AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn tailback Brad Lester called up his bank the other day looking for his account balance.

Instead, he got the question: "Who's the starting quarterback?"

If only his account included $1 for every time that's come up. Coach Tommy Tuberville said Tuesday inquiring fans will likely have to wait until the 10th-ranked Tigers' opener Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe for an answer.

Junior college transfer Chris Todd and sophomore Kodi Burns -- or vice versa -- both expect to play in the game. Both say they have no idea when they'll find out who gets to take the first snap.

Tuberville said the down-to-the-wire competition is a good thing.

"It hasn't been that both have done bad or both have done great," he said. "It's just that both have been very consistent. The players rally around both of them.

"It's a great situation for us. Both will be hungry to play, and I want it that way. I want them both to be very competitive but I also want both of them to know they're on the same team."

The competition is so close Tuberville said the starter could boil down to the first dozen or so scripted plays and who is best suited to run them.

In the meantime, the contenders who have battled throughout spring and fall practices can just work and wait.

"I guess we'll find out when everybody else finds out," Todd said. "Y'all know just as much as I know, so we'll see."

Added Burns: "I know that I'm going to be out there and I know I'll be playing, so I'm not worried about it. I think we're both going to play."

They do bring different assets to the field. Todd, a onetime Texas Tech signee, has more experience in systems similar to coordinator Tony Franklin's spread offense. He might have an edge in passing. Burns is the better runner and scrambler.

Lester said each of them can do both. Tuberville said both have also shown the ability to ad-lib on broken plays.

"The thing about Kodi is he's still in the learning mode," he said. "Chris has been in this offense since diapers. He's been running it forever. Without a big separation, I think it's great on Kodi's part to be able to catch up and learn. Chris has been a big part of that. Chris has been helping him out."

That's another key point for a lingering quarterback battle: Making sure it doesn't divide the team into opposing camps. Tuberville said he asked the seniors for their opinion when they came to his house late last week for a steak dinner. He said leadership will be a key factor in the decision.

Both contenders say teammates have approached them and said they should be the starter. They have to be guarded in their response.

"We know what's best for the team," Burns said. "We can't let this divide the team at all between me and Chris. We've got to stay strong as quarterbacks and not let our individual things get in the way of our team goals."

While bank employees, fans and media fret over what the final decision will be, defensive end Antonio Coleman said the guys on the other side of the ball aren't giving it too much thought.

"We really don't care," Coleman said. "We're worried about what we're going to do on Saturday. We'll let the offense handle their business."

• ECU, Holtz agree to new six-year contract: At Greenville, N.C., Skip Holtz and East Carolina agreed to a new contract Tuesday that will last through the 2013 season. Athletic director Terry Holland said the contract contains changes to his incentive and bonus structure and should encourage Holtz "to stay with us a long, long time."

Holland said specifics of Holtz's new deal can't be released until the contract is approved by the school's board of trustees.

Holtz has led the Pirates to consecutive winning seasons and bowls for the first time since 1999-2000. In December 2006, he signed an extension through 2011 worth $4.35 million over five seasons.

• NCAA says it's still considering Mauk's appeal: At Cincinnati, the NCAA said Tuesday that it's still considering quarterback Ben Mauk's latest appeal for more playing time, contrary to what it told his lawyer a day earlier.

Lawyer Kevin Murphy received a phone call Monday night from an NCAA representative, informing him that the staff had denied Mauk's request for another season of eligibility. Murphy was told that Mauk could talk to the NCAA's reinstatement committee by phone on Thursday, pleading his case for the final time.

On Tuesday, Murphy said he got another phone call from the same NCAA representative telling him the staff was still considering the matter and hadn't ruled, contrary to what he had been told.

"That person called me back and apologized profusely," Murphy said. "They said the call last night was a mistake, that they had not ruled. The staff had decided to sleep on it. The apology was sincere."

NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Murphy's account of the phone calls was accurate, and that the staff was still considering the matter.

Mauk has been turned down three times by the NCAA in his attempt to get another season of eligibility. Mauk contends injuries cost him playing time at Wake Forest and Cincinnati.

He was one of the biggest surprises of last year's college football season, making a remarkable comeback from severe injuries. He dislocated his passing shoulder and broke his arm in the season opener for Wake Forest in 2006.

Mauk transferred to Cincinnati for his graduate studies, rehabilitated his shoulder, won the starting job and led the Bearcats to a breakthrough season. He threw for 31 touchdowns and 3,121 yards even though his shoulder was still in pain. The Bearcats tied their school record with 10 wins, and finished the season with their highest ranking at No. 17.

Then, Mauk set out to get one more season. He tried to convince the NCAA that he should get more playing time because of the arm and shoulder injuries. When that appeal was rejected, he argued that he had to redshirt his freshman season at Wake Forest because of injury.

The NCAA ruled there was insufficient proof of his claims, and turned him down. When the reinstatement committee later rejected his appeal as well without letting Mauk make his pitch in person, he went to court.

Mauk filed a lawsuit on Aug. 13 and got a temporary restraining order from Hardin County Judge William Hart. The case was put on hold when the NCAA staff allowed Mauk to submit more information on his case. He is not allowed to practice with the Bearcats while the case is considered.

• Glennon to start for Va. Tech, Taylor redshirting: At Blacksburg, Va., Sean Glennon will be Virginia Tech's starting quarterback this year while sophomore Tyrod Taylor redshirts.

"For the long term and for the good of the program, this is in our best interest," Hokies coach Frank Beamer said Tuesday.

Cory Holt will begin the season as the nominal backup, but Taylor would be likely to play if Glennon couldn't. The decision is one Taylor supports, Beamer said.

"Tyrod wanted to redshirt and we are trying to do what is in his best interest for him," Beamer said.

Glennon began last season as the Hokies' starter, but was replaced by Taylor after a slow start. Glennon got a second chance midway through the season when Taylor was injured, and reclaimed the job by playing well. If he sits all year, Taylor would have three years of eligibility remaining after this season.

• Lewis back as Indiana QB after 4-month suspension: At Bloomington, Ind., Kellen Lewis is Indiana's starting quarterback again, winning a chance to lead the Hoosiers to a second straight bowl game despite being suspended for spring practice.

Hoosiers coach Bill Lynch said Tuesday that Lewis will start Saturday's opener against Western Kentucky. Lewis won back the starting job after a monthlong battle with sophomore Ben Chappell. Chappell has thrown only two college passes but inherited the nominal starter's role in March when Lewis was suspended for breaking team rules. Lewis was reinstated last month, but returned to a new no-huddle offense.

• Paterno picks Clark to start at QB for Penn State: At State College, Penn., Daryll Clark will start at quarterback for Penn State when the 22nd-ranked Nittany Lions open the season against Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

Coach Joe Paterno said Clark's experience and solid preseason gave him the edge over Pat Devlin.

• Colorado player gets probation in off-campus fight: At Boulder, Colo., Colorado tight end Riar Greer was sentenced to two years' probation and 50 hours of community service after pleading guilty in an off-campus brawl. Boulder County District Judge Maria Berkenkotter sentenced Greer on Monday. The 21-year-old Greer avoided a jail term of up to two years.

He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault stemming from a fight on March 14. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor harassment.

The university office of judicial affairs ordered Geer to serve another 50 hours of community service. He was suspended from the team for the spring semester but will be allowed to play this fall.

• Notable quote: "It's not that hard. I'm not that smart." -- UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow to the Orange County Register, saying new starting quarterback Kevin Craft, a transfer from San Diego State who moved into the starting slot when BYU transfer Ben Olson broke his foot in fall practice, shouldn't have any trouble mastering the Bruin offense.