Extras on this extra day: Points (LeBron), pay (Coughlin), weirdness (Petrino)

(2/29) Although there have been no specific threats against Indiana University president Michael McRobbie, extra security has been added to his office after the forced resignation of basketball coach Kelvin Sampson. When Bobby Knight was fired by the school in 2000, thousands of students marched on the president’s house, set fire to trees and burned effigies of the prez.

LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points. James did it at 23 years, 59 days. Michael Jordan didn’t score his 10,000th point until he was almost 26.

Former Atlanta Falcon and now head Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino says his goal is to have the Razorbacks rated the No. 1 offense in all of college football. And he couldn’t manage to get Atlanta’s offense into the No. 3 spot in their four-team division. . . To no one’s surprise, defending national champion Louisiana State opened spring practice today without starting quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who has been indefinitely suspended by coach Les Miles. . . Another non-surprise, Georgia plans on using a two-back set on offense utilizing Knowshon Moreno and Caleb King in the same backfield.

Funny what a little win in the Super Bowl will do for your paycheck. From almost getting fired at mid-season to winning this year Super Bowl, New York Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin will make $21 million over the next four years.

FoxSports.com listed 10 teams to stay away from during March Madness. No. 1 on the list was Louisville while Notre Dame was second. The one I like is Xavier, which owns some impressive wins this season over big name schools, such as Indiana, Cincinnati, Auburn and Virginia.

Former Florida State and NCAA shot-put champion and only the second Rhodes Scholar out of FSU, Garrett Johnson is now studying at Oxford University. Johnson says the cheating scandal at FSU is concerning not because of the negative attention it has brought on Florida State but because it wasn’t a secret. "People knew what was going on," Johnson said. "For people in the institution to take the position that they were unaware of the situation is untrue."

Listen to Southern Sports Roundtable Saturday from 9-11 a.m. on WRGA 1470 AM/95.3 FM to discuss this with Dan Houston and me.

Perfect start to baseball season: Tribune willing to rename Wrigley for a price

(2/28) So who’s the college basketball champion of the state of Tennessee? Saturday, No. 2 Tennessee upset No. 1 Memphis. Then Tuesday, No. 14 Vanderbilt upset No. 1 Tennessee. So Vandy’s No. 1? Probably not but the win should get the Commodores into the Top 10.

Finally a college head coach of a major sport admitted that discipline is a real problem. After seeing eight of his players arrested in the 14 months he’s been in Tuscaloosa, Alabama football coach Nick Saban admitted that "enough is enough." Talk is cheap. Now do something about it.

Surely the world is coming to an end. The Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs, says it wouldn’t hesitate to sell the naming rights for Wrigley Field.

What’s going on at the University of Georgia with its tight ends? First, tight end coach Dave Johnson left to take a job at West Virginia. Then tight end recruit Dwayne Allen changed his mind at the last minute and signed with Clemson. Now sophomore tight end NeDerris Ward says he’s transferring.

With spring football practice under way on several college campuses, the question I am most interested in with the SEC is can South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia be the quarterback that Steve Spurrier thinks he can? In the ACC, I’m anxious to see what kind of impact David Cutcliffe will have at Duke.

One Internet rumor says Michael Vick is not separated from the regular inmate population at Levenworth and that the former Atlanta Falcon quarterback is paying a Mexican gang in the prison to keep him safe.

Retired basketball great Michael Jordan is reported to have lost more than $18,000 in a golf match to former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor last week in Florida. . . And if you needed another reason for disliking Terrell (T.O.) Owens, he was seen hanging out with Barry Bonds in Las Vegas.

Big 10 commissioner gets biggest check; SEC's Slive $400,000 behind

(2/27) Tennessee’s upset of No. 1-ranked Memphis over the weekend put the Vols atop both major college basketball polls. But more importantly, if the seeds were announced today for March Madness, UT would be No. 1 in the East, which would prevent either North Carolina or Duke from playing first-round games in Raleigh and second-round games in Charlotte - thereby never leaving the state.

Would you say there’s a youth movement on at the University of Texas football team? Head coach Mack Brown brought in 36-year-old Will Muschamp to coach on the defensive side of the ball and 29-year-old Major Applewhite on the offensive side.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens to MLB unsigned free agents Kenny Lofton, Mike Piazza and yes, home run king Barry Bonds. Rumors have it that both Tampa Bay and St. Louis may be interested in Bonds.

SI.Com offered up a salary list for commissioners in college athletics conferences. Big 10 commissioner Tim Delaney led the ratings with an annual salary of $959,000. Others of interest included the ACC’s John Swofford at $760,000 for second place, the SEC’s Mike Slive was fifth with $545,000 and No. 7 was the Big East’s Mike Tranghese at $468,000.

Terrelle Pryor, considered by many recruiting services as the No. 1 football player in the land, is still trying to decide among Ohio State, Michigan and possibly Oregon and Penn State. But perhaps he should consider playing basketball instead. Pryor had 39 points, 24 rebounds, 10 blocked shots and six assists (including a first half triple double) in the Boys AA basketball championship game against Beaver Falls.

Firing coaches isn’t cheap, as Indiana University has painfully discovered. The Hoosiers have paid out more than $4 million since 2000 to buy out coaches and administrators.

And finally, former LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey could be a top draft choice in the upcoming NFL draft but teams might pause after Dorsey’s recent pronouncement. The big tackle, when asked about his preferences, said, "I’d love to go to the Falcons. I’d love to be a bird." How bright can the guy be?

Dooley noted: ' Bama, Auburn, Tech named stadiums for successful coaches

(2/26) Just to prime your interest for next year’s college football season, as if it needed priming, there are two new head coaches in the SEC and 13 new coordinators. Think spring practice might be interesting?

Armon Bassett, one of Indiana’s starters, said he received a text message on his cell phone after the Hoosiers' basketball team beat Northwestern -- from former coach Kelvin Sampson. Can you believe it? Sampson can’t help himself. He’s still using the very technology that got him fired in the first place.

The New York Daily News named announcer Brent Musburger as it’s Dweeb of the Week. Musburger, in outlining the NCAA charges against former Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, said this: "We lived through that scene in Duke when people got all riled up over accusations. And I just want to see and have (the evidence) all laid out."

Despite raising eyebrows with an amazing 4.27 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden reportedly said he is battling not one but possibly two paternity suits and has not one but two children on the way. Do the Falcons really need to get into this after all the off-the-field problems they’ve had in the past?

Tony Barnhart of the AJC points out that Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia Tech have all named their stadiums after the most successful coaches in school history. Georgia, on the other hand, is going to name a garden and some athletics buildings for Vince Dooley, winner of 201 games, six SEC titles and one national championship.

In my Kmart advertisement that I received in the Sunday paper, there was my favorite golfer, John Daly, looking relatively svelte and handsome in a John Daly polo shirt, made especially for Kmart.

ESPN.Com has developed a power rating for teams going into spring practice. Clemson leads the way in the ACC but ESPN finds that Georgia Tech is no better than ninth in the 12-team conference, ahead of only N.C. State, North Caroline and Duke. In the SEC, Georgia, Florida and LSU are the top three in that order.

Weekend upsets--and no post-season for Georgia teams?

(2/25) Just a little cleaning up after the weekend . . .

After watching No. 2 Tennessee upset No. 1 Memphis, I came away with the feeling that neither of these teams will make it to the Final Four. Lack of defense on both sides and horrible free-throw shooting by Memphis will do them in.

And here’s something you don’t see every day -- Kansas State’s freshmen sensations Michael Beasley and Bill Walker scored 44 and 31 points against Baylor and the Wildcats still lost. . . Meanwhile, No. 14 Indiana won its first game after head coach Kelvin Sampson was bought out by the school, beating Northwestern. The Hoosiers' interim coach is Dan Dakich.

All in all, it was an upsetting weekend in college basketball. Eight of the top 25 teams lost including No. 5 Kansas, No. 8 Butler, No. 13 UConn, No. 19 Washington State, No. 20 St. Mary’s, No. 22 Texas A&M, and No. 25 Kansas State along with Memphis.

It appears that fans in the state of Georgia won’t have any post-season basketball team to follow. Georgia Tech’s season imploded at Virginia Tech and the Jackets are now 11-14, 4-7 in the ACC. Georgia lost to Vanderbilt and fell to 12-13 overall, 3-9 in the SEC.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Rick Camp, after serving two years in federal prison for conspiracy to steal $2 million from an Augusta Mental Health facility, is out and hoping to rebuild his life, says the AJC.

Phillip Fulmer must be feeling the heat from his Tennessee football team’s sudden rash of trouble. In just eight weeks, eight players have either been arrested or disciplined for breaking team rules. Fulmer pled his case on the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Web site. Plus Fulmer’s 2008 recruiting class was ranked no better than 36th in the country. Tennessee has been a fixture in the top 10 in recruiting for a decade.

The Sporting News’ mock NFL draft has the Atlanta Falcons forgoing a quarterback pick in the first round and going for former Arkansas running back and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden.

Memphis vs. Vols is the ultimate Tennessee Waltz

(2/22) The big showdown between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee will tip off Saturday night (9 p.m., ESPN) as a fight for the top spot as both teams won handily earlier this week. The Tigers won by 26 over Tulane and the Vols by 19 over Auburn in their warm-ups.

Can you identify the two in-state teams that last played when they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2? It was Duke and North Carolina, once in 1994 and again in 1998. The top-rated team leads 21-15 in meetings since 1985. . . And speaking of Duke, what’s happened to the previously No. 2-ranked Blue Devils, losing last weekend to Wake Forest and this week to Miami? Simple. The Deacons and Hurricanes both exploited the Devils’ glaring weakness, which is lack of presence in the middle.

LSU’s chances of repeating as national football champions took a hit earlier this week when quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was suspended -- for the third time in only eight months. The junior quarterback’s previous two suspensions had to do with breaking the law. This one was for breaking team rules.

Hey, even Tiger’s not that good. The oddsmakers at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas have installed Tiger Woods at 3-1 odds to win this year’s Grand Slam in pro golf.

The new McDonald’s All-Star team was announced this week and eight of the 24 players are headed for ACC schools. North Carolina landed three while Duke and Georgia Tech each got one. The Tech entry is Iman Shumpert, a No. 2 guard out of Oak Park, Ill.

The three huge NBA trades which transpired over the past few days failed to pay immediate dividends for any of the three teams. Jason’s Kidd’s return to the Mavericks was thwarted by a loss to the Hornets; Shaquille O’Neal’s debut with the Suns was dampened by the Lakers; and the Hawks’ Mike Bibby is now 0-2 with Atlanta.

And finally, skipping their senior year isn’t just for males in college basketball. Candace Parker, Tennessee’s All-America player, graduates at the end of the season and the junior says she wants to play in the Beijing Olympics and then pursue a pro career.

Latest recycling project: College football coaches

(2/21) As if the Duke-North Carolina rivalry wasn’t hot enough, Roy Williams of UNC took exception to comments made by the Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzewski during an interview. Coach K said Duke didn’t announce its injured players like other teams, apparently referring to Carolina’s much-publicized multitude of injuries this season. The Tar Heel coach said, "I don’t give a crap what somebody else says but coach their own damn team." There!

Blasts from the past. Keep that recycling going. Sparky Woods, one-time coach at South Carolina, has been named head football coach at VMI. . . Joe Kines, former UGA assistant, has been named defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. . . Bob Pruitt, the former Florida assistant and Marshall head coach, has been named defensive guy at Virginia.

The definition of moxie: Oregon State, 6-19, 0-13 in the Pac-10 and owners of a 15-game losing streak, interrupted host Washington’s basketball practice with trash-talking a day prior to their game with the Huskies, and then left an invitation on a UW player’s telephone to meet in the parking lot for a brawl. Washington declined the brawl but beat the Beavers by 40 that night.

West Virginia freshman sensation running back Noel Devine, who showed up on the Morgantown campus with a ton of baggage, is in hot water again. Devine, who was set to step into the shoes of departed running back Steve Slaton next year, is accused of beating up a WVU student along with other Mountie players.

Hot news for racing fans. Single NASCAR fans can utilize a brand new site called meetmeattheraces.com to help racing aficionados find a significant other.

The Carolina Panthers, to no one’s surprise, are interested in trying to sign former Atlanta Falcon tight end Alge Crumpler, who played collegiately at nearby North Carolina and who was released by Atlanta last week.

Little known and possibly little cared about factoid: Only two NCAA Division I teams have won national titles in either football, basketball or baseball in each of the last four decades, says the L.A. Times. One is Oklahoma, which won in football in 1974, 1975, 1985 and 2000, and the College World Series in ‘94. The other is Cal-State Fullerton, who won baseball titles in 1979, 1984, 1995 and 2004.

The Philadelphia Daily News says this year’s freshman basketball class may be among the top ever with Michael Beasley of Kansas State, UCLA’s Kevin Love, USC’s O.J. Mayo, Memphis’s Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon of Indiana. And that’s not even counting players like Duke’s Kyle Singler, Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson, Florida’s Nick Calathes and others.

Are Tech boosters about to pull a 'Gailey' on Paul Hewitt?

(2/20) Here we go again. It looks as if the same brainacs who were in such a hurry to get rid of Georgia Tech football coach Chan Gailey have now turned their somewhat limited attention to Yellow Jackets basketball coach Paul Hewitt.

Now before you start saying some of the obvious things, let’s quickly examine the firing of Gailey. He never had a losing season; he always took the Jackets to some kind of bowl game; he graduated the players who were able to graduate; and he was a super nice follow.

Sorry but the knock was that Tech needed someone who would energize the fan base - someone exciting and young and striving for perfection and wanting to kick some butt.

Enter Paul Johnson, from Navy of all place - the least exciting coach in 47 states and who runs a glorified wishbone. Remember Tech fired the last guy who tried to do that. And left in the wake were some fairly personable and exciting guys - Rick Neuheusel, Terry Bowden, Will Muschamp.

So now we come to Hewitt. Let’s see about his credentials.

He came in following a legend -- Bobby Cremins, who also was run off by this same brain trust but that’s another story.

Hewitt's first edition went 17-13 and made the NCAA playoffs. In his fourth year, the Jackets went all the way to the national championship game -- something they had never done before. In ‘04-05, Tech made it to the second round of March Madness and last year was 20-12 with another NCAA invitation.

In seven seasons, Hewitt has gone to the NCAAs four times and the NIT once. So obviously the thinking is he must be fired because this year, the team is only 11-13 and hasn’t looked very good.

There’s a reason for that - they’re not very good.

You can’t lose two first-round NBA draft choices, both freshmen, and still be good. Not when it wasn’t something that could have been foreseen. Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenden left Tech high and dry. Maybe you can lose one and still be competitive. Not both.

Did you really believe Hewitt had gotten dumber just since last year?

Paul Hewitt knows what he’s doing. His personality is exciting enough as far as college basketball coaches go. There are no APBs out on the Tech players as there are at other schools and he makes sure they’re in class.

But I believe it’s the same deal with firing the football guy. Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at that brain trust to see if you trust the brains.

Basketball teams streaking at Tech, UGA--the wrong way

(2/19) When Georgia Tech lost by a point to Miami over the weekend in basketball, it marked the sixth home loss for the 11-13 Yellow Jackets. Six losses at home are more than Tech suffered the previous two seasons combined. . . Things aren’t looking up for 12-11 Georgia, either. The Bulldogs visit Kentucky this week having lost seven of the last eight to the Wildcats and trail in the overall series, 108-22.

Unusual things that happened over the weekend: Phil Mickelson finally won in Los Angeles; No. 2 Duke lost only its second game of the season, this one to Wake Forest; and Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch combined to give the Roger Penske racing team its first win in the Daytona 500.

Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt has been suspended for the first five games of next football season and stripped of his scholarship after a weekend arrest on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an auto accident.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the San Francisco Giants’ players are glad that Barry Bonds is no longer on the roster. Pitcher Barry Zito says he and a lot of other players were uncomfortable in their skin with Bonds around.

SI.Com’s Stewart Mandel listed 10 new assistant coaches who would make an instant impact on their new football teams. Among those were Will Muschamp at Texas; Jon Tenuta at Notre Dame; Tony Franklin at Auburn; Norm Chow at UCLA; Dave Clawson at Tennessee; and Dan McCarney at Florida.

There’s talk in the Big East of adding a ninth football playing member. Mentioned as possibilities were Central Florida, East Carolina and Memphis.

And finally, if Indiana fires Kelvin Sampson as it is expected to do, the next head coach may be one of this trio -- Scott Skiles, former NBA coach; Steve Alford; or Dane Fife, both former Hoosier players. Why no mention of Mark Few at Gonzaga?

Dubious distinction: SI's Out-of-Shape Athletes list

(2/18) Surely it’s just coincidence that two days after the news hit that Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson was in deep trouble with the NCAA, former Hoosier coach Bobby Knight abruptly resigned as head coach at Texas Tech.

It looks like two of Atlanta’s pro teams mean business. The Falcons cut seven veteran players over the weekend, including tight end Alge Crumpler and quarterback Byron Leftwich, and there’s probably more to come. The Hawks traded four players to Sacramento, including former No. 1 draft pick Shelden Williams, for guard Mike Bibby.

Never, never give up. There’s always hope. John Wilson is a 53-year-old student at Penn State-Allatoona, who plays outfield on the Division III baseball team.

Here's a list you don't want to be on: SI.Com’s Most Out-of-Shape Athletes. The list was led by, who else, pro golfer John Daly. Others on the fat list include N.Y. Giants’ backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen (the former Kentucky player is listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds), Shaquille O’Neill, Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski (remember him from his FSU days?) and NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.

Remember Demetrius Jones, who started one game as the Notre Dame quarterback before transferring to Cincinnati? Jones could well be the starter for the Bobcats now that former QB Ben Mauk’s request for a sixth year was turned down by the NCAA.

If there is a team of destiny this year in college basketball, it would be Memphis. The Tigers trailed Alabama-Birmingham by seven points with 1:23 to go and managed to roar back for a one-point victory to up their record to 25-0. The last undefeated team in college basketball was the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. Memphis has one more major stumbling block - a date with No. 4 Tennessee next Saturday at Memphis.

And finally, former Georgia Tech and NBA basketball star John Salley was at the Daytona 500 over the weekend. The 6-foot-11 former player says he’s seeking ownership of a racing team in the Sprint series.

Nothing rocky about Tennessee teams' trip to the top

(2/15) The Georgia Board of Regents has lifted a decades-old ban on the use of college logos on burial items, according to the Atlanta newspapers. The ban was brought about in 1982, prohibiting logos on burial items, sex toys and alcoholic beverages. It’s unclear if sex toys and alcohol are still on the banned list.

This just in from Jamie May, sports cynic in North Carolina: "Rocky Top has replaced Tobacco Road at the heart of college basketball. Memphis, Tennessee and Vanderbilt -- not to mention the Lady Vols. Move over, fat Phillip Fulmer. Tennessee is basketball country."

SI.Com’s list of the Five Biggest Liars in Sports consisted of a tie for first place between former Atlanta Falcons Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino. Pete Rose came in second followed by Olympic track star Marion Jones, prep football player Kevin Hart and Nick Saban.

Here’s an astonishing factoid: In a recent report on former NBA players, it showed that 60 percent go broke within five years of retirement. That’s truly amazing in a league where the average salary is $5.2 million per year.

Already cashing in on his Super Bowl MVP performance, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is featured in a new Gatorade commercial. . . Phoenix Suns all-star guard Steve Nash, whose passion is environmental awareness, will wear a shoe from Nike called the Trash Talk Shoe, made from manufacturing waste.

If Georgia should end up playing in next year’s mythical college football championship game as many believe, the Bulldogs will have earned it. Not only do the ‘Dogs have to play the hated Florida Gators in Jacksonville but also must take to the road for games against Arizona State, LSU and Auburn.

And finally, he only needs 901 more wins to catch his dad. New Texas Tech coach Pat Knight, who assumed the duties when his father Bobby abruptly resigned last week, won his first game as head coach when his Red Raiders upset No. 18-ranked Kansas State this week. The young Knight is now 1-2 for his career.

Ky. coach might be dodging more than Cupid's arrows

(2/14) Happy Valentine’s Day.

But you can bet that Kentucky’s new basketball coach Billy Gillespie won’t be receiving any valentines from Wildcat fans. Kentucky was beaten 93-52 by Vanderbilt this week, scoring only 11 points in the first half. In fact, the ‘Cats had more turnovers (12) than points. It was the worst defeat ever in SEC play and the worst Kentucky loss in 19 years. The 'Cats record dropped to 12-10.

In the hard to believe department: Patrick Beverly is a 6-foot-1 guard for Arkansas who is averaging 11 rebounds per game for the Razorbacks in SEC games.

A story on a Portland TV station says Portland State and former Atlanta Falcon coach Jerry Glanville, after reading about the recruiting hoax perpetuated by Fernley, Nev., football player Kevin Hart, has asked that Hart’s coach send him game film of the lineman. There’s also a story in the Reno newspaper that the hoax may cost Fernley High School coach Mike Hodges his job, although I can’t figure that one out.

And if you just have to know, Georgia begins its spring football practice March 3 and finishes on April 5 . . . Proving that people will buy anything, the Miami Herald reports that 10 urinals were sold at last weekend’s Orange Bowl auction (four dating back to the 1940s) at $500 each.

Proving beyond a doubt that college basketball is a point guard’s game, since North Carolina lost Ty Lawson to a sprained ankle, it was taken into overtime by a very poor Florida State team, lost to Duke, barely squeaked by Clemson in double overtime and managed to overcome bottom-feeder Virginia by one point.

Yahoo.Com sports ranks the five most-underachieving college football programs over the past five seasons. They are Alabama, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Washington in no particular order other than alphabetical.

And finally, why is Kelvin Sampson still the head basketball coach at Indiana? He was hired away from Oklahoma where he left the program in shambles with NCAA violations and has now lied to the Hoosier brass and the NCAA about making phone calls to recruits. Maybe Bobby Knight will come back.

Tales of two dogs: Patty Hearst (!) and Vince Dooley

(2/13) The Orlando Sentinel ran a story pointing out that Florida State will open its football season against two Division I-AA schools - Western Carolina and UT-Chattanooga. The Seminoles traditionally HAVE opened against the likes of Miami and Clemson on Labor Day night but because of an academic cheating scandal involving football players, 12 scholarship players will be suspended the first three games.

In case you missed it, quarterback Justin Tuggle, son of longtime Falcon linebacker Jesse, signed a letter-of-intent with Boston College. His dad played at Valdosta State.

I don’t know how many of you watched the Westminster Dog Show this week but the owner of the award-winning French Bulldog was Patty Hearst. Yes, that Patty Heart. Far removed from the days when her image as a machine gun-totin’ revolutionary moll enthralled the nation, the 53-year-old is into dogs, big time.

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham, the lightning rod coach who was formerly at Stanford and Notre Dame, has a 13-year coaching record of 76-76-1.

It was no shocker that former Atlanta Braves’ pitcher John Rocker admitted to taking steroids. That helps explain some things.

Our crack state legislature is at it again. After wasting its tax-payers time and money coming up with a resolution to force college football into some kind of playoff system, our elected officials wasted more time and money this week concerning vanity plates for the University of Florida and University of Georgia alums. Ridiculous.

And speaking of Georgia, the south campus area which houses most of the Bulldogs’ athletics facilities will be named the "Vince Dooley Athletic Complex." And a new plaza will feature a 14-foot bronze statue of the former UGA football coach and athletics director.

Alabama's 4 Million Dollar Man needs some help with math

(2/12) Think about this for a minute. Steve Russ, the defensive coordinator at once-mighty Syracuse, left to take an assistant’s job at once-lowly Wake Forest. My how things do change.

Here’s an injury you just don’t even think can happen. Florida Panther hockey player Richard Zednik was rushed to a hospital and emergency surgery was performed after his throat was slashed over the weekend, severing his artery. The injury was caused when a teammate flipped in the air and his skate caught Zednik’s neck. He’s expected to fully recover.

There’s a growing consensus that Virginia defensive end Chris Long will be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL’s April draft. Other names which could show up atop the big board include LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and Darren McFadden, an Arkansas running back. Long is the son of former All-NFL player Howie Long.

Is this part of the new math? Alabama’s Nick Saban announced a signing class of 32 players, which exceeds both the annual signing limit of 25 and the overall scholarship limit of 85. Saban says he think he can make it work. Really? How?

College football is at least thinking about adding a "Rooney Rule" in its ranks. The Rooney Rule requires that NFL team searching for a head coach, must interview at least one minority candidate. Last year, with 28 head coach openings, Division I schools hired four minorities.

Something you don’t see in the AP college football poll. In this week’s basketball poll, Butler was No. 9, Xavier 12th, Drake 14th and St. Mary’s came in at No. 25.

Perhaps not in our lifetimes will we see the longest running losing streak broken in college basketball history, I think. Clemson has now lost to North Carolina in Chapel Hill 53 straight years. The Tigers blew a 15-point second half lead and lost to the Tar Heels in double overtime over the weekend. It’s just not in the cards.

And finally, Larry Brown has been mentioned as the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. If he should get the job, it would be the North Carolina graduate’s 12th head coaching - two in college and 10 in the pros. Brown is 1,285-853 in his career and is the only coach in history to win both an NCAA title (Kansas 1988) and an NBA title (Detroit, 2004).

A little home cooking for Duke, Carolina in March?

(2/11) For a guy who hasn’t won much and has made basketball irrelevant at his school, Georgia’s Dennis Felton seems to be in good standing . Felton is 69-72 in his fifth year in Athens and only 24-46 in SEC play. He’s lost six players over the last two seasons, including the top scorers from this year’s team, to either disciplinary reasons or to transfer

Charlie Weis, who built his reputation as a play-caller as he helped lead New England to three Super Bowls, won’t be calling the plays at Notre Dame this season. Weis has handed off the play-calling to offensive coordinator Mike Haywood.

College football fans won’t have to wait long to see an interesting game next season. Defending national champion LSU will open against Appalachian State, the three-time defending Division I-AA champ and you remember what happened when the Mountaineers opened against Michigan last year.

The coaching debut of Pat Knight at Texas Tech didn’t go well as the Red Raiders dropped a game to Baylor. . . It’ll be interesting to see if the NCAA puts its money where its mouth is concerning Davidson College in the NCAA basketball tournament. Davidson played perhaps the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, taking on Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and UCLA -- all away games. It lost them all. But if the Wildcats shouldn’t win the Southern Conference tournament, would they be awarded an at-large bid?

If the seeds were announced today for March Madness, they would be: Memphis, Duke, UCLA and Kansas, probably in that order. Let it be noted that if Duke (or North Carolina) should be seeded No. 1 in the East, it would play its first round games in nearby Raleigh and if either survives, its semifinal round games would be in Charlotte, barely getting out of sight of home for either round.

And finally, if there was anyone out there who wondered if Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s move to the Rick Hendrick racing team was wise, Saturday at Daytona should have answered any and all questions as he won the Budweiser Shootout in his debut with his new team.

Who has the top recruiting class? Depends on who you ask

(2/8) Let’s agree on one thing right up front. There is no consensus on the No. 1 college football recruiting class.

I checked in with ESPN, Scout.Com, Rivals.Com and the AJC, and there were three different No. 1s and four different No. 2s, just for instance.

But overall, it seems that the top class either belongs to Alabama or Miami with Notre Dame, Georgia and Clemson all fighting for a top-five spot. Florida State also seems to be in line for one of the top five or six spots along with LSU. Surprisingly, both Florida and Southern Cal were judged to be in the top 10 but not up there with the big boys. It should also be noted that Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami went 15-22 last season.

As far as Georgia Tech goes, there’s a convoluted story there. New head coach Paul Johnson was busy recruiting for his "system," and apparently his particular way of doing things doesn’t attract four- or five-star athletes. We’ll see over the next couple of years if Tech knew what it was doing in hiring the former Navy coach.

And speaking of the Yellow Jackets, last year’s starting quarterback, Taylor Bennett, has asked for and was granted a release to transfer to another school. It was common knowledge that Bennett’s drop-back-style didn’t fit coach Johnson’s offense. In fact, it’s doubtful if Bennett would have been the starter next season, regardless of who the head coach was.

I don’t want to read any more stories about tight end Dwayne Allen from Fayetteville, N.C., stiffing the Bulldogs to sign with Clemson at the 11th hour. Good God, get over it. Players change their minds. Be happy with what you got, Georgia. Move on.

There’s very little in the NBA that excites me but I love the trade of Shaq O’Neal from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns. Now maybe the big guy can win another world championship.

The sad story about Kevin Hart of Fernley High in Nevada being duped into thinking he was being recruited by several big-name football schools including Cal Berkeley was just that - a story. Hart, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman, admitted he made the whole thing up.

Odds of Falcons winning next Super Bowl? 100 to 1

(2/7) There is absolutely no doubt which sport is the favorite of America. Pro football was the top entry for 30 percent of American sports fans who participated in a Harris Poll. Baseball was second with 15 percent while college football garnered 12 percent of the fans and auto racing 10 percent. All other sports were in single digits. College football was particularly high among those with a college degree (22 percent) and Southerners (20 percent). Only three percent of those who live in the East keep up with colleges.

Believe it or not, the odds already are posted as to who will win next season’s Super Bowl. And guess what? New England leads the list at 4-1. The current champs, the New York Giants, are 10-1. And our beloved Falcons? How does 100-1 sound?

And speaking of pro football, can it really be true that the Seattle Seahawks named Jim Mora, the former Falcon coach, as coach-in-waiting when current coach Mike Holmgren retires at the end of next season?

There is a Web site that charts the games college basketball officials work. Steve Welmer leads all officials with 76 games worked through Monday of this week. In a total of 84 days, he missed working only 11. Question: How sharp can Welmer be after seven or eight straight days of flying around the country working every night? And if you want to know, the average pay is $1,000 per game plus expenses, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

After Bobby Knight stepped down this week, SI.Com ran an informal poll asking for what Knight would be most remembered. The choices were (1) His perfect 1976 season; (2) The all-time wins leader; (3) angry outbursts; (4) three national titles, or (5) dislike of the media. The winner was Angry Outbursts with 67 percent. Sad.

And finally a word on football signing Wednesday. We’ll have about as good an idea as to who did well in the football free-for-all as we did after Super Tuesday with the presidential free-for-all.

Super finale: A parade of viewers -- but not for Patriots

(2/6) How about this factoid? Among dad Archie, plus sons Peyton and Eli Manning, the three NFL stars played a combined 27 NFL seasons, threw for more than 76,000 yards and 518 scores. That makes them the most prolific quarterback family in NFL history. . .

The Giants upset of the New England Patriots Sunday was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 97.5 million glued to the tube. Only the final episode of M*A*S*H* drew more watchers as 106 million tuned in for that classic. . .

Talk about political blunders: Boston mayor Tom Menino announced last week that the New England Patriots’ victory parade would be held, well, yesterday. . .

In the Money, big time. Juanita Jordan, His Airness’ ex-wife, is expected to bank approximately $168 million from their divorce.

Love him or hate him, he’s gone. The enigmatic and often toxic Bobby Knight, who holds the record for men's college basketball wins with 902, resigned abruptly at Texas Tech this week. His son, Pat Knight, has taken over the Red Raiders’ program. The elder Knight was in Lubbock for six seasons, winning 20 games five times -- a record for Tech. Knight, 67, said it was simply time to go.

This is a sad story. Offensive lineman Kevin Hart of Fernley High School in Nevada announced his verbal commitment to Cal last week in front of a packed gym, TV cameras, radio, the whole nine yards. Only problem is someone had been impersonating Cal head coach Jeff Tedford. There was never a scholarship offer.

It looks as if the recruitment of Pennsylvania high school quarterback Terrelle Pryor, acknowledged as the No. 1 recruit in the country, is down to Ohio State or Michigan. Maybe there’s an outside chance for Penn State. Regardless, the 6-foot-6 speedster who ran for 37 touchdowns last season, is said to be able to single-handedly tilt the balance of power in the Big 10. Recruitniks say he’s a Vince Young clone.

And finally, Dick Vitale will be back tonight to announce the North Carolina-Duke basketball game. He’s been out more than two months after a throat operation. I’ve missed him.

Weis wants oath of allegiance from Irish commitments

(2/5) Just so you’ll know: With Eli Manning winning the MVP Award this year at the Super Bowl and brother Peyton winning it last year, how must this sit with older brother, Cooper, who is almost never mentioned. Cooper, two years older than Peyton and seven years older than Eli, was an outstanding receiver on the Ole Miss team. But an injury to his spinal cord forced him to give up football and an operation left his right hand slightly atrophied. He now works with an energy consulting company in New Orleans.

Disappointed in the lack of interest from college scouts, the New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady had to send out highlight tapes of himself in high school to get a college scholarship offer, says Newsday. Michigan liked what they saw and you know the rest of the story.

I admire Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis’ style. After losing two verbal commitments in the final days of last year’s recruiting battle, Weis is now requiring each player who commits to the Irish to take an oath that he’s coming and won’t change his mind.

Go figure. A federal judge has ruled that the Atlanta Falcons may not recover the $20 million bonus paid to quarterback Michael Vick in 2004. Vick is serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth for operating a dog-fighting ring.

The long-awaited matchup between No. 2 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina Wednesday may have lost a little of its glitter as the Tar Heels point guard, Ty Lawson, is questionable after spraining an ankle against Florida State Sunday.

The University of Oregon is asking the state legislature to approve a $200 million state-of-the-art basketball arena which would make it the most expensive basketball stadium in the country.

And finally, Bobby Bruton of Rivals.Com recruiting service lists his five top college recruiters. They included Bobby Bowden of FSU, John Blake of North Carolina, Rodney Garner of Georgia, Texas’ Mack Brown and former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron. I was surprised that Alabama assistant Lance Thompson didn’t make the top five.

A real futures market: Investing in potential Major League Baseball players

(2/4) Tired of hearing about the Super Bowl? Here’s some fresh, non-Super Bowl observations:

I can’t begin to convey the disgust I felt when I read that the Georgia House of Representatives voted 151-9 in favor of a resolution urging the NCAA to create a playoff system for college football. Seriously, with all the problems this state has, this is what our lawmakers are spending their time on?

Auburn and West Virginia have agreed to move their 2008 game from Saturday, Sept. 6, to Thursday Oct. 23. This game, one of the best out-of-conference match ups of the year, will be the ESPN national game that week.

Eddie Sutton, who came out of retirement to coach the University of San Francisco for one season, won his 800th game over the weekend as the Dons beat Pepperdine. Sutton became the fifth coach to win at least 800, joining Bobby Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and Jim Phelan. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski will be the next member of the club as he has 794.

I love this idea. Randy Newsom, a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians’ Class AA affiliate, set up a Web site through which fans could purchase a piece of his future major league earnings. Newsom has sold 1,800 shares of himself at $20 per share. The share affords the bearer .002 percent of his career pay. Major League Baseball and the Securities and Exchange Commission aren’t happy.

John Daly may not be winning on the PGA tour but the larger-than-life golfer is doing OK in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Daly was seen walking away from the Hilton hotel cashier’s cage with a bucket full of big bucks.

As popular as Mark Teixeira is with the Atlanta Braves, there’s a chance that agent Scott Boros will shop the slugger and former Georgia Tech player to teams like the Yankees and Orioles

ESPN ran a list of some of the odd nicknames of college teams. My favorites were the Banana Slugs of Cal-Santa Cruz, the Cobbers of Minnesota’s Concordia College, the Geoducks (pronounced gooey-ducks) of Evergreen State in Olympia, Wash. (that’s a clam), the Icabods of Washburn U. In Topeka, Kansas, and the Student Princes of Heidelberg, Ohio.

Calling out the ACC--and a NASCAR Super Bowl No-No

(2/1) I didn’t realize this but the Big East and the SEC have combined to produce seven of the last 12 national basketball champions and four of the last five. Hey, where’s the almighty ACC?

Rutgers University, buoyed by its recent football success, has approved a $102 million expansion budget for its football stadium. The renovation will add 14,000 seats to the New Jersey stadium.

Seminole Redux: Florida State will play the University of Colorado in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Sept. 27. This is the second consecutive season that the Seminole football team will play in Jacksonville. Last season, FSU beat Alabama 21-14 in front of 85,412 fans.

When I pointed out the other day that Southern Cal already has a commitment from the No. 1-ranked player in the class of 2009, an alert reader pointed out that the Trojans have five other commitments from that class, all ranked in the Rivals.Com Top 100.

Something happened this week that hasn’t happened in 24 years in college basketball. Kansas State, tired of seeing Kansas win on the Wildcats’ home court, ended Kansas’s perfect season by upsetting the previously unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Jayhawks, 84-75. Now Memphis is the lone unbeaten Division I team.

Major League Baseball had determined it was going to do a thorough background check on its umpires. But it seems MLB has gone too far. The questions being asked of the umps’ neighbors and hometown folks include whether they beat their wives, whether they use marijuana, host extravagant parties and whether (I swear this is true) they belong to the Ku Klux Klan. Amazing!

And finally, the obligatory Super Bowl note: Both NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson pick New England over the New York Giants.