• They bought him lunch? But that's against the policy! USC continued its ongoing offensive against agent infiltration earlier this week by releasing an official school policy (pdf) that requires all faculty, staff, students and "third parties" with business on campus to notify the university if they're licensed as a sports agent, work for a sports agent or otherwise "hold themselves out as directly or indirectly representing student-athletes for the purpose of marketing their athletic ability or reputation." Employees are also asked to notify compliance "of any relative (i.e. grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, children, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or cousin by blood or marriage) they know to be an Agent at least 24 hours prior to such individual's arrival on campus."
The policy is another direct shot at USC student Teague Egan (above right, posing for the L.A. Times behind the wheel of his logofied golf cartlast fall), the baby agent who sent the Trojan compliance department into a spasm in November by shuttling freshman running back Dillon Baxter across campus. At the time, incredibly, Egan was certified as an agent by the NFL Players' Association. That status has since been revoked, but USC was sufficiently spooked by the incident – which cost Baxter a trip to Oregon State the following Saturday – in the wake of the Reggie Bush fallout that it's taken the lead in efforts to construct a bubble around vulnerable players. Now, returning to the Bush case: How to deal with the guys who work off campus? [ESPN Los Angeles, @SynrgySports
• Push 'em back. On the opposite end of the schedule, the temporary demise of the Big 12 Championship Game gives the slimmed-down conference a chance to schedule some regular season games on the first weekend of December, including the "Bedlam" game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said last December that "some of the big rivalry games are being looked at" for a December date this year, and since Texas' high-profile showdowns with Oklahoma and Texas A&M are likely to remain in October and on Thanksgiving, respectively, the Sooners and Cowboys – along with the Missouri-Kansas "Border War" – are prime candidates for the move. [The Oklahoman]
• We're going to operate under the platitudes laid out in Template 3 of the 'New Coaches Handbook.' In the venerable tradition of new bosses, incoming Pitt head coach Todd Graham told local media Tuesday he's emphasizing discipline in the wake of several high-profile arrests before during and after last season – most notably involving his predecessor, Mike Haywood – and the sense, as suggested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that "some administrators felt the former staff did not hold some of those involved accountable enough." Graham laid out the "Pitt way," consisting mainly of rules about appearances in the football complex and an offseason training program called "boot camp" in order to build team unity and character. "Sorry, in many cases, is just not going to be good enough," Graham said. "And, if we have those situations that happen, I can tell you that there is going to be accountability. I believe there needs to be values and standards." Shocking stuff. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Quickly… Florida linebacker Neiron Ball is hospitalized for a "congenital vascular condition." … Lane Kiffin oh-so-subtly invites HBO to film a college version of "Hard Knocks" at USC, then receives tips on hashtag etiquette from quarterback Matt Barkley. … Arkansas State hires another Kiffin, Chris, to coach the defensive line. … Pat Bostick, one of the top quarterback prospects of 2007, is leaving Pitt with a year of eligibility remaining – oh, and a degree. … Jerry Gray explains his departure from Texas after a few weeks on staff. … Ohio State's Cameron Heyward bears the shame of another top-ranked Buckeye loss at Wisconsin. … The Cam Newton investigation goes on, and on, and… A judge denies Rae Carruth's appeal for release. … A very detailed recap of the 1978 Rose Bowl. … The director's commentary of LSU's win over Alabama. ("When Drake Nevis got the defensive tackle role, I'm not kidding: 5-8, 180. And Korean. Amazing.") … And it's not college football, but Cal's soon-to-be-killed baseball team raps about its impending demise.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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