December 09, 2025
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NOTE: An ancient “Phrygian” – named Gordias – wanted to give his prized chariot to Zeus … he tied the chariot to a pole with an elaborate knot. He declared that whoever could untie Gordias’ “Gordian Knot” would conquer all of Asia. Many tried and failed. …. in 333 BC, Alexander The Great came to Gordium and was told the legend. “Alex” promptly withdrew his sword and sliced the knot in two … declaring himself Conquerer of All Asia.
The term “Gordian Knot” came to mean “a very perplexing problem with a very complicated solution” … or a very sharp sword.
Be there even one among us who does not consider the current state of College Football to meet the criteria of Gordias’ Knot?
99.9% of Board Monkeys ‘R Us across the fruited plain – in their infinite “wisdom” – have incredibly bizarre solutions to the NIL / Portal / CFP Crisis.
Walk into any “sports bar” in America and there will be three absolutes. (1) Their wings are The Best on the planet … (2) They have The Largest selection of “craft beers” on that same planet … (3) Everyone in the place – except for “Traci” the really cute waitress – has a solution to all that is wrong with College Football these days.
Ten years ago “they” were debating the designated hitter. Ten years from now will “they” still be debating “the stoopid CFP system”?
Controversies and Really Silly Conspiracy Theories are as permanent in every “spectator sport” as crooked referees, incompetent commissioners, and media bias toward “our team”.
An entire fantasy world completely separate from the actual games.
Always have been … Always will be.
Lets take the three elements that vie for “the real problem” in Big Time College Football’s “Gordian Knot” circa 2025. Lets just deal with Football for now and leave Basketball for later. OK?
NIL … The Transfer Portal … The Playoffs
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NIL:
Did You Know: The three “service academies” – Army / Navy / Air Force DO NOT pay their football players “NIL $$$”. Their plebes / cadets/ midshipmen have always been paid but that $$$ is then deducted to cover the cost of attending their respective academy. Ergo, their players do not drive Lambos or sport Rolexes.
- Are players at Div II and Div III schools getting NIL $$$? I don’t know; but, probably.
- Who actually discusses “NIL $$$” with recruits / transfers? Depends upon each school’s staff … but its NOT the head coach or position coach. Kinda like discussing “the cost” of an operation with your doctor … Dr. He/She stays out of that yucky subject, referring you to “the business office”.
- How is a recruit / transfer’s NIL amount determined? Programs know how much competing programs are paying for top talent and which programs they are competing with for a particular player. Can we “afford” XYZ player? If not, lets not waste our time negotiating with his “agent”.
- Do recruits / transfers all have “agents”? Pretty much, yes, but they are NOT regulated AT ALL like they are in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL. Anyone can call himself “an agent” and charge the player whatever % they agree on … usually 20% … compared to 4-5% with pro leagues. There are No Rules about “agents” in NIL World.
- In addition to NIL $$$ do players still get the “tuition, books, fees, room, board” they used to get? Yes. Does that make sense? “Make sense” is not an issue with any of this.
- Are reports of some players getting $4-5,000,000 correct? Some are … most such “reports” are exaggerated.
- Do players get “a lump sum” or weekly / monthly payments? Usually bi-weekly or monthly but depends on the school. Is NIL $$$ taxable? Yes. A 1099 tax status. The player is responsible for all taxes due.
- Is there a going rate for certain positions? “Going rates” are based more on a particular player’s skills. A 5-star OL might get more than a 3-star WR … also depends upon what a program “needs” for the upcoming season.
- Is every player on a Power4 roster getting paid “something”? Apparently yes. No clue if there is a minimum amount. Including walk-ons? Depends upon each program’s policy. There are no “rules” to cover who or how much.
- When a player enters “The Portal” does his NIL $$$ stop? Depend upon “his deal” with the program he is leaving. In most cases YES it stops.
- The phrase “no rules” covers a LOT about NIL … pretty much a Wild West world. YIKES!
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The Transfer Portal:
- Can any player transfer any time? No, there are designated “windows” when players can leave Team A and play for Team B. A player can “quit” Team A any time but cannot “officially” sign with Team B except during “a window”. The transfer “windows” are a hotly-debated issue.
- Is there a limit to how many times a player can transfer? Nope.
- Does a player have to state a reason for tranfering? Nope.
- Can a school “recruit” a transfer before he offically enters the portal? Technically NO; but they all do it via 3rd parties.
- Does a transfer have to qualify “academically” at his new school? LOLOLOLOL …. Any use of the word “academic” no longer has a place in Big Time College Football. Violators will be persecuted.
- Do a transfer’s grades transfer with him? See above re: use of any form of “academics”.
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The Playoffs:
Is ESPN responsible for the CFP Mess? Probably … since I don’t like ESPN (angry black guys and even angrier lesbians) and only watch it for live sports event and GameDay; I’m fine with blaming them.
Am I “upset” about who is and is not among The 12? No, not really. Most of my concern these days involves the immediate and long term future of Western Civilization … and the world my grandchildren will grow up in.
Refer above to … “There Will Always Be Controversies / Ridiculous Conspiracy Theories involving Every spectator sport.” I hear the Pakistan Cricket League has some doozies.
If I was The Playoff Czar … who would I have selected among Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, BYU, Tulane and James Madison? …. Remove Tulane and James Madison and insert ND and BYU. Football does not lend itself to “Cinderellla teams” like March Madness does. Let Non-P4 teams have their own playoffs.
How SHOULD The 12 be determined? By a very complex computer algorithm that includes at least two dozen criteria and is only understood by a dwarf nerd named “Eugene” in a bunker deep inside Cheyenne Mountain, CO. … OR … by Tulsi Gabbard throwing darts at a board with 15 schools’ names on it.
What do I think about Notre Dame? I don’t “Hate Notre Dame”. I actually “Like Notre Dame” and its traditions, etc. As noted, I reserve my “Hate” for anything / anyone who threatens my grandchildren’s futures. ND should leave The ACC and join another P4 conference as a full member. As Czar, I would completely rework the P4 conferences into P5 again based on geographic common sense and traditional rivalries. …
If I am not Czar, who should be? … NICK SABAN.
Am I “in favor of” expanding the Playoffs to 16, 32, etc etc. No. See below re: “scheduling”.
How to solve the “scheduling issue”? Eliminate the Conference Championship games. They were created before there was a Playoff format. Is that likely to happen? No, the conference make too much $$$ from them to do away with them. …. OR Plan B: Completely revamping the current Gregorian calendar adding an extra week to November. The CFNCG should be on New Years’ Day …. PERIOD.
What about the relevance of the current “bowl system”? The current bowl system has not been “relevant” since Jim Tatum died. Eliminate all but a dozen bowls … keep the ones with the stoopidest names. Play them all as Double-headers in domed stadiums in Southern cities with legitimate tourist appeal. 8 Ws should be minimum “eligibility”. Players making 6-figure NIL $$$ do not need cheap watches and a $100 gift certificate to Best Buy “bowl swag”!!!
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Lane Kiffen
Am I the only one who thinks Lane Kiffen looks and acts like “a cruise ship gigolo” ? Using his boyish looks and glib BS to prey on middle-aged divorcees and wealthy widows …
Should “cruise ship gigolo” join “a $10 hooker” in the BobLee’s Phrases of Fame? Given the choice, would JordOn leave BillB for Lane?
LSU shoulda rehired Ed Orgeron as Head Football Coach For LIfe. He embodies every “quality” that personifies LSU and Louisiana coon asses. No one else is even close. ….. “Propositioning the pregnant wife of an LSU Trustee while she was pumping gas at a convenience store !!!” YEEE HAA!
IMO … Ole Miss was right in ordering Kiffen out of town in 24 hours. At the same time … there wasn’t any other way for all this to go down considering the current CHAOS in CFB. LSU’s firing Kelly in mid-season meant “who’s next” would a 24/7 media frenzy for six week with Kiffen in the middle of it.
Yes … Kiffen “lied to ‘dem boys” just like Mack did at the end of Mack1.0 and like Mike Elko did when he left Duke. And just like dozens of other coaches have done and will do in similar situations. If you think otherwise, you probably also think players go to class and write their own term papers.
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Will we be rehashing all of this a year from now? Some of it – Yes. There WILL be tweaks in the Portal and in the criteria for the CFP … but there will ALWAYS be Controversies and Silly Conspiracy Theories!
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