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PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
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08.01.05: Demand
swamps supply of Gamecock tickets |
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07.31.05: After
C-USA raid, restocked WAC plows ahead |
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07.30.05: BCS
pushing for instant replay in all 28 bowls |
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07.29.05: Bower
suspends two players, bids adieu to 4 more ... S.C. prep
coaches blast Spurrier scholarship moves |
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07.28.05: Pirate
Radio Network evolves to 27 stations ... Acquittal leads to
reinstatement of UC assistant |
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07.27.05: At
East Carolina, Saturday is all about the ladies ... ACC
stockpiling future postseason destinations |
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07.26.05: BCS
faces challenge from shadow poll of VIP's |
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07.25.05: Players
still learning the ropes of redefined ACC ... Huggins
assistant acquitted of DUI charge |
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07.24.05: CIAA
trophy to be named after 'Big House' ... ECU hoops mirror
reflects Herd, Wave, Knights |
07.23.05: East
Carolina alum Mike Sutton taken off respirator
... Jury slaps recruiting guru with $30 million verdict |
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07.22.05: Big
Ten stirs the pot of shifting bowl alliances |
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News Nuggets, 08.02.05
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
Previous Day Nuggets...
Next Day Nuggets...
Compiled from staff reports
and electronic dispatches
C-USA to feel impact of imported WAC teams
Both the old and the new will be
represented in the upper echelon of reconfigured Conference USA's 2005
football power structure, say the league's coaches.
Southern Mississippi, a charter member
and perennial conference power, will reign supreme in the East Division,
according to the coaches, while UTEP will make a solid first impression by
winning the West Division in its inaugural year in C-USA.
If the coaches' crystal ball proves
prophetic, the Golden Eagles and Miners will meet in the league's first
football title game on Saturday, Dec. 3, in front of the ESPN television
cameras.
The new divisional alignment is the
product of the league's transformation since last season from an awkward
collection of disparate schools some without football programs into a
12-team league in which all members place a high priority on the gridiron.
UTEP leads a contingent of four former
Western Athletic Conference members the others are Rice, SMU and Tulsa
into C-USA's West Division, where they join league incumbents Houston and
Tulane.
In addition to Southern Miss, the East
Division is home to league regulars East Carolina, Memphis and UAB and
newcomers UCF and Marshall, both formerly members of the Mid-American
Conference.
The prognosticators have two of the
league's top individual awards being captured by players from former WAC
schools defensive end John Syptak of Rice and return specialist Ashlan
Davis of Tulsa while Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams is predicted
to win offensive honors.
The influx of new teams into C-USA more
than offsets the departures of several schools, increasing the league from
11 to 12 football-playing members thus meeting the threshold under NCAA
guidelines for staging the conference title game at the end of the regular
season.
Cincinnati, Louisville and South
Florida have moved from C-USA to the Big East Conference, while former
league member TCU has joined the Mountain West Conference. Army, which was a
member of C-USA in football only, has returned to the independent ranks.
The 2005 projected order of finish in
Conference USA's East and West Divisions, according to a vote of the
league's coaches:
EAST DIVISION
1. Southern Miss 64
2. UAB 60
3. Memphis 55
4. Marshall 35
5. East Carolina 19 (tie)
5. UCF 19 (tie)
WEST DIVISION
1. UTEP 68
2. Houston 59
3. Tulane 46
4. Tulsa 31
5. Rice 27
6. SMU 21
Conference USA's projected 2005 top
individual award winners, according to a vote of the league's coaches:
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis (1,948
yards, nation-leading 22 rush TDs, 24 total TDs)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
John Syptak, DE, Rice (69 tackles, 15
TFLs, 8 sacks)
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ashlan Davis, KR, Tulsa (led nation in
KOR avg. at 30.6; set NCAA record with 5 returns for TDs)
From staff reports and
ECU Athletics and
Conference USA news releases.
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data
published by ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools; and reports from Associated Press and
other sources. Copyright 2005
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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