1Funduck

I'm going to have to push back a touch on that Fish. These kids are getting in the door to the education by 'Investing' in their bodies prior to the interview and getting on the team. Its expected that if you 'Hire' them for their abilities, which they received through hard work at their families expense, then they should be paid for their contribution. They have received their 'training/education' over the last several years. You cant sell the game without having a team of players take the field. Those players need to be high quality athletes for the fan to pony up $500 for a season ticket. 1984 had a lot of empty Autzen stadium seats. Why? Because we sucked as a team and as players overall. The school made money when the product on the field improved. A college education gives the average kid a fighting chance to make even more than the average HS grad. Ill give you that. But, why does the kid make more with that education? Because the job they get is with a company that needs that education to facilitate their complex business so as to make $million$. The company needs that kids education to make a fortune. The schools need highly trained physiques to produce a product that outdoes their competition. If a kid graduates Summa Cum Laude, should he be rewarded for how hard he worked and his achievement? The kid worked hard to offer his resume of his body. He gets the base salary but should be rewarded for the product he produces. Every business does this. Sadly, the NCAA doesn't want to pay these legal military aged adults what they are worth. They aren't kids, as that would be child labor and HS sports is another hot topic that is going to bubble to the too and soon, but they are adults. An interesting and true story; my grandfather had his own seafood business. All of his kids, my aunts and uncles, worked the family business from the rime they could walk. Everybody did something. Then came the grandkids. As a young teenager, I was out working one day and my uncle said he was going to pay me piece work. I was incentivized through hard work ethics, to stick and stay and make it pay. Instead of playing, I went straight to work after school. When I received my check, my grandfather caught wind and about had a heart attack. He said " no kid is worth that kind of money. He isnt taking care of a family". My uncle quipped back, " if that kid is going to work like a man then you should pay him like a man". My uncle was making money off my work. I would have been overjoyed with a couple hundred dollars. But, I outworked other men at the job site. He saw my value and noticed the value to his business. I worked harder and I remember that to this day. And by the way, I never went to college and am financially independent with 15+ years before SSI retirement. University educations have their place, but most kids these days lack the common sense and the work ethic to get out of bed before 6:00am and work till sunset if need be. Those kids on the field have already proven they have the intestinal fortitude to make it. An education, or lack of one, wont stop them. Most are going to succeed. One other thing: Calling these young adults, Student Athletes is a correct term but skews the idea of the individual in the minds of the beholder. We tend to think of Student Athletes as kids, children, in our minds. They are young, this is true. They aren't mentally and emotionally fully developed, this is also true. But, society has classified them as adults. They can move out from under the care of the it parents and can financially provide for themselves. They are legally responsible for any and all actions that they commit. A Student is simply one who studies a topic. They are young, true, but they aren't children. They are adults and should be paid as such and fairly.

This has been a lopsided and immoral story ever since the very first game was put on television. The TV execs made a fortune each Saturday putting a game on and then they enjoyed Jan1st Rose Bowl where they made a fortune by promoting the game After the Parade. Which player received a check from the University, NCAA, or TV execs? Yeah, not one of them. If U.S. Steel took the steel made and sold it but told the 'Volunteer' workers that they couldn't enjoy some proceeds and also that they would be punished for getting tips because the product was so good, every one of us would be in an uproar!! All these institutions raked these kids over the coals with a base salary of a College Education. Each year 85 kids get 'paid' basically a $30-$40,000.00 salary with all that is involved with their education. $40,000x 80 is $3.2 million. The entire team combined gets about 1/2 of what the Head Coach takes in each year. Thats disgusting! Whats the annual proceeds for football alone? In 2022, according to "Oregon listed as top revenue earning Pac-12 school during 2022 fiscal year" dated June 14th 2023, Oregon football alone, generated over $80 million. The total revenue across all sports Oregon was $153,510,555.00. Total expenses were $140,565,297. Are you telling me that all programs are basically running net $0? Uh, no. Football is a money machine. Every program sans Football and Basketball is in the RED! Maybe there is an outlier in there but its football and its little brother basketball....period. So, if the coaches garner in the neighborhood of $10 million or so, this leaves an avalanche of cash to the university. And I hate it when these universities say it costs $40,000/yr to send these kids to school. There is some fuzzy math going on when they only take a seat in a lecture room. At some point, the prorated cost of a 'student athlete' isnt really an expense but a line item expense that is only for accountants to shuffle cash around. These kids produce the product that the fan in the stands, or watching on their 80" screens at home, are paying for. Getting a college education in exchange for being on the team was appropriate when it started, but the NCAA didn't keep up. They kept all the cash generated and split it with the schools. Just one problem, they left the kids behind in giving them their fair share. The NCAA and the schools have, in essence, held these kids captive and robbed them of their fair share. Thats why NIL, through the actions of a lawsuit, has been established. How does one fix it? Its more simple than those slimey money grubbers at the NCAA can fathom. The entire NCAA should have negotiated rights for all players involved. Everyone gets a base salary, education guaranteed for as long as you are enrolled and actively pursuing a degree. 8 years? So what? Then its profit sharing. A certain percentage makes sense. Bonuses for the team that makes it to a Bowl/Conference Championship/CFB Playoffs/Natty. Collective agreement like the NFL. The NCAA would have been able to keep all the conferences intact and tradition would have reigned. Instead, we have the BIGS cherry picking the name brand schools and 80 schools along with their entire Athletic departments getting left out. Its just so disgusting and pathetic what the NCAA has done. Short sighted and greedy to say the least.

This subject is dizzying to say the least. But, the shoe has dropped and there is no going back. Intercollegiate sports are NOT just for bragging rights anymore. 1984 made sure of that. 2014 took it to the next level and 2022 NIL was a body blow knock down. Allowing massive conference realignment is finishing it off. The NCAA means nothing. I'm not saying that there doesn't need to be an oversight committee, but that the NCAA is bloated in their thinking and is fighting for relevancy. They are dying or at the very least, going second tier. Its football period. And, the NCAA doesn't have the hole card of rejecting schools other sports that one might think. If the Bigs take their (football) and go home??? Outside of Basketball, college sports will be relegated to intramural immediately. Just pick any sport and run the numbers. Do they produce a balance sheet in the black? Most, if not all the others, are simply negative funds producers. It doesn't matter whats best for students. If it did, we wouldn't be in this situation we are today. Quickly, Schools will reevaluate whether a sports program makes sense and then run the Title 9 numbers. The NCAA would be gutted within a couple of years to an office in a strip mall in Northern Minnesota in a town Noone has ever heard of. The NCAA is arrogant. But, they should be wide eyed petrified. This entire story smacks of the NCAA being dragged kicking and screaming to the table of the BIGS. The student, (SEC and B1G) is about to be the master. The NCAA better be careful or they will become the NIT in a hurry.

I would venture to say that an incredibly high percentage of top 5 players in any position are abnormally disciplined and committed. Looking at their physique and level of play lends to the amount of time they put into the process. Of course, being told you are the greatest and then playing against other highly committed kids tends to bring them to reality.

I believe the Conference championship games already identify the two top teams from each conference. CCG's are a defacto first round playoff game. The NFL has Division and then Conference championship games. Its not how College plays out, but it is the reality. The playoffs don't really want a true champion, they want money. Do we really need to see a potential matchup 3 times in one year to see if a team is capable of winning the Natty? If they wanted a true champion, then why play the same teams over and over again, potentially 3 times in a row (could happen)? Money. It won't happen, but I would love to see 4 major conferences. Independents don't get to dictate. Join a conference or don't play for a NC. 4 Major conferences amount to around 65-70 teams. Team 71 has 0 shot at winning any game in the playoffs. Its a defacto 8 game playoff and resonates purity of 'ScoreBoard'. Conference Championship games produce Conference "Champions". Then each "Champion" plays in an East/West Division Championship game. Those Division "Winners" play for all the marbles. But wait!!! This would make all those committees absolutely worthless! Rankings would be relegated to a side show. We can't have that now can we? Opinions are more important. Money is more important.

Just checked with a friend. Youtube TV has B1Gtv and their service is $75/month. You get just about all the channels. Of course we need internet signal.

I have been quietly pondering the impact of the Portal overall on CFB. It seems to me that Alabama getting a new coach could be the start of Portal madness making the entire landscape more equal. We may see a pure Paradigm shift in the CFB landscape.

1AnnoyeDuck here; I'm middle aged, therefore I rant about getting off my lawn and this generation is worse. But, this is beyond sad. Sports is a dominant fabric in society. Football, Baseball, badminton, pickleball, Corn Hole, Archery...etc.etc.etc. We get the point right? Sports is about many things that are nostalgic and metaphoric. For those that have the ability, it's a beautiful demonstration of hard work and natural ability. For those that have grown older, it's a nostalgic reminder of yesteryear with your siblings and neighborhood friends. We also want to see greatness. What can the human machine accomplish? What are it's limits? Then we reward for Greatness!! Sadly, cheating has creeped into society as 'Virtuous'. Don't believe me? "If you ain't cheating you ain't trying!" Apparently its OK to cheat as long as you don't get caught. Principled people are trustworthy. Those that aren't, you end up wondering if they can be trusted. I'm left wondering, if you are willing to cheat to get the Trophy..... what's left to honor? The Trophy is the ultimate prize we all struggle for. Its acknowledgement of hard work. But, ESPN is supposed to be the pinnacle of excellence and now they are the Pinnacle of cheating. Actually it doesn't surprise me. ....and that's sad.

"Don't follow the Legend, Be the Legend"

I'm tuning out the noise till Lanning makes a statement. Its respectable to entertain coaching offers. You listen to everyone because you never know what tomorrow's turn will take you. For example, Dan's wife is a cancer survivor. What happens if that takes an unexpected turn? Dan gets the ultimate hall pass. Till then, I'm waiting on Coach Lannings official statement. " "Don't follow the Legend, Be the Legend" ---1Funduck.

"Don't follow a legend, be the legend" ..1Funduck

Bring me Domani Jackson 5*CB who just transfered out of SC to Alabama, and LT Overton 5*DL out of aTm heading to 'Bama. I want me some more 'Cowbell' errrrrrrr defense.

Oh, and Kirby is going NOWHERE. He's at the pinnacle already.

Whether he goes or whether he stays, I'm left thinking that the CFB landscape is nothing like it was 10 years ago. Alabama, along with a handful of other progrums, was the pinnacle of College coaching before heading to the NFL. But, with the change in Conferences and all the moving pieces, CFB progrums are not the same. If you have a National Brand, check, a boat load of cash, check, and in one of the top two Conferences, check again, then where is the major draw? Oregon was 3 points from the Playoffs and its looking even better next year. So, does Lanning run to a ready made defense and good offense for the run next year? Does he use Saban's roster to win a Natty? Or does Lanning continue his building of an empire at Oregon, Building it all by himself and at the cusp of a Natty run? Who knows what Dan does. I haven't felt this hopeful of a playoff run since the Kelly years. The difference with those was that the scheme truly leveled the playing field. Now? We look like 'Bama' light. We just need a bit more. We all feel it. A little more defensive linemen to finish the job. We need 2-3 more years to finish this juggernaut. We have the offense, but just need maturity on the defense. We have a bunch right now but to be Georgia and Michigan D line dominant we need just a bit more. I'm putting my hat in the ring that Lannjng stays. After all, you don't want to be the guy that follows Saban. You want to be the guy that follows the guy that followed Saban. By then Lanning might have a Natty of his own.

Saban has been highly vocal about NIL and Portal. Its high energy all the time. A total Young mans game. My fear is Lanning to 'Bama. Not many schools he would answer the phone for over Bama. Holding breath

You got to think all these kids are sick of losing and just want to win. aTm has a bunch of 5*'s that fit that bill.

Wasn't he slayed to be an Edge player as well? If memory serves, he was like a 5*. Also if memeory serves, he really didn't want to play defense. Apparently got his wish playing receiver. Now he's Port'ling? Wow!! Recruit the 4/5* like mad and pick them up in the portal next year Dann'O

So many points to speculate on. I will touch on 2. Washington winning a NC sounds wrong. But Michigan winning, due in part to cheating, is even worse!! I will not root for the Huskies. I truly do want them to lose and here's why. Washington winning a Natty will give them 2 banners. When will be the next time Oregon wins 2 NC's, let alone 3 to out rank the Mutts? But. If the puppies lose then they only have a split championship. When we win ours we will have bragging rights. But, I see your point. If Washington wins and by a fair margin, thats going to make everyone sit up and take notice of the freight train coming to the B!G. Either way, it's the B!G conference Championship next Monday night. 'B!G, It Just Means More!'

Boy, it sure is tough coming to terms with Transfer portal and NIL's. These kids wanted NIL and deservedly so. But, with that comes the Portal and 'Free Agency'. In other words, it cuts both ways, right? This is reality whether I like it or not. It forces us into the win at all coat mantra every year. Oregon is not going to let its foot off the gas. There are a ton of D-lineman that are great but on a team that isn't so, he's Portaled. QB's are in the same boat. Nix, Ward, Penix, and Jayden Daniels are proof of that. Qb's on sub par teams with over producing QB's. Better believe Oregon can ALWAYS get a top notch QB through Portal. Portal is what it is. I have accepted it because I want to win a Natty.

I am beyond STOKED!!! No SEC team in the Championship game!!!

Someone call the cops. There's going to be a murder

Is that like a derogatory question? I'll bite if so. "They got no business being in the Fiesta Bowl"...FSU

As I watched each video I harkened back to the Blur offense with Chip'r. Man!!! I loved that Era. I believe the Linebackers and safeties are the difference in this game as a running QB can take the wind out of the defense' sails. We have sideline to sideline speed in that department. My prediction is that the first half is Oregon finding themselves on both sides of the ball. 24-17 or something like that. Then to finish the game a blow out. 52-17 Bo wins the 'Oregon Heisman' errr Harrington.

I drove from Oregon to Arizona for the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. Was my first in person Bowl game. Took about 18 hours. Grabbed Magic Mountain on the way back. Was absolutely worth it!! It was 5 of us total with my oldest, elementary aged son and 2 buddies along with one of their sons. We set up an old 13" tube television and a Nintendo 64 for them to play all the way down. Pulled out the middle row of seats in our minivan, left the 3 seater bench in the back as well as a blanket on the floor. Kids we're the quietest I've ever experienced on a road trip. Then going to Magic Mountain was already baked into the travel cost. Essentially $0. Grabbed a park ticket and had the time of our lives. Left at closing and shared the driving task back to the barn in Oregon. I still think about the different memories along that trip. It was relatively short, about 4-5 days, and jam packed, but it was worth every second.