Criteria for D-I status re-examined

UNLV was hardly alone in trying to balance a difficult budget, though athletic director Jim Livengood managed to pull it off.

Schools across the country are facing major financial challenges with the still-struggling economy, and word is UNR -- which won't release its numbers until the fiscal year ends June 30 -- has been hit particularly hard.

The Wolf Pack already cut their skiing program last year, and other schools have made similar decisions, though UNLV avoided chopping any of its 17 teams and jeopardizing its Division I status.

But should the criteria be changed? Maybe, especially in tough financial times, it doesn't make sense for football and men's basketball programs to carry money-losing sports that attract few fans just so schools can call themselves Division I.

So expect a re-examination of what it means to be a top-level school and the number of funded teams needed to meet that criteria. The current minimum of 14 is high, especially when dollars are tight, and some schools have solicited outside help to fund nonrevenue programs.

UNLV has a senior staff meeting Friday and will discuss "who we are and what we're trying to do," Livengood said. "Who are we now, and where are we going?"

■ STILL IN CHARGE -- The NCAA hit North Carolina with a list of allegations so lengthy it must make Ohio State fans wonder why coach Butch Davis still owns a key to the football complex.

The Tar Heels were accused of running an out-of-control program that included everything from academic fraud to assistant coach John Blake funneling players to late NFL agent Gary Wichard.

But unlike Jim Tressel, who was forced to resign at Ohio State after allegedly covering up a scandal involving a tattoo parlor, Davis doesn't appear to be going anywhere. His name is not listed in the NCAA's 42-page report, so North Carolina -- unlike Ohio State -- wouldn't help itself by making Davis go away.

"... Both school officials and fans remain highly supportive of him," SI.com's Stewart Mandel wrote. "If he's the guy they want to keep leading them in the future, there's nothing in Tuesday's document that would prevent them from doing so."

■ RETURN TO THE 'BURGH? -- Wide receiver Plaxico Burress' days with the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared over when he signed with the New York Giants in 2005, but support is building to bring him back.

Burress recently was released after two years in prison on a weapons charge, and he hasn't played since 2008. But the 6-foot-5-inch Burress played well in Pittsburgh and New York -- memorably catching the winning pass in Super Bowl XLII -- and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger badly wants a tall receiver to go with veteran Hines Ward and speedy Mike Wallace.

"I've talked to Plax a number of times in the last couple of weeks," Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I told him, 'Hey, if you came back here, that would be awesome, but I'm just happy to see you playing again,' because he's a good guy."

Big Ben, no stranger to off-field issues himself, might not be the ideal character witness.

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL