NCAA Football '11-'12

[OttoVonBismarck]

Well, he can be a dick, but we knew that already.  He's no Bo.  He's not even a Gary Moeller.  But he did care about the kids, graduate them, and keep them in line, all while winning a national championship, so I can't say he was a bad coach.

I don't think he's a bad coach either. But to me a guy like Lloyd Carr being a dick to the next guy just seems out of character, at least to me. I didn't follow him but he always seemed like he was a class guy like Schembechler was. Instead it seems like he was just as much of an asshole as the rest of the NCAA coaching community.

[MadImmortalMan]

OSU gets hammered by NCAA, to everyone's surprise:
http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2011/12/20/ncaa-report.html

The NCAA today stunned Ohio State University's football program by banning it from postseason play after the 2012 season, multiple sources told The Dispatch.

The penalty means Ohio State automatically is out of the running for any bowl, or a Big Ten or national championship next year, just as newly appointed head coach Urban Meyer is wooing recruits to the Buckeyes.

Athletic Director Gene Smith said previously that while Ohio State has been declared a repeat violator that failed to properly monitor its football program, a bowl ban would be out of line with penalties handed to universities with similar violations.

In its ruling to be made public this afternoon, the NCAA Committee of Infractions will levy the bowl ban and two other penalties on top of the ones the university already imposed on itself, the sources said. The NCAA will:

* Strip four more football scholarships over the next three years on top of Ohio State's prior forfeiture of five scholarships over that span.

* Add an additional year of probation to OSU's self-imposed two-year probation for the football program, meaning any violations through the 2013 season could draw harsher-than-normal penalties.

The NCAA also will hand a show-cause penalty to former head coach Jim Tressel for failing to report that some team members improperly sold memorabilia and for allowing ineligible players to compete throughout the 2010 season.

So much for Meyer's assurance to recruits that there would be no additional sanctions.

Gene and the boys at OSU should have self-banned from this year's bowl games instead of waiting for them to take next year's away. Let the kids who are still there and caused the mess take the punishment. Now the innocent will suffer.

[grumbler]

I don't think he's a bad coach either. But to me a guy like Lloyd Carr being a dick to the next guy just seems out of character, at least to me. I didn't follow him but he always seemed like he was a class guy like Schembechler was. Instead it seems like he was just as much of an asshole as the rest of the NCAA coaching community.

He's no Dantonio or Tiller, but I've been following the situation long enough to know that he was being a dick about Les Miles, Jim Harbaugh, and Rich Rodriguez.  You almost got the impression that he was afraid his successor could do well enough to make him look bad.   That's certainly far from what I expected when he announced his retirement.  He seemed like a bigger man than that.

I also found it interesting in the book that it was mostly Bo's and Mo's players who supported RichRod and decried the lack of support "the Michigan family" was giving to their team.  Almost none of Carr's guys (except Tom Brady and Charles Woodson) did that.

[grumbler]

Gene and the boys at OSU should have self-banned from this year's bowl games instead of waiting for them to take next year's away. Let the kids who are still there and caused the mess take the punishment. Now the innocent will suffer.

No one has accused Smith or Gee of being smart.

[OttoVonBismarck]

USC would have raised holy hell if they hadn't.

I have to say it's great seeing both OSU and USC getting slapped as seriously as the NCAA will usually slap a big program. Both deserved.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Gene and the boys at OSU should have self-banned from this year's bowl games instead of waiting for them to take next year's away. Let the kids who are still there and caused the mess take the punishment. Now the innocent will suffer.

Yeah, the whole situation was stupid. OSU should have prohibited those players from playing in the Sugar Bowl in the first place IMO, and that may have lessened the blows they have since received.

So they won the Sugar Bowl, had to vacate it, and now have to stay home next off season when potentially they could improve to 8-9 wins next year and would have probably been in line to go to a good bowl (although the Gator Bowl is a good bowl for a non-BCS.)

I thought OSU did good on self-probation except for one thing, and that was the bowl ban, I had a feeling the NCAA was going to want them to stay home one year and I think OSU basically was gambling it wouldn't come down that way. I figured they might take away a few more scholarships too (which is what they did), because 5 schollies over several years isn't really a big number. It worked out to like 1 a recruiting class.

[grumbler]

I figured they might take away a few more scholarships too (which is what they did), because 5 schollies over several years isn't really a big number. It worked out to like 1 a recruiting class.

My understanding is that they7 are reduced to 76 instead of 85 scholarship players total for the next three years.  That probably means fewer 5th year seniors more than fewer incoming freshmen, but they get to handle it however they want.

That's just an understanding, though.  It could be a limit on the number of new scholarships available to be awarded.

[OttoVonBismarck]

In other NCAA news, it looks like Mark Richt broke NCAA rules by paying some of his staff members out of his own pocket.

I have to say I don't see the logic of that rule whatsoever, and I think it's honestly stupid. It has nothing to do with protecting the competitiveness of college football / the amateurism of its athletes.

If a coach is making X amount of money and his assistants are collectively making Y, I don't see why it's an NCAA violation for the coach to reduce his pay by N and make private payments to his coaches in that same amount. Seems like a personal transaction and I don't really see why it's an NCAA issue at all.

[grumbler]

In other NCAA news, it looks like Mark Richt broke NCAA rules by paying some of his staff members out of his own pocket.

I have to say I don't see the logic of that rule whatsoever, and I think it's honestly stupid. It has nothing to do with protecting the competitiveness of college football / the amateurism of its athletes.

If a coach is making X amount of money and his assistants are collectively making Y, I don't see why it's an NCAA violation for the coach to reduce his pay by N and make private payments to his coaches in that same amount. Seems like a personal transaction and I don't really see why it's an NCAA issue at all.

Agree.  The NCAA is run by the college Presidents, though, so they may see such transfers of money as an infringement on their power to determine compensation.

[Valmy]

Hey Berkut they interviewed Nick Foles this morning on Chip Brown's talk show in Austin: http://kznx-am.tritondigitalmedia.com/includes/news_items/6/8661/nickfoles122111.mp3

[dps]

I don't think he's a bad coach either. But to me a guy like Lloyd Carr being a dick to the next guy just seems out of character, at least to me. I didn't follow him but he always seemed like he was a class guy like Schembechler was. Instead it seems like he was just as much of an asshole as the rest of the NCAA coaching community.

He's no Dantonio or Tiller, but I've been following the situation long enough to know that he was being a dick about Les Miles, Jim Harbaugh, and Rich Rodriguez.  You almost got the impression that he was afraid his successor could do well enough to make him look bad.   That's certainly far from what I expected when he announced his retirement.  He seemed like a bigger man than that.

Maybe part of that was due to his retirement not being entirely voluntary.  He may be a little bit bitter.  Not that it excuses being a dick about stuff.

[grumbler]

Maybe part of that was due to his retirement not being entirely voluntary. 

I hadn't heard this.  Got a link?

[dps]

Maybe part of that was due to his retirement not being entirely voluntary. 

I hadn't heard this.  Got a link?

No, nothing specific.  It was just that I got the impression at the time that he wasn't necessarily ready to retire but did because he got tired of the pressure.   I could be completely wrong--obviously I was looking at it from way outside and don't have any insider knowledge.

[OttoVonBismarck]

My impression had always been that the AD wanted Carr to retire but I don't know that it was a "retire or I'll make you retire" situation. I sort of thought it was more along the lines of Carr saw the writing on the wall and felt he needed to retire when he did so he could do it on his terms and not have to go out being essentially terminated a season or two later.

[sbr]

That was my impression from a long ways away as well.