Conference Upheavals

What an amazing week for college football!

It is not often that college football makes such frequent, numerous, and stunning headlines in June!  This is supposed to be the season for MLB, enjoying another Lakers-Celtics series, awarding Lord Stanley's Cup, and, this year, watching the "world's game" from South Africa.  But NCAAF grabbed the nation's attention with expansion, sanctions, destruction of the Big 12, and, now, the saving of the Big 12 (well, now ten, but who's counting anymore).

The addition of Nebraska to the Big 10 is a natural fit.  I know they have been pretty bitter since the origin of the Big 12 that revenue is not evenly distributed- Texas really collects more than enough to keep Bevo fed.  But now they will share in the deep pocket wealth of the Big-10 network and gives the network a team with a national fan base. With all due respect to Cyclone fans, the Nebraska - Iowa State games were never that thrilling for the Cornhuskers.  But everyone in Lincoln and Iowa City is simply thrilled about the upcoming annual "Corn Bowl".  If nothing else comes of the conference re-alignment, the Iowa - Nebraska games will . .. .be . . .  legendary.  My basement guest room is available- let me know if you want to travel to the first Corn Bowl in 2012!

Meanwhile, on the left coast, the Pac-10 tried to raid the Big-12 with ambitious plans to assemble the all-star super conference.  I love the addition of Colorado- like Nebraska, they have been fighting for the scraps from Bevo's trough since the Big 12 inception.  Now, they join the egalitarian Pac-10 to see an even share of the Rose Bowl payout.  As was specified by the quality demands of the league, Colorado is a member of the AAU (of note, Utah is not AAU, but neither is Oregon State and Arizona State, so this is not a deal breaker for further expansion, Utes)

But Texas and her ladies-in-waiting decided to stay put after all.  I wish I had written this blog last weekend, when I began to suspect that Texas would say no to the Pac-10.  Why should they move west?  They have a pretty sweet deal as it is.  And now they have two less teams to help support?  There is even talk of starting a U- Texas TV network- sorry, no Bevo TV for me!

The other big news, of course, is the USC sanctions.  We all knew they were coming, we just didn't know how bad the wrist slap was going to be.  With 30 scholarships and a 2 year ban, it turned out to be more of a hay maker.  Ouch.

The reaction from Trojan Nation was swift and severe.  My Facebook friends list exploded with comments, which might be summarized by the following:  1) We deserve some punishment.  2) This is primarily Reggie Bush's fault.  3) The NCAA went too far.  4) Mike Garrett or Pete Carroll or the NCAA is the Anti-Christ.

I read most of the report myself and I was struck by several things.  First, the language used by the NCAA is just about as unintelligible as that spoken in academic medicine.  Next, the behavior of Reggie and his family was shockingly unethical, but it took several pages of digging to find the offense USC committed as an institution.  I as I read it, one assistant coach knew about Bush's benefits and should have sounded the alarm.  I also sensed a hint of hypocrisy: the report railed against USC's actions that "struck against the heart of amature sport" yet the committee "considered" and did not impose a TV ban.  So, the money that USC's TV appearances generate is good enough for the NCAA's coffers but not for the atheletes they exploit to get it.

Don't get me wrong- I fully acknowledge the institution had "lost control".  But the scope of the infractions that were proven (and maybe that's the point- there is an assumption that many more existed), does not seem to deserve the worst punishment since SMU's death penalty.  The latest required reading to fly off Facebook land is an editorial by a USC journalist: http://usc.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1094248.  I may not agree with all of his points, but his play-by-play comparison to Miami's sanctions of the mid-90's is interesting.  Also, if players families are not to get any more benefits than any other students, should we examine the tithe rate at Daddy Tebow's church in Florida before and after the Heisman win?

I may be trying to play down the seriousness of USC's crime, but I will not write here defend our Athletic Director.  In my end of the season column about Uncle Pete leaving (Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road), I criticised Mike Garrett for hiring Lane Kiffen, a man known to have committed recruiting violations the moment he set foot in Tennessee, on the eve of NCAA sanctions sure to include probation.  Now, he has gone too far.  Last Thursday, on the day the sanctions were announced, Garrett addressed a dinner for boosters in San Francisco.  To a large room, he actually said, "As I read the decision by the NCAA, all I could get out of all of this was … I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans,”

Being an employee and a manager at a university, I know that demonstrating grossly unethical behavior is grounds for immediate dismissal.  Garrett should be fired immediately.  There is no excuse for being so flippant at a moment of such national scrutinity.  Garrett is not just some drunk frat boy or one of my facebook friends, he is an university official.  And not just that- he is the HEAD OF THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT!  The only person more responsible for responding to the report is the USC president.  So the new president, Max Nikias, who takes office in August, should take the next logical step and show Garrett the door. 

So what does the current team do now?  Kiffen has his work cut out for him: not only does he have to follow the second most successful coach in USC history, not only does he have to prove that his only two prior head coachng stints were flukes, but now he has to recruit with 10 less scholarships to award each year.  The freshman are stuck- they face a deteriorating recruitment base and a tougher leage by the time they are juniors and seniors.  Seniors can jump ship now, but they are just looking ahead to the NFL draft.  What is left to play for?

In Major League, when the Cleveland Indians learned they would fired at the end of the season regardless, Catcher Tom Berringer replied, "Then there is only one thing left to do. . . Win the whole fucking thing."

USC will keep thier 2003 championship- it was an AP title and the NCAA has no juridiction.

USC will keep their 2004 championship- no, not that crystal football thing, I mean the AP title they ALSO won that year.

And, if they run the table, and there are no other undefeated teams, they can win the AP title for 2010.

Fight On,

Hans

PS: The World Cup sucks.  Sorry, Kurt, I really tried to watch it.  But between limited scoring (only Germany-Austrailia exceeded 2 goals aside), uncertainty when the game actually will end thanks to "added time" (ask Slovakia about that after their draw with New Zealand), and the vuvuzelas, I just can't take it.   Watching the USA- England with a hornet's nest buzzing the ENTIRE TIME, I started to get a headache.  The game was more enjoyable on mute.  I got a Facebook post from a friend in South Africa- he said the match was one of the best sporting event he had ever seen.  OK- USA's win over Columbia in Pasadena ranks in the top 10 for me.  But my friend noted the fans singing "America the Beautiful" and the dancing.  Sorry- I missed that on TV.  I only heard the hornet nest drowning out my will to live.  Lose the horns, people.  Then maybe I'll watch again.  Maybe.