Recently there have been major discussions about paying college athletes, especially in basketball and football.  Paying college athletes would diminish the integrity and main purpose of collegiate athletics.  College sports are full of passion and a main purpose is the role of amateurism.  They don’t play for money, they play for the love of the game and for their teammates.

The argument that it would eliminate the scandals at a number of these universities is invalid.  Michael Wilbon of ESPN said it best, “‘What would stop a star player from agreeing to shake hands at a local car dealership for $50,000?’ The answer is, nothing.”

He is absolutely right.  The boosters aren’t going to simply leave the players alone just because they athlete is already getting paid by the university.  They will still be there and have the same role, or lack there of depending on how you view it.

My main question about paying athletes is how it will work with the universities that don’t make money from their athletic programs.  In fact, most universities don’t make money from their athletic programs.  The spoiled few won’t have an issue paying the athletes, but what will happen to the smaller schools that can’t?

Personally, based on how the NCAA chooses to pay the athletes, I think it could turn into a recruiting nightmare.  Are schools going to have to bid against each other for the top recruit?  Right now it seems that nobody knows.

Another major question is how it will affect Title IX.  In order for this to work there will be enough money to pay the male and female athletes the same.  This just adds to the amount of money that it could take for these universities to pay their athletes.

The debate of if college athletes should be paid will be one that goes on for a while, at least in my opinion.  I do not believe that college athletes should, or will be paid.   There are too many factors against it, such as Title IX and the large number of universities that are not capable of affording it.

College Sports Feed’s Preseason Top 25 continues this week, and as the numbers get lower, the competition gets fiercer and the teams have greater chances of playoff contention. Here to kick off Week 2 is:

20. Stanford

“While the departure of #1 overall NFL draft pick Andrew Luck will definitely hurt Stanford this fall, head coach David Shaw picked up right where Jim Harbaugh left off, not only with the team’s performance, but also in recruiting. Despite Stanford’s elite academic standards, they fielded a top 5 recruiting class last year, and they will give Pac 12 foes fits again in 2012. With a ton of weapons gone at Oregon, look for the Cardinal to make a serious run at the Pac 12 North Title.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“Stanford has proved in the last couple of seasons that they aren’t simply a school known for their academics. They have shown that they can play football as well. I don’t think that they will do anything extremely amazing during this season like make it into the top 10, but I do expect them to do well in the rest of the polls. I think that in the next few years they have the potential to really be good but they are still working on it this season.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

19. Texas

“After underachieving since their National Championship appearance in the 2009 season, the Longhorns look to return to form in 2012. Sophomore QB David Ash will enter the season as the starter after showing promise during his first year in Austin. He will have help in the backfield with the RB duo of Malcolm Brown, a former 5-star recruit, and Jonathan Gray, the top ranked freshman RB in the country.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

“After a rough 5-7 season in 2011, Texas is looking to rebound and be a much stronger force in 2012. David Ash will be the day 1 quarterback with Case McCoy right behind him. They have the number 1 ranked freshman running back in Jonathan Gray, according to the ESPN 150.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

18. Clemson

“Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins put up a ton of offense last season. The only problem was that their defense was gashed against any decent offense they faced, ranking 81^st in points allowed in 2011. Unless the defense improves dramatically, look for the Tigers to finish behind Florida State in the Atlantic Division in 2012.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“Their toughest matchup may be against South Carolina, but with Brent Venables joining the coaching staff, they have just as much competition as Oklahoma did when they had him. They may not immediately be looked at as a BCS Championship contender, but they can definitely make a run and will hopefully finish with a higher winning record.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

17. Ohio State

“The Buckeyes enter this season after a very disappointing 6-7 season in 2011. Urban Meyer presents a breath of fresh air and a new look on offense that Buckeye fans have never seen with past coaches. Meyer already has taken recruiting by storm. Although they have to replace a few leaders, Braxton Miller showed some great flashes last season of what he could do in the spread offense. The bowl ban will sting this season, but they will definitely be playing with a purpose and have a very bright future under Urban Meyer.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

“Good ol’ Ohio State. It’s plain and simple with them. They are out to prove that they are better than they were last season and that regardless of the NCAA restrictions that have been placed on them that they can be great. They have a new coach and a crop of new players. It’s time for this team to show what they are really made of and that they aren’t a team that is willing to be stomped on.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

16. Nebraska

“Although Taylor Martinez had only 57.4 percent of his passes completed, with enough practice, he can easily build that up in the off-season. And with receivers looking deeper into more dynamic plays and covering more ground, Bo Pelini and the Cornhuskers may be on their way to a Big Ten title game.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

“Bo Pelini may be feeling pressure in Lincoln, but the Cornhuskers will remain competitive for the fourth time in his four years as head coach. QB Taylor Martinez should continue to play better and 1,300-yard rusher Rex Burkhead will provide a sensational option in the backfield. The defense will be solid once again, and will face competition early and often within their conference schedule. Look for Nebraska to contend for a championship in the tough Big 10.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

This season the NCAA has voted on expanding the tournament to 68 teams, 3 more than it has been in the past. Officials would have liked to have it expanded even further to 128 teams, but it has not been approved. Further expansion could take several more years. The 68-team format will not become official until the board of directors vote on April 29^th of this year, but it is likely to pass.

A portion of the public would like to see the tournament expanded, but I’m really not so sure this is the best idea. Isn’t the point of March Madness to watch and bet on all of the BEST college basketball teams throughout the nation? Isn’t the point of playing all season to eventually make it to the tournament? Who wants to watch mediocre basketball during the biggest basketball tournament of the year? Not me. It should be every team’s goal to make it to the tournament, not to waltz through the season with a bullshit record and then end up playing with the big boys. We live in a competitive world, and college sports are no joke to fans.  A team who barely won half of its games should not be allowed to a tournament where majority of the players have a future in the NBA.  Call me harsh, but it should be an honor to be invited to the tournament.

I firmly believe that this tournament is for the most talented teams, but should be everyone’s goal to ultimately reach. No one should expect to be in this tournament, it is a huge privilege.  Teams like UK, Syracuse, Duke and Kansas are incredible and fully deserve their spot in the tournament. I cannot wait to see what the top ten teams do this year.

Buckeyes are known for three big things when it comes to sports – motivation, spirit, and heart. These three things are what help to make the athletes at Ohio State so great, but in the men’s basketball game against Michigan State this past week the team really seemed to be lacking in all three of these. This was a big game for both teams, because they are not only competing in the NCAA tournament, but they are also both Big 10 teams and are competing for a Big 10 title as well. On Saturday, before the game, Columbus was filled with people in their Scarlet and Grey as well as people in their green and white. There was no shortage of fans for either team. So wouldn’t you think that there being so many people there to cheer on both teams that the Buckeye’s would have had a little more spirit themselves when they were playing? Apparently not.

After the game, I spoke to some students and fans about what their thought was on the Buckeye’s lost. Many of them felt that the team really wasn’t playing their hardest for their game. One fan said “they seemed to have no heart in this game. It’s like they just didn’t want to be playing tonight.” This isn’t something that any athlete would want for one of their fans to be saying after a big game. Athletes aren’t only playing because they love the game; most of them also play because they love the popularity and the way that the fans love them.

I caught up with a few Michigan State fans after the game as well to get their opinion on the outcome, and I have to admit I was very surprised. A couple that I talked to said that they had planned on coming to this game and walking away with a loss. They figured that the game would be close, within 10 to 15 points (it was a 10 point difference) but they also figured that Ohio State would win. They even agreed with the Ohio State fan saying that the OSU players really didn’t seem to be all there tonight and that they were honestly kind of disappointed in that. It’s not often that fans of the opposing, winning team are disappointed in the home, losing team. So Buckeye’s where was the heart for this game? Let’s hope the players get it back for the next few games left in the season.

Last month, SI.com reported that former St. Joe’s basketball player, Todd O’Brien had missed the first half of his final season of eligibility because his former coach, Phil Martelli and the administration at St. Joseph refused to grant the senior center a release, once he transferred to UAB this past summer.

Of course, the adminstration of St. Joe’s and Coach Martelli have hidden behind the scenes throughout the breaking of this story, declining to comment to any media outlets as to why they see it necessary to prevent O’Brien from finishing his college career.

O’Brien tried to utilize the same NCAA rule that allowed former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson to transfer from NC State to Wisconsin.  Without getting into too much legal jargon, it states that an athlete who has already graduated will not have to give up a year of eligibility if he/she goes to a different institution, provided that a masters program or course of study is offered at the new institution and is not offered at the original school.

That is…assuming that athlete can get a release.  When it became obvious that Martelli was not willing to allow O’Brien to play for UAB, the senior center made an appeal to the NCAA in the fall.

In typical fashion, the NCAA denied the request, citing St. Joe’s stance on the issue.  O’Brien made an appeal, citing his grades, course of study and his internship that he completed, proving to the NCAA that he is, indeed, studying an area not offered at St. Joseph’s.  That appeal was promtly denied.

The NCAA boasts that it is the governing body that is in place to protect the integrity of college student athletes.  Guess what, NCAA…you failed.  Again.

How is it right that a kid, who averaged a meager 1.0 point per game last year at St. Joe’s, can’t play out his college eligibility because of a hard-headed, vindictive former coach?  The NCAA had a perfect opportunity to protect a student athlete.  But instead, they turned their back on him.

Unfortunately, O’Brien’s case is just the latest in a trend that the NCAA has set.  Take a look at some other ridiculous decisions, in which the NCAA dropped the ball (no pun intended) and failed the student athlete.

2011:  Terrelle Pryor, Devier Posey, Dan Herron and others/Ohio State: The and selling of equipment by Ohio State football players to the owner of a tattoo parlor is well-documented and ultimately cost Jim Tressel his job.  Much criticism was given to Tressel and his players, most notably, star quarterback Pryor for the scandal.

The NCAA did their investigation and announced suspensions of four different players, including Pryor, but despite announcing the suspensions before last year’s Sugar Bowl, the NCAA determined that those suspensions would not begin until the following season.

It should be noted that the NCAA collects the majority of their revenue from college football.  The BCS bowls earn a significant chunk of that revenue.  And a Sugar Bowl without Pryor, Posey and star running back, Herron would mean a sharp decline in ratings and advertising dollars.  The NCAA rules with an iron fist….unless it could hurt their revenue.

2010:  AJ Green, WR/Georgia: The NCAA suspended Green four games after he admitted to selling a bowl jersey to a former North Carolina defensive back for $1000.  In the meantime, the NCAA raked in the money generated from the EA Sports NCAA Football game which featured Green’s digital character, wearing that same #8.

2009:  Dez Bryant, WR/Oklahoma State: After failing to fully disclose that he had a meal with former NFL defensive back Deion Sanders, the NCAA suspended the star wideout for the remainder of the season on October 7, 2009.  Bryant had been a Heisman front-runner and later told media outlets that he was scared when the NCAA questioned him about the interaction with Sanders, and out of fear of loss of eligibility, he did, in fact, mislead them.  Critics, however, question a suspension that cost the phenom his entire junior season.

2004:  Mike Williams/WR, USC: After a federal judge ruled in favor of former Ohio State running back, Maurice Clarrett that the NFL could not bar a player from entering the NFL Draft, instead of requiring that an athlete is at least three years removed from high school, Williams(then a sophomore) declared for the draft and hired an agent.

The Court of Appeals overturned that ruling, prompting Williams to seek reinstatement, so he didn’t have to sit out the entire 2004 season.  Williams applied for reinstatement with the NCAA, caught up on his classes to get in good academic standing and followed the plan laid out for him by the USC coaching staff and administration.  –photo courtesy of cbssports.com

Not only did the NCAA deny Williams his eligibility, but they waited to give the news of the rejection until USC was preparing for their flight out to their first game of the 2004 season.

College Football has a major problem–check that.  The NCAA has a major problem.  In the wake of several big investigations, including Oregon, North Carolina, Auburn, Ohio State and USC, Yahoo! Sports’ release of their story of the Miami Hurricanes and the cash, jewelry and other debauchery funded by convicted Ponzi Scheme artist Nevin Shapiro is the most recent problem the NCAA will have to review, and ultimately, impose sanctions.

Unfortunately, it is the college programs facing the heat, when the NCAA continues to make extremely questionable decisions.  Case in point, the NCAA’s handling of Auburn and Ohio State’s programs last season, and their ultimate decision to let Heisman quarterback Cam Newton play in the final games of the 2010 season, which included the lucrative BCS title game against Oregon.

What was even more disturbing was their decision to not impose the five-game suspensions on Ohio State’s athletes until this fall, allowing the suspended OSU players to play in last year’s Sugar Bowl.  A Sugar Bowl without Ohio State stars Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron and DeVier Posey, among others would have resulted in a minimally hyped bowl game with less cash to collect.  The NCAA wanted to make sure that they and the game’s sponsors got to cash their checks before they hammered OSU and their program.

Make no mistake about it.  It all has to do with money, and the NCAA hauls in more than its share–they reported budgeted revenues of $757,000,000 in 2010, the majority of that revenue coming from college football.  The BCS games and fees the NCAA collects for using their logos on many items and games, including the ever-popular NCAA Football games produced by EA Sports have generated the machine that operates the NCAA.

The NCAA allows EA Sports to use their logo and players who have the same size, skill sets and jersey numbers as the actual football players from each school that is represented in the game.

Essentially, the NCAA’s message is loud and clear:  It is against the rules and there will stiff consequences for exploiting college athletes….unless the we ( the NCAA)are the ones making the money off playing the role of pimp for the student-athletes.

The real question we should be asking is where are the checks and balances here?  Who does the NCAA have to answer to?  If it is okay for the NCAA to push nearly $1 billion for exploiting these kids, then how are they any different from the boosters, agents and runners that have created so much damage to schools like USC?

College Football is in a different place, economically and culturally, than it was when many of the NCAA rules were written and instituted, and until there is a committee or governing body reviewing what the NCAA is doing, the playing field will not be balanced, and they will continue to be judge and jury.  If the NCAA is going to deposit the checks from the juggernaut that is college football, then they should have to answer some of the questions and more importantly, they should have to recognize that they must adapt with the changes and nuances that come with a billion-dollar-plus machine.

And if the last 18 months have shown anything, it is that the current system is not working.  Unless something changes, 18-22 year old athletes will continue to drive millions and millions of dollars to their respected schools and the NCAA, but the kids will be punished for reaping a fraction of the monetary benefits they generate.