Let's Take the Fake Out of College Football

[Old Man Mike]

One of my brothers played for Dye. VERY tough man, and quite knowledgeable about creating a football team, especially defensively [he was a stud center/linebacker for Georgia, I think.]. Anyway, academics were NOT emphasized during my brother's stay there. My Virginia Tech Brother had to visit once and suggest that maybe our little bro should get a few books and paper pads and pens so he might learn something and uphold the family name. [this he DID do but it was largely self-motivation and brotherly push---Dad would have rained all over him had he known, but our story came out happily even though his degree never was worth anything to him on the job market]. Dye could coach football; he apparently had no interest in any other part of the job...well, recruiting studs, too.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Also, BGIF, my friend, [and I really shouldn't repeat this because it's not the kid's fault, but] "there's no truth to the rumor that another stud back at Alabama was interviewed on national TV [a major strategic error] and was asked how he played so effectively. The player said [exact quote---too much to ever forget] 'Coat Brynt say: I get ball I gone!!!' And the TV personality smiled, thanked the kid and went back to studio." Another tribute to the legend of The Bear. [God bless the kid---he had no chance at that school.]

 

[twig21]

One of my ex students played for John McKay at SC in the 70's, first day at freshman orientation McKay walks in and says boys you are here to play football, if you choose to go to class that is entirely up to you. No joke.

 

[phgreek]

OK, Notre Dame does it right, a 96 graduation rate for football players. Only 17 teams in the FBS schools score 80 or better. ... What if N.D. announced that it would no longer put a team on its schedule unless it had a graduation rate of 80 or better? Talk about shaking the thunder down from the sky. Hey, if only 57 percent (Auburn) of your players graduate, are you really a COLLEGE team? How about 55 percent (Alabama), 52 percent (Ohio State), 51 percent (Michigan State), 50 percent (Texas) or 46 percent (Oklahoma)?

Totally agree that this current system is a farse...and anyone associated with the NCAA ought to be ashamed. My theorey is you'd clean it up if you took away 1 scholarship for every point under 80...And you managed the curriculums such that you can't graduate with an underwater basketweaving degree...sorry SEC!

Converseley you get an additional scholarship for every point over 80...schools who have the institutional wherewithal to produce successful STUDENT atheletes...places like ND, Stanford, Army, Navy, Air Force, even BYU would dominate...and the SEC schools would eventually come around...its time for a purge of the NCAA.

 

[irishtrain]

There are people who will read this thread and say it is all conjecture and exaggerated rant. I can assure you that it is not and my friends have told me the same things in different form about the SEC. These friends were equipment managers and coaches.

 

[irish1958]

Totally agree that this current system is a farse...and anyone associated with the NCAA ought to be ashamed. My theorey is you'd clean it up if you took away 1 scholarship for every point under 80...And you managed the curriculums such that you can't graduate with an underwater basketweaving degree...sorry SEC!

Converseley you get an additional scholarship for every point over 80...schools who have the institutional wherewithal to produce successful STUDENT atheletes...places like ND, Stanford, Army, Navy, Air Force, even BYU would dominate...and the SEC schools would eventually come around...its time for a purge of the NCAA.

A great idea; but remember you are dealing with football coaches and college presidents here, to say nothing about the (paying) fan bases and the BCS idiots.
Won't happen!
Another idea would be for the NFL to have a developmental league where kids who have no interest in college could play for pay and get coaching and health insurance.
Colleges could then have real student athletes.
Won't happen!

 

[Anchorman]

A few points:

While graduation rates aren't stellar, you should look at the four year graduation rates at most of these schools. They're not far from the football rates.

There are many very good schools both academically and athletically. Stanford, NW, Serv. Acads, Cal, Duke, BC, and yes, even USC, etc. etc.

This moral high-horsing is where we come off as arrogant pr***s sometimes. We also tend to overestimate ND's academic prowess while underestimating other schools'.

ND does a great job at graduating athletes, but our admission standards for them aren't anything to brag about, and we too have our share of sociology majors.


On a sidenote about the scholarship idea, again you have to consider the graduation rates for normal students. As for the Service Academies, they have no limit on scholarships.

 

[phgreek]

A few points:

While graduation rates aren't stellar, you should look at the four year graduation rates at most of these schools. They're not far from the football rates.

There are many very good schools both academically and athletically. Stanford, NW, Serv. Acads, Cal, Duke, BC, and yes, even USC, etc. etc.

This moral high-horsing is where we come off as arrogant pr***s sometimes. We also tend to overestimate ND's academic prowess while underestimating other schools'.

ND does a great job at graduating athletes, but our admission standards for them aren't anything to brag about, and we too have our share of sociology majors.


On a sidenote about the scholarship idea, again you have to consider the graduation rates for normal students. As for the Service Academies, they have no limit on scholarships.

sorry about the moldy response...been in the field.

I kinda see what you are saying about using the school's general population as some sort of barometer...so if a school graduates 55%, the football team should be deemed fully successful if they graduate 55%.

my only response is, if school X cannot graduate the general population at a rate of 80%, WTF is School X doing with any kind of atheletics programs beyond IM.

Good point about service academies...I may have known that at some point in my life but it was gone until you pointed it out...

I try not to be a prick, and I can see where it can be seen that way...although I think I mentioned a few of those schools as well...point is ND has the institutional wherewithal (as do others) to graduate the vast majority of the general population of students and atheletes alike...to me that is institutional excellence...not arguing NDs academics are without peer.

Also...my one minor complaint here in this line of discussion is this...is comparing the general population to full ride folks really apples to apples...wouldn't you want to see how guys with scholarships to band, the arts, etc. faired, and use other scholarship(ed) folks as your barometer, not just any schmoe...

The NCAA continues to mouth words that support "excellence"...but no one recognizes the pursuit of excellence in their actions.

 

[phgreek]

A great idea; but remember you are dealing with football coaches and college presidents here, to say nothing about the (paying) fan bases and the BCS idiots.
Won't happen!
Another idea would be for the NFL to have a developmental league where kids who have no interest in college could play for pay and get coaching and health insurance.
Colleges could then have real student athletes.
Won't happen!

Actually, I think your idea re: the developmental league is a reasonable solution...whatever it takes to force some integrity...I get tired of hearing the D-bags from the NCAA mouth "excellence" yet do nothing that promotes or rewards excellence as they have alluded to in their own mission statement...

I hate the NCAA, and the BCS...always will until they die...I am irrational when it comes to in your face hypocrisy...ya know, the kind where folks do things, half deny it, and dare ya to do something about it...I just blow sky high when I see it...I hear its inherited from my old man...so its his fault...I just want to get the NCAA and the university presidents in a room and go all Henry Waxman on them...but then I remember too many people have pictures of me doin things I shouldn't a done. So the best I can do is bitch about it here...