John Woolard is a veteran journalist and sports radio talk show host based in Los Angeles. He spent much of his childhood in West Virginia and is a contributor to West Virginia Illustrated. He wrote this column on the late Bill Stewart.

They say Bill Stewart died of a heart attack on Monday, but I find that hard to believe.

From my observation, Bill Stewart had one of the biggest and strongest hearts around. It's hard to imagine it failing.

*****

Bill Stewart put his heart into all he did — in his personal life and professionally as a football coach — which is why the Mountaineer Nation is in mourning.

On a personal level he was by all accounts I have heard a soft-hearted, genuinely good man who showed kindness and care without motive, one who would be among the first to offer support or solace.

On a professional level he had the heart of a fighter, a tough man whose players knew he didn't ask them for more of a commitment than he was willing to give, but also one who stood by them after a tough loss or a costly on-field mistake.

Players calling a coach a father figure has become almost cliché commentary, a platitude that often seems thrown out for the sake of a sound bite.

However, when Stewart's players called him a surrogate dad (and are calling him that now upon his death), there was and is a detectable truthfulness — like you know it's coming from their own hearts.

*****

Now that we as a whole are given the regrettable task of recounting Bill Stewart's legacy, we above all else must contemplate Stewart's laudable personal qualities, if for no other reason than so many high-level and successful sports coaches seem to be relatively devoid of them.

All one needs to do for evidence is view popular WVU sports-related Internet sites or read commentary in major print publications in recent days to see a litany of positive depictions from people about encounters they had with Stewart.

The testimony comes from uncommon ranges of society, but there is a common theme: He treated people with appreciable respect — governors, TV talking heads, players, fans he met in airport terminals.

I have not met a person who knew Bill Stewart or came into contact with him who would say he wasn't a complete gentleman and I don't think I will find one. I doubt the FBI could find one.

*****

As a coach, it's fair to say Stewart had some detractors.

His three consecutive 9-4 seasons at WVU were not considered good enough by a number of fans who believed talented Mountaineer teams underachieved in a diluted Big East Conference, closely missing BCS bowls with crucial unexpected conference losses in 2008 through 2010.

It also is fair to say that Stewart was saddled with high expectations. His first year at the Mountaineer football helm followed a combined 33-5 WVU record the three previous seasons.

It was the most successful run in program history, one in which the 2007 team came excruciatingly close to a national championship game appearance.

*****

Stewart helped add to the high expectations that season.

The 33rd win in the above-mentioned success streak belongs to Stewart, who as interim head coach rallied and led a WVU team shaken by a loss to Pitt that cost it a title game shot and the contentious exit of coach Rich Rodriguez for Michigan to a 48-28 thumping of Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.

That win over the heavily favored Sooners and Stewart's dynamic pre-game "Leave No Doubt" pep talk are safely locked in WVU's pantheon of legendary occurrences.

As payment, Stewart was given a battlefield promotion to head coach during the euphoric hours after the game.

*****

It was a dream job for Stewart, a New Martinsville native proud of his state heritage, a man who considered West Virginia a step beyond "Almost Heaven."

As far as he was concerned, you could drop the "almost" from the description.

So when three years later a messy and awkward public drama rife with more than its share of "he said, she said" resulted in Stewart's departure, it didn't take Stephen Hawking to compute that along with a substantial financial settlement for him and his family there likely came a significant cache of sorrow.

*****

Lamentations, though, are not the purpose here. Long-term, my bet is any controversies that surrounded Bill Stewart will fade deep into the background and the goodwill he accumulated will prevail.

If we're talking history, the reality is that Stewart's 28-12 career record is the best percentage-wise (.700) of any WVU football coach since Clarence Spears left Morgantown in 1924 with an .808 win percentage (30-6).

While that may be comparing apples with oranges in regard to successful longer-term coaches such as Don Nehlen (.614), Rodriguez (.698) and Bobby Bowden (.618), the point is that Stewart's record was not that of a chump.

*****

Stewart held the fort during his time at WVU, keeping the Mountaineers in the national conversation.

WVU fans have to ask what would have happened if the wheels of the WVU football program had come off after Rodriguez unceremoniously bailed to walk the minefields of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

What if WVU had gone to the Fiesta Bowl in the throes of depression and got blown out by Oklahoma as was expected?

What if Stewart had gone 22-18 instead of 28-12? What if he and his staff had not left new Mountaineer coach Dana Holgorsen enough talent (Geno Smith, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Bruce Irvin, to name a few) to cobble together an Orange Bowl-winning team and allow Holgorsen and his staff to hit the ground running?

*****

For my money, while there were some disappointments, Bill Stewart played more than a small part in getting WVU invited to the Big 12.

It's not as if success is something that WVU ever has been guaranteed.

The Stewart era didn't have to go well, but it went well enough.

For that, we owe him a debt of gratitude.

*****

In Bill Stewart's case, the gratitude extends beyond the field of play.

He was one of us, a heartfelt member of our extended family who left too early.

Like all of us eventually, he now belongs to history and to those who tell and interpret it.

We rest assured that history will be kind to him.

Bill Stewart photo is courtesy of Image of Sport.

The Wiz's 2011 study of bowl game expense reports is cited in the May 14 edition of ESPN Magazine, which is titled "The Money Issue" and features Floyd Mayweather on the cover.

ESPN examined the most undervalued and overvalued assets in sports. In citing our study, ESPN determined that going to a bowl game ranked No. 6 on the overvalued list. The item appears on page 84.

The Wiz determined that the 70 teams in the 2010 postseason spent an average of $1.31 million on a bowl trip, with nearly 25% going toward required ticket purchases the teams did not recover. Read our report at this link.

How is the betting public viewing Brian Kelly's third season at Notre Dame? If early wagering on win totals is a judge, bettors think Kelly and his Fighting Irish will be in for a long 2012.

The offshore sportsbook 5Dimes has put an over/under win total of 8.5 on Notre Dame, with heavy juice (minus-210) applied to the under. Each of Kelly's first two teams finished 8-5.

The excellent site Beyond The Bets notes that 5Dimes' policy is to adjust the juice instead of win totals as bets are made.

Thus far, 5Dimes has released win totals for 31 teams. Totals for around 50 teams should be available by mid-June.

Other win totals (not including the juice): Alabama (10.5), Arkansas (8.5), Auburn (7.5), Georgia (9.5), Louisiana State (10.5), Michigan (9.5), Nebraska (8.5), Ohio State (8.5), Oklahoma (9.5), Oregon (9.5), Texas (8.5), USC (9.5) and Wisconsin (8.5).

5Dimes has also posted lines for 10 games in Week 1, including Michigan vs. Alabama on Sept. 1 at Arlington, Texas. Alabama is listed as a 14-point favorite.

In another game of note, Michigan State is a 6.5-point favorite over Boise State on Aug. 31 at East Lansing.

Image courtesy of 30fps.

Two lessons learned in the past week. Realignment is far from over and bigger is not always better.

First, realignment. The latest scuttlebutt has Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference taking an interest in joining the Big 12. As usual, the Seminoles' curiosity starts and ends with money.

Chip Brown of Orangebloods first reported on possible benefits to Florida State last Wednesday after the ACC announced it had reached a new 15-year, $3.6 billion TV deal with ESPN. That pact will last until 2027 and was said to be worth $240 annually to the conference, or $17.14 million per school. At first glance, it sounds like a terrific score, up from the approximate $13 million each school was receiving in the current TV deal.

But Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports! reported that the agreement is actually backloaded and the initial bump in revenue is around $1 million per school. The additional $4 million wouldn't be realized until 2021.

This didn't go over well in many ACC circles, but it really hit below the belt in Tallahassee. Florida State is facing an athletics department shortfall of $2.4 million for the 2012-13 season, according to Warchant.com.

Florida State Board of Trustees Chairman Andy Haggard was among the most outspoken critics. He told Warchant: "On behalf of the Board of Trustees I can say that unanimously we would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer. We have to do what is in Florida State's best interest."

Florida State president Eric Barron then tried to put out firestorm by issuing a statement Saturday night that said the school "is not seeking an alternative to the ACC nor are we considering alternatives."

The ACC''s spring meetings start Monday in Amelia Island, Fla. Should make for some interesting backroom discussions.

And this leads to a debunking of the theory that bigger better. The ACC is expected to add Syracuse and Pittsburgh, likely for the 2013-14 seasons, bringing its membership to 14.

That means the new deal will be sliced in more shares than the Pacific 12, which reached a 12-year, $3 billion TV contract with ESPN and Fox last year. The Pac-12 deal works out to be $20.8 million for each member school, outpacing the ACC's just signed $17.14 million per school.

Of course, the Pac-12's deal didn't sit well with the Southeastern Conference, which views itself as the dominant brand in college football. The SEC reacted by raiding the Big 12 for Texas A&M and Missouri, sending its membership to 14 and forcing a renegotiation of its TV rights. The current speculation has the SEC commanding around $300 million annually for its TV rights, or more than $21 million per member.

An expected new TV deal for the Big 12 is for 13 years and $2.6 billion, according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. It will break down to an average of $20 million a school through 2025.

All of which makes the backloaded deal the ACC just agreed to seem not so great.

Image courtesy of 30fps.

No athletic department could match what Kansas State did in 2010-11, according to an ESPN report.

The department was the most profitable of 99 public schools that field Division I-A football teams, pulling in a net income of nearly $23 million, according to open records requests for audited financial reports that schools submit each year to the NCAA. The 2010-11 fiscal year is most recent data available.

As for the methodology for defining net income, that is up for debate.

Using this method, ESPN determined that 79 of the 99 departments either broke even or showed a surplus for 2010-11.

The NCAA has a different set of criteria. The governing body "subtracts athletic department revenue that comes from student fees, state funds and money from the university."

By NCAA accounting, only 19 public schools were in the black.

Kansas State assistant athletic director of communications Kenny Lannou told the Kansas City Star that either way, the financial results could be skewed.

"Every school does it differently," he said. "If a guy comes in says he is going to donate $5 million over five years, some schools will count that $1 million at a time over five years. The way our accounting shop does it, they report that $5 million all in the first year.

"We didn't get to $23 million just from ticket sales and donors over that year period. That was everything, which included multi-year pledges, so you can see where the numbers can get skewed. But over a period of time, it should even out."

Regardless, it's a remarkable turnaround for Kansas State, whose department was running a $2.8 million deficit in 2009. Then John Currie was hired as athletic director and Bill Snyder was brought back as football coach. Snyder's first team finished 6-6 but the Wildcats surged to 10-3 last season.

As long as the legendary Snyder is around, the good times should continue to roll in Manhattan.

New York might not be considered a hotbed of college football, but on Tuesday night it was the place to be.

Writers Buzz Bissinger, featured in the video above, and Malcolm Gladwell debated broadcaster/author Tim Green and columnist Jason Whitlock on whether college football should be banned. Bissinger and Gladwell argued for abolishment, and by the end of the night had won over the packed house at New York University's Skirball Center.

The audience was polled beforehand and only 16% supported a ban and 53% opposed it. By the end of the debate, 53% favored a ban and 39% opposed it. The undecided vote, which was 31% beforehand, was only 8% at the end.

There are several reviews of the debate, starting with Ted Miller's entertaining piece for ESPN. John Williams of the New York Times also broke it down, as did Katy Waldman of Slate.

But if you want to see the entire debate, just click on the play button below. Be warned because the runtime is 1 hour 52 minutes.