| Tuesday, August 17, 2021 |
| Construction for the 13th Maroon Edition home is underway | |
 | A fresh start or just something new can make a big difference for people. The Starkville Habitat for Humanity broke ground on one of those fresh starts for one of their neighbors. Words weren't enough to express Keva Robertson's excitement when she found out her wait for a new home, would soon be over. "I got denied the first time but I tried again I didn't give up and the second time was a blessing; all I could do was cry," said Robertson. Over the years, Mississippi State University and the Starkville chapter of Habitat for Humanity have partnered to build 13 homes. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum said he knows these projects are about more than just four walls and a roof. "The wonderful thing about the Maroon edition habitat house is It allows students, faculty members, staff, and retirees from Mississippi State to come out here to build a home to a deserving family," said Keenum. Every home is a team effort and a chance to learn new skills. The building process is mostly done by volunteers throughout the community. "She's been waiting for a blessing like this to come through and finally it did and I couldn't be happier for her," said Robertson's fiance Laquante Gaston. |
| 30 students displaced from dorm by smoking air conditioner | |
 | A burning air conditioner has temporarily displaced about 30 students from a Mississippi State University dormitory. The Commercial Dispatch reports the air conditioner malfunctioned Sunday on the fifth floor of Cresswell Hall. University spokesperson Sid Salter says the unit began smoking in a restroom, but that sprinklers and other fire suppression systems did not activate. Mississippi State moved the students to a local hotel. Salter said repairs could be finished in about a week, allowing students to return. Salter said the incident was smaller than the fire trucks that appeared might have led people to believe. Mississippi State officials didn't know of any previous problems with the air conditioning unit. "Because the fire suppression system didn't engage, and we don't have water damage to deal with, now we just have to clean up the smoke and get the air quality where it needs to be, and generally make sure everything is up to standard," Salter said. |
| Oktibbeha supervisors discuss COVID steps moving forward | |
 | As COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in Oktibbeha County, the board of supervisors is discussing new plans and policies to ensure the safety of residents. The board unanimously approved a new policy for county employees regarding COVID sick days at their regularly scheduled board meeting Monday. Once employees test positive for COVID-19, they are required to stay home 10 days and can return to work on the 11th day if no symptoms are present. They are allowed to stay home if symptoms still appear, but after the 15th day, employees must receive a doctor's note specifying the employee is still showing symptoms. All days off must be claimed as personal, medical or unpaid, County Administrator Delois Farmer told The Dispatch. While a mask mandate was discussed at Monday's meeting, the board did not take any action in reinstating its mask ordinance. District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said he would be in favor of re-establishing the mandate because cases are the highest they have ever been in the state and people continue to refuse the vaccination. Trainer suggested using COVID-19 relief assistance money the county received from federal aid on initiatives to encourage residents to get vaccinated. Board Attorney Rob Roberson said paying people to receive the vaccine is illegal, but he will research other ways to offer of monetary initiatives, like Mississippi State University's weekly drawings for vaccinated students. |
| Starkville shooting suspect charged with capital murder | |
 | A Lowndes County man has been charged with capital murder in connection with a Sunday night shooting that left one man dead and another person wounded. The Starkville Police Department on Monday night charged Benjamin Brownlee Jr., 20, of Artesia, with one count of capital murder and one count of attempted murder, according to Starkville police spokesman Sgt. Brandon Lovelady. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Starkville Municipal Court. Police responded to the Sandhill Arms apartments located at 135 Sand Road on the south end of town at 9:48 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15. Multiple callers reported a gunshot victim at the apartment complex. Responding officers found two individuals with gunshot wounds. Zavier Armstead, 20, was pronounced dead on scene, and a second victim remains under medical care. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. |
| MSDH expands monoclonal antibody treatment availability, UMMC opens clinic | |
 | This morning, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced a new policy aimed at increasing the availability of a treatment that has been shown to reduce hospitalizations in those who contract COVID-19. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas shared that patients can now receive monoclonal antibodies without having to see a doctor or practitioner first. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses, according to the FDA. "If you get COVID, the first thing you do is talk to your doctor about monoclonals -- even if you don't feel bad yet. You don't want to wait until you're so sick that it's not going to work for you," Dr. Dobbs said last week. A monoclonal antibody infusion clinic will open on Tuesday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center inside of the field hospital that was set up last week. The clinic, operated by a federal team sent to Mississippi, will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday and will operate until at least August 24. It will operate from 8 a.m-8 p.m. every day of the week, with at least 40 appointment slots available each day. "We know that monoclonal antibody treatments may help patients avoid progression of mild symptoms into severe disease requiring hospitalization or leading to death. The availability of this clinic offers UMMC another tool in combating the devastating effects of this pandemic and in alleviating the burden of the state's hospital system," said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs and COVID-19 clinical response leader. |
| Doctor on frontlines of fighting COVID-19 urges pregnant women to get vaccinated | |
 | The COVID-19 vaccines don't cause birth defects, miscarriages, or infertility according to Dr. Rachael Morris. She's associate professor of maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She says misinformation about the vaccines are creating fear, when the fear should be of COVID-19, for the health of the baby and the mother. Morris says some who are unvaccinated are dying. "I've lost eight mothers from this pandemic. We are doing more bedside surgeries because the mother is so ill, we just have to deliver the babies in the ICU because they can't even get to an operating room. That's how unstable they are. This is so abnormal. We're losing young mothers and it doesn't have to be this way," said Morris. Morris says studies have provided information about the risk of COVID-19 to pregnant women. One she says found a 70 percent increase in the risk of death among pregnant women compared to those who are not. Morris says the vaccine won't harm the fetus. "There's a large amount of safety data we didn't have six months ago that tells us that application of the vaccine in pregnancy is safe," said Morris. |
| Speaker Philip Gunn: Getting COVID vaccine is adhering to Jesus' command to 'love thy neighbor' | |
| Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, who often equates his public policy decisions with his religious beliefs, has turned to the Bible to urge Mississippians to take the COVID-19 vaccination. In a social media post, the Republican House speaker, who had the coronavirus in the summer of 2020, said Mississippians should get vaccinated not only to protect themselves, but also to protect their neighbors. Gunn turned to the scripture where Jesus urged people "to love thy neighbor as thyself." He said getting the vaccine was the same as people stepping up during World War II to help the country, or in more recent times after Hurricane Katrina or after the countless tornadoes that have struck the state. "We have a history of putting others first before ourselves, and I think that same attitude needs to come to the forefront now," Gunn said. "Here we are in a time of tough need and time of crisis. I would argue we should put each other first ... "We live in a community," Gunn continued. "We care about our neighbors and our friends, and we do things for their best interest. We are living out the second great command that God gave us. So, with that in mind I would make an appeal to you: The best thing you can do to help your neighbors and friends and help our community and our state right now is to get the vaccine. It is the best tool that we have to fight the virus. I would urge each of us to get the vaccine." |
| Many Bible Belt preachers silent on shots as COVID-19 surges | |
| Across the nation's deeply religious Bible Belt, a region beset by soaring infection rates from the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus, churches and pastors are both helping and hurting in the campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19. Some are hosting vaccination clinics and praying for more inoculations, while others are issuing fiery anti-vaccine sermons from their pulpits. Most are staying mum on the issue, something experts see as a missed opportunity in a swath of the country where church is the biggest spiritual and social influence for many communities. That was on display recently in metro Birmingham, where First Baptist Church of Trussville had an outbreak following a 200th anniversary celebration that included a video greeting by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. The pastor promised more cleaning and face mask availability without uttering two words that health officials say could make a difference among people long on religion but short on faith in government: Get vaccinated. Dr. Ellen Eaton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said churches could be effective at promoting vaccination as a way "to love your neighbors during this pandemic." "Many Southerners are very close to their pastors and church communities. Next to their personal physician, many here in Alabama routinely turn to their church leaders with health issues," she said. |
| Congressman Michael Guest discusses Mississippi infrastructure with transportation commissioners | |
| Congressman Michael Guest discussed Mississippi's infrastructure needs with Mississippi Transportation Commissioners and MDOT Executive Director Brad White Monday afternoon. Guest serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He highlighted initiatives he has been working on to support infrastructure in Mississippi. That includes an alternative to the 3.5-trillion-dollar bill passed by the Senate last week. Commissioners shared some of the greatest needs in the state like sustainable funding, capacity expansion and economic development. Congressman Guest said, "It's important to make sure I understand the needs for infrastructure needs in Mississippi. No one knows those needs better than the Commissioners and the Executive Director. With me having the opportunity to serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I wanted to make sure that I was meeting with them, that we can make sure that we are partnering federal dollars along with state and local dollars to meet the needs of the people of Mississippi." Guest said he has serious concerns about the spending attached to the infrastructure bill that focuses on issues other than infrastructure. |
| Defiant President Biden defends Afghan withdrawal, says country's military 'refused to fight' | |
 | President Joe Biden refused to bow Monday to criticism over the chaos in Afghanistan after the Taliban sacked its capital city and returned to power, blaming the country's leaders and security forces for refusing to fight. He said during a 4 p.m. address that he has sent troops to help with evacuations and the United States would remain focused on thwarting terrorism. "We gave them every chance to determine their own future," he said of the beleaguered country's fallen former government and defeated security forces. "What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future." The U.S. commander in chief delivered his first public remarks amid bipartisan and international criticism after the stunningly swift takeover of Kabul and other major cities by the hard-line group. After spending the weekend at Camp David, the embattled Biden broke his silence, admitting his administration miscalculated Afghan forces' will to fight and the Taliban's ability to so rapidly seize control of the entire country. Biden's message, delivered in an often stern tone, was one part strategic and one part defiant, as he stood by his decision to end America's longest armed conflict while also taking jabs at political foes and trying to pin blame on Afghan troops and leaders after many top government officials fled Kabul once a Taliban takeover became a certainty. Amid harsh words from GOP lawmakers and his presidential predecessor, Donald Trump, that he had no withdrawal plan and allowed the Taliban to win, Biden said he accepts such criticism. "This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. ... I am president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me," he said. "I am deeply saddened by the facts we now face." But he also had his own harsh words -- for leaders like Ashraf Ghani, the former president who fled Afghanistan on Sunday, as well as the country's American-trained security forces. |
| Fed's Jerome Powell Says Pandemic Has Changed Outlook of America's Youth | |
 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the coronavirus pandemic has borne down particularly hard on the nation's students and educators and will change how young people view the world and their place in it. America's schoolchildren "have been forced, sooner than most people, to consider what in life is truly important," Mr. Powell said in the text of a speech prepared for delivery before a gathering of educators and students Tuesday. He didn't comment on monetary policy or the economic outlook in his prepared remarks. With the experience gained in the pandemic, "I hope this will cause you to think about how you want to make your mark, knowing that things do change, and sometimes they change quickly," Mr. Powell said. "This is an extraordinary time, and I believe that it will result in an extraordinary generation," he added. Mr. Powell weighed in as he and his colleagues are preparing for a pullback in the support the central bank has been offering the economy as it has navigated the shock of the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Incentive program encourages vaccine at MUW | |
 | Mississippi University for Women (MUW) announced an incentive program to encourage its students, faculty and staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The program is called "Be Wise to Win." The university will hold weekly drawings for prizes Sept. 1-24. MUW does not require the vaccine but strongly encourages it. "We can protect ourselves and each other by being fully vaccinated, properly wearing our face masks and physical distancing," President Nora Miller said. "Vaccinate, be wise and get a chance to win a prize!" |
| MUW postpones 2021 Homecoming | |
| The rise in COVID case numbers has prompted Mississippi University for Women to postpone its homecoming celebration. Homecoming activities were planned for August 26th thru 29th. University leaders say they also took into consideration the governor's extension of the state of emergency order and the growing burden on health care facilities. The new date for homecoming at the W is April 7th thru 10th 2022. |
| USM history professor weighs in on events in Afghanistan | |
 | Monday afternoon, President Joe Biden addressed the country saying he 'stands by his decision' to pull troops from Afghanistan, even after the Taliban's sudden seizure of power and the U.S. rush to evacuate. WDAM reached out to Dr. Andrew Wiest, a university distinguished professor of history and the founder of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi. He even teaches a class that focuses on wars from Vietnam to the present and he says this is an opportunity to observe and analyze history being made in real-time. "In many of my classes where I teach on the present wars we actually have veterans of those present wars in the class, so make sure a really interesting conversation because these gentlemen and ladies were over there serving on the battlefields that we talk about, and it has a, it adds a great deal of depth to the class, it has an immediacy to it," says Wiest. Wiest says right now as a historian, he is watching current events unfold and gathering resources for his students. "In a class like this, a lot of what we do is read, because unlike a lot of other history classes that we teach, the narrative isn't already set," Wiest says. "You can't say, like you can in the class about WWII, this happened on this day, this happened on this day and that's what this means. We're still arguing about what this means." |
| USM Museum of Art announces call for small-scale sculpture entries | |
 | Calling all artists. The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art announced a call for entries for the Little Things Matter: National Juried Small-Scale Sculpture Exhibition. This exhibition will feature small-scale sculptures made by artists across the United States. "This is the first year we have organized a show of this kind, so we encourage all artists both professional and students to apply," said Mark Rigsby, Museum Director and associate professor of Art and Design. Artists 18 years or older are invited to submit original works created within the past 5 years. The contest is open for works in any 3D medium and all forms of representational, non-representational, abstract and non-objective sculpture. "This show will feature small-scale works and therefore offers us an opportunity to exhibit a wide range and a large number of works," said Rigsby. "We hope it brings together a rich variety of styles and types of sculptures, from figurative to abstract and non-objective works, as well as a broad range of three-dimensional media." The exhibition will be juried by George Beasley, who received the Master's Lifetime Achievement Award from the Midsouth Sculpture Alliance. His works can be found internationally in 28 major private, corporate and institutional collections. The deadline for entry is Sept. 1, 2021. |
| Community college takes over high school program after split | |
| East Mississippi Community College has taken control of an early college high school after three school districts withdrew from the partnership, citing concerns over fees and whether the school was accepting too many children who had been attending private schools. WCBI-TV reports the Golden Triangle Early College High school opened for classes last week. The four-year program is meant to give students a chance to earn a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit, letting students take both high school classes and college classes at the community college campus in Mayhew. Students from five school districts attend the school on the Mayhew campus. However, the Columbus, Lowndes County and Starkville-Oktibbeha withdrew from the partnership last year. Noxubee County and West Point still have agreements to help underwrite the school. No new freshmen have been accepted this year, but school officials say about 30 new students have entered in upper grade levels. Students from the districts who withdrew are being allowed to finish school. |
| U. of Alabama holds Bid Day, ready for start of fall semester | |
 | Sorority rush is over in Tuscaloosa, now begins the rush to start the fall semester on Wednesday at the University of Alabama. On Sunday, more than 2,300 UA students found out which sorority they would be joining during Bid Day, the culmination of sorority recruitment week. Bids were issued at Bryant-Denny Stadium and the students then ran to their houses on Sorority Row. UA has the largest Greek system in the country, with 10,700 members as of last spring, including fraternities and sororities. With Bid Day out of the way, UA began the Weeks of Welcome events. WOW is designed to "roll out the crimson carpet" for new students, with a series of programs in the semester's first weeks. On Monday, a concert by Moon Taxi was scheduled in the northeast commuter parking lot, along with food trucks and vendors. Some UA students also participated in the Ripple Effect, a day of service designed to connect students with the Tuscaloosa community. Students had the opportunity to serve at Temporary Emergency Services, the West Alabama Food Bank and other agencies throughout Tuscaloosa County. On Tuesday, new students will gather at the stadium to hear from special guest speakers and then assemble on the field to form UA's iconic script "A." Other WOW events include a "welcome back" breakfast at various sites around campus, an ice cream social at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library and the opening of the University Recreation Center's Outdoor Pool Complex. |
| 'I missed out on the true freshman experience': After a year of social distancing and online classes, students hope for a normal semester this fall | |
| With a semester that will be fully in person for the first time in over a year, sophomores are facing many new experiences they missed out on during their freshman year. Lily Kucik, sophomore in pre-med, was raised in Opelika and is entering a fall semester with on-campus classes for the first time. Kucik said she felt like she missed out on many opportunities her first year. "During my last semester, I feel as though I missed out on the true freshman experience," Kucik said. "I didn't really have many opportunities to meet students who shared academic interests because we were all separated by a computer screen. I missed out on walking through campus and seeing familiar faces from other classes. I feel like I didn't get the quality of education I was looking forward to because we were limited to video chats without actual interaction." Like many other students, Kucik's first year during COVID-19 was challenging for her to manage. "Personally, I do feel as though online classes have hindered my performance in class," Kucik said. "I am a very hands-on learner so not being able to sit at a desk and interact with others has made it harder for me to get motivation to complete all of my studies." Because she has lived in Opelika her whole life, Kucik said she feels comfortable entering the campus in the fall semester. Kucik's experience is similar to those of many other sophomores. |
| LSU: 84% of students who have reported coronavirus status are vaccinated to some degree | |
 | LSU officials are reporting that 84% of the university's student population who have reported their coronavirus status to the school were either partially or fully vaccinated as of Monday. That encompasses a total of 11,256 students of the 13,361 who have reported under entry verification protocols, the university said in a statement. That's about 76% of the students who live on campus and 90% from the Greek community. The school also said that more than 50 LSU students tested positive prior to arriving on campus. Those students are currently isolating at home. The school's coronavirus entry guidelines this semester requires all students to provide either proof of a negative COVID-19 test result no more than five days before arriving on campus, proof of vaccination or proof that tested positive for COVID no more than 90 days prior to showing up on campus. This semester, the university has required that all unvaccinated students be tested monthly for coronavirus. |
| U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville students lose 'right' to attend classes remotely; faculty must grant requests | |
| Faculty members at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville this fall will largely decide whether to grant any requests from students to attend class remotely rather than in person, said Charles Robinson, UA's interim chancellor. "That's the difference between this year and last year," Robinson said Monday, speaking alongside a panel of top UA administrators to answer covid-19 questions from students, staffers and faculty members. A full return to face-to-face classes is set to begin next Monday with the start of UA's fall semester. Covid-19 hospitalizations in Arkansas have zoomed to highs not previously seen during the pandemic, but UA and other large universities in the state have announced plans for much more in-person teaching and learning this fall than a year earlier. UA in the 2020-21 year "gave the students the right to choose to be remote" for individual classes, Robinson said. This year, "we're saying you don't have that right," Robinson said of such student requests. "The faculty member decides that now," Robinson said, though there will be exceptions. Bill Kincaid, UA's managing associate general counsel, said students may request accommodations for a disability, calling such requests "a different situation." |
| 'As silly as trademark cases get': U.of Kentucky tries to stop state's 'Team Kentucky' slogan | |
 | The University of Kentucky is trying to stop the state from trademarking the phrase "Team Kentucky". Yes, you read that correctly. The state's flagship university filed a notice of opposition Friday with a board in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to stop the commonwealth from trademarking the phrase, arguing that it would "likely ... cause confusion" with the university's Kentucky athletic clothing trademark, registered in 1997. The university is arguing that consumers looking at any sort of clothing with the "Team Kentucky" trademark will mistakenly think it is sold by the university instead of state government, thereby hurting the former's sales. "Team Kentucky" has been a phrase used by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear since the then-state Attorney General campaigned against former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019. The phrase has also been a common refrain for Beshear since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, as he set up a "Team Kentucky" fund to help Kentucky residents who had been hit hard during the pandemic. The commonwealth applied for the trademark on March 26, 2020. Beshear still gives a weekly "Team Kentucky" update to tout the commonwealth's economic accomplishments, or, more recently, to discuss the COVID-19 delta variant and its impact on the Bluegrass State. The commonwealth must file a response to the University of Kentucky's notice of opposition by Sept. 22 |
| Fake IDs Are Common. Will Fake Vaccination Cards Be Next? | |
 | As more colleges require that students get vaccinated against Covid-19, a new challenge has emerged: how to ensure that they follow through. A professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported this month on Twitter that he'd had conversations with students who knew how to obtain fake vaccination cards and were aware of peers who'd submitted them to the institution. Federal authorities seized thousands of fake vaccination records in Memphis, and a homeopathic doctor in California faces federal charges for selling them to patients. In March the FBI issued a notice that making or buying fake vaccination cards was illegal. But for college students, many of whom may already hold fake ID cards to gain access to alcohol, falsifying a vaccination card might not be a stretch, some fear. The Chronicle asked the 19 state flagship universities that require students to be vaccinated whether they had identified any falsified vaccination cards; of the nine that answered, none had found fakes. Still, many colleges are staying vigilant, taking a two-pronged approach to verify students' vaccination cards: both examining the images of the cards that students provide, and then asking them to affirm the authenticity of those images. Attestation forms, as they're called, allow colleges to impose consequences if a student's vaccination card is found to be fraudulent, often through disciplinary procedures normally used for offenses like academic dishonesty. |
SPORTS
| Mike Leach ready for Year 2 after rough Mississippi State debut | |
| Mike Leach welcomes the opportunity to instill his football philosophy on a normal time frame. That's not saying the outspoken Mississippi State coach didn't have an impact in his first season with the Bulldogs. Leach's high-octane Air Raid offense yielded immediate dividends with an opening-game upset of defending national champion LSU on the way to establishing 21 school passing and receiving records. Not bad considering MSU endured a quarterback shuffle -- as if coronavirus-related protocols that altered practice schedules and familiarization between the coach and his players weren't challenging enough. The transition included some drama with player exits, leaving the Bulldogs young at many positions. Their inexperience created plenty of growing pains in a 4-7 season -- MSU's lowest win total since 2008 -- though they closed with consecutive victories including a wild 28-26 victory over Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl. With workout schedules closer to normal, Leach's goal in Year 2 is building on the positives through all that tumult. "In our case, it was difficult because of a new staff and a very young team," Leach said of the transition during last month's Southeastern Conference media days. "Perhaps even more disruptive. And that's the key, to just kind of do the same things over and over again and just do them better and better each time. That's kind of what a routine gives you." |
| Mississippi State Sets Cross Country Schedule | |
| A four-race regular-season slate will prepare Mississippi State's cross country team for the SEC Championship on Oct. 29. MSU opens the season at the Memphis Twilight Class on Sept. 4, returning to the event where the Bulldogs placed second in 2016 and fourth in 2018. Later that month, State travels to Huntsville, Alabama, for the North Alabama Showcase. The same course will host this year's South Region Championships. "We have a very young, talented bunch of young women this year that we are excited about," head coach Chris Woods said. "This competitive schedule allows them to get a solid experience of what it is like to compete at this level as we navigate our way to the conference championship meet in late October." The Bulldogs will run twice in October before heading to the league meet. For the third time in the last four years, MSU is headed to Louisville, Kentucky, where the Bulldogs will compete in the 20th Annual Live in Lou Classic on Oct. 2. Two weeks later, State makes the journey to Princeton, New Jersey, for the Princeton Invite on Oct. 16. The postseason begins on Oct. 29 with the SEC Championships hosted by the University of Missouri in Columbia. In November, State will return to Huntsville to compete at the South Region Championships for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championship in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 20. |
| Paul Finebaum: Potential Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC alliance 'a desperate move that signifies absolutely zero' | |
 | An act of desperation. That's what a potential alliance among the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC is, according to Paul Finebaum. Last week, ESPN -- citing sources -- reported three conferences have had discussions about "forming an alliance" for scheduling purposes. On Monday, Finebaum told Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on WJOX-FM 94.5 in Birmingham the move -- if it becomes a reality -- will do little to change the dynamic of the college football landscape. "I think it's a desperate move that signifies absolutely zero," Finebaum said. "What difference does it make if the ACC, the Big Ten, the Pac-12 and anyone else schedule games? That already happens. It doesn't affect the most important aspect of the Texas-Oklahoma move. The SEC has simply left everyone else in the dust and has the first true super-conference and the biggest brands and the best value in college football. You can get all the games you want between Southern Cal and North Carolina and Clemson and Michigan, and so what? We already have these types of games. We're two-and-a-half weeks away from Clemson-Georgia, Ohio State-Oregon, Michigan-Washington -- these games are on the schedule. And, once the 12-team playoff shows up, whenever that is, it's going to make all this stuff even more obsolete." He went on to say the Pac-12 needs the 12-team playoff more than anyone. |
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