Are thier any Gators football fans on this collegebcs group?




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

My question is whether USC Athletics feeds any part of the revenue
earned by Trojan sports into the institution's overall budget.  If so,
and revenue is affected by such a judgment, then the overall
institution could be in for a budget shortage, instead of just the
athletic department.

But as John Martin has said, this has been going around for years now,
and I think the NCAA is still unwilling to hand down another death
penalty like they did to SMU in the 80's.  That pretty much killed
their ability to compete on the big stage ever after.  Could such a
penalty kill SC?  Probably not for football or basketball, but it
would set them back for years.  However, the non-revenue generating
sports would be in jeopardy.

Additionally, there is the specter of such a judgment affecting the
entire sport as collateral damage.  Seeing that SC is one of college
football's long time elite programs, it would be like telling the
Yankees they can't play baseball anymore, or that UNC is banned from
basketball.  It wouldn't be good for the overall sport because college
football is more interesting when they're in the mix.  Regardless if
you love them or hate them, you need SC to be there.

--Jeff


On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 9:03 AM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:
>
>
> Jeff Imes:
>
>>> Does anyone know if USC's sports budget is self-contained, or do they
>>> fund any part of the academic budget? If the latter, then the entire
>>> institution could be at risk. <<
>
> Jeff, please explain. My understanding is that the NCAA only regulates
> athletics. How could this put "the entire institution...at risk"?
>
> Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
>
>

I will say that the US Justice Dept has looked into anti-trust issues for at
least three years in a row (at the request of some grandstanding
congressgeek) and has come up empty .  That includes Obama's relatively
newly installed group.

   _____

From: collegebcs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:collegebcs@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Jim Mengel
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:41 AM
To: collegebcs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [collegebcs] Utah AG expected to file anti-trust suit against
BCS




And I do agree with the suit on anti-trust grounds, though I'm not a lawyer.
Most of the lawyers felt Maurice Clarett had a slam dunk anti-trust case
against the NFL, but the smart money was on the side of the NFL who was not
about to lose control of its game.


.

<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=3741017/grpspId=1705067623/msgId
=16546/stime=1239574469/nc1=1/nc2=2/nc3=3>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Most of the country wants this. Most of the country also wants $1 a gallon
gasoline.

The bowls are dinosaurs, and will eventually
suffer the same fate. Survival of the fittest. And survival of those that
can adapt.
If true we are still millions of years away from Bowl extinction since they
are proliferating under the BCS.

If the bowls and BCS refuse to adapt to the wants of the modern
fan, they have no chance.
The modern fan is attending or watching college football games in record
numbers during the regular season and bowl games. In fact each week of the
regular season increases the drama for the post season unlike any other
american sport.  If you think college presidents are about to risk
cheapening the regular season by instituting a playoff better get a reality
check.  Study a budget of a FBS school and figure out how to fund an
athletic department without huge football crowds during the regular season.


And I do agree with the suit on anti-trust grounds, though I'm not a lawyer.
Most of the lawyers felt Maurice Clarett had a slam dunk anti-trust case
against the NFL, but the smart money was on the side of the NFL who was not
about to lose control of its game.
As Jerry Palm has already pointed out, the BCS already has a remedy for
Utah, the Mountain West, or any other conference who wants to whine: win
regular season football games and finish consistently higher in the polls.

I believe it is called "settling it on the field."

jim

On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 10:36 AM, Joe Dimino <joedimino@...> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 9:20 AM, Trader Kevin
<cbot_kevin@...<cbot_kevin%40yahoo.com>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > >> "I am not itching to have the government get into the business of
> > regulating college football, but the BCS is patently unfair," Sen. Orin
> > Hatch told ESPN.com. "More than half the schools have no chance of being
> in
> > the championship game. It's exclusionary, and it hurts the schools that
> are
> > not in the big conferences." <<
> >
> > Is this really true, that "more than half the schools have no chance of
> > being in the championship game"? Top-ranked BYU would have been in the
> BCS
> > Championship Game had the system existed in 1984, no?
> >
> > Can't wait until they include all conference champions in a playoff. Over
> > the past five years the Sunbelt Conference champ has lost games by scores
> of
> > 65-0 (Texas over North Texas, 2004), 52-21 (Colorado over North Texas,
> > 2004), 37-14 (Baylor over North Texas, 2004), 31-10 (Southern Miss over
> > North Texas, 2004), 44-17 (Missouri over Arkansas State, 2005), 38-10
> (Army
> > over Arkansas State, 2005), 56-0 (Nebraska over Troy, 2006), 21-3 (UAB
> over
> > Troy, 2006), 42-6 (Oklahoma State over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 45-17
> > (Kentucky over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 59-20 (Florida over Florida
> > Atlantic, 2007), 28-10 (tOSU over Troy, 2008), and 55-24 (Oklahoma State
> > over Troy, 2008).
> >
> > Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> --Joe
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Snore...

We're now going on 3 years since Yahoo published the story.  We're almost a year
removed from the stripping heisman and the stripped national championship talk. 
I'll believe it when I see it.


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Jeff Imes
   To: collegebcs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 2:33 PM
   Subject: Re: [collegebcs] Two for the price of one at USC





   This is actually fairly significant. Instead of looking individually,
   they're going to consider whether USC's entire Athletic Dept is guilty
   at an institutional level. Should this occur, the effects could be
   far reaching across all USC sports.

   Does anyone know if USC's sports budget is self-contained, or do they
   fund any part of the academic budget? If the latter, then the entire
   institution could be at risk.

   --Jeff

   On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:
   >
   >
   >
   > Story by Lance Pugmire
   > Los Angeles Times
   > April 9, 2009
   >
   > NCAA investigations into former USC stars in football and basketball have
   > been combined into one probe of the Trojans' athletic program, sources
   > connected to one of the cases said Wednesday.
   >
   > Investigators have been examining allegations involving Heisman
   > Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush and NBA lottery pick O.J. Mayo. Bush
   > is accused of accepting thousands in cash and his family for failing to pay
   > rent on a home owned by a fledgling marketer while he was playing for USC in
   > 2004 and 2005. Mayo is accused of accepting cash and other benefits from a
   > middleman representing a sports agency before and during the one season he
   > played for the Trojans in 2007-08.
   >
   > The allegations against Mayo were made by Louis Johnson, a former associate
   > of Mayo and Rodney Guillory, who Johnson says received more than $200,000 in
   > cash and gifts from a representative of the Northern California-based BDA
   > Sports Management agency, funneling some of it--including a flat-screen
   > television, meals, clothes, and other gifts--to the player.
   >
   > Johnson's attorneys, Anthony V. Salerno and David Murphy, said Wednesday
   > they were told during a recent conversation with a Pacific 10 Conference
   > executive that the NCAA had consolidated its work on both cases into one
   > investigation looking into whether the school showed a lack of institutional
   > control.
   >
   > "It makes sense," Salerno said. "The NCAA looks at the program as a whole,
   > and you may be talking about systemic problems in these cases of payments by
   > agents. Yes, these were different teams and coaches. Rather than do it
   > piecemeal, look at the institution."
   >
   > The NCAA, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment, as did a Pac-10
   > investigator. Spokesman Jim Muldoon said it was conference policy to not
   > comment on potential investigations.
   >
   > Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hanson could not be reached for comment.
   >
   > USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett referred questions to the university's
   > legal counsel, who did not return messages. Trojans football Coach Pete
   > Carroll could not be reached for comment.
   >
   > USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd said he hasn't had any dialogue with the NCAA
   > since May and has "never, ever heard" that the investigations were being
   > combined.
   >
   > Bush and Mayo have said they did nothing wrong.
   >
   > Compliance experts have said a college athlete's acceptance of improper
   > benefits could result in NCAA sanctions against a program including
   > forfeitures of victories, probation, a ban on postseason play, the loss of
   > television appearances, or scholarship and recruiting restrictions.
   >
   > http://tinyurl.com/cbbvuq
   >
   >




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jeff Imes:

>> Does anyone know if USC's sports budget is self-contained, or do they fund
any part of the academic budget? If the latter, then the entire institution
could be at risk. <<

Jeff, please explain. My understanding is that the NCAA only regulates
athletics. How could this put "the entire institution...at risk"?

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

Story by Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com
April 9, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--It is still the University of Michigan, and all that means in
college football. The Wolverines still wear the winged helmets. They still sing
the best fight song on God's green earth. They still go to work in Schembechler
Hall, and they still wear the maize and blue.

In the spring after going 3-9, they are still the Michigan Wolverines. One
season removed from the most losses in the school's 130 years of football, they
profess no doubt that 2008 will go down as a freak event, a snowstorm in July,
say, or Keith Olbermann in repose.

Take the Sept. 27 home game against Wisconsin. The Wolverines trailed the
Badgers 19-0 at halftime.

"Should have been 49-0," head coach Rich Rodriguez said the other day. "We're
running up that tunnel, people were booing.

"People said, 'Did you hear them booing?'

"I said, 'You could hear them booing in Detroit. I probably wanted to join
them.'

"Thank God, we came back and won that one."

The Wolverines scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Badgers 27-25.
That would be a once-in-a-season comeback. Michigan lost to Purdue and to
Northwestern. Michigan lost to Toledo, for Bo's sake.

"We didn't win because generally we didn't deserve to win. Pretty simple,"
Rodriguez said. "That's hard to take if you're at a place like Michigan that's
been to bowl games 30-something straight years. That's hard to take."

Despite the struggles in 2008, Rodriguez is upbeat. It is his natural front.
Rodriguez may be the least self-important head coach in college football. A
smile is never far away. But behind that smile there is no fiercer competitor.
Here's a father who pulled his son Rhett out of T-ball a few years ago because
the league didn't keep score.

"Everybody bats, and everybody scores," Rodriguez said. "At the end of four
innings, there's no winner. I said, 'To hell with that.'"

The pattern in Rodriguez's coaching career is clear. The first year is a
struggle; the second, a revelation. In 2001, Rodriguez's first season at West
Virginia, the Mountaineers went 3-8. They went 9-4 in 2002. That pattern helps
to explain the lack of panic among Michigan fans. He has done it before. He will
do it again.

Confidence is coursing through the players like chocolate milk, the favorite
drink of Wolverines strength guru Mike Barwis.

"Last year, there wasn't too much enjoyment out there," tailback Brandon Minor
said. "This year is going to be totally different."

Minor rushed for 533 yards last season, despite a right wrist that hurt so much
he couldn't carry the ball in his right hand. And when he carried the ball in
his left hand, he couldn't stiff-arm. Even a 215-pound back with sprinter's
speed needs to occasionally stiff-arm. And just to top it off, those 533 yards
led Michigan in rushing. The last time the Wolverines' leading rusher had fewer
yards than that came in 1963.

"Everybody has bought into what they're doing," redshirt junior guard Stephen
Schilling said. "There's not as much arguing or bickering on the field. Nobody
wants to have happen what happened last year."

Minor was asked for clues that would indicate an improvement in the offense. Not
just for stats: Anyone could tell that the offense needs to average more than
290.8 yards per game, or convert more than 27 percent of its third downs.

Would it be better running between the tackles? More long runs, an indication
that the receivers are blocking well downfield?

"You'll be able to tell," Minor said, "when we have our starters sitting on the
sideline in the fourth quarter, enjoying the game."

What if 2008 is the new Michigan? What if the football team is no longer the
escape for a state in an economic death spiral? What if it's a mirror?

"Everybody says, 'We're going to be better, aren't we?' We're hoping," Rodriguez
said. It could be superstition. It could be that Rodriguez is too smart to
guarantee anything aloud. Whatever it is, that last sentence--"We're hoping"--is
one of the few phrases uttered in a 90-minute interview that is not relentlessly
positive.

The history of Michigan football declares that the Wolverines will rebound. The
history of Rodriguez's career screams it in 72-point type. Alas, these days,
history doesn't count for much.

"There was probably a time when you put on that winged helmet and came out of
that one tunnel in the Big House, and that might have been worth 10 to 14 points
right there," Rodriguez said. "That day is over. What we've got to do is try to
get some of that back."

The Wolverines will have three quarterbacks. The only one who has taken a snap,
redshirt junior Nick Sheridan, fractured a bone in his left leg on the last play
of the Wolverines' practice on March 24. That cost Sheridan the rest of spring
practice. The other two, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, played high school
football last fall.

Forcier, one of seven freshmen who enrolled in January, looked overwhelmed by
the offense in an early practice. But he will be 15 practices ahead of Robinson.
And both, by all accounts, are more talented than Sheridan.

"I'm not saying we're going to start a true freshman quarterback, but we might,"
Rodriguez said. "That's kind of scary. We're probably going to start a couple of
freshmen on defense. That's kind of scary. But there's no question that we're
more comfortable."

Five years used to be the standard by which to measure a coach. Now the athletic
director who grants a fourth year to a struggling coach is seen as the epitome
of patience.

Rodriguez refuses to take his eye off the horizon. He made only one coaching
change. He brought in his one-time Big East colleague, deposed Syracuse head
coach Greg Robinson, as defensive coordinator.

Robinson, like Rodriguez, is relentlessly positive. He is old enough to have
coached the UCLA defensive line in 1982, when the Bruins beat the Wolverines in
September in the Big House and in January at the Rose Bowl.

"We grew to hate them," Robinson said. "We used to always say, 'You can tell a
Michigan man but you can't tell them much.'"

His eyes disappear as he smiles. Robinson is wearing a blue sweatshirt with a
big, yellow "MICHIGAN" across his chest. Robinson cold-called Rodriguez and
pitched himself as the new coordinator.

"I told him, 'I know you're going to win,'" Robinson said. "I knew that before.
When he was at West Virginia and I was at Syracuse, I could see how he ran his
program. He infused his personality into that program. I knew it was just a
matter of time before he won here. I could see this football team is very
hungry. I like their work habits. They are very intent. They are looking to
please Rich."

That may be the biggest difference of all. The number of players who have bailed
out of their Michigan scholarship since Rodriguez arrived 15 months ago is in
the double digits. This team is younger than it should be.

"Guys actually believing in what we're doing," cornerback Donovan Warren said.
"When you believe in what you're doing, you feel more comfortable and put more
effort into what you're doing...Last year, everybody wasn't on the same page.
They were on different agendas. That messed up the cohesion of the group and set
us back. Everybody has bought in."

The players who remained have brought renewed resonance to the saying plastered
throughout Schembechler Hall, the watchword of the namesake himself: "Those Who
Stay Will Be Champions."

No one is ready to say when.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4055185&type=story

This is actually fairly significant.  Instead of looking individually,
they're going to consider whether USC's entire Athletic Dept is guilty
at an institutional level.  Should this occur, the effects could be
far reaching across all USC sports.

Does anyone know if USC's sports budget is self-contained, or do they
fund any part of the academic budget?  If the latter, then the entire
institution could be at risk.

--Jeff


On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Story by Lance Pugmire
> Los Angeles Times
> April 9, 2009
>
> NCAA investigations into former USC stars in football and basketball have
> been combined into one probe of the Trojans' athletic program, sources
> connected to one of the cases said Wednesday.
>
> Investigators have been examining allegations involving Heisman
> Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush and NBA lottery pick O.J. Mayo. Bush
> is accused of accepting thousands in cash and his family for failing to pay
> rent on a home owned by a fledgling marketer while he was playing for USC in
> 2004 and 2005. Mayo is accused of accepting cash and other benefits from a
> middleman representing a sports agency before and during the one season he
> played for the Trojans in 2007-08.
>
> The allegations against Mayo were made by Louis Johnson, a former associate
> of Mayo and Rodney Guillory, who Johnson says received more than $200,000 in
> cash and gifts from a representative of the Northern California-based BDA
> Sports Management agency, funneling some of it--including a flat-screen
> television, meals, clothes, and other gifts--to the player.
>
> Johnson's attorneys, Anthony V. Salerno and David Murphy, said Wednesday
> they were told during a recent conversation with a Pacific 10 Conference
> executive that the NCAA had consolidated its work on both cases into one
> investigation looking into whether the school showed a lack of institutional
> control.
>
> "It makes sense," Salerno said. "The NCAA looks at the program as a whole,
> and you may be talking about systemic problems in these cases of payments by
> agents. Yes, these were different teams and coaches. Rather than do it
> piecemeal, look at the institution."
>
> The NCAA, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment, as did a Pac-10
> investigator. Spokesman Jim Muldoon said it was conference policy to not
> comment on potential investigations.
>
> Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hanson could not be reached for comment.
>
> USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett referred questions to the university's
> legal counsel, who did not return messages. Trojans football Coach Pete
> Carroll could not be reached for comment.
>
> USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd said he hasn't had any dialogue with the NCAA
> since May and has "never, ever heard" that the investigations were being
> combined.
>
> Bush and Mayo have said they did nothing wrong.
>
> Compliance experts have said a college athlete's acceptance of improper
> benefits could result in NCAA sanctions against a program including
> forfeitures of victories, probation, a ban on postseason play, the loss of
> television appearances, or scholarship and recruiting restrictions.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/cbbvuq
>
>

And the #1 always beats the #16 in this hoops tourney. So what's your point?

Most of the country wants this. The bowls are dinosaurs, and will eventually
suffer the same fate. Survival of the fittest. And survival of those that
can adapt. If the bowls and BCS refuse to adapt to the wants of the modern
fan, they have no chance.

And I do agree with the suit on anti-trust grounds, though I'm not a lawyer.

--Joe

On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 9:20 AM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:

>
>
>
> >> "I am not itching to have the government get into the business of
> regulating college football, but the BCS is patently unfair," Sen. Orin
> Hatch told ESPN.com. "More than half the schools have no chance of being in
> the championship game. It's exclusionary, and it hurts the schools that are
> not in the big conferences." <<
>
> Is this really true, that "more than half the schools have no chance of
> being in the championship game"? Top-ranked BYU would have been in the BCS
> Championship Game had the system existed in 1984, no?
>
> Can't wait until they include all conference champions in a playoff. Over
> the past five years the Sunbelt Conference champ has lost games by scores of
> 65-0 (Texas over North Texas, 2004), 52-21 (Colorado over North Texas,
> 2004), 37-14 (Baylor over North Texas, 2004), 31-10 (Southern Miss over
> North Texas, 2004), 44-17 (Missouri over Arkansas State, 2005), 38-10 (Army
> over Arkansas State, 2005), 56-0 (Nebraska over Troy, 2006), 21-3 (UAB over
> Troy, 2006), 42-6 (Oklahoma State over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 45-17
> (Kentucky over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 59-20 (Florida over Florida
> Atlantic, 2007), 28-10 (tOSU over Troy, 2008), and 55-24 (Oklahoma State
> over Troy, 2008).
>
> Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin
>
>
>



--
--Joe


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>> "I am not itching to have the government get into the business of regulating
college football, but the BCS is patently unfair," Sen. Orin Hatch told
ESPN.com. "More than half the schools have no chance of being in the
championship game. It's exclusionary, and it hurts the schools that are not in
the big conferences." <<

Is this really true, that "more than half the schools have no chance of being in
the championship game"? Top-ranked BYU would have been in the BCS Championship
Game had the system existed in 1984, no?

Can't wait until they include all conference champions in a playoff. Over the
past five years the Sunbelt Conference champ has lost games by scores of 65-0
(Texas over North Texas, 2004), 52-21 (Colorado over North Texas, 2004), 37-14
(Baylor over North Texas, 2004), 31-10 (Southern Miss over North Texas, 2004),
44-17 (Missouri over Arkansas State, 2005), 38-10 (Army over Arkansas State,
2005), 56-0 (Nebraska over Troy, 2006), 21-3 (UAB over Troy, 2006), 42-6
(Oklahoma State over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 45-17 (Kentucky over Florida
Atlantic, 2007), 59-20 (Florida over Florida Atlantic, 2007), 28-10 (tOSU over
Troy, 2008), and 55-24 (Oklahoma State over Troy, 2008).

Penn State Proud, Trader Kevin

Story by Lance Pugmire
Los Angeles Times
April 9, 2009

NCAA investigations into former USC stars in football and basketball have been
combined into one probe of the Trojans' athletic program, sources connected to
one of the cases said Wednesday.

Investigators have been examining allegations involving Heisman Trophy-winning
running back Reggie Bush and NBA lottery pick O.J. Mayo. Bush is accused of
accepting thousands in cash and his family for failing to pay rent on a home
owned by a fledgling marketer while he was playing for USC in 2004 and 2005.
Mayo is accused of accepting cash and other benefits from a middleman
representing a sports agency before and during the one season he played for the
Trojans in 2007-08.

The allegations against Mayo were made by Louis Johnson, a former associate of
Mayo and Rodney Guillory, who Johnson says received more than $200,000 in cash
and gifts from a representative of the Northern California-based BDA Sports
Management agency, funneling some of it--including a flat-screen television,
meals, clothes, and other gifts--to the player.

Johnson's attorneys, Anthony V. Salerno and David Murphy, said Wednesday they
were told during a recent conversation with a Pacific 10 Conference executive
that the NCAA had consolidated its work on both cases into one investigation
looking into whether the school showed a lack of institutional control.

"It makes sense," Salerno said. "The NCAA looks at the program as a whole, and
you may be talking about systemic problems in these cases of payments by agents.
Yes, these were different teams and coaches. Rather than do it piecemeal, look
at the institution."

The NCAA, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment, as did a Pac-10
investigator. Spokesman Jim Muldoon said it was conference policy to not comment
on potential investigations.

Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hanson could not be reached for comment.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett referred questions to the university's legal
counsel, who did not return messages. Trojans football Coach Pete Carroll could
not be reached for comment.

USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd said he hasn't had any dialogue with the NCAA
since May and has "never, ever heard" that the investigations were being
combined.

Bush and Mayo have said they did nothing wrong.

Compliance experts have said a college athlete's acceptance of improper benefits
could result in NCAA sanctions against a program including forfeitures of
victories, probation, a ban on postseason play, the loss of television
appearances, or scholarship and recruiting restrictions.

http://tinyurl.com/cbbvuq

>> Photo of Texas football meeting room:

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2009/04/05/596/ <<

That didn't last long...

Story by Chuck Carlton
Dallas Morning News
April 7, 2009

For about 24 hours, an asterisk placed an exclamation point on that
controversial Big 12 football tiebreaker. Reporters covering Texas' Orange-White
scrimmage Sunday noticed an addition to the Longhorns' accomplishments posted on
the wall of a team meeting room. Under Big 12 champions, the lettering read:
"1996, 2005, 2008*".

More than once, school officials and fans had noted that Texas had beaten
Oklahoma and Missouri, the teams that played in the Big 12 title game. Oklahoma
won the South tiebreaker over Texas and Texas Tech based on the BCS standings.
The Austin American-Statesman quoted an unnamed school official Sunday
expressing that line of thinking.

The reaction from Oklahoma fans was angry and animated on blogs and message
boards when the news broke. Later Monday, Texas officials said the conference
title claim and asterisk were the result of an error in communications.

"That's a mistake," coach Mack Brown said through the school's athletic media
relations department. "It will clearly be corrected."

http://tinyurl.com/dz3ycq

Story by W. Scott Bailey
San Antonio Business Journal
April 7, 2009

There will be no 2009 Valero Alamo Bowl. That's because bowl officials say they
have received a Jan. 2, 2010, date for their college football game.

This will be the first time in the 17-year history of the Alamo Bowl that the
game will not kick off in December.

Alamo Bowl officials say the 2010 game will be broadcast by ESPN at 8 p.m. San
Antonio time. And unlike some years, the 2010 Alamo Bowl will not have to
compete with another college game or with the NFL.

"This year's calendar has provided us an excellent prime time Saturday slot that
will allow the Valero Alamo Bowl to reach a wide audience," says Alamo Bowl
President and CEO Derrick Fox.

"The Jan. 2 date should also work well for people traveling to the game as they
can celebrate Christmas at home and then spend a long weekend ringing in the New
Year in San Antonio," Fox adds.

This will be the sixth time in the last 10 years that the Alamo Bowl has been
played on a Saturday. But it will be the first time that the game has not been
played in the final week of December.

The last two Saturday Alamo Bowls produced the two largest crowds in Alamodome
history. Nearly 66,000 fans attended the 2006 game between Texas and Iowa. And
66,166 attended the 2007 game between Penn State and Texas A&M University.

"The Jan. 2 date adds to the national prominence of the Valero Alamo Bowl as
we're thrilled to have such a prestigious space to showcase our Big 12 vs. Big
Ten match-up along with the City of San Antonio and our title sponsor Valero
(Energy Corp.)," says Alamo Bowl Chairman Gene Dawson.

"Our attendance," Dawson adds, "should also benefit as fans will have more time
from our team announcement date to make their travel plans."

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/04/06/daily18.html

22 traffic citations on mopeds? Where is ESPN's "Behind the Lines"?

Story by Tony Galli
WKOW-TV, Madison
April 7, 2009

MADISON (WKOW)--UW football players used scholarship funds earmarked for housing
and food to purchase mopeds, and in some cases, cars.

Senior Jonathan Casillas told 27 News the practice of ciphoning money from room
and board uses made sense.

"Once you get to your second, third year, you start learning what's cheap
(housing), what's expensive. Maybe live with somebody and split the rent. And
hopefully you can get a moped, or maybe even a car. Some people got cars."

Casillas told 27 News he bought his moped from a housing scholarship stipend.
Casillas was also arrested on that moped for alleged first offense drunk
driving. Casillas has a plea hearing scheduled for April 22.

27 News verified at least 22 starting players or top reserves on the roster of
the Badger football team which played in last December's Champs Sports Bowl have
received traffic citations on mopeds, including tight end Lance Kendricks'
conviction for drunk driving on a moped.

Any correlation between traffic citations and scholarship-funded mopeds is
unclear. But Casillas suggested using the stipend for transportation was not
uncommon, with mopeds a desireable commodity. "That's how I got around campus."

"I think a housing stipend should be used for housing," former UW Athletic board
member Jeremi Suri told 27 News.

UW Athletic Department officials said the room and board stipend for full
scholarship athletes living off-campus for the current school year is $8,986
(housing: $6,028; food: $2,958). The monthly average is $1,009.

Officials said the stipend amount is derived using a formula provided by the
NCAA which factors in the listed, average costs of on-campus housing and food
for all students.

Off campus room and board subsidies provided to full scholarship student
athletes at several other Big Ten schools surveyed by 27 News were consistent
with stipend amounts at UW. At Ohio State, officials said full scholarship
athletes received $15,988 for room and board to cover four academic quarters,
with a monthly average of $1,332.

"We're using campus costs, and plugging that into the NCAA formula," UW
Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney told 27 News.

The NCAA formula is available to member schools for calculating housing and food
costs, but not required.

Sweeney told 27 News he was unaware some football players used housing or food
stipends to purchase mopeds and cars.

But Sweeney said the decision on using the funds was up to student-athletes.

"Our obligation to them is to issue them a check," Sweeney said. "How they
manage that is their business.

Suri said the athletic department's lack of financial accountability was one of
the reasons he resigned from the athletic board last year.

"(It's) A process where we're supposed to have faith that a few people who have
their hands on the checkbook know the appropriate uses of the money."

"Perhaps some of the housing money is being misused. I think we need to have
that discussion."

Sweeney acknowledged the athletic department is not immune from the current
economic crisis, and must examine the department's budget line item spending.
But Sweeney said "student welfare" expenses such as room and board would be the
last items to be considered for cuts, and disagreed with any characterization
the room and board stipends were being abused, or were too generous.

"If there's enough money left over in sharing an apartment, that's their
decision to make."

Junior P.J. Hill told 27 News the scholarship stipends were in line with housing
and food costs. Hill said he avoided using the funds for transportation.

"I was pretty smart in the way I used my money," Hill told 27 News.

Several days after Hill's 27 News interview, authorities said Hill was arrested
for alleged drunken driving in a rental car.

27 News uncovered the wife of UW-Madison Athletic Director Barry Alvarez
provided a moped to a Badger football player, with the terms of the exchange of
the vehicle unclear.

27 News discovered Cindy Alvarez's actions as it investigated the use of
university scholarship funds by players to purchase mopeds and in some cases,
cars.

UW-Madison associate athletic director Vince Sweeney acknowledged to 27 News a
gift of something of the value of a moped from Alvarez to a player would
constitute a violation of NCAA rules. But Sweeney said no rules were broken.

"That was a transaction that involved a sale of a moped," Sweeney said.

Jon Mortrud of Madison Scooters, a business in a warehouse setting on the city's
southwest side, told 27 News he donated the red and white moped to Alvarez in
2007 so she could use it in a charitable auction to benefit the non-profit
organization, Gilda's Club. Mortrud said Alvarez submitted the highest bid on
the moped and took ownership of it, but did not have a need for the moped.

Mortrud recalled Alvarez provided the moped to a football player.

During the initial part of Mortrud's interview with 27 News, Motrud said he
could not recall whether Alvarez sold the moped to the player, or gave it to the
player as a gift.

When 27 News asked follow up questions about the transaction, Mortrud dropped
any reference to a sale.

"She took the moped and gave it to a football player," Mortrud told 27 News.
"Cindy gave the scooter away."

"She just didn't need it. She's pretty philanthropic."

Mortrud told 27 News he met the player who received the moped, but said he did
not know his name.

"It was some young kid. I think he just needed transportation."

Sweeney declined to provide 27 News the name of the player who received the
moped from Alvarez. Sweeney also declined a 27 News request for verification of
the sale, such as a copy of the player's cancelled check.

"Our compliance folks are telling me that they've looked at the transaction and
that they're satisfied that it was in compliance with all NCAA rules."

Wisconsin Department of Transportation records on such sales can be made
available on request in certain circumstances, but privacy law bars the
publication of the records.

While DOT records would reflect a purchaser's payment of sales tax and vehicle
registration, any listed sales amount is self-reported and requires no
documentation.

A source informed 27 News the player remains on the team.

Mortrud said the value of the 50 c.c. engine moped he donated to Alvarez was
approximately $1,500.

Gilda's Club communications director Marcia Wittington told 27 News a
Badger-style motorcycle adorned with player and celebrity signatures was
auctioned off to benefit the organization in 2007. The organization's publicity
on the auction listed the motorcycle's worth as $50,000. Wittington told 27 News
she was unfamiliar with an auction of a moped,  but said it could have occurred
before her hiring in summer, 2007. Wittington has not returned repeated calls
from 27 News for any information from organization records on proceeds from the
auction of a moped.

While UW-Madison Athletic Department officials declined to provide any proof of
the player's payment for the moped, 27 News uncovered some football players have
used portions of their scholarship room and board subsidy to purchase mopeds.
University records show the subsidy's monthly average for the current school
year is $1,009.

Senior Jonathan Casillas told 27 News he and several other players scrimped on
housing costs by sharing residences and bought mopeds.

"Some people got cars," Casillas told 27 News.

Athletic Department officials said a NCAA approved formula involving listed
on-campus housing and food costs is used to establish the subsidy for room and
board for full scholarship athletes living off campus. Officials said athletes
receive four checks per school year and use the money as they see fit.

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10114659&nav=menu1362_2

Story by Tim Gordon
The Columbus Dispatch
April 5, 2009

Well, what do you know, the earth stopped spinning today. Rivers ran backward.
Reporters got to watch practice--and not just the first 20 minutes, as planned,
but the full two-hour session. Hallelujah!

So what follows are some observations. Not REO Speedwagon lyrics ("heard it from
a friend who...heard it from a friend who..."), but actual, first-hand
observations. And they're free, no payment required.

Enjoy:

* I'm sure everyone wants to know who's working on the first team units. So
here's your first-team offense (at least for the majority of the reps. They
worked on some specialty situations where personnel varied:)

LT: Andrew Miller
LG: Justin Boren
C: Michael Brewster
RG: Bryant Browning
RT: Jim Cordle

QB: Terrelle Pryor
RB: Boom Herron
TE: Jake Ballard
WRs: Ray Small, DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher (slot)

In short yardage, Todd Denlinger came in as a second tight end, and Adam Homan
(yes, a true freshman) was the first-team fullback.

On defense (which was primarily in nickel, with two LBs and five DBs):

DEs: Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward
DTs: Doug Worthington, Dexter Larimore
LBs: Etienne Sabino, Austin Spitler
CBs: Chimdi Chekwa, Andre Amos
S: Anderson Russell, Aaron Gant
Nickel: Jermale Hines

It should be noted that Kurt Coleman (starting safety) and Nathan Williams (a
key DE) were sitting out with injuries of some sort (it appeared a minor knee
thing for Williams), and LB Ross Homan was in pads but I didn't see him take any
reps in the team drills.

* Interesting to me that Mike Adams was the second-team left tackle, behind
Miller. Supposedly, those two are rotating pretty freely there.

* When they played three LBs, Brian Rolle was in the game.

* Two guys who looked like they could help this offense were Taurian Washington
and Jake Stoneburner. Washington has been a forgotten man at receiver recently,
but he played a lot today and caught a nice TD pass in which he split Nate
Oliver and C.J. Barnett down the middle. Stoneburner could be a real mismatch as
an athletic tight end, maybe in the mold of a Dustin Keller from Purdue or
Travis Beckum of Wisconsin.

* A player to watch on defense: DB Ohrian Johnson. He was with the first team at
times in the nickel, with Chekwa-Amos-Hines-Russell. He flashed to me.

* Posey got open deep downfield several times, but once Russell broke up the
pass, and another time, Pryor laid the ball out perfectly down the left
sideline--great spiral, maybe a 50-yard pass, but Posey short-armed it and it
was incomplete.

* Speaking of Pryor, he still looks like he sling-shots the ball. It's weird,
the ball sort of comes from behind his ear and is released without the full
shoulder rotation...hard to explain. But let me say his passes looked accurate
and had zip on them, for the most part.

QBs coach Joe Daniels turned to Pryor at one point and said, "You know what?
You're not as bad as you used to be."

* Sitting out, presumably injured: Coleman, Williams, LB Zach Boren, OL J.B.
Shugarts and Connor Smith, DE Keith Wells, and DB Jamie Wood.

* They worked a fair amount on short yardage, third-and-1, fourth-and-1, with a
real emphasis on physicality and toughness. A lot of hollering and pad-smacking
going on.

That's it for now. I'm told blog posts are supposed to be something less than
novel-length.

We get to see the kick scrimmage Friday, so I'll certainly bring you more then.

http://tinyurl.com/c9pmjq

Story by Adam Rittenberg
ESPN.com
April 6, 2009

As player arrests piled up last summer and the heat continued to rise, Iowa head
coach Kirk Ferentz tried to douse the flames with a history lesson.

Ferentz pointed out that 2001 was a very poor year in terms of player conduct,
but Iowa improved both on and off the field from 2002-04, averaging 10.3 wins
and far fewer arrests.

"We had our worst conduct year in 2001; probably had our best conduct year in
2002," Ferentz told me last April.

He hoped that the same could hold true after a swell of problems in 2007 and
2008. Ferentz hired former player Chigozie Ejiasi as director of player
development in September, and the off-field incidents seemed to sharply decline.
Oh, and Iowa had a 9-4 season and won a Jan. 1 bowl game.

Well, the problems are back, and they're hitting Ferentz close to home.

Hawkeyes center James Ferentz, the head coach's son, was arrested on campus
early Monday along with two teammates and charged with public intoxication.
Ferentz and tight end Zach Derby pleaded not guilty to the charge and face May 8
trials, while fullback Tyler Christensen pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal
mischief and public intoxication and paid fines totaling $489.

It marked the second alcohol-related arrest for Ferentz, who was cited in
October for alcohol possession by a minor and suspended from team activities for
the rest of the regular season.

"It was very disappointing to learn of the behavior of our three players last
night," Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. "Short term, all three will be
suspended for the remainder of spring practice and they will be expected to
fulfill significant community service obligations the next several weekends.
Additional action will be determined at a later point and return to the team
will be based on additional criteria."

According to UI police complaints, Christensen, a redshirt freshman fullback
from Belmond, approached an off-duty officer wanting to fight. When on-duty
officers arrived, Christensen had slurred speech, red bloodshot eyes and
admitted drinking at Iowa City's Fieldhouse bar but refused to take a
blood-alcohol test. Christensen then admitted to UI police he had broken the
arms off of a parking gate at the mall's entrance. UI police then called Iowa
City Police, who arrested Christensen for fifth-degree criminal mischief.

Ferentz, 19, was heard yelling and observed stumbling upon contact with a police
officer, according to the complaint. His blood-alcohol level was .16, more than
twice the legal limit for a impaired driver.

The latest arrests come weeks after starting defensive end Adrian Clayborn was
arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from a Jan. 20 incident
involving a taxi driver in Iowa City. Clayborn pleaded not guilty to the charge
and is practicing with the team this spring.

Unfortunately for Kirk Ferentz, there's a history of problems here, and it's not
helping his cause.

It's hard to say you have control of the team when a player who shares your last
name keeps getting in trouble with the law. James Ferentz is an adult who should
know how to make good choices, but he clearly has some problems and continues to
hurt himself and his dad.

You have to feel for Kirk Ferentz, who now must dismiss his son from the team.
He really has no other choice.

Iowa fans love to win, but they also won't stand for another round of off-field
problems.

http://tinyurl.com/dazzmo

Photo of Texas football meeting room:

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2009/04/05/596/

Story by Suzanne Halliburton
Austin American-Statesman
April 7, 2009

The University of Texas didn't win the Big 12 football championship last fall,
but that hasn't stopped a dozen assistant coaches and support staffers from
receiving bonuses as if the Longhorns did.

Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds received permission from UT President William
Powers Jr. and the university's men's athletic council to pay $44,000 in bonuses
that are called for when the football team wins a conference title.

"I think this was the right decision," Powers said Monday.

Dodds called the circumstances of the bonuses unusual.

The Longhorns missed out on playing for the conference championship after losing
a never-before-used tiebreaker to Oklahoma.

At the end of the regular season, the Longhorns, Sooners and Texas Tech were
tied for first in the Big 12's South Division, all with 11-1 records and each
with a loss to one of the others.

The Big 12 relied on the standings of the Bowl Championship Series to break the
tie and select the South representative.

Oklahoma, despite losing to Texas earlier in the year, finished one spot higher
in the BCS standings because of a slight edge in computer polls.

Texas stayed home for the conference championship game, despite having beaten
both participants--Oklahoma and Missouri--by double-digit scores in the regular
season.

The Longhorns then beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and finished higher in the
final polls than the Sooners, who lost to Florida in the national title game.

"A flip of a coin basically deprived them of the ability to earn that part of
their compensation," Powers said of the coaches and the bonuses.

The bonus pool for the 12 totaled $44,000. The team's two coordinators, strength
coach and director of football operations each will receive $5,000. The rest
will get a check for $3,000.

The bonuses represent 1 to 2.5 percent of the salaries of the 12, whose base pay
ranges from $150,000 to $425,000 for this academic year.

Head coach Mack Brown did not receive the Big 12 championship bonus, officials
said. Brown, whose base pay is $2.91 million, could have earned an extra
$150,000--$50,000 for winning the South and $100,000 for winning the Big 12
title game.

Dodds said the assistant coaches also received bonuses of 9 percent of their
salaries for the Longhorns' playing in a BCS bowl.

The athletic department pays for its own programs with no help from state funds.

"This was a chance to say thank you," Dodds said of the assistants' Big 12-tied
bonuses.

http://tinyurl.com/cpvmjs

Story by Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
April 6, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--Michigan State knows it will be representing more than its
school when it plays North Carolina in the NCAA championship game Monday night
at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Spartans will also be representing a state and region that have been
battered by the country's poor economy, climbing unemployment rates and
crumbling auto industry.

"There are a lot of cities right now that have problems," Michigan State coach
Tom Izzo said. "But this is ours. This is our big city in the state. So that's
why I think it's a little more meaningful for those of us that are from around
here.

Believe it or not, the Spartans' surprising run to the NCAA championship game is
even meaningful for the sports fans who seem to hate them most.

Even in Ann Arbor, where University of Michigan fans only seem to dislike Ohio
State more than Michigan State, it seems most of the Wolverines are rooting for
the Spartans to beat the Tar Heels on Monday night.

"The first four times Michigan State went to the Final Four, you usually had the
crowd here rooting against the Spartans," said Ron Dreslinski of Ann Arbor, who
sat at the bar in The Blue Leprechaun on South University Avenue on Sunday.
"This is really the first time you have Michigan people rooting for them. I
think it's because the game is being played in Detroit. They're kind of the
underdog, too, which makes it easier."

Imagine that, Michigan fans rooting for the Spartans in an Ann Arbor bar where
football jerseys of former Wolverines stars such as Charles Woodson and Anthony
Carter hang on the walls.

The Wendy's on Plymouth Road even offered customers a free Frosty desert if the
Spartans beat No. 1 seed Connecticut in Saturday night's national semifinals at
the Final Four. How's that for an economic stimulus plan?

Mike Gradillas, a UM senior from Kalamazoo, Mich., worked as the bartender at
The Blue Leprechaun on Saturday night. He said the bar was packed while the
Spartans battled the Huskies. Gradillas said nearly all of the bar's patrons
were rooting for the Spartans during their 82-73 victory.

"There were no anti-Michigan people," Gradillas said. "It was all pro-MSU. If it
was football, I'm sure it would have been different."

Bo Schembechler must be rolling in his grave.

Even at The Arena sports bar on East Washington Street, which caters more to the
town's working class than UM's mammoth student body, Spartans fans are being
heard loud and clear. Tim Lawrence, the bar's manager, said Michigan State fans
filled the bar a couple of hours before Saturday night's game.

The bar is owned by a pair of MSU alumni and the restaurant hosts the Washtenaw
County MSU Alumni Club once a month.

"It's a rather friendly Michigan State bar," Lawrence said. "Even more so now.
It's been said 1,000 times, but it's the economy, economy, economy. It feels
good for two and a half hours to see a state team doing well."

Lawrence said a large group of Michigan students occupied three tables in the
bar Saturday night. They decided to root for Connecticut, cheering each time the
Huskies scored. When the group left the bar at halftime, Lawrence said the rest
of the crowd gave the group a standing ovation for leaving.

"The only reason they were here was to root against Michigan State," Lawrence
said. "Everyone else was happy when they left."

At least a few Michigan fans are sticking to party lines.

Mike Kazin, a 2000 graduate of Michigan, was back in Ann Arbor this weekend for
a friend's bachelor party. Kazin, a native of Queens, said he can't stomach
cheering for the Spartans this weekend.

"They'd never cheer for us," Kazin said. "Mets fans would never cheer for the
Yankees."

Mike Kern, who grew up in Ann Arbor and graduated from UM in 2001, said he can't
cheer for Michigan State, either. But his parents, who are both Michigan fans,
are hoping the Spartans beat the Tar Heels on Monday night.

"I think with the way the economy is, it's been nothing but bad news around here
for six months," Kern said. "People want a reason to be happy. I just can't make
myself do it. It's a rivalry. They'd never root for us."

Making matters worse for Michigan fans such as Kern, the Spartans won intrastate
bragging rights this season in the sports that matter most.

The MSU football team defeated the Wolverines 35-21 on Oct. 25, its first
victory over Michigan since 2001 and first win in Ann Arbor since 1990. Michigan
State finished the season with a 9-4 record. Michigan went 3-9 under first-year
coach Rich Rodriguez, missing a bowl game for the first time in 34 seasons and
finishing with a losing record for the first time in 41 years.

The Spartans basketball team won at Michigan 54-42 on Feb. 10. At least the
Wolverines made the NCAA tournament, upsetting No. 7 seed Clemson 62-59 in the
first round and losing to No. 2 seed Oklahoma 73-63 in the second round.

"Last year was a bad year," Kern said. "They went 9-4 and we went 3-9 [in
football]. That's all we've heard about. They hadn't beaten us for so long."

But for one more night, at least, many Michigan fans will be cheering for the
Spartans.

A state's economic plight and its desperate desire for something good takes
precedence over a rivalry.

"You can't help it when you're cheering for them," said Mark Sandri, who sat in
Charley's bar on South University Avenue on Sunday. "It's almost like you're
cheering for the state and region."

And an underdog.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4044768&type=story

Story by Andy Staples
Sports Illustrated
March 25, 2009

TAMPA, Fla.--On one field, Miami's Lamarcus Joyner, potentially the most
sought-after cornerback in the class of 2010, covered Ace Sanders, a speedy
receiver from Bradenton, Fla., in an ultra-intense game of touch football. On
another field, Columbus, Ga., 6-foot-7 tight end Brian Vogler ran routes against
Port St. Lucie, Fla., linebacker Jeff Luc, whose YouTube highlight video plays
regularly in college coaches' offices across the nation.

One Saturday earlier this month at the University of South Florida, more than
250 players from six states gathered for a seven-on-seven football tournament.
Their teams didn't represent individual high schools, though; instead, battles
raged between all-star teams comprised of skill-position players from different
geographic regions hand-selected by independent coaches or writers from
Scout.com. In 11 months, most of the participating players will sign Division-I
scholarship offers, and for those who follow the NCAA's other big-money college
sport, all of this should sound eerily familiar.

"It's AAU football," Brett Goetz said.

Goetz should know. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., stockbroker coaches Joyner's team,
the South Florida Express. In February, 55 of South Florida's best players, all
of whom BCS conference schools will likely recruit, showed up to try out for the
team. Goetz chose the best 24 to take to the seven-on-seven Badger Sport Skills
Pass Camp. Run by New Level Athletics in conjunction with Scout.com, the
tournament is one of four nationally--Rutgers, Ohio State, and Las Vegas are the
three other sites--that bring together all-star teams instead of dividing
players by high school team. In only their second year, the tournaments have
already attracted the nation's best prospects. Baron Flenory, New Level's
co-founder and a regional manager at Scout.com, estimated that 90 percent of the
skill-position prospects who played in either the Under Armour or U.S. Army
All-American games this past January played in one of his tournaments in 2008.
"This year," he said, "we'll
  have 99 percent."

Flenory, a former New Hampshire defensive back, readily admits he would love to
create an offseason football circuit similar to the one that rules basketball
recruiting. On the basketball circuit, Nike's Peach Jam tournament is the crown
jewel. The tournament in Tampa may as well have been called the Guava Gridiron,
because it was organized exactly the same way: all-star teams from different
regions--in this case, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Mississippi, and the
larger metropolitan areas in Florida--taking part in pool play followed by a
single-elimination tournament.

Flenory, the son of former Duquesne basketball star B.B. Flenory, said his
professional idol is Sonny Vaccaro, the godfather of grassroots basketball. "I
love what he did," the younger Flenory said. "I think he's a genius." After
several conversations during the nascent stages of Flenory's grassroots football
operation, Vaccaro came away impressed with the 25-year-old. What impressed
Vaccaro most was Flenory's desire to help players who weren't already big-name
recruits. "He's basically an outsider," Vaccaro said. "He started from scratch,
and he did it the right way. And he did it without being a big name and without
having a big-name player."

Flenory understands his ambition will be met with skepticism and trepidation
thanks to the reputation of grassroots basketball, which has been tainted by
dirty recruiting and by coaches who exploited players for personal gain. Some
worry that if grassroots football takes off, it would empower the "street
agents," who in the past have shopped players to schools in relative anonymity.
With a system similar to basketball's, those street agents could conceivably
form their own traveling teams.

That's what worries Illinois coach Ron Zook, who pointed out that most
high-school coaches are not allowed to coach seven-on-seven tournaments because
of state association rules against extra practices. Zook worries that
diminishing the influence of high school coaches combined with the NCAA's
stringent restrictions on contact between prospects and college coaches will
make it even more difficult for college coaches to make informed recruiting
choices. "Once you begin to take the high school coaches out of the mix, then
we're getting into the same thing as basketball," Zook said. "The NCAA must feel
that what goes on in basketball is OK."

Of course, AAU football is a bit of a misnomer. The Amateur Athletic Union does
sponsor football, but those leagues cater to younger children. The AAU is not
affiliated with these tournaments, just as it is not affiliated with many of the
more popular grassroots basketball tournaments. Still, "AAU basketball" has
become the catch-all term for offseason tournaments involving traveling teams.

Flenory originally set out to run a skills camp. He believed the 40-yard dash
doomed his own recruitment, so he has banned the run from any event he
organizes. He also believed his model was superior to the recruiting service and
shoe company-sponsored combines that measure 40-yard times, vertical jumps and
shuttle runs. The idea for the tournaments sprang from a moment during a skills
camp Flenory and partner Kashann Simmons put on in Somerset, N.J., in 2007.
Players from New Jersey and New York had spent much of the day talking trash, so
when it came time for the seven-on-seven period of the camp, Flenory and Simmons
matched a team of New Jersey players against a team of New York players. When
future Oklahoma receiver Dejuan Miller caught a bomb to win the game for New
Jersey, Flenory and Simmons knew they had struck gold.

"Fans, parents, and kids started chanting 'New Jersey' and ran to the middle of
the field," Flenory said. "We had to stop the camp...Everybody looked around and
said this is the next biggest thing."

At the time, seven-on-seven tournaments were nothing new. For the past decade,
high school coaches have sent their skill-position players to various
tournaments to polish their timing, throwing, catching and coverage skills. But
those tournaments are tied to high school teams. Adidas sponsored a series of
school team-based seven-on-seven tournaments in 2008 that drew more than 4,000
players. Nike, meanwhile, invited some of the best high school teams in the
country to its Oregon campus for a tournament last year. In Texas, a consortium
of state coaches run the State 7on7 tournament with the blessing of the state's
high school sports association. While high school coaches aren't allowed to
coach their teams, they are encouraged to watch their school's team to ensure
everyone is following the rules. Wylie Independent School District athletic
director Mark Ball, a member of the tournament's board, said the tournament
builds stronger high school teams,
  something a gathering of all-star teams does not.

"You're really looking for what your purpose is," Ball said. "Our purpose is for
kids to be able to play together in the summer, to work on parts of their
defense and parts of their offense. They also can build camaraderie that will
help them during the season."

High school coaches surrounded the fields at the tournament in Tampa, but none
were allowed to coach. As Plant (Tampa, Fla.) High coach Robert Weiner watched a
team featuring a handful of his players face the South Florida Express from
behind the end zone, former Plant and University of Miami quarterback Robert
Marve coached the offense. Meanwhile, coaches from a team stocked with some of
Georgia's best players were told on arrival that they couldn't coach lest they
run afoul of their state association. Flenory wound up coaching the Georgia
team.

Some worry independent coaches will form teams for personal benefit. In
basketball, coaches have sold players to schools or used their relationship with
a player as leverage to get a college job. Recently, Baylor hired Dwon Clifton,
star recruit John Wall's travel team coach, as its director of player
development. Meanwhile, the highest paid assistant in Kansas State's basketball
program is Dalonte Hill, who coached former Wildcats star Michael Beasley's
travel team before beginning his collegiate coaching career at Charlotte.

Goetz, the South Florida Express coach, said he wants neither money nor a
college coaching job. "These days, there's a lot more joy out here" than at
work, the stockbroker said. Goetz's journey into the world of recruiting began
when he helped run an Optimist's Club youth football league in Miami Beach. Two
years ago, Goetz helped one of the league's alumni, Dr. Krop (Miami) High
linebacker Etienne Sabino, navigate the recruiting process. After Sabino signed
with Ohio State, other South Florida players asked Goetz's advice. Last year,
someone from Scout.com called Goetz and asked if he would assemble a team for
the seven-on-seven tournament in Tampa. That team included cornerback Brandon
McGee, who signed with Miami, and defensive back Vladimir Emilien, who signed
with Michigan. The members of this year's team are drawing interest from teams
in all six BCS conferences.

Goetz already has seen more independent coaches emerge, and he expects even more
to as the tournaments get bigger. "People were fighting to get kids on their
teams this year," he said. "It's almost like recruiting in college now.
Everybody's trying to get the best guys."

Florida coach Urban Meyer warned against painting independent coaches with too
broad a brush. Many, he said, do have the players' best interests at heart.
Still, Meyer always worries when someone besides a player's parent or high
school coach has an influence on that player's school choice. "Anytime there's a
third party involved, you have to be cautious," Meyer said. "At Florida, we try
to recruit the coach, the family and the player."

The most infamous third party in college football recruiting circles isn't a fan
of seven-on-seven tournaments. Brian Butler, the trainer who managed Tennessee
signee Bryce Brown's recruitment, said he prefers drills to glorified touch
football. "For me, it's all about the training," Butler said. "I don't do the
seven-on-seven. People have asked me to. We'd have a pretty good team."

Those who do support the tournaments insist a few natural roadblocks could keep
grassroots football from earning the same seedy reputation as its hardwood
counterpart. First, seven-on-seven is not real football. While basketball
purists would argue that the me-first game played on the travel hoops circuit
isn't real basketball, at least post players can participate. Seven-on-seven
football eliminates line play completely, taking away nine of the 22 positions
on most football teams. "The difference is in the games," Vaccaro said. "We can
play 1,000 games in grassroots basketball. They can't have live contact."

Also, college coaches aren't allowed to attend seven-on-seven tournaments. In
basketball, coaches swarm elite tournaments during evaluation periods. During
games at last year's Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., the coaches in attendance
included Kansas' Bill Self, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Kentucky's Billy Gillispie and
dozens of others. "The NCAA won't allow college coaches to be at these events,"
Flenory said. "The NCAA won't allow these to be invite only...There's so much
out there stopping it from becoming an overflow. This can be a 100-percent
quality event."

That quality is what draws most of the players. Tevin Brantley, a
receiver/defensive back from North Carolina, came to the tournament because he
wanted to face the best players from the nation's most talent-rich state.
"Florida's supposed to have the fastest guys, the biggest guys," Brantley said.
"I want a piece of the action." As Brantley spoke, 6-6, 305-pound Leon
"Earthquake" Orr walked past. Told that Orr, a New Port Richey, Fla., resident
who has committed to play on the line at Florida, will play tight end as a
senior at Gulf High this fall, Brantley smiled. "See?" he said.

College coaches pay attention to what happens at the tournaments. After the
Rutgers tournament, recruiting interest spiked for 6-3 receiver Eric Williams of
Fairless Hills, Pa. Williams, who plays in a run-heavy offense at Pennsbury
High, torched defensive backs for an entire weekend as writers from various
recruiting services watched. Word got back to college coaches, who put Williams
on their recruiting lists. Florida's Meyer said his staff considers the outcomes
of individual matchups at the tournaments in its recruiting evaluations. "It
depends who we're getting the reports from," Meyer said. "Some we don't take
seriously. Some we take very seriously--if we know the person providing the
information."

In the coming years, coaches across the country will have to take the all-star
seven-on-seven tournaments more seriously. During the tournament in Tampa, a
writer from Rivals.com said he'd suggest to his boss that their company stage a
similar series of tournaments. The shoe companies won't be far behind, either.
Love it or hate it, grassroots football has arrived.

"That's what we're going to turn it into," New Level's Simmons said. "It gives
kids another alternative to combines. Why would they go run the 40 when they
could come here and play for their state?"

http://tinyurl.com/dgcgxt

Just think how fast he would be if he was going to the SEC. WOW


To: collegebcs@yahoogroups.com
From: cbot_kevin@...
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:38:31 -0700
Subject: [collegebcs] Michigan QB recruit runs 10.44, second-fastest in nation






Story by Fabian Lyon
The Miami Herald
March 29, 2009

Step aside, Joseph Byrd. The new sprint king in the state is a Michigan football
signee from Deerfield Beach who is only running track to stay in shape.

Deerfield Beach's Denard Robinson got the near-perfect start he needed, motored
down the straightaway and won the 100 meters in a personal-best 10.44 seconds at
the BCAA Track Championships at Coral Springs on Saturday.

Robinson's personal-best eclipsed the state standard for this year set by Byrd,
a junior at Ida Baker, and it is the second-fastest high school time in the
nation, according to Dyestat Elite 100 rankings.

"I was kind of disappointed in myself to run a 10.44, but I will accept that,"
Robinson said. "Running the No. 2 time in the nation is pretty good. I was
trying to run a 10.3, but there was strong wind. I'm working harder on it and
expect to hit a 10.3 by states."

Boyd Anderson's Demar Dorsey finished second in 10.60 and Northeast's Isaac
Gafferd third in 10.73. Gafferd's more heralded teammate, Sean Lange, couldn't
overcome a late start and finished seventh.

Robinson returned a half hour later to help Deerfield Beach's 400-meter relay
team, which also included Donte Dotson, Adrian Witty, and Cassius McDowell, win
in 41.34 seconds.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/high-schools/story/973324.html










[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Story by Matt Dorsey
Detroit Free Press
April 2, 2009

With spring practice now in full swing, MSU coach Mark Dantonio has an open
invitation out to recruits to come to campus and watch the Spartans in action.
This week, that invitation was a little bit more special though. With the
Spartan basketball team only 90 miles from the Final Four at Ford Field, the
recruits that came up to campus earlier this week not only saw the MSU football
program hold practice, but also had the opportunity to see Tom Izzo take his Big
Ten Champs through practice, too.

Some of the area's top prospects in the class of 2010 took Dantonio up on that
offer. Linebacker/defensive end William Gholston (Detroit Southeastern) was one
of those players. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Gholston is the top rated recruit in
Michigan for next year. The Spartans envision him playing a role similar to the
one played by current NFL star and former Spartan Julian Peterson.

Gholston was accompanied by his teammate, 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle
prospect Jonathon Hankins. Hankins is a player the Michigan State staff hopes to
have attend camp this summer. Hankins already boasts offers from Wisconsin,
Toledo, and Bowling Green, and that scholarship list will likely expand this
spring and summer.

Linebacker Austin Gray of Warren Fitzgerald High School is another prospect that
was in East Lansing checking things out. Gray, who already has a host of BCS
offers, is looking seriously at Michigan State, Iowa, and Pitt. Gray's natural
ability combined with a blue-collar work ethic has teams very interested in the
6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect.

Gray's coach Jason Byers gave his player's visit rave views.

"It was a real nice presentation," he said. "Getting to watch the basketball
team practice was great. You can definitely see why Coach Izzo talks about being
a football coach. I know Austin and his family enjoyed themselves."

Another prospect that was on campus is wide receiver Tony Jones (Grand Blanc).
Jones has been flying under the radar of national recruiting analysts, but he
could be one of the fastest rising prospects once more people get to see him in
action. Jones could end up being the top wide receiver in Michigan for the class
of 2010. He already has offers from Northwestern, Indiana and Iowa, and the
Spartans could soon follow suit .

Detroit Crockett quarterback Tony Lippett was also on campus on Tuesday. Lippett
is a tremendous all-around athlete and at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds, he could project
at multiple positions at the next level. Lippett is the type of prospect that
teams will give a scholarship to and then figure out where he can help them the
most down the road.

Dantonio hopes to continue to host many of the state's best recruits over the
coming weeks. The culmination is the Green and White spring game on April 25th.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090402/SPORTS07/90402014/1048

Story by Fabian Lyon
The Miami Herald
March 29, 2009

Step aside, Joseph Byrd. The new sprint king in the state is a Michigan football
signee from Deerfield Beach who is only running track to stay in shape.

Deerfield Beach's Denard Robinson got the near-perfect start he needed, motored
down the straightaway and won the 100 meters in a personal-best 10.44 seconds at
the BCAA Track Championships at Coral Springs on Saturday.

Robinson's personal-best eclipsed the state standard for this year set by Byrd,
a junior at Ida Baker, and it is the second-fastest high school time in the
nation, according to Dyestat Elite 100 rankings.

"I was kind of disappointed in myself to run a 10.44, but I will accept that,"
Robinson said. "Running the No. 2 time in the nation is pretty good. I was
trying to run a 10.3, but there was strong wind. I'm working harder on it and
expect to hit a 10.3 by states."

Boyd Anderson's Demar Dorsey finished second in 10.60 and Northeast's Isaac
Gafferd third in 10.73. Gafferd's more heralded teammate, Sean Lange, couldn't
overcome a late start and finished seventh.

Robinson returned a half hour later to help Deerfield Beach's 400-meter relay
team, which also included Donte Dotson, Adrian Witty, and Cassius McDowell, win
in 41.34 seconds.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/high-schools/story/973324.html

Story by Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch
March 29, 2009

Each day last week, when Roy Hall peeked into his garage in Jeannette, Pa.,
Terrelle Pryor was in there working.

He wasn't working on Hall's car, mind you. He was lifting weights. The two-car
garage of Hall's--he's not the former Ohio State receiver but a longtime
Jeannette High School assistant who recently was promoted to coach--long ago had
become the body-building center for Jayhawks players. It came as no surprise to
Hall to see the former Jeannette quarterback pumping iron while on spring break.

"He's been in there every day, and I am talking about two and three hours at a
time," Hall said. "What I see is how much bigger he's gotten under Ohio State's
strength and conditioning program. He told me he weighs 238 pounds and, kidding
him, I said, 'You better watch it. They might make you a defensive end.'

"He is just a specimen. And on top of that, he loves to work out."

Piled on top of that, Pryor hates to lose. That explains why during spring
break, when most college students head as far south as their budgets can take
them, Pryor headed east for his hometown and Hall's garage. He is driven, he
said, more by memories of the three games the Buckeyes lost last season than of
what was otherwise an above-average debut as a freshman starting quarterback.

"I got so upset by it; I'll put everything on my shoulders, and I don't want
that to happen this year," Pryor said. "I don't want myself thinking I should
have or could have done this or that. Hey, go do it.

"That's the way I am thinking right now, why not work out and be the best you
can be? You do that last rep on the bench so you can take your team down for
that last touchdown, to be the strongest guy, and all that stuff. That's the way
I approach things."

He wants it to be the Buckeyes' motto going into spring drills, which start
Thursday. Even if they've got to replace 12 starters, including seven on
offense, he believes they have a core to build on, and he knows offensively it
starts with him.

From meetings he has had with coach Jim Tressel, offensive coordinator Jim
Bollman and quarterbacks coaches Joe Daniels and Nick Siciliano, Pryor
understands that his footwork must be better, decisions must be made more
quickly and passes must be launched with more authority. That's why, since the
Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas, he has spent countless hours working out and watching
video of games. The spring will offer the first test of how he has improved.

"By far, I know my decisions will be more like that (snapping his fingers),
quicker and faster; my footwork will be a lot quicker," Pryor said. "I just want
everything to go together with our offensive unit and everything to go
smoothly."

That he spent much of his spring break in Hall's garage came as no surprise to
Tressel.

"A year ago about this time, I was just trying to get ahold of him to see if he
was going to go to Ohio State," Tressel said. "This year when I'm talking back
and forth with him, it's about him watching video, reading articles and studying
things I think are going to help him get better as our quarterback.

"A lot happens in a year, and he is just a passionate guy about being good, and
passionate about his team being good."

Tressel thrust Pryor into the starting job in the fourth game after Todd
Boeckman and the offense faltered coming out of the gate, especially in a 35-3
loss at Southern California. Just months into college, Pryor was learning on the
go.

"The biggest part for him in terms of improvement is going to be having the
opportunity to go through the entire offseason program, including the winter
workouts, spring ball and then the summer workout," said Pittsburgh Steelers
backup quarterback Charlie Batch, Pryor's confidante. "Now he has had the chance
to study everything, the negatives and the positives, then to put all that
together and take that next step, and I think it will be a major step."

Or as Hall put it: "Knowing Terrelle, if there is something he needs to work on
to improve his game, he's working on it."

Pryor makes no secret of his desire.

"I just want to be the best," he said. "I want to be better than (2007 Heisman
Trophy winner) Tim Tebow; I want to better than (2008 Heisman winner) Sam
Bradford; I want to be better than Colt McCoy.

"On that last drive Colt McCoy had to beat us in the Fiesta Bowl, I want to go
down there and do that every time I have the chance, not just in one particular
game. I don't want to be beaten, and I don't want to let my team down--we don't
want to be beaten."

He's working hard, he said, because he knows he's not the only one who thinks
that way.

"I'm sure Tebow is down there (at Florida) working out and doing the same
thing," Pryor said. "While everybody else might be at the beach, I'm sure he's
at the school working out.

"That's the important thing right now, to work out and be the best you can be.
You can have fun later on in life. For me right now, it's a business, and I want
us to win."

http://snipurl.com/evedy

Story by Lester Munson and Paula Lavigne
ESPN.com
April 1, 2009

Already fighting off demands for a playoff system from President Barack Obama
and leaders of the U.S. Congress, the Bowl Championship Series will soon face a
more serious threat: an antitrust lawsuit from the attorney general of Utah that
could dismantle its postseason championship scheme.

Mark Shurtleff, the Utah attorney general, is gathering contracts, statistics,
economic data and experts, and expects to be able to file suit against the BCS
in June.

"From the very first kickoff of the college football season, the BCS uses its
monopoly powers to put more than half of the schools at a disadvantage,"
Shurtleff said. His investigation comes after an undefeated University of Utah
team was relegated to the Sugar Bowl in January with no chance to play for a
national championship.

The BCS was formed in 1998 in an attempt to ensure that the two top-ranked teams
in college football would meet in a bowl game. It has produced controversy
almost every year. Six preferred conferences--the ACC, the Big East, the Big 12,
the Big Ten, the Pac-10 and the SEC--are guaranteed automatic berths in the BCS
bowls and at least $18 million in revenue each season. Other
conferences--including the Mountain West, where Utah plays--are not guaranteed a
berth in a BCS bowl and receive significantly lower shares of BCS revenue.

To win the lawsuit, Shurtleff must be able to prove that the BCS has total
control of the postseason bowl market for its games, that it uses its control to
help some conferences and schools at the expense of others, and that the BCS
system has damaged the University of Utah as well as the state of Utah.

It's a quest that could succeed, according to antitrust experts and scholars
contacted by ESPN.com. If the lawsuit is successful, the BCS could face court
orders requiring it to mend its ways and pay triple damages to states and
universities harmed by the BCS, as well as their legal fees.

"There is no doubt that the BCS is a near monopoly," said Andrew Zimbalist, a
professor of economics at Smith College who has focused his research on sports
monopolies. "There is no doubt that it uses its power to make unequal payoffs to
conferences and schools. And there is no doubt that its opportunities for
rewards are not equal. There is a good case to be made."

Gary Roberts, a law professor at Indiana University who is the editor of the
leading text on American sports law, agrees.

"It will be complicated, and it will be a close call," Roberts said. "But a
state attorney general can win it if he files it in the right place."

Both Zimbalist and Roberts warn that antitrust litigation can be protracted,
difficult and uncertain.

"It is all highly subjective," Zimbalist said. "You don't know how the judge or
the jurors or the judges in the higher courts will react."

Referring to venues that have been harmed by the BCS and others that have
profited from the BCS, Roberts said that "if you sue the BCS in Salt Lake City
or Boise or Honolulu, you have a sure winner. But if you sue in Columbus or
Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge, you may not do so well."

Through a spokesperson, John Swofford, the commissioner of the Atlantic Coast
Conference and the current BCS coordinator, referred ESPN.com inquiries about
the lawsuit and pressure from Congress to Bill Hancock, who is the administrator
for the BCS. Hancock said, "We have been subject of antitrust inquiries in the
past and nothing has come of them."

That won't change in the Utah case, according to University of Oregon president
David Frohnmayer, the chair of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.

"Frankly, we're not concerned about it," Frohnmayer said. "People can threaten
lawsuits all they want, but it's another thing to be successful … I am
convinced that an antitrust suit would be utterly without merit. And I speak as
a former state attorney general."

Frohnmayer, who was Oregon's attorney general from 1981 to '91, said he has
known about the Utah suit for several months. One of the reasons it won't be
successful, he said, is that every Division I football conference voluntarily
agreed to the BCS system when it was formed.

Nonetheless, Shurtleff said he realized he had to take some action after he
watched Utah beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl to complete a second
undefeated season (2004 was the first) without a BCS bid to a national
championship game.

"I asked the BCS for its contracts and its governing documents," Shurtleff said.
"They claim that they are all confidential. They want to do everything the hard
way, so I have issued subpoenas and investigative demands for the material."

Shurtleff is also gathering statistics and retaining experts to develop economic
measures of the harm the BCS has done to the University of Utah and to the state
of Utah.

"I will present the material and a draft of the lawsuit to the meeting of the
state attorneys general in June, and will be ready to file suit shortly
thereafter," Shurtleff said. That meeting is in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He said he will try to persuade other states and other universities to join his
effort to establish a class action against the BCS, which would multiply the
possible consequences for the BCS if Shurtleff and Utah prevail.

Shurtleff's effort comes after the BCS signed a four-year, $500 million contract
with ESPN to broadcast BCS games beginning in the 2010 season. Many observers
believed the new television contract decreased the likelihood that the BCS would
agree to significant changes in its format in the foreseeable future. The recent
pressure from Utah and Congress could change that.

In the Utah lawsuit, Shurtleff would ask for an injunction, a court order that
would stop the BCS from following the procedures it has followed for the past 11
years.

"It is a bit early to say how things would work out, but a playoff system would
be open to all and would be pro-competitive, instead of the exclusionary,
anti-competitive system now in place," Shurtleff said. "We would not ask the
court to fashion a new system. We will be asking the court to order the BCS to
fix something that is clearly violating the law."

What would happen to the BCS contract with ESPN and other BCS obligations?

"We would address those issues after a decision on the BCS and its selection
procedures," Shurtleff said. "If there were a playoff, there would still be bowl
games in the playoffs, and there would still be television broadcasts of the
playoff games."

Josh Krulewitz, ESPN's vice president of communications, said, "We are not part
of the process of determining the structure. The BCS came to us with this format
and these are the rights we acquired."

Shurtleff hopes for some help from the White House. President Barack Obama, in a
number of interviews, including with ESPN, has indicated he would prefer a
national collegiate football playoff system. On CBS' "60 Minutes" in December,
he said, "We should be creating a playoff system. If you've got a bunch of teams
who play throughout the season and many of them have one loss or two losses,
there is no clear, decisive winner."

According to Shurtleff, when he presented his lawsuit ideas to Eric Holder,
Obama's attorney general, at a meeting of state attorneys general, Holder joked,
"If the president finds out about what you are doing, he will place it at the
top of his agenda."

And when Christine Varney, Obama's selection as the chief of the Justice
Department's antitrust division, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee
in early March for her confirmation hearing, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was
ready. His first question to the nation's top antitrust enforcer was to demand
her thoughts on the BCS and Shurtleff's lawsuit.

Although Varney answered that she had not "formed views on this issue," she also
said she "looked forward to working with you, the Utah attorney general, and the
[antitrust] division staff" on the case.

Like many college football fans in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Hawaii, Hatch has
run out of patience with the BCS.

"I am not itching to have the government get into the business of regulating
college football, but the BCS is patently unfair," Hatch told ESPN.com. "More
than half the schools have no chance of being in the championship game. It's
exclusionary, and it hurts the schools that are not in the big conferences."

Hatch has added the BCS to the agenda of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust,
Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, and he intends to hold an investigatory
hearing and to introduce legislation.

"I'm not sure now what the legislation will provide, but anything would be
better than what we have now," Hatch said. "I agree with President Obama that a
playoff system would be a significant improvement."

Hatch, a Republican stalwart, will have support from a number of Democrats on
his BCS legislation. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, also wants action on the
BCS, suggesting it "is a racket, it is white-collar crime. It's clearly, clearly
antitrust."

That Hawaii, too, played in the Sugar Bowl, a BCS game, after the 2007 season is
not enough for Abercrombie.

"I'm supposed to be grateful to these people?" he said in an interview with
ESPN.com. "Who the hell put them in charge?"

Abercrombie said he is tired of "the insufferable arrogance of these BCS people.
Nobody likes arrogant, condescending, patronizing types."

The Hawaii congressman introduced a resolution in January that calls for an NCAA
Football Bowl Subdivision playoff and the abolition of the BCS "in the interest
of fairness and to bring parity to all NCAA teams." His co-sponsors from Texas,
California, Georgia, Idaho, and Utah all represent constituents who have a beef
with the BCS. Their resolution is currently awaiting debate in a House
subcommittee on higher education.

Abercrombie indicated he will support the Utah lawsuit, saying "There's not a
jury in the country that would turn us down if we take this to federal court on
antitrust."

In 2006, the BCS expanded its series of games by one, moving from four to five
bowls and including 10 rather than eight teams. On its Web site, the
organization makes the point that in its first nine years of existence, it
distributed more than $70 million to conferences that do not have automatic
berths in the BCS system. That number pales next to the $18 million per year the
BCS pays to each of its member conferences, but those points likely would be a
pivotal part of any BCS response to the lawsuit.

Hancock, the BCS administrator, said, "These bowls are more open to schools than
they have ever been before. There is now more opportunity for more teams." And
Frohnmayer said, "The system through the years has matched up No. 1 with No. 2
with remarkable success."

Indiana University's Roberts, who has studied antitrust issues in the sports
industry for nearly 30 years, expects the BCS to answer antitrust charges with
the claim that its benefits outweigh its anti-competitive effects.

"They will suggest that they have produced a highly popular product for
consumers, that it is of benefit to consumers, and that is a reasonable way to
produce a national champion," Roberts said. "At some point, a jury will decide
whether the restrictions on Utah and other similarly situated teams are
reasonable restrictions or the anti-competitive and harmful actions of a
monopoly."

As Shurtleff prepares his antitrust attack on the BCS, he is also ready to talk
about a negotiated settlement.

"With President Obama, Senator Hatch and the Justice Department all interested
in these issues, there should be a gathering at some point during our litigation
that could produce a new and better system," he said.

But Hancock and the BCS don't sound conciliatory.

"It's simple to sit back and say, 'We have to have a playoff. It works in the
NFL,'" Hancock said. "But when you dive into the details, it's not that simple.
You've got a question of neutrality. Can you find that many neutral sites?"

The leadership of the BCS, Hancock said, "would sooner go back to the way it was
before the BCS started than to go to a playoff."

So after 11 years of conversation about the BCS and its selection system, it
appears the next step could be litigation. Shurtleff and Utah are ready.

"We'll go it alone if necessary," the Utah attorney general said. "But we have
the president, the Congress, and the law on our side. We'll see them in court."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4030992&type=story

Story by John Ourand
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal
March 30, 2009

ESPN Classic's days as one of the country's biggest sports channels may be over.

Executives in Bristol are set to allow cable and satellite distributors to swap
ESPN's classic sports channel for its college network, ESPNU, which they hope
presents a newer, hipper alternative to Classic's staid, dated programming.

As part of the offer, ESPN also is looking for added distribution for its
Spanish-language channel, ESPN Deportes, and its broadband network, ESPN360.

An interesting wrinkle to ESPN's proposal would allow operators to move ESPN
Classic to a sports tier, where it would be ESPN's first channel to reside on
the traditionally low-penetrated mantle.

Right now, ESPN Classic is in more than 63 million homes, typically on analog
and digital basic tiers.

By contrast, ESPNU is in about 25 million homes, mainly on digital basic tiers,
and ESPN Deportes is in fewer than 5 million homes. ESPN360 has not yet been
able to reach carriage deals with the top cable operators, though it has reached
broadband agreements with Verizon and AT&T.

Though ESPN executives have spent the last several weeks pitching this plan to
cable operators, talks are expected to heat up this week as the cable industry
gathers for its annual trade show in Washington, D.C.

"The conversations we are having explore ways to provide operators greater
distribution flexibility, especially with respect to ESPN Classic," said an ESPN
spokesman, in a prepared statement. "We are interested in increased distribution
of other services, primarily ESPNU, ESPN360.com, and ESPN Deportes."

If cable agrees to this proposal, speculation about the future of the Classic
brand should end. Once a viewer favorite for its extensive library and
Emmy-winning documentaries, it has seen its viewer numbers drop sharply in the
last three years. Last year, it averaged only 74,000 viewers in prime time,
which was down 31 percent from 107,000 viewers in 2007. In 2006, it averaged
118,000 viewers in prime time.

For years there has been speculation that ESPN was looking to rebrand the
channel, which it purchased from a group including Brian Bedol for $175 million
in 1997.

One widely circulated rumor had ESPN turning Classic into an ESPN3-style
channel, with original programming and live games. Another had it merging with a
league on a single sport channel, like NFL Network or the planned U.S. Olympic
Committee channel. Still another rumor had Classic folding as a stand-alone
channel in favor of video-on-demand, where it would offer specific games from
its library under the ESPN Classic brand.

Under ESPN's current proposal, ESPN Classic would remain a stand-alone channel,
albeit in far fewer homes.

So far, distributors contacted by SportsBusiness Journal are withholding
judgment. One distribution executive expressed interest in the proposal, but
said a decision would come down to pricing. The executive said ESPN was at the
beginning stages of what was expected to be a long negotiation.

Typically, negotiations like this heat up in the months before networks'
carriage agreements with operators run out. One unique aspect to this
negotiation is that ESPN Classic still has several years left on many of its
deals. ESPN has staggered ESPN Classic's cable contracts so that they don't
expire all at once. Rather, the majority of them expire over the next three
years.

It's difficult to break out the license fees that operators pay for a specific
channel like Classic, since it typically is bundled into larger deals. Figures
from SNL Kagan have cable operators paying between 15 cents and 17 cents per
subscriber per month for ESPN Classic, ESPNU, and ESPN Deportes.

A deal clearly would mostly help ESPNU, which is battling another collegiate
sports channel, CBS College Sports Network, for carriage deals on the nation's
cable and satellite systems. The channel, which launched in the spring of 2005,
has been at the center of ESPN's most recent media deals. ESPNU will pick up a
significant part of ESPN's SEC schedule and is expected to run shoulder
programming that supports ESPN's BCS package.

ESPN Deportes also should benefit if deals are completed. ESPN is continuing to
push the channel in markets with significant Hispanic populations.

A wild card is ESPN360. So far, ESPN has had little success convincing the
biggest cable operators to pay a TV-style affiliate fee for the broadband
network. But the service has signed deals with 45 Internet service providers,
including some cable operators, like the eighth-largest, Mediacom, that are
typically hostile to the cost of sports programming.

http://snipurl.com/f35ak

Story by Rita Price
The Columbus Dispatch
March 30, 2009

Ohio State University is expected to announce today that it will join the
growing list of college athletics programs that have sold media rights in
exchange for lucrative multiyear contracts.

The Buckeyes' athletics program is the nation's biggest, and so is its deal: IMG
College and RadiOhio will pay OSU $110 million over the next 10 years in the
largest multimedia-rights guarantee in collegiate sports.

OSU athletics director Gene Smith likened the benefits to a steady paycheck
during uncertain economic times. "We're solidifying our long-term financial
stability through this revenue stream," Smith said.

The department never has outsourced such a huge package, Smith said. IMG now
manages Ohio State's publishing rights and RadiOhio controls radio rights in
deals worth, collectively, a little more than $3 million a year.

The new arrangement guarantees an average of $11 million a year in exchange for
the rights to manage and market publishing, radio game broadcasts and coaches'
shows, and television that is excluded from Big Ten Conference and NCAA
contracts.

The agreement also includes corporate sponsorships, signs, on-site marketing and
coaches' endorse- ments.

IMG and RadiOhio make money by selling advertising and sponsorships.

Smith said the athletics department has been making about $6.3 million a year
through its in-house marketing efforts. It also will save about $18 million over
the next decade in costs.

Smith expects to use the extra money to pay down debt on facilities, create a
reserve fund for maintenance and restore much of the $1.2 million in budget cuts
to sports programs this year.

"We'll be able to go back to fully funding those programs," he said.

IMG College, a division of the sports-and-entertainment media company IMG
Worldwide, has similar deals with Texas, Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee, among
others.

"It's clearly a trend," said Tom Stultz, a senior vice president at IMG College.
"What the universities find is that, by outsourcing this, they can get a steady
revenue stream without the risks."

Stultz said IMG wanted to merge its global reach with RadiOhio's local
expertise.

The agreement comes as RadiOhio marks its 25th year broadcasting Ohio State
sports programs, said Dave Van Stone, president and general manager of RadiOhio.

"Listeners won't notice a change, which is good," he said. "We're still going to
have the same people doing what they've been doing--the same good stuff."

Van Stone said the agreement provides "a one-stop resource for everything"
related to advertising and sponsorships for Ohio State athletics.

OSU's current contract with RadiOhio runs through 2015. The new agreement
supersedes that, running from July 1 through 2019.

RadiOhio is an affiliate of The Dispatch Printing Company, which publishes The
Dispatch. RadiOhio is a member of the Dispatch Broadcast Group, which includes
the Ohio State Radio Sports Network, WBNS-AM and WBNS-FM, the Ohio News
Network-Radio and the Radio Sound Network. Other members of the Dispatch
Broadcast Group are WBNS-TV (Channel 10), the Ohio News Network, and WTHR-TV and
the SkyTrak Weather Network in Indianapolis.

Smith also said fans won't notice much difference, save for a LED ribbon board,
an electronic messaging device for advertisers, likely to be installed in Ohio
Stadium.

"We'll have to study that because we don't want to infringe on the history and
tradition and the aesthetics our fans enjoy," Smith said. "We like a clean
look."

The company likely will be aggressive in seeking a profit, said Paul Swangard of
the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.

"The biggest danger with these contracts is that there's a number sitting
there," he said, referring to the $11 million-a-year guarantee. "In essence, IMG
has to get to it. How they do that presents challenges."

A push toward more-expensive advertising from national companies could squeeze
out some local sponsors, he said.

"It goes to show the growth, and the growth potential, of collegiate sports,"
Swangard said. "And Ohio State has set the new standard."

http://snipurl.com/evdfv

Hatch and Kohl reinforce one of life's most enduring axioms:We can guard
against everything,
except stupidity.

On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 1:27 PM, Trader Kevin <cbot_kevin@...> wrote:

>
> Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights
> Excerpts from press release
> March 25, 2009
>
> WASHINGTON, DC--U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate
> Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, and
> Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member, have announced an active agenda
> of hearings and legislation for the new session of Congress.
>
> "In these challenging economic times, the need for strong antitrust law to
> protect competition has never been greater. In the 111th Congress, the
> Antitrust Subcommittee will continue to work to ensure that the antitrust
> laws are vigorously enforced throughout the economy. We will also pursue
> several important reforms to antitrust law to ensure that undue barriers to
> competition are eliminated. Our goal will be to ensure that our antitrust
> laws are vigorously applied so that consumers see the benefits of full and
> free competition with lower prices and improved quality and innovation,"
> Senator Kohl said. "I look forward to working with Senator Hatch and
> continuing our Subcommittee's proud tradition of strong and bipartisan
> antitrust oversight."
>
> In 2009, the Subcommittee plans to address the following issues:
>
> * Bowl Championship Series
>
> The Bowl Championship Series ("BCS") generates revenue for participating
> schools at a level that is unmatched in the history of collegiate sports.
> Even teams that never play in a BCS game are able to reap the financial
> benefits simply by virtue of their membership in one of the six original BCS
> conferences.
>
> Though the BCS claims to represent all of college football--even going so
> far as to call the winner of the BCS Championship Game the "National
> Champion"--the BCS system leaves nearly half of all the teams in college
> football at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the
> millions of dollars paid out every year.
>
> This system's critics allege that the system is not only unfair to the
> football fans throughout the country, but also to the colleges and
> universities nationwide that depend on revenues from their football teams to
> fund their other athletic programs. They further argue that, at the very
> least, a fair system would provide equal opportunity, regardless of
> conference, for all teams to play their way into one of the BCS's bowl games
> and, if they're good enough, to compete for the national championship.
>
> The Subcommittee will hold hearings to investigate these issues, and
> Senator Hatch will introduce legislation to rectify this situation.
>
> http://snipurl.com/em10s
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights
Excerpts from press release
March 25, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC--U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, and Senator
Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member, have announced an active agenda of hearings
and legislation for the new session of Congress.

"In these challenging economic times, the need for strong antitrust law to
protect competition has never been greater. In the 111th Congress, the Antitrust
Subcommittee will continue to work to ensure that the antitrust laws are
vigorously enforced throughout the economy. We will also pursue several
important reforms to antitrust law to ensure that undue barriers to competition
are eliminated. Our goal will be to ensure that our antitrust laws are
vigorously applied so that consumers see the benefits of full and free
competition with lower prices and improved quality and innovation," Senator Kohl
said. "I look forward to working with Senator Hatch and continuing our
Subcommittee's proud tradition of strong and bipartisan antitrust oversight."

In 2009, the Subcommittee plans to address the following issues:

* Bowl Championship Series

The Bowl Championship Series ("BCS") generates revenue for participating schools
at a level that is unmatched in the history of collegiate sports. Even teams
that never play in a BCS game are able to reap the financial benefits simply by
virtue of their membership in one of the six original BCS conferences.

Though the BCS claims to represent all of college football--even going so far as
to call the winner of the BCS Championship Game the "National Champion"--the BCS
system leaves nearly half of all the teams in college football at a competitive
disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the millions of dollars paid out
every year.

This system's critics allege that the system is not only unfair to the football
fans throughout the country, but also to the colleges and universities
nationwide that depend on revenues from their football teams to fund their other
athletic programs. They further argue that, at the very least, a fair system
would provide equal opportunity, regardless of conference, for all teams to play
their way into one of the BCS's bowl games and, if they're good enough, to
compete for the national championship.

The Subcommittee will hold hearings to investigate these issues, and Senator
Hatch will introduce legislation to rectify this situation.

http://snipurl.com/em10s

Story by David Jones
USA Today
March 23, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla.--When it came time for Urban Meyer, head coach of the
defending national champion Florida Gators, to offer some advice to his new
quarterbacks coach on how to handle Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim
Tebow, the message was pretty simple.

"Coach Meyer said just don't screw him up," Scot Loeffler said.

Reality is, when it comes to getting Tebow ready for another SEC season during
spring practices, which start Wednesday and conclude with the Orange and Blue
Game on April 18, the senior from Jacksonville should be just fine. But Loeffler
was hired after Dan Mullen left to become the head coach at Mississippi State
for more reasons than just fine tuning.

The belief is that Loeffler, who was quarterbacks coach with the Detroit Lions
last year, can help prepare Tebow for the next level. The hope is he not only
will improve Tebow's throwing mechanics but also make him an even better overall
player.

NCAA rules prohibited Loeffler from actually being on the field with Tebow until
the spring drills, so this is an exciting time for both the coach and the
player.

Loeffler has actually known Tebow since he was a sophomore in high school when
he started recruiting him as the quarterbacks coach at Michigan. Tebow was so
impressed with Loeffler, he almost signed with the Wolverines out of high
school, but his loyalty and love of Florida kept him home.

"When Timmy and I departed during recruiting, I told him we'd cross paths
again," Loeffler said. "He agreed. We just didn't know it would be in his fourth
year in college. I'm just happy we got to cross paths a little earlier than
expected. It's good stuff."

Loeffler calls it "an honor" to be apart of the UF staff and work with Tebow.

The new coach threw out some pretty big names when comparing his current project
to, among others, Tom Brady.

"The wonderful thing about the quarterback position anywhere from Chad Henne to
Tom Brady to Brian Griese, all the guys I've been a part of, you've never
arrived at the quarterback position," Loeffler said. "I don't care if you've won
five Super Bowls, if you've won two Heismans, if you've won four national
championships, there's always something you can work at."

Loeffler expected Tebow to become a great player, even from those early
meetings.

"From day one, meeting the kid, he's had 'it.' And he'll always have 'it.'
There's not one thing that surprises me about him except how he handles the
off-the-field issues. He has a miraculous way of dealing with the public. He's
awesome in every sense of the word."

And you can count Loeffler among those who feel Tebow will one day be a
successful NFL quarterback.

"You're darn right he'll be an NFL quarterback," Loeffler said. "This guy is a
workaholic and he's got it and there's no question in my mind he'll be an NFL
player."

The feeling is mutual. Tebow confesses that the hiring of Loeffler was a factor
in his returning for his senior season instead of going to the NFL.

"It definitely was," Tebow said. "I was involved in recruiting the new coach and
talking to him. Coach Meyer really trusted me a lot with being in on that. Coach
Loeffler is the best in the country."

Tebow thinks Loeffler's NFL experience will help him better prepare for the
pros. He developed future NFL quarterbacks like Brady, Griesse and Henne and
worked in the league as a coach.

Loeffler just sounds thrilled at the opportunity to begin work on Wednesday at
making Tebow even better.

"He's the best college football player in America, without a doubt," Loeffler
declared. "I've been watching Timmy since he was 15 years old. Watching him
progress from high school kid to college player, his upside is going to get
better. He'll make himself better. He's a rock star in every sense of the word.
I'm just honored to coach him."

http://snipurl.com/ekner

Story by Courtney Ratkowiak and Andy Reid
The Michigan Daily
March 25th, 2009

Eyewitness reports confirm that Michigan quarterback Nick Sheridan was seen with
crutches and a large, black boot on his right leg early this evening.

Sheridan was seen walking into the cafeteria at South Quad at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Several football players were gathered at the residence hall for a team dinner.

The quarterback was rumored to have broken his leg during spring practice
yesterday. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez will be available to the media for
comment tomorrow afternoon before practice.

Two Athletic Department spokesmen refused to comment on Sheridan's injury this
afternoon.

The redshirt junior started in four games and played in eight last season for
the Wolverines. He was 63-of-137 for 613 passing yards, two touchdowns, and five
interceptions last fall.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Steven Threet transferred from Michigan before
this year's spring practice, leaving Sheridan as the initial frontrunner to take
the starting job this fall.

If Sheridan's injury keeps him out of spring practice, it opens the door for
highly-touted early enrollee Tate Forcier to take the majority of snaps in
practice.

http://snipurl.com/ekmul