Don't be surprised if the SEC and Big Ten go pro in the future...

[WoodburyTim]

Who would be on those teams playing on Saturday? I can't tell from your post. Do you mean the NFL would move some of it's Sunday games to Saturdays? But you mention, "why not have a minor league" so are you implying minor league NFL games on Saturday to compete with college? If so, where would the players come from? Are you suggesting another pro draft, this one for kids who aren't three years removed from high school?

I was referring to playing NFL games on Saturday too. The amount of money on the table to do that is astronomical. To think that they wouldn't entertain doing this because of some sort of respect is akin to thinking that all the CFB conferences would stick together out of loyalty to its conference teams.

 

[WoodburyTim]

I don't get what CFB being amateur has to do with the NFL not playing Saturdays? The NFL leaves college alone because they want the players to be well known and hyped leading into the draft. I'm sorry but it makes no sense for the NFL to create their own minor league when the infrastructure already exists. I also doubt they would pay underdeveloped players more than these college boosters are willing to. The NFL seems more interested in expanding to other countries than trying to crush what benefits them in the long run.

Perhaps. But whether the NFL would want it's own minor league is sort of a side question. Playing on Saturdays would be a cash bonanza. My point is that right now myself and many others would rather watch Iowa/Minnesota or Florida/Georgia than more NFL games. If the current trend continues it is more likely my choice would be NFL games or Michigan St./Washington.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Perhaps. But whether the NFL would want it's own minor league is sort of a side question. Playing on Saturdays would be a cash bonanza. My point is that right now myself and many others would rather watch Iowa/Minnesota or Florida/Georgia than more NFL games. If the current trend continues it is more likely my choice would be NFL games or Michigan St./Washington.

Yeah, NFL already plays on three different days during the regular season. It has established Sunday as the day for the NFL. I think it specifically stays away from Saturdays because of the popularity of college football, and it then makes the NFL Saturday playoff games the sport to watch. Also, I believe its media contract runs through 2032.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

The backup then comes in and they might bring another OL from the practice squad. Vikes carried like 15 OL last year.

Plus you're free to sign anyone from another team's practice squad if you need someone for your 53 man roster. So even if you don't have an OT among your 16 practice squad players, odds are someone else does. You have a pool of 16 * 32 = 512 players to choose from - if that's not enough....

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Perhaps. But whether the NFL would want it's own minor league is sort of a side question. Playing on Saturdays would be a cash bonanza. My point is that right now myself and many others would rather watch Iowa/Minnesota or Florida/Georgia than more NFL games. If the current trend continues it is more likely my choice would be NFL games or Michigan St./Washington.

I agree that, like you, I would rather watch college than NFL on Sundays. I also agree that if things keep going as they are, people like you and me will start caring less about college football.

But the thing to keep in mind about a full season of Saturday NFL games: would the wives allow it??? I mean, it's one thing to get a Sunday off, but the whole weekend? (sarcasm)

 

[GopherTheJugular]

I think it specifically stays away from Saturdays because of the popularity of college football...

I think there is truth to this. Overall the NFL is more popular, but on a market by market basis they will lose some of the time. If Georgia and Atlanta, for example, were on at the same time, I think most of the state tunes into the dawgs. Same with USC in the LA market if those pro teams are down.

I don't think the NFL wants to lose to anyone, which is why they moved their opening weekend to be the week after "week 1" of the college season.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I don't see college teams moving to a pro or semi-pro model.

What I think is much more likely is this:

the P5 football schools and some of the top G5 schools break away from the NCAA. they form their own organization, adopt their own rules and negotiate their own TV contracts.

that creates a new structure where the College Football Organization schools do their thing. the NCAA re-organizes by combining the remaining FBS schools and FCS into one division with a playoff. D2 and D3 schools go on as before.

 

[Ope3]

I think there is truth to this. Overall the NFL is more popular, but on a market by market basis they will lose some of the time. If Georgia and Atlanta, for example, were on at the same time, I think most of the state tunes into the dawgs. Same with USC in the LA market if those pro teams are down.

I don't think the NFL wants to lose to anyone, which is why they moved their opening weekend to be the week after "week 1" of the college season.

Actually the NFL moved Week 1 because TV ratings are awful on Labor Day weekend. Has nothing to do with disrupting the college season. It's what the TV partners want.

The NFL certainly is not always altruistic when competing vs the NCAA. This past season they staked out January 2nd, Monday, for a prime time regular season game (wound up being the Bengals/Bills game that was abruptly halted). That was normally a night a NYD 6 Bowl.

Also this year the NFL scheduled a game for Black Friday (Jets/Dolphins) traditionally an NCAA day only.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Actually the NFL moved Week 1 because TV ratings are awful on Labor Day weekend. Has nothing to do with disrupting the college season. It's what the TV partners want.

The NFL certainly is not always altruistic when competing vs the NCAA. This past season they staked out January 2nd, Monday, for a prime time regular season game (wound up being the Bengals/Bills game that was abruptly halted). That was normally a night a NYD 6 Bowl.

Also this year the NFL scheduled a game for Black Friday (Jets/Dolphins) traditionally an NCAA day only.

Monday is a traditional NFL game day.

 

[50PoundHead]

Things are changing and will change some more. As others have said, I don't think college football will ever become a full-blown minor league system for the NFL. The colleges do all the initial sifting of prospects through recruiting and I can't see NFL teams wanting to send scouts to high school football games and camps (as is done in Major League Baseball for baseball prospects). I also can't see college coaches and college ADs being willing to cut their salaries by 75% (or maybe more). So there will be resistance coming from both the college and pro sides of the equation.

It will be interesting to see how the effects of the transfer portal, NIL, and conference reorganizations continue to play out. As someone said above, I can see the the possibility of where all the shuffling will end with the creation of two or three mega-conferences that are more closely tied but still separate from the NFL.

 

[Xerxes_]

I think there is truth to this. Overall the NFL is more popular, but on a market by market basis they will lose some of the time. If Georgia and Atlanta, for example, were on at the same time, I think most of the state tunes into the dawgs. Same with USC in the LA market if those pro teams are down.

I don't think the NFL wants to lose to anyone, which is why they moved their opening weekend to be the week after "week 1" of the college season.

The NFL isn't worried about losing to anyone. If they want to put their games on a particular day of the week or specific day of the year they will do so and dominate.

 

[Ope3]

Monday is a traditional NFL game day.

Not on Monday, January 2nd. The NFL stayed away from that date in the past both for regular season games and playoffs.

NFL encroached it as a downstream impact to expanding to a 17 game schedule over 18 weeks. They elected to extend it on the back end, because Labor Day Weekend ratings are dismal. They worked it out with ESPN (who televises both) to have the Cotton Bowl in the early window with the NFL in Prime Time.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Not on Monday, January 2nd. The NFL stayed away from that date in the past both for regular season games and playoffs.

NFL encroached it as a downstream impact to expanding to a 17 game schedule over 18 weeks. They elected to extend it on the back end, because Labor Day Weekend ratings are dismal. They worked it out with ESPN (who televises both) to have the Cotton Bowl in the early window with the NFL in Prime Time.

As you said, it is because they added a game to the schedule. They had no reason to play on the first Monday in January before. Played on Jan 3, 2022, as well.