And just like that it’s over. Another college football season has come and gone, so I felt like it was time to put a bow on what we saw this year, and where we’re going in the future. The 2023-24 season was one of the most compelling and in some cases controversial seasons in some time. The landscape of the sport continues to undergo seismic changes that are reshaping things we have known for years and in some ways undoing the fabric of what makes the sport unique. We’ll touch on all that and more, but I wanted to lead off with some thoughts on the retirement of Nick Saban.
The Goat Says Goodbye
Wednesday nights breaking news sent shockwaves throughout the College Football world as the legendary Nick Saban announced his retirement after 17 years as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. His staggering coaching career, that took from East Lansing to Cleveland to Baton Rouge to Miami to Tuscaloosa, saw him win seven national titles and post a record of 292-71-1. The only man to rival the legacy of Paul “Bear” Bryant told Reece Davis and ESPN that this decision was a result of this past season being a mental grind for him. It’s easy to understand where he is coming from when he says that, as it seemingly took quite a bit to get this Bama team to achieve all that it did.
We’ll save coverage of the “horse race” to be Saban’s replacement for another time. I’d rather spend my team here with some words of admiration for the legend that ran this sport for the majority of my football watching life. I spent a long-time being Saban hater, and no it wasn’t just because his Tide crushed my Fighting Irish in the 2012 BCS Title Game in Miami. More than anything I found his personality hard to like and his team’s style of play rather “unentertaining.”
But that was back before I learned to appreciate the finer points of the game and craft he perfected. His on the field values and methods produce consistent winners, something that any fan in any sport should admire. Meanwhile off the field I came to appreciate his dry humor and intense press conferences. As an aspiring member of the media, I have joked that I would gladly let him yell at me during a sideline interview. Much like his longtime friend Bill Belichick, who joined him on the unemployment line this week, Saban isn’t quite the “monster” he pretends to be on TV.
He dominated this sport at an unreal level in its toughest conference and he will be missed in more ways than one. In a world of constant changes amongst coaches and players it was refreshing to see him always patrolling the sidelines at Bryant Denny Stadium, though I take comfort in knowing he will be a watchful eye in the sky on gameday.
If I may offer some advice to the man, I’d say this. Take some time to relax, yell a little less. Vacation with Ms. Terry, eat more Little Debbie Cakes. To borrow a line from David Baker of the NFL Hall of Fame, “thanks for all you have done for the game, and all you are going to continue to do for the game.” At least he won’t have to do these call in shows anymore.
The Wrap Up
Unfortunately, I have to kick the recap off by “congratulating” the Michigan Wolverines on winning the National Championship. Jim Harbaugh completed his nine-year journey in Ann Arbor by finally winning the big one. While I may not like them, I will give credit where credit is due, the Wolverines had a perfect season and were the last man standing. They got it done and their players deserve the respect they have sought after for years for finally winning it. We’ll see how many players and coaches on the current team return to next year’s team, which will go a long way towards determining if they can repeat. It’s going to be hilarious when this title is stripped away by the NCAA over the summer.
As for the rest of the season, there were a lot of bright spots around the nation. Washington was the big story as they played their way to the title game, somewhat unexpectedly, sending the PAC 12 out with a bang. Texas was officially “back” while Georgia remained one of the best teams in the nation. Some upstarts like Missouri became darlings as they challenged the established order while programs like Texas A&M fell behind the pack amidst a circus firing. It’s clear that trying to win in this sport is in some ways harder than ever before because of the sheer amount of work that goes into it all year, so an awful lot of programs are having to adjust.
The final four team playoff bracket didn’t go on without controversy as for the first time an undefeated conference champion was left out of the playoff. Florida State was left home on the coach despite running the table and winning the ACC with one of the most talented rosters in all the land. Rightly or wrongly, this certainly made headlines and kept people talking in the final year of the “original” playoff format. The good news for the NCAA is they won’t have to deal with this ever again.
Where We’re Headed
The selection committee won’t have to “deal with” this problem anymore because next season is the first year of the 12-team playoff field. Instead of having intense discussions about who the fourth best team in the land is, they can have conversations that border on the ridiculous about who is the 12th best team. Personally, I was always a proponent of the eight-team field, but that was contingent on the major conferences all still existing as we knew them. But, with the power five conferences folding up shop and existing as two super conferences, it really doesn’t matter anymore. I look forward to playoff games being played on campuses as that should add to the fun while the expanded field opens up more opportunities for postseason appearances for programs around the country. On the surface it will bring renewed hope to many teams out there, but in the end, it feels like taking the long way around to ending up with the same winners.
Beyond the playoff changes, we’ll continue to see the way players are brought into programs change with NIL and the portal becoming even more prevalent. While I have come around on the idea of the players being compensated for their performance and I am all for the players having the freedom to transfer without penalty, it feels like the sport needs some form of regulation in place to govern it.
What exactly that regulation is, I can’t tell you, hell the people who paid to govern the sport can’t either. Anytime a suggestion is made to put some measures in place to at least organize the sport better, a number of loopholes are pointed out. It feels like we’ve gone “back to the future” in some ways in the college game. Afterall as the gameday sign says it best, SMU was running NIL long before it wasn’t “frowned upon.” In the end maybe Chip Kelly was right to suggest every program should be independent, while the other collegiate sports play within a conference structure.
With that said I can assure you that I look forward to next season and everything that will come with it. The offseason will still have a few more twists to it as Alabama will hire a new coach and there may be a few more openings along with theirs. Once the dust settles and we can kick the actual games off we will have all the same passionate fun we are used to, and the playoff expansion will make for a fun holiday period. Whatever form it takes, lets enjoy it folks!
Stay tuned for a Notre Dame offseason roundup next week along with more New York Rangers and NHL content in the weeks ahead. We’ll also touch on some of the latest MLB news as pitchers and catchers are around the corner and the Yankees have been active on the free agency front. Follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. We will be back with more soon!
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