The portal feels more exciting than national signing day, strangely enough

Iowaggie said:

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rootube said:

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Bag said:

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We are truly beyond the pale now, its like if the MLB and the NFL had a baby and it was raised by pack of crony capitalistic hyenas.

No rules, tampering is not just legal, it is expected and encouraged, no cap, no oversight, 24/7/365 free agency and recruiting is all about the money

The only rule is to win, at all costs.

Strangely I love it and hate it all at the same time

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This years bowl games and playoffs set records for viewership, and we finally broke the Bama, UGA, OSU death grip. Best season in recent memory if you ask me. Which is why people being compelled to post about how CFB is destroyed every week is kinda funny.

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Regarding the viewership records, Nielsen TV ratings changed their methodology this year, so nearly every sports entity is boasting about breaking viewership records this year. This has been the best year for NBC Sunday night football, CBS Football, NBA opening month, and my guess is that this will be one of the highest years for the NCAA Tournament for basketball and the Super Bowl.

NBC Sports wraps milestone 20th Sunday Night Football season with best viewership ever.

Details: https://t.co/zh7Kif8Fsw pic.twitter.com/dyZKKFKC4i

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) January 6, 2026

NFL ON CBS delivers its most-watched season on record!

2025 regular season highlights:

NFL’s most-watched network in Nielsen viewership (21.252 M viewers)

#1 program (25.827 M viewers for 4:25 PM national game window)

#1 game in NFL history (57.231 M viewers for… pic.twitter.com/QZpyEcj5JQ

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 6, 2026

The NFL and NBA drew huge audiences on Christmas Day.

The NFL set a new streaming record, and the NBA had its best viewership on the holiday in 15 years, excluding the 2011-12 season which started on Christmas. pic.twitter.com/sQZlNlkk31

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 2, 2026

More than 60 million people in the U.S. have watched NBA games across NBC/Peacock, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video through the first month of the season, the most viewers for an opening month in 15 years.

(Excludes 2011-12 season, which began on Christmas Day.) pic.twitter.com/JYSbEXk12C

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 20, 2025

According to Nielsen, #Cavaliers vs #Knicks up 27% from #Spurs vs #Knicks last year and the MOST WATCHED Noon ET Christmas game ON RECORD! The previous high was #Spurs vs #Pistons on ABC in 2005. New York’s win had the highest peak audience of the slate at 8.2 million.

— JD SportsTalk (@JDSportsTalkNY) December 31, 2025

Now certainly, the NFL and NBA may be more popular than ever, or there may be other reasons.

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Super skewed numbers. If you're logged into the ESPN, Fox, Peacock, CBS, or Amazon Prime Video apps on any device during games, you can potentially be counted as a viewer. As we all know, tradtional cable and satellite numbers have plunged the past 15 years or so, and streaming numbers can be interpreted and skewed in many ways, including app users from all over the world.

rootube said:

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Bag said:

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We are truly beyond the pale now, its like if the MLB and the NFL had a baby and it was raised by pack of crony capitalistic hyenas.

No rules, tampering is not just legal, it is expected and encouraged, no cap, no oversight, 24/7/365 free agency and recruiting is all about the money

The only rule is to win, at all costs.

Strangely I love it and hate it all at the same time

---

This years bowl games and playoffs set records for viewership, and we finally broke the Bama, UGA, OSU death grip. Best season in recent memory if you ask me. Which is why people being compelled to post about how CFB is destroyed every week is kinda funny.

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I never said destroyed, I said we are in a whole new world

greg.w.h said:

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turboboost said:

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1. Who will be the best evaluators of players?
2. Who will spend the most money?

We just may see the same TOP teams OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER until this thing is regulated in some form.

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Didnt happen this year…

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Correct, but when the (dollar) dust settles and the teams that can keep the money machine going, then it will be repeat familiar teams over and over again. A&M will be one of those teams fortunately (Legally keeping the money flowing). It's all about the money and schools that were once ALLOWED to stay atop through cheating with money will not be ably to keep up.

When will we sell ownership of the team to some hedge fund, we need more money.

JohnClark929 said:

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NCAA football with no rules has me watching less of it and more NFL.

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holy crap. Same.

My eyeballs have definitely seen more nfl than college in 25-26. Watched most Aggie games this season. Only other college ball I've seen is when at a buddy's like on NYE and out with friends the next night. No non-Aggie regular season or non playoff bowl games at all.

It is hard to believe the NFL with its racist garbage still has a more palatable product.

"College" football is dead and the antics that the networks are getting by with and allowing referees to skate on are effing ridiculous.

At least the League has professional (no pun intended) officiating.

Blonde Coffee Beans said:

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The portal feels more exciting than national signing day, strangely enough

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On most teams, about half the starters are from the portal and portal players start immediately or just one year later while HS recruits typically don't start for 3-5 years. Also for most schools, about half of HS recruits transfer out so no need to get attached.

What's funny is biller football games still have the pageantry they've always had. The bands, the yells, the school spirit rap, rag stuff. The impression is that those guys on the school are playing for the school as school loyalists. The reality is quite different. The reality is increasingly the players are just mercenaries playing for money. This is what's becoming sad to see from my viewpoint.

Iowaggie said:

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turboboost said:

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1. Who will be the best evaluators of players?
2. Who will spend the most money?

We just may see the same TOP teams OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER until this thing is regulated in some form.

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As predicted by the leaders & presidents who originally set up the rules for the NCAA over 100 years ago.

Any regulation by the NCAA will lead to a lawsuit that will likely be lost by the NCAA.

Maybe an act of Congress will get some control on this, but I don't expect that to be a solution because more government involvement as a solution reminds me of the Reagan quote, "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."

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The only way to legally install some rules is for teams to leave the NCAA and form separate leagues and only play teams within their leagues.

My response, after a lot of alcohol, is to say…

It's changed, but it really hasn't…

The schools who want to be on top will come up with a way to stay on top. It's part of their DNA… It just means more…

Bama, tOSU, tu, UT, ND, GA, aTm, OU, UM, Tech, etc…

Those schools that view intercollegiate athletics as secondary, will fall into a second-tier status…

The difference is… Any school can now decide they want to be top tier, commit the financial resources, and over time can achieve…

Prior to NIL, that was impossible… The Red Raiders are a perfect example.

McGuire is a good coach, but he didn't win without all that money and the players…. It's like Bobby Collins at SMU back in the Pony Express era…

I never thought I would watch the NFL again but it seems more pure than college right now. I have watched as much NFL as college this year and last. Before that, I watched playoffs only if any.

I am ok with the money. However, unlimited free agency will not work long term.

What cfb is becoming is what the vast majority of texags posters wanted. Why then do I see so many recoil in horror at the world created in their imsge?

The new NIL rules, the transfer portal, and conference alignments have turned major college sports into professional-like leagues. The conference leaders are prioritizing TV network revenue over the welfare of athletes and fans. The athletes are no longer students, and college education has become an afterthought. Many traditions have been eliminated. The only sustainable solution is to implement multi-year contracts and penalties for breaking them. Still, I will stay interested in the major Aggies sports until I die. My excitement level fluctuates, but I will never lose interest.

King of the Dairy Queen said:

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What cfb is becoming is what the vast majority of texags posters wanted.

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Fake news

I think ever since college basketball has had the "one and dones" that I'm just not fazed anymore. Four year starters at one school are extremely rare now.

gA_CMAB_FA said:

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Iowaggie said:

---

rootube said:

---

Bag said:

---

We are truly beyond the pale now, its like if the MLB and the NFL had a baby and it was raised by pack of crony capitalistic hyenas.

No rules, tampering is not just legal, it is expected and encouraged, no cap, no oversight, 24/7/365 free agency and recruiting is all about the money

The only rule is to win, at all costs.

Strangely I love it and hate it all at the same time

---

This years bowl games and playoffs set records for viewership, and we finally broke the Bama, UGA, OSU death grip. Best season in recent memory if you ask me. Which is why people being compelled to post about how CFB is destroyed every week is kinda funny.

---

Regarding the viewership records, Nielsen TV ratings changed their methodology this year, so nearly every sports entity is boasting about breaking viewership records this year. This has been the best year for NBC Sunday night football, CBS Football, NBA opening month, and my guess is that this will be one of the highest years for the NCAA Tournament for basketball and the Super Bowl.

NBC Sports wraps milestone 20th Sunday Night Football season with best viewership ever.

Details: https://t.co/zh7Kif8Fsw pic.twitter.com/dyZKKFKC4i

— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) January 6, 2026

NFL ON CBS delivers its most-watched season on record!

2025 regular season highlights:

NFL’s most-watched network in Nielsen viewership (21.252 M viewers)

#1 program (25.827 M viewers for 4:25 PM national game window)

#1 game in NFL history (57.231 M viewers for… pic.twitter.com/QZpyEcj5JQ

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) January 6, 2026

The NFL and NBA drew huge audiences on Christmas Day.

The NFL set a new streaming record, and the NBA had its best viewership on the holiday in 15 years, excluding the 2011-12 season which started on Christmas. pic.twitter.com/sQZlNlkk31

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 2, 2026

More than 60 million people in the U.S. have watched NBA games across NBC/Peacock, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video through the first month of the season, the most viewers for an opening month in 15 years.

(Excludes 2011-12 season, which began on Christmas Day.) pic.twitter.com/JYSbEXk12C

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 20, 2025

According to Nielsen, #Cavaliers vs #Knicks up 27% from #Spurs vs #Knicks last year and the MOST WATCHED Noon ET Christmas game ON RECORD! The previous high was #Spurs vs #Pistons on ABC in 2005. New York’s win had the highest peak audience of the slate at 8.2 million.

— JD SportsTalk (@JDSportsTalkNY) December 31, 2025

Now certainly, the NFL and NBA may be more popular than ever, or there may be other reasons.

---

Super skewed numbers. If you're logged into the ESPN, Fox, Peacock, CBS, or Amazon Prime Video apps on any device during games, you can potentially be counted as a viewer. As we all know, tradtional cable and satellite numbers have plunged the past 15 years or so, and streaming numbers can be interpreted and skewed in many ways, including app users from all over the world.

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Oh blah blah blah... People are watching at high paces. The money wouldn't be there if the fans weren't. All this discourse on "boo I don't like that players get to leave colleges" or "bowl games are half empty" or "ratings are not real" is so much garbage. People are trying to push this narrative like the sport is dying and fans are turning away from it but its SO MUCH NONSENSE!!!!! You'll continue to watch like the other millions will continue to watch and the money will continue to flow.

BMX Bandit said:

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King of the Dairy Queen said:

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What cfb is becoming is what the vast majority of texags posters wanted.

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Fake news

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pay players and have a playoff has been the predominant view on texags by around a 20:1 margin for 20 years. Yall got it. It has made everything worse. Now its thread after thread for suggestions of how to fix the **** sandwich that has been made

interesting you left out the #1 problem with college football right now: the unfettered transfers.

less than a handful of posters have ever been okay with that.


there is nothing wrong with players making money. only the jealous types get their panties in a twist about that. and the playoff is great. bizarre thing to bring up.


so, again, to claim that the current version of college football is what so many wanted is classic "Fake news" to the contrary, its exactly what most posters warned against.

BMX Bandit said:

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interesting you left out the #1 problem with college football right now: the unfettered transfers.

less than a handful of posters have ever been okay with that.


there is nothing wrong with players making money. only the jealous types get their panties in a twist about that. and the playoff is great. bizarre thing to bring up.


so, again, to claim that the current version of college football is what so many wanted is classic "Fake news"

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the transfers were always an obvious biproduct of the paying players. I guess people could have been too short sighted to see it coming, but I think most were obtuse to it or just ambivalent so long as players got paid. Yall's demands were met, and this is what it happens to look like.

What you're saying is "I want all the changes I wanted and none of the obvious problems that those changes caused". You are saying you wanted a pie in the sky fairy tale.

Quote:

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the transfers were always an obvious biproduct of the paying players

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more fake news.

first rule of holes, stop digging when you are in one.

Not good for the game, but we all went to A&M to position ourselves to make a good living as adults. The top guys are getting more in a year than I've made in my life. It's a job, and if someone will pay more, why not do 4 schools in 4 years with increases for every move and come out the other end with a pile.

BMX Bandit said:

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Quote:

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the transfers were always an obvious biproduct of the paying players

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more fake news.

first rule of holes, stop digging when you are in one.

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You thought we were going to create a player talent pool for the highest bidder and not allow them to leave? You were naive, history has born that out. Learn. Grow. You can say all the low iq canned responses you want, but reality is what it is.

You sound like a freshman humanities major telling me real socialism has never been tried when someone points out the glaring failures of the utopia you thought you supported.

You got what you wanted. You won. Own it.

King of the Dairy Queen said:

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BMX Bandit said:

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Quote:

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the transfers were always an obvious biproduct of the paying players

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more fake news.

first rule of holes, stop digging when you are in one.

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You thought we were going to create a player talent pool for the highest bidder and not allow them to leave? You were naive, history has born that out. Learn. Grow. You can say all the low iq canned responses you want, but reality is what it is.

You sound like a freshman humanities major telling me real socialism has never been tried when someone points out the glaring failures of the utopia you thought you supported.

You got what you wanted. You won. Own it.

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The parity this year is much better. I'll own it.

At what point do NFL teams start signing guys to NIL deals and placing them at schools they want, essentially turning college football into minor league football.

Burn it all down and walk away forever
.

Buford T. Justice said:

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None of this is sustainable.

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I suspect when the Boomers die off that are the backbone of current financial support for NIL, who are the most attached to CFB as it was, it will drastically alter the landscape again.

greg.w.h said:

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King of the Dairy Queen said:

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BMX Bandit said:

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Quote:

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the transfers were always an obvious biproduct of the paying players

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more fake news.

first rule of holes, stop digging when you are in one.

---

You thought we were going to create a player talent pool for the highest bidder and not allow them to leave? You were naive, history has born that out. Learn. Grow. You can say all the low iq canned responses you want, but reality is what it is.

You sound like a freshman humanities major telling me real socialism has never been tried when someone points out the glaring failures of the utopia you thought you supported.

You got what you wanted. You won. Own it.

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The parity this year is much better. I'll own it.

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. Who wants parity? I want the Aggies to beat every team by 50 points

I am going to be optimistic and say hopefully it is unrecognizable in a good way... Coach poaching goes away, CFP is sped up a little, maybe cut the BS bowls and expand the playoff (in a well thought after way)... I highly doubt CFB will turn into something worse than the NFL

Yeah the playoffs have ruined it.

Miss when college football had passion. Used to see these boys die for their schools.

SIAP

Don't have an O-Line? Can't recruit an O-Line? Can't develop an O-Line?

Just go out and buy an O-Line. Don't worry about state pride, regional pride, loyalty, legacy, school identity, or players' passion to play for your school. Just write the checks and send em out to entertain the crowds. There will be crowds.

For awhile.

If you're a fan, don't imagine you have some sort of connection with the players just on account of a common academic experience. Academics have little or no importance in today's college football. Eligibility? Student athlete? Give me a break. Nobody cares.

The best part will be when players... assisted by agents, naturally... form trade unions or guilds which can go on strike or under-perform in order to manipulate the management and fan base. With millions of dollars on the line in tv fees and ticket sales, the schools and conferences will cave quickly to ensure that the money tap flows freely.

I give the whole system five to ten years. Max.

CB, '67

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I'm trying to imagine the kids being sent to schools they don't want to play for. Lol

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Yeah, what if that school didn't have their Major? Poor guys would be screwed academically.

I used to be obsessed with college football. Now I consider myself a casual fan. Will watch certain games throughout the year, but have no interest in watching random games like I used to.

Money ruins everything eventually.