Andrea Adelson, Orlando Sentinel: More bowl shuffling. Florida Citrus Sports and the Big East are in discussions that would bring the No. 2 team from that conference to the Champs Sports Bowl, with a provision that Notre Dame could instead be taken two times in the span of four years.
Steve Wieberg, USA Today: All teams have been asked by the American Football Coaches Association and NCAA to arrange teamwide handshakes on the field before the kickoff of the first game. The move is part of a sportsmanship initiative and is only planned for the first week of games.
Tommy Deas, Tuscaloosa News: The Southeastern Conference has revised its media policy, backing down to allow video from practices and press conferences to be posted on the Internet, and allowing use of game video on television broadcasts for up to a week after athletic events. The new policy also allows for Internet outlets to receive free video from games for use on websites, but will not allow non-television outlets to produce their own game video.
John Henderson, Denver Post: Some aspects of the Big 12 defy explanation. For instance, why do any folks in Texas think they look good in burnt orange? How did the nicest football facility in the country wind up in Stillwater? But none tops this: What in the world happened to Texas A&M football?
Ted Lewis, Times-Picayune: A proposed neutral-site game at the Louisiana Superdome between Notre Dame and Baylor for 2012 has lost steam.
Tuscaloosa News: One of the rules changes for 2009 is provision that there won't be any rules changes next year. The NCAA decided to start changing rules biennially.
Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register: A more detailed examination of the rules changes.
Ryan Thorburn, Boulder Daily Camera: As the season draws near, Colorado's Dan Hawkins has closed practices to the public and restricted regular practices to only credentialed members of the media. According to research done by the Navy sports information department, of the 120 Division I-A teams, only 44 open practices to the media during the season without some kind of time limitation (there are 24 with time constraints, like first 15 minutes, last 30, etc.), meaning 52 are closed to the media in-season.
Mike DiFerdinando, Independent Floria Alligator: Florida's least experienced scholarship player is Stephen Alli, a 6-foot-6 receiver from Canada who enrolled so late that he doesn't even have a roommate. He has played one year of high school football, catching seven touchdown passes in only 13 receptions.
Jim Kleinpeter, Times-Picayune: For the sixth consecutive year, Louisiana State has sold its full allotment of 68,650 season tickets.
Patrick Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Brent Seebohm, the executive producer of the startup Arizona Wildcats Sport Network, resigned less than a week before the million-dollar, month-old project airs its first show.
MGoBlog: The Big Ten Network announced a streaming video service for all the network's football and basketball games. Fans will be able to make their selections at Big Ten Ticket in late August.
Bob Highfill, Stockton Record: Oregon State freshman quarterback Cody Vaz inadvertently violated an NCAA rule by appearing in an ad for a car dealership in his hometown of Stockton.
Rob Moseley, Eugene Register-Guard: Oregon will temporarily retire the jersey No. 29 in honor of former safety Todd Doxey through 2011, which would have been his senior season. Doxey drowned in a river accident last summer.
Jeff Smith, Oregonian: Oregon's Chip Kelly had student managers attach "samurai flag" devices to their backs and line up on defense. The devices are supposed to simulate the reach of tall defensive linemen.
Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser: Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan said he does not currently expect to have to lay off staff or coaches in the wake of further schoolwide financial cutbacks.
Donnie Webb, Syracuse Post-Standard: Starting outside linebacker Derek Hines has left the Syracuse team. Excluding walk-ons, the Orange has seven total linebackers. Seventeen players on scholarship have left the team since the change of coaching staffs after the 2008 season. True freshman E.J. Carter replaces Hines as the starter.
Dirk Facer, Deseret News: Utah's Kyle Whittingham named freshman Jordan Wynn as his starting quarterback.
Lya Wodraska, Salt Lake Tribune: Just because it is starting a freshman quarterback, don't consider this a rebuilding year for Utah.
Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune: There has been a change of climate for San Diego State. Former coach Chuck Long played music on the field and would take the team on trips to the local bowling alley. That has all changed under Brady Hoke.
Jay Drew, Salt Lake Tribune: Offensive lineman Jason Speredon, the projected starter at left guard for Brigham Young, is out for the season because of a shoulder injury.
Jim Polzin, Badger Beat: Wisconsin suspended fifth-year senior safeties Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant. Both players were No. 2 on the depth chart.
Anthony Hanshew, Huntington Herald-Dispatch: Starting tailback Darius Marshall has been suspended for Marshall's opener against Southern Illinois. He was charged in May for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Marie Thibault, Forbes.com: Stanford, Northwestern, California, USC and Texas make the list of universities producing the most billionaires. Plus a slideshow.
The Quad: Paul Myerberg's countdown continues with No. 18 Florida State.
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I'm trying to recall exactly what was the reason R.C. Slocum was fired as head coach at Texas A&M... but I'm drawing a blank, because I don't think there was any sensible reason for firing him.
I sort of enjoy seeing idiocy and impatience punished.
Posted by: Coach | August 16, 2009 at 10:44 AM