CFB Will Be Dead As We Know It , If This Happens

[Harvard Gamecock]

This is not a sad lament on my part pinning for the good old days. It this development becomes a reality, it is over.
I strongly recommend on reading the article and not jump to post just on the headline.

Lasry: Some colleges will start 'selling their teams' if bidding was to take place​

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.c... folks like,off of their basketball program.”

 

[3USC1801]

Sounds like it’s wishful thinking on his part and he’s simply promoting the idea—to his benefit, I might add.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I would preface my post by saying college football as we knew it is already dead. There is essentially nothing about the current game that bears any semblance to college football, other than the fact that games are played mostly on Saturday.

That being said...

I think this suggestion is a matter of when, not if. There is only thing that matters in "college" football now, and it's not anything to do with college or education or academics or students: it's money. EVERY decision is made with money in mind. The decision to modify the clock rules last season to "speed up games"? Yeah, games were just as long and we only got more commercials. Commercials = money. Advent of the playoff? Money. Playoff expansion? Even more money. Conference realignment? Money. NIL? Money. Transfer portal? Money.

Absolutely no decision is made with the wellbeing and welfare of the student athlete in mind. Indeed, many, such as conference expansion are directly detrimental to the student athlete.

The sport is, for all intents and purposes, fully divorced from any remnants of academic association. Years ago, it was speculated that football teams might break away from school altogether. At the time, it was dismissed as an absurd notion, but here we are and it seems a likely reality. The teams will maintain their names, of course, but there will come a day when a team is a college football team in name only. Players will not even have to be enrolled as students.

 

[The Reel Ess]

Isn't it already dead as we knew it? It's not all bad though. There's parity.

 

[will110]

If all you do is watch games on Saturday then college football as we knew it is not dead. It's the off field stuff that's changed.

On the field it's still college football and the product is better than ever.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

If all you do is watch games on Saturday then college football as we knew it is not dead. It's the off field stuff that's changed.

On the field it's still college football and the product is better than ever.

From a pure sport perspective, yes, but from a team and player loyalty perspective, it's dead.
Your team's roster can now change from week to week so getting through one season is in doubt from that angle.

 

[18IsTheMan]

On the field it's still college football and the product is better than ever.

Very debatable.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

From a pure sport perspective, yes, but from a team and player loyalty perspective, it's dead.
Your team's roster can now change from week to week so getting through one season is in doubt from that angle.

In essence you a cheering the laundry.

 

[will110]

From a pure sport perspective, yes, but from a team and player loyalty perspective, it's dead.
Your team's roster can now change from week to week so getting through one season is in doubt from that angle.

That's why I mean if you just watch the games on Saturday and do nothing else, you're going to enjoy college football.

It's the off-field stuff with NIL and the transfer portal that's changed so much. It's those of us on message boards, the more "diehard" fans who are taking time and/or money to read about and discuss the team who will notice the changes.

 

[will110]

Very debatable.

Not really. The actual gameplay is phenomenal. There have been so many fantastic games this year, some even involving our Gamecocks.

The changes - positive or negative is up for debate - come off the field and after the regular season ends.

 

[will110]

In essence you a cheering the laundry.

Assuming you mean you're cheering for the jersey rather than the players, hasn't that always been the case? At most a player would ever stick around for four years. The best players were gone after three to the NFL.

College football has never been about cheering for individual players. It's always been about the team.

 

[Uscg1984]

As the revenue-generating college sports basically become pro teams, I think what he's talking about is probably inevitable. We will have professional teams that are merely licensed to carry the school's name. Will that be enough to fool alumni and university friends and family into pulling for "their team?" Who knows, that's the business model the NFL and other pro teams have used successfully for decades.

But if college football eventually becomes pro football, what will that look like? It will either look like AAA baseball teams playing in 10,000 seat stadiums, or it will look like pro football playing in front of 60,000 - 100,000 fans in stadiums all over the country, garnering huge national TV audiences, generating huge revenue, and having huge payrolls, between September and January each year. If it looks like it's headed toward that 2nd option, I can think of one multi-billion dollar enterprise that will do everything it can to make sure it doesn't get there.

 

[atl-cock]

As the revenue-generating college sports basically become pro teams, I think what he's talking about is probably inevitable. We will have professional teams that are merely licensed to carry the school's name. Will that be enough to fool alumni and university friends and family into pulling for "their team?" Who knows, that's the business model the NFL and other pro teams have used successfully for decades.

But if college football eventually becomes pro football, what will that look like? It will either look like AAA baseball teams playing in 10,000 seat stadiums, or it will look like pro football playing in front of 60,000 - 100,000 fans in stadiums all over the country, garnering huge national TV audiences, generating huge revenue, and having huge payrolls, between September and January each year. If it looks like it's headed toward that 2nd option, I can think of one multi-billion dollar enterprise that will do everything it can to make sure it doesn't get there.

IMO, the two enterprises will come to some sort of working agreement.

 

[atl-cock]

Is FCS still college football?

 

[Uscg1984]

Is FCS still college football?

The folks in Montana sure think so.

 

[atl-cock]

The folks in Montana sure think so.

Montana State got eliminated in round two this year if I read correctly. How does NIL play up there?

 

[KingWard]

At this point, I wouldn't rule out anything. I wonder what they figure would be Return on Capital time frame. It has to be reasonable. As I say, I don't rule out anything. I can't really fathom bitcoin. This is simple by comparison.

 

[Uscg1984]

Montana State got eliminated in round two this year if I read correctly. How does NIL play up there?

The Grizzlies of Montana were eliminated this past weekend as a #14 seed. The #1 seed Montana State Bobcats are still alive.

Honestly, I'm not sure what NIL numbers look like for FCS athletes (not that I trust the figures I see for FBS players either), but I know they have _some_ because I see UM and MSU athletes appearing in local TV commercials from time to time. My guess is athletes at FCS schools who happen to be their states' flagship universities (MT State, ND State, SD State, ID State, etc) probably fare better from a NIL standpoint than athletes at FCS schools in states with FBS programs because it's the only game in town. Fans here are completely unbothered by the fact that their teams don't play at the highest level. The local ABC and CBS affiliates _routinely_ pre-empt network coverage of national games in order to broadcast the local telecast Grizzlies and Bobcats games. It's maddening when the Ohio State vs Notre Dame game cuts out midway through the first quarter so they can show Montana vs Weber State or whoever.

 

[atl-cock]

The Grizzlies of Montana were eliminated this past weekend as a #14 seed. The #1 seed Montana State Bobcats are still alive.

Honestly, I'm not sure what NIL numbers look like for FCS athletes (not that I trust the figures I see for FBS players either), but I know they have _some_ because I see UM and MSU athletes appearing in local TV commercials from time to time. My guess is athletes at FCS schools who happen to be their states' flagship universities (MT State, ND State, SD State, ID State, etc) probably fare better from a NIL standpoint than athletes at FCS schools in states with FBS programs because it's the only game in town. Fans here are completely unbothered by the fact that their teams don't play at the highest level. The local ABC and CBS affiliates _routinely_ pre-empt network coverage of national games in order to broadcast the local telecast Grizzlies and Bobcats games. It's maddening when the Ohio State vs Notre Dame game cuts out midway through the first quarter so they can show Montana vs Weber State or whoever.

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, it seems like the only states without FBS programs have only one telephone area code in them! Don't hear much about Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, etc. when it comes to FCS. Well, a little more about Delaware.

 

[KingWard]

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, it seems like the only states without FBS programs have only one telephone area code in them! Don't hear much about Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, etc. when it comes to FCS. Well, a little more about Delaware.

Is Hawaii not FBS? I'm asking.

 

[KingWard]

The Grizzlies of Montana were eliminated this past weekend as a #14 seed. The #1 seed Montana State Bobcats are still alive.

Honestly, I'm not sure what NIL numbers look like for FCS athletes (not that I trust the figures I see for FBS players either), but I know they have _some_ because I see UM and MSU athletes appearing in local TV commercials from time to time. My guess is athletes at FCS schools who happen to be their states' flagship universities (MT State, ND State, SD State, ID State, etc) probably fare better from a NIL standpoint than athletes at FCS schools in states with FBS programs because it's the only game in town. Fans here are completely unbothered by the fact that their teams don't play at the highest level. The local ABC and CBS affiliates _routinely_ pre-empt network coverage of national games in order to broadcast the local telecast Grizzlies and Bobcats games. It's maddening when the Ohio State vs Notre Dame game cuts out midway through the first quarter so they can show Montana vs Weber State or whoever.

I notice that all four teams remaining in the FCS playoff are Great Plains states.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

Is Hawaii not FBS? I'm asking.

Yes, Hawaii is a member of the Mountain West Conference.

 

[Uscg1984]

I notice that all four teams remaining in the FCS playoff are Great Plains or Rocky Mountains states.

Fixed it for you.

 

[atl-cock]

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaiii, it seems like the only states without FBS programs have only one telephone area code in them! Don't hear much about Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, etc. when it comes to FCS. Well, a little more about Delaware.

Is Hawaii not FBS? I'm asking.

As Harvard Gamecock mentioned, the University of Hawai'i is FBS Mountain West.
I believe that Alaska has only NCAA D-II schools.

Off topic, but I find interesting is that Simon Fraser University in Bunaby, BC (near Vancouver) is the only institution outside of the US which is a full member of the NCAA. The Red Leafs compete in D-II.

 

[KingWard]

Fixed it for you.

Thanks. I knew they were farther west that the midwest. Those Wyoming, Dakotas, and Montana schools pretty much own the upper levels of the FCS in recent years. You have to be tough to play in the conditions they undergo.

 

[Uscg1984]

Thanks. I knew they were farther west that the midwest. Those Wyoming, Dakotas, and Montana schools pretty much own the upper levels of the FCS in recent years. You have to be tough to play in the conditions they undergo.

That is true, but I would love to see one of those teams travel to Greenville in early September to play Furman. Win or lose, I imagine they would go home thinking "you have to be tough to play in that heat and humidity every week." Fortunately for them, the FCS playoffs are always in December when their home field advantage against warm-climate schools is most noticeable.

 

[KingWard]

That is true, but I would love to see one of those teams travel to Greenville in early September to play Furman. Win or lose, I imagine they would go home thinking "you have to be tough to play in that heat and humidity every week." Fortunately for them, the FCS playoffs are always in December when their home field advantage against warm-climate schools is most noticeable.

I think the playoff games played in the upper tier during December favor the home teams more than ordinarily.

 

[atl-cock]

That is true, but I would love to see one of those teams travel to Greenville in early September to play Furman. Win or lose, I imagine they would go home thinking "you have to be tough to play in that heat and humidity every week." Fortunately for them, the FCS playoffs are always in December when their home field advantage against warm-climate schools is most noticeable.

Sounds like an intriguing matchup. Are there sufficient $$$ to make it happen? Should ESPN want to take it on, what kind of audience might there be?

 

[18IsTheMan]

The sooner this happens, the better.

As messed up as CFB is, I'm still bound to pull for USC by some kind of emotional muscle memory.

If we can hasten on and get to the point where teams are divorced from schools altogether that will allow me make a clean break.

 

[Piscis]

The sooner this happens, the better.

As messed up as CFB is, I'm still bound to pull for USC by some kind of emotional muscle memory.

If we can hasten on and get to the point where teams are divorced from schools altogether that will allow me make a clean break.

This is where I am. I know college football is a sham now but I can't pull away because the illusion of how it was is still clinging to my heart.

A break from the schools would allow me to pull away.

 

[atl-cock]

This is where I am. I know college football is a sham now but I can't pull away because the illusion of how it was is still clinging to my heart.

A break from the schools would allow me to pull away.

This leaves real collge football at probably D-II, D-III, NAIA, and club teams.

 

[18IsTheMan]

This is where I am. I know college football is a sham now but I can't pull away because the illusion of how it was is still clinging to my heart.

A break from the schools would allow me to pull away.

The unfortunate reality is that there are too many people happily willing to go along with the illusion. So the powers-that-be have no real motivation to reign in any of the madness.

Although, the Justice Department took the transfer out of the hands of the NCAA, so that's not something they can do anything about. Justice Department says players can transfer as much as they want without penalty.

And to think, all of this happened because one basketball player's career didn't turn out like he hoped so he had to burn down college athletics out of spite.

 

[Piscis]

This leaves real collge football at probably D-II, D-III, NAIA, and club teams.

FCS programs are generally not profitable at all. I can see them maintaining some semblance of what college football is supposed to be. I also have to wonder if some of the really small FBS programs would drop back to FCS if schools started selling teams to investors and they couldn't attract a buyer.

 

[Piscis]

The unfortunate reality is that there are too many people happily willing to go along with the illusion. So the powers-that-be have no real motivation to reign in any of the madness.

Although, the Justice Department took the transfer out of the hands of the NCAA, so that's not something they can do anything about. Justice Department says players can transfer as much as they want without penalty.

And to think, all of this happened because one basketball player's career didn't turn out like he hoped so he had to burn down college athletics out of spite.

This all happened because of lawyers. The Bard had it right in Henry VI, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

 

[bayrooster]

Assuming you mean you're cheering for the jersey rather than the players, hasn't that always been the case? At most a player would ever stick around for four years. The best players were gone after three to the NFL.

College football has never been about cheering for individual players. It's always been about the team.

No it hasn't. I've been cheering students who play sports for my university, the one that issues 4 year degrees and has a loyal alumni base (including me).

 

[18IsTheMan]

This all happened because of lawyers. The Bard had it right in Henry VI, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

Well, ultimately, greed is the motivating factor for all parties involved.

But Ed OBannon's lawsuit against the NCAA back in 2015 is what precipitated all the madness.

 

[will110]

No it hasn't. I've been cheering students who play sports for my university, the one that issues 4 year degrees and has a loyal alumni base (including me).

You can still do that.

My point being that it was never about the individual players. We pulled for them solely because they were wearing the garnet and black, attending the university that we attended. The ones who do stick around for the entire 4 years and earn the degree are fan favorites: Dak Joyner, Luke Doty, etc.

This isn't the NBA, where you have LeBron James fans who switch teams with the player. We're going to pull for South Carolina no matter who is wearing the jersey.

 

[18IsTheMan]

You can still do that.

My point being that it was never about the individual players. We pulled for them solely because they were wearing the garnet and black, attending the university that we attended. The ones who do stick around for the entire 4 years and earn the degree are fan favorites: Dak Joyner, Luke Doty, etc.

This isn't the NBA, where you have LeBron James fans who switch teams with the player. We're going to pull for South Carolina no matter who is wearing the jersey.

At some point in the near future, that will no longer be the case. They may, indeed, wear the uniform but they will no longer be students at the university.

Within the next decade, for certain. Probably much, much sooner than that.

 

[will110]

At some point in the near future, that will no longer be the case. They may, indeed, wear the uniform but they will no longer be students at the university.

Within the next decade, for certain. Probably much, much sooner than that.

Perhaps, but it hasn't happened yet. No sense worrying about changes that might happen in the future and letting that negatively impact our enjoyment of the on-field action now.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Perhaps, but it hasn't happened yet. No sense worrying about changes that might happen in the future and letting that negatively impact our enjoyment of the on-field action now.

Also no sense in sticking head in the sand and pretending that the current product is actual college football.