College Football Is Stale and Boring

[immamac 44199]

You are an idiot. Just stop watching CFB it's stale and boring. 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, immamac said:

You are an idiot. Just stop watching CFB it's stale and boring. 

I watch maybe 20% of what I used to watch. And I still don't know how I offended you so much to keep calling me fuckwad and idiot. Sorry I disagree with your hot take? 

Good call on the MAC, though. It's what I wish college football still was. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by FirstTimeCaller

[bullet 1627]

1 hour ago, chitown bevo said:

this has led us to the sh!t show of a playoff scam that is taking place next week. will not watch. more people should think about skipping the deal. low rating might motivate change.

It should be a great game and interesting.  Unlike 2011 where Alabama didn't earn it and Oklahoma St. should have gone.  It would have been an interesting game.  I didn't watch 2011.  I saw the first LSU-Bama game and it was boring and with 2 slots, runnerups made zero sense, just as it did in 2006 when some were pushing an Ohio St.-Michigan rematch.

[immamac 44199]

1 minute ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

I watch maybe 20% of what I used to watch. And I still don't know how I offended you so much to keep calling me fuckwad and idiot. Sorry I disagree with your hot take? 

Good call on the MAC, though. It's what I wish college football still was.

Be sure your arguments are idiotic and you are being dense on purpose when the burden of proof is on you for supporting your opinion that CFB isn't what it once was, even though it still very much is as evidenced by my posts.

[Helobious 9755]

I do know that NCAA 14 was way more fun than any Madden I ever played, if that means anything.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Helobious said:

I do know that NCAA 14 was way more fun than any Madden I ever played, if that means anything.

Still rocking it on the PS3.

[Al_4_ISU 12612]

The biggest problem with college football is that it's the only sport where outside narratives have so much influence over how people perceive it.

People say "the bowls don't matter now - they're just glorified exhibitions".  BOWL GAMES WERE ALWAYS GLORIFIED EXHIBITIONS.  They don't "matter" now because once ESPN owned the playoffs, they started yakking about the bowls not mattering (even though they own most of those too) to pump up the playoff, and people listened to them.  The bowls only mattered because fans and players cared.  Then, after being told for years that it doesn't matter any more, they eventually didn't.

Once a team is eliminated from playoff contention, you can argue that the regular season games don't matter anymore.  And that's probably coming.

So much of conference realignment, and the respective erosion of the regional rivalries that bred such a passion in this sport has been a result of schools making decisions that they can't compete in a certain conference because the media badmouths that conference and props up another.

In the NFL, no one gives a fuck if ESPN trashes a division because the media's perception of your strength has no bearing on the outcome.  There are set criteria for post season inclusion, and that's all that matters.  You don't have to win a beauty pageant.  You don't have to woo recruits.  You aren't worried about someone having a bigger TV contract.  American college football is far and away the most subjective team sport on the planet.  That subjectivity makes the sport more susceptible to off field influences and renders what actually happens in games less meaningful.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Al_4_ISU

[Ojo Rojo 2040]

Interesting thread, even though OP is disqualified from having a valid opinion on anything, in my book, due to his taste in women.

I'll chime in with a couple of thoughts:

1. No one knows what's going to happen.  The transfer portal and NIL might drastically change everything.  It might create greater parity...or it might not.  It might cause some teams to rise and others to fall...or it might not.  It's going to take at least a couple more years to truly see the effects.

2. I agree that CFB has been more formulaic over the last few years.  A bunch of stuff happens during the regular season and then the same four schools are in the playoff at the end.  I have been genuinely surprised by this.  I sure would have thought that we would have seen more different teams in the playoff than we have.  But, it's pretty simple - if there are only four slots every year and the same four teams keep getting in, then that is going to affect recruiting, which perpetuates the concentration of talent in those four playoff schools. Recruits generally want to go where they can win and get the most exposure and accolades. The four playoff teams offer the most of those things.

Like others have said, my interest in CFB has waned significantly. These days, I'm lucky if I get to catch the Texas game each week.  It's rare that I watch any other games, certainly not a whole game involving teams other than Texas.  But, that could be due to aging and caring about other things more, more responsibilities (kids), etc. than anything to do with CFB. I feel like even if I had the time and no other constraints that I still wouldn't consume as much CFB as I used to because it just feels "different."  Also as others have said - and this is probably extremely naive on my part - it just seems like CFB had more integrity across the board than it does today.  Guys not playing in bowl games to get ready for the NFL?  Guys changing teams through the transfer portal like they change underwear? Coaches bailing on their teams before they play their last game of the season? Huge money everywhere? Recruiting dirtier than ever?  I don't know, maybe it's because I'm an old now and "get off my lawn" or whatever. But I know for sure that a lot of that stuff didn't used to happen.

[Incredulity 11861]

4 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Interesting thread, even though OP is disqualified from having a valid opinion on anything, in my book, due to his taste in women.

I respect a man who knows what he likes and pursues it. 

 

Of course CFB is stale and boring.  When the same fucking team wins the championship every year it's the very definition of stale and boring.

 

Further the two semi-final games this year sucked shit through a straw.  Which really sucked because it was tee'd up to be an epic day of food, booze and football with a two full days of recovery(i'm getting old) before back to work.  But, no we get two uninspiring stinkers.

[Beau Vine 55824]

The media has done its best to kill it.  Starting in August, it's talk about who's going to make the playoff and who's going to win the Heisman. 

Can you imagine the MLB Tonight crew arguing in spring training about who's going to win the Cy Young?

I watched most of the bowls this year (mainly because I had covid) and I'd guess that each broadcast devoted at least 20% of its airtime to discussing Michigan/Georgia/Cincy/Bama.  ESPN's new innovation is all of these new coverage angles (overhead cam, full field cam, analytic broadcast, home/road team radio) for the broadcasts -- I found myself aching for a bowl game broadcast that promised not to discuss the playoffs. 

[Helobious 9755]

1 hour ago, Ojo Rojo said:

Interesting thread, even though OP is disqualified from having a valid opinion on anything, in my book, due to his taste in women.

I'll chime in with a couple of thoughts:

1. No one knows what's going to happen.  The transfer portal and NIL might drastically change everything.  It might create greater parity...or it might not.  It might cause some teams to rise and others to fall...or it might not.  It's going to take at least a couple more years to truly see the effects.

2. I agree that CFB has been more formulaic over the last few years.  A bunch of stuff happens during the regular season and then the same four schools are in the playoff at the end.  I have been genuinely surprised by this.  I sure would have thought that we would have seen more different teams in the playoff than we have.  But, it's pretty simple - if there are only four slots every year and the same four teams keep getting in, then that is going to affect recruiting, which perpetuates the concentration of talent in those four playoff schools. Recruits generally want to go where they can win and get the most exposure and accolades. The four playoff teams offer the most of those things.

Like others have said, my interest in CFB has waned significantly. These days, I'm lucky if I get to catch the Texas game each week.  It's rare that I watch any other games, certainly not a whole game involving teams other than Texas.  But, that could be due to aging and caring about other things more, more responsibilities (kids), etc. than anything to do with CFB. I feel like even if I had the time and no other constraints that I still wouldn't consume as much CFB as I used to because it just feels "different."  Also as others have said - and this is probably extremely naive on my part - it just seems like CFB had more integrity across the board than it does today.  Guys not playing in bowl games to get ready for the NFL?  Guys changing teams through the transfer portal like they change underwear? Coaches bailing on their teams before they play their last game of the season? Huge money everywhere? Recruiting dirtier than ever?  I don't know, maybe it's because I'm an old now and "get off my lawn" or whatever. But I know for sure that a lot of that stuff didn't used to happen.

If you think recruiting wasn’t dirty in the past I don’t know what to tell you. Ever heard of SMU or Miami in the 80s? Nebraska & colorado winning national titles with legit violent criminals on the roster? 

['stache 22117]

I watch a lot less than I used to, but I think it's because I'm older, have job and family shit, and other interests to pursue. It certainly sucks that a handful of teams (and one in particular) seem to win every year, but I'm sure I'd care less if it was my team that was that good. I think an easy fix is to do away with the three year rule. If an 18 year old is good enough that an NFL team wants to draft them, there is no legitimate reason to preclude them from making that money. There was a time I sort of followed the "physical maturity" argument, but seeing some of the true freshman these days, they are monsters of humans who can handle it, and NFL teams will likely pass if they feel the kid needs time in college to get bigger or stronger. The transfer rules, NIL, etc., they certainly make things harder for the non blue bloods, but I can't think of a single reason that college athletes should have less freedom in the endeavor than adults in any other industry. And make no mistake, college football is an industry, one that makes billions of dollars. 

[Wally Pryor 5388]

Not stale and boring. The best sport, even with all that is going on. 

Still gives us a lot including that unparalleled and unsurpassed sight on New Year's afternoon that no other sport can begin to match. That setting is simply incredible, even if you don't give a shit about the teams playing. 

[Bevo14 8468]

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

I do know that NCAA 14 was way more fun than any Madden I ever played, if that means anything.

 

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Still rocking it on the PS3.

Dusted it off when I was getting desperate in the middle of the season. 

[markstanco 12773]

On 1/1/2022 at 8:44 AM, crimsonlonghorn said:

Lots of good suggestions in this thread. Here are mine.  

1) Conference champions only.

The problem with that is (for example) the 2005 B12 Championship game if Colorado won.  8-3 Colorado gets to go and 10-1 Texas watches from home while being ranked #2 all year. It obviously didnt happen, but similar scenarios have. 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10762]

50 minutes ago, Helobious said:

If you think recruiting wasn’t dirty in the past I don’t know what to tell you. Ever heard of SMU or Miami in the 80s? Nebraska & colorado winning national titles with legit violent criminals on the roster? 

To Rojo's point though those seemed more like the exceptions than the rule. Now less energy is spent worried about "what if we get caught" then it is worrying about "are we doing enough of it".

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

15 minutes ago, markstanco said:

The problem with that is (for example) the 2005 B12 Championship game if Colorado won.  8-3 Colorado gets to go and 10-1 Texas watches from home while being ranked #2 all year.

Begging the question.

[Guest]

37 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Not stale and boring. The best sport, even with all that is going on. 

Still gives us a lot including that unparalleled and unsurpassed sight on New Year's afternoon that no other sport can begin to match. That setting is simply incredible, even if you don't give a shit about the teams playing. 

I watch Georgia Tech versus Cumberland at the Rose Bowl and love every minute of it.

[Ojo Rojo 2040]

2 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

To Rojo's point though those seemed more like the exceptions than the rule. Now less energy is spent worried about "what if we get caught" then it is worrying about "are we doing enough of it".

Yes, exactly the point I was trying to make.  And it's not just the paying of players then versus now, under the table or above board.  The stakes are SO high and the results are almost totally dependent on recruiting that it just seems like a desperation game and just a dirty business altogether trying to convince these high school athletes that they should go to U of X. Negative recruiting has always happened, probably, but it just seems worse today. Now we have "handlers" and the whole "I'm taking my talents to..." thing; I just absolutely hate that. Maybe all of it has always been there.  Either I just didn't know about it before or it's being spotlighted and exploited as content like never before.  Regardless, it takes away from CFB for me and is slowly driving me away.

[mdmost 43850]

The fatty lover might have a point

 

[Js1 86939]

17 minutes ago, mdmost said:

The fatty lover might have a point

 

NYE versus New Year's Day, maybe? 

[mdmost 43850]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

NYE versus New Year's Day, maybe? 

It will be interesting to see the Rose Bowl numbers. Ohio State is a massive draw. 

[Beau Vine 55824]

21 hours ago, 'stache said:

I watch a lot less than I used to, but I think it's because I'm older, have job and family shit, and other interests to pursue. It certainly sucks that a handful of teams (and one in particular) seem to win every year, but I'm sure I'd care less if it was my team that was that good. I think an easy fix is to do away with the three year rule.

I have no idea why you would even say this.  This is an NFL rule, which benefits the NFL immensely.  No one is going to do way with it.

[Underdog 29101]

Hold horses, fellas.  Let’s wait and see what ratings are for tonight’s bowl game before shoveling dirt on CFB. 

[utee94 16066]

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

NYE versus New Year's Day, maybe? 

Yup.  Pretty sure the last time the semifinals were on NYE they also had disappointing vierwership numbers.

Edited January 4, 2022 by utee94

[Eskimohorn 5675]

The media has done its best to kill it.  Starting in August, it's talk about who's going to make the playoff and who's going to win the Heisman. 
Can you imagine the MLB Tonight crew arguing in spring training about who's going to win the Cy Young?
I watched most of the bowls this year (mainly because I had covid) and I'd guess that each broadcast devoted at least 20% of its airtime to discussing Michigan/Georgia/Cincy/Bama.  ESPN's new innovation is all of these new coverage angles (overhead cam, full field cam, analytic broadcast, home/road team radio) for the broadcasts -- I found myself aching for a bowl game broadcast that promised not to discuss the playoffs. 

Preseason polls have always been an issue but ESPN’s narratives and rankings have undue influence.

These polls used to leak into final rankings as voters preconceived notions would be slow to change. A team outside of the Top 25 has to fight to move up and hope that people see their games. Thats some bullshit.

ESPN hardly discusses SOS anymore and cite eyeball tests and style points. That is also some bullshit.

[C-Man 27685]

On 1/3/2022 at 3:45 PM, markstanco said:

The problem with that is (for example) the 2005 B12 Championship game if Colorado won.  8-3 Colorado gets to go and 10-1 Texas watches from home while being ranked #2 all year. It obviously didnt happen, but similar scenarios have. 

And if the Buffs had beaten us they would have a win over the #2 team in the country and be a conference champion. The conference title should matter.

Again, we should expand the playoff and include the champ of every league you determine should get an auto-bid. Then use at-large picks to fill out the brackets. I'd be receptive to a limit on number of teams from a particular conference or you're going to see six SEC teams make a 16-team playoff.

[Bartles 769]

So many Abe Simpson takes on these seven pages

Too many bowls / bowls are meaningless: This is decisively swatted down every single year by TV ratings (sometimes attendance too)

Ratings are down: Yes, for everything that's televised. Sports in general and CFB in particular still do incredibly well

Best teams spend money and cheat: Yes, for many decades now. Bad teams do it too

Conference champions should get in: I thought we were trying to REDUCE blowouts?

ESPN ruining sport: The two best games of every week tend to be on Fox and CBS. Their commentators say the exact same BS. And don't blame SportsCenter, PTI, etc., not enough people watch that stuff to affect opinion of the sport overall. Note the recent Clemson, Ohio State and OU ascensions all took place in the SEC Network era.

Yes, it's a business, but at least that is being acknowledged now. It's not the end of the world if the whole sport gets broken up so the top of the pecking order doesn't have to keep bowing to the will of the 60s-70s-80s nostalgists.

[markstanco 12773]

5 minutes ago, C-Man said:

And if the Buffs had beaten us they would have a win over the #2 team in the country and be a conference champion. The conference title should matter.

Again, we should expand the playoff and include the champ of every league you determine should get an auto-bid. Then use at-large picks to fill out the brackets. I'd be receptive to a limit on number of teams from a particular conference or you're going to see six SEC teams make a 16-team playoff.

It was discussed that 4 of the 5 power conferences were for a 2 team limit in the expanded playoff.  Guess who the 5th was that didnt like that?  Its a toughie!!!!

[Eskimohorn 5675]

So many Abe Simpson takes on these seven pages
Too many bowls / bowls are meaningless: This is decisively swatted down every single year by TV ratings (sometimes attendance too)
Ratings are down: Yes, for everything that's televised. Sports in general and CFB in particular still do incredibly well
Best teams spend money and cheat: Yes, for many decades now. Bad teams do it too
Conference champions should get in: I thought we were trying to REDUCE blowouts?
ESPN ruining sport: The two best games of every week tend to be on Fox and CBS. Their commentators say the exact same BS. And don't blame SportsCenter, PTI, etc., not enough people watch that stuff to affect opinion of the sport overall. Note the recent Clemson, Ohio State and OU ascensions all took place in the SEC Network era.
Yes, it's a business, but at least that is being acknowledged now. It's not the end of the world if the whole sport gets broken up so the top of the pecking order doesn't have to keep bowing to the will of the 60s-70s-80s nostalgists.

You’re the one advocating for the status quo, Abe.

Bowl games are postseason exhibitions. Substitute Alabama’s 10th week game against Northern Georgia for an extra week or 2 of elimination football.

[C-Man 27685]

18 minutes ago, markstanco said:

It was discussed that 4 of the 5 power conferences were for a 2 team limit in the expanded playoff.  Guess who the 5th was that didnt like that?  Its a toughie!!!!

Ha. Of course it depends on how many teams are actually in the playoff what the cutoff should/would be. Naturally, if there's five power conferences and 12 playoff spots you're going to have to have more than two from one conference in most seasons. But if you can't sniff at least winning your division of a conference you don't belong in a 12-team playoff. This ain't March Madness.

[C-Man 27685]

27 minutes ago, Bartles said:

So many Abe Simpson takes on these seven pages

Too many bowls / bowls are meaningless: This is decisively swatted down every single year by TV ratings (sometimes attendance too)

Ratings are down: Yes, for everything that's televised. Sports in general and CFB in particular still do incredibly well

Best teams spend money and cheat: Yes, for many decades now. Bad teams do it too

Conference champions should get in: I thought we were trying to REDUCE blowouts?

ESPN ruining sport: The two best games of every week tend to be on Fox and CBS. Their commentators say the exact same BS. And don't blame SportsCenter, PTI, etc., not enough people watch that stuff to affect opinion of the sport overall. Note the recent Clemson, Ohio State and OU ascensions all took place in the SEC Network era.

Yes, it's a business, but at least that is being acknowledged now. It's not the end of the world if the whole sport gets broken up so the top of the pecking order doesn't have to keep bowing to the will of the 60s-70s-80s nostalgists.

Give me a system that cuts out on some of the "beauty contest/eye test" shit. If you're in a major conference you should know before the season starts that if you win the league title you're in the playoff no matter what. You can schedule tougher non-conference games at the beginning, knowing you're not going to be eliminated in Sept if you drop a game or two before league play. Of course these games will be considered for at-large positions but no system is perfect. I would hope, also, that it would eliminate the dumb, late November lay-up game the SEC employs for an empty late-season bump in the rankings. (I'm fully aware of our impending entry into the conference I'm currently railing against.)

[Js1 86939]

6 hours ago, mdmost said:

It will be interesting to see the Rose Bowl numbers. Ohio State is a massive draw. 

 

[Vic Mackey 47846]

5 hours ago, C-Man said:

Give me a system that cuts out on some of the "beauty contest/eye test" shit. If you're in a major conference you should know before the season starts that if you win the league title you're in the playoff no matter what. You can schedule tougher non-conference games at the beginning, knowing you're not going to be eliminated in Sept if you drop a game or two before league play. Of course these games will be considered for at-large positions but no system is perfect. I would hope, also, that it would eliminate the dumb, late November lay-up game the SEC employs for an empty late-season bump in the rankings. (I'm fully aware of our impending entry into the conference I'm currently railing against.)

Absolutely. Winning your conference/division in any other sport is important. That is always the first goal for those teams and then other seeding comes later. Hell in college, a P5 winner is not even close to getting in just based on that alone. This would make those games much more important. And as you said, early losses will not derail your season, especially non conference losses. Every FBS should get a playoff spot. Play the first round of games on the campuses and then split off into the bowls if you are so hell bent on keeping them.

And I can't fathom people actually wanting to go backwards and have the BCS all over again.

The entertaining game of Oklahoma St/ND and Ohio St/USC and Baylor/Ole Miss should have been legit playoff games and those winners advance.

4 teams is not a playoffs. It is like instead of March Madness, the committee just picks their top 4 and the Final 4 happens right away. The logic of that because the semifinals games are blowouts so often, means there should not be more teams is flawed. Adding more teams adds more elements to this. More upsets could happen. I'd rather see Bama have to go through a 4-5 round playoffs like they have in the FCS every year. They get through it, so be it. 

[markstanco 12773]

Ha. Of course it depends on how many teams are actually in the playoff what the cutoff should/would be. Naturally, if there's five power conferences and 12 playoff spots you're going to have to have more than two from one conference in most seasons. But if you can't sniff at least winning your division of a conference you don't belong in a 12-team playoff. This ain't March Madness.

Good point. I am guessing they were including a few G5s in to the equation. You know, a week 0 game for the top ranked teams so that somebody can blow out a knee unnecessarily.

[formermav43 4607]

5 hours ago, Js1 said:

 

That can’t be right. I was told bowls are meaningless.

[Richard Kimball 1517]

There are reasons some of us think that way. 

First, this board has aged by quite a few years, and there's an age where you don't live and die with your team like you did when you were a kid. The first BIG Texas game I remember watching was the Arkansas game after Freddy Steinmark got cancer. Every one of us has a game that's like our first love. Nothing matches up to it again. My Cowboys "first love" game was in the 72 playoffs, when Staubach brought the Cowboys back from a 28-13 deficit in the 4th quarter to take down the 49ers. My other favorite game was the one when the Cowboys put the Redskins out of the playoffs in 1979 and Harvey Martin threw a funeral wreath into their locker room. BTW, that's how the Cowboy's uni is supposed to look. 

Second, just about everyone on this board follows the Longhorns. A lot follow the Cowboys, and a few are Houston fans. None of those teams have lit it up lately. Dunno about y'all, but Bevo kicking Uga's ass and the Longhorns beating Georgia in the Sugar wasn't stale and boring to me. We get a few more seasons like that and we'll be back in the groove. 

I do think the sports networks damage some things in college sports with the commoditization, the commercial time outs, flipping of game times, etc. 

The biggest thing, IMHO, to improve sports is to have a real playoff. I don't care if you're the Wyoming Cowboys. Every team should have a path to the playoffs by winning, and the rules should be in place before the season starts. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Richard Kimball

[Had Enough 2108]

The biggest thing, IMHO, to improve sports is to have a real playoff. I don't care if you're the Wyoming Cowboys. Every team should have a path to the playoffs by winning, and the rules should be in place before the season starts. 

Here’s a little oddity. How many teams drop down from FBS to FCS? Vice versa?

Those that move up don’t have visions of playoff grandeur. A big part of that equation is money but prestige, name recognition too. And it’s just better. And college football is a fans game. That’s why it is best.

Expanded playoff will just be more of the same. Those in power will be less than satisfied when their 3rd place team doesn’t get in over someone else’s 2nd. Any thought that non-con scheduling immediately improves is off base because everybody knows Bama and Georgia got it locked up. You don’t need that non-con loss when your battling for 2nd3rd in your conference. Same as today. And use Tx-OSU 2005 as an example. We beat them. At their place. They did not deserve another chance. Just like OU in 2018. Just like BU over OSU in 2021.

Home games vastly skews results in a playoff format. It’d be a massive advantage based on eye tests.

Keep chasing this bs perfect model. Just watch NFL because that’s where we are heading quickly. Cutting it down to 30-60 teams that don’t play outside of those teams is a loser in my book.

2005 was perfect for many reasons.

[BluTechsan 393]

We are all (well all of us without an ‘A’ on our hats) tired of the same teams winning it every year.

The current configuration has become a self fulfilling prophecy - the same teams win because they have all the talent and they have all the talent because they win. 

There’s a theory, that over time( a couple seasons) that an expanded playoff would spread the talent around as the doorway to the post season is widened. Again, Bama and tOSU and the like are still gonna get theirs but if the “beauty contest” component is lessened and more guaranteed spots are available and more access is gained then yes, I could see how the talent will eventually begin to spread around.

Of course, then there’s also the NIL and the portal so who knows what it’s gonna look like long term.

[crimsonlonghorn 2313]

Would you expect the two participants in the championship game - both from the SEC no doubt - to say anything else? Good grief.

 

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

On 1/3/2022 at 1:29 PM, alincoln said:

Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson have won 18 of the 23 playoff games (LSU, UGA and Oregon the other 5).  Absolutely riveting competition. 

The past decade of college football has arguably been its worst, but the future should be much improved.  Players will be compensated for their efforts, the playoff will expand, and Saban will retire.   

And it'll become like the NFL, mercenaries for hire moving whenever the cash calls.  Not a quality move for the game in my opinion.

[utee94 16066]

7 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

And it'll become like the NFL, mercenaries for hire moving whenever the cash calls.  Not a quality move for the game in my opinion.

Players only get one freebie transfer without sitting out a year, and I think that will limit the mercenary aspect somewhat.  NIL will also settle down and the market will balance out.  It won't take too many million-dollar busts in the transfer portal before boosters figure out they're not getting the ROI they'd hoped.

 

 

[Js1 86939]

24 teams participate in the FCS championship playoff bracket.  North Dakota State has won 9 of the last 11 titles.  Sam Houston State, James Madison and North Dakota State have combined for 15 appearances in the last 11 title games.

[Disco Missile 456]

26 minutes ago, Js1 said:

24 teams participate in the FCS championship playoff bracket.  North Dakota State has won 9 of the last 11 titles.  Sam Houston State, James Madison and North Dakota State have combined for 15 appearances in the last 11 title games.

Obviously the format needs to be changed

[DFW Horn 6637]

50 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Players only get one freebie transfer without sitting out a year, and I think that will limit the mercenary aspect somewhat.  NIL will also settle down and the market will balance out.  It won't take too many million-dollar busts in the transfer portal before boosters figure out they're not getting the ROI they'd hoped.

Well, except for aggy who collectively still thinks Jimbo is a HUGE upgrade over Sumlin despite comparable records.

[DFW Horn 6637]

45 minutes ago, Js1 said:

24 teams participate in the FCS championship playoff bracket.  North Dakota State has won 9 of the last 11 titles.  Sam Houston State, James Madison and North Dakota State have combined for 15 appearances in the last 11 title games.

Agree FBS playoffs need to expand to at least 16 teams.

[pyrohornIII 4844]

Might be interesting to reduce conference size to 8 each.  Play a round robin with 2 OOC games. No conference championship games.   One a patsy and the other a cross conference test.  Winner of each conference moves into a playoff system, either 32 or 16.  32 would mean a upper limit of 15 games.   That would break up the juggernaut of the SEC.  However it might then build conferences that have one heavyweight (say LSU or Bama) and 7 coat-tailers (A&M).  Not sure how the parity works out there.   But as long as the SEC can keep sending more than one team to the playoffs, they'll be stockpiling the talent.  

Use bowls as part of the playoffs and maybe have traditional matches, like the Rose Bowl used to hold.  

All teams, regardless of final record get to continue practices through the end of the season if they wish.  That should be the rule now.  Playing in some crappy bowl with a 6-6 record shouldn't give you an advantage in practice.  

[DDD Dad 14571]

SIAP but CBS Sports is reporting that CFP panel could not reach consensus on expansion of playoff.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-expansion-delayed-as-officials-fail-to-form-consensus-over-numerous-issues/

College Football Playoff expansion delayed as officials fail to form consensus over numerous issues
In some ways, key playoff stakeholders have never been further apart
            Dennis Dodd
    
 By Dennis Dodd 
8 mins ago
2 min read
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Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS -- If the College Football Playoff does expand, it does not appear as if it will happen anytime soon. The CFP Board of Managers failed Monday to approve a proposal for an expanded 12-team playoff field with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby saying after the group's scheduled meeting that the managers "didn't even get close" to coming to an agreement.

While the CFP Management Committee (conference commissioners) did make a recommendation Monday to the managers (school presidents) on how to move forward with a 12-team expansion, the committee's proposal was not unanimous, and the managers failed to form a consensus as a means of moving forward.

The hope from some officials was that an expanded playoff could begin as soon as the 2024 season. Instead, it appears more likely the playoff will not expand until its current 12-year television contract with ESPN ends ahead of the 2026 season.

CFP executive director Bill Hancock is "not closing the door" on expansion occurring before that 2026 date; however, he did admit Monday that coming to a consensus among college football's commissioners and school presidents is "getting harder and harder" as the process continues.

If rights for the playoff do come open after the 2025 campaign, expect several networks to bid for the opportunity to air CFP games.

The original proposal, created by a four-person subcommittee that convened in 2019, was for the CFP to expand to a 12-team field consisting of the six highest-ranked conference champions and the other six bids going to at-large teams. The four highest-ranked teams would receive byes with the remaining eight teams playing first-round games.

That subcommittee was made up of Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, Notre Dame commissioner Jack Swarbrick, and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. It came up with its suggestion of a 12-team field in March 2020 but delayed presenting it amid COVID-19. The first hint of a possible expansion was mentioned in the 17th paragraph of a CFP release on April 23, 2021.

After the original June proposal, it quickly became obvious the process was going to be rocky. Exactly a month after the proposal, word leaked that Texas and Oklahoma were joining the SEC. That created uncertainty around the college landscape to the point the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 created an "alliance" essentially to limit the SEC's growing power.

Up for debate are numerous issues, including whether first-round games would be played on campuses or at neutral sites, how teams would qualify for the field, which bowl games will be included in the process and what revenue distribution will look like among conferences.

If and when the CFP expands, the increase in revenue is expected to be massive with TV rights worth $1 billion per year on the low end. The current deal averages $475 million per year. 

The CFP has been criticized for its lack of variety. Michigan and Cincinnati this season became only the 13th and 14th teams to play in the event across its first eight years. That's 14 teams occupying 32 total spots. An SEC team has played in the last seven CFP National Championships with two SEC teams playing in the game for the second time on Monday night.

College football is one of the most exclusive bodies in sports. Even with the playoff only 3% of the sport's 130 teams participated in the championship postseason. A 12-team playoff would triple that number to 9%. By comparison, almost 20% of Division I basketball teams (68) play annually in the NCAA Tournament.

[LonghornSean 4072]

Can't agree on 8, can't agree on 12. Come the fuck on you stubborn assholes. Maybe try something new? Split the difference with 10:

[n64ra 1149]

With a title including "stale and boring", is this the UGA-Bama rematch thread?