Lehigh Football Nation

Just a quick post to mention that I will be releasing something at the College Sporting News more deeply on this subject. Call this a "teaser" for that article if you must, but here is some information that should whet one's appetite: The results of this study involved the Academic Index (or AI) only - the changes to this formula that were announced on Wednesday do not include any sort of aid reform for football in terms of athletic scholarships. Having said that, the possibility of athletic scholarships in football are still a subject "under discussion." The discussion about the AI (which encompasses all Patriot League sports) and athletic aid (which, in this case, only involves football) are two different discussions. I think it's important to make that distinction here. I think it is very fair that the discussion about reform of the AI and any decisions on athletic scholarships for football be separate discussions, since one affects all sports through...

Today at Noon, the Patriot League office issued the following statement in regards to "revisions to academic policies" : Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League Council of Presidents endorsed a set of recommendations for revising the League's academic index with the objective of providing more consistency in the application of the index and internal equity between member institutions. The actions will also enhance admissions and athletic competitiveness of programs externally while maintaining the integrity of the League's founding principles. ... The Presidents' actions were based on a series of recommendations with respect to the calculation and application of the academic index. Those principles will now be reviewed for fine-tuning and implementation by an advisory group made up of athletic directors, admissions representatives and the League's policy committee. The Presidents will review and finalize the comprehensive plan during their June meeting for ad...

Tonight: Chattanooga, TN TV: ESPN2, 8PM EST The FCS Championship Game, Delaware vs. Appalachian State It's what everyone in the Patriot League hopes to get to every single year, and tonight is the only Division I championship in football that the NCAA recognizes. Tune in! And below are a host of different links to get you pumped for the game. College Sporting News Content CSN: Championship Info CSN Way: Dream Matchup (written by me) FCS Preview: Eric Gemunder CSN West: Chatty Has Made FCS Proud CAA Today: Appalachian State vs. The CAA CSN So South: Mountaineers Go For Three In A Row SWAC World: All Is Right in the SWA World (SWAC Championship Preview) CSN Waves Podcasts of Championship Preview, Interviews, Sports Network Awards and More! Other Links Sports Network, David Coulson: National Championship On The Line Any Given Saturday Post: All The Links About The Championship Game Tune in. It should be a hell of a ride.

(Photo Credit: Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard) I had planned to blog something about financial aid this week, but that will wait: Colgate's star junior RB Jordan Scott has been suspended from the team after being charged with burglary: The football future of star Colgate running back Jordan Scott is in flux after his arrest on a burglary charge. According to the Hamilton village police department, Scott and wide receiver David Morgan were charged Sunday with second-degree burglary, a felony, in connection with an incident on campus Saturday night. The players were arraigned Monday in Hamilton village court and released on $10,000 bond. It's an embarrassment to Scott and the Colgate athletic department - however, a source tells me that there may be less to this than meets the eye, calling the incident "minor". No decisions have been made on this yet by Colgate head football coach Dick Biddle or the Colgate athletic department, except the fact that Scott and M...

Be the first on your block to have your very own unofficial "Rivalry" T-Shirt! Just in time for the holidays for that mad Lehigh fan on your list! Navigate here for details . Ho, ho, ho! Now, let's just get those two speedy defensive backs under the tree...

With exams coming up, this weekend will be featuring the last competition from the Lehigh winter sports teams until the week before Christmas. But there's plenty happening this weekend to whet your appetite for Lehigh sports. For you FCS football fans, you can catch the FCS semifinals tonight at 8:00PM on ESPN2 (Richmond versus Appalachian State) and tomorrow on ESPN at 4:00PM (Delaware at Southern Illinois). My preview of the weekend football slate you can read here . Wrestling (4-5) 12/7 No. 5 PENN STATE (Stabler Arena, 7:00PM) With an encouraging 2-1 record over the last week, the grapplers sure could use a strong showing this weekend against a Nittany Lion squad that should provide a great atmosphere tonight at Stabler in the 96th meeting between these two wrestling rivals. Penn State has dominated us the past four years in duals, and with six nationally-ranked wrestlers for the Lions, it's looking like an awfully daunting challenge for our "David" to slay thei...

I haven't seen Fred Claus yet, but I keep looking at this picture and saying: George Wendt and Santa - separated at birth? (Did I mention I am dying to see Paul Giamatti play Santa?) In any event, this post was written to post an important question for Lehigh football fans: namely, who should be on our wish list this year in terms of recruits? It's this time of year where the Lehigh coaching staff travels far and wide to secure commitments for new athletes to come into the program. And although I think the North Pole is a bit far out, maybe it would be worth at least a letter to Santa in regards to getting that stud player that will be a standout player in the class of 2012. Last year's recruiting class was considered one of the better ones for Lehigh, and we'll need another to keep up with the rest of the league - and especially "that school in Easton". (Hopefully everyone on the Lehigh coaching staff is on the "good" list.) Here's what would...