Here’s a list of five meaty topics which, if rumors are true, will be addressed at this week’s SEC spring meetings and their “likely resolutions”. I use quote marks there because there’s a definite element of kick the can down the road to several of those.
Anyway, look at that list and tell me what you think is most likely to be resolved this week and what you think is least likely. (I’d rank a change in transfer policy most likely and the high school misconduct policy least likely. The gambling stuff is largely pissing in the wind, but I suspect they’ll get things started on that, at least.)
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I would place Alcohol Sales at most likely because college sports is all about the student athlete…..I mean money.
Least likely would probably be a tie between gambling and the serious misconduct policy.
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Skeptical Twist Says:
Transfer policy: Some watered down in between solution that makes no one happy. Coaches will still have a slight upper hand, but will bitch even louder.
Alcohol policy: Find a way to milk this cash cow while simultaneously spouting a cloud of pious words in a vain attempt to cloak the said cash cow milking.
Gambling. Hire more personnel in a shameless attempt to pretend like they have some semblance of control over this monster. The personnel will say words like ‘nothing to see here’ while a fireworks of profits explode behind them (see Naked Gun).
Serious Misconduct Policy. Nothing serious will happen.
Financial Penalties for banned schools: See ‘Serious Misconduct Policy’ above.
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Nail meet hammer.
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I have no idea which one(s) of these resolutions will garner the most attention, but I like the last one: Financial Penalties for Banned Schools. Just ask Vandy how nice that revenue sharing check has been to them all those years they never made it to a bowl game. Makes you wonder if a school in the position of Ole Miss would self impose a bowl restriction if this rule were in place. That’s a nice check, especially when you have no bowl expenses coming out of it.
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I can see a rule reducing the slice of the pie if they were banned from Bowls due to sanctions but I hope the SEC would not reduce revenue sharing for teams that failed to make a bowl due to their record. The idea seems to be to punish teams which break the rules.
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Yes, I meant only teams that break the rules.
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Ole Miss’s self imposed bowl restriction would be an interesting case.
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Financial penalties for banned schools
It’s the first I’ve heard of this but it makes logical sense and it feels good in the gut too. I think the fact that it hasn’t gotten a lot of publicity may actually help. I think it passes.
Transfer policy
Something will happen but it won’t be what should happen. Saban’s complaining means this will happen in steps, gradually, over a period of years. Unless Saban finds himself in need of a transfer right away and drops his opposition.
Stadium alcohol sales
The SEC won’t continue to leave this money on the table much longer. Probably won’t pass this year but they’re setting themselves up to pass it next year.
Serious misconduct policy
What? Are you kidding me? Ain’t happening until someone beats their significant other nearly to death. Heck, you can already punch a girl out on camera and get away with it. They like to talk about this subject but they don’t like to actually do anything about it.
Impact of gambling laws
Here in the south they’ll have to pretend to be horrified. Truth is, they can’t wait to get their hands on the additional revenue stream. Mo’money! Mo’money! Mo’money!
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Booze – A captive market willing to shell out $10 a beer, times 100k a game, times 7 home games equals IPFs for ERRYBODY!
Transfer Policy – this has been an annoyance for long enough that I think it gets settled sooner rather than later.
Financial Penalties – I can see schools on probation losing their slice of bowl money, but, probably not the TV money, unless somebody manages to get themselves banned from TV for a number of years. Also feels like there’s an axe or three to grind here.
Gambling laws – until the member school states pass legislation allowing sports gambling in their specific state, I think the conference will just lean on the schools in the states to build in oversight now, rather than risk a scandal. They’ll save the conference-wide policy until a majority/all the states pass legislation
Serious misconduct policy – HAH!
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99,999. My ass will sneak it in regardless. It’s a matter of pride. Also, if you consider investment and time management it’s a no brainer.
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The fox will be in the hen house on the gambling area and no amount of “oversight” is going to keep non payed athletes from shaving points. It maybe a bigger problem in basketball than football but if the price is right it’s going to happen. I don’t think a large number will but some will. The one deterrent would be for the NFL/NBA and their respective player unions to make a rule banning for life any college player convicted of throwing a game. That would at least mean making the gamblers have to spend some serious money to get a kid.
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most to least
booze-immediate impact to revenue. easy win.
gambling – coming somewhere in the footprint, Several states in SEC already have gambling, sports book likely across the SEC.
transfer – not full blown free agency, but some changes in favor of player transfers.
Serious misconduct – Coaches letting ADs make recruiting decisions for them? Seems unlikely.
financial penalties – AD voting to limit their money? That seems like a stretch.
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