I'm sure that I am not the first person who is confused by the hypocrisy of the NCAA, and neither will I be the last one. A lot of sports analysts are on the offensive as well, in the wake of the recent suspensions handed out to six Ohio State players who traded autographs for tattoos, and for selling other memorabilia as well. Among the five players suspended include, QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron and WR DeVier Posey.
They have been ordered to repay back anywhere between $1,500-$2,500 and will miss the first five games of the 2011 season. Here's the kicker though; they have been allowed to play in the 2011 Sugar Bowl against Arkansas because according to the NCAA, they were not "properly educated" on the rules regarding their "amateur" status. And there lies the rub.
Give me a break!! I wouldn't buy this excuse for even half the price! So these players won't play the first five games of next season, but they're allowed to play in their bowl game, despite their infractions? Ohio State's first five games of next season are: Akron, Toledo, Miami (FL), Colorado, Michigan State; except for the Miami game, the rest of the fixtures will be in Columbus, OH. The Buckeyes might go 4-1 at the very least on that schedule; otherwise, it's a sweep. Another thing to consider is that these players are eligible for the NFL draft, so don't be surprised if they make the jump to the NFL and skip their punishment altogether.
No disrespect to Arkansas, who very much deserves to be in the Sugar Bowl. They pushed Alabama to the wire, traded blows with Auburn, beat South Carolina convincingly (in Columbia, SC too; and this was the same Carolina team that played for the SEC title), and they beat a great LSU team. Once again, no disrespect to Arkansas, but it's Ohio State that is the bigger draw in this match-up. An Ohio State without it's star quarterback, running back and receiver isn't exactly good for ratings. Do the math and get back to me.
This is probably the same reason that Cameron Newton will lead Auburn into the national championship game, despite being the subject of a "pay-for-play" deal orchestrated by his father. In Cam's case, he claimed that "he didn't know" his father was trying to auction him off to the highest bidder. I'm not accusing Newton of anything here, but please, try and tell me that Auburn would have beat South Carolina in the SEC title game had Newton been declared ineligible.
Earlier in the season, Georgia receiver A.J. Green was suspended for the first 4 games after he admitted to selling his jersey from last year's Independence Bowl. North Carolina started the season with 12 players suspended for various school/NCAA violations. Last year, Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant was suspended for the remainder of the season, because he lied about having met with an agent. Dez did not take any money or sign any contracts, so I was thinking that maybe a two-game suspension might suffice. In another case, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, was forced to miss the 2004 Alamo Bowl and the first game of the 2005 season after it was discovered that he took $500 from a booster.
I hope you can understand why I'm confused. Don't get me wrong, because I'm not condoning what either of these guys did. What I'm failing to understand here is why some players got punished right away, while the current group of Ohio State players don't get punished at all? I could sit here and scratch my head all day long, and still won't get it.
I'm going to let ya'll mess with this one; I'm folding!!
For the second year in a row, Urban Meyer has decided to step down from coaching. Last year, citing health concerns, he retired only to unretire the next day. This time, he stated that it was a desire to spend more time with his family and interests away from football. He seems to have his mind made up, but for how long will he stay retired?
There's a lot of speculation that he could unretire, again, and take up the vacant coaching spot for the Denver Broncos. That would reunite him with Tim Tebow, the man who seemed to make Meyer's life as coach a lot easier. It would also confirm what I've always believed; that Meyer couldn't seem to contemplate what his life would be without Tim Tebow, hence his decision to retire last year. Let's be real, he misses the kid.
Tim Tebow was one of the most highly recruited players during his 2005 senior year. Despite a strong pitch by Alabama, he chose Florida and attained a cult-like status from the day he set foot in Gainesville. As a back up to Chris Leak during his freshman year, he was a key contributor toward the Gators championship run that season. As a starting QB, he held a 35-6 record, won the Heisman Trophy and led Florida to the National Championship. Altogether, Florida had a record of 48-7 during Tebow's 4 years on campus.
In the year 1 P.T (Post Tebow), Florida has all but vanished from the college football map. Along with John Brantley, Florida had to use Jordan Reed and Trey Burton in QB shuffle, as they struggled to a 7-5 record this past season. Believe it or not, they were still in contention for the SEC East crown, but South Carolina quickly took care of that.
It's hard to believe that at one point, Cameron Newton was next in line after Tim Tebow. Seeing the kind of impact that Newton has had on Auburn, one can only wonder what might have been, had he stuck around at Florida. Had he stayed, and it was Florida going to the national championship instead of Auburn, would Urban Meyer have made this decision to walk away? Also considering that Newton is a junior and would likely be back for his senior season (which could possibly be another national title run), would Urban Meyer have wanted to walk away from that too?
Following the 2008 season, Meyer has lost 2 key assistants that have gone on to fill head coaching vacancies; Dan Mullen to Mississippi State and Charlie Strong to Louisville. After Mullen left, the offense hasn't quite been the same the last 2 years; and you can also see how much their defense misses Charlie Strong. I guess that's the price you pay when you have a top program. It is never easy to replace quality assistants, just ask Florida State.
In 10 years as head coach, Urban Meyer has coached at 3 schools while compiling a record of 103-23 (17-6 at Bowling Green, 22-2 at Utah, 64-15 at Florida). That is as good as any record during that period. His record in bowl games stands currently stands at 6-1. His coaching highlights include leading Utah to a 12-0 record and a Fiesta Bowl win in the 2004 season (making Utah the first BCS buster), and 2 national championships at Florida. The man has indeed proven his worth as a head coach.
Should Meyer decide to return to coaching at some point, it won't be with Denver though (at least that's what I think). My best guess is that he'll probably wait until Tressel steps down at Ohio State. That makes sense to me, as Meyer is from Ohio. What a homecoming that would be.
The Outback Bowl against Penn State will be Meyer's last game in charge. Across the field will be Penn State's Joe Paterno, 83 years young. The irony.
