OT: college football

[vqdriver]

it's getting to be that time of the year again and i'm excited for a good season. here's another way to keep us occupied for the next few months.
i've put together a pickem pool. it's straight pickem without spreads or confidence points, so all you have to do is pick the winners each week.

pretty fun and easy for the casual fans as well. it's on yahoo sports so follow the link to join. signup is free and if you already have a yahoo email account or id you can use that to login.

link here: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college

click on "join group"

group name is: bettersaturdays
group number is: 13883
group password: "join"

pm me your email address if you're having trouble getting in and i can email you an invite directly

[cuwinbs]

thanks!! love college football some great games this 1st week :banana:

[echappist]

me loves a good hypocrisy, perpetrated by "academics" no less.

Thankfully, i have the WC and Giro di Lombardia to look forward to, then a few months of despair.

[vqdriver]

season "starts" tomorrow. :)

anyone can still join.
if you're already in, make sure you get your picks in.

[Louis]

me loves a good hypocrisy, perpetrated by "academics" no less.

Agreed. Much of the system is rotten. Especially the big-time programs.

Sort of like doping and cycling...

[vqdriver]

yeah, but we have cheerleaders and mascot fights :hello:

[firerescuefin]

I'm in....GO GATORS!

[vqdriver]

that should be an interesting showing at Sun Life Stadium....

[LouDeeter]

If you liked that little Gator, then you'll love this one:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DRMTMMSFXoA/TG_hrZxyQyI/AAAAAAAAADk/sSABhCpc9nM/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG

[firerescuefin]

If you liked that little Gator, then you'll love this one:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DRMTMMSFXoA/TG_hrZxyQyI/AAAAAAAAADk/sSABhCpc9nM/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG

That's my little guy before the FSU game last year. I want to order a JKS from DK and want to integrate UF colors in there...probably on a white bike!

[vqdriver]

FYI: yahoo had place holders for two games which are now filled.

s. carolina vs ecu
oregon vs lsu

you can make your selections for those two games now as well as the tie-breaker

it looks like firerescuefin is the only one who joined after they added the games so everyone else should check their picks.

good luck everyone.

[verticaldoug]

I do enjoy college football much more than pro football. However, it definitely exploits the athletes. Graduation rates for D1 football players is 67% and basketball 65%. Some schools are doing a good job - BC, Stanford, Colgate, Notre Dame, Navy..... but then there are so many others aren't.

[vqdriver]

IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG

here we go guys. that tcu game was disappointing for all, but sooo fun to watch. tonight's going to be interesting.

[vqdriver]

I do enjoy college football much more than pro football. However, it definitely exploits the athletes. Graduation rates for D1 football players is 67% and basketball 65%. Some schools are doing a good job - BC, Stanford, Colgate, Notre Dame, Navy..... but then there are so many others aren't.



dude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkbKjtuNJhQ

[malcolm]

I don't think most big time college players are there for the education but as minor leagues looking for pro contracts.
The colleges get a lot of funding from football, in fact the big time sec teams support almost every other sport on campus plus a ton of other things.
I don't know what the answer is but the colleges can't give up the money or won't that is for sure

[verticaldoug]

I don't think most big time college players are there for the education but as minor leagues looking for pro contracts.
The colleges get a lot of funding from football, in fact the big time sec teams support almost every other sport on campus plus a ton of other things.
I don't know what the answer is but the colleges can't give up the money or won't that is for sure

If the players really are a farm league for the NFL, they should at least be compensated for it.

I think football provides a lot of revenue for the school, but still falls short of covering the athletic program budget. A school like Ohio State has revenue of around 58mm for the FB program. The total athletic department budget is somewhere around 110mm. So still a shortfall.

I just think it hypocritical for the NCAA to prohibit players from profiting when everyone else around them is. 120 College coaches avg $1mm in salary. 9 Sec coaches make over $2mm a year.

I look back at the case of Jeremy Bloom who was a world class mogul skier and football player at Colorado. He fought a long hard battle against the NCAA to play football even though he was receiving endorsements as a world cup skier. He lost and was rule permanently ineligible. Grossly unfair.

It reminds me of all the crap in track and field in the 70's with the AAU.
(i guess i am really old)

[firerescuefin]

I just wanted to congratulate myself on a great week 1 :beer: ...and wanted to thank me for making this happen. :cool: Much like the Gators, I expect my excellence and domination will continue well into the future. :no:


;) ....Geoff

[rugbysecondrow]

I don't think most big time college players are there for the education but as minor leagues looking for pro contracts.
The colleges get a lot of funding from football, in fact the big time sec teams support almost every other sport on campus plus a ton of other things.
I don't know what the answer is but the colleges can't give up the money or won't that is for sure

I agree if we are discussing big time college players, I would also add that most players are NOT big time college players, have almost no chance at the NFL nor professional football stardom. They may not be there 100% for academics, but neither are other non-athletic students. They are there for girls, parties and post-ponement of adult life. No matter what brought you, it matters what keeps you there. You have to make grades eventually.

Also, larger programs pay smaller programs, for games, they system allows all to benefit some.

Scholarship kids get free school, walk-ons choose to participate, schools are able to make money for other programs.



me loves a good hypocrisy, perpetrated by "academics" no less.

Thankfully, i have the WC and Giro di Lombardia to look forward to, then a few months of despair.

This, on its surface, makes no sense...me no understand what is being perpetrated.

[echappist]

Also, larger programs pay smaller programs, for games, they system allows all to benefit some.

Scholarship kids get free school, walk-ons choose to participate, schools are able to make money for other programs.

That's a load of BS. Only a handful of schools (the perennial football and basketball contenders) actually generate enough money.

See this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/sports/03cup.html)


The large NCAA programs (i.e. football and basketball) are nothing but a bread and circus show to entertain (and God knows we Americans need diversions), and it's doubtful they lead to any sort of meaningful development other than that of a large beer belly.



This, on its surface, makes no sense...me no understand what is being perpetrated.
Hypocrisy is what's being perpetrated. Last time i checked, the purpose of education is to enlighten, not to deceive.

I don't have 95 thesis to post onto the walls of the office of the ncaa, but here's what i could think of:
-that the NCAA is an association of non-profit organization whose goal is to generate revenue
-Coaches may receive outlandish compensation that's at least 2-3 times more than what other public employees receive
-God forbid that the students, many of whom you mentioned are not likely there for an education, receive compensation of any sort for their work.
-The same scandals, should it involve an administrator, is an one way ticket to getting blacklisted. But if a coach does it, he lays low and gets hired elsewhere for more pay.
-Schools bend backwards to accommodate "student athletes." Charges of larceny, battery, and sexual assault are often reduced or dropped, fostering a permissive environment making the "student athletes" more equal than others.

PS. Regarding the "more equal" treatment of athletes. I was once hired by the athletics department at Columbia to serve as a tutor. I was paid $40/hour (very close to market rate) to tutor the student athletes. While there were a few who were eager to learn, there were also a few who had no business at Columbia. Some of them would sit there waiting for the session to end, showing no signs of any intellectual curiosity. OTOH, there are tons of student who would dream to have a free, hour long tutoring session, and they will pick my brains to learn.

[rugbysecondrow]

Big schools pay smaller schools for games. Revenue big programs haul in is spread amongst other less popular programs (womens softball, lacrosse etc). I would argue the goal of the BCS is to make money, that is not the goal of the NCAA. NCAA governs ALL collegiate sports, not just football. Just because athletic programs lose money overall doesn't mean they are not worth pursuing. You underestimate the amount of alumini money generated from athletics, money that likely does not show up the balance sheet regarding athletics. Sports keep most alumni connected in a way most other collegiate activities can or do.

Take most schools that have scholarships, most are not programs which act as feeder systems to the NFL...this is no different than NCAAB where they have the "One and Done" players at the major programs.

I guess my overall point is that I think it is not legit to use the extremes to define the whole. Most are not NFL bound, most are not going to be huge money makers, most are not going to be professional athletes at all. They play for fun, they play for sport, and many play for free college.

I would venture to say that for every athlete who had no business being there, there was some drunkard stoner who would fall into the same bucket. Lets not be altruistic regarding those in athletics and ignore the student body mass who fumble and ???? their way through school.

I was a GA grad student on scholarship so I would have no issue with a stipend similar to what I got ($1000 a month).

That's a load of BS. Only a handful of schools (the perennial football and basketball contenders) actually generate enough money.

See this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/sports/03cup.html)


The large NCAA programs (i.e. football and basketball) are nothing but a bread and circus show to entertain (and God knows we Americans need diversions), and it's doubtful they lead to any sort of meaningful development other than that of a large beer belly.


Hypocrisy is what's being perpetrated. Last time i checked, the purpose of education is to enlighten, not to deceive.

I don't have 95 thesis to post onto the walls of the office of the ncaa, but here's what i could think of:
-that the NCAA is an association of non-profit organization whose goal is to generate revenue
-Coaches may receive outlandish compensation that's at least 2-3 times more than what other public employees receive
-God forbid that the students, many of whom you mentioned are not likely there for an education, receive compensation of any sort for their work.
-The same scandals, should it involve an administrator, is an one way ticket to getting blacklisted. But if a coach does it, he lays low and gets hired elsewhere for more pay.
-Schools bend backwards to accommodate "student athletes." Charges of larceny, battery, and sexual assault are often reduced or dropped, fostering a permissive environment making the "student athletes" more equal than others.

PS. Regarding the "more equal" treatment of athletes. I was once hired by the athletics department at Columbia to serve as a tutor. I was paid $40/hour (very close to market rate) to tutor the student athletes. While there were a few who were eager to learn, there were also a few who had no business at Columbia. Some of them would sit there waiting for the session to end, showing no signs of any intellectual curiosity. OTOH, there are tons of student who would dream to have a free, hour long tutoring session, and they will pick my brains to learn.

[vqdriver]

I just wanted to congratulate myself on a great week 1 :beer: ...and wanted to thank me for making this happen. :cool: Much like the Gators, I expect my excellence and domination will continue well into the future. :no:


;) ....Geoff


good job this week. tho i'm in doubt as to florida's dominance come october... ;)

[malcolm]

If the players really are a farm league for the NFL, they should at least be compensated for it.

I think football provides a lot of revenue for the school, but still falls short of covering the athletic program budget. A school like Ohio State has revenue of around 58mm for the FB program. The total athletic department budget is somewhere around 110mm. So still a shortfall.

I just think it hypocritical for the NCAA to prohibit players from profiting when everyone else around them is. 120 College coaches avg $1mm in salary. 9 Sec coaches make over $2mm a year.

I look back at the case of Jeremy Bloom who was a world class mogul skier and football player at Colorado. He fought a long hard battle against the NCAA to play football even though he was receiving endorsements as a world cup skier. He lost and was rule permanently ineligible. Grossly unfair.

It reminds me of all the crap in track and field in the 70's with the AAU.
(i guess i am really old)


I think I agree. I remember when Saban was hired at Alabama and everyone freaked over his 40 mil salary, yet when I saw the dollars generated by football I was shocked, his salary was a drop in the bucket.

Rugby, I tend to feel the same way, but even those that have no nfl shot still have the dream. As far as girls, parties etc, who knows what motivates anyone. It would be nice if everyone got a great education but lots of partiers flunk out as do others with various agendas conscious or otherwise.
I don't see a return to the true student athlete any time soon.

[rugbysecondrow]

Think of all the NCAA college football programs, then think of the vast number of students affiliated with the programs, then look at how few get drafted into the NFL. For some kids, it is a placeholder ONLY because the NFL has an age restriction, the same do NBA. The vast majority of kids who compete do so for the love of the sport, regardless of the NCAA sport.

[Elefantino]

College football season ended Saturday night in Arlington. :crap:

Baseball season ended this weekend in SF. :crap: :crap:

Wiggo cracked on Angliru. :crap: :crap: :crap:

Sports sucks. I'm following politics instead.

[malcolm]

College football season ended Saturday night in Arlington. :crap:

Baseball season ended this weekend in SF. :crap: :crap:

Wiggo cracked on Angliru. :crap: :crap: :crap:

Sports sucks. I'm following politics instead.


LSU alum, I thought Arlington was awesome

[vqdriver]

don't forget to get your picks in for week 2

[echappist]

a worthwhile read from The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/1/