The Penn State world appears to be melting down with news that Robert Bolden intends to transfer and rumors that defensive coordinator Tom Bradley could be on his way out of Happy Valley, but panic and dysfunction seem to be ruling the day in plenty of other places, too.
Let's start at Ohio State where Terrelle Pryor has apparently dodged a bullet after being cleared of wrongdoing in connection with a used care salesman in Columbus. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Pryor has been cited three times by police for traffic violations in the last three years, all while driving cares owned by Aaron Kniffin of Auto Direct of Columbus. The compliance department at Ohio State has cleared Pryor of possible NCAA violations in connection with two of those incidents. File this under "Yeah, OK," though.
Kniffin said that while working at Maxton he allowed Pryor to drive his SUV to his hometown in Pennsylvania so that his mother could check it out. Pryor did not buy the vehicle. Kniffin also said he arranged for Pryor to use the 2009 Dodge while Pryor's car was being repaired.
"I personally do not do anything that's not aboveboard," Kniffin said. "Under no circumstances did somebody get something they didn't pay for."
About two dozen autographed jerseys hang inside Auto Direct's office, including those from Pryor, running back Daniel Herron and receiver DeVier Posey. A number of autographs have been scribbled on the walls.
Pryor said he doesn't remember the circumstances of him signing his jersey, but "I sign a lot of stuff for Buckeye fans - I don't like to turn down fans. But I don't do it to get any favors or discounts."
I don't have a whole lot of experience with used car salesmen, but I have a hard time believing Mr. Kniffin here would let me drive a car he owns hundreds of miles round trip so my mother could "check it out." I have an even harder time believing Pryor could forget signing stuff for Mr. Kniffin, who is obviously way more than the average fan seeing as he keeps giving Pryor cars to get tickets in all the time. Seems pretty fishy to me.
Stache Finally Done
In Pittsburgh, Dave Wannstedt has finally decided he won't be coaching Pitt in its bowl game on Saturday.
Wannstedt said he told his seniors Sunday night he would not coach the Panthers in their bowl game but said he did not take long to make his decision about coaching the BBVA Compass Bowl.
"I just didn't want to tell you guys," he told reporters.
Wannstedt was forced to resign from his job Dec. 7, but remained with the university as an assistant to Pederson. Pederson gave Wannstedt the option of coaching the Panthers in the bowl game.
"My loyalty to these players is to have them enjoy this experience and allow them to be the main focus of attention when the travel top Birmingham to get ready for this game," Wannstedt said. "It would be unfair for any part of their experience to be about the head coach and his particular situation."
Hard not to wonder if that's a veiled shot at athletic director Steve Pederson, who's clearly made enough of a mess of the whole Pitt coaching situation that Dave Wannstedt's status for a meaningless bowl game is probably the least of the Pitt players' distractions.
Denard Bolting Michigan?
The last stop on our journey around Calamity Corner brings us to Michigan, where quarterback Denard Robinson may not return if Rich Rodriguez is fired.
After the Wolverines were dominated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, Robinson was asked about returning if his coach was let go."No response," Robinson was quoted by the Detroit News.
He also didn't have much to say about his feelings if Rodriguez were replaced.
"That's my coach, that's who recruited me," Robinson said. "That's it."
Of course, this might be just yet another case of a disheartened quarterback following a bowl loss, but I'm sure Robinson looks at Andrew Luck at Stanford and realizes that if Jim Harbaugh is hired at Michigan, there won't be much of a future for him in that system. It's a shame, too, because Penn State fans have seen with their own eyes just how good Robinson is and if he's forced to sit out a year while transferring, it'll be a real loss for college football.
So there you have it, folks. It may not be a happy day in the Penn State sphere, but it seems like everyone has problems right now. Take some heart in that if you're feeling glum.
In Scores Of Other Games
- Here's a look at some alternate Big Ten logos folks have been designing. Surprisingly, there aren't a whole lot there I'd rather have than the new one the league office picked. [MycroBurst.com]
- Your Orange Bowl preview [ESPN.com]
- Who is the Big Ten's most efficient player? Hint: Not Andrew Jones [BTPowerhouse]