Former Alabama coach Bill Curry raised eyebrows and apprehensions last week by stating, "The SEC has an image problem, you bet. It's just a fact of life."

Curry went on to say NCAA scrutiny within the league this year has tarnished the reputation of a league known for its football excellence. The question for outsiders often is: How did the football get to be excellent?

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt caught heat for his testimony against former Alabama recruit Albert Means.(AP)

Alabama is waiting for an official letter of inquiry from the NCAA centering on alleged recruiting violations. Kentucky self-reported more than a dozen violations to the NCAA, some of which could be considered major. Tennessee was put through the NCAA ringer because of an erroneous Internet report that cost the school hundreds of thousands of dollars to investigate. Allegations of academic fraud were unfounded, and the investigation finally ended this summer.

Unencumbered by an SEC employer, the articulate Curry was the source du jour at the SEC media days in Birmingham.

"The heights that it's reached in some sections is not deserved," said Curry, a college football analyst who also coached at Georgia Tech and Kentucky, "because people sort of get a kick out of, 'OK, it's the toughest conference. We all know how it's done down there.'"

Curry added he would "defend the league when I hear those kinds of things." But he did drop a subtle bombshell: Curry basically confirmed having heard the $200,000 asking price for the services of former Memphis high school star Albert Means. Former Memphis Trezevant High School assistant coach Milton Kirk alleged this year that former Trezevant head coach Lynn Lang offered Means to college coaches for that amount.

Means, a lineman, played at Alabama as a freshman in 2000 before transferring to Memphis.

"It sure had a shock value when I saw the dollars involved," Curry said. "At first I didn't believe it and then I got what I considered unimpeachable information because I've got friends everywhere. I do not call people up. I do not listen to gossip unless my best friends call me up and say, 'I was there.'

"It was unbelievable. I know more than I would like to know."

Curry's quotes don't necessary implicate Alabama, but the Means case is creating a ripple effect throughout the conference. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over the weekend that he testified before a federal grand jury in the spring regarding Means' recruiting.

"I'm not the only college coach in the SEC that got subpoenaed," Nutt told the paper. "I'm getting too much credit."

It's not clear what crime the grand jury was convened to assess, but Razorback assistants Danny Nutt and Fitz Hill also testified, according to the report. Hill, now the head coach at San Jose State, told SportsLine.com this year that, while recruiting Means for Arkansas, $200,000 was the asking price to land the talented lineman. Hill stressed Arkansas did not act on the offer and in fact was repulsed by it.

"It's unmitigated gall for someone to do that," Curry said of the Means case, "and unmitigated dumb for someone to offer it. There's going to be a boomerang effect. Folks with that kind of money ... do not want to pick up the newspaper and read their names every day. That's not fun. Then you go down to the yacht club and all your buddies are sticking it to you instead of bragging on your team."

Nutt's motivation for publicly confirming his appearance before the grand jury was -- surprise! -- recruiting. He doesn't want to be perceived as the lone wolf ratting out the Crimson Tide. Nutt talked because he was concerned he was being singled out as such in media reports.

"I'm worried about the four or five recruits that we'll be offering (in Alabama)," Nutt said. "Sometimes they'll paint a light of, 'He's turning in my home state. He's making Alabama look bad.'"

Two years ago, Florida coach Steve Spurrier called out then-Alabama coach Mike DuBose for what he perceived to be shady recruiting practices. The SEC should take heed. Similar infighting led to the downfall of the old Southwest Conference in the late 1980s and early '90s. At one time a majority of the SWC schools were at least under investigation by the NCAA, if not actually on probation.

As recruits left the state of Texas for "cleaner" pastures, the SWC suffered in the rankings and on the field. The dirty pool eventually led to the breakup of the conference and formation of the Big 12. The Pac-10 remains to this day the only major conference that has an enforcement arm to punish its brethren.

Other conferences haven't followed suit because they are loathe to investigate their own, leaving it up the NCAA.

"At one time, the Southeastern Conference did not have a very good reputation for honesty," South Carolina coach Lou Holtz said. "After being in this conference, I think the commissioner and the presidents are doing a good job. There's so much competition in this conference, if you don't police it, then you're going to force other people to do something illegal."

No, the SEC isn't going to fall apart any time soon, but if enough programs are in NCAA jail, it will affect recruiting. In the SEC, that's like severing an artery, because football is the region's life blood.

"If anything good comes out of this, it's that people who are tempted to (cheat) will think a long time about the consequences," Curry said, "They'll say, 'Hey, if we get caught we'll be ruined.'"

Renaming for dollars

Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium has a new name, a new logo and -- what a shock! -- new marketing opportunities. Expect rabid Tigers fans to slam down a bunch of cash for those "The Jungle at Jordan-Hare" T-shirts this season.

Cute, but why stop there? Here are a few other suggested stadium name changes meant to intimidate opponents and ring cash registers.

• The Disaster: Cal's Memorial Stadium is built along an earthquake fault.
• The Hangar: A natural for Air Force's Falcon Stadium.
• The Pig Sty: Arkansas' newly refurbished stadium in Little Rock.
• The Magic Kingdom: Gratuitous Disney World reference for Central Florida's nearby Citrus Bowl.
• The Plank: That's a more fitting name for the home of East Carolina's Pirates, rather than Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
• The Swamp: A tip of the helmet to the master, Steve Spurrier, who renamed Ben Hill Griffin on his own before it was cool to do so.
• The Truck Stop: For those that have been to Fresno, this is better than Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium.
• The Safe House: A good place for Idaho's Vandals to hang out.
• The Hole: A place where Minnesota's Gophers dwell. Also a fitting name for the mundane Metrodome.
• The Silo: Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium.
• The Pond: With apologies to Anaheim's arena of the same name, this seems to be a natural home of the Oregon Ducks.
• The Think Tank: A fitting home for Stanford's above-average student-athletes at Stanford Stadium.
• Launching Pad: Toledo's Glass Bowl is one of the better stadium names, but we like this one better for the Rockets.
• The Casino: UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium.
• The Shaft: Texas-El Paso's Miners usually play in the Sun Bowl

Other suggestions are welcome, but remember, we get a cut if any of these catch on.

They still don't get it ...

Northwestern coach Randy Walker spoke this week of the year-round aspect of college football that has become a trend only in the past decade.

"Football has become a different game," Walker said Monday. "The 12-month game is really what it is. Who's kidding who? Go across the country. We're all doing that."

It should be pointed out that, yes, Walker is full of sorrow over the death of his player Rashidi Wheeler. But the "that's just the way it is" mentality concerning summer practice is no longer acceptable. Former Alabama player Ricky Davis told SportsLine.com last month that Bear Bryant used to tell his players to go home for the summer. Seems like the Crimson Tide won a few championships by taking it easy in the summer and working out on their own.

We'll say it again. College football doesn't have to be a year-round sport. These are still kids, a lot of them teen-agers, who need to enjoy life. Fall practice used to be for getting in shape. Now it's for putting in the game plan, with little room for those not already fit.

Just a hunch here, but college football probably wouldn't suffer if everyone actually took summer off.

No hideaway in Oklahoma

Oklahoma can't be accused of running away and hiding with its national championship.

Coach Bob Stoops added North Carolina as a 12th game (Hispanic Fund College Classic on Aug. 25). While not a powerhouse, the Tar Heels aren't exactly pushovers. Plus, the game means if the Sooners play in the Big 12 title game again, they would have played 14 games this year and 27 over a two-year period.

The bring-on-all-comers mentality doesn't stop there. Oklahoma is talking to South Florida about playing in 2002 as a 12th game. The Sooners already have a heavy nonconference load next season with Alabama, Tulsa and Texas-El Paso coming to Norman.

Why add a fledgling but talented Division I-A program that will exact a pound of flesh, if not a victory? In 2002 and 2003, all I-A teams will be allowed to schedule 12 games. Most teams will, if only to get another home payday.

But the Bulls-Sooners matchup would be more than that. By playing South Florida, Bob Stoops would get valuable exposure in Florida. Also, Stoops and Bulls coach Jim Leavitt worked together at Kansas State. South Florida's athletic director is Lee Roy Selmon, an all-time Oklahoma defensive lineman. South Florida joins Conference USA in 2003.

Looking deep (South)

A fantastic new book detailing the Auburn-Alabama rivalry is about to hit the shelves. A War In Dixie is an inside look, both modern and historic, at both programs.

In many ways, the book defines the Deep South football tradition, both good and bad. One quote, though, sticks out. Former Auburn player Joe Whitt Jr. is the son of Tigers assistant coach Joe Whitt Sr. An injury ended Junior's career prematurely. He is starting his post-playing career as a volunteer assistant with Auburn.

"My dream is to come here and be the first black head coach because my dad was the first black assistant coach here (in 1981)," Whitt Jr. says. "Maybe 15, 20 years down the road, they will be ready for it."

That's not necessarily a criticism of the SEC, which still has never had an African-American head coach. Let's not forget that coaching diversity continues to be a national problem. There are only five minority head coaches this season out of 115 Division I-A programs.

Quick hits

• They're issuing snap-by-snap updates on the condition of Georgia Tech quarterback George Godsey, judging from this recent release. Remember, Godsey missed the spring following knee surgery. "As expected," this week's first-practice release began, "quarterback George Godsey did take the first snap, and all subsequent repetitions with the first team." Stay tuned for updates as they become available -- during Tech's next series.
• It's easier to find Waldo lately than the vagabond Aloha Bowl. News surfaced Tuesday that the Aloha is now soliciting interest in Columbia, S.C., after not being able to work out dates in San Francisco and Anaheim. To bring you up to speed, the Aloha moved out of Hawaii during the offseason because of dwindling attendance. Because organizers want to keep the game televised on ABC on Christmas Day, things didn't work out in San Francisco. Even South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee, who likely would have to have his staff work the game at Brice-Williams Stadium, said he won't have his athletic department employees working on Christmas Day. It's not surprising the Aloha keeps knocking on locked doors -- it's surprising the NCAA is still allowing it to play the game in 2001. The so-called "deadline" for bowls applying to the NCAA Postseason Certification Subcommittee for 2001 certification was April.
• Palms are sweaty in Knoxville, Tenn., where super freshman Jabari Davis has yet to graduate from high school a day after freshman practice started Tuesday. Davis, a Parade All-American from Tucker, Ga., needs to pass the science portion of the high school exit exam that is required by Georgia. According to reports, Davis took the exam July 25 but had yet to receive the results. It's not clear what Davis' options would be if he doesn't pass the exam. Unlike a partial or non-qualifier who has graduated from high school, Davis would be in limbo without a high school degree. More important for Tennessee fans, the running back depth would be significantly impacted. Davis was being counted upon to make a major splash as a first-year player. "He cannot come to campus until this item is cleared," a Tennessee spokesman said Wednesday, "and he is not here today."
• Devard Darling, brother of deceased Florida State linebacker Devaughn Darling, has been granted a release from his scholarship with a caveat. Devard cannot transfer from Florida State to another university in Florida. That seems sort of heartless for a school that did not give Devard medical clearance to play football after the death of his brother. It was found that Devaughn had sickle cell trait that could have been a factor in his sudden death in conditioning drills in February. Devard could have stayed on scholarship at Florida State but wouldn't have been allowed to play football. He reportedly is looking at Arizona or Tennessee. What, exactly, is Florida State afraid of with the no-Florida restriction, that Devard Darling will come back to burn them playing for Florida or Miami?
• There are rumblings that Central Florida is moving closer to finally finding a conference home. An announcement could come from Conference USA or the Mid-American Conference by the end of the month. Conference USA needs one more member to split into six-team divisions by the time South Florida joins in 2003. The 13-team MAC would even itself out with another member. The addition of Central Florida would give it two seven-team divisions. Orlando isn't a bad roadie either for the likes of Toledo, Akron, Marshall ... aw heck, the whole MAC.