NCAA restores Penn State's bowl eligibility

The NCAA announced Monday it is restoring Penn State's postseason eligibility immediately and allowing it to return to a full 85 scholarship roster in 2015, citing "progress toward ensuring its athletics department functions with integrity."

Essentially, the decision by the NCAA Executive Committee wipes away the most significant competitive sanctions levied against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

The postseason ban was originally scheduled to go through the 2015 season. Last September, the NCAA softened the scholarship limits in the wake of a progress report compiled by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, increasing the caps from 65 to 75 this season. The NCAA did not agree to lift the other sanctions at that time.

In his year two progress report published Sunday, Mitchell wrote, "Through the second year of the Consent Decree, Penn State has not wavered in this commitment. The initiatives undertaken in the first year have begun to take root as a result of Penn State's continuing focus on these reforms."

more at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2014/09/08/penn-state-bowl-eligibility/15292545/