(08-31-2021 05:59 PM)Statefan Wrote: (08-31-2021 05:35 PM)JRsec Wrote: (08-31-2021 05:27 PM)Statefan Wrote: One of the quickest ways to kill interest is to have 4 SEC teams in the field and have them advance one game each.
Variety, even if it does not produce the best champion is better for the sport. People are already tired of Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State.
When you play to please the audience instead of to attain the best sporting result you cease to be a sport and become entertainment. The NFL advertises its games as entertainment and with gambling ties and the house beating the closing line ~85% of the time and controlling spreads with PI and Holding calls that's exactly what it is.
While I agree that there are risks to interest with the present model it is still a sport in spite of the CFP and ESPN's interest in ratings. The kids still want to win. What I fear about NIL is that if they have a path to notoriety and money beside the games the games will suffer even more. I'm keeping an eye open for just that. I quit watching when spoiled players start dogging it (ala the non significant bowls) or worse fixing games.
I don't disagree with you in principle and I find the NFL boring. For me consolidation has removed the "pretenders" from the chance at the playoffs so Penn State, Miami, TAMU, and P12 schools are tossed to the curb before the end of November. Ideally Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee would give Bama a better fight. Michigan, Penn State, MSU, and Wisky would give Ohio State a run for the money, and here at home if FSU, Miami, VT, and UNC or State gave Clemson a run that would be better. Maybe what I really should have hypothesized is that the sport suffers from having only 3-5 contenders out of 60. It needs 10-12.
Actually the only difference is coaching. Saban, Dabo, and Patrick are on a very short list of a very few decent head coaches left in the game. Saban's talent is in identifying talent, both in players and coaches, and then in managing them. Nothing escapes his eye from attitude to work ethic, to personal life. What he controls he plans to the smallest detail and expects 80 hour work weeks from coaches during the season.
Dabo also knows how to spot talent in both coaches and players and also pays attention to all details. Dabo however manages more loosely. He doesn't turn over a subservient staff regularly, but prefers to hang onto one which is loyal.
Honestly they have another thing in common as did Snyder, they know how to teach the game of football position by position. The old saw is those born with talent can't explain it and those who had to learn how to be talented can.
What you are seeing in the college game is basically remedial football as the number of high school coaches who know what they are doing has dwindled to a few handfuls. The rest stick the fastest kids on offense in skill positions and toss them the ball and hope they outrun the defense. Malzahn, Freeze, and so many others who have a year and get popular will never consistently win. Why? They are lazy, little better than H.S. coaches, and don't have a clue as to how to spot or develop real talent. They do what they have to to collect 4 & 5 star magazine rated recruits and then they play those kids until they drop.
So you are attributing the concentration of power to the wrong influences. It's not unlimited resources, nor even top dollar recruits, but rather the dwindling number of coaches who actually develop talent, cull attitude problems before signing them, and can teach the fundamentals of each position, or hire those who can.
Urban and Spurrier could and we'll see how good Patrick is in a couple of years.