A look back at a prophetic article

That was a very good article, one that probably got overlooked at the time. The only piece that was missing is the fact some of those schools were paying those top recruits from the start. Obviously Wetzel couldn't bring that up or he would have been slapped with lawsuits. He mentioned tradition, Clemson didn't have that tradition when they went from being "good" under Tommy Bowden to being a powerhouse under Dabo Swinney.

Alabama did have that tradition from the Bear Bryant years but there's also a good reason why they went from being a Independence Bowl team to a perennial NC contenders under Nick Saban in only his 2nd season. I won't argue the fact that it had to of taken some good coaching as well, Saban was given the budget to buy the best coaches money could buy, but you can't tell me he didn't get some under the table help to consistently land the top recruits year over year.

But a very good article from 7 years ago that did prove to be prophetic. I do remember being on here saying some of that as well that the NIL was going to even things out with the $EC dominance and create a little more parity.
 
I said this from the getgo.
Cade McNamara was a starting QB for Big 10 champ, playoff team. Injury. He sees the writing on the wall, he's demoted.
Theoretically, he gave Iowa access to a better QB than they had.
The 4/5 starr 2nd stringer at say Alabama who wants more playing time hitting the portal...same thing.

So yes. Increased parity.

But, I've changed my mind now. It's not increasing parity overall. Maybe only for the top 30 teams. 40 maybe?

Gronowski made Iowa better. But hurt NDSU way more. The FCS teams are really gonna hurt. Or the teams like Louisville that don't have Louisville money. I mean, what JMU has done the last few years is pretty impressive. But if a team like Iowa, which generally has no shortage of offensive linemen, is willing to pay for an O lineman from JMU....life is going to be way hard for a team like JMU.

So, maybe more parity at the top. But an even greater disparity for the group of 5.
 
dagdaj said:
I said this from the getgo.
Cade McNamara was a starting QB for Big 10 champ, playoff team. Injury. He sees the writing on the wall, he's demoted.
Theoretically, he gave Iowa access to a better QB than they had.
The 4/5 starr 2nd stringer at say Alabama who wants more playing time hitting the portal...same thing.

So yes. Increased parity.

But, I've changed my mind now. It's not increasing parity overall. Maybe only for the top 30 teams. 40 maybe?

Gronowski made Iowa better. But hurt NDSU way more. The FCS teams are really gonna hurt. Or the teams like Louisville that don't have Louisville money. I mean, what JMU has done the last few years is pretty impressive. But if a team like Iowa, which generally has no shortage of offensive linemen, is willing to pay for an O lineman from JMU....life is going to be way hard for a team like JMU.

So, maybe more parity at the top. But an even greater disparity for the group of 5.
Click to expand...

Even if it only increases the parity for the top 40 teams that's still better than 5. I'm ok with the group of 5 becoming the developmental leagues for Big Ten, $EC, Big 12, and ACC schools. There will always be an occasional Cinderella story emerging from them. I feel like the FCS was already feeder for the FBS well before they started doing the NIL. Those group of 5 and FCS schools will still be a landing spot for those overlooked athletes that either get missed in the recruiting process or couldn't climb the depth charts of the FBS schools they transferred from.
 
I agree that the parity thing mostly helps the Iowa and Indianas of the world. The sort of second and third tier teams in the two major conferences, and the big donor schools in the other two lesser conferences. Iowa's 20 million siphons off some big boy cast offs and elevates stars from the divisions below. Bama cannot buy and stock all the talent anymore.

Just another marker pointing to the fact that the SEC and Big10 need to break off, add a few more schools, and form something closer to an NFL system. CF keeps trying to hold itself together by creating loopholes for James Madison to have a pity spot in the CFP. This is not sustainable or the best form of the product.

Once the Top 48 teams are separated out and competing on a somewhat level playing field, Iowa State and the rest of the second tier of major college football can form up and still have a competitive league with a compelling regional product that will still garner TV deals at a lower level.

Rip the bandaid
 
dagdaj said:
I said this from the getgo.
Cade McNamara was a starting QB for Big 10 champ, playoff team. Injury. He sees the writing on the wall, he's demoted.
Theoretically, he gave Iowa access to a better QB than they had.
The 4/5 starr 2nd stringer at say Alabama who wants more playing time hitting the portal...same thing.

So yes. Increased parity.

But, I've changed my mind now. It's not increasing parity overall. Maybe only for the top 30 teams. 40 maybe?

Gronowski made Iowa better. But hurt NDSU way more. The FCS teams are really gonna hurt. Or the teams like Louisville that don't have Louisville money. I mean, what JMU has done the last few years is pretty impressive. But if a team like Iowa, which generally has no shortage of offensive linemen, is willing to pay for an O lineman from JMU....life is going to be way hard for a team like JMU.

So, maybe more parity at the top. But an even greater disparity for the group of 5.
Click to expand...
That'll get tough because for the seasons that they do put a solid team they'll get totally plucked over the next yr. That's a tough way to make a living every other yr or so to have rosters being totally flipped and that's what the good FCS/group of 5 teams are going to be having happen. I don't see how that part changes much.
 
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