Reporters' Notebooks

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC's Pete Carroll denies that hotshot recruit Joe McKnight listened to a phone call between the coach and Reggie Bush. If such an incident occurred, it would be an NCAA recruiting violation.

Tom Witosky, Des Moines Register: Iowa athletic officials are under fire after a commercial for the Iowa Lottery included the school's fight song.

Greg Couch, Chicago Sun-Times: Is Ron Zook a crook? Trying to get to the bottom of the Illinois-Notre Dame recruiting feud. Thanks to the Midwest Correspondent.

David Picker, New York Times: The NFL Scouting Combine is less than two weeks away and players are attending specialized training programs to prepare.

Gene Frenette, Florida Times-Union: Keeping the ACC title game in Jacksonville beyond 2007 will likely require that organizers produce something close to a sellout at the Gator Bowl.