It wasn't so much about games as it was corporate sponsors. The players avoided it like the plague, probably thinking it was about actual football.
Probably sounding like an alarmist, I think college football is in jeopardy in its current playoff format. Two teams have gamed the system and the rest are trying to keep up. Some are doing better than others but at the end of the day, Alabama and Clemson are far and away the top programs for a number of reasons.
1. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are not only the two best coaches in the game, they figured out how to game the playoffs. Alabama and Clemson are now the surest schools for players to make the NFL. Saban and Swinney are great salesman and saw the playoff for what it has become, a huge showcase for NFL teams. Its how they sell players on coming to their school. "If you come to school here you have the best chance to play professionally." Urban Meyer is probably the third best at this but has been caught up in a number of well documented problems. All the other big schools - Georgia, Texas, Southern Cal, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan and (insert your favorite team) have had too much coaching turnover or inability to win their conference title game. Alabama and Clemson are stable. It's the closest thing to a pro career guarantee.
2. Every game is on TV. If top players don't go to the top schools, they go where they can play right away and get on TV. Talent is spread too thin and no one wants to ride the bench for two years. The PAC 12 is the best example of this. The PAC 12 gets the least TV coverage nationally and the PAC 12 network is not available to most cable or satellite viewers. Less TV, less top players to former power schools like USC, UCLA and Oregon (I know the Ducks have a great recruiting class and are keeping their quarterback from one more season, Phil Knight is unhappy with not winning the conference.) 100% TV saturation is also causing attendance problems at all but the biggest schools.
3. Notre Dame. Being allowed to have all their home games on NBC and not forced into joining a conference has tilted the playoff for more deserving teams, especially this season. But even in other years, Notre Dame is usually a factor despite being overrated. There is no question Georgia and Ohio State were better teams this year. The Irish scraping by against teams like Ball State, Pitt and Vanderbilt should have been reason enough to keep them out this year. Putting Notre Dame in the Big 10 West and having Nebraska return to the Big 12 would be the best solution.
4. Rules. Coaches have been able to jump from school to school without penalty and now players can jump from school to school much easier. The quarterback from Washington State has played at three different schools.
Throw some blame at the internet and millennials/gen Z too, just because I'm old.
So, did I watch the Orange Bowl? Of course. Alabama got the quick start and held on. We get Clemson and Alabama, round 4. The upside, we're watching two of the best programs we'll ever see in our lives. The downside, for fans like me, we'll have little chance to see our favorite team win a championship.
Bama and Clemson fans, enjoy the ride.
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