Take a tip from Cecil Newton and pay the players

The better payoff would be in something that actually pays off — like cash. There seems to be plenty of it being made off their sweat and talent, certainly enough to keep Pryor and his teammates from having to sell the shirts off their backs at tattoo parlors.

Let coaches hand out signing bonuses along with the key to a dorm room and the phone number of a tutor. Pay players a monthly stipend and let them earn even more by reaching certain goals for the season, just like their coaches are able to do.

Give everybody on the team, say, $25,000 for being in the BCS title game. Let them buy their new Escalade instead of having to sneak it in a special deal with the booster who owns the dealership.

Make Cecil Newton look like a man ahead of his time.