Is that possible?

Yes, apparently it is. You didn't think the SEC could lower their admissions standards did you? Yet that's exactly what they've done at their last round of clandestine meetings last month.

This from the Tuscaloosa News...

At its most recent meetings in Destin, Fla., the SEC apparently relaxed its rules concerning non-qualifiers. I was in Destin but missed that development, as did most of the other reporters there, none of whom (at least as far as I have seen in extensive on-line searching) mentioned it at the time. It's only been referenced in stories about Powe. But here is what Ole Miss athletics director Pete Boone had to say about the change.

'Basically, the SEC's initial eligibility rules will generally mirror the NCAA's, which allow some non-qualifiers to attend school and try to get their grades up before competing,' Boone told the Clarion-Ledger. 'The one caveat is that any non-qualifier still has to be approved by the (SEC) commissioner.'

The funny thing if you read the entire article is that the writer has somehow convinced himself that "other conferences" have already allowed partials onto their campuses for years putting the SEC at a disadvantage. Clearly this doesn't apply to the other BCS conferences unless I'm totally mistaken but he doesn't specify. I'll put it this way, that sure ain't the case around the Big Ten.

It may be a gross stereotype but the notion that SEC schools have higher academic standards then anyone is laughable. And yes, I will further the generalization by saying that SEC schools seem to care a whole lot more about their college football then the rest of the country. That means making sure we can get any good football player out there into our school and paying whatever it takes to get [INSERT LATEST AND GREATEST FOOTBALL COACH HERE] to our university.

The reality is the playing field has never been level. The Ohio State's of the world have inherent advantages that most other schools will never realize. Our coach does it the right way and seems to care about the players off the field as much as he does on. Whether or not that is all an act is debatable by some, but not by me. I wouldn't have Jimmy T. running this mother any other way.

Yes, we are holier then thou.

I think this also gives some credence to the notion that someday a rift will form in the world of college football. There will be some schools that say "We're an institution of higher learning, not a football factory" and put the brakes on. Then there will be others that will lean even further towards professional collegiate athletes.

We already have pro football in this country by the way. And despite the seemingly massive appetite we appear to have for football, they have tried to give us more (XFL, USFL) and it doesn't work.