All of the lights: The new upgrades at Tiger Stadium are being highlighted by ESPN.com, and one detail of note in the report comes from Eddie Nunez, senior associate athletic director. He tells ESPN the stadium’s new lighting system allows for hundreds of different schemes, and not just the purple and gold most people have seen since it was installed last month. “On the Fourth of July, we could do red, white and blue,” Nunez says, by way of example. “I mean, these schemes are unlimited. We’re still having fun with it.” Read the full story here.
Sunday, bloody Sunday: If there wasn’t already bad blood between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints, there is now, the Charlotte Observer reports. Panthers’ players say the Saints showed no respect last season when they let quarterback Drew Brees and the rest of their starters play into the fourth quarter in pursuit of records in New Orleans’ 45-17 win in week 17. Further fanning the flames was the off-season revelation that the Saints allegedly targeted Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in their bounty program. The Saints and Panthers will kick off at noon Sunday in Charlotte. Read the full story here.
The Vandals took the handles: The Idaho Vandals, reeling from their first 0-2 start since 2006, will travel to Baton Rouge this weekend to take on No. 3 LSU on Saturday night. By all estimates, they’ll be punished on the field. But whether they take a drubbing in Death Valley or not, the Vandals will also take $950,000 back to Idaho—the largest payout in program history. The money, which is a relatively common amount for visiting schools in lopsided matches such as Saturday’s, is at the heart of a debate in Spokane as to whether Idaho should remain a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Read the full story in The Spokesman-Review here.
