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1. Pete Thamel wrote an incredible column on ESPN.com late last week.
If you haven't read it, you should. I'll link it here.
There are multiple nut graphs, a journalism term referring to the paragraphs that are the crux of a story. Here's one:
College athletics needs revolution, not the same incremental and ineffective evolution. Leaders should stop legislating to satisfy the complaints of the now and start envisioning what college athletics should actually look like in the next generation. Then start moving and leading toward that vision. And it's one that should involve much less of the NCAA.
I couldn't agree more. College athletics seems to be fighting against itself these days, fighting against change. They want to put the genie back in the bottle, and she's refusing.
Last June, Thamel wrote, the Supreme Court laid bare the NCAA's hypocrisy in the Alston ruling, which held that the NCAA was violating antitrust law by placing limits on the education-related benefits that schools can provide to athletes.
"The NCAA is not above the law," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion. "The NCAA couches its arguments for not paying student athletes in innocuous labels. But the labels cannot disguise the reality: The NCAA's business model would be flatly illegal in almost any other industry in America."
The ruling also gave a vision for what college sports can look like in the future.
The Supreme Court roadmap from the Alston case involves individual conferences taking the lead on the future. Time and again in the ruling, the court stresses that "individual conferences remain free to impose whatever rules they choose."
And at some point, that's going to evolve into some sort of compensation model for players -- derived from the billions in television revenue. It's only a matter of time before the pearls are unclutched. The question school presidents and conference commissioners need to ask is whether they want courts to force this -- again -- or if they finally want to craft their own future.
There's not a ton going on these days. Football is on break. Basketball appears to have its roster -- albeit flawed -- complete and frankly, the Bianco watch is somewhat tiresome, though I'll write about his team and what's happening later in this content item. Most of this installation of 10 Weekend Thoughts, however, is going to be about my reactions to Thamel's excellent piece.
2. I think it's inevitable that a conference -- and I'd put my money on the Southeastern Conference and/or the Big Ten here -- takes the lead and institutes some sort of revenue sharing system that gives players from revenue-producing sports some share of the profits.
How does that work? I don't know. That's above my pay grade, but I bet Greg Sankey and leaders like him are looking at and contemplating models. They could potentially take some of the massive television/streaming revenues and create salaries for players, all the while allowing them to cut outside NIL deals to supplement that salary.
Would that make the players employees? Would they have to sign contracts? Would that change transfer rules? Again, questions I can't answer, but they are questions college administrators are going to have to figure out sooner rather than later.
Frankly, the Big Ten and the SEC are the two leagues that really matter. Why? They're producing revenues that give them a remarkable competitive advantage over the other "Power-5" leagues. As Thamel wrote, "the Big Ten and SEC are pulling so far away from their alleged peer power leagues so quickly that we appear poised for another seismic realignment shift soon because of the revenue gap. And the only reason people haven't seen this coming is they are distracted by nonsense.
"The smart leaders who aren't in either of those two power leagues know they are soon going to be competing against schools that receive nearly double the annual revenue from their conferences. This is an unsustainable competitive model that's destined to shake up college sports much sooner and more drastically than is being discussed right now."
More:
In the mid-2020s, Navigate Research projects that each Big Ten and SEC school will be making in the neighborhood of $100 million in league payouts and the next three leagues -- ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 -- will be taking in about half that.
Projections are fickle, and specifics that far out are tricky. But even a $30 million gap annually -- the most conservative of estimates -- would be unsustainable competitively for big brands like USC, Oregon, Clemson and UNC.
Boy, Thamel is laying some hints down there, at least in my opinion. It jives with what I've been hearing for years.
3. If you're USC, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Virginia, et. al., you can't just sit back and watch this happen.
You have to be on the phone with attorneys, looking for ways out.
As Thamel noted, the Pac-12 contract is coming up after the 2023 football season with a coinciding expiring grant of rights. I've predicted for a while that I believe USC will join the SEC. I still believe that. I think Washington and Oregon will join the Big Ten. There's too much money on the line. Risking that money to stay in the Pac-12 is non-sensical.
It's one of the reasons I think the SEC hasn't been panicky about future scheduling. Divisions, pods, whatever. By the time Texas and Oklahoma join in 2025 (or sooner, perhaps), there might be others. Is there another Pac-12 school that makes sense for the SEC? A couple of years ago, there was rumbling about Arizona State. Maybe it's UCLA. Maybe it's none of the above.
It's not a secret that some of the Atlantic Coast Conference powers are wary of the future. If you're Clemson or Florida State or Miami, for example, you're simply scared of trying to recruit against juggernauts that are sharing revenues with players.
4. It's why I've been stunned that the ACC and Pac-12 have held up the expansion of the College Football Playoff.
A 12-team playoff would guarantee those leagues a seat at the table and also expand their profit sheets quite a bit. Short-sightedly, they've pushed back, fearful the SEC would land five bids in a 12-team playoff.
From Thamel:
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has indicated he may be less willing to make concessions on the next College Football Playoff after a band of new commissioners scuttled years of expansion talks on the cusp of them coming to fruition. And while playoff talks take a pause, financial disparity gravity is a powerful flex of SEC leverage. Many have warned not to underestimate how ticked off Sankey is at the other leagues, who outside the Big Ten are increasingly going to need the revenue, exposure and lifeline of a national playoff.
Could the SEC take its ball and start its own postseason? Could they dare the Alliance to put together a playoff and play the winner? Holding hands and working together failed so far. And the individualization of leagues is going to forge the future of college athletics a lot more than someone in Indianapolis.
He didn't write those paragraphs as filler. He's heard something.
Could the soon-to-be-expanded SEC and Big Ten join forces and form what would essentially be a mini-NFL? What happens to other sports in that scenario? Again, I don't know the answers, but the TV networks are going to have a major say in the future as well.
The bottom line is this: There's been an obsession lately on NIL and the transfer portal. However, the focus should be on stories much bigger than those.
5. Meanwhile, back to the micro view of college football, Nick Saban spent some time insulting our collective intelligence recently.
Saban said Friday he wants to see college football get back to parity in the sport.
I mean...
During an interview with Paul Finebaum, the Alabama coach stressed there is no “balance” in the sport which can impact the desired parity he seeks.
“One of the things I’d like to see us be able to work back to is everything in college football has always had parity: same scholarships, same academic support, healthcare, whatever it is,” Saban explained. “I don’t think we have that balance right now which could affect the parity of college football and athletics as a whole.”
To his everlasting credit, one of Saban's former employees, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, called out the sheer ridiculousness of the legendary Alabama coach's sentiments.
Things have never been balanced in college football. NIL has done two things. One, it has let us say the quiet part out loud and two, it has swung the balance of power to schools with large, corporate booster bases that are willing to pay above the table but reluctant to invest in the same way below it.
Saban is anything but stupid. He knows. As my friend and former radio co-host, Mark Heim, noted:
The Crimson Tide’s success over the past the years suggests there is anything but parity in college football. In the eight years of the College Football Playoff, Alabama has been among the top 4 in seven of those years.
The Tide has won 15 straight against permanent SEC East opponent Tennessee. Alabama has also beaten Arkansas 15 straight times on the field (2007 was later vacated.) It also had a 14-year win streak over Mississippi State.
Saban’s 183-25 hardly suggests parity exists in college football. The transfer portal - and Alabama’s ability to pluck talent - and the popularity of NIL - where bigger programs appear to have an edge over the rest of college football - make appears to make parity an abstract concept.
The truth is there has never been parity in college athletics. It was never set up that way. In the NFL, for instance, there is an equal number of teams in an equal number of divisions with salary caps and talent is picked from the same pool of talent and in an order of how you finished the year before. None of that exists in college football, nor is it possible for it to.
I couldn't have said it better. Kids have always gone to the highest bidder. There are new bidders now. Again, good for Kiffin having fun on Twitter, good for Heim on getting tons of clicks, but the genie is out of the bottle.
6. I couldn't help but wonder what Mike Bianco was thinking Sunday.
Coaching against his alma mater and against his son, Drew, on the younger Bianco's senior day, Bianco guided his team to a sweep in Baton Rouge for the first time in school history. More importantly, Bianco's team improved to 13-14 in the SEC and very much back into the NCAA Tournament picture.
Sunday's 8-5 win was Ole Miss' seventh straight league win (counting the Governor's Cup win over Mississippi State in Jackson last month) and set up what should be a high-stakes three-game set versus Texas A&M starting on Thursday in Oxford.
The Aggies swept Mississippi State to improve to 17-10 in the SEC, catching Arkansas on top of the SEC West standings. The Razorbacks lost two of three games to Vanderbilt in Fayetteville and finish the regular season at Alabama late this week.
But back to Bianco. It had to be a bizarre feeling, coaching against LSU just months after pursuing the Tigers' job with Ole Miss' blessing. Just a few weeks ago, it was all but a given that Bianco's time at Ole Miss was up after 22 seasons. It still could be, as it's likely the Rebels need a deep NCAA Tournament run to stop that momentum, but over the weekend in Baton Rouge, Ole Miss looked like a team capable of doing just that.
Ole Miss' lineup was dominant all weekend, getting contributions from the top of the order all the way to the bottom. The Rebels' defense was sharp. The starting rotation was strong and the bullpen did its job.
For two-plus weeks in a row, Ole Miss has looked like a really solid baseball team. The Rebels are having fun, playing loose. They'll have their hands full with the Aggies, of course, but suddenly, there are potential conversations to be had.
On Sunday, however, Bianco got a last laugh in Baton Rouge. What LSU did to him last June -- leaking details of his interview to force him to withdraw from the process so Scott Woodward could hire his own man -- was total crap. It put Bianco in an impossible situation and set up this season of angst in Oxford.
At this point, who knows how it ends up? It was cool, though, that on Sunday, he got a chance to stand with family at his son's big day.
“I miss a lot of my kids," Bianco said afterwards, taking a moment to collect his emotions. " I miss graduations, proms, I miss a lot of stuff. So, I hope people understand, and if they don’t, I don’t really care. This is my kid and his senior day, and his mom and his dad are very proud of him. So, it was special to be here today.”
7. It's time for my weekly ranking of SEC baseball teams as we enter the final week of the regular season.
1. Tennessee -- The Vols got back on the winning track, taking two of three from Georgia.
2. Texas A&M -- The Aggies are one of the hottest teams in the country.
3. Arkansas -- The Razorbacks' offense woke up a bit against Vanderbilt, but they just never look like an elite team.
4. Vanderbilt -- The numbers don't show it, but the Commodores are so talented. I wouldn't want them showing up to my regional as a 2-seed.
5. Georgia -- The Bulldogs are scrappy, but their pitching hasn't held up as much as they'd hoped.
6. Auburn -- The Tigers probably have to make a ton of noise in Lexington to stay in the hosting conversation.
7. LSU -- With Berry out of the lineup, the Tigers' offense doesn't have the same bite.
8. Ole Miss -- The Rebels are on fire. The series with Texas A&M could be a lot of fun.
9. Florida -- The Gators would be advised not to stumble this weekend against South Carolina.
10. South Carolina -- The Gamecocks compete, but they're just not anywhere near as talented as they used to be.
11. Alabama -- The Tide ran out of steam. They can play spoiler against Arkansas next weekend, sure, but one has to think another coaching change is imminent in Tuscaloosa.
12. Kentucky -- The Wildcats can get to Hoover with just a dash of success against Auburn this weekend.
13. Mississippi State -- Sometimes when you watch the Bulldogs, it's impossible to believe they're the defending national champions.
14. Missouri -- Credit to the Tigers; they keep playing hard.
8. The NBA gave us two Game 7s Sunday, as Dallas and Phoenix settled things in the West and Milwaukee and Boston ended an epic series in the East.
While some will be watching lottery ping pong balls on Tuesday night, most will be locked into the conference finals, which begin after the 2022 draft order is determined Tuesday.
Here are my predictions for the aforementioned conference finals:
Eastern Conference: Boston over Miami in 6
Western Conference: Golden State over Dallas in 6
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 135 — Baked Ribs.
Yes, I know that smoking ribs are better than baked. Yet, what if you don’t have a smoker? Well, it is time to bake some ribs. The easy way.
Tidbit #1: For these, we will start with a dry rub. If you like your ribs wet, at end of the cooking process is the place to add the sauce.
Tidbit #2: This technique involves keeping the ribs in the oven for 2.5 hours. The first half-hour is at a high temperature, then we will add our beer, and lower the temperature to complete the cooking.
Tidbit #3: For a slightly smoky flavor, we will add the hickory in the bottom of the pan.
Things you will need:
4/6 People
Preparation time - 10 Minutes
Cook time - 2.5 Hours
Amber Beer
Utensils needed:
Worksurface and chef’s knife
Oven
Baking tray with metal grill
Measuring Cups
2 Mixing bowls
Aluminum foil
Fork
Pastry Brush
Ingredients needed:
2 Racks of ribs
2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tsp garlic powder
2 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Black pepper
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 Cup Tomato paste
3 Pieces of hickory
1 Amber beer
Mise en Plac
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Then in your 1st mixing bowl add all of the spices. Mix. In your second mixing bowl, the tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. Mix and reserve 1/4 of the mixture for later.
Step 1.2: For your ribs, brush on the liquid tomato paste on all sides. After, sprinkle over the ribs. Place the hickory below the grill with the ribs on top. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes in the oven.
Step 2: Take the pan out of the oven and pour your beer in on a lifted corner. Reduce the temperature to 325°F, re-cover the aluminum, and place it back in the oven to cook for 2 hours.
Final
Step 3: Take the ribs from the oven, pull off the aluminum foil, and brush on the remainder of the liquid paste. Turn your oven to the broiler setting and place the ribs back in to become crispy on the outside, for about 5 minutes. Make sure to watch them so they don’t get too dark like the one in the top left of the picture. Serve with your favorite sides and you're good to go!
From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss baseball, football recruiting, basketball recruiting and whatever else may come up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
The quirkiest process in football: How head coaches fill out their staffs
Thompson: The return of 'Game 6 Klay' and the persistence that fueled it
Young Grizzlies showed they can play elite ball, and they're only getting better
Amick: Warriors-Grizzlies series had an iron-sharpens-iron feel
Will the Angels add at the trade deadline? Is Brett Gardner going to play again?
Gammons: The Diamondbacks-Marlins swap that paid off for players and teams alike
Former Cubs star Anthony Rizzo returns to Chicago
Rising star Carlos Alcaraz earning reputation as ‘The Next Nadal’
New mega asteroid bigger than Empire State Building to make ‘close approach’ in DAYS
Study finds cleaner air leads to more Atlantic hurricanes | AP News
Scientists now question the point of mass COVID-19 testing | National Post
Meet the TikTok sleuth who identifies the sports clips in the background
'Superman's not supposed to get ALS,' but Tim Green is fighting back
