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Spanning the collegiate world with updates. Just. For. You.

You may be shocked to know that there are other schools besides Rutgers that play sports. And there's a lot going on out there, and some of it is, uhh, interesting. Here's a quick digest of some "hot" topics that may whet your appetite for more.

By rvc73

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Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

One strike and you're out

We're all a bit sensitive to domestic violence issues in light of Ray Rice's situation.  And we've carried a few stories (here, here, and here) about Ray and whether he deserves another shot with the NFL. And whatever your feelings might be about Ray, the topic of domestic violence has become a very hot button issue in sports.  And while most of that was directed at the pro leagues, it has filtered down to college.  Steve Spurrier, the "head ball coach", has taken a very hard line on the issue at South Carolina.

An interesting take as documented by CBSSports Dennis Dodd.

It's not just us

Sometimes Rutgers fans get the sense that we're snake bit.  There's a sense that our name should be Murphy, that if something can go wrong, it will in Piscataway.  But, dear readers, we aren't the only ones who suffer through insane actions, stupid decisions, and just plain goofy stuff.  Even a solid program like Virginia Tech can have screw ups.

If you can't beat'em....

Last year, Alabama's Nick Saban tried to get the NCAA to slow down the NASCAR-like offenses that are becoming more common.  He wanted to get a rule change that would have prevented the ball from being snapped before at least 10 seconds had gone off the play clock.  It didn't happen.  But there's a new football rules group that will look at the playing rules of just Division 1.  And guess who is chairing that Competition Committee?  Alabama's athletic director Bill Battle.  Sometimes, you just need to be creative in order to get your way.

Gopher Gaffes

As I said, nasty stuff doesn't just happen at Rutgers.  Fellow Big Ten member Minnesota is going through an ugly matter with its now former AD.

It was just three years ago that the Gophers were introducing Teague as their new athletic director.  He had been a successful AD at Virginia Commonwealth, meaning he was the guy who hired Shaka Smart.  And what have you done for me lately?

And, apparently, there was a smoking gun at VCU.

Here's that word again: facilities

Two stories popped up recently about current and former conference mates and their athletic facilities.  While Rutgers has a master plan approved by the University's Board of Governors, it has yet to formally announce any specific plans or timelines.

Cincinnati

At Cincinnati, they're getting ready to reopen "historic" (which I think means old in PR terms) Nippert Stadium.  Nippert got a major upgrade and was expanded from 35,000 to 40,000.  It's an $86 million project and, amazingly, Cincy has only raised about $50 million of the total.  One thing that the Bearcats are looking for with this construction is an invitation to a Power 5 conference.  And, unlike some schools, Cincinnati's president is a driving force.

[Head coach Tommy] Tuberville said UC President Dr. Santa Ono still wants the Bearcats to get a seat at the Power table.

"It's all about Dr. Ono, he had a vision to take our athletic department to another level," Tuberville said. "This is definitely going to do that."

Hmmm, how about that!

Iowa

Talk about continuing to fall behind.  The Hawkeyes are looking to spend $150 million on renovations at Kinnick Stadium and construction of a new indoor track facility and a new residence hall that would house training table facilities for Hawkeye athletes.  The Rutgers master plan did not have any reference to an indoor track facility.  And the numbers bandied about for Rutgers total package of construction - for virtually every sport - was around $100 million.

The well dressed team

Remember when we talked about Rutgers' deal with Nike?  There was a lot of conversation by you folks, including this comment:

Nike would be wise to negotiate a new deal now, prior to hitting the open market.

Rutgers contract is clearly under-valued and Nike would be foolish to let it play out.

by RU Serious on Jul 28, 2015

Rutgers is in the Big Ten now.  It has much more exposure on TV.  Would it make sense for Nike to do do what RU Serious suggests and corral the Scarlet Knight brand with an extension?  The marketplace is a rough environment.  And Georgia - admittedly in a different circle than RU - just got a new extension of its deal from Nike:

The article gives the reason:

Nike has quietly extended the equipment and apparel contract of the University of Georgia, the latest in a series of moves seemingly designed to lock up key partners amid the escalating battle to outfit top athletic programs. [emphasis added]

Is Rutgers one of those "top athletic programs"?  Could it be?  Is it worth it for Nike to hedge its bets?

Is this supporting the home team, or just plain nuts?

A lot of us complain that the state of New Jersey doesn't support Rutgers.  We look at the state legislature and wonder if they even realize that Rutgers is the state university.  Then you have the state of Alabama.

At an Alabama Senate hearing on Monday, Sen. Tom Whatley from Auburn proposed a bill urging Auburn University to claim nine national championships in football, according to Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman.

Think that's insane?  Alabama already did it!

The University of Alabama increased their title claims during the '80s, jumping from six national titles to twelve.

Just how did they make such a leap?

Former Alabama Sports Information Director Wayne Atcheson decided to add five national championships from before the Bear Bryant-era into the school's media guide before the 1986 season.

You see, there's the real problem at Rutgers; we just aren't creative and ballsy enough.

And finally, our Moment of Zen....NFL edition