The Rest of College Football

[entropy]

wiz.. that's just not true. He likes you

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh

asshole

[lineygoblue]

Why do you hate old, slobbering, incoherant buffoons liney?

because I get tired of seeing it every morning in my mirror ... :-)

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh x 1000

[lineygoblue]

Well, that describes me, because there's nothing I can do about it. I am what I am.

In the case of Lou Holtz, he chooses to be that way ... and picks up a check for it ..

[Hannibal]

Everyone's favorite DVR-planning webpage is up!

http://www.nationalchamps.net/2013/tv_listings/index.htm

[Optimus Prime]

Wow, over the last five years ESPN has spent 10 billion on college football, I serioisly doubt they will ever be challenged.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/25...?from=homepage

[iam416]

Interesting book coming out on numerous aspects of CFB: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf---the-system--a-great-read-on-college-football-s-inner-workings-202143287.html

As it relates to OSU, DiGeronimo -- the guy who actually got OSU probation calls Gene Smith a liar -- I side with the shady booster on this one. And...

"The System" also presents the case that NCAA investigators were overzealous in parts of their investigation against Ohio State, most notably in ignoring some pretty compelling evidence that DiGeronimo overpaid player DeVier Posey by a mere $3.07 and should never have received a five-game suspension for that. It also shows the seemingly differing and troubling standards for players and coaches/administrators, where the former must recall every detail precisely or risk eligibility, while the latter is allowed to struggle with specifics.

As it relates to M:

The business-first approach at Michigan to maximize profits of "The Brand."

As it relates to totally unsurprising recruiting in the South:

Seals-Jones, once a Texas commit who wound up signing with Texas A&M last February, and his family open themselves up to the entire process. The juiciest part is an alleged offer to the Jones family from a "top-20 program" – not A&M – for the following: $300,000 in cash, use of a luxury suite during football season, eight season tickets and $1,000 per month for Ricky and $500 for the family.
"Oh, it was higher than that," Chester Jones, Ricky's dad said. "It was a lot higher than that." Chester Jones said the offers grew as high as $600,000 for his son's signature on a national letter of intent – one SEC school and one ACC school said they'd double any offer – but he declined them all out of principle and the fear of inevitably getting caught.

Also, apparently, the book goes into "hostesses/female tutors" used by schools (Mizzou being a focus).

[Hannibal]

That sounds like an interesting read, but I feel like I'm going to have to take a shower afterwards. Recruiting is so goddamn broken right now, it's a total joke. Amateurism is essentially optional, and the programs that comply with it are at a major competitive disadvantage.

[Hannibal]

but he declined them all out of principle...

HA HA HA HA HA. Sure

[entropy]

NCAA investigators spent a large chunk of Sunday with Johnny Manziel, questioning the Texas A&M quarterback about allegations from memorabilia dealers that he accepted payments for autographs, a source familiar with the investigation told ESPN.com on Monday night.

ESPN's GigEmNation

GigEmNation ESPN.com's GigEmNation covers everything Texas A&M, including college football and recruiting. GigEmNation
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• Recruiting news | Blog

The governing body's officials met Sunday with Manziel, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, for nearly six hours on the College Station, Texas, campus, the source said. It was unclear whether the NCAA was satisfied with the initial meeting with Manziel or if it would require additional time with the redshirt sophomore. Texas A&M's season begins Saturday, at home against Rice.

In separate ESPN reports earlier in the month, multiple autograph dealers told reporters Darren Rovell and Joe Schad that Manziel accepted payments to sign more than 4,000 items including footballs and photographs.

In his first season, Manziel accounted for 5,116 total yards and 47 touchdowns, becoming the first freshman to ever win a Heisman Trophy. Manziel led the Aggies, in their first year in the SEC, to an 11-2 record that included an upset of eventual national champion Alabama and a Cotton Bowl victory against former Big 12 rival Oklahoma.

When ESPN.com visited Texas A&M's preseason camp from Aug. 17-19, sources close to the program indicated that the school's administration had discussed whether to sit Manziel in the face of the ongoing investigation. In the days after that visit, however, the university's higher-ups strongly defended and backed the Aggies' star player.

Chancellor John Sharp, in an interview last week with a local TV station, called into question the original reporting by ESPN and maintained Manziel's innocence. An ESPN spokesman issued a statement Thursday, saying: "We stand by our reporting."

A school source told ESPN.com on Saturday night that things "seemed to be OK" regarding Manziel's playing status and that it was "business as usual, or as close as possible" going into the team's first game week.

On Monday, Manziel was listed as the starter on Texas A&M's game notes and athletic director Eric Hyman, in a statement, put an informal gag order on those close to the program regarding Manziel.

"The focus of our coaches and student-athletes is solely on preparing for Rice this Saturday," Hyman said in the statement, "and in the best interests of Texas A&M and the 100-plus student-athletes on the team, I have instructed Coach Sumlin, his staff and our student-athletes to refrain from commenting on or answering questions regarding the status of our starting quarterback, Johnny Manziel."

[entropy]

and after the meeting, the NCAA asked Manziel to sign some jersey's so they can sell them in their stores..

[whodean]

The Rest of CF

That sounds like an interesting read, but I feel like I'm going to have to take a shower afterwards. Recruiting is so goddamn broken right now, it's a total joke. Amateurism is essentially optional, and the programs that comply with it are at a major competitive disadvantage.

It has always been that way.

[entropy]

whodean.. I think it is worse now. the $$$ is bigger and the NCAA is handing out fewer punishments.

[Hannibal]

It has always been that way.

Possible, but it's also debateable. The cheating programs do appear to have become significantly more brazen in their cheating, and, as Entropy said, the dollar figures in the game are greater. The cheaters also appear to have adapted their cheating strategies since they all got caught in the '70s and '80s. Now they make sure that their coaches have plausible deniability.

A lot of people have forgotten that you only have to go back about 15 years to find that the recruiting juggernauts of the country were not in the SEC. Recruiting success was much more spread out. It has only been in the past decade where you have seen this massive step change in the success of SEC recruiting and the ability of programs like Auburn to mysteriously flip recruits who are considered heavy leans to other programs. Oversigning is also a big advantage. I'd be interested in seeing numbers that show whether this is a new phenomenon or not.