Boston College

Temple signee Nate Smith passed through the NCAA Clearinghouse Thursday and will be eligible to play this season. A 6-foot-1, 190-pound free safety out of Archbishop Wood High, he is regarded as the headliner of the Owls' incoming recruiting class. Smith, who faced the possibility of attending prep school this fall because of his academic standing, successfully completed a mathematics course this summer in order to gain freshman eligibility. "I'm just happy that this is all over with," said Smith, who has a chance to make an immediate contribution at Temple.

NEWPORT, R.I. - Montel Harris got Temple fans excited last month when he arrived on campus. But that reaction will pale in comparison to the one Harris will receive Saturday, when he lines up at running back on the first day of Temple's training camp. "I can't wait to see him practice," Owls coach Steve Addazio said Tuesday of the Boston College transfer. "That hasn't happened. That's coming here shortly. " On paper, Harris is better than former Temple running back Bernard Pierce, the third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in April.

When the NCAA last week leveled potentially crippling sanctions on Penn State for failing to respond to sex-abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky, the hand-wringing, soul-searching, and finger-pointing began anew. One phrase in particular delivered by NCAA president Mark Emmert hit home for me. He cautioned that one of the grave dangers in a sports-loving society is that sports themselves can become "too big to challenge. " It took me back 30 years to the campus of Boston College, when I was a student during a heady time for the sports-crazy Big East school.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - Boston College standout Montel Harris is transferring to Temple, which would appear to create a tailback controversy for the Owls. But the opposite is true, according to the father of the senior who is listed as the starter. "If [Harris] is healthy, he can't help but add to the team being very successful this season," Warren Brown, whose son Matt is currently the starting tailback, said Sunday. "And from a personal point of view, it means that Matt doesn't have to be the primary back.

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - Boston College standout Montel Harris is transferring to Temple, which would appear to create a tailback controversy for the Owls. But the opposite is true, according to the father of the senior who is listed as the starter. "If [Harris] is healthy, he can't help but add to the team being very successful this season," Warren Brown, whose son Matt is currently the starting tailback, said Sunday. "And from a personal point of view, it means that Matt doesn't have to be the primary back.

For most of my life, when each college basketball season began, I was always comforted with the knowledge that I could name every team in every conference, from the Atlantic 10 to the WAC. That comfort began to ebb a few years ago. It has now evaporated. The problem comes not because some basketball Oz thought confusing the public (and me) made sense. It is not because all the conference musical chairs made sense. No, it is because of football. So why does college football essentially decide who plays college basketball in what league?

It looks as if Nick Arcidiacono, a tight end for defending PIAA Class AAA state champion Archbishop Wood, will be teaming up with one of his brothers in college. On Thursday, during a 3 p.m. news conference in the gymnasium of the Warminster school, the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder, a rising senior, is expected to commit to play at Rutgers or Penn State. His brother Brandon was a standout center for Wood's 14-1 squad and will leave Sunday for Rutgers. His eldest brother, Mark, a product of St. Joseph's Prep, is a junior redshirt guard at Penn State.

LUKE KUECHLY, BOSTON COLLEGE - He led the nation in tackles for two seasons and complemented his intelligence and instincts with impressive athleticism at the NFL combine, where he ran the third-fastest 40 among linebackers. He is considered one of the safest picks in the draft, and the Eagles would probably have to move up to get him. DONT'A HIGHTOWER, ALABAMA - The next choice among inside linebackers, Hightower is more of a run-stopper, and analysts don't see the speed and cover abilities the Eagles covet.

In one sense, Johnny Gaudreau's freshman season at Boston College was nothing less than remarkable. In another, it was nothing more than typical. Gaudreau has been skating circles around conventional wisdom for years. He has been too short, too light, and too young at every level of ice hockey. He has dazzled and dominated them all. He did the same thing as an 8-year-old playing with the 10s, and as a 12-year-old playing with the 14s. He did the same thing at Gloucester Catholic, where he scored 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists)

In one sense, Johnny Gaudreau's freshman season at Boston College was nothing less than remarkable. In another, it was nothing more than typical. Gaudreau has been skating circles around conventional wisdom for years. He has been too short, too light, and too young at every level of ice hockey. He has dazzled and dominated them all. He did the same thing as an eight-year-old playing with the 10s, and as a 12-year-old playing with the 14s. He did the same thing at Gloucester Catholic, where he scored 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists)