But has this actually happened? I haven’t watched one of the bowls between New Year’s Day and the championship since they spread them out (well-except the ones that had Boise State, I guess), and my impression is that ratings are in the toilet for those games. I would always watch the Sugar/Orange Bowls when they capped off New Year’s Day, but no more. Going to ESPN and losing the still-not-insignificant number of folks who don’t have cable has surely cost eyeballs as well…

In all seriousness I think there are great football programs all over the country, but the SEC has really turned it up a notch in the past 5 years. You can say what you want about academic standards versus talent in attracing players, but that’s not the most important variables.
The most important variables in recruiting are the COACH (and a coach’s success) that attracts talent, and geography. Alabama before Saban was very much beatable, and I’m pretty sure that Auburn under Gus Malzahn is going to be very good. Some schools are well geographically posititioned to attract top talent (Floridas, Californias, Michigan, and especially Texas); the fact that those places are losing big time to SEC schools is what’s amazing here (Did you SEE South Carolina’s Clowney sack against Michigan?!). Notre Dame is a wierd case that attracts talent from all over the country because of its Catholic legacy, but even that isn’t always enough. Coach Kelly helped, but the one other thng that Notre Dame needed but didn’t have this year was a really speedy player on offense- there was no Rocket Ismail. There was a great Mormon linebacker on the team, but no great Muslim reciever

And, if the terrific and talented athletes of the Univ. of Alabama football team learn of virtue on the gridiron, imagine what our less talented athletes at ND are learning in the classroom and chapels of that august facility.

Given that, I am surprised that one of America’s leading academics tilts, at least a bit, toward a form of collegiate football that many describe as the ‘NFL’s farm system.’

I suppose modernity makes pragmatists outta all of us?

I do remember when Coach Holtz told the ND authorities to either lower their academic standards to compete with the SEC and others or start scheduling the Grove City, Hillsdale, etc. They fired him of course (or did he quit?).

What’s ruining college football is lust for lucre, and perhaps in one way or another, it always did.

While the East is much improved over last year the strength in the SEC still seems to me to be in the West. So between two 2 loss teams Georgia and Texas A&M I give the coin flip to Texas A&M(no Heisman curse(yet) for Johnny Football) If I was associated press and thus unconstrained by legal barriers, I would vote OSU in 2nd. Since I am not partisan to the SEC but still admit they are the strongest conference, I did take quite a bit of pleasure in seeing Florida destroyed by Louisville. I think my midwestern sense of History(think Tressel) finally caught up to the Mad Hatter. Incredibly tricky to pass on first down against Clemson. but passing on second down and 2 (when you need to run down the clock?) a bit too fancy… but they will never expect a pass on third down! Oops… and then Clemson drives down the field and makes a field goal with no time for the 1 point win. LSU also made dubious time management calls to blow a lead against Alabama. LSU v. Florida was just sloppy. Also Georgia and SC from SEC east both tailed big ten teams at halftime. In the case of Georgia behind to Nebraska. But Nebraska and Michigan were from the weakside of the Big ten (OSU and Penn State both ineligible on the other side, and Wisconsin destroying Nebraska in the championship.) At the end of the day certainly SEC wins…

#3 @ Brian is all about money. Spread it out get more attentive viewers and thus higher ad revenue. I agree with Lawler that to some extent you can’t really watch that much football (unless you are a true historian of the game like Saban). Now anyone can watch a football game for the love of it, but Saban I think wants to know if the entertainment is “true”. All coaches break down game film, but Saban isn’t a consumer, he is a producer. A disciplined win machine, so he is probably highly troubled by the play of his second team in allowing any Notre Dame points at all. The foundational elements of Saban’s Roll Tide religion seem to leave a smaller place for “grace”, “faith” or “charity” than the Lou Holtz football sermon. To the victors go the Auburn spoils and miss Alabama.

Boehner is an old school ohio negotiator, I am sure he will be alright. He might have a PLAN, but I don’t have to cheer for it. That is the business of the center-left and center-right.

Albeit for what it is worth, I am pretty sure that in america the transformation thru political revolution that you claim is a bloody illusion is simply a new boss or football coach who brings new systems of nudging personal transformation. Boehner, Saban, Obama, Lou Holtz or the Mad Hatter, it is all the same game. -Roll Tide.