The Wiz of Odds

Reporters Notebooks

Rey Melick, Birmingham News: Since when have denials meant anything in college sports? Don't coaches always deny they are leaving their current school until the day they are introduced at their new jobs? Don't athletic directors deny they are talking to coaches about jobs right up until they trot them out to introduce them as the next savior of their struggling program? So why would we believe Big Ten officials when they say no offers have been made to any schools, or believe schools like Missouri when officials issue standard non-denials that could have come from any coaching search?

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune: The Big Ten Network is the envy of every Division I-A conference outside of the Southeastern. If the Big Ten expands and chooses the right teams, conference officials have seen estimates of television revenues doubling by 2015-16. Plus a look at what the expansion candidates would bring.

810 WHB: Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, sounding fed up with the prospect of losing Nebraska and Missouri to the Big Ten, is saying he might give Big 12 schools an ultimatum during conference meetings June 1-4. "We need to have a frank conversation in Kansas City," he said. Listen to the interview off this link.

Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo, a former Notre Dame player and college head coach, thinks the Fighting Irish should join the Big Ten. The move, he said, makes sense all around. "I don't understand the downside of increasing revenues. You make $22 million to north of $30 million. I think that's a good thing."

Ben Doody, Trentonian: Rutgers' Academic Progress Rate report fits in perfectly with the Big Ten's expansion plans.

Kyle Ringo, Boulder Daily Camera: Pacific 10 commissioner Larry Scott says the league isn't waiting on the Big Ten before deciding its expansion plans.

Alex Ruppenthal, Columbia Missourian: A software program that is being marketed to college athletics departments notifies officials when racy words show up on one of their athletes' Facebook, Twitter or MySpace pages. Thanks to Ben Maller.

Reporters Notebooks

Jon Wilner, College Hotline: Brigham Young is absolutely not joining the Pacific 10. Why? Here are a few reasons. 1) BYU does not meet the Pac-10’s academic standards because it's not a major research university. 2) BYU will not play on Sundays, reducing schedule flexibility in a league looking for more exposure. 3) Pac-10 coaches and athletic directors aren't interested in sending their 18 years olds up against BYU's post-Mission 25 year olds.

Lee Barfknecht, Omaha World-Herald: Voters in Lincoln overwhelmingly approved a $344 measure to build a 16,000-seat downtown arena, which will be home to the Nebraska men's and women's basketball teams. The move should enhance Nebraska's attractiveness to the Big Ten.

TMZ: ESPN is taking Michael David Barrett, the man who peeped on Erin Andrews, to court. The sports giant is demanding that Barrett pay $327,442.27, sum the network said it spent on the Andrews situation.

Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press: Without Texas or Notre Dame, Big Ten expansion is a joke.

J. Brady McCollough, Kansas City Star: Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins was not willing to guarantee that Border War rivals Kansas and Missouri would play a nonconference game if the Tigers were to leave for the Big Ten. "If a school — I'm not even talking about Missouri — if a school in our conference doesn't want to participate in our conference, it would be difficult to continue having an athletic relationship."

Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune: Charlie Weis earned $2,927,090 as Notre Dame coach from July 2008 to June 2009, according to federal tax documents.

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: Ty Willingham is still collecting a paycheck from Notre Dame. He was paid $650,000 last year by the Fighting Irish, almost five years after he was fired. In comparison, Weis' base salary was $649,090, $910 less than Willingham's deal.

Andrew Carter, Orlando Sentinel: Atlantic Coast Conference officials adjourned their annual spring meetings at Amelia Island without having agreed on a new TV deal. Their golf games, however, showed a marked improvement.

Jim Henry, FanHouse: For ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan on expansion: "This has everybody scared to death. My hope is whoever starts it doesn't do anything excessive. The idea of a 16-team conference just messes up everything. I hope that doesn't happen. I just think it would be ... it would end up being harmful to a lot of people."

Reporters Notebooks

John Ourand, SportsBusiness Journal: The Pacific 10 has hired Creative Artists Agency to explore expansion opportunities and advise the conference on its next media rights deal. The Hollywood-based firm also will help the conference reposition its brand to highlight its nexus to the entertainment (Los Angeles) and technology (Silicon Valley) markets. The mandates are interrelated and increase the likelihood that the Pac-10 will launch its own cable channel when its current media deals expire after the 2011-12 school year.

Darren Rovell, CNBC: The greatest rise seen in a baby name attributed to a sports figure is Colt, as in former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

Kyle Veazey, Clarion Ledger: Southeastern Conference spokesman Charles Bloom said that he anticipates the league's presidents and athletic directors will revisit the league's stance against artificial noisemakers at its spring meetings June 1-4 in Destin, Fla. Potential modifications could strengthen the penalties in place in the current ban, potentially adding fines to schools whose fans break the rule. Mississippi State spokesman Mike Nemeth said discussions about cowbells have been "ongoing" and that the school will be prepared to discuss the issue if it comes up.

Mark Anderson, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Las Vegas athletic director Jim Livengood told assistant coach Ty Gregorak to resign or his contract won't be renewed when it expires June 30. Gregorak was accused by police in Boulder of stealing a .45-caliber gun and wallet from the car belonging to a strip club bouncer on May 1. Formal charges are expected to be announced Thursday.

Lynn Henning, Detroit News: The Big Ten is likely to expand to 16 teams and four divisions, with details to be finalized by 2011, two sources close to the process told the newspaper.

Tom Shatel, Omaha World-Herald: There are several reasons to believe Monday's report on WHB of the Big Ten extending "initial offers" to Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Rutgers. The four schools make the most sense. And the Notre Dame caveat — if the Irish accept, the Big Ten looks for a fifth school; if they turn it down, it's three schools to make 14 — is perfectly plausible. When you think about that, it's very logical.

Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri is a better fit for the Big Ten than Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa State.

Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star: Kansas City, which plays host to the Border War between Kansas and Missouri, along with the Big 12 men's and women's basketball tournaments, would likely suffer an economic hit if Mizzou left for the Big Ten.

J. Brady McCollough, Kansas City Star: The worst-case expansion scenario for Kansas involves a weakened Big 12 that puts the Jayhawks on the outside looking in nationally.

Tracee Hamilton, Washington Post: Why is Missouri looking to jump to the Big Ten? It basically boils down to this: Texas gets all the Big 12 money.

Reporters Notebooks

Mike DeArmond, Kansas City Star: Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton, system president Gary Forsee and other Missouri officials had a two-hour conference call last Thursday to discuss conference realignment. The call did not include any Big Ten officials, but Missouri officials are interested in how much its program is worth to the Big Ten and how much it would benefit from joining the Big Ten.

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune: The Big Ten has denied a report that it has extended offers to Missouri, Nebraska and Notre Dame. If the Fighting Irish refuse, according to WHB in Kansas City, Rutgers would be extended an invitation.

Jon Wilner, College Hotline: Taking stock of the various scenarios of expansion, from zero-to-minimal impact to major impact.

Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports.com: There's no way to find the truth about Big Ten expansion.

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: Meet Les Miles and Mark Richt, two of the most successful coaches in recent Southeastern Conference history. Meet two men who are also a sneeze away from being in grave trouble with their respective fan bases.

Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: Did Michigan's Rich Rodriguez bad-mouth former Wolverine Morgan Trent to NFL scouts, costing the defensive back "quite a bit of money."?

Cliff Kirkpatrick, Corvallis Gazette-Times: Oregon State quarterback Peter Lalich was booked and released from a boating DUI on Lake Shasta in California. This is his third alcohol-related incident in college. He had two while at Virginia, which forced him off the team.

Craig's List: James' Role at ESPN Won't Be Diminished

Craig James, the ESPN analyst who threatened to sue Texas Tech if it didn't fire Mike Leach, will continue to have an active role in the network's college football telecasts this fall.

Norby Williamson, ESPN's vice president of production, told Richard Deitsch of SI.com that "Craig still has a connection with coaches and players and there is a trust element there."

As for the connection with viewers, that's another question.

Joe Cutbirth, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of British Columbia, wrote in January that ESPN "owes its viewers, Tech and frankly the journalism profession a look at its own ethical guidelines" after James' role in Leach's termination became public.

Williamson defended the network's stance and said that James' ability to be objective will not be compromised.

Reporters Notebooks

Otis L. Sanford, Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee attorney general Bob Cooper's legal opinion that public universities have a right to put restrictions and conditions on media coverage of athletic events is clearly about the insatiable desire of the Southeastern Conference and its member schools to exercise control over their sporting events and to make more money — lots and lots of money.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: Can the Mountain West Conference trust the Bowl Championship Series system? No, because the criteria used to determine whether a seventh league would be granted entrance into the exclusive group gives a built-in edge to the power conferences. Thanks to Mike!

Phil Miller, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Not even three years removed from beaming its first Hail Mary pass into living rooms, the Big Ten Network, once scoffed at as an expensive exercise in hubris, has blossomed into a money-maker surpassing even its own most optimistic forecasts. The network has increased its advertising revenue by more than 30% in the past year and totaled $66 million in profits.

Tom Luicci, Newark Star-Ledger: Rutgers professors worry that joining the Big Ten would be one more sign that the university is willing to pursue big-time football at the expense of academics — a topic that has led to tension between faculty and administration in recent years.

Ron Morris, Columbia State: When South Carolina pays assistant coach Ellis Johnson $200,000 more than university president Harris Pastides, it sends a strong signal that college football is out of hand.

Rachel Beck, Corvallis Gazette-Times: Two former Oregon State players and one current team member are facing felony charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle — a university golf cart.

John Aguilar, Boulder Daily Camera: Nevada Las Vegas linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Tyler Gregorak was arrested in Boulder after police said he took a loaded handgun and wallet from a bouncer at a downtown strip club. He faces possible charges of first-degree trespassing and prohibited use of a weapon.