TAMPA, Fla. – Oliver Luck, the father of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, said his son is not worried about the upcoming Heisman ceremony, but instead more concerned about his academics.

Shocking, huh? Not really.

“After the Notre Dame game (Nov. 26), we had brunch on Sunday and he said I’m just focused on school,” said Oliver Luck, also the West Virginia athletic director after the Mountaineers win at South Florida Thursday.

Andrew Luck was the overwhelming preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, which will be awarded Dec. 10. Oliver Luck said while his son has handled the pressure of being the favorite all season, he’s tried not to get too anxious about the upcoming ceremony.

“I’m not anxious,” Oliver Luck said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. My wife and I are fairly relaxed. It would be great if he won the award, but if he didn’t win, someone is more deserving. It’s not the end of the world. I think the voters, I think they do a sincere job of voting for who is most deserving. It’s a subjective award.”

Oliver said he believes his son made the right decision by returning to Stanford this season. And this year couldn’t have gone any better – except for winning the Pac-12 title.

“It was his decision (to return), getting his degree,” Oliver Luck said. “If Stanford is able to stay in a BCS bowl (the Cardinal are expected to go to the Fiesta Bowl), it’s hard to argue with the decision. Most importantly he got his degree. You hate to belabor the point, but it matters.”

Luck is expected to be the first pick in the NFL Draft and the winless Indianapolis Colts would have that first pick. I asked Oliver Luck if he’s started buying any Colts gear.

“No comment,” Luck said, smiling.

Following reports that West Virginia offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen had been escorted from a Charleston-area casino by casino security last week, Mountaineer athletic director Oliver Luck released a statement Wednesday afternoon calling Holgorsen's actions "inappropriate."

"After looking into the details and thoroughly investigating what took place last week, I believe inappropriate behavior did occur," Luck said. [Current head] Coach [Bill] Stewart and I have made it clear, and will reiterate, that our coaches and staff are representing the University and the state at all times. We expect them to always display appropriate behavior.

"I take this matter very seriously, but I do not plan on commenting on it further.”

Holgorsen also released a statement through the school.

"I learned a valuable lesson from this incident," Holgorsen said. "As a football coach I am always in the public eye and I have to hold myself to a higher standard, which is what I ask our players to do.  I'm sorry that this incident has put the University and the football program in a difficult position. I will not put myself in that situation again."

Ironically, West Virginia's statements were released shortly before news broke of USC's denied appeal by the NCAA. I guess Holgorsen and USC learned that when dealing with a casino or the NCAA never forget: the house always wins.

PONTE VERDA BEACH, Fla. - Here’s an update from the Big East cancelled athletic director-gate, for those who care:

On Tuesday night after meeting with the league’s coaches and athletic directors all day, Big East commissioner John Marinatto told the attending media that the league’s athletic directors would reconvene Wednesday morning around 8 a.m. The Wednesday AD's meeting was scheduled to end by noon – as the AD’s Wednesday meeting has for the past several years that the spring meetings have been held at the Ponte Verda Inn.

On Wednesday morning, though, I was contacted by a Big East spokesperson, who told me that the athletic directors’ meeting had been cancelled because some of the ADs, including West Virginia’s Oliver Luck, had to return to their schools earlier than expected.

A West Virginia spokesman said that Luck had always been planning to return to Morgantown, WVa., early Wednesday to attend the school’s rifle team fund-raiser Wednesday night. The fact Luck was returning the night after news of the Dana Holgorsen casino incident broke was purely coincidental, the WVU spokesperson said.

Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson and Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti also left Ponte Verda Beach early Wednesday and apparently did not plan to attend Wednesday’s AD meeting.

So the athletic directors’ meeting was cancelled – unless, of course, perhaps there never was a meeting scheduled? But then why would Marinatto indicate Tuesday night the agenda the ADs would be discussing on Wednesday, including the league’s bowl payout situation, scheduling, television and BCS matters if there was no meeting?

So there you go: the only thing more confusing than the meeting/cancelled meeting is which football schools the league will add for expansion. Don’t worry, I’ll get to that one soon enough. As soon as I come down from the grassy knoll.

 

PONTE VERDA BEACH, Fla. – Wednesday morning’s Big East athletic directors meeting at the league’s spring meetings was cancelled because some of the league’s ADs, including West Virginia’s Oliver Luck, had to return back to their schools earlier than expected.

Luck returned to Morgantown, WVa., to apparently deal with an incident at a casino involving Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia’s new offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting. Pittsburgh AD Steve Pederson and Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti also left early and were unable to attend the meeting.

On Tuesday, Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the league ADs would address several subjects on Wednesday including the league’s bowl payout situation, scheduling, television and BCS matters.

“Routine stuff,” Marinatto said.

Those items have now been pushed back to be discussed at the league’s football media days in Newport, R.I., Aug. 1-2.