Thursday, September 13, 2001

[ FOOTBALL ]

SEC chooses to play;
ACC, Big East postpone

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Associated Press

College football couldn't agree on how to respond to this week's terrorism, with the Atlantic Coast and Big East conferences postponing games and the SEC playing on "to bring our people together."

The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 were divided internally -- with each of those conferences playing some games and putting off others.

In yesterday's conference call of the 10 major I-A conference commissioners, the group was unable to come up with a plan all could accept.

"I'm sure everybody's preference would be for life to be normal and therefore play the games that were scheduled," ACC commissioner John Swofford said. "But life isn't normal. These are extremely extenuating circumstances and consequently those circumstances have been very impactful."

Among the dozens of games suspended were two marquee matchups in the state of Florida -- No. 13 Washington at No. 1 Miami and No. 10 Georgia Tech at No. 6 Florida State.

A third marquee game -- No. 8 Tennessee at No. 2 Florida -- will be played in Gainesville.

The SEC schools "mourn the tragic loss of lives, bodily injury and condemn the acts of destruction which occurred yesterday in this nation," a league statement said.

"We just feel very strongly ... that this was the appropriate decision to make," SEC commissioner Roy Kramer said.

Nearly three dozen of the 116 scheduled games in Division I-A and I-AA have been postponed.

Only 12 teams in the Top 25 are still scheduled to play Saturday. In addition to Tennessee at Florida, it's Tulsa at No. 3 Oklahoma, Utah State at No. 11 Fresno State, Louisiana Tech at No. 12 Kansas State, Auburn at No. 15 LSU, No. 24 BYU at No. 17 Mississippi State, Bowling Green at No. 18 South Carolina, Western Michigan at No. 20 Michigan, Montana State at No. 22 Oregon State, and No. 25 Louisville at Illinois.

SEC:

The league said the games "present a meaningful opportunity to bring our people together in a common expression of sympathy and mourning."

There will be nine games involving SEC teams this weekend.

The SEC said a pregame ceremony will be held at each game and the schools will donate a total of $1 million from the gate receipts and TV fees to funds aiding victims of the attacks.

Fans at each game will be encouraged to donate to the funds.

WAC:

Only three of the 10 Western Athletic Conference football teams will play on Saturday as scheduled.

A fourth team is tentatively scheduled to play, and six others have postponed their games as a result of the terrorism in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington.

The three games that will be played -- subject to travel availability -- are Texas Tech at UTEP, Utah State at Fresno State and Louisiana Tech at Kansas State.

Tulsa is tentatively scheduled to play at Oklahoma.

The lone conference game, Hawaii at Nevada, was postponed (see B1 for details). Also postponed were Rice-Nebraska, Stanford-San Jose State, Central Michigan-Boise State and SMU-North Carolina.

Big 12:

The Big 12 Conference was willing to play a full football schedule this weekend, but ended up with one postponement: No. 4 Nebraska and Rice pushing their game to next Thursday.

At least eight other games will be played Saturday, including Texas Tech against Texas-El Paso at 4 p.m. Hawaii time.

The Cornhuskers had to find a new date because Rice postponed or canceled all athletic events through Sunday. The schools have rescheduled their football game for Sept. 20. Both had Sept. 22 open, but Rice was leaving for a road game against Hawaii a few days later. Before they settled on Thursday, there was even talk of canceling the game.

"We are dealing with circumstances we have never had to deal with before, and hope and pray that we will never have to deal with again," Nebraska athletic director Bill Byrne said. "We feel the best solution will be to play on Thursday of next week."

Big East:

The Big East Conference postponed the six football games league members were to have played Saturday because of the terrorist attacks.

The league also postponed all conference competition through the weekend and left the decision to play non-league games in all sports but football to individual schools.

All six football games involving Big East teams were non- league contests. No makeup date has been announced for any of the games.

The game between No. 1 Miami and No. 13 Washington at the Orange Bowl was postponed last night.

"The overwhelming feeling throughout our institutions is that we must move on with our lives and terrorist actions will not stop us from doing that," Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said in a statement. "The suspension of all league competition through the weekend allows us an appropriate period of reflection and mourning."

Pac-10:

Two conference games are still on --Colorado at Washington State and Montana State at No. 22 Oregon State -- and four have been postponed, including Arizona State at No. 14 UCLA.

ACC:

The ACC scratched all five Saturday games involving its teams. The Georgia Tech at Florida State game will probably be rescheduled for Dec. 1, the schools said.

"My initial reaction was not to let them (terrorists) change our way of life, but it just does not seem right to play football just yet," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said.

Who's playing

Here's a look at the professional and college football games to be played or are postponed this weekend:

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National Football League

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will announce a decision today on whether the following games will be played or not.

Sunday

Buffalo at Miami, 7 a.m.
Denver at Indianapolis, 7 a.m.
Dallas at Detroit, 7 a.m.
Arizona at Washington, 7 a.m.
Green Bay at N.Y. Giants, 7 a.m.
New England at Carolina, 7 a.m.
Cincinnati at Tennessee, 7 a.m.
San Francisco at New Orleans, 7 a.m.
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 7 a.m.
Atlanta at St. Louis, 10:05 A.m.
Kansas City at Seattle, 10:15 a.m.
Jacksonville at Chicago, 10:15 a.m.
N.Y. Jets at Oakland, 10:15 a.m.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 2:30 p.m.
Open: San Diego

Monday

Minnesota at Baltimore, 3 p.m.

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College Football

All times HST

Tonight

Penn St. (0-1) at Virginia (1-1), ppd., Dec. 1

Ohio (0-2) at N.C. State (1-0), ppd., Nov. 24

Texas Tech (1-0) at UTEP (1-1), ppd., Saturday

Tomorrow

Colorado St. (1-1) at UNLV (0-2), ppd.

Saturday

WEST

Idaho (0-2) at Montana (1-1), 9 a.m.
Colorado (2-1) at Wash. St. (2-0), 9:30 a.m.
Cal Poly-SLO (1-1) at St. Mary's (1-1), 10 a.m.
SW Texas (1-1) at CS Northridge (0-1), ppd., TBA
Mont. St. (1-1) at Oregon St. (1-1), 12:30 p.m.
E. Oregon (0-2) at Weber St. (0-2), 2 p.m.
E. Wash. (1-0) at Idaho St. (1-0), 2:30 p.m.
Sac. St. (1-1) at Portland St. (1-0), 3 p.m.
Utah St. (0-2) at Fresno St. (3-0), 4 p.m.
Brown (0-0) at San Diego (2-0), ccd.
Hawaii (1-0) at Nevada (0-2), ppd.
Arizona St. (1-0) at UCLA (2-0), ppd.
N. Mexico St. (0-3) at New Mexico (1-1), ppd., Nov. 24
Utah (1-1) at Air Force (1-1), ppd.
Cent. Michigan (1-1) at Boise St. (0-2), ppd., Dec. 1
Stanford (1-0) at San Jose St. (0-2), ppd., Dec. 1

SOUTHWEST

N. Arizona (2-0) at Oklahoma St. (1-1), noon
North Texas (0-2) at Arkansas (1-1), 1 p.m.
Nicholls St. (0-2) at Arkansas St. (0-2), 1 p.m.
Marshall (1-1) at TCU (2-1), 1 p.m.
Alcorn St. (1-1) at Ark.-P. Bluff (1-1), 1:30 p.m.
Tulsa (1-0) at Oklahoma (3-0), 1:30 p.m.
N. Iowa (1-1) at Stephen F.Austin (0-2), 2 p.m.
Alabama St. (0-1) at Texas So. (1-1), 2 p.m.
Texas Tech (1-0) at UTEP (1-1), 4 p.m.

MIDWEST

Louisville (3-0) at Illinois (2-0), 6 a.m.
W. Michigan (1-1) at Michigan (1-1), 6 a.m.
Wyoming (1-1) at Kansas (1-1), 6:30 a.m.
Missouri (1-1) at Michigan St. (1-0), 7 a.m.
Wis.-Eau Claire (2-0) at Valparaiso (1-1), 7 a.m.
W. Kentucky (1-1) at Wisconsin (1-2), 8 a.m.
S. Illinois (0-1) at Ball St. (0-2), 8:30 a.m.
Iowa (2-0) at Iowa St. (1-0), 9:30 a.m.
Kentucky (1-1) at Indiana (0-1), 10 a.m.
E. Michigan (1-1) at Akron (1-1), noon
Miami (Ohio) (0-2) at Kent St. (1-1), noon
La.-Monroe (0-2) at Cincinnati (1-1), 1 p.m.
Austin Peay (0-2) at Dayton (2-0), 1 p.m.
La. Tech (1-1) at Kansas St. (1-0), 1 p.m.
SW Miss. St. (1-1) at SE Miss. (1-1), 1 p.m.
Youngstown St. (2-0) at Toledo (2-0), 1 p.m.
E. Illinois (1-0) at Illinois St. (0-2), 1:30 p.m.
W. Illinois (1-0) at Indiana St. (0-2), 1:30 p.m.
Baylor (1-0) at Minnesota (1-1), 2 p.m.
Navy (0-2) at Northwestern (1-0), ccd.
Maine (1-0) at N. Dakota St. (2-0), ccd.
Rice (2-0) at Nebraska (3-0), ppd., Sept. 20
San Diego St. (0-2) at Ohio St. (1-0), ppd., Oct. 20
Notre Dame (0-1) at Purdue (1-0), ppd., Dec. 1

SOUTH

Houston (0-1) at Georgia (1-1), 6 a.m.
Tennessee Tech (1-1) at Samford (0-1), 6 a.m.
Vanderbilt (0-2) at Mississippi (1-1), 6:30 a.m.
Drake (1-1) at Davidson (1-1), 7 a.m.
Morehead St. (0-2) at Jacksonville (2-0), 7 a.m.
ETSU (0-2) at VMI (0-2), 7 a.m.
Villanova (2-0) at William & Mary (2-0), 7 a.m.
W. Va. St. (2-0) at Charleston So. (1-1), 7:30 a.m.
Kentucky St. (0-2) at Chattanooga (1-1), 7:30 a.m.
Florida A&M (2-0) vs. Gramb. St. (2-0), 7:30 a.m.
Delaware St. (1-1) at N.C. A&T (1-0), 7:30 a.m.
E. Kentucky (1-1) at Elon (0-2), 8 a.m.
Tennessee (2-0) at Florida (2-0), 9:30 a.m.
Furman (1-1) at Liberty (0-2), 9:30 a.m.
Savannah St. (1-1) vs. Beth.-Cook. (1-1), 11 a.m.
So. Miss. (1-0) at Alabama (1-1), 11:45 a.m.
Norfolk St. (1-0) at S. Carolina St. (1-1), noon
Louisiana-Lafayette (1-1) at UCF (0-2), noon
The Citadel (0-1) at W. Carolina (1-1), noon
Clark Atlanta (0-1) at Morris Brown (0-2), 1 p.m.
North Alabama (1-1) at Murray St. (1-1), 1 p.m.
Gard.-Webb (2-0) at N'western St. (2-0), 1 p.m.
Bowling Green (2-0) at S. Carolina (2-0), 1 p.m.
S. Utah (1-1) at South Florida (1-1), 1 p.m.
Appalachian St. (1-1) at Troy St. (0-2), 1 p.m.
Georgia So. (2-0) at Wofford (0-1), 1 p.m.
BYU (3-0) at Mississippi St. (1-0), 1:30 p.m.
McNeese St. (1-1) at Jacks. St. (2-0), 2 p.m.
Alabama A&M (0-2) at MVSU (0-2), 2 p.m.
Prairie View (0-2) at Southern U. (1-1), 2 p.m.
Jackson St. (1-0) vs. Tenn. St. (1-0), 2 p.m.
Auburn (2-0) at LSU (2-0), 3 p.m.
Florida Atlantic (1-1) at J. Madison (1-1), ccd.
Duke (0-2) at Clemson (2-0), ppd.
Georgia Tech (3-0) at Florida St. (2-0), ppd.
SMU (0-2) at North Carolina (0-3), ppd., Dec. 1
West Virginia (1-1) at Maryland (2-0), ppd., Sept. 29
Washington (1-0) at Miami (2-0), ppd., Nov. 24
No. Illinois (1-1) at Wake Forest (2-0), ppd., Nov. 24

EAST

Buffalo (0-2) at Army (0-1), 7 a.m.
Dartmouth (0-0) at Colgate (0-2), 7 a.m.
Bucknell (0-1) at Cornell (0-0), 7 a.m.
Columbia (0-0) at Fordham (1-0), 7 a.m.
Harvard (0-0) at Holy Cross (1-0), 7 a.m.
R. Morris (0-2) at Monmouth, N.J. (1-0), 7 a.m.
New Hampshire (2-0) at Hofstra (1-1), noon
Lehigh (1-0) at Penn (0-0), noon
West Chester (0-2) at Delaware (0-2), 1 p.m.
Lafayette (0-1) at Princeton (0-0), 1 p.m.
Yale (0-0) at Towson (1-1), ccd.
Canisius (0-1) at Sacred Heart (1-0), ppd.
St. John's, NY (0-1) at St. Francis, Pa. (0-2), ppd.
Richmond (0-1) at Massachusetts (0-2), ppd.
La Salle (1-0) at Marist (0-1), ppd.
Wagner (0-1) at Georgetown, D.C. (0-2), ppd.
Duquesne (2-0) at Iona (1-0), ppd.
Albany, N.Y. (2-0) at Cent. Conn. St. (0-2), ppd.
UAB (1-1) at Pittsburgh (1-1), ppd.
California (0-2) at Rutgers (1-1), ppd.
Siena (0-1) at Stony Brook (0-0), ppd.
East Carolina (1-1) at Syracuse (1-2), ppd.. Sept. 29
Connecticut (0-2) at Temple (1-1), ppd.