I’m not sure I know what I’m doing right now. I know what I should be doing, and I know how I should be feeling- but, am I? We are essentially entering what I have always liked to name, “The Preseason Bye Week.” This is a time of celebration. It’s the last full week without college football. Basically, it’s the pre-party on the third floor of the Fraternity house with an awesomely biased ratio of girls to guys in favor of- well, you get the idea.
While a lot of us countdown to that first Saturday, and some of us are even counting down until the now annual Thursday night game; I am just counting down for that first Monday of game week. In a bloggers life, this is GAME TIME. The ensuing pressure and work put in from that day until signing day in February can only be truly understood by those that blog and podcast on the regular. It’s crazy.
As a Notre Dame blogger, I should be showing the symptoms of a steroid user at a body building expo that issues out free samples. In other words, I should be headbutting concrete highway dividers and asking for seconds. The Irish are primed for a big season, and expectations are so big, Irish fans are actually calling to “pump the brakes” when discussing the latest article from some sportswriter claiming that the Irish are “The Once And Future Kings.”
However, I am not just a lover of Notre Dame football. I love college football. I deeply love college football. My wife would considers it to be my mistress. It’s too bad that this blog isn’t all that great. If it was, perhaps I could blog full time and in effect, I would be able to have another site to cover college football in general. But, things happen for a reason. If I was blogging about college football in general, I would have a hard time writing with all of the vomit that would grace my keyboard and screen.
College football is at a tricky crossroad. We thought we passed this junction last year. Conference expansion. At one point last year, it seemed as if everyone was predicting that the so called 16 team super conferences were inevitable. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. It doesn’t really matter. College football fans and media can not get enough conference expansion talk.
I can’t stand it. It is full of speculation and whimsical fantasy, seen only in a Hollywood blockbuster. Unfortunately for me, I don’t find it enjoyable. It’s tiresome, and every dumbass with an Internet connection starts listing off their conference realignment plan. Texas A&M has done me no favors this past month.
The latest A&M to SEC rumors have spawned even more doomsday theories, AND IN AUGUST! Thanks for ruining my fun. Instead of breaking down conference matchups, people are breaking down conference “footprints” and media markets like this is some sort of god damn fantasy league. In August….
In today’s world, this sort of thing has its place. It’s called May and June. Never mind the fact that 16 team super conferences would essentially ruin college football- not just change it, but RUIN THE GAME. Do the math. 120 FBS schools. Four 16 team conferences is 64 teams- almost HALF of the schools would be on the outside, looking in. Of course there are a million different scenarios outside of the SUPER CONFERENCE, and similar to what Dan Rubenstein said in a recent podcast of The Solid Verbal, I hate conference expansion talk. I’m bored with it. BLAH!!!
If conference expansion talk is the bully taking my lunch money, then NCAA investigations (both current or likely) is the kid that punched me in the balls and pissed in my mouth after my lunch money was stolen.
I’m not sure on where the blame should be given; the NCAA, Charles Robinson, Coaches, Players, Boosters, ESPN…. Who in the hell should I scream at?
I look at the NCAA infractions from all sides. The NCAA has a rulebook. As insane as the rules may be, they are at least documented (although hard to understand at times). Charles Robinson has a job to do, and especially in the Miami case, if Robinson doesn’t do it- someone else would have. Coaches are paid to win games and that is the bottom line.
Players? I may be 33, but because I am a pretty immature 33 year old. I can remember quite clearly how my life and thought process was when I was 18-22. Without condoning “rule-breaking” I can’t blame anyone for taking anything extra- WHEN IT IS GIVEN TO THEM. These aren’t stolen goods from the back of a hijacked truck. These are free drinks, pocket cash, shopping sprees.
On a recent In The Bleachers Podcast with Michael Felder, Bomani Jones was a guest. His analogy was quite simple. Girls in tight pants have been getting free shit forever. Why can’t guys that wear tight pants do the same?
So who is to blame? My opinion actually mirrors that of the aforementioned Bomani Jones. The boosters and agents. People like this Shapiro guy are predators. Shapiro isn’t same type of predator as an agent. Shapiro was using these kids for “BRAG” while agents are using these kids for “SWAG.” Any way you cut it, you are dealing with scum.
The only possible answer is for school administrations to amp up its security for these athletes. Whatever it takes, they must be eliminated. Even a place like Notre Dame, where NCAA compliance has become a part of the culture within the programs, and the alumni- even Notre Dame had a recent issue with a booster. This stuff is tricky, but there are steps that can be took to help prevent this kind of stuff. Former FBI, CIA, Navy SEALS… whatever it takes.
But in talking about this, it brings me back to the original thought for typing out this hop scotch of a rant. I’m tired, and bored, and irritated by all of this bullshit. The season is HERE, and we have to deal with more of this?! Fuck.
Is it too much to ask for all bullshit to be pushed to the side for the seasons sake? I’m sure it is, but in the immortal words of Steel Magnolia, Quiser Boudreaux:
“This is football. All the people wanna hear about are touchdowns and injuries. They don’t give a damn ’bout that grape shit.”
But I bet JaMarcus Russell does….
