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How To Cheat In College Football, Or Where Chip Kelly Messed Up

We don't yet know if Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks broke any NCAA rules with their now-famous payment to "recruiting consultant" Willie Lyles. While Lyles did spill the beans to Yahoo!, telling investigative reporters he hastily created recruiting documents as reporters zeroed-in on Oregon, it's yet unclear whether any rules were broken and what the punishment, if any, may be from the NCAA. But if rules were skirted, Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples has a handy guide detailing what went wrong and how to cheat in the world of college football.

Recruiting is one massive gray area and coaches are more than happy to use any and all advantages granted by NCAA rules or lack thereof. Staples came up with seven simple rules for head coaches to avoid the ire of the NCAA and keep their hands relatively clean. The rules, including one repeated several times, may have been of use to Kelly and the Ducks before this whole debacle with Lyles came to light, creating a giant mess in Eugene.

Of note, rule No. 7, as well as No. 1 and No. 4: Always pay in cash.

Because who the hell pays a street agent with a university-issued check? That's like -- paying a street agent with a university-issued check.

Yes, Oregon has admitted using a university check to pay Lyles for whatever recruiting service it was he provided. We use the term service loosely -- Lyles provided outdated information of little use to any coaching staff, unless the staff possesses a time machine. While nothing is out of the realm of possibility when it comes to Phil Knight, it's doubtful he's developed a way to travel back two years to allow the Ducks to pickup recruits from the past.

If you have aspirations of being a head coach at a major university, be sure to read Staples' guide. It could save your job.