USA Today....the end of college football is near

[ratking17]

From USA TODAY

College football is being driven into a ditch

https://usat.ly/2m4FNu6

ATLANTA — The fourth championship game of the College Football Playoff era will take place here Monday night in the world’s most spectacular stadium, in America’s pre-eminent college football city, between two blueblood programs from neighboring states where the story lines are thick with familiarity.By all rights, Alabama-Georgia for the national title should be the greatest showcase yet for this relatively new Playoff, with future NFL stars all over the field, fans paying $2,000 and up for the privilege of getting in the stadium and even President Trump coming to watch it. But underneath the glitz of Monday night’s Atlanta extravaganza, it’s hard to shake the feeling that college football is unwittingly being driven into a ditch. 

 

[ratking17]

Article is a long read...i would love to debate it's merits for those that take the time to read the entire piece and just not the headline. I agree with much of its premise....

 

[BuffetParrothead]

The author of the piece is probably a UCF fan, who would like to see a cinderella in the NC which isn't possible the way college football is structured today.

What's killing college football and basketball is the majority of the top players/superstars, aren't playing for their U, they play for the coach who recruited them, and their primary motivation to enter the NFL as quickly as possible.

These players have zero interest in getting a college education and are using college football & basketball as a minor league at the cost of other students who can play college football and basketball and want to raise their education level.

This leads to cheating of various kind, under the table pay for play Louisville Style, which makes it impossible for most U's to compete.

Football and basketball need a minor leauge for the top players/superstars who have zero interest in getting an education, other athletes can attend a U, play football or basketball, get an education, and the top talent will meet in the Pros.

U's will still make money on D1 football & basketball since the majority of fans will still support their U teams and the university.

If this is accomplished college football will return to being college football!

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go Pitt & CSU!

 

[Mikefln]

I have a hard time calling this the demise of college football but it will be interesting to see how it all shapes out.

1) He talks about outrageous salaries (which i agree it is) not just for coaches anymore but also top assistants, and uses that as justification for paying players. I agree that the players should be compensated but for him to state that and use Sonny V as a source and never mention Title iX is a joke. There maybe enough money to pay all the football players at these big time schools, but there is not enough money to pay the women's field hockey team a salary. If they think they can pay football and men's basketball players and not pay the other sports they are living in fantasy land.

2) i agree that the playoffs should be expanded to a true playoff where all P5 schools at least 1 G5 school then 2 at large schools make it.

3) The #metoo thing will work itself out one way or another.

 

[ratking17]

The author of the piece is probably a UCF I want a cinderella in the NC which isn't possible in college football today.

What's killing college football and basketball is the majority of the top players/superstars, aren't playing for their U, they play for the coach who recruited them, and their primary motivation is playing for a chance to enter the NFL. These players have zero interest in getting a college education and are using college football as a football minor league at the cost of other students who actually can play college football and want to raise their education level.

If you read the piece he addresses ucf and says that they do not belong in the playoff

 

[KanePA]

I don’t think the end of college football is near, I think the end of the NCAA is near. I’ve long said, give these kids a free education and 25,000 a year. Let EA give these kids a copy of the college football game and 500 bucks. Let them earn what they are worth.

 

[BFo8]

I don’t think the end of college football is near, I think the end of the NCAA is near. I’ve long said, give these kids a free education and 25,000 a year. Let EA give these kids a copy of the college football game and 500 bucks. Let them earn what they are worth.

So you’re saying every player on scholarship on every team should receive 25k? From the star qb to the backup kicker?

 

[HailtoPitt]

Is Atlanta really "America’s pre-eminent college football city"?

 

[Mikefln]

I don’t think the end of college football is near, I think the end of the NCAA is near. I’ve long said, give these kids a free education and 25,000 a year. Let EA give these kids a copy of the college football game and 500 bucks. Let them earn what they are worth.

Football only that would be 85 x $25,000= $2,125,0000

not going to look it up right now maybe later when I have more time but out of the 65 P5 I bet around 50% could not afford that extra amount and Pitt happens to be one of the school who cannot afford that. None of the G5 schools other than the academies (there students are already being paid as defined by the government contract) could afford that either. So basically 30-40 schools could pay their football players that and out of those schools I bet less than 10 could afford to pay for all the sports they offer. Again, there is no way with Title IX you are going to pay football players who make the money and not pay woman's sports who cost the athletic department money outside a few womens teams like Uconn and Tennessee. Just won't happen.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Is Atlanta really "America’s pre-eminent college football city"?

Good question. For a larger city, maybe?
Lots of high school talent, Georgia Tech, HBCU national title, SEC Championship games, Peach Bowl, neutral site kick off games, college football hall of fame.

It's also sort of like how Manhattan is filled with college hoops fans from across the northeast who go to bars to watch games together. College football is a very southern sport in some ways and Atlanta is the capitol of Dixie, so people from across the region work in Atlanta and watch games together on Saturdays.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

From USA TODAY

College football is being driven into a ditch

https://usat.ly/2m4FNu6

ATLANTA — The fourth championship game of the College Football Playoff era will take place here Monday night in the world’s most spectacular stadium, in America’s pre-eminent college football city, between two blueblood programs from neighboring states where the story lines are thick with familiarity.By all rights, Alabama-Georgia for the national title should be the greatest showcase yet for this relatively new Playoff, with future NFL stars all over the field, fans paying $2,000 and up for the privilege of getting in the stadium and even President Trump coming to watch it. But underneath the glitz of Monday night’s Atlanta extravaganza, it’s hard to shake the feeling that college football is unwittingly being driven into a ditch. 

Coaches make too much money, and players should get paid. That's the whole article in ten words.

Neither will change next year, and college football will be as popular as ever.

 

[KanePA]

So you’re saying every player on scholarship on every team should receive 25k? From the star qb to the backup kicker?

No, just the 85 scholarship players.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Whats killing it more imo is the separation even amongst the P5. Mostly the SEC,B10 spending at no limit quashing most of what made cfb unique. Forget the G5, the cinderella now is more a bottom half P5 ever getting in.

 

[ratking17]

Whats killing it more imo is the separation even amongst the P5. Mostly the SEC,B10 spending at no limit quashing most of what made cfb unique. Forget the G5, the cinderella now is more a bottom half P5 ever getting in.

This...

 

[BFo8]

No, just the 85 scholarship players.

So you’re saying that a star QB should make the same as a 3rd string guard? That kind of salary structure is sure to cause some problems. That’s really going to make the pay for play even more rampant because some 5 star recruit is going to get resentful that some scrub is making the same as him.

 

[BFo8]

Paying players will only make the gap between the haves and have nots widen even more.

 

[CJsE]

Football only that would be 85 x $25,000= $2,125,0000

not going to look it up right now maybe later when I have more time but out of the 65 P5 I bet around 50% could not afford that extra amount and Pitt happens to be one of the school who cannot afford that. None of the G5 schools other than the academies (there students are already being paid as defined by the government contract) could afford that either. So basically 30-40 schools could pay their football players that and out of those schools I bet less than 10 could afford to pay for all the sports they offer. Again, there is no way with Title IX you are going to pay football players who make the money and not pay woman's sports who cost the athletic department money outside a few womens teams like Uconn and Tennessee. Just won't happen.

Pitt Football had a revenue of $34 million in 2016.

Pitt men's basketball has a revenue of $16 million.

Pitt sports had $12.5 million in revenue "not allocated by gender/sport".

Expenses for the Pitt football and basketball teams break down to roughly.
$10-11 million for coach salaries
$800-900,000 recruiting
$3 million in financial aid for 98 players
$7 million in operating expenses (travel, equipment, support staff, meals,etc.)

So even if just looking at football and basketball revenue, Pitt made roughly $50 million from those two teams and spent $22 million on those teams.

Remind me again how Pitt couldn't afford to spend another $2.4 million to pay each scholarship player $25,000.

 

[cashisking884]

I agree there will probably be some kind of bursting of the bubble, I'm

I don’t think the end of college football is near, I think the end of the NCAA is near. I’ve long said, give these kids a free education and 25,000 a year. Let EA give these kids a copy of the college football game and 500 bucks. Let them earn what they are worth.

Nailed it.
It's the NCAA that is collapsing, not college football. Eventually you're going to see 4 Super Conferences. And at that point you might see a break from the NCAA. And if that doesn't facilitate it, eventually you're going to see a truly elite league develop. Where it's only the best of the best and the most elite of the elite markets, playing each other. And at that point, there will be no use for the NCAA.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Coaches make too much money, and players should get paid. That's the whole article in ten words.

Neither will change next year, and college football will be as popular as ever.

Coaches probably are overpaid and players will never be paid or college football will consist of a few programs who can afford to pay players and the remaining programs will drop the sport!

" it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Coaches probably are overpaid and players will never be paid or college football will consist of a few programs who can afford to pay players and the remaining programs will drop the sport!

" it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett

The "Pay the players" crowd always forgets that the players are already getting a sizeable benefit to attend college free.

Instead of paying players, they should be able to go straight to the NFL out of High School. Problem solved.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

The "Pay the players" crowd always forgets that the players are already getting a sizeable benefit to attend college free.

Instead of paying players, they should be able to go straight to the NFL out of High School. Problem solved.

That and a minor league would definately solve the problem.

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go Pitt & CSU Rams!

 

[bwh05]

They can’t pay football players and basketball players because you’ll see all sorts of title IX lawsuits by female athletes. That may seem ridiculous to some but that’s why paying them is a nonstarter. There’s no way you’d be able to just pay BB & FB

 

[Las Panteras]

You don't pay the players. You insure that they receive LIFETIME education.

Is that not what colleges are built for? To educate?

The value of continuing an education......taking a graduate degree .....going back to school at middle age to compete in a changing world.....should be made available to players for a lifetime . This option is far more valuable than a few bucks in a 21 year olds pocket

It's a simple problem to solve that too many people do their best to complicate

 

[revampedpanthers]

That and a minor league would definately solve the problem.

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go Pitt & CSU Rams!

Minor league would help, it would allow the kids that have no interest in school to play without the farce of them being student athlete's. Similar to baseball, college football would survive just fine.

I have never been in favor of paying the players, and while I am fine with them being able to make what they can from companies like EA sports or Nike it opens the door to cheating as a booster who owns a car dealership could pay a recruit 100k to be on his billboard.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

Minor league would help, it would allow the kids that have no interest in school to play without the farce of them being student athlete's. Similar to baseball, college football would survive just fine.

I have never been in favor of paying the players, and while I am fine with them being able to make what they can from companies like EA sports or Nike it opens the door to cheating as a booster who owns a car dealership could pay a recruit 100k to be on his billboard.

Also, the kid attending UCLA would have an unfair advantage over the kid at Wake Forest.

 

[President Stache]

I have a hard time calling this the demise of college football but it will be interesting to see how it all shapes out.

1) He talks about outrageous salaries (which i agree it is) not just for coaches anymore but also top assistants, and uses that as justification for paying players. I agree that the players should be compensated but for him to state that and use Sonny V as a source and never mention Title iX is a joke. There maybe enough money to pay all the football players at these big time schools, but there is not enough money to pay the women's field hockey team a salary. If they think they can pay football and men's basketball players and not pay the other sports they are living in fantasy land.

2) i agree that the playoffs should be expanded to a true playoff where all P5 schools at least 1 G5 school then 2 at large schools make it.

3) The #metoo thing will work itself out one way or another.

Paying college students to play a game will be the demise of college football.

How about we just close schools all together, and kids can just play sports all day. Football players get so many advantages at universities its nuts, free tutors, nutritionist, trainers, scholarships, and so much more. Plus they get to possibly play in the highest paid profession after they graduate.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

They can’t pay football players and basketball players because you’ll see all sorts of title IX lawsuits by female athletes. That may seem ridiculous to some but that’s why paying them is a nonstarter. There’s no way you’d be able to just pay BB & FB

Unless they're "paid" by EA sports and Nike to license their identities and wear their gear instead of by the NCAA member institutions.

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this happening eventually as a compromise, though it would require changing NCAA bylaws, which some institutions may resist. At that point, is there a split? IDK.

 

[Las Panteras]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...d296534b31e_story.html?utm_term=.2cac7bc69d00

might want to read this.....The guys behind this venture are heavyweights.

CFB as we know it ( amatuerism....if it ever was) is about to end.

 

[topdecktiger]

Unless they're "paid" by EA sports and Nike to license their identities and wear their gear instead of by the NCAA member institutions.

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this happening eventually as a compromise, though it would require changing NCAA bylaws, which some institutions may resist. At that point, is there a split? IDK.

That still wouldn't work. When it comes to the Title IX laws, you can't go by what makes sense in your head. You have to go by the actual law.

 

[upj87]

Article is a long read...i would love to debate it's merits for those that take the time to read the entire piece and just not the headline. I agree with much of its premise....

when the 4th paragraph in goes to make such a silly assertion as this, why go on?


This matchup between Nick Saban and his longtime assistant Kirby Smart actually was the third biggest story of the week leading up to the championship game.

First was the “#MeToo” movement hitting college football, as Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez was fired amidst a sexual harassment accusation. The second was LSU making a splashy announcement that Dave Aranda, who was being pursued by division rival Texas A&M, had been retained with a new deal reported to be worth $10 million guaranteed over four years.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

That still wouldn't work. When it comes to the Title IX laws, you can't go by what makes sense in your head. You have to go by the actual law.

Can you point me to an article on this? My understanding is Title IX applies to universities receiving federal funds, not private sponsors like Nike and thats why some people viewed it as a work-around.

 

[Mikefln]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...d296534b31e_story.html?utm_term=.2cac7bc69d00

might want to read this.....The guys behind this venture are heavyweights.

CFB as we know it ( amatuerism....if it ever was) is about to end.

LOL that is funny not that CFB is any better but talking about taking advantage of people. At least with CFB rich boosters may find you a job if you don't make the league as a way of showing future recruits "we take care of our own." In this league you play 3 years for $50,000 a year which is $7,000 less than the median income and then what. There won't be no backing from this league for the players future. Let's face reality this is aimed at the poorest of players. Your middle class upper class person will still go the college route and get a degree as a fall back option. This league provides no fall back option for these guys.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

LOL that is funny not that CFB is any better but talking about taking advantage of people. At least with CFB rich boosters may find you a job if you don't make the league as a way of showing future recruits "we take care of our own." In this league you play 3 years for $50,000 a year which is $7,000 less than the median income and then what. There won't be no backing from this league for the players future. Let's face reality this is aimed at the poorest of players. Your middle class upper class person will still go the college route and get a degree as a fall back option. This league provides no fall back option for these guys.

Yep there is also the reality/"optics" that FBS football (and NCAA mens basketball maybe) are both majority African American -- and subsidizing majority white sports that sometimes have more affluent players. I get the argument that the non-revenue sports provide something to the college experience, but you basically have the on average poorer, blacker sports subsidizing the more "privileged" ones.

 

[Pitt79]

I agree, to me having the Final game every year being the "Southeastern/Dixie" Championship holds little interest for me, I don't care if they are the BEST, if it's the same teams every year, and they are teams I don't root for, I can't get interested. Sort of like the Premier League. I like soccer, but can't watch the EPL, they are the BEST, but I can't make a bond with a team that represents an English city, so I just can't get interested-I'd rather watch a LESSER QUALITY game and have some attachment to a team. For me, representation by teams from all over the country and objective criteria for inclusion is the only thing that gets me interested.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

The playoffs were supposed to be a step up from the BCS and eliminate controversy. This year was a failure. Alabama should not have been in playoffs. To quote Madden, there should not be do-overs. They didn't even play in their conference championship. It should have been O$U or even UCF.

It was an entertaining game. But doesn't change the fact it is a rigged system.

 

[chethejet]

It is a business in so many ways. PSU didn't get the death penalty for business reasons. Hotels, travel, restaurants ect in state college get killed if that happens. That hotel didn't shield Sandusky. SMU was in Dallas and has little impact on the city if they are gone economically. The cost of attendance and certain housing benefits are far better today than the days of when players had to be able to qualify for entrance on their own merits. Yes the pressure may be higher, but with the outlandish salaries of the coaches and benefits of football and BB athletes today, it is hard servitude here.

 

[upj87]

The playoffs were supposed to be a step up from the BCS and eliminate controversy. This year was a failure. Alabama should not have been in playoffs. To quote Madden, there should not be do-overs. They didn't even play in their conference championship. It should have been O$U or even UCF.

It was an entertaining game. But doesn't change the fact it is a rigged system.

Alabama should not have been in playoffs. yep, a playoff to determine the national champ without the best team in them would apparently be the best solution to determine the best team in the land. got it. Do you disagree that Bama is the best in the land? There was no controvesely other than whining online blowhards. geez, they had an overtime semifinal and an overtime final involving the best teams in the land....sure let's throw out the best team and put in some boring big ten crap (cause they won their mighty conference by only beating stiffs in their mighty conference) that gets shut out by 30.

 

[Pitt79]

The disconnect for me is, the idea of the 4 BEST TEAMS. And best seems to mean, OPINION POLL/SUBJECTIVE best teams, and you throw out the game results when time to choose, Bama losing doesn't eliminate them, because everybody THINKS they are THE BEST. Then the next issue is, does Champion have anything to do with best team? I think the answer to that is a resounding NO. Many times universally acclaimed best teams have failed to win the championship on the field. That's why to me, there has to be objective entry points to make the playoff legit, a combination of the teams people THINK ARE BEST INSIDE THEIR MINDS, and a way so teams people will never respect no matter what they actually accomplish in real games on the field can both be represented, than they could play games for the title. The way it is now, would be like placing the Patriots in the Super Bowl in July and then having the other 31 teams play for 6 months to get the right to play them. Next year, 2019 is set already, Final 4 will be....

BAMA, ???, ???, ???

 

[Pitt79]

Alabama should not have been in playoffs. yep, a playoff to determine the national champ without the best team in them would apparently be the best solution to determine the best team in the land. got it. Do you disagree that Bama is the best in the land? There was no controvesely other than whining online blowhards. geez, they had an overtime semifinal and an overtime final involving the best teams in the land....sure let's throw out the best team and put in some boring big ten crap (cause they won their mighty conference by only beating stiffs in their mighty conference) that gets shut out by 30.

Best team has nothing to do with Champion, Bama LOST the game ON THE FIELD... is there no elimination moment for the team PEOPLE THINK is the best? UCF placed in the #4 slot this year could of won that little 4 team playoff too. Not a sure thing. But possible.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

I agree, to me having the Final game every year being the "Southeastern/Dixie" Championship holds little interest for me, I don't care if they are the BEST, if it's the same teams every year, and they are teams I don't root for, I can't get interested. Sort of like the Premier League. I like soccer, but can't watch the EPL, they are the BEST, but I can't make a bond with a team that represents an English city, so I just can't get interested-I'd rather watch a LESSER QUALITY game and have some attachment to a team. For me, representation by teams from all over the country and objective criteria for inclusion is the only thing that gets me interested.

It's a good thing that you're in the very small minority, then. Nobody else wants to see sub-par teams forced in because every geographic region deserves a trophy.