The NCAA has rejected an appeal from Boise State and is standing by its decision that the football program must reduce the number of scholarships it hands out this season and the next.
The Division I Committee on Infractions announced the decision Wednesday and in the process rejected an appeal filed by the school stemming from a broader package of sanctions handed down by the NCAA last year.
As part of the penalty package, the NCAA ordered the football program to cut scholarships from 85 to 82 for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years. The school had already self-imposed the scholarship reduction for last season.
Still, Boise State lawyers argued that the scholarship sanction was excessive, especially when compared with past infraction cases investigated by the NCAA.
But NCAA officials denied that the Boise State case has direct comparison to any past cases.
Boise State did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press. The school has the option of appealing Wednesday’s decision.
The infractions case focused on a series of violations involving more than 75 athletes and several men’s and women’s teams over a five-year period. Violations ranged from recruiting infractions to impermissible transportation and lodging, and prompted the departure of longtime athletic director Gene Bleymaier.
QB VAZ GETS FIRST START FOR NO. 10 BEAVERS
After two years spent mostly watching from the sidelines, quarterback Cody Vaz gets the start for 10th-ranked Oregon State (4-0) this Saturday, when the Beavers travel to BYU.
It will be a challenging task for Vaz, who takes over after starter Sean Mannion injured his left knee against Washington State last weekend.
He hasn’t started since high school and has not played in a game since 2010.
UCLA RECEIVER BELL HAS BROKEN RIB
UCLA receiver Darius Bell is expected to be out two to four weeks because of a broken rib he suffered during the Bruins’ game against California.
Bell, a junior, was injured after making an 18-yard reception in the third quarter. He also suffered a shoulder injury on the play from a hit by California’s Kameron Jackson.
EXTRA POINTS
The NCAA has declared receiver Jalen Saunders eligible to play for No. 13 Oklahoma this season, just in time for the Sooners’ rivalry game Saturday against No. 15 Texas. … The first BCS standings of the season come out Sunday. … Ohio State and Texas have agreed to a home-and-home football series that will have the two teams playing in Austin, Texas, in 2022 and in Columbus, Ohio, in 2023.
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