I think I'm done with college athletics

[sWiley]

Could write a dissertation on the subject, but at it's core I just don't find it interesting anymore, especially football.

It is maddening to sit here and watch our entire starting defense and half the 2 deep transfer out and take offers with Power 5 programs. Before that, it was our entire OL that transferred out and left us high and dry.

How can a school like MT ever build anything when it is nothing more than a glorified JUCO? This impacts all of the G5 and even some of the lower tier Power 5 schools. How is that interesting to anyone ? You want to see your best players leave each year to the highest bidder? Forget about a kid signing somewhere and developing for 2-3 years and then playing at that school for 2-3 years (depending on how their redshirts go). You can make the argument that all G5 are screwed so it's a level playing field, but I'm not buying it and nor am I interested in it. I have no desire to see half the roster turnover every season and our best players leave to the highest bidder. No Fing thank you.

It won't bother the Blue Bloods because the rules and system is designed to benefit them. Now they can take our best players and dispose of their busts on down the ladder in the name of "NIL" and "Transfer portal" shenanigans. It is disgusting and more importantly, boring and predictable. It'll be the same teams year after year (as it already has been).

Professional leagues like the NBA and NFL provide far superior talent and viewing experience if I want to see paid players. And these leagues at least have salary caps and mechanisms that force parity amongst the leagues which usually results in highly competitive matches.

I'll probably continue to loosely check scores and read here from time to time but I'm done watching or caring about college sports. College athletics just don't interest me anymore. I have not watched a single bowl game thus far (which would have been unthinkable 2-3 years ago) and have not seen a college basketball game since we predictably lost to UAB at home.

ZZzZZzZZZzZZZzzzZZzzZz

 

[RaiderDoug]

I don’t really see the issue. The portal swings both ways, and the older I get, the less I identify with the players who, at best are here only for a short time anyway. Let them go if they want, and as long as we have the right coaching staff to replace the guys that leave, so be it.

Honestly, as the top of FBS turns itself into NFL-lite; I could see me being more interested in the regionality and diversity of a more collegiate G5 division. I’ll keep my NFL on Sundays.

 

[MTFAN61]

Sure hate losing players, but I'll never spite someone for making a buck if possible. Here's a stat. 1,000,000 young men played high school football in the US in 2023. 133 fbs colleges have 85 scholarships per school, this represents 11,300 available total scholarships in America annually. That means for every 100 high school football players in the US only 1 gets to play division 1 fbs football, meaning only 1% of kids playing football get that coveted fbs scholarship. And from out of those 133 schools only 70 or so are likely capable of big NIL bucks. In essence only .05 percent of kids playing high school football will ever see any NIL money at all.
And that's why there are plenty of G5 schools with little to no NIL money out there who still had great seasons last year. And yes, they probably lose plenty of players to that select group of NIL P5 schools capable of grabbing that .05 percent at the end of each year. But that same group of winning G5 schools always seem to still win year after year. How do they do it? Because there's a hell of a lot of quality football players out there to recruit from if a coach or school wants to put in the effort each year to find them. That means those winning schools have to put in a little bit more effort in recruiting & coaching than their fellow contemporaries. Ultimately our old regime didn't want to put in that type of effort. If our new regime wants to put in the same work as the coaches at Appy St, Troy, or Georgia Southern they can have the same type of success as those schools. The kids are still out there for the finding & developing. It's just more work than many are willing to do. Here's hoping CDM can be one of those coaches. It's there for the taking. Guess we'll know in a couple of years.

 

[Tyler Pellom]

Good for the kids. Go get paid.

But I agree that if a P5 schools plucks a G5 kid, there should be some sort of buyout in place that reimburses the G5 school. I think we’ll see this happen once the haves and have nots fully silo themselves.

 

[zreed]

This might be the closest I've ever come to agreeing with you.

What little relevance G5 holds is in grave danger.

 

[Tyler Pellom]

This might be the closest I've ever come to agreeing with you.

What little relevance G5 holds is in grave danger.

This is not me throwing stones at you directly, because the same thing happens to me too.

What do we mean by relevance? I feel as though we have been manipulated by the TV companies to feel like “relevance” nationally is the reason MT competes. It doesn’t have to be this way. G5/FCS l - however these schools group themselves in the next tectonic shift - the focus has to get back to putting butts in seats and winning games. Chasing TV eyeballs and money and whatever is a fool’s errand.

 

[Sommy]

I'm with you. My interest is fading because what I THINK is going to happen to smaller schools. I am hoping that someone steps in and puts some guardrails around things. But the combination of NIL and Transfer portal happening at the same time has been catastrophic. I really think they either have to put rules for either sit out a year when transferring, compensation for the departing school, or kids need to sign some sort of contract. Maybe it's every school gets a 2 year athletic contract or something when signing a kid and they get some sort of compensation in return. They can transfer academically, but academically they have to sit out.

The whole structure is why I don't even care about high school kids we sign anymore. If we find them, develop them and they do well, they will transfer after one good year. That's a definition of a farm league for the bigger schools. We should be focused way more on portal players, because we could potentially keep them longer and have access to possibly better talent that just wants to start immediately. Just sign a handful of HS players and that's it. We will NEVER keep a kid we get out of high school.

PORTAL - PORTAL - PORTAL

 

[sWiley]

I'm with you. My interest is fading because what I THINK is going to happen to smaller schools. I am hoping that someone steps in and puts some guardrails around things. But the combination of NIL and Transfer portal happening at the same time has been catastrophic. I really think they either have to put rules for either sit out a year when transferring, compensation for the departing school, or kids need to sign some sort of contract. Maybe it's every school gets a 2 year athletic contract or something when signing a kid and they get some sort of compensation in return. They can transfer academically, but academically they have to sit out.

The whole structure is why I don't even care about high school kids we sign anymore. If we find them, develop them and they do well, they will transfer after one good year. That's a definition of a farm league for the bigger schools. We should be focused way more on portal players, because we could potentially keep them longer and have access to possibly better talent that just wants to start immediately. Just sign a handful of HS players and that's it. We will NEVER keep a kid we get out of high school.

PORTAL - PORTAL - PORTAL

And that's exactly why the sport doesn't interest me anymore. I grew up in a time when high school signing day was everything. That first Wednesday in February was like having another Christmas. JUCO and other college transfers were usually regarded as suspect at best. It was all about the high school player and developing that player over the 4-5 years you were going to have them.

Because players were around for 4-5 years, you got to see them grow and flourish, stagnate, or bomb and flunk out. But as a fan it was nice because you got to know the team and players better over the years. It felt more family-like. It gave a sense of what college athletics should be about. Signing with a school, representing your alma mater, having those rivalry games every year, trying for a conference championship after you failed last year, so on and so forth. Being a good teammate and forming those bonds meant something.

Then somewhere along the way (O'Bannon lawsuit opened the flood gates) money, greed, and power corrupted the sport like it has corrupted everything else in this world. I already have to deal with the real world and all the corruption, greed, and BS that goes with it. I have a disdain so strong for current society/monetary policy/political landscape that it's difficult to put it into words. College athletics, for me, was an escape and a part of my life where I could forget about those things and hopefully focus on something more....pure....but not anymore.

And so I'm simply not interested anymore. I have no interest in watching our best players leave every year while we try to pick up the scraps that the Power 5 doesn't want. The portal has already proven very detrimental to MT. Just go look at how many good players we've lost vs. how many we've gained from the portal. It's not even close and a coaching change, though welcome, isn't going to change much. These kids are after $$$ and we simply don't have any. And this is the story for nearly every G5 out there. The portal is not a winning proposition or tool for any G5 school, especially a broke one like ours. I'm just not interested in the highest bidder type stuff, rampant transferring, tampering of players, loss of team identity, so on and so forth.

If I'm going to watch a sport where the players are paid, I would much rather watch the pro leagues like NFL and NBA. At least there the players sign long-term deals and stay with teams for several years, there is forced parity via salary caps and draft positions, strict rules and enforcement on tampering, etc. None of these things exist in college sports and probably never will because the Blue Bloods benefit way too much from the current status quo.


No thanks.

 

[tyler90wm]

Bowl games also seem to have less meaning these days than they use to, even at the G5 level.

 

[BRaiderDave]

Bowl games also seem to have less meaning these days than they use to, even at the G5 level.

I can't believe WKU's bowl game is being held this afternoon. A Monday. 1:30 pm. Who's gonna show for that?

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

I am tired of the NIL and The Portal as a whole.

I was under the impression that the NIL was that kids to go and do commercials and other type of advertisements. I was not realizing it was going to turn into a bidding war and kids being allowed to leave if a "Deal" could not be agreed to. Kids demanding $1.5 to $2 M to play QB; I don't care how important the position is and expecting fans to pay it. I don't mind donating to facilities and the like, but I struggle to think about my money going to some kid who can get upset decided to leave.

I saw where other athletes are suing to get paid. I can only assume those are the athletes that no one is willing to pay for play. We know NIL is not strictly football, due to the gymnast at LSU, and other female athletes getting NIL deals.

Then the portal, holy crap. That thing is a total mess. Allowing unlimited transfers is ridiculous, IMO. I understand the thought behind it, but I don't have to like it. This early signing period and portal should not even be open till after the bowl season is done. Open the portal a week after the season and go back to February as signing day.

The very people hired to manage this has driven it into the ground.

 

[sWiley]

This early signing period and portal should not even be open till after the bowl season is done. Open the portal a week after the season and go back to February as signing day.

The very people hired to manage this has driven it into the ground.

I forgot to even mention that. Bowl season is even less meaningful now since teams have up to half their roster jump in the portal before bowl season even starts. LOL

Even Texas, who is in the playoff, had their back up QB jump into the portal. Not even being in the playoff is keeping these kids on a roster. They would rather chase $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Team doesn't mean $hit anymore.

I can't believe people are okay with this or going along to get along. There should be outrage and a total boycott.

Instead, people think this system is somehow going to benefit anybody but the elite of the elite and that they can use it to their advantage.....

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

This is what I'm talking about... "Failed Negotiations."

Notice FSU is still in running if they can come up with the funds or decide to just pay it. Maybe a cap based on year of school?

It will only get worse.

 

[DoubleRRaider]

I forgot to even mention that. Bowl season is even less meaningful now since teams have up to half their roster jump in the portal before bowl season even starts. LOL

Even Texas, who is in the playoff, had their back up QB jump into the portal. Not even being in the playoff is keeping these kids on a roster. They would rather chase $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Team doesn't mean $hit anymore.

I can't believe people are okay with this or going along to get along. There should be outrage and a total boycott.

Instead, people think this system is somehow going to benefit anybody but the elite of the elite and that they can use it to their advantage.....

I feel like kids should make the best possible decisions for them. I do agree that the recruiting calendar does need some adjustments though.

I like the idea of the portal, at the end of the day you want volunteers and guys who want to be there instead of hostages. Right now it benefits the "elite" but they still have issues. Even some of the top P5 schools are struggling to balance the NIL payroll between retention, portal and hs recruiting.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Not sure the original intent of college athletics from the early 1900s was to grow a gorilla cash making machine.

Current college football seems like something Vince McMahon would have curated.

Best thing that ever happened to me, was taking many steps back from sports during the Covid years.

 

[sWiley]

I feel like kids should make the best possible decisions for them. I do agree that the recruiting calendar does need some adjustments though.

I like the idea of the portal, at the end of the day you want volunteers and guys who want to be there instead of hostages. Right now it benefits the "elite" but they still have issues. Even some of the top P5 schools are struggling to balance the NIL payroll between retention, portal and hs recruiting.

Nobody was a hostage before. They could stop playing football and just be a student OR transfer to another school and sit a year. It was a reasonable middle ground all things considered. These rules were in place because it would have been a disaster to just let everyone transfer everywhere every year without any rules or contracts in place. Not even professional leagues allow or endorse these behaviors because they sign long-term deals that largely keep athletes with the same team.

 

[DoubleRRaider]

This is what I'm talking about... "Failed Negotiations."

Notice FSU is still in running if they can come up with the funds or decide to just pay it. Maybe a cap based on year of school?

It will only get worse.

View embedded media

I grew up a FSU fan, currently a booster and NIL donor. Payton wanted near 1M in NIL. We told him no, so he wanted to test the market and hit the portal. Once he seen what the offers actually were he decided to come back.

FSU's NIL paid Jared Verse around 800k in 'retention' NIL to come back even after receiving a first round draft grade. Payton is good, but i think the wrong people were in his ear.

That said, I do think there should be some sort of cap or baseline so that NIL can actually be used correctly.

 

[zreed]

This is not me throwing stones at you directly, because the same thing happens to me too.

What do we mean by relevance? I feel as though we have been manipulated by the TV companies to feel like “relevance” nationally is the reason MT competes. It doesn’t have to be this way. G5/FCS l - however these schools group themselves in the next tectonic shift - the focus has to get back to putting butts in seats and winning games. Chasing TV eyeballs and money and whatever is a fool’s errand.

Their different sides of the same coin. Nothing will put butts in seats faster than winning, winning will also get you more eyeballs on TV.

But I believe we're approaching a point where even consistent championship level G5 football still won't make even a ripple and honestly may not even be possible. Average to below average G5 teams are still seeing their top players transfer out when given the opportunity. I don't fault the players, it just is what it is.

 

[RaiderDoug]

Also, while the MT admins and program certainly deserve criticism for the last 10 years plus of mismanagement, I don't know if i'd be too hard on them for the whole upcoming FBS/P5/G5/FCS split or whatever it will eventually look like.

Short of going back in time 100 years, I'm not sure anything anyone could have done could have positioned us for what's coming.

Very few teams will make the cut - teams with bigger fan bases, more tradition, way more $$$'s, way more athletic/academic prestige and clout will be left out as well.

I was always one of those guys that said if we can't play at the top level, don't even bother.

But the way this thing is going, we're looking at a small, NFL farm system, and everyone else. No shame in being with everyone else in this thing.

 

[Brew_Raider]

This doesn’t bother me that much. I don’t know any of these kids and honestly I won’t remember 90% of them, even if they stayed 5 years at MT. Go get yours young men.

I care because it’s MT and football/basketball is the most public advertisement for the school. I want MT to do well in athletics because that increases attendance, perception and donations. If MT does anything, I want it to do well.

We just adapt our recruiting strategy. Maybe we consider dropping back to FCS for financial reasons once the P5 pay group splits off. Honestly, I would rather see MT compete in FCS playoffs than play in the American Standard Toilet Bowl versus a MAC or Sun Belt team. IMO we never belonged in the same division as Ohio State or UGA, separating from the money might be thing for MT long-term.

 

[MTFAN61]

WKU getting their rear ends handed to them. Believe announcers said 3 starting offensive linemen jumped to the portal & Austin Reed opted out. Wonder if Reed opted out because so many linemen jumped ship prior to the bowl game. Even if he originally wanted to play I might do the same without confidence in my line.

 

[BigBlueBrad]

Bowl games also seem to have less meaning these days than they use to, even at the G5 level.

No kidding. So many players opt out now to prepare for the draft, if they are not part of the playoff. Between the portal and opt outs, some of these teams are not even worth watching. It has really water down the product.

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

No kidding. So many players opt out now to prepare for the draft, if they are not part of the playoff. Between the portal and opt outs, some of these teams are not even worth watching. It has really water down the product.

The Texas backup is in the playoffs and hit the portal. Not sure that matters any more.

 

[magaraider]

How can a school like MT ever build anything when it is nothing more than a glorified JUCO? This impacts all of the G5 and even some of the lower tier Power 5 schools. How is that interesting to anyone ? You want to see your best players leave each year to the highest bidder? Forget about a kid signing somewhere and developing for 2-3 years and then playing at that school for 2-3 years (depending on how their redshirts go). You can make the argument that all G5 are screwed so it's a level playing field, but I'm not buying it and nor am I interested in it. I have no desire to see half the roster turnover every season and our best players leave to the highest bidder. No Fing thank you.

Ditto. I'm done too. Nothin is genuine anymore. Nothin.

 

[magaraider]

I don’t really see the issue. The portal swings both ways, and the older I get, the less I identify with the players who, at best are here only for a short time anyway.

That's actually the issue with me. One of the variables that made college football so interesting to me was to watch a player develop during their 4-year stay.

So sad to see how superficial everything as become.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

I’ve said it before……I despise NIL. I played for free college tuition, room, board, books, fees and a monthly check from the AD for $15 a month to do my laundry. Maybe an occasional $100 handshake during football season.
That, love of the game and an opportunity to play at the next level after HS.

I agree with sWiley. NIL has absolutely ruined the college game for football and basketball. No school loyalty, no teammate loyalty, get beat out in the spring or fall preseason?
Just quit and transfer in the portal instead of fighting for your job or be the next man up.
Unhappy with your NIL handout? Just quit and enter the transfer portal.
Don’t like your coach? Just quit and enter the transfer portal.
The rule requiring a student-athlete to have to sit for a year and pay their own way (unless you went down to Div. IAA (FCS)) was in place for a good reason.

Anyone with half a brain can see why.

 

[Sommy]

It's sad that no governing body has stepped up to see what clearly is turning into a mess. Putting aside all the issues with it destroying athletics for a very small group of top teams, but what about the student athlete. Do you think a kid that transfers 2-3 times and bounces around will ever get a degree? I would bet the likelihood is much less. Who is looking out for the larger group of kids to at least give them a chance to graduate.

Until we see larger declines in interest (it's coming, just from posters on this board you can feel it) it will continue to trend to the haves/have nots. It was probably okay if it were just CUSA schools getting the shaft, but now you are seeing "bigger" programs become feeders to the top elite schools. Indiana, Oregon State, OK State, Miss State, Kansas, etc. Those schools are turning over their top talent to the highest bidder. They probably thought they were insulated, but they aren't. Even Oklahoma lost their entire starting Offensive and Defensive lines to graduation/portal.

The fun thing used to be in watching these kids we find develop and grow with our program. I remember reading Wiley's breakdown of each signing class each year and looking to see where they were from. I would take an interest in kids from places I knew well and I would follow their careers. Now, I don't even care about HS players, they will bolt if they have one good season. I get it, but don't expect me to care about them.

Special thanks to ESPN and the sports channels (another reason to hate the media) for pushing to only have an elite group and screw everyone else. The problem is that "Elite" group continues to get smaller and smaller. When schools like Washington State are getting pushed aside, those alumni groups and fans aren't happy. This system is pushing larger and larger groups to the side to make more room for the top teams. It's going to be about 15 teams that can remotely weather this, that's it's. If your team, the one you follow, graduated from or live around, doesn't even have a shot at anything and you can't keep up with the players year to year, then people check out. There is no attachment.

 

[ewglenn]

MT is my team and where I spent my money. I’ll be loyal to the school permanently. I understand the losing interest in other schools because I’ve done that. I used to watch college football all day. Now I only watch our games and CUSA games. NIL and the transfer portal need guardrails for sure. However, I think most Walmart t-shirt fans do not care. Unfortunately I think this will get a lot worse before it gets better.

 

[RaiderDoug]

That's actually the issue with me. One of the variables that made college football so interesting to me was to watch a player develop during their 4-year stay.

So sad to see how superficial everything as become.

That’s not just us though.

Even P5 powerhouses are dealing with the revolving door.

I don’t necessarily think it’s a good or a bad thing, I’m kind of indifferent. Actually, it’s good or bad depending on the your coaching staff. Good ones will thrive, bad ones will suffer.

I can see how it turns fans off, but that’s the sport now.

I would like to see some rules and regulations. Like, one transfer and that’s it. And well defined transfer calendar periods. This chaos isn’t good for anybody.

 

[MTFAN61]

New NCAA president Charlie Baker sent out a letter 2 weeks ago to all schools supporting a new subdivision for the top tier schools. Where at least half the student athletes in the new sub-division schools each receive a minimum of $30,000 paid annually directly to the athletes via a trust fund set from the school. Read that those schools could likely have unlimited scholarships since they operate differently than other schools if approved.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Idk if you all have seen Chip Kelly's proposal, but something like that is honestly what I prefer.

Let the G5 split and have their own champ. Can still play a $ game and even still do NIL...true NIL for sponsors, not just straight payments. The G5s can work together to be more regional. It would be fun in my mind. I kept track for a while, before our season went off the rails, of what a G5 playoff would look like. 8 teams, 5 champs and 3 highest ranked at large. Would've been some super fun match ups.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

You start paying college players a salary then you involve the IRS. Then I’ll sit back and watch the blowback from players who can’t even reconcile a checking account and leave it up to the banks to make sure a merchant charged their debit card correctly, much less file a tax return by a deadline. 😂😂

 

[DisgruntledAlum]

I grew up a FSU fan, currently a booster and NIL donor. Payton wanted near 1M in NIL. We told him no, so he wanted to test the market and hit the portal. Once he seen what the offers actually were he decided to come back.

FSU's NIL paid Jared Verse around 800k in 'retention' NIL to come back even after receiving a first round draft grade. Payton is good, but i think the wrong people were in his ear.

That said, I do think there should be some sort of cap or baseline so that NIL can actually be used correctly.

Curious, but does the school cover accountants and such for taxes for these kids or are they on their own? I personally believe they should have to hire one themselves, welcome to adulthood.

I feel like I'm waiting to see a mass of tax charges in the future.

 

[MT01]

This is professional sports. Pay to play is professionalization. If I wanted to watch pro football, I would sink into my recliner on Sundays.

The NCAA has basically thrown their hands up and abdicated any responsibility. Ok, fine. Where are the Presidents and Chancellors? Remember the same people who didn't want to expand schedules or have playoffs because of the impact on academic integrity? But yet they're now going to sit back and watch their students actually become professionalized on their campus on their watch???

There is so much here rife for problems...

• Antitrust violations
• Title IX (is the WBB team also going to get paid $30K) Rut roh
• Non-profit status of the institution (can't have a professionalized entity and still be getting those billions in non-profit grants from the govt)
• Insurance and liability
• Academics (are schools just going to separate their programs from the institution? If so how is it legal to keep the name associated with the institution - i.e. "University of..." )

These are just a few landmines that have the potential to blow up what's happening with all this and not in a good way. And I have many more.

 

[MTTim]

Curious, but does the school cover accountants and such for taxes for these kids or are they on their own? I personally believe they should have to hire one themselves, welcome to adulthood.

I feel like I'm waiting to see a mass of tax charges in the future.

Sounds like a great opportunity for some young CPAs to start a firm handling the finances/taxes for these kids. Lord knows they will need it.

 

[MTFAN61]

Yes it is to include Title IX athletes as well, from what I read. Numerous articles are available. Just Google new NCAA president sub-division proposal.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

All of these posts show to me why the G5 should split. I don't think any of us would have an issue with our star QB or LB doing a commercial for Rosco Brown or Murfreesboro Ford. Or Chip doing one with a few players for Exit Realty. THAT is what NIL truly means. We all have issues with straight payments. And unless there is a split, this is the way we will have to operate. I've pushed for a trust simply because if we don't, we will be worse off.

The thing is we all know we can't afford flat payments anywhere near the NCAA proposal, and we aren't the only school either. Even some in the current Powers can't.

Even with the current structure with one G5 making the playoffs, I'd rather it be even for us all. And I have zero desire to drop to FCS. Just create a new division and be done with it.

 

[MT01]

You say you have zero desire to drop to FCS but if we split, then we ARE just FCS again. If that happens what was the point of the past 25 years?

 

[MidTennMtneer]

If we split, then we're just FCS again. If that happens what was the point of the past 25 years?

I can see that view 100%. But i also view it this way.
We've always said we want to be in the second level. We all know we aren't a Power school and won't be. G5 is the 2nd level, still a step up from FCS. Do schools regret moving from DII to FCS? It's a step up as well. Splitting Power/G5 doesn't change where we are at all. Any G5 school is always viewed as 2nd class to the big ones. The new CFP proves that. One spot for 64 schools because we all know there will never be a G5 at large. That isn't placing all 133 schools on the same level at all.

No matter that we all are FBS, and I truly believe ALL 9 conf champs should get in, it'll never happen. Those at the top have too much power.

If things were different on campus the last 25yrs, could we have been a Houston or Cincy and got pulled up? Possibly. But even now being Power, can those schools afford to pay their students the same as their neighbors Texas or Ohio State? I'm not sure they can.

 

[MT01]

I can see that view 100%. But i also view it this way.
We've always said we want to be in the second level. We all know we aren't a Power school and won't be. G5 is the 2nd level, still a step up from FCS. Do schools regret moving from DII to FCS? It's a step up as well. Splitting Power/G5 doesn't change where we are at all. Any G5 school is always viewed as 2nd class to the big ones. The new CFP proves that. One spot for 64 schools because we all know there will never be a G5 at large. That isn't placing all 133 schools on the same level at all.

No matter that we all are FBS, and I truly believe ALL 9 conf champs should get in, it'll never happen. Those at the top have too much power.

If things were different on campus the last 25yrs, could we have been a Houston or Cincy and got pulled up? Possibly. But even now being Power, can those schools afford to pay their students the same as their neighbors Texas or Ohio State? I'm not sure they can.

I'm just saying if you advocate for a split and it happens, then it becomes official. As in you're officially in a different division. Well that happens whether you advocate for it not. People can say we aren't in the same league as the SEC but we are in the same division no matter how much someone wants to argue the facts otherwise.

Liberty is about to play Oregon. A year from now that team that achieves that is the college football playoff. With UGA, Bama, FSU, and whoever else ends up making it. You don't get that opportunity if you split. Your scores aren't scrolled on the ticker if you split. Vegas doesn't care about you if you split. No one discusses your coaching change on national news media if you split. The eyeballs, visibility, and notoriety you gain by "officially" being in the top tier is irrefutable - regardless of the delta between a power conference school's revenue and ours.

That is - after all - why we made the move in the first place. Why Delaware after all these years of thinking about it finally did it now. Why now? Same reason we did it 25 years ago. And the same thing you lose if you choose or are forced to split.