1ST STRING MAGAZINE - NCAA SPORTS

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College sports coming to grips with the looming fact they will have to pay athletes

The 2021 NCAA Tourney is its maddest ever

Top seeds have been bounced out, double digit seeds have crashed the Sweet 16 party like never before and thankfully only one team, VCU, has had to opt out of the Big Dance due to positive Covid tests.

Photo by Eric Taylor

Put some respect back in that name. The Pac `1 did not seem to due much during the regular season, but once the NCAA's hit they became the conference that you did not want to play.

After the madness that is the first two rounds the PAC 12 went 9-1 and placed USC, UCLA and both Oregon schools in the Sweet 16. Only Colorado lost (in the second round).

USC ended Kansas season in blowout fashion and 12th seeded Oregon St. kicked up a whole lotta dust when they held off #5 Tennessee then #4 Oklahoma St.

How Sweet it is for several double digit seeds in the 2021 Tourney. #13 Ohio and #15 Oral Roberts highlight a record 5 teams seeded 10th or higher to make the Sweet 16.

#12 Oregon St has not been in the Sweet 16 since the great Ralph Miller was coaching them back in 1981, but the other two teams, both #11 UCLA and Syracuse, have a history of doing it big with a "bad seed".

There is no bad seed anymore in the NCAA Tourney, just bad match ups that could get you bounced up out of the Dance in a heartbeat.

San Jose St sits atop early Mountain West standings

So far so good for a Spartan squad that opened a few eyebrows with their come from behind 27-17 road win at San Diego St (2-1).

First off they should they are more then Nick Starkel at QB and their defense is looking really good. Starkel was hurt the first series of the game.

This after Nick threw five TD's in SJS's win over New Mexico the week before. In came Nick Nash who threw for 169yrs and two TD's with a pick.

Nash added 53yrds on the ground and a score. Besides a touchdown drive that gave San Deigo St back the lead (17-14) in the 4th the SJS D made SDS earn just about everything they got.

San Jose St spotted the Aztecs a 10-0 lead before scoring to make it 10-7 at the half. Nash hooked up with TE Derrick Deese Jr from 4yrds out to get the Spartan comeback rolling.

Next up for SJS is a home game v. UNLV (0-2) before things really heat up for the Spartans with road games at Fresno then Boise St back to back weeks.

What will the NCAA bowl landscape look like in this season of Covid-19

Photo by Eric Taylor

With west coast teams finally getting going the status of many bowl games are up in the air right now.

Several, like the popular Holiday Bowl in San Diego, have already been nixed for this season.

The bowls have been a funny business.

Teams are off for two weeks to a month before playing what has been a dwinddling fan base as people were finding it hard to afford the last minute air travel and hotels.

Of course fans might have to worry about traveling this year

Now we have this pandemic with a good portion of the colleges a few games into the season while the PAC 12 and Mountain West, to name a couple, have started practicing and playing games.

The College Football Playoffs selection committee pushed back the date of the final rankings to December 20th from the original date of Dec 6th.

The top four teams will participate in the Playoff Semifinals Friday, January 1, in the Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl.

The national championship game will be played Monday, January 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.