the Future of Conference ...

[Guapo]

Not sure. CFB already is the minor league for the NFL. Always has been. What’s benefit to the league of having a smaller farm system? What’s benefit to ESPN of having small inventory to promote.

Lol someone has no idea what they are taking about...

 

[BlueDogs]

I agree but for a different reason. I think if you have a minor league it will eventually become viewed as a minor league. College sports have managed to straddle the line between that and attracting student and old grads and kids of old grads. It is gradually losing that however.

Agree. The game gets a lot less interesting for large numbers of folks whose interest is driven by affiliation and pride in their school. Driving towards competitive parity generates a lot more interest and eyes. America loves its underdogs (other than its own super dog of choice). The P5 caste system has already done extensive damage to CFB.

 

[Hogoff]

there are more folks annoyed by ESPN. CFB is slowly killing the golden goose, led by ESPN. Show one more bama-Clemson playoff game and watch the ratings continue to plummet.

I agree. I barely tuned it to it last year. Being a quasi Gamecock, I’m tired of Clemson. But, every year it gets less and less interesting. I’m more interested to watch the G5 New Year six bowl game.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If there are enough Independents for scheduling, then I think it is viable because sometimes it doesn't work to shoehorn an athletic program into a conference affiliation that is only a fit for football (see UConn in AAC, UMass in MAC).

 

[FatHank]

What is a possibility is some kind of relegation format like that dreaded European soccer . That would allow mistakes like Rutgers to be dropped while allowing deserving second or third tier teams to move up as a reward.

I've long thought of the relegation format for college sports, in particular football. I think it would be an interesting dynamic but not very feasible with 100 football teams to manage this way. For a smaller group of teams it would work. It sure woukd shake up the purpose and need for conferences though.

 

[DAC17]

ESPN wants an elite group of 32 football schools ... ND, Texas, USC, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, etc. It will be a junior NFL.

Lord knows what happens to the other 100 FBS schools when that happens.

And that's when the players at those 32 schools should get paid junior NFL wages!

 

[AZHuskiePop]

ESPN wants an elite group of 32 football schools ... ND, Texas, USC, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, etc. It will be a junior NFL.

Lord knows what happens to the other 100 FBS schools when that happens.

That’s a short term objective that could end up destroying football as a major sport .
The effevt of Reducing the sport to 2,500 scholarships could easily drop down to the high school level. The NFL would have to fill the void costing them millions.
Long term , contraction it not benefiting anyone.

 

[Chief00]

Math

1.0
As illustrated in UMASS AD Ryan Bamberg's recent comments ... Independent status is enhanced as there are now 7. The numbers are such that you have far more flexibility than when there were 4. In fact, he went on to say that the American Athletic Conference (where his fan base got all excited about a possible invite this summer) was not all that attractive because to the newly executed rights contract and UConn leaving. With UConn & Temple, he thought it was a good fit. Not without.

We all know FCS is a loser Profit & Loss. It just is. They certainly try to live with far less expenses for a full football program (with 65 scholarships & 65 women scholarships to balance) ... but they have scant opportunities of FBS to gain bigger revenue sources. Bamberg hinted that he expected that there were a few more Universities that may become Independent. Why? Because UConn & UMass ... Liberty ... were succeeding in scheduling.

Now they have to win. Excluding ND, BYU, Army ... UConn, UMass & NM State are 1-18. Someone will figure out how to win.

Then. UConn scheduling, quite frankly, is better than UMass; we actually can do Home & Home with P5 and they haven't. We won't have a robust experience. But we are more like BYU than UMass.

2.0
If you have 10-12 Independents, a lot of things just get easier.

The Group of 5 versus Power 5 Gap in funding and resource spending is widening quickly. Just go look at the Football Staff of Rutgers versus ours. Or Mississippi State. In a decade's time, this is going to be stark. I don't think it will result in any more greater winning percentage P5 to G5. It just is going to look more like the English Premier League v Championship level ... with 5 or 6 major SUPERPOWERs. The Pacific 12 and B12 are not going to keep up. It will lead to tension.

There will be conference realignment possible in 2024; who knows what that means. I believe some Outliers ... USC or Ohio State or Texas or Alabama or Clemson will cheat and try to gain even more separation from the 60 other Power 5

That is one sure thing - someone is going to cheat in college football.

 

[uconndogs]

Good OP Pudge.

College football may be at a tipping point. Can the lower rungs of the P5 really ever hope to compete? Yes, for right now they get the money, but the elite will look to hold and expand their advantages, and that will eventually mean financial.

I realize BC and Cuse and Rutgers are in a much better spot than we are right now, but are those fan bases enjoying the experience? Can they really ever hope to compete for championships?

 

[zls44]

I realize BC and Cuse and Rutgers are in a much better spot than we are right now, but are those fan bases enjoying the experience? Can they really ever hope to compete for championships?

Imagine being a fan and the only thing you can hang your hat on is how much money your school makes.

those are the memories that transcend a fanbase, from one generation to another, that feeling of...cashing a check?

 

[kibblesnbits]

I don't believe a 32 team super league (or two 16 team super leagues) will ever happen. Powerhouse teams are only powerhouses because they believe every year that they have a legitimate chance to win their league or are at least virtually guaranteed to be in the league's upper echelon. In a super league someone has to finish at the bottom. After two or three years of finishing 3-9 there will be a lot of empty seats and declining ratings. Furthermore, there will be a lot of fired coaches and ADs. They know that and will do whatever is necessary to avoid it.

To put it another way, after a few years of finishing near the bottom of the Super32, the declining group of FSU fans at Doak Campbell Stadium will think back and say, "Remember all the fun we used to have beating up on GaTech, Wake Forest, Duke and Pitt. Those were the days...."

 

[UC1995]

I still feel like conferences would be better setting up regional alliances with teams like UConn. Imagine having a rotation of teams that move the television and name recognition needle over a FCS team or some D1 from South Alabama. I know UConn isn’t very good right now but their name carries.

AAC is never going to get the money they want or recognition they crave. But what if teams like Temple, UCF and Houston set up as independent teams for hire who get to rotate through B1G, ACC and SEC as off conference teams. Great schedule... marquee names and television exposure galore. thise conference have better SOS.

 

[Orioles]

Agree with Kibbles. Remember when BE Basketball had 9 teams? Being in the 8-9 game two years in a row was a coaches death sentence.

 

[huskyrob1]

Good OP Pudge.

College football may be at a tipping point. Can the lower rungs of the P5 really ever hope to compete? Yes, for right now they get the money, but the elite will look to hold and expand their advantages, and that will eventually mean financial.

I realize BC and Cuse and Rutgers are in a much better spot than we are right now, but are those fan bases enjoying the experience? Can they really ever hope to compete for championships?

I definitely would not lump BC in with Cuse and Rutgers on the low quality of their football programs. BC needs a QB, haven't had a good one since Matt Ryan. That being said they have had seven players drafted into the NFL in the past two years. Adazzio could be a better game coach as well, and maybe a little more offensively minded.

 

[uconndogs]

I definitely would not lump BC in with Cuse and Rutgers on the low quality of their football programs. BC needs a QB, haven't had a good one since Matt Ryan. That being said they have had seven players drafted into the NFL in the past two years. Adazzio could be a better game coach as well, and maybe a little more offensively minded.

Let me know the first time BC makes it to a BCS bowl. The point is that they are in the group of P5 programs that do not appear to be able to compete with the elite.

 

[huskyrob1]

Let me know the first time BC makes it to a BCS bowl. The point is that they are in the group of P5 programs that do not appear to be able to compete with the elite.

The point I was making is that even though they are no where near the P5 elite, they still are a much better program than Cuse or the Rugrats. Their three P5 wins so far this year have been Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and NC State. Lost to both Louisville and Wake Forest by two or three points. The loss to Kansas was embarrassing though.

 

[noeynox]

The point I was making is that even though they are no where near the P5 elite, they still are a much better program than Cuse or the Rugrats. Their three P5 wins so far this year have been Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and NC State. Lost to both Louisville and Wake Forest by two or three points. The loss to Kansas was embarrassing though.

Cuse won like 10 games last year. Rutgers is the outlier. Right now in the Big Ten they look like they did for most of their time in the Big East. They do have stability in their finances so that is what they can hang their hat on.

 

[huskyrob1]

Cuse won like 10 games last year. Rutgers is the outlier. Right now in the Big Ten they look like they did for most of their time in the Big East. They do have stability in their finances so that is what they can hang their hat on.

Cuse sucks this year, five losses and counting, including an embarrassing blowout at the hands of Maryland. Lost 16-10 to NC State. BC beat NC State easily.

 

[uconndogs]

The point I was making is that even though they are no where near the P5 elite, they still are a much better program than Cuse or the Rugrats. Their three P5 wins so far this year have been Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and NC State. Lost to both Louisville and Wake Forest by two or three points. The loss to Kansas was embarrassing though.

I guess so, but Clemson had almost 700 yards of offense yesterday.

 

[uconnfan68]

What is a possibility is some kind of relegation format like that dreaded European soccer . That would allow mistakes like Rutgers to be dropped while allowing deserving second or third tier teams to move up as a reward.

I thought they would be the Rutgers Patriots.

 

[huskyrob1]

I guess so, but Clemson had almost 700 yards of offense yesterday.

So what else is new?

 

[billybud]

Teams go up and down...Clemson is stupid good right now...but had a losing season in 2010.

A bunch of teams have not gone to a New Year's/BCS bowl...since the BCS was initiated in the 1998 season.

BC has not done well of late....and, while they have been in a recent bowl win drought.....since 2000, BC has beaten:

... In bowl games, Michigan State, Georgia, Navy, Boise State, North Carolina, Colorado State, and Toledo.

 

[buddy]

As they say, show me the money. That is all that really matters. BC, Cuse, Rutgers, all in a very good place and they will be able to sustain as long as the money is there. Doesn't matter if they win or lose as long as they get their checks. They still get the same amount even if no one attends a game! For UConn, it is a totally different story. UConn has to live day to day and hope whatever money it can get can stretch out. That is the main difference between UConn and the aforementioned schools.

 

[uconndogs]

As they say, show me the money. That is all that really matters. BC, Cuse, Rutgers, all in a very good place and they will be able to sustain as long as the money is there. Doesn't matter if they win or lose as long as they get their checks. They still get the same amount even if no one attends a game! For UConn, it is a totally different story. UConn has to live day to day and hope whatever money it can get can stretch out. That is the main difference between UConn and the aforementioned schools.

Tonight it will get dark and then the following morning the sun will rise and the light will shine.

Good lord.....................

 

[Nostical]

Any one of these struggling teams making enormous P-5 money is a top flight coach and QB away from relevance. Two years ago Rutgers could have thrown big money at Ryan Day. They didn't. Good decision makers plus big money equals an out-sized opportunity to succeed.