State of the Game 2011 - L.O.I.C.

Fixing the scandals, Cam Newton, the Longhorn Network, and more. Along with the CFNers, check out the opinions on key topics going into the season from Matt Hayes from the Sporting News and the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein.

State of the Game

Is There Institutional Control?

2011 CFN State of the Game Topics  
- Should The Death Penalty Be On The Table? 
- What One Thing Can Stop The Cheating? | Bloggers Analysis
- How To Fix The NCAA | Bloggers Analysis
- Is There Institutional Control? | Bloggers Analysis
- The Cam Newton Situation | Bloggers Analysis
- Was Stanley McClover Telling The Truth? | Bloggers Analysis
- Should Players Get a Bigger Stipend? | Bloggers Analysis
- Should a one-loss SEC team play for it all? | Bloggers Analysis
- Why isn't there a playoff? | Bloggers Analysis
- The Programs About To Blow Up | Bloggers Analysis
- Does The Longhorn Network Matter? | Bloggers Analysis
- What'll Happen In Ten Years? | Bloggers Analysis
- When Should Players Turn Pro? | Bloggers Analysis
- What's Your Beef? The Biggest Complaints | Bloggers Analysis

LIMITED TIME ONLY: CLICK HERE for a Free Week of Top-Rated Selections

- Suggestions or something we missed? Let us know
- Follow us ... http://twitter.com/ColFootballNews

Question No. 3:  Is it possible to maintain institutional control? 

E-mail Pete Fiutak

To a point.

No, if a kid wants to work with a marketing company or wants to take the $100 being offered him, there's nothing that can be done. It doesn't matter what kind of threats a coach gives his team, and it doesn't matter what the NCAA rule book says. It doesn't matter if a booster is denied have access to the program, and it doesn't matter if an agent is on some sort of NFL black list. If someone wants to get to a player, and if a player needs or wants the extra perk, there's absolutely nothing that can be done to prevent it.

However, and this was my argument from the start of the Ohio State scandal, and this is the part that several angry Buckeye fans just didn't get, institutional control means controlling the institution - the entire institution.

That doesn't just mean that rogue boosters are kept on a leash and it doesn't mean the players are kept under lock and key. It means the coach is under the control of the athletic director, and it means the athletic director is under the control of the school president, and it means the entire football program is kept in control so that any violations are handled in house and right away.

I liked the way Oklahoma handled the Rhett Bomar situation a few years ago, cutting him loose the second Bob Stoops found out about the no-show job. I also like the way Tennessee is working through its issues, realizing that the entire culture of the athletic department had to undergo an overhaul. While the hiring of Lane Kiffin wasn't exactly a stroke of genius, USC bringing in Pat Haden was a strong move that didn't get enough credit from the NCAA in the appeals process. Schools and presidents want their football programs to be kept under control, but at some places, the team is bigger than the school and the tail wags the dog.

No, institutions can't necessarily be totally controlled, but they can be handled and they can be contained.

By Matt Hayes
Sporting News

Is it possible to maintain institutional control? Of course it is. Don’t believe for a second that the sport is too big for right and wrong. There are too many shades of gray; too many loopholes for players and coaches and interloopers to, well, interloop. If that makes sense.

By Teddy Greenstein
Chicago Tribune

Total control? No chance. But if you’re Ohio State, don’t throw your hands up and act like nothing could have been done. Know your players. Realize that a guy like Terrelle Pryor will have his hands out – or his arm extended for a free tattoo. Don’t let Maurice Clarett live off campus as a freshman, then act surprised when he’s driving a new car.

By Richard Cirminiello

Sure. It’s not easy, but it is doable. It’s a lengthy pursuit that begins during the recruiting process. If coaches spent more manpower evaluating the character of a kid and his family, plenty of issues could be avoided on the back end. It’s no different than what many NFL agents face each spring. They pursue the diva with his palms out, and then act surprised when the athlete bolts for greener pastures a few months later. A lot of problems can be avoided with a little more due diligence up front.

By Matt Zemek

Possible? Of course – Stanford doesn’t lack institutional control. Northwestern doesn’t lack institutional control. Is this realistic across the FBS (football) / Division I-A (basketball)? Definitely not. Of course, let’s not pretend for one second that Ohio State maintained institutional control throughout the Tressel era. The NCAA can say what it wants; that doesn’t make the NCAA’s statements true. Not one bit.

By Barrett Sallee
Follow me on Twitter: @BarrettSallee

No, not even in perfect world for any institution, large or small.

By Russ Mitchell
Follow me on Twitter @russmitchellcfb

Not with the cumbersome NCAA book on infractions that exists today. Not with the amount of money that our sport now generates. And particularly not given the inequitable distribution of that revenue.


2011 CFN State of the Game Topics  
- Should The Death Penalty Be On The Table? 
- What One Thing Can Stop The Cheating? | Bloggers Analysis
- How To Fix The NCAA | Bloggers Analysis
- Is There Institutional Control? | Bloggers Analysis
- The Cam Newton Situation | Bloggers Analysis
- Was Stanley McClover Telling The Truth? | Bloggers Analysis
- Should Players Get a Bigger Stipend? | Bloggers Analysis
- Should a one-loss SEC team play for it all? | Bloggers Analysis
- Why isn't there a playoff? | Bloggers Analysis
- The Programs About To Blow Up | Bloggers Analysis
- Does The Longhorn Network Matter? | Bloggers Analysis
- What'll Happen In Ten Years? | Bloggers Analysis
- When Should Players Turn Pro? | Bloggers Analysis
- What's Your Beef? The Biggest Complaints | Bloggers Analysis

LIMITED TIME ONLY: CLICK HERE for a Free Week of Top-Rated Selections

- Suggestions or something we missed? Let us know
- Follow us ... http://twitter.com/ColFootballNews