I want to start this by clarifying that I despise pity party grandstanding. It may appear that way, but I assure you I am at peace with my observations and the relative decision I have made. My sharing of this is cathartic for me. Not intended to convince, nor sway. I began watching college football with serious interest much later than the NFL. Around 50 years NFL, 30 for college. That said, I had come to love it in it's own right. What appealed to me, was it's separation from pro sports. There was amateur, and there was pro. The erosion first began when finding out that Eastern block amateurs in the Olympics, were not only amateurs, they were doping. Coupled that with the discovery of how many times that Olympic participation was increasingly used as a political tool, my naivety was cracking. Next came stories of scandals, money under the table for athletes at high level programs. And with the self perceived importance of these athletes and coaches, came law breaking and crimes, some of them "cover your eyes" heinous.... being swept under the rug by the self interests of the organizations they performed for. Also occurring was the questionable ranking of schools that clearly displayed manipulation by the few, for the benefit of the few. Money. Simply.....money. Subtle and planned manipulation of rankings, to steer specific teams, in specific conferences, to achieve the desired goal. It's been going on so long now, it's been accepted. For me personally, I no longer accept. This season was the axe chop for me. I began as a Ducks fan, because my sister went there. Then, in the early 80's, I got my Bach degree at OSU, and became a rabid Beaver fan. My closet and dresser are filled with Oregon State gear. I wished that I had been able to afford season tickets, but alas...I settled for what single games I could afford to attend. During the Erickson era, when the JailBeavers rose out of the program, I walked away. Regardless of my desires to root for my Alma, I washed my hands of them. I returned and followed again casually during Anderpants reign. But it was Jonathan Smith that brought be back as a full participating fan to college football. However, for all my joy in once again, rooting for my Beavers, the rankings manipulation still eroded at my love of the amateur premise. Somewhere in this process came the transfer portal. Once and for all, the most horribly veiled reality of the amateur athlete idea, was buried. At first it looked like a good way for players to get a shot at starting rather than sit for 3 years at an SEC school. Now, it's going to cost millions to buy a 5 star QB. It's only going to get worse. A lot worse. The final straw was the committee's decision this year on who gets in and who's out at a shot for a National Title. No longer able to frottage the logic, or smooth over the unfortunate choices.....they just out right gave the country the finger. **** you America, we'll put whoever we want in the top four. Iowa not being ranked most of the season? Are you kidding me? Florida State not getting in? Are you kidding me? The Ducks (who I can't stand), playing Liberty? Are you ******* kidding me? I have only one vote. It is my money and my clicks. I vote with my actions, and with my purchases. I will never again..... Buy college gear of any kind Attend any so called "amateur event" Post online about college athletics refrain from changing the channel on my TV, or radio...when the subject comes on. For clarity, the only affect my actions will have is my own peace and sanity. Done.
I'm not crazy about the direction of college football or the demise of the PAC But I'm not nostalgic either because I think college football was a fool's paradise for decades. It's rotten foundation was based upon paying the actual talent minimum wage, or less, relatively. I know this is the cue to bring up tuition and a free education but that's just fancy cover for that rotten foundation. All it took was for players to actually gain some level of freedom of movement, self-determination, and a share of the pie, and the whole house of cards collapsed NCAA football spent 70 years operating like it had an anti-trust exemption with a CBA written by the 'owners', without any power or honest consideration granted to the mass of workers (athletes). At long last, finally, justifiably, the courts started to hold the NCAA's feet to the fire and deny it the assumed protection of an actual anti-trust exemption. all the adjustments to assumptions would have been better to be phased in over a number of years....probably. But college sports, especially football, needed NIL and the transfer portal for years...decades really. That it all arrived in about a year and is causing some chaos is irrelevant in my view. Yes, the media money is a huge factor and driver of direction. But it's only a change of degree, not direction. Schools have been selling tickets to games since before WWII
College sports are like pro sports without a salary cap. Couple things. I get that people think going undefeated should be an auto invite but if you’re barely beating teams and you look like shit, it probably means you’re going to get absolutely spanked in the playoff. FSU is gonna get stomped. They don’t have a QB. They looked like garbo against a weak Florida and Louisville. The committee doesn’t only go off record. College football has always been about style points. Also, Oregon has to play Liberty because contractually there has to be a G5 team in the NY6 bowls. Liberty is that team. Ducks just were unfortunate in the draw.
IMO College football has essentially (in real life) what it has always been, a minor-league system for the NFL. Unlike minor league systems where players sign contracts and are paid, in the current college system, the players have all the power, they can transfer at will, there is no contract. The Leagues (Pac, SEC, ACC, BIG, etc.) and schools used to have the power. Some adapted quicker and better and now there are fewer power leagues (goodbye Pac and even if you get reborn, you won't be a power conference) and the schools with the biggest names and boosters willing to NIL players are the ones with the power. There used to be a semblance of parity. Now there is none. Even with the NCAA going to a 12 team playoff, I'd be shocked if OSU, WSU or any other non-power team realistically plays in it. We don't have the budget to attract the talent nor the a way to be able to consistently fill the schedule with teams that give us anything resembling a good strength of schedule rating. We have been left in the 5A league while a select number of teams have essentially been elevated to 6A.
It's all entrainment, packaged differently. The media dollars is the driver as long as people watch in some way. People pay for water now days, there was a time that wasn't the case. Look at how addicted everyone is to the net in some way. I never thought Id use e-commerce to purchase things, no big deal now. Its been a Pay for Service culture/markets for some time. The Beavs and Coug's will be fine and probably a better fit with a league such as the MWC.
Transfer portal is worse than NIL. Top players have been paid under the table for decades. If anything, NIL has leveled the playing field for teams that didn’t want to cheat. The transfer portal has created free agency and that’s ridiculous.
I agree how things ar isn't really sustainable. However, as long as coaches can come/go whenever they want, I think players deserve some degree of freedom. And I hope we're past the point where anyone believes a player is committing to a school and not a coaching staff/NIL collective.
Not one mention of the huge salaries everyone else besides the players was and still are getting. I am for all of the NIL and transfer portal power going to the players until TV and stadium money starts going to the kids playing a dangerous sport.
I think it'd be ridiculous for a player to commit to someone like Jonathan Smith, who sold him on his scheme, his program, etc., and then still be forced to play at OSU next season, or whatever the old method was, sit out an entire season before you can transfer. If coaches can bail quickly, they players they recruited should be able to as well.
Football as it is currently implemented should die, and be rebuilt as something closer to rugby or footy. The injuries and their long-term effects are too great. This, of course, won't happen, but one can dream.
How many players in the portal are leaving programs with a new coach or coaching vacancy? The ducks have how many guys in the portal right now? Five?
You're asking a question that is impossible to answer. Of the 5 Oregon Ducks who are in the portal, 4 committed to a different head coach, coordinator, AND position coach. The other likely has no path to play and I'm not sure forcing him to sit at rot in the 3 deep is in the best interest of the player, team, or NCAA football as a whole.
On its own, transferring makes sense. And on its own, NIL kinda makes sense, but together they’re creating free agency in college sports. It’s not awesome.
Nobody wanted Georgia to win 3 championships. Can't have a college football dynasty intertwined with a suburb of Atlanta. Everyone hates the Falcons, Hawks, and Braves. Therefore... buh bye. Bigger economic incentives getting Texas & Bama in the championship. with undeafeted Florida State not making the final 4, the only reasonable explanation I have, is the Seminoles have cooler looking helmets then the other teams. The NCAA wants boring and bland uniforms. It's absolutely a fashion choice why FSU got deleted. College football was going with the old school look this year, no glitzy fancy uniforms. Get that sparkle dust off my field... ... fricken hippies
I'm with you here - I'm pretty much through with college football. The final straw was the breakup of the Pac12.
Yeah, I gave up NFL 15-20 yrs ago and college ball 5-10yrs ago, what's happened in college ball lately is especially appalling.
