Sorry in advance for the long post, but I was debating with a couple Michigan friends (yeah, I know) after our game about how the quality of college football really seems to be suffering as a result of the transfer portal and NIL. My post in another thread (https://www.tidefans.com/forums/threads/who-else-thinks-we-just-gave-away-a-nc.335868/post-4149777) got me thinking it might be worth its own discussion.
It seems to me that the upper echelon of CFB has been populated by worse teams in the last couple years than the upper echelon teams from the previous decade or so. What got this started was I told my Michigan friends I thought any of the champs from the previous 5+ seasons would likely have smoked this year's Michigan team. But because Michigan had a senior-laden team, they were able to play disciplined ball and capitalize on what looked to my eyes like a relatively weak playoff field (compared to previous years).
That debate aside, it just seemed like most games I watched this year (tons of games outside of Bama) were worse quality football than I remember the pre-NIL/portal years being. More glaring mistakes, blown coverages, undisciplined play, and just generally sloppy/uninspiring football. Is that just in my head or has anyone else noticed this?
And like I said, even the championship/playoff teams seem weaker compared to previous years (with maybe a couple exceptions). I am very proud of what this Bama team did to become SEC champs this year, but I'm not sure they could have stayed within 2 scores of any other recent SEC champ.
I think it all comes back to the new challenges and distractions of the NIL/transfer portal age. There is hardly any continuity of players since the experienced backups seem to transfer out as often as not. And I would think that coaches are having to devote so much more time/energy to managing rosters through all the changes that the time to invest in developing players has to have been reduced. As a result of ever-changing teams of less experienced players with less coaching, we seem to be getting a lower quality product on the field.
Anybody else feel this way?
It seems to me that the upper echelon of CFB has been populated by worse teams in the last couple years than the upper echelon teams from the previous decade or so. What got this started was I told my Michigan friends I thought any of the champs from the previous 5+ seasons would likely have smoked this year's Michigan team. But because Michigan had a senior-laden team, they were able to play disciplined ball and capitalize on what looked to my eyes like a relatively weak playoff field (compared to previous years).
That debate aside, it just seemed like most games I watched this year (tons of games outside of Bama) were worse quality football than I remember the pre-NIL/portal years being. More glaring mistakes, blown coverages, undisciplined play, and just generally sloppy/uninspiring football. Is that just in my head or has anyone else noticed this?
And like I said, even the championship/playoff teams seem weaker compared to previous years (with maybe a couple exceptions). I am very proud of what this Bama team did to become SEC champs this year, but I'm not sure they could have stayed within 2 scores of any other recent SEC champ.
I think it all comes back to the new challenges and distractions of the NIL/transfer portal age. There is hardly any continuity of players since the experienced backups seem to transfer out as often as not. And I would think that coaches are having to devote so much more time/energy to managing rosters through all the changes that the time to invest in developing players has to have been reduced. As a result of ever-changing teams of less experienced players with less coaching, we seem to be getting a lower quality product on the field.
Anybody else feel this way?