1-AA 2.0

[goapps]

https://athlonsports.com/college-footba ... nd-big-ten

[Bigdaddyg1]

If you theoretically took the entire fan bases of every G5 team and put them in a room and asked them if they cared whether or not their team played in the CFP or a separate division (with their own championship) or some other format I'd bet that a huge number would not either know the difference or care. I'm talking about the great majority who don't live and die with this crap. You walk around the campuses on game days for schools who generally don't vie for titles and you still see people tailgating and having fun. Those people still go watch the games and many of them don't know the difference in FCS, FBS, playoff formats or any of that stuff. Even at the big boy level there are tons of fans of teams who didn't even attend their favorite school. Every Saturday during the season you can turn on games involving power schools who are 3-6 and the stadium is still full and students are happy and having fun. In my opinion this stuff only really matters to the hard core segment who take it way too seriously. I strongly disagree with the statement that fans of G5 schools "would be happy" to have their own playoff- like FCS. Most of us just know the reality. Part of the annual beauty of college football- at least for another year or two, is that we still have an opportunity to win it all. This new deal guaranteeing certain predetermined spots to SEC and Big10 teams is insane. I have no problem letting the top 14 teams get in as long as the criteria is fair and equitable. If major college football does end up with basically two huge conferences that are basically two semi pro divisions the average college football fan is going to tune out.

[appdaze]

Notre Dame has their own category and gets in the playoffs if they are deemed good enough without any conference. It won't be much longer before the true big boys start making their own TV deals etc. like ND. These conference heads think they are the big dogs but really they are road blocks for the money movers to make more money. The whole sham of college football is going to come crashing down as a product in the next 15 years as this money grab worsens. College football will survive but it will take some time to rebuild to what it once was.

Just wait until gambling really kicks it into high gear. High stakes gamblers will place million dollar bets on teams in the pre season and then shove a bunch of NIL money at players they think will win them those bets. The shit storm is coming and it won't be pretty.

[Apple@chin1]

Paul Finebaun is a useless talking head who has never worn a pair of shoulder pads or helmet in his life. He’s the stereotypical mainstream media douche who believes that he is the smartest person in the room. He’s a complete A5 sellout pushing the narrative.

[Bigdaddyg1]

Other than the obvious money grab I don't know why these "experts" believe that this is actually good for the sport. At least in the NFL if your front office isn't totally inept (Panthers) the league is built for every team to have a legitimate chance to win. Salary caps, balanced schedules and draft picks allow for equal opportunity. You have to wonder how much NIL money those 35 or so players standing on the sidelines of the major schools are/or will get? A player at the bottom of an NFL roster gets around $500k at least. Will we see that 3rd string Georgia quarterback getting $100k to hold a clipboard and take the money even if he could be starting at App and "only" getting a relatively small payday from a relatively small collective or local restaurant?

[hapapp]

The idea that the SEC and the Big Ten get auto byes is absurd beyond setting aside a certain number of guaranteed spots for them. They likely would get those spots anyway but saying they get byes is an insult to say a Clemson or Florida State.

[RaleighApp27609]

“I said something to Greg last week on his podcast about the Group of Five, and every time you criticize the Group of Five you get the three or four fans from Tulane coming after you and then the Boise State crowd, everybody in Cincinnati,” Finebaum said. “But the fact of the matter is they have played great football and they have been outliers and have made noise occasionally. But the Group of Five just simply doesn’t belong in the same tournament with the SEC and the Big Ten.”

Paul Fienbaum shouldn't be concerned about low-level G5's somehow making the playoff. I thought the point of the playoffs was to weed out non-performing teams in the pursuit of a championship? By his own admission above, G5's can and do make noise in NY6 games. Why wouldn't that also not occur in a playoff system?

[Stonewall]

I’ve always thought the magic of the ncaa basketball tournament is the first week upsets , giant killings , and the Cinderella runs . And yes , the ACC teams getting knocked out and the moaning that follows. In any event football playoffs could benefit from the same . In my world anyway.

[AppWyo]

If you theoretically took the entire fan bases of every G5 team and put them in a room and asked them if they cared whether or not their team played in the CFP or a separate division (with their own championship) or some other format I'd bet that a huge number would not either know the difference or care. I'm talking about the great majority who don't live and die with this crap. You walk around the campuses on game days for schools who generally don't vie for titles and you still see people tailgating and having fun. Those people still go watch the games and many of them don't know the difference in FCS, FBS, playoff formats or any of that stuff. Even at the big boy level there are tons of fans of teams who didn't even attend their favorite school. Every Saturday during the season you can turn on games involving power schools who are 3-6 and the stadium is still full and students are happy and having fun. In my opinion this stuff only really matters to the hard core segment who take it way too seriously. I strongly disagree with the statement that fans of G5 schools "would be happy" to have their own playoff- like FCS. Most of us just know the reality. Part of the annual beauty of college football- at least for another year or two, is that we still have an opportunity to win it all. This new deal guaranteeing certain predetermined spots to SEC and Big10 teams is insane. I have no problem letting the top 14 teams get in as long as the criteria is fair and equitable. If major college football does end up with basically two huge conferences that are basically two semi pro divisions the average college football fan is going to tune out.

Basically the only reason we know anything about the FCS or care is because we were an FCS Power. The same holds true of JMU, Marshall, Georgia Southern, and to some extent Coastal. Arkansas State, ULM, Texas State, and Troy were powers as well. Football maters to Southern Miss and Louisiana too. Georgia State and South Alabama care about football, but do not have the history that the others have.

[AppOrange]

One of the biggest enigmas to me with this whole thing is why is there no mobilization of the G5 and smaller P5 schools to secure opportunity. I know nationally no one cares about any one entity, but together, those millions of fans do actually matter in engagement and content. Lose them and your product is just not as strong imo. A concerted/unified effort crying fowl about monopolies, greed and inclusion would go along way in this PC world. Force them to not so openly oppose everyone having a chance. I personally think with the current wild west, and players leaving big schools for playing time, upsets could actually become more common and an emphasis on culture and teams gelling become bigger then ever. Also looking forward to all these greedy teams paying big NIL money for 5-5 seasons. I wonder how that will go.

[AppWyo]

One of the biggest enigmas to me with this whole thing is why is there no mobilization of the G5 and smaller P5 schools to secure opportunity. I know nationally no one cares about any one entity, but together, those millions of fans do actually matter in engagement and content. Lose them and your product is just not as strong imo. A concerted/unified effort crying fowl about monopolies, greed and inclusion would go along way in this PC world. Force them to not so openly oppose everyone having a chance. I personally think with the current wild west, and players leaving big schools for playing time, upsets could actually become more common and an emphasis on culture and teams gelling become bigger then ever. Also looking forward to all these greedy teams paying big NIL money for 5-5 seasons. I wonder how that will go.

That is when the BIGGER FOUR, Appalachian, Georgia Southern, James Maddison, and Marshall, start winning their FBS National Championships...

[Rekdiver]

We played ny the rules, met the qualifications and now they change the rules.
I will believe there is an earthshaking lawsuit in here somewhere.

[Bigdaddyg1]

I've asked this before but I don't know if I ever read a reasonable explanation. Who decided officially that half of the division 1 FBS (or whatever we play) college football teams are relegated to a G and the other half are elevated to a P? I totally get that money and sizes of athletic budgets vary greatly but why does that matter if 131 teams are playing in the same level? We all carry 85 scholarship players, adhere to the same practice rules, all play 12 regular season games, etc. To me the fact that someone probably unofficially arbitrarily decided that there is a Group of 5 is enough for a lawsuit. And the fact that a body has now decided that basically only 1 team from the relegated group will get a token shot at the playoffs while 6 slots will automatically go to two conferences. I'm with you Rek this reaks.

[moonshine]

I've asked this before but I don't know if I ever read a reasonable explanation. Who decided officially that half of the division 1 FBS (or whatever we play) college football teams are relegated to a G and the other half are elevated to a P? I totally get that money and sizes of athletic budgets vary greatly but why does that matter if 131 teams are playing in the same level? We all carry 85 scholarship players, adhere to the same practice rules, all play 12 regular season games, etc. To me the fact that someone probably unofficially arbitrarily decided that there is a Group of 5 is enough for a lawsuit. And the fact that a body has now decided that basically only 1 team from the relegated group will get a token shot at the playoffs while 6 slots will automatically go to two conferences. I'm with you Rek this reaks.

When did this separation even begin and why is allowed to exist?

2014 after the NCAA Div 1 Board of Directors voted 16-2 to give the Big 5 conference autonomy. It's allowed to exist because it was voted into existence.

While I agree with your premise of the imaginary split, my understanding is the G5 programs didn't want the A5 to split and leave them behind relegating those 60+ programs to essentially the new FCS. The A5 now gets to set the rules as I believe their votes count 2:1. I believe the A5 understands they need the G5 to help pad their W's and keep boosters happy as an all A5 schedule would force a lot of proud programs to get comfortable going .500 or worse year in and year out. However, the A5 wants the power to govern themselves and push through rule changes as they see fit such as additional benefits/stipends and NIL that's coming down the pipeline. G5 programs will be under the same rules and can provide the same benefits but most won't keep up due to budgetary restraints.

As for 10 conference champions in the playoffs, I don't think we'll ever see it. At this point, the best we can hope for is an expansion that includes the best G5. Then it's up to SBC programs to continue the current trajectory and break that glass ceiling.

[AppWyo]

I've asked this before but I don't know if I ever read a reasonable explanation. Who decided officially that half of the division 1 FBS (or whatever we play) college football teams are relegated to a G and the other half are elevated to a P? I totally get that money and sizes of athletic budgets vary greatly but why does that matter if 131 teams are playing in the same level? We all carry 85 scholarship players, adhere to the same practice rules, all play 12 regular season games, etc. To me the fact that someone probably unofficially arbitrarily decided that there is a Group of 5 is enough for a lawsuit. And the fact that a body has now decided that basically only 1 team from the relegated group will get a token shot at the playoffs while 6 slots will automatically go to two conferences. I'm with you Rek this reaks.

It all goes back to the BCS days when the only teams that could be considered for those games were the automatic qualifiers in the Autonomous Conferences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Five_conferences

[NewApp]

Do we fund all 85 scholarships as athletic scholarships and not some as academic scholarships?

[Bigdaddyg1]

I've asked this before but I don't know if I ever read a reasonable explanation. Who decided officially that half of the division 1 FBS (or whatever we play) college football teams are relegated to a G and the other half are elevated to a P? I totally get that money and sizes of athletic budgets vary greatly but why does that matter if 131 teams are playing in the same level? We all carry 85 scholarship players, adhere to the same practice rules, all play 12 regular season games, etc. To me the fact that someone probably unofficially arbitrarily decided that there is a Group of 5 is enough for a lawsuit. And the fact that a body has now decided that basically only 1 team from the relegated group will get a token shot at the playoffs while 6 slots will automatically go to two conferences. I'm with you Rek this reaks.

When did this separation even begin and why is allowed to exist?

2014 after the NCAA Div 1 Board of Directors voted 16-2 to give the Big 5 conference autonomy. It's allowed to exist because it was voted into existence.

While I agree with your premise of the imaginary split, my understanding is the G5 programs didn't want the A5 to split and leave them behind relegating those 60+ programs to essentially the new FCS. The A5 now gets to set the rules as I believe their votes count 2:1. I believe the A5 understands they need the G5 to help pad their W's and keep boosters happy as an all A5 schedule would force a lot of proud programs to get comfortable going .500 or worse year in and year out. However, the A5 wants the power to govern themselves and push through rule changes as they see fit such as additional benefits/stipends and NIL that's coming down the pipeline. G5 programs will be under the same rules and can provide the same benefits but most won't keep up due to budgetary restraints.

As for 10 conference champions in the playoffs, I don't think we'll ever see it. At this point, the best we can hope for is an expansion that includes the best G5. Then it's up to SBC programs to continue the current trajectory and break that glass ceiling.

Ok thanks so there was an actual official vote by an officially recognized board who had the authority to envoke the recognized separation. So did the same board come up with the latest rules for the playoff that essentially gives one spot between about 60 schools?

[AtlAppMan]

By Paul’s rules everybody outside the SEC and B1G are unworthy and undeserving of being allowed to compete in the CFP. That means ALL the ACC and Big12 along with G5 shouldn’t be included. His pool of worthy schools is quickly dwindling. His business model is just not viable. I know those two super conferences will try to pull it off but the business model is not sustainable in the long run. He has no clue what he is talking about.

[Bigdaddyg1]

You can take those conferences a step further. Will Vandy, Maryland, Minnesota, Rutgers, etc suddenly rise up and be 11-1 type teams? Do college football fans really want the same teams getting byes every year and then the same 3-5 teams filling in the next slots? So basically around 120ish schools every year will battle it out to grab about 6 playoff slots. Gee that's great.

[311neers]

The idea that the SEC and the Big Ten get auto byes is absurd beyond setting aside a certain number of guaranteed spots for them. They likely would get those spots anyway but saying they get byes is an insult to say a Clemson or Florida State.

The ACC is a very weak conference which is why both Clemson and FSU have been linked to leaving. The SEC had 5 top 10 teams last year. It’s always funny that when bowl season comes around it’s usually ACC 2 v SEC 6 or 7 and a close game. I’m not sure the Big 10 is deserving of the autobyes and maybe the SEC isn’t either, but based on history and the teams below, the SEC is more than capable of getting 4-6 teams in every year regardless of byes and locks.
Alabama
Georgia
Texas
Oklahoma
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Shoot Auburn and Florida have national championships in the past 2 decades and are barely top 10 teams in their conference now.

That could be a playoff in itself. It’s all about money unfortunately.