18, 20 or 24 teams?

NorthKCHawk said:
Sports in general are slowly waning. Just about anything is hard to compete with the internet connected phone in young people's hands. That said, I see football hanging on as king for the foreseeable future in sports. What is going to replace it? Soccer? Its growing, but not in my lifetime. Basketball? NBA is not far off from MLB. Casual fans do not tune in until the playoffs, at best. Fighting and hockey will always be niche sports because of the violence and lack of widespread youth participation.

What may ultimately kill football is losing the feeder system. High school football will slowly wane as parents question the danger and high schools weigh interest and liability. That said, again, I don't see that for a while. High school football remains a staple in large swaths of this country, especially the South and rust belt.
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As much as soccer enthusiasts are going to hate this, soccer ain't ever gunna catch on as a mainstream sport in the US, just ain't.

Soccer and hockey for that matter are horrible TV sports to view. Just not enough scoring for our ADD society. They are horrible sports for TV. We in this country like action, hitting, fast paced sports. Now I know in hockey they can zip around on their little skates pretty quick, but the scoring is not there.

I prob would be interested if they made some changes to increase scoring, like up to at least 8 goals a game. That might be watchable. Hell, we don't have the attention span for baseball anymore, how the hell are we going to get people interested in soccer or hockey, especially those who have never played the games or who can identify with the players. That is a whole other reason it will never catch on.
 
okeefe4prez said:
When five southern schools win every championship for two decades you will see football's popularity wane more nationally. Ohio has won two this century, no one else from the north has even been close. Hell, even they're almost a decade removed from their last one. The demographic shift south has been immense and between population collapse and diminishing participation rates, it won't be long until teams from the midwest look completely unfit to share the field with southern teams.

Football will be king, but it will be smaller in most places. The new immigrants will decide what sports prevail, not old dudes like us.
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The SEC dominance has hurt parity in the game, but not its popularity and certainly not its financial prowess. The Big 10, although generally a second class citizen when it comes to the product on the field, is anything but second class when it comes to influence and money towards the game as a whole. I think the Big 10 Commish is the most influential person in the sport right now. Unlike a lot of teams on the West coast, Big 10 stadiums remains pretty full and interest is still high in Big 10 country. Thus, the TV deals.

I do think that a 12-team playoff will help with parity. If you are a top end kid and want to compete for titles, there are only 6-8 teams to really look at. Requiring Alabama and Georgia to win 3 games, maybe some even in shitty weather, will present more March Madness type scenarios.

Honestly, I think the SEC will continue to dominate the Natties, but I don't see Kinnick being half full anytime soon. Someday maybe, but football is king for the near and middle term, IMHO.
 
He maybe right when he said: Alberts predicts that at some point in the future, football will be considered independent from all the other collegiate sports. The Nebraska AD describes an eventual league of “35 to 40 top brands” in college football, much like the Champions League in soccer.

I have to agree that it is more likely football branches off from the NCAA and sooner than we think. I could see the Big Ten morphing into one conference of an NFL like league.The SEC would create the other conference. I'm not sure who would make up the 40 members. There are obvious ones like OSU, MI, PSU, and USC, but once you beyond #28 it will be difficult to determine who belongs and who does not. I do not think the state of Iowa could get more than one team and even then it could be challenging.
 
The only realistic way this happens right now is through the conferences. The Big 10 and SEC just hold all the power right now, but they do so as groups. Teams in both conferences have gotten stinky rich negotiating as groups. If both wanted to break away from the NCAA and form a separate league, they can. Hell, the NCAA barely does much outside of enforcement for football anyway.

Could some trillionaire come along and try to start a super league and lure teams away from the conference model? Maybe. But, let's not lose sight of the fact that these are still academic institutions run by Boards who like tradition. This idea seems far fetched now, but the world of sports is ever evolving.

The other idea that has been discussed is the notion of "decoupling" football from the schools. Iowa and others "lease" their names and facilities to an entity that runs basically a professional team. Whether the team is manned by students or not is part of the discussion. Again, this would be a drastic move, but one that Iowa probably would have little choice in if everyone else goes this way. Iowa is the type of school that will not lead any revolution, but likely it won't be left behind either.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
The only realistic way this happens right now is through the conferences. The Big 10 and SEC just hold all the power right now, but they do so as groups. Teams in both conferences have gotten stinky rich negotiating as groups. If both wanted to break away from the NCAA and form a separate league, they can. Hell, the NCAA barely does much outside of enforcement for football anyway.

Could some trillionaire come along and try to start a super league and lure teams away from the conference model? Maybe. But, let's not lose sight of the fact that these are still academic institutions run by Boards who like tradition. This idea seems far fetched now, but the world of sports is ever evolving.

The other idea that has been discussed is the notion of "decoupling" football from the schools. Iowa and others "lease" their names and facilities to an entity that runs basically a professional team. Whether the team is manned by students or not is part of the discussion. Again, this would be a drastic move, but one that Iowa probably would have little choice in if everyone else goes this way. Iowa is the type of school that will not lead any revolution, but likely it won't be left behind either.
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And they don't even do that well or consistent, either.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
Could some trillionaire come along and try to start a super league and lure teams away from the conference model? Maybe. But, let's not lose sight of the fact that these are still academic institutions run by Boards who like tradition. This idea seems far fetched now, but the world of sports is ever evolving.
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I hope the House of Saud comes in and attempts to do to college football what has happened to golf. Imagine being on the board of Standford, knowing that you owe a fiduciary duty to the institution, and the House of Saud lays down a billion dollar check for a 10 year deal. Every bone in your body wants to virtue signal and show the world how firmly you stand against the House of Saud, but my God, look at the size of that check. Then you start thinking, "well I'm one of the good guys, I drive a Rivian that is recharged with clean, renewable wind power, so maybe taking the check isn't that big of a deal..."
 
okeefe4prez said:
I hope the House of Saud comes in and attempts to do to college football what has happened to golf. Imagine being on the board of Standford, knowing that you owe a fiduciary duty to the institution, and the House of Saud lays down a billion dollar check for a 10 year deal. Every bone in your body wants to virtue signal and show the world how firmly you stand against the House of Saud, but my God, look at the size of that check. Then you start thinking, "well I'm one of the good guys, I drive a Rivian that is recharged with clean, renewable wind power, so maybe taking the check isn't that big of a deal..."
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You should screenwrite for Netflix movies.
 
Hawkboys said:
You should screenwrite for Netflix movies.
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My buddy has a daughter who moved to Cali to be an actress. I gave her my best screenplay idea and she's kicked it around and thinks it may be viable. Here it is:

Four middle aged dudes, fans of an unnamed college football team that is very similar to say Tennessee, experience their team coming up one play short of winning the natty. Team is led by three juniors, all of whom are slated to be top 10 picks in the draft, a rush end, QB and WR. The dudes remember the last natty, but they were kids and are dying for another one but the team has been middling for decades. So the dudes launch a plot to kidnap the three stud players before they can declare for the draft. Hijinks ensue, plenty of physical comedy.

It would be better than anything Hollywood has made in a decade, but the problem would be the cost of shooting the football game scenes to produce the part about them failing a two point conversion in OT and losing the natty by a single point. The rest of the movie would be cheap to make, but doing the game scene would cost more than me and her dad would be willing to front. And the movie wouldn't work without that scene, and while CGI could cut the cost, it would still be really expensive to create.
 
I find the Michigan St game on Peacock very interesting. I, in general, stay away from subscribing to the various streaming options out there. I mentioned this to a friend, and he said do a 7 day free trial then cancel. But what if a second game shows up on Peacock? Me, I grew u listening to Hawkeye sports on the radio and loved it. Thinking I may have to try it again but if the only option is TuneIN, they want your money, too,

I'm still not sure why Stanford isn't in the B1G after this latest expansion round? Does anybody really know why not? I think Stanford and ND to get us to 20 would be perfect. But ND still has their ego. And, why not, if they can make a 12 team playoff without conference affiliation, why not continue as an indy?
 
It is interesting all the thoughts and models that people envision. Some seem far-fetched, but so did NIL a decade ago.

The Big10, if it wanted to, essentially could replace the NCAA in college football in many respects.

The conference could expand to a size that it would essentially be its own league, and it could be self-governing. Picture 28 teams or more divided into divisions similar to the NFL I suppose. Now, if that happened assuredly the SEC would rise up and match the move forming their own self-governing conference. At some point, they could merge or affiliate in a way similar to the merger of the two conferences in the NFL.

The one thing that college football sorely needs ASAP is a commissioner to organize and govern this process as it unfolds. College football and its organization are at the beginning, not the end, of a major transformation, IMHO.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
The one thing that college football sorely needs ASAP is a commissioner to organize and govern this process as it unfolds. College football and its organization are at the beginning, not the end, of a major transformation, IMHO.
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I agree with your post but for the part I copied in, I just don't see the University Presidents giving back the control they now have to the NCAA. The cat is out of the bag proverbially speaking.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
It is interesting all the thoughts and models that people envision. Some seem far-fetched, but so did NIL a decade ago.

The Big10, if it wanted to, essentially could replace the NCAA in college football in many respects.

The conference could expand to a size that it would essentially be its own league, and it could be self-governing. Picture 28 teams or more divided into divisions similar to the NFL I suppose. Now, if that happened assuredly the SEC would rise up and match the move forming their own self-governing conference. At some point, they could merge or affiliate in a way similar to the merger of the two conferences in the NFL.

The one thing that college football sorely needs ASAP is a commissioner to organize and govern this process as it unfolds. College football and its organization are at the beginning, not the end, of a major transformation, IMHO.
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I can see it now, the SEC and B1G champs for the Natty.........
 
Hawkboys said:
I agree with your post but for the part I copied in, I just don't see the University Presidents giving back the control they now have to the NCAA. The cat is out of the bag proverbially speaking.
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I never said the NCAA should be or appoint the commissioner. Quite the opposite. If the Big 10 breaks away from the NCAA, it will need some sort of governing body. Much like Goodell in the NFL, the presidents would appoint a Big 10 Commissioner of Football who would oversee the conference on all things football, but would serve at the pleasure of the presidents.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
I never said the NCAA should be or appoint the commissioner. Quite the opposite. If the Big 10 breaks away from the NCAA, it will need some sort of governing body. Much like Goodell in the NFL, the presidents would appoint a Big 10 Commissioner of Football who would oversee the conference on all things football, but would serve at the pleasure of the presidents.
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Ok, sorry. That makes sense and I think we're much closer to that than we should be.
 
Zstatman said:
I find the Michigan St game on Peacock very interesting. I, in general, stay away from subscribing to the various streaming options out there. I mentioned this to a friend, and he said do a 7 day free trial then cancel. But what if a second game shows up on Peacock? Me, I grew u listening to Hawkeye sports on the radio and loved it. Thinking I may have to try it again but if the only option is TuneIN, they want your money, too,

I'm still not sure why Stanford isn't in the B1G after this latest expansion round? Does anybody really know why not? I think Stanford and ND to get us to 20 would be perfect. But ND still has their ego. And, why not, if they can make a 12 team playoff without conference affiliation, why not continue as an indy?
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Add ND & Stanford for an even 20.
Four 5-team divisions
West - USC. uCLA W O Stanford
Midwest - IA NE MN WI IL
Mideast - MI NW IND ND PU
East - MD RU PSU OSU MSU

Play 4 Div opponents & 2 from each other Div (6)
2 non-conf cupcakes

Semi finals at home field of div winners seeded on overall record.
Finals TBD

Maintains regional rivalries.
Reduces travel.
 
SCHawkeye2 said:
Add ND & Stanford for an even 20.
Four 5-team divisions
West - USC. uCLA W O Stanford
Midwest - IA NE MN WI IL
Mideast - MI NW IND ND PU
East - MD RU PSU OSU MSU

Play 4 Div opponents & 2 from each other Div (6)
2 non-conf cupcakes

Semi finals at home field of div winners seeded on overall record.
Finals TBD

Maintains regional rivalries.
Reduces travel.
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One fatal flaw. You cannot, under any modeling system, have Michigan and OSU not play every year. I think that is as close to sacrosanct as there is in this conference.
 
NorthKCHawk said:
One fatal flaw. You cannot, under any modeling system, have Michigan and OSU not play every year. I think that is as close to sacrosanct as there is in this conference.
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Agree.
Have one protected rivalry out of division.
OSU - MI
ND - USC
IA - PSU
IL - NW

etc
 
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