, Tuscaloosa Times: Nick Saban doesn't want Alabama fans to shower opposing players with garbage.

Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times: Ben Olson, who sat out the victory against Washington, will return as the starting quarterback for UCLA at Oregon State.

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press: Michigan quarterback Chad Henne, who strained his right knee in the first half against Oregon, has been cleared to play again.

Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser: Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan declared himself physically fit to play in Saturday's game at Nevada.

That West Texas Town of El Paso

We order up another round of Texas El Paso tailgating from reader Greg, who had so much fun the last time he attended a Miner game he just had to return.

As you can see above, there is only one way to enjoy a beer in El Paso.

Mascot Paydirt Pete was quick to flash the pickaxe hand symbol. You might not know this, but a mineshaft still exists on the mountainous, desert campus that sits on the north bank of the Rio Grande.

The Miners defeated Texas Southern, 52-12, and have a game this Saturday at Southern Methodist.

Snapshots of Week 4

A look back at the weekend that was from TV Tan Line.

Reporters' Notebooks

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: A day after a 49-45 loss at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich resigned under pressure. Athletic director Gerald Myers said coach Mike Leach moved to make the change. Thanks to Jason!

Marc Isenberg, Money Players: Why Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was wrong in criticizing Oklahoman reporter Jenni Carlson.

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News: Gundy owes Carlson an apology for his outrageous behavior. And Oklahoma State needs to review whether this is someone it wants representing its school.

Pete Thamel, New York Times: In the Bluegrass State, they have a football program that no longer has the blues.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: Up is down and down is up. Then there is UCLA.

Chris Echegaray, Tampa Tribune: Fans were camped out Sunday night for a chance at tickets for South Florida's game Friday against West Virginia.

Carl DuBois, Baton Rouge Advocate: Are Louisiana State fans losing interest, or is it the opponent? The Tigers' allotment of tickets for Saturday's game at Tulane is 9,000 tickets from being sold out.

Rick Scoppe, Greenville News: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is benching quarterback Blake Mitchell in favor of Chris Smelley.

John Henderson, Denver Post: A new low for Nebraska's defense, which gave up at least 40 points in consecutive home games for the first time in Memorial Stadium's 85-year history.

Associated Press: A Fort Lewis College trustee has accused the athletic department of "pigskin prostitution" for scheduling a game against the much larger University of Montana, resulting in a 49-0 drubbing after a 17-hour bus ride.

Michael Biesecker, Raleigh News & Observer: Future games between bitter rivals N.C. Central University and N.C. A&T State are in doubt after players and coaches clashed in a benches-clearing brawl Saturday night.

Louisiana State Moves Into Top Spot

There is no reason to wait until the first official Bowl Championship Series standings are released on Oct. 14. Not when you have the BCS Guru around to break it down right here, right now.

According to the Guru, Louisiana State's victory over Southeastern Conference rival South Carolina pushed the Tigers back into the top spot in the unofficial BCS standings. USC dips to No. 2, Florida holds steady at No. 3, Oklahoma is No. 4 and Ohio State has moved up to No. 5.

Penn State took the biggest tumble, dropping from No. 11 to No. 21.

Two potential BCS Buster games this week. The first features No. 6 West Virginia at No. 17 South Florida. The second is No. 7 California at No. 11 Oregon. The winners should make strong moves in next week's standings.

Week 5

This promises to be one of the most interesting weeks of the season and it begins Thursday when Southern Mississippi (+10) travels to Boise State and Memphis (+3.5) travels to Arkansas State.

On Friday comes what could be the game of the year in the Big East when West Virginia (-7) tees it up at South Florida.

Games of note on Saturday: California (+4.5) at Oregon; Auburn (+18) at Florida; Penn State (-3) at Illinois; Michigan State (+7) at Wisconsin; Kansas State (+15) at Texas; Notre Dame (+21) at Purdue and Alabama (+2) against Florida State at Jacksonville.

For the latest lines, check Doc's Sports.

Start Spreading the News

A look at selected front pages from Sunday newspapers. We begin with the Centre Daily Times, chronicling Penn State's loss at Michigan (click in an image for a closer look):

Annapolis Capital:

Greenville News:

Opelika-Auburn News:

Lexington Herald-Leader:

Syracuse Post-Standard:

Dothan Eagle:

Huntington Herald-Dispatch:

Gundy, Leach Go Off After Cowboys Win

You won't find any quotes today from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy talking about the Cowboys' 49-45 victory over Texas Tech. After the game, Gundy went on a 3:38 tirade over a column by the Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson about Bobby Reid, who was replaced as Oklahoma State's starting quarterback before Saturday's game.

"If anybody hasn't read this article,” Gundy began as he held up a copy of the sports page of the Oklahoman, "I think this is worth reading. Three-fourths of this is inaccurate. It's fiction. And this article embarrasses me to be involved with athletics.

"That article had to have been written by a person that doesn't have a child. And has never had a child that has had their heart broken and come home upset and had to deal with a child when he is upset. And kick a person when he's down."

Gundy left without taking questions. Gundy is clearly out of line here, and so are the people who applauded him after his tirade. We presume Gundy is pointing directly at Carlson in the video. Hopefully the Oklahoma media will have the backbone to hammer this clown because that is what the Cowboys have for a football coach.

Next up was Texas Tech's Mike Leach, who did his best to match Gundy's fireworks by ripping his team.

Leach said: "This is going to hurt some feelings ... but here's what we had this game. What we had this game was we had an offense that was extremely powerful, extremely productive, that probably sits and reads their press clippings, and then in arrogant fashion, sat around the sidelines with their arms folded for most of the second half.

"And then defensively, the entire first half, we got hit in the mouth and acted like somebody took our lunch money and all we wanted to do was have pouty expressions on our faces until somebody daubed our tears off made us [expletive] feel better. Then we'd go out there and try harder after our mommies told us we were OK.

"Well, neither one of those things is acceptable."

You can also listen to Gundy's tirade on the Oklahoman site by clicking here, or by clicking here.

Columnists' Corner

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: With John David Booty now throwing darts, there are no more questions for USC to answer.

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News: Everything is suddenly coming up roses for Michigan.

Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic: Maybe this is a different Arizona State team. The Sun Devils rallied from a 19-0 deficit and defeated Oregon State.

Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa News: Maybe Nick Saban doesn't hold the magic wand. Yes, there are lessons to be learned from Alabama's overtime loss to Georgia.

Steven M. Sipple, Lincoln Journal Star: For those of you in Lincoln, this is what mediocrity looks like.

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: It was the kind of victory that makes you think more glorious things are coming for this unbeaten Kentucky team. Many more.

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: Lonely as it is, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich remains in Steve Kragthorpe's corner.

Reporters' Notebooks

Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser: Colt Brennan, sidelined with a sprained right ankle, doesn't play, but Hawaii steamrolls Charleston Southern, 66-10.

Donnie Webb, Syracuse Post-Standard: Syracuse's upset of Louisville is the biggest ever in the Big East and ranks among the biggest upsets in college football history.

Patrick Dorsey, Miami Herald: Larry Coker and Don Strock are learning what peace and quiet are all about.

Lynh Bui, Arizona Republic: Big crackdown on underage drinking before the Oregon State-Arizona State game at Tempe.

Brandon George, Dallas Morning News: T. Boone Pickens says "there is a good chance" that Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will play their 2009 game at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington.

Tommy Bowman, Winston-Salem Journal: Appalachian State, the team that stunned Michigan, was stunned by Wofford, 42-31,

Jaymes Powell Jr., Raleigh News & Observer: N.C. Central's 27-22 victory over N.C. A&T was overshadowed by a bench-clearing brawl at the conclusion of the game that lasted several minutes and left dozens of players lying on the field as other swung helmets and fists (Anybody help us with video of this?).

Reporters' Notebooks

Laura Maggi, Times-Picayune: Tulane running back and kick Ray Boudreaux was arrested and booked with five counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with a stabbing on Bourbon Street last weekend that left five people wounded, including a man who remains in critical condition.

Jake Trottter, Oklahoman: Does Oklahoma have a weakness? Despite a 62-21 victory at Tulsa, it appears the Sooners have a leaky pass defense.

Paul Gattis, Huntsville Times: Florida State and Alabama each stand to receive profits of $2 million or more for their Sept. 29 game at Jacksonville.

Sally Jenkins, Washington Post: The BCS is simply not built to accommodate the proliferation of so many good teams; it has always been a piece of staged chicanery, but now it has been shown as badly outmoded, too.

Jim Burlew and Jim Lamar, Tallahassee Democrat: Two Florida State players, including the Seminoles' second-leading tackler, were arrested and suspended from the team after a bar fight.

Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate: Did Oklahoma's Bob Stoops suggest that Louisiana State — coached then by Nick Saban — spy on the Sooners before the 2004 Sugar Bowl?

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Lou Holtz swears he’s not contractually obligated to love the Notre Dame program in its dark moments, just as he isn’t scripted to necessarily disagree with ESPN colleague Mark May.

The College Blitz

Once again we get the vibe on campuses from college reporters at the Palestra. Let's start with a report on the Northwestern-Ohio State game. On both campuses, students expect the Buckeyes to win in a blowout:

Note: Because of problems with the embed code, we will link directly to the videos:

Northwestern-Ohio State, Syracuse-Louisville, Wyoming-Ohio, Oregon State-Arizona State, Texas Tech-Oklahoma State.

Notre Dame Calls for a Reverse

After an avalanche of negative publicity, Notre Dame decided to grant quarterback Demetrius Jones release from his scholarship, but strings appear to be attached to the deal.

Athletic director Kevin White released a statement, saying in part: "We are helping Demetrius compile a list of prospective schools that are not on our immediate future football schedules."

Although Northern Illinois, where Jones is enrolled, is not currently listed as a future opponent, the school is on the banned list, reports Michael Rothstein of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

Writes Rothstein: "A university source, though, told the Journal Gazette that Northern Illinois — where Jones is currently enrolled — will not be on the list of places Notre Dame will allow the Chicago native to be released to."

So does this suggest Jones might be jumping to another school? John Mullin of the Chicago Tribune raised that possibility, writing: "By enrolling as he did last week at Northern Illinois, which recruited him heavily and offered him a scholarship out of high school, Jones retains his three years of college eligibility. Those could play out at Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Louisville or any of the schools that have interest in Jones, just not a school that plays Notre Dame."

As for the Jones saga having an impact on Notre Dame's ability to recruit out of the talent-rich Chicago Public League, Crewcut Charlie Weis had a two-word answer: "Corwin Brown."

Brown, the Fighting Irish's defensive coordinator, was an all-state player at Julian, and his parents taught in the Chicago Public system.

That leaves us to ponder the question: Where does Notre Dame stand under the Weis era? Marc Blaudschun of the Boston Globe gives you the facts.

Game of the Week

We head South for this installment of Game of the Week, and they don't come much bigger in these parts. It's Georgia at Alabama. The skinny: Alabama is favored by 3.5 points.

Some in Georgia are saying to take the points, but one has to consider that the Bulldogs are starting two freshmen on the offensive line, the first time that has happened in Athens since 1945.

Certainly reason for concern. Unless, of course, you know what you are talking about, which brings us to Georgia Sports Blog. We asked them for an opinion on the game, and here is what Paul, the head dawg at the site, had to say:

"In 2002, UGA was undefeated, but still unsure of itself when former UGA letterman and Auburn head coach Pat Dye went on the Paul Finebaum show and said, 'I don’t think Georgia’s man enough to beat Alabama. Alabama’s gonna line up and run the football and they gonna play defense, and I don't believe Georgia’s man enough to beat that.'

"I've never seen one comment motivate a team as much as that. Georgia 'out toughed' Bama in Tuscaloosa and won a huge game. 'Man Enough. Dawg Enough.' Tougher team wins one, too. It’s 'Man Enough II.' "

Crystal Ball

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus has a two-week record of 11-3. Writes Hlas: "If you hit on 79%, you can have a winter home in an island paradise, build a house with 32 bedrooms, put your kids through elite Eastern colleges. You could even drink wine with vintages that aren't 'last Tuesday.' "

Jerry Hill, Waco Tribune: Pass-happy Texas Tech rolls into Stillwater to play Oklahoma State, which has the 93rd-ranked pass defense. Easy pickings, and we don't mean T. Boone.

Jody Demling, Louisville Courier-Journal: How many points are they giving? It's not enough. Louisville 70, Syracuse 7.

Double D, Boston Herald: No more Mr. Nice Guy. Expect USC's Pete Carroll to pour it on against Washington State. Lay the points.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Struggling along at 6-8-1 for the season, but better days are ahead, beginning Saturday.

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: What's going to happen in the Pacific 10? He has all the answers.

Phil Steele: The forecast for Week 4 includes Louisiana State 27, South Carolina 17.

New York Post: Saturday's heroes tackle the spread.

For the latest numbers, go to Doc's Sports.

Reporters' Notebooks

Greg Stoda, Palm Beach Post: It wasn't the glory days, but Miami provided reason for hope in a dismantling of Texas A&M.

Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas Morning News: What do the Orange Bowl and Dennis Franchione have in common? For both, the days appear to be numbered.

Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times: A quarterback change at UCLA. Ben Olson won't play against Washington, even as a backup. Patrick Cowan gets the start.

Jeff Rabjohns and Terry Hutchens, Indianapolis Star: If you're not cheating you're not trying. And if you don't think your college coach is cheating, think again.

Christopher Walsh, Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban, never one to lie, assures reporters he has "never" spied on another team.

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: Louisville fans are saying: Bring us the head of Steve Kragthorpe.

B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News: Leading with the troubles at Notre Dame, plus how Robb Akey is cleaning up the mess left by Dennis Erickson at Idaho.

Patrick Ridgell, Longmont Daily Times-Call: Colorado running back Hugh Charles is in hot water over not disclosing the severity of a hamstring injury before he played against Florida State.

Luis Zaragoza, Orlando Sentinel: Central Florida president John Hitt blasted the concession contractor at Bright House Networks Stadium for failing to stock enough bottled water for sale at last Saturday's inaugural game, saying the firm must do better "or their successor will."

Dan Raley, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: The repair and renovation of Husky Stadium, which could begin in 2009 if approved soon, has the potential to be as complicated and costly as any construction project pursued by the Washington athletic department.

Austin American-Statesman: Texas assistant Bruce Chambers described photos on suspended player James Henry's MySpace page as "a great embarrassment."

Jim Lamar, Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State freshman Antwane Greenlee remained in a hospital after injuring his neck during a blocking drill.

Iliana Limón, Albuquerque Tribune: New Mexico officials responded to complaints about unruly fans during the Lobos' game against New Mexico State by eliminating standing-room only tickets.

Scott D. Pierce, Deseret Morning News: Television rules, and in terms of Boise State moving to the Mountain West, the Broncos bring little to the table.

Don Day, KTVB: It has come to this in Boise. A 16 year old is making Boise State-themed dog products. With video.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not.

Leave Fran Alone

By now you've had your fill of the Leave Britney Alone video and the spoofs that have populated the YouTube vaults. But given the play of Dennis Franchione's Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday night in a 34-17 loss to Miami, we thought that the timing was right to bring you Leave Fran Alone. We thank Rambling Raiders for this. Yes, it's heating up over at Fire Dennis Franchione.

Reporters' Notebooks

Tad Walch, Deseret Morning News: Two professors at Utah Valley State have deemed the Bowl Championship Series unfair, unethical and possibly illegal.

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: College football insider: Notes, quotes and anecdotes.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State is banking on a postgame fireworks show to draw fans for its game against Portland State.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: Karl Dorrell versus Tyrone Willingham marks the only regular-season pairing of black head coaches this season.

Bob Wieneke, South Bend Tribune: ABC's Paul Maguire says Notre Dame coaches could have prepared better for this season, starting as far back as last season.

Brett Vito, Denton Record-Chronicle: North Texas will make up to an additional $250,000 by backing out of its contract with Miami to instead play Louisiana State in the 2008 opener.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: What has gone wrong at San Jose State? In short, everything.

Seth Emerson, Columbia State: A Q&A with James Carville, Louisiana State's most political fan.

Nearly a Knight to Remember

Central Florida took the wraps off Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday night and Image of Sport was on hand to check out the new digs as the Knights took on Texas.Texas and safety Erick Jackson had to hold on to secure the 35-32 victory. Central Florida receiver Rocky Ross tries to squirm away, above.
Two pictures of determination. The Knights' Sergio Joachim heads up field after catching a pass, and the Longhorns' Jamaal Charles finds open ground.
Central Florida's Kamar Aiken goes high in an attempt to catch a pass over Texas' Brandon Foster.
Colt McCoy continued his steady play, completing 32 of 47 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown. He had one pass intercepted.

Pattern of Behavior

When things don't go your way in Colorado, just let the bird fly. The woman was caught in the act during Saturday's game at Folsom Field, where the Buffaloes lost to Florida State, 16-6. We thank EDSBS for this.

Now this isn't the first time we've seen such behavior from Colorado fans. You might recall this image of a Buff fan at the Colorado-Colorado State game Sept. 1 at Invesco Field.

Numbers Game

Check out this shot found by TV Tan Line from the Alabama-Vanderbilt game on Sept. 8. The No. 9 goes flying off the helmet of the Crimson Tide's Rashad Johnson (he's normally No. 49) after a collision with a Commodore player.

Irish Won't Release Jones From Scholarship

First the news: Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones will not be released from his scholarship and will have to pay his way to Northern Illinois this year.

Now the comment: Although he announcement was made by athletic director Kevin White, everybody knows who was behind the decision, even if he says he wasn't.

Yes, we're talking about the big guy, Crewcut Charlie Weis, who likes to throw his weight around in an attempt to bully people. He had one last shot to show Jones who the boss is, and he used it.

The decision will cost Chicago native Jones $14,530, the amount for tuition and room and board at Northern Illinois. The cost to Weis, however, could be of the longer-term variety.

Writes Michael Rothstein of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: "Notre Dame’s decision could lead to struggles in persuading future Chicago Public League recruits to attend the South Bend school.

" 'The coaches [of the CPL] are a tight-knit group so if one of them feels slighted, it could have an effect down the road,' Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree said. 'Notre Dame could say that it is our policy and how we do it with all our kids. … It’ll be all right but maybe will turn one or two guys off or some coaches off against them, it might. But it is left to be determined what will happen.' "

Thanks to Kevin of We Are Penn State.

Impact of Turning Back the Clock

One has to wonder if Alabama's comeback Saturday against Arkansas would have been possible under the 2006 clock rules. You remember those rules, right? The ones that stripped nearly 16 plays from the average game and shortened the contests by 13:53.

Then we learned that telecasts — particularly those by CBS — weren't really all that much shorter. In other words, less football, more commercials.

Thankfully, the Football Rules Committee corrected its mistake, basically changing the rules back to what they were in 2005. Now it can be argued that the Crimson Tide would have never had the chance to march down the field for the winning touchdown against the Razorbacks if the game had been played under the 2006 clock rules.

But overall, what has been the impact on games in 2007? Our man Marty from cfbstats has that information, and we've charted it below.

Marty writes: "Game times for 2007 have just about returned to 2005 levels in game time, plays per game and points per game. It's actually exceeding 2005 in points per game and plays per game."

Here's the data:

Average Game Time
Year......G.......Minutes.....Time/G
2005......717*....144317.....3:21:17
2006......792.....148418.....3:07:24
2007......196......39234.....3:20.10

Average Plays Per Game
Year......G........Plays........Plays/G
2005......718.....121044.....168.58
2006......792.....120857.....152.60
2007......196......33145......169.11

Average Points Per Game
Year......G........Points.....Pts/G
2005......718.....37770.....52.60
2006......792.....37647.....47.53
2007......196.....10413.....53.13

Three-Plus Hour Games
Year......G........3+.......%
2005......717*....635.....88.6
2006......792.....509.....64.3
2007......196.....172.....87.8
*missing game duration of Toledo-Ball State 10/15/2005.

Reporters' Notebooks

Glenn Guilbeau, Shreveport Times: Louisiana State coach Les Miles told reporters at his press luncheon that they better take his and nobody else's word on injuries because that will help "your team."

Tania Ganguli, Orlando Sentinel: NCAA honcho Myles Brand discusses the Big Ten Network, possible conference realignment, the possibility of a playoff, the NCAA's tax-free status and background checks on officials.

Ed Miller, Virginian-Pilot: Virginia's Al Groh disputed a report that a call from someone watching video in the press box prompted him to ask for a replay challenge of a field goal in Saturday's 22-20 victory against North Carolina.

Paul Strelow, Columbia State: Clemson's Tommy Bowden telephoned Michigan counterpart Lloyd Carr to clarify comments perceived as jabs by several media outlets.

Aaron Gould Sheinin, Columbia State: Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has likely lost any hope of support from South Carolina fans.

Tom Murphy, Northwest Arkansas Times: Arkansas' Ernest Mitchell has been suspended for Saturday’s game against Kentucky after Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive decided the defensive lineman's reaction to being slammed to the ground several times by an Alabama lineman was an act of fighting.

Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times: UCLA quarterback Ben Olson is suffering from headaches and hasn't been cleared to play against Washington.

Ryan Callahan, Tennessean: Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said he called too many pass plays against Florida.

James Kaneshiro, Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan plans to play Saturday against Charleston Southern.

Suzanne Halliburton, Austin American-Statesman: Running back James Henry became the seventh player in four months to be suspended by Texas coach Mack Brown.

Brian Steele, Orlando Sentinel: Hot, new seller in Gainesville: A Tim Tebow T-shirt that says, "He15man."

Louisville Courier-Journal: You can blame ESPN for Louisville playing during Yom Kippur.

Marc Morehouse, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has instituted a 10 p.m. curfew from the downtown bar area and a midnight bed check.

Manny Navarro and Mike McCall, Miami Herald: Randy Shannon said he has received calls from five freshmen from other teams inquiring about transferring to Miami.

Marcus Nelson, Palm Beach Post: Howard Schnellenberger needs to start the fund-raising effort now that Florida Atlantic's Board of Trustees voted to proceed with a plan to build a 30,000-seat on-campus stadium.

Phil Steele: Projected wins and losses for teams for the remaining of the season.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not. Here is today's mystery link. Thanks to Statue Left.

Head for the Rockies

You are looking at U.S. Highway 36, just outside of Boulder. It's late Saturday, and reader Matt is headed to Folsom Field to see Florida State and Colorado go toe to toe.
As is the case for all big games, it's important to be hydrated in case you have to put on a helmet and get in the game.
Some outstanding T-shirts. The woman on the left displays one stating "Ask Me About My Box." The man on the right sports a shirt with the saying, "It's Division I Football," words made famous in the offseason by Colorado coach Dan Hawkins.
OK, it's not the Radio City Rockettes, but it will have to do.
Bandannas are all the rage in Boulder.
If you don't know which team to pull for, just play it down the middle.
How about this! Gator fans were in attendance, and they were quickly embraced by the Colorado faithful.
The Noles make quite the entrance, above, and a look at Folsom at night, below. Matt writes: "As for atmosphere, I was really proud of the entire town. You could feel the energy in the air, much more than any game since the 2001 Nebraska game [the 62-36 game]. The student section was absolutely rocking."
When a man has to go, he has to go, even if it means pissing on a Boulder Police car.

Headed to a game this weekend? Send photos to dawizofodds (at) aol.com.

The Lloyd Carr Protest

Michigan's loss to Appalachian State won't go away. After the 34-32 defeat, a Wolverine fan decided to burn his daughter's favorite hat in protest of Lloyd Carr still being the Michigan coach. We are not sure what this really accomplished, outside of distressing his daughter.

M Zone summed it up best: "Sad, sad, sad. And saddest of all: the guy's wearing a 'World's Greatest Dad' t-shirt as he upsets his daughter."

Notre Dame's Crewcut Gets No. 1 Ranking

A bumbling start has earned Notre Dame's Crewcut Charlie Weis the No. 1 spot on this week's Coaches Hot Seat rankings. Weis, whose team has rushed for minus-14 yards in three games, was No. 3 last week, but his team's impressive 38-0 loss at Michigan moved him into the top spot.

The graphic above, captured by TV Tan Line before Saturday's loss to the Wolverines, showed Weis' record in comparison to predecessor Tyrone Willingham, who was fired after his third season in South Bend. At the time, Notre Dame officials made the move in hopes of hiring Urban Meyer from Utah, but he bolted to Florida, leaving the Fighting Irish with Weis, who is under contract through 2015.

Arkansas' Houston Nutt was second in the rankings, with Arizona's Mike Stoops third and Syracuse's Greg Robinson fourth. In a bit of a surprise, Auburn's Tommy Tuberville moved into the fifth spot after being 101st last week.

Completing the top 10: Southern Methodist's Phil Bennett, Mississippi Madman Ed Orgeron, Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer, Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and UCLA's Karl Dorrell.

For the complete ranking list, click here.

Reporters' Notebooks

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: The handshake from hell. After Stanford beat San Jose State, 37-0, Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh and Spartan counterpart Dick Tomey exchanged something resembling a no-look stiff-arm.

Bryan Mullen, Tennessean: Did Florida run it up against Tennessee? Phillip Fulmer, who bit his tongue after the game, had a pointed comment or two on Monday.

Joseph Person, Columbia State: South Carolina defensive tackle Nathan Pepper blew out his left knee while celebrating an interception return for a touchdown against South Carolina State and is done for the season.

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press: There's a chance Chad Henne will be back at quarterback for Michigan on Saturday when the Wolverines play host to Penn State.

Chip Cosby, Lexington Herald-Leader: The Southeastern Conference has fined Kentucky $25,000 for its second violation of the league's policy on access to the competition area.

Brian Bennett, Louisville Courier-Journal: Louisville offensive lineman Breno Giacomini apologized for making an obscene gesture before Saturday's game against Kentucky.

Scott Cacciola, Commercial Appeal: Brent Schaeffer is back. Mississippi Madman Ed Orgeron has once again turned to Schaeffer to play quarterback.

Randy King, Roanoke Times: Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer says Hokie fans should not be booing quarterback Sean Glennon, who lost his starting job last week to freshman Tyrod Taylor.

Marcus Nelson, Palm Beach Post: Florida Atlantic's board of trustees will vote on proposals for a 30,000-seat on-campus stadium.

Andrea Cohen, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, whose team has stumbled to a 1-2 start, said he hasn't heard the roar of discontent from fans.

Robbi Pickeral, Raleigh News & Observer: The Atlantic Coast Conference said officials were correct in determining that a 48-yard field goal by Virginia was reviewable in the Cavaliers' 22-20 victory over North Carolina.

Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: Hawaii coach June Jones made the right move keeping his team on the mainland for 12 days. The Warriors are 3-0 for the first time since 1992.

Jeffrey Martin, Wichita Eagle: Wichita East linebacker Arthur Brown, arguably the top prep player in the country, has narrowed his list to 10 teams: Kansas State, USC, Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Miami, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Louisiana State.

Wildcat Strike in Tucson

After stops in Las Cruces, El Paso and Columbus to start the season, reader Greg took a trip Saturday to Tucson to take in the New Mexico-Arizona game. Tucson remains one of the favorite stops for the Wiz, with such delights as Lil' Abner's Steakhouse, Dirtbag's and, of course, a few places we won't mention ...
Wildcat fans were firing up the barbecues before kickoff ...
... and what is a barbecue without alcohol ...
... or live music? ... The only problem? The Wildcats were such good hosts they let the Lobos win, 29-27.
Arizona Stadium is one of the oldest in the land, having opened in 1928.
And how about this? Arizona Stadium includes two dormitories, Pinal and Navajo, in the South stands, and Sierra Hall, which is home to offices for the music department and Residence Life, located in the west stands.
No, that's not the Stoops brothers, but the way things are going in Tucson, don't be surprised to see Mike looking for work soon. On Monday, he announced the suspension of four players who were arrested after a fraternity party scuffle. The incident allegedly happened early Friday morning, the day before the New Mexico game.

Welcome to JCSPN

Because everybody is piling on the train wreck known as Crewcut Charlie Weis and Notre Dame, we thought it was time to join the fun. Check out JCSPN, a site dedicated to Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The site bills itself as "The Worldwide Leader in Undeserved Hype."

This brings us to the interesting timeline involving quarterback Demetrius Jones, who started the opener for Notre Dame against Georgia Tech. Jones, who practiced with the team on Thursday, went AWOL on Friday and missed the trip to Ann Arbor, where Notre Dame got whacked, 38-0. It turns out that Jones was actually enrolled at Northern Illinois last Wednesday.

Weis wasn't talking Sunday, instead putting his team through a full-pads practice, but Jones gave an interview to the South Bend Tribune:

"Here's the way I look at it, the team was in a slump. Michigan was a 'must' game," Jones said. "I'm not sure me trying to take coach Weis' attention off the game last week was the right thing to do. I also don't think going to Michigan and going through the motions and pretending I was happy was the right thing to do either.

"I feel like my integrity has been challenged. I admit I made an immature decision, but I think it's going to turn out to be a good decision."

In addition, a "Jimmy Clausen for Heisman" video, below, has surfaced, showing "highlights" from the Michigan game. Thanks to the Midwest Correspondent.

Why Boise Was Noisy

Boise State put a 24-14 licking on Wyoming (check out the video above for an example), but Cowboy coach Joe Glenn said the Broncos had help.

Glenn said Boise State officials piped in crowd noise through the speaker system in the first half, and that noise contributed to Wyoming having trouble getting plays called in from the sideline and communicating before the snap.

"I'm going to say something, and it didn’t cost us the game, but they were pumping crowd noise into the speakers in the first half," Glenn said. "Our coaches could hear it, and they turned it off in the second half, but that’s not right."

Glenn added: "You don’t do that stuff. It's against the law, against the rules, trying to gain an unfair advantage. But that didn’t cost us the game. The real crowd was good enough, they didn’t need to add to it."

Brad Larrondo, Boise State's senior assistant athletic director for promotions and marketing, told the Idaho Statesman that Wyoming complained at halftime about the horse and stampede sound that Boise State plays before third downs.

Larrondo told the paper that teams are allowed to play the sounds until a team breaks its huddle. But the Cowboys rarely huddled, often going to the line of scrimmage and getting their play from the sideline.

Wyoming had two procedure penalties, one on third down, in the first half and was forced to use a timeout as the play clock was winding down. The Cowboys also had an illegal substitution and miscommunicated regularly in the passing game.

Said Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween: "It just took us a little while to get some of the plays. They were playing good, and obviously it was very loud so communicating the plays was kind of tough in the first half, so we had to get away from some of our stuff.

"I know I was struggling to get the plays off and trying to get the play called with all the noise. This was a very loud stadium."

Reporters' Notebooks

Pete Thamel, New York Times: After three weeks, an elite class of teams has emerged to dominate the championship chase.

Bryan Mullen, Tennessean: Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, despite a leaky defense and shaky running game, says the Volunteers can win the rest of their games.

Detroit Free Press: Clemson's Tommy Bowden ripped Michigan counterpart Lloyd Carr after the Tigers defeated Furman, a rival of Appalachian State.

Steven M. Sipple, Lincoln Journal Star: USC's bludgeoning of Nebraska revealed that the Cornhuskers can't run the ball or stop teams from running it against them.

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Is it time for Auburn to give Tommy Tuberville the thumb?

Tom Keegan, Lawrence Journal-World: Note to the thirsty fools who left Memorial Stadium at halftime Saturday night to find entertainment elsewhere: This is not another deadly dull Kansas team.

Mick McGrane, San Diego Union-Tribune: Even though San Diego State is off to another 0-2 start, rose-colored glasses remain a fashion staple around the football offices.

Jeff Call, Deseret Morning News: What was once an 11-game winning streak for Brigham Young has morphed into a two-game losing streak.

Laurence Miedema, San Jose Mercury News: San Jose State coach Dick Tomey, whose team has been outscored, 116-17, called out his players, his coaching staff as well as himself. And he didn't stop there.

Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser: Despite a badly sprained right ankle, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan set an NCAA record with his 29th 200-yard passing game in a row in the victory against Nevada Las Vegas.

Ryan Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Trouble in Arizona, where coach Mike Stoops' team appears ready to implode.

Trojans Move Back Into the Top Spot

USC's punishing victory at Nebraska put the Trojans back on top of the unofficial Bowl Championship Series standings, according to the BCS Guru, but the margin between USC and No. 2 Louisiana State is of the razor-thin variety.

The Trojans and Tigers have comfortable margins over the rest of the field, which includes No. 3 Florida and No. 4 West Virginia. Of note here is that Texas is at No. 5 and Oklahoma, which is regarded to be the best team in the Big 12 at the moment, sits at No. 6.

LSU could move back into the top spot with a victory Saturday over South Carolina, which is at No. 12 in the standings.

Week 4

An intriguing matchup to start Week 4. Texas A&M travels to Miami on Thursday and takes on the Hurricanes, who are favored by three points. The Aggies will be trying to extend their regular-season road winning streak to six games.

On Friday, Oklahoma and quarterback Sam Bradford travel to Tulsa, which features quarterback Paul Smith.

Smith passed for 454 yards and five touchdowns in the Golden Hurricanes' upset of Brigham Young, but he will be pressed to put up similar numbers against the Sooners, who are favored by 20.5.

Other lines of note from Doc's Sports: Washington (+5.5) at UCLA; Georgia (+3.5) at Alabama; Penn State (-3) at Michigan; Michigan State (-13.5) at Notre Dame; Kentucky (+6.5) at Arkansas; Air Force (+9.5) at Brigham Young; Clemson (-8.5) at North Carolina State and South Carolina (+16.5) at Louisiana State.

Get the latest numbers at Doc's Sports.

Name Games

We now understand why some coaches prefer not to have player names on jerseys. Check out the image below, posted on Mister Irrelevant, of West Virginia defensive linemen Johnny Dingle and Scooter Berry grabbing some bench.
We've seen these frightful arrangements before. There was this Arkansas trifecta ... ... and this classic from Marshall.

Snapshots of Week 3

A look back at Week 3 from TV Tan Line.

Cover to Cover

Our Sunday tour of selected front pages, leading with the Opelika-Auburn News, which sums up the feelings of Auburn fans after the Tigers' 19-14 loss to Mississppi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium (click in an image for a closer look):

Lexington Herald-Leader:

Louisville Courier-Journal:

Des Moines Register:

Cedar Rapids Gazette:

Lincoln Journal Star:

Daytona Beach News-Journal:

El Paso Times:

Gainesville Sun:

The College Blitz

If you're looking for video highlights from Saturday's games, we have them, thanks to the college reporters at the Palestra. But first, let's start with a controversy in Athens, where a day of fun and a day of drinking turned into a day of disaster for some fans. Anyone crossing a city street with alcohol was slapped with a $145 ticket. Certainly not a game day experience Georgia fans would enjoy:

Update: Because of problem with the embed code, we will link directly to the videos:

Georgia, Iowa-Iowa State, Duke-Northwestern.

Reporters' Notebooks

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Demetrius Jones, who started at quarterback for Notre Dame in the opener against Georgia Tech, has left the team, presumably with the intention of transferring.

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State showed two weeks ago it wasn't ready for the big time. Friday night, the Cowboys showed they weren't ready for the small time, either.

Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News: ESPN's Beano Cook: "I think Penn State is going to play LSU for the national championship."

Albuquerque Tribune: The NCAA alleges members of New Mexico's coaching staff might have committed serious violations in 2004 and 2005 in an attempt to help players obtain fraudulent course credit from another school in order to be eligible for the Lobos.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: Boise State president Bob Kustra's long-term interest is to have the Broncos join the Mountain West Conference.

Tim Griffin, San Antonio Express-News: The Big 12 used to be known for its reliance on the running game, but times have changed.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: California will be pulling for Tennessee — the team it beat two weeks ago — to score the upset at Florida.

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times: His trip to stir up trouble in Nebraska continues on the eve of No. 1 USC's game against the Cornhuskers.

John Helsley, Oklahoman: Tom Osborne, an Oklahoman? The former Nebraska coach was dubbed an "honorary Oklahoman" on Friday.

Houston Chronicle: A 59-year-old linebacker is set to take the field on Saturday for Sul Ross State.

The College Blitz

What's the vibe on campuses as we prepare for Week 3? Let's find out from college reporters at the Palestra. First up, a preview of the Ohio State-Washington game:

Note: Because of problems with the embed code, we will link directly to the videos:

Ohio State-Washington, Iowa-Iowa State, Arkansas-Alabama, Louisiana Tech-California.

Has 'GameDay' Jumped the Shark?

Has ESPN's "College GameDay" fundamentally and permanently strayed from its original premise? Has it, as they say in pop culture terms, jumped the shark?

The San Francisco Chronicle's Betting Fool believes this to be the case.

"Do we have to sit through another soft-focus, deeply-troubling, tear-inducing feature from Tom Rinaldi. You know them, you love them, you hear them in your sleep: The features in which he uses the exact same timing and tenor, stopping only to change the words and pictures."

And what about the rest of ESPN's analysts, namely Lou Holtz and Mark May? The Fool says they "do little more than regurgitate stat sheets when making picks or lobbing lame, quaggy observations worthy of any 12-year-old who's seen 20 games.

"Yes, we get that Holtz is the folksy lovable Ol' Coach Guy who sticks by his teams [pick Notre Dame again, you idiot] and that May is the learned [it's all about the glasses] but snarky anti-Holtz, generating this fake rage in his brief and simple retorts to the OCG [yeah you know me]."

And now a report that GameDay host Chris Fowler has expressed concern over the site Lets Show Corso, where fans can "throw" footballs at a likeness of analyst Lee Corso. The site, which uses video of Corso saying Steve Spurrier would never win an SEC title at South Carolina "even if he coaches here 400 years," was conceived and created by the South Carolina athletic department.

"I’m a little puzzled [about] the approach [of] marketing the team by attacking Lee," Fowler said, adding that the creation of the site "doesn't increase the chances" of GameDay returning to Columbia.

South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman said: “Did South Carolina, when [Corso] made some of the comments he made, did we return it? It’s fun, it’s an enjoyment.”

Thanks to TV Tan Line.

Game of the Week

They know all about the spread at USC. Ask any Trojan fan about last season's game against Nebraska. USC was favored by 18.5 points, but the Cornhuskers covered in a 28-10 loss at the L.A. Coliseum.

Bill Callahan's gameplan was to keep the ball out of the USC's hands, thus limiting the scoring opportunities for the Trojans. The Cornhuskers attempted only 17 passes, including one on a fake punt, and although Callahan was criticized for not trying to win, his plan of attack has become a blueprint for other teams who face the Trojan horses.

Saturday brings the rematch in Lincoln, and the Trojans are favored. by 9.5 points at this writing. Normally the Wiz has an opinion on such matters, but he's taking a pass on this one and turning it over to two expert bloggers. First, let's hear from Steve, representing Big Red Network. Can the Cornhuskers pull the upset?

"If this game weren't at night in Lincoln, it would be hard to make any case for Nebraska. But over the years we've learned that in Lincoln, the Huskers always have a chance. The Husker defense and special teams carried them to victory over Wake Forest and they can do the same with a juiced-up home crowd behind them.

"Points will be tough to come by, but there are weapons. USC is better [see the point spread], but it may still be figuring things out offensively. So give the Huskers a chance but don't make a big bet either way on this game."

Now we get the Trojan perspective from Scott of Boi From Troy.

"Expect USC to bring their 'A' Game to Lincoln, as it always does in road openers. The Trojan defense is hungry to create turnovers and it knows how to force Sam Keller into mistakes. With versatile linebacker Brian Cushing back from injury, the Men of Troy have a threat with explosiveness around the backside.

"If Nebraska's defensive line shows the gaping holes it had at Wake Forest, expect any number of Trojan tailbacks to penetrate all game long. Oh yeah, don't underestimate USC's Heisman Trophy candidate John David Booty, who needs to make a case for his campaign early in the season."

Crystal Ball

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: He went 5-2 last week and if he does it again, he gets a cut of your winnings. That said, take Syracuse and the points against Illinois.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Ohio State at Washington? The line is all about reputation and not about results. He'll take the Huskies.

Double D, Boston Herald: Attention Crewcut Charlie Weis: Bob Davie was the only other Notre Dame coach to start a season 0-3. He was fired. Thus, lay the points and take Michigan.

Jerry Hill, Waco Tribune: Notre Dame might lose the game, but it will cover the spread.

Jody Demling, Louisville Courier-Journal: In what could be a five-hour game, it's Louisville 59, Kentucky 56.

Phil Steele: His top-25 forecast says USC 24, Nebraska 10.

New York Post: Saturday's heroes tackle the spread.

For the latest numbers, go to Doc's Sports.

Reporters' Notebooks

Phil Stukenborg, Commercial Appeal: Sarah Thomas, a veteran Mississippi high school official, will become the first woman to work a Division I game Saturday night when she serves as the line judge in the Jacksonville State-Memphis game.

Dick Harmon, Deseret Morning News: The younger brother of Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has purchased a movie theater in Orem, Utah, and will put the UCLA-Utah and Brigham Young-Tulsa games on the big screen for free. The parking lot will be converted to a tailgate lot.

Chuck Charlton, Dallas Morning News: Texas Christian was upset over playing a Thursday game. And after a 20-17 loss to Air Force, coach Gary Patterson was questioning a play call in overtime by offensive coordinator Mike Schultz.

Rick Maese, Baltimore Sun: While Maryland's 31-14 loss to West Virginia might have revealed shortcomings, this one didn't extinguish the Terrapins' spirits.

Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser: Even at the risk of incurring a 15-yard penalty, Hawaii has decided to perform the haka before Saturday's nonconference road game at Nevada Las Vegas.

Orlando Sentinel: Everything you could possibly want to know about Central Florida's new Bright House Networks Stadium, where the Knights will play host to Texas on Saturday.

Frank Dascenzo, Herald-Sun: Tough times in North Carolina, where the Tar Heels, North Carolina State, Wake Forest and Duke have combined for a 1-7 start.

Jenna Marina, Tampa Tribune: Has Florida coach Urban Meyer ever tried to steal signs from an opponent? "We always look. We don't video it. If we did, I wouldn't tell ya we do it," he joked.

Scott D. Pierce, Deseret Morning News: Versus, which broadcast the Brigham Young-UCLA and Wisconsin-Nevada Las Vegas games last Saturday, got surprisingly strong ratings.

Jere Longman, New York Times: It's Notre Dame versus Michigan. How bad are the Fighting Irish? "Notre Dame has got some problems," Penn State's Joe Paterno said. "They didn't challenge us, really.”

Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Five burning questions, including why Tennessee's Phil Fulmer needs a quality road win.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: Former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill has some advice for Auburn's Tommy Tuberville. "If [Brandon] Cox is the best quarterback you have, you better protect him. If your quarterback is getting sacked, it's either you're asking him to do things he can't do, or you're not protecting him, and that's the coach's fault."

Mike Baldwin, Oklahoman: Is Oklahoma State facing a must-win situation Friday night in the rain at Troy?

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas receiver Tyrell Gatewood was jailed on two misdemeanor charges of possession of a dangerous drug, as well as an outstanding reckless driving charge from March.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not. Here is today's mystery link.

Reporters' Notebooks

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times: The columnist is spending the week studying life in the middle nowhere — i.e. Nebraska — in preparation for USC's game against the Cornhuskers. Includes video.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: This much is clear two weeks into the season: The Big Ten can't cover the spread.

Log's Blog: The worst player in college football? Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon tops this list.

Rick Plumlee, Wichita Eagle: Kansas officials are considering tightening sideline restrictions for TV stations during home football games as the result of a expletive-laced tirade by coach Mark Mangino that was aired on the Internet.

Brian Bennett, Courier-Journal: Remember Willie Williams, the star linebacker recruit who'd been arrested 11 times before enrolling at Miami in 2004? He's turning his life around at Louisville.

Tim Griffin, San Antonio Express-News: Big 12 teams find more recruits in Texas than any other state.

Eric Lacy, Detroit News: Here are five teams that appear headed for brighter days in the coming years.

Jim Carty, Ann Arbor News: Memo to media covering Louisiana State and Les Miles: Take a breath, please.

Kyle Hightower and Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel: Central Florida has sold out Saturday's game against Texas in the Knights' new on-campus stadium. Plus a look at the top traditions in college football.

Memphis Commercial Appeal: Southeastern Conference Western Division notebook and Eastern Division notebook.

Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle: A judge ruled that tree-sitters can stay in their perches near California's Memorial Stadium. The group is protesting the proposed building of an athletic complex.

Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Hawaii fans are making the trip from the islands to see the Rainbows play at Nevada Las Vegas.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: Season ticket sales have plunged to 11,882 at San Diego State. Plus, a chart of season ticket sales in the Mountain West.

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: The excellent college football insider: Notes, quotes and anecdotes.

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Big 12 insider: Nebraska will have plenty of California connections when it plays host to USC.

Associated Press: A man posing as a priest was able to sneak into the Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game at South Bend and posted a video on YouTube to show how it was done. The video has since been removed.

Greg Hansen, Arizona Daily Star: The Pacific 10's largest student section now belongs to Arizona.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: Western Athletic Conference teams are not having much success in nonconference games against Division I-A teams.

Here is today's mystery link (slight language warning).

Strong Start and Finish for UCLA

UCLA played host to Brigham Young last Saturday at the Rose Bowl, and reader Jack sent along images of the action, including the Bruin dance team getting into it on the sideline.
UCLA's defense came up big in the first half, shutting down the Cougars, above, but BYU turned up the heat in the second half and rallied from a 20-3 halftime deficit.
The Cougars got within 20-17, but the Bruins turned to the ground game with Khalil Bell, above, and Chris Markey, below, who scored the clinching touchdown in the 27-17 victory that ended BYU's 11-game winning streak.
Jack asks that we plug two sites: Bruin Report Online and Beat SC. ... If you are going to a game this weekend, we'd appreciate images of the action. The address: dawizofodds (at) aol.com.

Sherlock Holmes Award to With Leather

The mystery surrounding the official being escorted off the Sanford Stadium field at the South Carolina-Georgia game has been solved, thanks to the fine work of With Leather. Turns out the man being arrested was sideline assistant Roger Swain, 52, of Eatonton, Georgia.

Swain, hired to hold ball markers, move first-down chains and other sideline jobs during Saturday night's game, was arrested on a felony stalking charge after the Gamecocks' 16-12 victory.

Swain reportedly met a woman in 2006 and she told police that Swain repeatedly called her without permission. That led to Swain being convicted of a misdemeanor for stalking.

Under terms of his probation, Swain was not to contact the woman again, but he violated probation by trying to call the woman several times. That resulted in police upgrading the charge to aggravated stalking — a felony.

Sticking It In Forbidden at Virginia Tech

No longer will they be allowed to "Stick It In" at Virginia Tech.

Around 1995, the school's marching band came up with a tune titled "Stick It In" to be used when the Hokies would near the goal line. Fans chant "oh-ohhh, oh-ohhh" to the band's drum beat followed by "stick it in, stick it in, stick it in" when the drums stop. The tune has grown in popularity and fans even wear "Stick It In" T-shirts to games.

But athletic director Jim Weaver has told band director David McKee that the "Stick It In" tune could no longer be used.

Weaver wasn't commenting, but spokesman Larry Hincker said the university fully supports the athletic director's decision.

"I have seen many pieces of correspondence over the years from people saying it was disgusting and revolting," Hincker said of the chant and the sexual gyrations that accompany it.

Weaver earlier told the band to stop playing the song "Na Na Hey Hey [Kiss Him Goodbye]" during the final moments of a victory because the athletic department deemed the lyrics disrespectful.

Weaver's latest move won't go unchallenged, according to the Roanoke Times. More than 3,500 people had joined a Facebook group to salvage the chant. A possible protest is in the works for Monday.

"The thing is, it's a college football game. It's not disrespecting the other team or fans in any way," band member Greg Bringhurst said.

Return Men Getting Aggressive

A higher percentage of kickoffs that reach the end zone this season are being returned rather than downed for touchback in comparison to past seasons, reports Marty from the great cfbstats.com.

In 2005-06, when the ball was teed at the 35 for a kickoff, only 34.53% of the kicks reaching the end zone were returned. But in 2007, with the ball teed from the 30, 49.30% of the kicks reaching the end zone are being returned.

And the 2007 percentage appears to be on the rise. In Week 1 the return percentage of kicks reaching the end zone was 45.10. In Week 2, the return percentage increased to 53.02.

Chain Gang

Nice find by EDSBS. Police escort what appears to be a member of the chain gang after Saturday's South Carolina-Georgia game between the hedges in Athens. We're not sure why the man was arrested, and if anybody has more information, please send it along. The image was first posted on the website of the Athens Banner-Herald and has been making the rounds.

Reporters' Notebooks

Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Based on what he has seen in the first two weeks, Louisiana State and Oklahoma are headed to the BCS championship game.

Ron Musselman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Joe Paterno is kicking around the idea of reviving the Penn State-Pittsburgh series.

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: A man identifying himself as USC defensive tackle Fili Moala was arrested by police last weekend on suspicion of public intoxication. That came as news to Trojan Coach Pete Carroll. . . and to Fili Moala.

Tom Luicci, Newark Star-Ledger: Rutgers president Richard McCormick issued a formal apology to the U.S. Naval Academy for offensive cheers directed at Navy players during Friday night's game at Rutgers Stadium.

Scott Wright, Oklahoman: Oklahoma had a self-reported secondary NCAA violation removed from its record.

Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News: After 50 games under Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M teeters on mediocrity.

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: Alabama is sitting pretty right now at 2-0 with a schedule that suddenly looks manageable, while Auburn is slouching toward a bowl game in Shreveport.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: If Louisiana State fans felt jilted when Nick Saban left Miami for Alabama, imagine the howls of pain if current Tiger coach Les Miles dumps LSU for Michigan at the end of this season.

Paul Gattis, Huntsville Times: The staff hired by Nick Saban will combine to make more than $2.7 million for their first year at Alabama, including defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and offensive line coach/assistant head coach Joe Pendry each making $350,000.

Carlos Frias, Palm Beach Post: Almost a year later, scars remain from the brawl between Miami and Florida International.

Heather A. Dinich, Baltimore Sun: Maryland defensive tackle Carlos Feliciano on Thursday's game against West Virginia: "I think they think they're going to come in here and have a pretty easy game against us, and we're not going to let that happen."

Jake Schaller, Colorado Springs Gazette: If ever there was a time for Air Force to play Mountain West Conference favorite Texas Christian, Thursday night would seem to be it.

Miami Sports Blog: Is a site taking wagers on Saturday night's big high school game between Miami Northwestern and Southlake Carroll?

The Natives Are Restless in South Bend

Crewcut Charlie Weis was regarded as an offensive mastermind, but with Notre Dame off to an 0-2 start, some Fighting Irish fans are taking a skeptical look at their coach.

Patrons at the South Bend watering hole The Linebacker who watched Notre Dame stumble through a 31-10 loss at Penn State let their postgame concerns flow like beer.

"We got out-coached," Bob Couch, a resident of South Bend, told Mark Montieth of the Indianapolis Star. "Something's wrong. There's a problem there. I haven't figured it out. Whatever it is, you better figure it out real quick."

John Kruk, another South Bend resident, said: "Nothing against coach Weis, but he's supposed to be an offensive guru. I don't understand why our offense isn't doing that well."

Kruk added: "His offense has scored six points and they haven't scored a touchdown in two games. I can't blame the players for that."

John Scarbeck, another South Bend resident, wrote a letter to the South Bend Tribune. He questioned Weis' ability — or in this case inability — to recruit:

"If Weis's recruits continue to flop (including heralded RB Armando Allen and most of the offensive line), in this season and in the next one or two, the main question will be: when will N.D.'s board of trustees bite the bullet and buy out Weis's contract, which was foolishly extended through 2015. The vast majority of players on the field against [Georgia] Tech [a 33-3 loss at home] were recruited by Weis, and all have been coached by him."

Hawaii's Jones Defends Haka

Hawaii coach June Jones accused the Western Athletic Conference of "micro-management" by creating a philosophy that "targets" the way the Warriors prepare for games.

Before Hawaii's game Saturday night against Louisiana Tech, the Warriors were assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for performing a pregame haka, a Maori war chant the Warriors began doing last year before games, writes Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Advertiser.

There are rules against unsportsmanlike conduct, but none specifically mentions the haka. But the WAC received a complaint (now thought to be from Louisiana Tech) and encouraged teams not to perform the haka during road games.

"The rule hasn't changed since last year, and we were allowed to do it," Jones said. "For someone to micro-manage outside the NCAA rules, that's not right."

Honolulu Advertiser columnist Ferd Lewis writes that the Warriors should continue doing the haka and figure out a way not to get penalized:

"For as much as the haka has become a part of UH football, a unifying symbol for players and a fan favorite in the year that the Warriors have been performing it, it isn't something that you'd want to see cost them a game, a championship or a shot at a perfect season."

Hawaii won, 45-44, in overtime, and afterward Hawaii slotback Davone Bess said Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley cursed at him when he ran into the Bulldogs' sideline after making a catch.

"I was really surprised, especially for a head coach, somebody with his caliber, to pretty much disrespect me, you know," Bess said. "All I said back was: 'Don't disrespect me. You're a head coach. You don't have to be like that.' "

And according to the Ruston Daily Leader, the Louisiana Tech band "went into a quick rendition of Hawaii’s traditional 'haka dance' prior to the game." (last item).

Update: A reader has sent in this photo of Hawaii performing the haka at last year's game at Alabama. Note the player on the left giving Crimson Tide fans the finger.

Reporters' Notebooks

Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: Michigan quarterback Chad Henne won't play against Notre Dame, meaning freshman Ryan Mallett will get the start.

Glenn Guilbeau, Shreveport Times: Attention Michigan: Louisiana State coach Les Miles has a $1.25 million buyout in his contract.

Rich Fisher, Philadelphia Inquirer: Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian, whose team plays Rutgers on Saturday: ""After watching Rutgers on film and watching Michigan play [Oregon], I think I'd rather be playing Michigan."

Brian Davis, Dallas Morning News: The Western Athletic Conference supervisor of officials says the crew working the Fresno State-Texas A&M game made the correct call during a controversial 10-minute delay in the first overtime.

Bryan Mullen, Tennessean: Tennessee starting cornerback Antonio Gaines is lost for the season because of a torn ACL in his left knee.

Brandon Zimmerman, Gainesville Sun: Florida receiver Andre Caldwell has a sprained MCL in his right knee and will miss Saturday's game against Tennessee.

Jim Moore, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: At this rate, the jersey No. 10 of Washington quarterback Jake Locker could become the biggest seller in Husky history.

Jay Hinton, Deseret Morning News: Utah State senior defensive back Antonio Taylor, who was the first non-linebacker to lead the team in tackles since 1978, was suspended from the team for the rest of the season for violating team rules.

Columbus Day

Our man Greg is living the life. After attending games at Las Cruces and El Paso in Week 1, he ventured to Columbus in Week 2 and took in the Akron-Ohio State game.

Buckeye fans were doing their Road Warrior impersonation to honor linebacker James Laurinaitis, whose father, Joe, was known as "Animal" when he was a member of the legendary professional wrestling tag team. James was credited with seven tackles in the Buckeyes' 20-2 victory.

An Ohio State fan has found a slick way to protect his satellite dish and show his love for the Buckeyes, above left. And the Ohio State band got the crowd fired up before kickoff.
Brutus entertained the fans, many of whom were decked out in Scarlet and Gray. And if you didn't want to wear the Buckeyes' colors, there were options like the one below.
Not sure what the rules are for the Drinko game, but from the looks of the empty cups on the porch, there does not seem to be a way to lose. And if you were wondering were the beef was, Greg found it.

Reporters' Notebooks

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Two weeks into the season, the Pacific 10 is second only to the Southeastern Conference.

Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post: There's the Big East, then there's the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: Now comes the tough part for Washington. The Huskies must navigate a murderer's row of Ohio State, UCLA and USC the next three weeks.

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Congratulations to Crewcut Charlie Weis. His Fighting Irish have put together four losses by 20 points or more for the first time in team history.

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press: Michigan quarterback Chad Henne is doubtful for Saturday's game against Notre Dame.

John Canzano, Oregonian: Three Michigan recruits who witnessed the Wolverines' loss to Oregon now say they want to go to — you guessed it — Oregon. Thanks to Kevin of We Are Penn State.

Rob Parker, Detroit News: Lloyd Carr should do what's best for Michigan and step down at season's end.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: Don't look now, but another Bowl Championship Series nightmare may be brewing.

Pete Thamel, New York Times: Expectations have changed overnight at Louisiana State and South Florida.

Dirk Facer, Deseret Morning News: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is taking responsibility for the program's first 0-2 start since 2000.

Mike Phillips, Miami Herald: Kirby Freeman or Kyle Wright? After a big loss at Oklahoma, Miami is undecided on who will start at quarterback against Florida International.

Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: Despite a victory at Auburn, South Florida is unable to crack the Associated Press top 25.

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: Boise State proved it is not ready for prime time. The Broncos need new leaders, a new imperative.

Bryant-Jon Anteola, Fresno Bee: That tough and rugged Fresno State team that wouldn't wilt in the face of adversity for so many years is back. Right? "Almost — not quite," Pat Hill says.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not.

Louisiana State No. 1 in BCS Standings

Louisiana State's impressive victory over Virginia Tech has moved the Tigers to the top of the Bowl Championship Series standings, according to the BCS Guru. USC dropped to No. 2, with Oklahoma moving from No. 6 to No. 3. Texas is No. 4 and Florida, which was No. 2 last week, slipped to No. 5.

As we told you last week, the Guru is a man ahead of the curve. Even though some components used to put together the official BCS standings, which will be released Oct. 14, are currently missing, the Guru has made the necessary alterations to produce the rankings. One involves the use of the AP poll in place of the Harris Interactive Poll, which will be released on Sept. 23. A sidenote: Here is a link (pdf) to the 114 voters in the 2007 Harris poll.

Passing Time at the Navy-Rutgers Game

You take your kid to the Navy-Rutgers game on Friday night and when things get out of hand, what do you do? Why not head down to the field and take shots of the cheerleaders with your camera phone? Not only are you teaching Junior a valuable lesson, but you'll be able to share the shots with your buddies. The risk here? Just make sure your wife doesn't get a hold of your cell phone. Thanks to TV Tan Line for the image.

Iowa's Field of Dreams

This was the scene Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, where Syracuse and Iowa went toe to toe. The top shot is of the Hawkeyes emerging from the locker room in their traditional swarm just before kickoff. The image below shows the scene after nightfall. The Hawkeyes scored a unanimous victory, 35-0, and now travel to play rival Iowa State. Thanks to Tony!

Burly Sports

We are only days from the official launch of Burly Sports, starring former ESPN "Dream Job" contestant Nick Stevens. We are happy to announce a partnership with Burly and offer a sneak preview of what to expect. More in the coming days. ...

Week 3

How the mighty have fallen. It will be the battle of winless teams Saturday in Ann Arbor when Notre Dame knocks heads with Michigan. Crewcut Charlie Weis' team has yet to score an offensive touchdown and ranks 119th (that's dead last in Division I-A if you're scoring at home), but that should change against a Wolverine defense that has given up 73 points in two games and ranks 108th in defense.

And get this: Michigan opened as a 9.5 favorite at the time of this post.

Other games of note, according to Doc's Sports: Tennessee (+8) at Florida; Louisville (-6.5) at Kentucky; Arkansas (+3.5) at Alabama; Boston College (+7.5) at Georgia Tech; Ohio State (-4) at resurgent Washington; USC (-10) at Nebraska and Florida State (-4) at Colorado.

The week opens Thursday with two games: West Virginia (-16) at Maryland and Texas Christian (-9) at Air Force. On Friday, Oklahoma State (-10) travels to Troy.

A reminder that you can get a copy of Doc's 2007 Sports Journal by going to this link.

Front and Center

A look at selected front pages from Sunday, leading off with the Detroit Free Press (click in an image for a closer look):

Opelika-Auburn News:

Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Augusta Chronicle:

Centre Daily Times:

The Columbia State:

Huntington Herald-Dispatch:

Gainesville Sun:

Greenville Daily Reflector:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Bryan-College State Eagle:

The Oklahoman:

Snapshots of Week 2

It all seems like a blur now, but to help clear your head, here is a look back at Week 2 from TV Tan Line.

Switzer Rips USC, Notre Dame and NCAA

What does former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, pictured with World Wrestling Entertainment announcer Jim Ross, think of USC and Notre Dame?

"Sacred cows," Switzer said. And in terms of NCAA scrutiny, "Oklahoma's been their whipping boy."

Switzer's opinion is shared by many Sooner fans, who believe the NCAA gives preferential treatment to, among others, the Trojans.

"They got alumni out there doing things for their kids too, just like it happens here," Switzer told Chris Dufresne of the L.A Times.

Oklahoma was forced to vacate all eight wins from its 2005 season this summer after former players Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn were paid for hours they did not work at Norman car dealership Big Red Sports/Imports. Oklahoma self-reported its violations, punished itself, and yet the NCAA still descended.

Meanwhile No. 1 USC, amid allegations that it may have defeated Oklahoma to win the 2004 national title while using an ineligible player, Reggie Bush, continues to play on without paying pipers.

"And we get our wins erased?" Justin Myers, a 21-year-old marketing major, asked. "I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, it's just not the proper allocation of rules and regulations."

Sooner coach Bob Stoops offered no opinion regarding the Bush investigation at USC and prefers to look ahead. But do people believe his program came clean? "There are those who don't and those who do," Stoops said. "So in the end we can't worry about it."

Reporters' Notebooks

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press: The Big Ten Network's deal with Dish Network will put pressure on Comcast, just as Big Ten executives intended.

Neal Rubin, Detroit News: A week later, some Michigan fans are profiting off the Wolverines' loss to Appalachian State by selling their ticket stubs.

Tim Griffin, San Antonio Express-News: Missouri's Gary Pinkel is the latest coach to be embroiled in controversy on use of the two-point chart.

Newark Star-Ledger: A roundtable discussion of Rutgers' 41-24 victory against Navy.

Mick McGrane, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State is attempting to ensure that its future nonconference schedules include no more than one game per season against a team from a BCS conference.

Chris Bahn, Northwest Arkansas Times: Arkansas has started to distribute approximately 900 Darren McFadden publicity packets to media members and sports information directors.

Jenna Marina, Tampa Tribune: Florida's Urban Meyer said he is seeking the game film from Appalachian State's victory over Michigan.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: What can eight seconds do for a Heisman campaign? Just ask California's DeSean Jackson.

Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Mississippi Madman Ed Orgeron has brought energy to the program, but not victories.

Columnists' Corner

Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press: It's time for Michigan's Lloyd Carr, who has lost 10 of his last 28 games, to acknowledge that this season is his last.

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: Alabama, which plays at Vanderbilt, and Auburn, which plays host to South Florida, appear ripe for the picking.

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: Louisville defensive coordinator Mike Cassity has much work to do before the Cardinals' game against rival Kentucky.

Jeff Wilson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: How huge is the Texas Christian-Texas game? Been there and done that.

Greg Hansen, Arizona Daily Star: The Pacific 10 has some history of embattled coaches making a marked turnaround.

Game of the Week

Although first impressions linger and Michigan made a doozy in its opening loss to Appalachian State, consider this: The Wolverines have given up 34, 32 and 42 points in their last three games (all losses). One can't help but wonder if Michigan is going down that slippery slope toward mediocrity. Yes, it's not much fun being a Wolverine fan these days.

That brings us to the Game of the Week: Oregon at Michigan. The Wolverines face another team that uses a spread offense and has a scrambling quarterback. Lloyd Carr versus Mike Bellotti. This doesn't look good, Michigan. ...

We ventured to the fine Oregon blog, Addicted to Quack, and asked Dave, who calls the shots in that corner of cyberspace, for his opinion:

"There is no way that Oregon loses this game. Appalachian State made a blueprint for how to beat Michigan's defense using the spread offense. Oregon runs basically the same offense, only it is bigger, faster, and stronger. Its quarterback is bigger and more mobile. Oregon's no-huddle will wear out the Michigan defense. And, unlike the Wolverines, Oregon is competent on special teams and has a coach that actually watches game film. The defenses are equally terrible, but Oregon has enough of an edge on offense and special teams to pull this out. Ducks win by 10."

In the interest of fairness, we headed to M Zone to ask Yost for a rebuttal, but he was too busy interviewing Bellotti and studying up on the great state of Oregon.

What does the Wiz think? This is Michigan's game and the Wolverines will cover the spread, which at the time of this post has the Wolverines favored by 7.5 points.

Thanks to Image of Sport.

And now, a pep talk from Lou Holtz in case your wife runs off with the drummer. Thanks to the terrific EDSBS.

Crystal Ball

Jody Demling, Louisville Courier-Journal: The 'Book. A nice 6-3 record against the number to open the season. Now can Kentucky get past Kent State?

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: A tad slow out of the gate with a 2-3 opening week. This week he's riding the Washington bandwagon.

Double D, Boston Herald: Coming off a 7-5 week. ... As if a night game on national TV in front of 100,000-plus hostile fans were a big enough challenge for Jimmy Clausen, now comes word the famed Double D is picking against the Fighting Irish.

Lonnie White, Los Angeles Times: Over the last three seasons, Rutgers has a sub-par 6-7 record against the spread, and since 1992, the Scarlet Knights are 7-9 against the spread when they've been favored between 10.5 and 21 points.

The Quad, New York Times: Pete Thamel, Thayer Evans and Connor Ennis break down five games, including Texas Christian at Texas.

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: His Big 12 selections are at the bottom of his conference insider.

Phil Steele: His top-25 forecast: Some stormy weather for Boise State in Seattle.

Kansas City Star: The paper's panel of experts give their opinions on Saturday's games.

New York Post: Saturday's heroes tackle the spread.

For the latest numbers, go to Doc's Sports.

Columnists' Corner

John Canzano, Oregonian: Oregon State tip-toed out of the locker room, snapped photographs of each other using their cellular phones, then suffered a back-alley whipping to Cincinnati.

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: If you're a Louisville fan, there is no defense for this.

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News: Some Notre Dame fans already have stopped drinking the Kool-Aid. They have officially declared the honeymoon to be over for Crewcut Charlie Weis.

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: Questions continue to dog Pacific 10 Conference officials, and guess where Boise State plays Saturday — at Washington.

B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News: There is reason for Boise State to be concerned. Washington appears to be on the rebound under the droll Tyrone Willingham.

John Henderson, Denver Post: The Big 12 versus the Pac-10? Give the edge to the Left Coast.

Mark Blaudschun, Boston Globe: The win over Michigan secured Appalachian State's fate with future high-profile opponents. What coach and athletic director in their right minds will make the call to Boone, N.C., for a game against a team that could embarrass their team?

Reporters' Notebooks

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Nice piece of work here. A ranking of NFL players from 1 to 500 shows that the NFL's best players are cultivated in the Southeastern Conference. Plus a look at the best NFL players by college conference.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State, once again facing financial shortcomings in football, has refused requests from the Union-Tribune to disclose this year's season ticket sales. Thanks to Mike!

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: The excellent college football insider. Notes, quotes and anecdotes.

Sara Ganim, Centre Daily Times: More than 60 tents fill the area in front of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, two days before the Nittany Lions' game against Notre Dame. Police say the tent city could grow even larger on Friday.

Lauren Boyer, Daily Collegian: The NHL's Phoenix Coyotes nearly blacklisted Penn State's use of the term "White Out." Thanks to Kevin of We Are Penn State.

Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post: Teams from Division I-AA are now eligible to be included in the Associated Press' poll as long as they have competed against a team from Division I-A.

Heather A. Dinich, Baltimore Sun: Ineligible Maryland quarterback Josh Portis, accused of copying off another student during a pop quiz in the spring semester, is not planning to transfer, according to his mother.

Dan Shaw, Lafayette Journal and Courier: Purdue receiver Selwyn Lymon has been charged with operating a vehicle while being intoxicated, battery, disorderly conduct, false informing and illegal possession of alcohol in connection with a March fight in which he was stabbed.

Scott Dochterman, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Dish Network and the Big Ten Network agreed to a contract, giving the infant network 10 million more national subscribers under its umbrella.

Tony Barnhardt, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Five burning questions as we head for Saturday.

Andrea Cohen, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State will have a reseating plan in 2008. In other words, get ready to pay more for your seats.

Scott Cacciola, Commercial Appeal: The NCAA denied two appeals made by Mississippi that sought to overturn a ruling that prohibits Jerrell Powe from playing for the Rebels this season.

Baton Rouge Advocate: Louisiana State has released a letter to Tiger fans relating to Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech. In other words, be nice to the visitors.

Andrew Logue and Rob Gray, Des Moines Register: Here are 13 reasons Northern Iowa beating Iowa State would not be an upset.

Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun: It is Navy's relentless triple-option offense against Rutgers' suffocating, quick defense.

To bypass registration, go to Bug Me Not.

The Impact of New Kickoff Rule

The first week of data is in on the new rule moving kickoffs back to the 30-yard line from the 35, and Marty at cfbstats.com has been crunching the numbers to study the impact.

The average length of returns on kickoffs from the 30 in 2007 is 21.16, up 0.81 yard from returns on kickoffs from the 35 in 2005-6. The average change in field position at the end of the return has increased 2.79 yards, from the 26.99 yard line in 2005-06 to the 29.78 yard line in 2007.

As for kickers who had the highest percentage of touchbacks in Week 1, the winner is Ryan Succop of South Carolina, who had four of his five kickoffs result in touchbacks. Jared Develli of Virginia Tech is second and Adi Kunalic of Nebraska is third.

Also of note: Marty discovered that roughly 50 kickoffs in the first week were scored as starting from the 35 rather than the 30, even though there was no penalty that moved the kickoff starting line. As Marty pointed out, "It appears some official scorers simply forgot to change the starting line of the kickoffs to the 30 instead of the 35 as they entered the plays. Therefore, those kickoffs are not part of the totals for 2007."

Note to official scorers: Get it together, OK?

Marty also has posted complete stats for every team for Week 1, so be sure to check his site.

Reporters' Notebooks

Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: Get this: Michigan and Appalachian State each turned down offers to play Hawaii this season, Warrior athletic director Herman Frazier said.

Heather A. Dinich, Baltimore Sun: A former Maryland student said that Terrapin backup quarterback Josh Portis copied off his paper for a pop quiz during the spring semester — an incident that has led to the team's fastest and most hyped quarterback being declared ineligible for the 2007 season.

Adam Rose, Los Angeles Times: USC's Pete Carroll earned over $2.4 million in 2004, or $229,000 a week from the university, according to tax returns.

Ron Wood, Springdale Morning News: Fort Smith Attorney Eddie Christian Jr., was found in contempt of court for ignoring an order that he stop discovery in a lawsuit over emails to former Razorback quarterback Mitch Mustain. He also turned over information obtained through subpoenas to Mustain's mother, Beck Campbell.

Associated Press: Appalachian State's victory over Michigan has sparked demand for Mountaineer apparel in Columbus, home of Ohio State. "Maized and Confused!!" and "We Brought Down the House" T-shirts can also be purchased at this link.

Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News: Temple, which is favored by 3.5 points over Buffalo, has not been favored in a game since Oct. 25, 2003, when it was a four-point choice over Rutgers. The Owls lost, 30-14.

Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Sign of desperation? Notre Dame's Crewcut Charlies Weis is throwing prized freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen to the Nittany Lions.

Paul Buker, Oregonian: Oregon State receiver Sammie Stroughter will play Thursday night against Cincinnati.

Associated Press: Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said he was told that officials wrongly overturned his team's recovery of an onside kick in the final minute of its 21-13 loss at Texas.

Dave Matter, Columbia Tribune: Missouri's Gary Pinkel acknowledges his odd decision to go for a two-point conversion in the victory against Illinois was a coaching blunder.

Mike Baldwin, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State sideline reporter Robert Allen had to report on a botched punt snap by his son, deep snapper Zach Allen, in the loss at Georgia.

Ray Melick, Birmingham News: Four people were shot Monday night outside of Birmingham's Legion Field.

Wendell Barnhouse, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Dan Beebe was named Big 12 commissioner.

Here is today's mystery link.

Columnists' Corner

Carl DuBois, Baton Rouge Advocate: Attention Pac-10 fans: California's victory over a questionable Tennessee team in Berkeley proves absolutely nothing.

Brad Rock, Deseret Morning News: All is very clear after Week 1 of the season. Utah's season is toast.

Jim Reeves, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas Christian fans need to get a grip on reality. The Big 12 Conference will not come knocking for the Horned Frogs.

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: Now the real fun begins for Alabama and coach Nick Saban. A trip to Vanderbilt.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: Up next for Appalachian State? It's dreaded Lenoir-Rhyne.

Cowboy Joe Can Talk the Smack

It was only a month ago that Wyoming coach Joe Glenn ripped Syracuse a new one after the Orange backed out of a 2009 game at Laramie.

"I've got a new favorite team this season," Glenn quipped. "Anybody who beats Syracuse."

Austin Ward of the Casper Star-Tribune writes that Glenn was back at it Saturday after the Cowboys battered Virginia, 23-3.

"If this was a heavyweight fight, we threw the first punch and we threw the last punch," Glenn said. "We punched throughout the fight. We just out-played them in every sense of the word."

He was just getting started.

"It would have been a shutout had their punter not been so good. The Pokes were way too much for the Cavaliers. A Cowboy is tougher than a Cavalier anyway, we all know that."

Glenn's players joined in the fun after the Cavaliers were held to 110 yards.

"The only thing I was surprised about is that they scored," running back Devin Moore said. "I’m not trying to be cocky or bad-talk Virginia, but I just believe so much in our defense. It's so dominant."

To make matters worse for Virginia, our friends at Coaches Hot Seat now have Al Groh at the top of their list, edging past Michigan's Lloyd Carr and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom. Arkansas' Houston Nutt slips to No. 4, followed by Notre Dame's Crewcut Charlie Weis, who figures to move up the list after his team gets ambushed Saturday at Penn State.

Deep Throat

An Arkansas fan deep throats a hot dog before the Razorbacks kicked it off against Troy last Saturday in Fayetteville. Strange thing is, Razorback fans were reportedly on their best behavior last weekend. One has to wonder what it's like when things get out of hand.

Thanks to the great Sports By Brooks for this, who found the video at Deuce of Davenport.

Part of Rutgers' Blitzed Package

Yet more strange tailgating behavior. Nicholas from the site Sportz Writer 316 sends along this video of a Rutgers fan before last Thursday's game against Buffalo. Writes Nicholas, "This guy was so drunk that we had him do the NFL Combine type drills and as you notice, he might be a fourth-round pick, according to Mel Kiper Jr." Note: no audio.

Hawaii Begins a 12-Day Journey

No, those aren't paw prints in Colt Brennan's hair. The Hawaii quarterback recently cut his dreadlocks and went platinum blonde. Then he added the Hawaiian Islands dyed in black on the right side of his head.

Brennan, who said he was "bullied" into trying to grow dreadlocks, decided to go back to the close-cut look for a couple of reasons, one being that the locks hurt his head when he put his helmet on.

And he told Sports Illustrated, "I decided I didn't want the most disgusting haircut in college football."

Hawaii departed Wednesday for college football's longest trip of the season — a 12-day journey to play at Louisiana Tech on Saturday, followed by a game at Nevada Las Vegas on Sept. 14.

Instead of flying back to Hawaii between games, the Warriors will stay in Houston and prepare for the UNLV game. NFL scouts are expected to flock to Houston to watch Hawaii and Brennan practice.

Opera and Football

In memory of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who passed away early Thursday at the age of 71, we present highlights from last season's Fiesta Bowl done to music by Giacomo Puccini from the opera Turandot.

Any Truth to the Andrews-Bielema Rumors?

Erin Andrews and Bret Bielema. Type the names into a Google search and all kinds of stuff pops up, including suggestions that the ESPN sideline reporter and the Wisconsin coach have been dating.

A column by Adam Mertz of the Capital Times suggests there is nothing to all the chatter. Writes Mertz:

"And earlier this week, [Bielema] even slipped in subtly that the most eligible bachelor in Madison is at least a little less eligible, noting that his 'girlfriend' [collective gasp from the Erin Andrews fan club] is an English teacher [collective groan from the Erin Andrews fan club].

"Think we don't get calls about this stuff?"

Bielema, is 13-1 as Badgers coach, but we really don't care about that, do we? Let's get to the important stuff.

Last spring, Andrews was voted one of Florida's 2007 Outstanding Young Alumni and gave a pep talk to College of Journalism and Communications students. You can watch a webcast of Andrews' talk by clicking here. The video is over an hour long, so just accept the fact you will not get any work done today if you decide to watch it.

Thanks to Gary at Steroid Nation for his invaluable help and the great TV Tan Line for yet another incredible image of Andrews.

Right Now, It's a Florida-USC Title Game

Louisiana State fans, if you think the Tigers' place in the Bowl Championship Series is all but a lock, think again. Your team has work to do. If the season were to end today, it would be Florida, not LSU, in the BCS title game against USC.

The BCS Guru, who has cracked the magic BCS formula, released his first standings Tuesday. And trust us, the Guru is not to be trifled with. He correctly predicted a Florida-Ohio State matchup in last season's title game a day before anybody else (on this very site, no less!).

It's never too early for a BCS buster game and we have one Saturday. Virginia Tech, currently 10th in the Guru's standings, travels to Baton Rouge to take on the No. 3 Tigers.

Looking for Volunteers? We Found Some!

What do Tennessee cheerleaders do at halftime? Eat! Jeff was one of the lucky ones in attendance at Saturday's Tennessee-California game and sent along these images.
Memorial Stadium, with no track ringing the field, is one place where you can get close to the action, as Jeff's daughter did during a break in the action. And yet another indication that Phillip Fulmer has been dropping weight. Jeff writes that Fulmer "is surprisingly trim this season. The best gut in all of college football has strangely disappeared."

Cover Stories

With Week 1 in the books, a last look at selected front pages from the nation's newspapers. First up, The State in Columbia, S.C. (click in an image for a closer look):

Tallahassee Democrat:

Boulder Daily Camera:

Casper Star-Tribune:

The Oklahoman:

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Times Are Tough in the ACC

Grey Blackwell of the Raleigh News & Observer has produced his latest Flash animation. We've featured some of Blackwell's work in the past, and you can view his latest effort — it takes a jab at the Atlantic Coast Conference — by clicking here.

Expectations were low for the ACC entering 2007, but there are indications after only one week that the league is underachieving once again, according to Caulton Tudor of the News & Observer.

Yeah, These Guys Are Excited

Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, it would take something of Herculean proportions to knock the Appalachian State story off the top shelf, so give a listen to the call of the final play at Michigan from the Mountaineers' broadcast team.

Now it's fun to celebrate victories, but losers always make better stories. So let's once again turn our attention to the Michigan Wolverines and see what Lloyd Carr and gang are up to.

Carr held a 26-minute question-and-answer session on Monday. Normally Carr is grouchy at such gatherings and bristles when asked about his future. That was not the case, as Carr gave measured responses rather than powerful reactions.

Players were badgered with questions about Carr's future. Could Carr be fired at any moment? Offensive tackle Jake Long called such speculation "insane."

Reporters were also being asked questions — by readers. Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor News answered several questions in his blog. This entry caught our notice:

"One of the things that's struck both myself and our football beat writer, John Heuser, is how different the reaction has been to this loss compared to past Michigan losses. Lloyd Carr is much, much more ... not just controlled, but subdued. And it's not like he's angry, but keeping that anger under control, there honestly doesn't seem to be any anger right now.

"A small example? Soon after Monday's press conference started, someone's cell phone went off. In the past, that would have resulted in Carr stopping the press conference and giving a stony stare to the person involved. Monday? He didn't even seem to notice."

Front Page News

A look at selected front pages from Sunday. First up, the Birmingham News, where Nick Saban is all the rage (click in an image for a closer look):

Bloomington Herald-Times:

The Honolulu Advertiser:

Austin American-Statesman:

Lexington Herald-Leader:

South Bend Tribune:

Athens Banner-Herald:

Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Kansas' Mangino Is Bloody Mad

Don't you dare click on this YouTube video if you spent a good part of Sunday at a house of worship. Kansas coach Mark Mangino lets Raimond Pendleton have it after Pendleton scored on a 77-yard punt return in the Jayhawks' 52-7 victory over Central Michigan.

Mangino was asked Monday about this incident during the Big 12 teleconference, according to the Kansas City Star. The reporter said replays showed blood coming out of Mangino’s mouth as he chided Pendleton.

"It’s a cut I’ve had on my chin since probably Thursday morning," Mangino said, laughing. "I still can’t get it stopped. I might have to see a doctor."

Thanks to the Midwest Correspondent.

Week 2 (Yes, Michigan Is Favored)

You think big, bad Michigan has fallen off the college football radar? Think again. After losing to Appalachian State, the Wolverines have opened as an eight-point favorite over Oregon in the Big House, according to the opening numbers posted at Doc's Sports.

Are you man (or woman) enough to take Michigan and give the points?

Also from the Department of How the Mighty Have Fallen: Notre Dame, coming off two consecutive BCS bowl games, opens as a 17-point underdog at Penn State.

In 2006, Crewcut Charlie Weis' troops dismantled the Nittany Lions, 41-17. But in 2007, the betting public has quickly lost faith in Notre Dame, which was a one-point favorite over Georgia Tech and lost by 30 at South Bend. With Notre Dame headed for hard times, does this mean Crewcut's house will soon be for sale?

A couple of other games of note: Miami is an 11-point underdog at Oklahoma, Nebraska is an eight-point favorite at Wake Forest and Boise State, with a national-best 14-game winning streak, is a three-point favorite at Washington.

The week opens Thursday with Oregon State (-3.5) at Cincinnati and Middle Tennessee (+38.5) at Louisville. On Friday, Navy (+15.5) is at Rutgers.

And a reminder that you can get a copy of Doc's 2007 Sports Journal by going to this link.

There's Always Trouble Awaiting in El Paso

How many of you have already attended two games in 2007? Greg, who spent Thursday in Las Cruces watching New Mexico State play host to Southeastern Louisiana, spent Saturday in one of the Wiz's favorite hotspots, beautiful El Paso. Texas El Paso's game Saturday night against New Mexico brought out the beauties (above) and the beasts (below).
Coach Mike Price has reinvigorated the Texas El Paso program, and Miner fever is running wild in West Texas, even with the young fans (left). Below we have a look at New Mexico's trailer. For those of you new to the site, we're always interested in getting photos of team rigs. Louisiana State was a runaway winner in our poll to determine the best college football big rig, but we are looking to conduct another poll in 2008.
New Mexico fans made the trip down Interstates 25 and 10 to watch the Lobos. But the matchup between Mountain West and Conference USA teams went to the Miners, 10-6. A look inside the Sun Bowl, looking south toward Juarez.
A young fan found a unique way to show her support for the Miners (above) and our man Greg (below left) gets in the spirit with a creature from the blue and orange lagoon.
Attending a game and have something unusual for the world to see? Send your images to dawizofodds (at) aol.com and we will give them a look. As always, we are happy to plug a website in return.

We're Piling On the Wolverines

Two videos of Appalachian State's stunning victory over Michigan. Above we have the final 1:47 from the Big Ten Network. Below is video shot from the stands of the final play. Great stuff.

Polls are due out Tuesday, and the Wolverines, ranked No. 5 entering Saturday's game, could fall completely out of the rankings. And that has some calling for Lloyd Carr's head, which is what in happened to Arkansas' Jack Crowe in 1992 after the Razorbacks lost to The Citadel. The next day Jack was out of work. ... One fan says "somebody should pay a visit to Bo's grave and apologize."

Carr's teams have always struggled to defend spread offenses and running quarterbacks, and it would appear that trouble awaits the Wolverines again Saturday when Oregon comes to Ann Arbor. The Ducks are a confident bunch, especially after hearing about Appalachian State's success in the Big House.
In true American spirit, they were quick to capitalize on Appalachian State's victory in Boone, N.C., home of the Mountaineers. T-shirts that read "Michigan Who? 34-32" were a hot item. Also benefiting from the Wolverines' loss? Oddly enough, it's the Big Ten Network, which received a priceless advertisement for the entertainment value of the games.

Attention to Detail

Not much gets past the trained eye of TV Tan Line. Check out this Colorado fan letting the bird fly Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Showdown between Colorado and Colorado State at Invesco Field. Click in the image for a closer look.

A Signature Move in Morgantown

This is the kind of commitment we are looking for. Reader Dan prepares for West Virginia's 62-24 dismantling of Western Michigan on Saturday in Morgantown.

Yes, we now understand why West Virginia was voted the No. 1 party school.

West Virginia was so impressive that after the game, Western Michigan safety C.J. Wilson asked reporters if they could get him an autograph from the Mountaineers' Pat White and Steve Slaton.

"They've got it. And if you talk to them, tell them that I wouldn't mind an autograph," Wilson said, laughing. "I can't recall playing against a backfield like that.

"Their speed makes a difference. White's a quarterback but he is extremely athletic. He can run and throw. Then they have Slaton, who when he gets it, he's special."

Chase Is On at New Mexico State

New Mexico State opened the season Thursday night and our man Greg was on scene in Las Cruces, scoping out the scenery, above.

The Aggies defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 35-14, behind four touchdown passes from Chase Holbrook.
As you can see, New Mexi