Pay For Play

You have all seen it by now. Even if you weren't watching South Carolina beating Tennessee in the second quarter of Saturdays game, you have no doubt viewed a video on YouTube or seen a picture posted on twitter of the gruesome injury suffered by Gamecock RB and Hiesman Trophy candidate Marcus Lattimore. It was one of the worst looking injuries ever seen in football. There's no disputing that.
But what is being disputed by the NCAA is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play sports.

The NCAA may be the most corrupt organization in America. They make hundreds of millions of dollars per year without any oversight, any restrictions, or any regard for the athletes in which they control. They make there own rules all the while choosing which rules to enforce and how to enforce them. And they do this with one thing in mind. Their well being and their well being only.
Even New Jersey Mob bosses think the NCAA is a scam. And they envy it.

What they do to a large part of student athletes is downright disturbing when it comes to their controlling of a players financial present and future. The upper echelon players on Division 1 football rosters generate millions of dollars for the NCAA, their Universities, and the towns they play in.
What they get in return is pennies on the dollar. Literally.
And before you start with the "their getting a free education" argument, let me stop you right there because this is an idiotic argument.
Why?
Look at Marcus Lattimore. Since bursting onto the scene in 2010 as a true freshman he has wowed the nation with his physically running style, quick cutting ability, and break away speed rarely seen in power back. After a phenomenal freshman campaign he was already on NFL radars. Had he been eligible to enter the NFL Draft after the 2010 season, he would have been a first round draft pick. An instant millionaire. But he wasn't. Because the NCAA wants to keep its prized athletes as long as possible. Why should someone else make the millions off of them when they can do it at no cost to them.
Lattimore started 2011 the same way he ended 2010. Then an injury to the ligaments in his left knee ended his season and raised doubts about his NFL future.
But Lattimore underwent multiple surgeries and extensive rehab to be ready to return to the field at the start of this 2012 season. He not only returned, he picked up right where he had left off in 2011 as the best running back in the country. He had answered the questions of critics who were skeptical on how he would look after the injury. And up until the second quarter of Saturdays game, the injury that occurred a year ago was an after thought.
And then it happened. As Lattimore planted his leg into the ground to take on a couple of Tennessee defenders, a helmet landed directly on the knee. What happened next had people nauseous. Lattimore flew through the air, his right leg clearly mangled, and then landed on the field grabbing at his right knee, which was now located on the side of his leg. One Volunteer defender close to the play when it happened said post game that he had to turn away to keep from vomiting. It is easily one of the worst football injuries ever witnessed on TV. The diagnoses is complete destruction of his right knee.
Just like that.
Marcus Lattimore's future as an NFL football player and his ability to secure himself and his family financially is in serious doubt.
But hey, he'll have that degree from the University of South Carolina to fall back on, right? This is where this argument by the NCAA is ridiculous.
In his almost three seasons in Columbia, Lattimore has been the main reason for South Carolina's on the field success. He has helped transform the Gamecocks into a national power, bringing in millions of dollars to the University and the NCAA. He has also had an economical impact on the state. Because of Lattimore, Columbia, South Carolina restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls have raked in extra cash.
Thousands of people showed up on campus yesterday to show support for their fallen star. Professional athletes, actors, musicians, and politicians took to twitter to send out encouraging messages. The Governor of the state of South Carolina (who is a Clemson alum) declared yesterday Marcus Lattimore day.
And the reward that the NCAA sees fit to bestow on him for the accolades, accomplishments, and untold millions he has generated. Around $38,800 dollars. And not in a cash payment. In free tuition. At a value of about $9,200 per year.
And the kid can't so much as accept a $5 breakfast from a fan at Denny's without violating the NCAA's ludicrous rules.
These same people that are at the forefront of the "free tuition" argument are probably the same ones who boycott Nike because they pay Chinese workers about $2 a day to make $200 shoes.
And before you slam me for comparing the NCAA to a million dollar corporation who takes advantage of unfair labor wages, do the math.
Average ticket price to see Lattimore play is $64. Multiply that by 144 tickets and you have around $9,200.
Average attendance for a game at Williams-Brice Stadium: 80,000.

I'm not trying to take away the value of an education. Its important, but it's not priceless.

If Lattimore never plays football again and relies on a college degree and makes an average salary of $60,000 per year, it would take him around 500 years to make what he would have made with his first NFL contract.

So the next time you try and make your "free education" argument, think about Marcus Lattimore and do the math first.

You'll probably think twice about sounding so stupid.

CFB: Dominance?

All it takes is a look at the latest BCS standings to see that even though nine weeks have passed in a college football season that has been full of surprise and change, there is one thing that hasn't changed:

The SEC is good.

How good? SEC teams occupy the #1, #5,#6, #7 and #8 spots in the standings. That's more than 1/3 of the conference ranked in the top eight in the country.
Four out of the five rank in the top 10 of at least one of every major statistical category, three in total defense alone. And if that isn't enough, Las Vegas claims that #1 Alabama from the SEC would be a double digit favorite against #2 Kansas St. on a neutral field. In fact, according to Vegas #5 LSU and #6 Georgia would be favored over Kansas and #3 Notre Dame. And Vegas tends to know what there doing. There one if the few that wins more than Nick Saban.

But before we go ahead and crown the SEC with a seventh straight BCS title, lets not overlook a couple of possibilities that could leave the SEC on the outside looking in.
Alabama plays LSU on Saturday in what is all of the sudden a huge game again, especially for the Tigers. After losing to Florida early in the year most had ridden off Les Miles's team. But Saturday is a chance to beat the number one team in the country and put themselves back in the national title picture. It would also make every SEC title contender have 1 loss.
If K State, Notre Dame and Oregon win out then the SEC would be locked out of the championship game.
And before K State fans start to celebrate they had better worry about the two other unbeaten teams. First they have to take care of business but they also will need some help. Notre Dame has to lose a game in order for K State to get in. No way you could argue that the schedule the Irish will have played is not far better than the Wildcats. Hate Notre Dame all you want, but don't disregard common logic. Or common sense.
And although I think Oregon is the second best team in the country they may need more help than K State. The Ducks are about to enter the tough part of there schedule but the "quality wins" won't have as much quality as they thought. They haven't played a top 10 opponent all season and they may only play two ranked in the top 25. If they run the table they will get an extra game that the Irish won't with the PAC 12 title game, but will that be enough? I say no, but will see.
I firmly believe Oregon would give Alabama the best test. Vegas agrees putting the Ducks as only a six point underdog against the Tide. To put that into perspective LSU is getting 11 in Baton Rouge.
There is a lot of football left to be played but this Saturday could really clear some things up.
Or make things really cloudy. An LSU win means the Tigers, Bulldogs, Gators and Tide would all have one loss.
So every team that played against K State and Notre Dame would have a couple million extra fans that weekend.

There are several scenarios that could play out before the season ends.
Im pulling for the one that ends with Alabama and Oregon in Miami.

Another Shot?

It's obvious at this point that Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee are all going to be coach shopping at seasons end.
It's also obvious that Bobby Petrino is going to get another shot, and it won't be a bad job no matter where he ends up.There all in the SEC. All are gonna pay pretty well. And all will have university employee's that are as hot,or hotter than Jessica Dorrell. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBFajObGbyYwdQ3mC0ee_2gZCxWmALWw73hFVY12EA_KRwnLWyGQ

For Petrino, it's a win win.

I mean lets be honest, things looked pretty bleak for the guy not that long ago. The motor cycle accident, the affair, the firing. Most people would have probably climbed back on the bike and ran off the nearest bridge. But not Petrino. And you know why? Because he's a hell of a football coach. That's why.
You see, in the world of college football there is always a place at the table for a good coach. And Petrino knows this. Despite the mistakes that he made, his services are gonna be in high demand in about two months.
And speaking of the mistakes, lets not try and sound like a couple of baptist ministers here. It's not like he committed some violent crime of epic proportions. In fact, he didn't commit a crime at all. Lets face it, if every man lost his job because he had an affair with an above average looking women, the unemployment rate would be ten times what it is right now. And before you people start with the whole " I wouldn't have Petrino if he was the last coach on earth" talk, stop and think about one thing.... winning. That's what you want right? Those four teams wanna win, and three of them wanna win now. And ironically the one team who just wants to be a 7-8 win team every year (Kentucky) may be the best fit for Petrino.
If Petrino can win and win big at Louisville, than he can surpass the Wildcats expectations. He still has recruiting connections in the state and surrounding areas. He would instantly get more out of the players they have, and ticket sales would increase in a hurry. Whoever lands Petrino will have to deal with some media backlash and negative publicity for a short time. UK hired John Calipari so, they shouldn't have a problem with any of Petrino's baggage.

The top job will be at Tennessee. Say what you will, The Vols haven't been successful as of late, but if they had been they wouldn't need a new coach. UT is still a top 15 coaching job. A passionate fan base, one of the largest stadiums in the country, and facilities that are second to none. Add in the largest recruiting budget in the nation and the fact that this programs wants to win more than any of the others and you should be able to see why it will be the best job available. I'm not saying Petrino ends up in Knoxville, he wouldn't be my first call, but he would be pretty damn close to the top of the list. With Petrino, the Vol faithful would get more than moral victories.

And I know Auburn fans are arguing that there the better job. First off, it's not like its a great argument. Arguing over which program has the better job opening is about as dumb as arguing over who's team is better. You both suck. The Tigers have won a national title lately and Chizik has been able to recruit at a pretty high level but let's be honest, that was all luck. Every bit of success that Chizik has had can be attributed to pure, old fashioned luck. Now its not that Pertrino is a bad fit here. He showed he could compete in the SEC west at Arkansas and he would reenergize the rivalry with Alabama. This actually could be the most likely destination. Auburn could care less about his reputation (or theres) and it's not like they have a problem paying coaches a big chunk of money (or players).

Would Arkansas even consider bringing Petrino back. They should. Look at what has happen to them. There's really no need to put up any more of an argument than that.

So what we do know with out question is that Bobby Petrino will get another shot.

We don't know where yet, but it'll be a winning affair.

SEC Expectations

There is no other conference in college football where the expectations are higher than in the South Eastern Conference. Head coaches of these University's are ask to reach or maintain a high standard, much like the CEO's of some of the nations largest companies. For these schools, it's a business, a very big, very profitable business. And just like those CEO's that are shown the door if sales are down or the product isn't changing with the times or its competitors, these coaches are ran out of town faster than an Oregon speed sweep. As loses mount, fans become disgruntled, stadiums become less full and boosters start holding checks. Athletic directors then have decisions to make. For every lost game, it's also lost revenue. That's the reality of this power conference. Players, fans, and boosters expect perfection. The universities have no choice but to expect the same.
But it's also about tradition, pride and rivalries. It's about a long history of winning football programs and coaching legends. It's about packed stadiums on Fall Saturdays with overflowing tailgaters on campus parking lots and playing on a national stage every week.

And all of that is about winning.

See the SEC has built the Mecca of college football conferences because of winning. Without the wins, you don't have packed stadiums. Fan bases don't expect championships. Tradition is not as storied and you play games on Thursday night or Saturday morning.

Ask the Big Ten, they know better than anyone.

And where not talking about the occasional 10 win season. In the SEC, every school, every game, every year counts. Every win, every loss. Every mistake a head coach makes burns into the minds of fans, media and university brass.
With the exception of Vanderbilt and Kentucky, every other team in the conference expects a championship in the near future. Maybe not this year or next, but by year three if your not winning in the SEC your looking for another job. And things are changing in Nashville and Lexington. Vandy not only hired a guy to build their program into a contender, but payed a lot of money to keep him and UK will fire one of their own at seasons end even tough he has taken the team to two bowl games and beat rival Tennessee for the first time in 26 years.
And speaking of Tennessee, they will no doubt replace head coach Derek Dooley at the end if the season after 18 loses and counting in two and half seasons. The Vols have one of the most storied programs in the SEC but haven't won the conference title since 1998 when Phil Fulmer lead them to a national championship. Fourteen years and three coaches later their still trying to reach that goal. By January they'll have a new coach to resume that goal.
And it all comes back to winning.

Gene Chizick won a national title at Auburn two years ago and will be unemployed by Christmas. It's a "what have you done for me lately" world in this conference, and lately means last Saturday.

Win and your a legend. Nick Saban already has a statue at Bryant Denney Stadium right next to Bear Bryant, and he still has 20 years to win titles their. (God forbid).

Lose and your a joke.

Just ask anyone who's coached in the SEC how it is. They will tell you it's win or else. They know this because 98% of them didn't leave on their terms.

Give it about two months, and you can add four more coaches to that list.

CFB: 3 Teams at #2

What we found out yesterday was that #1 Alabama is, well, still #1. Not that they were ever in any danger against a Tennessee team that is in shambles but they continued to do what they've done all year.
And that is dominate.
So while the Tide have clearly established themselves as the best team in the country, there are three teams who you could argue are the second best team in the land.

Florida - The Gators have to be the biggest surprise this year. The tougher the opponent, the better they play. Will Muschamp has this team believing they can beat anybody in the country, and he may be right. They have played the toughest schedule of any of the top five teams in the BCS and the road won't get much easier. A huge showdown with Georgia on Saturday means a win most likely locks up the SEC's eastern division. This coming off the heels of a flawless performance against another top ten team yesterday in which they made the Ole' Ball Coach look like an old ball coach while picking apart South Carolina. The Gators may be the only team in college football who could match the Crimson Tides physicality. And they should get there chance in Atlanta.

Oregon- Offensive perfection, solid defense and speed everywhere. The Ducks have more speed then the Jamaican Olympic relay team and Chip Kelly knows how to use it. They are also extremely well coached and don't beat themselves with turnovers. They wear teams down with that fast paced, up tempo offense and they can explode with series after series of big plays from anywhere on the field. It's no doubt they can put up points against any defense in the country. There's the argument of "they don't play in the SEC" but trust me, if they did, they would be fine. With that much talent and speed they could play in the NFC North and still be fine.

Kansas St.- Outside of Florida, Bill Snyder's Wildcats are the biggest surprise in football. And many are making valid points that K State is the bigger surprise. I'm not gonna go that route but I will say I understand the argument. Collin Klein is one of the best players in the country and has carried this team right into the thick of the national title race. Now they definitely haven't played the schedule of Florida, but they have won every game they've played in and housed West Virginia yesterday to get to 7-0. This team will go as far as Klein will carry them. I believe they'll need some help to get into the BCS title game. The winner of the SEC championship game (should be Alabama/Florida) is in, which means they most likely need an Oregon loss. But we have definitely learned that this team is legit.

CFB: 5 Still Alive

Six games into the college football season and the first BCS rankings are out. One through five is no big surprise, though one could argue two and three should be flip flopped. Those top 5 are unbeaten and in the thick of a national title race.
Technically there are still a total of 12 teams that could end up in Miami, but lets be realistic. #12 Mississippi St. is the worst unbeaten team in the country and will lose at least two games by seasons end. Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and LSU all have a loss. They need to run the table, win their conference championship game and get a some help.
Oregon St. is undefeated but let's be honest, the Beavers glory run ain't gonna last much last much longer.

So here's what you have left. Two of these teams should end up in Miami.

#1Alabama- Still the best team in the country hands down. I've said it all year, the Tide have pretty much RSVP'd a trip to Miami. Other than a tuff game against LSU coming up and a stiff test from the SEC East champs, it's tune up games and stat builders for Saban's squad.
#2 Florida- Surprised that there second in the BCS? You should be. Preseason #23 and picked to finish third in the SEC east the Gators have done nothing but surprise all year. They have to win out, which is asking for a lot, and beat the Tide in Atlanta, which is asking for too much.
#3 Oregon- Probably should be #2 in the polls but really doesn't matter. All the Ducks have to do is take care of business and they will be playing in their second national title game in three years. The loser of the SEC championship game will open up their spot.
#4 Kanas St.- The long shot of the top five. Even if they win out they would need a Florida and Oregon loss to move into the #2 spot, and they probably wouldn't stay at two long if Notre Dame goes unbeaten. It would be a great a story and Collin Klein would win the Heisman.
#5 Notre Dame- Irish fans may be as pissed off as Gene Chisizk's wife at the end of the season. They could go unbeaten and still be left out of the title game. They really need #2,#3, and #4 to lose. Possible but not probable.

There's a couple of teams who will just miss out.

Florida St.- A terrible loss crushed their hopes.
West Virginia- ( See Florida St. )
Kentucky- A tough loss to Western Kentucky dampened the Wildcats hopes. And if that's not enough, 10 other losses will be.

Heisman watch:
Collin Klein QB, KSU- If he keeps winning he'll join the elusive club.

Braxton Miller, QB OSU- I personally don't think a player on a non bowl eligible team should get an invite to New York but there's no denying that he's one of the best in the country.

Jeff Driskel QB, UF- Cant keep looking past the fact that the kid is really really good. May be more athletic than Tebow and he's just getting started.

Right there:
Geno Smith QB, WVU- Didn't have a great game in the loss to Texas Tech but still has play station like numbers. He has time to get back to the front.

Manti T'eo LB, ND- It's unlikely that a defensive player gets the award but this kid is a beast. Best defensive player in the country.

Kiehl Frazier QB, AU- If the 1-4 record as a starter don't close the door, the two touchdowns and seven interceptions may be to much to overcome. Especially when your benched

How Bad Is It: Tennessee Edition

Things on Rocky Top went from not very good to slightly beyond bad on Saturday night. What started off as a promising season with some very attainable expectations has turned into another bad dream for the Big Orange faithful. Things aren't in full fledged melt down mode yet, but #1 Alabama comes into Neyland Stadium this Saturday night and if the expected happens (UT opens up as 19 point underdog) the Volunteer fan base will go all out Chernobyl.
Some are already there. All you have to do is log on to any one of the numerous message boards and you can see that Vol Nation is hanging on by a thread. And if (when) that thread breaks Saturday night it will be the start of some interesting (and some completely ridiculous) discussions for the rest of the season.

There are basically two arguments being made right now. One is Derek Dooley has to go.
He's 0 and way to many against ranked opponents. He's coming off a 5 win season. He lost to Kentucky. His only SEC wins are against bottom tier programs. Some just feel that Dooley can't win at Tennessee. And that some is turning into a lot in hurry.

The other group says give Dooley some more time.
He walked into a disaster. He inherited a roster with below average SEC talent. He has had to play a ton of inexperienced young players. He's recruiting well.

Both groups make some valid points. But it's all in how you look at it. It's obvious Tennessee is not what it once was.
The question Vol fans have to ask is what is realistic expectations?

Not that long ago Tennessee's expectations were very defined. Beat your rivals (Bama, UF, UGa) win the East, play in Atlanta. Recruit. Repeat.
Beating teams like South Carolina, Miss. St and Kentucky were givens on the Vols worst days. But to set expectations now, fans have to acknowledge the difference between then and now.
Nick Saban has built a program at Alabama that John L Smith would have a hard time bringing down.
Les Miles is raking in talent at LSU at a rate not seen since Saban was there.
Muschamp is recruiting elite talent and showing he can coach it to.
The Ole Ball Coach has the Gamecocks rolling.
Georgia is solid as usual.
Throw in the success of Miss St. And Texas AM and this ain't your dads SEC. The days of UT/UF deciding who plays Alabama in Atlanta is over. If Tennessee's expectations are still the same, then some big decisions have to be made at seasons end.
Do you oust Dooley and try and land a "big fish"? Will the results be any different? Some fans think the solution is as simple as loading up a Brinks truck full of cash and dumping it in a top tier coaches front yard. And maybe it is. Most of the time in the coaching world you get what you pay for. You can't have a $5 coach and expect 5 million dollar results. Elite coaches, much like elite talent, require a certain dollar figure for there services. Tennessee should be able to entice an elite coach. Their a storied program with one of the biggest stadiums in America and facilities that are second to none. They make up for their lack of instate talent with the largest recruiting budget in the nation enabling them to go far and wide to land prospects. They play in the best conference in the country and when winning, have a fan base that will treat you like a god.
But they would have to shell out some cash. Lots of it.
Or do you stay the course with Dooley and "the relentless pursuit for
continuos improvement"? Are you okay with an 8 win ceiling? Can you accept not being a contender on any meaningful level in the college football world. Can you live with being the sixth, seventh, even eighth best team in your conference?
I'm not sure which direction the powers to be will go come January. Change could be in the air but it might not be the change the fans want.

UT fans may have to find a way to deal with mediocrity.