The Wiz of Odds

The Offseason Edition of One Shining Moment

Yet another Solid Verbal production.

Fiesta Scandal Part of a Broader BCS Pattern

Employees being reimbursed for political contributions. Four-day junkets to Pebble Beach. A trip to a strip club. Paying for personal country club memberships and a wedding for a top executive. All under the guise of a nonprofit organization.

While a 276-page report this week detailed misconduct by Fiesta Bowl officials that could bring felony charges, the Bowl Championship Series has been painting actions of the postseason game as isolated misconduct.

But Playoff PAC, the federal political committee dedicated to establishing a competitive postseason championship for big-time college football, suggests other BCS games are also engaging in misconduct. It released a statement Wednesday that detailed irregularities at the Orange and Sugar bowls.

Among its claims:

Alex Trebek Calls Highlights

Jeopardy's Alex Trebek took time from his busy schedule to record highlights for the 2010 Stanford-Oregon game. Thanks to Solid Verbal.

Former Iowa State Player Is New Face of Ken Doll

It's doubtful that Kurtis Taylor was ever called a "doll" while playing on the defensive line at Iowa State, but he will be hearing that frequently from now on.

Toymaker Mattel, which manufactures Barbie and Ken dolls, recently held a digital reality contest to remake Ken's look. The eight-part series, called "Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend," was part of a campaign to bolster the awareness of Ken's 50th birthday (Barbie recently turned 52).

Taylor was the winner, and the redesigned Ken doll will resemble the 25-year-old native of Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Chuck Long Unloads California Home for $518,000 Loss

Former San Diego State coach and current Kansas offensive coordinator Chuck Long got out from under the auctioneer's gavel last week when he unloaded his dwelling in Poway, Calif., for $850,000.

Long quit making payments in August on the four-bedroom home that he purchased in 2007 for $1.368 million. On Nov. 23, a notice of default was filed in San Diego County and the property was to be auctioned in a trustee's sale on Wednesday.

But the lender accepted a short sale and the auction was canceled, according to Brent Schrotenboer of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Locker at Low End of Wonderlic Quarterback Scores

Former Washington standout Jake Locker reportedly scored 20 on the Wonderlic test at the recent NFL Scouting Combine, the lowest tally among this year's crop of quarterbacks.

Joining Locker on the low end was Auburn's Cam Newton, who reportedly had a 21. Former Arkansas standout Ryan Mallett is said to have scored 26.

On the other end of the scale were Greg McElroy, formerly of Alabama, and Blaine Gabbert, formerly of Missouri. McElroy is said to have scored 43 and Gabbert 42.

Other reported scores: Colin Kaepernick (Nevada) 37, Christian Ponder (Florida State) 35, Ricky Stanzi (Iowa) 30 and Andy Dalton (Texas Christian) 29.

The Wonderlic is used to assess the aptitude of prospects. A perfect score is 50, and only one of 100,000 people ace the test. Pat McInally of Harvard is believed to be the only player to score 50.