2023 College football thread - That's A Wrap (4 Viewers)

[Capella]

The obvious answer is a Michigan booster/coach/whomever handed Stallions cash. They were smart enough not to create a paper trail (yay) but then dumb enough to have him on the sideline mouthing calls to the DC during the Ohio State game (boo, hiss)

 

[Tau837]

when the NCAA vacates these wins

Who cares about vacated wins? Do recruits care? I doubt it. Do the coaches and players who won the games care? I doubt it... they won the games. Do the fans care... I'm sure they don't, they know who won the games, who won the awards, etc.

Vacated wins is the dumbest punishment ever.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I just wanted to say f#ck ESPN.......they are a big reason why Oregon State has no home next season..... and now OSU has proven they belong by on-field results, and eye balls on tv.....so what does ESPN do? They take GameDay to frickin Harrisburg for JMU vs App st. instead of a top ten matchup in Corvallis that has major implications for the conference and the football playoff.

ESPN is bunch of cowards. They did not want to answer questions about the elephant in the room, by taking gameday to Corvallis.

At least its looking like OSU and Wazzu will control the Pac 12 (2) assets and the backstabbing defectors will get nothing.......I mean what a joke! These ******** took away USC/UCLA/Colorado's board seats when they announced they were leaving, but then when they decided to jump ship suddenly they should get a seat on the board, and get to split up the assets?! **** the defectors! Yea I'm salty AF!! Buncha schools making impulsive decisions for perceived self preservation, and then not wanting to live with the consequences.......these network TV deals have completely ****ed college football.

Edit to add: no disrespect to James Madison. They are having a great season, and it's a great story.......but there's no way gameday should be there this weekend.

I get the anger toward the networks and other greedy actors but the fans are as much to blame as anyone. College football fans and supporters demanded the game emulate a professional football league and this is what they got. My entire life the Rose Bowl was the biggest college football game of the year because it was the Big 10 v PAC 10 champion, until the BCS came along. Everyone wanted it, other than a few of us miserable souls, in pursuit of the mythical national championship. It was only a few years later we had teams like Miami, Texas and Oklahoma playing their bowl game in Pasadena. The PAC falling apart is the natural consequence of the decisions made 25 years ago and most fans not only supported those moves but demanded even more. It won't be long until we have a 32 team NCAA football league of fully paid professional student-athletes divided into two conferences with 4 divisions each, leading to a College Superbowl.

I know there is a clamor by some to return to the halcyon days of yore where traditional Bowl games were the end all to be all but does anybody really want to go back to a system where a National Champion is crowned by a vote and where we can have co-champions at the end? Not crowning a champion on the field is asinine and I can't believe it lasted as long as it did.

The Southwest Conference was once a mighty king of college football. It devolved like 25 years ago and every single school with the exception of Rice and maybe SMU has tasted success in their new homes. Hell, even Houston was a thing for a minute.

I hate that the Pac12 is gone but the schools will be fine. Oregon State and WSU will find a home. The Beavers have a chance to play the greatest spoiler ever the next 3 weeks. Keep the phone lines open in Corvallis.

I know we'll never return to it, but yes, I would love it. I loved the national champion arguments every year on January 2 - that was part of the charm that separated it from professional football and fit with my view of amateur athletics. There will never be a system in college football where the champion is crowned "on the field" as it is in pro football because there are over 100 teams involved and the college playoff participants are still chosen by a vote. There are legit arguments every single year about who should get in and who is left out and always will be. Make it a 16 team bracket or 32 (which will happen) and this only gets worse and less and less about what I liked about college football. I know I'm an outlier on this but I didn't need college football to try to become the NFL. I don't think that's possible or desirable.

We've lost the great traditions of the big conferences and January 1 bowl games - its all mostly meaningless to me now and I hardly even have interest most years to watch the college superbowl on a Tuesday night in mid-January. Kids in California and Oregon are going to be traveling to New Jersey and Maryland to play conference sports next year, which is awful. Young fans these days don't have any inkling of what it means when Nebraska plays Oklahoma. Keith Jackson is dead. The biggest game of the year for me as a kid - the Rose Bowl - has lost all meaning to us now. I think it sucks but I understand most don't agree.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

We paid players under the tables for decades but clearly the coaching staff didn't know about Stallions because there is no receipts. Holy hell is this schitck or do you Michigan dudes really believe this nonsense?

 

[massraider]

The obvious answer is a Michigan booster/coach/whomever handed Stallions cash

Yep

 

[Da Guru]

Looking more and more like a lone wolf.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of sign-stealing investigation by the NCAA, did not file any expense reports during the 17 months he was formally employed by the football program, according to the school.

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any of Stalions’ expense reports while he was employed at U-M from May 2022 through Nov. 3, 2023. There are no responsive records, Patricia Sellinger, chief freedom of information officer at the school, replied in an email sent Wednesday.

Every piece of evidence so far points to stallions being a loon

A loon who was given access to Michigan coaches on the sidelines during games as well as a slush fund to buy tickets to other games.....

And how quietly the news was swept away about Matt Weiss and the FBI investigation into cyber crimes. Whatever happened with that?

So your theory is that they were savvy enough to set up a secret untraceable slush fund to pay for everything, and then just openly bought the tickets under stallions own name and wore their Michigan gear to the games to be as obvious as possible as to what they were doing?

Well, your statement was that Stallions was "a loon". So let's stop there so you can tell me why he was given access to the coaches on the sidelines if he is, as you said "a loon". Seems incongruous.

Then I'm just curious how a loon making what he made could afford these tickets absent any financial help. What's your theory if you think mine is dumb?

Both his parents are M grads, this kid grew up idolizing M football. My god he wrote a manifesto about M football. he was obsessed but a Genius in what he does, the Dr. Spencer Reid for Michigan football.

If I am wrong on this I will be surprised because of the people I know, only because I am 100% positive they think Stalions was on his own.

Only thing I can say in this day and age, social media, Twitter, FB, sports reporters shows always looking for dirt on anyone, any coach, any team.

Do you really think they would have this grand plan that nobody would ever find out about? A disgruntled player who left, a coach who was replaced would not go right to Twitter or Steven A? Like any other team players have left Michigan in the last year and there has been no chatter.

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do. If they prove Harbaugh or anyone was involved in the planning of it let the chips fall where they may.

Unless they find a $$$ trail or people who will talk about the planning it might be difficult.

 

[The Commish]

Looking more and more like a lone wolf.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of sign-stealing investigation by the NCAA, did not file any expense reports during the 17 months he was formally employed by the football program, according to the school.

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any of Stalions’ expense reports while he was employed at U-M from May 2022 through Nov. 3, 2023. There are no responsive records, Patricia Sellinger, chief freedom of information officer at the school, replied in an email sent Wednesday.

Every piece of evidence so far points to stallions being a loon

A loon who was given access to Michigan coaches on the sidelines during games as well as a slush fund to buy tickets to other games.....

And how quietly the news was swept away about Matt Weiss and the FBI investigation into cyber crimes. Whatever happened with that?

Would have never pegged you as a conspiracy theorist

Would you mind telling me how he afforded those tickets on his salary?

How many different plausible scenarios do you want? And don't get confused....I'm not saying he wasn't being paid by the school or the athletic department or whatever. He may have been. So far, the evidence doesn't really jive with that being the case.

How about 3 plausible scenarios? Sound fair?

Perhaps one is that he comes from a lot of money and has a trust fund he can tap into to buy all these tickets, so I've spotted you one (even though I think his parents were of modest means out of Lake Orion). What are some other plausible scenarios?

#2. He went into debt to fulfill his irrational manifesto
#3. He had other income besides his job at Michigan
#4. No other significant expenses in his life, so he could afford them.
#5. His co-conspirators helping him fulfill his irrational manifesto paid him back
#6. Got funded by a deep state booster (though I guess that could be considered a "slush fund"....just not by the university like it would need to be)

And AGAIN....not saying the university didn't pay him....they may have. Just pointing to what the evidence tells us so far. Maybe more will come out about it.

 

[Stoneworker]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

 

[Peak]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

 

[msudaisy26]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

 

[whoknew]

We paid players under the tables for decades but clearly the coaching staff didn't know about Stallions because there is no receipts. Holy hell is this schitck or do you Michigan dudes really believe this nonsense?

We did?

 

[The Commish]

We paid players under the tables for decades but clearly the coaching staff didn't know about Stallions because there is no receipts. Holy hell is this schitck or do you Michigan dudes really believe this nonsense?

We did?

Do....it's naive to think that's stopped which puts this infraction into perspective a bit.

 

[msudaisy26]

The funniest part is Harbaugh and the staff at Michigan should be praised for this. It put Michigan back in the discussion as one of the best teams in the country after 15ish years of being an after thought, and all they are going to get is a minor slap on the wrist.

If I was a part of a big time football program, not named Georgia or Alabama I would be pissed my program wasn't this creative or didn't think of it first.

 

[Stoneworker]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

I see. So the B1G admits in writing to Michigan that it has zero evidence linking Harbaugh to Stallions.

Therefore it must be those dang coordinators! They knew everything and directed and financed Stallions but didn't tell Harbaugh anything! For two years!

Too dang funny.

 

[Da Guru]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

 

[msudaisy26]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

I see. So the B1G admits in writing to Michigan that it has zero evidence linking Harbaugh to Stallions.

Therefore it must be those dang coordinators! They knew everything and directed and financed Stallions but didn't tell Harbaugh anything! For two years!

Too dang funny.

It is funny you believe it.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

It doesn't have to be an absurd scenario like this. Every team has a group of staffers assigned to stealing signs for upcoming opponents. Most do it legally, using television and other film available to them. This guy wanted to really impress his bosses, so he broke the rules thinking he would get better intel. Maybe he solicited funds from boosters who paid for this, allowing him to put people in the stands who filmed opponents' sidelines for him to use. He reported to his boss what he learned about opponents' signs and helped out on gameday. Its possible everyone up the chain at Michigan knew he broke the rules to get his information. Its also possible they thought he got it legally like most other teams do. That's the evidence I think we're still waiting to see. In the meantime, the Big Ten can discipline the school by suspending the coach because of this regardless of who knew what.

 

[Peak]

The funniest part is Harbaugh and the staff at Michigan should be praised for this. It put Michigan back in the discussion as one of the best teams in the country after 15ish years of being an after thought, and all they are going to get is a minor slap on the wrist.

If I was a part of a big time football program, not named Georgia or Alabama I would be pissed my program wasn't this creative or didn't think of it first.

It's on page 385 of the Manifesto. Sounds like SEC schools need their own Manifesto.

 

[Peak]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

That's why I'm asking questions. Is this the job description of every Recurring Analyst for a CFB program? Is this exactly what Stallions job description was? Do you have a copy of that I can read?

 

[msudaisy26]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

It doesn't have to be an absurd scenario like this. Every team has a group of staffers assigned to stealing signs for upcoming opponents. Most do it legally, using television and other film available to them. This guy wanted to really impress his bosses, so he broke the rules thinking he would get better intel. Maybe he solicited funds from boosters who paid for this, allowing him to put people in the stands who filmed opponents' sidelines for him to use. He reported to his boss what he learned about opponents' signs and helped out on gameday. Its possible everyone up the chain at Michigan knew he broke the rules to get his information. Its also possible they thought he got it legally like most other teams do. That's the evidence I think we're still waiting to see. In the meantime, the Big Ten can discipline the school by suspending the coach because of this regardless of who knew what.

I agree with most of this, except I don't believe that no one else knew. Once he was right over, and over again they would want him to show the other assistants how to do this incase he left the program.

 

[Stoneworker]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

I see. So the B1G admits in writing to Michigan that it has zero evidence linking Harbaugh to Stallions.

Therefore it must be those dang coordinators! They knew everything and directed and financed Stallions but didn't tell Harbaugh anything! For two years!

Too dang funny.

It is funny you believe it.

I believe what the facts and evidence support, not fitting supposition to fit a fantasy narrative.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

We paid players under the tables for decades but clearly the coaching staff didn't know about Stallions because there is no receipts. Holy hell is this schitck or do you Michigan dudes really believe this nonsense?

We did?

Every other national power did but Michigan. My bad

 

[Da Guru]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

That's why I'm asking questions. Is this the job description of every Recurring Analyst for a CFB program? Is this exactly what Stallions job description was? Do you have a copy of that I can read?

Do you think Harbaugh, Saban, Smart or any HC whose job depends on getting the best players would send any person other than a top staff member to recruit a 3-4-5 star player?

Analysts is a broad term to whatever they want it to be, but they do not go on the road for recruiting visits.

 

[Da Guru]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Nope, way more likely he acted alone and all the coordinators listened and didn't ask how he knew what he knew and just blindly took his word.

I have a direct line to many NFL head coaches and coordinators. I tell them what I see every week and they just listen to me with no questions asked and run the plays I tell them will work. It isn't like their jobs are at stake or anything.

Every Monday morning I google a random name, and number. I then ask them how I should do my job that week. Easy money.

It doesn't have to be an absurd scenario like this. Every team has a group of staffers assigned to stealing signs for upcoming opponents. Most do it legally, using television and other film available to them. This guy wanted to really impress his bosses, so he broke the rules thinking he would get better intel. Maybe he solicited funds from boosters who paid for this, allowing him to put people in the stands who filmed opponents' sidelines for him to use. He reported to his boss what he learned about opponents' signs and helped out on gameday. Its possible everyone up the chain at Michigan knew he broke the rules to get his information. Its also possible they thought he got it legally like most other teams do. That's the evidence I think we're still waiting to see. In the meantime, the Big Ten can discipline the school by suspending the coach because of this regardless of who knew what.

Stop making sense.

 

[Stoneworker]

It doesn't have to be an absurd scenario like this. Every team has a group of staffers assigned to stealing signs for upcoming opponents. Most do it legally, using television and other film available to them. This guy wanted to really impress his bosses, so he broke the rules thinking he would get better intel. Maybe he solicited funds from boosters who paid for this, allowing him to put people in the stands who filmed opponents' sidelines for him to use. He reported to his boss what he learned about opponents' signs and helped out on gameday. Its possible everyone up the chain at Michigan knew he broke the rules to get his information. Its also possible they thought he got it legally like most other teams do. That's the evidence I think we're still waiting to see. In the meantime, the Big Ten can discipline the school by suspending the coach because of this regardless of who knew what.

Very well written and IMO the scenarios outlined most closely match the facts made available so far

 

[WDIK2]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

Sounds like the kind of person who would be standing next to and giving information to your coordinators/HC on the sideline.

 

[General Malaise]

I just wanted to say f#ck ESPN.......they are a big reason why Oregon State has no home next season..... and now OSU has proven they belong by on-field results, and eye balls on tv.....so what does ESPN do? They take GameDay to frickin Harrisburg for JMU vs App st. instead of a top ten matchup in Corvallis that has major implications for the conference and the football playoff.

ESPN is bunch of cowards. They did not want to answer questions about the elephant in the room, by taking gameday to Corvallis.

At least its looking like OSU and Wazzu will control the Pac 12 (2) assets and the backstabbing defectors will get nothing.......I mean what a joke! These ******** took away USC/UCLA/Colorado's board seats when they announced they were leaving, but then when they decided to jump ship suddenly they should get a seat on the board, and get to split up the assets?! **** the defectors! Yea I'm salty AF!! Buncha schools making impulsive decisions for perceived self preservation, and then not wanting to live with the consequences.......these network TV deals have completely ****ed college football.

Edit to add: no disrespect to James Madison. They are having a great season, and it's a great story.......but there's no way gameday should be there this weekend.

I get the anger toward the networks and other greedy actors but the fans are as much to blame as anyone. College football fans and supporters demanded the game emulate a professional football league and this is what they got. My entire life the Rose Bowl was the biggest college football game of the year because it was the Big 10 v PAC 10 champion, until the BCS came along. Everyone wanted it, other than a few of us miserable souls, in pursuit of the mythical national championship. It was only a few years later we had teams like Miami, Texas and Oklahoma playing their bowl game in Pasadena. The PAC falling apart is the natural consequence of the decisions made 25 years ago and most fans not only supported those moves but demanded even more. It won't be long until we have a 32 team NCAA football league of fully paid professional student-athletes divided into two conferences with 4 divisions each, leading to a College Superbowl.

I know there is a clamor by some to return to the halcyon days of yore where traditional Bowl games were the end all to be all but does anybody really want to go back to a system where a National Champion is crowned by a vote and where we can have co-champions at the end? Not crowning a champion on the field is asinine and I can't believe it lasted as long as it did.

The Southwest Conference was once a mighty king of college football. It devolved like 25 years ago and every single school with the exception of Rice and maybe SMU has tasted success in their new homes. Hell, even Houston was a thing for a minute.

I hate that the Pac12 is gone but the schools will be fine. Oregon State and WSU will find a home. The Beavers have a chance to play the greatest spoiler ever the next 3 weeks. Keep the phone lines open in Corvallis.

I know we'll never return to it, but yes, I would love it. I loved the national champion arguments every year on January 2 - that was part of the charm that separated it from professional football and fit with my view of amateur athletics. There will never be a system in college football where the champion is crowned "on the field" as it is in pro football because there are over 100 teams involved and the college playoff participants are still chosen by a vote. There are legit arguments every single year about who should get in and who is left out and always will be. Make it a 16 team bracket or 32 (which will happen) and this only gets worse and less and less about what I liked about college football. I know I'm an outlier on this but I didn't need college football to try to become the NFL. I don't think that's possible or desirable.

We've lost the great traditions of the big conferences and January 1 bowl games - its all mostly meaningless to me now and I hardly even have interest most years to watch the college superbowl on a Tuesday night in mid-January. Kids in California and Oregon are going to be traveling to New Jersey and Maryland to play conference sports next year, which is awful. Young fans these days don't have any inkling of what it means when Nebraska plays Oklahoma. Keith Jackson is dead. The biggest game of the year for me as a kid - the Rose Bowl - has lost all meaning to us now. I think it sucks but I understand most don't agree.

On the one hand, I get where you're coming from. Traditional Bowl matchups were cool for fans and a reward for both players and fans. I miss New Year's Day football being one of the most important days in sports.

But on the other, college football was an outlier in determining a champion. HS football and Pro football alike crown a champion on a field. College basketball, baseball, etc did the same. I found it maddening that the champion was determined by a vote - two different votes, leading to a split sometimes. Nuts to that.

Of the 100+ teams in college football, the regular season takes care of 90 of them by November. It's whittled down for us. November does the rest, like the winds that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. How many times in the 4-team playoff era did a team get screwed out of a spot? I can only think of one or two instances where it was debatable in 10 years. Regardless, it's a much better system than letting coaches with a hangover and nerds at the AP determine who the champion is for us through a telegraph and faxes the day after Jan 1. IMO.

 

[Da Guru]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

Sounds like the kind of person who would be standing next to and giving information to your coordinators/HC on the sideline.

He was talking about not turning in expenses, and expense reports for recruiting.

If his skill was on game day as they thought it was then use him. As I said an analysts is a broad term, but they don`t go on home recruiting visits.

 

[General Malaise]

Looking more and more like a lone wolf.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of sign-stealing investigation by the NCAA, did not file any expense reports during the 17 months he was formally employed by the football program, according to the school.

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any of Stalions’ expense reports while he was employed at U-M from May 2022 through Nov. 3, 2023. There are no responsive records, Patricia Sellinger, chief freedom of information officer at the school, replied in an email sent Wednesday.

Every piece of evidence so far points to stallions being a loon

A loon who was given access to Michigan coaches on the sidelines during games as well as a slush fund to buy tickets to other games.....

And how quietly the news was swept away about Matt Weiss and the FBI investigation into cyber crimes. Whatever happened with that?

So your theory is that they were savvy enough to set up a secret untraceable slush fund to pay for everything, and then just openly bought the tickets under stallions own name and wore their Michigan gear to the games to be as obvious as possible as to what they were doing?

Well, your statement was that Stallions was "a loon". So let's stop there so you can tell me why he was given access to the coaches on the sidelines if he is, as you said "a loon". Seems incongruous.

Then I'm just curious how a loon making what he made could afford these tickets absent any financial help. What's your theory if you think mine is dumb?

Both his parents are M grads, this kid grew up idolizing M football. My god he wrote a manifesto about M football. he was obsessed but a Genius in what he does, the Dr. Spencer Reid for Michigan football.

If I am wrong on this I will be surprised because of the people I know, only because I am 100% positive they think Stalions was on his own.

Only thing I can say in this day and age, social media, Twitter, FB, sports reporters shows always looking for dirt on anyone, any coach, any team.

Do you really think they would have this grand plan that nobody would ever find out about? A disgruntled player who left, a coach who was replaced would not go right to Twitter or Steven A? Like any other team players have left Michigan in the last year and there has been no chatter.

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do. If they prove Harbaugh or anyone was involved in the planning of it let the chips fall where they may.

Unless they find a $$$ trail or people who will talk about the planning it might be difficult.

If he was on his own, how did he gain access to the sidelines during games? Can you walk down to the sidelines during games and communicate with the coaches on the field? You say he acted on his own. That's just not possible.

 

[Sullie]

Michigan cheated, end of story. I've already, personally, reached out to big ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Now, I reminded him that I'm a pretty big deal around here, I mean not on this message board, I mean at my home where I'm writing this. I have come up with a brilliant solution to this gigantic mess and I think you will all find that the punishment for Michigan will most certainly fit the crime. I think making James Franklin the coach of Michigan for the next 5 years, effective immediately, is proper punishment. . . you're welcome Penn State!

 

[WDIK2]

I think it's obvious Stalions is a loon. The next step is releasing the manifesto that shows how big of a loon he actually is. (Unless that manifesto has information in it that might show what members of the coaching staff really knew).


I don't think it has to be one or the other. He can be a loon and be working with staff that has full knowledge of how he got the signs. (Not necessarily Harbaugh).

I was only half joking earlier when I mentioned CMU getting some punishment out of this. Someone on their staff allowed Stalions access to their sideline. You could kind of tell by McElwain's press conference. He sounded like he knew someone on his staff f'ed up.

 

[Da Guru]

I just wanted to say f#ck ESPN.......they are a big reason why Oregon State has no home next season..... and now OSU has proven they belong by on-field results, and eye balls on tv.....so what does ESPN do? They take GameDay to frickin Harrisburg for JMU vs App st. instead of a top ten matchup in Corvallis that has major implications for the conference and the football playoff.

ESPN is bunch of cowards. They did not want to answer questions about the elephant in the room, by taking gameday to Corvallis.

At least its looking like OSU and Wazzu will control the Pac 12 (2) assets and the backstabbing defectors will get nothing.......I mean what a joke! These ******** took away USC/UCLA/Colorado's board seats when they announced they were leaving, but then when they decided to jump ship suddenly they should get a seat on the board, and get to split up the assets?! **** the defectors! Yea I'm salty AF!! Buncha schools making impulsive decisions for perceived self preservation, and then not wanting to live with the consequences.......these network TV deals have completely ****ed college football.

Edit to add: no disrespect to James Madison. They are having a great season, and it's a great story.......but there's no way gameday should be there this weekend.

I get the anger toward the networks and other greedy actors but the fans are as much to blame as anyone. College football fans and supporters demanded the game emulate a professional football league and this is what they got. My entire life the Rose Bowl was the biggest college football game of the year because it was the Big 10 v PAC 10 champion, until the BCS came along. Everyone wanted it, other than a few of us miserable souls, in pursuit of the mythical national championship. It was only a few years later we had teams like Miami, Texas and Oklahoma playing their bowl game in Pasadena. The PAC falling apart is the natural consequence of the decisions made 25 years ago and most fans not only supported those moves but demanded even more. It won't be long until we have a 32 team NCAA football league of fully paid professional student-athletes divided into two conferences with 4 divisions each, leading to a College Superbowl.

I know there is a clamor by some to return to the halcyon days of yore where traditional Bowl games were the end all to be all but does anybody really want to go back to a system where a National Champion is crowned by a vote and where we can have co-champions at the end? Not crowning a champion on the field is asinine and I can't believe it lasted as long as it did.

The Southwest Conference was once a mighty king of college football. It devolved like 25 years ago and every single school with the exception of Rice and maybe SMU has tasted success in their new homes. Hell, even Houston was a thing for a minute.

I hate that the Pac12 is gone but the schools will be fine. Oregon State and WSU will find a home. The Beavers have a chance to play the greatest spoiler ever the next 3 weeks. Keep the phone lines open in Corvallis.

I know we'll never return to it, but yes, I would love it. I loved the national champion arguments every year on January 2 - that was part of the charm that separated it from professional football and fit with my view of amateur athletics. There will never be a system in college football where the champion is crowned "on the field" as it is in pro football because there are over 100 teams involved and the college playoff participants are still chosen by a vote. There are legit arguments every single year about who should get in and who is left out and always will be. Make it a 16 team bracket or 32 (which will happen) and this only gets worse and less and less about what I liked about college football. I know I'm an outlier on this but I didn't need college football to try to become the NFL. I don't think that's possible or desirable.

We've lost the great traditions of the big conferences and January 1 bowl games - its all mostly meaningless to me now and I hardly even have interest most years to watch the college superbowl on a Tuesday night in mid-January. Kids in California and Oregon are going to be traveling to New Jersey and Maryland to play conference sports next year, which is awful. Young fans these days don't have any inkling of what it means when Nebraska plays Oklahoma. Keith Jackson is dead. The biggest game of the year for me as a kid - the Rose Bowl - has lost all meaning to us now. I think it sucks but I understand most don't agree.

On the one hand, I get where you're coming from. Traditional Bowl matchups were cool for fans and a reward for both players and fans. I miss New Year's Day football being one of the most important days in sports.

But on the other, college football was an outlier in determining a champion. HS football and Pro football alike crown a champion on a field. College basketball, baseball, etc did the same. I found it maddening that the champion was determined by a vote - two different votes, leading to a split sometimes. Nuts to that.

Of the 100+ teams in college football, the regular season takes care of 90 of them by November. It's whittled down for us. November does the rest, like the winds that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. How many times in the 4-team playoff era did a team get screwed out of a spot? I can only think of one or two instances where it was debatable in 10 years. Regardless, it's a much better system than letting coaches with a hangover and nerds at the AP determine who the champion is for us through a telegraph and faxes the day after Jan 1. IMO.

Looking more and more like a lone wolf.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer at the center of sign-stealing investigation by the NCAA, did not file any expense reports during the 17 months he was formally employed by the football program, according to the school.

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any of Stalions’ expense reports while he was employed at U-M from May 2022 through Nov. 3, 2023. There are no responsive records, Patricia Sellinger, chief freedom of information officer at the school, replied in an email sent Wednesday.

Every piece of evidence so far points to stallions being a loon

A loon who was given access to Michigan coaches on the sidelines during games as well as a slush fund to buy tickets to other games.....

And how quietly the news was swept away about Matt Weiss and the FBI investigation into cyber crimes. Whatever happened with that?

So your theory is that they were savvy enough to set up a secret untraceable slush fund to pay for everything, and then just openly bought the tickets under stallions own name and wore their Michigan gear to the games to be as obvious as possible as to what they were doing?

Well, your statement was that Stallions was "a loon". So let's stop there so you can tell me why he was given access to the coaches on the sidelines if he is, as you said "a loon". Seems incongruous.

Then I'm just curious how a loon making what he made could afford these tickets absent any financial help. What's your theory if you think mine is dumb?

Both his parents are M grads, this kid grew up idolizing M football. My god he wrote a manifesto about M football. he was obsessed but a Genius in what he does, the Dr. Spencer Reid for Michigan football.

If I am wrong on this I will be surprised because of the people I know, only because I am 100% positive they think Stalions was on his own.

Only thing I can say in this day and age, social media, Twitter, FB, sports reporters shows always looking for dirt on anyone, any coach, any team.

Do you really think they would have this grand plan that nobody would ever find out about? A disgruntled player who left, a coach who was replaced would not go right to Twitter or Steven A? Like any other team players have left Michigan in the last year and there has been no chatter.

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do. If they prove Harbaugh or anyone was involved in the planning of it let the chips fall where they may.

Unless they find a $$$ trail or people who will talk about the planning it might be difficult.

If he was on his own, how did he gain access to the sidelines during games? Can you walk down to the sidelines during games and communicate with the coaches on the field? You say he acted on his own. That's just not possible.

Anyone on paid staff has field access. Ever see these college games, there are 40 people other than players on the sidelines.

 

[Capella]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

Sounds like the kind of person who would be standing next to and giving information to your coordinators/HC on the sideline.

This is the part none of them can account for lol

 

[Capella]

Anyone on paid staff has field access. Ever see these college games, there are 40 people other than players on the sidelines.

Right next to the DC calling in plays huh lol

You guys are the ultimate homers. I kind of respect it.

 

[General Malaise]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

 

[WDIK2]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

 

[whoknew]

Does anyone else find it odd that a Recruiting Analyst never turned in an expense report? Never took a trip to see a potential player in HS? Never went to a school to visit a coach? You know, things that every other person doing recruiting would do if that was there job?

Do you know what a recruiting analyst does? My daughter was one when she was in grad school after being an athlete. 95% is emailing potential recruits, taking and forwarding emails of interest from recruits. They look at emails, stats and pass it down the line. The other 5% is whatever they tell you to do, get bagels for the staff.

They do not scout, they are not coaches. They do not go to HS games, or on home visits to talk to players or parents. They have zero to do with the actual recruitment process other than keep the correspondence and interest going.

Sounds like the kind of person who would be standing next to and giving information to your coordinators/HC on the sideline.

This is the part none of them can account for lol

I don't understand what you mean. Every team has someone in charge of stealing signs. Stallion was Michigan's. Stealing signs isn't against the rules. Indeed its encouraged.

 

[Manster]

I just wanted to say f#ck ESPN.......they are a big reason why Oregon State has no home next season..... and now OSU has proven they belong by on-field results, and eye balls on tv.....so what does ESPN do? They take GameDay to frickin Harrisburg for JMU vs App st. instead of a top ten matchup in Corvallis that has major implications for the conference and the football playoff.

ESPN is bunch of cowards. They did not want to answer questions about the elephant in the room, by taking gameday to Corvallis.

At least its looking like OSU and Wazzu will control the Pac 12 (2) assets and the backstabbing defectors will get nothing.......I mean what a joke! These ******** took away USC/UCLA/Colorado's board seats when they announced they were leaving, but then when they decided to jump ship suddenly they should get a seat on the board, and get to split up the assets?! **** the defectors! Yea I'm salty AF!! Buncha schools making impulsive decisions for perceived self preservation, and then not wanting to live with the consequences.......these network TV deals have completely ****ed college football.

Edit to add: no disrespect to James Madison. They are having a great season, and it's a great story.......but there's no way gameday should be there this weekend.

I get the anger toward the networks and other greedy actors but the fans are as much to blame as anyone. College football fans and supporters demanded the game emulate a professional football league and this is what they got. My entire life the Rose Bowl was the biggest college football game of the year because it was the Big 10 v PAC 10 champion, until the BCS came along. Everyone wanted it, other than a few of us miserable souls, in pursuit of the mythical national championship. It was only a few years later we had teams like Miami, Texas and Oklahoma playing their bowl game in Pasadena. The PAC falling apart is the natural consequence of the decisions made 25 years ago and most fans not only supported those moves but demanded even more. It won't be long until we have a 32 team NCAA football league of fully paid professional student-athletes divided into two conferences with 4 divisions each, leading to a College Superbowl.

I know there is a clamor by some to return to the halcyon days of yore where traditional Bowl games were the end all to be all but does anybody really want to go back to a system where a National Champion is crowned by a vote and where we can have co-champions at the end? Not crowning a champion on the field is asinine and I can't believe it lasted as long as it did.

The Southwest Conference was once a mighty king of college football. It dissolved like 25 years ago and every single school with the exception of Rice and maybe SMU has tasted success in their new homes. Hell, even Houston was a thing for a minute.

I hate that the Pac12 is gone but the schools will be fine. Oregon State and WSU will find a home. The Beavers have a chance to play the greatest spoiler ever the next 3 weeks. Keep the phone lines open in Corvallis.

Look at the history of the Pac 12.....USC/UCLA pulled this **** decades ago and from my understanding they didn't want the ducks back in the newly formed Pac 8...... apparently the Beavs told the the other schools the two Oregon schools were a package deal.

I'm mostly pissed that USC is the epitome of greed, and pretty much tanked the conference on purpose. The rest of the schools made impulsive decisions, leaving OSU and Wazzu with their dicks in the wind. F em all

 

[Sullie]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

 

[whoknew]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

That's incorrect. Tressel was suspended because he lied to the NCAA to keep his players eligible. An offense that would still be punished severely (see how the NCAA treated Harbaugh earlier this year when they thought he lied about a very minor recruiting violation).

 

[Sullie]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

That's incorrect. Tressel was suspended because he lied to the NCAA to keep his players eligible. An offense that would still be punished severely (see how the NCAA treated Harbaugh earlier this year when they thought he lied about a very minor recruiting violation).

You're right, I forgot the NCAA suspended Coach Harbaugh for 3 games at the beginning of the season. . . oh no, wait. . .however, I think you're missing my point. The NFL upheld a suspension issued by the NCAA, I could never wrap my mind around that. It's like if you worked for UPS, they put you on unpaid leave for 2 months to do an investigation on you. Meanwhile, you resigned and you went to work at FedEx and FedEx hired you but upheld UPS's unpaid suspension. That is completely insane to me and one of the most BS things I've ever heard of.

 

[whoknew]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

That's incorrect. Tressel was suspended because he lied to the NCAA to keep his players eligible. An offense that would still be punished severely (see how the NCAA treated Harbaugh earlier this year when they thought he lied about a very minor recruiting violation).

You're right, I forgot the NCAA suspended Coach Harbaugh for 3 games at the beginning of the season. . . oh no, wait. . .however, I think you're missing my point. The NFL upheld a suspension issued by the NCAA, I could never wrap my mind around that. It's like if you worked for UPS, they put you on unpaid leave for 2 months to do an investigation on you. Meanwhile, you resigned and you went to work at FedEx and FedEx hired you but upheld UPS's unpaid suspension. That is completely insane to me and one of the most BS things I've ever heard of.

I agree. That was idiotic of the NFL.

 

[nysfl2]

Michigan cheated, end of story. I've already, personally, reached out to big ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Now, I reminded him that I'm a pretty big deal around here, I mean not on this message board, I mean at my home where I'm writing this. I have come up with a brilliant solution to this gigantic mess and I think you will all find that the punishment for Michigan will most certainly fit the crime. I think making James Franklin the coach of Michigan for the next 5 years, effective immediately, is proper punishment. . . you're welcome Penn State!

Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[culdeus]

Texas A&M is basically Michigan State - a historically agricultural school overshadowed by its more successful in-state rival - except in the fertile recruiting ground of Texas, with more fans and more money. MSU won 2 Big Ten title games, a Cotton Bowl, a Rose Bowl, and went to the playoff in a 6-year span. If we can pull that off, TAMU can win national titles.

Would you not allow that the SEC has been historically harder to win than the Big10? A&M might get past Alabama but they still have LSU, Auburn, Texas, Georgia just to name a few....that's a nightmare!

I think Michigan State and their fans are far more reasonable about their expectations than A&M is. You're happy with a playoff appearance and winning 2 titles in your conference. That's fantastic! You can bask in the glory of beating OSU and Michigan in that 2015 season - that's hard to do.

A&M needs to dial back their expectations. Take it one step at a time. Get to a championship game first. Take care of business when you play Miami. Don't lose to Ole Miss. It's one thing to be close to the peak of the mountain and not making it. It's quite another when you never get past base camp.

I hear you but it’s their money and it’s virtually unlimited, so who cares? I actually think is a great opportunity for them to just hire someone that can coach, because they can turn it around immediately. The good players are already there, it’s not some crazy rebuild. I like Elko a lot and expect that’s who they’ll get.

Then why aren't these good players and all this unlimited money winning now? Is the narrative now that Jimbo just can't coach and that's why they've lost 11 games in less than 2 years?

My question to you is this: The same people who hired Jimbo and gave him that ridiculous contract with ludicrous no offset provisions are the same ones who will be hiring the next coach. Right? All this unlimited oil and gas money was responsible for the desultory situation the football program is in right now.

Unlimited money isn't the answer. It hasn't been the answer for A&M to date. It's a mid program in the best conference. Even if they make a terrific hire, they still have to deal with Alabama, Georgia, LSU and now Texas and OU.

We'll all see how it plays out. I'm skeptical that unlimited money and great coaching is enough to get it done for a program that's never really been elite.

You’re describing Georgia prior to Kirby.

No, not really. Mark Richt had 15 seasons there before Smart arrived. He won 10 games or more 9 times. He finished six seasons in the top 10. .739 winning %

Sumlin lasted 6 years. Won 10 or more games once. 1 top 10 finish. Won 66% of his games.
Fisher also lasted 6 years. Never won 10 games. Had a top 10 finish once during 2020 Covid year. Won 64% of his games.

You don't want me to go back any further. Sherman and Franchione were disasters.

Comparing Georgia to A&M is like comparing a mountain in the Rockies to a mountain in the Himalayas.

It's not the worst example. Georgia had a title in the 80s and a handful of conference titles in the interim to their recent run. If the goalpost move is winning % now I guess ok. Georgia before smart was unable to win the big games in the modern SEC. It's not completely unreasonable with Saudi money to push TAMU up to pre-Smart Georgia levels. With the 24 team playoff or whatever it is now they'll get a chance.

 

[msudaisy26]

Michigan cheated, end of story. I've already, personally, reached out to big ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Now, I reminded him that I'm a pretty big deal around here, I mean not on this message board, I mean at my home where I'm writing this. I have come up with a brilliant solution to this gigantic mess and I think you will all find that the punishment for Michigan will most certainly fit the crime. I think making James Franklin the coach of Michigan for the next 5 years, effective immediately, is proper punishment. . . you're welcome Penn State!

Would violate federal law of cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

That's incorrect. Tressel was suspended because he lied to the NCAA to keep his players eligible. An offense that would still be punished severely (see how the NCAA treated Harbaugh earlier this year when they thought he lied about a very minor recruiting violation).

You're right, I forgot the NCAA suspended Coach Harbaugh for 3 games at the beginning of the season. . . oh no, wait. . .however, I think you're missing my point. The NFL upheld a suspension issued by the NCAA, I could never wrap my mind around that. It's like if you worked for UPS, they put you on unpaid leave for 2 months to do an investigation on you. Meanwhile, you resigned and you went to work at FedEx and FedEx hired you but upheld UPS's unpaid suspension. That is completely insane to me and one of the most BS things I've ever heard of.

The difference being that FedEx and UPS are competitors. The NFL and NCAA symbiotically feed off the same trough of free labor. The NFL maintains the system by requiring players to be 3 years removed from high school before they are draft eligible. This forces 18 year old athletes to pretend to be college students while the universities earn billions without paying player wages. Meanwhile, the universities provide the NFL with a free farm system, delivering 21 year old trained athletes to professional clubs who've not had to pay anything for those years of training and preparation. Of course the NFL will help enforce the NCAA's ridiculous charade of amateurism such as tatoogate and Maurice Clarett's saga.

 

[Sullie]

Let it play out, let the NCAA do what they do.

Gee. What a novel concept.

I wonder if there is a way to go back and see how some of us reacted in here when it was Penn State under scrutiny. I'm sure we were all suggesting that we let the NCAA do what they do back then. How did you react back then, Stoneworker? Or did you just find this website in 2020?

Or Tattoogate. The horror.

I know it's a joke in comparison to what goes on today but I am STILL super pi$$ed off about Tattoogate because no-one remembers that Jim Tressel was suspended by the NFLvia the NCAA for 7 games. Not for cheating, not for paying players, not for bringing in hookers, not for dealing drugs, not for child molestation, not for stealing anything from anyone. . . no, no for committing the immortal sin of trading personal game worn gear by the players for tattoo's. Eff the NCAA, I hope it burns to the ground.

That's incorrect. Tressel was suspended because he lied to the NCAA to keep his players eligible. An offense that would still be punished severely (see how the NCAA treated Harbaugh earlier this year when they thought he lied about a very minor recruiting violation).

You're right, I forgot the NCAA suspended Coach Harbaugh for 3 games at the beginning of the season. . . oh no, wait. . .however, I think you're missing my point. The NFL upheld a suspension issued by the NCAA, I could never wrap my mind around that. It's like if you worked for UPS, they put you on unpaid leave for 2 months to do an investigation on you. Meanwhile, you resigned and you went to work at FedEx and FedEx hired you but upheld UPS's unpaid suspension. That is completely insane to me and one of the most BS things I've ever heard of.

The difference being that FedEx and UPS are competitors. The NFL and NCAA symbiotically feed off the same trough of free labor. The NFL maintains the system by requiring players to be 3 years removed from high school before they are draft eligible. This forces 18 year old athletes to pretend to be college students while the universities earn billions without paying player wages. Meanwhile, the universities provide the NFL with a free farm system, delivering 21 year old trained athletes to professional clubs who've not had to pay anything for those years of training and preparation. Of course the NFL will help enforce the NCAA's ridiculous charade of amateurism such as tatoogate and Maurice Clarett's saga.

I knew this was going to get slammed right back into my face like a shaving cream pie the very moment I hit return on the keyboard. And you're 100% correct, I was just hoping I could enjoy that moment of fake outrage on my part but, deep down, I knew the omnipresent, steely eyed, FBG faithful would Dikembe Mutombo my crappy lay up attempt. . . ah well.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Anyone on paid staff has field access. Ever see these college games, there are 40 people other than players on the sidelines.

Right next to the DC calling in plays huh lol

You guys are the ultimate homers. I kind of respect it.

Where does the sign-stealing staff normally stand on gameday for these programs? I don't think its surprising you'd want your sign stealers down with you because they have to relay the information almost instantly for it to have any value. This saga has taught me alot I didn't know before. I didn't know that college football teams couldn't scout opponents in person. I didn't realize that college football teams couldn't change their signs from week to week or even within a game like professional quarterbacks do with their audibles. I'm still not convinced sign-stealing can have any meaningful impact on a game. But the strangest thing for me is that I despise the University of Michigan and Jim Harbaugh as much as anyone I know, and yet I still feel the online pitchfork crowd is jumping to premature conclusions and filling in the gaps in the record with unfair assumptions about what happened. I do think its possible Harbaugh and everyone else knew what was happening but haven't seen that documented yet nor any facts which lead to that conclusion.

 

[Desert_Power]

Even if Michigan makes it to the championship, they are going to get smoked by Georgia. Nobody cares if they are stealing the signs from such juggernauts like Rutgers and Purdue. They're on a bridge to nowhere regardless. Beyond winning the B1G, which does matter.

(the) Ohio State would get smoked too, but at least they can throw a passing game at a UGA defense that is weaker on the back-end.

Nobody seriously thinks the national championship is running through the upper midwest.

 

[jhib]

I just wanted to say f#ck ESPN.......they are a big reason why Oregon State has no home next season..... and now OSU has proven they belong by on-field results, and eye balls on tv.....so what does ESPN do? They take GameDay to frickin Harrisburg for JMU vs App st. instead of a top ten matchup in Corvallis that has major implications for the conference and the football playoff.

ESPN is bunch of cowards. They did not want to answer questions about the elephant in the room, by taking gameday to Corvallis.

At least its looking like OSU and Wazzu will control the Pac 12 (2) assets and the backstabbing defectors will get nothing.......I mean what a joke! These ******** took away USC/UCLA/Colorado's board seats when they announced they were leaving, but then when they decided to jump ship suddenly they should get a seat on the board, and get to split up the assets?! **** the defectors! Yea I'm salty AF!! Buncha schools making impulsive decisions for perceived self preservation, and then not wanting to live with the consequences.......these network TV deals have completely ****ed college football.

Edit to add: no disrespect to James Madison. They are having a great season, and it's a great story.......but there's no way gameday should be there this weekend.

I get the anger toward the networks and other greedy actors but the fans are as much to blame as anyone. College football fans and supporters demanded the game emulate a professional football league and this is what they got. My entire life the Rose Bowl was the biggest college football game of the year because it was the Big 10 v PAC 10 champion, until the BCS came along. Everyone wanted it, other than a few of us miserable souls, in pursuit of the mythical national championship. It was only a few years later we had teams like Miami, Texas and Oklahoma playing their bowl game in Pasadena. The PAC falling apart is the natural consequence of the decisions made 25 years ago and most fans not only supported those moves but demanded even more. It won't be long until we have a 32 team NCAA football league of fully paid professional student-athletes divided into two conferences with 4 divisions each, leading to a College Superbowl.

I know there is a clamor by some to return to the halcyon days of yore where traditional Bowl games were the end all to be all but does anybody really want to go back to a system where a National Champion is crowned by a vote and where we can have co-champions at the end? Not crowning a champion on the field is asinine and I can't believe it lasted as long as it did.

The Southwest Conference was once a mighty king of college football. It devolved like 25 years ago and every single school with the exception of Rice and maybe SMU has tasted success in their new homes. Hell, even Houston was a thing for a minute.

I hate that the Pac12 is gone but the schools will be fine. Oregon State and WSU will find a home. The Beavers have a chance to play the greatest spoiler ever the next 3 weeks. Keep the phone lines open in Corvallis.

I know we'll never return to it, but yes, I would love it. I loved the national champion arguments every year on January 2 - that was part of the charm that separated it from professional football and fit with my view of amateur athletics. There will never be a system in college football where the champion is crowned "on the field" as it is in pro football because there are over 100 teams involved and the college playoff participants are still chosen by a vote. There are legit arguments every single year about who should get in and who is left out and always will be. Make it a 16 team bracket or 32 (which will happen) and this only gets worse and less and less about what I liked about college football. I know I'm an outlier on this but I didn't need college football to try to become the NFL. I don't think that's possible or desirable.

We've lost the great traditions of the big conferences and January 1 bowl games - its all mostly meaningless to me now and I hardly even have interest most years to watch the college superbowl on a Tuesday night in mid-January. Kids in California and Oregon are going to be traveling to New Jersey and Maryland to play conference sports next year, which is awful. Young fans these days don't have any inkling of what it means when Nebraska plays Oklahoma. Keith Jackson is dead. The biggest game of the year for me as a kid - the Rose Bowl - has lost all meaning to us now. I think it sucks but I understand most don't agree.

As a general college football fan but not a fan of any particular team in the big conferences, the Rose Bowl was always pretty much meaningless to me unless it involved a team that had a chance to be voted #1 afterwards. I mean, it was a nice story and all but that's about it. It feels like there are so many more meaningful games to me now with the playoff system in place, both regular season and bowl season.