The Rest of College Football

[Jeff Buchanan]

I don't need any numbers. The evidence is overwhelming, albeit observational and circumstantial, there is a huge stepwise difference between what went on in the 20s and 30s and what is going on now.

While in the early days written reports of this stuff seems to imply benefits were being advanced to stars/star potentials to garner a niche or an edge for a particular program, coach or advance the fortunes of a player you cared about.

I think today it is more about big egos having a shit ton of money to throw around and what better way to get benies for yourself during a football season (access/seats that you can dole out to friends to show off what a player you are) than to steer elite talent to your favorite college program.

It stinks and the NCAA will never be able to reverse what is happening/has already happened. Amateurism, like it was in teh Olyppics, is dead in CFB.

The solution is a coalition of institutions/conferences deciding to come up with ways to level the playing field for elite/big program CFB teams and restore some kind of competitive balance among them. Right now the SEC has way too many natural advantages and a seemingly endless supply of boosters with a lot of money who want to throw it around. Frankly, I think its coming. Emmert has demonstrated without a doubt the incompetence of the NCAA to do anything, ANYTHING, sensible.

[Wild Hoss]

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. I

Probably not even that far back, The Scout.com database for Team Rankings only goes back to 2002 but there?s been a noticeable uptick for the SEC.

SEC teams in Scout?s Top 10-Top 5

2002: 2-1
2003: 3-2
2004: 4-2
2005: 2-2
2006: 4-2
2007: 5-3
2008: 3?2
2009: 4-3
2010: 4-2
2011: 4-2
2012: 4-2
2013: 5-1

[entropy]

it would be one thing if bama was dominating only... but the whole conference? something is wrong

[Wild Hoss]

They have accounted for 42% (21 of 50) of the Top 10 finishes since 2009, at which point they have had 4+ every year.

From 2002-2006 it was 30% (15 of 50)

[Dr. Strangelove]

College teams used to have ringers, paid athletes, all the time in the old days.

I don't think cheating is more common today. I think it's more visible

[hack]

I'd bet the growing income disparity in the country could be playing a role. Some people who are going to be interested in buying ol alma mater a player or two increasingly have the means.

[Dr. Strangelove]

There's also been a change in the popular media since the 20's. Sportswriters in the 20's rushed to hide the transgressions of the heroes they followed. Sportswriters today rush to tear the heroes down.

[Ghengis Jon]

Through the sixties. Seems everyone in the press covered for JFK and failed to notice his 'transgressions'. The media (in general) seemed to have an abrupt attitude adjustment in the 70s going forward. I wonder what triggered it? Nixon perhaps?

Not trying to get political, just trying to find the tipping point of where the media looked the other way in private lives and changed to electron microscopes.

[Mike]

The proliferation of network news as a profit center.

[Ghengis Jon]

I hadn't thought of that. The change from news primarily in print to news over the TV times it well.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yeah, more and more competing forms of media. Originally newspapers and a few periodicals...then radio...then newsreels...then tv...then cable tv...then the net/mobile/etc. All competing for the same eyes who can't look everywhere at once. Pushes the news to sensationalize.

I think I prefer the media in a watchdog role but at the same time, it seems to get a real kick out of destroying people with power, influence, money, or who are just popular.

[hack]

Yes, Nixon. And Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. Woodward/Bernstein popularized the profession, and took it away from the muckraking stereotype and more toward a very serious role as an actor in public life.

Things slid to the personal at Gary Hart. After Gary Hart, the investigative powers turned on people's personal lives as well as what they did in office.

At least that's the history as taught in journalism school.

[Tony G]

Things slid to the personal at Gary Hart. After Gary Hart, the investigative powers turned on people's personal lives as well as what they did in office.

It also changed the politician's playbook.
Page #1: NEVER and I mean NEVER, taunt the media to follow you and see if they can find wrong doing!

[Rob F]

Just think: practically everyone has a camera on hand these days---their cell phone. It doesn't take much technical know-how, anywhere in the world, to first record and then find a way to transmit video and audio of anything even remotely newsworthy. Even in most tightly controlled societies, things leak out.

Now add to that security cameras everywhere, dashcams , etc., and so much access to it all for anyone with data-enabled devices. JFK and LBJ in the 60's, RMN in the 70s, they had no idea they had it so "good" when it came to getting away with their shenanigans. I'll stop right there, though, as I'm getting dangerously close to politics...

Cheating in CFB? no doubt it has always been around in some form or another, but anyone who believes it's no worse than in other eras is awfully naive. As the $$$'s at stake have increased exponentially, so has the cheating. And all the while, the NCAA fiddles while Rome burns.

[hack]

I'll stop right there, though, as I'm getting dangerously close to politics...

Too late. Not for this forum, but I'm sure this activity has been picked up and you're already on a few new lists in Washington already...