SEC notebook: Some athletes might get additional $4,000

If a proposal by football and men’s basketball coaches passes the upper levels of the SEC, the league could soon be giving football and men’s basketball players an additional $4,000 each year in scholarship money, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said.

“The amount of money they bring in is enormous, and they need to share in it,” Spurrier said. “Hopefully, that will go through. The presidents and commissioners are supposed to be working on that.”

The suggestion was taken to the conference’s athletics directors Wednesday at the league’s annual spring meetings, Spurrier said.

“We are encouraging all the other conferences and Notre Dame to get in line with it,” Spurrier said. “This is something we need to do.”

SEC commissioner Mike Slive declined to address the issue Wednesday evening but said he would later in the week.

Spurrier has been one of the loudest proponents of giving additional money to football and men’s basketball players. A proposal to give all athletes an additional $2,000 in scholarship value stalled in an NCAA committee.

Paying only football and men’s basketball players is a tricky issue for college athletics, Alabama athletics director Bill Battle said.

“I don’t see how you can pay some players on a team more than others,” he said. “I am not saying that they shouldn’t (be compensated), but what we have to recognize is that we have two, maybe three, sports in some places that make money. If you start to pay fair market value to those that the market is for then how do you pay them and not pay softball and rowing and swimming and diving and women’s sports? If you go on market value, we are telling some people that they aren’t worth much.”

Status quo

The league’s football coaches are “13-to-1” in favor of keeping an eight-game SEC schedule, said Spurrier, who at the same time conceded, “Anything can happen when television starts telling you what to do.”

The coaches were split 50-50 on the question of whether to keep permanent cross-division rivals as part of the scheduling model, Spurrier said.

South Carolina will vote for an eight-game schedule with no permanent crossover opponent, athletics director Ray Tanner said. The 2014 schedule won’t be affected by the adoption of a new model, but 2015 and beyond could be affected, Slive said.

“Whatever they decide is fine,” Spurrier said. “One thing we all have to realize is that nobody said it was supposed to be fair.”

Shaw ready

Senior quarterback Connor Shaw “has been doing pretty well from what I hear” after missing spring practice following foot surgery, Spurrier said.

“I think Connor will definitely be our starter, and we’ll see how it goes from there. Get Dylan (Thompson) in some every game,” Spurrier said. “I don’t know how it will turn out. They are both very qualified, both excellent leaders. I can see both playing a lot.”

How long?

As he is each year at this event, Spurrier was asked Wednesday how long he plans to keep coaching. His answer, as usual, was vague.

“I was hoping to be here 10 or so (years), maybe even a little longer now, as long as we are doing well, got a good staff, got my son Steve Jr. there,” Spurrier said. “The fans are fired up and we still have goals out there we have not achieved, like winning the SEC, like going to a major bowl game.”

The view from the top

When informed that The Sporting News ranked South Carolina No. 3 in the country in its preseason poll, Spurrier replied, “You’re kidding.”

“I have been telling people we’d probably be No. 10. I did not know that. I am still going to tell everybody we are nine or 10. That’s our comfort spot. We don’t need to be three. We lost too many really good defensive players to think we are right in that category.”

Athlon Sports ranked the Gamecocks No. 5 in its preseason poll Wednesday.

Selection committee

The selection committee for the new College Football Playoff will have between 12 and 20 members and is likely to be announced by this year’s bowl season, BCS executive director Bill Hancock said. SEC athletics directors and football coaches have been asked to submit suggestions by Friday.

A Great Floridian

Spurrier drove from Destin to Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, where he will be given the “Great Floridian” award Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott.

“It’s a nice award, from what I hear,” Spurrier said.

This story was originally published May 29, 2013 at 9:00 PM.