College category, Page 48
Virginia Tech rattles Sam Howell, beats No. 10 North Carolina to open seasonVideo
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Braxton Burmeister ran for a touchdown and threw for another, and Virginia Tech made Sam Howell look pedestrian in a 17-10 victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Friday night in the opener for both teams. Burmeister scored on a 4-yard run and found James Mitchell for...
Michigan State names Alan Haller as new athletic director
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State named football alumnus and deputy athletic director Alan Haller as its 20th athletic director on Wednesday. Haller served as deputy athletic director since 2019, having been with the athletic department since 2010. He was a lieutenant for the university police department for 13 years. Haller...
Big Ten wastes no time getting down to business with openers
There will be no easing into the season for most Big Ten teams. Four conference games — and good ones, too — are on the schedule in Week 1. A fifth was played in Week Zero. The usual games against Group of Five or FCS opponents will come just a...
No. 12 Wisconsin expects to show off offense vs. No. 19 Penn StateVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin has plenty of reasons to believe its offense will bounce back from its ineffective 2020 performance. Quarterback Graham Mertz has more pass-catching targets now that Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor are healthy. Coach Paul Chryst is calling plays again. Chez Mellusi has arrived from Clemson to...
Column: Another earthquake leaves college football teetering
The Southeastern Conference is getting bigger and, somehow, even stronger. Three other major conferences have formed an alliance, whatever that means. And the Big 12 is dead man walking. After a period of relative stability, college football heads into a new season wobbling from the aftershocks of another major earthquake....
Pac-12 won’t expand for now despite interest from schools that want to join
LOS ANGELES — The Pac-12 will not expand its membership for now, the conference announced Thursday in a statement. “Following consultation with our presidents, chancellors and athletic directors, the Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to not pursue expansion of our membership at this time,” the statement said. “This decision...
Loyola Chicago basketball pioneer Jerry Harkness dies at 81Video
Jerry Harkness was inspired by Jackie Robinson to take up the game of basketball. He ended up becoming a civil rights trailblazer in his own right. Following a path paved by Major League Baseball’s first Black player, Harkness led Loyola Chicago to a barrier-breaking national championship in basketball in 1963...
Big Ten teams forfeit if unable to play because of covid-19
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten is the latest Power Five conference to announce that a team must forfeit if it doesn’t have enough players available for a league game because of covid-19. The Big Ten said Monday the team that forfeits will be assessed a loss in the conference...
Iowa State, Notre Dame highlight AP preseason All-Americans
Notre Dame and Iowa State each had three players selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, led by Fighting Irish defensive back Kyle Hamilton and Cyclones running back Breece Hall. The preseason All-America team was released Monday, five days before the first games of the season kickoff. Penn State...
Big 12 faces difficult realignment questions as ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 talk alliance
Big 12 leaders seemed to react with stunned silence when news broke over the weekend that the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 were having talks about a potential alliance between their conferences. That makes sense. There wasn’t much for them to say. Well, nothing positive, anyway. Oklahoma and Texas are...
BYU’s name, image, likeness deal could test limits of competitive advantageVideo
A deal BYU has made available to its football players could test how much allowing athletes to be compensated by outside companies for name, image and likeness can be used as a competitive advantage. Earlier this week, BYU announced Built Brands — a Utah-based company that makes protein snacks —...
Baylor infractions decision comes amid scrutiny of NCAA roleVideo
The NCAA infractions committee’s decision against punishing Baylor for its mishandling of sexual assault allegations in a sprawling scandal involving football players was jarring — even to the committee. Joel Maturi, the chief hearing officer and a member of the committee for eight years, said the case was troubling for...
Pac-12: Covid-19 issues can result in forfeits this seasonVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Pac-12 teams that cannot play because of covid-19 issues will likely be forced to forfeit games this season. The conference announced Thursday it is reinstituting its forfeiture policy after it modified its rules last season because of the pandemic. Last season, a game that could not be...
New coordinator puts aggressive plan for Notre Dame defense in placeVideo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman believes the best thing he can do as Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator is to get out of the way of his players. “This is theirs. They built this. I’m the new guy,” said the 35-year-old Freeman, who seven months ago was picked by...
Knocking off Ohio State goal for rest of Big TenVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — There aren’t many revelations to be learned about Ohio State’s recent dominance in the Big Ten. But say the school’s name to Indiana senior wide receiver Ty Fryfogle and he smiles with anticipation. “I’m ready to beat ‘em,” Fryfogle said during Friday’s media days session at Lucas Oil...
Potential Texas, Oklahoma move to SEC could tip realignment dominosVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Barry Alvarez lived through the tidal wave of conference realignment that swept over college sports in the early 2010s as Wisconsin’s athletic director, watching the Big Ten grow to 14 teams from the Midwest to the East Coast. Another round of shuffling could be on the horizon, with...
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian: No magic trick to make Longhorns contenders againVideo
ARLINGTON — Texas fans want more than top 10 rankings and bowl victories. They would like to win some Big 12 titles and be in contention for national championships. While the Longhorns still are the last Big 12 team to win a national title, that was long ago — the...
College-bound Olympians, especially gymnasts, look to cash in on new opportunityVideo
Maggie Nichols just laughs when asked if she plans on asking Under Armour where her check is. “I should, right!” the retired two-time world championship medalist and two-time NCAA all-around champion said. Nichols is kidding. Well, mostly. She didn’t complain when the athletic apparel giant approached her in 2016 about...
Keeping name, image, likeness deals safe, compliant possible trouble for collegesVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Clunie chuckles thinking about what Stephen Curry’s marketing potential might’ve been at Davidson during the Wildcats’ remarkable 2008 NCAA Tournament run had Curry played in an era when college students could profit from their own fame and celebrity. Curry jerseys. Curry shoes. Curry chicken sliders. Who...
Vanderbilt, Mississippi State look past paths to College World Series finalVideo
OMAHA, Neb. — Awkward is the only way to describe Vanderbilt’s appearance in the all-SEC College World Series finals beginning Monday night against Mississippi State. The Commodores were supposed to play N.C. State in a winner-take-all bracket final Saturday and found out 12 hours before the the start the Wolfpack...
LaVar Arrington, 3 Steelers among Western Pa. stars nominated for College Football Hall of Fame
Nominees for the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class include several Western Pennsylvania stars with roots in Bethel Park, Slippery Rock and many places in between. Plus, there are three who made their mark with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ballot was emailed Wednesday to more than 12,000 NFF members...
South Fayette grads help James Madison softball reach NCAA Women’s College World Series
The 2021 James Madison softball team has made history with its first-ever trip to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, and two South Fayette graduates, Sara Jubas and Lauren Bernett, have helped the Dukes in their journey to Oklahoma City. JMU took two of three games in a best-of-three Columbia...
Horizon League’s Milwaukee lands top recruit Baldwin Jr.Video
MILWAUKEE — Patrick Baldwin Jr., one of the nation’s top recruits in his class, will play college basketball for his father at Milwaukee. The forward is rated as the nation’s No. 4 senior prospect according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. An ankle injury caused him to...
Immediately eligible: NCAA on verge of transfer rule change
Whether it is the start of free agency in college sports or simply the fair thing to finally do for the athletes, the NCAA is about to make a monumental change to its transfer rules. The Division I Council meets Wednesday and Thursday, and the agenda includes voting on a...
New-look Notre Dame offense could feature 3 offensive linemen from WPIALVideo
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Getting to the College Football Playoff hasn’t been a problem for Notre Dame. Staying in it has for Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish, who suffered double-digit semifinal losses to eventual national champions Clemson in the 2018 season and Alabama in 2020. Kelly knows if Notre Dame wishes...
