Ex Wazzu Coach Bennett retires - Blames State of College Sports

[auroraave]

Tony Bennett the basketball coach, not the crooner, has abruptly retired and listed the 'state of the game' in college athletics as a main reason - clearly referencing NIL and the transfer portals as problems emerging - at least for coaches.

This is an interesting situation and is indicative of the groundswell changes happening in college sports. Saban, Bennett, these guys are reading the tea leaves and getting out. While I understand the whole "NIL" of it all and the reality you cannot prevent these kids from getting paid, it is going to take the whole NCAA down, IMO. We need to play this out - five-ten steps down the road and consider where this is all heading. The Genie is out of the bottle, what will the end game be? Are players going to be one-and-done? Will they try to challenge the NFL? Will the NFL start airing games on Saturdays outside of playoff season? I think you are already seeing the effects on the professional game as far too many rookies look unmotivated and unprepared for life in the NFL - particularly at the QB and oline position groups - I believe that is a direct result of 'getting paid' and the transfer portal effecting players getting adequately coached up. Thoughts?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... retirement

[Donn Beach]

There's no end game, it's a continuum, what's he's saying there is he's not the guy to deal with it. Saban got out because he realized he wasn't going to be able to dominate college football. I think you going to find there's a leveling of the playing field. The benchmark in college football has been an undefeated season. That's going to be unimaginable

[D-train]

It is definitely different but is it worse? Everyone is playing under the same rules. Getting paid will keep guys in college longer and less likely to leave early. Also all of the pearl clutching about B10 teams having to fly for a few hours is comical. They act like they have to cross the country in covered wagons. lol

[Michael K.]

It is definitely different but is it worse? Everyone is playing under the same rules. Getting paid will keep guys in college longer and less likely to leave early. Also all of the pearl clutching about B10 teams having to fly for a few hours is comical. They act like they have to cross the country in covered wagons. lol

Same rules, but not the same budget…right? Won’t this just become MLB, where the richest owners win? If Nike U wants to pay ten million for the top recruit at every position? Nothing is stopping them. I realize that is a ridiculous comp, but it’s now about who pays the most.

Obviously I am not involved in the recruiting of the big $ athletes, but it has greatly impacted HS softball kids. Not as much the NIL, but the portal. The best HS softball players all used to have offers Spring of their Junior year. They are now taking trips Fall of their Senior year. College coaches have to recruit their own first, then look to the portals THEN they move to HS.

[D-train]

It is definitely different but is it worse? Everyone is playing under the same rules. Getting paid will keep guys in college longer and less likely to leave early. Also all of the pearl clutching about B10 teams having to fly for a few hours is comical. They act like they have to cross the country in covered wagons. lol

Same rules, but not the same budget…right? Won’t this just become MLB, where the richest owners win? If Nike U wants to pay ten million for the top recruit at every position? Nothing is stopping them. I realize that is a ridiculous comp, but it’s now about who pays the most.

Obviously I am not involved in the recruiting of the big $ athletes, but it has greatly impacted HS softball kids. Not as much the NIL, but the portal. The best HS softball players all used to have offers Spring of their Junior year. They are now taking trips Fall of their Senior year. College coaches have to recruit their own first, then look to the portals THEN they move to HS.

Yeah I guess the rich could continue to get richer. But there has always been only about a doze programs with any shot at a National Title. I don't see that number getting any smaller or larger....Oregon was good long before the changes because of Uncle Phil....And we dominated them the past couple years AFTER the changes...

[Donn Beach]

I feel like the field of possible championship contenders has broadened, again I feel that's why Saban retired. His domination was only going to lessen. You notice Indiana now is ranked higher than Alabama. I don't think it's because DeBoer is a shitty coach. Indiana was the actual Rutgers, the experts missed it. They didn't get a preseason AP vote did they

“There's times when I watch video and it's really hard to watch,” Meyer said, after a rehearsal on Friday. “There's other video I can't shut it down — this was Indiana and a little bit of Nebraska defense.

“You just see incredible execution, you see minimal penalties, minimal turnovers and minimal mistakes, back shoulder throws, it's the best edge blocking and perimeter blocking team I've seen all year. I admire well-coached teams and I admire Indiana.”

The pregame is going to be fawning all over them

[Donn Beach]

The portal is opening college football up

Cignetti took 12 transfers from James Madison (where he won 11 games in 2023), and 19 others from the portal and has reshaped a roster void of talent. The top four rushers are transfers, four of its top five receivers are transfers, and its top pass rusher is a transfer.


The total transition numbers: 34 into the portal, 31 from the portal — including quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who played five seasons at Ohio before arriving in Bloomington. He’s completing 73.8% of his passes, is averaging 10.9 yards per attempt and has a 192.1 passer rating — all career highs.

On the issue with Alabama being undisciplined

Once Saban retired at the end of last season — in no small part because of the sudden power and movement players had gained in the sport — the last remaining restraints to a player-led-and-fed team were broken. Now here we are.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 756134007/

[D-train]

If that Indiana coach can take a basketball school to the Natty game he will get hired by the Cowboys for HC next season.

[Donn Beach]

He'll be hired by Alabama

[auroraave]

It is definitely different but is it worse? Everyone is playing under the same rules. Getting paid will keep guys in college longer and less likely to leave early. Also all of the pearl clutching about B10 teams having to fly for a few hours is comical. They act like they have to cross the country in covered wagons. lol

Same rules, but not the same budget…right? Won’t this just become MLB, where the richest owners win? If Nike U wants to pay ten million for the top recruit at every position? Nothing is stopping them. I realize that is a ridiculous comp, but it’s now about who pays the most.

Obviously I am not involved in the recruiting of the big $ athletes, but it has greatly impacted HS softball kids. Not as much the NIL, but the portal. The best HS softball players all used to have offers Spring of their Junior year. They are now taking trips Fall of their Senior year. College coaches have to recruit their own first, then look to the portals THEN they move to HS.

The smaller schools lose all the TV revenue money - crushing the athletic departments. It's not at all equal. All it's doing is consolidating the power base to fewer options. Wazzu and Oregon State have had very competitive programs over the last couple decades - OSU won multiple baseball championships in a row - Wazzu has been mid to upper tier in football - those are hard to do in small schools with smaller budgets with smaller TV audience visibility which hurts recruiting. Loss of bigger TV visibility will crush recruiting - recruits want to know they're gonna be on TV - Wazzu's last game was on the fucking CW - which I didn't even know still existed. Ha! The TV money is what funds new stadiums, stadium expansions and drives the entire athletic department budget.