Predictions 101 — Week 4

AP

If we were Lane Kiffin, we’d blame the players, injuries or even the media. But alas we aren’t the faultless USC head coach, and we’ll accept responsibility for last week’s 2-5 record (both straight up and vs. “the number”).

Speaking of Kiffin, we had a bead on his Trojans faltering at Stanford, but ultimately didn’t have enough guts to call for the full-scale upset. There’s no glory in predicting that the Trojans won’t cover. That’s a weekly certainty. But when we only land a pair, we cherish it.

Last week’s official upset call (Virginia over Georgia Tech) spectacularly went up in flames. The home office in Burbank, which currently handles the value-laden longshots, promises to do better this time around. With the extra assistance, those should most always get you across the line in good shape.

It’s a good slate of “ranked vs. ranked” this week, hopefully we can rise to the occasion.

TOP 5 GAMES OF THE WEEK (Thursday, Sept. 20, thru Saturday, Sept. 22)

1) No. 10 Clemson at No. 4 Florida State
Sat., Sept. 22 — 8 p.m. ET, ABC

The Seminole defense is allowing a single point per game. When an elite program opens against Murray State and Savannah State that sort of stonewalling is not a shock. But, last week’s 52-0 rout of Wake Forest, a team that had taken four of the last six meetings, was a bit of a surprise and signals that Florida State is definitely for real.

With upset alerts and full-blown stunners littering the college football landscape each week, there’s something to be said for a team that goes about its undefeated business to the tune of 176-3.

This defensive display isn’t anything entirely new. The Seminoles now have held 11 consecutive opponents to 19 points or less.

Perhaps it’s both good and bad news for the Tigers that FSU’s under-20 streak began after back-to-back 35-30 losses on the road at Clemson and Wake Forest last year.

The biggest threat to the Seminole end zone is Tiger wideout Sammy Watkins, who warmed up in a 41-7 victory over Furman after serving a two-game suspension. Last season, Watkins caught seven passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns versus Florida State.

Fourth and fifth on Jimbo Fisher’s list of worries — Tajh Boyd and Andre Ellington are second and third — are pass protection and short-yardage rushing efficiency. Both stem from uncertainties along an offensive line that allowed the Demon Deacons to sack quarterback E.J. Manuel three times.

Coach Corso will be right to back his alma mater by putting on a headdress out in the parking lot, but it’ll be “closer than the experts think.”

Opening point spread: Florida State by 13

The pick: Florida State 26-24

2) No. 18 Michigan at No. 11 Notre Dame
Sat., Sept. 22 — 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

This prediction comes courtesy of Shane Hedani from the P101 satellite office in Maunawili, Hawai’i.

For the Fighting Irish to do something that hasn’t happened since 2008 — beat the Wolverines — they must do what seems nearly impossible to them, bottle up Denard Robinson.

Off to its best start in a decade, Notre Dame is thinking BCS, even though it hasn’t lit up the scoreboard. What has been impressive is a defense led by linebacker Manti Te’o, who had 12 tackles in last week’s 20-3 signature win at Michigan State while grieving the loss of his grandmother and girlfriend.

In this game, the Irish defense, which is allowing only 10 points a game, would like to avoid last season’s fourth-quarter meltdown that saw Michigan score 28 points and cash in the game winner with just two seconds left.

Against Alabama in the opener, we saw what a disciplined talented defense can do to the Wolverine offense. Now, Notre Dame is not Alabama, but the Irish aren’t slouches either, ranking 18th in total defense, 8th in scoring, 11th in turnover margin and 10th in sacks.

The Irish are capable of forcing Robinson to throw it. We know Notre Dame losing safety Jamoris Slaughter to a season-ending Achilles injury hampers an already inexperienced backfield, but Te’o and the rest of the front seven can get Michigan into third-and-long situations, create takeaways and keep Robinson’s shoelaces in the pocket.

Making the Wolverines try to win through the air will land another huge W for the Irish.

Opening point spread: Notre Dame by 3 1/2

The pick: Notre Dame 31-16

3) No. 22 Arizona at No. 3 Oregon
Sat., Sept. 22 — 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Ducks and Cats combined for 87 points in last year’s matchup, a 56-31 Oregon victory in Tucson. This season, with Rich Rodriguez now in the saddle at Arizona, both teams are averaging roughly 600 yards in total offense. With all of that being the case, the only upset here is that the over/under opened at merely 75 points in this high-powered heavyweight battle of read-option offenses.

Both attacks are triggered by new starters. Duck redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota is completing 75.5 percent of his passes, which is just a shade better than his senior counterpart Matt Scott, who is connecting at a 71.5 percent clip. The fight for efficiency supremacy should be entertaining.

We won’t put a whole lot of weight on Arizona’s 56-0 whipping of South Carolina State last week, but you have to hand it to the Wildcats for not thinking that they deserved the weekend off after their impressive 59-38 victory over Oklahoma State. The UofA spread worked its way to 43 first downs.

Oregon also had its way with an overmatched opponent last week, but the Ducks’ 12 penalties and three turnovers in a routine 63-14 victory over Tennessee Tech showed a lack of focus.

Last year, in their first conference game on the road, the Wildcats went to Los Angeles and pushed USC to brink before falling, 48-41. They’ve got it in them to bear down once again and they’re new & improved. But Chip Kelly has taken Rodriguez’ offense to such an incredible place that it’s hard to imagine him slipping up at Autzen Stadium … or anywhere.

Opening point spread: Oregon by 26 1/2

The pick: Oregon 52-35

4) No. 15 Kansas State at No. 6 Oklahoma
Sat., Sept. 22 — 7:50 p.m. ET, FOX

The chasm between these two teams was massive last year. On their way to a 58-17 victory, the visiting Sooners rolled up 690 yards of total offense, including 520 through the air. Although the Wildcats did hold a lead in the second quarter, they weren’t really heard from offensively, totaling just 240 yards.

This has been somewhat of a habit for Oklahoma, which has taken the last five in the series and eight of the last nine.

In his previous two games versus the Wildcats, Sooner quarterback Landry Jones passed for 799 yards and nine touchdowns, without being sacked a single time. Kansas State appears to be gearing up to change that, having registered eight sacks in their last two games, led by defensive end Adam Davis.

Conversely, the Sooner defensive line will focus on stopping a KSU rushing attack that is averaging 252 yards per game. When Oklahoma cuts off running back John Hubert and quarterback Collin Klein on the ground, and forces Klein to the air, it’ll be another long day for the Wildcats.

Opening point spread: Oklahoma by 17

The pick: Oklahoma 41-21

5) No. 2 LSU at Auburn
Sat., Sept. 22 — 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

If we were ever going to have a SEC-less week here at P101 this would have been it. But this matchup featuring recent BCS champs snuck in just under the wire.

There’s not much to report though. Auburn finally putting up a tally in the win column with last week’s overtime decision over Louisiana-Monroe didn’t do anything but further confirm the fact that these two Tigers are headed in opposite directions.

LSU is working on a 16-game regular-season winning streak, while Auburn is hoping to avoid its first 1-3 start since 1998.

A few more starters would have to join injured running back Alfred Blue on the sidelines before we’d even begin considering Auburn’s ability to break its five-game losing streak versus ranked opposition, which includes last year’s 45-10 faceplant in Death Valley.

Opening point spread: LSU by 18 1/2

The pick: LSU 37-14

UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEK

Fresno State at Tulsa
Sat., Sept. 22 — 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

This prediction comes courtesy of Marc Doche (@MDoche) from the P101 satellite office in Burbank, Calif.

Pat Hill is gone, but his schedule loaded with trips to top notch programs remains. This Tulsa squad, however, isn’t as good as in years past and is surely several steps down from what the Bulldogs faced at Oregon in a 42-25 defeat two weeks ago.

After easy wins over Tulane and Nicholls State, the Golden Hurricane’s three-game homestand is capped by this tough test against a squad that was on pace to hit the century mark against hapless Colorado last week before the dogs were called off.

Powered by potent rushing attacks, both squads are hovering around 44 points per game, while allowing the opposition to score about half that.

Tulsa has spread the wealth with a different tailback eclipsing the century mark in each for its three games.

Fresno State, on the other hand, has relied heavily on its newly crowned all-time leading rusher, Robbie Rouse, who has also rushed for 115 yards or more in each game this season.

Both defenses have been making plays as well. Tulsa leads the nation with 10.7 tackles for loss per game and is second in sacks at 5.7. Meanwhile, Fresno State’s Phillip Thomas returned two of his three interceptions against Colorado for scores.

The Bulldog defensive unit that gave Oregon fits two weeks ago (11 tackles for loss and three takeaways) will be the difference going against Golden Hurricane quarterback Cody Green, who tossed a pair of interceptions in the 38-23 loss at Iowa State in the opener.

Opening point spread: Tulsa by 6 1/2

The pick: Fresno State 34-27

RIVALRY GAME OF THE WEEK

New Mexico at New Mexico State
Sat., Sept. 22 — 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3

Hey, this might not be the Iron Bowl, but you gotta give props to an in-state rivalry that predates its statehood by 18 years.

Unsurprisingly, the Aggies are considerable favorites in this 103rd renewal of the Rio Grande Rivalry, which dates all the way back to 1894. The Lobos have won only a single game in each of their previous three seasons.

On the bright side for New Mexico, it’s in position for improvement after thrashing visiting Southern University, 66-21, in the opener.

But the schedule tightened up quite a bit after Bob Davie’s debut as the Lobos got laid out on the road by Texas (45-0) and Texas Tech (49-14). This will be New Mexico’s third consecutive game away from Albuquerque. If we weren’t talking about a short-haul rivalry game that would be cause for extreme concern.

New Mexico State has followed a similar pattern this season, opening with an easy win over Sacramento State, before dropping a pair on the road at Ohio and UTEP.

Davie is putting his stamp on the Lobos, who are averaging 212 rushing yards per game. That’s rather healthy, considering the competition they’ve faced. It’s also more than double what the Aggies have been able to muster on the ground (95 yards per game).

It’ll be close, but the Lobos’ drive home along I-25 will be an unpleasant one as the Aggies notch their fourth consecutive victory in the series.

Opening point spread: New Mexico State by 8 1/2

The pick: New Mexico State 26-23

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Oregon reportedly met with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions last month — perhaps around April 19th or 20th — over alleged recruiting violations dating back to 2008 in the Chip Kelly era. The hearing was a result of the university’s bid for a summary disposition with the NCAA falling through late last year.

According to documents obtained by the Eugene Register-Guard, UO received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA on Dec. 5, 2012. The NOA lists seven specific allegations of wrongdoing under Kelly, who became the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles toward the beginning of this year, that, per the paper, ”closely resemble — almost to the word — the allegations listed in Oregon’s failed attempt at a summary disposition…” Said to be included in those allegations is a failure to monitor charge that may include Kelly.

Additionally, the NOA states Oregon could be subject to penalties under the repeat violator rule because alleged recruiting misconduct involving J.J. Arrington in 2004. If Oregon is considered a repeat violator by the NCAA — a major violation would have to occur within five years of another major violation — it would shed light on why the summary disposition failed last year.

From the Oregonian on March 8, 2012:

In its online glossary of terms, the NCAA defines summary disposition as “a cooperative process between the school, involved individuals and the NCAA enforcement staff.”

It continues, explaining how an in-person hearing in front of the Committee on Infractions can be avoided. But then, in bold print, is the kicker:

“A school that would become a repeat-violator cannot use the summary disposition process and must go before the Committee on Infractions.”

In April, multiple outlets reported that Oregon and the NCAA previously “agreed” that major violations occurred in the use of recruiting services. However, the NCAA’s enforcement staff noted in the documents that there was “no finding of lack of institutional control and no finding of unethical conduct.” Because Oregon’s attempt at a summary disposition ultimately failed, the findings in the documents weren’t necessarily binding.

In March of 2011, Yahoo! Sports and ESPN.com published reports that called into question the financial relationship between Oregon and a pair of so-called recruiting services.  One of those services was Complete Scouting Services and its owner Willie Lyles. Among the items of interest in the business relationship between UO and Lyles stems from a “2011 National Package” sold to the Ducks in 2010 at a price of $25,000 that contained no recruits that would make up the following year’s class. Impermissible phone calls and too many coaches on the recruiting trail are among the other allegations said to be facing the program.

Oregon has proposed a two-year probation period and a reduction of one scholarship for each of the next three seasons as a result of the alleged violations. The COI can add additional sanctions to the program, at which time UO can either accept the them or appeal. The university’s policy regarding the ongoing case, as it has been along, has been that of “no comment.”

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Some links from around college football on a Wednesday… 

• Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated projects the major conference bowl lineups starting in 2014.
• Renovations to San Jose State’s football stadium were approved on Tuesday.
• As he does every year, Bruce Feldman ranks his top-20 freaks in college football. Take a crack at who you think is No. 1.
• Oh my. Florida State’s Orange Bowl rings are very cool.
• Paul Finebaum is set to reappear on ESPN. The Wall Street Journal has the details.
• Michigan footballs: Made in the USA, not in Ohio.
• The AAC (formerly the Big East) has been looking into creating a new bowl game for a while, but that game could be held at Marlins Park in Miami.

AP

Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater ended the 2012-13 season as one of the early preseason Heisman favorites for the upcoming year. Whether he makes it to New York next December remains to be seen, but if he does, the junior doesn’t want any help from the school.

Per WDRB.com, Bridgewater asked his coaches for no Heisman campaign from the program.

“He went to the coaches not wanting a Heisman-type campaign,” UL SID Rocco Gasparro said. “He wanted it to be about team and if we won as a team individual recognition would come anyway. It says a lot about the character of Teddy, I think, and how much his team means to him.”

If nothing else, it’s a departure from his tone toward the Heisman last month. When asked in April if he would mind the school putting on a Heisman campaign for him, Bridgewater said ”Not at all. It’s something that I’ve been training for my whole life to be in these shoes, and at this stage, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

That’s because there isn’t, but if Bridgewater really is more focused on the bigger picture, good on him. If he — if Louisville — has a great year with the more than manageable schedule the Cardinals face, he’ll probably be in New York either way.

AP

Given the boot from Boise State earlier this month for violating team rules, defensive lineman Sam Ukwuachu says he’s found his transfer destination. And it’s back in his home state of Texas.

Speaking to Sic’EmSports.com, Ukwuachu says it’s a “done deal” that he will transfer to Baylor early next month. The redshirt freshman recently visited Waco and chose the Bears over Florida and Utah. Baylor cannot comment on the news until Ukwuachu officially enrolls.

“Baylor was my best option. It’s close to home. It’s a good program. [Boise St. Chris Petersen] really helped me to where I wanted to go. Things just didn’t work out up there,” Ukwuachu told the site, adding that while he was reportedly dismissed from the team, he and Petersen came to a mutual understanding that it was best to part ways. Ukwuachu also missed Boise’s spring practice because of what Petersen called “personal things.”

Ukwuachu played in all 13 games for the Broncos last season, including 12 starts. He was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.

Barring a special waiver, Ukwuachu will have to sit out a season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.

AP

Like many of you, I’m sure, I was glued to the television yesterday watching as a horrifying tornado ripped through central Oklahoma.

While Monday’s events are separate from football, there is a football angle. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and his family live just south of Moore, OK, a town unfortunately hit hard by yesterday’s storm. Stoops said his family could see the tornado through their back window; he was working at OU’s football offices at the time.

“It crossed over just north of us and just about a mile from our home,” said Stoops.

To his knowledge, no player was directly affected by yesterday’s tornado. However, two assistant OU coaches, a grad assistant and strength coach, lost their homes.

We’re glad Stoops, his family, and the entire OU family, are safe. And certainly our thoughts go out to those who were not so lucky.

(Hat tip: the Oklahoman) 

AP

What do coaches always say to quarterbacks? You better be able to make all the throws in your playbook blindfolded?

Johnny Manziel says “challenge accepted.”

Known more for his improv ability, the Heisman Trophy winner showed off his throwing accuracy as well during a “Zorro drill” while training with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr. Blindfolded, Manziel tossed just two uncatchable balls out of 29 attempts. Not too shabby.

“I have always said he has the best antenna in football,” Whitfield said. “I think he just proved that.”

And if anyone needs anymore proof, here’s a video of one of the passes.

It might not be on the level of a trick shot video, but it’s impressive nevertheless.

(Hat tip: Fort Worth Star-Telegram) 

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Tragically, the Little Casears Pizza Bowl and its accompanying mascots (pictured) are likely no more. At least when it comes to its current venue.

According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, the Detroit Lions are expected to create and operate their own bowl game that will be played at Ford Field beginning in 2014. The unnamed bowl would match teams from the ACC and Big Ten rather than the Big Ten and MAC, which is the current tie-in setup for the Pizza Bowl.

Et tu, Detroit?

The ACC and Big Ten are already headed toward a Pinstripe Bowl matchup with many bowl contracts expiring after the 2013 season. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has made a point that he plans on emphasizing more attractive bowl matchups in the future and the Little Casesars Pizza Bowl has been far down the conference’s pecking order. Where this new bowl places on the Big Ten’s new lineup remains to be seen, but an ACC opponent would be an upgrade.

Conversely, the loser in this scenario, should it come to fruition, would be the MAC. And anyone who loves Little Caesars. Bowl officials told the Detroit Free Press that the game could be moved to Comerica Park in Detroit, but it’s overall future appears to be very much in doubt.

AP

Tight end Jake Golic (pictured left) never made much of an impact on the field for Notre Dame. That’s understandable considering he sat behind guys like Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph. Now, the son of former Irish and NFL defensive lineman Mike Golic will spend his final year of eligibility somewhere else.

Mike Golic said on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” that his son will transfer to Cincinnati as a grad student and be eligible to play right away. Officially, UC cannot comment on the transfer until he enrolls. The Bearcats are looking to replace the productivity of Travis Kelce, who was taken in the third round of last month’s NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Golic will rejoin former Notre Dame teammate Gunner Kiel at Cincinnati. The quarterback was added to UC’s roster last month.

AP

With 100 days left before the start of the college football season, the watch lists are already underway. Yesterday, the preseason Rimington Trophy watch list was released. There are 44 eligible linemen on this year’s list with 17 players returning from last year’s watch list.

Of the 44, nine players are from the SEC, while the PAC-12 and Mountain West Conference each have five candidates listed. Last year’s winner was Barrett Jones from Alabama (pictured).

David Andrews, Jr., Georgia
Russell Bodine, Jr., North Carolina
Evan Boehm, So., Missouri
Jake Brendel, So., UCLA
Betim Bujari, Jr., Rutgers
Ben Clarke, So., Hawaii
Sean Conway, Sr., Western Kentucky
Dillon Day, Jr., Mississippi State
Reese Dismukes, Jr., Auburn
Dominic Espinosa, Jr., Texas
Dillon Farrell, Sr., New Mexico
Jay Finch, Sr., Georgia Tech
B.J. Finney, Jr., Kansas State
Matt Galas, Jr.,  Nevada
Bryce Giddens, So., Arkansas State
Hroniss Grasu, Jr., Oregon
Gus Handler, Sr., Colorado
Jonotthan Harrison, Jr., Florida
Andre Huval, Sr., Louisiana-Lafayette
Gabe Ikard, Sr., Oklahoma
Travis Jackson, Jr., Michigan State
David Kekuewa, Jr., Bowling Green
Ryan Kelly, So., Alabama
Zac Kerin, Sr., Toledo
Kody Koebensky, Sr., Arizona State
Tyler Larsen, Sr., Utah State
Taylor Lasecki, So., SMU
Corey Linsley, Jr., Ohio State
Macky MacPherson, Sr., Syracuse
Mike Marboe, Jr., Idaho
Shane McDermott, Jr., Miami
Cole Pensick, Sr., Nebraska
Ryan Powis, Jr., Army
Bryce Redman, Jr., Houston
Austin Reiter, Jr., USF
Weston Richburg, Jr., Colorado State
Isaac Seumalo, Sr., Oregon State
James Stone, Sr., Tennessee
Bryan Stork, Sr., Florida State
Travis Swanson, Sr., Arkansas
Evan Swindall, Sr., Mississippi
Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, Jr., New Mexico State
Brandon Vitabile, Jr., Northwestern
Robert Waterman, Jr., UNLV

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Some links from around college football on a Tuesday… 

• Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are reaching out to help the victims of yesterday’s devastating tornado.
• Are coaches keeping the potential for multiyear scholarships a secret from athletes? An interesting read here from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
• The Sports Business Journal asks if the ACC is late to the conference network party.
• Speaking of the ACC, Maryland’s 2014 game against Virginia Tech at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium is on hold for now.
• The Washington Post has obtained the documents in the ACC-Maryland dismissal hearing.
• Bill O’Brien will be featured on Tuesday night’s episode of “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO. It sounds like it’ll be worth viewing if you get the channel.
• Indiana got a late addition from a 320-pound offensive lineman.
• The pretrial hearing for Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been delayed.
• A lot of rumors are circulating about Notre Dame commit Eddie Vanderdoes.
• Alabama’s shattered BCS trophy is still worth a pretty penny apparently.

The Military Bowl is getting a venue change, and a slightly more appropriate one at that.

With the announcement Monday that Conference USA added a tie-in to the Military Bowl came the official news that the bowl would be moving from RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington D.C. to Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis where the Naval Academy plays its home football games.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post and ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported the move earlier Monday morning. The game, previously known as the EagleBank Bowl until 2010, has been held at RFK stadium since it’s beginnings in 2008.

The game will select last in the ACC’s bowl lineup and give C-USA six bowl tie-ins in 2013. However, Navy is not precluded from playing in the bowl despite the fact it will now be held at the Academy’s home site.

The Midshipmen lost the inaugural EagleBank Bowl in 2008 to Wake Forest.

(Photo: NavySports.com) 

AP

Less than a month after granted his release from Arkansas, quarterback Brandon Mitchell has found a new home to finish his collegiate career.

Mitchell told ESPN’s Joe Schad he has decided to enroll at North Carolina State for his final year of eligibility.

“I like the culture, coaches, expectations within the program starting all the way at the top, and most importantly chemistry,” Mitchell told Schad. “I felt I built it with players in just three days. Bottom line is I want to win, and I want to win now. They have the best opportunity there for success and just had one missing piece.”

Because Mitchell is graduating from Arkansas this year, he will be eligible to play immediately. With the departure of Mike Glennon, Mitchell should have an opportunity to compete for the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback job, though Mitchell could play the role of an offensive athlete as well.

Either way, Mitchell will join former Florida QB Jacoby Brissett, who transferred to NC State earlier this year.

Reuters

Suspended for spring practice for violating team rules, Alabama wide receiver Danny Woodson will transfer to another in-state school.

Per al.com, Woodson will transfer to South Alabama. Jaguars coach Joey Jones confirmed the move during Sun Belt spring meetings.

“We’re very excited about having Danny Woodson at South Alabama,” Jones said. “I really admired his play in high school and we wanted him very badly out of high school. Of course we understood when he signed with Alabama. But we believe we have a potential All-America-type receiver coming here and we’re obviously very excited.”

Woodson, a former four-star receiver for the Tide, had one catch for nine yards in six games last year. He redshirted his freshman season in 2011 and must sit out a year to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.

AP

As John noted late last week, three of Wes Lunt‘s five possible transfer destinations – Southern Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt — were reportedly deemed off-limits at the discretion of Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. That left Lunt with two schools — Louisville and Illinois — to consider out of his original five.

According to ESPN’s Joe Schad, Lunt has already taken an unofficial visit to Illinois. Schad writes that Lunt feels comfortable with offensive coordinator Bill Cubit‘s offense and has a good relationship with Illini coach Tim Beckman. But while a visit to Champaign was expected for Lunt, the reasons behind Gundy’s decision to block certain schools from the QB’s transfer wish list have been more vague. That’s where Schad provides some clarity.

Schad reports that reasons for the restrictions include:

• That Lunt allegedly cited a desire to transfer “closer to home” and that those blocked schools are not “closer to home.”
• The belief that at least some coaches at some interested schools improperly contacted Lunt.
• The possibility Oklahoma State could face some of the blocked conferences in a bowl game.

If true, it would shed some light on why Gundy did what he did. Of course, it still looks bad for Gundy given that he’s just months removed from being a reported candidate for both the Arkansas and Tennessee jobs. And, for clarification purposes, Lunt can transfer wherever he wants; getting a grant-in-aid during his first year at his new school is what’s at stake.

Generally speaking, the fact that a coach can go from job to job with no consequence (outside of a buyout) while placing restrictions on players is ridiculous. The NCAA is providing some help to give athletes immediate eligibility in more pressing cases, though it has no bearing on those restrictions.

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Larry Scott made a big splash as Pac-12 commissioner when he landed a multi-billion television deal for his conference that will make it among the richest in college athletics.

In that vein, Scott has upstaged his own league. Citing tax records, the Wall Street Journal reports Scott made over $3 million for the 2011-12 year. That amount would apparently make him the highest paid commissioner at the college level. Scott’s total salary of $3,022,462 breaks down into $1,575,000 in base salary, $1,376,000 from a bonus and additional compensation of $71,462.

For reference, that’s a couple hundred thousand more than Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and about twice as much as SEC commish Mike Slive.

But who’s counting?

Can’t say it’s not deserved, though. Scott has done a tremendous job with the Pac-12′s exposure over the last few years.