Nakia Hogan, Times-Picayune: Twenty-seven Tulane players missed Saturday's scrimmage because of flu-like symptoms that could be indicative of the H1N1 virus. Several members of the athletic department are also sick. Team physician Greg Stewart is treating the players according to Center for Disease Control guidelines. The outbreak forced athletic department officials to cancel fan day activities involving the team.
John Maher, Austin American-Statesman: Tough times for many in the business of college athletics. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that in the 2008-09 school year, 13 Division I athletic departments dropped a total of 29 men's and women's teams. But there are some schools, the University of Texas among them, that are financially positioned to function almost normally in a recession. Plus, financial snapshots of big-name athletic powers.
Ron Morris, Columbia State: The NCAA allows Division I-A teams to have 85 players on scholarship, but is it too many? Steve Spurrier, for one, says teams could operate with 70 to 75. He also acknowledges that 50 of those scholarship players participate in games each season, "60 at most."
Caulton Tudor, Raleigh News & Observer: A year ago, South Carolina opened with a 34-0 victory over North Carolina State. By season's end, the Wolfpack had improved and arguably passed the Gamecocks. The teams play again on Sept. 3 and there's no reason to believe Spurrier's team is anything but average.
Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: The Big East did not have a team ranked in the Associated Press top 25. It’s only the third poll since the league began in 1991 that the Big East was blanked by the AP poll.
Scott D. Pierce, Deseret News: The Mountain West Conference had high hopes when it first signed a deal with CSTV in 2003, but it's clear now that the league is a low priority for CBS C.
Anne Danahy, Centre Daily Times: Penn State is putting the finishing touches on a paperless ticket system that stops students from earning big bucks by reselling their tickets to the highest bidder on the Internet.
Husker Locker: Quentin Castille, Nebraska's No. 2 rusher, has been kicked off the team.
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune: Linebacker Manti Te'o, who spurned USC, UCLA, Brigham Young and Stanford to attend Notre Dame, talks about the culture shock of moving from his homeland Hawaii to South Bend.
Gregg Becnel, Tampa Tribune: Another South Florida player is having NCAA Clearinghouse issues. Running back Bradley Battles could become the eighth recruit out of 29 signed by the Bulls who have either failed to qualify or were denied admission by South Florida's academic committee.
John Rohde, Oklahoman: Big 12 North coaches know their day will come, they're just not sure when.
Jake Trotter, Oklahoman: Oklahoma is losing linebackers at an alarming rate.
Paul Buker, Oregonian: The number of Twitter followers is not a test of manhood, but on the other hand. . . .
Lost Lettermen: Danny O'Neil, who helped guide Oregon to the 1995 Rose Bowl, is now the Ducks' team chaplain.
Jim Utter, Charlotte Observer: More than half of the $5 million the Charlotte 49ers need to remain on schedule to field a team beginning in the 2013 season has been raised through the sale of seat licenses.
The Quad: Next up on Paul Myerberg's list is No. 14 Texas Christian.
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