The Wiz of Odds

Rich Rod Era at Michigan Reaches a New Low

Rich Rodriguez is 8-16 in two seasons as Michigan coach, and now the program is facing possible sanctions after an NCAA investigation revealed five potential major rules violations concerning in- and out-of-season practice time.

It's a first for the storied program.

The Detroit Free Press reported the possible violations last August after interviews with former players, current players and parents of players. The program faces probation, a loss of scholarships and a loss of practice time. A bowl ban also would be possible. Michigan has 90 days to respond and is expected to appear before the NCAA Infractions Committee in August.

Reporters Notebooks

Michael Barnes, St. Louis Globe-Democrat: Texas’ draw to the Big Ten is not seen as favorably by the university as a possible jump to the Pacific 10 would be. Yes, the current television deal would be greater in the Big Ten, but many view the Pac-10 as the next conference to go the route of owning its own network outright. The Pac-10 can provide the media centers of the West Coast, along with a similar climate and potential rivalries (Texas vs USC every year anyone?).

David Brandt, Clarion Ledger: The Mississippi student body decided it wants to have a say in the school's search for a new mascot. Out of 3,366 votes cast, 2,510 were in favor of the student body having a voice in finding a replacement for Colonel Reb, who was removed from the field as Mississippi tried to shy away from racially divisive stereotypes. There were 856 no votes.

Austin Ward, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Tennessee won't be paying its new staff as much as the old one. Salaries for coach Derek Dooley and his staff will total $4.525 million. Former coach Lane Kiffin and his staff accounted for $5.325 million in salary in 2009.

Christian Boone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Vanderbilt signee Rajaan Bennett called 911 to alert police his family was being held hostage before he was shot to death last week.

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Priority No. 1 for Tommy Tuberville at Texas Tech is developing a top-notch defensive line. "The one thing you have to have to be successful and to win championships is you have to play good defensive line. That doesn't mean you have to have great players."

Lonnie White, FanHouse: It's a college football tradition. Once a school turns things around on the field, major problems off the field are sure to follow. That has been the case for many recent powerhouse programs since the 1980s and it holds true today. Oregon, for example.

Kelly Defends His Program

Oregon's Chip Kelly answered questions Tuesday about his team's offseason troubles on ESPN's "Outside The Lines." When asked about the charges against running back LaMichael James, Kelly said, "When this thing is all said and done, bring me back on the air." Asked host Bob Ley, "And we'll see what?" Kelly: "You'll see the end result."

Reporters Notebooks

Jack Moran and Rob Moseley, Eugene Register-Guard: A judge ruled that Oregon running back LaMichael James cannot go to class until his domestic violence case is resolved because his accuser is also enrolled at the university. Even if James is cleared of all charges, he likely won't have enough academic hours to be eligible in the fall. Plus, Duck linebacker Kiko Alonso was suspended for the 2010 season after he was cited for driving under the influence.

John Canzano, Oregonian: Chip Kelly has a brilliant football mind. He can recruit, too. But he has been a disaster from Game 1 when it comes to discipline. And it took a player directly defying and embarrassing him in a public manner to get Kelly to act swiftly and decisively.

Jon Wilner, College Hotline: There is some good news for Oregon. None of its players have been arrested in the past 24 hours!

Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said the Longhorns are married to the Big 12 and that won’t change "unless something drastic happens." Plus, what keeps Texas in the Big 12? A revenue agreement that is greatly tilted in the Longhorns' favor. The Big 12’s formula for distributing its football TV revenue is: 50% divided equally among the teams, the other 50% based on appearances. Which means Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska will reap more than Baylor or Iowa State. In 2008, the difference between the largest payout (Texas) and the smallest payout (Baylor) was approximately $2.7 million.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said cable rights talks that begin in April 2012 could have a provision that would allow teams to "exploit" their own rights and start their own cable channel. He also acknowledged talking about a shared TV network possibility with the Pacific 10 and Atlantic Coast conferences.

Frank The Tank's Slant: The 15 teams that are likely on the Big Ten's expansion list.

Frank Bodani, York Daily Record: Expansion is all about the money, and Texas is the runaway prize.

Percy Allen, Seattle Times: Washington athletic director Scott Woodward said the Pacific 10 and Big Ten have reached out to officials at Texas and Texas A&M. "I'd be surprised if our office is not in contact with them. I'm sure those conversations have happened and are taking place." (Scroll to bottom of post.)

Reporters Notebooks

Andrea Adelson, College Gridiron 365: Texas and the Big Ten: secret discussions or no interest?

Bill Haisten, Tulsa World: Oklahoma State will spend $4,460,000 on coaches' salaries this year. Last year, the staff's total was $3,938,000. Mike Gundy is paid $1.925 million this year. Within the Big 12, Gundy's compensation ranks sixth. He makes a few dollars less than new Kansas coach Turner Gill and a few dollars more than Kansas State's Bill Snyder.

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC's meeting with the NCAA Infractions Committee ends, and now the wait begins. It could be anywhere from six to 10 weeks before USC is informed of the outcome.

Wayne Staats, Daily Collegian: Two Penn State graduates are paying $9,000 for Joe Paterno's glasses. The online auction benefited Penn State Public Broadcasting.

Matt James, Fresno Bee: Allegedly, there is a four-year evaluation of Bowl Championship Series conferences occurring and this is the end of Year 2. The Mountain West would seem to have the best shot at eventually passing one of the current BCS conferences, of becoming an automatic qualifier conference, of living in the land of luxury, massive TV contracts and $3 million coaches. Then again, the people of Iran were told their votes would matter.

Just Another Wild Weekend in Eugene

Just when you thought it was safe to go out, all hell breaks loose in Eugene.

Oregon's Chip Kelly emerged from hiding Friday and addressed a dizzying string of legal issues involving his players.

"We're always going to do things the right way, and if a player doesn't live up to the standards we have for the football program, then they're not going to be here," Kelly said. "But I'm also not going to follow our kids around every Friday or Saturday night so I can see what happened to them."

Fourteen hours later, linebacker Kiko Alonso was cited for driving while intoxicated. He also was driving without insurance.