College Football Is Stale and Boring

[hayden_horn 11,360]

2 hours ago, HRSchenker said:

Everyone will love playoff expansion until Alabama and Georgia make the championship game.....again. 

i happen to think that it should be impossible for two teams from the same conference to meet in the championship game. it completely skews the balance of power, and provides much needed hype for recruiting. the committee did this on purpose, and it stinks to high heaven. sec! sec! sec!

in what other conference sport is that even fucking possible? why even have conferences if that can happen? we will never ever in our lives see a cowboys - eagles super bowl, and you know what? that's fine with me.

[youdunnf'dup 2,147]

1 minute ago, David Dennison said:

I wish they would get on with the playoff expansion, because the current system is worse than the BCS. It might be worse than the old end of season polls.

I disagree with this just because of 2008. Although I do think the BCS computers should select the 4 teams and not a panel of idiots 

[David Dennison 18,659]

Just now, youdunnf'dup said:

I disagree with this just because of 2008. Although I do think the BCS computers should select the 4 teams and not a panel of idiots 

I blame 2008 more on the Big 12. But I might be misremembering some things.

[Steamboat1874 4,032]

11 hours ago, pops said:

Nah. These games sucked, but cincy gagged and Michigan had no business being there. Bama and Georgia were the two best teams all year and we are getting the title game that should have happened. 

College football is still the best sport we have and Saturdays for the past 3 months were better than they will be for the next 6. I'm going to miss it and can't wait for August. 

Finally got to a post that makes sense.

The rest of you can eat a bag of dicks.

College football

is and always will be the greatest sport in the world.

And a week from Tuesday the off season will begin.

Now that is something that really sucks.

 

 

[hayden_horn 11,360]

Just now, David Dennison said:

I blame 2008 more on the Big 12. But I might be misremembering some things.

i blame it on blake gideon.

kidding. 

kind of.

but also chip brown.

we should've edged ou out. we didn't because ou were the darlings back then. we fucking beat them. that should have been that. that was some bullshit. 

[Armybrat 40,744]

13 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

Another lame ass fucking semifinals and pointless ass season just to see the same bullshit at the end.

Don't ever say college football is better than the NFL. They kick it up a notch come playoff time. And their regular season actually has meaning. 90% of college games have zero impact on anything and then get to play a glorified scrimmage after the season. 

Play a whole season to see the same exact group of teams play. the talent is so unbalanced it isn't even funny. I can't think of a sport right now as backwards as college football. Most sports, the playoffs mean it gets tense and exciting. Not college football. It's time for Cheez It and Mayo Bowls.

I get the NFL and other sports has dynasties but at least they have to battle it out to get there. They can't just load up on a whole roster of 4-5 star talent and just out talent 95% of their games. 

And no, just because these semifinals games suck, doesn't mean we should not expand. Under the BCS, the national championship would be Bama/Michigan, which Bama wins by 3 scores. Georgia would have been left out. Expanding could open up recruiting. Now days, kids know if you don't go to Bama, Georgia, Clemson, OU, Ohio St, your shot of playing in the playoffs are slim. We'll see if the NIL can somewhat level the field but I doubt it. 

Did the fat lady sing off key?

[youdunnf'dup 2,147]

4 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

I blame 2008 more on the Big 12. But I might be misremembering some things.

3 way tie with us, OU, and tech. We had the most impressive win considering it was the only one that was at a neutral site. It was a beauty pageant that year and OU blew more teams out than we did because Mack didn’t run up the score like stoops. Both us and OU should’ve had a shot to compete for the national title. You shouldn’t be choosing between 2 and 3. 
 

In hindsight though, that OU team was fucking stacked 

Edited January 1, 2022 by youdunnf'dup

[Make em eat Taco Bell 1,549]

great thread and badly needed. 

So, looking at the Bama 2021 roster (134 players), they are stealing the very best from TX and FL.  These could really stock up Longhorn, Aggy, Hurricanes, Seminoles or even the Gators.  Even more interesting are 12 guys from the Big10 states (5 from Maryland!) and 1 from DC (about 10% of the roster in total); these guys could help out Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame. 

It's recruiting!  LSU 2019 and Clemson 2018 had super teams but didn't reload as Saban does every single year. Ohio State talent fell off the table after Fields and the RB/WRs left.  Nothing much in speed anywhere in the Big 10, because 'demographics'.   

I'm hoping Cristobal at Miami will keep many FL players and maybe in a few years Deion will be at FSU and bring his gold chain culture to get recruits.

Guess what? The Longhorns could be a perpetual CFP team if they get the all world recruiting staff of the early 2000s because TX has the talent. 

USC will rise too if they are able to keep guys like Bryce Young , Bijan and Xavier Worthy close to home. Remember Ricky Williams is from San Diego. 

AL	46
FL	17
TX	17
GA	10
SC	6
LA	5
MD	5
CA	5
OH	3
IL	3
PA	2
TN	2
MS	2
DC	1
RI	1
UT	1
IN	1
MO	1
IC	1
ON	1
KY	1
NJ	1
WI	1
MI	1

 

https://www.secsports.com/roster/football/alabama-crimson-tide

what really interesting is 2014 Saban seems to not have any Texans https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alabama-football/alabama-playoff-roster-by-state/

 

[hayden_horn 11,360]

Just now, youdunnf'dup said:

3 way tie with us, OU, and tech. We had the most impressive win considering it was the only one that was at a neutral site. It was a beauty pageant that year and OU blew more teams out than we did because Mack didn’t run up the score like stoops. Both us and OU should’ve had a shot to compete for the national title. You shouldn’t be choosing between 2 and 3. 

i was at a strip club when stoops ran that last score up against oklahoma state, and i knew then that we were out. the stripper on my lap sensed my disappointment and gave me the only free lapdance i've ever had in my life. "i'm sorry, sugar, this one is on me." i'll never forget it, haha. i can laugh about it now, but imagine getting a fucking pity lapdance because ou scored a late game touchdown in bedlam. 

[956 Worldwide 34,444]

Also a reform I’d be on board with. The HC in any sport has a salary capped at a multiple of the mean of ALL non-student teaching and research staff below the assistant dean level.

The more you try to save on adjuncts and with huge classes, the less you can pay your football coach. 

[WBT 20,422]

20 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

in what other conference sport is that even fucking possible?

March Madness.  Same philosophy there - they try to keep conference teams apart as long as possible to minimize rematches.  The committee was hoping at least one of Bama/Georgia would lose.

[mdleast 8,262]

I’ll still watch the shit out of every bit of CFB that I can.

[MAROON 445]

5 minutes ago, WBT said:

March Madness.  Same philosophy there - they try to keep conference teams apart as long as possible to minimize rematches.  The committee was hoping at least one of Bama/Georgia would lose.

Yep and it’s happened numerous times at the College World Series…..last year was Miss St and Vandy 

[hayden_horn 11,360]

6 minutes ago, WBT said:

March Madness.  Same philosophy there - they try to keep conference teams apart as long as possible to minimize rematches.  The committee was hoping at least one of Bama/Georgia would lose.

then they should've put them on the same side of the bracket.

[hayden_horn 11,360]

7 minutes ago, WBT said:

March Madness.  Same philosophy there - they try to keep conference teams apart as long as possible to minimize rematches.  The committee was hoping at least one of Bama/Georgia would lose.

 

Just now, MAROON said:

Yep and it’s happened numerous times at the College World Series…..last year was Miss St and Vandy 

also, those are real tournaments, i guess. much different than what we are dealing with here. you have to progress through stages to get to the championship in a tournament, not win one game.

[Neonmoon 38,127]

11 hours ago, Had Enough said:

I’ve got to be pretty high up there as far as college football fans are concerned in regards to committed time and resources.  But I lose a little pleasure in it each year and that will likely become more progressive.

The playoff is one reason.  It does smother all the other bowls that people say don’t matter.  They have to me.  In years past I’ve watched a very large majority of them.  This year I barely know who plays or when.  Part of that is the emphasis on the playoff.  Part is opting out.  And whatever the hell you think you watched tonight, it wasn’t the damn Cotton Bowl.  Stupid to even call it that.

Why are Bama and UGa at the top and year after year?  They cheat their asses off in recruiting and the damn talking heads turn a blind eye.  We are now entering an era in which the have nots will become more insignificant.  Over the long term, you simply can’t compete with teams that have 5 stars backing up 5 stars who then poach other elite talents to fill in thin spots.  And you have to think the lack of ethics has never been more impactful.

The SeC objective of ruling the world has done quite a bit in killing other teams and conferences chances of competing.  Money is more important than ever.  Some can’t compete with other alumni bases.  Some won’t be able to compete due to their conference affiliations.

 

This is the best post. 

Bama-Georgia-Clemson have been cheating for so long with zero accountability or oversight. Ever since the NCAA didn’t punish Auburn for Cam Newton, it’s been blatant and uncontrolled. Aggy has been doing it since Fisher got hired. ESPN is complicit, not just in pushing the SEC is the best conference because of their partnership with them, but in their lack of investigating reporting on it. I could argue all day about how the SEC scheduling model has created an unfair competitive advantage for the polls, but in reality, the Nick Saban recruiting model has ruined college football. 

Before anyone argues that Nick Saban would still recruit well without paying, he’s a great coach. True. I agree. But imagine his teams without players like Jaylen Waddle that were bought. Maybe they’re not as good without him. 

 

 

[David Dennison 18,659]

2 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

This is the best post. 

Bama-Georgia-Clemson have been cheating for so long with zero accountability or oversight. Ever since the NCAA didn’t punish Auburn for Cam Newton, it’s been blatant and uncontrolled. Aggy has been doing it since Fisher got hired. ESPN is complicit, not just in pushing the SEC is the best conference because of their partnership with them, but in their lack of investigating reporting on it. I could argue all day about how the SEC scheduling model has created an unfair competitive advantage for the polls, but in reality, the Nick Saban recruiting model has ruined college football. 

Before anyone argues that Nick Saban would still recruit well without paying, he’s a great coach. True. I agree. But imagine his teams without players like Jaylen Waddle that were bought. Maybe they’re not as good without him. 

All of this is why it's a very good thing we are joining the SEC.

[CooterBrown 17,913]

They should cut out most OOC games and have a 64 team playoff. Make the first two round matchups a completely random draw and then rank and matchup the final 16 standing. The first two rounds of complete chaos would be great TV and would help ensure there’s some variety getting towards the top in the end.

[Dirk X West 772]

I watched about 15 cumulative minutes of the two CFP games yesterday, but I've enjoyed the hell out of all the other games since Christmas.  That works for me.  I'm glad the other bowl games still exist.

[BabaYaga 15,212]

The opening toss between GA and MI....immediately thought of this.  JFC those GA guys were huge

[Hornius Emeritus 12,420]

13 hours ago, ztejas said:

High.

I'm old enough to remember people saying Mack Brown would never win a championship.

Sark's about to go on a tear.  We're going to be very, very good very, very soon.

[Vic Mackey 46,936]

12 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

 

also, those are real tournaments, i guess. much different than what we are dealing with here. you have to progress through stages to get to the championship in a tournament, not win one game.

Exactly. And March Madness is not even close to what is happening in college football. In college basketball, teams in non power conferences can make noise. Gonzaga has made 2 Finals in the last 4 years. Baylor jumped up to win it all. And as you said, you have to earn it in a real tournament. At least in NCAAB, everyone can participate. Win your conference, automatic bid, no matter how small it is. In NCAAF, even winning a P5 conference does not automatically get you anywhere. Which makes no sense. We have 5 power conferences and 4 playoff spots. And a few years, one conference got 2 teams. 2 of the years Bama won it all, they didn't even win their own division. SEC plays by different rules and run the whole state of football, which another huge issue. ESPN is in bed with them and pushes this. It wears on people over time and is only getting worse. They have a 14 team conference and play less conference games than we do. Inflated rankings early which inflate the quality wins over the year. Add a patsy to pad the records. 

New England had to earn it every year. They didn't stack the deck and just out talent everyone year after year. 

[David Dennison 18,659]

1 minute ago, Vic Mackey said:

Exactly. And March Madness is not even close to what is happening in college football. In college basketball, teams in non power conferences can make noise. Gonzaga has made 2 Finals in the last 4 years. Baylor jumped up to win it all. And as you said, you have to earn it in a real tournament. At least in NCAAB, everyone can participate. Win your conference, automatic bid, no matter how small it is. In NCAAF, even winning a P5 conference does not automatically get you anywhere. Which makes no sense. We have 5 power conferences and 4 playoff spots. And a few years, one conference got 2 teams. 2 of the years Bama won it all, they didn't even win their own division. SEC plays by different rules and run the whole state of football, which another huge issue. ESPN is in bed with them and pushes this. It wears on people over time and is only getting worse. They have a 14 team conference and play less conference games than we do. Inflated rankings early which inflate the quality wins over the year. Add a patsy to pad the records. 

New England had to earn it every year. They didn't stack the deck and just out talent everyone year after year. 

I can't wait to run the SEC.

[Bullneck 18,987]

3 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

All of those things can work under a system where there are rules....college football literally lets teams make their own schedules. There used to be rules. Then those rules stopped applying to certain schools. Then those rules only started applying for schools who were egregious about their rulebreaking. Now there are no rules. You can do whatever you want.

This.  Does the NCAA even exist anymore?  

5 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

We have 5 power conferences and 4 playoff spots. And a few years, one conference got 2 teams. 2 of the years Bama won it all, they didn't even win their own division. SEC plays by different rules and run the whole state of football, which another huge issue. ESPN is in bed with them and pushes this. It wears on people over time and is only getting worse. They have a 14 team conference and play less conference games than we do. Inflated rankings early which inflate the quality wins over the year. Add a patsy to pad the records. 

 

Quote

SABAN RULE 1: APR 13, 2021 The NCAA Needs to Admit its Mistake and Get Rid of the Saban Rule
Just A Minute takes a look at NCAA rule 13.1.7.4.1 Head Coach Restriction—Spring Evaluation Period, otherwise known as "The Saban Rule"Alabama football: Proposed ‘Saban Rule’ tabled for now
Cliff Kirkpatrick TUSCALOOSA – Alabama head coach Nick Saban had a proposed rule change unofficially named after him. And he didn’t like it.

SABAN RULE 2: The NCAA playing rules oversight panel was scheduled to vote today on the so-called “Saban Rule,” a proposal to make it illegal for the offense to snap the football until at least 10 seconds have run off the 40-second play clock, allowing the defense ample opportunity to make substitutions.

I vaguely recalled Saban lobbying to change the rules to benefit the way he coaches.  Turns out I got more than one hit.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Bullneck

[aggie08 21,434]

37 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

then they should've put them on the same side of the bracket.

While I agree with this in principle, I can understand the NCAA doing their best to avoid a letdown in the final, most watched game of the season. We'd have a week of trying to talk up Michigan's chances vs. Bama/Georgia, realize within 5 minutes that they're completely outclassed, then retreat to social media to bitch about how much the game sucks.

Edited January 1, 2022 by aggie08

[Dbeasy 14,969]

3 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

Salary caps, budget/debt ceilings, staff limits, temporary reductions in scholarships if you win it all.

If you let it become a pro sport, then you have to legislate it like a pro sport.  The NCAA is a joke relative to football and needs to be rethought.  It does not “do” anything.  

Important post. NIL, free agency, transfers, etc basically makes this pro sports. Can you imagine the nfl without salary caps? The same four teams would win every single year. 

[hayden_horn 11,360]

14 hours ago, WBT said:

It sucks because of ESPN nationalizing the sport.  And because no one gives a shit about buying recruits any more.

i've given a bit of thought to this while cleaning up my NYE mess.

i don't think this is exactly right, but i think i see what you are trying to say.

i don't think espn, and by extension, the national sports media, has nationalized the sport. as a matter of fact, i think they have focused on one particular region: the south. granted, football in the south is life in autumn, and has been as long as i can remember. but my folks are from ohio, and high school football up there is as big as it is here, despite books like friday night lights. 

i think the problem we've got is the hype machine. we have rankings. we have impressions. we have eyeball tests. what the fuck is all that? in what other sports are those criteria applied? i guess you could argue that with ncaa basketball or baseball seeding there is some of that, but those tournaments are mature and make a team become a champion. and both those sports play longer seasons so you have more data points. 

what we need is some objective criteria. win your conference? you are in, and we don't care if you beat an undefeated alabama to do it, and we don't care if you beat a two loss stanford team to do it. you are in. we want to add some at large (in the nfl they call them wildcards), then fucking do that. but make sure that we don't put the nfc and the afc on the same side of the bracket. wins and losses. not margin of victory. not style points. not eyeball tests. 

i think this will have the benefit of making conference rivalries pretty important. if you can't progress to the championship unless you beat your conference mates, it really highlights the rivalries. right now, with the championship we got, all we'll get is sec fellatio the whole fuckin game.

and i think it's bad for the sport. if it is all sec all the time, then audiences will wander away that aren't in the south. i say that fully well knowing that texas is joining the sec. 

the hype machine hypes the south, and the hype machine is the gasoline for recruiting. the nfl has a draft, which introduces parity, along with the salary cap. cfb is the wild west.

my point is that the south might strangle the national aspect of the sport. maybe espn has run demographic data to understand that the south is the biggest audience for college football. if they aren't careful, the south might become the only audience for college football, because the championship is only running through there right now.

[hayden_horn 11,360]

8 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

While I agree with this in principle, I can understand the NCAA doing their best to avoid a letdown in the final, most watched game of the season. We'd have a week of trying to talk up Michigan chances vs. Bama/Georgia, realize within 5 minutes that they're complete outclassed, then retreat to social media to bitch about how much the game sucks.

do you want two outclassed games or one? yesterday was a snoozefest.

[David Dennison 18,659]

3 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Important post. NIL, free agency, transfers, etc basically makes this pro sports. Can you imagine the nfl without salary caps? The same four teams would win every single year. 

The question then becomes how do you rein in the SEC without an effective governing body.

I have no idea. Texas seems to have adopted the if you can't beat 'em, join 'em approach.

 

[hayden_horn 11,360]

further, with the size the sec is going to become, why not just jettison the conference championship game, and promise playoff spots to each division champ? and then make sure they have to go through each other to reach the championship game? same for an expanded b1g and pac-12. then offer playoff spots to other conference champions that are smaller?

i dunno.

but an all sec championship is bad for the game, imo. maybe good for ratings. but you're going to eventually kill the golden goose if that's the only thing we're going to get.

[pyrohornIII 4,809]

 

11 hours ago, Had Enough said:

I’ve got to be pretty high up there as far as college football fans are concerned in regards to committed time and resources.  But I lose a little pleasure in it each year and that will likely become more progressive.

The playoff is one reason.  It does smother all the other bowls that people say don’t matter.  They have to me.  In years past I’ve watched a very large majority of them.  This year I barely know who plays or when.  Part of that is the emphasis on the playoff.  Part is opting out.  And whatever the hell you think you watched tonight, it wasn’t the damn Cotton Bowl.  Stupid to even call it that.

Why are Bama and UGa at the top and year after year?  They cheat their asses off in recruiting and the damn talking heads turn a blind eye.  We are now entering an era in which the have nots will become more insignificant.  Over the long term, you simply can’t compete with teams that have 5 stars backing up 5 stars who then poach other elite talents to fill in thin spots.  And you have to think the lack of ethics has never been more impactful.

The SeC objective of ruling the world has done quite a bit in killing other teams and conferences chances of competing.  Money is more important than ever.  Some can’t compete with other alumni bases.  Some won’t be able to compete due to their conference affiliations.

 

It's not only the cheating, but the violent crap they let slide over and over again.  Baylor rapers, Mixon, Tyreek Hill and on an on.  Yes, football is a violent sport, but that doesn't mean off the field antics like that should be condoned just to keep that player on the field.   

11 hours ago, ztejas said:

I hope all of you realize that fans of other teams look at threads like this and laugh their fucking asses off. 

The lack of self-awareness in here is astounding. Do you think Baylor is bitching about the current state of cfb after pimping Texas and Oklahoma for the B12 crown? Our fanbase is so fucking embarassing sometimes. 

Baylor should still be climbing out from under the rock a death penalty ruling would have sent them under.  Fuck the hypocritical NCAA.

7 hours ago, ztejas said:

Nothing's broken. Alabama and Saban are just that good. These things happen.  The NFL isn't broken because Brady has 7 titles across 2 teams. Golf wasn't broken when Tiger won 4 straight majors and x out of x for his first 10 or 12 majors or whatever the window was. MJ and the Bulls didn't break the NBA when they won 6 out of 8. The champions league wasn't broken when Ronaldo and Real Madrid won 3 straight. 

Excellence happens and it should be celebrated but it should also be challenged. Dynasties come and go and they get figured out. This Saban/Alabama era is impressive but it isn't inconceivable. Personally I think Georgia is going to beat them in the title game but even if they don't so what? Alabama isn't manipulating the rules or doing anything under the table to guarantee year over year dominance. They're just that fucking awesome at winning football games. 

Saban is good, no doubt.  But he grey shirted his way into building this dynasty with some pretty shady moves.  If the NCAA would have been for real and actually been intent on enforcing their own rules, we would have more parity.   

3 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

There is nothing wrong with Alabama. The problem is college football and the lack of any real organization or official oversight.

But they don't.  And it's probably too late at this point, unless the majority of the schools rise up and demand some serious changes in rules and enforcement.  Problem is most of those schools are already working in the red athletically, so where would the money come from to add the additional personnel to administer and enforce?  That should be figured into every broadcast contract.  And as long as the NCAA does it's job, then they keep them.  But not this sham we have now.

3 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Literally every single innovation made over the past few years has decreased parity and is working exactly as expected. From playoffs to transfers to NIL.  There are some true radical changes that could be made that would make the sport healthier and long-term more sure.  Things like salary caps for coaching staffs, non-compete clauses, revenue sharing across conferences, and standard salaries for players based on seniority and making a roster, and transfer rules somewhere in the middle of where they are now.  This is how pro leagues do it.  CFB has taken all of the unfettered business logic of pro sports with none of the checks in place the pros have to keep the sport healthy and interesting.

The decisions being made are literally like that scene in A Beautiful Mind where all the dudes push all their chips in to chase the hottest girl. And yeah, one alpha dog will take her home, but the rest will be scheduling a date with hand lotion. 

What Saban is doing right now is akin to what DKR was accused of concerning stockpiling scholarship players just to keep them from playing for other schools.  So scholarship limits were instituted, and scholarship reductions were substantial parts of NCAA punishments.   The difference is that back then is that most players saw college ball as the pinnacle of their career and not a stepping stone into the NFL.    It will be interesting to see how NIL plays into all this.   But I think even with NIL the playoffs need to be expanded.

3 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

Salary caps, budget/debt ceilings, staff limits, temporary reductions in scholarships if you win it all.

If you let it become a pro sport, then you have to legislate it like a pro sport.  The NCAA is a joke relative to football and needs to be rethought.  It does not “do” anything.  

NCAA has done some pretty shitty stuff when it comes to basketball too.  They do pretty well in the sports that aren't basically farm leagues for higher up professional leagues.   

Get the idea I think we should either push for the NCAA to do it's job, or just drop the pretenses and go fully wild, wild west?

[956 Worldwide 34,444]

3 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

The question then becomes how do you rein in the SEC without an effective governing body.

I have no idea. Texas seems to have adopted the if you can't beat 'em, join 'em approach.

 

Honestly? Stop freaking playing them. The B1G, PAC, ACC, and Big XII come with a set of proposals to stop the arms race and implement enforcement with teeth. And tell the SEC they don’t get OOC or post season games till they sign up.  

But that won’t happen because collectively the rest of the conferences won’t hold on this. 

[Vic Mackey 46,936]

36 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

I can't wait to run the SEC.

Shit we have a long way to go to try and recruit like Bama. 

[Make em eat Taco Bell 1,549]

12 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

i've given a bit of thought to this while cleaning up my NYE mess.

i don't think this is exactly right, but i think i see what you are trying to say.

i don't think espn, and by extension, the national sports media, has nationalized the sport. as a matter of fact, i think they have focused on one particular region: the south. granted, football in the south is life in autumn, and has been as long as i can remember. but my folks are from ohio, and high school football up there is as big as it is here, despite books like friday night lights. 

i think the problem we've got is the hype machine. we have rankings. we have impressions. we have eyeball tests. what the fuck is all that? in what other sports are those criteria applied? i guess you could argue that with ncaa basketball or baseball seeding there is some of that, but those tournaments are mature and make a team become a champion. and both those sports play longer seasons so you have more data points. 

what we need is some objective criteria. win your conference? you are in, and we don't care if you beat an undefeated alabama to do it, and we don't care if you beat a two loss stanford team to do it. you are in. we want to add some at large (in the nfl they call them wildcards), then fucking do that. but make sure that we don't put the nfc and the afc on the same side of the bracket. wins and losses. not margin of victory. not style points. not eyeball tests. 

i think this will have the benefit of making conference rivalries pretty important. if you can't progress to the championship unless you beat your conference mates, it really highlights the rivalries. right now, with the championship we got, all we'll get is sec fellatio the whole fuckin game.

and i think it's bad for the sport. if it is all sec all the time, then audiences will wander away that aren't in the south. i say that fully well knowing that texas is joining the sec. 

the hype machine hypes the south, and the hype machine is the gasoline for recruiting. the nfl has a draft, which introduces parity, along with the salary cap. cfb is the wild west.

my point is that the south might strangle the national aspect of the sport. maybe espn has run demographic data to understand that the south is the biggest audience for college football. if they aren't careful, the south might become the only audience for college football, because the championship is only running through there right now.

teams in states with large black populations will dominate college football. Speed kills, murders and commits genocide.  It's critical on both sides of the ball.  Look at slow Wisconsin whose formula is to have a good OL/ great black RB / game manager QB and a pitifully slow defense with maybe 2 CBs who have speed. The entire Big10 is doomed unless they get some real athletes -- Fields was from GA, Dobbins from TX.  Nebraska is dead because there are no black folk there, Tom Osborne got them, not anymore.  

As my post showed, even the good B1G state athletes are going to Bama.  Everyone knows CA ones are jumping eastward. Tua was from Hawaii and went to bama instead of USC.  Riley will keep the local homies in town which is good for the sport.   Miami/ FSU need to do the same to break Saban's death grip on the state.  

If $aban is paying, aren't tO$U, L$U, A$M and U$C paying too? then why can't the latter get the badassmofos??  Well aggy is this time and Jimbo is setting the foundation for a post Saban run. Texas and Aggy will be powerhouses in the near future if they can keep the f'n TX bloods in state. It takes a coach with charisma to do this.. Pete Carrol, Mack, Urban Meyer, Bobby Bowden, Paterno. 

and the NFL draft has completely destroyed quality sustainable depth, except for Bama who only has 7 Srs on a roster of 134.  Meaning they all leave when the time comes. 

Also, who is to say guys won't opt out even in an 8 or 16 team playoff?  Once a superstar gets a career ending injury in the CFP, certainly the trend will continue in the playoffs meaning the title will be a sham.  it's going to happen and that may affect Texas in 5-8 years when we get there. 

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Begin with a strict cap on football staff numbers, overall football staff salary cap, and an annual limit on football operations spending, pro-rated to allow for travel.  

Enforced by whom?

I do agree with you in theory, the scholarship limits are meaningless when other expenditures are unlimited, but the powers that be would never agree to it and the lesser schools in their conferences wouldn't either because they'll still get paid no matter the level of parity.

And if the NCAA tried to force them to put the genie back into the bottle, they'd just quit the NCAA and start their own association for the promotion of Tier 1 college football. 

Texas and OU aren't going to the SEC because they need the competition (or the self-esteem, unlike aggy, though we are getting close). They are going to the SEC for the money. Championships and competition are secondary or tertiary concerns. 

[956 Worldwide 34,444]

11 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

 

It's not only the cheating, but the violent crap they let slide over and over again.  Baylor rapers, Mixon, Tyreek Hill and on an on.  Yes, football is a violent sport, but that doesn't mean off the field antics like that should be condoned just to keep that player on the field.   

Baylor should still be climbing out from under the rock a death penalty ruling would have sent them under.  Fuck the hypocritical NCAA.

Saban is good, no doubt.  But he grey shirted his way into building this dynasty with some pretty shady moves.  If the NCAA would have been for real and actually been intent on enforcing their own rules, we would have more parity.   

But they don't.  And it's probably too late at this point, unless the majority of the schools rise up and demand some serious changes in rules and enforcement.  Problem is most of those schools are already working in the red athletically, so where would the money come from to add the additional personnel to administer and enforce?  That should be figured into every broadcast contract.  And as long as the NCAA does it's job, then they keep them.  But not this sham we have now.

What Saban is doing right now is akin to what DKR was accused of concerning stockpiling scholarship players just to keep them from playing for other schools.  So scholarship limits were instituted, and scholarship reductions were substantial parts of NCAA punishments.   The difference is that back then is that most players saw college ball as the pinnacle of their career and not a stepping stone into the NFL.    It will be interesting to see how NIL plays into all this.   But I think even with NIL the playoffs need to be expanded.

NCAA has done some pretty shitty stuff when it comes to basketball too.  They do pretty well in the sports that aren't basically farm leagues for higher up professional leagues.   

Get the idea I think we should either push for the NCAA to do it's job, or just drop the pretenses and go fully wild, wild west?

The NCAA doesn’t have teeth because the big football schools don’t want them to.  The inmates are running the asylum. And yes, the SEC needs to get reined in. 
 

A parallel from high school football.  Back in the 1990s, Harlingen Marine Military Academy boarding school decided to go “independent” and to use a semi-prep school model.  Get your grades and discipline in order for a year, play ball, then go to JUCO or college.  A few prominent local alums were tired of getting their teeth kicked in by the local ISDs in the rivalry games and not being competitive in the private school league. And for a few years these teams of twenty year old men getting recruited for college would mudhole a bunch of RGV kids. And then it stopped, because they weren’t in a league and all the local teams stopped playing them. And they had to go further and further afield to even get a game, and it wasn’t fun anymore even for them. So the experiment ended and they joined a private league and became good citizens.

Same thing needs to happen, the rest of college football needs to tell the SEC they gotta at least pretend to play by the same rules.  But that won’t happen, as there are a few big schools in the other conferences who make decisions and think they can play the same game.

 

[Fudge Nuggets 19,151]

11 hours ago, Knighthawk said:

You want to make this shit real?  A little drama back in the regular season and conf champ games?   Make it a six team playoff.   P5 conf champs are in plus one g5 or independent based on ap rankings.   
 

This would break the gridlock.   And some of the sec teams might look for a new home when they realize that they are never making it to the playoff under the status quo.  

Yeah, we should definitely look forward to Utah and Pitt in the playoffs while the second best team in the country sits at home. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,763]

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

A playoff is a mechanism of selecting a champion and not a mechanism of promoting parity. If it did, it would be a side impact and if that’s your goal, then it’s a roundabout way of accomplishing it.

The issue is glaring and simple: big southern schools care a bunch more about football than most other schools and will spend stupid money on it and let football become the reason for the school’s existence. Every incentive is in place for them to do that. 
 

If you want parity in CFB, then start with parity. Begin with a strict cap on football staff numbers, overall football staff salary cap, and an annual limit on football operations spending, pro-rated to allow for travel.  
 

See how fast things start to balance and traditional academic schools start doing better. 

i'm not promoting parity

i expect us to be outspending everyone else and buying success on an annual basis by 2030

staff numbers cap, staff salary cap, operations spending cap, etc. are all good points and should happen immediately, with one exception: gameday operations for home games are not part of the cap, otherwise cdc will punt on fixing the concessions problem for decades

[Surly Bevo 24,696]

Just be fucking better Texas.

[Underdog 28,457]

7-0 Cats over Hawkeyes, I’m enjoying CFB at this moment.  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, hayden_horn said:

i happen to think that it should be impossible for two teams from the same conference to meet in the championship game. it completely skews the balance of power, and provides much needed hype for recruiting. the committee did this on purpose, and it stinks to high heaven. sec! sec! sec!

in what other conference sport is that even fucking possible? why even have conferences if that can happen? we will never ever in our lives see a cowboys - eagles super bowl, and you know what? that's fine with me.

Or more to your point, a Cowboys-49ers SB in the 90s.

 

[956 Worldwide 34,444]

11 minutes ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Enforced by whom?

I do agree with you in theory, the scholarship limits are meaningless when other expenditures are unlimited, but the powers that be would never agree to it and the lesser schools in their conferences wouldn't either because they'll still get paid no matter the level of parity.

And if the NCAA tried to force them to put the genie back into the bottle, they'd just quit the NCAA and start their own association for the promotion of Tier 1 college football. 

Texas and OU aren't going to the SEC because they need the competition (or the self-esteem, unlike aggy, though we are getting close). They are going to the SEC for the money. Championships and competition are secondary or tertiary concerns. 

The race to the bottom is real. I honestly think a big part of it is that these programs “belong” to governments and non-profits. Pro leagues cooperate to put a good product on the field because everyone wants to make money and the big market teams can’t do that if the small market teams all  go out of business. If schools couldn’t tap fees and other sources and started folding up programs, things would change.

[Brothahorn 10,085]

If they insist on keeping it at 4 teams, then it should only be conference champs. Doesn't matter of you're 12-1. You lose the title game, have fun at the Sugar bowl.

Alabama would be down 2 titles, I believe. Which would be a big deal in recruiting, power and money. And no more SEC rematches.

[Hagbard Celine 10,763]

1 hour ago, hayden_horn said:

i was at a strip club when stoops ran that last score up against oklahoma state, and i knew then that we were out. the stripper on my lap sensed my disappointment and gave me the only free lapdance i've ever had in my life. "i'm sorry, sugar, this one is on me." i'll never forget it, haha. i can laugh about it now, but imagine getting a fucking pity lapdance because ou scored a late game touchdown in bedlam. 

2008..... cells had cameras then.

rules.

[mdmost 42,865]

5 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

Just be fucking better Texas.

That's what the SEC move is all about. The collective talent in CFB in the South. 

I'm good with expansion because it will help break the log jam that Clemson, Georgia, Bama, and Ohio State seem to have. It's what Joel Klatt has spoken to before about the downside of the playoff. It's centralized power with those 4 school. One or two of them will rotate in and out but it's helped keep them propped up. So open up the playoff and more teams can get the benefit both monetarily and even more with recruiting. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,763]

1 hour ago, hayden_horn said:

then they should've put them on the same side of the bracket.

VOILA!

16 teams

bracketing rule: no rematches in the first round, no rematches possible in the final

LO! AND BEHOLD THE POWER OF A FULLY OPERATIONAL DEATHSTAR

with 4 rounds, you can guarantee any rematch is a quarter or semi, or even re-seed after the sweet 16 for the quarters

ninefuckingninetyfive bitches

[Surly Bevo 24,696]

2 minutes ago, mdmost said:

That's what the SEC move is all about. The collective talent in CFB in the South. 

I'm good with expansion because it will help break the log jam that Clemson, Georgia, Bama, and Ohio State seem to have. It's what Joel Klatt has spoken to before about the downside of the playoff. It's centralized power with those 4 school. One or two of them will rotate in and out but it's helped keep them propped up. So open up the playoff and more teams can get the benefit both monetarily and even more with recruiting. 

Agreed, and I think expansion is good and agree with Klatt's sentiments.  That said even when Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and OU were competing in like most of their 4th, 5th, 6th what the fuck ever playoff in a row we were not bitching near as much about things being stale when we were playing in/winning the Sugar Bowl over Georgia.  

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,145]

We've chosen our need to crown a national champion on the field over many much better matchups and bowl games 

I don't think football is like basketball and don't like trying to do the same. I also get lower divisions doing the whole big playoff thing, but they also don't have many great in season matchups.

In the rich get richer system we've created it will only get worse, not better.  Luckily I still live in Texas and get HS football every year. (Imagine if there was only one champion declared in TX HS football... how meaningless would it become for schools who has less than 4000 students.)

[956 Worldwide 34,444]

While we are on the topic of ESPN, they absolutely played a role in this. Big time CFB was a glorious and fun sport for about 100 years and none of us realized we were not having fun by hoping for a conference title and a big bowl win.  At most, we’d get a few regional sports columnists sniping at each other over who was the “real national champion” and then we’d all move on.

And then comes ESPN and sports talk radio. Talking sports men in suits— who had to fill up hours and hours of air time— began arguing for WEEKS about this shit and then also set about convincing us that we didn’t really enjoy the sport because a “true champion” wasn’t crowned. And we bought this bulllshit even though anyone can tell you that going undefeated and winning the Cotton Bowl was glorious and perfect and in no way tainted by the fact that maybe some Yankee school also won all their games.

A case study in creating a market then finding a product for it. 

 

[Slacks 6,791]

I don't really give a shit about the playoff, so all I see is more football.

I like more football.

If the old system were in place, we'd be watching Bama drag the shit out of Michigan on Monday or whatever. Cincy wouldn't play and Georgia would smash Ok State.  It would still be "boring"...  Or if we went to original ties, Michigan would beat Utah and try to claim a title, while Bama would play Baylor in the Sugar and claim a title. ND and OkSt would still be on right now.

It has dick to do with the playoff.

College football is "boring" because there is no parity at the top...  Shift your focus away from the top and it looks like it always has.

Man... Football.