Mike Knobler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Football and men’s basketball players on the nation’s big-time college teams averaged hundreds of points lower on their SATs than their classmates, and some of the gaps are so large they call into question the lengths to which schools will go to win. The biggest gap between football players and
students as a whole occurred at Florida, where players scored 346 points lower than the school’s overall student body.
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times: USC assistant Ken Norton Jr. lashed out at UCLA for allegedly using him as bait to lure recruits to Westwood and discourage them from joining the Trojans.
Mr. SEC: The Big Ten is apparently not as slow as Southerners think. Since 2004, Southeastern Conference teams are only 5-6 against Big Ten teams in bowl games.
Patrick Reusse, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: The idea that Minnesota's Tim Brewster has earned a contract extension is the equivalent of shouting "Four more years!" in the direction of George W. Bush.
Kevin Gorman, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Pittsburgh fans who are visiting El Paso for the Sun Bowl have been warned to stay in the U.S. and not cross the Mexican border and venture into Ciudad Juarez, which has devolved into a war zone between rival cartels battling to control drug trafficking along border towns.
Mick McGrane, San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego State is expected to announce the hiring of Rocky Long as defensive coordinator. Long, who stepped down as New Mexico's coach at season's end, turned down an offer to become defensive coordinator at Washington.
Ian R. Rapoport, Birmingham News: Alabama left tackle Andre Smith, the Outland Trophy winner, has been suspended from the Sugar Bowl because he violated team rules.
Dugan Arnett, Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas cornerback Justin Thornton, who started 12 games and had 63 tackles, did not make the trip to Tempe for the Insight Bowl because of undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
Chip Cosby, Lexington Herald-Leader: Kentucky freshman quarterback Randall Cobb will not play in Friday's Liberty Bowl against East Carolina. Sophomore Mike Hartline, who started the first eight games before being benched in favor of Cobb, will start.
Michael Rothstein, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Notre Dame's Charlie Weis had the first of two surgeries on his knees. He right knee was successfully replaced in an hour-long procedure on Monday.
Maurice Patton, Tennessean: Ticket sales to the Music City Bowl are off by nearly 25%.
Cliff Kirkpatrick, Corvallis Gazette-Times: Oregon State's Mike Riley had his contract extended through 2015.
Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Winners and losers from the first week of the bowl season.
Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal: Ron English, who stepped down as Louisville defensive coordinator to become coach at Eastern Michigan, says the Cardinals' problems can be summed up in one word: numbers.
Nancy Vendley, Charlotte Observer: The ultimate tailgating truck.
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