SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1994
SECTION B
COLUMNIST
GERRY FEY
Biased ranking has no place in press' polls
It's happened again.
Nebraska has been left behind at No. 3, watching Penn State and Colorado jump ahead in the Associated Press poll's race for No. 1.
No surprise, it's happened many times before.
I'm the first one to admit my bias, being a Nebraska native. So I can understand why no one from Kansas would sympathize.
But one thing we as students of a Big Eight Conference school should be concerned about is the East Coast sportswriters' bias.
Florida, the nation's previous No. 1 team, lost to No. 6 Auburn and caused this whole ruckus. Former No. 2 Nebraska defeated Kansas State 17-6 in Manhattan, while the Nittany Lions, previously No. 3, beat Michigan.
Colorado pounded Oklahoma 45-7, showing its obvious strength. But Nebraska did not play a slouch team, as many Jawhawk fans could attest.
Obviously, No. 11 Michigan is a better team than the No. 16 Wildcats, a team that defeated Kansas a week before. However, Nebraska did win in rain-soaked conditions without its top quarterback and its running back hampered by a jammed thumb throughout the game.
To do that shows the true grit and talent of a team. East Coast writers don't care about grit.
Whether it be basketball or football, the AP voters from the East have little respect for Midwest teams.
That is why we should care. Nebraska may not be the most loved team in this state, in fact, they could be the second-most hated, but we should rally behind any good Midwest team, especially a squad from our conference.
Colorado has earned its place in the poll, going undefeated, through an impossible schedule of nationally ranked teams. But the Buffalooes jumped up at the expense of Nebraska.
Penn State may deserve its position also, but that is not the question. The teams should have to wait their turns. In an ideal world, when a ranked team loses, the lower qualified teams leapfrog to replace the losing team.
These writers listen to people like ESPN's Craig Braithwaite too much. James proclaimed Auburn, a team on probation for NCAA recruiting violations, the No. 1 team after defeating the Florida Gators.
As long as the Comhuskers are in good position to be contenders for the national championship, I'm happy. I'm not happy about the AP poll's inconsistency. When the No. 1 team loses and the next three teams win, the only important consideration, it follows that every team moves up one spot. Logical? Yes. An AP reality? No.
That should also be a concern for the Midwest and all colleges. This is an age when college athletic departments are trying to place top priority on academics and running clean programs. It is not morally right to put a football team that violated NCAA rules at the nation's top spot.
Auburn broke the rules and now they must pay for it. Although none of the team's current players and coaches were involved in the violations, the University should not be rewarded with a No.1 ranking. It seems unfair to the players, but that's life.
It's time for sportswriters across the nation to get their priorities straight. Don't reward teams on probation and don't stereotype Midwest teams year-in and year-out. Good Midwest programs should be rewarded for their ability to find success while playing by the rules.
it's not just a Midwest problem. All football fans and players should raise their vices in unison for a new Division I-A playoff system to decide the national championship. Let's take any bias, East Coast writers and mine included, out of the championship race.
Decide it on the field. The way it should be.
Gerry Fey is an Omaha, Neb., senior in Journalism.
Sophomore tailback Mark Sanders breaks loose on a run in the first half of Saturday's game against Iowa State. Sanders compiled a career high 135 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Earl Richardson / Lawrence Journal-World
Friendly competition drives tailback Sanders
Three men vie for the starter's spot
By Matt Irwin
Kansan sportswriter
Mark Sanders said he wanted to make the Kansas football coaches' jobs more difficult.
The sophomore wants to be the best tailback on the team and start every week.
but there's one catch.
Sanders is one of three tailbacks considered as a possible starter this season. Sophomore June Henley and junior L.T. Levine are the other two.
"In practice everybody rotates two or three plays," Sanders said. "You see L.T. or June break one, and you're like, 'Damn, I want to brake one on my play.' You don't want to fall out of the pack. You want to make the decisions harder on the coaches."
Sanders made the coaches' decisions even more difficult after a career high of 135 yards rushing on 15 carries in Kansas' 41-28 defeat over Iowa State Saturday. Sanders also
Now you want to get more and more."
Sanders said that the competition for playing time and yards was a friendly one between the running backs. He said his career game against the Cyclones would escalate this competition.
Kansas coach Glen Mason said that Sanders played more because Levine, who had started the game, bruised his thigh. Levine finished with 19 yards on 5 carries. Sanders bruised his thigh also,
"It keeps the competition going." Sanders said. "It makes things better for everybody. All of us are friends, and all of us talk all the time and hang out. It's fun."
Sanders said that rushing for more than 100 yards made him want the ball more.
"I can't lie," he said. "Now you know you can get 100 vards. Once you've done it, that's a plateau."
"You see L.T. or June break one, and you're like, Damn, I want to break one on my play.'
Mark Sandors
Kansas sophomore tailback
week in practice."
but it was not as bad as Levine's.
"Right before I scored the second touchdown, I got hit and got a little thigh bruise." Sanders said.
Levine will be ready to go next week, Sanders said.
Sanders said that Henley, who did not play against Kansas State on Oct. 6, would be ready to play against Oldham, as well. Henley had 15 yards on 3 carries against Iowa
Kansas senior fullback Chris Powell, who blocks for all three tailbacks, said he was impressed with Sanders and the players running behind him.
"June said he's ready to
"Sanders," said it. "It was
up to him to test his shoulder.
He hadn't been hit all
"He's a tough, hard, physical runner," Powell said. "That's why he's a great running back. We've got all kinds of great running backs."
By Cameron Heeg Kansan correspondent
The Kansas cycling club wants to take its members from recreational bike riding to the competitive level.
The club is looking for cyclists to broaden its membership base. Once members are initiated, the club will consist of two parts: tour cyclists and mountain bikers.
The club will meet once a month in a classroom so they can set up practice times and race dates. Practices will consist of training sessions and conditioning rides through Lawrence and on mountain bike trails.
Rick Finley, head of the club, said he wanted to focus the tour cycling team toward collegiate conference racing and ultimately the national finals — a move that would greatly reduce the members' out-of-pocket expenses.
"The club coaches are dedicated to getting the club to
the national finals," said Chad Marshall, graduate student. "The club coaches are also trying to get local sponsorship to help on equipment costs and travel expenses." The touring cycling conference teams are affiliated with schools from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
"Iam looking for as many able-bodied cyclists as possible, ranging from beginners to advanced," Finley said. "It would be great if we could get more women and younger people involved in helping the team win races."
A total of 15 tour races will be taking place over a fiveweekend period. The weather, however, presents a problem for the races in the northern states.
"Since the races take place from late winter to early spring, many of the northern states are forced to forfeit," Finlev said.
"If they don't forfeit, they must train inside."
Forfeits and inside training by the northern states make these teams less competitive.
Thus would give Kansas a better chance of getting to the national finals. If the club makes it to the national finals, a team composed of one woman and five men will be picked to represent the University of Kansas.
"More woman involvement will give the club a better chance to get to the national finals," junior Michelle Blair said.
The other part of the club, mountain bikers, will practice and participate in group rides on the Clinton Lake park trail and the river trail.
The bikers will fine-tune their techniques for local races that will be taking place until last into the summer.
The mountain bike group rides may also be set up on trails outside the Lawrence area. Other options include trails at Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa and the trails in the Kaw River Valley.
For people interested in joining the cycling club, the first meeting will be on Oct.27.Call Rick Finley at 842-1158 to get the time and place of the meeting.
Daron Bennett / KANSAN
After looking for a hill to train on, Rick Finley and Michelle Blair decide that the 14th Hill step up to Jayhawk boulevard is it. Both have been members of the Sunflower Cycling Team for about a year and, although they like to tackle Mount Oread, they also take to the dirt now and again and go mountain biking.
Volleyball coach to face her mentor
When the Cornhuskers come to Allen Field House
tomorrow night to play the Jayhawks, coach Karen Schonewise will lead her team against her former college coach — Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit.
By Chesley Dohl
Kansan sportswriter
Forget the sentimental mushy stuff. It will be all business when Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise meets her former head coach, Nebraska's Terry Petti, tomorrow night in a match against the Cornhuskers.
"I have a great deal of pride in Karen," Pettit said. "But in competition I don't think about things like that. My responsibility lies with my team. And Karen's responsibility lies with Kansas. I'm sure you'll find she feels the same way."
"There might be more of an adrenaline rush, but it won't be a big emotional outburst," Schonewise said of the duel against her former coach. "We have a ball game to worry about."
He must have read her mind:
From 1983 to 1986, Schonewise played for the Cornhuskers under Pettit. And in those four years,
Schonewise said she studied and learned from a master of the game.
"He's a very professional person," she said. "He always got the most out of his players. He has a great knowledge for the game, and I enjoy just hearing him talk about volleyball. He's experienced a lot of success."
Pettit said because of players like Schonewhe, he had built a strong Nebraska volleyball program, currently ranked second in the nation.
"It takes a lot of effort to build a program," Pettit said. "I've been lucky to have players like Karen go through the program. It takes someone like Karen to establish a strong foundation. She's greatly responsible for what I have now."
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After she was named the nation's top collegiate women's player her senior year, Schonewise began to entertain the idea of becoming a coach. She said she had wanted to give back to the sport the solid fundamentals she had learned through Pettit—both on the volleyball court and
in life.
"The majority of my coaching philosophy comes from him. The philosophy behind practice, intensity at this level, and the desire to compete and be aighter out there," Schonewise said.
Meeting one of his former players in a coaching match was not something Pettit had ruled out, he said. Many of his former players have gone off to other colleges to pursue a career in coaching.
"She communicates very well, and she pays attention to detail." he said. "She always worked hard, knowing maybe success would not come overnight. She worked hard, knowing it would pay-off sometime down the road."
In her first season as head volleyball coach at Kansas, Schonewise is learning more than ever about obstacles, coaching a young 4-14 team.
"In time, good things will come for Karen," Pettit said. "But in the meantime, there's no quick fix."
Paul Kotz / KAMSAR
Kansas junior outside hitter Tracie Walt hits the ball during practice as coach Karen Schonewite looks on.
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