This debate was extremely interesting to say the least, to hear from current coaches, former players collegiate as well as professional, conference commissioners and broadcasters was quite insightful.

I don’t think that much was really resolved, but the first step in resolution is always conversation. As a former collegiate and professional football player I could relate to all sides of the argument.

I’m of the opinion that the coaches and colleges face many problems and issues, but at the end of the day things always boil down to the all mighty dollar. The argument with regards to education is thoroughly agreed upon, but the reason we encourage kids to go to college and get a degree is for the future betterment of themselves to be good people and beneficial to society. And yet the prize is always to make money in the end.

All of their goals and hopes point to money, that’s what is assumed a good education will provide for the person who attains it. For the lion share of collegiate athletes, turning pro and getting a handsome contract is the fulfillment of going through four years of college. We do live in a new world as it pertains to collegiate sports, and as old school as some of the panelists claim to be, the old world of college sports they knew has drastically changed forever and no longer exists.

The money has grown immensely and the marketing of star players has contributed to that growth. The players now realize their worth to universities and their revenues, and rightfully want a share, legally or illegally. Why should the universities and the BCS make millions, if not billions while the players who create the wealth, live in virtual poverty. I realize that it is a difficult problem to solve, but a scholarship-ed athlete according to NCAA rules is not allowed to work, so how are they to attain money for the basic needs of life? As long as there are alum who will offer them the money, they will take it.

I can remember being a college athlete and never having money for a thing. I took deodorant and soap from the locker room for my needs at the dorm. Yes we got room and board, paid tuition and 3 square meal per day, at 7 AM, 12 PM and 7 PM, by 9 PM I was hungry again. I was 17 yrs old with no option or money for a snack or additional meals between that 12 hour window until breakfast. And while the coaches and those who oppose paying these college kids are sitting at home in their cushy million dollar homes, with refrigerators fill to the brim, I was starving in my 10 x 10 dorm room.

Much talk has gone on about the cost of attendance, and while that would be a start, some schools would be at a greater advantage than others. $2000-$3000 per year, divided by 40 weeks, comes out to $75 per week or $10 per day. Hardly enough to make a difference or stop a kid from accepting money from a willing alum.

Clearly something needs to be done, it is an issue that will not go away and has come to a head in college athletics. I’m not saying that we should make these kids millionaires in college. But a sufficient stipend that allows them to take care of their basic needs, go see a movie or take a young lady or gentleman out on a date would go a long way in rectifying this problem.

Seth Joyner

Last week was a crazy week for College football. First the BCS strips USC of its championship and now the drama with Terrell Pryor and Ohio State.

I’m still trying to understand how cash payments off the field gave Reggie Bush such an unfair advantage that it warranted the BCS stripping the entire Trojan team of the reward of years of hard work. Secondly why does Pete Carroll get to ride off into the NFL sunset and double his salary without any repercussion? Everyone pays but Pete, Reggie Bush is vilified, former players lose their championship and the current players suffer because of NCAA infractions.

Everyone’s vilifying Reggie, but what young kid in college, and broke wouldn’t do what he did. If people think that it doesn’t happen at every major college they’re smoking something. Recruiting is way too competitive not too, most schools and alumni are smart about it.

Terrell Pryor same situation, you have a student athlete that comes from humble beginnings and he has the opportunity to put some cash in his pocket, drive nice cars at no expense and you expect him to not except it? Because these two guys were the most high profile guys on their team, and played for national powerhouses they became the focal points.

Neither Reggie nor Terrell are or were the only players receiving money. If the NCAA could dig far enough into both of these programs and most of the programs of the national powerhouses they would all wind up like SMU.

I have a level of respect for Jim Tressel because he did all he could to protect his players, could he have headed this off at the pass, probably, but once the damage was done, how many people would’ve blew the whistle on themselves? All he could manage was damage control hoping the cat wouldn’t get all the way out of the bag.

The NCAA and BCS are the hypocrites here. It’s OK for you guys to make a mint off of these players without compensating them anything. Even at UTEP when I was there, some players had a sugar daddy and we could beat a drum with a drumstick. People will say, well we’re providing them 3 squares, living quarters and a free education, fair enough, but what about the bare necessities of life. What if a young student athlete wants to take a young lady or gentleman out on a date, where are they to get money, as a scholarship athlete you cannot work except for summer months. Are these kids to survive the entire semester without cash? A monthly or semester stipend would go a long way to curb some of these issues and justify penalties for wrong doing.

Money drives our society, college football is big business, and even the Federal Government is looking into the BCS. These institutions wouldn’t exist if big money wasn’t achievable. Why not share the wealth with these kids who make the game what it is. I’m not talking about a lot of money, but enough to allow them to function. How are the alum and perpetrators penalized as well? The kids shouldn’t be the only ones punished, and what about the kids who do nothing wrong?

This issue will never go away, with wealthy alumni desiring bragging rights, Head Coaches needing to win to secure their multi-million dollar salaries, and the Universities, NCAA and BCS driving this big cash printing press, the only person not feeling the love is the athlete. So when the potential for cash presents itself you can best believe they will take the money, like everyone else and to some extent, rightfully so.

- Seth Joyner

When you think about Kentucky basketball and the mass exodus of players to the NBA each year what this year’s team is doing is nothing short of miraculous.

Granted, VCU and head coach Shaka Smart and Butler’s return to the Final four are Cinderella stories worthy of all the attention that they are getting. But with the way the season began for the Wildcats and the youth on this team, what they have accomplished is amazing.

Coach Cal is an anomaly in regards to his approach, and this approach will continue to net him the best talent that the country has to offer. The ultimate goal of most young college basketball players is to play at the elite level, the NBA.

Coach Cal’s approach is to prepare his players for the NBA and the fact that he embraces the one and done thought of the top level players has allowed him to garner some of the nation’s top talent. Although his commitment to the University of Kentucky is to win and chase National Championships, he realizes that if he can ensure the development and preparation of his players for the NBA he will continuously retool year after year.

Last year’s departure of freshmen and first round picks, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins is proof of his success. Most coaches don’t relish the one and done rule, it can be detrimental to most programs success and future, but being what it is, all coaches must deal with it.

Coach Cal isn’t just a master recruiter, but his ability to get his young players to develop individually and to play as a team from the beginning of the year to tournament time is remarkable.

With 2 freshman starters in Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones, 2 junior starters in DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller and senior Josh Harrellson and 6th man frosh Doron Lamb it is worth contemplating how this team came together like they have.

Freshman point guard Brandon Knight clearly is the facilitator of the team, but the development of Josh Harrellson is the wild-card. At 6′ 11″ 275 lbs his physical presence and gritty play allows for an inside out game that opens the floor up for the play making skills of knight, Liggins and Lamb.

All of these players possess the ability to create and penetrate, but their willingness to play unselfishly is the thing to be noted. They are tough to guard because they can go to the rack and get their own shot, while seeing the floor well enough to see help coming and find the open man to knock down the 3 ball.

If they can keep hitting the 3 ball they will be hard to beat, and with help side defense necessary to defend, Harrellson is the recipient of a lot of offensive rebounds. The other thing that makes Harrellson tough is he runs the floor well for a player his size and he can hit the mid range jump shot requiring his man to play him close, further opening the lane for the penetrators.

They are long and defend extremely well, and they rebound well as a team from the back court to the front court. This team is peaking at the right time, and with tournament wins versus Princeton, West Virginia, Ohio State and North Carolina this team is battle tested and seems poised to claim the National title.

- Seth Joyner

The NFL combine just wrapped up, a showcase of the top 300 plus NFL prospects going into the 2011 NFL Draft. The question still remains what did we learn about these young men? We know that most of them have spent the last 4 weeks or so working with combine specialists to perform their best over the last 5 days or so.

I’m often opinionated with regards to the combine because while you can measure a 40 time, a vertical leap, bench press, question players and subject them to the wonderlic test, how much can you really gauge, how good of a NFL player will they be?

For the guys that performed well, they have no doubt improved their draft status, while those who had less than stellar workouts have hurt their draft position.

I am constantly amazed and often irritated with the prognosticators who claim that they know where a guy is slotted and how good a player or particular players will be at the next level, and they guesstimate with such conviction.

Many players will fool various organizations by putting up great numbers, and wind up being a bust, while yet others will put up disappointing numbers and yet overachieve.

For all of the things they measure and evaluate, the one thing they can’t determine is what’s in these young men’s chest, heart and desire. I have witnessed many surefire draft picks become busts, and some whom not much is really expected become a diamond in the rough.

When I look at a Tim Tebow and Cam Newton, both are great athletes, but do not fit the mold of a prototypical NFL QB, the one criteria they both fit is that of bonafide winners and young men who have a burning desire to get better, that is a necessary element to all picks. Yet that’s something you cannot measure or teach, they either have it or they don’t.

I wished someone would run the percentages of anointed, surefire first rounders versus the players who flat out overachieve. Most of the players who overachieve are guys who are overlooked, 3rd-7th rounders with a chip on their shoulders because some guru told them that they wouldn’t succeed, not that someone out of the 2011 draft class with wind up in Canton.

At the end of the day, the NFL combine is a joke from the standpoint of all the gurus and experts who claim they know whose real and who’s not. I get it, the evaluation process must to be done, but in the end the only way a team will know for sure whether they hit the jackpot or not will be to put the player on the field and see how he develops.

I’m more concerned with what motivates these young guys, what their career goals are and whether they have leadership qualities about them than the numbers. Some players play faster than their 40 times reflect, some are more aggressive and fiery on the field than anything you can decipher from questions and performance metrics.

It’s always fun to watch and see where everyone winds up, but the real, test and evaluation comes once they suit up and compete against the best in training camp and during games. No one knows for sure what they’ll have for another 2-3 years no matter what the experts have to say or believe.

- Seth Joyner