College football is now a constantly evolving sport. We’ve already seen changes this offseason and the season ended just days ago. There’s undoubtedly more changes to come but let’s run through some ideas and think things through.
USA TODAY writer Blake Toppmeyer was inspired by Fernando Mendoza, so he created five ideas “to fix” the CFP era of college football. These changes aren’t all that dramatic, but could make a sizable difference to the rhythm of a college football season.
1. Eliminate conference championship games, move to 13-game schedule
I don’t love this idea. It’s undoubtedly true that conference championship games aren’t as important as they used to be, especially in the eyes of the CFP committee. There’s still something about the two top teams in the conference squaring off to be champions. Even if the CFP still is what the teams are truly chasing, we should still honor the pride of winning a conference championship.
2. Start the season earlier, but keep rivalry week during Thanksgiving
Now we’re talking. Starting the season for everyone in Week 0 is a great idea. As a country, we’re never more starved for football than at the very beginning of the college season. Let’s embrace that, move the season up a week and have another week of eyes on college football before the start of the NFL season. Going straight into CFP from rivalry week will be filled with drama and tension, all while getting an earlier to the playoffs.
3. Start and end the College Football Playoff sooner
Starting the season earlier also means we can start the playoffs sooner. Toppmeyer believes we can have the national championship game on New Year’s Day, which would give the country a chance to watch the game and have it become a staple for their holiday tradition. It’d be a shorter bye for the Top-Four seeds, which has also been a hot button issue in recent years.
4. Make New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day a college football feast
This one should be a no-brainer. As much as I enjoy the current bowl schedule, with games spread across weeks, giving me endless entertainment, college football should take over the first and last day of the year with nonstop college football.
5. Portal opens after the national championship game
Someday we’ll look back on the fact that teams had to worry about the transfer portal during their playoff run and laugh. It’s nonsensical that teams should have to worry about next year’s roster construction during their pursuit of a national title. Opening the portal on January 2nd also gives players enough time to land with a school before the spring semester starts.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: USA TODAY writer lists 5 ideas to fix current college football world
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
