The fruit of unrestricted, unlimited transfers and massive NIL funds (for top programs) has pretty clearly turned high level college football into a pro league. To me, the biggest differences from five years ago is the dwindling importance of "recruiting," particularly at the high school level and increasing talent parity for top programs. The Saban/Alabama model of stocking up on four and five star high school recruits and having a massive talent advantage over other top programs is a thing of the past and will likely never be possible again.
Another major change is fan identification with the players, who are now annual free agents. I always loved how Georgia greats I watched play in the Red and Black are Dawgs like me. I'm a fan, but most former players are too because their college career was also at UGA. Until a few years ago, it was rare for a player to get significant playing time on two different teams. When a player transferred, it was usually before he became a contributor on his first team. While occasionally a pro player is a franchise guy who becomes deeply associated with a particular team, most are journeymen who - if their career is long enough to be notable - play for at least two or three teams. I'm not necessarily complaining about the portal, because it's definitely better for the players, but as a fan it makes a difference.
I still watch, love the Dawgs, and enjoy college football. But for me, it's not the same. I used to love signing day and getting excited about each year's recruiting class. I don't care now. Many of them will never play a significant down at Georgia, and even if they develop to be great players there's a good chance they'll be playing against us in a few years. I like when we sign a splash guy from the portal, but it's a different feeling than I had when Kirby started pulling together top ranked recruited classes.
Every year, college football seems less like college football and more like NFL - lite. I'm not going to stop watching, but I'd be lying if I said I prefer the new era of college football.
Obviously everyone on here is a long time dedicated college football fan. I'm curious to what extent you dislike the new world of college football. Some of you might even prefer it. What say you?
Another major change is fan identification with the players, who are now annual free agents. I always loved how Georgia greats I watched play in the Red and Black are Dawgs like me. I'm a fan, but most former players are too because their college career was also at UGA. Until a few years ago, it was rare for a player to get significant playing time on two different teams. When a player transferred, it was usually before he became a contributor on his first team. While occasionally a pro player is a franchise guy who becomes deeply associated with a particular team, most are journeymen who - if their career is long enough to be notable - play for at least two or three teams. I'm not necessarily complaining about the portal, because it's definitely better for the players, but as a fan it makes a difference.
I still watch, love the Dawgs, and enjoy college football. But for me, it's not the same. I used to love signing day and getting excited about each year's recruiting class. I don't care now. Many of them will never play a significant down at Georgia, and even if they develop to be great players there's a good chance they'll be playing against us in a few years. I like when we sign a splash guy from the portal, but it's a different feeling than I had when Kirby started pulling together top ranked recruited classes.
Every year, college football seems less like college football and more like NFL - lite. I'm not going to stop watching, but I'd be lying if I said I prefer the new era of college football.
Obviously everyone on here is a long time dedicated college football fan. I'm curious to what extent you dislike the new world of college football. Some of you might even prefer it. What say you?
