College Football Is Broken and Nobody Wants to Admit What It's Become

For over a century, college football was a sport that moved at its own pace. Change happened slowly. Really slowly. Championships were decided by votes that didn't even agree with each other, and nobody cared because the whole system was built on loyalty to your region, your team, your coach. Woody Hayes could lose to Michigan and still be a god.

But something fundamental has shifted in the last 25 years, and it's getting harder to ignore what college football has become.

When Winning Wasn't Enough to Save You

Here's the thing about the old days: coaches had job security even when they struggled. Woody Hayes went through a brutal stretch from 1959 to 1967 where he posted a record of 35-18-1 over six seasons. Think about that. Multiple unranked preseason rankings. Multiple years finished outside the top 25. A 3-5-1 campaign. A 4-5 season. In today's environment, Hayes doesn't survive that stretch. He doesn't get to the 1968 Super Sophomore season where Ohio State won the national championship.

But back then, winning the one game that mattered, the only game that mattered in the hyper-regionalized world of college football, was enough. Hayes went 4-2 against Michigan during those lean years. That was enough.

Fast Forward to Now

Compare that to James Franklin getting fired six games after taking Penn State to a National semifinal. The patience is gone. The loyalty is gone. The regionalism that once protected coaches is extinct.

So ask yourself: Is this really what we want from college football? The Bucket isn't sure.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.