Making the morning rounds.
? Just a little insurance. Bo Pelini's latest contract extension not only makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the Big Ten at nearly $3 million per year and extends his obligation to Nebraska through 2015: It also makes it even less likely that he'll consider leaving for Ohio State if Jim Tressel gets the ax in Columbus. Pelini is an Ohio native (he attended Youngstown's Cardinal Mooney High, which has close ties to OSU) and was repeatedly connected to the Miami job last December — around the time his bosses decide he might be worth keeping around a little while longer, occasional outbursts notwithstanding. We all know he'd have to wrestle Urban Meyer for the Buckeye job, anyway. [Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World Herald]
? Don't think that I'm out of line for speaking out for what is mine. The NCAA has approved a hardship request by Ole Miss quarterback Barry Brunetti, allowing the former West Virginia transfer to compete for the Rebels' starting job this fall without spending the usual transfer season on the bench. Brunetti came out of Memphis last year as one of the top "dual threat" quarterbacks in the 2010 recruiting class, but didn't see the field in Morgantown as a true freshman and decided to move closer to his mother, whose health has reportedly grown progressively worse since a car accident in 2002.
As for the quarterback derby, junior Randall Mackey looked like the clear leader of a four-man rotation (now down to three) for most of the spring, but Brunetti had a better spring game and finally sheds the lingering question mark about his availability going into the summer. [Clarion-Ledger]
? Work with us here. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is reportedly "lobbying hard" to convince television networks to push kickoff times back by an hour, mainly for the benefit of schools in the Central time zone that regularly kick at 11 a.m. and would like more travel and tailgating time. The main drawback, other than filling up an extra hour of airtime in the morning: Later midday kicks means later afternoon kicks, which could be equally inconvenient for fans after the sun goes down. [Quad City Times]
? I thought we said not in the face! Mississippi State receiver Chris Smith is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a broken jaw he suffered in an apparent altercation in Meridian, Miss., over the weekend. It's not clear whether there's a police report in the incident; coach Dan Mullen said he's "still investigating all the events around what happened" but doesn't expect Smith to miss any workout time this summer. [Clarion-Ledger]
? This one's optimistic. Eric LeGrand, the Rutgers defensive lineman who was paralyzed from the neck down during a game last October, told reporters on Monday that he believes he was specifically chosen to overcome a test and guaranteed he would walk again. "There is a reason why it happened, that's what I truly believe," LeGrand said. "I was picked for this to happen to. Some people can't go through injuries like this, it would just put them down. I just believe God put me through this because he knows I can fight through this." [Associated Press]
Quickly… Comparing Mark Ingram to Emmitt Smith. … A sympathetic look at Marvin Austin from his hometown paper, which does not sound like an easy assignment. … Florida State lands a verbal commitment from a 330-pound lineman. … Former Michigan cornerback Cullen Christian is landing at Pittsburgh. … "I distinctly remember, I was kicking a 35-yard field goal, it's dead silent in the Big House, I'm on the left hash, Purdue is over here, and I just hear one guy go, 'He's going to miss it.'" … And who knew Ray Drew is really into Charlie Daniels?
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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