When Florida State became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, it brought a lot more to the league than Chief Osceola. The Seminoles may well have paved the way for bringing Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College into the conference. At least that is the opinion of ACC commissioner John Swofford, who has watched his league grow into a superconference and revenue juggernaut. And the deal has been terrific for Florida State, too. Consider it cost the Seminoles an initial payment of only $500,000 to become a league member. Since joining, Florida State has received $85 million in revenue sharing from the league. Not a bad deal.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
How to Turn $500,000 Into $85 Million
When Florida State became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, it brought a lot more to the league than Chief Osceola. The Seminoles may well have paved the way for bringing Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College into the conference. At least that is the opinion of ACC commissioner John Swofford, who has watched his league grow into a superconference and revenue juggernaut. And the deal has been terrific for Florida State, too. Consider it cost the Seminoles an initial payment of only $500,000 to become a league member. Since joining, Florida State has received $85 million in revenue sharing from the league. Not a bad deal.
Everybody Seems to Enjoy a 12 Pac
So what if the Pacific 10 became the Pacific 12? Our posting last week on the possibility of the Pac-10 making a play for Colorado and another team at some point garnered a lot of attention. The good folks over at Bruins Nation decided to run a poll on which team other than Colorado would make the best fit in a retooled Pac-12. Voting is ongoing, so you'll have to pay a visit for the latest results. Block U makes a strong case for Utah becoming the 12th member, pointing out that the Utes have victories over USC, Oregon, California and Arizona (twice) since 2001. Oddly enough, UCLA and Utah open the season Sept. 2 at the Rose Bowl. Fark also picked up the post and it drew a slew of comments. And College Football Resource simply thinks the Wiz has lost it.
Reporters' Notebooks
Michael Pointer, Indianapolis Star: Purdue is first member of the Big Ten to form a partnership with online ticket broker StubHub.
Larry Bowen, Bryan-College Station Eagle: A high school kicker who has drilled a 61-yarder is trying to graduate early and enroll at Texas A&M.
Andrew Gilman, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State prefers to play night games, but all that could change if the Cowboys start winning (registration).
Andy Staples, Tampa Tribune: Florida's secondary, in need of help after the dismissal of projected starter Avery Atkins, could be getting help from Utah cornerback Ryan Smith.
Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate: Louisiana State coach Les Miles is back from his USO tour of Iraq and preparing for the opening of camp.
Map Game Day: Wanted to slip in a plug for this site, which we recently added to our list of links. It allows fans to create online sharable maps of their favorite stadiums.
Larry Bowen, Bryan-College Station Eagle: A high school kicker who has drilled a 61-yarder is trying to graduate early and enroll at Texas A&M.
Andrew Gilman, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State prefers to play night games, but all that could change if the Cowboys start winning (registration).
Andy Staples, Tampa Tribune: Florida's secondary, in need of help after the dismissal of projected starter Avery Atkins, could be getting help from Utah cornerback Ryan Smith.
Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate: Louisiana State coach Les Miles is back from his USO tour of Iraq and preparing for the opening of camp.
Map Game Day: Wanted to slip in a plug for this site, which we recently added to our list of links. It allows fans to create online sharable maps of their favorite stadiums.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Reporters' Notebooks
Bob Condotta, Seattle Times: Any ideas to renovate Washington's Husky Stadium might have to be put on hold until 2015 because of transit projects in the area.
Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa News: When the renovation of Bryant-Denny is complete, the Alabama stadium will be the seventh-largest on-campus facility in the country. The move to improve the facility is a smart one (registration).
Jim Kleinpeter, Times-Picayune: Louisiana State's renovation of Tiger Stadium is nearing completion, despite the interruptions from two major hurricanes.
Bryan Mullen, Tennessean: Vanderbilt quarterback Richard Kovalcheck, who took advantage of a new NCAA rule that allowed him to be immediately eligible after transferring from Arizona, is ready for the challenge on the field and in the classroom.
Ian R. Rapoport, Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi State players are turning to yoga in their off-season conditioning drills.
Jim Carty, Ann Arbor News: Bo Schembechler is 77, but the former Michigan coach remains a man on the go.
Ken Gordon, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State defensive tackle Joel Penton, a man of faith, has become an in-demand speaker.
Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is the first to acknowledge he is taking a big risk by giving linebacker Chris Collins a scholarship (registration).
Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: South Florida's Carlton Hill, the most highly regarded recruit in program history, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana.
Steve Ellis, Tallahassee Democrat: The lazy days of summer? Try telling that to Florida State assistant Kevin Steele.
Richard Stevens, Albuquerque Tribune: The columnist is no fan of the Mountain West's new deal with CSTV.
Honolulu Advertiser: The American Football Coaches Association has ended its 10-year relationship with the Hula Bowl (thanks to Ben Maller).
Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa News: When the renovation of Bryant-Denny is complete, the Alabama stadium will be the seventh-largest on-campus facility in the country. The move to improve the facility is a smart one (registration).
Jim Kleinpeter, Times-Picayune: Louisiana State's renovation of Tiger Stadium is nearing completion, despite the interruptions from two major hurricanes.
Bryan Mullen, Tennessean: Vanderbilt quarterback Richard Kovalcheck, who took advantage of a new NCAA rule that allowed him to be immediately eligible after transferring from Arizona, is ready for the challenge on the field and in the classroom.
Ian R. Rapoport, Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi State players are turning to yoga in their off-season conditioning drills.
Jim Carty, Ann Arbor News: Bo Schembechler is 77, but the former Michigan coach remains a man on the go.
Ken Gordon, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State defensive tackle Joel Penton, a man of faith, has become an in-demand speaker.
Berry Tramel, Oklahoman: Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is the first to acknowledge he is taking a big risk by giving linebacker Chris Collins a scholarship (registration).
Brett McMurphy, Tampa Tribune: South Florida's Carlton Hill, the most highly regarded recruit in program history, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana.
Steve Ellis, Tallahassee Democrat: The lazy days of summer? Try telling that to Florida State assistant Kevin Steele.
Richard Stevens, Albuquerque Tribune: The columnist is no fan of the Mountain West's new deal with CSTV.
Honolulu Advertiser: The American Football Coaches Association has ended its 10-year relationship with the Hula Bowl (thanks to Ben Maller).
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Nebraska Wants to Settle the Score
It appears a scoreboard that was removed from Nebraska's Memorial Stadium and put up for bid on eBay has been pulled from the Internet auction site. There were two such scoreboards — statistics boards that were located in the stadium's northeast and southwest corners — that were recently removed to make way for a monster scoreboard in the north end of the stadium as part of a renovation of the facility. The eBay seller said the scoreboard was 24 feet long and five feet tall and displayed only passing and rushing totals. The seller took a jab at rival Oklahoma in the posting, saying the buyer could wire the scoreboard to read 499 passing yards and 499 rushing yards, then point it at your neighbor who cheers for the Sooners. But Nebraska officials weren't laughing. Spokesman Keith Mann told the Omaha World-Herald: "We're taking steps to make sure the sale is removed from the site. This is something that we knew nothing about and it wasn't authorized by us."
Reporters' Notebooks
Ryan Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Mike Stoops, the coach at Arizona, said his older brother Bob, the coach at Oklahoma, would fake an injury when the two were at Iowa so Mike could see playing time late in games.
Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic: Arizona State has long been a pipeline for Polynesian players, and the Sun Devils enter this season with 14 players with connections to the group of islands in the central and South Pacific.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Want a chunk of Astroturf from Texas Tech's Jones Stadium? Officials will be selling rolls of it — pulled up to make way for FieldTurf — beginning next week.
David Flores, San Antonio Express-News: Without Vince Young, Texas won't have an edge as it tries to defend its national title.
Bill Mayer, Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas coach Mark Mangino could be cashing in if the Jayhawks have a big season.
Iliana Limon, Albuquerque Tribune: New Mexico officials are discovering that the Mountain West Conference's deal with CSTV could already be paying dividends.
South Bend Tribune: Demand for tickets to some Notre Dame games have reached an all-time high.
Andrew Logue, Des Moines Register: Underrated Iowa tailback Albert Young is finding plenty of motivation when he visits a newsstand.
Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Coaches should wake up and smell the lesson of the profession after the death of Randy Walker.
Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: The bizarre death of Alabama booster Logan Young has been the biggest story in the first six months of 2006.
Paola Boivin, Arizona Republic: Arizona State has long been a pipeline for Polynesian players, and the Sun Devils enter this season with 14 players with connections to the group of islands in the central and South Pacific.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Want a chunk of Astroturf from Texas Tech's Jones Stadium? Officials will be selling rolls of it — pulled up to make way for FieldTurf — beginning next week.
David Flores, San Antonio Express-News: Without Vince Young, Texas won't have an edge as it tries to defend its national title.
Bill Mayer, Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas coach Mark Mangino could be cashing in if the Jayhawks have a big season.
Iliana Limon, Albuquerque Tribune: New Mexico officials are discovering that the Mountain West Conference's deal with CSTV could already be paying dividends.
South Bend Tribune: Demand for tickets to some Notre Dame games have reached an all-time high.
Andrew Logue, Des Moines Register: Underrated Iowa tailback Albert Young is finding plenty of motivation when he visits a newsstand.
Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Coaches should wake up and smell the lesson of the profession after the death of Randy Walker.
Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press-Register: The bizarre death of Alabama booster Logan Young has been the biggest story in the first six months of 2006.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Randy Walker: May 28, 1954-June 29, 2006
We are dedicating our entire update today to Randy Walker, the Northwestern coach who died late Thursday night of an apparent heart attack. Here is a look at coverage from around the country:
Chicago Tribune: Athletic director Mark Murphy said Walker leaves a "tremendous legacy." Northwestern must find a coach under less than ideal circumstances, and assistant Pat Fitzgerald could be at the top of the list. Illinois' Ron Zook, a teammate of Walker's at Miami (Ohio), choose to issue a statement to express his feelings because it was too painful emotionally to reminisce about his friend. Walker always had time for everybody, and columnist Rick Morrissey has plenty of memories of the coach (registration).
Bill Sanders, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's a job that comes with heavy doses of stress. Just ask Central Florida's George O'Leary, or Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey, coaches who survived heart attacks (registration).
Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: Walker was much criticized after the tragic death of defensive back Rashidi Wheeler in 2001.
Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: College football has just lost one of its most innovative minds.
Mike Lucas, Capital Times: Just as Walker once said, getting through this is going to take a lot of time and a lot of prayers.
Chip Scoggins, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Walker was known in Big Ten circles as a sincere and personable coach who was an underrated member of his profession.
Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register: Former Iowa assistant and current San Diego State defensive coordinator Bob Elliott has plenty of good memories of Walker.
Chicago Tribune: Athletic director Mark Murphy said Walker leaves a "tremendous legacy." Northwestern must find a coach under less than ideal circumstances, and assistant Pat Fitzgerald could be at the top of the list. Illinois' Ron Zook, a teammate of Walker's at Miami (Ohio), choose to issue a statement to express his feelings because it was too painful emotionally to reminisce about his friend. Walker always had time for everybody, and columnist Rick Morrissey has plenty of memories of the coach (registration).
Bill Sanders, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It's a job that comes with heavy doses of stress. Just ask Central Florida's George O'Leary, or Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey, coaches who survived heart attacks (registration).
Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times: Walker was much criticized after the tragic death of defensive back Rashidi Wheeler in 2001.
Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: College football has just lost one of its most innovative minds.
Mike Lucas, Capital Times: Just as Walker once said, getting through this is going to take a lot of time and a lot of prayers.
Chip Scoggins, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Walker was known in Big Ten circles as a sincere and personable coach who was an underrated member of his profession.
Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register: Former Iowa assistant and current San Diego State defensive coordinator Bob Elliott has plenty of good memories of Walker.
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