I haven't thought this out too much, but, given the firings of Mangino and Leach and the retaining of Hawkins, I'm wondering if some universities are deciding that "playing with the big boys" is, first, too costly, and second, not in keeping with the mission of the university.
The one thing that saved Hawkins was that he had turned around the perception of the program. The one thing that got Mangino and Leach fired is that they were "out of control" and, maybe, creating a bad impression of the programs. Also, NCAA football has gotten so competitive, that there has been a "funding war" raging. This is a war in which only a handful of programs can hope to compete.
I think we are beginning to see a change in philosophy among administrators. That is, that a football program must meet a certain level of standards academically, morally, and, to a lesser degree now, competitively. What happened at CU after the scandal is that they sat back and said, "wait a minute, this thing is out of control. We want to win, but these are students first. We need to insure that these young men are prepared academically, represent the school well, and then win.
I think that a lot of programs are looking at the "win at all costs" big boys and saying, "Enough!" Take FSU for example. They had 25 or 30 players suspended for cheating on exams. Many programs will let almost any type of kid in if he's an athlete, regardless of character or academic ability. Coaches like Leach are beginning to see themselves in an almost untouchable role. They, like Leach, feel that if they win, the boosters and fans will protect them and, therefore, they can get away with anything.
Anyway, I just typed that without thinking about it much. I'm sure you could do a god damned thesis on the subject arguing well for both sides of the issue. The question is, though, is there a change coming in NCAA athletics?
The one thing that saved Hawkins was that he had turned around the perception of the program. The one thing that got Mangino and Leach fired is that they were "out of control" and, maybe, creating a bad impression of the programs. Also, NCAA football has gotten so competitive, that there has been a "funding war" raging. This is a war in which only a handful of programs can hope to compete.
I think we are beginning to see a change in philosophy among administrators. That is, that a football program must meet a certain level of standards academically, morally, and, to a lesser degree now, competitively. What happened at CU after the scandal is that they sat back and said, "wait a minute, this thing is out of control. We want to win, but these are students first. We need to insure that these young men are prepared academically, represent the school well, and then win.
I think that a lot of programs are looking at the "win at all costs" big boys and saying, "Enough!" Take FSU for example. They had 25 or 30 players suspended for cheating on exams. Many programs will let almost any type of kid in if he's an athlete, regardless of character or academic ability. Coaches like Leach are beginning to see themselves in an almost untouchable role. They, like Leach, feel that if they win, the boosters and fans will protect them and, therefore, they can get away with anything.
Anyway, I just typed that without thinking about it much. I'm sure you could do a god damned thesis on the subject arguing well for both sides of the issue. The question is, though, is there a change coming in NCAA athletics?