Well, that certainly didn’t take long.

Roughly 24 hours after a bench-clearing brouhaha ruined a perfectly good faux referee striptease, the Pac-12 has brought the hammer to a handful players from both UCLA and Arizona.

In a release, the conference announced Friday night that a total of 10 players have been suspended for periods ranging from a half game to two full contests.  A total of six Bruins have been suspended by the league, while four Wildcats will sit for varying periods of time.

The harshest suspension went to UCLA defensive tackle Cassius Marsh, who will be sidelined for the next two games.  UCLA senior wide receiver Taylor Embree (no relation) and Arizona sophomore cornerback Shaquille Richardson were each ejected following the brawl that erupted with four seconds left in the first half and missed the final two quarters.  Additionally, each player has been suspended for another game.

Here are the remainder of the sanctions levied by the conference:

UCLA
Sophomore guard Alberto Cid – Half-game suspension
Sophomore wide receiver Randall Carroll – One-game suspension
Sophomore wide receiver Shaq Evans – One-game suspension
Sophomore wide receiver Ricky Marvray – One-game suspension

Arizona
Senior cornerback Lyle Brown – Half-game suspension
Junior strong safety Mark Watley – Half-game suspension
Freshman nickelback Jourdon Grandon – One-game suspension

Each player will be suspended for their respective team’s next game.  The Bruins face Cal next weekend, while the Wildcats travel to Washington.

“The Conference is extremely disappointed in the actions of the student-athletes involved in this incident,” commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “It is unacceptable behavior and violated Conference rules, as well as NCAA fighting rules. I have taken these actions today because it is imperative that we hold our student-athletes and coaches to the highest standards of sportsmanship.”

Marsh and Evans were listed as starters on UCLA’s latest depth chart, while Richardson is the only starter Arizona will lose.

“I’m disappointed for Arizona and UCLA,” interim Arizona head coach Tim Kish said in a statement. “The altercation was a black mark on what was a good game for us. We know that players get excited and driven during games, but composure has to be maintained throughout. We’ll learn from this and grow.”

As of this posting, UCLA has yet to issue a statement on the suspensions.  Although, in fairness to the Bruins, they could be too busy lining up their next head coach to deal with such matters.

UPDATED 11:56 p.m. ET: UCLA has released a statement from head coach (for now) Rick Neuheisel addressing the suspension.

“On behalf of the entire UCLA football program, I respect the Pac-12′s decision to suspend six of our players after the unfortunate incident in the second quarter of yesterday’s Arizona game,” said Neuheisel. “As a program, we certainly do not condone the actions of our student-athletes involved, no matter what circumstances they found themselves in at the time. As the head coach, I am very disappointed with their actions. I told each and every one of our players as much in the locker room, both at halftime, and at the conclusion of the game. Everyone here understands the expectations and responsibilities we share, and that representing UCLA on the field of play is a privilege.”

The epicenter of college football will shift to Tuscaloosa Nov. 5 for the showdown between top-ranked LSU and No. 2 Alabama, provided both teams take care of business this weekend of course.

A game that would be dripping with SEC and national title implications deserves a slot in primetime, with little distraction from less meaningful games (too much?).

Unfortunately, the game is currently scheduled for a 3:30 ET kickoff.  Fortunately for any fan of college football, that could change.

Chatter we’ve received in recent days has indicated that the game could be shifted from the afternoon to the evening.  WAFB-TV, the Baton Rouge CBS affiliate, takes the speculation a step further, reporting Friday afternoon that their network will likely move the game and turn it into a primetime kickoff.

The station writes that “the possible move is contingent on both LSU and Alabama winning their games this Saturday” against Auburn and Tennessee, respectively.

An LSU official told the Baton Rouge Advocate that they have been in contact with the SEC about the possibility of switching to a nighttime kickoff.  The issue, though, is between a pair of networks.

CBS is permitted by contract to show just one night game per season, and the network opted to show the Oct. 1 Alabama-Florida game in primetime.  In order to move the Alabama-LSU, CBS would need to work out some type of deal with ESPN, another of the conference’s broadcast partners.  Such a deal could consist of ESPN allowing CBS to move the game to primetime in exchange for “considerations” on next year’s slate of SEC games.

It’s unclear when a decision will be made; both schools have a bye next weekend, giving the two broadcast entities plenty of time to work something out that’s satisfactory to both parties.  And is good for the fans of college football.

Michigan State defensive lineman William Gholston isn’t the only one in trouble following Sparty’s 28-14 win over Michigan last weekend.

Gholston received criticisms this week over the multiple personal foul penalties committed by the D-lineman, and the school itself wasn’t immune to voices of discontent when many, ourselves included, wondered why it took as long as it did to administer any punishment for the fouls.

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi didn’t exactly help the situation when he said “That’s what we tried to do, 60 minutes of unnecessary roughness. Just glad it didn’t get called every snap” after the game against the Wolverines.

Narduzzi backpedaled on his comments this week, but that didn’t stop MSU AD Mark Hollis from publicly admonishing the coordinator.

“There’s no question that Coach Narduzzi was caught up in the emotion of the moment; however, that doesn’t excuse him from being accountable for his statements,” Hollis said in a statement. “Needless to say, Pat chose his words poorly, and he expressed his regret over making those comments to our local media following practice earlier this week. He requested that media opportunity to clear the air because too many took his remarks literally.

“I have taken this opportunity to express to Pat the importance of collecting his thoughts after an emotional game to ensure that he puts his best foot forward with the media and public in the future. He’s an outstanding coach and motivator and a rising star in his profession.”

Michigan State will be without Gholston when they host Wisconsin tomorrow.

Every year but one since 1891, Missouri and Kansas have met on a football field, making the Border War the second-most played rivalry in college football.

After 119 games, however, that rivalry could be coming to an end.

Earlier Friday, Mizzou announced that its board of curators had given chancellor Brady Deaton autonomy in choosing the school’s conference future.  It’s believed Deaton will ultimately decide to pack the athletic program’s bags and leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

MU stated during the press conference that, even if they decide to leave the Big 12, they want to maintain a sports presence in Kansas City, including in football — i.e. playing Kansas at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs as they have the past five years.

Based on the words of KU’s athletic director, Mizzou can pretty much kiss the thought of continuing the rivalry anywhere goodbye if they leave the Big 12.  And should feel ashamed for abandoning its roots for good measure.

“KU-Missouri is a great rivalry,” Sheahon Zenger said in a statement. “The University of Kansas is a great Midwestern school, loyal to our Midwestern conference and to our Midwestern roots. The KU-Missouri rivalry belongs in the Big 12 Conference. Should Missouri decide to leave the Big 12, we would wish them well.”

Gee, Zenger didn’t use the word “Midwestern” three times in the span of a single sentence because Mizzou is likely headed to a Southeastern conference, did he?

The attempt at a guilt trip notwithstanding, it remains a widely-held belief that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, Mizzou will leave for the SEC.  Whether one of the oldest gridiron rivalries in the country will continue remains to be seen.  If Texas-Texas A&M is any indication as to how this would play out, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

As Oklahoma continues down a path that could end with a January trip to New Orleans, the Sooners could be without one of its top defensive backs for a couple of weeks.

Citing multiple unnamed sources, the Daily Oklahoman is reporting that starting cornerback Jamell Fleming underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this week.  It’s unclear when Fleming sustained the injury that forced the procedure.

As a result of the surgical procedure, the redshirt senior will likely miss this Saturday’s game against Texas Tech.  Additionally, the paper reports that Fleming could miss the following week’s road game against unbeaten Kansas State as well.

OU has yet to offer any official word on Fleming’s status or availability for this weekend and beyond.

Fleming has started the past 19 games for the Sooners, including all six this season.  He would likely be replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Gabe Lynn.

It looks like USC will have to play Saturday’s game against Notre Dame without their talented running back, Dillon Baxter. Sources have told ESPN Los Angeles’ Pedro Moura that Baxter is not with the team as they fly to South Bend, Indiana. Instead, it appears Baxter will be headed to his home in San Diego for the weekend.

It’s been a tumultuous week for Baxter.  The sophomore missed practice Sunday with a “family issue” and arrived late to practice later in the week because of an “academic issue”. Baxter has been in and out of the proverbial doghouse since arriving at USC, dealing with NCAA issues in the aftermath of the Reggie Bush scandal and generally being a knucklehead when it comes to decision-making.

Making his way through preseason camp this time around, though, it looked like Baxter was back in the mix for serious playing time at running back. However, Baxter has totaled just 29 rushing yards on nine carries this season.

Inevitable and imminent indeed.  Probably.

Following a path blazed by Texas A&M in September, and after what some perceived as the institution dragging its feet on a decision, Missouri is on the verge of joining their conference brethren in leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.

A couple of month’s worth of speculation continued to trudge toward a conclusion Friday as Mizzou’s Board of Curators gave president Brady Deaton sole power to determine the school’s future conference affiliation, which is academia code for “send an application to the SEC”.  The latest announcement comes after two days of curator meetings and one back-door exit.

The decision was unanimous among the board members to empower Deaton to make a unilateral decision — pending legal approval by the school’s attorneys — on whether to move to another conference or remain in the Big 12.  In other words, if Deaton decides to move to another conference, which is expected, he would not have to go back to the board for approval.  This move comes exactly 17 days after the curators gave their president limited power to look into moving into another conference.

In addition to the board giving Deaton autonomy on deciding the school’s future conference, the curators passed another resolution that involved keeping an MU sports presence in Kansas City, specifically future football games — i.e. continuing the Kansas rivalry — as well as hosting an invitational basketball tournament.  It’s believed boosters of the school are concerned about those issues if Mizzou were to leave the Big 12, particularly as it involves the Big 12′s hoops tourney.

Once Deaton officially decides on the school’s conference course he will chart, the next two step for Mizzou would be to inform the Big 12 of its decision to withdraw from the conference and officially apply for membership to another conference, which, barring an unexpected development, will be the SEC.  It’s highly unlikely Mizzou would have taken this latest step, or any of the other steps they’ve taken since last month for that matter, unless they had received back-channel assurances from the SEC that they have enough votes for membership approval.  SEC bylaws state that nine of the current 12 members — the Aggies will not have a vote as they won’t officially become a member until July 1, 2012 — must vote in the affirmative for a new school to officially enter the conference.

Perhaps the biggest unknown is when exactly Mizzou would join the SEC, if that’s indeed the culmination of this process.  Schedule-wise, the SEC would like nothing more than to add Mizzou for the 2012 season, giving the conference 14 members and a balanced slate of football games.  During the press conference this afternoon, Deaton indicated that any actions he takes would result in Mizzou playing in that conference in 2012.

Another unknown?  The division in which the Tigers would reside.  Some assume that would be the West — with Auburn moving to the East — although at least one current member favors sending Mizzou to the East.

As for the Big 12, it’s operating under the assumption that Mizzou will be in the conference in 2012 regardless of their future SEC intentions and that the league will have 10 members next year.  Irrespective of Mizzou’s timeline for a departure — again, we’re operating under the assumption that there will be a departure — the Big 12 will look to add a replacement for MU.  Or, as the case may be, replacements if the conference decides to get back to 12 members.

It appears that a school from the Big East would be the Big 12′s top target for a new 10th member, with some reports suggesting West Virginia is that school while most others point to Louisville as the likely candidate.

AP

One of the top high school recruits for the 2012 class, quarterback Gunner Kiel, surprised many when he gave his verbal commitment to  Indiana back in July. The Columbus, IN, prospect is the top-rated QB according to Rivals.com and initially chose the Hoosiers over powerhouse programs Alabama and Oklahoma, with the latter school being the old stomping grounds of current IU coach Kevin Wilson.

According to Steve Wiltfong of 24/7 Sports.com ($), though, Kiel has softened on his verbal with Indiana and has re-opened his recruitment. Kiel’s brother, Dusty Kiel, is a quarterback for the Hoosiers. IU is off to a very disappointing, although not unexpected, 1-6 start to this season.

“I’m just reevaluating my decision and plan on taking some future visits to other colleges,” Kiel told 247Sports.

Kiel, along with former USC verbal commitment Arik Armstead, will reportedly be in attendance this Saturday when Notre Dame hosts USC. This is a big chance for Irish coach Brian Kelly to make a great impression with two top recruits in South Bend at the same time.

The recruitment of Brent Calloway served up some juicy fodder during the offseason before the touted running back/linebacker, after flipping commitments and irking his father, ultimately opted to sign with Alabama over Auburn.

A few months later, Calloway finds himself on the wrong side of the off-field news cycle yet again.

According to TideSports.com, Calloway was arrested by Tuscaloosa police around one o’clock Friday morning local time and charged with (gasp!!!) second-degree possession of marijuana.  The arrest took place near Bryant-Denny Stadium, and the Birmingham News has a couple of the details that led to the charge:

Calloway, 18, was a passenger in a vehicle that police stopped in the 900 block of Paul Bryant Dr. around 12:45 a.m. Officers smelled an odor of marijuana as they approached the car and found a bag of marijuana while searching Calloway, according to Tuscaloosa Police spokesman Sgt. Brent Blankley.

Calloway has already been released from the Tuscaloosa County Jail.  The school has yet to comment on the development.

In addition to his commitment flip-flop — originally a ‘Bama verbal in 2009, he committed to Auburn in late January before inking a Letter of Intent with the Tide in early February — there were also allegations that Alabama “paid” for the recruit.  An investigation found that no violations had occurred in the recruitment of Calloway.

Through the first half of the season, the true freshman has played in as many games for the Tide as I have.

UPDATED 12:22 p.m. ET: Alabama has issued a non-statement statement on the arrest.  Here it is, for what it’s worth.

“Coach Saban is aware of the situation and like all other disciplinary action, this will be handled internally.”

Expected by the oddsmakers to be nothing more than a relative blip on their trip toward Tuscaloosa, LSU’s game with Auburn Saturday took an unexpected turn earlier in the week when it was reported that a pair of starters and their top nickel back would be suspended for the game in Death Valley.

During Wednesday’s “NBC Sports Talk” show on Versus, Yahoo!‘s Dan Wetzel and OutkickTheCoverage.com‘s Clay Travis discuss what ramifications there could be for the Auburn game given the suspensions of cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, running back Spencer Ware and cornerback Tharold Simon and whether the players will return following the bye week for the 1-2 matchup with Alabama.

Click on the video below and, as always, enjoy.

The shock is almost insurmountable, I know.

Prior to last night’s 34-16 win by Arkansas State over Florida International, ASU coach Hugh Freeze (pictured) announced that starting senior safety A.J. Hills had been suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules. Freeze said he was aware of a “situation” involving Hills, but wouldn’t go into any further detail.

Consequently, when Hills could return for ten 5-2 Red Wolves remains a mystery.

The safety had 46 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups on the season.

Getty Images

Rightly so, the fire underneath Rick Neuheisel‘s coaching seat is scorching hot following an embarrassing and emasculating 32-point loss to a one-win Arizona team, with some concluding that a trip to the coaching gallows could occur as early as this week.

Fortunately for Pistol Rick, and unfortunately for a sizable chunk of the Bruins fan base, his dismissal is not imminent.  Probably.

Speaking after the loss to the Wildcats, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, at least publicly, dismissed talk that Neuheisel could be fired at some point in the near future.  Guerrero said Neuheisel and his staff are working hard, and that an evaluation of the entire football program, including the head coach, will take place at the end of the year.

In other words, Neuheisel has just received the dreaded vote of confidence.

“Rick is my coach,” Guerrero said. “I don’t know who is talking about him being relieved early, but it’s certainly not me. He’s a great Bruin. I want to see him succeed.

“We’ll evaluate at the end of the year like we always evaluate and make determinations (of) what we’re going to do at that point. But right now, all this talk about him staying or him going, that does nothing for our team that is trying to regroup and go out there every week and play hard and try to win football games.”

Despite an abysmal 18-26 record in three-plus seasons with the Bruins, Neuheisel still insists he’s the man to get the program back to some type of national relevance.

“My argument is I’m absolutely the right guy for the job; I’m looking forward to continuing in that quest,” the coach said following the blowout loss.

If the current trend continues, and despite Guerrero’s public stance at the moment, Neuheisel will very likely find his quest come to an abrupt end very shortly after the final whistle blows on the 2011 season.

Coming off the high of their upset win over then-No. 12 Georgia Tech, Virginia’s offense suffered a bit of a blow heading into this weekend’s game.

On their Thursday injury report, the Cavaliers revealed that wide receiver Matt Snyder is listed as out for Saturday’s game against North Carolina State with a “lower extremity” issue.

Head coach Mike London shed a little additional light on Snyder’s medical issue, explaining on a conference call today that the fifth-year senior suffered a broken bone in his left foot while running a route during practice Tuesday.  As a result, Snyder will undergo surgery Friday to have a screw inserted into the foot.

London expects the receiver to miss several weeks due to the injury.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how upset we are for the young man that something like this has occurred to him,” London said. “Obviously, he’s devastated, as you can imagine.”

Snyder is currently third on the team in receptions (19) and receiving yards (220).

AP

Whatever it was that Rick Neuheisel‘s UCLA team showed in a 48-12 thumping by Arizona, it wasn’t a competitive football team.

The Wildcats, who had just one win this season (against 1-AA opponent Northern Arizona) and fired their coach Mike Stoops not two weeks ago, absolutely torched UCLA in every imaginable way tonight. Perhaps it was a much needed change of pace with Stoops gone, but Arizona came out and played a complete football game. Granted, UCLA is not very good and Arizona is not really that bad, but the Wildcats played with an inspired edge.

UCLA was flat from the get-go. They have been for the whole first half of the season. Amazingly, though, the Bruins were 2-1 in Pac-12 play heading into tonight and still controlled their South division destiny. Really, despite the hot seat rumors for Neuheisel, UCLA had a lot to play for.

They could play for a winning record; a bowl game; a Pac-12 South title; a Pac-12 championship even.

Or, hey, how about playing for their coach’s job?

But, they didn’t. About the only inspired football UCLA showed all night was in the last seven minutes of the game. And you know what? You can’t blame ‘em. UCLA’s own athletic director, Dan Guerrero, didn’t even express confidence in Neuheisel in his most recent blog. How could he expect confidence from Neuheisel’s players?

“Returning to a bowl is just one of several steps we need to take to get this program to the level we all desire,” Guerrero wrote. “In order to compete on the national stage, we first must achieve success in the Pac-12 Conference.”

It’s not that Guerrero isn’t spittin’ truth — he is, and there’s no reason why UCLA can’t be better than they are — but there are short-term collateral damages that resulted from it. Among the numerous penalties, dropped passes, turnovers, terrible assignment defense and first-half brawl, one thing was clear: UCLA gave up tonight. Arizona got out ahead early and kept their foot down on UCLA’s throat, and the Bruins didn’t do a thing about it.

When Neuheisel opted to kick the field goal instead of going for the touchdown on fourth and goal with under five minutes left to play, he showed his players he had given up too.

Perhaps Neuheisel will be fired sooner rather than later. It might happen this week. Barring a miraculous turnaround, it’s hard to think of many ways the former quarterback can keep his job. A sub-.500 record, no Pac-12 titles and one bowl appearance won’t cut it in Westwood — not with the available local talent and the NCAA-wrapped gift handed to the Bruins in the form of sanctions to cross-town rival USC.

Neuheisel knows that, and as he stood at the center of Arizona Stadium waiting to shake the hand of Wildcats interim coach Tim Kish, the the body language said it all. He looked hurt, defeated. How his team responds next week against Cal will give us a more definitive indication if this team has really lost all hope.

If Neuheisel makes it that long. Judging by the look on his face tonight, a swift end might actually be a welcome relief.