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 money grabs.

We know everyone made money. But did any school actually benefit in any other way — namely on the field — from realignment? I’m glad you asked.

The Unqualified Success: Texas A&M

I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again. I was wrong about Texas A&M moving to the SEC. There was a wave of attention that swelled the Aggies’ heads after their first two years of the SEC coincided with Johnny Football’s transcendent two years there. No other college athlete in the past decade, with the possible exception of Zion Williamson, moved the needle like Johnny Football did.

When he left, I wrongly assumed they would descend back to the mediocrity that they resided in for the bulk of their Big 12 days. Instead…