Thursday, January 18, 2018
NCAA
Oregon AD Mullens joins committee
Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens will become the new chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee starting next season, and three new Power Five ADs will join the 13-member panel.
Mullens will be the third chairman, replacing Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt, who has led the committee the last two seasons.
Hocutt replaced Jeff Long, who held the position for the first two seasons of the playoff. A chairman is chosen each season. Mullens will be entering his third season on the committee.
College Football Playoff also announced the addition of six new committee members, replacing those whose terms ended. Joining the committee in 2018 will be Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, Georgia Tech AD Todd Stansbury, Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione, former Clemson and Rice coach Ken Hatfield; former Southern California star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and former Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin.
WASHINGTON STATE
Police interview friends of dead QB
Police on Wednesday were interviewing Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski’s friends and people who knew him to try to learn why he apparently took his life.
Police Chief Gary Jenkins said officers have no apparent motive for the death of the 21-year-old athlete, who was found dead in his Pullman, Washington, apartment on Tuesday along with a rifle and a suicide note.
“The missing piece here is why,” Jenkins said. “Most of our investigation will be conducting interviews.”
Jenkins declined to reveal the contents of the suicide note.
Hilinski’s family in California issued a statement saying they were in “complete shock and disarray” over his death.
Texas QB Buechele to have surgery on hip
Texas quarterback Shane Buechele will undergo surgery for a torn muscle in his hip and abdomen area but should return in time for spring practice in March.
Orange Bowl defeat home loss for Miami
After further review, Miami’s home winning streak is over.
The NCAA says that Miami’s loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl counts as a home loss for the Hurricanes. The game was played at Hard Rock Stadium, which has been Miami’s home field for a decade.
Miami originally listed the game as a neutral-site contest. The Hurricanes were 7-0 at home in the regular season.
If there was a silver lining, it’s this: The Orange Bowl crowd also counts as home attendance for Miami, and pushed the Hurricanes’ total for the season at home to 469,454. That’s a program record, topping the 417,233 in the 2002 season.
Miami’s home opener for 2018 is Sept. 8 against Savannah State.
Associated Press