The State of Division I College Football: And a Segway into All of Division I College Sports by Means of Rambling Not Unlike this Title

The federal government should have no involvement in determining the system in which the national champion of college football is made. I think that most would agree with that. But yet it seems anyone with a microphone demands change. If you look at the federal government's recent involvement in pro sports it was different. In fact, looking back, it was necessary because it was a serious drug issue. An issue which had national concerns. Not to mention that Nancy Reagan's war on drugs is still ongoing, as far as I know. President Obama made one comment during a puff interview that was not even part of his State of the Union, unlike the steroid issue, and people ran with it. It should end now.

If a change is truly needed, then here is my solution to force a change. By the way, FORCE is the right word here. Let's face it, neither the BCS, NCAA, nor their members are going to make a change this big on their own. And this is in despite of the increasing cries from the fans that demand a playoff system. I put this simply, this is a state issue. Can you name a single university that is not a state institution in Division I? I cannot. But more importantly the major conference schools are. As state institutions they they receive state funding. With all the money that is generated by the BCS that these schools receive, clearly they are not in need of state funding. Right? Riiiiiigggggghhhhhhttt. What’s that about a bridge for sale? If you want to change the college football post season then petition your state legislature to withhold funds until a change is made. Granted your state's elected officials will probably come off as anti-education, but if they have the people’s support it shouldn't’t matter. At least in theory. However, that is not you problem anyway. OK then, if all goes to plan what happens next.

Well, the 100+ universities need to establish a board of governors. Much like it is in pro sports. Owners/GMs meet every so often to establish rules or work on labor agreements. The university athletic directors should do the same. But then you ask, isn't that what the NCAA is for. Originally the NCAA was more akin to a board of governors. They dealt with recruiting issues and player injuries, but it has evolved over the years. It has become an autonomous entity. The NCAA may be the only association, at least that I can think of, that does not work for its members. It dictates to them. In actuality, the NCAA today would be more equivalent to the NFL, NBA, or MLB. College sports, mainly football, is a dysfunctional system in general. College athletics would be better served modeling itself after pro sports. The fact that a third party dictates rankings and postseason match ups clearly shows they do not. Here is where it gets even better. With pro leagues already established, college athletics can pick and choose elements from all the leagues to make it even better then the pros. If college athletics did model itself after professional leagues, we can then finally move towards the biggest issue facing college sports, paying student athletes to play.


Long live OSM,
HHH