• Godspeed, Dr. Brand. NCAA president Myles Brand told the association's executive committee via teleconference Saturday that he has pancreatic cancer, and "the long-term prognosis is not good." There were roughly 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer in the United States in 2008, and 34,290 deaths. That's a death rate of a little over 90 percent. Brand is 66 years old, already undergoing chemotherapy and suggested he'll know his fate when the treatment is completed in the next few months.

In the meantime, the NCAA went ahead with what will probably be Brand's greatest legacy at its head, upping the academic ante again by agreeing to go forward with the coaches' academic scorecard. This is modeled on the academic progress rate the association has used to bring scholarship penalties down on schools -- well, smaller schools, anyway -- the last couple years, and which usually gets some attention in the dog days of the offseason. Coaches won't face any penalties, specifically, but the stigma attached to a low number won't go unnoticed during the hiring process, or after a particularly disappointing season. The coaches' APR will be open to the public on the Web, which ought to serve as more ammunition for local columnists looking to stack the deck when things aren't going well.

• Tennessee receiver: Clawfense as Clawful in the huddle as it looked on TV. Outgoing Tennessee receiver Josh Briscoe had a few grenades to lob at Dave Clawson, overseer of utter catastrophe in his only season as Vol offensive coordinator, but none were more cutting than his reaction to Clawson's new gig as head coach at Bowling Green:

Briscoe was asked if he was surprised that after the way the offense performed, Clawson got a better job.

"I don’t think ‘surprised’ is the word," he said. "He must be a great interviewer."

Briscoe didn't play much -- just 14 catches after grabbing 56 in 2007 in David Cutcliffe's offense -- and as a senior resented his coaches' suggestion that the Clawson system takes two years to ramp up. But he also has some specific complaints that mirror the results on the field: Players had to think too much; younger receivers were given opportunities at the expense of proven, veteran receivers; and Clawson's philosophy of assigning strongside and weakside offensive linemen who flipped according to the formation (as opposed to the standard left and right sides) kept the blockers from finding a rhythm. At the very least, nobody who watched Tennessee during its 2-6 run at midseason can argue with Briscoe on this point: "That offense wasn't putting us there. That offense held us back a lot."

• Glad to have you back, big guy. It's nothing official yet, but it seems Michigan may be very close to bringing on America's favorite coaching punching bag as its defensive coordinator. One source told the Syracuse Daily Standard on Friday that ex-'Cuse boss Greg Robinson was "a done deal" to the Wolverines, though others mentioned UCLA (where Robinson was an assistant in the 80s under Terry Donahue) and there was no news over the weekend. Robinson has a couple bright spots on his resumé -- a pair of Super Bowls as coordinator with the Broncos; a 12-1, Rose Bowl-winning season at Texas in 2004 -- but Official Michigan Barometer Brian Cook is greatly stressed after reviewing G-Rob's record. The Doc is just glad to see that the orchestrator of the greatest extended flop at a competent program in modern memory might be landing on his feet.

Quickly ... Rumors are linking Alabama tackle Andre Smith's suspension before the Sugar Bowl to an agency owned by former 49ers owner Eddire DeBartolo. ... Receiver Brandon LaFell, initially an early entry to the draft, said Sunday he's pulled his name out and will return to LSU. ... Mark Sanchez did not pull out of the draft during the 72-hour window, and his ex-teammate at USC, Vidal Hazelton, has finally chosen Cincinnati as his transfer destination. For real this time, right? ... A recruiting coup for Gene Chizik: Alabama's Mr. Football, quarterback Clint Moseley, will sign with Auburn. ... Another sign South Florida has not only moved up in the world, but that it's getting it's first sense of stagnation: For the first time in USF's 12-year history, Jim Leavitt has fired an assistant coach. ... Dan Hawkins is an innovative recruiter, all right, but what's up with those boxes filled with $330,000? ... Whoever it is, Rutgers' new AD hire needs to tap the brakes on Greg Schiano every now and then. ... Quarterback Giovanni Vizza couldn't hack it at North Texas, so he's transferring to ... Texas A&M? ... And Tim Tebow's penchant for playing to the crowd is getting a little lame, I think.