Is anyone concerned that college football is dying?

[Noles939913]

More of a question for college football fans and not those that exclusively watch the NFL. Are you concerned with so many players quitting before the season is even over and the long term effect it will have on college football? I believe the most recent trend began when Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey decided not to play in their bowl games while Dalvin Cook took the opposite stance by saying “if you got a football and tell me you’re keeping score I’m playing”. It even trickled down to players who wouldn’t even end up getting drafted deciding to sit out their team’s bowl game. Then you had players like Nick Bosa leave the football program a few games into the season. Now you have players deciding to quit and sitting out the entire season. How long until players decide to start sitting out CFP games?

So college football fans are you worried about the overall health of college football for this reason?

[asujbl]

Not even a little bit.

[DegaBama]

Originally Posted by Noles939913

More of a question for college football fans and not those that exclusively watch the NFL. Are you concerned with so many players quitting before the season is even over and the long term effect it will have on college football? I believe the most recent trend began when Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey decided not to play in their bowl games while Dalvin Cook took the opposite stance by saying “if you got a football and tell me you’re keeping score I’m playing”. It even trickled down to players who wouldn’t even end up getting drafted deciding to sit out their team’s bowl game. Then you had players like Nick Bosa leave the football program a few games into the season. Now you have players deciding to quit and sitting out the entire season. How long until players decide to start sitting out CFP games?

So college football fans are you worried about the overall health of college football for this reason?

Eh, I don't see it being a massive issue. Look at Trevor Lawrence, he was going to go #1 in the draft regardless of if he played or not. He's playing.

I am curious if this pushes the idea of revamping college football. I have wanted to see five, 14 team power conferences. 7 teams each division. The best team in each division plays in a conference title game, with the winner going to the CFP. There's 5 spots there, then have 1 group of 5 team and 2 other teams make it. That way, you are essentially creating a 16 team CFP while only expanding it by 4 teams. This way, it may help lesser the issue of players opting out.

[TheFrenzy]

The trend is certainly more towards the college basketball model of trying to get to the pros asap, but there will always be a few fundamental differences that will largely prevent the "one and done" model from becoming standard.

1. Very few players have NFL-ready bodies at age 18 or 19, whereas there are plenty of kids physically ready to step onto an NBA court.

2. Game experience. If a top high school football prospect wanted to spend a year or two working with elite trainers and avoiding the risk of injury by playing college football, their development is going to be stunted because they'll lack that in-game experience. For a basketball prospect, it's much easier to get that game or scrimmage experience with far less risk of injury.

So, aside from the half-dozen physical freaks who might be ready to go from a 6A high school to an NFL training camp, the average player still needs that college weight room and game experience. The only real threat to the amateur system would be in the NFL actually wanted to invest in its own minor league.

[MeetTheMets]

It’s 2020. Nothing happening in sports this year can be taken seriously. This year will always have a giant asterisk next to it.

[k13]

NFL is dying and ...

[Siberian13]

College football will never die. We have plenty of ladies that will step up and fill in.

[GoBeavs]

I don't see any way it's dying. Although I do think there are big changes coming. Between the new rules of allowing athletes to get paid, the bleeding of budgets by most colleges, and Title IX issues, there could be a major overhaul of how college football is structured.

[heatdawg]

Originally Posted by MeetTheMets

It’s 2020. Nothing happening in sports this year can be taken seriously. This year will always have a giant asterisk next to it.

Agree with this, winning in 2020 will not be the same as winning in any other year. I haven't watched 1 college football game this year mainly because this year does not feel like a legit season. Next year I will be interested again.

Even NFL, teams were not given the best opportunity to put out the best team week by week. I will acknowledge whoever wins it all, but that asterisk will forever be there.

[Astros19]

Too much money involved, never happen.

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[SkolVikesCards]

I definitely think the playoff needs to be extended. Only having 4 teams makes 1 or 2 losses deadly and makes it so no non-power 5 team has a chance with the pac12 and big12 getting ignored a lot since there’s only 1-2 good teams from each conference which makes less ‘quality’ wins

[Noles939913]

Originally Posted by MeetTheMets

It’s 2020. Nothing happening in sports this year can be taken seriously. This year will always have a giant asterisk next to it.

While I agree the trend of players leaving their respective football programs early to prepare for the NFL Draft was happening long before the Corona Virus. I would be totally content if FSU just cancelled the season. We’re 2-6, haven’t played a game in almost a month, and they just rescheduled a game for the end of December all the while our best defensive lineman, our best WR, our best CB, and the starting QB at the beginning of the season have all left the program. Just shut it down and start fresh next year.

[JeremyNick]

College football will eventually become G league. It’s not forward thinking enough to get ahead of the myriad issues facing it now.

[Mahnz]

Yeah, the bigger issue is the Universities and NCAA making lots of money from kids in exchange for an overpriced piece of paper. Either they start paying the studs or an amateur league will form and start stealing talent, but I'm sure it won't really affect popularity too much in the short term unless there is a big gap in play between college and amateur league.

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[BostonNut]

Most boring game out there...until they stop with the non-stop read option crap and play real football my mind won't change.

[coachnip13]

Originally Posted by Mahnz

Yeah, the bigger issue is the Universities and NCAA making lots of money from kids in exchange for an overpriced piece of paper. Either they start paying the studs or an amateur league will form and start stealing talent, but I'm sure it won't really affect popularity too much in the short term unless there is a big gap in play between college and amateur league.

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An amateur league wouldn't have any money to pay players with. Absolutely no one would watch a league like that.

As for that "overpriced piece of paper", the alternative for many of these players we're talking about is what, exactly? Get a job? One would think that the opportunity to get a degree would stir up a little more gratitude.

[Noles939913]

Originally Posted by coachnip13

An amateur league wouldn't have any money to pay players with. Absolutely no one would watch a league like that.

As for that "overpriced piece of paper", the alternative for many of these players we're talking about is what, exactly? Get a job? One would think that the opportunity to get a degree would stir up a little more gratitude.

Don’t they also get stipends that far outweigh the actual costs of meals that they get to pocket what’s leftover too. I had a buddy back in the day who played basketball at a Sun Belt school and he said this was the case.

[majestik101]

I don't know about the rest of college football, but personally speaking, this is the first time in years where I have watched every Notre Dame game...

I would sporadically watch ND Football in previous years. They have me hook line and sinker this year though

[coachnip13]

Originally Posted by Noles939913

Don’t they also get stipends that far outweigh the actual costs of meals that they get to pocket what’s leftover too. I had a buddy back in the day who played basketball at a Sun Belt school and he said this was the case.

Yes they do. College football and basketball players live like kings, especially at the P5 programs.

Any kid who gives that up to become a minor league football player making minimum wage and paying his own expenses will soon be begging to get back into a college program.

[TheFrenzy]

Originally Posted by coachnip13

An amateur league wouldn't have any money to pay players with. Absolutely no one would watch a league like that.

Amateurism generally requires strong institutional or regional identities to flourish. A "professional" minor league wouldn't have that unless it tweaked things along the lines of only allowing players who played high school ball in that region to play on the team.

[Mahnz]

Originally Posted by coachnip13

An amateur league wouldn't have any money to pay players with. Absolutely no one would watch a league like that.



As for that "overpriced piece of paper", the alternative for many of these players we're talking about is what, exactly? Get a job? One would think that the opportunity to get a degree would stir up a little more gratitude.

I think people forget that a lot of the highest level athletes don't care about school and also come from underprivileged backgrounds. If an amateur league paid them around or below practice squad salary (plus image rights), they would probably jump at that chance.


Lets be honest college education is a joke for a majority of athlete's. Not just the kids not caring but the Universities too. Yeah, I could see some high profile recruits going regardless if they value college life and education, but I think you underestimate how shameless this whole thing is with college football.

Another factor is an amateur league actually caring about development and coaching. If you are talented and could get paid plus proper training and get NFL scouts to look at you closely, why not?

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[coachnip13]

Originally Posted by Mahnz

I think people forget that a lot of the highest level athletes don't care about school and also come from underprivileged backgrounds. If an amateur league paid them around or below practice squad salary (plus image rights), they would probably jump at that chance.

That's the rub, though. Where is an amateur league going to get $8,000 per week for 50 players, plus coach and staff salaries, plus money to pay for overhead? We can't even get a second professional league to survive, so there's no way anyone is going to pay to watch 19 year old unknown kids.

Originally Posted by Mahnz

Lets be honest college education is a joke for a majority of athlete's. Not just the kids not caring but the Universities too. Yeah, I could see some high profile recruits going regardless if they value college life and education, but I think you underestimate how shameless this whole thing is with college football.

That's is absolutely false. The overwhelming majority of athletes never play a day of professional sports. The majority of athletes go to class and do what they are supposed to do. It's the .001% who walk around like they're guaranteed a payday for life who don't care about the degree.

Originally Posted by Mahnz

Another factor is an amateur league actually caring about development and coaching. If you are talented and could get paid plus proper training and get NFL scouts to look at you closely, why not?

Again, all of that stuff costs money, which an amateur league wouldn't have.

[asujbl]

Originally Posted by MeetTheMets

It’s 2020. Nothing happening in sports this year can be taken seriously. This year will always have a giant asterisk next to it.

Especially when fans are allowed back.

Call me when you still aren't getting 100,000+ at multiple schools and tell me College Football is dying. This year is just too weird. Unless you are a fan of a particular team? I just can't get into watching Penn State vs. Michigan (now they both suck but that's not the point) in an empty stadium. Doesn't work for me. 100,000 in Ann Arbor? I'd watch.

Do we have an "issue" with a few kids skipping out early? Sure... if you consider it an issue.

It won't matter even a little in the grand scheme of things.

[the mesiah]

College is all about the schools not the players to an extent , for every bosa that didn’t finish the season there is a chase young that despite the suspensions still played the final game of Ohio state season ..once Rona is gone , those universities and tv sponsors are going to be jumping for joy and fill those tailgating spots and the stands

[NoleinJax]

The NFL will die before college football will.