European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 b the stars and stripes sports thursday december 24, 1992 Texas a amp a Heads troubled top 1 o by Richard Rosenblatt the associated press fighting Over who a no. 1 As the new years Day bowl games approach worried that undefeated Texas a amp a and Florida state have no Chance to win the National championship chill. Take a break and look Back at the season. You la be glad you did. From the of big a investigation of player payments by Texas a amp a Booster to late season demise of Washington to the Arkansas coaching merry go round to the firing of favorite son Johnny majors at Tennessee its been a season filled with chicanery skullduggery and just Plain chaos. Herewith the troubled top 10 1. Texas a amp a 12-0 the aggie arc in a new league of trouble because being in trouble with the Mcaa is one thing but being probed by the Federal Bureau of investigation is something else. The Dallas morning news said monday that Warren a. Gilbert one of the largest Dallas operators of Hud subsidized housing for the poor arranged for year round payments to aggie athletes for summer jobs including Star tailback Greg Hill then wrote them off As housing maintenance expenses. Besides Hill other players said to have received regular twice monthly $400 payments were Sophomore wide receiver Brian Mitchell Sophomore inside linebacker Jessie Cox freshman offensive lineman Darius Smith and freshman wide receiver Percy Singleton. All played High school football at Carter High school in Dallas except for Cox who played at Desoto a South Dallas suburb. Allegations involving a amp mrs football program if proven could subject the schools athletic department to major sanctions. Possibilities include the Noyes a death penalty a a which can be assessed on a University a second major violation within five years. A amp a football started two years of Mcaa probation in september 1988 for 25 violations including ticket Selling by players and excessive recruiting visits. A death penalty to a amp a could have a similar effect on the reeling Southwest conference leaving t exas As its Lone major Power. 2. Washington 9-2 t he huskies Roll to an 8-0 Start Are locked in a Seesaw no. 1 Battle with Miami when trouble strikes. Billy Joe Hobart who alternated at quarterback with Mark Brunell is declared ineligible for accepting a $50,000 loan from a friends father in Law. T he huskies lose two of their final three. Then a backup player is arrested on a drug charge and coach Don James squeaky clean program Isnit so squeaky clean anymore. A full scale investigation begins. But they still get to play in the Rose bowl against. 3. Michigan 8-0-3 ends its unbeaten season with another nifty lie this one against bitter foe Ohio state. After the game coach Gary Moeller defends not going for the win by blaming Osur a Slippery Field and noisy crowd. Hey Gary your stadium seats 106,000 and you be never complained about noise. The other lies Are against notre Dame and Illinois what a Rose bowl 4. Mississippi state 7-4 bulldogs make their sea Greg Hill 27 was one of five aggie alleged to have received illegal payments from a Texas a amp a Booster. Son with win Over Texas which comes a few Days after Brilliant coaching move by coach Jackie Sherrill who has a Bull castrated on the practice Field to inspire his players. Nice work coach your team gets to play in the peach bowl even after a final game loss to Ole miss. And you get a contract Extension to Boot. 5. Arkansas 3-7-1 an opening game loss to the Citadel that i a powerhouse and Jack Crowe gets fired by athletic director Frank Broyles who seems confused with what has just happened. So he names Joe Kines who has never been a head coach As his interim Guy and Kines Calls unemployed buddy Danny Ford to help out. Some help. Hogs go 3-6-1 the rest of the Way Kines gels passed Over for the Job and Ford gets it. Ford then says he wants to keep Kines. And Kines stays. Got it Frank 6. Tennessee 8-3 vols Start 3-0 under interim coach Phillip Fullmer subbing for majors As the former Tennessee coach recovers from heart surgey. Majors returns to a heroes Welcome but team loses three games and guess what majors is ousted after word gets out he made critical comments about vol boosters wanting More control Over the team. Fulmer gets the Job but is supposed to take Over after majors coaches in Hall of Fame bowl. A few Days later majors says enough is enough and takes his $600,000 buyout plus $7,680 he a supposed to get for being at bowl game. Happy new year Johnny. And congrats on your new appointment As coach of Pitt the team you coached before you came Home to Rocky top 7. Tie South Carolina 5-6memphis state 6-5 teams create new trend by refusing to play for a coach until he does what players want. It works too. At South Carolina coach Sparky Woods handles the Mutiny by changing quarterbacks and the gamecocks respond by winning five of their last six. Memphis state meanwhile starts 0-3, two thirds of the team misses a coach Chuck Stobart practice to protest his methods and the tigers rebound with five straight wins. 9. Colorado state 5-7 rams sleep through season with five wins then dour coach Earle Bruce is fired. He gets so fired up that tears Well in his eyes and he says he wont go Down without a fight. So the school fights Back by admitting Bruce violated several Mcaa rules including punching players in the stomach and making them practice longer than rules allow. Bruce says he a ready to sue to keep anyone else from replacing him. But then he reaches a peaceful settlement with the school. Why weren this players so Spunky 10. Auburn 5-5-1 finally the pending Mcaa investigation coupled with a spleen and liver ailment get to coach Pat Dye. The night before the Alabama game Dye says he a resigning and his tigers get shut out 17-0. See a Pat. Honorable mention a Pittsburgh 3-9 known around most parts As quit Burgh after dropping seven of last eight a final five by a combined 202-93. Panthers fire Paul Hackett As coach and buy him out for $500,000. Pitt also bought out the last two coaches it fired a Mike Gottfried and Foge Fazio $700,000. The coach before that Johnny majors is hired to replace Hackett. Whoa a notre Dame 9-1-1 Hulk Holtz is at his Best putting a Headlock on an official who makes a Call the coach does no to like at the end of a 45-16 rout of by. Irish finish Strong though and weasel their Way into the Cotton bowl and out of the troubled top 10. A Oklahoma 5-4-2 try a player revolt before Nebraska game but it fails. A Temple 1-10 fires Jerry Berndt and Alum Bill Cosby buys out the contract for $400,000. A Morgan state 2-9 gets Bethune Cookman to Fly into town before announcing it is forfeiting game due to coach Ricky Diggs abrasive treatment of players. Bring on the bowl games Bruins feel their Oates beat lightning by United press International Boston a is there life after Brett Hull if you re Adam Oates there is. Oates whose pinpoint passes helped Hull become the most prolific goal scorer in the league the past two seasons May have lost his favorite trigger Man but he Hasni to lost his touch. While Hull struggles through an uninspired season Back in St. Louis the less visible Oates is Busy racking up assists in Boston. A Madam is a great player in his own right and he is still underrated a said Boston coach Brian Sutter tuesday night after Oates notched two assists in his 500th nil game to Lead the Bruins to a 5-3 Triumph Over Tampa Bay. Brent Ashton scored Early in the second period to snap a tie to help the Bruins win their seventh in their last eight games at Boston Garden the Bruins Are 12-3-2 at Home. Defens Eman Gord Murphy also a Dahl two assists for Boston. With Boston trailing 1-0 in the first Oates set up Dmitri Kartal nov a 16th of the season at 2 54 to tie it. A every second he is on the ice he has command of the game. He seems it All Quot said an appreciative Kvarta nov who has thrived on a line with Oates. A the has the greatest vision and on ice presence of anyone i have Ever played  after Ashton broke the tie Early in the second Oates found Ted Donato on the Power play for a two goal advantage Midway through the period. T he Boston Center Drew two defenders to him before sending a Clever pass to Donato. It was Oates 55th Point of the season. Quot he is just at the forefront of this game in terms of his passing a said Donato. Dave Poulinos empty Netter with 20 seconds left in the third provided the final margin. Brian Bradley collected his 27th and 28th goals and added an assist for the expansion lightning which lost for just the second time in its last six games. The Bruins were without All Star defens Eman Ray Bourque and defens Eman Glen Wesley both out with injuries. In other games tuesday night canucks 6, Kings 2 Inglewood Calif. Pavel Bure and Tom Fergus scored shorthanded goals 21 seconds apart in Vancouver a four goal first period to help the canucks to their third straight win Vancouver climbed a Point behind second place los Angeles in the smythe division and improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine games. Luc Robitaille notched his 29th goal Tor los Angeles. The Kings lire win less in their last four games 0-3-1 Maple Leafs 4, red wings 4 Detroit a Nikolai Borschevsky and Wendel Young scored second period goals 1 22 apart to help Toronto move into sole Possession of fourth place in the Norris division a Point ahead of Tampa Bay. The Maple Leafs had their Road win less Streak stretched to seven games 0-61. Sergei Federov scored twice for the red wings who Are unbeaten in their last  2, North stars 2 Bloomington Minn. Russ Courtnell blasted an unscreened shot from Center ice past Curtis Joseph with 6 41 left in the third period to extend the blues wingless Streak to five games 0-41. St. Louis has failed to win a game at the met Center in seven tries 0-4-3. The North stars have just one Victory in their last six games 1-3-2