Amazing to think of what they've accomplished from the very depths of ashes. It's not perfect, but it's incredibly more than what seemed possible at those lowest moments.
Too much money being paid to kids with only high school resumes and a system where only the wealthiest schools have any real shot at winning is a disaster for college athletics.
With the high costs of tuition, books and housing, why isn’t that still enough?
Athletes always get the best dorms, the best food, the best tutors and the opportunity to choose their classes before the non-athlete students. Athletes have always gotten the better deal. What would have been wrong with giving them $1500 a month and call it good?
Other students have to take “real” jobs for money. And are expected to go to school since they are actually paying out their own money for their education. WTF!!!
Here’s a thought…require NIL earners to pay for their own tuition, books, room & board, just like the non NIL students. I think they are more akin to independent contractors than “employees” Put in a means test to determine eligibility for scholarships.
Simply put, the players "deserve" more because they generate a crap ton of revenue for the university. For the players getting the real paydays, being a D-1 player is basically a full-time, high-stress job.
I agree that the financial model of modern college football is stupid as hell, but I don't begrudge players for finally getting their fair share after decades of getting the short end of the stick.
John - can't tell you how much I look forward to your column every day. No matter what negativity is in the world today, and especially college athletics, can count on you to brighten my day and make me smile. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Curious on how the NIL cap is going to work. I am skeptical it's going to stick. The market value of a contract should be what a willing buyer is willing to pay for services.
If Nike wants to a kid,$50M a year to wear their shoes and gear, that's the deal. That's the market.
Putting some artificial caps on these deals seems like it's going to unravel quickly.
@Cougar Chris. Hi Chris, you are spot on. Any attempt to put artificial or arbitrary caps on NIL will be defeated in the courts. Silly to think otherwise.
Parity in college power 4 teams, if, and only if the rules change about salary caps and NIL offers. Plus contracts to players holding them to a given team unless the team they transfer to pays compensation to the players former team. Plus, whatever committee that monitors cheating has authority to give very hefty fines.
I am pleased as punch for OSU and WAZZU. Beaver and Coug Fan have every reason to celebrate having fought off the wolves. And NIL? Quinn Ewers evidently took a PAY CUT when he declared for the draft. Something is very wrong with the system as it stands - so I say, bring back some guardrails.
August 5, 2023 - More than the money involved, the lack of linear TV broadcasts and the corresponding absence of national visibility for its football team forced the University of Washington to leave the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten, school president Ana Mari Cauce said.
Speaking on Saturday with media members, Cauce told how she and her league peers were presented with just one media option, not multiple deals as expected.
"It's not what we were discussing just days before. ... When you have deal where they the best aspect of it is you can get out of it in two years, that says a lot."
Husky games broadcast over streaming, reported to be Apple TV, rather than a network or cable channel clearly was the biggest turnoff during Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff's presentation on Thursday.
"This was about national visibility and being on linear TV," Cauce said.
100% correct. The big rub is the old Pac 12 was offered the exact same deal ESPN gave the Big 12, BEFORE the Big 12 took it. It's those same leaders, including Cauce, that turned it down. They had national TV visibility on the table. Once again, it comes down to piss poor business sense and a total case of incompetence by all involved, including OSU and WSU.
I said "all involved " and then specifically called out Cauce, whom the original commenter referred to. Not so hard follow.
But knowing the reader base and those who like to point out OSU ans WSU's involvement in those past decisions, its only fair to acknowledge they had an equal hand in their fate. In fact, OSU played a much bigger factor than WSU. Ed Ray was the Chair of the Pac 12 presidents council and routinely supported and defended Larry Scott more than any other Pac 12 university did. Ed Ray was the epitome of incompetence inside OSU and outside. Let's not forget how he also let Bob DeCarolis run rampant with fake financials for years with zero accountability. As a life long Beaver fan, I have no probam acknowledging the major part OSU played in their own demise. They really have no one to blame but themselves. It's called accountability, something severely lacking in America today.
Wow, all this time I thot it was Larry Scott's incompetence and apathy by the Pac12 presidents that caused the demise of the Pac12 conference. I never realized it was all prez Ed Ray's and OSU's fault. Thank you for clearing that up.
Thanks John, nicely done again! The right people are attacking what's wrong. The future is brightening. Anticipation is rising. Waiting for the season to start, getting harder. It's a good place to be right now.
The House settlement is a $2 billion-plus fiasco that settles with 4 plaintiffs and does not curtail existing litigation on file now (Reggie Bush) and filed after forking over a huge amount of money to plantiffs' attorneys.
The 1st time a group of accountants decides that an NIL deal is outside of 'market value' will be the last time; the NCAA will again faceplant in court.
There can be no restrictions on NIL. NIL collectives will not go away. The NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB's Luxury Tax curtail salaries to some extent, but do not and cannot restrict an athlete's ability to own and market their NIL.
The NCAA should file for bankruptcy, yes, the NCAA can so file, which would stay the House litigation until a Plan of Reorganization, which would separate the wheat from the chaff of 1100 NCAA members, is filed and approved. A more reasonable settlement with House plaintiffs would be part of the Plan.
The Plan would deal with vexatious issues like largely unregulated transfers, establish an athletes bargaining unit, define 'management' for the purpose of bargaining with the athletes, etc.
If the Plan is appealed ultimately to the Supreme Court, fine. The Court will approve the Plan, and college athletics will have pulled an end run on Congress, which is unwilling to provide NFL-like relief from litigation to college sports.
The NCAA has no clothes! And why, pray tell, is the Power 2 agreeing to any cap on direct payment to its athletes? The smoke may have cleared for the Pac-12, but the Pac-12 will never be able to build a fire that generates the same financial smoke as has and will the Power 2.
They are a party to the lawsuit and they are overseeing the payment of the $2.8 billion in back damages.
They have no role legally or otherwise in the formation of the private LLC that will oversee the salary cap and NIL portions of the go forward settlementdo I
That is all being owned and operated completely outside of the NCAA by the power four conferences and their new joint LLC enterprise
Not sure the Pac 12 will see the announcement of kickoff times this early ever again. The broadcasters, whoever they end of being, will want to pick the best games during the season like they do for most other conferences. The early announcement of kickoff times for home games this year and last was a function of WSU and OSU's limited game inventory. Once that game inventory grows with the launch of the new Pac 12, the broadcasters, especially if ESPN, CBS or Fox are involved, will want more flexibility with game choice during the season.
I concur with your premise about 2026 probably being in the 6-12 day window more often than not. That being said, if the chief brands are Boise State and Oregon State, then most ticket holders can probably assume a consistent 7:00-8:00 pm starts when making their plans prior to the season. That alone gives some stability.
There is zero chance ESPN or Fox or anyone is going to pre-schedule the entire season. It will work like every other conference with a selecting process, some game times announced preseason, and most selected as we go
Talking exposure, I’ll always argue that one of the worst things to happen to CSU in the early 2000s was The Mountain.
The lack of exposure was devastating for a program that, like Louisville, got going in the mid to late 90s because we’d play whenever the hell ESPN wanted us to play.
I was living in Ohio at the time and basically couldn’t watch CSU.
John, thank you for this update. Yes it is truly remarkable to see where OSU/WSU are today compared to where they were when 10 pack 12 schools dumped them.
I am very interested to see what the new governance model will be that the A4 will be implementing. Thank God, the football is moving away from the NCAA train wreck. So glad to see Barnes is part of the sub committee that is going to be implementing the enforcement model.
Never will you be remembered as purveyors, you truly deserve the respect and enjoy the spoils of your heart, dedication and hard work. The PAC will always be the conference of Champions! Thank you! I will be watching ..
On a side note sadly my college announced its permanent closing after 185 years. We were no SEC but academically and socially we had our moments
Not familiar, but I read about it and was just in the area several weeks ago. I think there were also several references to Limestone on "House of Cards," since Frank Underwood was from Gafney.
Good stuff. Thanks, John. Enjoyed listening to your interview on Tues with Barnes. Agreed, great job by Barnes, PDU Admin, New Pac12 commissioner, WSU AD and admin to get to this point. Key now is who the address new PAC12 members will be and getting fav TV financially for 2026. Exposure is great but $ for NIL to try to retain players is essential in college's new world order where new PAC12 is not a power conference. Regardless off what happens #GoBeavs and #GoCougs bond has never been stronger. Can only hope there is a good final outcome for two of college sports great programs who represent the non-blueblood underdogs with high character and great histories. A college world without Beavs and Cougs having a good seat at the table is a world most of us want no part of for very long.
I would agree with Wilner that OSU is in much-better shape, all-around, than WSU.
Being the state's flagship research university and the state's biggest public university helps OSU immeasurably. WSU will always be #2 to UW in research funding and enrollment and is inconveniently located in regard to the state's population center as well.
I have a friend who played it the line for the Beavers in the mid 1960’s. He walks with a severe limp from football ankle injuries. How many ordinary college students run that risk going to and from classes? I mean the risk of injury to body or brain for a lifetime. You can’t pay enough for that.
That last paragraph, John? Lovely.
Amazing to think of what they've accomplished from the very depths of ashes. It's not perfect, but it's incredibly more than what seemed possible at those lowest moments.
Well done, OSU and WSU leadership.
Too much money being paid to kids with only high school resumes and a system where only the wealthiest schools have any real shot at winning is a disaster for college athletics.
With the high costs of tuition, books and housing, why isn’t that still enough?
Athletes always get the best dorms, the best food, the best tutors and the opportunity to choose their classes before the non-athlete students. Athletes have always gotten the better deal. What would have been wrong with giving them $1500 a month and call it good?
Other students have to take “real” jobs for money. And are expected to go to school since they are actually paying out their own money for their education. WTF!!!
Here’s a thought…require NIL earners to pay for their own tuition, books, room & board, just like the non NIL students. I think they are more akin to independent contractors than “employees” Put in a means test to determine eligibility for scholarships.
Love it!!!
Simply put, the players "deserve" more because they generate a crap ton of revenue for the university. For the players getting the real paydays, being a D-1 player is basically a full-time, high-stress job.
I agree that the financial model of modern college football is stupid as hell, but I don't begrudge players for finally getting their fair share after decades of getting the short end of the stick.
What about the sports that lose money, hundreds of thousands every year? Should their athletes be forced to pay?
Should you be forced to pay if your company loses money?
No, but companies losing money for sustained periods go out of business or trim payroll.
No. Those should be split away from revenue sports and go back to operating more in the manner they used to
I agree. I don’t begrudge the kids either. It’s the system and the corporate entities that make me want to pull my hair out.
Basic economics at play. Supply and demand. Rare skillsets. This is the market
John - can't tell you how much I look forward to your column every day. No matter what negativity is in the world today, and especially college athletics, can count on you to brighten my day and make me smile. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Curious on how the NIL cap is going to work. I am skeptical it's going to stick. The market value of a contract should be what a willing buyer is willing to pay for services.
If Nike wants to a kid,$50M a year to wear their shoes and gear, that's the deal. That's the market.
Putting some artificial caps on these deals seems like it's going to unravel quickly.
@Cougar Chris. Hi Chris, you are spot on. Any attempt to put artificial or arbitrary caps on NIL will be defeated in the courts. Silly to think otherwise.
Two Words: “it won’t”
The NIL Genie will never get close enough to the bottle
Parity is coming to football. Good for everybody.
No it isn’t.
So maybe the SEC won't suck so much next year, and do better than 1-3 in the playoffs, with the one win being a gift from a horrible officiating crew?
If you mean "parity" with the NFL, which is BTCF's prime competitor, that's going to be a tough slog.
Parity in college power 4 teams, if, and only if the rules change about salary caps and NIL offers. Plus contracts to players holding them to a given team unless the team they transfer to pays compensation to the players former team. Plus, whatever committee that monitors cheating has authority to give very hefty fines.
So Yes, the smoke is lifting for P12. I’m very much looking forward to the next football school selection.
However, I’m still saddened that we’re in this place with P12. There will never be a sufficient justification for the mess the schools created.
Moving on now! 🏈🏈💪🇺🇸
I am pleased as punch for OSU and WAZZU. Beaver and Coug Fan have every reason to celebrate having fought off the wolves. And NIL? Quinn Ewers evidently took a PAY CUT when he declared for the draft. Something is very wrong with the system as it stands - so I say, bring back some guardrails.
August 5, 2023 - More than the money involved, the lack of linear TV broadcasts and the corresponding absence of national visibility for its football team forced the University of Washington to leave the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten, school president Ana Mari Cauce said.
Speaking on Saturday with media members, Cauce told how she and her league peers were presented with just one media option, not multiple deals as expected.
"It's not what we were discussing just days before. ... When you have deal where they the best aspect of it is you can get out of it in two years, that says a lot."
Husky games broadcast over streaming, reported to be Apple TV, rather than a network or cable channel clearly was the biggest turnoff during Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff's presentation on Thursday.
"This was about national visibility and being on linear TV," Cauce said.
100% correct. The big rub is the old Pac 12 was offered the exact same deal ESPN gave the Big 12, BEFORE the Big 12 took it. It's those same leaders, including Cauce, that turned it down. They had national TV visibility on the table. Once again, it comes down to piss poor business sense and a total case of incompetence by all involved, including OSU and WSU.
Wouldn't "all involved" also include UW and UO? Why single out WSU and OSU?
And from what I understand, it's Utah's administration that killed the $30m offer from ESPN, after the SoCal schools had bolted.
I said "all involved " and then specifically called out Cauce, whom the original commenter referred to. Not so hard follow.
But knowing the reader base and those who like to point out OSU ans WSU's involvement in those past decisions, its only fair to acknowledge they had an equal hand in their fate. In fact, OSU played a much bigger factor than WSU. Ed Ray was the Chair of the Pac 12 presidents council and routinely supported and defended Larry Scott more than any other Pac 12 university did. Ed Ray was the epitome of incompetence inside OSU and outside. Let's not forget how he also let Bob DeCarolis run rampant with fake financials for years with zero accountability. As a life long Beaver fan, I have no probam acknowledging the major part OSU played in their own demise. They really have no one to blame but themselves. It's called accountability, something severely lacking in America today.
Wow, all this time I thot it was Larry Scott's incompetence and apathy by the Pac12 presidents that caused the demise of the Pac12 conference. I never realized it was all prez Ed Ray's and OSU's fault. Thank you for clearing that up.
He sure played a HUGE role in it. After all, he was Larry Scott's boss!
Thanks John, nicely done again! The right people are attacking what's wrong. The future is brightening. Anticipation is rising. Waiting for the season to start, getting harder. It's a good place to be right now.
The House settlement is a $2 billion-plus fiasco that settles with 4 plaintiffs and does not curtail existing litigation on file now (Reggie Bush) and filed after forking over a huge amount of money to plantiffs' attorneys.
The 1st time a group of accountants decides that an NIL deal is outside of 'market value' will be the last time; the NCAA will again faceplant in court.
There can be no restrictions on NIL. NIL collectives will not go away. The NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB's Luxury Tax curtail salaries to some extent, but do not and cannot restrict an athlete's ability to own and market their NIL.
The NCAA should file for bankruptcy, yes, the NCAA can so file, which would stay the House litigation until a Plan of Reorganization, which would separate the wheat from the chaff of 1100 NCAA members, is filed and approved. A more reasonable settlement with House plaintiffs would be part of the Plan.
The Plan would deal with vexatious issues like largely unregulated transfers, establish an athletes bargaining unit, define 'management' for the purpose of bargaining with the athletes, etc.
If the Plan is appealed ultimately to the Supreme Court, fine. The Court will approve the Plan, and college athletics will have pulled an end run on Congress, which is unwilling to provide NFL-like relief from litigation to college sports.
The NCAA has no clothes! And why, pray tell, is the Power 2 agreeing to any cap on direct payment to its athletes? The smoke may have cleared for the Pac-12, but the Pac-12 will never be able to build a fire that generates the same financial smoke as has and will the Power 2.
The NCAA won’t be in court over denied NIL deals because they are not involved in any way in that process or enforcement of it
But the points stands. It will just be a different defendant.
Doug, I believe the NCAA is among the named conference defendants, is a party to the suit and involed in the settlement.
They are a party to the lawsuit and they are overseeing the payment of the $2.8 billion in back damages.
They have no role legally or otherwise in the formation of the private LLC that will oversee the salary cap and NIL portions of the go forward settlementdo I
That is all being owned and operated completely outside of the NCAA by the power four conferences and their new joint LLC enterprise
Thank you.
What entity oversees if a school has gone over the @$20 and otherwise supervises the terms on the settlement if not the NCAA? The Power 4?
I do not believe the Power 2 will enter into an LLC with the other conferences. Why would they?
Please provide a link to your understanding.
They already did. The 4 conferences created an LLC that is running the Cap and NIL management. It’s been widely reported by Yahoo, ESPN and others
Ross Dellenger is usually the best at this stuff and he’s covered it
Not sure the Pac 12 will see the announcement of kickoff times this early ever again. The broadcasters, whoever they end of being, will want to pick the best games during the season like they do for most other conferences. The early announcement of kickoff times for home games this year and last was a function of WSU and OSU's limited game inventory. Once that game inventory grows with the launch of the new Pac 12, the broadcasters, especially if ESPN, CBS or Fox are involved, will want more flexibility with game choice during the season.
I concur with your premise about 2026 probably being in the 6-12 day window more often than not. That being said, if the chief brands are Boise State and Oregon State, then most ticket holders can probably assume a consistent 7:00-8:00 pm starts when making their plans prior to the season. That alone gives some stability.
There is zero chance ESPN or Fox or anyone is going to pre-schedule the entire season. It will work like every other conference with a selecting process, some game times announced preseason, and most selected as we go
Talking exposure, I’ll always argue that one of the worst things to happen to CSU in the early 2000s was The Mountain.
The lack of exposure was devastating for a program that, like Louisville, got going in the mid to late 90s because we’d play whenever the hell ESPN wanted us to play.
I was living in Ohio at the time and basically couldn’t watch CSU.
John, thank you for this update. Yes it is truly remarkable to see where OSU/WSU are today compared to where they were when 10 pack 12 schools dumped them.
I am very interested to see what the new governance model will be that the A4 will be implementing. Thank God, the football is moving away from the NCAA train wreck. So glad to see Barnes is part of the sub committee that is going to be implementing the enforcement model.
Never will you be remembered as purveyors, you truly deserve the respect and enjoy the spoils of your heart, dedication and hard work. The PAC will always be the conference of Champions! Thank you! I will be watching ..
On a side note sadly my college announced its permanent closing after 185 years. We were no SEC but academically and socially we had our moments
Limestone?
Yes, familiar?
Not familiar, but I read about it and was just in the area several weeks ago. I think there were also several references to Limestone on "House of Cards," since Frank Underwood was from Gafney.
Good stuff. Thanks, John. Enjoyed listening to your interview on Tues with Barnes. Agreed, great job by Barnes, PDU Admin, New Pac12 commissioner, WSU AD and admin to get to this point. Key now is who the address new PAC12 members will be and getting fav TV financially for 2026. Exposure is great but $ for NIL to try to retain players is essential in college's new world order where new PAC12 is not a power conference. Regardless off what happens #GoBeavs and #GoCougs bond has never been stronger. Can only hope there is a good final outcome for two of college sports great programs who represent the non-blueblood underdogs with high character and great histories. A college world without Beavs and Cougs having a good seat at the table is a world most of us want no part of for very long.
https://archive.ph/Dp0JX
I would agree with Wilner that OSU is in much-better shape, all-around, than WSU.
Being the state's flagship research university and the state's biggest public university helps OSU immeasurably. WSU will always be #2 to UW in research funding and enrollment and is inconveniently located in regard to the state's population center as well.
Let’s hope for the best possible outcome for both.
Yes, definitely.
I have a friend who played it the line for the Beavers in the mid 1960’s. He walks with a severe limp from football ankle injuries. How many ordinary college students run that risk going to and from classes? I mean the risk of injury to body or brain for a lifetime. You can’t pay enough for that.