Auburn Football: Is Cam Newton Worth the Gamble?

There's an old English betting saying: in for a penny, in for a pound.  It means if you're going to gamble, you might as well make it count.

That is precisely what Auburn is doing with the NCAA right now.

They are already in for a penny, playing Cam without knowledge of all these allegations. Now with more people than just the shady character Kenny Rogers coming to light, the NCAA has basically told Auburn: Play him at your own peril.

So Auburn is doubling down the bet or more and continuing to play him despite the mountains of smoke coming from different sources.

If there is indeed a fire somewhere, then going in for a pound will translate into going for quite a pounding with sanctions and forfeitures.

And in a way, can you blame Auburn?

Fans know they wouldn't beat Alabama and may not have beaten Georgia without Newton and certainly could not win or even go to the National Championship Game without Newton. So go ahead and play him, and pray that all that smoke never produces a smoking gun the NCAA can find.

Better to have a championship taken away, at this point, than never to have had one at all.

At least that's how Auburn's decision makers see it.

But will the NCAA give them extra grief for continuing to play him? Will they finally sit him themselves?

Anything is possible at this point, including nothing at all.

The only thing for sure right now is that all the players have made their bets, and there's no bluffing anymore.

Once the cards are all uncovered, we'll see who the winners and losers are.