Forum: Talk Bulls

With Sunday’s 9-2 victory at St. John’s, the University of South Florida greatly improved its chances of qualifying for the Big East Baseball Tournament.

The Bulls (26-24, 11-13 Big East) are tied with Villanova (11-13 Big East) for seventh place with Rutgers (10-14) in ninth place. Only the top eight teams advance to the Big East Tournament, May 20-24 in Clearwater.

The Bulls won two of three from both Rutgers and Villanova so if USF ends up tied with either team or both schools, USF would win any tiebreaker for seventh or eighth place.

USF closes Big East Conference play with three games against Notre Dame Thursday through Saturday, while Rutgers visits Louisville and St. John’s hosts Villanova.

If USF wins two against the Irish, the Bulls clinch a spot in the league tournament.

Even if USF only wins one against the Irish, Rutgers would have sweep three games at Louisville to knock the Bulls out of the Big East Tournament.

If USF lost all three to the Irish, Rutgers has to win two of three against Louisville to keep the Bulls out of the Big East Tournament.

In Sunday’s win at St. John’s, senior 3B Charles Cleveland tied a school record with five hits and freshman Derrick Stultz got the complete game victory, scattering eight hits. Freshman OF Ryan Lockwood did not play because of a sprained left hand. Lockwood has the nation’s longest hitting streak at 30 games.

USF visits Florida in non-conference action Tuesday before closing out the regular season at home against the Irish.

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University of South Florida men’s basketball assistant Dan Hipsher interviewed with Florida Atlantic officials today about the Owls’ head coaching position.

“First of all I’m honored to be a finalist for the position,” Hipsher said in a statement. “I met with university officials for about five hours today, including the director of athletics and president. I also toured the facilities and the campus and am looking forward to the next step in the process.”

Hipsher, who came to USF from Arkansas with Coach Stan Heath, appears to be among five finalists.

The Owls also previously interviewed UCF assistant Mike Jaskulski, Florida assistant Lewis Preston and FAU assistant Mike Balado, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The Post also reported former St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis would interview today. Former Wisconsin and Saint Louis coach Brad Soderberg also interviewed for the job, Rivals.com reported.

Earlier this year, Hipsher interviewed for the head job at Jacksonville (Ala.) State, before withdrawing his name from contention.

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USF WR Colby Erskin, who tore the ACL in his right knee for a second time seven weeks ago, said his rehabilitation is “going better than last time.”

Erskin, who earned a starting position before the 2007 season, first suffered a season-ending knee injury last August. He was the Bulls’ fastest player, being timed in a sub 4.3 40-yard dash last year.

“I won’t make any promises [about returning in 2008], but I want to play,” Erskin said. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

While Erskin continues to rehab, the junior - along with QB Grant Gregory, OL Matt Huners and DE George Selvie - will speak to about 150 students at St. Petersburg’s Meadowlawn Middle School Thursday night.

“I will tell them to follow their dreams and never let anyone tell them they can not be something,” said Erskin, who came to USF as a walk-on. “The only person that can stop you from becoming what you want to be is yourself.

“But you have to accept the responsibility that came with your dream and achieve those as well. And in college football and high school football, getting good grades is one huge responsibility that comes with it. The key is to have a plan and being responsible.”

Griffin on Rimington list: USF senior C Jake Griffin, of Armwood, is among 42 players on the Rimington Trophy watch list. Griffin is one of five Big East players on the list.

Other USF items: HBO Sports will televise “Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Dallas Cowboys” in August. The weekly hour-long show begins Aug. 6 at 10 p.m., culminating with the Sept. 3 season finale. Perhaps there will be a few sightings of former USF CBs Mike Jenkins and Anthony Henry. … Freshman OF Ryan Lockwood, of Jesuit, extended his hitting streak to 28 games – halfway to the MLB mark set by Mr. Coffee Joe D – in Tuesday’s loss to UCF. It was Lockwood’s first game since missing two games with a groin injury. The Bulls visit St. John’s for a three-game series, starting Friday. … Sorry, I’m just getting to this, but Brooke Hogan, daughter of Hulk Hogan, will not be attending the same college as her father. At least, she won’t filming her VH1 show from USF. Officials from USF, Florida State and UCF recently denied Hogan’s nine-camera entourage on a tour of each campus, the Palm Beach Post reported. No word from USF if Gallagher’s kids will be admitted into school. 

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Ken Eriksen, who guided the University of South Florida to the first Big East regular season title in any sport in school history, was named Big East softball coach of the year and freshman pitcher Capri Catalano was named the league’s rookie of the year Wednesday.

USF senior OF Kit Dunbar and junior 2B Britta Giddens also earned All-Big East first-team honors. Catalano, sophomore 1B JoJo Medina, of Chamberlain, and Courtney Mosch, a senior utility player, earned All-Big East second-team honors. 

“It was a nice team recognition,” Eriksen said. “What a year. I am so proud of this team considering what we have been through.”

Catalano is the second USF player to be named Big East rookie of the year. Junior P Cristi Ecks, who won the award in 2006, was the first. Catalano leads the league in ERA (0.96) and saves (six) and also leads the Bulls in six pitching categories.

No. 1 seeded USF (42-17, 16-4) opens Big East Tournament play Thursday against No. 8 seed Providence at 4 p.m. in Louisville, Ky. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

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Last season, the University of South Florida’s football team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. In Tuesday’s Academic Progress Report (APR), based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete, the Bulls came in with the nation’s third-lowest APR among BCS football programs.

Only Arizona and Washington State were worse academically than USF among the 67 BCS football programs. The reports are based on NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) data submitted by each institution for the four academic years between 2003-04 and 2006-07. There is a maximum score of 1,000.

USF was one of four BCS programs that had football and men’s basketball programs with both teams among the lowest 10 APR scores in each sport. The others: Mississippi State, Purdue and South Carolina.

Four BCS programs had football and men’s basketball programs that each ranked among the APR’s highest 10 scores: Duke, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Wake Forest.

Here’s a look at the 10 teams with the best and worst APRs in football and basketball among the six BCS conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10 and SEC).

Football BCS Top 10 APRs
1. Stanford 986
2 (tie). Duke 977
2 (tie). Rutgers 977
4. Boston College 972
5 (tie). Miami 969
5 (tie). Notre Dame 969
5 (tie). Northwestern 969
8. California 967
9. Georgia 965
10 (tie). Penn State 964
10 (tie). Wake Forest 964
Noteworthy: Six of the top 11 schools played in bowl games last season – and all six (Rutgers, Boston College, Cal, Georgia, Penn State and Wake Forest) won their bowl games. Not surprisingly, the ACC had three teams ranked in the top five and four of the top 11. The Pac-10 had two teams, which is impressive, until you look at the bottom 10 football schools below. Of the six BCS conferences, only the Big 12 was not represented in the BCS Top 10.
Top 3 by conference: ACC (Duke 977, BC 972, Miami 969); Big 10 (Northwestern 969, Penn St. 964, Michigan 951); Big 12 (Oklahoma 942, Texas 942, Nebraska 941); Big East (Rutgers 977, Syracuse 955, UConn 950); Pac-10 (Stanford 986, Cal 967, USC 948, Washington 948); SEC (Georgia 965, Florida 962, Vandy 959).

Football BCS Bottom 10 APRs
1. Arizona 902
2. Washington State 916
3. South Florida 917
4. Kansas 919
5. Purdue 920
6 (tie). Oregon 921
6 (tie). South Carolina 921
8. Mississippi State 924
9 (tie). Michigan State 926
9 (tie). Oregon State 926
Noteworthy: While the ACC dominated the BCS Top 10 APR rankings, not one ACC team could be found in the BCS Bottom 10 APR rankings. The Pac-10, however, took Bottom 10 honors with four teams: No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Washington State and the Oregon duo of the Ducks and the Beavers. As far as last year’s bowl lineup, No. 3 USF and No. 6 Oregon met in the academically challenged Sun Bowl, while the Orange Bowl had the next lowest combined APR bowl matchup with No. 4 Kansas and Virginia Tech, which just missed the Top 10 with the 14th lowest football APR.
Bottom 3 by conference: ACC (Va. Tech 929, NC State 941, Maryland 943); Big 10 (Purdue 920, Mich. St. 926, Minnesota 927); Big 12 (Kansas 919, Iowa St. 927, Texas Tech 928); Big East (USF 917, West Virginia 935, Cincinnati 939); Pac-10 (Arizona 902, Wash. St. 916, Oregon 921); SEC (South Carolina 921, Miss. St. 924, Arkansas 936).

Basketball BCS Top 10 APRs
1. North Carolina 995
2. Villanova 990
3. Illinois 989
4. Vanderbilt 985
5. Duke 984
6. Kansas 981
7. Oregon 975
8. Wake Forest 974
9. Northwestern 972
10. Notre Dame 971
Noteworthy: Each of the six BCS conferences are represented with the ACC (North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest) leading the way. The Big East (Villanova and Notre Dame) and Big 10 (Illinois and Northwestern) each had two representatives. Seven of the top 10 made the NCAA Tournament with three reaching the Sweet 16: Villanova, North Carolina and national champion Kansas.
Top 3 by conference: ACC (North Carolina 995, Duke 984, Wake 974); Big 10 (Illinois 989, Northwestern 972, Penn St. 964); Big 12 (Kansas 981, Missouri 957, Okla. St. 957); Big East (Villanova 990, Notre Dame 971, Syracuse 955); Pac-10 (Oregon 975, UCLA 968, Stanford 954); SEC (Vandy 985, Georgia 958, Arkansas 944).

Basketball BCS Bottom 10 APRs
1. Southern Cal 863
2. Iowa State 869
3. Cincinnati 872
4. Colorado 873
5. Kansas State 880
6. Purdue 894
7 (tie). Indiana 899
7 (tie). South Carolina 899
9. Mississippi State 901
10. South Florida 904
Noteworthy: You won’t find any ACC teams on this list, but you’ll find plenty of Big 12 clubs: No. 2 Iowa State, No. 4 Colorado and No. 5 Kansas State. The SEC (South Carolina and Mississippi State) and Big East (Cincinnati and USF) also were represented by two teams. Five of the BCS Bottom 10 reached the NCAA Tournament, but none won more than one game. The most academically challenged first-round NCAA Tournament game last year: No. 1 Southern Cal vs. No. 5 Kansas State.
Bottom 3 by conference: ACC (Maryland 906, Clemson 920, Georgia Tech 931); Big 10 (Purdue 894, Indiana 899, Ohio St. 909); Big 12 (Iowa St. 869, Colorado 873, Kan. St. 880); Big East (Cincinnati 872, USF 904, DePaul 918, St. John’s 918); Pac-10 (USC 863, Arizona St. 905, Wash. St. 905); SEC (South Carolina 899, Miss. St. 901, Auburn 905).

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The University of South Florida’s efforts to overhaul its academic support for student-athletes persuaded the NCAA to withhold penalties the school would have faced in its latest progress report.

USF had faced the loss of scholarships this school year because of the weakened academic performance of its football and baseball players. But the NCAA decided to waive any sanctions, provided players on those teams showed progress for the 2007-08 school year.

Each team fell below the cutoff that measures success in the NCAA’s newest academic progress report of Division I schools, set to be released today. USF, however, “implemented several academic initiatives, which the institution asserts has had a positive influence on the team’s academic performance,” according to NCAA documents the university released Monday to The Tampa Tribune.

Here are USF’s scores by sport followed in parenthesis by the Division I average per sport – 1,000 is a perfect score:

Men’s sports: Baseball 923 (938); Basketball 904 (928); Cross country 934 (963); Football 917 (934); Golf 973 (962); Soccer 939 (954); Tennis 965 (961); Outdoor track 930 (951).

Women’s sports: Basketball 961 (960); Cross country 952 (970); Golf 993 (974); Soccer 975 (972); Softball 997 (965); Tennis 966 (971); Indoor track 961 (963); Outdoor track 962 (964); Volleyball 929 (970).

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Thankfully, University of South Florida men’s basketball coach Stan Heath shaves his head. Because if he didn’t he’d have plenty of grays sprouting on top.

In the span of about 12 hours Monday, Notre Dame PG Gaby Belardo had done the following, according to his high school and AAU coaches:

* In the morning, committed to USF then signed his letter of intent with USF (but it did not have his father’s signature so it wasn’t valid)

* In the afternoon, Belardo was undecided and was scheduling a visit to Hofstra this week.

* By early evening, Belardo was again fully committed and back on board with the Bulls.

Art Alvarez, Belardo’s AAU coach, said Belardo’s father, Jose, was sent the letter of intent and he will sign it Tuesday, officially making Belardo a Bull.

“He’s really, really excited to play with [USF senior] Jesus [Verdejo],” said Alvarez, who coached Verdejo and Belardo on the Miami Tropics AAU team. “There were a bunch of schools in the mix, but it came down to the job [USF coach] Stan Heath and his staff did recruiting him.”

Alvarez said the 6-foot-2, 190 pound Belardo was also recruited by Hofstra, UCF, Florida International, Duquesne and Virginia Commonwealth.

In the morning, Belardo committed and signed with USF, Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd said.

“But we’re waiting for his father to sign it,” Hurd said. “His dad wants him to visit another school first, but Gaby is pretty adamant about where he wants to be.”

However, Monday afternoon Alvarez said Belardo would visit Hofstra this week.

“He wants to talk with his family about some concerns,” Alrarez said Monday afternoon.

Monday night, though, Alvarez said Belardo was definitely headed to USF. I asked Alvarez why the mixed signals on whether Belardo was coming to USF?

“There were schools on the table that were pushing the envelope,” Alvarez said. “It came down to ‘did we want to visit another school or sign with South Florida.’

“But everything is ironed out, everything is a go. We’re very, very excited.”

Hurd and Notre Dame Prep assistant Mike McMahon said Belardo will be a solid guard in the college ranks.

“He will be an asset to any program, the way he conducts himself on and off court,” McMahon said. “He is a tremendous shooter and a great team player. He’s totally committed to making sure the team reaches their goals before his own goals.”

When Belardo’s letter-of-intent is official, he will join USF’s incoming recruiting class of PG Dwan McMillan, F Eladio Espinosa, C Gene Teague and Georgia transfer Mike Mercer. Junior college C Alex Rivas-Sanchez said he committed to USF, but said he still isn’t 100 percent sure he would sign with USF. If so, the Bulls will have six newcomers on scholarship.

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University of South Florida WR Amarri Jackson was offered a free agent contract with the Bucs and expected to sign by Tuesday, club sources said.

Jackson was one of three players invited to the Bucs’ mini-camp last week who earned a free agent contract.

Jackson said last weekend, “If you watched me at USF, hopefully you get a chance to watch me in Tampa Bay. If you haven’t watched me, I’m looking forward to showing you what I can do in the near future.”

Jackson will now get that chance.

“I’ve been through it all my life. This is nothing,” Jackson said. “This is just another hurdle to jump over and I’m there.”

Former USF offensive linemen Jarred Carnes and Walter Walker also competed in the Bucs’ mini-camp, but did not receive free agent deals from the Bucs.

Jackson will join former Bulls Mike Jenkins (Dallas), Trae Williams (Jacksonville) and Ben Moffitt (Houston) in NFL camps this summer.

The Bucs are expected to announce their three additional free agent signings Tuesday.

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USF’s softball team needed to go 4-0 this weekend against Providence and UConn to guarantee the Bulls their first Big East regular season title. Or, the Bulls could sweep Providence on Saturday and have Sunday’s doubleheader at UConn cancelled due to poor field conditions and wrap up the title.

OK, so they didn’t plan it to happen that way, but that’s exactly what the Bulls did - swept Providence and then the UConn doubleheader was cancelled, securing the Bulls their first Big East regular season title. It’s the first regular season Big East title for a USF team in any sport in the Bulls’ three years in the league.

USF coach Ken Eriksen, who is on the verge of reaching his eighth NCAA Tournament in 12 seasons at USF, summed up how the Bulls (42-17, 16-4) clinched the title Sunday: “Crazy year,” he said.

The Big East Tournament starts Thursday in Louisville with USF facing No. 8 seed Providence.

Belardo down to Bulls and Pride: Notre Dame Prep senior PG Gaby Belardo made his official visit to USF this weekend and had a “great, great visit,” Art Alvarez, his AAU coach, said Sunday.

Belardo’s two finalists are USF and Hofstra and Belardo will announce his decision Monday morning, Alvarez said.

Ex-Bulls savor shot with Bucs: In Sunday’s Tampa Tribune, columnist Martin Fennelly writes about USF OT Walter Walker and Bethune-Cookman LB Ronnie McCullough, who started his career at USF before transferring, and their dreams of making the Bucs roster.

“Even though some people might look at a tryout differently,” Walker said. “My wife and I, we took a knee and prayed and thanked God for the opportunity.”

Hillsborough gym dedicated after former USF coach: Also in Sunday’s Tribune, Hillsborough High School’s gym was renamed for former USF men’s basketball coach Don Williams.

Williams was USF’s first coach from 1971-74. He died on Feb. 28 from a neurological disorder. He was 84. 

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Former University of South Florida WR Amarri Jackson said trying to make the Bucs roster is “just another hurdle.”

Bucs coach Jon Gruden had this to say about Jackson’s chances.

“Well obviously we’re looking for a young guy that can make plays, number one,” Gruden said. “Number two, a guy that has some versatility to help us on special teams and be a guy that can play split end or flanker, a guy that can learn a couple positions. That’s what most guys, backups or young guys, have to do. Along the way, we’d like to see a guy that can reach up, grab the ball and make some plays.”

In Saturday’s Tampa Tribune, Jackson is among three former Bulls - OT Walter Walker and OT Jared Carnes - participating in Bucs minicamp this weekend. Also, Ronnie McCullough, who signed with USF before transferring to Bethune-Cookman, is trying out.

Prime Time lesson: Former USF CB Mike Jenkins has one of the best NFL cornerbacks of all-time to assist him in Dallas. Jenkins has been getting advice from former Cowboys CB Deion Sanders, the Dallas Morning News reported.

“He’s a Florida guy and he likes helping out Florida kids,” Jenkins said of Deion Sanders between Cowboys minicamp practices Friday. “He’s been a great mentor to me, and through the whole [draft] process.”

Sanders said he mentors about 50 players.

“When you have a guy with a lot of talent and he wants to be a student of the game, you want to help him,” Sanders said. “He’s [Jenkins] a bright intelligent kid who wants to be the best.”

Jenkins also talked about competing with - and possibly taking a starting position away from - former USF CB Anthony Henry.

“To me, it’s a job,” Jenkins said. “Everybody is coming out here and trying to help the team. Anthony’s been here a long time. We all know that, and if I do beat him out, he will understand that. He’s still going to help me out and he’s not going to stop doing that.”

Around the Big East: West Virginia hoops coach Bob Huggins received an 11-year extension Friday that will pay him about $1.5 million a year with a $4 million buyout clause. The 54-year-old Huggins turns 65 in 2019, so he’ll basically end his career with his alma mater. Huggins was asked how the University of Cincinnati president couldn’t wait to get rid of him, while the West Virginia president wants him to stay forever? “We have a much more intelligent president,” he said. … How important is the quarterback position? Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer said the Bearcats will be picked to finish fifth by the college football magazine he does the Cincinnati preview for if QB Ben Mauk can not return. If Mauk somehow gets a sixth year, though, the magazine editor said UC would move up. Based on the early dot.com predictions, USF will be picked to finish probably between third and sixth in most Big East polls. If QB Matt Grothe wasn’t returning, I wonder how low USF would drop in the preseason rankings? Perhaps the Bulls would only be ranked ahead of Syracuse.

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Now that the NFL Draft has come in gone, I’m eagerly awaiting for someone to post a 2010 or 2011 mock NFL Draft - and yes, I’ve seen the 2009 NFL mock drafts with USF junior DE George Selvie a first-round pick. While I wait for the first 2010 or 2011 mock draft, here’s a quick look back at some interesting numbers from the 2008 NFL Draft.

While the SEC (35) had the most players selected, the Pac-10 had a higher average of picks per team. The Pac-10 had 3.4 players selected per team. The SEC (2.916) was next, followed by the ACC (2.75), Big Ten (2.545), Big 12 (2.416), Big East (2.375) and WAC (1.11). By comparison, C-USA was 0.75.

By team, here were the leaders:

(10) USC
(8) Virginia Tech
(7) LSU
(6) Arkansas, California, Michigan
(5) Auburn, Arizona State, Louisville, Texas, Texas A&M
(4) Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Wisconsin
(3) Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, UCF, UCLA, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia

USF and Florida were among 22 schools that had two players drafted.

The biggest underachievers? How about Notre Dame with more NFL Draft picks (four) than wins (three). Then there was California with six draft picks and six wins and Louisville with five draft picks and six wins.

Around the Big East: Mitch Vingle and Jeff Rider of the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia look ahead to this fall’s potential All-Big East candidates. Vingle estimates WVU will have 14 players with a legit shot at All-Big East honors.

Vingle writes that USF and Louisville will have nine or 10 candidates. For USF, he says: “DE George Selvie (the given), LB Tyrone McKenzie, safeties Nate Allen and Carlton Williams, TB Mike Ford, OL Ryan Schmidt (6-4, 327), WR Carlton Mitchell and LB Brouce Mompremier. Oh yeah. Also like that other defensive end, Jarriett Buie. And that other wideout Taurus Johnson. And what was that quarterback’s name? Yep. You nailed it. Matt Grothe. Pretty good player.”

That’s a pretty fare assessment, I’d say, of USF’s All-Big East candidates. ...

While Notre Dame isn’t a Big East football member - the Irish at least are a future USF opponent - Coach Charlie Weis had an interesting quote at a recent booster function. He said: “I could get hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow. I won’t do it that way.” Oh, so now we know why Notre Dame was 3-9 last season.

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Finally, University of South Florida OF Ryan Lockwood was stopped. Actually he stopped himself.

Lockwood missed the past two games with a groin strain. But USF coach Lelo Prado hopes Lockwood - and his 27-game hitting streak - will return Tuesday when the Bulls host UCF.

“We hope he can return against UCF, but if not we definitely need him [next Friday] against St. John’s,” Prado said.

Lockwood, of Jesuit, is hitting .400, the nation’s seventh-highest freshman average. During his streak, he’s hitting .446. As impressive as Lockwood’s 27-game hitting streak is, he’s not even half way to the NCAA’s Division I mark by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura (58 consecutive games in 1987).

The Bulls (25-21, 10-11 Big East) visit St. John’s next Friday through Sunday and then play Florida in Gainesville May 13. USF closes the regular season at home against Notre Dame May 15-17.

The Bulls then host the Big East Tournament May 20-24 in Clearwater.

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The University of South Florida men’s basketball team picked up a commitment from Pratt (Kan.) Community College sophomore C Alex Rivas-Sanchez. So he’ll become a Bull any day now, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

“I’m verbally committed to USF, but I’m thinking about if I’m going to sign,” Rivas-Sanchez said Thursday. “I’m not going to say yes, I’m not going to say no.”

Why would the 6-foot-10, 230-pound Rivas-Sanchez commit if he wasn’t definitely going to sign with USF? “I like what they are offering me, I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “But I want to talk to my parents and see if it’s the right thing to do.”

Rivas-Sanchez said his only other scholarship offers were from Florida Atlantic (before Rex Walters left), Tennessee Tech and Texas-San Antonio.

Rivas-Sanchez said his hesitation with signing at USF is he hasn’t visited the school. He wants to visit, but said USF won’t bring him in for an official visit. He said Coach Stan Heath wants him to come for an unofficial visit - meaning he must pay for the trip.

Rivas-Sanchez wasn’t sure why he wasn’t asked to make an official visit, but I’m guessing it’s because schools are limited to the number of official visits and with Notre Dame Prep PG Gaby Belardo making an official visit this weekend, that must account for USF’s final official visit.

Rivas-Sanchez, who averaged eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as a sophomore at Pratt, also said he may take an official visit to James Madison, which has not offered him a scholarship. He said he will make a decision on his college choice after his classes at Pratt end May 9.

“It’s a high percentage I’ll sign with USF, but not 100 percent,” Rivas-Sanchez said. “I don’t know the school. I want to talk with my parents [who live in the Dominican Republic]. They’re going to tell me what they think.”

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Now that the St. Pete Bowl - or if you prefer The Beach Bowl - is officially set for this December - still to be determined on either the 20th, 22nd or 23rd and the payout has not been decided yet - here’s some other Big East bowl news to share with you about the upcoming season.

Big East bowl lineup: Here’s the official 2008 Big East bowl lineup according to Big East associate commissioner Nick Carparelli.

Champion (BCS)

Second selection (Gator/Sun) Gator gets first choice of either Big 12, Big East or Notre Dame; if Gator picks Big 12 team, Sun must take Big East team or Notre Dame

Third selection (Meineke Car Care)

Fourth selection (International). Yes, that’s right International is fourth.

Fifth/sixth selection (Papajohns.com and St. Pete) The bowls share this pick and work together to chose teams that will be most attractive to both bowls.

Seventh selection (Texas)

Life’s a beach for Bulls: As I wrote last month, if the University of South Florida doesn’t win the 2008 Big East title, the Bulls likely would be the obvious choice for the first Beach Bowl in Tropicana Field.

The good news for Bulls fans: at least the bowl wouldn’t want a USF-UCF rematch in St. Petersburg.

Remember after the Big East champion, the remaining bowls make its selection based on who they want. It doesn’t matter what place a team finishes, as long as the team is within one conference win, meaning a bowl can pick a 3-4 Big East team over a 4-3 team.

So if USF does not have two more Big East wins than the league’s fifth place team (where St. Pete picks), then the Bulls could fall to the St. Pete Bowl.

Of course if USF finishes second in the Big East and is nationally ranked and there are no other ranked teams, USF could end up in El Paso again or at the Car Care or Papajohns. But if it’s a logjam in the middle of the pack in the Big East - as it has been the past three years - then USF will Reach the Beach (a very good The Fixx album for you old-timers).

Goodbye Houston? The Texas Bowl in Houston has the seventh selection from the Big East - “as of today,” Carparelli told me - but that could change. Don’t be surprised if the Texas Bowl opts out of its Big East contract for 2008 - it was the final year anyway - and seeks a conference with a better geographical fit.

“I don’t think it [the Houston Bowl] is a priority,” Carparelli said. “But if they stay in our lineup, that’s fine too.”

Even if Houston remains a Big East bowl in 2008, the Big East’s 2009 bowl lineup will be: BCS, Gator/Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, St. Pete and Papajohns.com

After 2009, the bowl contracts expire with each conference, meaning you could see a free-for-all with bowls changing conference affiliations. The Papajohns.com upgrading from C-USA to the SEC on Wednesday is one example. And yes, Notre Dame remains eligible for any Big East bowl (other than the Big East champion BCS slot).

Other Big East notes: Notre Dame AD Kevin White was quoted recently by the South Bend Tribune after the Rutgers-Notre Dame series was squashed. “So we just moved on,” he said. “I think we had somebody else in 10 seconds.” White declined to name the school until contracts are signed, but he did say it was another Big East school, the South Bend Tribune reported. I checked with USF officials and it is not USF. Best guess here is that it’s Syracuse. ... Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk’s second appeal for a medical hardship waiver to get a sixth year was denied by the NCAA Wednesday, but he still has another appeal remaining, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. If Mauk is granted the appeal, the Bearcats will be one of the Big East’s top clubs. Last year, Mauk threw for 162 yards and three TDs and rushed for 75 yards in Cincy’s wild 38-33 win at USF.

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The St. Petersburg Bowl received approval today from the NCAA’s Bowl Certification Committee and will debut in December at Tropicana Field.

Owned and operated by ESPN, the St. Pete Bowl will pit schools from the Big East and Conference USA. The inaugural game will be played between Dec. 20-23, 2008.

Because the St. Pete Bowl landed a C-USA team, the NCAA’s Bowl Certification Committee also approved a change in the Papajohns.com Bowl. The Birmgingham, Ala., based Papajohns.com Bowl will now match a Big East team against the No. 9 selection from the Southeastern Conference. It previously pitted the Big East vs. C-USA.

The St. Pete Bowl will be the sixth bowl owned and operated by ESPN.

The Big East now will have bowl berths for seven of its eight teams in 2008 and Conference USA, which loses the Papajohns.com Bowl slot but gains the St. Pete Bowl, remains at five bowl berths for its 12 members. 

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