NCAA Shafts College Players

Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien will still finish playoffs with Pats

(NEWSER) - Penn State has at last found its replacement for Joe Paterno: New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien will take the job, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN , with another league source saying O'Brien will finish out the playoffs with the Pats before starting his new gig. Penn State coaches contacted by the AP , however, said they'd received no word yet that a hire had been made. More»

NCAA punishes next year's team after players took cash

(AP) - Ohio State players broke the rules and got to play in the Sugar Bowl anyway. Jim Tressel knew about the infractions and let it all happen. Now the Buckeyes and new coach Urban Meyer will pay for it next season. The NCAA hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and additional penalties today for violations that started with eight players taking a total of $14,000 in cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings, and other Buckeyes memorabilia. More»

Gators stifle Vols; Va. Tech edges out Nebraska

(NEWSER) - The Washington Huskies stunned No. 3 USC today 16-13, winning with a 22-yard field goal with 3 seconds left, the Seattle Times reports. In other action:

• Vols coach Lane Kiffin may watch his mouth from now on. The No.1 Florida Gators beat Tennessee 23-13 with tight defense and 76 yards rushing by quarterback Tim Tebow, ESPN reports.

(AP) - The father of an NFL player among three men lost at sea said today the Coast Guard's hopes of finding survivors off the Florida Gulf Coast are waning. Bruce Cooper, father of Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, says he still has hope. But the Coast Guard told families privately that officials weren't optimistic because of the timeframe and possibility of hypothermia. More»

Lion, Raider were fishing off Gulf Coast

(NEWSER) - The Coast Guard got no distress signal from a missing fishing boat carrying NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith and two friends off Florida's Gulf Coast, the AP reports. “That's not to say they didn't send one out," said an official. "We didn't receive anything”—nor was the vessel in touch before conditions got rough, he noted. The Coast Guard is “deploying all available resources” to look for the group, which was expected to return Saturday night, said Smith’s agent. More»