ACC, Big East, Irish, bowls discuss alliance

The Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner said some progress was made yesterday toward a postseason football alliance that would involve Notre Dame, the Big East, the ACC and three major bowls.

Officials of the different organizations met behind closed doors at a Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) International Airport hotel for more than eight hours.

ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan said representatives from the conferences, Notre Dame and the bowls will meet at least one, perhaps two more times before any agreement is completed.

The meeting was to focus on a proposal developed by the ACC last month in which the highest-ranked team among the Big East and ACC champions and Notre Dame would play the highest-ranked team from the hosts of the Cotton, Sugar and Orange bowls, The Dallas Morning News reported.

College basketball

Morgan State signed two recruits this week, bringing the total number to 10.

The last to sign before the spring recruiting period ended Wednesday were Obadiah Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard from Largo High School, and Matt Burrell, a 6-foot-7 forward from Hagerstown Junior College.

Johnson was a member of The Washington Post all-metro second team and the all-Prince George's County first team.