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Norm Chow is entering his first season coaching the Warriors. Credit: UHAthletics.com. The Orlando Sentinel has ranked all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. We’ll take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 120 to our projected No. 1 team. We will not be including the four teams the NCAA lists as still reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Today at No. 81: Hawai’i Coach: Norm Chow (0-0 in first season) 2011 record: 6-7 (3-4 in Western Athletic Conference, tied for fourth in WAC) Look back: Hawai’i opened the 2011 season with a 34-17 win over Colorado. The team then lost a pair of games 40-32 at Washington and 40-20 at UNLV. The team bounced back with ... Continue reading →
New copper helmets that Arizona football players will be wearing. (Photo via Arizonawildcats.com) It may not be high fashion but the University of Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne announced that the football team will wear special copper helmets as a way to honor the state as well as the university. The announcement was made in Byrne’s weekly newsletter on the school’s website. “Copper is not only associated with our great state’s mining history, but it has influenced architectural design on our campus, including our athletic facilities – most notably the ring at the top of the McKale Center, and the future North End Zone Football Complex,” he said. No word how often the helmets will be worn. The look is just the latest in a ... Continue reading →
Now for some non conference expansion related news …. It appears that Ohio State could be facing more NCAA violations than it previously reported. According to a report by the school’s student newspaper – The Lantern – athletic director Gene Smith said the university is facing several more pending violations in addition to the 46 self-reported secondary violations Ohio State has already reported. Smith went on to say that these new violations “may turn out to be secondary. It may not.” For a school that’s football program is currently under NCAA probation, a one-year postseason ban and has lost numerous scholarships, violations are something not to be trifled with. Smith released a statement on Thursday, clarifying his comments saying that “Ohio State Athletics is not ... Continue reading →
Sometimes a player knows when it’s best to move on. Today we begin a five-day series looking at five players who transferred to another school that will make an impact for their new teams in 2012. Today we feature: Brian Wagner Former Akron LB Brian Wagner will make an instant impact with his new team, Arizona. (University of Akron via Cleveland.com) BRIAN WAGNER Position: LB Current school: Arizona Former school: Akron Buzz: Rich Rodriguez probably knew he had a tall task when he took over the Arizona football program. Fresh off a two-win season, the Wildcats had problems on both sides of the ball but especially on defense with the team ranked 110th in the country in total defense. So, when the top defensive transfer ... Continue reading →
East Carolina is working to replace Pirates quarterback Dominique Davis. Credit: Evan Habeeb / US PRESSWIRE. The Orlando Sentinel has ranked all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. We’ll take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 120 to our projected No. 1 team. We will not be including the four teams the NCAA lists as still reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Today at No. 82: East Carolina Coach: Ruffin McNeill (11-14 entering third season at East Carolina) 2011 record: 5-7 (4-4 in Conference USA, third in Eastern Division) Look back: East Carolina racked up 35 turnovers, the highest number of turnovers in the nation. Predictably, it was tough for the Pirates to get over the ... Continue reading →
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte learned quickly that the slightest misinterpretation can cause headaches in conference expansion talk. (Photo by Brandon Wade/Getty Images Have you heard the latest conference expansion rumor? No? Well, if you wait five minutes, I’m sure another one will come along. That might be a bit of an exaggeration but it does seem that every time you turn around these days, someone is reporting another rumor or speculating on the status of this or that school and their conference affiliation. Great fodder for fan message boards but a nightmare for us in the media. In fact, the two most common words used over the last few weeks are: sources said. It’s not just limited to anonymous sources as well. College ... Continue reading →
