In the wake of a 5-7 head coach getting a mammoth contract to induce him to change jobs, tell me Pat Forde is wrong when he writes this:
College revenue sports have never been as stupid as they are right now—as riddled with hypocrisy and inconsistency, as rife with fiscal irresponsibility, as drunk on revenue, as lacking in strong leadership. Men’s basketball is a diminished product that elite players view as a necessary evil, while administrators remain in denial about the underground economy that ran the sport for decades. Football is an increasing caste system that rewards outrageous and irresponsible spending as the Power 5 conferences stratify into the Power 2 Plus Clemson.
Mind you, stupid isn’t the same thing as wrong. The jokers running athletic departments may be dumbasses, but it’s their money to spend. Just don’t try to pretend things make any more sense than that.
Get The Picture 
I look forward to the day when Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and Kennesaw State have to face facts and admit they aren’t “big time” and drop back down to FCS. I would be happy if every other college in the state, including Teck, shuttered their football programs and left UGA the only college football team in Georgia.
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KSU is FCS.
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Histrionic much?
Those 500 kids or so in the programs you mentioned aren’t good enough to play D-1 so fuck ’em. They shouldn’t play at all after high school. Their programs don’t make any money and nobody watches them anyway, right?
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I don’t get this take.
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Wow … get out much?
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Unfortunately, I think some sort of balance needs to be re established in college football. He’s right about the power 2 plus Clemson. Reducing scholarships to 65 would do it. However it should go into effect in 10 years after we have won 3 or 4 NC’s. I know it’s punishing certain programs for being successful and that definitely rubs me the wrong way. But I would love to see 7 or 8 legit contenders for the NC each year.
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Everyone would be subject to the requirement. Sure, it may spread the 3-stars out a little more equitably, but the blue chip players would still go to the schools that are the elite powers.
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I get your point but wasn’t the scholarship limit 100 or more back in the day and the reason they lowered it to 85 was to keep teams from stockpiling talent. I’m a little fuzzy about this so don’t bust my balls too bad if I’m wrong.
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Alabama….Bear Bryant
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“Power 2 plus Clemson….” Now That’s an interesting observation. So the PAC 12, the Big 12 and the rest of the ACC are what? Greater than G5 but less than the SEC and the B1G? I think the stratification actually exists within the SEC and B1G too. Half the SEC is pretty damn good but the bottom of the conference—not so much. The B1G is even worse—one really good team and about 4 or so others that are pretty good with the rest a wasteland.
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When he says Power 2 plus Clemson, obviously the SEC is one half of the Power 2, but there’s a decent debate over whether the Big 12 or the Big 10 (B1G) is the other half.
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From a $$ standpoint, it’s the Big Ten and it’s not even close.
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Agreed completely from a $$ perspective. The Big 12 collectively got the sharp end of the steer, while the Big Ten has raked it in. I meant more of an on-the-field point of view, where it’s a decent debate.
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Talk about money. I know this only makes my head explode, but I am going to try and send this anyway.. (HARTMAN FUND)
Customer Priority Points
(THEY DON’T CALL ME A FAN. I AM A CUSTOMER)
Category Points
William C. Hartman Jr. Fund Priority Points: 65525
*Your rank reflects your standing (based on cumulative score) out of approximately 16,000 contributors to The Georgia Bulldog Club.
Category Points
William C. Hartman Jr. Fund Priority Points: 65525
“sixty five thousand five hundred and twenty-five dollars”
CAN NOT GET ALABAMA TICKETS, BECAUSE YOUR HARTMAN POINTS MUST BE $100,000.00…. I am sorry.. I meant to say POINTS.
…this is really getting old…
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Until the ADs put a stop to this nonsense, Good for you, Mel Tucker.
You are lying to yourself if you say you wouldn’t take that kind of money.
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The fiscal irresponsibility is primarily driven by the fact that SO MUCH MONEY is flowing into these programs so quickly. They have to spend it on something, because God forbid someone suggest they give a huge chunk of it to the schools. I mean, this is FOOTBALL not academia. Wait.
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If you think academia wouldn’t waste the extra money at an even faster rate you are naive. The amount of money being wasted by football pales in comparison, it is just hidden better.
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Winning is a religion that has permeated the entire society. Money is expended at obscene levels to win for a chance to hold up a trophy. And in the scope of things it’s damn near meaningless – a goal unworthy of the time, money and dedication required. The words “play, players, playing”… are linked to athletic endeavors from the ages past because it’s what children do. The purpose of sports is achieved as it is played. College football use to mirror that. As an old UGA fan, I was never disappointed in my Dogs, if they played hard. Then they would beat Tech or Auburn when they weren’t supposed to, and that was the cherry on top of the season. NCAA football is now about 6-8 teams who play for the trophy. If it was as important a we think, hundreds of other schools would have no reason to field a team. But they do. They are keepers of the tradition we’ve bastardized. They still “play” football. I bet their fans are happier than ours.
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I can’t disagree with anything you said.
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Duronimo? I think there are some kids in your front yard…..
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