10 Carolinas players on Nagurski watch list

A preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award has been announced, and there are 10 players from the Carolinas among the names.

The annual award, voted on by the Football Writers Association of America and presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, goes to the country's best defensive player.

This year's banquet will be Dec. 6 at the Westin Hotel.

Carolinas players on the preseason watch list:

Marvin Austin, North Carolina, defensive tackle; Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson, defensive end; Bruce Carter, North Carolina, linebacker; Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, cornerback; Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson, defensive tackle; Mark LeGree, Appalachian State, safety; Cliff Matthews, South Carolina, defensive end; DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson, safety; Robert Quinn, North Carolina, defensive end; Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina, linebacker.

ECU's Holland emails fans about realignment

East Carolina athletics director Terry Holland Friday contacted Pirate fans by email.

Most of the Conference USA school's fans would like for the Pirates emerge from any widespread conference shakeup as a member of the Big East.

In his letter, Holland said the Big East's fate is uncertain. He did mention the possibility that league member Villanova could move up a notch in football competition, which would give the Big East a much-needed ninth football playing school.

-- Caulton Tudor

• Holland's email

Tudor's Take: Big 12's fate will be known Tuesday

The future of the Big 12 Conference almost certainly will not be determined until Tuesday.

That much became clear Friday when the Texas Board of Regents announced it would hold a previously unscheduled meeting Tuesday morning in Austin, Tex.

Obviously, the implications aren't good at this point for the Big 12.

Colorado has declared for the Pac-10, and Nebraska officials decided Friday to leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten.

The Big 12 can survive only if Texas -- and Oklahoma to a lesser extent -- stays in the fold.

While there is good reason to believe football coaches Mack Brown of Texas and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma would like to keep the clan together and at 10 members (thereby surrendering conference championship game rights), the lure of more money easily could trump any wishes by the coaches.

In the Big Ten, Texas certainly could enhance its overall financial situation. It's likely the same would be true if the Longhorns went to the Pac-10.

Texas might have the option of going anywhere it chooses, including the Southeastern Conference.

But in a 10-team league and without a league championship game to fret, the Longhorns would be better positioned to win the Bowl Championship Series title. So, too, would be Oklahoma.

But with the Texas' regents meeting, there's reason to think a move is pending. After all, the regents wouldn't have to gather if the plan was to stay put.

-- Elsewhere, East Carolina athletics director Terry Holland Friday contacted Pirate fans by email.

Most of the Conference USA school's fans would like for the Pirates emerge from any widespread conference shakeup as a member of the Big East.

In his letter, Holland said the Big East's fate is uncertain. He did mention the possibility that league member Villanova could move up a notch in football competition, which would give the Big East a much-needed ninth football playing school.

-- As expected, Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference officially announced Friday that it will join the Mountain West Conference on July 1 of next year.

There is no apparent leading candidate to replace Boise in the WAC.

-- Caulton Tudor

How N.C. State's Wilson can play college football and pro baseball

The criteria for N.C. State's Russell Wilson to protect his amateur status in football (from N.C. State's compliance office):

1) Wilson can sign a professional baseball contract with a professional team and still return this fall to play football for N.C. State He can receive money and benefits from a professional baseball team.

2) He can receive a scholarship to play football as long as he maintains his amateur status in football.

3) He can sign with an agent. ALL contracts and conversations with an agent must be specific to baseball.

4) He can receive money and benefits from an agent as long as No. 3 is met.

5) He can't sign any commercial endorsement deals.

-- J.P. Giglio

N.C. State's Wilson will play football this season

Russell Wilson plans to play both college football for N.C. State and professional baseball in the Colorado Rockies' minor-league system.

Wilson, who was taken in the fourth-round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday, said he will return to N.C. State for his junior season in football but only after spending the summer in the Rockies' organization.

"They know my situation," Wilson said. "They know I love football. That's why they drafted me because they like me. We will continue to talk and figure this thing out."

Wilson has played both football and baseball at N.C. State. If he signs with the Rockies, as he said he intends to do, his college baseball career would be over. His college football career would also appear to be over after the 2010 season, despite the fact that he has two seasons of football eligibility left.

"I'm not worried about that right now," Wilson said. "I try to focus on one thing at a time."

There's also the question of whether the Rockies will sign Wilson and allow him to play football and be exposed to an injury. Running back Ricky Williams played both college football at Texas and minor-league baseball in the late 1990s. Wilson sounded confident that the Rockies would allow him to continue his football career.

"It's all going to work out just fine," Wilson said.

A spokesman for the Rockies said the team's management staff was still busy with the MLB draft and declined to comment.

N.C. State's football practice begins Aug. 3 and coach Tom O'Brien expects Wilson to join the team then. O'Brien said the details of Wilson's summer schedule still need to be worked out but was confident Wilson would be his quarterback in 2010.

"There are lot of thing that have to be discussed," O'Brien said. "One thing I do know about Russell, if he wants to play football, then that's what he's going to do."

-- J.P. Giglio

Sweezy's assault, larceny charges dismissed

Misdemeanor assault and larceny charges against N.C. State defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy were dismissed Thursday, according to records in the Iredell County Court Clerk's office.

Sweezy had been charged after an altercation with a shuttle bus driver on March 18, according to the Mooresville Police Department.

Sweezy still faces misdemeanor charges of simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using a controlled substance in connection with an April 24 search of his apartment. He has a court date of June 11 on those charges.

Teammates Markus Kuhn and Jake Vermiglio, and former volleyball player Allison Davis face the same charges as Sweezy after that search. A fourth football player, George Bryan, faces a single charge of maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using a controlled substance.

Sweezy also pleaded guilty March 8 to a charge of consuming alcohol by a minor under age 21 stemming from a Jan. 6 citation, according to Cabarrus County Court records. He turned 21 on April 8.

In the Mooresville case, Sweezy had been charged after after getting into a physical altercation with David Scott Magnuson and Nicholas Kaplan at 2:37 a.m., according to police.

"The charges were dismissed [Thursday] and we believe as we have all along that that was the just and proper outcome for this matter," said Mark Childers, Sweezy's lawyer.

N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien suspended Sweezy indefinitely immediately after he was cited in the Mooresville incident. O'Brien was not immediately available for comment Friday.

Sweezy made 26 tackles and three sacks as a backup last season and was expected to move into the starting lineup this season as a junior.

Ken Tysiac

Game times include late start for Wake

With games played on Thursday nights and seemingly any time of the day Saturday, football schedules have become more challenging than ever for college teams.

Wake Forest will learn that first hand on Sept. 18 when it visits Stanford for an 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN2. Don't plan on watching at a sports bar - the game almost certainly won't be over when the bars close at 2 a.m.

The Deacons' late start was the most eye-catching item today as the ACC announced game times and television assignments for the first three weeks of the football season. (Some of the times and TV slots were announced previously):

Wake Forest: Sept. 2 vs. Presbyterian, 6 p.m.; Sept. 11 vs. Duke, Noon, Raycom; Sept. 18 at Stanford, 11:15 p.m., ESPN-2.

Duke: Sept. 4 vs. Elon, 7 p.m.; Sept. 11 at Wake Forest, Noon, Raycom; Sept. 18 Alabama, 3:30 p.m., ABC.

North Carolina: Sept. 4 vs. LSU, 8 p.m., ABC; Sept. 18 at North Carolina, Noon, Raycom.

N.C. State: Sept. 4 Western Carolina, 6 p.m.; Sept. 11 at Central Florida, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 16 Cincinnati, 7:30, ESPN.

The complete schedule of ACC game times is here.

-- Ken Tysiac

Pac-10 expanding to 16, raiding Big 12?

The Pac-10 has plans to expand to 16 by adding half of the Big 12, according to Rivals.com.

The latest rumor in the offseason of conference expansion rumors has the Pac-10 beating the Big Ten to the expansion punch by adding Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado from the Big 12.

The super conference would form its own network and end the Big 12, according to the report from Orangebloods.com, the Texas site on the Rivals network.

It would also leave Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State, Nebraska and Missouri without a home conference.

The Pac-10 and Big 12 have been in talks about combining for network purposes and nonconference matchups. This report goes a step further, alleging the two BCS conferences are ready to make a pre-emptive strike on the Big Ten, which has been balking at expanding from its current 11-team format after making its intentions public in February.

In their current form, with less than 12 teams, neither the Big Ten nor Pac-10 can stage a conference championship game — which both costs the conference money and a share of the late-season spotlight.

The Big Ten has been rumored to be interested in Notre Dame, Missouri and Nebraska from the Big 12 and Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UConn and/or Rutgers from the Big East. The Big Ten has denied all reports about expansion offers and effectively tabled the decision after no movement during the annual BCS meetings in Phoenix in April.

-- J.P. Giglio

Game times show Deacs with late start

With games played on Thursday nights and seemingly any time of the day Saturday, football schedules have become more challenging than ever for college teams.

Wake Forest will learn that first hand on Sept. 18 when it visits Stanford for an 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN-2. Don't plan on watching at a sports bar - the game almost certainly won't be over when the bars close at 2 a.m.

The Deacons' late start was the most eye-catching item today as the ACC announced game times and television assignments for the first three weeks of the football season. (Some of the times and TV slots were announced previously):

Wake Forest: Sept. 2 vs. Presbyterian, 6 p.m.; Sept. 11 vs. Duke, Noon, Raycom; Sept. 18 at Stanford, 11:15 p.m., ESPN-2.

Duke: Sept. 4 vs. Elon, 7 p.m.; Sept. 11 at Wake Forest, Noon, Raycom; Sept. 18 Alabama, 3:30 p.m., ABC.

North Carolina: Sept. 4 vs. LSU, 8 p.m., ABC; Sept. 18 at North Carolina, Noon, Raycom.

N.C. State: Sept. 4 Western Carolina, 6 p.m.; Sept. 11 at Central Florida, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 16 Cincinnati, 7:30, ESPN.

The complete schedule of ACC game times is here.

Ken Tysiac