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The Big 10 is pushing ahead with massive private investment deal over objections from Michigan and USC


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Posted (edited)

I didn't read it as Michigan and USC would be kicked out if they don't agree, but that they would not get a distribution, and that their membership may become an issue in 2036 when the media deal expires. I don't see any way PE tries to kick them out now or in a decade. They are too valuable to the overall product. If speculation is correct that the PE people do promotions to increase the overall value UM and USC might get some freeloading benefits but they also did not take money up front so I don't see PE being too upset. I'm almost certainly missing something here in the details because the articles have not been clear ant PE is not something I know a lot about in detail. Just intuitively though, a onetime payment of $135M per school doesn't seem like a whole lot for such a monumnetal and long term change in structure.

Edited by 'stache
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Posted

Hey, Ohio State, what ARE these things you cover your helmet with anyways?

image.png.9ae4054d647d8333f2426e6e92416a1b.png

Well, listen, nobody understands the importance of tradition like we do, but that sticker doesn't maximize revenues nor does it engage our corporate partners, so let's run this up the flagpole.  Whenever a kid makes a sticker play, he gets a helmet sticker from one of our corporate partners, who makes a payment to the university and a smaller payment to the kid.  Here's Jeremiah Smith's helmet at the end of the season!

image.png.82dad45deb60a71adb43354e8e6eade7.png

Isn't the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?  OK, we'll have legal look at this, but we'll plan to implement this next game!  Let's do lunch!

 

Posted
On 11/9/2025 at 10:57 AM, 956 Worldwide said:

I will die on the hill that CFB was perfect and needed no fix pre-BCS and mega-conferences. You got plenty of joy in winning your conference and enjoying wins over schools close to you— needling the people at work, church, the PTA. Bowl games were a fun bonus.  The newspaper would crown a MNC and it was a distraction to read about and then move on from. The only NC trophy handed out was a gimmick from Trick Dick as a little dogwhistle for the last all-white teams and their fans.

A “real” NC, playoff, etc is something thet talking heads on 24/7 sports media and then the internet created for their own benefit and then convinced fans they needed. Has not made the alum and fan experience at all better. 

And half of the bowl teams finished their seasons with a win.

Posted
47 minutes ago, 'stache said:

I didn't read it as Michigan and USC would be kicked out if they don't agree, but that they would not get a distribution, and that their membership may become an issue in 2036 when the media deal expires. I don't see any way PE tries to kick them out now or in a decade. They are too valuable to the overall product. If speculation is correct that the PE people do promotions to increase the overall value UM and USC might get some freeloading benefits but they also did not take money up front so I don't see PE being too upset. I'm almost certainly missing something here in the details because the articles have not been clear ant PE is not something I know a lot about in detail. Just intuitively though, a onetime payment of $135M per school doesn't seem like a whole lot for such a monumnetal and long term change in structure.

Its not near enough to potentially put your school and athletic department at the mercy of some penny pinching, value scraping, PE vultures either. 

USC and Michigan are correct in trying to kill this, PE scraps everything for parts leaving them shells of their former selves. 

Posted
5 hours ago, TreatyOak said:

College football was always about money and never ever about education. 

🏈 Major College Football Money or Eligibility Scandals of the 19th Century

1. The 1893 Harvard–Yale Eligibility Controversy

  • What happened: The “Big Game” between Harvard and Yale in 1893 was canceled over disputes about player eligibility and professionalism. Both schools accused the other of using non-students or players with financial ties to athletics (essentially, “ringers”).

  • Significance: This dispute foreshadowed the larger fight over amateurism and whether athletes were being paid under the table.


2. The 1896 University of Chicago “Stagg’s Proteges” Accusations

  • What happened: Critics accused legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg of offering financial incentives—such as scholarships and jobs—to players, which was considered improper under early amateur rules.

  • Significance: Though mild by modern standards, this was one of the first public debates about financial aid for athletes.


3. The “Tramp Athletes” and “Ringer” Scandals (1880s–1890s)

  • What happened: Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, many schools—especially in the Midwest and South—were caught hiring non-students or recent graduates to play under aliases or temporary enrollment.

  • Examples:

    • University of Kentucky (then Kentucky State College) and Centre College were accused of using ringers.

    • Kansas and Missouri were both caught using “tramp athletes” who hopped from school to school for pay.

  • Significance: These scandals led directly to the formation of the Western Conference (now the Big Ten) in 1895 to regulate eligibility and prevent professionalism.


4. The 1898–1899 Yale “Secret Fund” Allegations

  • What happened: Rumors circulated that Yale alumni maintained a “slush fund” to support athletes with jobs and tuition aid.

  • Significance: Though never fully proven, it reflected growing concern that elite programs were circumventing amateur rules with money from wealthy boosters.


6. The 1890s “Southern Pay-for-Play” Incidents

  • What happened: Several early Southern programs (notably Georgia, Auburn, and North Carolina) were rumored to offer cash or “expenses” to attract athletes.

  • Example: In 1892, Georgia Tech allegedly paid a player from another school to compete against Georgia—one of the first recorded pay-for-play instances in the South.

  • Significance: Exposed how competitive pressure quickly corrupted “amateur” ideals in the region.

 

 

you left one out 

 

 

 

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