By early in the 2005 football season, the smart guys along the glitzy Las Vegas Strip were already voicing suspicions about Toledo games. When officials with the MGM Mirage sports book formally brought concerns to the Nevada Gaming Control Board that fall, no one yet had a clue the FBI was already onto the case. But as a precaution, the 10 sports books affiliated with MGM Mirage didn't accept bets on Toledo's final eight games. The next year, in 2006, they capped bets on Toledo at $1,000 a game.

NCAA investigators had caught wind of a potential gambling issue involving Toledo by the summer of 2006, which was months before news reached the campus in northwestern Ohio. Kenny White of Las Vegas Sports Consultants told ESPN.com that he alerted NCAA officials that summer to chatter about Toledo games. By this past fall, the NCAA had heard similar concerns from the MGM Mirage, as well as from state gaming board investigators.

Larry Moore Jr., the investigator who led an initial Nevada Gaming Control Board probe in the fall of 2005, also said the state board notified the NCAA soon after that inquiry. Moore, now retired, couldn't recall how succinctly the situation was described to the NCAA, or whether point-shaving was mentioned to the college governing body at the time.

What discussions went on inside the NCAA's Indianapolis headquarters, or how seriously the information from Las Vegas was taken, remains a well-kept secret.

Toledo Was in the Dark About Point-Shaving originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McDougle, 22, the Rockets running back who is suspended from the team because of his alleged connection to a point-shaving scandal, has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season.

"He's not academically ineligible, and that's all I can say," McDougle Sr. said. "I'm so sick of that university, I don't even know what to do with all of this."

Scooter Scoots No More For Toledo originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The e-mail from [the NCAA's gambling pointwoman, Rachel] Newman-Baker was sent to [Toledo Athletic Director Mike] O'Brien in response to an e-mail sent by O'Brien earlier that day in which O'Brien asked Newman-Baker what the result was of the NCAA probe into the UT-Kent game.

The university tried to retrieve the e-mail from O'Brien's hard drive without success. O'Brien later found a hard copy of the e-mail in a file, according to UT spokesman Tobin Klinger.

In his e-mail, O'Brien wrote: "At the conclusion of the [Oct. 11] meeting, I asked what the next step would be and you indicated you would respond. With the meeting occurring almost a month ago, I thought I should contact you. I would assume that nothing has come of this and that you had nothing to share."

In her response to O'Brien, the first contact she had with him since Oct. 11, Newman-Baker said "no additional investigation was warranted at this time."

"They got nothing," Ghazi "Gary" Manni said in an interview with USA TODAY. Manni, a Detroit-area resident who describes himself as a gambler, was alleged to have conspired with Toledo football and basketball players to fix games, according to court documents.

But Manni said his contacts with Toledo athletes, including running back Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr., was about friendship and had nothing to do with fixing games.

Toledo Point-Shaving Probe Stalling originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Movements in the betting line are responses to disproportionate amounts of money bet a certain way. During the 2005 Toledo football regular season, lines on their team's games moved two points or more on 7 occasions - and ALL 7 TIMES the way the bettors were betting won against the opening line. The odds of this happening randomly are 128 to 1. It can be stated, with greater than 99% mathematical certainty, that the outcomes of those games were affected by OUTSIDE factors!

Toledo Gambling Scandal: 99% Funny Business originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The oddsmaker, Kenny White, chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, said that beginning in the 2004 season he and his associates noticed that there was heavy betting on certain Toledo football games and those of another Mid-American Conference team he declined to name.

"But then it stopped and it was just Toledo," he said.

The unusual betting pattern continued into the 2005 season, according to White. As his suspicions grew, he watched tape of all of Toledo's football games in 2004 and part of 2005.

"We really couldn't pinpoint a single player or coach or official," he said. "But we knew something was happening there."

At that point, about October 2005, White said he filed a report with the Nevada Gaming Commission and the NCAA. His report did not mention basketball games.

This Is Why Legal Gambling Helps originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the 2005 GMAC Bowl drew closer, a Michigan gambler assured other bettors that University of Toledo football player Harvey "Scooter" McDougle offered bribes to teammates so the point spread would be covered, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Mr. McDougle, 22, who was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit with conspiring with others in a points-shaving scheme, sat out the game because of injuries.

Point Shaving at Toledo originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sources: Toledo to Tulane originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads won't be surprised if Toledo coach Tom Amstutz goes for it on fourth down. The Rockets are eight for 11 on fourth-down conversions (73 percent) this season.

"I think something like that generally speaks to the personality of their head football coach, and this is a guy who took over this program and has continued to lead them to success," Rhoads said. "You can see the admiration and respect the kids have for him. It speaks to his confidence to his team, and they're returning the favor."

No word as to whether Rhoads was wiping flop sweat from his forehead as he thought about this. Of course, sweat could be forming just from thinking back to how well he made defensive adjustments to Toledo back in 2003 (oh wait, there were none).

Was it the Rockets' offense, with its majority one-back, shotgun sets, or was the main reason Gradkowski's grit and ability?

Paul Rhoads, Pitt's defensive coordinator since 2000, believes the answers to those questions are somewhere in the middle.

"If a college football quarterback can throw a perfect game, or come close to it, [Gradkowski] certainly did on that night," Rhoads said yesterday. "Also, schematically, we had some things that were not in our playbook at that time that certainly hurt us matching up with a team like that."

The Pitt staff and players realize that the Toledo team facing it at noon Saturday at Heinz Field is Gradkowski-less, but the theories, strengths and looks of the Rockets' offense are all remarkably similar to 2003.

He credits Toledo's offense as being balanced with a system that works for their personnel. They use two quarterbacks, Brandon Summers and Aaron Opelt, which presents a challenge for opposing defenses.

"Most of their passing game is a lot of movement passes with good players at wide receiver and tight end and are supported by good running backs," Wannstedt said. "They rotate quarterbacks and don't miss a beat, so they're a tough team to prepare for."

He also credits Toledo's offensive line as one of the biggest the Panthers will play this season.

"These guys may not be as big at Michigan State, but they'll be as big or bigger than Cincinnati and probably compare to Virginia because they've done a great job recruiting," Wannstedt said. "There's a lot of players in Ohio and Ohio State can't take them all, so I see size, strength, and talent on their whole team."

The Rockets need to keep Palko, Kinder, and company on the sidelines. They can't tip the ketchup bottle sitting on the bench. Michigan State was successful in their first six drives, scoring on each possession against Pitt. The Spartans ran a lot of options with success against the Panthers man defense. The MSU offensive line and wide receivers did a great job blocking, opening up the running game. Michigan State's offensive front is larger than Toledo so this will be a real test in the trenches. Finishing blocks and having a mobile QB making good decisions will help Jalen Parmele and company establish the run. Penalties and turnovers must be kept to a minimum.

Toledo Preparations Continue originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking At Toledo originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"You're never supposed to look ahead, but I'll be honest I started thinking about Toledo about halftime [of the Citadel game Saturday]," said Blades, who is third in the nation in tackles (11.75 per game). "I was a true freshman, and after the game the fans were running on the field and pushing me. I just wanted to fight someone I was so mad. I had to walk off the field. But right now, my mind is on Toledo because of what happened that night."

On using the 2003 loss to Toledo as motivation:

I don't have to say anything but the guys that were there will, I promise you that. They'll say it better than I will.

"Why mention stuff in the past?" Palko said. "That has nothing to do with our football team. If we didn't prepare for The Citadel, they would have come out and embarrassed us. I don't feel the need to tell the football team or reiterate what happened in the past because that's in the past."

Three Years Later originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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