The Gophers are a founding member of a league awash in TV money, and poised to emerge from the current power five into the power two.
If despite all that, the Gophers still become the little train that can’t, count me out.
I have always enjoyed college athletics and over the past 20 years I have grown to greatly prefer it over pro sports. But make no mistake, if college football ends up with only 40 programs in some sort of elite feeder league, you can count me out. I’d have zero interest watching Alabama vs Ohio State if the Gophers were folded out of any contention. I’d have the same interest in college football that I currently have with AAA baseball. And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be alone. Watch those TV contracts dry up when only 40 college fan bases care.
But that is the thing. They were actually willing to shrink college football games to expand advertising. What will they be willing to do to save the game and protect ALL their advertising $$$$.