College Sports in General and Other College Sports

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JohnBM01

JohnBM01

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I have had the honor of bringing the collegiate sporting landscape to GTPlanet. I often try to contribute as much as I can, but there are some cases where trying to start individual threads and such don't mean too much in the long run. So what I did here was come up with a general thread to discuss college athletics mostly in college sports other than the major ones. This also pertains to various matters not directly involving specific games. So stuff like athletics directors or college sports that don't get as much attention is what I am aiming this thread to be good for. In fact, I'll start with one of the latest deals regarding collegiate athletics.

In college basketball, we've heard of the scandal involving basketball at the University of Louisville. Now, we've heard of all of the turmoil involving Michigan State University. This especially in the wake of Larry Nassar getting hit with a very long prison sentence for the sexual harassment chaos he caused. Now you got people stepping down or are in some kind of trouble as part of an ongoing investigation.

Let us not lose focus on certain other college sports that do not get as much media attention. As of this post, it is time for sports like baseball and lacrosse to take center stage even in the midst of college basketball. So if you are willing to contribute to this more generalized thread on most other college sports and things not directly linked to college football or college basketball, then let's chat here!
 
This time of year, it is usually time to look at college sports like lacrosse, college baseball, and college softball. I personally love college lacrosse. Lacrosse is like basketball meets hockey. It is fun to watch. So if you get a chance to see some college lacrosse, go check it out.
 
Yesterday, there was a pretty good gymnastics battle between #1 Oklahoma at #4 UCLA. Heading into the 4th rotation, both teams were tied. UCLA had some great gymnasts both on the beam and on the floor. In the end, it was #1 Oklahoma winning at #4 UCLA 198.050-197.950 in a spirited contest.
 
Controversy has erupted of late as the FBI is investigating as many as 20 different schools for college athletes whom have acquired some funding to play college sports. Among some of the many popular schools in this investigation include the likes of Michigan State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Wichita State, and others. Most reactions have been along the lines of, "what is the FBI doing fiddling with college athletics?" One thing I read on Twitter was that Arizona's men's basketball head coach was wiretapped about $100K USD for a certain recruit or player to play for the program.

We'll see what results from this, but this can be very chaotic.
 
Last night, my Houston Cougars took on Mississippi State in baseball. This game had to be settled in extra innings after midnight. The game was at Minute Maid Park- home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. So while most people were probably partying in downtown Houston, the Coogs and Bulldogs settled business on the diamond. Sadly, my Cougars lost 3-2 in... I want to say 13 innings.

I do want to say this, though. Kentucky looks great in the NCAA baseball ranks. In fact, the SEC is usually adept in baseball as they are in almost any NCAA sport.
 
This past weekend, the Peacocks of St. Peter's College defeated the Iona College Gaels 7-1. This win for St. Peter's (once a football school) ended a brutal 78-game losing streak.

Most other schools right now are playing mostly conference tournaments in baseball and softball. It won't be too long until the College World Series occurs in baseball and softball.

I also believe there is still some lacrosse being played out on the men's and women's side. Ever since my parents switched satellite providers, I haven't been able to see much lacrosse as I used to as it's mostly on CBS Sports Network.
 
The NCAA has made a handful of changes to enhance college basketball. Incoming players can now have agents represented. College players who declare for the NBA Draft that don't get drafted are eligible to return to school. Should be interesting to see how this deal plays out the next few years.
 
Bellarmine University. If you don't know it, get to know it, because it will join NCAA Division 1 starting in the 2020-2021 season. Bellarmine is a religious non-football school in Louisville, Kentucky; and their athletics teams are nicknamed the Knights. This move to NCAA D1 was what I saw on ESPN's Bottom Line. They are moving from (I believe) the Great Lakes Valley Conference in NCAA D2 to join the D1 ranks.


[OMISSION] Bellarmine will join the Atlantic Sun conference in its move to NCAA D1.
 
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I came across an interesting story on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" earlier today. Check this out, GTPlanet.

If the state of California approves a certain bill that allows for college players to financially profit from their likenesses and namesakes, there is a possibility that California teams will be unable to compete in NCAA Championships. This act being considered by California legislature is called the "Fair Pay to Play Act." Passing this Act would be detrimental to California schools big and small in competing in the postseason. Pretend that the USCal Trojans' football team wins the Pac-12 Championship, if San Diego State wins the Mountain West football championship, if the UCLA Bruins win the Pac-12 tournament in basketball, if Long Beach State wins the conference championship in baseball and/or softball, or even if UCLA wins the gymnastics championship. Well... NONE of these schools would be able to compete in any NCAA National Championship games or tournaments. That's right. I am envisioning that this even incldes smaller California schools not on most popular Division 1 levels. So this can even impact smaller NCAA schools such as Sonoma State, San Francisco State, the Academy of Art, California State-Los Angeles, Azusa Pacific, California State-Pomona, Occidental College, Caltech, and others across every NCAA sport.

For more insight on this topic: https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/06/25/ncaa-california-championships-fair-pay-play-law


Though this was listed under College Football, this could very well impact all NCAA sports in California. So I posted this material here. I may post something similar in the latest college football thread. Some believe this is something that could be challenged in the Supreme Court if things get to this level. How do you feel about this?
 
The University of Connecticut officially announced their return to the Big East for all sports. What is not known is the fate of their football team. Reports indicate the UConn Huskies' football team may go Independent. The Big East used to have football. Today's Big East, though, is mostly all of the big Catholic or Jesuit universities and colleges.

Also, I would like to offer my congratulations to Vanderbilt on recently winning the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Baseball championship, defeating Michigan. Michigan won the first game of the College World Series, but then it was the Vandy Commodores that took Games 2 and 3 to become champions.
 
The NCAA has declared that 2020 Winter and Spring sports have been cancelled because of COVID-19/Coronavirus. Those championships even include the conference tournaments in basketball for men and women. The entire March Madness for 2020 is canceled as well. All of these moves are in play to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.
 
The economic impacts of COVID-19/Coronavirus are going to impact any number of colleges and universities. One victim of late has been the University of Cincinnati discontinuing its men's soccer team. Since soccer is a Fall/Autumn sport in the NCAA, it could possibly mean other schools may axe certain programs to save money or cut expenses.
 
So you're a college athlete and want some endorsement? Guess what? The NCAA will allow you to ink endorsement deals. The package is set to take effect starting in the 2021-2022 season. You will be able to profit from your name and likeness in college sports. Some say this is the NCAA finally getting out of the Stone Age and into the present climate. Here is a Bleacher Report article on this issue: https://bleacherreport.com/articles...profit-off-their-likeness-starting-in-2021-22 .
 
Some time back, there were discussions on ESPN shows like "Get Up!" and "First Take" regarding college football without fans. One of the reason why I love college sports is just how fun everything is- even including all of the fan involvement. You can especially think of college sports when there are rivalry games. Really, I can't imagine college sports not having the same flavor and appeal without fans in attendance. Imagine some of the big rivalries- Texas vs. Oklahoma, USCal vs. UCLA, Duke vs. North Carolina, Michigan vs. Ohio State... you go from there. The right thing is being done by keeping people safe from trying to spread a pandemic threat. However, this also dulls the impact college sports provide. I think even players draw off of the energy of crowds especially at home games.

One of the other impacts of college sports is in simply knowing what schools are actually able to open and hold classes. Remember- we love these college players, but the college players themselves are still going to college to gain their education. If schools aren't really open or have the proper financial plan to stay afloat and save money, then it will be tough for colleges and universities to field various teams. That's why a number of schools like Akron, Cincinnati, and others have cut certain athletic programs to save money in the wake of the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic.

College sports will seem a lot different between now and about 5-10 years from now. How programs will stay afloat financially will be a challenge for various schools to try to navigate.
 
The NCAA has approved voluntary workouts to start either June 1st or July 1st for revenue sports (football, men's basketball, and women's basketball). So the chances of these sports at least seeing 2020-2021 seasons seem to have a bright future for now.
 
The Big East has no longer been a football conference since almost exclusively being a conference for mostly Catholic and Jesuit schools. However, they too have cancelled all or most Fall sports for 2020. Same applies for the Atlantic 10.
 
One school is considering a name change. Earlier this month, Valparaiso University has decided to drop the "Crusaders" nickname. I am not sure what Valpo is thinking otherwise, but they no longer will be referred to as the Crusaders.

Also earlier this month, Oklahoma's softball team put a beast effort in smashing UTEP at the University of Texas-El Paso. The Lady Sooners downed the UTEP Lady Miners 29-0. There were 13 home runs hammered by Oklahoma. The previous record in a game was 10.
 
THIS JUST IN...

The University of Houston will now officially join the Big XII. They can officially play a Big XII schedule starting in 2023. Other schools potentially officially joining the Big XII are BYU, UCF, and Cincinnati. The feel won't be classic Big XII with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC to join ex-Big XII school, Texas A&M; however, this finally puts Houston in as a proper top-level school in a top-level conference. Hopefully this will all work out well for UH moving forward. So what does that mean for sports for the University of Houston? Well, it means they will be up against teams like Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and how about this in basketball- Kansas.

It is likely BYU, UCF, and Cincinnati may also accept offers to join the Big XII. I posted this information here than in my college football thread because this affects more than just college football.
 
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Circa 2026, there is a possibility of the NCAA having the Final Four basketball tournaments in the same city for the men and the women. It was also announced that "March Madness" will also be marketed in regards to the women's version of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament. So soon both college basketball tournaments will be marketed as "March Madness."
 
BYU, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston have all officially joined the Big XII today. Big XII is going to be fairly good even as schools like Texas and Oklahoma are moving to the SEC. I am certainly excited about the University of Houston in the Big XII. I expect them to struggle in the Big XII along with some of the other teams.
 
When I first got into sports, Colorado was in the Big XII. Then some time later, they moved to the (then) Pac-10, which is now the Pac-12. Now... Colorado is returning to the Big XII.

Watching "Pardon the Interruption" recently, it's possible Arizona and/or Arizona State University could join the Big XII. At least, they are being targeted by the Big XII for realignment.
 
The Pac-12 as we know it may be in shambles. It was recently reported a few schools departed from the Pac-12 to join other conferences. The Big XII recently picked up Colorado (returning to the Big XII). Recently, though, Oregon and Washington moved to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah will also join the Big XII. The only remaining members of the current Pac-12 are Oregon State, Washington State, California, and Stanford. Some believe the current Pac-12 may merge with the Mountain West, and some others think the Pac-12 will simply be no more. These teams should be playing in the Pac-12 by the 2024 season.

Outside of the Big XII, there is a report that Florida State may depart from the ACC in the future. I heard this has to do with money or something like that.
 

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