Conference Realignment

[ThatGuy]

The problem for CFB is that they want NFL like money, but don't organize themselves like the NFL. Can imagine if all 32 NFL teams let 6 determine who gets spots in the Playoffs and who gets what share of the revenue? All CFB has done is lock in who the perpetual winners are.

This. Again, if you all haven’t listened to the episode of the podcast “Acquired” on the NFL, you should look it up. It’s very interesting how the NCAA has taken a different path than the NFL (in some cases because Washington won’t agree to let them do things).

When you look at the SEC, however, the parallels to the NFL are much more obvious.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

The NFL simply plays games to make money, period. That's what it's always been about. It's also what the CFP is about. Sometimes the champion is also the best team, but the primary purpose is an entertainment business.

I get that point. That’s basically how all sports operate and everyone accepts it because every coach and every player knows how the champ is crowned. And that’s the goal - finding a champion, not finding the best team. We are all sitting on our couch watching March Madness and no one is complaining because we all knew the parameters before the season began. College football is the only sport where coaches and players have no clue what the parameters are. Do you have to win your conference? Do you have to be ranked in top 4 or now 12? No one knows which is why smart people are fixing the obvious dark cloud that has hovered over this sport for 100 years. The expanded playoffs will eventually take away the bias that guys like Kramer and Sankey have baked into the system for the good of their conference. I applaud them for using the system for their benefit, but that doesn’t create a fair system. The 12 and 14 team playoff won’t be fair because guys like Sankey are still manipulating the system. Once we get a playoff in the 24 plus range we’ll finally be able to put to bed the fake history of fake National Titles. In 30 years, the fans will laugh and mock all those fake Natties that were manipulated and not won.

 

[slugboy]

Just a former Notre Dame AD’s perspective, but he’s doubtful about further realignment before 2026

Exiting Notre Dame AD addresses expansion, realignment and college sports' immensely uncertain future

One of college sports' most notable figures, Jack Swarbrick sits down for an exit interview with CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Just a former Notre Dame AD’s perspective, but he’s doubtful about further realignment before 2026

Exiting Notre Dame AD addresses expansion, realignment and college sports' immensely uncertain future

One of college sports' most notable figures, Jack Swarbrick sits down for an exit interview with CBS Sports

www.cbssports.com

Huh. You learn something everyday...

"Swarbrick: "Without question. We want to be conscious with the Army-Navy tradition, of course, but if the whole season moved up a week that's exactly what would happen during [a Saturday in] which the NFL can't play games."

I wasn't sure if the NFL played on the second Saturday of December.

Swarbrick: "It's actually a federal law that doesn't let them play on Saturday until the third week of December. It's a law that granted their antitrust exemption for broadcast negotiations.""

 

[TooTall]

If you hate that college athletes are making money....

 

[Techster]

If you hate that college athletes are making money....

It was eventually going there...and some of it is already there, just not "on the books".

Teenagers can get paid to play soccer here in MLS and overseas. Basketball players can go overseas to get paid as teenagers as well.

The game of football is about to go through a sea change at every level. Going to be really interesting to see how this all plays out as the football ecosystem is getting upended.

 

[RonJohn]

I don't see any problem with an ACTUAL professional league. I don't have any problem with college nor high school students making money from ACTUAL name, image, and likeness opportunities. Should a high school student be prevented from making money on Instagram simply because he plays football or basketball?

There have been issues with high school players being recruited and being paid. There have been issues where high school players are recruited, and then one of their parents suddenly has a good job at a company owned by one of the high schools' big athletic supporters. High school NIL has nothing to do with name, image, nor likeness. It is permission to pay the players. In Georgia, it was implemented because a mutt recruit was transferring out of state to a state that allowed high school so-called "NIL". I think college "NIL" is just another thing that is going to cause a court to rule that athletes are employees. They are being paid. Even though the money doesn't come directly from the school, the coaches decide how and who to spend it on. Sounds a lot like employer behavior.

Back to the professional high school league. In my opinion both high school and college would be much better off if there was an actual professional league that players interested could play in. That would allow high school to compete with high schools, and colleges to compete with colleges. There are many-many high schools that do not engage in recruiting and payments for players. It isn't fair for them to have to compete with schools that do.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I foresee the HS Pro League to be detrimental to football in general. What this will do is increase the likelihood of head trauma, starting at a younger age. There are big hits and big hitters in HS football. But, in general, the licks high school kids give and get are not that violent. If we now have a league of "all-stars" playing each other week-in/week-out, I believe we will see more college-level contact, which will mean more head trauma at an earlier age. I think this will be short-lived and may be speed up the inevitable decline of tackle football, at least the way it's played today.

 

[Buzztheirazz]

The decline of tackle football? Maybe in the youth ages and into high school but it will NEVER decline at the NFL level.

 

[forensicbuzz]

The decline of tackle football? Maybe in the youth ages and into high school but it will NEVER decline at the NFL level.

You realize that makes no sense, right?

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I foresee the HS Pro League to be detrimental to football in general. What this will do is increase the likelihood of head trauma, starting at a younger age. There are big hits and big hitters in HS football. But, in general, the licks high school kids give and get are not that violent. If we now have a league of "all-stars" playing each other week-in/week-out, I believe we will see more college-level contact, which will mean more head trauma at an earlier age. I think this will be short-lived and may be speed up the inevitable decline of tackle football, at least the way it's played today.

Funny, my first thought was what 5 star player in their right mind would risk a career ending injury playing in a high school super league?

 

[RonJohn]

Funny, my first thought was what 5 star player in their right mind would risk a career ending injury playing in a high school super league?

How many people, in general, pursue long term goals over short term satisfaction? If a high school kid is offered $10-20k, is he going to turn that down now because he might be able to make more in college? Or even more later in the NFL? Also, to risk of injury, that can happen anywhere even not involving football. There was a very well known case of a GT recruit who suffered a career ending (and life-altering) injury on a four-wheeler.

 

[orientalnc]

Not sure where to put this, it certainly impacts realignment at some level.

Birmingham Southern is closing on May 31. It opened in 1856 as a private liberal arts college connected to the Methodist Church. In the 1960s it was the center of white support for the civil rights movement in Alabama. It will be missed as a school and as a Div III football team.

 

[LT 1967]

If anyone is interested, I see that Commissioner Jim Phillips will be on the ACC Network at 5:30 PM.

Hopefully, we will see some discussion on the CFP, FSU, and Clemson. I assume most Swarm members know that the Hosts of the Show are Clemson and FSU Graduates.

 

[yeti92]

If anyone is interested, I see that Commissioner Jim Phillips will be on the ACC Network at 5:30 PM.

Hopefully, we will see some discussion on the CFP, FSU, and Clemson. I assume most Swarm members know that the Hosts of the Show are Clemson and FSU Graduates.

Bold assumption, I don't even know what show you are talking about.



I also don't think I've ever watched the ACC network outside of football games.

 

[slugboy]

The decline of tackle football? Maybe in the youth ages and into high school but it will NEVER decline at the NFL level.

Ironically, coaches like Dan Quinn went all in for rugby style tackling 10 years ago, to avoid head injuries. Now, the NFL is creating rules against it because offensive players are getting lower leg injuries.

I’m not sure what you mean by “decline”—maybe you mean viewership—but the game doesn’t play like it did in the 1970’s.

 

[Techster]

Funny, my first thought was what 5 star player in their right mind would risk a career ending injury playing in a high school super league?

As long as he can maintain his eligibility for college opportunities (playing and NIL$$$), what's really the difference playing for a Super League versus a powerhouse program?

I'd argue that playing at the highest levels in GA/FL/CA/TX/LA/OH/PA...states that put out the most football talent, big programs aren't too far off from playing in Super Leagues. Look at schools like IMG Academy FL, Buford GA, Mater Dei CA, Westlake TX, St Thomas Aquinas, etc who all bring in players from all over the country and in their state who play partial national schedules, or in the case of IMG, cherry pick top competition to play against. If kids are going to top programs in their state to play for free (*wink wink*), why not get paid for it?

Injuries will always happen. My friend coached at a GA HS with three 5 star recruits. One of them was a RB that committed to Oregon, and was the brother of a GT QB. That 5 star RB was in kickoff coverage (KICKOFF COVERAGE!!) when he tore his ACL the very first game of his SR season. His career was never the same and ended staying at Oregon for only a few years.

It's possible these Super Leagues put together a catastrophic injury insurance package that deals with those kinds of injuries. Who knows what they have in store for players, but I don't think the risk is any different than playing for a HS team.

 

[Vespidae]

Not sure where to put this, it certainly impacts realignment at some level.

Birmingham Southern is closing on May 31. It opened in 1856 as a private liberal arts college connected to the Methodist Church. In the 1960s it was the center of white support for the civil rights movement in Alabama. It will be missed as a school and as a Div III football team.

I'm sorry to hear this. As a kid, I was a batboy when the baseball team came to town. It doesn't surprise me though. For one, it is estimated that 25% of all 4-year colleges will close in the coming few years. There are simply too many for the demand. State schools will do fine, of course .. as will schools with endowments and able boards of trustees. Others, some of which I know very well, are in deep, deep trouble. B-S closing is but the canary in the coal mine.

 

[TooTall]

Not sure where to put this, it certainly impacts realignment at some level.

Birmingham Southern is closing on May 31. It opened in 1856 as a private liberal arts college connected to the Methodist Church. In the 1960s it was the center of white support for the civil rights movement in Alabama. It will be missed as a school and as a Div III football team.

They killed themselves. They went D1 about 2000 and had to drop down to D3 about 3 or 4 years later because they were just bleeding so much money. Looks like they never recovered from that.

 

[jgtengineer]

Ironically, coaches like Dan Quinn went all in for rugby style tackling 10 years ago, to avoid head injuries. Now, the NFL is creating rules against it because offensive players are getting lower leg injuries.

I’m not sure what you mean by “decline”—maybe you mean viewership—but the game doesn’t play like it did in the 1970’s.

Hip dropping onto the back of the legs is not a rugby tackle. A rugby tackle is hip dropping to the side of the person to the ground to drag them down.