A different sort of competitive advantage

It’s 2018.  Urban Meyer is forced to take administrative leave at Ohio State because of Zach Smith.  What about ‘crootin’, man?

Um… interesting coincidence here, since you ask.

A massage therapist has been barred from Ohio State’s campus and from having any interaction with Ohio State athletics members after an independent investigation found she had engaged in inappropriate and exploitative behavior targeting members of the Buckeyes football team.

The university released statements and a full report on the investigation, concluding that the massage therapist had no affiliation with the university or its athletics department and that the school does not believe any NCAA rules were violated. The massage therapist is a 41-year-old woman who lives roughly two hours north of campus and obtained her massage therapy license in 2009 in Ohio…

An investigation began after a complaint filed on March 14, 2020, with the State Medical Board of Ohio that alleged a female licensed massage therapist was offering free therapeutic massages to members of the Ohio State football team. She had been using the massages as a “means to initiate sexual interactions with some of the football student athletes, and then demanding payment,” according to the investigation report.

… The firm found that the massage therapist used two methods to attempt to initiate sexual encounters — isolating the student-athletes to get them in a vulnerable position or sending out “overtly sexual messages and see[ing] if she could engage their interest in a sexual encounter” — according to the report.

The report states that this scheme took place from 2018 to 2021, mainly in off-campus housing or in hotels, but that no current or former staff members for the Ohio State football team were aware of the massage therapist or of her communication with the student-athletes.

Sure, right.  Subject never came up.  For two solid years…

Bloggers who post in glass houses…

You know, I wasn’t going to mention the Rush Propst tape that popped up this weekend, in which he claims detailed knowledge about how Alabama and Georgia are paying recruits and players — for one thing, to observe that Propst has monumental credibility issues is almost an understatement, and for another, not being able to pronounce Nick Chubb’s name correctly just adds to that — but I can’t let this bit of unintentional comedy slide without saying something.

WHAT? NO WAY! I know this is going to come as a complete shock to all of you, but it looks like Georgia and Alabama are allegedly (this word was inserted at my lawyer’s request) swinging bags of cash to secure the talents of the nation’s top teens.

Do I believe pretty much every word of that without even blinking? Absolutely. Do I think Georgia and Alabama are the only schools doing that? Absolutely not. But I do know that Georgia is especially egregious.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen some out-of-state kid with absolutely no previous connection Georgia trend towards another school for months with the Bulldogs seemingly not even in the conversation only to suddenly commit to Georgia – sometimes even before stepping foot on campus. It could not be more obvious, and anyone who follows recruiting even a little bit could tell you. It ain’t exactly a secret.

Does my beloved alma mater do this, too? I genuinely don’t know. At the very least, they aren’t doing it in broad daylight and daring anybody to say something like Kirby’s been doing in Athens for years. So they’re either clean or much better at hiding it.

“I genuinely don’t know.”  Dude.  Ohio State hired Urban Meyer with the express purpose of bringing OSU’s recruiting up to SEC standards.  What exactly did y’all think that entailed?  But, sure, your program is as clean as the driven snow.  I’ll try to stop giggling now.

Paper Tigers

Dabo Swinney accomplished the biggest coaching miracle in college football history: getting people to root for Ohio State

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) January 2, 2021

Despite the lopsided loss, Dabo Swinney doubled down on ranking Ohio State No. 11, saying "I don't regret any of that. Polls have nothing to do with motivation." https://t.co/Qd79aF8xcX pic.twitter.com/zk8hEjrkze

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 2, 2021

I gotta say while Dabo getting his comeuppance was my favorite thing watching last night’s Sugar Bowl…

I’m confused. Is OSU beating the snot out of Clemson a reason for playoff expansion or nah?

— Senator Blutarsky (@MummePoll) January 2, 2021

… my second favorite was pondering the Venn diagram of people complaining that Ohio State shouldn’t be allowed in the CFP because of its shortened schedule with the people insisting that an expanded playoff wouldn’t water down the regular season.

College football is the best.

This could be fun. Ugly, but fun.

You know, between Dabo using a meaningless vote in a meaningless Coaches Poll to throw shade at Ohio State and now Ryan Day throwing shade right back at Clemson over its reputation for stealing signs, I’m beginning to think the Sugar Bowl has some real potential for a serious case of the chippies.

Dabo gonna Dabo.

Shot.

Dabo on if he has problem w/ Big Ten in CFP despite less games: "Shoot, in a year like this, no. It's a crazy year. Who knows how many games anybody is going to have? You have some of the best teams & coaches in that league. It's not their fault. They've worked their butt off."

— Anna Hickey (@AnnaH247) September 16, 2020

Chaser.

Asked by ESPN about ranking Ohio State 11th, Dabo Swinney said “I don’t think that it’s right that three teams have to play 13 games to win it all and one team has to play eight.” https://t.co/sPw2ewIUmU

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 27, 2020

Every time Dabo Swinney opens his mouth, an angel pulls his hair out.

But their hearts are pure.

The Big Ten has always had a lofty impression of itself.  I remember a post I did in the early days of the blog about a sneering observation Jim Delany made about SEC academic standards that was thinly veiled racism.  And subsequent recruiting has proven that Delany’s programs — the elite ones, at least — chase the same kids the other P5 conferences do.

The attitude never changes, though.  This year, it was all about the pandemic and the way that the Big Ten would operate in its face.  As that bullshit slowly faded, it left the residual effect of Ohio State’s future in this season’s CFP.  They already changed the eligibility rule for the championship game, but there’s still the small problem of the sizeable number of Buckeye players who wouldn’t be able to play in a semifinal game because of the conference’s contact tracing rule.

What to do?  What to do?  Oh, I think you know the answer to that.

Interesting how the Big Ten's rules become flexible when one particular school needs them to be. https://t.co/ZwUQDgTrxN

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 19, 2020

The suspense is killing me.

The return of karma

He’s back, baby.

Bielema's contract is for six years beginning with an annual salary of $4.2 million. He will begin his duties at Illinois immediately and will attend the game today's guest of AD Josh Whitman's when Illinois plays at Penn State.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 19, 2020

That’s a lot of money to pay for mediocrity.  What’s that you said about college athletics finances during a pandemic?

Episode #2841, when they say it’s about the money…

Pundit, please.

But now, here we are once again in college athletics at the intersection of commerce and integrity. Ohio State is probably in the CFP regardless as long as it stays undefeated, but just to make sure, it would be nice if they got there as Big Ten champions. The Big Ten Championship Game is Dec. 19. The CFP’s Selection Sunday is a day later.

In good faith, the Big Ten decided in September to protect the integrity of its championship game by requiring the participants play at least six of their eight scheduled games. The league’s athletic directors, coaches and presidents decided unanimously on that point, sources told CBS Sports.

Now the athletic directors face the prospect of contemplating whether to rescind that requirement in the name of … what, exactly? Money, for sure. Ohio State would have a smoother path to the playoff and a payday for the Big Ten by winning the conference title.

We’re really going to try this again?  In a season that exists because the conferences need the money?

Perhaps Dennis Dodd needs to have a chat with Mike Krzyzewski.

Coach K’s full response when asked about the challenges of playing through the pandemic, and if it “feels right”: pic.twitter.com/oDxK5oOXnV

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) December 9, 2020

TFW you’ve got to prove Pac-12 refs aren’t the worst

This, apparently, is offensive pass interference. It cost Purdue the game. pic.twitter.com/bhSllcgtaN

— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) November 21, 2020

That’s the worst call I’ve seen this season.  I don’t care about either team, and I’m still pissed about it.

Wednesday morning buffet

Sights and sounds from around the world of college football for your dining pleasure:

• Here’s another one of those pieces about how the pandemic has affected small businesses in college towns.
• Four games in, Southern Miss is on its third head coach of the season.
• It just means more, Big Ten edition:  “A Michigan fan who made violent threats toward Ohio State and members of its football program was sentenced by a federal judge on Tuesday.”
• For some reason, the November 14 edition of College GameDay will be broadcast from Augusta National.
• Evidently after being the impetus behind the state of Mississippi changing the state flag, Kylin Hill’s work is done, as he’s reportedly skipping the rest of MSU’s season to prepare for the NFL draft.
• “Texas Tech is one of the few state universities that has allowed tailgating to continue with safety restrictions in place. Since the pandemic began, more Texas Tech students have been infected with the virus than at any other in-state university.”