CF Regular Season>>>>>>CFP

[Duneaux Harm]

College Football’s regular season is so much more exciting than the Playoffs. Granted the two semi finals were pretty good but that Championship game was unwatchable unless you come from Georgia.

The regular season had so many compelling games.

I don’t expect college football to look the same ten years from now. Money is pushing the landscape to a scenario of maybe ten (if we are lucky) teams who can compete financially to field super competitive teams.

 

[ThePanthers]

There are also a lot of duds during the regular season. But agree that college football will eventually be only the teams in the BIG and SEC and if you aren't invited, you will be second tier. They are consolidating all the big brands.

 

[thebadby2]

College Football’s regular season is so much more exciting than the Playoffs. Granted the two semi finals were pretty good but that Championship game was unwatchable unless you come from Georgia.

The regular season had so many compelling games.

I don’t expect college football to look the same ten years from now. Money is pushing the landscape to a scenario of maybe ten (if we are lucky) teams who can compete financially to field super competitive teams.

I think most would agree that the two CFP semi games were easily two of the best two college football games of the year, if not the two best. For all intents and purposes the OSU/UGA game decided the national championship.

The championship beatdown just proved that Alabama should have made the CFP instead of TCU or Michigan, if the real goal is to have the best 4 teams in the thing. Only 3-4 teams in the country annually have the personnel necesssary to win it all. Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson. Every once in a while one of them is "down" by their own standards, like Clemson has been the past couple of years or Bama was this year, and/or another SEC team that consistently recruits at an elite level puts it all together, like LSU is occasionally capable of doing. But under the college football landscape of the past several years nobody outside of that little club has any realistic shot at winning it all. The 12 team expansion is much needed and will make it more interesting, but I suspect as long as their head coaches are retained it will continue to be one of the usual suspects left standing at the end.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

The semi's were way better than pretty good.
The calendar of the conf champ games, playoff games and ancillary bowls is dumb right now though..

 

[rpastir]

The semi's were way better than pretty good.
The calendar of the conf champ games, playoff games and ancillary bowls is dumb right now though..

I agree with your first sentence, but I disagree with the second.

I'll take all of the football games they want to throw at us....but that's just me. I love to watch football.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

College football gives us a great ten weeks or so and then really starts to wane when the senioritis kicks in for the players.

I mean, yeah - any game (Sun Bowl, CFP semis, etc.) that is competitive and exciting is worth the watch. But college football as a whole really starts to lose its essence some time around November. Guys start shutting it down; the bowl games don't matter anymore, so very few teams are playing for anything; etc. Then you have that lag before the bowl games and the opt outs.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I mean, yeah - any game (Sun Bowl, CFP semis, etc.) that is competitive and exciting is worth the watch. But college football as a whole really starts to lose its essence some time around November. Guys start shutting it down; the bowl games don't matter anymore, so very few teams are playing for anything; etc. Then you have that lag before the bowl games and the opt outs.

this really needs to be addressed. Early plans for the 12 team playoff still seam to have a 3 week layoff, totally crazy. No other sport does this.

I hope the bowls start to reimagine themselves. Not a single dime from them should go to the conferences. Pay the players and pay the winning team more. Capitalism at its finest. Wonder how many opt outs you would see then.

 

[TD_6082]

College football gives us a great ten weeks or so and then really starts to wane when the senioritis kicks in for the players.

I mean, yeah - any game (Sun Bowl, CFP semis, etc.) that is competitive and exciting is worth the watch. But college football as a whole really starts to lose its essence some time around November. Guys start shutting it down; the bowl games don't matter anymore, so very few teams are playing for anything; etc. Then you have that lag before the bowl games and the opt outs.

I feel that way to a certain extent. On the other hand, I've found it fun to watch guys that rarely play get thrust into the spotlight and play a major role in these bowl games. In a sense, it seems like it makes it mean a little more.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I think more teams in the playoffs will make them more exciting. Part of the problem, imo, is when you have multiple teams from the same conference in a 4 team playoff. This year Michigan and OSU. Last year Georgia and Bama.

My hope is that more playoff teams leads to more parity, so that it's not top heavy with maybe 2 or 3 teams in actual contention. Guys will have more of a reason to play for schools that aren't Bama/Georgia/OSU when there is more opportunity to get into the playoffs.

That's my hope, but I'm afraid reality is going to further diminish the schools in contention, with USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten, and eventually FSU and Clemson leaving for a conference with more revenue.

The main problem, of course, is that college football is really the minor leagues with people's pride attached because of their schools.

 

[Pitt79]

There are also a lot of duds during the regular season. But agree that college football will eventually be only the teams in the BIG and SEC and if you aren't invited, you will be second tier. They are consolidating all the big brands.

Do they expect fans of the teams that are left out to choose a team that is in to follow? It's not a pro sport, most college fans are fans of a certain team because a) They or their family went to school there, or B) They live locally in that city or state. Personally, even if Pitt is left out, I'll just be a fan of whatever league Pitt is in and never watch any of the games played by the "Invited".

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I feel that way to a certain extent. On the other hand, I've found it fun to watch guys that rarely play get thrust into the spotlight and play a major role in these bowl games. In a sense, it seems like it makes it mean a little more.

Yeah, it's cool to see the younger guys play. But there's just something to those Fall Saturdays where you wake up, watch GameDay, and then switch channels between five games where the teams are on completely different tiers and geographical locations.

I think part of it is in those last few weeks they really start to focus on who is at the top, since the playoff/conference champions are starting to come into focus. Like Appalachian State beating Texas A&M or playing a thriller with UNC is awesome in September. But that stuff goes away as the season progresses. Nobody cares abut Pitt vs Miami with absolutely nothing on the line. I mean, it's kind of like that in every sport. It's just augmented in a sport that only has 12 games to begin with.

 

[Pitt79]

The championship beatdown just proved that Alabama should have made the CFP instead of TCU or Michigan,

Well then just analyze who's the best and don't consider what happened in the actual games, like if Bama loses four games and there's a TCU, Tulane or Cincy undefeated or 12-1, just say "Sorry Bama is always better -bye bye"... What you're suggesting is the "really better" teams should not have consequences for FAILING IN THE ACTUAL GAMES? Let's just schedule Bama vs. Georgia on Labor Day for the championship right now, they are really better ALL THE TIME so let's not punish them for losing ACTUAL GAMES and quit wasting everyone's time

 

[Upg bobcat]

The championship beatdown just proved that Alabama should have made the CFP instead of TCU or Michigan, if the real goal is to have the best 4 teams in the thing.

That should not be the goal IMO. Alabama did not deserve to play for the national championship this year, even though I agree they are probably one of the 4 best teams.

 

[TD_6082]

Yeah, it's cool to see the younger guys play. But there's just something to those Fall Saturdays where you wake up, watch GameDay, and then switch channels between five games where the teams are on completely different tiers and geographical locations.

I think part of it is in those last few weeks they really start to focus on who is at the top, since the playoff/conference champions are starting to come into focus. Like Appalachian State beating Texas A&M or playing a thriller with UNC is awesome in September. But that stuff goes away as the season progresses. Nobody cares abut Pitt vs Miami with absolutely nothing on the line. I mean, it's kind of like that in every sport. It's just augmented in a sport that only has 12 games to begin with.

True dat. By November, the national focus has shifted to only a handful of teams.

 

[Burgh15]

There have been 18 CFP games. Of those games, five have been within 7 points or less while seven games have been by 21 points or more. Three of the first four championship games were within one score. The past five title games have had an average margin of victory of over 29 points. Granted, that is skewed by this year's result, but each game was by at least two scores.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

The sport is degenerating in general. The individual reasons are hard to argue on their theoretical merit…nobody is going to be critical of players getting more money (aka unregulated unlimited NIL, but at least more money); of more flexibility to move about (aka unlimited transfer); massive numbers of players including those of marginal talent to opt out (better known as quitting) to avoid bowls (“to prepare for the combine”)… etc etc … because by being critical of these things they’ll be slammed for favoring the restrictive, exploitive mentality of old school college football…but it is adding significant chaos, players and rosters lurching up and down and left and right like roller coasters and increased payola abuse (aka legalized cheating) at the huge programs, further increasing chasms between the Haves and Have Nots.

Pitt has benefited here and there by getting some transfers who became eligible right away to fill significant gaps. It certainly blessed the basketball team that can’t attract flies as far as legit high school recruits, letting us bring in basically an entire team of experienced new guys at one time to replace the dregs. But that’s basketball, a different animal.

Otherwise, all these things combined are eroding the appeal of the game, concentrating the elitism into smaller and smaller groups of programs. The bowl system is not tenable if more and more and more players opt out. It was zestful that Pitt’s subs knocked off the UCLA Nilboys (who clearly were half-assing it after the first few minutes, let’s face it). But the mere concept that more than half our starters stayed away is outrageous. And since all but about 10-15 programs at most TRULY have opportunities to be in the playoff, or at least to progress in it close to the championship game…mostly everyone else is playing for one of the “meaningless” bowl games from day 1 of every season. Games that the great majority of the players will then quit ahead of playing. It’s insane.

 

[Pitt79]

That should not be the goal IMO. Alabama did not deserve to play for the national championship this year, even though I agree they are probably one of the 4 best teams.

Exactly, being best team has nothing to do with being champion, if you still put the best teams in with more losses than others it's like WELFARE for the rich.