Wide Right and Natty Lite · Sep 1, 2022
Betting the Big 12: Week 1
We’re back after what felt like the longest offseason in college football history. This trend of entire summers being dominated by the consolidation of power at the top of the pyramid is something I’d like to not see continue. One thought I couldn’t get past when watching the week 0 games is the passion exhibited by fans at schools like New Mexico State and Hawaii, and how for the last two summers it’s felt like the power brokers in the sport are determined to make the games matter less for more schools. USC and UCLA in the Big Ten doesn’t benefit anyone other than the other member schools in that conference. The Big Ten choking every tv network for every last dollar doesn’t make college football better. Who knows what the next few months and the next summer will hold. By this time next year, the Pac 12 might not exist. The Big 12 will have 14 members, or maybe 12 members. Heck, the Big 12 could have as many as 20 members by this time next year. This movement doesn’t make college football better. That’s to say nothing of the free player movement. NIL is a good thing for college athletes. Unlimited free agency with every contract lasting one year is not good for college football.