We've examined the difficulties faced by first-year athletic director Jeff Hammond, who inherited a multi-million-dollar budget deficit when he took over at Southern Miss. Complicating matters was the performance of the team, which went 0-12 under new head coach Ellis Johnson. Johnson had been hired under lame-duck AD…

What's the market price for an easy home win in college football? The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have made a deal to move next season's opener—a long-anticipated matchup against Nebraska in Hattiesburg—to Nebraska instead. In a letter between the schools' athletic directors dated last week, which was viewed by…