Yogi said:

---

Maybe, but big time athletics at schools like Baylor are ultimately doomed, and maybe 7 schools , errr prigrams, will ever have a real chance at a national championship.

If I want to watch pro football, I'll watch the NFL.

---

How is that really different than BCS or the 4 team CFP? The number of teams that can win the title this season is probably around 7 at best - Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, and…possibly Penn State and Notre Dame.

EvilTroyAndAbed said:

---

guadalupeoso said:

---

When will they realize they are runing college football? Kids are picking which schools to go to based on who is paying the most money! Teams are just buying players and its ruining the integrity of the sport

UGh!

---

You think college football had integrity when every school in the SWC besides Rice went on probation at some point? One got the death penalty.

The difference between now and then are more players are seeing money and it's no longer under the table. The NCAA screwed up how it's regulated, but it's actually more honest now than in the past.

---

100% disagree. That is the excuse but it's mostly not true. We went from a few select players from a few select number of cheating schools saying "here is some under the table money" to a flat out bidding war where the school is meaningless and only the money matters. Cheating schools back then were often caught and punished.

Completely different now. Way worse. Baylor being a superior school experience and a higher priced education at least had a shot at better talent. Now none of that matters for better players. Only money does. Helps ***** programs like UT a lot. Best thing that ever happened to UT is buying a team in an open bidding war. They won't be outspent.

College football still interests me but it's also ruined. It's a pro sport without any rules on building a team. At least the NFL tries to maintain fairness. No such effort in college. Hopefully something changes but for now it's in a bad spot.

Most every 4 and 5 * was getting paid or their parents or uncle or whoever. Read the classic "Meet the Bag Man" article that I think was from SB Nation. The SEC perfected it but everyone was doing it. You think the players under Briles with shiny new Dodge Chargers just happened across the money on their own to purchase those things?

Yes, NIL is out of control, especially combined with the wide open transfer portal. The NCAA had opportunities to fix address this issue.
Step 1: how much money does a working college kid make? I had some friends making pretty good coin bartending or spending the summer in an oil patch. Let's say 20-30k.
Step 2: give the players a 20-30k stipend per year.
Step 3: figure out long term model for collegiate athletics

But the NCAA did nothing per usual. Now it's the Wild West with schools, coaches, and fans complaining. Even players are not always thrilled - see Rashada suing Florida and on his third school or the players who enter the portal and never get an offer.

Crushing the sport more than players getting paid are the leagues making short sighted financial decisions. Big10 after dark will be so stupid. No one wants UCLA and Illinois kicking off at 9pm. My Texas friends are sad to no longer play Tech, Baylor, TCU, and Okie State because that's where their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors went. It'll be hard for them to talk football at the office or bbq when everyone else will be following a different conference.

"You watch Texas vs South Carolina?"/"No but did you watch Baylor vs Arizona?"

At least the NFL has contracts that tie a player to a team at least for some period of time. This is turning into complete free agency.....at any time. Can't be good for coaches or most players who don't even know who their teammates might be for the next season or what their prospects will be after the roster turns over.

This is not the NFL. The NFL has adult leadership. This has no leadership or rules.

I don't agree everyone was doing it. No data to support that other than some anecdotal data.

It certainly did happen sometimes and may be naive but I think overall it was rare.

Whether or not and how extensively folks were being paid under the table is a little beside the point.

Whatever happened in the past, it was nothing like this. I can't decide which is worse, the insta-transfer or the straight-up bidding on players. The combination is destroying the product. Absolutely killing it.

Ignorance is bliss my dude

https://www.bannersociety.com/2014/4/10/20703758/bag-man-paying-college-football-players

NIL is one thing, open transfer is another. No pro team could survive with every player a free agent every year. College teams want be able to either.

OsoCoreyell said:

---

Whether or not and how extensively folks were being paid under the table is a little beside the point.

Whatever happened in the past, it was nothing like this. I can't decide which is worse, the insta-transfer or the straight-up bidding on players. The combination is destroying the product. Absolutely killing it.

---

Agree. And if they don't all come to the table and get some rules in place, they will all suffer as the product generates less revenue.

I'm already less interested than I was before.

Robert Wilson said:

---

OsoCoreyell said:

---

Whether or not and how extensively folks were being paid under the table is a little beside the point.

Whatever happened in the past, it was nothing like this. I can't decide which is worse, the insta-transfer or the straight-up bidding on players. The combination is destroying the product. Absolutely killing it.

---

Agree. And if they don't all come to the table and get some rules in place, they will all suffer as the product generates less revenue.

I'm already less interested than I was before.

---

Roster turnover has made me less interested. I have no problem with players getting money, but the ability to transfer in and out so easily has diluted the fun of watching players come in and progress from from freshman to starter.

Same

Check back in a few months and all the people in this forum talking about how less interested they are will be the ones posting the most once the season begins.

Not Michigan?

At the very least, there could be some basic rules to make cfb less like the Wild West:

-make every player sign a contract when they get money
-include stipulations about remaining with a team at least through the season (maybe even bowl game)
-keep numbers small unless they perform: bonuses for more catches, yards, TDs or tackles, sacks, turnovers forced
-bonuses for sticking around
-bonuses for attending classes & making good grades

These are off the top of my head. It seems like something could be done to make it more sane.

On the other hand, the lassez faire capitalist in me loves the wild competition and lack of interference from a governing body that will be corrupt and inefficient and make everything worse.

They know it. They don't care. .Immediate greed and lust for power outweighs the state of college sports. They figure it's all circling the drain anyway, so best to get what they can while they can.

guadalupeoso said:

---

When will they realize they are runing college football? Kids are picking which schools to go to based on who is paying the most money! Teams are just buying players and its ruining the integrity of the sport

UGh!

---

I get the gist of what you are saying. The sport has changed and it can be viewed as negative.

For me it's not NIL or even paying players that's a problem. I think those are good things.

the problem is the fact that there is no governance with any of it. There's no cap and players can move around at will.

Recruiting a 2-3 star guy who eventually breaks out and watching him leave for greener pastures is the biggest kick in the balls for a college fan base. NFL players don't get to move around at will - they have contracts. Imagine if your favorite nfl guys could just move at will after each season. The sport would crumble.

Maybe contracts and a CBA is where we are heading.