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Unintended consequences of nil, portal, and playoffs

We’ve basically ruined bowl games with this stupid playoff stuff (that has solved nothing) and we are ruining college football with the portal and tranfering.
A few ideas I had that could improve things.
1) Cant enter the portal until after bowl season, or after your team is finished, or after the 1st of the year. Cant enroll for spring semester? Tough crap. Think twice about transferring. Be sure to commit where you want to. This way players are more likely to play in their bowl game to find the best suitors for their services.
2) anyone who opts out of a teams season before its done has to pay back their scholarship. Enforced by NCAA (if they ever enforce anything, just play along) so schools dont have to “look bad”. Believe me it pisses these coaches off when kids opt out but they have to pretend it doesnt so they dont scare away recruits.
3) choose nil or scholarship, not both. If you get paid, pay your own way. People who say free market, thats what it is. Maybe kids will realize just how much money they make in scholarships. Also less likely to transfer then. NCAA will have to get creative in roster number enforcement.
4) can only transfer once without sitting for a whole year. No excuses.

Let me hear it.
The playoff system worked until now. However, when an SEC team was on the chopping block, the playoff committee did mental gymnastics to place undefeated Florida State on the chopping block.
 
That's great in theory, but then you won't get guys who think they are NFL guys, because many will want the option to skip the bowl.
Good. We can immediately weed those guys out then. I'd rather take the NFL guys who want to play football.
 
You guys sure do get butthurt at kids getting paid what they're worth.
I dont think thats the problem necessarily, at a certain point fans will stop caring and thats not good for players. Its a roster thats in constant flux not a good thing.
 
Never liked the "Bowl System". Heading to Florida for good weather, then getting whacked by the home team.

Since the playoffs, there's no more doubt, like the split decision in 97 of NU & Michigan. That SO sucked. Why should crazy AP propaganda writers be in a position to pick champions? If the amateur status of the game is gone, it was the bowl games that wrecked it. Those players got "gifts", and then some...

I've said it before, bowls are just money grubbers who could care less about the sport. The "granddaddy" Rose Bowl dumped football for chariot racing in its formative years. Look it up. That system is better off dead. Since the CF playoff, the bowls are now known as consolation games. Fact is, they ALWAYS were. Playoffs just brought it out in the open. Sure, the top bowls made money for their schools, but the purse is richer now, and a true champion is crowned. Wish we had a playoff in 97 to prove who was real champ. Also wish we had ref replay when PSU caught the ball out of bounds to beat NU. Times sure have changed, but can't say those were the good old days. Good riddance.

Expanded Playoffs will be better, so long as it avoids total corruption. More schools, more chances to prove themselves, more people watching the sport.

With all the watchers here looking over the portal QBs and such, can't say that the portal or NILs are a bad thing either. I see it as enhanced recruiting. So did Prime, but didn't get him to a bowl game, so it has its limits. As for the amateur status, that was never real to begin with. Just more silly pretend rules. Way back when, the players had more bling than I could afford today. Enhancers, parties, gourmet food, anything they wanted. If money drives them to the NFL, the NIL could drive them to be better players and be in better places. For pay, or whatever.

The only thing I think is ruined by these things is a false sense of sentimentality. Hoops, the FCS, Women's basketball, pro sports, all have championship playoffs. The argument to keep that from a great sport like FBS college football was a bad money grubbing hoax. Glad to be rid of it before I wax off.
Good points though i dont agree with all of it I understand.

I do think its a tad hyperbole to be saying stuff like this has always been happening. A lot of this is entirely new. If you cant see changes happening in people not caring anout bowls or other games, players opting out instead of playing, and mercenary players, you arent paying attention.
 
You guys sure do get butthurt at kids getting paid what they're worth.
You must also be against contracts in the NFL and the franchise tag.
OK, now do coaches and their "loyalty" when they take another job. Seems like several of 1-4 should apply to them too. Maybe coaches can take another job only in the months of May or June for #1. Let's change "scholarship" to salary in #2. And maybe coaches have to choose either salary or endorsements/TV deals, etc. for #3. I also especially like #4--"up and coming" coaches need to stop using smaller or non-P5 schools as stepping stones.

And yes, that was sarcasm.
I get it, but the problem is college players are students of a university while coaches are employees. Even the NFL has stipulations on players leaving. Sure we could make students not students, but then that literally ends college football. Theres something that makes college football unique. Theres a reason there are college fans over pro fans even though the pro product is obviously better and more talented. You lose that if you simply make players hired guns. That ends it.
 
Good points though i dont agree with all of it I understand.

I do think its a tad hyperbole to be saying stuff like this has always been happening. A lot of this is entirely new. If you cant see changes happening in people not caring anout bowls or other games, players opting out instead of playing, and mercenary players, you arent paying attention.
The problem is, too many bowl games. 6-6 and 5-7 teams don't belong in bowl games.
 
Not butt hurt - these kids are kidding paid way more than they are worth- it’s a bidding war for unproven and not good enough talent that exceeds what the players are doing. Free agency in nfl works bc the players have succeeded and get paid accordingly- in college most haven’t proved shit

Why do you get to decide that exactly?
 
I dont think thats the problem necessarily, at a certain point fans will stop caring and thats not good for players. Its a roster thats in constant flux not a good thing.

Maybe, but the dollar figures being paid to the conferences for TV rights paint a different picture.
 
LOL?
Because it's a message board where we can all share opinions? In the end it will be the masses of the undead who decide it anyway. Not like it matters if us old boomers take our ball and go home right?

Yeah, he's entitled to his opinion, but he's not entitled to keep someone else from earning as much as possible.

I think pilots are underpaid, I think engineers are overpaid, I think train conductors are underpaid, I think web developers are overpaid.....who gives a ****. People are paid what they can get.
 
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You must also be against contracts in the NFL and the franchise tag.

I get it, but the problem is college players are students of a university while coaches are employees. Even the NFL has stipulations on players leaving. Sure we could make students not students, but then that literally ends college football. Theres something that makes college football unique. Theres a reason there are college fans over pro fans even though the pro product is obviously better and more talented. You lose that if you simply make players hired guns. That ends it.
Coaches are under contract with the universities that employ them. A scholarship athlete also has a contract with the university for said scholarship.

Universities could attempt to insert noncompete clauses in contracts with their coaches, but they don't. Setting aside any arguments about potential legal enforceability of a noncompete, they don't have noncompetes because no coach worth a darn is going to sign a contract with one. Instead, they have "buyouts", which the coaches don't care about because if they want to jump ship, their new employer or boosters foot the bill for it. And while we are on the subject of noncompetes, perhaps we should also require contracts with head coaches to have nonsolicitation clauses, so they cannot bring along their assistant staffs to their new universities?

It just seems to me that if you want to put handcuffs on the athletes leaving, the same should apply to coaches. Or alternatively, there should not be restrictions on either party. I also think that the idea of big time college football or basketball being "amateur" athletics is a thinly veiled fiction at this point in any event.
 
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NFL players agreed to that process through their CBA, so I don't really care.
NCAA players agree to whatever the NCAA sets forth as well. Its no different. No one is making them play college football.
Im sure there are NFL players stuck in contracts with teams they dont want to play for and could leave to go to another team for more money, but cant because of a contract.
I dont understand why college football cant have rules and parameters. Take it or dont play.
 
Maybe, but the dollar figures being paid to the conferences for TV rights paint a different picture.
At te moment, yes, but the current contracts were also based on success in viewership of a different system, one that was built up over loyalty of fans over generations.
That system is gone now.
 
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We’ve basically ruined bowl games with this stupid playoff stuff (that has solved nothing) and we are ruining college football with the portal and tranfering.
A few ideas I had that could improve things.
1) Cant enter the portal until after bowl season, or after your team is finished, or after the 1st of the year. Cant enroll for spring semester? Tough crap. Think twice about transferring. Be sure to commit where you want to. This way players are more likely to play in their bowl game to find the best suitors for their services.
2) anyone who opts out of a teams season before its done has to pay back their scholarship. Enforced by NCAA (if they ever enforce anything, just play along) so schools dont have to “look bad”. Believe me it pisses these coaches off when kids opt out but they have to pretend it doesnt so they dont scare away recruits.
3) choose nil or scholarship, not both. If you get paid, pay your own way. People who say free market, thats what it is. Maybe kids will realize just how much money they make in scholarships. Also less likely to transfer then. NCAA will have to get creative in roster number enforcement.
4) can only transfer once without sitting for a whole year. No excuses.

Let me hear it.
College football is dead. I have mostly lost interest at this point. The bowl games suck now. no one cares and too many and opt out. wish we would just go back to the old system before playoffs and bcs. Bowl games mattered so we could all argue about who should be the champion. Playoffs solved nothing we're still fighting about who deserves to be there.
Nil will be the last domino that destroys it.
 
NCAA players agree to whatever the NCAA sets forth as well. Its no different. No one is making them play college football.
Im sure there are NFL players stuck in contracts with teams they dont want to play for and could leave to go to another team for more money, but cant because of a contract.
I dont understand why college football cant have rules and parameters. Take it or dont play.

They really don't. The players don't have any representation with the NCAA. It's a cartel.

If someone controls all the water and then says you must give me all of your salary in order to get some water, you wouldn't say, well, you didn't have to pay - take it or leave it.
 
Nil will be the last domino that destroys it.

People said this same thing about free agency in professional sports 50 years ago.

Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but things aren't just going to stay the same. And to be fair, they didn't stay the same long before NIL. We used to get 5 games a week on TV. Big name coaches used to make 6 figures.
 
They really don't. The players don't have any representation with the NCAA. It's a cartel.

If someone controls all the water and then says you must give me all of your salary in order to get some water, you wouldn't say, well, you didn't have to pay - take it or leave it.
Water and college football arent the same thing. And again I say if they get paid make them pay for their scholarships etc. people need to quit acting like they got coal.

But what we”re arguing isnt even the main point of my post. Even the NFL knows you cant have players transfering every year to a new team.
Theres players not playing in bowl games, major ones.
This is not the recipe for future success, paid or not.
 
People said this same thing about free agency in professional sports 50
People said this same thing about free agency in professional sports 50 years ago.

Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but things aren't just going to stay the same. And to be fair, they didn't stay the same long before NIL. We used to get 5 games a week on TV. Big name coaches used to make 6 figures.
you may be right but I've been watching this sport since the '70s and I've never seen it so out of control. They better get a grip on it sooner than later I know that.
Feels like the entire sport has adopted the Barry Switzer School of program building.
 
Who's going to start the lawsuit to have past players to get compensation as well? Seems like the attitude and ideals of society are to make things right with everyone who have been wronged or cheated in the past, so we just as well pay the past players too.
 
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you may be right but I've been watching this sport since the '70s and I've never seen it so out of control. They better get a grip on it sooner than later I know that.
Feels like the entire sport has adopted the Barry Switzer School of program building.

If OU (and many others) paying players under the table didn't ruin CFB, why would paying them openly do so?
 
If OU (and many others) paying players under the table didn't ruin CFB, why would paying them openly do so?
I dont think the problem is necessarily about paying them in and of itself. Its the methods of how its done and the transfering, then making them actually play the games.
Each college program is interconnected and u under a large umbrella. These arent seperate business entities like out in the business world competing for code writers. These programs are dependent on each other.
 
The playoff system worked until now. However, when an SEC team was on the chopping block, the playoff committee did mental gymnastics to place undefeated Florida State on the chopping block.

Stop acting like this is unprecedented and never happened before.... 🤣🤣
 
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2016.....Penn St beat Ohio St head to head and won the BIG championship then Ohio St gets the nod over them. So, whatever.......
I remember that. There was some controversy, but Penn State had 2 losses and Ohio State only had 1 loss. Penn State didn't get in despite a strong resume and a win over Ohio State due to the fact that no 2 loss team has ever been selected by the playoff committee.
 
I remember that. There was some controversy, but Penn State had 2 losses and Ohio State only had 1 loss. Penn State didn't get in despite a strong resume and a win over Ohio State due to the fact that no 2 loss team has ever been selected by the playoff committee.

Change your tune.... why play the games....blah blah.... keep on crying
 
Change your tune.... why play the games....blah blah.... keep on crying
Head to head only matters when the teams have a similar record. I felt myself that Penn States conference title trumped the extra loss. Just shows how bad the committee fumbled this year.
 
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What if we moved Bowl games to either the beginning of the season. Forcing teams to play outside of their conference at a neutral site to begin the year.

or

Move Bowl games to the latter part of the regular season before playoffs have been selected. It could create matchups that would allow clarity before the playoff committee chooses its at large teams.
 
What if we moved Bowl games to either the beginning of the season. Forcing teams to play outside of their conference at a neutral site to begin the year.

or

Move Bowl games to the latter part of the regular season before playoffs have been selected. It could create matchups that would allow clarity before the playoff committee chooses its at large teams.
Maybe certain bowl games as play-in games for the playoffs. For example, maybe Alabama vs FSU to see who gets into the playoffs.
 
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What if they playoff committee had an extra week where everyone had a flex scheduling built into their schedule...Say week the week of November 7th. Any team that wants to be considered for an at large bid, submits their team to be scheduled at a neutral site game and the playoff committee creates bowl matchups for that weekend. This would create an opportunity for teams to build their resume and allow the committee to schedule some games to see what they have.

If you don't submit your team to this weekend, you are ineligible for an at large bid, you can add a game to your schedule from other teams that haven't submitted their team to the playoff committee. (the committee could have requirements of a winning record at a certain point when teams must submit to the bowl games)

Complicated but really not...basically 11 game schedule where one weekend is flex and creates a weekend of great football to create some clarity in the chase for the at large bids...and now the sun bowl is way more interesting than it would be now.
 
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