LSU self imposes a 1 yr bowl ban for its transgressions. Wait for it: This year
Please tell me again why we don't just cheat? This ban is for booster payments to players.
December 10th, 2020 at 5:25 AM ^
The NCAA is a joke; this is tried and true. Even so, that’s a bold move by LSU. It will br interesting to see if their partner at ESPN calls them out.
December 10th, 2020 at 5:35 AM ^
I agree with you. I grew up an NFL fan before going to Michigan. College football appealed to me because of the passion of the fans. Little did I know that structurally FBS football was broken. I am hoping that the result of the utter chaos this year will cause dramatic change on many fronts:
- Legitimizing pay for athletes (or creating a 6 team semi-pro league (age 18-21) called "NFL Prep"
- Increasing competition across the FBS level
- Unifying the conferences in a single mandate
- Creating a real playoff tournament (like the 24 team FCS playoff which is great) and get rid of bowl games
- Any other enhancements that make college football more watchable and gives teams hope
December 10th, 2020 at 6:26 AM ^
I see you got negged for this comment, but I agree wholeheartedly. The NCAA acts like an organization that has become corrupted and rotted to its core.
They've basically created a model of aristocracy amongst the college football elite: the same 5-6 programs, that commit the same blatant recruiting and impermissible player benefit violations, make the same 4-team playoff, where it usually comes down to the same 2 programs (Alabama and Clemson) who trade national titles back and forth. These programs get their own set of rules, the remaining 115-ish programs are required to refer to the NCAA handbook. Violations are snuffed out, and sanctions are applied.
What's the catch for any program not named Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, or LSU? This may sound like "haters gonna hate" to the willfully ignorant FBS fans that simply choose not to acknowledge the hypocrisy the NCAA shows to these programs. Each one of these programs within the past decade have committed egregious NCAA violations, sometimes multiple and gotten little more than a parking ticket. It's pretty easy to graduate top of your class when you take your tests open book and your classmates have to study.
I would be in total favor of dissolving the NCAA entirely and establishing a new governing body for college athletics. I do think their needs to be a player compensation program and payments outside of the established program need to be monitored and penalties enforced. Expand the CFP to at least 8 teams, re-arrange the 5 Power Conferences by geography. Play 2 out of conference games, 9 in conference games and a conference championship. Release AP and Coaches Poll rankings after week 3 once teams have demonstrated on-field performance.
That in my mind would make for a much more compelling college football season to follow. Unless of course you are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State or LSU. Maybe one day.
December 10th, 2020 at 9:03 AM ^
I don't pretend that I'm not totally wasting my time posting this, but here's a financial advisor testifying under oath that he paid Michigan football players.
https://www.si.com/college/2019/04/23/marty-blazer-ncaa-corruption-trial-alabama-unc-michigan
December 10th, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
I have no clue what your point could be with this... that "UM pays players, too"? This guy was working on his own behalf; bribing players from all over the country - multiple teams - relative pocket change to be their financial advisor when they turned pro. He wasn't paying them to come to Michigan, or remain at Michigan. Their UM affiliation had nothing to do with those bribes.
December 10th, 2020 at 4:36 PM ^
When osu players were trading their own personal items for tattoos, it wasn’t a payment to induce them to go to Ohio state or to remain there, but it was still a violation and one that many people still point to as proof they cheat. I know the situations are different, but they are the same by the fact that neither gives their school or players a competitive advantage.
December 13th, 2020 at 7:39 PM ^
The violation was that the head coach knew about it, and exchanged emails with people inside the athletic department that the plan was to not report it and make sure it was covered up.
Let's not get pedantic about exactly how the violations occurred.That is clearly a pretty serious violation of NCAA rules, specifically when the AD knows about it and wants to cover it up.
December 10th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
You're wasting your time (and ours) by not understanding what the article was reporting.
He wasn't paying players to play at M or any given school, which is the point of conversation, but paying them in anticipation of getting their business when they go pro, sort of like what some sports agents have done.
Yeah, young athletes want to get paid, but the article isn't saying that some M booster paid stud athletes to play at Michigan. He was paying them as future clients.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:13 AM ^
when you take your tests open book and your classmates have to study.
---Not sure how many open book tests you have taken. They are not easy. Those tests aren't "Find the answer to this question from Page such and such".
What you meant is probably, "when you take your tests with full knowledge of the answer keys and your classmates have to study."
December 10th, 2020 at 11:30 AM ^
It's just an analogy.
December 13th, 2020 at 9:12 PM ^
I've taken plenty. The point isn't the difficulty of open book tests. The point is if one party is given access to additional resources that are otherwise not afforded to others, it makes it easier for the former to exceed.
December 10th, 2020 at 6:43 AM ^
I don't believe this year will be considered "utter chaos", so that will not be a reason for change. To your bullet points:
The closest they will get to paying players is NIL. Semi pro teams will not work. They will not work for the same reasons these start up pro leagues fail time after time. People don't root for players, they root for teams. You only like certain players because they play for the teams you like.
Not sure how you go about increasing competition in college when the makeup of teams changes almost daily with attrition and injuries.
Bowl games still make money for companies and teams, so they won't be going anywhere anytime soon, and if you want more kids opting out go to a 24 team playoff with no bowls. Once teams are eliminated, kids will be dropping like flies.
Personally, I love college football. Don't change a thing, except actually penalize those that cheat, and make my team better the next decade so we can compete for some hardware.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:05 AM ^
Many of the P5 schools do not want the rules enforced by the NCAA.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:27 AM ^
Imagine if players received NIL rights and teams that cheated were punished like USC was (or SMU) ...
The problem would remain that Clemson, Bama, OSU and a few others would still have flocking momentum.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:30 AM ^
Structurally it is broken because of the conferences refusing to give up their piece of the pie and give a larger piece to anyone else including the other p5 conferences. The bigten and sec have had the largest share for a long time and are refusing to give any of it up. The ACC has set itself up to become the real power broker in this.
That said, I completely agree. One unified league with the conferences. One playoff mandate. I don't care if the bowls remain outside of the play off structure. The bowls were a huge part of college football and what built it's popularity. And I don't mind playing a championship game in the Rose/Sugar/Orange/Fiesta bowls. But it needs a real playoff and imo 16 teams is plenty. 24 would be watered down quite a bit and the arguments would ensue about 6 or 7 teams from one conference getting in... 16 no more than 4 from any conference and an automatic bid for undefeated group of five teams, we already know the p5 champs would be automatic...
December 10th, 2020 at 10:24 AM ^
Agreed. Football is way more fun when virtually everyone has a chance, hence the popularity of the NFL. We need 1950-1967 Big Ten competitive football. During those years, nine teams won or shared the title. Michigan (2), Illinois (3), Purdue (2), Wisconsin (3), MSU (3), OSU (4), Iowa (3), Minnesota (2) and even Indiana (1). The only team not included was Northwestern. Yeah, I loved the next 20 years when Michigan and OSU fought it out yearly, but for fans in general that prior period was the best.
December 10th, 2020 at 5:32 AM ^
They even waited until their season was crap before making the move. NCAA just needs to allow programs to pay athletes. What's going on behind the scenes is rampant and the less ethical administrations get away with murder.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:11 AM ^
CJK5H
(Allegedly)
Wait, that's a person, not an administration... My bad!
December 10th, 2020 at 5:32 AM ^
There IS a kind of artistic beauty to this specific shenanigan.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:40 AM ^
Agreed. As a fan, it offends me, but wow.
December 10th, 2020 at 9:22 AM ^
Why can't we one up them and do the same in reverse. We can impose a 1 year bowl ban this year AND THEN do something untoward in the near future!!!
December 10th, 2020 at 5:50 AM ^
So what are they actually covering up then?
December 10th, 2020 at 6:38 AM ^
I’m all for paying players but I think our problems go beyond that...
Would cheating help us develop a quarterback for the first time under the Hokebaugh era?
December 10th, 2020 at 7:17 AM ^
It would theoretically put you in the mix for the players that don’t need nearly as much development. Instead of taking a project QB with raw tools like Joe Milton, you drop a bag off and get a Justin Fields type that just has a certain level of natural ability.
December 10th, 2020 at 11:11 AM ^
Would also enable us to have a fully stocked cupboard at every position, putting QB’s in a better position to succeed
December 10th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
Well speaking of LSU they never seemed to develop a QB and apparently lucked into the Joe Brady/Joe Burrow combo to win a titles so does it matter?
December 10th, 2020 at 7:23 AM ^
Having snuck cookies when no one was looking, I punished me by restricting myself to a dark room from midnight to 6:00 AM. That'll show me!
December 10th, 2020 at 11:10 AM ^
NEXT time I'll make me stay till 8:00 AM!
December 10th, 2020 at 7:29 AM ^
I mean, if I were a Power 5 athletic director, yeah, I get any punishment that I am supposed to be self-imposing done in what for my program is a rather awful year. As toothless as the NCAA is, I would take full advantage of it too.
December 10th, 2020 at 7:37 AM ^
I'm sure the NCAA will find a way to make Grambling pay for LSU's sins.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:04 AM ^
Honestly, it is smart. They are evil but I remember when OSU had a chance do this the year they were 6-6 and didn't. They went undefeated the next year and missed a bowl game. If the NCAA lets you do it because they are spineless, it would be stupid not to do it.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:32 AM ^
"When you are a star, they let you do it."
December 10th, 2020 at 8:18 AM ^
I very much dislike what LSU obviously did. But, I gotta admit, this 'self-ban' is pure genius! You get to say, publicly, that you're taking a strong stand against rule breaking by punishing your entire team instead of just the perps. You get to keep a straight face when telling the public about your commitment to the rules of fair play. You place the NCAA in a public box - if they accept it, you win; if they don't, you win the PR game.
LSU can't lose this... The NCAA is going to take the brunt of public shame and humiliation, and the crap BS LSU proposed will be forgotten in the near-term aftermath. Do nothing more than look through this thread as proof of that - most replies are already chirping at the NCAA.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:19 AM ^
Can Michigan do the same this year in exchange for a future violation?
December 11th, 2020 at 1:41 AM ^
I love this idea-- pure genius. Michigan bans themselves from the bowl games this year then immediately following the bowl games, blatantly sends bagmen out to all the top recruits' houses with complete immunity.
I'd like to nominate Fishbulb to immediately replace Dudek.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:36 AM ^
The NCAA could add another year seeing lsu's scandal and self imposed penalty as really tongue and cheek with this season and bowls likely not allowing many fans and lsu sucks.
That said, it's Lsu and a member of the sec whom I don't recall the last sec school given any major punishment in the last 15 years. Not bama when dj fluker admitted to the university directing them to agents they work with to get paid. Not miss st or auburn for paying cam newton. Nobody. None, nada, zip.. if it's the sec the ncaa doesn't care.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
Mississippi got gigged pretty good...it’s how Shea Patterson ended up in Ann Arbor.
But Ole Miss is FAR from SEC royalty.
December 10th, 2020 at 8:49 AM ^
A big fat middle finger to the NCAA, and they just sit there and do nothing about it. And I can't say I blame LSU for doing it. If you're going to get away with it, WHY NOT? The NCAA is an absolute spineless joke, and I hope in the coming years you start to see enough schools within the P5 come together and say "hey, we can do all of this without you."
And here Michigan is, continuing to follow the rules and receiving no benefit from it whatsoever. Its like volunteering to fight everyone with one hand tied behind your back.
December 10th, 2020 at 9:00 AM ^
They should also include reducing scholarships by 4 in 2020 to cover the guys who opted out.
December 10th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Good question!
Teams that compete in the CFP are mainly semi-pro teams based on college campuses. That's why it's always been the same three or four teams year in and year out.
The rest of the Bluebloods, including Michigan, which do not cheat on the same institutional level, have been mired in relative mediocrity in the CFP era for good reason!
We need to remember this when evaluating the Harbaugh Era. Michigan's performance has been on-par with most of our Blueblood peers. Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, etc... are not in our peer group.
December 10th, 2020 at 9:27 AM ^
Michigan would have been given the NCAA "Death Penalty" for the same thing.
John Bacon would "investigate" via FOIA and make the NYTimes Best Seller with the "Downfall of Michigan football" book that all us UM fans would buy.
Warde would be at the podium -- inflicting more 'self-penalties' for 20 years of Michigan football.
But, LSU -- everybody says "ah shucks" and says "see you next year in the CFP in 2021".
Ed Orgeron is laughing. The double-standard for Michigan football in the media is amazing.
We practice for 5 minutes too long.
Go Blue.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:47 AM ^
It's all about how much the university wants to cooperate with the NCAA and how complicit your local media is. Down in Baton Rouge the school clearly likes winning at all costs and the locals won't dare get in the way of LSU. Up here you're right, any hint of impropriety and guys in Michigan are going to be racing to see who can publish the terrible allegations that Michigan was providing their players with free cream cheese for their bagels first
December 10th, 2020 at 9:56 AM ^
You have to admire the chutzpah.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:02 AM ^
There is this odd trait some people have where they fail to take the intellect and common sense of others into account. Like that ex-GF who had a half naked guy over one night when I showed up, only to have her tell me he was "just a friend." Or LSU thinking no one will pick up on how they weren't going to be bowl eligible anyway...
I used to wonder how cheaters like this got by in life without the hammer coming down on them, but increasingly it's become obvious that cheating pays.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
Let's pay for our sins during this trash covid season in which our team is mediocre. LSU falling on the sword hard.
Coach O is uttering totally incomprehensible words mocking the NCAA's enforcement capabilities.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:42 AM ^
There's such piss poor accountability with stuff like this and a total lack of public support for the ncaa that we should openly pay the players a stipend and dare the ncaa to do something about it. The political climate is right to step up and do it because it's the right thing to do. Provide additional financial incentives for players that perform well academically and on the field.
December 10th, 2020 at 10:44 AM ^
LSU continues to not gaf. Will Wade, this stuff, sexual assault stuff that's brewing, etc. Just seeing how far the envelope can be pushed without the NCAA doing anything. The only reason Michigan start a player payroll is because we'd get hammered for it because we'd actually cooperate with the NCAA. We should start cheating and also tell the NCAA to get lost but that isn't our university's culture so it wouldn't work
December 10th, 2020 at 11:08 AM ^
"If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so."
-Thomas Jefferson
"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
-MLK, Jr.
Those are ideals I'd like to think the University would champion in the face of a pissed off NCAA.
December 10th, 2020 at 11:04 AM ^
ESS-EEE-SEE - It just means More! The league is probably unhappy that they admitted to anything. Orgeron is no saint. I think they might kick a school out for not cheating, or make them like Vandy on the field
December 10th, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Meh. I'm pretty sure that LSU's self-imposed bowl ban will continue as long as Orgeron is coach. The dude caught lightning in a bottle for one year with Joe Brady and Joe Burrow and everyone suddenly thought he became a great coach. He'll always be the cajun Brady Hoke.