The Wiz of Odds

The Booster Bowl in San Diego

One has to wonder if Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens might have a little side bet on Tuesday night's Holiday Bowl between Oregon and Oklahoma State in San Diego.

Knight, 70, and Pickens, 80, have combined to give more than half-a-billion dollars to their universities, most of it going to the football programs. Knight's gifts have helped make the Ducks a perennial contender, with the team averaging more than eight wins a year with only one losing season in the last 15.

Pickens recently forked over another $63 million to Oklahoma State to ensure the stadium expansion project would be completed at his alma mater. He previously gave $165 million to fund athletics at Oklahoma State.

So which one of these cats has more cash? It's not even close.

Reporters Notebooks

Mike Knobler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Football and men’s basketball players on the nation’s big-time college teams averaged hundreds of points lower on their SATs than their classmates, and some of the gaps are so large they call into question the lengths to which schools will go to win. The biggest gap between football players and students as a whole occurred at Florida, where players scored 346 points lower than the school’s overall student body.

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC assistant Ken Norton Jr. lashed out at UCLA for allegedly using him as bait to lure recruits to Westwood and discourage them from joining the Trojans.

Mr. SEC: The Big Ten is apparently not as slow as Southerners think. Since 2004, Southeastern Conference teams are only 5-6 against Big Ten teams in bowl games.

Patrick Reusse, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: The idea that Minnesota's Tim Brewster has earned a contract extension is the equivalent of shouting "Four more years!" in the direction of George W. Bush.

Kevin Gorman, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Pittsburgh fans who are visiting El Paso for the Sun Bowl have been warned to stay in the U.S. and not cross the Mexican border and venture into Ciudad Juarez, which has devolved into a war zone between rival cartels battling to control drug trafficking along border towns.

The Curious Departure of Scott Shafer

A year ago, Scott Shafer was regarded as one of the top defensive coordinators in the land. Today, he's out of work after taking "full responsibility for the demise of where Michigan’s program is at this time."

Now comes a report by Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press detailing terms of Shafer's departure, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Shafer's separation agreement states that he "will not issue any statements to the media or in a public or similar setting which demean or disparage the University of Michigan, the football program, or any of their employees, in any way."

In return, he will continue to draw his salary and benefits, including a courtesy car, until May 1, 2009, unless he finds another job.

That's called hush money.

Most Extravagant Weekend in Recruiting History

Oregon's Patrick Chung, making a tackle against USC earlier this season, is one of only five players left on the Duck roster who participated in a recruiting weekend that will forever be remembered by not only the players, but NCAA regulators.

It was Jan. 9-11, 2004, and Oregon sent out a fleet of chauffeured cars and private jets to bring 25 recruits to Eugene. Thirteen of the players ended up signing with the Ducks and the five who are left — rover Chung, linebacker Jerome Boyd, defensive tackle Ra'Shon Harris, offensive tackle Jake Hucko and special teams standout Willie Glasper — will participate in Tuesday night's Holiday Bowl.

After Tuesday, only Glasper will have eligibility left.

Reporters Notebooks

Charles Goldberg, Birmingham News: Auburn is hiring Gus Malzahn as its offensive coordinator. Malzahn, 43, has been Tulsa's assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.

Get The Picture: Just how bad did Gene Chizik want the Auburn job? He reportedly told Jay Jacobs that if he needed more money to help pay for assistant coaches, the athletic director could take $400,000 from the head coach's salary.

Pete Thamel, New York Times: Roy Kramer, the architect of the Bowl Championship Series, defends his creation. "It keeps interest throughout the whole season. What happens in Texas impacts what happens in Gainesville or Los Angeles or wherever."

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: Stanley Havili, who started 11 games at fullback for USC, has not been cleared academically to participate in Thursday's Rose Bowl. Pete Carroll said Havili's standing could change during the week, but if it doesn't, D.J. Shoemate is expected to start.

Randy Rosetta, Baton Rouge Advocate: Does Louisiana State quarterback Jarrett Lee have a future in the program? Jordan Jefferson is the present flavor of the month and could possibly solidify his spot as the starter with a strong performance against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Nicks: A Man Among Boys

North Carolina receiver Hakeem Nicks' play likely played his last college game on Saturday. The junior had a monster game in the 31-30 loss to West Virginia, with eight receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

This was his most spectacular catch of the day, a ball he catches on his backside and secures with a behind-the-back move while eluding the Mountaineers' Pat Lazear.