"College football is a mess. Almost everything about it is repugnant."
I guess we are not alone in our opinions about the state of the game.
I guess we are not alone in our opinions about the state of the game.
According to Paul Finebaum,
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Guess he has that opinion because Alabama lost. lol.
Everyone thinks it, a few say it. Coaches largely want to avoid the minefield b/c they don't want any comments against the portal or NIL to become fodder for opposing coaches' negative recruiting.
Saban walked a very fine line when he commented that the game is changing in fundamental ways but hastened to add that he doesn't think it's a bad thing.
Had Bama won, he'd have a different tone. This has been one of the more entertaining, fun seasons I've watched perhaps in my lifetime (not related to USC football...obviously watching us win the East then 3 straight 11 wins seasons was more fun).
I maintain that college football for the general, casual fan is better than it's ever been. There's parity, great players, fun games, etc...what more can you want?
It's a very different discussion for diehard fans of individual programs, especially mid-tier programs like South Carolina. The transfer portal, NIL, opt-outs, etc. all make it more difficult to get excited about an individual team. As soon as you get to know and like individual players, they're gone. Fans are begged for more and more money to "pay" the players. If a player leaves, it's the fans' fault for giving enough money. Unrestricted transfers create free agency, where good players leave lower level schools for greener pastures. Every once in awhile, the portal drops Spencer Rattler in your lap, but more often than not you've got Wells, Bell, Lloyd all leaving for "better" opportunities. None of these changes is good for the diehard fan wanting a better program.
It's a much better overall product. We're no better or worse than we were before NIL/Portal. But seeing so much parity happening at the top is a great change.
I feel like we sit around hoping for something to change to make us better. Reality is, the only way we're getting there is competent leadership hiring competent people. Just like any other business. There may be some tweaks along the way that help us. But nothing that is going to take us from a 5-6 win program to a title contender. That's going to have to come from with the walls of our athletics department. Is Beamer competent? We'll find out soon enough.
From a wins/loss standpoint we're no better or worse. But fans are being asked to pour more and more resources into an otherwise mediocre program with little hope for championship contention. Fan engagement with players is possible through NIL, but those same players now can leave without consequences after one season. An otherwise exciting non-playoff bowl (last year's Gator Bowl, for example) is decimated by players deciding not to play.
So yep, overall product is fantastic. The games yesterday proved that. But for the Gamecock fan, or the fan of any other similar program, it's not better. It's a weird dichotomy.
