2016 NCAA College Football

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Smart for personal reasons, but also selfish. Wonder how many NFL teams would see that as a negative?

Couldn't agree more after hearing Fournette and McCaffrey are skiping their bowl games.

Put yourself in their shoes, an injury could change the course of the rest of their lives,” the veteran NFL personnel man said. “We’re not talking about a left guard here. We’re talking about a skill (position) player who is a huge target. That’s the reality of it.

“Look at what these coaches are making now. Those guys are making $5 or $6 million a year and they may pressure these kids to play? Look at what these coaches and ADs are doing. It’s OK for them to leave, but it’s not OK for players to think about their futures? For coaches to (be critical), that’s incredibly selfish. Hold on a second here, guy. You pressure these kids to play, and then one of them (suffers a career-altering injury) and it’s, ‘I love you, and you’re a great teammate. Sorry about that.’ And it’s all for some bowl game who no one cares about? That’s a joke. I’m looking at it practically. If it was your son, what are you gonna say? It makes sense.”

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...l-draft-121916

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I have no problem with the stars skipping the meaningless bowl games to protect their futures. Just as long as it doesn't start happening for the big ones.

Plus, why not let some of the backups have a chance to shine. It would probably mean more to them anyway.

[Lubicon]

This one is also going into the GMG thread. I just checked the TV listings for the various bowl games and the huge majority are ONLY being shown on TSN 2 which I do not get. Even the big games - Rose, Citrus, semi finals etc. are only on TSN2. Man am I pi$$ed over this.

[IceMan]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I have no problem with the stars skipping the meaningless bowl games to protect their futures. Just as long as it doesn't start happening for the big ones.

Plus, why not let some of the backups have a chance to shine. It would probably mean more to them anyway.

Jaylon Smith @thejaylonsmith
Honestly. With Everything I've been through, If I could go back to Jan. 1st I'd play again. #ClearEyeView

This is why I respect the hell out of Jaylon Smith and why he's one of my favorite ND players of all time.

Look at what happened last year with him. He was a Junior coming off winning the Butkus award for best linebacker in the country and what happens in the Fiesta Bowl, he sprains his MCL/ACL and instead of being a top 10 pick, he falls to the 2nd round losing millions of dollars.

Even after all the rehab and having to miss a whole season with the Cowboys, he still says he would play in that game for the Irish. It didn't seem to bother Zeke Elliott who played against Jaylon in the Fiesta Bowl and was the 4th overall pick in the draft.

These kids skipping bowl games is not good for College football.

[IceMan]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

I'm going to go with none. Selfish? Every bowl game outside of the playoff is meaningless. I have zero problem with players sitting out. If Tostitos or GoDaddy or Beef O' Brady (#NeverForget) want to compensate the players who are giving them their free advertising then maybe I'll agree that they're being selfish. Until then it's a risk/reward that could cost them millions of dollars for nothing. I don't know that hoisting the majestic Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl trophy is worth it.

It's maybe meaningless to the players but to the fans who show up and pay money to see certain players play, it's not meaningless to them. Also, this game does go into the record books does it not? This is not a pre season/exhibition game.

You owe a duty to your school. You got your scholarship, finish what you started. Like I said, this is not good for College Football and I feel we are heading down a path similar to College Basketball with the whole one and done garbage.

[ResAlien]

You don't owe your school a goddam thing. Until scholarships are guaranteed and players are paid they are nothing more than kids being exploited for the sake of the university to make money and be part of a free developmental league for the NFL.

I love college football, far more than pro, but let's not pretend like the NCAA is some magnanimous entity doing anything outside of watching out for its own best financial interests.

[IceMan]

You love college football yet you want these kids to be paid? Yeah I'm sure that will help make the game better. They are going to school for FREE while the other students are paying $200,000+ for a 4 year degree. It's these players choice whether or not they want to take advantage of getting a degree instead of taking classes like Golf or Ballroom dancing (Leinart). As Cardale Jones from tOSU said, "I aint here to play school". How many NCAA players make the NFL each year, less than 3%? Even if you do make it, the average NFL career is 3.3 years.

You want the kids to be paid, fine but then they have to pay for their education as well. So how does that work exactly? Does the starting QB make the same as the 3rd string TE? Do they all get paid the same? What about the women's soccer team and the men's water polo team? Do they get paid as well and if so, how much?

Once we go down that road, college football is dead. At least for the schools who actually give a damn about academics. There would need to be two leagues. Call one the Academic League and the other Semi-Pro. The NCAA can be reduced to a trade cartel, monitoring the semi-pro. The academic league teams police themselves. Then all the kids who have no interest in "playing school" can go to the semi-pro league and get paid and sit out any game they want to better their draft position.

You said you would be fine if Peppers sat out the Orange Bowl game against Florida State. Why? Don't you want to win? Or is this just a meaningless game to you? Why even have these bowl games. Let's just have the playoff and be done with it because as you said, players don't care and they're meaningless games anyway.

Scholarships are guaranteed at most schools. Maybe not at your school where the tree climbing, let's sleepover at a recruits house Harbaugh pulls a scholarship from a kid who had been committed for 2 years because he could get a higher rated recruit to sign. I guess if you aren't cheating, you better go home because most of the big boys are already doing it. What's the incentive for doing things right anymore?

Heck ND self reported a nothing scandal and got hammered for it. Meanwhile schools like UNC fought the NCAA about their school wide academic scandal and have felt nothing of the magnitude ND just had to endure.

The Sabans, Meyers, Pete Carroll's and Harbaugh's are revered and held in such high esteem without any regard to the cheating we all know they do. So why do things the right way if all your going to get in return is embarrassment?

Winning cures all, winning covers all, win, win, win. ND needs to either join the Ivy league or lower their standards and join the rest of the blue bloods.

Paying players, players sitting out... Tell me as a college football fan how that's good for the overall product of collegiate athletics?

Cheat-or-go-home-inside-the-dysfunctional-hell-of-becoming-a-cfb-coach

Is it possible to win in college football without cheating?

One coach who spoke to Bleacher Report was told on his first day that his quarterback might be part of a campuswide gambling ring.

One was given an academic report that showed more than 50 of his players failed to go to class during one week in November. Every player. Every class. For the entire week.

One was met by rumors of a raging drug problem in the locker room. He drug-tested the entire team during the first team meeting. More than 30 percent of the team failed.

For Bret Bielema, it was 20 players in his first 18 months at Arkansas. When he arrived in Fayetteville, the first academic report he received showed 18 players with sub-2.0 GPAs, and the Hogs were having a player arrested on average once every 68 days. Players were flunking out and getting into trouble, and no one was holding them accountable.

"It wasn't just that guys weren't going to class or doing the work," says Rutgers assistant defensive backs coach Aaron Henry, an Arkansas graduate assistant from 2013 to 2015. "They weren't even logging on to the computer system to begin the work. They wouldn't even do that. That doesn't just happen overnight. That stuff is ingrained."

[ResAlien]

More power to you man, an almost billion dollar a year industry built on unpaid labour is a killer business model. I'm not a fan of how the kids are exploited and owned but there's no shame in siding with the the owners (universities), I simply prefer to side with the kids.

[IceMan]

It's definitely been a hot topic with a lot of different opinions for both sides. I'm no fan of the NCAA either and agree with you that they are just watching out for their own financial interests.

I would just hate for the sport I grew up watching to turn into a semi-pro league. It's the reason I like College more than the NFL. The players seem to care more because they aren't playing just for a paycheck. They are playing for their University and their fellow student body. I am however ok with a player being able to make money off his/her namesake. If they can make $10,000 signing some autographs or showing up at an event, all the power to him/her. That's where I disagree with the NCAA.

I don't know, just hearing the news this week about players sitting out has left a bad taste in my mouth. Then seeing Jaylon's tweet (whether he's being truthful or not) also has me feeling a little apoplectic.

Oh and just for good measure... #### Michigan

[Senator Clay Davis]

College is a semi-pro league. I mean Harbaugh, Mayer and Saban make more than almost all but the best NFL coaches. Players owe it to no one but themselves, I'm glad Jaylon has no regrets right now, but if he misses out on millions I guarantee you he will in 20 years. He's just assuming he'll play again one day and still have a decent career. But the risk factor in meaningless bowls just isn't worth it. Even with an insurance policy it's still not really worth it if you're a top player. Any top 10-15 pick who plays out his rookie contract will earn between $15-25 million. Insurance usually doesn't go much past $10 million. Ironically skipping bowls is actually one of the most university things they could possibly do: Looking out for number one. It's what most other university students do for their careers.

[CaptainCrunch]

That's quite an offense that Navy runs. I can see it giving teams fits if they're not on their keys. And Navy's offense is just lightning fast.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

More power to you man, an almost billion dollar a year industry built on unpaid labour is a killer business model. I'm not a fan of how the kids are exploited and owned but there's no shame in siding with the the owners (universities), I simply prefer to side with the kids.

Ok. They are not owned, every player makes a choice and chooses to play. There isn't a single thing they prefer to do than play college ball and get a free education. It's an interesting topic to debate but you sound like a drama queen that can't be taken seriously when you say players are owned.

[FireGilbert]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Ok. They are not owned, every player makes a choice and chooses to play. There isn't a single thing they prefer to do than play college ball and get a free education. It's an interesting topic to debate but you sound like a drama queen that can't be taken seriously when you say players are owned.

First of all the free education is meaningless for many athletes. They are earning degrees that are easy to complete while playing football, not degrees that will help them find a job. Secondly if they dream of playing in the NFL the players have no choice, they must play for free in the NCAA. The only argument that I can think of that holds a bit of water is that these athletes are good Samaritans that are working for free in order to allow funding to go towards female or more obscure sports but even that is stretching it.

Universities and coaches are making millions while football players are putting their bodies on the line for a tiny chance at a pro career. Just pay them a living wage or at the very least allow them to receive money from sponsorships.

[IceMan]

Crazy bowl season so far. Dogs are 18-5 ATS and at least half of the teams have lost when they've been favoured by a TD or more.

Good omen for Washington perhaps? Lol I doubt it.

[MRCboicgy]

Former BYU and national championship winning coach LaVell Edwards passed away today.

Coached Steve Young, Jim McMahon, Ty Detmer in the 80's

http://www.espn.com/college-football...dwards-dies-86

[ResAlien]

Huge game for the Buffs tonight against Oklahoma State. A win would go a long way to showing they're on the rise and this hopefully isn't a one year thing. Outgoing senior Sofa Loofah should have a good game.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

First of all the free education is meaningless for many athletes. They are earning degrees that are easy to complete while playing football, not degrees that will help them find a job. Secondly if they dream of playing in the NFL the players have no choice, they must play for free in the NCAA. The only argument that I can think of that holds a bit of water is that these athletes are good Samaritans that are working for free in order to allow funding to go towards female or more obscure sports but even that is stretching it.

Universities and coaches are making millions while football players are putting their bodies on the line for a tiny chance at a pro career. Just pay them a living wage or at the very least allow them to receive money from sponsorships.

Lol so pay them because they don't place a value on an education? You and many others are miles away from understanding the typical athlete. For every player who is hell bent on the NFL there are several, a dozen, or more that are there to play a game they like and get a free ride. There are 120ish teams in div 1 alone with 85ish scholarships at each. The vast majority know their football ends after four years. And that ignores the lower tiers.

If you want to pay the players you really think it comes out of the mean coaches who get paid millions? It's going to come out of the allowances football give to all the other sports. There will be less swimming, tennis and golf teams out there because you want to treat them like pros ... even though they are willing to play for free.

[ResAlien]

Lol so much for the Buffs. Down 24-0, Sofa's hurt again, terrible Montez is in. It was fun while it lasted. A bowl game after 11 years is better than nothing I guess.

[Drake]

Solomon Thomas is a bad, bad man. Wow. Fittingly, he ends the Sun Bowl.

[ResAlien]

Hey Wilson Speight still sucks. This is very surprising to me.