The sports world is in flux and a period of uncertainty. As the news trickles in, or comes as a flood, we'll stop to highlight some of the noteworthy items.
I'll share my thoughts on five items from the past couple of days.
Notre Dame may have saved college football in 2020
The Notre Dame football program is a polarizing "love 'em or hate 'em" topic for much of the college football world but according to new reporting it seems like the Irish might have saved college football in 2020.
Weeks ago I mentioned that it was surprising for the ACC to follow the SEC's lead as opposed to the Big Ten's. After all, the conference has historically never shied away from the image of being somewhat counter to the SEC's base football-first instincts.
This reporting would seem to explain the change in ACC thinking.
Notre Dame football has always been the prize for the Atlantic Coast Conference and while commissioner John Swofford has taken some criticism for allowing the Irish to compete as a league member in 2020 with no future commitments beyond the earlier arrangement, perhaps he sees a deeper alliance forming with the school.
This is a testament to Notre Dame's clout in the college football world. Not even a full member of the league, it was still able to muster the clout to convince the league to press on during such a contentious time.
With new reporting that the Big Ten's presidents would have voted differently if they had foreseen the public outcry over cancelling while other leagues are playing, the Irish have really impacted the sport's landscape.
Is Will Wade really untouchable?
We're about to find out. For months nobody has even tried to mount a serious defense of LSU's head basketball coach, in terms of the play-for-pay scandals that were supposed to "rock" the sport?
In fairness, the world (including the sports world) has bigger fish to fry with COVID-19. It's also true that the amateurism debate, always front and center, is related to the money issue so perhaps there has been some trickle-down impact on the conversation.
But if Wade can skate following the details from Wednesday's reporting on his involvement in improprieties then he really should be regarded as untouchable.
According to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com, "The NCAA says LSU men's basketball coach Will Wade either arranged for or offered "impermissible payments" to at least 11 potential recruits or others around them, according to documents obtained Wednesday by ESPN."
It's the most direct and wide-reaching implication of Wade yet.
In terms of NCAA action, or rather inaction thus far, cynicism may be justified but it will be hard for the sport's regulatory body to ignore the scale of Wade's alleged corruption.
LSU is going through several rounds of bad publicity with recent allegations that star running back Derrius Guice faced multiple assault allegations that never went anywhere when he was in Baton Rouge.
Kudos to Nebraska
Nebraska is one of the Big Ten's newest additions but the Cornhuskers have not been shy about voicing displeasure about the league's decision, under confusing circumstances lacking transparency at times, to cancel the season.
First the school publicly floated their desire to play even with the Big Ten canceling, later insisting — under Big Ten scrutiny, with even media bearing down in criticism — that they were never going to buck the league and go rogue.
On Thursday, a group of Nebraska players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten "seeking a reversal of its decision to postpone the fall sports season and greater clarity as to how league leadership arrived at that conclusion."
Another opportunity for Jon Toth
Former Kentucky center Jon Toth has perhaps his best opportunity yet to make a future for himself in the National Football League.
The Cleveland Browns have signed the former Kentucky center, with the official website for the franchise noting, "He has spent time on the Eagles (2017-18) and Jets (2018) practice squads in addition to playing for the XFL's D.C. Defenders."
Toth was one of Kentucky's best players of the early Mark Stoops era, indeed, over the past decade. The Wildcats have been exceptionally blessed at the center position with future NFL'er Drake Jackson following Toth, and based on what the coaches have said so far this camp, Quintin Wilson could well continue that modern tradition.
Keeping Lute Olson and family in thoughts and prayers
We learned this week that former Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson has been placed in hospice care, always a difficult decision for a family and one that speaks to a time of great suffering.
Kentucky fans are very familiar with Olson's career. Not only was he the coach who led the Arizona Wildcats to the 1997 national championship victory over Kentucky in overtime, denying UK a three-peat we know from hindsight, but he also reportedly had a couple of opportunities to coach the Kentucky program.
