We are the Missouri Mafia.

After graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism (the world's first!) some of us were smart enough to cover politics or government or go to where the real money is. TV.

The rest of us committed our lives to press boxes and stale hot dogs. If you watch or read about the NFL, NHL, NBA, baseball or colleges, we're there. It's a statistical probability. Missouri's J-school has pumped out so many journalists that Starbucks is jealous. There really is one on every corner or at least one Mafia member in every press box in the country.

We acknowledge each other with a slight nod and secret handshake that was taught to us by Daryl Moen and George Kennedy. http://mizzouwire.missouri.edu/stories/2007/journalism-defenders/index.php On Saturday, though, the Mafia has a problem. Our school's football team is playing to go to the national championship game. Normally that wouldn't be a problem because the possibility was so remote in the past -- ok, even three months ago -- that it was laughable.

This year pork sprouted wings, Hell's temperature plummeted and Missouri became No. 1.

Saturday, then, is the Mafia's biggest challenge. We are taught objectivity. There is a "No cheering in the press box" disclaimer read at every college football game in the country. Not that we would openly root for the Tigers. The only thing we would cheer for is a sub-three-hour game.

It's that we don't know how to act. There were a bunch of us roaming around the Mizzou Athletics Training Center on Monday with a lot less purpose than the players. It was media day prior to the Big 12 championship game. The players were giddy. We were confused. How does one approach such an event with visions of Tony Van Zant and Warren Powers (another insider reference) dancing in our heads?

Like the players are so fond of saying, it hasn't hit us yet. The J-School finally has a football team it can be proud of. Pride? Yeah, maybe that's the right word. You can be proud of your dad, even when he goes out to get the morning paper with his robe undone.

We can be proud of making it through Reporting 101, through the grind of turning out that paper (the Columbia Missourian), maybe even grad school. As true professionals we must treat Saturday night like just another assignment. No cheering in the press box. There are deadlines to be met. But somewhere deep down the Mafia spawned from the world's finest J-School will have to rub its eyes and pinch itself if the Tigers win.

We're No. 1. The football team will be too.

• Here's why Joe Paterno and Penn State were fighting to keep secret the coach's salary. Maybe they were embarrassed. According to this, http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10502810 Paterno is making only $500,000 per year. Joe, that's a Sun Belt salary. What do they consider bonus money in State College, pizzas?

• The NCAA lost a significant battle in an Alabama court. This should affect the way the NCAA identifies boosters in the future. http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10502638.

Breaking news: Tom Osborne is the new/old at Nebraska. It's true!

With an asterisk.

Osborne has basically named himself the interim coach while the search goes on. T.O. is savvy. The move allows him to recruit until the new guy is named. Expect the new coach to be named some time next week (midweek at the latest). We'll see how things play out with Bo Pelini coaching the SEC championship game on Saturday.

This just in Wednesday morning: According to bearcatlair.com, Nebraska has been given permission to speak to Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly. Kelly is 9-3 in his first season with the Bearcats. This is his third job in the last five years. However, Kelly is a hot property. His name has come up at Michigan as well. He led nearby Grand Valley State to two Division II national championships.

• Don't assume that Ohio State automatically gets to the BCS title game if Missouri loses.

Jerry Palm is reporting that LSU, if it wins in the SEC championship game, could vault ahead of Ohio State. The computers, Palm says, would favor LSU at 11-2 over Ohio State at 11-1.

• Key components of the BCS bowls -- Hawaii, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.

There are only four at-large berths available among the 10 slots. If Hawaii wins Saturday against Washington it almost certainly will qualify automatically among the top 12. The Warriors most likely would play in the Sugar Bowl.

Missouri pretty much has to beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game to get an at-large berth. If not, the Tigers go to the Cotton Bowl and Kansas, which Missouri beat, becomes a possibility in the Fiesta Bowl. If Missouri loses a close game to Oklahoma and remains in the top four, it would be automatic for the BCS -- unless another at-large team (most likely Georgia) finishes higher in the top four.

Kansas could get shut out if the other three at-large berths are populated by Hawaii (automatic in the top 12), Georgia (automatic in the top four) and Arizona State (a hometown possibility in the Fiesta Bowl).

Illinois has the most interesting situation. The Illini are currently No. 15 in the BCS. They need to get up to No. 14 to qualify automatically for an at-large berth. If that happens, the Rose Bowl might have a difficult decision. If Ohio State plays for the national championship, then the Rose Bowl will have to decide whether to replace the Buckeyes with a Big Ten team with three losses (Illinois) or a Georgia with only two losses.

The Rose Bowl traditionally favors its ties to the Big Ten but would a higher ranked Georgia team that hasn't been to Pasadena since 1943 be more desirable? It also helps Illinois' case if Tennessee (SEC) and/or Boston College (ACC) lose their conference championship games.

• Duke could do worse that Pete Mangurian. Who is Pete Mangurian? The New England Patriots tight ends coach. OK, that doesn't do much for you? Mangurian coached at Cornell from 1998-2000 and was Atlanta's offensive coordinator for three years.

He has let it be known that he wants to be a head coach again and wouldn't mind taking Duke. The guy ought to get credit just for saying that in public. Duke, though, has to take a serious look at a veteran coach who thinks he can get it done in Durham.

All it might take is one call from Bill Belichick to Duke AD Joe Alleva. Other names being mentioned: Middle Tennessee's Rick Stockstill and Tennessee's David Cutcliffe.

• If Georgia Tech is worried about Georgia grad Will Muschamp, it shouldn't.

Muschamp, defensive coordinator at Auburn, is a rising star whose name will continue to pop up for numerous openings. Georgia Tech is short sighted if it is concerned about something so shallow as a candidate's alma mater. Georgia and Georgia Tech aren't even in the same conference, they're just rivals.

Muschamp already has coached in the NFL with the Dolphins and was DC at LSU under Nick Saban during the national championship season in 2003. Who cares if he was a four-year letterman at Georgia where he was a safety? Don't limit yourselves GT.

Other names that have popped up at Georgia Tech: Rick Neuheisel, UConn's Randy Edsall, Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, Navy's Paul Johnson and Georgia Southern's Chris Hatcher.

• If Mississippi State was worried about where Sylvester Croom's degree was from (Alabama), it wouldn't have hired him.

• Wake Forest wouldn't have taken a second look at Virginia grad Jim Grobe.

• South Carolina wasn't concerned that Steve Spurrier was a Florida grad.

• Wisconsin Bret Bielema is an Iowa guy. That didn't seem to matter when he thrived at Kansas State and was recommended at Wisconsin by Barry Alvarez.

• Kyle Whittingham got the Utah job despite being from BYU.

• Houston's Art Briles is the top candidate at Baylor. Who knows, with his wide-open offense he might be able to get it done. Mike Leach's former running backs coach at Texas Tech is 34-28 in five seasons with the Cougars, including the 2006 Conference USA championship.

Briles interviewed Tuesday but hasn't begun contract negotiations yet.

• Word is that Mike Singletary made outrageous demands of Baylor for salary for him and his assistants. Singletary was considered a slam dunk in Waco but threw the school under the bus when he pulled his name out. The former Bears linebacker intimated that the school wasn't committed to winning.

• What to get your football-crazed loved one for Christmas? How about a url? The Lincoln Journal Star this week broke down how it tracked a plane bearing Nebraska AD Tom Osborne and school chancellor Harvey Perlman. The pair reportedly visited LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini on Sunday.

Go to flightaware.com and follow these directions per the Journal Star:

1. On the flightaware.com home page, type in Lincoln's airport code, LNK, under the "Flight Tracker" tab. Click "View Airport Activity" and you'll see a screen showing the planes that have come and gone through Lincoln over the past few days.

2. Rest your mouse over any plane's ID code, and you'll find out who owns the plane.

Astute Husker fans will notice a twin jet (N7NE) owned by Norfolk Iron & Metal Co., whose president, Dick Robinson, is a prominent booster, arrived in Lincoln from Atlanta at 8:42 p.m. Monday.

Atlanta, it so happens, is the home base of Parker Executive Search, the search firm helping find NU's next coach. Hmmm ...

3. Click on that jet's ID, N7NE, and you'll find more: On Sunday, that plane took off for Baton Rouge, home of Pelini, defensive coordinator at Louisiana State and a front-runner for the NU job.

Coincidence? Not quite.

Now you know.

So, hypothetically, let's say you check the airport's schedule and find a jet departed for Winston-Salem, N.C., this morning and is due back late tonight. Coach Jim Grobe rolls off the tongue pretty nice, doesn't it, Osborne?

These ADs aren't messing around are they?

The season doesn't end until Saturday and we already have 11 openings and one filling. Texas A&M's Bill Byrne waved goodbye to Dennis Franchione on Friday and hired Mike Sherman on Monday. More on that in a bit. I don't think I've ever seen this many mass changes so early. It's still technically in-season. We all know why it's happening. Schools want to stay caught up in recruiting. Before I break down the firings, resignations and hiring, let's get current.

Houston Nutt to Ole Miss is heating up. As I write this Monday night, Nutt barely had time to be unemployed before Ole Miss picked up the scent. Why not? The guy was a consistent winner at Arkansas. The fans and administration got too wrapped up in the Springdale 5 thing and, frankly, Nutt couldn't keep his mouth shut at times.

That has nothing to do with his coaching ability. He outsmarted Les Miles on several fronts Friday when Les Miles wasn't outsmarting himself.

Ole Miss isn't far from being a bowl team again. Remember, it won 10 games in 2003 with Eli Manning. Nutt will be a calming influence in Oxford. Yes, Fayetteville, I said calming influence. Can't wait to see ol' Houston play the Hogs for the first time with his next Darren McFadden in the backfield for the Rebels.

Now, onto the job changes:

Most curious: Jeff Bower resigning at Southern Miss. It might have been a case of Bower not winning enough but what did people down there expect? You aren't going to get much better than 14 consecutive winning seasons and a bowl in 10 of the last 11. If Bower was pushed out, that's a damn shame. Then Southern Miss deserves the worst because it had the best.

On the ball: Byrne, who acted swiftly and decisively in getting Sherman. I know the guy was a head coach with the Packers but I'm trying to find more sizzle. But if he's Byrne's guy then he's good enough for me. More ADs could learn from guys like Byrne and Louisville's Tom Jurich. They keep a constantly updated list of candidates in their pocket just in case.

Undecided: Strip away the hype and Tom Osborne is currently trying to decide between a defensive coordinator whose defense has gone south and a man with two years head coaching experience -- in the MAC.

That's Bo Pelini and Turner Gill for the uninformed. Neither of those really knock me over at this point. The best combo might be Pelini as head coach and Gill as his offensive coordinator.

Two names that won't go away are Paul Johnson at Navy and Jim Grobe at Wake Forest.

Slick Rick: As first reported on CBSSports.com Rick Neuheisel is back in the college game with both feet. He's trying to get Georgia Tech. It would be great to have him back in the game. The guy has been known to skirt a few NCAA rules but he's great with the media and will schmooze whatever fan base he inherits.

Perfect for a place like Georgia Tech, which is in a pro town and lives in the shadow of Georgia.

Disaster: Poor Ted Roof. Someday Duke is going to wake up and make a commitment to football. It isn't coming anytime soon, though.

Just riffing: Now that Ole Miss is gone, I still like Terry Bowden at UCLA. The guy would own L.A. -- as soon as Pete Carroll went to the Chargers, of course.

Most pitiful position: Washington State doesn't have a recruiting base, it doesn't have much money and it keeps falling further and further behind in the Pac-10. Mike Price would be perfect to resurrect his Cougars before retiring.

Rick Neuheisel seemingly is ready to get back in the college game.

There are indications that the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator will try to become a candidate in a burgeoning college job market. CBSSports.com has learned that, in particular, Neuheisel's name has come up regarding the openings at both Mississippi and Georgia Tech.

Houston Nutt, who resigned Monday at Arkansas, also is expected to become a strong candidate at Ole Miss. Sources indicated that Nutt did not resign but was forced out at Arkansas.

Disgraced after a NCAA Tournament betting pool scandal at Washington, Neuheisel has spent five years away from college. He was fired in 2003 after it was discovered he had bet in a NCAA Tournament pool. He became an assistant high school coach and worked his way up in the Ravens organization.

The 46-year-old former Oklahoma and UCLA quarterback took over for Bill McCartney at Colorado in 1995. He then left for Washington in 1999. Neuheisel's college record is 61-35.

The openings were coming fast and furious as coaches at Duke, Georgia Tech, Arkansas and Southern Miss either were fired or resigned on Monday. It looks like Nutt won't be out of work long. Like Tommy Tuberville and Steve Spurrier before him, Nutt could change jobs within the conference.

Heard on the street corner:

•  Franchione to SMU?

•  Texas A&M seems to be closing in on Texans assistant Mike Sherman.

•  Nebraska has received permission to talk to Buffalo's Turner Gill according to the Buffalo News. This could go one of two ways. Either Tom Osborne is serious about hiring Gill, who has a paucity of experience as a head coach or Gill will be asked about becoming the offensive coordinator. Perhaps for Bo Pelini.

•  Nick Saban is about to find out what a real catastrophe is after losing his final four games and being Auburn's, um, witch for the sixth straight time.

That was as honest and forthcoming as Tom Osborne has been in public.

In announcing Bill Callahan's firing Saturday morning, T.O.'s candor was amazing. The man who tried to shut out the public and media for a quarter century gave us a peek behind the curtain.

• Amazingly, Callahan could have saved his job. When Osborne took over, Nebraska was 4-4. Callahan was told if he won out, he wouldn't be fired. Anything less, Osborne said, and nothing was certain.

"You can't get blown out," Osborne told the staff.

Of course, they did, famously, to Kansas.

• Osborne told a riveting story of how he almost got fired after his fourth season. To that point Osborne was 37-10-2 with three bowl wins.

"I'm glad you won tonight," Osborne quoted a booster saying after a Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Texas Tech, "because if you hadn't, you'd have been fired."

"That was the nature of the deal here. Believe me, I would not expect anything from any coach here that I hadn't experienced myself."

Osborne also added that did not talk to any candidates before the end of the season.

"There may have been some coaches that have been contacted ...," he said. "I honestly don't know who those people are or what their answer may have been."

So where does Nebraska go from here? LSU's Bo Pelini has certainly lost some luster. The Tigers defense got worse in the second half, surrendering an average of more than 30 points over the past six games.

Navy's Paul Johnson has a Nebraska-friendly offense but his defense leaves something to be desired. If he would listen, Wake Forest's Jim Grobe might be the perfect candidate.

The feeling here and elsewhere is that Buffalo's Turner Gill will have to go somewhere else first (or win big at Buffalo) before coming "home" to Nebraska.

Quick weather update from the center of the college football universe. On Tuesday, it was 75 degrees in Kansas City and I was wearing shorts. Today (Wednesday) it's 32 and snowing. Hey, that's the Midwest. That's also a factor in Saturday's Armageddon at Arrowhead.

If it's cold that's going to impact Missouri's offense. The only team in the country to score at least 31 points in each of its games will be dealing with temperatures in the 40s. There's not supposed to be any precipitation but the wind tends to swirl in Arrowhead. Again, bad news for the Tigers.

• • •

From: Me
Subject: My pick for the Kansas-Missouri game

Dear Critics,

Get bent.

I'm starting to get holy hell for picking Kansas. What, I'm supposed to pick Missouri because my degree is from there?

I actually first picked Missouri for the "Expert Picks" section of the site, then changed it to Kansas. I have this feeling that KU will be able to hold the ball and keep it away from the Missouri offense. Plus, Kansas just does not make mistakes. It is one of the leaders in turnover ratio.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and if you're coming here bring a jacket and gloves. It's going to be cold.

OK, so you might have had this Missouri-Kansas thing shoved down your throat (although not yet, I'm not through writing this week).

Then look South. There's a unique three-way tie brewing in the Big 12 South this weekend. If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma and Texas A&M beats Texas, OU, Texas and Oklahoma will be tied at 5-3.

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head: All three teams would be 1-1 against each other.

Second tiebreaker is division record: Again, it would be a tie at 3-2.

Third tiebreaker: The three tied teams would have their records compared against the next-highest team in the division. That would be Texas Tech and Texas A&M which would be tied at 4-4 in the South. All three teams would be 1-1 against Tech and A&M.

Fourth tiebreaker: Records compared against the next-highest team in the division. That would be last-place Baylor which was beaten by all three teams.

Fifth tiebreaker: Record against common opponents in the North. The three teams don't have a common opponent in the North.

Sixth tiebreaker: Per rule b.5 of the Big 12 procedure the winner of the South would be the highest-ranked BCS team. That most likely would be Oklahoma.

The Sooners are 10th this week. Texas is No. 13. Oklahoma State is not ranked in the top 25 of the BCS. It could claim a share of the division title but couldn't go to the conference championship game.

Yours truly is quoted in this story about an extensive Heisman survey by the Eugene Register-Guard. One-hundred twenty-two sportswriters were polled. Amazingly, Dennis Dixon was No. 1 in each region of the country. This was prior to Thursday night's Oregon-Arizona game.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=21881&sid=7&fid=2

The latest shot in the dark at the BCS bowls:

BCS: LSU vs. Oregon
Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii/Boise State
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Orange: West Virginia vs. ACC champion (Clemson, Boston College, Virginia or Virginia Tech)
Rose: Arizona State/USC vs. Michigan

Notes: The BCS title game obviously is predicated on LSU and Oregon winning out ... I have the WAC winner in the Sugar Bowl because I am predicting that Michigan will beat Ohio State this week. That most likely allow the winner of the Boise-Hawaii game on Nov. 23 to automatically qualify for an at-large spot ... Kansas' spot in the Fiesta is assuming it loses to Missouri on Nov. 24 to finish 11-1 ... If Oklahoma wins the Big 12 then that most likely knocks out a 10-2 Texas from an at-large spot. The Fiesta couldn't invite Texas because that game would be a rematch ... The ACC race is down to the four teams listed above. Clemson-BC play for the Atlantic Division title on Saturday. The Virginia-Virginia Tech winner on Nov. 24 wins the Coastal Division.

•  The BCS allows only two teams per conference. This is a year when the Big 12 (Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas), Pac-10 (Arizona State, USC, Oregon) and SEC (Florida, Georgia, LSU) could each have at least three BCS quality teams.

•  Remember when the human element was unacceptable? Officials were idiots? We had to have replay?

Now we've come full circle. Because replay officials didn't stop games to review key plays, the Pac-10 and Big Ten are facing embarrassing situations. As of Thursday morning, the Big Ten still hadn't explained why the game wasn't stopped after an 80-yard run by Illinois' Daniel Dufrene against Ohio State. Replays clearly showed that Dufrene fumbled into the end zone after being shoved from behind. Illinois was allowed to keep the ball and went on to score its first touchdown in an upset victory.

Oregon State AD Bob De Carolis was upset at a blown call near the goal line that almost cost the Beavers their victory over Washington. Running back Yvenson Bernard was ruled to have fumbled near the goal line when replays clearly showed he was down -- either in the end zone for a touchdown or at the Washington 1.

Pac-10 officials were accused of letting the game get out of control. Four players were ejected and eight personal fouls were called.

"God forbid if we had lost," De Carolis told the

Portland Oregonian

. "They said we would have had a riot on our hands. It would have been like a soccer game in some third-world country. That's how dangerous it could have been with night, the alcohol, and the total frustration with the mismanagement of the game."

•  "Fear the Hat" shirts have sprung up around LSU saluting Les Miles' stove-pipe/trucker lid that he wears for games. Should we fear the hat?

"Only if the hat is coming at you," Miles said this week.

• That was disturbing Saturday for all of us who have admired what Steve Spurrier has done. But after a 51-31 loss to his alma mater -- only the second time Spurrier has had 50 scored on him -- you have to wonder if he wonders if he can get it done at South Carolina.

There are going to be a lot of openings this offseason and Spurrier isn't getting any younger. He's probably still upset at the school because of those two recruits who were denied admission in the summer.

• Bill Callahan sounded like he was auditioning for his next job on Monday. Nebraska has some OK numbers in total offense and passing. Somehow, the Huskers' soon-to-be-former-coach translated that into a classified ad for his soon-to-be available services.

"It's kind of a testament that this system works," Callahan said. "It worked last year, it worked the year before and it continues to put up high and impressive numbers."

If by "works", Callahan means giving up 70 one week, then scoring 70 the next we beg to differ. That, friends, is known as a push, and a rather ugly one at that.

"He's a product of the system," Callahan said of quarterback Joe Ganz who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. "This is a player that we've developed and you could see his development ooze all over the field on Saturday."

Where was that oozing earlier? Oh yeah, almost forgot. Ganz is playing only because he couldn't beat out senior Sam Keller who is now out for the season.

•  By the way, save this to go along with your collection of pet rocks, bell bottoms and Nehru jackets.

•  Where do old Gator quarterbacks go? Last week, Chris Leak declared himself eligible for the AAFL draft in January. The All American Football League debuts next year with teams playing in several college stadiums in the South.

Leak went to camp with the Chicago Bears as a free agent but wasn't signed to a contract. What's next, Shane Matthews as coach? Actually, yes. Matthews is heading up Team Florida.

•  Don't be surprised if Nevada ends Hawaii's dream on Friday night. The Warriors have never won in Reno. Of course, the teams have barely played (11 times overall). Nevada is 3-0 at home against Hawaii.

•  Remember when Charlie Weis was the genius and Ron Zook was the idiot?

Valerie Vogler is the Tim Tebow of her sport.

LSU's senior goalie has led the women's soccer team to its first NCAA Tournament berth. I am so proud. My second cousin was named to the SEC all-tournament team after leading the Tigers to the tournament semifinals.

Vogler comes from a long line of great soccer players in St. Louis. Of course, I'm not one of them.

This is one time when I can yell "Tiger Bait!" Go Valerie.

Interesting that Mike Leach can get fined $10,000 for ripping officials, but that Mike Gundy is lauded for his verbal assault on a reporter. Guess it just depends on if the person(s) being degraded is in the room or not ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2007
BIG 12 CONFERENCE SANCTIONS TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL COACH MIKE LEACH
Irving, Texas -- In accordance with the Big 12 Conference Principles and Standards of Sportsmanship, the Conference has issued a public reprimand of Texas Tech University head football coach Mike Leach for his comments following Saturday's game against Texas.

In addition, the Conference also assessed a $10,000 fine for Leach's post-game remarks and put him on notice that any future such behavior will result in a more serious penalty, including a possible suspension.

"Coach Leach's public statements called into question the integrity and competence of game officials and the Conference's officiating program," stated Commissioner Dan Beebe. "Accordingly the seriousness of this violation warrants a public reprimand and the largest fine issued to date by the Conference."

Beebe noted that coaches are an integral part of the game officials' evaluation process, which enables them to express concerns and address specific issues privately. Coaches are also able to submit video of calls for review to the Conference for feedback.

• While we're on the subject of officials, the Pac-10 is looking into this play in the Washington-Oregon State game. I thought every play was supposed to be reviewed. It's up to the instant replay officials to stop the game.

Oh, but wait a minute, this was the Pac-10. Their officials have quite a, um, track record.

November 13, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Walnut Creek -- The review of the officiating in the Washington-Oregon State game on Saturday by the Pacific-10 Conference will continue today, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced.

"We will receive the so-called 'coaches' tapes' today which will allow us to observe the actions of all of the officials throughout the play on which OSU's Yvenson Benard was ruled to have fumbled at the goal line. We need that information to allow us to conclude our review."

Washington returned the ball to near midfield and the ball was snapped for the next play before the game was stopped for review by the instant replay officials.

Hansen indicated an additional announcement would be made when the review had been completed.

MGoBlog.com is reporting that Lloyd Carr will announce his retirement next week.

The blog cites three anonymous sources. This is passed along as a public service so don't freak out and say CBSSports.com is reporting ...

That's what blogs are, a free and open forum to toss this kind of stuff around.

Bad Saturday for Wyoming's Joe Glenn. First, he guaranteed a victory over Utah. Then he lost to utah, 50-0. Then he lost it against Utah. In this picture Glenn is shown flipping off the Utah sideline. The Utes weren't exactly sitting on the ball at the end. Coach Kyle Whittingham called for an onside kick up big in the third quarter.

"Got my big Irish mouth going," Glenn said after game.

"You open your mouth and you're accountable," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "That's what I stress to my players all the time. You say something stupid, you're accountable."

Glenn said he didn't remember lobbing the bird.

• In the Sunday 7, I pointed how that last week might have been the highest scoring week ever. More than a quarter of the teams that played scored at least 40 points. Amazingly, there were four that didn't score. Temple, Utah State, Wyoming and Miami were beaten by a combined score of 181-0.

• In 906 previous games before this season, North Texas had given up 70 points twice. It has done so twice in 11 weeks this season.

• Miami quarterbacks have completed only 10 of 35 passes the past two games.

• For the first time since 2005, Ohio State is not No. 1 in the BCS

• Don't know what this means, but four of the top five winning streaks at this moment are held by non-BCS schools:

1. Hawaii and Kansas, 10
3. Boise State, 8
4. BYU and Utah, 6

• Going into the Miami game, Virginia had scored five points in the third quarter all season. According to the school, that's the lowest point total in any quarter of any team in the country.

Then the Cavaliers exploded for a touchdown in the third quarter on Saturday.

• Colt Brennan's injury was described as nothing more than a "mild concussion." The Hawaii quarterback went down in the fourth quarter after a vicious shot from a Fresno State defender. Brennan tied the NCAA career mark with his 121st touchdown pass.

• Coach of the week? Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom got the Bulldogs bowl eligible against his alma mater, Alabama. This is great on a lot of levels. Croom is the first black football coach in the SEC. His job was in danger before posting this bowl season. Croom has worked so hard to build up a program that was in tatters when he took over for Jackie Sherrill.

The Harris Poll is out as of 3:34 pm ET giving us more clarity on the BCS.

It looks as if the top four are going to be LSU, Oregon, Kansas and Oklahoma.

The surprise is at No. 3 where Kansas is comfortably ahead of No. 4 Oklahoma. The Jayhawks are going to be closer to No. 2 Oregon than Oklahoma. It is becoming evident that Kansas is going to play for the national championship if it wins out.

Rounding out the top 10: (remember, this is just an estimate until the official standings come out)

5. West Virginia; 6. Missouri; 7. Ohio State; 8. Arizona State; 9. Georgia (highest-ranked two-loss team); 10. Virginia Tech.

I can't say it better than my friend Todd Jones at the Columbus Dispatch.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Illinois sent the national championship race into a blender.

That's fitting, because No. 1 Ohio State got Juiced.

Illinois quarterback Juice Williams threw a career-high four touchdown passes against the nation's best defense, upsetting the Buckeyes 28-21.

The BCS standings now will be jumbled again as LSU and Oregon likely move up to the 1-2 spots when the standings are released Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the Illini pulled one of the biggest shockers in a season full of shockers. A 15-point underdog, Illinois ripped through the nation's No. 1 scoring defense (9.7 points) and total defense (221 yards per game).

Williams, who had thrown only eight touchdown passes all season, threw scoring passes to four different players.

It was Ron Zook's first victory over a No. 1 team as a head coach.

Guy Morriss is out at Baylor and the favorite to replace him is 49ers assistant Mike Singletary.

Singletary has little coaching experience, much less head coaching experience. But he is a legend at Baylor (and as an NFL player). It can't get much worse in Waco, so why not?

• One of the best quotes of the week, from Texas A&M tight end Martellus Bennett: "We all knew what was ahead anyway. I mean anybody could see it.

"It's a business. It's just like when you're at work and all your co-workers come around telling you, 'Hey man, the boss isn't happy with you.' You get your pink slip. You better watch out."

Bennett was referring to the impending departure of coach Dennis Franchione.

Here's the BCS Nightmare Scenario courtesy of collegebcs.com (no unbeaten teams at the end of the regular season):

ACC (1 team with one loss): Boston College is the only team with fewer than two losses.

Big 12 (2): Kansas and Missouri or Oklahoma.

Big East (1): Connecticut or West Virginia.

Big Ten (1): Ohio State is the only team with fewer than two losses.

Pac 10 (2): Arizona State and Oregon.

SEC (1): LSU is the only team with fewer than two losses.

• As promised, here is where Central Florida's Kevin Smith stands compared to the state of Florida's best backs.

Game: Rushing Attempts

1. Kevin Smith, UCF: 43 at Southern Miss, 2007

2. Errict Rhett, UF: 41 vs. Georgia, 1993

3. Willis McGahee, UM: 39 vs. Virginia Tech, 2002

Edgerrin James, UM: 39 vs. UCLA 1998

Emmitt Smith, UF: 39 vs. Alabama, 1987

Ottis Anderson, UM: 39 at Florida, 1978

Season: Rushing Attempts

1. Emmitt Smith, UF: 284, 1989

2. Willis McGahee, UM: 282, 2002

3. Andre Hall, USF: 270, 2005

4. Kevin Smith, UCF: 269, 2007

5. Errict Rhett, UF: 250, 1992

6. Kevin Smith, UCF: 249, 2005

7. Errict Rhett, UF: 247, 1993

8. Edgerrin James, UM: 242, 1998

9. Earnest Graham, UF: 240, 2002

Career: Rushing Attempts

1. Errict Rhett, UF: 873, 1990-93

2. Alex Haynes, UCF: 742, 2001-04

3. Kevin Smith, UCF: 724, 2005-present

4. Emmitt Smith, UF: 700, 1987-89

5. Ottis Anderson, UM: 691, 1975-78

6. Travis Minor, FSU: 664, 1997-2000

Season: Rushing Yards

1. Willis McGahee, UM: 1,753, 2002

2. Emmitt Smith, UF: 1,599, 1989

3. Kevin Smith, UCF: 1,448, 2007

4. Edgerrin James, UM: 1,416, 1998

5. Andre Hall, USF: 1,374, 2005

6. Andre Hall, USF: 1,357, 2004

7. Emmitt Smith, UF: 1,341, 1987

Career: Rushing Yards

1. Errict Rhett, UF: 4,163, 1990-93

2. Warrick Dunn, FSU: 3,959, 1993-96

3. Emmitt Smith, UF: 3,928, 1987-89

4. Greg Allen, FSU: 3,769, 1981-84

5. Kevin Smith, UCF: 3,560, 2005-present

6. Alex Haynes, UCF: 3,359, 2001-04

7. Ottis Anderson, UM: 3,331, 1975-78

Season: Rushing Touchdowns

1. Willis McGahee, UM: 28, 2002

2. Greg Allen, FSU: 20, 1982

3. Kevin Smith, UCF: 18, 2007

4. Edgerrin James, UM: 17, 1998

5. Tim Tebow, UF: 14, 2007

Emmitt Smith, UF: 14, 1989

Buford Long, UF: 14, 1952

Eddie Dunn, UM: 14, 1938

Career: Rushing Touchdowns

1. Greg Allen, FSU: 44, 1981-84

2. Warrick Dunn, FSU: 37, 1993-96

3. Emmitt Smith, UF: 36, 1987-89

4. Stephen McGuire, UM: 35, 1989-92

5. Kevin Smith, UCF: 34, 2005-present

Errict Rhett, UF: 34, 1990-93

Season: 100-Yard Games

1. Willis McGahee, UM: 10, 2002

2. Emmitt Smith, UF: 9, 1989

3. Kevin Smith, UCF: 8, 2007

Clinton Portis, UM: 8, 2001

Fred Taylor, UF: 8, 1997

Emmitt Smith, UF: 8, 1987

Ottis Anderson, UM: 8, 1978

8. Kevin Smith, UCF: 7, 2007

Edgerrin James, UM: 7, 1998

Errict Rhett, UF: 7, 1993

Career: 100-Yard Games

1. Emmitt Smith, UF: 23, 1987-89

2. Warrick Dunn, FSU: 21, 1993-96

3. Errict Rhett, UF: 20, 1990-93

4. Kevin Smith, UCF: 17, 2005-present

5. Greg Allen, FSU: 16, 1981-84

6. Alex Haynes, UCF: 15, 2001-04

7. Clinton Portis, UM: 14, 1999-01

Travis Minor, FSU: 14, 1997-00

Edgerrin James, UM: 14, 1996-98

Fred Taylor, UF: 14, 1994-97

Neal Anderson, UF: 14, 1982-85

Season: 200-Yard Games

1. Kevin Smith, UCF: 2, 2007

Andre Hall, USF: 2, 2004

Willis McGahee, UM: 2, 2002

Emmitt Smith, UF: 2, 1989

Greg Allen, FSU: 2, 1981

Career: 200-Yard Games

1. Greg Allen, FSU: 4, 1981-84

2. Kevin Smith, UCF: 3, 2005-present

Andre Hall, USF: 3, 2004-05

Emmitt Smith, UF: 3, 1987-89

Sammie Smith, FSU: 3, 1985-88

6. Rashad Smith, FIU: 2, 2002-04

Willis McGahee, UM: 2, 2001-02

Edgerrin James, UM: 2, 1996-98

• If 24 started in 1994:

Wow, Pete Carroll just trashes himself in this Q&A with the L.A. Times. Carroll says he should have never played John David Booty against Stanford after it became clear the quarterback was hurt.

Some serious second-guessing and soul searching here. Another reason to love Pete. His emotions and his heart are out there every day.

More than one person has mentioned lately that West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez might top Texas A&M's wish list at this point.

Why? There appears to be a faction inside that wants a younger coach. Auburn's Tommy Tuberville still has a lot of support in College Station, but he is 53. Rodriguez is 44. Gee, 53 doesn't mean a guy is ready for a walker. In fact, that is the prime of a head coach's life.

The question is, would Rodriguez come? He turned down $2 million per year from Alabama last year and signed another extension with West Virginia in September. It pays him $1.4 million annually through 2013, but more importantly for Rod, he got long-promised athletic and academic support upgrades.

Rodriguez is a West Virginia guy. Money won't necessarily pry him loose.

I found this blog that I wrote in July which kind of explains things.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- It's taken a few months but it's fairly clear how the Rich Rodriguez-to-Alabama thing went down. This is relevant because we are now in the belly of the beast at the SEC media days.

The guy who eventually got the job will make his appearance at the Wynfrey Hotel on Thursday. Only Princess Diana will have had a bigger entrance.

Meanwhile, West Virginia booster and Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick recently spoke to SportsLine.com.

Remember that the story broke in early December that Rodriguez had "agreed in principle" to an Alabama deal. Two days later Rich Rod was standing in front of his team saying he was staying.

What happened?

At the time, Rodriguez was in Jacksonville for a Gator Bowl event after having spoken to Alabama officials. He then picked up the phone and called Kendrick in Arizona.

"He said, 'I really don't want to leave,' Kendrick said. "I told him he needed to be specific about what he needed. He put some things on paper and faxed them to me the next morning. The university president and I put together a plan. Literally, later that day there was a deal."

At that point, Rodriguez was, at best, the fourth-highest paid coach in the Big East, way below what he deserved considering his contributions to the program.

It wasn't really about salary, although Rodriguez did get an extension. He wanted an academic center and raises for his assistants. Sources said there was a feeling that the school administration had been dragging its feet after promising Rodriguez those upgrades.

"Emotionally, if Rich was not tied to the university, this probably couldn't end the way it did," Kendrick said. "Rich and his wife really are really are Mountaineer people. In universities like that one, in a small state, there's a pride that goes with being a Mountaineer."

Read between the lines and here's how it probably went down:

Rodriguez was getting frustrated about the promises made to him about the upgrades. When Alabama came calling it provided him with the leverage for getting those upgrades.

It appears that Rodriguez' representative, after speaking to Alabama, may have leaked the "agreed in principle" news to get West Virginia off the dime. It certainly got the attention of Kendrick, a major, major player at the school.

If West Virginia didn't respond properly, Rodriguez had a $2 million-per-year job with all kinds of perks at Alabama. But I think he really did want to stay in Morgantown. I can't picture his lovely wife Rita going through the meat grinder in Tuscaloosa.

Rodriguez continues to deny he had any kind of agreement with Alabama. If nothing else, Team Rodriguez played the situation perfectly. He got his extension, his academic center and raises for his assistants without much damage.

• Texas is still Texas, which means at 8-2 it could still flex BCS muscles because it's ... Texas.

Even though those three Big 12 teams are in the top six, the Horns could be a BCS player at 10-2. Here's how it would work:

It's looking like Kansas or Missouri might have to win the Big 12 to get to a BCS game. In other words, no at-large berth because of Texas' 1) fans; 2) television appeal and 3) brand name.

At 12-1 (losing the Big 12 title game) or 11-1 (losing to Missouri in the regular season), the Jayhawks could still be trumped by Texas. The BCS bowls are free to pick whomever they want as an at-large team provided it has at least nine wins and is ranked in the top 14.

In that scenario, Kansas probably would be higher ranked, but Texas has that brand name and a legion of fans that would travel easily to the Orange or Sugar Bowls, the most likely landing places. While Kansas has had a great season, bowl executives still aren't sure how many fans the school would bring.

The same is true to an extent with Missouri. The Tigers would be 11-2 losing in the Big 12 title game and might fall to the Cotton Bowl if Texas or Kansas get an at-large BCS bid after the Big 12 champion.

• Larry Sinks is an entrepreneur. He's also being sued by the University of Kansas for trademark infringement. Sinks owns Joe-College.com on Massachusetts in Lawrence. He sells the best, although perhaps unlicensed, T-shirts around.

His staff has come up with "The Fighting Manginos" shirt for KU football. The run of 100 was sold out in one day on Friday. As mentioned in the lead note, "Thank God for Todd" (Reesing, the quarterback) is a big seller as, "Hey Nebraska, Go Shuck Yourself."

The ever-popular Muck Fizzou (tranpose the first letters of each word) are worn regularly at Missouri-Kansas games. University officials aren't enamored with "KU Swim Team" shirts that show a swimming sperm. The KU coach is "praised" with such slogans as, "Our Coach Beat Anorexia". If you have to ask what that means you don't follow college football.

• Frank is my dentist. Frank graduated from Oklahoma. Frank swam for OU back in the 1970s when, as I recall, the football team wasn't too bad either.

Frank's dog is named Stoops.

Cut Frank in half and he'd bleed crimson ... and white.

This week, Frank is freaking out.

He can't believe that Kansas has passed almighty Oklahoma in the BCS standings. The No. 4 Jayhawks edged ahead of No. 5 OU by .0038 of a point. That's not much. As I told Frank, right now Kansas deserves to be at No. 4. It is one of only three undefeated teams. The argument is not between Kansas and Oklahoma, it is between Kansas, Ohio State and Hawaii -- the three undefeated teams.

There is no argument between the nine one-loss teams in the BCS. At least for supremacy among those nine. As I told Frank, if you have lost a game at this point you have no argument. You've lost a game.

Sure, it seems that Kansas needs help at No. 4. It is significantly behind No. 3 Oregon and No. 2 LSU. But Jerry Palm (see Tuesday night's blog) has said that might not matter. A 13-0 Kansas could rise to as high as No. 2 and play in the national championship game. Oklahoma needs the same type of help but more of it. Why? The Sooners have lost a game to Colorado. That loss looks worse all the time as the Buffs have sunk to 5-5.

But for now, Frank, calm down. The bottom line is this Oklahoma-Kansas thing is going to be decided on the field some kind of way -- in the Big 12 title game or before if either team can't make it that far.

More help for the Kansas cause on Tuesday night. Central Michigan clinched the MAC West by beating Western Michigan 34-31.

Kansas has been criticized for its schedule but beat the defending MAC champions 52-7 on opening day. Now the Chippewas (6-4) are back in the MAC title game.

That should help Kansas' schedule strength which currently is No. 79 on collegebcs.com. That compares to No. 51 for Ohio State, No. 5 for LSU and No. 1 for Oregon.

If you've got a subscription to collegebcs.com you can access Jerry Palm's comprehensive breakdown of the BCS contenders at http://collegebcs.com/subs/

It looks like Arizona's Mike Stoops and AD Jim Livengood are going to hold on.

Arizona president Robert Shelton said Monday that both will be back next year. Stoops had come under fire for a disappointing record (16-29) in his fourth season; Livengood for hiring Stoops and, before him, John Mackovic.

But the Wildcats (4-6) have posted consecutive wins over Washington and UCLA to move to the periphery of bowl consideration. It's a longshot but they would get to a bowl with season-ending victories over the league's two best teams -- Oregon and Arizona State.

Arizona is not flush with money and one report estimated it would take at least $4 million to fire Livengood and Stoops and hire a new staff.

More fallout from Kansas' epic win over over Nebraska:

•  Kansas scored 76 points Saturday. That is as many as ACC Coastal Division-leading Virginia has scored in its last four games.

•  Nebraska allowed a combined 336 points in winning back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995. This year's team has allowed 359 points.

•  In the last six quarters, Nebraska's defense has allowed 1.12 points per minute. That's 101 points over the last 90 minutes of play against Texas and Kansas.

•  Oklahoma State has blown leads of nine, 38, 19 and 21 points to Texas since 2003. In those games the 'Horns have rallied back to win by outscoring the Cowboys 160-0.

In this business, sometimes you judge the success of your weekend by the traffic.

It was bad heading from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa for LSU-Alabama. According to reports, a state trooper crashed while chasing a suspect on 20/59 backing up traffic for hours. There were varying reports whether the trooper was killed or not, so we'll leave it at that.

Thankfully, we got off at Exit 97 and took the back roads to Tuscalooa. Not before, though, a stop at Jacks for the some chicken fingers to go. Fruit? They don't have any fruit in this state.

Anyway, we're waiting in line and this young Alabama fan approaches us and asks if we're going to the game. Of course, we say.

"Where'ya from," he says.

This is where it gets complicated. Me, I'm from Kansas. My colleague is from Florida. That answer was like showing a dog a card trick. Young Bama Fan couldn't comprehend that two people from such diverse locales would come to Alabama to watch a football game.

Worse than that, we portrayed ourselves as "fans". We weren't pulling for anyone, just wanted to see the game we told him. God forbid, we tell YBF that we're sportswriters. That would have set off a dizzying array of questions that have led to, gulp, further conversation.

And maybe a threat if YBF called up some of my Bama columns over the years.

This is not to disparage the young lad. He gave us short cut directions that got us to T-town in plenty of time. Descending into the Bama game-day atmosphere reminded me of a game I covered a few years back at Pittsburgh. I remember it being like Dante's Inferno. At night. Loud. Raucous. Alcohol-fuled. Highways overhead trapped the music and barbecue smoke to create an atmosphere like it was the last day on earth for the Pittsburgh revelers.

Same thing Saturday without the highway overpasses. On a brilliant day, Tide and Tiger fans were getting after it. My favorite was competing coeds from each school doing shots before 2 p.m.

"Park that ---- and get over here," some guy in a cape said to me as we drove by.

No thanks. To paraphrase: I'm a man. I'm 50. I do not need that aggravation. At least not before 2 p.m.

Anyway, big ups to Alabama and Tuscaloosa. We were made to feel welcome as we always are in the South.

• For the eighth consecutive week the Rocky Mountain News Heisman poll has a new leader (total points followed by first-place votes in parentheses).

1. Dennis Dixon, Oregon, 47 (8)
2. Tim Tebow, Floria 30 (1)
3. Darren McFadden, Arkansas 23 (1)
4. Chase Daniel, Missouri 16
5. Pat White, West Virginia 10

Headed to Tuscaloosa for what they're saying is one of the all-timers.

What is it about these LSU fans that compels them to drive long distances to attend games without tickets? Do they want to see Nick Saban lose that bad? There are some things about the SEC I still don't understand.

• Best shirt seen on LSU's campus lately: "We have a new rival. It's f------ Alabama."

• Happy birthday Nick Saban, who turned 56 on Halloween.

• They are openly comparing Pittsburgh freshman tailback LeSean McCoy to Tony Dorsett.

At least Dorsett himself is openly comparing McCoy to himself. Dorsett watched McCoy last month and said, "No. 25 (McCoy) looks a lot like No. 33."

McCoy is the nation's most productive freshman tailback, averaging 115.6 yards per game. With 10 rushing touchdowns, McCoy (from Harrisburg, Pa.) is two away from Dorsett's freshman record set in 1973.

Harrisburg? How did this kid get away from Penn State? Good for Dave Wannstedt, who needs to win three of his last four to qualify for a bowl. It would be inspiring to see Wanny ride McCoy to a bowl. The Panthers (3-5) have Syracuse this week, following by Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia.

• You need to know Louie Sakoda. You need to know Louie Sakoda, because few people do.

Utah's junior might be the best combo plate in the country. Best punter/kicker around.

As a kicker, the San Jose, Calif., native has made 15 of 17 field goals for the Utes, who have won five in a row. As a punter, he has averaged a Mountain West-leading 44.2 yards per punt while placing an amazing 18 balls inside the 20.

"There is actually (a trick to it)," Sakoda said. "You can only do so much to up your percentages. The rest is on your cover guys.

"To get that trajectory, you tilt the nose of the football up quite a bit. It will allow you to make contact with the ball higher up in the air. You can still put all your leg into it, and then it won't go as far, obviously."

Sakoda found his football future decided one day in Pop Warner ball. Every kid was asked to kick a football.

"I go up," Louie said, "and boot it way over their heads."

His 88 percent success rate on field goals (the only misses have been from 45 and 48 yards) is third nationally. Punter after punter from the West has lofty averages kicking mostly at altitude. But Sakoda had one of his longest (62 yards) at Oregon State.

A quick check of his Myspace page shows that these are heady times for Sakoda. He has just turned 21, and the page is absorbing congratulations for friends. Sakoda has just become a finalist for Ray Guy Award (best punter). All-American status as a kicker is going to be tough with Arizona State's Thomas Weber being perfect (15-for-15). Within the conference, New Mexico's John Sullivan is tied for the national lead in field goals per game (2.38).

But if there was an award for best combo plate ...

• Hawaii is in the middle of a stretch where it will play one game in a 28-day period. It has played once since Oct. 12 (Oct. 27, New Mexico State) and will not play again until Nov. 10 against Fresno State.

• The Pac-10 avoided a PR disaster earlier this week. Until Monday, the Arizona State-Oregon game was only going to be shown in Oregon and Arizona. ABC had picked Oregon State-USC, and Fox selected Washington State-Cal. That left the biggest conference game off the year off national television.

How does a league let something like that (almost) happen?

The Worldwide Leader graciously stepped in and saved us all.

• Wake Forest has scored nine non-offensive touchdowns. That's more than Florida International's total touchdowns (eight) for the season.

• Apropos of nothing: Jonathan Papelbon scares me. If he wasn't pitching, I get the feeling he'd be featured on America's Most Wanted. There's only so much John Lithgow you can take. A BoSox lookalike who does the River Dance is way over the top.