- When the NCAA announced that it was reducing its penalties against Penn State our first thought was that it was the right move as it rectified (to a degree) the NCAA greatly overstepping its mandate. Our next thought was that it would open the floodgates for other schools looking to reduce their NCAA-sanctioned penalties. Yesterday, we had our first school–USC–announce that it was in talks with the NCAA to have its previously determined penalties reduced. USC might be the first school to pursue this route, but they certainly will not be the last. For all of our qualms about the NCAA we have to say we have a hard time equating any other NCAA ruling to its decision on Penn State as the latter was so far outside of the NCAA’s jurisdiction that not even the NCAA’s staunchest supporters could defend. As such we would be very surprised to see the NCAA follow-up with any similar reductions.
- As we mentioned on Tuesday package deals (two recruits not a coach with a recruit) seem to be quite popular this recruiting season. The most significant of these package deals with the one involving Cliff Alexander and Tyus Jones, who are both ranked top-5 overall in the class of 2014. So when Jones announced that he was cancelling his visit to Kentucky it is a pretty big blow to the Wildcats recruiting effort even if they already have a commitment from Tyler Ulis and Jones was considered a long shot for the Wildcats coming in. However, with Alexander also the line it is still a blow to the Wildcats, who will probably still end up with the #1 overall class. Based on what we have heard the leaders for this pair remain Kansas and Duke with Alexander favoring Kansas and Jones favoring Duke.
- Eddie Jordan’s efforts at rebuilding Rutgers in the wake of the Mike Rice follow-out appear to have been much more successful than we ever imagined. Thanks to a spate of hardship waivers Rutgers appears to be on the verge of being competitive in the American Athletic Conference. First there was the much-debated waiver granted to Kerwin Okoro and yesterday J.J. Moore was granted a hardship waiver too. Moore, who averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds per game last season as a junior at Pittsburgh, transferred to be closer to closer to his ill grandfather. His presence should only bolster a Scarlet Knight team that should be much better than anybody expected back in April.
- College sports might be big business, but try telling that to college students, who are staying out of college stadiums for all, but the biggest games. As The Wall Street Journal noted even in the football-crazed SEC large portions of the student section go unfilled for all, but the biggest games. As you might expect this issue is not isolated to college football as even college basketball programs as prominent as Michigan are having trouble filling their student section. As a result, Michigan is using the opportunity to potentially sell student tickets to the general public. While we understand the appeal of being able to stay at home and watch multiple games at home with quick access to (cheaper) food and beverages, it seems like many of these students are missing out on one of the most significant parts of college basketball: the in-game experience.
- Yesterday was a big day for EA Sports. Not only did they announce that they were not going to produce NCAA Football 2014. They (along with College Licensing Company) also reached an agreement with the plaintiffs in the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit. The actual terms of the agreement are confidential, but what this announcement boils down to is that the players will be compensated. The amount of money that each player will receive will vary (no idea how they will determine that) and the overall pot might never be known. The big takeaway from this though is that the O’Bannon vs NCAA portion of the case is still open. As you would expect, the details and effects of a confidential lawsuit can be challenging to tease apart so if you want a more detailed explanation, Michael McCann’s column explaining the ruling and the ramifications is a good place to start.