The Big 33 game Football Classic has a new date and an old opponent. How much longer the opponent will remain is uncertain.

The Ohio-vs.-Pennsylvania all-star football game could be the last in the current series because of disagreements over how the Ohio team will be selected.

The game was shifted from its traditional late July date to the middle of June because of an NCAA rule change that allows incoming freshman to go on scholarship during the summer rather than at the start of the fall semester.

But the switch means Ohio players will be involved in two games Saturday — the Big 33 game and the intrastate North-South game. Because the North-South game is an Ohio high school football tradition, coaches decided to stock the North-South game with many of the top players before selecting the Big 33 team.

Big 33 executive director Mickey Minnich was upset with that decision and threatened to sever ties with Ohio, which has sent teams to Big 33 for 14 consecutive years and 18 overall. Each team has won nine times.

The executive committee of Ohio's football coaches association recently voted unanimously to maintain its relationship with the Big 33, and said it would review the selection process to come up with a way to get its best players into the game.

But Minnich and the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association have decided to keep their options open, including a possible revival of a series with Maryland.

The coaches will vote June 24 in Altoona whether they want to continue with Ohio. Representatives of the state coaches association and Minnich have said they want a guarantee from Ohio that it will stock the Big 33 with that state's best players.

Paul Farrah, Ohio's coach and the president of the Ohio football coaches association, made it clear that Ohio wants to return. But he promised only that his group will evaluate the process, not guarantee its top 33 players.

"We voted 17-0 to have this tradition continue," Farrah said. "It will be a travesty if Pennsylvania doesn't renew the contract."

Minnich estimated there is only "a 50-50 chance" that will happen.

The Ohio camp has become irritated with Minnich's stance, since it was Pennsylvania's date switch that put Ohio into its current position. The Ohio staff also believes Minnich has created the perception the Ohio team does not measure up to those of past years.

"You know, its pretty sad when we get that rap and we've got the No. 1 recruit out of Ohio (Ray Small)," Farrah said. "We've got Mr. Ohio Football (Syracuse-bound tailback Delone Carter). If you get our roster out, we've got kids going to Ohio State, we've got kids going to Notre Dame, Minnesota, and we've got a couple of West Virginia kids."

In addition, Pennsylvania's roster has been weakened by injuries. West Allegheny star Dorin Dickerson suffered a leg injury in practice on Tuesday. Dickerson, The Associated Press Class AAA player and Pitt recruit, has been replaced by Harrisburg Bishop McDevitt all-state lineman Jason Kates, a Michigan recruit.

Also, Franklin Regional's John Malecki, a AAA all-stater, dropped off the team due to an undisclosed injury.