The Wiz of Odds

Colorado

The surprise entering 2010 for the Buffaloes is that Dan Hawkins is back for a fifth season as coach. Hawkins is only 16-33 at Boulder and his 2009 team suffered several embarrassing moments, starting with the coach predicting 10 victories. It became clear after Week 2 — a 54-38 loss at Toledo — that the Buffaloes weren't going to come close. They didn't, finishing with a 3-9 record. The smart money was on Hawkins getting fired, but with the Colorado athletic department deep in debt and needed nearly $3 million to buy out his contract, Hawkins was given another chance.

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. 62 for 2010. Thanks to Justin!

Reporters Notebooks

Tony Jones, Salt Lake Tribune: More evidence that the Western Athletic Conference was looking to "trade" Louisiana Tech to Conference USA. Louisiana Tech was not subject to the $5 million buyout agreement that the remainder of the WAC agreed to, according to documents obtained by the newspaper.

Jay Drew, Salt Lake Tribune: With a Wednesday deadline looming, indications abound that Brigham Young is still doggedly pursuing a plan to go independent in football and has been in simultaneous membership negotiations with the WAC and the West Coast Conference for the rest of its non-football sports teams.

Chris Murray, Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada and Fresno State could be headed toward a court battle with the WAC, which has officially demanded a $5 million payment from each school for leaving the conference for the Mountain West. The schools are also expected to stay in the league through the 2011-12 season.

Barry Jackson, Miami Herald: Nevin Shapiro, a once-prominent Florida broker who is facing years in prison for his alleged connection to an $880 million Ponzi scheme, says he will write a tell-all book about alleged NCAA violations involving the Miami Hurricanes.

Dallas Morning News: Texas coach Mack Brown told "The Dan Patrick Show" that he believes Vince Young deserves the 2005 Heisman Trophy won by Reggie Bush.

Henry J. Cordes, Omaha World-Herald: How it all came down in Lincoln. Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman had a week to let the Big Ten know if the Cornhuskers wanted to leave the Big 12.

J. Brady McCollough, Kansas City Star: For Mark Mangino, Mike Leach and Jim Leavitt, the fall from the top was fast.

Lost Lettermen: Former BYU standout Ty Detmer made his debut as a high school coach this past weekend. His team lost by 55 points.

Week 1

The long national nightmare is over. Thursday's start to the 2010 season will be the 238th day since Alabama defeated Texas, 37-21, in the Bowl Championship Series title game in Pasadena. It's a long stretch between seasons, and the 18 games on opening night can't come soon enough.

Each week through the regular season, this site will highlight the week's top games, according to oddsmakers in Las Vegas. Let's get to the Week 1 games.

Thursday's marquee matchup is Pittsburgh at Utah. The Utes are 3-point favorites at the time of this post. Other games of note: South Carolina (-14) vs. Southern Mississippi; Ohio State (-28.5) vs. Marshall; Iowa State (-3) vs. Northern Illinois; USC (-21) at Hawaii; Minnesota (-3) at Middle Tennessee State and Alabama Birmingham (-15) vs. Florida Atlantic.

On Friday, Arizona travels to Toledo. The Wildcats are favored by 15.

Wisconsin

One of the reason the Badgers are getting a ton of respect entering this season is likely because of a game they lost last season. Wisconsin controlled the ball for 42 minutes 47 seconds and rolled up 22 first downs on 250 passing yards and 118 rushing yards in the Oct. 10 game. Its opponent had the ball for 17 minutes 13 seconds and had eight first downs on 97 passing yards and 87 rushing yards. The final from Columbus: Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 13. The Badgers' undoing? Two interceptions were returned for touchdowns and a kickoff was returned for a score. This season, the Badgers have the Buckeyes right where they want them — in Camp Randall 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. 61 for 2010. Thanks to Kevin!

San Diego St., UNLV and UTEP Were Targeted by WAC

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has put together the most complete picture yet of the Western Athletic Conference's far-reaching and elaborate plan to recast the league as the foremost non-Bowl Championship Series conference. The plan — "The Project" as it became known internally — was torpedoed from within when co-conspirators Fresno State and Nevada decided at the 11th hour to bolt for the rival Mountain West on Aug. 18.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson, above, received authorization from the league's Board of Directors on June 16 to proceed with the plan, which centered on luring Brigham Young back to the WAC. This came after Benson had "preliminary discussions with ESPN" that indicated the TV rights fees could rise by as "300 percent" over the nearly $500,000 per school that is received now, according to a memo obtained by the newspaper.

Utah State president Stan Albrecht, a former BYU administrator, would work as Benson's point man. Albrecht approached BYU on June 18, but the school, still stinging from rival Utah being scooped up by the Pacific 10, was was not interested. The Cougars' stance softened over the next month, but only if it could join the league as a non-football member.

Reporters Notebooks

Bud Withers, Seattle Times: Twenty-nine Division I-A coaches — 16 from Bowl Championship Series teams — anonymously answered questions about a variety of topics, including the coach for whom they have the least regard. The winner? USC's Lane Kiffin. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, Alabama's Nick Saban and New Mexico's Mike Locksley also got mention.

Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register: Hotels charged Iowa and Iowa State more than $200,000 combined in 2009 for lodging the nights before home games at a time when many others at those universities are being asked to pinch pennies. Of the 120 Division I-A teams, only six — Arkansas State, Boise State, Fresno State, Louisiana Monroe, Tulane and Western Kentucky — do not stay in hotels before home games. Kansas, under new coach Turner Gill, will break from tradition and stay in hotels before home games this season.

Kyle Ringo, Boulder Daily Camera: Bad blood between Colorado and Baylor? Baylor alumni publicly badmouthed Colorado earlier this summer as talk of conference realignment heated up and it became clear the Buffaloes would be joining the Pacific 10. Colorado sources also have said privately they believe somebody at Baylor was responsible for providing Academic Progress Rate results to the Texas media that put the Buffaloes program in a negative light around the same time. The teams play Oct. 16 in Boulder. Plus, is there any hope for Dan Hawkins to save his job?

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: The proposed $100 million-plus Bronco Stadium expansion project unveiled Friday night raises a serious question: Can Boise State afford to have an elite program?

Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Daily News: Former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma, who is the executive director of the National College Players Association, is pushing for California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature on the Student-Athletes Right to Know Bill (AB 2079), which would require universities to provide recruits a written summary of their policies on everything from medical insurance limits to athlete transfer rates and scholarship renewals, all within a week of contact. Plus, an expanded look at Huma and the bill.