Expectations for GT Football

[GTrob21]

In NC where I am, the mostly white kids play soccer rather than football and both are fall sports. There are lots of youth soccer leagues starting at 6 years old but very few youth football leagues. They have grown up playing soccer so more interested in that. I think in GA soccer is a spring sport so kids can do both. The two big high schools in Chapel Hill have had to cancel their football seasons on occasion due to a lack of participants. It's a different world now.

It ain't just NC, I live in GA, in one of the most populous counties and although there still is huge participation in football, its nowhere near what it used to be. Soccer is really big over here. Both my boys play on high-level soccer teams, and something I keep on noticing is that the sons of former football players are the ones in soccer. Just on one of my sons' former teams, one of the dad's was a CB from Notre Dame, and another was a former OL from UGA. Their sons were naturally gifted athletes and I kept thinking to myself, these are the type of high-level athletes that would have grown up playing football, but now are not.

Even in my own house, I grew up watching football, but my sons, want to watch the English Premier league or La Liga. And most of their friends do as well.

It's going to be very different when this generation gets a little bit older and they are the ones buying TV subscriptions.

 

[SteamWhistle]

Playoff expansion would kill College Football. If anything would help college it would be to go back to BCS era. It would only take 1 guy opting out of a Playoff game as a 7 or 8 seed for a lot of dominoes to fall.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Cincinnati lost by three points. They certainly proved they belonged on the same field.

They would have won if their coach had managed the clock better.

 

[4shotB]

It ain't just NC, I live in GA, in one of the most populous counties and although there still is huge participation in football, its nowhere near what it used to be. Soccer is really big over here. Both my boys play on high-level soccer teams, and something I keep on noticing is that the sons of former football players are the ones in soccer. Just on one of my sons' former teams, one of the dad's was a CB from Notre Dame, and another was a former OL from UGA. Their sons were naturally gifted athletes and I kept thinking to myself, these are the type of high-level athletes that would have grown up playing football, but now are not.

Even in my own house, I grew up watching football, but my sons, want to watch the English Premier league or La Liga. And most of their friends do as well.

It's going to be very different when this generation gets a little bit older and they are the ones buying TV subscriptions.

I grew up in a time when no one had even heard of, let alone played, soccer. BUt it is easy for me to see that in another 25 - 40 years, soccer will be bigger than FB here in the US. Two reasons - the concussion thing (even though soccer has its own issues here) but more importantly, it is a game designed to capture the attention of people growing up on electronic entertainment. The action is continuous. Plus the lack of commercial breaks makes it a better game to watch on TV as well. Football needs to fix this problem or perish - TV will be the death of the goose that layed the golden egg,

 

[SWATlien]

No, we have the talent. Time to show some results on the field. It’s basically leadership ability and coaching from here on out.

Are we sure we have the talent?

 

[bke1984]

We should win 5-6 games with this schedule. Lose either of the first two and sound the alarm. Duke should absolutely be a win as well. So now we just have to find 2-3 out of the remaining 9. Clemson, Notre Dame, and uGA are really tough, but I’m not convinced UNC and Miami should are automatic losses and we could beat anyone outside that group for sure. If we can’t get to 5-6 wins then I will lose all confidence in this staff’s ability to be successful.

 

[slugboy]

I grew up in a time when no one had even heard of, let alone played, soccer. BUt it is easy for me to see that in another 25 - 40 years, soccer will be bigger than FB here in the US. Two reasons - the concussion thing (even though soccer has its own issues here) but more importantly, it is a game designed to capture the attention of people growing up on electronic entertainment. The action is continuous. Plus the lack of commercial breaks makes it a better game to watch on TV as well. Football needs to fix this problem or perish - TV will be the death of the goose that layed the golden egg,

Football used to have fewer and shorter commercial breaks. Advertisers and TV contracts have pushed them to be bigger and more frequent. To me, the gameday experience at a Falcons game is just waiting for something to happen. It seems like pro football is going in the opposite direction of a good gameday experience—and gameday experience is the direction most colleges need to move to improve.

NFL football has less action in a game than Major League Baseball, but I hear more complaints about how baseball is too slow and losing a generation of fans. We’re watching more of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman than we are of football. We’re just seeing 11-15 minutes of actual game play in a three hour game. If it weren’t for instant replay, we wouldn’t be seeing that much football.

What Will Fans Do With Those 26 Extra Seconds The NFL Has Given Them?

Several changes were made to league rules to speed up the pace of play this year, including the reduction of two commercial pods. But the average length of a game is all but the same, and TV ratings are no better.

www.forbes.com

How Much Football Is Even In A Football Broadcast?

NFL telecasts include a smaller share of game action than in any other major sport -- even MLB.

fivethirtyeight.com

An average NFL game: more than 100 commercials and just 11 minutes of play

For five months of the year, the National Football League dominates Sundays in the United States; it’s more popular than church.

qz.com

The NBA tries more than other major sports to build up the gameday experience, but they seem to direct the fans more than letting them be fans, in the same way having an organist play “charge” is anything but spontaneous. MLS games at least seem to be led by the fans.

It’s not fair to expect Stansbury to create a gameday experience—that’s lightning that you catch in a bottle—but it’s something he’s trying to do. Enabling fans—especially students—to have fun at the games and be part of the experience themselves. I was at Tech in the 80s as we were doing the opposite—taking banners and flip card sections away from the fans and making Grant Field more sterile.

If Stansbury can move the needle a little each year in being more fan friendly, maybe we can get somewhere.

 

[Lotta Booze]

We should win 5-6 games with this schedule. Lose either of the first two and sound the alarm. Duke should absolutely be a win as well. So now we just have to find 2-3 out of the remaining 9. Clemson, Notre Dame, and uGA are really tough, but I’m not convinced UNC and Miami should are automatic losses and we could beat anyone outside that group for sure. If we can’t get to 5-6 wins then I will lose all confidence in this staff’s ability to be successful.

All comes down to October. Every game in October can be won...or lost.

 

[GoldZ]

All comes down to October. Every game in October can be won...or lost.

Yes, plus we would have had September to gel and we are not going to be exceedingly young. If we are not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers, and we can manage to game prep at a high level and manage the clock, we have a shot at 3 wins in October.

 

[SteamWhistle]

3 years and y’all still hanging on. Dedication

 

[4shotB]

3 years and y’all still hanging on. Dedication

Been hanging on for over 4 decades my friend. Through good times and bad times, through richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I ain't getting no stinkin' divorce now.

 

[bobongo]

3 years and y’all still hanging on. Dedication

I'm still hopeful and besides, Collins is here at least through 2022 bare minimum so what choice is there, really? Better to be hopeful than maudlin.

 

[augustabuzz]

Been hanging on for over 4 decades my friend. Through good times and bad times, through richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I ain't getting no stinkin' divorce now.

Kids! Early 7th decade here.

 

[Buzztheirazz]

Plus the lack of commercial breaks makes it a better game to watch on TV as well. Football needs to fix this problem or perish - TV will be the death of the goose that layed the golden egg,

The first sentence is true for the consumer but that’s what we are. Consumers.

The more commercial breaks there are the more $ for the advertisers and networks.

 

[slugboy]

The first sentence is true for the consumer but that’s what we are. Consumers.

The more commercial breaks there are the more $ for the advertisers and networks.

Everyone understands that. The problem is that the game delays are ruining the game—almost every sport they touch. That’s why 4ShotB said killing “the goose that laid the golden egg”—advertisers are killing the sports they’re paying big bucks for.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Playoff expansion would kill College Football. If anything would help college it would be to go back to BCS era. It would only take 1 guy opting out of a Playoff game as a 7 or 8 seed for a lot of dominoes to fall.

I totally disagree, but the point is moot. The playoffs will expand and end up at 16. It may take another 20-25 year period but it’s inevitable. And I totally agree with it. Right now after a 2 loss September 90% of fan bases know it’s over and will move on other than a rivalry game here and there. As another poster pointed out, kids of today are following completely different sports than we are. By going to 16, every fan base can at least believe they’ll eventually have their “up” year and get in. And talk about opt outs. In this current system of only 4 you’ll see opt outs in October soon and it will creep to after the 2nd loss soon. An expanded playoff will keep players and fans engaged. And if a kid opts out with his team in the playoffs then so what. He‘ll have to live with that the rest of his life.

 

[BurdellJacket]

Cincinnati lost by three points (AND LOUSY CLOCK MANAGEMENT. GAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER A FULL MINUTE BEFORE UGA FIELD GOAL). They certainly proved they belonged on the same field.

FIFY. I don't know how to bolden fonts. My change ALLCAPS in parens.

 

[BurdellJacket]

They would have won if their coach had managed the clock better.

I agree BIGLY! Cincy stopped the clock several times with minutes to play by passing and running out of bounds. I kept saying, "What are they doing?".

 

[g0lftime]

Cincy couldn't run the ball late in the game and their passing game was not working. They couldn't make first downs to shorten the game. They were physically tired and got whipped on defense in the fourth quarter. I still was impressed by their team. They were a darn good team last year.

 

[bobongo]

I agree BIGLY! Cincy stopped the clock several times with minutes to play by passing and running out of bounds. I kept saying, "What are they doing?".

And also - 4th and 2 from the 40 with a minute and a half to go - do NOT punt the ball to Ugag late with the game on the line, no matter what. I've seen how that movie ends all too many times.