Only 4 teams from the northeast played in bowl games this year. Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers and Army. Only one of those teams won....Army. College football is is on a 'respirator' close to death in this region. Think about the reasons.
Northeastern football
- Thread starter Alphalion75
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I think you’re onto something. And it’s not just the northeast. Even the mid Atlantic states such as Virginia and North Carolina are ho-hum.
The game is moving South and West…along with the country’s population. Only the northern programs that can recruit nationally have a shot at real contention.
I also believe it's related to culture. Especially the culture of the schools' administrators in the northeast. Are they committed to the 'business' of college football at level of southern schools?
I think you are on to something. It’s not a coincidence that the motto for the SEC is “it just matters more”.
Maybe civilized parts of the country don‘t want their kids’ brains scrambled, but in the south at least they don’t have a problem with it.
Not only an issue in college but also in HS. During the 50, 60 and 70’s my high school was a group 1 powerhouse winning numerous State titles. Three years ago they canceled the football program. Approximately 70% of the schools student body is Asian and Indian and they prefer to play soccer, tennis and track. Of the remaining 30% not enough kids went out out for the football team to meet the NJSIAA requirements. We are not alone, I believe other municipalities are either combining schools or using a regional concept in terms of HS football. I know it’s a sensitive subject but it’s the truth.
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That's a generalization my friend and antiquated, provincial thinking. Compare the academic ranking of Georgia with Penn State's. (US News and World Report).
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I might be wrong here, but I believe I read an article showing the current administration/BOT has not only tanked the football program but also the academic standing of PSU. Not to mention making it largely unaffordable for many.
Who else falls in your definition of “northeast”? UConn, UMass, Temple, and Syracuse? Is it really surprising for 4 of those 8 schools to make a Bowl Game? Pitt had their most successful season in a generation and PSU is still packing them into Beaver Stadium and has created an incredible home environment. College football certainly isn’t “close to death” in our region.
Guess if you're tossing Army in the NE, Maryland better be included and they won their bowl game.
There are numerous teams in the NE that haven't been relevant for a while, aside from a year here or there. And a bunch haven't been relevant since the Ivy Leagues were dominant.
Pitt plays in less than half filled stadium and Beaver Stadium is only filled when there is a white out. Syracuse and Boston College used to play in bowls every year. You're blind if you can't see the decline in football in the Northeast.
What is antiquated thinking is hoping your kid plays high school and college football to get his brain scrambled in the off-chance he will make the NFL to get his brain scrambled even more. That has nothing to do with the relative academic standings of the universities.
Including this year, BC has been in bowl games in 7 of the past 9 seasons. When was it that they were a dominant program making bowl games more often than recently?
Has Pitt’s attendance actually dropped, or have they always faced the same attendance issues since they moved off campus? I believe this season was likely higher than most as of late, which wouldn’t be a sign of a “decline”.
Ok....so you believe that over the past 30 years college football has not declined in the northeast?
30 years? Not too much. And certainly not to the level that someone could say “College football is is on a 'respirator' close to death in this region.”
Not too much? You seem to be a nice fella. I'll leave you with your 'thoughts'. Have a peaceful evening.
The product of California , Oregon, and Washington has dropped far more than the Northeast.
The good west coast players are heading to the Big 10 and SEC for a reason.
The good west coast players are heading to the Big 10 and SEC for a reason.
I always think about the state of Ohio when this subject comes up. Although considered Midwest, they literally border PA. Out of curiosity, I looked up their population trends. 2/3 of Ohio counties lost people since the last census. The overall population grew, but at a way lower rate than the country as a whole. Georgia will soon pass them as the 7th largest state in the US.
We all sit here and say everyone is moving south and football is in decline in the Northeast, which I’m not saying is untrue. But here sits our neighbor to the west, with the same demographics and population trends, though maybe somewhat muted, and they seem to have no trouble with pumping out powerhouse football program(s) every year. This year they not only had Ohio State (down year with 2 losses!) but also another playoff team in Cincy.
If you have a national recruiting base, it doesn’t really matter about the kids in your backyard anymore.
We all sit here and say everyone is moving south and football is in decline in the Northeast, which I’m not saying is untrue. But here sits our neighbor to the west, with the same demographics and population trends, though maybe somewhat muted, and they seem to have no trouble with pumping out powerhouse football program(s) every year. This year they not only had Ohio State (down year with 2 losses!) but also another playoff team in Cincy.
If you have a national recruiting base, it doesn’t really matter about the kids in your backyard anymore.
Most likely in 20 years football will be Our robots can beat your robots, or it will be meta verse oriented. Might not be all that bad though since our Engineers can beat your Engineers could result in more advancements to improve quality of life for all. But hey, I could be wrong at which time Alabama will have 25 championships. They do have the goat of college football coaches.
Seems to be more of an NJ issue. NY thru New England was never really football-centric culture like PA and in some parts of NJ. If you know the ethnic makeup of the different areas in NJ then it makes perfect sense but it's not all over. I'm well aware of West Windsor-Plainsboro dropping football based on lack of participation and I think they are a bigger school. Group 1 was the smallest high school designation at least when I played in NJ 40 years ago.
Yes, it was quite the accomplishment, particularly when one considers the ancillary result of alienating a fair portion of the alumni base.
And throwing away a tremendous legacy of excellence ("Success With Honor") that could have been leveraged to "move on" to the next generation.
Big picture you could say that aside from 4 or 5 schools college football has declined in the last 10 years. U$C, Texas, Nebby, Washington all out of the footprint you cite.