Georgia’s 63-3 Orange Bowl win over Florida State was a total embarrassment for college football.
And we all saw it coming.
I’m not sure how the game was played, as I chose to sit this one out, but it doesn’t take a football genius to know it wasn’t pretty.
Outside of Bulldogs and Seminoles fans, those that decided to give this game a look were basically rubbernecking.
I feel bad for FSU, that 29 players said, no thanks, and opted out of this exhibition.
I feel equally as bad for Georgia, the defending national champion.
You think those kids wanted to win a game like this?
And I feel sad for the city of Miami and the Orange Bowl Committee.
I’ve been to the Orange Bowl. The city, the region does a fantastic job of promoting this game. It’s the highlight of the year for many.
For what?
A 63-3 game that was 42-3 at halftime.
The 90th Orange Bowl had a historic stinker.
Don’t point blame at the Orane Bowl Committee; all they did was select two highly ranked teams. Both with grudges to bear.
The problem was that FSU took it personally.
The other problem was these weren’t the same Seminoles that completed a perfect season.
This was a depleted team, that despite being undefeated was a 24-point underdog entering Hard Rock Stadium.
While the Seminoles were playing a team from Georgia, it wasn’t the NFL Falcons.
OK, granted, FSU saw its fortunes change after losing star quarterback Jordan Travis. But the Seminoles still managed to go unbeaten and win the ACC championship.
The root of what’s rotten in college football is what cost FSU.
The ravages of the transfer portal can deplete a team’s roster between the regular season and scrimmage, err, bowl season.
Increasingly, top players are opting to sit out the bowl games because of the inherent risk of injuries, because of the NFL draft just four months away.
I’m not sure what the answer is, but this trend is ruining the integrity of college football and the bowl season.
And it’s going to get worse.
Next season the College Football Playoffs will expand from four teams to 12. From three games to 11.
Outside the CFP, games the other bowl games will become even more irrelevant.
College football just can’t have it both ways.
It’s time for the NCAA to put the big boy pants on and figure out some fair way of making the transfer portal and opt-out a two-way street.
But for the time being, the transfer portal and the opt-outs have created an embarrassment for the college athletics.
I’m old enough to remember when there were only the major bowls – Rose, Cotton, Orange, etc.
With the expanded playoffs coming next year, it’s time to just eliminate the gluten of meaningless games.
Will that solve all the problems?
No.
But it will reduce the inventory, and that’s a start.
Will that happen?
Absolutely not.
That inventory is what the networks (ESPN) utilize to sell advertisements. The moneymaker.
So, that isn’t happening.
It’s time the NCAA and member institutions decide if they are in the sports and entertainment business or education business.
The transfer portal and NIL aren’t bad for college sports.
But clearly, they both need some tweaking to reduce the mayhem that currently exists.
Maybe it’s time the NCAA went to work.
Or is the cow already out of the barn?
Share
