Contributor article: SEC coaches vote in a player stipend, now should the NCAA?

Alex Ferguson, writer of the college football blog “The View From North America” wrote a lovely piece about the NCAA and whether it should pay players. He’ll be contributing SEC-related articles to the SEC Football Blog from time to time because as he says: “My blog needs some airing elsewhere”. We’ll let you know if the arrangement doesn’t work out. Anyway, here’s his first article….(taken from the View From North America’s site) –  While all the chat at the SEC’s Spring Meetings in Destin, Fl. may have been about scheduling, play-offs, and the amazing haircuts of Mssrs. Miles and Saban, the biggest news was one that was rather buried. We heard that every SEC coach had voted in a $300-per-game stipend for players.

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Slive: “We’re pretty much there” on scheduling

Despite the griping of the coaches, the SEC is close to getting some finality regarding a scheduling deal, Commissioner Mike Slive has told the SEC’s website. “I anticipate that by Friday afternoon, we will have a format,” he said. Coaches have been vigorous in their ideas of what they want varying to non-division games to count for nothing (Steve Spurrier and Les Miles), to no permanent non-division rival (Miles, who’s anxious on avoiding Florida year in, year out, despite the rivalry going on for 41 years), to a 6-1-1 deal. “There are pros and cons for every format,” Slive said. “I was impressed with the thoughtfulness that the football coaches brought to the meeting today.”  “It’s not easy,” Slive said.

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Schedule grumblings dominate SEC Spring Meetings talk

It’s as though everyone’s either on a schedule, or grumbling about them these days. And the SEC coaches are no different at the Spring Meetings in Destin, FL. A few points: There some seriousness in discussions of nine-game SEC schedule, with Nick Saban advocating it, according to Clay Travis.. “Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID: Biggest news on SEC football coaches meeting was seriousness of 9 game schedule. Told Saban advocated for 9.” Steve Spurrier wants divisions decided not by overall SEC record, but divisional record, and boy is he banging his drum about it. He’s still a little peeved that South Carolina didn’t get into its second straight SEC title game, even though it beat Georgia (in one of the games of the season, we

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Project Dough: The new name for the SEC Network

The SEC has a TV network, and they aren’t going to be afraid to use it. Just think Big Ten TV, except far, far bigger. It’s going to own the South, and then cross the Mason-Dixie Line and keep going, until even the Canadians say: “Screw the CFL, we’ll just watch SEC TV”. At the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, they don’t have a name for the Cash Cow, so they’ve named it “Project X”, with Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork telling Matt Hayes at SB Nation: “I think it’ll be every bit as big as the Big Ten”. And to start, they should be showing SEC games against Big Ten opponents, since the Big Eleven hasn’t exactly been

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Spring Meetings: SEC coaches vote in $300-per-game stipend

The SEC coaches might have just done something that could change the course of college football. This tweet came from Scott Hood at Gamecock Central: Scott Hood ‏@ScottHood63 In case you missed it, Steve Spurrier told me last night the SEC coaches unanimously approved giving FB players $300 per game for expenses. This isn’t just big news. This is massive news. This could mean that players are at least paid for playing – taking back some of the money that schools, clothing companies and other parties (yes, even college football blogs!) so happily take from them year in, year out. Hood played this down slightly, saying it probably wouldn’t get through the Athletic Directors and Presidents: Scott Hood ‏@ScottHood63: The key question, though,

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Spring Meetings: While you’re waiting…

While you’re waiting for all the news to come out of today’s SEC Spring Meetings, we’ve got some stuff for you to read (some of it’s a little old, so you’ll have to excuse us): 1) What’s a bigger dump – College Station, TX or Gainseville, FL? Kevin Sumlin and Will Muschamp have their comments, hilariously discussed by Outkick The Coverage. 2) Michael Felder (In The Bleachers) and Barrett Sallee (Bleacher Report) arguing over whether high-profile recruit Robert Nkemdiche will go to LSU or Alabama.  We think he’ll go to Georgia, because of his uncle and the chance to start pretty much straight away. 3) Alex Ferguson (ViewfromAmerica) put together a Storify piece about Steve Spurrier being awesome at his

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Tiger running scared? Miles not happy about Florida as permanent rival

The biggest news of the SEC Spring Meetings happened right at the end when news came out that LSU and Florida would be paired together for the forseeable future as ‘permanent’ SEC rivals as part of the new 6-1-1 scheduling. One coach was happy about this. One coach was not. LSU’s Les Miles was the one NOT wearing the smile. He said at his press conference in Destin (according to the Palm Beach Post): “This is all based on some vague tradition that is not considering that you’re adding teams to the conference. Tell me about the tradition of the conference when you add teams to it. He added: “I mean, Florida isn’t even a nearby state. This tradition of rivalry

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Recruiting News: DB picks USC

Ali Groves could have gone to Florida. Or to Vanderbilt. Or to Missouri. But instead, the Stephenson High defensive back chose Steve Spurrier and the University of South Carolina for his football career. The biggest issue for him may be a neck fracture, which kept him out for most of the 2011 season. Having said that, he was cleared to play in December – rather like a certain SEC alum we all know – so should be fine come September. Palmetto Sports said that linebacker Brandon Golson of Georgia Military Junior College may also come to Columbia as soon as this week. It must be noted that Groves wasn’t offered by his two homestate universities – UGA or Georgia Tech

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Recruiting news: Star O-Lineman commits to LSU

Star offensive linesman Ethan Pocic is moving out of Big Ten country and into the SEC, he told his Twitter followers today. “Yo just commited to LSU!” said the 6 ft 7, 285 lb giant offensive tackle. This news was well-timed, as it gave a lot of journalists some time off the SEC Spring meetings, which started in Florida on Tuesday. Pocic, a four-star recruit who’s ranked 36th in the country, will bring more solidity to Les Miles’ offensive line, also helping the running game as well as the future of quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who is almost certain to be playing two years behind the Tigers’ line this year (unless he’s flawless and will immediately start in the NFL, which

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Tuesday Spring Meetings: Spurrier, the 6-1-1, and other stories

It’s been a busy first day at the SEC Spring Meetings with everybody getting to find out how they felt about a play-off. Everyone wants a four-team play-off, and in particular the four-best teams in the country. But Steve Spurrier said that actually, the winners of the East and West should be decided ONLY on their records in their divisions. He said: “We’ve lost seven games in the last two years, and five of them are to Auburn and Arkansas. We were pretty good against them other guys, I guess.” Nice way to talk about your divisional rivals, Steve. In that world, LSU would have played South Carolina in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, by the way. Mark Richt, Georgia’s

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