Hall of Famers miffed by BCS bowl selection

NEW YORK -- Joe Theismann was incredulous when he saw the matchup for the Bowl Championship Series title game.

The newly inducted Hall of Famer knew there were problems with the BCS, but leaving the No. 1 team out of the title game was beyond belief.

"I hope they realize how ridiculous it looks when USC is No. 1 and not playing for the national championship," Theismann said Tuesday.

Theismann wasn't the only Hall of Famer miffed by the BCS controversy. Many of the inductees couldn't understand how the Trojans, the top team in both polls, were beaten out by Oklahoma and LSU for the BCS title game.

The Trojans, who were hurt because of the computer rankings and strength of schedule, instead will play No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

"I can't think of any other sport where the champion doesn't play the next best team in a playoff," said Hayden Fry, the former coach at Iowa, SMU and North Texas State. "We are the only sport that does not have it. The best way to do it would be to take the four winners of the bowls and have a playoff."

Fry and Theismann, the former Notre Dame quarterback, were two of the 13 people inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday. They will be enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind., in August.

The other Hall of Fame players are Southern California running back Ricky Bell, Dartmouth defensive back Murry Bowden, Minnesota guard Tom Brown, Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jimbo Covert, SMU end Jerry LeVias, Alabama tackle Billy Neighbors, Arizona State linebacker Ron Pritchard, Georgia quarterback John Rauch, Oklahoma State tailback Barry Sanders and Missouri defensive back Roger Wehrli.

Former Tennessee and Florida coach Doug Dickey also was inducted.

Also honored Tuesday were the National Scholar Athletes selected from all NCAA divisions. The Division I-A winners are offensive tackle Rob Droege of Missouri, cornerback Nathaniel Jones of Rutgers, quarterback Craig Krenzel of Ohio State, quarterback Eli Manning of Mississippi, offensive tackle Rodney Reed of LSU, linebacker Dontarrious Thomas Auburn, linebacker Jonathan Vilma of Miami and running back Renaldo Works of Oklahoma.

The Division I-AA winners are tight end John Frieser of Colgate and offensive lineman Jason Whaley of Western Carolina.

Ross returns to college football as Army coach

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Army is counting on Bobby Ross and his record of success to turn around college football's worst team.

Ross was hired to lead Army on Tuesday, returning to football after resigning as the Detroit Lions' coach three years ago. His football experience is vast: Ross coached the San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl in 1995 and won a national title at Georgia Tech in 1990.

Army, meanwhile, is in disarray. It became the first team in NCAA history to finish 0-13 after losing to Navy 34-6 on Saturday. The academy fired coach Todd Berry in October with the team 5-35 in his four seasons. Former Southeast Missouri State University coach John Mumford acted as interim coach and went 0-7 after replacing Berry.

Noteworthy

Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak and Marshall's Bob Pruett have were chosen Tuesday to coach the Blue team in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic on Christmas Day.

Baylor coach Guy Morriss and John Bunting of North Carolina agreed earlier to coach the Gray squad in the game, a showcase for college seniors hoping to earn an NFL chance.

Oklahoma quarterback Jason White was chosen as college football's player of the year by The Sporting News. The publication also picked Utah's Urban Meyer its coach of the year. Meyer led the Utes to a 9-2 record and a berth in the Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve.

Purdue football coach Joe Tiller agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2010 season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tiller is 55-31 at Purdue.

-- From wire reports