Making the morning rounds.• Commence the final phase of WAC-ification. The Mountain West Conference's makeover as "The New WAC" is nearly complete, with the former expected to invite WAC members San Jose State and Utah State to become the 11th and 12th members of the MWC as soon as today. Losing the Spartans and Aggies may be the final knife in the back of the WAC's hopes of remaining a viable Division I-A football conference, but with overlord Boise State on its way to the Mountain West this fall and gridiron bellwethers Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada already planning to follow suit in 2012, the mortal wound has probably already been inflicted. The prospective WAC lineup minus San Jose State and Utah State: Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Texas State and UT-San Antonio, plus whomever else the conference can convince to board a sinking ship to get to the requisite eight teams by next year.
In the meantime, as much blackhearted joy as it must give Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson to methodically dismember the WAC after it tried to steal BYU from the MWC last year, the addition of perennial bottom dwellers like SJSU and USU essentially signals the end of the conference's longshot bid for an automatic seat at the BCS table. Instead, with heavy hitters Utah, TCU and BYU all parting ways in search of their own Shangri-La, the Mountain West appears content for the time being to fortify itself for the addition of a championship game and a better TV deal. [San Jose Mercury News, Salt Lake Tribune, Mountain West Connection]
• That hurt me a lot more than this hurts you. As expected, former USC running back Stafon Johnson and his attorney announced a lawsuit against the university and former Trojan trainer Jamie Yanchar on Monday, claiming a distracted Yanchar knocked a bench-press bar holding 275 pounds out of Johnson's hands and onto his neck during a September 2009 workout. Johnson suffered severe "crushing injuries" in the accident that cost him his senior season at USC and possibly a spot in the NFL Draft. "Everyone had assumed that the bar slipped from Stafon's hand," said attorney Carl Douglas. "The bar was knocked out of his hand, causing it to fall on Stafon's neck, almost causing him to die. The spotter was there, not performing his job." [Orange County Register]
• Happy trails, coach, or else. A contract document shows new West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck used a pending NCAA investigation to effectively force coach Bill Stewart into retirement in December, holding the investigation over Stewart's head as cause for termination if the coach didn't agree to go out as a lame-duck with a successor already in place in 2011. Stewart, of course, chose the latter, agreeing to bring on Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as coach-in-waiting. WVU was accused last August of allowing excessive or unauthorized people to perform coaching duties and one secondary violation for practicing more than is allowed during one week in the 2006 season under former coach Rich Rodriguez – these charges will sound awfully familiar to Michigan fans – and Stewart was personally cited for failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance. [Charleston Daily Mail]
• Gator goes green. Urban Meyer may be gone, but All-SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins kicked off Florida's offseason with the usual flourish on Saturday night, when he was cited by Gainesville police for rolling a joint in the bathroom of a downtown club. Possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor and not worthy of arrest in Florida, but Jenkins can take whatever they can dish out if he has to, man. [Gainesville Sun]
Quickly… Time-Warner wants a piece of ESPN's all-Longhorn network. … Ralph Friedgen's wife isn't happy with Maryland over her husband's exit, or his replacement. … The Terps' Academic Progress Rate dropped each of Friedgen's last five seasons. … Longtime offensive line coach Art Kehoe is back at Miami. … Everybody's still trying to figure out how many scholarships USC has to give next week. … Minnesota gets a starting safety back on a medical hardship, but also loses a starting defensive lineman. … Oversigning, by the numbers. … Brady Hoke's track record as a recruiter, new Ohio State strength coach Anthony Schlegel officially replaces Mike Barwis as the most lethal man on a Big Ten sideline.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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