The Division I board of directors for the NCAA has adopted a package of proposals that will bring about some major changes in college sports.

You can read the NCAA’s press release right here.

For now, know that…

1.  Academic requirements are going up

2.  Teams will have to have better academic numbers to qualify for postseason play (good luck filling all those bowl games with winning teams)

3.  Athletes will now face tougher initial eligibility standards comings out of high school

4.  Athletes will now receive up to $2,000 extra as part of a full-cost-of-attendance scholarship plan

5.  Schools will now have the option of offering full-term-of-eligibility scholarships as well as the current one-year offers (which means coaches — especially those at smaller programs — can offer four-year scholarships as a recruiting incentive)

Plenty of media pundits have spent the past year criticizing new NCAA president Mark Emmert for being “all talk.”  Well he and the board of directors did more than talk today.  They implemented some sweeping changes.

Whether those changes will help or hurt college sports remains to be seen.

At the SEC spring meetings, Gene Chizik was told by NCAA top cop Julie Roe-Lach that the investigation into Cam Newton’s recruitment was still alive.

Today, NCAA president Mark Emmert refused to close the door on the investigation when given a chance by nationally-syndicated radio host Dan Patrick:

“We don’t talk about investigations, but when they’re closed, they’re closed.  They will continue to look at anything they have available in any of these situations until they’ve reached a conclusion that there’s nothing more to discover in any of these cases.”

When Patrick suggested that he could then assume the investigation was still open because he hadn’t heard anyone say it was closed, Emmert said: “You can make your assumptions.  That’s fine.”

With Texas A&M’s decision yesterday to give president R. Bowen Loftin the power to explore conference alignment options, the school and the Southeastern Conference continued to glide toward one another in what appears to be a pretty elaborate mating dance.  For decades the two parties have talked behind closed doors, flirted, and — as was the case last summer — come tantalizingly close to consummating their relationship.  This thing is Ross and Rachel on a much larger and much more entertaining scale.

We’ll have plenty of opinion as the day wears on, but first we wanted to get you up to speed on what everyone else is saying this morning. 

Some claim that the SEC and A&M will get together in just a matter of days.  Others are claiming that in the end the Aggies will stay put in the Big 12.  But as we’ve noted before — and has been proven out time and again — when you’re talking about major moves like this, the safe bet is to expect smaller moves and slower periods of time than the Twitter/messageboard crowd want to suggest. 

There’s a whole lot of disinformation being kicked around right now.  Remember that — as we try to do — while sifting through all of the following opinions:


1.  Andy Staples of SI.com provides an excellent overview for those who are trying to come to grips with the ins and outs of this process.

2.  Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal caught up with former SEC commish Roy Kramer and ex-A&M/MSU coach Jackie Sherrill to discuss the A&M/SEC situation.  Sherrill says the deal will go through and that attorneys for the SEC slowed down the chase.  Kramer explains why A&M wants out of the Big 12:


“From Day 1 in our league, everybody was on equal footing and that was especially important in our previous expansion process.  Nobody was going to get a special deal to join the league, everybody was going to be one and the same.  That unity has always been one of the great strengths in this conference.

A&M and some of those other Big 12 schools face some tough, hard decisions, because they’ve allowed that (Texas) situation to go on.  That’s no way to run a railroad the way they (the Big 12) are trying to run that one.  You can’t have one engine running down a track that’s totally separate from the other 11 engines.”


3.  Sherrill also believes that recruiting will improve for A&M and the SEC’s schools (Arkansas especially) if/when the parties unite.

4.  Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star has a source who believes A&M will wind up staying in the Big 12.

5.  The story is now making the rounds that a recent phone conversation between Mike Slive and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe became quite heated.

UPDATE — Apparently Beebe didn’t view the conversation as “heated.”

6.  OutkickTheCoverage.com brings you a simplified breakdown of how ESPN — which has way too many fingers in way too many pies — will wind up at the center of this entire situation.  The network’s deal with Texas might force the Big 12 to break up… which could save the network money on its Big 12 contract… but could cost the network more money on the SEC end if A&M moves east.  Follow that?  Clay Travis does an excellent job of laying out the details right here.  (This beats the hell out of following the SportsByBrooks’ “release a photo and gossip” model.  Kudos to Travis for this one.)

7.  Dennis Dodds of CBSSports.com provides further info on ESPN’s involvement in this mess.

8.  Here’s an overview of the situation from a University of Texas perspective.

9.  The New York Times reports that NCAA president Mark Emmert is talking to conference commissioners about trying to handle expansion in a less canibalistic way.  (One, he has no power to enforce that and two, has any conference thanked another for taking one of its teams?  I don’t recall the Big Ten catching heat for swiping Nebraska.  Of the Pac-12 for trying to grab half the Big 12.)

10.  The Washington Post jumps on the “it’s all about the money” train.  (Can someone please point out to me a business that is not all about the money?)

11.  Some are already pushing Texas politicians to push (in turn) Houston into the Big 12 as a replacement for A&M… which hasn’t officially left yet.

12.  A&M’s president said he’s going to take his time in making a “100-year decision.”

13.  A political battle is brewing over all of this.  Some Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor backing politicians are already floating the idea that A&M’s departure might lead to economic destruction for the state.  (Yeesh.)  Well, Texas governor Rick Perry — a powerful A&M alum — is trying to downplay such spin:


“I’m sure when the Southwest Conference was disintegrated, there were those who thought it was the end of the world.  I’m sure when Colorado and Nebraska left (the Big 12) to go to their respective conferences, there were naysayers.  My instinct is that no matter what happens, we’ll wake up and the sun will still come up from the east.”


14.  It looks like Texas is leaning toward not playing A&M if the Aggies leave the Big 12.  Where’s the political pressure telling the Longhorns that they’ll hurt the Lone Star State if they act so selfishly?

15.  Andy Kats of ESPN.com looks at A&M-to-the-SEC from a hoops perspective.

As the NCAA wrapped up its presidential retreat today, two things have become clear:


1) The NCAA wants to simplify its rulebooks.

2) The NCAA feels it needs to deliver harsher punishments for serious rule violations.


Nothing new there.  Mark Emmert has been saying as much for several months.  Oregon State president Ed Ray — who is also the chairman of the NCAA’s executive committee — broke down the chatter at this week’s retreat as follows:


“I think there is a very strong sense among presidents and chancellors that we need to be very clear and very severe where infractions do exist and that we want to send a message about certain behaviors.  There needs to be very serious penalties for very serious violations.”


If you’re an SEC fan, that can’t sound good.  Not with the amount of dirt being flung around the league these days.

When Mike Slive put forth his “agenda for change” at SEC Media Days last month, football coaches cringed.  The commissioner was raising the possibility of raising standards — academic standards included — for athletes and programs and by definition that will make coaches have to work harder in the future.  If such standard-raisings are actually made.

NCAA president Mark Emmert has told CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd that Slive’s proposed move from 2.0 to 2.5 (for incoming athletes’ core GPAs) is already being pushed:


“Many of the issues that Mike and others have described have been works in progress for some time.  Going from 2.0 to 2.5 is an active proposal that is coming out of the committee on academic performance. …

I was delighted that Mike (and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany) and all those putting proposals out there are doing so.  It’s a different day when commissioners are almost in competition to see who can come up with the best reform package.”


Indeed it is.  And with the exception of cost-of-attendance scholarships, most coaches won’t be pleased with the reform ideas being discussed.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that ACC commissioner John Swofford’s opening speech from his league’s media days event mirrored that of SEC commissioner Mike Slive.  NCAA president Mark Emmert has a plan.  League commissioners across the country are aware of his goals they want to get onboard.  Also, other BCS commissioners don’t want to appear as though they’re only looking inward toward their own football season while Slive and the SEC are looking outward to the very future of college athletics.  (You can expect Dan Beebe, Larry Scott, Jim Delany, an others to discuss NCAA reform in the coming days.)

Tweaking the “major/secondary” violation system.  Cost-of-attendance scholarships.  Multi-year scholarships.  The biggies of Slive’s plan were right there in Swofford’s speech.  All leading into next month’s NCAA retreat to discuss potential changes to the system.

While all of these visionary ideas won’t come to pass, fans should expect that a few of them — maybe even many of them — will someday become reality.  The NCAA president and conference commissioners work for university presidents.  If the commissioners are speaking of bold change, it’s likely they’ve talked about such plans with their own leagues’ administrators.

In other words, a consensus for change is forming.

Yesterday we wrote the following regarding Mike Slive’s opening speech regarding an NCAA agenda change:


“As expected, Slive has clearly been in contact with (NCAA president Mark) Emmert on this front.  As was the case a couple of months ago when the SEC sent the NCAA a proposal to change some recruiting rules, the SEC is once again the group that’s sending up a test balloon for all of the other leagues to discuss.  This shows a continued connection between Slive and Emmert, the SEC and the NCAA.”


Turns out, that was exactly the case.  Matt Hayes of The Sporting News wrote this as a wrap of the speech:


“Understand this about the NCAA and its utterly useless ability to create and make change in college sports: It’s not the NCAA’s fault.

The NCAA is powerless when it comes to making change, powerless to lead and cultivate an argument from a proposition to law — unless member institutions are in aggreement.  The job of president (see: Emmert) is voted upon by member institutions, and the president of the NCA, in many ways, is simply beholden to university presidents.

That’s what makes Slive’s proclamation so stunning.  No one listens to the NCAA president.

Everyone listens to the commissioner of the most powerful conference in college sports.

‘Mark Emmert will not be surprised by what I’ve said,’ Slive said.

That’s because Emmert and Slive and associate SEC commissioner Greg Sankey worked on this proposal for weeks, fine-tuning talking points that will eventually become the syllabus for the ‘retreat’ Emmert announced last month — whether university presidents and conference commissioners will gather to discuss serious change.”


What this shows is that Slive has Emmert’s ear.  Not a surprise since Emmert was once the chancellor at LSU.  But the positive here is that it’s good for the commissioner of your favorite league to be the go-to guy for head of the NCAA.

The more Slive and Emmert work together, the quicker the SEC will shake off its outlaw reputation.  (Well, that and schools have to actually stop cheating.)

Here’s a rundown of commissioner Mike Slive’s comments:

* “The rumors of my resignation are greatly exaggerated.”  Apparently all the talk of a “big announcement” led some to think that he would step down.

* Slive said that instead of bragging about his league’s accomplishments, he would talk about a bigger topic:

“We don’t have the luxury of acting as if it’s business as usual.  And that’s been made clear by headlines emanating from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Gulf to the Great Lakes.  As NCAA president Mark Emmert has observed ‘the events giving rise to these headlines indicate the intercollegiate athletics has lost the benefit of the doubt.’”

* “For the past 30 years we have seen reform efforts come… and go.  While the NCAA manual continues to grow in size and complexity.  Too many of our student-athletes still come to us ill-prepared academically.  NCAA and conference revenues continue to increase.  Coaches’ compensation continues to grow.  And highly publicized infractions cases have increased the level of scrutiny placed on this uniquely and wonderful American combination of athletic competition and higher education.  With that as a backdrop and in an effort to support and follow up on some of president Mark Emmert’s initiative, we have developed an agenda that is intended to stimulate national discussion.  An agenda for change, if you will, with the hope that we will see significant action in the foreseeable future.”

* The four key parts of Slive’s “agenda” are as follows:

1.  Redefine the benefits available to our student-athletes

(Slive pushed for a cost-of-attendance plan.  Slive admitted that some schools would have a hard time providing more money to athletes but he said cash should not prevent the NCAA from doing what’s right.  That’s easy to say if you’re one of the guy’s with big money.  Slive also suggested that the NCAA consider making scholarships “multi-year awards” rather than one-year renewable deals that allow coaches to jiggle their rosters each offseason.)

2.  Strengthen academic eligibility requirements for incoming freshmen and two-year transfers

(This one is sure to raise the hackles of Southern football coaches who continually say that schools in the South are weaker and therefore schools should take more chances on players, not less.  Slive suggested increasing the mininum GPA for freshman from a 2.0 to a 2.5 in the 16 core courses.  Slive also suggested that the partial-qualifier classification could be brought back if other parts of this plan were enacted.)

3.  Modernize the recruiting rules

(“It’s time to push the reset button.”  Slive said that differences in location, tradition and even climate make the idea of a level playing field “an illusion.”  The commissioner proposed legalizing the use of electronic devices and social networks.  Slive also wants to simplify the recruiting calendar.  “Maybe we can make the so-called ‘bump’ history,” he said.)

4.  Continue to support the NCAA’s efforts to improve the enforcement process.

(Slive offered “clear support” for NCAA brass in the attempt to “restructure the NCAA enforcement process in order to effectively focus resources on cases of core importance in a timely fashion.”  Slive wants to work with the NCAA to create “a greatly streamlined” NCAA rulebook.  Slive also supported the NCAA’s decision to study the terms “major” and “secondary” violations.)

* Slive said that his agenda is intended to spur discussion at the upcoming NCAA presidents’ retreat. 

* As expected, Slive has clearly been in contact with Emmert on this front.  As was the case a couple of months ago when the SEC sent the NCAA a proposal to change some recruiting rules, the SEC is once again the group that’s sending up a test balloon for all of the other leagues to discuss.  This shows a continued connection between Slive and Emmert, the SEC and the NCAA.  Despite the league’s recent scandals, walking hand-in-hand with the NCAA is a smart decision.


SIDENOTE — Keep in mind that the SEC is putting forth a list of topics for discussion by other conferences and college presidents.  Slive and the SEC are not going to implement this agenda by its lonesome.  The SEC’s agenda is a road map… whether or not everyone arrives at Slive’s preferred destination remains to be seen.

NCAA president Mark Emmert has called a brainstorming retreat for the second week of August in which he and about 50 university presidents will discuss the challenges facing college sports today.  Yesterday, Emmert made it clear on the NCAA’s official website that he believes big changes need to be made in order to deal with those challenges:


“The integrity of collegiate athletics is seriously challenged today by rapidly growing pressures coming from many directions.  We have reached a point where incremental change is not sufficient to meet these challenges.  I want us to act more aggressively and in a more comprehensive way than we have in the past.  A few new tweaks of the rules won’t get the job done.”


Get ready to hear more talk of a new “big money” division within the NCAA football structure.  Rather than a split from the NCAA, several coaches, administrators and media members now expect — at some point — that the big BCS leagues will become their own division as part of an overall NCAA restructuring. 

Emmert alluded to the fact that “the huge financial differences across Division I make it very hard to create ‘one-size-fits-all rules.”

We have scoffed at the idea of a BCS breakaway from the NCAA for years.  “Who writes the new rulebook?  What about basketball, baseball and other sports?”  A new division within Division I, however?  Very doable.

If you’re among the fire-eating LSU fans who become outraged at the mere suggestion that the Tigers and street agent Willie Lyles might have been involved in some out-of-bounds behavior, you might as well stop reading here.  Save yourself the headache and save us the nasty emails.

If, however, you’re among the many, many rationale Tiger fans who are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, we suggest you keep reading.

This much we know: Lyles — who has turned into a one-man nightmare for the Oregon football program — was also paid $6,000 by LSU for work he did for Les Miles’ staff.  Lyles says that work was legit.  LSU says that work was legit.

But as John DeShazier of The New Orleans Times-Picayune points out, that’s what Lyles said about Oregon, too… intially:


“But if he now is telling the truth about his relationship with Oregon coach Chip Kelly and Kelly’s assistants (and he seems to have documentation proving Oregon’s gratefulness for him wielding influence), we know his previous attempt to cover for himself and Oregon isn’t true.  So you’ll have to forgive me if, given the way scandal has erupted throughout college sports — and, specifically, the way smut is leaking from big-time football in the BCS conferences — in the last calendar year along, I’m more inclined to presume guilt rather than innocence right now.

‘In eight years of working in scouting and working for bigger companies and doing different things in scouting, you get a chance to see a lot and do a lot,’ Lyles said Tuesday during an interview with a Portland, Oregon radio station.  ‘You see a lot of things that go on.

‘That’s just stuff that I don’t want to even touch at this point and that’s about it.  I haven’t decided on what information I do want to talk about at this point as far as dealing with them.  I don’t want to say anything that’s out of line and out of turn as far as my dealings with LSU.’

Actually, it’s a little late in the game for Lyles to dummy up, given that he has given up Oregon via the claim that he believes Oregon paid him to steer players to Eugene.

So, to think Lyles and LSU would be incapable of doing what Lyles and Oregon apparently did would be beyond naive.”


Yes, it would.  As DeShazier points out, there’s no reason to think that Miles and LSU did pay Lyles to steer prospects toward Baton Rouge — not yet anyway — but there’s also no reason to rule out that possibility.  Even though many on The Bayou would definitely to do so.

First, LSU got itself mixed up with a guy who clearly walks outside the lines and has no problem — in Oregon’s case at least — being a rat.  That’s not good.  Whether he did anything improper for LSU or not, Lyles is trouble.  That’s why the NCAA is likely to keep digging on Lyles and on all of his dealings with various schools.

Second, no school should ever want the NCAA snooping around its campus and that’s especially true right now.  Mark Emmert and crew currently have their antennae up and their general mood suggests rule-breakers will be taken to the woodshed.

For those reasons, the wise fan clad in purple and gold will admit to being a little nervous over the Lyles situation.  Not panicking, mind you, but nervous.  And the wise fan is certainly not confident.  With Lyles rolling over on the Oregon, how could he be?