KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 / SPORTS
9A
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck."
-Don Schula, Miami Dolphins Football Coach
FACT OF THE DAY
The Kansas football team is in the middle of a three-game streak against ranked opponents.
— KU Athletics
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
A: 2007, against No. 24 Kansas State and No. 5 Virginia Tech
Q: When is the last time Kansas beat two ranked teams in a season in football?
KU Athletics
Void of leaders creates open game
MORNING BREW
unny, isn't it?
The Dallas Cowboys shocked everyone (including the heavily favored New York Giants) with a 33-20 win, good for their second win of the season. In Week 10.
The San Francisco 49ers were expected to run through the NFC West without a challenge. They're tied for last place in the division through nine games.
The Oakland Raiders are tied for the longest win streak in the league and sit atop the AFC West.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 6-3.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 6-3. The NFL changes so rapidly on a week-by-week basis that it's difficult to put it into words. "Parity" is a word thrown around a lot, suggesting that the gap between the league's best teams and worst teams is closing. It seems to be the case, as teams such as the Browns, Rams and Jaguars continue to impress. But although these teams are getting better,
Take the Cowbies. Sure, the team is talented: Jerry Jones would have nothing less than some of the most skilled players grace his cathedral of a stadium. And the media gave the team elite status because
BY CHRISTIAN LUCERO
clucero@kansan.com
Tony Romo looked great in the regular season. But Dallas has always been talented and has one playoff win in the last 10 years to show for it.
The Minnesota Vikings thought that bringing Brett Favre back would give them the best chance of returning to the NFC Championship game. And they have suffered some setbacks this year, with the injury to Sidney Rice and the Minnesota installment of "The Randy Moss Show". But the Vikes instead will most likely be a sub-.500 team.
The stumbles of these supposed top dogs have given more light to the underdogs of the 2010 season such as the Chiefs, Seahawks, Rams and Raiders.
— Edited by Emily McCoy
And perennial contenders such as New England, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis are still looking down at the rest of the league. But the reason for this season's parity is the progression of the lower tier of teams. Even teams such as Detroit and Buffalo, which had single digit wins early on in the season, stay competitive in most of the games. But without normal stalwarts of the Vikings and Cowboys, these teams have taken their place in the mix.
THIS WEEK IN KANSAS ATHLETICS
WEDNESDAY
Volleyball
Baylor
6 p.m.
Lawrence
Volleyball
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
8 p.m.
Lawrence
FRIDAY
Volleyball
Texas
6:30 p.m.
Austin, Texas
Men's Basketball
North Texas
7 p.m.
Lawrence
Football Oklahoma State 11 a.m. Lawrence
SATURDAY
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Two additional players dismissed from UNC team
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Eighteen weeks after the NCAA's initial visit to campus, the agent-related and academic-related investigations into the North Carolina football program are nearly complete.
The fate of the final two individual players involved was officially delivered Monday night. The NCAA declared fullback Devon Ramsay and defensive end Michael McAdoo permanently ineligible. Neither the NCAA nor UNC would disclose the reason for the players' expulsion from college football.
"When we discovered some issues,we acted on them,"Baddour said. "The (NCAA) accepted our action in good faith."
Ramsay played in the first four games of the season, including two wins, but the NCAA will not require UNC to forfeit the wins, UNC athletic director Dick Baddour said. The school's frequent contact with the NCAA and "good faith effort" is the reason the NCAA didn't make UNC forfeit the wins, Baddour said.
UNC, with a 6-4 record, is eligible to play in a bowl game this season, with remaining games at home against N.C. State on Saturday and at Duke on Nov. 27.
Baddour said the school would
appeal the NCAAs decision on Ramsay and McAdoo's status.
The NCAA declined to comment.
The loss of McAdoo and Ramsey brings the total of UNC players ruled out for the season to eight, with four _ receiver Greg Little, defensive end Robert Quinn, McAdoo and Ramsay _ ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA and a fifth _ defensive tackle Marvin Austin _ dismissed from the program by UNC.
The other three players ruled out for the season _ safety Jonathan Smith, safety Brian Gupton and cornerback Charles Brown _ are redshirting and plan to return for the 2011 season.
Six players were cleared to return, with five players missing at least three games. Running back Ryan Houston missed the first five games and chose to redshirt the season rather than return for the final seven regular-season games.
UNC has identified five players as being involved in the agent-related investigation aé" Austin, Little, Quinn, Kendric Burney and Deunta Williams. Citing to privacy laws, the school has declined to designate the players involved in academic misconduct.
Baddour declined to say if either McAdoo or Ramsay was involved in the agent-related
investigation.
Baddour said Monday's ruling brings the investigation, which began on July 12, closer to a conclusion.
"There is some remaining work to be done, but we are moving along and do feel like the end is in sight," Baddour said.
Baddour would not put a timetable on when the school would receive a ruling from the NCAA about possible sanctions, which could include the loss of scholarships and a postseason ban.
"Clearly the NCAA has some work to do and has to make an evaluation as to the extent of what their determinations will be." Baddour said.
Baddour said he would be "aggressive" in the appeals for McAdoo and Ramsay.
McAdoo,46-foot-7.245-pound junior, was the defensive MVP of the spring game, with four sacks and an interception and was scheduled to start at defensive end after Quinton Coples was moved inside to replace Austin at defensive tackle.
Ramsay, a fourth-year junior, started two games and caught a touchdown pass in the season-opening loss to LSU on Sept. 4. He also dropped a sure touchdown pass against LSU and caused a critical fumble in a collision with quarterback T.J. Yates in a loss to Georgia Tech on Sept. 18.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
First basketball polls resemble AP preseason Top 25 rankings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The first poll of college basketball's regular season looks a lot like the preseason Top 25.
Duke was again a runaway No. 1 on Monday, receiving 58 first-place votes, three more than it had in The Associated Press' preseason rankings.
The Blue Devils, the defending national champions, opened the season Sunday with a 37-point win over Princeton.
The same teams were in the poll, with eight schools switching places. The 25 teams were a combined 31-0 in the first week of play, with Missouri the only one without at least one win.
There should be plenty of movement in next week's poll. At least three games between ranked teams are scheduled this week.
Michigan State, which received the other seven first-place votes, remained second followed by Kansas State, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Villanova was sixth with Kansas, North Carolina, Florida and Syracuse rounding out the top 10.
The first of the four switches was Gonzaga and Kentucky, which are 11th and 12th this week. Illinois was 13th followed by Purdue, Missouri, Butler, Baylor Washington, Memphis and
Georgetown. The last five ranked teams were Temple, Virginia Tech, BYU, Tennessee and San Diego State.
The other switches were Butler and Baylor, Temple and Virginia Tech and BYU and Tennessee.
The Volunteers opened the season with an 82-62 win over Chattanooga, but that followed a 79-64 loss to Division II Indianapolis in an exhibition game.
Last season, Syracuse lost an game to Division II LeMoyne. It certainly didn't derail the Orange once the regular season started. They won their first 13 games and reached No. 1 for a week in February, their first time on top in 20 years.
There are three double-ranked games set for Tuesday: Ohio State at Florida, Virginia Tech at Kansas State and San Diego State at Gonzaga. All three are regularly scheduled games and not tournament matchups.
The fourth possible game between ranked teams would be Friday in either the championship or third-place game in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Pittsburgh faces Maryland in one semifinal at Madison Square Garden on Thursday while Illinois plays Texas in the other.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEN'S BASKETBALL
TOP 25
1 **Duke**
2 Michigan State
3 **Kansas State**
4 Ohio State
5 **Pittsburgh**
6 Villanova
7 **Kansas**
8 North Carolina
9 **Florida**
10 Syracuse
11 **Gonzaga**
12 Kentucky
13 **Illinois**
14 Purdue
15 **Missouri**
16 Butler
17 **Baylor**
18 Washington
19 **Memphis**
20 Georgetown
21 **Temple**
22 Virginia Tech
23 Brigham Young
24 Tennessee
25 San Diego State
MLB
Buster Posey announced as Rookie of the Year, soon after World Series win for Giants
The San Francisco Giants' young catcher showed the leadership of a veteran as he guided a talented pitching staff all the way to the first championship in the franchise's 53 seasons in San Francisco. His acumen also made him the clear choice as the NL Rookie of the Year, as announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Monday.
Buster Posey has a trophy to go along with his World Series ring.
Posey easily outpointed another kid from Georgia, Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward, drawing 20 of 32 first-place votes to become the Giants' first rookie of the year since pitcher John Montefusco in 1975.
Posey joined an exclusive club of Giants to win the award, which also includes Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda and
Votes were due before the playoffs began, so the Giants' run to the World Series wasn't a consideration_and neither was the NL Division Series in which Posey outplayed Heyward as the Giants advanced past the Braves.
Gary Matthews.
It was expected to be a close vote between the two Georgia natives, who each were named on 31 of 32 ballots. But Heyward received just nine first-place votes along with 20 second-place votes to finish with 107 points. Posey had nine second-place votes to finish with 129 points.
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jaime Garcia was named on 18 ballots, receiving 16 third-place votes, to finish third. Notably, Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez received two first-place votes but was named on just eight ballots.
Posey, 23, hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBs in just 108 games after making his season
debut May 29. He caught a Giants staff that held opponents to three runs or fewer in 18 consecutive games the longest streak since the 1917 Chicago White Sox.
He might have cemented the award with a complete effort Sept. 21 at Wrigley Field, when he hit a home run, caught four pitchers in a combined two-hitter and threw out an attempted base stealer in a 1-0 victory over the Cubs that kept the Giants in first place by a half-game in the NL West.
Posey became the first player to win a Rookie of the Year award and World Series ring in the same season since Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia in 2007. Left-hander Dontelle Willis was the last NL rookie of the year to win a World Series, with the Florida Marlins in 2003.
Posey joins the Cubs' Geovany Soto (in 2008) as the only catchers to win Rookie of the Year since Mike Piazza in 1993.
MLB
OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha Royals will become the Omaha Storm Chasers next year when the minor league team moves to a new stadium southwest of the city.
Omaha Royals change team name
Associated Press
The team announced the new name in an e-mail to fans Monday afternoon ahead of a planned news conference.
Suggestions were solicited for the new team name and fans were allowed to vote on the suggestions online.
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