What in life is not all about the future?
Specifically, it's all about the money. I think if we can put the sniping on the shelf for a bit and think about what Pollard said -- which was what started this thread -- there are things worth talking about. How long are the BiG and the SEC powers going to go along with sharing the wealth equally? There are several teams in both leagues and -- based on what we know -- are never going to be serious contenders for league titles in some sports. How long are they going to stay? Is there any limit to the power the conferences will cede to the TV people in terms of scheduling and formatting?
I think if we have learned anything the past 20 years or so, we have learned that anybody who makes predictions and thinks they're going to be accurate is nuts.
Yeah, but what's occurring now is what I've been predicting since the late 90's in terms of realignment. What I said about schools NIL needing to be governed was true. What I said about the fix to this being able to pay directly from school funds is also turning out to be true. The reality here is that it's actually quite evident what will happen to ISU. If anyone believes Iowa is in jeopardy, at all, of being left out, isn't living in reality. Iowa isn't one of the programs he's talking about because if he is, it's just petty jealousy.
It's going to be two conferences that comprise a number of 24-32 teams each give or take. It's being arranged as a semi-pro construct like the AFC and NFC except each will be about the size of the NFL as a whole, or close to it.
It's also about eye balls as well. If one team is getting 1.6 million in viewership from their own state and can earn another .6-1.2 each game in their region, due to letting another inner-state school go, it's going to happen! All about gains here. Always was. Iowa eyeballs are elite in comparison to Oregon St., Washington St., and ISU. Hell, probably combined even at times. That's what Oregon St., Washington St., Okie St., and ISU are contending with right now along with their ilk.
In 7 years, ISU won't be able to even afford giving 20 million in pay to players each year. Can't afford coaches, facilities, nothing that can even be in the same stratosphere as us. We're part of the reason our conference is so successful, not the other way around. We're synonymous with college football. Watch any college football movie and you'll see our logo most likely. Johnny Be Good, Waterboy, The Program, etc etc. And before you intimate that I'm blinded by growing up in Iowa, I'm from, and grew up, in Texas. I've lived in Virginia, Washington, Indiana, Texas, and Iowa over the course of my life. I see Iowa fans everywhere, hell, even in Croatia, Portugal, and Italy. Yes it is like that, trust me. Never have I seen ISU though. Maybe once or twice in another state.
Anyway, meanwhile, as ISU is broke trying to compete, Iowa will be asking the regulators (a.k.a the B1G) about severe increases to pay directly from their school funds because they can't spend their money fast enough on facilities, staff, etc. etc. and it has to be used for athletics.
It's been beyond easy to see where this is all going. Amateur play is over. It has been for a long time but college conferences aren't hiding that fact anymore. ISU isn't making the cut. They were never going to. Their fanbase will be miniscule to non-existent in the next 20 years. It's a sad, unfortunate reality. Programs have died in the past and it will continue to happen.
So no, nobody cares about the Learfield Cup and no Iowa fan can relate to what Pollard is saying because we'll never be in this position. We can sympathize though, and I do. We see him for what he is, a desperate man in a desperate position. This is the difference between our two programs. Comparatively, there is no comparison between ISU and Iowa. The only people who have ever disputed that are ISU fans. We are to ISU what Ohio St. is to us. A different world altogether. Nothing has changed.
