NCAA Football FanHouse

Bo Ryan Gets a T for Yelling at Brian Butch

Michael David Smith — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:37:00 EST

Filed under: Wisconsin Basketball, Michigan Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

Wisconsin is having a fairly easy time of it in today's Big Ten Tournament game against Michigan, but there was one little glitch during the first half, when Badgers coach Bo Ryan got a technical foul for yelling at his own player, Brian Butch:

After Butch was out-played in the paint, Ryan got up off his chair and yelled at Butch. But referee Steve Skiles though Ryan was yelling at him, and gave him a technical foul. Here's how ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews explained it:

"Bo Ryan was screaming to Brian Butch, 'Be strong. Stay strong inside.' Skiles thought he was talking to him, and when he came over and explained it to Bo Ryan, he said, 'It wasn't what you said, it was the fact that you stomped your foot.'"

ESPN announcer Steve Lavin said, "That must be a new amendment to the rulebook, no stomping of the feet. We're never going to get through a game if that becomes a rule."

If Ryan actually stepped foot onto the floor while play was in progress, I could understand giving him a technical for that. But if the technical was just for stomping his foot while yelling something to one of his players, well, that's pretty dumb.

Bo Ryan Gets a T for Yelling at Brian Butch originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Brent Musberger: 'I Can't Wait to See Erin Andrews on YouTube Tonight'

Michael David Smith — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Wisconsin Basketball, Michigan State Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

No. 10 Wisconsin beat No. 19 Michigan State 57-42 Thursday night in a big game between two of the top teams in the Big Ten. Once the game got into garbage time, ESPN's Brent Musberger and Steve Lavin took a little time out to discuss MySpace, YouTube, and the popularity of Erin Andrews on the Internet:

"I can't wait to see Erin Andrews on YouTube tonight," Musberger said. "I mean, I always look to see. She's the star attraction."

College Hoops Journal calls this "Your Weekly Brent Musberger Lusting for Erin Andrews Update."

ESPN's Brent Musberger: 'I Can't Wait to See Erin Andrews on YouTube Tonight' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dick Vitale on Kelvin Sampson: 'Why?'

Michael David Smith — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:17:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

Appearing on ESPN2 this morning, Dick Vitale asked the obvious question about the recently fired Indiana basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson:

"My big question, that day when I did the game, is why?" Vitale said. "Why in the world would you take a chance with phone calls that really aren't going to change the complexion of your recruiting? ... Why in the world would Kelvin Sampson, who can motivate, he can inspire, he can X-and-O, he can coach, jeopardize that opportunity after he was under penalties at Oklahoma? I just don't understand, but again, you have to get into the psyche of what makes a guy, I guess."

That's the question I can't figure out either. Why does Kelvin Sampson simply have no interest at all in following the rules of the NCAA? I can understand why Sampson might not agree with the rules, but I can't understand why he would allow his contempt for the rules to ruin his coaching career. As Vitale said, you have to get into the psyche of what makes a guy, I guess.

Dick Vitale on Kelvin Sampson: 'Why?' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Brent Musberger Hopes Indiana Does Not Fire Kelvin Sampson

Michael David Smith — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:58:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

Here's the way ESPN's Brent Musberger signed off on Tuesday night's Indiana-Purdue game:

"We certainly hope that we see coach Sampson Saturday, still on the sideline with the Indiana Hoosiers," Musberger said, referring to Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, who is expected to be suspended or fired in the next three days because of the multiple rules violations the NCAA says he has committed.

Let's unpack that quote a little bit. If Musberger wants to see Sampson coach on Saturday, that means he doesn't want Sampson to get suspended or fired. So either Musberger doesn't think Sampson committed the violations the NCAA has accused him of, or he doesn't think these violations are offenses worthy of firing a coach.

If it's the former, Musberger is sitting on a huge story. All of the ESPN reporters who have investigated this story, led by Pat Forde and Andy Katz, have given strong indications that Sampson did, in fact, commit the violations he's accused of. If Musberger has information that his colleagues haven't reported, why hasn't he shared that information with ESPN's viewers?

If it's the latter, Musberger ought to explain himself a bit better: If Sampson did break these NCAA rules, repeatedly and after being warned, why on earth shouldn't Indiana fire him? Does Musberger just believe coaches shouldn't be held accountable when they break the rules?

Either way, Musberger's statement doesn't make a lot of sense.

ESPN's Brent Musberger Hopes Indiana Does Not Fire Kelvin Sampson originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dick Vitale Explains Why Indiana Should Fire Athletic Director Rick Greenspan

Michael David Smith — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

The most frequent criticism that ESPN basketball commentator Dick Vitale faces is that he's too positive: Every player is sensational, every coach is brilliant. But at least that means you know that when Vitale criticizes someone, that person really deserves it. And since Vitale is calling for Indiana Athletic Director Rick Greenspan to get fired, you know Greenspan really deserves it. Here's what Vitale said this morning:

Vitale said of Greenspan's decision to hire disgraced coach Kelvin Sampson, "The athletic director needs to be held accountable as well. ... When you're an athletic director and you hire a guy from a school that has already had penalties and you know that ... and you're an unbelievably prestigious university like Indiana in the world of basketball, you hire that guy and now he goes out and does it again, you've got to be held accountable."

Vitale also correctly called Greenspan's claim that he's not the only one who was involved in hiring Sampson "a cop out." The buck stops with Greenspan, and if Sampson deserves to get fired then Greenspan deserves to get fired.

After Erin Andrews described Sampson as "very honest" and Doug Gottlieb asked, Who possibly could have thought that Kelvin Sampson would break the rules, it's refreshing to hear some common sense on ESPN about the Indiana basketball mess.

Dick Vitale Explains Why Indiana Should Fire Athletic Director Rick Greenspan originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doug Gottlieb Defends Rick Greenspan on Kelvin Sampson: 'Who Could Have Thought?'

Michael David Smith — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:21:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA Basketball Video, ESPN

I'm on the record as saying that not only should Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson lose his job over his latest NCAA rules violations, but so should Athletic Director Rick Greenspan. Many in the basketball media have said the same, but ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb disagrees:

Although Gottlieb, like everyone, thinks Sampson is about to get fired, he defends Greenspan, saying, "People like Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas are saying that Rick Greenspan needs to be broomed as well, I disagree with that ... Who possibly could have thought that Kelvin Sampson, a bright man, a good basketball coach -- it's one thing to have another NCAA violation, but to do the exact same thing is dumbfounding, he's going to be out by the end of the week, but I think Greenspan should keep his job."

I like Gottlieb as an analyst, but he couldn't possibly be more wrong here. The entire reason Greenspan should have seen this coming is that Sampson has done it before. To answer Gottlieb's question, "Who possibly could have thought?" I would merely say: Anyone who has followed Sampson's career.

Doug Gottlieb Defends Rick Greenspan on Kelvin Sampson: 'Who Could Have Thought?' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Erin Andrews: 'Coach Sampson, Very Honest'

Michael David Smith — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:41:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, ESPN

OK, Erin Andrews. I realize that ESPN didn't hire you for your ability to deliver scathing commentaries on the controversies of the day. And I realize you need access to do your job, and the more favorable your reporting, the more access you'll get. But you wouldn't seriously refer to Kelvin Sampson as "very honest," would you?

Yes, you would:

Sampson, Indiana's beleaguered basketball coach, allowed Andrews to sit in on today's practice. Afterward she went on SportsCenter and gushed about Sampson, who will almost certainly be fired because, the NCAA says, he violated recruiting restrictions and repeatedly lied about it.

"Coach Sampson, very honest," Andrews said, "in saying, 'Look, this has been a difficult couple of days, how could it not be'. He spoke about the meeting that he had with his team right before that Wisconsin game on Wednesday. He said it was one of the most difficult times he's ever had in addressing his team."

Actually, nothing Sampson says is "very honest." When he gives an account of a meeting with his team to Andrews, he's not being "very honest," he's making a desperate attempt to elicit some sympathy because the whole world thinks, correctly, that he's a liar.

Erin Andrews: 'Coach Sampson, Very Honest' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wisconsin Fans Love Erin Andrews

Michael David Smith — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:04:00 EST

Filed under: Wisconsin Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Video, Wisconsin, Illinois, ESPN

Thanks to Brahsome for posting this video from last night's Illinois at Wisconsin game, demonstrating, once again, just how popular ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is among fans of college sports:

You have to listen closely, but you can hear the Wisconsin fans chanting "Erin Andrews" as she does her report. I then find it a little awkward when Brent Musberger and Steve Lavin proceed to talk about her popularity, with Musberger saying he wants to go to the Playboy Mansion with her. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for a man to talk about wanting to go to the Playboy Mansion with a female co-worker young enough to be his daughter.

Wisconsin Fans Love Erin Andrews originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is There a Big Ten Network Deadline or Not?

Brian Cook — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Big 10, Big Ten Basketball, Big Ten Network

The kids with the slappin' and the fightin' and the jello.

Yesterday, the Detroit Free Press reported a drop-dead date for cable providers interested (or not interested, more likely) in carrying the Big Ten Network:

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany recently told conference athletic directors that he set a negotiation cut-off date of Nov. 15 in the ongoing battle with cable giants Comcast and Time Warner regarding Big Ten Network distribution.
"The commissioner told us that we needed to establish a deadline to try and get something done (for the basketball season)," Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said Saturday. "And if we couldn't get it done by then, we're probably looking at waiting until sometime next year to get a deal."

Meanwhile, either the folks in Iowa are getting a different message or Mediacom has not been given the same ultimatum:

Mark Silverman said there isn't a deadline for Mediacom and the Big Ten Network to come to an agreement to carry the new channel, and the two sides are still talking.

It's not like the talking has been particularly productive; Silverman describes the two sides as "not close."

Either way, this is likely a PR-only move. It's not like the BTN will turn up its nose if Comcast comes to them on December 1st and says "forgive us!" But it's also not like that's going to happen. At some point both sides will probably throw in the towel; the Big Ten wants people to know that if they're intent on watching half their team's basketball games that they're going to have to bolt.

Speaking of, the league's basketball coaches seem a little cranky that the conference schedule has expanded to 18 games from 16:

'If you're adding two Big Ten games, you can't play as many elite nonconference games,'' Weber said Sunday at Big Ten basketball media day. ''Is that going to be a factor? It depends on how the [selection] committee views it.''

That's, of course, patent bullcrap of the sort any coach throws out when questioned about any change whatsoever, and the Big Ten has long needed a more balanced conference schedule. An anonymous coach blames the BTN:

'The Big Ten Network had something to do with it,'' the coach said, pointing to additional high-profile games for the conference's fledgling television venture. ''And some of the athletic directors were tired of paying guarantees to [nonconference] teams.''

As a fan, I say I'm sick of seeing teams who have been paid guarantees.

And one final note: Michael Rosenberg unscientifically reports a shift in public perception:

judging from my recent e-mail, voice mails and conversations with sports fans, I feel comfortable saying that the blame for the Big Ten Network-Comcast standoff has shifted firmly to Comcast.
Two months ago, I think the blame was evenly split -- if anything, more people blamed the Big Ten for taking games away from widely available channels.

But I think people are starting to see that the games are going to be on BTN, whether they like it or not. More than 150 cable operators have managed to strike deals with BTN, and Comcast isn't even trying.

Personally, I've always maintained I don't really care who's "to blame"; I just want the games and will go to who has them. What has been disgusting is Comcast's all-out offensive against the conference, complete with politician-style slamjob ads that misrepresent the facts of the situation and denigrate the universities involved. There's a reason Comcast is one of America's most hated corporations.

Is There a Big Ten Network Deadline or Not? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illinois Basketball Forward Takes A Stab At Football

Brian Grummell — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 23:58:00 EST

Filed under: Big 10, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Illinois Football

Do we have another Antonio Gates here? Probably not, but Illinois forward C.J. Jackson did received attention from SEC football powers. Says Illinois football coach Ron Zook:

"We offered him [a football scholarship] when I was at Florida; most of the Southeastern Conference schools offered him one in football.

His football commitment sounds serious, as he will likely switch from a basketball scholarship to a football scholarship in the fall. Additionally, the coaches are sounding as if his basketball contribution is more voluntary than mandatory.

If Jackson makes the football team, he will be on a football scholarship and [Illinois basketball coach Bruce] Weber will have an additional basketball scholarship to offer.

"We wouldn't do anything right now," Weber said when asked about the scholarship that may be available. "C.J. is a great kid and we want him to be happy. He approached us and we told him to go after football, spend some time with them in the weight room and see what happens. He asked if he can come back [to basketball] after the football season. We told him when we get to December, if Coach Zook is OK with it and if everything is going well in the classroom, we'd love to have him back with us."

Stay tuned, but at the minimum it looks like the Illini have quietly added an SEC-level offensive player to their roster.

(Via: FanNation)

Illinois Basketball Forward Takes A Stab At Football originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 23:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief

Charles Rich — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:52:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac 10, SEC, WAC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Conference USA Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

The NCAA released its Academic Progress Reports (APR) for every school and the teams for each sport. A total of 6110 teams are included. You can view each school's individual report (they are in PDF). The APR is supposed to be a rolling 4-year average, but the NCAA isn't at that point. This is only the third year so there are adjustments and leeway given to some teams. The grace period is granted only if they are showing that they are closing on meeting the magic number of 925 by the time the 4th year is reached. (The APR records started being kept in the 2003-04 school year.)

If a team is at 900 or so, they won't be getting penalized immediately. The penalties can range from warning letters, practice restrictions, lack of access to postseason competition, restricted membership and loss of scholarships for the teams that don't meet performance standards. Already, teams across various collegiate sports have been penalized with scholarship losses.

The BCS schools for football and basketball, generally are in good shape. Only a few programs are facing scholarship reductions. Many are close or have been warned, but scholarship reductions are rather limited. Some of the notable teams penalized after this latest report:

Iowa State University, Basketball -- 2 scholarships
University of Cincinnati, Basketball -- 1 scholarship
San Jose State University, Football -- 7 scholarships
University of Arizona, Football -- 4 scholarships
UNLV, Football -- 3 scholarships
University of Toledo, Football -- 4 scholarships

Iowa State basketball was hit hard under the tenure of Wayne Morgan and the shake-out of many players after his termination. Considering that players often leave when coaching changes happen, this will have an impact on the hiring and firing of coaches -- and the timing as Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News noted.

So a university trying to improve on-court performance can't just consider whether its coach won enough games in his third year on the job. It has to factor in whether moving him out will be sufficiently disruptive to lead to a slip in APR performance. That can lead to embarrassment -- ask Bob Huggins about what a dubious 0 percent grad rate did for him at Cincinnati -- and the competitive disadvantage of losing scholarships, practice time and possibly postseason eligibility.

Presidents and athletic directors must begin to consider whether firing that coach is worth the cost not in contract buyout dollars. They should examine whether it puts their school in APR jeopardy. And they should inform their boosters there are other factors to consider beyond an elusive NCAA Tournament bid.

I think DeCourcy may be overstating things a bit. Simply because wins and losses are still the thing that matter most to athletic departments, fans and the boosters. It may, however, act as something of a drag on rapidly pulling the trigger in some cases. Especially as at schools that have been struggling to get their APR up to the minimum level. That may cause some hesitation to at least give time to make sure that the next coach won't have more leverage in negotiating if sanctions loom.

That point, however, is still a distance away. Not until penalties are regularly assessed and it is clear that penalties will apply regardless of the school and their athletic prestige, will schools realistically consider the potential risk.

Presently, the hardest hit programs at the moment are coming from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and at schools located in the State of Louisiana (strong correlation to Hurricane Katrina that sent students to other schools). These programs were granted a warning letter to show improvement by next year considering the circumstances.

There were some bright spots in football and basketball. The NCAA also recognized programs that had very high APR. In basketball this included:

BYU
Florida State
UNC
Notre Dame
Villanova
Wake Forest
Xavier

In Football:

Boston College
Duke
Rice
Stanford

APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 May 2007 02:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Ten Network Lacks Penetration

Charles Rich — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:43:00 EST

Filed under: Big 10, NCAA FB Fans, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA FB Media Watch

Let me see if I have this straight. The NFL Network struggles to get on cable systems because the NFL demands its station to be on one of the lower tier of package offerings by cable systems. This despite having NFL games in its repertoire.

So, is it really any shock that the coming Big Ten Network hasn't exactly made an impact in negotiations to get on cable channels.

The Big Ten Network plans to show all the conference's football games that aren't broadcast elsewhere -- at least 35 a year. It also plans to show at least 105 regular-season men's basketball games, 55 regular-season women's games, 170 other events from sports such as softball and track, and Big Ten championships.

The network also owns the rights to tapes of Big Ten football and basketball back to 1960, Silverman said, allowing it to produce "classic" programming similar to that featured on ESPN Classic.

Right now, the only major provider to agree to put the Big Ten Network on a lower tier is DirecTV. The funny thing about that. The Big Ten Network is co-owned by the Fox Cable Networks. The parent company of Fox Cable Networks, of course is Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. When the deal was announced, News Corp. also happened to own a controlling interest in DirecTV (since sold to Liberty Media).

The reason is money. It's hard to get premium advertising dollars when your channel is on a much more expensive tier, necessarily limiting the potential number of watchers. Get stuck on the same level as Logo, Lifetime Real Women and Great American Country, and you will find yourself doing a lot of advertising for your other programming and public service announcements to fill the ad space.

But for the wise involvement of Fox Cable, the Big Ten Network would be at about on the same market penetration as the Mountain West Conference's .Mtn channel.

Long-term, this is probably the way most conferences will go. It gives them more control over their content/product and the distribution. It means more ways to sell and offer, especially in digital formats. Right now, though, it's going to be painful and piss-off a lot of people.

Big Ten Network Lacks Penetration originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UF President Slams Greg Oden, Big Ten, BCS

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, SEC, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Rumors, Florida Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Gossip, NCAA Basketball Rumors, NCAA FB Scandal, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State

Actually, you can add Michigan and Jim Delany to that list.

Here's the full story. University of Florida president Bernie Machen has been pushing for a playoff system for college football since before Florida was selected to play in the BCS National Championship against Ohio State. In fact, he started putting the wheels in motion before Florida won the SEC championship game against Arkansas in late '06.

That he still campaigns for a playoff today, despite the fact that Florida ended up being lucky enough to get selected to the title game instead of Michigan, says volumes about his passion for the subject. And in this recent CBS Sportsline interview, Machen used both barrels of his verbal shotgun to express his thoughts.

More after the jump. (You'll be entertained, I promise.)

SPLN: On another subject, is there any way to explain the athletic success at your school the past two years?

Dr. M: More and more schools are going to try to copy our model. It's a family oriented, team-oriented system. There are kids who started on some tournament teams this year that we backed away from because of the academics.

We're the ones who started this thing about the storefront schools (giving away degrees). I started that because I got (mad) that some of our competitors were taking kids that we knew didn't belong in college.

What's going to happen I hope is that everyone starts to realize, you can win the right way. You can graduate your athletes.

SPLN: That raises another question. What did you think of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's open letter comparing the Big Ten to the SEC?

Dr. M: It's ridiculous. What a homer. I was at Michigan (as provost and dean of the school of dentistry). I know how they get in at Michigan. Don't talk to me about the Nobel laureates at Michigan.

Just look at Greg Oden's class schedule this semester. The Big Ten has fought the conference playoff, then they (complain) because Ohio State doesn't have a game in 48 days. (Actually 51 between the last game of the season and the BCS title game. The Big Ten traditionally ends its regular-season football schedule before Thanksgiving).

Full disclosure here: obviously, I'm an SEC and Florida fan, but I happen to agree with most of what Dr. Machen is saying. Jim Delany's inferiority complex shines brightly in his ridiculous diatribe blasting the SEC (and Orson from EDSBS wrote a brilliant and brutal dissection of Delany's idiocy which perfectly sums up my feelings on the matter) and I have absolutely no problem with Machen calling him out on it. I agree that a playoff is good for college football and that the 12th game is a boil on the sport's hindquarters. I love Machen's emphasis on graduation. And I agree that the BCS is more concerned about self-preservation rather than what's good for college football.

But Bernie, you don't need to call out Oden, who has impressed me all year long as a well-rounded, respectful ~~43-year old~~ kid who is a true team player. His amazing talents have made the 2007 college basketball season all the more exciting and intriguing. And his class schedule is, frankly, none of your damn business, or at least, you shouldn't be picking on an individual player. I wouldn't appreciate it if the president of another school called out one of our players for something like, oh, say, firing a semi-automatic rifle into the sky after a nightclub scuffle. That's embarassing enough without having to deal with scrutiny from schools in other conferences.

So, Bernie... keep it real, man. I appreciate everything else you said. KEEP SAYING IT! We need a playoff. And we need to graduate student athletes. But when you're heaving stink bombs at the enemy, leave the kids out of it.

UF President Slams Greg Oden, Big Ten, BCS originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Illinois to Retire Chief Illiniwek

Michael David Smith — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:21:00 EST

Filed under: Big 10, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Illinois Football

In the latest sign that American Indian mascots are on the way out in college athletic programs, the student newspaper at the University of Illinois is reporting that the school will drop its Chief Illiniwek mascot today.
The Daily Illini reports that the school will apparently still be known as the Fighting Illini but will no longer have the Chief, which has danced at halftime of football and basketball games for several decades. This comes a few weeks after the Oglala Sioux Tribe said it found the Chief offensive.

The move comes in reaction to pressure from the president of the state senate, who has threatened to cut off funding for the school if it keeps the Chief. The students who wear the Chief costume have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the university.

Report: Illinois to Retire Chief Illiniwek originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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