No more upsets

[Cro-Magnon App]

The era of exciting football is over. No more days of small conference teams upsetting the big boys. The days of Temple beating VT, Navy beating South Carolina, Appalachian State shocking the world at Michigan and a few dozen others - used to be 3-4 of these a year, are over. Now there are no more experienced teams around that have developed their talent to pull the upset. As soon a good players are developed, they are bought out by the big money teams. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The NCAA has killed the goose that laid the golden egg. The big schools wanted to monopolize the great talent and now they have done it. Now it is a very boring landscape. The excitement throughout the land that used to be at every football playing school has been doused. Money has killed it.

[Yosefus]

I'm with on this. The haves and have not gap is so wide now with NIL will be nearly impossible.
Another thing I fear is a scandal with someone paying NIL to rig games. I have seen several head scratching plays, calls and penalties already this season with high level CFP teams that makes me wonder if that's not already the case.
We may find out one day it's all just championship wrestling.

[Cro-Magnon App]

Yep. The mafioso has already appeared and got its hands in it. Rigging games. Gambling now is really gambling.

[WASU 93]

If you want to add fuel to the fire, check out the P4 basketball standings. ALL BUT ONE of P4 teams + The Big East are .500 or better. At most, there are one or two teams per conference at at.500.
The ACC has three undefeated teams, 5 one loss teams and 4 more two loss teams.


In the Big 12, all 17 teams are 5-2 or better. Four are undefeated.

The Big East has four one loss teams and two teams at the bottom at .500.

The Big 10 has SEVEN undefeated teams.

In the SEC, fifteen of the sixteen teams are 5-2 or better, with Mississippi State at 3-4.

[appstatealum]

I'm with on this. The haves and have not gap is so wide now with NIL will be nearly impossible.
Another thing I fear is a scandal with someone paying NIL to rig games. I have seen several head scratching plays, calls and penalties already this season with high level CFP teams that makes me wonder if that's not already the case.
We may find out one day it's all just championship wrestling.

Just because the stadiums, broadcasts, and majority of TV ads are branded by Fanduel and other sportsbooks doesnt mean....

[Yosefus]

I'm with on this. The haves and have not gap is so wide now with NIL will be nearly impossible.
Another thing I fear is a scandal with someone paying NIL to rig games. I have seen several head scratching plays, calls and penalties already this season with high level CFP teams that makes me wonder if that's not already the case.
We may find out one day it's all just championship wrestling.

Just because the stadiums, broadcasts, and majority of TV ads are branded by Fanduel and other sportsbooks doesnt mean....

Oh, Uh, Yeah. Ahem, excuse me......

[MrCraig]

The gambling stuff is legit worrying. It’s already been shown it’s affecting MLB and NBA.
But to the original point, there weren’t a lot of crazy upsets this year, but last season started with NIU upsetting Notre Dame. ODU beat VA Tech this year.
And how are you not excited by Vanderbilt and Indiana? NIL may have expanded the gap between G5 and P4, but it’s leveled things between the P4.

[BeauFoster]

Spent the weekend in Pinehurst with a big Wake donor. We had several long talks about the state of college athletics. He stated that he sees Wake as AAA baseball, with teams like App AA (can’t argue with him there on a macro scheme). Wake paid their 3rd string QB $75k this season, and is struggling to justify the university expenditure to fund NIL. There are already class action lawsuits over NIL, and that will hopefully expedite the push to more regulation in that area.

He’s given up his courtside seats for bball in Winston (or will be when his current contract ends), is considering giving up his suite for football, and stopped donating to NIL. His money is going to Cullowhee now, because they don’t participate in NIL like “big” schools do. He, like many, long for athletics of 10 years ago. He doesn’t disagree with NIL at all-the kids bring money in, they should get a cut of the revenue they generate (in the hundreds of millions for some of those programs), but high schoolers getting 7 figures is just stupid-no one with any sense wants to be part of it.

College athletics will be so markedly changed in 10 years that I’m not sure App football will even exist. That’s a bit hyperbolic, but once it truly becomes a minor league caste system, I’m not sure we can survive, at least not at the top level.

[ArmantiWaterSafety]

College athletics will be so markedly changed in 10 years that I’m not sure App football will even exist. That’s a bit hyperbolic, but once it truly becomes a minor league caste system, I’m not sure we can survive, at least not at the top level.

Not to get too off topic but I think it fits in this discussion and considering the football season is over might as well start bringing out-of-sport topics in. I think the idea of college in general will be so markedly changed in 10 years +/- 5 years that I think athletics will be an afterthought.

People are realizing the juice isn't worth the squeeze anymore for a good number of degrees we offer. Financial literacy is improving, and $35k for 4 years just for tuition (add on top room/board and food and according to the App State website, you're looking at about $85k) and low improved job outlook with a college degree doesn't help.

Real minimum wage keeps going up. 20-25 bucks an hour isn't out of the norm for an "unskilled labor" starting position anymore. Middle management jobs were the golden goose when the college degree was really pushed and those salaries are about as stagnant as ever. Companies are getting rid of the "college degree required" position.

Obviously, there are certain degrees which must continue to exist due to specialized knowledge, but I truly think we've reached the peak of enrollment. If enrollment declines, alumni decline, money declines, sports decline...it's a slippery slope and we've got to navigate it just like everyone else.