Delany says Indy was best for first Big Ten title game

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Saturday taking the conference's first football championship game to Indianapolis was the easiest choice with little time to research other options.

Delany was at a downtown Seattle hotel on Saturday as Michigan faced the NCAA infractions committee for rules violations within the Wolverines football program. Delany declined to comment about the hearing, but he was willing to talk about the conference's decision that the 2011 championship game would be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

"I wanted to get it accomplished so we could tell our television partner where it would be broadcast," Delany said. "We know the people in Indianapolis, we know they have a great facility, we know they are teed up to have the Super Bowl in 2012 and I said to athletic directors, we're not making this a long-term commitment. It makes a lot of logistical sense."

Where the title game goes after 2011 is still for debate and evaluation. Delany said the conference intends to examine the locations for its men's and women's basketball tournaments and the football championship game next spring when officials have time to tour a number of sites that have shown interest.

Delany said it's possible all three could be together in a package deal, but athletic directors currently don't have the time to examine all the options.

"We can go visit people who have interest and then make what I would say is a little more of a global decision about those three events," he said.

Michigan completes hearing: Rich Rodriguez walked briskly toward the escalator, ready to get out of a hotel ballroom and back on a plane to Michigan.

"Certainly glad this part of the process is over," Michigan's football coach said in his only comment Saturday afternoon after a 71/2-hour hearing before the NCAA committee on infractions.

Rodriguez, athletic director David Brandon and school president Mary Sue Coleman were among a large contingent of Wolverines who spent most of Saturday holed up in a downtown hotel defending themselves against NCAA claims that Rodriguez failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the Michigan football program.

"We had a very fair and thorough hearing and we feel good about the fact we were given that opportunity," Brandon said. "And the process will continue and under the rules based on the process as it's been laid out we're going to be very quiet. We're going to go back, we're going to prepare for a great season, we're going to get focused on football and let the NCAA do their work."

Brandon, Rodriguez and Coleman followed by as many as 12 boxes of material being brought into the hearing.

The NCAA has accused Michigan of five major rules violations related to practices and workouts. The allegations came after a Detroit Free Press report that led to investigations by the school and the NCAA.

The school admitted in May it was guilty of four violations, but spent Saturday challenging the allegation that Rodriguez failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

Michigan will likely have to wait 6-8 weeks to have the case closed - barring an appeal.

Extra points: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says there's no timetable for the return of sophomore running back Brandon Wegher, who has left the team for undisclosed personal issues. Ferentz did say he's cautiously optimistic Wegher will rejoin the Hawkeyes this season. Wegher rushed for 641 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. He left the team last Sunday. ... Notre Dame center Dan Wenger and offensive tackle Matt Romine were held out of practice and a scrimmage Saturday, one day after suffering concussion symptoms during drills. First-year coach Brian Kelly, speaking after the team had wrapped up its first week of preseason drills, says the medical staff didn't clear Wenger and Romine to participate. He also says he was impressed during the scrimmage with the play of backup tight end Tyler Eifert and the progress of starting quarterback Dayne Crist. Also playing well has been freshman quarterback Tommy Rees, who is battling Nate Montana for the backup role behind Crist.