M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[Optimus Prime]

Smith should have been fired years ago, right after the Baskeball Scandal and certainly after Tressel's firing. The damage is done, firing him now, 8 months after is pointless.

[Hannibal]

I love that those are the lessons you learned. Not to make sure guys aren't getting loaner cars, or that you don't play ineligible players or you don't pay players.

Nope. The lesson you learn is don't get caught.

Hear hear

If you don't hire a lying cheater, you end up having nothing to self report.

(2) Gene Smith is a numbskull. I suspect he got f'd by the NCAA, but still. Take the bowl ban this year and play it safe.

That was pretty dumb. With all of the suspensions, it was apparent that OSU was not going to contend for the Big Ten championship this season. 6-6 is worse than I expected, but 8-4 was a reasonable prediction going into the season.

[iam416]

Miami and Penn State should be looking at 3-4 year bowl bans. But that won't happen. It's the NCAA. There is no sense to it. I'm just glad it's over.

Ohio State will be fine. It's not going to hurt recruiting, really. It sucks that a really good team won't be able to win the B10 next season, but they're weren't going to play for the BCS Title. So, all in all, it's done. For what was alleged, OSU received an unprecedented hammering -- so America is happy.

Kudos to the NCAA -- I think they nicely delayed this thing (and probably gave OSU wrong info) to really F them on the bowl ban for next season. Regardless, this also means the end of Gene Smith. Thank god.

[WM Wolverine]

Ohio only ever admitted guilt after getting caught. We all know they were guilty of much more than they got caught. If even a fraction of the countless ex-player reports are true, they got off real light...

You guys would be wise to get as far away from Gene Smith as possible, can JT still fire him?

[iam416]

Nope. The lesson you learn is don't get caught.

You didn't read very closely. The lesson is don't turn yourself in. And if you are caught -- obstruct, obstruct obstruct. Follow the Auburn playbook.

[iam416]

Ohio only ever admitted guilt after getting caught.

No. No. No.

[Hannibal]

As I understand it, OSU had no choice but to turn themselves in, because the Tressel e-mails were discovered while fulfilling an FOIA request. You can tell with the ESPN lawsuit that OSU has learned their lesson on that one.

[iam416]

As I understand it, OSU had no choice but to turn themselves in, because the Tressel e-mails were discovered while fulfilling an FOIA request

Wait--you're saying you couldn't delete the e-mails? Heh. What would have Auburn done?

[Hannibal]

Miami and Penn State should be looking at 3-4 year bowl bans. But that won't happen. It's the NCAA. There is no sense to it. I'm just glad it's over..

I think that you're wrong about Miami. I think that they are looking at sanctions worse than USC.

Penn State -- harder to say because it is truly unprecedented, and also, there was arguably no competitive advantage at all. I, for one, think that the NCAA should stay out of it, but I can understand if they don't.

[iam416]

Anyway, this ought to bode very badly for Miami. I mean, very badly. Penn State is in a whole different realm, so hard to say. Ohio State, thankfully, will be more than ok.

The book is finally closed.

[Optimus Prime]

Ohio only ever admitted guilt after getting caught. We all know they were guilty of much more than they got caught. If even a fraction of the countless ex-player reports are true, they got off real light...

You guys would be wise to get as far away from Gene Smith as possible, can JT still fire him?

Ohio still OWES America a nationally televised apology.

[iam416]

I, for one, think that the NCAA should stay out of it, but I can understand if they don't.

You and I both. But, who knows what the NCAA will do.

[Hannibal]

My expectation about Miami is that they will get as close to TV ban/death penalty as possible without actually doing it. There are no mitigating circumstances or positive points for them at all. None. There are huge dollar figures (an order of magnitude bigger than Reggie Bush), paper trails, and administrative involvement.

[Hannibal]

Don't be angry, Talent. Your coach willfully and knowingly broke the rules to gain a significant competitive advantage. The show-cause might be enough to make coaches think twice about it, but the net effect for the program is a whole is that cheating still pays. You guys still got off easy and you know it.

[iam416]

Perhaps you're right, Hanni, re Miami.

What's fascinating about Gene Smith's decision is that the actual wrong-doers are on THIS year's team. Herron, Posey, Adams. They're on THIS year's team. And THEY get to play in a bowl. THEY won't miss a bowl. It's such a bad decision by Smith. Stunning. I have to think the only way he didn't self-impose a bowl ban was b/c he was told not to worry. Or maybe he is that stupid. Eh, either way, adios. WoooOOT!