The Wiz of Odds

The Bizarro World of Texas Tech Football

Mike Leach's decision to indefinitely suspend Brandon Carter and strip the popular offensive lineman of his captaincy is being roundly booed by Texas Tech fans, and it's becoming increasingly clear there is a deep level of discontent between the coach and his players.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's story of Carter's suspension received close to 10 times the page views of most stories the newspaper publishes on its website.

Carter was actually the first to break the news, announcing it Sunday on his Twitter page: "I am not a captain anymore and will not be playing this week. Good luck red raiders ill still be cheering on my family from the stands!!:)"

Hours later, linebacker Marlon Williams, the team's leading tackler, wrote on his Twitter page, "Wondering why I'm still in this meeting room when the head coach can't even be on time to his on (sic) meeting."

Leach was asked Monday about Williams' comment. "Anybody that's a malcontent doesn't stay around here very long, because we've got a pretty good line of recruits that are fully willing to replace him. Interestingly enough, he doesn't have a Twitter page anymore."

That's because hours earlier, Leach banned his players from using the popular social networking site.

Something Is Missing From Houston's Upset of Tech

It was a wild scene after Houston's 29-28 victory over Texas Tech, with many in the record crowd of 32,114 storming the field to celebrate with quarterback Case Keenum and his Cougar teammates.

Now for the damage report. Four helmets belonging to Cougar players are missing, and coach Kevin Sumlin has asked for them to be returned.

"Saturday night was fun, but it will be hard for 3 of our guys to play this week without their helmets. Please return, NO QUESTIONS ASKED," Sumlin posted Monday on his Twitter page.

On Tuesday, linebacker Marcus McGraw, who had 19 tackles in the win, announced that he was fourth player without a helmet.

"I kind of tossed it up in the air," he said.

Tom Harmon vs. The Drunk

The excellent site M Victors on Thursday celebrated what would have been the 90th birthday of Tom Harmon, the legendary Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan, with a video presentation of a game 69 years ago.

Michigan had traveled to Berkeley that day to play the California Golden Bears. Harmon was tearing them up, returning the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. He later scored on a 72-yard run, and a fan named Harold Brennan, who had been tossing back a few cocktails, had seen enough of Harmon making fools of the Bears.

When Harmon broke free on another long run and headed toward the end zone, Brennan took matters into his own hands, running onto the field to stop Harmon. Check the video to see what happened.

The Hangover

Ever notice how a team celebrates a landmark win one week just to agonize a loss the next? Already, Oklahoma State, USC, Florida State and Washington have followed hallmark victories with a loss. Granted, it’s not a foolproof way to cash in. Nothing in the wagering world is, but more times than not, it’s a trend for the bettor to follow closely and one you can read about in my column this week for Covers.

Covers is second to none in coverage of industry news, statistics and advice. Check the site's excellent matchups page, featuring previews, trends and line moves.

Reporters Notebooks

Janese Heavin, Columbia Daily Tribune: A Missouri man paid $190 for 25 old cell phones used by the Missouri athletics department. The phones included text messages to and from basketball coach Mike Anderson, football coach Gary Pinkel and athletics director Mike Alden. Emails and contact numbers were also on the phones. Bellman is asking $3,000 for the phones, and university officials are not happy. Officials now plan to wipe out all information on old phones before they are discarded.

Mark Fagan, Lawrence Journal-World: The owners of Joe-College.com must pay Kansas Athletics Inc. $667,507 in attorney fees and expenses generated during a court case over the content of loosely — and perhaps not-so-loosely — Kansas University-themed T-shirts, a federal judge ruled. "I don't have it [the money], I can tell you that," said Larry Sinks, who runs the business.

Jane Glenn Cannon, Oklahoman: When is it the right time to get married in Oklahoma? It's when the Sooners are not scheduled to play. According to the Cleveland County court clerk’s records, 34 couples applied for marriage licenses last week when the Sooners had a bye week. This is about double the number of those who applied the week before when Oklahoma played Tulsa.

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC running back Stafon Johnson's physique and fitness saved his life, according to the trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center.

Oklahoman: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford had another strong practice, throwing more passes Tuesday than he did on Monday. "Looked good," Bob Stoops said.

Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald: Florida quarterback Tim Tebow continues to have headaches from the concussion he sustained in Saturday's game at Kentucky.

The Postgame Tailgate: Week Four

Dan Rubenstein of The Postgame Tailgate takes a look at vintage Ron Zook, the coaches poll and Penn State's make-believe spread offense.