The Wiz of Odds

SEC's Play-Call in Expansion Was the Sneak

As the late Paul Harvey would say, now we know the rest of the story.

Oklahoma president David Boren, right, acknowledged Wednesday that the Sooners and Texas A&M received invitations to join the Southeastern Conference earlier this month.

"There was a time when A&M thought they were going to the SEC and they very much wanted us to go with them," Boren said.

The schools — along with Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — also had an offer to join the Pacific 10.

Boren characterized the Pac-10 offer as one that had been researched and planned. The SEC's offer, he said, was "more of a reaction to the situation. When they saw that the Big 12 might be no more, that all the schools might go somewhere else, they then started thinking about 'Who would we want?' "

SEC spokesman Craig Pinkerton told the Associated Press that he was "not in a position to comment."

Busted!

Reporters Notebooks

Brendan A. McGrail and Allison Bennett, Bloomberg: The University of Texas System, which has the fifth-highest endowment among U.S. colleges, sold $516.2 million in Build America Bonds as its flagship campus is audited by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS is examining the University of Texas at Austin for executive compensation and matters related to taxable income, preliminary offering documents show. Coach Mack Brown, the highest-paid state employee at $5.1 million per year, earns almost seven times more than Francisco Cigarroa, who is paid $750,000 as chancellor of the University of Texas System. By contrast, Texas Governor Rick Perry receives $150,000 a year. Thanks to Ben Maller.

Associated Press: Erin Andrews on her future with ESPN: "I'm in a position where I'm not talking to people about that." Her contract with the network expires July 1, and the College World Series could be her last assignment.

Jon Wilner, College Hotline: Winners and losers in expansion/realignment. Loser: ESPN. A rough month for the sports media kingpin: After missing badly on the timing of USC sanctions, the network got its clocked cleaned by Orangebloods.com on the final, fateful day. Maybe it should hire Chip Brown. Plus, Pacific 10 commissioner Larry Scott talks about the league adding Colorado and Utah.

Richard Deitsch, SI.com: How Chip Brown won the Big 12 realignment story from start to finish.

Brandon Marcello, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Vuvuzelas, the noisemakers that have annoyed millions at the World Cup, could be coming to Southeastern Conference stadiums. The noisemakers are manufactured in China for about 30 cents apiece, according to the L.A. Times. Thanks to Get The Picture.

John Pennington, Mr. SEC: A Knoxville radio personalty's site is soliciting donations for a billboard in Los Angeles poking fun at USC's Lane Kiffin.

Charley Walters, St. Paul Pioneer Press: Heralded recruit Seantrel Henderson appears to be rethinking his decision to attend USC.

A Call for Poster Schedules

For the fifth consecutive year, the Wiz will be displaying official Division I-A team poster schedules. This has become the signature feature of the site and could not be accomplished without the efforts of readers. Once again, I'm asking for help in tracking down your team's poster schedule. They can be sent to this address: jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Last year, a record 69 posters were displayed. Readers voted on the poster they thought was best, and the winner was ... Iowa State! The Cyclones will be back to defend their title.

Links to poster schedules from 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.

Reporters Notebooks

Lee Barfknecht, Omaha World-Herald: By moving to the Big Ten, Nebraska gains massive benefits academically, nails down long-term athletic security and never has to deal with Texas braggadocio and politics again. By anyone’s definition, that's a Triple Crown.

Greg Auman, St. Petersburg Times: Former Colorado running back Darrell Scott posted on his Facebook page that he's transferring to South Florida.

Cory Giger, Altoona Mirror: Many Penn State fans remain upset with the athletic department's decision to institute a seat-licensing program. Jim Williamson, 84, a seat-ticket holder since 1960, has been paying $400 in Nittany Lion Club dues each year to purchase four seats near midfield. His dues will jump to $2400 in 2011. "We can't afford that," he said. "It's just not possible. On our income, we can't do it." This fall will be his final season.

George Hostetter and Daniel Lyght, Fresno Bee: Fresno State's athletics financing has reached the crisis stage, raising questions about the Bulldogs' future in Division I athletics.

John Smallwood, Philadelphia Daily News: The Pacific 10 fumbled in its bid to expand.

Gordon Monson, Salt Lake Tribune: Brigham Young fans are having a tough time with rival Utah's ascent to the Pac-10.

David Climer, Tennessean: For years — decades, really — Tennessee had an extensive waiting list for season tickets. The Volunteers couldn't expand Neyland Stadium quickly enough to accommodate the backlog. Those days are long gone. The primary suspects are a bad economy and mediocre football — not necessarily in that order.

John Henderson, Denver Post: Colorado is expected to get $14.5 million a year from TV revenues after it joins the Pac-10.

Sal Interdonato, Middletown Times Herald-Record: Is Oregon State scared of playing Army?

Paul Crewe, And The Valley Shook: Something has to give at Louisiana State. The Tigers have 85 scholarship players and only nine will use up their eligibility this fall. LSU already has 11 commitments for next year.

Does the New Big 12 Eliminate the Middle Class?

Rob from the poor, give to the rich. Welcome to commissioner Dan Beebe's new Big 12.

Thanks in part to a revenue distribution deal that helped keep the league together, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor appear to have secured spots in the outhouse. The league's big three — Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M  — have reservations in the penthouse.

The Kansas City Star reported that the five poorest members of the league made an offer to use their shares of penalty money to ensure a certain level of revenue distribution to Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

The penalty money, which would be revenue withheld from distribution to departing members Colorado and Nebraska over the next two years, could total $35 million to $40 million, the newspaper reported.

Texas president Bill Powers said on Tuesday that the arrangement "was not part of our consideration [for staying], and we oppose that kind of deal."

Texas and Oklahoma plan to start TV networks within two years, which likely will drive an even bigger stake between the league's haves and have-nots.

Other items of note surrounding the league:

Meet the Slim-Fast Version of the Big 12

So a college football blogger steps away from his computer for a few days and all hell breaks loose. The Big Ten becomes the Big 12, the Big 12 becomes the Big Ten, and the Pacific 10 becomes the Pacific 11. Go figure. ...

As a good friend pointed out, this is all meaningless, since the World Series of Poker is in full swing.

This high-stakes game of expansion is far from over. Despite Monday's announcement that the 10 remaining members of the Big 12 would bond together and make a go of it, plenty of hard feelings remain. Example 1A: Watch and listen to what T. Boone Pickens grumbled about Missouri.

Other reaction from around the league: