PITTSBURGH — The Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC entered into some sort of "historic alliance" to work together toward making a better future for college athletics. It was in response to the SEC raiding the Big 12 for Oklahoma and Texas, and the three conference commissioners issued statements and had video conferences to tell the world they were unified and ready to move college athletics forward.
This move, which included a scheduling alliance in which teams from the three conferences would play against each other, was seen as a strengthening of the power base of the three leagues. It was described by Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren as " ... that we do all we can to protect our conferences and build strong relationships to protect our student-athletes."
That was August of last year, and despite the fact all three commissioners said it was based in trust and honesty, well, less than a year later the whole thing got blown up. I mean, at this point, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff must feel really good about just how much integrity and trust Warren and his conference cronies operate with.
It turns out Warren was more like a trojan horse sent to the Pac-12 in peace but with marching orders to come back with the Trojans and Bruins. In case you are under a rock, UCLA and USC were just poached by the Big Ten, meaning the Pac-12 is suddenly crippled and without a team in the Los Angeles market and the Big Ten took a giant step toward SEC slimebaggery.
Of course, the same could be said about the ACC destroying the Big East, so Warren just basically beat ACC Commissioner James Phillips to the punch because no doubt he would have tried to poach USC and UCLA if he thought it was possible.
Here is a memo to every school president, every college conference commissioner, every coach and every athletic director:
If you are confused as to why student-athletes have no loyalty, are willing to sell their souls to the highest bidder, run to the transfer portal at the first opportunity and have their hands out and want every dime they think they are owed, look in the mirror. They have had great role models, as all of you operate the same way, and the only thing that is different is the amount of money being handed out.
The next time a coach whines about players wanting NIL, point to Oklahoma, Texas, USC, UCLA, the Big Ten and the SEC. The next time a coach or administrator whines about the "transfer culture," point to Kevin Warren, Lincoln Riley, Greg Sankey, former ACC commissioner John Swofford — who led the raid of the Big East — and every other one of these "role models' whose word is obviously worthless.
And please, here is one other thing: Spare me the crap about how this is "what's best for student-athletes" or the garbage that was spewed from places like Penn State about how these moves are good for academics or made with academics in mind. I've read about five of these statements from Big Ten administrators welcoming USC and UCLA, and I wish I would have had boots on and a shovel it was piling up so quick.
I read some version of "academics that favor graduation rates and GPAs" in just about every one of them, and that is laughable. I mean, this isn't Vanderbilt and Duke the Big Ten picked up, but it would have been had academics been the primary, secondary or even third or fourth-ary reasons this move was made. It has nothing to do with the fact USC and UCLA happen to be in the second-biggest media market in the country and one is a blue blood in basketball while the other is one of the top five football programs of all-time.
Nope, that can't be it at all.
I have long ago resigned myself to the fact eventually the top football programs will all align themselves and maybe even form their own league separate from the NCAA. I am OK with it, just like I am OK with players getting NIL money and being able to transfer.
What I am done with, however, is this nonsensical hypocrisy that comes from the top of these "institutions of higher learning." They are all mercenaries, all power- and money-hungry, and all would sell each other out for the chance to fill their coffers with more money. Stop talking to us like fools. Stop talking to us about academics and student-athletes and all the other virtue-signaling garbage they all repeat, mostly to convince themselves they are somehow more noble than the next guy.
If there is a "transfer culture" and it is indeed ruining college athletics, don't be mad at the student-athletes because they are only following the lead of those people put in charge of their future. USC and UCLA are no different than any player searching for greener pastures and a more lucrative spot. The Big Ten and SEC are no different than any street agent working out deals for the Jordan Addisons of the world to leave one program to go to the next.
College athletics are a cesspool of snakes and hypocrites, and it is time they all just embraced it, wore it and stopped wasting our time with silly statements about how the welfare of student-athletes and graduation rates are the most important thing. It is all a lie. They know it; we know it; and the athletes all know it, too, and all they are doing is following the lead of the adults.
