CT Tiger

Anyone know if it will be available for those of us with YouTubeTV? It comes with SECN, but I am just worried that ESPN+ and SECN+ means it will only be on that stupid paid ESPN app that Disney is trying to push.

I genuinely laughed out loud... Love SEC Shorts. As 3rdgeneration said, this clip feels pretty accurate but I hope we can get to at least 8 wins.

Again, the total amount spent by the Athletic department on my hypothetical proposal would depend on specifics (e.g., total number of scholarships available in each tier and the actual amount of the 'stipend' that comes with tier 1-3 scholarships). Let's say the breakdown is 10 tier 1 scholarships ($100k/ea), 20 tier 2 ($50k/ ea) 30 tier 3 ($25k/ ea) and the rest of the scholarships do not include the stipend. That comes out to $2,750,000 total each year. Now let's take a look at Auburn's AD financial profit/losses over the past 15 years. Keep in mind this is for all sports, not just football so subsidizing the others are included in the figures. I have highlighted years when this would be an issue. Even then, profit reserves accumulated from previous years (when subtracting by $2,750,000 for player stipends) would easily cover these. Yes, the deficits for the 2013-2014 and 2020-2021 COVID seasons are brutal, but they can be covered. 2020-21 $123,546,999 $133,289,885 $(9,742,886) 2019-20 $153,703,749 $135,816,431 $17,887,318 2018-19 $152,455,416 $139,260,711 $13,194,705 2017-18 $147,620,569 $139,798,191 $7,822,378 2016-17 $147,511,034 $132,885,979 $14,625,055 2015-16 $140,070,593 $124,864,399 $15,206,194 2014-15 $124,657,247 $115,498,047 $9,159,200 2013-14 $113,716,004 $127,340,380 $(13,624,376) 2012-13 $103,680,609 $104,546,603 $(865,994) 2011-12 $105,951,253 $97,128,835 $8,822,418 2010-11 $103,982,441 $100,497,784 $3,484,657 2009-10 $92,611,558 $90,908,902 $1,702,656 2008-09 $87,001,413 $85,480,343 $1,521,070 2007-08 $89,311,824 $69,841,200 $19,470,624 2006-07 $81,799,266 $68,910,465 $12,888,801 2005-06 $66,599,925 $63,249,119 $3,350,806 https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2022/01/auburn-athletics-reports-97-million-loss-in-2021.html With that said, your point stands because most universities do not have the luxury of having a cash cow football program like we do. My hypothetical model would make more sense if/when these conference expansions are complete and the big boys start their own league/division. Those schools can make it work, especially since they will essentially be the amateur NFL league anyway. Thoughts?

To be clear, you're suggesting that revenue sharing with football players will kill the budget for most other sports?

You absolutely raise valid points. Yes, that revenue goes to the school's athletic department and is vital in subsidizing other sports. And yes, a 3rd string WR almost definitely moves the needle less compared to a star player. But I don't think those aren't things that can be addressed in the creation of a strong framework, uniform across the board for FBS teams. Look, I'm not saying that schools should be paying players 7 figures per season; but just off the top of my head, what about having a five-tier structure that's reevaluated before each season? (Note: The numbers are just hypothetical for this next part and those specifics should be decided after rigorous analysis to determine appropriate dollar amounts.) Something like $100,000 for tier 1 players, $50,000 for tier 2, $25,000 for tier 3, the usual full scholarship for tier 4, and tier 5 would be walk-ons without an athletic scholarship. Tiers 1-3 also include a full athletic scholarship. Each school will be allowed the same limited number of tier 1, 2, and 3 "paid" scholarships. (These would effectively be salary caps for teams to ensure that a school with stupidly deep pockets like Texas can't just buy all of the top recruits. Every school would probably offer a 5* recruit tier 1 status, but things could be interesting for the 4* and top 3* recruits. Say there's a promising in-state OL that the gumps and us are chasing hard. They can only offer tier 2 while we still have enough tier 1's and are in serious need of good OL recruits. Throw in some reforms to reasonably limit misuse of the transfer portal. Maybe allow one freebie but any after that require either sitting out a season like the old rule? Or maybe one freebie and any transfers afterwards would disqualify them from tier 1-3 for one season. That way they can still play ball without impacting their NFL aspirations. NIL would also need to have strong, but fair and LEGAL regulations that can be easily reconciled with any proposed player payment structure to ensure that we see uniform "salary caps" across the board for CFB at the highest level. I just came up with this idea on a whim while sitting on the throne after a morning coffee, so I'm sure there are plenty of holes that can be poked in it, and I hope that people will (respectfully, of course). I just want to see if those holes can be patched up to strengthen it.

No, you are right. But I never claimed that it did. Let me answer your first question with my own question--how many book store employees helped the university bring in 9 figure revenues as a direct result of their contribution?

That is a reasonable argument but the money they generate is disproportionally higher than just a free ride from the university. Not to mention a lot of these kids come from abject poverty and that money might be the difference between rent and bills being paid with food on the table for their families. Even the ones that don't come from poverty may very well be at the highest income generating part of their lives, especially since most will not make it to or in the NFL (e.g., Jamarcus Russell). Finally, let's not forget about the serious long-term damage, especially neurological, that comes with football, especially at the P5 level in college. That damage can be be prohibitive for football players to truly use that free education they got and they weren't able to capitalize when they were in their prime. Even though he was initially drafted into the NFL, look at what happened to Tre Mason as an example. He wasn't able receive a cut of the profits he helped generate during that 2013 season when Auburn was at the top of the sports world, which subsequently also ended up being the pinnacle of his football career. And that's a damn shame in my book.

Yeah I am pretty much right there with you. I always found the argument that student athletes can't also be employees because their students to not make much sense. There are all types of student workers on college campuses, from TA and research assistant to working in bookstores, various offices, rec centers and other facilities. Why can't athletes who compete at the highest collegiate level, especially as the workhorses in a multibillion dollar industry, also be considered as a type of employee? (Other than screwing them out of a cut of profits and the ability to unionize.) Relying solely on an unregulated NIL model with an unrestricted transfer portal is much worse, IMO. The best students can just transfer to the highest bidder after each season.

To be clear--so, he initially stopped for the cop pulling him over and then decoded to take off? Something feels off about that if that is the case. I honestly was guessing that he didn't hear/notice a cop on foot or a bicycle trying to pull him over because he had earbuds in or something else prevented him from hearing the cop.

Yeah I was also under the impression that we only had one left (which was for Phillips if he chose us). Can anyone shed more light on this?

Agreed. We need someone who can hit their shots and score points... oh, and is reliable from the FT line.

Anyone know how he plans to announce his decision?

True but if you look at his IG page, there are only four total posts (with one being his decommit note to the Corndogs). Between that and how little he posts on Twitter, and how quiet his recruitment has been since he decommited in March, it's clear that he doesn't want the spotlight (which is great because humility is an indicator of a good teammate). Typically I'd agree with your post, but I think in JP's case, the IG post *could* be a sign for us... Especially coupled with the new CB prediction.

The irony and cognitive dissonance of this post is almost too much 😂

That's fair. I was on the fence when I said it because my sentiments are pretty much the same. There's also a degree of subjectivity; how exactly would you define 'bust'?

Any new updates/rumblings about Phillips and the G League? I wonder if we are trying work an NIL angle in there.

Wiley and/or Purifoy? I forget if either one was a 5* out of HS.

Any idea why not? We need some more consistent perimeter shooting.

Wishing him the best of luck finding success at ASU. Happy for him that he gets to play with his brother too!

Where should this put us on the 247 2022 recruiting team rankings?

Agreed. IMO the other most dangerous games are @UF, @TENN, and @MSU. Although it's a home game and The Jungle will be rockin', aTm this Saturday could be a dogfight too.

Can't wait to see what our defensive stats look like at the end of this one.

Assuming we take care of business tonight, I think (hope) that the players will use this as motivation, playing with a chip on their shoulders against UK on Saturday.

This is amazing on so many levels. First, just because it's hilarious and harmless fun. But more importantly, it's harmless fun that really shows how passionate our fan base is. You know who loves fun, passionate fans, and Twitter? Recruits.

If the refs called a fair game, we could have been up double digits at the half. Bama's FG % was not looking very impressive and it was clear that FTs kept them in the game.