Realignment Crushed the Soul of College Football

It’s now been a decade since the college football world chased the money. And all they have to show for it is the money.

The past ten years have seen an exponential growth in revenue for college football, especially its powerhouse programs. Conference networks have launched and made money hand over fist. Fox jumped into the sport, adding another media giant with endless cash. The playoff was formed, tossing more money on the pile.

But on the field, the sport hit a nadir during the pandemic-plagued 2020 drudge of a season. The playoff has been reduced to Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State or Oklahoma (sometimes both), and a rotating fourth team. The games have rarely been close and TV ratings for bowl games have never been worse.

Even before the pandemic, ratings and attendance were trending down as the powerful got more powerful, the little guys were forgotten, and too many people stopped caring.

Most importantly, realignment meant the sport lost its soul. I’ve previously written about how college basketball was ruined by football-driven realignment, removing so many things that made the sport great.

Now, college football is being ruined. We’ve lost so many rivalries and games between neighbors, replaced by made-for-TV neutral site snores and conference championship…