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When news of the college admissions scandal broke in March 2019, much of the nation was thrilled by its promise of good gossip and ample schadenfreude. The story had everything we love to hate-read — it was a tale of extreme wealth and extreme greed. Celebrities like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin had collaborated with Rick Singer, a“private admissions counselor,” to fake test scores and athletic resumes in order buy their kids’ way into elite colleges. In a deeply divided nation, here, at last, was something we could all agree on: These people were monsters, and they deserved to be exposed, mocked and punished for their sins.
“When the scandal broke, I, like the rest of the United States, was totally and completely obsessed,” says Julie Buxbaum, “but times a thousand — more than anyone else.” Buxbaum is the author of five novels, mostly for young adults, including the New York Times bestselling “Tell Me Three Things,” but before she started writing, she was a lawyer. So she knew what she was looking at when she sat down and read through the actual case that had been brought by the Massachusetts district attorney — all 500 pages of it. Even that wasn’t enough; as Buxbaum explained during a phone call, the scandal “wouldn’t let me go.”
For all the information she’d gleaned from the legalese, Buxbaum was still left with questions that reached beyond guilt or innocence. Which is what led her to write her sixth book, out next week. “Admission” is a young adult novel about a teenage girl named Chloe who has just discovered that her parents faked her way into her dream school — and now her mother, a B-list actress best known as a charming sitcom mom, may end up going to jail for it.
Though the details are ripped from the headlines, Buxbaum lets us know in the novel’s introduction that Chloe isn’t meant to be a cipher for any of its familiar faces: “I do not know anyone involved in the scandal, nor did I do any investigative reporting.”
She wrote the disclaimer, she explains, because “it was important to me that I was telling a larger story, not the particular story of the famous names.” She wanted to ask broader questions about privilege, complicity and what we allow ourselves to know about the unattractive underbellies of our lives.
While no one ever tells Chloe explicitly what’s being done for her, she spends much of the time half-noticing how oddly her parents are acting: the sudden arrival of a private college counselor, something her prep school expressly discourages; her parents’ insistence that she has a heretofore undiagnosed learning disability; her father asking for a picture of her where she looks “tan.”
“I’m always interested in that gray area in life where
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) says it’s implementing additional health and safety measures in a bid to clamp down on a growing multi-floor coronavirus outbreak at one of its hospitals.
In addition, organization officials stress that despite the outbreak, as well as cases involving at least 28 staff members, its facilities remain a safe place to seek and receive care.
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“We are actively working in collaboration with our partners at Middlesex-London Health Unit to address the COVID-19 outbreaks at University Hospital and I want to thank everyone whose efforts are helping to reduce transmission,” said LHSC CEO Dr. Woods in a statement Friday.
For more than two weeks, LHSC has been grappling with outbreaks at its University Hospital (UH) campus that have impacted a total of seven units and infected a total of 61 people, according to the health unit. Eleven of the 17 cases reported by the health unit on Friday were linked to the hospital,
“Regrettably there have been two deaths associated with these outbreaks and LHSC shares its thoughts and sympathies with the families during this difficult time,” Woods said.
Read more: ‘Majority’ of Canadians should be vaccinated against coronavirus by September: Trudeau
Local health officials first declared an outbreak at UH on Nov. 10 in the hospital’s 4IP General Medicine unit. The next day, on Nov. 11, a separate outbreak was declared in 9IP Orthopedics.
While the Nov. 11 outbreak has since resolved and was only tied to six cases, the Nov. 10 outbreak in 4IP General Medicine has continued to grow, and as of Friday, encompassed at least six units on multiple floors of the hospital.
The two most recent units to be impacted by the Nov. 10 outbreak were reported on Friday: 4TU Multi-Organ Transplant Unit and 6IP Cardiovascular Surgery.
They join 4IP General Medicine, 6IP Acute/Decant Medicine, 9IP Sub-Acute Medicine, and 10IP Palliative Care/Sub-Acute Medicine as units the outbreak has affected in the 17 days it has been active.
Coronavirus: Ontario COVID-19 data shows hospitalizations increased 63 per cent over 4 weeks
At least 55 cases and two deaths have been linked to the expansive Nov. 10 outbreak, the health unit says, making it the largest outbreak to be seen in London and Middlesex during the pandemic, according to the region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Chris Mackie.
A number of those infected have been staff at the hospital, he says, with transmission being driven by people letting their guard down, such as during work breaks.
LHSC reported Friday that at least 28 staff members in its organization were currently infected with the virus, while at least 26 inpatients with COVID-19 were in its care.
“The major breakdown was personal protective equipment between staff,” Mackie said of the ongoing outbreak.
Read more: Former NATO mission head to lead Canada’s coronavirus vaccine rollout
Frank Lampard has said Roman Abramovich’s arrival at Chelsea “changed my career” as the Russian prepares to celebrate his 1,000th match since buying the club in 2003.
Fittingly, José Mourinho’s Tottenham are the visitors to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Lampard hoping to provide a 609th win of the Abramovich era that would lift his side above their London rivals in the Premier League.
Related: Chelsea are back in fashion – but Roman Abramovich is out in the cold
Across a period that started when Mourinho’s side beat Liverpool in the 2005 League Cup final, Chelsea have won 16 trophies – more than any other English team – and Lampard acknowledged the role played in that success by the owner, who has spent an estimated £2bn at the club.
“As a manager and a player who was involved in a lot of those games I can give him nothing but a huge thank you because nothing we have achieved in the Roman Abramovich era could have been achieved without him or his support,” Lampard said.
“Firstly a financial input but also the development of the training ground and also the love and time put into the academy. And the trophies we have been able to win have been made possible because of him.”
More than six years since his last appearance on the pitch at Stamford Bridge, Lampard still leads the way in goals scored in the Abramovich era with a club record 196 and he said their relationship had not changed since he became manager.
“It has always been professional. That’s how I like to have relationships in the workplace and it will always be the prerogative of the owner to set that tone. I certainly always felt his support over the years, as a player when he first came to the club and as the years have gone by whether he’s here or not, which seems to be a fascination for everybody.
“The important thing now as manager is to feel that support and try to do my best to bring success to the club. So I don’t need a relationship to be anything more than that. I’m very thankful for him doing what he’s done for the club because it changed my career as a player.”
If you didn’t get your football fill on Thanksgiving, there is plenty of college football to feast on the day after.
The day started with No. 13 Iowa State making history by defeating No. 17 Texas – and continues with another heavyweight bout between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 19 UNC.
Let’s dig in.
Classiest tradition in college football
The Hawkeyes started the ‘Kinnick Wave,’ a tradition where both teams wave to the children watching from the windows of the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital that overlooks Kinnick Stadium at end of the first quarter.
Holy smokes, Simmons
UNC receiver Emery Simmons climbed a ladder in the corner for the dazzling touchdown catch.
Texas tricks fall short
In a closely fought battle, the Longhorns pulled out all the stops, but were stopped short of the first down on this play.
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger did all he could to push the Longhorns to victory, as he continously tossed bombs, including a 59-yarder to Brennan Eagles, bringing the ball inside the five for first-and-goal.
As well as this one for a 45-yard pickup.
But Iowa State made plays of its own, astight end Shaun Beyer went up the seam and brought it down – fully extended – with just one hand.
Then the Cyclones found pay-dirt with Sean Shaw’s scamper down the sideline with the extra-special spin move.
Iowa defense calls game
The Hawkeyes defense came in clutch, registering the sack, recovering the fumble, and locking up the 26-20 win.
And the Iowa defense made plays all day long, including a recovery of Cam Taylor-Britt’s muffed punt.
Came for the sack, stayed for the celebration
Latrell Bankston brought the pressure on third-and-6, sacking Sam Ehlinger.
But Bankston didn’t stop there, showing off his big-man flexibility.
Tyrone Tracy touchdown
Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras sent it six yards to a wide-open Tyrone Tracy Jr. for six.
Dicaprio Bootle with the pick
Spencer Petras got shifty in the pocket, but he didn’t fool Nebraska’s Dicaprio Bootle, who took it away at the Iowa 42-yard line.
Textbook play from the Irish
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book made six out of nothing, avoiding disaster on the way to the score.
Crafty Connor
A second one-hander on Friday, this time by Cal’s Connor Wedington.
Levi on the move
Wyoming quarterback Levi Williams put his big body to use on this run.
Keep checking back throughout the day for more top plays!
Get more from College FootballAdd to your favorites to get information about games, news and more.
Marcus Mosher, Sportsbook Wire
Published 11:01 a.m. CT Nov. 27, 2020
It’s Week 13 of the college football season and we are back with our favorite parlay of the week. This bet includes a few favorites and a few underdogs from the best games of the weekend. Let’s take a look at our top college football parlay among SportsbookWire’s college football picks and predictions.
College football parlay picks, predictions and best bets
Odds via BetMGM; accessUSA TODAY Sports’ betting oddsfor a full list.Lines last updated Friday at noon ET.
Leg 1: Penn State at Michigan -1.5 (-110)
Two of the most underwhelming teams in college football face off in Week 13 as Michigan will host Penn State. The Nittany Lions are still looking for their first win of the season as they were blown out by Iowa last week. Michigan appears to be the better team on paper and should be able to get a win here this week.
Leg 2: Louisville (-106) at Boston College
Louisville has been on the wrong end of some tough losses this season, as has Boston College. The Cardinals being slight underdogs in this game feels wrong considering how explosive they are on offense. Look for Louisville to score into the low-30s this week and pull off the modest upset.
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Leg 3: Auburn +25 (-115) at Alabama
It’s tough to bet against Alabama, but Auburn getting 25 points feels like a few too many. The Crimson Tide should be able to win this game with ease, but can the Tigers stay within four touchdowns? I think so. Look for this to be a shootout and for Auburn to score into the mid-20s, which should allow the cover to happen for the Tigers.
Leg 4: LSU +14.5 (-106) at Texas A&M
LSU has not been a good team this season but it should be able to stay within two scores of A&M. Both offenses are averaging around 33-34 points per game this season and the Aggies have proven they can be exposed through the air. Take Texas A&M to win this game, but for LSU to stay within 14 points.
Leg 5: Georgia -21.5 (-106) at South Carolina
Anytime you bet on a team to win by more than 21 points, it gets a little hairy; however, Georgia’s offense has picked up in the last few weeks. South Carolina has just been so underwhelming this season after scoring a combined 13 points against Missouri and Texas A&M. Take Georgia to run away with this game Saturday evening.
5-TEAM PARLAY | Bet $100 to earn a profit of 2,519.70
Boston College football is back from their bye week, as they wrap up their home schedule with a game against Louisville (3-6). Here are some of our final thoughts heading into the game.
Matchups
When Boston College Throws The Ball: Edge Boston College. If you were to just go by statistical rankings this would go towards Louisville. However, this week on the Locked on Boston College podcast, Eric Hoffses brought up an interesting point. The Cardinals have only faced one of out of the Top 5 passing teams in the ACC, and let up 320 yards through the air. They have been fortunate to face almost exclusively teams in the bottom in terms of passing yards. Jurkovec, hopefully with a healthy shoulder, will most likely find success against the Cardinals.
When Boston College Runs The Ball: Edge Louisville. The Cardinals have struggled to stop the run this year, but on the other hand Boston College hasn’t been all that effective running the ball either. This could be a game where the Eagles get that running game going, but strictly based on what we’ve seen this edge goes slightly to UL.
When Louisville Throws The Ball: Edge Boston College. Louisville can throw the ball, there is no doubt about that, ranking 9th in the ACC in yards. However they turn the ball over way too much, as Malik Cunningham has throw 11 interceptions this year. BC’s defense is opportunistic and takes advantage of sloppy play, and UL’s play feeds right into this.
When Louisville Runs The Ball: Edge Louisville. This was a tough one, especially after Javian Hawkins opted out. Louisville ranks 4th in the ACC in rushing. But after seeing what Ian Book was able to do out of the pocket, I will give the edge to the Cardinals.
Beer of the Game
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale: Winter IPA, beautifully crafted and perfect for the season. One more game in November, let’s get in the holiday spirit with this delicious beer.
Song of the Game: Give Up The Funk
Fan Excitement: 6/10
With basketball, and hockey returning and the holidays in full swing, talk of Boston College football has quieted a bit. But this is a big two game stretch for the Eagles, a pair of wins and Jeff Hafley has his squad in good position to land at a solid bowl game.
Prediction: There is something about Louisville’s offense that is concerning, given what we saw against Notre Dame two weeks ago. However, the biggest statistic that jumps out to me are the turnovers. We saw what BC was able to do against Duke, another mistake prone team, I think we see the same thing on Saturday. Boston College 35 Louisville 24.
A SEC battle is on tap between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats at noon ET on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida is 6-1 overall and 3-0 at home, while Kentucky is 3-5 overall and 1-3 on the road. The Gators own a 52-18 advantage in the all-time series and won 31 times in a row from 1987-2017 before Mark Stoops broke the streak in 2018 with a 27-16 win.
However, Florida won for a 32nd time in 33 tries last season with a 29-21 win, but Kentucky did cover the spread as 10-point underdogs. The Gators are favored by 25.5-points in the latest Florida vs. Kentucky odds from William Hill Sportsbook, and the over-under is at 60.5. Before entering any Kentucky vs. Florida picks, you’ll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also a sizzling 44-23 on all top-rated picks through 12 weeks of the 2020 college football schedule, returning over $1,200 in profit already. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Florida vs. Kentucky. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds for Florida vs. Kentucky:
Florida vs. Kentucky spread: Florida -25.5
Florida vs. Kentucky over-under: 60.5 points
Florida vs. Kentucky money line: Florida -2000, Kentucky +1100
Latest Odds:
Wildcats
+24.5
What you need to know about Florida
The Gators took their contest against the Vanderbilt Commodores last Saturday by a conclusive 38-17 score. QB Kyle Trask continued his habit of dropping crazy stat lines, passing for three TDs and 383 yards on 35 attempts. Trask is putting up video game numbers with a 70.7 percent completion rate, 2,554 yards, 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions in seven games.
The Heisman Trophy candidate will also get a boost on Saturday with tight end Kyle Pitts expected to return to the lineup. Pitts has 24 catches for 414 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing two games from a brutal hit against Georgia that left him concussed and needing surgery on a broken nose.
What you need to know about Kentucky
Meanwhile, a win for the Wildcats just wasn’t in the stars last Saturday as the team never even grasped a temporary lead. They were dealt a punishing 63-3 loss at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide. QB Terry Wilson failed to produce a single touchdown and threw one interception with only 120 yards passing.
Kentucky got steamrolled by an Alabama offense that does that to just about everybody, but the defense has been pretty opportunistic at times. The Wildcats forced six turnovers in an early-season win over Mississippi State and then followed that up the next week by forcing four
Look for a “For Sale” sign soon to appear on the Harrisburg riverfront property that has served as headquarters for Pennsylvania’s state university system for the past 28 years.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education was given the green light from the General Assembly to sell the Dixon University Center, the nearly 6.5-acre campus that sits along Front Street and stretches across North Second Street. It is named in honor of Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., a wealthy Philadelphia area philanthropist who was the system’s founding and longtime board chairman.
Next up is looking for potential buyers for the property and the six brick-faced edifices and an underground parking garage on it.
System spokesman David Pidgeon said the system is in the process of selecting a Realtor to handle the sale of the property.
“Selling the Dixon University Center is an important example of the innovation agenda the State System is pursuing, and we appreciate the support of both chambers in the General Assembly,” Pidgeon said. “While the journey to a successful sale is a long one, [the Senate’s vote on Nov. 17] coupled with the House’s approval on Sept. 16 adds to the State System’s growing momentum as it seeks to build a brighter future.”
The system’s board voted in August to ask for legislative permission to sell the underutilized property as part of a cost-saving move. System officials indicated money saved from moving the system offices to a smaller facility would be directed to support ongoing efforts of redesigning the system and its universities.
Board chairwoman Cynthia Shapira said at the time the sale of the Dixon University Center demonstrates the board’s commitment to a top-to-bottom look at the system “and not hold anything sacred.”
The State System purchased the property in 1991 and made substantial renovations to the historic buildings that for decades housed the Harrisburg Academy, one of the nation’s oldest non-public schools.
During the Depression and World War II, David Morrison, executive director of the Historic Harrisburg Association, said in his history of the property, much of the property was sold to the U.S. War Department to use as a training center for the military’s air intelligence service. The property also has been used as the temporary home for Harrisburg Area Community College while its Wildwood Campus was being built.
The sale of this historic property is not the only dramatic change that the system is pursuing these days in its efforts to overhaul the system to keep tuition affordable and adjust to changing demographics and workforce development demands.
The system has begun the exploration of integrating six universities into two separate institutions to put all six schools on a more financially sustainable path. In the western part of the state, Edinboro, California and Clarion universities are being considered to become one institution. In the north central part of the state, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Mansfield universities are looking at integration into a single institution.
In each of those groupings, all campuses would remain open
Back in October, college football’s postseason received a new, albeit simple, rebrand called “Bowl Season.” The Bowl Season organization is the one-stop shop for all things bowls in major college football. With the start of bowl season less than a month away — the Frisco Bowl is first up on Dec. 19 — the coalition, as it is self-described, has released its first set of bowl projections. These are, of course, separate from the projections released by CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm every week.
These projections will be released each Wednesday moving forward for the next three weeks, leading up to the official College Football Playoff selections on Sunday, Dec. 20. They are made with considerations to current standings, CFP rankings, conference tie-ins and “discussions between bowl and conference leadership”. That would appear to peel back the curtain on the inner workings of where teams actually could be headed this winter.
“We are very excited to unveil the first-ever BowlSeason.com projections,” Nick Carparelli, executive director of Bowl Season, said in a statement. “Speaking to bowl administrators, conference commissioners and TV network leadership every day, these projections are a result of pooling all of those resources to compile the most educated forecast for the 35 active bowl games. There is much football to be played and, like the rankings, the projections will probably change each week. Bowl Season is truly a celebration of college football and we can’t wait for the first bowl games in less than a month.”
Among the more notable matchups in the first projections, Clemson and Notre Dame are slated to meet in the Rose Bowl, one of the College Football Playoff semifinals. That would theoretically mark the third time the two teams will have met this year. They’ve played once already, a 47-40 double-overtime win for the Irish, and presumably will meet again in the ACC Championship Game. The other semifinal, played at the Sugar Bowl, pairs Alabama and Ohio State.
In the New Year’s Six bowls, Florida and Miami are projected to meet in the Orange Bowl, Georgia and Cincinnati are projected to meet in the Peach Bowl and Texas A&M and Iowa State would meet in the Cotton Bowl. That would give the SEC three teams in the New Year’s Six and projects Iowa State as the Big 12 champ.
Notably, BYU is projected to participate in the Birmingham Bowl on New Year’s Day, representing just how stark the difference is for the Cougars between a New Year’s Six berth and a lower-tier bowl.
You can check out the entire bowl projections below.
Gov. Ron DeSantis this week appointed Ken Jones, the head of a Tampa investment firm, to the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system.
Jones runs Third Lake Partners and is set to join the Board of Governors upon confirmation from the Florida Senate. He is a former practicing lawyer and served as the CEO of the host committee that brought the 2012 Republican National Convention to Tampa. He was recently named to the executive committee of the 2021 Super Bowl Host Committee.
The Board of Governors directs policy for Florida’s many public universities, including the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. This year, members have discussed the potential for a tuition hike and weighed in on guidelines for campus reopenings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Jones, 48, said he is a lifelong Floridian who attended Florida State University as an undergraduate and later earned a law degree at the University of Florida.
“It’s an incredible honor to be asked to serve on the Board of Governors,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. “I’m hopeful that I can contribute the experiences that I’ve had in my life both as a student in the education system as well as an executive who runs a business and bring those perspectives to the board to influence good education policy in the state of Florida.”
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![Roman Abramovich wearing a suit and tie: Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqCNz.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=461&y=234"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqCNz.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=461&y=234"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqCNz.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=461&y=234"}})
![Roman Abramovich wearing a suit and tie: Roman Abramovich has been owner of Chelsea since 2003 and in that time the team have won 16 trophies.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"48","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqQlx.img?h=480&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1398&y=705"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqQlx.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1398&y=705"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"38","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqQlx.img?h=375&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1398&y=705"}})
![a couple of people that are standing in front of a building: Ken Jones, named this week to the Florida Board of Governors, speaks at a 2013 news conference about the economic impact of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqln4.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1717&y=374"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqln4.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1717&y=374"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1bqln4.img?h=417&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1717&y=374"}})