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Thursday, August 28th Vanderbilt at Miami Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPNU (HD) North Carolina State at South Carolina 7:00 p.m. ESPN (HD) Wake Forest at Baylor 7:00 p.m. FSN (HD) Oregon State at Stanford 8:00 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)

He knows you're coming, and at this point the inevitable has happened. He's stuck with you. For two days, flying thousands of miles in a small private plane with all the comfort of a four-door sedan. The sportswriter vs. Charlie Weis. He'd rather take a sledgehammer to the knees than endure this torture. "I know why you're here," he says. The natural response: Why? "To see if I'm human," he replies. Here he is, everyone. Charlie Weis: the most hated man in college sports. From his arrogance to his controversial hiring at Notre Dame, to a contract extension seven games...

This is where life imitates ... what exactly? What began two years ago with a quirky jump-pass in a college football game has evolved into this extraordinarily surreal life: communicating with heads of state, preaching to prisoners and, yes, circumcising children in a Third World country. All in one offseason. Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in December, the first sophomore to do so. In the six months since, the Florida Gators' iconic 20-year-old quarterback has traveled more than 15,000 miles to be honored by 15 organizations in nine states. A devout Christian, he has spread the gospel all over...

CORAL GABLES - Even halfway around the world, people are wondering who the University of Miami will start at quarterback next season. That was one of the questions Shannon received during a week-long trek to the Middle East...The most frequent question Shannon said he received didn’t have anything to do with football. “Does everybody back home still respect us?” Shannon said he and the other coaches were asked. “Does everybody believe in what we’re doing, have confidence in us?” Shannon declined to express his thoughts regarding the situation in Iraq, but said, “I’ll put it this way: You are happy...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Jack Mildren, a former lieutenant governor and the first quarterback in the University of Oklahoma's vaunted wishbone offense, died on Thursday, his brother said. He was 58. Mildren, who had been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer, died at Integris Baptist Medical Center, spokeswoman Brooke Cayot confirmed. Mildren was diagnosed two years ago with cancer but had continued to serve as a vice chairman for Arvest Bank and host a daily sports radio show on WKY 930-AM. Legislators at the state Capitol observed a moment of silence for the former lieutenant governor, who walked the halls there in...

Bowl Championship Series officials rejected a plan Wednesday to turn the controversial system for deciding a national champ into a four-team playoff, starting in the 2010 season. "After a very thorough very good discussion among the group, we have decided that because we feel at this time the BCS is in an unprecedented state of health, we feel it's never been healthier during its first decade," Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford said. "We have made a decision to move forward in the next cycle with the current format."

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - If only the Big Ten and Pac-10 weren't so stubbornly loyal to the Rose Bowl, the BCS would be on its way to a playoff. That's the perception - though not the reality - and it's allowed the other conferences like the SEC to be safely noncommittal about the possibility of turning the Bowl Championship Series into a four-team major college football playoff. "I think the characterization of the Big Ten and Pac-10 being at one place and everyone else being at the other place, I don't think it's accurate," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told reporters...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Forget government corruption or corporate fraud. Three members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate whether college football's Bowl Championship Series is an illegal enterprise. Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, are introducing a resolution rejecting the oft-criticized bowl system as an illegal restriction on trade because only the largest universities compete in most of the major bowl games. The resolution would require Justice's antitrust division to investigate whether the system violates federal law. The measure also would put Congress on record as supporting a college football playoff.

President Bush held a meeting this morning with his cabinet to discuss the economy and the Columbia Free Trade Agreement This afternoon, President Bush presented the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy to the United States Naval Academy Football Team in the Rose Garden Transcript First Lady Laura Bush and Jenna Bush visited first grade students at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Washington, Monday, April 14, 2008 To mark the tenth anniversary of 'Teach for America Week' Enoy your visit to Sanity Island

Did anyone else notice the lack of respect by the Stanford women who were playing for the Championship against Tennessee last night? Openly not holding hand over heart when the National Anthem was played. A bunch of losers. Reminds me of BHO.

The President and the First Lady returned to Washington on Sunday as did Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates from the NATO Sumit in Europe. Today the President spoke about the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and signed a letter to Congress on the matter.Click here for further details The President also hosted a ceremony honoring members of the NCAA football champion LSU Tigers at the White House. The President also met with small and medium business owners in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Pray for President Bush -- Day 2762 Secretary of State...

Joe Paterno's storied coaching career could end on a sour note -- if he lets it. Two members of Penn State's Board of Trustees yesterday told the Post-Gazette that negotiations regarding a possible contract extension or succession plan for Paterno have not gone smoothly.

We asked NFL scout and draft partner Frank Coyle of draftinsiders.com to pick out some players who have helped - and hurt - themselves thus far at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Monday: Helping their causeDE Chris Long, Virginia This blue-chip defender ran excellent 4.71 and 4.77 times with a 34-inch vertical leap. His agility drill numbers were equal to any linebacker in an excellent showing. His overall effort was one of the best of the event. He did not lift, but will at the Virginia pro day. DE/LB Cliff Avril, Purdue Classic defensive "tweener" hopes to follow the...

The Tide came rolling in on National Signing Day. After an impressive flurry of commitments in the past 48 hours, and thanks to a solid recruiting foundation that was laid in the spring and summer, Alabama has been crowned by Rivals.com as the recruiting national champions for the class of 2008. The Crimson Tide finished with an amazing run in Nick Saban's second recruiting class in Tuscaloosa. Saban and his staff landed three five-star players and 18 four-star recruits, giving them enough of a push to edge Notre Dame and SEC rival Florida. As of 3 p.m. EST, the Tide...

BCS' snub of Dogs spurs House to call for playoffs Lawmakers take handoff from Adams ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers briefly turned aside from issues like the drought, gun control and transportation Friday to voice their displeasure with college football's Bowl Championship Series system. The state House - a known hangout of some prominent football fans - voted 151-9 Friday to urge the NCAA to create a playoff system for college football, adopting a resolution that calls the current system "dysfunctional." There was no debate. "The only major sporting event without a playoff system to identify its true champion that I...

Just heard from a Michigan official that Rich Rodriguez' attorney will be issuing a statement later this afternoon responding to today's report out of West Virginia that former Mountaineers football coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff may have shred player personnel files and other documents prior to coming to the University of Michigan. The Charleston Gazette story cites unnamed sources claiming that: According to the source, the files in Rodriguez's office that are now missing included everything from records regarding summer camps -- financial and otherwise -- to data on boosters, recruiting and most everything related to activities within the...

Rich Rodriguez agreed to six-year deal worth $2.5 million annually when he left West Virginia last month for Michigan. The contract, which has not been finalized or signed, also includes a $4 million buyout. The terms of Rodriguez's deal were confirmed Sunday by school spokesman Bruce Madej. West Virginia has sued Rodriguez to collect on a $4 million buyout clause in his contract with the Mountaineers.

ESPN anchor Dana Jacobson made an absolute fool of herself, swilling vodka from a Belvedere bottle, mumbling along and cursing like a sailor as Mike & Mike rested their heads in their hands in embarrassment. [Comedian Eddie] Griffin came to the podium to defend her after she was booed by the crowd. [Host Jeffrey] Ross eventually had to pull her off stage, too. For those unfamiliar with Jacobson, she was a "SportsCenter" anchor for ESPN in 2005, and later made a co-host of that network's morning show "Cold Pizza" which is now "ESPN First Take." So, what did she actually...

AMHERST, N.Y. -- Buffalo coach Turner Gill received a contract extension on Tuesday that could keep the former Heisman Trophy finalist with the Bulls through 2012. Gill, who had been a candidate for the Nebraska head coaching position in December before the Cornhuskers chose Bo Pelini, was entering the third year of his original five-year deal that paid him about $190,000 per season, before bonuses. "I am extremely pleased to reward Turner's outstanding efforts in this way," Buffalo athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement released by the university. "He has brought to our football program a winning mentality,...

A former business associate of the failed marketing agency that attempted to secure Reggie Bush as a client told Yahoo! Sports he spoke directly to Bush about the company's business plan before the running back completed his junior season at the University of Southern California. Such an action would have violated NCAA rules and is the latest in a series of facts uncovered in a Yahoo! Sports investigation that indicate Bush and his family had an improper relationship with New Era Sports & Entertainment. Ben Delanoy, now CEO of Next Level Sports Marketing, said Bush indicated he would be part...

Well, in a few hours, a few LSU folks will recall with dread the name Greg Frey. Yep, the Buckeye quarterback no one remembers but die-hard Buckeye and LSU fans. The quarterback who led the team to one of the most spectacular comebacks ever witnessed at Ohio Stadium. As Wikipedia puts it: On September 24, 1988, he rallied Ohio State from a 33-20 deficit in the final four minutes for a 36-33 victory over the ninth-ranked LSU Tigers. I was at that game in the shoe, urging all the fans who were leaving early to stay put. It was gratifying...

He's played all but 20 snaps for a team competing for a national championship, but on the night he proved how much he truly means to his school, LSU's 317-pound left tackle wasn't on the football field. --snip-- I am the left tackle for the LSU Tigers football team. I'm also number 70 and I saw you wearing that jersey number, that's a great number by the way :). You know some people see us as heroes because of how we play but the truth is people like yourself are the real heroes. I see all the small problems I...

After losing big in the Sugar Bowl, the University of Hawaii may be dealing with a much more important loss. June Jones, who has been the Warriors' coach since 1999, has resigned, according to a report by The Honolulu Advertiser. The report says that Jones told his close friend, Al Souza, of his decision Saturday morning. He cited lack of loyalty and commitment from the athletic department as reasons for his resignation, the report says. <----snip---->

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Rich who? The West Virginia Mountaineers didn't need coach Rich Rodriguez. They had Pat White, and their elusive quarterback led them to a surprising 48-28 romp over Oklahoma (No. 4 BCS, No. 3 AP) in the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday night. White ran for 150 yards and threw for 176 and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers (No. 9 BCS, No. 11 AP), who rushed for 349 yards, most allowed by Oklahoma in a bowl game. Since arriving in the desert last week, the Mountaineers (11-2) said they had bonded behind interim coach Bill Stewart, who took...

Texas junior running back Jamaal Charles has elected to leave school early and enter the 2008 NFL draft. Charles, who shared UT's team MVP honors with Colt McCoy in 2007, capped his junior season by running for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns' 52-34 victory over No. 12 Arizona State in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.

All the upsets have you wondering how a playoff would have played out this year? Play ESPN.com's College Football Playoff to find out. ESPN College Football Playoff Simulation ESPN.com presents the AccuScore College Football Playoff Simulation Try different seeding scenarios and see how a playoff system might have played out this year.

I Thought That the Hawaii team was called the Rainbow Warriors?

America feels Bill Clinton's pain. On New Year's Day, when many sports fans plant themselves on the couch to watch a day of college football games, the former president was stumping through the snows of Iowa for his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. As Bill Clinton put it, "This morning, as I was walking out to come here, Hillary looked at me and said, 'Finally, after all these years I know you do love me.' And I said, 'You do?' She said, "Absolutely, you're missing six football games today." Clinton laughed along with about 300 people at Ashford...

ESPN is reporting that Rick Neuheisel will be UCLA's new head football coach.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who turned 81 last week, jokingly dismissed the comments of a Texas A&M yell leader Thursday night that Paterno was “on his death bed” and “someone needs to find him a casket.” But it’s no joking matter to the Aggies, who sent the yell leader home and have issued numerous apologies to various Penn State officials. The remark came at an Alamo Bowl-sponsored pep rally for fans of both schools. Penn State fans booed loudly after the remark from the yell leader, one of five A&M upperclassmen who fill the high-profile spirit role at the...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Thirty-six Florida State players won't be going to the Dec. 31 Music City Bowl against Kentucky because of an academic cheating scandal, other violations of team rules or injuries. Linebacker Dekoda Watson, cornerback Patrick Robinson, who had six interceptions, and three top defensive tackles were among the players sidelined either as a result of the ongoing investigation into an academic cheating scandal at the school or some other violation of team rules. Bobby Bowden and Florida State will be without 34 players at the Music City Bowl. "It is very important that the media make clear that...

Hillsborough — Three UNC football players were the victims in a kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault incident involving two women, the university confirmed Thursday afternoon. Chapel Hill police said the assault happened about 3:30 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex in Chapel Hill where all three victims were bound with tape and then assaulted by the suspects. At a bond hearing Thursday, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Morgan Whitney said police arrived at the scene and found two of the victims, tied up, in boxer shorts. The third victim was fully clothed with his hands tied. At least two were...

Hillsborough — Three UNC football players were the victims in a kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault incident that occurred over the weekend, a source tells WRAL. Chapel Hill police said the assault happened about 3:30 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex in Chapel Hill where all three victims were allegedly bound with tape and then assaulted by the suspects.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...With my Utes winning bowl games and BYU losing so I'll be of good cheer...it's the most wonderful time of the year... --Ow! Tomatoes hurt you know. Sheesh... During the regular season, I would normally do my fancy and mildly humorous graphical elements and those of you who would like me to feature their school's games, I would oblige. However, since we've got miles to go before we sleep, I'll re-ping the list as we go along and include said graphics. Sound like a deal? Excellent. Tomorrow the fun will begin. (For me,...

A Big Ten football officiating team that came under scrutiny for its performance in two conference games last month was led by a crew chief with a history of bankruptcy, casino gambling, child abuse and allegations of sexual harassment, a Yahoo! Sports investigation has revealed. ....... Public records, news reports and interviews with several people who know the longtime college football referee revealed the following: • He and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after the couple amassed $429,407 in liabilities, and two of the creditors were casinos. • He allegedly has gambled at casinos as far back as...

heWolverine is reporting that Rich Rodriguez will be the next head coach at Michigan. There's a much more detailed story coming out of West Virginia, too, with The State Journal citing several players' reactions. Dec. 16, 2007, The State Journal: According to WVU players, at a team meeting Sunday afternoon at the Puskar Center, Head Football Coach Rich Rodriguez announced that he is leaving West Virginia University to take over the football program at the University of Michigan. Rodriguez left the meeting without talking with reporters.

TUSCALOOSA | Joe Namath has accomplished some impressive things in his lifetime. In 1964, he led the University of Alabama to a national championship under equally legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. That same year, he signed with the NFL’s New York Jets for a then-record-breaking salary of $400,000. During his first year in the pros in 1965, he was named American Football League Rookie of the Year, and just four years later, Namath guaranteed the Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts to win Super Bowl III, and came through on that promise. At 9 a.m. today in Coleman Coliseum,...

Appalachian State rolls over Delaware for third straight title Chattanooga, TN (Sports Network) - Armanti Edwards threw for three touchdowns, and Appalachian State captured its unprecedented third straight national crown by routing Delaware, 49-21, in the Football Championship Subdivision title contest. The Mountaineers (13-2), who pulled off a shocker by beating Big Ten powerhouse Michigan on the road in their season opener, and won the Southern Conference, culminated the season with their 12th consecutive playoff victory. ASU became the first Division I squad since Army in 1946 to win three national championships in a row. The Mountaineers are undefeated in...

GREENVILLE, N.C. — East Carolina University football fans are buying tickets to their team's bowl game in Hawaii, but they are donating them to military personnel who expect to spend time there during the Christmas holiday. Assistant athletic director for ticketing and marketing Scott Wetherbee said ECU wants to be sure someone will sit in its seats for the Sheraton Aloha Bowl on December 23 in Honolulu by buying tickets and donating them to active members of the service. "We know were not going to take 5,000 fans to Hawaii," Wetherbee said. Hawaii Bowl Executive Director Jim Donovan had contacts...

The 2007 Heisman Trophy goes to Florida's Tim Tebow...

Click on Joe and W for the video (a few minutes long)

Paul Johnson, Navy coach,has agreed in principle, to be named Georgia Tech new Football coach per WSB Atlanta. He will meet with the Navy team today

Johnson accepts offer to become Yellow Jackets coach By Mark Schlabach ATLANTA -- Navy coach Paul Johnson, who turned one of the country's worst teams into an annual bowl participant, has agreed to become Georgia Tech's next football coach, Navy athletics director Chet Gladchuk confirmed Friday morning. Johnson, who had a 45-39 record in six seasons at Navy, replaces Chan Gailey, who was fired as Georgia Tech's coach Nov. 26. "Paul is fixated on what Paul wants to do and that's the next step and new challenges at Georgia Tech," Gladchuck said. "We appreciate what Paul has done and we'll...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Arkansas running back Darren McFadden was honored as the 2007 player of the year Thursday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the first player from his school to receive the honor. McFadden, a junior, beat four quarterbacks for the award: Chase Daniel of Missouri, Dennis Dixon of Oregon, Matt Ryan of Boston College and Tim Tebow of Florida. The announcement by foundation president John Barbarotta came two days before the Heisman Trophy was to be handed out in New York.

The December 3rd 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated will be of special interest to education reformers. Next to the cover photo of Chase Daniel, the University of Missouri’s plucky quarterback, is a smaller photo of Tim Tebow. Tebow is also a QB, but he conducts his business, not on the plains but in “the Swamp,” the football stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville. All of 20 years old, he is a serious contender for this year’s coveted Heisman Trophy, the annual award given to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the nation. If the strapping 6’3” 235...

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - UCLA fired head football coach Karl Dorrell on Monday. Dorrell, a 1987 UCLA graduate, was dismissed despite a rather successful five- year tenure that included a bowl trip each season. "This was a very difficult decision for me," said UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero. "Karl has represented this program with dignity and class. He is a true Bruin and I respect what he has accomplished in his five years as our head coach, particularly off the field. But, at the end of the day, the focus has to be on results and I felt...

Les Miles didn’t need to go to Michigan for a chance to coach a team to victory against Ohio State, Michigan’s archrival. The LSU Tigers, to whom Miles reaffirmed his commitment over the weekend, will play Ohio State for the BCS national championship. LSU (11-2) climbed five spots Sunday to No. 2 in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, enabling the Tigers to make the same jump in the BCS standings to set up a Jan. 7 date with the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes (11-1) in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. “This is the most astonishing 36 or 48...

LSU has a ticket to the title game. Everyone else has a pretty good gripe. The latest chapter in this crazy, unpredictable college football season was written Sunday when LSU won the sport's version of the lottery, being picked to play Ohio State for the championship and leaving about a half-dozen other candidates with plenty to complain about. The Tigers (11-2), ranked second in the latest Associated Press poll, will be the first team to play in the BCS title game with two losses. No. 1 Ohio State goes into the game, Jan. 7 at the Superdome in New Orleans,...

The 2007-08 bowl schedule (all times Eastern):

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Bo Pelini is the new coach at Nebraska, leaving the defensive coordinator post at LSU for a job many Cornhusker fans thought he should have been given four years ago. Interim athletic director and former coach Tom Osborne announced Pelini's hiring Sunday, after introducing him to the players. "We need a head coach with strong defensive credentials and great leadership," Osborne said. "We were also looking for someone who can inspire confidence and get players to play with great effort. "And, of course, we also wanted our new head coach to understand our traditions, including the importance...