:: Sports News ::

• Meyer defends recruiting practices (AP)

  

  There must have been a lot of interesting give-and-take when the Big Ten football coaches met at the conference offices on Friday. New Ohio State coach Urban Meyer faced off with at least a couple of coaches who have been reported saying they question his poaching of recruits who had already committed to other programs.

  
  

• One of nation's top QBs chooses FSU (AP)

  One of the nation's top high school quarterbacks is bound for Florida State. Hueytown's Jameis Winston signed to play for the Seminoles on Friday at an indoor sports complex in Birmingham before teammates, family, friends and a handful of Florida State fans. "I'm ready to get this started," Winston said.

• West Va. cancels game at Florida State (AP)

  West Virginia has decided to cancel its Sept. 8 football game at Florida State. School officials informed Florida State late Friday they would pay a $350,000 escape fee to shelve the trip. Florida State Athletic Director Randy Spetman said Saturday he's disappointed that West Virginia would not honor the first half of a home-and-home agreement that calls for Florida State to visit Morgantown,...

• Utah St.'s Smith runs for 124 in Classic (AP)

  Utah State's Michael Smith ran for 124 yards and one touchdown to lead the North to a 24-19 victory over the South in the Players All-Star Classic at War Memorial Stadium. Smith's 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the North at 17-16 lead. "I'm just grateful that was I was out here for this," Smith said.

• Iowa off. coordinator O'Keefe resigns (AP)

  Iowa used to have one of the nation's most stable staffs under head coach Kirk Ferentz. In less than two months, he has lost the only coordinators he has ever had. Iowa announced Friday that offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe had resigned after 13 seasons, leaving the program for another coaching position the school did not identify.

• Pitt to play in ACC's Coastal Division (AP)

  Pittsburgh will join the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division in football, the league announced on Friday. When the Panthers actually begin playing in the ACC remains unknown, but athletic director Steve Pederson isn't ready to shut the door on 2012. The ACC announced Friday that Pitt will join the Coastal with Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Duke and North Carolina.