by Bob Gaughan, Buffalo Sports Page
College football season just started with a thrilling game between Miami-Florida and Florida. Neither team wanted to win the game but it was exciting from start to finish. This is the season I love and have loved my whole life. I’m the guy that was on the radio for years talking college football as much as I could.
I would do a show once a year arguing college football was better than the NFL.
That show got boring after awhile because I made so many points it was hard to argue against me. But now I fear that college football is being hurt by the domination of two national powers. Those being of course Alabama and Clemson.
If you look at everyone’s predictions this year of a college playoff it’s hard to imagine anyone not having Alabama and Clemson in the top four. When it comes to a national champion, these two are again the picks you have to make. Anyone that doesn’t pick these two is just trying to make a name for themselves.
These dynasties have gone on too long. It’s starting to become boring even for the die-hard college fan. At some point dynasties just become boring. Some would argue that dynasties are good for sports. And some are. The Warriors dynasty is great for the NBA. Difference is the Warriors are 3-2 in NBA finals. They did lose this year to the Toronto Raptors. The Warriors dynasty looks to be over now.
When the same team wins every year it just becomes dull. Take the AFC East this year in football. Who’s going to win? New England of course. What division in the NFL is the least interesting? The AFC East. Every other division in football has more compelling storylines than the AFC East. Everyone knows the Patriots will triumph. At some point who cares?
This is the way I feel the top of college football is becoming. Don’t get me wrong I still love the sport. I’ll still stay up late on a Saturday night to watch some obscure Pac 12 game. I still love watching the game for the purpose of the NFL draft. I will continue to watch the sport forever. But at the top of the sport it’s dull.
How many games would Clemson or Alabama have to lose to not make the playoff? Two would be the answer. Does anyone see either of these teams losing two games? Clemson will be a double-digit favorite in every game they play this year.
Alabama has proven they could lose the SEC and still make the final four.
College football is a great game but these two powerhouses that no one can seem to beat are ruining it. The problem is the rest of college football is fighting for only two spots at table.
What college football needs to do is expand the playoff to at least eight teams. This would at lease expand the discussion of who can be the national champion. It is the only thing that might save it from these two powerhouses.
We live in a different world now. Nothing is as boring as yesterday’s news. The Alabama and Clemson rivalry has become stale. I fear for the sport I love. It’s a great sport and one that I have felt is the greatest sport. The problem is as the excitement of a new season begins is that we all know how this story is going to end.
Leave a Reply