Here’s the news for December 2, 2008 from the Double-A Zone, the official blog of the NCAA:

TOP POST

Inconsistencies hamper BCS system - Dec 02, 2008 | 13:56:39

College football's season-long Division I FBS playoff is winding down, and it's proving to be one of the most exciting and controversial years in recent memory.

You'll hear people argue that college football needs a playoff with X number of teams so that it all gets settled on the field. Frankly, no one can argue that it wouldn't be an awesome few weeks of football.

While many would love to see this March Madness-like playoff in football, there's something great about every regular season game playing such a pivotal role in the national championship race. A season-ending playoff would devalue the best regular season of any college or professional sport. More>>

What do you think is the best way to break the BCS tie this year? Should we, as Mike Leach suggests, use a team’s APR?

HBO debuts documentary on college football integration - Dec 02, 2008 | 14:49:40

For student-athlete's growing up in this generation, it's almost incomprehensible that there was ever a time when sports teams weren't integrated, but a new HBO documentary, Breaking the Huddle, reminds us that college football wasn't always a welcoming place for minority athletes. The film starts in the 1950s when many major conferences were proud to have all-white teams.

The story follows the struggles faced by coaches and players alike through the turbulent times that followed. One former athlete, Darryl Hill, was the first black player in the ACC. "One of the toughest places I played was Clemson University,"

Hill says in the film. "You know, 50,000 drunk southern gentlemen are waiting to see this brother come out on the field. Not a black person in the stands anywhere. The black people had to sit outside the stadium on a red, dirt hill called '[expletive] Hill.' And that's where they watched the game. Talk about double-teamed, I was triple-teamed. Every time I look up there and see these black people sitting on this dirt hill, I said, I'm gonna show these folks. Well, I caught 10 balls, which set an ACC single-game pass-catching record which stood for a long time. And I can remember they came down from the hill, when the game was over, to the bus -- and were congratulating me. And that was a good feeling."

Breaking the Huddle debuts at 10 p.m. Tuesday, December 16.

Court: School's official colors are part of its trademark - Dec 02, 2008 | 14:06:37

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, considered a case brought against the Smack Apparel Company, of Tampa, Fla., by four institutions -- Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, Ohio State University, and the Universities of Oklahoma and of Southern California -- along with the Collegiate Licensing Company. The court ruled last week that Smack's use of those universities' colors on its T-shirts could mislead consumers into thinking that the apparel was from the universities.

Southern California sacrificing timeouts to wear home red on road - Dec 02, 2008 | 13:09:02

Southern California's football team will give up two timeouts (one in each half) in its upcoming game at UCLA so it can wear its red home jerseys. USC coach Pete Carroll is comfortable with the decision, which violates the NCAA rule that forces road football teams to wear white. The last time both USC and UCLA wore their home jerseys in a game against each other occurred in 1982. Carroll told ESPN.com that he thought "it was a really cool tradition." If you're a USC fan, are you OK with your team possibly jeopardizing its chance to win the game so that you're team can carry out a "cool tradition"?

Division II football down to final four - Dec 02, 2008 | 11:56:49

The Division II football playoff is down to its final four after an exciting quarterfinal weekend. Perhaps the most thrilling game of the college football weekend was Minnesota-Duluth's 19-13 double-overtime win over top-ranked Grand Valley State.

Both semifinals will be broadcasted live on ESPN networks. Minnesota-Duluth will take on California (Pennsylvania) on Saturday at noon Eastern time on ESPN Classic. The other semifinal will match North Alabama and Northwest Missouri, a game that can be seen at 4 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN2.

Will undefeated B-States (Boise and Ball) battle in a bowl game? - Dec 02, 2008 | 11:03:12

If the undefeated football teams from Boise State and Ball State can't land a spot in a BCS bowl game, there is talk the two undefeated squads could meet in a bowl game. The tricky part is figuring out which bowl could host them, given conference bowl ties and home-field advantage situations. The Humanitarian Bowl could work, although Ball State would be reluctant to accept a bid on Boise State's home field. Additionally, the Motor City Bowl might be an option, but a MAC-favored crowd in Detroit could deter Boise State from coming. If this dream matchup does occur, the most likely scenario would be in Shreveport's Independence Bowl. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Kmic, Mount Union triumph in Division III football playoffs; three No. 1 seeds lose - Dec 02, 2008 | 9:55:39

There are eight teams remaining in the Division III football playoffs, although they aren't necessarily the eight squads you would have thought heading into the tournament.

Three No. 1 seeds - North Central, Williamette and Millsaps - lost this weekend. The lone remaining No. 1 seed is national title favorite Mount Union, which advanced after an easy 42-7 victory over Hobart. Mount Union running back Nate Kmic became Division III's all-time leading rusher during the game, and now has 7,449 career yards. He has an outside shot at reaching the college football record, which is held by Chadron State's Danny Woodhead, who had 7,962 rushing yards in his career.

On a side note, Millsaps' head coach is former Alabama coach Mike DuBose, who seems quite happy at the Division III level.

Duke sues insurer for unpaid legal fees - Dec 02, 2008 | 9:11:08

Duke University sued one of its insurers last week for not paying legal fees and settlement costs related to the lacrosse case that drew national attention two years ago. According to the newspaper report, the insurer has refused to reimburse Duke for legal bills of $11 million because it believes the university's policy is capped at $5 million.

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