Simple Idea #4: Give Certain Conferences two automatic bids to basketball tournament

With the system right now only the winner of each conference's post season tournament (excluding Ivy League that uses their regular season champion) gets an automatic bid for the NCAA Division Basketball Tournament. This means that except for the very few conferences that use the regular season to determine which teams qualify for their playoff, the regular season means nothing. The Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 12, and Mountain West should all have two AQ. The Pac-12 sucks at basketball so it makes sense that they shouldn't get an extra bid and the Mountain West is year in and year out a solid conference. Even though the winner of each of these conferences regular season already makes the tournament it would be a nice rule just in case a team has a bad non-conference season and a bad tournament. For league's that are divided between two divisions the winner of each one would play the other in a one off game before the tournament. In addition to this every other conference would have there AQ determined by their regular season. They would still be free to host a post season tournament as a way of helping teams make the national tournament.

What should be done with the Penn State Football Program?

  With the NCAA about to hand down punishments on the Penn State Football program, everyone is guessing what types of probation as well as how many scholarships will be taken away. The ideas that you are about to read are not inside information or anything like that, they are just the punishments that I feel fit the crime. Some of these punishments would come from the NCAA or other organizations while others would come from the school itself. 

  Penn State is about to face what could possibly the harshest penalties in the history of college athletics. Some sources have come out to say that they could make the death penalty look lenient. These are just a few sanctions and actions that would make in this situation:

  1. Temporary Removal from Committee on Institutional Cooperation and from the Big Ten Conference 
The two organizations are pretty much one in the same. The Big Ten organizes athletic competitions between Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Committee of Institutional Cooperation represents the academic side of each institution as well the University of Chicago, a former member of Big Ten. The reason for the removal is so that the school will take a financial hit while still being able to field competitive athletic teams as well as diminishing the schools resources when it comes to academics. This action will not tarnish the academic reputation or inhibit the ability of graduates to find work, but would rather not allow them to research with other colleges.

  2. Clear all executives that were around during Sandusky era

The Source of all the problems

Although most of the University higher ups have either been fired or have resigned, but for people to think that the board of trustees and the board of regents did not know about the Sandusky allegations is ridiculous. It seems that almost everybody in University Park had an idea about what was going on and the very few people actually came out and said something about it. If this action fires innocent people then that is just an unfortunate situation. People that were in charge of the school at the time and did not do anything to stop Sandusky should not be allowed to continue to work.

  3. Allow football team to only play 3 home games
The point of this rule is to prevent the University of capitalizing on the football teams economic values. The team would be allowed to pick 3 games from their home schedule this year to keep at Beaver Stadium. In addition to only having 3 home games they will not be able to collect any money for away game appearances. This is fairer to the University and its current students than not allowing any home games because players are allowed the joy of playing in front of fellow students and the advantage it creates. Students will also be to take part in the great social activity that is going to Division 1 college football game.

  4. Allow each current Penn State Athlete one free transfer to any school of choosing
One would think that only Penn State football players should be allowed to transfer without sitting out a year since the problem was within the Football program but the whole Athletic Department was involved. If an athlete doesn't feel comfortable competing for a school whose former athletic director permitted a Pedophile to run rampant, they should be allowed to transfer.