Rank your level of enthusiasm of CFB versus ten years ago

[WestTexasHusker]

Once you select your number, feel free to discuss "why." Older? NIL? Conference? Other priorities in life? Huskers aren't as good as they used to be?

I selected number 2. I have two teams: Nebraska and Oklahoma State. I'll watch them this year, but I don't know that I will make a game at either. I feel like both programs are no longer competitive due to 10 or 12 programs foreclosing competition in college football, and neither has any real chance to be top 10 anymore, because they aren't media darlings. But both are good, conservative schools that have their priorities in line, and they deserve supporting. I'll still follow these two teams, and I even donate to OSU, but not super excited about CFB and will likely not watch a full game of anyone else playing.

I get so tired about hearing conference bragging and all about how high Texas' payroll is. Spoiled it all. Hope you 10 programs have fun playing each other. I feel everyone else has been frozen out.

 

[Smoker]

Once you select your number, feel free to discuss "why." Older? NIL? Conference? Other priorities in life? Huskers aren't as good as they used to be?

I selected number 2. I have two teams: Nebraska and Oklahoma State. I'll watch them this year, but I don't know that I will make a game at either. I feel like both programs are no longer competitive due to 10 or 12 programs foreclosing competition in college football, and neither has any real chance to be top 10 anymore, because they aren't media darlings. But both are good, conservative schools that have their priorities in line, and they deserve supporting. I'll still follow these two teams, and I even donate to OSU, but not super excited about CFB and will likely not watch a full game of anyone else playing.

I get so tired about hearing conference bragging and all about how high Texas' payroll is. Spoiled it all. Hope you 10 programs have fun playing each other. I feel everyone else has been frozen out.

Chose 1.
But I will pay attention to huskers

It isn't college football anymore.

 

[Husker In Oklahoma]

2. Easy choice.

 

[SemperHusker]

2. NIL and the fall of Husker football are to blame.

 

[goodnterribles]

3, and will probably move to 2 if someone doesn't get a handle on this soon.

 

[DuckTownHusker]

I'm significantly less interested in CFB for a lot of reasons.

NIL, super conferences, open season on the transfer portal, and now the idea that NFL players can come back to college and suit up is absolutely changing the sport.

The games are no longer won on Saturdays, but in Monday board rooms. It's become an arms race and all but a handful of schools can afford it.

It's not the sport it once was.

I don't think it's irreparable, but it's close. Gluing the transfer portal shut, banning pro players, and slashing NIL budgets / caps would tremendously help the game, but I just don't see that happening. I fear that eventually, CFP becomes a total exhibition play like WWE or Monster Truck rallies: scripted man-drama designed to sell tickets and subscriptions.

 

[Cornjob]

I’m more excited. The post-season is a lot more compelling. Nebraska feels ascendant. I don’t know how far or how fast, but I like the team’s trajectory.

There are more games that feel like they matter because of the broader post-season tournament.

 

[TFrazier]

2…I didn’t watch a second of college football last weekend and only plan on watching the Nebraska game this weekend.

 

[Bigger Ed]

2.

• Way too much money involved for an activity that's supposed to be a game, not a business. Money corrupts.
• Sponsor patches on uniforms.
• TV has had too much influence in how the game is played, e.g., there should be no such thing as a TV time out. Let them sell beer when the clock isn't running.
• Hard to get behind players who will may or may not be here next year.
• Fr., So., Jr., Sr., 5th
• Proliferation of gambling on college sports. Again, money corrupts.
• I never liked the playoff system and it just keeps getting worse. Teams like Tulane and James Madison have no business competing for a natty, when there are other teams ranked higher. (like aTm, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma in 2025.) Bumping up to 24 teams will only exacerbate the problem. Do we really need a PAC-State team in the playoffs just because they won their (weak-ass) conference?
• Coaches getting fired mid-season never, ever used to happen. Now, it's a matter of course.
• Probably could list more, but I'm tired.

 

[Husker Country Doc]

There's no such thing as playing for the Love of the game, anymore. Maybe there never was.

 

[Farmer Jake]

I was going between 3, 4, and 5. All for different reasons.

First, I had to remember what my relationship with CFB 10 years ago (Option 4). I wasn't real thrilled with CFB in those days. Although I think he is a really good person, I didn't like Mike Riley as Nebraska's coach. That kind of soured me on CFB. That is the baseline I used to determine my vote.

Second, (Option 2) I don't like the direction CFB is headed. I remember when CFB was a game. Now it is a huge business that is all about the money. (To quote @Bigger Ed, money corrupts.) But even 10 years ago, the huge sums of money made me wonder where this was going. It has only gotten worse. I should have known.

Third, (Option 5) I'm curious about the changes taking place in Lincoln. I want to see some improvement and I'm hoping this year might show some significant improvement in the Nebraska's play, if not a significant improvement in the W-L column. If Nebraska has a really good year (in my opinion), I may feel much better about CFB as a whole.

So I went with Option 4.

 

[belewfripp]

I chose option 2. It's not really about Nebraska being so much worse over the last decade, though of course that is an influence. And it's not due to NIL, which isn't to say that the implementation of NIL hasn't caused problems or been done poorly, because both of those things are true. But you could never keep things going forever where ADs and coaches and conference officials and the NCAA itself are getting rich, but the players - the ones doing the work on the field - are getting a pittance.

I don't know how you fix that without paying the players. It seems unlikely - and is now impossible, probably - to just force teams and conferences to allocate the great majority of the $ to their athletic departments for supporting other programs and to the academic side of the university. I'm hopeful NIL can be reworked to be less intrusive and poorly designed.

The main reason is because my sports world has expanded so much. Nebraska volleyball converted me 10 years ago and opened me up to how great women's sports are. I became a soccer fan 5 years ago and support Nebraska, the NWSL and European men's teams. I remain a massive Reds fan in MLB. Women's sports opened me up to the Nebraskas women's basketball team and that led in turn to following the men's team. And all of these sports play all or some of their seasons the same time as CFB. My sports joy no longer has to come from CFB alone in the fall and winter, and I think probably that's a good thing.

 

[NUinID]

3. I like football, Nebraska is my team, but I will watch a lot of other games throughout the season. I am a fan of college football.

I'm not happy with the way things are going right now, but their is not a lot I can do about it. The thing I dislike is that teams with a lot of sugar daddies can become very good in a short amount of time with a huge infusion of cash. SMU, Texas Tech, BYU, Miami and Indiana are good examples of this.

All of this has came about because the NCAA tried to hold onto what little power they had for too long. If they would have just loosened the NIL thing say 10-15 years ago and put in some specific guidelines we wouldn't have the wild west that is going on right now.

Some schools that we normally have thought of as blue bloods may have a hard time keeping up. I think several schools may eventually struggle. Alabama, Auburn, Florida St., Clemson, and of coarse Nebraska don't have the big money alumni that other schools have, or they don't have the alumni willing to put forth the money needed to really compete.

So not going to quit watching games. I am not that principled of a person. But, I don't know how you put the genie back in the bottle.

 

[goodnterribles]

3. I like football, Nebraska is my team, but I will watch a lot of other games throughout the season. I am a fan of college football.

I'm not happy with the way things are going right now, but their is not a lot I can do about it. The thing I dislike is that teams with a lot of sugar daddies can become very good in a short amount of time with a huge infusion of cash. SMU, Texas Tech, BYU, Miami and Indiana are good examples of this.

All of this has came about because the NCAA tried to hold onto what little power they had for too long. If they would have just loosened the NIL thing say 10-15 years ago and put in some specific guidelines we wouldn't have the wild west that is going on right now.

Some schools that we normally have thought of as blue bloods may have a hard time keeping up. I think several schools may eventually struggle. Alabama, Auburn, Florida St., Clemson, and of coarse Nebraska don't have the big money alumni that other schools have, or they don't have the alumni willing to put forth the money needed to really compete.

So not going to quit watching games. I am not that principled of a person. But, I don't know how you put the genie back in the bottle.

You do it by putting someone in charge that actually has enforcement power. Sit down with all the conferences and teams and come up with guardrails for NIL, transfer portal, eligibility, etc. Hammer out the rules and then enforce them every time Lane Kiffin tries to do something.
Until that happens, this will continue to get worse.

 

[Mr.Bennett]

I'm between 1 and 2. 10 years ago I didn't watch all the games, but I'd put the big game on and watch the conference title games and playoffs. Now? I didn't even know week zero games happened last weekend until I saw something online. I used to read the mags, develop opinions, and watch as a team grew year to year. With transfers, that's impossible now. New rosters every year.

My interest in NEB has cratered as well, and for the same reasons. Even when Nebraska wasn't good under Riley and Frost, I knew the roster and cared. I would subscribe to Rivals and follow the recruits. I liked watching guys like Devine Ozigbo and Broc Bando grow and develop. Maybe they weren't world beaters, but darnit, they were Huskers! Now? I'll root for the Huskers, but I really don't care. I picked up the depth chart and it seemed like I'd never heard of half the names on it. I'll tune in to the games, but if the 'Skers fall behind, I'll go rake leaves or take the kids to the park. I don't feel like the players truly care about Nebraska, so why should I?

Spend $50 on a ticket? Donate to a collective? LOL. Hard pass.