NCAA Football Arkansas State Football

I'm guessing that this is really not what Razorback fans want to see less than 48 hours away from kickoff.

But for those of you grieving -- or soon planning to grieve -- the loss of a loved Hog fan, this University of Arkansas officially licensed coffin might be just the way to "kick off" (pun intended) with a bang. From Collegiate Memorials (wow! College football mania is off the hook!), this urn-shell design coffin comes with quarter round trim moulding, brush or paint finish, a hand-sewn velvet interior and an adjustable bed and mattress. (Adjustable? How many ways can someone lay in a coffin?) But the best feature, according to the company, is that

• All producted are fully-licensed and insured
• All royalties are paid by Collegiate Memorials to colleges and universities
  

In other words, yeah, it's that spiffy red "A" with the hog bangin' through.

Arky fan sez: "Bad omen? Let's flip it. Bury the ghosts of the past!"

Okay. What to put in there? Ideas: Houston Nutt's cell phone. Admission records of Mitch Mustain, Damien Williams, and Andrew Norman. Gus Malzahn's "coming to Fayetteville" presser. Fish's punt fumble in the SEC championship game. Frank Broyles. Nah, that's too rotten. Don't worry, you didn't just read that.

HT: Hawg Blawg

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued subpoenas for 39 collegiate athletic departments in a probe of their relationships with student loan providers. At its most basic, this investigation is asking whether or not cash, kickbacks, gifts and other bribes or misleading measures were communicated between various student loan providers and the cited athletic departments.

Cuomo is investigating whether athletic departments at these universities agreed to promote SFS loans to students in exchange for kickbacks.

"Students trust their University's athletic departments because so much of campus life at Division I schools centers around supporting the home team," said Cuomo. "To betray this trust by promoting loans in exchange for money is a serious issue, especially when Division I schools already generate tremendous revenue from their student athletes. Today's action is an important new step as we continue to examine the unethical conflicts that pervade the student loan industry.

"The Attorney General's office is specifically investigating whether athletic departments evaluated UFS interest rates before recommending their federal loans, or if their endorsement of UFS was based purely on payments from the lender. Such an arrangement would constitute revenue sharing, which is a violation New York state consumer protection laws, as well as a violation of federal law.

D-IA football schools named (prominent schools in bold): Arkansas State, Auburn, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Colorado State, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, Ohio, Oregon State, Rutgers, TCU, Tulane, Alabama-Birmingham, UCLA, UCF, Houston, Kansas, Louisville, Oregon, Pittsburgh, USF, UTEP. See link for complete list.

Of note: USC and Texas have also been scrutinized in a similar probe, but to my knowledge it has not been linked to their athletic departments but rather the university-wide financial aid offices of the schools.

It's good that athletic departments have an awareness of and working relationship with loan providers, but obviously there's a problem when that relationship gets too cozy and bad loan options are pressed upon students and student-athletes.

(Via: Yahoo!)

There is no doubt that the NCAA is a powerful organization.

Sometimes, one has to wonder if they've become too powerful.

In 2005, the NCAA announced a "ban", of sorts, on Native American imagery in college sports. The NCAA, legally, can't stop schools from using whatever nicknames, logos, or mascots they please. However, the "ban" was put in place to keep schools in violation from hosting NCAA championship events.

(Yes, college football fans, there are actual NCAA championship events. They do these things called "playoffs" in every NCAA sport at every level. Well, except for Division I-A football, now known as the "Football Bowl Subdivision". Novel idea, huh?)

None of this should have come as a surprise. After all, back in 2003, NCAA President Myles Brand spoke to the National Press Club, and he declared that the NCAA should have a goal to "provide a catalyst for social change". Such a phrase would lead one to believe that the nickname regulation is only the beginning of the NCAA's work.

This "ban" has been somewhat effective. Perhaps it would be more effective if the NCAA hadn't gotten in the business of handing out exemptions to schools such as Florida State, Central Michigan, and Utah. Some schools have actually changed their nicknames and/or imagery. Illinois retired longtime mascot Chief Illiniwek, but was able to keep the "Illini" nickname. William and Mary (Tribe) has said they will change their nickname. Louisiana-Monroe switched from "Indians" to "Warhawks".