By Al Myatt, Special to CNNSI.com
Conference USA recently extended the contract of commissioner Mike Slive
through June 30, 2006 in recognition of his efforts in establishing the
young league, which is in the midst of its sixth season of football competition.
Slive, a Dartmouth graduate and a former partner in a Chicago law firm,
remains active in building C-USA. There is a strong possibility that
C-USA will announce the addition of another football-playing member in
the near future, possibly Marshall.
With South Florida entering the league's football competition in 2003,
the league would have 12 members if the Thundering Herd comes aboard.
That would allow two six-team divisions.
When C-USA negotiated its eight-year television agreement with ESPN last
year, there was a provision made for ABC to telecast a league
championship game between division winners. Leagues such as the Big 12,
SEC, and MAC already conduct such a format.
"The contract does provide for a championship game to be played on ABC
on Championship Saturday and that is enough to bring the issue back to
the front burner," Slive said. "We've come a long way in football from
six members originally to where we are today."
The league's original football-playing teams that competed for the
league title in 1996 were Houston, Southern Miss, Cincinnati,
Louisville, Memphis and Tulane. Houston shared the league title with
Southern Miss. The Cougars represented the league in the Liberty Bowl,
losing 30-17 to Syracuse.
"We're looking very seriously at the issue of expansion but there are a
couple of complications," Slive said. "One is that we are at 14 schools
in basketball. That's a manageable number and I think we've worked out
the right format."
Charlotte, DePaul and Marquette play basketball but do not compete in
football in C-USA.
"Going beyond 14 is probably something that I would rather not do in
terms of basketball," Slive said. "We're looking only at football if we
expand and that creates certain issues. Our board of presidents have
talked about this at great length and they will meet again in October.
We'll have a very serious conversation about it again.
"It is an exciting possibility," Slive said. "This league has been
creative. It's been aggressive and we've got to decide if we want to
take the next step."
Possible division groupings would include Army, Cincinnati, East
Carolina, Louisville, Marshall and South Florida in one division while
Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane and UAB would comprise the
other division.
Other possibilities, if C-USA doesn't enlist Marshall, would include
Navy and SMU.
The likeliehood of expansion is another plus for Slive's leadership.
"I know before we joined C-USA [in 1997] that we sat at home with an 8-3
team that had beaten South Carolina, Miami and N.C. State in 1996," said
East Carolina coach Steve Logan. "The league affiliation has certainly
been a good thing for us from that standpoint."
ECU has been in the inaugural Mobile Alabama and Galleryfurniture bowls
the last two seasons, both of which committed to ties to C-USA. C-USA's
bowl affiliations have increased from one to four since the league
started and there are provisions by which a C-USA team could reach the
bowl championship series.
The league's success has started with Slive, according to J.H. Woodward,
chancellor at Charlotte, and it has not sacrificed the academic
integrity of its member institutions.
"The early success of Conference USA is due in large part to the
outstanding leadership provided by Mike Slive," Woodward said. "He
certainly understands intercollegiate athletics, but he also understands
higher education. As such, he has directed the development of an
athletic conference, which serves the interests of the member
universities and especially the students who represent those
universities in intercollegiate competition."
Slive, who serves on the NCAA Management Council, is also President of
the Collegiate Commissioner's Association
(CCA) and chair of the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee.
"Mike Slive is, without a doubt, as good a commissioner as there is in
the country," said Nick Floyd, a former C-USA associate commissioner who
is now an assistant athletic director at ECU.
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Cincinnati freshman quarterback Gino Guidugli played in relief of the
injured Adam Hoover against Army and completed 31 of 41 passes for 311 yards and
three touchdowns.
The Bearcats opened Conference USA play with a 24-21
win as Guidugli connected with Tye Keith on a 12-yard touchdown
with seven seconds remaining. That completed a nine-play, 70-yard drive
that came after Army had gone ahead 21-17 with 1:16 remaining.
A true freshman from Fort Thomas, Ky., Guidugli played last season at
Highlands High School. Guidugli, 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, entered the
game late in the second quarter after Hoover suffered a torn ACL in his
left knee which could sideline him for the season.
Guidugli was named C-USA offensive player of the week.
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HOT:
East Carolina RB Leonard Henry.
The senior had 218 yards rushing at
Tulane, including a 92-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
NOT:
Tulane defensive coordinator Pete McGinnis
His youthful charges
are allowing an average of 7.3 touchdowns per game.
HOT:
Cincinnati receiver LaDaris Vann
He had 12 catches for 134 yards
at Army, putting him over 1,000 receiving yards for his career.
NOT:
Army coach Todd Berry
His career record with the Cadets slipped to 1-11.
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Some East Carolina fans were wondering about the significance of true
freshman quarterback Paul Troth going in for a few plays at Tulane to
hand the ball off. Obviously, a possible redshirt season was scratched,
and just as obviously, senior quarterback David Garrard exits the
program after the 2001 season.
"We wanted to see can you go in, can you make a call in the huddle, can
you get a snap, can you make a handoff," said ECU coach Steve Logan.
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 TCU safety Charlie Owens
Returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown and also returned an interception to the SMU 1-yard line in a 38-10 victory.
ECU freshman Marvin Townes
Set a school record by averaging 44.0 yards
on kickoff returns.
Tulane's Roydell Williams
Had 13 catches for 154 yards in a 51-24 loss
to East Carolina.
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Louisville, which became the first Conference USA team this season to
crack the Associated Press poll at No. 25, takes a seven-game winning streak
to Illinois on Saturday. The Illini are 2-0
after an impressive 44-17 season-opening win at California and a
much-tougher battle in getting past Northern Illinois 17-12 in its home
opener at Memorial Stadium.
The battle of unbeatens will feature two outstanding
quarterbacks. Dave Ragone of the Cardinals was C-USA offensive player
of the year as a sophomore in 2000 and Illinois senior Kurt Kittner is
35-for-68 for 538 yards and four touchdowns in his team's 2-0 start. He
hasn't thrown an interception.
"They're a Big Ten school," said Louisville coach John L. Smith.
"They line up with big bodies and hit you hard. They like to run it but
they also have the play action. Against Cal, Kittner was on fire.
They've got a wideout [Brandon Lloyd] that's something special. They'll
throw it if they have to but they would like to pound you."
Louisville is allowing 4.3 yards per rush.
Lloyd missed all of 2000 with an injury but has 15 catches for 304 yards
and two touchdowns in two games in 2001. Kittner completed 17-of-24 for
244 yards and four touchdowns the last time the teams played, a 41-36
Illinois win at Louisville in 1999. Kittner will be tested by a Cardinals secondary that features free safety Anthony Floyd, who has 13
career interceptions. The Cards are second in the nation in forcing
turnovers in 2001 with 10. The Cards also have eight sacks in three games.
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Louisville leads the nation in recovering opponent's fumbles with seven.
... TCU is eighth nationally in total defense, allowing 195.7 yards per
game. ... Tulane leads the league in passing offense with 306.7 yards
per game. ... Army's Josh Holden ran for 109 yards against Cincinnati.
... Bearcats punter Adam Woolfeck had a 70-yard boot at Army. ... ECU
outside linebacker Reggie Hamphill recovered a fumble and had an
interception at Tulane. Teammate Pernell Griffin was credited with 15
tackles at inside linebacker. ... Houston's Jason Parker needs two pass
breakups to tie the school record of 31. .... Louisville has started 3-0
for the first time since 1993. Deion Branch of the Cards had a 61-yard
punt return for a touchdown against Western Carolina. ... Memphis
quarterback Travis Anglin threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more
in a 43-10 win over Chattanooga. Dante Brown of the Tigers had 158 yards
rushing on 18 carries. ... Southern Miss running back Dewayne Woods is
questionable for Saturday's game at Alabama with a sprained knee. The
Golden Eagles stemmed the Crimson Tide 21-0 last season but have never
won consecutive games in the series which they trail, 6-29-2. ... TCU
plays its first home game this season against Marshall, the first time
the teams have met. ... Tulane sophomore Mewelde Moore ran for 107 yards
on 24 carries against ECU. ... UAB junior Ross Stewart had a 68-yard
punt in a 29-7 loss at Florida State. Jegil Dugger had his ninth career
rushing touchdown for the Blazers.
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