College Football Analyst Misses the Obvious

A full-time, paid analyst about college football sounded more uninformed than a former analyst turned coach when they popped up on separate ESPN platforms during the past 18 hours.

First, former Florida QB and ESPN college football analyst Jesse Palmer, part of "College Football Live," added an off-hand remark about the importance of academics in the whole conference expansion mess. As if on cue, or on payroll from the Big Ten Conference, Palmer said people should not underestimate the importance of academics as the Big Ten considers which schools to invite for membership.

Throughout the process, and dating to 1989 when conference presidents added Penn State, Big Ten members have also been members of the Association of American Universities. The broad-based research schools that are members of that AAU (not the typically sports related Amateur Athletic Union) do have reason to consider themselves better or different from some other colleges and universities. It's a nice standard to have.

Plus, it's generally accepted that any new Big Ten members will be AAU members as well. Newcomer Nebraska is an AAU member, but it ranks lower than any other Big Ten school in most academic and research ratings.

Still, when Palmer and other analysts parrot lines about academics and that membership being a driving force in any decisions regarding conference expansion they're just wrong. It's not about academics, it's about athletics and money. Analysts need not be overly critical or cynical, but to continually offer the academics-first line is insulting to viewers.

Conversely, the calming, wise tones of Bill Curry's voice were a welcome sound Friday on "Mike and Mike in the Morning." The current Georgia State football coach (that program launches this fall) and former ESPN college football analyst just brings great perspective to everything he talks about.

With Greenberg and Golic on "Mike and Mike," Curry addressed the NCAA sanctions for Southern California and conference expansion. He put things in perspective well and offered the opinion that expansion was bad for college football. Because Curry brings experience as a player, Georgia Tech then a pro career with the Green Bay Packers, and coach, with stops in Alabama and Kentucky, his thoughtful perspectives are worth hearing. Not once in the conference expansion discussion, and granted his time was brief, did he mention academics. Then again, he knew better.

Here's just one reason he knew better -- the Big Ten cannot get its most-sought-after new member and maintain its academics-first, AAU-membership requirement. That's because cash cow Notre Dame -- which could still survive and maybe thrive as an independent football power depending on how things play out -- is not an AAU member.

It would be nice if some analyst, preferably someone with a full-time job, could just point out little things like that. That would include acknowledging that the Irish have a great academic reputation, but at the same time acknowledging that the school (in terms of enrollment and as a private school) is more different from most Big Ten members than it is the same.

That means the expansion efforts come down to money -- not academics.