The Wiz of Odds

Reporters Notebooks

Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times: UCLA, which will play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, withheld expense checks to several players, many of whom say they use the money to buy food.

Gina Mizell, Oklahoman: A look at how voters are selected for the USA Today coaches' poll.

Lya Wodraska, Salt Lake Tribune: Kyle Whittingham, who has been mentioned as a candidate for openings at Arizona State and Penn State, is about to be offered a contract extension by Utah.

Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: Michigan's Brady Hoke will receive a $125,000 bonus for guiding his team to a BCS game.

Jay Drew, Salt Lake Tribune: Brigham Young, which plays in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 30, won't hold its first bowl practice until Dec. 19.

Bud Withers, Seattle Times: It's up to new Washington State coach Mike Leach to prove he's not a risk.

Matt Murschel, College Gridiron 365: It's bowl season, and that means plenty of good seats are still available. You can get into the Orange Bowl for as low as $41 through online ticket brokers. (Editor's note: Updated from earlier post. $2 tickets were for Orange Bowl Fanfest.)

Andrew Carter, Raleigh News & Observer: A look at the contract of new North Carolina coach Larry Fedora. He has a seven-year deal worth a base of $1.7 million a year. He will receive a one-time payment of $400,000 before Jan. 31, 2012 and have an annual expense allowance of $30,000.

Reporters Notebooks

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: What Texas Christian brings (and doesn't) to the Big 12. The Horned Frogs have averaged only 34,059 fans through three games this year.

Chris Murray, Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada fans scarfed down almost 13,000 hot dogs, 3,200 plates of nachos and nearly 27,000 sodas and waters last season at Mackay Stadium.

Lenox Rawlings, Winston-Salem Journal: The grumbling increases in College Park. Former coach Ralph Friedgen says he watches Maryland play "for the kids. I could care less about Maryland. I've burned my diploma. I'm flying a Georgia Tech flag right now."

Michael Peters, Tulsa World: Debunking the myth that the Southeastern Conference is best in the land.

Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: Does San Diego State finally have the speed to match TCU?

Jeff Rapp, Sports RappUp: Has Penn State reached out to Urban Meyer as a possible replacement for Joe Paterno?

Jake Kaplan, Philadelphia Inquirer: Joe Paterno has back-peddled on his "cheerleader" comment from earlier in the week. He now says he spends more time on football than he did 10 years ago.

Reporters Notebooks

John E. Hoover, Tulsa World: Spreading the wealth: As the Big 12 withers, other conferences thrive with equal revenue distribution. Plus a chart comparing conference revenues, TV revenue and membership payouts among the six BCS conferences and Conference USA.

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Big 12 administrators should blame the Longhorn Network mess on themselves.

Sports Media Watch: TV ratings were down this past weekend. Alabama-Florida earned a 4.7 overnight, a decline of 8% from CBS' primetime game last year. Nebraska-Wisconsin earned a 3.2 overnight on ABC, down 6% from last year.

Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: A Q&A with Mike Leach, in L.A. on a book-signing tour: "I know a lot of reporters there and while I have no respect for two [ESPN's Craig James and Joe Schad], most take extreme pride in their work and follow the rules of journalism school: Let the facts fall where they may."

Western Athletic Conference: Commissioner Karl Benson has issued an apology for an instant replay review that took 22 minutes in Saturday's Hawaii-Louisiana Tech game.

Max Olson, Omaha World-Herald: Nebraska's Bo Pelini is not ready to push the panic button.

Rob Schultz, Capital Times: Nebraska defensive tackle Chase Rome was cited by Dane County deputies early Sunday for criminal damage to property after he allegedly ripped off the front section of a towel dispenser in a bathroom at the Dane County Regional Airport.

Kellie Woodhouse, Ann Arbor.com: Michigan will get an eye-popping payout of $4.7 million to play its 2012 opener against Alabama at Cowboys Stadium.

Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Texas Christian's Gary Patterson: "SMU people have been looking down at TCU people for a long time. The older [fans] and alumni around here had a certain feeling about SMU. I didn't have that feeling, but I'm getting it."

Tammy Nunez, Times-Picayune: Tulane's Bob Toledo says just because his house is on the market doesn't mean he's leaving.

Reporters Notebooks

Mike DeArmond, Kansas City Star: Missouri's Gary Pinkel is standing by comments he made last week that were critical of the Big 12. Pinkel suggested that if equal revenue sharing for football broadcasts and limitations on content for the Longhorn Network cannot be made to Missouri's satisfaction, then the school should leave for the Southeastern Conference or another Bowl Championship Series league.

Associated Press: T. Boone Pickens says the Big 12 has "got a problem" if Mizzou splits.

Des Moines Register: Iowa State president Gregory Geoffroy said the university had maintained its legal rights to fight Texas A&M's move to the SEC.

Dick Harmon, Deseret News: There are several hurdles to clear if Brigham Young is to become a member of the Big 12, including BYUtv. The school has a broadcast facility worth more than $100 million and its technological capabilities are a decade ahead of the University of Texas.

Rob Christensen, Charlotte Observer: East Carolina has asked former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt to represent the university in its bid to become a member of the Big East Conference.

Greg Auman, St. Petersburg Times: South Florida president Judy Genshaft says reports of her attempting to block Central Florida's bid to join the Big East are "really, really wrong."

Reporters Notebooks

Nate Silver, The Quad: The geography of college football. Birmingham has the highest percentage of college fans in the nation. Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are the most popular teams.

Sports Media Watch: The Oklahoma-Florida State game was the most-viewed regular season game on ABC since the 2009 Big 12 title game between Texas and Nebraska. ESPN also got strong numbers from Thursday night's broadcast of the Louisiana State-Mississippi State game.

College Confidential: A survey commissioned by Baylor showed that 76% of respondents prefer regional conferences over super conferences.

Jon Wilner, College Hotline: Did the Pacific 12 risk its future by not expanding?

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: The Big 12 is not dead, just catching its breath.

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: T. Boone Pickens says Texas A&M is "sobering up."

Paul Harris, Manhattan Mercury: Steve Physioc, broadcaster and Kansas State alumnus, said he nearly quit school to become a lumberjack in Oregon.

Associated Press: A 1950s-era slogan meant to inspire Kansas State fans is instead causing controversy.

Don McKee, Philadelphia Inquirer: Why doesn't the Big East stop whining, grow a pair and steal teams from another league? It's the American way.

Jeff Glaze, Wisconsin State Journal: Fans who have yet to book a Madison-area hotel room for the Oct. 1 Nebraska-Wisconsin game might have to stay more than an hour away.

Jon Machota, College Sports Blog: Is Chuck Neinas in line to become Big 12 commissioner? The Neinas file.

Reporters Notebooks

Ron Kantowski, Las Vegas Review-Journal: That $500,000 check Nevada Las Vegas got for getting pounded at Wisconsin won't go toward paving the parking lots at the Rebels' Sam Boyd Stadium.

Rob Moseley, Eugene Register-Guard: The Pacific 12 is cracking down on Oregon fans who use the artificial noisemakers called "Duck lips" at Autzen Stadium.

Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: It has been 20 years since seven Washington players, returning to their native Southern California, were injured in an auto accident. A look at how the incident altered their careers and lives.

Travis Haney, Oklahoma: Put Monday on your calendar. Oklahoma regents are going to discuss conference realignment. Plus, getting to Tallahassee can be tricky and expensive for Sooner fans.

Sam McKewon, Omaha World-Herald: What happened to this one-game-at-a-time stuff? Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, looking ahead to the team's Oct. 1 game at Wisconsin, is encouraging Cornhusker fans to wear black attire to Camp Randall Stadium.

John Maher, Austin American-Statesman: Those sneaky Texas Longhorns. A review of the contract Texas has with ESPN for the Longhorn Network found that the team is covered under nearly all exit scenarios, including Texas leaving for another conference or becoming an independent.