You see this nonsense about Nebraska giiving Matt Rhule a $5 million NIL deal for his podcast rights and I just think about Coach Bryant walking into a recruit's living room with nothing but a handshake and a promise to turn boys into men. That was the currency that built this program. A contract for a coach's podcast? What has this sport become?
We used to settle toughness in August two-a-days in full pads with the sun beating down on the practice field. You either had it or you went home. Now these kids are worried about their "brand" and their "platform" before they have even earned the right to call themselves a starter. I remember the 1979 goal line stand against Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. That was toughness. That was grit. Not some podcast deal.
The 24-team playoff talk with the ACC throwing their support behind it and the SEC holding the line at 16 tells me everything I need to know. We are watering down the product to let everybody get a participation trophy. Back in the 1992 season under Coach Stallings we had to earn our way to the Sugar Bowl by beating Florida in the first SEC Championship Game. One loss and you were out. Now they want to let a 6-6 team sneak in. That is not toughness. That is surrender.