College football briefs for July 26, 2005

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.

Ohio State QB cleared by school

Troy Smith did not break any NCAA rules when he missed a class to attend a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, the school said Monday.

Ohio State athletic department officials spent six weeks probing Smith's attendance at the June football camp.

NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class without written permission.

But because Smith was hired, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, the school said.

Hokies favored to win division in ACC

Virginia Tech was picked to win the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and more than doubled the first-place votes given to Miami, which came in second. Virginia also got a vote for the top spot and came in third.

The addition of Boston College to the Atlantic Division did little to change things -- at least in the minds of the voters -- as Florida State was the easy choice to meet Virginia Tech in the league's first championship game later in the year.

Last year, the Hokies were picked to finish sixth in what was then an 11-team conference.

New poll to use retired coaches

A dozen retired coaches with impressive resumes have agreed to take part in a new college football poll that the organizer hopes to unveil in late September.

Ideally, the Master Coaches Survey will have 15 or 16 voters, who will be provided game films of the top teams, said Andy Curtin, an Atlanta-based lawyer and former sports agent who came up with the idea.

Curtin said 12 coaches have already committed to participate, but would not identify them.

-- Sun wire services