Think of everything that makes college football special:
1. Rivalries
2. Bowl Games
3. Every game being life or death
4. Regionality

The last 15 years have killed all four.

How many teams don’t play a single rival now? Memphis’s biggest rivals were Louisville and Cincinnati. Haven’t played them in forever.

Bowl games have been meaningless for a few years now. But now, we might as well not even have them.

I hate how under the 12 team playoff a team can use 3 games and still have a shot. Now there’s going to be 8-4 SEC and Big Ten teams arguing for a spot.

I could spend all day complaining about West Coast schools in the ACC and Big 10.

In the closing minutes of “College GameDay” last week, inside a Tuscaloosa, Ala., basketball arena where the show had taken shelter from Hurricane Isaias, the ESPN cameras found Pat McAfee building toward a prediction. Over his shoulder, in the background of the frame, a college student stood in the stands, blond and bare-chested, his green shirt in one fist, flexing and roaring like a raging wrestler.

McAfee took his time. The shirtless young man almost made his muscles burst through his skin. The rest of the ESPN panel — Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and guest picker Bryce Young — had appeased the home crowd by picking Alabama to beat Georgia. McAfee, who grew up outside Pittsburgh, laid a Southern drawl over his vowels, slow and syrupy, a little overdone to match his persona.

The BCS slogan was every game mattered. On December 4, 2011 that all changed. Alabama, which finished in 3rd place in the SEC and had already lost on their home field to No. 1 LSU, was placed in the BCSNC game due to “the eye test” over an Oklahoma State team that had a better overall resume.

Whether it was to usher in the four-team playoff or just generate bigger TV ratings, this completely invalidated the results of the so-called “Game of the Century”
between LSU and Alabama. Alabama’s consequence for losing on its home field was to essentially get a free pass to back in to the championship game. LSU’s “reward” for beating the Tide was a matchup with UGA in the SEC Championship Game - and then having to beat Bama again. Essentially, LSU had to go 3-0
in those games, but Bama only had to be 1-1.

Every game no longer mattered.

EDIT TO ADD:

Resume Comparison

SOS - Okie St # 6, Bama # 23

Wins vs BCS Top 25- OSU 4 (#8 Kansas, #12 Baylor, #14 Oklahoma, #24 Texas)

Bama - 2 (#6 Arkansas, #22 Penn State)

FBS Wins - OSU 11, Bama 10

Oklahoma State - Big 12 Champs

Bama - 3rd Place SEC (2nd in West Division)

—————

Bama’s argument is based on their loss being better than Oklahoma State’s loss.

Bama lost to the #1 team in the country. It was at home, with a huge home crowd, in a game where they knew the SEC West and likely a national championship berth was on the line.

OSU lost to a 6-6 team. It was on the road, on a Friday night, on a day that the university’s athletic department suffered a major tragedy.

Bama was given a do-over for a losing a game where they had everything in their favor.

12 Alabama, Ohio State

11 Clemson, OU

10 UGA, Notre Dame

9 Michigan

8 LSU, Oregon, Utah

7 Penn State, USC

6 Iowa, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas

5 Florida, FSU, NC State, Tennesse, Washington

4 Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Mississippi State, Mizzou, Northwestern, TCU, Wisconsin

3 Arizona, Boise State, Cincinnati, Houston, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Stanford, Texas a and m

2 ASU, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Kentucky, UL Lafayette, Memphis, Navy, UNC, Oregon State, Pitt, SMU, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tempe, Tulane, UCF, UCLA, Virginia, VT, Washington State, West Virginia

1 App State, Arkansas, Army, Costal Carolina, Fresno State, Illinois, JMU, Liberty, Minnesota, San Diego State, San Jose State, Texas Tech, Troy, Tulsa, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Western Michigan

Box Score provided by ESPN

In the BCS era of college football you only had 2 undefeated teams or near undefeated teams make the national championship game. People today already complain enough about how easy schedules can allow a team to have an inflated record. So most people here are going to either see their teams schedule very easy out-of-conference schedules or complain about how the mathematical formula ends up favoring the teams that play lighter schedules. You’re not seeing big out-of-conference games again. Nowadays with analytics programs are going to make sure they take the easiest route. Then you’ll end up with multiple equally deserving teams all snubbed out of the playoffs.

You’re also not going to see bowl games matter anymore than they did before. Players decline playing in bowl games to make sure they stay healthy and keep their NFL draft stock. That’s not going to change with going back to the BCS. If anything you will see more bowl games without starters than you currently see today because only 1 game will decide the championship that season.

So no, the BCS era was not a pinnacle of this sport nor is it something they should go back to. It’s mostly nostalgia that’s fueling that opinion. Sure the 24-team playoff sucks, but it’s far better than going back to the BCS.

Central Methodist (NAIA program in Fayette, Missouri) has suspended 6 players after an assault occurred when some kind of "accountability arrangement" fight club went wrong.

Per the victim, "there was a rule in place that when a football player is late for practice, you have to fight someone for repercussions of being late."

Senior Linebacker, Michael T. Hourel, told officers that issues with defensive players coming late to practices and not being held accountable led to a meeting among players that came up with this policy.

How could this completely rational policy possibly go wrong?

Apparently one such player arrived late on October 9th, ready for battle. That player apparently chose a a particular teammate to fight, but Hourel said he didn't think that would make the victim learn his lesson so he fought the victim instead.

The victim expected it would all be body blows. Hourel punched him in the face, and a few other players allegedly joined in. Then, as the late Bradley Nowell would've said, that's when things got out of control.

The victim was taken to urgent care the following day (10/10) and referred to a concussion specialist. Two players, Hourel and DB Kamarrion Ferguson, were charged with third-degree assault, a felony in Missouri. 4 additional unnamed players were also indefinitely suspended along with the two charged.

The two players did play the following day (10/10) as NAIA #4 Benedictine blew out the Eagles, 52-14. The players were charged on Monday (10/12).

Sources:

• https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/central-methodist-university-investigating-football-players-alleged-assault-of-teammate/article_732a6f45-29d1-4f5d-a916-be62973a7f39.html
• https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/central-methodist-university-says-six-football-players-suspended-after-alleged-assault-of-teammate/article_732a6f45-29d1-4f5d-a916-be62973a7f39.html
• https://abc17news.com/news/crime/2026/10/14/central-methodist-university-suspends-football-players-after-arrest/
• https://coryhoguesports.substack.com/p/central-methodist-players-charged