NCAA Football '11-'12

[Berkut]

A little sampling seems to prove that if Players are ever going to be compensated some major restructuring of how these programs are administrated is going to be in order.

Ohio State spends 16 mil in coach salaries? Dudes.

Shrug. It is a lot, but as Arizona recently found out in basketball, when you are a top-tier program, the only thing more expensive than expensive coaches are inexpensive ones.

[Grey Fox]

A little sampling seems to prove that if Players are ever going to be compensated some major restructuring of how these programs are administrated is going to be in order.

Ohio State spends 16 mil in coach salaries? Dudes.

Shrug. It is a lot, but as Arizona recently found out in basketball, when you are a top-tier program, the only thing more expensive than expensive coaches are inexpensive ones.

That's because you care about the results.

[grumbler]

A little sampling seems to prove that if Players are ever going to be compensated some major restructuring of how these programs are administrated is going to be in order.

Ohio State spends 16 mil in coach salaries? Dudes.

That's not by any means out of line with the NCAA overage.  Texas pays $22 million, but they take in $143 million and so can afford it.

Similarly, Ohio State makes a lot of money and can afford it.  The problem isn't the Ohio States or Texases, it is the Boise States and Texas Christians - those are the programs that lose out when you start paying athletes, directly or indirectly. 

[Berkut]

But even the money programs lose out - those surpluses from football generally pay for the rest of the athletic department.

I know Arizona, which is in the top-20 overall for profitable football/basketball, basically breaks even on their athletic budget. If you look at the football program alone, sure, it probably as some excess income it could devote to pay for athletes. But then someone would have to make up that money that goes to all the other programs somehow, or cut those programs. So even the "haves" can't really afford it - that money all goes back into some pot, and if you take it out of that pot, where will it be made up?

[MadBurgerMaker]

UTSA needs more money.  MORE!

[MadImmortalMan]

A little sampling seems to prove that if Players are ever going to be compensated some major restructuring of how these programs are administrated is going to be in order.

Ohio State spends 16 mil in coach salaries? Dudes.

That's not by any means out of line with the NCAA overage.  Texas pays $22 million, but they take in $143 million and so can afford it.

Similarly, Ohio State makes a lot of money and can afford it.  The problem isn't the Ohio States or Texases, it is the Boise States and Texas Christians - those are the programs that lose out when you start paying athletes, directly or indirectly.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

[Ed Anger]

Anything that gets rid of that awful blue field.

[grumbler]

But even the money programs lose out - those surpluses from football generally pay for the rest of the athletic department.

I know Arizona, which is in the top-20 overall for profitable football/basketball, basically breaks even on their athletic budget. If you look at the football program alone, sure, it probably as some excess income it could devote to pay for athletes. But then someone would have to make up that money that goes to all the other programs somehow, or cut those programs. So even the "haves" can't really afford it - that money all goes back into some pot, and if you take it out of that pot, where will it be made up?

Not sure where you are going with this.  The bucks we have been talking about are athletic department budgets.  It is true that they include money-making sports and non-money-making sports, and that, if you pay football players, you have to pay baseball players as well (even though baseball is a money-loser), but that doesn't change the fact that a Texas can afford it, and a UConn cannot.  UConn already gets more than 10% of its athletics subsidized by the state, and it has national-level mens and women's basketball and played in a BCS bowl in football.  Texas got more money in booster contributions and advertising/royalties than UConn got overall.  Once Texas starts buying players that would otherwise go to UConn, Texas will only get more contributions, royalties, and advertising, and UConn will only get less.

[MadImmortalMan]

It's still not a problem. We have too many colleges in the US as it is, and there are 120 odd division I sports programs. Shrinking that number isn't exactly the end of the world.

[Berkut]

It's still not a problem. We have too many colleges in the US as it is, and there are 120 odd division I sports programs. Shrinking that number isn't exactly the end of the world.

It isn't the end of the world but "We need to pay athletes more cash!" is probably not the best argument for why we should shut down college in the US, or shrink the number of D1 sports programs. Which, btw, is a hell of a lot more than 120. There are 130ish D1 football programs - probably at least twice that many basketball.

[grumbler]

It's still not a problem. We have too many colleges in the US as it is, and there are 120 odd division I sports programs. Shrinking that number isn't exactly the end of the world.

But that's a completely different issue than paying players (or allowing schools to de facto pay them by allowing them to get free stuff and sell it).

I am all in favor of both shrinking the number of Div-1 programs and compensating players, but those are independent issues, IMO. I think establishing a semi-pro football system a la baseball will take care of the latter problem, as there won't be enough quality student-athletes and coaches to allow some of the more dubious D-1 programs to stay D-1.  Taking some of the money out of D-1 sports is the only way I see to save it.

[Ed Anger]

Sweater Vest resigned.

[Ed Anger]

C'mon. Urban Meyer or Chucky for coach next year.

[CountDeMoney]

Sweater Vest resigned.

[CountDeMoney]

C'mon. Urban Meyer or Chucky for coach next year.

Urban Meyer would never coach in the Big Ten, and Chucky is waaay too happy in the booth.