Tuesday--March 18th, 2014

The NIU Huskies open their spring practice today. NIU returns 16 starters from a team that has won 24 games in two years.

In this year's schedule rotation, UMass drops NIU (12-2), Central Michigan (6-6), Ohio (7-6), Western Michigan (1-11) and gains Ball State (10-3), Toledo (7-5), Kent State (4-8) and Eastern Michigan (2-10).

That's a somewhat tougher league schedule than last year. Toledo has been consistently one of the top MAC teams. Kent State had a big fall off last year as they had a 11-3 record in 2012. Toledo went 9-4 in 2012.

UMass also swaps Colorado for Maine in the OOC schedule.

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A Bleacher Report writer imagines a 64 team college football tourney.

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A sports writer says an early signing period changes the calculus of college football recruiting.

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Victor Cruz takes a busload of elementary students to the Rachel Ray show.

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