The Red Raiders will be thrilled to step away from microphones and notebooks and onto the field at the Alamo Bowl.

Three days before the game against Michigan State, Texas Tech fired coach Mike Leach for what it termed "cause," the label being used as short hand for what the school views as reckless behavior in treating a player with a concussion—wide receiver Adam James—with anything but caution.

Leach, a sharp-tongued maverick head coach who isn't afraid to rankle his players, friends or enemies with a poignant response or aggressive opinion, went to court in an effort to overturn a suspension handed down earlier in the week and be on the sideline. Leach was suspended indefinitely while the school investigated Leach's treatment of a player—James, ...More