Is College Football Broken?

[SlumpBuster]

Hot take: unlimited NIL isn't the biggest problem, unlimited transfers is

 

[king_kong_]

Hot take: unlimited NIL isn't the biggest problem, unlimited transfers is

why, specifically, is player freedom of movement a 'problem'?

 

[HughJanus]

There’s a growing consensus—even among coaches, ADs, and conference officials—that college football isn’t functioning the way it was designed to anymore. “Broken” might be too strong for some, but the system is clearly under massive structural stress. Here’s the clearest way to frame what’s going on:

---

✅​

1. The Player Market Is Totally Unregulated​

NIL was intended to let athletes profit from their name, image, and likeness.

In practice, it became:

→ A de facto free-agent salary system with no contract structure​

Players can:

• leave after one year,
• take NIL offers elsewhere,
• negotiate like pros…
  …but without multi-year binding contracts, salary caps, or transparency.

Coaches say:

• “I’m re-recruiting my own roster every day.”
• “Tampering is everywhere.”
• “You can’t build a developmental program anymore.”

This is the largest complaint nationwide.

---

2. Unlimited Transfers → No Stability​

We now essentially have:

→ One-time transfer rule + waivers + portal windows = near-constant churn​

Roster management is chaos:

• Losing 20–40 players a year is normal.
• Teams rebuild like NFL free agency, not college development.
• Even star players portal-hop for better NIL.

Many ADs and coaches argue for:

• Longer transfer windows
• One transfer without penalty, second requires sitting
• Multi-year NIL contracts tied to education

---

3. Realignment Blew Up Regional Identity​

Oregon/Rutgers in the same conference?
UCLA trips to Rutgers mid-season?
Oklahoma vs. SEC East every year?

→ Conferences no longer make geographic, cultural, or academic sense.​

Most realignment was driven by:

• TV networks
• Playoff positioning
• Money to stabilize athletic departments

Fans, players, and coaches are stuck dealing with the schedule consequences.

---

4. The Gap Between “Haves” and “Have-Nots” Is Massive​

The arms race is widening fast:

• SEC and Big Ten are pulling away financially.
• Everyone else is trying to keep up through NIL collectives.
• Mid-majors essentially serve as “feeder systems” for P4 programs.

Even Power Five coaches say the sport is becoming:

→ Two or three super-leagues with everyone else hanging on.​

---

5. The Calendar Is Unsustainable​

Coaches complain the sport is now:

• Year-round recruiting
• Portal windows overlapping with bowl prep
• Donors needing constant engagement for NIL money
• Staff burnout at an all-time high

They argue the job is now 70% roster management, 30% coaching.

---

🔥​

From a fan perspective:​

It’s still entertaining and the on-field product is often great.

From an internal perspective (coaches/ADs):​

Most will tell you the system is structurally broken but fixable.
They say it’s unsustainable because:

• Players function like professionals
• But the system governing them is amateur-era scaffolding
• And schools don't yet have a framework like pro teams

Which leads to the most common refrain:

“We need a collective bargaining structure.”​

Many in the industry believe the future will be:

• A players’ union or representative body
• Standardized NIL contracts
• Revenue sharing
• True roster rules (transfer limits, tampering enforcement)

---

⭐​

The sport isn’t dying.
But it is absolutely in the middle of its biggest structural identity crisis ever.
Coaches and ADs aren’t imagining problems—there are real governance failures.

The next 2–5 years will determine whether the sport evolves into:

• A semi-pro, stable system (most likely)
  or
• A chaotic open market with constant turnover (status quo)

---

If you want, I can break down:

• What fixes are being proposed
• What fans actually want vs. what coaches want
• Which schools are best/worst positioned in the new system
• Or how all this affects Nebraska specifically

Just tell me which direction you want to go.

Type in "big titties" into chat GPT and get back to me.

 

[SlumpBuster]

why, specifically, is player freedom of movement a 'problem'?

Because in any other environment there would be contracts?

I'm all for free market but having to 're-sign' players every year is absurd

 

[king_kong_]

There’s a growing consensus—even among coaches, ADs, and conference officials—that college football isn’t functioning the way it was designed to anymore. “Broken” might be too strong for some, but the system is clearly under massive structural stress. Here’s the clearest way to frame what’s going on:

---

✅​

1. The Player Market Is Totally Unregulated​

NIL was intended to let athletes profit from their name, image, and likeness.

In practice, it became:

→ A de facto free-agent salary system with no contract structure​

Players can:

• leave after one year,
• take NIL offers elsewhere,
• negotiate like pros…
  …but without multi-year binding contracts, salary caps, or transparency.

Coaches say:

• “I’m re-recruiting my own roster every day.”
• “Tampering is everywhere.”
• “You can’t build a developmental program anymore.”

This is the largest complaint nationwide.

---

2. Unlimited Transfers → No Stability​

We now essentially have:

→ One-time transfer rule + waivers + portal windows = near-constant churn​

Roster management is chaos:

• Losing 20–40 players a year is normal.
• Teams rebuild like NFL free agency, not college development.
• Even star players portal-hop for better NIL.

Many ADs and coaches argue for:

• Longer transfer windows
• One transfer without penalty, second requires sitting
• Multi-year NIL contracts tied to education

---

3. Realignment Blew Up Regional Identity​

Oregon/Rutgers in the same conference?
UCLA trips to Rutgers mid-season?
Oklahoma vs. SEC East every year?

→ Conferences no longer make geographic, cultural, or academic sense.​

Most realignment was driven by:

• TV networks
• Playoff positioning
• Money to stabilize athletic departments

Fans, players, and coaches are stuck dealing with the schedule consequences.

---

4. The Gap Between “Haves” and “Have-Nots” Is Massive​

The arms race is widening fast:

• SEC and Big Ten are pulling away financially.
• Everyone else is trying to keep up through NIL collectives.
• Mid-majors essentially serve as “feeder systems” for P4 programs.

Even Power Five coaches say the sport is becoming:

→ Two or three super-leagues with everyone else hanging on.​

---

5. The Calendar Is Unsustainable​

Coaches complain the sport is now:

• Year-round recruiting
• Portal windows overlapping with bowl prep
• Donors needing constant engagement for NIL money
• Staff burnout at an all-time high

They argue the job is now 70% roster management, 30% coaching.

---

🔥​

From a fan perspective:​

It’s still entertaining and the on-field product is often great.

From an internal perspective (coaches/ADs):​

Most will tell you the system is structurally broken but fixable.
They say it’s unsustainable because:

• Players function like professionals
• But the system governing them is amateur-era scaffolding
• And schools don't yet have a framework like pro teams

Which leads to the most common refrain:

“We need a collective bargaining structure.”​

Many in the industry believe the future will be:

• A players’ union or representative body
• Standardized NIL contracts
• Revenue sharing
• True roster rules (transfer limits, tampering enforcement)

---

⭐​

The sport isn’t dying.
But it is absolutely in the middle of its biggest structural identity crisis ever.
Coaches and ADs aren’t imagining problems—there are real governance failures.

The next 2–5 years will determine whether the sport evolves into:

• A semi-pro, stable system (most likely)
  or
• A chaotic open market with constant turnover (status quo)

---

If you want, I can break down:

• What fixes are being proposed
• What fans actually want vs. what coaches want
• Which schools are best/worst positioned in the new system
• Or how all this affects Nebraska specifically

Just tell me which direction you want to go.

only thing I see here as an actual 'problem' is loss of regionality and the traditions/history that went away with it

other stuff is just what happens when you no longer are allowed to operate in direct opposition to every antitrust law on the books and is much more of a positive than anything else

my opinion, of course

 

[king_kong_]

Because in any other environment there would be contracts?

I'm all for free market but having to 're-sign' players every year is absurd

there will be no contracts until there's collective bargaining via a college football players' union

there will be no college football players' union without a single commissioner of college football

there will be no single commissioner of college football unless the B1G and SEC are disbanded

 

[2010sarenevercomingback]

Because in any other environment there would be contracts?

I'm all for free market but having to 're-sign' players every year is absurd

Not even just every year. It's week-to-week & in-season too. Gotta be hundreds of players across the country who shut things down part way through a season because they've already determined they're out.

 

[slattimer]

Lots of discussion as of late about the state of college football. Not necessarily from a fans perspective, (although I agree), but from coaches and AD's throughout the country. What say you?

First step is to fix the calendar.

 

[That SOB Van Owen]

Type in "big titties" into chat GPT and get back to me.

I can help with lots of things, but I can’t engage with sexually explicit requests like that.

If you meant something else — humor, a meme, a character trait in a story, or you just want to talk about something completely different — let me know what you’re actually looking for and I can help you out.


🙁 🙁 🙁

 

[TampaBaySkers]

I can help with lots of things, but I can’t engage with sexually explicit requests like that.

If you meant something else — humor, a meme, a character trait in a story, or you just want to talk about something completely different — let me know what you’re actually looking for and I can help you out.


🙁 🙁 🙁

ChatGPT went woke. It wouldn’t even make an image making fun of Dean because it was hurtful

 

[Flabio]

What penalties will be assessed against Texas Tech etc who completely blew the stop sign on this?