Getting Christmas Gifts for Key Michigan State Figures

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Today is a day of giving, and for today, let's pretend we are super-duper powerful. Our job is to find some Christmas gifts for those around Michigan State. Again, we're super-duper powerful, so we're able to get them whatever they need or want.

Tom Izzo - Common-Sense NCAA Rules

Note: I'm not allowing myself to just write "more NIL money" for these. That's a cop-out, and it's boring.

OK, we're czar of the NCAA now. We'll also just pretend that no one will challenge my rules in court. First things first, and this is the thing Tom Izzo seems to take the most umbrage with: a crackdown on tampering. No more contacting other teams' players of any kind, unless they are in the transfer portal. Any loopholes about contacting representatives and/or parents to go around the rules should also be closed.

Additionally, let's not allow players who have played actual professional basketball. The exception to this could be those who have played overseas before reaching about 18 years old, but the concept of a G League player or a 21- or 22-year-old guy from Europe suddenly deciding to play college basketball is, well, dumb.

Pat Fitzgerald - Bringing Neck Rolls Back

One thing Pat Fitzgerald was known for on the field was that he wore a neck roll on the field during his illustrious playing career at Northwestern. Neck rolls are not really a thing anymore, but it always feels like whenever a linebacker has one now, they look way cooler.

So, let's bring neck rolls back. Maybe not everyone wears them, but more linebackers should. At the very least, it looks gritty, and it looks tough.

"To be a Big Ten player that's been in Spartan Stadium with a neck roll on," Fitzgerald said during his introductory press conference. "To beat Michigan multiple times with a neck-roll on, this goes a long way back for me personally, and that's who I am. I'm a Big Ten guy."

Fitzgerald has seemed to bring a "linebacker culture" with him to MSU. Some former linebackers on the coaching staff include linebackers coach Max Bullough, safeties coach James Adams, and special teams coordinator LeVar Woods.

J Batt - An Expanded College Football Playoff

Again, I think it's safe to say the first thing J Batt is always going to ask for as athletic director is, well, more money. Even after Greg and Dawn Williams' $401 million donation, that's the job now, and that's what he's good at.

Well, what would be another way to do that? An expanded College Football Playoff is one way. Not to get too technical, but from a purely monetary standpoint, it's going to be in the Big Ten and SEC's best interest to probably expand the thing again. The conferences are currently deciding right now on what the format should be for the future, and they have a deadline of Jan. 23 to do so.

Basically, if the playoff goes to 16 teams, that adds four more first-round games to the TV package. ESPN is already paying more than $1 billion a year to televise this bad boy. More games mean more money.

Currently, conferences get $4 million for having a school in the dance, but they get another $4 million for getting to the quarterfinals, another $6 million for the semifinals, and another $6 million for making the title game. With the Big Ten's Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon all in the quarterfinals, that means the conference has already made $24 million. Split that 18 ways, and that means Michigan State has already netted $1.33 million in CFP money, despite never coming close to making it in.

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