The Wiz of Odds

Reporters Notebooks

Brett McMurphy, FanHouse: It has never been more obvious what should be the next move for college football's elite programs. Leave the NCAA. Just ditch it. They don't need college sports' governing body anymore. They've outgrown the NCAA's archaic system and rules.

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Athletics departments rely more than ever on institutional subsidies. The NCAA reports that only 14 athletics departments in Division I-A made more money than they spent in 2008-09, down from 25 in each of the previous two years. The average institutional subsidy for athletics in I-A rose from $8 million in 2007-08 to $10.2 million in 2008-09, the most currently available year of data. Among schools known to have turned a profit: Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Purdue.

Michael Hiestand, USA Today: ESPN made the right move by putting sideline reporter Jenn Brown's beer deal on ice.

Shaun Assael, ESPN.com: It was all a hoax. USC freshman running back Dillion Baxter fabricated his story of five teams contacting him after NCAA sanctions were announced against the Trojans. You need an ESPN Insider account to access.

Todd Henrichs, Lincoln Journal Star: How does a travel agent in Nebraska find enough tickets to the Cornhuskers' game at Washington on Sept. 18? Steve Glenn had to purchase 150 Huskies' season tickets to meet the demand of his customers.

Tony Jones, Salt Lake Tribune: Utah State, which turned down an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference a week ago, is once again in talks about joining the league.

Nebraska

Who could forget the 2009 Cornhusker poster schedule, which featured former former coaches Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne and Frank Solich along with current coach Bo Pelini. Missing was Bill Callahan, who was 27-22 in four seasons before getting fired. Callahan was brought in to change the culture of Nebraska football, which meant teaching the Cornhuskers how to throw the ball. Nebraska lost its second game under Callahan to Southern Mississippi, then was crushed in game five by Texas Tech, 70-10. Cornhusker fans knew at this point a culture change was not what the program needed. Nonetheless, the hardworking and honest Midwesterners gave Callahan four years before sending him out the door. Enter Bo Pelini, who has brought the physical style back to Lincoln. "This Season We Finish" is the Cornhuskers' motto, which presumably means kick the hell out of Texas on Oct. 16.

As a run-up to the start of the season, the Wiz will display one poster each day until our supply is exhausted.

Then we turn it over to readers, who will vote on the poster of the year. In the meantime, send your team's poster schedule to jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Last year, the site displayed 69 posters. This is poster No. 56 for 2010. Thanks to Paul!

Michigan

Trouble is brewing in the Wolverine secondary. It started with All-Big Ten selection Donovan Warren leaving for the NFL after his junior season. Prized but troubled defensive back Demar Dorsey was signed to a letter of intent in February, but was denied entrance into the school. Boubacar Cissoko, who started four games in 2009, is now serving time in the real Big House for his role in multiple robberies. Adrian Witty, a prized recruit in 2009, didn't qualify academically. J.T. Turner, another high-profile recruit, was granted his release and is looking to transfer. Senior Troy Woolfolk, the backfield's most experienced player, is lost for the season after injuring his lower right leg. That leaves redshirt sophomore cornerback J.T. Floyd as the only player who has started in college. If you're name is Rich Rodriguez, 8-16 after two seasons as coach, there is reason for concern.

As a run-up to the start of the season, the Wiz will display one poster each day until our supply is exhausted.

Then we turn it over to readers, who will vote on the poster of the year. In the meantime, send your team's poster schedule to jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Last year, the site displayed 69 posters. This is poster No. 55 for 2010. Thanks to Ryan! Poster designed by Old Hat Creative.

Wiz Podcast: John Mackovic

John Mackovic was a quarterback at Wake Forest from 1962-64 and began a coaching career in 1965 as a graduate assistant at Miami (Ohio). He went on to become a head coach in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (1983-86) and college with Illinois (1988-91), Texas (1992-97) and Arizona (2001-03). He currently resides in the Palm Springs area and writes a twice-weekly in-season column for the Desert Sun.

Mackovic is against a playoff in big-time college football, doesn't believe players should be paid and thinks the Big 12's future is cloudy at best.

"I don't see that conference, because of the way they have negotiated bigger payments to Texas and Oklahoma, surviving," he said.

The podcast runs 25:28 and you can listen by clicking here or on the audio link below.

John Mackovic

Wiz podcasts are also available on iTunes. Click here to go to our iTunes link or search the iTunes store for "The Wiz of Odds." For a list of past podcasts on the site, click here.

If you're interested in sponsoring the podcast, send an email to jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Will Boise State's 2010 Win Total Be Second to None?

And now, a dose of reality.

You can spot them a mile away. The fans who have been reading/listening to all the chatter about their team, how this season is going to be special on so many levels. Frankly, it's garbage.

Check what the oddsmakers have to say to get to the heart of the matter. These are, after all, the people who make their livelihoods off people who consume the garbage.

Thus, without further delay, are the projected number of regular season victories for the top teams in the land, according to online odds posted by Bodog. Reminder: These are regular seasons games only. Conference championship and bowl games are not used toward a team's regular season win total.

Yes, that's right, Kellen Moore and the Boise State Broncos are projected to win more games (11) than any other team.

Northwestern

Pat Fitzgerald was a less-than-secure 10-14 as Wildcat coach two years ago. He was living in a modest three-bedroom, 1,752-square-foot Colonial-style house in northwest Evanston, and there were whispers that Fitzgerald, 35, one of the most celebrated of all Northwestern players, wasn't cut out to be the team's coach. Fitz then rattled off a 9-4 season, got a fat new contract and followed with an 8-5 record last season. He's feeling secure now, having plucked down $2.3 million for a newly built, six-bedroom mansion in Northfield that was first listed in May 2007 for $3.4 million. Yes, it pays to be a winner.

As a run-up to the start of the season, the Wiz will display one poster each day until our supply is exhausted.

Then we turn it over to readers, who will vote on the poster of the year. In the meantime, send your team's poster schedule to jayzuma (at) gmail.com.

Last year, the site displayed 69 posters. This is poster No. 54 for 2010. Thanks to Michael!