Steve Brownlee

As we’re just about done with college football season — the championship game is Monday — I figure this is my last chance to talk about that part of the sport.

We’re inundated with talk about these NIL deals — the abbreviation for an athlete’s name, likeness and image being marketed so they can earn money for themselves like regular celebrities can.

And the more I hear, the less it seems like it’s become what I imagined when this was all being advocated for about a decade ago.

Back then, I remember the case of some pro snowboarder who wanted to play football at the University of Colorado, but to do so, he had to give up snowboarding as it wasn’t OK to make money off an athletic pursuit if you wanted to be a college athlete.

Or another athlete who was going to pose for a calendar — I don’t remember if it was a male or female athlete, but I do remember it was a fully G-rated calendar! — for some charity, but giving his or her face and name to it would make that person ineligible with the NCAA, even though the athlete didn’t make a dime off it.

It had gotten to the point where athletes were given silly jobs on campus that either had no duties, or duties so basic that they could get their homework done during them. Probably still happens, as only a fraction — a small fraction? — of athletes can take advantage of the NIL system.

They didn’t make a lot of money in those campus jobs, but it was at least enough that they had $50 or $100 a week they could spend for a pizza, or gas money to drive across town to the mall, or maybe buy a small gift when it was Grandma’s birthday.

I thought back then that there was no reason why some higher-profile athletes shouldn’t be able to do TV commercials and make money that way, or endorse a book or simply lend their name to some cause or some company to give it more credibility, or more publicity.

Something like that.

Now, it’s become which college can fund-raise enough to pay some hotshot quarterback $10 million a year to come to their university.

I think it was Auburn University that I heard is planning to assess a $1 or $2 surcharge to every football ticket to collect money to fund these “collectives” so they can entice top-notch athletes to come their way.

I don’t know, I just had the impression — apparently pretty naively — that the schools would mostly stay out of the money part of this, with athletes working directly with whoever was going to pay them for whatever they did or endorsed.

There’s issues like this with the transfer portal, too. I thought that was a pretty good idea, and I still do.

But it’s done quite a number to several of the highest-profile teams at Northern Michigan University — namely football and hockey squads.

And I’m sure NMU is nowhere near the only university dealing with this.

Back in the day, you’d hear stories of some five-star recruit signing to play football at Quasimodo U., convinced by the coaching staff they used a system that would play to his strengths and all that stuff.

Then three months after he signed his binding national letter of intent, the coach says, “Oh sorry! I found a better job at a Big 10 (or SEC) school.”

The athlete was stuck there for at least a year or two.

Now it works that when a school like NMU loses its coach after the transfer portal “open season” — like when Wildcats hockey coach Grant Potulny resigned in mid-June after that sport’s portal was open from late March into May — it’s open season on all the Northern players.

In and of itself, that’s fine. Those guys shouldn’t be stuck here if the main reason they came was to play for Potulny.

But while there’s a free flow of players leaving, there’s virtually no pipeline available to bring in an NCAA Division I caliber of player at that point in the calendar. That’s because, unless another school has its coach leave at almost the same exact time, the portal is not open for anyone to come to Northern.

How in heaven’s name did new head coach Dave Shyiak find two-dozen players to join the four that remained from last season’s team? The only thing he had to work with was Potulny’s original incoming freshman and transfer class from the previous winter, and I remember about half of them deciding to de-commit following the Potulny exit.

These ideas for college sports seemed good in theory. But there sure are a lot of kinks, or flaws, or cracks in the system that need to still be worked out.

Now onto to the NFL this weekend:

———————

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

AFC No. 4 seed Houston (11-7) at No. 1 Kansas City (15-2); TV: ESPN and ABC — This is the game I’ve anticipated for so long, seeing if the Chiefs are more like their excellent record or more like the mediocre performances they’ve given to get there.

I saw KC’s total point differential, 385 for and 326 against, and the plus-59 is less than half of Green Bay’s plus-122 (460 vs. 338) in the regular season even with the Packers only at 11-6.

Of course, the Chiefs could turn that on its head and use all their close wins as good practice at pulling out even more close games in the postseason.

All good theories. But let’s stick with what to expect. Part of KC’s problem was similar to the Lions — injuries.

And also like Detroit, KC has been getting healthier lately. That combined with the Texans’ kind of lightweight record and schedule coming out of the AFC South makes me have to take the Chiefs, 27-23.

———————

Saturday, 8 p.m.

NFC No. 6 seed Washington (13-5) at No. 1 Detroit (15-2); TV: Fox — Would there have been rioting in the streets of even Marquette, let alone Detroit, if this game had been reserved for Prime or Peacock or whatever subscription service would take it off of regular cable?

But as I see none of the playoff games this weekend going that way, I’ll retire that discussion to another time.

So one of the big talking points coming out of the wild card round was the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels being the rare rookie quarterback to win a playoff game, let alone a road playoff game.

That was against Tampa Bay, a team that had an inferior record to Washington, even while posting wins against No. 1 seed Detroit and No. 2 Philadelphia during the season.

It points to the end of the road for this Cinderella story.

You’ll notice I’m not saying much about this Detroit team. And that’s because they’ve been consistent in their play if nothing else this season. So I expect more of the same. Lions, 33-24.

———————

Sunday, 3 p.m.

NFC No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams (11-7) at No. 2 Philadelphia (15-3); TV: NBC — Would a Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, or even a Matt LaFleur or Dan Campbell be about ready to cut a couple of the prima-donna receivers on the Eagles?

Last weekend, it was A.J. Brown reading a self-help book while sitting on the bench between the Philly offense’s stints on the field. Everyone thought that was funny, The Associated Press even did a full story describing how the book he read zoomed up the best-seller list.

Ha, ha. Or as I said last month, bah humbug! Sure, Brown is uber-talented, but he is worth the distraction he’s providing. Then again, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has already spent time this season yelling at Philly fans in the stands during games, so he’s not much of one to talk.

While Ohio State very likely rallied around a Michigan Wolverines player planting a flag on their field in Columbus in late November, I’ve never heard of challenges from within a team motivating everyone else. But for this week only, I’ll hold my nose and trust in Philly’s pass defense and take the Eagles, 26-21.

———————

Sunday, 6:30 p.m.

AFC No. 3 seed Baltimore (13-5) at No. 2 Buffalo (14-4); TV: CBS — Now this should be the classic matchup, and if the Chiefs prove to be a flop, this would be by default the AFC championship game.

I’m hearing quite cold weather is predicted for this one, but heck, Baltimore is not Miami when it comes to not being used to a frigid winter.

Still, it gives you a bit of a pause for the awesome offensive attack of the Ravens. Which could look even more awesome if the Bills’ defense just waves Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry & Co. by like a matador with a red cape.

Baltimore also had some major issues with its defense earlier in the season, but seems to have fixed them in the past month or so with injection of a few key players.

Just based on the differences in defenses, but subtracting the numb fingers and toes ready to ensue, I’ll take the Ravens, 29-23.

———————

Last week — 4-2, 67 percent.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.