2017 College Football season is here

[Grand58742]

There were down years no doubt. Stallings time at Bama wasn't that bad....other then the Antonio Langham situation.

NYH1.

NYH1.

Which was kind of my point. Even the traditional powerhouses go through spells of "suck" years mainly due to inept coaching.

As for the Bama hate, well, I'm a Vol fan. That's kind of ingrained into our being. Here's to hoping TSIO gets to be crazy again.

[chuckman]

Don't be hatin on Fulmer.

I have to disagree. I think proper coaching and recruiting plays into it far more into it these days than in years past. Kids aren't always going to the big name schools out of tradition like they did 20 years ago or so. Michigan, for example, had some pretty rough stretches. Bama was a craphole post Bear Bryant until Saban came along. Clemson was a doormat team until about five years ago. Tennessee has not been doing all that hot the last decade. Texas sucks. Etc, etc.

But you've also has some upstart programs that have made waves in the past decade or a bit longer that aren't necessarily in a P5 conference. Memphis, UCF, Boise State, WKU, BYU (not sure if they count being an Indie team) and San Diego State are all non-P5 teams that have fielded teams good year after year for the most part over the past decade. And that's due to coaching more than what conference they are in.

I think, by and large, all the P5 "blue blood" programs will rise and fall. However, I think the coaching and recruiting plays far more into it than a name alone. There is no reason Tennessee or Florida State or UCLA shouldn't be fielding top 10 teams every year.

Yes, coaching absolutely plays into it; but it is a self-fulfilling prophecy (and good for those schools): the great coaches who turn out great teams will generally do so regularly. Maybe not always top-5, but consistently top-whatever. Usually when they don't it's because of a spate of injuries or some NCAA violation. Holds true in basketball too.

But here's the thing with the non-P5 teams: they are particularly good because of the coaching. That also is true. They have consistency and stability, and players respond to that. They take 3-star talent and turn them into 4- and 5-star players, but what they can accomplish is limited; there is a ceiling, and there has been ever since the BCS was created. That and the playoffs have driven a chasm between the haves and have-nots, so while the Boise States, et al., can continue to be good, even undefeated (talking to you, UCF), they will always have a seat at the little kids' table. THAT is a travesty.

Pre-BCS it was anyone's game. One upon a time a lot of the "little" schools got 4-star (sometimes 5-star) talent because the coaches could always sell "...but there is a chance." That's no longer the case.

[NYH1]

Which was kind of my point. Even the traditional powerhouses go through spells of "suck" years mainly due to inept coaching.

As for the Bama hate, well, I'm a Vol fan. That's kind of ingrained into our being. Here's to hoping TSIO gets to be crazy again.

Yes sir!

[Grand58742]

Yes, coaching absolutely plays into it; but it is a self-fulfilling prophecy (and good for those schools): the great coaches who turn out great teams will generally do so regularly. Maybe not always top-5, but consistently top-whatever. Usually when they don't it's because of a spate of injuries or some NCAA violation. Holds true in basketball too.

But here's the thing with the non-P5 teams: they are particularly good because of the coaching. That also is true. They have consistency and stability, and players respond to that. They take 3-star talent and turn them into 4- and 5-star players, but what they can accomplish is limited; there is a ceiling, and there has been ever since the BCS was created. That and the playoffs have driven a chasm between the haves and have-nots, so while the Boise States, et al., can continue to be good, even undefeated (talking to you, UCF), they will always have a seat at the little kids' table. THAT is a travesty.

Pre-BCS it was anyone's game. One upon a time a lot of the "little" schools got 4-star (sometimes 5-star) talent because the coaches could always sell "...but there is a chance." That's no longer the case.

Agree.

[NYH1]

Anyone watch any of the bowl games yesterday? Any of them any good? I was plowing and didn't get to see them.

NYH1.

[chuckman]

I know we have talked about the Power 5/Group of 5 disparity. Here's a good article on that very topic.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/getting...nots/17198880/

I have always maintained that before the BCS/playoff systems, there wasn't quite the disparity there is now. It'll only get worse.

[NYH1]

The better non-power 5 schools should try to join a power conference. The Big 12 will probably be looking to expand. The PAC 12 might too.

Lets be real though, most of the non-power 5 schools still wouldn't be that good even if they joined a power 5 conference. There's a lot of power 5 schools now that suck year after year. Just being in a power 5 conference and getting more money isn't the end all be all to being good.

I don't get excited about non-power 5 schools....Notre Dame included. That's just me.

NYH1.

[chuckman]

The better non-power 5 schools should try to join a power conference. The Big 12 will probably be looking to expand. The PAC 12 might too.

Lets be real though, most of the non-power 5 schools still wouldn't be that good even if they joined a power 5 conference. There's a lot of power 5 schools now that suck year after year. Just being in a power 5 conference and getting more money isn't the end all be all to being good.

I don't get excited about non-power 5 schools....Notre Dame included. That's just me.

NYH1.

It's hard for a non-P5 school to make a leap. It's all about revenue, and if they can't prove TV shares would bring in enough revenue, the smaller schools won't get a nibble. Sure, if they get to the P5 the $ would be so much better, but then you still have to get talent and coach it to be successful. Even P5 schools have a tough enough time with this (Kentucky, Boston College, just to name two).

My alma mater is a Group of 5 school, who routinely beats ranked P5 schools...with a budget a quarter of most P5 teams. But like UCF they could win out and still be on the outside looking in. I advocate a separate playoff for Group of 5 schools, and sending the top two to the Power 5 playoff (even as the last two in).

As for Notre Dame, they will be independent as long as they want to be...they are about the only non-P5 school with a budget to match anyone else's. Plus, they will ALWAYS bring in a ton of TV revenue, they travel well, and everyone likes to beat them, even when they have 'bad' years. They have all but formally declared that when they affiliate, it'll be with the ACC (which is a stupid decision, but that's another topic).

[NYH1]

Conferences split conference championship game, TV and bowl revenue amongst their teams. Even the Vanderbilt's and Indiana's get their share of that money. Teams like Vanderbilt and Indiana are a good example of just belonging to a power 5 conference doesn't help teams win.

Teams like Boise St., UCF and USF would be an asset to a power 5 conference. They should be knocking down the Big 12 and/or PAC 12 door to join. It'd be a win win for all involved. However, a lot of non-power 5 teams have a good season then we don't see or hear from them again. Mostly because their coach gets hired by a bigtime school and they fall back to where they always were.

Notre Dame will be an independent as long other teams continue to play them. Don't play them and there's no big TV contract and they'll have to join a conference like everyone else. If I was a AD I wouldn't play them.

NYH1.

[chuckman]

Conferences split conference championship game, TV and bowl revenue amongst their teams. Even the Vanderbilt's and Indiana's get their share of that money. Teams like Vanderbilt and Indiana are a good example of just belonging to a power 5 conference doesn't help teams win.

Teams like Boise St., UCF and USF would be an asset to a power 5 conference. They should be knocking down the Big 12 and/or PAC 12 door to join. It'd be a win win for all involved. However, a lot of non-power 5 teams have a good season then we don't see or hear from them again. Mostly because their coach gets hired by a bigtime school and they fall back to where they always were.

Notre Dame will be an independent as long other teams continue to play them. Don't play them and there's no big TV contract and they'll have to join a conference like everyone else. If I was a AD I wouldn't play them.

NYH1.

Yep, a good example of the haves and have-nots: even the worst P5 teams will get revenue from the better teams in the conference. The P5 conferences won't look at a Go5 team unless they can bring in TV revenue that's not there. And yes, Go5 teams are springboards for coaches: only 4 years ago Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley was an offensive coordinator at a Go5 school.

As for Notre Dame, they have the money to underwrite their own games. Remember it wasn't too long ago NBC had the exclusive rights to their games. As Forrest Gump said "they have more money than God." Every AD wants to schedule them: they ALWAYS pay big, they ALWAYS travel well, and unlike when they used to be untouchable, now they are beatable, and who doesn't want to beat Notre Dame? They don't need a conference, and every team wants to play and beat them. It's all but written in blood when they decide to join, it'll be the ACC (stupid name for a mega-conference that stretches to East bend, Indiana).