| FTBL USF coach bristles at Saban's comments

Bama Bo said:
My neighbor and I were discussing this the other day. I don't think it's right or fair for the NCAA to set one set of academic standards and the SEC to set theirs higher. Look at this example. A few years ago the NCAA mandated that media guides had to be reduced in size because the smaller schools couldn't compete with the Alabamas and Auburns of the world. The NCAA said this gave the big schools an unfair advantage in recruiting. By allowing some schools/conferences to have lower academic standards, isn't this giving those schools an unfair advantage. Personally, I'm all for higher standards, but it should across the board that ALL schools have to raise standards.

This isn't the NCAA allowing the Big East to have lower standards, it is the SEC deciding to have higher standards.
 
psychojoe said:
Bama Bo said:
My neighbor and I were discussing this the other day. I don't think it's right or fair for the NCAA to set one set of academic standards and the SEC to set theirs higher. Look at this example. A few years ago the NCAA mandated that media guides had to be reduced in size because the smaller schools couldn't compete with the Alabamas and Auburns of the world. The NCAA said this gave the big schools an unfair advantage in recruiting. By allowing some schools/conferences to have lower academic standards, isn't this giving those schools an unfair advantage. Personally, I'm all for higher standards, but it should across the board that ALL schools have to raise standards.

This isn't the NCAA allowing the Big East to have lower standards, it is the SEC deciding to have higher standards.

I know that Joe. What I was trying to say was that the NCAA shouldn't allow that.
 
Re: ignorance is bliss

thefaintjoy said:
I love it when coaches tell the truth. Saban not going to Alabama? Did any of you read the retort by Leavitt?

Mike Ford paid the price for not being academically eligible by playing in a postgraduate program. Then when he did qualify he spurned Alabama for USF because of Shula. Sounds like sour grapes by Tide fans.

Unfortunately, you are incorrect and bitter about a loss to FSU. Since when do Alabama fans even talk about USF? Worry about making it through the season without 4 losses.

You seriously need to check your facts before posting nonsense.

Do you remember the Steve Spurrier story before the season started? He was pissed off because two of his players were cleared to play by the NCAA BUT were denied by South Carolina admissions because they did not meet requirements.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2962823

Then there is the story behind Mike Ford. Mike Ford didn't make it to Bama the first time out of highschool. He went to Hargrave for a year...and still didn't make it. After some time at a JC not playing football, he was finally cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse to play college ball. He then applied at the University of Alabama and was denied by the admissions department. From there he found USF that would accept him because their entry standards are lower. Why do you think he is a 21 year old freshman???

I would post that article for you to read yourself but it is on Rivals.com which is a premium site.

Another premium article on Rivals is the story on Peanut Whitehead, who is now at Louisville.

If you would like to read the truth about these players, sign up at Rivals and read their bios. It's all there. Most of it out of their mouths.
 
I agree with NS but I don't really think he is the person to voice that. His statements could be misconstrued as insinuating that many of the Big East players are stupid.
 
http://bamabeat.blogspot.com/

Saban had reason for his shot at USF

A somewhat innocuous question to Alabama coach Nick Saban in his Monday press conference has set off a war of words regarding one of college football's most contentious issues.

Saban singled out South Florida, undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the country this week, as one example of schools who are able to take advantage of looser admissions policies within their conferences. The Bulls' starting tailback is Mike Ford, who signed with Alabama twice but did not qualify, then enrolled at South Florida in January after spending one semester at a Mississippi junior college.

Saban argued that the admission requirements should be uniform for all NCAA Division I schools:

“I think that the distribution of players is not the same for everyone. We can’t take Props (partial qualifiers) in the SEC. They can’t take them in the ACC. And there’s a significant amount of players who don’t qualify. And they end up being pretty good players at some of these schools. I think there are six guys starting on South Florida’s defense who probably could have gone to Florida or Florida State but Florida and Florida State couldn’t take them. And if you do a good job of recruiting that way—now the Big East has passed a rule that they aren’t going to take Props at some time in the future. I don’t know if it’s next year or the year after or whenever. Now, will that affect their league? It shrinks the pool of players that they can recruit from. I’m not saying it’s not a good rule by the NCAA that we have NCAA eligibility requirements. I think that’s a good rule. I’m not saying that. But it’s not the same for everyone and it does create a lot of parity when you’re playing those schools, you’re playing against guys you couldn’t recruit.”

South Florida coach Leavitt fired back today in this story published on the Tampa Tribune's Web site, saying:

"It's not right [what Saban said], we've done what we've done because we've worked extremely hard. ... Of 110 players, we have two nonqualifiers, one starts, one doesn't," Leavitt said. "The Big East doesn't allow nonqualifiers. For a guy to make a mistake like that is not right."

Leavitt has every right to defend his players and his program, but he's clearly talking out of both sides of his mouth on this issue. Does the Big East allow non-qualifiers or doesn't it? If it doesn't, how does he have two on his team, including one (Ford) who starts?

It's pretty obvious that certain programs, and not just South Florida, are able to take advantage of lower admissions standards. The Big East seems to be among the biggest beneficiaries in recent years.

Remember Deantwan "Peanut" Whitehead, the defensive end out of Birmingham two years ago who is now at Louisville? He'd have been at Alabama or Auburn if he had been able to get in either school.

Running back Noel Devine, a five-star Florida prospect in 2006, seemed ticketed for either Florida or Florida State until he stunned the nation by signing with West Virginia. The reason? He couldn't qualify for his home-state schools.

Saban, who always chooses his words carefully, might have been better served by not mentioning South Florida by name, or at least by citing other examples like those listed above. But he rarely says anything without a purpose, and he's probably trying to send a message to the NCAA that something needs to be done about the academic disparity between programs that are supposed to be playing by the same rules.

Here's a blog on the Anniston Star.
 
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