BCS commissioners reject ‘plus one’ playoff proposal

Bowl Championship Series commissioners rejected a “plus one” playoff model on Wednesday and decided to continue with the current college football postseason format through the 2013 season.

The decision was not a surprise. The plus-one model, which would have pitted the top four teams in the BCS standings in a mini-playoff, was long opposed by the Pacific 10 and Big Ten conferences. It was introduced by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive, but a change would have required a consensus among the 11 commissioners and Notre Dame Athletic Director Kevin White.

The BCS has two years left on a four-year television deal with Fox, which has an exclusive negotiating window after Sept. 1. The BCS needed to decide on any future format before those negotiations begin. The Rose Bowl has a separate contract with ABC that runs through the 2013 season.

-- Chris Dufresne

The NCAA won’t reconsider its decision to deny former Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk another year of eligibility after he appealed on grounds that he was hurt as a freshman at Wake Forest when he sat out as a redshirt.

The NCAA has approved applications for two new bowl games in Washington D.C. and St. Petersburg, Fla., to join the existing 32 bowls. A proposed Rocky Mountain Bowl in Salt Lake City was turned down.

Former UCLA offensive linemen Shannon Tevaga and guard-tackle Noah Sutherland will participate in the Oakland Raiders’ minicamp.

A judge threw out the $5-million verdict an Alabama football fan won in his lawsuit in Birmingham, Ala., accusing the NCAA of slander for referring to him and others as “rogue boosters,” “parasites” and “pariahs.”

Circuit Judge William Gordon, saying jurors were swayed by prejudice, granted the NCAA’s request for a new trial in a lawsuit filed by timber dealer Ray Keller.

Suspended Nebraska offensive lineman Andy Christensen, 21, is scheduled for a July trial on charges he sexually assaulted a woman at a Lincoln bar in early March.

VOLLEYBALL

Pepperdine plays Long Beach State

Top-seeded Penn State (28-1) will play fourth-seeded Ohio State (20-7) at UC Irvine’s Bren Center tonight at 6, and second-seeded Pepperdine (16-10) will play third-seeded Long Beach State (23-6) at 8 in the NCAA final four of men’s volleyball. The winners will play in the national championship match Saturday afternoon.

Despite its three games to none loss to Pepperdine in the Mountail Pacific Sports Federation tournament, Long Beach earned a trip to Irvine as the NCAA’s wildcard selection.

-- Jim Peltz

TENNIS

Nadal wins easily in Barcelona Open

Rafael Nadal, seeking his fourth straight title in the tournament, reached the third round of the Barcelona Open by defeating Potito Starace, 6-4, 6-2, in Spain.

Top-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu reached the third round of the BMW Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Gianluca Naso in Munich, Germany.

Marat Safin defeated Carlos Berlocq, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Vania King was beaten, 6-2, 6-4, by fourth-seeded Aravane Rezai in the second round of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fez, Morocco. . . . Jill Craybas lost to Roberta Vinci, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the Prague Open in the Czech Republic. . . . Maria Sharapova pulled out of next week’s German Open because of an unspecified injury, and Daniela Hantuchova (foot) also withdrew.

MISCELLANY

Freshman Stanback will leave UCLA

UCLA swingman Chace Stanback, a freshman reserve who played in 25 games this season, will leave the program and transfer to another school.

The 6-foot-8 Stanback, a former California player of the year at Fairfax High, averaged 1.0 point, 0.7 rebounds and 5.8 minutes for the Bruins.

Chelsea advanced to the European Champions League final for the first time, with Frank Lampard returning from the death of his mother last week to score the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick in a 3-2 overtime victory over Liverpool in London.

Chelsea meets Manchester United on May 21 in Moscow.

The College World Series will be played in Omaha at least through 2030, under an agreement that calls for the construction of a new downtown ballpark to replace 60-year-old Rosenblatt Stadium.

Leading by two strokes going into the final day, USC failed to repeat as Pacific 10 Conference men’s golf champions by losing to Arizona State by two strokes in a one-hole, six-player playoff.

Jesse Heilman used an array of back-handed maneuvers to post the high score during the 6.0 Lowers Pro in sloppy three-foot surf at Lower Trestles near San Clemente. His best-two-waves tally of 18.07 out of a possible 20 advances him to Round 4.

The annual Boxing Writers Assn. of America dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the downtown Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave.