ABC Offers to Extend BCS Contract

ABC is offering the bowl championship series a four-year contract extension worth about $400 million that probably would ensure that major college football couldn’t decide its national champion with a playoff until 2006, people familiar with the negotiations told Bloomberg News.

ABC is offering a 30% increase to extend the contract, which gives the network the rights to the Division I-A championship game through 2002.

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Chris Weinke, Florida State’s junior quarterback, probably will make himself available for the NFL draft if the Seminoles win the national championship.

“Winning Tuesday makes the decision easier,” the 27-year-old Weinke said. “Going 12-0, winning the national championship, yeah, that would make it a lot easier.”

Weinke must make his intention known to the NFL by Friday.

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A day after cursing reporters at the Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech defensive end Corey Moore was a no-show at Friday’s mandatory media session.

“He asked yesterday not to do any more interviews,” Dave Smith, Virginia Tech’s sports information director, said. “He wants to concentrate on the game.”

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Two Florida State players were reprimanded for missing Friday night’s New Year’s Eve curfew of 11:30 p.m. Coach Bobby Bowden would not name the players, but neither was believed to be an offensive starter.

Meanwhile, four Florida State student managers have been confined to “house arrest” after they were caught Thursday trying to steal a Sugar Bowl banner out of the New Orleans Arena during a basketball tournament.

No criminal charges were filed, but the four have been ordered not to leave their hotel rooms except to attend practices and Tuesday night’s game.

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Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles was taken from Cotton Bowl stadium in an ambulance after experiencing tightness in his chest during the Razorbacks’ 27-6 victory over Texas. . . . Former Illinois coach Lou Tepper was hired as coach at NCAA Division II Edinboro in Pennsylvania.

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Sugar Bowl Facts

* Who: Florida State (11-0) vs. Virginia Tech (11-0)

* When: Tuesday, 5 p.m. PST

* Where: Louisiana Superdome

* Television: Channel 7

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Staff Writer Chris Dufresne contributed to this story.