GEORGIA-SOUTH CAROLINA
It's a jersey?!
Well, we might have finally figured out what kept A.J. Green from getting cleared Saturday by the NCAA. First of all, I have to warn readers to brace themselves. The scandal that Green is involved in could undermine your college football fandom.
The case against Green involves the junior allegedly selling a game jersey, which is against NCAA rules.
NO! SAY IT AIN'T SO, A.J.!
I've also seen random rumors floating around the Intertubes that the NCAA might have investigated something else but found no evidence of wrongdoing in that case, but because they appear to be rumors and nothing has been found I'll simply leave it at that for now.
Unless that's the case, though, we need to know what the delay was. If Green paid back the money he got for selling the jersey before Saturday, he should have been eligible to play in Saturday's game. I understand that the rules like this have to be enforced to make sure the "more important" ones are also honored, but a player shouldn't lose a game over something like this.
Roster updates from South Carolina
Shaq Wilson could be redshirted -- major loss for the Gamecocks -- but Chris Culliver might return against Georgia.
OTHER NEWS
They are aware that a release would be free, right?
Bryce Brown and family are preparing to sue Derek Dooley and Tennessee over the head coach's bizarre decision to deny Brown a transfer.
You have to give the Brown family this: They're going to make this expensive for Dooley if he's not going to back down from his incomprehensible unwillingness to allow Brown a release even though there was never any chance Brown was going to play this season in Knoxville.
(And for that remark, I will not be allowed to cover practices for as long as Dooley is coach. Not that I'm really all that interested.)
So think about this: If the Browns do sue, it will take thousands of dollars in legal fees just to do the routine paperwork. If the court battle becomes protracted, it will be tens or hundreds of thousands. And if the Browns win, which is not sure thing, the likely outcome at this point will be to pay Brown's Kansas State tuition.
Which raises this question for Dooley and Tennessee: How much are you willing to pay to make a point?
Why next spring?
This seems an odd comment from Joe Paterno -- whom, we assured by someone who apparently was not actually in the room, was not unwilling to talk about Bear Bryant because of the 1979 Sugar Bowl:
I'll talk about my relationship with Paul Bryant next spring. Right now, it's Penn State vs. Alabama.
I don't want to start any rumors, but that's an awfully specific time frame for Paterno to be willing to talk about Bryant.
LSU, Oregon to valiantly fight to lose game in 2011
The Bayou Bengals and the Ducks have scheduled a neutral-site opener for the 2001 season. Senior associate athletics director Verge Ausberry:
We’ll have an older, more experienced team next year, and that makes it a good time to play this type of game.
One can only hopes it's a better time than it was this year for LSU. In any case, the Tigers will make as much as $3.5 million for the game, which is more than a home game against a cupcake. I'm not opposed to bribery to get more of these games scheduled.
I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding
The NCAA has questions about Enes Kanter, a basketball recruit who signed with -- guess who? Everyone's favorite "just in the wrong place at the wrong time" guy, John Calipari.
The team Kanter played for in Turkey "provided" Kanter with benefits that could top $100,000. This is not exactly in line with the NCAA's definition of an amateur, in case you couldn't figure that out. It should be noted here that Kanter might have to play for the Turkish team if he's found ineligible, but they say they have documents.
Again, we're sure that Calipari had no knowledge of this. Nope. Because he always follows the rules, you know. Sometimes (often?) his players don't. But Calipari, he always does.
Secret Agent Men: Maybe they just wanted to discuss their favorite TV shows
The NCAA's sprawling agent investigation leads us back to Chapel Hill, where John Blake resigned weeks after questions began emerging about his ties to agent Gary Wichard.
During the 61 days leading up to the Jan. 4 announcement that six juniors on UNC’s football team would stay in school rather than enter the NFL draft, university phone records show that Blake and Wichard never went more than four days without communicating. The records also show 152 communications (phone calls or texts) during a 235-day period between Blake’s university-paid number and Wichard’s phone.
Nothing suspicious there. There are also new questions about why Blake apparently didn't list his work with Wichard's company on his resume.
Heisman Trust says no final decision has been made on Reggie Bush's award
Which is not exactly a "no."