Has College Football Finally Fumbled? 

     From the beginning of the 20th century until now, college football has grown from nothing to a sport you can pay thousands for a ticket. From obscure fields to bleachers, to stadiums and finally, tiered structures, iconic designs and "boxes" for privileged fans. 

     We don't tell anyone to stop supporting and rooting for their team. We do note that under new freedoms, players can earn money, and many do stop supporting their favorite team - to join another team giving them a better chance at playing time. Betting is an evil. 

     In 1936, long before television, sports writers began ranking teams, and crowning champions ... by vote. Later, conference championships. There were few post-season bowl games. Now, there are enough bowl games to offer invitations to every team with a winning record. If it's an odd number, they can always invite a 6 and 6 team to save the game. 

     Is all this to please the players, or to raise money for school athletic departments? And revenue for TV and radio? 

     Did I say 6 and 6? Teams once played nine games a season, with no championship games. One year a Big Ten Rose Bowl team was chosen by a 6-4 vote of school athletic directors. Shameful: They could have raised lots of cash by having the two teams who played to a tie and finished with identical records...play again. 

     We thought giving us 12 regular season games was great. (The NFL has gone to 17 games, plus a schedule of playoffs.) 

     College dudes were paying attention. Post-season playoffs have involved four teams. We would have included any other team with only one loss. But 12? Teams with three losses will be in this. Ridiculous! Meanwhile, a good two-loss team that didn't qualify for its conference championship game will get more time to rest for the playoffs. 

     Another hiccup is players headed for the NFL draft. They have to choose between loyalty to their teammates (& possible injury) or getting ready for the financially important draft.  

     So, this rodeo goes into January. We hope not February. Spring training begins in March, and the players need time to study their books. 😜 

     If our favorite team wins the national championship, we still dislike what money has done to our favorite sport. And if they lose, we won't shed a tear.

     We all can return to sanity. Root for one of the level 2 teams next year.

               Jimmy