| Tuesday, July 17, 2018 |
| It's moving time in Starkville, and the streets aren't hiding it | |
 | Orphaned furniture is out on the curb. Students and recent grads in Starkville are packing to move. Along with the boxes and U-Hauls, there's a lot of trash being hauled to the street. "They're students, and they're leaving, and they leave behind just about everything," Mayor Lynn Spruill said. "It's almost as though the stuff is so inexpensive it's easier to leave it on the street than try to take it and do something else with it or they get something new, but we've got lots of stuff that is left on the street, and then we can take it to the landfill." The city of Starkville is prepared for this time of year. They know that when students get on the move, so do they. |
| Shandy Phillips discusses new strings studio at Rotary | |
 | Shandy Phillips spoke at the Starkville Rotary Club's meeting Monday to discuss her means of bringing more music to Starkville. Phillips, a violinist, teacher and alumna of the Juilliard School has opened the Starkville Strings School, offering music lessons modeled after conservatory pre-college curriculum to the community. Philips has been teaching private lessons and ensembles in the area for several years, and recently opened a studio in a rental space located at 1004 N. Jackson St. in Starkville. The studio is almost to maximum capacity, and currently includes 21 violinists and three cellists. Phillips gave examples of many of her students' accolades, including Abigail Musser who competed in the national Distinguished Young Woman Competition. Musser used her violin playing for the talent portion of the competition. |
| Scott Hutchins picked to be top USDA science official | |
 | Scott Hutchins, the global leader of integrated field sciences for Corteva Agriscience, will be nominated by President Donald Trump to be USDA's undersecretary for research, education and economics. Hutchins, an entomologist, also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska. Hutchins' "extensive background in research and commitment to sound science and data make him exceptionally qualified for this post, and I am eager to have Dr. Hutchins join the team," said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Hutchins has bachelor's degree in entomology from Auburn University, a master's degree from Mississippi State University and a doctorate from Iowa State University. |
| Corteva exec nominated for USDA's top researcher | |
| President Donald J. Trump July 16 announced his intent to nominate Scott Hutchins of Indiana, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hutchins currently serves as the global leader of integrated field sciences for Corteva Agriscience and as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska. Previously, he served as president of the Entomological Society of America. Hutchins earned his B.S. in entomology in 1981 from Auburn University, M.S. in 1983 from Mississippi State University, and Ph.D. in 1987 from Iowa State University. Early in his presidency, Trump nominated campaign advisor Sam Clovis, a former radio talk show host and Morningside College public administration instructor, for the position, but he withdrew his name from consideration last May when it appeared he could not get enough Senate votes for confirmation. |
| Shad White being sworn in as new state auditor in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi is inaugurating a new state auditor. Shad White takes his oath of office Tuesday and will fill the rest of a four-year term that ends in January 2020. Gov. Phil Bryant named him to succeed fellow Republican Stacey Pickering, who had been auditor since January 2008. Pickering stepped down to become director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board. The 32-year-old White is an attorney and had been Mississippi Justice Institute director since December. He has also been involved in Republican politics for years, including running Bryant's re-election campaign in 2015. |
| Voters given more time to register | |
 | Voters wishing to cast ballots in runoff elections are being given more time to register to vote in those elections, pursuant to a petition by a civil rights group. As a result, the state has agreed to adjust a voter registration deadline to meet a requirement of a 1993 federal law which would enable them to cast a ballot in a runoff election if they register 30 days prior to the runoff. In the past, Mississippi has mandated that voters be registered at least 30 days before the first round of voting in an election. By tradition and law, runoffs are slated three weeks later. The Mississippi NAACP, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Mississippi Center for Justice argued that under the National Voter Registration Act, people should be able to vote in runoffs if they're registered at least 30 days before the runoff, not 30 days before the initial election. |
| Trump stuns the world at Putin summit | |
 | President Trump on Monday refused to denounce Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election and criticized the special counsel investigation -- all while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference following their meeting in Helsinki. In an extraordinary scene broadcast live to a worldwide audience, Trump sided with Russia over his own intelligence agencies' conclusion about Russia's meddling in the election. "They said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia," Trump said. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) labeled Trump's press conference "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory." Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who has been reluctant to criticize Trump, said the president "must appreciate that Russia is not our ally" and stated "there is no question that Russia interfered in our election." |
| Confronted With Evidence of Russian Hacking, Trump Reverts to Conspiracy | |
 | Last week, the American public saw for the first time detailed, specific evidence that President Vladimir V. Putin's military commanders in Russia were engaged in a day-to-day, highly sophisticated effort to manipulate the 2016 election. But on Monday, standing next to Mr. Putin, President Trump not only avoided all mention of the Justice Department's indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers, but he questioned the very conclusion that Russia was behind the hacking. Instead, Mr. Trump raised a series of largely irrelevant conspiracy theories -- none of which were directly related to the evidence of Russian hacking activity. It was a smoke-and-mirrors effort, several American intelligence officials said later Monday. |
| 'Very much counter to the plan': Trump defies advisers in embrace of Putin | |
 | Administration officials had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Monday's summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would end differently -- without a freewheeling 46-minute news conference in which Trump attacked his own FBI on foreign soil and warmly praised archrival Russia. Ahead of the meeting, staffers provided Trump with some 100 pages of briefing materials aimed at laying out a tough posture toward Putin, but the president ignored most of it, according to one person familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal deliberations. Trump's remarks were "very much counter to the plan," the person said. Signs that things might not go according to plan were evident during the two days Trump spent holed up at his luxury seaside golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. |
| Retirement Bills in Congress Could Alter 401(k) Plans | |
 | Lawmakers are searching for bipartisan consensus on proposals that could amount to the biggest legislative changes to U.S. retirement savings in more than a decade, including modifications to 401(k)-style plans and enhancing tax incentives for companies to offer them. Lawmakers are starting with a bipartisan bill that would encourage more small employers to offer retirement savings plans and make it easier for companies to offer annuities that turn workers' savings into a guaranteed annual income. If passed, the measures would comprise the most significant alterations to 401(k) plans since 2006, when Congress made it easier for employers to enroll workers automatically and invest money in funds that shift focus from stocks to bonds as people age. The bill, known as the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act, or RESA, faces a slim congressional election-year calendar and partisan tensions over tax policy. |
| Farnborough 2018: Boeing, Airbus rack up orders as giant airshow opens | |
 | The 2018 Farnborough Airshow kicked off with a flurry of orders as the year's largest aviation show opened southwest of London on Monday. As usual, the competition between rivals Airbus and Boeing is expected to produce one of the top commercial aviation storylines from the biennial show, which alternates yearly with a sister show near Paris. Bloomberg News notes "billions of dollars are at stake as the world's largest planemakers ... duel over orders this week at the Farnborough." The show runs through Sunday, though it opens to the public only for the weekend after beginning with several "trade" days for industry insiders. Typically, the biggest deals tend to come at beginning of the shows. |
| Farnborough Airshow 2018: Aviation booming, but trade war threatens | |
| Aviation is soaring: Passenger traffic is up, fuel prices are under control and rising demand from Asia is driving aircraft orders. So what could possibly go wrong? One big thing: A trade war. Aircraft makers at this week's Farnborough International Airshow, a biennial extravaganza where billions of dollars of planes and parts are bought, say thousands of jobs are at risk in this most international of industries as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to raise tariffs on a variety of goods and other countries prepare to retaliate. While Trump has said trade wars are "good and easy to win," aviation experts say American companies like Chicago-based Boeing will take the first hit because most of U.S. aerospace production goes to foreign buyers. Mindful of aviation's economic importance, the Trump Administration is sending a high-powered delegation to Farnborough hoping to persuade the world to buy American. |
| Shooting at off-campus JSU frat party leads to lawsuit | |
 | One of six people shot at a block party in 2016 in Jackson has filed a lawsuit against the Upsilon Epsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity at Jackson State University over the shooting. The lawsuit also names the alleged shooter, Ryan Davis, and others as defendants. Moral Abram, who was shot in the leg, filed the lawsuit originally in Hinds County Circuit Court, but the fraternity had the case moved last week to federal court in Jackson. Davis was charged with six counts of aggravated assault in Oct. 28, 2016, shooting at the block party on Lorenz Boulevard. Then-Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said at the time that a dozen people were also injured in the melee after the shooting, as people scrambled to flee the scene. The Georgia-based fraternity is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. |
| Finis St. John IV named interim U. of Alabama chancellor | |
 | University of Alabama System Trustee Finis St. John IV will serve as the interim chancellor of the three-campus system beginning Aug. 1. St. John, who chairs the board's Athletics Committee and has previously served as president pro tempore, was selected as the interim successor to Chancellor Ray Hayes on Monday by his fellow trustees. Hayes announced in June that he will step down as chancellor at the end of July. Hayes will take August off and return in September as chancellor emeritus working on projects including behavioral health and health care initiatives. St. John, an attorney in Cullman who represents the 4th Congressional District on the board, was nominated by Trustee Karen Brooks. Brooks said historically board members have served in interim roles in past leadership transitions. St. John was the only nominee on Monday. There is no current timeline for when a search for a permanent replacement would begin, said system spokeswoman Kellee Reinhart. |
| Steps to make LSU fraternities safer done but 'not the end of the process' | |
 | A panel charged with implementing changes to fraternities and sororities at LSU after the death of student Max Gruver has finished its work, school officials announced Monday. The group, called the President's Greek Life Implementation Committee, carried out the 28 recommendations recommended by a task force in February and endorsed by LSU President F. King Alexander. The changes, among other things, mean that students caught hazing will be expelled and the fraternities or other student groups involved will be kicked off campus. "This is not the end of the process, but the beginning of a new normal for our campus," Alexander said in a statement. "As we've stated previously, the policies and procedures outlined by our implementing committee are not stand-alone solutions but should be taken as an interlocking and comprehensive approach that is stronger than any single policy, restriction or action," he said. |
| LSU Dental School students kicked out in cheating case win suit to reverse expulsions | |
| A judge has ordered the LSU Dental School in New Orleans to reinstate two students who filed a lawsuit arguing they had been unfairly expelled over accusations of cheating. Judge Todd Hernandez, of 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, ruled the school violated the students' right to due process because their case was handled by a faculty committee that lacks any written rules. Hernandez wrote that the issue should have been handled by a committee that includes students and has guidelines specifying penalties for academic misconduct, as well as the rights afforded to accused students. The dispute dates back to spring 2017, when Thien took two online quizzes on behalf of another student. That student suffered from insomnia, depression and anxiety, and Thien was trying to help her friend, according to attorney Randall Smith. |
| U. of Arkansas trustees OK $1.7M for NW medical campus | |
| A $1.7 million renovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest campus in Fayetteville will support classrooms and lab space for students in a new occupational therapy program overseen jointly by UAMS and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas board of trustees unanimously approved the renovations Monday, spokesman Nate Hinkel said, along with a property purchase for the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. The three-year, clinical doctorate occupational therapy program expects to enroll its first students in 2020, said Sherry Muir, the program director hired last year from Saint Louis University. |
| U. of Florida vet school appoints new large animal chairman | |
 | University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine appointed a new chairman of the large animal clinical sciences department, the college announced Monday. Guy Lester, who was a faculty member at the college between 1991 and 2002 and a temporary associate professor in 2016, will begin as chairman Nov. 15. He is currently head of the equine section and academic chair of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program Murdoch University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Western Australia. |
| South Carolina's Harris Pastides, Clemson's Jim Clements in top 50 highest paid college presidents | |
 | Wages in S.C. are stagnant, and public employees are paid less than other states -- but that's not something college presidents have to worry about. Presidents at both the University of South Carolina and Clemson were among the top 50 highest paid professors in the 2016-2017 academic year, according to a recently released report from Chronicle on Higher Education. Clemson University President James Clements is the 23rd highest paid college president at the country, the report said. With a salary of $809,334 in the 2016-2017 school year, it took tuition from 57 students to pay his salary, according to the report. University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides, was paid $691,592 -- equivalent to tuition from 58 students -- in the 2016-2017 school year, ranking as the 42nd highest paid public college president in the country, according to the report. |
| U. of Missouri starts removal of aging oaks from Francis Quadrangle | |
 | Pin oaks grow tall and straight. When 20 were planted around the edges of the University of Missouri's Francis Quadrangle more than 60 years ago, perhaps the idea was to provide a living complement to the columns of the university's first building that are the school's iconic symbol. But a combination of age, soil conditions and overwatering have taken a toll and on Monday, the five identified as the most troubled were removed. "These are the most hazardous of these trees," said Pete Millier, director of landscape services and the Mizzou Botanic Garden. "They have been dropping limbs and it is normal and natural for pin oaks to drop limbs as they decline." Pin oaks typically live 80 to 100 years in ideal conditions but conditions in the quadrangle are less than ideal, Millier said. |
| Americans Still Believe in Higher Ed's 'Public Good' | |
 | Most political discussion of higher education these days focuses on the return on investment to individuals, rather than on the contributions that colleges and universities make to society broadly. So it wouldn't be surprising to find that many Americans don't put much stock in the "public good" arguments on which much government funding of higher education was premised. But a new survey finds that most Americans continue to support government funding of higher education and to recognize that colleges and universities play many roles beyond helping them (or their children) get a good job or other personal return on investment. The study by researchers at Columbia University's Teachers College, "Americans' Views of Higher Education as a Public and Private Good," is the latest entry in a string of public opinion polls over the last year that have elevated the blood pressure of many college leaders by raising doubts about the perceived value of higher education, mostly related to the price and benefits of their own education. |
| U. of Memphis to open Institute of Public Service Reporting | |
| The University of Memphis on Monday announced it is opening the Institute of Public Service Reporting on campus to produce independent investigative and enterprise reporting, and train students. As the first step in the effort, the U of M recently hired award-winning investigative reporter Marc Perrusquia, who recently left The Commercial Appeal after a 29-year career. The institute will be guided by an advisory board headed by Louis Graham, The CA's former executive editor, and Otis Sanford, a former managing editor at The CA and the U of M's Hardin Chair of Excellence in Economic and Managerial Journalism. "The Institute of Public Service Reporting at the U of M will allow our students to gain valuable experience working under the direction of some of the most respected journalists in the city of Memphis," University of Memphis President M. David Rudd said in a news release. |
| Hardball Haley ready to deal on immigration | |
 | Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: When Governor Haley Barbour dominated the Legislature, he defied observers (me) who pointed out that when members of the 1890 House and Senate wrote the state 1890 Constitution, they assured themselves the power to slap silly any governor who tried to thwart their wishes. Instead, Barbour -- only the second Republican governor to serve under that Constitution and without the supermajorities his party has today -- took charge. How did he do it? Hardball. ...So, why the big buildup of Barbour as a strident political purist? Here's why: Since leaving Mississippi again, he's devoted a chunk of his time and expertise to bridge-building. More specifically, he's been co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Immigration Task Force. |
SPORTS
| Nick Fitzgerald on Maxwell Award watch list | |
| Mississippi State senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award on Monday. The honor goes to the top player in college football and Fitzgerald is one of six semifinalists from last season to also be included in this year's watch list. Fitzgerald leads all returning FBS signal callers in career rushing touchdowns, 100-yard rushing games and yards per carry and totaled 2,766 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. He was one of only three players to throw for over 1,700 yards and also rush for more than 900 yards in 2017. |
| Montez Sweat, Jeffery Simmons selected to Bednarik Award watch list | |
| Mississippi State returns one of the best defensive lines in the country. On Monday, two of the Bulldogs' top defensive linemen -- Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons -- were recognized on preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football. Sweat, a senior defensive end, led the Southeastern Conference with 15.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks during his first season in Starkville. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from Stone Mountain, Georgia also added 48 tackles and a fumble recovery. Simmons, a junior defenisve tackle, finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Macon native also contributed 12 stops for loss, five sacks, forced and recovered two fumbles, blocked three kicks and totaled two touchdowns last season. |
| Know your foe: Joe Moorhead aims to keep Mississippi State's momentum going | |
| Joe Moorhead oversaw some of the nation's top offenses at Penn State. Now he's in charge of it all at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are ushering in a new era under Moorhead, who will officially be introduced to the Egg Bowl when Mississippi State makes the trip to Oxford on Thanksgiving (6:30 p.m., ESPN) to renew the state's most contentious rivalry. The road team has won the last three times in the series. Moorhead replaces Dan Mullen, who left some big shoes to fill after a successful nine-year tenure in Starkville that included a 10-win season, two nine-win campaigns and a program-record eight straight bowl appearances before leaving for Florida in November. Mississippi State is going from one offensive mind to another in Moorhead. |
| Mike Slive's influence weighs heavily over successful SEC | |
 | Greg Sankey was about 13 months into his tenure as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference in the summer of 2016 when he and his predecessor, Mike Slive, met at a Starbucks in Birmingham. It wasn't long before Sankey would take the podium at SEC Media Days 2016 and deliver an address, touching on the SEC's accomplishments over the year prior and some of the issues in college sports at the time. Slive left him with an assurance: "It's your conference now, you don't need to talk about me." Yet, the story of the Southeastern Conference is tough to tell without talking about Mike Slive, even if doing so posthumously. Sankey did just that Monday. |
| SEC ponders sports gambling | |
| The ripple effect of the legalization of sports betting has Greg Sankey keeping an eye on the betting lines. That big change was one of the topics most addressed as the commissioner kicked off SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday. There was talk at the SEC spring meeting in Destin about the possibility of player injury reports released by the league. That won't happen this season but could be around the corner. In releasing any such information the conference will have to comply with federal privacy laws. Disciplinary news and eligibility issues at individual schools will also come into play, but Sankey says he could eventually see a sort of player "availability list" released ahead of games. "I expect the change in sports gambling could be and will be likely the impetus for the creation of such reports in our future," Sankey said. |
| Commissioner Greg Sankey: New Gambling Laws Could Result in SEC Injury Reports | |
| Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey says the Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal law barring gambling on sports could cause the league to require schools to issue weekly reports that list the status of injured or ineligible players. Speaking to reporters Monday at the start of the league's annual media gathering, Sankey stressed that gambling's potential effect on games is one of the most important issues facing the league, but the SEC is unlikely to require weekly reports in 2018. Sports books often use information on injured or ineligible players to hedge the line. "FERPA and HIPAA requirements, academic suspensions, other team or athletics department-imposed suspensions and NCAA eligibility issues make something more like an availability report relevant for discussion," Sankey said Monday. |
| SEC Media Days: Commissioner Greg Sankey addresses legalized gambling | |
| The Southeastern Conference is healthy. It commands attention, makes money hand over fist and wins a lot of football games. Greg Sankey, the league's commissioner, opened SEC Media Days on Monday with an address proclaiming the strength of the conference. In an age when TV ratings and game attendances are declining, the SEC still featured in the five most-watched college football games from 2017 (and 13 of the top 25) and has led the nation in attendance for 19 years. All that to say that while things change quickly in the world of sports entertainment, in the eyes of the SEC, it's not worth fixing if it ain't broke. Among the many things Sankey took time to address Monday were the steps the SEC would take to accommodate legalized gambling. "While it may be preferred to have no expansion of gambling activity," Sankey said, "what is needed now is for our state and federal legislative leaders to enact policies that properly support the integrity of our games and provide the necessary protections for our students and our student-athletes." |
| Commissioner Greg Sankey: Need to have legalized gambling closely monitored | |
| The expanding presence of legalized sports gambling around the country is something the SEC has been anticipating and planning for since 2011, league Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday at SEC Media Days. "Members of the SEC staff have been in communication with and learning with those who work in legalized sports gambling," he said. "We've also been in contact over the last year with representatives from the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the PGA offices to monitor and learn from their efforts and to stay up-to-date on their legislative conversations. Gambling activity around sports is not new, and that includes gambling activity around collegiate sports. What is new is the expansion of legalized sports gambling and the increased cultural acceptance of legalized sports gambling." Sankey said the league and lawmakers need to be proactive to make sure the integrity of the game is protected. |
| SEC Media Days open in Atlanta with state of conference speech | |
 | The Southeastern Conference is adamant that its current eight-game conference format is in the best interest of the conference, commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday at the opening day of SEC Media Days. The SEC and Atlantic Coast Conference remain the only Power 5 conferences that have yet to expand to a nine-game conference format, but Sankey said after heavy review by the conference that the schedule will remain the same for the foreseeable future. "Has the SEC approach worked?" Sankey asked. "Our success as a league should not be attributed simply to our scheduling philosophy, but year after year our best teams have produced the best team in the country. The facts candidly speak for themselves. Stated succinctly, what we do works on a championship level and to the level that provides our teams meaningful access to postseason bowl opportunities." |
| SEC pulls off moving Media Days to Atlanta with few glitches | |
| The College Football Hall of Fame's wall of video boards lit up the darkening Centennial Olympic Park Sunday night with a shifting glow. "WELCOME TO SEC MEDIA DAYS!" its scrolling message read. SEC Media Days opened the next morning in Atlanta, moving from Hoover, Ala., which had hosted the event for 17 consecutive years. Utilizing spaces in the Hall of Fame and the attached Omni Hotel, the SEC broke from tradition to deliver its annual event in a bright venue with symbolic importance. "This setting provides us with a unique opportunity to experience some memories in a venue that's focused on college football," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. "Being in the same place for so many years everybody knows where to go," associate commissioner for communications Herb Vincent said. "It kind of ran itself in many ways." |
| SEC Media Days will return to Hoover in 2019... then where? Nashville? | |
 | SEC Media Days will return to Hoover, Ala., next year. After that, Commissioner Greg Sankey intends for the event to have "some portability." The conference's four-day media event started with Sankey's address Monday. This year's media days are at the College Football Hall of Fame. It marks the first time media days have not been in the Birmingham, Ala., area since the event's inception in 1985. Sankey didn't say Monday where media days might look at going after 2019, but Nashville has made a case to host the event. "Absolutely, we're interested," Nashville Sports Council president and CEO Scott Ramsey told USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee last year. During an appearance on 104.5-FM last week, Sankey mentioned Nashville as a possible future destination for media days. |
| U. of Alabama approves purchase of metal detectors for football games | |
| The University of Alabama System board of trustees on Monday approved the purchase of metal detectors for the athletics department to be installed outside Bryant-Denny Stadium this fall during home football games. The board approved the purchase of 180 walk-through metal detectors and related equipment from low bidder CEIA USA, Ltd of Twinsburg, Ohio, for $982,800. The purchase is being funded with athletics funds. The detectors were part of an agenda that also included the purchase of additional property in Tuscaloosa for a planned railroad overpass bridge on the south side of the UA campus. The metal detectors UA purchased Monday will be deployed at every gate of the football stadium and potentially other large athletic events, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety Ralph Clayton said. At its spring meetings, the Southeastern Conference announced it had decided that metal detectors would be utilized at SEC football stadiums and other events as determined by each campus by 2020. |
| NCAA set to hear Barney Farrar's appeal in Ole Miss case | |
| The NCAA's Infractions Appeals Committee will hear Barney Farrar's appeal on Wednesday. In a statement released by Farrar's lawyer, Bruse Loyd, indications were that the deliberations are expected to continue into the end of the week, and a result could be made public as soon as August. The result of Farrar's appeal -- he was given a five-year show-cause -- could be an indicator of how the appeals committee will handle Ole Miss' own appeal. |
| Big 12 has new slogan, commish Bob Bowlsby says, 'We aspire to win national championships' | |
 | The Big 12 has a new slogan: "Every Game Matters." That was just one of the messages delivered by commissioner Bob Bowlsby on Monday during the first day of the Big 12 Media Days. The topic of the College Football Playoff was a consistent theme in Bowlsby's time at the podium. "We aspire to win national championships," he said. The current set up of the league -- and other conferences -- tends to be a stumbling block for the Big 12, or so was the subtle message Monday. "You will see the banners around, 'Every game matters,'" Bowlsby said in opening remarks. The Big 12 plays nine conference games, while the SEC -- for instance -- plays eight, something many believe is a advantage for the SEC. |
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