News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

11.29.04: First-timer UAB among five C-USA bowl teams ... C-USA standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... AP college football poll ... More...

11.28.04: Deja vu? Cards punish Bearcats after pregame taunts ... College football weekend: stars & storylines ... More...

11.27.04: Cardinals aim to exit C-USA as champions ... Center of gravity in ACC shifting to state of Virginia? ... Odd 1-point play aids Horns' win over Aggies ... More...

11.26.04: Still poor-mouthing, Holtz leaves coaching door open ... Guidugli status in doubt after home accident ... More...

11.25.04: Stockstill among trio of assistants retained by Spurrier ... UTEP mines berth in EV1.net Houston Bowl ... More...

11.24.04: Bowl-bound UTEP eyes winning exit from WAC ... MAC to sub for Pac-10 in Silicon Valley Bowl ... More...

11.23.04: Fox snatches up BCS rights for $320 million ... Brawl scratches bowl trips for Clemson, South Carolina ... BCS football rankings ... AP basketball poll ... More...

11.22.04: Cincinnati-Louisville game to air on ESPN2 ... C-USA standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Associated Press college football poll ... More...

11.21.04: Utah rout of old nemesis BYU forces BCS hand ... College football weekend: stars & storylines ... More...

11.20.04: ABC TV backing out of BCS sweepstakes? ... Former Louisville hoops star dead at 48 ... More...

11.19.04: Holtz paves way for ascension of Spurrier at South Carolina ... Mountain West Conference bonanza rides on Utah-BYU game ... More...

11.18.04: No separate divisions planned for future Big East ... Old nemesis stands in Utes' path to BCS bid ... More...

11.17.04: National talent hunt lands 12 diamond prospects for ECU ... BCA tourney takes on distinct Wolfpack flare ... More...

11.16.04: Badiane joins Heels' Felton on one-game suspension ... BCS football rankings ... AP college basketball poll ... More...

11.15.04: C-USA standings, scoreboard, schedule & TV ... Utes close in on BCS berth ... AP football poll ... More...

11.14.04: Cancer-stricken USF basketball player to miss season ... College football weekend: stars & storylines ... More...

11.13.04: Herrion seals the deal with New Jersey prep target ... Tigers tune up for Pirates with win over USM ... More...

11.12.04: Cook, Badiane fuel ECU win in final preseason test ... Hard-luck Louisville big man lost for season ... More...

11.11.04: Spurrier signals desire for warm weather college job ... LeFors leads Louisville rout of Horned Frogs ... More...

Skip Holtz, former quarterbacks coach at South Carolina and one-time head coach at Connecticut, is a leading candidate to succeed recently fired East Carolina coach John Thompson, The Columbia State is reporting.

Holtz served on the staff of his father, Lou Holtz, from 1999 until the elder Holtz retired this month to make way for Steve Spurrier to take over the reigns of the Gamecocks.

The younger Holtz met with ECU officials outside Charlotte this past weekend, says the paper's account, citing a source close to the search process. The Pirates lost Saturday to N.C. State 52-14 in Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium in Thompson's final game.

Skip Holtz, 40, turned down an offer to become head coach at Southern Methodist three years ago, notes the paper in the story published today.

He is still owed $480,000 by South Carolina under his buyout clause, according to the report.

[Conference USA team, including future members, and Carolinas teams in bold. ECU opponents in red. Teams belonging to a conference with no guaranteed BCS bowl bid in italics.]

     Rank/Team
    1. Southern California
     2. Oklahoma
     3. Auburn
     4. California
     5. Texas
     6. Utah
     7. Georgia
     8. Boise State
     9. Louisville
    10. Miami (FL)
    11. Louisiana State
    12. Virginia Tech
    13. Iowa
    14. Michigan
    15. Tennessee
    16. Florida State
    17. Wisconsin
    18. Virginia
    19. Arizona State
    20. Texas A&M
    21. Texas Tech
    22. Florida
    23. Pittsburgh
    24. Oklahoma State
    25. Ohio State

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 28, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

[Conference USA team, including future members, and Carolinas teams in bold. East Carolina opponents in red.]

(1st place votes)/(Record)/Points/Previous
1. Wake Forest (40) (5-0) 1737 1
2. Kansas (18) (2-0) 1678 2
3. Syracuse (4) (5-0) 1582 4
4. Georgia Tech (7) (3-0) 1580 3
5. Illinois (1) (4-0) 1540 5
6. Oklahoma State (2) (3-0) 1420 6
7. Connecticut (1-0) 1329 7
8. Kentucky (3-0) 1284 8
9. North Carolina (4-1) 1134 11
10. Duke (3-0) 1129 9
11. Michigan State (3-0) 1073 10
12. Maryland (3-0) 1018 13
13. Pittsburgh (3-0) 782 16
14. Washington (4-0) 770 22
15. Mississippi State (5-1) 743 14
16. N.C. State (4-0) 722 17
17. Louisville (3-1) 584 12
18. Texas (3-1) 507 15
19. Florida (3-0) 447 23
20. Notre Dame (3-0) 442 21
21. Arizona (3-2) 413 18
22. Alabama (4-1) 381 19
23. Iowa (3-1) 367 NR
24. Virginia (4-0) 235 NR
25. Wisconsin (2-1) 114 20

Dropped Out: No. 24 Gonzaga, No. 25 Memphis.

Others Receiving Votes: Gonzaga 65, Cincinnati 51, Southern Illinois 46, Memphis 34, Creighton 26, Boston College 24, Vermont 18, Charlotte 16, Stanford 15, Oklahoma 14, Pepperdine 14, Marquette 13, Michigan 9, Utah 8, UAB 7, New Mexico 4, George Washington 3, Iowa State 3, Nevada 3, Ohio State 3, West Virginia 3, Indiana 2, Oregon 2, Rutgers 2, Holy Cross 1, Louisiana State 1, Miami (OH) 1.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.