PAGE 8
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 14
year's team includes three top 50 classes.
Following the Jayhawks' 59-21 loss to Kansas State on Saturday, two Kansas players cited a lack of focus and energy in practice as possible reasons for the Jayhawks' struggles on the field. Gill did not deny that his team does not always practice the way he wants it to.
"I think that's the inexperience of our team," Gill said. "That's something we have talked about, where there have been days where there's been good energy and then there's other days where we don't."
But when the Jayhawks take the field against Texas on Saturday, 16 of their 24 starters will be upperclassmen. They have seven
Orange Bowl team members that remain on the roster, along with a majority of the freshmen from the 2008 Insight Bowl-winning team.
At 2-5 this season, Gill's team has not yet shown signs that he has started to "fix" a program that may have never needed fixing in the first place. But his sophomore quarterback Jordan Webb still came to his coach's defense, with the heat turned on this week.
"He's keeping us focused everyday," Webb said. "We're making improvements; whether anybody is admitting that or not on the outside doesn't matter to us. We're getting better and we know it and coach Gill is the biggest reason for that."
Edited by Lindsey Deiter
KEEPING THE HAWKS ROLLING SINCE 1974
Don's Auto Center Inc.
Auto Repair and Machine Shop
785.841.4833 11th & Haskell
KU HUMANITIES & WESTERN CIVILIZATION PROGRAM College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Don't miss this year's 24th annual James E. Seaver lecture
"Evolution and the Dreamy Mind"
Anne Neill
Associate Professor, Dept. of English
Free Admission for General Public Nov.1st, 2011 5pm-8pm Kansas Union, Mallott Room
Sponsored by the University of Kansas Humanities and Western Civilization Program 785.864.3011 www.hwc ku.edu
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BIG 12
Still no decision on conference addition
Louisville coach Rick Pitino, center, introduces freshman forward Chane Behanan, left, and freshman center Zach Price during the team's annual Men's Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon Oct. 13 in Louisville, Ky.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Big 12 is still deciding: West Virginia or Louisville? Could be one or the other, or maybe neither.
Conference realignment took a strange turn Wednesday when, a day after it appeared that the Big 12 had decided West Virginia would eventually replace Missouri as the league's 10th member, the Mountaineers' Big East rival Louisville re-entered the picture.
The result was conflicting stories about what happened and a U.S. Senator threatening an investigation — while the Big East was left to wonder not only if it had to replace another member, but which one.
A person with knowledge of the Big 12's discussions told The Associated Press that no decision was made by the conference to add West Virginia, and that Louisville is still a candidate to be invited to join.
The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the Big 12's internal discussions are being conducted privately. The person added that a decision about expansion is not expected before next week.
On Tuesday, West Virginia to the Big 12 seemed to be certain after the Big 12 board of directors met the night before. But the person with knowledge of the talks said "no real decision was made on Monday" and the Big 12 is not committed to any school.
West Virginia Athletic Director Oliver Luck declined comment in a text message to the AP.
However, another person with knowledge of the situation, also
speaking on condition of anonymity because of the negotiations not being made public, said West Virginia was preparing Tuesday to announce the move with a news conference on campus with Big 12 officials on Wednesday.
"I think all of this should have great clarity within the next 10 days or less." University of Oklahoma President David Boren said Wednesday after a regents meeting in Lawton, Okla.
The school and the league also were working on a news release when university leaders received a call from the conference telling them to put those plans on hold, the person said.
One thing seems sure — the Big 12 is going to need a replacement for Missouri, which has been working on a move to the Southeastern Conference.
The person with knowledge of the Big 12's discussions said conference officials are not holding out hope that Missouri will stay, but said West Virginia and Louisville should not be considered finalists to become the Big 12's next member.
"Those two certainly have been
discussed a lot," the person said. "And I wouldn't rule out other schools just yet."
BYU also has been considered as a potential new member by the Big 12. The person said no meetings have been set up with Big 12 officials and schools outside the conference.
"We're still discussing among ourselves," the person said.
Big 12 leaders have also discussed possibly expanding back to 12 members, the number it had before Colorado and Nebraska left after last season and Texas A&M announced earlier this month that it was moving to the SEC. The Big 12 has already replaced the Aggies with TCU, another blow to the beaguered Big East. TCU planned to leave the Mountain West Conference to join the Big East in 2012, but was instead diverted by the Big 12 to reuite with former Southwest Conference rivals Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech.
The person said it is unlikely the Big 12 would go the 12-team route and invite both West Virginia and Louisville in the process.
There were media reports Wednesday that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell reached out to Big 12 officials to lobby for Louisville and that helped put the brakes on West Virginia's invitation.
"There been outside influences for every school," the person said. "Everybody's politicians are calling. I don't mean that in a negative way. They've all been positive and no one has tried to coerce anybody into anything."
"The Big 12 picked WVU on the strength of its program — period. Now the media reports that political games may upend that. That's just flat wrong. I am doing and will do whatever it takes to get us back to the merits," he said.
West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has oversight of sports, released a statement Wednesday saying that he, too, is involved.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, in a statement emailed to the AP, said an investigation might be in order.
YOUR MONEY
ON CAMPUS. ONLINE. ON YOUR ID.
With KU Checking,
you're always close to your money.
Email Alerts
Mobile Banking
Apply today at our location inside the Kansas Union.
We ask, listen and solve
Your mobile carrier's ted messaging and web access charges may apply. © 2011 COMMERCE BANCSHARES, INC
地球标志
Commerce Bank
1
commercebank.com/kucard 785.864.5846
V
(
1
21
Y