I've felt it from both sides of this. Was glad to get him home from his recent tour from the Horn of Africa. His unit was literally in the air on the way home when the sh** started going down in Israel. And I kinda feel this way about his life and the life of others who are in the military. I want the best for all of them. I remember when those 13 troops were killed in Afghanistan on our way out of there. I can't think of another time I was so upset at our government and the military high command that put them in that situation. While my kid wasn't one of them, I felt like those who were killed were like my own children. I still feel deeply for them and for their families and friends. And I'm still pissed off about it. SO, on to the analogy. While it is understandable to hope that your own child is not harmed, it is still painful when other people's kids get killed. That's the way I feel about college football. It is possible that VT gets a P2 invite. It's also possible we don't. If we get a P2 invite, I will feel compassion for other quality programs that didn't get in. If we deserve P2 entry, which I think we do, there are likely going to be other similar programs that DON'T get in. I will feel bad for them. I think about a program like Kansas State. They have been "the little engine that could" for a 30 years or so now. They are always competitive, fun to watch and have a nice fan base. Why should they get left behind? They shouldn't. It is an indictment on the game right now. I will feel bad for other similar teams that don't get in. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 4/23/2024, 11:59:50 AM

NW, Purdue, Indiana, Minnesota, vandy, Rutgers, UMD, miss st. They are where they are cause of decisions made decades ago. Sure you can find some data points to support each, but if the factors driving the bus today were in play when they were admitted… just doesn’t sit right.

But I don't resent them for it. It's just life. However, for a few years now I came to the hard conclusion that having relegation and promotion (Premier League style, with some adaptation for the large map which is the USA) is the answer to most, if not all of the problems facing college football, particularly in conference realignment. It allows the cream to rise to the top, and the lesser programs to fall back. It is also fluid, so relegated P2/4 teams can rebound while also preventing quality G5s from being permanently banished to second class citizenry. Critics say "you can't do that here." Meanwhile, there is the permanent state of confusion in the sport with lawsuit after lawsuit.