I believe that mega conferences are coming, it’s only a matter of time (translate to money).  The TV revenues that a “mega conference” can offer will ultimately win out over local rivalries, tradition, and probably some common sense in some cases.

I hate to say it, but as Mr. Smith said to Neo in The Matrix  “Hear that? That’s the sound of the inevitable.” Or something like that.   I believe that the big dollars will just be too much to turn down.   So if it’s money, why didn’t it happen this time?  Well I don’t know for sure, but I can hazard a guess.

I think that once the SEC jumped into the fray competing with the Pac-10, someone or several someones at Texas, A&M, Oklahoma or all of the above said “Wait a minute, we don’t want to rush here.  We might leave money on the table if we make a rash decision.”

Call me cynical? You bet.  It’s going to happen.  And sooner, rather than later.

So what are we losing? Well, for one thing probably some pretty good football rivalries; Texas vs Oklahoma for one.  Now we won’t know the final impact for a few more days until all the moves are announced.   But I just don’t see Texas Tech and Arizona creating good ole fashioned hate like a lot of the rivalries we have today.  And part of that is being close enough for buddies to do things like burn the final score in their friends yard.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always preferred college sports to professional.  And now I start to ask myself this question:  As money continues to drive more and more decisions in college football, I worry about what we’ll end up with 5 years from now.

Your thoughts Football Fans?

I just don’t understand what Meyer’s problem was.  Other than he’s wound just a little too tight.  And now it appears that he has is on a power trip.  Claiming that the Sentinel will not be allowed to cover Florida football in the future if it happens again.

I’m sorry, but sometimes these football coaches think that they are bigger than the game or the school that they coach at.  Come on Coach Meyer, get over yourself!

Or was this somehow about Tim Tebow?  I hope not and I hope that the wide receive quoted in this article doesn’t incur Meyer’s wrath.  I mean I am so tired of hearing about Tim Tebow.  Yes, great college football player.  Yes, fine young man.  The second coming?  No.  It’s as bad as hearing about Tiger Woods.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

A short while ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had had enough of this kind of stuff in the NFL and took aggressive action to get the players to clean up their act or face the consequences.   And so far the results are encouraging.

Now this young man at Oregon has taken the chance of ruining his future.  He would have been a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy and his team would have been almost a shoo in for Pac 10 champs and a BCS game.  But he not only committed the crime, but lied about it to his coach and to the police.

It will be tougher for the NCAA to attempt to do what Goodell did.  Many more organizations to deal with and a much tougher situation to police.  But I believe that they better get on it now before it gets worse.  Because it will get worse if they don’t.  There is too much money at stake for coaches and football programs to be able to do it themselves.

Roger, are you available?

Thanks for visiting and for reading our blog!

As I said, we will probably never know the full truth.  But again to my point.  What is the lesson?  Well, everyone will have an opinion on this one and here’s mine.

I believe that college football is on the verge of a problem.  I believe that college football is on the verge of being a victim of it’s own success.  College football appears to riding a high of success and more programs (look at TCU, Boise State, Cincinnati) are starting to compete with the older established power football schools.

But if you look at this situation and you also look at the recent firing at Kansas, I believe you see something that is potentially the tip of the iceberg.  Let’s take a quick look at it.

College football players, now more than ever, are treated like professional superstars before they ever play a down in the NFL.  And it appears that with the money that is now coming into these schools as a result of football success, the pressure continues to increase to have a top notch football team that will compete for the BCS championship.

So add that pressure to succeed to the mix along with the egos of the players and the egos of the coaches and the intense pressure for the coaches to win immediately or be gone and you start to understand that you have a formula for conflict and bad situations to arise.

Now understand I am not defending either side in this situation because I don’t know the facts.  My only point is that the landscape of the college game is changing and not all of it is for the good.  And I think that the universities and the NCAA itself need to recognize what all of this means.  And personally I believe that the universities need to be prepared to take steps when coaches OR players cross the line.

As Roger Goodell found out in the NFL, it can get out of hand quickly.

Well, here is my bottom line question.  Is this really fair to his team and to potential Gator recruits?  I mean this year’s recruiting class won’t know who they are playing for until Meyer makes his mind up.  And in today’s competitve college recruiting world, this could spell big trouble for the Gator Nation.

At the end of the day, Coach Meyer sounds like he was trying to do right by his family, then got caught in a “guilt” trip based on his other family.  So who is Urban Meyer doing right by now?  Or is he doing right by anyone?

Opinions are cheap, but I think that he needs to go ahead and make up his mind one way or the other, no man can serve two masters as they say.

The football players many times leave for the NFL as soon as they can.  But the Universities only offer their scholarships on a year to year basis.  Coaches can be fired at any time and coaches accept jobs before the current seasons end.  College football, like it or not, has become big business.

Now I did have one problem with the way Kelly handled his communication.  Same way that Nick Saben handled his with the Dolphins a few years back.  Kelly told his team right before their big game with Pittsburgh that he wasn’t going anywhere.  But then when he accepts the Notre Dame job, he describes it as his “dream job”.

Well if his dream job was available and there was the slightest chance he would be considered (or probably had already reached out to him), he should never say an absolute that he isn’t leaving.  Players and fans aren’t dumb.  And statements like that, to me, just damage credibility.

So I don’t have a problem with him leaving when he did.  I don’t have a problem with the football players declaring early and getting their money.  And I don’t have a problem with coaches getting fired if they are not getting the job done.  But if the NCAA or the Universities are going to make any changes, then they need to be consistent.

If coaches are going to be required to finish out a season, then they shouldn’t be fired until a season is over.  But I don’t believe that any changes like this will be made.  So then, to me, it’s up to coaches to be straight up with their fans and players.  If there is a chance they will leave, don’t come out and say that they aren’t going anywhere.  As they say, “Man up” and shoot straight.

So I wish Brian Kelly success.  But he has no credibility with me going forward.

I think Alabama, after their defeat of then #1 Florida is definitely the clear #1 going into the National Championship game.  And I think that Texas deserves to be there as well.  Both these teams have been there and finished the job on their regular season.

You can argue about Cincinnati, Boise State, or TCU.  And I agree that the BCS system has flaws.  But it’s gotten better in recent years.  Not great, but better.   So to all you other football nuts out there, just sit back and enjoy the holidays and the bowl season!

Now both Paterno and Favre are enjoying revived success, I ask myself the question, when is it time for a player or coach to step down?  And should coaches like Bowden and Paterno be left to choose the time or should they be fired when others decide that it’s time?   Like a lot of issues in college and pro footbal, it’s primarily a question of  opinion, but I’m going to give you mine.

I think there is responsibility on each side.  In the cases of coaches like Paterno and Bowden, I believe that these guys have firmly established themselves as legends in the game of college football.  And as such, I believe that they have earned the right to step down with grace and dignity when they are ready.  They should not be forced to leave or have their arms twisted by the “power alum” groups.

But I also believe that, as legends, they also owe it to their programs and the legions of college football fans who follow those programs to not hang on too long.  I think that they should talk to those trusted advisors, whoever they are, around them and not let ego convince them that they can still do it, no matter how hard it may be to leave the job and the sport that you love.

You may think that I’ve copped out on this issue, but let me add one thing to this equation that may convince you differently.  Take Mark Richt at The University of Georgia as an example of a coach with challenges.  I am a UGA graduate and a big Georgia fan.  And I  love what Richt has done with the Dawgs.  But I also believe that if he can’t get a handle on the issues with his players and his coordinators, then it may be time for him to go.  He, unlike Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden, doesn’t qualify for that status of “legend”.   I think that right now, they are the only two football coaches in the country that do.

So, my opinion is to give Bowden the chance to realize when it’s time and to do it himself.  And Coach,  to you I say, look hard within yourself, talk to those you trust, and make the right decision.