What happened to the site, you ask? We've moved. Same great content with a polished look and new address. Point your browser at The Wiz of Odds.com.And visit our new college basketball site, The March to Madness.com. That's right, [...]
What happened to the site, you ask? We've moved. Same great content with a polished look and new address. Point your browser at The Wiz of Odds.com.
After three years and 3,644 posts, the site has moved. Please join us at TheWizofOdds.com. [...] 
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2009 list of "America's Best Colleges." Congratulations to those Division I-A football-playing universities that made the top 25 — Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Virginia, UCLA, California — but let's get to the meat of [...] 
About that stop Tom Arnold made last week to an Alabama practice. The pride of Ottumwa, Iowa, now says he hasn't turned his back on the homestate Hawkeyes and that his trip to Tuscaloosa was in part because his girlfriend went to Alabama.
Kansas' $31 million upgrade to its football facilities was the source of much excitement in Lawrence, but that quickly subsided earlier this month when Mark Mangino marched his players onto two new practice fields. The big guy apparently realized that anybody could watch what the Jayhawks' [...] 
Bart Wright, Greenville News: The spread offense continues to gain popularity in the college game, but the NFL takes a different view of the offense. Spread quarterbacks are often passed up by NFL teams because pro teams don't want to invest the time in training' [...] 
The Larry Fedora era at Southern Mississippi kicks off Saturday night when the Golden Eagles play host to Louisiana Lafayette. Fedora replaced Jeff Bower, who was forced out after 17 seasons. Bower's departure was controversial, considering his tenure at Hattiesburg was longer than all but three' [...] 
Are Kansas State players about to have an afterlife experience? This poster schedule depicts the Wildcats in the tunnel entering Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Some fans are questioning if Kansas State is headed in the right direction after the team imploded in the second [...] 
We're hours from cutting off all contact with this Blogger address, so if you have yet to receive the memo, we've moved the site to The Wiz of Odds.com. Go there, bookmark it, tell your friends, your neighbors, perhaps even your relatives. [...] 
Patrick Reusse, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota coach Tim Brewster's speech at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul was a good hot-air test for the Republican National Convention that will be held in the building early next month.
Seriously, what have the good people of Alabama done to deserve this?Tom Arnold, left, the pride of Ottumwa, Iowa, whose erratic behavior has become a source of embarrassment to Hawkeye fans, has apparently turned his back on his former university. He was spotted Thursday in Tuscaloosa, [...] 
Huh? That's right, we have the preseason Bowl Championship Series standings in hand, thanks to Sam Chi, the BCS Guru, and Ohio State — the team everybody loves to hate — is No. 1.USC is No. 2, making the Sept. 13 meeting between the Buckeyes' [...]
Chris Givens, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Arkansas is expected to extend its deal to play games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock through 2016. Arkansas will not be required to play more than two games a season at War Memorial in the remaining eight years of [...] 
Brigham Young, winner of 22 games the past two seasons, hasn't lost a Mountain West Conference game since 2005. A favorable schedule should enable the Cougars to be in the hunt for a Bowl Championship Series game. Early tests come at Washington and at home' [...] 
Here's your invitation to join me Friday night at the midnight hour (Pacific time zone) for "Sports Overnight America," heard worldwide on the Sports Byline USA Radio Network. Listen live by clicking here and give us a call at 800-878-7529.
If you haven't already, please bookmark our new site, The Wiz of Odds.com. We are moving operations to that site after this weekend and this Blogger address will no longer be updated. Don't be left behind! [...] 
Captivated by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's stunning athleticism? You're not alone. Bolt toyed with the competition in winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes in world-record time at the Beijing Olympics. Now the Pirate himself, Mike Leach, would like to put Jamaica on his [...]
Rick Malwitz, East Brunswick Home News Tribune: Is George Zoffinger, a member of Rutgers board of governors, the source for a series of articles by the Newark Star-Ledger detailing financial shortcomings in the athletic department? Some say Zoffinger wants to become Rutgers athletic director. Thanks [...] 
Illinois is coming off a surprising 9-4 season that included a trip to the Rose Bowl, but can the Zooker keep it rolling? Consider that the Fighting Illini, who lost running back Rashard Mendenhall, haven't put together back-to-back winning seasons since 1989-90. Defenses will be loading' [...] 
First we learn that Alabama recently brought in the Pacific Institute to help players with mental conditioning/character development issues (i.e. brainwashing; more on that later). Now comes word that Jolly Old Saint Nick Saban pulled scrimmage highlights off Tide TV, a university-run premium site where subscribers [...] 
I'll be a guest of Chris Plank on Tulsa's 1430 The Buzz at 3:30 p.m. (Central). You can listen live through 1430's site. If you're out and about on weekends, you've probably heard Chris handling the weekend third shift (1-5 a.m. Central) every Friday and [...] 
Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman, Newark Star-Ledger: More trouble at Rutgers, where auditors found the athletic department subsidized the travel costs of boosters and other VIPs who accompanied the Scarlet Knights on charter flights to bowl games the past three years. This came at a [...] 
Michigan is all about the Big House, which played host to the largest crowd in NCAA college football history on Nov. 22, 2003, when 112,118 packed the joint for a game against Ohio State. Click the image for a closer inspection and you'll see the winged [...] 
No child left behind. Yes, that's our goal. In case you missed it, the site is moving to TheWizofOdds.com. We won't be updating this blogspot address after the weekend, so now is the time to bookmark the new site. You don't want to be left [...] 
Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State games at Qualcomm Stadium have cost city taxpayers more than $310,000 in losses the past two years.
Boston College has won eight bowl games in a row, the longest streak in Division I-A. Quarterback Chris Crane will try to keep the streak going. He replaces Matt Ryan, the third overall pick in the NFL draft. Atlantic Coast Conference opponents Virginia Tech and Clemson [...] 
After three years of using Blogger, I have decided to move the site to TheWizofOdds.com. If you're still using the blogspot address, you'll need to re-bookmark the site to TheWizofOdds.com. The RSS feed is also changing. This should work for the new feed: http://thewizofodds.typepad.com/the_wiz_of_odds/index.rdf
Bo Schembechler was never one to whine, but now there is wine named after the Michigan coaching legend. Bo Merlot will be unveiled in the Ann Arbor area next week before the Wolverines' opener against those teetotalers from Utah.
Patrick Ridgell, Longmont Times-Call: Colorado has selected a starting tailback and it's not Darrell Scott, who was voted Big 12 newcomer of the year. Sophomore Demetrius Sumler gets the call for the Aug. 31 opener against Colorado State.
Reason No. 999 that the only poll that matters is the last one. Florida was picked by media covering the Southeastern Conference to not only win the SEC East over Georgia, but the league title as well. Yet the Bulldogs were voted No. 1 [...] 
Times are tough. The economy is a mess, corporate America continues to send jobs overseas, workers everywhere are getting laid off and yes, "student-athletes" are still being exploited.
It took 32 years to complete, but Steve Koreivo of Stanhope, N.J., has watched each of the 119 teams in Division I-A play in person at least once. He has chronicled his accomplishment at College Football Fan.
Wally Hall, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Lousiana State offensive lineman Herman Johnson, all 6-feet-8, 350 pounds of him, is listed as one of the largest babies ever born in Louisiana, 15 pounds 14 ounces.
Army has been among Division I-A's worst teams for several years, but its 2008 poster schedule has to rank among the best. Click the image for a closer look and you'll see all the details that capture the glory days of Army football. Thanks to Annie. [...] 
Nothing flashy about Louisiana State's schedule poster. The message is stated across the top: College football's only two-time BCS national champion. Who can argue with that? Thanks to Jason and Bryan. [...] 
Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Southeastern Conference's new TV deal with CBS likely kills any chance there will be an SEC TV network.
Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News says Forbes Magazine's proclamation that Nick Saban is "the most powerful coach in sports" is a bunch of running bull.
Pete Carroll would appear to be the highest-paid college football coach in the land, according to tax returns filed by USC.
Marcus Nelson, Palm Beach Post: Florida Atlantic's Howard Schnellenberger is disputing comments attributed to him about the toughness of the Texas Longhorns.
How about this tidbit? Navy has won 23 of its last 25 games when scoring first. The two losses were in overtime to Tulsa in 2006 and Ball State in 2007. The Midshipmen have a new coach in Ken Niumatalolo but will run the familiar triple-option [...] 
When the clock strikes midnight Friday in the Pacific Time Zone, that is your reminder to join the Wiz for "Sports Overnight America" on the Sports Byline Radio Network. Listen live over the Internet by clicking here. Our men and women in the military [...] 
To put this in perspective, [...] 
Tony Barnhart, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Southeastern Conference and CBS have agreed to a 15-year contract extension to televise the league's football and men's basketball games through 2023. The deal does not eliminate the possibility of an SEC television network. That won’t be determined until the [...] 
Not every team can march into Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and come with a victory, but on Aug. 30, the Florida Atlantic Owls plan to do just that.
A dazzling poster schedule from North Carolina, which appears to be on the upswing despite a 4-8 record in Butch Davis' first season as coach. Six of the Tar Heels' losses came by a touchdown or less, two of which were against teams ranked in the [...] 
North Carolina State turns the clock back to 2006 when it had the team sign its schedule poster. It appears only the seniors signed this poster, but still, a terrific idea. As always, click the image for a closer look. Thanks to Chris. [...] 
Andrea Cohen, Oklahoman: The economy is so bad that even the big guys are getting hurt. Oklahoma State's plans to start construction on an indoor practice facility will likely be pushed back. The reason? The high price of oil has impacted the value of Boone [...] 
A mediocre team coming off a 7-6 season with 10 players suspended for the first three games because of an academic scandal. Twelve losses in two seasons. A once-proud program without a 10-win season since 2003. Michael Cunningham of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that [...] 
How did you spend your summer? Stewart Mandel of SI.com decided to settle the "Who's conference is the best?" debate, sitting down with two interns and crunching numbers.
No wonder Chuck Long occupies the No. 6 slot on the Coaches Hot Seat rankings. He's 7-17 in two seasons at San Diego State and not much is expected of the Aztecs in 2008. But all that would change if San Diego State marched into [...] 
Associated Press: A settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by former college athletes who alleged the NCAA failed to cover the full cost of their education has been formally approved by a federal judge. The NCAA will create a $10 million fund over the next three [...] 
Chris Foster and Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: UCLA quarterback Ben Olson is out at least eight weeks because of a broken bone in his right foot, but he hopes to play this season. Plus, it was a lost weekend for UCLA and USC [...] 
Not-so-legendary copy editor James Brooks occasionally reports on Alaska news for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the farthest north daily newspaper in North America. Before working at the News-Miner, James worked for the Florida Keys Keynoter and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003 after working for [...] 
Since 2000, Oklahoma has won one national title, played for two more and won 90 games, more than any other program in that time. No wonder Bob Stoops is regarded as the best coach in the Big 12. Expectations are again sky-high for the [...] 
If Rutgers didn't have enough troubles, now the New York Times is criticizing the university for the buildup of its football program. An editorial titled "Football Fantasy at Rutgers" ran last week:
Middle Tennesse, coming off a disappointing 5-7 season, has a sneaky-tough nonconference schedule, playing host to Maryland and at Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State and Western Kentucky. If the Blue Raiders want to make noise in the Sun Belt, they must improve a run defense that was [...] 
Colby Balkenbush, Reno Gazette-Journal: Several Nevada players have been trying hypnosis in an effort to improve their play.
Notre Dame's Crewcut Charlie Weis gave his annual state of the program address on Friday and once again, Jimmy Clausen was the center of attention after photographs of the quarterback attending the "Beer Olympics" appeared on The Big Lead.
Year four of the Mike Sanford experiment begins at Nevada Las Vegas and if it's anything like the first three, Sanford could be out of a job. He has three consecutive two-win seasons and outside of an outburst after a Sept. 9, 2006 game at Iowa [...] 
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC quarterback Mark Sanchez dislocated his left kneecap and could be out for the opener against Virginia, perhaps longer. Mitch Mustain, a transfer from Arkansas, becomes the starter.
Joe Ovies, 850 The Blog: The next big thing is fantasy college football. The NCAA's executive committee decided it couldn't eliminate the incorporation of college sports into fantasy games and decided, essentially, to retain the status quo.
Detroit Free Press: The winners in the West Virginia-Rich Rodriguez lawsuit? Lawyers, who racked up more than $442,400 in billable hours and expenses representing West Virginia. But the firm plans to donate at least a quarter of its fees to the school. Thanks to Brian [...] 
How did Florida's Ronnie Wilson escape the long arm of the law and did the fact that he was a football player help his cause?
A reminder to join your humble webmaster on "Sports Overnight America," which can be heard over the Sports Byline USA Radio Network. The fun starts just after midnight Friday in the Pacific time zone. Listen to the show live by clicking here and give [...] 
Big things are expected of pass-happy Texas Tech, which has gone to a bowl in each of Mike Leach's eight seasons as coach. The nonconference schedule is once again among the cushiest in the land, and we can't help but look at the opener against [...] 
New coach Kevin Sumlin, who takes over for Art Briles, has been an assistant at Washington State, Wyoming, Minnesota, Purdue, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The Cougars haven't won a bowl game since 1980 when they beat Navy, 35-0, in the Garden State Bowl. Sumlin will [...] 
Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Advertiser: Tyler Graunke, Hawaii's expected starting quarterback, said he is being withheld from training camp because of "academic issues" and did "not do as well as I would have liked" in a summer-session class. Thanks to Sam of Bleed Crimson.
Florida defensive lineman Ronnie Wilson returned to the team this week as a walk-on despite an apparent violation earlier this year of his probation.
The Beijing Olympics begin this week. Unfortunately, Michigan cornerback Morgan Trent, right, will not be part of the U.S. track team.
Score one for The Big Lead. That's Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen on the right, partaking in something called the "Beer Olympics." Also in the photos (there's another on The Big Lead link) are linebacker Brian Smith, running back James Aldridge and an unidentified fourth [...] 
Associated Press: North Carolina governor Mike Easley signed a measure into law that temporarily legalizes ticket scalping over the Internet.
New Washington State coach Paul Wulff is facing a big rebuilding job, but if anybody can bring a winner back to Pullman, it's Wulff. Check out Bud Withers' story on the Cougar coach that appeared Sunday in the Seattle Times. You can't help but pull [...] 
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech has suspended contract talks with Mike Leach. Athletic director Gerald Myers, citing a need to be fiscally responsible, says he can't negotiate a new deal until after the season.
The hits to newspapers keep coming. Will Collier of From the Bleachers was the first to send us the news. Tony Barnhart, longtime writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is taking a voluntary buyout.
Think you're smarter than Southeastern Conference officials? Try taking this 23-question exam given recently to league officials. The average score was 93%. The officials say the score counts for 25% of their end-of-season evaluation.
This should be an interesting season for Notre Dame. Four of the first five games are at South Bend and five of the last seven are on the road. In case you're wondering about that white box in the lower right-hand corner, that is an ad [...]
