College Players Back Playoff, Pay, USC

SI takes pulse of Division I football; athletes join coaches in picking Trojans
By Max Brallier,  Newser User
Posted Aug 8, 2007 6:45 AM CDT
College Players Back Playoff, Pay, USC
Arkansas' Darren McFadden (5) fakes a handoff to tailback Michael Smith, right, as they run the "Wildcat" package on the first day of football practice this season for the team in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. McFadden rushed for 1,647 yards last season and completed 7 of 9 passes when...   (Associated Press)

Division I football players want to play for Pete Carroll, possibly because they're picking USC to win the national title. They spend nearly as much time on football as they would on a full-time job, and they'd like to be paid that way. SI polled 119 players (one from each team), and the results range from ho-hum to surprising.

Nebraska's Darren McFadden is the overwhelming Heisman favorite, and players say the recent ban of text messaging in recruiting generally makes sense. Most overwhelming was agreement that athletes should receive compensation beyond scholarships. As one Pac-10 player said, "This is our job, we have a lot of responsibilities and we bring in a lot of money for the school." (More NCAA football stories.)

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