Associated Press
The college notebook …
CHARLOTTE ó The ACC has announced that its football championship slated for Dec. 3 in Charlotte is a sellout.
Itís the earliest the game has ever sold out.
The only tickets remaining are the 10,000 that will be made available to each participating institution once the Atlantic and Coastal divisional championships are determined. At this point the divisional champions have not been determined, although Clemson can clinch the Atlantic title with a win Saturday over Wake Forest.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford says ěwe continue to be encouraged by the enthusiasm that ACC fans have for Charlotte as the host venue.î
The winner of the ACC Championship earns a bid to play in the Discover Orange Bowl, if not selected for the BCS National Championship.
MIAMI
MIAMI ó Miami safety Ray-Ray Armstrong will not play Saturday against Florida State, and school officials are checking to see if he broke NCAA rules by having dinner with someone who owns a public relations firm that works with professional athletes.
Armstrong has not practiced this week because of what Miami described as a violation of team rules. He served a four-game suspension to start the season after a separate investigation determined he broke NCAA rules by accepting gifts from a former Miami booster, and was also ordered to repay $788.
Armstrong dined at a Miami Beach restaurant with Arielle Washington, who owns a firm called Double Coverage PR and lists clients including Darius Butler of the Carolina Panthers. After dinner, Armstrong and Washington posted some details about the meal on their respective Twitter accounts.
NOTRE DAME
SOUTH BEND, Ind. ó For nearly four years and 47 games, Mike Golic Jr. has been largely in the shadows at Notre Dame, waiting for a chance to prove himself and follow in his family’s footsteps.
On Saturday, the senior center will finally get his chance. He will make his first college start when the Irish (6-3) play at Maryland (2-7).
“It’s been a process and everything really hasn’t gone according to plan, as I kind of envisioned coming in,” Golic said of his journey at Notre Dame. “But it’s been a process of me getting a little bit bigger and getting acclimated to the speed and everything about the college game, and just sort of waiting for my opportunity.”
SEC SCHEDULING
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Welcome to the Southeastern Conference, Missouri and Texas A&M. Come visit in a decade.
The newly-minted 14-team SEC faces potentially sticky scheduling issues if it goes to a larger divisional slate, tries to protect rivalries and keep marquee nonconference showdowns.
While most coaches and administrators say they want to stay with an eight-game schedule, extra conference games could generate more revenue and be more attractive to television partners.
SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said the conference will play eight games in 2012 and a nine-game slate “hasn’t been discussed.” Vanderbilt vice chancellor David Williams said all the athletic directors are expected to gather soon to begin looking into next year’s schedule in football and other sports.