Fire the NCAA?

It happens all the time. If it's not one school, it's another. Now it's Auburn -- again. According to reports, their football program is being investigated by the NCAA for violations in recent years. Cash or other goodies given to players, grades fudged to keep them academically eligible, improper recruiting -- you know -- the usual laundry list in big time college football. So far, nothing but denials out of the Auburn folks. What will come out of it, nobody knows. Likely the worst that can happen to Auburn is forfeiting some baubles in their trophy case, banners taken down, loss of a few scholarships, being bowl ineligible for a year and, of course, the dreaded probation, which is pretty much a joke anyway.

Like the IRS tax code, and "code" is a very good name for that behemoth of a manual, because nobody seems to be able to completely decipher it -- the NCAA has got rules on top of more rules. All the member schools, including their administrations, coaching staffs, and players are expected to toe the line, lest they be "audited". Despite how confounding it may be, "ignorance of the law" is no excuse, as they say.

Though I wouldn't advise it for taxpayers, what if several major college football schools banded together, went "rogue", and decided to throw off the oppressors of the NCAA? Consider the following scenario:

Grabbing a few random names, let's say Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Alabama, a couple of the major Florida schools, and assorted others decided to fire the NCAA and form their own superconference? Such a conference to be devoid of all those pesky NCAA rules and regulations. What's to keep them from doing it?

Certainly they all have the stadiums to play in. They already handle their own travel and endorsements with various companies. Dividing the conference into east/west divisions or the like could be sorted out. Setting schedules wouldn't be that big of a problem. And tell me the TV folks wouldn't climb all over each other trying to throw huge piles of money at them for broadcasting rights. Plus it would have the added benefit of eliminating those annoying "patsy" games so many of them frontload their schedules with.

The rule book goes out the window. Want to pay the players? Go ahead. The star quarterback needs a new SUV? The boosters would be happy to cough up such chump change. It's not like it's illegal. Only the NCAA currently stands in the way. Taxes on such income? Let the rich alumni, boosters or sponsors pony up for that too. Hey, if I wanted to pay my neighbor's taxes, I'm pretty sure the IRS wouldn't care as long as they got their money one way or the other. What's the difference? And who cares about grades? For that matter, why even make them go to class at all? Most of their curriculums (or is that curriculi?) are a joke, as well.

There would be no worries about revenue sharing in such a conference. Who needs revenue sharing when every school has a huge stadium and every game would be sold out? The only thing they would have to decide on is years of eligibility. Let them pick their own number. Heck, nowadays a lot of these so-called "student athletes" manage to hang around for 6 years supposedly pursuing a 4 year degree. Who's kidding who?

Currently, the NCAA is like border patrol agents. For every "illegal" they catch, another 100 sneak by. Their rules are about as effective as building an 800 mile fence across a 2000 mile long border. Hmm. That sounds familiar, but either way, it's akin to a screen door on a submarine.

The universally disliked bowl system and "national championship" set-up? History. Forget the computers and human pollsters. Any conference this forward-thinking would surely initiate a playoff system.

It could be very interesting if a few high-profile schools started such an uprising and fired the NCAA.

Will it ever happen? Probably not, but if it did, at least there wouldn't be any more dopey rules about how many phone calls a coach can make. Please.