Scott Carter, Tampa Tribune: South Florida's Jim Leavitt denied a FanHouse report that he grabbed player Joel Miller by the throat and struck him twice in the face. "I'm very disappointed in what was written,'' Leavitt said. "It's untrue and completely false. I want to get the truth out. The most damage I did during halftime in that locker room was to my face.'' Leavitt had cuts visible on his face after halftime of the Louisville game, but multiple players said those occurred when he head-butted another player.
Martin Fennelly, Tampa Tribune: Leavitt says it's all a lie. That said, he should have nothing to fear if people look under his program's hood. The truth always sets you free.
John Frierson, Chattanooga Times Free Press: They can put a man on the moon, but they can't figure out a playoff system for Division I-A. Now comes word that Division I-AA is expanding its postseason playoff from 16 to 20 teams.
Sports Business Journal: Players competing in bowl games will get everything from a gift card to a television. The complete list of goodies.
Elliott Almond, San Jose Mercury News: A new deal doesn't mean Stanford's Jim Harbaugh will stick around. Harbaugh, 45, wouldn't even say unequivocally whether he will coach the Cardinal next season when asked about NFL possibilities. "Nobody has promised that," he said. "I'm not going to write anything in blood on a stone tablet."
Paul Strelow, Columbia State: Clemson is having trouble selling its allotment of tickets to the Music City Bowl. The school has sold only 4,000 tickets, just over half of its minimum 7,500 allotment per the Atlantic Coast Conference's contract with the game.
Andrew Carter, Orlando Sentinel: Florida State administrators asked ESPN not to broadcast an "Outside the Lines" report that aired Sunday and called into question the process by which the school determined athletes to be learning disabled. Outgoing university president T.K. Wetherell described the report as "totally misleading." Watch the report by clicking here.
Marlon W. Morgan, Commercial Appeal: Tennessee's Lane Kiffin, speaking before the Touchdown Club at Chickasaw Country Club on Monday night: "We take the rules and bylaws of the NCAA very serious."
Dugan Arnett, Lawrence Journal-World: Buffalo defensive lineman Dane Robinson sent an email to several Kansas players to assure them they were getting a top-notch coach in Turner Gill.
J. Brady McCollough, Kansas City Star: Gill was introduced at a news conference, then spent Monday night bonding with Kansas players. His contract is in the range of $10 million over five years.
Kate Hairopoulos, Dallas Morning News: Southern Methodist will pony up and bring Peruna, its live pony mascot, to the Hawaii Bowl.
Patrick Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Everybody in Youngstown, Ohio knows somebody involved in the Holiday Bowl.
Chris Egan, KING-TV: Some Washington players bought more than $300 in alcohol for underage recruits, a secondary recruiting violation.
Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: The Pacific 10 just got a little tougher. Washington quarterback Jake Locker announced that he will return for his senior season in 2010.
Daniel Lyght, Fresno Bee: Fresno State's Pat Hill hopes to unite the Bulldog fan base after the school announced an extension of his contract beyond the 2010 season.
Don Kausler Jr., Birmingham News: Heisman winner Mark Ingram was bumped from Monday night's "Late Show with David Letterman." The move was apparently made to make room for singer Alicia Keys.
Ben Volin, Gator Bytes: Everything that is wrong with the Heisman voting, encapsulated by one voter.
Bob Asmussen, Champaign News-Gazette: New Illinois offensive coordinator Paul Petrino will be paid $475,000. The salary makes Petrino the highest-paid offensive coordinator among public schools in the Big Ten.
Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: Egging Brian Kelly's house is a classless act, but so is leaving an undefeated team before coaching them against the defending national champions in a major bowl game.
Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch: An even-handed debate over a balanced Big Ten.
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