sportsjabber.net

The overall quality of opponents increases in the third week, as conference members with a full belly of sweets move closer to league play. Four Pac 12 programs will be paired with members from other BCS conferences. Two will square off against each other, and one will play a rivalry game to determine state bragging rights.

Pac 12
Washington @ #11 Nebraska[...]

Lane Kiffin has been cleared by the NCAA of any major violations committed during his short term as Vols head football coach. Finalizing an investigation of the Tennessee Athletic Department, the committee found that Kiffin and his staff committed several minor infractions, but evidence was insufficient for anything severe. The announcement[...]

1. OREGON- The league’s two-time defending champ is the Empire’s top ranked program in the North and favorite to be crowned the first Pac 12 king. The Ducks return 11 starters from a team that played for the national championship a year ago and finished with an overall record of 12-1. Chip Kelly lost two playmakers in [...]

The Philadelphia Eagles spent the free agency period building for a Super Bowl run. Headliners include new additions Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin, and Ronnie Brown. Fans suddenly had a reason to salivate, anticipating what could finally be. But just as quickly as Lombardi visions danced in their heads, Mike [...]

Patterson’s Pio Vatuvei pledged a commitment to Lane Kiffin and the Trojans on Monday, increasing the current class size to ten. The 6’2, 235 pound defensive end echoed the same sentiment as others before him, stating that the opportunity to play football at USC is fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Vatuvei is a [...]

Phase one of Larry Scott’s vision was to increase conference membership. This was completed with the additions of Colorado and Utah in 2011, with further growth still pending. That enacted phase two, which is to promote the new Pac 12 conference by making it easily accessible to a broader audience. That model was laid out on Wednesday, and with it a network was born. [...]

It’s a weird question, but I sometimes get these weird thoughts. Anyway, here it is:

If you were the NCAA Committee on Infractions, do you root for a newly sanctioned program to succeed or fail during penalized years? This is the reason I ask, and it mostly pertains to a postseason ban…

It took only three days after a TMZ video surfaced for Marc Tyler to feel the repercussions. The USC running back has been suspended for the team’s opener, with further disciplinary action pending.
The sentence, which also removes him from team activities, came in response to intoxicated ramblings caught on camera outside the [...]

The debate over what to do with the 2004 BCS National Championship trophy was rehashed last week by a rejected appeal. With USC’s penalties remaining in place, the game of ‘keep away’ continues, as the crystal ball is tossed around in discussions that exclude the program that earned it. A year ago, it was proposed that the title be stripped and remain vacant for that calendar year.[...]

It didn’t take long for the rumor of a possible change in the USC football uniform to spread like a wildfire across Tuesday’s Internet. It was a fire that flamed with resentment and burned with more intensity once images were attached.

We know today that Scott Wolf’s original report wasn’t completely inaccurate, though it was a bit overblown. [...]