The Pac-10 will become the Pac-12 as soon as Colorado and Utah officially join the league.
The 95-year-old league once known as the Pacific 8 announced Tuesday that it would change the conference's name when the two new members join.
Colorado has said it expects to be playing in the new Pac-12 by 2012-13.
The conference last expanded in 1978, when Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-8, which then became the Pac-10.
Crimes and punishment • Washington State sophomore defensive tackle Dan Spitz will be ineligible for the first nine games this season for violating the NCAA's policy on banned substances. ... A judge has dismissed drug charges against North Carolina State players Jake Vermiglio, Markus Kuhn and J.R. Sweezy after ruling that police conducted an illegal search of an apartment where marijuana was found. ...
Boise State coach Chris Petersen says safety Jason Robinson has been suspended for the first three games of the season. Robinson pleaded guilty May 25 to misdemeanor battery for breaking another man's jaw during a fight at a downtown Boise bar. ... Iowa State defensive back David Sims has been charged with unauthorized use of a credit card. The aggravated misdemeanor charge was filed Tuesday by the Story County Attorney's Office. Sims is due in court Monday. ...
Oklahoma reserve running back Mossis Madu has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. ... Already facing a charge of driving under the influence, Oklahoma State safety Victor Johnson has been arrested again. University police arrested him just after midnight Saturday morning at his campus apartment for allegedly obstructing an officer who was responding to a complaint of a suspicious odor, according to school spokesman Gary Shutt.
Receiver hopes to play for Tide • A former Alabama football signee says he's giving up pro baseball and hopes to join the Crimson Tide.
Wide receiver Melvin Ray, a 2008 Tide signee, is no longer with the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization after a three-year stint as a minor league outfielder. The 21-year-old hopes to be part of Alabama's incoming 2011 recruiting class and possibly enroll in time for spring practice.
Ray says he doesn't plan to reopen his recruiting to other schools. But he hasn't received a formal offer from Tide coach Nick Saban.
