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NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire is getting another swing at the Hall of Fame.The former slugger who admitted using steroids joins Bud Selig, George Steinbrenner and seven others on the Todays Game Era ballot to be considered for election to Cooperstown in December.The announcement was made Monday by the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ballot is part of changes to the election process announced by the Halls board of directors in July. It includes five players, three executives and two managers who made their biggest impact from 1988 on.Its flattering. Its fantastic. I mean, thank you, McGwire told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Its very flattering to have another opportunity to possibly get into the Hall of Fame. Its exciting.McGwire said hed heard of the committee, but didnt think his name would come up for a long time.I didnt know it was going to be this year, considering last year was my last year on the (writers) ballot. Its very flattering.Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella and John Schuerholz round out the class of 2017 candidates on the new ballot.All are alive except for Steinbrenner, the bombastic and successful owner of the New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010.Selig served as baseballs acting commissioner from September 1992 to July 1998 and then as commissioner until January 2015. He oversaw an era of immense change that included expansion, wild cards and interleague play.It is Seligs first appearance on a Hall of Fame ballot, and the third for Steinbrenner. He fell short on 2010 and 2013 Expansion Era ballots.Voting is Dec. 5 during the winter meetings in Maryland. To be enshrined, candidates must receive votes on at least 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Todays Game Era Committee.Those voters, appointed by the Hall of Fame board, will be announced this fall.McGwire ranks 11th on the career list with 583 home runs. Tainted by performance-enhancing drugs, however, he never came close to getting elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America and dropped off that ballot this year after his 10th and final chance.Numbers-wise, what Ive done, I truly believe they are Hall of Fame-worthy. For what I did hitting home runs, 583, Im the only guy in history averaging one in every 10 at-bats, he said. If you look at how many games and at-bats I did it in, it was a lot less than most guys in the Hall of Fame. Im proud of that. I truly believe I was born a home run hitter.Yet McGwire, who spent this past season as bench coach for the San Diego Padres, never received more than 23.7 percent of the vote from the BBWAA -- far short of the 75 percent required for election. He garnered 12.3 percent in his last appearance.He was asked whether he thinks his steroids admission and subsequent apology will sway this particular committee.Its obviously up to them. Theyre obviously up to speed with that. The writers felt the way they did. I truly respect how they felt. I did admit to it, and you know, theres nothing else I can say. I did what I did and I apologized for doing what I did, McGwire said.The Era Committee process provides an avenue for Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons -- like McGwire. Todays Game Era was one of four Eras Committees outlined in July when the Hall detailed its latest set of election changes.Finalists on the ballot revealed Monday were selected by the Historical Overview Committee appointed by the BBWAA, made up of 11 veteran historians.Any candidates elected Dec. 5 would be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 30 next year along with any players voted in by the BBWAA. Those results will be announced Jan. 18, 2017.---AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report. Nike Air Force Φθηνα . 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He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Editors:To help you with your planning ahead of the college football season, we will have the following stories, photos and more in coming weeks, anchored by a special project surrounding the Top 25 poll, team and Power Five conference previews as well as two weekends of feature stories. This digest is subject to change and will be updated throughout the month of August. For questions, please call 212-621-1630 or email Ed Montes (emontes(at)ap.org) and Dave Zelio (dzelio(at)ap.org).All times Eastern.Adds Pick Six on graduate transfers in Shareable Content section and LSU-Miles feature in Long Reads.TOP 25 POLLThe 2016 preseason AP Top 25 will be released on Sunday, Aug. 21, at 10 a.m. The weekly poll will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and will then be sent every Sunday at 2 p.m. through the regular season. The final poll will be sent roughly an hour after the national championship game the evening of Monday, Jan. 9, in Tampa, Florida.AP SPORTS EXTRA -- PRESEASON POLL PAGEA paginated look at the preseason AP Top 25 poll will be available shortly after the poll is released on Aug. 21. The AP Sports Extra pages are available in full broadsheet, half broadsheet and tabloid size (perfect for preseason football tabs). They will include space for local advertising or content. The pages will focus on the 25 teams selected by AP poll voters with emphasis on those at the very top. The pages are available at no charge to all AP Sports subscribers. Contact Barry Bedlan at bbedlan(at)ap.org for more information.ONLY ON APFor the first time, AP has tabulated every single one of its weekly college football polls since the first was released 80 years ago. That research has been used to determine an all-time rankings list and other stories, including an eight-part series looking at the top teams of each decade. A separate advisory on this package was also sent. All the content is featured on a special page of the College Football Digital News Experience. More on the DNE below.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLLTo look back, all the way back, to the first Top 25 college football poll is to take a walk through history. The great teams at Notre Dame and Army, at Oklahoma and Alabama, the coaching greats like Bud Wilkinson and Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Lou Holtz and Nick Saban. For the first time, The Associated Press has sorted through all those polls -- all 1,103 of them -- to determine the top 100 programs of all time after eight decades of arguing whos the best. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 800 words , photos on Aug. 2.With:FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL -THE TOP 100-LISTThe Top 100 college football teams of all time as determined by The Associated Press Top 25. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 2,500 words on Aug. 2. Capsules on the best 25 teams, then a list of the remaining 75.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL -THE NO. 1s-LISTAll 44 teams ranked No. 1 at least once over the 80 years, with capsules that include the overall top team for each school. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 5,000 words , photos on Aug. 4.Also:FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1930s-40sThe Associated Press college football poll was created to try to answer the simplest yet most divisive question in sports: Whos better? The poll helped give a regional sport more of a national scope. The poll helped define the Army-Notre Dame rivalry in the 1940s and was part of their games becoming major events. By John Kekis. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 14.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1950sBy the 1950s, college footballs power has drifted away from the elite Eastern schools and into the Midwest. Bud Wilkinsons Oklahoma dynasty dominated the polls as it set a record winning streak that still stands. By College Football Writer Eric Olson. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 15.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1960sThe focus on the national championship race and the polls reached new heights in the 1960s, with a peak in 1966 when the matchup of No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State late in the season ended in a famous 10-10 tie. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 16.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1970sCoaching icons dominated the AP poll during the 1970s with Bear Bryant at Alabama, Joe Paterno at Penn State, Woody Hayes at Ohio State, Bo Schembechler at Michigan, Barry Switzer at Oklahoma and Tom Osborne at Nebraska. Their matchups would often help determine No. 1. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 17.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1980sA new dynasty emerges at Miami, where the brash Hurricanes upend the established Midwestern powers, with pro-style offenses and speedy defenses that smother option football. It takes a little while for AP poll voters to catch up to the power shift, but when they do, Miami becomes a fixture. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos on Aug. 22.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-1990sControversial championships, sometimes with the AP poll breaking one way and the coaches poll going another, prompt the bowls and conferences to start working toward a more definitive way to determine the national title. Eventually, it becomes the BCS. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos on Aug. 23.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-2000sThe first half of the decade is dominated by USCs unprecedented run at No. 1, but then the SEC takes over. The overlap produces the last split national champion with the Trojans taking the AP title and LSU winning the BCS. The constant controversy leads to the AP asking out of the BCS process. By David Brandt. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos on Aug. 24.FBC--T25-ALL-TIME AP POLL-2010sA new power emerges in Oregon, a rarity for college football. But an old one in Alabama dominates as Nick Saban reigns. AP voters are asked to judge a changing brand of football that is played fast and furious and often without a lot of defense. By John Zenor. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos on Aug. 25.CONFERENCE AND TEAM PREVIEWSEach of the following will move in a `things to watch chunky text format of approximately 700 words, with photos.Team previews:All previews for Power Five conference schools, BYU, Notre Dame, the service academies and select Group of Five schools were sent on Aug.dddddddddddd12.Conference previews:Aug 8: SEC , Pac-12Aug. 9: Big Ten , Atlantic CoastAug 11: Big 12 , Mountain WestAug. 12: American Athletic , Sun Belt , Conference USA , Mid-American, SWACSHAREABLE CONTENTEvery week until the regular season, AP will offer a FBC--PICK SIX story from July 14 until Aug. 31.- FBC--Pick Six-SEC-Pivotal Players. SENT: 700 words , photos on July 14.- FBC--Pick Six-Pac-12-Pivotal-Players. SENT: 700 words , photos on July 20.- FBC--Pick Six-Big 12-Pivotal Players. SENT: 700 words , photos on July 28.- FBC--Pick Six-ACC-Pivotal Players. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 3.- FBC--Pick Six-Big Ten-Pivotal Players. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 4.- FBC--Pick Six-Heisman-Dark Horses. SENT: 625 words , photos on Aug. 10.- FBC--Pick Six-Big Games. SENT: 650 words , photos on Aug. 15.- FBC--Pick Six-Hot Assistants. SENT: 725 words , photos on Aug. 17.- FBC--Pick Six-Graduate Transfers. SENT: 745 words , photos on Aug. 19PLAYOFF PULSE PODCASTPosted Wednesday evenings on top topics of the day. All podcasts can be accessed via the College Football DNE blog and through your locally branded version of the DNE.LONG READSFBC--SEC SCHEDULINGKNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- With so many high-profile intersectional matchups on neutral sites, the Southeastern Conferences opening-week schedule bears a striking resemblance to a bowl lineup. By Steve Megargee. SENT: 750 words , photos on Aug. 5.FBC--HARBAUGHS NEXT ACTANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hes slept at recruits houses, had his wife mock his $8 khakis and taken his team on the road for camp, rankling the SEC and forcing the NCAA to take a stand. There may be no louder voice in college football. But whats happening behind the scenes makes Harbaugh much more than a meme. By Larry Lage. SENT: 750 words , photos on Aug. 5.FBC--HEISMAN HYPELeonard Fournette. Christian McCaffrey. Deshaun Watson. Baker Mayfield. Four of the top six vote-getters from last years Heisman race are back, giving this falls competition for college footballs top honor plenty of intrigue. By David Brandt. SENT: 800 words , photos on Aug. 6.FBC--GOING INDEPENDENTUMass is going it alone this season, its first as a football independent since essentially being booted out of the Mid-American Conference. New Mexico State and Idaho have faced similar decisions recently, too -- to go independent and stay in the Bowl Subdivision or drop to the FCS. New Mexico State is staying. Idaho will be going. When you arent Notre Dame, there are a lot of pros and cons to independence. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 880 words , photos on Aug. 13.FBC--YEAR OF THE RUNNING BACKIts another year of the running back in college football. LSUs Leonard Fournette, Stanfords Christian McCaffrey, Oregons Royce Freeman and Florida States Dalvin Cook all are back after rushing for over 1,800 yards last season. The talent at running back is so loaded that guys such as Tennessees Jalen Hurd and North Carolinas Elijah Hood -- who would be boldface names in any other year -- are relatively under the radar. By Steve Megargee. SENT: 700 words , photos on Aug. 13.FBC--CHASING BEARTUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Nick Saban is one national title away from matching Bear Bryants record and, with his 65th birthday coming up on Halloween, shows no signs of slowing down. By John Zenor. SENT: 750 words , photos on Aug. 14.FBC--RUGBY-STYLE TACKLINGLINCOLN, Neb. -- Rugby-style tackling, which positions the defenders head to the side of the ball-carrier rather than straight-on, is growing in popularity in a sport beleaguered by concussion concerns. The Seattle Seahawks were the first team to teach the technique, with Ohio State following last season. Nebraska, among others, is the latest program coaching rugby-style technique. By College Football Writer Eric Olson. SENT: 750 words , photos on Aug. 14.FBC--OHIO STATE-JTS TEAMCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- J.T. Barrett was beaten out by Cardale Jones last year in one of the most intriguing training-camp quarterback races in the nation. Now, he is Ohio States undisputed starter and leader of a team thats reloading after the departure of 16 starters. The Buckeyes fortunes likely will ride on the 21-year-old Texans ability to recapture some of the magic from the 2014 national championship season. By Mitch Stacy. SENT: 710 words , photos on Aug. 16.FBC--LSU-MILES MISSIONBATON ROUGE, La. -- Les Miles is more in touch with his coaching mortality than ever, yet seemingly unfazed by the scrutiny hell most certainly face during his 12th season at LSU. In Baton Rouge, fans are fed up with the Tigers five-game losing streak against Alabama and question why a program with LSUs profile, highly rated recruiting classes and first-class facilities hasnt played in an elite bowl game for four seasons. Thats why pressure mounted on LSUs administration to fire Miles during a three-game skid last year. But the quirky, grass-eating, coach and his famously unconventional syntax are back, and Miles has made some adjustments to his approach that he hopes will maximize the potential of a 2016 team loaded with talent and returning starters. By Brett Martel. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos on Aug. 19.DIGITAL NEWS EXPERIENCEAll the stories in this advisory as well as exclusive blog content, a weekly podcast and videos will be available through the College Football Digital News Experience, a fully curated digital presentation of APs college football coverage that is anchored around the Top 25 poll. The site, which is responsive to all devices, is available for free and even pays a revenue share to participating sites. The DNE allows for local customization of the site logo, navigation bar, highlighted teams and other features, including embeddable widgets around the poll and Latest News. Some examples: http://collegefootball.ap.org/lufkindailynews and http://collegefootball.ap.org/wvgazette . Contact Barry Bedlan at bbedlan(at)ap.org to take advantage of this free digital offering.AP Sports ' ' '