It’s a relatively quiet week for Ohio State sports (*knocks on wood*); coaches are recruiting, hoops is preparing for an attempt to sweep That State Up North, and all the students are above average.  So, let’s dig around the ol’ interwebs and see what we can find to chat about today, shall we? Oh, and I’m enjoying this at the moment.

Nothing is free

Buckeye 411

• Tress Talks- He’s gone, but not forgotten, and 97.1 had an interview with the new Akron administrator today that was chock full of the types of discussion that Ohio State fans were familiar with for ten years. He comments that he does “everything but Saturday afternoons” at Akron, but that he hasn’t had a moment where he felt like he needed to put the whistle back on an coach as much as he misses the chess game and camaraderie. He said that there’s a “whole bunch of things I’d have done differently”, but that he gave his heart and soul to the University for 10 years- something that he feels wonderful about. About his legacy, he looks to the players and coaches that he worked with, and sees those relationships as strong as ever no matter the circumstances. When questioned about the NCAA process, he said that he felt that he was treated more than fairly throughout and doesn’t worry too much about that now that it’s in the rearview mirror. Coach talked about his philosophy for helping engage students who might find themselves in trouble… that you support them through the process, you walk alongside them through the consequences, and that these have been watershed moments for many of the students he’s had a chance to work with. Tressel is confident that Coach Meyer is in the midst of doing amazing things, and that the Buckeyes are in great hands for the long haul.

• Stolen Memories- Well, this is interesting: Mike Adams has lost his Rose Bowl ring following a burglary at his house.
• Graphic Content- We’ve highlighted Sammy Silverman’s great work before, but Buckeye nation is certainly lucky to have constant reminders of the great things happening in Columbus. Here’s this week’s celebration of Sunday’s win (!SWOON!), their rising up the rankings, and a reflection on the magic of a 12-o season. In case you’re looking for yet another wallpaper for your desktop, here’s a great photo from thorolgrafix to add to your collection.
• Redemption- Be sure to check out Maurice Clarett’s new venture.
• By A Hair- Our newest hoops deep threat made an interesting promise yesterday, saying that he’d dye his hair scarlet and gray if he got enough retweets.  Well, what are you waiting for… get to retweeting!
• For Whom Vonn Bell Tolls- We know that the “soft verbal” to Alabama was refuted, and that Saban was with him all day Monday. We also know that Tennessee’s staff was at his school today… so what’s the big deal? Is this young man really worth all that effort? Well, see for yourself:

Yeah, he’s pretty freaking good. Be sure to stay tuned to tBBC for the latest updates and coverage of the 2013 recruiting process and beyond.

Commentary- Carts and horses

Is Balance Possible?

Interesting data this week from the Delta Cost Project, furthering my concern at the financial impact and mission drift that “big time” athletics is having on institutions of higher education, including Ohio State. In a brief released today, the Project identifies the vast gulf between institutional expenditures on student athletes as compared to the “general”, full time student- $92K at FBS schools versus $14K for the traditional student. Oh, and the SEC has the largest disparity between funding per capita for athletes and other students; the B1G is in the middle of the pack.

Granted, much of this is funding that the athletic teams and department generate themselves, but it’s still crucial to acknowledge a couple of facts. First, there are still a number of institutions who rely heavily on institutional subsidies to balance their athletic budgets- only a few are able to stand alone without state funding or student fees (one in four). Second, smaller FBS programs are a financially closer to being FCS, in terms of how money is allocated and spent across the board.  Third, and most interestingly, the top tier of schools (those who have stand alone athletic departments), continue to spend and spend and widen the gap between themselves and those in the remaining tiers. As someone who’s expecting that this type of issue to facilitate a split in FBS schools, the pattern is something to monitor.

The study, which is also highlighted in USA today, also has some interesting things to say about the “positive impact” that having high profile sports programs can have on an institution-

Participation—and particularly success—in Division I college athletics often results in priceless “advertising” for colleges and universities, reaching potential students, donors, and politicians. But evidence of the ancillary benefits of college sports is mixed. Successful athletic performance appears to boost applications at winning colleges and universities, but aside from a few isolated examples—such as the often cited but largely exaggerated “Flutie factor”—the effects are typically quite modest. The applications advantage is primarily associated with success in football (winning championships in particular), and the bump generally lasts only a year or two. It is less clear whether these larger application pools result in admitting a higher quality class, but again the positive effects appear modest and are typically confined to football success.

And even then, it’s often about visibility rather than success… which is yet another reason that the television contracts are a significant part of college sports’ future.

Take a look at that from the perspective of a college student, not at Ohio State or Texas, but at one of the schools who cannot afford the competition of the “arms race” of big time athletics without relying on your contribution (fees or tax funds), Is it possible that you might feel frustrated that your college experience, while enhanced by the school spirit and pride that comes with following winning programs, is significantly different that those who are directly benefiting from your finances. While you receive aid or do work study to be able to eat like a college student, it certainly can feel unjust to know that there’s even discussion for student athletes to receive an even larger stipend- we’ve certainly heard that as a part of that debate.

And that’s not even the larger question that we’ve had here before, the one about the “purpose” of athletics and how it fits into the mission of higher education- whatever the institution.  It’s been said that where someone’s treasure is, there their heart is also… and it certainly seems as if, at many larger learning communities, the treasure is not actually in the teaching and developing of the majority of the participants.

Case in point: UNLV’s new on campus football stadium is rumored to cost more than that institution’s endowment, and is aimed both at helping the Rebels “keep up with the Joneses”, but also possibly lure a Super Bowl and/or a BCS game to the city that’s home for much of the nation’s sports gambling.  I’m sure there’ll be a lot of great research and teaching done there as well. Totally.

Around The NCAA

• B1G Mess- Wisconsin beat Indiana on Tuesday night. In Bloomington. And now find themselves atop the B1G standings, in spite of their being unranked.  God, college hoops is the awesome.
• Do Over- I know you’ve just now finished your “Leaders And Legends” bonsai sculptures out in the back yard, but rumors have it that these oft derided nomenclatures and arrangements are not with us for much longer. I’m still a big fan of the Legends Football League, though. All of this is also a friendly reminder that the realignment winds are still swirling… hold on tight.
• Kiffy Being Kiffy: Dude pulls a scholarship right before a kid is headed down to LA to move onto campus.  Yeah.
• More On Southern Cal: Great article in Forbes Tuesday about how the Trojan empire has gone from being the paragon of NCAA athletics to a seemingly rudderless ship. An interesting quote-

The institutional decline of Southern Cal, as business consultant and educator Jim Collins would put it, came like a staged disease; an initially unknown cancer that ate away silently at USC fed by its own gluttony for success. At first, it was almost impossible to detect but easily correctable. If the powers that be could have saw the writing on the wall and slowed the bleeding, the program might have been saved. Yet USC sunk deeper and deeper into the quicksand of its own arrogance, until it realized that all it had accomplished had only come about because of broken rules and scorched earth.

• Next Up? On Sunday, speculation abounded that Miami would soon receive it’s “Notice Of Allegations” from the NCAA in the Nevin Shapiro mess. Given that it’s a private institution, and not subject to the same Freedom Of Information requests as state universities, it may be a while before we know anything about any contents of said documents. And even then, it’s important to remember that the University gets it’s chance to respond, then come the meetings with the Committee On Infractions, and then the final decisions. So, it may not be any time really soon, but we’re getting closer.
• But That Means- that the Ducks may have a bit more time before they face the NCAA as well.  Maybe that’s why Chip Kelly decided to not jump to the pros at this time- he’s hoping for one more season before the feathers fly.

And Finally

In case you missed it this weekend, those NFL Films parabolic microphones are really REALLY sensitive:

Tags: Amedeo Della Valle, Finances, Jim Tressel, Lane Kiffin, Miami, Mike Adams, Oregon, Southern Cal, UNLV, Vonn Bell
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football