Mark Emmert would rather fight than switch.

Mark Emmert was on Face the Nation this morning.  It went about as well as you’d expect.

Saddest realization after listening to Mark Emmert? Intention to fight to Supreme Court rather than willingness to discuss meaningful reform

— Warren K. Zola (@WarrenKZola) March 30, 2014

College football fans, this is why we can’t have nice things.

And keep in mind, it’s not going to improve.  If the NCAA keeps losing in court, eventually it’ll turn to Congress for relief.

So those of you opposed to unionization, ask yourselves a simple question:  how should student-athletes seek to have their grievances addressed?

“There’s always something good happening, there’s always something bad happening I guess you could say.”

And so, the first scrimmage of 2014 spring practice is in the books.  It’s a controlled setting, early on – not to mention it’s the first quasi-game like conditions for an entirely new defensive staff – so it’s not worth getting too deep into the weeds.  But this is a blog, after all, and if you can’t engage in some premature tea leaf reading here, where can you?

A few thoughts:

• I’m a little surprised by this:  Asked about Drew’s spring, coach Mark Richt said after the scrimmage that the senior has “done alright. He’s been banged up a little bit. I would say he’s not been kicking tail right now. I think he’s got a lot of improvement to do.”  Drew’s 2013 season speaks for itself.  So does that Richt thinks he needs motivating this spring.
• J.J. Green’s enthusiasm:  Sophomore cornerback J.J. Green’s name also came up in the defensive discussion as he and linebacker Reggie Carter led the defense with seven tackles. Green sported a bandage across his forehead during interviews but was very enthusiastic about his game, pointing to one hit that he specifically remembered… “He is very tough, very physical,” Richt said. “For a guy that hasn’t played defense in a while I really like what he’s doing.”  You get the feeling that Green’s on track to be a contributor this season.
• The offensive line sounds like it’s living up to all the uncertainty we’ve expected.  “According to the stats that Richt read off to the media, the offensive line allowed 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks, but he believes those stats to be misleading.”  Sure hope so.  (And, to be fair, the defensive line has a significant experience edge over its offensive counterpart.)
• Chris Conley:  Conley, who scored his touchdowns on a flare route and a double move, said the rain shouldn’t be blamed for the offense bogging down.  Doesn’t sound like he was bogged down much.
• Hutson Mason sounded comfortable, going 12-for-18 with 152 yards and two touchdowns.
• Final word goes to David Andrews:  “The good thing is there’s a lot to work on. Also, the good thing is it’s only day seven. We’ve still got eight more practices and then all summer.”

Let’s hope that’s enough.  When’s the second scrimmage?

$81,499.59, including taxes

Especially in light of the previous story about Auburn’s finances, this sure strikes me as money well spent.

Georgia picked up the tab for the buyout in Jeremy Pruitt’s Florida State contract when it landed the national championship-winning defensive coordinator in January.

The school made a one-time lump sum payout of $81,499.59 to Pruitt to cover his buyout and taxes, according to Georgia executive associate athletic director Frank Crumley.

Both Pruitt and Bobo are under contract now.  (Comparatively speaking in the context of what other SEC coordinators are making, Bobo’s deal looks like a steal for the school.)

You’ve got to spend money to lose money.

In a year in which it won the SEC and played in the national title game, Auburn managed to turn in an athletic department operating deficit.

Severance payments totaled $2.7 million in 2013, largely for Chizik and his staff after the Tigers went 3-9. Auburn Senior Associate Athletics Director Jack Smith said the athletics department drew upon a cash reserve of more than $15 million to cover last year’s operating deficit.

Jay Jacobs is the bizarro Greg McGarity.

But that’s not even the most remarkable part of the story.  This is:  “Student fee subsidies also prevented Auburn from reporting deficits on its NCAA reports in 2011, 2010 and 2009.”

How do you win a national football title and lose money (but for what you forcibly extracted from students)?  Shoot, Tennessee used to be my gold standard for financial mismanagement in the conference, but at least the Vols have the excuse of not winning anything for a while.

Even Maryland managed to avoid finishing in the red last year.

Maybe Saban’s master plan is for Alabama to spend so much money that it forces Auburn into bankruptcy trying to keep pace.

“Faton and Brice are battling it out.”

C’mon, Coach.  What’s the point of having a scrimmage if the backup quarterbacks don’t turn in better QBRs than the starter?

Leave it to Chris Conley to deliver the “she’s got a nice personality” summary of the day:

He was impressed with Ramsey’s “cannon” of an arm and that the mobile Bauta wanted to play in a regular jersey and have contact.

Header of the day

There’s so much concentrated WTF going on here that I hardly know where to start.

The lighter side of unionization

A high schooler can dream, can’t he?

Quarterback Jaylend Ratliff of Laurinburg, N.C., has committed to Georgia Tech, according to multiple reports.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Ratliff also had offers from North Carolina, N.C. State and Wofford. He is rated as a 3-star and the state’s No. 28 overall prospect, along with the nation’s No. 76 athlete.

“I want to win a championship,” Ratliffe told 247sports.com’s Ryan Bartow. “I want to make money. I want to be a Yellow Jacket.”

I don’t care how down you are about the prospect of college athletes getting paid.  If the thought of the genius dealing with the aftermath of unions and O’Bannon doesn’t bring a smile to your face, there’s something wrong with you.