| Current Poll |
Are you keeping your New Year's resolutions?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Conference confusion..
- 2013 - 334 articles
- 2012 - 1160 articles
- 2011 - 1177 articles
- 2010 - 810 articles
- 2009 - 779 articles
- 2008 - 949 articles
|
Conference confusion..
As the NCAA stories and non-stories came reeling off faster than a Steve Strasburg heater, I couldn't help but think of George Jetson running on his treadmill at the beginning of the cartoon.
"Help, Jane, stop this crazy thing!"
Talk about your Looney Tunes.
First the Big 10 is the Big 12 and the Big 12 is the Big 10 and Texas is going to the Pac 10 and Texas is now setting up its own corporation and Fox is talking about putting up the big bucks for a Super Conference and everyone is thinking, "Who should the SEC get?"
Whew, what in the world was all that?
Everybody sit back, catch your breath and just have a big ol' laugh about all of this.
Kind of like Reggie Bush when he left Southern Cal.
It all kind of blew my mind because I'm thinking, "Wait, those coaches who do not want a playoff because it will put more pressure on them are okay with conference expansion?"
And if — make that when this all does actually come about — what are coaching salaries going to look like then?
I've always felt players should receive something for playing for a college. And I realize you have quite a can of worms deciding who gets what and how do you justify that with other college sports.
Then again, I don't believe the NCAA is making a whole lot of money off X-Box Lacrosse.
And with a son in college, I realize even more, "Hey, that free ride they are getting ain't no pocket change."
But look at the time these guys are now putting in working for their college. And they're not getting time-and-a-half. And they are not even allowed a handout.
With college football seemingly ready to explode at the edges, someone needs to set some new guidelines.
Let's face it, college football and men's basketball is the steering wheel that drives the NCAA.
If the NCAA really cared about college baseball, they would not allow Major League Baseball to tear apart a recruiting class three months before school starts and would not allow ties because of travel restrictions.
And I can't help but wonder how Omaha folks would have welcomed Texas if the Longhorns would have made the College World Series.
And how interesting is it that the NCAA was so quiet during this supposed power struggle between conferences?
Hey, don't you dare recruit this guy on April 22. But ho-hum when guys are making deals behind closed doors to change conferences.
Let's face it, without football, non-revenue sports would have no future at all. The money from televised football is huge. And the NCAA has never been shy about holding its hands out.
The top-rated television show last year was Super Bowl XLIII which went to 42 percent of the homes (probably 30 percent in Louisiana and Mississippi).
CBS Sports' coverage of the SEC ON CBS for the 2009 season was the highest-rated college football package on any network averaging a national household rating/share of 4.4/10, up 29% from 2008's 3.4/8. This 4.4/10 is the highest rating at this point in the season since college football returned to the Network in 1996.The SEC ON CBS season average of a 4.4/10 topped ABC's season average of 3.9/8 for college football for the first time since 1990. The season was capped off by the SEC Championship game between No. 1-ranked Florida and No. 2-ranked Alabama earned a national household rating/share of 11.1/23, +18% from 2008's 9.4/20 for the SEC Championship featuring Florida and Alabama.The 11.1/23 was the highest rating ever for the SEC Championship game since its debut in 1992.
So can you imagine what a college playoff football game would draw?
And it's because of the athletes performing on the field.
But when an athlete wants to get a car, an apartment, a cut of a jersey sale, or a percentage of an Playstation 3 NCAA video game licensing agreement, forget it. Go away son, you're bothering me.
It's kind of like the NFL and "Who Dat?"
If Russell Shepard has the kind of year that's been expected of him, or Zack Lee becomes the next Sam Bradford at LSU, do you think there's going to be a run of certain jerseys colored purple and gold?
But Russell and Zack won't see a thing from it.
It doesn't necessarily have to be take-home pay, but at least let these guys have some kind of compensation.
And if you can't afford it, put in a playoff system.
Watch the networks really line up for that, and line some pockets.
The world of college football has increasingly changed.
We got a glimpse of just how crazy it can get when changes are about to occur.
Here's hoping the ones who do all the sweating won't be overlooked while college presidents and coaches are reeling in even more money. |
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
