‘Doctor’s advice’ compels Pat Haden to step down from CFP committee – NBCSports.com

This is something you could just feel coming over the past handful of days.

In the days after Steve Sarkisian was dismissed as USC’s head coach — and Pat Haden was criticized for his handling of the situation — a scathing Los Angeles Times article detailed how lucrative non-university pursuits were stretching the athletic director thin at a time when the department seemingly needed him the most.  A week after that piece went to print, Haden has shed at least one of his non-USC responsibilities, albeit a non-paying one.

In a press release, the College Football Playoff announced that Haden has decided to step down from the committee that selects the four semifinalists.  The move comes less than a week before the first set of CFP rankings are to be released, and a day after extensive renovations to the Coliseum were announced.

According to a statement attributed to Haden, the AD decided to step down for health reasons.

“I am reluctant to step down, but my doctors advised me to reduce my traveling,” said Haden. “With the weekly CFP meetings about to start and the travel commitment involved, I had to make this difficult decision. I feel it is in the best interest of the CFP and also of USC, with our current football coaching change and our upcoming Coliseum renovation.”

“It was an honor to serve on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. I have such high regard for the CFP process and for the committee members, who devote such time and energy to the great sport of college football. It was a pleasure to serve alongside them. I want to thank the committee members, as well as CFP executive director Bill Hancock and his staff. They all do wonderful work.”

Haden was one of 13 members on the committee. That group will work with 12 members for the remainder of the 2015 season.

“We will miss Pat,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said in his statement. “He knows and loves college football and brought excellent insight to the process, but we all understand.”

As Louisville gets set to kick off its game against Wake Forest Friday, the U of L has revealed a development that will impact its starting lineup.

Just a short time ago, the Cardinals confirmed that Micky Crum has been suspended for the ACC contest against the Demon Deacons.  The reason given wasn’t your standard violation of team rules; rather, Crum will be sidelined for conduct detrimental to the team.

Crum started the first six games of the season.  As for a replacement, from the Louisville Courier-Journal:

U of L will use tight ends Cole Hikutini and Keith Towbridge in his place. Hikutini is a better receiver and Towbridge a better blocker.

Hikutini five catches for 86 yards, Towbridge one for 19.

Crum is currently fourth on the Cardinals in both receptions (13) and receiving yards (161), although he hasn’t recorded a catch since Sept. 26. His two receiving touchdowns are good for second on the team.

Hey, if Georgia can go the No. 3 route at the most important position on the field, Florida can go the medical school route at one of the, well, not-so-important positions — unless you need them late in a tight game, of course.

Earlier this month, the UF football program put out a walk-on call for students interested in becoming a place-kicker for the Gators.  The need for the unusual midseason development arose after starter Jorge Powell went down with what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury, leaving his backup, Austin Hardin, as the only kicker on the roster.

Nearly 220 people responded to the call for kickers, and, heading into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, there’s one left standing: pre-dental student Neil MacInnes.  MacInnes was informed Friday that he has been placed on the travel roster and will make the trip to Jacksonville for Saturday’s game against Georgia.

“It’s pretty much a dream come true,” MacInnes said told UF’s official website. “I wanted to kick in high school and obviously being part of this organization, and Gator Nation, is kind of cool.”

MacInnes, a former soccer standout at his Tampa high school, first played football as a junior and hasn’t kicked competitively since Dec. of 2011 at a high school all-star game. His friends urged him to attend the tryout and, well, the rest is history.

“My mindset going into it was, ‘if I was in high school, and they were recruiting me right now, do any of these other guys have the potential to do it? Would they have had the potential to do it in high school?’” MacInnes said of the initial kicking cattle-call, adding, “I felt like I did.”

Interestingly, one of the 215 other people he beat out for the spot was former Virginia Tech kicker Brooks Abbott.  Abbott played in seven games for Tech in 2012, serving as the Hokies kickoff specialist in those contests.  After leaving Tech following that season and spending 2013 at a Florida JUCO, Abbott joined the Gators and played in the 2014 opener.  That was his one and appearance at UF.

Exit Kyle, enter Kyler?  That appears to be very much the case.

Earlier this week, and for the second straight year, A&M opened up an in-season quarterback competition because of the current state of the team in general and the position specifically. Three individuals have been given a shot throughout the week of practice at winning the job ahead of Saturday’s game against South Carolina: season-long starter Kyle Allen, burgeoning fan-favorite Kyler Murray and No. 3 Jake Hubenak.

While nothing is official from the football program, it appears there’s been an unofficial changing of the guard.

Murray was a four-star member of A&M’s most recent recruiting class, rated as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country. After a summer camp battle that was won by Allen, Murray has seen action in a handful of games, most notably in the opener against Arizona State in which he ran for 69 yards on six carries and passed for another 49. He’s attempted 31 passes this season, but just four the past four games.

For Allen, himself a five-star 2014 recruit, the demotion has been a couple of games in the making. After playing well the first five games of the season, all wins, the bottom’s dropped in back-to-back losses as Allen has thrown four interceptions — three returned for touchdowns vs. Alabama — and just one touchdown as he’s completed well under 50 percent of his passes.

UPDATED 4:51 p.m. ET: And it’s officially official — the Kyler Murray era, at least the starting phase, will commence in earnest this weekend.

The road to recovery for one of the most statistically productive quarterbacks in the country will officially begin today.

In a development that has the chance to significantly shake up the playoff picture, Baylor announced early this past week that Seth Russell would be undergoing surgery to repair a fractured bone in his neck.  The quarterback sustained the injury in the Week 8 win over Iowa State.

As a result of the surgery and subsequent rehab, Russell will miss the remainder of the 2015 season.  And, speaking of medical procedures…

While Russell is expected to be fully recovered for the start of summer camp next year, there’s a possibility that he could be held out of spring practice a couple of months down the road.

With Russell out, the unbeaten Bears will turn to true freshman Jarrett Stidham to help guide the offense on their road toward what they hope will end with a playoff berth.  Stidham will make the first start of his career this Thursday on the road at Kansas State.