#10: Have a look at the progress being made on Marshall’s new baseball stadium. (link) |
#9: Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger explores the idea of the Mountain West and “Pac-2” creating a two-conference system in which teams can be promoted and relegated ala European soccer for football and possibly other sports. One Group of 5 AD tells Dellenger: “It’s kind of brilliant. The reason it wouldn’t happen is that people wouldn’t enter into something if they have the risk of losing something big [like being relegated]. But the economics could make sense.” Dellenger explains that while the concept is just one of many ideas being floated, the “conferences, if kept separate and recognized as such by both the NCAA and College Football Playoff, would “retain the millions of dollars in assets in existence within the Pac-12, including at least $50M in NCAA tournament basketball shares,” retain AQ spots in NCAA championship tournaments for each league’s champion in all sports except football,” and “retain revenue distribution from the CFP for each league (a real question).” Dellenger provides lots more in the way of details but in regards to whether the leagues would actually do it, one source with knowledge of discussions between the leagues says: “Everything is on the table. We’re looking at a lot of options. This one included.” (link)
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#8: Boston College has suspended its swimming & diving program indefinitely after determining that hazing occurred within the program. BC: “The University does not—and will not—tolerate hazing in any form. During the suspension, all Swimming and Diving student-athletes will continue to have access to academic and medical resources provided to all Boston College student-athletes.” (link)
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#7: Michigan State has retained law firm Jones Day to investigate the leak of Brenda Tracy’s identity, per The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, who notes MSU also hired Jones Day in 2017 to investigate how the football program handled sexual violence allegations. (link); MSU Football HC Mel Tucker has released a statement through his agent in which he asserts: “I don’t believe MSU plans to fire me because I admitted to an entirely consensual, private relationship with another adult who gave one presentation at MSU, at my behest, over two years ago. A cursory reading of the facts and timeline should cause any fair-minded person to conclude that other motives are at play. … MSU knew about the information on which it supposedly relies to end my contract since at least March 2023. Yet only after Ms. Tracy and potentially others leaked the confidential investigation report to the press, did MSU suddenly decide this same information warrants termination." Tucker goes on to remark that "Tracy expressed consent to every facet of our relationship. I look forward to one day obtaining discovery against MSU, including the Trustees and the Athletic Department, to see what they really knew and said about this matter, as well as their motives in handling the entire investigative process." More from Tucker. (link)
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#6: All eyes were on the handshake following last Saturday's Colorado-Colorado State barnburner in Boulder. No fireworks from Buffs HC Deion Sanders or Rams boss Jay Norvell. CU prevailed in double overtime. (link) |
#5: CollegeAD reports Washington Deputy AD for External Relations Jay Hilbrands will join outgoing Huskies AD Jen Cohen at USC. According to the Trojans staff directory, former UW CFO Jason Cappadoro is now Deputy AD/COO for the Trojans. CollegeAD also notes there may be more Huskies who follow Cohen to Los Angeles. (link)
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#4: ESPN analyst Jay Bilas responds to Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek, via Twitter: “Please listen to this…the standard NCAA argument: we unilaterally limit athlete compensation, and athletes get MORE as a result. Respectfully, that’s nonsensical. The highest athletic dept. expenses are paid TO THE SCHOOL! Does the NCAA limit employee pay based upon health care, parking, or other benefits? No. Coaches and ADs fly on the same planes, wear the same gear, use the same facilities, yet take no pay limit. It’s a rationalization so they don’t have to pay athletes, nothing more. It’s nonsense.” (link)
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#3: Ole Miss Football HC Lane Kiffin opens up to the Los Angeles Times’ J. Brady McCollough about his journey, both personally and professionally. Kiffin acknowledges he “fell in love” with USC during his first stint as an AC, which is ultimately why he returned after just one year at Tennessee. ”I would have done it for half [the salary they offered]. I would have walked there. And I left a premier job I was enjoying.” Kiffin goes on to talk about leading a healthier lifestyle, avoiding bread, red meat and alcohol. “I look back and go, ‘Why wasn’t I doing this all along?’ I’m not saying if I wouldn’t have drank I would still be the head coach at USC. But I would have dealt with it better.” He’s also enjoying a closer relationship with his daughter, Landry, whose group of friends “basically took Lane in,” and McCollough points out that when the Auburn job came open, the “opportunity to move up in his profession summoned Old Lane out of hibernation, and Landry could see it happening again. She and her friends put together a slideshow reminding him of all the fun they’ve had, begging him to not upend it. They put the deck on a projector in the Ole Miss conference room. Lane teared up watching it.” Lots more. (link)
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#2: Boise State Assoc. AD for Strategic Communications & Business Development Mike Walsh has created what is believed to be the first proposal for a promotion/relegation system in college sports, according to Front Office Sports’ Amanda Christovich. The 22-slide PowerPoint presentation has been shared with athletic directors inside and outside of the Mountain West, as well as with Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who tells Christovich: “Many, many folks are kicking around concepts of relegation/promotion, or mega-leagues. This is probably the first I’ve seen of someone really putting pen to paper, and looking at it comprehensively.” In the football-specific proposal, Walsh goes beyond the MWC and Pac-12 and suggests teams from the AAC, Conference USA and/or WAC could also participate. All other sports, including men’s basketball, would remain in their current conferences for the purposes of maximizing the number of AQs for March Madness. More. (link)
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#1: Oregon will debut new Nike Dunk football cleats that change colors. (link) |
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