UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has set the stage for a dramatic restructuring of college sports. The nation’s biggest and most influential governing body in college athletics released a draft of an 18 1/2-page constitution. That is cut down from 43 pages. It focuses more on the NCAA’s broader goals of athlete welfare. Most important, it would provide Division I the autonomy to reshape everything from how revenue is shared to how rules are made and enforced. The next nine months will see more work done on the details.
UNDATED (AP) — Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer is going to miss the upcoming season because of COVID-19 concerns. The 73-year-old coach hasn’t been with the team since April, when the delta variant of the virus was becoming widespread in the United States. Stringer has a 40-year-old daughter who has required special care since contracting spinal meningitis at age 2. Stringer has 1,055 wins in her 50-year coaching career and is fourth all-time in Division I victories. She was going to start her 27th season at Rutgers. Associate head coach Tim Eatman has been filling in for Stringer since April.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Nobody disputes that conference realignment has been driven by the big money from football. But while losing Oklahoma and Texas takes some shine off the Big 12, the league’s coaches believe the addition of Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and Central Florida could make what already is one of the toughest leagues in the country even tougher. Nothing comes without consequences, though, and the Big 12′s gain will have ripple effects on mid-majors from the east coast to the west.
UNDATED (AP) — Nebraska is bringing back coach Scott Frost in 2022 under a restructured contract that cuts his salary from $5 million to $4 million. The Cornhuskers are 15-27 in four years under Frost and his future has been the subject of speculation. The Huskers are 3-7 this season and last in the Big Ten West. Frost announced he has fired offensive coordinator Matt Lubick, offensive line coach Greg Austin, running backs coach Ryan Held and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Spencer Lee is among 10 returning NCAA champions this season. He will try to become only the fifth wrestler to win four national titles. The list of returning champions also includes Olympic heavyweight champion Gable Steveson of Minnesota. Iowa is the defending team champion and ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls ahead of 2020 national runner-up Penn State. The Nittany Lions bring back four individual champions. North Carolina State heads a strong ACC. Oklahoma State remains the standard bearer for the Big 12, though No. 3 Missouri is still an affiliate member, and Arizona State for the Pac-12.
UNDATED (AP) — Associated Press college football poll voters are grappling with how too handle head-to-head results in a season that has been filled with twists and turns. Georgia has made things easy as far as voting for No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank. What comes after has been more complicated. For the first time in a month, Oregon moved ahead of No. 6 Ohio State, putting the Ducks at No. 5 by four points. Oregon reached as high as No. 3 in the nation after it beat Ohio State, but then slipped behind the Buckeyes for several weeks. Head-to-head results don’t have to be the deciding factor, but there are a few cases in this week’s poll where they probably should have been.
UNDATED (AP) — Appalachian State cornerback Steven Jones is making the most of his interceptions lately. Jones has returned three of his four interceptions the last two weeks for touchdowns, with two of the plays coming in Saturday’s 48-14 win at Arkansas State. Jones and Iowa’s Riley Moss are the only players with two in a game. North Carolina’s Ty Chander had the top rushing performance with 213 yards on 22 carries against Wake Forest. South Florida’s Brian Battie ran back two kicks 100 yards against Houston. That makes him the second player in FBS history with two 100-yarders in a game.
