The Rest of College Football

[Jeff Buchanan]

You'd think guys would want to stay away from coaches like Saban. Win at all costs.

Look at the depth on UA's roster.

Why is that?

Because Saban wins and puts players in the NFL along with the big pay-checks that go with it. Does he cheat? There is no evidence that he does ..... but he clearly plays the NCAA like a fiddle and has a staff of paid advisers that keep it that way.

Moreover, the Tide has a long history of great alumni support ....... you know what I mean?

I really don't begrudge Saban and UA. He's built a program that has an unfair advantage the way they recruit and probably pay players; but he's done that within the framework of the current NCAA rules and has managed to keep a system of play for pay at a safe distance from Media/NCAA scrutiny.

You're sick of Nick Saban? Go talk to the NCAA about their utter uselessness.

[WM Wolverine]

He's at Arizona, had a couple months to recruit the class and the class had a coaching transition. Quality looks like a typical Arizona class but short on numbers.

[WM Wolverine]

The NCAA is well over-due on doing something about the over-signing issue. Saban abuses every loophole the NCAA provides. He does MAJOR upgrades to facilities at Dr. Phillips (who already had an excellent HS field) then ended up with a couple blue chippers from Dr. Phillips. He averages about 95 'signed' recruits on signing day and somehow manages to find a way to get to 85 by August, mostly just telling guys they aren't good enough to play at Bama...

I could write a book on the pathetic shit that is common practice by Saban; e.g. hiring recruits coaches, parents, girlfriends, etc. They play by an entirely different rulebook in the SEC, its like a different league.

[iam416]

And you're not even getting into blatant quid pro quo transactions, WM. I mean, all the stuff you listed, we KNOW to be true.

[WM Wolverine]

Exactly, some of the third, fourth hand stuff we hear about the SEC, Bama, and such has the opportunity to make the stuff at Miami look relatively clean.

[whodean]

Paying people off isn't kosher (and isn't close to being proven), but running the program like a NFL camp requiring fringe players to earn their scholarship isn't against the rules.

The new 25 per year limit will have an effect there.

[iam416]

but running the program like a NFL camp requiring fringe players to earn their scholarship isn't against the rules

No, but it certainly cuts to the chase and reveals CFB to be what we all know it to be: professional.

[Hannibal]

SEC dominance looks less impressive to me every year, the more I learn about how they play by completely different rules.

[Wild Hoss]

Look at the depth on UA's roster.

Why is that?

Because Saban wins and puts players in the NFL along with the big pay-checks that go with it. Does he cheat? There is no evidence that he does ..... but he clearly plays the NCAA like a fiddle and has a staff of paid advisers that keep it that way.

Moreover, the Tide has a long history of great alumni support ....... you know what I mean?

I really don't begrudge Saban and UA. He's built a program that has an unfair advantage the way they recruit and probably pay players; but he's done that within the framework of the current NCAA rules and has managed to keep a system of play for pay at a safe distance from Media/NCAA scrutiny.

You're sick of Nick Saban? Go talk to the NCAA about their utter uselessness.

Maybe Alabama is an exception, but in my 25+ years of experience in following college football most every program that goes on a recruiting tear like Saban?s current one winds up getting exposed for buying kids in some form or another. Oklahoma, Texas, FSU, Tennessee, USC, Miami. The list goes on. We?ll be adding Oregon before too much longer.

I simply do not believe that kids sign up to sit behind 2 or 3 other superstars without additional compensation. Plenty of other big-name schools win a lot of games and put lots of kids into the NFL, and still lose recruits to other programs- and often lesser programs- because of their depth. The current Heisman winner is just one example.

So your son signs with AL...the stats show there is about a 1/3 chance he?s going to booted out on the street before his career is done, even if he maintains his grades, stays out of trouble, and hell, even pans out into being a decent player. Despite this, 5* kids continue to flock there, to sit behind other recruiting classes of 5* kids. If Nick is that great a salesman he?s wasting his talent and effort making $5 million a year coaching college football instead of making ten times that in the corporate world. Of course he?s buying these kids.

[Hannibal]

I think that we'll be adding Auburn to that list too. They dodged a massive bullet with Cam Newton but since then, they continue to mysteriously flip players close to signing day.

[Jeff Buchanan]

............ Of course he?s (Saban) buying these kids.

No doubt. But I can't get angry with him. People cheat on their taxes because the likelihood they are going to get called on it are 5% or less depending on what forms you actually file.

The NCAA has an enforcement record on bad acting football programs worse than the tax code enforcement record of the IRS.

These are two organizations I have absolutely no use or respect for.

The stakes in CFB are high. Football programs are going to push every NCAA rule to the limit (good on them) and beyond if they think the risk has a low probability of producing tough penalties (exactly what is happening) if caught. Its human nature. ..... osu, USC, Oregon and all the rest of them are proof positive of this immutable truth.

[JRB]

Stanford lands Aziz Shittu and Kyle Murphy. Expectations that Stanford will nosedive now that both Harbaugh and Andrew Luck are gone may have to be revised.

[Rob F]

I agree, Jason.

Stanford lands Aziz Shittu and Kyle Murphy. Expectations that Stanford will nosedive now that both Harbaugh and Andrew Luck are gone may have to be revised.

...which is pretty much what I stated after Garnett verbal'd to them

[Hannibal]

Stanford also landed Barry Sanders Jr. That oughta be a very interesting team to watch in a few years, if not this year.

[lineygoblue]

Here's a good reason to choose a school.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/cassanova-mckinzy-spurned-clemson-because-didn-t-chick-015506961.html