The Wiz of Odds

How Much More of This Man Can Michigan Take?

The first step is acknowledging you have a problem.

The second step is doing something about it.

Tuesday's revelation that the NCAA has been sniffing around West Virginia — Rich Rodriguez's employer from 2001-07 — can only be viewed as bad news at Michigan — the university currently signing his checks.

The NCAA alleged in February that Michigan had committed five potentially major rules violations, and by digging into Rich Rod's past, the NCAA — at the very least — was trying to see if there was a pattern of rules violations dating to the coach's days in Morgantown.

"There is no new NCAA investigation involving the University of Michigan," athletic director David Brandon said.

That's the good news, if you believe Brandon, who has been on the job all of 98 days. The bad news is that plenty of people in Morgantown, still bitter over Rich Rod's ugly departure, were likely willing to talk at length to NCAA investigators.

Yes, payback is a bitch.

Reporters Notebooks

Ron Bellamy, Eugene Register-Guard: Oregon is in discussions with Nike co-founder Phil Knight about constructing a new football office. The building would be constructed under the same mechanism by which Knight financed two other projects on campus. In both cases, Oregon temporarily leased the space to a Knight corporation, which built the structures and then donated them as gifts to the university. That mechanism gave Knight control over the high-end projects and enabled the university to profess no knowledge about the actual costs.

Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald: Did Tim Tebow miss his chance to take a stand when he signed with Nike?

David Climer, Tennessean: Tennessee is wrong to charge members of the media $50 to attend a scrimmage.

Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune: Penn State's Joe Paterno said expansion is coming to the Big Ten, and most of his coaching colleagues in the league agree.

Michael Grabell and Sebastian Jones, Pro Publica: Are college booster clubs and athletic programs for Alabama and Mississippi breaking the law when they block the tracking of aircraft used for coaching searches and recruiting trips?

Joshua Kinder, Manhattan Mercury: Kansas State's Bill Snyder suffered torn ligaments in a knee after two players fell on him during practice.

Covers.com: The Philadelphia Daily News has launched an online betting outlet labeled Instant Fantasy Games through its website, Philly.com.

Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel: The Citrus Bowl is planning to install artificial turf, a move that is meant to avoid a repeat of the Capital One Bowl, when a pregame downpour turned the field into a sea of mud.

Jason Fry, National Sports Journalism Center: Look at the rosters of writers at the web’s top sports destinations and you’ll see that few of them have web pedigrees. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but perhaps the next great sportswriter will come from outside the established mainstream web and print media.

Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press: The real tragedy of a Notre Dame recruit's spring break death.

One Step From Having Losers in Bowl Games

The International Bowl has folded, but there is no shortage of parties interested in entering the bowl business.

This month, the NCAA is expected to approve bowl games in New York and Dallas, bringing the number of postseason games to 35, an all-time high. Compare that to the 1996 postseason, when there were only 18.

Teams need a minimum record of 6-6 to be bowl eligible, and the NCAA will need 70 to fill the new postseason lineup. For the past three seasons, 71 teams have met that criteria. If the NCAA decides to add more bowl games, it will need to change the 6-6 rule to allow teams with losing records to compete.

Don't think it could happen? Nick Carparelli, chairman of the NCAA's bowl licensing committee, was asked how many bowl games there could be.

"As many games as the system can handle," he told Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Spring Reports

Our first in a series of looks at spring scrimmages across the country.

Atlantic Coast

Clemson: There were 18 punts. One of them was fumbled. The number of standout plays could be counted on one hand, and the teams combined for 358 yards of offense. Reported attendance: 21,000.

Duke: David Cutcliffe has emphasized improving team speed since his arrival three years ago, and although the efforts are beginning to pay off, the team is young, with 54 of 82 scholarship players either sophomore or freshmen.

Florida State: Quarterback Christian Ponder was in midseason form, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance: 51,300.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have nine starters returning on defense, and coach Butch Davis used the spring game to give younger players a chance to shine. Attendance: 29,500.

Virginia: Coach Mike London's spring debut went as expected, with the defense overwhelming a sputtering offense, an issue that plagued Al Groh in his final two years as coach.

Big 12

Baylor: Quarterback Nick Florence, the backup to Robert Griffin, passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Griffin, who sat out spring drills after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last fall, will be back in the fall.

Colorado: If the season were to start today, Tyler Hansen would be the starting quarterback over Cody Hawkins.

Texas: Garrett Gilbert played like a veteran at quarterback, but Mack Brown was not encouraged by the play of No. 2 Sherrod Harris. Attendance: 44,250.

Reporters Notebooks

John Adams, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Tennessee asked members of the media to pay $50 to watch Saturday's scrimmage. It's not like the Volunteers are hurting for money. Tennessee's athletics board announced a $102.45 million budget for 2009-10 and a $2.7 million cash surplus at its spring meeting.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: A new lease agreement between San Diego State and the City of San Diego for the use of Qualcomm Stadium resulted in proceeds that were less than expected. Nonethless, it's better than the previous deal, which cost the city about $30,000 a game. Thanks to Mike!

Bob Asmussen, Champaign News-Gazette: Illinois' Ron Zook has a supporter in Ohio's Frank Solich.

Sharif Durhams, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin is ending a licensing agreement with Nike because the university says the company has not addressed labor issues with factories in Honduras that make licensed clothing for colleges.

Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Will the Southeastern Conference grant Alabama's request for scheduling relief?

Nishi Gupta, KTVB-TV: Boise State has already spent the $2.8 million it received for playing in the Fiesta Bowl.

Eric Schmoldt, Casper Star-Tribune: Coaches from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterey, Mexico, have been in Laramie for an in-depth look at the offense of Wyoming's Dave Christensen.

Reporters Notebooks

Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald: Miami and Florida State to the Southeastern Conference? Here's how it could happen.

Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle: The University of California has agreed to pay a Berkeley neighborhood group's legal fees and strictly limit non-football events at Memorial Stadium to settle a high-profile lawsuit over noise and safety at the landmark venue. The settlement ends a four-year legal battle.

John Adams, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Fifth-year senior quarterback Nick Stephens quit the Tennessee team. His departure leaves junior college transfer Matt Simms as the leading candidate to succeed Jonathan Crompton as the Volunteers' starting quarterback.

Rosie DiManno, Toronto Star: Erin Andrews looks more ballroom bimbo, less reporter, on "Dancing With the Stars." DiManno writes: "Andrews — daughter of an investigative TV reporter in Tampa — is no bimbo, though her sideline features are more popcorn than insightful. But this DWTS is colossally unwise. She's made a fool out of herself and a sham of her profession. Bush league, Erin."

Lee Hermiston, Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is on the witness list submitted by a defense attorney for former player Abeberell Satterfield, whose sexual abuse trial starts Monday.

John E. Hoover, Tulsa World: Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione says he would not support a move of the Sooners' game against Texas from the Cotton Bowl to Cowboys Stadium. "Not sure how many people in this room have been down to the Cotton Bowl since it expanded, but it's a neat deal. It's a really neat deal. Now, is it as opulent as Cowboys Stadium? No. But I can tell you, unequivocally, as an athletic director, 9-to-1, I hear — maybe more than that — the vast majority of our fans favor keeping the Red River Rivalry right where it is, the Cotton Bowl Stadium, year after year. I know that."