The More You Know...

In an effort to both educate our readers, stump trivia buffs, and help Lane Kiffin remain gainfully employed, we at OTP will periodically select a few NCAA Division I Athletics compliance bylaws for our knowledge-seeking readers. Today's first lesson? High school all-star football games.

Bylaw 14.6 A student athlete shall be denied the first year of intercollegiate athletics competition if, following completion of high school eligibility in the student-athlete's sport and prior to the student-athlete's high school graduation, the student-athlete competes in more than two all-star football contests or two all-star basketball contests.

Interesting, huh? Show of hands... how many knew that? Today's second lesson concerns recruiting (some refer to this as "Chapter 4: Kelvin Samson Ruined This for Everyone"):

Bylaw 13.4.1.2 Electronically transmitted correspondence that may be sent to a prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians) is limited to electronic email and facsimiles. All other forms of electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., Instant Messenger, text messaging) are prohibited...

So, Lane, be very careful about Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Use those to show off pics of your new dog, your mood today, what you ate for dinner, or to express your feelings through someone's song lyrics. If I was your compliance officer I'd advise you avoid speaking one-on-one with anyone. Our last lesson: Utah - your proposed "championship" game against Florida wouldn't have been entirely legal.

Bylaw 17.11.8.2 A member institution shall not participate in any noncollegiate or nonconference-sponsored postseason football game unless it has been licensed by the Championships/Sports Management Cabinet...

There you have it. A nice hot injection of knowledge into your brain. Now, have a nice weekend, and be ready for more next week.