Who Killed College Football? – A Conference Realignment Whodunit Mystery

College football is dead. Ruined. Destroyed. MURDERED. Lay down your foam fingers supporting your favorite team and pick up a pitchfork as we explore who caused the downfall of our once-sacred sport.

Now, everyone is pointing fingers, figuring out who caused this. So, let’s start with our list of suspects and break down why it could be each of them.

The SEC

Ah, yes, everyone’s favorite conference to hate. What could draw them to kill college football? Let’s start with the fact that they have the richest current media deal at around ~$55 million a year payout per team. They “technically” were the first to poach teams from other conferences, and they did take Texas and OU from the Big 12. However, the SEC had no major part in this. They might have been one domino, but they certainly weren’t the root of it. They already had powerhouses in the conference. They had no reason to kill the sport. Let’s explore another suspect.

Conclusion: NOT GUILTY

The Big Ten

Ah, yes, the conference of top dogs and ghosts of football past. Why are they on this list? Certainly, Rutgers, Illinois, and Indiana had nothing to do with this, right? While they are in the same boat as the SEC with a ~$50 million a year media deal, they too were a small fish in the big scheme of things - albeit a bigger domino that started the major changes.

When it was announced that UCLA and USC were joining the Big 10, everyone was puzzled about how they even fit in the geographical footprint of their teams. At the end of the day, it still makes no sense besides the fact that USC/UCLA knew when it was time to jump ship.

The Big Ten wanted West Coast schools, so why not those two big fish? It gave them a time slot for games they could corner. No current Big Ten team wants to play a game at 9 p.m. in freezing weather. So, while the Big Ten did play a more significant role in this murder, they were nothing but a bystander who held the door open for the true killer.

Conclusion: NOT GUILTY

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark

This is currently the Number 1 suspect for all college football fans, but for what exact reason? “Sir, sir, I saw him take that Colorado and Arizona school right from the hands of that dead Pac-12 over there”. Which is precisely what it was - a carcass of what it once was.

J. R. R. Tolkien once said, “Dead men are not friends to living men, and give them no gifts,” which is why this wasn’t a gift to the Big 12 by adding those members.

Colorado and Arizona were looking for a life raft, and Commissioner Yormark threw them one. He brought them to shore (not seen in tow were the bodies of Arizona State and Utah that were being dragged to land unwillingly).

Did Commissioner Yormark play a more significant role in what has happened over the last two weeks? I believe so, but not enough to point out that he was the one who killed the Power 5. Let’s explore other options.

Conclusion: NOT GUILTY

Former Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott

After questioning Larry Scott, I found it inconclusive and that he is mentally unfit to lead a conference, I mean stand trial.

Conclusion: NOT GUILTY

The University of Texas

(and slightly Oklahoma)

Here are the real killers. They looked college football in the eye all the way back in 2011 and said, “You will die a death by a thousand cuts that will be slowly delivered for the next decade.”

Now, I know you are asking how the darling University of Texas could do such a thing, yet the answer is simple - The Longhorn Network. In 2011, Texas partnered with ESPN to start their own independently broadcasted channel that featured all of the college sporting events, past and current, and academic content. This deal was for $15 million over 20 years, something unheard of in college football, something that no school could replicate.

This provided Texas with its first sense of entitlement. They had something no one else had, and no one else would be able to get. They exploited a gap in the market that no one else had even thought to do yet.

This led to greed and ambition. It led to Texas wanting more. It led to them seeking an offer from the SEC for their name brand alone. Texas had no reason to leave the Big 12. They haven’t been the top dogs there since 2010. Oklahoma has been the better football program, without a doubt. What is that saying, though? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer? Kudos to Texas, Kudos to the SEC for scooping them up, but shame on you. Shame on you, Texas, for killing our sport and the Power 5.

Conclusion: GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

Is College Football Really Dead?

No. It will still produce the best regular season in all sports, including professional sports. But it won’t be the same.

This picture is the timeless classic of the 2006 National Championship between Texas and USC. Fast-forward 18 years, and that would just be an SEC vs. Big 10 matchup.

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