College football is on the verge of an explosion of "extra" games to open the 2001 season, with no less than nine in the works for the final week in August.
With NCAA legislation eliminating such fund-raising games after 2002, several sports foundations are jumping on the "classic" game bandwagon. They figure there's publicity to be had, money to be made and plenty of schools ready to pocket a minimum of $600,000 for squeezing in a 12th regular-season game.
"If we can do something to help out our association, now is the time to do it before it's too late," said Lynne Draper, executive director of the Jim Thorpe Association, which is putting together the Jim Thorpe Classic.
Four new games are in the works for this season, adding to the five played last season. The up-and-comers joining the Thorpe game are the John Thompson Classic, the Michigan Charities Classic and a second Black Coaches Association Classic to make up for last year's canceled game between Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
In addition to the Kickoff and Pigskin classics, there's also the Eddie Robinson Classic, the Hispanic Fund Classic and the BCA Classic I.
Three matchups are set: Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech in the Kickoff, Virginia at Wisconsin in the Eddie Robinson, and North Carolina at Oklahoma in Hispanic Fund.
For those on the "extra" game ride from the start, even the group that represents the athletic directors who vote on NCAA rules, the impending loss of revenue is hard to take.
"The floodgates are open for two more years and everyone is trying to get a piece of the golden goose," said Mike Cleary, president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), a group that benefits financially from the two longest-running "extra" games, the Kickoff and Pigskin classics.
"Here we have a group of presidents and administrators who want these games to end, and then they let six or seven more come in the last two years," Cleary added. "It makes no sense. It's laughable."
The games won't be officially certified by the NCAA before April 16, the deadline for organizers to submit required paperwork such as letters of credit and stadium leases.
Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel knows he sounds hypocritical, but he has a problem with any "extra" games. He says organizers "have an ulterior motive, and it's not football."
The rapid increase of "extra" games brought about the rule changes. In 1996, there were two classics, in '98 there were four.
The new rules begin in 2002, the final season of "preseason exempt contests," as the NCAA refers to the games. The BCA Classic, however, will be played through 2004, which is when its current television contract expires.
Here's how it works: Any Division I-A or I-AA school can play 12 games in the regular season but only in years when there are 14 Saturdays during NCAA-specified time period. The 12-game scenario occurs only stimes over the next 20 years in 2002, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2019.
While organizers were scrambling to find teams to fill their games, the Michigan Charities Classic only needs an opponent for the host Wolverines. Also, Virginia Tech is likely to play host to one of the BCA games.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Be the first to comment on this article!