At some point, the principals in big-time college sports will act on the same set of facts known even to microbial inhabitants of the average intestine: The NCAA is utterly ill-equipped to manage the enormous business machine of college football, and the sooner the relationship is dissolved and rebuilt, the faster sports fans can get into the shower and start to scrub off the slime.

That point is growing nearer.

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Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a blood-alcohol level of .18 the night of March 9 when he drove off a street and crashed his car, prompting the Seattle city attorney office to charge him Tuesday with drunk driving.

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No longer born in America is the child so naïve as to believe that big-time college sports is anything less than an entertainment business empire astride the fruited plain, swollen with endless hours of TV time, million-dollar salaries, billion-dollar deals, and a steady flow of scandal and litigation. Ever more perfunctory is its relationship with the universities that spawned the colossus.

Read the full story at SeattleBusinessMag.com

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As the city attorney's office looks into filing charges against Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington's premier tight end issued an apology through the school Monday afternoon.

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After leaving the roadway and slamming into a catch basin with the speeding vehicle he was driving, Austin Seferian-Jenkins was thrown forward and smashed the windshield with his face, requiring hospitalization at Harborview Saturday night, where he refused a blood-alcohol test while demanding to speak to an attorney that was unable to be found by Seattle police.

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University of Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian issued a statement saying All-America tight end candidate Austin Seferian-Jenkins "made decisions that fall short" after he was arrested by police around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night at 22nd Avenue NE and Northeast Ravenna.

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He didn't say it directly, but I'm happy to offer up for coach Steve Sarkisian, free from diplomatic hedging, his 2013 seasonal motto for the University of Washington football team.

Beat the Ducks.

The slogan is more meaningful than last season's "Take the Next Step," which could mean a Wile E. Coyote-style drop from the cliff instead of moving forward. In fact, it turned out to be a sidestep -- another 7-6 season.

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The biggest recruit in the 2013 football class at the University of Washington: A remodeled Husky Stadium.

Asked for the general impression when recruits had the first glimpse of the old joint under new construction, Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said, "Wow. Really wow."

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University of Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian Wednesday received national letters of intent from 22 recruits from five states, two of whom, safety Trevor Walker and quarterback Troy Williams, graduated early from high school and are already enrolled at UW. Williams, an honorable mention All-America by Parade magazine, is the star of Sarkisian's fifth recruiting class, listed here alphabetically:

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Nate Robinson, who wowed University of Washington basketball fans from 2003-05 with his amazing athleticism, will be inducted into the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Hall of Honor March 16. Robinson, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, will be enshrined prior to the championship of game of the Pac-12 Tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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Art Thiel is LIVE from the red carpet at the 78th Annual Sports Star of the Year Awards at Benaroya Hall.

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The Washington Huskies (9-5, 1-0) erased their season-long shooting woes early, sprinting out to a 21-4 lead against Washington State (9-5, 0-1 Pac-12) in their conference opener. It was just enough to beat the Cougars 68-63 Saturday night in Pullman.

Scott Suggs made back-to-back contested jumpers, then an uncontested bucket on a WSU turnover in the final two minutes to give the Huskies a 64-61 lead. After Mike Ladd and Andrew Andrews exchanged free throws, Davonté Lacy capped a horrific shooting night (3-11) by drawing back iron on the potential game-tying three.

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Multiple media reports say University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who won the Fiesta Bowl Thursday night over Kansas State, is close to reaching an agreement to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns, ex-Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren’s former team. For fans of the Washington Huskies, this amounts to the single greatest piece of news in more than a decade, better even than the hiring of Steve Sarkisian in 2009, or beating Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl two years ago.

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In 2013, there's some sports stuff I want to hear, and don't want to hear.

WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR

"Russell Wilson is slow to get up."

"The Big East Conference is pleased to announce the addition of the University of Hawaii, and the Sorbonne."

"The initial excavation revealed the remains of a prehistoric village that carbon-dates to at least 10,000 years ago. So until researchers more fully examine the extraordinary discovery, the arena construction at this site is on hold until further notice.'

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Long considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in Washington history, Marques Tuiasosopo is returning to his alma mater to coach quarterbacks for Steve Sarkisian, the school said Saturday afternoon.

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GAME: Washington (7-5 overall, 5-3 Pac-12) vs. Boise State (10-2-0 overall, 7-1 Mountain West). WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas. MEETING: 2nd (Washington leads 1-0). COACHES: Steve Sarkisian, Washington; Chris Petersen, Boise State. RANKINGS: Boise State 19 BCS, 20 AP, 15 USA Today; UW unranked. LINE: Boise by 5½. TV: ESPN. RADIO: KJR-950 AM, 102.9 FM.

Washington and Boise State have faced each other once (2007), but the teams are becoming a lot more familiar with each other. They not only meet Saturday afternoon in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas, they will open the 2013 season against each other in the first game scheduled at the renovated Husky Stadium.

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The Washington-Boise State Las Vegas Bowl matchup Saturday will feature two decent defenses, but Boise State overwhelms the Huskies when it comes to putting points on the scoreboard. In 2012, Boise State scored 47 touchdowns to Washington's 38. Check out the differences in rushing yards, passing yards and total offense, and you'll see that the Broncos present a formidable task for Steve Sarkisian's Huskies, who were almost dead even statistically with their opponents this past season.

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The Huskies won two of their first three games, and then faced a gauntlet of four nationally ranked teams in a five-week span. Washington won two of the five, knocking off Stanford and Oregon State. The Huskies then had a four-game winning streak to become bowl eligible, but ended the regular season with a thud by blowing an 18-point lead and losing the Apple Cup to Washington State 31-28 in overtime. Washington will be making its third consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Steve Sarkisian.

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Boise State lost its season opener at Michigan State and then reeled off  seven consecutive victories before losing at San Diego State, a team that lost to Washington at CenturyLink Field. That loss knocked Boise State out of the national rankings, but the Broncos came back in (No. 19, BCS, 20th AP), by winning their final three to finish 10-2. Boise State played Washington once (2007) and will meet the Huskies again in the opening game of the 2013 season, the first in renovated Husky Stadium.

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