Randy Peterson
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June 07, 2025
Now that the judge finally, and I mean finally, ruled Friday night that our colleges are free to directly and legally pay athletes . . .
Can we please just move on to . . . golly sakes . . . let’s just go ahead and settle the rest of this college sports back-and-forth. Do it immediately, and you know what I’m talking about – the stuff that’s been creating headlines, the ever-changing narratives, and social media drama. For the love of sports, can we all get along?
Remember when summer was our time to recalibrate – to unplug and clear heads of everything that’s been fanning fandom’s fire (and need) for controversy.
So, with that in mind (and now that the court case has been settled) can someone in authority please set a deadline to finalize:
** Which model will be used to determine a workable College Football Playoff selection and bracketing process.
** How many teams will be picked for the NCAA basketball tournaments.
** How much money is too much to legally pay a college football roster.
** Eight conference football games, or nine.
** And everything else that, almost hourly, annoyingly detracts from other summertime wondering such as how much of what to pack for an overseas trip to Ireland, will our quarterback be healthy enough to start the season, and, by how many votes will Arch Manning win the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
Come up with a plan – no ifs, ands, or excuses for needing more time. And do it by the opening of August football camps . . . or else.
Or else what, you wonder?
Or else not only risk possibly alienating what have been very loyal fan bases, but also risk losing coaches who someday sooner rather than later just might accept one of those professional coaching offers they’ve (to date) been turning down – where they can coach, and not determine which player is worth how much.
Now that Judge Wilken has ruled, it’s way past time to lock our college administrators in a room – and not let them out until all problems and questions have been resolved. There’s been so many confusing, confounding and head-spinning headlines, that fans may start to wonder if people in charge are earning their seven-figure salaries. Let’s start with this recent gem on Sports Illustrated’s web site:
SEC’s Sankey Wants to Reshape College Sports -- Without the Bad-Guy Blowback
(RP comment: Good luck with that)
**
HERE ARE MORE HEADLINES GLEANED RECENTLY FROM NATIONAL WEB SITES:
** Sankey offers up 4-4-2-2-1-3 playoff plan
(Comment: Bulletin board fodder for SEC non-con opponents)
** Kiffin Says CFP Should Be the 16 best—not the best stories
(Comment: It beats Sankey’s plan)
** Sankey undecided on football playoff format
(Comment: The whole college football world is undecided on a lot of things)
** Big 12’s Yormark re-affirms push for 5+11 playoff plan
(Comment:Almost a voice of reason. At least an attempt)
** NCAA head reveals plan for 72 or 76 NCAA tourney teams
(Comment:Someday, we may have that many teams in just one conference)
** Big 12 reduces conference basketball season
(Comment:Next up should be reducing the number of conference teams)
**
That’s head-spinning stuff that hopefully won’t lead to college athletics spiraling so out of control, that faithful fans are all but forgotten.
Already, they’re enduring in a world of constant roster changing. Undecided on whether to donate money to collectives or to school-sponsored athletic department initiatives?
Those are unavoidable (yet sometimes perplexing) side effects of the name, image and likeness age, but the other stuff?
It’s time for nauseating back-and-forth, good-of-the-game (or whatever!) conversations to cease.
Do something. Make a decision by Aug. 1.
You owe it to the fans.
(Columnist Randy Peterson can be, and has been, reached at randypete4846@gmail.com or at any Okoboji-area beverage/food establishment between the hours of open and close.)