2021 college football – Page 2

Think, Know, Believe After Week 1: College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What I think, what I know, and what I believe after a fantastic Week 1 of the college football season.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What I think, what I know, and what I believe after a fantastic Week 1.

College Football Daily Cavalcade

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Along with those who pretend to be offended as a hobby, I’m also outraged by Brian Kelly’s remarks after the Florida State game. It’s totally unacceptable that he failed to execute the John McKay execution line correctly.

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Really, people … REALLY? You actually think Brian Kelly might have wanted the Notre Dame football team to be killed? But I digress …

After a fun and feisty Week 1 of the 2021 college football season, here we go with America’s favorite gimmick piece – what I think, what I know, and what I believe.

I think … these games are SOOOOOOO LONG. And because of that …

I know … the swings are wild in game after game. It’s easy to forget that these guys aren’t up to speed quite yet.

I believe … just keep a game relatively close, and you have a shot. Speaking of which …

I think … the second half of Notre Dame – Florida State was about as much fun as college football gets.

I know … Notre Dame is actually okay, but the FSU running game is going to be a thing.

I believe … the touchdown drive led by McKenzie Milton might turn out to be the best few minutes of the 2021 college football season.

I think … I did the impossible in my world.

I know … I have four screens going on a college football Saturday, along with social media rolling and people who contact me with random stuff, and …

I believe … I not only missed the end of Tulane vs. Oklahoma, but I somehow had no clue what happened until several hours later.

I think … the Sun Belt teams rated in the top 25 aren’t even close to being among the top 25 best teams in college football.

I know … Louisiana isn’t.

I believe … Appalachian State is the best Sun Belt team.

I think … it doesn’t matter if it’s the way you roll – and how successful the mindset is – you don’t need to throw 12 touchdown passes in a blowout. (Presbyterian took down mighty St. Andrews 84-43.)

I know … there’s something to the anti-punting strategy of head coach Kevin Kelley.

I believe … Kelley will soon be the head coach at some Group of Five program, and parts of his style will take the college football world by storm.

Week 1 Roundup: What It All Means
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 1 scoreboard, all the predictions
Week 2 opening lines projection

I think … it’s a really, really good thing for college football overall that UCLA beat LSU.

I know … it would be a really, really good thing for college football overall if Oregon beats Ohio State and Washington takes down Michigan.

I believe … the relevance of the 2021 Pac-12 outside of the LA schools is about to go bye-bye this weekend.

I think … the Arizona loss to BYU was the Pac-12’s only acceptable defeat of the six.

I know … the Pac-12 North was WAY too close to going 0-6.

I believe … the Pac-12 is ecstatic that 94% of normal American humans were asleep when the North went into full meltdown mode.

I think … they’re saying Big Nude Kickoff during every promo for that Big Noon Kickoff thing.

I know … it’s exhausting listening to the No. 1 FOX booth for four hours, and after it …

I believe … hearing Chris Fowler, Tim Brando, Sean McDonough, and/or Joe Tessitore call a game is like a warm comfy pillow. Now get off my lawn.

I think … it took about 4,289 tries to get something usable out of Nick Saban for those AFLAC ads.

I know … somewhere, there are outtakes, and …

I believe … they’re pure gold.

I think … I’m not going to pick Iowa just because it looked great against Indiana, and Iowa State played like a bag of poo for way too long against Northern Iowa, because …

I know … better than to assume Iowa State isn’t about to crank things up about 100 notches.

I believe … I’ll get the Iowa-Iowa State pick horribly wrong no matter which way I go.

I think … Maryland might actually be pretty good.

I know … Michigan State is going to be a problem for the East.

I believe … Rutgers is going to screw up one of the bigger teams in the East with a big day of takeaways.

I think … Penn State vs. Wisconsin was a gripping blast of a game.

I know … Clemson vs. Georgia was a gripping blast of a game.

I believe … amazing defensive fights are going to be more common this season as teams adjust to the zany offenses of the last few years.

I think … the targeting rule works just fine.

I know … defensive players and coaches figured out how to do what they do, and football keeps rolling right along.

I believe … the pro-brain injury faction of the sports world is weird.

I think … the Georgia defense pitched a whale of a game.

I know … DJ Uiagalelei is going to be in for a monster year, mainly because he doesn’t have to go against the Georgia D again.

I believe … Uiagalelei would’ve been the No. 2 pick in the draft had he been able to come out this year.

I think … I don’t care about whatever the latest NIL deal is.

I know … NIL is quickly going to become a problem – two words: incentive laden – even if it is a positive for college sports.

I believe … we’re going to be in for a whole lot of fun the moment a guy loses his deal because he’s not starting.

I think … some of the FCS teams that played spring ball had a massive advantage going into Week 1 vs. FBS teams.

I know … that doesn’t excuse Washington’s dead offense vs. Montana or Vanderbilt scoring three points against East Tennessee State.

I believe … I just saw South Dakota State walking by wearing Colorado State as a tasteful hat.

I think … this was about as amazing as an opening week could be. There were weird upsets, sensational games, tons of drama, and a good time was had by all.

I know … everyone appears to be a tad too cocky thinking everything is back to 100% normal.

I believe … I’m doing everything possible to remain in a state of piano-won’t-fall-on-the-2021-season’s-head cognitive dissonance as I attempt to enjoy it all.

I think … I know it’s all going to be okay.

I know … I believe it’s all going to be okay.

I believe … I think it’s all going to be okay.

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Watch: Applebee’s commercial college football fans can’t stand

Will you be able to stand this ad?

Are you planning to watch a lot of college football this season? If you’re reading this site, you most likely are. If you have flipped on any game in the early days of the season, chances are you’ve seen this Applebee’s commercial, which features a parody of the recent hit “Fancy Like” by Walker Hayes:

It really doesn’t matter whether you like it or not. All we know is that according to Awful Announcing, it has incurred the wrath of college football fans the world over. To make matters worse, there are four such Applebee’s ads out there.

Do college football fans in general not enjoy country pop or TikTok? Is it simply the frequency with which this commercial has been airing? All we know is the ad doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. We don’t know if Applebee’s has sold any ad space for Notre Dame home broadcasts on NBC as it has elsewhere, but you better brace yourself for the possibility now.

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Why did I even consider the possibility of an upset?

If you read our predictions for Notre Dame’s season opener against Florida State, you’ll recall I said I nearly picked a Seminoles upset. However, one look at the below chart, and you’ll see that barring a massive turn of events, the idea of the Irish losing to this team is laughable. If we’re going by last year, among the biggest advantages the Irish have in this matchup are in total defense, third-down situations on both sides of the ball and penalties. When you have that much a discrepancy in those spots, how can you suggest an upset?

The advantages the 2020 Seminoles had over the 2020 Irish are moderate at best and minimal at worst. They were better at red-zone defense and slightly better at punting. Other than that, there isn’t a lot going for the Seminoles statistically in this matchup. If you’re not going to abandon an upset prediction as I did, I wish you the best of luck.

REPORT: Oklahoma WR Theo Wease suffers injury in practice

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Theo Wease injured in practice just three days from the season opener against Tulane.

We are less than 4 days away from the Oklahoma Sooners starting their 2021 season. Unfortunately, they will likely be starting the season down a man in their wide receiver corps. Junior receiver Theo Wease suffered an injury in practice per John Hoover of All Sooners on Sports Illustrated.

According to Hoover’s report the injury is a lower body injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks.

There are no concrete specifics on the exact location or full severity but it looks like Wease will not be suiting up with the rest of his teammates for the season opener against Tulane. The matchup was recently moved to Norman amid concerns over the impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana.

Wease was being counted on for stability as another veteran option for a receiver group that needs to take a step forward after a decent but not great year last season as a collective.

The likes of Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas transfer Mike Woods, highly touted freshman Mario Williams, Drake Stoops and the Sooners collection of tight ends will have to complement super sophomore Marvin Mims in Wease’s absence. The entire group of pass catchers looks to build on last year’s performance.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions.

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Be Careful What You Wish For, Michigan: College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: Nebraska might be a cautionary tale. Be careful what you wish for when searching for the right head coach.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: Nebraska might be a cautionary tale. Be careful what you wish for when searching for the right head coach.

College Football Daily Cavalcade

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Like Nebraska in Champaign, it also suffers from a disastrous early mistake along with a devastating fumble at the end of the first half.

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At least they didn’t make you buy Pepsi.

I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW IT.

When Nebraska was down big to Illinois I tweeted out my bad lines about the timing being perfect for yet another Scott Frost contract extension – you know, in a vote of confidence sort of way – and how the Husker woes would probably be blamed on Jim Harbaugh.

And sure enough, like clockwork, out came the twitter comparisons of the Frost era in Lincoln to Harbaugh’s time at Michigan.

As always when I do this, full disclosure, 1) I don’t like Michigan, 2) I have too many dear friends who went to Michigan and whose kids go there, 3) I don’t like them – because, you know, Michigan – and yet 4) I’m the Grand Poobah of the Jim Harbaugh Apologists Club.

The season hasn’t even really started yet and Paul Finebaum already wants Harbaugh fired, everyone else loves to pile on whenever there’s a chance, and you can never, ever go wrong traffic-wise with a Next Michigan Coach list or podcast topic.

Week 0 Roundup
Roundup: What It All Means, Winners, Losers
CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 0 Scoreboard | Week 1 Expert Picks

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Harbaugh and Michigan, though. And why?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Here’s the one comparison between Frost and Harbaugh that fits – you just know that they’re both going to crush it at their next respective gigs.

It’s like wanting to dump the girlfriend who in every way should be perfect for you, and knowing she’s going to be with someone awesome the second you end it.

Here’s where the comp falls apart. Frost had one amazing season at UCF, and that’s it. Harbaugh came within a pass of winning a Super Bowl and a broken up play of going to another.

Harbaugh – for all of his issues – has won almost 70% of his games at Michigan, has three ten-win seasons and one nine-win campaign in his six.

Is that good enough for a place like Michigan? Of course not, but quick reality check here, the year before he arrived you could get into a Michigan football game if you purchased a can of Coke.

(By the way, try this for an irresponsibly misleading fun stat. Jim Harbaugh is 49-22 in his first 71 games. You know who was also 49-22 in his first 71 games at a school? Dabo.)

The harsh reality is that it’s really hard – and requires a ton of luck – to find a Dabo or a Riley or a Saban, even if you’ve got every advantage going your way.

Just ask Texas. Just ask USC. Just ask Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Nebraska – a former superpower of superpowers – is still trying to pull out of a brutal funk and simply win a college football game again.

Frank Solich won 42 games in his first four seasons at Nebraska, got the team to a national title game, had three top eight finishes, and he was canned after going 16-10 in his final two seasons because the powers-that-be didn’t want Nebraska football to “gravitate into mediocrity.”

Instead, Husker football rocketed there.

Bill Callahan stepped in, went 5-6 in his first year and 27-22 in four seasons. Solich went on to become win 115 games at Ohio as one of the greatest head coaches in MAC history.

In came Bo Pelini, who won nine games or more in each of his seven seasons and got the Huskers to three conference championship games. However, he didn’t win the big games – sound familiar? – and things went off the rails late, which led to Mike Riley – a really good guy, but I had to look that up because I totally memory dumped his era – who went 19-19, which then led to Frost.

Frost still might work, and stranger turnarounds have happened, but losing at Illinois isn’t a sign that things are going well.

That’s all not to say Nebraska would’ve stayed a killer with Solich, or Pelini, but when a program finds a coach who simply wins, be careful what you wish for when you want all that and a little bit more.

Michigan fans couldn’t wait to get rid of Lloyd Carr – the only Wolverine head coach to win a national title in the last 73 years – and then Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke combined to go 46-42.

So let’s cut to the chase here.

Michigan is going to go 9-3ish – okay, 8-4 – it’s going to lose to Ohio State, and it’s going to get whacked by some SEC team in a tasteful 2022 bowl game. That won’t be nearly good enough for the college football world, and …

Right now, 2021 Nebraska fans would take that in a heartbeat.

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ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance Is Here, But What Is It? College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance is officially a thing. So now what?

College Football Daily Cavalcade: The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance is officially a thing. So now what?

College Football Daily Cavalcade: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance. What Is It?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Like the alliance of the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12, there’s not much to it.

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Basically, three major college conferences just agreed to be besties

And now it’s here.

The college sports world officially – well, sort of – has the alliance of the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 to combine forces for good against the evil that is the SEC.

Actually, it’s “a collaborative approach surrounding the future evolution of college athletics and scheduling.”

Or something like that.

A whole lot of words are being written and said to keep this all as murky and vague as possible, but here’s what’s actually happening.

1. Yeah, yeah, yeah. These are conferences loaded with great academic institutions, and of course everyone cares about social issues, and the future of college athletics, and the pandemic, and the educational goals, and the …

2. Whatever. It’s totally about an SEC that’s living rent-free in the heads of these three conferences. The alliance types are saying it’s not, but this is all about making the SEC pay for its expansion insolence. And that means …

3. This is all just a big fancy way of these three conferences atomic-dunking on the SEC as it came very, very close to figuring out how to get half of its league into a bigger College Football Playoff.

The expansion idea was all but a done deal, but the alliance just put the kibosh on that after the SEC expanded before the bigger CFP went through, not after.

That doesn’t mean the playoff won’t expand, but there’s no way, no how, no chance that the alliance will allow a system to be in place that lets the SEC get more than a few teams in.

– ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance: Media Market Advantage

4. No one signed anything. They’re doing this non-binding alliance on a virtual fist-bump with the expectation of good will among the conferences. But as we all learned from – totally obscure movie reference alert – 24 Hour Party People, if you don’t have something officially signed, you risk losing the Happy Mondays. Case in point …

5. There’s nothing there to prevent the conferences from pitching woo to the schools of the other alliance members. Don’t think for a second that the Big Ten isn’t interested in making a whopper of an offer to North Carolina the second it figures out how to do it.

6. They haven’t exactly figured out a schedule to play each other. It’ll come, but all the power conferences have non-conference deals locked in for the next bazillion seasons, so figure they all get around to playing each other in football by 2037ish or so.

7. Revenue sharing? Uhhhhhhh, we’ll get back to you on that.

8. And the Big 12? Bless your heart. Yeah, one of these alliance conferences might go and grab a Kansas or something, but the Remaining 8 hasn’t been invited to the pizza party. And finally …

9. Of course this a football thing, but this will be a big deal for the other sports, too. Again, all that matters overall is how these three conferences keep the SEC from taking over the world. In reality, this will be a blast for basketball along with many of the non-revenue sports.

And in the end, alliance, schmaliance … the SEC still has Texas and Oklahoma.

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– CFN 2021 Preview of all 130 teams

ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance. The Media Market Advantage: College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What’s the big chip an ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance could play to beat the SEC? Media Markets.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: With the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance, what’s the big chip it could play to beat the SEC? Media markets.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

It should be Alliance, capitalized, and not The Alliance. To paraphrase JT, just Alliance. It’s cleaner.

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This is where I’d compare this to the pro wrestling business, but I don’t know my WWWs from my WWEs.

Just how far are you willing to go with this, ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance?

The alliance is coming together to combat the SEC’s master plan of world sports domination, create a more attractive option for the big media deals down the road, and to fight for better terms in the College Football Playoff expansion talks. That’s fine, but why stop there?

If you’re doing this – and I mean really doing this, and not just coming up with something to do after getting power-dunked on by the SEC …

Why not float the trial balloon threat that you might create a true super-conference? And why would you do that?

The Big Ten doesn’t have a whole lot of Big Ten-level expansion options.

Kansas would be easy, but that’s not like getting Texas and/or Oklahoma. Notre Dame isn’t happening, the ACC schools are locked into their media deal, and the Big Ten isn’t going to make a play for Pac-12 schools because … it’s not going to make a play for Pac-12 schools.

The Pac-12’s expansion options also include Kansas, to go along with Mountain West schools like San Diego State and Nevada, but that’s hardly going to get more than a yawn out of the SEC.

The ACC’s expansion options are simple – don’t lose Clemson and Florida State to the SEC.

– Week 1 College Football Expert Picks

But even with the expansion options a bit limited – remembering that this is about business and not the product on the fields and courts – the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance has one massive advantage over the SEC.

The biggest of the big media markets.

No, it’s not just about TV going forward – streaming, paywall services, and in-house networks are the play – but the alliance could make itself a whole lot bigger than an expanded SEC. That’s not to say the SEC wouldn’t be just fine, but if it wants the gargantuan coin to make it worth everyone’s while, it needs the rest of America to care, and it probably won’t if the alliance schools aren’t involved.

Why did the Big Ten want Rutgers? It’s wasn’t about getting Scarlet Knight fans. It was about getting easy clearance for all the Big Ten alumni living in New York and New Jersey who’ll watch Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc., and it worked out very, very well for the Big Ten Network. The same went for getting Maryland and expanding the footprint by pushing into the Baltimore/Washington DC area.

The ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 alliance would have New York (the No. 1 media market), Los Angeles (2), Chicago (3), Philadelphia (4), San Francisco/Oakland (6), Washington DC (9), Boston (10), Phoenix (11), Seattle (12), Minneapolis (14), Detroit (15), and Denver (16).

The SEC would have Dallas (5), (outside of the pocket of Georgia Tech fans) Atlanta (7), Houston (8), and (sort of) Tampa (13), but it wouldn’t have 12 of the top 16 media markets, and that’s a problem.

It gets even tougher for the SEC. Keep on going, and the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 alliance would all but own 23 of the top 30 media markets, and St. Louis (23) has a Big Ten contingent even with Missouri in the SEC.

– CFN Preseason Rankings, Schedules, Projected Records For All 130 Teams

Of course everyone all over the country would watch Alabama vs. LSU, Oklahoma vs. Florida, Texas vs. Texas A&M, and the biggest SEC games, but it’s not making Ole Miss vs. Arkansas appointment TV. Don’t discount just how much the rest of the country doesn’t care about the average SEC game – and vice versa.

Does San Francisco give a flip about college football? Not really. Are most of the major markets into pro sports more than college? Absolutely. But the numbers of those combined alliance markets are still too massive to ignore – the percentage of people in them who live and die for college sports like they do in SEC markets might not be great, but the raw numbers will be there.

So as this goes forward, alliance, why not create the nuclear deterrent of a 40+ school conference – let’s assume a further expansion to get San Diego State, Kansas, maybe Oklahoma State, maybe Iowa State, and in a perfect world, Notre Dame – that more than doubles the size of the expanded SEC and obliterates the media market share?

Threaten that, and business-wise it would just mean a whole lot more for the alliance.

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– CFN 2021 Preview of all 130 teams

ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance, and What It All Means: College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 will form an alliance of conferences. So now what?

College Football Daily Cavalcade: The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 will form an alliance. So now what?

College Football Daily Cavalcade: ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance, and What It All Means

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

It’s not strong enough to be a part of any alliance.

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Keep your friends close and the other conferences closer.

The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 are going to form an alliance of some sort.

No, it’s not the creation of a super-conference … yet.

Yes, this is a friends with benefits concept that should help stabilize the college athletic world against the advancing SEC menace.

No, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the Big 12 … yet.

Yes, it’s probably end of the Big 12, at least as a Power Five conference.

No, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the NCAA … yet.

Yes, it’s probably the end of the NCAA, at least in its current role and function.

No, this isn’t about ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 carving up the Big 12, because …

Yes, the Big Ten could go get any remaining Big 12 school it wanted at anytime.

And yes, the Big Ten might simply be buying time before its lawyers figure out how to steal away some of the ACC’s stronger schools.

Let’s just cut to the chase.

It’s in the best interests of the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 to create a way to make their own media deal that combats ESPN, the SEC, the SEC Network, the College Football Playoff, and how all of those things are tied together, even though ESPN owns the ACC Network, too.

A Power 3 Alliance could come up with something even stronger.

In the very near future, the idea of major sports network TV deals – and the ad revenue that comes with them – will go the way of the dial-up modem.

It’s the real gag with those Progressive commercials that try to prevent you from becoming your parents. If you’re actually watching that ad – or any TV ad – you’re your parents.

It’s going to be all about streaming, and while ESPN+ is terrific, the other conferences are going to want Hulu, and Amazon, and all the other options out there ready to WAY overbid to get exclusive college football rights that live behind a subscriber paywall.

(BTW, as you’re shaking your fist at the idea, do you know how much of your cable/satellite/YouTubeTV bill pays for ESPN?)

And then there’s the more urgent reason for the alliance.

The College Football Playoff. The move of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC brought the expansion momentum to a screeching halt.

The last thing the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 want is to be a part of a 12-team tournament that’s half full of SEC schools.

The all-but-done-deal plan floating around this summer was a playoff with the six top-ranked conference champions and six other highest-ranked at-large teams. Take a look at where Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Georgia are in the preseason rankings – and with Florida, LSU and Texas not all that terribly far behind – and it’s not that hard to figure out who wins in a 12-team expansion.

Going forward, assume that it all starts with the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 locking arms to demand 1) equal payout of playoff money to all remaining Power Four conferences regardless of the number of teams in the CFP – which has zero chance of happening – and/or 2) a limit on the number of teams from one conference that can be in the College Football Playoff.

You want to try taking over the world, SEC? Fine, but there’s a rock-hard cap of three teams per conference allowed in the tournament.

You want to fight that, SEC? Fine, go it alone, do your regionalized thing, and see what kind of media deals you can generate with 2/3rds of the country – and most of the major media markets – not caring about your product nearly as much as you think it does.

Or the Power 3 Alliance decides to create a 40-team Super-League of Awesome and tells the SEC to choke on it.

Meanwhile, no one has to pay the players – aka, the labor – but that’s for another day.

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BYU Walk-Ons To Get Tuition Paid Thanks To NIL: College Football Daily Cavalcade

College Football Daily Cavalcade: Thanks to the new NIL rules, BYU walk-on football players are getting their tuition paid for.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: Thanks to the new NIL rules, BYU walk-on football players are getting their tuition paid for by a sponsor. How could this be used as a loophole?

College Football Daily Cavalcade: BYU Walk-Ons Getting Tuition Paid For

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Don’t yuck the yum … don’t yuck the yum … don’t yuck the yum …

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As we speak, hundreds of tasteful items are being broken by parents of recently graduated football walk-ons

I’m so freaking torn.

As I’ve said over and over and over again over the last 20 years, the Name, Image and Likeness concept as it’s playing out is the pragmatic answer.

The schools don’t have to pay anything to the revenue producing athletes, the market dictates who the stars are, and the athletes all get to have jobs now.

However, I can’t get past that every positive step taken by the players ends up turning into a giant leap for for the corporate adults. For example, yeah, the top players are getting huge NIL deals, and the schools, TV networks, coaches, and conferences benefit by using that as a mega-recruiting and promotional tool all while avoiding having to actually pay the labor.

Meanwhile, thanks to the NIL rules, 36 BYU walk-ons will get their tuition paid by a sponsor …

BIG things happening at BYU!!

Thank you to Nick and @bar_built. pic.twitter.com/ShJSiY21Bd

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) August 12, 2021

Of course this is awesome.

Of course it’s amazing when some college kid goes from having to spend tens of thousands of dollars – and the possible soul-crippling debt that comes with it – to having his tuition paid for.

Of course this is a good thing, and of course I’m taking this little molehill and turning it into a mountain as I actively seek the potential issues in something wonderful …

The biggest of the big programs are probably going to use this as a loophole.

Not saying any of this is necessarily bad – especially for the players – but again, what aspect of any of the recent changes and tweaks to college football hasn’t been exploited by the superpower programs to become more superpowery?

If companies can get tons of play and exposure for funding the tuition for walk-ons, what’s to keep Alabama or Ohio State or Texas or any giant rich school from creating a system that circumvents the limit by making sure the players who aren’t on scholarship are taken care of?

No, getting tuition paid isn’t the same as being on an athletic scholarship – more benefits, perks, etc. – but it sure as shoot isn’t far off.

If you’re some two-star prospect, would you rather go play for that random MAC school, or maybe go to the Big Ten as a walk-on with a shot to show what you can do all while having your tuition paid?

And may God help the transfer portal.

Since scholarship limits won’t mean anything if there’s a way to fund the walk-ons, the superpowers who have their corporate funding systems in place can go after anyone and everyone to load up with any position or player it wants, and …

Okay, okay, I’ll stop with the panic siren, because 1) college football will still be fun, 2) no one will care once the ball is kicked off, and 3) all of these changes actually are a good thing, even if The Man benefits in the end.

I’m torn, but I’ll take the W in my hope for more good things for the players. More college kids don’t have to pay for college. Yay.

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CFN College Football Preview 2021: All 130 Team Previews, Schedules, Rankings

CFN College Football Preview 2021: All-America Teams, Conference Previews, Predictions, Rankings, Schedules, and all 130 Team Previews.

CFN College Football Preview 2021: Team Previews, Conference Previews, Predictions, Rankings

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

College Football Preview 2021

Win Total Projections For All 130 Teams
Preseason Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions

Please Note: Most of the team previews were done earlier in the summer. We’ve tried to update everything as we go, but if we’re missing something please let us know at @ColFootballNews

ACC 2021 Team Previews

ACC Atlantic

ACC Coastal

American Athletic Conference 2021 Team Previews

21 for 2021 Preview Topics
21. Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes for 2021
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches
15. Expectations For 2nd Year Head Coaches
14. Power 5 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
13. Key Transfers You Need To Know
12. Group of 5 over Power 5 Upset Alerts
11. 5 of College Football’s New Superstars
10. Group of 5 Teams In New Year’s Six Hunt
9. Power 5 Sleeper Teams
8. Ranking Power 5 Quarterback Battles
7. 5 Teams That Might Disappoint
6. 5 Teams That Might Surprise
5. Group of Five Conference Ranking
4. Power 5 Conference Ranking
3. Top Non-Obvious Heisman Candidates
2. 5 Nutty Predictions That Might Be Right
1. The College Football Playoff call

Big Ten 2021 Team Previews

Big Ten East

Big Ten West

Big 12 2021 Team Previews

Conference USA 2021 Team Previews

Conference USA East

Conference USA West

Independent 2021 Team Previews

MAC 2021 Team Previews

MAC East

MAC West

Mountain West 2021 Team Previews

Mountain West: Mountain

Mountain West: West

Pac-12 2021 Team Previews

Pac-12 North

Pac-12 South

SEC 2021 Team Previews

SEC East

SEC West

Sun Belt 2021 Team Previews

Sun Belt East

Sun Belt West

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