Don't look a gift horse ... ?
While many of us await filling out our NCAA tournament brackets, check out the disclaimer on the bracket on the NCAA site, which asks people not to use this for gambling purposes. It's well-intentioned, but unfortunately, the ratings/excitement/buzz over this cash cow wouldn't exist without it, and I'm pretty sure the NCAA knows this.

Speaking of big money and college athletics, an interesting nugget in Tim Layden's suggestions for overhauling college sports was the possibility that the major conferences could break off and form a super league, which would serve as an NFL and NBA minor leagues not under the watchful eye of the NCAA.

In football, it already seems like Division I-A football is above NCAA control. The schools have been able to resist a playoff (which is in place in every other division of football) and keep the riches of bowl money primarily to itself. This whole fight over a playoff shows exactly how different major college football is really run. Why are the rules for something simple as a playoff so different for I-A football? You might as well just break off football from the auspices of the NCAA and make it a free-for-all. It would remove much of the stigma of scandal. You cheat? So do we?

It's a bit harder to control in basketball, especially since some of the excitement that comes at tournament time comes from upsets by small schools over major powers. Then again, it would solve some of that strength of schedule problem when it comes to bubble teams.