SEC Media Days have come and gone, meaning that it is officially college football season. And as opening weekend inches nearer, it's time to take a quick look at some early thoughts as we head into another season, something that I call "Three and a Punt."
First: Penn State Disaster
The NCAA's hammering of Penn State was expected. And, for once, the NCAA lived up to expectations. While many disagree with the decision to place sanctions on the program and others felt that the death penalty should've made an appearance, the NCAA needed to send a strong message to its member institutions. Penn State was the ultimate example of what "lack of institutional control" really means. The program was running the school and thus, the school had to become the guinea pig.
As for the punishments? The fine, bowl bans and scholarship cuts were justifiable in sending a clear message. Most likely, I would have replaced the vacated wins with a two-year ban from televised games, yet I understand the NCAA's reasoning for vacating the wins. They too want to put this nightmare out of sight and mind as best as they can. My biggest change would've been to start the penalties one year from now in 2013. The current players, who had nothing to do with all of the horror that happened in State College, are getting punished for this. By delaying the sanctions for a year, they have a chance to either transfer or graduate with a chance at titles that, if they won, would be giant accomplishments through adversity.
No matter, I wish the victims as much peace in their lives as possible. The monster is locked up for good. Let's hope healing starts to take place soon.
Second: The NCAA and Pandora's Box
Mark Emmert felt he needed to take action. Now.
But now that he has moved swiftly and levied the punishments he did on Penn State, he has set forth a new precedent for the NCAA concerning rules violators. While the circumstances surrounding PSU were no doubt unique, what will Emmert do to the next program that violates NCAA rules? For example, if the Yahoo! report concerning Nevin Shapiro's actions with the Miami program holds water, how will the NCAA respond?
The NCAA made a swift and again, justifiable move on Penn State. However, the sports world was watching. If the NCAA sings a different tune for the next program, they will be portrayed as weak as they've ever been.
Third: East vs. West
Now that we've gone through Ohio State and Penn State, will the Big Ten kindly and finally change the division titles from "Legends" and "Leaders?"
When the names were first announced, people howled at just how pompous the conference was in deciding on such names for their divisions. Now, after the last two incidents, these names are downright embarrassing. And, while no conference can seriously hold moral superiority, the Big 12, SEC, and Pac-12 at least didn't throw arrogance into the mix when splitting into divisions.
East and West. Jim Delaney, the time to do this is now. Show some humility. Please.
Punt: Some Early Bets in the 2012 Season
* Washington State will be one of the nation's 10 best scoring offenses. They weren't bad last year, but with Jeff Tuel healthy and Mike Leach guiding the ship, watch out. The Cougars will pull off one major upset this year.
* The over/under for West Virginia/Oklahoma State will be around 100. And I'd still take the over. And if it went into overtime, it might beat the combined point total of the West Virginia/Oklahoma State hoops matchups.
* The Boise State drama will end on the first week. Michigan State, on their home turf, will send sighs of relief through the major BCS conferences.
* While the first week is usually a weekend of beatdowns, two games pop up as immediate upset alerts: Northern Illinois at Iowa and Texas A&M vs. Louisiana Tech (in Shreveport, LA).
* The most underrated, yet potentially good matchup of the opening weekend? Tennessee and NC State in the Georgia Dome. Derek Dooley gets a healthy Tyler Bray back as he fights for his coaching life against a pretty good Wolfpack club.
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