This Weekend, Lawrence Is Going to the Dogs

Thank your mighty stars for the Lawrence Jayhawk Kennel Club's annual dog show. At least there will be something to do in town this weekend. After all, the hometown Jayhawks decided to move their home game with Oklahoma to another state! Although the athletic department will pocket $3 million more by moving the game to Arrowhead Stadium, local merchants will lose $1 million. Nothing quite like turning your back on the home folk.

Ducks Are No Longer Flying South

For a period of 10 years, Oregon fans had come to expect eight-to-11 win seasons. Then came last season, a crushing 5-6 campaign. But to his credit, coach Mike Bellotti identified the problem: Two of his former coordinators were now Pac-10 head coaches — Arizona State's Dirk Koetter and California's Jeff Tedford — and other former Duck assistants were scattered throughout the conference. Word was out on his old schemes. So Bellotti hired former BYU coach Gary Crowton the two went about installing a spread-option offense. Now Oregon, which averaged 25.6 points a game last season, is averaging 35 this season. And the Ducks are 5-1 and back in the rankings.

Someone Is Using Their Head

North Carolina is one of three universities, along with Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, using the Head Impact Telemetry system to study concussions. The system works like this: Six tiny sensor chips are embedded in the padding of a helmet. They measure the acceleration and deceleration of the head to determine the location and magnitude of any impact. A small radio imbedded in the helmet sends the information to a sideline unit, where a laptop computer analyzes and saves the data.

The Wizard and Week 7

His season record is 25-16-1 (60.9%) against the spread. Moments ago, he emerged from parts unknown with promises of financial gain for all. So click on the comments tab below and see how he plans to enrich our lives beyond our wildest imaginations.

Crewcut Charlie Fires Up the Troops

Why does Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis strike us as a guy who would size you up and ask, "What can I do today to get you in a LeSabre?" Well, old Crewcut himself made an appearance Friday night at Notre Dame Stadium and instructed the flock on how to cheer. "Don't be phonies. Don't just do it when you're prompted." Gee, how long have these people been watching football? Do they really need lessons? Crewcut then cranked it up a notch and offered a few lessons from the book of advanced cheering: Make noise when the Trojans have the ball and to be quiet when the Irish are on offense. "It will give us a chance at one of the best, greatest moments in Notre Dame history." But what might be the biggest factor (would we expect anything less from a used car salesman, er, coach) is the ankle-deep grass. Who is willing to bet that the sprinkler system accidentally will be left on overnight? By kickoff, the field could resemble New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Some might call it cheating.

Is It a Subtle Transfer of Power?

Penn State and Florida State are a combined 11-0. What has been the secret to success? It appears the Nittany Lions' Joe Paterno and the Seminoles' Bobby Bowden have delegated more responsibilities to assistant coaches than ever before. "I suppose I'm like most coaches now, standing on the sideline hoping somebody asks them a question," Bowden said. But each retains veto power. "There's this perception Joe has stepped back. But believe me: What Joe thinks is hands-off is not even close to hands-off," quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said (some registration).

Columnists' Corner

Steve Kirk, Birmingham News: Alabama is back, but does it have staying power now that the Sports Illustrated jinx is in full force?

John Henderson, Denver Post: He has toured 64 campus, but one stands head and shoulders above them all.

Bud Withers, Seattle Times: A small class in 2003 and a brain-drained 2004 group has robbed Washington State of depth.

Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News: These are strange times in the Big Ten, with the new "School Up North" being Michigan State.

Greg Hansen, Arizona Daily Star: The magnitude of USC's 39-first down, 724-yard hit against Arizona is finally settling in.