College football year-round sport?

[rolltide]

heard a pretty interesting discussion today regarding what will happen to the mid-majors once the top 60 programs split off into their own division (DIV IV?) and only schedule each other.

the idea which i believe was originally set forth by the NIU athetic director is for the 60 or so mid-majors to play in the spring and not try to go h2h in the fall against the D4 schools who will blanket the tv with their high profile games. you can say that happens now but these mid-majors at least get 2-3 big name schools on their schedule each year and pull in a huge amount of revenue while taking the road beatings.

a spring season would mean they can get their own TV contracts and establish a 1-AA or D2 type of playoff. Sounds pretty good to me...season starts up the week after the Super Bowl and playoffs in May?

 

[groundhog11]

i think june jones mentioned this....i would love for that to happen. not sure why on mid majors wouldnt want it....

 

[rolltide]

they'll have to find a way to replace that huge lost revenue. Mia (oh) won't take a call from a big boy opponent unless they pay them 7-figures (getting $1.1m this year to lose in the big house). The current avg is somewhere around $800k per game for these D-1 mid majors while the FCS opponents avg just half of that amount. Coming up with a way to replace 800k-1.6M/year can only be done with TV revenues and there is no way they'll command a premium on the same weekends that SEC and Big 10 schools are playing.

i like the idea for sure. only negatives are that 1) spring football has never worked in any form, 2) mid-majors would be at an even bigger disadvantage from recruiting perspective as kids that sign in FEB wouldn't play for a calendar year unless they qualified for early admission, 3) what if they don't get the nice TV contract that ensures their viability?

I would dig watching and betting a Toledo/Buffalo game on a Saturday in March instead of a Tuesday in November.

4 years from now things will be drastically different...and i think they'll be different for the better

 

[CoachCB]

I doubt D1 football will ever do it.

I'd like to see JUCO football do it though. That way those kids could graduate in May and enroll at a 4-year school in Summer B or Fall semester. Plus, the better programs could play weekly on ESPNU or something.

Also, I'd like to see D1 schools allowed a 3-day "OTA" (other team activities, similar to what the NFL does). They could do it in mid to late June, giving the team a chance to get together WITH the coaching staff (who has a "hands off" period due to the NCAA during this time). Basically just running around in shorts, no helmets. Kinda like the HS 7-on-7 camps.

 

[sdf]

I would dig watching and betting a Toledo/Buffalo game on a Saturday in March instead of a Tuesday in November.

4 years from now things will be drastically different...and i think they'll be different for the better

except no one but you will be watching Toe/Buff in March. They will be watching UCLA vs Kentucky basketball in the Jerry Dome.
College football in the spring stomps right on college basketball, even the lower tier school college basketball.

 

[rolltide]

except no one but you will be watching Toe/Buff in March. They will be watching UCLA vs Kentucky basketball in the Jerry Dome.
College football in the spring stomps right on college basketball, even the lower tier school college basketball.

well since Bama won't make the Dance and Pitt will get KO'd in first round i'll have a lot of time in March for mid-major football

 

[EzMoney012]

well since Bama won't make the Dance and Pitt will get KO'd in first round i'll have a lot of time in March for mid-major football

:toast: