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| 04-12-2005 | Previous edition: 04-11-2005 |
        
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Printer-friendly version NCAA looks to add 12th game to football seasonBy Leroy BridgesSports Editor Joe Tiller doesn’t want to play football in August. Because of an increase in scholarship costs and a NCAA proposal, starting the football season before September could be a real possibility for Purdue. "Playing 11 games straight, without a bye, is tough enough," Tiller said. "Adding another game will not allow us to have a bye week and still start after Labor Day." The 12th game proposal is being presented to the NCAA Division I Management Council today in Indianapolis. And adding an additional game could take the Boilermaker football season out of the "traditional season". "I just don’t see how us adding another game will keep us within our schedule," Tiller said. "We would just like to stay within the traditional season." The "traditional season" starts after Labor Day, the first Monday of September, and ends before Thanksgiving. The addition of a 12th game, however, will cause the season to begin earlier than desired. Athletics director Morgan Burke agrees that the season needs to be constrained between those two dates, but Burke thinks it will work. "Six out of the next 19 years we can fit 12 games within Labor Day and Thanksgiving," Burke said. The other 13 years, however, Tiller and the Boilers would begin their season in August. "Obviously if we have to do it, we will," Tiller said. "But it’s unfortunate that we could impede on the normal season." Adding that one game could mean much more than playing in August for the athletic department. According to Burke, the cost of scholarships since the 2001-02 year has risen $1.5 million and the addition of a football game could cover this cost. "For us, it would be huge," Burke said. "We get no state money or funding, so if a 12th game is the outcome, we could cover the scholarship costs increase." One and a half million dollars is a lot of money, but it may not outweigh the cost of possible injuries with the absence of a bye week, Tiller said. Printer-friendly version |
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