Comments on O.J. Mayo's MySpace page could be considered an NCAA recruiting violation for as many as eight schools.
Photo by Brian Spurlock/SI
MySpace may not have taken over the world just yet, but it is causing quite a commotion among the NCAA Recruiting Subcommittee, which is now facing the reality that an Everyday Joe can post a message to a top high school recruit urging him to attend a certain school, and technically, this message constitutes a recruiting violation . For example, the MySpace page of the nation's top high school player, OJ Mayo, has drawn comments from fans of USC (to which Mayo has reportedly committed), Syracuse, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio State, Memphis and Cincinnati. Thus, all eight schools are in violation of the NCAA's strict recruiting standards.
The NCAA's response to all this: "There are currently no references in the NCAA bylaws that directly talk about personal Web pages such as MySpace. That said, it is up to each individual college and university to self-report a violation if they feel that a fan is considered under this definition [as a representative of an institution's athletic interests]."
Kentucky was the first school to "self-report," and others may follow, but the problem lies within the NCAA’s archaic rules. Today, we want to know how the NCAA should handle these violations. There are 94 million users of MySpace, and the site makes up 4.46 percent of all Web visits. In other words, it's impossible for the NCAA to keep up with every recruit's page (not to mention the inevitable kid who sabotages a rival school by posting a message urging them to attend, thus putting that rival school in violation). Should the NCAA look the other way and ignore MySpace altogether? Should it be up to the school to self-report? Should recruits be banned from having a MySpace page? What's your solution?
Is Chris Leak's job as starting quarterback for the Gators safe with freshman Tim Tebow breathing down his neck?
Bob Rosato/SI
There's nothing quite like the promise of youth, especially in college football. With a number of top recruits about to set foot on the campuses of big-time programs, do any incumbents have to worry about their jobs? We think so. Florida quarterback Chris Leak has never been on stable ground in The Swamp, and now he has frosh Tim Tebow breathing down his neck. Another signal-caller who should be feeling a tad uneasy is Georgia's Joe Tereshinski III (thanks to incoming prep star Matthew Stafford). The best high school running back in the nation, Chris "Beanie" Wells, is ready to show off his wares at Ohio State. Then, of course, there's defensive back Myron Rolle, who should step in immediately at Florida State.
In your view, which fresh faces will threaten the upperclassmen this fall?
Would Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson be the No. 1 pick in your college fantasy football draft?
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Tell me if this sounds familiar. It's noon on Sunday when you stumble out of bed, brush your teeth, grab something to eat, and jump online to check your fantasy football team for last-minute injuries or lineup changes. After all, serious bragging rights with your friends are at stake each week. Then you grab a beer, park yourself in front of the TV at 1 p.m., and sit there for the next ten hours, getting up only to use the bathroom and check the computer to see how your team is doing. While this is a typical Sunday for most of the male population, Saturday is a slightly different story: Get up at noon, stumble out of bed, brush your teeth, grab something to eat and spend the day watching college football action.
What's the big difference? One day is full of fantasy football while the other is not. The reason? College fantasy football just hasn't caught on. Why? We have no idea.
The two games are virtually identical. The starting lineups (1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF) and scoring (6 points for a TD; 1 point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving; 1 for every 25 yards passing, plus defense and special teams points) are the same. And the decisions -- for instance, who to take with the first overall pick in an NFL league (Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson or LaDainain Tomlinson) – are just as tough as figuring out who you want with the first pick in a college league (Adrian Peterson, Michael Bush or Troy Smith).
We'd like to know what would entice you to join a college fantasy league? What are the major advantages compared to the NFL? What are the major flaws?
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