Rick Riley opines on the rather extraordinary realignments occurring recently in college football. The death of tradition. The scramble for increased viewership and revenue. Thoughts? "Not only did the Pac-Whatever lose its two biggest schools, there’s a rumor the conference could lose four more (Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State) to the Big 12, which last summer found out it was losing its two biggest teams — Oklahoma and Texas — to the Southeastern Conference, which needs two more good teams the way the Kardashians need more selfies." "All anybody really cares about is college football’s Godzilla, the SEC, which has won 12 of the last 16 national championships — six of them by Alabama alone. One SEC team or another has been in the final game for 15 of the past 16 years. Put it this way: The SEC just rejected the New York Jets for membership." "But don’t fret, college football fans. None of this is permanent: It’s going to get worse, until what we’re left with is two superconferences — the Big Ten and the SEC — with maybe 40 teams total. The superconferences, controlling all the watchable college football in the country, will then put the NCAA out of its misery, take over the game and hold their own national championship." https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/18/ucla-usc-college-football-lunacy/
It’s a disaster for sure outside SEC and BigX. X for placeholder not for Roman numeral 10. I fear more schools will drop their football team as they become revenue negative as all the big drawing teams stay in those 2 circles. The ultimate cool kids lunch table.
Eh, the SEC was once part of a “super-conference” too. I know we all rue the loss of tradition of playing Sewanee. Mainly I’m hoping that this year the fancy Cover 3 Seconds employed by the last few staffs reverts to the traditional Cover 3.
I know I'm an old fart but I sincerely miss the days when college athletic conferences were actually based on geography. Even the minimal vestige of geography is now completely gone with the Big Ten including teams on both coasts.
"All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned ... "
I will join you in a chorus of "get off my lawn" lol. The landscape is shifting rapidly and who knows what the sport will look like in 5 or 10 years. The way it's looking now the NC will likely be the winners of the SEC and the BIG. Everyone else may be scrapping for an at large bid the the not so big dance.
Am I the only one that liked the Jefferson Pilot games? I think they used to start at 1 on Saturday afternoons sometimes. Only way to see the Gators unless it was a high profile game like UGAG or half ass u.
or back in the day going to a bookstore over the summer to look at the pre season cfb magazines with predictions etc.
Oh, man, I remember those days! We'd be vacationing in the Keys in July/August, and I'd buy all the SEC mags that were available, since I live in ACC country.