Opt outs and the portal killing Bowl games

The only way I can see to fix it at this point is to remove the “amateur” label from the athletes and make them sign legally binding contracts. If they opt out, they don’t get paid.

There is such an easy way to fix this:

Negotiate with the players. Unionize them, set a salary cap, set minimum/maximum salaries, and do this right. College football is nothing more than admins and coaches trying to suck every last penny out of the athletes before it falls apart. Capitalism, yay!

Killing? Killed. I don’t know if it can be resurrected but it’s clearly dead at the moment. A couple of good games cannot and should not revive it. The entire sport has lost credibility for players and fans. Major changes have to happen for it to have any meaning. Or it needs to disconnect from Universities and just become a AAA Team for the NFL…let them pay for the stadiums and travel etc. But it’s out of control and unless something radical happens it shouldn’t be a part of the University budget.

Lane Kiffin essentially said the same thing; that you can’t allow players to leave during this time of bowl season. He said this is still part of of their season.

Sorry – don’t have a link but saw it on IG.

Everything has an expiration date. I firmly believe that non-CFP bowl games are about to reach theirs. I mean, they’re no longer even at the level of NFL exhibition games. With the NFL games, at least you have guys busting their collective asses trying to stick with a club.

I’d be really interested in seeing what the ratings are for most bowl games. Probably close to the entertainment level of each game. My big takeaway is that now that we have a legitimate CFP, i see zero need for meaningless exhibition games. I hope universities take note and do the right thing on this issue.

College FB does not need the long break before bowl season. Need to get into it quicker and finish in time for transfers to complete the entire season, process their changes, and get enrolled in January at the new school. May need to start earlier in August like HS. Players and schools should be penalized for contacts during the season. NIL providers need to be smart enough to require players to stay to the finish. The NFL should be willing to help because of how much they benefit by becoming vocal about the importance of college players completing their season. The value proposition for a college player that leaves before the bowl game should be like the trade value of a NFL player that quits their team late in the season because their team is not going to make the playoffs. The football industry needs to work together or watch it diminish.

Pure and simple, college football is corrupt, money hungry, and greedy has hell. Take the power away from the media and shut their money making machine down. This is where the fed goverment would come in and do their job to regulate all this and IMO, transfer portal and NIL wouldn’t exist. Student athletes would choose their school based on their interests, committment and finish out the college academic at that school, not money or transfer portal opportunities. Unfortunately, the feds are corrupt as hell and only regulating their pockets with taxpayer money.

I’ve been thinking this all December. I watched one half of a bowl game. The first half of the Utah game. Had a family activity planned in the second half and made the right decision.

With the portal and NLI, bowl games are meaningless. I mean much more meaningless than before.

I’m interested to see what happens next year with a 12 team playoff. But it could be disastrous.

Will the bottom 4-6 teams have players opting out due to the portal, NLI, or NFL? I think so, and that will only strengthen the argument of the Big 10 and SEC others should be excluded.

I echo the frustration felt by many on here.
There are some that think the expanded playoffs will help the situation, but IMO it is only a matter of time before star players opt out of the CFB playoffs the same way they opt out of bowl games.

What does a star player get out of a playoff game appearance? There is no extra money, only extra injury risk. Why risk that when you have a shot at big NFL money? It is only pressure from teammates that likely keeps those stars playing in playoff games.

NIL money is not tied to performance or playing (although, there may be some contracts that have that clause). Unless the players become actual employees and have money on the line, I see no reason why the playoffs will save CFB.