College Football - Football Betting

2005-10-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Connecticut Huskies

Oct. 22
Rutgers 26 ... Connecticut 24---College Football---
Rutgers ripped off 23 points in the second half helped by three Ryan Hart touchdown passes and the running of Ray Rice. UConn got a 51-yard touchdown run from Cornell Brockington and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jason Williams, but the Scarlet Knights were able to control the game with the ground attack that outgained UConn 238 yards to 97. The Huskies had the ball with a chance to go on a game-winning drive, but Ron Girault picked off Dennis Brown to seal the win. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 27 times for 217 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 10-22, 176 yds, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Ray Rice, 27-217. Receiving: Clark Harris, 4-95---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Dennis Brown, 18-35, 196 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cornell Brockington, 3-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason Williams, 5-51, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Uh, running game? Dennis Brown handled himself well thrown into the starting quarterback role against Rutgers, but he could've used some help from Cornell Brockington, Terry Caulley and the running attack, but the two star runners only carried the ball 13 times. The offensive line had a rough game with problems opening up holes and not protecting Brown well enough. The season could completely slip away with road trips to West Virginia and Pitt unless all the parts are working to help out the quarterback situation, and the penalties have to stop after committing 12 against the Scarlet Knights.---College Football---
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Oct. 15---College Football---
Cincinnati 28 ... Connecticut 17---College Football---
Bradley Glatthaar helped give Cincinnati its first Big East win with two touchdown runs including a 72-yard sash in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Dustin Grutza threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Connor Barwin and Butler Benton added a 27-yard scoring run for the Bearcats. UConn struggled with new quarterback D.J. Hernandez going without a touchdown until late in the third quarter. Hernandez threw two touchdowns passes, but couldn't get the ball back after a 13-yard scoring pass to Seth Fogarty with 2:40 to play. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Cincinnati RB Bradley Glatthaar ran 15 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Cincinnati - Passing: Dustin Grutza, 9-21, 125 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Bradley Glatthaar, 14-123, 2 TD. Receiving: Earnest Jackson, 3-38---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: D.J. Hernandez, 19-43, 191 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 21-87. Receiving: Dan Murray, 6-70---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The big question going into the Cincinnati game was how D.J. Hernandez would respond as the starting quarterback now that Matt Bonislawki is out for the year. The answer against the Bearcats? Not good. He's a great runner showing off his mobility with 70 yards, but his accuracy wasn't there and his decision making was a bit off taking way too many sacks. On the plus side, the defense continues to be unbelievable on third downs only allowing Cincinnati to convert one of ten chances. ---College Football---
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Oct. 7---College Football---
Connecticut 26 ... Syracuse 7---College Football---
Terry Caulley ran for two touchdowns, Matt Nuzie connected on field goals of 59 and 35 yards, and and D.J .Hernandez, in for injured starting quarterback Matt Bonislawski, ran for a one-yard score. Syracuse only gained 273 yards of total offense and wasn't able to get into the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter on a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nick Chestnut. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Connecticut RB Terry Caulley ran 23 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Perry Patterson, 10-28, 125 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Damien Rhodes, 20-82. Receiving: Damien Rhodes, 2-25---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: D.J. Hernandez, 4-8, 31 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 23-86, 2 TD. Receiving: Jason Williams, 2-20---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Can D.J. Hernandez lead the Husky offense? With Matt Bonislawski out for at least several weeks with a broken collarbone, Hernandez has to grow into a better passer. He has the running skills, and he'll eventually be a playmaker, but he'll have to be able push the ball deeper than he did against Syracuse. Fortunately, Terry Caulley is running as well as he did before his knee problems, and the defense is playing phenomenally well. This really is a team good enough to be in the mix for the Big East title as long as Hernandez becomes a steady player.---College Football---
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Oct. 1---College Football---
Connecticut 47 ... Army 13 ---College Football---
Darius Butler picked off three passes returning one 86 yards for a touchdown, Terry Caulley ran for two scores, and Matt Bonislawski threw two touchdown passes in the easy win. Army threw four interceptions with two returned for scores, but got in the end zone twice on two Scott Wesley runs.
Player of the game: Connecticut CB Darius Butler had three interceptions for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Army - Passing: Zac Dahman, 13-30, 122 yds, 3 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Scott Wesley, 14-64, 2 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Trimble, 6-63---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Matt Bonislawski, 18-26, 180 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 22-87, 2 TD. Receiving: Terry Caulley, 6-46---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Yes, UConn hasn't beaten anyone of note with wins over Buffalo, Liberty, and now, Army, but the defense has done a good job and is starting to become more ball-hawkish. Matt Bonislawski looks settled in at quarterback taking what the Army defense game him after a disastrous game against Georgia Tech, and Terry Caulley looks as strong as ever. As Big East play kicks in starting next week, the offense could use more from Cornell Brockington working along with Caulley.---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Georgia Tech 28 ... Connecticut 13 ---College Football---
Taylor Bennett, playing in place of Reggie Ball, threw a touchdown pass on his first throw connecting with Calvin Johnson from 42 yards out, but Connecticut was able to bounce back to take a 13-7 lead on a five-yard scoring run from Matt Bonislawski before Kenny Scott put the Yellow Jackets up for good on a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown with just :45 left in the first half. The Tech defense took care of the rest and Tashard Choice ran for two short touchdown runs to put the game away. UConn was held to six first downs and 196 yards of total offense losing four turnovers. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Georgia Tech RB P.J. Daniels ran 25 times for 114 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Georgia Tech - Passing: Taylor Bennett, 11-30, 142 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: P.J. Daniels, 25-114. Receiving: Calvin Johnson, 3-75, 1 TD---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Matt Bonislawski, 7-25, 67 yds, 3 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 14-83. Receiving: Brandon Young, 2-34---College Football---
What to take away from this game: To beat a team like Georgia Tech, UConn can't make the mistakes it made with four turnovers and only six first downs. Matt Bonislawski finally looked like a green starter seemingly unable to handle the speed of the Yellow Jacket defense. The defense didn't do a poor job, but it couldn't come up with the big play needed to turn the momentum in the second half. With two weeks off until Army, the Huskies will have a lot of time to work out the passing game to get it back up and running like it was over the first two weeks.
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Sept. 10---College Football---
Connecticut 59 ... Liberty 0---College Football---
UConn rolled up 600 yards of offense while the defense threw its second straight shutout. Cornell Brockington ran for three touchdowns and Matt Bonislawski threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. Liberty only managed 132 yards and nine first downs. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Connecticut QB Cornell Brockington ran 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Liberty - Passing: Brock Farrel, 6-11 100 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Rajive Otah, 4-24. Receiving: Brandon Turner, 3-33---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Matt Bonislawski, 18-25, 217 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Cornell Brockington, 20-115, 3 TD. Receiving: Brandon Young, 4-61, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Yeah, UConn might have only played Buffalo and Liberty over the last two weeks, but it's never a bad thing to start the season 2-0 winning by a combined score of 77-0. The running game, as expected, has been tremendous, but UConn fans have to be most excited about the steady play of QB Matt Bonislawski. He'll have a real test next week at Georgia Tech, but at least he has two warm up games under his belt. ---College Football---
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Sept. 1---College Football---
Connecticut 38 ... Buffalo 0---College Football---
Matt Bonislawki threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as UConn had few problems with the Bulls. The Husky ground game ripped off 290 yards led by the return of Terry Caulley who ran for 100 yards and a score. Buffalo was only able to manage 122 total yards of offense. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Connecticut QB Matt Bonislawski completed 11 of 18 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also ran 12 times for 72 yards and a score. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Buffalo - Passing: Stewart Sampsel, 6-17, 52 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Steven King, 11-54. Receiving: Steven King, 4-41---College Football---
Connecticut - Passing: Matt Bonislawski, 11-18, 121 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Terry Caulley, 14-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon McLean, 3-28---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Considering all the new faces, UConn played a near-perfect game against Buffalo with the defensive line controlling the Bull offense and the ground game rolling at will. Larry Taylor is a true weapon as a kick returner as well as a playmaking receiver, and he's going to grow into one of the Big East's top players. It's great to see RB Terry Caulley come up with a big 100-yard game after all of his injury problems.---College Football---
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2005 Schedule ---College Football---
Sept. 1 – Buffalo (3-8, 3-5 in MAC) – Offense: The passing attack was one of the worst in the nation, but there's hope for improvement with a decent receiving corps and rising star tight end Chad Upshaw. The key will be for the quarterback situation to work itself out needing one of four prospects to give the attack some desperately needed consistency. The running game has the potential to be good with a veteran line paving the way for three good backs.---College Football---
Defense: Could this be the best defense in the MAC? There are so many veterans that it can't help but be better. The defensive line is big, experienced and very deep at each spot. The 4-2-5 has four good linebackers to rotate while the secondary has as much athleticism as the program has ever seen. Pass rushing won't be a problem from the good ends, while lightning fast CB Gemara Williams will be among the best covermen in the MAC.---College Football---
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Sept. 10 - Liberty---College Football---
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Sept. 17 – at Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 in ACC) – Offense: The offense's job will be to simply hold serve so the fantastic defense can win games. That could be a problem. QB Reggie Ball has been too erratic over his first two years throwing 18 interceptions last season. But unlike the talented backup quarterbacks, Ball is mobile making him more valuable playing behind an infant line that needs a ton of work. The running backs are among the best in the country if P.J. Daniels can stay healthy. Sophomore WR Calvin Johnson has future first-round draft pick written all over him, but there isn't a proven number two man to take the heat off.---College Football---
Defense: It'll be a shock if this isn't one of the nation's best defenses. Nine starters (11 if you include DT Mansfield Wright who moved to offensive guard and CB Dennis Davis who returns from shoulder problems) come back from a defense that was a brick wall against the run and only allowed 18.9 points per game. The defensive front is tremendous with four starters who can do it all and four reserves ready to step into the rotation. Gerris Wilkinson leads a good linebacking corps that's missing experienced depth. The secondary will be better than ever with Chris Reis moving from linebacker to safety and Davis returning to man the corner spot opposite of Reuben Houston. ---College Football---
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Oct. 1 – at Army (predicted finish: 3-8) – Offense: Army has two major problems to deal with from an offense coming off a surprisingly strong season. First, the offensive line has to deal with four new starters without any experience and even less depth to rely on. However, the starting five is relatively big and should be decent in time. Second, no one has stepped up to take the starting quarterback job away from Zac Dahman, who has been average at generous best for the last two seasons. The attack will revolve around multi-talented RB Carlton Jones and a decent, deep receiving corps. A reliable number two running back would be a luxury.---College Football---
Defense: The defense was the worst in America allowing 491 yards per game with the nation's 115th ranked run defense and 91st pass defense. Of course, changes were made in the off-season going from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 alignment. There's a little bit of hope for improvement with some decent young linebackers and a secondary with some decent experience. It's not going to be a brick wall of a D, but it's not going to be in college football's basement.---College Football---
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Oct. 7 - Syracuse (5-6, 4-3 in Big East) – Offense: The offense struggled way too much failing to get anything going in the passing game and finishing 100th in the nation in passing. Quarterbacks Perry Patterson and Joe Fields have to be more consistent, but they also need help with a young receiving corps that could struggle early on. The attack is being changed up a bit to throw it more in a West Coast attack, so the opportunities will be there. The offensive line is decent, but non-descript.
Defense: The hiring of Greg Robinson as head coach should do nothing but help a defense that slipped into the abyss finishing 101st in the nation. There was little production against the run, nothing happening against the pass, and few clutch stops. There should be an improvement with a ton of returning experience led by a good-looking front seven. The corner is in the secondary where the corners have to make more plays after getting repeatedly torched last season.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 – at Cincinnati (3-8, 1-6 in Big East) – Offense: Last year's experienced offense averaged 406 yards and 29 points per game, and now just about everyone needs to be replaced. The backfield will be solid with redshirt freshman QB Dustin Grutza looking ready to be a more-than-capable fill-in for Gino Guidugli. There are enough running backs to come up with a steady rotation, but they're going to have a hard time early on behind a developing line. The receiving corps has potential if a number one target emerges.---College Football---
Defense: Outside of the 70-7 loss to Louisville, the defense was solid last season allowing 341 yards and 27 points per game. Eight starters need to be replaced with some major holes on the front seven. Fortunately, the Bearcats have a solid defensive coaching staff. The linebacking corps has no experience whatsoever and a pass rush has to develop. The secondary will be good if John Bowie grows into a steady corner.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 - Rutgers (5-6, 2-5 in Big East) – Offense: QB Ryan Hart will once again lead one of the nation's most productive passing attacks with a loaded receiving corps highlighted by Tres Moses and tight end Clark Harris. Can the attack actually produce points on a regular basis? It struggled wildly with consistency and turnovers while getting nothing from a ground game that averaged 2.5 yards per carry and 83 yards per game. There's way too much experience in the backfield to have a repeat disaster.
Defense: It's an interesting mix of talents and strengths with a great group of ends led by Ryan Neill and an experience linebacking corps, but there has been little in the way of overall results. With many newcomers to the mix last year in key spots, things got rocky finishing 104th in the nation in total defense and 88th in scoring D. The biggest area of improvement should be the secondary where Derrick Roberson and Joe Porter are good looking corners who should be over most of their struggles.
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Nov. 2 – at West Virginia (7-4, 5-2 in Big East) – Offense: Expect a major step back from Big East's number two offense of last year with almost all the skill positions going through a major overhaul hurt by a woeful lack of experience at quarterback and receiver. The running game will be up to the normally high Mountaineer standards with three good backs (Jason Colson, Pernell Williams and Erick Phillips) operating behind a good, veteran line. The winner of the three-man quarterback derby will have to be razor-sharp until the receiving corps comes around.---College Football---
Defense: The defense had a strong year, but it has to replace some major players including all-everything corner Adam "Pac Man" Jones. Even so, the secondary is the strength of the defense with three solid All-Big East candidates in FS Jahmile Addae, S Mike Lorello and CB Anthony Mims. The front three will be a rock with 295-pound veterans ready to hold the line. The question mark is at linebacker where tough backups have to become reliable starters. There's solid depth everywhere.
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Nov. 12 – at Pittsburgh (9-2, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: There will be a slight shift in the offense from Walt Harris West Coast offense to more of a balanced, running style under offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. Even so, there are more than enough weapons to have an explosive air attack with QB Tyler Palko, WRs Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo, and a fantastic tight end pair of Erik Gill and Steve Buches to keep the nation's 24th best passing offense going. The ground game won't be 105th in the nation again with a loaded backfield soon to be led by freshman sensation Rashad Jennings. The line is experienced, but it needs to be more consistent.---College Football---
Defense: Inconsistent throughout last year and average against the pass, there's hope for improvement with the return of seven starters and a truckload of depth. The strength is the back seven led by a linebacking corps that has several talented options to work with. The secondary has good corners in Josh Lay and Darrelle Revis, but they have to be better at not giving up the deep ball. The front four will be a concern if a reliable pass rusher doesn't develop.---College Football---
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Nov. 26 - South Florida (3-8, 1-6 in Big East) – Offense: The potential is there for a big improvement after struggling to be consistent. Andre Hall is Big East's best running back working behind a rebuilding, but decent line. The receiving corps is deep and experienced led by tall, speedy Johnny Peyton. The problem is at quarterback where Pat Julmiste couldn't hit water last year if he was standing in the ocean, and Auburn transfer Courtney Denson is a former defensive back. If a steady passer emerges, this should be the Big East's surprise offense.---College Football---
Defense: The normally good Bull defense struggled last year with no pass defense and little success against the run with a line that was too small. Things should be better with a strong linebacking corps and the return of DT Tim Jones and SS Johnnie Jones after missing all of last year. The key will be the improvement in the corners after struggling to stop anyone, but they could use more of a steady pass rush.---College Football---

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Dec. 3 - Louisville (10-1, 6-1 in Big East) – Offense: Talk about reloading. Louisville loses all-star quarterback Stefan LeFors, NFL-caliber, 20-touchdown running back Eric Shelton, and 73-catch receiver J.R. Russell, but should be just as strong as the offense that was the nation's best last year. There's plenty of talent returning and several great options among the reserves to keep the party rolling. QB Brian Brohm will instantly become one of the nation's top quarterbacks now that he's the full-time starter. The Cards are loaded with talented running backs and receivers and blessed with one of the nation's deepest and most athletic lines. However, the party could crash if Brohm gets hurt with no experience behind him.
Defense: The Louisville defense was overlooked last year due to the brilliance of the offense. The Cardinal D ranked number one in Conference USA in almost every category and finished second in pass defense. It won't be quite as strong this year replacing three starters in the secondary, some stars on the line and leader and top tackler Robert McCune. Even so, it's a very fast, very athletic defense that should rank near the top of most Big East categories.---College Football---

2005-10-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Alabama-Florida State to Play in 2007
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The University of Alabama and Florida State will meet in a football game on Sept. 29, 2007 in Jacksonville, Fla., Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore confirmed today.
“We are thrilled that the game will take place,” Moore said. ---college football---
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“All the details have not been finalized, but with the cooperation of the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference and television partners CBS and ESPN/ABC, we will play the game.---college football---
“We expect this game to produce a great deal of excitement within our respective fan bases and on a national level as well,” Moore said. ---college football---
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The one-time meeting will be played at 82,000-seat Alltel Stadium, home of the Gator Bowl, in Jacksonville, Fla.---college football---
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The game will be televised by either CBS or ESPN, a decision that will be reached two weeks prior to the game.---college football---
“We will soon complete the final contractual agreements, in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville,” Moore added.---college football---
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The last time the teams met was in 1974, a game the Tide won, 8-7. Alabama has a 2-0-1 edge in the series.

2005-10-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

College football: St. Norbert focuses on present

By Paul Adamski
Press-Gazette correspondent

DE PERE — With his St. Norbert College football team starting to play up to expectations, coach Jim Purtill said his team can’t worry about what might have been.

“I’m a day-to-day guy,” Purtill said. “I’m not worried about anything but playing a good game (today).” - College Football -

SNC (3-2 overall, 3-1 in the Midwest Conference) takes the short ride to Appleton today for a battle with conference foe Lawrence University (1-3, 1-3 MWC) at the historic Banta Bowl.

With a loss to conference-leading Monmouth College (4-0, 4-0) on the books, Purtill’s squad most likely needs to win the rest of its games and get some help if it hopes to win a record seventh consecutive conference championship. Purtill, however, is concerned only about his team.

“Monmouth has got the lead, but if I was really worried about it, I’d know who it was playing,” Purtill said. “I don’t know who they are playing this week and I don’t care. It’s going to be an emotional game against Lawrence, and that is what we are worried about.” - College Football -

Purtill knows his team can’t afford to let its guard down, and not just because of the conference standings. - College Football -

While the Vikings are far from being a MWC power, they generally are competitive at the Banta Bowl. Moreover, SNC has struggled there. Two years ago, SNC’s eked out a 28-24 win.

For added intrigue, Lawrence coach Chris Howard coordinated St. Norbert’s defense the previous three seasons, and four of his assistants were players or coaches for the Green Knights.

“(Lawrence) plays well at home,” Purtill said. “They are historically bad on the road, but good at home. They are 1-0 at home this year and 0-3 on the road, but have played well in those games — a seven-point loss to Knox and a one-point loss to Beloit. They are trying to build a program there and are doing well.” - College Football -

SNC is coming off its longest road game of the year, an 850-mile round trip to Jacksonville, Ill., to face Illinois College, so today’s short trek to Appleton will be appreciated.

“It’s a home schedule for us,” Purtill said. “We’ll have a normal pregame, eat here ... it works out nice.” - College Football -

What would be especially nice, in Purtill’s eyes, would be another strong performance after the Green Knights won their last two games by a cumulative 76-13. - College Football -

“We’re not worried (about the conference) right now,” Purtill said. “I’m pleased with the direction of the squad ... we’ve won two straight and hopefully we’ll get a third (today).”

2005-10-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

College football's most unique traditions

Pete Fiutak /
CollegeFootballNews.com

College football is known for its pageantry, rivalries, and traditions more than any other American sport. From coast to coast, college football programs have their own quirky ways of celebrating the game with unique rituals that can only come from decades of games, along with a deeply rooted passion from the alumni and fans.

So which traditions are the most unique in college football? Which ones are the most identifiable, and which ones inspire the most excitement and stir the deepest feelings? Compiled by the staff of CollegeFootballNews.com, here are the 10 most unique traditions based on what they mean to the game, what they mean to each school, and above all else, how cool they are. From the awe-inspiring sights of a 1,300-pound buffalo and 20,000 students jumping around, to the drama of a flaming spear plunged into the ground, to the parties and social gatherings that bring fans together, here's our very debatable list of the 10 most unique traditions.

1. Texas A&M 12th Man

No tradition in college football embodies the spirit of the sport more than the Texas A&M 12th Man. Going against No. 1 Centre College in 1922, the Aggies were scrapping for players in a tough game that took its toll on both sides. A&M head coach Dana X. Bible, in need of more bodies, called up to the press box for E. King Gill, a basketball player who had seen a little bit of time on the football team in previous seasons, to put on a uniform and be prepared to play. The Aggies pulled off the 22-14 upset without needing Gill's services, but he stood ready on the sidelines earning the moniker of the 12th Man.

Now, A&M's 12th Man is a student section that stands the entire game prepared in case they're needed. Former Aggie head coach Jackie Sherrill took it one step further by allowing A&M students to form the kickoff coverage unit. It eventually evolved into an honor belonging to one student who gets to play on special teams.

2. Army-Navy game procession

The most endearing and emotional tradition in college football, the procession, also known as the "March-On" of the Army Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen, is seen by many as more exciting than the actual game between Army and Navy. The pageantry of the procession is the perfect prelude to one of college football's most heated, yet most sane, rivalries. It's as good-natured as a rivalry can possibly be, with everyone in the stadium on the same team when all is said and done.

3. Florida State's Chief Osceola and Renegade

For pure intensity and excitement, nothing beats the electrifying few moments in Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium when a student, dressed up Seminole Tribe leader Chief Osceola, rides on the field on an Appaloosa horse named Renegade and fires a flaming spear in the middle of the field. FSU graduate Bill Durham created the idea, and then got the approval of the Seminole Tribe, and then got the approval of head coach Bobby Bowden who allowed it to start in 1977. Now, it's done before every Florida State home game, cranking up the intensity level for both sides.

4. Ohio State dotting of the "i"

What would college football Saturdays be without the soundtrack coming from the bands? Every school has a version of a marching band, but Ohio State's "Script Ohio" is the most impressive and famous with the band forming the word "Ohio" in the middle of the field.

Just before the end of "Le Regiment," the drum major leads a senior sousaphone player out to the top of the "I," points to the spot where the dot is needed, and the honored band member becomes the dot before bowing to the crowd. It's the highest honor Ohio State bestows, and has allowed a few select non-band members, like Woody Hayes, to take part.

5. The Grove at Ole Miss

What's college football without a good tailgate party? The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party before the annual Florida-Georgia game might be the biggest, but the shindigs thrown before Ole Miss home games at the Grove are the best. An oasis in the normally uncivilized world of college football, the Grove is known for dressing up, drinking down, good food, and cream of the crop, Miss America-caliber women.

6. Tennessee's Floatilla

Is there a better way to get to a college football game? In 1962, former Tennessee broadcaster George Mooney got to Neyland Stadium by floating on his boat down the Tennessee River, starting the tradition of fans forming the "Volunteer Navy" boating their way to the game. Of course, the galas are tremendous in one of college football's most unique tailgating parties.

7. Wisconsin's "Jump Around"

College football is one big party, and no school is better at letting loose than Wisconsin, ranked the No. 1 party school in the nation by The Princeton Review. Adding to the raucous excitement of game day in Madison is the relatively new tradition of making Camp Randall Stadium one big house party after the third quarter of every game.

As soon as the quarter ends, the song Jump Around by House of Pain blares over the loudspeakers, and the entire student section, along with the band and many others around the stadium and on the sidelines, jump up and down. The tradition became so wild that there were concerns about the effects on the stadium's structure. Engineers eventually determined there was no danger, and now the upper-deck shaking, human-induced earthquake goes on.

8. Colorado's Ralphie

In 1966, a rancher named Bubby Hays brought a six-month-old buffalo named Ralphie to Colorado's Folsom Field and walked him around a bit. It turned into a tradition with six sophomore students making the trip before each game to Hays' ranch to run Ralphie around for two hours to tire her out a little bit (yes, the first Ralphie was a girl), and then bring her to the stadium to come charging out of the tunnel while the fans did a "Buffalo Stomp," sending the crowd into a tizzy. It has become one of the most impressive and intimidating entries in all of college football.

9. Oklahoma's Sooner Schooner

Started in 1965 after an Oklahoma alum donated the first "Sooner Schooner," along with the horses to pull it, the covered wagon would cruise around during the game. By 1980, it became the school's official mascot and was zipped around the field after Oklahoma touchdowns as one of the most identifiable symbols in all of sports.

10. Clemson's Howard's Rock

Several schools have inspiring pregame patting rituals. Notre Dame players walk down the stairs of their locker room hitting a sign that says, "Play like a champion today." Michigan players run out of the tunnel and jump up to hit the "Go Blue" sign. But Clemson's rubbing of The Rock is the most awe-inspiring.

Before Clemson games, the team stands at the top of a hill, rubs Howard's Rock, and then runs down the hill while the crowd goes wild. It started in 1964 when Clemson alumnus S.C. Jones brought a rock back from Death Valley, Calif., and gave it to Tiger head coach Frank Howard. Howard let it sit on his office floor before telling his secretary to "do something with it, but get it out of here." The secretary ended up keeping the Rock, and it was eventually put on a pedestal on the top of the hill in the stadium in 1966. That day, Clemson rallied in the second half to beat Virginia and the Rock stayed. "If you're going to give me 110 percent, you can rub my rock," Howard barked at his players. "If you're not, keep your filthy hands off of it."

Honorable mention

Arkansas: Hog call
Razorback fans spontaneously "Call the Hogs." The fans raise both hands high into the air, fingers waving as the volume increases during the word Woooooooooo. The arms pump down on the word "Pig" and then back into the air on the word "Sooie." "Woooooooooo, Pig! Sooie!"

Auburn: "Rolling" Toomer's Corner
Toomer's Corner is where the university meets the town in Auburn. Originally, students unable to travel to away games would celebrate out-of-town wins symbolically by gathering at Toomer's Corner. And sometime in the '60s, students began to toilet paper the trees in Toomer's Corner.

Cal: Card stunts
The Cal rooting section is credited with establishing one of the most time-honored traditions in college football. Cal began performing card stunts for the 1910 "Big Game," a rugby match between California and Stanford. Cal students now perform as many as 10 different stunts, using more than 5,000 cards to create different images.

Georgia: Chapel bell
The chapel bell is rung after all Georgia victories and continues until midnight. The tradition began the 1890s when the football field was located only yards from the chapel. The chore used to be reserved for freshmen, but now students and alumni rush to the chapel after a football victory.

Mississippi State: Cowbells
One of the loudest traditions in college football is the Mississippi State University cowbell. Opponents and authorities have tried for years to banish the noisemakers from competition, but Bulldog fans keep bringing them anyway and ring them during the entire game.

Texas: Hook' em Horns hand signal
The Longhorns have by far the most famous hand signal in college football. The signal has been around since 1955 when cheerleader Harley Clark introduced it to the student body. The index and little fingers stick up, while the thumb held down the two interior digits, which looks like the head of a Longhorn.

USC: Traveler and the Trojan
One of the most breathtaking mascots in college football is Traveler at USC. A student in full Trojan dress rides into the stadium on a white horse as the Southern Cal band plays "Conquest."

Washington: Tailgating by boat
Husky Stadium's location on the shores of Lake Washington makes it easily accessible by boat from all over the Seattle area, and encourages many fans to use the water to travel to and from games. Members of the Husky crew team ferry fans to and from the shore to catch the action, or a ride home.

2005-09-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

College football notebook: USC sets mark for longest stay atop AP poll

The Associated Press

USC's streak at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 reached a record-breaking level and Oklahoma, the team the Trojans replaced in the top spot almost two years ago, was unranked for the first time since 1999. - College Football -

USC has been No. 1 for 22 straight AP media polls, surpassing the record set by Miami from 2001 to 2002.

USC received 57 of 65 first-place votes in the poll released yesterday. No. 2 Texas received the other eight first-place votes. Louisiana State is No. 3, ahead of fourth-ranked Virginia Tech and No. 5 Florida.

The Trojans took over the top spot Dec. 7, 2003, after then-No. 1 Oklahoma lost the Big 12 Conference championship game to Kansas State. - College Football -

USC won the Rose Bowl to finish the season No. 1 in the AP poll, then began last season in the same spot. The Trojans improved to 2-0 Saturday night with a 70-17 rout of Arkansas at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the Trojans have scored 133 points. - College Football -

But staying at No. 1 might get tougher, as USC hits the road for its next two games. The Trojans play No. 24 Oregon in Eugene on Saturday and visit No. 18 Arizona State on Oct. 1.

Half of the Pac-10 schools are ranked. In addition to USC, Oregon and Arizona State, California is ranked 13th and UCLA is 25th. Oregon and UCLA weren't ranked last week.

UCLA beat then-No. 21 Oklahoma 41-24 Saturday. The Sooners are out of the rankings for the first time since Bob Stoops' first season as coach. - College Football -

In the USA Today coaches poll, the top five is identical to the AP poll. The coaches have Cal 14th, Arizona State 17th and UCLA 23rd. Oregon leads the category for "others receiving votes," meaning the coaches have the Ducks 26th.

Trojans adapt to new staff

USC scored the most points an Arkansas team has allowed in nearly 87 years, and gained the most yards (736) the Razorbacks have ever allowed in a game. - College Football -

If there was any question about USC's offense without Norm Chow, it has been emphatically answered.

Chow left as USC's offensive coordinator during the offseason to take the same job with the NFL Tennessee Titans, leaving youthful assistant coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian to handle his duties. - College Football -

"Everyone made a big deal about it all offseason," quarterback Leinart said. "I think we've proved in the first two weeks that it doesn't matter. He was a great coach, but coach Kiffin and Sark are two of the finest young coaches in the country."

Having Leinart and company makes their job a lot easier.

"Leinart is a coach on the field — he's a true playmaker," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "It's the best offensive team I've seen." - College Football -

The Trojans beat Hawaii 63-17 to open the season. The 133 points they have scored in their first two games are their most ever to start a season.

The 70 points against Arkansas are the most USC has scored in a game since Nov. 7, 1970, when it beat Washington State 70-33. Arkansas hadn't allowed as many as 70 points in a game since Oct. 19, 1918, when the Razorbacks lost to Oklahoma 103-0. - College Football -

Bush said, "We feel like our best competition is in practice."

2005-09-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tripping out
Serious fans who have the inclination, money and tickets can catch 3 big games in 5 days.

Steve Elling
Sentinel Staff Writer

Few fans have the luxury of spare time.

Fewer still have the cash to buy the gas.
Darned near nobody has enough deodorant.

It has been years since the state's biggest football programs have opened the college football season in such ideal proximity, both in terms of the calendar and the odometer.

For the first time in memory, it's conceivable that a motivated college football fan could, over the span of five demented days, attend the three anticipated openers featuring Florida, Florida State, Miami and UCF by forking over a few bucks on gas and surviving on drive-through fast food, carbonated beverages and, eventually, antacids. - College Football -

Most college students at some point have taken a bleary, beery football road trip, which often ranks among the highlights of their, uh, academic tenures. But this jaunt, which winds 1,200 miles through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in the span of roughly a week, is truly where pedal meets the mettle.

Sleep deprivation. Sensory overload. Sleeping at the wheel.

For some, feeling like road kill would be well worth the price to watch UCF face South Carolina and new Coach Steve Spurrier, to eyeball first-hand the wide-open offense of Florida under Urban Meyer or to bear witness as Miami tries to top mega-rival Florida State for the seventh consecutive time. - College Football -

Don't believe it?

"I am so jealous of that road trip," said ESPN's Mike Tirico, who will broadcast the season opener between UCF and South Carolina on Thursday. "Those are three games that all have a little sizzle.

"If you were a college football fan sitting on your couch in Texas, California or even here up north, you'd definitely be interested in how all those games play out. I almost wish I could do it myself." - College Football -

His "almost" is our assignment. Meyer might be the center of attention Saturday night when he unveils his newfangled spread offense in Gainesville, but his Urban Sprawl sets have nothing on our Rural Crawl maps.

It was a challenge too juicy to resist: Start in Orlando, cruise north through Georgia to Columbia, S.C., flip a U-turn and head south to Gainesville, then west to Tallahassee. All the boss wanted was for those in the vehicle to tailgate vigorously, mix with the true believers, take copious notes and avoid the ire of state troopers along the way. - College Football -

This being the Southeast, there might have been a stampede if the sports editor had asked for civilian volunteers. Simply put, college football is ingrained in the geographic culture, especially in Florida. Thanks to the successes of FSU, Miami and Florida -- which have combined to win eight national titles in the past 22 years -- the region stands as perhaps the last outpost in America wherecollege ball ignites more water-cooler discussion than the NFL.

In an attempt to soak it all in, we're going all-out by sending a trio of staffers on the road to all three key openers in succession to plot the beginning byways of the 2005 BCS season. No question, if it's August, the anticipation hereabouts always builds asfootball nears. This fall, there are extra plot lines and back stories at every stop.

In coaching circles alone, there are some old faces in new places, starting with the season's first game Thursday night. In a nationally televised game, UCF will hit the road to face South Carolina and Spurrier, whose reputation as a player and innovator at Florida will be hard to imitate, but whose NFL experiences are best forgotten. - College Football -

Enter Meyer two days later when he coaches his first game Saturday as the Gators' new boss, against Wyoming. Finally, in the most compelling pairing of all, Miami plays at Florida State on Monday night in a game that has implications well beyond any Atlantic Coast Conference hallways or state borders.

Florida State hasn't beaten Miami since its undefeated national-title season of 1999. As is the case when driving on winding road trips tofootball games, too many wide rights and an occasional wide left can be hazardous to your bodywork. - College Football -

As if the beginning of college football season isn't reason enough for fans to get atwitter, the multiple elements of reclamation and rejuvenation give the three games an old-time revival feel. Praise the Lord and pass thefootball, as Spurrier's dad, a Presbyterian minister, might have said.
Spurrier will be trying to jump-start his reputation -- he hasn't coached a college game in 31/2 years since he left Gainesville and flopped with the Washington Redskins of the NFL. In his final game at UF, the Gators beat Maryland in the 2002 Orange Bowl. Across the field, second-year UCF Coach George O'Leary will be attempting to recapture his standing, too. He hasn't won acollege game since he was at Georgia Tech in 2001. That came in the Seattle Bowl Dec. 27.

Copyright © 2005, Orlando Sentinel

2005-08-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

Texas A & M Aggies at Clemson Tigers
Brian Covert

Line: Clemson is a 1 ½-point underdog at home.
Total: The total is set at 51-points

The Clemson Tigers were a disappointment a year ago. Preseason expectations were met with a 6-5 season that triggered a shuffle in the coach’s office with new offensive coordinator Rob Spence and defensive coordinator Vic Kroening joining head coach Terry Bowden in leading the Tigers.

Spence may have the biggest task, needing to revamp an offense that finished 110th in the country last season.

“There are some different thoughts and ideas,” said Spence who was the offensive coordinator at the University of Toledo the last four years. “Obviously, you`re going to see some things we`ve done in the past. There`s no question about that. But it`s not about schematics. It`s about effort and attitude and people playing together and coaching as one.”

The Tigers will unveil their new offense when they host Texas A & M Saturday. The Aggies will hope to avoid a season starting loss like last year’s 41-21 loss at Utah as 8 ½-point underdogs.

The Aggies are led by dual-threat quarterback Reggie McNeal and running back Courtney Lewis. McNeal had over 3,500 total yards last year while Lewis ran for 742 yards and nine touchdowns despite battling injuries all season.

A & M is 3-0 all-time versus Clemson including a 27-6 win as a 1 1/2-point underdog last season in Texas.

2005-08-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mowins Gets Call to Do College Football Play-By-Play

Growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., Beth Mowins did make-believe TV calls for her three brothers' backyard games and was pulling cables for local TV sports shows while she was in junior high.

And she was impressed when Phyllis George popped up on CBS' NFL studio show in 1975: "That's when the seed was planted. I didn't know a lot about the politics of putting a woman on the air. I just saw one." - College Football -

George, a former Miss America, never called games. But Mowins will become the second woman to regularly call football on national TV when she works Western Athletic Conference games this fall on ESPNU. (Pam Ward began calling college football on ESPN2 in 2000.)

On game coverage for any sport, analysts are usually former players or coaches. Mowins played basketball at Lafayette College but figured she "wasn't a good enough athlete to end up as analyst" and saw "an opportunity in play-by-play announcing -- not a lot of other women were doing it."

She called "everything" on local cable TV while a graduate student at Syracuse University 15 years ago, then went on to call Big East women's basketball on regional TV. Since 1994, she's called various sports for ESPN, including some men's basketball. - College Football -

Now she sees herself as just another veteran slogging on: "Sometimes there's almost a rush to get women on the air. You have to pay your dues, just like Pam has done, and come up through the ranks just like any guy would. I don't believe in just putting a woman on the air."

And she figures fans won't fret over her gender: "I don't recall ever watching a game to hear announcers. So I don't think most fans care much one way or the other."

BCS: A new Harris Interactive poll of 114 football notables, including Fox's Terry Bradshaw, CBS' Boomer Esiason and NBC's Pat Haden, will collectively account for one-third of the Bowl Championship Series formula for rankingcollege teams.

Bradshaw says he isn't sure how he was picked but recalls his reaction -- "How cool is that." He also says college football "is my life. I watch it from the Saturday morning ESPN pregame show until past midnight." - College Football -

TV rookie: Emmitt Smith, who retired last season as the NFL's all-time leading rusher, tests his TV prospects by appearing Mondays on the NFL Network.

Smith says TV work has been a goal for years and he'd eventually like to call games -- "but I've got a lot to learn." He says he's ready to be candidly critical, suggesting players "shouldn't give me nothing to talk about. ... I've got to acknowledge bonehead situations."

People: Lou Cerro was the football coach at Montour High School in McKees Rocks, Pa. Then the school was picked as the subject of an upcoming ESPN reality series whose producers installed Dick Butkus as coach and made Cerro his assistant. After several weeks of practice, Cerro says, "You don't even notice the cameras are there" and it "doesn't bother kids" to be miked up. Butkus, he says, is "very motivational," and the school has sold more than 1,000 season tickets -- up 500% over last year. The team opens its season Friday. ...

George Foreman, who left HBO in 2004 after 10 years as an analyst, will call a Samuel Peter-Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight fight for HBO on Sept.23. HBO's Ray Stallone says Foreman's future work will be on a fight-by-fight basis.

On tap: Producer Bob Mansbach, working his 25th U.S. Open tennis tournament for CBS next week, expects instant replay to be used for calls as early as next year: "Players have seen it enough on TV that they're demanding it. ... And then tennis' bad boys will finally be subdued and proved to be wrong 90% of the time." ... - College Football -

With its current TV deals ending after the 2006 season, PGA Tour executive vice president Edward Moorhouse says the Tour hasn't decided possible format changes for new TV deals. But he says NASCAR's playoff-style system, which winnows players to produce a champion, could be an inspiration: "We've noticed what NASCAR has done. We've looked it at ourselves and continue to look at it." - College Football -

Whoops: Whatever one might think of two new much-hyped ESPN2 shows -- Stephen A. Smith's Quite Frankly talk show and ESPN Hollywood, a sort of Access Hollywood for sports -- you'd never guess they're actually lowering ratings for their time slots, which used to show a hodgepodge of sports. - College Football -

Frankly is averaging 0.22% of cable TV households, down 21%, and Hollywood is averaging 0.15%, down 35%.

USA TODAY

2005-08-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

College Preview: Who will be Centre's new QB?

One of the top questions facing Centre College football coach Andy Frye this fall is who is going to replace record-setting quarterback Brian Behrendt and receiver David Crowley.
But coach Andy Frye likes the players who will get that chance this fall.
During Centre's spring practice, junior Kevin Phelps and sophomore Neal Tucker, a Western Kentucky transfer, won a four-way contest to battle for the job vacated by Behrendt. Behrendt threw for 3,013 yards and 28 touchdowns last year, set several school passing records and led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in three categories.
"It was really difficult to get it down to two. But that's great when you have four that are competing that well," Frye said. "Kevin and Neal both have strengths that are different. And it's according to how quickly they develop in their weaknesses as a quarterback (as to who wins the starting position." - College Football -
Frye won't go with a platoon system at quarterback.
"We'd like to be able to come out of the preseason with one starting quarterback," Frye said. "But you may not. We may have to go through the Hanover scrimmage to get a starting quarterback."
Frye is counting on several players to make up for the loss of Crowley, a Gagliardi Award finalist who had 1,117 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last year.
The Colonels have six players back had at least 100 yards receiving last season.
"I think our receiving corps is improved. We lost David, but some of the other kids have really picked it up," Frye said. - College Football -
Junior Adam Clark had 47 catches for 687 yards and eight touchdowns last year when he earned second team all-SCAC honors. Senior Lou Brenner had 28 catches for 297 yards. Nick Warren, Adam Blandford and Michael Swartzentruber each caught two touchdown passes.
Roe anchors offensive line
Senior all-SCAC lineman Justin Roe anchors an offensive front that Frye says can be "as good as we've had here at Centre. They're athletic. In our style, that's about as important as size."
Placekicker Chris Thompson, 27-for-29 on extra points and 8-for-13 on field goals, also returns.
Frye said he has good group of running backs, led by Blandford. The question is can they stay healthy? - College Football -
"That was our weakness last year. We lost all our tailbacks by the fourth game," he said. "We were playing a fullback at tailback. It was just one of those strange years."
Centre went 4-6 a year ago but lost two games by a combined four points. Frye thinks his defense will be improved, so the Colonels won't just have to outscore people to win.
"There were four games that we lost in the fourth quarter. One of the things we tried to emphasize in the spring, and one of the things we'll emphasize this fall, is finishing," Frye said.
The Centre coach is "cautiously optimistic" about the season, especially with 26 seniors on the roster. - College Football -
"I think we can compete this year for a conference championship. I'm not saying we can win it, because I don't know how quickly everything we'll develop. But we'll be competitive," he said.

HAL MORRIS
The Advocate-Messenger

2005-08-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ex-Yonkers football star guilty in slaying

WHITE PLAINS — A former Roosevelt High School football star was convicted of murder today in the fatal shooting of a rival with whom he had feuded for several years.
Ayman Marji's head sagged and his relatives burst into tears as the jury forwewoman announced the guilty verdict in Westchester County Court. - College Football -
Jurors relied on a young woman who testified she saw Marji shoot Omar Torres on Yonkers Avenue on Dec. 18 and the verdict came shortly after the jury heard a playback of the woman's 911 call moments after the shooting.
"Justice was served. We knew this was the right verdict," said Luis Delapaz, the victim's stepfather, who hugged Torres' mother and her sister-in-law just after the verdict was announced. "We lost Omar and nobody can bring him back, but at least we can go on now that justice was done." - College Football -
Marji, 23, was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He faces at least 15 years to life in prison and a maximum of 25 years to life prison when acting state Supreme Court Justice Richard Molea sentences him on Oct. 18.
Prosecutors Robert Neary and Lana Hochheiser argued a revenge motive, that Torres, 26, was killed in retaliation for a drive-by shooting the night before in which a cousin of Marji's was grazed by a bullet. - College Football -
Marji's lawyers had criticized the police investigation and argued that the case was one of mistaken identity. They were hopeful of an acquittal as the second day of deliberations began, especially after jurors heard a readback of a key prosecution witness, Raymond Hattar, a gas station attendant and an Arab-American like Marji. Hattar testified that he saw Marji race past him moments after the shooting but that he had some doubt Marji was the one he saw because of the distance between the two. - College Football -
"It's a total miscarriage of justice," defense lawyer Michael Santangelo said as he left the courthouse. "If a jury can convict based on someone testifying that they have some doubt they saw something, then anyone can be convicted. It's a miscarriage of justice."
Marji, a junior at Manhattan College who coached football at Somers High School, was arrested a month after the shooting. He was free on $150,000 bail but placed on involuntary leave by college officials. - College Football -
Marji and his friends had an ongoing feud with the victim and Torres' twin brother, Javier.
Javier Torres testified about a series of threats made by Marji and his friends, testimony that Santangelo argued the judge should not have allowed. Torres remained in the hallway outside the courtroom for the rest of the weeklong trial and the verdict. He was elated when told about the conviction moments later. - College Football -
"I think (the jury) did a good job. Everybody knew (Marji) did it," Torres said. "He thought he would get away with it because they had a lot of money. I guess there is a God."
Marji was handcuffed and let away as Molea ordered him held at the county jail to await sentencing. His relatives burst into tears again as they realized he would not be allowed home before he was sent to prison. - College Football -

JONATHAN BANDLER

2005-07-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

College Football Notebook: Ohio State quarterback cleared of rules violation

Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith did not break any NCAA rules when he missed a class to attend a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair this summer, the school said yesterday. - College Football -
Ohio State athletic department officials spent six weeks probing Smith's attendance at the June football camp in Nashville, Tenn.
NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class and do not get written permission from the school's athletic director.
But because Smith was hired to be at the camp, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, the school said. - College Football -
"It was something that he was employed to do, so it falls underneath the category of student-athlete employment," Ohio State spokesman Steve Snapp said.
The camp paid for Smith's overnight accommodations -- his only form of payment, Snapp said.
The NCAA and the Big Ten Conference said they agreed with the school's findings. But Smith still may face a reprimand from coach Jim Tressel.
"Anytime a student-athlete misses a class, it is unacceptable," Tressel said in a statement. "Troy understands how I feel about the situation and knows there will be consequences."
Arizona State
A university investigation into events prior to the killing of a former Sun Devils player, allegedly by a teammate, found "errors in judgment" by coach Dirk Koetter and then-athletic director Gene Smith but no violations of university policies or procedures.
The committee, chaired by law professor Myles Lynk, also concluded in a report made public that no faculty or staff members had any cause to believe Loren Wade, then an Arizona State player and now charged with the killing, was capable of shooting another person.
Wade was a sophomore running back when former player Brandon Falkner was shot to death outside a Scottsdale nightclub March 26. Wade was arrested at the scene and is awaiting trial for first-degree murder. - College Football -
Wade, 21, from Los Angeles, had been in trouble several times before the shooting, and the report's criticism of Koetter and Smith stemmed from their handling of those cases.
Florida State
Linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson will be in the lineup for the Sept. 5 season opener against Miami, despite their summer brushes with the law.
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said he'll handle the discipline since the legal issues are misdemeanors. - College Football -
Sims was arrested following an early morning fight with his live-in girlfriend outside a university residence hall while Nicholson had a pair of run-ins with local police, including a misdemeanor DUI.
"There are more ways to discipline other than suspension," Bowden said. "You've heard of pain, haven't you."
One of Bowden's favorite punishments through the years has been making players run stadium steps for mistakes of many kinds, including those involving police.
Elsewhere
A dozen retired coaches with impressive resumes have agreed to take part in a new college football poll that the organizer hopes to unveil in late September.
Ideally, the Master Coaches Survey will have 15 or 16 voters, who will be provided game films of the top teams, said Andy Curtin, an Atlanta-based lawyer and former sports agent who came up with the idea after watching last season's Orange Bowl. - College Football -
Southern California beat Oklahoma, 55-19, in the Bowl Championship Series title game.
"After that debacle last year in the championship game, I started thinking about what was wrong in the method of selecting teams," Curtin said.
Curtin met with 14 coaches last week to discuss his idea. John Cooper (Ohio State), Vince Dooley (Georgia), Pat Dye (Auburn), LaVell Edwards (BYU), Hayden Fry (Iowa), Don James (Washington), Frank Kush (Arizona State), Dick MacPherson (Syracuse), Bill Mallory (Indiana), Don Nehlen (West Virginia), John Ralston (Stanford), John Robinson (USC), R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) and Gene Stallings (Alabama) attended the meeting July 17. - College Football -
Curtin said 12 coaches have already committed to take part in the poll, but would not identify them. Curtin presented his idea to BCS officials in March, but they passed on his proposal.

PG Publishing Co

2005-07-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

College Football: South Carolina Admits Violations, FSU Corner Out for Season

The University of South Carolina admitted to 10 NCAA violations yesterday, under former head football coach Lou Holtz. Of those 10 infractions, 5 of those were classified as major violations.
The report was conducted by the University and members of the NCAA enforcement staff, and has been forwarded onto the NCAA Committee on Infractions. - College Football -
The school found violations involving prospective student-athletes between 1999-2002. South Carolina was also found to have lack of institutional control. - College Football -
The school has proposed two years probation, a reduction from 56 to 50 paid campus visits for football recruits this year and next year, as well as a loss of two football scholarships for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic year. - College Football -
Florida State cornerback Antonio Cromartie will miss the 2005 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during voluntary workouts in Tallahasse. Cromartie will have surgery next week, he was tied for second in the ACC with 4 interceptions and 2 defesive touchdowns.

2005-07-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

NCAA Football 06 Movies

With all new features, redesigned graphics and improved gameplay, NCAA Football 06 continues to be the most authentic and realistic college football gaming experience. Gamers can act as Impact Players and single handedly break games wide open with highlight reel moves and special animations or take control of a program and make a run for the championship through a revamped Dynasty Mode. In addition, NCAA Football 06 has the exclusive license for college football videogames, and will be the only game to feature actual teams, stadiums and schools. Your quest for the Heisman Trophy begins with NCAA Football 06. Create an Impact Player and lead him from high school summer camp all the way to Bowl victories as a collegiate legend.
With all-new Breakaway Controls, in-game analysis, and studio commentary, this is college football like you’ve never seen or heard. Get your acceptance speech ready -- the Heisman Trophy presentation awaits you in NCAA Football 06.

César A. Berardini

2005-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Conference Makeovers: College football edition

One of the few similarities between the Conference USA of 2004 and the C-USA of 2005 is the logo. Look close. At least the trademark remains the same, we swear.
got the Extreme League Makeover. Pimp My Conference, if you will. Five of 11 teams left for greener (as in the color of money) pastures. Six others were invited in. That's just in football.
When the moving vans cleared, only four of the original football members remained in what is now a 12-team league (Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss and Tulane). There is only one program remaining that won the league since 1999 (Southern Miss).
In the process, the conference office moved from Chicago to Dallas. If it wasn't for commissioner Britton Banowsky holding the whole thing together, the league MVP would have been the office supply person. - College Football -
New teams, new year, even new letterhead. This wasn't a transition, it was a transfusion.
"All things considered, we're in great shape," Banowsky said.
Anything to keep playing football as one, big, sometimes unfamiliar family. Don't blame C-USA so much as the Big Bang caused by conference realignment. The ACC started the latest tremors two years ago when the 53-year-old league had a midlife crisis. Commissioner John Swofford and some impatient ADs had the novel idea that the only way to stay competitive in football (financial and otherwise) was to conduct the biggest raid since Black Beard.
So in dressing up his conference, Swofford caused seismic shifts in several others. The new look of Division I-A becomes official Friday. It seemed appropriate that conference shifts started by the lust for more money take effect July 1 -- the start of a new fiscal year. Eighteen football programs are finding new homes. - College Football -
You can't tell the villains from the victims at times, but at least things are stable -- for a while.
"It depends on what you mean by 'a while,'" Banowsky said. "It can be naive to suggest there won't be any change in conference membership in Division I over the next decade or more. But I do think we're in a period where we're fairly stable."
The ACC's move started a ripple affect that this year alone will affect seven of the 11 Division I-A conferences. Those 18 teams represent 15 percent of I-A. Two of them (I-AA dwellers Florida International and Florida Atlantic in the Sun Belt), never had homes. Army and Temple are leaving their previous conference homes for independent life.
Banowsky is not the only one wondering how long the current configuration can last. The operative time frame seems to be five years. In 2010, Notre Dame's contract with NBC will expire, perhaps prompting the Irish to look for conference affiliation. The Big East members have promised to stay together until at least 2010. The league has different alignments in basketball and football, leading to speculation that football might break off to form its own league at some point. - College Football -
While the political boundaries have been drawn it remains to be seen how actual football will be affected. Certainly the ACC is the big winner with Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech. It will stage its first championship game Dec. 3 in Jacksonville, Fla., and begin to reap the additional postseason bounty that the Big 12 and SEC have enjoyed for years.

Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine

2005-06-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

New changes to BCS are dollar-driven
Expansion of bowls, regular season by one game adds to college football's confusion.

It's easier, perhaps, to put it in football terms: Almost without fail, when faced with third-and-long, the NCAA's board of directors runs a draw play.
And that's what college football fans saw again this week as the powers-that-be punted another golden opportunity.
They could have passed on the easy money while restoring some of the credibility of the institutions they serve. Instead, they simply gave us more of the same.
Among the rulings handed down this week, effective fall 2006, are the following:
• An expansion of the Bowl Championship Series by one game, but no playoff-style format.
• The addition of a 12th regular-season game for Division I-A schools.
• And an allowance for Division I-A teams to count one victory over a Division I-AA school toward bowl eligibility each season.
The result is merely a concession to the money pit that college athletics has become, complete with window dressing designed to appease, if not altogether please.
To the conference commissioners who were complaining about a lack of access to the BCS and about loopholes that could cost major conferences millions of dollars? Well, now there are two more invitations to the party, though no one's sure yet who will be mailing those invitations.
To the college coaches who were outspoken in their opposition to adding a 12th game, citing fatigue and injuries with fewer scholarship players? Well, now that the rules regarding I-AA competition have changed, you can rest easy -- and rest your starters -- as most schools will choose an extra scrimmage rather than add a bona fide opponent.
To the lonely voices shouting for academic reform? (And, yes, the Knight Commission still exists.) Well, NCAA president Myles Brand, who used to think and act like a university president, insists the extra game won't hurt the athletes as students because the actual regular-season calendar isn't being lengthened. In fact, Brand suggested, the student-athletes might even perform better in the classroom, basing that ridiculous notion on recent NCAA graduation rates, a non sequitur if there ever was one.
And to the two constituencies that should matter most: the players who play and the fans who cheer? Well, at least they'll still have something to complain about.
Here's my biggest complaint, though: Can't they at least be honest about it?
When asked this week to explain what compelled the NCAA to add a 12th game, ignoring the pleas of the American Football Coaches Association and the Knight Commission -- strange bedfellows, indeed -- Kansas chancellor Bob Hemenway, who is chairman of the NCAA board of directors, said, "It was not just about money."
Of course, that's exactly what it was about. An extra home game means $3 million-$4 million in additional revenue for major Division I-A schools such as Michigan and Tennessee and Oklahoma, and perhaps as much as $500,000 for some of the smaller mid-major opponents who will gladly travel to take their lump-sum payments. Athletic directors will rejoice, even as season-ticket holders grumble at the prospect of another $50-plus home date against Northeast (fill-in-the-blank) State.
As for the BCS, that might be the only common ground here, because everyone agrees it's not the right system. Only problem is, no one can agree what to do about it, including the BCS conference commissioners themselves. This week's BCS expansion wasn't the switch to a "plus-one" playoff model that some had anticipated. There was no overhaul of the controversial BCS formula, either, even after The Associated Press pulled out. Instead, there's talk of adding a new "expert" poll to the decimal soup, and a plan to add a game to the rotation. And still no assurance of an undisputed champion.
"Well, college football in general is a little bit confusing right now," Texas coach Mack Brown said last week.
Some things, it seems, never change.
Notable
Still to be determined is whether teams will be bowl-eligible with a 6-6 record when the 12-game schedule is allowed starting in 2006. The NCAA board is recommending that teams be required to finish with a winning record to qualify.
... Notre Dame's clout takes a hit in the new BCS deal beginning next season. The Irish no longer will received a full conference payout -- roughly $15 million-$16 million -- whenever they qualify for a BCS bowl. Instead, they'll get the equivalent of a conference at-large share, or about $4.5 million. In the years they don't qualify for a BCS game, they'll get a $1 million BCS payout. They are guaranteed a spot if they finish in the top eight of the BCS standings and must finish in the top 12 to be considered for an at-large spot.
... Another rule change from the NCAA this week dealt with attendance. A rule that required schools to average crowds of 15,000 to remain in Division I-A has been modified to allow teams to average that figure either in actual or paid attendance. That means mid-major schools, most notably Eastern and Central Michigan locally, can buy their own tickets when necessary to reach that paid-attendance threshold.
... Sure, San Diego beats, say, Detroit as a winter holiday destination. But it's hard to imagine a stampede at the box office in December when the fans of two college teams learn they've been invited to play in the new Poinsettia Bowl. Actually, it's officially the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. And, no, this is no joke. The newest addition to the bowl season is a Dec. 22 game at Qualcomm Stadium that will feature a Mountain West Conference team against an at-large opponent.
... And finally, some hope for the rest of college football. Southern Cal might be unbeatable, but now Pete Carroll's players are beating up each other. An altercation between receiver Steve Smith and tight end Dominique Byrd -- over a video game, no less -- left Byrd with a fractured jaw this month. The two quickly patched things up, however, and neither was disciplined. So, Fight On for ol' SC.

By John Niyo / The Detroit News

Ncaa College Football Point Spread

2005-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ncaa College Football Point Spread