September here, and college football starting up

[oyarde]

On Larry Birds Birthday , the Sycamores are up on # 16 Butler by 4 @ Half .

 

[oyarde]

Sycamore leading scorer Scott has a brother that plays on the Mastodons .

 

[oyarde]

Sycamores win 71 - 72 .

 

[oyarde]

I see Kentucky beat my Crusaders , I was hoping for a really close game @ the end . Valpo put in a good 2nd half but got down too far in the first half .

 

[euphemia]

Very sad. He was an amazing guy. Suicide- found in a park with a gun next to him.

I saw that and felt sad for you, Zip. The article I read did not say anything about the gun. Double sad.

 

[ChristianAnarchist]

Congratulations to Ole Miss' Evan Engram for winning the 2016 Ozzie Newsome Award, presented to college football’s best tight end by the Touchdown Club of Columbus...

http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120716aaa.html

 

[oyarde]

In Basketball ,St Marys knocked off at home by Texas Arlington . Syracuse has lost 3 of 4 .

 

[oyarde]

Army wins and Louisville's Jackson takes the Heismann .

 

[oyarde]

Montana is giving Oregon a good basketball game this evening .

 

[Jan2017]

And back to the gridiron . . .

Minnesota players will not practice and are boycotting the Dec 27 Holiday Bowl match-up against the Washington State Cougars

Big Ten also had Northwestern players with team demands/boycott a few seasons back as I recall.

 

[euphemia]

Why? I'm sure I read it somewhere but I forgot.

 

[The Gold Standard]

Why? I'm sure I read it somewhere but I forgot.

There are 10 Minnesota players suspended for the bowl game, and the rest of the team is boycotting in support of the suspended players, I guess. Why they were suspended, no one is saying for sure.

 

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...day-bowl-vs-wsu-if-minnesota-boycott-endures/

Northern Illinois is next in line for the Holiday Bowl bid if the Minnesota Gophers boycott the game


The University of Minnesota football team announced Thursday night that it has boycotted all football activities in protest of the school’s suspensions of 10 players in relation to a Title IX investigation.

Senior receiver Drew Wolitarsky said the boycott was a “day by day” matter, but did not rule out the possibility that it might extend to the Gophers’ Holiday Bowl game against Washington State on Dec. 27.

However, if the boycott continues, the Holiday Bowl will need to find a new team to play the Cougars, and according to multiple reports, including one from ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy, Northern Illinois of the MAC would be the next team in line for a bowl bid based on NCAA APR scores.

Northern Illinois traveled to San Diego, Calif. for its bowl game last season, when it lost to Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, but it has never played in the Holiday Bowl.

McMurphy wrote late Thursday night that Northern Illinois, which finished the regular season 5-7, would “likely” accept an invitation to play in the Holiday Bowl if a decision is reached within the next 48 hours, by Saturday night.

However, the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee would have to officially approve the Huskies’ addition to the Holiday Bowl, should Minnesota decide not to play.

Northern Illinois would, however, go into the bowl game at a disadvantage. For one, it will have about a week to make the logistical arrangements necessary to get the entire football team down to San Diego. The Huskies held their graduation ceremonies last weekend, and some players have already left campus, McMurphy reported.

The Huskies would also have to face WSU on two weeks less practice time.

 

[Zippyjuan]

More on the "why": http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/...pensions-after-sex-assault-investigation.html

Minn. football players 'blindsided' by suspensions after sex assault investigation

Buford, Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson were suspended earlier this season for violating team rules after a woman accused them of sexual assault. No criminal charges were ever filed and the players were then reinstated. But the woman went to court and took out restraining orders barring the athletes from TCF Bank Stadium. Both sides eventually reached an agreement after the woman testified, detailing a graphic encounter with multiple players.

These latest indefinite suspensions are a result of an internal University of Minnesota investigation into the allegations, conducted by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Some of the 10 Gophers players are facing not just team suspensions but expulsion from the university.

Buford's father said his understanding is that the number of players grew to double digits because of their proximity to what allegedly happened during the alleged sexual assault. He insists his son will continue to fight.

"If you can be tried for the same thing -- this is like the 4th different entity -- the more you go at something, the better the success rate is,” Buford said.

Lee Hutton, the attorney representing the players, told Fox 9 the suspensions are the result of a decision made by a single university investigator as part of a Title IX investigation. He said he believes the accuser was shown to be unreliable, noting the accuser pleaded the fifth in a related restraining order hearing.

 

[euphemia]

There are 10 Minnesota players suspended for the bowl game, and the rest of the team is boycotting in support of the suspended players, I guess. Why they were suspended, no one is saying for sure.

In 2007, Florida State was scheduled to come to the Music City Bowl, when news broke of campus-wide academic misconduct. Pretty much their whole football team was suspended. They brought players that weren't on the depth chart, and who knows where they came from. They might have suited up any nerd with a certifiable passing GPA. They didn't win, but they weren't slaughtered. Kentucky was the defending champion and media darlings, but they were a bit nervous, too. They pulled out a win, but they were really better than they showed on the field.

 

[oyarde]

Dankes Gophers . Figures . They had a good season too but they cannot beat my Hoosiers

 

[Zippyjuan]

Minnesota players decided to end their boycott. http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...liday-bowl-despite-players-threat-to-boycott/

As a team, we understand that what has occurred these past few days, and playing football for the University of Minnesota, is larger than just us. ...

We now ask that you, the members of the media, our fans, and the general public hold all of us accountable for ensuring that our teammates are treated fairly, along with any and all victims of sexual assault. We also ask that the public dialogue related to the apparent lack of due process in a university system is openly discussed and evaluated.

As football players, we know that we represent this University and this state and that we are held to a higher standard. We want to express our deepest gratitude to our coaching staff and so many others for their support during this difficult time, and we hope that our fans and community understand why we took the actions that we did.

Our thoughts and prayers are for the well-being of the woman involved in the original incident, and for our 10 teammates to ensure that they are treated fairly. We look forward to representing the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota in the Holiday Bowl in a way that makes all of you proud.

 

[oyarde]

In Basketball today , I am expecting big games from the Jaspers and South Florida . My Hoosiers have a very tough game @ 5:00 .

 

[oyarde]

Houston up 10 - 0 early over San Diego St.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Nooo! Colorado Defensive Coordinator Takes Job With Oregon- this could have a huge impact on Colorado for the future. Jim Leavett came here in 2015- just after a season where Colorado's defense was ranked #120 in the country and is now #8 after just two seasons with him. Defense has been a major part of Colorado's "Rise" as they have called their climb back into being a ranked football team.

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...-ducks-hire-jim-leavitt-defensive-coordinator

When Leavitt arrived at Colorado in 2015, the Buffs were coming off a season in which they ranked No. 120 nationally by giving up 6.6 yards per play. This season, Colorado has climbed to No. 8 in the national rankings, allowing only 4.7 yards per play. The Buffs are tied with Michigan and Ohio State for the national lead in pass defense, allowing 5.4 yards per attempt.

This is all welcome news for Oregon, which allowed 41.4 points and 518 yards per game in 2016, both the third-worst figures in the nation.

Colorado defense has had issues against the run though- as their game against Washington for the Pac12 Championship clearly showed. CU lose eight starters on defense after this season.

Leavitt served as the San Francisco 49ers' linebackers coach under Jim Harbaugh from 2011 to 2014.