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Lincoln Journal Star

Wisconsin athletic director and football coach Barry Alvarez can't remember which friend gave him the advice.

Alvarez has a group of friends, mostly businessmen, that meets regularly and talks about a variety of things. One day the subject was retirement. The sentiment was that Alvarez would know when the time was right to walk away from his job as football coach.

That time is now. After months of discussions with his wife, Alvarez, 58, announced Thursday he would step down as football coach at the conclusion of the upcoming season, while retaining his duties as athletic director. He named defensive coordinator Bret Bielema as his successor.

It will end one of the great reclamation projects in the history of the Big Ten Conference, after Alvarez took over a hapless program that had bottomed out and won three Rose Bowl titles in the 1990s.

While Alvarez — a former Nebraska player who later coached at Lincoln Northeast — had a hard time articulating at a news conference precisely why he knew the time was right, he was forceful in his response when asked later if he believed he had lost his edge following 15 years as the coach of the Badgers.

"I thought I was really good last year," Alvarez said of a season in which the Badgers finished 9-3, after winning their first nine games. "I thought I was on top of my game and I made sure I was, because I was excited. It'll be the same way this year."

Alvarez also made it clear health concerns were not an issue. So, why end a successful coaching career, when he still has gas left in the tank?

A big part of the answer has to do with the presence of Bielema, 35, widely respected as one of the top up-and-comers in the college coaching profession.

"Although we've spent just one season together, I couldn't be more convinced that Bret Bielema is the right man to replace me," Alvarez said.

Above all else, Alvarez may also have been thinking of his program, first and foremost. Everything that was done, from the timing of the announcement, to the selection of a coach already on staff, was done to ease the transition when Alvarez is gone.

"I would love this to be Barry Alvarez day, but he wants everything to focus on the program," Bielema said. "That's part of the reason why he's been so successful. He probably put the program ahead of him, to a fault."

Alvarez's decision reverberated in Nebraska's football offices. Husker head coach Bill Callahan spent 1990-94 as offensive line coach at Wisconsin; secondary coach Phil Elmassian held the same position at Wisconsin from 1997-99; and NU defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove worked nine years as Alvarez's defensive coordinator

All told, Cosgrove spent 14 seasons at Wisconsin before joining Callahan's staff prior to last season. Bielema succeeded Cosgrove.

"Barry Alvarez has put Wisconsin football on the map," Callahan said. "He has done a tremendous job of building the Wisconsin program, but even more impressive is how his program has sustained success at a very high level ... There is no doubt he has distinguished himself as the finest football coach in Wisconsin history."

Said Cosgrove: "Barry Alvarez is Wisconsin football. He was my mentor for a long time, and I have the utmost respect for him."

Alvarez didn't want to make Thursday's announcement after the season because he knew it would have a negative impact on recruiting.

"Basically, you lose a recruiting class," he said. "I just felt it was the right time. I don't know how to explain it any more than that."

The only change this season is that Bielema will oversee all aspects of recruiting.

"Any time you have a change in coaching staff, it's hard," Alvarez said. "But I think this will be a very easy transition for our players, because they know the coaches, they know the head coach that will be with them

 
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Grand Island Independent

Barry Alvarez eliminated all the surprise and speculation -- his 16th season as Wisconsin coach will be his last.

Alvarez said Thursday he will step down after this year and focus solely on his role as the school's athletic director, a job he took on in 2004. And he's already picked his successor in defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.

When Alvarez assumed both positions in April 2004, he said he planned to eventually transition into a full-time athletic director. But he gave no clue as to how much longer he would coach.

It took just a year for double-duty to take its toll because of the constant demands on his time.

"I believe it's the right time," Alvarez said at a news conference. "I certainly didn't want it to slip, and I just saw some potential for things."

Alvarez, 58, was hired in 1990 to turn around a program that had only five winning seasons in the 27 years before he came on board. Three seasons later, Alvarez led Wisconsin to its first Rose Bowl since 1963, one of three Rose Bowl titles in his tenure. Alvarez is the winningest coach in school history with a mark of 108-70-4 in 15 seasons. He is 7-3 in bowl games.

"Barry Alvarez has put Wisconsin football on the map," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said in a press release. "He has done a fantastic job of building the Wisconsin program, but even more impressive is how his program has sustained success at a very high level.

"He has taken that program to the upper echelon of the Big Ten Conference and there is no doubt he has distinguished himself at the finest football coach in Wisconsin history.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said Alvarez "is Wisconsin football."

"He was my mentor for a long time and I have the utmost respect for him," said Cosgrove, who spent 14 years coaching with Alvarez. "Barry still has a lot of energy and I know he will put his full effort into the athletic director job. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

Alvarez's teams have three Rose Bowl wins.

--------------------------

Another article from Grand Island Independent about Alverz

Barry Alvarez eliminated all the surprise and speculation — his 16th season as Wisconsin coach will be his last.

Alvarez said Thursday he will step down after this year and focus solely on his role as the school's athletic director, a job he took on in 2004. And he's already picked his successor in defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.

When Alvarez assumed both positions in April 2004, he said he planned to eventually transition into a full-time athletic director. But he gave no clue as to how much longer he would coach.

It took just a year for double-duty to take its toll because of the constant demands on his time.

"I believe it's the right time," Alvarez said at a news conference. "I certainly didn't want it to slip, and I just saw some potential for things."

Alvarez, 58, was hired in 1990 to turn around a program that had only five winning seasons in the 27 years before he came on board. Three seasons later, Alvarez led Wisconsin to its first Rose Bowl since 1963, one of three Rose Bowl titles in his tenure. Alvarez is the winningest coach in school history with a mark of 108-70-4 in 15 seasons. He is 7-3 in bowl games.

Alvarez's teams have been defined by a punishing ground games and a stout defenses, both keys to their three Rose Bowl wins. His squads set a Big Ten record with 10 straight seasons with a 1,000 yard rusher, including Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne.

Alvarez brought in Bielema last year to take over Wisconsin's defense, which ranked in the top 10 nationally in points (15.4) and yards (291.2) allowed.

Alvarez said he first approached Bielema about taking over earlier this summer. The combination of family, the responsibilities of two jobs and his confidence in Bielema convinced him it was time for him to give up coaching.

"Bret Bielema is the right man to replace me," Alvarez said.

Quarterback John Stocco said the Badgers will be motivated to make Alvarez's last season memorable.

"We talk about how successful Coach Alvarez has been and what he's done for the program," Stocco said. "Knowing this is his last year, it's just going to make us work harder to make sure he goes out on the right note."

Despite Alvarez's on-field success, the Badgers have had a series of problems off the field over the last five years. Wisconsin was slapped by the NCAA with a major rules violation under Alvarez's watch in 2000, resulting in the suspensions of 26 football players for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store. Another 21 were required to do community service for breaking NCAA rules. A series of Badger players have had run-ins with police over the last several years as well.

Bielema and Alvarez both have connections to former Iowa coach Hayden Fry.

Alvarez got his first college coaching job under Fry in 1979 before a stint at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz.

Bielema, 35, played under Fry at Iowa before serving as a graduate assistant and eventually an assistant coach on his staff. He later coached under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa and Bill Snyder at Kansas State — both of whom coached for Fry as well — before Alvarez brought him in last year.

"I was just glad to finally work for a guy that gave me the job," said Bielema, who has no head coaching experience.

Alvarez said he expected no problems in the transition and decided to make the announcement now to avoid any problems later. This way, Bielema gets a full year to work on his first recruiting class.

Alvarez also said he had no plans to be a meddlesome athletic director, preferring to follow in the example of his college coach, Bob Devaney of Nebraska.

Devaney held both jobs before stepping down to become a full-time athletic director. He then hired assistant Tom Osborne to take over the program and stayed out of the way.

 
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Grand Island Independent

Nick Holt shaved his head on a golf course recently, auctioning his locks to raise a quick $2,000 for the Idaho football program. The spontaneous gesture was sure to get the locals talking about the coach's attempt to resuscitate the Vandals. With all the challenges facing Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State during their debut seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, Holt can testify that such dramatic acts sometimes seem quite necessary.

"I was going bald anyway, so that's why I kept it like this," Holt said, rubbing his clean dome Thursday at the WAC's media day. "I saved some money on shampoo. When I first shaved it, I looked like an egg ... but when you get a tan and you're naturally good-looking, you can wear any hairstyle."

The WAC changed its lineup for the fourth time in eight years this summer, adding the three schools to replace UTEP, Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa in a nine-team league that's leaner and more Western — but just as tough, according to the coaches charged with making a name for themselves for something other than their hair choices.

Though the three new squads generally are expected to finish at the bottom of the WAC this season, the men in charge know they've moved up in the world. The conference provides bigger opportunities for recruiting, revenue and television exposure while cutting down on travel and building new rivalries.

"I think everybody agrees it's a step up in leagues," New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme said. "It gives us a chance to recruit better players, and geographically it's great for our fans. Nothing against the league we were in, but a lot of those teams, our fans didn't know where they were."

Mumme probably wouldn't have agreed to take over New Mexico State's program if the long-struggling Aggies hadn't shown their commitment to big-time football by leaving the Sun Belt for the WAC.

Mumme, who ran his inventive offenses at Kentucky and Valdosta State before building Southeastern Louisiana's program from scratch in the last two years, said coaching in the WAC is "something I've always aspired to."

"I think the WAC is the most exciting and the most innovative conference in the land," he continued. "A lot of the coaches that have coached in this league have influenced the entire world of college football."

Indeed, Mumme could cite anyone from Lavell Edwards to Fisher DeBerry among the WAC's great innovators of seasons past. Boise State's Dan Hawkins and Fresno State's Pat Hill have built consistent powerhouse programs earning frequent national rankings in recent years, with Hawaii and coach June Jones not far behind.

All three of the league's new coaches are rebuilding their programs on the foundation of recent failures, though Mumme and Utah State's Brent Guy face the double challenge of being rookie coaches at their schools.

Holt is only slightly more comfortable in his second season at Idaho after going 3-9 last year in a season containing 12 straight games without a bye while featuring nearly enough road miles to circumnavigate the globe.

"It's already helped our (recruiting)," Holt said. "Being able to sell the WAC, especially in the regions that we recruit, we (get) better student-athletes. They know about the conference. They know it's competitive, and it's going to be better. It's just got to take some time."

Guy left his job as defensive coordinator at Arizona State to return to Logan, where he was an assistant from 1992-94. Utah State has wandered through Division I football in recent years, spending time as an independent in between stints in lower-tier leagues.

"It's a challenge, but this is where we wanted to be," said Guy, who won't even have a full complement of scholarship players this season. "We're going to have to earn the respect and earn our way to the top of this league. There are three teams that have clearly been dominant in this league, and we're going to be anxious to compete and see how we measure up to those teams."

 
Grand Island Independent

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier upset high school coaches in his new homestate when he revoked the scholarships of six players recruited by his predecessor.

The South Carolina Football Coaches Association's Board of Directors called the move "unethical" in a letter to Spurrier on Wednesday.

"We understand athletic scholarships are a year commitment," according to the board's letter. "However, we feel that unless an athlete 'breaks rules' or embarrasses the institution, to revoke a scholarship because you feel an athlete cannot play at the level needed to compete in the Southeastern Conference is unethical."

The board's letter, signed by about 90 coaches, also recommended the South Carolina High School League find an alternate location for its five state championship games, scheduled to be played at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium in December.

Earlier this summer, Spurrier sent letters to six players telling them they would lose their scholarships. Those affected included South Carolina high school products Grayson Mullins and Trent Usher, both recruited by the staffs of former coach Lou Holtz.

Scholarships are renewable each year.

"If coming out of spring practice, you make that decision that's one thing," SCFCA board member Andy Tweito, an assistant coach at Daniel High, said Thursday. "Now, these kids are stranded, they have nowhere to go. He's left the kids high and dry."

Spurrier says there are a few players signed by the old staff who new coaches did not think contributed much to the team.

"We had some walk-on players who were actually contributing more," Spurrier said at the Southeastern Conference football gathering in Birmingham, Ala. "So some of the high schoolers, they got mad about it. I don't know what to say, but to me in life you put people on scholarship who deserve it the most and that's what we tried to do."

Spurrier last week said receiver Michael Flint and long-snapper Ike Crofoot, both walk-ons, were rewarded with scholarships.

Spurrier's arrival as Holtz's replacement has been greeted with glee by most South Carolina supporters. The school said Thursday it sold a record of 62,618 seasons tickets. Donations to the Gamecock Club were up more than $1 million from last year to a record of $13 million.

Tweito said the high school coaches were not trying to pick a fight with Spurrier or sour future recruits on the Gamecocks; they were just making their case in one of the few ways they could.

"Some coaches are so upset about it, they won't welcome (South Carolina) recruiters into their school," he said.

"We're not trying to play political football here," Tweito said.

Tweito stressed the coaches were not out to damage South Carolina's program, despite the letter's harsh words.

Spurrier "absolutely knows how to run a program and we wish him the best," Tweito said. "We're all for Carolina football and for college football in our state. This was something we felt we had to do."

 
Grand Island Independent

Tommy Tuberville isn't weeping over the loss of four first-round NFL draft picks, even if it included Auburn's heralded running duo and quarterback. In fact, he calls this his most talented team and says he voted the Tigers "in the Top 10" in the preseason coaches poll. Tuberville and his players might be alone in those lofty opinions at this point, even though the Tigers are coming off a 13-0 season and No. 2 national finish.

This year, the three letters plaguing Auburn are NFL, not BCS.

Tuberville must replace tailbacks Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams, quarterback Jason Campbell and cornerback Carlos Rogers — all first-round picks.

Sophomore Brandon Cox established himself in the spring as the Tigers' No. 1 quarterback. Kenny Irons, a South Carolina transfer, and junior Tre Smith are the expected heirs to Williams and Brown, both among the top 5 picks in the NFL draft.

But Tuberville still expects Auburn to compete for the Southeastern Conference title, if not the national championship.

"We'll probably have the most talented team we've had since I've been at Auburn, top to bottom," he said Thursday at SEC media days. "But we don't have the one thing that sometimes you need, and that's experience.

"Experience is something you can't just recruit. You have to build it."

The Tigers aren't quite over the sting of reaching perfection and having to watch Southern California and Oklahoma play for the national title in the Orange Bowl.

"Will we have a chip on our shoulder? I hope so," Tuberville said.

He's clearly got one over the Bowl Championship Series, which denied the Tigers a national championship shot. Tuberville doesn't think the offseason change in the process will do anything to prevent a similar issue in the future.

The BCS has created the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, which will rank the top 25 teams on a weekly basis, but start Sept. 25 instead in the preseason.

The new poll replaces the AP poll, which the BCS had used in its formula for ranking teams since 1998. Last season, however, the AP told the BCS it could no longer use its media poll.

"Nothing's been done to solve the problem," said Tuberville, who advocates a playoff system. "We've used a Band-Aid. Popular vote is not the way to choose a national champion. We need to decide it on the field."

USC and Oklahoma started last season ranked No. 1 and No. 2. They wound up playing each other in a lopsided USC victory that left the Tigers wondering if they would have stacked up better than the Sooners.

"That game will always be played in the minds of a lot of people but it will never be played on the field," Tuberville said.

The Tigers aren't likely to be back in that position this season, but try telling them that.

"Teams lose great players to the draft all the time," offensive tackle Marcus McNeill said. "Miami lost a ridiculous amount of players one year to the first round, and they came back and almost ran the tables again.

"It's really about reloading. We don't have to rebuild anything."

Actually, the Hurricanes went 9-3 after having six players chosen in the first round in the 2004 draft. Still pretty good, but far from 13-0.

Linebacker Travis Williams understands the skepticism and uncertainty surrounding this team, but isn't fretting over it.

"I see where people are coming from," Williams said. "We lost our quarterback and we lost two Top 5 running backs. You're losing a guy that won the Thorpe (Award) at cornerback. You've got to actually know our team and know the athletes that we have.

"We will be a good team. We will compete for the SEC again this year."

 
FROM ESPN/AP Source

Colorado tailback Brandon Caesar, who missed all of last season with knee problems, will miss this season after tearing a tendon in one of his knees.

Caesar, a junior from Broussard, Quebec, will undergo surgery today, two days after suffering the injury in summer drills. He was expected to contend for the starting tailback job after the graduation of Bobby Purify.

"We all feel badly for him," coach Gary Barnett said Wednesday. "He was having a great summer, and he had worked hard at rehabbing both knees and was looking forward to getting back on the field and competing. It was just one of those unfortunate things, and he'll have to miss a second straight year."

Caesar has two years of eligibility remaining, though Barnett said he could petition the NCAA for another season.

Meanwhile, former quarterback Charles Johnson is expected to return to the Colorado athletics department as a full-time staff member next week. His specific role has not been outlined.

Johnson, who helped lead the 1990 team to a national title, has worked in on Denver radio and TV broadcasts in recent years. He has been one of the department's biggest supporters and harshest critics during the football program's problems with recruiting.

Last year, Barnett and others criticized the university's poor relations with the black community, something Johnson may be able to help with.

Vols tackle pleads guilty

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee defensive tackle Tony McDaniel pleaded guilty Thursday to hitting a student in the face during a pickup basketball game in January.

McDaniel made a deal with prosecutors to have the original felony charge reduced to misdemeanor assault. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days but was placed on immediate probation and isn't expected to spend any time in jail.

Coach Phillip Fulmer suspended McDaniel from the team in January, and his future as a Volunteer has remained uncertain.

UNI adds year to Farley pact

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Northern Iowa has added a year to football coach Mark Farley's contract, extending the agreement through 2009.

Farley, whose contract was extended through 2008 just last year, is 33-16 in four seasons at Northern Iowa with two NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances

 
Huskers.com

[SIZE=14pt]Huskers Set for Record Home Slate[/SIZE]

The Nebraska men’s basketball team will play a school-record 19 regular-season games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center as part of the 2005-06 schedule announced by the athletic department Thursday. The Huskers will face 11 teams (14 total games) that reached the postseason last year, including eight teams that participated in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska’s 19 regular-season home games will top the mark of 18 games played at the Devaney Center in three previous seasons. The most recent squad to play 18 home games was the 2003-04 Huskers which went 15-3 at the Devaney Center.

"We are looking forward to the start of the season and tipping things off with the John Thompson Classic," sixth-year head coach Barry Collier said. "Our fans can look forward to three days of great action to start the season with our new team. Husker fans will also be able to see us at home a record number of times this season and that is a great advantage for us."

Nebraska begins the regular season with three games in three days as the Huskers play host to the John Thompson Classic Nov. 18-20. An exempt tournament that will allow the Huskers to play 29 regular-season contests this year, the John Thompson Classic is named after the legendary Georgetown coach who led the Hoyas to the 1984 national title and three Final Four appearances in his 27-year coaching career which included 596 victories.

The 2005 John Thompson Classic field includes Louisiana Tech, Yale and Longwood along with the Huskers, and will feature two contests each day. It will be the first tournament hosted by Nebraska since the 2000 Husker Classic.

"While fans around the state will again be able to see a great number of Husker road games on television, the John Thompson Classic will feature the first of many exciting contests at the Devaney Center this year," Executive Associate A.D. Marc Boehm said. "Being in a tournament sponsored by one of the top coaches of all time is a great way to open the season."

Following a matchup with Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 27, the Huskers start a tough stretch when they face 2005 postseason teams in three of their next four contests. Marquette, which advanced to the NIT last year, faces the Huskers in Lincoln on Nov. 30, before UAB makes the trek to the Devaney Center on Dec. 3. UAB has won at least one NCAA Tournament game each of the past two seasons, including reaching the 2004 Sweet 16.

After playing host to South Dakota State on Dec. 8 at the Devaney Center, the Huskers hit the road for the first time when they take on Creighton at the Qwest Center Omaha on Dec. 11. Contests against Chicago State (Dec. 17), North Carolina A&T (Dec. 19) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 21) round out the pre-Christmas schedule.

The Huskers will not leave the state until a New Year’s Eve matchup against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Florida State in the Metro PCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. The game, which will be played at the Home Depot Center in Miami, is part of a double-header that will also feature 2004 Final Four participant Louisville against Miami. The Huskers and Seminoles have never met before on the hardwood. Nebraska is 1-2 against ACC teams all-time, with the last meeting in 1997 when the Huskers earned an 80-65 win over Virginia. A Jan. 3 tipoff against Northern Colorado will end the non-conference slate.

During the league schedule, the Huskers will face eight Big 12 schools at the Devaney Center, including five teams that made postseason appearances last year. The Huskers open league play at home for the second straight season when they take on defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma on Jan. 7. Iowa State (Jan. 18), Missouri (Jan. 28), Baylor (Feb. 4), Kansas (Feb. 8), Texas Tech (Feb. 18), Colorado (Feb. 22) and Kansas State (March 1) will also make the trek to Lincoln.

Nebraska's toughest stretch of the season will begin at the end of January, when the Huskers take on five teams that made the 2005 NCAA Tournament in a six-game span. NU opens the tough stretch at Oklahoma State (Jan. 31) and also makes road trips to Texas (Feb. 11) and Iowa State (Feb. 15) between home contests against Kansas and Texas Tech.

 
The Nebraska men's basketball team will play a school-record 19 regular-season games at the Devaney Center as part of the 2005-06 schedule announced Thursday.

The Huskers' first road game will be Sunday, Dec. 11, against Creighton at Qwest Center Omaha. Their first seven regular-season games are at home.

After two exhibition games at home, including one Nov. 7 against the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Huskers host the four-team, round-robin John Thompson Classic Nov. 18 to 20, featuring Longwood, Yale and Louisiana Tech.

The Huskers play Marquette and Alabama-Birmingham, two teams that defeated them last year, but both games are in Lincoln. Marquette, an NIT team last season, visits Nov. 30, UAB on Dec. 3.

The Huskers play Florida State on Dec. 31 at Miami in the Metro PCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. The game is part of a doubleheader that will also feature Louisville against Miami.

Nebraska opens Big 12 play at home for the second straight season, meeting Oklahoma on Jan. 7.

For ticket information, visit huskers.com or call (800) 824-4733.

• Nov. 7: UNO (exhibition). Nov. 12: Holy Family University (exhibition). Nov. 18: Longwood. Nov. 19: Yale. Nov. 20: Louisiana Tech. Nov. 27: Southeast Missouri State. Nov. 30: Marquette.

• Dec. 3: UAB. Dec. 8: South Dakota State. Dec. 11: at Creighton. Dec. 17: Chicago State. Dec. 19: North Carolina A&T. Dec. 21: Alabama A&M. Dec. 31: vs. Florida State in Miami.

• Jan. 3: Northern Colorado. Jan. 7: Oklahoma. Jan. 11: at Kansas State. Jan. 18: Iowa State. Jan. 21: at Kansas. Jan. 25: at Colorado. Jan. 28: Missouri. Jan. 31: at Oklahoma State.

• Feb. 4: Baylor. Feb. 8: Kansas. Feb. 11: at Texas. Feb. 15: at Iowa State. Feb. 18: Texas Tech. Feb. 22: Colorado. Feb. 25: at Texas A&M. March 1: Kansas State. March 5: at Missouri

Omaha World Herald

 
Sports Illistrated

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says quarterback Troy Smith won't face further discipline provided he meets preseason requirements set out by the coaching staff.

Tressel declined to say what rules Smith would have to follow. The coach spoke during a news conference Thursday, three days after Ohio State announced that Smith didn't break NCAA rules by working at a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class and do not get written permission from the school's athletic director. But because Smith was hired to be at the camp, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, Ohio State said.

Tressel said he was glad to learn Smith hadn't violated the rules by working at McNair's camp, but added the QB still should have gotten prior approval from the school.

"To be a championship quarterback you have to make good decisions, and that was not a good decision," Tressel said in a question-and-answer session sizing up the Buckeyes' 2005 season.

Smith also was suspended from last season's Alamo Bowl along with this year's opener against Miami (Ohio) for accepting $500 from a booster.

Once he gets back on the field, he'll team with last year's freshman sensation, Ted Ginn Jr., to form a formidable passing combination.

Ginn won't touch the ball on every play, but close enough, Tressel said. At starting wideout and kick returner, along with spot duty at cornerback and tailback, Ginn will see plenty of action.

"I don't think he'll play at tight end," Tressel said, grinning.

Buckeyes fans look at Ginn's late-season heroics -- eight touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning kicks after joining the starting lineup in midseason -- and expect the second coming of Chris Gamble, Tressel said.

Gamble, now with the Carolina Panthers, played receiver and cornerback during Ohio State's 2002 national championship season but didn't see much double duty until later in the year, Tressel noted, trying to dampen the enthusiasm over Ginn.

Still, the coach couldn't resist calling Ginn the fastest football player he'd been around.

"I wouldn't kick to him, that's for sure," Tressel said.

On another special teams note, Tressel acknowledged the difficulty of replacing All-American kicker and last year's team MVP Mike Nugent, a second-round pick by the New York Jets.

"I would say that visibly is the biggest hole to fill," Tressel said.

Then again, if Josh Huston, Ryan Pretorius or another kicker starts hitting every attempt, "they'll be chanting something else besides 'Nooge!' They forget you pretty fast around here if somebody else is good," Tressel said.

Antonio Pittman and Erik Haw continue to duel for ball-carrying privileges, and Tressel said it might stay that way, noting that his "best case scenario is that we have two 1,000-yard backs."

 
[SIZE=14pt]Ohio State finds QB Smith didn't violate NCAA rules[/SIZE]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith did not break any NCAA rules when he missed a class to attend a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair this summer, the school said Monday.

Ohio State athletic department officials spent six weeks probing Smith's attendance at the June football camp in Nashville, Tenn.

NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class and do not get written permission from the school's athletic director.

But because Smith was hired to be at the camp, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, the school said.

"It was something that he was employed to do, so it falls underneath the category of student-athlete employment," Ohio State spokesman Steve Snapp said. "It was not a promotional or educational activity."

The camp paid for Smith's overnight accommodations -- his only form of payment, Snapp said.

The NCAA and the Big Ten said on Monday they agreed with the school's findings.

But Smith still may face a reprimand from coach Jim Tressel.

"Anytime a student-athlete misses a class, it is unacceptable," Tressel said in a statement. "Troy understands how I feel about the situation and knows there will be consequences.''

Tressel will likely address the issue further at a Thursday news conference, Snapp said.

Last year, Ohio State suspended Smith from the Alamo Bowl for accepting about $500 from a team booster. The NCAA also suspended him for the Alamo Bowl along with the 2005 season opener against Miami (Ohio).

 
Tressell says Smith wont face discipline

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says quarterback Troy Smith won't face further discipline provided he meets preseason requirements set out by the coaching staff.

Tressel declined to say what rules Smith would have to follow. The coach spoke during a news conference Thursday, three days after Ohio State announced that Smith didn't break NCAA rules by working at a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class and do not get written permission from the school's athletic director. But because Smith was hired to be at the camp, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, Ohio State said.

Tressel said he was glad to learn Smith hadn't violated the rules by working at McNair's camp, but added the QB still should have gotten prior approval from the school.

"To be a championship quarterback you have to make good decisions, and that was not a good decision," Tressel said in a question-and-answer session sizing up the Buckeyes' 2005 season.

Smith also was suspended from last season's Alamo Bowl along with this year's opener against Miami (Ohio) for accepting $500 from a booster.

Once he gets back on the field, he'll team with last year's freshman sensation, Ted Ginn Jr., to form a formidable passing combination.

Ginn won't touch the ball on every play, but close enough, Tressel said. At starting wideout and kick returner, along with spot duty at cornerback and tailback, Ginn will see plenty of action.

"I don't think he'll play at tight end," Tressel said, grinning.

Buckeyes fans look at Ginn's late-season heroics -- eight touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning kicks after joining the starting lineup in midseason -- and expect the second coming of Chris Gamble, Tressel said.

Gamble, now with the Carolina Panthers, played receiver and cornerback during Ohio State's 2002 national championship season but didn't see much double duty until later in the year, Tressel noted, trying to dampen the enthusiasm over Ginn.

Still, the coach couldn't resist calling Ginn the fastest football player he'd been around.

"I wouldn't kick to him, that's for sure," Tressel said.

On another special teams note, Tressel acknowledged the difficulty of replacing All-American kicker and last year's team MVP Mike Nugent, a second-round pick by the New York Jets.

"I would say that visibly is the biggest hole to fill," Tressel said.

Then again, if Josh Huston, Ryan Pretorius or another kicker starts hitting every attempt, "they'll be chanting something else besides 'Nooge!' They forget you pretty fast around here if somebody else is good," Tressel said.

Antonio Pittman and Erik Haw continue to duel for ball-carrying privileges, and Tressel said it might stay that way, noting that his "best case scenario is that we have two 1,000-yard backs."

Sports Illistrated

 
[SIZE=14pt]Spurrier returns to SEC country[/SIZE]

Sports Illistrated

Well, thanks. I've missed all of you, too."

Those were the initial official words new South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier uttered Wednesday upon returning to the Southeastern Conference's preseason media days for the first time in four years Wednesday, and it was soon obvious he really meant them. "I found out it was a lot more fun hanging around the SEC than that other league I hung around for a couple years," he said.

During a star-studded first day at the conference's annual media circus, Spurrier's mere presence managed to overshadow both the unofficial unveilings of first-year coaches Urban Meyer (Florida) and Ed Orgeron (Ole Miss) as well as the much-anticipated return of local arch-enemy Phillip Fulmer, the Tennessee coach who skipped last year's festivities to avoid being subpoenaed as a witness in the defamation lawsuit former Alabama assistant Ronnie Cottrell brought against the NCAA. (Fulmer, who was fined $10,000 by the conference for his no-show, used his opening statement Wednesday to deliver a prepared sermon defending his well-documented role in Alabama's NCAA punishments, then deftly deflected all questions on the subject.)

As if there was ever any question whether Spurrier's aura still looms large in this part of the country, it was quickly answered the first time he tried to walk through the main hallway of the Wynfrey Hotel's convention area. A paparazzi-like throng of more than 20 cameramen documented his every move, with one poor schlub stumbling backward into a post in the midst of the chaos. "I thought it was the president walking by," joked Gamecocks linebacker Lance Laury, who was standing nearby.

While Spurrier's rivals didn't necessarily miss him (Fulmer said his initial reaction to hearing Spurrier had taken the South Carolina job was, "Aw, crap"), there's no question the media did. Reporters ate up every word as Spurrier delivered his customary share of aw-shucks one-liners. But Spurrier's comments on Wednesday were of a markedly different nature than those the typically made during the 12 years he lorded over the conference while at Florida.

He has been humbled by his two-year, 12-20 stint with the Washington Redskins in that "other league" and is realistic about the talent level he has inherited in Columbia. The brash, ultra-confident Spurrier of old has been replaced by a new, self-deprecating model -- which, for entertainment purposes at least, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Among his best offerings Wednesday:

• On whether he's really more humble now: "I don't think I was quite as loud or cocky or arrogant as you guys thought, because all of my cute little comments usually occurred at [booster] clubs in the middle of the summer. Those people want to hear something funny."

• On his advocating for a college football playoff system while he was at Florida: "I've got to admit, my [stance] on that has changed a little bit, mainly because I don't think I have to worry about that right now."

• On South Carolina's lone conference championship, the 1969 ACC title: "We were 6-0 in the ACC in 1969, the [Chinese] Year of the Rooster ... and '05 is [also] the Year of the Rooster. ... All I'm saying is we've got the rooster year on our side. That's about all we've got going for us right now."

• On the recent announcement that NCAA rules violations occurred at South Carolina under predecessor Lou Holtz: "A lot of people didn't even know we were being investigated. When the news broke last week, our freshmen were like, 'We were under investigation? No one ever told us.' It's not like I bothered to tell them."

That Spurrier would bring a much-needed dose of levity back to the ultra-serious SEC was never really a question. The curiosity surrounding him this preseason has more to do with the fact that no one really knows whether his famed Fun 'n' Gun passing offense will work at traditionally mediocre South Carolina. He indicated as much Wednesday by dismissing the inevitable comparisons between his current situation and the one he walked into in 1990 at Florida, where the Gators, like this year's Gamecocks, were coming off a five-loss season the year before (they improved to 9-2 under Spurrier's direction).

"The '90 team at Florida was very close talent-wise with the '96 national championship team, it really was," said Spurrier. "The defense we had that year was third in the nation the year before and returned eight starters, so I knew we were going to be very good on defense, and we had players on offense that just hadn't had a chance to do anything. There's not quite the talent level at South Carolina as that team, but we're not bad."

With no proven quarterback, a questionable offensive line and a raw receiving corps, Spurrier all but concedes that he may not be able to play his preferred style of offense at first. He may even need the defense to --- gasp! -- carry the team.

"We're going to try [to play the way we did at Florida], but if we don't have quite the players to do it, then obviously we have to be a little more conservative," Spurrier said. "We'll try not to go backwards, but maybe become a little bit more of a running team, I don't know."

Realistically speaking, Meyer and new LSU coach Les Miles will likely have much bigger immediate impacts on their new teams in terms of wins and losses. Yet Spurrier has already done more for the conference than either of them, simply by bringing so much attention to one of its otherwise-forgotten programs. The Gamecocks' first three games -- including a Thursday-night opener against a Central Florida team that went 0-11 last season -- have all been picked up by either ESPN or CBS, while later dates against Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson and, most notably, Florida, are sure to receive significant exposure as well.

"Tradition and rivalries have always been the hallmark of this league, and [with Spurrier's return] there are now instant rivalries that weren't necessarily there before," said SEC commissioner Mike Slive. "With Urban Meyer at Florida and Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, now there's a rivalry between Florida and South Carolina. The more rivalries, the more intensity, the better."

It's Spurrier's job to bring more balance to those one-sided rivalries (the Gamecocks have gone 5-34 against SEC East foes Florida, Georgia and Tennessee since joining the conference), and based on his track record, it's hard to believe he won't. For his part, however, the new, pragmatic Spurrier is downplaying the notion that South Carolina should be taken seriously based solely on his presence, saying, "Until we start beating everybody, nobody is going to worry too much about South Carolina."

Try telling that to Fulmer.

 
Ceaser out for Season?

Rocky Mountain News

Believing the worst of an injury-riddled football career was behind him, Brandon Caesar viewed the beginning of fall camp at the University of Colorado as a long- awaited opportunity at a position critical to the Buffaloes' 2005 success.

Now, Caesar has nothing to anticipate but another year as a spectator.

"We all feel badly for him," CU coach Gary Barnett said in a statement. "He was having a great summer. . . . It was just one of those unfortunate things. . . . It's a tough deal."

It's made tougher by Caesar's history. It is his third knee injury in less than one year; operations on both knees forced the 6-foot, 210-pounder to miss last season and spring practice while rehabilitating.

Caesar, of Broussard, Quebec, was being counted on to compete for the starting tailback position vacated by Bobby Purify. When the Buffs begin practice Thursday, their top two tailback candidates will be sophomores Hugh Charles and Byron Ellis, who combined for 36 carries and 110 yards last season.

The Buffs' other option is more carries for senior V-back Lawrence Vickers, who has been directed by Barnett to report for camp 10 pounds lighter (about 230 pounds) than his normal playing weight.

CU signed two tailbacks in its Class of 2005, but one, Maurice Greer of Mullen High School, did not qualify academically and is scheduled to attend Garden City (Kan.) Community College. The other is Kevin Moyd, a 5-8, 190-pounder who rushed for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns last season at Northwestern High School in Miami.

Caesar, unavailable for comment, has used his redshirt season and has two years of eligibility remaining, although he could petition the NCAA for another year.

 
[SIZE=14pt]Completion of NU Football Practice Facility a Step ahead[/SIZE]

BY TODD HENRICHS / Lincoln Journal Star

Once Nebraska opens football practice next month, the Huskers will pop shoulder pads and work at perfecting plays under a new roof, a towering presence on campus looking much like the team's previous indoor practice facility a football field away.

But NU officials say that completion of the indoor training facility — Phase 1 of a $50 million improvement project under way at Memorial Stadium — is a first step toward putting Husker football back on the cutting edge.

The program that was the first with a spectacular weight room, the first with an academic area for student-athletes and a training table and the first with video screens in its stadium might very well be the first with two indoor practice facilities, both with full-sized football fields.

Even greater benefits — a new football locker room, weight room, sports medicine area, office space and new seats and sky boxes at Memorial Stadium — will come as construction continues through 2006. But completion of the first step, a state-of-the-art indoor facility with adjustable lighting and doors that open to two adjoining grass practice fields, is an achievement worth celebrating.

In this aerial photo taken earlier this month, you can see the progress made on the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex at the north end of Memorial Stadium. The Huskers' new indoor practice facility (lower left) will be finished before football practice begins next month. (Eric Gregory)

"I thought we were always ahead of the curve, and we got behind the curve," athletic director Steve Pederson said in an interview last month. "Now we're playing catch-up fast."

Work continues on the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex, the flagship of the project unveiled in 2003 with the fanfare of the "Are You N?" campaign.

Once completed, seating capacity at Memorial Stadium will climb past 80,000. The new seats and 13 sky boxes being constructed on the top floor of the Osborne Complex will provide upward of $5 million in additional revenue each year.

That money is needed to pay for what Pederson and others say are long-overdue behind-the-scenes improvements. The new locker room and weight room, for example, are necessary to compete in recruiting.

Pederson said that while NU isn't trying to measure itself against anyone in particular, recruits do pit schools against one another. And like a potential homeowner making the Sunday open-house circuit, a blue-chipper's tongue can wag at the sight of fancy new digs.

Together, Big 12 Conference powers Oklahoma and Texas have spent $164 million on stadium improvements in recent years.

"And it's not just Oklahoma and Texas that are doing this, it's Oklahoma State and Texas Tech and Missouri that are putting a lot of money into what they're doing right now," Pederson said. "And if you don't take those competitions seriously, you'll be sorry someday."

Oklahoma State spent $55 million to double the size of its basketball arena and is nearing the end of an $88 million project that has transformed Lewis Field — better known as an erector set, into Boone Pickens Stadium. SBC Communications Inc. donated $20 million toward the $84 million renovation of Jones Stadium at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders' home field now includes 47 luxury suites, more than 1,000 club seats, a new press box, locker room, weight room and meeting area.

Missouri unveiled its new $75 million basketball arena last season.

Outside the conference, California announced in May that $40 million had been pledged toward a $200 million project to renovate its football stadium and make improvements to the business and law schools.

At Oregon, the football team's renovated locker room cost more to build than the school's original stadium. It's two stories with 120 lockers, each with its own ventilation system, outlets for video games and the Internet and a security system that takes a scan of a player's thumbprint.

The arm's race as it's referred to in college athletics is perhaps the best example of what's referred to in the overused cliché, "Keeping up with the Joneses."

"They talk about a race in facilities, and there really is," said Boyd Epley, Nebraska's associate AD for facility development. "There are some amazing facilities out there."

All of this work comes with a price. At Nebraska, it's a $6.8 million debt-service payment due this academic year.

That's cheap compared to Ohio State, the largest athletic department in the country, where debt service in 2002 alone totaled nearly $20 million. The money to pay it came from luxury-box rentals, ticket surcharges, seat licenses and club seating.

And even before the Huskers have set foot in their new facilities, Pederson and others are working to evaluate other needs in the athletic program.

Every opportunity they get, Epley said NU officials tour facilities at other schools. This summer, they've been to Michigan and Wisconsin and checked out the training facilities of the Green Bay Packers.

Once completed, Epley said, Nebraska will have a tremendous set-up and, in comparison to other projects, a great value.

Pederson visits the construction site at least once a week.

"Every time I go over there, I get more excited about what it's going to be," Pederson said, "and I think as people drive up and they see all that steel in the air, they realize just how big this structure is going to be and how spectacular it's going to be for us in recruiting and coaching and player development.

"It's going to be the kind of facility that will take us to the top echelon of college football."

Reach Todd Henrichs at 473-7439 or thenrichs@journalstar.com.

 
[SIZE=14pt]Brown has 1 big team to beat[/SIZE]

Boulder Daily Camera

Around here, everybody is talking about how much pressure Alabama coach Mike Shula is facing this football season - beat a Tennessee, LSU or Auburn, win seven games or win eight games or win a bowl game. You name the particular pressure, and Mike Shula is facing it.

But in a strange sort of way, Shula is not facing as much pressure as a coach who has (1) won 10 games in each of the past four seasons; (2) has won nine games for seven straight years; (3) finished in the Top 12 in the nation five consecutive years; (4) won the Rose Bowl this past season; (5) but, and this is a big, big but, has lost five consecutive games to his biggest rival.

Shula doesn't know pressure until he walks in Mack Brown's shoes. Shula is trying to beat any good team. Brown is trying to beat only one.

Without question the Texas Longhorns have been one of the top college football programs in the country under Brown. It is a school, like Alabama, that glories in its past tradition. But unlike Alabama currently, it is not a program struggling to recover from anything other than one loss a year-the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns can't win the Red River Shootout, the traditional game against Oklahoma that is played in Dallas at the Texas State Fair every year.

On the midway, there are the normal things you find at any state fair-rides, cotton candy, and fun houses. But inside the Cotton Bowl where Oklahoma and Texas have squared off since ... well, since Moses parted the Red Sea, it has been nothing but a house of horrors for Texas over the past five years. Think of it this way, Texas has not beaten Oklahoma this century, which admittedly is only four years old, but you get the picture.

"They probably cost us a chance at two or three national championship runs," Brown said last week at the Big 12 Football Media Days where his team was picked to win the Big 12's South Division. "I understand (being picked to win the South) means respect, nothing beyond that. I understand it opens you up for more criticism if you don't product. None of that is important. Us winning all the games is. Our players won't even mention they were picked to be No. 1."

Brown said that before his players met the media. The message was clear: they better not mention it.

But he didn't really have to tell them that. Winning the South means one thing to Texas - beating Oklahoma. That's the hurdle the Longhorns have tripped over the past five seasons.

This would appear to be the year the Longhorns should win. Oklahoma is coming off a season in which it lost a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Jason White and Outland Trophy winner in Jamaal Brown. And the Sooners are also coming off a 36-point loss to USC in the BCS national championship game.

But Texas has a big man returning this year in quarterback Vince Young. Young came to Texas as a hot recruiting after a brilliant high school career. He started slowly, but has come on to be everything Brown thought he would.

While the Oklahoma game is never far from a Texas player's mind, the Longhorns have a huge game on Sept. 10 when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to meet the Ohio State Buckeyes. Recently after a morning summer workout, Young wrote a message on the blackboard in the Sooners' locker room: "Everybody that wants to beat Ohio State, be on the practice field at 8 tonight."

That night, the Longhorns were together on the practice field en masse working out again, but that just continued what Brown said had been a good season of off-season workouts.

The Rose Bowl victory has done wonders for Texas in terms of recruiting and sales, as if the Longhorns needed any help in those areas. Texas was the fourth best selling team in regard to tee shirts and hats before the Rose Bowl, they are second nationally with that victory under their belt.

All of that is fine, but unless Texas can win the game on Oct. 8 at the State Fair, it just won't matter.

 
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