He’s a college football junkie. “I can’t wait to get home tonight and watch college football,” Urban Meyer said at his Thursday press conference. “It’s at an all-time high in interest level. It’s really good right now.”
And it didn’t getting any worse for the wear this week when Urban was able to tune in and see his old team, led by his old lieutenant, knock off the nation’s No. 15 team – Big East favorite Pittsburgh.
Thursday nights have been like The Big House to Utah. The win by Kyle Whittingham’s Utes, themselves ranked No. 24, was displayed on a national stage as they beat the Panthers, 27-24, in overtime.
While Urban enjoys watching on Thursday nights, he’s no longer a fan of playing them.
“When were at Utah, that got us off running – in more homes than we ever would be,” Meyer said, reflecting how the Utes vaulted onto big-time college football scene under his guidance.
“I’ll never forget the first Thursday, we beat Cal. And then we came back and beat Oregon the next week, on a Friday. And Utah went like that” – he was motioning upward – “because of the recruiting. Everybody in the country knew who the red helmets were.”
A few more people found out about the red helmets Thursday night.
There were 29 games played this week. And even Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Utah, Miami and – as usual – South Carolina partook of the mid-week fare. But don’t worry, Urban Meyer is not going there, even though he has a great appreciation for the concept.
“I’m a big fan of Thursday night games and I love watching them,” said Meyer.
Then was then, now is now: “No, I don’t see Florida playing on a Thursday,” he reaffirmed Thursday – something he has said many times before.
On the surface, it all looks good, but even with the huge popularity of the game, there are some things that concern Meyer and other people – much of it brought about by the success of the game.
The Florida coach didn’t get into specifics, however, he did say: “There are some negatives – and that comes with the success that college football has had. And that’s the way it is.”
The way it is, indeed.
There are many forces at work, some for good, some for not-so-good.
The big money is driving a wedge between the haves and have nots. While large conferences like the SEC, Big 10 and Big 12 are flourishing, the “mid-majors” like the Mountain West Conference, WAC, etc. are having some struggles.
And then there is the agent issue. Exposure on TV has more “entitled” players who see themselves as heir-apparents to wealth from NFL contract. And the money has attracted the agents, like sharks and blood in the water.
The bottom line rules more then ever in college ball.
Now, instead of it being the case of TV as the tail wagging the dog, it’s more like the tail wagging the whole kennel.
The whole conference split-ups are about lining up to take handouts from the TV money tree.
That’s why so many schools are compromising and giving in on some of the issues that they probably wouldn’t have done once upon a time.
Florida is holding the line just a little – like Thursday nights. The Gators will, however, will continue to participate in some non-traditional things, like wearing special Nike uniforms for one game. Even though he’s not a big fan of that concept, Urban says he realizes it’s a big deal and will continue to embrace it because of obvious contract issue
“I love Nike. I don’t like new uniforms,” he said. “But I’m a team player and I understand the value of it. Phil Knight’s a very good friend, so we’re wearing them.”
Urban had yet to see the Nike unis (pictured above). Actually, they’re pretty conservative and, in my opinion, not too bad. When in doubt, tie goes to the money.
And so the college football money tree looms larger and larger.
This is not the evil empire, mind you, because in these harsh economic times every resource is needed to fund The Great Game. Only 14 schools make a profit. Every day those schools are looking for ways to squeeze a few more bucks out of the marketplace.
It’s also why big money from Nike, Under Armor and the like, is so critical. And why Nike founder/owner Phil Knight pretty much has carte blanche among the big schools.
Everything seems to be headed toward a playoff, Super Conference and a junior version of the NFL before long. And I am left to wonder if the younger folks will look back someday and say, “Whatever happened to that Great Old Game”?
Meanwhile, enjoy the game and the weekend. I’ll leave all that for the next generation to worry about – along with global warming and balancing the budget. Right now, I’m getting ready for Saturday’s kickoff.