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re: Curt Cignetti: “College football won’t exist the way we’re going right now…”
Posted on 6/4/26 at 7:35 am to Crimson K
Posted on 6/4/26 at 7:35 am to Crimson K
Well,….i agree that the selfish millionaire admins won’t cut themselves. It is also a shame that so many of the smaller sports will be affected to a greater degree as well.
These ADs will also find more ways to gouge the fans (I am agreeing with you on too many things…
)
HOWEVER, it is not “broken” in the ridiculous sense that Saban and Cignetti are promoting. They want a return to the old mentality with the coach as a little dictator who knows what is good for everyone else. That model is never coming back. As well, the appetite for college football is as strong as ever, so that is not going away.
It is truly a shame that most people do not see that the mean-spirited selfish old grumps that got college sports in this predicament are the ones lecturing us on how to get out of it.
These ADs will also find more ways to gouge the fans (I am agreeing with you on too many things…
) HOWEVER, it is not “broken” in the ridiculous sense that Saban and Cignetti are promoting. They want a return to the old mentality with the coach as a little dictator who knows what is good for everyone else. That model is never coming back. As well, the appetite for college football is as strong as ever, so that is not going away.
It is truly a shame that most people do not see that the mean-spirited selfish old grumps that got college sports in this predicament are the ones lecturing us on how to get out of it.
0
Posted on 6/4/26 at 7:40 am to NIH
College football sucks now. I used to follow recruiting and couldn’t wait for my Tigers to step on the field. I knew about every player. Now it takes me half the season to figure out who half of them are because they’re all hired mercenaries. They’ve ruined it.
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:12 am to RD Dawg
quote:
The vast majority of coaches and AD's are saying the system is unsustainable. You cannot have a team full of mercenaries with little contractual obligations leave after 6 months.
Has anyone actually explained how this is unsustainable instead of just saying it?
While I do agree with Saban about the race to the bottom in his testimony and how that will only be more pronounced now that money is out in the open and Cignetti making the remarks he made gives that argument credibility since one could argue he benefitted off the present system, I have not heard anyone actually explain how this is unsustainable and respond to a rebuttal.
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:16 am to RollTide1987
quote:
The vast majority of the schools involved in this dilemma are funded almost entirely by federal and state money. In short, our tax dollars.
Their athletic programs sure aren't or, at minimum, their coaches' salaries
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:20 am to RollTide1987
quote:
This isn't about the free market. We are talking about government institutions, not private entities. The vast majority of the schools involved in this dilemma are funded almost entirely by federal and state money. In short, our tax dollars
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:23 am to Gen Patton
quote:
Has anyone actually explained how this is unsustainable instead of just saying it?
Yes. If you actually watch all of Saban's testimony and not just the 15-second sound bites that are circulating on social media, he explains exactly what he means.
The argument is that the current system, driven by unregulated NIL deals (often functioning as pay-for-play), the transfer portal, constant litigation, and an escalating financial arms race, is unsustainable because it threatens the broader structure of college athletics beyond just football and men's basketball.
Many athletic departments are losing tens of millions annually. Revenue from football and basketball gets funneled heavily into player compensation (via NIL collectives or revenue sharing), leaving less for everything else. This leads to cuts in non-revenue sports (Olympic sports, women's sports, etc.), reduced scholarships, and program eliminations. Saban noted over 100 programs and 1,000+ scholarships/roster spots in women's/Olympic sports cut since 2023, warning that it will worsen unless something is done to stop it.
Unlimited transfers and pay-for-play incentives create unlimited free agency without contracts or rules. This makes building team culture, development, and continuity difficult. Top programs pull away, creating a divide, while others struggle. It drifts toward a professional/mini-NFL model rather than an education-based one.
Saban and other coaches/ADs see it as heading toward a cliff where only a handful of ultra-wealthy football and basketball programs survive intact, non-revenue sports wither, competitive parity collapses, and the traditional college sports ecosystem disappears.
This post was edited on 6/4/26 at 8:25 am
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:25 am to WestCoastAg
What’s funny is despite all the belly aching about NIL and transfers these same people will be bragging about portal pickups and the portal “King” or whatever. Epitome of this:
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:36 am to RollTide1987
quote:
Many athletic departments are losing tens of millions annually. Revenue from football and basketball gets funneled heavily into player compensation (via NIL collectives or revenue sharing), leaving less for everything else. This leads to cuts in non-revenue sports (Olympic sports, women's sports, etc.), reduced scholarships, and program eliminations. Saban noted over 100 programs and 1,000+ scholarships/roster spots in women's/Olympic sports cut since 2023, warning that it will worsen unless something is done to stop it.
I can see this; however, the argument can be made that a lot of these non-revenue sports reached where they are today because the revenues for the revenue sports skyrocketed and overfilled the coffers of ADs around the country so the market adjustment to the overextension probably means either cutting the sports or reducing them to where they were before college sports blew up in revenue, which I'm sure will garner a lot of opposition. Basically, fiscal responsibility needs to return on that end. Is this assessment incorrect?
quote:
Unlimited transfers
I agree, it's becoming farcical, for every Fernando Mendoza there's a TJ Finley or Robbie Ashford, I understand the sentiment
quote:
pay-for-play incentives
lost me there, this was always in big-time college sports across the board just there was the invisible hand capping the expenditures
quote:
Top programs pull away, creating a divide, while others struggle.
I mean I don't think anyone would classify Indiana as a top program before Cignetti arrived, Kentucky's starting to invest heavily in building a top football program, Auburn's always invested heavily in their rosters in both sports just their coaches suck, Miami was one of the worst programs of the last decade and they're starting to come back, Ole Miss became relevant again in this system...now for a program like Mississippi State and Oklahoma State, I can see that issue holding water
quote:
cliff where only a handful of ultra-wealthy football and basketball programs survive intact
Not sure about this
quote:
non-revenue sports wither
Can see this
quote:
competitive parity collapses
Don't agree
quote:
traditional college sports ecosystem disappears
Fair enough, there are pros and cons
Posted on 6/4/26 at 8:48 am to JoeyP239
quote:
It’s just a pro league now. The key to college football still existing is if the fans stay invested when the schools they root for turn into their own professional franchises
This.
It is pro football now, folks.
Posted on 6/4/26 at 6:41 pm to Champagne
Who ever came up with this idea that revenue produced by the football or basketball programs should be used for tennis, golf, or any Olympic sports?
If a sport can’t stand on its own then let it go because it’s obviously not needed and not cared about. Why should any University be concerned with helping someone get to the Olympics? Let them get sponsors and fund their own training. A lot of these sports should have been axed years ago but lived off football welfare.
If a sport can’t stand on its own then let it go because it’s obviously not needed and not cared about. Why should any University be concerned with helping someone get to the Olympics? Let them get sponsors and fund their own training. A lot of these sports should have been axed years ago but lived off football welfare.
Posted on 6/4/26 at 7:40 pm to RunningJacket
quote:
If a sport can’t stand on its own then let it go because it’s obviously not needed and not cared about
That’s where Title IX is gonna get you though. I wonder if you could get around this by just dropping athletic scholarships entirely. Make the NIL payment a bit higher to compensate.
Posted on 6/4/26 at 7:47 pm to Gen Patton
quote:
Their athletic programs sure aren't or, at minimum, their coaches' salaries
My search AI says this:
quote:
The vast majority of NCAA Division I athletic departments are not self-supporting, with recent analysis indicating that approximately 93% of collegiate athletic organizations operate at a deficit. While the top quartile of high-spending FBS schools (roughly 32 institutions) achieves over 100% self-sufficiency, the bottom quarter of FBS schools covers only 40% of their expenses with generated revenue, and the next quartile covers just 50%
That’s pretty sobering.
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