RALPH D. RUSSO
Temple's Patrick Kraft hired as Boston College AD

By Ralph D. Russo 10 hrs ago
Boston College hired Patrick Kraft as its new athletic director on Wednesday,

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow throws a pass against Clemson during the second half of the NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans. No. 1 overall pick Burrow and the rest of the rookie class will begin preparing for their first seasons in the NFL at home instead of at minicamps and team facilities this month. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
AP Top 25 Podcast: Looking for 2020's Burrow or Baylor

By Ralph D. Russo May. 29, 2020 01:56 PM EDT
Baylor and Minnesota went from unranked to conference title contenders in 2019.

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2018, file photo, West Virginia players high-five fans after defeating Kansas 38-22 in an NCAA college football game in Morgantown, W. Va. The crippling coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world — including the sports world — to a standstill, and it shows no sign of going away anytime soon. That has left fans, stadium workers, team owners, sponsors and yes, even players, wondering what life will be like when games finally resume. (AP Photo/Craig Hudson, File)
NCAA offers guidance for bringing athletes back to campus

By Ralph D. Russo May. 29, 2020 01:28 PM EDT
The NCAA released a long and detailed plan Friday to help schools bring back

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, file photo, Northern Illinois' Marcus Childers scores a touchdown as he breaks the tackle of Florida State's Zaquandre White during an NCAA college football game, in Tallahassee Fla. The road trip to Tallahassee came with a $1.6 million payout to NIU. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon, File)
Bye buy games? G5 could lose millions in Power 5 payouts

By Ralph D. Russo May. 16, 2020 12:15 PM EDT
In 2018, with his school facing the possibility of cutting staff to make up a

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Washington NCAA college football defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake speaks during a news conference about taking over the head coaching position, in Seattle. Just when it seemed like things were up and rolling, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The ensuring national shutdown hurt coaches across college football as they prepare for next season, but it was particularly difficult on programs with first-year coaches trying to build something from the ground up. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Pac-12 football coaches pitch uniform start to season

By Ralph D. Russo May. 12, 2020 06:27 PM EDT
As Pac-12 football coaches pitched an NCAA-mandated uniform start to the season

FILE - In this Saturday, April 18, 2020, file photo, Gate 2 at Memorial Stadium is empty because the annual Red-White matchup was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The goal is for all of major college football _ 130 teams in 10 conferences across 41 states _ to start a season at the same time and play an equal number of games. It is becoming more apparent the coronavirus pandemic is going to make that goal difficult to achieve. (Francis Gardler/Lincoln Journal Star via AP, File)
Patchwork decisions throw wrinkle in college football plans

By Ralph D. Russo May. 06, 2020 01:50 PM EDT
There are 130 major college football teams, spread across 41 states and

FILE - In this is an April 25, 2018, file photo, NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is viewed. College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament cost schools $375 million and more losses are expected, especially if football season is disrupted in the fall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
NCAA's top doctor: Testing crucial to having sports in fall

By Ralph D. Russo May. 01, 2020 06:00 PM EDT
Widespread testing for coronavirus will be crucial to having college sports in

FILE - In this is an April 25, 2018, file photo, NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is viewed. College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament cost schools $375 million and more losses are expected, especially if football season is disrupted in the fall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
NCAA board recommends delaying change to transfer waiver

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2020 01:49 PM EDT
The NCAA Board of Governors has recommended delaying a change to the transfer

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2019, file photo, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young watches a play develop during the second half of the team' NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Chase led the nation in sacks with 16 1-2 and forced fumbles with six last season, finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
AP Top 25 Podcast: Recruiting stars shine at NFL draft

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2020 11:29 AM EDT
The first round of the NFL draft was dominated by former blue-chip recruits

FILE - In this is an April 25, 2018, file photo, NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is viewed. College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament cost schools $375 million and more losses are expected, especially if football season is disrupted in the fall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Analysis: NCAA moves toward athlete compensation, but how?

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2020 06:12 AM EDT
The foundation is in place for the NCAA to drastically alter its definition of

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Skeptics loom as NCAA builds guardrails around compensation

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2020 06:25 PM EDT
For more than 60 years, NCAA leaders have insisted college athletes had to be

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
NCAA moves toward allowing athletes to be paid sponsors

Ralph D. Russo Apr. 23, 2020 03:52 PM EDT
The NCAA is moving closer to allowing Division I athletes to earn money from

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2019, file photo, Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin discusses the team's signing class during a press conference at the Manning Center in Oxford, Miss. Just when it seemed like things were up and rolling, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The ensuring national shutdown hurt coaches across college football as they prepare for next season, but it was particularly difficult on programs with first-year coaches trying to build something from the ground up. (Bruce Newman/The Oxford Eagle via AP, File)/
AP Top 25 Podcast: Who takes Tua? Catching up with Kiffin

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 22, 2020 05:28 PM EDT
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the most intriguing player in the NFL

FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2018, file photo, fans cheer as the Michigan team takes the field at Michigan Stadium for an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin in Ann Arbor, Mich. While professional sports leagues can ponder plans to isolate their athletes from the coronavirus and have them play in unusual, even secluded places, college sports have no such option. Pro sports leagues can get creative with solutions to save their multibillion-dollar businesses. College sports will take a slower road back. (AP Photo/Tony Ding, File)
Analysis: Expect college football to take a slow road back

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 22, 2020 02:01 AM EDT
While professional sports leagues can ponder plans to isolate their athletes

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2019, file photo, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) scrambles during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La. Burrow is a posible first round pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night, April 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
What is 'It'? Identifying and developing intangibles in QBs

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 21, 2020 12:44 PM EDT
Sam Howell has been a quarterback since first grade. His

FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, Stanford head coach David Shaw looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State in Pullman, Wash. Colleges around the country finished off their football signing classes this week, proudly touting scores of African-American athletes as their next big stars. A review of all 130 FBS schools found shockingly low numbers, with blacks still largely shut out of head coaching positions and even more so the prime coordinator spots. (AP Photo/Young Kwak, File)
AP Top 25 Podcast: Stanford's Shaw on ending faked injuries

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 16, 2020 12:08 PM EDT
Stanford football coach David Shaw, the head of the NCAA’s rules committee,

FIULE - In this April 13, 2020, file photo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington. The commissioners of the major college football conferences held a 30-minute conference call Wednesday, April 15, 2020, with Vice President Mike Pence and stressed to him that college sports could not return from the coronavirus shutdown until college campuses have re-opened. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Commissioners tell VP no football before campuses open

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 15, 2020 03:28 PM EDT
The commissioners of the nation's major college football conferences held a 30

In this June 13, 2018 file photo, grounds crew prepare TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA baseball College World Series. The Division I baseball championship, decided in this city of just under a half-million for the past 70 years, is among the many sporting events canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, file)
Preparing for budget crunch, conferences ask NCAA for relief

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 14, 2020 09:59 PM EDT
Five major football conference commissioners have asked the NCAA to relax some

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Clemson football player Tee Higgins lifts weights during NFL Pro Day in Clemson, S.C. Scouts, front-office executives and even coaches find themselves coping with a whole new process with Americans hunkering down and doctors overwhelmed by the mounting cases of COVID-19. Gone for the most part this year are access to in-person interviews, campus workouts and visits to team headquarters. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)
AP Top 25 Podcast: Over or under? Win totals for 2020 season

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 08, 2020 07:03 PM EDT
Over or under? Las Vegas oddsmakers have projected victory

FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, file photo, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes talks with guard Santiago Vescovi, of Uruguay, during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. With competition canceled across all NCAA divisions due to the coronavirus, many foreign athletes face a dilemma, return home or stay. Tennessee's men’s basketball team has players from France, Serbia, Uruguay and Finland, which meant Mary-Carter Eggert, the director of basketball operations, became a travel agent, looking for the best flights. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
Pandemic fallout: NCAA slashes distribution by $375 million

By Ralph D. Russo Mar. 27, 2020 01:22 AM EDT
Canceling March Madness because of the coronavirus pandemic will cost the NCAA