It looks like Georgia Southern have got into the NCAA’s bad books recently when their football team failed to secure three scholarships. NCAA will be penalizing the team as they are not performing up to standards set by the strict organization. They also did not reinforce rules to keep their athletes academically-inclined. In comparison, Georgia Tech and University of Georgia were praised when statistics show that they exceeded the NCAA’s minimum academic development rate for every sport. Cal State Sacramento also received warnings and punishments when seven of their overall teams did not meet the NCAA’s standards for churning out optimal athletes.

Three senior Michigan state players and a junior player have accepted the invitation to play in the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine to be held from 20th to 26th of February at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The running back Michigan State player Jehuu Caulcrick, safety Nehemiah Warrick and tight end Kellen Davis along with Devin Thomas, the junior wide receiver, are the Spartan players who will play in the 2008 Scouting Combine.

Jehuu Caulcrick who owns a school record of rushing for 872 yards and 21 touch downs in 2007 is well known for his powerful running. Caulcrick is ranked 8th in the league for his rushing and he is virtually unstoppable when he is in full flow. The tight end Kellen Davis, a 6-6, 246 pound man, is a well known Spartan player who has a career record of 513 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns, and 32 receptions in 2007 season, of which 18 out of the 32 catches coming in the last five games he has played. He can be utilized as a possession receiver as well as a play maker. Devin Thomas was ranked as the fifth best receiver in the 2008 NFL Draft and is selected in the 32 prospects by Scouts, Inc.

Chuck Sekyra has been named the Division II National Coach of the Year.Sekyra’s team reached the NCAA Division II semifinals for the second time in three years. His 2005 squad lost the national-championship match in OT to Nebraska Omaha. It really speaks to the type of season their women had. And Sekyra admits that it was enjoable for all of them.So now The National Soccer Coaches Association of America picks coach of the year.

The Kansas Jayhawk football program received two final commitments of the class.  The two signings brought them to 20 overall, with two 4-stars. After missing out on Cyrus Gray Crawford was next up on Mangino’s wish list. Crawford will  be immediately inserted into the runningback mix, along with Jayhawks in Jake Sharp, Angus Quigley and Carmon Boyd-Anderson. They will get a lot more in-depth about this once we start previewing the football season, and the runningbacks in particular. The commit wasn’t on the radar of most Jayhawk fans. With all three of our current starters slated to be seniors next season. They need to start filling our rosters with their future replacements.  Richardson is that person,  but at the very least he is another really good body to throw in there. His other offers were from Bowling Green and Central Michigan. He is much more representative of the Mangino classes of old. He  represents a bottom-tier prospect in this class.

The push for an eight-team college football playoff by Michael Adams failed to gain steam at the NCAA Convention.The NCAA Division I Board of Directors sent the proposal for further discussion.
Adams said that it was time for the NCAA to replace college football’s bowl games.
Adams is a chairman of the NCAA’s Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. He wanted his standing to make a difference when he proposed a playoff system. NCAA president Myles Brand  said he would remain neutral on a football playoff.
Clemson president James Barker and chairman of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors said that there was no timetable for action on Adams‘ proposal.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors passed 45 of the 47 proposals sent to it from the Management Council.
The most-publicized legislation was prohibiting institutions from canceling or reducing scholarships of female athletes who become pregnant.
Some schools had required student-athletes to sign documents stating they would lose their scholarship.
The Board of Directors passed an alteration to the telephone text-messaging ban between coaches and prospects.

The Wildcats will look to extend their season-high winning streak to five games on Sunday.They will make their first national television appearance of the season against No. 15/15 Texas at the Erwin Center at 1 p.m. The Wildcats have never  played consecutive ranked opponents on the road since Feb. 22, 2001 and Feb. 28, 2001 at No. 16 Colorado and at No. 24 Baylor. The contest can also be heard on the K-State Sports Network and at www.kstatesports.com

The Kansas Jayhawks have emerged victorious in the Orange Bowl, the Kansas City area can claim a nationally unique status. First the University of Missouri won the Cotton Bowl, followed by KU’s victory Thursday in the Orange Bowl. KU’s victory was the perfect complement to the performance of the Missouri Tigers team that won the Cotton Bowl on Tuesday.

The Detroit Lions met with Head Coach Rod Marinelli in Allen Park on Monday to wrap up the season and begin the offseason process. Marinelli recapped the season and re-emphasized his expectations. Obviously players are disappointed in the end-result of this 7-9 season and the opportunity that wasn’t realized the way they hoped it would be.

Terry Wanless is the Sacramento State Director of Athletics. He will be receiving the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award at the All-American Football Foundation’s annual awards banquet – for her special contribution to the development of the NCAA football in Sacramento. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 20, at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas and is sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Appalachian State University became the 1st university in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision to win its 3rd consecutive Football Championship Subdivision title, after defeating the University of Delaware 49-21. With their team unity leading the way, Mountaineers were able to take control of the match from the very beginning. On their 1st possession in the game, Kevin Richardson scored on a nineteen-yard pass from quarterback Armanti Edwards. The team’s defense was able to hold a very talented Delaware offense to only 2 touchdowns. Appalachian State University solidified their 3rd consecutive national championship late in the 4th quarter after Trey Elder scored on a 53-yard run.