• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, December 4, 2014

Nothing conveys “the honorable pursuit of excellence in college athletics” more than hiring a PR agency -- unless it’s a television contract worth millions.

Now that the NCAA has spun more interest in college football -- and upped the money schools can get -- by adopting a college football playoff system, colleges have decided to up their game.

Arguments have ensued for years over who had the best college team in the land. The NCAA long ago figured out the solution in basketball with its 64-team (and more) March Madness playoffs. That wasn’t true with football. So now some colleges are putting the pedal to the metal.  

Case in point: Baylor -- just a stone’s throw away from the four football playoff positions -- has hired a PR firm, possibly to convince the selection committee to put Baylor into one of four playoff spots. A seat in the playoffs would mean more money for the college, better recruiting prospects in future years, and perhaps a bigger stake of some TV revenues down the line.  (For the record, the PR agency says any connection between its hiring and attempts to influence the football playoff selections is “inaccurate.”)

Hiring a PR agency highlights where “amateur” college sports sits in a world that, for many, is no different from professional sports. Players play on TV. Advertising is sold. Money is exchanged. In these respects, college football appears just like the NFL.

Transparency is good. But colleges openly acting like major revenue-generators? You get what you pay for.