On the field, off the field

On the field: LSU's Russell Shepard could miss three games total, not just one, returning for the Sept. 24 game against West Virginia. That's the word from tigersportsdigest.com.

Off the field: We'll see what the day brings on Texas A&M's efforts to extricate itself from the Big 12. Go here for the Houston Chronicle's story and here for USA Today's report. Two more: here is a short Q&A from a few days ago with the A&M president, and here is a Q&A with Keith Dunnavant, who wrote "The Fifty-Year Seduction: How Television Manipulated College Football, from the Birth of the Modern NCAA to the Creation of the BCS."

Turns out that Tennessee coach Derek Dooley summarized it best Wednesday: "It's that old saying -- it's not about the money, it's about the amount."

Off the field: More college rankings from Newsweek / The Daily Beast: Healthiest (LSU #2, Miss. State #3, Georgia #10) and Least Rigorous (Florida #2).

-- RTR