Schnellenberger Still A Winner

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»

Eric LeGrand undergoes emergency surgery after collision

(NEWSER) - A Rutgers defensive tackle was paralyzed below the neck following a collision with an Army player last night. Eric LeGrand, a junior from New Jersey, underwent emergency surgery and was in intensive care after the top of his helmet slammed into the other player’s left shoulder on Saturday, the New York Times reports. "Eric’s spirits were as good as you can expect,” said his coach. “He’s a fighter.” 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) - A quest to play pro football might keep a Duke basketball player in school for another year, ESPN reports. Greg Paulus, who has used up his basketball eligibility at Duke, has been offered a tryout for the school’s football team—but at receiver, not quarterback, where he starred in high school. Yesterday, Paulus visited the University of Michigan, which has an uncertain quarterback situation, the Detroit Free Press reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Two Santa Ana College football stars and a friend have been busted for videotaping their gang rape of an unconscious teen, according to Orange County cops. The 18-year-old victim, who was dating a friend of the men, was called to a hotel where the group was partying. The men took turns assaulting her and filming the attacks, reports the Los Angeles Times. It's unclear why the woman was unconscious. Each man has been charged with multiple felonies. More»