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A Yale football player who said he withdrew from consideration for a Rhodes scholarship in order to prepare for his team's rivalry game against Harvard had in fact been informed his candidacy had been suspended, The New York Times reported. The Rhodes Trust had suspended quarterback Patrick Witt's candidacy when it learned, outside of official channels, that a female student had accused Witt of sexual assault in September, the newspaper reported. Witt had previously announced he had withdrawn his application because his interview for the prestigious scholarship was on the same day as Yale's game against Harvard, its ancient archrival....

Link only as per posting guidelines: USA Today Gist of article: Ratings for title game down 8 percent from last year; barely (by 0.3 percent) above all time low; all BCS games down 12 percent from last year

Alabama just intercepted a pass at the LSU 32 with 7:00 left in the third quarter.

Most of Southern Louisiana is currently covered by rain showers that are headed eastward to New Orleans. The concern should be that by the end of the game tonight severe weather may be over the Superdome. With all the probable drinking and celebrating, this may make for a bad combination. It will not be Chamber of Commerce weather for this event. This weather was on the Texas border this morning, and has been moving Eastward all day...

After rumbling 99 yards for a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the second quarter, West Virginia safety Darwin Cook banged into Obie, the Orange Bowl mascot, sending them both tumbling to the ground. That was more resistance than any Clemson tacklers offered Wednesday night. In a scintillating display of offense while at the same time humiliating showing on defense, the No. 23 Mountaineers crushed the No. 15 Tigers 70-33 in the Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. There's not enough room here to list all the records West Virginia set. The most amazing was breaking the mark for most...

This and incredibly wild game. There is already an Alamo Bowl record for combined points in a half (59) and combined points in a game (102). There is likely to be a new record for combined yards in any bowl game and combined points in a game.

One of the fascinating little oddities of academic research is the amount of intellectual capital that the best and the brightest spend in order to catch up with the rest of us. “We consider the relationship between collegiate-football success and non-athlete student performance,” three economists from the University of Oregon write in a recent study. “We find that the team’s success significantly reduces male grades relative to female grades.” “This phenomenon is only present in fall quarters, which coincides with the football season. Using survey data, we find that males are more likely than females to increase alcohol consumption, decrease...

There hasn't exactly been a lot of good news about the Penn State football program in recent months, and the program got a bit more on Saturday. There are multiple reports coming out of State College that quarterback Matt McGloin got into a fight with receiver Curtis Drake following practice on Saturday. A fight that ended with McGloin being knocked out cold. The details of what happened or what caused the fight are still sketchy at this point, but apparently there was a heated exchange during practice, and when Drake approached McGloin in the locker room after practice, things went...

I know I now, everyone knows that already. But come on, a team that already lost to LCU, at home, gets in over a 1-loss conference champ. It's a farce. And why does the "Big" East get an automatic BCS bowl bid? Are they any better than the MWC? Bah. I hope Alabama wins to make a further mockery of the whole thing.

WHERE CAN A STUDENT-ATHLETE GET THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE INSURANCE WHILE IN COLLEGE? Family members upon whom the student-athlete is naturally or legally dependent may provide the money for the insurance premium. The student-athlete is permitted to borrow the money from a regular bank or savings and loan or credit union, provided a coach, booster or athletics staff member does not make the loan arrangements. The Panel and/or the associate athletic director for compliance will provide you advice if the student-athlete wants to secure a loan. The NCAA has arranged a disability insurance program so that qualified student-athletes...

11 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 13 (Nov. 20, 2011) BCS Standings 1 LSU 11-0 2 Alabama 10-1 3 Arkansas 10-1 4 Oklahoma State 10-1 5 Virginia Tech 10-1 6 Stanford 10-1 7 Boise State 9-1 8 Houston 11-0 9 Oklahoma 8-2 10 Oregon 9-2

There is a problem with the Bowl Championship Series, but it’s not the one you probably think. College football doesn’t need a playoff. A traditional playoff system – an eight-team or even four-team bracket – brings nothing in the way of advantages over the current system and probably would make things considerably worse. Don’t tell me the traditional architecture for playoffs is the only – or even most – accurate way to determine a champion. The St. Louis Cardinals just won the World Series under that system despite having fewer wins in the regular season than any other team that...

(CNN) -- University of Arkansas authorities say they see no "suspicious circumstances" surrounding the death of a 19-year-old football player who was was found dead in his room Sunday. Garrett Uekman, a sophomore tight end for the Razorbacks, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his room about 11:15 a.m., the university said in a written statement Sunday afternoon. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after noon. A roommate last saw Uekman playing video games about an hour earlier, "and he appeared to be in good health," the university said. An...

USC also leads Oregon 21-7 at half time. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313232483

NEW HAVEN - A 30-year-old woman was killed today in a parking lot at Yale Bowl "notorious" for tailgating, after an out of control Uhaul truck loaded with beer kegs ran over her and two other women, police and other sources said. This is a big day for the lot because the Yale-Harvard football game is being played today.

Missouri football Coach Gary Pinkel was arrested by Boone County Sheriff's Department officers Wednesday night on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Pinkel was pulled over at 10:15 p.m. on Keene Street just north of Broadway, according to the incident report. He was stopped for lane and signal violations, Chief Deputy Major Tom Reddin said. The deputies developed probable cause that Pinkel was driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the report. He was cooperative with officers and taken into custody at the Boone County Jail. He posted $500 bond for the first-offense DWI arrest.

Penn State is toxic. Those aren't my words, but someone involved in the college bowl selection process. And that's how he described how attractive -- or, in this case, unattractive -- the Nittany Lions are as a bowl team. The Big Ten has eight bowl bids and could end up with 10 bowl-eligible teams. If the Nittany Lions (8-2) don't reach the Big Ten title game, it's a very real possibility they could get bypassed by all of the Big Ten bowls and be shipped to a non-Big Ten bowl that doesn't have enough teams to fill its conference obligation....

A crowd of Penn State students in school sweatshirts huddled together near an old university building to listen to a call for unity, healing and peace. They wiped away tears, rested their heads on friends' shoulders and reflected on a week that stained the place many of them see as a second home. "We are what makes the university thrive," said T.J. Bard, student body president, the day after his peers rioted in the streets to defend the firing of coach Joe Paterno. "And we are the ones who must restore glory to Penn State." Why them? What happened on...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno’s tenure as coach of the Penn State football team will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials. The board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno’s exit, but it is clear that the man who has more victories than any other coach at college football’s top level and who made Penn State a prestigious national brand will not survive to coach another season. Discussions about...

So what manner of a man is this Jerry Sandusky? On Nov. 13, 1999, he received a standing ovation from a crowd of 96,480. It was the occasion of his official retirement as dean of Linebacker U's impenetrable defense. For a long, long time, he was thought to be the successor to Joe Paterno. When he finally decided to leave the fold, after 32 years of unswerving loyalty and uncommon patience, --snip-- It has been over 10 years since Sandusky left Penn State to devote all of his time to the Second Mile, a charitable organization he and his wife...

The Pac-12 decided it won't expand further late Tuesday because commissioner Larry Scott couldn't get assurance that Texas would agree to an equal revenue sharing plan if the league added the Longhorns, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN.com. The source said Scott didn't recommend expansion to the presidents.

USC's 23-14 victory over Utah sent Las Vegas sports books into a tizzy Saturday night. The game originally ended with USC winning, 17-14. But two hours after the game, the Pacific 12 Conference overruled game officials who had not allowed a last-second touchdown by USC's Torin Harris after a blocked field-goal attempt. Contacted about the finish by The Times, a supervisor at the MGM Mirage Sports Book said, "That cost us huge. We needed USC to cover the 8½ and when they didn't allow that touchdown, that killed us."

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- As many as two dozen football players from Fresno State University have been implicated in a welfare fraud investigation involving a county Department of Social Services worker accused of filing for false benefits for them and others. It's the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the university's athletic department over the decades. The social services eligibility specialist was arrested last month by an investigator with the Fresno County District Attorney's Office but has not been charged. University officials have declined to comment beyond a written statement, saying they don't want to impede the...

The concept of the Pac-16 is again being actively discussed by Pac-12 officials as well as officials at Oklahoma and Texas, a source close to the situation told ESPN's Joe Schad. The source said those schools know the opportunity to join the Pac-12 is their decision. Oklahoma State is expected to follow Oklahoma's lead and Texas Tech is a possibility as the fourth school.

None.

Eight Days Until College Football!!! 6:00 p.m. Murray State at Louisville 7:00 p.m. North Texas at FIU 7:00 p.m. Villanova at Temple 7:30 p.m. W. Carolina at Georgia Tech 8:00 p.m. UNLV at Wisconsin 8:00 p.m. Wake Forest at Syracuse 8:00 p.m. Mississippi State at Memphis 9:15 p.m. Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky

The honor code at West Point possesses an admirable directness: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." In those few words the United States Military Academy sends a clear message about what the institution expects of its cadets. Of its 12 words, the last five are the most difficult. Plainly it's not enough to behave honorably oneself. The code comes to mind while reading the sordid news about the University of Miami's football program. The Hurricanes have been in the headlines since last week, when Yahoo! Sports ran a story about a former booster—now serving...

Can't be about politics all the time huh? Anyways semi political as the BCS system maybe coming to a swift end with the apparent formation of 4 super conferences and the Big-10, Pac-10 and the ACC\Big East look to consolidate and create a defacto playoff system.

WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed college football champion Auburn to the White House Wednesday, saying the Tigers had played a "tough schedule." NCAA Division 1 champion Auburn defeated Oregon 22-19 to win the Bowl Championship Series in January and complete a perfect 14-0 season.

Colt McCoy's Wife Implies Some Texas Football Players Accepted Benefits by Jason Kirk • Jun 7, 2011 5:18 PM EDT Rachel McCoy, wife of former Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy, "randomly" called up ESPN radio's Colin Cowherd Tuesday. She was asked what kinds of things her husband was offered against the rules during his playing days in Austin. Here's the audio, and here are some of the key quotes, including one portion that would have had Mack Brown jumping out of his seat if Mack Brown was a big enough Miami Heat fan to listen to Colin Cowherd: Star-divide People...

The executive director of the BCS said he will give a voluntary briefing at the Department of Justice's request this summer to explain college football's postseason system. "I still believe the government has more important things to do but I'm happy to talk about the benefits of the BCS every chance I get," executive director Bill Hancock said Thursday. "We see this as an opportunity to tell them why this has been created, how it works and the benefits that it has brought to the game. And to answer all their questions."

How much did it cost Notre Dame to get rid of Charlie Weis? Start with $6,638,403. And keep counting until December 2015. Notre Dame made an initial "termination payment" to Weis of more than $6.6 million and will continue to cut smaller checks to its former football coach for the foreseeable future, according to federal tax documents obtained by the Tribune on Thursday. Weis' apparent buyout is revealed on the Form 990 Notre Dame must submit to the Internal Revenue Service. It was made available to the Tribune upon request. Weis' total severance pay — which was subject to debate...

Now that the birth certificate issue has finally been laid to rest, the President announced that he has far more important things to do. Immediately after that announcement, the President flew to Chicago for an appearance on Oprah, and then on to New York for two fundraisers. This week, “importance” shifted to college football. The Justice Department sent a letter Tuesday to the National Collegiate Athletic Association stating that “serious questions continue to arise” over whether the Bowl Championship Series—the sport’s much-criticized method for choosing a champion—complies with antitrust laws. Every year, it seems that the only folks who like...

UGA 5-star football recruit Ray Drew and The Charlie Daniels Band 6:00 am April 25, 2011, by Michael Carvell UGA-bound football recruit Ray Drew (yellow shirt) and his younger brother with county music Charlie Daniels (Photo courtesy of Drew family) UGA-bound football recruit Ray Drew (far right, yellow shirt) and his younger brother with country music legend Charlie Daniels (Photo courtesy of Drew family) Ray Drew, UGA’s 5-star football recruit, recently had the opportunity to meet one of his all-time favorite country music singers. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end from Thomas County Central and his younger brother went to go...

Auburn beats Oregon 22-19

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Pittsburgh has fired football coach Mike Haywood, a day after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. He was arrested Friday following an incident at his South Bend home, said an officer at the St. Joseph County Jail who declined to give her name. She said Haywood was scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Haywood was released on $1,000 cash bond Saturday after the charge was upgraded to a felony.

Wednesday's news that Ohio State players were under investigation for exchanging autographs for free tattoos was good for a laugh, and for Vegas to nix the gambling lines on the Buckeyes' upcoming Sugar Bowl date with Arkansas. But tattoos and point spreads are the least of OSU's concerns today. Five players – four of them starters, including mega-hyped 2008 classmates Terrelle Pryor, Mike Adams and DeVier Posey – will miss the first five games of next season for selling jerseys, rings and other memorabilia, putting them on ice for almost half the schedule and potentially sinking another run at the...

A good athlete is often called on to save a game. This is the story of a star football player who was asked to save a life of someone he didn't even know. CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews has the latest example of "The American Spirit." There were four finalists last night for the Gagliardi Trophy, basically the Heisman for Division III college football. But for finalist Matt Hoffman learning if he'd win wasn't the suspense of the night.  Meeting cancer patient Warren Sallach was.  Last year Matt donated his bone stem cells - in an anonymous donation that went...

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said the conference wanted to choose football division names that reflected both the league's past and future. And here they are: "Legends" and "Leaders."

Urban Meyer has stepped down as coach of the University of Florida football team. Meyer resigned one year ago but changed his mind and came back to coach the 2010 season

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The disparity between graduation rates for white and black players at schools headed to bowl games grew again this year even as overall academic progress increased for both, a study released Monday found. The annual report by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found that the graduation success rate is increasing at a higher rate for white players than black players. Richard Lapchick, the primary author of the study, said it's a "disturbing" gap that has continued to widen. "The growing gap is and has been my biggest concern with graduations...

Four pilots at Vance Air Force Base in Enid are under investigation to determine if they flew too low over Kennick Stadium in Iowa before the Hawkeyes played Ohio State back in November. "The gentlemen involved are instructor pilots and part of this was a training mission," said 1st Lt. Katherine Roling. Although the fly over was authorized, pilots with the Air Force are required to fly at least 1,000 feet above congested areas such as a sports stadium. Nearly two weeks after the flyover, the Air Force is still trying to determine exactly how low the pilots flew. Since...

Before the Iron Bowl on Friday, Cam Newton and his Auburn teammates warmed up on the field to a couple of specially selected songs. Newton had already been showered in fake money by the Alabama student section as he made his way to the field, and once he was out there the songs "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Take the Money and Run." Obviously, the selections were in reference to the rumors that Newton's father Cecil Newton, a preacher, was shopping his son to the highest bidder after he left Florida. Honestly, when I heard about all of this...

College football fans love hypotheticals. So let's entertain one. What if the Bowl Championship Series actually did disappear? Last week, in the course of making other comments that got a great deal more attention, Ohio State president Gordon Gee mentioned what he'd like to see happen if the present BCS system someday went away. What Mr. Gee said—that he'd prefer to return to the old bowl system, which didn't even pit the ostensible top-two teams—wasn't new. He's said it before. But that statement is a reality check, a reminder of where this sport is right now with regard to revolutionizing...

Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee refers to the opponents of Boise State and TCU as the "Little Sisters of the Poor". COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Even if TCU and Boise State run the table, they still don't deserve to be in the Bowl Championship Series title game, Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee said Wednesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, the president at the university with the largest athletic program in the country said that TCU and Boise State do not face a difficult enough schedule to play in the national championship game. "Well, I don't know enough...

ATHENS, Ga. -- Boise State is coming to Atlanta for season-opening games in 2011 and 2014, including next season's opener against Georgia in the Georgia Dome. Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan said Friday the game will be played on Sept. 3, 2011, and be televised by ESPN or ABC.

SINGAPORE (AP) -- A former Florida State University football player may become the first American in 16 years to be caned in Singapore after he overstayed his visa, his lawyer said Thursday. Kamari Charlton, who was a reserve tight end for Florida State from 1992 to 1996, was arrested Sept. 1 when he attempted to leave the city-state 169 days after his 90-day social visit pass expired, attorney M. Ravi said. Charlton, who was born in the Bahamas and owns a construction company there, was in Singapore while his wife received medical care for pregnancy complications, Ravi said. It was...

Six weeks into the college football season and one week before the first Bowl Championship Series standings are released, there are 13 unbeaten teams in all three polls. So who'd be the BCS' No. 1 if the standings came out today? Would it be consensus No. 1 Ohio State, the top team in The Associated Press, USA Today and Harris polls? Or maybe fellow unbeaten Oregon, ranked No. 2 and earning first-place votes in all three polls? According to the projection of ESPN's Brad Edwards, it's consensus No. 3 Boise State. According to the projections, the No. 1 Buckeyes would...

Want to be out after 10 at night in the presence of a woman? Good luck, if you're a football player in Lawrence, Kan. Correction, make that a college football player in Lawrence; high school gridders have greater freedoms these days than anyone on the Jayhawks.

STORRS, Conn. - The UConn football team is in Philadelphia for its game agsist Temple on Saturday. Check out exclusive photos of UConn's walk-through at Lincoln Financial Field. Join UConnHuskies.com on Saturday starting at 11:45 a.m. Eastern for a live chat during the Temple vs. UConn football game. This is the official live chat of UConn Athletics. You might even get some information here first before anyone else does!!!