SEC and ESPN sign 15-year TV pact

Conference no longer will look to start its own network

The Southeastern Conference has signed a 15-year deal with ESPN reportedly worth more than $2 billion to televise sporting events, including football and men's and women's basketball.

The agreement announced Monday is the longest ESPN has ever signed and matches the length of the powerhouse league's deal with CBS earlier in August.

The deal begins with the 2009-10 season and ends the league's look into starting a network to carry its sporting events.

ESPN will have rights to every SEC home football game not on the network package, and all league matchups will be shown on some outlet, including at least 20 a year on ESPN or ESPN2. That includes two primetime Thursday night matchups and Saturday night games.

"We're thrilled with the historic nature of this deal," ESPN executive vice president John Skipper said, adding that college sports have been "part of our DNA" for nearly 30 years.

The new deal also will add a second and third night of SEC basketball coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 each week. ABC will add two nationally televised regular-season hoops games and broadcast the SEC tournament semifinals and championship game.

ESPN's various outlets will carry more than 5,500 SEC events over the 15-year period, including league championships in women's basketball, baseball, softball and gymnastics.

The deal will end the SEC's affiliation with Raycom Sports, which has carried basketball since 1986 and SEC football since 1992.

NCAA TURNS DOWN MAUK AGAIN: The NCAA has turned down Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk's latest appeal for another year of eligibility but granted him one more chance to plead his case before a reinstatement committee.

The NCAA notified Mauk on Monday that it was holding to its position that he used all of his collegiate eligibility -- the fourth time it has rejected his request for more playing time.

However, the former Wake Forest player will get a chance to argue his case before the association's reinstatement committee on Thursday.

STILL NO STARTER FOR LSU: Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch may start in LSU's opener on Saturday against Appalachian State, but coach Les Miles is not ready to commit to that yet.

Neither of LSU's other two quarterbacks -- redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and freshman Jordan Jefferson -- has taken a snap in a game.

TWO VOLS SUSPENDED FOR OPENER: Tennessee starting defensive back Brett Vinson and defensive tackle Donald Langley were suspended for the Volunteers' opener at UCLA next Monday. Coach Phillip Fulmer said academic issues led to the suspensions.

MICHIGAN COACH MUM ON STARTING QB: With just days remaining to Michigan's first game with Rich Rodriguez as coach, plenty of questions about the season remain. Among them is: "So who's going to play quarterback, anyway?"

Seven positions on the offensive depth chart did not have starters listed Monday, including quarterback and running back.

Rodriguez said he had a "gut feeling" about who'll start under center Saturday against visiting Utah but wasn't revealing a name.

USC QB APPEARS READY: Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez went through his first full practice Monday since dislocating his left kneecap 17 days earlier, and appears on track to start Saturday's season-opener at Virginia.

A&M'S LANE QUESTIONABLE: Texas A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane is questionable for Saturday's opener against Arkansas State because of lingering effects from a neck injury.