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Bruins, Sun Devils building rivalry

By WTOP Staff

JOHN MARSHALL
AP College Football Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Taylor Kelly will not play against No. 11 UCLA. Arizona State acknowledged it more than a week before the game.

Beyond that, well, we’ll have to wait and see; the 15th-ranked Sun Devils are keeping a lid on their injured quarterback’s availability until after backup Mike Bercovici plays against the Bruins.

UCLA is taking a different tack with its quarterback’s status.

Brett Hundley may play against Arizona State after injuring his left arm in UCLA’s last game. Then again, he may not. The Bruins aren’t saying.

Regardless of UCLA’s Hundley rope-a-dope, the Sun Devils have a pretty good idea who’ll be under center Thursday night at Sun Devil Stadium.

“No doubt in my mind, we’re planning for their quarterback to play,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham said Monday.

The hush-hush on Hundley has added a layer of intrigue to the first regular-season matchup between ranked opponents in Tempe since 2007.

Not that it needed any.

Arizona State still sees Arizona as its top rival and the Bruins will always want to beat Southern California more than any other team.

Beyond that, this budding cross-state rivalry is quickly becoming the top game on the schedule for both teams.

For one, the schools compete for many of the same recruits.

Southern California is a rich bed of talent that the Sun Devils have attempted to harvest in Graham’s three years as coach. Beating one of the teams you’re competing with for a recruit could go a long way toward swaying his decision.

On the field, the Bruins and Sun Devils have essentially played a de facto Pac-12 South title game the past two seasons.

In 2012, the first season for Graham at ASU and Jim Mora at UCLA, the Bruins came into the desert and rode off with a wild 45-43 win on a last-second field goal. UCLA still had some work to do after that, but the victory over Arizona State effectively clinched the South for the Bruins.

The Sun Devils returned the favor last season, clinching the Pac-12 South by outlasting UCLA 38-33 in Southern California.

This year’s game comes much earlier — the past two were in late October and November — but will be no less significant with both teams going into it 3-0.

“You don’t give any motivational speeches for this game, you don’t have to worry about if the kids are flat,” Graham said. “They’ll be fired up and ready to go. It’s been one of the marquee games each year.”

Now, about those quarterbacks.

Kelly injured his right foot against Colorado on Sept. 13 and was still on crutches and wearing a protective boot on Monday.

In his place against UCLA — and maybe beyond — will be Bercovici.

The big-armed junior has been waiting for his chance since Kelly beat him out in a tight preseason battle to be the starter in 2012. He’s thrown a total of 24 passes since then, but has treated every practice and rep as if he were the starter, waiting for this moment.

Arizona State had a bye last week, giving Bercovici extra time to work with the first team before facing UCLA.

“Going into this game is nothing new, as far as anxiety or anything like that,” he said after Monday’s practice. “I’ve just got to go in and do my job, not turn the ball over, get the sticks moving.”

Since UCLA’s Sept. 13 win over Texas, the question surrounding the Bruins has been: What about Hundley?

Mora isn’t saying.

Actually, he isn’t saying much of anything other than his team will need a quarterback against Arizona State.

Could be Jerry Neuheisel, who rallied the Bruins to a win over the Longhorns. Could be redshirt freshman Asiantii Woulard. Could be Hundley.

The message out of Los Angeles is purposefully vague, like this comment by Mora after being asked if Hundley will play:

“All of our players who are out, what we try to do is make the best decisions for them based upon the knowledge we have,” he said. “We depend on our doctors to get us good information, and we got the best doctors in the nation in my opinion. If they clear him, and they say he can play, just like everyone else, then we’ll play him.”

Hundley or not, this will be a big game for both teams.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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