Analyst wishes for ‘normal’ college football season

By David Mullen

The 2021 college football season promises to be different than recent seasons. It is setting up to be “normal.” And normal is exactly how the powers that be would like it.

Lawsuits will be less prevalent among the NCAA, conferences and “student/athletes” as university officials like to call their revenue generators. Players will begin getting compensated for their names, images and likeness (NIL). And college football administrators can only hope that the COVID-19 Delta variant, or whatever the next malady may be, stays away from affecting the primary cash cow for major universities. 

The NCAA is set up so that the wealthiest universities — and the ones that make Division I football a top priority — benefit in the spoils. As in the past, the most attractive media darlings like Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Georgia will get the attention. The playing field tilts toward the southeast U.S. 

In the recently released preseason AP Top 25 poll, those four teams received 62 of 63 first place votes. One writer lit a candle for “The Ohio State University” at the same time Alabama head coach Nick Saban was signing a contract extension to remain on the turf in Tuscaloosa through 2029 earning an average of nearly $10 million per season. 

“I’m looking forward to having a normal college football season, if at all possible,” said ABC and ESPN college football analyst Rod Gilmore. For 25 years, Gilmore has regularly broadcast college football games on ESPN as one of their lead analysts. “COVID-19 made 2020 very difficult for everyone. We certainly missed the fans at games and missed the pageantry. I’m looking forward to seeing fans, bands, cheerleaders and tailgating at games this season.”

Winning a conference has taken a back seat to driving toward a National Championship no matter the route. The road to a huge payday, national recognition and the ultimate player recruiting tool runs through Indianapolis on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. 

“The sport has been top heavy during the playoff era [and during the last several years of the BCS as well],” Gilmore, a defensive starter in the early 80s at Stanford, said. “You have to start with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Those four have dominated their conferences and regularly appeared in the playoff.”

It is difficult to imagine the deep Crimson Tide team not repeating as National Champion. “Alabama is still the most talented team, but I believe that it is very difficult to repeat — human nature being what it is,” Gilmore said. “Really, Bama is the only team that can derail Bama and Saban says he worries about players being “satisfied” with what they’ve already accomplished.”

Gilmore does like the team north of the Texas border. “I think this should be Oklahoma’s year. They have a top QB [Spencer Rattler] and finally have a defense to match the offense. And they’ve been close the last few years, but not in the same class with Alabama and Clemson. That should change this year — unless Ohio State gets it done.” I like Oklahoma’s chance as well, sooner than later. Ohio State remains unsettled at quarterback. AP remains down — or “are not down, in modern lingo” — on Texas, ranking the Longhorns 21st in the preseason poll. 

While the major football programs get all the attention, there are always sleeper teams that often play in the Pacific Time Zone when many pollsters are sleeping. “Oregon is talented enough to make a run,” said Gilmore, who was John Elway’s teammate at Stanford. “They have a big game week two versus Ohio State. If they win that one, they should be on their way. Quarterback Anthony Brown is the key. They also have the best defensive player in the country [and likely top three NFL pick] in defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.

“Cincinnati is the best Non-Power 5 team, and they have Notre Dame on the schedule,” said Gilmore. The SMU Mustangs are in the American Athletic Conference with the Bearcats. “If Cincy wins that game in impressive fashion and runs the table, they could be the first Non-Power 5 team to make the [four-team] playoff.”

The impending move of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC is “must see drama” Gilmore said. “For years, many of us have expected the 130 FBS [Football Bowl Subdivision] teams would at some point likely shrink to the 60 or so richest programs. The Oklahoma/Texas move might be the first step towards that. 

“It was a surprise to see [them] make the move at first glance. It seemed more likely that they’d look to the Pac-12. However, when you look more closely, the money available, impact on recruiting and travel convenience for non-revenue programs, it makes sense that they preferred the SEC.” Gilmore also thinks the move may slowed momentum toward a 12-team post season playoff that networks and fans seem to crave.   

Gilmore has long been a proponent for student/athlete receiving compensation for their image, once withheld by the NCAA, universities, sponsors and suppliers. “I supported NIL because I believe in capitalism and the American way,” said Gilmore, an attorney in California when not behind a microphone. “NIL gives college players what every other American has: the right to profit from their own name, image and likeness. The NCAA and universities did nothing to bring about NIL — it was not in their interest to do so. Any dollar that goes to a player they saw as a dollar they didn’t get.

“The courts and state legislatures did it. NIL is wholly American. It’s capitalism, which is a cornerstone of our society. There is no legitimate reason to deny college players the same right that every other citizen has. You will hear many complain about this change and concerns about potential abuses in recruiting and lack of uniform laws across the states, but every business and industry deals with various state laws and adjusting to new markets. The NCAA isn’t unique or deserving of special treatment.

“That’s a long-winded way of saying that the courts and legislatures got it right,” Gilmore said. 

The courts may have gotten it right for student/athletes, but the capital-driven NCAA still benefits if Alabama — the New York Yankees of college football — wins the National Championship as usual. 

The NCAA, despite seeing profits going to players, would like nothing more than a return to their sense of normalcy in 2021.