The Wiz of Odds: Reporters Notebooks

Terry Hutchens, Indianapolis Star: How much does it cost to outfit a team? Indiana is spending more than $200,000 this season. The team is saving on eye black now that the NCAA prohibits players from writing messages or area codes on the strips. "I bet we'll play the whole season and I won't go through one stick of the stuff this year," equipment manager Mitch Gudmundson said.

Sports Media Watch: One week does not a trend make, but the Tim Tebow-less Florida Gators were a substantially smaller draw for CBS on Saturday than last year. CBS drew a 3.5 overnight rating for Florida-Tennessee, down 27% from Tennessee-Florida last year (4.8). Texas-Texas Tech on ABC drew a 4.9 overnight, highest of the season for any college game on broadcast. Nonetheless, four of the five games on ABC this season have drawn less than a 3.0 overnight. To put that in perspective, none of the first five games last year drew less than a 3.0.

Tom Kirkendall, Houston's Clear Thinkers: The creative nature of football innovation. If coaches were able to copyright offensive and defensive systems, no one would come up with the next big idea.

Steve Campbell, Houston Chronicle: Where does Houston losing starting quarterback Case Keenum and backup Cotton Turner in Saturday's defeat to UCLA rank on the list of Cougar catastrophes?

The Quotable Les Miles: More than 400 rambling, bewildering, indecipherable quotes from Louisiana State's coach on one site! Thanks to Mr. SEC.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: Has Baylor's Robert Griffin lost a step after having knee surgery last year? The quarterback doesn't think so.

Sports by Brooks: Video of Texas Tech's Adam Jones taking a hammering hit in Saturday's game against Texas. Perhaps Mike Leach really was looking out for the safety and health of Craig James' son.

Jason Morton, Tuscaloosa News: Retired Circuit Judge Steve Wilson said there was no conspiracy to bring down the Alabama program, despite a 2002 lawsuit that alleged one.

Angelique S. Chengelis, Detroit News: An enterprising student is going to get a shot at Michigan's kicking job. Wolverine kickers have made only one of five attempts through three games.

Joseph Goodman, Gator Clause: Florida has started using a five-linemen formation on defense in preparation for its Oct. 2 game against Alabama.

Erik Malinowski, Wired: An engineer from the University of Utah has created what is possibly the world's smallest college logo. Measuring just 70 microns across — the width of a human blonde hair — the medallion is gold-on-silicon and was made by Randy Polson, a senior optical engineer in the Physics and Astronomy department, using lithium-beam lithography. Thanks to Ben Maller.

Lindsay Schnell, Oregonian: Oregon State has painted its practice field blue in preparation for Saturday's game at Boise State. The project took 440 gallons of paint and was paid for by an anonymous donor.

Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman: Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson said representatives of Texas State and Texas San Antonio will make presentations to the league's membership committee at its meeting next Tuesday in Dallas.

Jason Lieser, Gator Bytes: Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham hopes Florida fans will take it easy on him Saturday. It was a Wyndham hit a year ago that gave Tim Tebow a concussion. "I think he's a real good quarterback," Wyndham said. "We still ended up losing the game. I would have taken a win over hitting him any day."

John Grupp, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Dave Wannstedt is defending the character of his Pittsburgh program after the arrest of offensive lineman Keith Coleman for aggravated assault early Saturday morning.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Arizona's big win over Iowa has been deemed worthy of a T-shirt.

Chase Goodbread, Tuscaloosa News: Alabama's Nick Saban said he supports a NFL Players Association directive requiring sports agents to cooperate with NCAA investigations, but added that the problem of agents inducing players into accepting benefits that violate NCAA rules will need further solutions.

Matt Murschel, College Gridiron 365: If you weren't aware that Michigan State's victory over Notre Dame was exciting, there's now a scientific website that will tell you as much.

Joseph Plambeck, New York Times: A feature on former Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock, whose sport is controversy.

A welcome back to the blogging world to M Zone, made famous in 2006 by the douchebaggery ways of ESPN's Colin Cowherd.

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