It’s January, so that means the NCAA Football finals are in full swing. As the teams start to prepare and practice the NCAA has threatened to limit the amount of time the
Clemson Tigers are allowed to practice. This was a crucial time for the Tigers due to the big game against Alabama.
Many fans of college football often forget that the athletes are not full-time players, but also students. According to the NCAA website, “In Division I, student-athletes must complete 40 percent of the coursework required for a degree by the end of their second year. They must complete 60 percent by the end of their third year and 80 percent by the end of their fourth year. All Division I student-athletes must earn at least six credit hours each term to be eligible for the following term and must meet minimum grade-point average requirements that are related to an institution’s own GPA standards for graduation.” The athletes are given five years to complete all of the above while still being eligible to receive sports related financial aid.
In addition to having to keep up with the eligibility requirements, there are also
restrictions set on all teams. Each player is allowed to practice everyday for a maximum of four hours in season and out of season. Weekly, players are allowed to practice 20 hours per week in season, and eight hours per week out of season. However, during the season each player must have one day off every week. Out of season each player must have two days off every week.
The problem that arose between Alabama and Clemson is that Alabama’s spring semester didn’t start until January 13th, when Clemson’s Spring semester started on January 6th. This caused them to have different restrictions on practice times giving Alabama an advantage.
However, recently the NCAA has granted a practice waiver to the Clemson Tigers allowing them to exceed the 20 hour per week practice limit therefore, attempting to level the playing field between Alabama and Clemson. “We’re appreciative of the NCAA working with us in granting this waiver to assist in our preparations for next Monday’s game while maintaining our commitment to student-welfare,” said Clemson AD Dan Radakovich in a statement to CBS sports. “As Coach Swinney pointed out, this was not going to be a big difference-maker in our team’s schedule, but it’s great they’ve reached a solution that prioritizes the wellbeing of our student-athletes while allowing them to adequately prepare for the National Championship.”
Even with the longer practice hours, Clemson still was not able to overtake Alabama. Clemson started out on top with 14 points at the end of the first quarter, but during the second quarter Alabama was able to tie the score. From there, Alabama would take, and keep the lead. The game was a close one, with an ending score of 40-45 making Alabama the National College Football Champions.
Campus Crier Online 