On its way to charmlessness, college football showed it can still charm - Washington Post

Analysis by Chuck Culpepper
Reporter
September 3, 2023 at 12:14 p.m. EDT

Washington Post <---LINK

"A sport striving with all its might to become less interesting just held the first chockablock Saturday of its fresh season, and it seemed more aching than ever to scour that Saturday for the charms it might have yielded. Addled old college football managed to squeeze out at least three, which will figure to take their positions along the path toward superleagues and charmlessness.

Maybe someday they will linger as dilapidated signposts.

All three charms sprang from an old, old college football staple, those games between programs of varying resource levels that might just dissolve once somebodies with big power and small joy decide to root out the Texas States, the Northern Illinoises, the Fresno States and so on, all for the sin of insufficient revenue-grasping. As those three programs traveled to bigger programs and wreaked glumness in those towns, it’s a chic discussion to wonder whether they will keep having the chance in a sport whose latest summer of realignment makes it seem better suited for CNBC than ESPN.

. . .

Will it decay to obsolescence out of insufficient TV ratings? Since 1983, Northern Illinois has made a museum-like accounting of what it calls its “Boneyard wins,” those against teams the resources suggest it should not beat. One such Boneyard win happened in 2003, a 19-16 clipping at Alabama, which joined a string of events that brought about the bringing-on of Nick Saban three years later, so Alabama fans ought to have sent thank-you notes."

I think the the NIUs of the world with little or no NIL have even more of a chip these days vs. big boys.

I also think in general they probably have more unity. I can see dissension on some of these school where you have some guys getting minimal money vs. guys on same team getting 5-6 figures.

Sounds about right.

NIU and Fresno St have been doing this for a while. But yes, the consolidation of power, money, players, and coaches is getting greater for the haves.

Texas State's first P5 victory, and they have almost 50 new players through the portal this year. A lot of G5 teams may actually benefit from the P5, or whatever it is today, benchwarmers who want to play. The portal has upended college football, probably in ways it wasn't intended for.
Just good to see NIU get some national recognition.

This is what makes college football great. if you eliminate the mid majors College football will become dull! The NCAA basketball tournament is watched by many because the have nots can and do upset the have everything's! America likes the underdog and if you get rid of that the revenues will massively go down. College football have everything heavyweights slugging it out every time becomes boring after a while!

I'm definitely in the minority here, and I'd rather be right than wrong, but I think these super conferences are going to be their undoing. Imagine being recruited by Indiana or Wake Forest. Your prospect of winning is almost nil and then to add more teams to these conferences, it isn't going to get better. Since joining the BIG (what are they at now? 32 teams?) Rutgers and Nebraska have done... what? only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana. These schools aren't recruiting any better bc their program reputation. The competition is too much. Something I hope will benefit us in the long run.

Look at Rocky. Michigan State recruit that wasn't going to get playing time, so he took his talents elsewhere. The portal is a terrible place for mid major talent that wants to move up, but I think as the top gets more crowded those looking to stand out will get smart with opportunities to show off and pull off some surprises as a mid-major.

(09-05-2023 11:01 AM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  I'm definitely in the minority here, and I'd rather be right than wrong, but I think these super conferences are going to be their undoing. Imagine being recruited by Indiana or Wake Forest. Your prospect of winning is almost nil and then to add more teams to these conferences, it isn't going to get better. Since joining the BIG (what are they at now? 32 teams?) Rutgers and Nebraska have done... what? only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana. These schools aren't recruiting any better bc their program reputation.

What minority you are in is those people who only see the world through football. Where the B1G, SEC, ACC, and B12 are successful is in having fans that hope to succeed in football but also take immense pride in success in other sports. When it comes to the B1G, think Indiana in swimming and diving, Iowa (Penn State, Michigan, OSU) in wrestling; Nebraska (Wisconsin, Penn State) in women's volleyball; Maryland (Indiana, Iowa) in baseball; Penn State (Maryland, Northwestern) in field hockey; Rutgers (Maryland, Michigan State) in women's soccer; Iowa (Ohio State, Maryland, Indiana) in women's basketball; Michigan State (Indiana, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Northwestern (Maryland) in women's lacrosse; Indiana (Maryland, Rutgers) in men's soccer; Maryland in men's lacrosse; Indiana (Michigan State, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Illinois (Ohio State, Wisconsin) in men's golf; Northwestern (Nebraska, Indiana) in softball; and so on.

(09-05-2023 12:28 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 11:01 AM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  I'm definitely in the minority here, and I'd rather be right than wrong, but I think these super conferences are going to be their undoing. Imagine being recruited by Indiana or Wake Forest. Your prospect of winning is almost nil and then to add more teams to these conferences, it isn't going to get better. Since joining the BIG (what are they at now? 32 teams?) Rutgers and Nebraska have done... what? only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana. These schools aren't recruiting any better bc their program reputation.

What minority you are in is those people who only see the world through football. Where the B1G, SEC, ACC, and B12 are successful is in having fans that hope to succeed in football but also take immense pride in success in other sports. When it comes to the B1G, think Indiana in swimming and diving, Iowa (Penn State, Michigan, OSU) in wrestling; Nebraska (Wisconsin, Penn State) in women's volleyball; Maryland (Indiana, Iowa) in baseball; Penn State (Maryland, Northwestern) in field hockey; Rutgers (Maryland, Michigan State) in women's soccer; Iowa (Ohio State, Maryland, Indiana) in women's basketball; Michigan State (Indiana, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Northwestern (Maryland) in women's lacrosse; Indiana (Maryland, Rutgers) in men's soccer; Maryland in men's lacrosse; Indiana (Michigan State, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Illinois (Ohio State, Wisconsin) in men's golf; Northwestern (Nebraska, Indiana) in softball; and so on.

I am taking that into account, but with a few exceptions, football and men's basketball are the profitable portions of college athletics. And in a run for grabbing as much money as they can, I fail to see how women's lacrosse is going to merit a conference jump.

these schools are jumping conferences bc of their football and basketball programs, not their badminton programs.

(09-05-2023 02:48 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  I'm definitely in the minority here, and I'd rather be right than wrong, but I think these super conferences are going to be their undoing. Imagine being recruited by Indiana or Wake Forest. Your prospect of winning is almost nil and then to add more teams to these conferences, it isn't going to get better. Since joining the BIG what have Rutgers and Nebraska done? only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana."

I am taking that into account, but with a few exceptions, football and men's basketball are the profitable portions of college athletics. And in a run for grabbing as much money as they can, I fail to see how women's lacrosse is going to merit a conference jump.

Don't disagree with your statement that schools are jumping conferences bc of football and basketball programs, but do disagree with the part of your earlier comment that "Since joining the BIG what have Rutgers and Nebraska have done...only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana." At least in terms of the B1G, those schools have added to the strength of the league in other sports. Yes, the major reason behind the move was for football and money, but at least they bring some additional value. Not so sure that was the case in West Virginia jumping to the Big XII or Missouri moving to the SEC. Definitely don't believe that for some of the C-USA additions.

(09-05-2023 02:48 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 12:28 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(09-05-2023 11:01 AM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  I'm definitely in the minority here, and I'd rather be right than wrong, but I think these super conferences are going to be their undoing. Imagine being recruited by Indiana or Wake Forest. Your prospect of winning is almost nil and then to add more teams to these conferences, it isn't going to get better. Since joining the BIG (what are they at now? 32 teams?) Rutgers and Nebraska have done... what? only provide a little bit of padding for Northwestern and Indiana. These schools aren't recruiting any better bc their program reputation.

What minority you are in is those people who only see the world through football. Where the B1G, SEC, ACC, and B12 are successful is in having fans that hope to succeed in football but also take immense pride in success in other sports. When it comes to the B1G, think Indiana in swimming and diving, Iowa (Penn State, Michigan, OSU) in wrestling; Nebraska (Wisconsin, Penn State) in women's volleyball; Maryland (Indiana, Iowa) in baseball; Penn State (Maryland, Northwestern) in field hockey; Rutgers (Maryland, Michigan State) in women's soccer; Iowa (Ohio State, Maryland, Indiana) in women's basketball; Michigan State (Indiana, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Northwestern (Maryland) in women's lacrosse; Indiana (Maryland, Rutgers) in men's soccer; Maryland in men's lacrosse; Indiana (Michigan State, Ohio State) in men's basketball; Illinois (Ohio State, Wisconsin) in men's golf; Northwestern (Nebraska, Indiana) in softball; and so on.

I am taking that into account, but with a few exceptions, football and men's basketball are the profitable portions of college athletics. And in a run for grabbing as much money as they can, I fail to see how women's lacrosse is going to merit a conference jump.

these schools are jumping conferences bc of their football and basketball programs, not their badminton programs.

Agree 100%

The link didn't work for me. Hopefully this on does.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/20...te-upsets/