NCAA President Myles Brand, 67, Dies of Cancer

They, plus 4 others, must repay value of illicit benefits

(NEWSER) - In the wake of the University of Miami booster scandal , eight football players have been suspended by the NCAA for accepting illicit benefits from Nevin Shapiro. All of them must also repay the value of those benefits, ranging from $140 for quarterback Jacory Harris to $1,200 for defensive starter Olivier Vernon, who also received the harshest penalty with a six-game suspension. Five other players, including the quarterback, must miss Monday’s opening game before returning, while the remaining two will miss four games. More»

Or maybe the men's NCAA tournament field should include all 347 teams

(NEWSER) - The NCAA's interest in expanding the men's basketball tournament from 65 teams to 96 has met with almost universal scorn, but the bottom line will clearly dictate the path the all-American rite of spring takes. For some, even 96 teams isn't enough. "It's going to make putting a bracket together a little complicated," writes Jason Gay, but "why not go for it—invite every one of the current 347 NCAA Division I schools"? More»

BCS playoff bill the latest in a long line of similar measures

(NEWSER) - A House subcommittee ushered through a bill that would keep the BCS from billing its title game as the “national championship,” unless the NCAA institutes a playoff system. Where does Congress get off telling college administrators what to do? Well, sports are considered interstate commerce, according to the Explainer column in Slate . That gives lawmakers the jurisdiction to look into nearly any sports matter they please. More»

Fighting the rising cry for playoffs is one of sport's worst jobs

(NEWSER) - Bill Hancock is one of the best-liked people in the sporting world, but he's been tasked with defending one of its most-hated systems, writes Sean Gregory. Hancock, a former director of the Final Four, has been appointed as the first permanent director of the Bowl Championship Series. That makes him a target for everyone—from President Obama on down—who think there's got to be a better way than the incomprehensible BCS system to find a national champion of college football. More»

(NEWSER) - The Ivy League has a reputation for excellence in all things, but the consignment of its sports programs—particularly the more visible ones like football and basketball—to college athletics’ second tier has alumni clamoring for change, the Wall Street Journal reports. Academic standards limit the pool of top student-athletes for the eight Ivy schools; the football teams can’t play in the postseason, nixing their title chances. More»