Think this'll tick Lane off?

The NCAA hands down its punishment on Michigan football today, and all indications are it will be a mild one. The Wolverine program has been under scrutiny for misconduct with regard to the amount of practice time players were being required to participate in as well as grad assistants doing things they shouldn't have been. Some will wonder whether the NCAA has decided to back away from its punishment power again after showing its teeth in unleashing devastating penalties on USC. That case was particularly egregious though, and this one involves far fewer charges and a school with no previous history of violations. Odds are also good that unlike USC's Mike Garrett, tonight Michigan's AD won't publicly blame any punishment they get on haters who all wish they were WOLVERINES.

What Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham did the other day in giving the choke signal and yelling when Chas Henry was about attempt the game winning field goal was classless. That doesn't mean he needs to be suspended and fined substantially, though. Tony Barnhart is a well respected voice in college football, but he overreacted here. The idea players will be less disciplined as a result of a coach doing that seems like a major stretch to me, particularly since Georgia's players have shown they're quite capable of being undisciplined long before anyone in Athens ever heard of Grantham. Give Henry credit for downplaying the whole thing yesterday - presumably that's the end of this particular storyline.

Womens college sports are mostly ignored overall, so for a story from George Washington womens basketball to get national attention you know it has to be a pretty unusual one. One of the Colonial players has decided to switch genders, going from a woman to a man. Henceforth, the former Kay-Kay Allums wishes to be known as Kye. Kye's a junior, meaning for the next two years the GWU womens basketball team will feature someone who lives life as a male. Allums apparently intends to wait until the end of senior season before beginning the hormonal and surgical part of the change, which is why this is considered legal under NCAA rules. Two things spring to mind as a result of this: 1. Thank goodness I've never had to deal with the kind of internal questions about my identity or sexual orientation that some people have, because it has to have been terribly unpleasant for them. 2. What if Allums did begin to transition early? At what point does the process cross the NCAA lines, and could they stand up in court anyway? I'm no attorney, but it seems there are issues which need to be settled there.

Miami will take on a surprising Maryland team this week without not only starting quarterback Jacory Harris, but also top tailback Damien Berry. The Miami Herald reported earlier this week that Miami president Donna Shalala will not cut Shannon loose as long as he can win eight games a season and graduate his players. He'd better hope they're right, because the Canes look like a team that's falling apart at the moment. They still will have more talent than the Terps, but Maryland's on a roll this season and controls their own ACC fate. They're not going to be awestruck to be on the same field with the Hurricanes, that's for certain.