Once revered as college football showcases, bowl games are becoming meaningless.
Last year Florida State went 13-0 in the regular season, but then hordes of their players opted for the “portal” and FSU was embarrassed by Georgia in their bowl game 63-3.
Several bowl games were impacted by this last year and many expected the NCAA to move the portal entry date to mid-January to counter this fiasco, but, inexplicably, they didn’t?
This year, the same free agency jockeying has multiple school rosters decimated by pre-bowl game portal-mania. Bowl games used to be a reward and source of pride. Now, many bowl games are just meaningless exhibition contests with second-, third- and fourth-stringers taking the field. This farce is brought to you by clueless NCAA and college athletic administrators who have severely damaged the enjoyment and credibility of college football.
Tom Trumpler
Camarillo
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So college coaches such as Brian Kelly, Mike Gundy and Mike Norvell are paying into their school’s NIL in order to save their jobs.
Hunch here is, some USC athletes will be seeing bigger checks very, very soon.
Collegiate sports have been ruined by the NCAA.
Fred Wallin
Westlake Village
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I have a great idea for USC coach Lincoln Riley: renegotiate your contract. You make $10 million a year. Ask for $7.5 million. Take $2.5 million and use it to try to save your defections. Pay them out of your pocket if you have to.
Didn’t Tom Brady take a pay cut to win a Super Bowl title or two?
Jeff Hawley
San Clemente
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I’m a fan of the USC tradition to not put the players’ names on the back of their football jerseys, but until the NCAA figures out this NIL and transfer portal disaster the Trojans might need to put the names on the jerseys just to know who’s still there!
Ted Bartscherer
Pasadena
Painful times
The Lakers have been going downhill since Phil Jackson left, since Jerry Buss died, since disregarding Jerry West and hiring Rob Pelinka.
You can’t blame the players. They didn’t put together this team, Pelinka did. For years, he’s been trading their good, young players and draft picks for a dream.
Lakers management made a ridiculous offer to Tyronn Lue, not allowing him to pick his own coaching staff. They passed on Jayson Tatum for Lonzo Ball, who had the worst shooting form in the world, and passed on Jaime Jaquez Jr. for someone nobody ever sees. The many good, young players they let go are excelling on other teams.
The Lakers could be more entertaining and competitive; they are no fun to watch. It’s painful to watch them. But they’re making new fans … for the Clippers.
Steven Lee Jacobs
Oxnard
Winning the offseason
While everybody’s distracted by Steve Cohen and the Mets grabbing Juan Soto, the Dodgers are raiding the free agency kitchen.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way to land a fourth former MVP to the lineup or another former Cy Young Award winner.
I’m not hating on the Dodgers. Just jealous that my team is called the “Evil Empire” for all its spending while the Dodgers get a free pass by the payroll police.
Adam Silbert
New York
Let him play ball
Kudos to umpire Benny Gallo for holding true to his beliefs! I, too, felt the same way about not wanting to take the COVID-19 vaccine but fortunately for me I was already retired and didn’t have to go through what he’s gone through. Hopefully some MLB team gives him a job.
Phillip Trujillo
Ontario
No second chance
So disgusted to read that Michael Vick, who was convicted of horrific abuses including torture and deaths of several of his “fighting” dogs a few years ago, has been hired to coach football by Norfolk State.
This isn’t one of those “everyone deserves a second chance” scenarios such as reformed drug addicts or formerly incarcerated people who made bad decisions and are now rehabilitated. Anyone capable of the atrocities that Vick was responsible for is beyond redemption. Shame on Norfolk State.
Glenda Laguna
Highland
Charging forward
It looks like the Chargers were looking past the Tampa Bay game to the divisional game with the Broncos after all.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
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