2011 College Football Megathread

[CRASH]

Hoke is killin' it for next year's recruiting....

 

[Stalker]

Interesting article covering the gambit on OSU's problems as well as Tressel's future.

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/05/12/...ing_ohiostate.html?blockID=521343&feedID=3631

Only an optimist would smash one ant scurrying from beneath the rug and breathe a sigh of relief over having eradicated their ant problem.
Only an optimist.
Or an Ohio State fan.
Since the Tattoo-Gate scandal broke in late December, then mushroomed into the fireball of head coach Jim Tressel’s lying to the NCAA and OSU, a segment of Buckeye supporters has seized upon every figurative smashed ant to exult over the school’s and Tressel’s supposed innocence.
That’s why Wednesday was a big day for the apologists, given the Columbus Dispatch’s correction of the price former OSU linebacker Thaddeus Gibson paid for his 2007 Chrysler 300C that same year.
The Dispatch reported Saturday that title records showed Gibson obtained the vehicle, which had less than 14,000 miles, for zero dollars.
The newspaper reported yesterday that an older title showed Gibson paid $13,700 for the car.
The resultant outcry from OSU defenders was swift and shrill.
The Dispatch’s oversight of the original title gave rise to a movement that the entire story from Saturday -- which detailed between 40 and 50 vehicle sales by one person at two dealerships, all to OSU athletes -- should be discredited.
It mirrored the gleeful reaction in the aftermath of the television show, Pawn Stars, showing a gold pants award obtained from a former OSU player with the initials, DW.
Theories arose that that pants must have been those of former Buckeye Doug Worthington. Worthington denied the charge, and supposedly provided proof he still possessed all five gold pants awards he earned at OSU.
There’s your complete exoneration, the apologists sniffed.
Well, except that someone’s gold pants still wound up on Pawn Stars, and that player has yet to be identified.
The same bothersome follow-up applies to the Gibson car sale.
OK, great, he paid $13,700 for his Chrysler the year it hit the market. A quick Google check shows the base model, stripped down with no options, sold for $35,000 in 2007.
Gibson purchased it later that year for $21,000 less, assuming he purchased the bare bones edition.
True, all cars depreciate when driven off the lot, but a $21,000 drop for a vehicle with less than 14,000 miles?
Hey, maybe Gibson had a trade-in that lowered his purchase price.
That’s plausible…but so is this question:
Where would a college football player, who can’t work because of his time commitment to football, get a trade-in valued at $21,000?
That’s the trouble with the OSU scandal. One question begs another, and another, and no one knows where it will end until it does.
Former Ohio State linebacker and ESPN analyst Chris Spielman has surveyed the twists and turns of the story and stunned an audience in Lima on Monday with his prediction on Tressel’s future.
“I’d be surprised if he’s coaching (this fall),“ Spielman said. “Why I say that is, I think there is more stuff coming out.”
Certainly, the Dispatch is not the only media entity digging into the Ohio State football program.
Gibson’s transaction may have been perfectly above board, as may all 40-to-50 of the sales both OSU and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles are investigating.
That’s great for Ohio State if true, but it doesn’t change the reality that Item One on the agenda when OSU goes before the NCAA Committee on Infractions Aug. 12 won’t be cars, tattoos or any other extra benefit Buckeye players supposedly received.
The first, and most troublesome, item is Tressel’s lying to the NCAA in September, cheating by knowingly playing ineligible players throughout the season, lying twice more to OSU investigators in December and covering up his prior knowledge of the players’ NCAA violations by saying nothing until confronted by school officials in January.
None of that is in dispute. OSU has already admitted to all of it in a self-report of the matter to the NCAA, whose president sounded an ominous tone on Tuesday.
“We need to make sure our penalty structure and enforcement process imposes a thoughtful level of concern, and that the cost of violating the rules costs more than not violating them," Mark Emmert said.
But, really, what do we expect Emmert to say?
He’s clearly not going to admit the NCAA factors in which school is guilty, and if it’s a cash cow for a major conference -- like Ohio State is for the Big Ten -- the boys in enforcement will pull back their fangs.
The only real answer as to whether Emmert’s get-tough policy will translate into Tressel getting the show-cause order -- essentially a ban from coaching -- that lesser-known violators with lesser NCAA crimes have received is to wait for the Infractions Committee ruling that should come down in late September or early October.
That’s about the time Tressel and his five headline players are eligible to return from their five-game suspensions for OSU’s Oct. 8 game at Nebraska.
Have the Buckeyes chosen the exact wrong time to be in the crosshairs of NCAA justice? Will they be hammered by bowl bans, scholarship limits and recruiting restrictions like USC was for one player, Reggie Bush, profiting massively from his celebrity?
To this point, there’s no proof any OSU player cashed in like Bush or his parents. But is it better or worse for the Buckeyes that their primary violation involves their head coach essentially spitting on the very fabric of the NCAA’s existence by concealing violations, lying about his knowledge when the scandal surfaced and making no attempt to come forward?
It will be an interesting test for Emmert’s promised crackdown on cheating and his pledge to make the penalties so severe coaches won’t believe the reward worth the risk.
Email [email protected]

 

[hangemhigh]

..................

 

[Stalker]

and bump for todays news:

Before a speech at a dinner at Ohio State's Lima campus, Chris Spielman told the Lima News that he doesn't expect coach Jim Tressel on the sideline for any Buckeyes football games this fall.
"I'd be surprised if he's coaching next year (2011)," the former Buckeyes linebacker and ESPN analyst said. "Why I say that is I think there is more stuff coming out."
Tressel already faces a five-game suspension for withholding knowledge of potential NCAA violations by some of his players from Ohio State officials and the NCAA for several months.
"He's a friend of mine," Spielman said. "I respect him. I would be honored if my son were ever good enough to have him play for a guy like Jim Tressel. That being said, Ohio State is bigger than one individual. It's bigger than the James Cancer Hospital. It's bigger than the band and football and basketball and the Fisher College of Business.
"So what has to happen, in my opinion, is that the people in charge have to take an honest look and say, 'What is best for the university moving forward?' Then they have to make a hard decision. And I do believe coach Tressel owes it to our university, he has to look in the mirror and say, 'What is best for the university looking forward?'"
Spielman said he has "been on the end of threatening emails just for saying something like that" but will continue to speak his mind.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...13/rumblings-5-13-art-gsfclcdn-1.html?sid=101

 

[hangemhigh]

...........................:beatdeadh

 

[Swifster]

Until the school president and AD both think he's more of a liability than an asset, it doesn't matter what Spielman thinks.

 

[hangemhigh]

Until the school president and AD both think he's more of a liability than an asset, it doesn't matter what Spielman thinks.

that's my man!!.............

 

[Stalker]

Until the school president and AD both think he's more of a liability than an asset, it doesn't matter what Spielman thinks.

This coming from the same guy who armchair qb's every decision the U of M should make. That's laughable at best.

 

[Swifster]

This coming from the same guy who armchair qb's every decision the U of M should make. That's laughable at best.

What? I never suggested UM should have fired your boy RichRod. I think RichRod should have got his full five years. I didn't call for RichRod's head when the practice stuff came up. No one except Spielman at OSU has called for Tressel's head. The ones that are, are the media. Hell, I don't care what OSU does with Tressel. The fact is, every school has violations. This includes MSU, UM and OSU. Even Izzo screwed up last year and was suspended by the NCAA for one game. Most are very minor and result in no penalties. Will OSU get penalized further than the self imposed penalties? I think they will, but even if they hit Tressel with a show/cause penalty, OSU may still keep him. He brings in a lot of money. He's won 6 B1G Championships in a row. He graduates his players. I'm still not sold that he'll get fired. Does this mean he won't? Nope. Anything is possible.

When the 'Stay Classy' MSU stuff comes up on here, I simply throw those stones back at the UM glass house. Nothing really different about Darryl Stonum than what happened to Chris L. Rucker. I was told how Rucker should have been kicked off the team because he blew his 'second chance'. Or how, after missing two games while in jail, Dantonio should have kept him out of the line up against Iowa. Want to bet that Stonum doesn't miss a game? And when Stonum went to jail, he got off going in June (no games missed). I mearly make fun of the double standard that the UM fan lives by. If I never saw a 'Stay Classy' post, it wouldn't bother me a bit. But I also notice the only time anyone bitches about it is when it's directed at a Michigan fuck up.

 

[hangemhigh]

.......^^^^^^.............:thumbsup:

 

[DetroitStyle]

When the 'Stay Classy' MSU stuff comes up on here, I simply throw those stones back at the UM glass house. Nothing really different about Darryl Stonum than what happened to Chris L. Rucker. I was told how Rucker should have been kicked off the team because he blew his 'second chance'. Or how, after missing two games while in jail, Dantonio should have kept him out of the line up against Iowa. Want to bet that Stonum doesn't miss a game? And when Stonum went to jail, he got off going in June (no games missed). I mearly make fun of the double standard that the UM fan lives by. If I never saw a 'Stay Classy' post, it wouldn't bother me a bit. But I also notice the only time anyone bitches about it is when it's directed at a Michigan fuck up.

I can't control what the university does, but despite your best attempts to point fingers, there is no double standard here. I will stand here and voice my disagreement if U-M chooses to keep Stonum on the team. His behavior is not consistant with the higher standards that I expect from U-M. You, on the other hand, will always make excuses for and defend whatever MSU does, no matter how blatantly wrong.

IF U-M fails to kick Stonum off the team, I will be very disappointed. I will not defend or excuse that one bit. There is no double standard here.

 

[DetroitStyle]

Jake Long and Chad Henne @ my work yesterday:

 

[Swifster]

I can't control what the university does, but despite your best attempts to point fingers, there is no double standard here. I will stand here and voice my disagreement if U-M chooses to keep Stonum on the team. His behavior is not consistant with the higher standards that I expect from U-M. You, on the other hand, will always make excuses for and defend whatever MSU does, no matter how blatantly wrong.

IF U-M fails to kick Stonum off the team, I will be very disappointed. I will not defend or excuse that one bit. There is no double standard here.

Mike, isn't that what you do, pointing fingers, everytime you start a 'Stay Classy' thread? The "higher standards" that you expect are typical of the "my shit don't stink", Arrogant Asses of Ann Arbor attitude that UM is famous for.

I don't agree with everything MSU does. I will let the coaching staff make the decision on something they know more about than I do. The dorm hall fight was led by Glenn Winston and 1 or 2 others. The rest followed along not knowing where they were going. The protagonists were tossed and the others were suspended for a reasonable amount of time. Rucker getting drunk after the UM game was dumb, but not worth his senior season. He lost two games due to jail time.

Do I think Stonum should really be tossed off the UM football team? No. Hoke will let him earn his way back on the team. Be prepared to be disappointed. He won't miss a game.

 

[Stalker]

So expecting the u of m to run a program that doesn't cater to thugs and criminals is arrogant? This says so much about you and msu.

 

[Swifster]

So expecting the u of m to run a program that doesn't cater to thugs and criminals is arrogant? This says so much about you and msu.

You mean like UM recruiting the drug dealer a few years ago? Get real! You are dealing with 17-22 year old kids and they all make dumb mistakes, even those at UM and MSU. And to deny that is arrogant. Didn't UM almost lose a football dorm from explosives because of that kid?

 

[Stalker]

No one said kids dont make bad decisions. It's the reaction to those decisions that defines the person. Mike and I will be disappointed if stonum plays. You on the other hand have no problem rationalizing what a kid does because kids do stupid things. Its called having a moral compass not arrogance.

 

[Swifster]

No one said kids dont make bad decisions. It's the reaction to those decisions that defines the person. Mike and I will be disappointed if stonum plays. You on the other hand have no problem rationalizing what a kid does because kids do stupid things. Its called having a moral compass not arrogance.

No, it's called being realistic in regards to major college sports. Stonum will play because Hoke needs him to play. Mike Martin could knock over 3 liquor stores while drunk and leading Ann Arbor police on a high speed chase and I don't know that he wouldn't be playing by the B1G opener.

All coaches, including Dantonio, Rodriquez and Hoke do background checks and try to see what the players are like. They ALL want choirboys. Especially if he can run a 4.40 40, bench press 400lbs and have a nasty streak on the football field. Some stay clean in college, and some don't. Some go to jail later in life. Some get their schools basketball records wiped out over a 4 year period. You don't know. And to think UM is immune is either extreme arrogance or very much wishful thinking.

 

[DetroitStyle]

So expecting the u of m to run a program that doesn't cater to thugs and criminals is arrogant? This says so much about you and msu.

ding ding ding

 

[DetroitStyle]

No one said kids dont make bad decisions. It's the reaction to those decisions that defines the person. Mike and I will be disappointed if stonum plays. You on the other hand have no problem rationalizing what a kid does because kids do stupid things. Its called having a moral compass not arrogance.

This.

My biggest concern when RR got hired wasn't him, the money, the spread offense, or even the W/L record. It was the character of the recruits he brings. I don't want a team full of Pacman Jones clones, regardless of how good they are.

 

[Swifster]

This.

My biggest concern when RR got hired wasn't him, the money, the spread offense, or even the W/L record. It was the character of the recruits he brings. I don't want a team full of Pacman Jones clones, regardless of how good they are.

And you hard various problems under Llyod Carr and will under Brady Hoke. It happens. And it will happen.

Oh, and you'd be surprised at my moral compass. My close friends wouldn't be, but you guys would.