I am not a betting man. Wagering on an Ohio State game would be nerve-wracking, so I can't imagine what people who bet on the Northwestern game – Brent Musburger included – must have felt like when Ohio State scored that last touchdown. I'd probably have been cackling madly or pounding my fists on the ground.
The $100 million loss Las Vegas took on a bad break is one of the biggest ever, and it could just as easily have been a $100 million gain. I guess what I'm saying is that gambling is capricious and you shouldn't do it much; if you must take that much money from a casino, watch Ocean's Eleven and get cracking. Now onto the Skull Session proper.
THREE BUCKEYES WIN WEEKLY AWARDS. Carlos Hyde, Bradley Roby, and Joey Bosa respectively won the Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week, special teams player of the week, and freshman of the week awards.
This is the fourth straight week a Buckeye has won offensive honors; alas, the streak ends with the bye week. This must be what Alexander the Great felt like when there were no more worlds for him to conquer.
30 FOR 30 ADDRESSES YOUNGSTOWN. As we mentioned yesterday, ESPN is producing a "30 for 30" documentary about Jim Tressel and Maurice Clarett called "Youngstown Boys", and its position in the "30 for 30" series will make it worth watching.
Aside from Ohio State fans' natural interest in the subject matter, another reason to pay attention to "Youngstown Boys" is because of its placement. It is set to air on Dec. 14 following the 2013 Heisman ceremony, a time slot where ESPN has premiered a number of acclaimed documentaries: "The U" in 2009, "Pony Excess" in 2010, "The Marinovich Project" in 2011 and "You Don't Know Bo" last year.
It's not clear whether this will be a rehash of Tom Farrey's 2004 story on Tressel's program at Youngstown State or something altogether different. Clarett's prison sentence and recuperation will be part of the story, as will Tressel's firing and show cause penalty, but whether the narrative on each will have evolved remains to be seen. One pessimistic guess: like "Ghosts of Mississippi", it will attempt to reconcile the present with the uncomfortable past to mixed results.
Carlos Hyde won't be winning any awards next week. Slacker.O'BANNON LAWSUIT NEARS SETTLEMENT. When we last addressed the massive class-action lawsuit facing the NCAA, Electronic Arts and the Collegiate Licensing Company settled for $40 million to settle their grievances with the plaintiffs. Now that those two entities are out of the equation, it appears that the O'Bannon plaintiffs may settle the larger case with the NCAA.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the lawyers for the O'Bannon case are willing to discuss a settlement. The NCAA's top lawyer, Donald Remy, said they have "not reached out to the NCAA" about a possible settlement and any such assertion was "patently false." Nevertheless, one side has indicated a compromise is possible.
In a refreshing change, a solution to the problem is less about being paid and more about player welfare:
Legal experts say the two sides could resolve their biggest differences by focusing less on payments to players—which NCAA colleges have said they are unwilling to provide—and instead examining new ways of providing benefits to players. Such ideas could include improved health care, increased scholarship aid, and more opportunities for athletes to complete their education.
The NCAA's version of amateurism isn't workable anymore, and a settlement along these lines would be welcomed.
TROJAN SCAMMERS. After firing Lane Kiffin, USC moved quickly to ask Tony Dungy to be the new coach. Dungy turned USC down, but then USC revealed that nobody from the university had contacted him at all:
USC has been alerted that individuals posing as USC representatives made overtures to coaches regarding the head football coaching position.
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) October 7, 2013
USC then released its own statement:
USC has been alerted that individuals posing as USC representatives made overtures to two coaches regarding the Trojans' head coaching position.
In one instance, a person falsely identifying himself as a high-ranking member of the USC athletic department attempted to make contact several times with the Denver Broncos' coaching staff to discuss the Trojan job. That person has been identified by USC and appropriate action is being taken.
In another, someone claiming to represent USC reached out to a contact of former NFL head coach and current NBC broadcaster Tony Dungy, who said on today's Dan Patrick Show that he had no interest in the Trojan job. That person, again not a representative of USC, also has been identified and USC is in the process of contacting that individual.
This is weird, and this is only the beginning. Someday scammers will fully fake-hire a football coach. He will meet the real hire, and the two will determine who gets the job by a fight to the death.
TEXAS IS THE NWO TIME CUBE ILLUMINATI. Most everyone can agree that Iowa State was hosed on a critical play near the end of the Iowa State-Texas game last Thursday. Paul Rhoads was rip-snorting mad, but then he and every other sane fan moved on. Fortunately, one insane fan did not.
Via Good Bull Hunting, view one Texas A&M fan's poorly edited compilation of events that PROVE the Big 12 has been favoring Texas for nearly a decade:
The suspicion that Texas has a hegemony over the Big 12 is understandable, and God knows Texas A&M fans are butthurt about how their school left the conference, but conspiracy theories like this makes smearing a fan base as bunch of raving lunatics easy. Other fans say "lol look how stoopid [insert school] fans are," and nothing gets better, not to mention that the fan forgot the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game.
Don't be stoopid; leave kooky conspiracy theories for the experts.
LINKS AHOY. Between the drunk fan fighting cops and the f-bombs, Oakland/Detroit is one engaging ALDS... Pat Dye thinks Condoleezza Rice isn't qualified to be on the college football playoff committee, is an idiot... A lame-ass apology by Texas WR Mike Davis... What is it with Iowa athletes hunting on-campus?... This week's wrestling content: the legacy of Jerry "The King" Lawler, Antonio Cesaro's infinite Giant Swing, and an NFL chokeslam... Sarkisian stands by Stanford sandbagging suspicions... Rutgers AD Julie Hermann's image takes another hit... Try a little harder, 76ers... The play Chip Kelly took from Tecmo Bowl... That HawkTalk with Treadwell will be a bit awkward... (NSFL) Know when not to go shirtless for your team... Quality Q&A with Metta World Peace... For the first time ever, football at Buckingham Palace... Reviewing the Columbus Casino on its one year anniversary... Behold the best name in football, Yannick Cudjoe-Virgil... And farewell to the hardest-partying pig on the planet.
