Iowa creates personnel division within staff

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has established a personnel and recruiting division within the Hawkeyes coaching staff. From ESPN.com - College Football - Iowa creates personnel division within staff

Jinna Cabrera Should Be On Your Radar [PHOTOS]

Jinna Cabrera is a gorgeous Dominican model who should be on your radar. Currently she’s living here in the United States and has been picking... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED » COED - Jinna Cabrera Should Be On Your Radar [PHOTOS]

Stuff The Intern Forgot: Kid Rock Posts Obscene Open Letters [Links]

Kid Rock Posts Obscene Open Letters In Bizarre Case Kid Rock posted some vulgar letters on his website yesterday after being roped into a bizarre... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Stuff The Intern Forgot: Kid Rock Posts Obscene Open Letters [Links]

I Love My Active Summer: Free Fitness in Your Area [CC's ShapeU]

Who wouldn't love the chance to try new workouts and mix up their fitness routine? What about if you could find an amazing outdoor workout geared towards summertime fitness in your area? Oh, and did I mention it's free? From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - I Love My Active Summer: Free Fitness in Your Area [CC's ShapeU]

Leach, staff earn raises from Washington St.

After leading Washington State to its first bowl game since 2003, coach Mike Leach and his assistant coaches are being rewarded with raises. From ESPN.com - College Football - Leach, staff earn raises from Washington St.

Iowa's free tuition promotion is back on and open to every student

Iowa’s offer to provide free tuition to five students is back on, but now the promotion is open to everyone, not just students who buy season tickets.

The university had to modify the program after there were concerns that it did not comply with the state’s raffle laws.

The original plan offered $8,000 in free tuition to five randomly selected students who purchased football season tickets. Now the university says any student who wants to participate in the promotion may do so — without purchasing tickets — all it has to do is alert the athletic department by 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The new plan was approved by the state’s Attorney General’s office.

The university came up with the promotion in an effort to combat decreasing student ticket sales. During the past two seasons, student ticket sales have fallen from 10,000 to 7,000.

The school also plans to have special gameday events to encourage more students to come to games.

For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Iowa's free tuition promotion is back on and open to every student

Fremeau: Top 5 Big 12 teams of BCS era

The 2005 Texas Longhorns lead list of best Big 12 teams since 1998 From ESPN.com - College Football - Fremeau: Top 5 Big 12 teams of BCS era

11 Bra Hacks Someone Should Have Told You About Sooner

Ladies, we've all been in a relationship for a long time now and, no, it's not with our invisible baes. We've been locked down by another three letter word that makes us experience the high and lows of life. A bra. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - 11 Bra Hacks Someone Should Have Told You About Sooner

Amari Cooper newfound maturity could put Alabama back on top

Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper acknowledged that last season’s difficulties took a toll on him mentally.

Nagging injuries, including turf toe, slowed down the momentum Cooper had built during his 1,000-yard freshman season. Even though he finished his sophomore season with 45 receptions for 736 yards, he was disappointed because he expected to be a bigger contributor, and that disappointed affected his attitude.

"(It took) people talking to me, coaches talking to me, and me realizing that having a negative attitude will make anything worse," Cooper told NFL.com. "It won't make anything better. ... All of them (injuries) were pretty nagging. I just felt like I couldn't be the best player I could be. But I had to realize injuries are part of football, and you have to give 100 percent of what you have when you are hurt."

During SEC media days, Cooper arrived as more mature player. Instead of talking about individual goals, he stressed team goals and the importance of working the new quarterbacks and learning the system of new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s.

And Kiffin has been impressed by Cooper’s work ethic and dedication to the team.

“Watching Amari, he does not say very much, he just goes to work every day,” Kiffin said earlier this week. “We would have workouts when I first got here and Amari would sometimes workout two hours before the workout started, which I thought it was a really hard workout, we were doing in the fourth-quarter program here. And he’d work out two hours before that. What you realize with Amari is that there really isn’t any off-field stuff. Amari is completely dedicated to being the best football player that he can and completely focused.”

Cooper has gained 26 pounds since arriving at Alabama in 2012 — moving from 183 pounds to 209 — and his goals have gone from wanting to be a 1,000-yard receiver to helping the Tide get back on top of the college football heap.

All the while perhaps making himself one of the top draft picks in 2015 in the process.

"I think I've grown more as a player and more as a person," Cooper told al.com. "Definitely, I've gotten smarter as a person; and I've gotten better as a player mentally and physically. I've gotten stronger, bigger, faster, and I know the game more now than I did as a freshman or a sophomore."

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.

- - - - - - -

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Amari Cooper newfound maturity could put Alabama back on top

The Back-To-School Essential For Your Astrology Sign

Splurge on the best thing for your zodiac sign. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - The Back-To-School Essential For Your Astrology Sign

2014 season preview: Five games to watch in week 12

The college football offseason is long and arduous, but its end is almost in sight. We’re going to take a look at five games you have to look forward to for every weekend of the season. (This is also a handy guide to decide how to RSVP for any autumn weddings.)

All times are Eastern and all games are played on Saturday unless otherwise noted.

These games take place the weekend of November 15.

Previously: Week One (August 30) ~ Week Two (September 6) ~ Week Three (September 13) ~ Week Four (September 20) ~ Week Five (September 27) ~ Week Six (October 4) ~ Week Seven (October 11) ~ Week Eight (October 18) ~ Week Nine (October 25) ~ Week Ten (November 1) ~ Week Eleven (November 8)

Auburn at Georgia (TBD)

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry had perhaps its most dramatic edition in 117 meetings last year, when Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray overcame a 37-17 fourth quarter deficit and gave the Bulldogs the lead on a five-yard run with just under two minutes remaining. Those would not be the final heroics of the day, as Nick Marshall (a transfer from Georgia) found Ricardo Louis on a 73-yard 4^th-and-18 tipped Hail Mary to steal one from Dawgs and set Auburn on its path to the SEC title. (Tray Matthews, the Georgia safety who originally tipped the ball, has since transferred to Auburn after being dismissed by Mark Richt.) Georgia’s schedule is not particularly trying after their first two games (Clemson, at South Carolina) and it’s easy to see them coming into this game with an 8-1 or 9-0 record. The Bulldogs return the bulk of their front seven, which gave up 323 rushing yards to Gus Malzahn’s spread and shred last year, and they’ll need new QB1 Hutson Mason to perform at Murray-like levels in what will almost certainly be a shootout.

Florida State at Miami (FL) (TBD)

Like most of the Seminoles’ regular season opponents last year, the Hurricanes were little more than a speed bump. Miami (7-0 at the time) made it to halftime down only one score, but Florida State dominated the second half 20-0 on the way to a 41-14 win. Al Golden’s defense had no answer for Jameis Winston and friends (517 yards, 11-for-15 on third downs), but they return seven starters and with an infusion of young talent in the front seven they might have enough juice to slow down the Seminoles and their veteran line. As we continue to highlight in this series, the big issue for Miami is settling on a quarterback, a position that was thrown into turmoil after presumptive starter Ryan Williams’ spring ACL injury. Williams should be back for this game, or we could see someone like redshirt freshman Kevin Olsen or transfer Jake Heaps established in the backfield with the uber-talented Duke Johnson. Whoever gets the start will be contending with a Florida State defense that looks to reload after losing five starters off of last year’s title team, but has plenty of blue-chip recruits to plug into the top of the depth chart.

Nebraska at Wisconsin (TBD)

Depending on how Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern do in the first two months of the season, this could be a Big Ten West championship game. These two didn’t play last year but met twice in 2012, the first game a 30-27 Nebraska win that was swiftly avenged in the Big Ten title game where the Badgers won 70-31, embarrassing the Huskers with 539 rushing yards. (They’re now in the same division following the reorganization of Leaders and Legends to East and West.) Both of these teams have holes (Wisconsin is only returning three defensive starters, Nebraska just one starter from their offensive line) but both should also be in contention for the Big Ten title, scrapping to get a crack at Ohio State or one of the Michigan schools in Indianapolis. Match up of the game will likely be Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory against the gargantuan Badger line, including 6’8” Rob Havenstein at tackle.

Oklahoma at Texas Tech (TBD)

If a game is so clearly a trap game that everyone knows it, is it still a trap game? The Sooners will be coming off a potential conference-deciding game against Baylor and then have to travel to Lubbock, a place where weird things occur (like in 2007, when No. 3 Oklahoma fell to a four-loss Red Raiders team 34-27) in a series where weird things occur (2011, the 28-point underdog Red Raiders end Oklahoma’s 39-game home winning streak in a game delayed by lightning). If this is anything like last year’s version, we’re in for some fine theater and a lot of points, as Oklahoma prevailed 38-30 at home, handing Texas Tech their first loss of the season. Tech freshman Davis Webb played well on the road (33-for-53, 385 yards, two touchdowns) but had two costly picks, but he was exceptional in the bowl game following a late-season fade and basically is Kliff Kingsbury’s QB depth chart after an offseason of attrition. With nine starters back on defense, both offensive tackles and the emergence of Trevor Knight at quarterback, the Sooners are your conference favorites, but this is likely their toughest road test of the year.

South Carolina at Florida (TBD)

One of the very few occasions where a coach can go on the road and play a school that has a statue of him in front of their stadium. Steve Spurrier won a Heisman as a player and a national title as a coach in Gainesville, but his last trip there was a sloppy 44-11 loss in 2012. The Gamecocks won ugly at home last year (19-14) and get the Gators coming off a bye, but Will Muschamp has a few young defensive playmakers that could help swing the game the Gators’ way. Sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III was a five-star prospect that played like one the moment he hit the field, with 11 pass breakups and three picks as a freshman. Five-star junior Dante Fowler will handle the hybrid linebacker/defensive end position after amassing three and a half sacks and seven tackles for loss last year.

Other games to consider:

East Carolina at Cincinnati (7:00 p.m., Thursday)

Should Central Florida falter in a post-Bortle world, these two teams have the talent to step up and take the American title. Pirate quarterback Shane Carden is the best in the league, while Cincinnati returns seven players who notched at least 400 yards from scrimmage in addition to senior left tackle Eric Lefeld.

Pittsburgh at North Carolina (TBD)

Clemson at Georgia Tech (TBD)

Virginia Tech at Duke (TBD)

Three big games in the Coastal Division round robin (Clemson is in the Atlantic, but could severely hurt the Yellow Jackets’ chances with a cross-division road win). North Carolina won 34-27 in Heinz Field last year while Clemson routed Georgia Tech 55-31. Duke won in Blacksburg as 12-point underdogs last year en route to the division title, dropping the Hokies 16-10.

Arizona State at Oregon State (TBD)

The quality of quarterbacks out west is pretty staggering, and these are two of the good ones. Taylor Kelly and Sean Mannion combined to throw for 65 touchdowns in 2013 (along with 27 interceptions, so there were just a few mistakes). The Sun Devils won 30-17 at home last season, but will be dealing with a talented and experience Beaver back seven on the road this time around.

Northwestern at Notre Dame (3:30 p.m.)

Two talented offenses vying for Wrigleyville bar bragging rights. This will be the first time Northwestern has played Notre Dame since Pat Fizgerald implied the Wildcats were more consistent winners than the Irish and Stanford Cardinal.

Michigan State at Maryland (8:00 p.m.)

Ohio State at Minnesota (TBD)

Two teams on the road coming off what should be a physical encounter the prior week. The Terps and Gophers should both be solid in 2014, meaning this is a double trap/letdown game for the Big Ten East favorites.

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - 2014 season preview: Five games to watch in week 12

Woman Produced Nearly A Box Of Franzia Worth Of Breast Milk Every Day

A woman in North Texas has one tired pair of ta-tas after shattering the Guinness World Record for producing the most breast milk. Alyse Ogletree... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Woman Produced Nearly A Box Of Franzia Worth Of Breast Milk Every Day

Ohio State defends band director's dismissal

Ohio State University officials on Tuesday stood by their firing of the marching band director, who said he wants his job back and another chance to change the cultural issues in the unit that led to his dismissal. From ESPN.com - College Football - Ohio State defends band director's dismissal

The Top 5 Places To Buy Cute and Affordable Work Clothes

If you're interning this fall or getting ready to hit a full-time job, you probably need to fill your wardrobe with work-appropriate outfits. Problem is, you don't want to spend too much cash on clothes you don't actually enjoy wearing. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - The Top 5 Places To Buy Cute and Affordable Work Clothes

Battle 4 Atlantis highlights tourney pairings

The Battle 4 Atlantis -- with a field that includes Final Four teams Wisconsin and Florida as well as traditional powers North Carolina, Georgetown and UCLA -- highlight eight college basketball tournament pairings announced by ESPN for the 2014-15 season From ESPN.com - College Basketball - Battle 4 Atlantis highlights tourney pairings

Kimberley Garner Smoked The “Expendables 3″ Red Carpet [PHOTOS]

I don’t think there’s a single British woman hotter than Kimberley Garner right now–one second she’s in St. Tropez working on on a pier (Exhibit... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Kimberley Garner Smoked The “Expendables 3″ Red Carpet [PHOTOS]

Utah fans can get priority boarding on Alaska Airlines during football season

Alaska Airlines' fan promotion for priority boarding is back.

After allowing fans wearing the jersey of Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to priority board from December 2013 through the end of the football season, Alaska has entered a partnership with Utah that allows all Utah fans to priority board from August 23 through December 1 at Salt Lake City International airport if they're wearing a Utah shirt or jersey.

The partnership also includes discount codes for Utah fans to use for road trips to UCLA, Oregon State and Stanford and for Utah fans outside of the Utah area to travel to home games. For all flights to Salt Lake City at the time of Utah's home games and for flights to the nearest airports of the three aforementioned road games, Utah fans can get 20 percent off.

It was, of course, a coincidence, but after the promotion with the Seahawks and Wilson (who was subsequently named a spokesperson for the Seattle-based company), Seattle went on to win the Super Bowl. But Utah fans are now likely hoping the Alaska blessing carries over this season in the Pac-12.

However, Seattle was picked by many to be a contender in the NFC West before the season in 2013. Utah is generally considered by many to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-12 South this season.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Utah fans can get priority boarding on Alaska Airlines during football season

Is Your College Getting Its Money’s Worth From Its Football Coach?

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How trailblazer Cat Conti became the Big 12's first female official

When the officiating assignments for this year’s college football season came out, Catherine “Cat” Conti didn’t flinch.

“Everyone saw the assignments, everyone saw I was assigned a Big 12 game,” Conti told Yahoo Sports. “It was a big deal, but it wasn’t.”

Conti will be the eighth official for the nonconference game between Kansas and Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 6, her first Big 12 game and the first time the Big 12 has ever had a female officiate one of its games. The moment is so historic that Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby mentioned it during his state of the conference speech during Big 12 media days two weeks ago.

“She is not there because she is a female,” Bowlsby said. “She is there because she's paid her dues and because she is a really outstanding football official.”

Conti said hearing Bowlsby mention her was a surreal moment, but that her progression to a Big 12 game wasn’t nearly as monumental. Since 2000, Conti has worked her way from reffing freshman games for free in Ventura County, Calif., to making a name for herself as an outstanding line judge in the Southland and Mountain West Conferences.

For her, not getting a Big 12 game this season would have been a step backward in a journey that has been as much a personal sacrifice as it has been a labor of love.

“It’s a big deal because it’s never happened before and because I happen to be a woman,” Conti said. “But it’s not a big deal because I’m an official who’s progressing through their program and it’s the next logical opportunity.

”I’m pursuing a passion.”



How it all started

Conti isn’t ashamed to admit she knew nothing about football while growing up.

“I grew up watching baseball and collecting baseball cards with my brother; we were a Dodger family,” Conti said. “Honestly, at 11 years old, I couldn’t tell you anything about football except that they wore tight white pants. I never watched a full game. I didn’t even go to our high school football games.”

But then, in high school, she started dating a boy who loved the 49ers and her sports allegiances changed. She started watching football every weekend and in college in Santa Barbara, she said she stuck out because of her love of the game.

But while many of her male counterparts were watching the action on the field, Conti was watching the men in the chain gang, though she referred to them as the guys with the sticks and the bibs. She wondered how she could get such a coveted job?

And when she graduated and all of her friends went on to pursue high-level careers or go live off their rich parents, Conti spun her own future tale.

“For my own entertainment, I started lying to everyone and saying I’m going to move to San Francisco and be a yard marker for the '49ers,’” Conti said. “And they all believed me. I called it a yard marker, but I was just referring to the guys on the chain crew.”

In reality, Conti would go home to work at a sports bar, which still gave her football, but not from the sidelines as she’d hoped. One day, she asked a football coach who frequented the bar about the chain crew and was dismayed to learn that usually those jobs are taken by retired officials. But the coach offered her another option. Four months later, he walked into the bar with an ad for a referee camp. Conti thought it was crazy. She didn’t want to be in the game, just on the periphery where she could get a better view of the action. She took the ad, and it wasn’t until a few hours before the camp started that she decided to see what it was all about. She had no idea that one decision would change her life.

In 2000, Conti started on high school and youth games as a line judge. She didn’t make much, so she took a job at her former high school as an English and drama teacher and reffed Thursday through Saturday. She tried to get as many games as she could, sometime reffing freshman games for free just for the experience. She started shelling out money and flying all over the country to go to reffing seminars and camps. She was driven and she was starting to get noticed.

In 2004, she caught the eye of the officiating coordinators from the CFO West — Walt Anderson, Ken Rivera and Byron Boston. Those three men coordinate officiating crews for the Big 12, Mountain West and Southland Conferences, respectively, and they saw potential in Conti.

For the next six years, they watched her progress. She continued to do high school games on Thursdays and Fridays and started doing community college games on Saturdays.

In 2008, the principal of her high school thought officiating was taking too much time away from Conti’s work with the drama program and he asked her to choose. She walked away from the school and two years later, Boston reached out to her to do work in the Southland Conference.

“We’re not in the social experimentation business, we’re in the football officiating business and our job is to put the best officials, male or female, on the field,” said Anderson, who is the head of Big 12 officials and a referee in the NFL. “We have a pretty extensive evaluation process in the CFO West that all officials have to spend a lot of time going through. And over a period of years, it’s our job to make the assessment, is this person ready for the next level or not? That’s what we’ve done with Cat just like we’ve done with the guys and to her credit she has done the steps necessary from her standpoint. A lot of people don’t realize how much time these college officials devote to the game particularly in the offseason trying to get prepared to try and achieve as high a level as they can.

“Just like all the officials want to do, she’s trying to move up the ladder.”

Getting the call

In 2010, Conti was asked to work one Southland Conference game. It was in Texas, she was the Southland’s first female referee and she knew Boston was taking a big chance putting her out there.

After that assignment ended, it was quiet. She went back to her Division III games and continued her offseason learning. She sent an email to the heads of the CFO West asking for applications to do more games and then her phone rang.

Conti can still remember the moment Boston called her.

“Every official talks about getting ‘the phone call,’ ” Conti said. “And ‘the phone call’ is whatever that next level is, for that supervisor to personally call you on the phone. I remember sitting at the kitchen table and I hung up and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I got the phone call. I made it to Division I.’”

She cried.

In 2011, not only was Conti given eight Southland Conference games, she also was assigned a Mountain West game, again breaking the ceiling as the first female official in the Mountain West. It was in New Mexico that she found herself working with Cooper Castleberry, a stalwart among Big 12 officials and Texas high school officials, and she was nervous. She knew that each time she got an opportunity to do a game on a higher level, it would be the only opportunity she’d get.

“So, you know, you go out there thinking, ‘All right, don’t muck it up,’” she said.

After the game, Rivera, the Mountain West coordinator, came in to speak with the officials, go over what they did right and what they did wrong, and when he was done with the evaluation, he pulled out a game ball, signed by all the other members of the officiating crew, and presented it to Conti.

The next year, she was assigned four Southland games, six Mountain West games and was an alternate official for a Big 12 game. In 2013, she had a similar schedule, but her Mountain West games were higher profile, including the season opener between Hawaii and USC, and she was given a BYU game, which, in officiating circles, falls under the Big 12 umbrella.

She also worked as the eighth official during Kansas’ spring game in April.

It was only a matter of time until she found herself at the highest possible collegiate level.

“Once officials reach a certain level of competence and we feel like they’re ready to be tested at that next level then we’ll give them a game at that next level and that’s what she’ll experience here just like most of our guys have,” Anderson said. “We just make sure the process is slow and deliberate. We try not to move people along faster than what they’re ready.”

Validation and a source of inspiration

The moment that validated Conti’s decision to become a full-time referee didn’t come with that first call from Boston or even with the presentation of the football at New Mexico. No, her moment came early in her officiating career when she was working a freshman game for free.

She was standing on the sideline as the line judge and the teams were coming up to the line of scrimmage. The center put his hand on the ball and as Conti was waiting for the snap to happen, a droplet of water collected on her hat and fell right in front of her eyes.

“I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it. I have arrived,’” Conti recalls. “I get to go play in the rain. I get to be on a football field and there’s like mud everywhere and this is the coolest thing. You know, you don’t have an excuse as a grown adult person to go play in the rain. You don’t have an excuse to go play in the mud anymore. I was like, ‘OK, this is it. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.’”

Since then, validation has come in many forms, including media attention, emails from fans and parents of young daughters, and her coworkers. Conti said about 90 percent of her the interaction with her fellow officials is genuine. The other 10 percent are males who still have a tough time accepting a female in a male-dominated game.

Conti is one of four female officials — a pool that includes Sarah Thomas, Maia Chaka and Amanda Sauer — working in major college football. Thomas and Chaka also have worked some NFL preseason games. The four women actually met for the first time at a camp in May and shared stories of their experiences.

But Conti knows to make her story count for something she has to keep progressing. Getting one Big 12 game is a great accomplishment, but the goal is to get another and then another and then another.

“The reality is I’m going to have to go out there and do a great job,” Conti said. “I’m going to have to be excellent because there will be higher scrutiny and I understand that. I have to go out there and I have to be excellent and I have to demonstrate and show Walt Anderson and Ken Rivera that they can trust me with another game. Period.”

Conti has given up a lot to get to where she is. With her teaching career in the rearview, she does personal training to pay the bills. And as far as a personal life, well, she hasn’t quite found a way to reconcile that with her career choice and her schedule.

“As far as a balance is concerned, that’s not something I’ve given a whole lot of attention to,” Conti said. “I haven’t pursued relationships and making them work the way that I have pursued football officiating. It is something that in my idealistic, romanticizing of a perfect life, I hope that I can still have that. I really do because it’s something that I’ve wanted my entire life. But do I regret the sacrifice? Not at all.”

She said she didn’t become an official to inspire young girls who might have similar ambitions, though she doesn’t shy away from that role and has embraced the emails she’s received from parents who share her story with their daughters.

In fact, she hopes her story is one that inspires all people to take that chance on a dream that might seem far out of reach.

“I hope that I’m an everyman,” Conti said. “I hope that I’m relatable. I hope that guys who want to reach whatever their next level is will look at me and say, ‘If she can do it, if she can overcome those obstacles never having played football, being a female, if she can do it, I can do it.’ That’s what I hope people say whenever I get an opportunity to work another game.”

- - - - - - -

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - How trailblazer Cat Conti became the Big 12's first female official

Schlabach: 10 toughest The Season calls

Picking the best individual season in your school's history can be like picking your favorite child, writes Mark Schlabach. From ESPN.com - College Football - Schlabach: 10 toughest The Season calls

Jay Z’s Mistress Drops “Sorry Mrs. Carter” To Shade The Royal Couple

You know you shining when thirsty alleged mistresses come out of the woodwork and release singles the same week as you. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - Jay Z’s Mistress Drops “Sorry Mrs. Carter” To Shade The Royal Couple

Florida State paying for Jameis Winston's loss of value and disability insurance

Earlier this summer, Florida State QB Jameis Winston took out an insurance policy valued at $8-10 million for disability and loss of value to cover his final season at Florida State.

On Monday, Florida State told ESPN that the university is paying for the coverage.

No, it's not a violation of NCAA rules. (If it was, Florida State wouldn't be doing it or talking about it.) Rather, the university's involvement in the insurance is part of the Student Assistance Fund. The SAF allows schools to "assist student-athletes in meeting financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics, enrollment in an academic curriculum or that recognize academic achievement."

Tomahawk Nation first reported that Florida State was planning to pay. Winston's policy is based on his status as a likely top-10 draft pick in the NFL draft and he could be paid if he falls out due to injury or illness in the 2014 season at Florida State.

As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Winston was ineligible to declare for the 2014 NFL draft. He's the first returning Heisman candidate to purchase the loss of value part of the insurance since Sam Bradford at Oklahoma. Bradford won the Heisman in 2008 as a sophomore and returned for his junior season. He suffered a sprained AC joint in the first game of the season against BYU and when he returned three weeks later, hurt his shoulder again and missed the rest of the season. However, he was still selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams.

When reporting the news in June, Yahoo's Rand Getlin said the premium on a policy like Winston's would run approximately $55,000-60,000. Last year, Fox Sports reported SEC schools were allotted $350,000 for the SAF, so Florida State likely has a similar amount.

While Winston's policy may represent a sizeable chunk of the money allotted to Florida State, is there any question that Winston is worth it? As the QB of the reigning national champions and the school's first Heisman winner since Chris Weinke, Winston is by far the most valuable athlete at Florida State and worth more to the school in marketing power and exposure than the premium on the policy.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Florida State paying for Jameis Winston's loss of value and disability insurance

Female Superhero Movie Might Happen In 2017-And More Morning Links

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3 Back-to-School Makeup Essentials

Last week, I featured three beauty items to keep in your on-campus handbag or backpack, and today we’re talking about must-have makeup products for busy college girls. When I’m at school, I drastically reduce the amount of makeup I wear and keep things simple. I do this because, once the semester starts, I just don’t […] From College Fashion - 3 Back-to-School Makeup Essentials

How to Make Your Own Coffee Brewing Bags

Yes, they're just like tea bags, but for coffee. How awesome is that? From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - How to Make Your Own Coffee Brewing Bags

Moran Atias on “Tyrant” [SEE HER TONIGHT]

[33 pics!] Things get pretty exotic on FX's Tyrant--and beauties don't get much more exotic than Moran Atias... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Moran Atias on “Tyrant” [SEE HER TONIGHT]

USC TE Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick ruled academically ineligible

USC will be missing a potential key contributor at tight end in 2014.

After Monday's first practice of fall camp, coach Steve Sarkisian announced that Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick would miss the season.

While Cope-Fitzpatrick had just one catch last year as a sophomore, he was listed atop the 2014 depth chart according to USCFootball.com. Even though he won't be able to play in any games, he can practice with the team.

With Cope-Fitzpatrick, USC had just three scholarship tight ends on the roster, so now the team is down to two. His absence may open up playing time for freshman Bryce Dixon. Dixon, a four-star recruit according to Rivals, was the No. 5 TE recruit in the country in the class of 2014.

The other scholarship TE is senior Randall Telfer, who had six catches for 78 yards in 2013.

For more USC news, visit USCFootball.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - USC TE Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick ruled academically ineligible

Looking for Love in Mexico? “Bachelor in Paradise” Recap: Episode 1

What do you get when you bring 11 hot past Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants to a tiny hut in Mexico? Pretty much exactly what you would expect. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - Looking for Love in Mexico? “Bachelor in Paradise” Recap: Episode 1

Steele: ACC experience rankings

Phil Steele sizes up the conference based on returning production From ESPN.com - College Football - Steele: ACC experience rankings

Fremeau: Top 5 ACC teams of BCS era

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Phoenix Suns’ P.J. Tucker Sentenced For “Super Extreme” DUI

P.J. Tucker signed a three year, $16.5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns in July. While that may not seem important, he is lucky to... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Phoenix Suns’ P.J. Tucker Sentenced For “Super Extreme” DUI

Get #Flawless with BITE BB “Cream” for Lips [In Our Makeup Bag]

They say that "this color-rich balm repairs, primes, and protects with SPF 15", not to mention provides a sheer wash of color. From Gossip, Fast Fashion, Female Lifestyle, Sex & Love: CollegeCandy - Get #Flawless with BITE BB “Cream” for Lips [In Our Makeup Bag]

BYU changes 2014 slogan after discovering Anheuser-Busch has trademark on it

BYU was going with "Rise as One" for its 2014 slogan until it discovered that Anheuser-Busch had a trademark on the phrase.

BYU athletic director Duff Tittle told the BYU Daily Universe that the school found out about the trademark "about two to three weeks ago" and the school then made the decision to avoid any conflict. However, it was after merchandise had already been made with the slogan on it. (The school's "official game day shirt" had the slogan on it and it's been pulled from the campus bookstore.)

The "Rise as One" slogan was used by Budweiser as part of its World Cup marketing. Anheuser-Busch applied for a trademark on it last year. Not only could BYU have found itself in a legal battle with continued use of the phrase for marketing purposes, alcohol is banned according to the LDS Church's Word of Wisdom.

The conflict was first noticed in June by a poster on a BYU message board.

Before the phrase was a slogan of Budweiser's, it was one of Nike's in 2012 for the NCAA tournament. While BYU is a Nike school, it was not one of the six teams that were part of the Nike campaign.

An official from Anheuser-Busch told the Daily Universe that to the best of her knowledge, no one from A-B had contacted BYU and told the university to stop using the phrase. But we can't comprehend how the school didn't realize that the new slogan was being used by Budweiser earlier this summer and/or didn't check the Trademark Electronic Search System before merchandise and promotional items with the slogan on it were created.

There are three entries for "Rise As One" in the TESS and all three are related to A-B's application. As part of the trademark, A-B has the rights "for advertising and marketing services, namely, promoting entertainment in the field of sporting events," which is the same area that BYU was using the slogan.

Tittle told the Universe that "Rise Up" would likely become the new slogan, and the school already has a website with the modified phrase touting the football program.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - BYU changes 2014 slogan after discovering Anheuser-Busch has trademark on it

Brian Scalabrine Announces Return To Boston In Parody Letter

Brian Scalabrine can be described in many different ways–but “odd” and “kooky” are right up there. On Monday, Scalabrine announced that he was going to... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Brian Scalabrine Announces Return To Boston In Parody Letter

Michigan State inaccurately spells 'accurate' on locker room sign (Photo)

Welcome to our Dr. Saturday feature titled "Random offseason tweet of the day." With real games still not here yet, coaches and players will be tweeting about non-football-related things as the season approaches. In this space, we'll try to find the funniest and goofiest tweets of the day. If you see something, don't hesitate to send it to us.

Oh, of all of the words on the sign to misspell.

After winning the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl, Michigan State got a new locker room in the offseason and part of it was this sign full of motivational language. Can you catch the typo?

"Come all challengers from all distances..." Here is the sign outside the Spartans' new locker room... #MSU #Spartans http://ift.tt/1kkpFki

— David Harns (@isportsDave) August 5, 2014

Yep, "accurate" is missing a "c." We'll let you figure out the level of irony involved in that typo as well as what direction you want to take the innumerable jokes.

Maybe this whole spelling thing is a Big Ten trend? Earlier this year, Michigan made a mistake when sending a fake ESPN magazine cover to a recruit, and then the same recruit posted a picture of a fake Ohio State Sports Illustrated cover with another typo.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Michigan State inaccurately spells 'accurate' on locker room sign (Photo)

Cosplay Queen Jessica Nigri Turns 25 With Her 37 Sexiest Pics [PHOTOS]

There are a lot of hot gals turning 25 years old today–and they’re all coming along with cosplay queen Jessica Nigri, whose only taken a... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Cosplay Queen Jessica Nigri Turns 25 With Her 37 Sexiest Pics [PHOTOS]

Dash Rip Rock Returns With “I Want To Spank Them Panties” [VIDEO]

August 5th is National Underwear Day–which was really just a scam concocted by FreshPair.com, but the media jumped on it because there wasn’t a National... From College Life, Hot Girls, Funny Pics, Sexy Cheerleaders: COED - Dash Rip Rock Returns With “I Want To Spank Them Panties” [VIDEO]