AP

Michigan’s edge-of-your-seat 35-31 victory over Notre Dame, which marked the first night game at the Big House, was certainly special in a lot of ways, both to the fans and the U-M program.

As a result, Michigan athletic director David Brandon wants to help the players remember that night by allowing them to keep the retro-inspired jerseys they wore during the game.

“They love those jerseys,” Brandon told The Associated Press. “I walked out of the locker room, checked with compliance and got the go ahead. The reason they’re getting the jerseys is they really want them and NCAA rules allow us to do it because it was a special event and the cost was under a threshold.”

The jerseys are fun, and the intentions are good, but the immediate concern becomes the possibility of players selling those items for money.

And, honestly, it’s disappointing that it comes to that conclusion right away. But, that’s the reality because it’s been a problem on more than one occasion over the past year.

“I think some school has probably made that a point that you’re not supposed to do that,” said U-M defensive end Ryan Van Bergen. “So, I think it’s pretty clear that you’re supposed to just hold onto them. I don’t see anybody trying to get rid of those any time soon.”

I’m sure there are 20 Ryan Van Bergen’s to every kid who sees this as an opportunity to bank on what was a significant event in recent Michigan football history, but if a signed Denard Robinson retro jersey shows up in a tattoo parlor in the greater Ann Arbor area*, then Michigan looks bad, even if the idea was cleared by the NCAA at the time.

If Michigan really wants to commemorate the win without the risk, then make the jerseys a parting gift to the athlete once they leave the program or graduate.

(*note: just an example, people. Don’t freak out)

Yesterday we noted that reserve Missouri cornerback Tristen Holt was involved in leaving the scene of a car accident on Saturday evening.

While Holt still faces the legal ramifications of his actions, MU coach Gary Pinkel has decided to show Holt his way out of the program, according to multiple media reports.

For a description of the incident, below is an excerpt from the Columbia Daily Tribune:

According to the Columbia police probable cause statement, Holt allegedly crashed his Volkswagen Jetta into another driver’s vehicle outside the Drury Inn near Bernadette Drive at 2:40 p.m. Saturday. When asked by the driver to exchange insurance information, Holt drove away from the scene.

A witness to the accident gave police Holt’s license plate number and he was tracked down and arrested at 4:45 p.m. According to the statement, the victim’s car was damaged on all four side panels and the driver’s side headlamp. The estimated damage was $3,000.

Leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident is a class A misdemeanor, unless there’s a physical injury to the other party or property damage exceeding $1,000. In either case, the violation is considered a class D felony.

Holt was issued a $4,500 bond and taken into custody at Boone County Jail and released on bail.

Holt, a redshirt freshman, has not been listed on any of the two-deep depth charts since the beginning of the season.

AP

It didn’t take long for Oregon State coach Mike Riley to name a starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

Earlier today, we noted that Riley would choose between freshman Sean Mannion, who took a majority of the snaps for OSU in Week 2 against Wisconsin, and incumbent starter Ryan Katz sometime this week or next.

“We’ll have discussions during the week about it,” Riley said. “I liked the idea (of a dual quarterback), but I didn’t like how it went.”

Turns out, Riley didn’t need as much time as he had stated previously, as Mannion was announced as the starter earlier today.

“This guy just kept rising and, in our mind, earned the right to be a starter,” said Riley.

Katz has been taking snaps with the Beavers’ second-team offense and could still see the field in some capacity. However, barring an injury, it looks like Mannion will be the future at quarterback for Oregon State.

(Big thanks: the Oregonian)

AP

Exactly one week after a false start initiated by the school, three suspended Ohio State players are back in the good graces of the NCAA.

In a release, OSU announced that junior running back Jordan Hall, sophomore defensive back Corey Brown, and junior defensive back Travis Howard have been reinstated after serving a two-game suspension.  The sanctions resulted from the players receiving envelopes with $200 in cash at a charity event in Cleveland last February.

Each player will have to repay $200 to charity before they are eligible to compete.

“The university appreciates the NCAA’s expeditious response in reinstating these three student athletes,” said athletic director Gene Smith in a statement.

Head coach Luke Fickell announced last Tuesday that the three players — two of whom were starters entering the season — had been reinstated and would be available for Week 2 after sitting out the opener.  Three days later, however, the NCAA announced that the players “are not cleared to compete in the game on Saturday with Toledo” and that “the nature and scope of their violations merit a minimum two-game suspension.”

The NCAA added that “the facts submitted by the university have raised further questions that need to be answered before the reinstatement process is complete”; apparently, those questions were answered to the NCAA’s satisfaction.

It should also be noted, though, that the release from OSU stated “[t]he enforcement investigation into the Ohio State University is ongoing.”  That investigation is separate from the one that resulted in the school’s appearance in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions last month.

So, uh, yeah. Someone at West Virginia’s season-opening game against Marshall wore a shirt that said “West F—ing Virginia”.

Unfortunately for you all, this here is a family site, and I cannot display the image of the aforementioned attire — which can be found at your local department store next to the tuxedo shirts and across from the Dale Earnhardt Jr. memorabilia — nor can I really link to it.

Thankfully, there is an alternative.

But I digress…

In light of the incident, WVU athletic director Oliver Luck has sent out a letter asking that all fans who attend the Mountaineers’ next home game against LSU be on their best behavior.

Here it is:

Mountaineer fans:

During the opening game of the 2011 WVU football season, one of the ESPN cameras showed a young man wearing a blue t-shirt with “West F##### Virginia” on the chest. Based on the TV rating of the game, this picture was seen by at least a few million people around the country. I think you would agree with me that this is not the image of our University and our state that we want to promote.

I would like to ask you to help me convince people who are wearing these t-shirts to reconsider their choice of attire. I recognize that the First Amendment protects free speech, and as a lawyer, I am more than familiar with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the landmark 1971 case, Cohen vs. California, which is the law of the land regarding public institutions (like WVU) and protected speech. But as my dad used to tell me, ‘just because it is legal does not mean it is right.’ And I certainly believe that people wearing these offending t-shirts at Mountaineer games, or anywhere else, for that matter, are damaging the reputation of our state and its flagship institution of higher learning.

I would like to request that if you see someone wearing one of these t-shirts that you politely ask him or her to change or to cover it up. Even wearing it inside-out would be an improvement. As you know, we have a big home football game against LSU coming up next Saturday and we would like to present a more favorable image to the millions of football fans from around the country who will be watching the game. Be polite, be courteous, be friendly-but do speak up.

Thank you for your support of the Mountaineers!

In a completely unrelated story, a source close to the situation has informed me that the beer sales at Mountaineer Field are going just swimmingly, thank you.

But in a more directly related, serious tone, all eyes could very well be the WVU-LSU game on Sept. 24. The Big East recently noted that ESPN will exercise its option for a six-day window to announce the specific network (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2) and time for the matchup, meaning it could be the featured game for Saturday Night Football if both LSU and WVU win this weekend.

Three months after appearing in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions to answer allegations of violations committed by, among other sports, its flagship football program, Boise State has heard the NCAA’s final ruling on the case.

And, suffice to say, The Association didn’t feel the self-imposed sanctions the Broncos slapped on themselves back in May were sufficiently stiff.

In its 73-page report released Tuesday, the NCAA found “that the scope and nature of the violations in five sports over a lengthy period of time, five years, in combination with a continuous pattern of violations in the men’s and women’s tennis programs demonstrate a lack of institutional control.”

The secondary violations involving the football program, which were initially found by BSU’s compliance staff and self-reported to the NCAA, stem from 63 incoming players receiving impermissible benefits that totaled just over $4,900.  The benefits involved, the school stated in its official response to the NCAA inquiry this past May, “impermissible housing, transportation or meals, where an incoming student-athlete was provided a place to sleep (often on a couch or floor), a car ride or was provided free food by an existing student-athlete.”

The “services” rendered ranged from $2.34 to $417.55.  All $4,934 has been reimbursed by the five dozen or so players involved.  The violations occurred between 2005 and 2009.

As a result of those violations, BSU will see a reduction in scholarships from 85 to 82 in 2011, 2012 and 2013.  The program had previously announced its decision to strip itself of three scholarships for this season; obviously, there have been an additional six scholarship losses tacked on by the NCAA.

Boise also self-imposed a sanction that reduced the number of preseason practices the football program was allowed to have this year and next from 29 to 26.  In addition to that, the NCAA docked the Broncos three contact practices during the spring sessions in 2012, 2013 and 2014, dropping the maximum allowed from 12 to nine.

Perhaps the only good news for the football team is that, unlike the other sports involved in the investigation, they were not hit with any recruiting restrictions.  The program will be on three years of probation from Sept. 13, 2011, through Sept. 12, 2014.”

The school has released statements addressing the NCAA’s decision.

“We defended the athletic program to the best of our abilities at the hearing and had hoped our self-imposed sanctions and corrective measures would be sufficient,” said Boise State President Bob Kustra.

“A number of decisions have been made since the beginning of the investigation that have demonstrated our commitment to the NCAA process,” Kustra said.  “Boise State will have a diligent and meticulous approach to compliance, with a new level of leadership and accountability. The infractions and subsequent penalties have left us no margin for error going forward, and have changed the nature of oversight required.”

“Like Dr. Kustra, I was surprised by the findings. I am also disappointed,” said Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen.  “However, it will not have an impact on our on-field efforts.  At this time we are completely focused on winning Friday’s game at Toledo.

Wisconsin cornerback Devin Smith‘s injury status has gone from “indefinite” to “definite” — and not in a good way for Bucky fans.

During a Big Ten teleconference earlier today, coach Bret Bielema said that Smith underwent foot surgery on Monday following an injury he suffered in Wisconsin’s 35-0 win over Oregon State and will miss the remainder of the 2011 season.

Technically, Smith’s recovery time is expected to be four-to-six weeks, but since Smith, a senior, has a redshirt to burn, he will use it and come back 2012.

“As we all know, the world works in mysterious ways,” Bielema said. “So, fortunately for us, Devin is a kid that played right away as a freshman. So, we’ll be able to file the appropriate paperwork and he’ll be able to get a redshirt out of this season and be able to join us again next year for a second senior season.”

UCLA coach (for now) Rick Neuheisel has spent the last three years giving post-game speeches after every home win or loss.

Not anymore.

After the Bruins’ 27-17 “victory” over San Jose State, Neuheisel decided not to stand before the UCLA crowd to address the game like had done so many times before.

“I’m appreciating their participation at the ballgame and appreciation their loyalty to the program,” Neuheisel said to the Los Angeles Daily News. “I wanted them to know everything wasn’t lost when things didn’t go well and how much we appreciated them on days that it did.

“The media wasn’t carrying that message. The media was making it more about me and my conversation. I talked about it with my bosses. They both agreed it was the prudent thing to do. When and if I feel the need to speak to the group, the fans that are so supportive, I’ll be happy to go back and share.”

You have to admire Neuheisel’s willingness to stand and face encouragement and scrutiny equally — he was booed off stage after his post-game speech following a loss to USC last season — but the former quarterback’s honeymoon is long gone unless he starts winning and fast.

AP

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Mannion got all but seven snaps in Oregon State’s 35-0 shutout loss at the hands of a much better Wisconsin, but it appears the original plan was to use fellow quarterback — and returning starter from a year ago — Ryan Katz more often.

But, the Beavers got behind quickly and Mannion, who appears to be the better true passer of the two, ended up trying to catch up.

Going forward, coach Mike Riley said he’ll probably nix the idea of using a “dual-quarterback” offense — not to be confused with using two quarterbacks, which is still very much in play.

“We’ll have discussions during the week about it,” Riley told the Corvallis Gazette-Times. “I liked the idea (of a dual quarterback), but I didn’t like how it went.”

Riley added that he planned to name a starter during the bye week and stick with that decision for the rest of the season, starting with Week 4′s game against UCLA. Based on Week 2′s performance, Mannion would be the natural front-runner.

“It doesn’t mean we won’t have a package for [the No. 2 QB],” Riley said. “There are things they do (better than the other). We have to be ready to use them.”

After starting his first game of the 2011 season in a loss to Alabama Saturday, Penn State tight end Kevin Haplea (pictured, No. 82) apparently decided to simultaneously drown his sorrows over the loss and celebrate his start with an adult beverage or two.

The only problem?  Haplea’s only 19.  And a policeman viewed his sudsy endeavor.

Thus, Haplea received a citation from a state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officer for being an underage in possession of alcohol, the Centre Daily Times is reporting.

The officer witnessed Haplea receiving the alcohol from an adult outside of Beer Belly’s Distributor in State College; the unnamed adult is also facing a charge of providing alcohol to a minor.

The incident occurred a few hours after the Nittany Lions’ 27-11 loss to the Tide.

Haplea started the game thanks to an injury to Andrew Szczerba; it was his fourth career start, with the other three coming last year.  The sophomore did not record a catch in the Tide game.

After missing Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma State due to an appendectomy performed three days earlier, wide receiver Juron Criner is officially listed as questionable for Arizona’s game Saturday against No. 6 Stanford.

There appears to be some optimism, however, that Criner could be available.  Then again, the optimism is coming from the same coach who said he expected the receiver to play last week even as he knew there was no chance of that happening, so who knows.

Regardless, Mike Stoops updated Criner’s on Monday, saying that the earliest the All-Pac-10 player a year ago would be cleared to practice is Thursday, the final practice before the game with the Cardinal.  Whether or not Criner practices doesn’t appear to matter to Stoops because of the type of elite athlete the player is.

“Juron is very unique in his ability to adapt very quickly,” Stoops said. “That wouldn’t be the perfect scenario (Criner playing without practicing). You would like to give him a day. Juron has played so much football here. He understands what we’re doing. …

“Juron is a very unique athlete. It’s not like you and me going in there and getting this done. He’ll come back a lot quicker.”

As far as his attempts at stretching the boundaries of both logic and medical science last week, Stoops claimed that it was done merely to keep OSU from gaining a competitive advantage.

“There has to be some privacy and protection for us,” Stoops said. “That’s the only reason. I never deceived or lied — or tried not to — if there wasn’t a reason to benefit our team. I always have to protect those guys first. We’ll always do that, and I think that’s my right.”

At various points last week after Criner underwent his appendectomy, Stoops told the media that Criner would travel with the team to Stillwater and expected the receiver to play.  Neither happened, nor were they even in the realm of possibility.

While former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro was leading the Hurricanes out on to the field of the Orange Bowl and roaming the sidelines, little did Miami’s athletic or university administration know – or, at least that’s their story – that Shapiro was allegedly handing out impermissible benefits to players.

As UM tries to pick up the pieces from the largest football scandal of the year, steps are now being put in place to tighten up control the program has over its players. The Associated Press reports that all guests without a “game day operations purpose” will not be allowed field-access passes.

Donors will still be allowed on the field before the game, but will be accompanied by authorized university employee and must stay in a designated area. Recruits and parents will also be allowed on to the field before the game, but like boosters, will be accompanied by a university employee and must leave the field 22 minutes prior to kickoff.

In some cases, former UM players will be allowed on the sidelines during games, but all exceptions must be approved by president Donna Shalala and athletic director Shawn Eichorst.

The NCAA investigation of Miami’s program is ongoing, so in addition to helping prevent future cases like the Shapiro allegations, consider this one effort by the university to show the NCAA that they take allegations and violations seriously.

The NCAA has already suspended eight Miami players for at least one game this season in the aftermath of the Shapiro allegations.

After being relatively quiet on the arrest front since the start of the new season, the pace of off-field legal shenanigans has picked up of late.

The latest to find themselves with a legal issue?  Iowa State’s Donnie Jennert (not pictured) and Walker Lee Woods (not pictured either).

According to the Des Moines Register, the Cyclones duo was arrested by members of the Ames Police Department very early Sunday morning and hit with a couple of misdemeanor charges.  Woods, a sophomore running back, was charged with public intoxication and simple assault, while Jennert, a sophomore wide receiver. was charged with public intoxication.

The arrests occurred a few hours after ISU’s thrilling three-overtime win over in-state rival Iowa.  Based on the first part of the paper’s account of what led to the arrests, at least one of the players was very loudly proud of the upset.

Jennert was seen walking down the middle of the street screaming. When an officer called out to him, Jennert ran. Officers found him hiding in a backyard and described him as “highly emotional” and had the odor of ingested alcohol.

…

Woods was involved in a physical fight, and admitted to drinking three to four mixed drinks within the previous 3 hours. His blood alcohol level was .08.

A female victim stated she and Woods were arguing and that Woods tackled her and punched her in the right side of the face.

Neither Jennert nor Woods are contributors to the Cyclones in 2011; the former has already been ruled academically ineligible for the season, while the latter isn’t listed on the two-deep depth chart.

(Tip O’ the Cap: Arrest Nation.com)

(In an unrelated story we’re working on for later today, we’ll also be reporting that water is indeed still wet.)

Amid numerous reports that Texas officials had traveled to Norman over the weekend in an attempt to convince Oklahoma to stay true to the Big 12, another surfaced Monday that Oklahoma could apply for admission to the Pac-12 before the calendar turns to October.

The ongoing soap opera that is the Big 12 continues unabated a day later, with yet another report buttressing the notions that OU has its mind set on taking its conference affiliation westward and the plug is about to be (mercifully) pulled on the beleaguered conference — maybe.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, and prior to the Sooners-Longhorns summit, OU regents have charged president David Boren with the task of preparing a document to formally apply for admission to the Pac-12.  While the meeting between the two Big 12 superpowers was described as cordial, it appears it had little impact on OU’s desire to leave the Big 12′s instability in its rear-view mirror.

“There’s nothing Texas could have offered Oklahoma that would have changed their mind. They were set on leaving the Big 12 before Texas got there,” the American-Statesman quotes what it describes as a well-placed source at a Big 12 school.

“The Big 12′s done. Oklahoma wasn’t open to creating Big 12 stability.”

Despite the source very bluntly stating that the Big 12 is done, and another saying they “think OU and OSU will seek membership to the Pac-12 in the next two weeks”, the paper goes on to report that Texas’ first two preferences for the future are, in order, save the Big 12 and save the Big 12.  If that’s not feasible?  There are three factors UT will focus on in determining its conference future.

The first is the well-being of its student-athletes. Traveling back and forth across the country and different time zones can make life extremely difficult for students trying to cram for midterms. The ACC with its Eastern time zone would present a more favorable option for game times and late-night travel than the Pac-12.

Texas’ second metric is economics. The Joneses don’t take pay cuts. Texas has a $154 million annual budget and isn’t interested in joining a conference where its brand or its profit margin takes a hit. And this includes Texas’ three-letter issue. Not SEC. But LHN. Texas has no desire to part, alter or share any aspect of The Longhorn Network, but it would not be able to retain the network as is in the Pac-12.

The Longhorns’ third goal is to make a decision that agrees with fans’ interests by maintaining traditions and some rivalries, at least the one against OU if not A&M.

Rumors have been bubbling below the surface that UT may have an eye on the ACC if the Big 12 implodes.  According to the American-Statesman, that possibility should not be dismissed out of hand; the paper writes that “[a] high-ranking Texas source said that the ACC has been in contact with Texas, but added that talks hadn’t progressed to a mature phase.”

Of course, such a move, if it is indeed to become a reality, is a few steps down the road.  First and foremost, the Texas A&M-to-SEC situation would need to be settled before any other dominoes tumbled.  Then the ball would bounce into the court of Oklahoma, and by extension Oklahoma State, forcing the school to decide once and for all if they will submit notice to the Big 12 that they will seek other conference opportunities.

If that step is taken, OU would then formally apply for admission to the Pac-12.  While that conference’s commissioner, Larry Scott, was quoted as saying that he would prefer there be no further expansion, never once has he ever even intimated that his league would not be willing to listen if a school such as OU came to him seeking membership.

If it ever gets to that point — and based on the multiple reports in the last week it likely will sooner rather than later — UT would appear to have four options: take part in the rebuild of what would then be a seven-team Big 12 by raiding other conferences; along with Texas Tech, follow the Oklahoma schools to the Pac-12 to form a 16-team “super conference”; go to the opposite end of the country and join the ACC; or go independent.

The most appealing option for the ‘Horns?  Whichever one most protects The Longhorn Network, the very entity that helped create a sizable portion of the uncertainty and instability in the Big 12 in the first place.

Three days after suffering a health scare, all signs continue pointing toward Jerry Kill being on the sidelines when Minnesota takes the field Saturday against Miami (OH).

The Gophers head coach suffered a seizure very late in the fourth quarter of a loss to New Mexico State this past weekend.  He’s been hospitalized since, but university physician Dr. Pat Smith told reporters during a press briefing Monday that his gut feeling is Kill will “absolutely” be coaching against the MAC school.

Smith said Kill has been “alert, eating, not on any IVs” and “undergone extensive testing, both labs and procedures, all of which have been totally normal.”

In quotes distributed by the team, Kill was grateful for the outpouring of support he’s received.

“[Wife] Rebecca and I want to thank everyone for their prayers and concern,” Kill said. “We’ve received great support from friends, fans and colleagues across the state of Minnesota and around the country and I am humbled by all the get-well wishes. I’m feeling better each day and hope to be back with the team soon. Until then, I have full confidence in my coaching staff to prepare our team to play its best this week against Miami.”

Smith gave no indication as to when Kill will be released from the hospital, although based on the physician’s optimism it will come at some point before Saturday.

“As you’d anticipate Coach Kill’s feeling is that he wants to get back on the field,” Dr. Smith said. “We’ve got a little control of him right now and we’re going to make sure we’ve dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s before (his release) happens. Once he leaves the hospital, we don’t have control of him. So, we’re going to make sure … the medication levels are appropriate, that he’s feeling well enough and then encourage him to get back when he feels well. We have hospitalized him more as a precaution to address those issues that we can address now and not let this occur in the future.”

The official diagnosis on Kill’s health issue is benign idiopathic seizure disorder, which Smith describes as ”a common problem… [p]eople live normal lifestyles with.”  Kill had previously suffered seizure on at least three occasions while performing football-related duties — in 2001 and 2005 on game day, and then in 2006 while taping a coach’s television show.