Paul Finebaum Sounds Alarm on Future of Big-Time College Football Games

SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

One of the defining features of college football has always been the massive nonconference showdowns that capture national attention before league play even begins.

Games like Texas Longhorns versus Ohio State Buckeyes are what separate college football from almost every other sport. Those matchups create playoff-level atmospheres in September and give fans regular-season games that feel monumental.

Last season’s meeting between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 3 Buckeyes was exactly that. Ohio State escaped with a 14-7 victory at home in one of the most-watched games of the regular season. The rematch this upcoming season in Austin is already one of the most anticipated games in the country.

The problem is games like that may not exist much longer.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16). | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over the last few years, several major programs have canceled future marquee nonconference matchups. Rivalries and high-profile series once viewed as essential are increasingly being reconsidered because the risk no longer outweighs the reward.

That concern only intensified after Texas missed the College Football Playoff despite finishing the regular season 9-3. Many around the program argued the loss to Ohio State hurt the Longhorns more than scheduling a weaker opponent would have.

That reality has created a dangerous incentive structure within the sport.

Why risk an early-season loss against an elite opponent when another program can schedule a significantly weaker team, finish with the same record and potentially receive the same playoff consideration?

That is why Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian openly discussed the possibility of reconsidering future marquee nonconference scheduling.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum explained another reason these games could continue disappearing.

"ACC, SEC are at nine games and a lot of games like this are going bye-bye," Finebaum said.

He is probably right.

The SEC previously played eight conference games, which gave teams more flexibility to schedule a major nonconference opponent alongside three easier games. Now, with nine conference games becoming standard and many leagues pushing for tougher conference schedules, athletic departments are becoming far more cautious.

Programs are not going to willingly increase their difficulty level if the playoff committee continues rewarding overall record more than schedule strength. That is the core issue facing college football.

The sport says it values strength of schedule, but fans and coaches continue seeing teams benefit from avoiding difficult matchups. Until there is a consistent playoff standard that clearly rewards programs for scheduling elite opponents, schools will continue backing away from these games.

And honestly, that would be one of the worst outcomes possible for the sport.

College football’s regular season has always mattered more because of games like Texas versus Ohio State. If those disappear in favor of safer scheduling strategies, the sport risks losing part of what made it special in the first place.