The Rest of College Football

[Wild Hoss]

If I recruit 30 or 35 each year, I get rid of the kids who will never be a starter.. You end up with extra 20-40 kids over 4 years. That is a huge advantage.

It is, but because of the attrition not because of extra scholarships. Theoretically a team that "hit" on an extremely high percentage of recruits without oversigning (assuming equal quality) would have similar talent in its alloted 85.

Its semantics to some degree, but the end result is that SEC schools utilize a de facto farm system.

[WM Wolverine]

Exactly. 25 man limit per class and 4-year scholarships are a significant step in the right direction, next step is limiting the amount of scholarships on signing day. B10 rule (85 limit on signing day, +3 if you can prove you'll have those spots open) is next significant step for other conferences...

Worst part of all this is the kids who gets scholarships yanked for little/no reason other than on-field performance plus the kids that are told them don't have a scholarship for them AFTER signing day. Those things have no place in CFB and hopefully this is corrected. Media has finally picked up on this and I think we'll see something like this soon but not soon enough...

SEC has enough advantages with the in-state talent in states like Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, etc that don't make for a level playing field. Add in the over-signing and it's no surprise that programs like Iowa, Illinois, MSU, etc can't compete with the 2nd tier programs in the SEC like Auburn, USCar, Arkansas, etc.

[Wild Hoss]

Dirty, rotten scoundrels.

[lineygoblue]

preach on

[THE_WIZARD_]

The oversigning the SEC does makes their margin for error on kids much lower than other conferences...that is why it is a huge advantage...

[WM Wolverine]

It's just not a level playing field (SEC vs everyone else). Then you have coaches and boosters in the SEC West that love to play in the gray area and aren't afraid to cross it either.

[whodean]

Yep, all those things plus better consistently better players and coaches make for quite an advantage.

[iam416]

I don't think the SEC plays in the "gray" area....they're miles upon miles past anything that someone might consider gray.

Oh well.

[Hannibal]

Per John U Bacon...

When Denard visited a certain SEC school, he had two chicks waiting for him already in his hotel room when he checked in. When he asked how to return his rental car, he was told -- "just keep it".

[iam416]

That's more or less what I've heard from "insiders". They won't name any names, but they basically say the B10 is in the $100 handshake/modest extra benefits while at school range, while the SEC is in the brazen dufflebag of cash/free car range.

[Hannibal]

I wish some of the players would start naming names.

[DennisT]

When they don't, they are part of the problem.

[iam416]

I'm guessing the players don't see it as a problem.

And they can't really name names wrt their own school w/o killing the golden goose, i.e., relative lifetime security from trading on your name.

And they can't really name names wrt other schools who tried to buy them during recruiting because then they throw themselves under the gun. And, IMO, they don't view it as a sufficient "wrong" to merit throwing themselves in that crucible.

[Wild Hoss]

When they don't, they are part of the problem.

Exactly.

Its an entire culture of complicity down there. Coaches, school administrators, boosters, media, family...even the players themselves. Why is it that of the hundreds and hundreds of kids who've had their educational rug pulled out from under their feet at these schools we hear almost nothing about it?

[Hannibal]

I'm guessing the players don't see it as a problem.

I don't see why the Big Ten players who drive hoopties instead of BMWs wouldn't at least feel some motivation.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised that there aren't a lot more Maurice Claretts in the college football world. The guys who are out of football at the age of 23 and working at Burger King have got no incentive to stay quiet.