Interesting video from Josh Pate

[Central Coast Ute]

It sounds like we’re getting closer to collective bargaining and other changes. Maybe Whitt was right when he said the Utes might only be playing TSPP as a conference game for maybe 2 or 3 years.

He makes a good point about bowl game sponsors not being happy about the product. I’m sure the number of people that finished watching the FSU game was significantly lower than the number that started. The only way I see to fix that is to have the players sign binding contracts.

[2008 National Champ]

I’ve got to admit that making bowl sponsor’s happy ranks pretty close to the bottom on my “List of things that need to change in college football”.

[Central Coast Ute]

Sure. But without them, there are no bowls. If all of college football were like that, fans wouldn’t watch so much, and without us watching, sponsors pay less. It may not be important to you, but when people in high places think they might lose money, they’ll make changes. Hopefully, those will be the changes you rank higher.

[snorkerelli]

With the playoffs coming, I say get rid of all the other bowls. Bowls are a dime a dozen and don’t really mean anything anymore unless you’re playing for something big.

[DataUte]

I think going to a bowl (non-CFP, even some NY6, which will become CFP, so problem solved there) just gives extra practice time which is good. Used to be a reward and players were excited about it. Now it’s just opt-out city. Sometimes it’s even hard to field a team. Most of the early ones are G5 v G5, so almost like a different division (which is needed). They need a CFP league, FBS, and FCS.

The only one really wanting all these bowls is ESPN to have inventory to show during mid-late Dec. Only so many college basketball games and pro games are too much. So they put them on, try to get some sponsor and sell ad-time. Not sure how the financials work, but they stick the universities with several thousand tickets to sell. People just aren’t as excited to travel for them when they really are just made for tv.

[The Miami Ute]

Back in the day, when there was no playoff system at all, there were also a lot less bowls. You also rarely saw no-name schools or teams with just a .500 record going to bowls. At the same time, because all championships were decided via the AP and Coaches Poll, you could see a team ranked #5 at the start of bowl season win it all via a fortuitous turn of events, like Notre Dame did during the 1977 season. Winning a bowl game also set you up nicely by giving you a higher end ranking and more prestige going into the subsequent season. Now, it almost seems like most bowl games are like participation awards. In essence, worth nothing and about as interesting.

[Ute Dub]

Oh, but were you excited when Clarke Phillips opted out of the Rose Bowl and Utah started a Running back at corner?

[The Miami Ute]

Was that in the same Rose Bowl? I remember Micah Bernard playing defense in 2022 but Phillips was there as well. If I remember correctly, Phillips was the only starter healthy for that game.

[Yergensen]

You’re mixing Rose Bowls.

Micah played DB in the first Rose Bowl. Phillips played and had 2 TD prevention plays in the first Rose Bowl and opted out of the second Rose Bowl.

[Gugstanley]

I am ready for change
The current system is not sustainable

[Charlie]

Change is better when coming from a desire to improve. Change does not do as well when coming from failure of the status quo. It has been some time since college football listened to their customers rather than simply enjoying runaway growth despite missteps.

[UteBacker]

This is my main worry, Charlie. Do we have enough adults in the room to fix college football or are we going to continue down this road? I’ve been mildly depressed all year with the way things are going, starting with the collapse of the Pac12 due to gross mismanagement. It seems like everything that made the game beautiful is systematically being dismantled. I hope Josh is right in that we just need to hang in there a couple of more seasons before the correction starts. We’ll see.

[Brettski]

I hate to say it, but I agree. I don’t see fans sticking around forever if things continue on the current path.

[Central Coast Ute]

Agreed. Pate says he’s hearing it from people in the know, and at least according to him, we’ll see some changes coming within the next few months. This could obviously just mean FSU getting out of the ACC and the rest of the league bolting as well.

[The Miami Ute]

I think if that happens you’ll see a lot of schools drop football and maybe all sports if the contractual relationship is enforced extensively. Once you sign a contract, you become an employee and I’m not certain that most schools are ready to go that route.

[Central Coast Ute]

Good to see you, Miami. I’m glad you didn’t go into hiding after last night’s game. I kid.

Pate was alluding to that people who have been resistant to making players’ employees are now waking up to the idea. Whitt has even said he thinks that’s the way it’s going to happen. Frankly, it would be the only way to keep players from opting out. Having your best players on the field is the best way to ensure eyeballs are on the TV. Maybe some schools would have to drop it, or they would form their own league that’s a version of what college football used to be, I would imagine this would be a feeder league for whatever the “power” league ends up being.

[The Miami Ute]

I forgot that you were a Bills fan. Kincaid is going to have a hell of a career.

[UtahUtesRock]

The only issue I’d have with anything he says is when he talks about the television networks as though they aren’t part of the power brokers. Television has been involved in why we are where we are. They will have a huge voice in what happens moving forward.