The Grim Future of College Football!
College Football is my favorite sport to follow. The changes to the sport the last 10 years, in my opinion, have dramatically reduced its appeal. The NCAA has always been an organization that is totally ineffective at its job, but it is getting worse with each passing season. Let's discuss some of the changes with the sport:
NIL
I have zero issue with players getting paid. NIL should be the greatest thing to happen to college football however the failure of the NCAA and some School Presidents have created a wild west atmosphere. NIL should not be used to entice High School athletes to come to a university. It also should not be a handout of money bags under the table or a promise to do so. Universities that are using NIL correctly, tie it charities that help communities and set these young men up with advisors on how to invest their money. Everyone wins in this scenario; however many schools are not following this practice. The NCAA is doing nothing to enforce the rules of NIL. Once again, the grownups in the room are not putting the Student Athlete's interest at the front of the line. The schools that are cheating with NIL are not even hiding it, so enforcement would be easy to do so, however the NCAA chooses to do nothing.
Conference Realignment
Make no mistake about this, Huge TV networks like ESPN (sports entertainment) are the powers behind this absurd conference realignment. They see only huge dollar signs in the TV Market without any concern for the student athlete. West Coast teams like USC and UCLA moving to the Big 10 (now with 18 teams) is an absolute joke. They have no concern for the UCLA baseball player that now has to play games in March in New Jersey (Rutgers). Conference Realignment is strictly about making money and the student athlete does not factor in that concern. The haters still complain that Notre Dame is not in a conference. Conference affiliation did not nothing to help Florida State this year so stick your argument because Notre Dame is not joining a conference. Conference realignment has destroyed traditional rivalries like Nebraska and Oklahoma. It also has negatively impacted Traditional power programs performance; Nebraska is one great example. Bottom line is soon ESPN will get there wish and have a monopoly on the TV market and pay-per view games will become common not the exception, as the consumer gets gouged once again.
Transfer Portal
The transfer portal is a train wreck right now. The former rules were not good but now the number of players entering the portal is not healthy for the game or the athlete. The same player transferring multiple times in his career is not beneficial for the young men or the schools they represent. Schools that actually care about academics like Notre Dame, Stanford, Northwestern, etc. have issues getting undergrad transfer into their university. It is difficult to get credits transferred for these academic schools unless they are a graduate transfer. Once again, NIL hand outs in the form of promises of money bags factor into many kids' decisions, as the NCAA stands on the sideline with their hand on their ass doing nothing.
This year's National Champion MIchigan was under investigation for sign stealing and their coach was suspended multiple games. The NCAA, once again, failed to act and now has put the sport in a most awkward position. The NCAA's favorite and most ineffective punishment of vacating wins would even look more ridicules than usual, if it chooses to act against Michigan now.
The move, next year, to a 12-team playoff will pretty much destroy a 100-year tradition of Bowl Games. The sport that I love is being torn apart by greed (ESPN) and ineffective leadership (NCAA and a lot of University Presidents.). I watched College football since I was a kid because it was NOT the NFL. Now, with each season my own interest in college football lessens as it becomes a minor league for an NFL league, that I have zero interest in. This is one time that I hope I am wrong, but the future of college football looks very grim.
