The 3 Biggest changes that IMO changed College Football in this current era:

Notre Dame leaves CFA for NBC (1990)
Just two weeks after the College Football Association reached a $210 million deal with ABC for its 63 schools, Notre Dame bolted from the CFA to go solo with NBC for $38 million over five years. The landmark deal caused ABC to scale back its contract with the CFA by about $25 million and gave new meaning to Notre Dame's independent status. Notre Dame was criticized for pursuing its own agenda to the detriment of other members of the CFA, which Fighting Irish administrators helped create. Most schools couldn't pull off a deal like this, but it offered a blueprint for conferences.

Conference realignment (1990s)
In the early 1990s, the era of independents came to an end as the CFA neared its demise to negotiate TV money for a group of about 60 schools. Penn State joined the Big Ten after the Big East fatefully passed on the Nittany Lions. Miami went to the Big East. Florida State went to the ACC. Arkansas joined the SEC, signaling the end of the Southwest Conference.

First SEC Championship Game (1992)
Alabama entered the 1992 SEC Championship Game with an 11-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking and faced Florida, which had a disappointing 8-3 season. At the time, opinions were sharply divided on whether conference championship games would be good for conferences. SEC commissioner Roy Kramer rolled the dice.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...since-1984

my 3-
Penn St upsetting Miami in 1987. This was the precursor to the BCS era.

Notre Dame splitting the CFA

1st SEC championship game

think more recently-
Big Ten creates TV Network
Ed O'Bannon sues NCAA

(06-27-2014 03:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  my 3-
Penn St upsetting Miami in 1987. This was the precursor to the BCS era.

Notre Dame splitting the CFA

1st SEC championship game

think more recently-
Big Ten creates TV Network
Ed O'Bannon sues NCAA

The Biggest one that really caused the Chain Reaction was Notre Dame leaving the CFA and signing with NBC...More recently it is the B1G Network...that could change with the ultimate decision on the O'Bannon Case.

(06-27-2014 03:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  my 3-
Penn St upsetting Miami in 1987. This was the precursor to the BCS era.

I think BYU winning the national championship in the Holiday Bowl pretty much got the ball rolling on that one. Those conferences, networks, and major bowls were PISSED. The '87 Fiesta was so soon after, and showed the system needed some work because of the tie-in's. But, I think the split titles in '90 and '91, the failures of the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance thereafter...heck, the 90's bowl arrangements in general: a decade of letdown during one of its most popular eras. One wonders how tolerant people would be today with cable and internet if the chaos of the 90's happened this decade instead of before. I think I would have tuned out. I still might if this system moves as slow as it does.

Unequivocally, The OU/UGA law suit was the beginning of the modern era of CFB.

Before it, TV money didn't matter enough to effect the conferences.

After it, regional conferences like the Big 8 and SWC that had no TV footprint were doomed and true Independence became too risky a proposition for every one even for mighty ND too.

SMU death penalty (1987)

From 1981 to 1984, a small private school in Dallas produced the best record in college football. But SMU soon became unhinged as boosters, including then Gov. William Clements and others on the school's Board of Governors, were involved in blatant NCAA violations. The NCAA handed out the first “death penalty” -- no SMU football for a year. The school didn't play the next year, either. The shutdown set SMU back two decades and the NCAA has never again imposed the death penalty, instead fluctuating in how it penalizes cheaters.

(06-27-2014 04:09 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(06-27-2014 03:38 PM)stever20 Wrote:  my 3-
Penn St upsetting Miami in 1987. This was the precursor to the BCS era.

I think BYU winning the national championship in the Holiday Bowl pretty much got the ball rolling on that one. Those conferences, networks, and major bowls were PISSED. The '87 Fiesta was so soon after, and showed the system needed some work because of the tie-in's. But, I think the split titles in '90 and '91, the failures of the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance thereafter...heck, the 90's bowl arrangements in general: a decade of letdown during one of its most popular eras. One wonders how tolerant people would be today with cable and internet if the chaos of the 90's happened this decade instead of before. I think I would have tuned out. I still might if this system moves as slow as it does.

I think one thing that is very different now from the early 90's- there's a lot more consolidation. In 1990, there were 6 power conferences plus 26 independent teams. Now, there is 5 power conferences plus 1 independent team that matters. HUGE difference there.

I know the article is about 1984 to the present, but imagine how things might have been different without ESPN, which was in its infancy at the time.