NCAA Football

Jeremiah Masoli, Former Robber Of Frat Boys, To Ole Miss; Worth It For Rebels?

Jeremiah Masoli, the former Oregon quarterback kicked off the team after multiple run-ins with the law, appears headed to Ole Miss. This is a risky move by coach Houston Nutt, one he’ll undoubtedly take heat for. Is it worth it? For better or worse, yes.

Let’s be clear: a player of Masoli’s caliber is not getting kicked off any team unless he’s been a serious problem. He led Oregon to a Pac-10 title last year and proved himself as an elite dual-threat quarterback.

And players that good tend to get many chances. Masoli fit that bill before he even got to Oregon. And when he was suspended for the entire 2010 season earlier this year, that still constituted another chance down the line. It was only after he got in even more trouble that he got kicked off the team.

So yes, there’s going to be controversy about him getting yet another chance. So much so that Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution isn’t sure it’s worth it. And without question, people will have a field day with various takes on a general “look at the win-at-all-costs SEC in action” theme. After all, it was only a few years ago that the conference was on a two-decade-plus streak of having at least one school on probation at all times.

And as Barnhart notes, there’s more than a bit of truth to this SEC stereotype of valuing winning over everything else, and as a coach in the league, Nutt has to take that into account as well:

Another reality is that Nutt’s backup quarterback, Raymond Cotton, just announced that he was leaving the team. That leaves Nutt with starter Nathan Stanley and a JUCO transfer, Randall Mackey, who just joined the team.

Nutt sent a text to Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal about this and acknowledged that criticism will come if he takes Masoli. But Nutt told Alford that he was also concerned about the “criticism I might receive if something happens and I don’t have a QB to finish the year.”

And that’s why he has to take Masoli. A player of that caliber makes his team better, immediately. All the criticism that will come his way will quiet once his team starts winning some games. Sure, if Masoli gets in trouble again Nutt will get hammered for it, but…did we mention the thing about Masoli leading Oregon to the Pac-10 title last year?

And that’s the nature of the beast. You have to do everything in your power to win. Is it ideal for a college game to work this way? Not at all. But fans want wins, and by and large don’t care how they come about as long as there’s not too much embarrassment involved. Some people get tired of hearing the “we created this culture” argument, but let’s face it – people wouldn’t keep saying it if there were no truth to it.

For the record: as a huge college football fan, I lump myself in with this critique. If Jeremiah Masoli does indeed play for Ole Miss this season, I will watch and enjoy his exploits. And while, yes, Ole Miss will face merciless criticism if Masoli blows this chance, it’s highly unlikely Nutt would lose his job over it. No, Nutt loses his job if he loses games. Though it doesn’t make me proud to say it, that’s why he has to take a chance.

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