USC still serving postseason ban; Oregon could face trouble with NCAA investigation
College football fans these days hardly can turn on the television or surf the Internet without hearing about the Pac-12.
Commissioner Larry Scott has energized a lifeless conference, which is why he's spent most of the past week trending on Twitter.
In the past year, Scott has boosted membership by adding Colorado and Utah, finalized an unprecedented television deal and created the Pac-12 Networks, which, among other things, will ensure that every football and men's basketball game will be televised.
Indeed, it's a great time for the Pac-12.
"Our future is as bright as it's ever been," Scott said last week as Pac-12 Media Day unfolded at Fox Studios in Los Angeles.
And yet, the conference still has issues that cloud its present.
Just look at the preseason media poll. USC, picked to win the South, can't even compete in postseason play. The Trojans are in the final year of a two-year postseason ban, a penalty stemming from an investigation of illegal benefits for stripped Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.
The predicted North winner, Oregon, isn't in such trouble, but it soon could be. The NCAA is investigating the Ducks' $25,000 payment to a Texas-based recruiting service, trying to determine if the service steered recruits to Eugene.
It's a topic that has removed the shine from last season's march to the BCS Championship Game, where Oregon lost to Auburn in the final minutes. Coach Chip Kelly was asked several questions about it at Media Day, but each time he said the university wouldn't comment until a law firm completes an investigation.
"As head coach of this football program, we're held accountable for everything we do," Kelly said. " . . . I'd love to talk about it. There are a lot of answers I'd love to make sure we can get out there."
This isn't just a Pac-12 issue. Scandals are popping up everywhere in college football. At the SEC Media Days, Auburn coach Gene Chizik, coming off a national championship, grew defensive when asked about the NCAA's ongoing investigation of last year's quarterback, Cam Newton. At Big Ten Media Day, Ohio State's recent troubles were a popular topic.
And this just in: North Carolina has fired coach Butch Davis because of the odor stemming from an NCAA investigation into improper benefits and academic misconduct.
Perhaps this is why USC coach Lane Kiffin rambled for eight minutes during his opening statement to the news media in Los Angeles, saying, "With that, I've eaten up all the time so there's no hard questions you can ask me."
It was funny, but also somewhat true.
For the most part, during a three-day, coast-to-coast media tour (another Scott creation), Pac-12 coaches didn't stray from the company line. In Los Angeles, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian talked a about the importance of greater exposure. In Bristol, Conn., Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson discussed the conference's depth, saying "from top to bottom the competition in our league is unbelievable."
And yet, the conference powerhouses wait. One for an investigation, the other for a penalty's expiration date.
"It obviously takes away from all the good stories you want to talk about, and the good in college sports," Scott told the Seattle Times . "It creates kind of a dominant narrative around everything that's bad."
Thing is, the Pac-12 has plenty of positives. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck decided to return to school when he could've been an NFL first-round draft pick. He's one of nine returning Pac-12 starting quarterbacks, giving the conference experience where it matters most.
Also back: Oregon's LaMichael James, winner of last season's Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nation's top running back, and Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict, a candidate for national defensive player of the year honors.
It's enough to think that once the season starts, the blemishes will be forgotten as competition takes center stage. But don't be foolish.
If USC wins the South, the second-place finisher will play the North champion in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game on Dec. 2.
That means a team that didn't win its division could represent the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl. Talk about awkward.
"I don't care," said Erickson, laughing. "A lot of things in life you take any way you can get it, you know."
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment