• Everyone's a critic. One day after suspending the entire officiating crew that worked last week's Arkansas-Florida game for "A series of calls that ... have not been to the standard that we expect," the SEC went out of its way Thursday to reprimand Razorback coach Bobby Petrino for agreeing completely with its judgment:

SEC commissioner Mike Slive reprimanded Petrino on Thursday for publicly criticizing the officiating crew that made several controversial calls that helped second-ranked Florida escape with a 23-20 win over Arkansas in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

"Coach Petrino has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics," Slive said in a statement. "SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from all public criticism of officials."

I happen to think the SEC office should refrain from public criticism of specific calls, too, unless it's willing to call out a couple dozen sketchy calls every week, but the rulebook couldn't be amended to read "coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from all public criticism of officials unless they happen to be obviously right"? You know, pot, kettle, etc.

• Stayin' alive. Florida State still has a losing record overall and in the ACC, and for the majority of Thursday's must-win at North Carolina played as poorly as any team Bobby Bowden has ever put on a field, according to the man himself. Yielding 338 yards and 27 points to the worst statistical offense in the league further confirmed this FSU defense as the worst Mickey Andrews has coordinated in 25 years, and it could have been worse if not for penalties and drops that negated a couple long UNC completions. Aside from quarterback Christian Ponder, the 'Noles remain a mediocre outfit with no stars, rising or otherwise.

But they did manage to fight their way out of the grave for a 30-27 win after going down 24-6 on the road early in the third quarter, and Ponder's brilliant performance in the second half -- he hit his last 16 passes on four straight FSU scoring drives, including three for touchdowns, pushing him well over 300 yards passing for the fourth time this year, with a touchdown:interception ratio of 12:1 -- should have established him as the best quarterback in the ACC.

Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said the 'Noles had a "come to Jesus" moment at the half, which is the kind of rhetoric that might make Bowden a little uneasy at his age but apparently saved him from another round of incessant sniping -- for a week, at least.

• Ghosts of Oxford. Because this is the 21st Century, Ole Miss has moved steadily the last few years to eliminate its longstanding "Old South" iconography, banning Confederate flags during games and ditching its plantation owner mascot, Colonel Reb. They're finding it slightly tougher, however, to eradicate certain lyrical traditions:

The University of Mississippi has shortened one of its fight songs to discourage football fans from chanting "the South will rise again" during part of the tune, which critics say is an offensive reminder of the region's intolerant past.

However, some fans have continued to recite the chant at the end of the song, "From Dixie With Love," despite the change made last week at the chancellor's request.
[...]
Brian Ferguson, 26, head of the Colonel Reb Foundation, said he views the university actions as an attempt to silence students.

"If the students get fired up and upset enough about it, they're going to continue to say it. Our biggest fear is that that's going to lead them to eliminate 'From Dixie With Love,' altogether."

The student-government association has a compromise I suspect everyone on campus can agree on: It passed a resolution this month to replace "The South Will Rise Again" with that other widespread Rebel sentiment, "To hell with LSU."

• Howard witnesses intimidated? The investigation into the stabbing death of UConn cornerback Jarvis Howard outside a homecoming dance last Sunday morning continues with no additional arrests despite reports of a new suspect whose own lawyer said he expected his client to be arrested earlier this week, but it sounds like someone is running scared:

University of Connecticut police say witnesses to the killing of football player Jasper Howard are being threatened with violence if they come forward with evidence.

Maj. Ronald Blicher tells the student newspaper, The Daily Campus, that the threats are being made in Internet postings and police are looking into them. He says authorities are still urging people to submit videos, photos or other information.

In the meantime, two funds have been established in Howard's name and coach Randy Edsall said all the Huskies are ready to go Saturday at West Virginia. Services for Howard are set for Monday at 11 a.m. in his native Miami.

Quickly ... Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas is expected to play against Tennessee. ... The Vols may be preparing to offer Phil Simms' son, Matt, a 420-friendly JUCO quarterback who transferred from Louisville when he failed to earn the starting job earlier this year. ... Once-hyped Colorado running back Darrell Scott is out two to three weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery. ... Backup running back Stephfon Green won't travel with Penn State to Michigan thanks to a bum ankle. ... Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes is 50-50 to play with a bad groin at Mississippi State. ... Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt talks about the 50-yard bomb the Huskies allowed against Arizona State with five seconds to play. ... After failing to recover any of four Notre Dame fumbles last week, USC is looking to force Jacquizz Rodgers to cough one up for the first time in his career. ... Someone at Youngstown State nominated Jim Tressel to be the next university president. ... And Toby Gerhart can sing. He just doesn't want to.