Cost-of-attendance stipends were one of the first major reforms Power 5 conferences pushed through the NCAA as a result of autonomy. Pretty much everybody agreed that closing the gap between what a scholarship pays for and the actual cost of going to a university -- including things like living expenses -- was a smart way to give some assistance to players.
But like so many other issues in college sports, those stipends may also carry unintended consequences. Because the amount each school offers can be very different, some people are afraid it will become a recruiting incentive.
PennLive.com's David Jones covered this situation well on Tuesday. Based on current cost-of-attendance data, as determined by university financial aid departments, Penn State will offer the highest cost-of-attendance stipend in the Big Ten when it goes into effect next school year, at $4,788 per year per athlete. The next highest would be Wisconsin at $4,265.
Compare that to Michigan State, which would offer $1,872 per year, or Michigan at $2,054. OK, you might say, that's only a difference of about $2,000 or $3,000, so why would a recruit choose a school based on that? But add that figure up over the four or five years of a player's career, and you're talking about a difference of maybe $15,000. That's not exactly peanuts.
Some coaches are worried about how this is all going to play out.
"To me, it's going to get into being like free agency in college," Maryland coach Randy Edsall told me on signing day. "What we've heard is that some schools might have a cost of attendance of up to $6,000. Now, will kids opt to go where they can get more money? Have we opened up a can of worms, where now it becomes, 'How much money can I get at this school, compared to the other one?'"
The stipends haven't gone into effect yet and are still so new that it's hard to say for sure what will happen. But Penn State's James Franklin, who looks for every edge he can find in recruiting, has said he would use cost of attendance as a selling point.
"I know people were already selling that this year," Edsall said. "It's going to be bigger as we move forward."
The disparity in the stipend amounts isn't going to change, because those numbers are based on individual schools' tuition costs and other factors. Power 5 conference leaders have always known that the figures would vary from program to program.
But were they actually ready for this measure -- however well-intentioned -- to become a recruiting tool? We'll probably find out the first time a team loses a player who chose to go with a rival because of its higher stipend. Just another reminder that almost every change in college sports leads to another issue.
Around the league ...
The legend of Jim Harbaugh grows daily.
Michigan State is getting competitive in its winter workouts. Connor Cook is more comfortable with audibles.
Minnesota was eager to open its spring practice on Tuesday. And Jeff Jones made a good first impression.
Five things to watch during Maryland's spring practice.
A look at some Nebraska defenders who could make a move this spring.
Get an inside look at Northwestern's spring drills with this well-made video.
A new honor for Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott: he had a baby penguin named after him. Urban Meyer is the most followed college football coach on Twitter, but Harbaugh is gaining.
A walk-on kicker joined Penn State.
Rutgers is pursuing a top Georgia running back.
SI.com has a Big Ten spring primer.
Former Wisconsin running backs recall their memories of John Settle, who's back in Madison coaching that position.
Purdue is paying its assistants a bit more.
Iowa's Carl Davis talks about his draft prospects in this Q&A.