Over the top take

[1vagamecock]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

 

[Viennacock]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

1- no
2- good point
3- good question.

 

[18IsTheMan]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

1. No, in the sense that there will always be a product labeled "college football" even if it is unrecognizable compared to what we have known as college football. Once big-time money started coming into the game, that was pretty much it. I'm not a proponent of players making money, but when programs are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars, building multi-million dollar facilities and coaches are making 8 figure salaries, it's understandable that it would come up. The charm of college football, what makes college football the sport that was so popular, was the amateur status. Sure, we all knew there were players in college who didn't give a rip about academics. But now there is not even a pretense on having student-athletes. So, no, the brand labeled college football is not dying, but it is a fundamentally different product than it was 20 years ago and there's no going back.

2. For programs like us, it is going to be extremely hard, if not impossible, for a coach to build a program. We will never recruit classes in the top 10. Player development along with the occasional top recruit is how we get along. But with the portal and NIL, retaining those players is a nearly impossible task. If there's not near instant success, good players are gonna bolt for presumably greener pastures. Programs of our status will be in perpetual rebuilding mode. And there's not a thing anyone can do about it.

3. I doubt it. Maybe legislation can curb some of the chaos, but the cat's largely out of the bag.

 

[1vagamecock]

1. No, in the sense that there will always be a product labeled "college football" even if it is unrecognizable compared to what we have known as college football. Once big-time money started coming into the game, that was pretty much it. I'm not a proponent of players making money, but when programs are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars, building multi-million dollar facilities and coaches are making 8 figure salaries, it's understandable that it would come up. The charm of college football, what makes college football the sport that was so popular, was the amateur status. Sure, we all knew there were players in college who didn't give a rip about academics. But now there is not even a pretense on having student-athletes. So, no, the brand labeled college football is not dying, but it is a fundamentally different product than it was 20 years ago and there's no going back.

2. For programs like us, it is going to be extremely hard, if not impossible, for a coach to build a program. We will never recruit classes in the top 10. Player development along with the occasional top recruit is how we get along. But with the portal and NIL, retaining those players is a nearly impossible task. If there's not near instant success, good players are gonna bolt for presumably greener pastures. Programs of our status will be in perpetual rebuilding mode. And there's not a thing anyone can do about it.

3. I doubt it. Maybe legislation can curb some of the chaos, but the cat's largely out of the bag.

If #2 is going to be almost impossible at South Carolina I believe #1 is unavoidable.

 

[18IsTheMan]

If #2 is going to be almost impossible at South Carolina I believe #1 is unavoidable.

Yet the powers that be keep marching forward with it and the talking heads tell us it's all good for the game.

 

[ToddFlanders]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

1) College football is as popular as ever. And because it's so beloved, the powers that be will figure out a way to make it work. It could take a minute, but they'll figure out a way not to kill the golden goose.

2) This too will figure itself out. Water finds its level, and NIL will settle down eventually and when there are some set rules in place, then we can see who can maneuver around the situation the best. But really, are players leaving Shane's fault? I don't think so at this moment, so it's hard not to give him a pass (for the moment).

3) The government caused this problem, and unfortunately they're the only ones that can fix it. Once the courts ruled on the O'Bannon case, all the states started passing laws that said the NCAA has to allow NIL. When the NCAA asked how this would work in practice - all the states were like: that's not our problem. And the NCAA can't do anything unilaterally because now if they attempt to pass any rule that restricts earnings of the students, then they will be sued and lose. So they have to basically let whatever is going to happen to happen. There are also a lot of rules on collision, anti-trust and labor law that prevent the NCAA from making meaningful rules.

So it's 100% left to the government to fix the mess they started and make some laws that allow a workable solution.

 

[Deleted11512]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

1. I don't think so. Complaining is talking. There's probably never been more interest in CFB than there is now. In many ways it sucks, but it's intriguing.

2. Good point. Someone posted a thread yesterday asking what it meant to be a good coach. Honestly, I have no idea. I think you're going to see less and less football guys as HC. They simply don't have time for it. It's recruiting, roster management, NIL management, and portal management. Just hire the best coordinators you can and try your best to keep your roster in tact.

3. I have my doubts. This shouldn't be a federal deal. It should be states. If we're going to compete we need an edge legislatively. Look at Missouri. They passed a law allowing for HS NIL as long as you sign with an instate school....Mizzou is the only real option in state. I'm pretty sure they also passed a law saying they can handle NIL spending in house, as other states have done. We could have done the same with Park Avenue. To be clear, Clemson will not be able to compete with this either. When it comes to NIL, we can't be on the same playing field as other big time programs. Kudos to Missouri for acting and helping their instate program. It helped them land the #2 player in the country for 2024.

 

[1vagamecock]

Yet the powers that be keep marching forward with it and the talking heads tell us it's all good for the game.

Exactly. Some people can be really smart but lack wisdom.....

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?

I'm just going to address your first question.
Although the question you presented is focused on the NIL narrative, I will say No, but Yes.

No college football will be around for the foreseeable future, but starting next year it will no longer be recognizable from what we know today for the following reasons:

PAC 12 is no longer a conference.
BIG 12 went from primarily a South Mid West geographic league now has Cincy and BYU, with new additions for 2024 of Colorado, Utah, and the 2 Arizona schools.
ACC will not have SMU, Stanford and Cal in their inventory. (Rumors of schools leaving early can be discussed later)
SEC adds Texas and Oklahoma
B1G will add 4 new teams from the West Coast.
Elimination of conference divisions
12 game playoffs.

These changes will be implemented for 2024.
Breathtaking in its scope

 

[18IsTheMan]

1) College football is as popular as ever.

1. I don't think so. Complaining is talking. There's probably never been more interest in CFB than there is now. In many ways it sucks, but it's intriguing.

As I noted above, there will always be a sport labeled college football, but the real question regarding "is college football starting to die?" is not "is college football going away forever?".

It is true that the powers that be will make sure there is some product on tv called "college football" but the older fans will know it's not really college football. The younger fans coming up now, of course, will not know any different. It's no different than any product that cheapens over time. The younger generation has nothing to compare it to and thinks it's great. The older generation thinks "man, this is crap compared to what it used to be."

But, yes, I don't think there's any debate that college football as we knew it for decades is either dying or dead. It's irretrievably changed. Maybe you think it's changed for the better, and that's up to personal opinion. But there's no denying that it is fundamentally changed and there is no way to go back to what it used to be.

 

[cockyferg]

As the portal just starts to heat up I thought I'd throw out some possibilities, and considerations.
1) Is college football starting to die?
Ratings are good but is that sustainable when the fan bases (of mid tier schools) realize they will never have a shot?
2) Will we ever be able to evaluate a head coaches performance due to the portal again?
Should we just give Beamer a 20 year contract because we will never be able to keep talent and after all he is "Likeable".
3) Will Legislators fix this after they see all the chaos?
I don't like government getting involved most the time and I do get tired of hearing "they have more important things to do" l, because most te time what they do is bad. So I'm torn on this point.
These are a just a few points to give us something to think about.
Thoughts?

For mid to lower tier teams like ours, Football might not be dying, but it won't be competitive. I don't think the sport will die, but I think the fanbases will tire of watching a sinking ship and it will have lowered spectator numbers like the non-revenue sports.

 

[Deleted11512]

1) College football is as popular as ever. And because it's so beloved, the powers that be will figure out a way to make it work. It could take a minute, but they'll figure out a way not to kill the golden goose.

2) This too will figure itself out. Water finds its level, and NIL will settle down eventually and when there are some set rules in place, then we can see who can maneuver around the situation the best. But really, are players leaving Shane's fault? I don't think so at this moment, so it's hard not to give him a pass (for the moment).

3) The government caused this problem, and unfortunately they're the only ones that can fix it. Once the courts ruled on the O'Bannon case, all the states started passing laws that said the NCAA has to allow NIL. When the NCAA asked how this would work in practice - all the states were like: that's not our problem. And the NCAA can't do anything unilaterally because now if they attempt to pass any rule that restricts earnings of the students, then they will be sued and lose. So they have to basically let whatever is going to happen to happen. There are also a lot of rules on collision, anti-trust and labor law that prevent the NCAA from making meaningful rules.

So it's 100% left to the government to fix the mess they started and make some laws that allow a workable solution.

Disagree on 3. There were already laws in place to restrict an amateur athlete from making money. What caused the problem is the NCAA, conferences, and schools making a boatload of money advertising on the backs of these players and not figuring out a meaningful way to reward them for it. The money got out of control, and they tried to justify it by saying "you get a $30K/yr education". Make no mistake, greed caused this. And it's continuing. "Well, the student athlete can get paid, but not from our funds!!".

 

[Deleted11512]

As I noted above, there will always be a sport labeled college football, but the real question regarding "is college football starting to die?" is not "is college football going away forever?".

It is true that the powers that be will make sure there is some product on tv called "college football" but the older fans will know it's not really college football. The younger fans coming up now, of course, will not know any different.

But, yes, I don't think there's any debate that college football as we knew it for decades is either dying or dead. It's irretrievably changed. Maybe you think it's changed for the better, and that's up to personal opinion. But there's no denying that it is fundamentally changed and there is no way to go back to what it used to be.

Yes, we agree there. The CFB we grew up loving is gone forever.

 

[Viennacock]

If #2 is going to be almost impossible at South Carolina I believe #1 is unavoidable.

It's been almost impossible for south carolina forever. Why would we bail now? Just a new obstacle that we probably won't overcome.

 

[1vagamecock]

It's been almost impossible for south carolina forever. Why would we bail now? Just a new obstacle that we probably won't overcome.

I guess ultimately my fear would be we change it so much it dies like NASCAR did.
You could see the changes were going to kill it but they marched over the cliff while telling us how great it would be.

 

[Swifty]

Disagree on 3. There were already laws in place to restrict an amateur athlete from making money. What caused the problem is the NCAA, conferences, and schools making a boatload of money advertising on the backs of these players and not figuring out a meaningful way to reward them for it. The money got out of control, and they tried to justify it by saying "you get a $30K/yr education". Make no mistake, greed caused this. And it's continuing. "Well, the student athlete can get paid, but not from our funds!!".

This is an important point. The schools and NCAA created this problem when they started raking in absurd amounts of money and telling players that "you're getting an education" knowing full well that their educations weren't even close to an even swap for what the players were giving for it. Full academic scholarship students were never forbidden from having jobs. Athletes were. I understand why the "amateurism" aspect was emphasized, but let's be real. We were never playing NCAA Football and didn't understand who South Carolina RB #21 was and why #21 and #7 and #14 Gamecock jerseys were being bought.

I've said from the beginning of the NIL era that it was gonna get wild and insane before a realistic solution would be developed. Same goes for conference expansion. I firmly believe that FBS football will eventually change a lot more. We will go into the "super conference" era that is upon us now, but football is going to separate, as far as conference/division goes. The other sports will stay on the same conference path, but football will become a smaller top division and the teams will not stay with their current conferences with the other sports. It will break into a top division of 64, a second division of 64, etc. 8 divisions of 8 teams or something like that. Maybe spice it up with a relegation system where the bottom 1/2 team(s) in each FBS-1 division is relegated to FBS-2 and the top 1/2 team(s) in each FBS-2 division is promoted to FBS-1 ala the soccer leagues.

On a side note, the last few years really pour salt into the wounds of not capitalizing in '11-'13 when we could go toe to toe with any team in the country. Getting over that hump and winning a title would have put us in that rare air of having a successful pedigree rather than sitting where we continue to sit as a historically average program that perks up and plays on New Year's Day every now and then.

 

[Deleted11512]

This is an important point. The schools and NCAA created this problem when they started raking in absurd amounts of money and telling players that "you're getting an education" knowing full well that their educations weren't even close to an even swap for what the players were giving for it. Full academic scholarship students were never forbidden from having jobs. Athletes were. I understand why the "amateurism" aspect was emphasized, but let's be real. We were never playing NCAA Football and didn't understand who South Carolina RB #21 was and why #21 and #7 and #14 Gamecock jerseys were being bought.

I've said from the beginning of the NIL era that it was gonna get wild and insane before a realistic solution would be developed. Same goes for conference expansion. I firmly believe that FBS football will eventually change a lot more. We will go into the "super conference" era that is upon us now, but football is going to separate, as far as conference/division goes. The other sports will stay on the same conference path, but football will become a smaller top division and the teams will not stay with their current conferences with the other sports. It will break into a top division of 64, a second division of 64, etc. 8 divisions of 8 teams or something like that. Maybe spice it up with a relegation system where the bottom 1/2 team(s) in each FBS-1 division is relegated to FBS-2 and the top 1/2 team(s) in each FBS-2 division is promoted to FBS-1 ala the soccer leagues.

On a side note, the last few years really pour salt into the wounds of not capitalizing in '11-'13 when we could go toe to toe with any team in the country. Getting over that hump and winning a title would have put us in that rare air of having a successful pedigree rather than sitting where we continue to sit as a historically average program that perks up and plays on New Year's Day every now and then.

The best part about it was schools trying to act like they're "providing" an education. No, GC Club members are. You got all these Disney Land facilities being built, coaching staffs making $15-20M/yr, and TV contracts exploding to unrealistic levels. But you'll take your scholarship and like it!!

 

[Swifty]

Yep, and all while the cash handshakes have been going on for decades. Herschel is going to Oklaho-wait...he's driving a new Trans Am and going to Georgia? Player X is coming to School S-wait...his dad has a dilapidated property that just sold to a booster to School C? You don't say.