“My message would be stay in the ACC,” Bowden told Arute in a transcript provided by SiriusXM. “Do you want to win a National Championship at Florida State?  You’ve got a better chance in the ACC than you have in the Big 12, or even the SEC.

“You say, ‘Well, gosh, they’re much stronger in those conferences.’  Yeah!  They beat up on each other and you can’t hardly get there.  You know what?  Florida State, wait ‘til you get good enough to rule the ACC then you start looking for someplace to jump.  But my opinion?  They should stay right where they are.”

The game is scheduled to be played Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014.

The BCS-style season-opening Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game’s tradition for matching top-ranked teams in the season’s opening weekend is likely to continue. Both teams have a long history of producing nationally ranked programs with the Crimson Tide finishing last season as national champions and the Mountaineers finishing ranked No. 17 in the AP poll.

Both teams are projected to be ranked in the top 10 to start the 2012 season.

“Alabama and West Virginia are consistently among the premier teams in the country and we’re thrilled to be able to host such a high profile game with representatives from the SEC and the Big 12,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “This will be an epic blockbuster-type game the nation will anticipate for a long, long time and will continue our tradition of showcasing two top-ranked teams to open the season on Saturday night.”

Tickets to the game will be evenly split between the two teams, creating a true neutral-site game. All tickets to the game will be sold through the university ticket offices. No tickets will be sold through the Chick-fil-A Bowl office.

“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an outstanding event and we look forward to opening the 2014 season in Atlanta,” said Nick Saban, Alabama head coach. “Gary Stokan and his staff do a great job in hosting this game and the atmosphere in the Georgia Dome has been like a BCS bowl game in our previous experiences there. The exposure for our football players and our program is tremendous and it is a great experience for our fans. This will be the sixth time we have played a non-conference game at a neutral site, and the fourth time at Atlanta.”

“I believe that playing an opponent that has the national reputation that West Virginia does, one of the top programs in the country, provides a great challenge for our players and gives us something to look forward to in the offseason,” Saban said. “We are privileged at the University of Alabama to be a part of what has become a great tradition in college football with first-class organizations like the Chick-fil-A Bowl and the City of Atlanta.”

“We are always happy to have an opportunity to play in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game,” UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore said. “Playing against West Virginia, such a quality opponent, will be a great way to start the 2014 season. Our team and our fans always enjoy the chance to play in the Georgia Dome.”

Alabama is 10-8-1 all time against teams from the Big 12 with their most recent match-up ending in a victory over Texas in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.

West Virginia is 24-22-2 all time against teams from the SEC and defeated Georgia to win the 2006 Sugar Bowl the year it was played in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, site of the game with Alabama.

“Playing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is a great opportunity for our football program and will be an exciting event for our fans,” said Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia head coach. “Alabama is one of the top teams in college football history, and it will be a tough challenge for us.”

“Playing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is yet another great way to showcase our football program on a national stage,” Director of Athletics Oliver Luck said. “Playing Alabama will match-up two programs with great college football traditions. I have known Nick Saban since my playing days at West Virginia, and I have the utmost respect for him and his program.”

In the first four Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games, Alabama has donned the game’s Old Leather Helmet Trophy after two of those games. Alabama is also set to re-match Virginia Tech in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

Past games and winners include:

Year: Match-Up: Winner:

2011 No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 19 Georgia Boise State 35-21

2010 No. 16 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina LSU 30-24

2009 No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech Alabama 34-24

2008 No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 24 Alabama Alabama 34-10

Last year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game featured Boise State and Georgia who opened the 2011 college football season Sept. 3 in Atlanta.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will feature two games to open the 2012 season and has other games set through the 2014 season. Future games that will continue the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game’s legacy as the preeminent opening game to the college football season include:

2012 Tennessee vs. NC State

Auburn vs. Clemson

2013 Alabama vs. Virginia Tech

2014 Ole Miss vs. Boise State

Alabama vs. West Virginia

Billed as the“Daytona 500 of College Football,” the annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game matches two top teams in a BCS-style, neutral site game to open the college football season. The game will be hosted in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome by the Chick-fil-A Bowl and was created in partnership with ESPN.

"The week in Johnson City will provide a unique opportunity to build team unity and limit distractions," said head football coach Derek Dooley. "The opportunity to train away from campus also allows for a more efficient move into our new Football Training Center and will reduce the wear and tear on our practice fields."

The timing of the week in Johnson City coincides with the projected dates for moving all operations and offices of the football program into the new Football Training Center from the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex. With the football team and most supporting units out of town, the facilities staff will be able to complete the move in a more efficient and organized manner and without the burden associated with having the team currently on-site.

With a considerable reduction in the time spent on the Haslam Field practice fields for seven days, there also is a greater probability that the fields will not have to be resodded in October.

"The decision to train off-campus this year is not only driven by the factor of our move into our new Football Training Center but also by the opportunity to maximize the ability of our coaching staff to become further acclimated to one another and the team in a very controlled environment," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart. "I support Derek's decision and feel strongly that we need to make this investment in our football program as we prepare to open our season in Atlanta. This is a one-time situation, and there are no plans to train off-site at any time in the future."

Tennessee opens its 2012 season in Atlanta against North Carolina State on Friday, Aug. 31. Kickoff at the Georgia Dome is slated for 7:30 p.m.

The quarterback position is crucial in coach Mark Richt's pro-style offense, and he's seen his offenses live and die based on what that quarterback can do.  Everyone knows about red-shirt junior Aaron Murray, arguably the best quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, but what of the other guys that Georgia has ready to stand behind center?

Aaron Murray leads a talented group of UGA quarterbacks

Rising junior Hutson Mason comes first to mind.  The highly touted quarterback out of Lassiter HS in Marietta, Ga has patiently waited behind Murray, much like D.J. Shockley sat behind David Greene, until he got his shot.  Most likely, coach Mark Richt will opt to red-shirt Mason so that there is a year of eligibility between Mason and Murray.  Mason still has a pro-quarterback type arm, and knows Georgia's system as well as anyone.  Murray and Mason were named co-MVP's of Georgia's spring practice on offense, so it's obvious the coaches still hold Mason in high regard.

Then there's red-shirt freshman Christian LeMay, who was suited up as Georgia's emergency quarterback for most of last season.  LeMay really turned some heads during spring practice this year, and gave just a sampling of what coaches saw in this young man when they recruited him out of Butler HS in Matthews, N.C.  LeMay throws one of the best deep balls of any of Georgia's quarterbacks, and his 6'2" frame allows him great vision.  He gave an impressive performance at this year's G-Day game, going 7-for-10 for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Fans also got to see some of LeMay’s athleticism on a couple of scrambling plays. Oh, did we mention LeMay runs a 4.6-forty?

Next you have incoming freshman Faton Bauta, the highly regarded recruit out of Dwyer HS in West Palm Beach, Fl.  Bauta has been labeled by some as the "next Tim Tebow", based on his sizable broad frame, and his ability to pound the ball when he tucks and runs with it.  At 6'3" and 22o pounds, it's no easy task to bring Bauta down when he gets going north and south.  Bauta is very raw, and will take some refining on his footwork and arm mechanics, but the talent is unquestionably there.  He was rated as the number 15 dual-threat quarterback in the nation.

Besides those three guns Georgia still has red-shirt sophomore Parker Welch. who served on Georgia's scout team, and red-shirt junior Michael Tamburo, a transfer from Boise State in 2011 who will be eligible to play in 2012.  Both of them are certainly adept enough to come in as an emergency back-up if needed.  Beyond that, you can look to red-shirt freshman Greg Bingham out of Columbus, Ga. and freshman Ben Shelton, out of Wayland, Ma.

It's still unclear exactly where all these talented arms - other than Murray -  will fall on Georgia's depth chart, but any way you slice it up, it looks like the Bulldogs will have themselves set at quarterback for a number of years to come - and that's just the way Mark Richt likes it.

The primary source, who wants to remain anonymous, says Stanford officials have "reached out" to Long about filling the vacancy but added that Long has not yet responded to the inquiries.

The source also said that Long is not a finalist for the job despite rumors circulating on internet message boards.

Included in the release are game times and TV networks for all home games for the league in its first three weeks of the season, as well as for all of its 2012 Thursday night games on ESPN and all national television games confirmed to date.

The 2012 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, which will be played on December 1 in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., will be nationally televised by either ABC, with an 8 p.m. kickoff, or ESPN at 7:45 p.m. It will be the fourth straight prime time exposure for the ACC title game which drew a sellout crowd of 73,675 fans last year and has averaged 73,027 fans in its two years in Charlotte.

A pair of ACC teams will be playing in the two Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games this year that will be played on back-to-back days in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. NC State faces Tennessee on Friday, Aug.31, in a 7:30 p.m. game which will be nationally televised by ESPNU. Clemson, the ACC's 2011 champion, will then face Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 1, in a 7 p.m. contest that will be nationally televised by ESPN.

The Chick-fil-A sponsored games are the first of three nationally televised games on the opening weekend of the season as Georgia Tech will travel to Blacksburg, Va., to meet Coastal Division rival Virginia Tech in the ACC's annual Labor Day Monday night football game, which will be telecast by ESPN with an 8 p.m. kickoff.

Monday's game marks the eighth time ACC teams have met in the prime national television slot on Labor Day. It is the first appearance by Georgia Tech and the second by Virginia Tech, which faced Boise State on Labor Day Monday in 2010. The rivalry between the Hokies and Yellow Jackets has become pivotal to the ACC Football Coastal Division race, as in each of the past seven years the winner of the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech contest has won the Coastal Division title and advanced to the ACC Football Championship Game.

The ACC will again have two syndicated packages produced by the ACC Network this fall. The ACC Network will produce a game of the week which will be seen across the nation on a network of stations which last year included six of the top 10 markets in the nation--including Los Angeles (2), Philadelphia (4), San Francisco (6), Boston (7), Washington (8) and Atlanta (9)--11 of the nation's top 20 markets and 50 of the nation's top 100, while averaging 75 markets each week. In addition, ACC Network games are also available digitally on ESPN3 and on the ACC App for iPhones, iPads and Droid mobile devices.

The ACC Network package will debut with North Carolina hosting Elon on Sept. 1. The ACC Network will also air Ball State at Clemson on Sept. 8 and Connecticut at Maryland on Sept. 15. All the games of the ACC Network this year will feature 12:30 p.m. kickoffs.

The Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) throughout the ACC footprint--Fox Sports Florida or Sun Sports, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Carolinas, Comcast Sports Mid Atlantic and the New England Sports Network (NESN)--will again air a syndicated package of 14 games which will begin with Virginia hosting Richmond on Sept. 1, and continue on Sept. 8 with North Carolina at Wake Forest and on Sept. 15 with Furman at Clemson. All three games will have a 3 p.m. kickoff. All RSN Games are also available on a series of other RSNs outside of the ACC footprint and also digitally on ESPN3.

The schedule features a minimum of 13 televised games in the first three weeks of the season, and that total will rise as several of the league's seven away non-conference games during this period are likely to be televised as well. The game times and networks for those seven games, which are controlled by their host conferences, are expected to be announced later this year in June.

ESPN will air four consecutive Thursday night games during the season featuring ACC teams, all with 7:30 p.m. kickoffs, beginning with Clemson at Wake Forest (Oct. 25), and including Virginia Tech at Miami (Nov. 1), Florida State at Virginia Tech (Nov. and North Carolina at Virginia (Nov. 15).

Finally, 11 ACC games will be available exclusively over ESPN's web-streaming platform of ESPN3 which is now available in more than 73 million homes, making telecasts of all of the Conference's home games in the first three weeks of the season available to national audiences.

A news conference set for later this afternoon was confirmed by David Teel of the Newport Daily Press. The addition of ODU — the football program is just three years old — will give C-USA 14 members in 2013. The new divisions should look as such:

East - East Carolina, FIU, Marshall, Southern Mississippi, UAB, Charlotte and ODU

West – Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Texas San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa and UTEP.

Full Press Release from Conference USA:

IRVING, Texas - Conference USA has entered into a membership agreement with Old Dominion University beginning in July 2013, Commissioner Britton Banowsky announced today.

"We are extremely pleased to add Old Dominion to Conference USA," Banowsky said. "They are a tremendous university with, not only a great tradition in athletics, but an extremely bright future. Their leadership team has a bold vision for the University, which fits well with our plan for the future of the Conference."

Located in Norfolk, Va., Old Dominion features an enrollment of 24,753 students and sponsors 16 NCAA Division I sports. ODU will join Conference USA for all sports in 2013-14, with the exception of football, which will move up to the Football Bowl Series (FBS) level for conference competition in the 2015 season. The Old Dominion football program has sold out every game since the program was reinstated in 2009. The school is located in the No. 43 media market in the country. (More Info on Old Dominion)

Earlier this month, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte), Florida International University (FIU), Louisiana Tech University, University of North Texas and University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) finalized comprehensive membership agreements to begin competition in Conference USA for 2013 as well. Current C-USA members that will remain in the league in 2013-14 include East Carolina University, Marshall University, Rice University, University of Southern Mississippi, Tulane University, The University of Tulsa, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and University of Texas El Paso (UTEP). The metro area population of these 14 schools is nearly 19 million.

"Our new 14-member model will significantly expand the Conference's market penetration and enable us to continue to stage our championship game," Banowsky added. "Moreover, we will be able to compete in two divisions that are geographically balanced, fan-friendly and sensitive to the needs of our student-athletes."

"The Presidents and Chancellors of Conference USA universities are pleased to include Old Dominion in our future plans," said Dr. Scott Cowen, Tulane University president and Chair of Conference USA's Board of Directors. "They possess all the attributes of a tremendous University and will make a great addition to our Conference. With the six new members in place, we are stable and poised for great things in the future."

Steeples, a senior cornerback with one year of eligibility remaining, said Wednesday he will transfer to the University of Memphis, where he will be reunited with Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Odom served as Mizzou’s safeties coach before joining new Memphis coach Justin Fuente’s staff during the winter.

‘‘When I first started playing (youth) football at 6, I was a Tiger,’’ Steeples said. ‘‘And for the past four years I’ve been a Tiger. So I might as well be a Tiger in my final collegiate season.’’

Thourogood came with the Commodores as a prized Virginia Beach-area quarterback who switched his commitment from Virginia Tech on National Signing Day in 2011.

Initial damage was estimated at more than $1,000, according to the Columbia police probable cause statement. Leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident is a class A misdemeanor, unless there's a physical injury to the other party or property damage exceeding $1,000. In either case, the violation is considered a class D felony. No one was injured in the collision.

Nick Saban let the cat out of the bag regarding the game at a Crimson Caravan meeting. The Tide played in the game in 2009 where they defeated Virginia Tech 34-24. They are currently scheduled to play the Hokies again at the Dome in 2013 and apparently are trying to secure the Mountaineers for the 2014 game.

Shamire Devine, a 6-foot-7, 331-pounder from Tri-Cities High School, committed to Georgia Tech after his team’s spring practice on Wednesday night.

“I like the academics,” Devine told the AJC.

Devine, who was named OL MVP at last month’s Atlanta NIKE camp, had around a dozen offers, including UGA, Florida, FSU, Tennessee and Southern Cal.

He said ACC schools prefer a postseason plan for football that would incorporate the bowls for at least the semifinal stage of a four-team playoff with conference champions meeting "a certain standard within the rankings."

Swofford said schools considered options for a four-team playoff model and expressed a "strong preference" for one that would incorporate the bowls for at least the two semifinals _ if not also the championship game. He said the schools also would opt for a selection process that gives preference to conference champions.

"They felt that was important as it relates to the regular season and as it relates to the meaningfulness of being a champion in order to play for the national championship," Swofford said. "So there's a preference there for incorporating conference champions into this, as best it could be done. And it may be difficult to make it four conference champions, but the feeling was, look at a hybrid that includes conference champions that meet a certain standard within the rankings. ... Maybe there's an at-large berth open. So we're interested in looking at that type of model first, as well as consideration of a 1-2-3-4 ranking model."

The ACC is set to add Pittsburgh and Syracuse at some point in the future, but it remains unclear exactly when that will happen. Pitt last week filed a lawsuit against the Big East Conference in a Pennsylvania court in an attempt to expedite its exit from that conference and join the ACC for the 2013-14 academic year.

"We're ready to receive them as soon as they can come," Swofford said. "That's between the two schools and the Big East Conference."

When that happens, the ACC will go to a nine-game conference schedule in football. Swofford said that in odd-numbered years, Atlantic Division teams will play five home games with Coastal Division teams playing five at home in even-numbered years.

"That way it's more equitable scheduling within each division, so that each division is playing the same number of home games," he said.

Corwin Cutler, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound quarterback from Ocean Lakes High in Virginia Beach, committed Wednesday to U.Va., according to the VirginiaPreps.com website. He's the seventh commitment for U.Va.'s class of 2013, and the second commitment from the Hampton Roads area, joining wide receiver Zack Jones from Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake.

As the league concluded its annual spring meetings at Amelia Island, Fla., Swofford addressed for the first time the firestorm that erupted over the weekend regarding 11-time ACC football champion Florida State possibly bolting to the Big 12.

Opinions, statements and/or rants from Florida State Board of Trustees chairman Andy Haggard, university president Eric Barron, media knotheads and fans of every stripe burst into cyberspace. Good thing Swofford isn’t on Twitter, where Chicken Littles, with no basis in fact, forecasted the ACC’s demise.

“It hasn’t affected our meetings and business sessions,” Swofford said. “The work here has been pretty much business as usual. I’ve had a conversation or two with Dr. Barron. Very positive ones. Beyond that, it hasn’t been anything that interfered with or hijacked our meetings. We’re moving forward implementing what needs to be implemented for a 14-team conference.

“We live in a world in college athletics today where periodically these kinds of things, for one reason or another, seem to surface,” Swofford said.

Donovan Wilson pledged to Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. Wilson is a 3-star running back from Dublin, Ohio, and also boasted offers from Purdue, Boston College, Ohio and Air Force.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder made an unofficial visit to Georgia Tech last month, finally got a scholarship offer from the Yellow Jackets on Tuesday, and committed three hours later.

Clemson officials announced in a release Tuesday night that the former five-star tailback recruit has been ruled academically ineligible this fall and plans to enter a junior college this summer.

Bellamy was the Tigers’ No.2 rusher as a freshman, taking his first collegiate carry 75 yards for a touchdown and rushing 57 times for 343 yards with two touchdowns. When he signed with Clemson, he was considered one of the nation’s top 30 overall recruits and top 10 tailback prospects, with blazing speed and big-play ability.

But he struggled off the field, enduring a pair of suspensions. He was sent home before the ACC title game win over Virginia Tech for an undisclosed violation and was suspended for the Orange Bowl.

Bateman (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) is considered one of the best pro-style quarterbacks in the country for the class of 2013. Rivals ranks him as the nation's No. 6 quarterback prospect. 247Sports ranks him fourth.

Here is the statement, which was sent by Scott Cate, his offensive coordinator at Cottonwood High in Salt Lake City, Utah:

Bateman had offers from more than 50 schools, according to Cate's statement. His most recent "final five" featured Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Washington and Florida.

Team spokesman Chad Moller later confirmed the report. Bolden was not available for comment.

Bolden, a projected starter last season, was kicked off the team shortly before the 2011 opener for undisclosed academic reasons but was allowed to rejoin the Tigers in December for bowl practices after meeting several team-issued requirements. He was reinstated during spring practices, climbed to No. 2 on the depth chart at strong safety and earned a job with the first-team defense in the nickel package.

"First I didn't want to go to the Pac-10," Stallings said. "I would have rather kept the conference intact. Since it wasn't going to be intact, I would rather go the SEC than anywhere else.

"I think the Longhorn Network made it an uneven playing field. I could care less what Texas does. If that is to their advantage, that is fine. I thought it was to the advantage of Texas A&M to go the SEC."