With the West Virginia Mountaineers leaving the Big East Conference, the football schedule for 2012 took a little longer to be released. But the long wait is over as the Big East and UConn released their 2012 football schedule.

Here’s the press release from UConn:

STORRS, Conn. — The 2012 University of Connecticut football schedule will feature games against seven teams that played in bowl games last year and a non-conference schedule with two games against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The complete schedule was announced on Tuesday by the BIG EAST Conference.

Game times and television coverage for most games are still to be announced.

“We have a very exciting and competitive football schedule for the 2012 season,” said UConn Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. “Our six home games combine three great BIG EAST Conference contests with three non-conference opponents that will be a tremendous opportunity for our team and fans. We look forward to seeing excited crowds at Rentschler Field this season to support our Huskies.”

Season tickets for the 2012 campaign are currently on sale at UConnHuskies.com

“Our entire team is really looking forward to this 2012 football schedule,” says second-year head coach Paul Pasqualoni. “Our coaches and players look forward to playing a tough non-conference schedule and then get into the grind of the BIG EAST Conference, which is as competitive league as any in the country.”

UConn opens the 2012 campaign with a pair of home games as the tenth season of Rentschler Field beings. The Huskies open with Massachusetts on Thurs., August 30 as the two teams renew a rivalry that dates back to 1897 with 71 games. The two teams have not played since 1999 and UMass is entering its first year as a member of the Mid-American Conference.

The Huskies then face North Carolina State of the ACC on September 8 in a return game from a meeting in Raleigh in 2003. The Wolf Pack won last year’s Belk Bowl.

UConn hits the road in 2012 for the first time on September 15 when it takes on Maryland of the ACC for just the second time in school history. Maryland won a previous meeting with the Huskies in 1942 and will return this game in 2013 at Rentschler Field (September 14).

The non-conference portion of the season concludes with a pair of games against teams from the Mid-American Conference – at Western Michigan on September 22 and home against Buffalo on September 29. Western Michigan played in last year’s Little Caesar Bowl.

UConn kicks off its ninth season as a football member of the BIG EAST Conference on October 6 as it visits Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights won the New Era Pinstripe Bowl last season.

The Huskies take on BIG EAST newcomer Temple on October 13 for both the conference home opener and UConn’s Homecoming game. The Owls won last year’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

A trip to Syracuse (Fri., October 19) for a primetime game on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. is followed by a game at USF (November 3.) before the Huskies return home against Pittsburgh on Fri., November 9 for an 8:00 p.m. game on ESPN2. The Panthers played in last year’s BBVA Compass Bowl.

UConn plays at Louisville on November 24 as the Cardinals participated in the Belk Bowl last year. The regular season concludes on December 1 at Cincinnati with a game that will be televised by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Bearcats were the champions of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl last year.

2012 UConn Football Schedule

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IF there was a power struggle between Boston Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and skipper Bobby Valentine, then score this one for Cherington.

One of the positions the Red Sox had a competition for during spring training was shortstop. The players involved were Mike Aviles, Jose Iglesias and Nick Punto.

While Punto hasn’t played shortstop this spring, the other two have gotten a good portion of the innings. Valentine has favored Iglesias at the position due to what he brings defensively. Aviles, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same glove as Iglesias but has the better bat.

But after the baseball operations staff and coaching staff met last night, the Red Sox announced that Iglesias had been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. They also optioned Lars Anderson to Pawtucket as well.

With Iglesias going down, Aviles will be the 2012 starting shortstop for the Red Sox while it seems Punto will be the utility infielder backing up Dustin Pedroia, Aviles and Kevin Youkilis.

Honestly, I can say I’m not surprised about this.

I thought that Aviles would “win” this competition mainly because of his bat. Jarrod Saltalamacchia isn’t exactly Babe Ruth so you had to wonder if the Red Sox were willing to sacrifice another spot in the batting order for defense.

Of course if Aviles doesn’t perform offensively or craps the bed defensively, it wouldn’t surprise me either if Iglesias was back up pretty quick.

So now we wait to see who the final two starters will be and how the bullpen shapes up for the 2012 Red Sox.

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Photo credit: AP Photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Kingston Region final for the right to go to the Final Four. Tip is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Mosqueda-Lewis Lighting Up Scoreboard [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

The Will To Succeed Is The Key [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Samarie Walker Tries To Clear The Air [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Walker Unfazed by Criticism After Transferring To Kentucky [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies To Face “40 Minutes of Dread” Against Kentucky [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies Face Tests On/Off The Court; Hayes, Smith Close Friends [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies Stand One Win Away From Reaching The Final Four [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Stewart Dunks, Tuck Wins McDonald’s 3-Point Shooting Contest [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Hartley a finalist for Nancy Lieberman Award [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Former team up next for Samarie Walker [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Composure could be key tomorrow [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn women stick together to reach Elite 8 [CT Post]

Ex-Husky Walker unfazed by criticism [CT Post]

UConn need someone to step up big time [CT Post]

UConn Women Know They Can’t Slip Now [Hartford Courant]

Samarie Walker Tries To Clear Air About Leaving UConn [Hartford Courant]

Huskies have shown there is life after Maya Moore [New Haven Register]

Samarie Walker doesn’t shy away from questions about leaving [New Haven Register]

Is Elite Eight hardest game to win for UConn? [The Day]

A reunion of sorts [The Hour]

Doty has been waiting for this [The Hour]

Kentucky Women Look to Match Men in Final Four [New York Times]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Dom answered a question in his mailbag [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Still Don’t Think Big East is the Best Conference? [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Lamb Named AP Honorable Mention All-America [UConnHuskies.com]

Jerome Dyson Hoping D-League Translates To NBA [Hartford Courant]

UConn Football links

Projecting Big East players in the draft [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Other UConn related links

Softball. Huskies Open Home Slate On Tuesday [UConnHuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

I’m not sure whether or not we know anything more or not about how the 2012 Boston Red Sox rotation will look after Daniel Bard‘s outing on Sunday where he gave up five runs.

Three of the four pitchers, Bard, Alfredo Aceves and Felix Doubront, all pitched in games over the weekend. Only Doubront had the best numbers of the trio.

Aceves outing on Saturday was more than likely an aberration as he’s rarely had a bad outing in a Red Sox uniform whether it be spring training or the regular season. Doubront has been consistently good all of this spring.

So with Bard giving up five runs and both he and Valentine being happy with his outing, I’m not sure if any questions were answered this weekend.

“And he looked like [a starter],” Valentine said. “And I liked him in between innings. I liked how he was responding to things. I thought it was a really good look today. He worked runners when they were on base. He got ground balls when he needed to. He got some swings and misses when he needed to, too. I just like what I see. That’s good stuff.”

I honestly don’t think Bard really pitched all that badly. There were some fluke things that happened. But if you’re going by the numbers, this is the second bad outing in a row for him.

With just eight games remaining in the spring for the Red Sox, it’s likely that each of the four in the competition will get one more start. Odds are Aaron Cook probably won’t be ready so this could be a three horse race. 

We all know how valuable Bard and Aceves have been in the Red Sox bullpen in the past. And I just don’t see both of them making the rotation. So it’ll be interesting to see how this all pans out.

I’d have to think that any final decisions won’t be made until after each of them gets a chance to make one more start before Valentine has to put together his 25-man roster. And with just eight games remaining, they’ll like only get the one chance.

Another decision we’ll have to watch is who will be the Red Sox starting shortstop, Jose Iglesias or Mike Aviles.

If we’re going by defense, it’s Iglesias hands down. If we’re going by offense, it’s Aviles.

Iglesias is hitting .174 this spring with four RBIs while Aviles is hitting .333 with four RBIs. Aviles had three hits yesterday, including two doubles.

If the Red Sox offense is as potent as it was last year, they could conceivably get away with using Iglesias. But is that a chance Valentine is willing to make.

I’d have to think we’ll know how the 25-man roster is going to shape up by the weekend. But then again with Carl Crawford starting the season on the DL, the roster may not be what they want.

One thing’s for certain. It’ll be very interesting to see how these final 10 days of spring training play out.

The Red Sox are off to Clearwater today for a matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies. So please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page to see today’s lineups as well as the links from the media.

After falling 6-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin yesterday, the Red Sox make another trip up north to take on the Phillies.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. There is no radio coverage for the game.

Here are today’s lineups:

1. Nick Punto	3B	1. Jimmy Rollins	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Placido Polanco	3B
3. David Ortiz	DH	3. Shane Victorino	CF
4. Cody Ross	LF	4. Ty Wigginton	1B
5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	5. John Mayberry	LF
6. Ryan Sweeney	RF	6. Carlos Ruiz	C
7. Jose Iglesias	SS	7. Lou Montanez	RF
8. Jason Repko	CF	8. Freddy Galvis	2B
9. Lars Anderson	1B	9. Joe Blanton	P
Jon Lester	SP	Joe Blanton	SP

Lester will be followed by RHP Matt Albers, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, LHP Justin Thomas and RHP Justin Germano.

Blanton will be followed by LHP Antonio Bastardo and RHP Chad Qualls.

MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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Aviles continues to make case [Boston Globe]

Not time to stop his starts [Boston Globe]

Daniel Bard better in this start [Boston Herald]

Mike Aviles makes case [Boston Herald]

Bobby V likes what he sees in Daniel Bard [Boston Herald]

Could a strong spring help Ryan Lavarnway catch on? [Clubhouse Insider]

Back no pain for Kevin Youkilis [Clubhouse Insider]

Jonathan Papelbon: ‘I’m not going to throw shots at Boston fans’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Bobby V: Reports of power struggle with Cherington are ‘lazy journalism’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Jim Thome on David Ortiz: ‘He’s always been one of the elite hitters’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Despite runs, Bard, Valentine happy with outing [CSN New England]

Aviles continues strong spring at the plate [CSN New England]

Kalish slowly working his way back [CSN New England]

Bobby V. on Bard: ‘I liked everything’ [ESPN Boston]

Sox to meet tonight to sort roster [ESPN Boston]

Bryce Brentz bags a big boar [Extra Bases]

Projecting the Opening Day roster, 2.0 [Extra Bases]

Papelbon backs off comments against Boston fans [Extra Bases]

Valentine addresses reported power struggle with Cherington [Extra Bases]

Jonathan Papelbon: ‘I’m not going to look back’ [Full Count]

Red Sox to Add ‘Royal Rooters Club’ to Fenway Park As Part of 100th Anniversary Celebration [NESN.com]

Jonathan Papelbon Clarifies Comments About Boston Fans, Says He Wasn’t Trying to Offend Anybody [NESN.com]

Aviles might not be thinking about shortstop competition, but he’s probably winning it [Projo Sox Blog]

Valentine still up in the air about the 25th roster spot [Projo Sox Blog]

Bard feels like a starter — and Valentine concurs [Projo Sox Blog]

A breakdown of defensive innings played in spring training [Projo Sox Blog]

Papelbon on Boston-Philadelphia comparison: “I knew it was going to be read that way” [Projo Sox Blog]

Valentine: Suggestion of rift with Cherington “lazy journalism” [Projo Sox Blog]

Back stiffness prevents Youk from road trip [RedSox.com]

With Crawford out, spot up for grabs with Boston [RedSox.com]

Jenks issues apology to Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Starting becoming more natural for Bard [RedSox.com]

Aviles’ play could make Red Sox’s choice easy [RedSox.com]

Debunking the power struggle and other spring Red Sox myths [RedSox.com]

For Red Sox, the cost for Bobby Jenks grows even greater [Tony Massrotti – Boston Globe]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Photo credits: AP Photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Penn State Still Seeking Normalcy [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Auriemma On Pat Summitt [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Record-setter Stewart, Jefferson Lead Their Teams To Titles [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Mosqueda-Lewis Seeing Double; Hartley Eyes 1,000 [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Huskies Turn 100; Auriemma Has High Praise For Summitt [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Penn State assistant takes a trip down memory lane [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Balanced offensive attack powers UConn into Elite Eight [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn routs Penn State, rolls into Elite 8 [CT Post]

Huskies all for one, one for all [Greenwich Time]

UConn Moves To Elite Eight With Ease [Hartford Courant]

Penn State Weathered The Storm [Hartford Courant]

Kelly Faris: All She Does Is Win [Hartford Courant]

Huskies march into Elite Eight with win over Penn State [New Haven Register]

Kelly Faris finds rhythm on offense [New Haven Register]

Defense carries UConn to an easy win over Penn State [The Day]

UConn women turn back Penn State [The Hour]

Huskies showed that experience counts [The Hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

NCAA’s Emmert: UConn Could Learn Tournament Status Soon [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

UConn Football links

DC answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Rowing. Rowing Enjoys Success At Murphy Cup [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Baseball Breaks Out the Brooms in BIG EAST’s Opening Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Golf. UConn Finishes 11th at FAU Tourney [UConnHuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Earlier in the week, it was learned by the Associated Press that the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team would learn whether or not it is eligible for the 2013 NCAA Touranment possibly in July. But according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, the Huskies could learn their fate within the next 7-10 days.

Connecticut should learn whether it’s eligible to play in the 2013 NCAA tournament within a week to 10 days, according to NCAA president Mark Emmert.

The deadline for the Huskies to submit their appeal to the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance is Monday, according to Emmert.

But a UConn official told ESPN.com on Sunday the Huskies sent in the final appeal within the last two weeks, well ahead of the deadline.

As of right now, the Huskies are ineligible for the 2013 Tournament. They’ve had one appeal already denied and this would be their final appeal.

This could end up being huge for the Huskies in many ways.

We still don’t know whether or not Jim Calhoun will return to coach the Huskies next season. Knowing the fate of the 2013 NCAA Touranment might help make his decision even easier.

Alex Oriakhi has already asked for his release from his scholarship but there’s been no official word that has actually happened. Plus we are waiting to see if Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb will announce their decision(s) to leave UConn early and head to the NBA.

If UConn does in fact become eligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that all three could return which might make the Huskies one of the favorites for next season.

Right now though, let’s just hope the Huskies have their fate reversed and become eligible. Then we’ll just have to wait and see where the cards fall for them.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.