State to legislate football opponents?

[gueman]

I understand were he is coming from, to a point, but talk about going down a slippery slope...

"House bill would require more in-state matchups

Walker wants regular games between UM, Morgan and Towson

By Sandra McKee | sandra.mckee@baltsun.com

February 4, 2010

State Del. Jay Walker, an ESPN college football commentator and former NFL player, has introduced House Bill 482, the Maryland Football Act, which would require the University of Maryland, a Football Bowl Subdivision school, to play at least one game every four years against Morgan State or Towson, two Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Walker said he was inspired to create the bill when he saw Maryland schedule FCS team James Madison instead of one of the state schools.

"The football commentator in me understands football," Walker said. "The legislator in me sees a way to help fund the football programs at our FCS schools properly. We've got one flagship program, Maryland, and two FCS teams, Towson and Morgan State. When you see Maryland play James Madison, you say: 'Wait - we have Towson and Morgan State. They could do so much for their programs with the proceeds from that game.'

"And Morgan and Towson should have the ability to play Maryland more than once in a lifetime. We want to see it happen on a more frequent basis."

Walker said Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow is aware of his efforts and that suggestions from the school have been incorporated into the bill. He also noted Yow had scheduled Towson and Morgan State in the next two years before he approached the school about the legislation.

An attempt to reach Yow on Wednesday through Maryland's sports information department was unsuccessful.

At Morgan State and Towson, athletic directors Floyd Kerr and Mike Hermann, respectively, said their teams are scheduled to play Maryland and there have also been conversations about making the commitment on a regular basis.

"I just heard about this legislation," said Hermann, whose Tigers will play Maryland in 2011. "While the outcome of what is proposed is favorable, I'm not sure why it should be required. Legislation is not the normal method for scheduling football games."

At Morgan State, Kerr said the Bears are scheduled to play the Terps this fall and the idea of being able to schedule Maryland on a regular basis would be a good thing for the school, the athletic programs, the fans and the state.

"I'm not sure about legislation being necessary to accomplish it," Kerr said. "But it would add to the support of our athletic program with guaranteed money." Fees paid to FCS schools by FBS teams are negotiable and generally range from $100,000 to $350,000.

"It would help us enhance our student support programs, invest in summer school programs and would be a key part in our budget planning," Kerr said.

It would also raise Towson and Morgan's visibility among high school recruits and possibly generate new rivalries.

FBS and FCS schools playing one another regularly became possible only within the past two years, when the NCAA allowed FBS teams a 12th game to schedule an FCS competitor.

Walker's bill does not yet have a hearing date. But the Prince George's County Democrat believes it will be heard late this month or in early March.

To become law it must be passed out of committees in the House and Senate and then be passed by both chambers.

"I think it has a chance," said Walker, a former quarterback at Howard University who spent two seasons with the New England Patriots and two with the Minnesota Vikings. "Everyone seems to like the concept.""

[BigMac12]

Government, get your hands off College Football!

[Seadragon76]

I don't like this either, but it's not the first time government at the state level has intervened to create football rivalries.

For many years, Iowa and Iowa State didn't play each other because of accusations of unfair play. It had to take the state legislature to get involved to revive the rivalry.

[illwauk]

I don't like this either, but if big schools hadn't been snubbing small schools all these years, no one would have even thought to introduce it. If this catches on in other states the big schools will have no one but themselves to point fingers at.

[rams80]

Allow me to explain why Maryland scheduled JMU and not the other two (probably)

JMU=good I-AA program, perennial playoff contender, might actually be a modest challenge for Maryland

Towson and Morgan State=bad CAA and MEAC programs respectively that would be like clubbing baby seals and do nothing for the team outside of letting the 3rd string get playing time.

Alternatively, Towson and Morgan State could also realize this and therefore find the paycheck not worth it.

[The_Admiral]

Government, get your hands off College Football!

On the contrary, I'd rather like the government to get its hands on college football, because it's filthier than organized crime (and actually kind of is that). Maybe instead of legislating in-state sacrificial lambs, they can do something about girls being sent to high school games to prostitute themselves to prospects, or something about kids being used to make money for the university without a stipend or even being allowed to choose their own courses in their vaunted "free education"?

[Don]

If Maryland already scheduled games vs these 2 schools then why is a law needed? I understand Maryland is a publicly funded institution but c'mon now.

[Stormo]

College football is the most wasted opportunity out there...give me a super league of the top 30 teams playing each other and a playoff at the end and I can make more money than the NCAA currently dreams of...ten relegation spots that all the other teams play for would mean more than a birth in the ... Bowl.

[rams80]

College football is the most wasted opportunity out there...give me a super league of the top 30 teams playing each other and a playoff at the end and I can make more money than the NCAA currently dreams of...ten relegation spots that all the other teams play for would mean more than a birth in the ... Bowl.

If only the very fundamental economic underpinnings of collegiate athletics, as well as the mindset of Joe Sixpack could support a promotion-relegation system.

/Promotion Relegation is the second-dumbest not-solution to North American sports ills espoused on this board, second only to "The Great NBA name switcheroo"

[dfwabel]

Allow me to explain why Maryland scheduled JMU and not the other two (probably)

JMU=good I-AA program, perennial playoff contender, might actually be a modest challenge for Maryland

Towson and Morgan State=bad CAA and MEAC programs respectively that would be like clubbing baby seals and do nothing for the team outside of letting the 3rd string get playing time.

Alternatively, Towson and Morgan State could also realize this and therefore find the paycheck not worth it.

The title is misleading since:

A-There are already states which require state schools to play.

B-This bill was introduced, it is a long way from being to the desk of the governor.

Remember this past season, Maryland played JMU and also Middle Tennessee to crowed of about 45k each. That are has enough living alumni for both of the other schools to be close to that so that "the wealth is shared" over the course of a number of seasons.

In reference to the "breakaway" top 30 from Stormo, that will be difficult to do as those who may break off would place their NCAA memberships in jeopardy. It nearly occurred when the major conference formed the CFA and took the NCAA to court three decades ago. Schools would go to court like crazy if they were not considered "top 30" and then sue the selection committee or pollsters.

[pcgd]

Seeing that Maryland is a state run school, the legislature has every right to get involved, right or wrong. We quickly forget that many of these football teams are state run institutions and the coaches are employees, frequently the highest paid employee in the state.

I think they could throw a bone to in-state schools 2 times a decade...

Pat

[B-Rich]

Without the State legislature being involved, LSU has made a point-- over the last few years and in the upcoming years-- of scheduling and playing the state's 'smaller' or less prestigious programs. This has included everyone from FBS schools ULL, La. Tech and ULM to FCS schools McNeese State and Northwestern State. However, LSU has not held or scheduled games against Southern University or Grambling State University, two in-state HBCUs....

Of course, these games are only held at Tiger Stadium-- LSU never travels to play such teams. It's a fine trade-off: the local teams get some exposure and a nice payout, LSU gets another home game and a relatively easy opponent.

An interesting note is that with Tulane football's descent below mediocrity, the Green Wave have in fact become a program on par with the rest of the above schools, but their powers that be refuse to admit that. They have no baragaining power, but in contract negotiations for a series with LSU, they still insisted on holding games at Tulane, even on a 2-to-1 home split. LSU gains nothing by playing Tulane at Tulane, just as they would gain nothing by playing Mc Neese State in Lake Charles, thus the Tulane/LSU "rivalry" has enedd and they won't be playing each other for some time to come....

[AndrewPF]

Maybe that's why Boston College plays schools like Northeastern, Umass, and the other New England state universities instead of big nonconference schools?

...goldang gub'mint.

[illwauk]

Maybe a fair compromise would be to say Maryland has to have played Morgan or Towson either the year before or committ to playing them the year after in order to schedule an out-of-state FCS school?

This way, it takes the "damn guv'ment is killin' our out of conference schedule" argument out of the equation. I've seen it too many times where a bigger school used this excuse to avoid playing a smaller local school with something to prove, only to turn around and schedule an even lower rated school.

[BBTV]

Seeing that Maryland is a state run school, the legislature has every right to get involved, right or wrong. We quickly forget that many of these football teams are state run institutions and the coaches are employees, frequently the highest paid employee in the state.

I think they could throw a bone to in-state schools 2 times a decade...

Pat

Bingo. While these schools are separate institutions, they're part of the same extended family. If the state is giving money to these schools, then it's in their best interest to see to it that the schools are being run in a way that generates the most revenue in a responsible manner, because maybe, just maybe, the schools would require less public funding if they generated more of their own. Since it is clear that a Morgan State vs MD game would generate a lot more money for MS than whatever other game they would have, and since MS getting money (technically) benefits the entire state (would require less funding or be able to provide a better education to the state's residents), the government has every right to step in.

Not saying they should, but they damn sure have a right.