It's a good article, but he's not breaking any new ground there. The WWI analogy is the only "new" thing in that article. The rest is moral outrage that is a well traveled road, plus obvious points about rivalries being lost, blah blah blah.

1. This article could (and should) have been written when "the system" was having WVU make conference roadtrips to Lubbock. 2. The media, which Forde represents, is complicit in all of this. However, I am glad that big names like Forde are at least saying something. 3. I would have liked if Forde would actually put forward solutions to where we are now. Recognizing the problems is good. But at the end of the day, we need to know how to get out of this spiral.

Supreme Court's ruling in 1984 that the NCAA violated antitrust laws on how it managed the broadcasting of college football games. That ruling was the first domino to fall just like the assassination was the first domino to fall which ultimately lead to WWI.

Not so in 1984 college football. Also, it wasn't just TV. But the utilization of the conference championship rule in the early '90s to go to 12 teams and have division in order to qualify as a conference to have a title game. This was a game changer for realignment.

championship game was also a game changer. However, it isn't clear if it would have still happened if the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the NCAA. A reason to even consider holding a conference championship game is it would mean broadcasting 1 more game which means more TV money for the conference. ** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 8/3/2023, 12:17:49 PM

were to play this out into event leading up to the next great event in modern day history it might be the Stock Market Crash and subsequent Great Depression era. In my sequel, things look good for "the haves" of the SEC/BIG as in the Roaring 20s and then suddenly reality sets in and the likes of ESPN driving the train but not necessarily seeing the viewership and therefore revenue needed to pay the bills. Part of same crash might be the overall decline in "athletic donations" as more and more alumni set priorities on preserving their own income and not getting tax donations that they once did. That leads to same situation for FOX, NBC that also seek apathy and disgust by viewers leading to declining revenue. And then we are lead into the Great Depression/Decline of College sports teams in general for everyone since they no longer have the cash stream I'll let others dream up more events leading to the utimate college athletic doomsday

NASCAR. NASCAR was a regional sport with a loyal and passionate fanbase. They grew and strengthened that fanbase, plus added the next level of fans who became fairly loyal, through a partnership with a growing cable network called ESPN. They reached a point where their next growth was non-sports fans and pushing outside their regional roots, plus getting greedy, they bought up tracks and pushed out the long time small owners (teams and tracks) to create a more corporate environment while moving to NBC (to whom they were just another property to sell as opposed to their symbiotic relationship with ESPN). Consolidation of teams began, the racing became boilerplate, everything sponsored and corporate. They attracted some of those non-sports fans, but in the process the sports fans (non-die hards) lost interest because it was no longer exciting, you knew every week which 4 or 5 drivers was going to win, conversations about late cautions that benefited the same teams every week began and the fans stopped tuning in. Without the ratings, NBC cut back, the fans stopped packing the tracks, ESPN moved on to college sports and corn-hole (they even tried to make Bass Fishing a thing to provide content for those that lost interest in NASCAR). So now NASCAR is kind of an outcast. Still there, still lots of money, but just floundering around. It has a core audience that will never leave it, but it is what it is, and it isn't something most people talk about. That is where CFB is heading IMO. We are at peak CFB, they are now in the we have to grow and they are forgetting what the core is (the broad swath of fans that cares about their school and that creates interest in other games) in their search for the next fan. We're starting to move on, not even watching most of our school's games and watching almost none of the other games. These huge contracts won't generate the growth that is required to meet their payouts, even if there isn't contraction of revenue, there won't be significant growth. Then what, these schools that are jumping for the huge paydays are not gonna see them. The bubble will burst, just like NASCAR's, and the promises of huge money won't be there.

I'm all about capitalism and making money, but college sports are unrecognizable from their former charm and intrigue.

Put a new conference logo on the field....stadiums will still fill and people will still watch. CFB still king.

Look at the replies to your post - lots of people are saying "enough", if they haven't already checked out altogether. I quit watching CFB (including VT games) several years ago, and I highly doubt I will ever watch again as long as the sport remains a de-facto professional league masquerading as if it has anything to do with college. It just feels gross to me and I want nothing to do with it. I'm actively rooting for an acceleration to the self-cannibalization process that seems to be underway. The faster it all collapses the better, as far as I'm concerned.

I used to watch 4-6 games a week. Now I watch 1-2. I'm done with SEC and B1G conference games.

I don't give a crap about any other team, and I refuse to watch any P2 football unless we're part of it...and only our conference.

The historic Power Schools in the B1G and SEC will do just fine (OSU Bucknuts, McChicken, State Penn, Bama, UGa, etc). Ask Nebraska how the B1G experience has been for them. Think Texas will love the SEC when they can't compete in the Big XII? USC and UCLA fans excited for teams like Minny and Purdoo-doo to replace Oregan and Stanford on their schedules (and think of this road trips)! Talk to any Maryland alums and ask how much they care about their "rivalry" with Rutgers and those matchups with Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, etc. They love the money, but they miss playing Duke and UNC. Does WVU care about Iowa State and the rest of the Big XII? Maybe that's why they are trying to fill their non-conference schedules with VT, Pitt and PSU. Now consider that when the dust settles, there will be good programs left behind. All of the Big XII, some Pac-12 leftovers and eventually ACC leftovers. Do Pitt fans care about PSU? GT fans root for UGA? If UVA gets into the B1G and VT is left behind, will the Commonwealth suddenly rally 'round the Hoos? The "left-behinds" may form a conference or two with regional rivals. If VT is part of that, think about schedules with WVU, Pitt, Wake, Duke, GT, Loserville, Cincinnati. Regional rivals yes... but with a second-tier feel to it. I don't see fans of these schools caring much about the B1G or SEC while their school is left behind. College football will erode bit by bit as each fanbase is shoved aside. And even some fanbases that "make it" will long for the good old days of regional conferences.

they are playing Tech. I would enjoy watching Tech blow out Purdue and Rutgers this fall and upsetting FSU in Tallahassee. ;)

declining attendance amongst the past generations and now present that aren't attending games, have little interest. Those same alums aren't going to care much about "State U" in the future if they don't care now. And this is even true at places like Alabama

spot on.

I think you summarize the feelings of many people. I attended both VT and JMU and when I went to JMU it felt like the football experience was just not big boy football. Granted JMU may be the best program in the state today, but most would still say it's not big boy football and just feels different.

I will always love Clemson, but I'm about ready to cut my ESPN subscription. TV executives have destroyed college athletics and my interest is rapidly waning.

My interest in football and basketball has been gradually decreasing every year. I even missed 3 or 4 football games last season on TV. I'm more into Tech softball, lacrosse and soccer these days. True that TV executives are destroying college athletics. Also seeing athletes transfer so readily hasn't made things better. It takes away the interest from following high school recruiting since half or more of those signees won't likely be on the roster in 1 or 2 years.

I’m in my 50s, and have loved college football for decades. I’ve lost interest in recent years because only a few programs have a shot at winning the MNC, and programs with money play no one and are propped up by the money (Big 10). What I have started watching is division 2 and 3.

And if we expand the lesser program pool it becomes an exclusive, NFL-light which will not enact the passion it does today from alums and locals. Will take a lot of time to get to that point but that is where we are headed. Many of the people I graduated with in ‘99 have checked out already. Lot of that is due to age/priorities. College football seems to be seeking the non-diehard viewers for tv money and that either will not last or turn college football into something most of us do not want.

even that is rough. I'm gravitating to some of the minor sports because they still feel like college sports.

The last few years, I've gotten more enjoyment cheering for VT softball, VT baseball, VT women's hoops than I do from VT football. And it's not only because football hasn't been putting out a winning product. "College" football has totally jumped the shark, and the powers that be in that sport care absolutely nothing about what's best for the players or the fans.

college Presidents get in a room and decide to take all media revenues and equally split it. Including the expanded playoffs. Then form 5-6 smaller conferences with regional teams which is great for rivalries but also important for every other sport. Keep NIL as it benefits all college athletes. This is unrealistic I know. Just a simplistic wish!

of CFB... like a certain size stadium or average attendance, etc... then you could trim off the non-committed teams that do promote the CFB brand. For all the participating teams, divide into 8 regional conferences and have a 16 team playoff with top 2 teams from every conference qualifying. Restoring regional rivalries and parity is necessary for the long-term viability of college football. As a broader group of people lose interest in college football, the NFL is also going to be less interesting. At some point, the popularity of football is going to dwindle. At the rate we are going, I suspect football is going to be significantly less popular 20 years from now than it is today.