COLLEGE FOOTBALL Mr. Smith goes to Michigan St., apologizes for leak

News of his hiring overshadowed the GMAC Bowl on Wednesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The best a Conference USA coach can hope for is a trip to the Liberty Bowl.
In the Big Ten, the Rose Bowl or the Bowl Championship Series national championship game awaits the champion.
That's why John L. Smith left Louisville for Michigan State.
"I don't know how much more you can do there," Smith said.
"Maybe the next guy can do more. That was part of it, probably the biggest part. I have dreamt of playing in the Rose Bowl."
Smith signed a six-year contract with Michigan State. Terms were not immediately available.
Smith is excited about taking the fourth -- and most daunting -- step in his head coaching career.
The 54-year-old Smith started at Idaho in 1989, then left for Utah State in 1995 before heading to Louisville. Smith's career record is 110-60. He ranks 14th among active NCAA I-A coaches in wins.
Apologies
Even though Smith is not the big-name coach Spartans fans wanted, athletic director Ron Mason is undeterred.
"I don't care about winning press conferences," Mason said. "I want to win games."
Thursday, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich criticized the way Michigan State handled the hiring.
"I think the circus that surrounded that took away from [GMAC Bowl]," he said.
Mason said the school made "informal contact," with Smith about a month ago.
Mason said he didn't want to wait until the day after the bowl game to ask Louisville for permission to speak with Smith because of the chance that Washington State would beat Michigan State to Smith.
Smith regretted how the news spread.
"I come off at halftime and everybody knows," he said.
"It was not pretty, and I apologize for that. That was my fault. I'm sorry."
UCLA
LOS ANGELES -- While Karl Dorrell is proud to be fourth black coach in Division I, he believes UCLA hired him for another reason.
"They wanted the best man for this job -- I believe I'm that person," Dorrell said Thursday. "When I decided to be a football coach, I wasn't going to let any obstacles stand in my way.
"I'm very thankful for this opportunity, I will work my tail off. I'm excited, I'm privileged, I'm honored. It's been a dream of mine. I'm proud to be a Bruin, proud to be back."
Dorrell, wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos, was hired as his alma mater's 15th coach Wednesday night, beating out New Orleans assistant Mike Riley and Kansas City assistant Greg Robinson.
He succeeds Bob Toledo, fired Dec. 9 after seven years on the job.
Washington State
PULLMAN, Wash. -- When Washington State officials wanted to find Bill Doba to tell him he was being considered to replace Mike Price as coach, they knew where to look.
He was in his Bohler Gym office, putting the final touches on the Cougars' defensive game plan for the Rose Bowl.
The 62-year-old grandfather was elevated from defensive coordinator to coach Wednesday, becoming the oldest head football coach in the Pacific-10 Conference. Price is leaving the Cougars to coach Alabama.
Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green promoted offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon Thursday, replacing Urban Meyer, who left last week for Utah.
Brandon, whose offense set Mid-American Conference records for the most points in a season and most touchdowns last season, was the clear favorite for the job.
He had strong support from the players, who asked athletic director Paul Krebs to give the job to Brandon the day Meyer announced he was leaving.
Elsewhere
East Carolina's new coach will be Florida defensive coordinator John Thompson, sources at both schools told The Associated Press Thursday.
Washington defensive assistant Bobby Hauck replaced Joe Glenn at Montana.