TonyLip

The UCF AD's use of the word "monopoly" in his email to the UF AD is telling. They're not copying the Boise playbook to become the G5 darling, they're copying the Utah playbook to get access to P5 money. Someone posted this excerpt from a 2009 ESPN article: "To win the lawsuit, Utah must be able to prove that the BCS has total control of the postseason bowl market for its games, that it uses its control to help some conferences and schools at the expense of others, and that the BCS system has damaged the University of Utah as well as the state of Utah." Sounds a lot like what the UCF AD hinted at in his email. He's challenging the need to schedule 2:1s in order to get access to the CFP. It sounds like UCF is lawyered up.

You know this how? Is he playing against a live defense?

I wasn't trolling. No one can predict years in advance which OOC games will help their SOS. Even if UCF and UF did a 2:1 years ago, beating UF this year wouldn't have gotten them into the CFP. So, a school making <$2M/year in TV money would have sacrificed valuable home revenue for nothing. I'm surprised how many writers and commenters aren't focusing on the money. That's really what this is all about.

I watched the highlights from that game. He's a big kid who runs well, but he's not accurate with his passes. If LSU gets a lead I don't see UCF coming back like they seem to do against AAC teams. I with we didn't have to wait a month for bowl games.

SDS keeps posting UCF articles because they generate lots of traffic. So, either SEC fans are more interested in UCF then they claim, or there are a lot more UCF fans out there than we'd like to admit.

Ekeler moving to special teams coordinator after spending his whole coaching career as DC? I'm confused.

The Tigers have to get after their freshman back-up QB early and often. With Milton out, we'll see if UCF is an elite team or if they just had an elite QB.

We should run all over UCF, but I wouldn't call Andy's selection a "low info" prediction. Every expert picked Baylor and Auburn to beat the brakes off them during their last 2 NY6 bowl games.

If UCF beat Florida this year they still wouldn't be in the CFP. The Gators are not an elite SEC team.

I don't blame an aspiring G5 program from avoiding 2 for 1s. The money is very different today than it was back in the Miami/FSU days. I read UCF gets $1.8M per year in TV money and ~$2M per home game. Financially speaking, any AD would be dumb to give up $2M in home game revenue to potentially improve their SoS in this manner. Even if UCF beat Florida this year they still probably wouldn't be in the CFP.

Deep breaths everyone. LSU will run all over UCF, and our D will take their freshman back-up quarterback to the woodshed.

Surely the kids (and fans) from Ohio State, Georgia, LSU, UCF, and Washington would rather being playing in a tournament for a real championship than a bowl "trophy" game.

LSU should smoke UCF, but bowl games are still the epitome of "everyone gets a trophy" culture. Dozens of 6 win teams play meaningless games so their fans and schools can pretend they made the post-season. If you took the NY6 and CFP teams and make a real playoff... - would Greedy and other NFL prospects play instead of sitting out? - would Auburn have been more motivated last year? - how deep would UCF advance? - how much more exciting would the conference championship games be? It's just not convincing when people say the current system is better than a broad and well-defined playoff. Thanks, I'll see myself out.

Happy to oblige darthA. Wanna get really drunk? Watch college football analysts on TV and take a drink every time you hear eye test, body of work, resume, etc. It really is like watching figure skating or gymnastics.

I'd like to see LSU's defense against UCF's offense in the Peach Bowl.

SDS: "UCF might be able to upset elite teams for a single bowl game, but let's see how they would do every week in a P5 conference like the SEC." UCF: "If we were in the SEC we'd be getting $40M/year in TV revenue compared to $2M in the AAC. So yeah, let's see how we'd do every week with P5 money."

Ed keeping it classy. Love it.

Great article, but I disagree with your point in #4 that "January is for old-school football." I love the Tigers but you simply must be able to put up points to win in today's game. Even Bama has opened up their offense. Hopefully we can finish strong and play on Jan. 1.

Dude, you sound like a figure skating judge. How about we expand the playoff so these young men can settle things on the field? Last team standing is the champ.

I'd love to see LSU take on UCF. I think we'll run all over your defense, and I believe our defense can at least slow down your offense. But as Chris Berman used to say, "that's why they play the games."

The only thing the Boise State model proved is that "knowing your place" doesn't get you anywhere. It takes disruption to break into closed/stodgy clubs. TCU and Utah got there through political pressure during realignment. It's disingenuous to say the P5 will allow any G5 program to "earn" their way in. It takes brute force.

This article, and the associated comments, miss the point. We simply want access to a real playoff.

I think it's the "kids table" stuff that makes them so mad. Expand the playoff so that everyone gets exposed (including P5 pretenders), just like in every other sport. I'd rather we control the expansion than some anti-trust edict from on high.

I suspect it will take a major disruption to change things up. If I'm running a G5 conference I'm approaching Netflix, Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc. with some proposals to do something innovative.

There simply isn't a business model today for younger programs to do what FSU did back in the day. Conference TV deals changed the landscape. G5 programs are building their brand any way they can. My hat's off to them. I don't have skin in this game, I just want to see things settled on the field.

Auburn says hello.

Think about what you just wrote. You're saying it's dumb to give every team a chance to become a champion. That's why you're dealing with all these G5 fans pounding at the door. If American history tells us anything it's that they will eventually break it down.

Of course you would love that scenario. Then the chance for an up-and-coming program to break through into a national power goes to 0%.

Oh, I see how it is. UCF is being "uppity" are they?

Question: Do you support a system where a program currently outside of the P5 could become a national power? If not, then it should be clear why programs like UCF are trying to disrupt the status quo. Every other sport in America determines if your schedule was weak by letting conference winners prove themselves in the playoffs. Until College Football stops acting like figure skating (i.e. the "eye test") you will have this BS every year. Just expand the playoffs so top-tier G5 teams can prove it on the field.