Morning Six Pack: May 22, 2013. 101 Days until kickoff!

Thirsty Thursday continues the countdown. Check out six college football stories from around the country.

Online petition to reinstate unfairly banned lineman goes viral

At long last, a college sports-related petition that actually makes a lot of sense.

Sooners coach Bob Stoops on Oklahoma tornado: It was 'just about a mile from our home'

"My family actually saw the tornado coming from the west through our back window, literally a mile away,"

Show cause of ex-Texas Southern coach upheld

The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld a three-year show-cause order for former Texas Southern football coach Johnnie Cole.

Former Prattville star thrilled to be committed to Auburn

Derrick Moncrief can vividly recall his emotions from Feb. 1, 2012.

What will Paul Finebaum’s move mean to Alabama, Auburn?

Paul Finebaum, antagonist extraordinaire. One has to wonder what the Alabama – Auburn rivalry would have been over the last 30 years without Paul Finebaum. News broke Tuesday that Finebaum’s silence would soon cease…

Quotable:

“Oh,” Whitfield said to Manziel, “you’re going to throw it.”

Whitfield already had asked that all cameras be turned off, half-expecting Manziel to be all over the place once he did throw the ball.

“I felt it,” Manziel said after the first blindfold attempt.

Manziel threw only two uncatchable passes in 29 attempts while blindfolded, prompting a bystander to ask if Manziel could somehow see.

“I have always said he has the best antenna in football,” Whitfield said. “I think he just proved that.”

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Morning Six Pack: May 21, 2013 and 102 days until kickoff

Continuing the countdown and checking off another six cool, clear and refreshing college football stories from around the country.

Derrick Thomas' hall of fame snub inspires 'boycott' from Alabama great Cornelius Bennett

The Alabama legend says there's "no doubt" Derrick Thomas should be in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Woodson leaves Tide for South Alabama

Former Alabama receiver Danny Woodson is transferring to South Alabama.

Auburn's Gus Malzahn greeted recruit at 3 a.m. in morning

When everything appears to be just about equal in a tight recruiting battle, it’s often the “little things” that can help a top recruit pick one school over another.

Military Bowl moves to Navy’s Memorial Stadium

The Military Bowl is getting a venue change, and a slightly more appropriate one at that.

Coach confident in Tennessee Vols' strength staff

Butch Jones soon will turn his first Tennessee football team over to his strength and conditioning staff.

Quotable:

''These are rules about preserving the basic character and integrity of athletic competition and its relation to the goals, the most important goals, of higher education,'' Ballenger said. The NCAA and its members, he said, have a right to determine how they want to maintain college sports' tradition of amateur athletics.

Along with the fine, the consent agreement also imposed a four-year ban on postseason play, a temporary reduction in scholarships and the elimination of more than 100 wins under former coach Joe Paterno. The deal has angered many Penn State fans and alumni.

A weakened Penn State football program has implications for students, businesses and others, said Jim Schultz, Corbett's general counsel.

''Penn State football is an economic power source for the commonwealth and its citizens,'' Schultz told Kane, and that power source would be ''seriously damaged'' by the NCAA.

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Morning Six Pack: May 20, 2013. 103 days until kickoff!

Commencing countdown! 103 days until the Crimson Tide kicks ass off. Meanwhile… y’all know this drill.

Is Nick Saban as bad as some are saying?

Four writers debate.    

Pac-12 commissioner Scott's pay surpasses Delany, Slive

Larry Scott's total compensation surpasses commissioner pay in the Big Ten and the SEC.

Mizzou ready for SEC rebound

While Texas A&M was making an instant splash in its Southeastern Conference debut last football season, Missouri was darting straight into obscurity.

Four-star receiver returning to Mountaineers

In early November of last year, Ivan McCartney was the second West Virginia wide receiver in a span of four days to leave the football program. A half a year later, the wayward receiving son has returned home.

McNabb, McPherson to have Syracuse numbers retired

A pair of standout Syracuse signal callers will not so unexpectedly be honored by their alma mater, the school announced Sunday. In a press release,

Quotable:

In his 16 years as president of the University of Georgia, Michael Adams’ influence on athletics at the school has been felt, as he put it, by keeping “a hand on the rudder.”

That has made for some smooth sailing as well as some choppy times during his tenure. Georgia’s athletic revenue has grown from $25.7 million in 1997 when Adams became president to a projected $92.1 million for fiscal year 2013, and the Bulldogs have won 19 national titles in six sports during that time.

He had a messy parting of ways with athletic director Vince Dooley that enraged much of the Bulldog Nation and played a large role in the hiring of basketball coach Jim Harrick Sr., who resigned after four seasons following an academic scandal.

“I don’t have many regrets,” Adams said during an interview in his north campus office in his final weeks as president before his retirement on June 30. “You want to know what my biggest regret is? Not getting the final five yards against Alabama. To have gone out in the national championship game, and I felt that night that was the national championship game and I think the following events proved me right. I’m not sure I’m over that one yet.”

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Morning Six Pack: May 17, 2013

It’s eff’in Friday, folks. Kick back and relax with these six college football stories from around the country.

Football Preview: Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon stars for the 2013 Tide

Alabama’s offense will depend on T.J. Yeldon in its 2013 season.This is part 2 of our Alabama Football Preview.

2013 QB signee transferring from Mountaineers

An early enrollee has decided to take an early leave of the West Virginia football program, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting.

A-List No. 13: Florence's Kendrick Doss evolving into complete quarterback

Doss is one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks, and has offers from Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

‘Canes, Gators Rivalry In Jeopardy

It’s been one of the nation’s best rivalries in college football, but this year’s Sept. 7 matchup (first meeting since 2008) in Miami could be the last game the Gators and ‘Canes square off for a ‘good, long while.

Big Ten releases 2014 schedule

The Big Ten released its first football schedule with Rutgers and Maryland included, and the Scarlet Knights are getting quite a welcome to conference in 2014.

Quotable:

One arrogant football powerhouse dismissing another arrogant football powerhouse. No thank yous for past games, or promises of future rewards.

Just a letter from Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick handed to Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon about an hour before last year's game in South Bend. Brandon was so focused on the game he didn't even read it until the next morning, when the Wolverines were headed home.

''Because I am providing you with this notice prior to the commencement of this year's football game on September, 22, 2012,'' Swarbrick wrote, ''there is no liability to Notre Dame for cancelling those games.''

With that, Notre Dame got itself off the hook, financially. A bit sneaky, sure. But college football is a business, no matter what the cabal behind the bowl system formerly-known-as-the-BCS wants you to believe. And there is no one that does football business better than Notre Dame, which even in its leanest years was always on Saturday afternoons on NBC under a lucrative contract other schools could only dream about.

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Morning Six Pack: May 15, 2013

Humpin’ through the week with another six college football stories from around the country.

Florida assistant Tim Davis calls Nick Saban 'the devil himself'

For the second time this year, an SEC football coach has compared Alabama head coach Nick Saban to the Prince of Darkness.

Big 12 bowl lineup could get a new look too

Russell Athletic Bowl likely to move up and pick the next available ACC team after the Orange Bowl beginning in 2014.

Former G.W. Carver QB Johnson among first arrivals

Some of Auburn's newcomers and returning players are voyaging back to the Plains this week for the start of the summer semester.

Cassano, Khalif join Tech staff

Mike Cassano and former Georgia Tech football standout Saeed Khalif have been named to the Yellow Jackets football staff, where they will serve as assistant directors of player personnel.

Forbes says Nick Saban’s $5.3 million salary is ‘modest’

Forbes writer Tom Van Riper argues that Saban is more a recruiter of overall academic success than just a recruiter of athletes. At just under $5.5 million a year, it’s hard to consider Saban’s salary “modest”,…

Quotable:

Penn State moved quickly Tuesday night to rebut a Sports Illustrated story that appeared to paint an unflattering portrait of the university’s medical operation as it applies to football.

The story, which is teased on the cover of this week’s edition of the magazine with the headline, “Do Athletics Still Have Too Much Power at Penn State?”, is expected to be released online Wednesday morning. It was not available Tuesday night on any web sites.

A statement issued by Penn State said: “To characterize the medical care Penn State provides our student-athletes as anything other than the highest quality is erroneous. Access to urgent and quality are for our athletes is no less than where it was at any point in the past 20 years.

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