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The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

May 26, 2012, 11:30 AM

It is time for Congress to step in because the current expansion drive is out of control. The market is running amok and it is time for logical oversight.

Public dollars and investment are at stake. Multiple great public universities are at risk of seeing their investments wasted. Consider what might happen if Clemson doesn't get invited to the Big 12 and has to settle for a diminished ACC with no realistic shot at a playoff berth. You would see multimillion dollar investments-- with state money-- worthless. You'd see an 83,000 seat historic stadium virtually empty on fall Saturdays.

And if you don't think that's possible at Clemson, what if you were NC State? Or Connecticut, who has spent vast sums upgrading their football to BCS-level and now will almost certainly be relegated to the second tier unless something is done.

The free market's two best motivators-- greed and fear-- do a reasonably good job of making our economy run. But now, in college football, the twin dogs of greed and fear have slipped their collars and are running wild. Greed is motivating the haves (Texas) to exclude as many schools from eating at their table as they can. Fear is motivating the have-nots (West Virginia, Missouri) to jump into unnatural conference affiliations for fear of not getting a seat at the big boys' table and scavaging for scraps that fall on the floor.

Is Clemson a have or a have-not? It's like the old adage says: If you have to ask the question then you probably know the answer.

It is this same fear that is motivating Clemson. You might kid yourselves that the Big 12 is a great idea. But that is a joke. If the fear of being in a diminished ACC with no meaningful access to the future playoff/bowl system didn't exist, no one would think being in a conference with Texas and Iowa State would be a good idea. Especially Texas, the greediest player in the game. Being in a conference with Texas is like asking Jerry Sandusky to babysit your kids.

What we have is a situation where public institutions are manuevering to destroy athletic programs at other public institutions. This situation cries out for federal intervention. Compare it to fights out west over water rights. The federal government steps in to prevent a state upstream from using all of the water in a river and preventing the downstream state from going dry.

I would like to see the House or Senate convene a committee to bring some order to this fear-driven chaos and protect the investments of our public universities. The federal government could push the reset button and create a system that is fair and makes much more sense than Clemson in the Big 12 and Missouri in the SEC.

Many Clemson fans are red meat Republicans who abhor any government intervention. That position has merit in many areas. But for those of you whose knee jerk reaction is, "Oh no, the government screws up everything," ask yourselves this question:

Who would you rather have making these decisions: the federal government or ESPN and the University of Texas?

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I will answer your questions 1 by 1

Why does the Sun Belt Champion, CUSA, ACC, Big East, WAC, MWC, and MAC deserve a shot?

Because they are FBS Conferences and we do not KNOW for a fact that are inferior/superior until their Champion plays a Champion from one of the declared "Superior" conferences

They play a conference schedule that the big boys use as filler games.
ok, and the point is?

CUSA #1 goes to the Liberty Bowl to play the SEC #8/9 and 80% of the time they lose. Does the top 8 of the SEC deserve to go to the playoffs too?

80% they lose, 20% they WIN. How do WE KNOW that there is not a "DAVID" out there that can slay the "GOLIATH" unless they compete head to head in a playoff? See Boise St, See Houston

ACC champion has never beaten a non Big East team in the BCS.

There is always the first time. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in while. ACC needs and will ramp up, they know that, they have said that

Big East was the most deserving of the 7 based on the results on the field, but all their teams have been poached. Yet, once they got into the ACC- They couldn't get the job done anymore.

I think they get "soft" leading the good life being in the ACC .... Again, the ACC can and will ramp up, they know that

This isn't a field of 64 were you can waste spots on lower tier conference champions. Even at 16 teams those Conference champions should only get a shot every now and then.

Sorry, I do not understand your point. The Champions of each Conference meet head to head in a playoff (that would be 11). ALSO, there are 5 wildcards for a total of 16 teams. We can still use our ranking system to determine the 5 wild-cards. If for example, it has been declared by a panel of wise men and a computer algorithm that the 5 wildcards are 5 SEC teams that did win the SEC Championship, so be it. The bottom line is that ALL the Conference Champions DO have the opportunity to compete ... and the advertisers and Las Vegas are glad, very glad. Work stops as people argue over their brackets. Sports Bars are full watching these games, the U.S. economy surges during the Football "December-January Madness"... Post season games that actually MEAN something!

Again...the ACC Champion has never beaten a Big 4 conference team in a BCS game!!

Again, always the first time. Have Faith, Be Optimistic, Is a glass half full or half empty?

Lastly, a true playoff will cause parity to happen among the conferences. No need for teams and top prospects to flock to a super conference .... since all FBS Conferences go to the Championship Tournament, there is no need

The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

Logical oversight? Government....?

Me too! LOL - logical oversight!***

Screw the federal government.

Re: Screw the federal government.

Re: Screw the federal government.

So let me see if I follow you.....

no no no don't you see . . .

nope.***

Re: The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

Your argument is pure garbage

Texas A&M would say

Re: The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

heck no***

Bullcrap.***

LOL...

Because we know Harry Reid, John Kerry,

You know, You are going to be labled a "Socialist"

Re: You know, You are going to be labled a "Socialist"

Re: You know, You are going to be labled a "Socialist"

Response To Your VERY GOOD Questions

Huh?

The BCS has only been around since 1998***

thats not the governments responsiblity***

Re: The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

You could have saved yourself a lot of typing and just said.

Duke and Wake are on foodstamps and gubmint cheese now.

Duke and Wake do not have money problems.

the government cuts our debt insteasing it ill let them be fans of sports teams***

Its sad and scary that many people

Uh, NO. The feds have more important issues on their plate.

Everyone always says, "If I were in charge of....

there is nothing socialistic about private revenue sharing

Of course there is....

Re: The Government Should Intervene in Expansion (long)

Are you SERIOUS!!!!

Last time I checked, the Federal Government can't pour p1ss

Yet, I bet you love the military***

Since when has the Govt provided "logical oversight"

The Government Should move to (short)

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