A great NASCAR driver, probably the best of his generation, was once quoted as saying, “If you are not first, then you are last.” All right, Ricky Bobby never actually drove in NASCAR or even existed, but he brings up a good point. Does anyone know if Bobby is an alumnus of Oklahoma State? What are we willing to do to help us take first place? Are we willing to cheat or lie to get there? If so, why? Whatever happened to the good old values of honesty or accountability?

I read an article a few weeks back that went into depth because a University of Texas football player had lied about being an athlete so he could take an independent study class from Brigham Young University. Athletes from other schools were not allowed to take those classes to make them eligible for other schools.

Now, when the player was on the brink of being ineligible, everyone attacked BYU, wanting them to let him play (on a side note, I guess it didn’t matter who played for the Longhorns this past weekend, because the Cougars ran all over them), and no one looked into his accountability or the fact that he had lied. I bet if he lied about showing up to lifting in the morning and wasn’t there, Coach Mack Brown wouldn’t be so happy and would hold him 100 percent accountable for his actions.

The Penn State University head coach, Bill O’Brien, made a bold statement in the first game of the year. He suspended star wideout Allen Robinson for the first half for undisclosed reasons. Something had happened, and O’Brien took it into his own hands to show that certain things would not be accepted if they wanted to play on his team. There are plenty more examples other than O’Brien of coaches making their players fully accountable on and off the field of play.

Oklahoma State is under fire. That might even be a understatement at this point, as Sports Illustrated is currently running a five-part series on alleged NCAA violations that took place while Les Miles was with the program. Drug use, boosters, giving players money, and academic dishonesty are just a few of the things suspected of going on during Miles’ tenure in Stillwater. It could all be lies from the so-called “informants” who were alienated from the program. Whatever happens in that situation, I hope they find the truth. If the players did receive money or academic benefits, I hope one of them comes out and tells the truth and lays it out on the line. It is not glorified to be the snitch, but wouldn’t you rather know the truth?

With that all said and done, college football will continue, and our Saturdays will be planned around studying and the big games. Let us hope there are some good guys out there, trying to be the best from hard work and being held accountable from their coaches and teammates.