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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (covers.com):week 14 tv bettors guide.
Thursday, Nov. 30
Ohio vs. Central Michigan (-2 ½), total 43 ½
8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The MAC championship game comes to you from Ford Field in Detroit, featuring schools that went a combined 31-61 between 2002 and 2005.
It’s hard to say which is the bigger success story between the Ohio Bobcats and the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Bobcats came out of nowhere to claim the East Division, winning seven straight to close the regular season and covering the spread in six of those. The Chippewas expanded on last year’s improvement to win the West.
Central Michigan head coach Brian Kelly turned down Iowa State’s overtures to become the Cyclones` new head coach, leaving bettors to wonder if Kelly`s loyalty to the Chippewas will have a positive effect on Thursday night.
Friday, Dec. 1
Southern Mississippi at Houston (-4 ½), total 54
8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The Houston Cougars have home-field advantage for the C-USA championship game, hosting the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles at Robertson Stadium where the Cougars went 6-1 straight-up (SU) and 5-1 against the spread (ATS).
Houston has a five-game winning streak but barely escaped its last game against Memphis as the heavy favorite. And the Cougars’ last loss, back on Oct. 14, came at the talons of Southern Miss.
The Eagles have a four-game winning streak of their own, covering the spread in three of those games to lift their ATS record to 5-6 after a slow start. Their 35-point win over Marshall to end the regular season created a positive feeling they’ll look to carry over to Friday.
Saturday, Dec. 2
Connecticut at Louisville (-27), total 55
Noon ET, ESPN
The first piece of the puzzle for the Louisville Cardinals to claim the Big East title and the accompanying BCS bowl berth. Winning the game shouldn’t be a problem for the Cards, but last year’s 10-point win over the Connecticut Huskies (when Louisville was a 14 ½-point road favorite) raises questions about the massive spread this year.
Huskies backers will be encouraged by the fact that UConn hasn’t lost a game by 27 points this season. Cardinals backers will be equally encouraged by Louisville’s impressive record at Papa John’s Cardinals Stadium, 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS.
Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech (-2 ½), total 41
1 p.m. ET, ABC
The ACC championship game in Jacksonville’s Alltel Stadium had only sold 36,000 tickets as of last week. That could be a result of people not knowing which team was going to represent the Atlantic, or it could be a sign that Floridians don’t care about a game with no Florida-based schools involved.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons continued their improbable run to the top with an impressive win in Maryland to take the Atlantic. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, stumbled in their last game with a crushing loss at Georgia.
They avoided each other in the regular season and a look at their common opponents only obfuscates the picture. Both lost to Clemson, but Wake looked far better in doing so. The Deacons were embarrassed by Virginia Tech, who the Jackets handled easily, but Wake looked better when beating the Terps. Sigh. Stupid ACC.
Army at Navy (-20 ½), total 49
2:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The Navy Midshipmen are a better team than the Army Black Knights. Better record (8-3 to 3-8), better against the number (6-4 to 2-8), better on offense (scoring nine more points per game) and better on defense (allowing eight less points per game). Does that translate into 20 ½ points better?
The short answer is “yes”.
Navy has won in each of the service academies’ last four meetings by at least 19 points and the Middies have also won their three most recent games by at least 25. Army, on the other hand, fell apart after a promising first half of the season. The Knights have lost five in a row, all by at least 14 points, and their last two games by more than 30.
Stanford at California (-28 ½), total 45 ½
3 p.m. ET, FSN
A traditional rivalry game that should mean something but doesn’t to folks living outside of northern California.
The Stanford Cardinal are not going to a bowl. The California Golden Bears are. The Cardinal can’t win on the road while the Bears can’t lose at home. Cal won by 35 the last time these teams played at Memorial Stadium and this is the worst edition of a Stanford team in years.
That said, Cal is on a two-game losing streak and 0-3 ATS as a double-digit favorite. Stanford is averaging less than seven points per game in Pac-10 play, but shocked Washington 20-3 in its last road game when the Cardinal were dogged by 18 points.
Air Force at Texas Christian (-14 ½), total 49 ½
3:30 p.m. ET, CSTV
The Texas Christian Horned Frogs dropped off the national radar after their back-to-back losses to BYU and Utah. But they’ve since become as safe a bet as a bettor could ask for, winning six a in a row and going 5-1 ATS over that span. Their only lost payday was the 15-point win over UNLV when the Frogs were favored by 19.
They face the Air Force Falcons, who have dropped four Mountain West games in a row and didn’t cover a single one. That’s after a promising 3-2 SU and ATS start to the season.
The Falcons stress the run, but should be wary of the Frogs: TCU has 597 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in its last two while allowing only 64 yards and no majors in those games.
USC at UCLA (+13 ½), total 48
4:30 p.m. ET, ABC
”Dude, I can’t wait for that Ohio State–USC matchup on Jan. 4, it’ll be so rad to see… huh? They have to what now? But I thought it was decided, all the networks are talking about it and… Oh. Still another game, huh?”
Here’s hoping the Southern Cal Trojans aren’t looking ahead to the Buckeyes the way the analysts are, because the UCLA Bruins would love nothing more than to screw up their L.A. rival’s postseason plans. It’s the first time in four seasons that USC hasn`t been favored by 20 or more, a reiteration that this ain’t the ’04 Trojans.
The Bruins became bowl-eligible with their win over Arizona State, UCLA’s second-straight Pac-10 win. That pales, however, in comparison to USC’s current run. Leaving behind their midseason hiccup, the Trojans have been absolutely dominant in beating three consecutive ranked opponents. Maybe they can look ahead to THE Ohio State.
Arkansas vs. Florida (-2 ½), total 45
6 p.m. ET, CBS
The Arkansas Razorbacks can not only claim the SEC’s BCS bowl berth with a win in Atlanta, they can exact revenge against LSU, their recent vanquishers.
A loss to the Piggies would relegate the Florida Gators to the crowd of schools looking for an elusive “at-large” BCS bid, where they would join the Bayou Bengals. All claims that LSU is the conference’s most talented team aside, could the Tigers skip the queue over the Gators, who beat them by 13?
Anyways, back to the game. Florida’s schedule was viewed as tough as it comes in the preseason, but the Gators haven’t faced a ground attack even close to the one Arkansas brings to the table. Perhaps they were watching Casey Dick throw the ball against LSU, however, an encouraging sight for any opposing defensive coordinator.
Rutgers at West Virginia (-7 ½), total 51
7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
The other piece of the puzzle for Louisville, assuming they beat UConn in the afternoon. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights can win the Big East with a road win in Morgantown, but the West Virginia Mountaineers can hand the conference title to the Cards with a win on Saturday evening.
Last Saturday’s stunning loss to South Florida ended the Mountaineers` dreams of the conference title and an at-large BCS bid too. Will they rebound against Rutgers or will their collective disappointment result in a dud at home?
Both are run-oriented teams who have suffered crushing losses in November. The Scarlet Knights may have more to play for, but West Virginia has the talent to close out the season on a positive note.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma (-4), total 46
8 p.m. ET, ABC
The Big 12 championship game will be fought at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City between ranked traditional powerhouses. Glad things worked out for conference officials, who were likely worried after Mizzou’s hot start.
The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the nation’s hottest teams, going 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS over their last seven, beating their conference foes by an average of 29.7 to 13.3. The Sooners’ tenacious play down the stretch was rewarded when Texas lost two late games and handed Oklahoma the South.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers claimed the North in a less dramatic manner but are no less deserving of a potential claim for the conference crown. The Huskers’ gritty 2-point loss to the Longhorns and surprising loss to Oklahoma State as Week 9 favorites were the only low points in Nebraska’s conference schedule.
Oregon State at Hawaii (-8), total 73
Midnight ET, ESPN
Once again it’s the Hawaii Warriors working the late shift, representing bettors’ last chance for gaming romance. Hawaii’s recent win over Purdue was its ninth win in a row, but the fact that the indifferent Boilermakers came within a touchdown should make bettors question the Warriors’ WAC-heavy success.
The Oregon State Beavers are dangerous, as their massive upset over USC displayed. The Beavers are also a hazard to bettors who put too much stock in them. A relatively recent 18-point loss to UCLA is worrisome, perhaps moreso than an early-season 28-point loss to Boise State, another WAC powerhouse.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (covers.com): bettors like central michigan in mac title game.
The hype continues to build for this week’s big game between Michigan and Ohio.
OK, so the hype is not quite as big as that other game featuring teams from Ohio and Michigan, and neither is the stage, but the game is no less important for the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Ohio Bobcats.
The two teams will meet on Thursday at Ford Field on Detroit in the MAC championship game with CMU as a 3-point favorite.
The line actually opened with Ohio favored by one point, but action on Central Michigan quickly shifted the odds.
“The opening number originally received balanced action, but that was soon followed by an influx of Central Michigan bets,” says Simon Noble of Pinnaclesports.com. “Bettors finally started playing Ohio once the Bobcats started getting three points.”
Giving three points on a neutral field hasn’t stopped the public from continuing to pile on the country’s best money team. Central Michigan’s 10-2 record against the spread is tied with East Carolina and Nevada for the best in the nation.
“So far there is semi-sharp action on both sides of this game, although the public has clearly sided with Central Michigan,” says Noble. “We are receiving bets on the Chippewas at a rate of 5-to-2.”
The game is expected to come down to a battle of strengths. The Chippewas will lean on the conference’s top offense while the Bobcats counter with the conference’s top defense.
CMU runs a dangerously balanced attack, and has won games this season through the air and on the ground. The best example came against a Western Michigan defense that finished the season as the second best in the MAC statistically
Central Michigan ran the ball 35 times for 142 yards and passed 27 times for 167 yards in a 31-7 win as 6-point favorites, clinching the MAC West title in the process
“What I like here is that Central Michigan has played a tougher schedule than Ohio, in conference and out,” says professional handicapper Tom Stryker. “That Western Michigan defense is just as good as Ohio’s, and they were able to put points on the board (against them).”
CMU played Michigan, Boston College and Kentucky out of conference. They lost all three games, but managed to cover the spread in every one. Competing strongly against three big conference teams going to bowl games will only help.
“I just don’t think that Ohio will be able to trade points with Central Michigan,” says Stryker, who feels last week’s rumors of CMU head coach Brian Kelly leaving for the Iowa State job have no merit in this game.
“These guys are playing to win a championship,” he says. “I see no reason this would affect their focus, especially now that the case is closed on the matter.”
Kelly was considered one of he leading candidates for the job, but insisted he wanted to stay with the Chippewas. Any continued rumors of his hiring were quelled when Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik took the job on Monday.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS: (associated press): sooners rb peterson out for big 12 title game.
No. 10 Oklahoma will be without star tailback Adrian Peterson when it faces No. 19 Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game Saturday.
Oddsmakers have Oklahoma listed as a 4-point favorite. The total is set at 46.
Peterson, the 2004 Heisman runner-up, has missed six weeks after breaking his collarbone Oct. 14 on a touchdown run against Iowa State.
Adrian is not going to play, Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. Without being too technical, he`s close. He could be cleared to play, but each week that passes the likelihood of it reoccurring is less and less.
Peterson, the nation`s No. 2 rusher at the time of his injury, initially was expected to miss six weeks.
There`s enough healing that, yes, he could possibly play, Stoops said. But there`s still a chance if he fell on it wrong or took a severe hit - I don`t know if they`re ever totally sure will it hold up at this point? We`re not going to take that chance.
Oklahoma (10-2, 7-1 Big 12) has won all six of its games without Peterson, who set an NCAA freshman record in 2004 with 1,925 yards rushing. He had 935 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games this season and is 150 yards shy of Oklahoma`s career rushing record, held by 1978 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims.
He possibly could go for that record in a bowl game.
The bowl game is a very likely possibility and very likely to happen, Stoops said. Talking to Adrian, he absolutely wants to play. And by that time, that`s another four weeks of healing that they`re really sure that he`ll be fine and there`s a really small chance of anything happening to it.
NCAA FOOTBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press) : iowa state hire texas assistant as head coach.
Texas assistant Gene Chizik was hired as Iowa State`s football coach and will try to revive a team that finished 4-8 this season.
Chizik will replace Dan McCarney, who resigned this month after 12 seasons, Cyclones associate athletic director Steve Malchow told The Associated Press.
A news conference was scheduled for Monday evening to introduce Chizik, who arrived in Ames earlier in the day.
We were challenged to get him, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard told The Des Moines Register. We were told we wouldn`t be able to get him by a lot of people. He`s the real deal.
Chizik, the defensive co-coordinator at Texas, came to the Longhorns before the 2005 season, and the school won a national championship in his first season. By the end of the 2005 season, Chizik`s teams had won 28 straight games dating to his years in Auburn, where he was defensive coordinator for three seasons.
In 2004, the Tigers went 13-0 and finished the season ranked No. 2. The Tigers had the nation`s top scoring defense and ranked fifth in total defense that season, and Chizik won the Broyles Award as the nation`s top assistant coach.
Iowa State was 56-84 under McCarney. The Cyclones finished the 2006 season 3-7-0 against the spread.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS- (associated press): alabama fires shula.
Alabama coach Mike Shula was fired after a 6-6 season that ended with three straight losses, including a defeat by state rival Auburn.
The Crimson Tide also finished the season with a 6-6 record against the spread.
Athletic director Mal Moore said Monday that defensive coordinator Joe Kines would serve as interim head coach. A news conference was set for Monday afternoon.
The firing was first reported by The Tuscaloosa News on its Web site. The newspaper said Shula told his assistant coaches late Sunday night of the dismissal.
Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, led the Crimson Tide to a 10-2 season last year and a Cotton Bowl victory. But his teams were winless in four tries against Auburn. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 22-15 on Nov. 18.
Shula`s firing means Alabama is looking for a head coach for the fourth time since 2000. The Tide has had seven coaches in the 24 years since Paul Bear Bryant`s last season in 1982. Bryant had directed the Alabama program for 25 years.
Shula took over the proud but troubled program less than four months before the 2003 season after Mike Price was fired following spring practice for his off-the-field behavior - specifically a night of drinking at a strip club in Pensacola, Fla. Price got the job after Dennis Franchione bolted for Texas A&M.
Shula, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, spent 15 years as an NFL assistant before he took the Alabama job, but had no experience as a head coach or on a college staff.
He received a new six-year contract in May worth $1.55 million annually. The deal extended his contract two years through early 2012, with a raise of $650,000 plus a $200,000 signing bonus.
The 41-year-old Shula had a 26-23 record in four seasons with the Crimson Tide.
But he is the only Tide coach to lose four consecutive games to Auburn. He came under considerable fire earlier this month when Alabama was stunned by Mississippi State - and former Tide All-American Sylvester Croom, the runner-up to Shula for the Tuscaloosa job in 2003.
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press): michiagn state hire cincinnati coach.
Mark Dantonio is leaving the University of Cincinnati to become the new coach at Michigan State.
The Michigan State Board of Trustees, in a special meeting Monday morning, unanimously approved a recommendation to hire Dantonio. The five-year contract guarantees Dantonio about $1.1 million a year. It also has a $200,000 signing bonus and incentives that could boost his income.
The school scheduled a noon EST news conference to introduce Dantonio.
Michigan State was a measly 3-9 against the number this year.
Michigan State first interviewed Dantonio on Saturday night, followed up by a second interview with university president Lou Anna Simon on Sunday morning.
Everyone agreed, head and shoulders, this was the right person for the job, athletic director Ron Mason said.
Dantonio is a former Michigan State assistant who has been head coach at Cincinnati for the past three seasons. He has an 18-17 record, including a 7-5 mark this season with a win over previously unbeaten Rutgers. The Big East school is awaiting a bowl bid, its second under Dantonio.
Dantonio replaces John L. Smith, who was fired while completing his fourth season with the Spartans. Smith finished with a 22-26 record, including a 4-8 mark this year.
Dantonio will be the school`s ninth coach since the Duffy Daugherty era ended in 1972. The Spartans have played in only one Rose Bowl since 1966.
Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, Central Michigan coach Brian Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles assistant Pat Shurmur and Miami Dolphins assistant Charlie Baggett also were candidates for the opening.
Dantonio`s head coaching experience worked in his favor, along with his ties to the school.
He was an assistant at Michigan State from 1995 through 2000 under Nick Saban and Bobby Williams. Dantonio left for Ohio State, where he was defensive coordinator for three seasons. He also was an assistant at Kansas, Akron, Ohio and Youngstown State.
The Bearcats hired Dantonio in December 2003, and he went on to become the first coach in school history to have a winning record in his first season, with seven wins, including a victory over Marshall in the Fort Worth Bowl.
After taking a step back with a 4-7 record in 2005 with a young team, Dantonio led Cincinnati to another solid season this year.
Dantonio might be able to help Michigan State recruit in the talent-rich state of Ohio.
The Zanesville, Ohio, native got his first big break at Ohio State, where Earle Bruce hired him in 1983. He also was a defensive coordinator at Youngstown State under Jim Tressel, who later brought Dantonio with him from the Division I-AA school to Ohio State.
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS: (espn.com): tulane fires coach.
Tulane fired football coach Chris Scelfo on Tuesday, ending an eight-year stint for a coach that held the program together through Hurricane Katrina but struggled to win before and after the storm.
"It's an extremely critical time for Tulane athletics and our football program plays an extremely critical role," athletic director Rick Dickson said in announcing the dismissal of Scelfo, who had not had a winning season since 2002.
"We're in the midst of trying to bring ourselves back to full strength and the largest engine of support toward that goal has to come from our football program."
"I want to thank Tulane University, the city of New Orleans and more importantly every player that I have coached during my eight years at Tulane," Scelfo, was not at the news conference, said in a statement released by Tulane. "I especially want to thank Dr. Scott Cowen and Rick Dickson for the opportunity to coach at Tulane for eight great years. It is my hope the community will rally together and make Tulane football stronger than ever."
Dickson said some members of the coaching staff will be asked to stay temporarily for recruiting and will be given an opportunity to interview with the new coach.
Dickson did not hold himself to a deadline, but said a nationwide search would begin immediately and that he understood a new coach had to be in place soon.
"We want to absolutely get the right coach," he said. "We're going to get it in as expeditious a time table in order to effectively secure another good recruiting class this year."
Dickson said he considered Scelfo a good coach and friend and he understood there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to the team's difficulties on the field, such as last year's displacement due to Hurricane Katrina.
Tulane, which went 4-8 this season, returned to the Louisiana Superdome, but played before very sparse crowds in its longtime home stadium.
The 2005 season was perhaps Scelfo's most difficult. Hurricane Katrina forced the team to travel throughout the season, playing 11 games in 11 different cities while compiling a 2-9 record.
Scelfo's overall record was 37-57 with only one postseason bowl appearance, a 36-28 victory over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl in 2002 following a 7-5 season. The Green Wave's only other winning season under Scelfo was in 2000, his second season, when the team went 6-5.
During his tenure at Tulane, Scelfo sent nine Green Wave players to the National Football League, including first-round draft picks Patrick Ramsey (2002) and J.P. Losman (2004).
Tulane is in the second year of a five-year waiver to keep Division I athletic status with only eight team sports instead of the usual minimum of 16.
"The support has to build, not dwindle, and we had to reverse that trend, again, for bigger reasons and beyond football," Dickson said. "We're going to have to ramp up levels of support not seen here before. Football is a critical piece and driving force of that. ... We can't afford to regress."
Dickson told the players of the dismissal Tuesday evening and said their input, along with that of faculty and staff, would influence who replaces Scelfo. Dickson said Tulane, a private university far smaller than many of the state schools that dominate college football in the South, has no plans to relax academic standards for football players.
Because of that, the university would need a coach who would be willing to embrace that philosophy and live with the recruiting limitations it creates.
Scelfo was that kind of coach, Dickson said, and his players struggled with the news he had been let go.
"Obviously, everybody's probably a little upset, just for the fact that this has been our family for the last few years," quarterback Scott Elliott said. "It's going to be tough. But I trust that the administration knows what they're doing and doing the right thing for the program."
FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (covers.com): top ten ats teams as of 11/28.
1 Central Michigan
2 Nevada
3 East Carolina
4 Ohio State
5 Brigham Young
6 Rice
7 Wisconsin
8 Hawaii
9 Texas A&M
10 South Carolina
FREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS- (associated press) texas qb mccoy to play in bowl game.
Injured Texas quarterback Colt McCoy should be ready to play in a bowl game after suffering a severely pinched nerves in his neck in the loss to Texas A&M, the player's father said Tuesday.
"In the hospital, he was killing himself for how he played. That was hurting him a lot more than the injury," Brad McCoy told The Dallas Morning News for a story on the paper's Web site.
"But I think with a month to get ready, he'll be fine. I think Colt's expecting himself to play. Physically, he feels a lot better already."
The bowl game for No. 17 Texas (9-3) has not yet been determined.
McCoy threw three interceptions in the 12-7 loss. He was taken off the field on a cart with his head immobilized with 20 seconds left after taking a hard hit by A&M defensive end Michael Bennett.
Brad McCoy also said he thinks his son's arm strength was off against A&M and wondered if it was a lingering effect from a stinger suffered against Kansas State two weeks earlier.
"I've coached him his whole life and I just didn't think he had his best stuff," Brad McCoy said. "He's so accurate, and he doesn't throw short very often, and it seemed like his passes got shorter and shorter as the game wore on. That's just Dad's opinion."
Brad McCoy, his son's football coach at Tuscola Jim Ned, said he didn't fault the Texas team doctors for clearing Colt to play.
"I told the team doctors that at the hospital," McCoy said. "I wanted them to know that from the family. We talked to Colt every day that week, and in his mind he was ready. He didn't feel like he was in pain at all.
"Maybe there was some strength issue. Colt never said that. He's a competitor. In that game, on that stage, he wanted to be there for his teammates. It's unfortunate that maybe he was a little weaker than he thought he was."
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS: (associated press) 3 injured florida players ready for sec title game.
Fourth-ranked Florida might be without three starters Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 8 Arkansas.
Dynamic freshman Percy Harvin, running back DeShawn Wynn and linebacker Earl Everett missed practice Tuesday and probably will be limited again Wednesday.
Harvin injured his neck Saturday at Florida State and was taken off the field on a stretcher in the second quarter.
"It's really not the head, it's just the neck," coach Urban Meyer said. "It went numb on him. It's just real sore right now, stiff."
Meyer said he was confident Harvin would play Saturday in Atlanta.
"I trust our doctors, and it's all positive," Meyer said. "He's so young. I think he's going to be ready by Saturday, but he's just got to practice, too."
Meyer was less optimistic about Wynn.
Florida's leading rusher has battled a shoulder injury all season, and it flared up against the Seminoles. Meyer said sophomore Kestahn Moore will start if Wynn can't play.
Everett hurt his left ankle against South Carolina and sat out the following week against Western Carolina. He returned against FSU, but tweaked the injury.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS: (associated press): lsu selling bowl tickets fast.
In anticipation of a possible berth in a BCS bowl game, LSU is taking applications from across the country for tickets to the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, athletic director Skip Bertman said Tuesday.
In pre-sales to football season ticket-holders, LSU has already sold over 15,000 tickets to each of the Rose and Orange Bowls.
"In response especially to our fans and alumni from the western part of the country who have expressed an interest in the Rose Bowl, we are taking orders immediately for tickets to our potential BCS bowls," Bertman said.
LSU football season ticket-holders had until Nov. 20 to place orders for postseason tickets based on the LSU Priority Point System, and those orders will take priority over the new applications now being taken.
Tickets to the Rose Bowl, which will be played Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif., are $135 each. Tickets to the Orange Bowl, to be played Jan. 2 in Miami, are $125 each. Tickets to the Capital One Bowl, to be played Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., are $75 each.
LSU said limitations will be put in place if the demand for tickets exceeds the supply available to LSU for any games
trustees and boosters have begun to identify replacements.
Spurrier makes about $1.3 million a year at South Carolina and has five years remaining on
his contract. Miami would have to be prepared to pay upwards of $2 million a year to have a
chance to land Spurrier.
When Spurrier left Florida to coach the NFL's Washington Redskins in 2002, he said he
desired to coach somewhere that expectations weren't so immense on a yearly basis. But a
move to Miami would certainly bring added expectations. Coker is under intense pressure and
scrutiny despite compiling a 53-9 record prior to this season.
On Friday, South Carolina unveiled a near-$200 million proposal that included expanding the
stadium by up to 8,000 seats and an $11.4 million academic learning center.
"I guess in a way it's flattering someone would throw my name in with one of the top
programs," Spurrier said. "But I came to South Carolina to win an SEC championship. We
haven't proven we can yet. But we have an outstanding program. We're going to make that our
goal starting next year."
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICKS: (associated press) washington quarterback has brain tumor.
Washington quarterback Johnny DuRocher has a brain tumor that apparently will end his
college football career, UW athletics spokesman Richard Kilwien said Monday.
The tumor, found during a routine test following a concussion, was considered benign, or
noncancerous, Kilwien said DuRocher told him.
The junior QB planned to speak to reporters Tuesday.
DuRocher suffered a concussion in Washington's 20-3 loss to Stanford on Nov. 11. A
subsequent CAT scan at the University of Washington Medical Center revealed a spot on his
brain and further tests confirmed the tumor, which is believed to be non-cancerous.
DuRocher is expected to have surgery in the next few weeks to have the tumor removed.
DuRocher first told the Web site Scout.com on Monday.
He did not travel with the team for last weekend's Apple Cup against rival Washington
State.
DuRocher told Scout.com that the tumor is about the size of a golf ball, and he should be
able to play baseball this spring once he recovers from surgery.
DuRocher started his career at Oregon and transferred to Washington after his freshman
season in Eugene. He played in five games as a sophomore, and two this season. DuRocher
came off the bench to direct a fourth quarter rally in the Huskies 26-23 overtime loss to
Arizona State. He struggled against Stanford, completing just 1 of 9 passes and threw two
interceptions, the second getting returned 49 yards for a touchdown. He was injured in a
block on the return.
NCAA FOOTBALL PICKS: (associated press): texas a&m dt out for year with knee injury.
Texas A&M junior defensive tackle Red Bryant had surgery on his right knee and will miss
the Aggies' regular-season finale at Texas on Friday.
Bryant suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Oklahoma State on Oct. 21. He had
surgery on Friday.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pound Bryant had 19 tackles and five pass break-ups this season. Against
the Cowboys, Bryant blocked an extra-point kick in overtime to secure Texas A&M's 34-33
victory.
Bryant had started 29 of A&M's 30 games since the start of the 2004 season before suffering
the injury against Oklahoma State.
"There is a void there that has to be replaced by other players," A&M coach Dennis
Franchione said Monday. "We've been fortunate that there are a lot of leaders on this
team."
Sophomore Bryce Reed replaced Bryant in the starting lineup in A&M's last two games. Reed
has 15 tackles this season.
"You don't really necessarily replace what Red can do," Franchione said, "but at least you
have some other people capable of taking ownership in that." |
