Oklahoma St. Wide Receiver Dez Bryant ruled ineligible by the NCAA

Joe Shad broke this story a few hours ago on ESPN.com

You can read the report for the details of the story, but I would like to focus on another aspect of this ordeal.

Anyone who works in the field of college sports will tell you that corruption runs rampant through nearly every sport (football and basketball especially). So why is it that the NCAA has decided to end Oklahoma St. wide out Dez Bryant's season over a lunch that he paid for himself and a light jog? The answer has two parts. First, the lunch and the jog were with future NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and secondly...Dez Bryant lied about it.

There is nothing illegal about the initial detail, but it can make the NCAA suspicious. The relationship between pro athletes and college amateurs is volatile because often the mediators of such encounters are agents. At this time, it is believed that Bryant did not break NCAA rules by meeting with Sanders. Still. it is the latter portion of the answer that carries the explanation for his penalty. Despite doing nothing wrong, Bryant lied about meeting with Sanders altogether, leaving him at the mercy of the traditionally merciless NCAA. Now he faces a long wait before playing another football game, and his 3-1 Oklahoma St. team may lose the chance to ever see him suit up in orange and white again.

While it was totally unnecessary for him to lie about his completely legal relationship with Sanders. I totally understand why he did. The NCAA has always been a big time whistle blower on small time issues. They are much quicker to stumble upon a post lunch jog than they are to catch a basketball player who didnt take his SAT (Well, I'm sure Derrick Rose and Robert Dozier think the NCAA has great timing). The fact is that Bryant lied to the NCAA because he did not trust the system that he works under as an amateur athlete. He viewed his actions as a precaution and not a violation. I am very concerned about the fact that athletes feel this way about the establishment that has been commissioned to protect them. The disturbing issue in this story has nothing to do with Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, or Deion Sanders. The players have lost their faith in the NCAA...and the treatment of Dez Bryant has further fractured that relationship.

Here's a small dose of what Dez Bryant is capable of on the football field...

Amateur Status Mid-Major Top 10

I LOVE MID MAJORS!
I support them everytime they play a BCS Conference team unless it be Michigan or Michigan St. (I was not thrilled by the big time upsets that have been turned in recent years by the likes of App State, Toledo, and most recently Central Michigan...). There is very good football being played in conferences outside the BCS, and people need to be aware of it. With that being said, enter the ASMM Top 10.

1. Boise St. Broncos (5-0)
2. TCU Horned Frogs (4-0)
3. Houston Cougars (3-1)
4. BYU Cougars (4-1)
5. Utah Utes (3-1)
6. Idaho Vandals (4-1)
7. Central Michigan (4-1)
8. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (4-1)
9. Colorado State Rams (3-2)
10. Fresno State Bulldogs (1-3)

That's not a mistake. Fresno St. is in fact 1-3, but they have lost three close games to teams that rank in my top 15 (two of those teams, Boise State and Cincinnati are in my top 5).

The Amateur Status Top 25 (Week 5)

The Top 25 poll at Amateur Status works a little different than most. I actually have this crazy idea of basing my rankings off of the results of actual football games! This means that a team such as Houston probably would not be ranked behind Oklahoma St. the week after beating them on their home field in my poll. The same can not be said for the AP Poll or the Coaches Poll...and don't even get me started on the BCS. Anyways, here's the poll...

1. Florida Gators (5-0)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)
3. Texas Longhorns (5-0)
4. Boise St. Broncos (5-0)
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0)
6. LSU Tigers (5-0)
7. TCU Horned Frogs (4-0)
8. Auburn Tigers (5-0)
9. USC Trojans (4-1)
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0)
11. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1) 
12. Miami Hurricanes (3-1)
13. Oregon Ducks (4-1)
14. Wisconsin Badgers (5-0)
15. Ohio St. Buckeyes (4-1)  
16. Kansas Jayhawks (5-0)
17. Penn St. Nittany Lions (4-1)
18. Oklahoma St. Cowboys (3-1)
19. USF Bulls (5-0)
20. Missouri Tigers (4-0)
21. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-1)
22. Stanford Cardinal (4-1)
23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-1)
24. Boston College Golden Eagles (4-1)
25. Michigan Wolverines (4-1)

Doesn't this one look better?

The Beginning

Welcome to the blog. I won't waste much time with an introduction. The content will speak for itself.

(24)Missouri hosts (21)Nebraska tonight in Columbia to kick off Week 6 in college football (technically, the week started on Tuesday when Troy knocked off Middle Tennessee St. 31-7...but who really cares about Sun Belt football?). So the "Amateur Status Top 25" and the "Weekly Mid Major Poll" will debut shortly. Also, be on the look out for college basketball preview posts that will appear throughout the month of October as we gear up for college hoops season.