CFB notebook: Houston's Oliver expected to play vs. Memphis

Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver has missed the past four games with a knee injury, but ESPN reported that the reigning Outland Trophy winner is expected to return for Friday's game against Memphis. Officially, Oliver remains day-to-day, according to the Cougars' football program, and there has been speculation that Oliver would sit out the rest of his college football season as he prepares for the NFL Draft. In his most recent mock draft published Nov. 11, Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com projected Oliver to be the third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Besides the knee injury, Oliver also had a heated exchange with head coach Major Applewhite on the sidelines of last week's game against Tulane. Oliver later apologized. The winner of the Houston-Memphis game will claim the American Athletic Conference West title and earn a berth in the conference championship game against Central Florida. Houston is 8-3 overall and 5-2 in AAC play, while Memphis is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference. --Massachusetts reportedly is making a head-coaching change. Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports and The Athletic reported that UMass is "moving on" from Mark Whipple as its head football coach. An official announcement is expected later this week. Whipple is the eighth FBS head coach to be dismissed this year. Bowling Green, Charlotte, Colorado, Louisville, Maryland and Texas State still have openings. The Kansas vacancy was filled when the Jayhawks hired Les Miles. UMass lost to fifth-ranked Georgia 66-27 to finish the season 4-8. The Minutemen also won four games last year. Whipple, 61, has two years remaining on a contract that pays $500,000 annually in base salary. --Texas defensive end Breckyn Hager apologized for slamming rival Oklahoma in a postgame interview with reporters. Hager took aim at the Sooners after a reporter informed him that they had surrendered 40 points to Kansas. "Hey, OU has no defense," Hager said. He then pointed to a nearby clock and added, "Wait, wait -- it's 11:12 and what? OU still sucks." The Big 12 didn't take too kindly to Hager's comments, with commissioner Bob Bowlsby declaring that he violated the league's sportsmanship and ethical conduct policies. Hager apologized Monday night in a lengthy statement. Texas defeated Oklahoma 48-45 in October. Should the Longhorns defeat Kansas and Sooners topple West Virginia this weekend, they will meet in the Big 12 championship game. --Michigan senior running back Karan Higdon didn't need much prodding to follow in the footsteps of coach Jim Harbaugh. When asked if he'd guarantee a Wolverines win over Ohio State -- just like Harbaugh did as a player decades ago -- Higdon offered the following: "Yeah, I do. I do," Higdon said. "That's how I feel. I believe firmly in my brothers, this team and this coaching staff. As a captain, I'll take that stand. Why not?" No. 4 Michigan (10-1, 8-0) can win the Big Ten East for the first time in program history and advance to the Big Ten championship game with a victory over the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1) on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.