When you hear about the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), you think of names like Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. Someone you don’t hear too often in association with BALCO is British sprinter Dwain Chambers.

Instead of basking in a gold medal, Chambers is currently playing football for Chabot Junior College in Hayward, Calif., after testing positive for Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), the steroid at the forefront of the BALCO controversy.

‘I got caught up in something that I had no idea would escalate the way it did,’ Chambers said to the Associated Press. ‘We are all collateral damage now. They went after one person, but we all got caught up in the mix.’

Because of the scandal, the British Olympic Association has banned Chambers for life from the Olympics, and he is not allowed to compete in track and field until Nov. 6, 2005. In the meantime, Chambers is learning how to play American football, considering THG has yet to be put on the NCAA banned substance list.

‘We are currently not testing for THG,’ NCAA medical liaison Mary Wilfert said, ‘but we are in the process of working out the procedures to include that in our drug testing.’

Chambers is not alone, though, when it comes to college football athletes whose lives have been altered because of steroids or crime in college communities. Trouble is surfacing at colleges many wouldn’t expect.

In Provo, Utah, a 17-year-old girl accused four Brigham Young University football players of raping her after a party in January but later admitted that the sex was consensual.

Though the players will not receive any criminal charges, all are under review by the BYU’s honor code board, which determines the punishment for BYU students who violate the school’s strict moral code, which obliges students to abstain from drugs, alcohol and premarital sex.

Kedrick Alexander and Terrance Thomas of Tulsa were sentenced to probation and community service after stealing a fellow athlete’s computer, PlayStation and credit card. Though Alexander and Thomas have been suspended from the Tulsa football team as well as the school, they consider themselves lucky considering second-degree burglary charges carry a two- to seven-year prison term in Oklahoma.

Last week, Air Force linebacker Overton Spence was acquitted of drug charges, claiming he believed the performance-enhancing drugs he was taking were legal. Though he doesn’t have to worry about a charge that could’ve sent him to prison for 10 years, Spence still has to worry about a possible one-year suspension from the NCAA.

In Alabama, freshman Earnest Lee Nance was arrested last week after an incident in a bar. According to Sheffield, Ala., Police Chief Doug Aycock, the Crimson Tide linebacker revealed a gun as he was questioned by a police officer, then fled the scene after dropping the gun.

It is hard to look at college football news today and miss out on at least one story involving drugs and crime. The NCAA is doing its best to keep crime and illegal drug use at a minimum, and it is proud of its drug record.

‘We only have a 1-to-2 percent positive rate out of all our samples that we collect,’ Wilfert said.

These numbers are relatively low compared to other sports like Major League Baseball, which has been reported to have five to seven percent of its players using banned substances. Athletes like Chambers can only put the past behind them and move forward.

‘For what it is worth, I am grateful for what happened to me, because it opened my eyes to so much,’ Chambers said to the Oakland Tribune. ‘You can do one of two things: learn to get on with it or go jump off a bridge.’

SYRACUSE (-17) AT BUFFALOSaturday, 6 P.M. Time Warner Sports

The Orange will actually score points this weekend, but not many. Syracuse will win the game, but it won’t beat the spread. Buffalo isn’t a good team, and neither is Syracuse. Look for a terrible game filled with fumbles, penalties, sacks and missed field goals. Sounds kind of like last week.Pick: Syracuse 20, Buffalo 10

No. 8 MICHIGAN (-11) AT NOTRE DAMESaturday, 3:30 P.M. NBC

You can’t help but feel bad for the Notre Dame football program in the last few years. Last year the Wolverines beat the Irish, 38-0, in Ann Arbor, Mich. This year the Irish will do a little better under the leadership of defensive end Justin Tuck, but they will be no match for Michigan.Pick: Michigan 38, Notre Dame 10

UCLA (-6.5) AT ILLINOISSaturday, noon ABC

The all-time series is tied at five games apiece. This one is going to be close, but Illinois will win it in the fourth quarter.Pick: Illinois 21, UCLA 20

MARSHALL (+16) AT No. 9 OHIO STATESaturday, 3:30 P.M. ABC

This one won’t even be a contest. Buckeye linebacker A.J. Hawk is going to make sure Marshall running back Earl Charles doesn’t get much on the ground. Ohio State will get off to a 2-0 start.Pick: Ohio State 31, Marshall 7

PENN STATE (+2) AT BOSTON COLLEGESaturday, 8 P.M. ABC

The Eagles looked a little shaky last weekend, beating Ball State by only eight points. Boston College does deserve credit, though, considering its running back, J.V. Whitworth, is a freshman. The Eagles will win this one and the ‘Superfan Zone’ will have plenty to cheer about.Pick: Boston College 24, Penn State 20

Published on September 6, 2004 at 12:00 pm