The Rest of College Football

[WM Wolverine]

What I'm hearing; there is for sure going to be a 4-team playoff, how it works (seeded #1 - #4, current BCS w/ plus one, 3 CC + 1 WC) has yet to be determined. Also sounds like the NT game will be bid out to highest bidder (even the present bowl sites); so we could see a NT game in Indianapolis, Detroit, etc...

There is more support to keep the present BCS bowls as semifinals than not. Still a lot left to be decided, maybe most important is how to share the revenue...

[Hannibal]

Using the bowls as semi-finals is the right move IMHO.

[lineygoblue]

Also sounds like the NT game will be bid out to highest bidder

Remember what I said about a month or so ago about Jerry Jones?

[Tony G]

Remember what I said about a month or so ago about Jerry Jones?

That you liked him in a special way but didn't know how to express your feelings?

[Mackenzie]

Also sounds like the NT game will be bid out to highest bidder (even the present bowl sites); so we could see a NT game in Indianapolis, Detroit, etc...

So much for the argument that bowl games should be played in warmer climates as they are a reward for the players. Well, at least (perhaps) the SEC and CFB can help subsidize the economy of Indy, Detroit, or other northern playgrounds.

[hack]

Bids to be public information? If not, we'll have no idea who the highest bidder really is/was.

[WM Wolverine]

Highest bidder probably isn't correct, NCAA obviously wouldn't accept to play the game in the capital of cesspools in Columbus regardless of their bid.

[madootra]

That you liked him in a special way but didn't know how to express your feelings?

That's got to be it! Heh...

[lineygoblue]

That you liked him in a special way but didn't know how to express your feelings? ;)

okay ... that made me laugh ...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Listended to Bill King's commentary on the subject on XM today. His comments were interesting mainly because they resonate with me.

He believes the deciders (the commissioners and to a lesser extent the Presidents) don't give a lick about what the fans think about a play-off, where they're held, bowls, all of that stuff we've been discussing here for over a year ..... uselessly in my view and mainly because of what King sees.

He sees the commisioners and presidents aiming for the big bucks in all of this. We're the little fish - the fans who buy a ticket here and a ticket there, drink water with our meals and stop by at McDonalds for a burger after the game. The deciders want corporate money .... for pricey seats, luxury boxes and the like, including the big boys who think nothing of coming to town and dropping a couple of grand into the local economy.

Jerry and his ilk are looking to outbid bowls and each other to land the NCG in whatever venue they happen to own and operate. Then they sell blocks of tickets and sky boxes to the corporate big wigs. We'll still be able to get tickets but from whom do you think? Yes, a few from the schools who will continue to get fleeced by these guys with mandatory seat purchases if you want to come and play but mostly from the rip off artists who resell what they are given by the venue owners or posted on their web sites by block ticket holders and individuals at ridiulous prices. And, yes, there are plenty of fans who will pay those ridiculous prices. I probably won't be one of them and I don't think Jerry and his crowd care one bit that I won't be attending.

I paid a bundle for a pair of seats for the pleasure of watching Alabama play Michigan in Jerry's World. Then I will pay more for a pair of season home tickets with one good game that I want to see (MSU) on the schedule. I'll go to a couple more but only to visit my son's family (Sean don't laugh, I actually want to see that more than any of the shitty home games on M's schedule!).

What's the point? There are two points (1). I'm losing interest. Maybe its the summer dulldrums but these seem worse than before because of the kinds of insight Bill King has that I agree with and have spoken of many times here. (2). CFB, at the elite level and were talking about the tradtional players here including my beloved Michigan, is being leased out by the Universities to make money. The target of their greed is corporate America and those individuals wealthy enough to pay the enormous price tag for tickets and the show.

At the price I see developing for tickets to these games and as I get set for retirement, I can think of a lot better way to spend my money. Sad. And believe it, Dave Brandon does not care either. He's one of Jerry's friends.

[*JD*]

In 1953, in the middle of their 5th World Series championship season in a row, the New York Yankees averaged less than 20,000 fans a game.

That same year the Tigers averaged only 11,000 fans a game. And that was 5th best out of 8 teams!

The "massive" decline in baseball popularity is being overblown. I'm not sure where Hanni lives that youth baseball is non-existent, but it's all over the place in Ohio.

I'm just wondering if part of that has to do with day baseball. When did teams start having night games?

[Dr. Strangelove]

That's an interesting point. Night games started in the late 30's but I'm not sure when they became the norm. By the 70's I think. The Cubs were the lone holdout for a long time.

[Rob F]

That's an interesting point. Night games started in the late 30's but I'm not sure when they became the norm. By the 70's I think. The Cubs were the lone holdout for a long time.

And in their own special way, they're still "holdouts"---holding out from winning for generation after generation.

You might not like their losing tradition, but ya gotta admire them for at least having tradition and sticking to it!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Texas Tech is threatening to cancel its game against Texas State if ESPN tries to show it on the Longhorn Network...yeah the Big12 is stable LOL

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2012/06/21/report-texas-tech-might-cancel-a-nonconference-game-rather-than-have-it-appear-on-the-longhorn-network/

[WM Wolverine]

Conference is as stable as Oklahoma and Texas want it to be; after those two schools you've a lot of schools with nowhere to go but to live off Texas/Oklahoma or go to the Big East which is a massive pay cut.