1. This whole Laremy Tunsil thing has really been a major distraction. Did Laremy (and others) do some things he should not have done? YES. Every player gets extra benefits, especially a player like Tunsil. To say or think otherwise is just an insult to everyone's intelligence.
2. Did the NCAA stick it to Tunsil, and us? YES. Why? The NCAA has been on a witch hunt, most likely at the behest of Alabama and Georgia, over the 2013 recruiting class in general and Laremy Tunsil in particular, for 3 years now. Well, they got us, and they did it good. An unprecedented 7 game suspension. Why so harsh? Because we allowed it to happen. Our compliance people gave up the aces in the deck, and you can't win when the other guy (NCAA) is holding the cards. We should have learned from the 1995 near death penalty that the NCAA dealt us that you can not throw yourself at the mercy of the NCAA. They have no mercy on a program like ours. We are not a marquee program. We are not loaded with money. The NCAA loves to make an example out of the SMU's (who was kicking Texas and the rest of the SWC around too much) and Ole Miss's of the college athletic world by sticking it to us to make everyone think they are in some way still a relevant body.
3. Should Ole Miss just accept the penalty and move on? YES. The suspension is 6/7 over with. I sincerely believe that the 7th game was just a personal gig because the NCAA felt like it could. It was very obviously a personal deal. What we need to do is win Saturday at Memphis, Get LT and others back, win out, and then win the SECCG and make the CFB Playoff. Then we can make it personal too. ANYBODY that thinks the NCAA does not mete out punishment based on personal issues, is just sticking their head in the sand. One need look no further than the Florida situation. Who is Florida's opponent this weekend? Where did the NCAA prez work previously?
4. Finally, it is my hope that the Power 5 make a move to separate from the NCAA. The NCAA is nothing but a bunch of suits who are filled with self serving, specific agendas aimed at maintaining the status quo. The 2013 signing class and subsequent success of Ole Miss is a threat to the status quo. The fact that Ole Miss and MSU were #1 and #3 last year and we were in the top 3 again this year is something that upsets the status quo. I can guarantee you this, if Laremy Tunsil were at Alabama or Georgia right now, none of this would have happened. The perception of our inability to keep him on the field and out of trouble will no doubt hurt us on the recruiting trail. That is the result that the NCAA wants, to keep the status quo. Our place in that is middle of the pack, solid W for the big boys, Music City or Independence Bowl bound Ole Miss. The best way to put us back there is to make it harder for us to recruit top level talent. Top level talent does not want to go to a school perceived as unable to protect them from the NCAA. Unfortunately, true or not, perception is too often taken to be reality.
2. Did the NCAA stick it to Tunsil, and us? YES. Why? The NCAA has been on a witch hunt, most likely at the behest of Alabama and Georgia, over the 2013 recruiting class in general and Laremy Tunsil in particular, for 3 years now. Well, they got us, and they did it good. An unprecedented 7 game suspension. Why so harsh? Because we allowed it to happen. Our compliance people gave up the aces in the deck, and you can't win when the other guy (NCAA) is holding the cards. We should have learned from the 1995 near death penalty that the NCAA dealt us that you can not throw yourself at the mercy of the NCAA. They have no mercy on a program like ours. We are not a marquee program. We are not loaded with money. The NCAA loves to make an example out of the SMU's (who was kicking Texas and the rest of the SWC around too much) and Ole Miss's of the college athletic world by sticking it to us to make everyone think they are in some way still a relevant body.
3. Should Ole Miss just accept the penalty and move on? YES. The suspension is 6/7 over with. I sincerely believe that the 7th game was just a personal gig because the NCAA felt like it could. It was very obviously a personal deal. What we need to do is win Saturday at Memphis, Get LT and others back, win out, and then win the SECCG and make the CFB Playoff. Then we can make it personal too. ANYBODY that thinks the NCAA does not mete out punishment based on personal issues, is just sticking their head in the sand. One need look no further than the Florida situation. Who is Florida's opponent this weekend? Where did the NCAA prez work previously?
4. Finally, it is my hope that the Power 5 make a move to separate from the NCAA. The NCAA is nothing but a bunch of suits who are filled with self serving, specific agendas aimed at maintaining the status quo. The 2013 signing class and subsequent success of Ole Miss is a threat to the status quo. The fact that Ole Miss and MSU were #1 and #3 last year and we were in the top 3 again this year is something that upsets the status quo. I can guarantee you this, if Laremy Tunsil were at Alabama or Georgia right now, none of this would have happened. The perception of our inability to keep him on the field and out of trouble will no doubt hurt us on the recruiting trail. That is the result that the NCAA wants, to keep the status quo. Our place in that is middle of the pack, solid W for the big boys, Music City or Independence Bowl bound Ole Miss. The best way to put us back there is to make it harder for us to recruit top level talent. Top level talent does not want to go to a school perceived as unable to protect them from the NCAA. Unfortunately, true or not, perception is too often taken to be reality.
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