College football is in my estimation the greatest sport in the world. Recent moves will do nothing to change that.
It’s great for a number of reasons. The passion, competitive nature and fan involvement top that list. Despite all those positives many have responded to conference realignment with doom and gloom. Even so, it’s still college football and it’s still going to be the highlight of every Saturday in the fall.
Many view the fall of the Pac-12 as a catastrophe. The loss of major rivalries is cited as one of the worst consequences of the move. With all due respect to Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State, what great rivalry are we losing? For every rivalry lost there is seemingly an even greater rivalry gained.
In moving to the SEC, Texas reunites with two of its three biggest rivals in Texas A&M and Arkansas. Oklahoma adds A&M and Missouri to its premier games. In the Big 12, the Holy War between Utah and BYU is now a conference battle. Colorado joins its former Big 12 foes.
Through realignment we get Texas vs Georgia and Oklahoma vs Alabama on a consistent basis. We get USC vs Ohio State in conference play. As much animus as there is between Oregon and Washington and its in-state rivals, I am sure they would be more excited to play Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio State with frequency.
College football once named champions without deciding games on the field. You could watch two teams play in the championship and claim a title the next day. Now there’s a playoff with several representative teams.
Some would consider this season the end of our sport’s unique greatness. In reality, it’s only a bridge to more dominance on the biggest stage.