Cowbell Corner

SEC's Availability Reports Are a Start, But College Football Needs More

Like it or not gambling is a part of college football and isn't going away, so teams should help secure the integrity of college football with NFL-style injury reports

Taylor Hodges

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo runs the ball as Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Isaac Smith tries to tackle him at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 7, 2024.
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo runs the ball as Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Isaac Smith tries to tackle him at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 7, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby won’t agree with this, nor will any other college football coach, but it’s time to implement the NFL’s injury reporting system in college football.

The SEC announced at the start of the season a “student-athlete availability report” that will list players’ statuses for conference games. So, if Mississippi State's Kalvin Dinkins isn’t going to play against Florida in two weeks, we’ll know about it before the game starts.

It’s a good start, but either the SEC or NCAA needs to require all teams to provide an availability report for every game.

This isn’t so us in the media can write another story nor is it meant to satisfy fans’ curiosities about their favorite teams and players.

No, availability reports should be required for every game for one reason: Gambling.

Like it or not, sports gambling is a part of college football and, barring a major controversy, it’s not going away. One of the reasons the NFL requires its teams to issue an injury report for every game is because of gambling. Knowing who will and who won’t play in a game is tremendous knowledge, especially if that information isn’t known to the general public.

Take Mississippi State’s last game against Arizona State. There were no injury updates announcing Kelly Akharaiyi would play or that Dinkins and two other defensive linemen wouldn’t play.

A smart bettor could see Dinkins and Eric Taylor not playing and realize the Bulldogs have just one defensive lineman available that weighs more than 300 lbs. Arizona State’s starting offensive line has an average weight of 316 lbs.

It’s not a big leap in logic to think the Sun Devils would overpower the Bulldogs and win, if it was known who wouldn’t be playing for Mississippi State.

But the information wasn’t publicly known and that’s the problem. Someone who did know that information could’ve told someone outside the program and that person makes bets based on the information.

Who can say it didn’t actually happen? There’s no evidence or reports of it happening, but we can’t say for sure it didn’t happen or that it will never happen. It almost certainly will.

The easiest way to avoid this is require teams to provide availability reports for every game and the powers-that-be should require it soon.

If not, all it would take is one politician wanting to make some headlines and the powers-that-be will end up on C-SPAN in front of a congressional committee.

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Taylor Hodges

TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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