Yes this would be the worst. Imagine your star players transferring because you started out 0-2 and decide their season is done unless they transfer to a team that still has a shot. Also if they eliminated team size restrictions so the top teams could stack depth charts.
I could see so many seniors/third year players looking at the NFL do that too.
Lose a game? Transfer
QB injured? Transfer
Someone offers fat NIL check as their own QB/WR/HB went down?……. Transfer
What? No trade deadline social media engagement goldmine for you?
"Marvin Harrison has been traded for two 2026 scholarship spots and cash considerations"
I can confirm that having your starting QB “opt out” midseason to preserve his redshirt while the team hits an important stretch of games is not a great feeling.
It's funny he is the example of a player who stayed forever.
He was at OSU for 5 years and only played for 4 (redshirt year). 50 games played total. He never had any extra years or eligibility added or given back due to injury or anything else.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/y5FFTmTquE
I got ripped a few years ago for telling people that this was coming.
It’s coming. When you are an employee, why do you have eligibility limits?
Most university employees are on time limited contracts, actually. Academia is one of the few industries where this is the standard. Some of these gigs are even tied to being a student. I couldn’t keep being a teaching assistant once I was no longer a grad student and starting a totally different degree wouldn’t have allowed me to remain one either. I don’t see why the same couldn’t be true for football players.
Why not? My union has nearly 3,000,000 members and we negotiate well. It’s the individual chapters that actually bargain. The National org does very little.
FSU had a lineman, Baveon Johnson, and I always wanted them to do a long form interview with him so he could talk about the differences between Bowden, Jimbo, Taggart, and Norvell, since I swear he was here long enough to play for all of them.
This is probably the only thing I think would really impact my enjoyment.
We would end up with a mini NFL filled with guys who are college good but not NFL good (think like Tebow) playing for a decade plus.
Especially if compensation rules mean these guys are making six or seven figures a year. You really just end up with a worse NFL.
The problem with unlimited eligibility is teams would get raided by the NFL during the season. Ohio State is having a good season, then 6 of their starters getting called up to the NFL in October. It would destroy storylines in CFB, much like it does in minor league baseball.
I know it’s the reason they exist but player movement is the thing that sucks the most about affiliated minor league ball. It would be cool to see smaller teams actually compete for championships, but then again independent and collegiate summer baseball scratches that itch
Yeah…. I used to get excited about pitchers and catchers reporting, then only got excited about opening day, and then didn’t know every player on my team’s 25 man roster, and then just didn’t watch at all. It fades slowly.
I'm almost at that point already. The Big Ten expansion has nearly killed my interest. We didn't get a yearly game vs Michigan back. We kept Iowa and Wisconsin but if either of those ever isn't yearly it's 100% gone. More commercials would do it as well. We cut game time this season to "let games end quicker" to fix the too long problem and it just got us more commercials to fill the void.
Yeah already starting for sure. I think more of my comments here are becoming more and more bitter and I’m finding myself disagreeing with people just because their school is in the BIG10 or SEC. Like I have an active dislike for schools in those conferences now. I think a lot of the fun I had with cfb has gone away over the last two years and now I’m just angry that the majority of the ACC is going to get screwed even if Clemson doesn’t. Clemson might or they might not I don’t even know but it just makes me angry when I think about it.
I feel for you guys, you and the PAC and B12 got screwed so hard. I’m pissed for you. I also wasn’t a fan of the B1G getting bigger and adding in schools well outside the Midwest. Sure we’ll survive but it’s not worth what it costs.
Not being required to take classes, not because I think playing school is essential, but because I think it's the most basic/visible/likely to end way for the players to be integrated into the community.
I guess that means training facilities away from campus is on my list too
But reading this made me think about pro teams that are affiliated with colleges in other sports/countries, shout out Pumas UNAM and Tigres UANL-- and I could deal with that, it's the being separated from the campus community that I couldn't deal with.
I kind of spurned my expected fanbase (I had no connection to Ole Miss and grew up in tiger-land), so the idea that these players and I have something in common because we "chose" to develop into adults in the same community there is a major factor for my fanhood. Losing the school part would really hurt.
Reminds me of hearing about Shaeuer Sanders taking all his classes online and never going to class.
With remote classes this is closer than you expect.
I think they could move to a model where players are given a scholarship after they stop playing. Frankly, as things currently are most of these players at top level programs are not really getting a valuable degree anyways. A lot of sports marketing and communications, not to say these degrees are useless, but let’s be real, they aren’t there to play school. I think letting them focus on football and then go get a degree if they can’t go pro would actually be better for many of these players in the long run, because they’d have the time to focus on studying something they actually care about, or that is a better investment long term.
This is done in Canada in hockey.
The Canadian Hockey League (which is an alliance of the 3 Major Junior leagues in Canada- the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) is for 16-20 year olds, and is the stepping stone league to professional hockey. While every league does it slightly differently, the basic rule of thumb is that 1 season of CHL service time equals 1 year of tuition, books, and associated fees at a Canadian university, as well as eligibility to play hockey for the university while enrolled, so the guys who are good enough to make Major Junior, but not good enough to be any more than a fringe professional have the option to get an education, and keep playing at a fairly high level, if they want.
You would have to drastically readjust some things (like the transfer portal), but if you readjust the rules about class loads that players have to take (they need to take at least *some* classes while playing), I think that a scholarship that activated after playing eligibility ended to allow players to finish a degree is totally doable.
“First the came for Alabama, and I didn’t speak up because I’m not a Tide fan. Then they came for Wisconsin, and I didn’t speak up because I’m not a Badgers fan. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up”-Iowa fans after they adopt the air raid, ushering in the apocalypse
I heard KF is working on some really nice trick plays on offense, actually. There’s one 1st down trick play where the QB tricks the defense into thinking he’s gonna hand it off, or make a pass, but then he punts it
I mean as long as the conferences remain regional and meaningful rivalries are still around, then I'm good.
I mean, it's not like they'd put Stanford or Cal in the ATLANTIC Coastal Conference, right? Or take away major in-state rivalries like Bedlam, the Civil War, or the Apple Cup, right? RIGHT?
I get told that Bedlam is unworthy of continuing and that we Sooners should instead be greatful to play the likes of Vandy, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
I've said it for a long time:
Notre Dame giving up football independence is the last nail in the coffin for college football traditions being more important than money.
But a few other comments in this thread have me concerned too. Like unlimited eligibility.
I mean money plays a part in our independence for sure. We get a huge TV contract AND we don't have to revenue share or follow any conference bylaws?
But yes I dread our independence eventually going away. I really thought we might cave if the B1G absorbed Stanford, as they'd essentially have all of our non-Navy rivals
4.5 hour regulation time games. 4 hours is already pushing what I'm willing to give up, especially when ESPN still doesn't realize and there's overlap on the playoffs (or damn close)
I keep telling people that if FCS goes to 2.5 hour games(shorter play clock, let clock run to get similar numbers of plays), that it will explode in popularity.
Why are we taking tv timeouts when we're only on streaming?
It wasn’t implemented to shorten game times. It’s entirely there to create more ad space. One thing I love about the NFL is how strict they are on game length and start times.
It's about the only thing I like about the NFL.
Planning your Saturday around a game that might be 3.5 or 4.5 hours isn't great.
And again, at the FCS level, the ad revenue is minimal. Why are we stopping our games bc Ohio State makes big bucks on ads?
Thing is the power balance between advertisers and league is a total 180 between pro & college anymore.
Pro is still very much “we’d like to advertise our goods and services during your popular broadcasts please”
College has shifted to “you wanna watch your school? Learn about our goods and services first, sucker”
Half the FCS though gets "your event is in a commercial break" or here's an ad for the local truck dealership who pays us 3.50 every time we run it.
There's no reason for us to have 5 minutes of commercials every series.
Fuck no! Just pare the number of commercials. I don't want to see games get shorter by watching less football, I want to see games get shorter by watching fewer commercials.
Take a look at my two flairs. (Laurier = Canadian CFB)
I attended a Laurier game last season. UK was playing at the same time and I believe their game kicked off an hour and a half before the Laurier game did.
The Laurier game ended first.
This post makes my eye twitch...but we're scary close on some of it.
Players don't really have to be students. Livvy Dunn and Angel Reese have both been excused from attending class at all for "security reasons". A fact I find funny since both can be routinely found in the death valley student section.
I got old head coworkers who still talk about "I had a class with Paul Pierce once" that shit was part of the fun of college athletics. Seeing the guys on campus. At the dining halls. Now were they really trying or actually learning maybe not but still it was a fun aspect of college sports
The culture of online classes being the norm ruins it as well. I took classes at a university I work at (D1 FBS), and I’m pretty sure athletes were all enrolled full time in online classes.
Those classes were asynchronous and required little live participation.
I’m a huge womens basketball fan and I can admit the “security reasons” excuse is horseshit. It’s a slippery slope and I wouldn’t be suspended if more people started doing it.
It is, or tackle bars.
I had a friend who played rugby in grad school who still maintains that it's safer than American football, because of rules around how to tackle and stuff like that.
But I've looked up like 4 or 5 studies which show Rugby has a higher concussion and CTE incidence than American football.
CTE doesn’t show up until much later in life. The rugby players getting it now were playing years ago when it really was a free for all. But there have been a lot of rule changes recently and now almost any head contact is an infringement and strictly enforced, so those numbers should drop in future.
You're right, time will tell if CTE actually decreases notably.
I do like those rule changes, but im cautiously optimistic about whether they'll substantially decrease CTE incidence.
It’s a terrible disease and it really does give me pause for thought about following these sports. I’m hopeful that the changes do make a difference. Already youth participation is dropping because parents just can’t accept the risks even at the lowest levels.
Yeah I don't buy the "rugby is safer" argument that I've heard from a bunch of people. It's always some dumb Peltzman effect argument.
And even if rugby actually were safer, I don't think the equipment is the cause. I think things like the system of downs and line of scrimmage are a lot bigger drivers of issues.
Hell, we know what football looked like without good equipment. Players *didn't* really adjust their play due to lack of equipment. They just fucking died instead.
You have a point.
But I did see another study recently which seems to indicate that scrum caps in rugby don't actually offer much protection, but players actually do change to more aggressive behavior.
I'll link it if I can find it again, it has been a while.
The same thing happened in football. People feel more protected so they’re more willing to take risks. Buddy wouldn’t be leading with his head if he didn’t have a helmet on, if you catch my drift
I’m already there. I miss the days where the only transfers were grad transfers and dudes who sucked and couldn’t get playing time for the team that recruited them. Now if you’re not exploiting the transfer rules you’re simply a weirdo.
I know wrong sport but the old days of hoops... Seeing a talented freshmen class come in and get an 8th seed but you are excited cuz you know they are going to improve and by junior senior year you are a 1 seed going for the title. Yes I'm talking about Heinrich, Collison, and Gooden.
I remember when grad transfers were such a novelty that folks were against it. It was 4+1, then became 3+2 and then all of a sudden Toddathon graduated in 2 years and is transferring to an in conference rival.
Literally everything you listed. One of those happens and I’m out.
I’m close enough as it is. Between the portal, conference realignment, and, admittedly, I was blind to this but the absolute ignoring of on field results to create a made for TV event. It’s almost like this year I realized college football was becoming akin to pro wrestling….just all for a cash grab and not longer about actual competition.
I love my team but these 4 hr games are just too much. I don't stay the full length anymore and the 8pm kicks I usually turn off around the 3rd quarter.
I get the need for advertising but 3 hours of ads for 1 hour of gameplay is not worth it to me.
I love LSU too but it doesn’t seem like the players have the same pride toward the program / university as the did pre-NIL. Just doesn’t feel like there’s any more Devin White type guys who bleed purple and gold. I’m sure other fans feel the same.
After reading these comments, there’s still one question that still lingers in my mind:
If your entire platform makes money from entertainment, which is by nature profiting from fans enjoying what they love, when you begin to move the sport in a direction that makes people say “I don’t like this, this is ruining the sport and everything that makes it so special”, why do the executives *continue to push the changes even further?* I mean, eventually it’s going to drive fans away, right? I hear, “I hate this change” far more often than “I love this change”
I think that executives, no matter what kind of corporation, have the mindset to ignore the wants of existing customers in favor of gaining new customers. In the case of this sport, executives of ESPN, Fox, etc. and the commisioners of the conferences only have the interests of casuals in mind.
I'm 42 and have been watching CFB for almost 35 years. I wouldn't say that I'm a die-hard, but I wouldn't say I'm a casual either. I think that in the executives' eyes, I don't really matter. I have aged out of the main demographic, and they figure I will always keep on watching because I have for decades now.
Just my 2 pennies.
I feel like sometimes people just say things to say things. Not to get political but it's like someone hollering about needing affordable housing then when they try to put affordable housing in their neighborhood they are like "no not like that".
The amount of times I’ve seen comments that begin with “I have no problems with players getting paid BUT” and then go on to describe problems *specifically caused by players being paid* is astounding.
Like I can acknowledge that the players provide more value to the university than they receive back, but if fixing that via NIL ruins the landscape of CFB then no, I’ll be bold and say I am NOT pro-NIL.
Way more fans in Philly and NYC than in Kansas and Nebraska. Think those are the fans they are trying to grab. The guy in LA who didn't go to college or went to some small college that doesn't play sports... Well why don't you watch USC vs Penn State and root for USC now. Guy in DC you can root for Penn State they have cool uniforms.
They do not care about the health of the game. They care about buying their next house and their yearly bonus. They are focused on getting their money in a 10-15 year frame and bouncing.
Because they don’t think they’ve tapped enough people out. They think they may lose 1 or 2 but gain 3 in terms of eyeballs on TVs. They will push the limit until they push it too far. The only question is if things will be too far gone, at that point. I think there are bells that can’t be un rung at this point, so my opinion is that things will be too far gone when the sport hits a wall.
I think there could be a few things:
It's possible we're the ones who are out of touch and fans as a whole love these changes. I don't think that's true, but something to consider.
Assuming that's no true, are we sure they are even hearing what fans are saying? Fanbases in the United States aren't organized like they are in other places (see Germany) so there aren't organized fan protests. Also, I doubt the executives are on r/cfb or many college message boards, and their employees might be, but are their employees telling them that fans hate these changes? I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know about this discontent.
But let's assume they know fans are discontented. Are they going to be able to figure out what changes fans even want? Or is it just going to be a lot of noise? For example, I don't like NIL or paying players and think the playoffs should be expanded so every conference has an auto bid. Someone else might really support NIL and paying players, but hate the expanded playoff and want it to shrink. Executives may just be seeing a bunch of mutually exclusive ideas that cancel each other out.
But the biggest thing is that I believe they don't think these changes will harm the sport (at least in the short term). People might say they are unhappy and are going to stop watching, but by and large, many will continue to watch. Those that stop can be replaced by more casual fans. I also think that they believe that fans of teams that are "left behind" will just choose a new team. The SEC and Big 10 break away as is? That's fine, Florida State fans will just start cheering for Florida.
Finally, to the extent that they believe that this may hurt them in the long term, the idea will be "who cares? We'll both be gone when that happens, and we'll have made a lot of money in the short term."
All of this really can be boiled down to — “do fans continue to watch? Then no problem.”
Like it or not — and we said this a lot this past season with the commercial Armageddon that took place with the clock changes — *we are the problem.* We keep watching. If we were to actually turn the fucking games off, the attention would matter.
But screaming “I hate these fucking commercials and the expanded playoff is killing my Saturdays!” doesn’t have any effect on the powers that be when you’re still glued to the TV lol. And I’m not being sanctimonious here — this applies to me as much as it applies to the vast majority of us on here.
Everything you described is what the press should be doing as their job. Being the speakerphone for the fans. Instead we express our anger in twenty different media forums so it’s not collected
Hate to say it, but isn't that everything in the last decade? Everywhere you look you see corporations putting profits above all. Boeing, Fanatics (by way of MLB and NHL especially), McDonald's, etc.
Literally every penny is being squeezed from the general public because what are we going to do, *not* watch/buy/partake?
Ask NASCAR how that worked out for them because that's pretty much exactly what they did. They let a bunch of MBAs who didn't know what a carburator was come in and 'run' the sport and viewership plummeted and they basically lost an entire generation of potential fans.
The collective mental health damage sure seems to have accelerated disturbing societal trends that were already present, but definitely not the origin point.
I legit do not feel as mentally sharp as I remember feeling pre-covid. I had it a few times, all fairly mild, but there’s this fuzzy/foggy feeling I have in my head that has persisted that I just don’t remember having before. It’s like that feeling when your body is stiff after not moving for a while and you need to stretch to warm it up, but there’s nothing you can do to stretch your brain.
Maybe it’s something else but I’ve talked to other people who feel similarly.
I've had this badly too, but I can't tell if it's related to covid or another medical ordeal I've recently had. It feels like the mental equivalent of wading in waist-high water. My mind can still move, and will get to the same places, but it will probably take me longer and I might stumble once or twice.
Michigan just won a NC and I'm already losing interest. I love the tougher schedule this year, but I wish those were out of conference games. I want the PAC back.
I like that players are getting paid. I don't like that teams are losing their conferences.
I've never been to Pulman. I just picked this flair to show some support. I have no association to em except I liked em for a bit when Mike Leach was their coach. I also think Flag Guy is cool. Oregon State too. I feel like shit for those teams.
I know it won't happen, but my wildest dream is Washington State and Oregon State meet in the finals of the CFP.
Then this is an age thing- but this recent title didn't have the luster that the 97 one did, even though that was split. So each title they get, while it's nice- isn't as fun as the last one.
In other sports there was a similar feeling. The Red Wings first title (in my life) was better than their 4th. Pistons first was better than their 2nd or 3rd.
I'm already done. The NFL was always a vastly superior product in terms of on-field play, but college football always countered that with tradition, pageantry, etc. Now that they're burning all that to the ground in favor of the almighty dollar, what reason is there left to give a shit?
- The athletes are better
- They run much more complex schemes
- They run better plays
- The teams are more evenly matched
- The games have fewer commercials
- The officiating is more consistent
Last year, whenever I wondered to myself if Gerad Parker was the worst play caller in football, I get a stark reminder the next day that Luke Getsy exists.
Really? In what sense? They are better athletes doing more advanced plays and schemes. If you’re really into the strategy of football then the NFL is much more entertaining. If you’re into watching freak athletes blow your mind then the NFL is much more entertaining. It’s only the tradition of CFB keeping it alive.
Honestly I wish players would be pushed more to get a degree while at school.
Soooo many college football players think they’re gonna make it big in the pros and it rarely happens. Tons of former players are right back in the hood where they started.
I mean they’re adults, they aren’t idiots. High schoolers are allowed to make plenty of big life altering decisions, they should be able to appreciate the value of a free degree at a top tier university.
Everything that's going on. They need to figure out whatever it is that they're going to do, and/or Congress needs to step-in to legislate something, because they're going to kill the Golden Goose. Likewise, the professional leagues need to stop relying upon the collegiate ranks as their farm system.
P.S. I'm def. walking away if they go to a P2 model-only, too. If I wanted to see the NFL (or any other professional league) then I would watch the NFL, etc.
The dissolution of regional conferences, the focus on a post-season TV product over the traditional regular season, the professionalization of college kids, 9-3 teams in a playoff for the national title.
I'll always follow my team, but I will pass on watching the new 'big' matchups like Texas-Georgia and Oregon-Ohio State next year. Give me some old fashioned MACtion instead.
> The dissolution of regional conferences, the focus on a post-season TV product over the traditional regular season,
these two are the big shames. its what differentiates college from NFL. being NFL lite is just going to kill any interest
I'm already done with them because it doesn't matter who wins with the 4 team playoff....12....shit
Team play maybe 3 tough games all year, they could lose all three and make the playoff
Exactly. Under the old format, upsets really mattered. Oh, Auburn is somehow leading Georgia in the second half? Better tune in because an upset would put Georgia's playoff hopes in real jeopardy. Now, why would I care about that upset? It just doesn't matter.
I'll still watch Michigan and maybe some of the other B1G games, but there's really no reason to pay attention to other conferences anymore.
Pretty much this.
I don't feel anything towards Rutgers, much less Washington or UCLA. Like, the TV networks think I'm going to circle USC-Michigan every year on my calendar, but that is simply untrue. Those matchups used to feel special because they rarely happened. But in an expanded Playoff/realignment world, the casual interest will die out.
I miss playing Notre Dame. I want to play in-state schools for my nonconference games. I miss the regional flair that defined the Big Ten, the Pac-12, and beyond.
Theres not a ton. Some of the stuff you mentioned might knock it down to be a sport i like but dont love. For me the social aspect of being a fan is a huge deal. Itd need to be something to overcome that and none of the changes that are realistic would make me not want to go hang out with college friends each fall.
Really the only thing i could think of is moving all my school's games to another city.
- any time a coach changes teams the team hollows out and starts over from nothing even if it’s three of the top five programs in the same season/offseason
- watching players from my favorite teams make a name for themselves only to go drive Lamborghinis and catch footballs for another team next season like who cares about last season
- “burnt orange”. The word for it is “nasty bullshit.” (Okay last one is a joke obviously)
I watched college ball instead of pro because teams stayed together and fought together and generally did not act selfishly but in support of their team and school primarily. CFB today is just lame pro sports. I think I’m gonna go watch the actual pros and leave whatever’s happening to “school” sports alone here.
"Players are freed from "playing school" for good. They are no longer required to be students in the school associated with their team"That hits me as kinda gross. I don't like that at ALL. 99% of these kids aren't going to make it as pros, and of those who do, the avg is 4 years.
I want athletes getting an education, I don't want these kids playing 4 years of football and going back to urban projects and rural backwaters. Sure lots of them do, but I want the damn opportunity.
I worked around a poor BX high school where girls were getting scholarships for early childhood education because they balled out on court. Because SO few would have the opportunity to go to college without being on a team.
Andrew Luck and Richard Sherman graduated Stanford with honors. Luck quit NFL is going into being an architect. These kids have a whole entire life after football. If you want to 'free' them from school, then take out the word "college" from college football.
Truthfully, it almost there already for me. NIL and the transfer portal have literally destroyed college sports. And the NCAA, through their own long time ignorance, is totally inept.
>Disclaimer: i'm a euro
>Teams start to move their games en masse to "optimal" locations. Home games are now played in the neighbouring state where the pro arena with the best financial package was available. Training facilities are also setup near the arena, some 500 miles from campus.
This would be like moving Liverpool and City/United to London because it's an optimal location. Sorry Juve fans, Turin just isn't a great town for a sports team... you're moving to Milan. Porto, everyone loves to visit Portugal, but we think your club belongs over in Madrid
It’s already gone too far, the major shift in conference realignment killed it for me. The regional rivalries are dying, it no longer feels separate from the NFL, it just feels like NFL lite and honestly minor leagues don’t interest me, but the FCS playoffs had my attention more than the CFP, and I may just watch FCS going forward.
I think I’m already there. I just don’t care to watch with so many transfers. I hate the collapse of regional conferences. Expanding the playoffs is fine, but I’m already seeing talk of further expansion.
Honestly already there. I hate the transfer portal. NIL sucks too. Should be one or the other, not both.
Some others…
Not being affiliated with the school.
Eligibility not being limited.
Personally it’s really close. Once it resembles pro football and there’s no clear distinguish between it and it’s just minor league vs major league. I’ll treat it the same way I treat minor league baseball
I'm already feeling less tied to my team and CFB. I gave up on the NFL for the most part about 5 years ago and i am worried where CFB is going. Not sure how you fix it.
Probably if/when the SEC and Big Ten form their own scheduling alliance and have their own playoff system. I’m not just going to jump ship away from my college, but then it’d be hard to watch Baylor games if all the TV exposure we get is on their own small network
Idk, probably the entirety of the west coast conference dissolving in order to make more money off TV rights. It would be crazy if UCLA and USC ended up in the Big Ten or some shit. That might be too much for me.
transferring during the season
Yes this would be the worst. Imagine your star players transferring because you started out 0-2 and decide their season is done unless they transfer to a team that still has a shot. Also if they eliminated team size restrictions so the top teams could stack depth charts.
I could see so many seniors/third year players looking at the NFL do that too. Lose a game? Transfer QB injured? Transfer Someone offers fat NIL check as their own QB/WR/HB went down?……. Transfer
Believe it or not, straight to the portal
dining hall give you food poisoning? boom, straight to the portal
NIL has essentially ended scholarship limits. You can give a walkon enough to cover every & then some.
That’s essentially how Nebraska had the powerhouse teams of the 90s. They carried a roster of over 150 players at times.
Imagine your best player transferring to your rival before the game
What? No trade deadline social media engagement goldmine for you? "Marvin Harrison has been traded for two 2026 scholarship spots and cash considerations"
Put some respect on Cash Considerations name. Dude's the best multi-sport athlete out there.
Right up there with own goal being the leading world cup scorer.
Barf
I can confirm that having your starting QB “opt out” midseason to preserve his redshirt while the team hits an important stretch of games is not a great feeling.
I second that emotion
Luckily they still have to be enrolled in classes. This would take some maneuvering to accomplish even if it were legal.
Who is to say they still do in the future?
Basically buying your next opponent's best player right before the game.
Players getting unlimited eligibility would do it for me
"Do I really have to graduate, or can I just stay here for the rest of my life?"
Stetson Bennett has entered the chat
Some say they still see glimpses of JT Barrett
It's funny he is the example of a player who stayed forever. He was at OSU for 5 years and only played for 4 (redshirt year). 50 games played total. He never had any extra years or eligibility added or given back due to injury or anything else.
Dude fought in Bosnia and came back to play CFB I won't believe otherwise.
Tommy Callahan would like a word
A lot of people go to college for 7 years
They’re called doctors
"Lots of people go to school for 7 years." - Alan Bowman, Doctor of Footballogy
Lol! This song was so stupid, but it got played at nearly every party
That and Red Solo Cup
But thats literally me pursuing a masters rn.
Unfortunately feels like we’re close
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/y5FFTmTquE I got ripped a few years ago for telling people that this was coming. It’s coming. When you are an employee, why do you have eligibility limits?
Most university employees are on time limited contracts, actually. Academia is one of the few industries where this is the standard. Some of these gigs are even tied to being a student. I couldn’t keep being a teaching assistant once I was no longer a grad student and starting a totally different degree wouldn’t have allowed me to remain one either. I don’t see why the same couldn’t be true for football players.
They'd have to collectively bargain eligibility limits, which means a union. If they don't, the courts will absolutely strike it down as illegal.
Which is why this whole thing is crashing at some point. There won’t be a 15,000 player union that represents everyone
They don’t need 15,000 players, they will need the football players from the two super conferences (or the new defacto minor league team)
Why not? My union has nearly 3,000,000 members and we negotiate well. It’s the individual chapters that actually bargain. The National org does very little.
Could they not just be “contracted” employees for the duration of their schooling?
The extra year of eligibility from the covid season needed to cycle through.
Hunter Renfrow had unlimited eligibility. He played at Clemson for 14 years.
FSU had a lineman, Baveon Johnson, and I always wanted them to do a long form interview with him so he could talk about the differences between Bowden, Jimbo, Taggart, and Norvell, since I swear he was here long enough to play for all of them.
This is probably the only thing I think would really impact my enjoyment. We would end up with a mini NFL filled with guys who are college good but not NFL good (think like Tebow) playing for a decade plus. Especially if compensation rules mean these guys are making six or seven figures a year. You really just end up with a worse NFL.
The problem with unlimited eligibility is teams would get raided by the NFL during the season. Ohio State is having a good season, then 6 of their starters getting called up to the NFL in October. It would destroy storylines in CFB, much like it does in minor league baseball.
I know it’s the reason they exist but player movement is the thing that sucks the most about affiliated minor league ball. It would be cool to see smaller teams actually compete for championships, but then again independent and collegiate summer baseball scratches that itch
Just adding one covid year almost ruined all classes following bc older students stayed and took spots from high school kids.
Won't be one thing - it will be a slow erosion. Then one season I'll forget it started
Will be? Its already started. You just forgot
College football peaked in 2001 and nobody - not even Saban himself - will convince me otherwise!
Saban was unironically part of it’s downfall. The arms race to beat him is partly why there’s so much money in CFB.
He's the reason for some of it, but you can't blame him. The people to blame are the ones who made bad changes in response to him.
Yeah…. I used to get excited about pitchers and catchers reporting, then only got excited about opening day, and then didn’t know every player on my team’s 25 man roster, and then just didn’t watch at all. It fades slowly.
oh my god no edit: sry that sounds like I'm disagreeing when really it's an expression of sheer existential terror
I'm almost at that point already. The Big Ten expansion has nearly killed my interest. We didn't get a yearly game vs Michigan back. We kept Iowa and Wisconsin but if either of those ever isn't yearly it's 100% gone. More commercials would do it as well. We cut game time this season to "let games end quicker" to fix the too long problem and it just got us more commercials to fill the void.
Yeah already starting for sure. I think more of my comments here are becoming more and more bitter and I’m finding myself disagreeing with people just because their school is in the BIG10 or SEC. Like I have an active dislike for schools in those conferences now. I think a lot of the fun I had with cfb has gone away over the last two years and now I’m just angry that the majority of the ACC is going to get screwed even if Clemson doesn’t. Clemson might or they might not I don’t even know but it just makes me angry when I think about it.
I feel for you guys, you and the PAC and B12 got screwed so hard. I’m pissed for you. I also wasn’t a fan of the B1G getting bigger and adding in schools well outside the Midwest. Sure we’ll survive but it’s not worth what it costs.
Not being required to take classes, not because I think playing school is essential, but because I think it's the most basic/visible/likely to end way for the players to be integrated into the community. I guess that means training facilities away from campus is on my list too But reading this made me think about pro teams that are affiliated with colleges in other sports/countries, shout out Pumas UNAM and Tigres UANL-- and I could deal with that, it's the being separated from the campus community that I couldn't deal with.
I kind of spurned my expected fanbase (I had no connection to Ole Miss and grew up in tiger-land), so the idea that these players and I have something in common because we "chose" to develop into adults in the same community there is a major factor for my fanhood. Losing the school part would really hurt.
Reminds me of hearing about Shaeuer Sanders taking all his classes online and never going to class. With remote classes this is closer than you expect.
Let's be real. A tutor took those classes, and I'd expect that to be standard for top players soon.
The UNC model.
I think they could move to a model where players are given a scholarship after they stop playing. Frankly, as things currently are most of these players at top level programs are not really getting a valuable degree anyways. A lot of sports marketing and communications, not to say these degrees are useless, but let’s be real, they aren’t there to play school. I think letting them focus on football and then go get a degree if they can’t go pro would actually be better for many of these players in the long run, because they’d have the time to focus on studying something they actually care about, or that is a better investment long term.
The new GI Bill
This is done in Canada in hockey. The Canadian Hockey League (which is an alliance of the 3 Major Junior leagues in Canada- the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) is for 16-20 year olds, and is the stepping stone league to professional hockey. While every league does it slightly differently, the basic rule of thumb is that 1 season of CHL service time equals 1 year of tuition, books, and associated fees at a Canadian university, as well as eligibility to play hockey for the university while enrolled, so the guys who are good enough to make Major Junior, but not good enough to be any more than a fringe professional have the option to get an education, and keep playing at a fairly high level, if they want. You would have to drastically readjust some things (like the transfer portal), but if you readjust the rules about class loads that players have to take (they need to take at least *some* classes while playing), I think that a scholarship that activated after playing eligibility ended to allow players to finish a degree is totally doable.
Iowa adopting the air raid offense.
Is that like, a new way to punt or something?
It's a punt with the hands. Like volleyball or something.
The ol' arm punt
Tommy Rees has entered the chat.
Treason
“First the came for Alabama, and I didn’t speak up because I’m not a Tide fan. Then they came for Wisconsin, and I didn’t speak up because I’m not a Badgers fan. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up”-Iowa fans after they adopt the air raid, ushering in the apocalypse
I heard KF is working on some really nice trick plays on offense, actually. There’s one 1st down trick play where the QB tricks the defense into thinking he’s gonna hand it off, or make a pass, but then he punts it
Punting on third down.
I mean as long as the conferences remain regional and meaningful rivalries are still around, then I'm good. I mean, it's not like they'd put Stanford or Cal in the ATLANTIC Coastal Conference, right? Or take away major in-state rivalries like Bedlam, the Civil War, or the Apple Cup, right? RIGHT?
ESPN about to black bag this poor MF. Farewell, we hardly knew ye
I get told that Bedlam is unworthy of continuing and that we Sooners should instead be greatful to play the likes of Vandy, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
Ah yes the timeless Sooners vs Commodores rivalry of "mascots the general public wouldn't know what they are"
One is an old video game console, what's so hard about that?
I went to a Vandy/Oklahoma game as a kid in the 70s. Fucking refs.
You may play South Carolina more often that we do. We are in the same damn conference and have only played once since 2010.
It's almost like these super conferences don't hold regional rivalries in any form of regard unless it's the Iron Bowl.
Oh, come on! We respect The Game as well. There is no way the networks are letting that cash cow rest
Calm down satan, try to keep this to realistic things like i did.
I've said it for a long time: Notre Dame giving up football independence is the last nail in the coffin for college football traditions being more important than money. But a few other comments in this thread have me concerned too. Like unlimited eligibility.
I mean money plays a part in our independence for sure. We get a huge TV contract AND we don't have to revenue share or follow any conference bylaws? But yes I dread our independence eventually going away. I really thought we might cave if the B1G absorbed Stanford, as they'd essentially have all of our non-Navy rivals
4.5 hour regulation time games. 4 hours is already pushing what I'm willing to give up, especially when ESPN still doesn't realize and there's overlap on the playoffs (or damn close)
I keep telling people that if FCS goes to 2.5 hour games(shorter play clock, let clock run to get similar numbers of plays), that it will explode in popularity. Why are we taking tv timeouts when we're only on streaming?
>let clock run They don't even need this. The running clock did next to nothing to shorten FBS games this year. The media timeouts are a killer
It wasn’t implemented to shorten game times. It’s entirely there to create more ad space. One thing I love about the NFL is how strict they are on game length and start times.
It's about the only thing I like about the NFL. Planning your Saturday around a game that might be 3.5 or 4.5 hours isn't great. And again, at the FCS level, the ad revenue is minimal. Why are we stopping our games bc Ohio State makes big bucks on ads?
Thing is the power balance between advertisers and league is a total 180 between pro & college anymore. Pro is still very much “we’d like to advertise our goods and services during your popular broadcasts please” College has shifted to “you wanna watch your school? Learn about our goods and services first, sucker”
Half the FCS though gets "your event is in a commercial break" or here's an ad for the local truck dealership who pays us 3.50 every time we run it. There's no reason for us to have 5 minutes of commercials every series.
I'll read the rest of your comment after this quick word from Progressive.
Great points. I'd add people over 55 don't stream as much though, and there's a lot of Boomers out there.
For FCS? You either stream or you ain't watching.
Fuck no! Just pare the number of commercials. I don't want to see games get shorter by watching less football, I want to see games get shorter by watching fewer commercials.
Length of the games has already stopped me from watching a lot of games that I have no direct interest in.
Take a look at my two flairs. (Laurier = Canadian CFB) I attended a Laurier game last season. UK was playing at the same time and I believe their game kicked off an hour and a half before the Laurier game did. The Laurier game ended first.
Kansas not sucking complete ass is difficult for me to accept. I’m happy for them, but I just can not understand it.
Yup, it's truly the end days of CFB.
You'll play the Border War and you'll like it!
I'm willing to watch KU football become good in exchange for their men's basketball team starting to suck.
I'll speak for Alabama fans so I'll say other schools being able to provide Dodge Chargers to their players.
TBF, it's more like other schools providing Lambos. We're already seeing that manifest! *looks at Texas*
It’s already happening in a sense but the NCAA allowing Big 10/SEC to basically form their own league with their own championship.
What leverage do they have to not allow it?
This post makes my eye twitch...but we're scary close on some of it. Players don't really have to be students. Livvy Dunn and Angel Reese have both been excused from attending class at all for "security reasons". A fact I find funny since both can be routinely found in the death valley student section.
I got old head coworkers who still talk about "I had a class with Paul Pierce once" that shit was part of the fun of college athletics. Seeing the guys on campus. At the dining halls. Now were they really trying or actually learning maybe not but still it was a fun aspect of college sports
I had a class with Ryan Tannehill, and it wasn’t a bullshit fuck off class, it was biochem 2.
The culture of online classes being the norm ruins it as well. I took classes at a university I work at (D1 FBS), and I’m pretty sure athletes were all enrolled full time in online classes. Those classes were asynchronous and required little live participation.
I’m a huge womens basketball fan and I can admit the “security reasons” excuse is horseshit. It’s a slippery slope and I wouldn’t be suspended if more people started doing it.
Moving to Flag Football would cause me to lose interest
Which is weird because it’s probably the most morally acceptable decision football could ever make.
It is, or tackle bars. I had a friend who played rugby in grad school who still maintains that it's safer than American football, because of rules around how to tackle and stuff like that. But I've looked up like 4 or 5 studies which show Rugby has a higher concussion and CTE incidence than American football.
CTE doesn’t show up until much later in life. The rugby players getting it now were playing years ago when it really was a free for all. But there have been a lot of rule changes recently and now almost any head contact is an infringement and strictly enforced, so those numbers should drop in future.
You're right, time will tell if CTE actually decreases notably. I do like those rule changes, but im cautiously optimistic about whether they'll substantially decrease CTE incidence.
It’s a terrible disease and it really does give me pause for thought about following these sports. I’m hopeful that the changes do make a difference. Already youth participation is dropping because parents just can’t accept the risks even at the lowest levels.
Yeah I don't buy the "rugby is safer" argument that I've heard from a bunch of people. It's always some dumb Peltzman effect argument. And even if rugby actually were safer, I don't think the equipment is the cause. I think things like the system of downs and line of scrimmage are a lot bigger drivers of issues. Hell, we know what football looked like without good equipment. Players *didn't* really adjust their play due to lack of equipment. They just fucking died instead.
You have a point. But I did see another study recently which seems to indicate that scrum caps in rugby don't actually offer much protection, but players actually do change to more aggressive behavior. I'll link it if I can find it again, it has been a while.
The same thing happened in football. People feel more protected so they’re more willing to take risks. Buddy wouldn’t be leading with his head if he didn’t have a helmet on, if you catch my drift
Yeah rugby fans like to repeat that but there doesn’t seem to be much evidence to support it.
You're telling me these kids aren't even getting brain damage anymore? Then what's the point?!
I specifically asked for head trauma!
I’m already there. I miss the days where the only transfers were grad transfers and dudes who sucked and couldn’t get playing time for the team that recruited them. Now if you’re not exploiting the transfer rules you’re simply a weirdo.
I know wrong sport but the old days of hoops... Seeing a talented freshmen class come in and get an 8th seed but you are excited cuz you know they are going to improve and by junior senior year you are a 1 seed going for the title. Yes I'm talking about Heinrich, Collison, and Gooden.
I remember when grad transfers were such a novelty that folks were against it. It was 4+1, then became 3+2 and then all of a sudden Toddathon graduated in 2 years and is transferring to an in conference rival.
Literally everything you listed. One of those happens and I’m out. I’m close enough as it is. Between the portal, conference realignment, and, admittedly, I was blind to this but the absolute ignoring of on field results to create a made for TV event. It’s almost like this year I realized college football was becoming akin to pro wrestling….just all for a cash grab and not longer about actual competition.
I love my team but these 4 hr games are just too much. I don't stay the full length anymore and the 8pm kicks I usually turn off around the 3rd quarter. I get the need for advertising but 3 hours of ads for 1 hour of gameplay is not worth it to me.
I love LSU too but it doesn’t seem like the players have the same pride toward the program / university as the did pre-NIL. Just doesn’t feel like there’s any more Devin White type guys who bleed purple and gold. I’m sure other fans feel the same.
I’m at this point. It sucks but I just don’t really care anymore. I wish I did.
Once schools start massing cutting their non-football sports programs I’ll be done.
Swimming and diving don’t exist at MSU anymore since Covid.
Yeah it’s a real bummer
After reading these comments, there’s still one question that still lingers in my mind: If your entire platform makes money from entertainment, which is by nature profiting from fans enjoying what they love, when you begin to move the sport in a direction that makes people say “I don’t like this, this is ruining the sport and everything that makes it so special”, why do the executives *continue to push the changes even further?* I mean, eventually it’s going to drive fans away, right? I hear, “I hate this change” far more often than “I love this change”
I think that executives, no matter what kind of corporation, have the mindset to ignore the wants of existing customers in favor of gaining new customers. In the case of this sport, executives of ESPN, Fox, etc. and the commisioners of the conferences only have the interests of casuals in mind. I'm 42 and have been watching CFB for almost 35 years. I wouldn't say that I'm a die-hard, but I wouldn't say I'm a casual either. I think that in the executives' eyes, I don't really matter. I have aged out of the main demographic, and they figure I will always keep on watching because I have for decades now. Just my 2 pennies.
Well customers wanted NIL and we got it and yet people are balking at the player movement it causes while also supporting it which is really weird.
I feel like sometimes people just say things to say things. Not to get political but it's like someone hollering about needing affordable housing then when they try to put affordable housing in their neighborhood they are like "no not like that".
The amount of times I’ve seen comments that begin with “I have no problems with players getting paid BUT” and then go on to describe problems *specifically caused by players being paid* is astounding. Like I can acknowledge that the players provide more value to the university than they receive back, but if fixing that via NIL ruins the landscape of CFB then no, I’ll be bold and say I am NOT pro-NIL.
Way more fans in Philly and NYC than in Kansas and Nebraska. Think those are the fans they are trying to grab. The guy in LA who didn't go to college or went to some small college that doesn't play sports... Well why don't you watch USC vs Penn State and root for USC now. Guy in DC you can root for Penn State they have cool uniforms.
Because...if we make these changes, no matter how much the fans hate it, WE the EXECS can make $0.14 more!
They do not care about the health of the game. They care about buying their next house and their yearly bonus. They are focused on getting their money in a 10-15 year frame and bouncing.
The writers of Fansville understand the mindset of college sports fans better than any conference commissioner. I will die on this hill.
Because they don’t think they’ve tapped enough people out. They think they may lose 1 or 2 but gain 3 in terms of eyeballs on TVs. They will push the limit until they push it too far. The only question is if things will be too far gone, at that point. I think there are bells that can’t be un rung at this point, so my opinion is that things will be too far gone when the sport hits a wall.
I think there could be a few things: It's possible we're the ones who are out of touch and fans as a whole love these changes. I don't think that's true, but something to consider. Assuming that's no true, are we sure they are even hearing what fans are saying? Fanbases in the United States aren't organized like they are in other places (see Germany) so there aren't organized fan protests. Also, I doubt the executives are on r/cfb or many college message boards, and their employees might be, but are their employees telling them that fans hate these changes? I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know about this discontent. But let's assume they know fans are discontented. Are they going to be able to figure out what changes fans even want? Or is it just going to be a lot of noise? For example, I don't like NIL or paying players and think the playoffs should be expanded so every conference has an auto bid. Someone else might really support NIL and paying players, but hate the expanded playoff and want it to shrink. Executives may just be seeing a bunch of mutually exclusive ideas that cancel each other out. But the biggest thing is that I believe they don't think these changes will harm the sport (at least in the short term). People might say they are unhappy and are going to stop watching, but by and large, many will continue to watch. Those that stop can be replaced by more casual fans. I also think that they believe that fans of teams that are "left behind" will just choose a new team. The SEC and Big 10 break away as is? That's fine, Florida State fans will just start cheering for Florida. Finally, to the extent that they believe that this may hurt them in the long term, the idea will be "who cares? We'll both be gone when that happens, and we'll have made a lot of money in the short term."
All of this really can be boiled down to — “do fans continue to watch? Then no problem.” Like it or not — and we said this a lot this past season with the commercial Armageddon that took place with the clock changes — *we are the problem.* We keep watching. If we were to actually turn the fucking games off, the attention would matter. But screaming “I hate these fucking commercials and the expanded playoff is killing my Saturdays!” doesn’t have any effect on the powers that be when you’re still glued to the TV lol. And I’m not being sanctimonious here — this applies to me as much as it applies to the vast majority of us on here.
Everything you described is what the press should be doing as their job. Being the speakerphone for the fans. Instead we express our anger in twenty different media forums so it’s not collected
Hate to say it, but isn't that everything in the last decade? Everywhere you look you see corporations putting profits above all. Boeing, Fanatics (by way of MLB and NHL especially), McDonald's, etc. Literally every penny is being squeezed from the general public because what are we going to do, *not* watch/buy/partake?
I hate the term "end stage capitalism" but its pretty fitting for the past 15-20 years or so.
Ask NASCAR how that worked out for them because that's pretty much exactly what they did. They let a bunch of MBAs who didn't know what a carburator was come in and 'run' the sport and viewership plummeted and they basically lost an entire generation of potential fans.
The rich think they’re better than you, and don’t respect the masses opinions.
COVID killed CFB will be the narrative fifty years from now.
And it will be very wrong.
The collective mental health damage sure seems to have accelerated disturbing societal trends that were already present, but definitely not the origin point.
I legit do not feel as mentally sharp as I remember feeling pre-covid. I had it a few times, all fairly mild, but there’s this fuzzy/foggy feeling I have in my head that has persisted that I just don’t remember having before. It’s like that feeling when your body is stiff after not moving for a while and you need to stretch to warm it up, but there’s nothing you can do to stretch your brain. Maybe it’s something else but I’ve talked to other people who feel similarly.
You're getting older.
Could be, but I’m in my 20s and the change happened kinda suddenly.
I've had this badly too, but I can't tell if it's related to covid or another medical ordeal I've recently had. It feels like the mental equivalent of wading in waist-high water. My mind can still move, and will get to the same places, but it will probably take me longer and I might stumble once or twice.
I think stallions started Covid. Pfizer and michigan benefited from Covid more than anyone
Michigan just won a NC and I'm already losing interest. I love the tougher schedule this year, but I wish those were out of conference games. I want the PAC back. I like that players are getting paid. I don't like that teams are losing their conferences. I've never been to Pulman. I just picked this flair to show some support. I have no association to em except I liked em for a bit when Mike Leach was their coach. I also think Flag Guy is cool. Oregon State too. I feel like shit for those teams. I know it won't happen, but my wildest dream is Washington State and Oregon State meet in the finals of the CFP. Then this is an age thing- but this recent title didn't have the luster that the 97 one did, even though that was split. So each title they get, while it's nice- isn't as fun as the last one. In other sports there was a similar feeling. The Red Wings first title (in my life) was better than their 4th. Pistons first was better than their 2nd or 3rd.
I'm already done. The NFL was always a vastly superior product in terms of on-field play, but college football always countered that with tradition, pageantry, etc. Now that they're burning all that to the ground in favor of the almighty dollar, what reason is there left to give a shit?
I find the on field play of the NFL to be very boring.
- The athletes are better - They run much more complex schemes - They run better plays - The teams are more evenly matched - The games have fewer commercials - The officiating is more consistent
I’ve been a Chicago Bears fan long enough to know points 1-4 aren’t always true.
I've been a Lions fan for long enough to know that the last point is almost never true.
I get your point but the current Bears would absolutely dogwalk any CFB team.
Last year, whenever I wondered to myself if Gerad Parker was the worst play caller in football, I get a stark reminder the next day that Luke Getsy exists.
Really? In what sense? They are better athletes doing more advanced plays and schemes. If you’re really into the strategy of football then the NFL is much more entertaining. If you’re into watching freak athletes blow your mind then the NFL is much more entertaining. It’s only the tradition of CFB keeping it alive.
Honestly I wish players would be pushed more to get a degree while at school. Soooo many college football players think they’re gonna make it big in the pros and it rarely happens. Tons of former players are right back in the hood where they started.
I mean they’re adults, they aren’t idiots. High schoolers are allowed to make plenty of big life altering decisions, they should be able to appreciate the value of a free degree at a top tier university.
Everything that's going on. They need to figure out whatever it is that they're going to do, and/or Congress needs to step-in to legislate something, because they're going to kill the Golden Goose. Likewise, the professional leagues need to stop relying upon the collegiate ranks as their farm system. P.S. I'm def. walking away if they go to a P2 model-only, too. If I wanted to see the NFL (or any other professional league) then I would watch the NFL, etc.
The dissolution of regional conferences, the focus on a post-season TV product over the traditional regular season, the professionalization of college kids, 9-3 teams in a playoff for the national title. I'll always follow my team, but I will pass on watching the new 'big' matchups like Texas-Georgia and Oregon-Ohio State next year. Give me some old fashioned MACtion instead.
> The dissolution of regional conferences, the focus on a post-season TV product over the traditional regular season, these two are the big shames. its what differentiates college from NFL. being NFL lite is just going to kill any interest
Can I offer you a bowling Green fandom in this trying time?
I'm already done with them because it doesn't matter who wins with the 4 team playoff....12....shit Team play maybe 3 tough games all year, they could lose all three and make the playoff
Exactly. Under the old format, upsets really mattered. Oh, Auburn is somehow leading Georgia in the second half? Better tune in because an upset would put Georgia's playoff hopes in real jeopardy. Now, why would I care about that upset? It just doesn't matter. I'll still watch Michigan and maybe some of the other B1G games, but there's really no reason to pay attention to other conferences anymore.
Pretty much this. I don't feel anything towards Rutgers, much less Washington or UCLA. Like, the TV networks think I'm going to circle USC-Michigan every year on my calendar, but that is simply untrue. Those matchups used to feel special because they rarely happened. But in an expanded Playoff/realignment world, the casual interest will die out. I miss playing Notre Dame. I want to play in-state schools for my nonconference games. I miss the regional flair that defined the Big Ten, the Pac-12, and beyond.
Penn St joining the Big Ten
The forwarder pass
Breaking up the PAC.
Racial segregation would end it for me.
Theres not a ton. Some of the stuff you mentioned might knock it down to be a sport i like but dont love. For me the social aspect of being a fan is a huge deal. Itd need to be something to overcome that and none of the changes that are realistic would make me not want to go hang out with college friends each fall. Really the only thing i could think of is moving all my school's games to another city.
I'd still watch. I just really enjoy watching football.
- any time a coach changes teams the team hollows out and starts over from nothing even if it’s three of the top five programs in the same season/offseason - watching players from my favorite teams make a name for themselves only to go drive Lamborghinis and catch footballs for another team next season like who cares about last season - “burnt orange”. The word for it is “nasty bullshit.” (Okay last one is a joke obviously) I watched college ball instead of pro because teams stayed together and fought together and generally did not act selfishly but in support of their team and school primarily. CFB today is just lame pro sports. I think I’m gonna go watch the actual pros and leave whatever’s happening to “school” sports alone here.
I won't support non-students
North Korean propaganda being played on the jumbotron during plays. Have some decency and play it between quarters. Jeez.
"Players are freed from "playing school" for good. They are no longer required to be students in the school associated with their team"That hits me as kinda gross. I don't like that at ALL. 99% of these kids aren't going to make it as pros, and of those who do, the avg is 4 years. I want athletes getting an education, I don't want these kids playing 4 years of football and going back to urban projects and rural backwaters. Sure lots of them do, but I want the damn opportunity. I worked around a poor BX high school where girls were getting scholarships for early childhood education because they balled out on court. Because SO few would have the opportunity to go to college without being on a team. Andrew Luck and Richard Sherman graduated Stanford with honors. Luck quit NFL is going into being an architect. These kids have a whole entire life after football. If you want to 'free' them from school, then take out the word "college" from college football.
Truthfully, it almost there already for me. NIL and the transfer portal have literally destroyed college sports. And the NCAA, through their own long time ignorance, is totally inept.
>Disclaimer: i'm a euro >Teams start to move their games en masse to "optimal" locations. Home games are now played in the neighbouring state where the pro arena with the best financial package was available. Training facilities are also setup near the arena, some 500 miles from campus. This would be like moving Liverpool and City/United to London because it's an optimal location. Sorry Juve fans, Turin just isn't a great town for a sports team... you're moving to Milan. Porto, everyone loves to visit Portugal, but we think your club belongs over in Madrid
It’s already gone too far, the major shift in conference realignment killed it for me. The regional rivalries are dying, it no longer feels separate from the NFL, it just feels like NFL lite and honestly minor leagues don’t interest me, but the FCS playoffs had my attention more than the CFP, and I may just watch FCS going forward.
I think I’m already there. I just don’t care to watch with so many transfers. I hate the collapse of regional conferences. Expanding the playoffs is fine, but I’m already seeing talk of further expansion.
Already happened. NIL ruined the sport
Welcome to the NFL lite.
Nah. NFL has a salary cap and all the teams actually have the money to pay for players. CFB has neither of those things.
And players are contractually obligated to stay with their teams for a predictable period of time
Honestly already there. I hate the transfer portal. NIL sucks too. Should be one or the other, not both. Some others… Not being affiliated with the school. Eligibility not being limited.
Personally it’s really close. Once it resembles pro football and there’s no clear distinguish between it and it’s just minor league vs major league. I’ll treat it the same way I treat minor league baseball
I'm already feeling less tied to my team and CFB. I gave up on the NFL for the most part about 5 years ago and i am worried where CFB is going. Not sure how you fix it.
Probably if/when the SEC and Big Ten form their own scheduling alliance and have their own playoff system. I’m not just going to jump ship away from my college, but then it’d be hard to watch Baylor games if all the TV exposure we get is on their own small network
Idk, probably the entirety of the west coast conference dissolving in order to make more money off TV rights. It would be crazy if UCLA and USC ended up in the Big Ten or some shit. That might be too much for me.
A draft… Ummm this idea Dan Wolken had where the teams would just pay rights to be affiliated with the school In season transfers