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C4 Sunday Sports Orlando Sentinel Sunday, May 19, 2013 FINAL ACC COLLEGE FOOTBALL COUNTDOWN: NO. 99 COLORADO ST. Rams are eager to rekindle success of '90s teams in 2013 Swofford is calm in league's stormy year REST OF THE COUNTDOWN 112. Boston College 113. UTEP H4.

Tulane H5. South Alabama 116. FIU H7. Army 118. Colorado H9.

Eastern Michigan 120. UNLV 121. Akron 122. Idaho 123. UMass 124.

New Mexico State 125. Georgia State Teams revealed in the Orlando Sentinel's preseason rankings: 100. Troy 101. Wyoming 102. Texas State 103.

UTSA 104. Hawaii 105. Memphis 106. Western Michigan 107. Southern Miss 108.

Buffalo 109. UAB 110. Kansas 1H. FAU 2013 schedule Sept. 1 Colorado Sept.

7 at Tulsa Sept. 14 Cal Poly Sept. 21 at Alabama Sept. 28 UTEP Oct. 12 San Jose State Oct.

19 at Wyoming Oct. 26 at Hawaii Nov. 2 Boise State Nov. 9 Nevada Nov. 15 at New Mexico Nov.

23 at Utah State Nov. 30 Air Force By Iliana Limon Romero Staff Writer Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel has ranked all 125 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff will take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 125 to our projected No. lteam.

Today at No. 99: Colorado State Coach: Jim McElwain (4-8, entering second season; 4-8 overall) 2012 record: 4-8 overall (3-5 in Mountain West Conference, tied for seventh in MWC) Look back: Colorado State is still trying rekindle the success it enjoyed under former coach Sonny Lubick, who led the program to seven conference championships, but CSU went 17-30 from 2004 through 2007. CSU hired Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain in December 2011 with the hope of getting the program back on track. CSU posted a 4-8 record in McElwain's first season. The team rallied from an 11-point deficit to earn a 22-17 win over rival Colorado in Denver, but the Rams followed it up with a 22-9 loss to Football Championship Subdivision North Dakota State.

It marked the first time in 20 years, CSU lost to a team from the FCS level. Offensive starters returning: 9 Offensive starters lost: 2 Defensive starters returning: 6 Defensive starters lost: 5 Key losses: Pete Kon-todiakos, DL Lanston Ta-nyi, CB Momo Thomas, DE Lanston Tanyi, MLB James Skelton, DT, Alex Tucci, WR Marquise Law By Matt Murschel Staff Writer Adantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford strolled the regal halls of the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island like a man without a care in the world. In the span of 10 months, the 64-year-old Swofford has changed the tide of not only his league, but that of an entire college athletic landscape. It was a major shift from last year when a cloud of concern and anxiety loomed over the 2012 spring meetings. Conference realignment news overshadowed the meetings, forcing Swofford to spend much of his time reassuring everyone good things were on the horizon for the league.

Swofford reflected on the past 12 months and smiled. "League-wise, we've had a lot of good things happen over the past year," Swofford said in a one-on-one interview with the Orlando Sentinel. He noted the league signed a critical contract with the Orange Bowl, earned access to the new College Football Playoff system comparable to all other major leagues, added Pittsburgh and Syracuse as new members and signed a partnership with Notre Dame. There were defeats as well. Maryland, a founding member of the ACC, announced that it was leaving the league in 2014 to join the Big Ten.

It was only the second time in 60 years the conference lost a member. South Carolina left the ACC in 197L Yet it was Swofford who led the charge several weeks later to add Louisville as a replacement, a move that looks especially strong after the Cardinals' recent football and basketball success. "You don't like to lose a founding member and it doesn't happen very often," Swofford said. But I think we moved on quickly from that in terms of Louisville, as they are our next member, and they have had a heck of a year, athletically. "I would like to say I knew they were going to win the Sugar Bowl and the national championship in basketball and go to the Final Four in women's basketball, but that would be a stretch." However, Swofford's biggest ac- SAM SHARPEUS PRESSWIRE ACC commissioner John Swofford: A year of "managing change." complishment may have been persuading current and future ACC members to sign over their TV rights to the conference.

Since no other league would likely want to add a member without the lucrative right to broadcast their home games, the deal appears to have locked in and unified ACC members for at least the next 14 years. The move came out of the blue and led some in the media to compare Swofford to a "ninja" for his stealth in making the deal. "Certainly it was a big positive for the ACC," Swofford said. "Hopefully it's a big positive from a national perspective because I believe people, in general, are ready for that conference realignment to slow down. "Certainly in terms of the current membership of the five power conferences, I guess if somebody wanted to grow further, they could do so with teams from outside of the power conferences, but I would be surprised if there would be any imminent movement within the five power conferences." The grant of rights provides the ACC with some stability, which opened the door for the league to discuss the possibility of launching its own television network.

The Big Ten already has its own network and the SEC is set to debut its network in 2014. Swofford said the conference will take its time weighing its options, and he is pleased with the way the league has managed adversity in the past "It is a lot of change," Swofford said. This job has been about managing change." mmurscheltribune.com mee Osceola high standout CB Shaq Bell. Bell recorded 66 tackles, forced two fumbles and snagged one interception last season. He helped CSU's pass defense rank No.

26 nationally, giving up 203.2 yards per game. Weaknesses: The Rams relied on three different quarterbacks during the 2012 season, a sign the passing game wasn't necessarily on stable ground. The team ranked No. 100 in total offense, managing just 339 yards per game, and tied for No. 100 in scoring offense, averaging 2L2 points per game.

Garrett Grayson, who started five games last season before breaking his collarbone, turned in strong spring workouts and appears to be the front-runner for the starting job in 2013. Outlook: Colorado State struggled to stop opposing offenses in 2012, ranking No. 79 nationally in scoring defense (30.3 points allowed per game). After the team lost some experienced defensive players, it will take considerable offseason work to post a winning record in 2013. ilimontribune.com.

Top returnees: Jared Roberts, CB Shaq Bell, LB Shaquil Barrett, Weston Richburg, LB Cory James, QB Garrett Grayson Strengths: Colorado State returns key offensive contributors from the 2012 season, including athletes who accounted for 99.4 percent of the team's 2012 rushing yards, 78 percent of its passing yards and 71 percent of its receiving yards. CSU senior LB Shaquil Barrett is expected to be a leader once again for the defense. Barrett racked upl66 total tackles during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The Rams have relied on a national recruiting effort to try to add more potent athletes to the roster, including former Kissim- National report Big Ten exploring new bowl options Not to dis Mickey Mouse, but Big Ten officials know their fans don't want to go to Orlando every year. Or Tampa.

Or Houston. There is one exception. "Pasadena," Michigan athletics director Dave Brandon said. So to combat the bowl fatigue that affects coaches, players and customers, the Big Ten will adopt a new policy. Rather than allowing bowls to make selections with little input from the conference, they will have strict guidelines beginning with the 2014 season.

"Our goal is to keep the games fresh and create the best possible lineup," Commissioner Jim Delany said Wednesday during conference meetings in Chicago. Delany said a bowl might have to take five different Big Ten teams over a six-year span. And the conference is poised to add new destinations such as San Diego (Holiday Bowl), New York (Pinstripe) and Nashville (Music lineup will be announced as early as next week. Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith said schools also want to shrink ticket allotments and secure better seats so fans won't flock to third-party sites. Is expansion dead? "Dead is a strong word," Delany replied.

But he said the conference is "inactive" on expansion and its focus is to integrate Maryland and Rutgers, which join in 2014. Teddy Greenstein, Tribune Newspapers UF REPORT Women's lacrosse falls at Syracuse The UF lacrosse team's run at a national championship came up short. The No. 5 seed Gators lost 9-5 to No. 4 seed Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the women's lacrosse NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon in Syracuse, NY The Gators posted an 18-3 record, including a marquee win over powerhouse Northwestern, and were 2013 co-American Lacrosse Conference regular-season champions.

UF's game against Syracuse was tied 4-4 at halftime, but Syracuse (18-3) outshot the Gators 17-12. Florida Mikey Meagher recorded a season-high 12 saves but couldn't hold off the Orange's second-half run. "I think Mikey did a phenomenal job," UF coach Amanda O'Leary said. "She played her heart out today and we couldn't have asked for more from what we got from her." The UF men's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 13th consecutive season, extending the nation's longest streak of consecutive trips to the national-title tournament Florida took second place at the NCAA South Regional in Baton Rouge, La, Saturday. The Gators recorded a combined team score of 874 during the three-round event at the University Club.

Seniors Tyler McCumber and TJ. Vogel tied for third place in the individual standings. The Florida baseball team ended the regular season on a losing sldd. The Gators went 1-2 in their series against Georgia, winning 4-2 Thursday but recording a 3-1 loss Friday and 9-2 loss Saturday. Staff report FSU REPORT Golf team qualifies for NCAA finals The Florida State men's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championships after finishing in third place at the Tallahassee Regional on Saturday.

Senior Chase Seiffert led the Seminoles, finishing the tournament tied for second with a score of 12-under par 204. North Florida won the Tallahassee Regional, shooting a combined team score of 272. Washington was second with a team score of 276 and FSU was next with a score of 277. USF lost its playoff with Oklahoma, finishing just short of advancing to the NCAA Championships to be played in Adanta May 28 through June 2. Tickets to some of Florida State's 2013 football games are now on sale.

FSU has not made single-game tickets available for purchase, but the school announced fans could purchase two different three-game packages. One of them includes seating for Bobby Bowden Day Oct 26. Bowden will be back at Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time since his departure at the conclusion of the 2009 season. He'll be honored during the game against ACC foe North Carolina State. Bowden will return two weeks later when FSU recognizes the 20th anniversary of its 1993 national championship.

One of FSU's ticket packages allows fans to purchase tickets for the Nevada (Sept. 14), Maryland (Oct. 5) and Miami (Nov. 2) home games for $15L The other pack includes Nevada, NC State and Miami for $160. In addition to the games against Nevada, Maryland, Miami and NC State, the Seminoles host Bethune-Cook-man (Sept 21), Syracuse (Nov.

16) and Idaho (Nov. 23). Coley Harvey UCF REPORT Baseball team drops to 5th seed UCF baseball saw its chance at a Conference USA regular-season tide slip away Saturday at East Carolina. The Knights dropped the final two games of a series against the Pirates in Greenville, NC. With the two losses, UCF (29-27, 13-11 C-USA) dropped to a No.

5 seed in the C-USA Tournament, a steep fall from a possible top seed in a packed race. Rice (36-17, 15-9) locked up the top seed via a tiebreaker with a 6-0 win over Marshall, while Southern Miss (28-25, 15-9), which earned a share of the regular season crown, will be the No. 2 seed. With a 6-5 win in six innings over UCF on Saturday, East Carolina (30-24, 14-10) moved up to the third seed ahead of Memphis (33-23, 14-10). On Saturday, the Knights fell behind, 6-L at East Carolina before batding back to within one run in the fifth inning.

Erik Hempe homered to lead off the fifth inning, and JoMarcus Woods drew a bases-loaded walk to pull UCF to 6-5 with no outs. But UCF could not cash in on its opportunity to seize the lead. Junior Greg Eason became the first UCF golfer to win an NCAA regional, topping the field in Tempe, by four strokes. Eason shot an even-par 70 on the final day to hold on to the top spot at 12-under on the weekend. UCF junior Ricardo Gouveia finished tied for second at 8-under.

The Knights finished tied with Georgia for second place in the regional at 13-under par, 17 strokes behind UCLA. UCF now advances to the NCAA Championships in Adanta May 28 through June 2. Paul Tenorio UM REPORT 'Canes secure spot in ACC tourney Miami's baseball team lost 10-1 to Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale, but the Hurricanes did just enough during the final series to earn a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. UM earned an 8-3 win over the Yellow Jackets Thursday to secure its spot in the eight-team ACC Tournament, which was in doubt entering the final series of the regular season. Miami had never missed an ACC Tournament since joining the league in 2004.

Brad Fieger led UM in Game One with three RBIs. Miami added another win over Georgia Tech Friday, claiming an 11-7 victory. "It was great to see the guys come out, erupt and get a lot of runs," UM coach Jim Morris said. "We haven't had that big of a lead early in the game." Freshman David Thompson recorded a team-high five RBIs and one home run to pace the Hurricanes. After scoring 19 runs during the wins over Georgia Tech, Miami struggled in the series finale Saturday.

The Hurricanes could only manage one run on seven hits. Thomspon was the sole UM player to score. The Miami women's tennis team reached the Elite Eight for the fifth consecutive season. UM is aiming for the first women's national championship in school history. The No.

6 seed Hurricanes scored 4-3 win over No. 11 seed Northwestern Friday night in Urbana, 111., and will face No. 3 seed Texas at 5 p.m. today. Staff report STETSON REPORT Stetson hoops coach takes new job Stetson is hunting for a new men's basketball coach.

The school issued a news release confirming coach Casey Alexander has resigned after two seasons to take a job at Lipscomb in his hometown of Nashville, Term. Alexander previously was an assistant coach and player at Belmont. When he was first hired at Stetson, replacing Derek Waugh, he vowed an up-tempo style of play. "Coach Alexander informed me on Friday that he was resigning to take a position at another school," Stetson athletics director Jeff Altier said in a news release. "It is certainly a disappointment to be in the market for a basketball coach this time of year.

We had hoped he would be as dedicated to taking our men's basketball program back to the top of the Adantic Sun Conference as our university is dedicated to seeing it return to that level. "We were excited to watch the team progress over the last two years, but the process of building the program has just begun. This will be no more than a bump in the road for the program moving forward." During his two seasons leading the Hatters men's basketball program, Alexander posted a 24-36 overall record and 17-19 record in Adantic Sun Conference play. Two of Alexander's players, Adam Pegg and Chris Perez, earned spots on the AU-Adantic Sun Conference first and second teams following the 2012-13 season. "I'm making this move with mixed emotions because there are so many people at Stetson I hate to disappoint, most notably our returning players and signees, because they are the face of the program," Alexander said.

Staff report.