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News Nuggets, 07.28.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

ACC partial to long-term home for football title game

GREENSBORO — The Atlantic Coast Conference is leaning toward finding a permanent home for the league's football championship game.

When Boston College becomes the ACC's 12th member next year, the league will have enough teams for a lucrative title game, projected to produce $6 million in extra revenue.

The Southeastern Conference, which plays its championship games at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, is the only other conference with a permanent site. The Big 12 and the Mid-American Conference revolve host cities.

"The thing we want to make certain of is that it goes to a venue and city that will truly wrap its arms around it and make it something special," commissioner John Swofford said at the ACC Football Kickoff.

The extra game was one of the key components of Swofford's ambitious plan to make the league — once known as a basketball conference — the nation's best in football.

The ACC began reviewing host proposals last month from seven cities: Charlotte; Baltimore; Miami; Jacksonville, Fla.; Orlando, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C.

Swofford said he expects the ACC to choose a site by early fall, giving the league and the site about a year to prepare. He said the conference may give a two-year contract to the selected city, with the ACC holding a two-year option to extend the deal.

Swofford also said the league would review its bowl game tie-ins as the contracts expire over the next two seasons. The ACC has six bids, including the Bowl Championship Series berth that goes to the league champion.

Houston, Memphis stars on Maxwell list

Two Conference USA players are among the preseason candidates for the 2004 Maxwell Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player.

Houston sophomore QB Kevin Kolb and Memphis junior RB DeAngelo Williams are C-USA's representatives on the preseason watch list.

In becoming the first-ever true freshman starting quarterback in UH history, Kolb led the Cougars to their first bowl berth in seven years and was named the 2003 C-USA Freshman of the Year in the process. He shattered every single Cougar freshman passing mark en route to 3,131 yards and 25 touchdowns throwing the ball.

Kolb completed a 61.1 percent of his passes (220 of 360) with just six interceptions. Kolb also rushed for 346 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 267.5 yards of total offense per game. All of his passing and total offense numbers were tops nationally among Division I-A freshmen quarterbacks.

All eyes will be on Williams this season as he returns from a torn MCL that held him out of the New Orleans Bowl victory last December. Williams was named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Year last season as a sophomore after rushing for 1,430 yards on 243 carries. He ranked fifth nationally in rushing, and led the country in all-purpose yardage. Williams also scored a league-high 13 touchdowns, while setting a new league record with 10 consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

A leader in the classroom, as well, Williams was named to the CoSIDA All-District Academic All-American team and was presented the New Orleans Bowl Scholar-Athlete Award.

Voters for all the Maxwell College Awards include NCAA Head College Football Coaches, Athletic Directors and SIDs, members of the Maxwell Football Club & sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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