Something Must Be Done

17. Subject the college football program to the same financial scrutiny as the academic departments.

18. Allow the NFL to draft any players it wants from the AGPFL. Prohibit it from drafting college players until after their eligibility is completed. (Staying in the college ranks would be a declaration by the player that he does not want to turn pro or feels he isn't ready to do so.)

With this system, under-the-table payments to athletes would cease because the AGPFL players would be getting paid. In turn, there would be no incentive to pay college football players. There would be no more autonomous athletic departments. AGPFL coaches would not have to think about education, and college coaches would not be celebrities, but rather teachers concerned about their players' education. If an AGPFL player found he did not like the pro league, or wasn't good enough for it, he could drop out and go to college, if he was so qualified.

Fans of big-time college football could root for the AGPFL teams, which would be much like the old big-time college teams. Some students would become much more interested in their college football teams once they saw that the players were students like themselves. Others would find that they love the pageantry and skill of the AGPFL. Either way, they would be seeing something that is fair and aboveboard.

Of course, my plan will have opponents. Big-time coaches, athletic directors and boosters may be outraged by their loss of jobs and clout. To those complaints I say: Too bad! Who cares? And hooray!